Brace yourselves for the Texas Food Truck Fest coming to the Valley View parking lot Friday and Saturday. It’s the state’s largest food truck festival ever, featuring 30 vendors from Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin. There’s a Dash & Dine 5k on Saturday morning – sign up here. General admission for the festival is $5, and 15 percent of sales benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, North Texas Chapter. Find more details here.

Looking for a Mother’s Day treat for the classical music lover? The Lone Star Wind Orchestra performs at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the Eisemann Center. Tickets are $20-$40.

The David H. Gibson’s exhibit Sequences closes this Saturday at Valley House Gallery & Sculpture Garden. Gallery 10 a.m.-5 p.m. through Saturday.

Dear boss:

I know I haven’t had a very good last year or so — not much writing on the blog, out of town a lot so I couldn’t keep up with what was going on around here, and the like. But I would like a raise, and I think I’ve found a way for you to give me one.

The City Council voted yesterday to give city manager Mary Suhm a nearly 10 percent pay hike. In fact, the vote was nearly unanimous. So, despite the city’s financial woes over the past five years — which took place while Suhm was in charge — the council figured she should be rewarded for letting the streets go to pot holes, laying off hundreds of employees, and spending money that we didn’t have.

Given those standards, I deserve at least a five percent raise, don’t I?

My winning streak with cheap pinot noir from the Languedoc region of France continues. First, there was the Tortoise Creek, and now there is the Luc Pirlet ($10, purchased, available at Central Market). Who’d have thought this was possible, given the region’s problems with pinot noir?

Frankly, this was much, much better than I expected (being the curmudgeon I am). It has moderate black fruit, plus some pepper and earthiness. What’s missing is what I expected to find — that New World kind of fruitiness that makes cheap pinot taste like it could have been made anywhere in the world. But this is 100 percent pinot noir, so the flabby fruit that comes from adding syrah or grenache is missing.

It’s not quite as well done as the Tortoise Creek, but it’s still a stunningly well-made $10 bottle of pinot noir — let alone from a region where pinot has such a sorry history. This is a candidate for the $10 Hall of Fame, and yes, Mom, would appreciate it over the weekend. Drink this on its own, or with burgers, barbecue or meatloaf. Who knew pinot would turn into a midweek dinner kind of wine?

As further proof that nothing really new ever happens in life or politics, check out this vintage cartoon the DMN’s Robert Wilonsky stumbled across in the DMN archives. It shows a 1933 discussion of reasons to turn the Trinity levees into Dallas’ very own “Central Park”.

Now where have we heard that one before?

 

If you’ve lived in Far North Dallas for a number of years, you’ve probably heard of Neighborhood Service Council and the work it does with at-risk youth, particularly in the Coit/Spring Valley/Maham area. For more than 20 years, NSC has offered kids a safe and enriching place to go after school and keeps them from getting caught up in gangs.

A major fundraiser for the nonprofit is the annual spring luncheon 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. May 25 at Embassy Suites. Tickets are $50 and on sale now. Buy them here.

NSC is a small organization with the capacity to serve just 30 children each school year age 5-13 at Spring Valley, Northwood Hills, Dover and Bukhair elementary schools. It also serves RISD Academy and Dobie Primary. NSC rents a building from the Spring Valley United Methodist Church just off Spring Valley and Peyton.

The program works wonders for the students fortunate enough to participate (there is a waiting list). With enough support from the community, it could expand and make even more of a difference in our neighborhoods.

Find out ways to get involved through volunteering, providing snacks and supplies or donating money.

Northwood Hills Elementary PTA had another successful auction this year. It was an ’80s theme, and parents came dressed in their best retro attire. The auction raised $27,000 for the school. Last year, the funds helped pay for field trips, technology upgrades and Accelerated Reading materials.

Check out these photos from the event by Troung Nguyen.

It’s time for a little spring cleaning. You can start by emptying your file cabinets of sensitive and unnecessary documents.

The JJ Pearce marching band will host a drive-up Shred-a-thon 11 a.m.-1 p.m. May 19 at the high school to help neighbors avoid identity theft while getting rid of old bills, receipts, bank statements and other personal papers. Don’t worry about staples or paper clips, but be sure to remove any other metal, plastic or glass items.

This is a fundraiser, so there’s a suggested donation of $10 per banker-sized box of papers and $5 for every box after that. Bring cash only. The money goes to support the Pearce, Parkhill and Richardson North bands.

More than 200 bowlers came out last month for the annual Zweig Family End of School Year Bash at 300 in Addison. The event raised $60,000 in funds for the Gladys Golman/Faye Dallen Special Needs Fund and the Special Needs Partnership of the Jewish Family Service.

