Houston Area 4th of July Celebrations ...

by Stacy Morrow / khou.com staff
khou.com

The Houston area is buzzing with activities for the celebration of our nation's independence. You can find events from fireworks displays to parades, in just about every city and community. Here's a list we've compiled of the things we have heard about so far. If you see we have missed anything, or if you want to add something, let us know in the comments below!

HOUSTON
Freedom Over Texas
Houston will set the stage for an extraordinary patriotic celebration at Mayor Annise Parker’s official Fourth of July event, Freedom Over Texas. The annual event is held at Eleanor Tinsley Park from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. and culminates with a fireworks extravaganza set to a perfectly timed bed of patriot and current musical selections. Free with a can of food benefiting the Houston Food Bank or $8 per person (children under 2 free) Information from: http://www.freedomovertexas.org

ExxonMobil Star-Spangled Salute, Miller Outdoor Theatre
Enjoy an evening with Michael Krajewski and the Houston Symphony. Astronaut and vocalist Chris Hadfield will also sing Big Smoke, a song inspired by his first shuttle mission.

Make sure to stay until the end for the 1812 Overture—complete with booming cannons! This celebration concludes with a magnificent display of fireworks provided by the City of Houston through the Miller Theatre Advisory Board. Hours: 8:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. at 6000 Hermann Park Drive, Houston, TX 77030, Phone: 281-FREE-FUN or 281-373-3386 Information from: http://milleroutdoortheatre.com/events/133/

Bayou Bend Family Days Independence Day Celebration
Start your Fourth of July at Bayou Bend, where America's Colonial era is celebrated in patriotic style. Ring in the holiday with an extravaganza of Americana—performers, crafts, activities, refreshments, and more—and don't forget to sign the Texas-sized Declaration of Independence before you leave! With its unique blend of the arts and American history, Bayou Bend is the perfect place to spend Independence Day. From 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. FREE! Information from:
http://www.mfah.org/visit/bayou-bend-family-days/

Kidpendence Celebration | Children's Museum of Houston
Friday, Jul 1 2011 6:00 AM to Monday, Jul 4 2011 10:00 PM CDT
We’re seeing stars and stripes at this special Independence Day celebration! Join us for a patriotic 21-soda geyser burst salute on the 4th of July and plenty of fun-filled activities that will cover you in red, white and blue! Claim Your Independence Discount: We know rising gas prices are making you see stars and stripes, so it is time to claim your independence from them! Receive up to $12 off/ 6 people on July 1 - 4. Special Activity - 21 - Soda Geyser Burst Salute: Celebrate America with a CMH tradition - 21 patriotic bursts of soda that will help you get excited for the rest of the day's activities. 1500 Binz, Houston TX 77004. Phone: (713) 522-1138 Informaton from: http://www.cmhouston.org/en/cev/2570

BELLAIRE
July 4th Parade and Festival
The parade begins at 9:30 am and the festival runs from 10 am to 1 pm. The parade route begins at the Bellaire Triangle and travels down Bellaire Blvd. and S. Rice Ave. A children's parade leads the big parade. Kids are encouraged to decorate trikes, bikes and wagons and meet by Community National Bank at Bellaire Blvd. & Fifth Street. No need to enter the children's parade ahead of time, just show up at 9 a.m. in the CNB parking lot. The festival begins in Bellaire Town Square immediately after the parade. Enjoy live entertainment, carnival games, food, a mini ferris wheel, petting zoo, moon jumps, dunk tank and much, much more! Admission into the festival is free, but games take tickets and the food is an additional cost. Join us for some home town fun! Information from: http://www.ci.bellaire.tx.us/index.aspx?nid=879.

