April 2016

PLUS: Wimbledon Garden Club ... Summer Camp Guide ... Cardboard Boat Regatta

April 2016

your community • your magazine

Here come the brides Serving Arlington, Mansfield, Kennedale and SW Grand Prairie arlingtontoday.com • April 2016 • ARLINGTON TODAY

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Contents April 2016 • Volume 3, Issue 4

Highlights 24 Big hearts and green thumbs The Wimbledon Garden Club has been beautifying the neighborhood for more than 30 years.

30 A boatload of merriment

24 30

The Cardboard Boat Regatta has challenged participants and entertained fans for more than two decades. It will be back again on April 23.

32 Summer camp preview

With warm weather just ahead, kids and parents should check out some of the great summer options available in the area.

54 Bringin’ the heat

A fast start has placed UTA’s softball team in elite company, record-wise.

On the Cover

56 First cars are always favorites

Welcome to the annual Bridal Issue, which celebrates those who recently became married and those who hope to do so soon. Our special section, “Here Come the Brides,” begins on page 35.

Arnold Petsche has been a fan of the 1937 Willys Model 37 Coupe for as long as he has been driving.

Cover photo by Southern Flair Photography

62 Home SWEET! Home

Clay Dark has built or installed many of the features in his expansive Mansfield dwelling.

Join us this month as we take a tour.

Departments Starting Line ... 12 This ‘n Data ... 14 Scene ... 23, 61, 71, 77 Around Town ... 50 Style ... 52 Dining Guide ... 78 Tennis Tip ... 80 Health/Fitness ... 82 Sights/Sounds ... 84 Speaking of Sports ... 86 Itinerary ... 88 Finish Line ... 90

66 Arlington’s matriarch of music

A humble Jane Ellis put a song in the hearts of her students for more than four decades.

32

56 10

ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

68 Relay For Life

The American Cancer Society fundraising event is set for April 23 at Tarrant County College’s Southeast Campus.

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Starting Line

EXECUTIVE BOARD Executive Publisher Judy M. Rupay

A not-quite-right proposal Here’s what happened when I asked “her” to consider becoming my wife

O

ur annual spring bridal section begins on page 35, and to celebrate it and that for which it stands, I offer up a confession: I “married up” when, in the presence of God and some 100 witnesses, I exchanged vows with Susan Richtman on Aug. 2, 1980.

Yet …

On the day that day was first suggested … well, had I consulted the old Magic 8 Ball first, it almost certainly would have said, “Outlook not so good.”

It’s not that our love story didn’t start perfectly. It did.

I don’t recall that Susan was expecting our first kiss. Or, even, that she wanted it. I do remember that she kissed me back. And that she kissed me for some time. And that she kissed me in a gently passionate manner that convinced me, on the spot, that I wanted to continue kissing those lips for the rest of my life.

I was heels over head that moment forward. I could have proposed marriage to her at that moment proper, that’s how convinced I was that Susan was “the one.” I didn’t, of course.

In fact, I waited two whole months to pop the question.

Editor The details of that experience are a bit sketchy, nearly 38 Yale Youngblood years later, but the gist was this: My heart was racing uncontrollably as I mustered the nerve to coax the four magic words from my mouth. After what was likely the longest pause in the history of long pauses, she uttered her brief response. Historically, of course, there are two brief responses: “yes” or “no.”

She said neither.

You see, Susan, by nature, was – and is – deliberate. She considers options, weighs reward against risk, sees the “Big Picture” far better than most. And her big picture answer was …

“Probably.”

For the record, “probably” wasn’t on the ballot I had etched in my brain that night. And it certainly didn’t segue to the celebration I’d also plotted. So, instead, we simply wound up on a couch watching a romantic comedy, toward the end of which the hero told the heroine he had a question he wanted to ask her. I remember thinking, “What are the odds?”

Wait – it gets better. Sure enough, the star actor asked the star actress if she would marry him. Sure enough, she paused longer than any guy would like. And then she said …

And I’ll put my right hand on a Bible, if you ask me to, just to verify that I am telling the truth here …

“Probably.”

I decided at that very moment that fate was on my side. Every Aug. 2 since that one in 1980 simply confirms it.

yale@arlingtontoday.com

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ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

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EDITORIAL Editor Yale Youngblood Contributing Editor Marla Thomas Sports Columnist John Rhadigan Style Editor Tricia Schwartz Website & Social Media Director Whitney Hoang Contributing Graphic Artists Susan Darovich, Susan Richtman Contributing Writers Sue Lyon-Boggs, Corey Callaway, Donna Darovich, Michele Duskin, Bill Lace, Kenneth Perkins, Toni Randle-Cook, Sam Thomas Contributing Photographers Gary Coots, Dwayne Lee, Heather Lee, Bruce Maxwell, Bob Pruitt

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PRODUCTION Production Manager Susan Darovich ARLINGTON TODAY is published monthly. Copyright 2016 Arlington Today, Inc., 1000 Ballpark Way, Suite 308, Arlington, TX 76011. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means without permission of the publisher. The inclusion of advertising is considered a service to readers and is not an endorsement of products.

Basic subscriptions are $33.95 for 12 issues (price includes tax and shipping). E-mail subscriptions@arlingtontoday.com

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arlingtontoday.com • April 2016 • ARLINGTON TODAY

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This ‘n Data

YWCA has a new name: Center for Transforming Lives THE YWCA Fort Worth & Tarrant County’s name has changed to the Center for Transforming Lives in an effort to more clearly articulate the non-profit’s local mission of breaking the cycle of poverty for women and their families.

“We adopted a new name but are still providing the same critical services such as homeless programs and childcare to our community,” says Center for Transforming Lives Board Chairwoman Lisa Grady. “This name change more accurately reflects the hands-on services we provide to women and children in poverty.”

Since 1907, the YWCA has provided anti-poverty programs in Tarrant County. Early programs included housing, a cafeteria and an employment bureau to help women find jobs. Today, the organization still operates homeless programs for women and families. Additionally, it provides early childhood education programs for homeless and low-income families and a financial empowerment program that includes one-on-one coaching at no cost to participants.

Recently, the organization itself has also struggled with general awareness and confusion with other social service agencies, specifically the YMCA. With the new name, the agency’s staff and board of directors hope to increase community awareness.

Increased awareness means more financial support. With more support, the Center for Transforming Lives can serve more clients.

For more: transforminglives.org.

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ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

‘Game Changer’ Casino Night set THE WOMEN’S AUXILIARY for Helping Restore Ability will hold its “Game Changer” Casino Night and Silent Auction from 7-11 p.m. on May 6 at the Arlington Museum of Art. This is the second year for the annual event, which is designed to raise friends and funds to help support the cause of providing in-home care for those women, men and children with disabling

conditions. Dinner and drinks will be complemented by casino-style gaming, a silent auction and the musical stylings of the Marcus Rockwell Trio.

Your sponsorship means someone with a disabling condition can live a life of independence and dignity.

Email khack@hratexas.org or call (817) 635-6020; hragamechangercasinonight. eventbrite.com.

Keen cuisine THE PAST FEW months have been busy – and noteworthy – for restaurant506 at The Sanford House and for the inn itself. First, there was the news that the upscale restaurant had been listed as a Top 10 Best Overall Diner’s Choice for DFW by Open Table (check it out online at ow.ly/Zl44B).

Next, a crew from the popular local television program “Good Morning Texas” stopped by The Sanford House to feature the Inn, Spa, and restaurant506 on Channel 8 WFAA. During the television show, The Sanford House was described as “a perfect retreat right inside the city that provides some relief from the hustle and bustle of life.”

Camille McDonald, Maître D’ at restaurant506, said her team was honored to have the news crew there to film all the great features at The Sanford House: “We were flattered and especially want to say ‘Thank you’ to everyone from WFAA who came by to help and our friends at Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau.”

For more: (817) 801-5541.

Wings set to take flight THE WNBA’S DALLAS WINGS recently announced the preseason schedule for the team’s inaugural season at UTA’s College Park Center, highlighted by the initial home game on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 8, against the Connecticut Sun. The Wings tip-off their preseason May 1 in Indiana against the defending Eastern Conference Champion Indiana Fever. That game will be followed by the Mother’s Day game at 1:30 p.m., which will be the first-ever preseason game the Wings will play in their new home. For information: dallaswingsbasketball.com.

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This ‘n Data

5 things we love about ARLINGTON ...

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Six Flags Over Texas never grows old.

2.

Have you checked out Lake Arlington lately?

3.

J. Gilligan’s’ Irish nachos ... ‘nuff said.

3 Scoops ...

1. MCA kudos ... Medical Center Arlington recently honored

eight local people for their service to the hospital and community.

Winners of the Frist Humanitarian Award were Deborah Su, manager of outreach services; Jeffrey Morgan, M.D., obstetrics and gynecology; and Evva Morris, founder of the Volunteer Auxiliary at MCA. Innovators Award winners included Rhodora Sanchez, HVC RN; James Stegall, patient services coordinator and Renee Donaldson, ER unit supervisor. Recipients of Excellence in Nursing Awards included Goldie Hines, RN, radiology; and Daniaya Ekwu, RN, emergency department.

2. Pizza, fast ... Arlington’s first Blaze Pizza recently celebrated its grand opening at 841 E. Lamar Blvd. (next to Whole Foods in the Parkway Central Shopping Center).

The modern day “pizza joint” features build-your-own artisanal pizzas that are “fastfire’d” in180 seconds. For more: blazepizza.com.

3. Education squared ... The Arlington Independent School District and The

University of Texas Arlington have created an innovative Teacher Academy for aspiring young educators. High school students can earn both university semester credit hours and high school credit, giving would-be teachers an advantage as they become college and workforce ready. The program will have 12 UTA College of Education courses in addition to other dual-credit courses and three study pathways (early childhood through sixth grade bilingual, early childhood through sixth grade English as a second language and early childhood through sixth grade special education. For more: (682) 867-7474.

Circle the date

A GOLF TOURNAMENT to benefit Christian Women’s Job Corps of Greater Arlington will be held June 25 at Tierra Verde Golf Course.

The tournament will feature a four-person scramble format. Registration will begin at 7 a.m., with a shotgun start at 8 a.m.

The tourney will feature contests, with prizes going to the winners, including a big prize for the hole-in-one contest winner.

For more: (817) 275-5600.

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ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

4.

Where does the AL West title flag fly, again?

5.

Two words: Chuck Morgan!

Arlington on Tap: How Eleanor Roosevelt’s vision produced Dalworthington Gardens THE MONTHLY downtown lectures series Arlington on Tap will take a trip back in time at its April 13 session, set for 6 p.m. at The Grease Monkey (200 N. Mesquite St.).

Velma Bogart will talk about one of President Franklin Roosevelt’s many novel urban experiments – the Velma Bogart small and prosperous city of Dalworthington Gardens.

“Roosevelt didn’t believe that there was one single way for this country to lift itself out of the Great Depression, but many strategies,” says Bogart, a long-time resident, keeper of local history and a former councilmember of the city of just over 2,000. “What we had in Dalworthington Gardens was a New Deal experiment in a planned utopia.”

Bogart explains that First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt advocated the idea of creating subsistence agriculture communities close to urban areas. Residents of such communities could raise crops and livestock on a few acres of land and also be close to jobs in bigger cities.

She sold her husband on the idea, and five such communities were created in Texas. All that the cities’ Depression-era residents needed to do to qualify was to demonstrate that they made $200 a month. “That sole experiment survivor would be Dalworthington Gardens, which will celebrate its 80th birthday this year,” Bogart says. Oddly, the “Gardens” is now one of the most prosperous cities in Tarrant County with an average annual household income of almost $120,000. Bogart will talk about that and also whether the great Dalworthington Gardens experiment worked when it was supposed to, during the Depression.

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This ‘n Data

Art on the Greene showcases the works of 125 artists from around the world.

Photo: Art on the Greene

A new date for Art on the Greene THE 5TH ANNUAL Art on the Greene Art Festival has moved to May – to May 20-22, specifically – to give local residents a better chance to enjoy the art, the food, the fellowship and the fun.

The festival, set at Richard Greene Linear Park, is nestled among tree-lined paths, the Caelum Moor sculptures, a lake on the north side, Rangers Ballpark on the east and Cowboys Stadium on the west.

When you then add 125 talented artists from across the country showcasing their work inside the park, it makes for one great art exhibition – and one great experience for both first-time and frequent visitors.

Times for Art on the Greene are 3-10 p.m. on Friday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m-5 p.m. on Sunday.

Admission and parking are free. For more: artonthegreene.com.

Here’s an organization to which widowed persons can turn for help SUSAN TYNER tried hard to muffle her emotion, but the tears still came as she shared details of becoming a widow after 32 years of marriage.

A similar wave of undammed emotion spilled over one day as she sat talking with another woman in the waiting room of a local tax office.

Recognizing the symptoms of grief, the woman put her in contact with The Widowed Persons Services of Tarrant County and on a path toward recovery.

Through various group activities such as breakfasts, game nights and dances Tyner has made new friends and gained support to help her through her grief. Joining the group, she says, has changed her life.

Tyner had spent nearly a month by her husband’s side in 18

the hospital prior to his death in 2014. “He had severe emphysema,” she says.

As a new widow, she had felt as if she had no place to turn. “Your friends kind of back off,” she says. “You don’t know where to go, or what to do, or how to get through it.”

Tyner now wants to help others by letting them know that help and support is available through WPSTC in Arlington and other branches throughout Tarrant County.

“You don’t have to feel bad about feeling bad,” she says.

“We’ve all been there, and to do that, it’s OK.” For more information about the Widowed Persons of Tarrant County, visit wpstc.org, call (817) 551-2922, (817) 293-4749 or email wpstc@att.net.

ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

RAISE YOUR hand if you slid down the slide at Skull Island during the early years of Six Flags Over Texas.

Photo: postcardroundup.com

LEGEND HAS IT that University of Texas Arlington students will perform better on tests if they rub the head of E.H. Hereford’s statue on the first floor of the University Center.

TALK ABOUT A CITY on the rise ... Mansfield had a population of 400 people in its genesis days in 1884, then proceeded to grow to 1,375 by 1961, to 5,000 by 1974, to 15,607 by 1990, and now has topped 60,000 residents.

IN 2013, Kennedale and Mansfield combined resources to create south Tarrant County’s first regional dispatch center. The Mansfield/Kennedale Emergency Communications Center is staffed with six radio dispatch stations with capability for future expansion.

IF YOU BOUGHT a house in Arlington in 1990 (and paid the average price for said home), you would have ponied up $90,900 for your dwelling. Fast forward to the present, and you’re going to have to get a bigger pony. The average home price now sits around $155,000. That noted, this is worth noting, too: The number of sales in 1990 was 3,000. Now, it’s around 4,500.

