Sam Houston Will Take the Stage at Rising Stars & Legends of Texas

After five years of research, which included filming a documentary on the subject, native Houstonian Denton Florian said there's still more to learn about his hometown's namesake.

"You just can't get to the bottom of Sam Houston. There's so much there that the more you dig, the more you want to learn," Florian said, adding there are lessons that presently apply to the whole nation in this story of a man who played such a pivotal role in Texas joining the U.S.

"There's a tremendous amount we can learn about the way we run our businesses, our civic associations, our nonprofits and even our personal lives," he said, explaining that Houston's integrity makes him an ideal role model, even today. "Throughout his life, from a very young age, he made decisions that cost him plenty - power, relationships and money. And even though it caused him to be ridiculed he consistently did the right thing, even when it would have served his best interests to do something else."

Florian's documentary "Sam Houston," which premiered in March of 2013, won five Emmy Awards, and was recognized for excellence by the governor of Texas and concurrent resolutions of the Texas House and Senate.

The public will be able to view excerpts from the film during Rising Stars & Legends of Texas, a celebration of arts and culture, slated for April 21 and April 22 in downtown Conroe, Texas. The inaugural event will showcase art and artists from Conroe and around the state for a fete of visual, performing, literary and cultural arts.

Florian will be on hand to introduce the film - selections of which will be shown just after sunset on Saturday, April 22, at Heritage Place Park in downtown Conroe. He will stay to answer questions and will have copies of the DVD available for sale.

Now a resident of Spring, Florian explained a biography he read about Sam Houston sparked his journey into producing the documentary. "You can't make this stuff up; he was such an interesting guy," he said. "After reading the book, I searched for a documentary, but there weren't any out there."

One thing led to another, and he assembled a team to embark on the filmmaking adventure. Since the project took five years to complete, the creators of the documentary were able to truly dive into their research.

"We took the responsibility of making this film very seriously," Florian said. "We knew we had to get it right."

Florian stays busy giving presentations about this historic figure, and created the film's companion website, samhoustonmovie.com, a reference available for use by researchers and teachers around the world. The film, the website, and the assets that have been collected in the project's hard drives represent the largest collection of digital information on Sam Houston's life ever assembled.

"Sam Houston had an entire career and a lifetime worth of adventure before he even came to Texas," Florian said. "He had a gigantic mind."

Rising Stars & Legends of Texas kicks off at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, April 21, at Lone Star Monument and Historical Flag Park with the raising of the 13 flags that have flown over Texas, musical entertainment and special guests. The festivities continue at noon on Saturday, April 22, when the streets will be filled with fun, food, entertainment for the whole family and lots of fabulous art.

There is no entrance fee to Rising Stars & Legends of Texas. Food trucks will be available, shops will be open, and opportunities to purchase fine art. Tickets for Stage Right's production of a full-length play by Texas playwright Jesse Jones will be available for purchase, as will tickets to Conroe Symphony Orchestra's Saturday evening concert with a full program of entertainment.

Rising Stars & Legends of Texas is presented by the Greater Conroe Arts Alliance, comprising 13 arts and culture organizations and encompassing the visual, performing, literary and cultural arts.

Generous sponsors of this exciting event include: First Financial Bank, Impact Printing, James Avery, Mack Barnhill State Farm, Woodforest National Bank, Keating Honda-Nissan, Soules Insurance, Hailey-Sadler Properties, Conroe Convention & Visitors Bureau, Lone Star Community Radio, Hello Beautiful Boutique, and Alice and John Eckstrum.

For more information visit www.facebook.com/StarsandLegendsofTexas. For sponsorship information, contact Annette Spikes at aspikes123@consolidated.net.

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