on stage october 2013

Official Program of The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

October 11, 2013Sponsored by

TheWortham

Foundationofficial automobile of The Pavilion

official airline of The Pavilion

PAVILION

October 2013 • 21 • www.woodlandscenter.org

Tonight in the Plazas

5:30-7:15 p.m.Take a Ride on the Great Pumpkin Express

6-7:15 p.m.Radio Disney’s Graveyard Smash Dance Party

featuring the Radio Disney Boo Crewin the House of Blues Hospitality Tent

H-E-B Catch of Day Game, Pumpkin Decorating, Bean Bag & Ring Toss and Meet H-E-Buddy

with H-E-B

Meet Fangtastic Characters

Touch & Tastewith American Diabetes Association

a Community Share Partner

Create a Meal Worm Habitatwith Madam Newton-Einstein

Science Academy for Kids

Instrument Petting Zoowith The Pavilion Partners

Make a Scary Lanternwith The Pavilion Partners

Spooky Photoswith Fidelity Investments

Register to Win “Best Seats in the House”with Tommy Bahama

Stop by Houston Family Magazine,Simply Tutoring,

Century 21 Realty Partners, Woodforest National Bank,

Renewal by Andersen & Audi of America to participate

in kid-friendly activities.

All activities in the plazas are free.

ontentsTonight in the Plaza.......................................................................... 1

Letter from the President & CEO.................................................... 2

Pavilion Bytes.................................................................................... 2

Hocus Pocus Pops............................................................................ 3

Biographies....................................................................................... 4

Houston Symphony Orchestra........................................................ 5

Sponsor Spotlight.............................................................................. 6

ShowTime.......................................................................................... 6

Volunteer Spotlight.......................................................................... 7

Partners Light the Night................................................................... 7

Make a Date for Prom Night.......................................................... 8

The Pavilion and ExxonMobil Team Up for Children’s Festival.... 9

Music in Motion Prepares Students................... .......................... 10

Volunteer for Childrens Festival...................................................... 10

Educational Outreach Programs................................................... 11

“Spooktacular” Essay Contest Finalists.................................... 12 - 16

Encore.............................................................................................. 17

Concert Etiquette........................................................................... 17

Guest Information...........................................................................18

THE CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS AT THE WOODLANDS

Home of The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion2005 Lake Robbins Drive • The Woodlands, TX 77380

Phone: 281-364-3010 Fax: 281-364-3011www.woodlandscenter.orginfo@woodlandscenter.org

Letter from the President & CEO

Welcome to the 24th season of The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, also known as the Summer Home of the Houston Symphony, Home Away from Home of Houston Ballet and a presenting venue of Houston Grand Opera and the Texas Music Festival Orchestra.

Tonight, we are excited to present one of our signature performing arts events, Hocus Pocus Pops featuring the Houston Symphony. This family-favorite performance, only presented at The Pavilion, offers a great opportunity for families and young children to enjoy world-class music in a beautiful environment.

Next month, we are hosting the 18th Annual Children’s Festival with performers on multiple stages, characters strolling around the Festival and lots of activities located all around the venue and even on the hill. This year’s main stage performers include Radio Disney Junior’s Imagination Movers and Zendaya from Disney Channel’s “Shake It Up” and ABC’s “Dancing with The Stars.” Doc McStuffins Clinic also is featured at the Festival.

Mark your calendars for our last performing arts concert of the season Dec. 12 with Holly Jolly Symphony Spectacular featuring the Houston Symphony. Frolic in our Winter Wonderland, complete with snow, as the symphony performs holiday classics and popular carols.

We are again providing free mezzanine and lawn seating for all our performing arts events thanks to our generous sponsors.

At all symphonies, guests are welcome to have a picnic in their seat or on the hill. Lawn chairs are also provided free of charge at all performing arts events. Please take advantage of this free offer and bring your family, friends and neighbors to The Pavilion this season to enjoy an evening under the stars. You will be glad you did.

Thank you for coming and I hope you enjoy tonight’s performance.

Jerry MacDonaldPresident & CEO

OuR MISSIONFounded in 1990, The Center for the Performing Arts at The Woodlands is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization that provides diverse, high-quality performing arts events for the entertainment and enrichment of a broad regional audience. Through numerous educational and community outreach programs, The Center is a catalyst for attracting new audiences to the performing arts and building strong ties between the arts and educational institutions.

The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion’s 2013 Performing Arts Season Presented by

and Sponsored by

The North Plaza is sponsored by

Sponsored in part by

Share your tweets and photos using #HocusPocusPops

OFFICERS

Jeffrey H. Shipley – Chairman of the BoardJerry MacDonald – President and CEO

Joseph P. Ash – Vice ChairmanMark E. Ellis – Secretary

Jeff Young – Vice PresidentLori Figaro – Treasurer

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Jeff Beard C. Grant Mitchell Gary Becker Steve A. Morrow Eric Beylier Steven W. Nance David D. Dunlap John Robichau Carol P. Garner Julie Rock Carolyne Hannan Maryann T. Seaman Jeffrey R. Harder Larry Shaffer Jason K. Harris Nick Vanderpool IV Peter R. Huntsman Raymond I. Wilcox Paul R. Kenworthy, M.D. Marsha K. Williams Daniel E. Kolkhorst Janet S. Wong Estelle P. McLaughlin Hank Wood

DIRECTOR IN MEMORIAMCynthia Woods Mitchell

(1922 - 2009)

STAFF

Jerry MacDonald – President & CEO

Shannon Wilson – Director of Marketing & Education Courtney Galle – Marketing & PR Manager Whitney Hough – Social Media Marketing Coordinator Lori Figaro – CFO Paula Smith – Senior Accountant Heather Reding – Human Resources Manager Jenny Lewis – Accountant Stephanie Stone – Accounting Assistant

Christine Scully – Director of Development Leslie Williams – Volunteer & Special Events Coordinator

Jeff Young – Vice President of Operations JD Villaseñor – Director of Premium Seat Sales David Schlauch – Operations Manager Kelly Rich – Event Manager Josie Moore – Box Office Manager Mike Karczewski – Assistant Box Office Manager Matt Meyer – Assistant Operations Manager Carla DeHart – VIP & Event Coordinator Joey Rincon – Overnight Security Supervisor Mike Bevel – Operations Paula Jauregui – Maintenance Victor Maldonado – Maintenance Larry Stewart – Overnight Security Susana Salazar – Overnight Security Javier Ramirez – Maintenance

Find us on...

Are you a frequent visitor of The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion? If so, get rewarded for visiting. Download the Foursquare app on either the Apple or Android devices. The Foursquare program rewards you for visiting businesses and landmarks anywhere around the country.

Visitors can “check-in” with a company and are sometimes rewarded with specials. Make sure to check-in at The Pavilion whenever you visit and you too could be rewarded. If you check-in three times up until tonight you will receive a Pavilion souvenir at the North Plaza Information Booth. View the special on Foursquare for more information.

Did you know you can now post videos on Instagram in addition to photos? Check out The Pavilion’s Instagram (@ThePavilion_TX) for behind the scenes photos, short concert clips and more. Don’t forget to tag The Pavilion in your photos and videos. We want to see your adventures that take place at our events.

With all of the social media channels The Pavilion has, we love to give you exclusive information on our blog. Ever wonder what it’s like to work for The Pavilion? What about The Pavilion’s educational outreach programs? Our blog, “The Pavilion Press,” is the center for all things behind the scenes. Check it out for staff interviews, artist profiles, ticket give-aways and more.

