A Virus Temporarily Changes our Social Landscape but Doesn’t Dampen our Spirits

a virus temporarily changes our social landscape but doesn’t dampen our spirits

This was not the first article that I wanted to write for my new column about happenings in the social community, but this is where we are, throughout the world. I hope that this article will help those in our community keep updated, activated, illuminated as well as motivated to help others. We are better when we think of others before thinking of ourselves!

Note: Mayor Sylvester Turner and County Judge Lina Hidalgo issued an emergency health declaration the morning of Wednesday, March 11th due to concerns regarding the CoronaVirus. Fundraising events and other events of note all over the Greater Houston area have been cancelled, postponed or rescheduled. As a public service to our community, we present a list of those about which we’ve been informed. We will update this list as more news becomes available to our office. We are happy to help those that are not part of our publication by listing your event cancellations. Please email us at scott@socialbook.com so that we may do our best to help you get the word out during this stressful time.

CHARITABLE FUNDRAISING EVENTS:

• Houston Ballet Ball’s Nutcracker Spring Market set for April 16-18 has been cancelled.
  Houston Symphony Ball 2021 has been set for February 27, 2021.
• MFAH Events: The Rienzi Society Annual Dinner, set for April 30th has been cancelled. The Glassell School Art Benefit and Auction, set for May 9th has been canceled.
• Crime Stoppers of Houston‘s ‘Houston Heroes” Awards Luncheon, set for May 7th has been canceled.
• Men of Distinction Annual Luncheon, set for May 6th has been cancelled and rescheduled for Wednesday, September 30th at River Oaks Country Club.
• American Cancer Society’s “Cattle Baron’s Ball” on Saturday, April 25th has been cancelled.
• MFAH’s Kinder Opening Week is set for October 27th-November 1st.
• The Center for Pursuit Luncheon set for May 7th has been rescheduled to September 3rd.
• The Mission of Yahweh’s “Women of Substance” Luncheon is set for Friday, November 6th.
• Houston Ballet’s “Raising the Barre,” scheduled for Sunday, April 26th has been postponed.
• Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, scheduled until March 22nd has canceled all remaining events from March 12-22.
• March of Dimes-Houston Chronicle Best Dressed Luncheon and Neiman Marcus Fashion Presentation on March 25th has been cancelled. The event is being rescheduled.
• Houston Children’s Charity 23rd Annual Gala on March 27th has been cancelled. A “NO GALA” AUCTION will still be held at the scheduled time of the original gala date and begins at 6:30 p.m. on March 27th .. ONLINE. For more information, contact Laura Ward or HCC at 713-524-2878 or EMAIL hcc@houstonchildrenscharity.net. They will be happy to connect you to the link to preview and bid on the auction inventory.
• Houston Zoo Ball, set for April 4th has been postopned until the fall. Future date to be determined.
• Houston Police Foundation Clay Shoot set for April 17th has been postponed.
• Virtuosi of Houston’s “Big Band Bash”, set for Saturday, March 28th has been postponed until a date can be rescheduled.
• MFAH has notified Bayou Bend Weekend Events (Fashion Show and Luncheon (April 3rd), Children’s Party (April 4th) and Garden Party (April 5th) have been postponed. The museum is monitoring the situation and will be in touch with further updates.
• Salvation Army’s “Reflections on Style” Luncheon, set for Tuesday, March 14th has been postponed until June. No rescheduled date yet given.
• Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation’s “A Celebration of Reading,” set for April 30th, has been postponed.
• Hermann Park Conservancy’s “Hats in the Park” Luncheon, set for March 26th has been cancelled.
• Fresh Arts’ Comic Ball has been cancelled.
• Fort Bend Women’s Center’s “A Journey of Hope” Gala has been postponed.
• Art League Houston’s opening reception has been cancelled.
• RaiseUp Families’ “Full Bloom” Luncheon is cancelled.
• Annual River Oaks Clay Court Tennis Tournament and associated events have been cancelled.
• MVP Coffee Series presented by United Airlines-Human Trafficking set for March 19th has been postponed.
• Orange Show Center’s for Visionary Art’s “Art Car Parade” and all events associated with it (scheduled for April 16-19): Main St. Drag, Sneek Peek, Art Car Ball, VIPit Experience and Awards Ceremony have been cancelled.
• Houston 20 Fight For Us Luncheon on March 31st has been postponed.
• The MS-150 Bike Ride, set for May 2-3 has been cancelled.
  
• The Mission of Yahweh’s “Miracles of the Mission” Breakfast scheduled for Thu., April 23rd has been cancelled. A new date has not yet been set.
• Easter Seals Houston’s “Walk With Me,” set for April 25th has been canceled. They are setting up “Walk With Me Virtually-Walk, Stroll & Roll the Block from March 20-May 4th. The official Virtual Walk date is still April 25th. Check them out at www.walkwithmehouston.org.
• Houston Botanic Garden’s “Flower Power” event has been canceled as well as all educational programs.
• Be An Angel’s event, set for Friday, April 17th has been rescheduled for Friday, September 11th.
• Chinquapin School’s “Deep in the Heat of Chinquapin,” set for April 22nd has been postponed. No new details are known at this time.