CITY OF EL LAGO
July 4th Picnic
For this year’s July 4th Picnic, we are going to take it down home with a parade and then bar-b-que at the pool. Join us at 10:00 a.m. at McNair Park for the annual non-motorized parade around the park. Prizes will be awarded in the following three categories: Most Sparkling, Most Creative and Most Patriotic. After the parade, we will retire to the El Lago Swim and Racquet Club to visit with friends, listen to some music and enjoy a burger together. The City will provide the drinks, burger, bun and burger fixings; we are asking residents to bring a side dish and/or desert. You will also want to bring your lawn chair or blanket for relaxing around the pool and spray ground in the afternoon. Information from: http://www.ellago-tx.com/events.html#july4

CONROE
July 4th Walden and Bentwater Fireworks Show
Fireworks will be shot off at Dusk from the Marina near the Walden Yacht Club, 13101 Melville Dr, Montgomery. Parking at the Yacht club is reserved for dinner guests. There is limited parking on the streets. Suggested viewing is from the water. Information from: http://www.conroetoday.com/evps/evitem.cfm?evid=4548

FORT BEND
Freedom Rings Concert featuring the Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra
Program includes Star Spangled Banner Finale with soloist, Armed Forces Salute, America the Beautiful – Dragon, God Bless the USA, Liberty Fanfare -Williams/Aguero, Joplin Rag, You're a Grand Old Flag, Variations on a Shaker Melody – Copland, Strike Up the Band, Sousa Marches, Gems of Stephen Foster and 1812 Overture. Event will be at the Stafford Centre from 7p.m. to 9 p.m. and a fireworks show will begin at 9 p.m. Location:10505 Cash Road, Stafford, TX 77477. Information from: http://www.fbso.org/
KATY
Annual Freedom Celebration at Katy Mills Mall
The 22nd Annual Katy Freedom Celebration fireworks display will be held at Katy Mills Mall on Monday, July 4. The fireworks are launched between the east side of the mall and Katy Fort Bend Road. The display begins at dark (approximately 9:00 p.m.) and can be viewed from several miles around the mall area. Information from: cityofkaty.com/katy-freedom-celebration-july-4/
KEMAH
Kemah’s Independence Day Parade
Kicking off the Independence Day Celebration activities is the Kemah 4th of July Parade, Monday, at 11:00 a.m. with the Children’s Parade starting at 10:30 a.m. The parade line up is behind the Kemah Visitor Center at 9:00 a.m. with the parade route travelling along the Kemah Lighthouse District. The theme for the patriotic parade this year is “The Spirit of Volunteerism.” The parade is open to all and easy to enter with no registration fee. Monday evening is the July 4th Kemah Boardwalk Fireworks, “Star Spangled Skies” extravaganza. From the Kemah Boardwalk and surrounding areas all will be able to see the fantastic light show over Galveston Bay. The annual fireworks display scheduled to begin at 9:30 p.m. For more information on these activities or lodging needs contact the Kemah Visitor Center at 281-334-3181. Information from: http://www.kemah.net/July_4_2011_Kemah_press_release.pdf

LEAGUE CITY
July 4th Citizen Appreciation Day
Mayor, City Council, Parks Board and staff will be serving free refreshments in appreciation of the citizens of the City of League City at League Park from 11:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. There will be live music and other entertainment. FREE. Information from: http://www.leaguecity.com/calendar.aspx?EID=1348

NASSAU BAY
July 4th Parade and Fireworks Show
Decorate your bikes, floats, baby strollers, cars, or just yourself! Various prizes will be awarded. Join your friends and neighbors for a fun-filled evening. Bring a picnic dinner and a blanket for the fireworks show. Parade begins at 6:30 p.m. from Gloria Dei and ends at Lake Park Nassau. Activities at the park including bounce houses, food vendors, face painting, and live music. Fireworks Display begins at 9 p.m. Information from: http://www.nassaubay.com/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=48

PASADENA
Pasadena's Annual 4th Fest Event will take place Monday, July 4th, 2011
from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Pasadena Convention Center.
There will be a 20-minute long fireworks show, live music by “The Slags,” a car show, kidzone, USMC Toys for Tots BBQ Cook-off, games, prizes, vendors, water balloon war zone, sports and other entertainment. Information from: http://www.ci.pasadena.tx.us/default.aspx?name=prk.event-4thfest

