1.) With rising food costs and a potential turkey shortage top of mind, Witherite Law Group (901 W Vickery Blvd, Ste 900, Dallas, 1-800-TruckWreck) will be doing two major Thanksgiving giveaways to provide food for North Texas families. WLG will be giving away $20,000 in groceries 3pm-5pm Fri at Fiesta Mart No. 76 (4245 E Berry St, FW, 817-531-1067). Then on Fri, Nov 18, from 10am to noon, they will also be giving away turkeys to 1,000 families at Fiesta Mart No. 65 (2225 W Ledbetter Dr, Dallas, 214-331-0270).
2.) Fort Worth Botanic Garden (3220 Botanic Garden Blvd, 817-463-4160) invites you to relax with an adult beverage, enjoy tasty bites, and hear live music by Izzy Linder at After Hours in the Garden 6:30pm-8:30pm Fri at the Leonard Courtyard of the Fuller Garden located right behind the Garden Center. Tickets are $25 at FWBG.TicketApp.org and include one beer, wine, or nonalcoholic beverage, plus cold and hot appetizers from Rock Springs Café. Blankets are allowed but no coolers or outside food or drinks. You must be 21 or older to attend.
3.) Apparently, this weekend is all about jazz. Joining Dave Monsch at the celebration of the release of his latest album at Scat Jazz Lounge (111 W 4th St, Ste 11, 817-870-9100) 8pm-11:30pm Thu will be David Pierce, Brad Williams, Paul Unger, and Dennis Durick, who also play on the record. Bankhead Brewing (611 University Dr, 817-439-9223) serves up a chef-driven food menu, house-brewed beer, and craft cocktails along with jazz — Darwin Martin & The Band play the Cultural District spot 7pm-10pm Fri. On the Near Southside, boutique wine bar/shop WineHaus (1928 Park Place Av, 817-887-9101) hosts the Keith Wingate Trio 7pm-10pm Fri. There is no cost to attend the three events above. Then on Saturday at 8pm, hear Jazz on the Avenue at Arts Fifth Avenue (1628 5th Av, 817-923-9500), featuring Johnny Case (piano), Chris McGuire (reeds/trumpet), Nathan Phelps (bass), and Keith Wingate (drums). Tickets are $15 at ArtsFifthAvenue.org.
4.) Our fellow newsfolk at the Dallas Observer — they are not affiliated with us, but we love them nonetheless — are hosting their 8th Annual Tacolandia event 4pm-7pm Sat at Energy Square Plaza (4925 Greenville Av, DallasObserver.com). This festival will feature samples from more than 20 of Dallas’ best taco slingers, ranging from urban contemporary to authentic street-style. There’ll also be music, cash bars with beer and cocktails, and awards for best tacos in various categories. All guests must be 21 or older with a valid ID. Tickets start at $35 at TacolandiaDallas.com.
5.) The Weekly is hosting a free Music Showcase 5pm-11pm Sun in District 90 at Lola’s Fort Worth (2000 W Berry St, LolasFW.com) and Smokestack 1948 (2836 Stanley Av, 817-201-4709), so that you can check out some of our ’22 Music Awards nominees IRL before you vote. As this is the same day as Lola’s Local Farmers Market (Facebook.com/LolasLocalFarmersMarket), you should come out early and do some shopping 11am-4pm. You might also nab a killer parking spot for later.
6.) Until I’ve had a slice of pumpkin pie, it’s not holiday gift-buying time for me quite yet. The gang at the Main & Mill Association in McKinney is tempting me to feel otherwise with a Holiday Sip & Shop event 4pm-7pm Thu. Start at the Main Street Mercantile (109 W Main St, Lewisville, 469-464-3564) — purveyors of gourmet foods, vintage home goods, and women’s apparel — then work your way around downtown, enjoying drinks, light bites, live music, the holiday lights, and (of course) shopping along the way.
7.) Mac Sabbath is on tour! Who is that, you ask? Based out of Los Angeles, Mac Sabbath is the world’s only McDonalds-themed Black Sabbath tribute band. Along with being hilarious, they are quite talented. (Clearly, I’m a fan.) They are currently touring in support of a new pop-up book they just published. You can catch the 2022 Pop-Up Drive-Thru Tour at 8pm Sat at Trees Dallas (2709 Elm St, @TreesDallas) with opening acts Lung (a two-piece band from Cincinnati) and local darlings Speedealer. Tickets are $18 at TreesDallas.com.
8.) On the second Saturday of the month thru Sat, Feb 23, St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church (2045 Green Oaks Blvd, 817-465-3043) is the location of the Arlington Charities Mobile Food Bank (@ArlingtonCharities). On a first-come, first-served basis, anyone who is hungry is invited to stop by 8:30am-11am — or until all the food is gone — and receive free supplemental groceries, including bakery items, canned goods, dairy, fruit, and more. No appointment is needed. Upon arrival, stay inside your car and pop your trunk. AC volunteers will load the groceries for you.
