ENTERTAINMENT FOR THE WHOLE COMMUNITY • YOUR GUIDE TO DENTON’S FESTIVAL SCENE
D E N T O N
L I V E
YOUR
EVENT
SOURCE
July-December
2012
Driving Denton
Classic cars rev up the
Arts, Antiques & Autos
Extravaganza
It’s All About
the Lights
Mysteries
& Magic
Holiday Lighting Festival
starts the Christmas season
Crazy tales from an author
with Latino and Texan ties
All’s Fair
at the North Texas State
Fair and Rodeo
Photo by Conner Howell
ENTERTAINMENT FOR THE WHOLE COMMUNITY • YOUR GUIDE TO DENTON’S FESTIVAL SCENE
D E N T O N
L I V E
YOUR
EVENT
SOURCE
July-December
2012
Mysteries
and
Magic
Crazy tales from an
author with Latino
and Texan ties
All’s Fair
at the North Texas State
Fair and Rodeo
It’s All About
the Light
Holiday Lighting Festival
starts the Christmas season
Driving Denton
Classic cars rev up the Arts,
Antiques & Autos Extravaganza
Photo by Agnes O’Hanlon
ENTERTAINMENT FOR THE WHOLE COMMUNITY • YOUR GUIDE TO DENTON’S FESTIVAL SCENE
D E N T O N
L I V E
YOUR
EVENT
SOURCE
July-December
2012
It’s All About
the Lights
Holiday Lighting Festival
starts the Christmas season
All’s Fair
Mysteries
& Magic
at the North Texas
State Fair and Rodeo
Crazy tales from an author
with Latino and Texan ties
Driving Denton
Classic cars rev up the Arts,
Antiques & Autos Extravaganza
Photo by Chris Blumenshine / Bellissimo Foto
ENTERTAINMENT FOR THE WHOLE COMMUNITY • YOUR GUIDE TO DENTON’S FESTIVAL SCENE
D E N T O N
L I V E
YOUR
EVENT
SOURCE
July-December
2012
All’s
Fair
at the North Texas
State Fair and Rodeo
It’s All About
the Light
Mysteries
& Magic
Holiday Ligting Festival
brings downtown to life
Crazy tales from an author
with Latino and Texan ties
Driving Denton
Classic cars rev up the Arts,
Antiques & Autos Extravaganza
Photo by Chris Blumenshine/Bellissimo Foto
This page intentionally
left blank
Explore. Encounter. Enjoy.
A whole world of enlightenment awaits you at UNT. Faraway galaxies are illuminated and masterpieces
in art, literature and music shine. Experience UNT’s green light to greatness today.
Rafes Urban Astronomy Center
Stargaze and discover deep sky objects at the observatory’s free Star Parties, held on the first
Saturday of the month.
astronomy.unt.edu/starparties
UNT Art Galleries
Experience one-of-a-kind exhibitions from nationally renowned artists including alumni,
award-winning faculty and talented students at UNT’s art galleries.
gallery.unt.edu
Murchison Performing Arts Center
Be entertained with world-class performances by guest artists, faculty and students in our
state-of-the-art concert hall.
music.unt.edu/mpac
UNT on the Square
Enjoy a collaborative approach to artistic excellence with visual arts, humanities, performing
arts, literature exhibitions and events. Located in downtown Denton.
untonthesquare.unt.edu
AA/EOE/ADA
© 2012 UNT
URCM 5/12 (12-349)
4
12
20
7
16
24
STATE FAIR rodeo tradition past and present
ARTS, ANTIQUES & AUTOS competition fuels Denton
MELISSA BOURBON RAMIREZ mystery author crosses cultures
STAR PARTY stargazing in North Texas
HOLIDAY LIGHTING celebration lights up the Square
SUJAY’S ANGELS best team in UNT history
WHAT’S
INSIDE
July-December
2012
YOUR
EVENT
SOURCE
10 BEAST FEAST
Denton’s exotic feast-ival
3FROM THE MAYOR
15 POETS GATHERING
18 CALENDAR OF EVENTS
26 UNT BOOKS
23A-TRAIN
poetry history in the making
library preserves rare collections
32 DINING OUT
28 FIREFIGHTERS MUSEUM
honoring Denton’s heroes
34PASCHALL BAR
30 BEAUJOLAIS
36GENERAL INFO & MAP
food and wine for the arts
www.dentonlive.com
1
ATTENTION:
INDEPENDENCE-LOVING,
ORIGINAL THINKERS
COME VISIT DENTON...
YOU’LL BE IN GOOD
COMPANY HERE
escapetodenton.com
Denton Convention & Visitors Bureau
MEET
THE
MAYOR
Photo courtesy of
City of Denton Staff
W
elcome to Denton Live, your
guide for what’s going on in
Denton for the second half
of 2012.
Summer winding down
means a whole new season of fun times is
getting under way here in Denton.
Summer’s big finale for the past 83 years has
been the North Texas State Fair and Rodeo
in August. Sample our rich Western heritage
in the heart of Horse Country during nine
action-packed days of PRCA Rodeo, midway
rides, and boot-scootin’ concerts featuring
some of country music’s top tickets. As fall
sets in, we party at the Arts, Antiques & Autos
Extravaganza, the Wild Beast Feast, Blues
Fest and Mean Green football tailgating at
the new, impressive Apogee Stadium.
This October, we’re adding a first-time-ever
historic event to Denton’s line-up: Eight
Texas Poets Laureate will gather in one place
at one time, something that has never before
occurred in the state! The inaugural conference
of “Ekphrasis: A Collaboration Among the
Arts” will be held at the Greater Denton Arts
Council October 11-13. Denton – with its
thriving creative community – is the perfect
place for a venture of this caliber focusing on
“As an award-winning Main Street
City, we love inviting visitors into our
community’s living room .... ”
Mark Burroughs, Mayor of Denton
the impact of intertwining the disciplines of
visual art, dance, music, and the written word.
We are, after all, home to the 2010 Texas poet
laureate, Karla Morton.
As an award-winning Main Street City, we
love inviting visitors into our community’s living
room – our historic Downtown Denton Square,
the heart of the city, vibrantly alive, original
and pulsing with the independent spirit that
sets Denton apart from other destinations. Our
renowned Courthouse-on-the-Square crowns
downtown year-round, especially when she’s
decked out for the Holiday Lighting Festival,
Denton’s postcard-pretty family tradition for
bringing on the Christmas spirit.
The A-train’s arrival in 2011 is providing
easy connections between Denton and points
in the DFW Metroplex south and beyond,
helping to broaden the tourism experiences
PUBLISHER
Roy Busby, PhD
Interim Dean, Mayborn School of Journalism
Director, Mayborn Graduate
Institute of Journalism
University of North Texas
EDITOR
DESIGN DIRECTOR
Cathy Booth Thomas
Wendy Moore
Magazine production students in the Mayborn
Graduate Institute of Journalism wrote the
articles and designed the layout of Denton Live:
Paul Bottoni, Alison Eldridge, Drew Gaines, Ryne
Gannoe, Emily Hopkins, Ron Johnson, Jane
R. LeBlanc, Erin Lipinsky, Amanda McCormick,
Christian McPhate, Agnes O’Hanlon, Josh Pherigo,
Taryn Walker, Jason Yang. Teaching assistant:
Christina Childs.
3
414 Parkway, Denton, TX 76201
(940) 382-7895, (888) 381-1818
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
MAYOR
MAYOR PRO TEM
DENTON CITY COUNCIL
DENTON CITY COUNCIL
PRESIDENT, DENTON CHAMBER
OF COMMERCE VICE PRESIDENT, DENTON
CONVENTION & VISITOR BUREAU
Mark Burroughs
Pete Kamp
James King
Kevin Roden
Chuck Carpenter
Kim Phillips
for visitors. Our beautiful Downtown Denton
Transit Center, one of two Denton stations,
is the end of the A-train line. From there,
visitors can explore the best of Denton by bus,
pedicab, bike, or simply by strolling our wide
sidewalks to our hip arts and entertainment
scene featuring national and international
award-winning live music and theater, galleries,
shows and festivals all year long.
Enjoy this issue of Denton Live ... then
come on out and enjoy the fun! Welcome
to Denton.
Mark Burroughs, Mayor of Denton
Denton Live is published by the Frank W. Mayborn
Graduate Institute of Journalism at the
University of North Texas in partnership with
the Denton Convention & Visitor Bureau
© 2012 by Mayborn • 1155 Union Circle, #311460 •
Denton, TX 76203-5017 • (940) 565-4564.
All rights reserved.
Comments on stories go to Mayborn
while distribution queries go to the Denton CVB.
Printed by: Eagle Press, Denton, Texas
For additional information, visit our website
www.dentonlive.com.
www.dentonlive.com
4
www.dentonlive.com
[
BY DREW GAINES
]
CLASSIC
cowboy
North Texas State
Fair and Rodeo
ropes in contestants
and crowds
W
eldon Burgoon cinches his
legs around the horse, his
right hand thumbing the lasso
tied to his saddle. He nods
his hat slightly, signaling the
start of his tie-down roping run. The rodeo
arena is just stick and wire, a dirt venue for
local farm boys and cattleman to show their
stuff. A crowd of locals is leaning against the
chest-high boards making a semi-circle around
the cowboy. He has less than 20 seconds to
catch a brown calf. It’ll take less if he wants
a shot at the tie-down roping title and the
$64 winner’s purse; but at age 16, with 36
hardened cowboys as competition, it’s not
going to be an easy win.
Seventeen seconds into the ride and Weldon
throws his hands to the air. He stands on his feet
next to the calf he’s just roped and the crowd
hoops and hollers. The clock puts the cowboy
in first place and $64 in his pocket. “I went
to school all fall on that $64,” Weldon says.
That ride from the summer of 1946 still sticks
with Weldon even after 64 years. He remembers
the arena at the Denton County Fairgrounds
downtown. His Western saddle shop is just yards
away from where it once stood. “Rodeo is pretty
glamorous, romantic. We are fascinated with the
cowboy,” says the 82-year-old reminiscing. As
Weldon sits and talks, his silver and brass belt
buckle catches the light and glistens. “I think it
[rodeo] goes back to our roots,” he says. “They
are a part of our history.”
Part of Denton’s history, too. Generations
of farmers, cattlemen and Western showmen
gravitated to the land north of Dallas and Fort
Worth. Long before the first official rodeo in
1928, local cowboys put on stunt-filled Wild
West shows near downtown. They branded
Denton with a Western way of life that thrives
to this day, a living testament to the city’s
www.dentonlive.com
5
history – and a way of life that survives. This
year, for the 84th year, a new generation of
cowboys and cowgirls will compete alongside
the professionals of the Professional Rodeo
and Cowboys Association at the annual
North Texas State Fair and Rodeo August
17-25. “It’s the one time a year that people
… put their boots on again. They may only
wear them one time a year, but they come
out to get that Western flavor,” says Glenn
Carlton, the fair’s executive director and a
former bull rider himself.
More than 130,000 visitors attend the
annual nine-day event, some traveling each
year from England and Italy. The fair’s grown
over the years, with higher stakes inside the
rodeo arena (the rodeo, once local, is now a
qualifying event for the PRCA’s Las Vegas
finals), more bull riding (an All-Bull Blow Out),
more free family entertainment (20 musical
acts) and a Texas-sized carnival (delivered by
Talley Amusement of Fort Worth, the same
company that works the State Fair of Texas
down in Dallas). The authentic fair experience
includes a rodeo queen, horse and livestock
shows as well as contests for home canning,
quilt work and photography. In addition to the
Midway, there’s a Kid Zone and a Fun Zone for
all ages. This year, the North Texas State Fair
won 13 awards from the Texas Association of
Fairs and Events, making it one of the leading
fairs of its size in the state. The state of Texas
recently recognized the long-running rodeo
with an official Historical Marker.
Glenn and executive assistant Nanci Kimmey
spent months making calls and booking shows
in preparation for the 2012 season, lining
up musical acts such as Wade Bowen, the
Josh Abbott Band and the Casey Donahew
Band – and that’s just a few of the headliners.
The fair has an award-winning reputation
for its music, which capitalizes on Denton’s
reputation and has attracted country stars
including Pat Green, the Eli Young Band, Jack
Ingram and Tracy Lawrence. “We are smaller.
We are more intimate,” says Nanci. But “we’ve
got the same quality of entertainment of our
larger neighbors,” adds Glenn.
Music featured at the fair’s two stages can
be as diverse as the crowd in attendance and
as Denton itself, ranging from the red dirt
Texas country of Kyle Park, No Justice and
Scotty Thurman and The Perfect Trouble
Band to the rhythm guitar of Emilio Navaira,
sometimes called the “Garth Brooks of Tejano.”
The San Antonio native returns to the North
Texas State Fair this year with his platinumselling vocals as does Justin McBride, a fifthgeneration cowboy and world champion bull
rider-turned country singer. Wade Bowen
and Kyle Park open the season on Aug. 17
while Grammy-nominated John Anderson
6
and Justin McBride close it out on Aug. 25.
The carnival lights along the Midway shine
like a Hollywood rendition of a Texas summer
night. The red-orange glow of the fair’s rides
can be seen from miles outside of Denton.
Every inch of the 33-acre fairgrounds bustles
with activity: barbecue cook-off in one corner,
trout fishing in another. The 2,750-seat outdoor
rodeo arena sits smack in the middle of it all.
Visitors walking past the cattle barns can
feel the excitement inside the arena ahead.
The voice of rodeo announcer Terry Starnes
booms over the PA system, his introductions
of riders almost lost in the yells of the crowd.
Step inside, take your seat and you suddenly
realize there are no 1800-pound bulls and the
rodeo competitors look a tad small. The bull,
it turns out, is an 80-pound sheep and the
rider is a hair over 4 years old. The Mutton
Bustin’ competition is always a crowd pleaser.
For Glenn Carlton, the age of the young riders
reflects the endurance of the rodeo tradition.
For the 4- to 6-year-olds, this is their shot at
the big arena. A line of half-pint contestants
waits for a turn atop a sheep three times bigger
than them. They bear hug the animal, grabbing
a fistful of wool on either side, and with their
heads down, hang on for as long as they can
in hope of passing the eight-second mark like
the pros do. Few of the young competitors
make it more than a couple yards before they
tumble to the dirt. But, these young cowboys
get the loudest cheers of the night.
Glenn is passionate about the young riders,
who he sees as the producers of the future.
As Denton grows and becomes urbanized,
he worries that farming and raising cattle
will be a lost art. Many of the fair activities,
in fact, are aimed at agriculture education.
Denton County is home to more than 300
farms and ranches, many devoted solely to
horse breeding and training, making it a nexus
in the horse industry internationally as well
as locally. Agriculture in Denton is still an
economic force thanks mainly to the horse
industry, which has earned Denton County
(with its 25,000 resident horses) the title of
Horse Country USA. Horse sales in recent
years have topped $20 million while the
business of boarding horses brings in more
than $10 million. The North Texas State Fair
itself contributes $7 million annually to the
Denton County economy.
