This show pulls the neighborhood’s creativity into one location Lakewood Summer Arts Faire Saturday, Aug. 12, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 13, 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Lakewood United Methodist Church, 2443 Abrams Lakewoodsummerartsfaire.org Three weeks to put together an art show isn’t much time, but thanks to the neighborhood artists and businesses that backed it, Michael Langley was able to pull off the first ever Lakewood Summer Arts Faire two years ago. “Literally, I put a satchel on my shoulder and walked all down through the neighborhood and talked to the businesses,” says Langley, a Hollywood Heights resident. “Only two said no, and 70 supported us.” He’s now gearing up for the third annual show, which means his daughter, 5-year-old Kate, will be canvassing the neighborhood storefronts with her father again. “People can’t say no to her,” Langley grins. The show started out as a fundraiser for children’s ministries at Lakewood United Methodist Church, where Langley attends, but the success of the first one birthed three additional shows staggered throughout the year. The whole point, he says, is to give neighborhood artists more exposure. “I had artist friends already because my wife is a frustrated artist,” Langley says. “They just wanted more opportunities to show and sell their art in different ways, and they want to support charitable causes.” In this case, proceeds will fund an after-school program for Lakewood Elementary students and help support a mother and her children who are Hurricane Katrina refugees. Because the show strays from the norm, it attracts both experienced artists and newcomers — 12 artists have made their debut at the Lakewood Summer Arts Faire, including two this year who will be displaying their work for the first time. “I always try to find someone new because the whole point is showcasing local art and giving someone an opportunity,” Langley says. It also features artists who don’t normally exhibit at shows, such as the veterinarian who paints animals that Langley found when he solicited his clinic, and the paralegal who steps away from her corporate job for only this show. Out of the 40-plus artists whose work will be on display, 25 are returning from the original show. Langley attributes the high return rate to the extra pampering the artists receive — a VIP party Friday for their friends and family plus catered food throughout the weekend. The artists are also more interactive at this show; each one agrees to step outside his booth for an hour on Saturday to help children create an art project. One even volunteers to paint faces. Except for one artist from Wimberly, Texas, all of the participants live in Dallas. Their work includes paintings, sculptures, pottery, jewelry, glasswork, wood and leather. Based on the response to previous shows, Langley expects another success. “This neighborhood totally supports non-profit endeavors and art, and that’s what all these shows are about — using artists and the beauty of their work to bring awareness to them.”

Neighborhood resident Carlin Morris sees to it that East Dallas children have happy feet Wilkinson Center Shoe Drive Donations can be sent to: The Wilkinson Center P.O Box 720248 Dallas 75372 More than 20 years ago, Carlin Morris recognized a big problem. While dropping her children off at Lakewood Elementary, she watched other children getting off the school bus who were, literally, growing out of their shoes. Morris decided to take action, and this year marks the 20 th anniversary of the Wilkinson Center Shoe Drive that started because of her watchful and concerned eye. It all began when Morris was a volunteer at the Wilkinson Center. She mostly sorted clothes and also assisted in handing out shoes. Mothers would bring in cardboard drawings of their children’s feet. Volunteers used the drawings to pick out shoes for the children, but it wasn’t a foolproof system. “They would get a pair of shoes and take them home,” Morris says. “Maybe they’d fit, maybe they didn’t. Who knew whether the drawings had been made with their shoes on or with their shoes off?” Then Ruth Collins-Altshuler donated money for the Wilkinson Center to buy new shoes to keep at the center. But finding a way to make sure these shoes would really fit the children’s feet remained a problem, so Morris asked Collins-Altshuler if she could use the money to start the Wilkinson Center Shoe Drive. The first year, 500 pairs of shoes were given out. Now, the drive averages 1,400 pairs for children in East Dallas. The shoe drive is a two-day event that takes place at Payless Shoe Source on Greenville and Ross. Payless has been an active participant in Morris’ cause for many years, offering her a discount on the shoes and often donating money back to the Wilkinson Center. A sign-up at the Wilkinson Center prior to the drive lets parents and children choose appointment times. When they show up for their appointments, volunteers and Payless employees are ready to outfit their feet. “We get a lot of smiling faces and a lot of thank yous,” Morris says. “I’m always at the door. I see everybody when they come in, and I see everyone when they leave, and 99.9 percent of the people are so appreciative and thankful that they have a new pair of shoes.” The drive did reach out this year to help 200 children in the Pleasant Grove neighborhood, but Morris doesn’t plan on taking over all of Dallas. “Maybe somebody else who follows in my footsteps will,” Morris says. “I think I have enough right now, but this is a major step to expand to these (Pleasant Grove) kids.” For Morris, this event is all about giving back. “Since I didn’t work, I felt like I had to give something,” Morris says. “I just grew up feeling the need to give to others because I’m so lucky. I have a great family, and support from my husband (Charles) who encourages me to do this.” One particular memory of the shoe drive stands out to Morris. She mentions it almost as an afterthought, but it’s apparent how meaningful it was to her. A young boy walked up to her while she was volunteering at Lakewood Elementary and asked if she remembered him. It had been a few weeks since the shoe drive, and Morris tried to remember where she had met the boy. “So, I said, “How do I know you?” Morris says. “And he said, ‘You gave me a new pair of shoes, and I’ve got them on.’”

