2014 August Lake Highlands

PRIM PROFESSIONALS WHO MOONLIGHT AS PERFORMERS

36

Hidden talent

A nearby church is home to an established and respected yet relatively unknown live-music venue.

40

Green is good

A Lake Highlands garden is nourishing hungry families as well as students and the neighborhood at large.

45

Brand on the run

The Lake Highlands Branding Committee in June proudly unveiled a neighborhood logo, but negative feedback has stalled plans and prompted the question: what now?

20

Get out

See a play, go to the museum, frolic through flowers and more.

cover Multiple personalities

26

These neighborhood lawyers, salespeople and administrators moonlight as performers after hours.

22

Shining seafood

20 Feet Seafood Joint offers fine coastal cuisine, sans the fuss.

GOOD WORK

When we talk about our jobs, there are really only two things we can say: Either we love them or we endure them.

Right?

Most of us, it seems, simply endure our jobs. We show up because we need the money, and even if we don’t like what we have, most of us are too lazy or too frightened to do anything about it.

A very few of us really love our jobs wholeheartedly. For whatever reason, we’ve found something that is fulfilling enough to make us happy, whether we’re becoming rich or not.

We talk about money, how it impacts our job happiness and how we should be making more of it, but there are plenty of studies and research papers that say when push comes to shove, money is rarely the most important factor people consider when evaluating their jobs.

It’s a factor, to be sure, but stuff like flexibility, fulfillment and a sense of accomplishment or value tends to be higher than cash on the “happiness” list. And as difficult as it can be to find a job that pays well, it’s even more difficult to find one that seems worth doing. Our cover story about people who have “day jobs” but really love their hobbies started me thinking about the difficulty of finding and keeping a good job.

So many job descriptions sound great they make it sound like you’ll be running the company, helping out widows and orphans, and earning tons of money to boot.

But when you show up for the interview, things look and sound less rosy. And

then you start the job and find out your coworkers fell for the same story and now wish they hadn’t.

Then there are other places that seem to operate on the “rewards” system, as in you’ll be lucky if they even consider you for a position because everyone who works there is great and the company is great and everyone loves everything and everyone, blah, blah, blah. Those are scary, too, because honestly, what work-

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BRITTANY NUNN

place do you know where everyone really loves everyone else?

And then there are the jobs where they promise you the moon and tell you the sky’s the limit, and it turns out there’s a limit and it’s nowhere near the sky.

There just aren’t many places that offer a fair wage, an opportunity to have your voice heard when decisions are made, and an opportunity to leave each day feeling like you’ve done something useful or important with your time at work.

If you’ve found one of those places, keep reminding yourself what you have and quit listening to the whiners who don’t have anything good to say about their job.

And if you hate your job and don’t know what to do about it? Well, you could go talk with the boss, but that’s probably a whole new column for another day.

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If you have a job worth doing, whether it’s making you rich or not, consider yourself lucky

When push comes to shove, money is rarely the most important factor people consider when evaluating their jobs.

Radiation oncologist Dr. Robert Timmerman and colleagues changed the standard of care for lung cancer when they demonstrated that patients with inoperable disease could still be effectively treated with a newer, more potent form of radiation. Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy 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, call 214-645-8300 or visit UTSWmedicine.org

Find us on Facebook

This is where lung cancer patients are beating the odds

DOCTORS HOSPITAL AT WHITE ROCK LAKE CELEBRATES 55TH ANNIVERSARY BY GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY

Doctors Hospital at White Rock Lake was founded with a vision to improve our community and provide quality care. We continue to carry out that mission 55 years later and in celebration are making donations to area non-profit organizations that also serve the White Rock Lake area. This is just one more way we are doing our part to help improve the quality of life for our patients and neighbors.

Local 501(c)3 groups are invited to submit applications for their requests. Request forms are available at DoctorsHospitalDallas.com/GivingBack.

DIGITAL DIGEST

TOP 5 MOST-READ STORIES

Sprouts may not plant a grocery store in Lake Highlands

Town Center diary: Not much is happening

Lake Highlands football coach arrested on charge of indecency with child

Driver sentenced to holidays in jail, probation for killing Lake Highlands High School student Highlands Café now closed, will reopen as Neighbor’s Casual Kitchen

THE DIALOGUE

‘Dislike’: Some neighbors upset about new Lake Highlands logo

See page 45 for the full story.

“Logo by committee rarely works. Years? Perhaps this process started in the 1970s that’s the kind of vibe this logo gives off. Yuck.”

—Alison Wingfield

“It’s terrible. A graphic designer here and there is no added value to LH using this embarrassing logo.”

—LHfrustrated

“This being America, clearly the democratic way is the correct way to decide a logo. I motion that we all design a logo that we submit to someone on our street (perhaps the person who’s house has the highest numerical number) and all of those logos are then voted on by everyone on their street. Those winning logos should then be turned into the nearest 7-Eleven (or Subway if applicable), and the managers of those 7-Elevens (or Subways) can then decide which one is the best. Ultimately, the finalists can be hand delivered to our Representative, Jerry Allen’s desk where there will be an NCAA round of 64 to decide the logo of our future.”

—Keith James

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Email editor Christina chughes@advocatemag.com

Complex procedures for simpler recoveries.

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Launch

community | events | food

Nic Rainone: Photo by Danny Fulgencio

famous clown, “got tired of being funny,” Rainone says, “and decided to turn to the dark arts, witchcraft and fortune-telling.” Today she goes by Valentina Burton and sells psychic readings out of her Northeast Dallas home.

“My earliest memory is of being a clown,” he says. “I was a baby clown. My parents were clowns, Poppy and Bonkers. They had a TV show. The show was canceled after the studio flooded. Then my mom built a small stage, a mini traveling circus, and we toured.”

Interesting side note: Poppy and Bonkers’ marriage ended before their professional partnership dissolved. “They divorced shortly after I was born,” Rainone says. “Later my dad told me they kept working together even after the breakup because they wanted me to be able to be around both of them.”

The traveling trio kept performing until Rainone was about 10. Growing up, he split time between his dad’s Lake Highlands home and mom’s Richardson one, and he attended Richardson ISD schools, including Richardson High School. His dad lives in Arkansas

and is a working musician these days. His grandparents also were performers. Possibly because it is in his blood, and for other indefinable reasons, Rainone has been “obsessed with clowning since basically birth.” Yet he did not immediately jump into professional clowning. During a time of what he calls “teenage rebellion” he joined a peace-punk band called Rocket for Ethiopia, which is still intact today.

“It is a political statement group. We talk about governments funding weapons of war and the lack of help for, for example, starving people in countries like Ethiopia … I don’t eat meat,” he continues, expounding on his so-

cial stances. “I eat mostly vegan, in protest of the farming industry.”Rocket’s music is chaotic, he explains, but the message is peace. He tends to drink too much at shows. And that sometimes leads to fights or other injurious situations, he says. A dude punched him in the ear outside a Fort Worth venue a few weeks ago.

“Then the guy ran away when he realized it didn’t faze me,” he says. Rainone derives amusement from things that would upset most people. “I guess there is something wrong with me.” He says that a few times.

In 2010, Ringling Bros. Circus held Clown Alley tryouts at Dallas’ American Airlines Center; no doubt Zerp nailed the audition, a competitive affair that required a hurried showcase of comedic timing, skills, improvisational abilities and charisma.

“You know people think clowns, they can’t do anything else except make balloon animals, when in truth, we are more — we are actors, we portray a character. We [he gestures toward the other Lone Star clowns in the hallway] are theatrical, funny clowns.”

Nic Rainone as a baby with parents “Bonkers” and “Poppy”

The things he loved about Ringling Bros.: living on a train, performing to an arena of some 500,000 rollicking fans.

What he did not like: The music — earsplitting Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber tracks featuring lyrics that were decidedly unfriendly for families. After about six months with Ringling, he traveled the East Coast with the Cole Bros. Circus, what he calls the “real circus,” for several months.

Today he is a member of the Lone Star Circus, a Dallas-based nonprofit performing arts and educational organization.

Through Lone Star, Rainone has become a teacher and mentor to aspiring performers, including Lake Highlands’ Kameron Badgers (who was featured in a 2013 Advocate article).

“Going into the studio with Nic every week is like being an apprentice to a master,” Badgers says. “When I took karate, we had to bow to the sensei before every lesson as a sign of respect. Nic would be surprised if I bowed to him, I think, but I certainly respect him.”

And while he might be training Kameron on a Thursday — teaching the boy to be himself, read his audience, smile and relax even while juggling knives — he might be drinking, fighting and/or screaming into a microphone (albeit righteous messages) come the weekend.

“I don’t think I’m an alcoholic. Well, at least I know a lot of the people I hang with drink more than me, ” Rainone says, maybe teasing. Maybe not. In this young man there is evidence of the archetypal tortured artist the guy who needs a little pain and suffering to fuel his craft. Or, should we say, crafts. In addition to circus arts, Rainone is a prolific creator of street art. When asked if that means graffiti, he deflects and mentions that he is also an amateur paranormal investigator. He’s not a kook, he says. “Most of the time I am trying to debunk rumors of hauntings and things like that.”

He says he was “born a clown” and he’ll always be a clown. But he’ll also probably continue to dabble in assorted activities, for better or worse. Someday, he adds, he wants to open his own haunted house, to entertain.

—Christina Hughes Babb

THE LONE STAR CIRCUS’ biggest show falls in December and is held at the Dallas Children’s Theater. Check the Lake Highlands Advocate in December for details.

Air Giant at White Rock Lake

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.

<<

April 15, 1945: “Air Giant Forced Down for Refueling” was the headline on this Dallas Morning News photo. It was given to Sally Rodriguez by the banker who was assisting on her home refinance loan. “It was in his grandmother-in-law’s scrapbook, and he knew about my passion for White Rock Lake, so when he found it, he gave it to me,” she says. The photo’s caption told of a “more than 50,000-pound flying boat plane” that made a forced landing on the east shore of White Rock Lake. The Navy PBM longrange bomber “rested at anchor” while its 12-man crew waited for an emergency gas truck from Love Field. The plane landed at 6:30 p.m. on a Friday night when the pilot “became doubtful if the gas supply would last to Eagle Mountain Lake.” According to the pilot, White Rock Lake was “ample for such flying boats to land in and take off.” It remained in the lake until 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

Out & About

August 2014

THROUGH AUG. 31

Summer at the Arboretum

Enjoy floral displays and fun activities at discounted prices at the Dallas Arboretum. Don’t miss $1 general admission for the entire month of August. The beds will be bursting with ageratum, impatiens, petunias, cleome, begonias, salvia, marigolds, lobelia and zinnias. As the temperatures warm, caladiums, lantana, pride of Barbados, variegated tapioca, elephant ears and coleus will be added to the gardens.

Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland, dallasarboretum.org, 214.515.6500, $1

AUG. 5, 12, 19, 26

Open-play badminton

Get your game face on and prepare to sharpen your skills during openplay badminton at Churchill Recreation Center, a few minutes from the Lake Highlands area —11:45 a.m.–1:45 p.m. Saturdays.

