LES SKROKS PERFORM AT BASTILLE ON BISHOP JULY

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By 3 p.m. on July 14, the temperature had reached 107 degrees. “I was worried, but then about 4 o’clock, a big thunderstorm came and cooled the temperature about 10 degrees,” says Bastille on Bishop co-founder Pierrette Lacour. By the time Bastille on Bishop started, at 6 p.m., it was drizzly but pleasant considering it was July in Texas. Lacour, who is from France, had invited Les Skroks, a brass band from Angers in western France, to perform at Bastille Day. It was a last-minute deal. The band was in Texas because Austin and Angers are sister cities. “Austin celebrates Bastille Day, just like we do, although they don’t have as big a celebration,” Lacour says. The city of Austin had invited brass bands from Angers to its Bastille Day celebration, which was July 13, a Sunday. A friend of Lacour’s from Austin phoned to say Les Skroks would be available to play at Bastille on Bishop, always on July 14; this past year, a Monday. “So I said, ‘Of course!’ ” she recalls. All 13 band members needed a place to stay for the night, so Jason Roberts of Go Oak Cliff put out a call on social media to see if anyone could put them up. A Kessler Park neighbor offered a bed to all 13 in one big house. With wine flowing, mussels to taste and games to play, Bastille on Bishop is a great time on its own. But add a streetperforming brass band? It was magic. “They created a great French ambiance,” Lacour says. “They played through the streets, and people were following them under their umbrellas. I just thought that was one of the best of the years we’ve had it.”

Speaking Of Paris January

Even though we wanted to strangle this one girl who kept drunkenly shouting “Yaaaaaaasss!” during literally every scene of “Paris Is Burning” during the inaugural CineWilde at the Texas Theatre, the night was a total success. Anyone who wanted could walk in a fashion show behind the screen that night. Cody Sanders lives in Richardson, but he drove all the way to Oak Cliff for the event.

Advocate photo editor Danny Fulgencio saw Sanders walking to the men’s room with a blonde wig and kimono, so he followed him in and got this shot. “I wasn’t planning to do the drag show, but my brother and I put on a little light makeup, and they provided wigs and dresses,” Sanders says. “I hadn’t even shaved, and I was still slightly bearded, but it was a good time.” Since then, Sanders says he’s come back for several more installations of the monthly event, which celebrates LGBTQ cinema. About 100 people attended that first event, and about 20 of them participated in the after show.

Now 1 year old, CineWilde is going strong. This month’s film had not been announced as of press time, but check thetexastheatre.com for more information.

Climate change is real, y’all. An ice storm the second day of March 2014 in Dallas, Texas, could not even snuff out the inimitable Oak Cliff Mardi Gras parade.

Ice on the roads resulted in official cancellation at the last minute. The 8,000 revelers typical for an Oak Cliff Mardi Gras stayed cozy at home in their wool socks and whatnot. But a dedicated few would not let freezing temperatures and a little North Texas sleet cancel the tradition, nor the party, in reality. Too much had been invested. So they fished out their earmuffs, costumes and beads to skitter down Davis. Among those floating on ice were the Winnetka Heights Neighborhood Association, winners of multiple past parades. After several years of decades themes — ’70s, ’60s and ’20s, in that order — they moved into classic film last year with a “Casablanca” float.

Ilsa, Rick, the club, the planes just imagine. The sets, costumes and choreography didn’t get their due that sleety March day, but oh, Winnetka will be back. Production started in November on this year’s “Wizard of Oz” float. About 25 people will work on the construction, overseen by neighbor Steve Bossay, who procured a garage for the building of the float. “A lot of people will come out to work if you have enough champagne,” says Candace Bossay. Neighbor Chris Barker, an opera singer, does the choreography. It is very serious.

In 2013, the year of the 1920s float, neighbors worked for hours — happy hours, that is — to learn a number that transitioned from ragtime into “Gangnam Style.”

Winnetka Heights, which has a $2,000 budget (much of which is spent on champagne), previously kept its theme top secret until parade day.

“The Wizard of Oz,” which the neighborhood association announced early on, is the equivalent of throwing down a trump card. It’s huge. Winnetka Heights has competitors. Stevens Park, Kings Highway, Oak Cliff Earth Day and the Dallas Off Road Bicycle Association are a few of the groups that also produce grand floats. So the champs just can’t put out a gal in a checked dress and groove on down the road. No, this will have the wicked witch, the yellow brick road, the Emerald City, flying monkeys, dance numbers — a veritable spectacular. We would expect nothing less.

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