2017 September Oak Cliff

In Breast Cancer Care, Communication Is Key

A breast cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming. Suddenly, there are appointments to schedule, terms to learn and unfamiliar treatments to consider, all added to a flurry of emotions.

This is why communication is critical to delivering quality care for breast cancer patients. It’s also why Texas Oncology puts communication at the very center of its Multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Clinics.

The new approach is tailored to give patients a better understanding of what to expect. “It’s not like the doctor says, ‘I’m going to refer you to another doctor,’ and you call — and wait — and try to make another appointment,” explains Linda Gage, a Multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Clinic patient.

“They’re talking, they’re working together, and they coordinate things and get you through the process.”

Texas Oncology’s Multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Clinics give patients access to complete breast health services, including high-risk screenings, hormone therapy, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and surgery. Patients can also benefit from full-service pharmacies on location, genetic testing, survivor support groups and much more. Patients also have access to social workers, therapists, dieticians and other specialists to help them — and their families.

In this approach, personalized cancer care incorporates the patient — making sure she or he is comfortable with the treatment every step of the way. The treatment itself results from a plan that a full team of physicians customizes to meet the patient’s specific needs.

“All of the physicians involved in the care of that patient will evaluate the patient up front,” breast surgeon Martin Koonsman says. “We present the patients with a well-thought-out multidisciplinary treatment plan.”

One of the Clinics’ essential resources is a “one-stop shop” appointment. A nurse navigator guides the patient throughout the cancer journey for moral support, starting with meeting the full team of care providers. In a casual, face-to-face discussion, the patient can ask the medical oncologist, breast surgeon and radiation oncologist any questions and discuss next steps for treatment.

Conveniently located throughout the Dallas area, Multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Clinics are here to serve you at the following locations:

• Texas OncologyMethodist Charlton Cancer Center

• Texas OncologyMethodist Dallas Cancer Center

• Texas Breast SpecialistsMethodist Charlton Cancer Center

• Texas Breast SpecialistsMethodist Dallas Cancer Center

• Texas Breast Specialists-Mansfield

A breast cancer diagnosis can bring trying times, so Texas Oncology’s Multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Clinics approach it with expertise and attention to each patient’s needs. Texas Oncology wants patients to feel comfortable talking about their needs and encourages them to get involved in their care.

OPENING REMARKS

By RICK WAMRE

School daze

Lessons learned in the hallways of life

As school begins again, and I think back on all the crap I learned in high school, it’s a wonder I’m employed at all. In fact, much of my life remains prisoner to those high school years.

What did I learn?

I learned to be eternally vigilant thanks to a couple of “friends” who enjoyed sneaking up on me in the school hallway and ripping the pocket from my shirt with a quick, downward tug from the pocket top.

Needless to say, this was frustrating for me, and even more so for my mother, who became pretty vocal to me about being tired of sewing pockets.

Unlike today, when she probably would have called a lawyer and ripped someone a new one on Facebook, she handled it differently: She told me to deal with it.

I learned quickly that pleading and begging with bullies didn’t help (it never does today, either), so I handled it another way: I grew eyes in the back of my head, and when I sensed danger, I pulled my backpack from back to front and clutched it against my chest. There were a few embarrassing hallway wrestling matches as the bullies jostled to reach my pocket while I made like a tortoise, but eventually they moved on to harass others.

They never quit bullying people (another lesson that remains relevant). They just quit bullying me.

My first experience with marijuana taught me the importance of being skeptical. While sitting in my car in the school parking lot, one of the high school “burnouts” stopped his pickup next to my window.

“Want some weed?” he asked, knowing my reputation as both naive and law-abiding (in other words, an easy mark).

He reached through his car window

and held out a green-stuffed baggie. I opened it, took a whiff, and (as a farm boy accustomed to field work) recognized he was trying to sell me a bag of alfalfa, perfectly dried to look like marijuana.

I just laughed and handed it back, likely avoiding the eternal high school reputation of being an actual dope. And I particularly enjoyed the sounds of burning rubber as he drove away.

There were other lessons, too.

