YOU WIN SOME YOU LOSE SOME
And it is unsettling to ponder how tenuous is the line between the two
Sometime soon, we’re going to see someone on television raising hands to the sky while jubilantly celebrating a victory, and invariably that person is going to thank a higher being for making the victory possible.
Maybe it will be at the end of the Mavericks game. Maybe it will follow a Dallas Stars victory. Maybe it will be right after another Rangers win.
But it will come. And the person doing the thanking will be thankful about the skills he or she has been given that led to the heroics that came his or her way.
It’s just another day in paradise, after all, so we probably won’t give it much thought. It won’t be the first time we’ve heard such an exclamation, nor will it be the last.
When the camera is trained on the winners, and when the winner invariably invokes the name of God to exult in a victory, let’s not forget that someone on the other side is trudging silently (or sobbing) away, wondering why his prayers went unanswered and his pleas for victory were overridden by the Big Guy in favor of someone else.
If you believe that life is pretty much a zero-sum game, that there’s a certain amount of wealth and luck and good will in the world and that how it’s allocated and who it’s allocated to is about all that changes from time to time, then you also can believe that while each of us is giving thanks for the bounties in our lives, someone else is wondering why his table is bare and his life isn’t as full.
You can argue that hard work or a superior education or simple fate are the harbingers of blessings, and that those elements determine the level of our thanks by dividing the winners from the losers. Or you can wonder at the thin, thin line between success and failure while giving thought to the eerie cries of those less fortunate, many of whom aren’t drugged-up
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each of us is giving thanks for the bounties in our lives, someone else is wondering why his table is bare and his life isn’t as full.
losers or lazy SOBs, they’re just people born on the wrong side of the proverbial tracks who haven’t yet been blessed with the necessary guidance to find the path that leads over to the “right” side.
Giving thanks is important, it’s valuable and it’s meaningful, and the blessings that have come our way — deserved or sought after or otherwise — are worthy of our thoughts and our praise.
But at some time or another, every winner winds up on the other end of the score, watching the other team jump up and down, fingers and eyes raised to the sky, thanking a higher being for their good fortune.
And it’s at precisely that moment in time that we find out how much we really have to be thankful for, win or lose.
EMILY WILLIAMS 469.916.7864 / ewilliams@advocatemag.com
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While
With its ongoing renaissance, Oak Cliff has a special place in Dallas’ heart; ours, too. No one gets the spirit of this welcoming community better than the agents at David Griffin & Company. Tour
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READER COMMENTS
“It’s like the ruins of an ancient civilization that did not depend on cars. Sad to see it go.” —lakewoodhobo on A last piece of the Texas Electric Railway to roll away
“Seriously, Oak Cliff is the new small business capital of Dallas! Congrats, ladies.”—Jonathan Braddick on Oak Cliff residents are Girls Who Can (via Facebook)
“Bolsa Mercado is one of my favorite places to eat and get some work done. I’m glad they’ve decided to add some new menu items. Can’t wait to try them all!” —michaelshaddox on Three new sandwiches at Bolsa Mercado
“To me, the words ‘Oak Cliff’ and ‘Neighborhood’ are synonymous. ” We get it.
Launch
community | events | food
Q&A: Eric Steele
Writer and filmmaker Eric Steele, who is part of the management team that runs the Texas Theatre, cut his teeth in the independent film world by producing works such as “Topeka,” “Uncertain, TX,” “Wuss,” and “Pit Stop,” which premiered at Sundance in 2013. We sat down with him to talk about his latest endeavor, “Bob Birdnow’s Remarkable Tale of Human Survival and the Transcendence of Self,” which he released and directed last year.
Eric Steele: Kim LeesonMISS A LOT.
How would you describe the film?
It’s an experimental film centered on one man telling a story for 85 minutes.
It’s experimental in that it’s more like old-fashioned storytelling. It’s just one guy standing up telling a story. He’s giving a motivational speech at a sales conference, and in the course of it he has a cathartic experience in a moment that becomes transcendent.
How did you come up with the idea?
It came from traveling for years for business. I was working for a consulting company, so I would go to a lot of seminars and conventions. A lot of these things are very boring and a lot of platitudes; there’s not a lot that’s authentic. So I had this idea: What if
a really long life. Of all of them, the film works the best.
Did you have to change it much to make it a film?
No, the only thing I had to do was, I had to write another character in there, who’s basically the boss, Dave Jerry. He’s the guy who puts Bob on stage. He kind of sets the tone, and there are a lot of cutaways to Jerry. [Jerry and Birdnow] have a very specific kind of relationship. I had to add that to give some conflict to the film that kind of lacked from the theater piece. In the theater piece, the conflict is inherent because the audience is the conflict; you’re faced with this guy telling the story. In the movie, there’s that separation, so we had to kind of put the conflict in there. I think it works really well.
In the film, we still are able to create the feeling that the film audience is the audience, progressively. We did have a pool of extras, but they sort of disappear as the film progresses, and you sort of become the audience. It’s very intimate. Bob Birdnow tells a personal survival story in the film; what was the influence behind that?
someone went up there and just spilled their guts, and it was just kind of this painful, messy authentic moment and all the people there were changed because of it?
How did it evolve over time?
I wrote it in 2008, so it’s been a several-year journey. I wrote it in one sitting on an airplane, and it all just flowed really rapidly. I wrote it as a one-man play that Barry Nash did. It started out as a reading at Kitchen Dog Theater. Then it was performed as one of the main shows for Second Thought Theater for the 2010 season. Then we went to Hollywood and did a week run of the show in the Hollywood Fringe Festival. Then a couple of friends, David Lowery and James Johnston, saw it and said, “You need to make this into a movie,” and we started making it into a film. So it’s had
I’ve heard several survival stories that I think probably subconsciously influenced some of the horrific circumstances that he was faced with, but it wasn’t pulled from personal experiences. I’ve never had any near-death experiences or any immediate need to survive in the wilderness. Thank goodness. It was more that I related to the theme of the whole thing, which is: Who is your greatest self?
