The Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) oversees one of the largest and most complex flood management systems in the nation—1,700 square miles of bayous, channels, detention basins, and open-space buyout lots that all stand between residents and rising water. With millions in new funding approved by voters last year, the district has spent 2024 tackling long-overdue re-
pairs and clearing a backlog of maintenance that’s been building for decades.
New Funding Brings LongAwaited Maintenance Boost
Last November, Harris County voters approved a measure that would increase property taxes to generate over $1 million dollars in funding for the express purpose of maintaining and strengthening the county’s flood control infrastructure, including bayous, tributaries, detention basins and reservoirs. On average the property tax
increase raised taxes on homestead-exempted properties an average of $43 per year.
HCFCD doesn’t take that responsibility lightly. The district says it has a duty to be a good steward of taxpayer dollars and to be transparent about how those funds are put to work. To that end, HCFCD held two virtual town halls recently, led by Chief External Affairs Officer Emily Woodell, alongside Chief Infrastructure and Operations
By CHARLIE HARDWICK The Leader News Contributor
On a Wednesday night or Saturday morning one may encounter, with some curiosity, a group of runners in Memorial Park on the loop trail, tethered together in pairs, weaving in and out of the normal trail traffic. So who are these paired athletes and what’s with the tether? They are some of Houston’s finest visually impaired athletes who are tethered to sighted guides in a year-round training regimen for the country’s best marathons. They are supported by a non-profit group called Team Catapult, and one of their star athletes is Heights resident and Brazilian-born Weber Augusto Amaral.
From Brazil to America
Originally from the small town of
Cornélio Procópio, state of Paraná, in southern Brazil, Amaral was diagnosed at 5 years old with a condition called pars planitis. His early years growing up were occupied by numerous surgeries helping to improve his vision slightly. Amaral remembers his childhood as more or less normal throughout his education, but had some ups and downs because of declining vision. Amazingly, Amaral was able to obtain a drivers license at the age of 18. He took some time to live in Spain for a year before coming back to Brazil to graduate from university with a degree in computer science. After gaining employment with a German-based global engineering firm, he transitioned to Houston in 2015.
“Although my vision was not great at the time, I could still drive and function
By JUHI VARMA The Leader News Contributor
From lively parades to hands-on floral workshops, Houston is serving up a feast of Thanksgiving events for every taste. Whether you’re looking to burn calories at a Turkey Trot, create the perfect centerpiece for your table, enjoy stand-up comedy with pie, or bring the kids to festive family activities, there’s something to make your holiday weekend memorable. Here’s a roundup of the city’s mustsee Thanksgiving happenings.
Gather & Bloom: Thanksgiving Centerpiece Class By Spring Flower Market
DETAILS: Create your own fall centerpieces at this Thanksgiving flower class, learn step by step, and take home your holiday-ready design.
Expert instructors will guide you through the process step by step, so no experience is necessary. Bring your creativity and get ready to bloom with us!
COST: $119
TICKETS: eventbrite.com
Great Gobbler Fest – Children’s Museum of Houston
WHEN: Monday–Sunday, Nov. 24–30
WHERE: 1500 Binz St, Houston, TX 77004
DETAILS: Celebrate Thanksgiving with a week-long series of festive activities for families: Monday, Nov. 24 – Turkey Jam:
By JUHI VARMA The Leader News Contributor
A new TV pilot revisits 1990s Houston through the eyes of a woman coach, exploring race, gender, and belonging in a changing city
Hoopztown, a TV pilot read live Nov. 8 as part of the Houston Cinema Arts Festival, has been nearly a decade in the making. Created by Fleurette S. Fernando—associate dean and director of the Arts Leadership program at the University of Houston—the story follows Maya Hernandez, a former athlete returning to coach a girls’ basketball team
while caring for her cancer-stricken mother. The setting, the fictional “Buffalo Bayou High,” is unmistakably Houston: sprawling, diverse, messy, and full of contradictions.
Fernando began writing the story after watching her own daughter play basketball in junior high and high school.
“It was so empowering for her,” she said. “And I was amazed that there were so few stories about this kind of experience for young girls on television. I truly believe the experience strongly contributed to her success. I would love if this story and the ideas in it could inspire more girls to participate in sports.”
Her daughter earned a full ride college scholarship for track and field and is now in law school. Through Hoopztown, Fernando wanted to explore what happens when women and girls find power in physicality—in being “in their bodies and appreciating what they can do, not just how they look.”
A different kind of Houston story
The story is set in 1996, the same year the Women’s National Basketball Association was founded, and a few years before the Houston Comets made his-
Photo courtesy of HCFCD
The 2024 funding increase has allowed the district to make significant progress in the area of flood control.
Courtesy photo The producers of Hoopztown are pictured with the logo created by Houston’s renowned muralist and multimedia artist GONZO247.
tory. Fernando said she’d seen a cultural shift – girls were watching athletes who looked like them win championships.
“I wanted to highlight the Comets’ legacy and what it meant for women in this city,” she said. At the same time, Hoopztown looks at the deeper social layers of Houston’s public schools. Maya’s new workplace is a mix of privilege and struggle, racial tension and quiet solidarity. The principal’s office sports a Confederate flag. Kids nonchalantly smoke hashish. Teachers juggle overpacked classrooms and outdated textbooks. The girls’ team lacks resources but not spirit.
Maya is no ordinary athlete — she’s a hometown heroine, a gifted player who once came within reach of going pro. But that doesn’t stop some of the male staff from dismissing the WNBA, certain that it won’t last long.
In the audience at the live reading at Six Foot Studios, the script’s details landed with a hum of recognition. Buffalo Bayou High draws inspiration from schools like Heights High (formerly John H. Reagan), Waltrip, and Lamar—institutions that have long mirrored Houston’s demographic and cultural evolution.
Elizabeth Sosa Bailey, who co-produces Hoopztown and grew up in Oak Forest, said her own experience is reflected in the story.
“I am half-Mexican and moved back home to Houston when my father was diagnosed with cancer,” she said. “The mix of communities, the
Officer Jason Krahn, and key leaders from maintenance engineering and asset management.
“For more than 30 years, our crews stretched every dollar trying to keep up with aging infrastructure in a rapidly growing county,” Woodell said, adding last year’s additional funding was a real game-changer in HCFCD’s ability to care for the flood control system. Woodell believes it is important for the community to understand funding sources.
“We have a dedicated ad valorem tax. Those tax revenues are best used to cover ongoing operational costs; the things that we know are going to happen year-in and year-out, funding the maintenance of our flood control infrastructure,” she explained. “Bond issues, on the other hand, like the 2018 bond program, are more suitable for capital projects, like constructing detention basins or improving channels. That’s where the actual infrastructure is being improved and it makes sense to take on debt and pay for a project over many years. For maintenance projects like the ones we’re talking about today, such as mowing, debris removal, outfall and erosion
sense of home, the push and pull between pride and pain— it’s all so Houston.”
Her mother’s illness is never far from Maya’s mind, a reminder of the emotional labor that women—especially daughters—often perform.
“It’s a common theme for women at any age....we become caretakers for family members should anyone fall ill,” Fernando said. “So many of my girlfriends, cousins, colleagues also find themselves having to take on this responsibility at every adult stage of life...and people often don’t talk about this unpaid labor in families and communities and the stress it can cause women.”
The dual roles of coach and daughter also let the story examine a different kind of strength—one that doesn’t come from victory alone.
“For women educators and coaches, especially in the early years of Title IX, it could be demoralizing,” Fernando said.
“It’s a calling, but also a challenge. I hope this story inspires young women to keep going, in whatever field they
find themselves.”
The pilot’s title episode, Rebound, captures that spirit literally and figuratively. If Hoopztown is picked up beyond the pilot, we’ll see Maya coaching her team of misfit players, with the gym likely becoming a metaphor for recovering and rebuilding oneself after loss.
Where personal meets political
In one of the script’s early scenes, Maya walks into the principal’s office to find a stuffed buffalo head mounted beside a Confederate flag. The principal, affable but oblivious, calls it “Southern pride.”
