I-10 Ramp from IH-45 North Closed!!

After leaving work yesterday afternoon, I decided to take a different route home from work besides my regular 15min stagger down Kirby Drive to get to Allen Parkway from San Felipe.
I took San Felipe down to Shepard and turned towards Allen Parkway through that light- and saved myself about 10 minutes of driving time. That was, until I got onto the on ramp for IH-45N to see a giant sign that notified me that the on ramp I take to get to Denver Harbor (I-10 East) was closed. The detour led you up 45N till N.Main Street. It ended up taking me an hour to get home. So, just a heads up for those of you trying to get to the neighborhoods. It's hard to tell if it's been opened since yesterday. Here is a little chart you can follow along:

Location	IH-45 North Southbound from Crosstimbers to IH-10 Katy
Distance	2.50 miles
Travel Time	2 minutes 32 seconds
Avg Speed	59 MPH
Data Age	3:17:48 PM
Other Info	Live Speed Chart

Festival to Celebrate our East End this Weekend!

I used to sit at Brasils Coffee Shop and think, "Man..I really wish there was a place this great to hang out closer to my side of town." Well, through my own manifestations (i'm convinced! ha.) and an amazing couple, came Bohemeos Music/Art/Coffee.
This cafe/music/art stop had me at hello & i'm happy to have the opportunity to partake in their now 2nd Annual East End Arts Festival - aimed at bringing community from all over Houston to recognize the flowers blooming on the East End of town.
The festival is being made possible by artists, poets, vendors, and musicians dedicated to what the festival stands for, and more importantly, what Bohemeos stands for.
So, this weekend- one day only- come on over to Bohemeos Music/Art/Coffee and take in the scene!

The full line up is below- Order some food, drinks, find a stage you like, and enjoy!!!!

p.s. The poetry hour is sure to give you the warm fuzzies & the art on the wall right now are the passionate works of the Tres Chingonas - Lizbeth Ortiz, Julie Zarate, and Stephanie Guajardo!

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This East End Cultural Arts Festival is all about community, so bring the family & bring the neighbors. There will be artists, vendors, musicians and performers. Help support local talent and culture, and come see a whole day of original creativity.

Since we have such a large group of performers, we're going to mix it up and actually do this schedule style:

Indoor stage

12 pm Indie short films
1 pm Poetry Power Hour
2 pm Comedy hour
3 pm Theater with Ruby Nelda Perez
4 pm Rozz Zamorano and the Z Jazz Trio
5 pm Pistoleros de Texas

Outdoor Stage
1:30 pm Bella Ballet Children Ballet
2:30 pm Irish Dance Co.
3:30 pm Flamenco "Gitanarias"
4:30 pm Danza Azteca "Teokalli"
5:30 pm Los Guerreros de La Musica

Green Fest this Saturday @ The Last Organic Outpost!

The Emile St. Community Garden/ The Last Organic Outpost was one of the first inspirations for the Original Jardin- our sister garden site @ www.originaljardin.blogger.com- and they are doing it really big this weekend. If you have the time (or can make the time) come out and enjoy the amazing Houston weather we are having and learn about where you belong/exist in this Green World.

Details:
Last Organic Outpost & KPFT will be hosting an event on Saturday, Oct. 24th at Emile Garden in the 5th ward. This festival is focused on to promoting green living throughout the city of Houston. We will be having demonstrations, presentations, and speakers focused on how live a more sustainable lifestyle. Music- 144 Elite, Cabo, Tom Tranchilla and Buddy Allen, DJ Sunonwater, Jerome Vielman, and many more.

We will have a Raffle and Silent Auction hosted by Houston Green Scene. There will be three stages for entertainment and educational activities! There will also be lots of family fun including free petting zoo, face painting, scavenger hunt, children’s fashion show by Sama Baby, interactive puppet show with Super Happy Funland, storytelling, NIA for tots and other small children, Sack races, art stations, balloon art, gardening activities and many more!

Green Organization and Business Participating: Houston Green scene, Houston Electric Cars, Green Cleaning products, Houston Urban Farm Belt Coalition, The Young and the Restless (Children’s resale), Massage in the garden sponsored by Dentist- Houston’s Premier Green Dental Office, Joe and Pat Greer

This event will also be promoting the efforts of 350.org INTERNATIONAL DAY OF CLIMATE ACTION. Check out the www.350.org for more information.

Food Provided by Radical Eats and Ruggles Green.
Yoga by Jennyoga and Devanand,
Recycling made possible by Not Trash.Houston
Featured local artist, Charles Washington will be demonstrating making art out of Recycled Material along with other works of Garden Art.
AND MUCH MUCH MORE!!!

