2016 October Lake Highlands

HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF OUR CITY'S EVER-IMPROVING TRAIL SYSTEM

Going his own way.

Gary Moore saw an opportunity to turn his experience into his future, and LegacyTexas doesn’t let a call like that go unanswered. From a three-truck beginning to today’s 48-state operation, legacies are built when partners work together to drive their own success.

WHAT’S YOUR LEGACY?

GARY MOORE’S LEGACY President & CEO, Moore Transport

An

(Photo of White Rock Creek Trail by Danny Fulgencio)

Lake Highlands Trail. (Photo by Danny Fulgencio)

“This is the only way you can get here. We put this [bridge] here ... we call this the cathedral.”

Bill Grunnah,

Harry S. Moss Park advocate page 39

A stone marks an old horse trail. (Photo by Danny Fulgencio)

NOT MY PROBLEM

WHAT IF TRASHY STREETS REVEAL A SAD TRUTH ABOUT OUR CIVIC VIRTUE?

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld tells a funny story about the unwritten pact between movie theaters and those who attend movies.

Movie theater operators, he says, understand that people who attend movies aren’t going to clean up after themselves. We’ll leave candy wrappers, half-eaten bags of popcorn and sweating soda cups strewn about the theater after a movie.

Why?

According to Seinfield, we do it because we know and the movie theater operators know that’s our deal with each other: They’re “ripping us off” with movie and concession pricing, so when we finish whatever we’re eating or drinking in a theater, we’re going to just “open our hand and let it drop.”

That’s the pact. We’re getting ripped off, so we aren’t going to clean up after ourselves.

It’s a funny story because it’s based on truth. The prices of theater tickets and concessions seem to be skyrocketing, so creating extra work for the low-paid kids cleaning up after us is somehow OK.

I wonder if we’ve let these thoughts trickle into our relationship with Dallas?

Crossing a city street the other day, I noticed two things: People were everywhere, and so was trash.

The trash wasn’t just lying there, either: It was blowing everywhere. Not the cotton-candy-creepy-gooey kind of trash, but plastic grocery bags and recyclable food packaging and empty plastic soda bottles.

As for the people, we were blowing

Rick Wamre

everywhere, too — and always away from the trash. No one made any attempt to do anything about the trash, probably because we believe we aren’t the ones who created the problem.

That says something about the “ownership” we take in our “home,” doesn’t it? We’re willing to live with it because we just don’t feel like picking it up.

Maybe that’s our pact with Dallas: We think we’re being stiffed with higher taxes and crappy streets, so if we feel like dropping something when we’re done with it, so be it. It’s the city’s job to keep our home clean, not ours.

It’s great that people are flocking to Dallas these days, great that we’re building apartments and homes and offices to accommodate everyone.

But if our fundamental response to growth is that it’s the city’s job to take care of everything, this story isn’t going to have a happy ending. Too many new people are going to emulate those of us who don’t care enough about the place, and they’ll think that’s the way to act, too.

And not just with trash, but with civic involvement, volunteering and making a difference elsewhere in Dallas.

I could have picked up some of that trash in the street. It wouldn’t have taken much extra time to grab something while walking to my destination; there was a garbage can right along the way.

But I thought to myself: I’m paying plenty of taxes; I’m doing my share. If Dallas is the world-class city everyone keeps saying it is, why do I need to be the one cleaning things up — isn’t that someone else’s job?

Maybe that’s our unwritten pact here.

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EDITORIAL

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contributing photographers: Rasy Ran, Kathy Tran

is president of Advocate Media. Let him know how we are doing by emailing rwamre@advocatemag.com.

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editorial or advertising material. Opinions set forth in the Advocate are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the publisher’s viewpoint. More than 200,000 people read Advocate publications each month. Advertising rates and guidelines are available upon request. Advocate publications are available free of charge throughout our neighborhoods, one copy per reader. Advocate was founded in 1991 by Jeff Siegel, Tom Zielinski and Rick Wamre.

Reader’s react to the newly proposed White Rock Trail school

“I AGREE THAT A NEW SCHOOL IS NEEDED, JUST NOT AT THIS LOCATION. HOW CAN THE RISD ADMINISTRATORS IGNORE THE WISHES OF THE PEOPLE WHO SOLD THE LAND? DO THEY THINK THEY CAN SIMPLY BULLY THEIR WAY THROUGH THIS?”

—ID WALKER

“WHERE THE WE HAVE A VOICE CAMPAIGN LOSES ME, AND ACTUALLY SADDENS ME, IS WHEN THEY PANIC ABOUT BRINGING IN HUNDRED OF KIDS FROM ALL OVER. THESE KIDS WOULD BE PART OF OUR COMMUNITY AND NEED A SCHOOL TO GO TO. PART OF THE PLAN ONCE THE NEW SCHOOL IS BUILT IS TO USE THE EXTRA SPACE AT WHITE ROCK ELEMENTARY TO HOUSE THE RISD STAFF DAYCARE. WHY IS THAT BAD?”

—MICHELLE ROSCOE YUNGBLUT

“YES WE NEED A PLAN THAT ADDRESSES GROWTH IN WHITE ROCK ELEMENTARY, BUT WE’RE NOT THE ONLY ONES GROWING. WE NEED A PLAN FOR THE JUNIOR HIGH AND HIGH SCHOOL. SPENDING THAT MUCH MONEY ON A TERRIBLE LOCATION WITHOUT ADDRESSING OTHER MAJOR ISSUES IS TOTALLY IRRESPONSIBLE.”

—AMY STRAWN MOORE

Make Time for Your Annual Mammogram

3D Mammography is Now Available at The Imaging Center on Lovers Lane

For most women, life can get complicated at times. The to-do list never seems to get any shorter. Women today have so many responsibilities that it is easy to put the kids, the husband, the job, even the dog, ahead of your own health. But we need to be at our best and in good health to manage it all. The Imaging Center on Lovers Lane, a department of Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – White Rock, makes it easy to fit getting your annual mammogram into your busy life with convenient hours, including early morning, evening and Saturday appointments. You can schedule your mammogram by calling 214.324.6220. Most appointments take 30 minutes or less.

3D Mammography in East Dallas

“3D mammography provides greater sensitivity

when screening for breast abnormalities than 2D mammography,” said David Zorinsky, MD, a breastfellowship-trained radiologist on the medical staff at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – White Rock who specializes in breast imaging. “Studies published in The Journal of the American Medical Association shows that 3D mammography decreases the number of false-positive results, as well as the need for recall testing, which can be very stressful for women.” Unlike traditional mammography, 3D mammography creates multiple breast images in just seconds, allowing providers to examine breast tissue one layer at a time. 3D mammography is especially helpful to women with dense breast tissue because it provides a clearer picture.

The Benefits of 3D Mammography:

• Clearer view through dense breast tissue, and better accuracy in determining size, shape and location of abnormalities in the breast

• Fine details are more visible and are less likely to be hidden by overlapping tissue

• Improved detection of breast abnormalities by 27 to 50 percent

• Decrease in false alarms due to abnormalities in the breast tissue

• Reduction in additional testing

• Fewer repeat images may be needed, reducing the exposure to radiation

Annual mammograms are an important part of a woman’s wellness routine, generally beginning at age 40. Call The Imaging Center on Lovers Lane today to schedule your 3D mammogram at 214.324.6220.

*You do not need a physician referral/order to schedule your annual screening mammogram. Although we accept all major insurance, please note that 3D mammography may not be covered by some insurance plans.

Q&A: MATT MOSLEY

ESPN RADIO HOST AND LAKE HIGHLANDS RESIDENT

Matt Mosley is just a regular guy, someone you might run into at the divey diner near a college football stadium, though he would probably be mic’d up and offering his game day analysis into the lens of a TV camera. The famous Lake Highlands resident, best known at the moment for his afternoon ESPN radio show alongside Tim Cowlishaw, grew up in Kaufman, Texas where he “starred in” basketball and tennis, he says. He went on to Baylor, the Dallas Morning News and made his way around the broadcasting and sports writing world until he became one of the industry’s most respected voices (don’t let his self-deprecating tone fool you).

IN WHAT DID YOU MAJOR IN COLLEGE, AND DID YOU EVER CONSIDER ANOTHER PATH?

I majored in speech communication/history at Baylor and then enrolled at Baylor law school. The level of study required quickly caused me to seek a different path. Lately I’ve bemoaned the fact I didn’t become a homicide detective. But maybe re-watching “The Wire” is causing that.

WHAT MADE YOU PURSUE JOURNALISM AND SPORTS?

My paternal grandmother, Alda,

was a prolific and talented writer. Maybe it rubbed off on me a bit. I coached basketball at a private school while in college. I just knew I needed to stay close to my passion. Editors like Bob Yates and Mark Konradi allowed me to make a ton of mistakes. I’m eternally grateful.

THE ADVOCATE ONCE CALLED YOU AN “AWARD-WINNING SPORTS WRITER” — WHAT AWARDS HAVE YOU WON?

I fear you don’t have the space to list all the awards. OK, you have plenty of space. I won an award

from the American Heart Association for a story I did on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). And my socalled big break was the 2003 Baylor basketball scandal. We won an award for our coverage at the DMN and it was probably what led to me covering the Cowboys for the DMN.

ARE YOU CONTENT? DO YOU HAVE MORE ASPIRATIONS?

I’ve yet to meet a content writer. I’m content with my amazing wife Meredith and daughter Parker, but I’m always searching for what’s next career-wise. I love doing radio for 103.3 FM ESPN and I’m thrilled to be writing for Texas Monthly Magazine and the DMN’s site.

WHAT DO YOU MOST LIKE ABOUT YOUR CURRENT GIGS?

More than anything, I love trying to entertain folks. I had a great mentor and colleague in Randy Galloway and he genuinely loved

ESPN radio personality Matt Mosley, right, runs through a pre-show meeting with co-host Tim Cowlishaw and producer Tom Gribble. (Photo by Rasy Ran)

making folks laugh. I’ve tried to carry on that legacy.

MANY OF YOUR CONTEMPORARIES HAVE WRITTEN BOOKS — DO YOU PLAN TO? WHAT SPORTS BOOK DID YOU ENJOY THE MOST?

Feels like you’re book-shaming me. Do I have to mention Tim Cowlishaw’s "Drunk on Sports?" I was not mentioned in that book. I’m quite grateful for that, in fact. I’d like to write a children’s book at some point. I probably need to do it while my daughter’s still a little girl.

TELL US ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WORKING WITH TIM COWLISHAW AND YOUR FORMER COHOST RANDY GALLOWAY.

Tim is less volatile than Randy. Both of them are dear friends. Can we get back to discussing me?

YOU ARE A BAYLOR FAN AND ALUM — DOES THIS MEAN YOU ARE RELIGIOUS? WORKING IN AN INDUSTRY THAT CAN GET WILD AND CONTENTIOUS, DOES FAITH/RELIGION INTERFERE OR IMPACT YOUR WORK?

I’ve always felt like my faith helps me in this career. I know we have a lot of different beliefs in our listening audience. I try to be respectful of everyone. I’ll never force my faith on anyone. But I don’t feel any need to hide it. It’s a large part of who I am.

DO YOU BELONG TO A CHURCH AROUND HERE?

I’ve been a member at Wilshire Baptist for 17 years. My pastor and good pal George Mason writes for this publication. I can only imagine how much someone of his intellect is costing you guys. (See Mason p. 47)

WHERE DOES YOUR DAUGHTER GO TO SCHOOL?

Our 9-year-old daughter Parker goes to Highlander School. Her grandmother, Barbara Floyd, taught

there. My wife Meredith attended the school. It’s just an amazing place. But I’ll be ready for some free tuition in seventh grade.

YOUR WIFE SEEMS WELL LIKED IN THE COMMUNITY — WHAT MAKES HER SPECIAL TO YOU AND TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD?

She just finished up her term as president of the Junior League of Dallas. She was one of the founding members of the Lake Highlands Junior Women’s League. She was quite successful in the corporate world. And she brought that to her volunteer work.

YOU’VE DONE SOME CHARITY WORK, LIKE WITH HEALING HANDS MINISTRIES — WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT TO YOU?