Hoopztown captures these contradictions: the pride of the South and its painful symbols, the camaraderie of the court and the inequities of the classroom, the optimism of youth and the exhaustion of caregiving. (Maya’s mother seems to be in denial about her condition.) Its characters—Black, brown, immigrant, first-generation—are not archetypes but products of Houston’s intertwined histories.
“I wanted audiences to
repairs, that ensure our system is restored to its original design.”
The bond programs are used for large-scale projects and tax revenue is for maintaining those projects once completed. Recently, the district launched an interactive dashboard of projects on their website. It allows the community to click on its projects and review details, such as status and funding.
Woodell acknowledges that infrastructure maintenance is not a glamorous subject matter, but is critically important.
“This first year of additional funding has been all about catching up on the backlog of deferred maintenance work we’ve accumulated over de-
cades,” she said. Major structural repair, sediment removal, trash removal, stabilization, tree reforestation – the list goes on.
“There are welders, laborers, heavy equipment operators, arborists, land surveyors, hydrologists, and civil engineers, all bringing their talents together to make sure our systems function as they should,” Krahn said. “These folks spend their day knee-deep in mud or up in an excavator, fixing what the last storm tore apart. This is tough physical work, and it’s happening every day in every corner of our county. We like to think of this work as more than maintaining infrastructure, it’s about serving our communities. And that’s the heart of this story – it’s not just
understand a different (maybe more accurate?) side of Houston and Texas than they are used to seeing in the media,” Fernando said.
For the producers, bringing Hoopztown to life has itself been a community effort. Fernando and Sosa Bailey plan to film the first episode next year as a vertical series— designed for mobile viewing on platforms like TikTok and YouTube—before expanding to a full 10-episode season.
“It’s like community theater, but in a film medium,” Fernando said. “We’ve already seen so much local support.”
“I believe this story truly connects to all inner city and inside the loop neighborhoods of Houston which are racially and historically diverse,” said Nancy Dunnahoe, communications advisor for the project.
For now, Hoopztown remains a pilot on paper, but like the girls running drills in the final scene, it’s warming up for what comes next.
To support the project, please visit gofundme.com/f/ help-film-the-hoopztown-tvpilot.
Solid Waste Management Department November 2025 Holiday Collection Schedule
COMMUNITY REPORTS
The City of Houston’s Solid Waste Management Department (SWMD) reminds residents of upcoming holiday service schedules.
In observance of Thanksgiving, SWMD will adjust curbside collection and close all offices and facilities on Thursday, Nov. 27.
Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025 (Thanksgiving Day)
City Holiday: No collection services. All facilities, including Neighborhood Depositories, Recycling Centers, and administrative offices, will be closed.
Friday, Nov. 28, 2025
Thursday’s garbage, recycling, and heavy trash along with yard waste will be serviced. All facilities, including Neighborhood Depositories, Recycling Centers, and administrative offices, will remain closed.
Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025
Friday’s garbage, recycling, and heavy trash along with yard waste will be serviced.
All facilities, including Neighborhood Depositories and Recycling Centers, will reopen.
the projects, but the people who make them happen.” Local Work Highlights the Impact on Area Neighborhoods While HCFCD’s reach has been expansive this year, they were asked to highlight a few significant maintenance project examples specific to The Leader’s readership. One of the more significant has been the outfall pipe repair on White Oak Bayou between 610 and TC Jester. The drainage pipe collapsed, resulting in a sinkhole and erosion. The failed pipe was replaced and the surrounding bank was stabilized and terraced so that stormwater can again move freely and safely. This came with a price tag exceed-
ing 86K. In addition to major repair and restoration, maintenance is responsible for clearing debris, huge amounts of recurring sediment deposits and other obstructions to waterway flow. Last year, along one White Oak tributary near Inwood, HCFCD cleared nearly 9 acres that included the removal of 14 standing trees, one hazardous tree, and more than 190 cubic yards of debris.
HCFCD’s Fenceline Pruning program provides vegetation management along property adjacent to drainage channels to ensure flow is not impeded and to clear access for maintenance crews. This year, local projects included 16,000+ linear feet of maintenance to channels all along White Oak
Bayou and its tributaries in The Heights, Garden Oaks and Independence Heights, among others. This accounted for $48 K of the maintenance budget.
“2025 was about ramping up and 2026 is all about keeping that momentum. These major projects take thoughtful planning and most spend about 9 to 12 months in design,” said Jason Brock, HCFCD manager of maintenance and engineering. “Thanks to expanded partnerships and on-call construction contracts, we’re able to move those projects from design to construction faster than ever before. In 2026, we plan to have 50 major maintenance and 124 infrastructure repair projects under construction across Harris County. From repairing and replacing concrete channel linings to repairing severe erosion and stabilizing channel banks, we’ll be leveraging this investment in maintenance to help keep Harris County ready for the next storm.” For more information on current and future projects, access to interactive project mapping, and an opportunity to sign up for HCFCD’s innovative Flood Warning System alerts, visit HCFCD.org.
FLOOD, from P. 1
Photos courtesy of HCFCD
Routine maintenance is required to keep the water moving through communities.
Before and after maintenance photos of a drain collapse near TC Jester.
Photo by Juhi Varma A packed audience attended the Hoopztown pilot script reading at Six Foot Studios.
HAR local data by zip code: Consistent sales and easing prices signal a more balanced market in October
STAFF REPORTS
Houston housing rakes in another month of growth as prices stay steady
This fall brought more signs of stability to Houston’s housing market, as October marked the sixth consecutive month of year-over-year home sales growth. With some relief in prices and mortgage rates, buyers are getting a bit more bargaining power as we head into the final months of the year.
According to the Houston Association of Realtors’ October 2025 Housing Market Update , single-family home sales rose 3.2 percent yearover-year. A total of 7,419 homes were sold compared to 7,187 last year.
While average home prices remained statistically flat at $423,955, the median price declined for the seventh month in a row to $330,000. This trend indicates that the market is gradually shifting toward a more balanced level after years of rapid price growth.
Housing supply remained steady month-to-month, but increased year-over-year to 5.2 months, up from 4.4 months last October.
The average list-to-sale price ratio dipped to 92.6%, the lowest recorded level since HAR began tracking the metric in 2001.
“Despite the government shutdown, which temporarily ceased purchases of flood insurance from the National Flood Insurance Program, and some uncertainty in the economy, homebuying interest in Houston remains solid,”
said HAR Chair Shae Cottar with LPT Realty. “Prices have softened, inventory is up, and mortgage rates are coming down—all of which are giving buyers more room to breathe. The frenzied pace of recent years has eased, and the market has leveled out, ultimately benefiting both buyers and sellers.”
Housing Market Overview
In October, sales of all property types across the Greater Houston area increased 1.6 percent compared to last year, with 8,768 properties sold. Multi-family properties saw the largest year-over-year sales growth, with transactions 32.8 percent above last October’s volume. Total dollar volume also rose 1.9 percent to more than $3.5 billion for the month.
Houston single-family home sales now exceed pre-pandemic levels, up 3.2 percent in October 2019 compared to October 2025 and up 2.6 percent year-todate. In contrast, the U.S. housing market struggles to return to normal with home
sales down 21.6 percent (September 2025 compared to September 2019) and off 22.8 percent year-to-date 2025 versus 2019.
“Unlike the U.S. housing market, which lags prepandemic home sales volumes, Houston has returned to a normal market that is growing,” said HAR Chief Economist Dr. Ted C. Jones.
Active listings of all property types were 23.0 percent higher than last year with 59,903 available properties on the market.
Single-Family Homes Update, Citywide
As prices and mortgage rates settle, more home buyers are stepping back into the market. A total of 7,419 singlefamily homes sold in October, up from 7,187 a year ago.
The median home price declined 1.5 percent to $330,000, while the average price was essentially flat at $423,955. The average price per square foot was $175, slightly lower than $177 a year ago. Nationwide, 30-year con-
ventional mortgage rates dipped from an average 6.43 percent in October 2024 to 6.25 percent in October 2025, per Freddie Mac’s weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS). When combined with the slight reduction in median price, the typical Houston monthly principal and interest payment for a singlefamily purchase assuming a 20 percent down payment declined from $1,681.27 to $1,626.87 – a $55.09 savings per month or $661 per year.
Single-family pending home sales in October were up a strong 13.1 percent year-over-year.
