Taste Addison, the three-day food festival, kicks off this Friday, from 6 p.m. to midnight. This year’s event will feature food from more than 60 Addison restaurants, live music, celebrity chef demonstrations and wine tasting seminars, carnival rides, midway games and more.

The 5th person and the 10th person to email “I Love the Advocate” to mriney@advocatemag.com get four passes to the festival and a gift card to either On the Border or Nate’s Seafood and Steak House.

On your mark, get set, GO! …

The Dallas Police Department today released new details about a string of violent assaults and/or robberies along the Katy Trail as well as other parts of the city. As many as 11 recent incidents — including the mugging of both a jogger and of a woman leaving the Katy Trail Ice House — might be related, according to a press release. The following is a description of the suspects:

First suspect is a black male, approximately 20 to 30 years old. He is 5’8 to 6’2 tall and weighs 150 to160 pounds. He has been armed with a blue steel semi-automatic handgun.

The second suspect is a black male, approximately 20 to 22 years old. He is 5’8 -5’10 tall and weighs approximately 160 pounds. He may have a gold tooth and moles near his eyes. He has been armed with a silver colored semi-automatic handgun.

The suspect vehicle is gray/silver 4-door sedan. The vehicle may be a Chrysler or Chevy Impala. (more…)

The Bicycle Cafe, which only opened a few months ago and which we just recently featured in the Advocate‘s dining section, is up for sale.

They served up good, healthy sandwiches, salads, breakfasts, juices, beers and so forth but now they are selling, based on the restaurant’s Facebook status:

“DALLAS BICYCLE CAFE for sale, if interested email to Armando@dallasbicyclecafe.com or aguer75@aol.com”

To a concerned commenter they responded that the cafe would remain open for now.

I have messaged the owner and will keep you posted.

Goodfriend Beer Garden and Burger House doesn’t start serving food until 5 p.m. Before then, you can order something at Good-2-Go next door and bring them back to Goodfriend so you can drink a beer with your tacos. That’s not a bad idea, and I already had decided on a $6 Ommegang draft when I found out they don’t serve lunch, but I already had my little heart set on a burger. Tacos just weren’t going to do it for me, and besides, the line at the taco place was like 10 people deep, even at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

So I set out on Garland Road, all hungry, and turned left into the Casa Linda shopping center, thinking, there’s got to be something meaty here, and there is. Fat Daddy’s. Every time I see the sign for Fat Daddy’s, I think, “Gee, that’s a terrible name for a restaurant.” You shouldn’t put “fat” in the name of your restaurant. We don’t want to be reminded.

Anyway, Fat Daddy’s, which also has a location in the ‘burbs, offers counter service. I ordered the half-pound burger with pepper jack cheese ($6.99), which comes with fries. I also ordered chips and salsa ($2.99) just to see if their salsa is any good, and it is, although the chips were stale. And I ordered “a beer.” There’s only one kind of beer at Fat Daddy’s, and it’s Bud Light on draft. I’m not that picky, and I just wanted a beer for my salty food, so I ordered it. I figured it must be a pretty cheap beer because my total was only $10-something, and I’m not a mathematician. Then I saw the sign announcing free beer. Free beer! That’s my favorite price to pay for beer. I wanted to order another one and watch the rest of the Rangers game after I finished eating, but I’m too shy to ask for a second free beer. That’s the only problem, in my opinion, with free beer. Guilt.

The burger was pretty good, well seasoned, although I wasn’t crazy about the bread, which was barely substantial enough to handle the juicy meat. The burgers come plain, and you can add fixin’s from the toppings bar. The guys at the table next to me ordered onion rings and tater tots with their burgers, and they looked much better than these fries.

Fat Daddy’s has a video-game arcade and big TVs. It is either a place to take your kids, or a place to never take your kids because they will want to go there all the dang time, I’m not sure. Either way, free beer.

Here’s a question for Mayor Vision: How did he get to Fair Park for last week’s Texas-OU announcement? He didn’t need to take a signature bridge.

Nothing illustrates the short-sightedness that dominates the thinking of those who run the city better than Fair Park. They whine and bellyache about the need to build things — signature bridges, convention center hotels, toll roads in river levees. That we already have something that exists nowhere else in the world is something they seem to be happy to ignore.

Unless, of course, it’s budget cutting time, when they always notice Fair Park. It has lost 12 percent of its funding since the 2007-08 budget, though we’ve managed to build the bridge and the convention center hotel despite the budget crisis.

I’ve always wondered why the bosses downtown dislike Fair Park so much. Is it because it’s not in a “convenient” part of town? Is it because it’s not new, and the only way to have a world-class city is to have lots of new things? Call me a cynic, but I’ve always suspected that Fair Park gets short shrift because it doesn’t lend itself to the sort of real estate development that motivates the people who run the city. You can’t tear it down to build something new.