Bob Birdnow is an authentic person in a world where being authentic and honest isn’t always what’s important, especially in a corporate business market. That’s the sadness of it all. You go to these corporate meetings, and they’re so useless. What if actually that hour period was turned into something that left everyone in the room shaken or moved or inspired? What if people actually meant what they said, instead of being political or diplomatic or polite? We’d live in such a different world; I think a much better world.
Brittany Nunn“So I had this idea: What if someone went up there and just spilled their guts, and it was just kind of this painful, messy authentic moment and all the people there were changed because of it?”
What gives?
Small ways that you can make a big difference for nonprofits
Dance the night away…
…and help improve the lives of teens in need. Promise House, the Oak Cliff-based nonprofit that serves homeless and at-risk youth from all over the Dallas area, hosts its annual fundraiser at the Kessler, and it’s set to be totally tubular. The ’80s-themed party, Prom Squared, is a tacky prom. Think Aquanet, oversized bows and shoes dyed to match. This might be a good time to rewatch “Saving Silverman” because Neil Diamond tribute band Diamondbag is the entertainment. So you’re likely to be wailing “Sweet Caroline” at some point. Tickets cost $75 per person and include hors d’oeuvres and open bar. The party starts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 29 at the Kessler Theater, 1230 W. Davis, promisehouse.org.
Give to The Well Community…
…and give love to neighbors who struggle with mental illness. In the past few years, the number of people who need mental health treatment has grown, while publicly funded mental health services continues to decline. The Well, based at Cliff Temple Baptist Church, provides case management, meals, a gathering place, job training and more. And they’ve made it easy to donate, through Paypal. The Well Community, 125 Sunset, 214.393.5878, thewellcommunity.org
KNOW OF WAYS
that neighbors can spend time, attend an event, or purchase or donate something to benefit a neighborhood nonprofit? Email your suggestion to launch@advocatemag.com.
Sing on Kessler Park choir director has a worldwide mission
Kessler Park United Methodist Church choir members will travel to the Baltics this coming June for a 12-day tour with an ecumenical choir whose mission is to unite singers of various faith traditions through song.
That group, Credo, was founded by Jonathan Palant of Kessler Park. Palant moved to Dallas in 2007 for a job as artistic director of the Turtle Creek Chorale.
A few years later, he moved to our neighborhood, and one day, he asked for a tour of the church around the corner. It turned out that Kessler Park UMC was looking for a new choir director.
Since he started leading the choir, it has grown from about eight members to about 30.
“The choir program has really brought new members to the church,” Palant
says. “People have joined because of the music program.”
Under his direction, the choir has performed parts of Handel’s “Messiah” and other long programs with orchestra accompaniment.
But he is most proud of their work with Credo. Last December, they performed at the Stewpot in a show exclusively for our city’s homeless population. And about 250 people showed up, he says.
Last year, the choir traveled to Cuba for a tour. In June, Credo travels to Latvia, Estonia and Finland. The purpose is to exchange culture and gain understanding of faiths around the world.
“The goal of these trips is to go someplace slightly off the beaten path,” he says. “These aren’t the first places people would choose to go.”
Palant left the Turtle Creek Chorale in 2011 and now is a professor at Richland College, where he teaches voice.
He and his partner, Mark Mullaney, have a 7-month-old son, Noah. And Palant is in the final stages of publishing a book, “Brothers, Sing On! Conducting the All-Male Choir,” through the Hal Leonard Corp.
It’s a practical, user-friendly manual for teaching all-male choirs, he says.
Although he stays busy, Palant is in church every Sunday because, he says, it’s a unique place.
“Here I am a Jewish music minister in a Methodist church. It sounds funny, but that’s what makes Kessler Park so great; they’re really practicing what Christ is thought to have taught,” he says. “They’re really putting their money where their mouth is.” —Rachel
StonePAWS & CLAWS
Good hair day
Larry is a fashion maven who enjoys short walks and Church’s Chicken. He lives in West Kessler with a dog sister, Maggie, their person, Amy Strickland.
Out & About
March 2014
March 1
Dash for the Beads
This 5K is more than just a race — it’s a party. The race, which starts at 10 a.m., begins and ends at Kidd Springs park, where a band will play and beer and wine will flow at the end of the course that winds through Kessler Park. Good Space sponsors the event, which benefits neighborhood schools. dashforthebeads.org, $30
MARCH 1
Trinity River Levee Run
This run, which crosses the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge twice, starts at 8 a.m. at Trinity Groves and includes 10K, 5K and 1-mile courses. runthetrinity.com, $35-$50
MARCH 1
Yoga on the bridge
Instructors Jennifer Lawson and Mike Luckock lead this one-hour yoga class, which starts at 1 p.m. on the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. A $5 minimum donation is requested for the Trinity Commons Foundation. Register in advance at trinityriverdallas.org
MARCH 1
Trinity River market
R.A.F.T. Dallas — that’s River Activation for the Trinity — hosts a market from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. near the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. Food trucks and local vendors will be on hand, and activities include lacrosse and a photography class. trinityriverdallas.org, free
MARCH 1
OCarnivale
Club Wood headlines this year’s masquerade ball, along with Zydeco Blanco and Down Davis. The night of revelry starts at 7 p.m. and also includes a Creole-food dinner and costume contest. This benefit pays for the annual Oak Cliff Mardi Gras parade. The Kessler Theater, 1230 W. Davis, gooakcliff.org, $50
MARCH 2
Mardi Gras parade
The sixth annual Oak Cliff Mardi Gras parade starts at 4 p.m. The route starts near West Davis and Montclair and travels to the Bishop Arts District. The parade grows bigger every year, and this appears to be no exception, with dozens of floats and thousands of people expected to attend. gooakcliff.org, free
March 7-April 11
Super Emo Friends
Local artist J. Salvador, known for his “Super Emo Friends” — paintings and sculpture inspired by the imagined tragic lives of pop culture icons from movies, TV, video games and comics — opens a show at the Oak Cliff Cultural Center.
