Gish Picks: Week of July 21, 2010

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WHAT'S NEW THIS WEEK?

Ah, kids driving! My son has turned 15 and he and all his friends are turning to the steering wheel while my hair is turning gray!!! I don't know how you feel, but in my opinion, driving at 15 is way too young! Sure, I started at that age, but, heck, when it's YOUR child, the excitement for that first road trip can be diminished. For me, I think it's the cell phone thing: can teens drive and stay focused enough to not text and not chat? I found this cool website by Allstate focused on teen driving -- it's got educational videos, information on state Graduated Driver Licensing laws (I didn't realize Texas teens had to be 16 years and 6 months before they got their full license!), and more. And in the White House, lawmakers have introduced bills to increase restrictions on driving, such as limiting nighttime driving and cell phone use to 18 year olds; see this for more info. Let's help our kids "Hit the Road, Jack" and come back!

Have a great week!

THE SYMPHONY TEAMS UP WITH VIDEO GAME PRODUCERS AGAIN

I enjoyed the Houston Symphony production of “Video Games Live” with my gamer son a few years back – it’s a great way to connect culture to kids that connect with electronics! This Saturday, July 24 at 7:30pm, the Symphony is creating cyber sounds again with the Texas premiere of “Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY,” a huge multi-media concert experience that features music from the newly released Final Fantasy XIII and the upcoming release of Final Fantasy XIV (note: the Final Fantasy series of games have ratings from the ESRB that range from “E” to “Teen”). Arnie Roth will conduct the orchestra through the extensive musical catalog of every game in the Final Fantasy series while a video of the games is projected onto a large screen above the orchestra. Fan-favorite composer Nobuo Uematsu and conductor Arnie Roth will be available for a post concert Q & A session from the stage. An additional, exclusive ticketed meet-and-greet opportunity will also be available to a limited number of people; check the website for details. It’ll be Jones Hall like you’ve never seen it before – full of t-shirt clad dudes eating candy bars (get yours early before they run out!).

Tickets start at $20.

©2001 Square Enix Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Character Design by Tetsuya Nomura

FREE FESTIVAL ON THE HILL

Express Theatre has been hosting a “Children's Hilltop Theatre Festival” with free performances each day this week at Miller Outdoor Theatre – the remaining shows are “The Three Little Pigs” on Thursday, 7/22 at 11am and “Jack and the Beanstalk” on Friday, 7/23 at 11am.

“The Three Little Pigs” is a bilingual (Spanish / English) show about three brothers…one messy, one a daydreamer, and the third who always has a plan for the future. The brothers are Pig Scouts, the pride of youthful swinedom, and they must set up camp to earn their merit badges. But they have a new Scout Master – and, yikes, it’s the Wolf (aka “Big-Bad”!)! “Jack and the Beanstalk” is a new musical adaptation of the classic children’s story that creates an enchanted world of dancing cows, hysterical chickens, a singing harp, magical beans, and a Giant who lives in a castle in the sky. In this story, poor Jack can't seem to do anything right: he sells the cow for beans, climbs the beanstalk, gets caught trying to steal the Giant's Golden Goose, and has trouble finding his way back home. By the end of this special tale, the cow is returned, the chicken learns how to lay golden eggs and the silly Giant teaches Jack a valuable lesson about dealing with others.

These are perfect shows for little ones and you can’t beat the price!

THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD™ IS HERE.

Head to Palestine, Texas (about 2 hours north of Houston) for the very special “The Little Engine That Could™ Rail Tour”, presented by the Texas State Railroad. The train departs from the Palestine Depot this Saturday, July 24 at 11am and 1pm. You'll get to see a full-sized replica of the Little Engine as well as the Bear and Elephant and other characters from the original book by Watty Piper. The event includes a 30-minute train ride with The Little Engine That Could™, meeting characters from the book, live musical entertainment, book readings, and fun activities and games for children. The classic book by Watty Piper, published by Penguin Young Readers Group, is one of the greatest tales of motivation and the power of positive thinking ever written. The story follows the brave Little Blue Engine that stops to help stranded dolls and toys get to children in the city by way of a mountain pass. After much chugging and puffing, The Little Engine That Could™ climbed up and over the hill all the while repeating her courageous "I think I can" refrain. With this event, you'll get to see this classic storybook come to life!

Tickets are $19 and $21.

THIS WEEK'S ATTRACTION...RELIANT PARK WORLD SERIES OF DOG SHOWS. For more attractions, go to www.gishcreative.com/attractions.htm.

Doggone it, it’s time for the Houston dog show, which is in town this weekend. The Reliant Park World Series of Dog Shows began in 1977 as the Astro World Series of Dog Shows and is now a four-day event each July for canines and their human pals. The show is actually four separate, consecutive dog shows over the four days – each day culminating with a “Best of Show” winner, chosen from finalists among the seven variety groups with more than 150 different breeds represented. The show’s mission is to enhance the public’s knowledge about purebred dogs and they offer several “Meet the Breed” seminars where the public can get hands-on experience with more than 80 breeds and discuss their advantages and disadvantages with knowledgeable breeders. Fun for kids are the Agility, Obedience and Flyball events as well as vendor booths and displays from hundreds of companies and artisans offering pet food and accessories. I also recommend checking out Canine Frisbee(SM), Canine Musical Freestyle and the Mari Jon Filla Student Art Exhibit, which includes student art from kids K-12. Many dog welfare and service organizations present information about their services, responsible dog ownership and proper pet care and nutrition in general. Check the website for specific schedules and have fun!

Tickets are $1-$15 and, only today (Wednesday, 7/21) from 3-5:30pm, parking and admission are free. Parking at other times is only available in the North Fannin Lot (Orange), which you can reach from Fannin via the Holly Hall entrance or from Main at the McNee entrance. The parking fee is $8 per day. You may also reach Reliant Center by MetroRail at the Holly Hall stop.

LET’S KEEP HOUSTON SCENIC!

I’ll never forget when I heard that Dr. Seuss lobbied for billboards to be outlawed in his hometown of La Jolla, California – and how jealous I felt. With great joy, I stumbled across this group: Scenic Houston, an active and effective advocate for a green, uncluttered, visually appealing city. Scenic Houston’s work creates immediate positive impacts on our streets and in our neighborhoods, and leads to statutory changes that will benefit our city for generations to come. The group promotes sign control, billboard reduction, freeway landscaping, scenic byway development, and enhanced design standards for public projects. The group was born in a local advocacy effort to battle the unregulated proliferation of billboards in our city. In 1966, concerned Houstonians led by local attorney Carroll Shaddock formed the non-profit group Billboards Ltd to fight against the mushrooming billboard blight. Billboards Ltd fought to establish, for the first time ever, a City of Houston sign ordinance as a means to create standards and regulations for billboards. Scenic Houston has maintained its unique position as the only local non-profit counterweight to the billboard industry, but has broadened its agenda to include freeway landscaping, scenic byway development, on-premises sign regulation, enhanced design standards for public projects, and more. Today Scenic Houston is focused on launching the Scenic City Certification Program, improving the visual impact of business signage, monitoring transit ways and toll roads, and supporting scenic initiatives at the state and national level.

Thank you for making Houston more scenic!

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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