Creatures that Dig: We can dig it! July 1st at 2pm

Creatures the Dig!

July 1^st, 2011 at 2:00pm

Old Town Theater: 1023 12th Street

FREE EVENT!

(Warning: Pokemon and NOT real creatures)

It’s not always easy to entertain those little rascals during the summer. The Texas Reading Club has been working with The City of Huntsville to create both exciting AND engaging activities for the children to do this summer.

Tomorrow, as a part of this program and sponsored by the Helen Wheat Culture Enrichment Fund, the Old Town Theatre will be hosting this Creature Digging Extravaganza! Robyn Wheeler, both teacher and animal lover, will be bringing a variety of different digging animals for children to observe. She will be teaching the children the basics behind these creatures and their habitats, while the children observe them up close and personal! Thank you Robyn Wheeler for sharing both your knowledge and creatures with the City of Huntsville! =)

If you or your children are fans of digging creatures or animals in general, then take them to this event tomorrow! All ages are welcome.

For more information contact Janelle Valera:

Email: jvalera@huntsvilletx.gov
Phone: (936) 291-5910
Fax: (936) 291-5418

Annual 4th of July Celebration: Kate Barr Ross Memorial Park

Annual 4^th of July Celebration

Monday, July 4th 2011

4:00pm – 8:00pm

Kate Barr Ross Memorial Park
486 State Highway 75 North
Huntsville, TX 77340

“I have always been among those who believed that the greatest freedom of speech was the greatest safety, because if a man is a fool, the best thing to do is to encourage him to advertise the fact by speaking.”—Woodrow T. Wilson

Q: Did you hear the one about the Liberty Bell?
A: Yeah, it cracked me up.

Happy ALMOST 4^th of July everyone! I am sure everyone is trying to figure out what to do next Monday. Some will still have to work since it IS a Monday, but for those that don’t have to or get off early, The City of Huntsville will be hosting its annual 4^th of July Celebration at Kate Barr Ross Memorial Park. There will be lots of family entertainment including moonwalks, balloon art, rock wall, face paint, free food and beverages and more!

Unfortunately, there will be no fireworks as long as Walker County remains under a burn ban notice. The fireworks scheduled for 9:00pm has already been cancelled. Hopefully—for the safety of the community—you will see very few fireworks this year, but even when there is a burn ban SOMEONE always has to break the rules. Word of advice for those thinking of breaking the rules—DON’T DO IT! Lighting up some sparklers is NOT worth burning down a town!

Nature of Science: June 23rd and June 30th

Nature of Science

Farrington Building Room 102

Thursday, June 23rd & Thursday, June 30th at 3:00pm

Free Admission!

As a part of the campus' planetarium series, tomorrow afternoon and next Thursday, the Physics department will be featuring the program, Nature of Science, which features a tour of the constellations, stars, and planets.

The SHSU Planetarium contains the Mediaglobe I projector, which allows visitors to take a virtual journey through space. It also allows its guest to see the night sky as it would appear to someone in any part of the world, how it appeared in the past, and how it will look in the future. The best part about this is that it is FREE and open to the public. You don’t have to be a SHSU student to appreciate the beauty and wonders of the deep space!

For more information contact:
Michael Prokosch: Physics Department staff assistant (936) 294-3664

Huntsville, Texas Wildfires: Contact Information

As I am sure everyone knows by now, wildfires are currently claiming thousands of acres in Walker County and the surrounding areas. This is of course causing a panic as people try to find out the most up-to-date information about the spreading of the fires. There isn’t one perfect location for information, but both 101.7 KSAM and The Huntsville Item are updating their websites and Facebook’s with updated information. 107.5 KSAM is also having frequent updates on its radio station.


The Fire Department, Police Department, the Texas Forest Service, and The City of Huntsville are working hard to maintain and alleviate this situation. The biggest help that you can give them is to STAY AWAY FROM THE FIRE. Traffic is already bad, but it’s made worse by people stopping to take pictures and attempting to drive into the area of the fire when it may not be necessary or safe. Areas are being evacuated for a reason.

Everyone is worried about someone. However, unless it's an emergency, it’s best not to call the Fire Department and Police Department for simple information. This clogs the lines and prevents them from immediately picking up emergency phone calls. Information about the spreading of the fire is getting to the news sources as fast as possible, and they are updating it on their websites as soon as it reaches them. It’s frustrating to not have immediate five minute updates, but everyone is doing the best that they can in this emergency situation.

Still, what this situation is making very evident is that many people do not know where to get information about emergency conditions, because the information is spread thin throughout multiple websites and services. There is an over reliance with Facebook to spread information. Even in this day and age, everyone is not a member and are not getting all of the updated information that news sources are providing. People do not always think of Facebook as a valuable news source.

People also aren’t equipped with knowledge on steps that they can take to prepare for emergencies such as this massive outbreak of forest fires.

It may be too little too late for this current situation, but  HERE  is the American Red Cross Wildfire Preparation Checklist.


There is also a Protection Plan found on The City of Huntsville’s website.

Important Contact Information:

Texas Forest Service Website     
Regional Fire Coordinator: (936) 327-4832
TFS Headquarters: (979) 458-6650

Texas Interagency Coordination Center
(Shows map of fire activity throughout Texas)

City of Huntsville: 936-291-5400


Walker County Emergency Communication Enrollment: Sign-up for up-to-date email notifications and text messages!