Churchill Recreation Center, 6906 Churchill Way, 214.670.6477, $3

Through Sept. 27

Life at the lake

The White Rock Lake Museum in the Bath House Cultural Center presents Refreshing Journey, an exhibition of drawings inspired by White Rock Lake from Dallas artist Jenny Hong DeLaughter. The exhibition depicts scenes from life at the lake — images of family gatherings, landscapes, wildlife and other special moments. Bath House Cultural Center, 521 E. Lawther, dallasculture.org/bathhouseculturecenter, 214.670.8749, free

more LOCAL EVENTS or submit your own

THROUGH AUGUST 2

Play festival

The Festival of Independent Theatres, sponsored by the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs, marks its 16th season. Eight companies, all native to the Dallas area, will present eight world premieres by seven local authors for this summer’s festival, which takes place at the Bath House Cultural Center on White Rock Lake.

Bath House Cultural Center, 521 Lawther, dallasculture.org/bathhouseculturecenter, 214.670.8749, $20 - $73

Refreshing Journey exhibit: Painting by artist Jenny Hong Delaughter

The play “Ask Questions Later” is by Meggie Spalding: Photo courtesy FIT

AUG. 9

Fashion show

Pretty Smart Girls, a foundation dedicated to empowering and equipping girls, launched a 50-day campaign in which girls participate in monthly cultural, social and academic activities, while also promoting community advancement and involvement. The campaign will culminate with a fashion show that highlights the members of Pretty Smart Girls.

Sundown at Granada, 3520 Greenville, prettysmartgirls.org, $25+

AUG. 8

Christine Lavin

Singer-songwriter, guitarist and recording artist Christine Lavin performs at Uncle Calvin’s Coffeehouse at 8 p.m. A New York City resident, Lavin is working on her 21st solo album. The opening act is Ashley Monical, whose style has been compared to Bonnie Raitt and Sheryl Crow.

Uncle Calvin’s Coffeehouse, 9555 North Central, 214.363.0044, unclecalvins.org, $18 advance/$22 door

AUG. 15

James Rollins

Barnes and Noble hosts an event at 7 p.m. with author James Rollins, whose book “The 6th Extinction” hits bookstores on Aug. 12. The novel is the latest installment in his “Sigma Force” book series.

Barnes and Noble, 7700 West Northwest Highway #300, 214.739.1124, barnesandnoble.com, free

Hours:

20 FEET SEAFOOD JOINT

1160 Peavy

972.707.7442

20-feet.com

AMBIANCE: LAID-BACK

PRICE RANGE: $9-$19

HOURS: SUN.-THURS. 11 A.M.-9 P.M.; FRI.-SAT. 11 A.M.-10 P.M.

DID YOU KNOW? LOOK FOR PICTURES OF THE COUPLE’S FOUR DOGS IN THE NAPKIN HOLDERS. THE RESTAURANT IS NAMED AFTER THE NUMBER OF THEIR FEET, PLUS MARC AND SUZAN’S, OF COURSE.

20Feet Seafood has one of the finest lobster rolls in Dallas. The house-made bun, which encases juicy, plump hunks of lobster with a touch of lemon juice, is not only an e ective delivery system but is also light and sweet. There is a reason why this seafood is a notch above your typical East Coast sea-shack fare. Owners and chefs Marc Cassel and Suzan Fries became well acquainted with the nuances of fine dining while cooking at The Green Room, and at Stephan Pyles’ Star Canyon before that. During a trip to the East Coast, they admired the quality and simplicity of the dishes prepared in tiny kitchens in Boston seafood joints. Mutually inspired, Cassel and Fries took a di erent culinary turn and set up shop near White Rock Lake — Dallas’ version of a coast, you could say — bringing their culinary prowess (and Cassel’s popular Green Room mussels) while leaving the fine-dining stu ness behind. Here, you can bring your dog, grab a seat on the newly expanded patio which regulars say has helped lessen the notoriously long wait for a table during the weekend — and crack open a beverage of the B.Y.O.B. variety (save for moonshine, Fries warns). Cassel says a beer and wine permit is in the works and should be ready in the next few months, but even then they’ll remain B.Y.O.B.-friendly.

Whitney Thompson

Lobster roll: Photo by Mark Davis

Best Pizza IN

LAKE HIGHLANDS

And the best-pizza winner is …

Primo Brothers Pizza and Pasta

Runner up: Tony’s Pizza

Third place: Atomic Pie

Luan and Mirlinda Vraniqi run Primo Brothers (9310 Forest, 214.341.4414) which opened in 1982. Their parents Jimmy and Julia, as well as niece Eva, are all involved in the business. The family and their pizzamaking philosophy hails from New York City the pie is thin, crispy in the right spots with a light layer of cheese and tangy sauce that permeates the fresh toppings. In true New York style, they also offer it by the

slice. The menu is chock full of pastas, salads, desserts and savory subs, further evidence of the eatery’s northeastern lineage, in addition to pizza. Luan, who says he’s very proud and excited to win Lake Highlands Advocate’s, by popular vote, Best Of: Pizza, says he knew he had the loyalty of many Lake Highlands customers. “We are involved in the neighborhood and we know they support us,” he says. Luan tells us that not too much about the restaurant has changed since the early days. “We keep things traditional and focus on qual-

Deep South Burger

Now Open!

Come enjoy juicy burgers, turkey burgers, chicken, home style or sweet potato fries!

Quality customer service since last Tuesday!

QUESA-D-YAS

Looking for a great meal in Lake Highlands?

Come visit us where we take pride in making and delivering the best custom quesadillas using fresh ingredients and a variety of combinations that delight and satisfy.

ity, showing what we do well,” he says. However, he notes that they do update the menu periodically, something they likely will do in the next year. Eat inside Primo Brothers cool NYC-inspired dining room, pick up or opt for delivery. You can also stay up-to-date on specials and events via Primo Brothers’ Facebook page. —Whitney

Thompson

Find out more about our yearlong reader’s choice contest and cast your vote for next month’s category: best breakfast/brunch. Visit lakehighlands.advocatemag.com/bestof.

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit

Come Enjoy Our Deal of the Day! Deals include 2 sides and a drink

Kids Eat Free Every Sunday Catering Available Open 7 Days a Week 11AM-9PM

Enchilada’s

is a fun and comfortable place, enjoy brunch on the weekends, live music on Saturday nights and tasty Tex Mex food for all. Home of the Big E Margarita.

BARBECUE BARBECUE

MEXICAN GRILL

Primo Brothers’ Luan Vraniqi: Photo by James Coreas

makeSTATEMENT a

Although everyone loves good oldfashioned strawberry shortcake this time of year, the idea of grilling dessert screams summer in my mind. Stone fruits — those with large, hard seeds at the center such as peaches, plums and nectarines — are perfect for grilling because they are firm enough to maintain their structure while being extra sweet and juicy. Take full advantage of the season. Grill up these peaches and layer them in flaky shortcake paired with a brown sugar whipped cream to finish out this summer with joy.

Grilled peach shortcakes with brown sugar whipped cream

SHORTCAKES

2 cups all purpose flour

4 tablespoons sugar, granulated

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed

1 cup + 1 tablespoon heavy cream

1 egg

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. With paddle attachment, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it becomes a course crumb. Add 1 cup of cream and mix until dough starts to come together.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to approximately 1 inch thick. Cut into eight 2 ½ inch rounds and place evenly onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Whisk together the egg and the 1 tablespoon of heavy cream and brush over the tops of each dough round. Sprinkle each round with cinnamon sugar. Bake until golden brown, approximately 25 minutes.

Cool completely before cutting each shortcake in half and layer each one with brown sugar whipped cream and grilled peaches (see grilled peach and whipped cream recipes opposite). Serve immediately.

without uttering a word

GRILLED PEACHES

4 ripe peaches, halved and pitted

½ cup butter, unsalted (1 stick)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS

Heat grill to high (or for indoor grilling, a grill pan works great). Melt butter and mix in cinnamon and sugar. Brush peaches with butter mixture and place cut-side down on the grill and grill until cooked through

Once peaches are removed from the grill, brush one more coat of butter mixture while hot.

BROWN SUGAR WHIPPED CREAM

2 cups heavy whipping cream

4 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl, beat heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add brown sugar and vanilla extract. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.

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.

Photo by Kristen Massad

From nine to five they answer phones, analyze, sell or litigate — but after hours they light up the stage, collecting applause the way a good accounts-receivable clerk nets due funds.

LIGHTERS OON

A LITTLE DULL BY DAY, THEY SHINE AT NIGHT

Photo by Danny Fulgencio

KEVIN FULD

Customer service rep/ thespian

Photo by Danny Fulgencio

IN THE LATE 1990s, Kevin Fuld was a quiet, observant Lake Highlands High School student. He remembers writing his own obituary, an assignment from English teacher David Patton.

“I was into photography at the time, and I wrote about how I had lived life as an outsider, always observing,” Fuld recalls. “Looking back at that assignment, it was spot-on.”

Today Fuld remains introspective, and he holds a down-to-earth day job, but his creative self — back then just budding — is in full bloom.

He works 40-plus hours a week — customer service at a mortgage company in Fort Worth. (That doesn’t include the almost twohour-a-day commute.) He likes it, for the most part, he says. But he spends nights and weekends pursuing more-pressing passions, which include acting in, writing and producing plays.

On a Sunday afternoon in June, he’s inside the Margo Jones Theatre at Fair Park, standing on the set of a play he produced called “Silver Screen Killer.”

Lanky, bespectacled, mustachioed and bursting with energy, he paces the stage as he recalls his first gig at The Pocket Sandwich Theatre.

“In 1997 I started working there, in the kitchen. I first saw a melodrama there and I thought, ‘I get this. I could do this.’ I started percolating ideas.”

At 19 he landed his first acting role at The Pocket, and soon after that he wrote “Camp Death,” a slasher-movie parody.

“I remember handing the first scene to Joe [Dickinson], the Pocket owner, and he read it and said, ‘It’s good. I want more.’ As a young writer, that was all I needed to hear.”

“Watching other people bring to life something that you’ve written is blissful, wonderful and, well, it’s orgasmic, but lasts longer than that,” Fuld says with a grin. “I’m sure you’ll need to edit that.”

He didn’t come up with that last part, he says. It’s a version of what the old-timers at The Pocket traditionally tell new writers.

Since then, he has written two other plays, “Brandi: The Vampire Staker” and “Springheeled Jack and the Enigmatic Dr. Hu.” He has acted in dozens of productions includ-

ing “Dracula,” “Ebenezer Scrooge,” “Captain Blood,” “Death: The Musical,” “Love, Sex and the IRS,” “The Nerd,” “Diary of Anne Frank” and “The Boys Next Door.”

At this point in his life, he says, he doesn’t have time to audition for big movie or television roles, though he’s held a couple of small parts and he might like to do that someday.

But local theater can be rewarding in its own right, he says.

Playing the role of Mr. Dussel in “Anne Frank” was intense, he says. “He was a real man. A real holocaust victim. In a play called, “Captain Phantasm and the Countdown to Doom!” Fuld had a blast portraying a “true villain — a prototypical Jersey cop,” he says, demonstrating his Jersey brogue. (One critic for thecolumnawards.org wrote that Fuld is a “genius at channeling stereotypes.”)

He created Camp Death productions last year after writing “Dr. Hu” for the Richardson Theatre Centre.

