Embattled Higher Purpose Emporium faces another anti-LGBTQ+ protest.
BY ANTHONY MARIANI
EATS & DRINKS
Cafecito, Esperanza’s, Los Guapos, Paco’s, and many more local spots are ready for National Taco Day.
BY LAURIE JAMES
BUCK U
After besting Kansas, the Frogs return home for Friday night lights against the hapless Houston Cougars.
BY BUCK D. ELLIOTT
MUSIC
The Mullen & Mullen Music Project concert series is way more than just some swag.
BY PATRICK HIGGINS
Get Your Vote On
By Emmy Smith
Happy National Taco Day!
By Laurie James
Legal Ease
By Patrick Higgins
Anthony Mariani, Editor
Lee Newquist, Publisher
Bob Niehoff, General Manager
Michael Newquist, Regional Director
Ryan Burger, Art Director
Jennifer Bovee, Marketing Director
Clintastic, Brand Ambassador
Emmy Smith, Proofreader
Julie Strehl, Account Executive
Sarah Niehoff, Account Executive
Stacey Hammons, Senior Account Executive
Tony Diaz, District Manager
Wyatt Newquist, Account Executive
CONTRIBUTORS
Christina Berger, E.R. Bills, Jason Brimmer, Buck D. Elliott, Juan R. Govea, Patrick Higgins, Laurie James, Kristian Lin, Cody Neathery, Wyatt Newquist, Steve Steward, Teri Webster, Ken Wheatcroft-Pardue, Elaine Wilder, Cole Williams
EDITORIAL BOARD
Laurie James, Anthony Mariani, Emmy Smith, Steve Steward
By Buck D. Elliott
Cover art by Ryan Burger
’24 Local Voter Guide
Want to earn that I Voted sticker? Fill out your whole ballot.
BY EMMY SMITH
If you’re a sentient being existing in the country right now, you’re probably aware it’s election season. You may even have noticed this particular election is a presidential election. Hopefully, you’ve registered to vote (the deadline is Monday, Oct. 7), and even if you think you are, it’s important to double-check, as Gov. Greg Abbott has been bragging about purging over 1 million people from voter rolls. If you need help deciding between the Trump/Vance and Harris/Walz tickets, there are plenty of resources out there for you, but this guide isn’t one of them. We ask that you please just educate yourself on what Project 2025 is and what it would mean for our future. (Hint: nothing good.)
Here in Tarrant County, school board candidates, state representatives, and state supreme court justices mean just as much as, if not more than, the presidential election. In your daily lives, you will feel the effects of what your local and state officials do more than you will feel what the federal government does — full stop. And, due to unchecked gerrymandering and voter suppression, voter misinformation, and lack of voter education, Texas has for decades been under increasingly extremist Republican rule that is at odds with what most citizens want from their government. We could start to change that this year by voting in the following races.
Notable Statewide Races
U.S. Senate — U.S. Rep Colin Allred is running against the much-hated, much-maligned longtime incumbent and podcaster Ted Cruz. You don’t have to like Allred (his bipartisan schtick gets old, and he is from Dallas, after all), but flipping a Senate seat here would send a huge message to the country that Texas is through being controlled by Republican extremists serving only themselves. Allred supports gun reform, protecting the Affordable Care Act, and paid family and medical leave for all Americans. Cruz supports all-inclusive resorts in Cancún.
METROPOLIS
Texas Supreme Court — In Texas, we don’t have the option of citizen-led, statewide ballot initiatives to protect a person’s right to access abortion the way states like Kansas have. Instead, we have to take the route of electing candidates and judges who will expand and protect our reproductive rights. One of the ways we do this is by electing Democrats to the Texas Supreme Court, which is currently 100% Republican. We can flip three of the Supreme Court seats from MAGA judges by voting for these candidates:
Place 2: DaSean Jones
Place 4: Christine Vinh Weems
Place 6: Bonnie Lee Goldstein
Almost all of the current Texas Supreme Court judges were first appointed by Republican governors, due to a judge’s retirement or other extenuating circumstances, and then subsequently reelected. Citizens have had little say in the makeup of this court, and it’s time to end that pattern.
Railroad Commissioner — Not about trains. This important position controls the regulation of the oil and gas industry and is hugely important for driving climate-change policies. Democrat Katherine
Culbert is a chemical engineer with firsthand experience working for oil and gas, yet her campaign’s key messages center on protecting the environment and holding corporations accountable. She has pledged to weed out corruption in the railroad commission, while incumbent Christi Craddick mostly echoes Republican talking points of “defending our values” and “keeping Texas strong,” whatever that means.
Notable Local Races
Tarrant County Sheriff — At least 65 people have died in Tarrant County Jail since Bill Waybourn assumed office in 2017. His opponent, Democrat Patrick Moses, has campaigned on what he calls the 100P3 initiative: a comprehensive review during his first 100 days in office of every practice, policy, and procedure in place at the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office. The retired executive with the Department of Homeland Security has said each death at the jail is another reason for him to run and pledged that he will champion the creation of a Civilian Review Commission. Meanwhile, Weybourn’s focus has been on catering to election deniers with his bogus “election integrity task force,” which so far has prosecuted no one because the narrative of widespread voter fraud is just another
Republican scare tactic and is not based on reality.
Commissioners Court Precincts 1 and 3 The Tarrant County Commissioners Court recently voted, narrowly, to allow local college campuses to remain early voting locations, as they have been for many years before Republicans like County Judge Tim O’Hare and other right-leaning commissioners’ bold attempts to remove them. The move was clearly an attempt to suppress young voters, many of whom don’t have their own modes of transportation. If that gives you an idea how important the somewhat-obscure Commissioners Court is, consider voting for the Democrat running in your precinct.