PERFORMANCES AND ENTERTAINMENT  (LOCAL AND NATIONAL)

• Houston Grand Opera has cancelled all performances of Salome and The Magic Flute
• Main Street Theater has cancelled all performances and classes for the forseeable future.
• NCAA March Madness is cancelled.
• Major League Baseball (MLB) and National Hockey League (NHL) postponed their seasons. NBA for 30 days.
• Kenny Chesney’s May 22nd concert performance has been cancelled.
• Broadway goes dark in NYC
• Disneyland, Disney World and Epcot Center will close.
• Alley Theatre, Houston Ballet, Houston Symphony,  Miller Outdoor Theatre, and Society for the Performing Arts, have cancelled their performances through March.
• Stages has cancelled performances through March 22.
• UofH public activities have been cancelled or postponed until further notice. 
• Discovery Green events have been cancelled through April 1. We’ve been told The Lake House, Roller Rink, and The Grove are currently open.
  
• Avenida Houston’s “Party on the Plaza” concert scheduled for Thursday, March 26th, has been cancelled. (They have advised us that so far remaining concerts have been postponed until further notice.)
• Cirque du Soleil’s Alegría performances at Sam Houston Race Park have been cancelled.
• The DiverCity Project performances have been cancelled.
• MGM Resorts International announced it is temporarily suspending operations at all Las Vegas properties “until further notice” effective Tuesday. No reservations being taken prior to May 1st.
• Beginning at 8am on Tuesday, March 17th, all bars in Houston must close and all Houston restaurants must be take-out only for the next 15 days
• River Oaks Chamber Orchestra (ROCO) is cancelling all remaining concerts of Season 15.
• Ars Lyrica is going virtual with musical performances and stories. Check out their virtual schedule at https://www.arslyricahouston.org/virtual/

TOURS, FESTIVALS, PARADES AND OTHER ITEMS/DATES OF NOTE

• Summer Olympics in Tokyo have been rescheduled for next summer. beginning on July 23, 2021, and closing on Aug. 8, 2021. The Paralympics will be held Aug. 24 through Sept. 5, 2021.
• Wimbledon Tennis Tournament, originally scheduled for June 29th, has been canceled. This is the second time it has been canceled in its existence and not since World War II.
• All Houston Public Libraries are closed until further notice. Free online resources and digital services are always available 24/7 with your MY Link Library Card at www.houstonlibrary.org, including e-books and e-audiobooks, streaming TV, movie and music services, online classes and tutoring, and databases.
• The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has canceled all films, tours, workshops, and events through March 30. MFAH main campus, Rienzi & Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens close temporarily as of 5 p.m., March 16th.
• Glassell School of Art closed until March 27th.
• Bayou City Art Festival has been postponed.
• Hermann Park Conservancy’s “Kite Festival” has been cancelled.
• Space Center Houston is closed until March 27th.
• The Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center is closed through March 29.
• Lone Star Flight Museum has closed through March 31.
• Hermann Park is open to the public for normal hours. However, effective Saturday, March 14, the train and pedal boats will be closed until April 3 due to the emergency health declaration by Mayor Sylvester Turner for the City of Houston. The McGovern Centennial Gardens will remain open 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. Pinewood Café will be open 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Houston Center for Contemporary Craft’s on-site programs, including Spring Break activities, are cancelled through April.
• St. Patrick’s Day parade and festival have been cancelled.
• Downtown Houston Home Tour has been cancelled.
• Woodland Heights Home Tour has been cancelled.
• Tomball German Festival has been cancelled.
• Children’s Festival at Sam Houston Park on April 4-5 has been cancelled.
• Japan Festival Houston at Hermann Park, from May 2-3 is postponed.
• All Saks OFF 5th stores are closed until further notice.
• Houston Zoo brings animals to homes via Facebook Live. Zookeepers hop in front of the camera and give daily updates of what the animals are up to while the zoo is shut down. Check them out on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/houstonzoo.

SCHOOL CLOSINGS-PRIVATE

• Kinkaid School campus is closed to students through Friday, March 27, 2020.
• St. John’s School classes cancelled Friday, March 13. Onsite academic classes the week of March 23-27 are cancelled. Students will be asked to bring books and study materials home so that they will be able to participate fully in a remote learning setting.
• River Oaks Baptist School will close campus for a two-week period following spring break, with plans to return on Monday, April 6th.

SCHOOL CLOSINGS-PUBLIC

• Houston Independent School District (HISD) schools and offices will be closed Friday, March 13 through Monday, March 30. All Spring Break campus and UIL events also have been canceled. The district is scheduled to re-open on Tuesday, March 31.
• Spring Branch ISD is closed through March 20th. No decision has yet been made for after the ending of spring break.
• YES Prep Public Schools are closed March 13-27th.
• Other districts for which we’ve been contacted to post:

• Clear Creek ISD
• Deer Park ISD
• Dickinson ISD
• Fort Bend ISD
• Friendswood ISD
• Galveston ISD
• Humble ISD
• Katy ISD
• La Porte ISD
• Lamar CISD
• Pasadena ISD
• Pearland ISD
• Santa Fe ISD
• Spring ISD
• Stafford MSD
• Texas City ISD