2014 August Oak Cliff

PROFESSIONALS WHO MOONLIGHT AS PERFORMERS

ALTEREGOS

We get it.

You’re not buying a new place to live, you’re building a history. We understand. e Realtors at David Gri n &Company have been helping people turn houses into homes since 1982. If you're ready to make a little history of your own, call 214.526.5626, or visit davidgriffin.com

Radiation oncologist Dr. Robert Timmerman and colleagues changed the standard of care for lung cancer when they demonstrated that patients with inoperable disease could still be effectively treated with a newer, more potent form of radiation. Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy is a technology that was pioneered at UT Southwestern and is now being adopted worldwide. It’s another example of the specialized care available at UT Southwestern, where scientific research, advanced technology, and leading-edge treatments come together to bring new hope to cancer patients.

To learn more, call 214-645-8300 or visit UTSWmedicine.org

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This is where lung cancer patients are beating the odds

BUCK WYLDE/TRIGGER MORTIS Photo by Danny Fulgencio

GOOD WORK

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

Right?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

There just aren’t many places that offer a fair wage, an opportunity to have your

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voice heard when decisions are made, and an opportunity to leave each day feeling like you’ve done something useful or important with your time at work.

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

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

GEORGE MASON, BLAIR MONIE, ELLEN RAFF, PAM HARRIS, KRISTEN MASSAD, WHITNEY THOMPSON

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read

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

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

to enjoy the softer side of mammography.

Monday Night Mammos at the Breast Center at Methodist Dallas

Finally, your annual mammogram is worth looking forward to. Join us for Monday Night Mammos*, where you will get a mammogram while we treat you to some well-deserved pampering. Relish in relaxation with a gentle hand rub and calming chair massage. Indulge your senses with aromatherapy and delight your palate with light spa cuisine. We’ll even valet park your car. And when it’s time for your mammo, you’ll receive fivestar treatment. Best of all, you’ll know results in 24 hours. Register today for peace of body, mind, and breast health.

MethodistHealthSystem.org

For details and to register, call 214-947-3441 or visit MethodistHealthSystem.org/MondayMammos

Upcoming dates:

August 25, September 22, October 6, October 13, October 20, October 27

The Breast Center at Methodist Dallas is one of just three breast centers of excellence in Dallas (11 in Texas) nationally accredited by the American College of Surgeons.

WHAT YOU’RE MISSING

Je erson rezoning plan approved

Spinster Records to bring Oak Cli into the vinyl age

Elmwood dog park update

Where is South Oak Cli ?

Dallas built its first ‘Negro’ park 99 years ago

THE DIALOGUE

Trammel Crow Residential is buying the old Mission Motel on West Commerce with plans to build 300 apartments and 14,000 square feet of retail space.

“If this density brings better services to the north side of Oak Cliff, I’m all for it. FW Ave. has been an under-utilized waste for decades.” —Stephen M Hatcher

“One day I’m gonna wake up and not recognize Oak Cliff anymore.”

—Joe Flores

“At least we have people talking about Oak Cliff and not how bad people think it is.” —

Joaquin Angel Garcia Ibancovichi

“I mean, these newbies are attracted partly by the local color, then settle into a once-interesting space some developer has bought and destroyed. I don’t get it. Pretty soon the area will be bland and sterile.”

—Mark Dean

“It’s ridiculous to debate where OC ends and W Dallas begins since this type of high density development will negatively impact OC. Think this will help property value up Sylvan? Can’t wait to see the lines of high-end vehicles sitting at that intersection. But hey, they will have highend apartments to admire while they wait.” — Antoinette

Gonzales

Launch

community | events | food

Q&A: Kenda North

When art photographer Kenda North moved to Oak Cliff in 1990, she rented a studio in Bishop Arts, “which wasn’t Bishop Arts at the time,” she says.

She had taken a teaching position at the University of Texas at Arlington, and by then, her work already had progressed from her early photos of sunbathers, which have become popular with collectors recently.

About 15 years ago, she moved her studio to a huge light-filled space on Jefferson, over a quinceañera shop, where she still works. She and her husband raised two daughters here. She fought for the creation of the Dallas school district’s first stand-alone academy for talented and gifted students. North served for a while as chair of the art department at UTA. She volunteered at Rosemont when her daughters were little. And she helped breathe new life into Turner House and the Oak Cliff Society of Fine Arts.

Through it all, North remains a disciplined artist, still fascinated with underwater photography, the human form and the lilt of submerged fabric. North steadily turns out beautiful pictures that are available at the gallery that represents her, Craighead Green.

Kenda North: Photo by Danny Fulgencio

Can you tell us a little about your “Backyard Desire” series?

I’ve always done color photography, and back in the ’80s, color photography wasn’t really being done. It was considered something you would use in snapshots and advertising. Part of the reason for that is in the ’70s and ’80s, color photos would fade on the paper. It was terrible. So I got into a process called dye transfer … it was more permanent because it wasn’t connected to any chemical process. I’ve recently had a lot of collectors interested in that early work. That’s because the ’70s and ’80s are just kind of hot right now. And also, they look the same now as they did then. They’re pristine. At the time, I was just thinking about how to make a picture look how I wanted it to look.

What is it about underwater photography that attracts you?

I’ve always loved the figure. And I’ve always enjoyed working with fabric. And I love to swim. The water just provides this really wonderful environment to shoot in.

Not everything you do is about water. What inspired the series “Notations of Beauty and Loss”?

My mother went into a nursing home, and we had all these things china and random teacups, and if you gave anything to Goodwill, it just seemed weird. Like they were things that seemed too personal. So I had some things brought here, and that’s where that table comes from, and that’s when I had [a suspension rack] put on the ceiling.

There’s an element of glamour to those pictures, right?

They all have high heels in them. Some women are passionate about their shoes. I don’t wear high heels, but my mother did. And I wanted this to be about her notions of beauty and home. So I just began to work with people who would bring their shoe collections.