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arlingtontoday.com • April 2016 • ARLINGTON TODAY

19

Happenings in the AISD

AISD, UTA announce new Teacher Academy The Arlington ISD and The University of Texas at Arlington announced the creation of an innovative Teacher Academy for aspiring young educators. AISD Superintendent Dr. Marcelo Cavazos and UTA President Dr. Vistasp Karbhari made this partnership official with the signing of a memorandum of understanding on March 7.

The Teacher Academy will provide high school students the opportunity to earn both university semester credit hours and high school course credit, giving students primed for a teaching career an advantage as they become college and workforce ready, objectives of the newly adopted AISD Achieve Today. Excel Tomorrow. strategic plan.

The program will have 12 UTA College of Education courses and three study pathways, including early childhood through sixth grade bilingual, early childhood through sixth grade English as a second language and early childhood through sixth grade special education. Students will be able to complete additional dual-credit courses through Tarrant County College. Selection of the academy students will begin next school year.

Classes will take place at either the

students’ home high school, UTA or the district’s new Career and Technical Center that is scheduled to open in the fall of 2017.

“The AISD-UTA Teacher Academy will provide our students yet another relevant, rigorous learning experience as they prepare to become teachers themselves,” Cavazos said. “Teachers are at the core of the educational experience. It is our hope that these home-grown teachers will inspire AISD students in the near future as they become Arlington ISD teachers themselves.”

The Teacher Academy will be for high school juniors and seniors.

Students will sign their degree plan

with UTA as high school juniors and will be able to complete their degree within three years of graduating from high school. Upon completion of the full program and a teaching certification, students will be preferred candidates for teaching positions within the AISD. “UTA has an exceptional College of Education that produces top teachers, many of whom are employed by the AISD,” Karbhari said. “This collaboration will help us continue to produce highly-qualified educators prepared to work with the diverse student populations in our school district and meet the needs of students within our community.”

1203 W. Pioneer Pkwy Arlington, TX 76013 682-867-4611 • AISD.net

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UTA Today

REHEAL AND STROKE GLOVES Pioneering UTA research provides healing hand

A

s the Major League Baseball season swings into full gear, Arlington residents expect to see excellent glove work by the defending American League West Champion Texas Rangers.

But a few miles from Globe Life Park, researchers at The University of Texas at Arlington are perfecting gloves of the non-baseball variety. Their high-tech inventions have the ability to heal injured hands and aid stroke victims.

Working with the University of Washington, scientists at the UTA Research Institute (UTARI) are developing a flexible polymeric glove wound dressing to treat hand trauma. UTARI is designing the REHEAL Glove and associated controls while the University of Washington will conduct a small pilot study.

The REHEAL Glove not only is capable of providing the commonly used negative pressure wound therapy, but also can deliver therapeutics and control the wound environment for better and faster healing.

Made of transparent silicone, the glove is easily applied and removed and doesn’t adhere to the wound to avoid painful removal. It also allows greater mobilization of the hand in early phases of healing, accelerating the rehabilitation process.

Where Your

“The REHEAL Glove is an example of great research-turned-prototype that can truly benefit victims of severe hand burn or trauma,” UTARI Executive Director Mickey McCabe says. “We strive to find collaborative projects like this that are worthy causes for fulfilling our mission to help the human condition.”

Another UTARI project aims to bring relief to stroke victims through a soft, robotic glove that can open and close a patient’s hand. The glove is being developed through the Texas Medical Research Collaborative in partnership with the University of North Texas Health Science Center.

About 800,000 Americans suffer strokes annually, and up to twothirds experience impaired hand function. Current commercial rehabilitation devices can be mechanically complex, costly, large and heavy. By comparison, UTARI’s approach typically uses inflatable structures that are less complex, relatively inexpensive, and considered a safer option.

“Part of the focus in this development is to create a portable and independent system capable of applying therapy without the constant supervision of a therapist,” says Muthu Wijesundara, UTARI principal research scientist. Dr. Wijesundara also is working on the REHEAL Glove.

FUTURE

Goes GLOBAL In UTA’s College of Business, a bachelor’s degree in international business comes with an opportunity to experience the world.

With a dual concentration in international business and a foreign language—French, German, Russian, Spanish, and in fall 2016, Chinese—our business curriculum comes with a multinational perspective. Thanks to a generous gift from alumna Jacqualyn Fouse, international business students can receive a study abroad scholarship, setting them on a path for a global business career.

Pursue the future of business with us. uta.edu/business

BOLD SOLUTIONS GLOBAL IMPACT Arlington Today Business Ad.indd 1 ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

22

3/16/16 9:03 AM

Picture-perfect Moments

Photos: Terry Ip Photography

Miss Cinderella candidates smile for the camera.

Taylor Finley, Whitney Gerro and Kamila Pompa

Riley Mohorc and Kyndall Bertrand

Grace Burnett, Kyndal Wade and Kate Darden

Scene Snapshots from the Cinderella Ball Tea held at Arlington Women’s Club

Madison Moore, Madison Zick and Lyndsey Walker

Kenedi Bick and Emily Dondero

Starr Harrison, Amy Bishop and Amy Brock arlingtontoday.com • April 2016 • ARLINGTON TODAY

23

Neighborhoods

Big hearts and GREEN thumbs, to boot The Wimbledon Garden Club has been beautifying the neighborhood for more than 30 years • By Sue Lyon-Boggs

W

hen Teresa Miller and her husband were planning their move six years ago from Arizona to the Arlington area, she was clear on one thing. Mature trees were a must-have for their new neighborhood. When she saw the well-tended streets, the immaculately kept homes and the established live oaks in the Wimbledon community, Miller recalls, “I knew this was it.”

Miller is now board president of the Wimbledon Garden Club, a volunteer women’s organization formed in 1980 whose roots are an inextricable part of the neighborhood, which covers roughly two square miles, bordered by Wimbledon Drive to the south, Bowen Road to the east, Bardin Road to the north, and Mansfield Road to the east.

While close to I-20 and adjacent to excellent public and private schools and an abundance of shopping and restaurants, it remains a quiet and verdant section of the city, with plenty of activity on its winding fitness trails, all friendly to dogs and young families. A natural canopy of trees, part of the native Cross Timbers Forest, means plenty of wildlife is on view, with resident bobcats, foxes, hawks, and great blue herons.

KAREN ELLEN ANDERSON, a former board president and current board member, has lived in Wimbledon for 25 years, though in two different houses. (Stories abound about residents who find their need for space changes and yet choose to stay in the neighborhood.) The Garden Club is a means to beautify the surroundings, but just as important are the connections it fosters among members, who say this creates a ripple effect.

“The friendships are the amazing thing, “ says Anderson. “People here know their neighbors. They stop to visit when they are out for a bike ride or walking the dog.”

With 89 members on its roster, the Garden Club still boasts four who were there in the beginning – Carole Hoyer, Nancy Hunt, Wilma Mitchell, and Carole Terry. While membership is restricted to women, Anderson and Miller note that husbands are occasionally drafted into service, at least when heavy lifting is required. Fundraising is supported primarily through member dues, although this has been supplemented in the past by plant sales. Each August, members deliver the current newsletter to each home in an effort to recruit green thumbs new to the area. The Garden Club’s website,

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ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

Wimbledon Garden Club President Teresa Miller, shown left with husband Bob at last year’s holiday function, says her neighborhood is a place where the love of the community is evident in the ways so many of its residents are dedicated to keeping it beautiful while spending time together. A case in point: the way the club has helped transform Wimbledon Park, as noted in the marker below.

Photos: wgc2.com

wgc2.com, includes tips for North Texas gardening, as well as upcoming events.

A stroll through the streets of Wimbledon reveals the Garden Club’s footprint everywhere. The median at Bardin and Racquet Club drive is thoroughly tended to and planted seasonally. Wimbledon Park was founded in 1985, and over the years members have logged hundreds of hours planting and watering trees and flowers, as well as doing the less glamorous work of deadheading and ensuring mulch is in place.

Within the park, an empty lot not slated for development by the city was been transformed into a tranquil area of perennial beds, and was dedicated as The West Garden by the city in June 1999.

The University of Kansas, which follows the Monarch Butterfly Migration across North America, has certified the West Garden, anoth-

er major project for the club, as a Monarch way station. Many residents walk there most every day, says Miller, and enjoy spending time among the flowerbeds and benches maintained by membership effort and dues. Within the West Garden and throughout Wimbledon Park, benches and trees have been donated, with the most recently planted trees requiring hand watering by members for two years.

Another distinctive part of the neighborhood can be found in the antique style street signs, which members ensure are kept in pristine condition. The holiday season is particularly busy for the group, as immediately after Thanksgiving the members hang large red bows – produced through the fall at bow-tying parties – on every mailbox.

THE GARDEN CLUB sponsors seven programs a year, and the group enjoys hearing from speakers who not only discuss matters such as landscaping native trees, perennials, and organic gardening, but also address issues around community safety and policies for the Arlington Public Library. Other meetings have included presentations from local authors and artists.

Two social gatherings bring together members and their spouses: a progressive dinner in December, and a barbeque in July. The organization is intent on giving back, donating funds to Arlington non-profits, including Ronald McDonald House Open Arms Health Clinic, which provides medical care and supplies to those in need.

Wimbledon is a place where the love of the community is evident, says Miller, in the ways so many of its residents are dedicated to keeping it beautiful while spending time together. Anderson asserts it is a vibrant place where people across many stages of life find common interests: “We see kids heading to the park, retired folks working on their yards, and people engaged in civic work for organizations that make Arlington a great place to live.”

arlingtontoday.com • April 2016 • ARLINGTON TODAY

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Spotlight on Local Leaders

Photo: Bruce Maxwell

Kimberly Fitzpatrick, shown in these photos with husband Ryan and daughters Claire and Ella, is a noted local attorney and civic leader.

Kimberly Fitzpatrick This devoted family person, attorney and civic activist has followed her dreams virtually from Day One

K

imberly Fitzpatrick found her calling at a very early age – and promptly began to answer it. There are many people in the Arlington-Mansfield area who are happy that she did.

Fitzpatrick is a principal at the law firm Harris Cook LLP, where she regularly practices the keen skills she showed almost from the time she put her first sentence together.

"I always wanted to be a lawyer," she says. "According to my mother, I exhibited certain lawyer-esque qualities from a young age. I had a Type-A personality, which meant I liked to be in control and was competitive. I enjoyed arguing and always tried to have the last word. I was very concerned with fairness, even as a child."

Today, those traits manifest in client advocacy and community involvement that have elevated Fitzpatrick to the "A List" of local movers and shakers – no surprise, given the path she took to realize her childhood dream.

The Corpus Christi native was raised in Richmond, Va., but she moved to Arlington area at 19 to attend Texas Wesleyan University, where her quest to become a lawyer began in earnest.

She earned a BBA degree in international business and a BA degree in psychology from TWU in 2003, working her way through undergraduate studies as a paralegal for a local civil litigation attorney.

"I continued to work through law school and eventually graduated with my Juris Doctorate degree from Texas Wesleyan University in 2009," she says. "By the time, I took the bar exam I was fortunate to have nine years of litigation experience."

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ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

Shortly after passing the bar exam, she joined the Harris Cook team and is now in charge of its Arlington office.

All that noted, the professional chapter is just part of the Fitzpatrick success story. She calls Dalworthington Gardens home, and there she's a devoted wife to husband Ryan and mom to daughters, Ella (10) and Claire (3).

Fitzpatrick credits her aforementioned mom with providing the inspiration that helped define her life and life's work. "The most influential person in my life was my mother, Joanne," Fitzpatrick says. "She bravely fought colon cancer for 10 years and took chemo the entire time so that she could live one more day to be with her grandchildren. She was an incredibly strong and energetic woman.

She always taught me to be grateful and prioritize my family first."

In addition to following Joanne's model with her own family, Fitzptrick is also active in civic duties. "I am currently serving on the Dalworthington Garden’s Historical Society, which is busy planning the city’s 80th anniversary celebration on June 11," she says.

She is also the current secretary/treasurer for the Arlington Bar Association, she serves as a board member for the Central YMCA, and she has served on the Texas Supreme Court’s Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee since 2014.

Fitzpatrick's personal passions include cooking, traveling and spending time with her daughters – the birth of whom she considers "my personal highlight" – and with Ryan. "I have the greatest husband," she says. "Ryan is very supportive of my career and other ambitions. He is my biggest cheerleader in all my endeavors."

Victoria Farrar-Myers enjoys spending time with her family: husband Jason, son Kyle and their dog Saba.

Victoria Farrar-Myers Engaged in her community, this wife, mom and educator makes life better for all those around her

I

t's safe to say that Dr. Victoria Farrar-Myers enjoys politics.

When she was a little girl, she named her first doll “And Justice for All.” In college, she wrote a political column for the school newspaper. Then, she had a mentor suggest that she would make a great “academic,” which helped start her on the path to becoming an educator – in political science, of course.

Farrar-Myers taught for 16 years at the Univeristy of Texas Arlington, and she is now Senior Fellow and Director of the Tower Scholars Program at the John Goodwin Tower Center for Political Studies at Southern Methodist University.

She grew up in upstate New York, near Saratoga Springs where the famous horse racetrack is located. Her roots helped define a worldview marked by an intense desire to make life better for those around her. "I lived in the same house for my entire childhood, which is part of the reason why I value having strong neighborhoods in our city," she says.

Farrar-Myers moved to Arlington in 1998 when she started teaching at UTA – and almost immediately became a community leader.

She is the chair-elect of Leadership Arlington, which focuses on developing the next generation of community leaders, and she is involved in The Rotary Club of Arlington and the Center for Transforming Lives (formerly the YWCA).

"I also currently serve as a commissioner on the Arlington Planning & Zoning Commission," she says. "In the past, I have been very active with such groups as the Junior League of Arlington, the Arlington ISD Financial Futures Committee, and a wide variety of groups through my affiliation at UT Arlington. I also am very active in my church, St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, serving on the Pastoral Council and the Discipleship/Stewardship Committee, as well as being a lector and Eucharistic Minister."

While community involvement is important, Farrar-Myers' first priority is her family: husband Jason, son Kyle, and her dog Saba.

"Whether it is bike riding, going to a movie, or just talking around

Photos: Bruce Maxwell

the dinner table, being with them brings me the most joy," she says.

"During my alone time, I love to exercise and read."

She also spends time giving thanks for where life ultimately led her. "Even though we do not have any immediate family members in Texas, one of the things I love about Arlington is the extended family we have built while here," she says. "Our son’s Godparents each love him as one of their own children, and we refer to their families as our 'Godfamilies,' complete with God-sisters, God-brothers, and God-Grandparents. Through our friends and relationships made from work, volunteer organizations, church, and our son’s preschool, I know that there are a lot of people in this community I can count on when needed as if they were my own blood."

Speaking of, her own family is a story in itself.

