Welcome back to Mr. Farris Goes to City Hall, our monthly look into the business developments happening in the city of Denton. Earlier this month, we highlighted our most anticipated things of 2014. We're only a few weeks into the year and a lot of 'em are pretty close to happening. Let's go ahead and jump into it.
Read MoreMONTH IN REVIEW: DECEMBER
Veterans day was celebrated all around town too! As always, Frenchy did it up big for the ladies and gents who so graciously protect us.
Whoa. It’s already December?! Have y’all already started Christmas shopping, too? We’re way behind. We didn’t even put lights up on the blog yet. Is that even a thing? Maybe you can do that with HTML5 now. We dunno. Anyway, stuff happened in November. Let’s discuss it.
That whole #Denton2Sriracha thing still got a lot of play. Sadly, lots of people still never really understood the full point and complained about not wanting a chili pepper plant in town. Oh well. Those people might have also though Moby Dick was only about fishing, too (it’s actually a prequel to the X-Files...duh).
Sadly, Johnny Law, the smiling face that you probably associated with Rooster’s Roadhouse in your brain, passed away earlier in November. He was always super friendly and made our experiences at the place a pleasure every single time. He will be dearly missed.
UNT proposed some budget cuts that looked to drastically alter the funding to their libraries and staff. They later went on to say that the budget that was shared and eventually the subject of much negative press was “premature.” Still, Save the UNT Library very quickly became a blog, Twitter feed, Facebook page and event you could attend in real life (what’s that?).
Midlake released their new album, Antiphon, at the beginning of the month. It was met with arguably better press and reviews than their last album. The Denton homeboys even were the stars of a video from Off Main St. in which they showed off their hometown. Although, one of the times we checked out Lone Star Attitude, they were playing Midlake, a kid at the table next to us was wearing a Midlake shirt, and then some of Midlake walked in the actual establishment and it was just WAY too much Midlake for us at the given moment. So much so that we had to go home and listen to the opposite of Midlake for an hour. We’ll let you figure out what that is for yourselves.
Speaking of LSA, Lone Star Attitude finally opened their doors and they’ve been crowded ever since. We had a lot to say about the place a few weeks ago. Have y’all checked it out yet? The constant fifteen minute wait makes us think you probably have.
Our buddies at DIME talked to artist Savannah Teel about lasers and wood.
The Golden Triangle Mall is starting to look different. Not like a whole lot, but somewhat. They have a few new stores inside of it, too. We went there once in November. It was against our own will, but we still did it. We’re not exactly sure what it will take to make us want to go to that mall in the future besides the Bath and Body Works 2 for $22 candle sale on our favorite scents, but whatever it is, it isn’t in place yet. The new entrances somehow already look old to us. And the Christmas trees look oddly out of place. What do you think?
The older building next to East Side Social and Authentic Yoga Life is set to be demolished and turned into a food truck park. It should be torn down any day now (at the time we started writing this it was still up). We hope the food truck park stays open at lunch time and connects that part of McKinney to the square a little better if it indeed does come down.
We got some more info on the forthcoming Hypnotic Donuts to Hickory St. The most exciting aspect was the news that they’d be open for the “post-dinner crowd” from 5pm until the wonderful hour of 2:30am. Is there a better time to eat a habanero donut? The drunk dining scene in Denton just got real, y’all. Forthcoming food truck park one paragraph above this, ya best bring it.
The Coffee Wars started grinding down on us. Our post examining the various ambiances at establishments in town were only the first shots. This thing hasn’t even started yet. Have you picked a side yet? Have you stocked up on beans or filters? Get on it, people! This is not a drill!
MR FARRIS GOES TO CITY HALL: NOVEMBER
We've been attending all sorts of meetings for you lately, Denton, and we've got so much info about things that are coming up that we just had to write another column about it. This is that column. Read on to get in the know.