Oak Cliff Cultural Center, 223 W. Jefferson, 214.670.3777, dallasculture.org/ oakcliffculturalcenter, free
MARCH 15
Art Deco film
The Art Deco Society of Dallas presents the first in a new monthly film series, “Class of ’39.” The film is “Ninotchka,” starring Greta Garbo. The show starts at 8 p.m., and Matt Tolentino and the Singapore Slingers perform after the show. The Texas Theatre, 231 W. Jefferson, 214.948.1546, thetexastheatre.com, call for ticket prices
MARCH 21
‘Hey Jealousy’
Relive your ’90s heyday with the Gin Blossoms. The band performs two shows, 6:30 and 9 p.m., at the Kessler. The Kessler Theater, 1230 W. Davis, 214.272.8346, thekessler.org, $30-$45
THROUGH APRIL
Oak Cliff Tower 50th anniversary
The Oak Cliff Tower celebrates is 50th anniversary this month. To celebrate, YaYa Foot Spa (which is owned by the wife of the building’s managing partner) will install a 1960s car in the lobby with mannequins showing the changes in fashion over the past 50 years. Oak Cliff Tower, 400 S. Zang, oakclifftower.com, free
MARCH 29
Prom Squared
Prom Squared is a fundraiser for Promise House, the Oak Cliff-based nonprofit that helps runaway and at-risk teens from all over the Dallas area. Overdo it on organza and gold lamé for a good cause at this tacky prom with an ’80s theme. The party starts at 7:30 p.m., and Diamondbag performs. Tickets include dinner and open bar.
The Kessler Theater, 1230 W. Davis, promisehouse.org, $75
Delicious
Trinity GrovesLuck opened in Trinity Groves last October and quickly gained popularity because of its 40 taps flowing only with local craft beer. Also on tap are a red and white wine, a rotating selection of kombucha, and Noble Coyote coffee from East Dallas.
Luck is a “craft beer-inspired kitchen,” so anything you order pairs well with brew. The kitchen has its own smoker that turns out fire and smoke wings ($9) and pastrami that is moist and fatty and served on sourdough with caramelized onions, Swiss cheese and mustard ($12).
LUCK
3011 Gulden, suite 112 469.250.0679
luckdallas.com
AMBIANCE: UPSCALE TAVERN
PRICE RANGE: $8-$16
HOURS: MONDAY-THURSDAY, 11 A.M.-10 P.M. FRIDAY-SATURDAY, 11 A.M.-11 P.M. SUNDAY, 11 A.M.-9 P.M.
DID YOU KNOW?
Stone“We like to call our food ‘regional comfort food,’” says assistant manager Susie Olson. That’s apparent in dishes such as the appetizer bierocks, which are meat and cheese-filled pastry pockets that come with beer cheese fondue and jus ($10). The menu also features pork schnitzel ($16), hot Brown ($12), shrimp and grits ($16) and pot roast ($16). But it’s not all heavy, cheesy stuff. The blueberry and raw butternut squash salad ($9) tastes amazing with citrus-honey vinaigrette, candied pecans and goat cheese. —Rachel
LUCK’S OWNERS, JEFF DIETZMAN, NED STEEL AND DANIEL PITTMAN, COMPETED IN, AND OFTEN WON, COOKING CONTESTS AS “THE SOUP NINJAS” BEFORE STARTING THEIR OWN BUSINESS.
| THREE MORE PLACES IN THE SHADOW OF LARGE MARGE |
1 Casa Rubia
This new Spanish restaurant from Driftwood chef Omar Flores already has received a four-star review from the Dallas Morning News.
3011 Gulden, suite 116 469.513.6349 casarubiadallas.com
2 Chino Chinatown
Mexican-Asian fusion is the concept of this restaurant that offers a dim sum brunch on the weekends.
3011 Gulden, suite 110 469.513.7457 chinochinatown.com
3 Resto Gastro Bistro
If you can look past the weird name, Resto Gastro Bistro has some dishes that sound interesting, including a lobster corn dog.
3011 Gulden, suite 104 214.584-6747 restogastrobistro.com
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A LITTLE CITRUS AND A LITTLE SWEET
Happy spring! We have much to look forward to this time of year — spring cleaning, beautiful weather and delicious fruits and vegetables. We are so lucky to live in Texas, where we can go outside and enjoy the season. When the beautiful weather comes around, I always crave Popsicles. And why not make them full of fresh fruit? Popsicles are one of the most versatile treats and
can be made with fresh and seasonal fruits and vegetables. Kiwi-lime Popsicles are perfect to kick off spring and to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. They’re so simple, and they’re sweet enough for kids and adults.
Kiwi lime Popsicles
GROCERY LIST
2 cups fresh kiwi, sliced
½ cup sugar
¼ cup water
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
Zest of 1 lime
DIRECTIONS
Place sugar and water in a saucepan and boil until sugar has dissolved completely. Allow sugar water to cool.
Place sliced kiwi into blender and puree until smooth. Add sugar water, lime juice and zest to pureed kiwi, and blend just until combined.
Pour mixture into Popsicle molds and freeze until solid, approximately 5 hours. (There are several different types of Popsicle molds; please follow manufacturer’s instructions.)
Makes: 6-8 Popsicles
“The bent photograph is famous to the one who carries it and not at all famous to the one who is pictured.”
—Naomi Shihab Nye
“My Favorite Picture of You” is a melancholy song by Guy Clark about love lost and chances missed. When we asked our readers to send their favorite picture of a loved one, no such sad story arrived. Your neighbors sent photos and stories all about love enduring, chances taken, happiness. Maybe that doesn’t make for a very good country tune. But their stories are sweet, inspiring, courageous. Cheers to them for sharing.
STORY BY RACHEL STONE // OPENING PHOTO BY DANNY FULGENCIOThe favorite uncle
“It was just a normal day of playing outside and doing yard work, nothing special.” That’s how Jamie Nelson describes the snapshot she took of her husband being pushed on a child’s scooter by their sons and nephew. She can’t remember when it was taken, just that it’s “about a year old.”