Denton’s young mutton busters, rodeo
queens and future farmers are not forgotten
after the show. The nonprofit North Texas State
Fair Association and associates contributes
$400,000 a year to local programs that
promote agriculture education in youth,
such as Future Farmers of America, 4-H, and
the Denton County Youth Fair and Rodeo.
“With the funds that we raise at the fair, we
are able to support these youth groups, these
4-H programs,” says Glenn. Behind the scenes
is a network of volunteers who promote this
culture of giving back. It is engrained in the
cowboy way and passed on from generation
to generation, says Nanci.
Back at the saddle shop, Weldon Burgoon
points to a framed photo of a 5-year-old
mutton buster hanging on the wall – just
one of a hundred or so pictures nailed above
display cases, over doors and squeezed next to
each other. “There are a lot of cowboys and
a lot of want-to-be cowboys,” Weldon says
philosophically. After 84 years, Denton can
still boast about having authentic cowboys like
Weldon who turn out every August, lassoing
in the good times at the annual North Texas
[ just the facts ]
What: 84th annual North Texas State
Fair and Rodeo
Get ready for fun: Aug. 17-25, 2012
Fair festivities: Nine days of fair and rodeo
fun, with rodeos nightly, including the
Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association,
an All-Bull Blow Out, horse and livestock
shows, a Texas-sized Midway, a Kid Zone,
a Fun Zone for all ages, country music
stars, a barbecue cook-off, parade and
queen contest, plus much more.
Music: Every night at 6 p.m. & 11 p.m. on
the Bud Light Stage and at 9:30 p.m. on
the Budweiser Stage. Performers on the
Bud Light stage include Kyle Park and
Scotty Thurman and The Perfect Trouble
Band opening the fair Aug. 17-18, with Luke
Kaufman and Justin McBride performing
Aug. 24-25. On the Budweiser Stage after
the rodeo: Wade Bowen, Casey Donahew
Band and Emilio Navaira perform on the
opening weekend, Max Stalling and The
Turnpike Troubadours during the week,
while the Josh Abbott Band and John
Anderson close out the fair.
Find us: North Texas State Fairgrounds,
2217 N. Carroll Blvd.
Pony up: $15 ticket for adults will get you
into the rodeo, midway and concerts. $5
for children age 7-12, free for age 6 and
younger. Parking $5 inside the gates.
For more tickets and info: Visit ntfair.com.
For season passes and four-day passes,
call (940) 387-2632.
www.dentonlive.com
[
]
BY RYNE GANNOE
CAR SHOW & tell
The Arts, Antiques & Autos
Extravaganza relives all things classic
Photo by Conner Howell
B
rian Hughes rumbles through
downtown Denton in the redand-white 1969 Chevy pickup
he bought when he was 26
and has lovingly restored over
the past two decades. His hands, one resting
now on the red-and-black custom leather
interior, show the toll of his work: Calluses
mark his fingers and grease lines the crevices
www.dentonlive.com
of his fingernails. He restored everything on
the truck – its vintage short bed, the factory
paint color, the leather seats, even the hubcaps.
The gauges and dashboard match once more.
The only new touch is a Tommy Hilfiger
logo hanging from the rear-view mirror, an
addition made by his 10-year-old daughter.
Six blocks south of the Courthouse-on-theSquare, Brian rolls to a stop at Gene’s Paint &
Body Shop, where he’s worked for 27 years.
He climbs out and stands by the truck. His
6-foot-1 frame towers over the low-slung cab.
Though he’s 45 now, his brown eyes light up
like a kid unwrapping a Christmas present
as he talks about the restoration work. He’s
pretty sure his love of cars and all wheeled
things runs through his veins, a family legacy.
“It’s on my mom’s side. My uncles were into
7
Photo by Carl Oberman
What happens when a former car show
judge decides to compete? Get ready
to rumble!
cars,” he says. “They raced cars in California.
One uncle raced speedboats and did all the
mechanic-ing. I guess it’s just in my blood.
If it burns fuel and has tires, I’m interested.”
His gray-specked mustache and goatee part
to reveal a smile.
Brian got hooked on cars while taking an
auto body course at Denton High School. He
can pretty much fix anything on a car, he says,
but his specialty is bodywork. Every September
for the past two years, he’s used that expertise
to judge vintage cars and motorcycles at the
annual Arts, Antiques & Autos Extravaganza,
Denton’s nod to all things classic. Clipboard in
hand, he circled the city’s historic downtown
Square inspecting fragile Ford Model Ts,
vintage Chevy Camaros that look like they
were forged from steel beams, souped-up trucks
and roaring Harley-Davidsons. He scored each
vehicle on a scale of one to 10 for its paint
job, interior work, engine compartment and
finishing touches.
This September, however, when the judging
begins, Brian won’t be judging. He will be
entering his own 1969 Chevy short bed
8
alongside the 160 to 200 other competitors
vying in 23 categories. “They have a lot of
nice trucks in my class,” he says thinking
about the odds of winning. “So, it’s kind of
stiff competition.”
Although the car competition is the main
event for Brian, the Arts, Antiques & Autos
Extravaganza is about all things timeless –
vintage cars in pristine condition, antiques
from centuries past, art in every form and,
above all, family ties. The Denton Main
Street Association, the nonprofit responsible
for revitalizing the city’s historic downtown,
started hosting the event in 2000 to bring
residents downtown for a nostalgic weekend.
“That’s what our whole mission is. It’s about
preserving our downtown’s heritage, where
we’ve been, and celebrating where we’re
going,” says Christine Gossett, one of the
organizers. “When you think about all the
differences between the generations and how
this brings them together -- and gives them an
opportunity to share stories and communicate
without the interruption of media - it’s kind
of nice to see that happen.”
Anywhere from 5,000 to 7,000 visitors pack
the Square, checking out cars, listening to live
music, and perusing artwork that ranges from
handcrafted jewelry to woodworking. Kids
chase one another across the lawn, stopping
only when their parents corral them into a
craft booth. Patrons pack local shops such as
Denton County Independent Hamburger
Company and Beth Marie’s Old Fashioned
Ice Cream parlor from open to close. Antique
shops offer appraisals for families with old
timepieces, jewelry and heirloom furniture.
This year at the Arts, Antiques & Autos
Extravaganza, visitors can browse paintings,
sketches and other art forms depicting historic
downtown Denton while listening to live
music. Local arts and crafters will sell their
handmade jewelry, pottery and woodwork as
well as paintings and photography displayed
at booths around the Square. The courthouse
and art galleries on the Square will display some
local art to be entered in a contest and a silent
auction, with proceeds benefiting the Denton
Main Street Association and its Texas Main
Street Program revitalization efforts. “These
building have stories. They tell tales. They’ve
got history. Our emphasis on being a Main
Street City is keeping the integrity of these
buildings and focusing on our preservation
of downtown,” Christine says. “When people
move here and come to downtown for the first
time, they can’t believe it. They’re like ‘Oh
my gosh, I had no idea this was here.’ They
come from communities that maybe were
www.dentonlive.com
newer cities, or didn’t preserve these types of
places in their towns.”
Like other parents in the Denton area, Brian
brings his daughter every year. “They’ve got the
bounce house which my daughter looks forward
to, a guy that shows up doing kettle corn – that’s a
big deal for her – and the face painting. She loves
stuff like that,” says Brian. Her interest in cars is
growing, too. One day the truck will probably
be hers, he says. “You just see a lot of little kids
who look like they’re interested in cars. I think,
that’s cool. You have these kids nowadays that
have their computers and all their fancy gadgets,
but they are looking at these old cars and [you]
can tell that they like ’em.”
Brian has entered his Chevy in other car
shows over the years, but the Arts, Antiques
& Autos Extravaganza is his favorite because
of its small-town feel. Only one car, truck
or motorcycle can bring home the show’s
highest automotive honor: Best in Show. But
judges pick first and second-place winners
in 23 classes, including motorcycles, trucks
and Corvettes. Besides the bragging rights,
winners take home trophies that blend art
and automotive, including several made of
hubcaps polished and painted by local artists.
At Gene’s Paint & Body, Brian orders parts,
manages the shop and does estimates on
fender benders. When it’s busy, and it’s been
non-stop for the last year and a half, he can
be found buffing out scratches, mounting
new fenders, or pitching in to help on odd
jobs. He can’t imagine doing anything else;
he’s loved fixing cars ever since he wrecked
his first truck, an aqua-green ’72 Chevrolet
pickup. His parents told him if he wanted a
vehicle, he’d have to do the repairs himself.
“I took a fender off and the hood off, put a
new fender and hood on, and I was, like, I
can do this, I think,” he says.
Ever since Brian got his red Chevy truck
running again, buyers have been looking to
take it off his hands. The answer is always no.
Brian has put so many hours into his truck
– buffing out dings and dents, sanding the
entire truck for its new paint job – that he’s
lost track of the time. He bought the best
paint available at the time, an investment he
deemed well worth it. He’s fixed the engine,
cleaned it and polished it. He put in a new
transmission, updated the air conditioning
and even some of the upholstery work. He
polishes the tires with Armor All before every
show. The car show judge in him believes
polished tires make the biggest difference.
His beloved Chevy was originally a trade
he made with his boss. “I traded him a truck
that ran fine, and I wind up having to push
the truck in here [the shop] to get it running
so I could get home,” says Brian, amused.
“When the deal first went down, I was kind
of wondering who got the better end of the
deal.” No longer. His boss now regrets the trade.
Brian is so proud of the truck that he drives it
around town all summer. Come September,
he’ll drive it to the Square in Denton in hopes
of taking home Best in Class.
[ just the facts ]
What: Arts, Antiques & Autos Extravaganza
Where: Around the historic Downtown
Square, 110 W. Hickory St.
When: Sept. 8, 2012, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Admission: Free
Free parking: Parking lots and streets
around the Denton County Courthouseon-the-Square
Auto registration: $20 day for early
registration. Check the website for details.
More info: dentonmainstreet.org
Photo by Carl Oberman
www.dentonlive.com
9
GET YOUR
beast on
Wild Beast Feast serves up a different taste of Denton.
G
rills are sizzling and the smell
of meat – venison and elk
sausage, alligator and wild
boar – is in the air. The Wild
Beast Feast competition is
on, and Dan Proctor is cooking up his
venison chili recipe, making a third try at the
celebrated Best of Beast title, this time with
his 16-year-old son at his side. The venison,
leaner and less marbled than beef, is from
a deer he shot himself with his Remington
10
270 hunting rifle. “Venison has a twang to
it,” he says. The chili is a secret recipe: Not
four-alarm; that’s not his style. “I’ve never
been a fan of really hot or spicy foods,” Dan
says. “My chili is not spicy, just flavorful.”
Amy Hawkins, owner of the Jupiter House
coffee shop with husband Joey, arrives early
– long before the crowds of tasters – to get
her entry started: alligator fritters dusted
in powder sugar to complement the shop’s
iced coffee. Amy’s team, the Jupiter House
Space Gators, is determined to win with their
rather odd concoction. “It’s actually like an
alligator donut,” Amy confides. “We had the
idea of covering it with powdered sugar to
make it sweet to go with the iced coffee. The
actual fritter itself was sweet, but you could
definitely taste the alligator in it. It gave the
fritter a chewy texture and gamey flavor.”
The Beast Feast is a September tradition,
put on by the Greater Denton Arts Council
each of the past five years. The barbecue
www.dentonlive.com
[
BY PAUL BOTTONI
]
[ just the facts ]
What: 6th annual Wild Beast Feast,
Denton’s version of Texas barbecue with
teams cooking up wild game (all USDA/
FDA approved) in hopes of winning the
title, “Best of the Beast.”
Where: North Texas State Fairgrounds
When: Sept. 29, 2012, 6-10 p.m.
Admission: Adults $20
Children (4 -12) $5
Children under 4 years old free
Hosted by:Greater Denton Arts Council
to benefit the arts
For details: Visit dentonarts.com
Photos by Melissa Mayer
features out-of-the-ordinary tastes, ranging
from elk sausage sliders to grilled swine
belly. (Have no fear. All are FDA/USDA
approved). Eighteen to 22 cooking teams
compete in the event, vying for the title of
“Best of the Beast.” Some teams christen
themselves with tongue-in-cheek names:
Team Livin’ the High Life, Team Big Fatty
and Team Meat Guns. The 2011 participants
included local restaurant owners such as Amy
and Denton residents like Dan eager for a
www.dentonlive.com
day of glory for homemade recipes. And
then there are pros like chef Tim Love. Tim,
an Iron Chef America winner and owner of
Denton burger joint, The Love Shack, swept
the competition last year.
Though the teams take the competition
seriously, the trash talk is light-hearted.
“We give each other a hard time,” Amy says.
“We go try each other’s food and try to act
like we don’t like it when we really do.” The
Space Gators position themselves right by
the gates, so they are one of the first stops.
Taste thrill-seekers crowd around the booths,
watching the cooks whip up a fresh batch.
“People love to stand there and watch,” Amy
says. “I think it adds to the whole experience
when you’re cooking there in front of them
rather than bringing them a finished product
and putting it on a tray.” The Space Gators
decided to use alligator as their showcase
ingredient in hopes of offering something
Beast Feast patrons hadn’t tasted before – and
for one other reason. “We were doing it to
win,” Amy says.
The day’s laurels, however, go to Tim, who
claimed the “Best of the Beast” title with his
elk sausage sliders doused in foie gras and
blueberry jam on sweet rolls. “Game and
berries have always been a natural combo
to each other,” Tim says. “You think of a
burger. The elk would be the meat, the foie
gras would be the cheese, and the blueberry
would be the mayonnaise.” Instead of a
trophy, Tim receives a shiny “Best of Beast”
belt buckle emblazoned with the event’s
mascot – a cowboy-attired armadillo. “I’m
proud of that thing,” he says.
The winner is determined by the amount
of cash in each team’s tip jar, tallied up near
day’s end. “The majority of us were neck and
neck. Looked like Love Shack blew everybody
out,” Amy says. “Most had about $100 in
it. Love Shack had about $400 in theirs.”
Teams grilled under tents at the new Apogee
Stadium at the University of North Texas last
year while Thad Bonduris and the Fun Addix
played ’70s and ’80s tunes. Every year, all the
money raised – from the tip jars and a silent
auction – goes to fund other events held by
the Greater Denton Arts Council. “It’s a great
event that helps support all the programs of
the arts council,” says Margaret Chalfant, the
event’s founder. “Everything that goes into it
goes back out into the community. It’s one
of our major fundraisers.”
The Beast Feast is for all ages – from college
students to families. “I just love that part
about Denton. It’s a family-friendly event
while still serving beer,” says Amy. Michelle
Owen went with her two young children,
not knowing what to expect. It was their
first time attending Denton’s annual exotic
cookout. They tasted everything from an
upscale, alfredo-laden macaroni and cheese
to elk backstrap. “My daughter really liked
the mac and cheese. So did I,” Michelle
recalls. “The lady was really nice because it
was near the end and she gave us a big tub
of it to take.”