Actually Meredith sort of covers us both charity wise. I’ve served on the North Lake Highlands YMCA board of directors for several years. My daughter and I have taken advantage of the Y Princess program. I speak at some local meetings, although none of them have asked me to join.

ARE YOU INTO ANY SPORTS YOURSELF?

I have taken up cycling. It’s so great to speed past all the joggers at White Rock.

YOU TWEET A LOT ABOUT TV AND MOVIES, LIKE, RECENTLY, HBO’S “THE NIGHT OF” — FAVORITE TV SERIES/ MOVIE AND WHY?

Cowlishaw hated “Night Of.” It didn’t have enough subtitles for him. I enjoyed the first season of “Bloodline” before things bogged down in Season 2. “The Wire” is unbelievable for folks who didn’t see it. And of course “Game of Thrones” is a guilty pleasure, although I’ve nearly checked out several times.

FAVORITE PLACES TO EAT IN LAKE HIGHLANDS?

We remain faithful to JG’s OldFashioned Burgers, although Shady’s has grabbed my attention lately. I also like Offshores Nextdoor, Atomic Pie and Resident Tacqueria. Things are hoppin’ over there.

WHO ARE YOUR IDOLS, IN GENERAL, OR PEOPLE WHO INSPIRED YOU?

I looked up to old sportswriters like Dan Jenkins and the late Blackie Sherrod. It was a great joy in life to have become friends with Frank Luksa. We played some golf together. I loved everything about him. And Norm Hitzges got me started in the business. Of course, Randy and Tim are up there.

STORY YOU ARE MOST SICK OF COVERING/TALKING ABOUT?

I should say the current Baylor

scandal. But I think it›s important not to shy away from it. My alma mater has to learn from this and try to set an example for how to provide a much safer environment for women.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE SPORTS BLOGS OR JUST THINGS TO READ, IN GENERAL?

I devour The New Yorker every week. Love the movie reviews from Anthony Lane and David Denby. I read the DMN every day. Old habits die hard. I’ve been checking out Bill Simmons’ new site The Ringer quite a bit. And there’s s new site about Baylor sports called Sic’em 365. My name might pop up on there soon.

YOUR THOUGHTS WHEN TONY ROMO WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED BEFORE THE SEASON BEGAN?

I do hate it for Tony because he

was poised to have a big season. But I take pride in having jumped on the Dak Prescott bandwagon several months ago. I had the reins. Now everyone is claiming him.

WILL THE RISE OF INFORMATION ON CONCUSSIONS AND RELATED HEALTH PROBLEMS CHANGE THE LOOK OF FOOTBALL — HIGH SCHOOL, PROFESSIONAL — IN THE COMING YEARS OR NEXT GENERATION?

I think the numbers of kids playing football is already dropping. We love the sport too much for it to disappear, but it will be different a decade from now. The research will be such that parents will have an extremely tough time allowing their kids to play. We’re probably already there.

— CHRISTINA HUGHES BABB

‘COOP-ETITION’

ALAMO-ANCHORED SKILLMAN-ABRAMS VS. LAKE HIGHLANDS TOWN CENTER

There’s a term Bob Young likes to use when discussing two nearby shopping centers:

“Coop-etition,” says Young, executive managing director of Dallasbased real estate firm The Weitzman Group. “I should have trademarked this,” he quips.

That’s how Young expects the Alamo Drafthouse-anchored Skillman Abrams Shopping Center redevelopment will interact with the Lake Highlands Town Center development a mile up the road.

“It’s going to be complementary while being competitive,” Young says. Both centers taking off around the same time “brings a level of current interest and current opportunity to a given trade area.”

The two centers won’t necessarily be fighting for the same tenants, says Lake Highlands resident Ryan Fuqua, senior associate with The Weitzman Group.

“It’s going to come down to economics,” he says.

The rents that the under construction, Sprouts-anchored Town Center will charge will be too high for most start-up mom-and-pops, for example.

“Artistik Edge is a single-owner but also an experienced operator whose been in Lake Highlands for a while,” Fuqua says. “Other proven concepts could happen” at the Town Center, he says, but he expects to see most other locally-owned businesses to flock to Skillman Abrams, where “I don’t think they can command those high rents,

even with an Alamo there.”

While Skillman-Abrams is “ripe for quick-serve restaurants and services coming in,” Fuqua says, it probably won’t attract “soft goods,” or clothing stores, which he thinks will be “dominated by the Town Center because of nicer walkability.”

The old Tom Thumb shopping center “is still going to be a grocery parking lot, not like the Town Center where you can go from building to building to building.”

Before Lake Highlanders start anticipating a neighborhood Gap, however, Lake Highlands Town Center developer Bill Rafkin shuts down that idea.

“We’ve contacted them and they’ve said no,” Rafkin told us in a recent

At left, an artist rendering of the Alamo Drafthouse location, and, at right, a vision of the Lake Highlands Town Center.

interview. Compared to Preston Royal, Timbercreek, NorthPark, “there’s not enough traffic for clothing retailers.” There could be some interesting retailers at the intersection of Wildcat Way and Wedgwood, however. Original plans called for retail at the base on the apartments on the east side of Wildcat Way, and though those plans have changed, Rafkin says he will have a few live-work units at the southern end near The Haven apartments, where artists and retailers “ostensibly have a shop on first floor and live on the second floor.”

Restaurants seem to be the main focus for both Rafkin and Skillman-Abrams Shopping Center broker Mark Hajdu. In addition to Starbucks, Rafkin tells us that he is in discussions with Mexican, Italian, burger, seafood and dessert concepts, mostly regional restaurants rather than national chains. Likewise, Hajdu says, “We’re talking to a million different tenants from Rudy’s to El Fenix to a pizza concept to an Asian fusion concept. We have more interest than we have space.”

So yes, “I would say some competition for tenants,” Rafkin says, even though the two will be very different shopping centers — one with new construction, anchored by Sprouts with a built-in population of 500-plus apartments and townhomes; the other urban infill anchored by an arthouse theater.

In addition to Starbucks, Rafkin tells us that he is in discussions with Mexican, Italian, burger, seafood and dessert concepts, mostly regional restaurants rather than national chains.

Skillman-Abrams has a winning combination on its hands, Young says.

“In retail real estate today, the most active, the hottest kind of category is food and entertainment,” he says. “If you look at shopping centers around the marketplace today, there are more food offerings than ever before. They cluster and bring people in.”

Rankin says he has talked to

theaters, but industry rules won’t let them screen a movie within 2 or 3 miles of a competitor, “so Lake Highlands Town Center doesn’t make sense for major theaters.” As for arthouses like Alamo Drafthouse, Rafkin says he has “reached out to them all,” but “a lot of the arthouses don’t go into a brand new buildings, they go into repurposed buildings. We have to build a special purpose building and they can’t afford to pay those rents.”

He’s hoping to attract some sort or entertainment-restaurant hybrid to the block of land right off Skillman between the future Sprouts and the David Weekley townhomes.

“Something like The Rustic would be good,” Rafkin says, referring to the West Village restaurant with its live music patio, “so we’re kind-of holding that out, trying to find somebody like that.”

No takers yet, he says, because the dirt is still turning.

“A lot of people are saying, ‘Let’s wait and see,’ ” Rafkin says.

—KERI MITCHELL

COMING SOON

Simply called HERE , it may become the new hangout spot for Lake Highlands music and entertainment enthusiasts. Run by musicians Julie Doyle — cofounder, singer and manager of Polyphonic Spree — and former Hagfish drummer Tony Barsotti, the lounge bar is slated to open this month near White Rock Lake at 9028 Garland Road. In addition to cocktails, the 1960s and ‘70s-themed bar offers live music and a Southern-inspired menu. “It’s not going to have open garage doors and dogs,” Barsotti says. “We both had a little bit of a humble lust for this type of place. We started out wanting a bar with cheese and a piano, and then as we got in it, it just started evolving.”

MANNY’S UPTOWN TEX-MEX will replace Rex’s Seafood & Chop House, which held the location at Mockingbird and Abrams for only seven months. A timeline for when the new restaurant will open has not been set.

OPEN NOW

Lake Highlands restaurant goers seeking a variety of flavors and a multitude of options can check out DIMASSI’S at 5500 Greenville Ave. The eatery offers day-long buffets with a Middle Eastern flair and catering for groups of 10-50. This is the Mediterranean restaurant chain’s third metroplex location.

The custom quilt shop ROCKING BOBBIN is open on Skillman near I-635 and plans a ribbon cutting ceremony Oct. 8. The business offers BERNINA products such as sewing machines and quilting products, in addition to classes and social events.

CLOSING DOWN

Seven MINYARD SUN FRESH MARKETS — including the Northwest Highway and Mockingbird-Abrams locations — shut the doors for the final time recently after the company was bought out by independent grocery store chain H-E-B/ Central Market, which owns H-E-B Plus!, Mi Tienda, Central Market and Joe V’s Smart Show. At time of publication, what will move into area locations remains to be seen.

PAWS & CLAWS

THANK HEAVEN FOR 7-11

That’s what pet parent Romlee Stoughton of Lake Highlands’ Woodbridge neighborhood says, because that is where, on separate occasions, both of these cuties were found searching for a home. “My late father, who adored all animals, found the schnoodle. He stopped his car and opened the door, upon which she jumped right in and began licking his face. He named her Foresta, borrowing from her location.” The junior Stoughton found the chocolate Labrador mix four years later at the same 7-11. He watched her “eagerly follow people to their car, and they would simply step over her,” he says. That was 7 years ago. And no, he did not name her Skillma. He calls her Brownie.

THE goods

214.560.4203

THE STORE IN LAKE HIGHLANDS

Nora Fleming…In person! Friday, October 7th from 12-2pm, Nora will be signing her pieces. Come meet her and enjoy lunch on us.

Mon-Sat 9:30-5:30

10233 E. NW Hwy@Ferndale (next to Gecko’s) 214.553.8850 TheStoreinLH.com

WCITY VIEW ANTIQUE MALL

Fall Flea Market & Store Wide Sale! 20% to 50% Off Oct. 26th-30th. Sat. Oct. 29 Only, Fall Flea Market. 100 Dealers Inside & Out. Tented, Rain or Shine! You won’t want to miss this annual event! 6830 Walling Ln. (Skillman/Abrams) behind Jake’s 214.752.3071 cityviewantiques.com

E oods

ADVOCATE GOODS

More than 200,000 sets of eyes are checking out these items right now. Get your specialty items or featured products in front of your neighbors that love to shop local for unique items. Read online at advocatemag.com/digital

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Sept. 16-Oct. 23

MUSICAL SEUSS

Dallas Children’s Theater brings some of Dr. Seuss’ most beloved stories to life, including “Cat in the Hat!" and “Horton Hears a Who!” This production of “Seussical” is recommended for children ages 5 and older.

Dallas Children’s Theater, 5938 Skillman St., 214.978.0110, dct.org, $17-$30

Oct. 6-22

'BREADCRUMBS'

WingSpan Theatre Company will perform “Breadcrumbs” every Thursday-Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. The play follows a fiction writer named Alida and her caretaker, Beth, as they attempt to complete Alida’s autobiography.

Bath House Cultural Center, 521 E. Lawther Drive, 214.675.6573, dallasculture.org, $20-$25

65 12 OCTOBER

Oct. 12

PHOTO STROLL

Discover the Dallas Arboretum’s most photogenic spots with help from the Dallas Center for Photography. Center experts will provide advice from 6-8 p.m. on how to best capture the botanical garden’s beauty.

Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland Road, 214.515.6539, dallasarboretum.org, $59-$65

Oct. 15

PARKTOBERFEST

If a plane ticket to Germany isn’t realistic this Oktoberfest, head to the craft beer and music festival Parktoberfest from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. A portion of the event’s proceeds will be donated to the Wilkinson Center, an agency that assists families in poverty.