In Precinct 1, Roderick Miles is hoping to take the seat over from retiring Dem Commissioner Roy Brooks, for whom he served as an aide for many years. In Precinct 3, which includes deep-red Southlake and Colleyville, Laura Leeman is hoping to replace retiring Commissioner and Republican Gary Fickes, if she can get past former state legislator Matt Krause. If you’re a Dem voting in Precinct 3, it is extra important that you don’t skip this box on your ballot.
Sure, there’s a presidential election, but when it comes to everyday impact throughout the year, local elections can be even more important. Wyatt Newquist
Texas State Board of Education District 11 — The State Board of Education sets curriculum and chooses textbooks for Texas public schools. Given the attacks on books, teachers, librarians, and, most notably, historical facts, these seats are more important than ever. Democrat Rayna Glasser is running against Weatherford Republican Brandon Hall, who beat longtime incumbent Patricia Hall in the primary after claiming she wasn’t Republican enough because she didn’t support the ban the teaching of Critical Race Theory in schools. Oof. Glasser, on the other hand, has been outspoken about keeping religious teachings out of our schools, so the choice is clear — vote Glasser.
U.S. House of Representatives (12th District) — Texas State Rep. Craig Goldman is vying to replace longtime U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, and Democrat Trey Hunt is his opponent. Goldman’s Republican buddies in Austin have spent a lot of money to ensure he secures this seat, but you can stick it to them by voting for Hunt, who is a Homeless Housing Coordinator for Tarrant County’s health department and supports sweeping criminal justice reform.
Texas House of Representatives (District 97) — Fort Worth native and naval veteran Carlos Walker, who has worked for Fort Worth ISD for decades, strongly supports
more state funding for public education and reducing teacher burnout and turnover by increasing teacher pay. His Republican opponent, John McQueeney, is a fast-food restaurant franchise owner who will support Gov. Greg Abbott’s efforts to continue underfunding public schools in favor of his beloved voucher program. Vote for Walker.
Other Considerations
Besides the two mentioned above, Tarrant County comprises six other congressional districts and 10 more Texas House of Representatives districts. If you don’t know the district in which you reside, use the Tarrant County voter lookup tool on TarrantCountyTX.gov/en.html and then research the candidates running in your district. Ballotpedia.org makes this simple by allowing you to create a sample ballot tailored to you that lets you drill down on individual candidates, their qualifications, and policies. Don’t be surprised if you find that many Republican candidates choose not to participate in the candidate questionnaires, likely because they know an informed
electorate does nothing to help them.
A final reminder as you head to the polls in just a few weeks (early voting begins October 21): In Texas, public education is under constant attack and is severely underfunded (and that underfunding is also related to why your property taxes are so high). It’s so underfunded that a recent study showed that over 91% of Texas public school students attend inadequately funded schools — and now far-right Republicans want to turn Texas into a voucher state
In Texas, reproductive rights are nonexistent, yet we have one of the highest maternal and infant mortality rates, and it’s even worse for Black women. Some Texas Republicans are literally considering the death penalty for anyone who gets an abortion, and IVF and contraception are next on their hit list.
In Texas, anyone in the LGBTQ+ community, whether a child or adult, is routinely investigated, ostracized, and stripped of basic rights. We’re helping the wealthy with tax cuts and loopholes, while the rest of us are overworked, underpaid, and exhausted trying to pay rent we can’t afford. We spend
our summers and winters wondering if the electrical grid will collapse as we set records for droughts, heat, and floods — often all at the same time. And on and on.
We stop all this madness by showing up to vote and voting down the whole ballot. Many people just select the top races (e.g., the president) and waltz on out of the voting booth. Please don’t do this. There is no “straight-ticket voting” in Texas, meaning there is not an option to have the machine select all candidates of one political party for you. You will have to individually select each candidate. To save time, print your sample ballot or write down your picks for each race and bring it with you to the polls. Physical “cheat sheets” are A-OK. You just can’t look at your phone while in the booth. Now go forth and save democracy! l
This column reflects the opinions of the editorial board and not the Fort Worth Weekly. To submit a column, please email Editor Anthony Mariani at Anthony@FWWeekly. com. He will gently edit it for clarity and concision.
LIVING LOCAL
For Tarrant, By Tarrant: Grassroots Run Deep
by Jake Davis, Dog-dad, Taco aficionado, Tarrant Democrats Precinct 1676 Chair and Community Activist
Let’s talk local.
Local isn’t just where we live; it’s how we live. Every day.
From the roads we drive to the water we drink, the schools that help shape the next generation, the parks that give us peace, the neighborhoods we call home — everything we value comes from the decisions made right here. Justice, jobs, electricity, small businesses, incentives, transit. These aren’t distant policy debates. They’re our daily lives.
That’s why the Tarrant Democrats work tirelessly. We’re not just a party; we’re a movement built by this community for this community. We work shoulder-to-shoulder with the Texas Democratic Party to channel resources directly to Tarrant County. Our volunteers knock on doors, listen to your concerns,
and make sure no neighborhood is left behind. Progress starts at the grassroots level—no block too small, no voter unheard. We’re here for every single one of you in Tarrant County.
Take Cindy Stormer, who’s running for Tarrant County District Judge. She didn’t wait for the change to come from above — she’s bringing it herself. Not only as a candidate but as a Deputized Voter Registrar, she’s got a boots-onthe-ground mission, registering voters face-to-face. Why? Because lives are on the line. Google it: women and babies are dying in Tarrant County jails. causing some of the grossest, inhumane and entirely preventable deaths (and costly lawsuits) in Tarrant County history.