3 • www.woodlandscenter.org October 2013 • 4

September 5 Program

Friday, Oct. 11 – 7:30 p.m.Robert Franz, conductorRon Soloman, narratorEric Halen, violin

R. Wendel The Poltergeist Polka

Saint-Saëns Danse macabre, Opus 40 Eric Halen, violin

Stravinsky Suite from “L’oiseau de feu” (“The Firebird”) IV. Danse infernale du roi Kastcheï: L = 168

J. Strauss Jr. unter Donner und Blitz (Thunder and Lightning), Opus 324

A. Lipp “The Addams Family” Casket of Orchestral Grotesqueries

M. Shaiman The Tango from “Addams Family Values” Eric Halen, violin

R. Peck The Chill of the Orchestra

J.S. Bach/Stokowski Toccata in D minor, BWV 565

Berloiz Symphonie fantastique, Opus 14 IV. March to the Scaffold: Allegretto non troppo

Humperdinck Hexenritt (Witches’ Ride) from “Hansel und Gretel”

Sousa The Liberty Bell (Goblin Parade)

Sousa The Washington Post (Goblin Parade)

Sousa The Stars and Stripes Forever (Goblin Parade)

R. Parker Jr. Theme from “Ghostbusters”

Please silence your cellphone during the performance in order not to disturb other guests or the artist(s). Photography and video are not allowed, including with cellphones, at the request of the Houston Symphony.

Ron Solomon has performed all over the country. His two favorite roles are Nathan Detroit in “Guys and Dolls” and Starbuck in “110 in the Shade.” More re-cently he has performed with Theatre Under the Stars, A.D. Players, the Alley Theatre and a guest soloist for the Hous-ton Symphony’s Christmas Pops Series and Sounds Like Fun!.

Eight years ago he founded a children’s theatre in Pearland called Kids’ Back-porch Productions. There, he directs,

writes, and teaches young people in all aspects of the performing arts. Solomon is always pleased to be invited back to work with the Houston Symphony.

Recognized by the “Houston Chronicle” as a Houston favorite, Houston Symphony Associate Concertmaster Eric Halen’s violin playing has been described by critics as “sterling” and “tenderly expres-sive and dramatic.”

Halen joined the Symphony as assistant concertmaster in 1987. In 1997, he as-sumed the position of associate con-certmaster and served as acting con-certmaster for the 2005-06, 2008-09 and

2009-10 seasons. Halen grew up in a family of violinists. His parents were both professionals and his brother David is concertmaster of the Saint Louis Symphony.

After earning his bachelor’s degree at Central Missouri State University where he studied violin with his father, Dr. Walter Halen, he received his master’s degree from the University of Illinois, while studying with Sergiu Luca. At age 23, he became artist-teacher of violin at Texas Christian University.

Halen has performed in solo and chamber music programs in the U.S. and abroad, including solo appearances with the St. Louis and Hous-ton Symphonies. He performs as a soloist with the Houston Symphony in January 2014 with the new Music Director Designate Andrés Orozco-Estrada and principal second violin Jennifer Owens in Schnittke’s “Moz-Art á la Haydn.”

He has made frequent guest appearances with Da Camera of Hous-ton, Music in Context and has performed at summer music festivals all over the world.

Halen plays a violin made in 1616 by Antonio and Hieronymus Amati.

Conductor Biography Narrator Biography

Violinist Biography

In his sixth season as Associate Conductor of the Houston Symphony, Robert Franz has led the Symphony in a broad range of creative educational and family concerts, reaching tens of thousands of audience members of all ages. This summer, Franz conducted the Orches-tra’s 100th Birthday Concert. Highlights for the 2013-14 season include a per-formance at the annual awards of the Anti-Defamation League and a side-by-side concert of Tchaikovsky’s 6th with

the Houston Youth Symphony and resulting in a total of 150 musicians.

Franz also is the Music Director of the Boise Philharmonic, the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival Opera and Orchestra and the Windsor Symphony in Ontario, Canada. He continues to serve as Music Director Emeritus of the Carolina Chamber Symphony, an orchestra that he founded, and provides educational programming workshops at the National Repertory Orchestra during the summer.

Under his direction, both the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (2008) and the Louisville Orchestra (2001) were awarded ASCAP’s Leonard Bernstein Award for Educational Programming. The Louisville Orchestra’s award led to the creation of an education program for Kentucky Educational Television titled Creating Music and Stories. Winner of the 2008 BPO/ECMEA Music Educators Award for Excellence, Franz has created arts education programs for the Carolina Chamber Symphony, Buffalo Phil-harmonic, Louisville Orchestra, West End Chamber Ensemble and the Winston-Salem Piedmont Triad Symphony, including that organization’s innovative Bolton Research Project. While at the Louisville Orchestra, he revitalized an ASCAP award-winning new music concert series, and served as co-host of In a Different Key, a weekly contemporary classical music radio program on WUOL.

A recognized leader in the arts, the Idaho Education Committee invited him to address the Idaho Legislature on the importance of music in education. Franz also has authored his first children’s book with a CD titled Stella’s Magical Musical Tour of America. It introduces children to classical music by incorporating various musical excerpts intertwined throughout the story of a girl’s journey in a hot air balloon.

In addition to his current posts, Franz served as the Music Director of the Mansfield Symphony in Ohio (2003-10), Resident Conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic (2005-09) and Associate Conductor of the Louisville Orches-tra (1997-06). He also led the Winston-Salem Piedmont Triad Symphony, the Louisville Youth Orchestra and the Winston-Salem Youth Symphony. He continues to serve as Music Director Emeritus of the Carolina Chamber Symphony, an orchestra he founded, and provides educational program-ming workshops at the National Repertory Orchestra during the summer.

Franz received his Master of Music degree in conducting from the North Carolina School of the Arts in 1992 and his Bachelor of Music degree in Oboe Performance in 1990 from that same institution. He has participated in conducting workshops in the Czech Republic, St. Petersburg (Russia), Nashville, the Festival at Sandpoint, and was a participant in the 1997 National Conductor Preview.

RobertFranz

RonSolomon

EricHalen

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October 2013 • 65 • www.woodlandscenter.org

Sponsor Spotlight

H-E-B has been a “fangtastic” supporter of The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion’s performing arts events for more than 12 years, specifically sponsoring Hocus Pocus Pops since 2004.

“Hocus Pocus Pops is a great event for the entire family and H-E-B is honored to sponsor this event for the past ten years,” said Cyndy Garza Roberts, director of public affairs for H-E-B. “The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion is a wonderful partner and we’re happy to help them pro-vide The Woodlands community an opportunity to celebrate the holi-day in a culturally enriching way.”

Houston Symphony OrchestraBr

ent

Ha

vens

Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Music Director Designate Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair

Michael Krajewski Hans Graf Robert Franz Principal Pops Conductor Conductor Laureate Associate Conductor Sponsor, Ms. Marie Taylor Bosarge

First ViolinFrank Huang, Concertmaster Max Levine ChairEric Halen, Associate Concertmaster Ellen E. Kelley ChairAssia Dulgerska, Assistant Concertmaster** Cornelia and Meredith Long ChairQi Ming, Assistant Concertmaster Fondren Foundation ChairMarina Brubaker, Hewlett-Packard Company ChairAlexandra AdkinsMiHee ChungSophia SilivosRodica GonzalezFerenc IllenyiSi-Yang LaoKurt JohnsonChristopher NealSergei GalperinOleg Chelpanov*

Second ViolinJennifer Owen, PrincipalTina Zhang, Associate Principal**Hitai LeeKiju JohMihaela FrusinaRuth ZegerMiran KimMartha ChapmanKevin Kelly**Tong YanChristine PastorekAmy TeareEmily Herdeman Kelly*

ViolaWayne Brooks, Principal Mr. & Mrs. Jesse B. Tutor Legacy Society ChairJoan DerHovsepian, Associate PrincipalGeorge Pascal, Assistant PrincipalWei JiangLinda GoldsteinSheldon PersonFay ShapiroDaniel Strba Mr. and Mrs. Jesse B. Tutor ChairThomas MolloyPhyllis Herdliska

CelloBrinton Averil Smith, Principal Janice and Thomas Barrow ChairChristopher French, Associate PrincipalHaeri JuJeffrey ButlerKevin DvorakXiao WongMyung Soon LeeJames R. DentonAnthony Kitai

