October: Halloween Movie Nights – Saturday nights in October, drop by for spooky fun and Halloween movies. Movies schedule are:

• October 5th: “Hotel Transylvania,” shown at dusk
• October 12th: “The House With A Clock In Its Walls,” shown at dusk
• October 19th: “Goosebumps 2,” shown at dusk
• October 26th: “Coca” and Halloween Party

October 10th (10am-8pm): Galveston Appreciation Day will take place where all-day ride passes will be $15.99. This is in conjunction with the Harvest Moon Regatta at 2pm. 

October 11th-14th: Scout Weekend – There will be discounts for scouts with $17.99 All Day Ride Passes ($2 donated back).

October 26th (3-9pm): Halloween Party – Bring the kids out for a ghostly good time with discounted ride tickets, trick or treating, costume contest, activity corner, movies and more.

Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier, located at 2501 Seawall Blvd., features family-oriented attractions including rides, midway games, food venues, and retail shops. All events and rides are weather permitting. For more info, tickets, and a full list of events go to pleasurepier.com.

For decades, the historic Pleasure Pier served as a tourism catalyst for Galveston’s Seawall Boulevard and the Texas Gulf Coast. More than 40 years after the original Pleasure Pier was destroyed by Hurricane Carla, Landry’s has transformed the Pleasure Pier into a world-class amusement park for all ages.

Tickets are available for Walk-On only (no rides), Single Rides, All Day Ride Passes, and Weekend Pass for three parks at tickets.pleasurepier.com.

Moody Gardens is located at 1 Hope Blvd. in Galveston. For more info or tickets go to moodygardens.com. 

Ghostly Gardens will be held October 12th, 19th and 26th at Moody Gardens and will embrace the Halloween spirit with lots of spooky fun. Get the fright night combo ticket for $19.95 per person which includes one movie at the Fright Night Film Fest, one showing of “Happy Family 4D” in the 4D Special FX Theater, admission into the Reef Rescue VR Experience, and admission into the Rainforest of Terror. Individual tickets for specific events are also available. 

Fright Night Film Fest is guaranteed to get horror fans in the fright frame of mind on the largest screen in Texas and some tamer options for the youngsters as well. 

Each night features three horror-movie titles that get progressively scarier as the evening goes on, from chilling to fearful to downright frightening. Concessions will be available along with special Halloween themed drinks for the ghoulish occasion. For the rated R movies those under 18 will not be admitted without accompanying parent or adult guardian. Individual movie tickets are $9.95. The Ghostly Gardens Film Fest is:

October 12th:

• 4:30pm: “Gremlins” (1984) – (PG) Chilling
• 6:30pm: “The Lost Boys” (1987) – (R) Fearful
• 8:30pm: “Creepshow” (1982) – (R) Downright Frightening

October 19th:

• 4:30pm: “Beetlejuice” (1988) – (PG) Chilling
• 6:30pm: “Twilight Zone: The Movie” (1983) – (PG) Fearful
• 8:30pm: “Friday the 13th (2009) – (R) Downright Frightening

October 26th:

• 4:30pm: “Little Shop of Horrors” (1986) – (PG-13) Chilling
• 6:30pm: “Poltergeist” (1982) – (PG) Fearful
• 8:30pm: “A Nightmare on Elm Street 2” (1985) – (R) Downright Frightening

In the 4D theater, “Happy Family 4D will show 4-9m. Individual movie tickets are $11.95.

Also as part of the Ghostly Gardens will be The Rainforest of Terror 4-9pm! Learn the Scary Truths Animals Face in the Wild at Rainforest of Terror. Explore the plights the animals there face from poaching to deforestation. Stay tuned for more details to come! Individual event tickets are $25.95.

Spooktacular Halloween October 26th will be held 2-4pm. Come to this free event that includes trick-or-treating at various locations throughout the property, crafts and more. There’s even a costume contest for guests in the Garden Lobby with prizes for the best costume. Registration for the costume contest is from 2-2:45pm. Contestants will be separated by age group.

For more info go to moodygardens.com/halloween.

Galveston Art League Gala puts the FUN in FUNdraising

by Mary Vinnedge
            You can put your best fun forward at the Galveston Art League Gala being held 6-10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, in the San Luis Hotel in Galveston.

            The league’s fifth annual gala is themed The Nature of Art/The Art of Nature, and guests can wear cocktail attire or something related to the theme. One accomplished painter and longtime Art League member will flutter into the event in a butterfly costume; a non-artist who’s a league member has pledged wear a sea turtle T-shirt and coordinating bow tie with a sporty jacket.

