Events and Activities
Welcome Home party for Olympic speed skater, Chad Hedrick
March 4th, 2010 categories: Events and Activities
On March 6th at 6 P.M. Strack’s restaurant is hosting a “Welcome Home” party for Spring Texas’s hometown boy, Chad Hedrick. Chad is returning from his second Winter Olympics where he competed in the sport of speed skating and compete he did. As Chad is bringing home a silver and a bronze medal from the 2010 Winter Olympics.
To have a Winter Olympics medal winner from Spring Texas is just a tad bit unusual because if you haven’t noticed we don’t get a lot of snow. A lot of heat, yes. But a lot of snow, no.
Chad Hedrick grew up in Spring Texas on roller skates. By the age of two, Chad was skating at Champions Roller World. The skating rink that was and still is owned by his parents.
Chad revolutionized inline speed skating with his technique known as the double push. In 2002, Chad switched to the ice. In 2006, he competed in his first Winter Olympics in Turin. He won a medal of every color. Chad won a gold medal in the 5,000 m, a silver medal in the 10,000 m, and a bronze medal in the 1,500 m speed skating events.
Come out and congratulate Chad and wish him well in his future endeavours off the ice. Strack’s restaurant is located at 5707 Louetta Spring TX 77379.
Congratulations, Chad! You have done us proud!
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Fireworks and New Year’s Eve
December 31st, 2009 categories: Events and Activities
Parties, horns, Champagne toasts and fireworks are all things that are associated with ringing in the New Year. In some parts of the country and in most cities fireworks are prohibited. In the city of Houston fireworks are prohibited but in unincorporated areas of Harris County such as Spring Texas fireworks are permitted. But it is not a free for all as permission does come with a few restrictions such as where you can ignite your fireworks.
If you are looking for a place to celebrate New Year’s Eve and enjoy a fireworks display, you should consider going to Sam Houston Race Park for the evening. They host a fireworks display that they state is ”the largest in town” and they are probably right as there are few organized fireworks displays for New Year’s Eve.
If you want to stay home for New Year’s Eve and would prefer to watch a live fireworks display instead of one on your television set, just step outside your house and enjoy your neighbors fireworks display. Residents of Spring Texas LOVE shooting off fireworks of all kinds.
The difficult part is trying to plan your evening around your neighbors fireworks display because there is no set time for the fireworks displays to begin. They just start some time after dark and end some time in the wee hours of the morning. The exact wee hour of the morning the fireworks end I don’t know exactly know. As I usually fall asleep before some of my neighbors are done celebrating.
However you decide to say farewell to 2009 and hello to 2010, don’t drink and drive, be careful when setting off fireworks, and have a good time! Okay, now I officially sound like your mother but I just had to say it.
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Where are the best places to view Christmas lights in Northwest Houston?
December 12th, 2009 categories: Events and Activities
Our pick for the best place to view Christmas Lights in Northwest Houston is without a doubt the Prestonwood Forest subdivision. Known as the “Christmas Lights Neighborhood”, its continuation of a 31+ year tradition has become legendary.
Local newspapers and television stations, Southern Living , FOX News, and the Travel Channel have all written stories about or done programs on the Christmas lights adorning the homes in Prestonwood Forest.
Just about every home in the Prestonwood Forest subdivision of 750 homes gets involved in the Nite of Lites event. With almost every block in the subdivision choosing a different holiday theme. One of the themes is based on “The Night Before Christmas” in which each home on the block displays a page of the story.
The subdivision hands out awards for “Best House”, “Best Block”, “Runner-up Block”, “Best Mailbox”, “Best Door”, and “Best Lamp Post”
Estimations are around 15,000 people drive through Prestonwood Forest and view the Christmas decorations and lights display during the Nite of Lites event.
The 2009 Nite of Lites begins on December 12th and continues through January 3rd. The homes lights are on Monday – Friday 6 pm to 10 pm and Saturday – Sunday 6 pm to 11 pm.
The Prestonwood Forest subdivision is located South of Cypresswood about 2 miles East of HWY 249. If you need better directions, just click on the map.
The residents of Prestonwood Forest take their Nite of Lites event serious. So serious ….. that included in the sale of their homes are the Christmas decorations.
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Old Town Spring celebrates the holidays
November 17th, 2009 categories: Discover Spring Texas, Events and Activities
Last Saturday I attended the 28th annual Old Town Spring’s ”Home for the Holidays” celebration. I don’t know whether it was because it was a gorgeous sunny day with a high temperature of 80 degrees or people were ready to get into a holiday mood but whatever the reason there were a lot of people in Old Town Spring for the opening week of the “Home for the Holidays” celebration. If you did not get a chance to go last weekend you have plenty of time as it continued through December 20th.
For those who have never been to Old Town Spring , it is considered the birth place of Spring TX back in the 1800s. Today, Old Town Spring is a quaint town of 150 speciality shops and restaurants.