Double BassDavid Malone, Acting PrincipalMark Shapiro, Acting Associate PrincipalEric LarsonRobert PastorekBurke ShawDonald HoweyMichael McMurray

FluteAralee Dorough, Principal General Maurice Hirsch ChairJudy Dines, Acting Associate PrincipalAllison Jewett**Gina Hughes*Rebecca Powell Garfield*

PiccoloAllison Jewett**Rebecca Powell Garfield*

OboeJonathan Fischer, Principal Lucy Binyon Stude ChairAnne Leek, Associate PrincipalColin GatwoodAdam Dinitz

English HornAdam Dinitz

ClarinetThomas LeGrand, Acting PrincipalChristian Schubert, Acting Associate PrincipalDavid Pharris*Alexander Potiomkin

E-Flat ClarinetChristian Schubert

Bass ClarinetAlexander Potiomkin Tassie and Constantine S. Nicandros Chair

BassoonRian Craypo, Principal Stewart Orton ChairEric Arbiter, Associate Principal American General ChairElise WagnerJ. Jeff Robinson**Micah Doherty*

ContrabassoonJ. Jeff Robinson**Micah Doherty*

HornWilliam VerMeulen, PrincipalRobert Johnson, Associate PrincipalBrian Thomas Robert and Janice McNair Foundation ChairNancy GoodearlKatharine Caliendo*

TrumpetMark Hughes, Principal George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell ChairJohn DeWitt, Associate PrincipalRobert Walp, Assistant PrincipalAnthony Prisk** Speros P. Martel ChairMicah Wilkinson*

TromboneAllen Barnhill, PrincipalBradley White, Associate PrincipalPhillip Freeman

Bass TrombonePhillip Freeman

TubaDave Kirk, Principal

TimpaniRonald Holdman, PrincipalBrian Del Signore, Associate Principal

PercussionBrian Del Signore, PrincipalMark GriffithMatthew Strauss

HarpPaula Page, Principal

KeyboardScott Holshouser, Principal Neva Watkins West Chair

Orchestra Personnel ManagerMichael Gorman

Assistant Orchestra Personnel ManagerLinda Oper

LibrarianThomas Takaro

Assistant LibrariansErik GronforMichael McMurray

Stage ManagerDonald Ray Jackson

Assistant Stage ManagerKelly Morgan

Stage TechnicianToby BluntZoltan FabryCory Grant

* Contracted Substitute** On Leave

In each issue of OnStage, we turn the spotlight onto one of our sponsors, a gesture of thanks for their invaluable contributions to the many things we work hard to accomplish.

Ticket InformationPrices do not include service charge. Tickets are available at all outlets, including Fiesta, select H-E-B and Walmart locations and Media Magic, by calling 800-745-3000, or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets also can be purchased at The Pavilion Box Office Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and on event days through intermission. The Box Office is located at the north entrance to The Pavilion at 2005 Lake Robbins Drive in The Woodlands. For more information, call 281-363-3300 or visit www.woodlandscenter.org. Prepaid, preferred parking is available in the on-site Town Center Garage located along Six Pines Drive. Parking is $5 per vehicle for most performing arts events and $15 per vehicle for most contemporary events. Tickets for on-site parking can be purchased in advance at all locations and The Pavilion Box Office. Some service charges may apply. Advance purchase is not required, but guarantees a space the day of the show.

ShowTime

ShowTime is a list of events scheduled for The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, including start times and ticket prices. Information is subject to change. Please visit www.woodlandscenter.org for the latest event information.

Oct. 12 Lionel Richie • 7:30 p.m. $125 Reserved Pit / $125, $89.50, $59.50, $49.50, $39.50 Reserved

Oct. 18 Avenged Sevefold Hail to the King Tour • 7 p.m. with Deftones & Ghost B.C. $55 GA Pit / $55, $45 & $35 Reserved / $25 Lawn

Oct. 20 John Fogerty • 8 p.m. $85 Res. Pit / $85, $65, $50 & $35 Reserved

Oct. 26 Majic 102.1 under the Stars Featuring Maxwell • 7 p.m. with Anthony Hamilton $150 Res. Pit / $85, $75 & $50 Reserved / $25 Lawn

Oct. 27 Paramore • 7:30 p.m. with Metric & hellogoodbye $52.50 GA Pit / $52.50, $49.50, $39.50 & $29.50 Reserved

Nov. 2 Buzzfest 31 • 1 p.m. with Stone Temple Pilots with Chester Bennington, Chevelle, Cage the Elephant, Blue October, The Dirty Heads, 10 Years, The Mowgli’s, Oleander, New Politics, Middle Class Rut, IAmDynamite, The Virgin Mary’s and Nico Vega $150 Pit / $69.50 Reserved / $39.50 Lawn

Nov. 9 18th Annual Children’s Festival • 10 a.m. presented by ExxonMobil with Imagination Movers and Doc McStuffins Clinic $8 in advance / $10 at door

Nov. 10 18th Annual Children’s Festival • 12 p.m. presented by ExxonMobil with Zendaya from Disney Channel’s “Shake It Up” and ABC’s “Dancing with The Stars” $8 in advance / $10 at door

Nov. 14 Fresh Beat Band • 7 p.m. $39.50 Res. Pit / $39.50 & $29.50 Reserved

Dec. 12 Holly Jolly Symphony Spectacular • 7:30 p.m. with the Houston Symphony Robert Franz, conductor $15 orchestra seating / FREE mezzanine and lawn seating courtesy of Woodforest National Bank, KMPG, LLP. and Talisman USA

H-E-B has a presence at the event as well with their tra-ditional pumpkin decorating and games. This year kids can participate in the H-E-B Catch of the Day game, Bean Bag and Ring Toss games and meet H-E-Buddy.

With sales of more than $19.4 billion, H-E-B operates more than 350 stores in Texas and Mexico. Known for its innovation and community service, H-E-B celebrated its 105th anniversary in 2010. Recognized for its fresh food, quality products, convenient services, and a commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainability, H-E-B strives to provide the best customer experience with everyday low prices. Based in San Antonio, H-E-B employs more than 80,000 partners and serves millions of customers in more than 150 communities.

For more information, visit www.heb.com.

Fresh Beat Band

Lionel Richie John Fogerty ZendayaImagination MoversRobert

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H-E-B’s Support Brings the Spirit of Halloweento The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Volunteer Spotlight

Debra and Matt Dozier joined The Pavilion Partners, the offi-cial volunteer organization of The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, after moving to The Woodlands from Austin in 2002. Debra heard about Partners from a coworker and decided to get involved because of the music aspect of the organization. She soon found out there was much more to it.

The Doziers’ have since learned exactly what Partners is all about. As residents of The Woodlands, Matt enjoys being able to give back to the community.

“The Pavilion is our backyard venue,” Matt said. “Music education is so important and we need to support it.”

Debra enjoys working Musical Scores each year. Musical Scores is a rewards-based program for Houston area at-risk students. It gives them the opportunity to attend a performance at The Pavilion and receive a free lunch and T-shirt.

“It’s great to see these kids so happy and attending something at The Pavilion,” Debra said. “It reminds you why you’re involved in the first place.”

The Doziers’ favorite part of being involved with Partners is making friends. The couple helped to implement the Partners social committee and enjoys attending the socials each month to get to know the other volunteers.

“Partners New Member Party is my favorite event,” Debra said. “Everyone has such a great time and you really get to know the people that you’re volunteering with. It makes it so much more rewarding.”

The Doziers’ also are involved with Interfaith’s Veggie Village, a community donation garden. Debra works for Nexio Solutions and Matt works for Aon Hewitt, both in The Woodlands. They were married in 2004 and have one pet, a yellow lab named Xena.

