We're casting a wider net this weekend, but it's all for a good reason. There's a chance to hear John Williams' epic score for Raiders of the Lost Ark in The Woodlands and a stop in Galveston to celebrate the 125th anniversary of The Grand 1894 Opera House. Closer to home, don't miss a birthday party for Houston, the launching of a new Arts District, and a revival of a mesmerizing stop-motion film with the genius of Pablo Picasso.
Yeah, we saw that The Big Bang Theory episode where Amy almost ruined Raiders of the Lost Ark for Sheldon, alleging that the Indiana Jones character was irrelevant and that, even without his character, the Nazis still would have found the ark, taken it to the secret island, opened it and died. But there's a whole counter-theory that says if Indiana Jones had been killed at any point in the adventure, Hitler would have died long before the Holocaust. What we can all agree on is an award-winning film by director Steven Spielberg, with writing by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas, and a nomination for Best Music and Best Original Score for John Williams. The Houston Symphony will be performing that epic score this Thursday night at The Pavilion during a screening of the iconic film in Raiders of the Lost Ark in Concert.
A performance of Raiders of the Lost Art in Concert is scheduled for August 29 at 8 p.m. Thursday at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, 2005 Lake Robbins Drive, The Woodlands. For information, call 281-364-3010 or visit woodlandscenter.org or houstonsymphony.org/tickets/concerts/raiders-of-the-lost-ark-in-concert. Free to $20.

Royal Sumikat painted the mural LyricMichelle; she's painting a new mural at Henderson and Kane.
Photo by Nicolett Tsokos
The ribbon-cutting and unveiling event is scheduled for August 30 from 9-11 a.m. Friday at Henderson and Kane General Store, 715 Henderson. For information, visit artsdistricthouston.com. Free.

Picasso created 20 paintings on camera; they were destroyed upon completion of the film.
Cinematography by Claude Renoir; film still courtesy of Milestone Films
Screenings of The Mystery of Picasso are scheduled for August 30-September 1 at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. Sunday at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Law Building, 1001 Bissonnet. For information, call 713-639-7515 or visit mfah.org/calendar/mystery-picasso. $7 to $9.

Mister McKinney (shown at left) will have his open air bus on hand for tours of downtown Houston.
Photo by Sheryl Tyler
Happy Birthday Houston! is scheduled for August 31 from 4-8 p.m. Saturday at Sam Houston Park, 1000 Bagby. For information, call 713-655-1912 or visit heritagesociety.org/happy-birthday-houston. Free.
The Grand 1894 Opera House celebrates its 125th anniversary this year, no small feat. Not only did it survive the Great Storm of 1900, but it's outlasted many other venues (hello, Fitzgerald's) and is getting ready to open its season with Paul Anka mid-September. In recognition of this milestone year, the Galveston Symphony Orchestra is presenting Celebrating The Grand's 125 Years! with popular music from the 1890s and soprano Megan Stapleton. Oh, and there's another milestone with this one; it's GSO's 40th anniversary season.
A performance of Celebrating The Grand's 125 Years! is scheduled for September 1 at 4 p.m. Sunday at The Grand, 2020 Postoffice, Galveston. For information, call 800-821-1894 or visit galvestonsymphony.org. $25 to $40.