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!

HOUSTON MET TOO IS PERFORMING THEIR 2008 SPRING CONCERT.

This Saturday, May 24 at 8pm, the Houston Metropolitan Dance Center is presenting their youth company, Houston Met Too, at its best. These students are submitted to the same training as a professional dancer with mentoring and quidance and the result is a performance that is diverse, exciting and a blast of youthful energy.

All tickets are $15 and the performance takes place in the Wortham Theater Center's Cullen Theater. To bring their dancing to a personal level, the company is holding "Summer Intensives" in June and August and summer classes for children all summer long.

For more information, call 713.522.6375 or log onto www.houstonmetdance.com.

SEE POMPEII DOCUMENTARY FREE WITH PURCHASE OF TICKETS TO "POMPEII: TALES OF AN ERUPTION" AT THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS.

"In The Shadow of Vesuvius" is a documentary showing daily at the Museum of Fine Arts in conjunction with their Pompeii exhibition; the screenings and the exhibition continue through June 22.

Since the days of the Roman Empire, Italy´s Mount Vesuvius has erupted more than 50 times, devastating whole cities and towns. In A.D. 79 the volcano destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum, burying people alive as they ran to escape its fury. Lost and forgotten for more than 1,600 years, the once-thriving trade center of Pompeii has been successfully uncovered by archaeologists. At Herculaneum, human skeletons were found in a fatal embrace. Although Vesuvius is sleeping now, this active volcano is never far from the minds of the two million people who live in its shadow.

The documentary unfolds as a mystery, revealing how archeologists and other experts worked from the ruins to piece together the prosperous societies that once flourished in Pompeii and Herculaneum. A vast array of artifacts are revealed, including skeletons, structures, decorative and functional objects, and even the discovery of a dining table set for a meal, preserved for nearly 2,000 years. It concludes with a lively annual ritual, the celebration of the Miracle of San Gennaro, the patron saint who protects Naples from the wrath of Mount Vesuvius. Tickets are $17/adults and $13/children 6-18 and seniors 65+.

The Museum hosts free family days, "Target First Sundays" on the first Sunday of every month from 12:15-7pm which includes a "Family Flicks" pick. "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind" will be shown on June 1 at 2pm.

For more information, call 713.639.7300 or log onto www.mfah.org.

BEGIN THE SUMMER WITH MUSIC LESSONS AT THE MOORES SCHOOL OF MUSIC.

Send your children (or yourself) to the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music! The Preparatory and Continuing Studies Department offers a variety of private lessons and group classes for students of all ages and abilities to the greater Houston community. Classes include The Suzuki String Program, The Piano Program, and Private Instruction [voice, piano, violin, viola, cello, saxophone, flute, guitar (classical & jazz), theory/composition, trumpet, French horn, organ, and most orchestral instruments].

For more information, call 713.743.3398 or log onto www.pcs.uh.edu.

SIGN UP NOW FOR MATT BULLARD SUMMER BASKETBALL CAMPS.

Matt Bullard, longtime member of the N.B.A. Houston Rockets, will once again be conducting his 14th annual summer basketball camp. The camp will be held July 9-13, at The John Cooper School in The Woodlands, Texas. The camp is open to all boys and girls entering 2nd through 10th grades.

The morning session will run from 9am until noon and will be open to children entering grades 2nd through 5th, while the afternoon session will run from 1pm until 4pm for children entering grades 5th through 10th. Fifth graders may attend either the morning or afternoon session.

The focus of the camp will be fundamental basketball skills, work ethic, teamwork, discipline, good listening skills and sportsmanship. The camp includes a structured schedule, daily full-court games, a shooting lecture by Bullard, outstanding coaches and a 10-to-1 player-to-coach ratio. Included in the weekly price of $145 is a camp T-shirt, camp prizes and a picture/autograph session with Bullard on the last day of camp. The first 50 campers to register receive a free Matt Bullard Camp basketball.

For more information or to register, call 832.752.3100 or log onto www.mattbullard.net.

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

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