Gish Picks: Week of April 23, 2008


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 advertise 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!

CELEBRATE THE INDEPENDENCE OF TEXAS FROM MEXICO THIS WEEKEND.

The annual free "San Jacinto Day Festival and Battle Reenactment" will be this Saturday, April 26 from 10am until 6pm on the 1,200-acre San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site at the San Jacinto Monument located off Highway 225 East. It's a celebration of Texas’ independence that was won at the famous Battle of San Jacinto. On April 21, 1836—in 18 short minutes—General Sam Houston led his Texian soldiers to victory over the Mexican Army, officially securing Texas’ independence from Mexico and eventually leading to the addition of one million square miles of territory to the United States.

There will be a full day of music, entertainment, food, games and fun set amidst living history; the highlight of the day will be the battle reenactment at 3pm with cannons, muskets, horses, pyrotechnics and hundreds of reenactors. Wandering around the grounds will be tradespeople and members of the San Jacinto Descendants, Daughters of the Republic of Texas and the Sons of the Republic of Texas. There will also be live entertainment, nature tours, and Birds of Prey demonstrations. Kids will enjoy the "Children's Area" which will have games and crafts for all ages, including a historically active street performance by Phydeaux’s Flying Flea Circus, a 55’ train complete with train whistle and Texan and American flags ($2 fee), make-and-take history activities and crafts, native Texas animals for kids to observe as well as Marsha’s Petting Zoo.

For more information, call 281.479.2421 or log onto www.sanjacinto-museum.org.

JOIN RACHEL BUCHMAN AT THE SHEPHERD SCHOOL OF MUSIC FOR A FREE CONCERT THIS SUNDAY.

Beloved music teacher and performer Rachel Buchman is teaming up with Jacob Barton, Elliot Cole, Marjorie Gere, Evan Leslie, Joseph Maile, Maiko Sasaki, Dan Sedgwick, and Owl and Friends. The group will present a recital of stories, puppetry, songs, and music old and new for young people and their families. Performances will be this Sunday, April 27 at 1:30pm and 6:30pm and kids can wear their pajamas to the evening performance if they wish. The performance will take place at the Hirsch Orchestra Rehearsal Hall at the Shepherd School of Music on the Rice University campus.

Rachel Buchman has taught music to children for over 25 years and is a lecturer in music at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music as well as the Head of the Young Children's Division of the Michael P. Hammond Preparatory Program. Using her own methods and those of Emile Jaques-Dalcroze, Ms. Buchman trains Brown Fellow graduate students to develop the intuitive musicianship of young children and teaches children’s classes herself. Through the JUMP In-reach concert program she teaches classical musicians innovative approaches to presenting art music to children and adults and she coaches musicians in the art of the spoken word, a skill increasingly in demand for musicians performing contemporary compositions.

For more information, call 713.348.4854 or log onto music.rice.edu/calendar/index.html.

CELEBRATE WITH AN "EARTH DAY AND OLEANDER FESTIVAL" COMING TO MOODY GARDENS THIS WEEKEND.

Moody Gardens and the International Oleander Society will host a free "Earth Day and Oleander Festival" at Moody Gardens on Galveston Island this Saturday, April 26 and Sunday, April 27 from 10am until 4pm. The grand, two-day festival will feature live entertainment, fun and educational demonstrations, floral design competitions and much more. A special $15 combo pass will be available for admission to the Rainforest and Aquarium Pyramids during the festival. Moody Gardens is a public, non-profit educational destination utilizing nature in the advancement of rehabilitation, conservation, recreation and research.

For more information, call 800.582.4673 or log onto www.moodygardens.org.

EL PAVO REAL PRESENTS “SUMMER GIRL’S CLUB” THIS JUNE AND JULY.

El Pavo Real presents a special summer session for girls 10-14 years old. Camps will be presented at 14281 Misty Meadow on the west side of Houston. Campers will be immersed in the culture, food, and customs of Spain. Girls will be able to practice conversational Spanish, learn flamenco steps, appreciate art and history and have a blast with the leaders... Spanish style!

Ms. Maria has 15 years of theater and television experience and will guide campers through a short theatrical performance in Spanish and Ms. Maribel, a chef extraordinaire, will inspire kids by teaching them some simple and healthy Mediterranean recipes. The week will wind up with a “fiesta” in which the students help prepare “tapas” (appetizers) for their parents and put on a short play. Camps are $300/week (lunch included) and will take place June and July from 9am until 4pm daily. Enrollment is limited.

For more information or to sign up, call 832.283.6667 or email msotolongo1206@sbcglobal.net.

DRAGONFLY TRANSPORTATION HAS THE ANSWER TO ALL YOUR TRANSPORTATION NEEDS FOR SUMMER CAMPS, CHURCH GROUPS, SCHOOLS OR SENIOR CITIZEN FIELD TRIPS.

Their 18 passenger mini-buses are perfect for small groups and they have larger charter buses available upon request. Their 18 seat mini-bus is set up with a 20-inch television outfitted with a VCR/DVD player and an XM-radio with a CD/MP3 player. Dragonfly Transportation places safety first so most of their buses have seatbelts. Please call for rates as prices will vary depending on pick up and drop off locations, the size of group, and the time of the year. Please go to www.caniride.com to view the mini-bus and read reviews of their business.

For more information or to book a bus, call 713.539.6809 or email glenn@buswkn.com.

For more about my marketing company, Gish Creative, and the services we offer, please click here. You are on this list because I thought this e-newsletter would be helpful to you or because you signed up for it. However, if you want off this list, click here and you're a goner. Please feel free to tell your friends to subscribe by clicking here.

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 print through 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 parenting (www.freewebs.com/glowfished), marketing, historic preservation, activism, and passion-finding. 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 © 2008 Sarah Gish Designed by West of the World