KIDS + FAMILIES

Bayou Bend, the American decorative arts center of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, hosts a free Family Day the third Sunday of each month from September through May. 

Sunday, November 21:   Our National Thanksgiving

An amazing day of fun and entertainment awaits our visitors to Bayou Bend Family Days. Americans have celebrated a feast of Thanksgiving since the first European settlers arrived in North America. Come to Bayou Bend to experience the traditions and customs of America’s Thanksgiving past. Enjoy Native American dances and drums, visit the craft table to make a centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table. Play games enjoyed by early American colonists, or add your wish to the Thanksgiving collage.

The November 2010 Family Day features special activities related to Houston’s celebration of Citizenship Week. The event will feature crafts, activities, and theatrical and dance performances that celebrate what it means to be a citizen of Houston and the United States of America.

Tours of the 1st floor of the house are hosted by volunteers of the Houston Junior Woman’s Club, while giveaways and promotions are offered through our media sponsor, KUHF 88.7 FM and Bayou Bend.

Details: Performances:

Diana Terrace:
1:30 p.m. – Lonestar Bluegrass Band
3:00 p.m. – Concrete Prairie Dancers
Diana Terrace MC – Eric Ladau, KUHF 88.7 FM Radio
Giveaway Drawings – held twice during the day between performances

Additional Performances:
John Keahey, The 2nd Americans: A look at America’s earliest European Settlers - exhibition on the East Terrace
Puppet Pizzazz, Living Pumpkin Patch – Performance on the Heverdjes Plaza of the Lora Jean Kilroy Visitor and Education Center
Bayou Bend’s Town Crier – Announcement of significant accomplishments by Houston citizens; greetings and interaction.

Craft Workshops:
Citizenship Collages – in the Kilroy Visitor and Education Center
Thanksgiving Centerpieces – Diana Lawn

Door prizes are provided by our media sponsor, KUHF 88.7 FM, and the MFAH.

Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, Houston’s home for America’s treasures, features one of the world’s great collections of American decorative arts and paintings. The objects are displayed in the home of legendary Houston philanthropist and collector Ima Hogg (1882-1975), who gave her estate to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, in 1957. More than 20 room settings reveal the evolution American style and taste from 1620 to 1876. The mansion is situated on 14 acres of formal gardens and lush woodlands. Bayou Bend is open year-round to visitors, and offers many programs for children, families, and adults.

The Lora Jean Kilroy Visitor and Education Center is now open. The new Kilroy Center is as a destination resource dedicated to American art, culture, and history, one that will foster a greater understanding of Bayou Bend’s unique contributions to the field through its collections, its architecture, and its surrounding gardens and woodlands.