While Republican officials mismanage resources and put lives in danger, we can reclaim Tarrant County’s future. It starts
by focusing on what matters: our local communities, our local candidates, our local vote. And there’s still time to do it. The deadline to register to vote is Mon. 10/7. Early Voting kicks off soon (Mon. 10/21 - Fri. 11/01), followed by Election Day (Tues. 11/05).
Between now and then, do your homework. Meet the people who are ready to fight for your freedom, your family, and your future.
When you step into that voting booth this November, ask yourself: Who’s going to protect my quality of life here in Tarrant County? Who’s working to expand my freedom and my opportunities here at home? Who’s fighting for me?
We are. Tarrant County Democrats are the ones working to uplift this community—every day, every election,
every neighborhood. Learn about the candidates who care about your future at TarrantDemocrats.org/Voting101.
Because here in Tarrant, grassroots run deep. Let’s build a future rooted in us.
Join Us:
METRO
AntiRainbow Coalition
Local right-wing shitstirrers target LGBTQ+ metaphysical shop with planned protest during October Pride festival.
BY ANTHONY MARIANI
An embattled metaphysical shop on the North Side is under attack again. A far-right North Texas coalition plans to “peacefully” march outside 3-year-old Higher Purpose Emporium’s annual Pride fair on Saturday, Oct. 26.
Local right-wing rage manufacturer Carlos Turcios recently posted (comma splices, dependent clauses, pronoun-antecedent disagreement and all), “Higher Purpose Emporium, which is a Fort Worth witch pagan store, is hosting a Pride costume party that will have children. They are a safe ‘Temple to Hekate,’ which promotes ‘witchcraft,’ and will have an adult after-party. This does not look ‘kid-friendly.’ ”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Turcios is conflating the truth. There are two separate events at Higher Purpose on October 26: one for parents and their children early, the other for adults only later.
Higher Purpose owner Ivy Aranaught believes the fair is “important — I see so many people who are part of the LGBTQ+ community who are also part of the witchy/ pagan community crossover come in feeling so ostracized and like they don’t belong. Very few of us have supportive family, and this provides a place where everyone can celebrate this part of them they so often have to keep private.”
It would not be the first time far-right grievance actors like Turcios and the poorly named Coalition for Texas Kids in Lewisville have lied to promote hate and bully vulnerable communities. It’s now a great constant, the entire snowflake sector emboldened by the 2024 Republican presidential candidate who’s also an adjudicated rapist (found liable of rape by a jury of his peers), who has been charged with 88 felony counts across four criminal investigations and has already been found guilty of 34, a felon who attempted to overthrow the government after losing the
2020 presidential election to President Joe Biden by 7 million votes, and who divides us with sexist, racist, bigoted rhetoric.
“Having rainbows and letting queer youth exist is not sexualizing them,” Aranaught recently posted. “Read a book. Go outside. Something because WOW.”
The kid portion of the fair, she continued, is “so that kiddos can be around people who won’t judge them for having little crushes on the same sex or wanting to dress in ways they may get bullied for, just
to show them that despite the overwhelming amount of people out there who show them otherwise, it’s OK to be however they want to and that there are safe people in this city. Also, it’s super-fun.”
According only to Fox News, Newsmax, and every other far-right propagandist, the country is overrun with gays trying to seduce our children or beat them at sports. The desperation is palpable. To counter real, material accusations of racism, the
continued on page 7
Local right-wing rage manufacturer Carlos Turcios has made his living conflating the truth — and cozying up with Nazis. Contrary to his recent posts, there are two separate events at Higher Purpose on October 26: one for parents and their children early, the other for adults only later.
It would not be the first time far-right grievance actors have lied to promote hate and bully vulnerable communities.
continued from page 6
right-wing media apparatus and its grimy little shit-stirrers gin up exceedingly rare instances of crimes against children by the LGBTQ+ community because conservatives know the only kind of person arguably “worse” than a racist like them is a pedophile. #desperation
Do Fox, Newsmax, the National Review, Wall Street Journal, or New York Post also denounce the thousands of Catholic priests who have molested hundreds of thousands of children, mostly boys, since records were kept starting in the 1950s? Of course not. That would not gibe with the far-right’s message that all queers are high-heeled, high-wigged, sequined predators prowling school halls and locker rooms looking to hook up or wrestle. Or read a book together. No evidence suggests LGBTQ+ people commit sexual predation at a rate greater than the general population. As of early 2024, there has been only one verified instance of a drag queen assaulting a minor in Texas. Over the past couple of years alone, the number of Texas Christian pastors harming children
Higher Purpose Emporium’s Ivy Aranaught said that at her Pride fair two years ago, she was threatened with a gun as she stood next to a 12-year-old. “I was mostly upset that that little girl had to see that. This year? I’m absolutely amazed at the amount of support that is coming, and we are ready to make it really hard for them to interfere.”
is in the double digits (“Male Pastors From Texas Are 8 Times (At Least) More Likely To Sexually Assault Minors Than Drag Queens,” Reform Austin, February 14, 2024).
Targeting the LGBTQ+ community is also dangerous. A new FBI study indicates that hate crimes against the minority group have risen sharply since 2022 (“Hate crimes, particularly against LGBTQ community, on the rise: FBI data,” ABC News, September 24, 2024), despite the fact that the BidenHarris administration has brought violent crime down to near a 50-year low (“Joe Biden is correct that violent crime is near a 50-year low,” Poynter, May 29, 2024). The FBI says 2,936 incidents were related to sexual-orientation and gender-identity bias in 2023, an increase of 8.6% from about 2,700 in 2022.
“I know this can be so dangerous,” Aranaught said, “but I have spent a lot of life hiding, and I know others have, too, and enough is enough. I’m not backing down. We aren’t doing anything illegal or harmful. … There is no reason for others to be policing what some people do in their private life, and I think it’s important to show fascists and extremists that we do in fact exist and we aren’t afraid of their Bible or their weird cult of personality.”
