Monday, March 19, 2012

Totally Texas -- Festivals spring up like flowers

It’s spring in Texas -- and that means bluebonnets and festivals. Here’s a sampling of festivals with leanings toward arts and crafts from my part of North Texas, so you can enjoy yourself outside before the thermometer hits those triple digits. Some events are free, some not, so please check the individual sites for details.

March 23 - April 8. Tyler Azalea and Spring Flower Trail. What bluebonnets are to Central Texas, azaleas are to East Texas. The festival opens with the Azalea Quilt Show 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. this Friday and Saturday, March 23-24. Harvey Convention Center, 2000 W. Front St., Tyler. See
www.qget.org/ and www.tylerazaeleatrailcom/ for additional information and events. (To get to Tyler, take I-20 east from Dallas for about 90 minutes, and follow exit signs. For more Tyler attractions, see posts dated May 9, 2011, and October 10, 2011.)

March 24 - 25, and Saturdays and Sundays through April 24. While you’re in East Texas, Four Winds Renaissance Faire includes handcrafted items along with jousting, jugglers, and more. Highway 110 South, near Tyler between Whitehouse and Troup. See www.fourwindsfaire.com/.

April 1 - 30. Ennis Bluebonnet Trails. We’ve seen the pictures of Hill Country bluebonnets but blooms are not at their peak in North Texas as of this writing. Check www.visitennis.org for updates and mark your calendar for Ennis’s Bluebonnet Trails Festival April 21-22. Ennis is on I-45 south of Dallas, about a 45 minute drive.

April 7 - May 28. Scarborough Renaissance Festival, Saturdays, Sundays and Memorial Day Monday. Unique products and crafts, including gourmet food. Plus, of course, jousting and gigantic turkey legs. At 2511 FM 66 in Waxahachie. See www.srfestival.com/.

April 14, repeating second Saturdays, monthly. Highway 279 Art Jam in Ben Wheeler and Edom, with a “Flora Galore” theme. Shops open at 10 a.m. in the small towns along FM 279. See http://279artisanstrail.com/ or the February 6, 2012, post on this blog for additional information.

April 21-22. April in Edom. Street fair with handmade items (it’s Edom, so you know they’re good), children’s activities, including spinning and weaving. See
www.aprilinedom.net/.

April 28-29. Spring festival in the Japanese Garden, Fort Worth Botanic Gardens, 3220 Botanic Garden Boulevard, Fort Worth. Events 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday, April 28; 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sunday. See http://fwbg.org/. For more about the Japanese Garden, see my
October 17, 2011, post.

May 5-6. Cottonwood Art Festival. At Richardson’s Cottonwood Park, on Beltline between I-75 and Coit Road. Juried arts show, with music, food, and ducks on the park’s lake. New, later hours -- 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. Saturday, May 5; 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sunday. See www.cottonwoodartfestival.com or Art Festival iPhone App or the September 26, 2011, post on this blog for more information.

May 5 - November 5. Chihuly at the Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland Road, Dallas. This is the big one. Glass artist Dale Chihuly brings his dramatic sculptures to the Dallas Arboretum. In addition to normal daytime hours, the Arboretum will open Tuesday through Thursday evenings for lighted views of the sculptures and gardens. Price is included in the admission fee.  See www.dallasarboretum.org/ for information.

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