At Reliant through Jan. 15

Lake levels may be low but enthusiasm is high at Houston Boat Show

Photo via Houston Boat Show/Facebook
Race boat
Photo by Caroline Gallay
Fish-o-Rama
Photo by Caroline Gallay
Discounts
Photo by Caroline Gallay
$425K
Photo by Caroline Gallay

Lake levels may be low in Texas, but the crowd on opening day of the 2012 Houston Boat Show Friday was anything but.

Tens of millions of dollars worth of merchandise, from $400,000 yachts all the way down to $30,000 flat-bottom skiffs and saltwater kayaks (not to mention custom seat upholstery, water-resistant cookware, pet accessories, food, clothes and more sunglasses than you could shake a polarized lens at), filled the 650,000 square feet of exhibit space at Reliant Center.

After a one-day hiatus — the boat show closed Saturday for the first time in its 56-year history to accommodate the Texans game next door at Reliant Stadium — the show is open through Jan. 15, with extended hours until 9:30 p.m. Jan. 11-13.

Despite the overwhelming number of boat-related items condensed in one place, there were plenty of free trailer offers and deep discounts, with one 2011 Cobalt 262 we spotted discounted $25,000 with the trailer included — a sign that, although Texas' leisure economy has fared better than other states' during the recession, it hasn't gone unaffected.

Dealers in the state's interior are struggling due to the summer drought that lowered lake levels, not because of the lagging leisure economy.

A dealer's take on Texas

Dave Foulkrod of Ron Hoover RV and Marine tells CultureMap that the summer drought that lowered lake levels — not the lagging leisure economy — is the main reason many dealers in the state's interior are struggling. Dealers nearer the coast, however, have held relatively steady sales and seen gradual growth since 2010.

"2011 was considerably better than 2010, and in anticipation of a good year, we have pretty good stocking levels," Foulkrod says.

Foulkrod works out of Ron Hoover's La Marque dealership, where he benefits from coastal access. One of the company's other four Texas dealerships, however, in Boerne (near San Antonio), where the drought hit hard, saw a pull back on stocking boats.

Something for everyone

Whether you're already a boating enthusiast or not sure you're even in the market, there's plenty to do and see at the Boat Show. From the Comic Bot robots to Fish-O-Rama, where kids can fish from a pre-stocked pond, to the wide selection of RVs, there's something for nearly everyone.

One of our favorite finds was a racing boat (one of two we saw on the floor) that managed to reach more than 102 miles per hour using only a conventional outboard motor. And if you (like me) tend towards the snazzy looking sport boats, Axis has a range of wakeboard boats to make you drool over your press pass.

For more information about the Houston Boat Show, including hours and admission, click here.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”