Totally Texas -- All is bright at Candlelight

Candlelight at Dallas Heritage Village

1515 S. Harwood

Dallas

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I’m a sucker for equines of any species, but this post’s illustration of Nip, one of Dallas Heritage Village’s pair of horse-sized Mammoth Jack donkeys, doesn’t put you in a holiday spirit, what will? How about strolling candle-lit paths through the village’s nineteenth-century buildings decked in Victorian-era holiday decorations? Or listening to choirs, storytellers and other local entertainers at three venues throughout the park?

There’s always lots of music at Candlelight, the Village’s annual holiday program. But this year, hear the stories behind favorite carols with its “Songs of the Season” theme.

It’s this Saturday and Sunday, December 13-14, from 3 p.m. - 9 p.m. daily. Tickets for the annual program benefiting the museum are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors (age 65 and older), $8 for children ages 4-12. Kids under four get in free.

Carriages pulled by an antique tractor or Nip and his donkey friend Tuck trundle through the village, and interpreters in period costume bring the past to life in the Village’s dozens of historic buildings from the period 1840-1910.

There are craft activities for children and photo sessions with Santa in the Depot (with its “Timeless Trains” exhibit). Nip and Tuck are also more than willing to provide photo ops.

Food trucks will be on hand, and the Village’s Guild members offer plenty of homemade treats for sale. Beer and wine are available at a separate location.

Dallas Heritage Village is located just south of downtown Dallas, near the junction of I-30 and I-35. Onsite parking is $5 per vehicle, valet parking $10. Some free parking is also available at the Dallas Farmers Market, across the bridge on Harwood Street. Because of this special event, the Village will not be open during its usual daytime hours this weekend.

For directions and additional information, including an interactive map of the Village, see www.dallasheritagevillage.org/.

Totally Texas -- A Fourth red, white and beautiful

One splendid thing among many about our Fourth of July Independence Day celebrations: most of them are free. Stands to reason. How can you charge money for fireworks displays visible from every hilltop in the city? Or parades on public streets?

But there’s more to Independence Day than fireworks. So here’s a list of some of my favorites. Some free, some will cost, maybe to remind us that the Declaration of Independence was issued when independence itself was far from being won.

-- Neighborhood parades. If you haven’t overslept from last night’s Kaboom Town pyrotechnics blowout in Addison, there’s still time to catch some of today’s local parades. My part of East Dallas has several to choose from. My favorite is the Lakewood neighborhood parade, beginning at 10 a.m. today at the intersection of Lakewood and Cambria boulevards and ending at Tokalon Park. This year’s theme is “Lakewood Loves the Beach,” but it’s one of those parades where you don’t really need a theme, or permit or a payment to join in. Bring yourself, vehicles, bikes, or dogs, and gather at the starting point by 9:15 a.m.

The last couple of years, I’ve found plenty of parking at nearby White Rock Lake Park. Wear comfortable shoes--you may have to walk a bit to find the best spots. For a complete list of area events, including city fireworks and parades, see www.neighborsgo.com/.

-- Butterflies for a buck. Texas Discovery Gardens at Fair Park, 3601 Martin Luther King Dr. Blvd., celebrate Independence Day by cutting admission to the gardens to $1 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. July 4. Arrive by noon to see the release of just-emerged tropical butterflies in the adjacent butterfly house. Enter at Gate 6 of Fair Park. You’ll still need to pay the $5 parking fee for Fair Park events, because of course you’ll . . .

. . . Stay for music, rides and fireworks. Live music and access to rides, games and concessions begin at noon at the park. Fireworks start at approximately 9:30 p.m., and the grounds close at 10 p.m. Pay the $5 per vehicle parking fee, or take DART’s Green
Line to the park’s front gates. For details, see
www.fairpark.org/.

--Or wind to the top of Flagpole Hill, Northwest Highway and Buckner Boulevard, north of White Rock Lake, for vibes and a free bird’s eye view of fireworks all over town.