7 • www.woodlandscenter.org October 2013 • 8

Make a Datefor Prom Night

Ready for a do over? Now’s your chance to relive your prom or make new memories at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavil-ion’s Prom Night “Feels Like the First Time” gala. The event is Saturday, Feb. 8, 2014, at The Edge on Rayford Road. Go back in time with music by the legendary British-American rock band, Foreigner.

Guests are encouraged to dress from their favorite prom era. Whether it’s “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” “Pretty in Pink” or “Grease,” break out the hair gel and rollers, and show

us your best prom attire.

Need inspirations for costume ideas? On the web check out worst prom photos, vintage prom dress or search The Pavilion’s Pin-terest page at pinterest.com/thepaviliontx. The Pavilion’s site has a list of places to shop for your attire as well. Pop in a DVD or go to your Netflix account to watch movies of the past for inspiration like

“Back to the Future,” “Footloose,” “Never Been Kissed,” “Mean Girls” or “Napolean Dynamite.”

“What’s so great about each gala is the overall energy and enthusiasm that not only goes into the planning, but the actual event,” said Christine Scully, development director for The Pavilion. “With so many new and exciting changes and additions, the 2014 gala is going to be able to give so much back to The Pavilion. At the end of the day that’s what the gala is all about.”

For the first time The Pavilion is honoring one couple, George and Dianne Lindahl III. George and Dianne are being honored as the “King and Queen” of the prom. George is a former board member having served on the

Join The Pavilion Partners as They Light the NightThe Pavilion Partners and The Pavilion are asking you to join them at at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light The Night Walk on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2013. The team is honoring Cindy DuBois, former marketing and education director of The Pavilion and David Schlauch, operations manager of The Pavilion.

“It is important to The Pavilion and Partners to honor our Pavilion family members who have been affected by cancer,” said Leslie Williams, special events and volunteer coordinator for The Pavilion. “We also want to be able to give back to other charities in our community.”

A Remembrance Ceremony, held at 4:30 p.m., honors friends and family whose lives were lost battling cancer. All events for the Walk take place at Market Street - The Woodlands.

Partners is hosting a fundraising event Oct. 16 from 4:30-8:30 p.m. at Jerry Built Homegrown Burgers. Jerry Built is donating 20% of the total sales on Oct. 16 plus an additional 10%. Money raised goes towards the team fundraising efforts. The event not only features fundraising for the team, but you can sign up to walk with the team, register-to-win a Pavilion gift basket, tickets to a concert and more.

Light the Night is a fun, family-friendly event with music, refreshments and entertainment and through our team’s fundraising efforts, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is able to fund treatments that are saving the lives of blood cancer patients.

To join Team Pavilion Partners or make a contribution to our team, please contact Leslie Williams, volunteer and special events coordinator at281-210-1125 or lwilliams@woodlandscenter.org.

board for six years and has given to The Pavilion in numerous ways. He was the first to purchase a $100,000 “Juke Box

Hero” table.

Tables of 10 at Prom Night are priced from $5,000 for “Starrider” table to $100,000 for a “Juke Box Hero” table. Other table levels include “Hot Blooded” for $50,000,

“Double Vision” for $25,000, “Head Games” for $15,000 and “Urgent” for $10,000. Individual tickets are $500.

Other sponsorships are available.

Money raised from the gala benefits The Pavilion’s performing arts events, educa-tional outreach programs and The Pavilion Partners Fine Arts Scholarship Fund. The Pavilion is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization.

Don’t miss the chance to relive one of your favorite high school memories, or to get it right the second time. Grab your sweetheart and dancing shoes because opportunities like this “Can’t Wait!”

For more information or to purchase a table or tickets for Prom Night, visit www.woodlandscenter.org/promnight.html or call Christine Scully at 281-210-1102. Or mail in the reservation form below to The Pavilion.

9 • www.woodlandscenter.org October 2013 • 10

The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion and ExxonMobilTeam up to Bring the Best Children’s Festival Ever

Music in MotionPrepares Students for Competition

Music in Motion, one of The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion’s educa-tional outreach programs, was held Sept. 21 at The Woodlands Col-lege Park High School with more than 300 Conroe ISD students in at-tendance. This was the fourth year for The Pavilion and CISD to present the program.

As part of this free program, professional symphony musicians con-ducted master classes that were available to every CISD high school

band and orchestra stu-dent to assist with their preparation for All- State competition.

“Music in Motion gives our students the unique opportunity to learn from a high-caliber group of Houston Symphony musi-cians in preparation for

All-State competition and at no cost to the students. That is truly spe-cial,” said Pat Paris, administrative coordinator of fine arts for CISD. “This could not be possible without The Pavilion and its support of music edu-cation in our school district.

Students from all five CISD high schools, including The Woodlands, The Woodlands College Park, Oak Ridge, Conroe and Caney Creek, were in attendance.

The two-hour master classes were led by 18 professional musicians from the Houston Symphony, all specializing in different instruments. Sessions included violin, viola, cello, bass, flute, piccolo, oboe, euphoni-um, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, French horn, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, tuba, percussion and bass trombone.

Music in Motion is sponsored by The Woodlands Development Company in honor of Cynthia Woods Mitchell’s commitment to the performing arts in our community.

Anthony Green (center), lead singer of Circa Survive, met with students from the School of Rock The Woodlands at the Uproar Festival Aug. 29 at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. Students watched a sound check and toured back-stage before the concert.

At the annual Children’s Festival, The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion is transformed into a giant playground filled with live music, a train ride, kite flying, hat-making, face-painting and much more. Sound like fun? Well, consider volunteering at the Festival through your company or community service organization.

The Pavilion relies on many volunteers to make its events successful. The annual Children’s Festival is one of The Pavilion’s staple events and is essential in ensuring The Pavilion’s mission of providing educational pro-grams to the community is met. It takes approximately 450 volunteers to produce the event.

Community service organizations can include groups from Junior League, Junior Forum, high school clubs, church groups, Girl and Boy Scouts just to name a few. In the past, The Woodlands College Park High School Interact, Arts Society and DECA clubs, The Woodlands High School Spanish Club, Klein High School National Honor Society, Junior League of North Harris and Montgomery Counties, Cypress-Woodlands Junior Forum, The Woodlands Christian Academy, and many more have volunteered at the Festival.

Children’s Festival is a four-day event with school days Thursday and Friday, Nov. 7 and 8, and weekend days Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 9 and 10. It is non-stop fun and excitement around every corner. There are a variety of jobs and one to suit each volunteer.

On school days, volunteer duties include escorting nearly 4,000 students and teachers each day from their buses to their seats and then back to their buses after the event. All volunteers are provided breakfast and lunch.

On the weekend, volunteers help in different areas of the festival including face-painting and hat-making booths, arts and crafts, parachute races, kite flying on the hill and more. On the weekend, volunteers are treated to the volunteer hospitality area for a light snack and cold drink.

Come join the fun and help support your community at Children’s Festival. If your company or group is interested in volunteering at the Festival, please contact Leslie Williams at lwilliams@woodlandscenter.org or 281-210-1125.

Join the Fun and Volunteer at the18th Annual Children’s Festival

The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion is excited to team up with Exxon-Mobil as the presenting sponsor for the 18th Annual Children’s Festival. The Festival is expected to attract more than 20,000 people from the Greater Houston area. Families and schools are invited to this year’s event taking place Nov. 7-10, 2013.

Children’s Festival showcases children’s activi-ties with a diverse assortment of entertainment that spans from local community acts to today’s top children’s performers like Disney Junior’s Imagination Movers and Zendaya, star of Disney Channel’s hit series “Shake It Up” and finalist on season 16 of “Dancing with The Stars.” Also kids can discover the Disney Doc McStuffins Toy Clinic for stuffed animals and toys.

The Festival is a four-day event with schooldays devoted to field trips and featuring performers who entertain and incorporate important educational lessons into their material.