Aranaught said that at her Pride fair two years ago, she was threatened with a gun as she stood next to a 12-year-old. “I was mostly upset that that little girl had to see that. This year? I’m absolutely amazed at the amount of support that is coming, and we are ready to make it really hard for them to interfere.”
Along with being held at gunpoint and routine protests outside her door, Aranaught recently had to deal with possible discrimination from an insurance giant. In August, Nationwide denied coverage to Higher Purpose based on an adjuster’s negative feelings about the occult (“Insurance Giant Denies Coverage to Metaphysical Store,” Fort Worth Weekly, August 9, 2024).
Being under duress constantly has only amped up her resolve. She continues soldiering on “because we have to. Sure, I could pack up and move the store, but I truly believe we aren’t going to change anything unless we fight this — peacefully and just by existing without apology and to honor those wonderful POC and other LGBTQ+ activists who paved the way before us. Their sacrifices absolutely cannot be in vain.” l
Sarah Niehoff
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METRO
Imagine Texas Sane
It isn’t hard to do.
STORY AND PHOTO BY KEN WHEATCROFT-PARDUE
Imagine, just imagine, we were no longer saddled with a rogue’s gallery of plutocrazy, far-right Trumpists dominating our state government. Really, visualize this. All those mean, weird, corrupt, old white dudes (Abbott, Patrick, Paxton, Miller, et al.) voted out — poof! — gone for good. In their place we have a state government dominated by Democrats who look like the majority-minority Texas of today: women, Blacks, Latinos, Asians … Immediately, we’d no longer be a bottom dweller in quality-of-life ratings.
We would become more livable and infinitely more pleasant, and maybe even the damn temperatures would start to go down. Texas would no longer be a cruel outlier. We would join 40 other states that care enough about their citizens to expand Medicaid. Rural hospitals would not have to close. We would have a healthier society. Because more mothers would have health insurance, our high, Third-World pregnant maternal death rate would go down. Homelessness, crime, and hunger would also improve.
A state dominated by Democrats would be able to go after heavy polluters, instead of getting whiplash from looking the other way when their megadonors pollute our waterways and air. Imagine our North Texas air cleaner and not quite so hazy as downtown Fort Worth has looked this summer. Childhood asthma would go down. More people would live longer. The quality of life for all of us would improve. Cities would no longer be micromanaged by Austin. They’d be able to pass laws most of their citizens want, like banning plastic bags and regulating greedy payday lenders.
Imagine a Texas Attorney General who wouldn’t waste millions of our tax dollars filing frivolous lawsuits against the Democratic president for everything, including winning a free and fair election. Imagine our state not suing Dallas over the Texas State Fair for commonsensically banning weapons from Fair Park after
continued on page 9
No better time than now to break the grip on our state by old, rich, Christian Nationalist, white guys.
a shooting last year that injured three people. Visualize a Texas legislature that would pass common sense gun laws that would decrease the number of weapons overall and ban AR-style guns. Not only would crime go down in our state but suicides as well.
If Democrats ran the state, we’d no longer have to worry about defunding public education with a poorly thoughtout voucher scheme. In fact, Democrats would make sure that school funding would increase and that teachers would be paid better than they are today. In higher ed, they would kill the Republican’s anti-DEI-fixation. Our brain drain that causes us to lose scholars and students to other states would end.
Most importantly, Democrats wouldn’t blame teachers for everything. They wouldn’t creepily belittle them by calling them “groomers.” They would respect teachers and wouldn’t prevent them from adequately doing their jobs because a few people don’t want them to teach the truth about our history. Librarians would no longer have legal action hovering over their heads because of some ill-defined standard.
We’d no longer be spending millions of dollars on trafficking undocumented immigrants to other states. We’d let the federal government do its job at the border and not block trade from Mexico or set barbed wire traps to kill people in the Rio Grande. We’d be able to give our Texas National Guard a break from wasteful, politically motivated deployments, but, most importantly, we’d not be engaging in the cruel, hateful anti-immigrant policies of Texas Republicans. The Know-Nothing rhetoric describing hard-working immigrants coming to make a better life, the American story writ large, as an invasion would stop, along with the shootings that racist charge has inspired.
And a Texas led by Democrats would no longer offer women the heartbreaking choice of forced birth or fleeing our state. We’d go back to pre-Dobbs days, and women wouldn’t be dying in hospitals
because doctors are too scared to provide the necessary medical care. We would no longer place women and their loved ones in legal jeopardy for seeking abortions and traveling beyond Texas’ borders.
A Democratic-led Texas would make life easier for workers by mandating water breaks in the summer and make all our lives easier by connecting our electric grid to other states before more Texans die. And, finally, if it’s good enough for animal shelters, it’s good enough for humans it’s time to air-condition our prisons so a prison sentence is not a death sentence.
A Democratic Texas would stop the scapegoating of trans teens that’s driving families to leave the state. Imagine a state government more accepting of differences instead of hell-bent on attacking our most vulnerable groups. And without the modern antidemocratic GOP in power, we could get rid of gerrymandered districts, the most restrictive voting rules in the country, and Gestapo tactics specifically designed to intimidate minority voters.
One added benefit would be how much better off mentally we’d all be if we didn’t have to deal with Republican pols spending all their time throwing red meat to their base brainwashed by angertainment TV instead of governing. I can feel myself relaxing already.
Now, I’m about as far away from New Age as possible, but I do believe in the power of this visualizing thought experiment. If we can imagine a Democratic Texas and see how it would be infinitely saner, more compassionate, and way better for the vast majority of Texans, we can make it happen.
