Welcome to the Kingwood News section. Here you will find frequently updated Northeast Houston and Kingwood Area news regarding the community as well as model homes, events, and projects in and around Kingwood.
Feel free to share your thoughts and comments, as we join together with the Houston area communities and citizens in building an interactive relationship!
Friday, August 20, from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Humble Civic Center, 8233 Will Clayton Parkway, Harris County Precinct 4’s Senior Adult Program will be presenting their ninth annual “Opry in Humble” fundraiser. This county-sponsored annual family event is scheduled to feature the Hometown Opry Band and other area entertainers. To spice up the evening, a high-value raffle will also be held.
Raffle tickets can be found at the front entry and will be available for purchase until intermission, when the drawing will be held. Valuable raffle prizes are said to include Visa gift cards in the amounts of $2,000, $1,500 and $500, Xbox 360 and a DVD Camcorder.
Locals from the neighboring communities of all ages are welcome at the event (under 18 must be accompanied by an adult). For more information or to get directions to the Humble Civic Center, please visit www.hcp4.net/senioradult.
With intellectual activities including creating robots and controlling and managing a micro-world via an avatar, Kingwood's famous Camp Invention has many activities designed to encourage kids to become interested in science, technology, engineering and math – also known as STEM.
Held annually since 2004 at the First Presbyterian Church of Kingwood, Camp Invention offers kids the chance to try their hand at inventing a variety of things focused on their lessons of the day.
The 2010 Camp Invention will be held Aug. 2-6 and is called Innovate. It will include the STEM curriculum as well as the I Can Invent III module that allows younger children to take apart discarded household appliances and create fantasy inventions, while older children use the pieces and parts to build Rube Goldberg machines.
With more than 4,300 square feet, a game room, media room, three-car garage, two fireplaces and a computer loft, Village Builders’ benefit home in Oakhurst at Kingwood will offer buyers an outstanding design and offer hope and support to two well-known, deserving organizations.
One of two Greater Houston Builders Association Benefit Homes, the DaVinci design by Village Builders is available for sale and will offer proceeds from its sale to Texas Children’s Cancer Center, The Alzheimer’s Association and HomeAid Houston.
This two-story home includes four bedrooms, 3 ½ baths, a three-car split garage and a private study. The home also features a two-story entry with sweeping staircase, a spacious formal dining room, a butler’s pantry, a covered balcony and covered rear patio, a flex room and a master retreat with a two-sided fireplace and sitting room/workout room.
The Civic Club kicks off the Kingwood 4th of July Celebrations on July 3rd with a bike-judging contest beginning at 8 a.m. at the Creekwood Middle School, located at the corner of West Lake Houston Parkway and Sandy Forks. Kingwood families are encouraged to decorate their bikes for the opportunity to win a trophy. Then participants can ride their bikes and display their patriotism in the parade! No registration is required.
The parade begins at the corner of Feather Lakes and West Lake Houston Parkway at 10 a.m. from Creekwood Middle School on Sandy Forks and ends when all participants reach Kingwood High School.
After lunch, bring the family down to the Kingwood Town Center's for the Festival & Fireworks starting at 2 p.m., which will include live music, food and beverages, vendors, inflatables, face painting and more. Taking the stage at 3 p.m. will be Andy Rodrigues and Harmony Groove who will perform until 6 p.m. followed by headliners Thunder at 6:15 p.m. The Fireworks display will begin at 9 p.m. with the Star-Spangled Banner. The extravaganza is sponsored by Kings Crossing Community Association, Observer Newspapers, Kingwood First Baptist, Billy Parker Exteriors, Gameforce, REMax Associates Northeast and 1-800-Got-Junk?
Recently awarded with the LEED Silver Certification (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design), the Kingwood Branch Library is now a recognized green building. A building must earn more than 50 points, out of 100 possible points, to receive this honorable Silver Certification. “We recycle and there are cans around so customers can join in helping us. The library is in a green belt to provide a connection to nature and reduce the heat island effect. The roof is white to reduce the amount of heat that enters the building, important in Texas summers,” states a library official.
So come enjoy the clean, cool air inside your local public library for many of their summer activities including:
YMCA Healthy Kids Day includes exciting, engaging and creative activities for kids and their families promoting healthy relationships, wellness and healthy lifestyles. Morning will be full of entertainment, including face painting, moonwalk, horseback rides and even a clown! In addition to the fun and games, Healthy Kids Day will include numerous health care professionals and other organizations that will provide useful wellness information for inquisitive parents.
This national YMCA event, to be held at the Lake Houston Family Center on Saturday, April 17 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., is the nation’s largest health day for children, with more than 1700 YMCA’s across the country participating.
According to the Lake Houston Family YMCA, “Healthy Kids Day kicks off YMCA summer program registration to the Lake Houston community. Families will be able to register for many of the outstanding YMCA summer programs such as swim lessons, day camp, teen camp, baseball and volleyball.” A complete listing of session dates and times for these programs is available at the Lake Houston Family YMCA or by visiting their web page at Ymcahouston.org/lake-houston.
Ernest and Debra Parker of Kingwood had been working diligently for two years to bring home their now newly adopted son, Ronel, from Haiti. With endless red tape looming over their heads during the process, the recent devastating earthquake in Port-au-Prince was anything but encouraging.
