WHO NEEDS AN OCEAN?

AT PRESBYTERIAN VILLAGE NORTH, we’re creating new ways to help you make each day better than the one that came before it. A new Lifestyle Fitness Center and Spa, Café and wellness programs. New villas for independent living. New residences offering health services, too. Martins Landing and Leonard Rose apartments are set to open this year. Don’t wait to reserve. You wouldn’t want to miss out on a future this bright.

Of late at White Rock Lake, you can spot something you might not be accustomed to seeing on a smooth-surfaced body of water: surfers. A group of stand up paddle boarders (SUP) — basically surfers with an oar — have been taking advantage of local waters.

Tyler Marshall, the man behind the paddle boarding events and the proprietor of DFW Surf, is one of the early SUP pioneers in north Texas.

“We’ve been doing this since 2007, so almost 10 years,” Marshall says.

Recently his paddle boarding crew started hosting meet-ups in conjunction with the Dallas Arboretum’s Cool Thursday Concert Series.

Marshall says it’s a chance to learn how to paddle, “but it’s free to the public, so everyone’s welcome.”

Initially Marshall had plans to hold larger events at the lake and charge admission, but the city never approved the idea.

Despite the prohibition of large and potentially profitable paddleboarding events, the small weekly meet-ups continue. Marshall says they are designed to be newuser friendly.

People just need to show up ready to get into the lake, Marshall says.

“A lot of people ask, ‘Hey, what do I wear?’ All you need is normal outdoor activity or swimsuit apparel,” Marshall says. “But there’s no swimming in White Rock so if you do fall in you have to get right back on the board. Everything else is taken care of. We have all the equipment and instructors and everything.”

All first timers are asked to show up early, at least 30 minutes, to learn the basics before getting on the water. A tour of the lake begins at 7 p.m. before returning around sunset at 8:30 p.m.

Marshall says getting people out on the water together — first timers or otherwise — is about creating a communal event. That goal is seeing some success in its early days: Each week about half of the attendees are new to SUP.

And SUP events in north Texas in general have been on the rise.

“There’s a huge Texas paddle racing series. There are going to be about 10 races in Texas this year,” Marshall says. “It’s getting a lot bigger. It’s grown from about 50 to 100 or 150 people racing, depending on the race.”

In addition to the meet-ups, Marshall and his crew teach beginner and intermediate classes, SUP yoga and surf classes.

For more information visit Marshall’s website, DFWsurf.com.

—STEVE DICKERSON

Sept. 7

‘FIGHT CLUB’

Catch this cult classic when it returns to the big screen for one night only. The film version of the Chuck Palahniuk book stars Edward Norton and Brad Pitt. Studio Movie Grill, 11170 N. Central Expressway, 214.361.2966, studiomoviegrill.com, $3

Sept 8-24

‘NIGHT MOTHER’

Echo Theater opens its 19th season with this Pulitzer-Prize-winning play. It features guest director Christi Vela and Dallas-based actors Amber Devlin and Jessica Cavanagh.

The Bath House Cultural Center, 521 E. Lawther, 214.904.0500, dallasculture.org/bathhouseculturecenter, $10-$30

Sept. 8-29

JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

The Jewish Community Center of Dallas and the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs bring us a month of films at three theaters in our area. The showcase includes documentaries and narrative features, all focused on issues related to Judaism. Take “Fire Birds,” a thriller about a detective trying to solve a murder that leads him into a secret society of Holocaust survivors, which won 10 Ophir Awards. Various locations, 214.739.2737, jccdallas.org, $12 per screening or $100 for a film festival pass