2015 September Lakewood

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With mammograms, there is no magic age.

When to Get Your Mammogram

There’s a lot of information out there about mammograms, and Texas Health Resources is here to help clear things up. Because when it comes to mammograms, the most important thing to remember is getting one in the first place. And when you should start scheduling them depends on you and factors like family history, physical activity and lifestyle. Know your risks by taking our Breast Cancer Risk Assessment. And if you are at risk, an available comprehensive breast care program offers a full range of services, from screenings to treatment to recovery. Call to schedule your digital mammogram today.

1-877-THR-WELL | TexasHealth.org/Breast Allen | Dallas | Plano

46

Pet parade

From runaway pigs to oversized chickens, these are some of East Dallas’ most beloved critters.

26

The fur flies

This band of misfit dogs are taking air in the competitive flyball circuit.

31

The Holy Grail

East Dallas cyclist Josh Daugherty pushes himself to the limits.

34

Bridge to Eucador

Instead of college, this Woodrow Wilson grad is heading south.

36

Neighborhood lot

How The Lot became an unexpected East Dallas paradise for kids.

38

Get on the bus

Three neighbors, one DART bus and the quest for the Coolest Stuff in Texas.

42

Crafty meat

One 90 Smoked Meats puts its own seasoned twist on traditional delights.

Helga the chicken: Photo by Danny Fulgencio

ON THE COVER: Laurel Holt’s pet pig, Eleanor Pigby: Photo by Danny Fulgencio

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Pedestrian friendly doesn’t necessarily mean friendly pedestrians

I keep seeing on television that Dallas is becoming an urban mecca, a place where it’s easy and fun to walk everywhere. Well, almost everywhere. OK, maybe between the car and the house, and vice versa, as well as inside NorthPark Center.

Anyway, the point is it’s not all that unusual — or at least it’s no longer out of the question — to see a real, live pedestrian on a Dallas street these days. You know, the type of sophisticated, sleek pedestrian looking to cross the street or walk from one retail location to another just like in all of those TV commercials for new cars.

All of this is pretty typical in large cities. In New York, pedestrians basically have the right of way, and drivers know to beware of people walking everywhere, ignoring street lights and signs at will. The same is true in Chicago, in Boston, in Washington, D.C., in San Francisco — all places with dense urban development and a city environment that favors walking from here to there.

One of these days, we may get there in Dallas, but I’m not thinking that day will occur before I’m fitting myself for a flash-fried resting place in a pine box.

I did, however, encounter a single said pedestrian on a city street the other day. This bearded walker had a backpack and seemed content to be traversing the city afoot, at least in as much as I could tell from my vantage point in the driver’s seat of my car.

It was late in the day, and I had on my wrap-around, cool-a-few-years-ago sunglasses. I was sitting at the stoplight, patiently waiting for the light to turn green.

The street wasn’t crowded. This guy was the only dude around, in fact.

So I was surprised when, as he passed along the crosswalk in front of my generally unremarkable vehicle (a Mini Cooper), he decided to salute me after what he probably assumed had been a hard day for both of us.

Only his idea of a salute was a little risqué for a PG-oriented magazine, and it was lacking a couple of fingers that typically denote an indication of respect.

He was rather blasé about the whole thing as he crossed in front of me, too. He stopped precisely in the center of my car’s hood, turned intentionally toward me, pulled out the digit of respect, and made it clear he wasn’t “pointing” at the car next to me or the one behind me — no, this salute was clearly intended for me.

Then, just as deliberately, he holstered the weapon, turned back in the direction he was headed, and crossed the street in plenty of time to beat the signal change.

I have to admit the whole thing caught me off-guard, and I was glad my reflective sunglasses hid the at-the-moment bulbous whites of my eyes.

I thought about reaching for my opencarry weapon until I remembered I don’t have one, for that exact reason. I considered rolling forward a bit to ensure he knew I wanted to provide a salutation of my own. And I wondered if I should have rolled down the window and given him some directions about the next place he could go.

But by the time all of this had floated through my brain, the light turned green, and the driver behind me also seemed to believe I was in need of a salute, this time of the audible kind.

So I slid through the intersection and continued on my way home, marveling at the wonders of living in what is becoming a truly urban city.

Let him know how we are doing by writing to 6301 Gaston, Suite 820, Dallas 75214; or email rwamre@advocatemag.com.

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contributing photographers: JAMES COREAS, RASY

RAN, JENNIFER SHERTZER, KATHY TRAN, ANDREW WILLIAMS, SHERYL LANZEL

Radiation oncologist Dr. Michael Folkert and other members of our genitourinary cancer team are treating select prostate cancer patients with a technique that delivers a more potent dose of radiation in fewer treatments. Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy, SABR for short, is a technology that was pioneered at UT Southwestern and is now being adopted worldwide. It’s another example of the specialized care available at UT Southwestern—where scientific research, advanced technology, and leading-edge treatments come together to bring new hope to cancer patients.

To learn more, contact: Radiation Oncology at 214-645-8525 | UTSWmedicine.org/radonc Find

This is where prostate cancer can be eradicated in just five treatments.

Petition seeks name change at Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee schools

“Don’t live in a state where our ancestors fought in the Confederate army if you have a problem with it. Like it or not, it is our history — right or wrong, our families fought and died in the war. If you delete the Civil War, that changes the history of our country and our state. This is absolutely ridiculous.” — Lindsay

“Instead of having a petition to change the name, there should be a petition to keep it. That way, years from now, your grandchildren will see your name on that petition and have something to be extremely embarrassed about.” —

Elliot Wilson

East Lawther Trail open for business at White Rock Lake

“I fall on the side of a waste of funds. Like the argument against, the money would have been better spent on a complete shoreline trail or resurfacing the blacktop by the bath house, which is in dire need of attention.” — WR

“It’s nice to be able to get up the hill adjacent to Big Thicket without wheezing or taking blows to your self-esteem. And the less concrete we have in Dallas, the better, especially for runners.”

— Darryl Dickson Carr

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SNAKES AMONG US

When he’s not training at Octagon MMA gym in East Dallas, mixed martial arts master Klayton Mai spends his time charming snakes. He hand-raises up to 60 ball pythons at a time in his unassuming home. Pictured here is a piebald ball python, a native of Africa that carries a rare recessive gene that causes its graphicprint scales to be splotched with white. Don’t worry, ophiophobics, Mai’s slithering selection is sealed in a series of temperature-controlled boxes, so unlike cover-hog Eleanor Pigby, they aren’t going anywhere.

Photo by Danny Fulgencio

Flying furballs

Atop Flag Pole Hill on a Sunday morning, a commanding voice interrupts pleasant picnic-table banter.

“Everyone out of the shade to do Antar patrol,” trainer Melissa Sheehan shouts. “Places!”

Members of the No Big Woof Flyball team, uniformed in fluorescent yellow shirts, rise and form a wide perimeter around a small-scale obstacle course.

Antar the whippet-Labrador mix is something of an “escape artist,” team member Howard Jackson explains.

“She doesn’t mean to run away. She just sort of wants to take a victory lap to

celebrate being unleashed. She usually only does it on the first run.”

At the starting line, Antar’s tail is a frantically ticking metronome, yet the newbie remains razor-focused. At her handler’s command she sprints and clears four hurdles en route to her destination — a box featuring a spring-loaded pad that, when pressed by paw, releases a tennis ball.

In a single motion the dog snatches the spherical prize, pivots and darts back to her expectant owner, Aafke Brouwer, a local artist who joined the team last spring.

Cheers erupt from the outer circle. Treats are awarded.

In actual competition, Antar would be part of a four-dog relay team. Those who drop balls or miss hurdles have to restart, forfeiting valuable seconds. The fastest foursomes win or move on to the next round.

Antar is fast and driven by an obsession with balls. Whippets are bred for speed. But this is no elitist flyball organization. “Melissa allows every dog on the team. There’s a dog with three legs … there’s little Bandit.” Brouwer gestures toward a dachshund-mix whose legs are no more than 2-inches long.

Another member calls Bandit a secret

Aafke Brouwer’s dog Antar practices flyball at Flag Pole Hill: Photo by Rasy Ran

weapon, because hurdles are lowered to accommodate a team’s shortest member.

Jackson’s dog Huck isn’t as fast as Antar or team member Angela Miles’ Staffordshire bull terriers, a breed born sturdy and built for swiftness.

But the silky amber-and-white Australian shepherd-mix is diligent and eager to please.

Jackson happened upon the flyball practice three years ago while walking Huck, then a skittish and fearful recent rescue. They returned the next week to the beginner session, which precedes team practice each Sunday.

“Huck wouldn’t even let people pet him before,” Jackson says. “He had no confidence, no ball drive. Melissa had to find out what motivated him. Turns out treats make him tick, but it took a year.”

Since starting flyball, Huck is a new animal, Jackson says.

“It’s been so rewarding to watch him grow into the dog that he is today through coaching and socializing at practice every week.”

Coach Sheehan started 20 years ago, looking for something to do with her Jack Russell terrier Jake.

She is the dog whisperer, the team members concur.

“Most of the old-timers have been through more than one dog with Melissa,” says Nancy Howse, whose border collie Moss is a veteran flyballer.

With any breed, she can glean success. That doesn’t always mean winning.

No Big Woof has two competition teams: Dogs at Work and Dogs Under Construction.

Sheehan points out that they have the most diverse breed roster in the entire United Flyball League International.

“We are the street team,” Jackson quips.

But this lovable band of misfits is gritty and hardworking enough to steal the show at events.

“People start out watching the fastest teams, but they wind up watching the interesting ones,” Howse says. “We are interesting — the whole place stops just to watch Bandit.”

Still these dogs and owners are serious when it comes to training and competition.

“It is not easy to make a perfect run,” Howse says. “Timing is important. Avoiding collisions and false starts.”

No Big Woof-ers are driven by a rewarding combination of hard work and recreation, she says.

“The neat thing is that we are contenders, but we are having fun. And we win occasionally.” —Christina Hughes Babb

MORE INFO:

No Big Woof Flyball Club meets at 9 a.m. most Sundays at Flag Pole Hill. Visit Facebook.com/no-big-woof-flyball-club for news and announcements. Fee is $20 per month plus equipment costs. See more flyball photos on lakehighlands.advocatemag.com.

Little Tex

While he might be miniature compared to his iconic namesake Big Tex, East Dallas’ Tex makes up for what he lacks in size with an over-the-top personality. Readers picked him as winner of the 2015 Advocate Pet Contest out of 939 total votes. He loves people, lounging on pillows and blankets and, oddly enough, vegetables. His energy comes in short bursts, giving him about 5 minutes of fetch before he collapses in exhaustion. “This shaggy dog could very well pass for an Ewok and is unconditionally friendly,” said his owner, Jin Hewitt.

Editor’s note: If you submitted a photo of your pet to the online photo contest, keep an eye on our regular Pet Pause section in future issues, where you might see your furry friend and his tale in print.

Josh Daugherty captured “The Holy Grail” for cyclists: Photos by Danny Fulgencio

Q&A: Josh Daugherty

Cyclists call it “The Holy Grail.” In the Tour Divide, racing riders begin in the snow-swept mountains of Banff in Alberta, Canada, before embarking on a grueling, 2,745-mile trek south until they reach the blistering deserts of Mexico. This summer, East Dallas neighbor Josh Daugherty began this arduous self-supported cycling journey with a goal to finish the race in less than three weeks. It took him just 18 days, 12 hours and 19 minutes, giving him 12th place in the race and earning him bragging rights as the fastest cyclist in Texas to complete the race.

How far did you have to ride each day to reach your goal?

On average I had to ride 135 miles a day, but I was never going to stop because I reached 135. Because you never know what’s going to happen later on down the road that might stop your day at 75. If I was feeling good, then I rode as hard as I could. I flirted with 200 miles a couple times.

You had to do a lot of climbing as well, right?

It’s not designed to be about climbing, but there are sections that are too hard to ride. You have to hike a bike, as we call it, the stuff that’s too steep or too loose. It could just be a few minutes or half-an-hour until you can get past it.

At what point did you start hurting?

You know going into it that everything is going to hurt by day two or three. I was totally sore. My muscles and joints hurt. My hands hurt. My rear end hurt. For the first week my knees felt like they were being hit by a hammer with every pedal stroke. At night I’d try to sleep and it just felt like they were being squeezed in a vice, just killing me.

With Tour Divide, it’s three to four weeks for most riders. The longest race I’d done before that was Race Across Texas in 2014, and I won that race in five and a half days. With Tour Divide I heard during week two you get a bounce back physically, so I just

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had to hope that was true, and it was. I can’t explain why. Your body adapts to what you’re doing to it.

Worst injury?

On day 11, I strained my quad in Wyoming. It was an issue, and I needed to ice it as often as I could after that.