I told our English composition teacher that multiple-choice tests to prove who could write were stupid. To hammer home my point, I told him I wouldn’t be taking his multiple-choice final, which happened to be worth 50 percent of our grade.

I wound up with a C in that class, and I learned that logic wasn’t its own reward. I wound up admiring that guy for standing by his word and sticking it to me. Years later, doing what you say you’re going to do still seems like a good idea.

And when I thought the student council was filled with freeloaders, I ran against the most popular girl in school for president. She had no claim to or interest in the job other than being popular. The ensuing drubbing taught me a lot about politics and friendships (in plain English, don’t count on people doing what they promise), and so ended my presidential ambitions.

High school was — and still is, from what I can tell — an emotional and physical obstacle course from which no one emerges unscathed. Yet I learned more there than anywhere else before or since.

And interestingly, very little of that useful knowledge came from a book, other than the one helping cover my shirt pocket.

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

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Advocate, © 2017, 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.

FROM REALITY TV TO SELLING CARS

Cao Tran might not be Food Network’s ‘star,’ but she shines anyway

By RACHEL STONE

neighborhoods and attractions.

And she makes her own videos about cooking and meal prep. It’s like Tran and Wilkins created their own reality TV show: They’ve challenged themselves to spend just $50 a week on food.

Every Sunday, they allow themselves a restaurant meal and then they head to the Grocery Clearance Center on Cockrell Hill Road to pick up whatever appealing groceries happen to be in stock. Back at their Jefferson Boulevard loft, they create a week’s worth of meals.

It’s like being handed a box of surprise ingredients. The only judges are themselves, and they win when they get through the week without spending extra money on food.

They’ve found that they often wind up eating as little as $25 worth of groceries per week between the two of them.

“It’s really great because you don’t have to think about food,” she says. “You’re just using it for fuel.”

Wilkins, who works in marketing and once ran a food blog called “The Glut Life,” sometimes appears in his wife’s YouTube videos, which also contain restaurant reviews as well as Tran just talking about life.

She credits her husband for encouraging her to pursue TV. As an elite high-school athlete and the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, Tran says she received “so much tough love” and is harshly critical of everything she does.

“Zach always does believe in me more than I believe in myself,” she says.

Wilkins says he revels in being Tran’s “trophy husband.” Even the CEO of the company where he works often asks after his TV star wife, he says.

Before her turn on Food Network, Tran auditioned for “The Amazing Race” and was cast in a similar show — she says it was like “The Amazing Race” set in J.R.R. Tolkein’s middle-earth — that never aired. She also auditioned for season 12 of “Food Network Star” before being cast in the subsequent season.

Reality TV isn’t the ultimate dream for Tran, nor is it selling cars or even being a personal chef.

“My dream was always to be in the realm of food,” she says. “But really when it came down to it, I latched on to food and it was something that I became good at, and I became an authority on it, and it was my way of getting to that next level.”

“Really, I like being in front of a camera. So whether that’s food and cooking or cars or something else, it’s giving me another area of expertise.”

Tran with her husband, Zach Wilkins, in their home kitchen. The couple challenge themselves to spend no more than $50 a week on groceries, and they spend every Sunday doing meal prep. (Photo by Rasy Ran)

DELICIOUS

Keeping it simple

You don’t go to Trompo for variety

By RACHEL STONE

There really are only two things on the menu at Trompo: Tacos and quesadillas.

The tacos come on corn tortillas custom made by Tortillería La Norteña in Oak Cliff. Any eloquent Tex-Mex aficionado likely would describe the quesadilla as a “taco” too: It’s a small but mightily delicious flour tortilla with cheese and beef or pork or both.

Chef Luis Olvera, who was born and raised in Oak Cliff, acquired the recipe for trompo, seasoned pork that’s cooked on an upright spit, from a family friend in Monterrey. He perfected it by throwing parties in his back yard, eventually

elevating to catering gigs.