"My personal highlight is being a mother," she says. "My husband and I went through a 10year process with a lot of ups and downs, but our son is the child we were meant to have."

One of As for her professional highlights, she is Farrar-Myers’ passions is particularly proud of being named a National exercise.

Finalist for the Citizen Before Self Honors awarded by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. "The reason the award is special to me is because I was nominated for this recognition by a group of students," she said.

"They went out of their way to pull together the nomination packet, get additional input from my husband and others to complete the application, and then surprised me with the news of the nomination. For me as an educator, their actions and belief in me is far more rewarding than any honor that someone else could bestow upon me." arlingtontoday.com • April 2016 • ARLINGTON TODAY

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The Big Event

A BOATLOAD of merriment

Since 1990, The Cardboard Boat Regatta has been an Arlington entertainment staple – and one fun endeavor for participants.

The Cardboard Boat Regatta has challenged participants and entertained fans for more than two decades. It will be back again on April 23

T

he annual Cardboard Boat Regatta will be held from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on April 23 at Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, offering entrants and fans one splashtastic experience.

The race challenges amateur boat builders to design, build and navigate boats made entirely of corrugated cardboard. What ensues is as entertaining as it is competitive.

In addition to hosting the competition, the region's largest water park will open the popular Tornado ride plus Tsunami Surge, Typhoon Twister and Hook's Lagoon for attendees to enjoy.

The regatta has come a long way since its debut at the River Last year, George Legacy Park pond in 1990. AfJetson gave the Regatta a go. ter being moved to bigger waters in the Six Flags Hurricane Harbor wave pool in 1997, the event has grown tremendously, attracting between 2,000 and 3,000 people each year.

Proceeds from the event benefit the environmental edPhotos: River Legacy Foundation ucational programs of River Legacy Living Science Center and go toward improvements to River Legacy Parks. While the regatta mostly attracts school groups, there is representation from local companies, scout troops – and even families enter as a team.

Kristi Payne, River Legacy Foundation marketing coordinator, said the hands-on math and science applications of building a boat out of cardboard are a great learning experience: “I can’t think of anything more rewarding for a student or kid-at-heart than building a boat completely out of cardboard – this includes calculating the weight of the boat and the weight of its navigators – painting it, decorating it, then racing it on race day in the wave pool.”

For more: (817) 860-6752.

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ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

Photos: Kelly Gavin

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Circle The Dates

Summer CAMP preview W

ith summer on the horizon, local children, youths and parents will be looking for fun and enriching activities to help turn the upcoming months into a special experience.

For that purpose, local organizations have historically crafted a variety of summer camp options just for kids.

Here are some of the highlights.

Camp Thurman

River Legacy Living Science Center

3001 Sarah Drive, Pantego • campthurman.org Camp Thurman has provided day camp experiences to children in the Arlington area since 1969. Recently, the camp added evening camps for 7th-9th graders. All campers can explore 14-acres nestled in the heart of the city. Camp Thurman is a non-profit organization that offers effective team building adventures and many fun activities.

Programs: Check out the camp website to view the programs available for kids ages 4 through high school.

2016 camp calendar: June 1-Aug. 14 (day camps run from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; evening camps run from 3 p.m.-9:45 p.m.).

Theatre Arlington

305 W. Main St. • theatrearlington.org Summer camps at Theatre Arlington offer a fun and exciting environment where kids can grow and learn more about the fascinating world of theater.

Programs: Musical Theatre, Musical Theatre Kids, Adventures in Theatre and Play and Pretend for kids ages 5 through high school.

2016 camp calendar: Musical Theatre Camp runs from June 6-24. This 32

ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

full-day performance camp is for middle and high school students who have previous class and performing experience. Musical Theatre Kids Camp runs from June 6-10 and Aug. 8-13. Kids will love this weeklong, theatre-immersion camp, culminating in a performance of a classic children’s musical for friends and family on the Theatre Arlington stage. Adventures in Theatre Camp runs from July 11-23. For students new to performing or those who just love a good theatre camp, this one offers a comprehensive overview of the performance and technical aspects of theatre. Play and Pretend Camp runs from July 25-29. For the younger performer, Play and Pretend features instructors experienced with younger students and creative dramatics, who will guide and direct the camp participants in a final performance for friends and family.

Camp Golden Gaits 6312 Calender Road • goldengaits.com Golden Gaits Stables’ camps offer unique learning experiences for horse riders of all ability levels. The camps combine the art of horsemanship with the art of “art.” Riders will build their confidence as they

Theatre Arlington

Camp Golden Gaits

Camp Thurman

realize they can work in partnership with a large animal. All camps are highly supervised with an instructor and assistants.

Programs: Riding instruction and horse care is offered for kids ages 6 and up.

2016 camp calendar: Summer Camp 1 will be held June 6-10, from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. each day. Summer Camp 2 will be held June 13-17, from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. each day.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Arlington

CATS (Creative Arts Theatre and School)

Arlington-Mansfield Area YMCA

602 E. South St. • creativearts.org CATS has an action-packed summer camp schedule, with activities for children ages 5 to 18. Summer productions this year include “Stone Soup,” “Sleeping Beauty” and “Bring It On – The Musical.”

Programs: Musical theatre, advanced workshops, half-day and multiweek programs for kids ages 5 through high school.

2016 camp calendar: The summer camp will run from June 9-Aug. 15.

River Legacy Living Science Center

703 N.W. Green Oaks Blvd. • riverlegacy.org Summer adventures at River Legacy Living Science Center provide students with an exciting hands-on, minds-on opportunity to explore the natural world.

Programs: Children ages 3 to eighth grade can engage in hands-on explorations of science, ecology, wildlife and more during the summer at the Science Center.

2016 camp calendar: There will be weeklong classes in June and July providing age-appropriate opportunities for students to explore their natural world. For a complete schedule of classes and times, visit riverlegacy.org/learn-with-us/learn-with-us.html?id=168.

608 N. Elm Street, Arlington • bgcarlington.org Summer fun is a way of life at the BGCA, with daily programs and activities for children of all ages.

Programs: Kid-centric activities take place throughout the summer.

2016 camp calendar: The summer program schedule will be available soon on the website.

Six locations in Arlington and Mansfield • ymca-arlington.org YMCA Summer Camps offer kids a chance to have fun while building a healthy spirit, mind, and body. Teen Camp engages teenagers with community service, mentorship, and new experiences like trips to the Dallas World Aquarium and the Perot Museum.

Programs: Day Camp runs from 6:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. from June 8-Aug. 21. Teen Camp runs from 8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. from June 8-Aug. 21. Another activity, the Father/Child Program, features participants meeting once a month in small groups, called tribes. Tribes join together to participate in activities ranging from the Pinewood Derby, Rocket Shoot, Daddy/Daughter Date Night and campouts. Programs are available for fathers and children from three years to eighth grade.

2016 program calendar: Check the website for registration information for programs, as well as for location-specific activities.

Arlington Parks and Recreation Department naturallyfun.org The camp schedule is available at naturallyfun.org/documents and includes dozens of fun and fulfilling activities for children and youth.

Highlight programs: Summer Mini Camps will be held this year at Elzie arlingtontoday.com • April 2016 • ARLINGTON TODAY

33

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River Legacy Living Science Center: Connecting children & families to nature

Summer at the Science Center classes explore the best playground on Earth: Nature!

NEW Outdoor Adventure Camps & engaging, hands-on classes for students ages 3 to 8th grade investigate the wildlife, ecology and environment of River Legacy Parks!

Call 817.860.6752 or Register online at www.riverlegacy.org.

Enrollment also available for 2016-2017 Nature School!

Visit www.riverlegacy.org to learn more about: FREE Public Programs • After-School Clubs • Home School Classes • Scout Programs

703 NW Green Oaks Boulevard • Arlington, TX 76006 • www.riverlegacy.org

34

ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

106 S. Wisteria • mansfieldtexas.gov/parks-and-recreation Mansfield Parks and Recreation offers the Kids Zone, a weekly summer camp for children ages 6-11.

Programs: The Kids Zone features arts and crafts, indoor/outdoor games, themed weeks, swimming, guest speakers and weekly field trips. Each session is a different theme, and the activities include arts and crafts, sports of all sorts, and trips to local destinations.

2016 camp calendar: Camps run weekly from June-August. For more, visit mansfieldtexas.gov/kids-zone.

Tarrant County College’s College for Kids

2100 Southeast Pkwy. • tccd.edu/cie/lifelong-learning/youth-programs/college-for-kids.html College for Kids is a 3-week summer enrichment program for children in the first through eighth grades.

Programs: Children can enroll in academic, arts and crafts, science and technology, and health and fitness classes. Courses are taught by experienced and motivated faculty who encourage and challenge students in an atmosphere that supports inquiry and exploration.

2016 camp calendar: College for Kids runs June 13-30 and July 11-28.

Dallas Cowboys Youth Football Camp AT&T Stadium • dallascowboys.com/content/summer-camps Dallas Cowboys Youth Football Camps are three days of non-contact football skill instruction.

Programs: In addition to instruction, camp participants play games, engage in contests, and undergo player evaluation – a collective endeavor that will teach kids to run, throw, catch, kick, block and play defense.

2016 camp calendar: Camps take place from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on June 10-12, June 28-30, July 5-7 and July 25-27.

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Camp AT&T Stadium • dallascowboys.com/content/dcc-academy Campers learn dance routines and team spirit with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.

Programs: The DCC Dance Academy offers a three-day, fun, energetic dance and cheer program that give campers the opportunity to train with and learn from the world’s most-renowned cheering squad.

2016 camp calendar: Camps are held from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on June 8, June 10-12, June 28-30, July 5-7 and July 26-28.

Photo: Southern Flair Photography

Here come the brides 2016 Spring Wedding Guide

Here come the brides

Here come THE BRIDES W

Ensuring you have the perfect wedding takes plenty of planning – and plenty of help from the experts eddings, by nature, are joyous occasions, spawning smiles and hugs and more than a few toasts to bright futures and blessed lives. But that’s just what happens on The Big Day. Prior to that – often quite a few days prior to that – thousands of local principals in dozens of occupations are working around the clock to ensure that it’s not just the big day, but the perfect one. Here are some examples of what area service providers are doing to create the ideal wedding.

Fitness first

The Firm Cardio Studio offers a “New You” program that is ideal for the bride, groom and others in the wedding party. “It is a sixweek intensive workout,” says company president Gretchen Davis.

“Day one is a Fitness Assessment. We look at where you are now

If a picture is worth a thousand words, this photo by Southern Flair Photography is an impressive testament to the joy of a wedding.

the gym, we offer six-to seven-minute workouts to do on your own time. The cost of this program is under $100.”

Gifts, gifts and more gifts

C&W Antiques offers a wide variety of bridal gifts to satisfy the most discriminating bride. “We specialize in Fabergé, one of the most exquisite gifts and collectible items a bride or groom could ask for,” says Patrick Walsh, co-owner. “Our most popular gift item has been the Fabergé Palais Royal champagne cobalt blue 24-percent lead crystal toasting glasses. They also come in ruby red and clear. It is most important to have something elegant to make their first toast with.”

C&W also offers traditional wedding gifts, including antique silver coffee services, crystal rose bowls, vases and decanters, the Vagabond House collection and affordable Arthur Court gifts.

“One of the services we offer is one-on-one consultations by appointment only during the day and evening hours including weekends,” Walsh says. “This gives clients who are looking for a special gift or suggestions that time to browse. Our staff can guide you through a wide, elegant variety of unique, one-of-a-kind gift ideas. That will make your gift stand out from the traditional gift registry gifts.”

A venue menu

and where you want to be in six months. From there, we design a customized plan of action that, if followed, will net those results.

We provide a healthy eating guide, as well as tasty healthy food recipes. We set up a workout schedule, which includes both group fitness classes and private sessions. For the days you can’t make it to 36

ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

The Sanford House bills itself as the most beautiful event facility in North Texas. But, behind that picturesque scene, a stellar staff works tirelessly to make every wedding the best it can be.

“Our staff is dedicated to providing our guests the best food, service, and experience for every event,” says Valerie Landry, general manager.

Not only does The Sanford House provide a beautiful outdoor wedding and reception venue, it also offers indoor receptions, events and dining in the private, secluded Renoir Room with fabulous views of the Grand Courtyard.

“All catering is provided by the executive chef of restaurant506 – the award-winning fine dining restaurant inside the Manor House,” Landry says. “In addition, our award-winning Spa & Salon is available to provide a variety of services to help you relax, refresh and feel beautiful for your big day.” >>>>>

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The anatomy of a perfect wedding: (1) An ideal venue like The Sanford House; (2 and 3) wedding gifts from Jazzy Jems; (4) a great catered dinner by A Sophisticated Affair; (5) an exquisite reception venue such as the Sheraton Hotel Arlington; (6) Cacharel’s peerless view for the rehearsal dinner; and (7) “the” ring from Troy Vinson Jewelers.

7 arlingtontoday.com • April 2016 • ARLINGTON TODAY

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Here come the brides River Legacy Living Science Center’s light-filled nature center Texas Star Golf in Euless is known for its award-winning course, and beautiful terraced patio provide excellent indoor and outdoor but it, too, has emerged as an off-the-beaten-path wedding site. It accommodations for the couple wanting a nontraditional and offers banquet rooms that can accommodate up to 300 guests and unique venue. The center is centrally located in North Arlington a catering and event coordinating staff that will assist you from next to River Legacy Parks at the intersection of Cooper Street and start to finish in the planning and implementation of your wedNorthwest Green Oaks Boulevard. ding. That help includes choosing menus to match the wedding “The building’s unique architectural qualities are theme – and the food is outstanding. emphasized by the floor to ceiling windows on the Like Texas Star, Tierra Verde is a golf-rifThe River Legacy West side and the reclaimed tree supports inside fic facility that is fast becoming known as Science Center is a popular venue and outside of the building,” says Kristi Payne, mara prime wedding venue. And why not? for weddings. keting coordinator for the River Legacy Foundation.