Here are some of the demonstrations and presentations. (A schedule will be posted shortly):
• How to build a Composting Bin demonstration by Brittani Flowers of NotTrash.Houston
• How to make your own Natural, non-toxic cleaning products demonstration by Mona Metzger of Urban Green Clean
• Electric Car Showcase by Houston Electric Cars
• Environmental Art Workshop by Artist Charles Washington
• Balloon animals for kids with bio-degradable balloons by The Bug Man
• Featuring Garden Art by Recycle Artist Phil Waldrop
• Recycled Structures proudly constructed by Green Construction Company, Bright Side Construction
• Special performance by poet, performance artist and author of /Haiku2u:101 select poems on love, trial, triumph and trust /Jerome Vielman
• Special Appearance by Amanda Tullos (unsure of spelling) of Phoenix Connection Recycled Home Builder Dan Phillips
• Interactive garden games provided by United Wellness Center and Last Organic Outpost

Remember to pick-up your Holiday Green Guide featuring farm fresh recipes from the Last Organic Outpost compliments of Houston Green Scene

Cafe Flores Bringing Music, Poetry, & Comedy to Houston's East End

Come out and enjoy a night of Poetry, Live Music, and Comedy with a plate of dinner!

Friday July 24th & Saturday July 25th, Cafe Flores will host performances by Comedian Al B, Poet Ricardo Zavala, Comedian Jerry Carrillo, Guitarist Daniel "Red", Guitarist Ellias Gomez, Guitarist Federico Herrera, Singer Cynthia Martinez, and Singer Daisy Rodriguez. All local acts that have joined together to bring all these art forms under one roof. OurDHStreets caught up with Poet Ricardo Zavala who is gearing up for the show and he shared (that) "It is great to be a part of a new group of local artists who are putting on a show which combines comedy, poetry, music, singing with a great dinner! Expressions are evenings of performances which will cool down your soul this summer!"
Extra Info-

• Dinner includes grilled chicken in tequila gravy with mashed-potatoes, veggies and tea.
• Please RSVP by 12Noon on 7/23/09 at jerry_vision12@hotmail.com or call 713-928-5244! There is limited seating so please rsvp as soon as you can!
• $12.50 per person
  

Doors open with a musical reception from 6-7pm. Dinner will only be served from 7-8pm.
This is the place to be for a 1st date, anniversary, or night out with friends. Please come out and support your local Houston Artists.


Date: Friday, July 24th & Saturday, July 25th
Time: 6:00pm - 11:00pm
Location: Cafe Flores
Street: 6606 Lawndale
City/Town: Houston, TX
Telephone: 713-928-5244

OurDHStreets Remembers Michael Jackson

Lalo Alcaraz

The world is feeling the loss of Michael Jackson today as news of his sudden death reaches throughout the world. And, although we are a little neighborhood in a big city, I know many Denver Harbor residence are feeling it too. If you say you don't like MJ, you don't know MJ's work. And if you don't know MJ's work, get with the program.
He was one of a kind- amazingly talented & a great spirit despite of so much negativity around him at times. I am personally thankful for having the opportunity to experience his music.

~Rest In Peace Michael~
OurDHStreets already miss you.

Excuse the Hiatus

I know it's been a while since this website was updated, and for those of you who have been asking, I wanted to give you a bit of insight.
This project started with an outline that showed the ever endless possibilities of opening up a space for the public to express, share, learn. etc. & since the first post came to be, we (writers and followers) have been paying special attention to what you, the public, like to/want to discuss/support/read about.
So, with that new knowledge, we felt we had to take a step back and re-analyze our audience, our themes, and the direction that we hope this blog goes into in the coming months.
Please excuse the hiatus & we will be back very soon to open new doors of discussion, exploration, and, what we foresee, as a stronger connection to what is going down on Our DH Streets.

BREAKING NEWS: Firefighters Battling 3- Alarm Fire Near McReynolds Middle School

some info from abc13.com-
HOUSTON -- Firefighters are on the scene of a three-alarm warehouse fire in east Houston.

[WATCH LIVE: Launch streaming SkyEye13 video]

The fire broke out just before 6am on Old Clinton Road at Shotwell- just behind McReynolds Middle School. There are reports that a palate outside the warehouse caught fire and flames quickly spread into the structure.

The warehouse is apparently in an industrial warehouse area and not causing any problems for any residents. There were reports that a couple of the walls have collapsed. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time. And there are no reports of any injuries.

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We hope to have more info on the cause of this fire and to find out what exactly is burning, so we can have a better idea about how it might affect Denver Harbor & 5th Ward residents.