This November, state races aren’t on the ballot, so we have time to work toward a better future, but wouldn’t it be something if Harris won Texas or got close? Or that cankerous growth on our state’s soul, Ted Cruz, happily sailed into a Cancun sunset? It won’t be easy. It’ll take work. Lots of it, but as Michelle Obama repeated in her DNC speech, “Don’t just sit around and complain. Do something.” l
This column reflects the opinions and fact-gathering of the author(s) and only the author(s) and not the Fort Worth Weekly . To submit a column, please email Editor Anthony Mariani at Anthony@ FWWeekly.com. He will gently edit it for clarity and concision.
Come break the rules and say “yes!” to new art experiences at the Carter’s Second Thursdays! Every Second Thursday is different than the last — mingle with fellow art lovers, make art, and meet visiting artists, sometimes with live music and always with themed cocktails. You’ll never think of museums in the same way again.
your best friend (pup or person) for an evening of
Best Of Big Ticket
BY ELAINE WILDER
In our Best Of 2024 special edition that hit newsstands and the innerwebs last week, it wasn’t only the critics that had a say. You, esteemed readers, made some choices as well. While we know plenty about our critics’ faves, as each choice came with a paragraph or two about why they were so great, I thought you could use some info on a few readers’ choices, too, so every week in October, we will feature a few award winners, starting with several Arts & Culture categories today. Welcome to the Best Of Big Ticket!
Art Gallery Exhibit
While our critics selected exhibits at Bale Creek Allen Gallery, Fort Works Art, and J. Peeler Howell Fine Art, our readers chose Affirmations. Curated by Ariel Davis, the show at Gallery 440 (440 S Main St, Fort Worth, 817-335-0100) featured work by members of the Fort Worth Art Collective, a
At The Welman Project, 100% of ticket sales for arts and crafts events helps provide free supplies and support to thousands of teachers.
group of established artists working in multiple disciplines and media who exhibit in various places. Visit FWArtCollective.com.
Arts & Crafts Event
The ever-popular Arts Goggle on the Near Southside won our critics’ hearts this year, but our readers went with the Queer Craft Night at The Welman Project (3950 W Vickery Blvd, Fort Worth, 817-924-4000), a sober-/safe-space event for LGBTQIA+
adults and their friends to hang out, make a mess, and build community while experimenting with creative reuse crafts. Plus, 100% of your ticket cost helps provide free supplies and support to thousands of teachers. Each session offers a guided craft you can join, or you can bring your work in progress. All skill levels are welcome. You must be 18+ to attend. The next Queer Craft Night is 6pm-8pm Sat, Nov 16. Tickets are $10 at My.TheWelmanProject.org/ Queer-Craft-Night.
Dance Troupe
The critics and I cannot wait for this winter’s production of The Nutcracker by Texas Ballet Theater, but the readers’ choice went to Ballet Folklorico de Fort Worth (4200 S Fwy, Ste 1830, Fort Worth, 817454-2778). My dance card isn’t quite full for this weekend, so I may check out this troupe’s Mexican folk dancing at the Fort Worth Dance Festival Fri-Sun. For performance times, locations, and $20 tickets, visit TerrellDance.com/FWDF.
Day Trip
Fossil Rim Wildlife Center has won both the readers’ and critic’s choices over the years, and I tend to agree. Petting a giraffe through my car window? That’s the stuff of bucket lists! But me, I’ll go anywhere. Our readers picked Hico, Texas, this year. Hico Hall has bands every weekend, and the commerce team has an Oktoberfest this month and a Billy the Kid Film Festival in November. For all the details, go to VisitHicoTexas.com.
Music Lessons
As our critic put it, “For aspiring musicians of all ages, you can’t beat Music Junkie Studios” in Fort Worth, but for those living in Arlington, check out the readers’ choice. Arlington School of Music (3100 W Arkansas Ln, Arlington, 817-459-1444) offers private instruction on guitar, piano, voice, violin, drums, mandolin, ukulele, and bass from working musicians who know the drill.
Our readers’ choice for best dance troupe in Best Of 2024, Ballet Folklorico de Fort Worth performs this weekend at the Fort Worth Dance Festival.
The Three Rs The
Frogs avoid disaster and notch their first conference victory of the season against Kansas.
BY BUCK D. ELLIOTT
This week’s game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City was all about the three Rs but not the typical ones. The Frog version was: relief, resilience, and redemption.
The first drive was a continuation of last week’s turnover woes when running back Cam Cook coughed up the rock at midfield, a turnover that the Jayhawks would convert into points with a quick four-play drive that included a pass interference call against the Frogs. TCU’s special teams unit was flagged on the ’Hawk kick, pinning quarterback Josh Hoover back on his own 7-yard line to start the next possession. With the help of new all-world receiver Jack Bech, the Frogs drove 92 yards to paydirt.
From then on, the game had a familiar feel. Kansas has morphed themselves into a prominent rushing team. They were gaining yards in large chunks, and the Frogs responded with a mostly air-based attack. It was near the end of the half when this team seemed to find their momentum swing, and it was thanks to the defense. Hoover started a drive within his own 20 and threw an interception that KU returned to the Frogs’ 6-yard line. Anecdotal evidence would suggest the Rock Chalks could just pound the A-gap for three plays and score, but that didn’t happen. Andy Avalos’ defense showed
Hoover attempted fewer passes than against any other opponent. (Please note: I’ll never include paid-to-play opponents in these comparisons.) The offense finished with 31 points scored and with more balance than they’ve displayed all season, a trend that all Frog fanatics should pray continues.
