Long live the king

5 festive affairs to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III in Houston, from Brit bashes to cricket matches

Celebrate King Charles III and Queen Camilla in Houston with festive events.

Photo courtesy of The Royal Family

This weekend marks one of the biggest events on the international stage: the coronation of King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort of the United Kingdom in London's iconic Westminster Abbey.

As this is the British royal family we're talking about, there will be much pomp and pageantry, crowns and scepters and orbs, relics and revelry. Pope Francis even sent pieces of the True Cross to be used in the service, which has a thousand years of heritage behind it.

Many American might shrug at the whole affair — we did fight a war for independence, after all — but for those royal watchers and British expats and Anglophiles in our midst, there are plenty of ways to virtually take part in the festivities across the pond, all weekend long.

Here in Houston, a host of events toast the royal affair. We've rounded up some local, regal happenings to celebrate the coronation.

Friday, May 5

A Coronation Dinner at Central Market
The Central Market Cooking School pulls out all the stops Friday, with a hands-on class where guests will create a meal fit for a king. The menu includes rack of lamb with an Asian marinade and roast potatoes, grilled eggplant with fried onions, and a strawberry and ginger trifle. The cost is $75 and the evening begins at 6:30 pm.

Saturday, May 6

British Isles Coronation Celebration
The British import shop in Rice Village has long been a go-to for anything and everything from or about the U.K., thanks to its wide array of teas and biscuits, meat pies, perfumes, china, woven goods, and other British must-haves. The store's coronation watch party gets underway at 7 am and runs all day, with the coronation and surrounding events playing on a big screen. Guests will be treated to cake and refreshments, and the party is the only one in Texas to be listed on the royal family's official coronation website.

Coronation Bruch and Watch Party at Royal Oaks Country Club
The British American Federation of Texas hosts this event, which kicks off at 9:30 am and includes brunch, mimosas, a toast to the newly crowned King and Queen, and other festivities. Tickets start at $110.

British Consulate-General, Houston: clean-up, cricket, and more

The British Consulate-General, Houston will celebrate His Majesty’s Coronation with a community clean-up (public) and garden party (private) on Saturday, May 6.

The day kicks off with a Buffalo Bayou clean-up at Nau Family Pavilion in coordination with the Buffalo Bayou Partnership from 8:30 am to 10:30 am. The Houston Consulate and some 100 volunteers, including local students, will clean up the Buffalo Bayou. Those unable to assist in the clean-up are encouraged to picnic at the Nau Pavilion to celebrate. Those interested can email thebighelpouthouston@gmail.com for more details.

Later that evening, more than 500 guests local luminaries of business, government, philanthropy, and media will attend the evening’s invitation-only garden party at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center. The event will showcase the best of British culture, music, food, sports, per press materials.

Fundraising activities will benefit Mountbatten House, a care home for senior citizens supported by local chapters of the Daughters of the British Empire.

Badgers, batsman, and bowlers: Don your whites

As a follow-up on Saturday May 13, British and Australian ex-pats will face off in the inaugural “Coronation Cup” cricket match at the Moosa Cricket Stadium (5515 Old Massey Ranch Rd.) in Pearland, organized by the British Consulate. The match runs from 1 pm to 5 pm.

Both teams will feature international players who will play on this year’s Major League Cricket rosters in Houston. British and Australian cricketers — of any ability — and badgers are encouraged to email houstonbcg@gmail.com if they wish to don their whites and bowl or bat.

bowled over

Houston artist dishes on Food Bank fundraiser happening this weekend

Picture of several artists at a table with a bunch of handmade ceramic bowls.

Photo courtesy Paula Murphy

Ceramics professor Cori Cryer and her students from Lone Star College Kingwood and the bowls they donated to the 20th Empty Bowls fundraiser

On Saturday, May 16, shoppers have an opportunity to feed those in need by purchasing unique, handcrafted items. The 20th Empty Bowls event takes place at Silver Street Studios at Sawyer Yards from 10 am to 3 pm. A preview party takes place on Friday, May 15 from 6-8 pm (buy tickets here).

The fundraiser is a collaboration between Houston-area ceramists, woodturners, and artists working in all media and Silver Street Studios.

Shoppers can purchase one-of-a-kind bowls for $25 each (larger bowls are priced accordingly). A simple lunch from Salata, a sweet treat from Ben & Jerry’s, and iced coffee from Katz Coffee is served until it runs out. Every dollar of the purchases goes to the Houston Food Bank, which estimates that for every dollar donated, it’s able to provide three meals to Houstonians in need. Since its inception, Empty Bowls Houston has raised $1,208,959 for the Houston Food Bank, which equates to more than 3.6 million meals.

The event also includes live music and art demos. More than 2,000 bowls will be available for purchase, donated by area artists.

Empty Bowls began as a grassroots effort started many years ago at a high school in Michigan and is now held all over the world. Nearly everything for Empty Bowls events, from the food served to the venues hosting events and the bowls for sale are donated.

Cori Cryer, a professor of ceramics at Lone Star College Kingwood, is one of those who, along with her students, donated bowls for the fundraiser. She’s been involved with the effort for all of its 20 years in Houston, and before that in other cities.

“When I started donating, I didn't have a whole lot of money,” Cryer tells CultureMap. “I was a graduate student, and so this was a way for me to give back to the local community. And I think my students today kind of recognize that same feel. You know, they may not have money to send a check off to someone, [but this is] an easy way for them to be able to contribute to the community.”

Cryer teaches Ceramics I and Ceramics II to a variety of dual-credit high school students, college students, and continuing education students. Those in her Ceramics II classes are required to create five bowls to donate to Empty Bowls. But her students in her introductory class often end up donating as well. This year, she and her students provided approximately 150 bowls for the event.

Cryer said that the style of bowls for sale range from something as small as a condiment bowl to much larger serving bowls As each bowl is an individual work, they represent a variety of styles and themes. One of her students this year designed a glazed, ceramic leaf-shaped bowl with ceramic insects on it.

“There's a ladybug and a caterpillar and a spider,” she says, each created out of clay and positioned around the bowl.

Cryer loves seeing how the artists use their imaginations and abilities.

“Most of my students do throw their bowls on the pottery wheel, but that's not required,” she says. “They can hand-build them. It’s completely up to them what kind of construction technique they use.”

Cryer loves knowing that this event is a way for students to see that their artistic efforts can have lasting impact on the community around them. In addition to being able to support the Houston Food Bank, the bowls her class donates, she knows, take on special meaning for those who purchase them.

“I tell my students there is a pot for every person and a person for every pot,” she says.

In fact, one of her personal favorite bowls is one she purchased from an Empty Bowls sale.

“It's a very small bowl, maybe like three inches in diameter, and two inches tall, and it's a little pink pig that I think an elementary student made,” she said. “He has no tail, and he has no ears, but he has a snout, and it is definitely a pig. And I love that little bowl. I have it sitting on my desk at home.”

Cryer knows shoppers attending the Empty Bowls sale will find similar, soon-to-be-beloved items.

The Saturday event is free. Those wishing to attend the preview party on Friday, May 15 from 6-8 pm, which offers light bites, beer and wine, and the first chance to purchase bowls, can purchase a $50 ticket online. In addition, Archway Gallery is hosting an exhibition of 30 one-of-a-kind bowls that can be purchased as part of the Empty Bowls fundraiser. The exhibit runs through May 30.