The 2012 Beast Feast will return to the North
Texas State Fairgrounds this September and
at least one cook already knows he will be
there – Tim Love. “Absolutely I’ll be there.
I gotta defend my title.”
11
FOR SPICY LATINO
MYSTERIES OR
MAGICAL TEXAS TALES
look no further
than melissa
S
he’s Dolores “Lola” Cruz,
the spicy Latina private
investigator who, when not
finding missing mothers or
tracking down criminals in a
nudist resort, spends her time salsa dancing
and getting muy caliente with a sexy blast
from her past. Balancing her Latina roots
and American way of life, Lola navigates
her world with smarts and sass.
She’s also Harlow Jane Cassidy, the greatgreat-great granddaughter of the famous
Butch Cassidy. She possesses a magical charm
passed down through the generations – a
charm granted to her outlaw ancestor while
he was on the run in Argentina. Now Harlow
Jane Cassidy, dressmaker, grants the desires
of others through the garments she makes
especially for them.
Confused? Both Lola and Harlow spring
from the imagination of bestselling author
Melissa Bourbon Ramirez, who combines
the Texan and Latina influences in her
life to create mystery novels. Her Magical
Dressmaking Mystery series featuring Harlow
Jane Cassidy (great for teens and adults) is a
two-book series so far, while her Lola Cruz
Mystery series (the steamy romance makes
it an 18-and-up read) features three books.
Thankfully for fans that love her authentic
Mexican-American characters and crazy
plots, she shows no signs of slowing down.
She has three romantic suspense novels on
the way, all based on Mexican legends. The
12
first, A Deadly Sacrifice, is due at the end of
2012. Whether she’s writing Mexican-inspired
dialogue or creating Texas towns, however,
Melissa is true to where she comes from and
where she is now – a married mother of five
and a publishing empresaria living on the
outskirts of Denton.
The blonde-haired, green-eyed author, who
identifies as Latina-by-marriage, leans back in
her desk chair, tucking a loose strand of hair
behind her ear while trying to put a label on
her own ancestry. Though born in California,
her family is Texan. She works hard to keep
her husband’s Mexican-American culture alive,
both in family life and on the page, while still
being true to her Texas roots. She thinks the
publishing world is short on strong Latina
characters, and it’s her mission to change that.
Her muse? Her 11-year-old daughter. “She’s
this sort of hybrid of these two cultures,”
Melissa says. “I just want to write characters
that she’ll relate to, that she’ll understand.”
Although the Lola series is a fun series, “I
think that it has a little bit more meaning for
me, because I feel like creating [Lola] really is
a bridge to my own kids,” she says.
Melissa puts her characters in all kinds of
crazy situations involving mysticism, stolen
identities and murder, of course. The plots are
little bits and pieces of things she reads and hears
in the news. Real life. A little unnerving, but
not for Melissa, who spent every high school
lunch in a math classroom reading Agatha
Christie. For her, mystery comes naturally.
Her Magical Dressmaking Mystery series
is set in Bliss, Texas – a fictional town based
on Glen Rose, Granbury and the Denton
Square. The cozy mysteries invoke a magical
sense of history and spirituality, all through
the art of dressmaking. “In my world, [Butch
Cassidy] goes to Argentina and makes a wish
in this Argentinian fountain that all his
ancestors will be blessed or taken care of,”
Melissa says. “So Harlow, when she makes
things for people, their wishes and dreams
come true – good or bad.” The latest in the
series, A Fitting End, puts Harlow in quite
the predicament: When a local golf pro is
murdered with dressmaking shears, Harlow
becomes the No. 1 suspect.
Melissa’s Lola Cruz Mystery series, on the
other hand, is set in Sacramento, California,
where she used to live. The plot of the latest
book, Bare-Naked Lola, stems from a real-life
murderous tale. “Years ago, there were the
Yosemite Killings,” Melissa says, her eyes
wide. “There was a guy who murdered this
woman and her daughter and a Brazilian
exchange student. He escaped and hid out
in this nudist resort.” Creepy stuff. In her
book, Lola goes undercover for a fictional
pro basketball team and dances in a barelythere cheerleading outfit (a duct-taped bra
is involved) to solve the crime.
Harlow and Lola come alive in Melissa’s
cluttered office. A rainbow of sticky notes
covers the iMac desktop computer. Piles of
paper litter the desk. A large white board
www.dentonlive.com
[
BY JANE R. LeBLANC
www.dentonlive.com
]
13
hangs nearby, featuring a storyboard grid
for Melissa to fill in. Seq. 1 – Climax. Act
II, Part 2. Promise of the Premise. “It acts as
a road map,” she says. “So much develops
as I write.” On the carpeted floor, propped
against a dressmaking form, is her “dream
board.” Like the collages children make in
school, the black cardboard panel is covered
with inspiration for her Magical Dressmaking
series: Sandra Bullock in the movie “Hope
Floats,” a cutout of the state of Texas, pictures
of dress forms, and the word colorful cut out
from a magazine.
She and her husband, a first generation
Mexican-American, moved from California
to Texas four years ago wanting to live close
to family in a place that afforded them more
financial freedom. Melissa’s mother, a watercolor
artist, lives in nearby Coppell, and her brother
is an art professor at the University of North
Texas. Her husband won a job as principal
at the Newton Razor Elementary, the lone
International Baccalaureate elementary in
Denton. Melissa is grateful for the move – and
the inspiration it brought. “If I were still in
California, there’s no way I would ever have
even dreamt of a town called Bliss, Texas, and
Harlow Jane, and all the little Southern-isms
that come into play,” she says, tugging on
her knitted sweater and flexing her jean-clad
legs. “The food, the accents, the slower way
of life. I hear their voices in my head.” She
looks through her window at her backyard
where her two boxers are galloping in the late
afternoon sun. Melissa finds charm in small
towns, like Denton’s historic Square. Three of
her children go to school in Denton.
As her burgeoning library of books proves,
she knows how to work the system. She didn’t
always. (She can still laugh about the “very nice
personalized rejection letter” that she got for
her first book about time travel.) Familiar with
how hard self-promotion and marketing can
be for beginners, Melissa and author Tonya
Kappes penned a how-to book, The TrickedOut Toolbox, to help new writers navigate the
publishing world. “I joined a couple of writing
organizations and started to learn the process,
found an agent, and she sold it and the rest is
history,” she says of her Lola series. Now, as
marketing director for Entangled Publishing,
a publisher of romantic novels, she helps
new authors with their publicity. Even with
a demanding job and five children, Melissa
makes it work. “I had to write. So I had to
write with them around,” she says.
Her success relies on her fresh approach to
the mystery genre as well as her attention to
creating well-rounded characters, something
her editor loved about her books from the
very beginning. Readers from all cultures can
connect with her gutsy private investigator
Lola Cruz. “You don’t have to be Latina to
like her, and you don’t have to not be Latina
to like her,” says Toni Plummer, Melissa’s first
editor on the Lola series. “She’s relatable to
anybody.” Just like Melissa.
The house is quiet as she walks through the
living room, looking for a good place for an
upcoming photo shoot. She pauses to ruffle
her teenage son’s hair as he sits reading on
the couch. The light streaming in from the
windows highlights pieces of what she loves
most, including a framed watercolor painting
of Our Lady of Guadalupe by her mother
showcasing the Mexican side of family. Melissa
works hard to instill those traditions in her
children, but she is equally proud of her Texas
family, whose sewn and quilted creations hang
in her home and in museums across the state.
In many ways, Melissa is like the area in which
she lives – half Texan and half Latina. With
no need to choose one culture or the other,
both flourish.
[ just the facts ]
New books by Melissa Bourbon Ramirez:
Bare-Naked Lola: The latest in the
Lola Cruz Mysteries (out now).
Deadly Patterns: The third installment in
the Magical Dressmaking Mysteries (due
October 2012).
A Deadly Sacrifice: The first in her new
romantic suspense series based on Mexican
Legends (due late 2012).
The Tricked-Out Toolbox: A roadmap for the
publishing world – great for new authors.
Read more about Melissa: Visit her website:
misaramirez.com. Yep, “Misa.” Curious how
she got the nickname? “The Misa came
from the Chinese cooks at the Orange
Hut, a restaurant I worked at during
college. They couldn’t quite say Missy, my
nickname since childhood, and it came
out Misa.” They called her “chicken legs” in
Chinese, too. “Small favor that one didn’t
stick!” she laughs.
Photos by Agnes O’Hanlon
14
www.dentonlive.com
[
BY CHRISTIAN McPHATE
]
HISTORIC
poet-con
Texas Poets Laureate meeting for the first time
T
he first time you hear the term,
you might think you’ve traveled
back in time to the marbled
halls of ancient Greece, with
Heraclitus, Plato and Aristotle
awaiting your arrival. “Ekphrasis,” Dave Parsons
says, rolling the word off his tongue, “are you
familiar with the term?” His eyes twinkle and a
smile appears. “It’s writing based off a piece of
artwork,” he explains. “And it’s a pretty trendy
thing right now in the art and poetry world.”
Dave, the Texas Poet Laureate in 2011, uses
ekphrasis to connect literature and art. He’s
used portraits painted in the days of Oscar
Wilde to inspire his own writing. Whenever
he wants to discuss a “classic big poem” with
college students, he brings a piece of art along
for the lesson these days. Now, he and seven
other Texas Poets Laureate are coming together
– for the first time in history – to celebrate
this “ekphrastic awakening” at Denton’s first
annual poetry conference in October. “Ek is
Greek,” Dave explains, “and I think it’s defined
as ‘to reveal all’ and the phrasis part is Latin
for ‘phrase.’” So to reveal all, in a phrase, the
conference is called “Ekphrasis: A Collaboration
Among the Arts.”
The historic gathering of Texas poetry masters
springs, in part, from the work of Denton’s
own resident Poet Laureate Karla Morton.
Karla wrote Redefining Beauty, a collection
of poetry about her diagnosis, treatment and
recovery from breast cancer. In 2010, she was
named the first female Texas Poet Laureate in
15 years. Lifting a pen “to reveal all” might seem
unusual while undergoing chemotherapy, but
it was a way for Karla to paint a picture with
“unfiltered honesty” of her struggles, intimate
hopes and good-natured defiance.
Sitting in the old power company that houses
the Greater Denton Arts Council today, Karla
listens to the sounds of a jazz trumpet echoing
in the background. “It’s only fitting that this
building is still that source of light and power
and energy for the arts in Denton,” Karla says.
She is just home from her Little Town, Texas
Tour, part of her mission as poet laureate to
inspire students to reach their poetic dreams.
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To celebrate her homecoming, Karla composed
25 poems to celebrate the life and culture
of her chosen home, Denton. Local artists
interpreted her work, and the next thing she
knew, she and friend Margaret Chalfant, Arts
Council executive director, were talking about
bringing together poets laureate from Texas to
celebrate the new trend in poetry.
Karla smiles as she thinks about the upcoming
gathering. It is a historic moment in the making.
She is going to read from her upcoming
collection, Passion, Art, Community: Denton,
Texas, in Word and Image and share her poetry
with her fellow Texas Poets Laureate, ranging
from James Hoggard, the cowboy Poet Laureate
of 2000, to the current Poet Laureate Jan Seale,
known for celebrating the Rio Grande Valley in
verse. “It’s simply amazing,” says Karla, gazing
out the window, a flock of crows momentarily
catching her poetic interest. “I don’t think this
many poets laureate have gathered … ever.”
Paul Ruffin, Poet Laureate of Texas in 2009,
knows all about ekphrasis: He writes poetry
about paintings and photographs, developing
stories of what’s not in the frame. “Almost
anything can inspire me,” Paul says and smiles.
He finds humors in just about every aspect of
life, from the fine arts to Walmart, where he
studies shoppers for inspiration. “I haven’t really
thought much about the conference,” he says.
“I thought about reading a couple of poems.
Isn’t that what it is – reading your poetry?”
Larry Thomas, the 2008 Texas Poet Laureate,
has been writing and publishing ekphrastic
poetry for nearly 25 years, finding his artistic
influence not only in paintings but also in
the sounds of Beethoven. He will be sharing
his art-inspired poem collection, The Skin of
Light, at the conference. “Ekphrasis, at least
for me, is an effective means of exploring these
connections,” Larry says, his tired eyes looking
thoughtful. “Poetry is like ballet in its rhythmic
aspects, music in its sound patterns, and visual
art in its descriptive and imagistic capacities.”
Jim Hoggard couldn’t agree more. He sees
poetry not only as a ballet but also the very
artistic essence of the Lone Star State: storytelling.
Jim was the first poet laureate named in 2000
after a 17-year hiatus. No one is sure why it
took Texas so long to recognize a poet, but
Jim suspects the mystery isn’t so mysterious.
“Probably,” he says, with a mischievous sparkle
in his eyes, “some people just forgot about it.”
Jim plans to read from Triangles of Light:
The Edward Hopper Poems, a collection of
poetry inspired by Hopper’s iconic American
paintings. Like other great Texas storytellers,
Jim has a story behind his poetry: “One night
about 20 years ago, I finished a poem and called
it ‘Motel’ and then gave it a subtitle: ‘Based on
a painting Hopper never did.” A few years later,
he came across an existing Hopper painting
that reminded him of his old poem. “Then
I wrote 50 poems based off 50 paintings and
figured I’d stop.” He didn’t, luckily. Triangles
of Light continues that tradition of poetry
interpreting the visual arts.
The poets don’t know quite what to expect,
but as Dave Parsons says, “The idea of bringing
eight poets laureate to Denton is very exciting.”
It will be ekphrastic and that’s hot right now.
[ just the facts ]
What: “Ekphrasis: A Collaboration Among
the Arts,” a conference to explore the
intertwining of visual art, dance, music
and the written word.
For the first time ever: Readings by eight
Poets Laureate of Texas – James Hoggard
(2000), Cleatus Rattan (2004), Alan
Birkelbach, (2005), Larry Thomas (2008),
Paul Ruffin (2009), Karla Morton (2010),
Dave Parsons (2011) and the current state
Poet Laureate Jan Seale.
When: Oct. 11-13, 2012. Registration 4-6
p.m. on Friday, followed by a reception and
book signing by poets at 6 p.m. Events
through the weekend.
Where: Greater Denton Arts Council, 400
E. Hickory St.
15
REACH FOR THE
stars
UNT Astronomy invites North Texans
to public star parties.
C
hristi Tyler, her husband and
three boys step carefully in
the dark, inching their way
toward the telescopes aimed
at the night sky above Denton.
Sirius, the Dog Star, shines the brightest
above them. Mars radiates warm red light
while the stars of the Orion constellation
give off a comforting blue glow. Follow the
Little Dipper out to the end of its handle and
there sits Polaris, the North Star, surprisingly
dim in the sky.
Inside the telescope hut, Christi’s boys get
their turn first at the Celestron telescope.
Her youngest son bends into the eyepiece.
16
His eyes adjust to the small circular lens and
he stares at the moon. It gives off a warm
glow, but that’s just the red filter, used to
minimize its brightness. Every curve along
the rim of the moon’s craters is distinct. To
the left, he notices a particularly deep crater,
like a monstrous round hole in a block of
Swiss cheese. Excited, he pulls away and starts
describing the scene to his brothers. As they
shuffle along in the cold night, he’s excitedly
telling them, It looks like cheese! It’s all yellow!
