HOUSTON - On Saturday, July 24th the Eric and Elaine Johnson family received a surprise announcement from Extreme Makeover: Home Editionhost Ty Pennington as they learned the hit show will build them a home – from the ground up – in just one week.

The show’s traditional “door knock” took a new twist. The announcement was made during a sold-out matinee show at the Improv Comedy Club. Following a juggling act Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’shostTy Pennington and fellow designers Michael Moloney, Ed Sanders and Paige Hemmis came on stage to greet the Johnson family seated in the front row.

Willowbrook Mall is taking center stage this summer as it hosts Shop Til You Rock, a music-inspired mall tour that empowers teens to look and feel like rock stars through live music performances, exclusive teen activities and special mall offers and giveaways.

On August 7 at 4 p.m., teen rock band Stereo Skyline, the high-energy pop/rock group that just debuted its first album Stuck On Repeat, will headline Willowbrook Mall’s Shop Til You Rock event and rock the crowd with a special live performance brought to you by Hot Topic. Fans also will get a chance to meet the band in person at the event stage following the show.

From 1- 6 p.m., the live, in-mall music performances will be complemented with cool activity stations designed exclusively for teens, including:

Encore Players Presents Cabaret Style Production This Weekend Only

Katy, Texas (July 12, 2010) -Katy Visual & Performing Arts Center (KVPAC) has Encore Players up on their toes and singing their hearts out once again! This time though it is in celebration of all things Broadway. Presented this weekend, July 16 & 17 at 8:00pm and on July 18 at 2:00pm, is Encore Players first musical review, Broadway, Then & Now ... An Evening of our Broadway Favorites.

The show promises a mix of some unforgettable stage moments from the Great White Way, as well as a bevy of songs from famous productions that have toured cities all over the country. "Travel, places and emotional journeys are all underlining themes that tie the shows eclectic song list together, making it a stunning collaboration of fine music," explains Lisa Connolly, KVPAC's Marketing Director.

By the end of the year Katy will have its very own Microbrewery. Located at 5373 First Street in Old Katy, the brewery will use one of the Rice Elevators that run along Highway 90 to call home. The No Label Brewing Company is family owned and operated and have roots from Panama and Texas. Brian and Jennifer Royo and his parents Gilberto and Melanie Royo are the owners of No Label Brewing Company and plan to bring these two different yet proud cultures to their beers. They want to create exceptional handcrafted Ales and Lagers that are unique to Katy and to Texas.

The idea for the company came 2 years ago when Brian received a home brewing kit for his birthday from his family and friends. He made a batch of beer that his family loved and from there the inspiration of No Label Brewing Company started. With only two other microbreweries in Houston, the family wants to expand the market for home-grown craft beers.

Encore Players Prepares for WORKING, The Musical This Fall Season Katy, Texas

Katy Visual & Performing Arts Center (KVPAC) has their adult community theatre, Encore Players, preparing for their upcoming theatre production of WORKING, The Musical.Auditions for WORKING, The Musical will be held in 30-minute slots at KVPAC on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 20 and 21, 2010 starting at 6:30pm.We will see five actors per 1/2 hour slot. Be prepared to stay for your whole half hour slot.

Please prepare 16 bars of a ballad and an additional up tempo. You may sing acapella or bring a CD or Mp3 backup. No accompanist will be at the audition. You may only be asked to do one song. Please also prepare a 45 second monologue from a play that shows a character sharing something that moves them deeply. You will possibly be asked to cold read or sing with a group after a brief session with the musical director. Bring heasdhot/resume if you have one. Participants must be age 17 or older.

The average gas price in Texas fell four cents to $2.57 for a gallon of unleaded regular fuel and by three cents nationally to $2.72, according to the AAA Texas Weekend Gas Watch. Texas continues to be well below the national average — this week it’s fifteen cents less than the national average price.

The cheapest average for a gallon of gasoline is in Houston at $2.53, where prices dropped by four cents. Motorists in El Paso are paying the most at $2.69, which is down three cents from last week.

What’s driving the market?• Oil prices are relatively stable, starting the week in the $72-per-barrel range and today trading at just above $75 a barrel. During the last 52 weeks, oil prices have gone from a low of $66.45 to a high of $91.38. Right now, oil is in the lower third of the trading range.

• To present an historical perspective, the Independence Day holiday is one of the signature price points of the summer driving season. This year, the national average retail price for a gallon of self-serve regular on July 4 was $2.74, 12 cents more than last year’s holiday price of $2.62, but significantly lower than the $4.10 average of 2008 and about 20 cents less than Fourth of July prices in 2007 ($2.95) and 2006 ($2.93).

