2016 August Oak Cliff

Surgeons David Taunton, Howard Harris and Michael Nguyen are setting the benchmark for quality orthopedic care in North Texas. When it was time to build a new o ce for their growing practice, LegacyTexas was ready to assist. Having the right banking partner has given them the tools they need to operate at a higher standard.

YOUR LEGACY?

TEXAS ORTHOPEDIC SPECIALISTS

Michael Nguyen, M.D. | Howard Harris, M.D. | David Taunton, M.D.

KEEPOURFREEDOMS ON ‘ALAMO MANHATTAN’S BISHOP ARTS REAL ESTATE LISTING’

“GREAT NEWS! I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT ELMWOOD AND WYNNEWOOD RESIDENTS WOULD SUPPORT A ZONING CHANGE FOR MONTY ANDERSON’S PROJECT. AND KUDOS TO HIM FOR THINKING OF A WAY TO ACTIVATE THAT ODDLY NEGLECTED DART STATION”

LAKEWOODHOBO ON ‘ ‘CO-WORKING VILLAGE’ PLANNED AT FORMER INDUSTRIAL SITE IN ELMWOOD’

“THE MARDOCK FAMILY IS A TEXTBOOK EXAMPLE OF SUCCESSFUL IMMIGRANTS. THE FAMILY DID WELL KNOWING THEIR SUCCESS DEPENDED ON THEM BRINGING SOMETHING OF VALUE TO CONTRIBUTE TO AMERICA’S MELTING POT. SUCH A TRAGEDY.”

SMOKEY ON ‘SLAIN PSYCHIATRIST WAS A KIMBALL HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE’

FOLLOW US:

“Stop destroying Oak Cliff. We like it the way is.”

Thrilling

Above photo of longboarder Stu Martinez by Danny Fulgencio.

SINGERS TO COME FROM OAK CLIFF.

ON THE COVER: Greg Kennedy behind the wheel of one of his racecars. (Photo by Danny Fulgencio)

BRAKING FOR PEDESTRIANS

NEW BLOOD NEEDED TO ENSURE CROSSING THE STREET ISN’T A BLOOD SPORT

We were standing at a crosswalk, not one with a light but one with a “yield to pedestrians” sign, waiting to cross the street.

A car on the opposite side stopped immediately, the driver making eye contact with us so we knew it was safe. But the car in the lane nearest us kept coming and coming, finally blowing through the crosswalk with barely a glance in our direction.

I can’t say I was particularly shocked; this type of thing happens regularly in Dallas. Speaking as a driver, I understand why, too: Historically, there have been so few pedestrians in Dallas, it’s a shock when one pops up.

In Boston, though, it’s a different story. As one driver blew through the crosswalk, the driver on the other side sent a harsh look in the direction of the offender and an apologetic look toward us.

And therein lies the difference between Boston, one of the country’s great walking cities, and Dallas, which from time to time claims to be so. Boston’s traffic culture is hardwired to protect walkers, even encourage them, while Dallas’ traffic culture is more along the lines of the cult movie “Death Race 2000.”

In Boston, crosswalks are everywhere, they’re all well-marked, and they practically beg people to cross the street. In Dallas, we have more of an “I dare you” attitude toward pedestrians — good luck finding a convenient, well-marked crosswalk, and Godspeed getting across.

Also, the timing on Boston’s crosswalk signs can be almost hilariously

Rick Wamre

long — more than a couple of times, a walk signal seemingly lasted 30 seconds on a secondary road, with major intersection times even longer. Here in Dallas, I’ve stepped into an intersection the instant the walking dude flashed on, only to see the “Don’t Walk” indicator flashing literally one second later. Not exactly that Texas hospitality we brag about.

Historically, there have been so few pedestrians in Dallas, it’s a shock when one pops up.

Somewhere along the line, Boston made a conscious decision to encourage pedestrians. We’re only now getting to that point here.

The quickest way to build upon some of Dallas’ nascent steps is to ensure the next city manager we hire is someone who currently works far, far away from the City of Dallas.

We need a fresh look at pedestrians, bikers and potholes here, and if history is our guide, it’s not going to come from anyone currently drawing city paychecks.

We need to find the second- or third-in-charge in Boston, in New York, in San Francisco, in Chicago somewhere oriented toward pedestrians and residents. We need to pay that person the “world class” money we needlessly found for the current city manager.

Those of us who live here need to be the priority going forward, not flashy bypass roads and bogus river park plans. The only way that’s going to happen is if we find someone who isn’t already here, supply them with a butcher knife, and tell them to have at it.

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

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Advocate, © 2016, is published monthly by East Dallas – Lakewood People Inc. Contents of this magazine may not be reproduced. Advertisers and advertising agencies assume liability for the content of all advertisements printed, and therefore assume responsibility for any and all claims against the Advocate. The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject any editorial or advertising material. Opinions set forth in the Advocate are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the publisher’s viewpoint. More than 200,000 people read Advocate publications each month. Advertising rates and guidelines are available upon request. Advocate publications are available free of charge throughout our neighborhoods, one copy per reader. Advocate was founded in 1991 by Jeff Siegel, Tom Zielinski and Rick Wamre.

MEET OUR NEW DISD TRUSTEE

AUDREY PINKERTON ON HER CAMPAIGN, CHOICE SCHOOLS, OVER-TESTING AND MORE

The new Dallas Independent School District trustee representing much of Oak Cliff is Audrey Pinkerton, the 47-year-old owner of a commercial construction and consulting company called Forward Concept. Pinkerton replaces Eric Cowan, who served two three-year terms. She graduated from a DISD school, Thomas Jefferson High School, in 1986. She and her husband live in Kessler Park, and they raised two daughters through DISD schools; one is in college and one is a student at DISD’s high school arts magnet. When

we met with her in July, she was putting in at least 20 hours a week as a trustee, a volunteer position. Pinkerton ran against Dallas County Community College administrator Isaac Faz, in an election that has been described as among the most contentious in Oak Cliff memory. It’s all water under the bridge now, Pinkerton says, and she was reluctant to talk about it. But we coaxed it out of her anyway.

THIS IS A BIG QUESTION, BUT WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH?

All the schools in the district

should become schools of choice. That means they’re offering something other than the standard curriculum. Of course, Greiner is our arts magnet that most people know about now. Whether that’s STEM or arts curriculum or something else that attracts parents to schools.

The first thing a young family does when they move to a neighborhood is start asking around, “Where should I send my kids to school?” A real estate agent told me, “Rosemont … that’s where everybody sends their kids.” What

Audrey Pinkerton. (Photo by Danny Fulgencio)

people don’t know is there are many other great schools. For example, the dual-language program at Rosemont is very popular, but many people don’t know that Hogg and Winnetka also have dual language programs. So we’re starting to see some interest from families in those neighborhoods. We need to be focusing our attention on where we have gaps between what parents want and what our schools offer, and help the board close that gap.