During their ”Home for the Holidays” celebration the town is decked out with lights, ornaments, garlands, and bows. Santa is in his house ready to hear little girls and boys wish lists, a smaller scale train takes the kids for a ride around the square, strolling musicians entertain, and the shops have their holidays goods out ready to tempt you.
If you get hungry after all that shopping, I recommend you order the fried pickles at Puffabelly’s. They are delicious!
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Thinking about a staycation?
July 19th, 2009 categories: Events and Activities
Does your wallet seem a little lighter this summer? Are you wondering how you can have a vacation without spending a fortune?
With numerous things to do and see in and around the Spring Texas area, a staycation may be just the answer. The good news is there are loads of things to do that don’t require you to empty your wallet to enjoy them.
To help you answer the question of “What’s there to do?”, I have put together a list of ideas:
- Enjoy a night at the movies at the Silverado IMAX or double your fun by watching a movie and eating dinner at the same time at the Movie Tavern.
- Take in a concert at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion or the Sam Houston Race Park.
- Spend a day visiting the numerous museums located in the Houston Museum District or stay even closer to home by visiting the Pearl museum or the Children’s museum in the Woodlands.
- Get wet and cool off at your neighborhood’s swimming pool or take a plunge at Splashtown.
- Try your luck fishing at Meyer Park or Burrough’s Park
- Travel to some far away land and time by becoming absorbed in the book you borrowed from the Barbara Bush Library.
- Enjoy a new release movie on the cheap by renting from RedBox for $1.08 a night. RedBox is becoming more popular and available at many Walgreens, Walmart, and McDonalds.
- Run away and watch the circus. The Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus is performing at Reliant Stadium from July 19th – 26th.
- Explore the Woodlands waterway with a ride on one of its water taxis.
- Go out to Minute Maid ball park and root, root, root for the home team and buy some peanuts and Cracker Jack.
- Be a tourist and spend the day browsing through the 150+ shops and restaurants at Old Town Spring.
- Break routine and try out a new pizza joint or tex / mex restaurant.
- Play games at the Main Event.
- Watch water dance to music and lights at the Woodlands water fountains.
- Visit the Houston Zoo and see if you can talk to the animals.
- Explore the hiking trails at Mercer Arboretum and appreciate nature’s beauty at Mercer’s Botanical Gardens
- Pick blueberries at Neal’s blueberry farm.
- Spend the day pursuing the aisles of IKEA.
- Practice your ice skating at the Galleria’s ice skating rink.
- Enjoy an ice cone at Brusters.
With so many ways to have fun in and around the Spring Texas area, get out and enjoy yourself. Don’t let a lighter wallet be the reason you stay inside all summer because there’s lots of things to do on the cheap. Enjoy your staycation!!!
Photo taken of the Splashpad at Gleannloch Farms
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Schools Out, Summer Fun Begins
June 5th, 2009 categories: Discover Spring Texas, Events and Activities
The end of the school year has arrived for our Spring Texas area schools and now the kids are ready to have some Summer fun. Our area has lots of great places and ways for kids to enjoy the outdoors including numerous activities within their own subdivisions.
The majority of our Spring Texas Neighborhoods have their own private community parks, playgrounds, swimming pools, and some even have lakes for catch and release fishing. If the kids are looking to venture out a little further beyond their own subdivision a great way to enjoy a Summer day is at the SplashTown Water Park located at I45 and Louetta in Spring.
Don’t forget about our wonderful public park system including Collins Park and its extensive playground equipment, basketball courts, and skate park and Meyer Park with its paved and non-paved trails, playground equipment, soccer fields, 3 acre lake for catch and release fishing, and duck pond.
A great way to end a Summer day is with a Sno-Cone from one of the many Sno-Cone stands located on Louetta or an Ice Cream Cone at Oscar’s Creamery or Brusters. No matter what you do get out and enjoy the Summer because it will leave just as quickly as it arrived.
Photo is of the Splash pad in the WindRose subdivision.
Read also: Average Temperatures in Spring Texas
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Annual Easter Bunny Event
April 12th, 2009 categories: Events and Activities
Yesterday the Oaks of Devonshire HOA hosted their annual Easter Bunny Event for the homeowners of Devonshire Woods, Louetta Lakes, and the Oaks of Devonshire.
The neighborhood kids came out for the event with their Easter baskets in hand and wearing their Easter finery. The kids had a great time hunting eggs and getting their pictures taken with the Easter Bunny.
For the last five years I have been donning the Easter Bunny costume for the event. I felt a little awkward the first year I was the Easter Bunny but the awkwardness immediately went away as soon as the kids came running to give me (A.K.A… the Easter Bunny) a big hug. The Easter Bunny Event has become one of my favorite days of the year as I receive more hugs on this day than any other day of the year.