Fuld, director Joey Dietz and the cast of the show conducted a Kickstarter campaign to raise money to produce the murder-mystery melodrama.

That they raised funds quickly ostensibly is a result of the many friendships developed within the theater community, another gratifying aspect of this life.

“Now I am surrounded by a bunch of talented people who help things like this happen,” he says, throwing his gaze toward the “Silver Screen” stage.

“There was a time, about five years, where I focused on my other job and did not do any of this. I had about five friends then. Now I have dozens and dozens. My life is more fun now.”

An actor peeks in and tells Fuld he has seven minutes to exit the stage. Soon after, audience members roll into the theater. It’s nearly a full house, and the show is a punchy, laugh-out-loud hit.

Fuld announces to the crowd that The Pocket Sandwich Theater picked up “Silver Screen Killer” to run in August.

Cheers ensue. —Christina Hughes Babb

KEVIN FULD CAN BE SEEN in the Plano Courtyard Theater’s “Who Was That Lady I Saw You With?” through August 9. Call 972.941.5611 for times and tickets.

“THE FIRST RULE IS, ALWAYS SAY ‘YES’.”

Photo by Danny Fulgencio

ARGUABLY THE MOTHERSHIP for Dallas’ aspiring comedians, The Dallas Comedy House on an average Friday night emits laughter from a small but raucous audience.

Neighborhood resident Christie Wallace and fiancé Tommie Lee Brown frequently are the impetus behind (or at least a substantial part of) the crowd’s collective mirth. Together they belong to two popular improvisation troupes, one called Franzia and the other Cupcake (they are also each involved with various other ensembles).

This particular summer night the couple has back-to-back shows. They take their various ad-libbed roles — a lesbian Bed, Bath and Beyond salesperson or an unnerved one-nightstand participant, for example — in stride, serving up pitch-perfect physical comedy and rapid witty responses to respective counterparts.

“It is not that hard,” Wallace says. “There are certain rules you go by that make it easier.” Having good chemistry and a history with your troupe helps, too. “You support each other, and everything will go well.”

At an improv show, an audience member gives the performers one word — maybe “pillow” or “hungry.” Then the lights dim and the players return with impromptu skits related either literally or indirectly to the word.

“The first rule,” explains Brown, “is you always say ‘yes.’” Meaning that a successful troupe supports one another in every move and never blocks the flow of action.

It is difficult to imagine the adeptly entertaining and energetic duo doing days behind desks. But as staffers in the mortgage department of Pearson & Patterson legal services, they are each parked at one Monday through Friday.

“Yes, well, when I tell people at work about the improv, they say they wouldn’t expect me to be involved in something like that,” Wallace says. “It’s like you almost lead two different lives.”

For Brown, entertaining is necessary fun and essential to a balanced life. “I do like my day job, something sort of mundane where I can turn off,” he says. “But the improv — it’s the closest thing I can get to playing make believe, like you do as a child. I don’t care what I do for a living as long as I can still do this.”

His attitude makes him a favorite among fellow improvers, notes DCH founder Amanda Austin.

“Everyone loves to play with Tommy on stage,” she says.

Wallace seems a bit more serious about her moonlighting.

“A lot of us have that goal, I think. Some people here at DCH work full time with standup, theater and improv. Several of us are filming a pilot it’s like a ‘Taxi’ meets ‘The Office’.”

Austin says Wallace is one of the club’s central players.

“Christie is what I like to call one of the original gangsters of DCH. She’s been here since we opened our doors. Talented comedian and an amazing improv comedy teacher, too. She’s sought out for her teaching; her students continue to rave about her classes every term.”

But the bills must be paid, and teaching improv classes, something both of them do, doesn’t cut it.

Still, life is pretty fun as-is, the couple agrees.

“Confidence, communication skills and quick thinking, which we learn and teach, are skills you can use in work and daily life,” Wallace says. “It is something I always look forward to. All of my friends are improvers, and, obviously, my fiancé.”

The two met about three years ago; Wallace trained Brown to wait tables at DCH, and, as Brown says with a grin, “I decided to continue my education.”

—Christina Hughes Babb

RAYMOND FISCHER

Lawyer/comedy actor

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RAYMOND FISCHER is busy. And he’s not one of those people who find ways to tell you how very busy they are, in tones that suggest suffering. No, Fischer is bubbling with positive energy as he profusely apologizes for postponing a previously planned interview. His firm represents big companies — Whataburger, for instance — and, as part of the legal team, he sometimes has to leave town on short notice to address a situation.

“It’s everything you would imagine,” he says. “Slip and fall claims, wrongful firing or discrimination [lawsuits], the chicken-wasbad or bug-in-my food complaints.”

Fischer provides first-rate counsel in areas of general commercial litigation, but the fact that he works for Crouch & Ramey law firm today — considering the path of his last few years — is remarkable.

After law school at Louisiana State he landed his first job — a great one, he says at Crouch & Ramey. He spent two years building a sound reputation and married the woman of his dreams, Lee.

That’s when Fischer quit his job and moved to Chicago to attend comedy school.

While lawyering in Dallas, Fischer longed to take a shot at the performing arts, namely improvisational comedy.

“I’d be sitting at my desk, unable to focus because I was thinking about it.”

Everyone was shockingly supportive, he says.

“My wife encouraged the idea from the beginning. I told her on our first date I wanted to act. Before we started having kids, she wanted me to try this,” he says. “I was amazed at how my bosses reacted — in a good way. In fact, Cole Ramey said he wished he’d been able to do the same thing. Not that his thing was the same as mine, but he meant following your dream, whatever it is.”

The Fischers relocated to Chicago and Raymond enrolled in The Second City, where photos of alumni including Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, John Belushi, Mike Myers, Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert, to name a few, line the walls. He also regis-

tered for courses at Improv Olympic, where Tina Fey, Chris Farley and Seth Meyers once practiced their craft.

Because he had taken classes with Dallas Comedy House in the past, he tested out of some of the remedial classes, he says. But he was not the typical student.

“Most were millennials who had recently graduated,” he says. “They had drama degrees. They all were a good 10 years younger than me. One girl asked me if I was a narc, which did not technically make sense, though I knew what she meant — ‘Who is this old balding dude?’ ”

Some of his life experience helped him in improvisational situations, but his relatively old age (early 30s) occasionally placed him out of the loop.

“There was a time or two when they brought up a video game or something that I had no idea what they were talking about,” he says.

However, his classmates promptly warmed to him and he emerged successful, being one of 10 Second City students (out of more than 60) plucked for an end-of-season public show; he occupied the same stages as, throughout history, his comedy idols.

It was like an itch scratched, he says of his time in Chicago. Lee had secured a teaching job and was happy, too, but about three years in, they both felt it was time to return to a more financially stable existence, one in which they could raise children.

Crouch & Ramey was fully staffed, so Fischer applied to other firms. Just as he was about to accept a position elsewhere, Ramey called to say that a position was open, but that he needed to come now.

With his 7-months-pregnant wife, Raymond Fischer returned to Lake Highlands, where they now raise daughter Abigail.

Fischer works diligently these days to ensure that his bosses don’t regret their decision to take him back, he says. But he finds some time for improv, which is his release from life’s stresses.

In Dallas Comedy House’s early years, Fischer became its in-house counsel, a position he still holds. He was thrilled, upon

his return to Dallas, to see how DCH has blossomed. “Amanda [Austin, his friend and the founder of DCH] took a leap of faith opening this place years ago. It was crazy watching it grow. Amanda had a lot of foresight — she has built a community. I come back and it is in full bloom. It is exciting.”

Eventually, as he learns to balance family, work and performing, he hopes to become more of a regular at DCH, where today he sometimes stands in with existing troupes, and maybe even teach classes there.

“The best part is that I can now practice law with satisfaction, knowing that I went and did what I wanted to do.”

—Christina Hughes Babb

Photo by Danny Fulgencio

RICHARD BAILEY

Bookseller/playwright

RICHARD BAILEY LIKES HIS JOB at Half Price Books. The White Rock-area resident does everything from loading stock to helping customers find their next read at the flagship store on Northwest Highway. “It’s a pleasure to work in a place where everybody in the city loves to be,” he says. But “bookseller” isn’t the only job title on his resume. He’s also a filmmaker, poet and playwright. “If I’m awake and not at work,

“IF I’M AWAKE AND NOT AT WORK, I’M WORKING ON THESE PROJECTS.”

Photo by Danny Fulgencio

I’m working on these projects,” he says.

Bailey says he’s pursued creative interests in one way or another since he was 18, when he landed a job as an overnight radio broadcaster at a country and western station. With the freedom to plan his own show and six hours to fill, he “learned what it takes to build a story,” he says.

After earning a degree in filmmaking from the University of Texas, Bailey, who grew up on a farm in east-central Texas, headed to Dallas and quickly found a job in advertising. In his spare time, he made two 16mm short films that were featured in festivals. But traditional filmmaking is expensive film stock, processing, lighting, talent — and he couldn’t afford to make any more. “I became dormant in film and moved to poetry and plays,” he says.

His poems have been featured in about 25 poetry journals, and his poetry collection “Revival” was a finalist for the Poetry Foundation’s Emily Dickinson First Book Award. He’s also had some success with his plays. He was a semifinalist at the Bay Area Playwrights Festival in 2012 for his play “A Ship of Human Skin.”

But even with these other creative outlets, Bailey never lost the desire to make films. When a friend showed him some scenes of the ocean that he shot using a DSLR camera, Bailey was impressed with the quality. He figured the tool could allow him to once again be a filmmaker.

Even with a full-time job, Bailey has managed to make three short films in the past two years, with another in post-production. His films recently have been featured in the Snake Alley Festival of Film in Burlington, Iowa, and the Flathead Lake International Cinemafest in Polson, Mont. In May the McKinney Avenue Cotemporary presented five of his films to a standing-room-only audience.

Bailey has almost finished the script for a full-length feature. His goal is to shoot a few scenes and get them up on Kickstarter by the first part of 2015 to try to fund the full production. “I’ll keep pushing the projects forward until there’s an insurmountable hedge,” he says. “So far, there hasn’t been one.”

—Larra Keel

Time: 6:30 pm •

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The coolness of Uncle Calvin’s

How a church-sponsored music venue has endured for more than 30 years

Story by Emily Toman | Photo by Kim Leeson

Almost every Friday night, NorthPark Presbyterian Church is empty, except for one corner of the building. Just inside the door, a blackboard displays the names of the night’s performers in multi-colored chalk — it’s the only indicator you’ve arrived at a live music venue.

Friendly, bespectacled ladies greet and take cash from visitors and place it in a tin box. Coffee, tea and other refreshments are for sale, including $2 slices of pie on Saran-wrapped plates. Behind a set of double doors, in the dimly lit auditorium, white-haired patrons sit at round tables covered in blue tablecloths, each accented with flowers and a flickering votive candle.

For a club-goer under the age of 40, Uncle Calvin’s Coffeehouse is decidedly uncool. But then, the music starts.

Singer-songwriter Lucy Kaplansky performs during a Friday night concert at Uncle Calvin’s Coffeehouse

The acoustics fill the room, and Lisa Markley’s heartfelt jazz tune, backed by William Foley’s orchestra, draws every eye to the stage.