“These newly signed contracts typically become closings in the next 30 to 60 days indicating continued growth in the Houston housing market,” said Jones.
There were 38,316 active listings of single-family homes in October, a 25.7 percent increase from last year and about the same level as September. Supply also expanded to 5.2 months of inventory, while the national
average sits at 4.6 months, as reported by the National Association of Realtors. Homes averaged 59 days on the market compared to 52 last year.
Broken out by housing segments, single-family home sales performed as follows:
• $1M and above: increased 10.8 percent (329 transactions)
HAR also breaks out sales figures for existing singlefamily homes. In October, sales edged up by 1.2 percent year-over-year, with 5,103 closings compared to 5,044 a year ago. The average sales price increased 1.5 percent to $434,555, while
the median price stayed at $330,000.
Houston Real Estate Highlights in September
• Single-family home sales increased 3.2% year-overyear. Days on Market (DOM) for single-family homes went from 52 to 59 days.
• The single-family median price declined 1.5% to $330,000. The single-family average price was statistically flat at $423,955. Single-family home months of inventory expanded to a 5.2-months supply, up from 4.4 months last October. Townhome and condominium sales were down 9.3% with 438 units sold. The median price declined 11.9% to $205,000, and the average price was down 10.0% to $251,090. Total property sales increased 1.6% with 8,768 units sold.
• Total dollar volume rose 1.9% to $3.5 billion.
Buy Nothing Day Barter Fair scheduled for Nov. 28 at Live Oak Friends
Meeting
COMMUNITY REPORTS
Looking for an alternative to the consumer-based Black Friday? Have good stuff that no longer brings you joy that you would like to find new homes for? Then bring that stuff to Live Oak Friends Meeting, 1318 West 26th Street, Houston, TX 77008 between 1-4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 28, for their biannual Quaker Barter Fair.
The Barter Fair offers the community an opportunity to share in the practice of the Quaker testimonies of simplicity, stewardship and earth care. It creates a space to practice thinking together in a
THANKSGIVING, from P. 1
Music, turkey-themed games, bilingual storytime, and DIY turkey costumes.
Tuesday, Nov. 25 – Turkey
Pardon: Meet a live turkey, Zumbini music & movement for toddlers, turkey costume parade, and crafts.
Wednesday, Nov. 26 – Pumpkin’ Chunkin’: Pumpkin relays, mini pumpkin pies, pumpkin scratch art, and catapult fun.
Friday–Sunday: Santa meetand-greet, seasonal shows, Wicked-themed events, singalongs, and community donation projects.
The festival combines crafts, interactive games, music, parades, and hands-on activities, offering fun for children and families leading up to Thanksgiving.
INFO: Children’s Museum Houston Thanksgiving Bouquet Workshop
WHEN: Tuesday, Nov. 25 from 7-9 p.m.
WHERE: Coco’s Donuts & Coffee Bar, 2026 W 34th St., Houston
DETAILS: This cozy, hands-on class will be led by Ruby Torres, where you’ll learn floral design techniques to create your own custom Thanksgiving bouquet — perfect to bring to your dinner table or gift to someone special. You’ll also pick up tips on how to make your arrangements last longer and look beautiful for any occasion.
The ticket includes a personal charcuterie board and glass of wine. Spaces are limited. Free parking.
new way about how we place value on objects and services within our community. In addition to bartering things on the day of the event, bartering services can offer a way to make new friends and learn new things over time. It is also a fair, with family friendly activities, games, story telling, live music, and more. There is also a plant and seed exchange. To get involved, just come. Bring a table, shelf, rug or blanket to display your goods or a sign that describes your service(s). Bring some food to share, if you wish. Children are welcome and are often the best models of how this can work. They have the ability to add value to an
Enid Street, Houston
DETAILS: Get ready for a night of big laughs and even bigger slices-- it’s stand-up comedy served with free punch and pie. The comics will keep you laughing long after the plates are empty.
TICKETS: eventbrite.com
76th Annual H-E-B
Thanksgiving Day Parade
WHEN: Thursday, Nov. 27, at 9 a.m.
WHERE: Downtown Houston
DETAILS: One of the nation’s oldest Thanksgiving parades, it brings hundreds of thousands of Houstonians together each year. This year’s edition promises even grander floats, vibrant performances, and high-energy entertainment for all ages. It’s a festive kickoff to the holiday season— and a celebration you won’t want to miss. There will be four grand marshals this year: Houston Dynamo FC’s mascot Diesel, the Houston Rockets’ Clutch, the Houston Texans’ Toro and the Houston Astros’ Orbit
The parade begins at Smith and Lamar streets, goes north on Smith to Walker, east on Walker to Milam, south on Milam to Pease, west on Pease to Louisiana, north on Louisiana to Clay, west on Clay to Smith, and north on Smith to Dallas.
TICKETS: https://tinyurl. com/HEBparade
10th Annual F R E E Turkey Trot 5K and 10K
WHEN: Thursday, Nov. 27, 8 a.m.
WHERE: Memorial Park Eastern Glades, 6501 Memorial Dr, Houston
DETAILS: Burn some calories before the feast! Join the Houston Striders’ Turkey Trot this Thanksgiving for a fun run, free handmade Turkey Day costumes for early participants, and post-race refreshments. The event is free, RSVP is requested.
item by describing potential uses, and the creativity to negotiate 3-way trades.
There will be a designated area for “free” items that you are willing to give to whoever wants them. Visitors may then use such items to barter and trade with if they wish. At the end of the day, whatever is left on the free table will be donated to a local charity
No money will be exchanged for services or goods. The purpose of this event is to challenge us to care for the earth by practicing community sharing rather than focusing on individual acquisitions.
For more information, visit friendshouston.org/events/barterfair.
MARATHONER, from P. 1
more or less as a sighted person.” Amaral said. After the 2015 move to Houston, however, Amaral lost all vision in one eye due to a detached retina. With one “good” eye, Amaral could keep working and driving until the next downturn in his vision loss journey. Amaral started to notice his vision fading slowly in his right eye. His visual field began to diminish, closing in on his central field. In 2019 he finally made the decision to sell his car, and in 2021 his visual field became so small that Amaral recognized that he needed some help. With a solid support system around him, his employer granted Amaral a 6-month leave of absence to do rehabilitation work with the Texas Workforce Commission. Amaral jumped into learning about assistive technology for computers and smart phones, and learned braille as well as mobility training with a white cane. A Windows user on the PC, Amaral found an open source screen reader for the visually impaired called NVDA, available as a free download for Windows users. Amaral is a software consultant working mostly with OI, Operations Intelligence, working with a lot of data in addition to doing some programming utilizing C ++ and Python languages. Amaral says integrating back into his career life was challenging. Taking one day at a time, his employer has been accommodating and supportive in helping him adapt successfully back into the workplace.
Of his transition Amaral
says, “Technology is just a portion of the rehabilitation process. I basically had to relearn how to think, how to associate concepts and understand abstract ideas in my mind.”
Amaral notes that both his job and running a marathon are challenging on their own, but he has to tackle both blind. He adds that the mental discipline needed to return to work mirrors the endurance required to keep moving mile after mile.
Catapulting from 5K to marathon
Amaral always had a desire to be active outdoors and with sports. In Brazil he loved soccer but found participating with a team to be challenging with his visual impairment. It wasn’t until he was in Houston on a skydiving adventure in 2023 with a group of blind thrill seekers that he met blind athlete, Alma Balleza, who told him about Team Catapult. Team Catapult was started in 2015 by Jarrett Huber and other like-minded Houston area triathletes and runners.
Team Catapult’s mission is to assist individuals with physical limitations with funding, training, education and access to the endurance sports community.
Team Catapult COO Brandin LeBlanc has been with the non-profit since 2019 and handles coordinating the weekly programming that occurs all over the city. This includes planning and organizing races for participating adaptive athletes, in addition to hosting training camps called Welcome To Running, where adaptive athletes of all varieties can learn from qualified para olympic coaches.
On Tuesdays, Team Catapult hosts a workout in The Woodlands for mostly amputees in push rim wheelchairs, while on Wednesdays and Saturdays they host mostly visually impaired runners. in Memorial Park. Veteran Catapult athlete and Garden Oaks resident Alma Balleza has been with Team Catapult from the beginning. Balleza remembers that Team Catapult found her when they dropped by the Houston Lighthouse, promoting the group.
