Mind over melt

Heat, what heat? Houston sneers at Mother Nature with a weekend of outdoorparties

Who doesn't want to help clean up the Bayou?
It's an outdoor party too — in August.
White Line Nights is one of those events that helps keep Houston a little quirkytoo.
Leaving Iowa is a moving play — get ready for the family flashbacks.

Looking for something to do this weekend? If it's happening in Houston, CultureMap Listings Editor Rachel Hanley knows about it. Here are Rachel's picks for the weekend, pulled from our extensive events calendar

This weekend is packed full of outdoor activities. Yes, it's Houston in August. Your point?

Don't let the sun or the swelter beat you down. Believe it or not, this is a great weekend to be out and about.

Saturday:

Eco Bash 9-12 p.m.: Yes it's a little early for a Saturday — but it's a good cause and you might get to meet Houston's First Lady Kathy Hubbard and the city's former First Lady Elyse Lanier. The morning begins with an hour and a half clean up of the Bayou, and concludes with music, food and a green--friendly fashion show.

Houston International Jazz Festival 4-10 p.m.: It's a fabulous idea — jazz in the park. It's a two day event so if you miss it one day, check it out the next. Overall, it looks like a fun time — the only sticking point is the $20 entrance fee.

How do you charge an entrance fee to music at Discovery Green? It's a free park, and even when you gate off sections, you can still hear a fine acoustic in the free zones. I don't completely get it — but I love jazz.

White Linen Night 6-9 p.m.: It's the best way to get to know the Heights. Shops, boutiques and restaurants in the artsy neighborhood open up for something like a community meet-and-greet. Shopping opps include vintage clothing, home goods and antiques. There'll be food, music and a free trolley to help you get around. Everyone dresses in white, which isn't a hard fast rule, just don't wear all black unless you enjoy feeling out of place (hey, for some people, it's a high).

Sunday:

Pick a play 2:30 p.m.: This could be the worst time of day to be outside. If you want to press through with the "outside weekend," Miller Outdoor Theatre is hosting a performance of Much Ado About Nothing as part of the Houston Shakespeare Festival. This is the last performance in the festival, so if you've been waiting to check it out, it's time to endure the heat.

If you want to stay air conditioned, I recommend Leaving Iowa at A.D. Players. I recently saw it and was thoroughly entertained. It's funny yet moving — two elements I love in a play. It captures family dynamics and I promise you, if you have siblings, you will have flashbacks to your own life.

Houston International Jazz Festival 4-10 p.m.: One more chance to get your jazz on and celebrate 20 years of a festival that's too often overlooked.

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Memorial Groves restoration

Memorial Park previews new playground and visitor's center coming in 2027

Rendering courtesy of Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects

Rendering of the new Camp Logan playground at Memorial Groves.

Nearly a year after announcing the restoration of the old Camp Logan as Memorial Groves, a section of Memorial Park that honors Houston's World War I veterans, Memorial Park Conservancy (MPC) unveiled additional information on the new playground and visitor center that will be on site, as well as improvements to a walking trail. The new details come on the heels of a $7.5 million donation from the Jerold B. Katz Foundation.

“We are deeply honored to be a part of this landmark project that will help bring Houston’s extraordinary history to life,” said Evan H. Katz, president of the Jerold B. Katz Foundation, in a statement. “Memorial Groves will offer a powerful place of reflection and learning – one that thoughtfully connects past and present, honoring service and sacrifice while strengthening the park’s role as a resilient, vibrant public space for generations to come.”

The donation will help fund the Camp Logan Playground, an innovative space for children that will draw on aspects of World War I training. Kids can play in oversized soldier helmets, talk through a tube shaped like an old camp bugle, and climb over giant army crates and a reproduction of hardtack, the "hard bread" fed to soldiers at the front. Each feature has real World War I insignias carved into them, giving visitors a chance to learn about the symbolism of the war. Designed by the Canadian company Earthscape, the playground will be located near the southern parking lot within easy distance of the picnic pavilion.

The visitor center, designed by Moody Nolan, will be located at the primary entrance to the park on the north side. It will house both exhibit spaces and MCP offices. The former will educate visitors about Camp Logan and Houston's role in World War I. A large breezeway between the two areas will welcome visitors into Memorial Groves. The Texas Historical Commission will provide historical markers to supplement the exhibition materials.

There's lots to learn about. From 1917 to 1919, Camp Logan trained roughly 70,000 men for service in WWI. Some 200 women were also employed at the camp, mostly as nurses and physical therapists for the wounded. In 1918, Black soldiers stationed at Camp Logan rioted against abuse and unfair incarceration from the all-white Houston Police Department.

The park's 3-mile Seymour Lieberman Trail (SLT) will also be upgraded. Approximately .7 miles of the popular running/walking trail will be moved further away from Memorial Loop Drive to allow for planting of new trees. As they mature, the trees will provide more shade for people using the trail.

“Significant enhancements will be made to the SLT within the Memorial Groves project area while maintaining the overall distance of the 3-mile loop,” MPC president and CEO Chris Ballard said. “This is one of the nation’s most popular running trails and one of Memorial Park’s top amenities. The upgrades we’re making will be enjoyed by the nearly 10,000 people who use this trail daily.”

Construction on Memorial Groves is expected top begin this year and be finished in 2027. The total cost of the project is $50.5 million, as is funded in part by the Kinder Foundation ($10 million), John L. Nau III ($7.5 million), Brown Foundation ($7.5 million) and now the Katz Foundation ($7.5 million).

Rendering courtesy of Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects

The playground will include elements inspired by WWI.