WHAT GOALS DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUR THREE-YEAR TERM?

Testing, or what I call overtesting. With the advent of the new [DISD] performance system, there have been a number of tests added to what students already are required to take. That’s created some unintended consequences for teachers and students. Teachers are losing days of instruction to tests and test prep. We’re at the point that we’re giving midterms to first-graders, and that’s creating some anxiety for students. There are so many tests that the libraries are taken over for testing sometimes for half a year for testing coordination. Librarians are spending between 700 and 1,000 hours a year acting as test coordinators. The current administration is working on addressing that. I’m very encouraged by that, and I think the parents will be, too.

HOW DOES DISTRICT 7 MOVE FORWARD FROM SUCH A CONTENTIOUS CAMPAIGN?

It’s so local, and no one really turns out [to vote] for it, so I was definitely surprised by that. Some of it comes down to that philosophy of the reform movement versus independent thinker. Some of it comes down to utilization of social media people can be more negative in that forum than they would be in person. After the election, everyone has put their differences aside, and everyone

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has come together to work on the schools, and I think that’s one of the really nice things about Oak Cliff.

WHAT DID YOUR OPPONENTS’ SUPPORTERS GET WRONG ABOUT YOU?

Oh, goodness. I was not aligned with Donald Trump. I didn’t work with Republicans to cut funds for public education.

WHEN DID YOU BEGIN CONSIDERING A RUN FOR THE DISD BOARD?

About six months to a year before the kickoff date. I’ve been involved in schools for a long time, about 14 years, and over the last couple of years I’ve become more involved in the school board and realizing how important the board is and that how well the board holds the superintendent accountable affects really everything. I’m not a politician, and I’ve never been deeply involved in a campaign. I was surprised at how much time it takes.

FOUR OF THE SCHOOLS IN DISTRICT 7 ARE FACING PRINCIPAL TRANSITIONS, WHAT WILL THAT MEAN FOR THE DISTRICT?

Anytime you have a change in leadership, there’s an adjustment period. The challenge is to find new leaders who have high standards for academics and are also welcoming and responsive to parents and teachers. The new principal for Sunset is an alum of Sunset, and she’s coming from Mata Montessori where the parents love her so much that they’re upset she’s leaving, which I think is the best compliment.

People are very interested in sending their children to Sunset, but they’re uncertain about it. There is a fair percentage [of neighborhood kids] who don’t go to Sunset, and I think we can transform that school back into a true neighborhood school.

WHAT’S THE NEXT ROSEMONT IN DISTRICT 7, IN TERMS OF PARENT ENGAGEMENT?

WHEN YOU TALKED TO VOTERS,

WHAT WERE ONE OR TWO CONCERNS YOU HADN’T CONSIDERED?

Sometimes I would hear from parents who were second- and third-generation [Americans] whose children didn’t speak Spanish who felt the [non-Hispanic] learners in their schools were receiving more attention. I was really surprised by that comment. I was also surprised at how little parents understand all the choices the district provides.

DO YOU STILL STAND BY YOUR DECISION TO VOTE AGAINST THE DISD 2015 BOND?

Yes, I do. My position wasn’t that we don’t need a bond. My position was that the bond program presented to the voters should be improved. The way that bond is being financed, we as taxpayers 20 years from now will have a $1 billion balloon payment, and I think that’s a concern that taxpayers will have in the future.

It seemed very different from what the district had done in the past.

The early signs I’m seeing is that it’s Hogg because we’re seeing a few families who are interested in becoming engaged at Hogg. The PTA isn’t that strong yet, but there’s some interest in starting an early childhood PTA there.

HOW DOES THE ATTENDANCE BOUNDARY CHANGE FOR FELIX G. BOTELLO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IMPACT FAMILIES IN THAT AREA?

It’s unifying Wynewood North, so it’s giving that neighborhood one school that everyone is going to. The idea is that families within Wynnewood North choosing to go to Botello could be a positive change as far as parent engagement and involvement.

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT DALLAS ISD WILL DO WITH THE OLD ADAMSON HIGH SCHOOL?

I’ve been lobbying for the new CityLab choice school to come in, and I think it would be great for all the new urbanists who are in our neighborhood. There would be a lot of people who could be tapped to come in and do enrichment.

RACHEL STONE

Aug. 1

BUBBLE TIME

What sounds better than an afternoon full of bubbles? Not much. At the North Oak Cliff Branch Library, make some of the biggest and strangest looking bubbles imaginable.

North Oak Cliff Branch Library, 302 W. Tenth, 214.670.7555, dallaslibrary2.org, free

Aug. 2

AMERICAN GREED

“The Koch Brothers Exposed” is this month’s first Tuesday social justice film. It’s a documentary about the world’s richest and most powerful men, Charles and David Koch.

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Oak Cliff, 3839 W. Kiest, 214.337.2429, firsttuesdayfilms.org, free

AUGUST

Aug. 6

REUNION SHOW

WE’RE IN OAK CLIFF BECAUSE OAK CLIFF IS IN US.

For decades now, Dave PerryMiller Real Estate agents have not only represented buyers and sellers seeking to deepen their family’s Oak Cliff roots, but have put down roots here as well.

Del Castillo, the Latin-rock

band from Austin, will play a reunion show for fans, old and new. Kessler Theater, 1230 W. Davis, 214.272.8346, thekessler.org, $22+

Aug. 14

PRINCE AND PROMISE

“Uncork for a Cause” is a fundraiser for Promise House, the Oak Cliff-based shelter for homeless and at-risk youth. Prince Fielder of the Texas Rangers hosts, and tickets include dinner, open beer-and-wine bar and the chance to bid on Texas Rangers gear, baseball memorabilia and California wines. Hilton Southlake Town Square, 1400 Plaza Place in Southlake, 813.474.2400, uncorkforacause.com, $150-$250

Aug. 20

DOOM POP

Denton-based rock band The Single Issues perform an 8 p.m. show. The Foundry offers free live music most Friday and Saturday nights. The Foundry, 2303 Pittman, 214.749.1112, cs-tf.com, free

Aug. 21

BUELLER BUELLER

Right before school starts again, the Texas Theatre brings some nostalgia, showing the class-cutting classic “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Texas Theatre, 231 W. Jefferson, 214.948.1546, thetexastheatre.com, $1

Aug. 21

BIRD WATCHING

In need of some birding basics? Head to the Trinity River Audubon Center to enjoy the beauty of Dallas and pick up some bird tips. Trinity River Audubon Center, 6500 Great Trinity Forest Way, 214.398.8722, trinityriveraudubon.org, free for members; $15 otherwise

Aug. 24

Cat video fest

Dallas Video Fest founder Bart Weiss has four cats: Bitzer, CC Rocket, Ali and Trouble (aka Bubble). Join him for the 7 p.m. Internet Cat Video Festival, featuring cat videos from all over the internet, including Oak Cliff. The Texas Theatre, 231 W. Jefferson, 214.948.1546, thetexastheatre.com, $15

If you’d like to leave your own legacy in Oak Cliff, call us today to learn more about our properties of distinction.

Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate, InTown 2828 Routh Street, Suite 100 214.303.1133

Delicious

Vegetarian tacos from Tacodeli. (Photo by Kathy Tran)

TACODELI

1878 Sylvan

214.760.1930

tacodeli.com

AMBIANCE: Counter-service café

PRICE RANGE: $3-$7

HOURS: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-3 p.m.

Saturday-Sunday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

Eric Wilkerson opened the first Tacodeli in a tiny space off the Barton Springs greenbelt in Austin about 17 years ago.

He and business partner Roberto Espinosa spent 10 years there, perfecting their unique recipes and customer focus, before venturing into an expansion. For the following five years, they operated only two restaurants in Austin.

But over the past two years, they’ve ramped up expansion, by their careful standards anyway, opening three more Austin locations and one in Dallas, just across the interstate from Oak Cliff, at Sylvan Thirty.

The restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch only, offering an abundance of vari-

ety. Unique menu items include a grilled salmon taco and a veggie taco with roasted sweet potatoes, grilled corn, peppers and caramelized onions. There are also four or five varieties of steak tacos, three pork tacos and six different chicken tacos. Plus there are four kinds of salsa, including the signature, addicting “salsa doña,” made with jalapeños and garlic. Speaking of addicting, do order the queso.

This location sources tortillas from West Dallas mom-and-pop shop La Norteña Tortillas, and everything is ordered fresh and local as possible.

They’re always thinking of ways to innovate.

“We can’t be complacent,” Wilkerson says. “We’re only as good as the taco we’re serving right now.”

Wilkerson and Espinosa are interested in opening more locations in the Dallas area — they’ve looked at a few spaces in Fort Worth, although they haven’t found just the right one yet. And they are planning to open their first location in Houston by the end of the year. —RACHEL

ADVOCATE’S BEST OF 2016 RECAP

Over the past three months, Advocate readers voted to select the best of Oak Cliff. Be sure to visit all of these local spots, and share your pictures with us on social media — we’d love to see you around the neighborhood. #AdvocateBestOf

BEST OF DINING

BEST BREAKFAST/BRUNCH

WINNER

NORMA’S CAFÉ

RUNNERS-UP

Jonathon’s (2014 Winner)

Oddfellows

NOMINEES

El Jordan Café

Hattie’s

Whisk Crepes Café

Boulevardier

Bolsa

Metro Diner

Bolsa Mercado

Smoke

Tillman’s

Pink Magnolia

Kessler Park Eating House

BEST SWEETS

WINNER

EMPORIUM PIES

RUNNERS-UP

Kessler Pie Co.

Dude, Sweet Chocolate

NOMINEES

Panaderia Vera’s

CoCoAndre Chocolatier

Joy Macarons

Cretia’s

Potpourri of Silk

La Maroches

BEST BAR WINNER

NOVA (2015 Winner)

RUNNERS-UP

The Local Oak

Ten Bells Tavern

NOMINEES

Bolsa

Small Brewpub

Cibo Divino

Parker Barrows

Whitehall Exchange

Oak Cliff Social Club

Wine Poste

Barbara’s Pavilion

Wild Detectives

Pour House Dallas

Bar Belmont

The Foundry

BEST BURGERS WINNER

HUNKY’S (2014 Winner)

RUNNERS-UP

Burguesa Burger

Wingfield’s

NOMINEES

Country Burger

Bolsa

303 Bar & Grill

BEST NIGHT OUT WINNER

EL RANCHITO

RUNNERS-UP

Boulevardier

VH

NOMINEES Lucia

Stock & Barrel

Hattie’s

Bouchon 1314

Tillman’s

Bolsa

Zen Sushi

Pink Magnolia

Smoke

Mesa

BEST LUNCH SPOT WINNER

DALLAS GRILLED CHEESE CO.

RUNNERS-UP

Cheesesteak House

Bolsa Mercado

NOMINEES

Eno’s Pizza

Cretia’s

Ten Ramen

Charco Broiler

Spiral Diner

Jonathon’s

Hunky’s

Potpourri of Silk

El Corazon de Tejas

Pho 88

BEST PIZZA WINNER

ENO’S PIZZA

RUNNERS-UP

Cibo Divino

Home Run Pizza (2014 Winner)

NOMINEES

Oak Cliff Pizza & Pasta

Nova

BEST TACOS WINNER

EL SI HAY

RUNNERS-UP

El Taxqueno

Tacodeli

NOMINEES

El Tizoncito

El Jordan Café

El Corazon de Tejas

Trompo

Taco Rico No. 2

BEST COFFEE WINNER

DAVIS STREET ESPRESSO

RUNNERS-UP

Oddfellows

Espumoso

NOMINEES

Wild Detectives

Bolsa Mercado

BEST HOME GOODS

WINNER

HOME ON BISHOP

RUNNERS-UP

Bishop Street Market

Set & Co.

NOMINEES

Neighborhood Society

Dwell on Davis

Fête-Ish

We Are 1976

Simply Austin

BEST PET SERVICES

WINNER

BONES AND BACON PET RESORT

RUNNERS-UP

Oak Clips (2014 Winner)

The Petropolitan

NOMINEES

Green Pet

Bishop Arts Dog Grooming

The Pawlished Pooch

Wonderland

BEST DATE SPOT

WINNER

BISHOP ARTS DISTRICT

RUNNERS-UP

The Kessler Theater

Sylvan Thirty

NOMINEES

Bar Belmont

Bishop Arts Theater Center

Texas Theatre (2015 Winner)

BEST LIVE MUSIC VENUE

WINNER

KESSLER THEATER

RUNNERS-UP

The Foundry

Texas Theatre

NOMINEES

Wild Detectives

Bishop Arts Theater Center

Spinster Records

BEST OF SERVICES

BEST PLACE TO BE PAMPERED WINNER

YAYA FOOT SPA

RUNNERS-UP

Skin and Body Solutions Day Spa

Urban Hippie Chiropractic

NOMINEES

Texas Fadez

Brass Tacks Barbershop

Cloverleaf Boutique

Growth Life Studio

BEST SPECIALTY SHOP WINNER

DIRT FLOWERS

RUNNERS-UP

Oak Cliff Bicycle Company

Oil & Cotton

Cozy Cottage

NOMINEES

Rose Garden Remake

House of MacGregor

Glass Optical

Artisan’s Collective

M’Antiques

Small Planet E-Bikes

BEST OF CULTURE

BEST PLACE TO RELAX

WINNER

TWELVE HILLS NATURE CENTER

RUNNERS-UP

Wild Detectives

Lucky Dog Books

NOMINEES

Golf Club of Dallas

Stevens Park Golf Course

Belmont Hotel

BEST PLACE TO WORK OUT WINNER

INSPIRE FITNESS DALLAS

RUNNERS-UP

The Sweat Shop

OAKFit

NOMINEES

Clairevista Vitality Club

Anytime Fitness

Planet Fitness

Jonathan’s Private Training Studio

Sync Yoga

Bishop Arts Crossfit

Vivero Boxing Gym

Elite Kettlebell Club

Yoga from the Ends of the Earth

Edge Group Fitness

BEST PLACE FOR KIDS

WINNER

DALLAS ZOO

RUNNERS-UP

North Oak Cliff Library (2015 Winner)

