MENTOR DENTON: VIDEO

will milne August 19, 2013

We were sitting in a dark booth in the bar section of The Greenhouse, when we first heard about an ambitious endeavor being made by a large group of Denton entities (namely: United Way Denton, Communities in Schools, UNT, Denton ISD, and the City of Denton). We were there with District 1 City Councilman, Kevin Roden, and he was talking about speaking with Denton ISD Superintendent, Jamie Wilson, and what he would do if he had a large army of volunteers at his disposal.

"You get me 10,000 volunteers, and we'll make a difference in our schools," Wilson reportedly said.

That caught our ear and we were immediately on board. We're in and out of Denton ISD schools all the time. Heck, some of us even work there. We're invested in those kids and we don't want them dropping out, failing or even getting that faux-hawk haircut, if it can be prevented. We want to help. You probably do, too. What's stopping us at this point? That's where Mentor Denton comes in.

Mentor Denton is a new entity dedicated to bringing volunteers into our schools in the City of Denton. Through Mentor Denton, you'll learn just what it is to be a mentor, why you're needed and how you can go ahead and get started.

That brings us to that fairly large-seeming number Wilson said earlier. Ten thousand may seem like a lot of volunteers. It's 10x the grains of rice that are in any given bowl according to deceased comedian Mitch Hedberg, but when you consider the fact that UNT has over 36,000 students, TWU has 13,000 and there's a bunch of us just trying to hang out and live here, that number starts to look a little more paltry.

By fall of 2015, Mentor Denton hopes to have 10,000 volunteers signed up to dedicate an hour of their time, once a week for a year to partner with a Denton ISD student and change their life for the better.

Maybe you think you're not "mentor" material. While interviewing local comedian Ron Lechler the other week, we discussed this very subject. He shared his concern that he might not make the greatest role model for kids. He's wrong. There is no set mold for what a mentor is or can be. Different kids need different things. There is most certainly a child out there - maybe he's a Newton Razyor Elementary 5th grader, maybe he's a Guyer High School freshman - who is into stand up comedy. Maybe he's a bit of a jerk, like Lechler. Maybe he's having a hard time at school due to circumstances at home. Hanging out with someone for an hour a week would be a boon to this young mind, and we're sure there's someone there who needs you, too.

The fall of 2015 may seem like a ways off, but it will be here before you know it, and aside from that, Denton ISD needs mentors NOW. We're hoping to gather at least 1,000 volunteers through Mentor Denton this fall in the ramp up to the big number in two years. Go ahead and watch the video embedded above to see how former mentor, Britni Chehayeb's, life was changed by being a mentor for the Denton Independent School District and click through to Mentor Denton to get more information on how you can help.

MR FARRIS GOES TO CITY HALL: AUGUST

Alyssa Stevenson August 15, 2013

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.

WHAT WE DID: AUGUST 12TH

will milne August 12, 2013

After compiling our photos from this past weekend into the post below, we're thinking that it may be time for us to go on a diet. We're a few pounds heavier this Monday morning, but what can you expect from us after getting yelled at on the internet so much last week? Oh well, read on and remember to share with us what you did over the weekend by including #WDDI in your 'grams or tweets.

We checked out some of Crickle and Co.'s new fancy cupcakes. Above is the peach with almond streusel. They're good, but we might be sticking with their cheesecakes and getting our smaller, cuppier cakes from NV Cupcakes still.

We visited with local comedian, Ron Lechler, for an upcoming interview.

Dentonites braved the heat for food served from trucks at Truckin' Tuesday last week at the downtown DCTA station.

Denton's newest food truck, Lean Machine, made their first foray into town last Tuesday.

We checked out the newly-opened Last Drop Tavern on S. Elm and were pretty pleased with what we had.

Denton said goodbye to a longtime friend on Friday at Oak St. Drafthouse. Nina Chantannapuma is leaving us for the humidity of Houston. She left a pretty big mark on Denton and will be missed.