On the first Saturday of each month, the
University of North Texas opens the chain-link
gates at its Rafes Urban Astronomy Center
for a Star Party. Thirty minutes after sunset
– clear sky permitting – scores of families,
couples and college students arrive and settle
in at the outdoor amphitheater, waiting for
the two observatories and four telescope huts
to open. A warm red light spills out into the
night from the open observatory domes. People
stare at the glowing constellations, nebulas
and planets above as students introduce that
night’s sky. During the week, UNT students
attend astronomy laboratories here, but
these once-a-month parties are meant to
share the wonder of the night sky with a new
generation. Eight Celestron telescopes ensure
everyone gets a close-up view. “I would like
them to have that eureka moment when they
www.dentonlive.com
[
BY EMILY HOPKINS
]
students and visitors. About 100 people attend
each party, with astronomy students leading
the show. “Astronomy is the only science
that, for all practical purposes, just has to be
seen,” says Ron. Looking at pretty pictures
in a book just isn’t enough. “You’ve just got
to get out there and experience it,” he says.
The Starman’s new initiative (for Friday
nights only) is to lure private groups into the
Sky Theater on campus for a documentary and
tour of exhibits, including a model of Galileo’s
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
Through the telescopes, Julie’s family could see
planetary environments in great detail. Orion
(sometimes called The Hunter because of the
shape its stars form) and the craters on the
moon delighted the kids, but Caleb especially
liked the warm earth-colored stripes on Jupiter.
“It opens up a whole new world,” says Julie.
As the family worked its way back around
to the domes, the line slowly grew shorter.
Caleb and Jordon, wrapped in fleece blankets,
“You’ve just got to get out there and
experience it.”
Ron DiIulio, Starman
Photo by Emily Hopkins
first look through that telescope and they go,
Wow!” says Ron DiIulio, director of UNT’s
astronomy laboratory, the largest hands-on
lab of any U.S. university.
Ron – best known as the Starman for his
shows at UNT’s Sky Theater planetarium –
started the monthly Star Party on Saturdays
as part of an outreach program, sharing sights
not often visible in the city because of ground
lighting. The UNT-owned and operated site,
which is less than 5 miles out of Denton tucked
away amid country fields, puts professionalquality telescopes ($5,000 Celestron C8s and
$6,500 C14s with positioning systems and
astrophotography cameras) in the hands of
www.dentonlive.com
telescope and pieces of meteorites that have
fallen on Texas. Then everyone heads out to
the Rafes Urban Astronomy Center as the
sun starts setting. Groups camp out beneath
the stars overnight and use the astronomy
equipment for hands-on learning, leaving
Saturday morning. “You know it’s dark, but
not so far out there that it’s scary,” notes Ron.
(No snakes or ticks either.)
Already many alternative schools in the
Dallas/Fort Worth area, such as a home school
co-op in Farmersville and a First Baptist
Christian school, advertise the monthly Star
Party to their students and families. Children
learn about the eight planets in our solar system
and major stars of our galaxy such as Polaris,
Sirius and Regulus. When they come to Rafes,
they see first hand objects their teachers have
painstakingly tried to describe. There is always
a rush of interest, says Ron, after a meteor
shower or during an eclipse of the moon.
One evening this past spring, Julie Amendez
brought her two children Jordan, 10, and
Caleb, 12, to their first Star Party. The sky
was dark, empty of artificial light polluting
the view. The night stars and bright gibbous
moon, its form waning each night, illuminated
the dark. It was chilly, but people crowded
together on the wooden benches of the
outdoor amphitheater for warmth. Others
threw blankets on the ground, holding warm
thermoses and flashlights in hand. Children
laughed and played nearby, waiting for the
telescope huts and observatory domes to open.
There was a rush when the domes opened.
Some waited for the two big domes, with their
promise of a view of Mars, while others headed
back to the telescope huts where Betelgeuse,
the four moons of Jupiter, and star groupings
could be seen.
In the sky, visible to the naked eye, were
stood close to their mom, waiting to reach the
entranceway to the large Celestron telescope.
As they walked inside the circular building,
they noticed a large telescope with a stepladder
set up to reach the eyepiece. On the wall, a
poster describing the characteristics of Mars
and its location in the night sky caught Caleb’s
eye. He surveyed the poster until it was his
turn to climb the ladder and focused through
the gigantic telescope pointed at Mars. His
eyes widened and his mouth formed a lighthearted smile as he gazed at the warm red ball
of light surrounded by black sky. He couldn’t
stop staring, in fact.
Which is precisely what Ron, the Starman,
wanted all along: “It’s about making them
think beyond our own little Earth,” says Ron,
“our own little Spaceship Earth.”
[ just the facts ]
What: Star Parties welcome the public
for stargazing. Professional telescopes
and knowledgeable astronomy students
provide quality viewing of the night sky
and in-depth information on stars, planets
and everything astronomy-related.
When: The first Saturday of every month,
weather permitting. with parties beginning
30 minutes after sundown.
Where: Rafes Urban Astronomy Center,
2350 Tom Cole Rd., outside Denton. Park
anywhere along the road.
Admission: Free
For more info: Visit astronomy.unt.edu/
starparties.html
17
CALENDAR
FESTIVALS
July 4: Fourth of July Jubilee
& Yankee Doodle Parade on
the Square downtown
July 4: Kiwanis Fireworks
Show at Fouts Field
Aug. 17-25: North Texas
State Fair and Rodeo at the
Fairgrounds. Story on page 4 .
Sept. 8: Arts, Antiques & Autos
Extravaganza on the Square
downtown. Page 7.
Sept. 15: Denton Blues Fest
at Quakertown Park
July
Sept. 29: Wild Beast Feast
at the Fairgrounds. Page 10.
6, 13, 20 & 27: Friday Night
Drags by Scion at Texas Motor
Speedway
Oct. 27: Day of the Dead Festival
at Industrial St. & Hickory St.
4-7 & 11-14: Kids’ Polo Camp &
Exhibiton at Prestonwood Polo
Nov. 15: Beaujolais & More
Wine and Food Tasting at
Denton Civic Center. Page 30.
5:Ray Cooper World
Championship Jr. Calf Roping
at Diamond T Arena
Nov. 30: Holiday Lighting
Festival & Wassail Fest on the
Square downtown. Page 20.
13-15: Girls’ Volleyball Camps
at TWU
ARTS
Center for the Visual Arts
UNT on the Square
Oct. 11-13: Ekphrasis: A
Collaboration Among the Arts,
8 Texas Poets Laureate gather.
Story on Page 14.
July 1-21: H2O Hue, watercolor
exhibit
UNT Art Gallery
Aug. 21-Sept. 22: Contemplating
Limits: Ballard, Germany, Macy
& Passanise
Oct. 9-Nov. 10: Regents
Professor Elmer Taylor: A
Retrospective Welcome to My
World
Nov. 27-Dec. 15: Annual Faculty
& Staff Exhibition
OXIDE Gallery
Gallery night on the first
Saturday of the month
First Fridays of the Month:
Music, art and fun at the
Courthouse-on-the-Square
First Saturdays of the Month:
Star Parties at the Rafes Urban
Astronomy Center. Page 16.
18
SPORTS
Sept. 21: Fiesta-on-the-Square
downtown
Aug. 2-14: On My Own Time,
regional art competition
TWU
July 1-Aug. 5: VAST: 125-Mile
Juried Visual Arts Exhibition
Aug. 27-Sept. 20: TWU Visual
Arts Faculty Exhibition
Oct. 2-26: Painting Exhibition
by Joseph Melancon
Nov. 6-28: Annual Alliance
Juried Student Exhibition
Dec. 4-15: Graduating Student
Exhibition
21-22: United States Calf Ropers
Association Championships at
Diamond T Arena
29: TWU Pioneer Power Sprint
Triathlon
August
10: Hot Links Open, Robson
Ranch Golf Course
31-Sept. 1: TWU Volleyball
Holiday Inn Express & Suites
Classic
October
5-7: 20th Annual Goodguys
Lonestar Nationals at TMS
6-7: Texas Cowboys Against
Cancer Roping at Diamond T
12: TWU Vol leybal l vs.
University of the Incarnate
Word
13: TWU Volleyball vs. Texas
A&M Kingsville
16: UNT Football vs. LouisianaLafayette
20: Jack-O-Lantern Jog, North
Lakes Park
20-21: USDAA Dog Agility Trial,
Diamond T Arena
26: TWU Volleyball vs.
Midwestern State University
30: TWU Volleyball vs. Texas
A&M Commerce
November
September
1-4: AAA Texas 500 Weekend
1-3: Ultimate Calf Roping at
Diamond T Arena
3: UNT Football vs. Arkansas
State
8: UNT Football vs. Texas
Southern
9: TWU Volleyball vs. Abilene
Christian University
13-15: Port-A-Cool U.S. National
Dirt Track Championship at TMS
10: UNT Football vs. South
Alabama
21: TWU Volleyball vs. Eastern
New Mexico University
December
22: UNT Football vs. Troy
7: Reindeer Romp 4.2-mile
run, 2.5-mile walk, South
Lakes Park
MARKETS & OTHER EVENTS
Mulberry St.
June-Sept: Farmers’ Market,
Tuesdays, Thursdays and
Saturdays, Carroll Blvd. &
Mulberry St.
Every Saturday: Acoustic Lawn
Jam on the Square downtown
Every Friday in July: Summer
Fun in the Planetarium at the
UNT Sky Theater
May-Oct: Community Market,
Saturdays, Carroll Blvd. &
July 14: Clear Creek Nature
Series, 3310 Collins Rd.
July 9-13 & July 16-20: Teen
Fashion Design Camps at TWU
Oct. 12-13: Legacy Breeder
Sale, Green Valley Ranch
Aug. 10-11: Commencement
ceremonies at UNT Coliseum
Oct. 25: The Planner Zone
Expo, UNT Gateway Center
Sept. 7-9: Western Heritage
Cowboy Trade Show, 5800
N. I-35
Oct. 27: Tree Giveaway at
Denton Municipal Landfill
Sept. 8, Oct. 6 & Nov. 3: North
Texas Horse Country Tours
Nov. 10: Pistons and Paint
Car Show at the Fairgrounds
Dec. 14-15: Commencement
ceremonies at UNT Coliseum
www.dentonlive.com
JULY- DECEMBER 2012
MUSIC
Denton Civic Center
June 8-July 20: Star Rise
Concerts, every Friday
ON STAGE
The Campus Theatre
University of North Texas
Aug. 10-19: Hairspray
Sept. 27-30: Cinderella, Studio
Theatre
Sept. 9-18: The 39 Steps
Oct. 28-Nov. 6: Macbeth
Black Box Theatre
Aug. 3-5: Baby with the
Bathwater
Nov. 1-4 & 9-11: A Jazz Dream:
Based on Shakespeare’s
Midsummer Night’s Dream,
University Theatre
N o v. 3 0 - D e c . 2 : N e w
Choreographers Concert,
University Theatre
Clubs & Coffee Houses
Spontaneous on Saturday
mornings: Acoustic Lawn Jam
Banter
UNT
Winspear Performance Hall
July 14: Alan McClung & AllState Choir Camp Concert
Dan’s Silver Leaf
Sept. 25: Choralfest!
Lyric Theatre
Nov. 9 & 16: UNT Opera &
Chamber Orchestra
Voertman Hall
Bayless-Selby House Museum
Aug. 16: The Continental Soldier
of the American Revolution
July 19: Victorian Gardens:
Growing the Christmas Garden
Sept. 13: Hispanic Heritage of
Texas
Aug. 23: Victorianism in the
Modern Era
Oct. 18: Haunted Denton
Aug. 29 & Dec. 1: Victorian Decor
Nov. 16: Denton, Texas Horse
Country Tours
Sept. 29: Masters in the Garden
One-on-One Garden Talks:
Planting for Fall & Spring
www.dentonlive.com
Classical Guitar on the 2nd
& 4th Fridays of the month
Sept. 21: David Itkin &
Symphony Orchestra
Nov. 30: Holiday Concert
July 20: Then and Now: Denton
Jazz bands on Saturdays
Link Chalon and IIWII-Sufi
Hand Drumming alternate
Thursday nights
Oct. 5: Baroque Orchestra &
Collegium Singers
Dec. 12: 11th Annual Sing-ALong: Make Joyful Noise
Open mic night Thursdays
July 28: Donna Emmanuel &
UNT Mariachi Concert
Oct. 4: Eugene Migliaro &
Wind Symphony
Courthouse-on-the-Square
Museum
Nov. 6: African Ensemble
Courthouse-on-the-Square
Sept. 27: Dennis Fisher &
Symphonic Band
SPEAKERS
Oct. 30: Jerry McCoy & A
Capella Choir
Oct. 6: Long Duo, Christina &
Beatrice Long Keyboard Concert
Oct. 24: Global Rhythms
Oct. 29: UNT Percussion
Ensemble
Oct. 6: Victorian Architecture The House Museum as Queen
Anne Style
Nov. 3: Victorian Celebrations:
Thanksgiving and the National
Ritual
Nov. 28: & Dec. 1: Victorian
Culture
July 5: The Mastersons
July 13: Terri Hendrix with Lloyd
Maines
Nov. 17: Rock Lottery Eleven
The Garage: Open mic night
every Monday
Abbey Underground: Dubstep
every Wednesday
The Greenhouse: Live jazz and
cover bands Mondays and
Thursdays
Hailey’s: Jazz Nights on
Mondays & All the Best Hits
from the ’90s on Tuesdays
For other music venues
dentonlive.com
mydentonmusic.com
dentonlivemusic.com
discoverdenton.com
African American Museum
Oct. 20: Football: Denton Stars
of the Past & Future
Nov. 30: Ensembles from
American Legion Senior Center
Choir, Betty Kimble & Friends
19
O’COME
see the lights
Music, Wassail and Santa?
Must be the Denton Holiday Lighting Festival!
20
www.dentonlive.com
[
BY ALISON ELDRIDGE
]
“The festival itself is like witnessing a
Norman Rockwell painting come to life.”
David Pierce
Photos by Chris Blumenshine / Bellissimo Foto
A
December breeze blows into
the station, turning young
cheeks a shade of pink. In the
distance, the horn of a train
sounds and the subtle clack
clack of metal on metal teases the imaginations
of parents waiting with their children. The horn
bellows one final time and the brakes release
with a hiss as the Wonderland Express rolls
to a stop. No one needs to hear the expected
“All aboard!” The passengers embark quickly,
eager for the journey northward to the annual
Denton Holiday Lighting Festival. Santa –
the real one – and the annual tree lighting
await them at their final stop near the historic
Courthouse-on-the-Square downtown.