Kidd Springs Park and Rec Center

NOMINEES

Hampton Illinois Library

Oil & Cotton

The Golf Club of Dallas

Annie L. Stevens/Toddler Park

Chicken Scratch

BEST LOCAL ATTRACTION/EVENT WINNER

BISHOP ARTS DISTRICT

RUNNERS-UP

Annual Mardi Gras Parade

The Texas Theatre

NOMINEES

Brew Riot

Jefferson Tower

The Belmont Hotel

Cinco de Mayo Parade

Blues Bandits & BBQ

Bastille Day

Best Local Attraction winner, Bishop Arts District (Photo by Danny Fulgencio)

LIVIN’ ON THE

THERE ARE THOSE AMONG US WHO DON’T TRULY FEEL ALIVE

unless their blood is pulsating through their veins, accelerated by the incessant beat of a heart racing with adrenaline. They spend their lives chasing that natural high, each for their own aim. Some like the rush, others need to push themselves to reach new challenges to feel complete. Whatever their reason, they have found something that gives them that necessary feeling of elation, whether it’s flying downhill on a skateboard, making bicycle jumps or racing automobiles. It may not be for everyone, but for these neighbors, the more extreme the better.

STORY / Rachel Stone PHOTOS / Danny Fulgencio

NICOLE CRONKHITE MOUNTAIN-BIKE RACER

EDGE

Mountain biking is no ride in the country. The sport is perilous at any level. The saying goes, “It’s not ‘if’ you’ll be injured but ‘when.’ ”

That’s why 30-year-old mountain-bike racer Nicole Cronkhite was almost relieved to sustain a radial head fracture to her right arm during a race this past April.

“I’d never broken a bone before,” she says. “So it was like, ‘OK, I know what that’s like now.’ I got that out of the way.”

She started riding mountain bikes about seven years ago at the encouragement of her then-boyfriend. On her second ride ever, they hit Oak Cliff Nature Preserve.

“I fell like five times. It was a disaster,” she says. “I swore I was never going back to OCNP.”

Now she frequently rides from home to that park to do a lap or two for an easy weekday workout. Her favorites are the more challenging courses at Boulder Park in Red Bird and Big Cedar in Cedar Hill.

Cronkhite’s racing career started a few years ago, when she began entering local endurance races. That’s where racers compete to finish the most laps of a course within a given timeframe, usually several hours or more. About two years ago she decided to take it more seriously, so she hired a coach with team Kodiak Tough.

She’s raced with Kodiak Tough about eight times this year, until the arm fracture, and she’s planning about eight more starting in September.

Enduro racing, where athletes compete for time on staged downhill courses, has become Cronkhite’s new obsession. It involves flying downhill through the woods as fast as possible, completing jumps and drops and other highly technical skills.

“I really love that feeling of flying,” she says.

The sport requires excellent fitness, and Cronkhite, who also is a yoga instructor, trains on her bike pretty much every day. Racing takes intense focus and requires a Zen-like presence of mind, she says.

The goal is to keep pushing her limits and see how far the sport can take her, and she’s constantly learning new things, she says.

“I can’t imagine not racing and not doing something new with that aspect of my life,” she says.

ANDRE BROWN LONGBOARDER

Riding a 1-inch thick piece of wood on wheels some 30 miles per hour downhill. That’s 19-year-old Andre Brown’s hobby.

“Starting out, it is scary because you’re uncomfortable going that fast,” he says. “Then it becomes second nature. You figure out how to not get yourself killed.”

Brown started out about three years ago as a “dancer,” a style of longboarding where the riders perform tricks on their boards. About a year ago, he became a freestyler. That’s where athletes ride downhill, controlling their speed by kicking the board sideways as they go.

Longboarding is not as popular here as it is in California, and it’s more popular in Austin than it is in Dallas, but for a freestyler, there couldn’t be a better place than hilly Oak Cliff.

Brown found a low-traffic street that is steep and winding behind his home near Southwest Center Mall; he calls it “switchback hill,” and it’s his main training ground.

Recently he discovered a group of longboarders who meets Downtown every Sunday, and they usually find a parking garage for downhill bombing.

Brown wears a helmet to ride, and he’s saving up for specialized gloves after skinning the palms of his hands three times.

He had been riding about five hours a day, every day, until he recently took a job at Walmart and had to cut back. Now he’s riding about three days a week for three or four hours.

“I would like to get sponsored and travel, but that’s not a life goal,” he says. “I don’t want it to turn into a job. I just want to have fun.”

ON THE EDGE

GREG KENNEDY RACECAR DRIVER

Greg Kennedy drives Japanese sports cars as fast as he can, upward of 100 miles per hour sometimes, on racetracks all over Texas.

But he doesn’t consider himself a thrill-seeker.

“It’s all so calculated in a way,” he says. “That’s not to say it’s not dangerous. But for the most part, I know everyone around me, and I can trust their abilities or at least, I know what their weaknesses are.”

Commuting everyday from, say, Addison to Oak Cliff, is dangerous too, but that’s no fun.

Kennedy, who owns a company that builds furniture for restaurants and offices, started racing cars in 1999.

He attended a grand prix race in Houston and thought, “I could do that.”

For most of his racing life, he’s sat behind the wheels of Mazda RX7s converted to racecars. More recently, he’s been working on a prototype car that’s similar to the cars seen in the Indianapolis 500, but with closed wheels.

It’s an expensive hobby. An independent driver needs a car and a trailer to haul it, for starters. The typical entry fee for a race costs $400. Fuel, spare tires and other supplies for car and driver can put the cost of a racing weekend well over $1,000.

“There are guys who spend thousands of dollars all for a pressboard plaque,” the typical podium prize, Kennedy says.

The sport is very physical, particularly in sports car racing, which involves shifting, breaking and left and right turns.

“You’re shifting gears as many as 22 times a lap, and your feet are moving most of the time,” Kennedy says. “In the summer, it’s brutally hot.”