Carroll Shelby in 2009, before grand marshaling the Woodrow Wilson High School anniversary parade.

The timelessly cool Carroll Shelby — 1956 and ’57 Sports Illustrated race car driver of the year who fashioned, in later years, some of the world’s fastest high performance rides, including the Cobra, Viper, Shelby Mustangs and Ford GT — died Thursday, reportedly from pneumonia.

Shelby was a Woodrow Wilson High School graduate.  He told us in a 2009 interview that he “spent a lot of time in the principal’s office” and even had a run-in or two with the law during his high school years.

“I got in trouble for driving too fast on a couple of occasions. There was this railroad track I liked to speed over — see how much air I could catch,” the then 86-year-old recalled.

The year I interviewed him, he served as the grand marshall of our neighborhood high school’s 80th anniversary parade. Even then, he had just returned to his Texas Ranch following a five-day stint at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway where his Shelby Automobiles sponsored the NASCAR Spring Cup series.

Carroll Shelby after winning the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans. Courtesy of his publicist

Motor Trend magazine named Shelby one of the top 50 most important people in the auto industry. He’s been inducted into the International MotorSports Hall of Fame and the Automotive Hall of Fame, and more recently, the Woodrow Wilson High School Hall of Fame.

Mr. Shelby, you were one of a kind and the world will be a smidgen less exciting without you!

The Dallas school district’s free baseball camp accepts 50 students ages 7-11. The camp is from 9 a.m.-noon June 4-8 at the Dave Andres Ballpark, 1802 Moser.

The camp is open to boys and girls and is coached by high school baseball players from the Greenhill School. The Texas Rangers Foundation and Major League Baseball are donating equipment for the camp. Each camper receives a Rangers cap and two tickets to a Rangers game.

To reserve a spot, contact Miles Andres, andresM@greenhill.org.

And for more summer camp ideas in the neighborhood, check out this list in the May Advocate.

Some of Lakewood’s biggest fitness fanatics, members of the East Dallas crossfit gym, have begun canvassing neighborhood streets this week asking people to dust off those old running sneakers they have been meaning to put to good use.

You can heave a big sigh of relief, because they don’t want you to work out. On the contrary, they want you to give up those sneakers all together.

On Saturday, May 12 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m., the crossfit community will be holding the “300 challenge,” which is a workout competition and philanthropy in one. The entire community is invited to come and watch as men and women compete in an intense workout series inspired by the movie “300.”

East Dallas Crossfit is asking all participants and spectators to bring at least one pair of gently used shoes to the event to benefit “Soles 4 Souls,” a charity that provides millions of shoes to people around the world.

All types of shoes are welcome, as long as they are new or gently used.

East Dallas Crossfit has already begun advertising the event on Lakewood streets, and those living in Lakewood Hills, Forest Hills, and Little Forest Hills can expect to receive a flier and baggie from the gym on their doorsteps this weekend.

“It’s a way to get our community to come together,” says Ryan Savard, co-owner and head trainer at East Dallas Crossfit.

If you can’t make the event,  they will come to you. On Saturday May 19, crossfitters will return to collect shoes from homes from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Donations are also being taken at the gym.

Celebrate the talents and successes of our neighbors Sunday May 20 from noon to 8 p.m. at the Lakewood shopping center.

Lakewoodstock is a neighborhood festival that features local musicians, artists, and businesses to promote interest in what makes Lakewood special, and it’s free.

From music, to laser tag, to shopping, Lakewoodstock has something to offer the entire family. The event is mapped into 4 sections, each representing a side of Lakewood life.

Artist Alley showcases art styles ranging from painting and pottery to jewelry and clothing.

Family Funland will have over 20 hands-on activities, including face painting and a bounce house for kids.

Rock-n-Roll Boulevard features laser tag, bungee trampoline and arcade.

In Town Square, learn about supporting local business, from recreational facilities to dining to insurance.

Musical entertainment will take place throughout the festival on three stages, all featuring local artists with ranging genres and styles.

Over 15,000 people attended Lakewoodstock last year. With such a large audience and so much to do, Lakewoodstock volunteers posted a map to help you plan out your day so you can make the most of it.

East Dallas-based Home by Hovercraft is performing a concert at 8 p.m. May 12 to fund the production of a musical the husband-and-wife rock band co-wrote with Michael Federico.

When we interviewed Seth and Shawn Magill a year ago, their musical, “On the Eve,” was still in the works. They describe it as, “the almost entirely true story of Marie Antoinette and the first time-traveling hot air balloon.” They first produced it this past November, and now they’re working to get it staged again in December.

Their concert Saturday is at the Magnolia Lounge at Fair Park and includes performances from Home by Hovercraft, Gallery Cat and Jenny Ledel. There is a $15 suggested donation.

The party has a Marie Antoinette theme, and guests are encouraged to wear fake hair and enter the wig contest. There is also an art auction, food and beer (or BYOB).