You’ve been a university professor for most of your career. How does that affect your work as an artist?

One of the most difficult things about being an artist is self-discipline, the discipline to keep up a sustained activity. That’s where I think teaching can be effective. By encouraging my students it can help with my own drive. There are many creative people who want to keep making art, but first they’ve got to find a job, which is very difficult. And then they’ve got to rouse themselves to do their own work at night or on weekends. You’ve no longer got that community of dialogue and critique. It’s important to have that community that I think exists here … of artists doing pop-up markets and things like that. No one is looking to make a whole lot of money, but feedback and visibility is very rewarding.

How did you come to live in Oak Cliff?

My husband grew up in Highland Park, and his parents lived in Oak Cliff but then moved north. I had a UTA connection, Richard Doherty [who lives in Kessler Park]. We visited them, and we just looked around and we thought, this seems right. It’s a tremendous change now. We have new neighbors who are empty nesters, and they’re from Coppell. If you’ve got people moving from Plano and Coppell, you know that’s change.

How did you get involved with Turner House?

I was asked to be on the board. The house has a lot of physical problems. Right after I joined the board is when we discovered that it needed extensive roof repairs. But we also needed community involvement, to bring people in, so I came up with the Salon Series. There are three programs every spring and fall, and there’s always one about art, one about architecture and one about music. We’ve had quite a few that have just been fascinating, and they’ve been very well received.

Rachel Stone

Out & About

Send events to editor@advocatemag.com

August 2014

Aug. 5

Future Folk

Space aliens come to destroy Earth but instead decide to make folk music. That is the premise of “The History of Future Folk,” an independent film that screens at the Kessler Theater. The movie starts at 7 p.m. and precedes a live performance by Future Folk.

The Kessler Theater, 1230 W. Davis, 214.272.8346, RSVP at do214.com/events for free admission

more LOCAL EVENTS or submit your own

OAKCLIFF.ADVOCATEMAG.COM/EVENTS

AUG. 1-SEPT. 5

Know what I’m talkin’ ‘bout?

The Oak Cliff Cultural Center and Mountain View College present the work of 25 Houston-based contemporary artists in “Draped Up and Dripped Out.”

The cultural center show opens Aug. 1, and a second show opens at the Cliff Gallery at Mountain View Aug. 25. Oak Cliff Cultural Center, 223 W. Jefferson, 214.670.3777, dallasculture.org, free

AUG. 9

Block party

The Oak Cliff Cultural Center celebrates its fourth anniversary in its current location with a block party from 3-7 p.m. The party includes performances from La Rondalla, Alegre Ballet Folklorico and Cuicani In Xochitl, plus face painting, dance workshops, food and more. Oak Cliff Cultural Center, 223 W. Jefferson, 214.670.3777, dallasculture.org, free

AUG. 10

TeCo benefit show

Dave Koz and Friends Summer Horns Tour 2014 perform a benefit concert for Oak Cliff-based TeCo Theater starting at 3 p.m. at the Music Hall at Fair Park. The Music Hall at Fair Park, 909 First Ave., 214.565.1116, liveatthemusichall.com, $67-$87

AUG. 12

The Both

Musicians Aimee Mann and Ted Leo connected over Twitter and eventually formed a band, The Both. They released their self-titled album this past April. The Kessler Theater, 1230 W. Davis, thekessler.org, 214.272.8346, $24-$38

Aug. 3

Ruby the RabbitFoot

Georgia-based Ruby the RabbitFoot performs a backyard show at the Wild Detectives, starting at 8 p.m.

The Wild Detectives, 314 W. Eighth, 214.942.0108, rubytherabbitfoot.com, free

AUG. 23

The Wizard of Oz

The Texas Theatre screens a 35 mm print of the Judy Garland classic “The Wizard of Oz.” The theater also shows “Dark Side of the Rainbow,” that thing where you play the Wizard of Oz simultaneously with Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” album, on Friday, Aug. 22.

The Texas Theatre, 231 W. Jefferson, thetexastheatre.com, 214.948.1546, call for ticket prices and show times

AUG. 29

Bad Mountain

Dallas-based Americana/roots/gospel band Bad Mountain performs a free show at the Foundry starting at 9 p.m. The Foundry hosts free shows every weekend.

The Foundry, 2303 Pittman, cs-tf. com, 214.749.1112, free

MAKE A STATEMENT

Get noticed at First Baptist Academy

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

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

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

Aug. 5

Homeless for nine days

Rapper Pras from the Fugees lived for nine days as a homeless man in downtown Los Angeles to produce the documentary “Skid Row,” which is this month’s First Tuesday social justice film from the Unitarian Universalist Church of Oak Cliff.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Oak Cliff, 3829 W. Kiest, 214.337.2429, firsttuesdayfilms.org, free

Meet Max, Class of 2014

• National Merit Finalist

• Valedictorian

• TAPPS State Champion, All State quarterback

• Incoming freshman, Carnegie Mellon University

Afew things have changed at Bolsa Mercado since it opened in 2011. The café and market still stocks some groceries — pasta, spices, chips, co ee, soda, bread. But recently the owners began to scale back the grocery o erings, and they got a liquor license. So now beer, wine and cocktails are served by the glass, and takeout beer and wine are no longer available.

About a year ago, they expanded the menu of sandwiches, salads and wraps. And now, they serve house-made ice cream.

The ice cream contains only organic milk and cream, and can be had in house-made wa e cones. The flavors will change seasonally, but right now, the flavors are chocolate cajeta brownie, strawberry rhubarb, vanilla bread pudding and peach.

The bread pudding flavor is made with croissants soaked in organic cream and eggs. The peaches are grilled before being added in, for a touch of smoky flavor.

“So, traditional flavors with a culinary twist,” says co-owner Chris Zielke.

Milkshakes also are on the new menu. And they can come standard ($8) or boozy ($11-$14). The flavors include strawberry rhubarb with raspberries and rum, grilled peach with honey and vodka, and vanilla with caramel and bourbon.