Ryan Thompson and his 2-year-old son
hopped aboard the Wonderland Express – in
www.dentonlive.com
real life, the new A-train to Denton – last
year in Carrollton and watched out windows
adorned with snowflakes, snowmen and stars
as the bustling landscape of the Dallas suburbs
gave way to the increasingly rural ambiance
around Denton. For kids like his son, says
Ryan, “It’s kind of this journey to the North
Pole. Of course for him, trains are really neat.
Anything that’s big and moves is cool. He went
up and down the aisles greeting everybody.”
At the final stop, jolly ol’ St. Nick is always
there to greet the kids. Like many of the
train riders, Santa grabbed a lift on the
complimentary pedicab – a bicycle with a
passenger cab attached to the rear – to get to
the main event for the evening: the lighting of
the trees surrounding Denton’s 116-year-old
courthouse, a Texas landmark.
“The Square is just alive,” Ryan says. “Here
there’s music. Over there, the mayor’s lighting
the tree. The courthouse museum is all lit
up.” Horse-drawn carriages clop around the
Square, pulling families bundled up against
the cold, while others stroll from store to
store, sipping hot cider as part of the annual
Wassail Fest tasting contest. A long line forms
at Santa’s tent. “There’s something to do every
20 feet,” says Ryan. “It’s surprising how real
it feels.” He compares it to Times Square in
New York but with a cozier feel.
Now in its 24th year, the tree lighting is
an annual tradition dating back to 1988
and the creation of the Denton Holiday
Festival Association. “The festival itself is
like witnessing a Norman Rockwell painting
come to life,” says David Pierce, who directs
the 11-piece Holiday Lighting Orchestra.
White lights dot the post oak trees around
the courthouse year-round, but on the first
Friday after Thanksgiving, at the precise
moment when the sun dips below the horizon,
the mayor, Santa and one lucky child (the
winner of the Denton Record-Chronicle’s annual
contest) light the largest tree in the Square.
The towering 20-foot-tall pine sparkles with
a fusion of red, blue and green lights.
What gives the evening a Denton twist,
however, is the music, reflecting the city’s
thriving arts scene, says David. “There’s
such a depth of talent in this town, and I
don’t know of many places like it.” Local
musicians ring in the holiday cheer, playing at
nine different performance areas around the
Square, everything from hip-hop dancing to
garage band music. Those performances wind
down before the Holiday Music Spectacular,
an hour-and-a-half show which has featured
some of Denton’s best-known performers,
including members of indie-rock band Midlake
and folk singer Sarah Jaffe in recent years.
“I feel what makes a show like Denton’s
Holiday Lighting so special is that all of
our ‘big stars’ are tied to Denton in their
own unique way,” says David, who serves
as co-chair of programming for the annual
bash. “Some are born and raised here, some
teach or attend school at the University of
North Texas, and some are pillars of our
musical community that have made Denton
their home.” Musical guests in 2011 ranged
from UNT’s One O’Clock Lab Band, which
has received six Grammy nominations for
its jazz productions since 1976, to Texas
native singer/songwriter Chris Flemmons,
who founded the annual 35 Denton music
festival and plays with his indie band, The
Baptist Generals.
“What I love about Denton is that Denton
is very original and very independently
minded,” Ryan says. “Sure there’s holiday
music, but some of it was being played on
electric guitar.” In past years, performers
included the Denton Community Band and
the Syncopated Ladies, who performed a tap
routine to classic Christmas tunes. David
Pierce says that individuality is a must for
making the festival a musical success. “We
are very lucky to have such a diverse group
of musical talent in this town, and so much
of it,” he says. Musician and radio show host
Paul Slavens, known for his crazy onstage
musical compositions, narrated the Dr. Seuss
classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, at
last year’s festival.
For those looking to try something different,
the Denton Main Street Association invites
revelers to participate in the annual Wassail
Fest, a cider tasting competition. Nearly 30
businesses create their own special concoctions
of cider and spices, including cinnamon,
21
ginger and nutmeg, in hopes of winning the
coveted Wassail Fest crown. The judges are
the festivalgoers, who vote for their favorite.
The tradition started in Denton 12 years
ago. In the cider-producing counties of
southern England, the phrase “Waes Hail”
is a salutation meaning “good health.” Ryan
says he was impressed after trying a cup. “I
had never had Wassail. I really enjoyed it,”
he says. “See that’s another reason I love
Denton. You can go up here and have an
experience that you’ve never had.”
For the kids, of course, it’s all about Santa.
He’s the real deal with his red suit, long
white beard (that he maintains year-round)
and the ever familiar Ho ho ho! “We’ve got
an amazing Santa,” says Kelley Pound, this
year’s association co-chair. “I think a lot of
people hold off their visits to him until the
festival because we simply have an amazing
Santa.” (Read our story about Santa online at
the Denton Live archives, the July-December
2010 issue.)
After greeting travelers as they disembark
from the Wonderland Express, Santa takes a
pedicab to the Square to light the tree before
hearing the Christmas wishes of boys and girls
of all ages. He has his work cut out for him:
Each year the line of children wraps around
the courthouse as they wait for their chance
to walk into Santa’s white tent and assure him
they’ve been good this year.
The Christmas pine tree – a fixture on the
Square year-round – has its good years and
bad, but that too is part of the tradition, laughs
Micah Pazoureck, the festival chairwoman.
“Some years, it doesn’t look so good, like a
Charlie Brown Christmas tree.”
Ryan and his son plan to return this year. “It
really felt like being somewhere in the north
or the northeast versus what we normally get
for Christmas in Texas,” he says. “It really
feels like a journey to somewhere far away,
and it only took us 30 minutes on the train
to do it.”
[ just the facts ]
What: 24th annual Denton Holiday Lighting
Festival
Get your Christmas on: Nov. 30, 2012
Find us: Courthouse-on-the-Square,
downtown Denton
Admission: Free
Christmas for Kids: Make sure to bring an
unwrapped gift for the Denton Community
Toy Drive.
22
Be here by: 5:30 pm when the event kicks
off with a community sing-along and
lighting of giant Christmas tree. Musical
and dance groups perform around the
Square until 8 p.m. when the Holiday
Music Spectacular closes out the evening
with a variety of local performers.
Don’t get lost: Parking is available at the
Bayless-Selby House on Mulberry Street
or at Wells Fargo on Locust Street.
Avoid the traffic: Hop on the Wonderland
Express (the A-train to Denton) in Carrollton
or Lewisville. Only a $3 fare one way.
Keep an eye out for: Santa ($5 for pictures
with him), horse-drawn wagon rides ($3),
the children’s craft tent, the annual Wassail
Fest competition to determine who makes
the best hot cider for the holidays, and
much more.
More info: dentonholidaylighting.com or
facebook/dentonholidaylighting.
www.dentonlive.com
[
BY AGNES O’HANLON
]
NEXT STOP:
denton’s hip new entertainment district
I
t’s 8:24 p.m. on a Friday night
when Isabela boards the A-train
headed north to Denton from
the Highland Village/Lake
Lewisville station. As she enters
the cabin, she takes one of the blue cushion
seats to the right, next to a lady who is clearly
admiring Isabela’s maroon dress with gold
buttons, the leather riding boots and black
tights. The lady is on her way home to Denton
from working in Lewisville. Her name is Rosie.
“Where you headed tonight, young lady?” she
asks. “You sure lookin’ fancy.”
Isabela Belchior laughs and tells Rosie she’s
off to meet friends for a night out in Denton.
She doesn’t seem surprised that a stranger is
chatting her up on the A-train, the 21-mile
rail line between Denton and Carrollton.
She’s been taking the A-train several times a
week to the University of North Texas where
she is a 21-year-old psychology senior. Since
she has no car, she’s been hopping on board
during weekends, too, heading to downtown
Denton for live music, drinks and dancing.
For the past year, the A-train, with its sleek
design and comfy seats, has been bringing
suburbanites north to Denton for work,
hooking up Denton residents with the rail
south to Dallas, and shuttling students to
UNT and Texas Woman’s University. Denton’s
new arts and entertainment district, located
between the historic Courthouse-on-theSquare and the downtown train station, is
benefiting too, with the A-train bringing in
newcomers as well as those like Isabela who
are already familiar with the scene around
the famed Square. Now new restaurants such
as the Mellow Mushroom, The Love Shack,
www.dentonlive.com
Burguesa Burger and Hoochie’s Oyster House
are moving in, attracting new residents as well.
“Our Arts and Entertainment District
is developing around Industrial and East
Hickory streets, and is thriving in part
because of opportunities created by the
A-train,” says Mayor Mark Burroughs.
“New entertainment venues and apartment/
townhome developments have opened up
recently just blocks away from the Downtown
Denton Transit Center, and have made a
positive impact to our downtown.”
Tyler Melton, who lives in Carrollton, rides
the train to work in Denton five days a week.
A recent graduate of the University of Texas
at Arlington, he landed a job in the city as
an underwriter and portfolio manager for a
technology consulting firm. Riding the train
gives him an opportunity to follow up on
emails to clients and check ongoing projects.
While he works, other passengers gaze out the
window, looking for boaters and fishermen
on Lake Lewisville. Out the other window:
commuters idling in traffic on I-35. “I can
avoid sitting in traffic on Interstate 35 and
accomplish a more productive use of my
time,” says Tyler, who was riding the A-train
on a recent Friday afternoon.
Doug Olasin, who lives just south of Denton,
rides the train the other way – into the DFW
Metroplex to save on gas. He takes the A-train
to Carrollton, then hops onto the Dallas Area
Rapid Transit Green Line for his job as a
research analyst in Dallas. While friends are
stuck on I-35, he’s reliably home in an hour
in the evenings. Other riders like Will Yancey,
a doctoral student in history at UNT, rave
about the prices. “A student pass will last me
all day,” he says. “I leave my house at 8 a.m.
and return around 9:30 p.m.”
This Friday night, the train rocks along half
full, headed to Denton. Two kids sit quietly
across from Isabela, their thoughts lost in the
music of their iPods, their heads bobbing along
with an unheard melody. Down the train car,
workers are heading home from jobs in Dallas.
A few parents are riding with their children.
There are young professionals, too, some like
Isabela heading north to Denton for a night of
fun either at the Square downtown or along
the new Arts Corridor on Hickory Street.
At 9 p.m., Isabela leaves the train at the
Downtown Denton Transit Center to join
friends for a night of live music a few blocks
away at Dan’s Silver Leaf in the entertainment
district. She stops on the platform for a lastminute touchup of red lipstick and heads off
for a night of fun.
[ just the facts ]
Where to catch the train: For the A-train’s
complete schedule, check out dcta.net.
Stations: Downtown Denton Transit
Center; Medpark in south Denton;
Highland Village/Lake Lewisville; Old
Town, downtown Lewisville; and Hebron
Parkway, south Lewisville.
Fares and passes: Visit dcta.net/fareinformation.html
Photo by Agnes O’Hanlon
23
SUJAY’S angels
UNT Tennis storms onto the national scene.
Photos by Patrick Howard
S
he has been out on the tennis
court for a while. She has to
be. She wants to be. Practice
does not start for another 20
minutes, but she is whacking
tennis balls, oblivious to the temperatures in
the 40s despite her light clothing – a pair of
pants cut off at the knees and a T-shirt over a
layer of Under Armour. She and her trainers
are the only ones on the courts, but the sound
of her determination echoes across the tennis
complex along with the sounds of rapper J.
Cole’s hit song, “Work Out.”
“UGH!” she screams as she returns a serve.
24
The tennis ball hits the ground with a thud. She
follows up with a serve and another “UGH!”
The ball lands with a topspin, rolling into a
court full of yellow balls.
Each hit screams precision. Each hit displays
her power. Each hit reflects her passion. She
screams like Serena Williams, but her name
is Valentina Starkova.
Valentina comes from Kazakhstan – one of
the eight women on the University of North
Texas tennis team, all of them recruited from
overseas. That doesn’t raise any eyebrows on
the professional circuit anymore (24 out of
the top 25 women are not from the United
States). Surprisingly, it’s also true on college
campuses today. Half of the top 100 college
women players are foreign imports. Until head
coach Sujay Lama arrived in Denton in 2006,
UNT tennis was near the bottom in national
ranking. Sujay started recruiting overseas and
this spring, after five years, the women’s team
won the Sun Belt Conference championship
as well as a slot in the NCAA tournament. “I
don’t think we’ve ever assembled eight girls of
this caliber at UNT,” the coach says. “There
is no doubt in my mind that this is the best
team in UNT history.”
As the players warm up before practice at
www.dentonlive.com
[
BY JASON YANG
]
UNT’s $3 million Waranch Tennis Complex,
Sujay is the guy dancing to the rap beat of J.
Cole. He laughs with the players and coaching
staff. But when practice starts, the joking is
gone. This is the Sujay who became the No. 1
junior player in Nepal, who made conference
MVP all four years of his collegiate career in
fit for her, in part because of the closeness to
the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
Sujay preaches teamwork and family. Off the
court, the eight women, who never met each
other beforehand, are best of friends. They have
no relatives in the States; they understand the
hardship of being alone in a foreign country.
“There is no doubt in my mind that this
is the best team in UNT history.”
Sujay Lama, head coach
Iowa, the man with a coaching résumé that
includes two-time NCAA championships at
the University of Florida. When he arrived
(lured by the tennis complex, one of the top
outdoor venues in the country), UNT was the
weakest team in its conference. He recruited
prospects, hoping to repeat his success in
Florida and the University of Illinois. The
result? A 2-19 record during his first year in
2006. “I never lost that bad in my life. Most
of the places I’ve gone, I’ve won. Won big,”
Sujay says. “We had a big rebuilding process,”
admits associate head coach Jeff Maren.
Sujay and Jeff built that first team with
walk-ons, some recruited on campus just to
fill the roster. The coach made dream lists of
top prospects, but Stanford University and
University of Florida kept snatching them
away, so he went looking for top players
overseas. The following year, Sujay brought
in six international players. The team won 13
games – UNT’s best record in 20 years. He
knew what he had to do: Lure great players
from overseas and hone the group into a team
while helping them battle homesickness on
a campus with approximately 2,600 foreign
students out of 36,000.
In 2008, Sujay’s overseas recruiting attracted
two Romanian players, Paula Dinuta and
Irina Paraschiv, upping the team’s record to
17-6. In 2009, Barbora Vykydalova of the
Czech Republic signed up and the team won
the Sun Belt Championship. In 2010, Nadia
Lee of Spain visited UNT, fell in love with
the coaching staff, and decided to transfer
to Denton.
The word was out: This year Sujay brought
in two freshmen – Kseniya Bardabush of
the Ukraine and Franziska Sprinkmeyer of
Germany – while UNT’s burgeoning tennis and
hospitality management programs lured junior
Ilona Serchenko of the Ukraine. Valentina,
another junior, transferred to UNT from the
University of Arkansas Razorbacks tennis
team because she felt the school was a better
www.dentonlive.com
On the court, of course, “there is obviously
competiveness between players,” says Nadia,
“but that’s a good thing because it pushes each
other to improve.” After practice, Nadia (who
was born in England) says they “laugh, crack
jokes, hang out, and have a good time.” The
team often studies as a group in the UNT
computer lab after practice. “We are one big
family,” Sujay says proudly, pointing to the
players’ portraits in the athletic office at the
Waranch complex. He loves their attitude:
no drama. “When you are a family with the
same aspirations and goals, that’s when you
are successful.”
