Gish Picks: Week of October 1, 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 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! Many of us are feeling especially neighborly after Ike, so how nice that next Tuesday, October 7 is "National Night Out" for Texas (only!). Get out with your neighbors and have some fun, even if you're done cooking all that freezer food for them!

CREATE CLAY MEDALLIONS INSPIRED BY NATURE THIS SATURDAY.

This Saturday, October 4, from 11am-3pm, join Houston Center for Contemporary Craft for "Hands-On Houston", a free craft-activity open house for the whole family on the first Saturday of every month. This month, Nancy Susaneck and Albert Goldreich from 18 Hands Gallery will lead children and adults in creating one-of-a-kind clay medallions using leaves, sticks, seeds, and other items found in the Craft Garden. Participants will be encouraged to walk through the garden, find an item that interests them, and press it into a small clay slab to create a relief image. The medallions will need to dry completely and be fired at HCCC and will be ready for pick-up on the following Saturday, October 11. This activity is suitable for all ages and all materials will be provided.

Afterwards, stay to see the beautiful ceramics and functional pottery in HCCC’s newest exhibitions, "Warren MacKenzie: Legacy of an American Potter" and "Inspired: Students of Warren MacKenzie". Houston Center for Contemporary Craft is located at 4848 Main Street in the Museum District. For more information, call 713.529.4848 or visit www.crafthouston.org.

THE ARAB AMERICAN CULTURAL AND COMMUNITY CENTER (ACC) IS CELEBRATING RAMADAN THIS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5 FROM NOON-7PM.

Ramadan Eid (the celebration that commemorates the end of Ramadan) will take place with a picnic at the Arab American Cultural and Community Center (ACC) at 10555 Stancliff Road. The ACC building is that impressive white building off Highway 59 south. Food provided by Fornos of Italy will be served from 2-4pm and entertainment will start at 4pm with Houston's own singer, Jabour. There will be moonwalks, popcorn and cotton candy for the kids (always have to have those yummy snacks!) and coffee and tea for adults. Beware: parking is $10, but the festival and food are free.

The purpose of ACC is to serve the social and cultural needs of the Arab American Community, to promote Arab culture and heritage, and to serve as a liaison and resource center for the Houston community at large. ACC aims to contribute to the integration of Arabs as Americans, to provide a forum for cultural, educational and recreational interaction, and opportunities for association and social contact. ACC provides a positive vision through sponsored programs and activities, especially for children as a main unifying element of the community.

For more information, call 832.351.3366 or log onto www.arabamericancenter.org.

"Growing Up with Tamales" by Gwendolyn Zepeda

GROWING UP WITH TAMALES IS YUMMY.

The Multicultural Education and Counseling through the Arts (MECA) is launching Growing Up with Tamales, an illustrated children's story about a girl's life stages, family traditions, and aspirations for the future by Gwendolyn Zepeda. A reading and book signing will take place this Friday, October 3 at 6pm at MECA, located at 1900 Kane Street. Every year, young Ana's family makes tamales for Christmas so as she grows older, she gets to participate more, starting with mixing the dough. As the years pass, she envies her older sister's tamale-making skills and dreams of her very own factory from which she will deliver Christmas tamales to all of her customers around the world, in delivery trucks that say "Ana's Tamales." And maybe Ana will even let Lidia work for her.

MECA is a community-based, non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the healthy social, cultural, and academic development of at-risk, inner-city youth through education in the arts. They offer classical and ethnic arts education and support services through their In-School, After-School, and Summer Arts Programs as well as through a variety of workshops, performances and cultural events. In addition to their main educational programs, MECA provides a wide variety of other cultural opportunities throughout the year.

For more information, call 713.802.9370 or log onto www.meca-houston.org.

IKE CAUSES SCHEDULE CHANGES AND DAMAGES.

With Ike's wild swoop into our fair city, many events have had to be rescheduled and many venues have been damaged or need clean-up help. Here's a very partial list of what has changed:

Alliance Française is now hosting their 85th Anniversary Celebration and “La Fête de la Rentrée” next Thursday, October 9 from 6-8pm at the Alliance located in Montrose at 427 Lovett Boulevard.

Stages Theatre has moved their productions of “Always Patsy Cline” and “Unbeatable” temporarily to Zilkha Hall at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. Both shows will resume at Stages Theatre October 7; check their website for the complete schedule and information.

The Houston Ballet has added dates for their current “Classical Modern” ballet – October 3 and 4.

The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion sadly had to cancel their entire winter schedule (including the Children’s Festival scheduled for November) due to extensive damage wrought by Ike. Stay tuned for a full slate of events starting next year.

The Houston Arboretum lost over 400 trees and their building and grounds are closed until further notice. They need clean up help from volunteers 16 years old and up. Check with them for more information.

Buffalo Bayou Partnership needs help cleaning up our waterways each Saturday and has cancelled many of their early October programs. They are still holding their “Material Matters” fundraiser on Thursday, November 6.

And here’s some information for you to use personally:

Vote to allow citizens to have your house reappraised for tax purposes if there are extensive damages at www.iketaxrelief.com.

Check with FEMA (800.621.3362) to see if you can reimbursed for your generator.

Read Shannon Buggs’ Houston Chronicle article on tracking Ike’s expenses.

Regarding street debris, the city is asking citizens to move it to the curb and to bag leaves and cut up and stack wood if possible. The Solid Waste Management Department has opened neighborhood depositories 7 days a week to accommodate small amounts of storm debris. Also, some private waste management sites will accept Hurricane Ike debris; fees may be charged.

We are a “can do” city and we CAN clean up after Ike!

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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 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 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 © 2008 Sarah Gish Designed by West of the World