First and foremost, lovely purveyor of all things donuts and chicken biscuits, Hypnotic Donuts, will open their Denton location in early 2014! They'll be a sort of entry way onto the square with a giant mural going onto the west side of the Radio Building on Hickory (see the image above). They are putting in outdoor seating complete with umbrellas and great big pots to fill the concrete corner with plant life. We know what you're thinking and don't worry - Cultivar Coffee will soon be contributing to the Denton Coffee Wars since they’ll have their own set up within Hypnotic Donuts. Word on the street is that this shop will be employing 20 to 30 strapping young Dentonites, making them both fatter and more caffeinated. These legit gourmet donuts will be available in the morning and for lunch. The shop will be closed during part of the afternoon and then open again to serve the evening crowd. We're looking forward to these tasty donuts making their way to the downtown area, and can't wait to grab a bacon-topped fried chunk of dough after a long night at East Side.
We hear the African Grocery has opened over on Elm Street. If anyone has bought any African food stuffs from there, please let us know, we are highly curious about this little shop.
New retail is going in on Hickory and Welch, which means that sign with a photo of retail and living spaces is becoming a reality. We hear that they’ve finally broken ground and we speculate that a 7-11 will be going in sooner than you know it. Slurpees for all y’all.
East Hickory is seriously going to happen, for real this time y’all. No take backs, no halvesies, no joke. The city says they will break ground on the project in January. Apparently the CVB is wanting to start a new public art campaign around the construction to promote those businesses most affected by the street being blocked off and torn up.
Holiday lighting and wassail fest is just around the corner! Get your Santa hats ready and get ready to pony up a little cash for that carriage ride with your significant other. Twinkling lights, the community band and spiked wassail for all is on its way.
The convention center is supposedly going to be up for election by the city council sooner rather than later. The vote is supposed to happen before the next local election. Catch up on the convention center plans here and see the future of convention centers in Denton.
That's it for this month, everybody. We're gonna take our coffee mug back into all of those lovely meetings now. Hopefully there won't be a Powerpoint presentation.
MONTH IN REVIEW: OCTOBER
Do y’all ever get into those conversations with people who have recently moved to Denton who just don’t dig it? We have - quite a bit actually. We’ve come to the conclusion that enjoying Denton life is a lot like taking a vacation to an all-inclusive resort - you have to completely buy in 100% to the events taking place while you’re there in order to enjoy it. This means going to large city events such as the Day of the Dead festival. That said, October was full of those types of events. Looks like November will be, too. Here is some of what happened over the past few weeks.
If we want to beat a dead horse, we could mention that Subway finally changed their sign at the beginning of the month after a long wait. Not to be outdone, the soon-to-open Lone Star Attitude put up their bright sign. Some took issue with it, as well. However, we haven't really heard any major rumblings about the classy corner sign put up by Cafe Herrera.
The Atlantic Cities blog published an article saying that Denton County ranked #6 in a list of the tech hotspots in the nation. They came to this conclusion by looking at jobs that were created in the area between the years 2007 and 2012. City councilman Kevin Roden, says the city isn’t capitalizing on this fact correctly and published what he thinks should happen on his blog.
Oh man, was Canned this past month, too? That seems like it was forever ago. We enjoyed some wonderful canned brews and interviewed Menomena in between what seemed to be flash floods. We’re hoping Oaktopia is able to defy the “Rainy Denton Festival” curse.
Earlier this month, the city of Denton filed a temporary restraining order on the Eagleridge natural gas well to get them to stop operating without the necessary permits. The suits were dropped almost as quickly as anyone could report on the matter, and we haven’t heard much else out of it yet. City councilman, Dalton Gregory, says the city plans on rewriting (again) our local fracking rules. Said new rules will only apply to gas wells that are created after they are in effect, leaving existing gas wells to operate under the rules in place at the time of their initial drilling.
On the lighter side, we put on a show with Psychic Temple, Sarah Alexander and Shiny Around the Edges in which the latter sadly played their last show with their sax player Mike Forbes.