The other things that you expect are numb hands and feet. My hands are still tingly, and they will be for probably four to six weeks. Saddle sores are a big one. Everybody gets them. By the end of week two, I bled. You just have to try not to get infected. The things that knock people out of races the most are knees, Achilles pain and saddle sores.

Where did you sleep?

I slept on the side of the road a lot. I took a tent. Most of the guys used bivy sacks, and they might have been a little faster to set up and break down, but I felt like I got better sleep. If bad weather hits, it’s a lot better in a tent. Another bike packing thing is to sleep

in bathrooms in state parks. I would have, if I came across one. I’ve done it before. One night I slept in a post office because post offices are open 24/7.

Sometimes I slept in motels. After I strained my quad, I slept in a motel every chance I got, but that was still only three or four times. I never stopped early because I was in a town, but if I could go long to get to a town then I would. A couple times I’d ride until 3 or 4 in the morning to get to a town with a motel. I was shooting for five hours of sleep at night, and that way I could ice my quad and prop my feet up.

Since you had to pack as light as possible, how’d you manage food?

You have to carry two days’ worth of food. Most days I hit a convenience store. Some days I didn’t. The route is designed to be remote and away from traffic. So a lot of the towns you cross, if they have a convenience store, then you’re lucky. Ninety percent of your food comes from gas stations and con-

venience stores. A restaurant is harder to come by, and you have to hit it at the right time because in small towns they might only be open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Most days I got one hot meal. When I would eat at a restaurant, I’d find the biggest meal on the menu and get two of them. Then I’d start eating candy bars about an hour later. I tried to eat every hour.

How to do you deal with the mental and emotional stress?

Ninety percent of the race is mental. The first couple of days it’s exciting and new, and then you start hurting and get tired. Then you just have this huge thing sitting in front of you that isn’t going to be over for a long time. The mental side of it I was expecting. Everyone has their own tricks for how they manage that stuff, but the emotional side of it was way more powerful than I expected. People told me, “You’re going to cry. It’s going to happen.”

The first eight days I rode with people a lot.

We’d separate during the day but then hook back up in the evening. Day nine was the turning point for me. I rode away and it was just like a switch flipped and I decided, “I’m going solo.” It was like suddenly the race was on and I was going for my personal best. It was a really emotional moment for me, and I cried. I wish I cried more in real life. Out there it happened every morning. I was never sad or upset. It was just a release. I was just in awe and joyful with how much I appreciate my loved ones and about how happy I was to be having this adventure of a lifetime. All through Wyoming and Colorado, it’s just so beautiful and overwhelmingly huge. I just let my mind wander, and you can’t help but ask yourself questions about your place in the world and why you’re out there and about the people in your life. Everything just comes flooding out. That was the best part of the race. It made it so much more than just a race.

Your wife, Leslee, is also a cyclist?

Yeah, she’s awesome. She wins just about every race she competes in, so she’s super supportive. It’s awesome to have someone who understands.

She’s pregnant right? Did that change things?

Yeah, she’s six months. That was hard. I had planned to do this before she got pregnant. I was already on the mission and then she got pregnant. I asked, “Should I do this or cancel?” She was like, “Without a doubt, you have to go do this.”

What’s next?

People keep asking me if I will do it again. I’d love to, but it takes more than just three to four weeks away from home. It’s a lot of money. It’s six months of training, and then all my vacation time went to this. So those are all sacrifices your family has to make, too. My wife has left the door open, but I just don’t know. I’m really ready to be a dad, so that’s where my focus is right now.

—Brittany Nunn

Roselie Bull has her bags packed for Ecuador:

Photo by Rasy Ran

Bridging the gap

Roselie Bull was being vaccinated and applying for visas while her classmates spent the summer buying shower totes and extralong twin sheets for their respective dorm rooms.

Because she isn’t going to college this fall. As a recent graduate of the International Baccalaureate academy at Woodrow Wilson High School, she’s taking what’s known as a “bridge year” to work in Ecuador through the organization Global Citizen Year. The program is geared toward recent high school grads who want to work abroad before heading to a university.

Recently she flew to California for training and then on to Ecuador, where she’ll live with a host family and do an apprenticeship for nine months, although she hasn’t found out what she’ll be doing yet.

Afterward she will fly back to California for a debriefing, and then she’ll come back to Dallas to host presentations about her experience.

“I’m starting to get nervous,” she told us before her trip. You wouldn’t know it by the

grin lighting up her face. “It’s just now hitting me.”

Roselie is the second child of neighbors Ashley and Jon Bull. After sending their son off to Oregon for college, they’re both very supportive of Roselie’s decision to take a bridge year. Ashley even admits she’s living vicariously through Roselie.

“I wish I had done something like this,” she says.

Mom was an easy sell on the adventure, Roselie says. Her dad, however, was a little harder to convince.

“I’d never heard of anyone doing something like this,” Jon explains. “I’m a little nervous, especially since we don’t know exactly where she will be. We have a plan for how to communicate, but we haven’t done a whole lot of international travel. So I’m a little unsettled about how we’ll keep in touch.”

Jon says he researched the program extensively to ensure Roselie would be safe before he fully gave his support, but in the end, he trusts Roselie.

“She’s a responsible girl,” he says. “We’ve talked with her a lot about being street smart, so we feel confident that she will be safe.”

Over the last couple of years both Ashley and Jon have witnessed Roselie’s search for “something more” as she tried to decide what college to attend after graduation, which is what really convinced them a bridge year was the best option for her.

“We would take these walks and Roselie would ask me, ‘Is this all there is? You go to college and do something you may or may not like. You get married and have a job and then just buy stuff?’” Ashley recalls. “She just wasn’t going to accept that.”

Jon and Ashley both questioned Roselie extensively in an effort to understand what was driving her.

“I just want a totally different perspective,” Roselie explains.

So it’s off to Ecuador to experience life from a different corner of the planet. After all, Jon points out, “Opportunities like this don’t come around very often.” —Brittany Nunn

The whole Lot

No one is on the fence about The Lot. Neighbors either love it or hate it, and that usually has to do with whether or not they have kids.

The Lot was built on 1.2 acres, and — for better or for worse — there are no other restaurants quite like it in the Dallas area. It’s also not the kind of place that could ever

truly be replicated because, as managing partner John McBride points out, it basically all happened by accident.

Before The Lot opened two years ago in the Grand Avenue space Backyard Beach Bar used to occupy, the seven owners — who are all from the White Rock Lake area, except for McBride — told us it would be a

“neighborhood-minded, family friendly restaurant with a kidscape,” as he described it. They envisioned it as a menu-driven restaurant with a comfortable, laid-back vibe.

But as soon as the restaurant opened its doors, McBride realized The Lot wasn’t going to be a restaurant with a kidscape. The restaurant was a kidscape.

Left/ Guests crowd the outdoor patio at The Lot; right/ John McBride: Photos by Rasy Ran

Families flocked to The Lot in droves, from all over Dallas but especially East Dallas. Finally there was a place that wasn’t a fast-food joint where kids were welcomed — even encouraged. The sandbox in the kidscape was a major hit with the little ones, and the parents were happy to send their kiddos outside to entertain themselves while they enjoyed their food and kicked back a beer or two.

But suddenly that “cool” menu McBride thought was going to be the restaurant’s biggest draw became its biggest challenge.

“We had a menu that was very foodie-driven, but we were being hit by big groups of families, and that’s not what they were looking for,” he explains.

The staff at The Lot spent the next six months scrambling to put some familiar items on the menu, and everyone noticed. Foodie publications all used the same word to describe the restaurant: confused.

Eventually they found their footing when McBride and his team embraced what the community wanted The Lot to be — basically a built-in babysitter.

They expanded the kids’ menu and the burger menu, and focused on foods that would come out of the kitchen quickly.

As The Lot grew into the community need, it also expanded its vision.

Over the next two years, the owners built a bridge to tie the backyard to the Santa Fe Trail and started a concentrated effort to make the bar area a kid-free zone. They turned part of the property into a dog park and another part into an area where bigger kids could hang out. They added a water feature to the play area for the summer, and then added an indoor arcade room for the winter.

With a restaurant that can handle upwards of 350 people, in a way, The Lot did fulfill its original dream of being a community-gathering place — not in the way that the owners expected, but they’re OK with it.

“We just had to relax and let it happen,” McBride explains. “If we hadn’t embraced it, we would not have made it. We couldn’t be stubborn. We just had to figure out how to do what the neighborhood wanted better.”

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Ben Thevenet and Evan Faram: Photo by Danny Fulgencio

Bus to nowhere

After buying an official DART bus off Craigslist for $7,000, three Woodrow Wilson grads are now on a mission to find the coolest stuff in Texas.

Brothers Evan and Hayden Faram, along with friend Ben Thevenet, launched the website The Coolest Stuff in Texas (CSTX) in November, where they share stories, photos and videos that highlight the best things to see and do in the state.

At first they spent months traveling across the Lone Star State by car, but that got really old (and really cramped) quickly, so they did what anyone would do and bought a DART bus.

And it must have been fate because they later learned — through a guy they met on the social media site Reddit, of all places — the bus once ran the streets in East Dallas.

“It’s come full circle,” Evan says.

They purchased the snazzy new ride in February from a man in Cedar Hill, who taught them everything he knew about the bus’ mechanical underbelly. The trio immediately began the process of refurbishing the beast, and they didn’t mind soliciting financial help from strangers to make it happen.

They did as much work as they could, putting in a new engine and completely rebuilding the inside. They built two closet-like rooms with beds that spring up to reveal storage underneath, a water closet and a shower, a kitchenette and a lounge area where the trio can hangout and work while on the road.

Although the guys had some previous handyman experience, that didn’t help them much with this project.

“When it comes to building out a bus, everything you know goes out the window,” Evan explains. “There are no right angles on a bus.”

Partway through the process they ran out of money, so they launched a campaign on Kickstarter, an online funding platform. After they successfully raised $10,000, they finished the work they started.

And now they’ve got people to see and things to do, so it’s time to get the show on the road, starting this month.

Neighbors can track their progress or make suggestions for CSTX on the website: thecooleststuffintexas.com. —Brittany Nunn

exciting

stress-free.”

THE goods

Out & About

Send events to editor@advocatemag.com

09/15

THE LITTLE THINGS

Go back to school in style with fun fashions from The Little Things! We carry unique styles for sizes newborn to 8, along with toys, gifts and accessories. THE LITTLE THINGS, 5207 Bonita (at Henderson). Open M -F 10-6 and Saturday 10-5. 214-821-3015. Shop online at shopthelittlethings.com

THE STORE IN LAKE HIGHLANDS

From life’s little moments to momentous milestones, HAPPY EVERYTHING easily & affordably marks all of life’soccasions in style. Decorative & functional pieces combined. 10233 E NW Hwy @ Ferndale (next to Gecko’s) 214.553.8850 Mon-Sat 9:30-5:30 TheStoreinLH.com

CITY VIEW ANTIQUE MALL

The kids are back in school! Indulge in a little shopping relaxation for yourself! Start planning for the holidays with antiques & accessories from our 65 dealers! Open daily.

6830 Walling Lane (Skillman/Abrams) 214.752.3071 cityviewantiques.homestead.com

SEPT. 2

‘Labyrinth’

Sundown at Granada offers a free movie and half-price whiskey every Wednesday. The 1986 musical fantasy from Jim Henson, “Labyrinth,” stars David Bowie. Sundown at Granada, 3520 Greenville, 214.823.8305, granadatheater.com/sundown-atgranada, free

SEPT. 3

Comedy for a Cure

About 30 neighborhood marathoners are raising $3,000 apiece for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, which supports blood cancer research and cures, by running the Portland Marathon on LLS’s Team In Training. Their fundraising efforts include a night of standup at Hyena’s Comedy Nightclub, from which proceeds go toward the collective $37,000 goal. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the lineup includes funnymen Paul Varghese, Nathan Anderson and Matt Golightly, and a live auction. Hyena’s at Mockingbird Station, 5307 East Mockingbird (next to the theater), hyenascomedynightclub. com, teamintraining.org, 214.823.5233, $30

September 2015

Sept. 13

Okrapalooza

This sixth annual fundraiser for Promise of Peace Community Garden, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., includes an okra cook-off with live music, beer, wine and specialty okra dishes. Promise of Peace Community Garden, 1435 San Saba, promiseofpeace.us, $35-$45

SEPT. 4-27

‘Catholic School Girls’

Journey back to the 1960s where plaidskirted Catholic schoolgirls are learning the difference between venial and mortal sins. Casy Kurtti rolls out the Catholic high jinks as four Yonkers school-mates attempt to navigate the curious world of saddle oxfords and go-go boots. Contemporary Theatre of Dallas, 5601 Sears, 214.828.0094, contemporarytheatreofdallas.com, $22-$32

SEPT. 16-26

‘King Lear’

Shakespeare Dallas presents the Bard’s tale of King Lear’s descent into madness; all shows start at 8:15 p.m. Samuell Grand Amphitheater, 1500 Tenison, 214.559.2778, shakespearedallas.org, $10-$15

SEPT. 19

Tour des Fleurs

The 10th annual Tour des Fleurs raises money for the arboretum and offers 10k and 20k race courses around White Rock Lake. The races start at 7 a.m., and there are 16 cash prizes for top runners. Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland Road, toursdesfleurs.com, $50-$65

SEPT. 19-NOV. 25

Autumn at the Arboretum

Fall arrives at the Dallas Arboretum with 75,000 pumpkins, gourds and squash, plus 150,000 fall blooms, including chrysanthemums and impatiens.

Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland Road, dallasarboretum.org, $10-$15

SEPT. 19

Book sale

The Lakewood Library Friends’ annual book sale is from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The sale includes 15,000 books, DVDs and other media, plus crafts, face painting and activities for kids.

Lakewood Library, 6121 Worth, 214.670.1376, lakewoodlibraryfriends.org, free

SEPT. 19

Doyle Bramhall II

The son of a West Dallas native, Doyle Bramhall II brings his soulful blues guitar sound to Lower Greenville for a 9 p.m. show. C.C. Adcock opens.

Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville, 214.824.9933, granadatheater.com, $25-$40

SEPT. 23

Pep rally

The Woodrow Wilson High School homecoming parade and pep rally starts at 5:45 p.m.

Woodrow Wilson High School, 100 S. Glasgow, woodrowwildcats.org, free

SEPT. 26

Benefit concert

Mark Pollock of Charlie’s Guitar Shop and co-producer of the Dallas International Guitar Festival recently was diagnosed with cancer, and his friends are throwing a benefit to offset his medical bills. Performers include Rick Derringer, Kim Wilson of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Anson Funderburg, Rick Vito of Fleetwood Mac, Andy Timmons, Jimmy Wallace & The Stratoblasters, Van Wilks, Mike Morgan, Quinten Hope, Lance Lopez, Alan Haynes, Buddy Whittington, A Band of Brothers and Smokin Joe Kubek.

Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville, 214.824.9933, granadatheater.com

Delicious

ONE90

10240 E. Northwest Highway one90smokedmeats.com

214.514.2905

Meat.

AMBIANCE: FAST CASUAL, PICK-UP

PRICE RANGE: $7-$40

HOURS: TUES-SAT 11 A.M.-8 P.M. SUN 11 A.M.-5 P.M. CLOSED MON

—Brittany Nunn

It’s what’s for dinner, always, at One90 Smoked Meats. One90 offers a variety of small-batch craft meats at its recently opened storefront in the shopping center at Northwest Highway and Easton. The business was the brainchild of a group of friends who all attended Bryan Adams High School. It began as a hobby, simply smoking meats together. “We started by doing that for a while, and then we just kind of realized that it was really, really good smoked meat,” says partner Herman Guerra. So they decided to launch One90 and start selling meat online and at local farmers markets. They began with barbecue and eventually added things like smoked duck and lamb. Then they opened a physical location in July. “We’ve only been here a few weeks and it has been a tremendous start,” Guerra says. They’ve been up to their offal in business, and they’re also partnering with local restaurants such as Goodfriend and Greenville Avenue Pizza Company on top of that. At the storefront, neighbors can buy smoked meat to-go that is packaged and ready to be heated and consumed. One90 also offers a variety of sandwiches that can be eaten on the premise. Either way, your next meal will be so tender that it just might make you cry like a grown man.

DID YOU KNOW? THE RED SMOKER OUTSIDE THEIR STOREFRONT IS JUST FOR SHOW. THEY ONLY BURN WOOD IN IT, NOT MEAT.

Smoked brisket sandwich served with a side of potato salad. One90 Smoked Meats, named after the internal temperature of their meats, opened shop in July on Northwest Highway: Photo by Rasy Ran

Best Place for Kids IN LAKEWOOD/EAST DALLAS

LOOK FOR A ROUNDUP of all the ‘Best Of’ winners at lakewood.advocatemag.com/best-of-results

And the winner is

The votes are in for the Advocate Best Of contest, and neighbors agree Lakewood Branch Library is the best place in East Dallas to take kids.

It’s no wonder with its spacious kids’ area and huge selection of children’s books. Lakewood Library Friends recently rallied for new art and furniture to make the space more kidfriendly, creating the perfect place for little readers to get lost the world of fiction.

Lakewood Library hosts story time every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. with

Another Broken Egg Cafe

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music, stories and rhymes for children ages 6 and younger.

There are also other kid-centric events throughout the year. Check out its events calendar online for more.

Runner-up: Studio Arts for Lakewood

3rd Place: White Rock YMCA

The Pour House

The Best Place in Lakewood to watch all the games. Great food, fun times! Come by & check out our newly remodeled patio!

Relax and enjoy all the NFL Sunday Ticket games here!

Now Open! Welcome to the tastiest Tex-Mex in the Metroplex! Family Owned & Operated Since 1947.

Lakewood Library

BREAKFAST CLUB

Breakfast lovers rejoice! you have an excuse to indulge in the morning meal any time you wish this month, because September is national Breakfast Month. With so many options for breakfast, the key to my success is easy and satisfying for the whole family. Sour Cream Coffee Cake is an old family classic, baked straight from my “Nanny’s” kitchen. This recipe has a rich buttery flavor, filled with a cinnamon-sugar swirl, and will pair well with a soothing cup of tea or coffee to give your day a boost.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

GROCERY LIST: CAKE

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup butter, unsalted

4 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

FILLING AND TOPPING

2 teaspoons cinnamon

½ cup granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS:

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 cups sour cream

1 cup pecans, chopped

Cream sugar and butter until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla extract until combined. Sift dry ingredients together and add to the egg mixture alternating with sour cream.

Pour half of the batter into a 9x13 greased pan. Sprinkle half of the filling mixture to cover the first layer.

Add the remaining batter to the pan and sprinkle the remaining filling mixture over the top of the cake. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Kristen Massad writes a monthly column about sweets and baked goods. The professional pastry chef graduated from the French Culinary Institute in New York City and owned Tart Bakery on Lovers Lane for eight years. She blogs about food and lifestyles at inkfoods.com.

LINUS, page 55

FETCHING PERSONALITIES

People love their pets.

Like doting parents, owners hold forth on the virtues of their domesticated mammals, “… makes my world a better place,” “… changed my life,” “… has the sweetest soul.”

And most Americans back those warm sentiments with cold cash. We will spend some $58 billion pampering our animals this year, according to the American Pet Product Association. Around the White Rock area, we have our pick of posh pet hotels and pooch patios, doggie bakeries (barkeries) and upscale grooming services.

We took a close-up look at a cross section of neighborhood pets to find out what makes them so worth it.

EDITOR’S NOTE:

If you submitted a photo of your pet to the online photo contest, keep an eye on our regular Pet Pause section in future issues, where you might see your furry friend and his tale in print.

RAYMUNDO & LILYBUG

Almost famous

Can you keep up with house cats Lilybug and Raymundo? They definitely know what it’s like to live life in the limelight.

They have their own Instagram account and their human Catherine Kelly is always stalking them, waiting for an opportune moment to snap a photo.

Lilybug and Raymundo are siblings — their mom’s name is Charles Barkley. Despite coming from the same bloodline and being raised together, the pair couldn’t be more different.

“Raymundo is the attention seeker,” Kelly explains. “When people come over, he’s in

her cat,” she explains. “I noticed other people have Instagram accounts for their cats, and so I wondered what it would be like to start an account for them.”

She decided to give it a try, and at first only her friends and family followed their account. Soon enough, however, other pets began following Lilybug and Raymundo, showing their support through “likes” and comments.

“I couldn’t believe the community of pets that are on social media,” Kelly says. “Without even realizing it, it kind of became an experiment in social media. It’s been fun.

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Living

their arms. He has lots of personality. Lilybug is more reserved. She kind of hangs out at the edge of the room at first. Eventually, if she decides she likes you, she’ll rub against your legs and let you pet her.”

Although they’re personalities are night and day, they’re equally as lovable on the Internet.

Their social media presence grew gradually. Before they had their own Instagram account, Kelly would occasionally post pictures of them on her Facebook page.

“I was teetering on the edge of becoming that crazy cat lady who posts tons of pictures of

My friends are like, ‘You seem like a normal person, and then I find out you have an Instagram for your cats.’ ”

Despite what Kelly’s real-life friends think, the Instagram community thinks Lilybug and Raymundo are the picture purr-fect pair. They just recently hit 1,000 followers.

Of course, they’ve had to relinquish their privacy for fame. Kelly posts pictures of them playing, sleeping, getting into trouble and even grooming themselves. Nothing is sacred, but they’re willing to make the sacrifice for their fans.

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“My friends are like, ‘You seem like a normal person, and then I find out you have an Instagram for your cats.’ ”

Pig on the run

Laurel Holt never felt so helpless as the day she learned her 2-year-old pot-bellied pig, Eleanor Pigby, had escaped from the backyard while Holt was thousands of miles away on a cruise ship.

The portly pig is her baby, and Holt was desperate to do anything she could to track Eleanor down.

She immediately took to social media to sound the alarm, telling all her friends and family to be on the lookout for the missing pig. As the hashtag #EleanorPigby began circulating the interwebs, Holt’s friends canvased the neighborhood with missing pig signs.

When local news outlets got wind of the swine on the loose, they helped spread the word. One of Holt’s friends coined Eleanor as “the most popular pig in the metroplex.”

Meanwhile in East Dallas, Eleanor was wandering around the neighborhood making friends and scouting for food — including people’s flowerbeds.

A photo of Eleanor on a neighbor’s front porch surfaced on Facebook, but before Holt and her friends could reach the picture-taker, Eleanor was gone again.

Soon after, Eleanor was corraled by a man who lives in the neighborhood. He couldn’t take her home, so he took her to his uncle’s farm, where she befriended some fellow pigs.

When the Good Samaritan got back to East Dallas, he saw the missing pig fliers and immediately made plans to bring Eleanor home. Just two days after she went missing, the wayward pig was home safe in her own backyard.

“It sounds like a children’s story, in a way,” Holt muses. “Eleanor Pigby running through the neighborhood eating flowers, looking for her mom and coming back home.”

Holt, for one, is relieved that Eleanor Pigby is home to snuggle on the couch, give her kisses and eat her out of house and home.

One of Holt’s friends coined Eleanor as “the most popular pig in the metroplex.”

Molly Burns Austin, MD Dermatologist

FETCHING PERSONALITIES

Love is blind

With one misstep, Daphne was sinking like a stone to the bottom of the Corporons’ swimming pool. Born blind and with vestibular disease, which impairs balance, the dog’s first few years were difficult. But this plunge was especially petrifying. Bill Corporon was right there — heard the splash and caught the last glimpse of cotton-white fur as it disappeared beneath the surface. He dove in after her, performed CPR, rushed her to the emergency clinic and paid the tab. It wasn’t the first or last of Daphne’s hefty medical expenses, but Corporon and his wife, Kathy, say this “incredible crea-

ture” is worth every cent. “She is a friend, a family member and an investment,” says Kathy, a former physical therapist with a soft spot for people and animals with disabilities. “They have always tugged at my heart,” she says.

At an adoption event almost 17 years ago, Daphne stood out in an otherwise healthy litter of mixed-breed spitzes. She clung like a Koala cub to Kathy’s shoulder. For four hours straight, Kathy says, “we didn’t let go of each other.”

Daphne developed glaucoma and needed both eyes surgically removed. The glassy prosthetic replacements, unnoticeable at a glance, serve purely cosmetic purposes. When Daphne was 11, the vet removed her inflamed gall bladder, a $5,000 procedure. A few years ago her hearing began to go; now she’s totally deaf.

But Daphne doesn’t seem to know she has so many ailments. She is perky despite the aches and pains of age; her sense of smell helps her navigate the world and recognize those she loves, Kathy says. “We now refer to her lovingly as our little Helen Keller.”

“She is a friend, a family member and an investment. (Disabled animals) have always tugged at my heart.”

Neighbor Abbie Skipworth is a therapist who sometimes she needs a little help from her chocolate lab, Dirk.

Dirk is a dog that never knew a stranger. As a certified therapy dog, he sometimes accompanies Skipworth to her office, where she works with kids and adults who struggle with anxiety and depression.

“Having him there really softens people up,” Skipworth says.

His job isn’t complicated. He just does what he does best — giving and receiving love.

“With certain clients, I’ll bring him in and

Mama’s little helper

he’ll just lay on the couch with them,” she explains. “It helps them to pet him while they’re talking about something really hard. Some-

elderly lady in the parking lot came up with her husband and told Dirk that she had been pricked and prodded all day and that just to get to see him and pet him made her day so much better,” Skipworth remembers. “That’s when I decided to get him certified.”