“I thought it was just a social walking group and I thought it would be great to get out for some easy exercise, then the next thing I knew I was running 5K and 10K races, then eventually graduated up to a full marathon,” Balleza recalls. Now nearing retirement, Balleza credits the volunteers and organizers who’ve stood by her over the last 10 years, saying she doubts she’d be in the strong condition she is today without their support. Seattle, Boston, Rio, New York Amaral began with Team Catapult in 2023, just two weeks after he met Balleza on the skydiving trip. At first, he started with the 5k and 10k races, eventually building up to a half marathon. After his first half marathon, one of the Team Catapult guides approached him regarding his interest in running a full marathon. Amaral remembers responding with a cautious yes, but maybe in a year’s time. This was in April of 2024 and the guide explained that if he could do a full marathon before September of that year, then he could qualify for the Boston marathon. The
idea of running a marathon in the southern United States during the summer months seemed a bit daunting, so they did some research and found one in Seattle, Washington. In July of 2024, Amaral, in his first marathon, finished with a time good enough to qualify for the Boston marathon the following year. With his first marathon behind him, Amaral didn’t slow down. In 2025 alone, he completed three more— starting with the iconic Boston Marathon in April, followed by a return to his home country to run in Rio, and most recently, the New York City Marathon this month. At each event, Team Catapult guides ran alongside him, serving as his eyes throughout the course. Reflecting on the support from the Team Catapult guides, Amaral says, “Our disadvantage of being blind is also our advantage because of our sighted guides. They are all experienced runners and help us through the mental challenges that come with these kinds of endurance sports.” The enormity of losing one’s sight is hard for a sighted person to fully grasp, and the daily challenges can weigh heavily even on those with the strongest mental resilience. That’s why organizations like Team Catapult — and the volunteers who power them — play such an important role, helping transform disabilities into capabilities.
If you are interested in guiding an adaptive athlete reach out to Team Catapult via their website at www. teamcatapult.org or email hello@teamcatapult.org.
Submitted photo
The Buy Nothing Day Barter Fair is scheduled for Nov. 28 at Live Oak Friends Meeting.
The Associated Press:
“Border Czar Tom Homan is accused of taking $50,000 in cash in a paper bag in September 2024 from under cover FBI agents to secure government contracts if and when Homan landed a job in the Trump administration, an accusation he denies.”
White House Press Release: “Tom Homan is an innocent man falsely ac cused by those wokes in the Democratic Party who will go to any scurrilous links to harm the sterling reputation of a public servant. He never took the money and that recording of the alleged bribe was done by AI. Also, Homan never heard of Jeffery Epstein or anyone named Jeffrey, much less an Epstein.”
THE TOPICS. Here comes the bribe
Lynn Ashby Columnist
That’s all I know since I only worked on the same floor as a team member of the sting. I was fired and now face 20 years in prison. I hope it’s in the same facility as Ghislaine Maxwell’s. I hear the room service and spa are first rate.”
MSNBC or MS News or whatever we are calling ourselves these days:
“Border Czar Tom Homan was caught red-handed in a recording by the FBI receiving $50,000 in cash in yet another example of the corrupt Trump administration. This is in keeping with that Great Gatsby Ball at Mar-a-Lago with its Champagne and caviar feasts while millions of Americans were waiting hopelessly in the snow for their SNAP cards.”
Interview with former FBI agent: “We were pos-
COMMUNITY REPORTS
AgriLife Extension horticulturist explains what sets fruits and vegetables apart
Every fall, pumpkins steal the spotlight with multiple purposes: as decorations, for soups and in pies. But here’s a fun fact backed by science: this seasonal favorite is actually a fruit.
Joe Masabni, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service vegetable specialist and professor in the Texas A&M Department of Horticultural Sciences, said pumpkins are scientifically classified as fruits because of how they grow. Anything that starts from a flower is classi-
Press Release from former President Joe Biden: “It is, uh, probably a pay-play, no, play-for-clay. Did I sign that?”
Statement from Washington law firm: Delay, Divert & Distract -- “Our client is totally innocent of this fake news. That paper bag was from McDonald’s and was supposed to be Homan’s lunch. Somebody – probably Chuck Schumer -- must have changed the bag just to entrap this poor, put-upon patriot.
We plan to sue the FBI, CBS, ABC, the BBC and probably the YMCA for $20 million. The settlement will not go to our beloved president, generous philanthropist that he is, but rather to the Trump Family Charity -- maybe. Just don’t freeze us out of anymore federal courthouses.”
Fox News: “Tom Homan has been unjustly accused of taking $50,000 in cash to procure favorable contracts. The alleged recordings are clearly doctored, but not the unquestioned tape showing Hillary Clinton leading the charge against our diplomats in Benghazi.”
Public Broadcasting Service: “This ‘non-bribery’ defense by the White House is so far-fetched that it insults the keen and sophisticated intelligence of our leftist viewers. And now we can say what we want to since you have taken away our federal funds. Oh, sure, we used to have to play it safe and give both sides to any story, but not anymore. We bet you didn’t think of that, did you, Don Boy? Outsmarted yourself. Tomorrow’s Prime Tome Special: ‘Thank Heaven for Little Girls – the EpsteinTrump Story.’”
The University of Texas System: “Oh, Glorious Leader, we gave Homan
fied botanically as a fruit.
Why do people mistake pumpkins for vegetables?
People typically consider something as either a fruit or a vegetable based on how they eat it rather than how it grows.
“We see them as to wheth-
er we eat them as a dessert, salad or as part of a meal,” Masabni said.
For example, consider cucumbers or tomatoes. People typically don’t eat them as desserts, he said. They often eat cucumbers and tomatoes in salads or cooked meals, so they may think of them as vegetables,
that 50K. It was his NIL pay. We’ve cancelled all our minority courses, banned those professors and burned their books (or is it the other way around?). We’ve even changed our name to Trump University since, we understand, it’s no longer used. Just don’t take away our federal grants. Our patriotic steps are unlike those traitors at Texas A&M.”
White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt: “I acknowledge that the meeting took place, but deny allegations of wrongdoing. Homan never took the $50,000 you’re referring to. Those are alternative facts.” Statement from Gov. Greg Abbott: “I am proud to announce the presence of Ghislaine Maxwell in Texas. I invited her to stay at the Governor’s Mansion, but she said she preferred her current suite, which has better Netflix and a Jacuzzi. She did inquire if I had any young, female interns.”
The Associated Press: “When Trump assumed the presidency in 2025, Justice Department officials, including Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, closed the Homan case, citing insufficient evidence and, displeased with the case, called it an effort of the ‘deep state.’ Bove said that
even though they’re fruits.
“The pumpkin is a tricky one, though,” he said, “because some people make soups or stews from pumpkins, which is a meal, while others make pies, which is a dessert. So that can lead to confusion.”
What’s the difference between a fruit and a vegetable?
The difference between a fruit and a vegetable lies in whether the produce starts as a flower.
“All plants start from a seed,” Masabni said. “Let’s take the example of lettuce as a vegetable. It makes more and more leaves, and then you harvest them and eat those leaves. If you let it go even longer, it will eventually make
‘shadowy unelected officials controlled the government at the time of the probe.’”
Border Czar Tom Homan: “These allegations are fabricated to damage my name and reputation. I shall continue my duty to deport to Uganda criminals, drug lords along with women and children with brown skin or who talk funny. Hey, have you seen my maid and gardener?”
The Texas A&M System: “Our dearest friend and military hero. We didn’t need to cancel any liberal or non-white courses because we never had them. Also, we needed to stop paying all our professors because (1) there seem to be a few who voted Democrat, and (2) we’re still trying to pay off Jimbo Fisher. However, we have added a new course in our Business College: Homan’s Business Ethics 101. Also, our last woke president-for-a-day will light the Aggie Bonfire –from the top.”
The New York Times: “Thomas Douglas Homan (born Nov. 28, 1961) is accused of receiving $50,000 in cash in a paper bag (see: What $50,000 would purchase in 1961) from agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (history of the FBI, Section 7). Homan claims it was his lunch from McDonald’s. (Graph of
a flower stalk and make seeds that we harvest and store for next year’s crop.”