The club’s Ventana Grille boasts of unique, “The terraced patio on the west side of the building chef-prepared cuisine that is scrumptious. provides a beautiful setting for an intimate outdoor Ventana means “window” in Spanish, and ceremony with seating on the lawn.” the windows of Ventana Grille offer a spec The Science Center is available for rentals yeartacular view of Tierra Verde. round Fridays through Sundays. All rentals require If you’re planning a big wedding and a two-hour reservation minimum, and allotted rentreception, Arlington Convention Center al time includes set up and breakdown. Guest cameeting rooms can be configured to accompacity is 150 for a seated dinner or 200 otherwise. modate up to 400 guests. Its event services While some turn to local outdoor venues because staff will help guide you and make sure its of their natural splendor, Cacharel is a compelling many helpful services and amenities are in indoor counterpart. Located atop the Brookhollow place and well executed. The center offers Two Tower, Cacharel offers one of the more picexclusive food and beverage services, inturesque views in Arlington. One of the benefits house audio/visual service, on-site electriof having the wedding and reception at Cacharel cal and communication support, and comis that the after-wedding party is just a few steps plete event coordination services. away. The large ballroom is sliced in half, with one side being reserved for the ceremony. After the “I dos” have been Trend watchers registered and the kisses done, guests move seamlessly into the re Shady Valley Country Club is another local venue that does “the ception area, toss off their ceremony inhibitions and let loose. works” for weddings – including rehearsal dinners, the ceremony “Guests come in on the ceremony side and have no idea the reproper and the reception. Britanny Isbell, private events coordinaception is in the same room basically,” says Angie Bluemling, wedtor for the club, says that while her staff can adapt to practically ding coordinator for the upscale restaurant. “When the ceremony any request, recent weddings have taken on a pattern – particularly is over, it opens up to a nice dance floor. It gives the illusion of two with regard to the reception. “We are seeing more plated dinners spaces even though it’s really not.” and wine service during dinner,” she says. “[In] prior years, wed-

Legal advice for the wedding party

Donna Smeidt with daughter Brooklynn.

For more on the legal side of marriage, check out an expanded version of this story at arlingtontoday.com 38

WHILE ROMANCE is at the heart of most wedding planning, prudence should also be a factor, say two local attorneys.

‘My advice to those about to be married is to make an appointment immediately with your local family law attorney,” says Donna J. Smeidt of The Family Law Firm of Donna J. Smeidt. “The reason the bride and groom should independently consult with a knowledgeable family law attorney in advance of the wedding is to ensure that each are acutely aware of Texas law pertaining to the management and control of separate and community property, the legal effect of consolidating accounts to combine cash on hand, transferring titles to vehicles, incurring

ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

debt with your spouse and purchasing a home together. All of these issues become a fact of life immediately following the wedding, and it is imperative that you are aware of what you are getting into financially and have discussed these issues frankly with your betrothed prior to the big day.”

David Cook of Harris Cook LLP concurs.

“Before you get married, you should make sure all of your legal affairs are in order,” he says. “Especially if one or both of you have been married before, or if one or both of you have significant separate property assets, you should seriously consider a premarital agreement. The Texas Family Code allows you and your spouse the opportunity to enter

into a premarital agreement (commonly known as a ‘prenup’) to contractually agree on many issues, including the characterization of property, division of property upon divorce, and spousal support. Parties can decide to keep certain things separate (like income from separate property) and still share their personal earnings as community property, or they can agree to keep everything separate so that no community estate is created at all. Prenups, when written correctly, can protect the rights and obligations of both parties.”

Cook says you will also want to make sure that you have a will in place that expresses your wishes for your new family.

Naturally Perfect River Legacy Living Science Center is the natural choice for the couple wanting a nontraditional and unique venue. Visit our nature center to discover why its unique architectural qualities and forest surroundings are ideal for indoor and outdoor weddings and receptions.

703 NW Green Oaks Blvd. • Arlington, Texas 76006 817.860.6752, ext. 102 • www.riverlegacy.org weddings@riverlegacy.org

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Here come the brides

5 wonderful wedding gifts 1

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dings had been more formal with buffets and cash bars. We aren’t seeing that as much anymore. We are seeing brides spending more on food and entertainment (DJs and bands) than decor and floral.”

Kasey Luithle, social catering manager at the Sheraton Hotel Arlington, also has seen some changes in the way wedding parties celebrate. “I’m noticing that with a lot of people, seating is different,” she says. “Instead of the conventional round tables, they’re doing different shapes and arrangements. A popular trend is the family-style table – a long table with many people seated on each side.”

Luithle is also seeing pastel colors coming back in vogue. She likely will see plenty of those in the near future, as the Sheraton expects to host between 35 and 40 wedding events from June through October.

Jeff and Keri Cook own A Sophisticated Affair, an Arlington catering business that was named one of the Top Five Catering Businesses in the DFW area by Social Tables. They’re also seeing some trends defining the 2016 wedding. “It’s all about personalization,” Keri says.

“Brides want to create a custom dining experience. They don’t want a menu placed in from of them to choose. The trend right now is customization.”

Jeff says there’s also a movement toward specialization with regards to the reception cuisine. “You’re seeing frappuccino machines and marble ice cream and funnel cakes,” he says. “Special little desserts – that’s what they’re looking for.”

The greatness of the spa

Great Skin Facial Club•Spa•Skincare prepares brides, their bridal party, parents, grooms and their “guys” to look and feel their best on their special day, says owner Brenda Cureton-Smith. “The most popular services for bridal parties often starts months before the wedding, up to the day before the wedding,” she says.

Popular wedding-ready services include facial treatments to clear up, smooth out and reduce pore size so that makeup looks flawless for photos. Great Skin also offers facial contouring and skin tightening treatments, slimming body treatments like non-surgical fat cavitation that blasts fat cells, and radio frequency body and skin 40

ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

TERESA BURDA, owner of Gracie Lane Collections, says five wedding gifts, in particular, are hot sellers at her business right now: 1. “Our Natural Life Mug Sets just fly off the shelves. Our most popular is the Mr. Right and Mrs. Always Right set – I mean ... Are we right?”

2. “We just LOVE this Burlap Bulletin Board! How cute would this be displayed for guests to see on Wedding Day filled with pictures of the couple?”

3. “This Wedding Gift Basket is a lovely (and easy!) option – It’s filled with Bride & Groom Wine Accessories, an “I do, Me too” Serving Set, “The Key to a Happy Marriage” and lots of other goodies!”

4. “These coasters are one of our hot sellers – what a perfect gift for a newly married couple, for their home!“ 5. “We have many wooden signs for the happy couple. Our favorites include “Happily Ever After” and “Love is Patient, Love is Kind.”

tightening, as well as endermologie for full body cellulite and body contouring , teeth whitening, eyelash extensions and full-body and face waxing.

“We get you picture-perfect for your special day,” Cureton-Smith says. “Gift certificates are available.”

A smile to remember

If your wedding is quickly approaching and your smile simply isn’t what you hoped it would be on your big day, Dr. Amy Schoening and her team at Pecan Park Dental can help you to look your best with a smile makeover.

“There are a variety of dental issues that a wedding smile makeover can remedy,” Dr. Schoening says. “From cracked teeth to improper spacing, a wedding smile makeover can correct virtually any problem that is keeping you from having a great smile on your special day.”

Dr. Schoening and her partner at the practice, Dr. Stephanie Bangs, can do smile makeovers to fix uneven, stained and missing teeth, as well as improper bites. Pecan Park Dental utilizes state-ofRio Mambo offers the-art cosmetic dentistry techniques to catering services for weddings of provide each of its patients with smiles practically any they can be proud of, and that can brightsize. en their wedding-day smile, as well.

“Dental maintenance for your wedding day should be scheduled well in advance, in order to avoid any last-minute procedures or treatments,” Dr. Schoening says.

“Issues such as improper spacing or disproportionate teeth should be handled well before the special occasion, while treatments like veneers or whitening can be carried out just a few weeks prior. It’s typically a good idea to schedule an appointment to visit a dentist as soon as possible, so that they can develop a smile makeover plan that will give you the perfect smile for your perfect day.”

Just the right amount of gentle tweaking

Dr. Mark Bishara, the principal plastic surgeon at The Paragon Plastic Surgery & Med•Spa, says he often helps brides prepare to be at their best for the wedding. “Small amounts of Botox and minor amounts of Volume (filler) in the cheeks can erase eight to 10 years

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Here come the brides you eat a breakfast and drink water; avoid alcohol and caffeine. An a.m. hydrating facial is key before makeup and hair. This day is all about you. Don’t forget to smile and try to slow the day down – most people blink, and it’s over!”

Pampering is OK AT FUSION NAILS (1664 W. Randol Mill Road), members of the wedding party can get facials, waxing, reflexology and spa manicures and spa pedicures.

Health and safety are priority one at Fusion Nails. Each client receives a one-time pedicure liner to prevent the spread of fungus, bacteria or infectious diseases.

The salon is also designed with a vent hood to create a pleasant environment for clients.

Picture this ...

Dwayne Lee, owner of Southern Flair Photography, advises brides to be selective when choosing a wedding photographer. “Don’t think that just anyone with a nice camera can be a wedding photographer,” he says. “Wedding photography is a complicated undertaking that includes constantly changing logistics, technical challenges and multiple interpersonal relationships. You don’t want to trust the most special day of your life to ‘Uncle Harry’ or a friend with a digital camera.”

in two to three minutes with minimal discomfort and bruising,” he says. “Arm liposuction for the so called “bat wings” is extremely popular but should be performed three to four weeks before the big date.”

Dr. Bishara and his team also offers IPL photo facials and facial resurfacing, skin tightening using near infra red energy – and they can help a bride or groom get rid of that dreaded tattoo with the 1064QS Yag laser. Dr. Bishara offers some advice for the eager bride. “On the big day be well-hydrated, and get to bed early; a late-evening massage around 8 p.m. helps you wind down,” he says. “Make sure

Some parting advice for the bride and groom

Shady Valley’s Isbell is an expert at helping wedding parties prepare for “perfect occasions,” and she says there are a few keys to success. “Know your budget, then set a realistic guest count number,” she says. “Remember to account for tax and service charge and tips in your budget. Know and understand the difference between a venue director/coordinator and a wedding planner. A wedding planner can help with all the stresses that come with a wedding and help plan all aspects of the wedding and set up. A venue director is in charge of the venue and food.”

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Here come the brides

My wedding, my story ...

Lauren Duggan married Teu Kautai earlier this year. Here she shares favorite memories of the occasion LAUREN DUGGAN MARRIED TEU KAUTAI on Jan. 2 at the RitzCarlton in Dallas. This month, Lauren shares her wedding story, from the planning, through the ceremony, to the honeymoon in Europe.

Why did you choose that venue for the ceremony?

We chose the Ritz-Carlton in Dallas because we thought it would be the perfect venue and a beautiful place to share with all of our guests.

transformed and looked incredibly stunning. The band, Limelight, also played a huge part in making the evening so exciting and memorable.

Did your wedding have a theme?

We did not have a specific theme. My mother and I really just wanted the ceremony room and ballroom to look beautiful and elegant. Our colors were blush, and champagne with gold accents.

How about the reception?

The reception was so enjoyable, and everyone truly had an amazing time. Both of our fathers spoke at the beginning of the reception, and Teu’s father even surprised us with a song. After the speeches, two of Teu’s siblings sang Luther Vandross while we had our first dance. The reception was very personal and unique because of Teu’s family’s Tongan traditions that were incorporated. The band, Limelight, set the tone for the evening. Everyone was on the dance floor the entire night and loved the live music.

Tell us about the wedding planning, particularly the “whats” and “whys” that stamped your wedding as special.

Teu and I were engaged for about a year and a half before the wedding, so we had a lot of time to plan. Jacqueline Padilla with Belle Décor and Events coordinated everything from our floral arrangements (that were made of white orchids, ivory hydrangeas, blush antique garden roses, O’hara and cream Vendela roses), to the custom Blush L’amour Linens and Champagne Chiavari chairs. My mother was in charge of the ceremony, which made it special because the décor and string quartet were a surprise to my husband and me. The string quartet, Timeless Chamber Music, played everything from classical music to our favorite Beatles songs. Tenor Sergio Cededa sang “The Prayer” in Italian, Schubert’s “Ave Maria” and “All You Need is Love” as we exited.

Where did you go for the honeymoon?

As I answer this, we are planning to leave for our honeymoon at the end of March to go to Rome, Florence, and then finish the 10-day trip in Venice. My sister is studying abroad in Florence, so it will be wonderful to see her while we are there.

We are really looking forward to this trip since neither of us have traveled to Italy.

How close did the reality match the vision you had after all the planning?

The reality was much better than our vision. The entire weekend was magical, starting with my bridal luncheon at the Ritz, to the rehearsal dinner at Maggiano’s the night before, and finally the family brunch we had the day after the wedding at my parents’ home. My family from St. Louis and Teu’s family from California celebrated with us the entire weekend. It was so nice to share our special weekend with all of our friends and family who we love so dearly. Everything from the gourmet food to the gorgeous flowers helped make our wedding night so special. Both the ceremony room and the ballroom were completely

What is the best memory of your wedding?

It is hard to choose a favorite memory because the whole day was so unforgettable. I started my day at the Ritz-Carlton spa with my cousins, which was a great way to relax before the ceremony. I also really enjoyed getting ready with all of my bridesmaids. After the ceremony, Teu and I were able to have dinner in a private room and spend time together before joining everyone in the ballroom. It was very special to have a few minutes to ourselves before the celebration began. Overall, it was great to spend the entire night with all of our loved ones, dancing in the ballroom and then after the reception was over, relaxing at the Rattlesnake bar in the Ritz.

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ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

“THE REALITY was much better than our vision. The entire weekend was magical, starting with my bridal luncheon at the Ritz, to the rehearsal dinner at Maggiano’s the night before, and finally the family brunch we had the day after the wedding at my parents’ home. It Photos courtesy of Lauren Duggan

These photos celebrate several of the highlights of the Teu Kautai/Lauren Duggan wedding, held in January.

The bride says a favorite memory is almost impossible to choose – “The whole day was so unforgettable.”

was so nice to share our special weekend with all of our friends and family who we love so dearly.”

arlingtontoday.com • April 2016 • ARLINGTON TODAY

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Here come the brides

From heartbreak to ‘happily ever after’: A bride gets her dream elopement

S

Arlington pals and event vendors rally to provide an intimate dream wedding to a local bride who has endured more than her share of heartbreak

mantha and her two boys to marry him, and they all enthusiastically accepted. The couple married and completed their family with another baby boy.

In October 2013, the couple’s love story encountered a serious blow: Chris was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic colon cancer.

He’d lost a considerable amount of weight in a very short time, and after six weeks of treatment had to be hospitalized. His belly had filled with fluid, and he could no longer breathe. “Our world came crashing down,” recalls Samantha. “He was 41. He had a 1-year-old. How could this be happening?”

On February 12, 2014, Samantha tragically lost her husband (and best friend). “I lost part of my heart that day,” Samantha says, “We had only been married two and a half years, but each and every day was filled with love and learning.

Most that met us had no idea we were still newlyweds. Our love was deep and wise.”

The boys and Samantha trudged through all the firsts without Chris: pictures, school starting, Christmas, the anniversary of his death.

Ever the enduring soul, Samantha decided to take another shot at love. E-Harmony had served her well before, so she tried it again. One day, a pilot from Abbeville, La., named Joshua Howard messaged her.