We apparently ate a lot this weekend. Above is the phenomenal seafood mac and cheese from Dani Rae's (formerly Frilly's South) on Loop 288.

Dominos and drinks are always a great way to end the weekend.

GROUP TO WALK SQUARE TO EXERCISE GUN RIGHTS

Alyssa Stevenson August 9, 2013

Saturday morning on the square will look a little more like Red Dawn than usual thanks to a group of camo-clad folks armed with assault rifles strolling downtown waving a giant "come and take it" flag once more. Check out the event page for Come And Take It Denton for more info.

The phrase "come and take it" is co-opted from Texas' message to the Mexican government upon request of their loaner cannon back at the start of the Texas Revolution. In addition, this group is also stating that tomorrow will be "a day of firearm education followed by a barbecue lunch." Supporters of the 2nd Amendment are encouraged to meet on the South courthouse lawn with their favorite assault rifle, stroll around the City of Denton to educate citizens on firearms and then convene for lunch at Gold Mine BBQ.

When asked if a group of camo-clad men with assault rifles will be bad for business on the square, Monte Jensen, owner of Mellow Mushroom, replied, "I don't know if it will be bad for business, nor do I know what their hope to come of it is; their raison d'être, if you will. I certainly support both their First and Second Amendment rights, as granted by the US Constitution. That said, the actions have the potential to put business owners in an awkward spot."

Awkward because they've already had the right to bear arms for two hundred and twenty six years, or awkward because we all know Gold Mine BBQ isn't really barbeque? Either way, citizens of Denton planning on shopping on Saturday at the square might find themselves a little freaked out upon seeing a group of men toting guns of all shapes and sizes. We predict at least two wrecks due to gawking.

The group's official website has merchandise available and links to an essay entitled When Is It Time To Start Shooting? Can we recommend that you not start shooting until you've left Denton and are at Quail Creek Shooting Range? Also we recommend taking a Texas Hunters Education course while you're there, where you will learn that the only right you will be exercising on Saturday is your right to be oblivious and belligerent.

Jeff Amano of Serendipity on The Square may have had the best advice when he stated on the Denton Downtowners page yesterday that he will not be wearing his squirrel costume. Sound advice, Jeff.

BACK IN THE DAY: THE PRAIRIE MATCH MYSTERY

Alyssa Stevenson August 7, 2013

Boy howdy, summertime in Texas can get hotter’n Hades back-forty, as any neighbor can tell the uninitiated. Even though we’re currently enjoying pretty tolerable evenings, Denton has a history forged in disastrous fires on the Courthouse Square (which nearly or partially burned down more than a dozen times in its early frontier days). One of those blazes played a dramatic role in the 1860 “Texas Troubles," sparking secession with the Civil War Confederacy. This may have turned out quite differently had folks listened to the detective work of one of Denton’s founding fathers, Charles Alexander Williams.

As a remote frontier outpost, the township of Denton consisted of split-rail log structures that an errant spark could quickly whip into an apocalyptic tinderbox. Pioneer Charles Alexander Williams, who moved to Texas from his Arkansas Territory birthplace in 1852 and auctioned the original town lots in January of 1857 as sheriff, knew a thing or two about the hazardous necessities of fire on the frontier. Williams had been among the Old Alton founders who ceremoniously burned the prior courthouse in a celebratory bonfire when the county seat relocated, he owned his own dry goods store, and as County Sheriff he was often the investigator of frequent fire outbreaks. That was the case when an epically devastating fire on the Denton Square helped spark the notorious Texas Slave Panic of 1860, which most historians agree would play a decisive role in Texas joining the Pro-Slavery South, only two short years after Texans had elected Houston and several other pro-Union candidates to office.

