Methodist Sugar Land Hospital and the Fort Bend Junior Service League are “going for the green” with a new golf tournament benefiting the American Cancer Society.

      Methodist Orthopaedic Specialists of Texas (MOST) has signed on as the platinum sponsor for the upcoming Swing for the Cure tournament, joining EmergiGroup Physician Associations as presenting sponsor.

      Swing for the Cure is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 18, at the Houstonian Golf & Country Club in Richmond.  All monies raised will stay in the community to help Fort Bend residents who need assistance in their battle against breast cancer.

Ashton Woods has completed homes in three neighborhoods of well-located Mission Sierra, each offered with valuable incentives. 

Ready now on 45-foot homesites are two 1,739-square-foot, one-story Abbott designs. The plan has three bedrooms and two baths, a combination family room and dining room and a breakfast nook adjoining the island kitchen. Each home also has ceramic tile flooring throughout the living areas, along with granite countertops and upgraded cabinets. Both homes are priced in the $150,000s. 

Another Abbott design, priced in the $160,000s, is ready on a 55-foot cul-de-sac homesite. Showcased as one of several Ashton Woods’ model homes in Mission Sierra, the Abbott is the builder’s top-selling plan in the development. 

Ashton Woods has two homes on 65-foot homesites in Mission Sierra, available now. The 3,195-square-foot Christopher design has a brick-and-stone exterior, a T-shaped eating bar, dual sinks and a garden tub in the master bath, an upstairs game room and an optional media room pre-wired for surround sound. The four-bedroom, 2.5-bath home also features granite countertops, 42-inch cherry cabinets and wrought-iron balusters on the stairs. It is priced in the $230,000s. 

Another model home floor plan, the Bethany, is available on a 65-foot homesite. With four bedrooms and 2.5 baths, the home, priced in the $230,000s, has a formal dining room, game room, media room and covered patio. Upgrades to the 3,430-square-foot home include cherry cabinets, granite countertops and wrought-iron balusters.  

All of the completed homes have sprinkler systems, 2-inch blinds and full appliances, including a refrigerator and washer and dryer. 

In Mission Sierra, Ashton Woods’ base pricing begins in the $140,000s.  

Located off the Grand Parkway (Texas 99) in Richmond, Texas, Mission Sierra is minutes from the Westpark Tollway, offering a straight shot to Beltway 8 and U.S. 59 as well as easy access to the Galleria area. Mission Sierra also is near U.S. 90 and within a short drive of Interstate 10. Fort Bend’s premier shopping is nearby — First Colony Mall, Sugar Land Town Center, Brazos Town Center and a wealth of dining choices are within easy reach. Students in Mission Sierra are served by the acclaimed Fort Bend Independent School District.

Directions

To reach Mission Sierra, travel west on the Westpark Tollway. Exit FM 1464 and turn left. Continue on FM 1464 for approximately one mile. Turn right on Beechnut. Left on Westmoor into Mission Sierra.

Ashton Woods has five homes ready in Mission Sierra, located in the Fort Bend Independent School District. Each home has a sprinkler system, 2-inch blinds and full appliances, including refrigerator, washer and dryer. Prices on the available homes start in the $150,000s.

Ashton Woods is enhancing its last offering of homesites in the popular Garden Estates section of Southern Trails with the introduction of four new floor plans. 

The designs are all one-story, ranging from 2,037 to 2,468 square feet. With the addition of the four plans, buyers can now select from 11 designs, with homes as large as 3,069 square feet. Prices of the amenity-laden homes now begin in the $210,000s, and several structural options allow a profusion of customization choices. 

Inside, the homes feature abundant architectural detail, such as niches, arched entries, coffered ceilings, wide hallways to enhance openness, mud-set showers and more. The homes also feature Ashton Woods’ Platinum Series of standard features, including granite countertops, crown moldings, leaded-glass front doors and full security systems, among others.  

Summerwood schools fared very well in the new 2010 Accountability Ratings just released by the Texas Education Agency.

Summerwood Elementary School and Lakeshore Elementary School, the two elementary campuses attended by all of Summerwood’s young students, both received ratings of Exemplary, the highest designation awarded by the TEA.

An Exemplary rating means that a campus must have at least 90 percent of its students meet or exceed the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) standard on each subject, including Reading, English/Language Arts, Math, Writing, Social Studies and Science.  A campus must also have a dropout rate of 2 percent or less to earn an Exemplary rating.

Summer Creek High School, which opened in 2009 across Beltway 8 from Summerwood, received a Recognized rating from the TEA.

Beginning in August, 2010, Summerwood students will also attend Woodcreek Middle School, located onsite in Summerwood.

Interested in a behind-the-scenes television/video career? Lone Star College-CyFair can help with three new video production classes offered this fall.

 TV and Motion Graphics Professor David Potts teaches video production for all skill levels, including new beginning editing, special topics and TV studio production classes.

How can you drum up some fun or jazz up your semester at Lone Star College-CyFair? Join the Symphonic Band or Jazz Ensemble.

Dr. John Wolfskill, director of LSC-CyFair bands, can help students put some music into their course schedules with his Tuesday/Thursday afternoon Symphonic Band MUEN 1124 class or his Wednesday night Jazz Ensemble MUEN 1127 class.

The Symphonic Band class, for those who play flute, clarinet, sax, trumpet, trombone, baritone, and percussion, is the study of a wide variety of literature for wind and percussion instruments through rehearsal and performance.

The Jazz Ensemble class, for  those who play horns and rhythm or piano, guitar, bass and drums, is the study and performance of big band jazz including swing, Latin, rock and other jazz styles.

Waterskiing squirrels, frisbee-catching canines and circus-performing birds are just some of the highlights of Bridgeland’s annual Nature Fest, slated for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25, in Bridgeland’s Oak Meadow Park. 

Thousands attend the yearly event, packed with nature-themed activities and entertainment. Twiggy, known across the globe as the famous waterskiing squirrel, will make her debut appearance at Nature Fest, performing three times during the day. Life jacket always buckled tight to educate children about water safety, the pint-sized phenomenon has appeared in numerous books, magazines, newspapers and television shows and is sure to be a big draw at this year’s festivities.  

Joining Twiggy during Nature Fest are Birds of Prey and the Cocteau Circus, each performing twice. Also on tap is a performance from the Houston Canine Frisbee Disc Club and guided hayride tours of the Cypress Creek Nature Trail by volunteers of the Katy Prairie Conservancy who will discuss the flora and fauna of the area and initiatives of the conservancy. 

Children will enjoy rides on ponies and a baby camel, as well as a chance to pet a wallaby, ring-tailed lemur, coatimundi and other animals. Train rides, face painting, outdoor laser tag and the always entrancing release of native Texas butterflies also will keep young visitors engaged.