The Shops at Park Lane, 8020 Park Lane, 214.365.0222, shopsatparklane.com, $10-$30

Oct. 20

LONG RUN

Participants can choose between a 1-mile fun run at 6 p.m. or a 5k run through Hollywood Heights and the Santa Fe Trail at 6:30 p.m. There will be activities after the races, which raise funds for the Long Middle School PTA.

J.J. Long Middle School, 6116 Reiger Ave., 972.502.4700, jllong.com, $10-$20

Oct. 29-30

AIA DALLAS TOUR OF HOMES

Two Lake Highlands homes will be featured on this two-day tour of some of the most architecturally interesting houses of Dallas. Various locations, 214.742.3242, hometourdallas.com, $10-$100

MARKET IN THE MEADOW

More than 160 vendors will sell gift items at this event benefitting Forest Meadow Junior High. Local schools' bands, choirs, cheerleading dance and drill teams are slated to perform.

Forest Meadow Jr. High, 9373 Whitehurst Drive, marketinthemeadow.com, free

Delicious

THE THEODORE

It’s hard to say what namesake Teddy Roosevelt would think of The Theodore, but it certainly looks like somewhere he’d hang out. With its dark-paneled bar, over-stuffed blue velvet arm chairs and hunting-inspired décor, it’s a bit like stepping back in time.

“It’s all about creating an atmosphere, an energy,” says chef/owner Tim Byres. “We set up the story of the place and then fill in the details of the menu.”

Byres is one of Dallas’ wunderkind chefs who has cooked at the White House and seems to have the Midas touch with his Smoke barbecue brand in Oak Cliff and Plano. But it wasn’t always that way. Before Smoke, he was divorced and had just shuttered his restaurants Standard and Standard 2706. He was disenchanted.

“I decided I was either going to be a food stylist, or I’d make soap and sell it at the farmers market,” he laughs. But then he felt the spark of his childhood passion for what he calls “the spirit of hospitality,” the reason he became a chef.

“I wanted to make a place where people

could just hang out,” he says. And so he and some partners built his rustic and wellreviewed Smoke, where meat is cooked over an open flame.

His success there had the folks at NorthPark Center calling. They were looking for a new restaurateur to bring some culinary flair to the chain-based mall’s eatery options. It was a different community from laid-back Oak Cliff, a chance for Byres to explore a new side of his eclectic personality.

“Smoke is a big Texas place with big slabs of meat,” Byres explains. “I’m not saying [The Theodore] is more feminine, but the portion sizes are smaller. The food is a bit healthier.”

You’ll find dishes that Byres describes as “the classic American food story,” including pot pies, beef tenderloin and a plethora of pizzas. Cocktails are crafted from fresh fruit and herbs, each named for different national park in honor of Roosevelt’s work.

The restaurant opens like Pandora’s box to expose space after space, from a private

dining room tucked into a hidden bookshelf to the gold-dusted celestial room. Nearly everything you see on the walls was handpainted with painstaking attention to detail.

“I really like the idea of smells when you first walk in, so that’s where the bakery comes in,” Byres says of the attached fullproduction bakery. — EMILY CHARRIER

THE THEODORE

8687 North Central Expressway Suite 1804

469.232.9771

thetheodore.com

AMBIANCE : Sleek and vintage

PRICE RANGE: $15-$30

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Your Harvest Begins Here

ST CAFÉ ROCK CAKE

When Hans and Clare Van Loenen blew into the White Rock Lake area from Europe in 1991, they brought with them many culinary sensations that delighted our palettes during their nearly 20 years in business.

It began with Sweet Temptations bakery, which became known for its sumptuous cakes and savory kolaches. It proved so popular, they added on ST Café, serving comfort food with European flair like pecan-crusted chicken and pork loin with sun-dried apricot sauce.

In 2010, the couple lost their lease at 9090 Skillman, and the bakery and restaurant quietly closed. But the flavors live on in this forgotten recipe, first published in the Advocate in 1998.

CHOCOLATE SPONGE:

½ cup flour

2 tablespoons cocoa

4 large eggs

½ cup sugar

4 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; grease 9-inch round cake tin. Sift together the flour and cocoa, and set aside. Using wire whisk, mix eggs and sugar in a bowl set over a pan of hot water. Continue whisking until the mixture is light and creamy. Remove from heat and whisk until cold. Gently fold the flour-cocoa mixture into egg mixture, then fold in melted butter. Pour batter into prepared cake tin. Bake 30 minutes or until middle springs back when touched.

CHOCOLATE MERINGUE:

4 egg whites

1 tablespoon cocoa

1 1/2 cup sugar (divided use)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. By hand or mixer, beat egg whites until foamy, add 1 cup of sugar gradually and continue beating until egg whites are very stiff. Sift remaining one-third cup sugar and cocoa together. Fold into the meringue mixture by hand.

oil painting by Debbie Smith in the Gallery

Spread onto cookie sheet. Bake until puffy, turn off oven and leave overnight.

RUM SYRUP:

1 cup water

2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon rum or to taste

In saucepan, bring water and sugar to a boil. Let boil 3 minutes. Leave until cold, and add rum.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE:

¾ cup butter

6 ounce semisweet chocolate

6 tablespoons cocoa, sifted

4 egg yolks

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 pint cream

In the top of a double boiler or over a hot water bath, melt butter and chocolate. Whisk to blend, then whisk in the cocoa powder. In a bowl, whisk yolks and powdered sugar until smooth. Pour the butter-chocolate mixture into the bowl and mix well, then gently fold in the whipping cream.

ASSEMBLY:

Use plastic wrap to line a 9-inch sponge tin with sides 2-inches high. Cut sponge horizontally into two pieces. Put one in the bottom of the tin, and soak with rum syrup. Pour half of chocolate mousse over sponge, and then top with another layer of sponge and remaining rum syrup. Top with remaining mousse, cover and refrigerate overnight. Just before serving, break the meringue chunks and place them on sides and top of cake. Dust with powdered sugar.

ST Café Rock Cake (Photo by Mark Davis)

BLAZING TRAILS

ALMOST 50 YEARS AGO, CITY LEADERS PAVED THE WAY FOR TODAY’S NETWORK OF HIKE AND BIKE PATHS — SO WHERE DOES IT STAND?

STORY / Christina Hughes Babb

PHOTOS / Danny Fulgencio

IN 1969, DALLAS’ TRAIL SYSTEM was an embryonic patchwork of city-owned land scattered around town and imaginarily linked by proposed acquisitions. Park Director L.B. Houston had been “talking up his green belt concept for years,” according to a 1969 Dallas Morning News article, and it was finally “beginning to materialize,” he told reporters. Houston’s dream was “to interconnect park property, to give people who spend most of their time boxed in by steel and concrete an opportunity for long hikes, bicycle and horse trail rides and nature enjoyment.”

“Let’s not be small about this,” Houston urged; he visualized a 40-mile main belt encircling Dallas, and, short “spur” paths included, he said, the green belt project could incorporate 60-70 miles of public park.

In 2016, 149 miles of a trail network has taken shape across the whole of Dallas — some of the paths are smooth and straight, ideal for swift cyclists or longboarders, others are better worn, muddied and pocked from flooding or popular with pokey pedestrians and children. Sections submerse power lines or busy overpasses where travelers may observe nesting parakeets or artful murals. And 37 supplemental miles are funded and under development, Dallas Park and Recreation Department staffers say. Still, city planners face challenges when it comes to joining fragments of trail and funding those connections. The gaps in connectivity “have been bothering” Councilman Adam McGough and like-minded leaders, he says. “This is the season of trying to connect.” Today’s dream is for some 300 miles to link all reaches of our city, not to mention adjoining exciting trail systems in municipalities such as Richardson and Irving, says Park department project manager Peter Bratt. Despite some tribulations, no one can accuse today’s trail visionaries of thinking small.

L.B. Houston would have been proud.

WHITE ROCK CREEK TRAIL

Vital to the overall trail system, the oldest and best connected trail in the city, the White Rock Creek Greenbelt Trail, as it originally was called, was the first major trail in Dallas, built in 1982 as mitigation to a sewer line project along the White Rock Creek.

Since we last covered the trail network plan in the March 2009 Advocate, proposed connections have materialized. Now users, once they hit tree-shaded White Rock Creek Trail, can traverse more than 35 miles of uninterrupted terrain. White Rock Creek Trail proper’s 7.5 miles link several parks that make up the greenbelt — Olive Shapiro Park, Fair Oaks Tennis Center and Flag Pole Hill, to name a few. Central to the White Rock Creek trail is, of course, the all-accommodating and beloved Harry S. Moss Park (read more on p. 35). White Rock Creek Trail links, southward, to the 9.2-mile loop that circles White Rock Lake (and White Rock Lake Trail connects to the Santa Fe Trail, p. 33, that links to Deep

LAKE HIGHLANDS TRAIL

PHASE ONE OF THE LAKE HIGHLANDS TRAIL, 2 miles of paved path that runs behind Lake Highlands High School, was in the works for 11 years before it opened in 2014. It takes a long time to plan, fund and implement a project, Michael Hellman said at the ribbon cutting ceremony. “The power line corridor adds an extra element that makes it complicated.” Phase two of Lake Highlands Trail, which will link it to the pivotal White Rock Creek Trail, is proving to be even more complicated, though it is funded. Planners have to figure out how to construct the trail through a residential neighborhood (Moss Meadows), and that can be “trickier,” the Park department’s Peter Bratt says. There will be neighborhood input meetings this fall; dates will be posted on advocatemag.com, and city and park officials and neighbors will sort out logistics. District 10 Councilman Adam McGough says three routes are under consideration. He supports one that will not impact the blackland prairie at Harry S. Moss Park, he says, and that incorporating the trail at the Lake Highlands DART station/Town Center will be important.

Ellum and the planned Loop, p. 34). In the opposite direction, trail users can follow the winding concrete path underneath Greenville Avenue to the Cottonwood Creek Trail, p. 29, which dips under the High Five interchange, extending to Richardson’s trail network. Plans to connect other trails, such as the Lake Highlands Trail to the White Rock Creek Trail, are underway. The stretch is popular with cyclists, due to the uninterrupted flow and commuter potential, though on certain parkside sections that are popular with preoccupied parents, toddlers and tiny tricyclists, caution is advised.

COTTONWOOD CREEK TRAIL

The Cottonwood Creek Trail connects our neighborhood to northern Dallas; our White Rock Creek Trail melds into it near the base of the I-635 interghange, whose reconstruction brought in financial assistance from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), along with Dallas County and the North Texas Council of Governments (NTCOG). The Cottonwood Trail includes an impressive section marked by long murals and blossoming foliage (and, at times, yes, graffiti) underneath the massive highway. City planners also hope to make connections between Cottonwood and southern Dallas via the planned

Loop (p. 34). Councilman Adam McGough says talks have been in the works for years about trying to connect the Richland College campus to Cottonwood. “It is part of the push for integrating neighborhood trails with major trails, which we want to support in the next bond package,” McGough says. Keep an eye on advocatemag.com for bond meeting dates, which will include opportunities for neighbor input.

WILL ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE BRING A NEW WHITE ROCK CREEK TRAIL ENTRANCE?

SHORTLY AFTER ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE announced the construction of a nine-screen movieplex at the former Tom Thumb space at Skillman and Abrams, property owners and developers presented renderings to our city’s Urban Design Peer Review panel depicting a conceived trail entrance at the north end of the shopping center. As it stands, a makeshift entrance to the White Rock Creek Trail, clandestine and made of gravel, exists there, across Abrams from Top Golf. The Park department’s Peter Bratt says the idea of increasing trail accessibility at the new development is exciting, though not without challenges. An official trail entrance, for one thing, would need to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the grade from Abrams to the trail is excessively steep. Then there is the matter of funding. Retail Plaza Inc.,

FLAG POLE HILL TRAIL

ONCE CALLED KATY TRAIL

not Alamo, owns the center, and agreed to make improvements to accommodate the Alamo, though no commitment to trail improvement funding has been discussed. Also the project sits outside the Skillman Corridor Tax Increment Financing District and therefore cannot draw public funds for property upgrades unless those lines are redrawn, which can happen. There are ways to do that, says District 10 Councilman Adam McGough. “Make a proposal, just like anything else ... I can’t say until I’ve seen [a proposal] but I believe I would support it.”

