Is the new front porch? iHistory

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SEARCH: forest lane (all lower case)

Forty years ago, teenagers in Preston Hollow passed the time cruising down Forest Lane. With Led Zeppelin tunes blaring out the windows of their Cameros, they headed east from Marsh, made a U-turn at The Hockaday School and zipped back west. They did this again and again for two to three hours a night.

“That was our social network. We didn’t have texting or the internet,” says Stefanie Brown, who lived in the neighborhood but attended school in Carrollton.

The ritual began in the late 1960s and ended in the 1990s, she says, when police began cracking down on that type of behavior.

About two years ago, on a whim, Brown created a Facebook group titled “forest lane” where cruisers could reminisce.

“It started as a joke, and within two weeks, I had 600 followers. I thought, ‘Wow, I guess I’ll keep it up.’ ”

Today, the group has 1,462 fans and counting, and it’s just one of several pages dedicated to the Forest Lane cruisers.

Facebook users start conversations about what music they listened to back then, which restaurants they frequented, senior pranks and whatever happened to their vintage rides. Some followers post detailed descriptions of what the area looked like 20 and 30 years ago.

Discussions kept coming back to the Forest Lane mural, painted in 1976 by W.T. White seniors. The long, colorful image extending from Midway to Rosser has become a neighborhood landmark, although it has been altered over the years.

“I was about 6 or 7 at the time it was painted,” Brown says. “All I saw were people out there painting a wall. I didn’t know the details or the people.”

A handful of W.T. White alumni Celebrating you can now schedule an appointment on line. launched an effort in June to restore the mural to its original state. Brown created a separate Facebook page, “Repainting the Forest Lane Wall,” to help locate old photographs and original painters. There, she found Mary Alsobrook, an original artist from that 1976 senior class who now lives in Houston. friends,” Brown says. “I’ve learned a lot about what it was like back then.”

This 1970s-era photo is one of many vintage pictures users have posted to the “forest lane” Facebook page, followed by about 80 comments.

“When I heard they wanted to repaint the wall, it brought tears to my eyes,” Alsobrook says.

She began digging through her mementos and posting to the Facebook page, locating nearly all the original images from the mural. The page has become the central hub for the restoration project, which is currently in limbo until an agreement is reached with the Glen Meadows Homeowners’ Association, which owns the wall.

Separated in age by more than a decade, Brown and Alsobrook had never met before finding each other on Facebook.

iParents

facebook.com SEARCH: NDECPTA

For a neighborhood group of 30-somethings, having a Facebook page is almost mandatory, says Brooke Green, president of the North Dallas Early Childhood PTA, a club for young mothers with children up to 5 years old.

“We have to have a presence on Facebook because it’s expected,” Green says. “It gives us legitimacy in 21st century Dallas. It’s pretty much the norm. Everyone has an iPhone. Moms probably check Facebook more than they’re willing to admit.”

NDECPTA includes about 180 members. The Facebook page has 106 followers who have become part of the Facebook generation where friends chat over a virtual news feed instead of a dining room table. But it’s not just a way for the group to promote itself — it promotes interac- tion among its members.

“Last year, we saw a big upswing in the amount of casual conversation,” Green says.

Discussion threads include “Where are the best pumpkin patches this year?” and “Does anyone know of any open gym hours nearby?”

The Facebook page also is a place where moms can continue conversations that started during one of the monthly programs. For example, parents can try out a nutritional tip they received and post about how it did or didn’t work.

NDECPTA launched its Facebook page about three years ago, about the same time that the “25 Things About Me” trend circulated with users posting random facts about themselves. It turned out to be a good icebreaker, especially for members who don’t always speak up at meetings.

“It helps the perception that we’re not cliquey. The group is open to anyone.”

However, Green says Facebook isn’t a replacement for good old-fashioned talking to one another — in person.

“It only enhances those face-to-face meetings. You can be on Facebook 24/7, but we encourage people to get off the computer. You have to have face time as a new mom, or life is really lonely.”