Zielke says they’re adding things slowly — specialty cocktails and sangria could be in the future. But for now, they’re courting evening diners to complement their busy breakfast and lunch services.

“It’s a little more casual than Bolsa,” he says. “Now you can come get a burger and a beer and a shake.” —Rachel Stone

Grilled peach, vanilla caramel and strawberry rhubarb shakes from Bolsa Mercado. Photo by Eliott Muñoz

WE WON

Best Pizza IN OAK CLIFF

And the best-pizza winner is …

Home Run Pizza

718 W. Jefferson, 214.946.9761

Runners up: Zoli’s NY Pizza and Eno’s

It says a lot about Oak Cliff that our readers’ choice of best pizza is an old-school favorite and not the trendiest place around.

Home Run Pizza opened on Jefferson Boulevard in 1986. Oak Cliff residents Paulino and Maria Montelongo bought it in 1990, having exactly no restaurant experience. Their oldest son, Richard, had been a manager under Home Run’s previous owners, and when he told his parents the place was for sale, they risked their life savings to buy it.

The Montelongos learned the business from their son, and they put all of themselves into it. To generate buzz early on, they started selling large pizzas for $5 each out of a vehicle they drove around Oak Cliff.

Paulino Montelongo Jr., who was born and raised in Oak Cliff, bought the restaurant from his parents about four years ago.

“We treat every customer as if they’re family. That makes a difference compared to big corporations like Pizza Hut and Domino’s,” he says.

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

PEACHY KEEN

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

Grilled peach shortcakes with brown sugar whipped cream

SHORTCAKES

2 cups all purpose flour

4 tablespoons sugar, granulated

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed

1 cup + 1 tablespoon heavy cream

1 egg

DIRECTIONS

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

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

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

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

GRILLED PEACHES

4 ripe peaches, halved and pitted

½ cup butter, unsalted (1 stick)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS

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

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

BROWN SUGAR WHIPPED CREAM

2 cups heavy whipping cream

4 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

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

Photo by James Coreas

Kristen Massad writes a monthly column about sweets and baked goods. The professional pastry chef graduated from the French Culinary Institute in New York City and owned Tart Bakery on Lovers Lane for eight years. She blogs about food and lifestyles at inkfoods.com.

Photo by Kristen Massad

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

LIGHTERS OON

A LITTLE DULL BY DAY, THEY SHINE AT NIGHT

STORY BY RACHEL STONE | PHOTOS BY DANNY FULGENCIO

BRYAN CAMPBELL, AKA GEORGE QUARTZ

Administrator/musician/actor

GROWING UP in the countryside outside Gainesville, young Bryan Campbell had to make his own fun.

“You imagine what the city kids are doing, so you try to emulate that, but you end up being crazier than they are,” he says. “When you’re little it’s great because you can just go outside and play, but as

Danielle Georgiou, Bryan Campbell and Holly Holsonback at the Texas Theatre

So he arrived at the University of Houston in the early ’90s and realized quickly how country he really was. He tried to fit in, and when he did, he looked for ways to not fit in.

Since U of H didn’t have much of an art program or film classes at the time, he transferred to the University of North Texas.

“The space art scene, the Good/Bad Art Collective, which I ended up joining. It was a pretty good time to be there,” he says.

Denton is where his artistic energies found their outlet, and he eventually became the musician and artist known as George Quartz.

Quartz recently completed a residency at Centraltrak, where among other projects, he produced an overtly awkward Dick Cavett-style talk show called “After Hours with George Quartz.”

More recently, George Quartz has been making music with his band, which improvises all of its songs. Choreographer Danielle Georgiou adds dance to the performance.

Quartz also has several DJ residencies, including “Musk” at Ten Bells Tavern on Tuesday nights. He plays yacht rock, ’80s power ballads, action-movie theme songs and “that sort of over-produced music that’s in between pop and hard rock.”

He started working at the Texas Theatre a few years back as a bartender and quickly learned he is not cut out for service.

“He hated it,” says pal Susie Angeles, who is a fantastic bartender. “He’s sort of like a vaudevillian to me, but a dark and twisted one. He’s very engaging and can really draw in a crowd, but that’s a character.”

He hung in there until the Texas Theatre hired him for a day job. Now he books bands, builds print ads, makes graphics, updates the website and does some social media. He also sometimes DJs at the theater and suggests films.

He also has worked in an advertising agency, at American Apparel and at Starbucks.

Now he is focused on producing an album based on recordings from his live shows. He recently moved to a house on Hampton Road and set up his sculpture table, so we may be seeing some visual art from George Quartz, too.

you get older, you just want to get out.”

MALISSA CALAWAY

WHEN MALISSA CALAWAY moved to Dallas from Little Rock at 19, she found her community in the burlesque scene here.

Back in Arkansas, Calaway had done some pin-up modeling, hiring portrait photographers to shoot her inside the untouched 1930s house she rented. But there was no burlesque scene in Little Rock.

“At the time, it was kind of scandalous,” she says of modeling. “I got a lot of heat for it, actually. But here in Dallas, it’s a huge scene.”

Here she met photographers who specialize in pin-up styling, and she attended shows put on by Ruby Revue and the Dallas Burlesque Festival, among others.

Burlesque performer Kris Waters asked Calaway to appear on stage with her because they are about the same size and have similar looks — blue eyes, dark hair, Bettie Page bangs.

Bartender/burlesque performer

Her role in that act kept growing until Calaway and Waters, who is known as the Black Sparrow, formed a new act, the Lauras.

“I got really lucky,” she says. “I don’t consider myself a great performer.”

Calaway, who is a bartender at the Belmont Hotel, says she doesn’t sing. She doesn’t have a dance background. She’s not crafty and doesn’t make costumes. What she has is personality, cuteness and a self-deprecating sense of humor.

“I give a lot of face,” she says. “Big movements. My niche is that I’m this sweet and innocent little girl, but clumsy and awkward … and who also takes her clothes o .”

