On Saturday, history fans will get a unique experience at the Discover Houston Celebrity Tour with Mike Vance. Founder of Houston Arts and Media, a 2015 MasterMind Award winner, historian, filmmaker, comedian and a native Houstonian, Vance promises a lively two hours. "[We'll] be talking about the Allen Brothers and Sam Houston, Bowie knife fights, yellow fever, missionaries from the United States, hangings, duels, Mexican skulls, irate newspaper editors," he says. "We will also talk about Charlotte Allen, Houston's first lady of sorts; John James Audubon's visit; Mirabeau Lamar and his feud with Sam Houston. You know, the usual. It should be much fun."
The walking tour focuses on Houston as it was in 1837. Sadly, none of the buildings from that era remain standing. "It should be said in fairness that most of the buildings from that time period were pretty insubstantial affairs in the first place. One of our stops will be at Kessler's Round Tent Saloon, which wasn't even a building at all. We'll be going to the spots where [the buildings] stood and talking about the history that way. The hope is to give people an idea of what Houston was like for the first couple of years of its existence."
Vance suggests tour participants bring a camera, water and spending money; the tour starts at the Spaghetti Warehouse, where lunch is available, and Vance will have Houston Arts and Media books and DVDs for sale after the tour.
The tour starts at 11 a.m. on Saturday. Spaghetti Warehouse lobby bar, 901 Commerce. For information, visit 713-222-9255 or visit discoverhoustontours.com. $30.
On Sunday, the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra presents ROCO Unchambered: The Little Prince. The concert features longtime orchestra members violist Matt Dane and flutist Christina Jennings, both now based in Colorado. Dan Kellogg's "To Love a Flower," with original music based on Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's allegorical story The Little Prince, is the featured work of the program. "Dan Kellogg wrote 'To Love a Flower' for us earlier this year," says Dane. "It is a virtuosic piece...[that] features both open, spacious harmonies and soaring, dramatic lines between flute and viola." Also on the program is the Southwest premiere of "Nashani," a work for solo viola d'amore that Reena Esmail composed especially for Dane.
See The Little Prince at 5 p.m. on Sunday. Studio 101 at Spring Street Studios, 1824 Spring Street. For information, call 713-665-2700 or visit rocohouston.org. $25.
Margaret Downing, Alexandra Doyle and Susie Tommaney contributed to this post.