Initially, Samantha was skeptical – neiSamantha Manzo and Joshua Howard were married on Jan. 27. The photos on ther a long distance romance nor moving this and the ensuing pages show just to Louisiana were in the plan. Despite the how special that day was. hurdles, they kept talking. Samantha was Photos: Gara Hill with Beyond the Blue Studios soon won over by Joshua’s strong qualities of patience and kindness, and when she observed his capacity to for a blind date at Jimmy John’s sandwich shop, and Samantha care for her boys, she knew she had found something special. was immediately smitten with Chris’s quirky, funny personality.

“He loved my boys, and we loved him,” she says. “He was mar “He made me smile and laugh. Those were two things I hadn’t ried before but had no children. I was surprised he was so amazseen in myself in a long time,” says Samantha. Chris asked Saamantha Manzo’s path to love has been a journey. A planner by nature, Manzo had a college plan, a 5-year plan, a 10-year plan, and more. Initially, things started off perfectly: Samantha married her high school sweetheart and gave birth to two beautiful boys. Shortly after the boys were born, the father and husband chose another path, leaving Samantha alone to raise a 1-year-old and 3-year-old. She was devastated.

While the divorce was not in Samantha’s master plan, a year later, things took a turn for the better. After joining eHarmony at the advice of a counselor, Samantha met Chris Manzo, a youth minister at a local church and special education teacher. They met

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Here come the brides ing with the boys, and it made my mommy heart burst. He had told me that God vividly told him that he had a woman with children out there for him to love and be a fatherly influence to. When God speaks, you listen!”

Joshua proposed on Christmas Eve in front of Cinderella’s castle at Disney World, and Samantha began planning an intimate local elopement to exchange their vows.

Local photographer Gara Hill of Beyond the Blue Studios watched Samantha’s story unfold over the years on social media, and even got to know the family over the years as a portrait photographer.

“I’ve had the pleasure of photographing her family twice, and documenting her first set of family photos without Chris,” says Gara. “Samantha has endured more than any one person should in a lifetime and definitely more than someone her age.

If we could bear some of her burden, then what a blessing it could be on this special day for her.”

Gara began calling up industry friends to contribute a very special elopement, and an entire team jumped on board quickly. Holly Potter-Harvey of AFR Event Furnishings contributed rental items and she and Gara rallied a team to produce the event.

Howell Family Farms quickly agreed to host the event. Sugar Bee Sweets pledged sweet treats, Simply Beautiful by Meg joined the team for hair and makeup needs. DiFiori agreed to contribute floral designs, and Karon Chapa played lovely acoustic guitar.

Jamie Cain joined to document the event with video, and Jon Hoffman of Hoffman Cabinets created a beautiful keepsake unity puzzle for the couple. Polished Parties|Stylish Rentals contributed a beautiful arch to surround the couple as they exchange vows.

The big event came together on Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 4:30 p.m.

“For me,” Gara says, “the joy comes in giving something – not because you are asked to, but because you want to.”

Thanks to the planning of Holly Potter-Harvey and Gara Hill, the Howards had their special wedding.

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49

Around Town

Love at first bite For this bride, he had her at ‘I’ll take butter on my popcorn’ • By Kenneth Perkins

M

ost romantics can account for the moment they knew “The One” was within their midst. For Morgan Phares, hers came while hanging out at a movie theater with a date that really wasn’t a date until it was made clear that he was a buttered popcorn kind of guy.

That’s when Morgan, who wants nothing on her popcorn but butter, looked at Ryan Williams and thought that if this is a date and not some group outing (Ryan’s sister and brother-in-law were in tow) it might turn out to be a decent one.

It was.

Especially since after the movie, Ryan asked Morgan out for ice cream, ditching the sister and brother-in-law, which to Morgan upgraded the date status to, well, a date.

What really set Ryan and Morgan in motion was when he walked her home, and the two sat on the front steps talking until 3 a.m.

That was, no kidding, Valentine’s Day of last year, in fact. On May 28, in Lubbock, home of Texas Tech University (where the couple attended) and Harrigan’s Restaurant (where they had their first official date – just like Ryan’s parents, Arlington Mayor Jeff and wife Karen), they will be hitched.

A whirlwind? Not for Morgan.

Brides can often talk about the time at age 10 when they walked their dolls Photo: Kenneth Perkins down a fantasy aisle and at 12 when they came up with the wedding colors and at 17 when they nailed down the church and who their bridesmaids would be.

Morgan knew she wanted to find the right guy – God-fearing, handsome, compassionate – have children and settle down, but it certainly wasn’t the reason she enrolled at Tech and majored in education.

In fact, the day she saw Ryan leading a church small group was what gave her the chills in a matrimonial kinda way.

While Ryan confesses he was smitten with his fiancée the moment he caught a glimpse of her in church, for Morgan “it was a gradual thing,” she says. “Although I knew I liked him pretty much right away.”

Morgan was just as sensible when it came to the proposal. Our 50

ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

YouTube age has turned the staging of wedding proposals into colossal undertakings that resemble creatively artful plots that play out like short films.

“I can’t say I ever thought about the proposal in a specific way,” Morgan says. “Except I wanted my family close by. “ They were that, as Ryan planned months in advance. He did it at the church they attended, lining the room with yellow, (friendship) pink (romance), red (love) and white (unity) roses and even having their dog, Sadie, trot in with the ring tied tightly to the collar.

Too tight, actually. As these things go, the best part is the one that never really goes as planned. For Ryan, that was the trouble of getting the ring off the dog, and once he figured that out, having the ring tumble onto the floor.

No problem. Ryan eventually asked, she eventually said yes, and just like that, Arlington’s First Family grew.

Morgan just moved here from Lubbock to job hunt while Ryan settles in at Graham Associates, his father’s engineering and planning firm.

So far, the bride is getting used to a new lifestyle of formal gatherings and picture taking and being a little more Morgan Phares and under the spotlight.

Ryan Williams will be Life here is a nice yin to Lubbock’s married on May 28, thus expanding Arlington’s yang, where they often spend time zipFirst Family. ping around in 4x4s.

“Here we’re kind of held to certain expectations,” Ryan says of being the Mayor’s son.

In Lubbock, “It’s ponytails and being covered in dirt,” says Morgan.

Like butter and popcorn. The best of both worlds.

Columnist Kenneth Perkins has been a contributing writer for Arlington Today since it debuted. He is a freelance writer, editor and photographer.

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Spring Bridal

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UTA Athletics UTA pitcher Brooklynne Simbeck lets loose with a fast ball during a recent Maverick victory.

Bringing the HEAT! Fast start places UTA’s softball team in elite company, record-wise • By Sam Thomas

O

ne month into the 2016 season, there were only two undefeated teams playing college softball at the Division I level: the defending national champion Florida Gators and the University of Texas Arlington Mavericks. The Mavericks finished the first quarter of the year with a 15-0 record while outscoring their opponents 123-36.

Photos: Sharon Ellman “I’m really proud of the girls,” head coach Kristie Fox says before a recent afternoon practice. “They have been handling the success really well. I think the only people that are surexpect, to be honest. It’s so much different than high school, but I think prised are everybody else.” the transition went well.”

After 10 games, UTA was one of nine undefeated teams in the nation.

The Maverick seniors have taken note. Senior Rebecca Stokes, a threeThe Mavericks travelled to Charleston, S.C. for the Wingate by Wyndyear letter winner at UTA who has started every game over the past ham Invitational and won all five games three seasons, identifies with Rude and the in their first road trip of the season. By other freshmen. “They bring a lot of passion the end of the weekend, the Mavericks and love for the game,” Stokes says. “You can and Gators were the only two unbeaten see they like being here, which is good for me. teams still standing. It wasn’t until the It makes me want to be here more when I see 20th game of the season that UTA finally them happy to be here.” lost this year, and at press time, the Mav Coach Fox sees the mix of old and young ericks sat at 22-4. players as a major key to the program’s recent “We knew what we were capable of,” success and historic start to the 2016 season.

Coach Kristie Fox has the Mavericks humming Fox says. “We’ve been focusing on con “I think it is the team chemistry,” Fox so far in 2016. trolling what we can control. We’ve been says. “These young ladies have done a regetting better every day. When you do ally good job of holding each other accountthat and take care of the ball, good things happen.” able and moving forward together. There are no weak links, there is The Mavericks are led by a mix of experience from the seniors and exno one left behind. They’ve stuck together and I think that that kind citement from the newcomers. Freshman Krista Rude, an Arlington naof chemistry is something that is special and is so very rare.” tive, was a four-year letter winner at Martin High School and was selected The Mavericks play nine conference home games at Allan Saxe Field to the Texas Sports Writers All-State team in 2015. Rude has earned a startin the month of April, all to gear up for the Sun Belt Championship in ing spot in her first year at UTA and leads her team in batting average. “I Mobile, Ala., in early May, followed by the NCAA Division I Softball was really nervous coming in to it,” Rude says. “I didn’t know what to Championship. The full schedule can be found at utamavs.com.

54

ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

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55

Classic Cars

First cars are ALWAYS favorites Fred Savage and Charles Eller take good care of Arnold Petsche’s prize automobile.

Arnold Petsche proudly displays his Willys Model 37 Coupe, which is a replica of the first car he ever had.

Photos: Richard Greene

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ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

Arnold Petsche has been a fan of the 1937 Willys Model 37 Coupe for as long as he has been driving • By Richard Greene

O

ne of Arlington’s most impressive success stories is the one that unfolded on West Division Street during the past several decades as Arnold Petsche transformed his small business into the world’s largest supplier of aerospace and high-performance wire products.

Along the way, Arnold developed a passion for another kind of transformation – that of collecting old cars and trucks and turning them into one-of-a-kind showpieces so impeccable that few equals could be found anywhere.

His collection now totals about 50 such rare vehicles, some more than a century old. All are kept under the constant care of his curator Charles

Eller and shop foreman Fred Savage, who has worked for and known Arnold his entire life. “With Arnold,” Fred explains, “it’s all about the projects – not the destination but the journey.”

That journey began when 17-year-old Arnold and his father went looking for a car to provide transportation for him and his sister entering Ohio University in Athens in 1948.

THEY FOUND A 1937 Willys Model 37 Coupe in a junk pile and purchased it for a sum of $50.

It would take them the rest of the summer to make it drivable, a process that included overhauling the engine, replacing a rusted-off rear fender, building housing for the headlights so they wouldn’t fall out and capping it off with a Mack truck bulldog hood ornament (pictured on the next page).

The Willys served him well during the college years, then he sold it for $50 – and recovered the entire initial purchase price.

Somewhere along the way, the bulldog ornament he prized so much was stolen. Years later, when returning to Ohio for a reunion, he found one while browsing an antique store.

Fred continues, “He had a feeling that it just might have been the one taken from his coupe, so he purchased it and still has it today. But, it’s just the beginning of the story. Arnold wanted more than just the bulldog, he wanted the whole car.”

So, among the collection of his sparkling world-class vehicles now sits the humble little Willys featured as this ... And a classic month’s car story. interior that still

sports a shine ...

IT WAS JUST three years ago that Arnold came across a photo in an automobile magazine of the car that was just like the one he took to college more than 60 years earlier.

He acquired it, and his crew went to work to restore it to its original glory, thus making it far better than he could have ever afforded to do with his first car.

The engine was rebuilt, the chassis cleaned up and the interior would remain simple and functional as it was intended.

There’s a good chance that some readers are discovering a Willys automobile for the first time. Unable to withstand the depression years, the Willys Company was reorganized and produced the 1937 redesigned four-cylinder model. Its streamlined body was consistent with the goal of making the car as efficient and

Petsche’s Willys Coupe has an energy-efficient four-cylinder engine ...

... And a trademark logo like no other.

arlingtontoday.com • April 2016 • ARLINGTON TODAY

57

Then & now ... On the left is Arnold Petsche’s first Willy Coupe. On the right is his newest version, which is worth a tad more than the original.

Every element of this classic car has a story to tell, but the Mack truck Bulldog hood ornament (inset, left) has become the stuff of legend.

affordable as possible. It was advertised as low priced, less than $500 when the average new car sold for $760, and a “style sensation” delivering 30 miles per gallon of gasoline that cost about 10 cents.

The California-based car company was one of several bidders when the War Department sought an automaker that could begin rapid production of a lightweight truck for service in World War II. Thus the Willys Company began production in 1941 of 58

ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

the iconic “General Purpose” vehicle that would become known as the Jeep. So Arnold’s connection with one of the manufacturers that contributed to winning the Great War is just another chapter in the life of an extraordinary benefactor providing economic opportunity and meeting the needs of many in his community.

He sold his company a few years ago but none of his cars. “In fact,” curator Eller says with a smile, “as we speak, he’s got his eye on a couple more he may acquire next.”

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59

A Celebration of Excellence

You are invited to attend The AWARE Foundation’s Dinner

“A Celebration of Excellence” The AWARE Foundation recognizes and rewards exceptional classroom teachers in Arlington ISD for their innovation and lasting influence in the development of their students.

Tuesday, May 10, 2016 6:30 p.m. Registration • 7:00 p.m. Dinner

University of Texas at Arlington Bluebonnet Ballroom $35.00 per person www.awarefoundation.com

Picture-perfect Moments

Photos: Mansfield Mirror-News

A lot of green is on display here.

Shriners get in the spirit.

Mansfield Tigers celebrate.

Yee haw and begorrah!

Scene Snapshots from Mansfield’s annual St. Paddy’s Day Pickle Parade and Palooza

You can’t have a parade without talented drill teams.

This parade participant enjoys clowning around.

Waves and bubbles for everyone. arlingtontoday.com • April 2016 • ARLINGTON TODAY

61

Local Homes

Home S

SWEET! Home

An industrious Clay Dark built or restored many of the features in his expansive – and impressive – Mansfield dwelling

tylistically speaking, Clay Dark’s luxurious Mansfield home fits in the “Modern Tropical” genre. But some six years after he first set foot in the door, the dwelling might also be described as “early Clay Dark” – with a touch of “eclectic Vanessa Lowe” thrown in for good measure.

Dark is an IT specialist for an international mining company by day. But designing things – and the ability to convert theory into practice – are also two of his gifts that have been put to great use practically every year since 2011, when he decided to make the 3,900-square-foot, four-bedroom, 4.5-bath house his new home.

“I have personally built or installed many features of the home,” Dark says. “My girlfriend Blayne and I also have a good friend, Vanessa, who is a designer that I always like to bounce ideas off of and who has contributed to our décor.”

Lowe fashioned her own home into an original, distinctively artistic showcase – it was featured on these pages several months ago – and when she was offered the chance to tag-team to make something great even better, she jumped at it.

As a result, Dark took aim at the outside, and Lowe and he collaborated indoors, thus creating the masterpiece you see on this

Clay Dark takes special pride in the way the home looks at night.

Photo: Bruce Maxwell

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ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

“A LONGTIME friend of mine and I both enjoy landscaping design, outdoor lighting and building outdoor kitchens for friends. We have recently started a small business helping friends of friends complete their outdoor projects.”