Kennedy, who was born in Oak Cliff and now lives in Brettonwood Estates, also teaches performance driving and racing through the Drivers Edge.

His best students, he says, are airline pilots and long-haul truckers, because they know how to scan the road ahead and how to shift the weight of the car in a predictable way.

“We’re so lucky in Texas because we have so many new racetracks,” he says.

He once was T-boned during a race at the Texas World Speedway in College Station. The accident bent his car and caused him some soreness, but nothing serious.

Injuries are rare in motor sports because of constantly improving safety regulations and advances, Kennedy says. Once he saw a driver die on the track — the man won his race and then suffered a massive heart attack during his victory lap and died almost immediately.

Sometimes Kennedy plays “Force of Five,” a car-racing video game, with his daughter. It’s a good game, he says, but there’s nothing that compares to the real thing.

“There’s a thrill when you’re sliding through a corner,” he says. “It’s the control, the mastery of the track.”

Clockwise from top left: Luchador Dosis peeks out of the curtain. Aski, the masked man at home. A luchador flies off the top rope at Gaston Bazaar.

DALLAS TEXAS LUCHA LIBRES LUCHADORES

Sangre Guerrera flaps open a makeshift curtain, and enters under the fluorescent lights of Gaston Bazaar in far East Dallas.

He climbs into the wrestling ring and struts around a few paces, pointing and shouting. Then he drops down and puts his masked face close to audience members sitting in metal folding chairs, everyone pointing and talking smack in Spanish.

Outside the ring, Guerrera is a quiet 52-year-old with a family and a job, but here at Dallas Texas Lucha Libre, he is a foil, the bad guy in a green-and-white luchador mask.

Since a larger, more popular bazaar opened in an old K-Mart just east of Interstate 30 a few years ago, wrestling matches have become the main attraction at Gaston Bazaar. The man behind the luchadores is Mac Reyes of Oak Cliff.

Reyes, who wrestled from 19892012, was a second-generation lucha. His father, also Mac Reyes, was from near Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, and was a popular and well-known wrestler in his day.

The younger Reyes is a 1986 Adamson High School graduate and debuted as a wrestler at the old Sears building on Jefferson when he was about 21. They also held wrestling matches at Casa Guanajuato and Rocket Skate Palace in the ’80s and ’90s.

Reyes started the Gaston Bazaar showcase four years ago as a way to boost the sport in Dallas. The event, every Saturday and Sunday from about 4-6:30 p.m., is donation based. Spectators can donate $3 for a chair, and the hat is passed between matches.

These bouts, although heavy on acting and choreographed moves, can get very serious. When foil Chaco destroys fan favorites Havoc and Dosis in a tag-team match one Sunday afternoon, the fans heckle and boo. Chaco revels in the confrontation; he taunts the audience and then pitches a water bottle, splashing several people in the front row. A guy wearing church clothes and expensive looking shoes shouts expletives in Spanish: “My phone is wet, you idiot!”

The fans throw water and boo heartily until Chaco finally exits to the makeshift backstage.

“We’re like a cheap psychologist,” says Aski, a luchador from Oak Cliff who declines to give his real name because he is masked, and the lucha code requires anonymity.

Wrestling matches offer fans a hero to cheer for and a villain to despise. It gives spectators a few hours to clear their heads and focus only on something fun, he says.

Aski, 35, started wrestling in 2004. He played soccer and football at North Dallas High School, but nothing measures up to this, he says.

The training is intense, and the sport requires physical and mental strength, not to mention acting skills. There are bumps and bruises every time, and wrestling careers sometimes end in back injuries, but blood and broken bones are very rare, Aski says.

Before entering the ring, there is an adrenaline rush, he says, speaking through the mask.

“We know we’re going into a battle, and we don’t know what the outcome will be,” he says. “It’s something that you look forward to, and it becomes part of you.”

THE BOUNDARY

AN OLD TRANSPORTATION HUB THAT’S STILL ROLLING ALONG

STORY BY RACHEL STONE | PHOTOS BY DANNY FULGENCIO

When Alex Wilder went to work at Troy’s Alternators in 1974, a hamburger stand, a clothing shop and Big D Cycle shared the block, and the Vogue Theater was showing second-run movies for $1.

Troy’s, which Wilder bought from his father-in-law around 1977, opened in a small brick building at 1900 W. Jefferson in 1963. That makes it one of the oldest businesses in The Boundary. Once a thriving little commercial district and transportation hub centered on Jefferson and Marlborough, The Boundary persists as a home to modest local businesses in buildings that date to around 1900.

Preservationists believe The Boundary was named for its role in Oak Cliff transportation. The old streetcar ran down Jefferson and turned left at Marlborough, making that intersection the westernmost

point on the city’s streetcar system. It’s also a couple of blocks from where the bygone Interurban rail line between Dallas and Fort Worth started.

Donald Allen, who owned a TV repair business in the neighborhood for more than 30 years, says an old-timer once told him she watched nearby Sunset High School being built in 1925.

“She told me there wasn’t even much of a road past Hampton,” Allen says.

The Vogue Theater, built in 1949 on the site of its predecessor, the Bison Theater, made The Boundary a center of activity. But it closed for good sometime in the late ’70s. A church bought the property in the ’90s and tore out the façade to make the building look more like a church in 2010.

“I had hopes for [the

neighborhood] until the church so drastically altered the Vogue,” says our neighborhood’s city landmark commissioner, Michael Amonett.

Even without the old theater, The Boundary has plenty of potential.

Victor Ballas bought the old Allen’s TV Repair building, originally a 7-Eleven, in the 1800 block of West Jefferson in 2013 and has fixed it up into three storefronts. Two of them now are leased to beauty salons.

The building at 1924 W. Jefferson once housed a western-wear store, Bond’s, where there is now a karate studio, a piñata shop and a convenience store. On the corner, where there has been a beauty salon for decades, was Big D Cycle, the legendary Dallas motorcycle shop. That space originally housed The Boundary Pharmacy.

The Sala family, which owns

The building at 1924 W. Jefferson once housed legendary Dallas motorcycle shop Big D Cycle. It’s been a beauty shop for many years.

Sala Printing Service, has owned its building at 121 N. Marlborough in The Boundary for decades. The building now houses an insurance agency, where for ages there was a dry cleaner, along with the printing service, which customizes trophies and other awards.

The aging buildings on the corners of Marlborough haven’t been updated in years, and they don’t enjoy any protection from demolition.

But they are part of the Rosemont Crest Historic District, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. That means property owners are eligible for federal and state tax credits, if their façade haven’t been altered too much.

Allen says the biggest changes in the neighborhood are traffic — he estimates the number of cars on Jefferson has quadrupled in recent years — and the infusion of new homeowners.

Young families have “invaded the

neighborhood,” in a good way, he says.