(NAPSI)-A growing number of people are paying attention to the dangers of driving while distracted. According to a recent survey, U.S. drivers say they are talking and texting less while driving than they did a year ago, and they say it's because they are more aware of what can happen if they are driving while distracted (DWD).

The survey shows that 20 percent of drivers with cell phones say they text while driving and that number jumps to 47 percent for drivers under the age of 35. Of those who admit to texting behind the wheel, 40 percent say they do it less often than they did last year. The survey was sponsored by Nationwide Insurance.

According to the telephone survey of 1,005 U.S. adults conducted by Harris Interactive, 67 percent of drivers admit to talking on their cell phone while driving. Of those who do, 30 percent say they do it less often than they did last year.

While the problem of DWD remains one of the deadliest risks facing drivers, this survey shows that drivers are changing their behavior due to awareness and legislation.

HOUSTON, TEXAS - Opening Saturday, July 3, 2010, the Company OnStage will present a delightful adaptation of the children’s classic Beauty and the Beast, by Laura Williams, with two shows every Saturday through July 31, 2010.

When a good witch and a bad witch make a bet, a handsome Prince is transformed into an ugly beast. Can Beauty see beyond his appearance to break the spell? Children will share in the enchantment of this wonderful story about love’s power to transform.

Beauty and the Beastwill be presented every Saturday at 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. from Juy 3rd through July 30th, 2010.

Patriotic costumes, decorated bikes, trikes, wagons and dressed up dogs will again be the focus of the annual parade in Cinco Ranch! Be at the Beach Club Park on South Lake Village Drive on Saturday, July 3rd for the parade and festivities. Parade line up and judging starts promptly at 9:45 a.m. so get those fantastic costumes ready! Prizes for the winners in each category and fun for everyone! Be sure to find your category sign where you want to compete so that the judges can include you! The judging signs are located along the sidewalk circling the playground so that the contestants have lots of space to congregate in the park’s grassy area by the signs.

Participants can be judged in one of many categories, competing for prizes and fun. Of the many prizes available, Dr. Hibler and Dr. Carrie McConnell of the Cinco Ranch Veterinary Hospital, are continuing to support of this Cinco Ranch event by again sponsoring the prize for the Best Dressed Dog, offering a set of annual vaccinations for the winning dog. The winner will be seeing Dr. Hibler at the Cinco Ranch location at 2519 Cinco Park Place. To learn more about the Cinco Ranch Veterinary Hospital,, visit
www.cincoranchvet.com .

AUSTIN – Preliminary results from the 2010 Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) show that passing rates on the standard test rose at grades 3-5 and 7-11 and that an overwhelming majority of the Class of 2011 passed the exit-level state exams required for graduation.

“These test results provide proof that students and teachers worked hard this year and that the reforms we have implemented are working,” said Commissioner of Education Robert Scott. “The high scores also show that Texas students are ready for the more challenging assessment program, the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR), which will begin in 2012.”

Results released today by the Texas Education Agency show that scores on the English-language version of TAKS declined slightly at sixth grade and on the eighth-grade reading test due to upward adjustments in the passing standards.

Enjoy an Afternoon of Free Activities and Performances on Sunday, July 4

Celebrate Independence Day at Houston’s home for American decorative arts! Bayou Bend presents its fourth annual 4th of July festival. Ring in the holiday with an extravaganza of Americana – performers, crafts, activities, refreshments – and don’t forget to sign the Declaration of Independence before you leave. With its unique blend of the arts and American history, Bayou Bend is the perfect place to celebrate American freedom in style.

When: Sunday, July 4th; 1 pm – 5 pm

Where: Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, the historic American treasure house of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, at 1 Westcott Street off Memorial Drive.

Details: FREE ADMISSON

Katy, Texas (June 22, 2010) -Katy Visual & Performing Arts Center (KVPAC) is hosting a free Disney-inspired art workshop at KVPAC on June 26, 2010 entitled the Alamo Drafthouse Auction Art Workshop and Family Picnic Princess Meet & Greet with the New Visual Arts Director of KVPAC.

 A workshop that promises to be as fun as the name is long! Disney-loving artists of all ages 5+ are needed to create art that may be selected for auctioning at the upcoming July 1st screening at the Alamo Cinema Drafthouse of Disney's Waking Sleeping Beauty.

 The workshop is Saturday, June 26th from 9:00am to 12:00pm at KVPAC, located at 2501 S Mason Rd. # 290, Katy, TX 77450. All supplies and professional instruction is provided. Parents must accompany their child and those under 10 years old will work with their parent on an art piece.