I’d be remiss not to mention Bech again. The senior is everything to this offense at the moment. No. 18 logged two touchdowns and another 131 yards in Kansas City. He’s scored a touchdown in every game against a major opponent and has 647 yards on the season already. He was not on the preseason Biletnikoff award watchlist (for the nation’s best receiver), but I’d wager plenty that he will be a finalist. Fellow receiver Eric McAlister is on that list and showed his mettle with 100 yards of his own and a touchdown against KU.
fire. They controlled the line of scrimmage and tackled well enough to force a field goal. In retrospect, that was the game. Hoover led his Frogs to the end zone during their last drive of the half for a 21-17 lead into the locker room.
The Kansans scored on their opening third-quarter possession, and Hoover tossed another pick, but the defense continued to play better and with more confidence after their red-zone stand. An inspired punt return by senior statesmen JP Richardson delivered a lead the purple people wouldn’t relinquish, and an increasingly efficient commitment to rushing the ball in the last 20 minutes of the game put the contest on ice.
For TCU, relief abounded. Both teams were expected to be competitive in the conference but lost their opening games. In theory, the winner of Saturday is still in position to be a factor in the coming months. The loser, not so much.
The Frogs, especially on defense, showed tremendous resilience by not allowing three turnovers to destroy their chance of winning. Again, stopping KU on the short
field and allowing only a field goal before the half might have been the most important sequence for the Frogs, looking back. TCU defenders eventually slowed the Jayhawk rushing attack enough to force balance and open opportunities for stops through the air. Last week, the squad fell apart. This week’s game was far from clean, but they found composure when needed and obviously believed they could win.
Redemption is everywhere for the three branches of TCU football administration. Sonny Dykes’ dismissal from the Iron Skillet was embarrassing even if unwarranted — he seemed calm and collected even when things were going sideways in the swirling winds of Arrowhead Stadium. Avalos proved, to a degree, that his group can improve and compete, even when they’re covering for an offense who landed them on the wrong side of the field to begin a drive. Even Kendal Briles, the passing lunatic, showed a greater commitment to the run game, both in standard called runs and creative ways to include the receivers in the attack. The Frogs rushed for 151 yards (41 more than their best previous effort, against Stanford), and
The Frogs return home for Friday night lights this week hosting the Houston Cougars. As the game against Kansas was an invitation from TCU for fans to believe in this squad again, this week is a trap because Houston sucks. The Cougars are 1-4 and haven’t scored a point in eight quarters after suffering back-to-back shutouts against Cincinnati and Iowa State, respectively. The Cougs have only beaten their cerebral crosstown rival the Rice Owls — convincingly but otherwise a close performance against Oklahoma is their only bright spot on the season. Not considering the Rice game, the Cougars have scored 19 total points this season during the other four losing efforts. Dykes, Avalos, and Briles’ charge is keeping their team’s intensity and building on the momentum gained by each phase of the game on the road last week. Personally, I’d love to see our Southern neighbors be shut out a third week in a row and for Hoover to toss the rock fewer than 30 times. Houston is dangerous, because no one believes in them, and even in early October, they have nothing to play for. It is important for TCU coaches and players to take them seriously, or a backslide upset is completely possible. I’m not forecasting doom, just identifying pitfalls.
The Frogs are off the next weekend, so I think a two-week-look-ahead situation with Utah is unlikely, but it would be nice to see Hoover take care of the ball and for Friday night to be drama-free so fans could enjoy some of the three regulars Rs. l
Two touchdowns and 131 yards just seem to be normal for senior receiver Jack Bech as he continues a jaw-dropping season.
EATS & drinks
Taco Dirty to Me
Whenever you celebrate it, National Taco Day offers us the chance to revisit some of our local favorites.
BY LAURIE JAMES
In Fort Worth, isn’t every day taco day? Maybe it’s good that the rest of the nation caught up — October 4 marks National Taco Day, and, frankly, people, this is what we’ve trained for. In 2010, Texas chain Taco Cabana lobbied for a national commemoration to celebrate their product. Objectively, although I think the quality of the food has slipped over the years, the TC bean-andcheese taco on a flour tortilla fresh from the comal is still a quiet-morning pleasure.
As always, we begin with a moment of silence for those taco joints no longer serving up the good stuff. It’s sad that Granny’s on the North Side is closed –– they served
up the best housemade flour tortillas, and the labor-intensive process was worth the wait. Ditto Calisience on Race Street –– I miss the birria. And while I ate there only
maybe once a year, I miss Caro’s Mexican Restaurant’s puffy tacos.
A word about brisket places that also serve tacos –– that is its own column, and I don’t have the space. Maybe next year. Below are some old and new favorite places where you can celebrate tacos with abandon on October 4.
Belenty’s Love Mexican Vegan Restaurant (3516 Bluebonnet Cir, Fort Worth, 817-8629008) is possibly the most unusual of the bunch. Vegan tacos force a chef to be a little creative with the fillings –– try the nopalitos, meaty portobello, the faux-barbacoa, or just the anything-but-plain-ol’ grilled veggie.
Birrieria Chalio (308 E Seminary Dr, Fort Worth, 682-224-1244) offers some of the most unusual proteins in town, including Mexican sausage, beef birria, lamb, asada, and gobernador — grilled shrimp with cabbage and pico.
Cafecito (1229 8th Av, Ste 127, Fort Worth 682-376-9749) is the home of the pink corn taco, and they’re adorable. The breakfast tacos are sublime and start at $3 apiece. For a liquid perk-me-up, don’t forget the Cafecito de Olla, cold or hot and made with traditional Mexican brown sugar and cinnamon.
Fact: The fare at Esperanza’s Restaurant and Bakery (two locations) is better than that of its big sister, Joe T. Garcia’s, and I will fight you on that. The Esperanza’s (2122 N Main St, Fort Worth, 817-626-5770) continued on page 19
It’s all about the trompo (pork cooked on a vertical spit) at Taco Temo.
a block or two away from Joe T.’s is often the smart choice if you don’t want to wait in Joe T.’s enormous lines, and you can customize your order with a single taco (your choice of proteins — try the lengua) or just dive into the three-taco plate.
