- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Houston and help keep the future of Houston Press free.
Sure, we're all bummed that the Houston Astros were eliminated in the American League Championship Series, but if there's any team that can rebound it's our beloved 'Stros. Until next season, though, we've got a chance to see pitcher Chris Devenski showing off a different set of skills. He's been named the celebrity spokesperson for the Houston Via Colori® The Street Painting Festival.
Devenski, aka The Dragon, is going to walk the walk, and we'll be able to catch him chalking his own creation on one of the squares outside City Hall. "In planning we knew that his art was more on the graffiti side," says Fernanda Gratton, marketing and public relations manager for presenter and beneficiary the Center for Hearing and Speech. She says his design will be a surprise, and they're very excited about his participation.
Everything's bigger in the Lone Star State and the festival is embracing that concept with something new: a massive 50 foot by 24 foot Texas-sized mural by Houston artist Tim Walker. Gratton says he's a very loved artist and veteran of the festival, and he'll do something with the theme, "Deep in the Art of Texas."
Other returning artists include Cecelia Linayao, David Zinn, Margarita Botello, Jessi Queen, Alba Amezcua and possibly somebody in your family. Patton tells us that the Via Bambini family zone lets kids purchase a chance to undertake their own chalk drawings, albeit on a smaller scale, as a way to get in on the action while also supporting the cause.
The street painting festival raises more than $400,000 annually, making it an important fundraiser that helps the Center for Hearing and Speech each year assist more than 8,500 children who have hearing loss.
It's a fun event, with live music on three stages and, if the weather holds up, makes for a nice day outside. The festival goes on, sprinkle or shine, but if the weather prognosticators predict heavy rains then check social media as organizers might have to move the festival to another location.
And if you're digging the cause, and want to kick it up a notch, buy tickets to the ultra-swanky VIP Lounge with complimentary food, drink and entertainment. Gratton says they're still working out the details, but Kendra Scott is definitely returning to the VIP Lounge.
Clients of the Center for Hearing and Speech get into the festival for free, as do children and students. Many of the parents sign up to volunteer, turning this into a reunion of sorts for the kids and families who have benefited from the center's audiologists, teachers and speech-language pathologists. High five for that.
The Houston Via Colori® The Street Painting Festival is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. November 17 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. November 18, outside City Hall, 900 Smith, 713-523-3633, free to $40. centerhearingandspeech.org/via-colori.
Keep the Houston Press Free... Since we started the Houston Press, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Houston, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Houston with no paywalls.
