The Woodlands TX – Community Update / Home For The Holidays / Custom Open House / Turkey Trot / Children’s Festival at The Pavilion / Ice Rink at The Woodlands / Panther Creek Art Festival / November 13th, 2009

“Come Home for the Holidays” Celebration Underway

The Woodlands kicked off a special holiday promotion on October 31, 2009 offering buyers of selected new homes in the community a $2,000 Woodforest National Bank MasterCard if they purchase between October 31, 2009 and December 31, 2009 and close by February 28, 2010. Sixteen new home prospects have already signed up for the promotion.

In addition, the buyer will receive their choice of either a free one-year family membership to the South Montgomery County YMCA or free initiation fee and two months free dues to Canongate Golf Clubs. “Come Home for the Holidays”also offers incentives from nearly all of the homebuilders active in The Woodlands. The homes designated in the program range in price from the $140,000’s to more than $3 million.

Home shoppers are being directed to The Woodlands Homefinder Center, where they can register for the program before visiting the sales offices. After the home closing, the buyer should notify the Homefinder Center and make arrangements to redeem their $2,000 MasterCard and YMCA or Canongate gift certificate by March 31, 2010.

Free Rides, Games, Prizes, Live Music and Model Home Tours to Highlight Turkey Trot on Saturday

The new, nine-acre May Valley Park in The Woodlands’ Village of Sterling Ridge will be the setting for a special family-oriented pre-Thanksgiving event. The May Valley Turkey Trot will take place on Saturday, November 14, 2009 from 12 noon – 5 pm in the new park, located on May Valley Circle. Bring your clients out to see the new park and model homes in May Valley, and experience the family-oriented lifestyle in May Valley!

Activities will include large inflatable rides, rock climbing walls, live music from Rockit Bayou, a petting zoo with live turkeys and other lovable critters, pony rides, Gobbler Games on the Green, colorful Indian Dancers, and a raffle for free turkey dinners with all the trimmings from The Woodlands Resort. Each of the 10 model homes in May Valley will be handing out raffle tickets, and visitors will receive one ticket at each home they tour – the more models you visit, the better your chance to win. The turkey dinners will be raffled off every hour during the event.

In addition to receiving raffle tickets for visiting the model homes, guests will have the opportunity to win tickets for food items sold onsite during the festival. Bring three non-perishable food items for Interfaith’s Food Pantry, and receive two free food tickets, or win tickets at “The Gobbler Games on the Green”. Games include “Pin the Tail Feathers on the Turkey”, “Spin the Wheel for Turkey Bucks”, “Name That Turkey” and “Thanksgiving Thumbkins”. Children will get to pick from the “Turkey Treasure Box” for their choice of prizes when they play the Gobbler Games. Everyone is a winner! You can also purchase The Woodlands 35th anniversary green t-shirts for the whole family for just $5 each.

The “Turkey Trot”, a short walk around the green for kids and their parents, will take place every 30 minutes from 1:00 – 2:30 pm. Kids who complete the trot will have a chance to get their photos taken at the finish line with“Pilgrim” Puffy Pine Cone, lovable mascot of The Woodlands, dressed in Thanksgiving attire.

Concessions will feature “Turkey Trot Treats” priced from $1 – $5 (cash only.) Festive offerings include Turkey legs, sausage on a stick, corn on the cob, funnel cakes, pumpkin ice cream and kettle corn. All proceeds from the food sales will be donated to GHBA Benefit Home charities.

The Greater Houston Builders’ Association (GHBA) Benefit Homewill also be open for touring, and guests to the home will be given two raffle tickets when they visit. Each year, several new homes are built for the GHBA Benefit Homes Project, with building materials and services donated by GHBA members. The homes are sold at market value and the majority of the proceeds are donated to charity. The three 2009 beneficiaries are Texas Children’s Cancer Center, the Alzheimer’s Association and HomeAid Houston. Trendmaker donated the new home construction management and The Woodlands Development Company donated the home site.

“The May Valley Turkey Trot promises to be a festive autumn event for all ages, while helping to support GHBA Benefit Home charities and the Interfaith Food Pantry,” said Susan Vreeland-Wendt, Director of Marketing for The Woodlands Development Company.

For more information about the May Valley Turkey Trot, visit www.thewoodlands.net.

Trendmaker Homes in May Valley is hosting a “Spa Day” next Tuesday, November 17 from 11:30 am – 1:00 pm at their model in Clare Point, located at 7 Clare Point Drive. Get pampered with a chair massage and hand treatments at this special event for Realtors®. Trendmaker is also showing off its Living Views Collection, priced from the $400’s and ranging in size from 3,300 – 3,800 square feet.

To R.S.V.P. or for more information, call Antonio Garrido at 713-732-8114 or e-mail Antonio.garrido@trendmakerhomes.com.

Three Outstanding Custom Residences to be Open for Touring This Weekend

Three beautiful custom homes, two located near the Gary Player Signature golf course in the Village of Sterling Ridge, and one in East Shore, the “Garden District” of The Woodlands Town Center, will be open for touring this weekend. Here are the details:

31 E. Black Knight
Keith Morgan Custom Homes
5,512 square feet
5 bedrooms, 5 ½ baths, three-car garage
$997,000
Open Sunday, November 15 from 1 – 4 pm

6 Georgian Row
John Post Homes, LLC
9,000 square feet
5 bedrooms, six full and two half baths, 4-car garage
Overlooks Lake Woodlands
$2,695,000
Open Saturday and Sunday, November 14 & 15, 1 – 4 pm

34 E. Loftwood Circle
Jeff Paul Custom Homes, Ltd.
5,695 square feet
5 bedrooms, 5 ½ baths, three-car garage
$1,165,000
Open Saturday and Sunday, November 14 & 15, 1 – 4 pm

For more information on these and other available custom homes in The Woodlands, call Robyn Brand @ The Woodlands Custom Homes at 281-367-4550 or visitwww.thewoodlandscustomhomesonline.com.

