Since next week is our annual Best Of edition, full of blurbs about the best of everything our area has to offer and no regular sections, this week is my last chance to tell you about what’s happening the rest of September and some of early October. Shall we begin?
Thursday, September 19, 2024
North Texas Giving Day 2024 is today from 6am to midnight, and many area organizations could use your support. In the case of the National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum (2201 Dottie Lynn Pkwy, Ste 115, Fort Worth, 817-534-8801), the Communities Foundation of Texas is covering all program fees, so 100% of every gift goes directly to the museum. Formerly known as the National Cowboys of Color Museum, this nonprofit is devoted to showcasing the history of the Buffalo Soldiers and frontier people and the role of the minority cowboy in our past, present, and future. For the complete list of great organizations you can help today, visit NorthTexasGivingDay.org.
Friday, September 20, 2024
Texas Ballet Theater will bring all the fairy dust and stepsister hijinks, along with one legendary glass slipper, to Bass Performance Hall (555 Commerce St, Fort Worth, 817-212-4280) at 8pm today, 2pm/8pm Sat, and 2pm Sun. The matinee shows of Ben Stevenson’s Cinderella include a children’s area with activities and photo ops. Tickets start at $25 at TexasBalletTheater.org.
Saturday, September 21, 2024
As part of the regular Rock N Roll Rummage Sale, more than 40 local vendors selling antiques, art, books, collectibles, jewelry, oddities, retro items, vintage finds, and more will gather at South Main Micro Park (105 S Main St, Fort Worth, 817-923-1649) from noon to 6pm. Admission is free, and food will be available for purchase. This event is typically a monthly Sunday thing, but it’s happening today as part of a regular live music series hosted by the neighborhood development group.
The third of its four-part series, the Near Southside’s Lost ’N Sound takes place at 19 venues throughout South Main Village and environs. Thirty-five artists are slated to perform, and shuttles will be running all day. Visit LostNSound.org.
Courtesy Near Southside
Friday-Sunday, September 27-29, 2024
The ninth annual PolaCon, an instant-film convention in downtown Denton, includes a PolaWalk at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas 10am-8pm Fri, a cyanotype workshop in Denton noon-1:30pm Sat, live music at Dan’s Silverleaf (103 Industrial St, Denton, 940-808-0008, $15) at 3pm Sun featuring the Baptist Generals, and much more. For more details, visit Facebook.com/InstantFilmSociety. Convention event tickets are $25-100 on Eventbrite.com.
Speaking of the State Fair, today is opening day. Running for 24 consecutive days thru Sun, Oct 20, at Fair Park (3809 Grand Av, Dallas, 214-670-8400), this annual extravaganza has live music, a rodeo, and a car show, plus the latest innovations in fried food. For the full scoop on what’s happening when and this year’s featured fair foods and shows, visit BigTex.com/plan-your-visit. As for the general times to keep in mind, the fair is open Fri-Sat 10am-10pm and 10am-9pm Sun-Thu.
Courtesy PolaCon
Tuesday, October 1, 2024
While the bulk of the 2024 LBGTQIA+ celebrations happened back in June — so many that we dedicated an entire issue to Pride Month — there are also some happenings in October to coincide with National Coming Out Day and commemorate the first and second marches on Washington for LGBT rights in 1979 and 1987. One local commemorative event is Tarrant County Pride 36th Anniversary: Live Life Bold at the Fort Worth Water Gardens (1502 Commerce St, Fort Worth, 817-921-3318) from 11am to 8pm. Admission to this pet-/family-friendly event is $5 for adults, $1 for kids 5-14, and free for kids 4 and under.
In unrelated “out” news, today is National Night Out, when you’re meant to stick your head out your front door and meet your neighbors and some local first responders in a friendly community setting. In Haslet, this means coming out to Haslet Community Park (301 1st St, 817-439-5931) from 6pm to 8pm to chat with the volunteer fire department and the team from the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office. The free family fun will include music, games, a petting zoo, and a touch-a-truck area where kids can check out fire and police vehicles up close. There is no cost to attend.
Monday, October 7, 2024
Summer has come and passed. The innocent can never last. Wake me up when September ends. Translation: I felt targeted at the recent Green Day show, given all the work we do in September for Best Of. Sigh. Seeing these guys at Globe Life Field last week meant another bucket-list band checked off my list. Along with performing Dookie in its entirety, the band also played American Idiot from beginning to end. That concept album is quite political, but they kept themselves in check and let the music speak for itself with one exception: They reminded everyone to make sure they’re registered to vote. And then to go vote, of course. The band has partnered with HeadCount, a nonprofit that promotes voter registration and participation in democracy through the power of music and culture. You can check your status at HeadCount.org, but if you use the QR in the image on this page, you might win some Green Day merchandise. The voter registration deadline in Texas is today, so do it now!
Courtesy HeadCount.org