The no-frills restaurant in the 800 block of Singleton doesn’t have a sign on the building. It doesn’t have a parking lot. It’s next to an out-of-business tire shop, which luckily does provide plenty of parking. Inside, there is a small soda cooler and stylish menu boards; otherwise the walls are bare. A stainless steel bar seats about eight, plus three small tables. Trompo is about tacos.

Olvera and partners, Juan Carlos Olvera (they’re cousins) and Jimmy Contreras, plan to open a second location, Trompo 42, on Zang at Eighth as soon as this month.

The new spot will have beer, wine and,

this being Bishop Arts, brunch, plus all the magic of their current menu. There were no plans to close the Singleton location when we spoke in July.

“A couple of options. They’re really yummy options that I would eat, and I do eat every day,” Olvera says. “I make three things, and we have a helluva time doing it.”

TROMPO

Ambiance: You are here for tacos, not décor

Price range: $1.85-$3.85 per item

Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. MondaySaturday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday 839 Singleton Blvd.

Tacos and quesadillas at Trompo can be ordered with pork, beef, cheese and poblano, or combinations of those three ingredients. (photo by Kathy Tran)

Do you have heart failure, also called “fluid around the heart?”

Is

Blood Pressure

Do you have shortness of breath and fatigue due to a weak heart?

150-180/90 mmHg?

Are medicines not controlling it? Is there a chance you will need an artificial heart or a heart transplant?

Would you like to take part in a study using an investigational procedure rather than pills for your high blood pressure?

You may take part in a Research Study using stem cells for your heart problem at the Baylor Soltero CV Research Center.

Call to find out more information and to see if you qualify, 214-820-2273

You will be paid for time and travel.

Do you have heart failure, also called “fluid around the heart?”

Do you have heart failure, also called “fluid around the heart?”

Do you have shortness of breath and fatigue due to a weak heart?

Are medicines not controlling it? Is there a chance you will need an artificial heart or a heart transplant?

Do you have shortness of breath and fatigue due to a weak heart? Are medicines not controlling it? Is there a chance you will need an artificial heart or a heart transplant?

To learn more about clinical trials or to enroll, call the Baylor Soltero Cardiovascular Research Center at 214.820.2273

You may take part in a Research Study using stem cells for your heart problem at the Baylor Soltero CV Research Center.

Call to find out more information and to see if you qualify, 214-820-2273

You may take part in a Research Study using stem cells for your heart problem at the Baylor Soltero CV Research Center. Call to find out more information and to see if you qualify, 214-820-2273

FOR THE FUR BABIES

Oak Cliff’s four-legged friends provide the purest form of love

“Peanuts” creator Charles Schulz said it best: “Happiness is a warm puppy.” The same could be said for any animal that touches our heart. The bond between an owner and a pet is one of those rare relationships that feel simple and unconditional. That’s why we celebrate our neighborhood’s best fuzzy friends, both in our Advocate Pet Contest and September edition. Their sweet souls bring joy to those who know them. }

BY RACHEL STONE PHOTOS BY DANNY FULGENCIO

PET CO NTEST winner

QANTAS

David Cherrie and Scott McKinney did a lot of time on one of the world’s longest nonstop commercial flights, about 16 hours from DFW International Airport to Sydney, Australia.

The two, who met on vacation in Key West, Fla., had a cross-hemisphere romance for almost three years. At first their commute was only 10 hours each way; Cherrie lived in London and McKinney in Oak Cliff. They did that for about a year.

Then Cherrie took a job in Melbourne. After the hour-and-a-half hop from Sydney, almost 18 hours travel time would separate them.

At first, McKinney thought it was impossible, and he told his sweetie so.

“There was this long pause,” he says. “Then David said, ‘It’s still getting on a plane. It’s just sitting on it a little longer.’ ”

They visited four or five times a year, alternating continents. And they video chatted about once every turn of the Earth.

Then in 2014, they got married in New Zealand and decided to live together in the Kessler Park house that McKinney bought 12 years ago.

They did a full renovation and entirely refurnished the house to make it feel like theirs together.

But the final element to making their home is the light of their lives, a yorkipoo that they adopted when he was 8 weeks old.

They named him after the airline that held their relationship together for all those miles, Qantas.