Calaway’s partner recently moved out of state, so she is working up a new act. She also has reconnected with friends in Little Rock, where a burlesque scene now is beginning to blossom.

A friend in Little Rock started a club called Blood and Rhinestones, and Calaway is working to help them expand and perhaps form a troop of performers from Arkansas, Oklahoma and anyplace where there are burlesquers looking for an outlet.

“It’s refreshing to be somewhere where there really isn’t a scene,” she says. “I get to bring a little of this world into my old world.”

Calaway co-produces an occasional burlesque show, the Grind and the Punk Rock Prom. She also is part of the Black Sheep Revue.

“I’m really grateful just to be sharing a dressing room with some of these women,” she says. “There are some performers that I would’ve considered myself lucky just to meet, and now I consider them some of my closest friends. It’s been so much fun, and everyone’s been so sweet and open-minded.”

Local Look First

TRIGGER MORTIS, AKA BUCK WYLDE

Corporate marketing professional/drag king

WHEN

Trigger Mortis was thrilled.

“I was like, ‘Wow, I’m early!’ ”

The 38-year-old, who works in the corporate office of a major retailer, dedicated seven years to roller derby. She was a star player and the marketing director for Assassination City Roller Derby.

About a year and a half ago, she organized a fundraiser for the derby’s traveling team, and a drag king troupe, Mustache Envy, provided the entertainment.

“I loved doing it so much that I was asked to come back and perform on a Tuesday night,” she says. “I had no idea what I was doing, and they said, ‘Don’t worry about it. It will come together.’”

FILMMAKER John Waters appeared at the Kessler Theater this past spring, he told the crowd that he predicted drag kings would be the next big thing.

Taylor Anne Ramsey, Buck Wylde and Carmel Sutra at the Texas Theatre

Now Trigger (that’s her derby name) performs at Sue Ellen’s every Tuesday night as her drag persona, Buck Wylde.

She refers to mentors Stefani Mikyles and Jimmy D’Stone as her drag mom and dad, and she says they taught her everything she needed to know about makeup, hair, costumes and performing. Her boyfriend, Keith Kundak, is her “man-tor,” and helps her “square up,” perfect her facial expressions and other masculine gestures.

“I’ve studied a lot of Elvis,” she says, rattling off a list of things that inspire Buck Wylde: the 1985 movie “Just One of the Guys,” actor John Paragon, David Lee Roth, Ritchie Valens, Little Richard, Jackie Wilson and “anything Vegas.”

The Tuesday-night drag king performances at Sue Ellen’s (which are free, by the way) start at 10 p.m., and sometimes she drives straight from her day job to get ready at the venue. The transformation takes about two hours. Just the facial hair, which Trigger makes out of the clippings from her own haircuts, takes 30-45 minutes to apply.

Her corporate co-workers have no idea.

“I don’t let it affect my job, but I’m just really tired on Wednesday mornings,” she says.

Sometimes, if she doesn’t want to disassemble Buck’s full pompadour before bed, she rolls into work with the front half up and the back of her hair curled, a look that co-workers often compliment. Once, she got through most of the day before she noticed a big smudge of black makeup on her ear.

It’s not that she thinks her boss or coworkers would mind, but she likes keeping those worlds separate. After all, Buck doesn’t work in a corporate office — she does.

Buck Wylde recently took home the top prize in a pageant at Sue Ellen’s, and Trigger now co-hosts the Tuesday-night events. She’s working on a Mötley Crüe look for Buck for an upcoming ’80s night.

Since portraying Buck requires her to get in touch with her masculine side, Trigger says she is more likely to wear skirts and dresses when not in costume.

“I’m really a pretty girly girl,” she says. “I like pin curls and bright red lipstick. It’s all about balance.”

Select Openings for Fall 2014

Pre-k through Eighth Grade Co-educational stjohnsschool.org

214-328-9131 x103

SJES admits qualified students of any race, color, religion, gender, and national or ethnic origin.

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

NOT LONG AGO, Opalina Salas’s life was like a country song, and not in a good way.

Her husband, Carlos, hurt himself and couldn’t work. They had to close their bookstore, Cli Notes. They could no longer afford their Winnetka Heights rent and had to move into a one-bedroom apartment with their teenage daughter, Paloma. Then their cat, Mario, got run over by a car.

“We were having a hard time there for a while,” she says. “But we got through it.”

After two years in that tiny apartment, the Salas family now rents a three-bedroom house in Kings Highway. Opalina, 41, has a job as a teller at Bank of Texas, and Carlos is back at work for DART. They’re thankful for the work, but their jobs are not their passion.

Opalina and Carlos are poets, and they’re part of a community that keeps the performance poetry scene alive in Dallas.

The two met at a poetry reading in 1995. At the time, there were poetry events almost every night in Deep Ellum. When Paloma was born, Opalina took a couple of years o . But then Paul Sexton organized a weekly reading at Suenos Sabrosos, the bygone ice cream shop in Bishop Arts.

“That would be our big Saturday night,” she says, and that lasted for about 12 years.

After the Salases opened Cli Notes in 2009, they started Poets on X+, a regular poetry night inside their shop or in the Mighty Fine Arts Gallery.

Now they are bringing Poets on X+ back thanks to Wordspace and Lucky Dog Books. Opalina has been hosting the summer series at Lucky Dog — the August installment is Saturday, Aug. 16, from 7-9 p.m. with Kymberly Miesha and Dionne Keaton. When the summer series ends, Opalina says, she wants to keep it going, even if she has to host it on her front porch.

The Salases also are a big part of Mad Swirl, a monthly performance poetry night,

usually somewhere in Deep Ellum. She gets excited when she talks about it and says she can’t wait for the next one.

“The poets who perform are so good,” she says. “There’s such a receptive crowd, and we push each other. You’ve got to bring your Agame to Mad Swirl.”