An overhead view of the main living area.

The tiles featured in this shot of the kitchen were a Clay Dark design.

The formal dining area became a billiard room.

The view that greets visitors to the home

The master bedroom

Photos: Southern Flair Photography

and the ensuing pages. “I also enjoy landscaping and have designed and installed the landscaping myself,” Dark said. “A longtime friend of mine and I both enjoy landscaping design, outdoor lighting and building outdoor kitchens for friends. We have recently started a small business helping friends of friends complete their outdoor projects. We have found that many people buy a home or build a pool and don’t quite get all of what they want, and we help them complete their project a few years later.”

Actually, his own dwelling fit that category, and many photos you see here tell the story of how he and his collaborative partners set about attaining what he wanted from the get-go.

As “Exhibit A,” we present the billiard room pictured to the left. Actually, upon closer inspection you might have concluded that the room is, in fact, the formal dining area. You would have concluded correctly.

“Blayne and I almost never cook or have occasion to eat at a formal dining table,” he says. “But I do like playing pool.” Hence, a practical but unconventional design choice.

Then there is Dark’s pride and joy: his media room. “When I bought the home, it just wasn’t designed properly,” Dark says. “The way it was laid out, you couldn’t see the screen from certain seats. So I changed the layout arlingtontoday.com • April 2016 • ARLINGTON TODAY

63

The media room features fiber-optic star lighting.

Clay Dark and Blayne Bodiford love to entertain friends and family members, and it’s no coincidence that much of the entertaining takes place outdoors. Here you see a few of the “perks” inherent to a visit to the backyard portion of the dwelling.

64

ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

and built a drop-down screen and created a master system that controls everything.”

With one flip of a switch, everything goes on at once – the screen drops down, the sound comes on, the lighting adjusts just like in a normal theater.

Well, there’s one thing that’s not “normal theater-centric”: the stars that twinkle above visitors to the media room. Dark created those using fiber-optic lights – putting them in one at a time by himself to create a night sky effect.

“It’s not as hard as you might think,” he says.

“Stars aren’t aligned in a preset pattern in the sky, so I just installed those randomly like you’d see in the real evening sky.”

Other areas throughout the house also feature Dark’s handiwork: The light fixture to the right, the tile designs in the kitchen (pictured on the previous page) and the hunting trophies hanging in his study in the top photo to the right are all products of his imagination, skillset and leisure passions.

Of course, as he noted, he saved much of his best work for the outdoor portion of the home. “I like the back yard, the landscaping and the lighting both indoors and out – particularly at night,” he says. “Many people spend a lot of effort and money making their home beautiful during the day, but good lighting design with lots of options can make it just as good at night, too.”

The picture that greeted you when you began this story is a testament to what Dark is talking about. The scene is, well, the stuff of magazines.

So, in fact, is the whole house, which remains a work in progress and probably will as long as he owns it. “The house has a good layout for entertaining and having friends over,” he says. “I liked that from the first moment I saw it. I then just made it even better.”

Experience.

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The study, with Dark’s trophies

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65

Local Heroes

As an active member of Bible Study Fellowship, Jane Ellis has had faith at the foundation of her life’s work as an Arlington educator whose career began in 1941.

Arlington’s MATRIARCH of music

Photos: Richard Greene

Jane Ellis put a song in the hearts of city students for more than four decades • By Richard Greene

W

hen Jane Ellis produced the first Broadway show to ever be performed in an Arlington school, she picked the one that may have defined her life’s work. The most popular of all the songs from Oscar Hammerstein’s “The King and I” begins with the new tutor for the King’s children singing to them: “As a teacher I’ve been learning – you’ll forgive me if I boast – and I’ve now become an expert, on the subject I like most.”

Of course, the subjects for Anna were the children of King Mongkut of Siam.

For Ms. Ellis, the subjects she liked most were the students of Arlington’s schools over the span of her career as an educator that lasted 41 years.

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ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

Her love for those students is the reason for that very first musical having its debut on the stage of Arlington High School in 1962.

The children with whom she was working had come through some recent difficulty that kept Jane awake at nights trying to come up with something “to restore that positive feeling that all of them should have at that time in their lives.”

“I didn’t even know if I could do it, but I got the rights from New York and went to work, and we did it! It involved the whole school and was among the most memorable experiences in my life.”

Those years in education all started when Jane arrived in Arlington after her graduation from Texas Woman’s University in 1941 to accept the job of elementary music teacher at the age of 23.

Her starting annual salary was $900, “but that was alright, my monthly rent was only $22.75, and I learned how to live within the limits of my income.”

There were only two grade schools and one high school in the small town of about 4,300 people that year. In addition to her teaching career, Jane would be witness and participant in all that has happened since.

Here and below: The development of the big General Motors Plant in the early Highlights of a life well lived.

1950’s would set into motion the growth of the city and rapid expansion of the school system and its programs.

The standard for the town’s music education would be guided by Jane’s adoption of Robert Frost’s poem set to music, “Choose Something Like a Star” that she would use as inspiration for the value of music in the development of the city’s youth.

The poem focuses on humanity’s need for reassurance from a higher power. Its narrator speaks to a star in the sky and urges it to give him something to believe in.

Looking back today, she describes herself as being “humbled by what her ‘kids’ have achieved as adults” when they tell her of how their lives were shaped by music.

“That’s what I always wanted for them,” she explains with a countenance of complete fulfillment at her current age of 98.

HER JOURNEY BEGAN at the South Side Elementary School then moved to Arlington High, where she and band director Dean Corey produced musicals beyond that first one in 1962. Her next assignment was as the vice principal of the new Bowie High School in 1974.

As part of her role in community service outside the school system, for 20 years she directed the choir at the First Methodist Church.

That’s where she met Anna Wynette Smith who would become the bride of future mayor Tom Vandergriff.

“It was her remarkable talent singing ‘Moonlight Becomes You’ that caused Tommy to fall in love with her,” Jane recalls – a reality that he would confirm again and again.

Of the “boy mayor” she would say he was born to greatness but that Anna Wynette was the strength behind him that helped to make his big dreams come true.

Upon Jane’s retirement, Dan Dipert asked her to become tour director of his travel agency, where she spent the next 20 years traveling across the country and around the world.

Dan’s decision was a good one for him and his business. “My clients loved Jane,” he says.

“She has a heart for people, and repeat customers always asked to be booked with her for their trips.”

But her greatest satisfaction comes directly from her life’s devotion to children. “I’ve got kids here that have just done marvelous things,” she says. “And I just think how lucky I was to have students with parents that encouraged The school district trustees honored Jane in 1989 with the naming of their children to do their best and achieve all an elementary school in North Arlington. She was particularly proud they could.” of that since her father had no male heirs and the school would ensure the family name would be carried on.

If she thinks she is lucky, how much more so is a city that will always mark time from the good fortune of that day in 1941 when Jane Ellis decided to accept that $900 salary as one of Arlington’s first music teachers and proceeded to impart the essential values that shape a successful society.

Photos courtesy of Jane Ellis

arlingtontoday.com • April 2016 • ARLINGTON TODAY

67

Worthy Causes

Relay For Life organizers Pamela Stephens, Lana Bryan, Lori Martin and Sheila Grissom.

Photos: Bruce Maxwell

Relay For LIFE T

American Cancer Society fundraising event is set for April 23 at TCC’s Southeast Campus • By Bill Lace his year’s American Cancer Society Relay for Life – Saturday, April 23, at Tarrant County College Southeast Campus – has three laudable goals and one lofty one.

First there’s rebranding, merging the Arlington and Mansfield events into the Southeast Tarrant County Relay. Next is laying a solid foundation for future efforts. Then comes the honoring of those most affected by cancer – victims, survivors, family, caregivers.

Less emotional but no less important is raising money for the research that organizers hope will put the event out of business.

The ultimate goal, says the ACS’s Beth Anne Underwood, “is to see the day when there’s no need for the Relay because a cure has been found.”

Underwood and her volunteer team are shooting for $100,000.

Last year’s two events combined brought in some $60,000, she says, “and we want to blow that out of the water.”

The separate events were combined because the ACS found it was competing against itself for sponsors and participants. “We decided to combine our resources, do one event and do it well,” Underwood says.

This retooling sparked numerous changes, the first of which was the venue. TCC Southeast Campus provided an ideal midpoint and also came across with so many in-kind donations that it will add about $7,000 to the Relay’s bottom line.

The date and time were also tweaked. The April date was picked with the hope of drawing more college students before the semester ends.

The usual dusk-‘till-dawn time frame was shortened and backed up to 3-9 p.m. to give the event more of a community festival atmosphere.

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ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

Other Relay standbys will continue. Survivors will take the first lap around the track – actually a parking lot since the campus doesn’t have a traditional track. The second will be for caregivers – family members and others who have helped make the unbearable more bearable. Teams will then take a turn in recognition of their support, and lastly the general walking begins.

The only rule is that at least one member of a team must be on the track at any time.

There’ll be plenty to occupy those who don’t happen to be walking. “Psycho” Shannon of the Kidd Kraddick radio show will be the DJ, and team members will staff booths selling food, drinks and homemade craft items. Walking continues until about 7:45 p.m., at which time participants place luminarias around the course, lighting them in remembrance of those lost to cancer. The closing ceremony urges participants to keep fighting the disease in every way possible.

Whereas the event has been mostly staff-driven in past years, the focus now is more on volunteers – people like Chair Pamela Stevens and Co-chair Lori Martin, both of whom lost close friends to cancer within the past year. “It was awful to watch what she and her poor kids were going through,” Martin says. “I felt compelled to do something.” And people like Sheila Grissom, co-chair of the survivor/caregiver committee. “I feel like caregivers, as a whole, are sometimes forgotten,” she says.

And people like Lana Bryan, diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010. “These events are important because it lets people know you can fight this,” she says. “I know there are times when it seems there is no hope, but there is hope.”

Participants may sign up for or donate to the Relay online at ow.ly/ZqyUE.

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69

Picture-perfect Moments

The Arlington ISD Education Foundation awarded a total of $87,771.05 in classroom instruction grants to 22 recipients.

Photos: Arlington ISD Education Foundation

Arlington ISD Education Foundation Board Member Ann Morris (middle, with her daughters and two grandchildren) was awarded the first Dan Dipert Legacy Award at the Dream Makers Banquet.

Superintendent Dr. Marcelo Cavazos, Karen Borta and Brian White

Dr. DeAndre Brown, Suzann Brown, Dan Dipert and Linda Dipert

Scene Snapshots from the Arlington ISD Education Foundation Dream Makers banquet and other AISD milestone moments

Photo: James Adams’ Facebook page

AISD namesakes (front row) Beth Anderson, Jane Robin Ellis, Myrtice Larsen; (back row) Mac Bernd, Margie Bryant, James Adams, Barbara Watson Adams, and Sandy McNutt were recently honored.

Photo: AISD

Students and staff at Atherton Elementary welcomed school namesake Grace Atherton as she celebrated her 103rd birthday. arlingtontoday.com • April 2016 • ARLINGTON TODAY

71

Business Beat

Photo courtesy of Kid to Kid

Kid to Kid Arlington, owned by Debbie Farrar, offers clothing and accessory items for school children. The store carries a large selection for kids who go to public school and kids who wear uniforms as well.

K

Kid to Kid in Arlington awarded ‘Store of the Month,’ celebrates 20 years in business

business was to her community in allowing families to find good qualiid to Kid in Arlington, owned by local entrepreneur Debbie Farrar, ty clothing, toys and baby equipment at an affordable price. was awarded “Store of the Month” for February 2016, just weeks Not long after purchasing the store, the local school district apbefore celebrating its 20th anniversary. Through this award, the proached Farrar and asked her to carry school uniforms when a major Kid to Kid franchise recognizes outstanding achievement exhibitretailer in town went out of businesses. Feeling this would be a good ed by one of its more than 100 children’s resale locations across the Unitway to serve the community, Farrar added 1,000 square feet to the busied States, Canada, and Portugal. One major factor that contributed to the ness to carry uniforms, and the sales followed.

Arlington store’s success was its consistent growth, despite being in the Farrar enlarged the store three times before finally moving to a same market under the same management for 13 years. larger location in January of this year, becoming the world’s largest “The Arlington store is a shining model of what a Kid to Kid store Kid to Kid. should be like – just on a super grand scale!” commented Kid to Kid

founder, Shauna Sloan. “The organization, merchandising and product IN ADDITION TO the growing store, Farrar expanded into other arselection (both new and used) are superior – which is clearly the driveas of the Dallas/Fort Worth market. In 2005, she opened another Kid ing factor behind a sales increase of 29%,” she said. to Kid location in Burleson, and then in 2013, she purchased the failing At 15,000 square feet, the Arlington location at 3500 S. Cooper St., Weatherford location and completeSuite 110, is the largest in the sysly turned it around. Farrar expanded tem and has consistently ranked #1 About Kid to Kid and Uptown Cheapskate even further that same year by openin sales every year since Farrar puring the sister store, Uptown Cheapchased the store in 2003. Farrar and For over 23 years, BaseCamp Franchising has been a leader in the resale franchise industry. Kid to Kid and Uptown Cheapskate, both regskate, a fashion resale store for teens her team constantly push the limits istered trademarks of BaseCamp Franchising, buy and sell gently-used and young adults. of what is possible for the franchise, yet fashionable clothes, shoes, gear and accessories. With 45 Uptown When asked what Farrar loves and with their strict focus on orgaCheapskate stores and 110 Kid to Kid franchise stores throughout the most about owning a Kid to Kid nization, efficiency and innovation, U.S., Portugal, and Canada, Basecamp Franchising provides convenient store, she didn’t hesitate. “I love the they continuously reach new milelocations where customers are financially and emotionally rewarded as employees, customers and other Kid stones unprecedented by any other they recycle their best items. BaseCamp Franchising is located in Salt to Kid owners,” she said. “I employ store in the system.

Lake City, Utah. For more information about BaseCamp Franchising, call more than 70 employees between the Farrar says when she purchased (801) 359-0071. You may also visit basecampfranchising.com. four stores, and I feel I have a lot to the 7-year-old store in 2003, she “nevteach them as they journey through er looked back.” Having worked in their lives with our company or other businesses.” Farrar also loves that the children’s resale industry for a number of years, Farrar knew she by owning her own stores, she is able to keep it a family business and loved the business and jumped at the opportunity to work for herself. work with her husband and children each day.

“I love being able to help families and kids have nice things,” she said.

For more information, visit kidtokid.com/Arlington, or find them on “I was a substitute teacher for years and with four children of my own, Facebook. For franchising information, visit kidtokid.com/franchising.