Their bond is evident on court. Playing
the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
early in the season this year, Valentina and
Barbora faced double match point during
their doubles match. Sujay watched patiently
by the metal fence as if he knew what was
going to happen.
“Go Star! Go Barbora!” Kseniya and Irina
yell to their two teammates on Court 1. The
girls don’t miss a beat and yell back to Court
2: “Go Irina! Go Bard!”
Suddenly the sounds of encouragement
ricochet around the courts. From Court 3,
Nadia and Franziska yell, “Go Barbora! Go
Mean Green!” while Paula and Ilona, watching
from the fence, scream, “Go Franz! Go Nadia!”
It’s what Sujay calls “transference of energy.”
Valentina and Barbora hold off both match
points, but eventually lose the match. Despite
losing, the team keeps up the high-energy
encouragement, high-fiving after a backhand
winner and pulling each other aside for quick
support when play gets tough. Sujay watches
and gives pointers during matches, but he
rarely yells. He trusts his team. “Come and
watch one of these matches,” Sujay says. “You
get hooked.”
UNT is losing three seniors this season,
but Sujay already has a few overseas recruits
visiting the campus and his team is determined
to stay on top. Preparing for practice, he grabs
a bucket of tennis balls and walks toward the
courts. It is a sunny day with low wind, ideal
weather for tennis. Practice does not start for
another 20 minutes, but Valentina is already
on the court, warming up with the trainers.
Different day, different weather and different
outfit, but her demeanor remains the same.
Sujay gives Valentina a nod and fires a serve.
She focuses on the ball, steps out and connects
on a hard groundstroke. She yells, “UGH!”
[ just the facts ]
Where you can watch the UNT
women’s tennis team:
Waranch Tennis Complex, 1499 S.
Bonnie Brae St./Walt Parker Drive
(940) 565-4200
Nette Shultz Park, 2 courts, 1517
Mistywood Lane (940) 349-7275
Check out meangreensports.com for
dates of matches.
Where you can take lessons:
Nike Tennis Camp for adults and
juniors 6-18 (June – August)
Waranch Tennis Complex
Sujay Lama, Camp Director
(940) 565-4200
Where you can play:
Texas Woman’s University, 8 courts
behind Pioneer Hall on North Bell
Avenue, (940) 898-2900. Free to
students, guests must pay.
Waranch Tennis Complex at UNT, 12
courts, 1499 S. Bonnie Brae St. (940)
565-4200
Mack and Roberts Complex, 2 courts,
2000 E. McKinney St. (940) 349-7275
Goldfield Tennis Center, 2005 W.
Windsor Dr. (940) 349-8526
Tennis lessons website:
mytennislessons.com/locations/dallastennis-lessons/denton/
Goldfield Tennis Center, 9 lighted
courts, 2005 W. Windsor Dr. (940)
349-8526
25
RARE reads
UNT’s Willis Library archives tiny legends and Texas relics.
D
on Vann gingerly lifts the cover
of the first edition in his hand
A Christmas Carol by Charles
Dickens. Smiling, Don points
to the hand-painted etching of
Mr. Fezziwig’s Ball commissioned by Dickens,
who published the book at his own expense.
In the scene, the blood-red vest of the fiddler
and the canary yellow of Mrs. Fezziwig’s dress
are as vibrant now as they were 169 years ago.
The “beaming and loveable” Fezziwig family
and their employees radiate affection as the
foppish Mr. Fezziwig leads them into dance
with the shuffle of his candy cane-striped
stockings. “Dickens lavished so much care
on this,” says Don, treating the book like a
treasure. “He didn’t make any money on it.
He was so disappointed.”
Like a father tucking his child in a crib, Don
lowers the classic back into its custom-made,
padded bookcase. He is visiting Room 437
on the top floor of the Willis Library at the
University of North Texas, home to the Rare
Books and Texana Collections, which contain
an estimated 25,000 items including Victorianage Bibles, original maps of the Republic of
Texas, pop-up books from the 19th century,
26
and smaller-than-a-penny reference books. “I
was a child of World War II and books just
didn’t seem available. When I got my hands
on a book, it was a very precious thing,” says
Don, who began collecting Victorian literature
in 1965. “There is something sensual about
holding a book in your hand that you don’t
get with a Kindle or any electronic readers.
It’s just not the same.”
Don, who taught Dickens to generations of
UNT students, and his wife Dolores donated
their first edition of A Christmas Carol last
year – one of many donations made to UNT
by collectors worried that their books and
memorabilia will be lost to researchers or
ruined by conditions in the outside world.
For instance, Jeane Dixon, the famous psychic
who supposedly predicted the assassination of
President John F. Kennedy, donated tickets
for a public reading of A Christmas Carol that
Dickens delivered in the U.S. in 1867. “What
a treasure,” beams Don, staring at the yellow
tickets inside a Dickens book with its cover
torn off. The Rare Book section alone contains
12,000-plus books, from 18th century tomes
by Samuel Johnson to signed editions by
modern-day author Willa Cather. “Outside of
this controlled climate they deteriorate,” notes
Don while looking through a first edition of
David Copperfield by Dickens. “This is one of
the tragedies of old books.”
In an effort to preserve Texas culture for
future generations, UNT history professor
Joseph Kingsbury started a museum of firearms,
preserved animals and items from early Texas
settlers at the university back in the 1920s.
When the museum closed in 1986, the archives
went to Willis Library. Curator Ken Lavender
began collecting scores of timeless books and
materials from locked cabinets in UNT’s
libraries, forming the basis of today’s Rare
Books and Texana Collections. It’s an eclectic
mix: World’s Fair mementos and uniforms,
children’s books from Heidi to Harry Potter,
the archives of the Sons of the American
Revolution. Now, curator Jennifer Sheehan
and a small crew of archivists and catalogers
are merging the collections with Willis Library
archives during renovations. When finished
by midsummer 2012, visitors will be able to
see many of the rare literary masterpieces and
historical artifacts in Room 437. Among the
most valued items historically: Queen Victoria’s
Bible, works by Cicero from the 1500s, and a
www.dentonlive.com
[
BY RON JOHNSON
]
tiny 4,000-year-old clay tablet.
To preserve the library’s treasures, Room 437
is kept constantly under 70 degrees and less
than 50 percent relative humility. Ultraviolet
film covers the windows and ultraviolet filters
shade the lights. Boxes and bins, customized to
preserve paper, line the shelves. Everything in
the room is designed to keep books, artifacts
and manuscripts from wear and tear, molding
and “foxing.” “That’s caused from acid in the
paper that eventually damages and, I suppose
can destroy, the paper,” explains Don as he
carefully thumbs through the copy of David
Copperfield, which has faded black from foxing.
To even handle the books, visitors must wash
and dry their hands. (No white gloves needed,
however.) There’s no checkout for the more
than 1,000 visitors and 300 researchers who
come each year. Only the curator and staff
can remove items.
“I hate to take these out of the office,” says
Jennifer as she pushes a cart full of ancient scrolls
down to a classroom for a student presentation.
Her cart passes a wooden shelf with one of the
library’s rarest acquisitions: a lime green book
with old English letters in gold that spell out
The Mite – a fitting title for a book smaller than
a quarter. “This book,” boasts the preface, “is
issued as a curiosity and is the smallest ever
printed from type in the world.” When English
publishing firm E.A. Robinson published The
Mite in 1891, the book – a collection of facts
– was considered the world’s smallest. Today, it
is one of almost 3,000 miniatures in the Rare
Book Collection – everything from works of
Cicero to Mao’s Little Red Book – all less than
4 inches in height.
Across from The Mite is a metal shelf holding
an 1836 decree from José Justo Corro, who
became Mexico’s president while General Santa
Anna was fighting the rebels in Texas. The
decree mandates how Mexico would divide
its pesky northern neighbor into departments
“once order is re-established in the department
of Texas.” The Texana Collection contains
documents ranging from the 20th century
history of Dr Pepper to documents signed by
Sam Houston in the 19th century. Below the
Mexico decree, for instance, is a Bernhardt
Wall etching of the house where Sam Houston
was inaugurated as the first president of the
Republic of Texas. The Rare Books and Texana
Collections purchased both documents with
monies from the Porter-Evans Texana Collection
Fund – one of many endowments allowing
UNT to build its retirement home for rare
books. Student fees also help.
Today, Jennifer is teaching a class to English
students on the history of creating ancient
manuscripts. One of the first items she holds
up is a book-sized clay tablet. “That was one
of the formats you would find – just these
unbaked clay tablets. They would use those
little triangular styluses to leave marks,” says
Jennifer. As she talks, she sheds her protective
guardian cloak and talks to the students as if
she were sharing family heirlooms. “It’s a receipt
for goats and a receipt for myrrh!” she jokes
before passing the tablet around.
Students scribble notes about manufacturing
writing quills, animal skin parchment and ink
made from wasp larvae before Jennifer gives
each of them a piece of leather and a metal
marking tool. “We don’t just want ugly leather
on our book. We actually want to decorate it
and make it lovely!” she says, playfully. After
wetting the leather with their fingers, they
try to make their own engraving – with little
success. Most can barely make a dent in the
leather. Robert Upchurch, an English professor
who also makes student presentations in the
Willis archives, says the idea is to help UNT
students understand the value of old books.
“They have a real sense of the labor and the
value that goes into the books,” he says. “These
books are works of art.”
Surrounded by the literary works he dedicated
his life to teaching, Don Vann reflects on
how the age of digitalization is making the
craft of binding paper and ink obsolete. “It’s
getting less and less critical, isn’t it? Because
so many things are online,” he says and sighs.
He maintains that the Rare Books and Texana
Collections are still important for research.
After all, he says, a library with real books is
“the heart” of a university.
[ just the facts ]
Willis Library
UNT’s digital library is ranked 20th in
the world by Cybermetics Lab with more
than 61,000 digital items and 3.8 million
pages of content.
The Rare Books and Texana Collections
contain an estimated 25,000 rare books
and historic treasures, from books smaller
than a penny to Queen Victoria’s Bible.
The Music Library holds the largest sound
archive in the Southwest with nearly 1
million music/sound recordings (from
cylinder to CD format), including music
by band leaders Duke Ellington and Stan
Kenton.
The Government Documents Collection
is the archive for more than 1.5 million
federal and state documents.
The basement Microforms Collection is
home to 2 million microforms of historical
manuscripts, presidential papers and
newspapers, offering a look into the family
papers of our first presidents as well as
evidence from the investigation into the
assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
The University of North Texas Archives
holds about 9,500 feet of historical
manuscript collections and 700,000
historic photographs documenting the
history of North Central Texas.
For info, visit www.library.unt.edu. A cyber
café serves cold drinks, sandwiches and
baked goods. The first-floor learning center,
open 24 hours a day, offers 32 computers.
For parking, go to www.unt.edu/transit.
Photos by Agnes O’Hanlon
www.dentonlive.com
27
A HERO’S tribute
Firefighters Museum honors history of Denton’s bravest.
S
unlight floods in through
the garage-style windows of
Fire Station No. 1, hitting
row upon row of shiny hose
nozzles. It’s been almost a year
since retired firefighter Blake McConnell
was here at the museum he helped start.
He stops to show off one of his most prized
acquisitions – a firefighter’s breathing apparatus
from the 1800s. Staring into the steel bars
and cracked glass that make up the haunting
face, he smiles, remembering how he found
it on eBay. Originally from Australia, it is
the museum’s oldest piece.
In a corner, next to the flashy silver protective
suit of a modern firefighter, sits the museum’s
most recent addition. It’s a rusted piece of steel
from one of the World Trade Center’s two
towers destroyed in New York City during
the 9/11 attacks. Six bolts protrude from
the side of the small, corroded beam with
white numbers scrawled down the sides. For
Battalion Chief Brad Lahart, the piece – which
28
took a year to acquire – is a symbol of what
fire departments battle for every day across
the nation: to save lives.
Though there’s no sign outside, visitors often
stop by Fire Station No. 1 downtown to peruse
memorabilia inside the Denton Firefighters
Museum. Blake, a firefighter in Denton for
37 years, started the collection by putting
a few items in a small trophy case in 2005.
Now, the museum is a room for hands-on
learning by kids and a reminder for adults
of the valor these men display year after year
on the job. The items show just how much
the job has changed over the years, from the
days of horse-drawn fire pumps and bucket
brigades to today’s modern fire trucks with
water cannons. They range from the serious
(a glass case with melted helmets and paintchipped bugles used like megaphones in
old firefighting days) to the light-hearted (a
giant photo of a 1995 fire prevention show
featuring two burly firefighters, one adorned
in a grass hula skirt).
Blake started with the Denton Fire Department
in 1974 as a student while studying industrial arts
at the University of North Texas. His stepfather
was a firefighter, too. He aced the test and never
thought much about the dangers on the job, he
claims. Asked about injuries, he looks down at
his callused hands. “Couple little burns, one
on my neck, hand. The gloves we wore were
plastic,” he says, nodding to an orange glove
nearby in the museum.
Clothing worn by firefighters has changed
dramatically, in fact, as the museum’s exhibits
make clear. In the 1970s, firefighting uniforms
were minimal and light. Because of his height,
Blake recalls wearing a dingy mustard coat
that hardly fell past his knees, exposing ragged
rayon pants.
A man of few words, he describes what
happened when the pant fabric was exposed
to fire: “It melts.” Boots in those days were
vinyl and thin, better made for trenching
through muddy puddles on a rainy day than
firefighting. Finally, he says, they would pull
www.dentonlive.com
[
BY TARYN WALKER
]
on those plastic neon orange gloves, conscious
that they were suitable for little more than
handling laundry bleach. “When you pick up
something that’s hot, it’ll melt the plastic,”
he says matter-of-factly.
It’s these unique items that best tell the
story of the men and women who fight
fires. “Fire department museums, a lot of
them have fire trucks in them,” says Blake.
Not Denton’s. Instead, there are ventilation
masks and helmets, collections of sprinkler
heads and hose nozzles. “I’ve never really seen
a display of all of the gear anywhere else,” he
says. Mannequins in the museum show off
the faded mustard coats, dusty black boots,
helmets, gadgets and gizmos of firefighters
throughout the years – from the 1800s to
current-day gear. (“Those are pretty expensive,”
Blake says with a chuckle, pointing at the
mannequins. “They were about $1,900 each.”)
Hanging high on the wall above Blake is a
large sepia-toned photo of an overturned fire
engine dating from 1976. Blake’s unit was
headed out to a grass fire and he was sitting
behind the driver when a car clipped them
at an intersection, causing the truck to hit a
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wall and flip. “Well, I don’t remember much.
I looked down and saw concrete and thought
‘schwoooo,’ then I blacked out,” Blake says.
Two firefighters standing on the truck near him
were thrown and seriously hurt; Blake’s legs
were under the truck but his captain pulled
him out. He emerged without a scratch. It
was the department’s worst accident ever.
