Gish Picks: Week of April 8, 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!

HOUSTON, EARTH DAY HAS LANDED.

The color is green during “Earth Day Houston”, the city’s official Party for Our Planet, which takes place at one year-old Discovery Green this Saturday, April 11, from 9am- 6pm. The festivities kick off with the Mothers for Clean Air Earth Day 5K at 8am followed by a day-long celebration with family entertainment, environmental education, and much more. The free one-day celebration will focus on the merits of mindful, sustainable living while educating and encouraging Houstonians to preserve, conserve and enhance our city and the Earth. Developed by the Galveston-Houston Association for Smog Prevention (GHASP) and Mothers for Clean Air, Earth Day Houston is a collaboration with the City of Houston, Discovery Green, and various green nonprofit agencies. Planned activities include the Earth Zone featuring interactive environmental awareness activities highlighting land, air, water, and renewable energy. H-E-B is sponsoring a Farmers Market with Central City Co-op, in support of locally-grown produce and flowers for sale. The Kids Energy Zone has an inflatable maze and Discovery Greens’ popular water feature and playscape for kids of all ages to use their natural energy. And there is an Environmental Education Zone, sponsored by Green Bank, which will be full of art activities for kids using recycled materials, the latest in Lexus hybrid transportation, a display of a 6-foot tall Cool Globe, part of a national conservation awareness campaign, and representative agencies of the Citizens’ Environmental Coalition. Live music with Flying Fish Sailor, Beetle, Allen Oldies Band and Texodus, plus plenty of food and beverages on site will round out the day’s events. By the way, “Earth Day” is April 22 each year – but the city got a jump on it!

WHEREVER THERE'S A BEAST, THERE'S A BEAUTY.

HITS Theatre brings the classic romantic tale “Beauty and the Beast - The Broadway Musical” to Miller Outdoor Theatre this weekend, April 9-11 and next weekend, April 16-18, at 8pm each night. This staged version of the 1991 Disney film by the same name was developed and piloted by Disney in Houston 15 years ago in its first effort to translate a beloved animated film to the live theatre. The production includes all of the same memorable songs written by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman along with new songs by Menken and Tony Award-winning lyricist Tim Rice. And here’s a historical tidbit about the story – it was a traditional fairytale that was first written down by Madame Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve (try to say that three times fast!) in 1740. HITS Theatre is a Houston-area leader in performing arts education for youth and the community in a professional-level production. The young performers also have the opportunity to work side-by-side and be mentored by skilled professional actors. More than 50 of the 64 cast members are students ranging in age from 10-18 and are part of HIT Theatre’s performing arts education program.

HITS is hosting a special “Feast with the Beast” at their annual “Tent Party” on Saturday, April 18th from 5-7pm at Miller. A special picnic will be provided for ticket-holders; tickets for this fundraising event start at $20. Tickets for seats under the canopy for all shows are available the day of the show for free from the Miller Theatre box office. For details, call the box office at 281.FREE.FUN.

THIS AIN'T YOUR MAMA'S SALAD.

The 14th annual Dance Salad Festival will be presented in Houston this weekend, April 9, 10 and 11 at 7:30 pm at the Wortham Center, Cullen Theater. This year's production promises another gathering of world-class performers. Famous in their own countries, the dance companies have won praise from critics and audiences wherever they have toured. Classical, modern and contemporary dance share the Dance Salad Festival stage to form a mix of movement and compelling choreographic invention. Members of some of the world’s best dance companies travel to Houston to participate in this week-long Festival.

Each night’s production is uniquely curated and designed as a coherent, expressive performance; to see the full range of the choreography presented requires attending two of the three evenings. The show will feature dancers from eight countries, including the English National Ballet, the Royal Swedish Ballet, Staatstheater Ballet (Germany), and Xing Liang (Hong Kong).

SKATE THE DAIRY ASHFORD ROLLER RINK THIS WEEKEND.

If you're looking for something to do when kids are out of school on Friday, I suggest the Dairy Ashford Roller Rink. They're open 10am-noon for $5 "Mommy and Me Skate" (7 and under) and to the public 3-10:30pm. Saturdays they are open from noon-10:30pm and this Easter Sunday they are closed. Every Thursday afternoon, they offer "Cheap Skate/Retro Music" from 3-10pm. DARR is also available for birthday parties with a variety of party packages to choose from; parties are booked for a 2-hour period during open skate times. It's also a great space for private or corporate parties, end-of-school parties, team building events, and more. The space can accommodate up to 300 people and the staff can help with food and drink needs.

Skating fees are $3-$7 depending on the day and time and skate rental is $2 (no charge if you bring your own skates).

DOING THE DISHES FOR CLEAN WATER.

To celebrate Earth Day, The Mad Potter joins forces with Living Water International throughout April to assist communities who are in dire need of clean water. A kick-off celebration will take place tonight, Wednesday, April 8, 6-8pm at the Mad Potter West, 1341 S. Voss Road. To help with this cause, visit one of The Mad Potter studios in Bellaire, Memorial and River Oaks and perform a good deed by painting one of their many varieties of pottery cups. For each cup or mug painted, $1 goes to the Living Water International to help more unfortunate areas have access to clean water.

The Mad Potter is a paint-your-own-pottery studio where children and adults alike can try their hand at becoming the next modern day Picasso. Individuals can choose from more than 400 shapes and sizes of pottery. They then design and paint their own pieces with The Mad Potter's instruction, brushes, tools and paint. All that aspiring artists need to bring is their creativity and desire to have fun while creating their own memories and masterpieces.

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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