In addition to its broader assistance to community members in need, JFS, based at Arapaho and Montfort, provides resources and programs for children with autism or Asperger’s syndrome, ADD/ADHD, dyslexia and other learning differences and neurological disorders.

The Gladys Golman/Faye Dallen Fund, which is housed with the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation, will have granted nearly $300,000 to Dallas-area institutions by August 1.

As I try to describe the spectacular bursts of color and beauty at the “Chihuly at the Dallas Arboretum” exhibit, I’m reminded of my diabetic son and how we allowed him to eat candy only on rare occasions. When he did pop a Skittle or Starburst into his little mouth, he would close his eyes in unadulterated bliss. That’s the childlike glee and wonder you’ll feel viewing each colorful glass masterpiece. You can see my photo slideshow here.

World-renowned artist Dale Chihuly was in Dallas today to give a sneak peek at the bold hues and complicated creations now on view at the Arboretum. The exhibit officially opens Saturday and runs through November 5th.

“I just try to make something nobody’s seen before,” Chihuly said. “I try to make it as fresh as I can and make it as beautiful as I can.”

I’m fascinated by how they’ll handle the first Texas hail storm (“it’s pretty strong,” Chihuly claimed), but the fragility of the glass is a big part of its exquisite wonder. Chihuly has done ten shows in gardens before (though he admits he’s never experienced our run-of-the-mill golf-ball-sized hail).

Chihuly took his glass-blowing team all over the world to learn a variety of techniques, and each creation is completely different from the other. The glass sculptures, which were shipped in five 50 foot trailers and took 12 days to install, are carefully cleaned using cloth diapers and Swiffers. The only negative: Chihuly’s glass is so jaw-droppingly dazzling you may find yourself strolling pass the stunning salvia, flawless ferns and perfect impatiens with nary a glance.

All the Arboretum, Park Board and donor-types responsible for bringing this coup to Dallas were on hand to welcome Chihuly and his wife. “Get out there twice,” encouraged Gillian Breidenbach with corporate sponsor Bank of America, “once during the day and once at night. You’ll get a completely different perspective.” The glasswork will be specially lit after dark.

The Arboretum is open from 9am to 5pm and will offer special garden hours from 6-10pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings for the special Chihuly Nights illuminated viewing. Day entry is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, $9 for children and $10 for parking. At night, non-member adults pay $20 and member adults pay $12 (there’s no parking fee at night), and a family membership costs $109. (If you enjoy the fun hillside concerts, the membership will pay for itself in no time.) For more details about pricing and memberships, visit their website here.

Etsy Dallas’ semi-annual bashes are on my not-too-be-missed list. Being a non-crafty person myself, I always browse through the booths and think, “You can make that from a piece of fabric and an alligator clip?”

This Saturday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. is the spring Handmade Bash at the Palladium’s Southside event center, 1135 S. Lamar. Admission is free, but parking costs $5, so carpool if you can. One of the best things about the bash, other than the darling finds, is the opportunity to shop local — not just Dallas local, but Far North Dallas local. As you browse, look for crafters from our neighborhoods (find a list after the event poster):

Dozy Doats Totes

K8 Made

Regal Cottage

The Pig & the Peacock

The Richardson City Council on May 14 is expected to approve the re-zoning of the old Pep Boys store in the Richardson Heights Shopping Center at Belt Line and Central Expressway to make way for the first Alamo Drafthouse in Dallas-Fort Worth. Pegasus News has the story.

The coveted Austin-based, dinner-theater chain would have a full kitchen with 40 beers on tap. In addition to screening new releases, the theater also hosts quote-a-longs for cult movies like “Caddyshack.”

The owners wanted to seal the deal quietly and quickly since there’s another old theater space on Spring Valley that’s up for grabs. Spokesman Bill DiGaetano told Pegasus that you have to be three miles from an existing theater to get first-run Hollywood movies.

That made me think about all the recent announcements in and around Far North Dallas that involve new movie theaters. We’re pretty sure the Valley View redevelopment will keep AMC as a major tenant. Construction has already begun on the restaurant and theater complex at Prestonwood and Belt Line. And, no word yet on whether the Village on the Parkway is still planning to anchor part of its center with a new theater. 

The Cottonwood Art Festival is Saturday and Sunday at Cottonwood Park, featuring professional artists, emerging student artists, live music, including Brave Combo, food and children’s activities. Admission and parking is free.

The Richardson Community Band performs a Pops Showcase at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Eisemann Center. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for children and seniors.

Stand-up comedian Anthony Jeselnik stops by the Addison Improv all weekend. He’s well-known for participating in Comedy Central roasts and performing on late-night shows. Tickets are $20.