This past Saturday, Oct. 7, and Sunday, Oct. 8, hundreds attended the second annual Community Night Out festivities that was hosted by the City of Missouri City, to celebrate the community in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and to give residents a venue to enjoy live entertainment, a health fair, a cultural celebration and other recreational activities in their own backyard.
The soulful sounds of “we are one…..no matter what we do, we are one…..love will see us through…..we are one,” wafted across the City Hall Complex during the event, as City Manager Anthony J. Snipes sang with Community Night Out guests, symbolizing the unity of citizens, stakeholders, sponsors and partners that made the festival successful.
“We dedicated this year’s two-day festival to our citizens not only to recognize their incredible efforts in rebuilding our community but also to provide them a chance to further strengthen their community pride,” said Snipes. “Through their commitment to making this one of America’s best places to live, work and play, ‘Show Me City’ residents grow closer every day, and City Council and staff were proud to offer this event as a celebration of them. Community Night Out highlights the expanses we’ve made in the City Hall Complex as we market its capacity for entertainment such as this.”
Saturday’s lineup featured Step Rideau & the Zydeco Outlaws, country artist Coffey Anderson, jazz saxophonist Kim Waters, who was joined on stage by fellow musician Kyle Turner, and artist Ange Hillz of Visual Paint.
Step Rideau opened the day’s music performances on the Community Center’s newly constructed outdoor stage, and Mayor Allen Owen officially became a Zydeco Outlaw as he joined the band by playing on the washboard.
Also on-site throughout the day were radio partners KTSU 90.9 FM and Majic 102.1 FM.
“It was great to have both KTSU and Majic playing family-friendly music at the festival,” Snipes said. “A special thank you goes to Robert ‘Bassman’ Washington and Kandi Eastman of Majic for helping to emcee and a special thank you goes to KTSU for helping us get the word out about this event through live radio interviews. We had a lot of partners step up during this major event, and we could not have done it without their continued support.”
Highlights on Saturday also included a trackless train and the laser light show that projected onto the Community Center edifice with an accompanying soundtrack. The laser show was a preview of future interactive shows soon to be premiered for the public at the center.
Sunday’s lineup featured four-time Grammy award winner Wayne Toups, jazz violinist Karen Briggs, the Conrad Johnson Orchestra and the inaugural Health Fair & Cultural Festival. On the culture front, guests enjoyed performances by Studio Mudra School of Dance, The ARTZ, Mariachi Rebelde, the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society and the Pakistan Association of Greater Houston inside the Community Center.
On both days, residents also enjoyed a variety of food trucks, bounce houses, a rock wall, merchandise from community vendors and a health pavilion that included free immunizations, dental screenings, vision screenings, speech/language screenings and a variety of other health testings from the following partners:
- AccessHealth
- AIDS Healthcare Foundation
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Kelsey-Seybold Clinic
- Memorial Hermann
“This was a coordinated effort not just by staff but by a multitude of area partners. Houston Community College was gracious enough to open their doors for our elected officials, area stakeholders and other VIPs for a special two-day reception on their new Missouri City campus. We are grateful to them for letting us have the opportunity to showcase the new facility to our guests, which also included board members of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators and other city managers from across the country,” Snipes said. “Seeing this event grow in just one year from a one-day evening event into a large-scale weekend festival brings me great joy and pride. This event’s success and growth is a testament to our residents’ dedication to community unity and their support for the City.”