The most ambitious in a series of festivals scheduled to take place this year in downtown Houston is set for next Thursday through Saturday (May 1-3).
Organizers David Klotz and Bob Amburn have arranged for numerous forms of entertainment to occur during the event, called “Brushy Creek Days,” including a carnival midway set up on downtown streets by Bluff City Shows. Some of the scheduled attractions:
•Thursday: Houston High School Night. Several of the school’s organizations and clubs will have members and displays on hand. It’s also wristband night at the carnival from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., with bands going for $15 per person. Musical entertainment will take place in the Lone Star Plaza.
•Friday: KZ88 and Chamber Night. The Houston Area Chamber of Commerce and Cabool community radio station KZGM (88.1FM, KZ88) will host activities at the Lone Star Plaza. Several KZ88 on-air personalities will broadcast shows live from the plaza featuring multiple genres of music.
•Saturday: School-age kids can enjoy unlimited carnival rides from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for only $3. A rubber duck race will be staged on Brushy Creek at 2 p.m., with participants paying a fee to enter and being assigned a numbered race duck. Prizes will be presented to top finishers. The evening will feature a motorcycle cruise-in, car show and music by several acts, including the Chris Johnson Band, out of Mountain Grove (a southern-rock group celebrating the recent album release), Alyson Greene, Henderson-York and more.
Face painting will also be available Friday and Saturday nights.
Video and audio recordings from the three days will be used as material for several episodes of the weekly TV show highlighting Houston that runs Sunday mornings on Springfield’s KOZL (channel 27).
Klotz said the goal of the festival series is to revitalize Houston’s downtown area and highlight its businesses.
“We don’t get paid anything for doing this,” he said, “it’s all about building a healthier downtown. We welcome all downtown businesses to be represented; we’ll charge very little for you to set up a booth or table and show people what you have to offer.”
All proceeds from the event will benefit Downtown Houston Inc. and its ongoing effort to promote and improve the downtown area. For more information, or to inquire about vendor space or entering the rubber duck race, call Amburn at 417-217-9719.