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Ten years ago, the Texas A&M Bonfire collapsed. I mourned then, and I remember that terrible tragedy now.
It seems like it hasn’t been that long, but indeed 1999 was a decade ago. I was a junior at The University of Texas.
Like most Longhorns, I was looking forward to the annual Hex Rally leading up to the rivals’ Thanksgiving game. But when the stack collapsed at College Station, a silly tradition was the last thing on my mind.
Instead of gearing up for the big game, both universities mourned the 12 students killed and dozens injured. Instead of a Hex Rally, about 10,000 UT and Texas A&M students came together for a Unity Gathering in front of UT’s Main Building tower. Instead of holding red candles, we lit white ones and mourned together.
It was a touching tribute — one that I’ll never forget. Following is an excerpt from the Texas Alcalde, the Texas Exes magazine. Cora Bullock captured the details much better than I ever could:
At the gathering, a succession of dignitaries consoled the crowd: President Larry Faulkner, Chairman Don Evans of the UT Board of Regents, Lt. Governor Rick Perry, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Coach Mack Brown, A&M Student Government president Will Hurd, and Milam Newby. The unsettlingly silent crowd neither clapped after any speaker nor uttered a word. The only sound was the wind whipping the flags at half-mast.
After the speeches, carilloneur Tom Anderson played “The Spirit of Aggieland,” chimed the Tower’s bells 12 times, and then finished with “The Eyes of Texas.” A bugler played “Taps” while Aggie and Longhorn students and alumni spread the glow of the candles across the plaza and down the South Mall.
No one read concluding remarks, signifying that people could stay as long as they needed to. People gently sang the school songs and “Amazing Grace” again and again. A&M corps members helped alongside APO members to lower the massive flag, which threatened to rip out of their fingers in the fierce wind.
The crowd slowly dissipated, but many lingered around small, impromptu shrines. Two Aggie corps members stood over two Bonfire work helmets set on the ground, around which people had placed candles. One member, overwhelmed by grief, walked away from the crowd to compose himself.
In the end, Aggies gathered in a large circle and softly chanted a spirit yell. Then came a loud, friendly voice from the crowd: “Gig ’em, Horns!” He broke the tension, brought some laughter, and a brief reprieve from the numbing sorrow. It gave voice to what the Longhorns and Aggies were feeling toward one another, the rivalry a distant thought as UT did what it could to help A&M through its pain.
The ceremony was the culmination of a remarkable week in the history of both schools, a week in which archrivals discovered a bond that they themselves may not have believed existed. Something had changed. “We can’t ever go back to where we were five days ago,” Newby said.
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That’s how you say "2012." Not "two-thousand-twelve." Think about it: How do you say the year 1912? Go ahead. Say it out loud. Exactly.
So, I recommend everyone make it their New Year’s resolution to say "twenty-ten" when referring to the year 2010. The sooner, the better.
Sorry for the rant, but I edit words for a living and I hear a lot of people talking about the movie 2012. Thanks for reading! And, for your patience, here’s Matt Mungle’s excellent review of 2012.
• For anyone who didn't make it out to the grand opening, check out the photos I snapped.
• Joy Tipping's article in Monday's The Dallas Morning News: AT&T Performing Arts Center's Wyly Theatre and Winspear Opera House impress crowds at free downtown Dallas fest.
• Curtain rises on Dallas arts center: Just about everything you need to know about the PAC.
If you worked in downtown Dallas yesterday, you may have noticed a strange sight. Bikes. Lots of them.
The mass of non-motorized transportation was part of Bike Friendly Oak Cliff’s nine days of bike awareness (Cyclesomatic bicycle festival; great name, eh?). The group’s goal yesterday was raising awareness for their causes — creating a bike-friendly city and advocating cleaner healthier lifestyles that benefit cyclists and the community as a whole. Read Dallas Morning News reporter Roy Appleton’s story about yesterday's bike gathering. And watch Ron Baselice's video.