The project, cheered by McGough, District 9’s representative Mark Clayton and residents of the surrounding Lake Highlands and East Dallas neighborhoods, is actually in Jennifer Staubach Gates’ City council District 13, which covers Vickery Meadow and Preston Hollow.

PHASE IV, the Flag Pole Hill Trail connects by way of the SoPac Trail to Ridgewood Trail (see p. 32) and the Katy Trail. In the other direction, it runs east along Northwest Highway past the Merriman Park/ University Manor neighborhood. In fact, that neighborhood helped come up with the new name, according to its newsletter. “Our desire was to have a name closely associated with White Rock Lake, since we consider our neighborhood as the gateway to White Rock.” The hike/bike trail will intersect the White Rock Creek and White Rock Lake trails and extend to the Dallas Police Department substation and the former Muchert Army Reserve Center, which will be the new Dallas Park and Recreation department headquarters come 2018; that property neighbors Flag Pole Hill.

CITY OF DALLAS COMPREHENSIVE TRAIL MAP

WHITE ROCK AREA POINTS OF INTEREST LEGEND

Existing Trails

Programmed / Funded Trails

Proposed Trails

Dallas City Lines Parks

1. White Rock Creek Trail parking at Harry S. Moss Park

2. Flag Pole Hill Trail connects to Ridgewood Trail

3. Turn off to Santa Fe Trail

4. Cottonwood Creek Trail runs underneath I-635 interchange

5. Newest portion of White Rock Lake Trail begins

WESTERN EXPANSION

Imagine biking to all of Preston Hollow’s eateries, or even directly into Irving’s expansive park system from White Rock Creek Trail. It’s a reality we could see as soon as 2018, if all the bureaucratic wheels involved continue to turn together.

Plans already are underway to add more than 7 miles to the Northaven Trail, which winds through Preston Hollow between Preston Road and Valleydale Drive. That includes a pedestrian bridge over Central, which will connect to both the White Rock Creek and Cottonwood trails.

“We’ve got the funding in place, which is the biggest hurdle,” says Jeff Kitner, president of the Friends of the Northaven Trail.

And bridges don’t come cheap. The 1-mile expansion over Central will cost $14 million, which is being split evenly between the city and county. Since most of its land has been incorporated into cities, the county is using more of its roadway money on trail projects.

“They said if the city comes up with the money, we’ll match it,” says Lee Kleinman, District 11 councilman and longtime trail supporter.

TxDOT stepped in to design the bridge, as it does on many projects that involve highways. Kleinman says “there’s an outside shot” the connection could be complete by 2018, creating a lit and paved path from East Dallas west, versus the current option that takes devoted cyclists down a muddy makeshift trail under Central.

On the west side of Northaven, construction of an $8 million plan is already underway that will stretch the trail from Preston Road to the Walnut Hill/Denton DART station. Also a project of the city and county, the 6.25-mile expansion should be complete by 2018.

The city has considered an even larger expansion that would link Northaven to Elm Fork Trail at the Moneygram Soccer Park, which connects into the Campion Trail in Irving that loops through a variety of scenic parks. But funds for that addition have not yet been secured, making it part of the 300-mile trail dream that has yet to be fully realized. —EMILY

CHARRIER

TRAIL TROUBLES: PUPS, POKÉMON AND MORE

Despite this summer’s rash of latenight Pokémon Go robberies, in which players were targeted for their cellphones, the city’s nearly 150 miles of trails are pretty safe says Park and Recreation Community Program Coordinator Shana Hamilton.

So what’s the biggest issue? It’s not illegal cutting or people planting marijuana along the trail — something she’s heard about but “never had to deal with” — it’s much closer to home.

“The most common problem is dogs not being on a leash or people not picking up after their dogs. Especially during the summer.”

Increased activity during summer months means that a lot of first-time users or out-of-towners hike the trails without knowing all of the rules. Whether you believe them or not, Hamilton says some offenders claim they don’t know there is a city ordinance requiring dogs to be leashed. That, combined with the loose dogs that have become a major issue throughout the city, makes canines the top-priority problem along the pathways.

Beyond that Hamilton says she deals with basic rules and safety. The mobile game Pokémon Go, for example, has been a double-edged sword for the Park Department. While they encourage users to explore parks and trails using the app, it must be done thoughtfully, and never late at night.

“Just knowing the park curfew is important when you’re trying to be safe on the trails,” Hamilton says.

That’s why the department has been including the curfew hours — 11 p.m.5 a.m. — as many places as possible, including social media posts. The department also partners with Dallas police to help enforce the curfew and keep crime on the trail to a minimum. Hamilton says officers regularly patrol some of the trails on bicycle. —STEVE

DICKERSON

See the very fun happytrailsdallas.com for safety tips from local celebs and more.

WHITE ROCK LAKE TRAIL

THE 9.2-MILE TRAIL CONNECTS AT WEST LAWTHER under Northwest Highway to the White Rock Creek Trail and encircles one of our city’s main attractions, White Rock Lake.

Trekkers pass the historic Bath House Cultural Center; the picturesque spillway; the old filter building and a dog park along Mockingbird Lane, which recently received close to $1 million in improvements. A stretch of new trail opened on the lake’s east side last summer, after Dallas’ Park and Recreation Board and Dallas City Council in 2014 approved about $1.2 million for the next phase of upgrades. Improvements to the White Rock Lake Trail steadily have occurred over the last decade. The west side, for years now, provides a wide, smooth lakeside trail that runs parallel to the city street accommodating faster cyclists and motor vehicles. East of the lake, however, nearly all traffic, both wheel and foot, has long utilized the public road which runs along the shoreline, in lieu of a narrow, crumbling path above it. Cars, runners, strollers and cyclists all share space, often creating hairy situations. The new pedestrian path from the base of the Mockingbird Bridge to the Bath House Cultural Center, about a mile, stands to quell

the chaos. The Dallas Park Department rebuilt the new 12-feet-wide trail over the existing beat-up route as opposed to constructing a new shoreline trail as it did west of the lake. The revamped section has been open for the past year (though many pedestrians don’t seem to have discovered it yet). It offers impeccable views of the water and Dallas skyline and more shade than the road as well as new rest areas with seating at Boy Scout Hill, Big Thicket and Bath House. Project manager Richard Stauffer says minor changes were made to the original plan; a realignment of the trail behind Big Thicket was allowed to spare an owl habitat, for example. Native prairie grasslands also were protected throughout construction, he notes. Insider tip: on the west side of the lake, just north of the Santa Fe Trail connection, step off the beaten path and explore a circuit of nature trails at the Old Fish Hatchery, whose entrance you’ll find between the spillway and the pump station.

Longtime Park and Recreation staffer Peter Bratt, who oversees city trail and park planning, says his department wants to ensure that every Dallasite has a park or trail within a half mile of home.

TRAILS FOR ALL:

RIDGEWOOD TRAIL

THE THREE-PHASE KATY TRAIL EXTENSION , which includes a section of the SoPac Trail, a portion of the Flag Pole Hill Trail and the Ridgewood Trail, is something of a tangled web on the map, but once you hit any part of it, multiple miles of smooth, shaded road exists for your running or rolling pleasure. A few trail tributaries now connect at a slick new Ridgewood trailhead near the Ridgewood Belcher Recreation Center, forming one long path that extends about eight miles from American Airlines Center to White Rock Lake. Large segments of these trails already are useable. Ridgewood Trail pedestrian bridges over Abrams Road and Skillman Street went up last November. And a bridge over busy Mockingbird Lane, whose plan dates back to 2005, is finally under construction. Since the planned overpass crosses the Mockingbird Station DART tunnel, “unique design and coordination challenges were faced to translate the

visions to reality,” the Park department’s Peter Bratt says. The Ridgewood Trail is increasingly operational; it runs beneath the Fischer Road bridge just north of Mockingbird Lane to Skillman Street, and connects to the under-construction Flag Pole Hill Trail (see p. 29). Other swaths, such as the just-under 2-mile stretch of the SoPac Trail from Fisher Road to Lakewood Park at White Rock Lake, remain unfinished (standing by for construction crews, Bratt says). It makes for a fun, rugged, unpaved dirt-trail hike even now. According to the 2013 SoPac Trail master plan (viewable on advocatemag.com), “the area south of the Mockingbird overpass between Santa Barbara Drive and Fisher Road is a good location for a trail connection to the adjacent communities while still allowing easy pedestrian and cycle access to the corridor.” As for actually connecting to the uber-popular Katy Trail, which runs north/south on the west side of Central Expressway, the Ridgewood Trail offers easy access by way of the neighborhood trail at Glencoe Park — situated south of

Mockingbird, east of Central — and by crossing the McCommas bridge over Central. SoPac’s master plan also shows future, yet unfunded, extensions through the Vickery Meadow, Fair Oaks and northern Lake Highlands areas, which would connect over Central Expressway to the Northaven Trail (p. 31).

SANTA FE TRAIL

THOSE WITH GREAT ENDURANCE CAN HIKE OR BIKE FROM LAKE HIGHLANDS TO DEEP ELLUM, THANKS TO THIS TRAIL EXTENSION.

Constructed in 2000, Santa Fe is an offshoot of the White Rock Lake Trail, which received funding from the city, county and TxDOT. The 12-foot wide, concrete trail also eventually will connect to Cottonwood Trail on the north side of I-635 (see The Loop, p. 34). the Park department’s Peter Bratt says a plan is underway to build White Rock Creek Trail south, which would extend from Santa Fe Trail to the Trinity Audubon Center Trail in southern Dallas.

THROUGH THE LOOP

THE CITY OF DALLAS began making comprehensive plans for a citywide trail system about 14 years ago. So far, Dallas has built 149 miles of trails, with another 37 miles currently under development. But total of 300 miles of trails are proposed across the city, but so far much of that is unfunded.

While many are disconnected, there is a plan in the works to create The Loop, a $56-million project that would create one 50-mile loop connecting North Dallas, White Rock Lake, South Dallas, Oak Cliff and West Dallas, spanning all 14 City Council districts. The Loop is the idea of pals Jeff Ellerman, a real estate executive, and oilman Larry Dale, who became frustrated one day while

riding bikes on the dead-end Trinity Skyline Trail in Oak Cliff.

“We were saying, ‘This is so frustrating because there’s no trail to get here. Once you’re down here, it’s unbelievable, but it doesn’t go anywhere,’ ” Ellerman recalls. “ ‘The Great Trinity Forest is amazing, but you can’t get to it. Wouldn’t it be great if these trails connected and they were longer?’ ”

With encouragement from Mayor Mike Rawlings and Katy Trail mastermind Philip Henderson, they created a nonprofit, the Circuit

Trail Conservancy; about two years ago, they began working with the city’s Park Department and Trinity Watershed Management on a plan to connect the trails.

Now plans for The Loop are complete, and the nonprofit already has raised about $17 million, including $5 million from Dallas County.

The city’s portion is $20 million, and if approved, The Loop could open in the next four years.

—RACHEL STONE

HOW TRAILS ARE FUNDED

THE EXTENSIVE NATURE OF OUR TRAIL SYSTEM requires more than one source of funding for trails, connections and other amenities. While implementation relies heavily on municipal bond programs, federal, state and local government grants periodically become available for trail projects. Friends groups and advocacy partners also are increasingly important when it comes to making the most of the trail network, Project manager Peter Bratt says. Bond meetings to determine where city money is used are slated this month, though exact dates have yet to be posted. Bratt says public input will be important.

“The Great Trinity Forest is amazing, but you can’t get to it. Wouldn’t it be great if these trails connected and they were longer?”

SACRED GROUNDS

AH, THE UNTOLD WONDERS, THE RICH

TAPESTRY, OF HARRY S. MOSS.

Story by Christina Hughes Babb | Photos by Danny Fulgencio

offers parking and access to wideopen green space — for picnics or ball tossing — and White Rock Creek Trail, a bona-fide artery of Dallas’ extensive trail network (see previous pages). USA Today even noted, in its guide to honeymooning in Dallas, “lightening bugs who thrive in the margins between stream banks and damp, temperate woodland ... The sight of tens of thousands of fireflies blinking in the

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dark night is magical,” the writer continues, “and a stroll through a vast meadow alive with their enchanting and captivating light is supremely romantic.”

