Events Calendar

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.

Style by the Seashore

Galveston goes retro for the 4th annual Galveston Island Beach Revue on May 18-19. The weekend kicks off on Friday with the Bands and Bombshells concert at 7 p.m. in Saengerfest Park and features live music from The Gourds and the John Evans Band. The Revue encourages attendees to dress in vintage outfits, and in past years they’ve had a mix of ’50s-style pinup girls, quirky costumes, and street clothes at the show. The event includes themed vendors and classic cars to add to the night’s throwback atmosphere.

On Saturday at 2 p.m., 50 contestants don vintage or vintage-inspired swimwear and parade along Galveston’s shoreline for the popular Bathing Beauties Contest. The outfits don’t stop at the swimsuits, though—participants wear floppy hats, retro sunglasses, fancy footwear, and parasols to complete their looks. Galveston’s original Bathing Beauties contest, dubbed the “Pageant of Pulchritude,” ran from 1920-1932. For details, visit www.galvestonbeachrevue.com.

South Texas Tales

Join San Antonio’s Witte Museum from May 26 through May 28 as it celebrates the grand opening of the Robert J. and Helen C. Kleberg South Texas Heritage Center, a new addition dedicated to telling the rich stories of South Texas. Events kick off Saturday with a 5K Run followed by a “boot scoot” outside the museum. Visitors can learn how to use a branding iron, interact with historical re-enactors, and even try on traditional cowboy gear.

The Center provides a permanent home for the Witte’s collection of South Texas art, historical clothing, saddles, spurs, firearms, and more. The two-story building covers 20,000 square feet and includes an outdoor amphi-theater and space for educational programs. Visit www.wittemuseum.org/index.php/exhibits/sthc.

Age of Impressionism

The brush strokes of Renoir, Monet, Degas, and other celebrated artists resonate with visitors to Fort Worth’s Kimbell Art Museum as they view The Age of Impressionism: Great French Paintings from the Clark, an exhibit that opened in March and continues through June 17. The only U.S. venue for this first-ever international touring exhibition, the Kimbell also presents an array of related programs from lectures to hands-on art activities.

With 72 paintings drawn from the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts, the exhibit features 21 works by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, six by Claude Monet, and three by Edgar Degas (including one from his famed ballet-school series), as well as works by Manet, Morisot, Sisley, and other artists. Since many of the Impressionists painted outdoors, the abundant natural light in the Kimbell’s galleries complements the paintings beautifully. Call 817/332-8451; http://impressionism.kimbellart.org.

Seriously Seussical

Step into the world of Dr. Seuss during the Children’s Art & Literacy Festival June 14 through June 17 in Abilene. The National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature and the Center for Contemporary Arts display Theodor Seuss Geisel’s prolific art and feature exhibits on The Lorax and Geisel’s advertising, book, and military work. Listen to readings of seven Seuss titles at various locations around downtown throughout the weekend, participate in art activities immediately after, and meet some of Seuss’ main characters. Visitors can also view a documentary film on Dr.

Seuss’ political life or enjoy the more lighthearted The Cat in the Hat screening. Six statues of famous characters stand scattered throughout the festival grounds as part of the Dr. Seuss Touring Sculpture Garden. The weekend concludes with a Father’s Day Picnic at the Abilene Zoo and features a reading
of Hop on Pop. For more information, visit
www.abilenecac.org/calf/.

Glass Gardens

Splashes of intricately crafted, multicolored glass decorate the Dallas Arboretum for the Dale Chihuly exhibit from May 5 through November 5. The Dallas show marks Chihuly’s 12th garden exhibit, though he’s displayed work in more than 200 museum collections worldwide. His freestanding glass sculptures and installations scatter throughout the 66-acre grounds and include a piece that will make its debut opening night. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights from May to July, the Arboretum holds Chihuly Nights and illuminates the sculptures for evening viewing. The annual Concerts at the Arboretum series accompanies the exhibit (Tue and Thu) and features music ranging from ’80s bands to Elvis tributes. The Arboretum also offers Italian-inspired dining options for guests as they stroll through the garden at night. For other Chihuly events, call 214/515-6500; www.dallasarboretum.org.

Want more? Go to the Events Calendar.

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.

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