What’s really strange about yesterday’s crowd of bicyclists is that seeing bikes around here is strange. In most major U.S. cities (Portland, New York, Chicago, Austin, Boston, Seattle, Milwaukee …) many commuters opt for pedal power for myriad reasons. Of course, a good infrastructure for cycling, which all those cities have, certainly helps. And Dallas is notorious for lacking that system of roads and paths. In fact, according to Bicycling Magazine, “we’re” the worst in the country. I’m not gonna deny that I was embarrassed when that article came out. The truth hurts.
Even with the bad rating, I know there are cyclo-commuters out there. I applaud y’all. Heck, I’m envious. I miss biking to work. When I lived in Rockford, Ill., my 2.5-mile ride into the office was the highlight of my day. It started the day just right. And the return ride home was a nice way to unwind from a stressful day.
So do any of y’all bike to work or around town for certain errands? Why do you opt for a bike? Are there cities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area that are bike friendly? I want to hear your story, and I’m sure others would, too. Comment below, send me a message on the site or send me an e-mail. And, most of all, keep on riding …
Admitting that I’m having a hard time putting sentences together is difficult.
Writing and editing is my livelihood. It’s among the things I think I do best. Yet here I am with plenty of things I would like to say/write/share, but I can’t find the right words to express the hope, joy, gratitude, inspiration and love I feel, see and share in my life, at work, from family and friends. I guess the good news is … well, it’s all good news.
I think my upcoming week off from neighborsgo-ing (unplugging, logging off and rebooting, so to speak) will help. I generally return refreshed from days away from work.
The two original Broadway leads — Ashley Brown and Gavin Lee — were excellent as Mary and Bert. Brown’s accent sounded just like Julie Andrews. Lee’s dancing was better than Dick Van Dyke’s, which I attribute to the remarkable stage choreography.
I’m no Broadway musical aficionado, so check colleague Lawson Taitte’s review for a more professional opinion.
My final thoughts: The show’s songs are just as good as any fan would hope (“Step In Time” is the showstopper) and there are plenty of surprises that will delight all ages. Reconsider taking children to the 8 p.m. performances. A 170-minute run time will test most kiddoes’ patience (and the patience of neighboring patrons).
It’s a Twitter thing, y’all. And it’s totally fun.
I went to the first Flower Mound Tweetup and met some good folks (neighborsgo contributors and BurbMom.net’s Holly, Shauna, Allie, LaShawn and Jamie were there).You may remember Lewisville/Flower Mound editor Ruth Haesemeyer's story about that first tweetup.
The third FMTU begins at 6 tonight at Wings, Pizza & Things. Get the details over here. The FMTU is sponsored by the Flower Mound Best Buy, so there might be another “twaffle” (Twitter raffle for fab prizes).
Allen is also getting into the tweetup game. The first one is gonna be a goodie. It will be from 6 to 9 p.m. this Thursday at Scotty P’s. Get the details here. Extra incentive: The Allen Americans, the area’s newest minor league hockey team, will hold a drawing for tickets. The catch: Show up to the ATU and retweet the following message on Twitter — RT @allenamericans: Drawing for tix to fan who RT Americans Full, Half, Mini Plans ON SALE & attends #AllenTweetup. Pretty simple, eh?
So go to the tweetups, take some pics and share them on neighborsgo.com.
In Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Mathew Broderick says plenty of memorable lines. My favorite — “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once and a while, you could miss it.”
Therein lies the problem with living a 65-mph life — passing entire cities filled with various communities and their landmarks and missing so much. That’s why I enjoy riding a bike. There’s no better way to get somewhere and soak up your surroundings.