            The Galveston Art League’s fundraiser galas – always laid-back parties with fine food and open bar – will honor these conservation groups and their programs:

• Turtles About Town (a Turtle Island Restoration Network program).
• The Seawall Interpretive Trail (an Artist Boat project).
• FeatherFest/PhotoFest/FledglingFest (annual initiatives of the Galveston Island Nature Tourism Council).

            These three nonprofits raise awareness about environmental issues and threats to wildlife, and they act to preserve habitat as well as native plants, birds, mammals, and other animals. The organizations incorporate art into their programs while teaching about conservation and raising awareness of best practices.   

            The gala has two overriding purposes: It will serve as a show of support for those causes and as a fundraiser for the nonprofit Galveston Art League, which is operated solely by volunteers and has never had a salaried staff member. The league was founded more than 105 years ago to promote art in the greater Galveston County area. To that end, GAL holds competitions for artists, it hosts art workshops and even free activities for kids and adults, and it raises the profile of artists with its gallery exhibits that change monthly.

            The gala’s fast-paced fun will be helmed by emcee TJ Aulds, founder of i45NOW, an online digital TV news outlet covering the Galveston Bay/Clear Lake region.

            One event highlight will be the raffle of a wheelbarrow loaded with wine, liquor, and snacks; the supplies are ideal for a garden party, picnic, etc. Dozens of auctions – live and silent – provide an excellent way to expand your art collection, purchase holiday gifts, or snag products, gift cards, and services donated by area merchants. For instance, on the block are Kendra Scott jewelry, a tarot card reading, and 3-D art and paintings by high-profile regional artists such as Leroy LeFlore, Paul Tankersley, and Lee Johnson. (To contribute an auction item or to become a gala sponsor, please email gallery2117@gmail.com.)

            Great conversation – plus the chance to make new friends and catch up with old ones – will flow all night along with wine or other beverage of your choice. Sparky’s Jazz Express, a band, will play live during the event.

            To purchase tickets, please visit www.GalvestonArtLeague.com or go in person to the Galveston Art League Gallery, 2117A Postoffice St. in Galveston. Gallery hours are noon to 6 p.m. Thursdays-Sundays and during ArtWalk. (Be sure to buy raffle tickets while you’re there – you don’t have to attend the gala to win the raffle, by the way. Raffle tickets are $10 each, three for $25.)

            Questions? Email gallery2117@gmail.com or call 409-938-1671. I’ll see you at the GAL gala!

• October: Halloween Movie Nights – Saturday nights in October, drop by for spooky fun and Halloween movies.
  • October 5th: “Hotel Transylvania,” Shown at Dusk
  • October 12th: “The House With A Clock In Its Walls,” Shown at Dusk
  • October 19th: “Goosebumps 2,” Shown at Dusk
  • October 26th: Halloween Party – Bring the kids out for a ghostly good time with trick or treating, movies and more!
  • October 26th: “Coco,” Shown at Dusk
• October 10th, 10am-8pm, Galveston Appreciation Day will take place where all-day ride passes will be $15.99. This is in conjunction with the Harvest Moon Regatta at 2pm. 
• October 3rd: HomeSchool Day – Homeschooled students are invited to come for a day of educational thrills.
• October 11th-14th: Scout Weekend – There will be discounts for scouts with $17.99 All Day Ride Passes ($2 donated back).
• October 26th: Halloween Party – Bring the kids out for a ghostly good time with discounted ride tickets, trick or treating, movies and more.

Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier, located at 2501 Seawall Blvd., features family-oriented attractions including rides, midway games, food venues, and retail shops. All events and rides are weather permitting. For more info, tickets, and a full list of events go to pleasurepier.com.

For decades, the historic Pleasure Pier served as a tourism catalyst for Galveston’s Seawall Boulevard and the Texas Gulf Coast. More than 40 years after the original Pleasure Pier was destroyed by Hurricane Carla, Landry’s has transformed the Pleasure Pier into a world-class amusement park for all ages.

Tickets are available for Walk-On only (no rides), Single Rides, All Day Ride Passes, and Weekend Pass for three parks at tickets.pleasurepier.com.

November 28th: Thanksgiving Movie on the Pier – “Freebirds” will be shown at dusk.

Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier, located at 2501 Seawall Blvd., features family-oriented attractions including rides, midway games, food venues, and retail shops. All events and rides are weather permitting. For more info, tickets, and a full list of events go to pleasurepier.com.

