The second annual Innercity Life! Festival is scheduled May 18 on Bryan Street to celebrate cultural and ethnic diversity in our neighborhoods.
This street party will offer a variety of food, arts and crafts, and entertainment, including a performance by the Anita Martinez Ballet Folklorico, a Vietnamese martial arts show, and a dragon dance by students of Alex Spence Academy.
Proceeds will benefit neighborhood youth organizations and the Dinh Van Phuong Market on Bryan between Peak and Carroll, the festival’s location.
“I think it’s going to be one of the biggest neighborhood festivals ever done in East Dallas,” says festival chair Ron Cowart.
“It’s going to have watershed effect. People are going to want to know what do we do from here. If you get people out to plan something like this, you can also get people out to address (other) issues.”
The festival will begin at 10 a.m. with a swearing-in ceremony of approximately 150 new U.S. citizens by Judge Jerry Buchmeyer. Other attractions will include free health screenings and immunizations, social service information, and displays from local businesses.
U.S. Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, Channel 8 news anchor Gloria Campos, and former Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle and neighborhood resident Jethro Pugh are expected to attend.
Before the festival, the East Dallas Weed and Seed program and Baylor Sportscare sponsor a 5K fun at 8:30 a.m. Pre-registration for the run ends May 11 and costs $15. Registration packets are available at Run On in Old Town Shopping Center at Lovers Lane and Greenville and the Tom Landry Center, 411 N. Washington. Call 361-6493 for run information.
Also in the morning, volunteers will conduct a neighborhood trash cleanup from 9-10 a.m. Call Mary Jane Beaman for information at 824-6833.
In conjunction with the festival, a crime prevention and fire safety fair will be sponsored by Baylor Public Safety and the Dallas Police Department. The safety fair will encompass an entire block of Bryan from Live Oak to Peak and will feature the police department’s helicopter and low-rider vehicle. McGruff the crime prevention dog, and the fire department’s “burning house” display.
For festival information, call the Refugee Services of North Texas at 821-4883.
Catch a Pet-acular Sight During the Lakewood Love Run
Pet owners and their four-legged friends will pound the pavement around our neighborhood May 4 during the eighth annual Lakewood Love Run, a 5K to benefit the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The SPCA is expecting about 400 participants.
The course begins and ends at First Interstate Bank, Gaston and Abrams, and travels up and down Swiss.
There also will be a one-mile fun run/walk, pet boutiques, pet product vendors, a Celebrity Doggie Dash, an SPCA mobile adoption center and pet tricks contests.
Check-in for runners is 6:30-7:30 a.m. The 5K begins at 8 a.m. and the one-mile fun run begins at 9 a.m. Entry cost is $17 on race day for either event.
The Advocate is a Love Run Sponsor. For run information, call the SPCA at 651-9611.
The Arboretum Celebrates Mother’s Day
Moms and mother nature come together Mother’s Day weekend at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, 8525 Garland.
On May 11, the Arboretum features performances from several Dallas youth groups, and on May 12, strolling violinists and the Chamberlain Ballet perform.
Also May 12 are two Mother’s Day Sunday brunches, scheduled for 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. on the Camp House terrace. The cost, which includes Arboretum admission, is $24.95 for adults and $12.95 for children ages 3-12. Reservations are required.
Admission without brunch is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 for children ages 6-12, and free for children under age 6 and members. Parking costs $2.
Picnicking is welcome. For information, call 327-8263.
News & Notes:
TURTLE CREEK CHORALE PERFORMS BENEFIT FOR GRACE UNITED METHODIST: The Turtle Creek Chorale’s Chamber Chorus and the Mixed Chamber Chorus, which combines singers from the Chorale and The Women’s Chorus of Dallas, will perform at Grace United Methodist Church, 4105 Junius, May 5 at 7 p.m. to benefit the church’s 10-year renovation effort and the East Dallas Cooperative Parish.
The Chorale, which performs internationally, rehearses at the church and wants to thank the congregation, says Chorale Director Timothy Seelig. The funds raised will help restore the church’s sanctuary, where ceiling plaster occasionally falls into the pews.
Tickets are a recommended $10 donation per person and can be purchased at the door or with a credit card through the church office at 824-2533. Seating is limited.
A LESSON IN MASK MAKING: Papier-mache folk artist and neighborhood resident Lilia Estrada teaches a two-part workshop series this month about the “Day of the Dead”, an Hispanic holiday that honors dead loved ones. The free workshops are scheduled from 2-4 p.m. May 18 & 25 at Lakewood Library, 6121 Worth, and will feature lessons in mask-making.
Estrada teaches both adults and children and says the workshops are appropriate for ages 8 and older. Pre-registration is requested. Call the library at 670-1376 or Estrada at 824-0192.
AFRICAN-AMERICAN FOLK ART: Through June 7, the Dallas Visual Art Center, 2917 Swiss, features African-American fold artist Isaac Smith as part of its mosaics series. The series exhibits artists whose ethnicity plays a critical role in their work. For information, call 821-2522.
MUSIC AMONG THE FLOWERS: The Dallas Symphony Orchestra performs at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, 8525 Garland, May 23 at 8 p.m. Arboretum admission for this event is free. Parking costs $2. For information, call 327-8263.
WRITERS RECEPTION: The Lakewood Library, 6121 Worth, hosts its annual East Dallas Writers Reception May 14 at 6:30 p.m. The reception honors published writers who live in or have ties to our neighborhood. Admission to the receptions is by invitation only, but the invitation list is open for suggestions. For information about invitations, call Branch Manager Betty Brown at 670-1376.
BE A VIDEO STAR: Dallasites city-wide will come together May 31 to sing and film a music video for song “Let’s Take That First Step Together” to promote peace, harmony and unity among people. The making of the video will air live on cable channel 23B from 8-9 p.m. Organizers compare the event to a local “We Are the World”. To participate, call 561-2002.
