Totally Texas -- Joust between you and me, it's a blast

The first time my daughter asked if I’d like to go to Medieval Times for my birthday, visions of The Cable Guy flashed before my eyes. She assured me that she and her then-boyfriend, now-husband had been while they were in college on the other side of the country. And loved it.

My twin grandsons would love it, too, I knew. Besides, my daughter added cunningly, admission is free on your birthday.

Why was I surprised to find out it’s so much fun? Sure, it’s cheesier than a quesadilla, and the dialogue could use some serious updates. But that’s not the point. The point is to watch terrific-looking horses and actors who wave swords and shields around like the cast of Monty Python and the Holy Grail on steroids. The point is to live two hours in a place where you can cheer the good guys and boo the bad guys while tearing a chicken apart with your bare hands.

Besides the expected jousting and sword fights, the show included demonstrations of falconry and dressage.

The kids couldn't get enough of it. And their ever young at heart dad demanded to go on his birthday, too.

Without the birthday freebie, the price would have been $60.95 plus tax and processing fee for each adult in the family and $36.95 (plus) for each child age 12 and younger. (Children under age three can sit on laps and watch for free.) The price doesn’t include tips for the wait staff, who lug around enormous platters of food and soft drinks. Or the many souvenirs the kids will clamor for and staged photos you’ll be tempted to have taken.

The food is decent and plentiful¾ a bowl of tomato soup, half a chicken, a spare rib, half a potato, a dessert (apple turnover on our visit) and all the tea or Pepsi you can drink. My daughter and I had to get takeout boxes to haul off our share of the meal. You can order alcoholic drinks and water for additional charge. A vegetarian meal is also available.

Besides the birthday freebie, the Dallas Medieval Times & Tournament offers discounted tickets at $38.95 for adults, $29.95 for kids through September 30. For ticket information and discount codes, see www.medievaltimes.com/dallas/. Educational matinees on limited dates are available for student groups, with topics including elements of theater, horsemanship, falconry, and historical information. See txschools51@medievaltimes.com or beg your teacher to call 469-342-555 for more about the matinees.

Outside of the student matinees, shows at Medieval Times in Dallas are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 5 and 7:45 p.m. Saturdays, and 5 p.m. Sundays. The you-can’t-miss-it castle is located at 2021 N. Stemmons Freeway, near downtown Dallas.

I had a brief moment of worry about one of my grandsons who is, sad to say, allergic to horses. But he got through the show without a sniffle.

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Need more to do this weekend? Try Addison’s Oktoberfest, www.addisontexas.net/events/Oktoberfest or the National Championship Indian Pow-Wow in Grand Prairie www.tradersvillage.com/grand-prairie/events/.

Totally Texas --Fall cools down, festivals heat up

No matter what the calendar says, Labor Day weekend marks the unofficial end of summer. Out with the old season, in with the new! As summer’s temperatures drop, fall festivals heat up. Here’s a sampling of events in North Texas my family and I have enjoyed. Think I’ve forgotten about Halloween? No chance, boys and ghouls. The spooky season will get its own post later in October.

Now - September 1: It’s your last weekend to see Perot Museum of Nature and Science’s World’s Largest Dinosaurs exhibit. My family started summer vacation with a visit to the Perot, 2201 N. Field St., Dallas. The traveling exhibit of South American dinos boasts really big bones, a plethora of dino facts, and my twin grandsons’ favorite -- a chance to dig in the dirt. For this and other museum information, see www.perotmuseum.org/.

September 16, 2014 - February 15, 2015: Want more dinosaurs? The animatronic versions return to the Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary, 1 Nature Place, McKinney. See http://heardmuseum.org/dinosaurslive/ for a complete list as well as hours and ticket information.

September 18-21: Addison’s Oktoberfest, at Addison Circle Park, is the place to go for beer, sausage, music, and athletic events like the barrel rolling contest whose photo illustrates this post. Admission is free for all ages Thursday, September 18. Friday through Sunday general admission is $10 for ages 13 and older, $5 for children ages 4-12. See www.addisontexas.net/events/oktoberfest for schedule of events and ticket packages.

September 19th-21st 2014: National Championship Indian Pow-Wow, Traders Village, 2602 Mayfield Road in Grand Prairie. The pow-wow includes tribal dance contests, arts, cultural heritage demonstrations, Indian food and more. There’s a $3 fee to park at the village, admission is free. See www.tradersvillage.com/grand-prairie/events/.