The picture captures just how life is for the Nelsons, she says.
Her sister, Jennifer Crecelius, lives a few blocks away from their home on Twelfth Street. And their homes are full of family.
“We’re a really close family,” she says. “We really take time to enjoy each other. Sometimes I think we don’t see a lot of people outside the family because we’re always together, being goofy.”
Nelson is from Oak Cliff and graduated from Tyler Street Christian Academy, where her kids, 7-year-old Jerry and 4-yearold Jack, go to school, along with 4-year-old cousin Andrew. She says the generational thing is common at that school.
“It’s really weird seeing your old high school friends in the morning rushing to get their kids to school,” she says.
In the picture, Jerry, Jack and Andrew push Nelson’s husband, Jeromy, whose expression is a mix of intensity and silliness.
It’s her favorite picture of him because it personifies what a wonderful father and uncle he is, she says.
“He always makes us laugh,” she says.
The rock
Bre met Jon Taylor at church. She and a friend were organizing a film group there, and he was interested.
They learned that they shared a love of British comedies.
“He gave me his card, and we just started emailing constantly over that next week and started hanging out,” Bre Taylor says.
They were engaged three weeks later. Three months after that, they wed.
When you know, you know, she says.
“My family was kind of like, ‘Wait, what? Who is this?’ But yeah, it was awesome,” she says.
He quickly won them over with homemade lasagna.
Their son Jack was born about three years ago in a birth center.
And with baby Liv on the way last year, they decided to have a home birth.
“Jon was my rock during both of our children’s births, but especially with the home birth with Liv,” she says. “He was the best coach and encourager I could ask for.”
The Nelsons, who live near Kidd Springs Park, were professionally photographed by Rebekah Greenawalt. The photo, taken shortly after Liv was born, shows the family relaxed and happy. You can see the love.
“I think it’s his eyes and his smile … and just this contentment,” she says. “He has these eyes that I just fall into, and he’s just got the kindest heart, and he’s just my rock.”
Baby bump por Vida
Tiffany and Ana Alvarez-Thurman spent a year trying to get pregnant.
The couple, married in California in 2008, went through three rounds of intrauterine insemination, all unsuccessful.
“We decided to take a break for physical and emotional reasons,” says Tiffany, a teacher.
Once they regrouped, they decided to be more aggressive and go for in vitro fertilization, which is more expensive and invasive than the previous method.
But first, they tried another doctor, who diagnosed a vitamin deficiency in Tiffany and tried the less invasive procedure once more. The very first attempt was successful.
“We were very excited,” Tiffany says.
Once her pregnancy started to show, Tiffany wanted professional photos, “instead of just iPhone pictures,” she says.
They hired their friend and L.O. Daniel neighbor Robert Bittle for the shoot at the Dallas Arboretum.
“It captures how we feel about each other,” Tiffany says of the photo. “The happiness in being able to create this new life I just thought it was a nice little picture of the three of us before she was actually here, and I think we look really happy because we were.”
Their baby was born in October, and they named her Vida, which is Spanish for “life.” Ana, an architect, is from Puerto Rico and a native Spanish-speaker.
Tiffany says the birth of Vida brought her family closer in ways that she hadn’t expected.
“Being gay, I think it was a little bit more difficult for my family than it was for Ana’s,” she says. “But once we began the process of starting a family, it brought everyone together. It brought everyone together, and it made our relationship OK in a way that maybe it hadn’t been thought of before. It felt like it changed things in the eyes of the rest of my family.”
Time traveling to Moore’s Grocery
Photo of old-school grocer
Vernon Moore is a portrait of the past
Vernon Moore served Oak Cliff as a grocer for nearly 50 years.
He opened Moore’s Grocery near Rosemont Elementary School in 1940 and retired 40 years later. But that didn’t last long; Moore reopened on Edgefield in 1984.
In the early ’90s, photographer Richard Doherty had a gig in which he received free Polaroid Type 55 film in exchange for photos.
“So I started shooting pictures of what I always do, which is portraits of friends, family and the community,” he says.
One day, walking his kids home from Rosemont, he “just went in and made a picture” of Moore.
Moore’s Grocery was a throwback even then, Doherty says.
“The grocery stores that your parents and I went to in the ’50s, every little grocery store was just like that,” he says. “This was a real kickback to a different era. You felt like you were stepping into the past.”
Doherty, a professor at the University of Texas at Arlington, still makes portraits of a similar style — “serious, dignified and more stoic than is the current practice,” he says.
Vernon Moore and his wife, Louise, had a son, Rodney Moore, a doctor who served Oak Cliff for 44 years.
—Rachel StoneBUSINESS BUZZ
The lowdown on what’s up with neighborhood businesses
Send business news tips to livelocal@advocatemag.com
Kessler sidewalks
Work is expected to begin soon on a $220,000 makeover for the Kessler Theater’s sidewalks. The theater applied for a North Texas Council of Governments grant about four years ago. About eight months ago, it won $160,000 for sidewalk improvements, and the city pitched in another $60,000 from tax increment financing funds. The sidewalks along two blocks that form an “L” around the Kessler — Davis between Winnetka and Clinton and Clinton between Davis and Seventh — will be widened. Also planned are bollards, bike racks, trees, planters and historically accurate streetlights.
Donuts and chicken
A Chick-Fil-A store is under construction near Walmart on Cockrell Hill at Interstate 30. Also planned for that already traffic-packed intersection is Krispy Kreme, which will replace the Del Taco.
New happy hour menus
Two Oak Cliff restaurants, Driftwood and Oddfellows, have new happy hour menus offering bar bites for $8 or less. At Driftwood, the menu includes salt pond oysters for $1 each and short rib on brioche with pickled beet stem and garlic chips for $7. Driftwood also offers “residents appreciation night.” Every Wednesday, Oak Cliff residents get 20 percent off their meals. The menu for Oddfellows’ “social hour,” from 3-10 p.m. Tuesdays, includes a duck gordita ($6), pork belly puffy taco ($6) and a beignet stuffed with chorizo and spinach ($4).