Emergency Medical Services (EMS): 936-295-4848

KSAM 107.5: 936-295-2651

We hope that everyone is safe, and we appreciate everyone's hard work to stop the spreading of these fires and to evacuate people who are in danger! Hopefully, we will receive MUCH needed rain this evening and throughout the rest of the week!

Yummy Yummy Mongolian Grill & Sushi—We Can’t Wait!

Yummy Yummy Mongolian Grill and Sushi

COMING SOON!

I’m sure most people in town have already seen it by now, but there is a new (and MUCH needed) restaurant opening soon! You will now be able to save your gas money instead of driving to the Woodlands just to eat at Genghis Grill (okay… we may be the only ones that do that), because now we are getting Yummy Yummy Mongolian Grill & Sushi!

We are excited to see all of the new stores and restaurants that are recently popping up in Huntsville, and I suspect that THIS one is going to be a personal favorite! It's good to see that we are getting a variety of food options instead of another Mexican restaurant. In case you really haven’t seen it yet, it is by the AT&T Store near I-Hop.

No word on the official opening date, but the “Coming Soon” sign that was recently added is very promising! Until then, we will keep driving by just to stare at the outside of the building while daydreaming about buuz dumplings and stir-fry! YUM YUM!

Also, let’s hope someone empties that trash can soon!

Pool Party at The Forum (Thurs., June 16)

Hey, Huntsville! Every Thursday, The Forum (3019 Sam Houston Ave.) has a pool party from 3pm to 7pm. They have free food,  live music, etc. I hear this Thursday, they are serving food from Wing Stop!


Stop by and check out their new club house, which gas a game room, computer room, and media room. 


Here is a link to their event page on Facebook: Click here!

2011 Huntsville Superstar--The Search Has Begun!

Huntsville Superstar!

Old Town Theater

1023 12^th Street

Huntsville, TX 77340

Become a contestant TODAY!

Entry deadline: June 17, 2011

The search for the 2011 Huntsville Superstar is about to begin! If you can sing and perform live, then you may be interested in testing your talents in this competition—especially considering there is a $1,000.00 prize and recording opportunity on the line! Click HERE to get more details on how to sign up for this competition. The deadline to enter is June 17^th.

We look forward to this year’s hunt for the next Superstar. It always features very talented performers. The first winner, Jon Sheptock, is still an active presence in Huntsville. We recently watched him perform at the first annual Town Creek Music Festival.

The search for the Huntsville Superstar lasts three weeks. The live contest series will take place on June 25^th, July 9^th, and July 16^th. Voting takes place at the Old Town Theater and also online. Tickets cost $10.00 and are ON SALE NOW! Good luck to all that enter!

The Ransom of Red Chief: June 17th and June 18th

The Ransom of Red Chief

June 17^th at 7:30pm & June 18^th at 2:00pm

Old Town Theatre
1023 12th St.
Huntsville, TX 77340

BUY YOUR TICKETS TODAY!

The Huntsville Theater Summer Camp will soon be performing The Ransom of Red Chief, which is based on O. Henry’s classic story about two bubbling kidnappers and a boy who calls himself “Red.” The cast will range from children 7-13, and they will soon be working hard to prepare for this production.  Click HERE to purchase your tickets today.

Official Press Release:

Summer Film Festival--VOTE TODAY!

Summer Film Festival

July 29^th and July 30^th

VOTE TODAY!

The Main Street Program is planning a Summer Film Festival that will feature two movies on Friday, July 29^th and two movies on Saturday, July 30^th. The Main Street Program is asking for the help of the community to decide on the movies that will be selected for the festival. There are some excellent choices to choose from—movies such as Clue, Airplane, Up, Bringing Up Baby, Roman Holiday, True Grit, Back to the Future, and many more. Click HERE to vote for your favorites in each category! Voting ends on June 10^th.

On a related note, the great Leslie Nielsen is STILL funny even from beyond the grave:

(If you couldn’t already tell, I voted for Airplane)

Trade Days this Weekend!

Hey, Huntsville! Last month, we told you about a new outdoor market in our area, a few miles down Hwy 190 on the property of Kate's Gilded Lily. It is that time again - the first weekend of the month! There will actually be two markets this weekend, so we are posting the info for both so you know where to find those treasures:


Trade Days at Kate's Gilded Lily
Location: 2299 US Hwy 190
Hours: 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Contact info: Kate Garrett at 936.439.9156


Downtown Huntsville Trade Days
Location: downtown, on the square
Hours: Not sure!
Contact info: Brandi Easterling at 903.512.0355 


Get up early, get out of the house, and support local vendors! While you're out and about, be sure to also check out the two farmers markets - downtown and at West Hill Mall. 


Seeya there!

Farmers Market Info

Hey, fresh produce lovers! We wrote an article a while back telling you about the new farmers market downtown. Now, there is also one at West Hill Mall. The information for both markets is below, just to save some confusion:

Downtown Farmers Market
Frequency: Every Saturday from May - September
Hours: 8 a.m. until 12 p.m.
Location: Corner of Avenue M & 12th St.
Contact phone: 936.291.5920

Walker County Farmers Market
Frequency: Saturdays & Wednesdays
Hours: 8 a.m. until sold out
Location: West Hill Mall parking lot
Contact phone: 936.435.2426

We hear the Walker County market has melons, squash, and zucchini (among other things, of course)! Seeya there!