The weekend is open to the public and features lots of hands-on, interac-tive activities like face painting, hat-making, arts and crafts, kite flying and parachute races. Kids can visit the Activity Tent, Healthy KidZone, ExxonMobil STEM Zone, Anadarko Adventure Zone and the Wells Fargo Fun Zone. The ExxonMobil STEM Zone includes the Children’s Museum of Houston exhibit and an inflatable Big Canyon Balloon that enables kids to explore earth sciences.

With ExxonMobil’s support, The Pavilion is expanding the number of school children attending the Festival on Nov. 7 and 8. “The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion is known for its first-class performing

arts and educational outreach programs, and we are proud to support efforts to provide Houston area children and their families oppor-tunities to learn about science and the arts while having fun at the Children’s Festival,” said Truman Bell, ExxonMobil Headquarters Community Relations Manager.

Admission is $8 per person in advance or $10 per person at the door. Children under two are admitted free of charge. Your ticket covers a variety of activities and performances for the whole day. No need to worry about buying extra tokens or tickets. Guests are welcome to

bring in food and have a picnic. Keep in mind that beverages cannot be brought into The Pavilion. Tickets can be purchased at The Pavilion Box Office or through Ticketmaster.

There’s so much excitement surrounding Children’s Festival you won’t want to miss it. For more information about Children’s Festival, please visit www.woodlandscenter.org.

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Hocus Pocus Pops “Spooktacular” Essay Contest Finalists

The Spider and the Ghostby Kindergarten Winner Kate Moore

Kindergarten

“Starky Learns A Lesson”by 1-2 Grade Winner Evan Schorzman

2nd Grade

The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion recently held an essay contest for students in the following grade categories:kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades, 3rd and 4th grades, 5th and 6th grades, 7th and 8th grades and 9th to 12th grades.

They were asked to write their spookiest story or Halloween tale. One person from each grade categorywas selected as a finalist by Simply Tutoring. The Grand Prize Winner will be announced tonight.

Special thanks to The Courier, The Villager and Simply Tutoring for sponsoring the contest.

A long time ago there was a ghost named Starky on Halloween night who went to peoples houses. He wanted the most candy out of everyone in the neighborhood. And he wanted a zillion pieces of candy. He was going to grill them and eat them. He was going to have candy pie. He wanted the whole entire pie but instead he had a party and he invited all his ghost friends.

They eventilly wanted every piece of candy in the neighborhood. They needed all of it to make the biggest candy pie in the world. They were going to make it as big as a house. They were going to eat it and they invited all their ghost friends in the world. They kept eating the candy pie and they shared it with everyone in the neighborhood. They learned to share. The end

There was a ghost named Bob who livedwith his Mom, Dad, and brother and sister,Eddie and Katen. He was very sad becausehe didn’t have any friends. One day hestarted walking and ended up deep in aforest. He started to get scared becausehe could not fine anyone!

About that same time there was a spider named Charlie. He was only 6 years old, but he lived in a wooden house by himself. He was very lonely and thought he would love to meet new friends.

Charlie set off on a walk and started walking into the forest. After walking for about 20 minutes they saw each other and were so excited! Bob said, “We need to be friends and help each other!” The Charlie the spider knew the way out of the forest and showed the Bob.

Bob and Charlie went to Charlie’s house to play. Their favorite games were hide and go seek and peek a boo! They knew they wouldn’t be lonely anymore and would be best friends forever! They also knew they would stay far away from the forest!

Educational Outreach Programs

• Hats Off to ReadingHats Off to Reading is a free, family literacy event sponsored by the Reading OdysseyCommittee where children get to take home a free book and kid-friendly activities. This annual celebration is a favorite for children who get to take home a free book and par-ticipate in literacy-based activities such as visiting with storybook characters and making bookmarks and hats.

• Musical Scores Musical Scores primarily serves academically at-risk, middle school students who earn the privi-lege to attend a special event at The Pavilion. Administrators and/or teachers from each par-ticipating school negotiate an agreement with each student whereby he or she earns points for scholastic progress and achievement. When the students reach their goal, thus achieving their “musical score,” they are treated to a free performance, t-shirt and lunch at The Pavilion.

• Fine Arts Education Day: A David Dewhurst Symphony Explorer ConcertThis event is a free concert featuring the Houston Symphony that is designed to in-troduce fourth grade students to orches-tral music and the various instruments inband and orchestra before they enter fifth grade and have to choose an elective. Fifth and sixth grade band and orchestra

students from CISD also are invited. For them, the concert demonstrated where their studies could take them if they continued their pursuit of music in junior high.

• Texas Music Festival OrchestraPresented by the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music, the Texas Music Festival Orchestra showcases 100 talented young musicians from around the world who attend a training program at University of Houston. The festival culminates with a free public performance at The Pavilion. The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Young Artist Competition winner performs a solo at this performance and medals are awarded to all of the competition finalists.

• Music in MotionMusic in Motion is an educa-tional outreach event in which master classes are held for CISD high school band and orches-tra students led by Houston Sym-phony musicians and guests. These classes are designed for student musicians to receive personal instruction from professional musicians and to prepare students for All-State competitions.

• Children’s Festival The four-day Children’s Festival isdesigned to educate and entertain children of all ages. The festival features award-winning performersof puppetry, music, pantomime, theater, humor and original songs who incorporate educational messages into each performance. Curriculum guides are available for educators to integrate performance content into areas of study. The first two days of the festival are devoted to school field trips. The weekend is open to the public.

• Pavilion TalkInformative pre-concert discussions led by noted music scholar and college professor Ira Black that offer historical insight into the eve-ning’s concert; takes place 45 min-utes before most symphony con-certs in The Pavilion’s North Plaza.

• Young Talent SpotlightEncourages the artists of tomorrow by exposing them to the joy of per-forming in front of a live audience; takes place during Children’s Festival, Texas Music Festival and on the side stage prior to many performing arts events.

• Instrument Petting ZooSponsored by Music & Arts, the zoo consists of musical instruments in-cluding woodwinds, brass, strings and percussion; children have the opportunity prior to most perform-ing arts events to interact with the zoo, touching and even playing the instruments. The Pavilion Partners help implement the program.

• Community Ticket ProgramThis program makes orchestra-level tickets to performing arts events available for free to numerous nonprofit organizations and senior groups.

• Community ShareThe Community Share program gives area nonprofit organizations the opportunity to utilize our performing arts events by having a booth where they can promote their organization and its mission to concert-goers; limited to one nonprofit organization per event.

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13 • www.woodlandscenter.org October 2013 • 14

You Better Read!!!!!!!!!!!!by 5-6 Grade Winner Ellie Campbell

6th Grade

Hocus Pocus Pops “Spooktacular” Essay Contest Finalists

As Jake looked around at the forest clearing, in the middle of the night, all the shadows around him looked like skeleton hands moving in the wind.As he looked at the old, rickety school house, he wondered why he agreed to do this. Why had he agreed to go inside the haunted school house and grab something? But then again, that was Jake. He liked to challenge himself. He was a tall, blonde haired, blue-eyed 13 year old boy, who was popular and was never one to turn down a dare. So, when his friends chal-lenged him to sneak inside the school house,he did not back out.

So, that was how he ended up in front of the school house, in the middle of the night. The school’s windows and door were all boarded up. He circled around the school trying to find a way in. There was no crack, not even in the slightest gap. He leaned against the old boarded up door trying to think of a plan to get in. Maybe he could kick the door down. But, suddenly, the door swung open and the boards fell off. Was it the wind he thought? He felt scared but still walked in.

The room was covered in dust. There was a moth eaten rug on the floor with an old rocking chair moving backwards, and forwards. Just the wind he thought. He looked at the bookcases all around the walls. They were full of dusty red and black leather books. He had never seen so many books in his life. Well, that doesn’t mean much as he was never read more than 5 books in his life but, there must have been hundreds of them. He walked over to the bookcase with the most books on it and grabbed the fattest book on the shelf. It had a black leather cover with silver print,and was covered in dust. He opened it carefully.