Maker Space officially made the announcement that they have abandoned their original name and identity to become TRADE and plan to open in 2014.
We wrote about tacos and some of y’all whined about it. We’re gonna do it again soon, so get ready to argue with us.
We don’t want to jynx it, but the UNT football team has been strangely great this season. After their Halloween victory, they’re currently 6-3. We’re excited to see where this season will take them.
Local cold brewers, Dead Beat Coffee, sold out of their first batch of java. We’ll have more info from them and what they’re all about soon.
The Day of the Dead Festival happened again (a week before the actual Day of the Dead, mind you). The coffin races were bigger and better than ever before. We got to see lots of spectacle and a fair amount of crashes. We hope those things only increase next year. Oh yeah, the costumes were good, too.
The Horny Toad Cafe started prepping the old Good Eats spot over at Loop 288 and I-35 by Rose Costumes. All we know about them so far is that they are not related to the Horny Toad Bar and Grill in Cranfills Gap, TX. As soon as we know more, we’ll share the knowledge.
The Pizza Inn at the corner of University and Carroll suddenly closed down this month. They hurriedly took all of the signage down, too. We haven’t heard yet if there’s another business with plans to move in yet, but we’re thinking there must be.
Lastly, Irwindale, CA complained about the air and smell created by the Huy Fong Foods factory that produces the spicy Asian condiment, sriracha and wanted the factory to stop production until a solution was found. Kevin Roden (haven’t we already talked about him in here?) attempted to get the factory to move to Denton and created the social media tag #sriracha2denton encouraging others to share photos of Sriracha in and around Denton. We talked about how sriracha would make the town better. Some complained that they didn’t want it. While Irwindale and Huy Fong were able to figure things out on their own, the story of a small town Denton politician stealing sriracha from California got international attention and lots of buzz.
Alright, November. What ya got?
MR. FARRIS GOES TO CITY HALL: SEPTEMBER
As we settle into fall, we think more about our community. Maybe its because we start spending more time outside, maybe it's because we get more Facebook invites that we aren't able to delete quickly enough. Whatever the reason, the fall makes us all the more likely to take a walk, ride a bike, or pack a picnic lunch during these times that the weather is cool enough to enjoy the outdoors without sweating through our picnic blanket. In doing so, we have the chance to notice the abundance of historic landmarks, small hidden businesses we never see from the main roads, spots where the sidewalks need repair and even small side streets that have become ideal places for photo ops. When we get away from the car we finally have a chance to really get to know Denton for who it (she?) really is, even in spite of her flaws - sometimes actually because of them.
If you were under the impression that the forthcoming Hickory St. improvements were a big deal - guess what! The floodplains are an even bigger deal. We know what you're thinking, "What?! Floodplains? What are these people talking about now? Who cares about something like a floodplain? Certainly not I, Johnny B. Dentonite. I only care about beard growth and quality tacquerias." Trust us though, its a big deal. Our city is reviewing the problem of the floodplains - areas adjacent to bodies of water that are subject to flash flooding during storms - and they're making sure that they are FEMA compliant, not only to ensure the safety of its citizens, but to protect the property of the city. The reason we are currently concerned is because there are areas that studies show will be in big trouble when flooding occurs. Not only do we care that Pecan Creek will be under completely submerged under water, but we also care that the way the floodplains in the downtown areas are currently functioning is preventing new development around the square and the A-Train. Yeah, you read that correctly, until these problems are addressed (and we're talking big expensive problems here), we'll have a lack of new businesses and stunted growth in one of the city's most thriving areas.
The downtown traffic safety report has been presented at the request of district 1 councilman Kevin Roden and the Denton Downtowners association. The biggest concerns that were asked to be addressed were pedestrian safety, red light violations, unsafe lane changes, and backing out without safety. The residents of downtown felt like more and more accidents were happening, and there were more near misses than they would have liked to see. The report started to address some of those concerns. Apparently 62% of the red light-related crashes involved the flashing red lights that come on at night. Therefore, there is a possibility that the city will be changing the times in which the flashing red lights turn on. They will also be cracking down on bicycle violations around the square. So if you're cycling on the square, make sure to use those hand signals, stop at the red lights, and walk your bike around the square sidewalks. The report is also causing concerns about the intersections where pedestrians are walking. Hopefully, this will result in making the crosswalks safer and more visible by painted stop blocks and maybe in the future outlawing cars turning left on red.
