WeekHack: Early Voting for the March 3rd Primary Elections begins, ‘Mardi Gras! Galveston’ continues and more Houston happenings

(Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Take a look at some of the most significant Houston-area events and stories happening in the week ahead. This week, we also sprinkled in a couple national stories we thought you should know about.

What to know

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Early voting for state’s March 3rd Primary Elections begins Tuesday

(Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Early Voting for the March 3rd Primary Elections runs from Tuesday, February 18 to Friday, February 28. In Harris County, a total of 52 polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day, except Sunday, February 23 when they will open from 1 to 6 p.m. Registered voters can vote at any polling location. Individual sample ballots and voting locations at www.HarrisVotes.com.

Town hall meeting for residents impacted by the Spring Branch Explosion set for Monday

Some families displaced by Spring Branch explosion plan to sue

Tex Christopher, Billy Bray, and Eric Dick will host an informational town hall meeting for residents impacted by the Spring Branch Explosion. The meeting will be held from 5-8 p.m. on Monday at at Chavez Mexican Café, located at 2557 Gessner, Houston, TX 77041

HISD to kick off spring voter registration drive on Tuesday

The Houston Independent School District will kick off its districtwide voter registration drive Tuesday, Feb. 18 as part of the district’s efforts to teach students about their civic duties and the voting process. Pursuant to state law, all HISD high school principals are designated deputy voter registrars and are required to register eligible students by distributing voter registration forms at least twice during the school year.

Voter registration cards are available on all HISD high school campuses to encourage eligible students to register.

Ninth Democratic presidential primary debate slated for Wednesday

Democratic presidential candidates former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., shake hands on stage Friday, Feb. 7, 2020, before the start of a Democratic presidential primary debate hosted by ABC News, Apple News, and WMUR-TV at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The ninth Democratic primary debate of the 2020 presidential election cycle is slated for Wednesday, Feb. 19 in Las Vegas. The debate will take place amid early-state voting contests, just after the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary and days before the Nevada caucuses on Saturday, Feb. 22.

Nevada caucuses are Saturday

FILE - In this Nov. 6, 2018 file photo, voters head to the polls at the Enterprise Library in Las Vegas. Nevadas Democratic Party has announced new paper-based balloting for its early vote starting Saturday as it scrambles to reconfigure plans and avoid tech problems and reporting delays that mired Iowas first-in-the-nation caucuses. The party dumped its original plan to have people cast early caucus votes with an app downloaded on iPads. (AP Photo/Joe Buglewicz) (Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

With its caucuses on Saturday, Feb. 22, Nevada is slated as the third state to cast votes on the Democratic presidential field. Because Nevada faces many of the organizational challenges Iowa struggled with while also offering early voting, an added complication, there is growing concern that the Nevada caucuses could experience some of the chaos that ensnared the Iowa vote.

More than 2,000 trail riders will hit the trails ahead of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

Ahead of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, more than 2,000 trail riders will saddle up and hit the trails this weekend. They’ll trek across Texas, traveling a combined 1,300 miles on horseback and wagon to kickoff rodeo season in Houston.

Houston Roughnecks will play first-ever away game

The Houston Roughnecks beat the Los Angeles Wildcats, 37-17, Saturday in their inaugural XFL League game. (KPRC)

The Houston Roughnecks will play their first-ever away game against the Tampa Bay Vipers at Raymong James stadium on Saturday, Feb. 22. The Houston Roughnecks are one of eight teams in the XFL, a football league owned by WWE founder and Chairman Vince McMahon. The league, which McMahon has said will “reimagine” the game, began playing in February 2020.

Things to do

National Museum of Funeral History will reveal new George H.W. Bush Memorial Exhibit on President’s Day 2020

The National Museum of Funeral History will reveal its newest exhibit, the George H.W. Bush Memorial Exhibit, Honoring the 41st President of the United States, on President’s Day, Monday, Feb. 17.

Celebrate Presidents Day with a visit to Houston’s ‘Mount Rush Hour’

Houston’s ‘Mount Rush Hour’ (Jill B. Jarvis)

Each year, the nation celebrates Presidents Day on the third Monday in February. If you’re searching for a unique way to celebrate, we suggest making a trek down to Houston’s “Mount Rush Hour,” aka American Statesmanship Park. What’s more presidential than massive 18-foot-busts of Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston, Abraham Lincoln and George Washington?

These are the “Mardi Gras! Galveston” parades happening this weekend

Mardi Gras! Galveston 2019 (Courtesy of Mardi Gras! Galveston 2019)

The 109th annual celebration taking place on Galveston’s Historic Strand District and on Seawall Boulevard is headed into weekend two. That means 3 more days packed with festivities and parades including a bus parade, a fire truck parade and a kids parade. Click here to peruse the full list of events.