September 20-November 26: Autumn at the Arboretum, Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland Road, Dallas. The photo-op perfect pumpkin village and Cinderella’s coach return along with thousands of pumpkins and acres of flowers. For schedule of events, tickets, and discounts, see
www.dallasarboretum.org/.

September 26-28: Greek Festival of Dallas, Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, 13555 Hillcrest Road at Alpha Road, Dallas. Food, music, dancing, a marketplace, and more. Half-price admission September 26 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Remaining days’ tickets are $6 for ages 13 and older, free for kids under 13. See www.greekfestivalofdallas.com for times and details.

September 26-October 19: State Fair of Texas, Fair Park, Dallas. As if the giant talking robot mascot, Big Tex, isn’t scary enough, our state fair is also the official Fried Food Capital of Texas®. This year’s fried finalists include such stupefying entries as chicken fried loaded baked potato and deep fried Texas bluebonnet. Adult members of my family may need a swig of the funnel cake ale --amazingly, not fried -- to wash it all down. Carnival, exhibits, lots of farm animals, music, and anything else you can think of. Tickets are currently available online at www.bigtex.com, and at local Kroger stores beginning September 1. General admission is $17, $13 for children (under 48 inches tall). Adults aged 60 and older also get in for $13, or for free every Thursday during the fair's run.

Totally Texas -- Fall festivals in the air

No matter what the calendar says, every Texan knows the Labor Day weekend is the real end of summer. So for all of you who’ve searched for the State Fair, the Heard Museum’s robot dinosaurs and more, here are highlights of North Texas’ fall festivals.

Aug. 30-Sept. 2 -- Canton’s First Monday Trades Days isn’t just in the fall, but now there are only four more trades days till Christmas! Repeats the weekend before first Monday of each month. Free admission, parking fees vary. See www.visitcantontx.com/.

Sept. 7-9 -- Grand Prairie’s Traders Village hosts the 50^th annual National Championship Indian Pow Wow. Dance contests Friday evening through Sunday afternoon, with arts and crafts, Native food, and music. A $3 parking fee per car. See http://tradersvillage.com/grand-prairie/events/.

Sept. 13-16 -- GrapeFest in historic downtown Grapevine, a wine festival, but with family activities that make it kid-friendly. Free admission on Thursday and Friday until 5 p.m. and for kids under age six. See www.grapevinetexasusa.com/ .

Sept. 20-23 -- Addison’s Oktoberfest at Addison Circle Park. German food, polka music, dachshund racing, yodeling, carnival and more. Free admission Friday. See www.addisontexas.net/.

Sept. 22-Nov. 20 -- Autumn at the Arboretum, Dallas. Hay bale maze, storybook-themed pumpkin village, and special events. (But the Chihuly glass exhibits are only on display through Nov. 5). See www.dallasarboretum.org/.

Sept. 28-30 -- Greek Food Festival, at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Dallas. Food, entertainment, vendors and children’s activities. Admission free for kids age 12 and younger. See www.greekfestivalofdallas.com/.

Sept. 28-Oct. 21 -- The State Fair of Texas, at Dallas Fair Park. The big one: parades, music, rides, football, a huge new car show, and more. And Big Tex, of course. For more information, including prices and discounts, see
www.bigtex.com/.

Sept. 30 -- 45^th anniversary celebration at McKinney’s Heard Natural Science Museum includes raptor presentations, butterfly garden tour, and yes -- a preview of the animatronic dinosaur exhibit, which officially opens Oct. 1. See www.heardmuseum.org/.

Oct. 6-7 -- Cottonwood Art Festival, Richardson. Art, music, children’s activities. See www.cottonwoodartfestival.com/.

Oct. 18-20 -- Tyler’s Texas Rose Festival, this year with an “Indochine” theme in honor of the year of the dragon. See www.tylertexasonline.com/texas-rose-festival.htm/.

Oct. 20-21 -- Edom Festival of the Arts, in Edom, in the East Texas piney woods. New artists and returning favorites. Admission’s free, minor parking fees may apply. See
www.edomfestivalofthearts.com/.

Oct. 27-28 -- Fall Festival in the Fort Worth Botanic Garden’s Japanese Garden. Traditional dance, music, martial arts, papermaking and tea ceremonies. Admission free for kids under age four. See http://fwbg.org/events/66/fall-festival-in-the-japanese-garden/.

Nov. 10 -- Heritage Syrup Festival, in Henderson. Old-fashioned preparation of ribbon cane syrup using mule-drawn equipment. Folk music and folk-life exhibits, petting zoo, and more. For everybody who’s tried unsuccessfully to find ribbon cane syrup in Dallas, this is your chance to stock up. See www.hendersontx.us/.