Recently he’s also been helping out at home.

times younger clients can play with him, or they’ll tell him things they feel like they can’t tell me.”

Even before he was a certified therapy dog, Dirk was a great listener.

“One day I was taking him home, and an

“Just a little bit ago we were teaching him how to go get a diaper,” Skipworth says with a laugh.

“He’ll get it, but he chews it up a little bit on the way,” her husband Wes Skipworth points out.

“Having him there really softens people up.”

Lucky Linus

Dr. Cassie Knapp first met Linus the pit bull when he arrived at Metro Paws Animal Hospital, where she works as a veterinarian.

He was only a few months old when a family brought him in because he stopped using his front legs. She performed x-rays and found out both legs were fractured, which indicated he suffered some sort of fall.

Knapp gathered a surgical estimate, but the family balked. They loved Linus, but they couldn’t afford treatment. The next day Knapp called the family and asked if they’d be willing to sign over Linus’ care to her.

“My intention at that time was to do surgery, rehabilitate him and then probably give him to a pit bull rescue or adopt him out,” Knapp explains. She already had a dog and chickens, so taking in another pet wasn’t in the cards.

She ended up having to amputate his front right leg, which was too injured to rehabilitate. His other leg healed beautifully.

“Five days into having him under my watch, I decided this dog isn’t going anywhere; he’s a part of the family now,” Knapp says. “He’s got an old soul.”

Since his first surgery, Knapp has had to perform surgery on him twice more — once to remove grass that was stuck in his stomach and once after a neighborhood dog bit a chunk out of his ear.

When he’s not going under the knife, Knapp says Linus enjoys “skipping” around White Rock Lake on his three good legs.

FETCHINGPERSONALITIES

Chicken (not so) little

Helga the chicken loves to cuddle.

Her human Jessica Allendes grew up on a farm, so she was excited when she moved into a house with a spacious backyard big enough for urban farming.

When Allendes’ two daughters were old enough, they bought a brood of chickens from Gecko Hardware. Helga, a buff orpington hen, settled into East Dallas.

“She was my oldest daughter’s favorite,” Allendes says. “She’s the friendliest chicken you’ll ever meet.”

The chickens love Allendes’ girls and constantly follow them around the yard. “They have no idea they’re chickens,” Allendes points out.

Helga in particular can be mischievous and likes to be in the middle of whatever the kids are doing. If the girls are in the sandbox, Helga

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is in the sandbox — usually knocking over any up-and-coming sand castles.

She lays an egg almost every day, and she’s gigantic to boot.

“She fits her name,” Allendes says. “She’s probably about 30 pounds. She’s a big, plucky lady,” which for some reason reminds Allendes of a baker. “I could picture her with an apron on.”

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9

REASONS to maintain HOPE IN DALLAS ISD

The reform superintendent skipped town.

The board of trustees can’t quit fighting.

Teachers and principals are exiting by the hundreds.

Despite all this, many parents are taking a second look at neighborhood schools — and for good reasons.

A matter of choice

Magnet schools have reigned supreme in Dallas ISD for decades. Formed as equalizers in the days of desegregation, the schools have evolved into a great source of pride for the district. How many years running has the Townview Talented and Gifted School been named one of the top high schools in the country by U.S. News and World Report?

A funny thing happened, however, over the last year or so. The district still sent out its annual press release lauding the TAG school and its other magnets on the list of the nation’s best. But “choice school” has begun to supplant “magnet” in the DISD lexicon.

Choice schools are different, first of all, from “school choice,” which evokes a reference to “people who want to use my tax

money so they can subsidize their kid’s education in the Radio Church of God,” writes neighbor and Dallas Observer columnist Jim Schutze.

They’re also different from magnet schools in a slight but significant way: Choice schools don’t have academic entrance requirements. They may give students priority based on vicinity, but IQ, grades, talent, references and the like are not part of the application process.

So more than 40 years after its schools desegregated, it appears that Dallas is attempting to level the playing field once again.

Though choice schools were championed by recently resigned Superintendent Mike Miles, the concept didn’t initiate with him.

Stories by Keri Mitchell

It’s been practiced in Dallas ISD for years, in fact. The idea is for a school to have some sort of unique offering that attracts students and their families, giving them a choice beyond the neighborhood school to which they are zoned.

This isn’t too different than the criteria already used for in-district transfers. Historically, parents could cite something a school offers — Lakewood Elementary’s outdoor learning area, for example, before educational gardens were in vogue — as a reason their child should attend a more desirable school. It was a way to escape an unpopular campus. Conversely, the choice school movement propels families toward a school rather than away from one.

Every principal we interviewed refers to his or her school as a “choice school.” Officially, Dallas ISD has designated only a handful of choice schools, including our neighborhood’s IDEA High School with its new personalized learning program, and Eduardo Mata Elementary with its Montessori curriculum. Both of these schools admit students via a lottery system, giving priority to those who live closest.

But Sanger Elementary, with its dual language immersion program and recently added middle school, has become another choice for neighborhood parents, as have Robert E. Lee and Lipscomb elementary schools, with their dual language programs and international baccalaureate curriculum. Most students who attend these schools live within their boundaries, but if other parents like what they see, they can opt in as long as the schools have available seats. (They do.)

Choice schools are Dallas ISD’s response to the city’s proliferation of private schools, the more recent emergence of charter schools, and the underlying funding threat of “school choice” voucher leg-

THE PRE-K PANACEA

Statistics don’t lie, and when it comes to the importance of educating children before they ever reach kindergarten, the truth is disheartening. All data shows that if students are behind by the time they reach kindergarten, it will be more difficult, more expensive and less effective to remediate them later on.

So if pre-K is a crucial answer to myriad education problems, why is Dallas ISD struggling to implement it?

85-90

Percentage of brain development that happens by the time a child is 5

islation driven by people dissatisfied with public school options. Choice schools add more options to the mix, and the response such as the more than 400 applications for IDEA High School’s 100 spots in its inaugural year — seem to confirm that options are what we want.

6,900

Number of eligible children enrolled in pre-K for the 2014-15 school year, up from 3,300 in 2013-14

5

Percentage of the State’s education funding devoted to those first five years

4 of 10 Dallas ISD kindergarteners who begin the year “kindergarten ready”

3 Months of catch-up required for every month children are behind by age 5

Never mind that Miles has skipped town. Principals have latched on and parents, too, are jumping on the choice school bandwagon. Interim Superintendent Michael Hinojosa, who held the job for six years before Miles assumed it, has vowed to continue the effort.

As if he had a choice.

27,000

Number of Dallas ISD 3- and 4-yearolds who qualify for state-funded half-day pre-kindergarten (the district offers full-day pre-K by tapping into other funding sources)

9,500

Number of eligible children already registered for Dallas ISD pre-K for the 2015-16 school year

96

Percentage of Texas parents who send their children to kindergarten, funded but not required by the state

350

Percentage increase in the likelihood that students will be “kindergarten ready” if they attend a Dallas ISD pre-K program

Source: Dallas ISD executive director ofearly childhood Alan Cohen and national data

Choice schools are different from magnet schools in a slight but significant way: They don’t have academic entrance requirements.

Photo courtesy of Dallas ISD

Choice: Robert E. Lee and William Lipscomb elementary schools

Going global with International Baccalaureate and dual language

On a sticky summer evening, with parking already scarce on Lowest Greenville, mothers with babies strapped to their chests and fathers with preschoolers in tow made their way to Blind Butcher’s patio.

The Vickery Place Neighborhood Association had organized the social hour, designed to introduce families to Robert E. Lee Elementary. It wasn’t their first introduction; Vickery Place is zoned to Lee, so any parents living in the neighborhood already knew of the school.

Lee has been plagued by a negative reputation among neighborhood families for years, dating back at least as far as 2004 when families zoned to Stonewall Jackson Elementary, some of whom lived closer to Lee, fought to keep their boundaries untouched and remain at the Blue Ribbon school. Efforts since then to re-engage the middle-class homeowners who live on Lee’s surrounding streets have come up short.

Now, however, Lee is among the East Dallas schools undergoing a renaissance of sorts, and both the Vickery Place association and enthusiastic Lee parents are working to evangelize their neighbors. The informal setting of a happy hour at a hip Greenville restaurant made proselytizing a bit easier, as did Lee’s

GO ONLINE FOR MORE 137

two newest educational attributes: dual language and International Baccalaureate.

On their own, these two programs are titillating to educated, middle-class Dallas families. Together, they form a kind of educational pièce de résistance. And in our neighborhood,

fore with a different executive director and a different principal, and really got nowhere,” says Roxanne Cheek, Lipscomb’s current principal. “This a huge victory for the neighborhood to see Lipscomb as a viable option.”

Families in the Junius Heights, Munger Place and Swiss Avenue neighborhoods organized under the Old East Dallas Early Childhood PTA in 2008, as parents of young children began returning to these areas. These families have been successful in campaigning for changes at Lipscomb. Cheek, who became Lipscomb’s principal in fall 2013, credits parents for the school’s new direction along with Tracie Fraley, executive director of Woodrow Wilson High School and the schools that feed into it, including Lee and Lipscomb.

not just Lee but also William Lipscomb Elementary in Old East Dallas will offer both programs starting this fall.

Dual language at both schools began years ago with neighborhood parents making the case. Roughly one-fourth of Lee’s students and one-half of Lipscomb’s are native Spanish speakers, allowing for two-way dual language classes in which a combination of native Spanish and English speakers learns material in both languages. Studies show the positive benefits of such learning, parents argued, so why not make it happen?

At Lee, the program came to fruition in fall 2013 with a single kindergarten class. They are entering second-grade together this fall, with first-graders and new crop of kindergartners on their heels. At Lipscomb, the inaugural two-way dual language kindergarten class launches this fall.

“Parents had approached these topics be-

With Lee and Lipscomb offering both dual language classrooms and IB programs, it creates a continuum for students when they move on to J.L. Long Middle School and to Woodrow, both IB schools with dual language offerings. It also gives families two more “choice schools,” Cheek says, part of Fraley’s vision to make all of Woodrow and Long’s elementary schools desirable to neighborhood parents, and allow them to make a choice that fits their family. Lee and Lipscomb both have room for transfer students; Cheek says she received applications from 10 to 20 based on the IB program, and another 10 to 15 who are coming to Lipscomb from Spanish House Immersion School.

East Dallas families are more familiar than most with IB because of its implementation and surrounding buzz at Long and Woodrow. Still, the overall idea of creating “global thinkers, global learners” is a bit esoteric, and even if a rigorous IB diploma track at secondary schools makes sense, boiling that down to an elementary level can be mind-bending.

The misconception, Cheek says, is that because it’s “international,” students are learning about the world.

“It’s not just, ‘We’re going to learn about Africa today,’ ” Cheek says, though Africa may work its way into the curriculum. “The big difference between ‘normal’ or ‘traditional’ elementary schools is that everything is transdisciplinary. We’re always trying to find ways to connect and integrate curriculum.”

IB for elementary students is not about the

The number of people who signed an online petition to change the names of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson Elementary schools, circulated by M Streets neighbor Krista Tartoni, a mother of two children who attend private school

J.L. Long students carry flags of the world: Photo courtesy of Dallas ISD

content being taught; it’s about learning those things in context. For example, second-grade students might study what makes up a community, looking at the difference between rural, urban and suburban communities (social studies), graphing those differences (math), asking how different organisms depend on a community (science) or how the environment impacts our settlement patterns (science and social studies) and then journaling or writing a song about it (language arts) or looking up questions on an iPad (technology) and so on — all while focusing on a single topic.

“This is going against the grain. People in schools are so prone to go straight to that standardized testing,” Cheek says. “We’re saying this is going to be more beneficial than isolating the learning.

“These are things all teachers want to teach because they’re meaningful. This is the real world.”

In addition, IB adds a foreign language class to each school’s elective rotations, adding it to music, physical education and the

like. Similarly, French and Mandarin coursework is, or soon will be, part of Long and Woodrow’s IB curriculum. At Lee, students will learn French, and at Lipscomb, they considered Mandarin, but the community felt that Spanish would be a better option; that way even students not in enrolled in the dual language program would build a bilingual foundation.

Parents are still a bit unclear on what exactly IB looks like but seem excited about the changes.

“We’re talking about more than knowing things just for knowing things’ sake,” says Chris Widell, a Lee dad, at the recent Blind Butcher social hour.

“It’s more real,” echoed fellow dad Luke Rice, “and it’s explicitly community minded. It applies to all the kids at the school but also to the families. More parental involvement is encouraged and expected.”

And that’s the icing on the IB cake for families who have spent years working to build their school communities.

