Gish Picks: Week of June 30, 2010

Click here for more information about The Summer Book® 2010!

WHAT'S NEW THIS WEEK?

Green is the new Greed and I'm thrilled about that! If nothing else, this recession has forced all of us to look at how we can save -- not only our money but also our environment -- and to incorporate the adage of "reduce/reuse/recycle" into our daily lives. Lucky for us, we live in Houston which, surprisingly, is becoming a national green city leader (we knew you had it in you all along, H-Town!). It was recently announced that Houston will be the first city to implement a comprehensive energy-saving building retrofit program that was established under the Clinton Climate Initiative (see story here). For that program, Houston is among a select group of global cities taking on the mission of reducing their carbon footprint and adapting to climate change. The group is called the "Large Cities Climate Leadership Group" or "C40," which also includes New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia to represent the United States. And the good news keeps pouring in about how green are our pastures - Houston was recently recognized for its growth in sustainability during a Green Energy and Economy panel discussion at the 2010 Organization of Chinese Americans National Convention held here. For all the scoop on our city's green programs go here and here -- the city's newest initiative is a "Reuse Warehouse" for recycling building materials at 9003 N. Main Street. Yes, we are the energy capital but we are also quickly becoming the green capital!

Happy Fourth of July and stay dry on the "dirty side" of Hurricane Alex!

KIDZ MAKE COMEDY WITH COMEDYSPORTZ.

ComedySportz Houston presents "ComedySportz 4 Kidz" this Saturday, July 2 at 4pm. This monthly matinee show was created for younger fans and their families and takes place on the first Saturday of each month at 4pm. The show features three all-star performers who invent the performance with the help of the audience and is perfect for birthday parties, scout troop outings, and other kid-friendly events. An hour in length, CZ 4 Kidz offers lots of opportunity for young ones to volunteer and join the actors on the stage! Celebrating 20 years in Houston this November, ComedySportz is Houston's longest running improv show and, in addition to the kids show, they have weekend shows on Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm. In those shows, the cast performs fast-paced, hilarious and clean improv comedy which pits two teams of improvisers in a battle for laughs and points vis a vis scenes, games, and songs based on audience suggestions. Victory at a ComedySportz match is awarded to the team favored by the audience. Because suggestions vary, no match is the same. Every match is live, hilarious, clean, foolproof, fast-paced and positive. The shows are suitable and fun for all ages (if you say something inappropriate, they place a brown bag on your head!) and my family just loves to frequent the CS shows.

Tickets for the "Kidz" show are $8/everyone and advance reservations are required. Tickets for the weekend shows are $16/adults and $14/seniors, students, and children. ComedySportz Houston will be celebrating its 20th anniversary with a special event on November 13, 2010. Details to be announced later, but mark your calendars now for an evening full of fun and laughs!

FREE FIREWORKS ON THE FOURTH, FOR FUN!

Let me get beyond the alliteration and tell you about Mayor Annise Parker’s official Fourth of July event, which is the Shell “Freedom Over Texas with Fireworks”. Texas singer-songwriter Pat Green will headline the annual event, taking place on Sunday, July 4, starting at 4pm and ending at 10pm with the nation’s largest land-based fireworks show (how’s that for thrills?!). Trailblazing country musician Pat Green will not only headline the event, but will be presented an award for being the “Most Played Texas Artist” of the last decade by the Texas Music Charts. The concert will close at 9:30pm with fireworks perfectly timed to a selection of America’s favorite tunes, from patriotic songs to rock ‘n’ roll hits to classic bestsellers. In addition to this year’s entertainment headliner, the festival will also spotlight a selection of local and regional music on four stages with music ranging from country western and rock 'n' roll to Latin, R&B, and oldies. Other activities will include a showcase of military artifacts and vehicles including representation from all five military branches and more in Liberty Park: a Bud Light Zone; and the Walmart All American Kids Zone. The Kids Zone will feature more than 30,000 square feet of free educational programming and entertainment for kids including Houston Public Library’s educational computer lab, fire safety instruction, historical costumed characters who will talk with children about the documents that defined our government, sing-a-long activities for children and little aspiring stars, and free games, rides, face painting and interactive activities.

