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Saturday: Cypress at the Turn of the Century and Trains!

The month just flew by. It is hard to believe that Saturday's events are the last ones for Gulf Coast Reads 2015. There are only a few, but they reflect, I think, the diversity of programming that participating institutions have presented throughout the month.

At 1:00 p.m., you can get a look at Cypress, Texas before it became the hustling, bustling place it is today. The Cypress Historical Society will present Cypress at the Turn of the Century, an informative and entertaining look at a vanished world in your neck of the woods that hasn't entirely vanished at Harris County - Northwest Branch Library.

Thursday: Survival Skills and More

Brazoria County - Lake Jackson Library presents Family Fun Night: Hurricane and Survival Skills, today, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Along with a survival-themed activity for the whole family, the Houston Chronicle's former SciGuy blogger, Eric Berger will teach you about the science of storms. The library is located at 250 Circle Way in Lake Jackson.

Last Chance: MFAH Book & Art Tour.

This Thursday is your last chance to catch the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Book and Art Tour inspired by The Promise. You can enhance your experience of reading the novel with this docent-led tour of the Museum's galleries. Each stop on the tour includes discussion of excerpts from the novel and artworks in the galleries that connect with the characters, narrative, or a prominent theme in The Promise. Please bring along your copy of the book and your willingness to share thoughts about what you read as well as what you see in the galleries. MFAH's Beck Building. 5601 Main Street. Thursday, October 29. 10:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

The 1900 Galveston Storm Wasn't Just a Galveston Storm

There is no doubt that Galveston bore the brunt of the devastating 1900 storm, but a hurricane as strong as strong as that one cuts a wide swath of destruction. This evening at Brazoria County - West Columbia Library, This evening at 7:00 p.m., Amanda McKay from the Varner-Hogg Plantation will look at the 1900 hurricane as it affected Brazoria County. The Varner-Hogg Plantation sits on 66 acres along the Brazos River. With its antebellum mansion, pecan orchards and original outbuilding, the plantation is a State Historic Site dedicated to educating visitors about issues of class, land and race in the context of Texas and American history.

Saturday: Ann and Opera at the Freed-Montrose Library

freed montrose libraryIf we can all get around without a boat on Saturday, make sure to stop by for the Houston Public Library Quarterly Author Series presenting Ann Weisgarber as part of Gulf Coast Reads. Ann will read and discuss her book, The Promise. The program will open with a short preview of Houston Grand Opera's "The Root of the Wind is Water".

Saturday, October 24, 2015 | 2 PM – 4 PM
Freed-Montrose Library 
4100 Montrose Blvd, Houston, TX 77006
Library: Gulf Coast Reads
Location: Houston - Freed-Montrose Neighborhood Library
Other Information:
 The artists performing from the Houston Grand Opera include: Julia Fox, Soprano; Megan Berti, Messo-Soprano and Christopher Turbessi, Piano/Keyboard.
Contact Number: 832/393-1800

Friday: The Great Hurricane

Yes, Joseph Pellerin has been an adjunct professor of American History, first at Angelina College and then, for the past nine years at San Jacinto College, but he is also owner of Galveston Historic Tours, so it's a good bet that his lecture on the The Great Hurricane of 1900 this Friday October 23 at Deer Park Public Library won't be some dry recitation of facts. This is someone who knows how to keep an audience's interest. We hope to see you there!

The Great Hurricane
Deer Park Public Library
Friday, October 24.
11:00 a.m.
3009 Center St,

 

Responsible Pet Ownership, Heroes of the Sea and More on Tap for Thursday

Part of our job as pet "owners" is to make sure our pets are safe from severe weather--from winter freezes to hurricanes. Harris County -  Katherine Tyra Branch Library @ Bear Creek will be hosting representatives from Harris Co

Wednesday Highlights: Dance Hall Music and Engineering!

If you combine Ann's talk about her research process in writing The Promise and the special preview of Houston Grand Opera's The Root of the Wind Is Water at Rosenberg Library, with a Texas Dance Hall performance at Cy-Fair College Library and a talk about The Promise and Engineering at Houston Community College - Felix Fraga Campus , you couldn't ask for a better illustration of the way a single book can open up a world of possibilities for its readers.

Join us for Sweet Evalina and Other Texas Dance Hall Music at Cy-Fair College Library. Pianist and fiddler, Emme Jennings (who just happens to be all of 12 years old) will play selections from The Promise followed by a short demonstration of Texas Dance Hall dances by Kelly Norton and Gary Faulkenberry. The event will be held in the college's ARTS Building Recital Hall 102 on Wednesday, 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. (Click here for parking information and detailed directions to the venue).

Wednesday @ Rosenberg Library Ann Weisgarber with a Preview of HGO's The Root of the Wind is Water

On Wednesday, Rosenberg Library will be hosting a special visit from Ann Weisgarber. She will talk about the extensive research on Galveston and the 1900 Storm that she did for her novel--much of which was conducted in that very library, so it will be a homecoming of sorts. What is more, the program will open with a special preview of Houston Grand Opera's The Root of the Wind is Water which tells the story of a woman who refuses to leave her home as a hurricane surges toward Galveston. It draws on the legacy of the 1900 storm as well as Hurricane Ike.

Afternoon Tea, Popular Dances of 1900 & More

 

Many of our programs have focused, for obvious reasons, on the 1900 Galveston Storm and its historical significance as well as the role it plays in The Promise. Friday, we will be offering a little taste of what life might have been like for Catherine Wainwright as the rising young pianist in the rising, young city of Dayton, Ohio.

Volunteer instructors from the T. E. Harman Senior Center in Sugar Land will demonstrate dances that were popular at the turn of the 20th century. Put on your dancing shoes, grab you partner and join us at Ft Bend County – Sugar Land Branch Library, 550 Eldridge, Friday, 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.

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