Danielle Petters spent seven years as principal of J.L. Long Middle School before announcing this summer that she would become principal at Dallas ISD’s Spruce High School in Pleasant Grove. She will be its fourth principal in four years. Her hallmark achievement at Long is no doubt the school’s International Baccalaureate (IB) designation in 2014. Before exiting the East Dallas stage, Petters talked to us about what changed during her tenure at Long, and what is left to accomplish.

“We went from, ‘Seriously? This school, an IB school?’ to, ‘Yeah, this school.’ ”

—Danielle Petters

“This is going against the grain. People in schools are so prone to go straight to that standardized testing. We’re saying this is going to be more beneficial ... These are things all teachers want to teach because they’re meaningful. This is the real world.”

Choice: Personalized learning at Dan D. Rogers A ‘one size fits one’ approach

This year at Dan D. Rogers Elementary School on Abrams and Lovers, students will be given the freedom to learn at their own pace.

Rogers is one of Dallas ISD’s six new “choice schools,” converting its traditional elementary to a “personalized learning” campus. What that looks like, says principal Lisa Lovato, is a classroom full of children hard at work but not on the same thing at the same time.

“It allows kids to be comfortable in their learning and not feel bad about where they are,” Lovato says. “Since we have 16 languages and, I would say, very distinct tiers as far as where the kids are, we’re going to be able to better meet their needs.”

Each classroom will have various stations — a teacher might be working with a handful of students at one station while another four or five students work on iPads or laptops at a technology station. In another spot, students can partner up on projects or work independently. Teachers monitor each student’s progress and tailor projects to their instructional needs.

Rogers piloted the approach last year and saw “a lot more independence in students and more accountability in their learning as well,” Lovato says. “Once they’re invested, we see them being more driven in wanting to succeed.”

It’s a “one size fits one,” approach, says Ashley Bryan, Dallas ISD’s director of special projects. Lovato’s team at Rogers was one of

36 chosen by the district in its initial call for choice school applications, which eventually winnowed down to six schools. As part of its selection, Rogers is receiving its share of the $2.6 million Gates Foundation grants, doled out to the Dallas ISD campuses on top of their general budgets.

The money allows the school to purchase 10 student devices per classroom, in addition to roughly five stationary computers. It also supports a project-based learning coach and a personalized learning coordinator to help as new programs get off the ground.

Eventually, Lovato says, Rogers wants to move into mixed-age groupings based on students’ progress. The school has roughly 125 transfer students from refugee-populated Vickery Meadow, so standards and learning are all over the map, quite literally, depending on the countries from which students hail. Personalized learning allows Rogers to catch up these students while simultaneously challenging its talented and gifted students.

Though Rogers is popular with transfer families, Lovato notes that Rogers isn’t well-attended by children in its own neighborhood, but “I’m getting a lot more interest from the neighborhood than I have in a while,” she says.

Within the next five years, Dallas ISD hopes to create at least 35 choice schools, and many of them will be like Rogers — neighborhood schools that change their educational approach. The schools will primarily serve their attendance areas and also welcome transfers as they have room, which is good, Lovato says, “so that not everybody feels like they have to transfer to a magnet school.”

Smiles from a Rogers student: Photo courtesy of Dallas ISD

REASONS TO MAINTAIN HOPE IN DALLAS ISD

Choice: Alex Sanger Elementary

Spanish immersion from kindergarten through eighth-grade

Sanger Elementary in Forest Hills is one of the few Dallas ISD elementary schools whose dual language students are immersed in Spanish. This means that not only does it have classrooms with native English speakers trying to learn Spanish, but those students are learning in Spanish 70 percent of the time — every subject except math.

It used to be 50 percent of the time, like most other Dallas ISD dual language programs.

“We made the observation that students were not using their Spanish in conversations in second-grade,” says Sanger principal Hector Martinez, “so we decided, ‘Let’s try something new. We want our students to begin speaking at an earlier age.’ ”

Along the way, parents of dual language students began to wonder what would happen once their children left the program. In sixth-grade, Sanger students move to Gaston Middle School, which doesn’t have dual language curriculum.

“It takes up to eight years to be bi-literate, and DISD does not have an answer to the question of what do we do with sixththrough eighth-grade students who have been in this program,” says Kelly Clayton, whose son, Henry, will be a second-grader in Sanger’s immersion program this year, and whose daughter, Katie, will be a kindergartner.

The idea of extending Sanger through the middle school years began floating around a couple of years ago, and Martinez worked with Clayton and other Sanger parents to make it a reality last spring. As a result, 65 of last year’s fifth-graders will return as sixthgraders this fall and will be able to remain at the school until they are eighth-graders.

Parents are thrilled, not only with the idea of extending the dual language program but also with the option of a tight-knit middle school.

“Middle school kids are hormonal and they’re going through all this change, so you’re going to have some amount of drama

to have 1,000-plus of them together,” says Patty Bates-Ballard, whose youngest son, Kaden, is a fourth-grader in Sanger’s dual language program. “To have 100 of them mixed in with other ages, and anchored with teachers that they’ve known, gives them some support they wouldn’t have in a typical middle school.”

The words, “That’s such a great middle school,” are rarely — if ever — uttered by parents. It’s not necessarily a reflection of the schools themselves; it has more to do with the large size of middle schools compared to elementary schools, and with the physical, social, emotional and hormonal changes BatesBallard mentions, which inevitably impact academic learning.

Of the 200-plus Sanger parents who were asked to sign the petition she circulated,

Bates-Ballard says only two or three were hesitant about adding a middle school.

“We’re helicopter parents. Let’s not kid ourselves,” Clayton says. “The idea of being in a smaller, close-knit school where I’m going to know a lot of kids my child is in school with, is appealing. These kids will grow up together, and the teachers have grown up with these kids and know their quirks and how they learn, so it’s the continuity.”

Sanger parents are not alone in their desire to prolong the elementary atmosphere. Rosemont Elementary in Oak Cliff launched a dual language middle school in fall 2013, and Harry Stone and George Bannerman Dealey Montessori schools both continue through sixth-grade and have seventh- and eighth-grade academies. Parents at Preston

Kaden Ballard waters the garden at Sanger Elementary, which is growing into a middle school. Modular buildings will act as classrooms until funding is allocated for a new wing: Photo by Patty Bates-Ballard

Hollow Elementary also are petitioning to extend their International Baccalaureate curriculum into the middle school years.

A 2014 change in board policy may open the door for more Dallas ISD schools to make this conversion. When trustees were asked to approve grade configuration changes for East Dallas’ Mount Auburn and Eduardo Mata elementary schools, making them two distinct schools rather than one feeding into the other, trustees opted instead to pass an amendment that gave administrators authority to make such decisions.

Facility restraints are still a factor, however, and additions require board and, often, voter approval. A few kindergarten through eighth-grade schools are part of the tentative bond package trustees are considering, including 24 new classrooms and an expanded cafeteria for Sanger’s middle school students.

Though parent advocacy may have been the beginning of Sanger’s transition, “parents can’t be driving the train with someone who’s not on board,” Clayton says, referring to Martinez’ support and efforts.

Martinez also felt strongly about not limiting Sanger’s middle school to dual language students; its traditional students are welcome to continue, too.

“We felt like we didn’t want to close that door to them at their home school,” Martinez says. “We wanted to be inclusive rather than exclusive.”

So any student zoned to Sanger can continue at the school through middle school — roughly one-third of the incoming sixthgraders are traditional students, Martinez says — and transfers may be accepted if space is available. Currently, few families in the Forest Hills, Little Forest Hills and Casa Linda neighborhoods send their students to Sanger. Martinez and Sanger parents hope this will change as word gets out.

“Sanger has the make-up of the majority of the DISD schools, in that the majority of students live in poverty,” Clayton says. “I don’t know if that’s scary to people; it’s not scary to me, but some people are still tentative.

“My hope is that it will be embraced and people will not want to transfer out. Most are probably transferring to private, not public,” Clayton says. “Once it starts to get its legs, it will really start to create momentum. It takes time. It’s a cultural shift.”

YOUR DREAM JOB

9 REASONS TO MAINTAIN HOPE IN DALLAS ISD

CONSTRUCTION by the numbers

In April 2014, Dallas ISD trustees approved spending $130 million to fix what they deemed as the worst of the district’s facility problems, as well as to overhaul the facilities of new choice schools. Here’s how it impacts schools in our neighborhood:

million

million

Lakewood Elementary: $12.6 million for an addition with 27 classrooms and an expanded cafeteria, and window replacement in its 1951 building

$5.3 million $5.3 million

Casa View Elementary: $5.3 million for a 12,500square-foot addition

$12.6 million $2.5 million $700,000

Stonewall Jackson Elementary: $5.3 million for a 13,500square-foot addition and updates to the existing 1940 building

Dan D. Rogers Elementary: $2.5 million to transform the 1953 facility into a Dallas ISD choice school focused on personalized learning

Alex Sanger Elementary: $700,000 for a pre-K wing and sixth- to eighthgrade modulars

Construction on all of these projects is expected to begin summer 2016 and finish in time for the 2017-18 school year. The one exception is Sanger, which should begin next April and finish in time for the 2016-17 school year.

Source: Dallas ISD, as of July 10, 2015

There are apparently two ways to convince Dallas ISD to spend $13 million on your elementary school: Knock on the doors of district trustees, or hope a trustee knocks on your door.

A new look for lunch: Goodbye hot Cheetos, hello vegetarian options

Healthy, sustainable items dominate Dallas ISD’s new menus

A green-leaf logo on each day’s menu identifies vegetarian items. New items this year include the “rojo fiesta pizza” (a crust topped with refried beans, salsa and cheese), “vegetarian dippers” (cheese toast with marinara), three-bean chili, and a spinach and cheese flatbread. “We have a fairly large population of people who don’t want to eat meat for all kinds of reasons, and we’re trying to address that,” says Margaret Lopez, Dallas ISD director of nutrition, noting the district’s 75 different home languages that include cultural and religious food parameters, as well as families who are vegetarian for environmental reasons.

Two antibiotic-free chicken options will be featured on this year’s menu: the chicken nuggets and the grilled chicken sandwich.

“Harvest of the month”

menu items are grown by local Texas farmers. September’s menu features watermelon from the Green family in Henderson. Cafeterias feature posters with fun facts about harvest items, such as, “Did you know the vine can grow as much as 8 feet within the first month?”

High school menus are moving from a one-week to a twoweek cycle. Menus already offer eight entrées daily, and add a monthly featured item to the standard menu. In September, the feature is “chic penne” with whole wheat pasta, fresh broccoli florets, a variety of cheeses and grilled chicken. “People kind of get stuck in a rut and gravitate to the same thing,” Lopez says. “This is an effort to put a few more choices out there.”

Dallas ISD’s new compostable lunch plates will hold healthier options this year: Photo by Rasy Ran

LUNCH TRAYS by the numbers

120,000

Lunches served daily at 227 Dallas ISD schools

20.5 million

Rectangular polystyrene trays used and thrown away, annually

4 cents

Cost of a typical polystyrene tray

12 cents

Cost of the tray’s compostable counterpart

2.5 million

Meals the Alliance school districts serve daily

225 million

5 cents

Cost of new, innovative compostable plates, thanks to the collective purchasing power of the Urban School Food Alliance, a coalition of Dallas ISD and some the largest school districts in the United States including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, MiamiDade and Orlando

Number of polystyrene trays projected to be removed from landfills annually.

“The only reason that school districts and others haven’t used recyclable products is cost, so by bringing together these six major districts in the country, the volume of buying power was able to push the price of recyclables down to polystyrene,” says Margaret Lopez, Dallas ISD director of nutrition. “In the future, hopefully they will be available to smaller districts as well.”

Source: Dallas ISD food and child nutrition services

Last year the district piloted a program with roughly 20 schools to find out whether students would still buy snacks if there were no Flamin’ Hot Cheetos or the Nacho Cheese Doritos to be had. “And actually, they did,” Lopez says. This year, the program rolls out to all 227 schools, where any items sold at lunch and from vending machines must meet the new federal “Smart Snacks” guidelines. Lopez knows that lower calorie counts and the absence of trans fats shouldn’t be the only factors in snack selection. “We’re looking at clean labels for next year and will review them this year,” she says.

vs.

Hot ‘n Spicy Chex Mix

Serving size: ~1 oz

Calories: 110

Fat: 3.5 g

Sodium: 160 mg

Flamin’ Hot Cheetos

Serving size: ~1 oz

Calories: 170

Fat: 11 g

Sodium: 250 mg

Look at other smart snacks and their nutrition information at lakewood.advocatemag.com/DISDhope

Introducing the grab-and-go ‘Smart Box’

The school lunch version of a bistro box will be a new choice this year in addition to hot entrées. Students can opt for the “harvest salad” box (pictured at left), the “protein power pack” (at right) or other pre-configured lunches with wraps and sandwiches. Like the new lunch plates, the smart boxes are compostable.