At the onset of the earthquake, the Parkers feared for Ronel's safety as well as the processing of the adoption papers, as they were in the second stage of the adoption. After finding Ronel was safe, the Haitian government allowed for humanitarian parole, giving Ronel the ability to come home based on the stage of the adoption process the Parkers were in.
February is upon us, bringing warmth in weather as the Spring draws near, and warming hearts as we take time to cherish those we love on Valentine’s day. One Kingwood resident is dishing up sweet surprises for the love struck holiday, all from her Cakewalk Bakery.
Ashley Wenner is the owner of the 2 month old pastry and cake shop the Cakewalk Bakery, located at 4003 Rustic Woods Drive. While her business is fairly young, her love of baking has been rising for years, beginning in the kitchen with her grandmother and great-grandmother. She pursued her passion and after graduating from Kingwood High School in 2002 she became a pastry chef under the instruction and training from the Alain and Marie LeNorte Culinary Institute in Houston.
One Kingwood business owner is dedicated to showing his appreciation not only to his city, but to his country as well. Rick Alspaugh, of Alspaugh’s Ace Hardware, flies the American Flag consistently five days of the year – Labor Day, Independence Day, Memorial Day, Veteran’s day and, as the name indicates, Flag Day.
“The flag is a symbol of freedom,” Alspaugh said. “For any good reason to put it up, we’ll put it up. I’ve been overseas a couple of times and it’s always great to come home. This is a neat place to live.”
Alspaugh’s patriotism was recently recognized and awarded by the Sons of the American Revolution Piney Woods Chapter in Kingwood. They presented Alspaugh with the SAR Outstanding Citizenship Award and a SAR Flag Certificate. Both the award and recognition are only presented to individuals or organizations that display the American flag for patriotic reasons, not simply to draw business.
Nothing says Christmas like Santa Claus, lights and time with friends. This year Kingwood residents can come celebrate Christmas with their community at the 10th Annual Christmas in the Park Festival and Tree Lighting, and they can enjoy the first annual “Cookies and Tea Under the Tree” cookie exchange, between shopping and visiting Santa Claus.
This year’s Christmas in the Park Festival and Tree Lighting will take place at Kings Crossing Town Center on Saturday, December 5th, 2009 from 10am-7pm. This event is free and open to the public, and provides a family friendly venue where residents of all ages can enjoy some good food, some great performances and even greater company – even the presence of the jolly man himself, Santa Claus. After you make those Christmas wishes you can peruse the vendor booths to buy gifts for friends and family, or take some time to enjoy the performances every half hour, and let the children play at area booths. Then, to close the evening on the bright side the lighting of the Christmas tree will take place at 6pm. (See below for a complete list of performances and vendors.)
Friday, August 20, from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Humble Civic Center, 8233 Will Clayton Parkway, Harris County Precinct 4’s Senior Adult Program will be presenting their ninth annual “Opry in Humble” fundraiser. This county-sponsored annual family event is scheduled to feature the Hometown Opry Band and other area entertainers. To spice up the evening, a high-value raffle will also be held.
With intellectual activities including creating robots and controlling and managing a micro-world via an avatar, Kingwood's famous Camp Invention has many activities designed to encourage kids to become interested in science, technology, engineering and math – also known as STEM.
The Civic Club kicks off the Kingwood 4th of July Celebrations on July 3rd with a bike-judging contest beginning at 8 a.m. at the Creekwood Middle School, located at the corner of West Lake Houston Parkway and Sandy Forks. Kingwood families are encouraged to decorate their bikes for the opportunity to win a trophy. Then participants can ride their bikes and display their patriotism in the parade! No registration is required.
Recently awarded with the LEED Silver Certification (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design), the Kingwood Branch Library is now a recognized green building. A building must earn more than 50 points, out of 100 possible points, to receive this honorable Silver Certification. “We recycle and there are cans around so customers can join in helping us. The library is in a green belt to provide a connection to nature and reduce the heat island effect. The roof is white to reduce the amount of heat that enters the building, important in Texas summers,” states a library official.
YMCA Healthy Kids Day includes exciting, engaging and creative activities for kids and their families promoting healthy relationships, wellness and healthy lifestyles. Morning will be full of entertainment, including face painting, moonwalk, horseback rides and even a clown! In addition to the fun and games, Healthy Kids Day will include numerous health care professionals and other organizations that will provide useful wellness information for inquisitive parents.
February is upon us, bringing warmth in weather as the Spring draws near, and warming hearts as we take time to cherish those we love on Valentine’s day. One Kingwood resident is dishing up sweet surprises for the love struck holiday, all from her Cakewalk Bakery.
One Kingwood business owner is dedicated to showing his appreciation not only to his city, but to his country as well. Rick Alspaugh, of Alspaugh’s Ace Hardware, flies the American Flag consistently five days of the year – Labor Day, Independence Day, Memorial Day, Veteran’s day and, as the name indicates, Flag Day.
Nothing says Christmas like Santa Claus, lights and time with friends. This year Kingwood residents can come celebrate Christmas with their community at the 10th Annual Christmas in the Park Festival and Tree Lighting, and they can enjoy the first annual “Cookies and Tea Under the Tree” cookie exchange, between shopping and visiting Santa Claus.