A pumpkin plant starts the same. However, its flowers eventually turn into the fruit we eat – in this case, the pumpkin itself.
“A pumpkin starts as a small plant with a few leaves, and as the leaves grow and more branches develop, flowers will start to bloom on the plant,” he said. “Those flowers then need to be pollinated by bees or other pollinators. Once a flower is pollinated, it develops into a fruit that we consume. So ultimately, fruit relies on pollination of the flower to become the thing we eat.”
What other ‘vegetables’ are actually fruits?
McDonald’s use of bags, pages 24-67.)
Press release from The Texas State Board of Education: “In our effort to cleanse our public schools – all 20 of them since their funds now go to Charter Schools – we have ordered mandatory recitation of the 10 Commandments from a Christian point of view along with math questions such as: How many government contracts will $50,000 buy?” Press statement from Barbed Wire & Billy Clubs, Inc.: “We are pleased to announce our contract for $1.2 billion from the Department of Homeland Security to do something, thanks to paper bags from McDonald’s.”
Ashby can be bribed at ashby2comcast.net
Editor’s note: This column and its contents do not necessarily reflect the views of The Leader News, its staff, or its publisher. The Leader News welcomes opinion articles on matters of interest to Greater Heights residents at editor@theleadernews. com. Publication is at the discretion of the editor.
Besides pumpkins, some other fruits that are typically confused with vegetables are:
• Cucumbers
• Tomatoes
• Eggplants
• Corn • Zucchini
• Okra • String beans
• Squash • Peppers
So, does it matter?
Maybe not at the dinner table, but it’s a fun fact to share at your next fall gathering. “The fruit and vegetable debate is a fun one that hangs on the technical, scientific view of these plants that we consume,” Masabni said. “At the end of the day, we want to inform people, but we also want them to enjoy these plants as gardeners and at the dinner table.”
Photo by Laura McKenzie, Michael Miller/Texas A&M AgriLife Pumpkins are
The holiday season is all about joy, friends, family, and creating a welcoming glow in and around our homes. But all that festive lighting can lead to a not-so-jolly surprise: higher energy bills.
The good news? You can enjoy beautiful holiday décor without overspending.
Here’s how much energy holiday lights really use and how to keep your electric bill in check.
Christmas light
wattage: LED vs. traditional
The type of bulbs you choose plays the most significant role in your holiday lighting costs.
Here’s how they compare: Incandescent Lights
Use 40 to 90 watts per 100bulb strand
• Less efficient, as much energy is lost as heat
Shorter lifespan and higher risk of fire especially indoors
LED Lights
Use just five to seven watts per 100 bulbs
• Up to 80% more efficient than incandescent
• Safer (stay cool to the touch), longer-lasting, and
available in a wide variety of colors and styles
Due to their higher efficiency, switching to LED lights is one of the fastest ways to dramatically cut your holiday energy usage.
Indoor vs. outdoor holiday lighting costs
The amount of energy your holiday lights use will also depend on how many trees, garlands, and yard ornaments you install, along with the number of light strings you hang.
Indoor Lighting
A typical 7.5-foot Christmas tree with 100 lights per foot comes to 750 bulbs. With incandescent lights, this could use 300–675 watts. In comparison, LEDs would only draw
GUEST COLUMN
around 40–55 watts, which is a massive difference.
Outdoor Lighting Outdoor displays often look larger, but can be more efficient
Most modern outdoor light sets are LED rather than filament bulbs
• If you invest in solar options, your energy usage could be free
• Solar lights work even in Texas winters as sunlight, not heat, powers them!
Holiday Figure Decor
• Larger items like lit-up reindeer or Santas often use 120 watts each
• Two festive figures could add 240+ watts to your overall load
Programming your lights to come on at dusk and switch off when your family turns in is an efficient way to avoid wasting energy on lights that nobody is there to see. Timers typically use no more electricity than a standard digital clock, so using one shouldn’t noticeably affect your electricity bill.
How to calculate your holiday lights’ power usage
You can use the follow-
ing formula to calculate your holiday-related power usage and the effect on your bill.
1. Add Up Your Wattage: Count your lights and decorations, and total their wattage.
2. Multiply by Daily Use: Estimate the number of hours per day any of your lights or decorations will be on (e.g., 6 hours).
3. Convert to kWh: Divide watts × hours by 1,000.
4. Find the Cost: Multiply kWh by your electric rate (check your bill, usually around $0.12–$0.20 per kWh).
Example: Holiday Lighting Energy Use and Cost
Two light-up reindeer =
400 watts total
• 7.5-foot Christmas tree (with 1,000 LED lights) = 100 watts
• Roofline string lights around a 3,000 sq. ft. house (~1,000 ft of LED lights) = 600 watts
Total wattage and costs:
400 + 100 + 600 = 1,100 watts total
If lights are on 6 hours per day at $0.15 = $.99/day
Houston Junior Forum's Legacy of Learning Continues: Scholarships reach next generation
STAFF REPORTS
Non-profit Houston Junior Forum (HJF) is celebrating a nearly 80-year legacy of commitment to local education. While the organization's historic Community House Preschool closed 16 years ago, its college scholarship program is thriving and expanding its reach to support students in new partner programs. Since its founding in 1946, the commitment to serving children and youth has been a core principle of HJF. This dedication was evident in 1951 with the establishment of the Community House Preschool on Canal Street. Over the decades, the preschool served more than 3,000 children before it closed in May 2009, as comprehensive early education resources became more widely available in the community.
$2 Million Invested in Education
A key part of the HJF legacy is the College Scholarship Program, which began in 1976. Initially established to support qualified high school seniors who had attended the Community House Preschool, the program has grown steadily over the years.
To date, the scholarship program has awarded over $2,000,000 in scholarships to more than 300 Community House Preschool graduates, including recipients who are now third-generation scholars. Currently, HJF supports 23 students who each receive $2,000 per semester for up to
eight semesters.
The scholarship program is primarily funded through the Houston Junior Forum Endowment Fund, profits from the HJF Resale Shop (a long-time community staple), the annual City Market fundraiser, and direct donations.
Expanding the Legacy In 2023, as the last class of Community House Preschool students graduated from high school, the Houston Junior Forum made a significant move to ensure its scholarship mission continues to serve local youth.
The program was officially extended to high school seniors participating in the Nehemiah Center and SpringSpirit programs, broadening the impact of HJF’s dedication to educational access. As the Houston Junior
Forum approaches its 80th anniversary milestone, the organization invites the community to learn more about its history and consider making a donation to support the continuing scholarship fund.
For additional information about the Community House Preschool or the Houston
Junior Forum College Scholarship Program, visit houstonjuniorforum.org/history. To make a donation, please visit houstonjuniorforum.org/donate.
HJF continues to operate the Houston Junior Forum Resale shop located in the Heights at 1815 Rutland St.
For 30 days: $0.99/day × 30 = $29.70/month
Cost-saving tips for holiday lighting
If you’re actively looking for ways to reduce your electric bill this winter season, this list of top tips will help: Use LED rather than incandescent light models. Choose energy-efficient Christmas lights with ENERGY STAR labels to optimize energy savings.
Decorate selectively, focusing on key areas like the front door, roof, and lawn to create focal points with fewer light strings.
• Use tinsel, metallic ornaments, and other reflective decor to maximize brightness with fewer lights.
Use solar-powered outdoor lighting where possible to reduce the use of grid power.
Calculate when to turn off the Christmas lights and set a timer to avoid wasted electricity.
• Switch off some of your indoor lights when your outdoor lights are on.
The holidays should be
a time of joy, not a time to dread your next utility bill. By switching to LED lights, using solar options, and programming your lights with timers, you can enjoy the sparkle of the season without sacrificing savings. Let your home shine while keeping your wallet merry!
Sam Luna is a third generation Houstonian with a deep-rooted connection to The Leader area. His grandparents lived in the Heights where they facilitated educational workshops for seniors at All Saints Catholic Church. He continues his family’s commitment to serving the greater good as Director of Product Marketing for BKV Energy - a Texas retail energy provider that strives to educate consumers by operating transparently and without gimmicks. Learn more about Sam Luna at bkvenergy.com/ team/samuel-luna.
