October is by far the most magical month of the year. I’ve already bought my first pumpkin, so let’s hurry up and get September over with, shall we?
Friday
I only have a couple vivid memories of the State Fair of Texas, and they’re both from when I was pretty little. The first is a truly hideous, soft-bodied troll doll that I wanted so badly that I’m pretty sure I forced my parents to squander half my college fund on Midway game tickets to get it. It now resides in a closet.
The second memory is leaving the fair with a zillion plastic bags filled with what I considered loot and what my parents considered recycling: shiny booklets detailing the specs on the latest and greatest vehicles from Ford, Jeep, and Chevrolet. The countless plastic bags are a pain to carry around, and they’re not very eco-friendly. This afternoon at Oil and Cotton, kids can decorate a “fair day” tote bag to fill with all the free promotional stuff they can get. The affordable craft session is part of the center’s ongoing Friday happy hour series that allows parents of kids ages six and over to steal a hour for themselves (younger kids are invited, but parental units have to stick around.)
Meanwhile, I’ve knitted a nice, cozy day-by-day guide to the first week’s entertainment and events for fairgoers looking to jump right in. And if you live/work downtown, you’ll notice blocked-off streets and general revelry when the opening day parade passes by around noon or so today.
Also, go Rangers! I’m still on post-Moneyball baseball kick. It’s game 1 of the Division series tonight, and apparently, our guys are going to win the World Series this year. So, you know. Go eat hot dogs and cheer them on.
Saturday
There’s a festival for just about every neighborhood today. As I mentioned, I really love October. The Dallas Arts District does too. They’re kicking off a month of programming with a full day of music, food, activities and free museum admission to the Dallas Museum of Art and the Nasher. The Crow Collection is always free, and the DMA actually happens to be free through Sunday in honor of retiring director Bonnie Pitman. Arrive early for the Art in Motion parade, featuring decorated bicycles and other human-powered vehicles. There will also be an outdoor yoga class led by Uptown Yoga (part of the AT&T PAC’s free Saturday fitness series), a beer and wine tasting with the Dallas Opera, and an outdoor Shakespeare presentation from the Dallas Theater Center.
Over in the Lake Highlands, the community Oktoberfest offers bounce houses and the opportunity to bowl with pumpkins instead of the regular old ball, which is so September. As a bonus, Lee Harvey’s hosts their all-day flea market, which is of course cleverly titled “Flea Harvey’s.” Their breakfast tacos? Pretty great, so go early for those.
Sunday
It’s your final chance (for now) to see why Elly Lindsay is the best actress in Dallas. My last chance, too, since I haven’t made it out to see this show yet. Lindsay stars in the Amphibian Stage Production’s latest show, Vigil, written by Morris Panych. It’s a dark, two-person comedy about a misanthropic bachelor and his dying aunt he hasn’t visited since he was a boy. He’s ostensibly there to help her through her last days, but as her health mysteriously improves, their relationship evolves. I’m interested because the show sounds like it could either be insufferable or great, and FrontRow’s Lance Lusk thinks the latter.
For more to do this weekend, go here.
