Welcome to this week's "Gish Picks", where I highlight family-oriented cultural events, products or services. Please note that I "highlight" these events, but I don't know if they are appropriate for your particular children, so choose wisely based on age, maturity and interests.

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Now, GO FIND FUN!

HERE'S A GREAT WAY TO ENJOY BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS THIS WEEKEND.

This Thursday, March 12 through Sunday, March 15, the premier houses of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston are hosting the First Annual "Spring House & Gardens Days".
Families can enjoy the spectacular floral color at the Bayou Bend and Rienzi "House Museums" with drop-in tours and activities and programs for all ages. This brand-new four-day special event follows the annual River Oaks Garden Club’s "Azalea Trail" and will showcase the flora and fauna that populate the celebrated gardens of both mansions. Each property will provide informal garden and flower demonstrations and workshops and tours with a focus on natural gardening methods and preservation. On Saturday and Sunday, there will be lots of engaging, hands-on activities and arts and crafts for children featuring Mother Nature — not only her plants, trees and flowers but also the many creatures that live in her gardens and woodlands. Young guests will learn about making things grow, the critters living in the gardens at Bayou Bend and Rienzi, and other topics designed to pique their curiosity. Guests will also be treated to a unique variety of music and dance performances, storytelling and scavenger hunts in the gardens, puppets and more. A special highlight will be Ars Lyrica Houston’s "A Musical Pleasure Garden" performance on Sunday, March 14 at 4pm at Bayou Bend. The homes will be open Thursday–Saturday from 10am–6pm and Sunday 1-6pm. Admission is $15 for a 4-day admission pass and $10 for a single-day pass. Children 12 and under are free with adult admission.

"YOUNG TEXAS ARTISTS MUSIC COMPETITION" CONCERT.

The Montgomery County Performing Arts Society is holding their 25th celebration of the “Young Texas Artists Music Competition” this weekend which will culminate in a finalists’ concert open to the public this Saturday, March 14 at 7:30pm at the historic 1934 Crighton Theatre in Conroe. The three-day classical music competition has four divisions, all of which will be represented at the March 14 concert: Voice; Piano; Strings; and Winds/Brass/Percussion/Harp/Guitar. The competition offers over $21,000 in cash prizes and showcases a broad range of talent in both Texas residents and students studying in Texas music schools. Judges for this year’s contest are leaders in their musical fields and include Daniel Cataneo from The Juilliard School, Miyoko Lotto from Manhattan School of Music, Andreas Melinat from Lyric Opera of Chicago, Lucie Robert from Manhattan School of Music, and Daniel Stolper from Indiana University. The Young Texas Artists Music Competition was created in 1983 by the Montgomery County Performing Arts Society, a nonprofit organization, to promote excellence in musical performance, to encourage young musicians in their pursuit of high artistic standards, and to foster a love for the performing arts in the community and throughout the state of Texas.

Tickets for the Entergy Finalists’ Concert and Awards are $22 and are available at the Crighton Theatre Box Office.

"FAMILY DAY AT THE CAM".

This Sunday, March 15, from 1-4pm, the Contemporary Arts Museum is hosting a “Family Day” in conjunction with the exhibition “The Puppet Show” which is on view through April 12. Joel Orr of Houston’s Bobbindoctrin Puppet Theatre will hold a puppet workshop for kids during the “Family Day”. The Contemporary Arts Museum Houston is a great place to visit with the kids, but be sure to check out what’s on the walls before going by either previewing it on their website (they have a family page to assist with that) or by seeing the art in person. The Museum is a not-for-profit, non-collecting institution dedicated to presenting the art of our time to the local, regional, national and international public. It’s located in the museum district at 5216 Montrose Boulevard near Bissonnet (you can’t miss it – it’s the big, triangular, corrugated steel structure!) and admission is always free. They work with kids through their “Teen Council” which presents occasional programs, and for each major exhibition, there is a Houston Chronicle Family Day, offering family tours and relevant hands-on art activities. They also offer “Factivity Kits” for young children, which include a Family Guide and special kids’ activities in English and Spanish. These kits are available free of charge at the information desk.

PRIVATE SCHOOL OF THE ARTS TO OPEN FALL 2009: AUDITIONS AND INTERVIEWS TAKE PLACE APRIL 24 AND 25.

The Bara-Hambright School of the Arts offers Private School for gifted students pre-kindergarten through the third grade with plans to add fourth through eighth grade as the students progress. Their team of artists, education and child development experts have designed an environment and curriculum where the highly creative and artistically gifted student can thrive. Art meets academics in this truly innovative program created specifically for children that think, learn, function and reveal themselves most naturally through their creativity and their artistic expression. Beginning June 2009 The Bara-Hambright School of the Arts will also offer "Creativity School", a part time Pre-K program, the S.T.A.R. After School Program, Summer Camps, and classes in dance, visual art, music, and acting. For more information or to schedule an audition/interview time log onto www.bara-hambright.com or call 281.907.6238.

Sarah Gish
Gish Creative
1940-A Fountainview, PMB 116
Houston, Texas 77057
phone/fax: 713.532.1173

email: sarah@gishcreative.com
web: www.gishcreative.com
and: www.thesummerbook.com
and: www.saveourlandmarks.org

© 2009 Sarah Gish

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