Fall 2011 Festival Season!

This summer has definitely been one for the record books!  For years I’ve compared summer heat to the Summer of 1980 and, until this year, no other summer temps have been able to compete.  But this crazy string of insane heat mixed with drought makes 1980 look like a beautiful Spring day!  I am definitely ready for some cooler Fall weather, so we can get back to enjoying the outdoors.  There are a ton of fun events coming up in the next few months!  (NOTE:  I’m sorry.  For some reason I’m having trouble embedding links, so I’m including the website address at the end of each entry.  When you are finished looking at the festival page, hit the back button to return here.)

15th Grand Taiko Festival, September 9-10, 2011 at Miller Outdoor Theatre  www.milleroutdoortheatre.com/

11th Houston Hot Sauce Festival, September 17-18, 2011 at the Stafford Centre  www.houstonhotsauce.com/

75th Fort Bend County Fair & Rodeo, September 23 - October 2, 2011 at the Fort Bend County Fairgrounds  www.fbcfa.org/

66th Waller County Fair, September 24 – October 2, 2011 at the Waller County Fairgrounds  www.wallercountyfair.org/

Dewberry Farm, September 24 – November 13, 2011 in Brookshire  www.dewberryfarm.com/

45th The Original Greek Festival, October 6-9, 2011 at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral  www.greekfestival.org/

31st Katy Rice Harvest Festival, October 8-9, 2011 in Historic Downtown Katy  www.riceharvestfestival.org/

40th Bayou City Art Festival, October 8-9 in Downtown Houston  www.bayoucityartfestival.com/

37th Texas Renaissance Festival, October 8 – November 27, 2011 in Plantersville  www.texrenfest.com/

33rd Festa Italiana, October 14-16, 2011 at the University of St Thomas  www.houstonitalianfestival.com/

27th Wings Over Houston Airshow, October 15-16, 2011 at Ellington Field  www.wingsoverhouston.com/

34th Harris County Fair, October 19-23, 2011 at the Houston Farm & Ranch Club  www.hcfair.com/

18th Ballunar Liftoff Festival, October 21-23, 2011 at the Johnson Space Center  www.ballunarfestival.com/

28th Texian Market Days, October 22, 2011 at the George Ranch  www.texianmarketdays.com/

5th Puerto Rican & Cuban Festival, October 22, 2011 at Tranquility Park in Downtown Houston  www.prcfestival.com/

8th Gulf Coast Dragon Boat Regatta, October 22-23, 2011 in Sugar Land  www.texasdragonboat.com/

International Quilt Festival, November 3-6, 2011 at the George R Brown Convention Center  www.quilts.com/

1st Texas Yacht Show and Jazz Fest, November 11-13, 2011 at the Kemah Boardwalk Marina  www.texasyachtshow.com/

Via Colori Street Painting Festival, November 19-20, 2011 at Sam Houston Park in Downtown Houston  www.HoustonViaColori.com/

As you can see, there is truly something for everyone on this list!  As natives of this area, we have been to most of these events over the years and always have a great time.  Better yet, these events are just a few of the fun things going on around our area during the Fall.  Feel free to post information on any other fun festivals and community events in the comments section of this post.

Happy September everyone!

This Weekend in Katy: October 8-10, 2010

Wow!  It’s going to be another absolutely gorgeous weekend in Katy, Texas!  Gotta love this weather!!  And there are lots of opportunities to get out and enjoy it this weekend!  Check out these fun events…

Katy Rice Harvest Festival:  celebrate Katy’s heritage in Historic Downtown Katy!

Du the Bear Duathlon:  Bike & Run your way through a duathlon (or cheer on folks who do) at Bear Creek Pioneers Park.

Katy ISD Invitational Marching Festival:  One of our favorite things about football season…Marching Bands!  Come out and see some of the best compete at Rhodes Stadium.

Dewberry Farm:  A cornfield maze, barnyard animals, and lots of great outdoor activities just West of Katy in Brookshire.

Prairie Discovery Tour & The Big Sit Birding Event:  Enjoy the great outdoors with the Katy Prairie Conservancy…2 great events this weekend!

Hispanic Heritage Celebration:  Dancing, music & art from 1-3pm on Saturday at the Katy Library.

Bayou City Arts Festival:  The perfect outdoor activity for art lovers takes over Downtown Houston.

The Original Greek Festival:  Celebrating it’s 44th year…where everyone is Greek for a day!  In Houston.

Texas Renaissance Festival:  Opening weekend of one of the country’s biggest festivals…in Plantersville.

31st Annual Festival Chicano:  Billed as “one of the oldest events of it’s type in the world”…a celebration of music at Miller Outdoor Theatre.

Dinosaurs at the Houston Zoo:  Dinosaurs are still inhabiting the Houston Zoo and they’ll be there until the end of the month.  And while you’re there…say “HI!” to Tupelo, the zoo’s new baby Asian Elephant!

With all of this going on there’s no excuse to stay indoors!!  Get out and have a great time!!