“It’s a listening room,” says Woody Woodward, Uncle Calvin’s “sound guy” who volunteers his talents. “People who want to have a drink and talk don’t come here.”

There’s a rich tradition behind this type of music venue — a performer-friendly space inside a church — and Uncle Calvin’s helped start it more than 30 years ago.

In 1982, as North Dallas became the center for upscale clubs, and loud, smoky bars populated Lower Greenville, the Rev. Trey Hammond of NorthPark Presbyterian saw a niche: to provide a laid-back acoustical stage free of smoke and alcohol where fans could truly appreciate the music. That year, Hammond founded Uncle Calvin’s Coffeehouse at the church, featuring unknown singer-songwriters in genres such as folk, jazz, blues, Americana and bluegrass.

“It’s a throwback to the old ’60s coffeehouses,” he says.

Historically, the venues operated on college campuses or progressive churches and created hubs for emerging artists.

One of the most notable groups to

the Dixie Chicks as they’re known today).

Uncle Calvin’s hosted a CD release party that drew about 400 people.

Other big-name acts who have graced the stage include the Grammy-nominated duo Trout Fishing in America, “Prairie Home Companion” regulars Robin and Linda Williams, and Ray Wylie Hubbard, who noted that Uncle Calvin’s is “the only place I’ve ever played that wasn’t Godforsaken.”

perform at Uncle Calvin’s was the original Dixie Chicks from 1989-1990. The country music band, which formed in Dallas, comprised Laura Lynch, Robin Lynn Macy and the Erwin sisters, Martie and Emily (Lynch and Macy later left, and Natalie Maines joined Martie and Emily to form

NorthPark Presbyterian subsidized Uncle Calvin’s for the first eight years until the venue became self-supporting. It’s run entirely by volunteers, and all funds from ticket sales go to the performers and church mission programs, including North Dallas Shared Ministries, Vickery Meadow Learning Center and the Stewpot. The name “Uncle Calvin’s” is a playful spin on John Calvin, the 16th-century leader of the Protestant Reformation in Geneva.

In the early days, the venue thrived on local music. Hammond received auditions

“There’s a social dimension to Uncle Calvin’s,” Hammond says. “To me, a true coffeehouse provides a place that builds community.”

on cassettes, vinyl and 8-track tapes. It grew from there by word of mouth, beginning with the first out-of-state performer, Tim Keller.

“He was the first performer who made us realize what we had here, and word spread to Kerrville,” says Ed Gunsalus, Uncle Calvin’s dedicated manager, who began coming to shows in 1984.

The annual Kerrville Folk Festival is the epicenter for new and established musicians from all over the country, and volunteers from Uncle Calvin’s scout the event for talent (often competition winners), bringing a little piece of Kerrville to our neighborhood on Friday nights.

While Uncle Calvin’s attracts nationally acclaimed artists, it also brings people together — often the same people week after week.

“There’s a social dimension to Uncle Calvin’s,” Hammond says. “To me, a true coffeehouse provides a place that builds community.”

Gunsalus met his wife there in 1987; they were married five months later. Ira Hantz is the unofficial photographer and still pays admission each week. Bill Nash has battled multiple sclerosis for 26 years but never misses a show. A musician himself who plays the Uncle Calvin’s stage once a year, he even wrote a song about it, “House of Rhapsody.”

“It’s my love song about my favorite place on Friday nights,” he says.

Woodward often is the first to arrive and last to leave, setting up and taking down sound equipment, from 5 p.m. to midnight. He says today the core audience is not much different than it was in the beginning.

“It’s the same people, only we had darker hair,” he quips. “I know our audience is aging, and we need to figure out a way to get younger people there.”

Sometimes the musical acts dictate what type of audience might turn out each week.

“When we book younger performers, we get younger audiences,” Gunsalus says. “It’s something we always work on.”

Despite its musical success and longevity, Uncle Calvin’s still is relatively obscure, hidden

a church,

which can both help and a hinder the mission, Hammond says.

“It’s a ministry of the church for sure,” he says, adding that Uncle Calvin’s has attracted new members to NorthPark over the years. But, he adds, “It can be a threshold to cross, and people may have some anxiety that they’re going to be accosted.”

While the entertainment is familyfriendly folk music by nature is sensitive to a broad audience — Uncle

Calvin’s doesn’t proselytize. For some regular audience members, it’s the only time they come to a church.

The atmosphere may feel strange to some newcomers, but the music often transcends all of that.

“It’s an expression of deeper spiritual realities that people bring to the stage,” Hammond says. He left NorthPark after five years of leading Uncle Calvin’s and now serves at La Mesa Presbyterian Church in Albuquerque, N.M. He recalls one performance from the early years during which a Vietnam veteran sang about his experiences. The room cleared out.

“His music was like a firefight in the Vietnam jungle,” Hammond says. “It was too intense, too raw.”

Hammond encouraged the musician to keep playing anyway because a handful of volunteers were willing to listen.

“From a faith perspective, it wasn’t about making money or building a huge audience. It was about substance.”

PERFORMANCES AT UNCLE CALVIN’S COFFEEHOUSE run at 8 p.m. every Friday inside NorthPark Presbyterian Church, 555 North Central. To view this month’s lineup and buy tickets, visit unclecalvins.org.

MAKE A STATEMENT

Get noticed at First Baptist Academy

FBA provides a Christian environment, where children from diverse backgrounds thrive spiritually, academically and socially. We’re a Biblically-integrated, college preparatory school offering classes for Pre-K through 12th grade.

FBA offers high academic standards. But we’re also fierce competitors. As a member of TAPPS, the Saints made the playoffs in nearly every sport last season, landing a state championship in football.

Give FBA a look. Then make a statement you’ll never regret. For information about enrolling for the 2014-15 school year, contact the Admissions Director at 214-969-7861 or visit us at fbacademy.com.

Meet Max, Class of 2014

• National Merit Finalist

• Valedictorian

• TAPPS State Champion, All State quarterback

• Incoming freshman, Carnegie Mellon University

“I know our audience is aging, and we need to figure out a way to get younger people there.”

The Advocate’s ongoing series about poverty-related problems in our neighborhood and the efforts to end them. To read more stories from the series, search “solutions series” at lakehighlands.advocatemag.com.

Good dirt

The Lake Highlands Community Garden grows, gives, teaches

Story by Christina Hughes Babb | Photos by Desiree Espada

The location is clandestine, the patrons are grimy and the waiting list is lengthy. It’s not Dallas’ hottest new nightclub (though if it were, it might be called Dirt, Green or Fresh); it’s the Lake Highlands Community Garden.

Situated in the White Rock Valley neighborhood behind the city’s

austere Environmental Health and Services building on Goforth Road, there are two acres of soil sprouting sundry vegetables sturdy enough to survive Texas summers.

The north end of the garden, which opened in 2008 on an empty swath of city property, contains 89 community plots, rented and

Garret Graham, Robert Gross’ grandson, displays butternut squash.

maintained by individuals or families. Plot holders sign a contract and pay a small annual fee plus a $90 service deposit.

Interested parties these days are placed on a waiting list — containing some 15-20 hopefuls — until a plot becomes available.

Since 2009, the blooming Lois Diggs Butterfly Garden, developed with help from Texas Discovery Gardens, has occupied the lot nearest the entrance.

A teaching and demonstration garden,

an herb garden and a separate rain garden also are front and center and recently spruced.

But the largest parcel of dirt is dedicated to the donation garden, a 2,000-squarefoot space for growing organic produce that is donated to organizations that feed Dallas’ hungry residents.

Volunteers — plot holders as well as other community members — maintain this plot, donation garden manager Rob-

ert Gross says. The donation garden serves not only as a place for volunteers to learn more about gardening, but also as a source of food, augmenting the efforts of local charity organizations.

Designated “work day” Saturdays see dozens of volunteers tending the donation garden. Lake Highlands resident Guylaine Dore, who doesn’t have a 9-5 job or children, comes on weekdays, when it is quieter and when she feels she is more needed. A native

Photos clockwise from top left: Gardener Susan Morgan of Episcopal Church of the Ascension; fresh vegetables from Lake Highlands Community Garden; donation garden manager Robert Gross; purple thistle flower from the community garden

Canadian who recently immigrated to our neighborhood and wants to eventually grow a home garden, she says she thinks working around the experts at Lake Highlands Community Garden will help her better understand Texas horticulture.

She also, for personal reasons, feels strongly about growing quality organic food for children in need.

As a youngster, she was on the receiving end of food bank donations, she says.

“I don’t want to sound ungrateful. What the food bank did for us, what they do here, is generous,” she says. “But seldom is the bank produce fresh or organic, and if I can come out here and help with getting fresh vegetables to the charities, I want to do that.”

On a muggy but not unpleasant June morning, Dore and Gross analyze the garden — something is destroying the tomatoes, the peas are ripe, some leeks and butternut squash, too — and commence plucking. As soon as they finish, Gross will deliver the bounty to one of the beneficiaries. On Mondays, he takes the crops to Network of Community Ministries, which serves families in the Richardson ISD boundaries.

“Within 30 minutes of pulling food from this garden, I can have them at Network,” Gross says.

Sometimes clients in the waiting room approach him — many know him by now and help themselves to fresh leeks or whatever he has at the time, he says.

“You can tell they are in need. I see people in wheelchairs, sometimes overweight. I assume some are diabetic,” he says. “They can really use this.”

Dore adds that it is especially important to introduce children whose parents can’t afford organic produce to the taste and benefits of fresh, clean veggies.

“When they taste it as children, it can create a habit for the future,” she says.

Dabney Dwyer of Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Lake Highlands says Lake Highlands’ garden is one of several gardens partnering with her church’s food pantry. The addition of fresh organic produce to the church’s stock is beneficial to so many neighborhood families, she says. “It has made a huge difference to our pantry clients to come for their nonperishable items and get to take home red peppers, kale, lettuce and other produce.”

At the time of publication, the LHCG had donated more than 450 pounds of food to local foundations.

LHCG also partners with Family Gateway, which serves homeless parents and children; Operation Frontline, which educates the public about nutrition; and the North Texas Food Bank.

The LHCG regularly hosts local students who come to learn about topics such as horticulture, composting, butterflies and water conservation, to name a few.

To secure your own plot, add your name to the waiting list at lhgarden.org.

During the summer months, volunteers can visit the garden, located at 7901 Goforth, between 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Email lakehighlandsgarden@gmail.com to arrange volunteer hours.

Garret Graham, 12

214-368-1371 | www.orlcs.com 7611 Park

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Brand aid

Neighborhood responds mostly negatively to new logo

In June, after about four years of research and development, the Lake Highlands Branding Committee released the first-ever Lake Highlands logo, featuring sunny colors, the words “Lake Highlands” in red-orange, and the tagline “Our Hometown in the City.”

In the days following the launch, the response via social media was largely negative; many expressed an objection to a select few developing the brand for a large, diverse neighborhood sans input from the majority of its residents.

“The brand’s development should have been communicated to the entire community with avenues for feedback along the way and some insight into the design before anything was rolled out,” notes, via the Advocate’s website, one “Concerned Resident” whose sentiments are echoed by many.