There is also a group of citizens who are trying to imagine the possibility of Walnut St becoming a pedestrian plaza. The street as it stands right now is a sort of service alley. It houses the dumpsters, services the grease traps, service entrances for wait staff/deliveries, and is lined with utility boxes. It's also a little bit of an eyesore. As for parking, there is parking allowed, but the lines aren't clear and neither are the signs that show where parking is and isn't allowed. So, it's become kind of the wild west for people who park back there. There is always trash on the ground from people littering, there is an untamed forest of grass and weeds growing through the cracks of the side walk and there are numerous potholes in the road. Apparently a few people think this alley way would be better used as a pedestrian plaza - with tables and umbrellas. They want to turn those aforementioned service entrances into a back entrance to serve patrons from or through. While this is a noble vision, there are several obstacles to overcome if there is any future permanent closing of the street to cars. In addition, there are several areas in other parts of town (away from the square) that could definitely benefit from a little TLC, too. Where would you guys like to see something like this go down? In the meantime, we would love to see that little street have a general make over, maybe some murals on the backs of buildings, taming of the weeds and a little more landscaping, and repainting the lines for parking in the back would improve the look of the side street exponentially.
Hypnotic Donuts and Cultivar Coffee are teaming up to bring us hand-crafted coffee, tasty donuts, and chicken biscuits. Even better, they're rumored to have hours that keep them open until 2am. Since we love the DFW native roast, we are pretty pumped that they are making a little home in downtown Denton. They'll be setting up shop on Hickory Street, right across from Gerhard's and next to Natalie's. A few citizens have commented that it seems woefully far from their favorite bar, and almost on the wrong side of the square, but we're pretty pumped that someone great will be re-energizing an oft-forgot block. Plus, we'll have one more place to grab caffeine and a tasty treat on our way to all of those meetings.
Canned Fest announced that its going to be 100% wind energy thanks to the help of Denton Municipal Electric being way awesome and donating the wind energy. Alongside DME coming in and helping out, the Keep Denton Beautiful team will be there making sure that your recyclables get to where they need to be. We're excited about Canned being Denton's first super green music and beer fest. Oh yeah! We're pretty excited about the beer selection too. Make sure to grab your tickets now. You won't want to miss a moment of one of our new favorite festivals.
That's it for us this month, y'all. We'll keep hitting up those meetings for ya, though. Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
MR FARRIS GOES TO CITY HALL: AUGUST
The Hive will be aiming to 'blend better' with it's surroundings and adopt a sign similar to the Victoria Station sign across the street.
While it may still be pretty darn hot out, it seems that the summer is winding down and this sweet city of ours is gearing up for the arrival of students old and new. Luckily for us, our very own Mr. Farris has been hiding out in City Hall air conditioning, staying cool, eating donuts and keeping up with the goings-on of fair Denton.
We know it's beating a dead horse y'all - but back in angled parking is a super hot topic. The city has asked the engineers to look at cities that have tried out back in angled parking and then reversed it. What would it cost if we wanted to revert back to normal parking again because some people can't handle steep slopes, or just backing up in general? We guess it's a good thing to know why some cities have reversed their decision to have back in angled parking. We certainly don't want to waste a ton of time and money on something we won't be happy with a year later.
The Hive, the future larger scale venue of former 35 Denton director Kyle LaValley has been granted funding for the facade of the building. So where you'll eventually be lined up waiting to getting in with your will-call tickets, you'll be standing underneath a sign that should be sort of matching the Victoria Station Apartments sign - so they can blend into the neighborhood. Fun fact: one of the partners of the Hive, Melissa Northern, is the former mayor of Flower Mound.
