Adam Meierhofer has announced that he’s running for Place 1 on the Richardson ISD school board. The Lake Highlands resident hopes to replace long-time trustee Luke Davis, who announced plans to retire in May.

Meierhofer is best known for envisioning and chairing Oktoberfest for the LH Exchange Club with buddy Tate Gorman, an event that brought more than 5,000 people to the Town Center site and raised thousands of dollars for Exchange Club outreach and programming. (They were all-Clooney-and-Pitt when they were here to podcast about the upcoming event, charming everyone in the Advocate offices and heckling each other about who had the best ideas.)

Adam served on the District Education Committee, appointed by State Rep. Kenneth Sheets, and the Texas Leadership Summit for Young Professionals, appointed by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. He and his wife Brandy are active in the Moss Haven Elementary PTA, and Adam currently serves on the PTA board.

When I asked how he felt about being seen as a “young, up-and-comer” in the community, Adam said that, when approached to run by people he respects, he was honored and humbled. “I thought – I said aloud, ‘aren’t there others wiser and more mature than I to do this?’ Of course there are, and they are on the board.” But having two young children gives him a unique perspective – Kris Oliver is the only trustee with kids still attending RISD, and his youngest attends Richardson high school – and “real skin in the game.” Adds Adam, “and with my youngest not quite 2, that’s real skin!”

Adam coaches Ava Grace’s soccer team (she’s a second grader) and leads her princess tribe (formerly Indian Princesses, if you’re old like me). He carves out time for daddy-dates with 4-year-old Elizabeth Kay, who’ll start kindergarten next year, and says her all-time favorite was the recent LHHS performance of Putnam County Spelling Bee. He describes not-quite-2 William Slade as “one ball of energy” who loves being chased and only slows down long enough to pop Disney’s Cars into the DVD player.

“In running my small business, I’ve learned to wear many hats,” said Adam. “This will be an asset to me in serving as a member of the Board of Trustees, but my biggest asset to this Board are the three children I am blessed to come home to every evening.  Having them grow up in theRichardsonSchool Districtis motivation for Brandy and I to sacrifice our time to ensure that RISD continues to be a leading school district inTexas.”

“Luke and Paula Davis have been a major source of inspiration for Brandy and I,” he added, “and I am not running to replace him.  He cannot be replaced.  I want to continue to ensure the policies and programs that have made RISD great continue and I want to provide insight from a parent/resident different from the current members.”

At the Eisemann Center, Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet performs Moulin Rouge the Ballet at 8 p.m. Friday in Hill Performance Hall. The group is North America’s longest-operating ballet. Buy tickets here.

Kittrell/Riffkind Art Glass Studio hosts an opening reception for its 19th annual Scent Bottle Invitational, which features more than 60 contemporary glass artists. The reception is 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Saturday, and the show runs through March 3.

Adventure Landing celebrates Super Bowl Sunday, offering a free round of miniature golf, laser tag or go-karts when you wear a sports jersey. Bring this coupon.

White wines from France’s Rhone region aren’t particularly well known and, at least in this country, don’t get all that much respect. You don’t see many of them on store shelves or restaurant wine lists, and you don’t see many of them reviewed, for that matter.

Which is a shame, given that white Rhones are usually different and interesting, and that’s something I’m always looking for. The Belleruche ($12, purchased, available at Spec’s), from one of the Rhone’s largest producers, has always been one of my favorite wines for just that reason. When I can find it, of course.

This is a previous vintage, and the extra year of bottle age has given the wine, a blend of grenache blanc, clairette and bourboulenc, a little more character. There is lots of white pepper, some oiliness and just a hint of a green fruit, like lime or apple. This is a not a white wine for people who need something fruit forward, like sauvignon blanc or chardonnay, but it’s not supposed to be.

And don’t worry that you haven’t heard of the grapes used to make it — almost no one who isn’t in the wine business has heard of them, either. Which is another reason why the wine is so interesting, and that’s three more grapes for your Wine Century Club effort. Chill this and drink it on its own or with something like goat cheese; roast pork with apples would be terrific, too.