Girls Who Can
Girls Who Can
The Kessler Theater
1230 W. DAVIS 214.272.8346
THEKESSLER.ORG
Chick-Fil-A
CHICK-FIL-A.COM
Krispy Kreme
KRISPYKREME.COM
Driftwood 624 W. DAVIS 214.942.2530
DRIFTWOOD-DALLAS.COM
Girls Who Can is a neighborhood upstart from Austin Dupree and Jesse Bartlett. They sell handcrafted jams, jellies, chutneys and salsas. Find their wares at Oil & Cotton or order online, girlswhocan.bigcartel.com.
More business bits
—Rachel StoneOddfellows 316 W. SEVENTH 214.944.5958
ODDFELLOWSDALLAS.COM
Girls Who Can
GIRLSWHOCAN.BIGCARTEL.COM
Big Lots
BIGLOTS.COM
Cox Farms Market 778 FORT WORTH AVE. 972.283.8851
COXFARMSMARKET.COM
Pier 247 247 W. DAVIS 214.948.3232
more BUSINESS BUZZ
every week on
OAKCLIFF.ADVOCATEMAG.COM/BIZ
PIER247.COM
1 Discount retailer Big Lots is expected to open in the former Minyard’s space on Fort Worth Avenue at Hampton in May. 2 Cox Farms Market is expected to open its new store at Sylvan|Thirty this month. 3 A new seafood restaurant, Pier 247, opened on West Davis at Madison in January.
GARMENT OF DESTINY
Above my desk hangs a photo of my grandfather from when he was two years old. He’s standing in front of the shotgun house where he was born in Excel, Ala., his grandmother to his right and his three older brothers to his left. My grandfather’s mother died young, leaving the four boys to be raised by their grandmother. He would grow up, meet my grandmother, open a grocery store, raise three children and do a thousand other things that make up a life before passing away on July 9,1974. I didn’t know him well — I was four when he died — but even so, his story is my story. The photo reminds me that we are still connected, by DNA and shared history, by places and memories and faith and family.
But who I am extends beyond my family ties. Countless others have affected my life, and my life has affected countless others. My co-workers, close friends, neighbors and others I see around Oak Cliff now play a daily role in shaping my story, and my story shapes theirs.
Speaking to a student group in 1964, Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “. . . all life is interrelated, and in a real sense we are all courting an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. For some strange reason, I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. And you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be.”
Mutuality suggests deeply linked relationships and respect, but also responsibility for one another. It’s the recognition that we need one another.
I believe that in Oak Cliff we see this principle of mutuality more fully at work
than in other parts of the city. We value diversity, welcome different cultural expressions and generally want to help and care for one another. But we have a long way to go. We struggle to cross racial, ethnic, economic and lifestyle lines. We struggle to even cross the street. Neighbors often don’t know the people nearest to them. We fail to recognize just how much we need one another, and consequently, we don’t make the effort to cultivate relationships that go deeper than the surface.
ANGLICAN
ALL SAINTS DALLAS / 2733 Oak Lawn / 972.755.3505
Radical Inclusivity, Profound Transformation. Come and See!
9:00 & 11:00 am Sunday Services. www.allsaintschurchdallas.org
BAPTIST
CLIFF TEMPLE BAPTIST CHURCH / 125 Sunset Ave. / CliffTemple.org
Building everyday people into everyday missionaries for Jesus Christ.
Sunday School: 9:30 am / Sunday Worship: 10:45 am / 214-942-8601
METHODIST
KESSLER PARK UMC / 1215 Turner Ave. / 214.942.0098 / kpumc.org
9:30 am Sunday School / 11:00 Worship / All welcome regardless of creed, color, culture, gender or sexual identity.
TYLER STREET UMC / 927 W. 10th Street / 214.946.8106
Sunday Worship at 8:30 am and 10:50 am www.tsumc.org
NON-DENOMINATIONAL
KESSLER COMMUNITY CHURCH / 2100 Leander Dr. at Hampton Rd. “Your Hometown Church in the Heart of the City.”
10:30 am Contemporary Service / kesslercommunitychurch.com
PRESBYTERIAN
OAK CLIFF PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 6000 S. Hampton Road Sunday Worship at 9:30 am & 11:05 am 214-339-2211 / www.ocpres.com
What can we do? We can pursue new relationships and deepen existing relationships. We can slow down long enough to notice those who seem isolated or hurt and assume a courageous responsibility for helping them. We can give a few hours a month for the betterment of our neighborhoods.
Only together can we wrestle with, discover and celebrate the answers to life’s biggest questions. Why are we here? What does it mean to be human, with respect to other creatures and the environment? What does a just and peaceful city look like? What is the meaning of this story in which we all play a part?
My story is your story, and yours is mine.
Like one enormous family, our lives are all connected
I believe that in Oak Cliff we see this principle of mutuality more fully at work than in other parts of the city. We value diversity, welcome different cultural expressions and generally want to help and care for one another.
214.560.4202.
Experience St. John’s
LAKEHILL PREPARATORY SCHOOL
Leading to Success. 2720 Hillside Dr., Dallas 75214 / 214.826.2931 / lakehillprep. org Kindergarten through Grade 12 - Lakehill Preparatory School takes the word preparatory in its name very seriously. Throughout a student’s academic career, Lakehill builds an educational program that achieves its goal of enabling graduates to attend the finest, most rigorous universities of choice. Lakehill combines a robust, college-preparatory curriculum with opportunities for personal growth, individual enrichment, and community involvement. From kindergarten through high school, every Lakehill student is encouraged to strive, challenged to succeed, and inspired to excel.
ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
848 Harter Rd., Dallas 75218 / 214.328.9131 / stjohnsschool.org Founded in 1953, St. John’s is an independent, co-educational day school for Pre-K through Grade 8. With a tradition for academic excellence, St. John’s programs include a challenging curriculum in a Christian environment along with instruction in the visual and performing arts, Spanish, German, French, and opportunities for athletics and community service. St. John’s goal for its students is to develop a love for learning, service to others, and leadership grounded in love, humility, and wisdom. Accredited by ISAS, SAES, and the Texas Education Agency
People
Bob Stimson announced last month he is is stepping down as Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce president after seven years in office. Stimson, a former City Council member and real estate developer, started in his current role at the chamber in 2007. He says he plans to pursue business ventures and consulting.
Oak Cliff resident Jason Roberts attended the President’s State of the Union Address in January as a guest of Congressman Marc Veasey. Roberts, a cancer survivor who lost to Veasey in a 2012 run for U.S. House of Representatives, was there to share his story of success with Obamacare.
Oak Cliff-based filmmaker Daniel Laabs’ short film “Easy” was accepted into the SXSW Film Festival as part of the Texas Shorts competition.
History
A new book from Arcadia Publishing, “Historic Dallas Theaters,” examines Dallas as the show business capital of Texas during the 19th Century. The book includes histories of the Texas Theatre and the Kessler Theater as well as the bygone Rialto Theater, Rosewin Theater, Midway Theater, Wynnewood Theater and more.
HAVE AN ITEM TO BE FEATURED?
Please submit news items and/or photos concerning neighborhood residents, activities, honors and volunteer opportunities to editor@advocatemag.com. Our deadline is the first of the month prior to the month of publication.
Local Resources TO ADVERTISE 214.560.4203
CLASSES/TUTORING/ LESSONS
PIANO LESSONS All ages & levels. Over 20 years experience. Oak Cliff area. Call Tim at 214-989-7093
EMPLOYMENT
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LOST PET?
>> List your lost pet ad for free online. Visit classifieds.advocatemag.com
Fresh farm
Farmer and author Joel Salatin cuts the ribbon during the grand opening of Urban Acres in January. The 4,000-square-foot store and café at Beckley and Greenbriar also features gardens, composting, rain barrels and a chicken coop. Photos by Jennifer Shertzer
Local BULLETIN BOARD
SERVICES FOR YOU
BUY/SELL/TRADE
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PET SERVICES
In-Home Professional Care Customized to maintain your pet’s routine In-Home Pet Visits & Daily Walks
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TEXAS RANGERS AND DALLAS STARS
front row seats. Share prime, front-row Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars tickets (available in sets of 10 games). Prices start at $105 per ticket (sets of 2 or 4 tickets per game available) Seats are behind the plate and next to the dugouts for the Rangers: seats are on the glass and on the Platinum Level for the Stars. Other great seats available starting at $60 per ticket. Entire season available except for opening game; participants randomly draw numbers prior to the season to determine a draft order fair for everyone. Call 214-560-4212 or rwamre@advocatemag.com
ESTATE/GARAGE SALES
ESTATE SALES & LIQUIDATION SERVICES
Moving, Retirement, Downsizing. One Piece or a Houseful. David Turner. 214-908-7688. dave2estates@aol.com
REAL ESTATE
Local HOME SERVICES
AC & HEAT
CARPENTRY & REMODELING
TK REMODELING 972-533-2872 Complete Full Service Repairs, Remodeling, Restoration.
Name It- We do it. Tommy. insured. http://dallas. tkremodelingcontractors.com
COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL
RENOVATION & REPAIR
214.341.1448
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Service Calls or Tune-ups only $39
See Our Specials at NorthavenAir.com Call Jim at 972-365-1570
APPLIANCE REPAIR
972-523-3996 WWW.AROTX.COM
•Complete full service
Name it— We do it
http://dallas.tkremodelingcontractors.com
Tommy 972-533-2872 INSURED
CLEANING
SERVICES
CINDY’S HOUSE CLEANING 15 yrs exp. Resd/Com. Refs. Dependable. 214-490-0133
WINDOW MAN WINDOW CLEANING.COM
Residential Specialists. BBB. 214-718-3134
EXTERIOR CLEANING
BLOUNTS HAULING/TRASH SERVICE blountsjunkremovaldfw.com 214-275-5727
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.
HANNAWOODWORKS.COM Decks,Doors, Carpentry, Remodeling 214-435-9574
HOME INSPECTION
We
CABINETRY & FURNITURE
THE CABINET CONCIERGE
The Art of Storage. Call 214-821-5900
Email jin@thecabinetconcierge.com
CARPENTRY & REMODELING
ATLANTIS DESIGN-BUILD, LLC
Complete Remodeling. 40 Yrs Exp. Additions. 1 & 2 Story. Kitchens, Baths. Small Jobs To Entire House. Renovation & Design. Full Time Supervision. Licensed/Insured. Free Estimates. 281-761-4648
BLAKE CONSTRUCTION CONCEPTS, LLC
Complete Remodeling, Kitchens, Baths, Additions. Hardie Siding & Replacement Windows. Radiant Barrier, Insulation. Bonded & 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
CONNER FAMILY BUILDERS Since 1901. Home remodeling & painting. Superior quality, free estimates. Satisfaction guaranteed. A+ BBB Terry 469-338-1202 connerfamilybuilders.com
HANDY DAN “The Handyman” To Do’s Done Right! www.handy-dan.com 214-252-1628
RENOVATE DALLAS
renovatedallas.net 214-403-7247
RONALD L. SIEBLER
Remodeling & Historic Preservation www.Siebler.com 214-546-7579
CONCRETE/ MASONRY/PAVING
BRICK, BLOCK, Stone, Concrete, Stucco. Gonzalez Masonry. 214-395-1319
BRICK, STONEWORK, FLAGSTONE PATIOS Mortar Repair. Call George 214-498-2128
CONCRETE REPAIRS/REPOURS
Demo existing. Stamping and Staining Driveways/Patio/Walkways
Pattern/Color available
Free Estimates
972-672-5359 (32 yrs.)
CONCRETE, Driveway Specialist Repairs, Replacement, Removal, References. Reasonable.