Los Guapos (2708 W 7th St, Fort Worth) is the newcomer of the bunch, although Chef/ Owner Angel Fuentes may be a familiar name as the former head honcho at Mariachi’s. At Los Guapos, you can get four street tacos with your choice of protein (chicken tinga, house-made chorizo, or veggie options like grilled nopales or mushrooms) plus elotes for $14. Baja fish and octopus al pastor tacos up the ante here.
Maestro’s (3011 Bledsoe St, Fort Worth, 682-250-6241) is in contention to replace the late, great Calisience for authentic birria tacos. Three tacos plus all the accompaniments run $14.
Paco’s Mexican Cuisine (two locations) is owned by Francisco Islas, who jumped onto Magnolia Avenue (1508 Magnolia Av, Fort Worth, 817-759-9110) before the street became a culinary mecca. Whether there or at the Paco’s in Sundance Square (156 W 4th St, Fort Worth, 817-306-2402), tacos by
the plate or a la carte include the novelty chapulin (grasshoppers are a good source of protein, or so it’s said) and discada (mixed beef, bacon, and other pork products) along with barbacoa and carnitas.
Tacos La Banqueta Puro DF (multiple locations) is still the best for the interesting waste-not, want-not fillings. Cabeza (cow head) is a surprisingly luscious treat, but if that or the tripas (intestines) give you the willies, there’s always the pastor –– pork kissed with pineapple.
At Tacos Ernesto (3778 McCart Av, Fort Worth), your taco joy starts at under $2 for a single corn tortilla filled with your choice of meat, including barbacoa or pork in either a red or green sauce. You’ll need some functional high school-grade Spanish here, and if you’re perhaps wrongly judged to be a Guero/Guerra, you might need to request the spicy sauce.
Taco Heads’ story is basically that of the little taco truck that could. At both the OG location (1812 Montgomery St, Fort Worth, 817-615-9899) and the new Stockyards branch (2349 N Main St, Fort Worth, 817420-6299), you are presented with one of the best selections of breakfast tacos in town, including chipotle brisket, pan-fried papas (potatoes), and veggie, all with egg and all on your choice of corn or flour tortillas.
Taqueria San Andres (961 W Magnolia Av, Fort Worth, 682-250-3542) has a tiny patio and possibly one of the best taco specials ever: Most are a buck apiece Mondays and Tuesdays. The corn tortillas are gloriously, daintily toasted, and whether you go for the dollar special or the three-taco plate with rice and beans ($10.95), the green sauce
in the squeezy bottle is super-spicy, while the red in the other squeezy is delightfully flavorful.
Taqueria Temo (121 NW 25th St, Fort Worth, 682-224-3081) started off as a food truck in 2007, and it’s pretty much been all about the trompo (pork cooked on a vertical spit) since then. Four tacos of your choice plus charro beans will run you about $12.
There’s actually a bit of controversy about National Taco Day. As it turns out, a small group of people just declared the first Tuesday in October (which would have been yesterday) as National Taco Day. It makes sense, but here in the Fort, every day can be Taco Day. l
Excluding the lengua tacos, most others are only a buck at Taqueria San Andres on Mondays and Tuesdays.
At Tacos Ernesto, the three-taco plate is a charmer, and the silky beans are an added bonus.
MUSIC
Home Court
A local law firm backs a talent buyer via a concert series to boost the local scene.
BY PATRICK HIGGINS
The recent struggles of independent music venues across the country have been well documented. It’s a topic discussed in these pages and on social media among musicians, club owners, and fans as consistently as the presidential election is dissected by armchair political theorists on the socials. Sagging attendance and slowing revenue from an alcohol-based business model have led to the closures of several beloved rooms in North Texas over the past year-plus. It’s a complicated problem with no easy solution. Regardless, a new, and perhaps unlikely, partnership is giving it a go.
Local independent talent buyer Spune Productions has teamed up with local personal injury attorneys the Mullen & Mullen Law Firm to present the Mullen & Mullen Music Project, a sponsored venue-level concert series aimed at boosting interest in and, more importantly, attendance to local shows.
“The Mullen & Mullen Music Project is a fun and unique way for us to support local independent venues and local artists,” said Mullen & Mullen attorney Joseph R. Morrison. “We’ve been friends with the leadership team at Spune for over a decade and share their passion for music. We’re incredibly excited to collaborate with them to help elevate the North Texas music scene.”
The collaboration did in fact come about from a friendship among the seemingly disparate businesses. Morrison and Spune general manager Corey Pond have been friends for more than a decade, sharing a passion for the online video game Rocket League, in addition to live music and a concern for the current state of it.
Pond said he and Morrison are “on the phone probably six times a week. When we’re talking, these are the things we’re talking about,” referring to venues’ recent struggles. Morrison “told me Mullen & Mullen were looking to do some more things for the community and trying to find unique ways to do some sponsorships. He’s a music lover just like I am. The more we talked about it, the bigger it got.”
With one venue under Spune’s purview, Dallas’ Ferris Wheelers, located directly
across from the Mullen & Mullen offices, Pond said the relationship just made sense.
Charitable contributions are nothing new for the firm. They’ve routinely been sponsors of Scottish Rite for Children; AT LAST!, an urban boarding school initiative; and Divine Equine, which provides horse-riding therapy for veterans and first responders, among others. Venturing into supporting local music is a new endeavor but one Morrison said he’s especially passionate about.
He said that he and Shane Mullen, managing partner of the firm, are “both fans of live music because it brings people together. We think North Texas needs more live music, not less. Smaller venues are struggling across the country right now. We can’t tackle a nationwide problem, but we can certainly try and improve things right here in our backyard.”