For a few, Moss is all of that and more — sacred land with an engrossing history and hidden surprises, such as a network of primitive footpaths and remnants of a short-lived horseracing track.

A small group of neighborhood

retirees, for example, have taken it upon themselves to care for what they say are the forgotten regions of the city-owned land. A native grassland portion of Moss occurs along Arborside Drive. Near a City of Dallas sign, usually obscured by overgrowth, a small, wooden bridge covers a deep, narrow gully.

“Now this is the only way you can get in here. We put this here,” says Bill Grunnah, one of the grassland’s self-appointed caretakers, as he steps across the whitewashed planks, following his dog, Muttley. Over the bridge, an abbreviated path opens to a broad, emerald clearing.

“We call it the cathedral,” he says. Alone in the opening, the whistling birds and crunch of a few leaves underfoot might be the only sounds. Sunlight peeks through treetops. All around, a wall of towering grass — also a swing dangling from a branch

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he parkland, which runs alongside upper Greenville Avenue between Walnut Hill and Royal Lane, is, to youngsters, the soccer complex. To off-road cyclists, it is 5.46-miles of single-track dirt trail. The northern portion of the land

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— sways to a slight breeze. Grunnah points at the tall thicket of intermingled stalks, sunflowers and weeds and says, “If not for Jim, all of this would be like that.”

The hollow, Grunnah continues, “is mowed by a gentleman named Jim. I don’t know his last name. I see him every week or two when he is walking his dogs, or mowing on his John Deere.”

The surrounding area is one of Dallas’ few remaining swaths of native prairie vegetation. On temperate mornings, a handful of neighbors — their off-leash dogs typically nearby — greet one another and rehash recent coyote and snake sighting. They rest on benches situated against tree trunks. Grunnah and his neighbors installed the amenities — the seats and swing. “We had two more benches,” Grunnah says. But one was stolen and wild bushes obscure another. (City staffers have since removed the swing and remaining benches).

“It’s an unofficial dog park,” Grunnah adds. “People don’t pick up the poop, but it’s so big no one really cares.”

Service area manager Jeremy McMahon says the dog park/ cathedral, also dubbed the “wedding area,” is illegally landscaped; that is how the city views it until those responsible sign a beautifucation agreement that would approve them to mow that area. “We found out through the homeowners association who was doing it and sent them the agreement,” he says, “but they have not sent it back.” A tributary of the “cathedral” leads to a system of muddy, horse-hoof pocked trails Grunnah has spent many an hour picking up junk along the trails, which accumulates by the ton when it when it rains.

“I do the trash. A couple other guys do the mowing and weed-

whacking,” Grunnah says.

There are others, people he doesn’t know, who bring tractors and mowers in an effort to maintain these old trails.

“Just the other day I saw a girl riding a white horse and then up behind her came this Bobcat-type tractor, and it scared the heck out of her, but that’s what it’s come to,” he says.

McMahon reiterates that none of these rogue landscapers (some in the Park department call them the “Sacred Moss Accord”) have an official partnership with the city, though they could if they went through the proper channels.

“If they signed the agreement, they could even continue to maintain those trails if they like.” Some resist an official agreement, Grunnah allows.

“Some say they like it as it is, because they like no one knowing about what’s back here.”

But Grunnah at least likes to see the city mow and maintain the blackland prairie at Moss, which he says has “fallen through the cracks.”

About that part, he’s correct, McMahon says. While the city has neither resources nor plans to maintain the so-called cathedral or the old trails, McMahon says, they are responsible for the 25 or so acres of blackland prairie. He says it has fallen by the wayside for the past several years, due to a lack of manpower and know-how.

“Right now we are working with a native restoration expert and the Office of Risk Management, and we are eager to get that started,” McMahon says. “It takes a special expertise to get that right — know what to pull, what to mow. All we want is for all of these things to be done the right way.”

As he leads us along the footpaths, Grunnah, enamored with the park’s history, points out that, for a brief period while pari-mutuel betting was legal, from 1933-35, a racetrack existed here. He points out the fossil

of an antique structure he says was part of the track. An aerial photo from the 1930s (above) shows a circular track on the spot. Much of his Moss wisdom comes from the research of SMU professor and historian Ted Campbell, who verifies the racetrack story. It was called Hilltop Stables. Promoter R.B George in 1933 assured a Dallas Morning News reporter that “there is no guesswork to this at all. We are going to have one of the greatest racing stables in this country.”

Campbell jokes that the name Hilltop Stables “ranks among dumb place names that must have seemed

fanciful to developers.” The track was right in the flats along White Rock Creek, he says, “which we all know regularly floods the entire area.”

Fittingly, Harry S. Moss, who later acquired the property, was one of the “most colorful residents of this area in the mid-20th century,” Campbell says. The Canada native moved to Texas in 1906 and started the Moss Petroleum Company in 1920. He lived in Highland Park, but in 1930 he bought a bull at the State Fair and realized he had no place to keep it, Campbell says. So he bought

and built the 400-acre Moss Haven stock farm. The Moss house still exists, albeit modified, near Moss Haven Elementary and was featured in the 1958 Architectural Digest.

In the late 1960s and early ‘70s, the City of Dallas purchased 54 and later another 225 acres of that farm, an acquisition that played a lynchpin role in then Park Director L.B. Houston’s green belt plan, the origins of today’s Dallas trail system. Dallas Arboretum founders briefly considered some of the land for the city’s botanical gardens, but ultimately deemed the DeGloyer Estate more apropos.

Over the years the land has seen its share of tragedy. Wooden crosses and a bench mark the location of jogger David Stevens’ senseless and violent murder last year. Grunnah months ago called in an apparent suicide after he says a man passed him, waving amicably, before he heard one fatal gunshot.

Sunflowers, their seed sprinkled all over the land by a woman years ago, once tall and prominent are now shrouded by weeds, Grunnah points out.

There is so much beauty here, he says, but you have to take care of it, look for it, appreciate it.

An aerial image taken by Lloyd M. Long between 1930-40, shows the outline of the doomed Hilltop Stables racetrack. (Edwin J. Foscue Map Library, Southern Methodist University)

Bill Grunnah is one of the unofficial caretakers of Harry S. Moss Park.

THROUGH THE FIRE

FINDING WORK AFTER PRISON IS TRICKY, BUT ONE LAKE HIGHLANDS MAN HAS MADE IT POSSIBLE (AND PROFITABLE)

The house located on the edge of East Dallas is in shambles. It has been badly burned, battered by the elements and God knows what else.

Although it doesn’t look like much now, it’s on its way to being restored — very much like the lives of the men doing the construction.

There’s a sign posted on the front of the house that reads “#redeemdallas.” If you search the hashtag on Facebook, you’ll discover the story of 2S Industries. It’s a story worth telling. 2S Industries was created by Lake Highlands resident Todd Fields, who also is founder of the nonprofit Second Saturday, which on the second Saturday of

each month takes groups of volunteers into impoverished Dallas neighborhoods, to do home construction, landscaping and other needed work.

2S Industries is a for-profit company created from relationships formed at Second Saturday. While working in West Dallas, Fields met dozens of men who often have trouble finding “honest work” because they have jail or prison time on their records.

Fields decided to change that.

He created a landscaping business, which has since ballooned into a landscaping, construction and house-flipping business, and this East Dallas property is this group’s first to flip. They’re in the process

of taking it down to the studs and rebuilding it from the ground up, and Fields hopes to remodel more houses in the future.

“When you’re starting a business, you wouldn’t think of taking five guys who are ex-cons with an average of a ninth-grade education as the people you want to start a business with, but that is our heart,” Fields says. “We want to push to the furthest margins, and truly these guys are the most marginalized guys in Dallas.”

One of the men is Ahommed Jones, who has become a life-long friend to Fields and his family. They met seven years ago, and the beauty of their friendship is that Jones is the street cred to Fields’ real estate

Story by Brittany Nunn | Photo by Rasy Ran

Todd Fields and Ahommed Jones are friends who remodel homes together. (Photo by Danny Fulgencio)

experience.

Fields once operated a successful real estate business, until he lost everything in the housing collapse of 2008. Then in 2009 he met Jones, a man who was born and raised in West Dallas in the infamous Fishtrap Projects, which was the epicenter of the Dallas crack epidemic in the mid- to late-1980s.

“There was prostitution, robbing and selling drugs; those were the three trades of the Fishtrap Projects,” Fields explains, and he got caught up in that.

“It was bad. They’ve since torn them down, but these guys came from one of the top two worst spots in Dallas to come from, to the point where you’re looking at mortality rates among males being 42 years old.”

In 2009 Jones was desperate; he didn’t want to go back to prison. Fields tried to find him work, securing some odd jobs here and there, but it wasn’t enough for Jones to support himself or his family. Fields realized that if he wanted to really help Jones, and others like him, he was going to have to create a place for them to work.

Jones introduced Fields to several other guys who grew up in the Fishtrap Projects and who, like him, had no viable work options. Fields invested the last $50,000 he had in construction equipment, and together they created 2S Industries and did the unthinkable: they made money. Since it started, 2S Industries has paid more than $600,000 in wages.

“All to men who society looks at and says, ‘You’re not hirable’,” Fields points out. Which is why it’s important for a business like 2S Industries to exist, Jones insists.

“Work like this, where people don’t judge you, where you can go in and learn a trade. Some of these guys have never had an opportunity, or they don’t know how to create an opportunity,” Jones explains.

4 0 Y EARS 40 YEARS

Saturday, October 11 / 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Saturday, October 15 / 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Lake Highlands United Methodist Church

Lake Highlands United Methodist Church

9015 Plano Road (Plano Road parking lot)

9015 Plano Road (McCree Road parking lot)

Items Accepted: most electronics, toys, sporting goods, multimedia, books, and clothing

NOT Accepted: old TVs or old computer monitors (CRTs)

Proceeds benefit LHUMC youth mission trip fund. Shred truck destroys documents on-site!

Note: Paper clips and staples are OK, but no binders, please. Visit

If they stick with it long enough, team members can learn up to 30 valuable and marketable skills on the job. Ideally Fields and Jones would like 2S Industries to be a stepping-stone to better opportunities, although for some of the guys it’s the only job they can get, and 2S Industries welcomes them, too.

They have success stories. In March skilled employee, Floyd Conley, left for a full-time welding gig with an annual salary and benefits.

Conley had been to jail multiple times and prison once for domestic violence. He told us he was looking forward to his future, even though in the past he has lost good jobs because of his criminal record.

“I felt like all the odds were against me,” Conley explains and points to the badly damaged house. “That’s kind of like how our lives are, they’re burned.”

But now he wants to smile more, he says. “When I look at the future, I see me being in church, I see my family, I see a prosperous future,” he explains. “I trust that God is going to finish what he started in my life. It doesn’t have to be extravagant. It can be a simple life. I just know that there are better days ahead.”

Fields, who at 6-feet-9 poses as an intimidating figure, learned a lot about teamwork from playing high school and college basketball, and he often falls back on that experience to guide his interactions with his colleagues. 2S Industries operates like a team, Fields says. They hold each other accountable, challenge each other and support each other through life’s ups and downs. It hasn’t been perfect. Over the years some of them have gone back to prison. Jones’ friend, Steven Douglas, was shot and killed by Dallas police in 2014. (The case is awaiting review by a grand jury.)

They work like a family Fields says. “When somebody’s down, we

come and pick them up. We’re a team.”

Although Fields grew up with a single mom who struggled financially and often relied on food programs, he recognizes the stark contrast between his own childhood and the kind of poverty and environment that drove the guys on his team to crime at young ages.

“I would never compare my experience to theirs,” he says. “Although I lived on a lower rung — I didn’t have nice clothes or nice shoes, my mom didn’t have a nice car — I had a mom and grandparents and neighbors who had the same right to discipline me as my parents. Truly a village helped raise me. Look at their village.”