The branding committee responsible for the logo formed a few years ago at the urging of the Lake Highlands Public Improvement District’s first director, Rebecca Range. It was part of an effort to make our community more attractive to businesses, she said at the time.

“Developers think they don’t want to be in Lake Highlands because the external perception isn’t that great,” noted Range at the time. “Lake Highlands needs a better overall public relations campaign; this is critical.”

In 2011, Range organized a meeting among the heads of several neighborhood organizations to form a branding committee.

Lake Highlands volunteers Ginger Greenberg and Robin Norcross led the Lake Highlands Branding Committee,

and were joined by representatives from the Lake Highlands Women’s League and Junior Women’s League, the Lake Highlands Exchange Club, the Lake Highlands Public Improvement District and Lake Highlands PTAs, among other groups.

Initially the committee was a subgroup of the nonprofit Lake Highlands Area Improvement Association. Later in the process, after the LHAIA lost its nonprofit status, the branding committee became a subcommittee of the PID. Greenberg explains that they wanted to be attached to a nonprofit for the purpose of fundraising with accountability and transparency.

Designer Ben Jenkins, whose company One Fast Buffalo was hired by the committee to create the logo, says unveiling a brand is sensitive. During the launch, someone who was involved in the process should be around to answer questions and explain the research and strategy behind the logo.

In June 2014, Norcross and Greenberg presented the logo at a PID board meeting.

In that setting, the logo seemed well received.

However, when Norcross shared the logo on the Facebook group “You know you’re from Lake Highlands if …”, some page members promptly began protesting.

Though the newly publicized design, according to the logo’s accompanying press release, is an end product of several years of work and $18,000 garnered from fundraising events and private donations, critics were quick to offer blunt disapproval and suggest changes.

Some felt the logo should reflect the high school’s colors. Others called it “ugly,” “dated” or “just awful.” Many expressed distress about exclusion from the project. A few em-

6121 E. Lovers Ln. (@ Skillman) Dallas, TX 75214 214-363-1630 • www.ziondallas.org

A proven college preparation program and a true high school experience.

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!

DALLAS ACADEMY

950 Tiffany Way, Dallas 75218 / 214.324.1481 / dallas-academy.com

Founded in 1965, Dallas Academy’s mission is to restore the promise of full academic enrichment to students with learning differences in grades 1-12. A meaningful connection with each student is established to overcome barriers to success. Dallas Academy offers students an effective program and strategies to meet the special educational needs of bright students with learning differences, while including the activities of a larger, more traditional school. Classes are small, with a student-teacher ratio of 6 to 1 where students are encouraged, praised, and guided toward achieving their goals. Diagnostic testing is available to students throughout the community.

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.

OUR REDEEMER LUTHERAN SCHOOL OF DALLAS

7611 Park Ln, Dallas, TX 75225 / 214368-1371, ext 238 or carolb@orlcs.com www.orlcs.com At Our Redeemer Lutheran School, your child will receive more than academic excellence and a creative, individualized approach. For over 50 years, our caring, dedicated faculty has introduced positive Christian values—giving students a solid foundation to grow in love and commitment to God, family, community and individual excellence! Our affordable tuition is possible through the loving support of our sponsor congregation, Our Redeemer Lutheran Church. Call for a private tour and see why students and their families love our school! Limited spaces available for Fall. See ad for more details.

SPANISH HOUSE

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

Spanish House is a Spanish immersion school with two Lakewood locations for children ages 3 months - Kindergarten. We offer half-day and full-day programs, with extended care available from 7:30am - 6:00pm. We also offer after-school and Saturday classes for PK and elementary-aged students, both onand off-site. Additionally, we have an adult Spanish program for beginning, intermediate and advanced students.

ST. CHRISTOPHER’S MONTESSORI SCHOOL

7900 Lovers Ln. / 214.363.9391 stchristophersmontessori.com St. Christopher’s Montessori School has been serving families in the DFW area for over a quarter of a century. We are affiliated with the American Montessori Society and our teachers are certified Montessori instructors. Additionally our staff has obtained other complimentary educational degrees and certifications, including having a registered nurse on staff. Our bright and attractive environment, and highly qualified staff, ensures your child will grow and develop in an educationally sound, AMS certified loving program. Now Enrolling.

ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

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

THE 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.

WHITE ROCK NORTH SCHOOL

9727 White Rock Trail Dallas / 214.348.7410 / WhiteRockNorthSchool.com

6 Weeks through 6th Grade. Our accelerated curriculum provides opportunity for intellectual and physical development in a loving and nurturing environment. 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.

WOODROW WILSON HIGH SCHOOL

100 S. Glasgow Dallas 75214 / 972-502-4400 / woodrowwildcats.org

Washington Post’s 2014 list of Most Challenging High Schools in America. A proven college preparation program and a true high school experience. Woodrow graduates attend, year after year, our state’s and country’s finest colleges, often with meaningful scholarships. With academic programs equaling the best private and magnet schools, Woodrow’s diverse student body also enjoys a traditional high school offering arts, music, dance, theater, math and science clubs, debate and writing competitions and a broad, inclusive and successful sports program, with cheerleaders and drill team. “It’s all at Woodrow and it works.”

YORKTOWN EDUCATION

5170 Village Creek Drive Plano, 75093 972-733-0800 YorktownEd.com Yorktown

Education is an independent, academically challenging private school for grades first -12. With a customized “Do What You Love” curriculum, students are educated with higher standards at earlier ages. Education is based on performance and not on age or grade levels. Yorktown graduates are in the top 1% of the country for SAT & ACT results and have a 100 percent college acceptance rate, with an average of over $100,000 in college credit and scholarships. Enrolling first through 10th grade for the 2014-2015 school year. Parent tours and student visits are available. Please visit Yorktown’s Open House at 6 p.m., October 21 to learn more about Yorktown’s unique and proven educational experience.

ZION LUTHERAN SCHOOL

of our 200,000+ readers with average income of $146,750 want more info about private schools.

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.

ployed Microsoft Paint on their personal computers to create a “better” logo.

One neighbor disliked the new logo so much, she created a Facebook group to “retract the logo.”

Many lamented the $18k price tag, arguing that it is an excessive price to pay for a logo.

But branding a community and the cost of such an effort is about much more than a logo. According to a paper by the Center for Community Progress, a logo is an important component, but branding and marketing a neighborhood also is about research, defining goals, identifying target markets, aligning communication strategies and more.

Because of the large amounts of development, strategy and nuance involved in creating a brand, the committee opted to commission a respected firm to do the work, Greenberg says.

Jenkins has been in the business 15 years. He’s branded cities, communities and businesses.

The branding process is long and involved, and is similar whether for a company, a neighborhood or a municipality, Jenkins says. The branding of Lake Highlands began with research and online surveys. Jenkins says he received thousands of responses to a questionnaire about people’s perceptions, hopes and expectations as they relate to Lake Highlands.

“We pored through all that data to find common denominators of how people identify Lake Highlands. I worked with a large committee that had representatives from just about every group you can be a part of if you want to join a group in Lake Highlands.”

According to Jenkins, the core members remained consistent, but membership changed repeatedly throughout the project.

Jenkins also had a vested interest, he says, because he is a lifelong Lake Highlands resident and a graduate of the high school.

Both Greenberg, also a longtime resident and LHHS grad, and Jenkins say that the logo revealed in June is the second iteration.

Branding committee members sent back the first concept that One Fast Buffalo presented.

Jenkins says this is not unheard of, but for his company, due to the team’s painstaking research and strategizing, it is more common for clients to accept the first design submission.

While he did have to compromise based on what the client (branding committee) wanted, he would have quit before producing a design he was not proud of, he says; he stands behind his work.

A logo is art, and art is subjective. Jenkins says he knew, and he warned committee members, that “some people are going to hate this.” He says he read of a mayor in Arizona who quit over controversy surrounding the branding of a city.

What’s important, he notes, is that you have the research to back up your design and you stand behind it. Since Jenkins turned the design over to the branding committee, he no longer is involved with anything that happens with the logo.

Since the unveiling and resultant backlash, the PID board has announced a plan to “further develop the launch.”

While the branding committee has posted the logo in a variety of colors, they have not indicated a plan to change the logo.

At the time of publication, the branding committee has postponed both a brand presentation at the Lake Highlands Exchange Club and the sale of stickers featuring the logo. The PID’s new executive director Kathy Stewart says, via news release, “We believe we need to share additional information with the community including the brand story, which is based on research conducted by One Fast Buffalo, the strategy and reasoning behind the elements of the brand as well as background information on the work of the committee,” Stewart says. “All of this will be coming soon. In the meantime we appreciate the patience of the Lake Highlands community.”

Christina Hughes Babb

STAY IN THE KNOW

For the latest updates on the Lake Highlands logo and to join the conversation, visit lakehighlands.advocatemag.com.

BUSINESS BUZZ

The lowdown on what’s up with neighborhood businesses

Send

Construction updates: dog park and town center

The White Rock Lake Dog Park, which closed in late-April for reconstruction, looks like a pile of dirt these days, but the renovations are on schedule, representatives say. “The contractor has completed all demolition work and is working on storm drainage system,” says Leong F. Lim, the program manager for design, engineering and site development with the Parks and Rec Department. The projected re-opening date is February 2015. At one point, city officials tossed around the idea of building a temporary dog park at White Rock Lake while the big one was under construction, but that would have cost about $40,000, which they decided to put toward the final project instead.

At the May 19 Lake Highlands Area Improvement Association meeting, District 10 councilman Jerry Allen said he expected an announcement from Lake Highlands Town Center developers regarding an anchor tenant in a couple of weeks. But as of publication time, the town center developers Cypress Realty had not responded to inquiries, and Allen says, “I had hoped by

More business bits

now we would have an announcement but remain encouraged by the work of both parties.” Meanwhile, the one building/business occupying the property, Haven Lake Highlands apartment homes, is filling units. A three-bedroom runs about $2,200 a month.

T. Hee closes Mockingbird store

T. Hee Greetings & Gifts in Hillside Village at Mockingbird and Abrams will close July 31. Last year the Lake Highlands-based business shuttered its third location in Preston Center after three months in business. With the closing of the four-year-old Hillside Village location, T. Hee’s original location on Walnut Hill and Audelia is the last store standing. T. Hee explains the decision to close the Hillside Village location via blog post. It went something like this: Co-owner David Farris returned to full-time work, leaving business partner Tony Doles to operate both locations by himself. As a result, the business partners “decided it was best to consolidate to one store instead of continuing to run Tony into the ground managing two separate locations.” As long as loyal customers continue to shop locally and support the neighborhood store, they note, “We should be golden.”

1 Thai Opal restaurant recently replaced Ginger Thai at the southeast corner of Skillman and Abrams. 2 Denver-based CorePower Yoga opened at Mockingbird Station location July 31. 3 Hillside Village (Abrams-Mockingbird) shops Random and Ditto are merging and moving to the other side of White Rock Lake.