Editor’s note: This column and its contents do not necessarily reflect the views of The Leader News, its staff, or its publisher. The Leader News welcomes opinion articles on matters of interest to Greater Heights residents at editor@ theleadernews.com. Publication is at the discretion of the editor.
STAFF REPORTS
The Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern is set to glow this holiday season with Cistern Illuminated, a new multi-sensory art experience by artist and engineer Kelly O’Brien that transforms the historic underground reservoir into a dazzling interplay of color, light, and sound.
Opening Nov. 28, 2025, and running through Jan. 18, 2026, the installation invites visitors on a luminous journey beneath the city. More than 200 towering concrete columns will be bathed in vivid, shifting hues, accompanied by an ethereal soundscape that highlights the Cistern’s natural acoustics and reflective surfaces.
O’Brien’s creation reimagines the decommissioned drinking water reservoir as a meditative environment that balances art, engineering, and architecture. Tours will be offered Wednesday through Sunday, with hourly sessions
at 10 and 11 a.m. and 1, 2, 3, and 5 p.m.
On select evenings, the experience expands through live performances of Ring in the Peace, a cross-cultural music composition presented by Ars Lyrica. Curated by mezzo-soprano Cecilia Duarte and percussionist Jesús Pacheco, the program draws from centuries of global musical traditions to evoke themes of reflection, harmony, and connection. Originally constructed in 1926, the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern was rediscovered in 2010 and repurposed by Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) into one of Houston’s most distinctive public art spaces. Previous installations have featured renowned artists such as Magdalena Fernández, Carlos Cruz-Diez, Anri Sala, and Rachel Rossin. Tickets and additional information about Cistern Illuminated and BBP’s ongoing programming can be found at buffalobayou.org.
Scholarship recipient Valeria Aguilar (center) is pictured with HJF representatives Lu Chambers (left) and Donna Marshall (right).
Photos courtesy of Houston Junior Forum
Left to Right: HJF Scholarship recipients Leilany Garza, Marco Vargas, Emanuel Chavez, Joselyn Fuentes Muños, and Madison Lacey.
Photo by Goeff Lyon
historic Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern
Holiday feasts, buffets, and festive sips
STAFF REPORTS
Please submit entries to editor@theleadernews.com
From smoked turkeys and wild game in log cabins to Nigerian street snacks and spirit-forward show cocktails, Houston restaurants are making it very easy to eat well (and skip the dishes) this season.
Here’s where to pick up chefmade Thanksgiving spreads, book a holiday buffet, or sneak in a celebratory cocktail between shopping stops.
Last Chance to Order Takeaway:
Let Houston Chefs
Do the Cooking Camaraderie (608 W. 11th St.; camaraderiehtx. com/thanksgiving)
Parker House Rolls, Roubouchon-style mashed potatoes, gravy, and Honey Chess Pie—order by Nov. 22 for pick-up.
Smoked turkey, brisket, sausage, and sides packed and ready to reheat for a crowd.
Local Foods, Milton’s & Maximo (Pick-up at Local Foods Rice Village; localfoodstexas.com/thanks25)
Farm-fresh sides, Italian comfort dishes, and tamales available by pre-order for Nov. 26 pick-up.
STAFF REPORTS
Please email entries to editor@theleadernews.com.
Caracol (2200 Post Oak Blvd. #160; 713-622-9996; caracol.net)
Chef Hugo Ortega brings coastal Mexican flair to Thanksgiving with festive classics and sides to-go. Order by Sunday, Nov. 23 for pick-up on Wednesday, Nov. 26 (10 a.m.–8 p.m.). Closed Thanksgiving Day.
Etoile Cuisine et Bar (1101-11 Uptown Park Blvd.; 832-668-5808; etoilecuisine.com)
Open Thanksgiving Day, 11 a.m.–9 p.m., with a refined three-course holiday menu ($78 adults / $28 children) plus holiday dishes to-go. Call for reservations. Hugo’s (1602 Westheimer @ Mandell; 713-524-7744; hugosrestaurant.net)
Order regional Mexican spins on Thanksgiving staples for pick-up Wednesday, Nov. 26 (10 a.m.–8 p.m.). Orders due by Sunday, Nov. 23. Closed Thanksgiving Day.
Kenny & Ziggy’s (1743 Post Oak Blvd.; 713-8718883; kennyandziggys. com)
Full Puritan-style or East European-influenced Thanksgiving packages, plus à la carte sides and sweets. Order by 2 p.m. Nov. 20 for Nov. 26 pick-up (8 a.m.–2 p.m.). Closed Thanksgiving Day.
Rainbow Lodge (2011 Ella Blvd.; 713-861-8666; rainbow-lodge.com)
Three-course Thanksgiving menu in a historic log cabin ($85 adults / $45 kids) from 11 a.m.–7:30 p.m., with turkey, seafood, wild game, and classic desserts. To-go turkeys, roasts, sides, and pies available with three days’ notice for pick-up Nov. 25–27.
NOVEMBER 14, 2025 – FEBRUARY 22, 2026
RADIANT NATURE AT HOUSTON BOTANIC
GARDEN
WHAT: Immersive lantern festival returns with all-new illuminated tunnels, giant Zodiac animals (celebrating the Year of the Fire Horse), glowing Texas bluebonnets, interactive mirror room, “rain cloud,” angel wings photo op, and more. Food, beverages, and holiday marketplace on site.
WHERE: Houston Botanic Garden
WHEN: Opens Friday, Nov. 14; 6 p.m. evenings on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and select weeknights through Feb. 22, 2026
COST: Tickets from $28.50; $2 off Thursday & Sunday nights INFO: hbg.org (Houston Botanic Garden); advance parking reservations recommended
NOVEMBER 15, 2025 – JANUARY 4, 2026
GALAXY LIGHTS AT SPACE CENTER HOUSTON, PRESENTED BY WELLBY FINANCIAL
WHAT: Houston’s brightest space-themed holiday light show returns for its seventh year, blending festive fun with space exploration. Highlights include Apollo-themed lanterns, a 200-foot LED tunnel, 40-foot shooting star light display, LED swing sets under the 747 aircraft, and screenings of Holidays in Space
WHERE: Space Center Houston, 1601 NASA Pkwy., Houston, TX 77058
(90,000+ sq. ft.) themed around Santa and Mrs. Claus’ mountain hideaway. Features millions of lights, falling snow, a giant ice slide, ice skating, Santa gondola photos, Mrs. Claus story time, karaoke, après ski dance party, festive treats, and more.
WHERE: Katy Mills, 5000 Katy Mills Cir., Katy
WHEN: Nightly programming Nov. 21–Dec. 28
COST: Ticketed; group packages for 26+ available INFO: ClassicChristmas.com
NOVEMBER 22, 2025
RIVER OAKS DISTRICT HOLIDAY TREE
LIGHTING CELEBRATION
WHAT: Annual holiday kickoff with live music, Santa’s grand arrival, free cocoa, ornamentmaking, face painting, and a 30-foot tree lighting countdown.
WHERE: The Park at River Oaks District, 4444 Westheimer Rd., Houston, TX 77027
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 22, 4–7 p.m.
Roma (2347 University Blvd. @ Morningside; romahouston.com)
Three-course Italianinspired Thanksgiving menu ($55 adults / $25 children) with butternut squash soup, hand-carved turkey, and pecan or pumpkin pie. Optional $35 wine pairing. Reservations encouraged.
The Sunrise House (1830 W. Alabama St.; 832-3073797; thesunrisehouse. com)
Open Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday (8 a.m.–3 p.m.) with cozy brunch dishes like The Fall Board, Stuffed Pumpkin, and a seasonal espresso martini flight. Walkins welcome; reservations suggested.
Southern Standard Hospitality (14775 Memorial Dr.; southernstandardhtx.com)
Energy Corridor caterer offering a polished holiday spread—roasted turkey, French onion stuffing, mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, cheesy potato hash and more—ready for pickup so you can focus on hosting, not cooking.
Skip the turkey and gather over dim sum instead. Open Thanksgiving Day (10 a.m.–5 p.m.) with dumplings, Chinese seafood, and family-style plates.