“We won’t be selling hot Cheetos this year.”

Photos by Rasy Ran

LOVE AT THE FAIR

COMMENT. Visit lakewood.advocatemag.com to tell us what you think.

Big Tex, corny dogs, the Texas Star ferris wheel, cows, fried Snickers: for most of us, these are the sights, sounds and flavors of the State Fair of Texas. But for some East Dallas residents, the fair carries romantic significance, bringing to mind hearts aflutter, stolen kisses and memories of young love.

Bill and Cheri Flynn, Lakewood neighbors, know a thing or two about it. Let’s travel back to 1970. Cheri is a teenager in braces. Bill is brand new to Dallas, having moved here from Atlanta. Both attend a luncheon in the Creative Arts Building on the fair grounds. “By dessert, I was totally smitten,” Cheri smiles. Bill remembers Cheri as “really cute and outgoing.”

The two explored the Midway after lunch, checking out rides, exhibits and snacks. Bill became an Official Fairgoer with his initiation into the wonderful world of corny dogs: “I remember my first Fletcher’s corny dog as being heaven-sent. Unbelievably good.”

They recall riding the haunted house rollercoaster and tackling the Crazy House of Mirrors. But Bill, a typical high school boy at the time, remembers most vividly the auto exhibit. “I think we spent most of our time in the automobile building, sitting in all the cars we dreamed of driving.” Cheri adds, “There was an orange Corvette that we all oohed and ahhed over.”

The couple married on Dec. 17, 1977 and had their reception at what was then known as State Fair Music Hall (now Music Hall at Fair Park). And the State Fair of Texas tradition continues: “We haven’t missed a fair in 45 years,” says Cheri. “We start looking forward to it about August as we dream about corny dogs and Jack’s tacos.” The Flynns, along with their children and now grandchildren, have a “planned itinerary” which includes cows, corny dogs and creative arts. “We are especially looking forward to this year’s fair because

we have a 2-year-old granddaughter who needs exposure to the Flynn family traditions at the State Fair of Texas.”

Finding love at the fair seems to be an East Dallas staple. Forest Hills neighbors Rick and Margaret Sorrells were freshmen at UNT in 1974 when they became acquainted after Rick casually dated Margaret’s roommate. In those pre-cellphone days, Rick called on the dorm phone, asked Margaret for a date, and she hesitantly agreed. “It ended up being a stressful year between roommates,” she laughs.

Rick suggested they go to the State Fair: “It’s so magical. In the evening everything is lit up! It’s a fun place where you can look at exhibits, grab something to eat and enjoy some rides. There is so much going on it makes for great conversation.”

Margaret, an East Dallas native, had at-

tended the fair throughout her childhood but found it a “different experience” with Rick. As a youth, her parents would drop her off or she would ride the bus, and she would take in the sights and sounds before dark. Attending in the evening left an impression. “It made the fair more exciting as things were lit up,” she remembers, then adds, “I also think it was exciting because it was a date.”

Rick remembers “a light breeze which made the night perfect for being outside.” The couple dined on corny dogs (of course), checked out the automobile building, then stood at the giant feet of Big Tex until he offered up his “Howdy, Folks!” Then it’s off to the midway. “It felt very crowded, and there were lots of young couples at the fair. You had to push your way to get through,” Margaret recalls.

Where so many couples began

Margaret and Rick Sorrells toast a pair of corndogs every year at the State Fair of Texas

The siren song of the carnies lured the couple to the games. Margaret smiles at the memory of Rick trying to win something for her. Alas, they walked away $30 later with only a “consolation prize.”

They rode the wooden rollercoaster a few times, the bumper cars, the Swiss Skyride (precursor of the Texas Skyway) and, oh my, the Tunnel of Love.

The State Fair must have worked its magic. “When I got home that night,” says Margaret, “I told my mother that I was going to marry that boy.”

They did indeed marry a few years later, coincidentally the same date as Bill and Cheri, Dec. 17. And, yes, they attend the fair every year to celebrate that date. “This year’s fair will be our 41st anniversary of our first date. We toast that anniversary every year with a corny dog and a kiss!”

The tradition of love at the State Fair of Texas continues. Neighbors Amanda Mayfield and Danny Hampton had their first date at the music venue on the grounds (ZZTop), and their second date watching fireworks at the Cotton Bowl. They will wed on Oct. 3, with a reception following in the foyer of the coliseum on the fairgrounds. “It seemed fitting to celebrate the beginning of our marriage at the place where memorable first moments took place.”

Amanda adds, “Since the reception will take place during the fair, we will spend most of the time riding rides, playing games and eating fried food with our friends and family.”

Patti Vinson is a guest writer who has lived in East Dallas for 15 years. She’s written for the Advocate and Real Simple magazine, and has taught college writing. She is a frequent flier at Lakewood branch library and enjoys haunting neighborhood estate sales with husband Jonathan and children, Claire (13) and Will (10). The family often can be found hanging out at White Rock Lake Dog Park with Dexter, a probable JackWeenie.

CLAIRE’S CHRISTIAN DAY SCHOOL

8202 Boedeker Dr., / (214) 368-4047 / clairesdayschool.com At CCDS, we encourage a child’s sense of exploration and discovery in a loving, nurturing, and safe environment. We offer a parent’s day out program with a play-based curriculum fostering socialization, motor skill development, and an introduction to academics for children aged 4mo – 3yrs. Our preschool for children aged 3-5 further develops these skills, along with a more focused approach to pre-math and prereading. At CCDS, we have developed our own science, math, and reading enrichment classes to ensure kindergarten preparedness for every child. We make learning fun!

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. Limiting class size affords the teachers the opportunity to develop the individual learning styles of each student. Our goal is to insure knowledge and self-confidence in academics, athletics, and the creative and performing arts. Highlander offers a “classic” education which cannot be equaled.

KESSLER SCHOOL

Pre K – 6th Grade / 1215 Turner Ave, Dallas TX 75208 / 214-942-2220 / www. thekesserschool.com The Kessler School offers an innovative academic environment that gives students a solid foundation, confidence, and a love of learning. Located just minutes from downtown Dallas; The Kessler School’s mission is to “educate the whole child,” and provides an individualized approach to teaching – meeting the student where their needs are. Students are educated socially through community time, physically through daily PE, academically through a wellrounded curriculum, and spiritually through a fostering of awareness and individual growth.

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.

69%

of our readers say they want to know more about private schools.

to advertise call 214.560.4203

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

SPANISH HOUSE

4411 Skillman 214-826-4410 / 5740 Prospect 214-826-6350 / DallasSpanishHouse.com

Spanish Immersion School serving ages 3 month - Adults. We offer nursery, preschool, elementary and adult programs at two Lakewood locations. Degreed, nativeSpanish speaking teachers in an “all-Spanish” immersion environment. Call for a tour today!

ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

848 Harter Rd., Dallas 75218 / 214.328.9131

Education

At least three neighborhood schools have new principals. Chandra Barnett, who was formerly assistant principal at J.L. Long, will replace the school’s outgoing principal, Danielle Petters Former principal Michele Hill left Stonewall Jackson Elementary School and is being replaced by Melanie Schiff, who has nine years of experience as a principal in Dallas ISD and in Nashville, Tenn. public schools. Victor H. Hexter Elementary School lost its former principal Tonya Clark Jennifer Jackson, who was an assistant principal at Booker T. Washington High School for Performing and Visual Arts, is taking her place.

/ 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.

WHITE ROCK NORTH SCHOOL

9727 White Rock Trail Dallas / 214.348.7410

Harold W. Lang Sr. Middle School in Far East Dallas was chosen to be part of a national pilot program, Imagine Science Dallas summer camp. Imagine Science has been implemented in three cities in an effort to inspire millions of under-served youth to engage in science, technology, engineering and mechanical learning opportunities that might not otherwise be offered.

Brenda Avila, a 2015 Bryan Adams High School graduate, received the White Rock Kiwanis Club’s 2015-16 scholarship award. Avila was a member in the Bryan Adams High School Key Club and will attend El Centro College to major in nursing.

People

/ WhiteRockNorthSchool.com

6 Weeks through 6th Grade. Our accelerated curriculum provides opportunity for intellectual and physical development in a loving and nurturing environment. Character-building and civic responsibility are stressed. Facilities include indoor swimming pool, skating rink, updated playground, and state-of-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.

Uplift Luna Preparatory student Fausta Twizerimana, 12, spent three weeks at the Dance Theater of Harlem this past summer after receiving an invitation to the summer intensive workshop. Twizerimana came to Dallas eight years ago from a refugee camp in Tanzania with her parents, Jean and Francine, and five siblings. She says she had auditioned for the spot just to practice auditioning, but then three weeks later, she received a letter saying she had been accepted from hundreds of applicants.

Recently retired City of Dallas employee Jill Beam this past summer won the title of Ms. Texas Senior America. The pageant, for women age 60 plus, aims to champion healthy aging, wellness, and mental well-being. Beam beat out 22 competitors for the crown. Beam’s mother — the locally renowned actor, humorist, historian, tour guide and public speaker Rosemary Rumbley — was the longtime emcee of the Ms. Senior Texas event. “I attended the pageants all those years, and I always wanted to be a contestant,” Beam says.

HAVE AN ITEM TO BE FEATURED?

Please submit news items and/or photos concerning neighborhood residents, activities, honors and volunteer opportunities to editor@advocatemag.com. Our deadline is the first of the month prior to the month of publication.

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 & 11:00am

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

CATHOLIC

UNIVERSITY OF DALLAS MINISTRY CONFERENCE / udallas.edu/udmc

October 22-24, 2015 / Sponsored by Catholic Diocese of Dallas

Sessions on Faith, Scripture, & Ministry / Exhibitors / Music / Mass

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 Lane

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 & 10:50 am Traditional / 10:50 am Contemporary

RIDGEWOOD PARK UMC / 6445 E. Lovers Lane / 214.369.9259

Sunday Worship: 9:30 am Traditional and 11:35 am Contemporary

Sunday School: 10:30 am / Rev. Ann Willet / ridgewoodparkchurch.org

WHITE ROCK UNITED METHODIST / www.wrumc.org

1450 Oldgate Lane / 214.324.3661

Sunday Worship 10:50 am / Rev. Mitchell Boone

PRESBYTERIAN

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.

ST. ANDREW’S PRESBYTERIAN / Skillman & Monticello

Rev. Rob Leischner. / www.standrewsdallas.org

214.821.9989 / Sunday School 9:30 am, Worship 10:45 am

UNITY

UNITY OF DALLAS / A Positive Path for Spiritual Living

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

10:30 am Sunday - Celebration Worship Service

UNITY ON GREENVILLE / Your soul is welcome here!

3425 Greenville Ave. / 214.826.5683 / www.dallasunity.org

Sunday Service 11:00 am and Book Study 9:30 am

A BEAUTIFUL, WASTEFUL CHAPEL

The moral to the story of an Italian banker’s offering

On a recent sabbatical, I saw firsthand the work of a master, considered the motivation of the benefactor, and reflected upon its meaning then and now.

At the beginning of the 14th century, the brilliant Italian painter, Giotto, was commissioned to fresco a new chapel in the city of Padua. A “banker” named Enrico Scrovegni had purchased a plot of land adjacent to his palace that had long ago been the site of a Roman arena. Scrovegni’s father, Reginaldo, also had been in the money lending business and had died without reckoning with his sins of usury. The son had followed in his father’s footsteps, but fear of eternal damnation moved him to build a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary as a sin offering to God in hopes of gaining mercy on his soul.

Giotto’s works are carefully preserved in this small but beautiful chapel. In themes typical of the day, the painter depicted the life of Christ, along with that of Mary and her parents. A scene of the Last Judgment depicts some souls being welcomed into heaven and others being consigned to hell. Scrovegni is pictured on the side of the blessed, rendering his chapel to the Blessed Mother. He hoped that this gift would compensate for the riches he gained by cheating poor people out of money through the charging of interest on loans. (At that time, charging any interest at all on loans to the poor was considered a sin.)

Did it never occur to him that the better way would be to stop oppressing the poor and to give back what he had taken from them? I mean, what good would a chapel do to correct the misery on others of wealth gained unjustly?

The prophet Micah said: “With what shall I come before the Lord? Shall I come with burnt offerings? Will the Lord be pleased

with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” And then the answer: “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

When Jesus spotted the crooked tax col-

God is no sucker. Ill-gotten gains liberally given to salve one’s conscience never move the heart of God.

lector, Zacchaeus, up in the sycamore tree one day in Jericho, the man’s repentance led him to give half his possessions to the poor and to refund four times what he had defrauded anyone. Jesus said in response: “Today salvation has come to this house.”