White Rock Lake Dog Park

Lake Highlands Town Center

Advantage Self Storage coming soon

Following a rezoning approval earlier this year, 1.4 acres of vacant land at the southeast corner of Northwest Highway and Solta will be developed into a 65,900-square-foot Advantage Self Storage facility. The rezoning met approval only after much discussion and collaboration on the parts of the city, the developers and the surrounding homeowners, Charles Wicker, a member of the Old Lake Highlands Neighborhood Association says. “They’ve held several meetings over the past year, addressing concerns and modifying site plans,” Wicker says. “Neighbors thought the first plans looked like something that you’d see in Frisco, so we worked with an architect to design the facility with a midcentury modern look that is more complimentary to the businesses nearby.” Other concerns ranged from dumpster location to noise and security. The latest plan includes limiting harsh exterior lighting, preserving the Live Oak trees along the perimeter of the property and providing an additional 10 feet of buffer (compared to original proposal) between the facility and the residences. The council subsequently lifted the zoning restrictions. As of now, “plans have been submitted to the city of Dallas for permit, and we expect approval by early/mid-September,” says Rick Jones, Advantage president. “We’ll start construction then and expect to be open for business in 2015.”

Paddleboard lessons at White Rock Lake

Tyler Marshall, proprietor of DFW Surf, recently launched stand-up paddle boarding (more widely known as SUP) lessons at White Rock Lake. Classes meet at the Boomerang across from White Rock Boat House and run about $40. Visit DFWsurf.com for schedules and to book classes. Interested readers can also email tyler@dfwsurf.com with questions.

THE market

ROUNDTREE LANDSCAPING

The difference is waterwise. Dallas, Texas 214.824.7036

www.roundtreelandscaping.com

Want a beautiful landscape but don’t want to waste water? We design waterwise landscapes and smart irrigation systems. Call us today for an inspection. Let us create a distinctive landscape you’ll love to live in.

FOSSIL RIM WILDLIFE CENTER

Tours

2299 County Road 2008 Glen Rose, Texas 76043 254.897.2960 fossilrim.org

Book a guided family tour to get the full experience on one of Fossil Rim’s open-air vehicles. Sit back, relax and enjoy the scenery of over 1000 animals on our 1800-acre preserve.

LAKE HIGHLANDS FLOWERS

Florist 9661 Audelia Road, Suite 118 214.340.9950

shopLHF.com

We offer the finest floral arrangements in the neighborhood. LH Flowers is locally owned by Lake Highlands graduate, Renarldo Parker. Fresh flowers are perfect for any occasion, so stop by today.

Pest-free, hassle-free

Dallas, Texas 214.340.6969

info@safehavenpest.com

www.safehavenpest.com

CREATIVE CONSTRUCTION & REMODELING

Home Improvement

Barry O’Brien 972.342.7232 ccrbarry.com

When just one roach, or rat, is one too many! We use careful methods, respectful service and state-of-the-art applications. Your family’s health, wellness & safety are top priorities. Green services available! DAN

Computer Repair

972.639.6413 stykidan@sbcglobal.net

Confused? Frustrated? Let a seasoned pro be the interface between you & that pesky computer. Hardware & software installation, troubleshooting, training, $60/hour — one hour minimum.

People

Lake Highlands High School graduate Whitney Holotik stars in “Mania/gift,” a new play featured in the 16th annual Festival of Independent Theatres (FIT), sponsored by Dallas’ Office of Cultural Affairs, which wraps up this month at the Bath House Cultural Center. See the calendar on p. 20 for details.

The Lake Highlands and Bishop Lynch High School communities last month mourned the loss of David Post, who taught 20 years at the high school, lived in the Lake Highlands neighborhood and was a member of St. Patrick’s parish. He died July 2, 18-months after being diagnosed with cancer. Post’s passions included consumption of the written word — “from Stephen King to Gore Vidal to Plato,” he wrote in his BL staff bio — as well as both “high and popular culture — I might be found any night at a Vivaldi concerto at the Myerson, a U2 concert at American Airlines Center or a modernist Avant Garde Strindberg play in Deep Ellum.” He also loved to travel. He led the mock trial team, coached men’s golf and taught both U.S. history and government at BL. Post leaves behind two daughters — Sarah, who graduated from Lynch in ’04 and Hannah, who just graduated this year — and wife, Susan.

Schools

After the arrest of a former Lake Highlands High School teacher charged with and improper relationship and indecency with a child, the Richardson ISD released the following statement: Lake Highlands Freshman Center teacher Ethan Brown resigned May 29 after the district began investigating a possible inappropriate relationship between Brown and a LHHS student. Because RISD is committed to the safety and wellbeing of students, we take all reports of potential impropriety seriously. Dallas Police were contacted and RISD is cooperating with their investigation. Brown had been a teacher at Lake Highlands Freshman Center and a coach at Lake Highlands High School since 2010.”

LHHS will begin the 2014-2015 school year this month with a new head principal. Peggy Dillon, who has manned the post four years, has been promoted to executive director of high schools at the Richardson ISD administration building. At time of publication, the new principal had not been announced.

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.

ANGLICAN

ALL SAINTS DALLAS / 2733 Oak Lawn / 972.755.3505

Radical Inclusivity, Profound Transformation. Come and See! 9:00 & 11:00 am Sunday Services. www.allsaintschurchdallas.org

BAPTIST

LAKESIDE BAPTIST / 9150 Garland Rd / 214.324.1425

Worship — 8:30 am Classic & 11:00 am Contemporary

Pastor Jeff Donnell / www.lbcdallas.com

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

All services & Bible Study 9:15 & 10:45. Trad. & Blended (Sanctuary),

Contemporary (Great Hall), Amigos de Dios (Gym) / 214.860.1500

PRESTONWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH / “A Church to Call Home”

Sundays: Bible Fellowship (all ages) 9:15 am /Service Time 11:00 am

12123 Hillcrest Road / 972.820.5000 / prestonwood.org

WILSHIRE BAPTIST / 4316 Abrams / 214.452.3100

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

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

BIBLE CHURCHES

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

Sunday: LifeQuest (all ages) 9:00 am / Worship 10:30 am

Student Ministry: Wednesday & Sunday 7:00 pm / 214.348.9697

DISCIPLES OF CHRIST

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

Sunday School 9:30 am / THE TABLE Worship 9:30 am

Worship 8:30 & 10:50 am / Rev. Deborah Morgan-Stokes / edcc.org

LUTHERAN

CENTRAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, ELCA / 1000 Easton Road

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

Pastor Rich Pounds / CentralLutheran.org / 214.327.2222

FIRST UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH / 6202 E Mockingbird Ln.

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

METHODIST

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

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

Worship: 8:30 am & 10:50 am Traditional / 10:50 am Contemporary

WHITE ROCK UNITED METHODIST / www.wrumc.org

1450 Oldgate Lane / 214.324.3661

Sunday Worship 10:50 am / Rev. George Fisk

NON-DENOMINATIONAL

LAKE HIGHLANDS CHURCH / 9919 McCree / 214.348.0460

Sundays: Classes 9:30, Coffee 10:25, Assembly 10:45

Home groups meet on weeknights. / lakehighlandschurch.org

PRESBYTERIAN

LAKE HIGHLANDS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 214.348.2133

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

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

NORTHRIDGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 6920 Bob-O-Link Dr.

214.827.5521 / www.northridgepc.org / Welcomes you to Worship

Summer Worship: May 25 - Aug. 31 / 10:00am / Childcare provided.

UNITY

UNITY OF DALLAS / A Positive Path For Spiritual Living

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

Sunday services: 9:00 am & 11:00 am

IS THAT A CHURCH?

Or is it a school, a museum or a bed and breakfast?

Will your house of worship continue to house worship or will it someday house a bed and breakfast establishment, a school, an art museum or a supercomputer?

A disturbing trend is emerging in the repurposing of historic church buildings across the globe. Churches that once thrived with flocks of worshipers are being deconsecrated from their original religious intent. They still look like churches on the outside, but on the inside, what once was vital spiritual activity is now commercial, educational or cultural instead.

On a recent trip to the Scottish Highlands, I noticed a stately old church that had become a small hotel and restaurant. In Amsterdam you can see some of the oldest and most beautiful Protestant churches that function now as museums and community centers. The now-defunct Lakewood Baptist Church in our own community is now a bustling private school, Lakehill Academy.

The most striking repurposing of a church building, though, may be in Barcelona, Spain. The grand 19th century church, Torre Girona, was rebuilt after the Spanish Civil War and presents bypassers with the illusion of a sacred space within. But since 2005, within the old church you will find the Barcelona Supercomputing Center that fills the main hall. The MareNostrum supercomputer rests there inside a temperature-controlled glass enclosure. One of the world’s most powerful computers, MareNostrum aided the development of microchip technology, human genome mapping, astrophysics calculations and weather predictions.

Not all repurposing of church buildings requires new secular functions. Gaston Oaks Baptist Church in North Dallas has brilliantly foreseen a way to achieve its spiritual mission differently after the aging mother congregation is gone. It began by inviting financially challenged ethnic congregations to worship in its space. The church is now incubating healthy immi-

grant congregations from Africa, Myanmar (Burma) and Latin America. The Gaston church is legendary for sending more missionaries to the world than perhaps any Baptist church in the last century. Now that the world is on its doorstep, missionaries from around the globe are basing their outreach in the Gaston church building.

Next, the church created the Gaston Christian Center that houses community ministries such as the Healing Hands Clinic, which provides medical and dental care to the needy, and Gateway of Grace, a refugee resettlement ministry. This is a promising way of impacting the community even after the host church has ceased to be. Like seeds planted in fertile ground, these efforts will bloom for a new generation of God’s work.

Other churches are finding new life as new church starts in old church buildings. Munger Place Church in East Dallas gave the property of the declining Munger Place United Methodist Church a new birth. The North Texas Conference and Highland Park United Methodist Church demonstrated entrepreneurial spirit in modeling resurrection life for a once-dying congregation.

Of course, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” as the old saying goes. The best outcome for any church is to maintain a strong worshipping and serving community all along, so that decisions about repurposing need never be made. Faithful members, generous giving, wise leadership and a focus outward more than inward are crucial components of enduring religious ministries.

What will become of your house of worship in the next generation? It will depend in part on you.

Churches that once thrived with flocks of worshipers are being deconsecrated from their original religious intent.

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.

Lake Highlands loves America

Members of Legacy Youth Sports Football from the Hamilton Park neighborhood proudly displayed their banner at the Lake Highlands Exchange Club’s July 4th parade. Legacy is a branch of the Hamilton Park Historic Preservation Foundation. Learn more at youthlegacysports.org.

Students from Merriman Park Elementary flaunt Panther pride at the July 4th celebration in Lake Highlands. Hundreds of neighborhood residents lined the road in front of Lake Highlands High School for a party that included a parade, petting zoo, live music and food trucks. Parade photos by Carol Toler.

Local Resources

TO ADVERTISE 214.560.4203

EVENTS

DALLAS ELKS LADIES’ GARAGE/CRAFT SALE

Sat, Sept 6th. 8am-2pm. 8550 Lullwater Dr. 50 + Families

Participate. Cofee Bar / Food Court. Much More.

HIGHLANDETTES ANNUAL FAMILY GARAGE SALE

LHHS Gym. 9449 Church Rd. Sat, August 23 @ 8am-2pm. Furniture, Electronics, Clothes, Toys, Housewares, etc!