Chris 214-770-5001
FLAGSTONE PATIOS, Retaining Walls, BBQ’s, Veneer, Flower Bed Edging, All Stone work. Chris 214-770-5001
ELECTRICAL SERVICES
4 U ELECTRICAL SERVICE, LLC
We will be there 4 U. 972-877-4183
ANNA’S ELECTRIC Your Oak Cliff Electrician Since 1978. tecl25513. 214-943-4890
ANTHONY’S ELECTRIC Master Electrician. TECL24948 anthonyselectricofdallas.com
Family Owned/Operated. Insd. 214-328-1333
GOVER ELECTRIC Back Up Generators. New And Remodel Work. Commercial & Residential. All Service Work. 469-230-7438. TECL2293
LAKEWOOD ELECTRICAL Local. Insured. Lic. #227509 Call Rylan 214-434-8735
TH ELECTRIC Reasonable Rates. Licensed & Insured. Ted. E257 214-808-3658
HOUSE PAINTING
BLAKE CONSTRUCTION CONCEPTS, LLC
Complete Painting Interior/Exterior, Stain Etc. Custom Finishes, Custom Texture, Custom Trim www.blake-construction.com
Fully Bonded & Insured. 214-563-5035
★COWBOY
FENCE & IRON CO.
214.692.1991
EST. 1991 #1 SPECIALIZING IN Wood Fences &Auto Gates
cowboyfenceandiron.com
FLOORING & CARPETING
HASTINGS STAINED CONCRETE New/ Remodel. Stain/Wax Int/Ext. Nick. 214-341-5993. www.hastingsfloors.com
HANDYMAN SERVICES
A R&G HANDYMAN Electrical, Plumbing, Painting, Fencing, Roofing, Light Hauling. Ron or Gary 214-861-7569, 469-878-8044
BO HANDYMAN Specializing In Historic Home Renovations & Pro Remodels. Custom Carpentry, Doors, Kitchens, Baths & more. 214-437-9730
CONNER FAMILY BUILDERS Since 1901. Home remodeling & painting. Superior quality, free estimates. Satisfaction guaranteed. A+ BBB Terry 469-338-1202 connerfamilybuilders.com
HANDY DAN “The Handyman” To Do’s Done Right. www.handy-dan.com 214-252-1628
HANDYMAN SPECIALIST Residential/ Commercial. Large, small jobs, repair list, renovations. Refs. 214-489-0635
HOMETOWN HANDYMAN All phases of construction. No job too small 214-327-4606
HONEST, SKILLED SERVICE With a Smile. General Repairs/ Maintenance. 214-215-2582
Your Home Repair Specialists Drywall Doors Senior Safety Carpentry Small & Odd Jobs And More! 972-308-6035 HandymanMatters.com/dallas
MANNY’S HOME PAINTING & REPAIR Int./Ext. Sheetrock. Manny 214-334-2160
RAMON’S INT/EXT PAINT Sheetrock, Repairs. 214-679-4513
KITCHEN/BATH/ TILE/GROUT
BATHTUB, COUNTERTOP & TILE Resurfacing: Walls, Tub Surrounds, Showers. Glaze or Faux Stone finishes. Affordable Alternative to Replacement! 972-323-8375. PermaGlazeNorthDallas.com
HANDY DAN “The Handyman” Remodels Done Right. handy-dan.com 214-252-1628
MELROSE TILE James Estrello Sr., Installer 40 Yrs. Exp. MelroseTile.com 214-384-6746
WE
• Tubs, Tiles or Sinks
• Cultured Marble
• Kitchen Countertops
LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES
25% OFF TREE WORK Trim. Roberts Tree Svc. Insd. 10 yrs exp. 214-808-8925
A BETTER TREE COMPANY • JUST TREES Complete tree services. Tree & Landscape Lighting! Mark 214-332-3444
BLOUNTS TREE SERVICE Winter Special 20% Off Tree Work. 45 yrs exp. Insured. 214-275-5727
HOLMAN IRRIGATION
Sprinkler & Valve Repair/ Rebuild Older Systems. Lic. #1742. 214-398-8061
JD’S TREE SERVICE Mantels, Headboards, Kitchen Islands, Dining tables.Made from Local Trees.www.jdtreeservice.com 214-946-7138
LAWNS, GARDENS
ORTIZ
LAWNS, GARDENS
PLUMBING
ANDREWS PLUMBING • 214-354-8521
# M37740 Insured. Any plumbing issues. plumberiffic69@gmail.com
Sewers • Drains • Bonded 24 Hours/7 Days
*Joe Faz 214-794-7566 - Se Habla Español*
NTX PLUMBING SPEC. LLLP 214-226-0913
Lic. M-40581 Res/Com. Repairs & Leak Location
REPAIRS, Fixtures, General Plumbing, Senior Discounts. Campbell Plumbing. 214-321-5943
POOLS
LEAFCHASERS POOLS
Parts and Service. Chemicals and Repairs. Jonathan. 214-729-3311
ROOFING & GUTTERS
•Acrylic
PEST
972-564-2495
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.
MEDRANO ROOFING Resd/Comm. Quality Service & Craftsmanship. Free Est. 469-867-2129
NATIONWIDE ROOFING
Fencing, Gutters BBB member. 214-882-8719
Allstate Homecraft Roofing
• Roofing & Remodel
Over
• Additions
• Licensed/Insured
www.beorganic.com
Locally-owned, specializing in all-organic products, native plants, garden gifts, all-natural pet foods, wildbird supplies, chicken feed, and organic lawn and tree care. We offer landscape design and installation, stonework, patios, decks, ponds, and fences.
ROLLING ON THE CREEK
A look back at the historic town of Lisbon
COMMENT. Visit oakcliff.advocatemag.com/backstory to tell us what you think.
Just as Wheatland, Danieldale, Eagle Ford, Trinity Heights and the others were, the old town of Lisbon was incorporated into the City of Dallas. Before that, however, the settlers around this section of Five Mile Creek certainly carved out a colorful history.