It was dozens of little things, like his mom helping him with driver’s ed, that made the biggest differences in Fields’ life. That’s why it’s such a big deal that at 28-yearsold Jones now owns a house, has worked hard to clean up his criminal record and even has a driver’s license — unlike many men his age in West Dallas. Where he was once a figure in the criminal underbelly of West Dallas, he’s now a pillar.

“He always has at least two or three guys sleeping in his house,” Fields notes. “Ahommed [Jones] is the guy people go to when they’re at rock bottom because they know he’ll take them in, but he’ll also expect them to start working, so he’ll bring them along.”

Except Fields, everyone on the team has some kind of record. Even the project manager, Martin Evans, just got off parole after “making a series of bad choices” that lead to him falsifying financial documents. But he insists going to prison was the best thing that ever happened to him because it forced him to change his life and eventually led him to prison ministry and 2S Industries.

“Now I’m working with men who need a chance,” Evans says.

PEOPLE

Dallas Police Chief David O. Brown will serve his last day with the department on Oct. 22. After 33 years of service, Brown announced his resignation this past month. He did not mention his post-retirement plans but says the officers he led in the city, and their “extraordinary service, will forever be etched in my heart and will serve as a guidepost for me in the next phase of my life.” Brown, whose career began in 1983, gained support from members of the department and the community while serving as the commander of the northeast division, which includes Lake Highlands. In July, he received nationwide media attention for his leadership after five police officers were killed by a lone gunman downtown. “Their memory will remain with all of us forever,” Brown says.

EDUCATION

Lake Highland High School seniors looking forward to Senior Skip Day may want to rethink their plans. Richardson’s Courtesy Nissan is donating a new car to any Richardson ISD senior who attends every day of class during the 2016-17 school year. “Life is just about showing up, no matter what you do,” says John McFaddin, business development manager of Courtesy Nissan.

Signs and protests won’t stop Richardson ISD from building a new White Rock Trail School Rock Trail school. A group called We Have a Voice LH, opposing the school, and one called We Need a School, in its favor, both campaigned on social media in the days prior to a September school board meeting at which boundaries and designs for the new elementary school were discussed. Following a Sept. 19 input meeting, the board will decide and announce on Oct. 1 the official boundaries for the new elementary school, whose construction is meant to alleviate overcrowding at White Rock Elementary.

HIGHLANDER SCHOOL

9120 Plano Rd. Dallas / 214.348.3220 / www.highlanderschool.com Founded in 1966, Highlander offers an enriched curriculum in a positive, Christian-based environment. By limiting class size, teachers are able to build a strong educational foundation to ensure confidence in academics, athletics, and the creative and performing arts. Highlander offers a “classic” education which cannot be equaled. Monthly tours offered; call for a reservation.

LAKEHILL PREPARATORY SCHOOL

Leading to Success. 2720 Hillside Dr., Dallas 75214 / 214.826.2931 / lakehillprep.org

Kindergarten through Grade 12 - Lakehill Preparatory School takes the word preparatory in its name very seriously. Throughout a student’s academic career, Lakehill builds an educational program that achieves its goal of enabling graduates to attend the finest, most rigorous universities of choice. Lakehill combines a robust, college-preparatory curriculum with opportunities for personal growth, individual enrichment, and community involvement. From kindergarten through high school, every Lakehill student is encouraged to strive, challenged to succeed, and inspired to excel.

THE LAMPLIGHTER SCHOOL

11611 Inwood Road Dallas TX 75229/ 214-369-9201/ thelamplighterschool.org

Lamplighter delivers serious education wrapped in the wonder of childhood. The Pre-K through fourth grade years are fleeting, but filled with pure potential. What we, as parents and educators, ignite in these primary years establishes the trajectory of a child’s future. Lamplighter helps set children on a path toward rewarding lives as forever learners. The independent, co-educational school promotes academic excellence through innovative curriculum that merges fine arts with language arts, math, environmental science, social studies, physical education, and Spanish

ISCOPAL SCHOOL

848 Harter Rd., Dallas 75218 / 214.328.9131 / stjohnsschool.org Founded in 1953, St. John’s is an independent, co-educational day school for Pre-K through Grade 8. With a tradition for academic excellence, St. John’s programs include a challenging curriculum in a Christian environment along with instruction in the visual and performing arts, Spanish, German, French, and opportunities for athletics and community service.St. John’s goal for its students is to develop a love for learning, service to others, and leadership grounded in love, humility, and wisdom. Accredited by ISAS, SAES, and the Texas Education Agency.

SPANISH HOUSE

Four East Dallas Locations / 214.826.4410/ DallasSpanishHouse.com Spanish Immersion Program in East Dallas! Nursery, Preschool, Elementary and Adult Programs available. Our new dual-language elementary campus is now open at 7159 E. Grand Ave. Please visit our website at DallasSpanishHouse.com for more information.

WHITE ROCK NORTH SCHOOL

9727 White Rock Trail Dallas / 214.348.7410 / WhiteRockNorthSchool. com 6 Weeks through 6th Grade. Our accelerated curriculum provides opportunity for intellectual and physical development in a loving and nurturing environment. Characterbuilding and civic responsibility are stressed. Facilities include indoor swimming pool, skating rink, updated playground, and stateof-the-art technology lab. Kids Club on the Corner provides meaningful after-school experiences. Summer Camp offers field trips, swimming, and a balance of indoor and outdoor activities designed around fun-filled themes. Accredited by SACS. Call for a tour of the campus.

ZION LUTHERAN SCHOOL

6121 E. Lovers Ln. Dallas / 214.363.1630 / ziondallas. org Toddler care thru 8th Grade. Serving Dallas for over 58 years offering a quality education in a Christ-centered learning environment. Degreed educators minister to the academic, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of students and their families. Before and after school programs, Extended Care, Parents Day Out, athletics, fine arts, integrated technology, Spanish, outdoor education, Accelerated Reader, advanced math placement, and student government. Accredited by National Lutheran School & Texas District Accreditation Commissions and TANS. Contact Principal Jeff Thorman.

WHO ARE ‘THE PEOPLE’?

DEPENDS ON WHOM YOU ASK: GOD OR AMERICANS

Are you ready yet to hear about something other than politics?

As the quadrennial presidential election cycle nears conclusion and we are all alternately hopeful and hopeless over

WORSHIP

ANGLICAN

ALL SAINTS EAST DALLAS / allsaintseastdallas.org

Sunday worship service at 5:00 pm

Meeting at Central Lutheran Church / 1000 Easton Road

BAPTIST

LAKESIDE BAPTIST / 9150 Garland Rd / 214.324.1425

Sunday School 9:15am & Worship 10:30am

Pastor Jeff Donnell / www.lbcdallas.com

PARK CITIES BAPTIST CHURCH / 3933 Northwest Pky / pcbc.org

Worship & Bible Study 9:15 & 10:45 Traditional, Contemporary, Spanish Speaking / 214.860.1500

WILSHIRE BAPTIST / 4316 Abrams / 214.452.3100

Pastor George A. Mason Ph.D. / Worship 8:30 & 11:00 am

Bible Study 9:40 am / www.wilshirebc.org

BIBLE CHURCHES

NORTH HIGHLANDS BIBLE CHURCH / nhbc.net / 9626 Church Rd.

Sun: LifeQuest 9:00 am / Worship 10:30 am / 214.348.9697

Wed: AWANA and Kids Choir 6:00 pm / Student Ministry 7:00 pm

DISCIPLES OF CHRIST

EAST DALLAS CHRISTIAN CHURCH / 629 N. Peak Street / 214.824.8185

Sunday School 9:30 am / Worship 8:30 am - Chapel

10:50 am - Sanctuary / Rev. Deborah Morgan-Stokes / edcc.org

LUTHERAN

CENTRAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, ELCA / 1000 Easton Road

Sunday School for all ages 9:00 am / Worship Service 10:30 am

Pastor Rich Pounds / CentralLutheran.org / 214.327.2222

FIRST UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH / 6202 E Mockingbird Ln.

Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am / Call for class schedule. 214.821.5929 / www.dallaslutheran.org

METHODIST

LAKE HIGHLANDS UMC / 9015 Plano Rd. / 214.348.6600 / lhumc.com

Sunday Morning: 9:30 am Sunday School / 10:30 am Coffee

Worship: 8:30 am & 11:00 am Traditional / 11:00 am Contemporary

PRESBYTERIAN

LAKE HIGHLANDS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 214.348.2133

8525 Audelia Road at NW Hwy. / www.lhpres.org

9:00 am Contemporary, 9:55 am Christian Ed., 11:00 am Traditional

NORTHRIDGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 6920 Bob-O-Link Dr. 214.827.5521 / www.northridgepc.org / Welcomes you to Worship

8:30 & 11:00 am / Church School 9:35 am / Childcare provided.

UNITY

UNITY OF DALLAS / A Positive Path for Spiritual Living

6525 Forest Lane, Dallas, TX 75230 / 972.233.7106 / UnityDallas.org

Sundays: 9:00 am Early Service, 11:00 am Celebration Service

the prospective outcome, it might be well to remember that our national life together has held together for more than two centuries in times of woe and weal both. We survive and thrive somehow, because of and despite our politics.

It’s well to remember what politics is and isn’t. American politics is merely about governing our life together in communities large and small by the Constitutional principle “of the people, by the people and for the people.”

Sadly, we continue to have a national conversation about who the “people” are.

This conversation has taken many forms. Slaves and women once could not vote: The former actually counted as three-fifths of a person in one political compromise, and their black descendants only gained legal protections in the Voting Rights Act of 1965; the latter finally gained the right to vote with the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920.

Are the people all the people, or are some people more people than other people? A federal court has ruled that some state voter registration laws, which were claimed to protect against voter fraud that there is no evidence of, were deliberately meant to suppress the voting access of those who would likely vote for the opposing party (read black and Hispanic citizens voting for Democrat candidates). This is a form of saying that some people are more American than others. When we group recent

legal immigrants with undocumented immigrants and call them all aliens, we are “alienating” them all. We are saying that some of us (whose ancestors may have simply immigrated earlier and from Europe instead of Central America) have a greater purchase on peoplehood than others. When we treat corporations as people and allow elections to be driven by enormous, impersonal economic interests, we have reduced what it means to be people to market definitions.

Jewish and Christian tradition locates

our human dignity in our capacity to work, to rest, to name things, to care for creation, to relate to one another intimately, to procreate, to make things, to choose between good and evil and so on. In other words, politics is something but not everything, and each of us is more than a political creature. We are made in God’s image, and God is blessedly inscrutable.

W.H. Auden famously said, “Poetry makes nothing happen.” He meant that to be suitably ambiguous. Poetry decries the use of words only for political purposes. Art loves what is good for goodness sake. We should value people for their own sake as well. The best of life is not subject to manipulation or management. But poetry also makes nothing happen the way God made the world by a word. Nothing became something. Wondrous.

Breathe, read a novel, listen to music, walk your dog, worship, pray, catch a ballgame, wonder aloud, wander about, love your neighbor. Life is more than politics.

George Mason is pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church. The Worship section is underwritten by Advocate Publishing and the neighborhood businesses and churches listed here. For information about helping support the Worship section, call 214.560.4202.

We are made in God’s image, and God is blessedly inscrutable.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

It has been a difficult year for Lake Highland’s Kampfschult family. Their 8-year-old son Julian was diagnosed with the degenerative brain disease adrenoleukodystrophy and is expected to live for two to five more years.

Julian’s White Rock Elementary teachers (including his pictured firstgrade teacher), classmates and the community have shown an outpouring of support for the Kampfschults including a fundraiser in September to help cover the cost of his medical bills.