This is probably one of the most elaborate productions that the JJ Pearce High School theater department has put on. The much-anticipated “Phantom of the Opera” opens Feb. 2 and runs through Feb. 26.

All of the costumes are based on the original Broadway play. The show will be complete with flying effects and pyrotechnics.

Theater director Heather Biddle said in a press release, “This show has been the most difficult I have ever been involved with in my 15 years of directing. I can’t believe we are at the finish line, and these students have knocked it out of the park. I know that the audience will be blown away by what they see.”

And get this. Pearce is one of the few non-professional theaters given rights to perform “Phantom of the Opera,” and it will be the first school in Texas to do it this year.

Performances run at 7 p.m. Feb. 2, 12, 13 and 16; 7:30 p.m. Feb. 3, 4, 17, 18, 24 and 25; and 2 p.m. Feb. 5, 19 and 26. Tickets are $5-$16 and available online or by calling the box office at 469.593.5136. Box office hours are 4-5:30 p.m. Monday-Wednesday and 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday.

Pizza Inn recently launched a spin-off called Pie Five Pizza, which offers build-your-own personal-sized pizzas in less than five minutes. A location just opened up at Belt Line and the Tollway (right behind Far North Dallas’ third In-N-Out Burger, which looks to be opening any day now. As if anyone cares anymore).

Pie Five is just Pizza Inn in a fancier package. So, if you like Pizza Inn …

On the day I went, the restaurant was blaring loud, obnoxious music. Call me an old fogie, but I don’t enjoy having to shout my order, which was a lengthy one considering you dictate the type of crust, sauce, cheese and unlimited toppings. Pie Five serves 9-inch pizzas at $6.49 a pop (specialty pizzas cost more). A bit much considering I could get a pizza triple the size for around $10 at some other chain or, better yet, a locally owned pizzeria with a nicer atmosphere.

But there’s a lot to like here, too. Pie Five has a great selection of toppings, and you can load up on as many as you want. I ordered the pan crust with Tuscan marinara, mozzarella, chicken, spinach and roasted onions and peppers. Then I had them top it off with feta when it came out of the oven. Pretty good for five minutes.

The place was packed with happy diners – lots of young families – who seemed to really like the concept. It’s a great way to mix it up if people can’t agree on one type of pizza. However, it still doesn’t beat out my favorite neighborhood BYOB spots like Bacci’s, Pizza by Marco and Besa’s Pizza and Pasta.

This post is part of an ongoing series, “Will You Be My Advocate?,” by guest blogger, Lyn Pollard about neighborhood moms striving to become better advocates for their children with learning differences or special needs.

Have you ever found yourself in a room surrounded by people whom you suddenly realize actually both understand and can personally relate to exactly what you are going through? As a parent of two children who learn differently, I can tell you that this scenario is something that parents like me actually dream about. As one of the mothers in my neighborhood support & study group describes it, when seeking help for your child with a difference or special need, you often feel like you are alone on an island with no hope of help in sight; isolated, lonely and desperate for even one person who just “gets it.”

But Thursday night, at the RISD Parent Dyslexia Education Group (RISD PDEG) meeting led by guest speaker Dr. Jen Rawley, that dream, even for just an hour or two, became reality. I know it sounds pretty hokey, but it’s actually true. Sitting at a table in the library of the RISD’s Professional Development Center with two other moms from my elementary school who are also members of my neighborhood support group, and joined by 15-20 other RISD parents who were in the exact same boat, I found not only support, but a source of both knowledge and real-life expertise that I have long been seeking.

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Neighborhood yogis may have spotted Billie Anderer leading classes at venues such as Campbell Green Recreation Center and First United Methodist Church of Richardson. Eleven times a week, the Estates West resident teaches everyone from senior citizens to teenagers to elementary students. Anderer, 67, took up yoga after retirement to stay busy. For 42 years, she worked as a flight attendant for American Airlines, flying 25 years domestically and 17 years internationally. Read more about Billie in our February 2012 issue.

It’s your last chance to see WaterTower Theatre’s production of “The Diary of Anne Frank,” which has received glowing reviews for its poignant portrayal of the young Holocaust victim. Performance continue now through Sunday. Tickets are sold out, but you can still get on stand-by. Most times, you’ll still make it in. Call 972.450.6230.