Wilder, a Kimball High School graduate who turns 60 in September, says he plans to keep Troy’s Alternators open another five or 10 years. Years ago, the shop had four or five workers and cars lined up for service. Now Wilder rebuilds and sells starters and alternators, mostly to shade-tree mechanics and a few other longtime customers who

haven’t retired yet. He works by himself, but the building is paid for, and he knows that’s an advantage.

“It used to be you couldn’t give a house away over here, and now it’s gone crazy,” he says of the real estate market. “It’s odd to see. We saw this neighborhood when it was good, and we saw it when it wasn’t so good. Now it’s coming back around again.”

oakcliff.advocatemag.com

A convenience store, a piñata shop and a karate school are among the small businesses in The Boundary.

Success Starts Here.

KESSLER SCHOOL

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

LAKEHILL PREPARATORY SCHOOL

Lead i n g t o S u cc e ss . 2720 H i ll si de Dr. , Dalla s 7 52 14 / 214.826.2931 / lakehillprep. o r g K inder g arten t hrou g h G rad e 1 2 - Lakehill Pre p arator y S chool take s th e word p re p arator y i n it s nam e ver y seriousl y Throu g hout a student’s acad emic career , Lakehill build s a n educational pro g ram tha t achieves its g oal of enablin g g raduates to attend th e finest , m ost ri g orous u niv e r s i t i es of c h o i ce. La k e hill co m b in es a robust , colle g e-prep arator y cu rri cu l u m wi th o pp ortunitie s f o r p ersonal g rowth, in d ivi dua l e nri c hment , a n d communit y inv o lv e m e n t Fr om k inder g arten throu gh hi gh school , ever y La k e hill stude n t i s encoura g ed to strive , challen g ed t o succeed , and inspired to excel.

ST. ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY CATHOLIC SCHOOL

401 9 S Ham p to n Rd. Dalla s 7 5 224 / 214.331.513 9 / www.saintspride.com

At St. t Elizabeth of Hungary, f our fundamental task is k the education of the f whole child combining learning with faith, Catholic doctrines and moral teachings. We introduce all PK3-8th Grade students to the integrated ways of STEM. This approach to education is designed to revolutionize the teaching of sub- f ject areas t such as mathematics and science by incorporating y technology and y engineering into regular curriculum. r Over the r past 10 t years, 95% of St. f Elizabeth 8th graders were accepted to their first choice t high school. Join us for an r informational school tour and r see for yourself how f easy w it y is t to become a Saint! Call 214.331.5139 for information. r

69%

of our f readers r say they y want to t know more w about private schools.

to advertise call 214.560.4203

CLAUDIA VEGA was named Sunset High School’s new principal. Vega is a 1998 alumna of the school and began her teaching career at Sunset. Before taking this position, Vega was principal of Eduardo Mata Elementary School in Lakewood for four years. Vega says, “Sunset and the Oak Cliff community are home for me.”

PEOPLE

CRAIG MILLER, Dallas ISD’s chief policeman, is set to retire at the end of the year to start a business that is similar to Uber called Bubbl. The biggest difference between his company and Uber’s is that his will employ offduty police officers as the drivers. In an interview with the Dallas Morning News, Miller said the aspect of having offduty officers being drivers will provide “instant credibility for being safe and trustworthy.”

MARK CUBAN gave $1 million to the Dallas Police Department in response to the Orlando shooting that claimed 49 lives at a gay night club. In a press release from POLICE CHIEF DAVID BROWN, he said, “These funds will be used primarily to protect the LGBT community. We will earmark and track the expenditure of these funds to ensure its effective use in creating a safe environment.” This includes counterterrorism efforts and boosting police presence in Oak Lawn. Cuban said in the press release, “I’m proud to be able to help the City of Dallas.”

Someone in Oak Cliff is $1 million richer. A winning lottery ticket was sold at the TOM THUMB store on Hampton at Wentworth in July. The Mega Millions jackpot had grown to $540 million when the lucky Oak Cliff player matched five of six numbers.

A STEM campus, in conjunction with Notre Dame University

BUSINESS BUZZ

WHAT’S

UP WITH NEIGHBORHOOD BUSINESSES

NOW OPEN

A new Jamaican restaurant, THE ISLAND SPOT, opened in late June in Jefferson Tower. The restaurant offers meat pies, curries, jerk chicken, fried chicken and oxtails, among other dishes. Owner Richard Thomas was born and raised in Jamaica, and he runs the restaurant with his mother, “Mama Joyce.” The restaurant is open 11 a.m.9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday.

The old BRUMLEY GARDENS, in the 700 block of West Davis, is now the new BETTER BLOCK. The Better Block, whose mission is to help improve neighborhoods all over the world, also plans to sublease space to local small businesses and makers.

NEW OWNERS

BISHOP STREET MARKET recently sold to Cody Ellison and Ken Valencia. The two also own HOME ON BISHOP, DWELL ON DAVIS and BISHOP RANCH. Mike Harrity and Paul Kirkpatrick founded Bishop Street Market in 1996. Harrity says, “It’s certainly bittersweet. It was a difficult transaction, but at this point it’s a big relief.”

The Island Spot recently opened on the southeast corner of Jefferson Tower.

FAITH LIKE AN EAGLE

I recently watched “Eddie the Eagle,” a biopic about English ski jumper Eddie Edwards’ journey to compete in the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics. Eddie dreams as a child of being an Olympian, but because of a bad knee and poor eyesight fails again and again

WORSHIP

BAPTIST

CLIFF TEMPLE BAPTIST CHURCH / 125 Sunset Ave. / 214.942.8601

Serving Oak Cliff since 1899 / CliffTemple.org / English and Spanish

9:30 am Sunday School / 10:45 am & 5:00 pm Sunday Worship

GRACE TEMPLE BAPTIST MULTI-CULTURAL CHURCH

Sunday Worship: English Service 9:30 am / Spanish Service 11:00 am

831 W. Tenth St. / 214.948.7587 / gracetempledallas.org

DISCIPLES OF CHRIST

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

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

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

OAK CLIFF CHRISTIAN CHURCH / Celebrating 125 Years

Fellowship 9:30 am / Sunday School 9:45 am / Worship 11:00 am

660 S. Zang / occch.org / 214.376.4375

METHODIST

GRACE UMC / Diverse, Inclusive, Missional

Sunday School for all ages, 9:30 am / Worship, 10:50 am

4105 Junius St. / 214.824.2533 / graceumcdallas.org

TYLER STREET CHURCH / Traditional Worship - 9:30 am / tsumc.org

Tyler Street En Vivo - 9:30 am / tylerstreetenvivo.org / 214.946.8106

Tyler Street Live - 11:30 am / tylerstreetlive.org / 927 W. 10th Street

NON-DENOMINATIONAL

KESSLER COMMUNITY CHURCH / 2100 Leander Dr. at Hampton Rd.

