Gish Picks: Week of December 30, 2009


HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU! I can’t believe it’s 2010 already. It’s amazing how the time flies. I hope this year starts off well for you. The best way to kick it off is to spend quality time with your kids – go to a cultural activity or get out in nature. Even just hanging at home watching them play can turn into a special bonding time. We often start a new year by making a “Vision Board” collage which each member of my family creates. It’s loads of fun and is easier than making resolutions because you can look at magazines or on the web for images while firing your imagination. 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. FREE MUSIC! Hey tweet peeps! Follow me on Twitter and be eligible to win a cool kids' cd, such as "The Tortoise and the Hare," "Hot Peas and Butter," and other titles from Sugar Mountain PR. I'll choose a winner from all followers that "direct message" me TODAY. Follow me and you'll get PICKS of fun times in Houston – news you can use. I look forward to being stalked by you! Now, GO FIND FUN!

HISTORY AND LIGHTS AT MOODY GARDENS THIS WEEKEND

My dad was a Texas German researcher, so I am excited that we can hear a fifth generation German descendant this weekend. The folks at Moody Gardens have organized a “Cultural Speaker Series” that coincides with their exhibit, “Forgotten Gateway: Coming to America through Galveston Island.” Local immigrants will be speaking at these free presentations; this Saturday, January 2 at 1pm, Harrold Henck will represent the Texas German Society. He will discuss the German immigration to America through Galveston and how the population impacted the region. These presentations offer an excellent opportunity for kids to learn about the diverse cultures that came to Texas through Galveston while also learning how oral histories keep cultures alive for generations to come. “Forgotten Gateway: Coming to America through Galveston Island” chronicles the Port of Galveston’s largely forgotten history as a major gateway to American immigration from 1845 to 1924. The exhibit is the first of its kind to explore, on a national scale, Galveston’s legacy as a port of entry and its importance in shaping Texas and U.S. history. Moody Gardens continues to encourage Galveston immigrants and their descendants to share their stories and artifacts by contacting 409.683.4215. “Forgotten Gateway” will be on view through September 11, 2010. Admission to the exhibit is $8.95/adults and $6.95/children and seniors.

While you’re at Moody Gardens, be sure to catch their “Festival of Lights” display which ends that evening (it’s on 6-10pm).

LAUGH YOUR WAY INTO 2010!

Bring your kids to ComedySportz 4 Kidz this Saturday, January 2 at 4pm, presented by ComedySportz. The one-hour show is perfect for younger fans and their families and features three all-star performers who invent the performance with the help of the audience. There are lots of opportunities for the kids to volunteer and hop up on the stage, so don’t worry about keeping anyone quiet.

I have been to ComedySportz many times and am never disappointed. Based loosely on the tv show “Whose Line is it Anyway?” it’s an always-fresh production of competitive improv comedy for all ages. And, as they say in their website, “ComedySportz celebrates the creative human spirit, not the rants of a potty mouth. Like in sports, fouls are issued to all transgressors including loyal fanz. We welcome grandmas and bachelor parties alike!” The show 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 (you’ll get a paper bag over your head if you’re not), fast-paced and positive.

Another reason to see ComedySportz? Laughter burns calories!

THIS WEEK'S ATTRACTION...BIG CREEK SCENIC AREA. For more attractions, go to www.gishcreative.com/attractions.htm.

Before school starts back up and while it’s still cool, I suggest you visit the Big Creek Scenic Area, a 1,420-acre section of the Sam Houston National Forest. This beautiful area has diverse vegetation and scenery and no camping is allowed. The Lone Star Hiking Trail goes through Big Creek, offering four trail loops of various lengths for hikers to enjoy. Big Creek Scenic Area is approximately six miles west of Shepherd, and a parking lot is conveniently located off FS 217.

This Saturday, January 2 at 8am, you can join the Houston Sierra Club for a wonderful winter hike in Big Creek Scenic Area. You’ll get to enjoy the splendor of the winter forest in the lovely beech, magnolia, and white oak covered Big Creek Watershed. It’s recommended that you bring at least two quarts of water, hat, lunch, hiking shoes, and clothes to fit the weather. The group will meet at 8am in the parking lot behind the International House of Pancakes (IHOP) at I-45 North and Greens Road by a green Nissan mini-van. To reach the parking lot, enter the feeder off I-45 North, via the Greens Road exit, and then pass through the traffic signal at Greens Rd. Turn right into the first strip center you come to (look for Brown Sugar's Barbecue) and drive to the end of the strip center. The parking lot behind IHOP is on the right. Contact Jane Prentiss at 713.201.5755 or lshttrailboss@yahoo.com for additional details; please give them your name and contact info should they need to make changes.

GET REALLY GREEN WITH YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE – RECYCLE IT.

Houston has a great Christmas tree recycling program which began in 1991 as a joint effort between the Department of Solid Waste Management and the Parks and Recreation Department. Bundle up your tree when you’re done and take it to any of the recycling sites around the city, listed below. The trees are chipped and converted into mulch products for sale back to the public.

Westpark Consumer Recycling Center at 5900 Westpark (also includes tires, BOPA, and Scrap Electronics recycling)

Environmental Service Center (South) at 11500 South Post Oak (For household hazardous waste and scrap electronics recycling only)

Kirkpatrick Depository at 5565 Kirkpatrick (tires and oil also)

Central Street Depository at 2240 Central Street (tires and oil also)

Sunbeam Depository at 5100 Sunbeam (tires and oil also)

Windfern Depository at 6023 Windfern (tires and oil also)

3602 Center (newspaper, magazines, office paper; glass food & beverage bottles and jars; #1 -5, and 7 plastics; tin & aluminum food cans; cardboard boxes-broken down) -- Open 24/7

Green Star at 1200 Brittmoore and 1245 Judiway (glass only)

Kingwood Park & Ride at 3210 W. Lake Houston Parkway (open weekends)

Ellington Field (Clear Lake Area) at Highway 3 @ Dixie Farm Road -- Open 24/7

Additional drop-off sites are located at your local H-E-B food stores

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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.

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 © 2009 Sarah Gish Designed by West of the World