Tickets are available for Walk-On only (no rides), Single Rides, All Day Ride Passes, and Weekend Pass for three parks at tickets.pleasurepier.com.

George Douglas Lee’s Last Picture Show (1-9pm): This will be George Douglas Lee’s last Art Walk art show due to there being so few remaining original pieces of his art. In addition to his original art, prints, children’s books, music, and his ‘George On Stage’ whimsical statues will be available for sale. George had been working on a book of his art and asking those who purchased his original art for permission to use their name as a ‘collector’ in the book. Efforts to complete the book are ongoing. 

October 12th, November 30th (6-9pm)

For over 25 years, the Galveston Arts Center has organized ArtWalk on eight Saturday evenings each year in the heart of Galveston’s historic district. ArtWalk takes place inside existing art galleries (both commercial and non-profit) and other spaces such as cafes and shops that showcase rotating art exhibits.

One of the Galveston Arts Center’s largest programs, ArtWalk supports our arts community and connects a diverse assortment of local places to see, learn about and purchase original art.

For more info, locations and more, go to https://www.facebook.com/events/793932390946343/?event_time_id=793932407613008.

On view November 23rd- February 23rd at Galveston Arts Center will be “Amber Eagle: Nap Dreams.”

There will be an Opening Reception Saturday, November 30th, 6-9pm with an Artist Talk at 6:30pm.

Amber Eagle is an artist based in Houston, TX and San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico. Eagle received an MFA from the California College of the Arts and a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. She was a Core Fellow with the Glassell School of Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and has been an artist in residence at The Headlands Center for the Arts, Sausalito, CA, The McColl Center, Charlotte, NC, The Portland College of Arts and Crafts in Oregon, and Lawndale Art Center, Houston. Eagle has spent extensive time in Mexico following an initial award from the Cultural Arts Council of Houston/Harris County to research fiestas and sugar sculpting traditions. Her work has been featured in exhibitions throughout North America and is included in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and Five Points Museum of Contemporary Art, Victoria, as well as public art installations in Houston’s East End and Cherryhurst House, Houston. Eagle is an accomplished art car artist whose cars Our Lady of Transportation and Rosebud have received awards at the Houston Art Car Parade. For more info on the artist, go to ambereagle.studio. For more information on this exhibition, please visit galvestonartscenter.org/exhibitions/ambereagle.

Galveston Arts Center continues on exhibit “Undercover,” a solo exhibition by Venezuelan-born and Houston-based artist Gerardo Rosales. Rosales explores issues of class, race, gender, and immigration to expose social inequalities experienced by immigrants coming from Latin America to the United States. Rosales appropriates ornamental aspects of folk art and geometric abstraction, infiltrated with elements that evoke adversity faced by these individuals looking for a better life, only to find themselves facing similar conditions of social and economic exclusion. His paintings include rich colors and patterns that juxtapose the harshness of the wilderness of the tropics with domestic imagery. His works mix conflict with playfulness as a means to exaggerate reality with irony. The exhibition will be on view through January 5th, 2020.

Also on view through November 17th is Erin Curtis’ “Night and Day” in the main gallery on the first floor. Curtis’ exhibition includes recent large-scale paintings that are dense with color and pattern. Her layered, cut-canvas works contain disrupted surfaces and reflect an interest in geometric abstraction and its historical roots in weaving, architecture, nature, and ritual. The paintings in “Night and Day” are nearly overwhelmed by an unreadable chaos that is pulled back to the edge of order by familiar patterns and forms. The exhibition will be on view through November 17th. For more info go to erinelizabethcurtis.com.

These exhibitions are supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

The galleries are open to the public Tuesday-Saturday, 11am-5pm, and Sunday 12 noon-5pm. Admission is free at all times.

• December: Cheer on the Pier with Santas on Saturdays – Get photos, enjoy Christmas activities, and watch holiday movies.
• December Holiday Movies (shown at dusk)
• December 7th: “Smallfoot”
• December 14th: “Polar Express”
• December 21st: “The Grinch”

Pleasure Pier is open November 28th Thanksgiving Day 1-8pm, December 25th Christmas Day, and December 31st for New Year’s Eve Party on the Pier.

Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier, located at 2501 Seawall Blvd., features family-oriented attractions including rides, midway games, food venues, and retail shops. All events and rides are weather permitting. For more info, tickets, and a full list of events go to pleasurepier.com.

Tickets are available for Walk-On only (no rides), Single Rides, All Day Ride Passes, and Weekend Pass for three parks at tickets.pleasurepier.com.