Suddenly there was a bang behind him. He turned around and stepped in something on the rug. He saw that the door had closed. Then he looked at his feet to see what looked like a pool of blood. He screamed like a little girl and ran towards the closed door. He took a couple

steps,then something hit him hard on the back of the head with so much force he fell on the cold wooden floor and went out cold.

When he came round, he was confused about what had just happened. He had to get out. He struggled to his feet to see, what looked like all the books swirling around him in a circle. It looked like all the books had little black arms and legs, red hot eyes staring at him. They were saying “Read us, Jake! Read us!”

He was desperate to escape. And no way was he hanging around to read books. At that moment, the books stopped swirling, and looked him in the eyes. Suddenly all books were coming at him from all different directions. He fell backwards on to the floor. Some of the books started jumping on his stomach laughing their pages off. One was waving a wand at Jake screaming “frezzeki” at the top of its lungs. A red book was trying to set fire to the rug around Jake with a match. Suddenly he felt a giant pain in his arm. He lifted his head with difficulty

(the books were pulling at his hair).He saw that they had long sharp pointy teeth and were biting him. Blood was flowing from his arm.

Before he could scream, it went all strangelyquiet and still. He looked over to see the fat book he had opened,walking towards him. The book peered into his face and said in a ghostly voice “Are you going to read us now, Jake?”

He started to sob. He lost his voice and only managed to whisper “let me go.”

The book said in a very sorry voice “I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. Goodbye Jake.” There was a long pause, then the book said “This is where your story ends.” THE END

Hocus Pocus Pops “Spooktacular” Essay Contest Finalists

When I first moved to my new house, I hated it because there were so many geckos. They would somehow get in-side our house and I found them everywhere. I found them in the tub, in my shoes, in my clothes, even in my bed! I couldn’t stand it and I would catch them and throw them outside. Sometimes I even let the cat catch them and eat them! But something happened to change my mind about geckos.

About six months after we moved into our new house, my Dad took me to the Renaissance Fes-tival. I enjoyed all the neat things at the festi-val. Funnel cakes, turkey legs, and people wearing costumes made the festival really fun. There were also a lot of gift shops. In one gift shop, an old lady that looked like a witch sat behind a wooden counter. She wore funny clothes and had a weird accent. She had a lot of magical things for sale including crystal balls, spirit gems, and dream catchers. She talked me into buying a dream catcher. My brother, Collin, said I was stupid for buying it, but for some reason, I had to have it. My dad didn’t want to give me money to buy it, but I begged and pleaded until he finally gave up and bought it for me.

When I got home, I hung the dream catcher from the ceiling on a string. Then things began to get strange. Every morning, the dream catcher was slightly messed up. Sometimes the strings were tangled, and other times the dream catcher feathers were torn off the frame of the dream catcher.

When Halloween arrived, my Mom set up black lights in my bed-room. It was really spooky! All my white clothes glowed very white, and people’s teeth would even glow. After we went trick or treating, we came home and dumped our candy in a humongous bucket. I went to bed, but I left my black lights on.

In the middle of the night, I woke up to the sound of a mysterious squeaking noise. I looked around and I could see geckos moving around everywhere. They were glow-ing in the blacklight! Then I saw the dream catcher jerk and start to spin slowly. It scared me because the witchy woman I bought the dream catcher from told me

that I would know when it caught a bad spirit when it started to jerk or spin. I couldn’t move because of

my fear.

Then I noticed that the geckos were crawling to-wards the dream catcher. One gecko climbed down the string from which it hung and

then began to act as though it were attacking something in the strings. I heard more squeak-ing. Then the dream catcher quit jerking around

and the gecko dropped off and fell to the floor. Although I didn’t see it eat anything, it looked fatter. Then the dream catcher began to jerk and

dance in the air, and another gecko climbed down the string and began to wrestle something just like the first one had. Once again, the dream catcher grew still and the gecko fell to the floor. Three more times I watched the dream catcher begin to

jerk and dance in the air, and three more times I saw geckos crawl across the wall and then on the ceiling and down the string from which hung the

dream catcher.

I don’t know what the geckos were wrestling, nor what they were eating. But SOMETHING made the dream catcher begin to jerk and

dance on the end of the string from which it hung. The way I see it, I prefer the geckos in my room over whatever invisible thing was caught in the dream catcher. If the geckos want to hang out in my bed with me, it’s fine by me!

Of Geckos and Dream Catchersby 3-4 Grade Winner Lauren Pattillo

4th Grade

The Family Treeby 9-12 Grade Winner Sarah Stilwell

9th Grade

Hocus Pocus Pops “Spooktacular” Essay Contest Finalists

15 • www.woodlandscenter.org October 2013 • 16

I startle awake gasping for air, frightened out of my mind. Someone’s crying. I scan the shadows. My first night alone in my new home...and who could be crying? I’m not...I checked my mirror and it isn’t me. There is no wetness on my cheeks, and other than my shallow fast breathing, I’m not making any noise.

Fear pounds through my veins. I silently step into the hall to search. “Get away” someone screams! I cringe in shock. “Please, go away!” The voice pleads. He’ll be here soon!”

“Who is he?” I ask terrified.

“My killer!” A tiny girl, no more than thirteen, tiptoes out of the shadows. She’s as pale as the moonlight tumbling through the hall window. “Every night he comes back and kills me again.” She whispers, tears running down her cheeks. “He has for twenty years. Every single night...and if anyone witnesses it, he kills them too.”

She shoves me towards the door. She has a surprising amount of ghostly strength. I’m twenty-eight and probably twice her size, yet she manages to shove me three or four feet. “Go!” She moans. “Please. Don’t stay here! No one survives. Just one glance from him, and you’re dead! Get out, now! Hide as I scream nine times, and don’t move when you hear a thud and see something tossed out this sindow.” She points at the window.

“Then wait for three owl’s hoots, and it will be safe to return. At the base of the ancient oak, there will be a newly dug and filled hole. Don’t, whatever you do, go near it. And each night you are here, you must do the same.” She shoves me again, her eyes desperate. “Go!” She cries.

Too frightened to do anything else, I flee. I let the screen door bang as I duck inside the old barn out back. A harvest moon hovers above all, si-lent and dreadful. I shiver in the cold. A scream. Another. And another!

The screams are chilling, high and full of torturous pain and horror. I cover my ears and shiver as more pierce the night. Nine screams in all. Suddenly, mere moments later, there’s a thud. A dark shape is flung from the window. It falls limply, not flailing, just falling, though I see the silhouette of a hand and fingers, of legs and a torso, of long hair tangled in the wind. With a thud, the figure lands in a limp heap on the ground.

I shrink more, terrified. Heavy, echoing footsteps approach the barn. In fetal position, I press myself into a dark corner. A dark shape enters.

It picks up a shovel, breathing heavily. I tremble in the darkness, try-ing not to be seen. “May the worms find you this time,” the dark figure snarls. “Buried under the tree that your precious mother cherished. I’ll, again, watch you vanish under the oak’s iron roots. How I hate your jew-eled eyes! They taunt me. How I hate your brightly shining hair! Never

again shall you glow, firefly!”

I cannot sit by and do nothing, but I am paralyzed by fear. Suddenly, an idea sparks for a small gesture, even though it is too late. Prying back a loose board, I slip outside the barn. I put my cold aching fingures in my pocket and find my wife’s locket where I keep it, always. I stare momen-tarily at the small golden heart, remembering how she had been taken by a crash not a year ago.

The I turn to the ghost-girl. Her throat is slashed, and she has eight other wounds, scattered about her body. I pry open her stiffen-ing hand, terrified of being spot-ted. I have to force her frigid fin-gers apart. I press the locket to her palm, close her tiny fingers tightly around it, then duck into a tangle of unkempt scrub beside the delapidated barn.

I press my cheek against the rough barn siding, not wanting to see the ghostly corpse as the dark figure gathers it and hauls away. I do as instructed, and wait until the owl has hooted three times to

return to the house. I stay away from the oak. But my heart is heavy with grief and terror, and I cannot sleep.