The commute from Oak Cli to her job in Richardson by train and bus is what inspires Opalina’s work lately, she says. The movement of people, the rhythms and sights, the shared human experience of public transportation are what she writes about at night.

Even though it was heartbreaking to have to close their bookstore after less than three years in business, they’re still touched by the experience every day, she says. Through Cli Notes, they met Je Liles of the Kessler Theater, a place they say feels like home to them.

“It wasn’t about selling books; it was about community,” she says. “It wasn’t financially profitable for us, but it was profitable in so many other ways. I can’t even imagine what my life would be like without it. I wouldn’t be as happy or fulfilled as I am.”

She feels much the same way about having lived in the small apartment, because it made the family extremely close. Anything seems possible now. A big dining room and a front porch are luxurious.

Opalina has applied for a job as a banker with her company, which would pay more. And that’s good because the rent in Oak Cli home — keeps going up.

“I’m really happy with my job because I think it’s going to allow us to stay here,” she says.

At a house across the street from her porch on Edgefield, Opalina spies a kitten, playfully attempting to engage a mother cat by pouncing on her.

“Oh, I’m going to have to show Carlos that kitten,” she says. “He said we could get another kitten when we moved.”

Life is pretty good.

Steak classics

At 50, Charco Broiler thrives under four generations of the same family

Story by Rachel Stone Photos by Kim Leeson

When Charco Broiler opened on Jefferson Boulevard in 1964, that was the center of the Oak Cliff universe.

“Oak Cliff was very popular for shopping,” says third-generation owner Nick Cordova. “You had J.C. Penney, Sears, Rick’s Furniture, Nelson’s Beauty Store, Pep Boys …”

All those places closed or moved to Red Bird Mall when it was built, but Charco Broiler remains.

In the early days, the cafeteria-style steakhouse served three plates chop steak, ribeye and top sirloin — each served with baked potato, salad and Texas toast. Tea and water were the only beverage offerings.

All that is still available, plus burgers, salads, grilled chicken, chicken-fried steak and more.

The ’60s and ’70s were great years for the restaurant, Cordova says. They would serve as many as 1,000 people on a Friday night. Things started taking a turn in the 1980s, when buildings on Jefferson started to empty out, but Charco Broiler hung on. When the Cordovas noticed that most of their new neighbors were Hispanic, they started marketing Charco Broiler to that population.

“They saved us,” Cordova says of Hispanic Oak Cliff neighbors.

“They turned us around.”

Revitalization of the Bishop Arts District and a renewed interest in Oak Cliff also have helped, he says.

Now the restaurant is about as busy as it was back in the ’70s, he says.

At lunchtime one recent Friday, the swiftly moving line for steaks and chicken is about 20 people deep.

There are downtown workers, retired folks, lunch dates.

Charco Broiler loyalists Darren and Jenna Thompson live in Garland and both work downtown. They say they meet for lunch at Charco Broiler about once a month.

“Where else can you get a steak lunch for $12?” he says.

Nick Cordova’s grandparents, Steve and Stephanie Kamenoff, immigrants from Bulgaria and Yugoslavia, respectively, started Charco Broiler in the early 1960s. The original location was in Snider Plaza, and they opened a second location on South Buckner in 1963. Eventually there were three or four Charco Broiler restaurants, Cordova says. While the one on South Buckner also is still operating, the one on Jefferson is the only one still in the family.

Nick Cordova, left, and his son Brock Cordova, right, are the third and fourth generation of their family to run Charco Broiler on Jefferson.

Cordova’s parents bought the Jefferson restaurant in the mid-’60s, and he grew up working there.

His parents also bought a pizza place that was next door, but in the late 1960s, pizza wasn’t a thing, and that restaurant flopped. So they took out the walls and expanded the Charco Broiler floor space.

That’s been about the only expansion. Cordova resisted moving south to Duncanville or Cedar Hill in the ’90s. The menu is bigger, and they’ve added a soda fountain, but Cordova doesn’t have ambition to grow.

“We’re just a small family business,” he says. “We all have kids, and we try to keep it simple.”

The restaurant doesn’t serve alcohol, and Cordova plans to keep it that way. Getting a liquor license and a bar would be too much trouble, he says.

Cordova’s 29-year-old son, Brock, is a manager at the restaurant and plans to take over the business once his dad retires. Cordova has six grandchildren, and he says he hopes to keep Charco Broiler in the family for a fifth generation.

“We’re hoping to make it another 50 years,” he says.

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Above/ Lunchtime diners move down the serving line at Charco Broiler. Below/ Brock Cordova works the grill.

BUSINESS BUZZ

The lowdown on what’s up with neighborhood businesses

Send business news tips to livelocal@advocatemag.com

New brews

Small Brewpub, an Oak Cliff startup, is expected to open soon in the ground floor of Jefferson Tower, which is under renovation. Chef Misti Norris, formerly of FT33, is creating a menu for the pub, which is expected to feature charcuterie.

New lofts

Also at Jefferson Tower, apartment lofts are available for pre-leasing. A one-bedroom apartment comprising 688 square feet is available for $995 a month. A 944-square-foot apartment is going for $1,465. The units will have 11-foot ceilings, views of downtown, concrete floors, stainless steel appliances, a dog park and a roof deck. Lofts also are pre-leasing at Sylvan Thirty, where units are expected to be available as soon as this month. The apartments range from $875-$2,725. The smallest apartment comprises 592 square feet. The Sylvan Thirty apartments will feature granite countertops, wood-style plank flooring, wood cabinetry with chrome hardware, walk-in closets and private patios or Juliette balconies. There’s also a pool, gym, concierge and clubhouse with a full kitchen.

