Every second and fourth Saturday of the month from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Green Spot, a healthy convenient store and biodiesel gas station at 702 N. Buckner, hosts a farmers market that attracts more than 30 vendors. Bruce Bagelman, owner of Green Spot and one of the market organizers, says that vendors are particularly interested in this market because people come to buy.

We’ve written quite a bit about the White Rock Local Market over the last couple of years — a story examining this one and other smaller farmers markets like it that have popped up around Dallas; the news that city council passed an ordinance giving such farmers markets a way to operate; an interview with the other White Rock Local organizers, Mary Norvell and Sarah Perry; and, most recently, the news that the White Rock Local accepts food stamps.

The slideshow in this post is a glimpse of last Saturday’s White Rock Local. To read information about the photos as they scroll through, move your mouse to the middle of the slideshow and click on the “i” button that pops up.

We found these amazing photos too late to be able to include them in the August magazine, but they are featured in the website version of the cover story, “A Gray Matter”, a narrative of the desegregation of Dallas schools from the perspective of people who lived through it.

The first photo ran with a story in the Sept. 9, 1975 Dallas Morning News titled, “Desegregation Talks Held.” The print of this photo, and the two others that were never published, were dug out of the collections of the Texas/Dallas History and Archives Division of the Dallas Public Library. None of the people in the photos were identified, so it wasn’t until Woodrow alumnus Kyle Rains commented on the story that we knew the names of at least two of the people in the final photos:

“In the last photo, that’s the late Jim Mattox (U.S. Congressman and Texas Attorney General, Woodrow class of 1961) and Ralph Brinegar, son-in -law of R.L.Thornton (son Franklin was a student at Long then). What a combination! There’s your proof that those days drew us all together.”

It made us wonder, who else is in these photos? Maybe even some students who grew up and settled in the neighborhood? (It looks like that’s Brinegar in the second photo with the megaphone, too.) If you know any names, please let us know in the comments. More on the story after the jump: (more…)

Last week C.C. Young retirement community held a sneak peek tour of it’s newest facility. The Overlook is a 108-unit residential living space with views of White Rock Lake and downtown Dallas. The facility was shown to about 40 community members, estimates Cameron Hernholm, C.C. Young’s director of development and public relations. The facility’s grand opening was last week.

Click on each photo to read about it, and to see a full-screen version of this slideshow, visit the Advocate Flickr page.

Read more about the Overlook and its controversial history in the August magazine story featuring C.C. Young president and CEO Kent Shields.

Pictures and happenings from around our neighborhood.

Many involved in the painful, frustrating and necessary process are still around to share their stories.

Rachel pointed out earlier that today’s In-N-Out Burger opening on Central Expressway and Caruth Haven wasn’t exactly the gangbusters carnival everyone expected, so Advocate photographer Ben Hager headed up there with his camera to check it out first hand.

Ben said the line-proper wasn’t very long, but the three drive-through lanes were going strong. He caught manager Brock Koehnlein (above) taking orders from car to car.

It may have been a thinner crowd than anticipated, but the fans who came made up for it with their In-N-Out love. East Dallas resident Frankie Pucciarelli (left) went through the line four times before 1 p.m.

Advocate photojournalist Benjamin Hager, an artist occasionally drawn to topics beyond our Dallas borders, two weeks ago traveled to Joplin, MO to document the devastating tornado that hit the town May 22, killing at least 138.

The photos he brought home are impressive, frightening and a reminder to never disregard those tornado sirens we sometimes hear in our own neighborhoods this time of year.

Lakewood retirees (from left) Judy Strawn, Lois Lamb and Madeline Jordan

Former students, friends and co-workers gathered to celebrate the retirement of three longtime Lakewood Elementary School staffers, and we have a slideshow of photos from the event below. “Miss Judy” Strawn, Lois Lamb and Madeline Jordan are retiring at the end of the school year, and the patio at Matt’s Rancho Martinez was packed with well-wishers Tuesday. The three women influenced thousands of Lakewood/East Dallas students over the years. Lamb and Jordan were teachers, and Strawn served as office administrator for years.

After several years of hard work, Woodrow is an International Baccalaureate school. The school celebrated the accomplishment this morning with a flag dedication ceremony. Woodrow super-alum Kyle Rains shared a slideshow of the event, below, which even though it was cold and dreary this morning drew quite a crowd.

Among those in attendance: Richard Vitale, head of the Woodrow Wilson High School Foundation, which spearheaded fundraising for the IB application; former city councilman and Woodrow grad Gary Griffith; incoming DISD trustee and neighborhood resident Mike Morath, who won’t represent Woodrow on the board (that honor goes to Bernadette Nutall); Woodrow SBDM chairman Patrick Luna; Woodrow’s IB chief Dr. Kathy Scherler; and a bunch of other neighborhood people, along with Woodrow students.

Woodrow also will be receiving a multi-million-dollar addition, which is scheduled to begin shortly and be completed in time for the beginning of the 2013 school year, which will be when Woodrow officially begins offering the advanced-level IB coursework. Check out this month’s magazine story and video of the addition, which is being designed by an architectural firm headed by neighborhood resident and Woodrow parent Craig Reynolds.

It was chilly Sunday for the Woodrow Wilson High School band chili cook-off. Booster Kellie Hardy says it was a success, and they plan to do another one next year.

Here are the winners:

Professional Category: Whole Foods Lakewood deli team leader Curtis
Teacher Challenge: Andrea Wolek
Open: Lana Awbrey, “Class of ’73 Roadkill Chili”
Most Popular Chili: Lana Awbrey

Here are some pictures from the event, which also included games and a raffle.