Speaking of facade updates, we've sort of complained in the past about the insane orange color that went in over Beth Marie's and Mad World Records. This is why: the guys over at Atomic Candy just updated the paint on their building and it looks fabulous. It blends in well, the colors look great, and the paint job seems flawless. Take note folks. This is what a good paint job looks like. Get with it.
On the subject of signs, Subway still hasn't changed their sign. From what we understand, it is still going to be switched. We just don't know when. At least all of the weary travelers can find themselves a five dollar foot long without trying to hard though, right?
Don't worry kids! 7-11 is not - we repeat - not going in on the square. Well, not for now anyways. They were in talks to occupy the Radio Center Building on Hickory. Apparently the building they were trying to go in has floors that couldn't support the Slurpee machines, the coolers to hold the Monster drinks and the taquito heating mechanisms. The cost of ripping up and replacing the floor just didn't make sense for those corporate dollars. Apparently those Slurpee machines are really heavy. Who knew? We're not complaining. Now, rumor has it that a very mysterious but very high end restaurant will be occupying the space instead. We'll believe it when we see it.
It is not only the year of the themed restaurant, but also of the shabby chic store. Shop the Barn has opened next to Banter, a very long and winding store full of shabby chic, found furniture and antique wares. We are liking the selection over the Mini-Mall for sure, and we highly recommend taking a gander onto the back porch and picking up a tractor stool or two. Speaking of shabby chic, Boyd Girls/Vintedge (formerly on Oak between Recycled and Oak St. Drafthouse) has closed shop and leaves us wondering what will happen to that amazing green house right there on Oak. What are your predictions?
The DCTA will be naming the Downtown Denton A-Train station after Eulene Brock, one of the former mayors of Denton. We're a pretty big fan of Eulene, she's done some mighty fine things for Denton, and are thrilled that she'll be honored in such a monumental way.
MR. FARRIS GOES TO CITY HALL: JULY
The new rooftop patio going up on what will soon be the home of Lone Star Attitude.
Denton has had new restaurants either under construction or opening left and right constantly for the past few months. We're loving all of the new concepts and menu ideas people keep coming up with and bringing to town. Whether its a new food truck or a tequila bar, we're just happy to see new businesses opening their doors, adding to the tax base and giving us more options for Friday nights.
Of course, there is more than just new food happening in Denton County currently, and, thankfully, our very own Glen Farris has been nursing his meeting addiction to make sure you've got the 4-1-1 on what's happening around town.
The East Hickory Street Parking Plan is about to be underway. From Locust to Bell we'll be dealing with the joys of construction for several months. The good news is that all of the water and sewer has already been buried east of Bell. The bad news, though, is that the construction will still take at least six months to complete. Over that six months, we'll see street closures, detours, blocked off parking, messed up sidewalks, orange cones and plenty of barricades all over the place. Thankfully, it won't be in vain. The renovations will add tons of parking downtown, pedestrian-scale lighting, wider sidewalks, crosswalks across Hickory, park benches and some drought tolerant landscaping with rain collection and water storage to break up the concrete jungle of the parking lots. Start practicing your parking in reverse now folks (think South Congress in Austin). Once the construction clears, you'll have plenty of places to park on E. Hickory, but it will all be back-in-angled parking, so make sure your rearview mirror is in good, working condition.
Speaking of things happening around the square, the giant bluebonnet clad trash compactors are getting a little makeover. Instead of generic scenes of the Texas prairie, we'll have a few more localized, artsy images for you to admire when you throw away your orange and brown Jupiter House cups.
Remember when we talked about Lone Star Attitude adding a roof top patio, the old building next to Travelstead getting a new roof, and the forthcoming East Side Social Club getting an awesome patio? Well, it's all happening right now, folks. So, be careful to watch where you walk when you're strolling downtown, there are cranes overhead and they're carrying heavy stuff.
