Calendar Closeup

Your weekly guide to Houston: Five (plus) don't-miss events — Discovery Green beer fest included

On tap this week is campy food affair, a stage adaptation of a popular literary work, a beer and music fest, a terrific classical music performance and the kickoff of a reading series that brings the creme de la creme of the written word to Houston.

Camp For All Young Professionals 2014 Fundraiser "Camp Culinary Challenge"

Go for the company or go for the food. Either way, you can't go wrong with this campy fundraiser that pits chef against chef in a mac 'n' cheese and s'mores battle that will have you singing "Kumbaya" across a bonfire — metaphorically speaking. Be sure to wear your eating pants — chairs Natalie Hewitt and Annie Sorrells would agree — as this camp-themed young professionals affair that benefits Camp For All always has lots of yummies. But pace yourself, no one looks attractive in a food coma.

The skinny: Thursday, 7 p.m.; The Parador; tickets start at $60.

Bayou City Theatrics presents Lord of the Flies

Raise your hand if you had to read, dissect and write a book report on William Golding's tale of survival in which civilization disintegrates into savagery. With this unusual stage play production, Bayou City Theatrics posits a different question: What if all the characters were women? Does our interpretation of the plot stay true to the novelist's intentions or do we glean something completely new?

The skinny: Thursday through Sept. 28; The Kaleidoscope; $30.

Untapped Fest Houston 2014

Update: Due to all the rain this week, organizers have postponed the festival until October 11. The Toadies, Robert Ellis and other acts will still perform on the rescheduled date. Follow the festival on Twitter for updates.

Beer. Lots of beer. A long ass list of beers, actually, including IPAs, stouts, ales, porters, ciders, lagers and gluten-free suds and on and on and on will take over Discovery Green for the second annual Untapped Fest. That means beer people — read that: happy people — will occupy this downtown destination to enjoy the fermented bev while listening to good tunes from Bad Books, Toadies, Bright Light Social Hour, Owen Pallett, Robert Ellis, The Suffers, Feather Face and BLSHS.

The skinny: Saturday, 2:30 p.m.; Discovery Green; tickets start at $30.

Apollo Chamber Players presents "Bohemian Inception, American Inspiration"

What's terrific about Apollo Chamber Players programs is that they are extremely well crafted. The artists include scores that are considered the bread and butter of the chamber music repertoire — such as Dvořák's String Quintet in E-flat Major, performed with guest violist, Shepherd School of Music professor James Dunham — alongside works that reveal what inspired these type of masterpieces in the first place. This concert also kicks off the group's 20x2020 commissioning venture with the premiere of a piece by Libby Larsen.

The skinny: Sunday, 6 p.m.; Shepherd School of Music; $30 general admission, $25 seniors and $10 students.

Inprint Margarett Root Brown Reading Series: David Mitchell

If you haven't attended an Inprint reading event, then, in the words of Sassy Gay Friend, you deserve a "what, what, what are you doing?" For less than the price of a hoity-toity cup of coffee, literary fans are offered the opportunity to hear from the luminaries of the written page such as David Mitchell, whose works have been shortlisted for the Man Booker Price and have won the British Book Award for Best Literary Fiction. His novel Cloud Atlas even inspired a namesake 2012 film.

Mitchell's appearance in Houston is in support of his new novel, The Bone Blocks. The author will read passages from his work, followed by an onstage interview, book sale and signing.

The skinny: Sunday, 7:30 p.m.; Wortham Theater Center; $5.

Staff writer and resident gourmand Eric Sandler's pick: Ready Houston Preparedness Kit Chef's Challenge

Eric says: "Some of Houston's top chefs will gather for the second annual Preparedness Kit Chef's Challenge. Sponsored by the City of Houston's Mayor’s Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security and the Houston Community Preparedness Collaborative, the event asks chefs to demonstrate the culinary potential of non-perishable food items prepared on a camp stove. I'll be there as one of the media judges tasked with picking a winner.

"What happens when Tony's chef Kate McLean can't use foie gras and freshly made pasta? How will Liberty Kitchen's Travis Lenig survive without fresh seafood? What will El Big Bad's Jonathan Joseph do with Spam? This is your chance to find out. The first 50 people to arrive will receive a free blanket for picnicking."

The skinny: Saturday, 11 a.m.; Market Square Park; free event.

This Apollo Chamber Players concert kicks off the group's 20x2020 commissioning venture with the premiere of a piece by Libby Larsen.

unspecified

on the bright side

'First-of-its kind' Houston park reveals 6 murals by local artists

Houston artist Ade Odunfa stands in front of his mural "Salt Marsh" at the Hill at Sims.

Photo by Scott Julian, courtesy of Houston Parks Board

"Birth From the Sea" by Ade Odunfa

One of Houston's most innovative green spaces, the Hill at Sims, is edging toward completion as artists put the finishing touches on a series of six beautiful murals. They should be ready when the park has its grand opening on Saturday, May 23.

The project is being led by Harris County Precinct One Commissioner Rodney Ellis and the Houston Parks Board. Located in Sunnyside along Sims Bayou, it combines a flooding retention pond with walkways and other infrastructure to create a unique multi-use community space. Adding a series of environmentally-themed murals highlights the project's dedication to empowering nature around Sunnyside.

“When we bring art, resilience, and opportunity together in one place, we create something that can serve and inspire future generations for decades to come," said Ellis in an emailed statement. "The Hill at Sims is a community-oriented, first-of-its-kind green space in the neighborhood I grew up in. These murals honor Sunnyside, celebrate the natural world, and help turn public space into something people feel proud to protect.”

The murals include “Impression of Nature” by Emily Ding, “Step Into the Wild” by Carlos Alberto, “Birth from the Sea," a reproduction of a John Biggers’ mural by Ade Odunfa, "The Heron and the Fish” by Ana Marietta, “Rêverie” by Amy Sol inspired by Claude Debussy’s 1890 solo piano piece, and “Salt Marsh”, another Biggers reproduction by Bimbo Adenugba.

Houston is a major mural and street art city, with an increasing number of spaces using murals to showcase local talent as well as bring a sense of identity to locations like the Hill at Sims. The green space offers both a massive natural setting in a neighborhood that has traditionally been underserved in park acreage with an elevated point to view the whole city, a rare treat in a place as flat as Houston. Thanks to the Bayou Greenways Project, a 150-mile series of trails that connects parks across Houston, people can walk or bike to the Hills at Sims if they choose to.

"Our goal is for every person who visits this park to feel that Hill at Sims truly represents the Sunnyside community. Public art is a powerful and joyful way to evoke feelings of connection and stewardship in public settings,” said Justin Schultz, President and CEO, Houston Parks Board, in an emailed statement. “Houston Parks Board is proud to support Commissioner Ellis to bring Sunnyside residents a transformative, multi-benefit greenspace that captures the spirit of Houston: turning our climate challenges into vibrant community assets.”

The total cost of Hill at Sims is $28.3 million. Funding comes from Precinct One ($18.8 million), The Brown Foundation ($7.5 million), with an additional $2 million from public federal and state funds secured by State Representative Alma Allen and Congressman Al Green. When complete, it will feature a 1.6 mile basin loop trail, water access pier, a parking lot, a 2,000-square-foot open air pavilion with restrooms, flexible lawn space for active programming, and picnic pavilions.

parks visual-art hills at sims anderson