Fielding’s River Oaks (3750 Westheimer Rd.; via OpenTable)
Open Thanksgiving Day (11 a.m.–8 p.m.) with elevated holiday entrées like Green Circle Turkey Breast with all the fixings and Crisp Peking Duck Breast, plus seasonal desserts.
COST: Free INFO: riveroaksdistrict.com
NOVEMBER 22, 2025
CULTURAL CONNECTIONS : NATIVE AMERICAN
HERITAGE MONTH CELEBRATION
WHAT: Celebrate Native American heritage through music, dance, and art. Performances by Danza Azteca Macuilxochitl and hoop dancer Lyndon Alec. Includes crafts, balloon twisting, and face painting.
WHERE: Oak Forest Neighborhood Library, 1349 W. 43rd St., Houston, TX 77018
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 22, 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
COST: Free INFO: houstonlibrary.org
NOVEMBER 23, 2025
KARBACH BREWING CO. FRIENDSGIVING
MARKET
WHAT: Karbach’s annual Friendsgiving Market featuring local vendors, a Pumpkin Pie Eating Contest, and tastings of the limited F.U.N. Series Pumpkin in Lager seasonal release. WHERE: Karbach Brewing Co., 2032 Karbach St., Houston, TX 77092
WHEN: Sunday, Nov. 23, 12–5 p.m.
COST: Free admission INFO: karbachbrewing.com
NOVEMBER 28, 2025
NEIMAN MARCUS × HOUSTON SPCA : 37TH
ANNUAL HOMES FOR THE HOLIDAYS
WHAT: Beloved pet adoption tradition featuring adoptable puppies and kittens in Neiman Marcus’ holiday storefront windows. Small dogs roam for meet-and-greets. Runs weekends Nov. 28–Dec. 12 and daily Dec. 13–21.
WHERE: Neiman Marcus (1st floor), The Galleria, 2600 Post Oak Blvd., Houston, TX 77056
COST: Free to attend; standard SPCA adoption fees apply INFO: houstonspca.org
NOVEMBER 28, 2025
BUY NOTHING DAY BARTER FAIR
WHAT: A community alternative to Black Friday—bring items or services to barter, enjoy live music, storytelling, children’s activities, a plant/seed exchange, and a designated “free” table. No money exchanged.
WHERE: Live Oak Friends Meeting, 1318 W. 26th St., Houston, TX 77008
NEAR NORTHWEST MANAGEMENT DISTRICT BUSINESS NETWORK CELEBRATION & INNOVATION AWARDS
WHAT: Annual gathering highlighting 2025 accomplishments, Innovation Awards, and 2026 plans. Includes networking, toy drive donation opportunity, and photos with Santa.
WHERE: White Oak Conference Center, 7603
Juliet Steakhouse & Fine Dining (5857 Westheimer Rd.; juliethtx.com)
Thanksgiving Buffet from noon–9 p.m. ($59.95 adults / $29.95 kids) with Turkey, Salmon, Filet Mignon carving station, classic sides, lobster bisque, salads, and Southernstyle desserts.
All-day downtown Thanksgiving menu (10 a.m.–2 a.m., $85 per person) featuring Jerk Turkey Caesar Salad, Roasted Corn & Lobster Bisque, Cajun Butter Roasted Chicken, Oxtail & Lobster Surf & Turf, and decadent holiday desserts.
The Savoy (4402 Emancipation Ave.; thesavoyhtx.com)
Third Ward favorite offering holiday catering platters like the Savoy Platter (sliders, empanadas, shrimp, wings, fries) and Large Savoy Platter with lamb empanadas and butterfly shrimp—ideal for game day or family gatherings.
Golden Corral – Holiday Buffet & Meals To Go (13145 Northwest Fwy; goldencorral.com)
Open Thanksgiving Day, 11 a.m.–4 p.m., with a Holiday Buffet featuring carved turkey, ham, pork roast, Peel & Eat Shrimp, classic sides, and pies. Holiday Meals To Go (serves 6–8) include a choice of roast and full spread of sides plus a whole pie; order 72 hours in advance. Gift card promo: buy $50 in gift cards through Jan. 4 and receive a $10 Bonus Card (redeemable Jan. 5–Feb. 12).
2025 HOLIDAY HOME TOUR – “WALKING IN A WINTER WONDERLAND”
WHAT: Step inside beautifully decorated Heights homes, glowing with lights, wreaths, and festive touches. Benefits Houston Heights Association programs. WHERE: Various homes in The Heights (addresses provided with ticket)
WHEN: Friday, Dec. 5 & Saturday, Dec. 6
COST: $40
INFO: Tickets at tinyurl.com/ HHAHolidayHomeTour
DECEMBER 5–6, 2025
UH EMERGING CHOREOGRAPHERS SHOWCASE
WHAT: New works by rising choreographers exploring themes of identity, resilience, culture, and artistry across contemporary, ballet, Latin fusion, heels, and experimental forms. WHERE: Lyndall Finley Wortham Theatre, 3351 Cullen Blvd., Houston, TX 77204
WHEN: Dec. 5 at 12 p.m.; Dec. 5–6 at 7:30 p.m.
COST: $20 GA; $15 seniors/faculty/staff/alumni; $10 students
INFO: kgmcaboxoffice.universitytickets.com
DECEMBER 6, 2025
21ST ANNUAL HEIGHTS HOLIDAY MARKET
WHAT: Artist-led market featuring handmade goods: jewelry, apparel, home décor, fine art, ceramics, bath/body products and more.
WHAT: Festive market with local vendors, adoptable rabbits, photos with Santa, a “Hare Salon,” Bunny Boutique, and community fun. WHERE: 2025 W. 11th St., Houston, TX 77008
Azumi (4444 Westheimer Rd., Suite G-130; 830-8300220; azumirestaurant. com/houston)
Closed Thanksgiving, Azumi returns for Black Friday shopping (11:30 a.m.–11 p.m.) with a one-day gift card promo: buy a $100 physical gift card in-store and get an extra $50 reward card. Good God, Nadine’s (33 Waugh Dr.; 713-864-8084; goodgodnadines.com)
Open Black Friday from 4 p.m.–midnight with $10 Espresso Martinis all night for post-shopping recovery.
Kazzan Ramen & Bar (191 Heights Blvd.; 832925-7919; kazzanramenhtx.com)
All-Day Happy Hour on Black Friday with $4 edamame, $6 Chashu Don, $8 wines by the glass and cocktails. Closed Thanksgiving; open 11 a.m.–11 p.m. Friday.
Cyber Monday & December Food Deals
J. Alexander’s (1180 Uptown Park Blvd, Houston, TX 77056; jalexanders.com)
Buy $100 in gift cards through Dec. 2 and receive a $20 Bonus Card, redeemable Jan. 1–Mar. 31, 2026 (excluding Valentine’s weekend).
Through Dec. 31, get a free $10 Bonus Card with every $50 in gift cards; online “Double Bonus” days Dec. 1–5 and 15–19 add a second $10 eBonus. Bonus Cards redeemable through Feb. 11, 2026. Golden Corral – Gift Card Bonus (goldencorral.com)
In addition to its holiday buffet, Golden Corral offers a free $10 Bonus Card with every $50 in gift cards purchased in-restaurant or online through Jan. 4, 2026 (bonus redeemable Jan. 5–Feb. 12). Teriyaki Madness –Cyber Deals (13410 Briar Forest Dr Ste 192, Houston, TX 77077; teriyakimadness.com)
Mad Rewards members get 20% off orders of $20+ Nov. 28–Dec. 1, plus triple points on Cyber Monday (Dec. 1). Max discount $8; see local shop for details.
Jason’s Deli – Holiday Gift Card Bonus (11120 Northwest Fwy, Houston, TX 77092; jasonsdeli.com) Now through Dec. 28, get
a $5 reward (Deli Dollars or promo card) with every $50 in gift cards purchased, plus a chance at a limited-edition Coca-Cola Polar Bear plush while supplies last.