Admission is free with the donation of one canned item per person to the Houston Food Bank. Without the donation, tickets will be $8 per person. Children two years and under will be admitted free. In keeping with last year’s theme, the event will feature recycling receptacles, encouraging all patrons to recycle.

CHINESE DANCE WALTZES INTO HOUSTON.

Head over to the Wortham Theater this weekend to see classical Chinese dance performed by New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts. The show promises to be “gloriously colorful and exhilarating” and will be drawn from Chinese history and universal themes. The troupe has traveled around the world and each year creates almost 20 original dances and songs; the show is conducted in both Chinese and English and is accompanied by a live orchestra. Inspired by their country’s rich ancient culture, Shen Yun Performing Arts brings to life classical Chinese with dozens of dancers in dazzling costumes, thunderous drums and state-of-the-art backdrops that conjure celestial palaces and pastoral vistas.

Shows are Friday, July 2 at 7:30pm and Saturday, July 3 at 2pm and 7:30pm. Tickets start at $80 (hey, Sting tickets were around that same price!).

THIS WEEK'S ATTRACTION...BERNAR VENET EXHIBITION AT HERMANN PARK. For more attractions, go to www.gishcreative.com/attractions.htm.

Hermann Park has been transformed into a temporary public sculpture garden, thanks to the Texan-French Alliance for the Arts. Fifteen large-scale sculptures of internationally acclaimed French artist Bernar Venet are scattered throughout the park in sites chosen by the artist and McClain Gallery. The sculptures are made of cor-ten steel, stand up to 30 feet high, and weigh up to 25,000 lbs (12 tons)! The TFAA will be hosting a number of educational outreach programs to compliment the Venet exhibition, from working with French, History, Math and Art classes in Houston’s public schools to sponsoring ongoing university lectures, public art tours and speakers. In 2008, Bernar Venet received international attention by Sotheby’s sponsor: a Private Sale Retrospective, on the grounds of Isleworth Golf and Country Club in Windermere, Florida. The Houston Venet exhibition will follow on the heels of this Retrospective and a smaller city-wide exhibition in San Diego, California. A temporary public art exhibition of this scope and scale is unprecedented in Houston and can perhaps be the start of a new trend!

The show will be on view through September 30, 2010.

ANNOUNCING MY NEXT PARENT/CHILD "I CAN FLY!" ART WORKSHOP.

Grab your kids and join me at my next "I Can Fly!" art workshop on Saturday, July 10, 2-4pm. This workshop is for families and parent (or caregiver)/child pairs. When you "fly," you are doing what you love to do. In this workshop, parents will learn how to encourage their children to follow their heart, kids will learn about what makes them sing, and the family group will get to make a piece of art together. This is a great way to connect with children and also to get in touch with your inner ARTIST. I'd love to see you there!

Sign up early, as class size will be limited. It's $30 per pre-registered parent/child pair (children 6-10 years old, please); $35 for walk-ups. If you have more than one child you will be bringing, please add $5/child. Each attendee will receive a $25 gift certificate for Hollywood Frame Gallery.

THE HOUSTON CHAPTER OF THE GIRLS SCOUTS SPONSORS "READ AROUND THE BASES."

The Girls Scouts of San Jacinto Council and Greensheet/Youth Scoops have kicked off a patch program encouraging girls to read over the summer called "Read Around the Bases." Anywhere they go, girls will get to explore new worlds, learn new things, earn a patch and additional prizes and share favorite books with others. All the information can be found at www.greensheetyouthscoop.com and www.ReadAroundtheBases.com. The patch is available in July at the Council Girl Scout Shop.

GISH PICKS is a free weekly email in which I highlight family-oriented cultural events, products or services. Please note that I "highlight" 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? You 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.

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 GO FIND FUN! 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".

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. 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 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 and children together), marketing, historic preservation, art classes, and activism. All of these services can be tailored for any audience and budget.


Sarah Gish Gish Creative 1940-A Fountainview, PMB 116 Houston, Texas 77057 phone/fax: 713.482.7065 email: sarah@gishcreative.com web: www.gishcreative.com and: www.thesummerbook.com and: www.saveourlandmarks.org © 2010 Sarah Gish Designed by West of the World