Trendysomething in Somo

Alpacas and haunted cemeteries: 10 alt ways to celebrate Memorial Day weekend

The Woodlands Fireworks
Are alpacas the new llama? Indeed.
The back patio between Brasil and Domy offers a special film screening.
Photo by Kari M.

Road trips, family picnics, auto races, Red Apple Sales — when did Memorial Day get so mainstream? In truth, very few federal holidays are under the radar, but for the patriotic alternative all-American, there are still a few options:

Sneak into the pool at Richmont Square. Who's to say it's your last Memorial Day at the sprawling Montrose apartment compound before it's demolished to make way for the expanded Menil Collection campus?
Monday nights offer a low-key atmosphere in the backyard between Domy and Brasil for checking out cute indie boys and girls while swatting mosquitoes. There also happens to always be a film screening. This week's selection: Inferno. Nothing like an '80s Italian supernatural horror flick to leave you running back to your American roots.
Do you despise federal holidays, or government in general? Get in on the conversation at anarchist atelier, Sedition Books. Open hours are sporatic, but don't let that stop you from loitering outside.
Although Memorial Day was established as a simple of reconciliation between the Union and Confederacy following the Civil War, the holiday has come to encourage remembrance of all sorts beyond veterans. So why not check into a few of the city's historic cemeteries and pay your respects to Houston's dead localebrities? The graves of freed slaves can be found in the haunted Olivewood Cemetery, at the juncture of the First and Sixth wards. Or, there's Marvin Zindler's corpse at Woodlawn Cemetery.
Llamas? Over it. Alpacas are the new, trendy South American cuddly work animal of choice. Enter Americana Alpacas in Navasota, where you can get to know the friendly Incan animal. It's not technically in Houston, but it's also not too far.
Pay homage to subcultures of yore at the Lee and Joe Jamail Skatepark. Leave the elbow pads at home, but feel free to bring a boom box and Tribe Called Quest cassette.
Indeed, Black Hole Café takes its name from a cosmic phenomenon. Get the dish on black holes during one of the final screenings of the self-titled Black Holes movie at the Houston Museum of Natural Science's Burke Baker Planetarium.
The best way to avoid celebrating a U.S. holiday (and find open restaurants) is to surround yourself with non-natives. Capitalize on Memorial Day to journey to Bellaire Chinatown and indulge in sweets galore.
Get your flair for irony in full gear, because I'm sending you to The Woodlands for a grand display of fireworks. Enjoy picnics and "local" bands (full lineup here), but don't forget, it's all in jest.
Monday brings S.L.F.M., D.R.E.A.M., Will Schorre and Ben and Ciaran to Super Happy Fun Land. Here's a little preview of the remix:

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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.”