Qantas the dog quickly became the center of their attention and the boss of the household.

“He’s a spoiled little boy,” Cherrie says, as Qantas

dozes in his lap on a recent summer afternoon.

Qantas can “fly” from one end of the house to the other chasing toys, and he can jump chest high. So he also earned the nickname “the flying ’roo” for the Qantas Airways logo.

“He has without a shadow of a doubt made our family complete,” McKinney says. “After so many years of traveling across the world to see each other, David, Qantas and I are one little happy family. We couldn’t imagine life without him.”

Above: Qantas the yorkipoo was named after the airline that kept his dads’ romance alive. Below: David Cherrie and Scott McKinney with Qantas at Nova.

Qantas can “fly” from one end of the house to the other chasing toys, and he can jump chest high.

Tigger, a deaf cat, is the best friend of 13-year-old Andrew Houston.

TIGGER

Andrew Houston knew this kitten was his when it came up and nipped him.

The now 13-year-old had been looking for the perfect orange kitty when a pregnant cat showed up at the home of a family friend.

Andrew, long the baby of the family, had become the middle child suddenly when his mom, art teacher Heather Houston, adopted a toddler and a newborn several years ago.

She wanted him to have his own pet.

It’s no wonder that the cat, Tigger, had bit his future owner. It wasn’t long before the Houstons discovered that Tigger is deaf.

“He has a really great personality, and I think it’s because he’s deaf,” Houston says. “He’s really about touch.”

Andrew and Tigger quickly became best buds.

Tigger waits by the door when it’s time for Andrew to come home. Andrew, a student at George Bannerman Dealey Montessori, can’t wait to see his cat.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Houston says. “We’ll be at the end of the block, and he’s like, ‘I miss my cat.’ ”

Tigger gets along with their cat Peaches, and he stalks their oldest cat, Lulu.

This cat never scatters the way felines will, they say, and he’s not afraid of anything.

Tigger recently started wearing a bell around his neck, but they might take it off because they can hear it jingling all night long.

“He sleeps better than anyone in this house,” Houston says.

“I’ve never seen anything like it, We’ll be at the end of the block, and he’s like, ‘I miss my cat.’”

SAMMY

When Mallory McKown returned to Oak Cliff after living in California for four years, she noticed a service that was missing here: A do-it-yourself dog wash.

So with her parents, Dr. Rochelle McKown and Jimmy Verner, as investors, she leased a corner storefront in the 1930s retail strip at West Davis and North Willomet.

They renovated the space and turned it into Bruno’s Place DIY Dog Wash, where anyone can bathe and groom their pets for a fee.

Mallory McKown is the manager, and the ambassador is her dog, Sammy.

A little white poodle mix, Sammy greets everyone, often putting other dogs at ease.

“Sammy has a way of bringing other dogs out of their shells,” McKown says.

Rochelle McKown picked Sammy up in the parking lot of the Oak Cliff Tom Thumb a couple of years ago. A guy in a truck had pulled up, let the dog out and driven away.

Mallory took him in, and she brings him everywhere she can.

“My other two dogs don’t really care about going anywhere,” she says. “But Sammy’s always ready to go.”

Bruno’s opened in April, and they recently installed a gated wooden front deck where customers and their dogs can hang out, presumably with Sammy. They’re planning a grand opening with free flea and tick medication and adoptions from the SPCA on Saturday, Sept. 9.

Sammy serves as ambassador at Bruno’s Place dog wash, which opened on West Davis earlier this year.

“My other two dogs don’t really care about going anywhere, but Sammy’s always ready to go.”

GIGI

Mavis Belisle admits she had a “foster fail.”

She’d heard about the Oak Cliff nonprofit No Bully Left Behind dog rescue on Nextdoor, and it had been awhile since she’d owned a dog, so she volunteered to foster.

A few came through and later found homes.

And then there was Gigi.

A red pit mix, Gigi had been found pregnant and later delivered 14 puppies, 12 of which lived and were adopted.

Belisle, who was born and raised in Oak Cliff and attended Bishop Dunne Catholic School, bought her house in Kiestwood in 1973.