I can’t forget. It wasn’t a dream. It was real. I reach into my pocket, and the locket is there. Shocked, I pull it out. It is dirt-crusted, as though newly unearthed. I brush it off with my thumb, and start to cry. I had hoped that she could hold it and know she was not alone. To have small comfort the next time he came for her.

The next night, I plac a knife on a shelf in the hall, for her, though I doubt she’ll use it. And I shiver in my room, waiting for her to start to cry, my signal to flee. Nine o’clock. As she starts to sob, I flee.

A scream. And another. And another! Gut-wrenching, soul-rending cries. And again, thud as the ghostly corpse is thrown from the window. But this time, when the perpetrator enter the barn, I attack. A jarring impact, a scream, and then his body hits the dirt floor. I back off feeling sick, sure of his death.

Outside, I move the girl to the base of the oak. Sick at heart, I dig a hole and gently lay her to rest.

After tossing and turning, when dawn breaks, I find her sitting in the kitchen, laughing and waiting for me. “What? How? But you...” I say, confused.

Don’t ask,” she says. “I’m not sure. But he’s daid and I’m here.”

People, to this day, ask my “daughter” how she came to be with me that night, the Night of Ten Screams. Angelica, her long blonde hair cascad-ing down to her hips, her wide, serious sapphire eyes, pooling up, replies, “Too grave to retell.”

I’ll Bet You by 7-8 Grade Winner Rachael Marglous

8th Grade

Hocus Pocus Pops “Spooktacular” Essay Contest Finalists

Isaac Jackson was nothing if not a man of his word, a dealmaker in the world of eleven-year-old boys. That’s why when two friends of his, Jake and Kyle, fell into step with him in the Halloween-decorated hallways of his intermediate school, declaring they had a bet for him, he couldn’t help but perk his ears up in excitement.

“What sort of a bet?” Isaac asked, eyeing the other boys curiously. Jake grinned at him, the impish, stunningly wide grin of a trickster. “One you simply can’t refuse.”

Kyle laughed. Jake removed a folded piece of notebook paper from his pocket and held it out to Isaac. “Here. Tell us your decision before six o’clock tonight. You still planning on Trick-or-Treating?”

“Yes, why?” Isaac questioned.

Jake’s eyebrows slanted inwards towards his nose, giving him a devil-ish quality, paired with a sly smile. “You might want to change your plans.” He patted Isaac’s shoulder, slipping the paper into his hand. “Six o’clock.”

The boys left Isaac standing in the middle of the hallway, fingering the edge of the paper clutched between his fingers. He wanted to look at the note so badly. But something, a sense of foreboding, held him back. Eventually, Isaac’s want for a good bet won him over. He unfolded the paper and read the note quickly, his eyes flying over the words.

Isaac, we have a Halloween-esque bet for you. The instructions are sim-ple. Spend one night in the old Hindley mansion. Spend the night, bring back proof, and we’ll give you $20. We need your answer by 6:00pm tonight. We’ll only wait at the house until 6:30. Have fun. . .

Isaac’s mouth quirked upward upon finishing the note. His eyes were bright. Jake was right - this was simply a bet he couldn’t refuse. One night in that old house? It was just a house, after all, and Isaac knew it wasn’t actually haunted, contrary to popular belief. He withdrew his favorite red pencil from his bag and scribbled a response on the back of the note. I’ll be there.

He strode to Jake’s locker and pushed the paper through the grates, smiling. Finally, a real challenge!

He couldn’t wait for that night.

Isaac fidgeted and squirmed anxiously until it was time for kids to start trick-or-treating. He’d left a note on the kitchen counter, telling his mother that he’d be sleeping at one of his friend’s house. He grabbed his overnight bag, which was stuffed with candy and bottled water, topped off with a pillow, flashlight, and disposable camera.

Isaac grabbed his bike from the garage as the garage door rumbled open. He drove the bike down his driveway and into the dully-lit street, mounted his bike, and began to make his way down his street, towards the abandoned house silhouetted in the setting sun.

It didn’t take long. Soon, Isaac stood before the dead-looking front lawn, gazing at the broken windows and rotten boards of the mansion. He propped his bike on a lifeless tree, startling some of its few remain-ing leaves off of its thin branches. He pushed his bag onto his shoulder and began to walk up the front path, glancing around nervously, calling

“Jake! Kyle?” There was no reply.

Halfway up the cobblestones, he heard a sharp CRACK! Isaac whirled around, but saw no one. He glanced at the ground and gasped. His lucky red pencil lay in two clean pieces, placed diagonally in towards each other over a black curve, forming a crude face, which grinned up at Isaac evilly. Under the face, an inscription glared at him, glinting with a slimy red shine.

Leave this placeIsaac swallowed and turned back towards the house, continuing up the pathway. It’s just one of Jake’s pranks, he thought, or Kyle’s. He pushed open the molding door, cringing as glass from the windows crashed to the floor, shattering upon impact. He stepped warily over the threshold into what he supposed was formerly an elegant foyer. He set his bag down carefully and withdrew his flashlight from its depths. He took an-other step forward into the house, looking around cautiously.

There was a huge SLAM! and the door banged shut behind him, the remainder of the glass smashing out of their panes.

Isaac stifled a scream and yanked at the doorknob.

It was locked. Don’t panic, Isaac thought frantically, there’s no such thing as ghosts.

“There’s no such thing as ghosts,” he whispered to himself, “No such thing.” He pulled his camera from his bag and held it out in front of him, as if he could use it as a weapon.

“No such thing as ghosts, you say?”

Isaac whimpered as a voice from the shadows laughed cruelly, “Whatev-er you say.” Isaac turned his flashlight on and saw words painted crook-edly in crimson on the stone wall before him.

WELCOME TO YOUR OWN SPOOKTACULARIsaac inhaled sharply as a huge black creature with glowing scarlet eyes and dead hands drifted out of the shadows and hovered before the wall, the hem of its long cloak not touching the floor. It’s face split into a grue-some grin, revealing pointed, rotten teeth.

“Happy Halloween, Isaac.”

And with that, the creature flew towards Isaac, who closed his eyes and screamed.

The next morning, Isaac would wonder why he had no candy, and why he was missing his overnight bag. If asked what he had done the night before, he would reply, “I have no idea...” and it would be true. Isaac had no recollection of what happened on his most recent Halloween.

Thinking of this, the creature hiding in the shadows of the old Hindley mansion stroked the cheap disposable camera it had found in the boy’s bag. It thought of the kid from the night before, and grinned, his pointed teeth dripping with ruby-colored liquid. The thing glanced at the back wall, still smiling crookedly.

The dusty stones now bore a different message.

Good luck, Isaac.I am coming for you.

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Encore

The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilionacknowledges the financial support of The Woodlands Township that is

generated by the Event Admissions Tax for its performing arts

and educational programs.

The Center for the Performing Arts at The Woodlands would like to thank the following contributors for their financial support of our 2013 Performing Arts Season and Educational Outreach Programs as of October 2 printing deadline.