I couldn’t stand for kids to get made fun of at school when they didn’t The uniform website is kidtokiduniforms.com. have name brand clothing.” She saw the importance the resale clothing 72

ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

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ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

Medi-Weightloss Arlington

A weight-loss solution that can positively affect your life OVER 10 YEARS AGO, the founder of Medi-Weightloss® wanted to create a medically sound weight loss solution to combat the nation’s obesity epidemic. After extensive research, Medi-Weightloss was born and continues to grow, not only in size, but in passion and innovation. Medi-Weightloss has helped patients lose more than 3 million pounds nationwide.

Medi-Weightloss Arlington is medically supervised by Dr. Angela Straface. “Our patients enjoy eating real food from the grocery store and local restaurants while losing weight,” said Dr. Straface. “One-onone coaching ensures you get the advice and encouragement you need to succeed. We offer state-of-the-art diagnostic tools, supplemental injections, signature supplements and products and prescribed appetite suppressants (if medically appropriate). Our patients lose up to 20 pounds the first month.”* Dr. Straface said Medi-Weightloss is an individualized, physician-supervised weight loss program delivered with an extraordinarily high level of care. “Our healthcare providers tailor the program for your individual needs,” she said. “There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach at Medi-Weightloss. Patients remain under a clinician’s care throughout the program, allowing us to monitor your health and modify your treatment plan when necessary.”

Medi-Weightloss Arlington offers cutting-edge technology. During each visit, staff members assess each patient’s composition to ensure he/she is decreasing body fat and preserving muscle. Upon reaching their goal weight, patients undergo a noninvasive metabolism test to determine their individual caloric needs, making it easy to maintain their new physique.

“Medi-Weightloss is the one that works,” said Dr. Straface. “Our program is not a diet; it’s a lifestyle change. Our trained professionals help make your weight loss journey stress free and uncomplicated. The only thing our patients say they regret is not getting started on their program sooner.” * On average, patients compliant with the Medi-Weightloss® Program lose 6.4 pounds the first week and 14 pounds the first month. Rapid weight loss may be associated with certain medical conditions and should only be considered by those who are medically appropriate.

Medi-Weightloss Arlington 4000 Five Points Blvd., Suite 169 • (817) 381-7001 • MediWeightloss.com

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7817 S. Cooper St. • Arlington, Tx 76001 • www.COUNTRYACRESKENNELS.com arlingtontoday.com • April 2016 • ARLINGTON TODAY

75

"Every child deserves to play baseball"

5th Annual Gala

Thank You

to all our sponsors, donors, guests, and volunteers for helping to make a difference in the lives of so many children.

To get your turn at bat for this great event next year contact events@miracleleaguedfw.org

Picture-perfect Moments

Photos courtesy of Mansfield Cares

Mansfield Mayor David Cook addresses the crowd.

Byron Schmidt and Cindy Schmidt

Scene Snapshots from the recent Mansfield Cares Charity Ball fundraising event at Walnut Creek Country Club

Lisa Stewart and Greg Morse

Larry Broseh and Cindy Broseh

Melanie Rhodes, Tonya Cook and Arlene Hubbell arlingtontoday.com • April 2016 • ARLINGTON TODAY

77

Dining Guide VB Steakhouse

SWEET Eats!

Photo: VB Steakhouse Facebook page

David’s Barbecue

Here are some local restaurants you need to visit Upscale

Cacharel Restaurant cacharel.net 2221 E. Lamar Blvd.

(817) 640-9981 Chamas do Brazil chamasdobrazil2.tru-m.com 4606 S. Cooper St. (817) 618-2986 Piccolo Mondo piccolomondo.com 829 Lamar Boulevard East (817) 265-9174 restaurant506 at The Sanford House restaurant506.com 506 N. Center St. (817) 801-5541 VB Steakhouse vbsteak.com 2009 E. Copeland Road (817) 801-1440

American

Candlelite Inn candleliteinnarlington.com 1202 E. Division St. (817) 275-9613 Chop House Burgers chophouseburgers.com 2230 W. Park Row Drive, Suite A, Pantego (817) 459-3700 Grease Monkey greasemonkeyburgers.com 200 N. Mesquite St. (817) 665-5454

78

ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

J. Gilligan’s Bar & Grill jgilligans.com 400 E. Abram St. (817) 274-8561

Barbecue

Photo: yelp.com

Rio Mambo

David’s Barbecue davidsbarbecue.com 2224 West Park Row (817) 261-9998 Spring Creek Barbeque springcreekbarbeque.com 3608 S. Cooper St. (817) 465-0553 2340 I-20, Suite 100 (817) 467-0505 1724 US-287, Mansfield (817) 453-7454

Italian

Moni’s Pasta & Pizza monispastapizza.com 1730 W. Randol Mill Rd. #100 (817) 860-6664 Prespa’s prespas.com 4720 W. Sublett Road (817) 561-7540

Mexican/Tex-Mex Blue Mesa Grill bluemesagrill.com 550 Lincoln Square (682) 323-3050

El Arroyo elarroyoarlington.com 5024 S. Cooper (817) 468-2557

Photo: Rio Mambo Facebook page

El Primo’s Mexican Grill & Cantina elprimos.net 2300 Matlock Road, #21, Mansfield (817) 225-4140 Fuzzy’s Taco Shop fuzzystacoshop.com 510 E. Abram St. (817) 265-8226 4201 W. Green Oaks Blvd.

(817) 516-8226 1601 E. Debbie Lane, Mansfield (817) 453-1682 Rio Mambo riomambo.com 2150 E. Lamar Blvd.

(817) 795-4555 6407 S. Cooper St. (817) 465-3122

Fondue

The Melting Pot meltingpot.com 4000 Five Points Blvd., Suite 119 (817) 472-9988

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arlingtontoday.com • April 2016 • ARLINGTON TODAY

79

Tennis Tip

HUMYICY?

Playing winning doubles

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Photo: villagenews.com

W

ith a little basic doubles knowledge and tactics, two average players could defeat a doubles team of two great singles players by remembering to follow the ball and attack the net.

Serving

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When on the serving side, the server and his/ her partner should look to shift their positions on the court toward the direction that the ball is going. If the serve goes wide, the server’s partner should shift to cover the alley, while the server shifts to cover the middle of the court. If the serve heads toward the service T, the server’s partner should look to attack and move toward the center of the court. When angles are hit, players open themselves up to angles that their opponent can use to attack.

Receiving

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ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

For the receiving side, the returner and returner’s partner should shift with the ball in similar fashion. The returner will go toward the ball, while the returner’s partner shifts to cover the middle of the court. If the return is successfully hit cross court, the returner’s partner will shift to cover his/her alley, while the returner shifts to cover the middle court.

The bottom line is that doubles players are constantly moving with each shot that is hit.

When the ball is hit wide toward the outside of the court, everyone on the court should shift toward the ball to utilize their positioning on the court. During a point, the doubles team members need to patiently execute their positioning on the court until a ball that can put away the point is presented. If you simply follow the ball and cover court areas, then you can become a great doubles team!

Tony Le is the tennis professional at Arlington Tennis Center.

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Health & Fitness

If you think you have hearing loss, then you probably do Audiology issues affect the whole family, so please get your hearing tested! • By Dr. Lisa B. Fell

Y

ou’re 56 years old and still working, but not enjoying it like you used to. Is it because you have done it for 35 years, or is it because you have to work a lot harder at it than you used to?

Before you decide to retire sooner than you are financially ready or be miserable at work and make the family you come home to equally miserable after you’ve spent a day at the office – consider having your hearing evaluated.

A hearing evaluation, when done by an audiologist, is professional, thorough, diagnostic and pain-free. If the results indicate hearing loss, then acknowledge the reality. The next step is acceptance, which may not be easy, but the condition cannot be managed if it is denied.

Hearing Loss

Prevalence What does managing a hearing loss mean?

• 36 million Americans have Once the evaluation concludes that the hearing loss hearing loss is not caused by a medical • Over 18 million are under problem, hearing instruments are the the age of 65 next step. The audiologist aids in decid• 1 out of 5 with hearing ing what is best and discusses good com loss seek help munication strategies, realistic expecta• Hearing loss is the third-most-chronic health tions and being your own advocate. condition affecting adults

• People with untreated Why do people delay? hearing loss earn less Stigma, money, belief that one’s hearincome ing is not “bad enough” or technology misconceptions are all excuses that keep people from making what may be one of the best decisions they have ever made. The reality is that wearing an instrument does not make someone look as old as constantly saying “what?” or poking one’s neck out to turn an ear forward.

Also, the need for hearing instruments depends on lifestyle, occupation, even personality. Technology is still evolving. The goal with today’s technology is to bring in sound that is as comfortable and as natural as possible. The amplification that is sent to the brain helps to organize, select and follow more of what you want to hear. It is true that hearing instruments are not perfect and cannot replace normal ears, but the benefits far outweigh the negatives.

What are the benefits to wearing hearing aids?

Improved quality of life – this means feeling more confident in communication and less fatigued because effort isn’t wasted on straining to hear. Better hearing usually translates into better relationships with family and friends. Research has shown that people with untreated hearing loss earn lower income. Some of the more 82

ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

recent research has linked hearing loss with risk of dementia, suggesting the greater the hearing loss, the higher the risk of cognitive decline. A study by a French researcher, Helene Amieve, was conducted over a 25-year period with 3,620 participants age 65 years and older.

Her research confirmed the link between hearing loss and cognitive decline, but her data also showed that the participants with hearing loss who wore hearing instruments showed decline similar to those with no or minimal hearing loss unlike the greater cognitive decline seen in participants with untreated hearing loss.

Obviously, there is more research to be done in this area, but having ease of Signs of communication and improved quality Hearing Loss of life today with the hope of preserv• You have to turn up the ing mental health in the future makes volume on the TV or radio me ask, “why wait to get hearing instru• People seem to be ments?” There is a high prevalence of mumbling hearing loss, and it is not “normal,” so • You have difficulty something should be done about it! following conversations in People who think they have hearing background noise • You frequently ask people loss, probably do. They need to seek treat to repeat themselves ment and not make excuses. According to • You limit social activities Better Hearing Institute, it can be said that because it is too difficult people who wear hearing instruments: to hear.

1. Value relationships because they are more likely to have a strong social network 2. Like to be active and are more likely to meet up with friends and to exercise 3. Love life because they are more likely to be optimistic and to feel engaged in life 4. Are Go-Getters because they are more likely to tackle problems 5. Value happiness as they are able to get more pleasure from doing things and are less likely to feel “down.”

Dr. Lisa B. Fell is a board-certified audiologist and co-owner of Audiology Experts, a private audiology and hearing aid practice in Arlington. www.AudiologyExperts.com

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83

Nightlife and More

Sights/Sounds

History, Mansfield-style

Your resource for stellar entertainment options in and around the city THEATER: The Mystery of Irma Vep: A Penny Dreadful When: April 1-17 Where: Theatre Arlington (305 W. Main St.) Show times: 7:30 p.m. on Thursday; 8:00 p.m. on Friday at Saturday; 2 p.m. on Sunday Notes: B.J. Cleveland and Todd Hart return to Theatre Arlington to co-star in this hilarious spoof of Gothic melodramas. A sympathetic werewolf, a vampire and an Egyptian princess brought to life when her tomb is opened make this quickchange marathon a dizzying display of dramatic virtuosity.

For more: theatrearlington.org

Show time: 8 p.m.

Notes: Adams, a Canadian rock musician, rose to fame in North America with his album “Cuts Like a Knife” and turned into a global star with his 1984 album “Reckless.” For his contributions to music, Adams has garnered many awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards and 15 Grammy Award nominations.

For more: verizontheatre.com Sawyer Brown

Sawyer Brown to play first concert at The LOT Downtown

Photo: The Piano Guys Facebook page

MUSIC: Salsa Night at Rio Mambo When: April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 Where: Rio Mambo Tex Mex y Mas (2150 E. Lamar Blvd., #120) Show time: 10 p.m.-2 a.m.

Notes: Each Friday, the popular restaurant hosts salsa, bachata, merengue and Latin Top 40 performers, with free salsa and bachata dancing lessons available 30 minutes before the show starts.

For more: riomambo.com MUSIC: Acoustic Sundays with Jesse Jennings & Friends When: April 3, 10, 17, 24 Where: Fat Daddy’s Sports & Spirits Cafe (781 W. Debbie Lane, Mansfield) Show time: 7 p.m.

Notes: Jesse Jennings is a singer, songwriter and musician based in Fort Worth. His album, “A Long Way From Home,” features 13 tracks written and produced by Jennings.

For more: fatdaddyslive.com TRIVIA: Live trivia with the PubGuys When: April 6, 13, 20, 27 Where: World of Beer (5005 S. Cooper St.) Show time: 7 p.m.

Notes: Every Wednesday is trivia night.

Bring your smart friends for the answers, 84

THE POPULAR country pop band Sawyer Brown will provide the first-ever performance at the new Mansfield music venue The LOT Downtown. Show time is 5 p.m. on April 30, and a capacity crowd is expected to attend.

Nearly two years ago Justin Gilmore, local business owner and architect, began rough sketches of the facility that would eventually be called “The LOT Downtown.” It will be introduced officially to the city and area with the Sawyer Brown concert, which is the first of dozens of performances that will take place at the venue in the coming months.

Sawyer Brown formed in 1981 and became an international sensation shortly after winning the television talent program “Star Search” in 1983 and registering on the charts with hits like “The Race is On.” For more: thelotdowntown.com.

and your rich friends for the tab.

For more: worldofbeer.com/Locations/ Arlington MUSIC: The Platters When: April 8 Where: Arlington Music Hall (224 N. Center St.) Show time: 7:30 p.m.

Notes: The legacy of one of America’s popular groups of the 1950s and 1960s lives on in this concert performed by the latest incarnation of the famous singers.

For more: arlingtonmusichall.net

ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

MUSIC: Eddie Money When: April 9 Where: Arlington Music Hall (224 N. Center St.) Show time: 7:30 p.m.

Notes: Money found success in the with hits such as “Baby Hold On,” “Shakin’” and “Take Me Home Tonight.”

For more: arlingtonmusichall.net MUSIC: Bryan Adams When: April 9 Where: Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie (1001 Performance Place)

THEATER: MavPlays 2016 When: April 14-24 Where: UTA’s Fine Arts Building (502 S. Cooper St.) Show times: Call for times.

Notes: Mavplays 2016 will spotlight new and exciting dramas by University of Texas Arlington Playwrights in Residence.

The plays will be “HELIOS 24/7” and “Dogwood.”

For more: (817) 272-2669 MUSIC: Strawberry Fields When: April 29 Where: Arlington Music Hall (224 N. Center St.) Show time: 7:30 p.m.

Notes: The ultimate Beatles tribute band performs in full costume during this popular show, which features former members of the hit Broadway musical “Beatlemania.”