CLASSES/TUTORING/

LESSONS

ALL AGES: LEARN PIANO WITH WADE COTTINGHAM

LakewoodPianoLab.com Since 1998. 214-564-6456

ART: Draw/Paint. Adults All Levels. Lake Highlands N. Rec. Ctr. Yearly fee. 18-59 yrs-$15, 60+$10 Mon-1-3: Wed 10:15-1:15, 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

GUITAR OR PIANO Fun/Easy. Your Home. 11 Yrs Exp. Reasonable rates. UNT Grad. Larry 469-358-8784

LEARN NEW TESTAMENT GREEK

Beginners intermediates; Rice, TCU, DTS ex; John Cunyus 214-662-5494 www.JohnCunyus.com

MUSIC INSTRUCTION Especially For Young People Aged 5-12. Guitar, Piano, Percussion. ChildPlayMusicSchool.com. 214-733-1866

TUTORING: Writing coach. Manuscript Editor. 20+ years exp. 469-263-7004

Local BULLETIN BOARD

CLASSES/TUTORING/ LESSONS

Learn to draw this summer with Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain ®

Classes now offered in Dallas

Visit our website for location and registration info

www.PerceptionDrawing.com

Brenda Catlett Certified Instructor (972)989-0546

CHILDCARE

LOVING, CHRIST-CENTERED CARE SINCE 1982 Lake Highlands Christian Child Enrichment Center Ages 2 mo.-12 yrs. 9919 McCree. 214-348-1123.

EMPLOYMENT

AIRLINE CAREERS Begin Here. Get Trained As FAA Certified Aviation Technician. Financial Aid For Qualified Students. Housing & Job Placement Assistance. AIM 866-453-6204

PET SITTERS, DOG WALKERS Email Recruiting@pcpsi.com

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 TV RETAILER Starting at $19.99/month (for 12 months) & High Speed Internet starting at $14.95/month (where available) Save. Ask about Same Day Installation 1-800-615-4064

GRAPHIC DESIGN BY SOZA DESIGN Logos, Brochures, Posters & More. wsoza@yahoo.com 214-287-6499

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

A WILL? THERE IS A WAY Estate/Probate Matters-Free Consultation. 214-802-6768 MaryGlennAttorney.com

ACCOUNTANT/BOOKKEEPER 20+ years professional exp. Visit my web site rcp.spectangular.net or call 214-699-0499

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

BOOKKEEPING NEEDS? Need Help Organizing Finances? No Job Too Small or Big. Call C.A.S. Bookkeeping Services. Cindy 214-821-6903

FARMERS INSURANCE CALL JOSH JORDAN 214-364-8280. Auto, Home, Life Renters.

SEPTEMBER DEADLINE AUGUST 6

The Fourth be with you

Lake Highlands families turned out in full force at the Exchange Club Lake Highlands July 4th parade. Youngsters favored the floats whose passengers tossed candy to the crowd.

Lake Highlands High School Wildcats donning RISE T-shirts motivated the crowd during Lake Highlands’ July 4th festivities. RISE is an acronym for the inspirational words “ruthless,””intensity,”” sacrifice” and “emotion,” explain the students.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

OSTEOPATHY—CRANIAL OSTEOPATH For structural or internal problems, head & body, newborn, young child, all ages. Liz Chapek, D.O. 214-341-8742. www.chapek.doctorsoffice.net

PROFESSIONAL PERSONAL TRAINING To Suit Your Specific Training Needs.Terry 214-206-7823. terryrjacobs@outlook.com

REED & RIORDAN PLLC Dallas Family Law Attorneys 10000 N Central Expy Dallas. 214-570-9555 reedriordan.com

TRAVEL

CRUISEONE DALLAS Doug Thompson bigDcruises.com

Plan your cruise vacation today! 214-254-4980

PET SERVICES

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

HOMEGROWN HOUNDS DOG DELI / BAKERY Healthy homemade dog food / treats. 100% goes to rescue.hghdogs.com

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

SKILLMAN ANIMAL CLINIC Is Your Friendly, Personal, Affordable Vet. 9661 Audelia Rd. #340. 214-341-6400

In-Home Professional Care Customized to maintain your pet’s routine In-Home Pet Visits & Daily Walks

“Best of Dallas” D Magazine Serving the Dallas area since 1994 Bonded & Insured www.societypetsitter.com 214-821-3900

BUY/SELL/TRADE

GROUND FLOOR BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY Unique Opportunity for Residual Income. A Legacy Company Which Affords You and Your Family Guaranteed Income. 401-741-7596 healthandwealthct@gmail.com

JOURNEY WITH JANE for a unique travel experience. Travel dreams become reality. 469-662-5212. journeywithjane.com Estate Sale? >> List your garage or estate

BUY/SELL/TRADE

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

ESTATE LIQUIDATORS DALLAS Prof service since 1981 Call Ruth. 972-818-3000. 214-566-3861 estateliquidatorsdallas@yahoo.com

ESTATE SALES & LIQUIDATION SERVICES

Moving, Retirement, Downsizing. One Piece or a Houseful. David Turner. 214-908-7688. dave2estates@aol.com

TACL-B01349OE

JESSE’S A/C & APPLIANCE SERVICE TACLB13304C All Makes/Models. 214-660-8898

AROTX

972-523-3996

WWW.AROTX.COM

We at AROTX repair all major appliances Visit our website or call us WE DO SAME DAY SERVICE

CARPENTRY & REMODELING

HANDY DAN “The Handyman” To Do’s Done Right! www.handy-dan.com 214-252-1628

KITCHEN AND BATHROOM SPECIALISTS

JCI Remodeling: From Simple Updates to Full Remodeling Services. Competitive Pricing! JCIRemodeling.com 972-948-5361

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

RENOVATE DALLAS

renovatedallas.org 214-403-7247

TK REMODELING 972-533-2872 Complete Full Service Repairs, Remodeling, Restoration. Name It- We do it. Tommy. insured. http://dallas. tkremodelingcontractors.com

BRIAN GREAM

CLEANING SERVICES

Serving your Neighborhood Since 1993

Repairing: Refrigerators •Washer/Dryers

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

BLINDS, SHADES & DRAPERIES

SMARTLOOKS WINDOW & WALL DECOR

Window Treatments & Repair. 972-699-1151

CABINETRY & FURNITURE

SQUARE NAIL WOODWORKING

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

THE CABINET CONCIERGE

The Art of Storage. Call 214-821-5900

Email jin@thecabinetconcierge.com

CARPENTRY & REMODELING

ATLANTIS DESIGN-BUILD, LLC

Complete Remodeling. 40 Yrs Exp. Additions. 1 & 2 Story. Kitchens, Baths. Small Jobs To Entire House.

Renovation & Design. Full Time Supervision.

Licensed/Insured. Free Estimates. 281-761-4648

BO HANDYMAN Specializing In Historic Home

Renovations & Pro Remodels. Custom Carpentry, Doors, Kitchens, Baths & more. 214-437-9730

CUSTOM CARPENTRY BY RON 214-674-1604

Trim Specialist - Mouldings, Cabinets, Hardware. Misc. Projects & Repairs. No Job Too Small

TK Remodeling

Your neighborhood remodeler

•Repair •Remodeling •Restoration

•Complete full service

Name it— We do it

http://dallas.tkremodelingcontractors.com

Tommy 972-533-2872 INSURED

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

AMAZON CLEANING

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

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

INGRID CLEANING SERVICES Reliable, Dependable. Habla Español 214-395-1190

MAID 4 YOU Bonded/Insured. Park Cities/M Streets Refs. Call Us First. Joyce.214-232-9629

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

WANTED: HOUSES TO CLEAN 20 yrs. exp., Reliable, Great Prices, Excellent Refs., Free Ests. No Crews. Non-Corporate. Sunny 214-724-2555

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

YOU HAVE IT MAID SERVICES 972-859-0287 bonded/insured. Youhaveitmaidservices.com

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

BRICK & STONE REPAIR

Don 214-704-1722

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

BRICK, STONEWORK, FLAGSTONE PATIOS Mortar Repair. Call George 214-498-2128

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

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

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 214560-4203. 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.

ELECTRICAL SERVICES

4 U ELECTRICAL SERVICE, LLC

We will be there 4 U. 972-877-4183

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

LAKEWOOD ELECTRICAL Local. Insured.

Lic. #227509 Call Rylan 214-434-8735

TEXAS ELECTRICAL • 214-289-0639

Honest, Quality. TECL 24668 CCs accepted.

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

HANNAWOODWORKS.COM Decks,Doors, Carpentry, Remodeling 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

FIREPLACE SERVICES

CHIMNEY SWEEP Dampers/Brick & Stone

Repair. DFW Metro. Don 214-704-1722

FLOORING & CARPETING

ALL WALKS OF FLOORS 214-616-7641

Carpet, Wood, Tile Sales/Service Free Estimates

CLIFTON CARPETS 214-526-7405 www.cliftoncarpets.com

DALLAS HARDWOODS 214-724-0936

Installation, Repair, Refinish, Wax, Hand Scrape. Residential, Commercial. Sports Floors. 25 Yrs.

FLOORING & CARPETING

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

N-HANCE WOOD RENEWAL. No Dust. No Mess. No Odor. nhance.com. 214-321-3012.

WILLEFORD HARDWOOD FLOORS 214-824-1166 • WillefordHardwoodFloors.com

Restoration Flooring

HANDYMAN SERVICES

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

WANTED: ODD JOBS & TO DO LISTS

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

Your Home Repair Specialists

Drywall Doors

Senior Safety Carpentry

HOUSE PAINTING BRIAN

Small & Odd Jobs And More! 972-308-6035

HandymanMatters.com/dallas

25+ Years Experience

469.774.3147

Hardwood Installation · Hand Scraping Sand & Finish · Dustless restorationflooring.net

FOUNDATION

REPAIR

• Slabs • Pier & Beam

• Mud Jacking • Drainage

• Free Estimates

• Over 20 Years Exp.

972-288-3797

We Answer Our Phones

GARAGE DOORS

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

A FATHER, SON & GRANDSON TEAM Expert Window Cleaning. Haven 214-327-0560

DOVETAIL CUSTOM SHUTTERS Louis Wiggins 214-342-0889 dovetailshutters.com

LAKE HIGHLANDS GLASS & MIRROR custom mirrors • shower enclosures store fronts • casements 214-349-8160

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

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

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

HOME INSPECTION

INTERIOR DESIGN

WALLPAPER AND MORE

Serving Lakewood For Over 15 Years. Upholstery, Custom Draperies & Shutters. References Available Upon Request. 214-718-7281

HOUSE PAINTING

1 AFFORDABLE HOUSE PAINTING and Home Repair. Quality work. Inside and Out. Free Ests. Local Refs. Ron 972-816-5634 or 972-475-3928

#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

ABRAHAM PAINT SERVICE A Women Owned Business 25 Yrs. Int/Ext. Wall Reprs. Discounts On Whole Interiors and Exteriors 214-682-1541

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

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

ROMEO’S PAINTING Int/Ext. Drywall, Damage Repair. Prep House To Sell. 214-789-0803

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

ALL SURFACE REFINISHING 214-631-8719. Tub/Tile/Refinishing. allsurfacerefinishing.com

BATHTUB, COUNTERTOP & TILE Resurfacing: Walls, Tub Surrounds, Showers. Glaze or Faux Stone finishes. Affordable Alternative to Replacement! 972-323-8375. PermaGlazeNorthDallas.com

FENN CONSTRUCTION Any Tile Anywhere. www.dallastileman.com Back Splash Specials! 214-343-4645

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

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

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

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

A&B LANDSCAPING Full Landscape & Lawn Care Services. Degreed Horticulturist. 214-534-3816

Business Resources

TO ADVERTISE 214.560.4203

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

ALL YARD SERVICES Fertilization, Trim, Edge, Color. Com./ Res. 30 Yrs. Exp. Call Brooks. 972-279-3564, 214-923-5439

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

COLE’S LAWN CARE • 214-327-3923

Quality Service with a Personal Touch.