--Or splurge on tickets to the GeO-Deck at Reunion Tower, $16 for adults, $8 for children, at 300 Reunion Blvd. East, in Dallas. The tower‘s viewing deck is open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, with the last elevator going up at 9:30 p.m. Adjacent parking is $6, or access the tower by DART or Trinity Railway Express through nearby Union Station. See www.reuniontower.com/the-tower/geo-deck/ for more information.

-- You can keep your feet on the ground July 4 at Dallas Heritage Village’s Old Fashioned Fourth, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The village’s collection of historic and vintage buildings is located near downtown at 1515 S. Harwood St. Circus-themed games for kids, parade, crafts. Concessions available or bring your own picnic. See www.dallasheritagevillage.org/.

-- And that Declaration of Independence itself? See one of the few surviving original broadsides printed in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776, at the Dallas Library’s Central Branch, 1515 Young Street. But you’ll have to wait until tomorrow. The library’s closed today for the holiday! For details and hours, see
http://dallaslibrary2.org/.

(Next Friday -- Can cardboard float? Check out the cardboard boat races at Dallas’ Samuell Grand Park.)

Totally Texas -- What I did on my spring break. . .

In honor of spring break in North Texas schools, I’m offering a sample of activities, in two classes, Extra Credit 101 and Just for Fun 102. But don’t let the titles fool you. Extra Credit is extra fun and Just for Fun is good for your brain. (But don’t tell your parents!)

EXTRA CREDIT

March 8 -- Discovery Days at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, 2201 N. Field St., Dallas. Fun facts about dinosaurs and paleontology for all ages, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
$15 adults, $10 ages 2-11. See www.perotmuseum.org/.

March 9 -- CSI Family Day at the Sixth Floor Museum, 411 Elm St., Dallas. Be one of the first 500 kids through the door to investigate a mock crime scene and get yourself fingerprinted as well. Noon - 5 p.m., for ages 8 and older. $5 for program when combined with museum admission, $16 adults, $13 kids. See www.jfk.org/.

March 10-15 --Interurban Railway Museum, 901 E 15th Street, Plano, TX. ( Repeats each Monday through Saturday.) Open 10 a.m. 0- 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, 1-5 p.m. Saturday. Hundred year-old post office car, recreated depot, scale model train and hands-on experiments in electricity. Free, but donations welcome. See http://planoconservancy.org/.

March 11-14. Staycation at the Farmstead, Heritage Farmstead Museum, 1900 W. 15^th St., Plano. Wash clothes the old-fashioned way, feed chickens, plow and plant the fields, see hands-on demonstrations plus visit all the cute animals! 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. $5. See www.heritagefarmstead.org/.

March 11 - 16 -- “Hanskaska: The Shirtwearers” (through April 27). Recreations of regalia of historically important Plains Indian leaders by Cowgirl Hall of Fame artist Cathy A. Smith. National Cowgirl Museum, 1720 Gendy St., Fort Worth. Open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sunday noon - 5 p.m. Tickets $10 for ages 13 and up, $8 for ages 3-12. Parking $5. See
www.cowgirl.net/.

March 13 -- Skyline 360 Tours at Klyde Warren Park, 2012 Woodall Rodger Freeway, 5:30 - 6 p.m. Meet at the reading and games room for a tour of the Dallas skyline hosted by the Dallas Center for Architecture. Free. See www.klydewarrenpark.org/.

JUST FOR FUN

March 8 -14 -- A week of family art-making, tours & stories at the Dallas Museum of Art, 1717 N. Harwood St., Dallas, 11 p.m. - 5 p.m. daily. Take extra credit for economy -- it’s free! See www.dma.org/.

March 9 -- Drumming with George Cortez, Grand Plaza, Klyde Warren Park, 2012 Woodall Rodgers Freeway. Practice your percussion skills, 1 -3 p.m. Repeats March 16. Free. See www.klydewarrenpark.org/.

March 14 -- Spring Break ‘til Midnight, Nasher Sculpture Center, 2001 Flora St., Dallas, 6 p.m. till, you guessed it, midnight! Art, live music and PG movie Labyrinth. Free.  See more info at 
www.nashersculpturecenter.org/.

