Depending on how you do the math, this month marks the 20th anniversary of D Magazine’s annual “Best of Big D” presentation. The reason for the equivocation: last year at this time, we ditched “Best of Big D” for a special “Heroes” issue that celebrated local folks who helped us through the pre-vaccine pandemic. In print this year, introducing our August cover story, I wrote, “For irrefutable evidence that life here has, despite the delta variant’s best efforts, returned to normal, look no further than the pages you hold in your hands. … Make no mistake. More work on that front lies ahead. But this month, Best of Big D is back. It’s time once again to honor the people who make normal in North Texas something quite special.”
I wrote that about a month ago. Dallas County back then was averaging about 100 new daily COVID cases. UT Southwestern now predicts we will hit about 2,000 new daily infections by August 26.
We put this year’s “Best of Big D” online today. Every one of the restaurants and arts organizations and dog groomers on the list is a small North Texas business that needs your support. I encourage you to enjoy the best that North Texas has to offer. I also encourage you to do it after you’ve been vaccinated and — for now, at least, where appropriate — with a mask on your face.
School starts in a couple weeks. Friday night lights will soon click to life. Let’s all do our part to make this fall a fun and safe one. Cheers.