CLASSES/TUTORING/ LESSONS

ART: Draw/Paint. Adults All Levels. Lake Highlands N. Rec. Ctr. Days: Mon & Wed. Students bring supplies. Nights: 1xt month workshop, supplies furnished. Jane Cross. 214-534-6829,

CREATIVE ARTS CENTER More than 500 adult art classes/ workshops from metal to mosaic! www.creativeartscenter.org

FARMERS BRANCH AQUATICS CENTER Visit our new natatorium. Begin swim, fitness classes & open swim. fbh2o.com

VOICE TEACHER with 40+ years experience. M.M. LSU www.PatriciaIvey.com • trilletta@msn.com • 214-769-8560

EMPLOYMENT

AIRLINE MECHANIC TRAINING Get FAA Certification. No HS Diploma or GED. We Can Help. Approved For Military Benefits. Financial Aid If Qualified. Job Placement Assistance. Aviation Institute Of Maintenance. 866-453-6204

MCSHAN FLORIST is accepting applications. Please apply in person at 10311 Garland Rd. 8-5

PET SITTERS, DOG WALKERS reply to http://www.pcpsi.com/join

SERVICES FOR YOU

AT ODDS WITH YOUR COMPUTER? Easily Learn Essential Skills. Services include Digital Photo Help. Sharon 214-679-9688

COMPUTER HELP! Viruses, Data Recovery, Upgrades, WiFi Problems, Onsite Tech. 214-533-6216 WebersComputers.com

CONFUSED? FRUSTRATED? Let A Seasoned Pro Be The Interface Between You & That Pesky Windows Computer. Hardware & Software Installation, Troubleshooting, Training. $60/hr. 1 hr min. Dan 214-660-3733 / stykidan@sbcglobal.net

SERVICES FOR YOU

MCCLELLAND GUN SHOP Clean, Repair, Restore. New/Used Guns. 214-321-0231 McClellandGun.com

MY OFFICE Offers Mailing, Copying, Shipping, Office & School Supplies. 9660 Audelia Rd. myofficelh.com 214-221-0011

NEIGHBORHOOD ENERGY EXPERT Helps you earn rewards for free energy, travel points & more. Call Elaine today for a free electric bill review. 214-500-3667 Make the Switch & Save!

LEGAL SERVICES

A WILL? THERE IS A WAY! Estate/Probate matters. maryglennattorney.com 214-802-6768

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

ACCOUNTING, TAXES Small Businesses & Individuals. Chris King, CPA 214-824-5313 www.chriskingcpa.com

BOOKKEEPING NEEDS? Need Help Organizing Finances? No Job Too Small or Big. Call C.A.S. Bookkeeping Services. Cindy 214-577-7450

LEGAL ISSUES? The Law Office Of Lauren C Medel, PLLC. LaurenMedel.com. 972-773-9306

LICENSED PHYCHOLOGIST Academic, behavioral, ADHD, emotional testing. Children, adolescents, adults. Therapy. Dr. Katherine Pang 214-531-7624 lighthousepsychtesting.com

PET SERVICES

DOGGIE DEN DALLAS Daycare, Boarding, Grooming, Training. 6444 E. Mockingbird Ln. 214-823-1441 DoggieDenDallas.com

POOP SCOOP PROFESSIONALS Trust The Experts. 214-826-5009. germaine_free@yahoo.com

BUY/SELL/TRADE

CARS/TRUCKS WANTED!!! All Makes/Models. 2000-2016. Any Condition. Running Or Not. Top $$$ Paid. Free Towing. We’re Nationwide. Call Now. 1-888-985-1806

DONATE YOUR CAR FOR BREAST CANCER Help United Breast Foundation education, prevention, support programs. Fast free pickup. 24 Hour response. Tax deduction. 855-403-0213

RANGERS, STARS & MAVS

Share front-row Texas Rangers, Stars & Mavs seats. Tickets are available in sets of 10 games (sets of 2 or 4 tickets per game available). Participants randomly draw numbers prior to season to determine a draft order fair to everyone. Call 214-560-4212 or rwamre@advocatemag.com

ESTATE/GARAGE SALES

CLUTTERBLASTERS.COM

Estate Sales, Moving & DownSizing Sales. Since 2001. Ph/Txt Donna 972-679-3100

ORGANIZEANDREJUVENATE.COM

Declutter/Files/Feng Shui. 972-816-8004

OVERWHELMED? CALL All Points: “A Solutions Company” AllPointsEstateServices.com • 214-802-2781

Mobile. SEO Friendly. Maintainable.

NEED A NEW WEBSITE? AdvocateWebDesign.com 214.292.2053

WANT TO MAKE MONEY? Richardson Mercantile is looking for dealers who want to join one of the best antique malls in DFW. Need details? Go to richardsonmercantile@gmail.com

AC & HEAT

CLEANING SERVICES

TWO SISTERS & A MOP Move in/Out. Reliable/Dependable 20 Yrs Exp. 214-283-9732 twosistersamopmaidservice.com

WINDOW MAN WINDOW CLEANING.COM Residential Specialists. BBB. 214-718-3134

Family Owned & Operated

Serving the Dallas area for over 30 years

We raise our kids here, too!

972-274-2157

www.CrestAirAndHeat.com

TACLB29169E

APPLIANCE REPAIR

JESSE’S A/C & APPLIANCE SERVICE

TACLB13304C All Makes/Models. 214-660-8898

COMPUTERS & ELECTRONICS

BILL’S COMPUTER REPAIR Virus Removal, Data Recovery. Home/Biz Network Install. All Upgrades & Repairs. PC Instruction. No Trip Fee. 214-348-2566

CONCRETE/ MASONRY/PAVING

BRICK & STONE REPAIR Tuck Pointing / Crack Repair. Mortar Color Matching. Windows,Doors, Cracks Etc. Don 214-704-1722

BRICK, BLOCK, Stone, Concrete, Stucco. Gonzalez Masonry. 214-395-1319

EXTERIOR CLEANING

G&G DEMOLITION Tear downs, Haul. Interior/Exterior. 214-808-8925

FENCING & DECKS

#1 COWBOY FENCE & IRON CO. Est. ‘91. 214-692-1991 www.cowboyfenceandiron.com

4 QUALITY FENCING Call Mike 214-507-9322

Specializing in Wood, New or Repair.

AMBASSADOR FENCE INC. EST. 96 Automatic Gates, Fences/Decks, ambassadorfenceco.com 214-621-3217

FENCING & WOODWORK oldgatefence.com charliehookerswoodwork.com 214-766-6422

HANNAWOODWORKS.COM

Decks, Pergolas, Patio Covers. 214-435-9574

KIRKWOOD FENCE & DECK

New & Repair. Free Estimates. Nathan Kirkwood. 214-341-0699

LONESTARDECKS.COM 214-357-3975

Trex Decking & Fencing, trex.com

FOUNDATION REPAIR

• Slabs • Pier & Beam

• Mud Jacking • Drainage

• Free Estimates

• Over 20 Years Exp. 972-288-3797

We Answer Our Phones

GARAGE SERVICES

GARAGE DOORS & OPENERS 972-521-6567. install, Repair, Service, Sales.

ROCKET GARAGE DOOR SERVICE - 24/7. Repairs/Installs. 214-533-8670. Coupon On Web. www.RocketDoorService.com

UNITED GARAGE DOORS AND GATES Res/Com. Locally Owned.214-826-8096

Serving your Neighborhood Since 1993

Repairing: Refrigerators •Washer/Dryers

• Ice Makers •Stoves • Cooktops • Ovens 214✯823✯2629

CABINETRY & FURNITURE

SQUARE NAIL WOODWORKING

Cabinet Refacing, Built-ins, Entertainment/ Computer Centers. Jim. 214-324-7398 www.squarenailwoodworking.com

CLEANING SERVICES

A MAID FOR YOU Bonded/Insured.Park Cities/ M Streets Refs. Call Us First. Joyce 214-232-9629

AFFORDABLE CLEANING Insd./Bonded. Move In/Out. Routine Cleaning. Reliable. Dependable. Residential/ Commercial. References. 28+yrs. Delta Cleaning. 972-943-9280.

AFFORDABLE, PROFESSIONAL CLEANING

$100 off 1st clean for new weekly/bi-weekly clients. Staff trained by Nationally Certified Cleaning Tech. Chemical-free, Green, or Traditional Cleaning. WindsorMaidServices.com 214-381-MAID (6243)

ALTOGETHER CLEAN

Relax ...We’ll Clean Your House, It Will Be Your Favorite Day! Bonded & Insurance. Free Estimates. 214-929-8413. www. altogetherclean.net

AMAZON CLEANING

Top To Bottom Clean. Fabiana.469-951-2948

CINDY’S HOUSE CLEANING 15 yrs exp. Resd/Com. Refs. Dependable. 214-490-0133

CLEAN FREAKS Fall Special 20% Off.

DallasCleanFreaks.com Call Today! 214-821-8888

MESS MASTERS Earth friendly housecleaning. 469-235-7272. www.messmasters.com Since ‘91

BRICK, STONEWORK, FLAGSTONE PATIOS Mortar Repair. Straighten Brick Mailboxes & Columns. Call Cirilo 214-298-7174

CONCRETE REPAIRS/REPOURS

Demo existing. Stamping and Staining Driveways/Patio/Walkways

Pattern/Color available

Free Estimates 972-672-5359 (36 yrs.)

CONCRETE, Driveway Specialist Repairs, Replacement, Removal, References. Reasonable. Chris 214-770-5001

EDMONDSPAVING.COM Asphalt & Concrete Driveway-Sidewalk-Patio-Repair 214-957-3216

FLAGSTONE PATIOS, Retaining Walls, BBQ’s, Veneer, Flower Bed Edging, All Stone work. Chris 214-770-5001

ELECTRICAL SERVICES

ANTHONY’S ELECTRIC Master Electrician. TECL24948 anthonyselectricofdallas.com

50 Yrs. Electrical Exp. Insd. 214-328-1333

BRIGHT LIGHT ELECTRIC • 214-553-5333

TECL 31347 Brightening Homes and Businesses

EXPERIENCED LICENSED ELECTRICIAN Insd. Steve. TECL#27297 214-718-9648

LAKEWOOD ELECTRICAL Local. Insured. Lic. #227509 Call Rylan 214-434-8735

TEXAS ELECTRICAL • 214-289-0639

Prompt, Honest, Quality. TECL 24668

TH ELECTRIC Reasonable Rates. Licensed & Insured. Ted. E257 214-808-3658

WHITE ROCK ELECTRIC All Electrical Services. Lic/Insd. E795. 214-850-4891

COWBOY

All Wood Decks, Arbors & Patio Covers 214.692.1991

IN Wood Fences &Auto Gates

FLOORING & CARPETING

DALLAS HARDWOODS 214-724-0936

Installation, Repair, Refinish, Wax, Hand Scrape. Residential, Commercial. Sports Floors. 30 Yrs.