I’ve been fortunate to explore several cities and towns across the country on two wheels. I’ve had my fair share of flats while spinning around the desert landscapes of Arizona and West Texas. I’ve shivered while wearing extra layers on my morning commute along the Rock River in Rockford, Ill. I’ve cruised around Crawford hoping to run into the then-POTUS (no luck). All of these rides — the route, the sites, the smells (good and bad) and points in between A and B — are etched in my mind
Two weekends ago I added a new but familiar route. Inspired by Lance Armstrong’s “Tour de Plano,” I set out on a “Tour de Garland.” Why Garland? It’s simple — like Lance, I chose my hometown. I wanted to revisit some places I loved growing up, see how the landscape has changed and take advantage of scarce traffic and wide roads through central and south Garland (though I recommend non-seasoned cyclists not attempt my path). Unlike Lance, I didn’t tweet while cycling. But I kept mental notes, took some pictures and wrote 140 characters (or less) for each. I hope you enjoy the Tour de Garland and I hope you plan on going to Sept. 12’s Tour de neighborsgo!
The route: Garland Road is a great, straight shot from White Rock. It’s rough in spots but barren at 7 a.m. on Sundays.
Hypermart: Opened in ’87, Wal-Mart’s 1st foray into Supercenters; it was massive (twice the size of SCs); made me insane, not hyper.
Sign o’ the times: Such a classic sign. This ranks up there with the Sigel’s sign.
Unfortunately the aforementioned sign’s purpose is lost. I bought a lot of funky clothes at this thrifter.
Larry Morgan’s store was Speirs Music Co. when I first started playing 17 years ago. I bought four basses there, and I still own three of them.
Zoo Music: Next door to the closed Larry Morgan’s. Not as huge or chaotic as its Dallas location.
Garland High School: I didn’t go there, but I think it’s the coolest looking high school in GISD. I’m a sucker for Spanish tile!
Downtown: It’s more vibrant these days. I have mixed emotions on mixed-used dvlpmnts cropping up in G-town. I scraped much skin skating here.
The Corner Pocket: Sammiches, baked potatoes and custard galore … and a pretty cool mural (below).
Hubbard’s Cupboard: A Garland original well known for its mile-high pie and wait staff.
Plaza Theatre: Retro-futuro landmark that is getting decent use these days. I always hoped it’d show art films.
Roach Feed & Seed: I’ve never gone in, but I can tell you that Roach is a family name so you’ll have to find insect food elsewhere.
Love Blooms: Was THE place to get all those flower needs for homecoming & other dances.
Axe Memorial UMC: Lots of good memories of youth group, lock-ins, and playing VBS & assorted shows with The SGA at the ol’ Sombrero.
Mystery Machine: Scooby Doo is still my all-time fave cartoon. I would cherish owning this van I saw parked behind a home on Colonel Drive.
South Garland High School West Gymnasium: Tornado ripped the first west gym; I saw some epic hoops teams play here.
The Forest at Duck Creek Apartments: Legend has it this statue was made to honor a young skateboarder who died in an accident.
LOOKING FOR A GROUP
The Dallas-Fort Worth area is loaded with cycling groups and clubs. There’s a good chance that there’s at least one in your community. These clubs not only introduce cyclists to each other, they are an excellent resource for learning about local trails and roads that are most bike-friendly. Most groups have a variety of scheduled rides with experience levels ranging from beginner to advanced/expert. There are membership fees for each club; however, the groups generally are open to prospective club members taking a few spins before they shell out the dues.
Following are a few of the several groups in the area. Take a look and see if any are up your alley.
· Carrollton Cycling Club: This is a fairly laid-back group of cyclists. It’s Web site mentions that it’s not a racers group, though they’re welcome to come along for the social rides. carrolltoncycling.com
· Farmers Branch Cycling Club: This group is perfect for cyclists who are just getting used to road riding. In addition to group rides, it organizes classes specifically for newbies who need a bit of assistance in getting up to “club” speed. farmersbranchcycling.com
· Texas Flyers: Most of the group’s rides are in Lewisville, Flower Mound and Southern Denton County. I highly recommend the Saturday social ride. texasflyers.org
· Greater Dallas Bicyclists: If it’s not the largest group in the region it’s close. Tons of rides, tons of people, tons of fun. greaterdallasbicyclists.com
· Plano Bike Association: Another sizeable group that has an impressive number of Saturday/Sunday ride options for weekend warriors. planobicycle.org
· Frisco Cycling Club: This group is focused on its community and all aspects of cycling — from track racing to commuting, road riding to mountain biking. … Sharing passion for cycling and knowledge is what this group’s all about. friscocycling.com
It’s September. That means only one thing: some big-time sporting action is happening right now.