In 1836, Republic of Texas commissioners appointed Arkansan Samuel Sloan to be part of a three-man team to lay out a road from the three forks of the Trinity River northward to the Red River. Then, in 1840, Sloan joined a troop of soldiers who came as an advance force ahead of a survey party.
Sloan and his two brothers, Robert and James, eventually owned 4,000 acres south of the Trinity, awarded to them for their service in the Texas War for Independence. These landholdings extended all the way to Wilmer, Texas.
In 1846, Samuel Sloan’s family joined him. He assembled a log home near Five Mile Creek, just west of what is now Lancaster Road and Loop 12 and, according to Sloan’s daughter’s journal, Mrs. Sloan saw only two other women during that first year. The daughter also documented the extremely tall grasses (which covered what the diary called “the prairie land”) that were heavy with flies. She explained how the infestation caused extensive illness among the settlers, including her mother. It was only after the farmers burned the grasses that the sicknesses subsided.
Once the ability to survive in the area was secured, the Sloan residence became the center for all community and social activities, including impromptu church services whenever a traveling preacher arrived, no matter his denomination. Another 10 years would pass before a formal church was established; it was 20 years before a church structure was built.
When James died under strange cir-
cumstances, his brother Robert sold part of James’ estate to William Brown Miller, where Miller eventually built the Millermore Mansion, now located at Old City Park. John W. Wright bought another portion, the acreage now known as Glen Oaks, one of the Old Oak Cliff Conservation League’s member neighborhoods.
By the time of the Civil War, settlers from the South (and some “Yankee” states, including California) had settled the area with most designations described according to their proximity to the Sloan House on Five Mile Creek, making it natural to create an official town. The first school was on the far north end of the settlement — on the other side of Interstate-35 E from Wynnewood Village where Woodin Boulevard and Brookhaven Drive meet. Named the N. O. McAdams School (because school board member McAdams donated lumber for the building), the structure was also used for church services. Then, when U.S. mail service began in 1870, the town officially became Lisbon, Texas.
Around the turn of the 20th century, the farmers began selling off some of their large landholdings as residential developers looked for housing sites, and new businesses caused the expansion of the once small “business district,” centered at Ann Arbor Avenue and Lancaster Road. The first regular elections were held in 1921 (mayor and
city council). Light poles were finally put up on Lancaster Road in 1922, and in 1923 the town purchased its first fire truck. Natural gas service began in 1925, with limited phone service availability around 1930.
The proud citizens of Glendale, a community one mile south of Lisbon, considered itself a part of Lisbon until the developers arrived. After that, it strove to remain separate, touting its lovely 30-acre park owned by the Southern Traction Company that operated the southern Interurban electric rail line, a line that connected Dallas with Lancaster, Waxahachie and beyond. As was the custom in those days, home developers lured customers to their new additions by offering free rides on the Interurban. Salesmen showed potential homebuyers the lots and house plans before letting the families loose to picnic in the park, play baseball and socialize. Unlike the Glendale Park and public pool that most Oak Cliff Boomers remember, the place was then heavily wooded and had a natural swimming hole fed by Five Mile Creek.
Glendale actually had electricity service several years before Lisbon, using
the power system that fueled the Interurban — a setup that also dimly lit the park at night. The Interurban rail line ran along Lancaster Road and connected Glendale and Lisbon, only one mile apart.
One of the most interesting aspects of Lisbon is that a single mother, Ada Jones, and her nine children operated the Freemont Bus Service from 1924 to 1931, covering a large part of Oak Cliff. And they operated in Glendale from 1926 to 1930. The company’s “jitneys” were driven first by the four sons before the girls joined them. Wearing khaki skirts and blouses, with brown shoes and wool stockings, these ladies became the first female bus drivers in Dallas although the boys weren’t required to wear anything special. The family maintained a 6 a.m.-tomidnight schedule, also making special trips to transport riders to Glendale Park and Five Mile Creek, always passing the Sloan house.
While the Lisbon Cemetery on South Denley now holds a State of Texas Historical Marker, and the Sloan cabin has been donated to (and now resides on) the campus of Northwood University in Cedar Hill, the most prominent remnant of the later Lisbon era is the now massive Dallas VA Hospital on South Lancaster Road — built on former Sloan property. Like most of the early businesses, the old Lisbon Theater is no longer around. But Five Mile Creek continues to snake its way through the old community. Yes, Old Man River I mean creek just keeps on rolling along.
YOUR STORIES
Longtime Cliffites recount memories and reconnect on oakcliff. advocatemag.com/ backstory
“Isn’t Boude Storey in the Oak Cliff Cemetery? Roger McIntosh is there, in an unmarked grave — that’s a sad story. As you know, he is the artist who created the stained glass at Tyler Street. I know — you only have so much space in a column! This is a subject that could go on and on.”
—Vivian Skinner on Our neighborhood cemeteries hold some noteworthy names
“THANKS for this great article about one of Dallas’ great neighborhoods! It seems that the ‘neighbors’ today are following in the footsteps and examples of those wonderful neighbors back then who started us on our journey to success. We are the best in class when it comes to living out what the Great American Dream of neighborhood really means!”
—Darryl Baker on Kiestwood Estates and its notable residents
Gayla Brooks can date her neighborhood heritage back to 1918, when her father was born in what was then called Eagle Ford. She was born at Methodist hospital and graduated from Kimball High School. Brooks is one of three co-authors of the recently published book, “Images of America: Oak Cliff”, and writes a monthly history column for the Oak Cliff Advocate. Send her feedback and ideas to gbrooks@advocatemag.com.
“Thanks Gayla and Bill for some wonderful memories! My mother used to walk to that library almost every day, beginning in 1920, from Lamar & Smith Funeral Home on Jefferson where she lived. Then she married my dad and they were OC Methodist members for over 65 years. My kids are 4th generation at OC United Methodist. Thanks for the memories!”
—Katherine Spinks on The Oak Cliff library’s wealthy heritage
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