Free Events In Houston This Weekend

The Houston Japan Festival 2008, is scheduled for this weekend. The Japanese Gardens at Herman Park will be the setting from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, for this annual festival.

The free two day celebrations will feature Taiko drummers Kofu Daiko and Kaminari Taiko and the Sakura Japanese Dance Company. There’ll also be plenty of music, martial arts experts, a Menko tournament and a sushi-eating contest.

[Where: Hermann Park’s Japanese Gardens, 6201 Golf Course Drive] For information, call 713-963-0121 or visit www.jashouston.org.





Rise and Shine: African American Texans 1820 - 21st Century"

Midtown Houston gladly shares the spotlight this weekend with the Downtown District for the 2008 Houston International Festival.
This year it’s honoring "Out of Africa: The Three Journeys," they are proud to sponsor free African American Literary readings, that will take place both Saturdays, alongwith a local historical exhibit that’s on display all week at the Julia Ideson library. It gives Houstonians a chance to be exposed to the many language, arts and cultural influences derived from the African Continent.

A host of archaeological artifacts from the TSU archives will shed new light on the ways that African Americans in Texas survived slavery. The aftermath of enslavement is chronicled from tenant farming/sharecropping through the harsh realities of the Jim Crow system. Artifacts and historical documents will examine a variety of sites, including the Levi Jordan Plantation in South Texas. The literary readings are scheduled from 1-5 p.m.

How To Enjoy the International Festival Free

If you can’t squeeze an extra $50 or $60 dollars out of your budget to attend the International Festival this year how about volunteering to assist with the
Biggest cultural celebration in Houston.

All you need is to muster your enthusiasm, energy and commitment and become a volunteer. You do have to be at least 15 years old to volunteer unless otherwise approved.

Assignments are on a first come first serve basis. Whether you are an individual or part of a group of 10 or 500, a place is waiting for all of you at the festival. Volunteering together, your company, school group or family will benefit from this fun way to give back to the community and a tradition in Houston.

To make it even easier I’ve included the International Festival volunteer application here for you to review.

Free Stuff

Keeping in step with my weekend tradition on this site I have got another great web find to share with everyone. This free stuff is from the Creation Science Evangelism website, where the marriage of theology and theorist combine to provide great resources that discuss interesting topics.

Their podcast and video titles range from “The Age of The Earth” to “Dinosaurs and The Bible”. I’d like to thank blogger Chris Jones over at the site (Inspirationalexperiences.com) for the heads up on this great free stuff find.