|
Peruse our database of Texas events –
from
community plays and cook-offs to mega-festivals and touring productions.
We highlight a few of options here.
Whoop-de-do
TH Traveler is beach-bound this month for the annual Whooping
Crane Festival (February 23-26) in Port Aransas. Festival highlights include
whooping crane boat tours to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge—the only location
in the world where the sole natural migrating flock of whooping cranes (from Wood
Buffalo National Park in Alberta, Canada) spends the winter.
The boat tours offer festival-goers the chance to observe
these endangered and territorial birds at close range. Other birding excursions
take place at nearby sites including La Copita Ranch, Fennessey Ranch, and
various locations in Port Aransas. Hear talks by leading birding and nature
authorities, including renowned whooping crane expert Dr. George Archibald, who
discusses efforts to establish four other populations of whoopers in the U.S.
With more than 75 nests found in Canada this past spring, ANWR biologists
anticipate that the flock size could reach record levels this winter—possibly
300 cranes. Call 800/45-COAST; www.whoopingcranefestival.org. On the subject of whooping cranes: there's another, unusual opportunity to take a peek at these big birds—six have been wintering at Granger Lake near Georgetown.
Now Showing!
The Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in Canyon tells the
region’s story with diverse collections that span more than 500 million years.
Along with an extensive array of Texas and Southwestern fine art, the museum’s
millions of artifacts include a Ford Model A, Charles Goodnight’s
silver-mounted saddle, Quanah Parker’s headdress, and a lock of George
Washington’s hair.
This month’s lineup of traveling exhibits includes The
Littlefield Murals (through Feb. 18), three recently rediscovered murals by E.
Martin Hennings once housed in Austin’s historic Littlefield Bank building; Try!:
Rodeo on the Southern Plains (through Sep. 8), which traces the evolution of
the rodeo in the region; and Another Day, Another Dollar: The Legacy of the Civilian
Conservation Corps (Feb. 11-Oct. 13), with displays illustrating the CCC’s
lasting mark on the Panhandle landscape. Call 806/651-2244;
www.panhandleplains.org.
Flying High on SPI
TH Traveler is planning ahead for South Padre Island’s Kite
Fest (February 3-5, 2012), where a few thousand spectators gather annually to
experience everything kite.
South Padre Island locals Bill and Susie Doan, owners of
B&S Kites, have sponsored this free event for 12 years. This year, 12-time
national quad-line and dual-line champion John Barresi and his team, iQuad, as
well as other national and regional champions, will perform choreographed
routines on the sand flats. At an indoor exhibition, performers glide their
kites to the ebb and flow of a musical number.
“Flying a kite makes you feel like a kid again,” says Bill
Doan. “Bring your lawn chairs, come on out, and let’s have some fun.” Call
956/761-1248; www.bskites.com. The King and Cinderella
Texarkana’s Perot Theatre is renowned for nationally and
internationally acclaimed performances. The January lineup includes Elvis
Lives! (January 21, 2012), featuring three professional Elvis Presley
impersonators—each representing a different period in his career—performing
many of The King’s top hits. And direct from Moscow, some of Russia’s most
talented dancers and costumers from The Moscow Festival Ballet will perform the
classic tale of Cinderella (January 30).
Originally the Saenger Theatre, the Italian
Renaissance-style structure—featuring opulent gold ornamentation and sparkling
chandeliers—opened its doors in 1924.
When the ’60s brought a decline in business, the theater shut down. The city
bought the building in the late ’70s and fully restored it in 1979 with help
from H. Ross Perot. Call 903/792-4992; www.trahc.org.
Mr. Smith Goes to San Antonio
From Amarillo’s graffitied Cadillac Ranch to Joel Guzman and
his son, accordions in hand, the images of TH photo editor J. Griffis Smith
have characterized the big and the small of Texas life for more than 25 years.
Through March 25, 2012, see 58 of Smith’s most memorable photographs on display
in Griff Smith’s Texas: A Retrospective Through the Lens and Images From Texas
Highways at the Institute of Texan Cultures in San Antonio.
Smith’s work encompasses the whole of Texas with its many
cultures, climates, and topographies and spans a quarter of a century of Lone
Star heritage. Call 210/458-2300 or 800/776-7651; www.texancultures.com.
For a free printed copy of an even more detailed, quarterly
schedule of events, write to Texas Events Calendar, Box 149249, Austin
78714-9249. Or, call 800/452-9292 from anywhere in the U.S. or Canada, between
8-6 Central.
For Texas travel questions, call 800/452-9292 to reach a
TxDOT Travel Infor-mation Center, where a professional travel counselor will
provide routing assistance, advise you of any emergency road conditions, and
send brochures (including the official Texas State Travel Guide and map,
accommodations guide, and quarterly Texas Events Calendar).
Send future event information to: Texas Events Calendar, Box
141009, Austin 78714-1009; fax: 512/486-5879; e-mail: trv-tec@dot.state.tx.us.
Listing deadlines: Spring (Mar, Apr, May) Dec 1; Summer (Jun, Jul, Aug) Mar 1;
Fall (Sep, Oct, Nov) Jun 1; Winter (Dec, Jan, Feb) Sep 1.
|
