weekend event planner

Here are the top 6 things to do in Houston this weekend

Jake Paul and Team 10 do whatever they do this weekend in Houston.

Courtesy photo

It’s Memorial Day Weekend, which means everyone will be taking extra advantage of that free Monday, pay their respects, and go on a white-wearing, beer-and-barbecue tear. Also this weekend, Comicpalooza brings in all the geeks and fanboys (after they get through watching Solo: A Star Wars Story, we’re assuming), as well as special guest stars such as John Cusack, Krysten Ritter, and current Spider-Man Tom Holland.

As always, there will be other interesting things happening these next few days. Here’s a list of some of them:

Thursday, May 24

Journey to the soulful ’60s with Miller Outdoor Theatre’s Dancin’ in the Street
Since Stevland Hardaway Morris (that’s Stevie Wonder, to you and me) celebrated his 68th birthday on Mother’s Day a couple of weeks back, the Miller Outdoor Theatre pays tribute by adding a new Stevie Wonder section to their 23rd annual Dancin’ in the Street… Motown & More Revue. Starting this Thursday and running through Sunday, local entertainers will be performing the classic numbers that Motown Records founder Berry Gordy recorded and released out of that small home in Detroit — a.k.a. Hitsville U.S.A. It starts at 8:15 pm.

Friday, May 25

The Houston Symphony gets really poppy with One-Hit Wonders
Don’t ever say the Houston Symphony doesn’t like to mix it up every now and then. All weekend long, the final program of the Symphony’s latest season will find them playing such memorable one-and-done pop classics like Dexys Midnight Runners’ “Come on Eileen,” A-ha’s “Take on Me,” Semisonic’s “Closing Time,” and so forth. (We wonder if they’ll do Carl Douglas’s “Kung Fu Fighting.”) Pink Martini vocalist Storm Large and Broadway star Matt Doyle will be the guest vocalists, while Steven Reineke handles the conducting. It starts at 8 pm. (7:30 pm. on Sunday.)

Saturday, May 26

Family fun at FUNomenal Family Festival
With a name like the FUNomenal Family Festival, we’re guessing the people involved (Academy Sports + Outdoors are the presenters) with this event is going all out to make sure families show up and have a good time. This event is packed to the gills with enjoyable, family-friendly things. At the Anheuser-Busch Stage alone, there will be performances from local dance groups all afternoon. There will also be rides, games, activities, and something called the Curious Game — a chess game that “comes to life with pomp, ceremony and silly characters.” It starts at 1 pm.

Martin Lawrence gets back to his Def Comedy Jam roots
It’s very likely that many of you may not know that, once upon a time, before he had his own Fox sitcom, teamed up with Will Smith for the Bad Boys movies and donned a fat suit for those Big Momma’s House movies, Martin Lawrence was the original host for HBO’s notoriously down-and-dirty, stand-up showcase Def Comedy Jam. These days, Lawrence is back introducing comics on the Lit AF Tour, which will be in Houston this weekend. Among the comics: Deon Cole, Adele Givens, Benji Brown, and former SNL player Jay Pharoah. It starts at 7:30 pm.

Sunday, May 27

Mongoose versus Cobra celebrates six years – with wrestling and swordfights!
How many of you know about the midtown Houston spot known as Mongoose versus Cobra? It’s a quite interesting name for a watering hole, isn’t it? Supposedly, the name is a metaphor for the battle between artisanal craft beers (mongoose), which this place usually offers, and bigger, brand-name beers (cobra). Anyway, this spot will be celebrating its sixth birthday celebration with drink specials, sports entertainment from Doomsday Wrestling, an actual swordfight courtesy of Sword to Sword, and music from Fiddle Witch & the Demons of Doom. It starts at 2 pm.

Jake Paul and his Team 10 crew perform — or whatever they do
We at CultureMap are slightly curious as to what Jake Paul will be doing at Revention Music Center this weekend. After all, YouTube celebrity Paul is mostly known for doing crazy, frat-humor videos with his crew, Team 10. (He’s also the younger brother of Internet celeb Logan Paul.) The show is scheduled to have live musical performances, exclusive merchandise, audience participation, special guests, games ,and challenges. Basically, expect teenage girls and their douchey, older brothers to be in the audience for this. It starts at 6 pm.

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Waddle We Have Here

3 endangered penguin chicks just hatched at Galveston's Moody Gardens

A Humboldt penguin chick in an Easter Basket at Moody Gardens

Photo courtesy of Moody Gardens

Look what showed up in an Easter Basket!

Galveston's Moody Gardens announced this week that it has successfully hatched three Humboldt penguin chicks in the Aquarium Pyramid, the first time the facility has done so.

“This is our first ever time having Humboldt penguin chicks, so we’re very excited,” said Amy Jones, a biologist who works with the penguins and seals at Moody Gardens.

Two chicks were born to penguins Yolanda and Cusco, and another to Marcona and Ballesta, all between March 15 and 18. Aquarium staff has been monitoring the chicks and their parents, and all seem to be thriving.

Humboldt penguins are warm weather penguins that naturally inhabit the coasts of Peru and Chile. Moody Gardens introduced Humboldt penguins to its aquarium in 2017. A burrowing species, mating pairs lay and protect eggs in protected nests.

The new chicks will remain secluded in their nesting box for the time being until they develop their waterproof feathers. The parents are keeping them warm and fed. Sex will be determined via DNA testing at a later date, after which the chicks will be named and formally introduced to the public.

Achieving viable Humboldt penguins hatchings is a significant feat for a program that is less than 10 years old, according to Moody Gardens. The birds require strict diets and climate controlled habitats to thrive, and successfully housing a colony of 12 in an environment that makes them comfortable enough to breed is quite an achievement. Engagement and stimulation is key, and visitors to the aquarium can often see the penguins playing with bubbles and toys that simulate activity in the natural environment.

Successful hatchings are also a win in the fight against extinction. Humboldt penguins are classified as a vulnerable species, with only about 23,000 left worldwide. The birds are heavily impacted by El Niño events that disrupt the nutrient-rich Humboldt current that forms the base of the penguins' food pyramid. Driven by man-made climate change, these events are increasing in number and severity. Overfishing, pollution, habitat loss, and being caught in fishing nets also accounts for a decline in the population, according to press materials. Programs like the one at Moody Gardens help educate the public on the dangers the penguins face in the wild.

The real question is: when will visitors be allowed to see the babies? Staff continues to monitor the chicks with regular weigh-ins. The chicks will remain in the nesting boxes for at least several weeks until they are mature enough to start entering safe areas and, eventually, the main habitat. In the meantime, people can see videos on the Moody Gardens Instagram page.

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