Dallas / Fort Worth and Me

We all love odd and amazing things, right? Well, here’s a treat to enjoy while you’re visiting the Metroplex. On Highway 30 in Grand Prairie, halfway between Dallas and Fort Worth (and not far from Six Flags), sits this castle of commercialism, like something out of a Disney fantasy.

Recognize it yet? No? How about…now?

Don’t those onion domes and minarets kick architectural ass? Why yes. Yes they do. We don’t see that kind of thing all that often around here, except for the occasional mosque. Oh, and there’s that cool-looking Coptic Catholic Church in Richardson, which the congregation was very careful to identify as such with big banners right after 9/11.

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I’m back again, with the rest of my entry on the famous and fascinating Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, which will be in town at the Will Rogers Memorial Center through February 3, 2008. I left off last time just as we were about to enter the livestock area, which I’m sure you will all find most fascinating.

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I recently had the pleasure of attending the 122th annual celebration of the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo — or if you prefer, the Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show, its other nom de plume.  Whatever you choose to call it, it’s a great big rural-themed expo. Think of something like unto the State Fair of Texas, except smaller, and held in the wilds of downtown Fort Worth instead of Dallas. You can buy funnel cakes and jumbo corn dogs for astonishing amounts of money; you can see exhibits; you can check out new automobiles;  you can even ride the Tiltawhirl and Octopus,  and stumble around a funhouse.

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The Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex is a happening place, with dozens of events to attend across the course of the year in the various towns and cities that make up this bustling metropolis. I’ll use this page keep track of what’s scheduled every month. I’ll continue to add events as they appear and the dates are firmed up, and it’s my intention to attend and write about these events as they happen, insofar as that’s possible. At the moment, the list is weighted heavily toward large tourist-oriented events like festivals and celebrations, but I’ll soon add big-name concerts and other top draws to the list. I’ll also insert new events as they’re announced or as I find them, so please check back regularly. With rare exceptions (such as the first game of the season), expect local sport events to have their own special page.

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Downtown Ft. Worth has many things to recommend it, but one of the most majestic is the beautiful Bass Performance Hall.

Located in historic Sundance Square, just across the street from the famous Flying Saucer Pub, the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall Complex (as it’s officially known) takes up the entire block bound by Calhoun, Commerce, 4th and 5th streets. It’s described in its literature as “the crowning jewel of a city which boasts the nation’s third largest cultural district,” and yes, it definitely is that. Poor Dallas; compared to Ft. Worth, the Big D’s pretty much a cultural backwater, and the existence of the Bass — which would not be out of place in New York or the Continent, incidentally — just makes it all the more obvious.

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