Look for a lot of excitement in 2013 as some of Houston's most notable organizations celebrate milestone anniversaries.
Founded in 1913, the Houston Symphony is renowned among major municipal symphonies. Each year, the organization performs more than 170 concerts for approximately 350,000 people, with shows that include a broad range of music from classical to popular. After a century in business, the symphony shows no signs of slowing down. Upcoming shows include Dvorak's New World Symphony, Aladdin & the Arabian Nights and the Songs of Simon and Garfunkel.
Also hitting the century mark is the Port of Houston. The nation's second-largest port processes 200 million tons of cargo annually, carried by tens of thousands of vessels and serves as the backbone of Houston's industrial economy. In 2013, the port strikes out in a new direction, welcoming two cruise lines to its $108 million Bayport Cruise Terminal. Princess Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Lines will begin service later this year from Houston to ports in Caribbean and beyond.
Over nine decades, millions of people have enjoyed free performances at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park. Offering quality programming to patrons free of charge was a founding principal of the organization in 1923, one that it holds fast to still today. From March to October each year, performance groups from across Houston and around the world-from ballet, drama and musical theater to acrobatics, dance and beyond-grace the Miller stage. In 2011 alone, nearly half a million people grabbed a seat under the amphitheater roof or on the hillside lawn.
A local chain has been serving an American classic since 1923. James Coney Island, best known for its Coney Island hot dog, celebrates 90 years in Houston. Other favorites include chili pie with Fritos, cheeseburgers, cheese fries, Italian sausage sandwiches, tater tots and milk shakes. With more than a dozen locations today, the restaurant has a cult following and offers merchandise from t-shirts to collectibles with the James Coney logo.
The Houston First Corporation members commemorates its 50th anniversary in 2013. The organization charged with marketing and selling Houston and Harris County to the world launched in a meeting room of the Rice Hotel in 1963. Today, the Houston First Corporation members continues to promote restaurants, hotels, convention facilities and other elements of the local hospitality industry. In 2011 alone, Houston hosted 230 conventions and other events that drew more than half a million attendees and an economic impact of $531 million.
The Tex-Mex taqueria that launched a national chain still looks and tastes as authentic as it did when "Mama Ninfa" opened the doors in 1973. Forty years later, Tex-Mex purists continue to delight in the kitschy décor, the fajitas and the Tecate at Ninfa's on Navigation. Now there's an expanded patio bar with craft Mexican cocktails to mix with the ladies hand-pressing tortillas.
Begun in 1993 as a means of creating community pride in Houston's largely African American Third Ward neighborhood, Project Row Houses has been hailed as one of the most unique art installations in the country. Since its inception, PRH's campus has grown from the original block and a half of 22 shotgun houses to six blocks and 40 properties, including 12 artist exhibition and/or residency spaces, seven houses for young mothers, artist residencies, office spaces, a community gallery, a park, low-income residential and commercial spaces. The group celebrates its 20th anniversary year starting in October.
From Art to Music, Groups Celebrate Milestones in 2013
Sunday, January 6, 2013