March 15 -- Gun fights at the Village, Old City Park, 1515 S. Harwood St., Dallas. Trinity River Desperadoes stage mock gunfight on Dallas Heritage Village’s Main Street, noon and 1 p.m. $9 for adults, $5 for ages 4-12. (Repeats first and third Saturdays through June.) Check out the Village’s historic buildings for extra credit. See www.dallasheritagevillage.org/.

(Next Friday -- Dallas St. Patrick’s parade, best viewing spots, what to do--or not!)

Wordcraft -- Kent’s new book and a new venue for authors

The Outcasts

by Kathleen Kent

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In the world of Dallas writer Kathleen Kent, the past is always present. She hit the New York Times bestseller lists with her first book, The Heretic’s Daughter, based on the historic trial and hanging for witchcraft of her several times great-grandmother, Martha Carrier, followed by its prequel, The Traitor’s Wife. Her latest tale, The Outcasts, forsakes seventeenth century Salem for nineteenth century Texas.

Despite Salem ancestry in her mother’s family, “My father was a Texan and I was raised in Texas,” Kent told her full house audience at Dallas Heritage Village last week to explain her storytelling leap from East Coast colonials to Texans. “My father would say that all the witches in the family came from my mother’s side, but all the horse thieves came from his side. “I think the closest thing we have to Greek mythology is the Western classic.”

She made the decision to set her book in 1870, during the Reconstruction period, “because what fascinates me is not no much what happens in a war, but what happens after a civil war. How do you recreate yourself?”

Naming fellow Texan Cormac McCarthy as an influence was enough to tell Kent’s listeners they wouldn’t get a story of gentleness and reconciliation in The Outcasts. The level of violence after the war, Kent said, led Reconstruction governor Edmund Davis to disband the Texas Rangers, which he considered too loyal to the fallen Confederacy and institute the new Texas State Police, “the first police force to hire men of color and men too young to have fought in the war.”

It was from among this younger generation of lawmen that she drew the character of Nate Cannon, assigned to track down murderer William McGill.

While Nate follows the outlaw, young Lucinda Carter flees a brothel in search of a new life, relief from her epileptic seizures, and the chests of gold rumored to have been hidden decades earlier by sometime pirate, sometime war hero, Jean Lafitte.

The challenge in researching historical fiction, Kent said, is “to imagine what life was like in another era.” For sources, she called on the help of local historians, one of whom introduced her to alligators during their searches for treasure sites, and old maps to document towns and landscapes that have often changed dramatically over the course of the centuries.

And of course, there were the guns. “You can’t have Texas history without guns,“ she said, but found it was one thing to use guns occasionally in hunting and “a different thing to live with guns day in and day out."

Despite the violence and gun play, “the book, at heart,” she said, “is a story about kinship, the kind we chose to make with other people.”

For more about Kent, her books and her research on outlaws and other scoundrels, see
www.kathleenkent.com/.

Kent’s appearance was as historic as her book. She was the first speaker of the newly-inaugurated Nancy Kay Farina Lecture Series sponsored by Dallas Heritage Village to honor the memory of the late Nancy Kay Farina. Find more information on DHV at www.dallasheritagevillage.org/.

(Next Monday, Wordcraft looks at nonfiction historical writing, as John Barry discusses the world’s most horrifying epidemic at the Literature + Medicine conference.)

Totally Texas -- The glorious 4th -- bright & loud

Too many Fourth of July events this coming week to list -- so I’ll give a modest nod to my neighborhood’s favorite, the Lakewood parade, running for the 50^th year from the intersection of Lakewood Boulevard and Cambria in East Dallas to the tennis courts at Tokalon and Winstead.

It boasts thousands of floats, vehicles, bikes, kid and dog paraders ( no need to register -- just gather at 9:15 Thursday morning at the starting to pick up a number) and thousands of spectators along the tree-shaded streets, while keeping the small town vibe that makes Lakewood one of Dallas’ best-loved neighborhoods.

This year’s theme is “Lakewood Makes History” -- the interpretation’s up to each participant, but please, no commercial or political advertising.