It’s a new phenomenon: Parents are clamoring to get their kids into Lakewood Elementary, even engaging in the rock concert-like behavior of waiting in long lines at wee hours. But not far away, neighborhood parents are steering clear of Lakewood Elementary’s virtual twin — Sanger Elementary in Forest Hills — as Sanger struggles to sign up five neighborhood kindergarteners for the fall and fights constant rumors of low performance and unwarranted fears of danger. Why is one school “hot” and the other “not”? Nothing surprises Michelle Thompson these days. As principal of Lakewood Elementary, she has received letters from parents detailing their soon-to-be kindergartners’ quest for “enriching experiences.” She has answered phone calls from ministers extolling their young congregants’ many virtues. She hasn’t yet been offered an outright bribe, but she has been asked by parents if there is anything they can do to improve their child’s chances of getting into Lakewood. Her answer is always the same: I’m sorry, but no. “We’re not like private school,” Thompson says. “We don’t look at whose parents do what, we don’t look at income, we don’t look at ethnicity, we don’t look at what preschool they went to. It doesn’t matter who you know — it’s just space available.” And there aren’t many extra desks to be had this year at Lakewood Elementary. That’s not good news for the dozens of parents who lined up at the school’s doors at 6 a.m. March 1, the first day Dallas ISD schools began accepting transfer requests for the upcoming school year. Or for the dozens more who have turned in transfer applications since then — the stack of requests on Thompson’s desk is now piled 200 high and rising. “I’m still getting letters from parents that say, ‘Please think about my child.’ And I say, ‘It’s not you, it’s not your child,’” Thompson says. “One parent said, ‘Well, it’s just one more.’ But how can I pick your one versus their one and their one and their one … we just can’t squish any more children in here.” In recent years, accepting transfer students was somewhat of an annual ritual at Lakewood. But with DISD opening 12 new elementary schools this fall, schools such as Lakewood, which reached 150 percent of its capacity in past years, are getting some elbowroom. Thompson will no longer have to create classrooms out of rooms originally intended for tutoring, and she’ll no longer have to file students into the lunchroom at a time more appropriate for breakfast. Even if she wanted to accept more transfers, she couldn’t, because the district is providing Thompson only enough teachers for the projected students within Lakewood’s boundaries. So for parents wondering how to guarantee their child’s spot in Lakewood, Thompson has one suggestion: Buy a house in the Lakewood attendance zone. Otherwise it’s a gamble, and the odds aren’t good. Meanwhile, a bit east of Lakewood across Garland Road, Sanger Elementary faces a completely different situation. While Lakewood is virtually overrun with parents who want to be involved at the school, Sanger has relatively few; most potential Sanger parents from the Forest Hills and Little Forest Hills neighborhoods opt for private school or try to transfer to other DISD schools, primarily Lakewood. In fact, the majority of parents hoping to transfer their children to Lakewood this fall live within Sanger’s boundaries in Forest Hills and Little Forest Hills. Ironically, this phenomenon has turned Sanger into the DISD school with the highest incoming transfer rate because the 70 or 80 spots for neighborhood children go unfilled each year, leaving plenty of openings for other parents looking for a good school nestled in a safe neighborhood. Sharon Sandell’s daughter starts kindergarten in the fall, and the question of where she will attend school has been an issue ever since Sandell’s family outgrew their Lakewood home and moved to Forest Hills. “Everybody had been shaking their heads and saying, ‘Oh, what are you going to do about school?’” says Sandell. Sandell says she turned in a Lakewood transfer request, but then she and her husband decided to pay Sanger a visit. What they discovered was a calm, clean and orderly facility run by a principal who knew every child by name and had evident rapport with the teachers. It made her wonder why so many of her neighbors are clamoring to get into Lakewood Elementary when they have such a good school right in their back yards. “I think most people haven’t actually done the research,” Sandell says. “They see a bunch of little brown faces and a bunch of buses, and they think to themselves (that Sanger is) a school full of little Mexican kids being bused in, which is not the case.” The buses, she says, are for children who live just across Garland or along Ferguson and can’t safely walk to school because of the busy streets and lack of sidewalks. But there’s no doubt that Sanger is predominately Hispanic — 74 percent last year compared to 16 percent black and eight percent white. Lakewood’s makeup has historically also been diverse; last year’s breakdown was 47 percent white students, 33 percent Hispanic and 17 percent black. But Lakewood will have a new look in the fall. With the new schools opening, DISD intentionally redrew boundary lines throughout Dallas so that students could attend schools closer to home. For Lakewood, this means children will no longer be bused to and from apartment complexes north of Northwest Highway and east of Grand. The new attendance zones will make Lakewood much “whiter,” though to what extent is unclear because DISD would not release demographic projections. “We will become less diverse,” Thompson says. “The only way I can say it without getting into something political is we will truly be a neighborhood school.” If race or socioeconomic status of other students is a factor in parents wanting to transfer their children into Lakewood, “they don’t put that on the application,” Thompson says. But she sympathizes with parents concerned that their child will be a minority, whatever the race. “Whether you are at a predominately white school and your child is Hispanic, or you’re at a predominately African-American school and your child is white, the concern is, ‘Will my child fit in? Will my child be welcome?’ And there are so many ways to be a minority,” Thompson says. It’s not as simple as skin color, says Karen Zotos, Lakewood’s PTA president. Everyone wants to be in an environment with people who share their interests, she says, and the social aspect of Lakewood is a huge draw. “We’re members at Lakewood Country Club, the kids are on sports teams together, and when you walk up to a PTA meeting, you know you’re going to see 30 people you know,” Zotos says. “And it might be uncomfortable for some people to walk up to a PTA meeting and hear it conducted in two languages.” Not to mention that Lakewood has a longstanding tradition of being a strong school, she says, which is probably its biggest draw. Getting to that point requires good leadership, great teachers and avid support from the neighborhood, Thompson says, and when she asks parents what it is about Lakewood that makes them so desperate to get in, the answer usually boils down to the third link in the chain — parent involvement. “That’s what needs to go to each of the elementary schools so that this mass movement of students and this, ‘Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, I have to get into that school,’ doesn’t need to happen,” Thompson says. Parent involvement is the one area in which Sanger falls short, says Neal Farris, whose family is among the few in Forest Hills with a child at the school. It’s also the factor that could help turn the school’s perception around, he says. “We have never gone to [principal Jerry Allen] with a concern that wasn’t literally acted on within a matter of minutes,” Farris says. “The sad part is that more changes could be made if we had more parents helping us out.” Parental involvement is about the only thing that separates Lakewood’s and Sanger’s facilities, Sandell says. All of the improvements at Lakewood — the Outdoor Leaning Center, freshly painted lockers, new sprinkler system — were spearheaded by the school’s parent groups. It’s not that Sanger parents don’t care deeply about their children’s education, Sandell says; it’s just that there are fewer parents involved at Sanger, and those who are involved don’t have as much time or as many resources as the collective group of Lakewood parents. So Sandell decided to launch a grassroots campaign and recently hosted an informational meeting at her home, targeting Forest Hills families with soon-to-be kindergartners and hoping that they would identify with her situation. “It’s sort of sad but true — people think, ‘Well, you know, she’s a doctor and he’s whatever, and they live in this big house, and they’re sending their kids to Sanger, so maybe it’s fine,’” Sandell says. Allen was on hand to clear up rumors about everything from Sanger’s reputation as a low-performing school (totally unfounded) to one mother’s “what if” scenario of her daughter wanting to play with a friend who lives in an apartment complex surrounded by barbed wire (which doesn’t exist). When the dust settled and the fears had been discussed, five more Forest Hills families decided to give Sanger a try this year. “The proof will be in the pudding, but I just have no reason to think we wouldn’t be happy,” Sandell says. “I would rather have my kid be one of five neighborhood kids at Sanger than have my kid be one of every other rich white kid at Lakewood with nobody having a particular interest in her for any reason.” Any parents still hoping for a shot at Lakewood are welcome to call beginning Aug. 8, when the school should have a more accurate headcount, Thompson says. But Sandell is hoping that the Forest Hills families on the transfer list don’t wait around to find out. “Trying to transfer your kid from Sanger to Lakewood is silly,” she says. “Instead, put your effort into turning Sanger into Lakewood.” If you have thoughts or comments on Lakewood, Sanger or DISD’s transfer policies or attendance zones, please write or email us at editor@advocatemag.com or 6301 Gaston, Suite 820, Dallas 75214.