DALLAS K.D.R.SERVICES • 214-349-0914

Lawn Service & Landscape Installation

FOREVERLAWNTEXAS.COM George Berre. Quality Synthetic Grass, Free Est. 214-263-0828

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

IRRIGATION SYSTEM REPAIR Call Carl. 972-948-4335.Texas Irrigation Lic # 8708

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

RED SUN LANDSCAPES • 214-935-9779 RedSunLandscapes.com

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

SPRINKLER REPAIR SPECIALIST $25Off. 972-226-1925 www.rainmakertx.com LI#7732

TAYLOR MADE IRRIGATION Repairs, service, drains. 30+ years exp. Ll 6295 M-469-853-2326. John

THE POND MAN Water Gardens

Designed & Installed. Drained & Cleaned. Weekly Service. Jim Tillman 214-769-0324

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

WATER-WISE URBAN LANDSCAPES www.TexasXeriscapes.com 469-586-9054

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

LAWNS,

PEST CONTROL

A BETTER EARTH PEST CONTROL

Keeping the environment, kids, pets in mind. Organic products avail. 972-564-2495

McDANIEL PEST CONTROL

Prices Start at $85 +Tax for General Treatment

Average Home, Interior, Exterior & Attached Garage Quotes for Other Services

214-328-2847

Lakewood Resident

PLUMBING

A2Z PLUMBING 214-727-4040

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

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:

Faucet, Sewer, Sink Repairs. Water Leaks. Water Heaters, Gas Testing. Remodels, Shower Pans, Stoppages. Insured. Lic 20754. Since the 80’s 214-321-0589, 214-738-7116,CC’s Accptd

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

JUSTIN’S PLUMBING SERVICE

For All Your Plumbing Needs. ml#M24406 972-523-1336. www.justinsplumbing.com

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

REPAIRS, Fixtures, General Plumbing, Senior Discounts. Campbell Plumbing. 214-321-5943

SPECK PLUMBING

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

POOLS

ADAIR POOL & SPA SERVICE

1 month free service for new customers. Call for details. 469-358-0665.

LEAFCHASERS POOLS

Parts and Service. Chemicals and Repairs. Jonathan. 214-729-3311

LOCK’S POOL SERVICE - 469-235-2072 40 years experience. Pool Electrical TICL #550

ROOFING & GUTTERS

A&B GUTTER 972-530-5699

Clean Out, Repair/Replace. Leaf Guard. Free Estimates. Lifetime Warranty

ACE ROOFING

Roof Repair Specialist. Call Tom. 972-268-4047

MEDRANO ROOFING Resd/Comm. Quality Service & Craftsmanship. Free Est. 469-867-2129

ROOFING

health & wellness

REPORT

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

ADVERTISE IN THIS SECTION For more information call 214.560.4203 or email jliles@advocatemag.com

OPTOMETRIST

DR. CLINT MEYER www.dallaseyeworks.com

Did you know that studies indicate you blink 50% less often when staring at a computer. Staring at a computer for hours, or walking and biking around the lake with lots of allergens in the air can lead to Dry Eye! It can be very uncomfortable and the tearing is distracting and annoying. Let Dr. Meyer help you develop a plan to treat your dry eye, so you can enjoy your normal work, sport, and leisurly activities. Call Dallas Eyeworks today to schedule an appointment.

Dallas Eyeworks 9225 Garland Rd., Ste. 2120, Dallas, TX 75218 214.660.9830

COSMETIC AND GENERAL DENTISTRY

DENA T. ROBINSON, DDS www.drdenarobinson.com

This year, we are celebrating our 10-year anniversary serving the East Dallas/ White Rock Lake Community. Thank you for your loyalty and support along the way. Join us on Facebook as we celebrate!

FAGD - Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry 8940 Garland Rd., Ste. 200, Dallas, TX 75218 214.321.6441

FEATURE YOUR OFFICE IN

Q&A: Trevor Roe

Lake Highlands Area Improvement Association crime-watch chairman

Crime watch coordinator Trevor Roe of the Lake Highlands Area Improvement Association shares about his group and crime in the area.

Have there been any major crime incidents in the area recently?

In fact, my own neighborhood [Woodbridge] experienced an unprecedented series of break-ins and attempted breakins in late May 2014. In just a few days, a small group of individuals committed more of these crimes than we had seen in the last three years. Naturally, this had all of us feeling very uneasy. The good news is that we have a very active volunteer patrol (VIP) program that is managed with assistance from Dallas Police Department. Our resident patrollers immediately stepped up and added additional patrols throughout the day. Word apparently got out we were serious about stopping them because the problem disappeared as quickly as it came. It is a good example of how a few motivated residents were able to quickly drive out the criminals and bring a sense of calm and security back to the neighborhood. Any particular concerns over recent weeks?

Nothing beyond the usual increases in police activity we see in the summer months. It is typical to see more criminal activity when it is hot outside — this is a trend that holds true across the nation. What’s your advice regarding neighborhood crime?

HEALTH & WELLNESS REPORT

Reach our 200,000+ readers with average income of $146,750

ADVERTISE IN THIS SECTION

For more information call 214.560.4203 or email jliles@advocatemag.com

Crime is a serious concern for all of us, but do not live in fear. Instead, channel that energy into action both in your personal security and the security of your neighborhood. Install an alarm system in your home and be aware of your surroundings. Contact the Dallas Police Department about creating an anti-crime

program. They are eager to answer questions and help you get started. Above all, remember that residents who are united against crime and take action will drive the bad guys somewhere else.

Why is a neighborhood watch so important?

An active neighborhood watch or volunteer patrol program builds awareness across the entire neighborhood. Engaged residents who think in terms of preventing crime create an unfriendly environment for criminals. The bad guys will go where the job is easy and the risk is low. Make their job hard.

How can residents get involved?

Small hinges swing big doors. It only takes two or three residents to start a very effective anti-crime program. Contact the DPD and ask. They have several crime prevention programs they oversee from basic neighborhood watch to patrol programs like VIP where residents patrol their neighborhoods in marked vehicles. Above all, don’t assume that it has to take up a lot of your time. In fact, the DPD has recently condensed the VIP training to one day. Most of our volunteers commit about two hours a month at the date and time of their choosing. It’s that easy.

Anything else to add?

The quickest and most cost-effective way to boost your personal security is by adding an alarm system to your home. It never gets tired, never sleeps, it’s always watching over you and your loved ones. They are not as expensive to install as many people would assume (less than $200 for a basic system), and monitoring can be had for less than $20 per month. If your home does not have an alarm, consider one. It’s the fastest, easiest, cheapest way to make yourself a difficult target.

Sean

Chaffin is a freelance writer and author of “Raising the Stakes”, obtainable at raisingthestakesbook.com. If you have been a recent crime victim, email crime@advocatemag.com.

ICE CREAM PARLOR, RESTAURANT, GROCER

Unlocking the mysteries of Braum’s

COMMENT. Visit lakehighlands.advocatemag.com and search Braum’s to tell us what you think.

It’s after 9:30 on a Sunday night, and I’m craving that awesome coconutchocolate-walnut frozen yogurt from Braum’s. When I call the Lake Highlands store, a human being answers. Good news: Braum’s is open until 10:30 on Sunday nights.

And for about the millionth time I wonder: “How do they do it?”

It all starts on the farm. Ice cream comes from milk, and milk comes from cows, and cows birth calves so they

I wondered how it could possibly offer perishables that wouldn’t molder on the shelves. According to braums. com, freshness is insured by deliveries of all stock every two days.

But does Braum’s really sell enough produce to be profitable?

“Absolutely,” says Greg Kulp, manager at Braum’s on Greenville. I asked him what happens to the unsold stock. “We put it on reduced sale,” Kulp says. His voice exudes efficiency and confidence, which squashes my naïve notion that ice cream and produce might not be a natural retail fit.

What about the baked goods Braum’s sells, such as bread? For me, the biggest surprise is the brand name: Braum’s. Does that mean it contracts with a generic bread brand, and then put on its own label?

in the state of Kansas.

As a condition of that sale, Bill Braum agreed not to compete in the ice cream business in Kansas. So he put his dairy cows to work in Oklahoma, and built the Braum’s ice cream brand there.

Bill Braum’s son Drew is the current president of the company. At a 2005 meeting of the Oklahoma City Rotary club, he gave some insight into why the company remains a family business rather than selling shares to the public.

“I’d hate to go to stockholders and say, ‘I spent this much money and here’s my return on investment,’” Braum said. “I would be unemployed.”

can produce milk, and cows eat crops such as alfalfa and grains. At Braum’s 10,000 acre farm in Tuttle, Okla., farmers grow the grain (fertilized by the herd, no less), produce the feed, milk the cows, and load the trucks to deliver the products to Braum’s stores, all located within a 300-mile radius of the facility.

Back in 2005, when Braum’s began selling produce in its grocery section,

In fact, since Braum’s opened its bakery in 1978, it has produced all the baked goods sold in its stores, from hamburger buns to ice cream cones.

But how does Braum’s compete with McDonald’s for hamburger sales, grocery chains for milk sales and dedicated ice cream stores for profits?

Part of the answer is that the familyowned company is free to follow the business model built by its founder, Bill Braum. In the 1940s, Braum studied business at the University of Kansas, and then returned home to help his father, who was producing and selling butter. Eventually the family began to produce ice cream. They called their first brand “Peter Pan.” In 1968, they sold off the Peter Pan brand

So maybe Braum’s isn’t squeezing every possible penny out of its business, but unlike many industrial producers of farm crops and dairy, it is free to reject the pressure to increase production by using hormones and antibiotics on the cows. As a result, its dairy products are rbGH free.

And Braum’s is a good employer.

“It’s a great company to work for,” says Greg Kulp, the Lake Highlands store manager. “It’s a family- owned business, and the benefits are great.” Moreover, Kulp says part-time workers in the stores start above minimum wage, and full-time hourly workers receive benefits.

So for now, I’ll stop worrying that Braum’s might change. At Braum’s, a grown up like me can still order a child-size cone and be just as happy as a kid.

The

family-owned company is free to follow the business model built by their founder, Bill Braum.

Ellen Raff, a neighborhood resident, writes a monthly opinion column about neighborhood issues. Her opinions are not necessarily those of the Advocate or its management. Send comments and ideas to her at 6301 Gaston, Suite 820, Dallas 75214; FAX to 214.823.8866; or email editor@advocatemag.com.