Gish Picks: Week of April 1, 2009


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. I know many of you go to events based on GISH PICKS recommendations; PLEASE remember to tell the organization that you are there because of us. Word-of-mouth like yours helps our business to grow. In the same spirit, please also feel free to share GISH PICKS with friends and families. Do you have something you would like to promote on Gish Picks? Advertisers can promote family-friendly events, products or services to Houstonians all over the city and the surrounding area who are active parents, involved citizens and great shoppers. We love doing this community service and want to keep it free for our readers but in order to justify the hours spent researching, writing and designing this newsletter, we need advertising support. If you'd like to learn more, please click below. Now, GO FIND FUN!

MECA HOSTS YOUTH PROGRAMS THIS MONTH.

This Saturday, April 4, MECA (Multicultural Education and Counseling through the Arts) presents “El Sistema” with the National Network of Youth and Children's Orchestras of Venezuela and the Outreach Department of the Houston Symphony. The world renowned Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra string and brass chamber ensemble will perform at MECA at 2pm. The goal of “El Sistema” is to use music for the protection of childhood through training, rehabilitation and prevention of criminal behavior. The program offers special music-therapy programs for children with disabilities or learning difficulties, and special centers for phonology, audiovisuals, and higher musical education. MECA is also celebrating children on April 29 in honor of “Día de los Niños/Children's Day”. MECA students' artwork will be on display from April 29-May 22.

Admission is free for the “El Sistema” concert. Weather permitting, the concert will be held outdoors at the MECA Green Pavilion located at MECA Dow School at 1900 Kane Street in Old Sixth Ward.

IT'S REALLY GROOVY, MAN.

The hippie chick in me can’t resist promoting something called “Love Street Light Circus Spring Music Festival”! Love Street Light Circus presents this two day-long festival this weekend – and it’s the first one for them. The event will take place on the covered outdoor stage at Bohemeos on Saturday, April 4 (11am-9pm), and Sunday, April 5 (1pm-7pm). Funds raised will help Love Street continue its mission of mobilizing the Houston music community to benefit local children's charities. And here’s a cool historical factoid: the name is a connection to Houston’s musical past because the music club Love Street Light Circus and Feelgood Machine was a focal point of the Houston music scene in the late 1960s. It featured the city’s top acts of the day, some of whom went on to national prominence. The club was founded by renowned Houston artist David Adickes, who graciously blessed the use of the name and served as Honorary Chair of this inaugural music event. Check out their website for the complete lineup.

"LITTLE WOMEN: THE MUSICAL" COMES TO TOWN.

Country Playhouse Theatre presents "Little Women : The Musical." The show runs Fridays and Saturdays, April 3-18 at 8pm with a Sunday matinee on April 12 at 2pm and a special Thursday performance on April 16 at 7:30pm. Based on the literary classic by Louisa May Alcott, the show follows the saga of the March sisters - Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy - as they grow up in Civil War America. The girls encounter love, life, and loss as they grow up in such a pivotal time in history. They soon discover that the ones they truly love will always be with them. The show is a recent arrival from Broadway and has experienced a very well received national tour. Country Playhouse is located near the intersection of Beltway 8 and I-10.

SPEND YOUR SUMMER AT THE STUDIO!

Encourage your child to take center stage this summer! The Theatre Under The Stars Humphreys School of Musical Theatre offers weekly camps and workshops for children ages 4 all the way through 18. There's musical theatre camp for children ages 4-6, as well as acting camp and time-period based "Broadway through the Eras" camp for children ages 7-12. Children ages 13-18 have the opportunity to experience musical theatre in three different ways this summer. Intermediate or advanced students can join the summer stock company as they undertake productions of "Urinetown" and "Rent School Edition". "Tap Fest" is a week of technical tap-development and "Camp Broadway" will immerse your child in all the aspects of putting on a Broadway show in a professional environment. Musical theatre develops confidence, courage and energy so get involved in the theatre community today!

DON'T MISS THE 9th ANNUAL AFTER-SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP FAIR.

The 9th Annual After-School Partnership Fair is free and open to the public and showcases after-school vendors and funding opportunities on Friday, April 17 from 9am until 2pm at the Harris County Department of Education, 6300 Irvington Boulevard. Over 80 vendors provide samplings of after-school and enrichment products like art supplies and tutorial software along with enrichment activities such as karate, etiquette and fencing (we'll be there with information on our workshops and THE SUMMER BOOK!). Each year the event attracts several hundred after-school providers, school principals and administrators, and nonprofit organizers. The fair also features workshops which explain request-for-proposals for after-school grant funds from the City of Houston After-School Achievement Program (ASAP) and the Cooperative for After-School Enrichment (CASE) After-School Initiative.

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My goal is to serve as an information resource for Houston parents through my various endeavors, including:

GISH PICKS, which is online (www.thesummerbook.com/gishpicks_archive.html) and in the Houston Community Newspaper group (www.hcnonline.com);

THE SUMMER BOOK®: A GUIDE TO HOUSTON DAY CAMPS AND CLASSES FOR KIDS AND TEENS (www.thesummerbook.com) which comes out annually on March 1 and is sold at bookstores all over Houston, including Barnes and Noble and Borders; and

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS, INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS, PRIVATE CONSULTATIONS, AND ART PROGRAMS that cover topics such as summertime fun, passion-finding (for adults, children, and parents helping their children), marketing, historic preservation, art classes, and activism. All of these services can be tailored for any audience and budget.

The purpose of GISH PICKS is to help parents become aware of all the fun things they can do with their children in Houston and the surrounding area, so HAPPY TRAVELS! Please do give me feedback and ideas, as you are out there in the trenches also looking for interesting things for your family and I want to hear what you find. If you are having trouble getting to a website listed here, try hitting the “Ctrl” button and left-clicking on the web address, which should make it “live”.


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 Designed by West of the World