The collaboration is focused on trying to increase attendance at the local venues Spune books by incorporating some novel
approaches beyond simply an increased budget for advertising and promotion.
“A lot of sponsorships are like, ‘Hey, here’s some money. Now slap our logo on a bunch of stuff,’ ” Pond said. “But this isn’t like that. This is really a partnership that wants to do cool stuff that really matters.”
One such innovation is the incorporation of a state-of-the-art video and streaming system recently installed at Tulips FTW, one of the venues Spune books. Now artists on the project’s bills have the ability to take away a full high-definition video of their performance, shot and professionally edited at the law firm’s expense. The soldout Quaker City Night Hawks show at Tulips in late August was the first Mullen & Mullen Music Project-sponsored event in Fort Worth and the first to take advantage of the venue’s new video system. The jampacked house is a testament to the potential of having the project’s backing.
“Fort Worth has been hit particularly hard,” Pond said. “It’s not just the size of the venues” making it difficult to keep up. “We’re going up against Dickies [Arena], where people are spending $250 to go see a show, and we’re trying to eke it out over here charging $20, $25 a ticket. It’s not any better for artists at this level, either. It’s so hard to get a record deal. Artists really need people to pay for music, and right now most people don’t. I think 65% of Spotify subscriptions are unpaid, and the bands need money, too.”
One can imagine the promotional (or even financial) benefits of Tulips’ new video and streaming ability to both the venue and the artists. While details could not yet be discussed, Pond hinted that there are major developments coming later this month. The project hopes they’re the next major step in giving the club-level scene a lift.
“I’m a fan of all music,” Morrison said. “I love going to big concerts as much as anybody, but these smaller venues are great places to discover new artists along their journey. I remember seeing Leon Bridges [in one such club] before he blew up. It’s important for Shane [Mullen] and I to support smaller, independent venues because they’re the ones that need the support right now.”
Pond agrees. “If we lose these venues, we lose the development system that leads to those artists one day playing Dickies.” l
Mullen & Mullen attorney Joseph R. Morrison (seated) and Shane Mullen, managing partner of the firm, are “both fans of live music because it brings people together. We think North Texas needs more live music, not less.”
Quaker City Night Hawks played to a sold-out crowd at Tulips FTW in August. It was the first show in Fort Worth sponsored by the Mullen & Mullen Music Project.
Ikpo
Now thru Sunday, the touring production of the 1970 Broadway hit Company will barrel into Bass Performance Hall (525 Commerce St, Fort Worth, 817-212-4280). It’s Bobbie’s 35th birthday party, and all her friends keep asking, Why isn’t she married? Why can’t she find the right man? And Isn’t it time to settle down and start a family? As Bobbie searches for answers, she discovers why being single, being married, and being alive in the 21st century could drive a person crazy. The musical features Stephen Sondheim’s
award-winning songs “You Could Drive a Person Crazy,” “The Ladies Who Lunch,” “Side by Side by Side,” and the iconic “Being Alive.” Tickets start at $44 at BassHall.com.
Downtown Arlington is launching a new monthly evening event called First Thursdays: Where the Arts & Community Gather. For the first installment at 5pm, Salsa at the Gardens at City Center Plaza (100 S Center St, Ste 327, Arlington, 817-459-6900) will hosts free dance lessons; on the sidewalks in front of Park Place (325 S Mesquite St, Arlington, 682-367-1850), alt singer-songwriters will perform as part of Cy Tea; and so much more. For the full rundown, visit DowntownArlington.org/Events/ FirstThursdays.
Along with funnel cakes, midway rides, and pig races, the State Fair of Texas (3809 Grand Av, Dallas, 214-670-8400) presents great live music daily through Sun, Oct 20. If you’re headed to the fairgrounds today, self-avowed “Texas Gentleman” Shakey Graves (the performance moniker of Austin’s Alejandro Rose-Garcia) will take the Chevrolet main stage at 8:30pm, preceded at 5:30pm by the Cameron Sacky Band. The shows are complimentary with your $15 admission tickets. For the full music lineup, visit BigTex.com/ Chevrolet-Main-Stage.
But wait! There’s more Oktoberfest-ing to do!
Rusty Nickel Icehouse (2836 Stanley Av, Fort Worth, 817-528-1682) invites you to loosen your lederhosen for a Texas-style beer festival 3pm-10pm. Beer and shot specials, a bratwurst-eating contest, football watching, local eats, stein hoisting, and weenie dog races await. Tickets start at $30 per person on Eventbrite.com and include your food and beer.
Jonah Freeman and Justin Lowe create architectural installations that physically and psychologically immerse viewers in expansive alternate universes. For their latest work, “Sunset Corridor,” the duo took inspiration from The Year 2000. In the 1967 book, co-authors Herman Kahn and Anthony Weiner predicted that by the turn of the 21st century, San Diego and San Francisco would merge into one giant metropolis called San San. Up now thru Jan 5 at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (3200 Darnell St, 817-7389215), “Sunset Corridor” is “an adjacent world that parallels modern-day reality and illuminates our society’s relationships to technology, music, drugs, subcultures, and politics.” Tickets are $16 daily, except for Fridays, which are free, at TheModern.org.
Did you enjoy all the amazing stories in last week’s Best Of 2024 edition? Likewise! Now that it’s a new month, the best *wink* thing you can do between now and Mon, Oct 7, is to make sure you’re registered to vote. Do a quick check now at VoteTexas.gov. For more on this topic, check out the voter guide in this week’s Metropolis section.
By Jennifer Bovee
The 1970 Broadway smash Company comes roaring into Bass Hall this weekend.
Inspired by a mythical California megapolis, “Sunset Corridor” is up now at the
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