No parking along the parade route, but when I visited last year, parking space was surprisingly easy to find within a few blocks. Grand marshalls Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and his wife Micki head the parade starting at 10 a.m. For info, see www.lakewoodparade.com/.

In some ways, I think of the monthly First Monday Trade Days in Canton as the official start to July 4^th festivities. This month’s trade days are in progress through Sunday, June 30 (actually Thursday through Sunday BEFORE the first Monday of each month). About an hour east of Dallas on I-20, Canton bills itself as the world’s oldest and largest flea market -- and at 450 acres, it no doubt qualifies for the “largest” part of that title. For details, see www.visitcantontx.com/.

Once you’ve familiarized yourself with the shopping grounds in Canton, you’ll be ready to head back July 4^th for free fireworks on the west side of the grounds, at Highway 64 and FM 859. Fireworks begin at dark, approximately 9 p.m.

But you don’t have to wait for the 4^th to experience fireworks. The Dallas-area suburb of Addison gets a head start with its annual Kaboom Town! Wednesday, July 3. The entertainment at Addison Circle Park, at Beltline Drive between Addison Road and Quorum Drive, starts at 5 p.m. with music, food, and fly-bys of historic warplanes from the nearby Cavanaugh Flight Museum. The party cumulates after dark with a thirty-minute fireworks show choreographed to music and a radio simulcast. See
www.addisontexas.net/.

Almost every town has its own fireworks displays. For more listings, check http://dallas.about.com/.

You can spend the entire day of the 4^th in progressive celebrations, from:

-- 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Dallas Heritage Village’s Old-Fashioned Fourth, ($10 for adults, free for kids age 12 and under),
www.dallasheritagevillage.org/

-- 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. for the Dallas Arboretum’s concert by the Dallas Wind Symphony ($25 for nonmembers -- some tickets still available when I checked yesterday afternoon, June 27; free parking for evening events),
www.dallasarboretum.org/

-- 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Dallas Fair Park from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., with fireworks at 9:30 p.m. in the Cotton Bowl. The Fair Park event is free, but you’ll need to take DART or pay for parking.

And yes, I’m getting inquiries about where to buy fireworks. But even though I grew up in a rural area where do-it-yourself pyrotechnics were legal, I still recommend leaving them to the pros. Have a happy and safe Fourth!

Totally Texas -- Families days are 1st, 2nd & 3rd

Many Dallas area sites have recurring events, often with free or reduced price admissions on particular days of each month -- “First Saturday,” “First Tuesday,” and so on. How to keep track? With this handy calendar of family-friendly events.

Tuesday:
First Tuesdays at the DMA, Dallas Museum of Art, 1717 N. Harwood, Dallas. Regular admission is always free at the DMA, but first Tuesdays include storybook readings and music. Next date, April 2. Aimed at ages five and younger, but open to all. See www.dma.org/.

Wednesday:
Second Wednesdays, Nip and Tuck’s Barnyard Buddies, Dallas Heritage Village, 1515 S. Harwood, Dallas. Just for the little ones -- stories, songs, and exploration. 11 a.m. $5 for children, one adult with each child gets in free. Next date, April 10. See www.dallasheritageveillage.org/.

Thursday:
First Thursdays at Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center, 1206 W. FM 1382, Cedar Hill. Guided hike, animal encounters, and crafts. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Next date, April 4. Free. See www.dogwoodcanyonaudubon.org/.

Third Thursdays at Trinity River Audubon Center, 6500 Great Trinity Forest Way, Dallas. 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. Hikes, animal presentations, owl prowl at 8 p.m. Next date, April 18. Free. See www.trinityriveraudubon.org/.

Friday:
First Fridays at the Farm, Nash Farm, 626 Ball St., Grapevine, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Farmhand demonstrations of 19^th century life skills. $3. Next date, April 5. See www.nashfarm.org/.

Third Fridays, Crow Collection after Dark, Crow Collection of Asian Art, 6 p.m.- midnight. Next date, April 19. See www.crowcollection.org/

Also third Fridays, Late Night at the DMA, 6 p.m. to midnight. Concerts, dance, films, yoga and stories. At www.dma.org/. 