She later went to work for an anti-weapons nonprofit near the Pantex Plant northeast of Amarillo, where she lived for 17 years.

Out there in the country, she always had a small pack of dogs around. She figures her love of big breeds started early in life after her dad brought home a German shepherd to watch over her.

“I’d never owned a pit before,” she says.

But Gigi’s charm and beauty made her easy to love. The dog has green/brown eyes and an auburn coat. She originally had no name; the dog rescue labeled her crate “gorgeous girl,” which became Gigi.

She’s a timid dog and will approach new people with hands outstretched and coaxing. Once there, she relishes the petting, quickly making friends.

“I’ve never once seen a trace of aggressiveness in her,” Belisle says.

Gigi’s one bad habit is that she can climb fences, but Belisle, now in her 70s, walks her twice a day, and that’s just enough for both of them.

Pitbull Gigi and Mavis Belisle hit it off and decided to live together.

She originally had no name; the dog rescue labeled her crate “gorgeous girl,” which became Gigi.

ROCK-N-ROLL TACO NIGHT

Oak Cliff live-music night brings the teens to the yard

By RACHEL STONE

Photos by KATHY TRAN

The parking lot of El Taxqueño taquería fills up, and customers begin finding spots on the street. Some park blocks away.

Inside, teenagers decked out in their Forever 21 and thrift store best, form a long line to the ordering window.

One Saturday night every month, customers slam this neighborhood taquería. Some are parents and grandparents, but most of them are teenagers

who gather to play music for one another in the restaurant’s huge backyard.

Ben Coleman put together this event, Tacos & Tunes, in June 2016, and it’s been happening on the first Saturday of every month ever since. It typically draws about 100 people.

The 17-year-old Oak Cliff native began taking guitar and singing lessons several years ago from singer/ songwriter Jacob Metcalf, who helped him discover his own talent.

“I really like performing music in front of people,” Coleman says. “There are other open mikes, but there aren’t

Clockwise from top left: Ben Coleman emcees Tacos & Tunes in August. Emma Kitto performs an acoustic set. The audience of friends and family sometimes numbers as many as 100.

really any specifically for teenagers.”

So he made his own.

Ben’s mom, Kristi Coleman, says that once her son had the idea to produce a backyard show, he built a small stage out of wooden pallets and crafted a backdrop from part of a broken trampoline. He mowed lawns to raise $550 for a sound system.

They expected about 20 people to show up the first night, but 80 people came.

Between six and eight kids perform two songs each. There are a lot of Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel covers. Guitarist Emma Kitto, 18, covers “Mermaid Song” and performs an original piece that she wrote about a breakup. There’s a rap duo as well as a trio singing in threepart harmony that comes together nicely in the second verse. Everyone gets the

chance to show their stuff.

“It’s a safe environment for them to perform and know that it’s a really supportive environment,” Kristi Coleman says.

Ben emcees the show, and between acts, there are games. For the Hawaiian-themed party in early August, there was a hula-hoop contest and a balloon toss. There also was a homemade slip-and-slide for the little ones. He keeps the schedule on a run sheet, and he hurries about the venue, constantly tugged for questions.

He credits his parents and his 20-yearold sister, Corrie, with hauling everything to the venue and doing most of the setup.

Word of the live-music night for teenagers in Oak Cliff is spreading via social media, and kids are coming from all over the Dallas area.

“It feels so good to have an event, and you see people you don’t know,” Ben says.

His best friend, Benja Daniel, comes from Arlington. He backs up Ben on the drums, and he performs solo on his main instrument, guitar.

“Just this idea of having the community come together,” Benja says. “There’s nothing else like it.”

Follow

“It’s a safe environment for them to perform and know that it’s a really supportive environment.”

By BRENT MCDOUGAL

We are family

Since I was a boy, the kickoff of the college football season has always excited me. I love a packed stadium with 50,000 or even 100,000 fans pulsating with excitement, the announcers yelling, fans screaming. There’s nothing like game day. For three to four hours, fans come together to cheer their favorite teams and forget about pressures, politics and the world’s problems for a while. What’s amazing is that in the thrill of a game, perfect strangers begin to high-five, even hugging people they don’t know.