HASTINGS STAINED CONCRETE

New/Remodel. Stain/Wax Int/Ext. Nick. 214-341-5993. www.hastingsfloors.com

GLASS, WINDOWS & DOORS

EAST DALLAS WINDOW CLEANING Power Wash. Free Est. Dependable. Derek. 214-360-0120

LAKE HIGHLANDS GLASS & MIRROR frameless shower enclosures • store fronts replacement windows • mirrors 214-349-8160

ROCK GLASS CO Replace, repair: windows, mirrors, showers, screens. 214-837-7829

HANDYMAN SERVICES

ALL STAR HOME CARE Carpentry, Glass, Tile, Paint, Doors, Sheetrock Repair, and more. 25 yrs. exp. References. Derry 214-505-4830

BO HANDYMAN Specializing In Historic Home Renovations & Pro Remodels. Custom Carpentry, Doors, Kitchens, Baths & more. 214-437-9730

HANDY DAN The Handyman. ToDo’s Done Right. handy-dan.com 214-252-1628

HANDYMAN SPECIALIST Residential/ Commercial. Large, small jobs, repair list, renovations. Refs. 214-489-0635

HOMETOWN HANDYMAN All phases of construction. No job too small 214-327-4606

HONEST, SKILLED SERVICE With a Smile. General Repairs/ Maintenance. 214-215-2582

WANTED: ODD JOBS & TO DO LISTS

Allen’s Handyman & Home Repair 214-288-4232

Your Home Repair Specialists

Drywall Doors Senior Safety Carpentry Small & Odd Jobs

972-308-6035

HOUSE PAINTING

1 AFFORDABLE HOUSE PAINTING and Home Repair. Quality work. Inside and Out. Free Ests. Local Refs. Ron 972-816-5634

A+ INT/EXT PAINT & DRYWALL

Since 1977. Kirk Evans. 972-672-4681

BENJAMIN’S PAINTING SERVICE Professional Work At Reasonable Prices. 214-725-6768

MANNY’S HOME PAINTING & REMODEL Int./Ext. Sheetrock. Manny 214-334-2160

OAK CLIFF PAINT MASTERS Interior & Exterior - Free quote at no obligation 214-650-3981

RAMON’S INT/EXT PAINT Sheetrock, Repairs. 214-679-4513

TOP COAT 30 yrs. exp. Reliable, Quality Repair/Remodel Phil @ 214-770-2863

VIP PAINTING & DRYWALL Int/Ext. Sheetrock Repair, Resurfacing Tubs, Counters, Tile Repairs. 469-774-7111

KITCHEN/BATH/ TILE/GROUT

BLAKE CONSTRUCTION CONCEPTS LLC

Complete Kitchen And Bath Remodels. Tile, Granite, Marble, Travertine, Slate. Insured. 214-563-5035 www.blake-construction.com

FENN CONSTRUCTION Full Service Contractor. dallastileman.com 214-343-4645

MELROSE TILE James Sr., Installer, Repairs. 40 Yrs. Exp. MelroseTile.com 214-384-6746

STONE AGE COUNTER TOPS Granite, Marble, Tile, Kitchen/Bath Remodels. 972-276-9943.stoneage.dennis@verizon.net

TK REMODELING 972-533-2872

Complete Full Service Repairs, Remodeling, Restoration. Name It — We do it. Tommy. Insured. dallas.tkremodelingcontractors.com

TOM HOLT TILE 30 Yrs Experience In Tile, Backsplashes & Floors. Refs. Avail. 214-770-3444

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

#1 WHITE ROCK TREE WIZARDS

Professionals, Experts, Artists. Trim, Remove, Cabling, Bracing/Bolting. Cavity-Fill Stump Grind. Emergencies, Hazards. Insd. Free Est. 972-803-6313. arborwizard.com

A BETTER TREE MAN Trims, Removals, Insd. 12 Yrs Exp. Roberts Tree Service. 214-808-8925

Holiday party season is fast approaching!

Keep your floors in top shape for any occasion:

1. For laminate or hardwood floors, begin by dry mopping.

2. Follow up with a cleaner designed specifically for hardwoods or laminate.

3. Keep it dry — never wet mop or use products that require water.

4. Carpet lovers, vacuuming is key to preserving the carpet’s cushiness and shape. Remember, quick, routine cleaning saves hours on heavy cleaning, giving you more time to enjoy the holiday season. LocalWorks.advocatemag.com

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

A&B LANDSCAPING Degreed Horticulturist. Landscape & Stone Work. 214-534-3816

AYALA’S LANDSCAPING SERVICE

Call the Land Expert Today! Insured. 214-773-4781

CHUPIK TREE SERVICE

Trim, Remove, Stump Grind. Free Est. Insured. 214-823-6463

DALLAS K.D.R.SERVICES • 214-349-0914

Lawn Service & Landscape Installation

HOLMAN IRRIGATION

Sprinkler & Valve Repair/ Rebuild Older Systems. Lic. #1742. 214-398-8061

LIGHT IT UP DALLAS

Your lighting specialists. 972-591-8383

Parties, Weddings, Patios, Landscape.

LSI LAWN SPRINKLERS “Making Water Work”

Irrigation system Service & Repair. Specializing In Older Copper Systems. LI #13715. 214-283-4673

TRACY’S LAWN CARE • 972-329-4190

MOVING

AM MOVING COMPANY Specialty Moving & Delivery.469-278-2304 ammovingcompany.com

TREEHUGGER BOXES Eco-friendly Used Boxes & Moving Supplies. Free and Low Cost Delivery www.treehuggerboxes.com 214-384-1316

PEST CONTROL

A BETTER EARTH PEST CONTROL Keeping the environment, kids, pets in mind. Organic products avail. 972-564-2495

MCDANIEL PEST CONTROL

Prices Start at $85 + Tax

For General Treatment.

Average Home-Interior/Exterior & Attached Garage. Quotes For Other Services. 214-328-2847. Lakewood Resident

PLUMBING

A2Z PLUMBING 214-727-4040

All Plumbing Repairs. Slab Leak Specialists. Licensed & Insured. ML# M36843.

AC PLUMBING Repairs, Fixtures, Senior Discounts. Gary Campbell. 214-321-5943

ANDREWS PLUMBING • 214-354-8521 # M37740 Insured. Any plumbing issues. plumberiffic69@gmail.com

Sewers • Drains • Bonded 24 Hours/7 Days *Joe Faz 469-346-1814 - Se Habla Español*

ARRIAGA PLUMBING: General Plumbing Since the 80’s. Insured. Lic# M- 20754 214-321-0589, 214-738-7116, CC’s accepted.

HAYES PLUMBING INC. Repairs. Insured, 214-343-1427 License M13238

M&S PLUMBING Quality Work & Prompt Service. Jerry. 214-235-2172. lic.#M-11523

NTX PLUMBING SPEC. LLLP 214-226-0913 Lic. M-40581 Res/Com. Repairs & Leak Location

THE PLUMBING MANN LLC

All Plumbing! Since 1978. RMP/Master-14240 Insured. 214-FAST-FIX/ 214-327-8349

214-328-7371

MetroFlowPlumbing.com

Lic.# M16620

• Tubs, Tiles or Sinks

• Cultured Marble

• Kitchen Countertops

214-631-8719

WE REFINISH! www.allsurfacerefinishing.com

Lawn Mowing & Leaf Cleaning

POOLS

LEAFCHASERS POOL SERVICE Parts/Service. Chemicals/Repairs. Jonathan. 214-729-3311

REMODELING

BLAKE CONSTRUCTION CONCEPTS, LLC

Complete Remodeling, Kitchens, Baths, Additions. Hardie Siding & Replacement Windows. Build On Your Own Lot. Insured. www.blake-construction.com 214-563-5035

BO HANDYMAN Specializing In Historic Home Renovations & Pro Remodels. Custom Carpentry, Doors, Kitchens, Baths & more. 214-437-9730

FENN CONSTRUCTION Full Service Contractor. dallastileman.com 214-343-4645

O’BRIEN GROUP INC. Remodeling Dallas For Over 17 Years www.ObrienGroupInc.com 214-341-1448

RENOVATE DALLAS renovatedallas.com 214-403-7247

Bob McDonald Company, Inc. BUILDERS/REMODELERS

30+ Yrs. in Business • Major Additions

Complete Renovations • Kitchens/Baths

214-341-1155

bobmcdonaldco.net

REMODELING

Chandler Design Group

Design / Build / Renovate we'll turn your vision into reality

Heath Chandler 214.938.8242 www.chandlerdesigng roup.com

ROOFING

GUARDIAN ROOFING & SOLAR Roof Repair & Solar Installation. Project Mgr. John Beasley 214-772-7362 guardianroofingandsolar.com

BERT

Family owned and operated for over 40 years • Residential/Commercial • Over 30,000 roofs completed • Seven NTRCA “Golden Hammer” Awards • Free Estimates

CRIME NUMBERS 4

Armed robberies occurred at Dallas-area Auto Zones, including one at 10418 Garland

1

Man is being sought by Dallas Police in connection with the crimes

30

Estimaged age of the suspect, whose last armed robbery was conducted July 30.

Source: Dallas Police Department

ADVOCATE PUBLISHING does not pre-screen, recommend or investigate the advertisements and/or Advertisers published in our magazines. As a result, Advocate Publishing is not responsible for your dealings with any Advertiser. Please ask each Advertiser that you contact to show you the necessary licenses and/or permits required to perform the work you are requesting. Advocate Publishing takes comments and/or complaints about Advertisers seriously, and we do not publish advertisements that we know are inaccurate, misleading and/ or do not live up to the standards set by our publications. If you have a legitimate complaint or positive comment about an Advertiser, please contact us at 214-560-4203. Advocate Publishing recommends that you ask for and check references from each Advertiser that you contact, and we recommend that you obtain a written statement of work to be completed, and the price to be charged, prior to approving any work or providing an Advertiser with any deposit for work to be completed.

TRUE CRIME: PEEPING TOM SPOTTED

Police are looking for a man who was caught holding his cellphone underneath a dressing room door while someone was undressing last month at Target at 6464 E. Northwest Highway. When police arrived at the big-box store, the man fled toward Abrams in a Ford SUV. Police say the man is an approximately 6-feet tall white male with brown hair who weighs 180 pounds and appears to be in his 20s.

LET’S NOT REPEAT HISTORY

FROM OUR PAST

You never forget your very first published article, even one written so very, very long ago.

I remember it like it was yesterday. I couldn’t have been a day over 41 — a bright-eyed cub reporter just learning the journalistic ropes here at the Advocate, cutting my teeth on a 600-word polemic about the City of Dallas’ search for a new city manager. I recall opining about the importance of the search firm’s meeting not only with business organizations, but neighborhood groups as well, to get a sense of their priorities for a new city manager.

Ah, those were the days.

Because it couldn’t have been just a scant three years ago that Dallas was searching for city manager candidates, could it? I mean, what would it say about our city if the most recent city manager left after less than 36 months? But a search through the Advocate archives reveals that yes, almost exactly three years ago, our city embarked on a hunt for a city manager to succeed Mary Suhm.

I’ll grant you that our futuristic city of 2016 bears little resemblance to the sepia-toned year of 2013 — a much simpler time in Dallas’ history. Despite the gulf of months, there are still lessons to be learned from the previous city manager search, so get out the microfiche and reread a few old articles

for some spookily prescient insights.

They say if you ignore history, you are doomed to repeat it. So what can we learn from our experience in 2013?

Despite protests from some council members, in 2013, the city skimped on funding the city manager search. Short-changing the headhunting firm arguably tilted the search in favor of internal candidates, and the council ended up hiring First Assistant City Manager A.C. Gonzalez to fill Suhm’s shoes. That has largely resulted in the maintenance of the status quo at Dallas City Hall.

Today, at a modest cost of $30,000 (unadjusted, 2016 dollars), we are once again failing to invest enough in our search for the next city manager. I’ve never been one to advocate throwing taxpayer dollars at a problem, but this is one time that we simply cannot pinch pennies, not if we want to conduct a robust national search and find the very best candidates.

Dallas’ city manager is an incredibly powerful figure at City Hall. Recall that we don’t have a strong-mayor form of government, but a council-manager set-up, just like our ancestors in 2013. The city council hires the city manager to serve as our top administrative official, who is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operation of our city government as well as organizing departments and proposing the city’s $3 billion annual budget. The city manager’s impact in shaping our city cannot be overstated.

Here are some of the arguments

we’ll hear for picking an internal candidate: They know their way around Dallas City Hall. They understand the way our city works. They can hit the ground running from day one.

But those are the very same reasons that the council should not hire from within. An insider’s experience

Dallas has selected internal candidates for decades. This has, by and large, resulted in a careful maintenance of the status quo.

at 1500 Marilla makes it impossible for them to approach the job with fresh eyes. Yes, they know how things are done at Dallas City Hall, but what do they know about best practices in other large cities? What innovations can they bring?

We have an historic opportunity to hire a top administrator who will champion systemic change at Dallas City Hall. Dallas has selected internal candidates for decades. This has, by and large, resulted in a careful maintenance of the status quo.

When things are going well, maintaining the status quo makes all the sense in the world. But today Dallas faces an inordinate number of challenges, from crumbling infrastructure to dangerous loose dogs to chronic homelessness, to name just a few. We must acknowledge that the current way of doing things isn’t working. We need a change agent to right the ship.

We’re living in the future. It’s time for some new blood and new ideas.

ANGELA HUNT is a former Dallas city councilwoman. She writes a monthly opinion column about neighborhood issues. Her opinions are not necessarily those of the Advocate or its management. Send comments and ideas to her ahunt@advocatemag.com.

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