“Your Hometown Church Near the Heart of the City.”

10:30 am Contemporary Service / kesslercommunitychurch.com0

UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

PROMISE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST/ www.promiseucc.org

Worship: 10:30 am Sundays / 214-623-8400 / 2527 W. Colorado Blvd.

An Open and Affirming Church where everyone is welcome!

at every sport: pole vaulting, long jumps, hurdles. His father belittles his dream, always reminding Eddie that he is not an athlete and will never succeed. Eddie remains determined. He finally adopts skiing as his sport, and when cut from the British downhill team, he attempts ski-jumping.

Eddie’s father demands, “Name me one British ski jumper.”

Eddie answers, “Me.”

His farsightedness requires him to wear glasses while jumping, which often fog up mid-jump. “Sometimes I take off, and I can’t see where I’m going,” he says.

Eddie winds up finishing last in every event of the 1988 Olympics, but the deeper meaning of Eddie’s story is a tribute to the human spirit and his faith in himself.

Poet Christian Wiman said, “Faith is not a state of mind but an action in the world, a movement toward the world.” It’s believing in something beyond what is seen and being willing to launch one’s life even if one can’t see where one is going. It could be a religious faith, or a faith in what can be, or a faith in oneself.

Here are a few things I have learned about the life of faith, while knowing there is much more to learn.

Faith is not certainty. It embraces mystery. In his song “Grave Angels,” singer/songwriter Joe Henry captured this

idea: “I take this to be holy — if futile, uncertain and dire The cloud darkens to harrow. It crosses your heart like hand, but it’s cool like the shadow of all that we’ve seen by the light that we can’t understand.” Some express faith in dogmatic, irrefutable terms, but real faith requires an engaging the Light that is in many ways unknowable.

Faith is messy. It often disappoints. It can be a crooked, harrowing road. Anyone who tritely says, “Well, you just have to have faith,” would be better off remaining silent in the face of unanswered questions and loss. Julian of Norwich said: “[Jesus] did not say, ‘You shall not be tempest-tossed, you shall not be work weary, you shall not be discomforted.’ But he said, ‘You shall not be overcome.’ ”

Faith holds on and trusts when life unravels.

Finally, faith is active. Some think that faith is a noun, a static thing, something that holds steady in times of crisis. But in reality, faith is dynamic, always growing and developing. Faith is not certainty and other-worldliness, but a fight, a pursuit of something unseen requiring blood and sweat and tears.

“The most important thing,” said the founder of the Olympic games, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, “is not winning, but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering, but fighting well.”

Such is the life of faith that soars.

Brent McDougal is pastor of Cliff Temple 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.

“But he said, ‘You shall not be overcome.’ ”

BELIEVING ISN’T ALWAYS EASY, BUT IT CAN ALLOW YOU TO SOAR

BACKING THE BLUE

Three of the five officers killed in sniper fire Downtown on July 7 were stationed at the Dallas Police Department’s Southwest Division, which serves Oak Cliff. They are Lorne Ahrens, Michael Krol and Patrick Zamarripa Three of the seven wounded, Gretchen Rocha, Ivan Saldana and Jorge Barrientos , also were from the Southwest Division. The division’s headquarters on West Illinois received piles of flowers, cards and other shows of support in the days after the shooting.

(Photo by Danny Fulgencio)

AC & HEAT

ELECTRICAL SERVICES

ANNA’S ELECTRIC Your Oak Cliff Electrician Since 1978. tecl25513. 214-943-4890

ANTHONY’S ELECTRIC Master Electrician. TECL24948 anthonyselectricofdallas.com

Family Owned & Operated

Serving the Dallas area for over 30 years

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

BRIGHT LIGHT ELECTRIC • 214-553-5333

TECL 31347 Lighting and Electrical Services

FLOORING & CARPETING

Willeford

hardwood floors

Superior Quality:

Installation • Refinishing

Repair • Cleaning & Waxing

Old World Hand Scrape 214-824-1166

HANDYMAN SERVICES

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

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

Your Home Repair Specialists

Drywall Doors

Senior Safety Carpentry

972-274-2157

www.CrestAirAndHeat.com

We raise our kids here, too! TACLB29169E

APPLIANCE REPAIR

JESSE’S A/C & APPLIANCE SERVICE

TACLB13304C All Makes/Models. 214-660-8898

CABINETRY & FURNITURE

JD’S TREE SERVICE Mantels, Headboards, Kitchen Islands, Dining tables. Made from Local Trees. www.jdtreeservice.com 214-946-7138

CLEANING SERVICES

AFFORDABLE, PROFESSIONAL CLEANING

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

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

CLEAN FREAKS Since 2005. Free Estimates. DallasCleanFreaks.com Call Today! 214-821-8888

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

twosistersamopmaidservice.com

WINDOW MAN WINDOW CLEANING.COM

Residential Specialists. BBB. 214-718-3134

CONCRETE/MASONRY/ PAVING

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

BRICK, STONEWORK, FLAGSTONE PATIOS

Mortar Repair. Straighten Brick Mailboxes & Columns. Call Cirilo 214-298-7174

CONCRETE REPAIRS/REPOURS

Demo existing. Stamping and Staining

Driveways/Patio/Walkways

Pattern/Color available

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

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

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

EXTERIOR CLEANING

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

FOUNDATION REPAIR

OPTIMUM FOUNDATION SERVICES

Reliable, cost-effective foundation repair. We are dedicated foundation specialists who bring customized solutions. Free estimates and transferable warranties. Contact us for an easy, no-obligation consultation. 214-500-0351 Info@optimumfoundationservices.com

Did you know heat can cause your computer to run slow?

Keeping your computer in tip top shape with these tips:

1. Antivirus software is the best defense against a virus.

2. Use an old toothbrush to clean around the exhaust fan.

3. Avoid exposure to rapid temperature changes.

4. Use and store your computer in a well-ventilated area. LocalWorks.advocatemag.com

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

HANNAWOODWORKS.COM

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

EST. 1991 #1

COWBOY

FENCE & IRON CO.

214.692.1991

SPECIALIZING IN Wood Fences &Auto Gates

cowboyfenceandiron.com

Northlake Fence and Deck

Locally owned and operated by the Mccaffrey family since1980

214-349-9132

www.northlakefence.com

GARAGE SERVICES

GARAGE DOORS & OPENERS 972-521-6567. install, Repair, Service, Sales. UNITED GARAGE DOORS AND GATES Res/Com. Locally Owned.214-826-8096

GLASS, WINDOWS & DOORS

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

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 214-622-7488, 469-878-8044

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

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

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

Small & Odd Jobs And More! 972-308-6035 HandymanMatters.com/dallas

Bonded & Insured. Locally owned & operated.