This Weekend in Katy: September 25-26, 2010

Fall is officially here….YEA!!  And that means a busy weekend for folks getting out and about in our area.  Here are a few of the activities going on this weekend in and near Katy, TX…

The Fort Bend County Fair: opening weekend at the Fort Bend County Fairgrounds.

The Waller County Fair:  opening weekend at the Waller County Fairgrounds.

Dewberry Farm:  opening weekend of this local favorite attraction just to the west of Katy.

Tour de Cure: benefiting the American Diabetes Association.

Nature Fest: presented by Bridgeland and the Katy Prairie Conservancy

Author Signing: Kimberly Morris will be signing her Disney Fairy Series – Rani: Two Friendship Tales, Fairy Rescue Team & Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue at Katy Budget Books.

Free Day at the Museums:  The Museum District is offering free admission Saturday to the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Health Museum, the Contemporary Arts Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Menil Collection, and more!

And of course, I cannot leave out…

Texans vs Cowboys at Reliant Stadium, 12pm on Sunday!!

Whatever you choose to do, have a phenomenal weekend!!

Festival Season is Coming!!!

As we near the end of August each year one thing always springs to mind.  No, I’m not talking about the beginning of the new school year.  I’m looking forward to Festival Season!! 

As the Texas weather begins to cool off just a tad, the local festivals kick into high gear.  These events are the perfect opportunity to grab your family and friends and build some memorable traditions.  We make sure to hit as many of these as we can every year.  What are your favorites?

Katy Rice Harvest Festival – It’s hard to believe that this is the 30th Annual occurrence of this fun event!  They have it all:  craft booths, food, games, rides, entertainment…all right in Historic Downtown Katy!  October 9 – 10, 2010.

Fort Bend County Fair & Rodeo – Entertaining local families since 1933!  The Ft Bend County Fair is 9 days of fun:  carnival rides, nightly rodeos, concerts, livestock shows, art shows, food,…it’s a County Fair!  September 24 – October 2, 2010 at the Fort Bend County Fairgrounds.  Click Here for discount tickets.

Waller County Fair – Katy resides within 3 counties which means that we’re close to 3 County Fairs!  The Waller County Fair has been going strong since 1945.  Rodeos, carnival rides, entertainment, food,…they’ve got it!  Think you’ve got the world’s best BBQ recipe?  Maybe you should enter the BBQ Cookoff.  September 25 – October 2, 2010.

Harris County Fair – The youngest of our 3 local County Fairs, the Harris County Fair is also the shortest in length.  But they pack a lot of stuff into a few days.  Calf scrambles, stick horse races, mutton bustin, livestock shows, and a BBQ Cookoff.  At the Houston Farm & Ranch Club at Bear Creek October 20 – 23, 2010.

Houston Hot Sauce Festival – They say some like it hot.  If that’s you, then check out the 10th Annual Houston Hot Sauce Festival at the Stafford Centre.  This is your chance to sample some of the best, most unusual, and yes in some cases hottest sauces around.  Go early for the best selection and to vote for your favorites.  And the music is pretty good too!    September 18 – 19, 2010

Dewberry Farm – Have you ever been lost in a giant corn maze???  It’s an experience everyone should have at some point in their life.  And thanks to the folks at Dewberry Farm, you don’t have to go far to begin your great corn adventure!  Just West of Katy in Brookshire, Dewberry Farm opens every Fall with tons of activities in addition to their fantasticly humongous cornfield maze.  Check out Golden Goat Bridge, pig races, rubber duck races, and singing chickens.  Blast pumpkins, shoot corn cannons, feed goats, rope calves, enjoy hayrides and mini train rides…there are enough activities here to keep the family busy all day!  The season opens September 25, 2010.

Katy Wine Fest – Wine lovers are represented again this year with the 5th Annual Katy Wine Fest hosted by Rotary Club of Katy Sunrise.  This is a charity event at Agave Road featuring live music, silent and live auctions, great food and, of course, wine tasting.  October 28, 2010.

And the great festivals aren’t just limited to West Houston, Katy and Brookshire!  Art lovers should definitely check out the Bayou City Art Festival (October 9 – 10, 2010) and Galveston’s ARToberFEST (October 16 – 17, 2010).  If you like learning about cultures, the Grand Taiko Concert (September 17 - 18, 2010) and the 32nd Annual Festa Italiana (October 15 – 17, 2010) are for you.  The Wings Over Houston Airshow is always thrilling (October 23 – 24, 2010).  And the Ballunar Liftoff Festival is simply amazing, especially when they light all of the hot air balloons at night (October 29 – 31, 2010).  And last but certainly not least:  No list of Fall Festivals would be complete without including the granddaddy of them all:  the Texas Renaissance Festival (October 9 – November 28, 2010).

There are so many things to do in the coming months that I’m not sure it’s even possible to hit them all!  But I hope you’ll get out there and choose a few to enjoy.  And let us know…which ones are your favorites?  What others should everyone know about?