Shoplifting gone bad. It’s happening all over the Northeast Police Division, with 30 percent of business robberies resulting from what would otherwise be minor thefts. It happens when someone swipes a loaf of bread or a pack of cigarettes, and a store employee or even an innocent bystander gets involved, often causing the incident to escalate into a pushing and shoving match. Are business crimes on the rise right now? Through July 13, our business robberies are up year to date — 14 percent higher than last year — but at the first of June, they were up 31 percent. So they are up, but we’re on a downward trend and working hard to keep it that way. Business burglaries are down 11 percent for the year. (A robbery would include an actual confrontation by a person, and a burglary would be someone breaking in and stealing something with no confrontation, which typically happens when a place is closed.) What kinds of businesses are being targeted? Everything from banks to grocery stores to fast-food stores, hotel front desks, things like that. This also includes storage sheds, maintenance sheds and construction sites. Most of our business robberies are occurring at convenience stores and grocery stores, and that also includes the shoplifts turning into pushing and shoving. Is this putting residents in danger? Usually with these business robberies, they’re there for one thing: They’re in to get what they’re looking for, and then they’re out. Any time a crime’s committed, there’s always a risk, and if they happen to be in the place that’s getting robbed, of course there’s a concern. What should people watch out for as they shop? Usually common sense will tell you if something’s not right. If a bunch of people are hanging outside a store causing problems, that’s usually not the best time to go in. If you see somebody acting suspicious, whether at a store or in your neighborhood or anywhere, go ahead and call 911. How should employees act if they see a crime in action? Just like citizens, we don’t want anybody to get hurt, especially over property. Different stores have different policies, but we encourage business employees not to get into a scuffle. Some of these people are pretty desperate and will hurt you over a pack of cigarettes or diapers or milk. What about residents — how should we respond? The first thing we want somebody to do is stay safe and protect themselves, and then be the best witness possible — get a detailed description of the person, something they see or hear, license plates of vehicles, anything that will help track these people down. Some people are more prone to get involved than others, and that’s a choice they have to make, but we don’t encourage that. Are there any special initiatives right now to curb business crimes? We’ve identified all of our locations that are getting hit more than once and are having ICP (interactive community policing) officers make contact with these businesses and see if there’s anything else we can do to help them, like issuing criminal trespass warnings to people hanging out. Some people have these people in their stores over and over taking stuff, and then that one time it turns into a confrontation with somebody getting hurt. We have a few business crime watches in the division, but I really would like to get some more going because these guys will go in one store and into the next in strip locations. If anyone is interested, they need to call our ICP office (214-670-7770).