HOUSE PAINTING

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

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

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

KITCHEN/BATH/TILE/ GROUT

BLAKE CONSTRUCTION CONCEPTS LLC

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

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

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

TK REMODELING 972-533-2872

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

WE REFINISH!

• Tubs, Tiles or Sinks

• Cultured Marble

• Kitchen Countertops

214-631-8719

www.allsurfacerefinishing.com

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

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

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

IRISH RAIN SPRINKLER SYSTEMS TXL#2738 Repair, Stonework & Drains 214-827-7446

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

LIGHT IT UP DALLAS

Your lighting specialists. 972-591-8383 Parties, Weddings, Patios, Landscape.

LSI LAWN SPRINKLERS “Making Water Work” Irrigation system Service & Repair. Specializing In Older Copper Systems. LI #13715. 214-283-4673

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

U R LAWN CARE Maintenance. Landscaping. Oak Cliff resident for over 15 years. uwereisch@yahoo.com 214-886-9202

YOUR TREES could look like a WORK OF ART, I Guarantee It.

AUGUST SPECIAL $200 OFF 4 man crew/4 hours

Just Trees

Call Mark Wittlich 214-332-3444

JD’s Tree Service

RESPONSIBLE TREE CARE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

Locally harvested wood!

PLUMBING

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

ANDREWS PLUMBING • 214-354-8521

# M37740 Insured. Any plumbing issues. plumberiffic69@gmail.com

Sewers • Drains • Bonded 24 Hours/7 Days

*Joe Faz 469-346-1814 - Se Habla Español*

ARRIAGA PLUMBING: General Plumbing

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

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

214-328-7371

MetroFlowPlumbing.com

Lic.# M16620

Firewood/Cooking Wood Full service trimming & planting of native trees. 214.946.7138

MOVING

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

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

POOLS

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

REMODELING

BLAKE CONSTRUCTION CONCEPTS, LLC

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

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

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

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

RENOVATE DALLAS renovatedallas.com 214-403-7247

Bob McDonald Company, Inc. BUILDERS/REMODELERS

30+ Yrs. in Business • Major Additions Complete Renovations • Kitchens/Baths

214-341-1155 bobmcdonaldco.net

ROOFING & GUTTERS

BERT ROOFING INC.

Family owned and

SKYLIGHTS

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THE VOICE FROM OAK CLIFF

Buckwheat Stevenson stood out in a crowd.

The singer/songwriter from Oak Cliff was only about 5-foot-7, but he was a burly guy with a big beard and a cowboy hat. His neocountry look was ahead of its time for late-1960s Dallas.

He was born Louis Charles Stevenson, nicknamed Buckwheat as a kid and later branded B.W. Stevenson for his recording career. The 1967 Adamson High School graduate ascended quickly into a recording and songwriting career in the early ’70s, before he died during heart-valve surgery at age 38 in 1988.

When Hubbard was a student at the University of North Texas, Stevenson was serving in the U.S. Air Force, stationed in Wichita Falls. Stevenson would drive to Denton on Friday nights and stay the weekend at Hubbard’s house, playing guitars all night.

“We’d get up and play at this little coffee house,” Hubbard says. “Of course we’d play songs like ‘Who do you Love’ and John Lee Hooker stuff.”

When Hubbard and his band Three Faces West had a club in Red River, N.M., Stevenson, still an airman, would make the drive and perform solo, just him and the guitar.

so they stopped at a hardware store in Taos and bought a kerosene heater. They filled it up, lit it and went on down the road.

“Buck said, ‘You better read the instructions on that thing.’ It said, ‘Do not use in an enclosed area,’ and we laughed so hard at that,” Hubbard says.

Goofy on fumes, Stevenson drove off the road and into a snow bank. When Fowler and Kidd drove up a few minutes later, they rolled out of the Mustang, laughing hysterically.

His best-known song, “My Maria,” was in the Top 40 for 12 weeks in 1973. It also was a hit in 1996 for country duo Brooks & Dunn, who won a Grammy for their cover of the song.

“I just thought he was a really cool songwriter with a great voice,” says Texas singer/ songwriter Ray Wylie Hubbard, who graduated from Adamson two years ahead of his friend “Buck.”

Hubbard recalls taking a perilous trip in 1970 from New Mexico to Los Angeles in Stevenson’s Ford Mustang.

“It was incredibly cold, and we were leaving the next day. It was so cold we had to leave the cars running the night before,” Hubbard says.

The other two guys in Hubbard’s band, Rick Fowler and Wayne Kidd, went in the van, and Hubbard rode with Stevenson. The heater was broken in the Mustang,

But they made it to L.A. and stayed in the Hollywood Hills home of their friend, actor Royce Applegate. That’s where Stevenson wrote “Highway 1” and “On My Own.”

After a terrifying earthquake in 1971, Stevenson left California as fast as possible.

He signed with RCA in ‘72, launching a prolific career. He released eight albums from 197280.

Stevenson fit into the country/ folk/pop genre popular at the time, but the obligations of being a pop star frustrated him. He felt more comfortable and was at his best

B.W. STEVENSON WAS A FOLK SINGER FROM ADAMSON HIGH SCHOOL

“He was a terrific fella. He wasn’t one of these Texas progressive music characters that was bombastic in any way. He was a gentle guy, and he had a great sense of humor. He was somebody that you liked being around.”

From left to right: B.W. Stevenson, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Rusty Weir and Steven Fromholz. (Photo courtesy of Judy Hubbard)

playing guitar and singing in a coffee house rather than playing a big room, Hubbard says.

Stevenson, who performed frequently at the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin, opened for Waylon Jennings at Memorial Auditorium in Dallas in 1976.

Many of his songs have been covered by other artists.

B.J. Thomas recorded his “I Need a Miracle” in 1982. Several others have recorded “My Maria” and “Texas Morning,” to name a few.

Angus Wynne, a longtime Dallas music writer and promoter, lived next door to Stevenson on Douglas Avenue in Oak Lawn around 1969. He remembers going to see him play at local venues, including the Rubiyat and Poor David’s Pub.

“He was a terrific fella. He wasn’t one of these Texas progressive music

characters that was bombastic in any way,” Wynne says. “He was a gentle guy, and he had a great sense of humor. He was somebody that you liked being around.”

In November 1987, when Hubbard was working on his sobriety, Stevenson called him from Nashville. It was Hubbard’s birthday.

“He said, ‘Hey man you’re doing the right thing,’ and he gave me a lot of support,” Hubbard says. “He kind of showed his heart. I always considered him a friend.”

Less than a year later, in April 1988, Stevenson died. He is buried at Laurel Land Cemetery in Oak Cliff.

“I just miss him,” Wynne says. “Seems like to me, he was just getting going with his life when he passed.” —RACHEL STONE

B.W. Stevenson. (Photo via CMT.com)