PEARLAND
Celebration of Freedom
This year's program will begin with an explosion of patriotic excitement! A full-size carnival will be on site at noon on Monday. Stadium and Field seating will be available at no charge beginning at 6 PM on Monday. A VFW military salute will begin the evening's entertainment, followed by the National Anthem. The stadium will be filled with the tunes of Texas country recording artist, Hamilton Loomis. At sundown, enjoy a spectacular 20-minute fireworks display from your seat inside the stadium.. For more information, call 281-412-8900. Information from: http://www.pearlandparks.com/celebration_of_freedom.html
SUGAR LAND
Celebration of Freedom
The City of Sugar Land’s 26th annual Red White and Bluefest will set the skies ablaze over Oyster Creek Park. Celebrate America’s 235th birthday with family, friends and fellow residents while enjoying new main stage performances, delicious county fair-type goodies and numerous children’s activities. A free shuttle service will be provided from Mercer Stadium, 16403 Lexington Blvd., to Oyster Creek Park, 4033 State Highway 6 South, from 4:30-11 p.m. Information from: www.sugarlandtx.gov
THE WOODLANDS
South County Fourth of July Parade “Celebrating the American Dream”
On Sunday, July 3, stroll through Market Street - The Woodlands for its Fourth of July parade, “Celebrating the American Dream” starting at 9 a.m. The festivities continue later that evening when the Houston Symphony performs its Star Spangled Salute, a free concert at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion starting at 8 pm. Information from: http://www.4thofjuly.org/

Houston Symphony presents Star-Spangled Salute
The Pavilion dons red, white and blue July 3 for the return of the Star-Spangled Salute. This free Independence Eve spectacular features the Houston Symphony in a selection of patriotic favorites under the direction of Michael Krajewski. Don’t miss commemorating the birth of our nation by joining the Symphony in this grandiose celebration. It’s an evening of good, old-fashioned family fun complete with cannons blasting from the top of the hill during Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture." Pre-concert activities begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Fidelity Investments Plaza.FREE event. Information from: http://www.woodlandscenter.org/tourarchive.html?n_id=346

Red, Hot & Blue Festival
The Woodlands will celebrate July 4 weekend with one of the largest firework displays in the greater Houston area, hot dog and watermelon eating contests, live entertainment, and more! Now in its 14th year, the annual Red, Hot & Blue Festival will be held Monday, July 4, 2011 from 6 - 10 pm at Town Green Park and Waterway Square, both located along The Woodlands Waterway. Admission to the event is free and tickets for food concessions and games may be purchased on-site. Information from: http://www.thewoodlandscvb.com/redhotblue/

Trio arrested after driving into Kingwood La Quinta

by khou.com staff
khou.com
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 4:05 PM

KINGWOOD, Texas – A trio of drug suspects was arrested Monday after crashing their pickup truck into a La Quinta in Kingwood.
It happened at the hotel in the 22700 block of U.S. 59

Montgomery County Precinct 4 deputy constables said they were conducting a narcotics investigation when the three suspects showed up at the hotel in a stolen pickup truck for a drug transaction.

Marked patrol units converged on them as they pulled up, and one of the suspects exited the truck.

But investigators said the driver of the truck, 30-year-old Randy Lee Wilkerson, decided not to go quietly.
They said Wilkerson turned into a parking space, accelerated rapidly and smashed the truck into the outside wall of the hotel. The truck hit the wall with such force that it cracked the interior wall of an occupied room.
Wilkerson’s door was stuck, so he hopped over his passenger, 25-year-old Jason Michael Beyer, and took off on foot.

Officers chased him for about five blocks before they caught up with him. After a brief struggle, investigators said they were able to arrest Wilkerson.
Beyer and the third suspect, Paula Jaunette Pifer, 36, did not resist arrest.
Deputy constables said they searched the pickup and found a bag of methamphetamine inside. Another baggie of meth was found on the sidewalk, just outside the passenger-side door.

Wilkerson is charged with manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance, engaging in organized criminal activity, evading arrest with a vehicle, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and resisting arrest.