Present-day firefighter William Tackett,
a paramedic, walks through the museum
several times a week, often giving tours. With
a small child at home, he’s conscious about
teaching safety rules to the children. (They
sneak a few pointers in for the adults, too.)
“A lot of people don’t realize with our work
schedule, we spend a third of our lives here,
which means, we spend a third of our lives
away from our family,” he notes. “At night we
don’t get to put our kids to bed.” Leaving the
station, visitors have a better appreciation for
a firefighter’s job, says William. While parents
love getting pictures of their kids on the fire
trucks, the kids go for the collection of toy
fire trucks donated by a Fort Worth collector.
For the future of the Denton Firefighters
Museum, Brad Lahart wants to do more fire
prevention education, perhaps digitally. To
honor retirees, he plans to expand the museum’s
wall of helmet shields, some dating back to the
department’s founders in the 1800s. “The retirees
will have a helmet shield that’s placed up there
once they retire, with their name on it,” he says.
One of the latest shields nailed to the wall is for
Blake McConnell, the man who started it all.
[ just the facts ]
What: Denton Firefighters Museum
Where: 332 E. Hickory St.
Hours: Open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through
Friday
Admission: Free
More info: Call (940) 349-8840 to schedule
a personal tour.
Photos by Taryn Walker
29
WINE DOWN,eat up
Sipping Beaujolais Nouveau to support the arts.
A
whiff of basil, Parmesan and
garlic rises from a table of pizza
and pasta. Scents of turmeric
and lemongrass swirl upward
with the steam from a dish
of Thai rice. A chef tongs prime rib sliders
onto plates. On the table, sitting next to a
plate of pâté, are tacos topped with tomatoes,
cilantro and cheese. Corks pop and whoosh
as servers open bottles of reds and whites. A
CD plays ballads by French icon Edith Piaf
to a background of laughter and conversation.
First-timers work their way around the room,
sipping wine and deciding what to taste, not
able to believe they’ve never been here. The
savvy make a beeline for their favorites, wine
in one hand, full plate in the other. They’ve
waited all year for this – the arrival of Beaujolais
Nouveau, French-sent and brand new.
“It’s the biggest party in town,” swears Kyla
Welch. “People come to eat, to drink, to chat
and say ‘Hi’ to people they haven’t seen in a
while.” Kyla, office manager at The Campus
Theatre, is reminiscing with fellow Beaujolais
booster Julie Brinker about last year’s Beaujolais
& More Wine and Food Tasting. They begin
ticking off a list of the 20-plus restaurants
that come to support the theater, home of
Denton’s premiere stage and one of the oldest
buildings in town. Hannah’s Off the Square,
Chef Tim Love’s Love Shack, Giuseppe’s Italian
Restaurant, and El Guapo’s with its famous
Voodoo Shrimp … the more they talk about
it, the hungrier the ladies get.
“Somebody always brings escargot!” Julie
chimes in with a finger in the air, then appears
puzzled, “Who brings the escargot?”
“I think it’s Fremaux’s,” Kyla answers, searching
her memory for food by the local caterers.
“French food to go with the French wine,” Julie
says, remembering what the central attraction
at the food tasting is – Beaujolais Nouveau.
Unlike most wines that mellow in a cellar,
Beaujolais makers bottle up the purple-pink
Nouveau six to eight weeks after harvesting
the Gamay grapes and immediately ship them
to vendors worldwide just once a year – on
the third Thursday of November. “It’s not …
what is the term? It’s kind of raw. It has a little
more of a bite than something like a mellowed
Cabernet,” Kyla says. “But what other wine gets
released all over the world with such fanfare?”
The wine’s flavor is never the same, and neither
30
is the party. Officially named “Beaujolais Day”
in 1985, the third Thursday of November calls
for a soiree. In the early ’90s, wine aficionados
Gary and Carol Kirchoff brought the buzz to
Denton by inviting a few friends over to share
their little stock of Beaujolais Nouveau. They
continued every year, the shindig growing
so popular that 12 years ago, they decided
to do something big with it: Keep wine as
the centerpiece, add great food and – even
better – a cause. “They were theatergoers, so
they thought, Let’s start a fundraiser for the
Campus Theatre,” Kyla says. Voila! Beaujolais &
More Wine and Food Tasting became the sole
fundraiser for The Campus Theatre, attracting
several hundred people a year.
Last year, attendance at Beaujolais & More
broke records, showing just how much the city
loves the Campus and its Art Deco heritage.
“It is a symbol of where and how far we have
come as a community,” says Mike Barrow,
managing director of Denton Community
Theatre. Built in 1949, it started as a movie
house, showing classic Cary Grant films to
students from the University of North Texas and
Texas Woman’s University. Thirty-six years later,
the doors shut. The building remained vacant
until 1990 when Denton Community Theatre
bought it. Together with the Greater Denton
Arts Council, local citizens and businesses
raised enough money to renovate. “Citizens
embraced the arts and realized how important
they are to a vital and thriving city,” says Mike.
With its original marquee, Hollywood-like
sidewalk stars and neon sign, the Campus
looks much like the movie theater it once
was. Today, the Broadway-worthy actors of
Denton Community Theatre and the dancers
of Denton City Contemporary Ballet call it
home. Independent filmmakers move in during
February for the Thin Line Film Festival.
Mike, sitting on a Campus lobby bench,
talks about his favorite part of Beaujolais &
More. “I get to be the schmoozer. The guy
that walks around the room, talking to
everybody,” he says. “It’s just so much fun
because all these people are there because
they want to support the Campus.”
Kyla, on the other hand, has a different
favorite: the food. Duck gumbo, to be
exact – an accident-turned-memorable
dish of savory duck and seasoned
broth from The Wildwood Inn.
She remembers her first bite: “The best ...”
“You’ll never get over that gumbo!” says Julie
with a laugh.“And the desserts … remember
that incredible chocolate thing?” says Kyla.
Julie definitely remembers. “Oh yeah, that
truffle thing. Oh man.”
“The best chocolate I ever ate in my life.”
Kyla sits back and smiles. “So, I had the best
duck gumbo and the best chocolate all in one
evening. I was so happy.”
The event, held on a Thursday evening, is
kept short and sweet at just two come-and-go
hours. There are no rules, no protocol. No
need for foodie terms or stuffy wine language
either. “Mmmm” works just fine. “This is
not stuffy at all,” says Sandra Robinson, the
Beaujolais planning committee chair. She sips
her Chardonnay. It’s like happy hour with
friends, but with better food and wine – and
proceeds going to the preservation of the arts.
“Culture-wise, Denton is a mecca,” Sandra
says. “It kind of makes Denton … Denton.”
The crowd at Beaujolais & More ranges from
students to professionals to Mike’s 90-year-old
mother who never misses it. “When you’re 90,
people cater to you. She just sits there and
looks cute and people bring her wine,” he says,
shaking his head and laughing. People come
after work: ladies in pumps, ladies in sneakers,
men in ties, men in T-shirts, those who started
coming 12 years ago and those who just
heard. “Once you start coming,” says
Mike, “you’re hooked.”
www.dentonlive.com
[
BY AMANDA McCORMICK
]
[ just the facts ]
What: Beaujolais & More Wine and Food Tasting
When: Nov. 15, 2012, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Where: Denton Civic Center, 321 E. McKinney St.
Admission: $25 for an all-you-can-eat-and-drink
wristband. Tickets: campustheatre.com or at the door.
Featuring: Beaujolais Nouveau and other wines
with local restaurants offering everything from
escargot to pizza, Thai to tacos, and desserts, too!
Why you should go: All proceeds benefit The Campus
Theatre, home to Denton’s community theater and
ballet troupes. No pumps or black tie required.
Photo of The Campus Theatre by Amanda McCormick
www.dentonlive.com
31
DENTON-DEEMED
edibility
Photo by Erin Lipinski
W
hat makes a great city? Argue all
you want about amenities, but
great food makes a great city.
Whether it’s a Mediterranean
dive, a taste of Italy, hanging
out for local music, or sneaking in to taste a
sushi master at work, we found four hidden
gems of the local food scene that bring the
taste of Denton to life. At Green Zatar, the
authentic lamb kebabs, garlic-laced hummus
and Persian tea put us in the mood for a
spontaneous getaway to the Mediterranean.
Pizza more your style? The Mellow Mushroom
challenged our assumptions about crust and
cheese by adding steak and three kinds of the
gooey stuff on top. To hang out, eat local,
drink beer and hear great music played by
the jazz fanatics at the University of North
Texas, we chose The Greenhouse. And finally,
we got tired of hearing everybody rave about
Chef K at Keiichi. Now we know what all the
buzz is about.
Keiichi Japanese Restaurant
500 N. Elm St. (940) 230-3410
You’ve always heard not to judge a book
by its cover. Plain red brick and dark tinted
windows hide this gem, Keiichi Japanese
Restaurant. Better than Nobu! rave its fans.
32
With barely a corner-store sign to guide traffic
toward Denton’s most authentic Japanese,
however, it’s no wonder Keiichi remains one
of the best-kept secrets around.
The mysterious sushi chef, Keiichi-san, or
K as regulars call him, stands behind a small
bar-like cutout surrounded by 10 eating
spots. He patiently listens to the orders of
newcomers as they peruse the extensive
selection, occasionally smiling and nodding
when they order his favorites. Fresh sticky
rice clings to seaweed wrap as he slivers the
fish for each piece.
Though it is easy to jump right into ordering
the always-popular California roll, instead try
the Tasmanian Sea trout seasoned with ginger
and jalapeño mint citrus soy, lightly served over
sticky rice. Or order the marinated tuna served
with fresh guacamole. Or the white seaweed
salad with its interesting texture and unique
taste. Chef K’s signature rolls include the snow
crab and avocado roll, which packs a perfect
punch with fresh ginger and homemade wasabi.
Also deemed a favorite by regulars is the spicy
tuna roll. Chef K retrieves the marinated tuna
from the refrigerator below the preparation
bar, then tightly stuffs and rolls it right before
you. Ramune, a Japanese soda, complements
his creations, but there are also wines, five sake
choices, and a small array of Japanese beers.
Chef K glances up every now and again to
double check for the look of satisfaction on
his customers’ faces. He’s only open evenings
Tuesday through Saturday and if you can’t
make it when the doors open at 5:30 p.m.,
you might need a reservation.
Green Zatar
609 Sunset St. (940) 383-2051
For the past decade, locals have been
popping by the Pourmorshed family store and
restaurant to sample Mediterranean favorites:
dolma made of tender grape leaves stuffed
with rice, tabbouli salad with fresh chopped
tomatoes and cucumbers, and gyro dinners
of lamb kebab on homemade pita bread.
Ali and Kim Pourmorshed do all the cooking
and try to use local ingredients from organic
farmers when they can. Kim makes the Persian
tea herself with fresh herbs. “You know what
they say – if you want something done right,
you have to do it yourself,” says Hormat, Ali
and Kim’s oldest daughter, her voice lightening
with laughter. “If my mom wouldn’t bring it
home for me and my brother to eat, there’s no
way she is going to let us put it on the table.”
There’s no pretension about the setting.
Green Zatar, started out as International Foods
of Denton, offering 70 kinds of imported
www.dentonlive.com
[
BY ERIN LIPINSKY
]
beans, 10 different kinds of olives, African
herbs, even Asian skin-bleaching soaps. But
since 2002, the Pourmorsheds have slowly
converted their shop into a restaurant without
so much as a recipe book. Everything is fresh,
from the pita bread and hummus spread to
the Greek salads and meat kebabs. The latest
addition to the menu: Zatar bread, hand-tossed
pita with feta melted on top. Warm pita wraps
around another favorite, the gyro lamb. One
of the key spices used to flavor the food at
Green Zatar is saffron. “My mom actually
jokes that saffron is like putting gold in our
food because it is the same price as buying
gold,” Hormat says chuckling. Luckily, the
prices don’t require an armored truck from
Fort Knox.
Mellow Mushroom
217 E. Hickory St. (940) 323-1100
It’s early in the day and the pizza ovens are
already a-cookin’ down in Denton’s new arts
district. Mellow Mushroom is a new arrival
from Georgia, serving pizza-loving locals a
variety of 15 pizza choices, with a choice of
more than 50 ingredients to build your own
crust-rising creation. The bar offers dozens
of beers on tap and in the bottle, recently
adding Green’s Gluten-Free Beer.
Pizza tradition gets a slight makeover at
the Mellow Mushroom. Try the freshly baked
thick crust topped with zesty pesto chicken,
three types of cheese and a literal Caesar salad.
www.dentonlive.com
(Who said you have to eat your salad before
the meal?) Just as the Caesar pizza is known
for its bold combination of appetizer-meetsentree, the Philosopher’s Pie challenges the
pizza conventions: Thick crust slathered with
strips of steak, portobello mushrooms and
artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives and feta,
provolone and mozzarella cheese. (It’s a Denton
favorite apparently.) These same ingredients
can also be added to any calzone, even though
the most popular of the calzones, the house
calzone – simply entails fresh spinach and
mushrooms, ripe Roma tomatoes and creamy
mozzarella cheese all rolled into hand-tossed
crust.
With restaurants scattered in 18 states, it
would be easy to run this pizza shack just like
any mainstream crust-baking oven operator,
but each Mellow Mushroom is a product of
its environment and the Denton location is
no exception. The beer is locally brewed and
the ingredients for the pies are local, too.
The Greenhouse
600 N. Locust St. (940) 484-1349
Bikers, pedestrians, and pedicab riders
who live near downtown like to gather at The
Greenhouse, a Denton icon since opening in
1998. As soon as you walk into the tavern-like
restaurant, you hear the clink of beer mugs on
the bar and the chatter in the dining room.
On a sunny day, everyone heads to the patio
to lounge and eat. On Monday and Thursday
nights, the restaurant comes alive with jazz
played by students from the famous College
of Music at UNT nearby.
The menu choices range from Chilean
blue mussels to just-off-the-grill fillets to
vegetarian tacos filled with ripe avocados and
fresh grilled peppers. “We’ve tried to keep a
menu that is good for mixed couples. Not every
family eats the same,” says Ken Curran, The
Greenhouse owner. He loves the Denton bar
and restaurant scene, which offers everything
from dive bars to special occasion restaurants.
“It’s an eclectic town and you’ve got eclectic
choices,” he notes. “As nostalgic as I am for
the good ol’ days, these are the best times to
be in Denton. There’s more going on now
here than there ever was.”
The hottest commodity at The Greenhouse
is the open-fire mesquite grill. Tender steaks
sizzle, the marinade bouncing off the meat
like grasshoppers. Chicken and seafood roast
slowly. Savor the taste of jalapeño honey butter
over Mesquite-grilled salmon, or spice it up
with mango pico de gallo sprinkled over the
slow-roasted chicken. If meat doesn’t strike
a chord with you, indulge in melt-in-yourmouth pizza crust smothered in warm marinara
sauce, soft artichokes, ripe black olives and
onion, topped off with feta cheese – just one
of the many vegetarian options available. To
top the night off, enjoy the twist of lemonsage custard and raspberries topped with
homemade whipped cream or the decadent
crème brûlée.