Saturday:
First Saturdays -- Target First Saturdays at the Nasher Sculpture Center, 2001 Flora, Dallas, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Art activities, story times, yoga. Next date, April 6. See www.nashersculpturecenter.org/.

Also first Saturdays, check out AdventureAsia, Family Days at the Crow Collection of Asian Art, 2010 Flora St. (across the street from the Nasher). Family tours, stories, kids art, and kid’s yoga. 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Free. See www.crowcollection.org/.

Second Saturdays -- Target Second Saturdays at the Latino Cultural Center, 2600 Live Oak St., Dallas. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Bilingual storytelling, dance, and more. Free. Next date, April 13. See www.dallasculture.org/.

Sunday:
First Sundays -- Nature Explore Family Club, at Environmental Education Center, 4116 W. Plano Parkway, Plano. First Sundays, from 3-4 p.m. Next date, April 7. Ages 4-10. Free registration at www.livegreeninplano.obsres.com/.

Third Sundays -- Family Past Times at Dallas Heritage Village, 1515 S. Harwood St., Dallas, noon - 4 p.m. Free for kids, adult admission applies. Seasonal hands-on activities. Next date, April 21, with kite theme. See www.dallasheritagevillage.org/.
 

Totally Texas -- Feliz navidad, y'all

I dashed into my neighborhood grocery store yesterday morning for an overlooked Thanksgiving dinner ingredient and found the store already playing Christmas carols. Thanksgiving’s over -- long live Christmas! And Chanukkah, and Kwanzaa, and New Year’s. . . With too many holiday events to blog about separately, I’m giving a totally biased list of some of mine and my family’s favorites, especially the free ones!

During the darkest days of the year, lights suddenly blossom. Satisfy your craving for brightness with these suggestions:

Illumination Celebration at Galleria Dallas, 13350 Dallas Parkway, #3880, Dallas. Today, November 23, through December 24, starting at noon. Lighting of indoor tree choreographed to music. Free. See also “The weather inside’s delight,” November 25, 2011 at this site. For additional Galleria events, see www.galleriadallas.com/.

Chihuly Nights at the Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland Road, Dallas. Glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly remain at the Dallas Arboretum through December 31, with lighted nighttime viewings several nights each week. (Evenings through the end of November, and several evenings in December are already booked up.) For additional information, see “Arboretum’s Chihuly nights,” October 12, 2012, at this site. For ticket information and prices, see www.dallasarboretum.com/.

Lantern Light: Roaring through the Holidays, Saturday, December 1, at the Heritage Farmstead Museum, 1900 W. 15^th St., Plano, Texas 75075. From 4 - 9 p.m. Illuminated tours of the historic buildings, with storytelling, visits with Santa, and more. For ticket information and prices, see www.heritagefarmstead.org/.

Chanukkah Menorah Lighting at Galleria Dallas. Saturday, December 8, through December 15, 5 p.m. daily. Of course, it’s in Texas, so it’s a giant 15-foot menorah! On Level 1, near the Guest Reception Center. Free. See www.galleriadallas.com/.

Candlelight at Dallas Heritage Village, 1515 S. Harwood St., Dallas, December 8 -9, 3-9 p.m. Carriage rides along candlelit paths, historic buildings and local entertainers. For ticket information, parking, and list of events included, see
www.dallasheritagevillage.org/.

Even in Texas, small can be beautiful. Some of my family’s favorite small-scale holiday things include:

The Trains at NorthPark, 8687 N. Central Expressway, Dallas, currently through January 6, 2013. Multiple miniature trains travel across small-scale landmarks, including Dallas’ new Margaret hunt Hill Bridge, the State Fair of Texas, and the Cotton Bowl. Proceeds benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas. For times and tickets, see www.rmhdallas.org/news-and-events/the-trains-at-northpark/. For additional holiday events at NorthPark, see www.northparkcenter.com/.