Burglary THE VICTIM: Damon Dudley DATE: Thursday, June 29 TIME: 2:45 a.m. LOCATION: 6100 block of Vickery It was almost 3 a.m. on a Thursday morning when Damon Dudley woke up to the sound of someone talking. He saw a light on in the backyard garage and immediately called the police. “I just can’t believe … I mean, they turned the light on out there,” Dudley stammers. “That’s pretty ballsy.” He decided not to use the same approach toward the intruders, saying he “didn’t want do the confrontation thing by myself.” Instead, he walked out front to wait for the police and saw his neighbor walking down the street toward him. It turned out his neighbor had been burglarized, too. They began driving around the neighborhood together and spotted an old white pick-up pulling in and out of driveways. It looked suspicious, so Dudley and his neighbor cornered the truck. “But it was just the Wall Street Journal delivery guy,” he says. The police arrived 30 minutes after he called, Dudley says, but by that time, the burglars were long gone. They had broken the latch on his gate and entered the garage, where they took a bicycle, weed eaters and a fair amount of power tools. “I’ve got a pretty good shop. I’ve owned a construction company before,” Dudley says. They even went to the trouble to take the power tools out of the cases before stealing them. The burglars didn’t, however, steal anything heavy-duty, including the lawn mowers. In all, Dudley lost $5,700 worth of equipment. “This time, I’m turning it into insurance,” he says. “Insurance is paying for this baby.” The last time Dudley was burglarized, he was simply out $5,000. Thieves somehow made off with a brand new 600-pound generator that was chained to the back of his truck. Breaking into garages is a common way for thieves to access a home because it’s often the easiest way in, says Sr. Cpl. Ron Carpenter of the Northeast Police Division. Sometimes people make it really easy on burglars and leave their garage doors open, he says. In this case, however, the garage was detached, and the thieves had to pry the locks off. Carpenter wasn’t as surprised they were brave enough to flip the light switch. “Since it’s a detached garage, basically it’s almost like a storage building, and that time in the morning I think they didn’t think there’d be any problem turning the light on,” he says. Dudley has lived in his house for only two years and in that time has been burglarized three times. For him, the third time’s the charm — he says he’s moving. “I want to stay in Lakewood, but this isn’t worth it,” he says.