Jason’s Deli – National Cookie Day & Comfort Food Month
All December, try the new Cranberry Walnut Cookie and Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake, or warm up with Vegetable Soup, Beef Stew, and the Harvest Turkey Sandwich. Nothing Bundt Cakes –Bundtember & Seasonal Flavors (3201 N Shepherd Dr Suite 105, Houston, TX 77018; nothingbundtcakes. com)
All month, the Bundtember guide highlights creative ways to turn Bundt cakes into holiday centerpieces and gifts. Don’t miss the Coconut Cream Snowflake Bundtlet, available Dec. 1–14 only. Teriyaki Madness –National Chicken Teriyaki Day (Dec. 11) Mad Rewards members who join by Dec. 10 get a BOGO offer: buy any regular or large bowl and get a free junior or regular Chicken Teriyaki Bowl on Dec. 11, plus a chance to win free bowls for a year. Free delivery on app/ online orders Dec. 11–17.
Seasonal Sips & Global Flavors
Ebenezer Booze at Drunk Christmas Carol (The Emerald Theatre; 412 Travis St, Houston, TX 77002; produced by Drunk Shakespeare Society) Headed to Drunk Christmas Carol? Pair the show with the Ebenezer Booze, a limitedtime cocktail created by Guard and Grace beverage manager Emily Tucker. The spirit-forward sip mixes Basil Hayden, Lillet Blanc, and Aperol with an orange garnish and cranberries—served exclusively at The Emerald Theatre Nov. 19–Jan. 4.
FRNDS Restaurant & Lounge – “FRNDS from Lagos” Menu (2441 University Blvd.; frndshtx. com) Rice Village hotspot FRNDS launches its “FRNDS from Lagos” seasonal menu, celebrating Nigerian flavors with Beef and Chicken Suya, Pounded Yam with Egusi or Okra Soup, Jollof Rice with Suya, and snackable Meat Pies, Sausage Rolls, and Scotch Eggs. Available during regular dinner service, Thursday–Sunday, 5–10 p.m., in a chic lounge setting with cocktails and global shareables.
Antoine
Art Valet: ArtCrawl Houston enters a new era
Houston’s grassroots art tradition charges into its next chapter this Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, as the 33rd annual ArtCrawl Houston opens its doors from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. across the Historic Warehouse District.
For the first time in its 33year history, the free event will run without its founding organizers Charlie Jean Sartwelle and John Runnels at Mother Dog Studios. Instead, a new coalition of district artists, galleries and organizations, led by Carla Bisong of Bisong Art Gallery, is steering the celebration. Thousands of visitors will still flood the warehouses to explore open studios, new exhibitions, live performances, local food vendors and family-friendly activations while discovering work by established and emerging Houston talent.
On a recent visit with Carla Bisong at her gallery, we talked about some of the additions (not so much changes) she has in mind for the annual event, always the weekend before Thanksgiving, by the way.
When Carla Bisong opened Bisong Art Gallery at 1305 Sterrett St. in 2013, she was still working full time in finance and ran the gallery part-time. More than a decade later, now a full-time gallerist, curator, event organizer and mother, she’s perfectly prepared to lead the 33rd annual ArtCrawl Houston into its next chapter.
Bisong Art Gallery is a 1,200-square-foot space that appears larger thanks to 14foot ceilings, exposed brick walls, original hardwood floors and big industrial windows that flood the room with natural light.
A deep and wide streetside open-air patio leading to the massive industrialdoored entrance of Bisong Art Gallery is where Lauren Luna will set up and show her latest paintings. Luna, known for her striking mixed-media Houston cityscapes that layer architectural blueprints, maps and vintage postcards,
Mitch cohen Art Columnist artvalet@gmail.com
has participated in ArtCrawl before and, as regular Art Valet readers know, is a First Saturday Arts Market staple. Luna also co-founded The D.R.E.A.M. Affect Foundation with Carla Bisong. The nonprofit raises awareness and scholarships for art students with limited resources, with a portion of Luna’s ArtCrawl sales earmarked for the cause.
ArtCrawl Houston was founded to bring awareness to the artists who occupy spaces in the warehouse district of downtown Houston. As I’ve written many times before, that area used to be a ghost town on nights and weekends and sketchy even in daylight. Fear not. Your only fear at this year’s event will be finding time to see all the spaces in one day.
Highlights include:
• Bisong Art Gallery, 1305 Sterrett St., led by Carla Bisong, who is spearheading this year’s event. Featuring art jewelry by McLaurin WIRED Jewelry and a pop-up exhibition and sale by Lauren Luna directly in front of the gallery.
• Hardy & Nance Studios, 902 Hardy St., home to more than 50 artists and presenting the group exhibition “There’s Always Life Here” in the main gallery.
• Insomnia Gallery, also at 902 Hardy St., marking a decade of spotlighting emerging talent through group shows and vendor events.
Mother Dog Studios, 720 Walnut St., the district’s oldest surviving artist warehouse, hosting its annual open-house group exhibition curated by John Runnels.
• The Way Up, 1320 Nance
St., turning the day into a live album recording with visual art by Psion Collective, a virtual museum experience by Gloze Museum and intimate performances by singer-songwriters from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Saint Arnold Brewing Co., 2000 Lyons Ave., joining the crawl 3-8 p.m. with Texas’ oldest craft beer flowing alongside the art.
Sterrett St.) Claire Richards (902 Hardy St.)
• DeerSlug Studio (2020 Commerce St. Studio A) Faded Decade (1310 Nance St. Suite G)
• Los Muertos Tattoo Studio (1310 Nance St. Unit B)
• Cake Life Co., 801 William St. No. 1151, where custom cakes become edible sculptures. Stop here if you need dessert that qualifies as fine art (and tastes even better than it looks).
• Sanman Studios (1109 Providence St.) Super Happy Fun Land (3801 Polk St.)
• Tout Suite (2001 Commerce St.)
• and Warehouse District Apartments (813 McKee St.) All venues are free and
open to the public 10 a.m.-8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Grab the official map and up-to-the-minute venue list at artcrawlhouston.com, throw on comfortable shoes and come hungry for art, street eats, Saint Arnold beer and maybe one of those jaw-dropping cakes from Cake Life Co. See you in the warehouses, Houston. This is our scene, and it’s alive and kicking into its next 33 years thanks to Carla Bisong and the artists who refused to let the torch go out.
Cohen is an artist and founder of the First Saturday Arts Market. Visit his website at ArtValet.com.
Revels Houston announces 2025 production of “The Christmas Revels”
COMMUNITY REPORTS
Revels Houston proudly announces its 32nd presentation of The Christmas Revels There will be five performances of this family-oriented, musical holiday treat, Dec. 19-21, 2025, at The Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston (The MATCH), 3400 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77002.
The Christmas Revels is a series of stage productions which re-create holiday customs from various cultures and time periods. In this year’s The Christmas Revels: A Scottish Celebration of the Winter Solstice , we are transported back to 18th century Scotland, to a rural hamlet in the country’s northwestern Highlands. There, we join the villagers as they begin their annual celebration of Hogmanay, the Scottish New Year.
Scottish law strictly forbade Christmas celebrations from 1640 until 1958, so instead of illegally observing the Yuletide holidays, the Scottish people celebrated the passing of the Old Year and the birth of the New Year.
This year’s The Christmas Revels production will present a Hogmanay ceilidh (a social gathering with music and dancing) as it might have taken place in a small village in the Scottish Highlands during the 1700s.
Audience members will experience traditional folk ballads, Highland dances (including the famous Argyll Broadswords Dance), and poems written by Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns.
Those who attend this year’s The Christmas Revels will also hear a folktale about a seal who didn’t forget, and witness a Guisers’ (Mummers’) Play, in which the legendary Scottish warrior-hero, Galoshens, battles the evil Black Knight.
The Christmas Revels audience members are encouraged to be active participants in the merry-making, and to sing along (and in one instance, dance) with the onstage cast. This year, The Revels adult and children’s choruses perform alongside one of Houston’s most talented and highly respected theater couples, Julia K. and Mark X. Laskowski. The mu-
sicians include a traditional Scottish band, directed by Al Cofrin and featuring Texasbased bagpiper, Richard Kean, as well as a professional brass quintet. Members of the Highland Dance program at Houston’s St. Thomas’ Episcopal School also join this year’s show. Sean Keith Thompson is the co-producer and stage director of Revels Houston’s 2025 production of The Christmas Revels , and Steve Kalke is the show’s music director.