33
RAISING the bar
Local band Midlake ups the ante on Denton’s drinking scene.
I
t’s nearly 10 p.m. on a
Monday night at Paschall Bar
and bartender Robert Gomez
is taking a break from serving
up rye whiskey cocktails and
local microbrews.
In the cozy wood-paneled bar, customers
sit on low-slung leather couches and at
Mid-Century Modern tables, sipping their
drinks. Bookshelves stocked with the works
of Tolstoy, Faulkner and Poe line the walls.
Overhead hangs the framed black-and-white
oil-painted portrait of a bearded, middleaged Ernest Hemingway. At a table-for-two,
which looks out over Denton’s historic
Courthouse-on-the-Square, a couple talks
quietly, a thin smoke ring dissipating in the
air above them. The bar is precisely as its
owners – Denton’s folk rock band, Midlake
– envisioned it, a mix of influences picked
up while touring Europe.
“It’s really the kind of place that’s more
focused on having a quality drink, a cool
atmosphere, a place to have conversation,
hang out with books, play chess … a nice
chill place,” says Robert. The slender 6-foot-3
musician, who attended the University of
North Texas, moved back down to Denton
34
from Seattle last fall to take the bartending
job when his buddies from Midlake called
asking for his help. He was eager to return,
knowing it was a good jumping off point
for tours with his own indie folk band,
Ormonde. “Denton attracts a certain type
of person … really creative people, and
that’s what makes it cool, I think,” he says,
flashing an easy smile framed by a mop of
curly brown hair.
At a glance, there’s not a lot about the
newest bar on Denton’s historic Square that
makes much business sense – which might
be what makes Paschall so popular.
For starters, it’s kind of hard to find.
The bar’s entire advertising campaign is a
waist-high sign on the sidewalk outside
the century-old building on the Square
downtown. A chalk message directs customers
through Andy’s Bar or, if Andy’s is crowded,
through an unmarked wooden door to the
right, up a staircase and into a second floor
space that was, in Denton’s frontier days,
an active brothel.
Paschall Bar doesn’t offer happy hour
drink specials, dollar beers or 50-cent wells.
The drinks, like the prices, are stiff by local
standards. The bar doesn’t have a stage for
live music and there’s not a television in
sight. You’re more likely to find customers
ordering Brooklyn Lagers than Bud Light
Lime. Yet, on more nights than not, the line
to get inside Paschall Bar spills out the door
and onto the sidewalk.
Midlake had vision for a new type of
Denton bar – one that would incorporate
the character of Denton and draw upon
the ambiance of pubs and cafés the band
visited while in Europe. They wanted to
harken back to a time when environment
and standards were as important as the
drinks. “We thought it would be cool to
make a different type of atmosphere that
we had experienced elsewhere and figured
it could work here, too,” says Eric Pulido,
Midlake’s guitarist and co-owner of Paschall
Bar. “If not, we figured we would at least
have a place to drink.”
The name honors B.F. Paschall, the Denton
pioneer who constructed the building in 1877
to house his grocery store. The bar seats less
than 50 and is partitioned into three separate
areas, each with a different style. In the ’60s
and ’70s section, retro leather couches sit low
to the ground. Long red drapes hang from
floor-to-ceiling windows and wood paneling
www.dentonlive.com
[
BY JOSH PHERIGO
]
Photos by Josh Pherigo
flanks bookshelves on each side of the room.
“We love the Mid-Century vibe,” says Eric,
“and wanted to marry it with an English
pub style. So all the furniture, lighting,
pictures, woodwork was put together with
that in mind.”
The middle section of the bar takes on
a 19th century American West feel. Here,
customers sit around sturdy hardwood
poker tables or on a leather sofa in an
alcove beneath a stuffed buffalo head. Like
an old Western saloon, two long mirrors
hang above both double doorways. The
third section mimicks an old English pub,
complete with dart boards.
City Councilman Kevin Roden, a Denton
resident for two decades, says he’s noticed
that bands like Midlake are playing a more
active role in the city’s economic and social
life. “I think there’s a story to be told about
the evolution of our city and our music
industry,” Kevin says. “You’ve got an increasing
number of bands that are traveling the world
and seeing new things … then coming back
to Denton with a shared love for this town
but a desire to make it better.”
For those familiar with Midlake’s music,
the bar clearly reflects the band’s tastes.
www.dentonlive.com
“You go into that place and it just feels
like one of their albums.”
Kevin, who’s been friends with most of the
band members since they were all students
in the UNT jazz studies program in the
mid-1990s, says it’s been fun watching the
bar come together. “You go into that place
and it just feels like one of their albums,”
he says. “Like one of their songs incarnated
into a bar.”
Kevin Roden
Eric says, for his part, he’s sure old man
Paschall would approve if he were alive
today. Would Paschall drink at Paschall’s?
“I think he does,” says Eric, mischievously,
“after hours.”
Paschall Bar, 122 N. Locust St., is located
above Andy’s Bar, across from the Courthouseon-the-Square.
35
GENERALinformation
STUART
HERCULES LN
N
SH
ER
MA
ND
Evers
Evers
Park
Park
WI
ND
S
OR
28
BELL AVE
North Texas
State
Fairgrounds
DR
20 9
20 16
2 UNIVERSITY DR
35
30
27
49
DR
18
17
77
DA
LL
A
S
14
DR
1
icko
FO
RT
RP
25
South Lakes
Park
29
COL
12
ORA
DO
WIND RIVER LN
15
BLV
D
Denton
Regional
Medical
Center
ke
La
36
377
3
rn
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7
ico
TA
G
Triangle
Mall
Un
VIN
21
HOBSON LN
ry Creek
BONNIE BRAE ST
th
H
WORTH DR
CORBIN
Roselawn
Memorial
Cemetery
Denton
DentonCrossing
Crossing
Shopping
ShoppingCenter
Center
TTOO
CININ
JJAAC
N
SSAAN Golden
TEASLEY LN
Denia
Park
ROSELAWN DR
SP
EN
CE
R
10
23
35W
Y ST
MLK
MORSE Park
377
6
WILLOWOOD ST
INNE
Oakwood
Cmtry Phoenix
Park
Fred
Moore
Park
FOR
BONNIE BRAE ST
36
22
31
MCK
Mack
Park
PRAIRIE
OR
TH
FM
FM1515
1515
To
Airport
MCKINNEY ST
4534 32
IOOF
Cemetery
EAGLE DR
TW
47
BERNARD ST
Fouts
Field
UNIVERSITY OF
NORTH TEXAS
ELM ST
33
LOOP288
288
LOOP
44 41
38 37
Y
K
OA
42
TEXAS
WOMAN’S
UNIVERSITY
Quakertown
Park
377
OAK ST
GO
MIN
TWU
Golf
Course
37
35
37
AUD
RA
MACK
11
CONGRESS26
ST
HICKORY ST
380
KW
McKENNA
PARK
SCRIPTURE ST
377
BELL AVE
C
48
LOCUST ST
LINDEN
CAROLL BLVD
BONNIE BRAE ST
77
Pe
ca
n
k
ree
Presbyterian
Presbyterian
Hospital
Hospitalofof
Denton
Denton
46 40
380
CE
PL NTR
AC E
ED
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380
U
Y DR
RSIT
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5
MI
8
LIL
LIA
N
19
Avondale
Park
Schultz
Park
ELM ST
WINDSOR DR
24
21
13
DR
www.dentonlive.com
Rd.
WINDSOR DR
WOODROW LN
North
NorthLakes
Lakes
Park
Park
KINGS ROW
State School
RINEY RD
R
LOCUST ST
77
HARTLEE FIELD
NOT TINGHAM DR
UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITYOF
OF
NORTH
NORTHTEXAS
TEXAS
RESEARCH
RESEARCHPARK
PARK
WESTGATE
MESA
So
u
43
BRINKER
BUFFALO VALLEY
MERITT RANCH
EVENT CENTER
(Located at I-35
4
AND HOTEL
and Ganzer
Road)
(Located
at I-35
and Ganzer Road)
39
FFMM 4
4228
8
35
LOOP
LOOP288
288
ACCOMMODATIONS
1 AMERICAS BEST VALUE INN & SUITES
17 KNIGHTS INN
820 S. I-35E
(940) 387-0591
americasbestvalueinn.com
601 N. I-35E
(940) 566-1990
knightsinn.com
2 BEST WESTERN PLUS INN & SUITES
18 LA QUINTA INN
2910 W. University Drive
(940) 591-7726 bestwesterntexas.com/denton
700 Fort Worth Drive
(940) 387-5840
laquintadentontx.com
3 BEST WESTERN PREMIER
19 LA QUINTA INN & SUITES
2450 Brinker Road
(940) 387-1000 bestwesterntexas.com/premiercrownchase
4465 N. I-35
(940) 808-0444
laquinta.com
4 BUFFALO VALLEY EVENT CENTER AND HOTEL
20 MOTEL 6
2946 Ganzer Road W.
(940) 482-3409
buffalovalleyeventcenter.com
4125 N. I-35E
(940) 566-4798
motel6.com
5 COMFORT INN
21 QUALITY INN AND SUITES
4050 Mesa Drive
(940) 320-5150
comfortinndenton.com
1500 Dallas Drive
(940) 387-3511
choicehotels.com/hotel/tx836
6 COMFORT SUITES
22 ROYAL INN & SUITES
1100 N. I-35E
(940) 898-8510
csdentontx.com
1210 N. I-35E
(940) 383-2007
royalinnsuitesdenton.com
7 COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT
23 SUPER 8 MOTEL
2800 Colorado Blvd.
(940) 382-4600
mariott.com/dfwde
620 S. I-35E
(940) 380-8888
super8.com
8 DAYS INN
24 VALUE PLACE
4211 N. I-35
(940) 383-1471
daysinn.com/23887
4505 N. I-35
(940) 387-3400
valueplace.com
9 FAIRFIELD INN & SUITES
25 THE WILDWOOD INN
2900 W. University Drive
(940) 384-1700
marriott.com/DFWDN
2602 Lillian Miller Parkway
(940) 243-4919
denton-wildwoodinn.com
10 HAMPTON INN & SUITES
1513 Centre Place Drive
(940) 891-4900
dentonsuites.hamptoninn.com
11 THE HERITAGE INNS
(bed and breakfast cluster)
815 N. Locust St.
(940) 565-6414
theheritageinns.com
12 HILTON GARDEN INN
3110 Colorado Blvd.
(940) 891-4700
denton.hgi.com
13 HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS & SUITES
IMPORTANT CONTACTS
DENTON CONVENTION & VISITOR BUREAU
414 Parkway
(940) 382-7895 (888) 381-1818
discoverdenton.com
27 EMILY FOWLER CENTRAL LIBRARY
502 Oakland St.
(940) 349-8752
28 NORTH BRANCH
CENTRAL LIBRARY
3020 N. Locust St.
(940) 349-8752
29 SOUTH BRANCH LIBRARY
14 HOLIDAY INN & CONFERENCE CENTER
30 CITY HALL
15 HOMEWOOD SUITES BY HILTON
2907 Shoreline Drive
(940) 382-0420
denton.homewoodsuites.com
16 HOWARD JOHNSON EXPRESS INN
3116 Bandera St.
(940) 383-1681
hojo.com
www.dentonlive.com
34 DENTON FIREFIGHTERS MUSEUM
332 E. Hickory St.
(940) 349-8840
35 GREENBELT TRAIL
Located off US 380 and FM 428
(940) 349-8202
36 HANGAR 10 FLYING MUSEUM
Denton Airport
1945 Matt Wright Lane
(940) 565-1945
37 HISTORICAL PARK OF DENTON: AFRICAN AMERICAN
MUSEUM AND BAYLESS-SELBY HOUSE MUSEUM
317 W. Mulberry St.
(940) 349-2865
dentoncounty.com
38 OXIDE GALLERY
501 W. Hickory St.
(940) 483-8900
oxidegallery.com
42
39 SKATE WORKS PARK
2400 Long Road
(940) 349-8523
cityofdenton.com (Skate Park)
40 TEXAS FIRST LADIES HISTORIC COSTUME COLLECTION
Texas Woman’s University
(940) 898-3644
twu.edu/gown-collection
41 UNT ON THE SQUARE
109 N. Elm St.
(940) 369 8257
untonthesquare.unt.edu
42 UNT SKY THEATER PLANETARIUM
UNT Campus, EESAT Building
1704 W. Mulberry St.
(940) 369-8213
skytheater.unt.edu
43 WATER WORKS PARK
Loop 288 at Sherman Drive
(940) 349-8810
cityofdenton.com (aquatics)
26 DENTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
4485 N. I-35
(940) 808-0600
hiedenton.com
1434 Centre Place Drive
(940) 383-4100
holidayinn.com/dentontx
33 COURTHOUSE-ON-THE-SQUARE MUSEUM
110 W. Hickory St.
(940) 349-2850
dentoncounty.com/chos
3228 Teasley Lane
(940) 349-8752
215 E. McKinney St.
(940) 349-8200
cityofdenton.com
MUSEUMS & ATTRACTIONS
31 APOGEE STADIUM
1251 S. Bonnie Brae
(940) 565-2527
stadium.meangreensports.com
32 CENTER FOR THE VISUAL ARTS
400 E. Hickory St.
(940) 382-2787
dentonarts.com
PERFORMING ARTS
44 THE CAMPUS THEATRE
214 W. Hickory St.
(940) 382-1915
campustheatre.com
45 DENTON BLACK BOX THEATRE
318 E. Hickory St.
(940) 383-1356
dentoncommunitytheatre.com
46 MARGO JONES PERFORMANCE HALL
Texas Woman’s University
(940) 898-2500
twu.edu/music/margo-jones-hall.asp
47 MURCHISON PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
University of North Texas
(940) 369-7802
music.unt.edu/mpac
48 REDBUD THEATER
Texas Woman’s University
(940) 898-2020
twu.edu/redbud-theater
49 UNT DEPARTMENT OF DANCE & THEATRE
University of North Texas
(940) 565-2211
danceandtheatre.unt.edu
Around the block,
around the clock...
it’s happening in
Historic Downtown Denton.
Museums. Galleries. Shopping. Dining. Festivals. Live Music. Performing Arts.
That’s Entertainment!
Historic Downtown
Denton
Denton Firefighters
Museum
Bayless-Selby House Museum
Denton County Courthouse-on-the-Square Museum
Denton County
Denton Main Street Association
For information on events and promotions
visit www.dentonmainstreet.org
or call (940) 349-8529
Denton Firefighters Museum
332 E. Hickory St.
Hours: Monday - Friday
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Admission is free. For more information
please call (940) 349-8840
Denton County
African American Museum
&
Bayless-Selby
African American
House
Museum
Museum
317 W. Mulberry St.
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday
10 a.m. - 12 p.m. & 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.
(940) 349-2865
Denton County
Courthouse-on-the-Square Museum
110 W. Hickory St.
Hours: Monday - Friday
10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Saturday 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
(940) 349-2850