A field day at Lakewood Elementary was the first time Richard Cox noticed Choo Freeman’s speed. He quickly recruited him to play on his son Ryan’s peewee football team. Freeman’s mother, who lived in an apartment on Gaston and had other young children, agreed to let him play if someone could drive him. The Coxes volunteered, and Freeman began spending his weekends with the family after Friday night games. In fourth grade, he moved in and began attending Dallas Christian School, eventually becoming an all-state basketball and football player and helped the Chargers to six state titles, including the baseball championship his senior year. Freeman signed a letter of intent to play football with Texas A&M before the Colorado Rockies drafted him. After working his way through the minor league system, he’s nearing the end of his first full season with the Rockies, alternating as center fielder and hitting mostly against left-handed pitchers. You could have chosen a number of paths athletically. Why baseball? Growing up in Texas, it’s pretty much a football state. I had always wanted to play football collegiately and professionally, but I started playing baseball year-round, and it just started growing on me. It took over my life as I got older — baseball was it, and I figured the earlier I got started professionally, the earlier I could get into the big leagues. Going through the minor leagues, I went through a lot of ups and downs, but it all paid off in the end because I knew what it took to get here, and that made it worth so much more. What’s it like to hear the fans yell “Choooooo!” when you step up to the plate? It sounds like they’re booing, but they’re really saying my name and the weird thing about it is I doubt any of them really know my real name (Raphael). I told them they should put it as a trivia question on the Jumbotron. When I first got up to the major leagues, nobody knew my real name until a couple players I knew in Dallas — Jason Jennings and Brad Hawpe — came here, and it got around the clubhouse. Jason’s dad was my little league football coach, and Brad and I played baseball together in the summer, and somehow we ended up on the same team. You hit a three-run homer against Texas with your family in town to watch. How did that feel? It was my first home run at Coors Field, and it was good to do that against the Rangers because I knew people back home were watching. I got a whole bunch of text messages from friends and family members saying we saw the home run and catches, so keep up the good work. How did growing up with two families impact where you are today? I grew up with my mom and my sister; we lived in apartment over in Lakewood next to Lindsley Park. I went to Lakewood Elementary, and Ryan and I became really good friends there. My mom and sister were going to move out to Mesquite, and Richard said there’s a good school there and they’d be glad to have him. They helped me get into Dallas Christian, and it all happened from there. They took me into their home like one of their sons, and I still consider them parents, really — it’s one huge family. I wouldn’t be the same person I am right now if it wasn’t for the Coxes and for the school I went to. What’s next for your baseball career? I’m hoping to eventually be starting every day and someday go to the playoffs and win the World Series, and especially to just contribute to the team. It’s just a mindset you have to have — staying positive and mentally tough no matter what goes on in this game. I think if I keep my head on straight and work hard, I’ll get to where I need to be.