New restaurants

Also at Sylvan Thirty, chef Daniele Puleo of Kessler Park has signed a lease for Bottega Italia. The restaurant will occupy a 4,500-square-foot space with a 2,300-square-foot patio overlooking Sylvan Thirty’s interior park. The place will have a Lavazza coffee bar, pizzas, sandwiches and salads, plus a full deli counter and a market with pastas, olives, olive oils, sea salts, vinegars, sauces, cheeses and charcuterie. Bottega Italia also will offer grab-andgo options such as handmade pastas and specialty prepared foods, plus 350 wine labels and local craft beer on tap. Hattie’s owner Tony Alvarez is planning a Cuban restaurant in the old El Padrino stand. It’s called C Señor. A new concept from Phil Romano, Potato Flats, opened last month at Trin-

More business bits

ity Groves. Bocce, a family-owned Italian restaurant from former Whitehall Exchange chef David Rice, is now open in Bishop Arts.

New sounds

David Grover of Oak Cliff has plans to open a record store on West Davis near Tyler. Spinster records is set to open this coming fall. The shop will offer new records, plus turntables from Rega, Pro-ject, Thorens and Music Hall. They’ll also offer amplifiers, speakers and turntable repair services. Grover plans to work with the Kessler Theater to bring in-store performances.

—Rachel Stone

GET IN CONTACT

Jefferson Tower 214.686.7105

JEFFERSON-TOWER.COM

Sylvan Thirty 1818 SYLVAN 214.573.8700

SYLVANTHIRTY.COM

Potato Flats 3011 GULDEN 469.518.9224

POTATOFLATS.COM

Bocce 244 W. DAVIS 214.943.1714

BOCCEOFFBISHOP.COM

Oil and Cotton Creative Exchange 837 W. SEVENTH 214.942.0474

OILANDCOTTON.COM

CocoAndré Chocolatier 831 W. DAVIS 214.941.3030

COCOANDRE.COM

Norma’s Café 1123 W. DAVIS 214.946.2111

NORMASCAFE.COM

1 Developer Trammel Crow Residential is buying the old Mission Motel on Fort Worth Avenue with a plan to build about 300 apartments on the site. 3 Oil and Cotton Creative Exchange curated five windows at the downtown Neiman Marcus store with the work of local contemporary artists. The window exhibits are up through Aug. 17. 3 CocoAndré Chocolatier now offers paletas from MaxFrut, which can be ordered as-is or dipped in chocolate. 4 Norma’s Café now serves boxed meals to feed six-eight people. The boxes come with an assortment of brisket sliders, chicken tenders, side dishes and a whole meringue pie for $50.

A selfie of David Grover of Spinster records

Nonprofits

The Old Oak Cliff Conservation League awarded $15,980.66 to member neighborhood associations at its annual meeting in June.

Oak Cliff-based nonprofit Promise House received a $15,000 grant from Elizabeth Toon Charities.

Giving

Stevens Park Elementary received a $1,500 donation from Big Lots as part of the grand opening of the retailer’s new store on Fort Worth Avenue in May.

Awards

The cancer program at Methodist Dallas Medical Center was one of three in Texas and 74 nationwide to earn an outstanding achievement award from the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons in June.

HAVE AN ITEM TO BE FEATURED?

Please submit news items and/or photos concerning neighborhood residents, activities, honors and volunteer opportunities to editor@advocatemag.com Our deadline is the first of the month prior to the month of publication.

ANGLICAN

ALL SAINTS DALLAS / 2733 Oak Lawn / 972.755.3505

Radical Inclusivity, Profound Transformation. Come and See!

9:00 & 11:00 am Sunday Services. www.allsaintschurchdallas.org

BAPTIST

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

DISCIPLES OF CHRIST

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

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

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

EPISCOPAL

CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH / 534 W. Tenth St. / 214.941.0339

Sunday: 8 & 10 am Holy Eucharist, 12:30pm Santa Misa en Español

Sunday School for all ages / Children’s Chapel / christchurchdallas.org

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.

OAK CLIFF UMC / 549 E. Jefferson Blvd. / oakcliffumc.org

Young Adult Gathering & Worship “The Cliff” 9:30 am / Contemporary Worship 11:00 am (Bilingual) / facebook.com/oakcliffumc

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 Near 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

CHANCE OCCURRENCES

Why praying sometimes means waiting for a surprise

Do you know the word serendipity? It means surprise It’s an unexpected moment. It’s when something amazing and delightful happens by chance. It is, for example, when although one is not looking to fall in love, the right set of circumstances collide and love blooms. Surprise!

One day my wife showed up unexpectedly at my work with a T-shirt that said “Rookie Dad.” It was her way of saying she was pregnant. Surprise!

Serendipity, with all of those unseen forces behind it, is a fitting way to describe how God works with us in prayer.

From the human side, sometimes prayer wells up, bringing comfort and assurance, while other times prayer feels like work, trudging in sweat and tears through mud to place of need at the feet of The Divine.

One might pray, “God, send us a baby.” Another might exclaim, “Help me Jesus!” in a time of crisis. Or another might offer a spontaneous “thanks” when encountering a simple gift of beauty. Prayer opens one up to the possibility of unexpected joy and grace.

God often moves in surprising ways when we pray.

My friend Louis observes, “God doesn’t come when I call him, but he’s right on time.”

Prayer is mysterious. Don’t ever let anyone oversimplify prayer, reduce it or diminish it such that it loses its dynamic and wonderful power.

In The Summer Day, the poet Mary Oliver writes, “I don’t know exactly what a prayer is. I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields, which is what I have been doing all day. Tell

me, what else should I have done?”

In prayer, one pays attention — attention to what is happening inside and around. This, I believe, is the purpose of prayer. It’s about quality time, as well as brief, intermittent moments in the presence of God, who is different, separate, A Mystery.

Prayer requires deep listening and humility prior to action. To say, “God told me to do ____,” is no trifling matter. Beware of anyone who proclaims this with frequency. (God’s voice doesn’t sound like Morgan Freeman. Sometimes it is as light as a feather, sometimes as loud as thunder. It is unpredictable and soothing and beautiful

Prayer is mysterious.

Don’t ever let anyone oversimplify prayer, reduce it or diminish it such that it loses its dynamic and wonderful power.

and frightening and often hard to hear.)

