5 Best Bets This Weekend in Houston: George Springer's All-Stars and AsiaFest

We already head to BLVD Place for Whole Foods and the soon to be reimagined Cafe Annie; now the Uptown hotspot is screening movies on its roof for the 18 and up crowd. Catch a rooftop flick this weekend after the sun goes down, consider kayaking along Buffalo Bayou, discover new works by talented playwrights and find your passport to culture at AsiaFest. Plus, the weekend kicks off early with a swank Thursday night event hobnobbing with George Springer, celebs and pro athletes in a benefit for the Stuttering Association for the Young.

Superheroes don't always have capes; they come in all shapes and sizes, even Astros uniforms. No child wants to feel different, and outfielder George Springer grew up feeling isolated and afraid to speak because of his own stuttering. Now confident and with a World Series Championship under his belt, Springer has learned to embrace his stuttering and is a spokesperson for SAY, a national non-profit that supports young people who stutter. It's the fifth time at bat for George Springer's Annual All-Star Bowling Benefit — an upscale night of mixing and mingling with celebrity lane captains, pro athletes, and bowling at Bowlmor. The annual benefit supports the George Springer Kids Fund, and you can supersize the fun by buying tix for up to 32 guests as a championship presenting sponsor.

George Springer's Fifth Annual All-Star Bowling Benefit is scheduled for June 27 at 7-10 p.m. Thursday at Bowlmor, 925 Bunker Hill. For information, call Noah Cornman at 212-414-9696, extension 201 or visit SAY.org/Springer. $300 to $500; sponsorships $5,000 to $25,000.

There's excitement in the air whenever a new play makes its debut. Can the dialogue hold our interest, are the characters believable, does it deliver a message without getting too preachy? Follow that buzz to the seventh season of Fade to Black, Houston's first and only short play festival that celebrates new works of African-American playwrights. Houstonian Corey Shields is a winner, as well as playwrights from New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, Kansas, North Carolina and Washington, DC. It's presented by Shabach Enterprise and you might want to dress to the nines; organizers are filming the festival event for an upcoming documentary.

Performances are scheduled for June 27 through June 29 at 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday at MATCH, 3400 Main. For information, call 713-521-4533 or visit fadetoblackfest.com or matchouston.org. $25 to $35.



It's not the end of the world when you discover your cheerleading captain stole all your best routines from a hip-hop squad out of East Compton. But when you're still in high school, it is everything, and we'll see what happens as the pressure mounts for both the Rancho Carne Toros and the underfunded Clovers. Kirsten Dunst headlines the 2000 sports comedy Bring It On, screening at one of the hottest movie venues in town, Rooftop Cinema Club at BLVD Place. Think adjustable deck chairs, personal headphones and an intermission, plus access to yummies from Good Dog, Readers' Choice winner for best hot dog in 2019's Best of Houston®, and wine, beer and craft cocktails. This cinematic experience is 18 and up so, for plenty of spotlight grabbing, backstabbing and secret-blabbing, "Let's Go!"

The screening is scheduled for June 29 at 8:30 p.m. Saturday at BLVD Place Uptown, 1700 Post Oak Boulevard. For information, visit rooftopcinemaclub.com/houston/venue/about-blvd-place. $17 to $24.

Dragon dances, boba tea and cosplay; we can't think of a better way to celebrate culture than with AsiaFest 2019 at Asia Society Texas Center. Best of all, this popular event has moved inside, giving guests air-conditioned comfort while kids visit different regions to collect stamps for their passports. This is the first year organizers are encouraging cosplay and costumes, so dress up in your favorite Asian pop culture character and enjoy an afternoon of Bharatanatyam and Indian folk dance, traditional Vietnamese and Chinese music, and Hawaiian/Polynesian song and dance, plus vendors serving all our favorite foods: dumplings, kebabs, poke, macarons and mochi. Art lovers will want to grab this chance to view both art exhibitions for free — "Super Sarap" and "Site Lines: Artists Working in Texas" — while everybody will find something to buy at the international bazaar.

AsiaFest 2019 is scheduled for June 29, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.Saturday at Asia Society Texas Center, 1370 Southmore. For information, call 713-496-9901 or visit asiasociety.org/texas. Free admission.

Catch kayak fever with Bayou City Adventures, your one stop shop for rentals, guided tours, and adventures at Discovery Green, Surfside Beach and Houston's bayous. This weekend they're hosting the Houston Skyline Guided Kayak Tour, a three and a half hour journey that navigates more than seven miles of waterway from Memorial Park to Sabine Street, passing through the Hogg Bird Sanctuary, the Waugh Bridge bat colony and Eleanor Tinsley Park. Insider tip: Bring your camera because this is a view of Houston's skyline not often seen. Reservations are required and space is limited; if you can't get in, check the event calendar for kayaking at Discovery Green and quick start classes.

The guided kayak tour is scheduled for June 29 from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturday at Bayou City Adventures, 1520 Silver Street. For information, call 713-538-7433 or visit bayoucityadventures.org. $60.