Bring the kids or grandkids to the 14th Annual Children’s Festival at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion this weekend. Get two tickets for the price of one through tomorrow, November 13 online at www.woodlandscenter.org. Highlights will include appearances by Barney™, Bob the Builder™, Newton’s Revenge 2” by Mad Science®, the Billy Jonas Band, Kaminari Taiko of Houston and much more. It’s one giant party for kids!

The Children’s Festival takes place Saturday, November 14 from 10 am – 5 pm, and Sunday, November 15 from noon – 5 pm. The regular admission price is $6 per person in advance and $8 per person at the door. Children under two are admitted free. Daily admission includes every show and activity.

The Ice Rink at The Woodlands Town Center returns to its former location at Six Pines Drive and Lake Robbins Drive. It will be open for a preview this Saturday, November 14 from 10 am – 11 pm, and Sunday, November 15 from noon – 7 pm. The official skating season begins on Saturday, November 21 and runs through Monday, January 18, 2010.

Saturday, November 21 is also the Lighting of the Doves andiWOW (International Winter on The Waterway). These traditional holiday events take place at Town Green Park and along The Woodlands Waterway® in Town Center. A visit by Santa, ice carving, snow, fireworks, kids’ activities, live music and much more are in store!

For times and schedules, visit www.lightingofthedoves.com, www.iwowthewoodlands.com andwww.holidayinthewoodlands.com.

24th Annual Panther Creek Fall Art & Craft Fair Coming November 14

Shopping for the holidays or for home accessories is a delight at the Panther Creek Fall Art & Craft Fair, set for this Saturday, November 14 from 9 am – 5 pm at Panther Creek Shopping Center, rain or shine. Shoppers will have the opportunity to meander through over 110 booth spaces filled with the highest quality crafts from all over Texas.

The Panther Creek Merchants’ Association sponsors this event and proceeds go back to the community in the form of scholarships and donations to local charities. Admission and parking are free.

Mark your calendars for some fun, creative events coming to Waterway Square from now through the holiday season:

Saturday, November 14 at 7 pm – Movies in the Park – “Kung Fu Panda”
Wednesday, November 18 at 11 am – Waterway Wednesday – Turkey Day
(ages 2-5)
Saturday, November 28 at 7 pm – Teen Concert
Saturday, December 12 at 4 pm – Digital Scavenger Hunt (for teens)
Wednesday, December 16 at 11 am – Waterway Wednesday – Winter Wonderland (ages 2-5)
Thursday, December 17 at 10 am – Grinch Breakfast
Saturday, December 19 at 7 pm – Teen Concert
Tuesday, December 22 at 10:30 am – Fun with Santa

All events take place at Waterway Square, home of the spectacular Fountains at Waterway Square, located off Waterway Avenue. Convenient parking is available in the new Waterway Square Parking Garage.

For details about these events, and other seasonal events presented by The Woodlands Convention & Visitors Bureau, visit www.thewoodlandscvb.com.

The Community Associations of The Woodlands Parks and Recreation Department is presenting some fun, family events in the coming months. Here are the details:

Yoga in the Park – every Tuesday and Thursday in Northshore Parkfrom 10:00 – 11:15 am. The cost is $15/class or $155 for all six weeks for ages 16 and up.

Friday Night Jam Session – Teens in eighth grade and up will enjoy hearing great music from local bands from 7 – 10 pm this Friday, November 13 at The Woodlands Recreation Center. The cost is $5 per person.

Autumn Hay-Day – Sunday, November 15 at 3 pm at The Lodge at Rob Fleming Park. This fun-filled afternoon features a hayride, cupcake walk, pumpkin decorating, autumn crafts, music and snacks galore! $10/child and $5 for each additional sibling.

Gorilla Hole – Fifth and sixth graders will have a great time at the Recreation Center on Friday, December 4 with music, games and food from 7:00 – 9:45 pm. The cost is $7 per person.

For more information, visit www.thewoodlandsassociations.org and click on Parks and Recreation.

• Anadarko Petroleum Corp.’s headquarters building in The Woodlands has been awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. Completed in 2002, the building has also received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star Award in both 2008 and 2009 for its savings on energy consumption.
• The Grogan’s Mill Fall Farmer’s Market continues at Grogan’s Mill Village Center through December 12, every Saturday from 8 am – 12 pm. Offerings include grassfed beef; sundries made from goat’s milk; chemical free and sustainably grown produce; Indian specialties; orchids; bakery items; natural bath products; handmade cheeses; handmade jewelry and much more.
• With the May Valley Turkey Trot coming this Saturday and Thanksgiving only two weeks away, here are some interesting items of Turkey Trivia:The male turkey is called a tom or gobbler. The female is called a hen. Baby turkeys are called poults.
  A turkey has 157 bones and adult turkeys can have up to 3,500 feathers.
  According to the Guinness Book of Records, the largest turkey raised was 39.09 kilograms (86 pounds) – about the size of a large dog.