Anthropologists call this communitas. It’s beyond what we would call community, which is experienced through common places, seeing friends, and generally going about life. We’re blessed to live in a place where community is valued and pursued.

But communitas goes beyond conventional community. It’s inspired fellowship, the deep connection born out of an adventure, an ordeal, a challenge or a mission. It’s being “in the zone” together whether in music, sports, or work. I’ve experienced communitas at concerts, while sharing an exceptional meal with people I love, and while swinging a hammer with a work crew in Haiti.

I believe that Oak Cliff dwellers crave not just community, but communitas. It’s why we participate in Y Guides and the Mardi Gras parade. We want to be part of something greater, something beyond ourselves. We support local entrepreneurs and celebrate the variety of pioneers, misfits, vagabonds and creatives who call this place home. We’re in search of not just ordinary life, but real and beautiful life.

mustn’t, and don’t. Just more rules and more religion.

The true story is so far from that. He welcomed the stranger. He treated women on level ground. Those who had messed up found a friend in him. His brand of holiness didn’t push people away. They flocked to him. Everyone was equal at the foot of his cross. Everyone needed grace.

The essence of communitas is radical equality. All the things that divide us what you drive, what you wear, how much money you make — don’t matter in the face of the ordeal or the adventure.

I love to run down Jefferson Avenue, past the quincenera shops, Mexican gro-

WORSHIP

BAPTIST

CLIFF TEMPLE BAPTIST CHURCH / 125 Sunset Ave. / 214.942.8601

Serving Oak Cliff since 1898 / CliffTemple.org / English and Spanish

9 am Contemporary Worship / 10 am Sunday School / 11 am Traditional

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

EPISCOPAL

ST. AUGUSTINE’S /1302 W. Kiest Blvd / staugustinesoakcliff.org

A diverse, liturgical church with deep roots in Oak Cliff and in the ancient faith / Holy Eucharist with Hymns Sunday 10:15 am

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

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.com

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF OAK CLIFF / oakcliffuu.org

cery stores and thrift stores. I love to see the wheelchair-bound elderly woman, friends sitting at Small Brew Pub and school kids. I run past homeless persons and wealthy persons leaving the spa.

Sun. Worship 10am / Wed. Meditation 7pm / 3839 W. Kiest Blvd. Inclusive – Justice Seeking – Spirited – Eclectic – Liberal – Fun!

SPECIAL

Everything Old Is New Again

Subhead Testio. Et eic to mi, sitium facessit quiasim invel imilis as sumsitium alis adic tet fuga. Nam nos moloreium eosam,

But I wonder: how much do we really dip into that space, where class, race, age differences and division dissolve?

Jesus said, “I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full.” He came to bring life. Abundant, blessed, authentic life. But somehow His community got reduced to shouldn’t, ought,

In recent weeks, a funny urge has welled up as I run. When I pass people by, I have wanted to say not hello but instead brother or sister. Hermano. Hermana. This is the great challenge of our day: to become brother and sister to one another. Not just community, but communitas.

By EMILY CHARRIER

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.

How we treat one another can bring about the abundant life we desire

All the things that divide us — what you drive, what you wear, how much money you make — don’t matter in the face of the ordeal or the adventure.

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BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

FINANCIAL CONSULTANT

Five Rings Financial has part-time opportunities! JR@FiveRingsFinancial.com 214-702-0033 x502

BUY/SELL/TRADE

CARS/TRUCKS WANTED!!! All Makes/Models. 2000-2016. Any Condition. Running Or Not. Top $$$ Paid. Free Towing. We’re Nationwide. Call Now 1-888-985-1806

GOT AN OLDER CAR, RV, BOAT? Do The Humane Thing. Donate It To The Humane Society. 1-855-558-3509

RANGERS, STARS & MAVS

Share front-row Texas Rangers, Stars & Mavs seats. Tickets are available in sets of 10 games (sets of 2 or 4 tickets per game available). Participants randomly draw numbers prior to season to determine a draft order fair to everyone. Call 214-560-4212 or rwamre@advocatemag.com