William Law says in A Serious Call To A Holy and Devout Life, “Prayer is not really about words. Prayer is the movement of the heart.” Every time you feel a stirring to talk to God, to reach for God, to request from God, that is the heart moving toward the great Something More.

In a fearful, anxious world where everything is scheduled, mapped-out and overanalyzed, I long for more of those serendipitous moments. I want to kneel in the grass, to be idle and blessed, and to know that when I pray, with great faith or with trembling doubt, some unexpected movement is just around the bend.

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.

Don’t shred on us

The Open Carry Guitar Rally at the Continental Bridge Park on July 4 brought hundreds of axe-wielders out to mock open-carry gun zealots. From left to right are Raven Patrick, Gary N. Audirsch, Spyche Elijah Bongiovi, Michael David Pyett and Danny Pham. Photo by Gary Neill

Local Resources TO ADVERTISE 214.560.4203

CLASSES/TUTORING/ LESSONS

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

PIANO LESSONS All ages & levels. Over 20 years experience. Oak Cliff area. Call Tim at 214-989-7093

EMPLOYMENT

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

SERVICES FOR YOU

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

Local BULLETIN BOARD

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

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

JAMES H. DOLAN, MA, L.P.C Therapist, Executive Coach 214-629-6315. Individuals, couples & teens.LGBT

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

TRAVEL

CRUISEONE DALLAS Doug Thompson bigDcruises.com Plan your cruise vacation today! 214-254-4980

JOURNEY WITH JANE for a unique travel experience. Travel dreams become reality. 469-662-5212. journeywithjane.com

BUY/SELL/TRADE

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

TEXAS RANGERS AND DALLAS STARS

front row seats. Share prime, front-row Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars tickets (available in sets of 10 games). Prices start at $105 per ticket (sets of 2 or 4 tickets per game available) Seats are behind the plate and next to the dugouts for the Rangers: seats are on the glass and on the Platinum Level for the Stars. Other great seats available starting at $60 per ticket. Entire season available except for opening game; participants randomly draw numbers prior to the season to determine a draft order fair for everyone. Call 214-560-4212 or rwamre@advocatemag.com

TOP CASH FOR CARS Any Car, Truck. Running or Not. Call for Instant Offer. 1-800-454-6951

ESTATE/GARAGE SALES

ESTATE SALES & LIQUIDATION SERVICES

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

BOUNCE HOUSES • SLIDES • MARGARITA MACHINES POPCORN MACHINES • PIÑATAS • CHAIRS • TABLES (214)941-7440 - www.pinatacity.com 1705 W. CLARENDON, DALLAS TX 75208

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

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

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

PET SERVICES

DUKE CANINE Certified Behaviorist & Trainer. Board/Train. Indoor kennels. www.dukecanine.com or 214-529-2598

In-Home Professional Care

Customized to maintain your pet’s routine

In-Home Pet Visits & Daily Walks

“Best of Dallas” D Magazine

Serving the Dallas area since 1994

Bonded & Insured www.societypetsitter.com 214-821-3900

AC & HEAT YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD AIR CONDITIONING & HEATING COMPANY RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL

469.334.0196

www.Bel-AirMechanical.com

6318 Gaston Avenue, Suite 202 Dallas, TX 75214

“Stay cozy my friends”

CARPENTRY & REMODELING

TK Remodeling

Your neighborhood remodeler

•Repair •Remodeling •Restoration

•Complete full service

Name it— We do it

http://dallas.tkremodelingcontractors.com

Tommy 972-533-2872 INSURED

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

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.)

APPLIANCE REPAIR

AROTX

972-523-3996

WWW.AROTX.COM

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

CABINETRY & FURNITURE

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

THE CABINET CONCIERGE

The Art of Storage. Call 214-821-5900

Email jin@thecabinetconcierge.com

CARPENTRY & REMODELING

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

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

RENOVATE DALLAS

renovatedallas.org 214-403-7247

TK REMODELING 972-533-2872 Complete Full Service Repairs, Remodeling, Restoration.

Name It- We do it. Tommy. insured. http://dallas. tkremodelingcontractors.com

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

EXPERIENCED LICENSED ELECTRICIAN

Insd. Steve. TECL#27297 214-718-9648

GOVER ELECTRIC Back Up Generators. New and Remodel Work. Commercial & Residential. All Service Work. 469-230-7438. TECL2293

LAKEWOOD ELECTRICAL Local. Insured. Lic. #227509 Call Rylan 214-434-8735

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

EXTERIOR CLEANING

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

FENCING & DECKS

#1 COWBOY FENCE & IRON CO. Est. ‘91. 214-692-1991 www.cowboyfenceandiron.com

4 QUALITY FENCING Call Mike 214-507-9322 Specializing in Wood, New or Repair.

HANNAWOODWORKS.COM Decks,Doors, Carpentry, Remodeling 214-435-9574

EST. 1991 #1

COWBOY

FENCE & IRON CO.

214.692.1991

SPECIALIZING IN Wood Fences &Auto Gates

cowboyfenceandiron.com

FLOORING & CARPETING

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

214-824-1166 • WillefordHardwoodFloors.com

GARAGE DOORS

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

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

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

HOUSE PAINTING

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

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

INTERIOR DESIGN

WALLPAPER AND MORE

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

KITCHEN/BATH/ TILE/GROUT

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

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

STONE AGE COUNTER TOPS

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

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

A BETTER TREE COMPANY • JUST TREES

Complete tree services. Tree & Landscape Lighting! Mark 214-332-3444

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

GREENSKEEPER Winter Clean Up & Color. Sodding, Fertilization. Lawn Maintenance & Landscape. Res/Com. 214-546-8846

HandymanMatters.com/dallas

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

HOLMAN IRRIGATION

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

IRISH RAIN SPRINKLER SYSTEMS Installation & Repair. TXL#2738 214-827-7446

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

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*

M&S PLUMBING Quality Work & Prompt Service. Jerry. 214-235-2172. lic.#M-11523

NTX PLUMBING SPEC. LLLP 214-226-0913

Lic. M-40581 Res/Com. Repairs & Leak Location

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

POOLS

LEAFCHASERS POOLS

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

PEST

A

Keeping

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LAYING THE PIPES

How a bygone family plumbing business left its mark on our neighborhood

In 1954 Chris Nix Sr. and his wife, Florene, packed up their three sons and all their earthly possessions and left post-Word War II Scott County, Ark. (one of the poorest counties in the country where no jobs were available). They traveled 10 hours to Dallas with furniture roped onto the exterior of their 1948 Dodge.