Today we have predatory lenders (payday and auto title lenders) in our community who charge exorbitant interest (often more than 400 percent) to the most vulnerable people in our society. They are, by any reasonable definition, usurers. Yet some of them, and the politicians who defend their outrageous practices of legalized loansharking, go to church on Sundays, and some even make big charitable donations that curry human praise.

God is no sucker. Ill-gotten gains liberally given to salve one’s conscience never move the heart of God. Only simple acts of right dealing in the first place and repentance that leads to reparations when wrong is done bring God’s favor.

And now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go consider what ways I, too, have been fruitlessly engaged in spiritual bribery.

George Mason is pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church. The Worship section is a regular feature underwritten by Advocate Publishing and by the neighborhood business people and churches listed on these pages. For information about helping support the Worship section, call 214.560.4202.

BUSINESS BUZZ

The lowdown on what’s up with neighborhood businesses

Send business news tips to livelocal@advocatemag.com

Good beer to go

The owners of Goodfriend Beer Garden & Burger House on Peavy and the Blind Butcher on Lowest Greenville, Josh Yingling and Matt Tobin, plan to open a package store in the shopping center across the street from Goodfriend. They’ve been leasing the location at 1155 Peavy for at least a couple of years, but they’ve only used it for storage so far. Now construction is underway and they hope to be finished soon. The new shop will be like a deli/convenience store with to-go sandwiches, along with packaged meats and cheeses, other groceries, beer and wine. “It’ll be the one place in East Dallas where you can get a good sandwich, and that was kind of the thought behind it,” Goodfriend manager Jacob Neely says.

Lakewood Smokehouse

A restaurant called Lakewood Smokehouse has filed a certificate of occupancy for the space that Ali Baba formerly occupied in Lakewood Shopping Center. The center’s owner, Lincoln Property Co., recently said the space would soon become an “upscale barbecue restaurant.” Jason Hall owns the restaurant, according to city documents. Hall also owns 3 Stacks Smoke & Tap House in Frisco, where Trace Arnold, known as “the rib whisperer,” smokes the meat. That joint received a stamp of approval from neighborhood resident and barbecue critic Daniel Vaughn of Texas Monthly.

New apartments

Developers are expected to break ground this month, on a five-story, 270unit apartment complex on Northwest Highway at West Lawther. Since it was initially proposed, the project has been scaled back in size and scope. When it was first presented to the City Council in 2012 by a different developer, the design called for a six-story building comprising 350 apartments. At the time, neighbors north of the project expressed concerns that the high-density housing would draw low-income families, which historically has been the norm of housing developments in that area. Developers have always maintained that the housing will be “boutique” and “high end,” meant to attract families and young professionals. “We have never done any low-income projects,” developer J. Scott Rodgers

said during a public meeting on the proposal in 2012. “We will be on the top end of the market cost to make it worth the land and development cost.” Previously, the site at 7545 Northwest Highway was home to a lawnmower store, liquor store, convenience store and a family residence that has long set fallow.

Driving range

A driving range called the Goat Ranch is coming to East Dallas from the people who brought us Bowlounge. It’s going to be at 723 S. Haskell with 15 hitting bays and “fun and creative targets,” plus a bar and lounge that’s being built in an old converted freezer building.

New CVS

CVS pharmacy recently began construction on a new 13,225-square-foot store on the West corner of Ferguson Road at Lakeland, a site that formerly housed a laundromat. When the new store opens in late December, the pharmacy/retailer plans to close its significantly smaller existing location across the street at 8686 Ferguson, says Stephanie Cunha, spokeswoman for CVS. “The larger store will allow us to offer our customers a wider selection of products,” she says. Because the project meets the site’s existing community retail zoning, city staff recommended approving the pharmacy when it was presented at the City Plan Commission. The new location will maintain its own parking lot with 60 spaces for shoppers.

The owners of Goodfriend and Blind Butcher will soon open a package store across the street from Goodfriend.

Photo by Brittany Nunn

7594 Benedict · $1,200,000 · SOLD

6719 Bob O Link · $1,125,000 · SOLD 7945 Briar Brook · $545,000 · SOLD

HEALTH + WELLNESS

A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE WITHIN REACH

The Lakewood/East Dallas area is home to White Rock Lake and stellar schools, but did you know that it’s also minutes away from nationally recognized health and wellness facilities for people of all ages?

Whether you’re a 20-something yoga addict, a Baby Boomer recovering from an injury, or a senior working to stay sharp and fit, acclaimed doctors, trainers and healthcare professionals are easily accessible and ready to help achieve the personal fitness — and lifestyle — you desire.

METHODIST DALLAS: PATIENT-CENTERED CARE

When medical attention is needed to restore health and wellness, it’s important to find a facility where doctors are passionate about helping patients.

For more than 12 years, The Liver Institute at Methodist Dallas has been a comprehensive, multidisciplinary disease management center specializing in patient care and diseases of the liver, bile ducts and pancreas.

“We provide on-call service to all of our patients 24 hours and seven days per week,” says Miya McClary, Methodist Health liver services marketing coordinator.

“Our team is as diverse as the patient population that is served, which provides a personal understanding of cultural norms and beliefs that can impact individual care needs,” McClary says.

Not only does The Liver Institute care for its own pa-

tients, it has been actively involved in hundreds of clinical research trials.

“Many of the clinical trials — such as hepatitis treatment before and after a liver transplant — have been adopted as best practices after the highest degree of proven effectiveness which was supported by objective and comprehensive research and evaluation,” McClary says.

“The adoption of our best practice initiatives has led to excellent liver transplant outcomes that are some of the best in the nation.”

Earlier this year, Tracy Giacoma, vice president of transplant services at Methodist Dallas, received the national Deedle Heckenkemper leader award in transplant administration.

“Working in the field of transplantation has been for me an exciting and challenging adventure, and being able to serve the brave individuals who seek transplantation has been a privilege I never have nor ever will take for granted,” Giacoma says.

The Liver Institute at Methodist Dallas recently added new imaging technology to assess metabolic liver disease cirrhosis and initiated new clinical trials in the study of fatty liver disease.

TIMELESS HEALTH AT MONTICELLO WEST

Advancing in years is no reason to give up on staying healthy and active.

Since 1970, Monticello West has provided a community for aging adults to stay fit, active and mentally sharp.

“The forward-thinking staff at Monticello West envisioned that, as baby boomers aged, they would need to provide a place where people felt at home and have access to personalized medical care,” says Nan Mulvaney, Monticello West Director of Community Relations.

“Critical to the overall atmosphere is the combined sense of community with high-quality healthcare,” Mulvaney says.

The staff provides a foundation for high-quality care, earning Monticello West the industry’s coveted fivestar rating.

Caregivers at Monticello West understand that families work to gain advance knowledge and expertise about care for their loved one.

Monticello West provides the full range of care — including all levels of assisted living to advanced memory care — so patients remain in a familiar environment.

Two outdoor courtyards provide opportunities for seniors to stay active while strolling amidst nature and beautiful flowers, right in the heart of Highland Park.

Monticello West offers at least five scheduled activities daily, providing numerous opportunities for intellectual stimulation.

“Our goal is to enable our residents to live an active, independent lifestyle while our dedicated team members and licensed nurses provide assistance with medications, transportation and other specific services depending on the needs of our residents,” Mulvaney says.

BAYLOR TOM LANDRY HEALTH AND WELLNESS CENTER

As one of the only medically integrated fitness centers in Dallas, the Baylor Tom Landry Health and Wellness Center can help just about anyone who walks through its doors.

“We offer programs and services for athletes, children, older adults and those with past injuries,” says Ashley Eaton, says Ashley Eaton, Landry membership sales and marketing manager.

“Another of our newest team members, Georgette Dunn teaches ‘Mom & Baby Fitness’ and ‘Kids Yoga,’” Eaton says.

At the Landry Health and Wellness Center, the variety of studio-quality group classes is worth the membership alone.

arre, aquatic tness and reformer classes are ust a sample of what’s offered weekly.

“We offer classes geared towards men and women of all ages and tness levels from beginner to advanced, including daily classes for people 65 and over,” Eaton says.

he Health and Wellness Center rst opened in anuary 1991. But that doesn’t mean the facility lacks modern conveniences and technology.

“We recently completed a $1 million renovation,” Eaton says.

The Landry Health and Wellness Center’s locker rooms received a facelift, and ve new family locker rooms were added, among various other improvements.

New staff members have contributed further to the exciting changes at the facility.

“ ustin Walters, our new strength and conditioning coach, runs our Baylor Sports Performance Academy for elite athletes. Walters has worked with Olympic medal-winning athletes and served as an assistant coach for the Chicago Cubs,” Eaton says.

LEARN MORE:

Christopher York was not a swimmer two years ago. The best he could do was tread water. Now he swims circles around competitors in triathlons.

For aspiring athletes, or anyone who wants to be faster, stronger and ahead of the game, personalized training is a stroke of genius.

Complimentary one week pass and 50% off the enrollment fee when you join.

Me, me, me

Lakewood resident Ken Orman wrote and produced a one-man show, “I’m Always on My Mind,” a look into the mind of a narcissist. The show ran for four weeks at Theatre166 in Carrolton over the summer.

Local BULLETIN BOARD

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,

ARTISTIC GATHERINGS

Casa Linda Plaza. Art Classes & Drop In Pottery Painting For All Ages. 214-821-8383. Tues-Sat 10am-6pm

AWARD WINNING PIANO TEACHER 25 Yrs. Exp. Dr. Kiefer 214-789-6684 kieferpianostudio.com

GET READY, GET SET Get Ahead With Mathnasium. 214-328-MATH (6284) mathnasium.com/dallaslakewood

GUITAR OR PIANO Patient Teacher. Your Home. 12 Yrs Exp. Reasonable rates. UNT Music Grad. Larry 469-358-8784

MAKERS CONNECT Craft Classes & Workshops. Led by & for Local Makers. Check Schedule: makersconnect.org/classes

CHILDCARE

LOVING, CHRIST-CENTERED CARE SINCE 1982

Lake Highlands Christian Child Enrichment Center Ages 2 mo.-12 yrs. 9919 McCree. 214-348-1123.

EMPLOYMENT

AVIATION GRADS Work with JetBlue, Boeing, Delta and Others. Start Here With Hands On Training For FAA Certification. Financial Aid If Qualified. Aviation Institute Of Maintenance. 866-453-6204

FRATERNAL ORDER OF EAGLES 3108 Seeking Bar Staff. Apply In Person. @ 8500 Arturo Dr. 75228 TABC Cert Reqrd. HIRING EXPERIENCED PAINTER Int/Ext. Mon-Fri. jp2532@sbcglobal.net 214-725-6768

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

DISH NETWORK Get More For Less. Starting at $19.99/month (for 12 months) Plus Bundle And Save. (Fast Internet for $15 more/month) 1-800-615-4064

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

LEGAL SERVICES

A SIMPLE WILL. Name a Guardian for Children. Katherine Rose, Attorney 214-728-4044. Office Dallas Tx.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

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

NEED A NEW WEBSITE?

AdvocateWebDesign.com 214.292.2053

Pictured: Linda Leonard offers stage directions to Orman during rehearsals.

MIND, BODY & SPIRIT

NEXGEN FITNESS Call Today For Free Session. 972-382-9925 NexGenFitness.com 10759 Preston Rd. 75230

UFC GYM WHITE ROCK Workout Blues? Train Different. Power/ endurance/results. 469-729-9900 ufcgym.com/WhiteRock

PET SERVICES

ADORABLE GROOMS PET SALON New Salon. Grooming, medicated/flea baths. 11111 N. Central Expy 972-629-9554

DEE’S DOGGIE DEN Daycare, Boarding, Grooming, Training. 6444 E. Mockingbird Ln. 214-823-1441 DeesDoggieDen.com

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

A moment in tennis history

Jack Turpin and his family pose with the Samuell-Grand Tennis Center’s new monument commemorating the 1965 Davis Cup tournament. Turpin brought the tournament and Arthur Ashe to the tennis center in 1965.

Local BULLETIN BOARD

BUY/SELL/TRADE

OLD GUITARS WANTED Gibson, Fender, Gretsch, Martin. 1930s-1980s. Top dollar paid. Toll Free 1-866-433-8277

TEXAS RANGERS AND DALLAS STARS front row seats. Share prime, front-row Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars tickets (available in sets of 10 games). Prices start at $105 per ticket (sets of 2 or 4 tickets per game available) Seats are behind the plate and next to the dugouts for the Rangers: seats are on the glass and on the Platinum Level for the Stars. Other great seats available starting at $60 per ticket. Entire season available except for opening game; participants randomly draw numbers prior to the season to determine a draft order fair for everyone. Call 214-560-4212 or rwamre@advocatemag.com

TOP CASH FOR CARS Any Car, Truck. Running or Not. Call for Instant Offer. 1-800-454-6951

ESTATE/GARAGE SALES

CLUTTERBLASTERS.COM ESTATE SALES Moving & DownSizing Sales, Storage Units. Organize/De-Clutter Donna 972-679-3100

CABINETRY & FURNITURE

SQUARE NAIL WOODWORKING

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

CARPENTRY & REMODELING

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

FENN CONSTRUCTION Full Service Contractor. www.dallastileman.com Back Splash Specials! 214-343-4645

GREENGO Vinyl Siding,Windows & Doors. 903-802-6957, 25 Yrs Exp.

