Art cars, AstroWorld, Reeking Regatta show life in Houston in April 1989

Second-annual art car parade at the Houston International Festival, April 22, 1989. Second-annual art car parade at the Houston International Festival, April 22, 1989. Photo: Betty Tichich, Houston Chronicle Photo: Betty Tichich, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 66 Caption Close Art cars, AstroWorld, Reeking Regatta show life in Houston in April 1989 1 / 66 Back to Gallery

If it's April, it's time for the Houston Art Car Parade. Just like this year's parade, a colorful cornucopia of cars caravan down Houston's streets.

Look carefully though and you'll see some differences between then and now. First, there's the "Exxon Valdeath," which referenced the infamous oil tanker that ran aground in Alaska a few weeks earlier.

Then, in the background, there's the Albert Thomas Convention and Exhibit Center, now reconfigured into Bayou Place.

AstroWorld, George Foreman and even Abe Vigoda put in an appearance in this roundup of what Houston Chronicle photographers were capturing 30 years ago this month.

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On a somber note, the fate of UT-Austin student Mark Kilroy reached a horrifying conclusion when it was learned he was abducted and brutally slain at the hands of a cult outside Matamoros. You'll recall that Kilroy, who graduated from Santa Fe High School, went missing while on spring break at South Padre Island. The cult's leader was killed the following month in Mexico City as police closed in on his location.

Finally, a trip back through this period in the 1980s wouldn't be complete without a photo of supermodel Kathy Ireland signing autographs at Fame City.

J.R. Gonzales, a third-generation Houstonian, covers local history with an eye toward the people and events that have mostly been forgotten to time. Follow him through Bayou City History on Facebook and Twitter. He can be reached at 713-362-6163 or john.gonzales@chron.com.