“We looked like the Joads,” quips their third son, Randy.

When the family settled in Oak Cliff and opened a small plumbing business out of their home, none of them could have imagined the difference the move would make for their family and others. With a work ethic to rival most anyone, the late Chris Sr. began building a successful business, where he hired additional workers, purchased more equipment and vehicles and continued to move to larger facilities. Nix Plumbing thrived and soon included a small fleet of service trucks and employees.

Florene did the office work — developing her own unique bookkeeping system — while also taking care of the boys and the house and then adding another son, Bobby, to the family. “I started at home from the day we opened,” Florene says, “and then full-time when we moved [the office] to [2107 S.] Beckley.”

Chris Sr. hired and trained good, dependable workers, mostly young family men whom he encouraged to expand their knowledge and turn themselves into skilled tradesmen; many of these employees worked for Nix Plumbing for 20 years. “There were also some who would come and go,” says Bobby. “A few ex-cons, a few medical students.” Nix was an equal-opportunity employer.

According to the boys, when each reached the age of 12, it was automatic: They went to work for their dad. But hard work wasn’t the only quality Chris Sr. instilled in his boys. He also taught them ingenuity.

When Interstate 35E was under construction, Nix Plumbing received the contract to strip all the plumbing from the vacant lots

where hundreds of Oak Cliff houses had been removed. Always recognizing an opportunity, Chris Sr. and his boys “relocated” some of the grass and shrubbery. According to son Charles, “Our new house on Mystic Trail was completely landscaped and sodded that way.”

When the family moved again, they relocated to Wynnewood Hills, where the Nix house stood out among the neighborhood of upscale residences. They had a mini-farm in the back and side yard.

“Dad actually grew corn, okra and tomatoes,” chuckles Chris Jr. The Nix family’s neighbors — some of whom had grown up on farms, and those who had grown up during the Great Depression (where many had little to eat and used their yards to grow food) and experienced World War II (when Americans were urged to grow Victory Gardens) — recognized the sight, appreciated Chris Sr.’s ingenuity and often asked him for some of the bounty at harvest time.

Nix Plumbing expanded significantly during the residential building boom in the late 1950s to mid-1960s. According to Charles, “When Dad hooked up with the contractors,

we plumbed a huge end of Oak Cliff.”

Then, although he had limited formal education, Chris Sr. became an expert on plumbing engineering and even had an office in downtown Dallas, where he advised numerous top-notch chief engineers during the commercial building boom of the 1970s. Primarily, Nix did remodeling and retrofitting on existing buildings, which included the Merchandise Mart, One Main Place, Wonder Bread, the Federal Reserve Bank and a long list of others. “After Dad established good relationships with the chief engineer-types, little jobs turned into big jobs,” Chris Jr. says. “When Nix Plumbing was hired to do a job, it got done professionally.”

But the most popular project with the boys? The American Airlines Stewardess Training Center (in the day when all the flight attendants were young females).

“We would all beg beg our dad to let us go to the training center, hoping and praying,” Randy remembers with enthusiasm. “Versus drooling and lusting,” Charles says, with a big grin.

Nix also performed residential repairs,

Chris Nix, Sr. opened Nix Plumbing in the 1950s and “plumbed a huge end of Oak Cliff.” Photo courtesy of Bob Nix

and over the years had locations on Patton, South Beckley, Marsalis at Saner, Edgefield at Pioneer, and in Cockrell Hill, downtown Dallas and later Duncanville and DeSoto.

Because of the family’s multiple moves around Oak Cliff, at least one of the Nix boys attended Winnetka, Peabody, Marsalis, Peeler and Mark Twain elementary schools, and Browne, Atwell and Zumwalt junior highs. The oldest son, Chris Jr., attended Kimball High School. When David W. Carter High School opened in 1966, Charles, as a junior (there was no senior class), was elected as the first student council president and served two years. The next year Randy served in the same office, followed four years later by Bobby. Joking among the group, they call themselves “the triumvirate.”

At 6 feet 10 inches, and with the campaign slogan “I Stand Head and Shoulders Over My Competition,” Bobby reused “Nixon for President” bumper stickers. Blacking out the “on” in “Nixon,” he slapped the stickers on all the cars in the school parking lot. Evidently, it worked.

The boys all played sports and also worked for the business, when available. “But when two-a-days rolled around,” Randy says, “we were ready to go. Football was easier.”

Among the four boys, three earned master plumber licenses, and three have college degrees.

Chris Sr. retired in 1986, dissolving one

of the three divisions he had built and selling the others to family, although all eventually closed. He died in 1988.

Sitting at Florene’s kitchen table at her home in Red Oak, we all wait for her to arrive from work! At age 84 she keeps the books for her brother-in-law, who trained under her husband and now operates his own plumbing business. She continues to use her same bookkeeping system — one that stumped (and still stumps) the IRS.

“Dad was a poor, undereducated man raised on a farm, from a part of Arkansas that was boondock-poor,” Randy says, “who became a man who trained others, operated a thriving business and advised chief engineers. Remarkable.”

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.

Above: Florene Nix handled all the bookeeping for her husband’s business. Left: Nix Plumbing operated at 2107 S. Beckley, one of several Oak Cliff locations. Photos courtesy of Bob Nix

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