Joel’s Christmas Train, 156 Hidden Circle, Richardson, Texas. Richardson retiree Joel Occhiuzzo has dedicated years to making his holiday express riding train in the Duck Creek neighborhood bigger and better. The train in his backyard, running now through January 1, 6 - 10 p.m., is big enough to ride on. Free, but he appreciates donations. For additional information, see “Can you hear the train coming?” December 26, 2011, at this site, and
http://holidayexpressridingtrain.wordpress.com/.

Richardson Santa’s Village, in front of Richardson City Hall, 411 W. Arapaho Road, Richardson, 75080. The village of child-size buildings opens Saturday, December 1, from 6-9 p.m. Free. For additional information, see “Santa comes on a fire engine,” December 12, 2011, at this site, and www.cor.net/index/aspx?page=1303/.

And then there are events that defy classification, such as A Tuba Christmas at Dallas’ Thanks-Giving Square, 1627 Pacific Avenue at Ervay and Bryan. December 24, at noon. For nearly forty years, players of tubas, sousaphones, euphoniums and baritone horns from across the country have gathered to play carols, with instruments and in audience sing alongs. Free. See www.thanksgiving.org/.

Totally Texas -- A Halloween for all ages

Love Halloween but despair of finding fun stuff that’s not too gory, too late-night or too adult to attend with your kids? Of course, I’ve got suggestions, rated G to PG to PG-13.

G-rated: G stands for “grown-ups” too. Everybody can find something fun at the Dallas Arboretum. This Saturday and Sunday, October 26-27, is Family Fun Weekend at the Arboretum, 8525 Garland Road in Dallas. Special events include trick or treating at the Small Houses of Great Artists from noon - 4 p.m. Special children‘s attractions also on Monday and Tuesday.

For something more late-night but still with a G rating, check out the Chihuly Nights, 6-9 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. (Just announced, Dale Chihuly’s glass sculpture exhibits will remain at the Arboretum through the end of the year, with night hours Monday through Wednesday November through December.) For details on day and night activities, see http://www.dallasarboretum.org/.

Also with a G rating -- Dias de los Muertos celebration this Saturday, October 27, beginning at 11 a.m. at the Latino Cultural Center, 2600 Live Oak in Dallas. Includes performances by Alegre Ballet Folklorico and Aztec dancers, music and craft workshops. Artwork exhibit of altars created by local artists and the community runs through November 3. For more information, see www.dallasculture.org/latinoCulturalCenter/.

Still G, but be prepared to answer questions like, “What are those dead people doing?” at The Bath House Cultural Center’s Dia de los Muertos art exhibition, now through November 10. At 521 E. Lawther Dr., in Dallas. Free. See www.dallasculture.org/bathhouseculturecenter/.

Also at the Bathhouse, but now moving into PG-13 territory, ghost tales at 7 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday, narrated by the Dallas Storytelling Guild. I attended last year and older due to mild but far from pornographic sexual content. Tour the art exhibit during intermission. Tickets $10. For more information, see
http://dallasstorytelling.org/.

I haven’t attended the Dallas Heritage Village’s Haunted Heritage evening tour, but since they sell tickets for the under-12 crowd, I’m guessing PG is still a safe rating. Tonight, October 26, from 6:30 - 9 p.m. Adult tickets $8 in advance, with limited quantities available at the door for $10 at the door, 1515 Harwood Street. For additional ticket information, see www.dallasheritagevillage.org/.

Willing to travel further afield? Try Murder & Mayhem: True Crimes of Collin County, tonight (October 26) 7-10 p.m., at Heritage Farmstead Village, 1900 W. 15^th St., in Plano. The museum rates this PG-13, with tickets $20, advance sales only. Includes lantern tour of the site, storytelling and a reenacted historic murder trial. Contact Hilary Kidd, 972-881-0164, or
hkidd@heritagefarmstead.org/

And further north, check out the Legends of McKinney Ghost Walk, Saturday, October 27, from 6 - 10 p.m. A self-guided tour through the Chestnut Square Historic Village and downtown McKinney, with storytellers at each site to share the legends. I’ll rate this PG, for the time frame. Adult tickets $12 in advance, $15 the night of the walk. See www.chestnutsquare.org/.