Pifer, who was out on bond for an unrelated charge when she was arrested Monday, and Beyer are both charged with manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance and engaging in organized criminal activity.
No one inside the hotel was injured.

Alvin woman jumps on hood of beer thieves ...

Alleged drunk off-duty cop draws ire!

KINGWOOD, TX (KTRK) -- An off-duty Houston police officer is the subject of an internal investigation after a family claims he broke into their home while chasing down a teenager. The family says it happened Friday in a neighborhood in Kingwood.

Witnesses on Quiet Glade Court tell us they watched a barefoot off-duty officer chase a boy down the street. Now the teen's parents are demanding some answers, and action.

The glass on the front door is broken, and the people living here say you can still see an off-duty officer's trail of blood around their home.

"He put his face to the window and then he punched a hole in the window so he can see through it and then he just opened the door," said Matthew Pifer.

Pifer, 16, says it was last Friday when an off-duty Houston police officer who lives nearby chased him and his friend for allegedly no reason.

"He was intoxicated," said Pifer. "I smelled a ton of alcohol off of him. He was drunk."

The teen says that officer was barefoot and only wearing a bathing suit as the man barged through and broke his family's front door. Pifer says the officer assaulted him and threatened his sister until a neighbor stepped in to help.

"He was a bit out of control," recalled neighbor Beth Redmond. "He just kept saying that he was a police officer and he had the right."

Redmond says he asked the officer what triggered the chase as she bandaged his bleeding hand.

"He said he smelled cigarette smoke," she explained.

Pifer claims neither he nor his friends were smoking, just hanging out near a stop sign between his and the accused officer's home.

"He thought that we were going to, like, vandalism his house, but we weren't," Pifer insisted. "We were going to someone else's house and he thought we were going to his and he started chasing us."


READ MORE HERE

Wild fires plaguing Texas

Firefighters from Cut and Shoot, Caney Creek, Splendora, Montgomery County and Bear Creek fire departments were still at work by deadline Monday trying to put out a nearly 200-acre wildfire about 10 miles northwest of Cleveland.
No structures were harmed.
Four bulldozers, including one from the Texas Forest Service, worked to set up a fire perimeter to keep the fire contained.
Helicopters made 38 drops of water to squelch the flames. The cause was undetermined Monday night.

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Kingwood family says cops broke into home ...

KINGWOOD, TX (KTRK) -- An off-duty Houston police officer is the subject of an internal investigation after a family claims he broke into their home while chasing down a teenager. The family says it happened Friday in a neighborhood in Kingwood.


Witnesses on Quiet Glade Court tell us they watched that barefoot off-duty officer chase the boy down the street. Now the teen's parents are demanding some answers, and action.

The glass on the front door is broken, and the people living here say you can still see an off-duty officer's trail of blood around their home.

"He put his face to the window and then he punched a hole in the window so he can see through it and then he just opened the door," said Matthew Pifer.

Pifer, 16, says it was last Friday when an off-duty Houston police officer who lives nearby chased him and his friend for allegedly no reason.

"He was intoxicated," said Pifer. "I smelled a ton of alcohol off of him. He was drunk."

The teen says that officer was barefoot and only wearing a bathing suit as the man barged through and broke his family's front door. Pifer says the officer assaulted him and threatened his sister until a neighbor stepped in to help.

"He was a bit out of control," recalled neighbor Beth Redmond. "He just kept saying that he was a police officer and he had the right."

Redmond says he asked the officer what triggered the chase as she bandaged his bleeding hand.

"He said he smelled cigarette smoke," she explained.

Pifer claims neither he nor his friends were smoking, just hanging out near a stop sign between his and the accused officer's home.

"He thought that we were going to, like, vandalism his house, but we weren't," Pifer insisted. "We were going to someone else's house and he thought we were going to his and he started chasing us."

We've chosen not to identify the officer. But a spokesman from the Houston Police Department confirms internal affairs has launched an investigation.

READ THE REST OF THE STORY HERE