Usually I take the majority of the photos for our Spring Texas Real Estate Blog but not on this occasion as I was in the bunny suit. Instead the photo credit goes to Rick Ratchford, my husband and fellow Spring Texas Real Estate Agent, who found time to snap a few shots in between handing out candy to the neighborhood kids and eating a few pieces of candy himself.
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Best places to view Christmas Lights in Northwest Houston
December 19th, 2008 categories: Events and Activities
One of our favorite places to view Christmas Lights in Northwest Houston is in the Prestonwood Forest subdivision. Known as the “Christmas Lights Neighborhood”, its continuation of a 30+ year tradition has become legendary.
Local newspapers and television stations, Southern Living, FOX News, and the Travel Channel have all written stories about or done programs on the Christmas lights adorning the Prestonwood Forest homes.
Just about every home in the Prestonwood Forest subdivision of 750 homes gets involved in the Nite of Lights event. With almost every block in the subdivision choosing a different holiday theme. One of the themes is based on “The Night Before Christmas” in which each home on the block displays a page of the story.
The subdivision hands out awards for “Best House”, “Best Block”, “Runner-up Block”, “Best Mailbox”, “Best Door”, and “Best Lamp Post”
Estimations are around 15,000 people drive through Prestonwood Forest and view the Christmas decorations and lights display during the Nite of Lites event. The 2008 Nite of Lites begins on December 13th and continues through January 3rd. The homes lights are on Monday – Friday 6 pm to 10 pm and Saturday – Sunday 6 pm to 11 pm. The Prestonwood Forest subdivision is located South of Cypresswood about 2 miles East of HWY 249.
The residents of Prestonwood Forest take their NIte of Lites event serious. So serious ….. that included in the sale of the homes are the homes Christmas decorations.
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Recently opened Vintage Park announces Summer Events
July 29th, 2008 categories: Dining and Entertainment, Events and Activities
Vintage Park, an upscale town center shopping center, announces its first Summer Events schedule. On the following Saturdays, August 2 and 16, September 13 and 20 from 4 – 6 pm enjoy live music plus additional entertainment for the kids at Vintage Park.
The recently opened Vintage Park is located at the HWY 249 and Louetta intersection in Northwest Houston. Careful attention to detail has been paid in the construction of the Mediterranean architecture structure including hand-laid pavers, stone columns, clay tile roofs, and hand painted murals.
Vintage Park’s first tenant of Potbelly Sandwich Works opened its doors in December of 2007. Since then construction has been completed on additional buildings with more tenants moving in including Imagination Toys and Shoes, Eminence Fine Furniture, Starbucks, Alan Murphy Salons. And its newest tenant Cheeburger Cheeburger.
A good old-fashioned Cheeburger and malt in a replicated 50s and 60s diner is waiting to be enjoyed by you at Cheeburger Cheeburger. This is Cheeburger Cheeburger’s first location in the great State of Texas and we are proud for it to be located in Houston.
The center of activity at Vintage Park is certain to occur in its Piazza. Designed to be reminiscent of an Italian shopping promenade with dramatic landscaping and fountains to be enjoyed al fresco by diners. None of the restaurants overlooking the Piazza are open as of yet. Mia Bella an Italian restaurant has secured space at one corner of the Piazza. Shogun a Japanese restaurant will occupy space in the opposite corner of the Piazza.
I can’t think of too many better things to do on a Friday night than having an enjoyable dinner in a wonderful atmosphere with my husband. So if you are one of the workers working on this project, please hurry up and finish. Because I am hungry and am ready to eat.
If you want a quick drive home after a night of shopping and dining at Vintage Park consider the neighborhoods of Champion Forest, Champion Woods, Memorial Northwest, and Gleannloch Farms. They are all within a short 10 minute drive. Begin your search for Spring Texas homes and discover the great homes available in these and other neighborhoods. If you have questions or are ready to begin viewing homes, give us a call at 281.300.3141 or 281.804.8626.
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Jazz takes center stage at The Centrum
February 29th, 2008 categories: Arts and Culture, Events and Activities
On March 7th at 8:00 pm the joint a.k.a The Centrum will be a rocking to the sounds of big band swing jazz performed by Gordon Goodwin and his Big Phat Band.
Comprised of L.A.’s finest musicians this 18-piece ensemble has quickly become one of the most hard swinging jazz ensembles around. The Big Phat Band’s debut album “Swinging for the Fences” received two Grammy nominations and Goodwin won a 2006 Grammy for Instrumental Arrangement of Incredits from the film, The Incredibles.
If you are lover of jazz, swing, or big band, you won’t want to miss The Big Phat Band’s first appearance in Spring Texas. Get your tickets now. Tickets range in price from $30 to $60.
The Centrum is located at 6823 Cypresswood Dr Spring TX 77379.
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