I know what you’re thinking; but no, I’m not talking about high school cross country running, volleyball and football. Nor am I talking about professional football or Major League Baseball’s pennant race. I’m talking about the exciting world of cycling!
I’m sure most of you caught the thrilling first handful of stages of the Vuelta a España (Tour of Spain, among the classic races in pro cycling). What’s that you say? You’re NOT following the Vuelta! Hmm. … I guess I get it. No Lance Armstrong, no interest, right? That makes sense; you don’t have a local “horse” in an international race in Spain, so it’s not on your radar. And you are, in fact, more interested in the other sports mentioned earlier. That’s fair.
While followers of professional cycling are way outnumbered by those who watch high school sports, I would venture to guess that at least one-third of area residents have at least one bike in their homes. Maybe those bikes lately have spent more time in garages than on the road. All it takes is a little motivation, some nice weather and maybe a few pumps to re-inflate the tires and set you on your merry, carefree cycling way. More on how to get back on your bikes later.
You don’t have to be able to ride fast or do a bunch of tricks. All you need is a desire to enjoy a truly timeless and ageless pursuit. For experienced riders, there’s a good deal of nostalgia involved with riding a bike. As children, our first two-wheelers represent freedom and expanded boundaries. As an adolescent, that shiny, new bike and plenty of pavement drastically expand your world from just your neighborhood to blocks upon blocks of neighborhoods. And even as an adult, there’s no better way to explore your community than at a leisurely pace on a bike. Give it a try; you’ll see things differently than when you’re zipping past in a car.
A perfect mix
Personally, there are three things I consistently tell people I am passionate about: journalism, cycling and music. These are the things that best define who I am and never cease to bring me joy. So imagine my delight when neighborsgo agreed to put on a bike ride and concert in Castle Hills!
Everyone is welcome to join the free, family friendly main event, an approximately 1-½-mile bike ride and one-block tyke ride, from 9 a.m. to noon Sept. 12 at the Castle Hills Village Shops, 2450 King Arthur Blvd., Lewisville.
In addition to the fun time riding bikes, there will be face painting, prize raffles and crafts. And quite a few neighborsgo friends also will be there:
• Baylor Medical Center Carrollton will offer free health screenings.
• Bundles Gourmet will have free refreshments.
• Hard-kicking martial artists with Taekwondo America will put on a display of their skills.
• Dancers from Carrollton-based Diane Cole Johnson School of Dance will show off their graceful moves.
• And closing the big event will be “five women over 40” who can really rock — Merry and the Mood Swings!
Whether on two, three or training wheels, we hope you come out to Tour de neighborsgo in Castle Hills Saturday.
Robert Tracy is assistant managing editor of design for neighborsgo. Contact him at rtracy@neighborsgo.com or at neighborsgo.com/robert_tracy.
TOUR DE NEIGHBORSGO
What: Community bike ride, family activities, performances and rock concert
When, where: 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday Sept. 12 at the Castle Hills Village Shops, 2450 King Arthur Blvd., Lewisville.
For more information, e-mail community@neighborsgo.com. Check out Sept. 11’s edition for a feature on cycling and final details about Tour de neighborsgo.
During those formative years, my community was South Garland — La Prada and Northwest Highway, right where Mesquite, Dallas and G-Town meet. The blocks, people and places are as vivid now as they were then. In fact, maybe even more so because I — gasp — kinda miss ’em.
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