$100,000 - $249,999Live NationGeorge P. MitchellThe Pavilion Partners

$50,000 - $74,999ExxonMobilThe Woodlands Development CompanyThe Wortham Foundation

$25,000 - $49,999Anadarko Petroleum CorporationAudi of AmericaWoodforest National Bank

$15,000 - $24,999ARAMARK Sports & EntertainmentH-E-BPepsiCoTalismanUSA

$10,000 - $14,999Chevron Phillips Chemical CompanyInsperityKPMG, LLPWells Fargo

$5,000 - $9,999Aon HewittAT&TBBVA CompassKatherine & John BeairdBlack Forest Ventures

$5,000 - $9,999 cont.Cullen Trust for the Performing ArtsFidelity InvestmentsFMC TechnologiesEntergyAlbert and Ethel Herzstein FoundationLinn EnergyJohn P. McGovern FoundationChildren’s Memorial Hermann The WoodlandsUnion Pacific FoundationWoodlands Waterway Art Festival

$2,000 - $4,999 Century 21 Realty PartnersCity of ShenandoahEMISheryl & Fred Greene Kinder Morgan Foundation Renewal by AndersenTexas Children’s Pediatric Associates

$1,000 - $1,999 Exxon VolunteersInsperity Volunteers

$500 - $999Annette & Ken HallockAmy & Jonathan HomeyerThe John Cooper SchoolDr. Lisa & Dr. Paul KenworthyJudy & Charles Lano

$500 - $999 cont.JoAnne & Randy LowryBrenda & John MizellMary Matteson & Norman ParrishAmy & George SowersSimply TutoringMelissa & Jeff Young

$250 - $499Debra & Michael CalielSuzanne & Ed EllisLinda & Ken FeldSusan & Daniel FordyceLinda & Steve HesterKelly & Paul MessengerNicole & Will MurphyAnnice & John NanningaArlene & Sol Sachs

In-KindARAMARK Sports & EntertainmentBlackhorse Houston Community Newspapers & The Courier & The VillagerKim Son Restaurant Outback SteakhouseMain Event EMSSilver Eagle DistributorsTommy BahamaThe Woodlands Waterway Marriott & Hotel United Airlines

2013 The Pavilion Partners Fine Arts Scholarship Donors:$1,000Colleen & Robert AyersPhil BarberLewis BockCorporate IncentivesLeslie & Bryon EllisCandi & Gerald GlennBonnie & Robert GrahamAnnette & Ken HallockKelly & Brady HullAlice & Patrick HynesEd JonesGayelene & Ralph McIngvaleJanet Wong & Ron MullinsSuzanne & Robert PotterDr. Judith RagsdaleMaryann T. Seaman & Tim SeamanLeigh & Larry ShafferR.E. Strong

Concert Etiquette

CHILDRENThe Pavilion is a family-friendly venue and we love to see families at our performing arts events. However, please be courteous of both the orches-tra and those around you by keeping youngsters from talking loudly and running around during the performance. Even if you are seated on the hill, loud children can be very distracting for everyone. We want all of our guests to have the most enjoyable concert experience possible.

ELECTRONIC DEVICES Take a break from the outside world! Please turn off all cellphones and other audible electronics. Photography and videography are NOT allowed during the performances, including with cellphones, at the request of the artists. Tablets, such as iPads and Kindles, are not permitted into the venue because they are a distraction to other guests and the artists.

LATE SEATINGFashionably late? If you arrive after a performance has started, our ushers will do their best to seat you during an appropriate pause in the program. For certain performances, and at the request of the artist, guests seated in the orchestra section might have to wait until a transition is made between songs to proceed to their seats.

DuRING THE PERFORMANCEGuests should refrain from entering and exiting their seats while a per-formance is in progress. If you must leave your seat, please proceed quickly and quietly to the nearest aisle or ask the nearest usher for assis-tance. Please be courteous to other members of the audience.

APPLAuSENot sure when to applaud and when not to? A good rule of thumb is to watch the conductor. The conductor should let you know when a piece is over by lowering both arms and turning to face the audience.

AFTER THE CONCERTBravo! As the applause dies down, the performers will put their instruments away and leave the stage. The house lights will be turned on so guests can exit safely. TO PICNIC, OR NOT TO PICNIC?Picnics are welcome at all performing arts events at The Pavilion. Guests can bring in any type of food item; however, beverages can not be brought into the venue. Guests are welcome to bring empty water bottles to fill at water fountains or to purchase beverages at our concessions stands.

The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion offers concertgoers live performing arts events in a picturesque setting featuring such world-renowned organizations as the Houston Symphony, Houston Ballet, Houston Grand Opera and Texas Music Festival Orchestra. The following information about concert etiquette will enhance your visit and help ensure that all of our guests enjoy their arts experience to the fullest.

Guest Information

TICKETS

Tickets are available at The Pavilion Box Office Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the day of performances through intermission. American Express, Master-Card, VISA and Discover are accepted at The Pavilion Box Office.

Tickets also are available at www.ticketmaster.com, all outlets, including Fiesta, select H-E-B and Walmart locations and Media Magic, or charge by phone at 800-745-3000.

For guests with hearing impairments, Ticketmaster’s TDD number is 800-755-6244. Groups of 20 or more are eligible for discounts for performing arts and selected con-temporary events. For information, call 281-210-1127 or visit The Pavilion Box Office.

PARKING

Guests may park FREE of charge in lighted and patrolled lots convenient to The Pavilion. Preferred parking is available for all events in the on-site Town Center Garage. For most events, lots open 90 minutes prior to the performance.

FOOD AND BEVERAGES

Food and beverage items are available from The Pavilion concession areas in the North, South and Lawn plazas. Concessions are operated by ARAMARK Sports & Enter-tainment. Food can be brought in during all performing arts events; however, beverages are not allowed into the venue.

At contemporary events, guests can bring in a one gallon plastic bag of food for personal consumption.

RESTROOMS

Permanent restrooms are located in all three plazas.

LAWN CHAIRS

For comfortable hillside seating, guests may bring blankets or use The Pavilion’s specially designed lawn chairs free of charge for all performing arts events.

FIRST AID

Trained medical professionals are on duty at all Pavilion events. If medical help is needed, ask any Pavilion staff member for assistance.

GuESTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

The Pavilion is accessible to guests with disabilities. For detailed information, consult our free brochure available at the Information Booths, call 281-364-3010, or visit www.woodlandscenter.org.

INFORMATION BOOTHS

Information booths are located at the gated entrances in the North, South and Lawn plazas. If guests have questions or concerns, they are encouraged to visit Pavilion volunteers who staff the information booths throughout the events.

INCLEMENT WEATHER

All events at The Pavilion are rain or shine. Pavilion events are not canceled due to rain. If it rains on the day of the event, guests are encouraged to wear rain apparel.

CHILDREN

For most contemporary events, children 5 and under are admitted free to the lawn without a ticket. At most performing arts events, children are admitted free with their parents to the mezzanine and lawn areas. All children must have a ticket to sit in orchestra-level seating.

ATMs

ATMs are located in the North, South and Lawn plazas of The Pavilion.

PROHIBITED ITEMS

To ensure the enjoyment and safety of all our guests, the following items may not be brought into The Pavilion: Animals, aerosol cans, audio and video equipment, cameras, food, beverages, non-plastic bottles or bottles with lids, fireworks, laptops, laser pointers, lawn chairs, portable televisions, radios, strollers, tablets (such as iPads and Kindles) and weapons.

CAMERAS AND RECORDING DEVICES

Cameras that are small, non professional are usually allowed at most contemporary concerts. No professional, detachable lens cameras are permitted into the venue. No audio or video is permitted at any event at The Pavilion. Camera policies are dic-tated by the artist and are subject to change. Photography and video, including with cellphones, are NOT allowed at Houston Symphony concerts, Houston Grand Opera or Houston Ballet events at their request.

LOST AND FOuND

To inquire about lost items, guests may ask a Pavilion staff member for assistance or call The Pavilion Administrative Office during business hours at 281-364-3010.

TOuRS

Guided tours of The Pavilion can be arranged for groups by calling 281-364-3010.

SPECIAL EVENTS

The 1,600-square-foot Woodforest Bank Club, located just off The Pavilion’s North Plaza, is available for lease year-round. Outfitted with large video screens, multimedia equipment with surround sound, a copier, fax and dedicated telephone and modem lines, the Club is designed for business meetings and special, private events. For rental information, call 281-363-0900.

The House of Blues Hospitality Tent provides a tented outdoor setting for pre- or post-concert gatherings at most contemporary concerts. For more information, call 281-363-0900.

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Credits

Shannon Wilson – Editor-in-ChiefCourtney Galle – Managing EditorWhitney Hough – Contributing WriterProgram design by Don Crouch, imagineer