If you ask any server at The Grape to recommend a wine, he won’t skip a beat before spouting forth options to pair with your dinner. That’s because wine training is an everyday occurrence at this Lower Greenville staple. Both the menu and wine list rotate every week or two, and the staff stays abreast with regular tastings so they can recommend favorites and explain why a particular bottle would complement your Australian lamb sirloin. With a list topping 200 bottles, it’s good to know that someone can point you in the right direction. But no one will cringe if you stray from the path, says general manager Mark Gilsdorf. “We’re very unpretentious. We certainly carry white zinfandel — we’re not above that,” he says. “Wine should be something enjoyed with any type of atmosphere and any type of situation with no particular rules or strict dos and don’ts.” Pinot noir is The Grape’s top seller (Gilsdorf chalks this up to the impact of the move Sideways) but the restaurant also prides itself on seeking out good dollar-value wines from places such as Spain and Argentina. The by-the-glass options also include a Chardonnay from neighborhood favorite Times Ten Cellars — try it and other varietals for half price on Monday nights, when the menu also features $3 martinis and half-priced calamari to boot. The Grape 2808 Greenville 214-828-1981 $$$ HOURS: Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 5:30-10:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 5:30-11:30 p.m. Five more wine lists worth checking out 1 EASY ON THE WALLET The casual atmosphere this eatery exudes is accentuated by its affordable wine list, featuring mainly Australian and off-the-beaten path selections. Tucker 3113 Ross 2 A GREAT MATCH The wine list is every bit as good as the restaurant’s dishes. Select a bottle based on the menu’s recommended pairings or choose one that strikes you — either way, it’s hard to go wrong. York Street 6047 Lewis 3 RARE FINDS A Texas restaurant that carries Texas wines — what a concept. This eatery prides itself on carrying labels before they become popular. Hector’s on Henderson 2929 N. Henderson 4 JUST A TASTE If the selection isn’t enough to draw you into the store, go for the free wine tasting on the last Sunday of every month from 4-6 p.m. Stoney’s Fine Wines 2814 Greenville 5 IT’S GREEK TO ME Whether you want a $20 bottle or a $120 bottle, this restaurant has it, and every selection complements the Greek dishes. Papou’s 2015 Abrams Want to weigh in with your culinary opinions? Tell us the restaurant with the best happy hour and why taste@advocatemag.com .

08.2006 Archives - Lakewood/East Dallas

God Is In The Details

By George Mason|2011-03-22T15:09:32-05:00August 1st, 2006|News|

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Homegrown Art

By Keri Mitchell|2011-03-22T15:07:43-05:00August 1st, 2006|News|

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If The Shoe Fits

By Advocate Staff|2011-03-22T15:05:42-05:00August 1st, 2006|News|

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Playgroup With Purpose

By Advocate Staff|2011-03-22T15:04:00-05:00August 1st, 2006|News|

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What About Bob Weiss?

By Keri Mitchell|2011-03-22T15:02:28-05:00August 1st, 2006|News|

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The Golden School

By Keri Mitchell|2011-03-22T14:59:59-05:00August 1st, 2006|News|

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Arresting Development

By Keri Mitchell|2011-03-22T14:55:30-05:00August 1st, 2006|News|

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Ask A Cop

By Advocate Staff|2011-03-22T14:53:19-05:00August 1st, 2006|News|

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True Crime

By Advocate Staff|2011-03-22T14:51:14-05:00August 1st, 2006|News|

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Choo Freeman Q&A

By Keri Mitchell|2011-03-22T14:49:29-05:00August 1st, 2006|News|

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The mayoral campaign’s important issues

By Rick Wamre|2011-01-09T17:49:58-06:00August 1st, 2006|All Columns, City Hall, Opening Remarks, Politics|

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The Grape

By Advocate Staff|2011-01-09T17:46:07-06:00August 1st, 2006|Delicious, Food and Drink, Restaurants|

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