After all of the hullabaloo in June, the Subway sign went through much of July unchanged. Subway however, has in fact opened their doors to little fanfare or petitioning (at least from what we saw). We hear the new sign will be going up shortly. So if you're craving a $5 foot long, or just feel like you'd like to 'eat fresh' - you'll now have the chance to do so on the square. You also have the choice not to, and to instead choose to grab lunch from one of the many other restaurants on the square that serve up super fresh sammies. Have you tried Smiling Moose yet?
We've been awaiting it's opening for months, and after much trial and trepidation, Mulberry St. Cantina is finally open. While they had a few scheduling mishaps during their first week open, it's looking like a surefire place to hit up, post-work. Make sure to stop by (if you haven't already) and try one of their muy excelente tequilas on their cobra tap or one of the Mezcal Mules as you work on your horrible Spanish this weekend.
Goldmine BBQ opened their doors at the beginning of the month. We stopped by and tried a few things. We'll do so again and hope to have a review in the future. Have you stopped by yet? What did you think?
Coming soon is Last Drop Tavern and Irish Boozer. Guys, get ready. It's the year of the themed restaurant. Last Drop, we heard you were announcing a soft launch in early August. We'll be keeping up with your Facebook page for confirmation, but expect to see us there. We're ready to try out your wood-fired pizzas and old English style pub fare.
All of that pizza and booze making you feel a little bloated? Don't worry. Twisted Bodies Pilates has joined the downtown family. So pack on the pounds now, and burn it all off by employing the newest fitness studio in Denton. Denton, does our blog look fat?
MR FARRIS GOES TO CITY HALL: JUNE
Glen Farris inspects the custom made industrial smokers inside of the forthcoming Goldmine BBQ.
211 E. Hickory has been on the hazardous building list for the last little while. It's that little older building right in-between Storried Productions and Travelstead by Mellow Mushroom. A long time ago, they roof damage due to an AC unit falling through. Oops. Now, the owners of the place are attempting to get it back up to code in the hopes that they can turn it into retail space. Here's to hoping its not more auto parts and lawn mowers.
Love themed restaurants? Sure hope so, because we're about to have an influx of them. Gold Mine BBQ opens in early July. This place comes complete with a newly renovated space made to look like an old mine shaft, some very well trained BBQ-ers, a hidden patio and a very lively looking canary in a cage. We're pretty excited to try it out - mostly because their giant industrial smokers stocked with pecan wood seem pretty promising. Don't worry. We'll get back to you with an official opinion after they open in a few weeks.
A peek inside the forthcoming Goldmine BBQ in the old Vigne space on Hickory St.
Speaking of themed restaurants, word on the street is that there is a themed pizza place about to happen, too. After Bosses opened last month, you know we're at least interested to see what kind of tantalizing treat "olde English style" pizza will be. Last Drop Tavern will be Denton's own English style eatery and wood-fired pizza haven opening on Elm Street just off the square, and coming soon.
More on restaurant news, Rusty Taco Denton had the highest grossing opening week of any Rusty taco. Whoa guys - we knew you liked tacos and all, but geez. We're not ashamed. We were caught there are few times ourselves in the first week. Maybe they're onto something with those cheap margaritas.
Signs on the square have been called into scrutiny recently. The Subway sign is being replaced with something that will blend in a little more with the current signage on the square, and now Lone Star Attitude (the burger place in the old Denton County spot we talked about two months ago) is having trouble getting their sign approved. We're not sure why. Maybe it sticks out too far, is too bright, or has just rubbed someone the wrong way, but we're pretty pumped to see what they end up replacing the current 'Denton County Hamburger' signage with - so that the new restaurant feels a little more real. Also, did y'all get a chance to see that paint job on Mad World and Beth Marie's? Not sure who thought that would be a good idea.