For more: arlingtonmusichall.net MUSIC: Third Day & Steven Curtis Chapman When: April 30 Where: Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie (1001 Performance Place) Show time: 7 p.m.

Notes: Christian Rock Band Third Day has garnered 25 No. 1 singles across multiple formats, as well as Grammy and Dove Award nominations. Chapman is one of the Christian music genre’s most notable singer/songwriters – and a winner of Grammy and Dove awards.

For more: verizontheatre.com

Arlington Urban Ministries Presents

Boots, Chaps & Cowboy Hats Join us for dinner wearing your denim, diamonds & boots. Enjoy live music by Zach Coffey, silent & live auctions, raffle, wine pull, cash bar and the Doing Good in the Neighborhood Awards ceremony.

Emceed by WFAA’s Jim Douglas.

Details

Sunday, April 10, 2016 at 5:00 p.m.

VIP Reception at 4:00 p.m.

River Ranch $65 Tickets 500 NE 23rd Street Purchase before March 28, 2016 PMS 192 and PMS 3272 Fort Worth, Texas 76164 Make your reservation online: Complimentary Valet www. ArlingtonUrbanMinistries.org

Sponsored By Provides emergency assistance for utilities and rent for those in crisis in the Arlington community.

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INVITES YOU TO ATTEND  Cocktail Attire  $100 Per Person  Cash Bar  Seated Dinner  Luxury Auction  Casino (Casino sponsored by RTP Marketing)

SAT., APRIL 23, 2016 Arlington Museum of Art 201 West Main | Arlington, Texas 6 p.m. Hors D’oeuvres  7 p.m. Seated Dinner

Casino chips available for pre-purchase.

Don’t miss out on some amazing prizes such as a trip to Las Vegas, Personal Home Casino Party, Flat Screen TV and more!

Entertainment by

Michael Hix and The Holla RSVP by Monday, April 11 For more info please call 817-261-9628 or go to www.theatrearlington.org/gala.html arlingtontoday.com • April 2016 • ARLINGTON TODAY

85

Speaking of Sports

Great got even better Globe Life Park has some exciting, new enhancements for the 2016 season • By John Rhadigan

I

t is truly amazing how quickly 22 years can fly by. Twenty two years ago this month we had a Grand Opening in Arlington.

The building has changed names a few times, but it still stands there majestically. Back then we knew it as The Ballpark in Arlington; now it is Globe Life Park in Arlington, and what a Life this place has had.

I remember walking around it in April of 1994 and seeing those saplings all staked up in the median on Nolan Ryan Expressway. I knew then that I would see those trees grow up; I just didn’t know it would happen overnight. For my money, Globe Life is still one of the five best ballparks in all of baseball. It is beautiful, distinctive After more than two and functional. Even though it was decades, Globe Life Park remains one of built in an era when, seemingly, baseball’s treasures. everyone was building a new park, this place stands out. When you glance up at a highlight show on television you immediately know which park it is. The only thing it lacks is a roof, but that is a column for a different day.

When you go to the games this year you will notice some changes, big changes. They have added a video board in left field. It actually sits high atop the office building in left center and it will give the fans who sit in the home run porch access to all that the video board provides – which is a lot.

Chuck Morgan is the voice of Globe Life Park in Arlington, but he is also the director of Ballpark entertainment and production.

During spring training Chuck and his crew tape funny bits with the players that will air between innings throughout the season. Also, in this age of instant replay, fans in right field could not see how wrong (or in some cases right) the call on the field was. With a new video board 94 feet long and 34 feet high, no fan will miss a thing.

Another new addition is an LED lighting system. Globe Life Park will be one of just four stadiums in baseball to have added this enhancement. The LED system will increase uniformity of lighting.

It will make it easier for the fans, the TV cameras and most importantly the players to see the ball. They actually had a similar system installed in Seattle last season – not only did the lights brighten the game, but suffice to say that now Chuck Morgan has a new toy.

These lights can be programmed to become a light show after home runs or any other significant moment in the game. Also, unlike the previous lights, they do not need to warm up; they come 86

ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

on immediately. Never again will fans walk out of a fireworks show in low light.

Finally, there will be protective netting that extends all the way to the end of the dugouts. This somewhat controversial addition might be the most important of them all.

Fans who sit in those seats might feel like there is now a barrier between them and the game. But, remember: the most expensive seats in the house, the ones right behind home plate, have had the same barrier forever. This barrier is designed to protect the fans. I was in the photo well right next to the dugout in Detroit last year when a fan had to be removed on a stretcher after being hit with a bat. The game stopped for nearly a half an hour as the medical people attended to the fan. The players stood on the field and watched, and it had an affect on the game.

The events in the stands cast a pall over the rest of the game as players worried about the injured fan. These are human beings playing the game, and every one of Arlington Today photo them felt compassion and concern for the injured fan.

The Rangers ownership group has stepped up every off-season since they have owned the team to make improvements. From 2012, when they re-did the Center Field Concourse, including my home away from the home in the summers, The Captain Morgan Club.

To last year when they converted the old TGI Fridays into an allyou-can-eat lounge. This group has spent millions of dollars every off-season to ensure that this ballpark remains one of the best in baseball.

Just like it was 22 years ago.

Sports columnist John Rhadigan is an anchor for the Fox Sports Southwest television network.

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Sunday, May 15th Doors Open at Noon

Globe Life Park in Arlington

Texas Rangers vs.

Toronto Blue Jays This Family Friendly Event Includes: LUNCH in the Texas Rangers’ HALL OF FAME KIDS’ ZONE Activities PARKING Passes Live & Silent AUCTION RESERVED Seating in the Lower Homerun Porch Texas Rangers ALUMNI Honorary Chairs Robyn and Jon Daniels Emcees Ben and Skin from 105.3 The Fan

Individual tickets will go on sale April 1st.

Contact Paige for more information at 817-348-1167 or pmcnamara@allianceforchildren.org.

Proceeds from this event benefit Alliance For Children.

DEMO DAY SATURDAY, APRIL 16 • 10 AM - 2 PM • TIERRA VERDE GOLF CLUB

Test out the latest clubs from all the major manufacturers at our FREE Demo Day and really see which clubs perform best for your golf game. You’ll find terrific pricing on equipment, deep discounts on Pro Shop merchandise and apparel, food and drink specials from Ventana Grille and a live morning remote from The Ticket’s Teebox Golf Show, hosted by Rick Arnett and Craig Rosengarden of Avid Golfer Magazine! Call the Pro Shop at 817-478-8500 for more info.

A R L I N G T O N G O L F . C O M

Arlington Parks Apr2016 Ad_Arlington Today.indd 1

3/21/2016 TODAY 10:50:14 AM arlingtontoday.com • April 2016 • ARLINGTON 87

Events, etc.

Itinerary

History, Mansfield-style

Your official Arlington/Mansfield/Kennedale/SW Grand Prairie guide to fun (and the like) April 1-17 What: Youth Art Month Where: Arlington Museum of Art (201 W. Main St.) When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Tuesday-Saturday; 1-5 p.m. on Sunday In a nutshell: Each spring, the Arlington Museum of Art works collaboratively with the Arlington Independent School District to give students the opportunity to display their pieces done in a wide variety of media.

For more: arlingtonmuseum.org

Here are the Rangers celebrating their AL West Division title last fall.

April 1-3, 7-10, 14-17, 22-24, 29-30 What: Planetarium Shows Where: University of Texas Arlington Planetarium (700 Planetarium Place) When: Check website for show times In a nutshell: The April schedule features the following programs: “From Earth to the Universe,” “Dark,” “Spacepark 360: Infinity,” “Astronaut,” “Cosmic Colors,” “Pink Floyd-Dark Side of the Moon” and “Pink Floyd-The Wall.”

For more: uta.edu/planetarium/shows April 1-May 27 What: AVAA Juried Exhibition Award Winners - Winning Art Where: Arlington Museum of Art (201 W. Main St.) When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

In a nutshell: Featured in the Rooftop Gallery are works by artists who won awards in the 36th annual Regional Juried Exhibition of the Arlington Visual Arts Association.

For more: arlingtonmuseum.org April 2 What: Kidfest Where: Traders Village in Grand Prairie When: Noon-5 p.m.

In a nutshell: The Big Red Patio stage will feature performers from the well known Scarborough Renaissance Festival. A second stage will be located at the Village Food Court on 6th Street and Central Avenue and will feature 88

April 17 What: Northwest Arlington ESL Center’s annual Wine Tasting and Silent Auction Where: Mercury Wine Bar and Grill (2410 W. Abram, Suite 116) When: 2-5 p.m.

In a nutshell: Silent Auction items include everything from a suite at Globe Life Park for a Texas Rangers game to art pieces to cosmetic and other personal services, like dry cleaning, hair and nail services. Wines are provided by Continent Wine Hopping. Tickets are $25.

For more: director@northwest arlingtonesl.org

Photo: thestar.com

Let’s go, RANGERS!

(clap, clap ... clap clap clap)

YOUR TEXAS RANGERS will begin their defense of the American League West Division championship with five home series in April.

The season-opening home series will be April 4-7, when the Rangers host the Seattle Mariners. Following that, the team will entertain the Baltimore Orioles (April 14-17), the Houston Astros (April 19-21), the New York Yankees (April 25-27) and the California Angels of Anaheim (April 29-May 1).

With a solid core in place and with the anticipated return of ace pitcher Yu Darvish following elbow surgery, the Rangers look to be one of the league’s best teams again.

We’ll soon see. For ticket information: texasrangers.com. the entertaining Professor Branius and Greggs’ Magic act.

For more: tradersvillage.com/ grand-prairie April 3 What: Wrestlemania 32 Where: AT&T Stadium When: 5 p.m.

In a nutshell: The premier professional wrestlers of the WWE will convene in Arlington for one of the sport’s bigger events.

For more: attstadium.com

ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

April 9 What: Arlington: Cruising Back in Time – Top O’ Hill Terrace Celebrates the Bankhead Highway Centennial Where: Top O’ Hill Terrace Museum at Arlington Baptist College (3001 West Division St.) When: Noon-7 p.m.

In a nutshell: Hear stories from local historians and authors about Tarrant County’s colorful past, and enjoy entertainment and light refreshments in the historic Tea Garden that once hosted elegant parties for the rich and famous.

For more: ow.ly/ZlSqD

April 23 What: Legacy Bronco Band Booster golf tournament Where: Mansfield National Golf Course When: 2 p.m.

In a nutshell: Each person on every team of four that registers for the tournament by April 3 will be eligible to win a pair of tickets to either the Duck Commander 500 or the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300. Four winners will be chosen and notified on April 4.

For more: broncobandgolf.org April 24 What: Lone Star Half Marathon & Mayor’s 5K Where: Levitt Pavilion (505 E. Border St.) When: Registration is at 5:30 a.m.; the half marathon starts at 6:30 a.m.; the 5K starts at 7:15 a.m.; and the Ability Walk begins at 9:30 a.m.

In a nutshell: The University of Texas Arlington’s Adaptive Sports Program and Arlington ISD Athletics are partnering with The Lone Star Half Marathon and Mayor’s 5K, and the money raised from this year’s event will benefit those organizations. The event is open to participants of all virtually skill levels.

For more: thelonestarrace.org Email your Itinerary items to yale@arlingtontoday.com

Finish Line

The first time I slept in Arlington The journey that first brought me here was a long, but memorable adventure • By Richard Greene

I

t was 1953 and the year of the grandest family vacation ever. Mom and Dad had planned for us to make a trip from Jackson, Miss., to Los Angeles to visit my grandmother, who was working as a practical nurse there. It was a journey of almost 2,000 miles and would take five days, including the risks of crossing the vast desert – something never before attempted by either of my parents.

In addition to the three of us, there was my 3-year-old sister, my 6-month-old brother, and Bessie Mae – our nanny to help care for my little siblings. I, of course, would not need her. I was 10 and perfectly capable of taking care of myself.

Bessie Mae was black. I’ll explain why that’s important to the story in a minute.

Our means of transportation was a 1949 four-door Chevrolet. Mom and Dad would occupy the front seat; the rest of us were in the back.

I would claim the window seat behind Dad because I wanted to be sure to see everything. I had imagined that would include sights of great wonder as we crossed six states – all of which I would be viewing for the first time.

Sis was in the middle, and my brother was on Bessie Mae’s lap. Bessie Mae was somewhat broad in the hips, thereby creating a really tight fit for us, but that was just fine because the adventures that loomed were worth any degree of discomfort whatsoever.

It was August. The Chevy had no air conditioner. There was the uncertainty of it holding up in the face of such an expedition. Especially for the more than half the distance that would include that foreboding desert, to say nothing of some mountains beyond it as the road led ever farther West.

So, Dad had figured a way to reduce the strain on the engine and the uncomfortable conditions inside the car for such a long trek that would take us along Highway 80 and Route 66.

The plan was simple: We would travel at night and sleep during the daytime hours.

“But wait,” I remember exclaiming upon hearing this, “I can’t see anything AT NIGHT!” Dad’s answer was to assure me that there would be some things to see before we found the first motel right after the sun came up.

I remember having consoled myself by figuring that maybe that 90

ARLINGTON TODAY • April 2016 • arlingtontoday.com

would be okay because I could spend some time in the motel pool since no one else would be swimming AT DAWN! “No, son,” he replied, “there will be no time for swimming since we will be going straight to bed as soon as we check in. We have to get our rest.”

The result of this plan was that I would get to see only California, if we ever actually got there. But I might as well forget about finding out what Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico or Arizona looked like since I could see only that part of any of them illuminated by the Chevy’s headlights. And the pavement looked pretty much the same for all 2,000 miles of the ride.

I would, however, become familiar with lots of motels – many more than the ones we actually occupied. That was because we had to find accommodations that met several criteria: Was the room affordable, did it have sufficient bedding, and was there a kitchenette so Mom could fix something for us to eat?

Then, the big one – would Bessie Mae be allowed in the room with us? Remember, I mentioned she was black. And, it was 1953.

So the routine was to pull up to a motel or motor court that looked promising.

This sign will always Mom and Dad would go inside the office be special to me, as it represents the place while the four of us waited in the car where I spent my first wondering if we would be staying. night in Arlington.

I clearly remember looking out of that side window at whatever I could see – the row of rooms, the pool I would never enter and the motel sign looming overhead.

Fast forward about 15 years. Sylvia and I moved to Arlington. Ever since then I’ve been passing the old Oasis Motel on Division Street.

I’ve always thought its neon sign featuring two Palm trees looked very familiar. I’ve remembered looking through my 10-year-old eyes and seeing that very sign at the end of the first day’s (I mean night’s) travel. It was about 10 hours or so away from home and very likely where I slept that day – in Arlington.

For the first time.

Richard Greene served as Arlington’s mayor from 1987-1997 and currently teaches in the University of Texas Arlington’s graduate program in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs.

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