Back Talk Far North Dallas

RISD Clothes Closet needs donations

The RISD Clothes Closet has been especially busy in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike and is therefore in serious need of donations. With winter just around the corner, jackets, pants and shoes are in high demand. If you have any new or gently used clothes you’d like to donate, you can drop them off at the donation center at 970 Security Row on Mondays between 9:30-11:30 a.m. Or if you’d like to arrange a different drop off time at J J Pearce, you can contact Anne Westphal.

National Night Out: Estates West

I went to the Estates West National Night Out celebration last night, as I'm sure a lot of you did in your own neighborhoods. Mayor Tom Leppert, councilman Ron Natinsky, and Advocate's own Ask A Cop columnist Deputy Chief Elliston were all guest speakers. I got to visit with several neighbors, many of whom have graced the pages of Advocate magazine. I snapped some photos throughout the night, which you can see online now. Thanks to all the Estates West neighbors for the lovely dinner, good conversation, and for making me feel so welcome, as always.

City council priorities: a curfew, a promoter and a trans-fat ban?

DMN city council reporter Dave Levinthal apparently spent some time at the city council's retreat this week, and he highlights a few ideas that council members are considering pushing later this year ... here's a sneak peak at what might come up during the next council term:

• "A daytime curfew for school-aged children in an effort to curb truancy," this idea courtesy of mayor pro tem Elba Garcia.

• Additional crime-monitoring cameras in troubled neighborhoods.

Free coffee at Dunkin' Donuts

If you swing by Dunkin' Donuts now through Sunday, Oct. 12, you can get a free cup of coffee, hot or iced. But wait, it gets better. After Oct. 12, the promotion will continue to run every Monday in October. Just swing by one of the Dunkin' Donuts in our neighbhorhood next time you're out and about to get your free caffeine fix.

Woman thrown from car on Dallas North Tollway: update

A few weeks ago on this blog I told you about a woman who was thrown from a moving car on the Dallas North Tollway. The police are still trying to track this man, who is described as being about 20, having an olive complexion, short dark hair and driving a light-colored, older-model, four-door sedan. The victim says she met the man at Oktoberfest when he was with a group of friends. The victim's family is now reaching out to the public in the hopes that someone who was with him that night might come forward, or someone may recognize his car in the TxDOt video. If you any information, please contact the police at 214.671.3503. 

Panera Bread at Eastside is open

The Panera Bread at the new Eastside development has just opened. That means we now have another neighborhood option next time we're jonesing for a sandwich. Not that we really needed one though. In that half-mile stretch on Campbell between Greenville and Collins we have eight sandwich shops. Think about it. On the west side of Central Expressway we have Quiznos, Benny's, Panera, and Jersey Mikes (coming soon). One block over, we have Potbelly, Atlanta Bread Company, The Great Outdoors, and Which Wich. I'm not sure what's causing these sandwich chains to flock here, but I'm willing to bet this half-mile stretch is one the highest concentrations of purely sandwich shops in the area, including Addison. What I find even more interesting is that not one of these sandwich shops are a Subway.

Costume stores in North Dallas

Every year about this time they mysteriously appear in our neighborhood, randomly popping up in vacant storefronts. Then, almost as quickly as they appeared, they're gone.
I'm talking about those fly-by-night Halloween costume stores that open for about a month every year. But because they're housed in vacant stores, the location of these shops changes from year-to-year, making them sometimes hard to find.
I've been keeping a scope out for them this year, and I've spotted several here in our neighborhood. I know there's a Spirit store off Belt Line in Addison where the Thomasville store used to be. And there's another in Richardson off Coit.
This weekend I went to the Halloween USA off Campbell in Richardson and I was really pleased with their selection and prices. If you or the kids still aren't sure what you want to be this year, this is a great place to do some browsing and brainstorming. There are two other Halloween USA stores in our neighborhood: one off Preston near Valley View mall, and another on Dallas Parkway closer to the Galleria.
If there are any others out there that you know of that I don't have on my radar,  let me know so I can add it to the list.

W.T. White homecoming parade: volunteers needed

The folks at W.T. White need a few good neighbors to pitch in and make their homecoming parade a success this Thursday, Oct. 9. The PTA there is looking for people who'd be willing to drive (or lend) their convertibles for the parade succession.  Parents are also looking for neighbors to help them set up the parade line up. They need about 8 volunteers to help corral and line up parade participants in the parking lot the day of the parade.
If you or one of your neighbors want to help the Longhorns, just contact Keith Bechly.

Dallas County Sheriff candidate forum next week

The League of Women Voters of Dallas, Irving and Richardson will host a forum for Dallas County Sheriff candidates on Tuesday, October 7.  The public event will be from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of Preston Hollow Elementary School. The candidates are incumbent Lupe Valdez and Lowell Cannaday, the former Irving Police Chief. Channel 8 reporter Brad Watson will moderate the forum.
If you go, keep an eye out for Sandy Greyson. She's the new president of the League of Women Voters of Dallas--and she's the newest Advocate columnist. If you missed her first column, you can read it now online. And let me know your feedback on the piece--or better yet, if you see Sandy, tell her yourself.

Cottonwood Art Festival

If you've driven down Belt Line anytime in the past few days, you've probably spotted the colorful flags at Cottonwood Park going up. If that weren't reminder enough, consider this your official notice: the Cottonwood Art Festival kicks off this Friday, Oct. 4.
If you've never been, you should. There will be more than 800 artists selling their work there, so whether you like those Pollock-esque conceptual pieces, or you prefer the pastel wildflower scenes, there's something up your alley. Plus there's all sorts of unique crafts, sculptures, vases, candles, etc. There will also be live music, tons of hands-on messy fun for the kiddos, and dogs are welcome, too. Last year I sampled the deep fried cheese cake which tasted a lot better than it sounds (think canoli), but I was sad to see it's not coming back this year. Oh well. I guess I'll have to settle for the old fashioned corndog and a frozen lemonade. And unlike a lot of other festivals in our neighborhood, there is no charge to get into this one.