The Richardson Community Band performs The Wild Wild West, a collection of western hits, at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Eisemann Center. Admission is $7 for adults, and $5 for seniors and children K-12.

It’s wintertime, but Four Seasons Market still hosts its local market 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday near Campbell and Floyd. Shop from local vendors selling produce, jams, coffee as well as arts and crafts.

Just how many Far North Dallas homes could be negatively affected by the Cotton Belt Rail Line? DART officials have estimated about 200-250 homes. Those that back up directly to the track would receive the brunt of the noise and vibration from the double-track commuter rail line set to develop as early as 2014.

But new numbers obtained from the city using 2010 census data show that the impact could be much higher. There are 3,411 housing units (meaning single family homes, apartments, etc.) within a 500-foot buffer around the rail line – 250 feet on each side – stretching from the Dallas North Tollway to the edge of Richardson. That amounts to 6,259 people.

“It’s not just the homes backing up to the tracks,” says District 12 council member Sandy Greyson. “It’s the neighbors across the street.”

If property values drop for a home next to the tracks, she says, the property values of the homes around it will drop, too.

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Is there a budding young filmmaker living at your house? Is your high school or college student passionate about energy conservation?

The Dallas Film Society, host of the Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF), is teaming up with TXU Energy to sponsor a student film contest. Participants will submit a 3-5 minute short film about the future of energy conservation in hopes of having their creation shown for 2012 DIFF crowds.

In addition to the big-time exposure (the top 3 high school and college winners get to have their film screened at DIFF) there are cash prizes for your school’s film department (from $1,250 to $7,500) and individual prizes, which include cash and/or video editing software. The deadline for submission is February 10, 2012 and more details are available here.

“The festival is a great event that not only celebrates film and filmmakers, it celebrates the City of Dallas,” said RISD mom Karen Fleig, who’s handling advertising and marketing for the Dallas Film Society. The “festival village” will be at Mockingbird Station April 12-22, but there will also be events at West Village, the Majestic Theater, Texas Theater in Oak Cliff and NorthPark’s AMC.

Several schools from RISD have entered in the past, Karen says, and a team from Richardson High has won. High School Roundtables are held every other month by the Dallas Film Society, including one last month on the set of Dallas. “Roundtables are fun, informative and introduce students to the world of filmmaking on a local and attainable level.”

And to RISD’s next Steven (or Stephanie) Spielberg: I want to be your first interview!

Pegasus News reports that the Mexican food restaurant Cyclone Anaya’s at Belt Line and Montfort has closed, and it will be replaced by Sushi Axiom.

We featured Cyclone Anaya’s for its yummy tacos in our May 2010 issue. The restaurant is a chain and has four locations in Houston with one left in Dallas on Oak Lawn. It just couldn’t keep up with the competition in Addison.

Sushi Axiom is a Dallas-based restaurant with several locations around the Metroplex. Talk about competition. There’s a sushi spot around every corner in Far North Dallas.

In our January magazine, I lamented the demise of printed newspapers, proving that I’m obviously old-school in terms of my daily reading habits. A number of you, primarily middle-aged sorts from what I could gather, sent me your thoughts and general agreement that the ability to rummage through actual newspaper somehow makes stumbling across little and unexpected tidbits of information easier.

Well, today I’m here with the other side of the story: I happened to check my Facebook page this morning after reading an emailed post by a national sales guru about using Facebook in selling, and there on my “wall” was a brief note from my college roommate (one of CNN’s first 20 employees way back when) linking to a sad and humbling story written by another college classmate and fellow Daily Northwestern editor talking about the relatively quick and unexpected death of his wife and how that journey impacted their three sub-college-age sons.

I haven’t talked to this guy, now an editor with the New York Times, in a couple of years, and when we did get together at a college reunion, it was just before his wife became terminally ill.

But without the wonders of the internet, I wouldn’t have stumbled across this unexpected gem. Be forewarned, though: This story is a tear-jerker. And it’s one I apparently missed while doing my usual newspaper page-reading shuffle.