Hope you installed a smart thermostat to get you through summer this year. Apparently utility prices will be going up pretty soon. You might be needing all the extra help you can get. Electric is going up 2.5% due to a rise in the wholesale price of energy, water and wastewater are rising a little due to much needed improvements on our infrastructure and solid waste and recycling will be taking a small hit for increased costs and cart replacements. And you thought your bill was high already... According to Kevin Roden, city councilman of District 1, it unfortunately takes our poop overflowing for us to concern ourselves with all those pipes underground. It is never easy for us to take on increases in cost, but we're at the point where major replacements, upgrades and expansions are necessary. Some have already been done. Luckily, we live in a city whose rates are pretty low compared to the rest of the metroplex, so we were knocking on wood last summer as we bragged to our friends in Lewisville, Flower Mound and Plano how much lower our utility bills were compared to theirs. This year we may be keeping a closer watch on our AC consumption in the dog days of summer.
If you're a friend to the furry (no, not those people - just cats and dogs) you'll be happy to know that the Denton Animal Shelter Foundation will be getting a new building that is costing a little over four million dollars. It'll live way up north on 77 by UNT's Research Park. Hopefully, this means that all of those sweet strays will have a nice place to lay their little heads when they're between homes.
MR. FARRIS GOES TO CITY HALL
Industrious as he may be, the little city of Denton is something that our very own Glen Farris refuses to ignore. He keeps up with what's going on and reports back to us - so that we can all stay in the loop.
Rusty Taco, the soon-to-open taco transplant by way of Dallas, is putting in a giant patio in the space that used to house Ramen Republic. As you already know, we’re definite fans of both tacos and patios. They just got a right of way agreement from the city in addition to a grant that allows them to lease the grass next to the building and put in a patio for us to enjoy our tacos and cervezas. They’re putting up a lot of cash to re-do the space where the late Ramen Republic once sold us noodles, and bringing in a whole new feel. We’re pretty pumped for this, mostly because we think it will greatly improve the block and not just because we really love their picadillo tacos.
Subway is about halfway through their construction and will be opening at the bottom of the Texas Building before you know it. Gear up and get ready to hear that $5 footlong jingle every time you pass the corner. We know that a chain restaurant on the square is not anyone's idea of a great square-worthy restaurant - but we appreciate the words and logic of our fearless leader - city councilman Kevin Roden's post on the matter.
East Side Social Club is also taking part in the downtown restoration grant program. We’re looking forward to what will be the new sister bar of Oak Street Draft House. We hear that they’ll have the best bourbon selection in town and a ton of patio space, too. The patio wars are about to being, Denton.
While we’re on the top of booze and bars, we’re getting seriously excited about the vast tequila selection that is about to be at our finger tips over at Mulberry Street Cantina. If you’ve been keeping up with their progress on their facebook page, you can see that they’ve installed energy efficient windows and doors, put in new plumbing and electrical equipment, and already built in a giant and seemingly beautiful bar top. Get here fast guys, we’re ready for chips and salsa and that organic margarita we keep hearing about.
Sup Queenie’s, glad you’re open. Welcome back to the downtown area, Tim Love. We look forward to valeting our hybrid vehicles and scooters and trying out your chicken fried lobster. We’ll make sure to call for reservations sooner rather than later.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, y'all. Redbud Fest, the city's official Arbor Day event, is happening next Saturday, April 20th in our very own Quakertown Park. Get out there with a few friends, enjoy the nice weather, the "trashion" fashion show, and get your nose in the center of all of the plants a’bloomin’. Oh, and don’t forget to get there early and claim your very own tiny tree!
Jazz Fest is right around the corner, too. Get ready for fried food, cheap beer, and people running around in midriff-baring hippy shirts that smell of nag champa.
And last but not least, city elections are coming up as you already know. The last day to register was last week, so you can’t chase down Volunteer Deputy Farris anymore. Make sure you get informed and get out there and vote. We’re counting on you to make sure our elected city officials are keeping it classy Denton style. If you need to get caught up, we did a little bit of the work for you and have interviews posted from Districts 1, 2, 3 and 4.