CABINETRY & FURNITURE

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

CLASSES/TUTORING/LESSONS

COLOR ME EMPOWERED

Art Classes & Workshops for Pre K-12. colormeempowered.org. 214-729-2499

CREATIVE ARTS CENTER

More than 500 adult art classes/workshops from metal to mosaic! www.creativeartscenter.org

DYSLEXIA THERAPIST/CALT/TEACHER

Individual or Group Tutoring for Reading. Grades K-12. References. Lindsay 214-566-4622

PIANO/MUSIC LESSONS. TRY IT FOR FREE 30 Yrs. Exp. Call Tim 214-989-7093

FATHER, SON, GRANDSON Window Cleaning. Free Est. Derek. 682-716-9892

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

FLAGSTONE PATIOS, Retaining Walls, BBQ’s, Veneer, Flower Bed Edging, All Stone work. Chris 214-770-5001

ELECTRICAL SERVICES

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

ANTHONY’S ELECTRIC Master Electrician. TECL24948 anthonyselectricofdallas.com

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

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

EMPLOYMENT

AIRLINE MECHANIC TRAINING Get FAA certified. Approved for military benefits. Financial aid if qualified. Job placement assistance. Aviation Institute of Maintenance 866-453-6204

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 • 214-507-9322 Specializing in Wood, New or Repair.

AMBASSADOR FENCE INC. EST.96 Automatic Gates, Fences/Decks Ambassadorfenceco.com 214-621-3217

FENCING & WOODWORK oldgatefence.com 214-766-6422

COWBOY

FENCE & IRON CO.

214.692.1991

SPECIALIZING IN Wood Fences &Auto Gates

cowboyfenceandiron.com

FLOORING & CARPETING

FENN CONSTRUCTION Manufactored hardwoods. Stone and Tile. Back-splash Specials. 214-343-4645

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

GARAGE SERVICES

IDEAL GARAGE DOORS • 972-757-5016

Install & Repair. 10% off to military/1st responders.

UNITED GARAGE DOORS AND GATES Res/Com. Locally Owned.214-826-8096

GLASS, WINDOWS & DOORS

PRO WINDOW CLEANING prompt, dependable. Matt 214-766-2183

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

HANDYMAN SERVICES

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

HOME REPAIR HANDYMAN Small/Big Jobs + Construction. 30 Yrs. Exp. 214-875-1127

HOMETOWN construction.

HONEST, SKILLED General Repairs/ Your Home Repair Specialists

Drywall Doors

Senior Safety Carpentry Small & Odd Jobs And More! 972-308-6035

HandymanMatters.com/dallas

Bonded & Insured. Locally owned & operated.

855-349-6757

HOUSE PAINTING

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, Quartz, Marble For Kitchen/Bath-Free Est.. stoneage.brandee@gmail.com 940-465-6980

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

CALL A TREE EXPERT - 469-939-3344 Prune. Stump grind. Plant. Burris Tree Service

DALLAS GROUNDSKEEPER Organic Lawn Maintenance designed to meet your needs. 214-471-5723 dallasgroundskeeper.com

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

ADVOCATE PUBLISHING does not pre-screen, recommend or investigate the advertisements and/or Advertisers published in our magazines. As a result, Advocate Publishing is not responsible for your dealings with any Advertiser. Please ask each Advertiser that you contact to show you the necessary licenses and/or permits required to perform the work you are requesting. Advocate Publishing takes comments and/or complaints about Advertisers seriously, and we do not publish advertisements that we know are inaccurate, misleading and/or do not live up to the standards set by our publications. If you have a legitimate complaint or positive comment about an Advertiser, please contact us at 214-560-4203. Advocate Publishing recommends that you ask for and check references from each Advertiser that you contact, and we recommend that you obtain a written statement of work to be completed, and the price to be charged, prior to approving any work or providing an Advertiser with any deposit for work to be completed.