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

RENOVATE DALLAS renovatedallas.com 214-403-7247

Unique Home Construction - Design, Build, Remodel - Kitchens & Baths - New Construction or Additions

Many references available - Licensed, Insured, Member of BBB www.uniquehomebuild.com 214.533.0716

CLEANING SERVICES

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

AFFORDABLE, PROFESSIONAL CLEANING

A Clean You Can Trust 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

DELTA CLEANING Insd./Bonded. Move In/Out. General Routine Cleaning. Carpet Cleaning. Refs. Reliable. Dependable. 28+yrs. 972-943-9280.

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

TWO SISTERS & A MOP 20 Yrs Exp. 214-242-9885

WANTED: HOUSES TO CLEAN Windows, too! Great Prices $$. Family owned. 20 yrs. Reliable. Excellant Refs. Call Sunny @ 214-724-2555

WINDOW MAN WINDOW CLEANING.COM

Residential Specialists. BBB. 214-718-3134

COMPUTERS & ELECTRONICS

ALL COMPUTER PROBLEMS SOLVED

MAC/PC Great Rates! Keith 214-295-6367

BILL’S COMPUTER REPAIR

Virus Removal, Data Recovery. Home/Biz

Network Install. All Upgrades & Repairs. PC Instruction. No Trip Fee. 214-348-2566

IT SOLUTIONS/SUPPORT For Home & Small Business. Parental Controls Speciality. 8 Yrs. Exp. Husband & Wife, Licensed Minister called to His Work. Texas Tech Guru. 214-850-2669

CONCRETE/ MASONRY/PAVING

ALL EPOXY COATINGS, CONCRETE

Countertops, Stamping, Staining & Designs, Floor Demo and Overlays Landscape Designs Call 214-916-8368

BRICK & STONE REPAIR

Tuck Pointing / Crack Repair. Mortar Color

Matching. Windows And Door Cracks Etc. Call Don 214-704-1722

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

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 (32 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

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

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.

Automatic Gates, Iron & Cedar Fencing, Decks. Since 1996. MC/V 214-621-3217

FENCING & WOOD WORK oldgatefence.com

charliehookerswoodwork.com 214-766-6422

HANNAWOODWORKS.COM Decks, Fences, 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

All Wood Decks, Arbors & Patio Covers

EST. 1991 #1

COWBOY

FENCE & IRON CO.

214.692.1991

SPECIALIZING IN Wood Fences &Auto Gates

cowboyfenceandiron.com

Swimming Pool Remodels • Patios Stone work • Stamp Concrete 972-727-2727 Deckoart.com

ELECTRICAL SERVICES

ANTHONY’S ELECTRIC Master Electrician. TECL24948 anthonyselectricofdallas.com

Family Owned/Operated. Insd. 214-328-1333

EXPERIENCED LICENSED ELECTRICIAN

Insd. Steve. TECL#27297 214-718-9648

GOVER ELECTRIC Back Up Generators. New and Remodel Work. Commercial & Residential. All Service Work. 469-230-7438. TECL2293

FLOORING & CARPETING

ALL WALKS OF FLOORS 214-616-7641

Carpet, Wood, Tile Sales/Service Free Estimates

DALLAS HARDWOODS 214-724-0936

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

FENN CONSTRUCTION Full Service Contractor. www.dallastileman.com Back Splash Specials! 214-343-4645

THE TEXAN FLOORING SERVICES Wood, Laminate. Remodel Showers, Bathrooms. thetexanflooringservices.com 214-680-0901

John: 972.989.3533 john.roemen@redicarpet.com

HANDYMAN SERVICES

A R&G HANDYMAN Electrical, Plumbing, Painting, Fencing, Roofing, Light Hauling. Ron or Gary 214-861-7569, 469-878-8044

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

FRAME RIGHT All Honey-Dos/Jobs. Crown mold install $125/rm. Licensed. Matt 469-867-9029

GROOVY HOUSE Is A Different Handyman

Experience! Find Out Why At www.groovyhouse.biz

214-733-2100 • 19 Year Lakewood Resident

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

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

#1 GET MORE PAY LES

Painting. 85% Referrals. Free Est. 214-348-5070

A+ INT/EXT PAINT & DRYWALL

Since 1977. Kirk Evans. 972-672-4681

A1 TOP COAT Professional. Reliable. References. TopCoatOfTexas.com 214-770-2863

ALL TYPES Painting & Repairs. A+ BBB rating. Any size jobs welcome. Call Kenny 214-321-7000

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

MANNY’S HOME PAINTING & REMODEL

Int./Ext. Sheetrock. Manny 214-334-2160

RAMON’S INT/EXT PAINT

Sheetrock, Repairs. 214-679-4513

TEXAS BEST PAINTING • 214-527-4168

Master Painter. High Quality Work. Int/Ext.

TONY’S PAINTING SERVICE Quality Work

Since 1984. Int./Ext. 214-755-2700

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

KITCHEN/BATH/ TILE/GROUT

FENN CONSTRUCTION Full Service Contractor. www.dallastileman.com Back Splash Specials! 214-343-4645

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

STONE AGE COUNTER TOPS

GARAGE SERVICES

DFW GARAGE PRO

Garage Reorg/Org.Painting, Shelving, Cabinets, Storage, Disposal. 303-883-9321

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

GLASS, WINDOWS & DOORS

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

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

A BETTER TREE COMPANY • JUST TREES

Complete tree services. Tree & Landscape Lighting! Mark 214-332-3444

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

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

ENCHANTED LIGHTING BY SEAN MADDEN dallasledlight.com 214-660-3465

GREENSKEEPER Winter Clean Up & Color. Sodding, Fertilization. Lawn Maintenance & Landscape. Res/Com. 214-546-8846

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

ORTIZ LAWNCARE Complete Yard Care. Service by Felipe. Free Est. 214-215-3599

PERRONE’S • 214-502-2296

Pros at: - Landscapes - Installed - Sodding Weeding - Flower Beds - Fertilization - Lawn Care

RONS LAWN Organic Solutions. Not Environmental Pollution. Landscape & Maintenance 972-222-LAWN (5296)

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

TRACY’S LAWN CARE • 972-329-4190

Lawn Mowing & Leaf Cleaning

U R LAWN CARE Maintenance. Landscaping. Your Personal Yard Service by Uwe Reisch uwereisch@yahoo.com 214-886-9202

WHITE ROCK TREE WIZARDS Professionals, Experts, Artists. Trim, Rmv, Cable Repair, Cavity-Fill Stump Grind. Emergency Hazards. Insd. Free Est. 972-803-6313

A Better Tree Company

Your Trees Could Look Like a Work of Art, I Guarantee It. Free Estimates • Work Guaranteed Best Prices on Tree Removal

Insured • Commercial & Residentia l Tree & Landscape Lighting • Fence & Deck Call Mark Wittlich 214-332-3444

•

•

• locally owned & operated organic landscape company

• Comprehensive services designed to meet your needs

DALLASGROUNDSKEEPER.COM

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.

Quotes For Other

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 214-794-7566 - 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

SPECK PLUMBING

Over 30 Yrs Exp. Licensed/Insured. 214-732-4769, 214-562-2360

ROOFING

GUTTERS

A&B

BERT

POOLS

ADAIR POOL & SPA SERVICE

469-358-0665.

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.

THE MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE OF ALEJANDRO ARZOLA

On the afternoon of June 20, Alejandro Arzola was driving along Northwest Highway toward the Interstate 635 onramp when he crashed and rolled his blue Dodge Ram truck in an apparent single-car accident. Afterward, he called his girlfriend and told her he’d been in an accident. He was OK, he told her, and he and asked her to come pick him up. According to 32-year-old Arzola’s family, the girlfriend did not have a car and could not reach him. He’d have to find another way home.

When Dallas Police officers arrived at the scene, they found the wrecked truck but no Arzola. At first, everyone assumed he’d found another ride, but hours and days went by and no one heard from him. Now Arzola’s family is still searching for answers.

“It is not like him to disappear, and for over a month, it is just not something he would do,” his sister Yadira Arzola says. He has two children, ages 13 and 5, and the eldest is worried to tears some days, she says. “We are trying to stick together and support the kids,” she says. “But it this really hard, and confusing.”

Arzola says her brother drinks alcohol occasionally but has no known history of substance abuse or mental problems. She says she “has no idea” if he was drinking the day he disappeared. She says she thinks he might have been shaken or shocked following the accident. During that last phone call, when his girlfriend asked where he was, he seemed initially confused, Arzola says.

He grew up in Dallas, in Oak Cliff mostly. The close-knit family has always lived around the central and east Dallas region, so he should be familiar with the area, she says.

She says police are exploring the possibilities of him leaving the scene intentionally. They have to explore all the possibilities, she says.

Anyone with information is asked to call Dallas police at 214.671.4268.

—Christina Hughes Babb

Victor James Mendoza arrested in connection with an intentional fire at Casa Linda Plaza

NORBUCK PARK

As told to Keri Mitchell by Sally Rodriguez, retired Dallas Park and Recreation Department historian. All photos are courtesy of the Dallas Municipal Archives and curated by Rodriguez. She authored the books “White Rock Lake” and “White Rock Lake Revisited,” available at area bookstores and through arcadiapublishing.com.

Norbuck Park was named for Northwest Highway and Buckner. It is part of the original tracts of White Rock Lake that were acquired in 1909-10, then transferred to the Park and Recreation Department in 1929.

The eastbound lanes of Northwest Highway were added in the 1950s. Here, the photo shows the early development of the park and construction of the ball fields. Where crews are working is actually the old Buckner, which they moved slightly to the west, where it is now. So the parking lot in Norbuck is actually the old Buckner Boulevard. You can see that there are no trees where it went through. Next to it is the old East Lawther, which is now on the other side of Buckner, but used to be part of the lake. In 1932, you could still see water there.

1950s

As you can see from their small size, all of the trees were newly planted. The only houses are new and to the east. You can still see the old well that was at the corner of Buckner and Northwest Highway, where people used to get water during the drought in the 1950s. And look how small Audelia is coming into Northwest Highway, when it was just a twolane road.

1960s

See that little triangle to the west of the houses? The developer gave that to the city. The city’s property line used to angle through where the houses are today. So we swapped land and gave them this land on the other side of the residential street [Classen] for this little triangle of land here. If you look at the aerials, there’s still a tree line marking the triangle.

In the bottom photo from the ‘60s, we’re looking south. You see the ball fields are fully developed and the trees have grown. Even here, you can still see the scarring from the old route of Buckner to the east of where they constructed it in the ’50s. There is Hexter Elementary School near the top left corner, and you can see Audelia is still a little two-lane road. Mockingbird now comes across the creek to meet Buckner — look how white the concrete is. You can tell it’s before they dredged to create Mockingbird Point [where the dog park is now].

COMMENT. Visit lakewood.advocatemag.com to tell us what you think.

6111 Sudbury · $545,000 Heather Guild Group 214.563.2385

6267 Malcolm · $650,000 Susan Nelson-Wheeler & Wes Wheeler 469.878.8522

222 N. Montclair · $325,000 Kate Walters 214.293.0506

7074 Chantilly · $525,000 Amy Malooley 214.733.5570

7026 Casa Loma · $485,000 Kate Walters 214.293.0506

6931 Pasadena · Price Upon Request Henda Salmeron 214.991.2237

6411 Bob O Link · $525,000 Heather Guild Group 214.563.2385

6459 Kenwood · $1,025,000 Amy Malooley 214.733.5570

2408 Loving · $1,200,000 Kim & Taylor Gromatzky 214.802.5025

5452 Richmond · $639,000 Heather Guild Group 214.563.2385

4636 Chapel Hill · $7,495,000 Kim & Taylor Gromatzky 214.802.5025

7102 Lakewood · $1,098,500 Ryan Streiff 469.371.3008

6612 Lakeshore · $824,900 Nancy Johnson

8407 Forest Hills · $850,000 Nancy Johnson

6814 Avalon · $995,000 The Jackson Team

6503 Northridge · $849,900 The Jackson Team

5207 Ridgedale · $539,000 Hickman + Weber Group

6748 Lakewood · $2,450,000 Susan Nelson-Wheeler & Wes Wheeler 469.878.8522

6633 Hialeah · $700,000 The Jackson Team

7506 Benedict · $1,150,000 Nancy Johnson