Camp, golf, nightlife and ’50s families: The history of El Tivoli

How one sleepy neighborhood was once the height of entertainment

By RACHEL STONE

When car travel was brand new, and Texas roads were just getting stitched together, roadside businesses cropped up to serve travelers.

U.S. Highway 80, which includes Davis Street, was part of the Bankhead Highway system that ran from Washington, D.C. to San Diego.

One business that catered to drivers on the Oak Cliff stretch of the Bankhead was the Dal-Oak Tourist Camp. The camp was situated near what is now El Tivoli neighborhood, and was an early development on what once was dairy farms west of Hampton.

The Dallas Automobile Club, which affiliated with the American Automobile Association and was influential in

the city’s early development, opened the camp in 1923. It was located on West Davis Street near North Boulevard Terrace.

It featured gas pumps and cabins for travelers as well as amusement. There was a 30,000-square-foot pool, fed by Oak Cliff’s artesian springs, complete with a sandy beach. Dal-Oak also had a park with picnic grounds and a golf course.

Then considered to be “about 4 miles west of Oak Cliff,” the Dal-Oak Tourist Camp’s amusement park was the site of community dances, banquets, concerts and fireworks shows.

Travelers to the tourist camp were assured fair prices.

“One thing a tourist never forgives is the custom of shopkeepers and gaso-

line men to ‘stick’ them with high prices because they are assumed to be onetime customers,” the automobile club’s manager told a newspaper in 1924. “The Dallas Automobile Club has established a commissary at the camp which sells goods at downtown store prices. The rate of 18 cents a gallon for gas in Dallas has also spread to the tourist camp and further established this city as a good place to come to.”

The automobile club sold the amusement portion of the camp — the pool, park and golf course — to a private company for $25,000 in 1926.

The name also changed to Oak Cliff Country Club, which is when the golf course, tennis courts and clubhouse became private, but the pool remained open to the public for an entry fee.

It later became Cliff-Dale Golf Club and then El Tivoli Country Club.

El Tivoli nightclub or supper club opened on the golf course in 1929 and somehow survived prohibition. It was located on West Davis at Reverchon Drive.

The country club, built in the mission revival style for $65,000, drew big bands, blues musicians and showgirl revues, and it was a big player in Dallas nightlife in the 1920s and ’30s.

By the 1940s, that kind of nightclub

Opposite page: The entrance to the DalOak Tourist Camp, which was on West Davis at North Boulevard Terrace. Right: A postcard that a tourist sent from Dal-Oak.

with its pricey filet mignon and scotch highballs — was considered a bit lowbrow. Bigger, more glamorous cities at the time, such as St. Louis and Memphis, had opera houses while low-self esteem Dallas had supper clubs and ballrooms that were a little less refined.

The main Dal-Oak Tourist Camp

building likely was torn down after a 1938 gas explosion, which seriously injured two employees and killed one other. Golf tournaments were played on El Tivoli course as late as 1944.

In 1945, a developer tore down the old El Tivoli nightclub as well as the original stone cottage that had been built by La Reunion colony’s Reverchon family in the 1800s.

A homebuilder had purchased the golf course and surrounding acreage (some of which was purchased from the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul) to build 190 brick-veneer homes “with three bedrooms and all-tile baths.”

The developer, A. Pollard Simmons, bought the land for $50,000 and spent about $1 million to build the houses. He didn’t sell the homes but rented them to families in post-war Dallas.

In 1949, Simmons sold El Tivoli to another company for $1.75 million. That company put up for sale all of El Tivoli’s homes.

The nine-block El Tivoli neighborhood today remains a quiet, middle-class neighborhood of well-built homes. No remnants of the old tourist camp can be found.

Household Hazardous Waste Collection

WHEN: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23rd 9am - 3pm

WHERE: CLIFF TEMPLE BAPTIST CHURCH 125 Sunset Ave, Dallas, TX 75208

REQUIREMENTS:

ACCEPTED MATERIALS:

◆ Paints & other home repair products

◆ Household/Car batteries

“By the 1940s, that kind of nightclub — with its picey filet mignon and scotch highballs — was considered a bit lowbrow.”