Its hard to overstate the intense political tensions within Texas in the years leading up to the Civil War. The explosive national debates over slavery were made worse by the relentless drought and crop-withering heat wave that scorched the South that summer with temperatures over 100 degrees. That prior October, John Brown’s slave insurrection on a Harper’s Ferry armory in Virginia had narrowly failed, leading some Texas towns like Dallas to expel traveling abolitionist preachers from the sweltering state whose population by then was 30% slaves. It was July 8th of 1860 when all hell broke loose, as a sudden morning fire quickly engulfed downtown Dallas, leaping from one dry wooden building to the next until it had destroyed most of its business district. That same day, near-simultaneous fires razed a store in Pilot Point and devoured the west side of Denton. Starting in Smoot’s Dry Goods on the southwest corner of Denton’s downtown square, fire quickly spread to adjacent buildings and ignited 25 kegs of gunpowder in a gargantuan explosion that showered down burning debris. News travelled pretty slowly in those days, but the story spread like political wildfire as it was discovered that similar fires had occurred in several other towns that very same day. It was the excitable editor of the burned-down Dallas Herald, pro-seccessionist Charles Pryor, who sent letters to numerous political connections and other newspaper editors insisting that these fires were a coordinated pro-abolitionist conspiracy to lead a violent state-wide slave uprising. “Each county in Northern Texas has a supervisor in the person of a white man” with “each county laid off into districts under the sub-agents of this villain,” Pryor detailed from his unidentified sources and without a shred of evidence; “Poisoning was to be added” against slave owners and their wives, and “the young and handsome women to be parceled out amongst these infamous scoundrels.”

Long, Williams & Co. storefront 1900-ish

Predictably, here’s where things became ugly as hysteria turned to terror. Soon, newspapers, politicians, and partisan newsletters were fanning fearful suspicions into a full-blown public panic. By July 31, The Houston Weekly Telegraph crowed “an outraged country demands the blood of the murderers… Let the whole people organize for protection and vengeance!” Before the end of the summer, an epidemic of Texas fires in several counties and towns were being attributed to this slave insurrection conspiracy as paranoia created investigatory “vigilance committees” in every community in the state. Countless slaves were whipped or tortured by their slaveowners into confessing names as rumors wildly circulated, and a flurry of vigilante lynchings were meted out on mere suspicion alone of abolitionist sentiments. The Gainesville Hangings are still today barely discussed in polite company since the mob justice of kangaroo juries killed as many white unionist neighbors as “guilty” slaves, and few likely recall how the decomposing bones of a lynched anti-slavery minister were displayed on downtown Ft. Worth rooftops as a macabre warning of any who would oppose their new law forbidding public discussion of any possible causes for these fires other than abolitionist arson. Despite Governor Sam Houston’s pleas for reason from citizens and accusations of political demagoguery by his seccessionist opposition, Texas voted to seceed from the United States in March of 1861 to join the Confederate South.

Williams' theory on the Prairie Match fires - and early Denton County Sheriffs

But what were those alternate explanations for the fires? Denton County Sheriff C.A. Williams duly investigated the terrible fire and concluded that arson was not likely. Most Dentonians were at a Sunday religious meeting when the fire broke out but, when some early responders arrived to form a bucket brigade, the abandoned storefronts were curiously still locked tight (There’s actually a dispatch from Otis Welch praising the women of Denton who bravely prevented further destruction as most menfolk were tending their ranches!). Williams also learned from a colleague in nearby Lebanon that several Collin County residents had actually witnessed a fire spontaneously start near a storefront window display of “Prairie Matches,” a newfangled phosphorus-tipped and hard-to-extinguish fire-starter that was being stocked in these same dry goods stores where most fires originated. With this corroborating data echoed from several other more level-headed investigations into the record-breaking 110’ heat, and with a MacGuyver-like curiosity for the truth, this Sherlock Holmes of Denton conducted a few experiments with the matches in his own dry goods store and discovered that indirect heat was indeed sufficient to ignite a Prairie Match. Williams later recalled to the Denton Chronicle in May 1894, “there is no doubt in my mind but what the fires were all caused from the matches exploding by reason of the extremely hot weather.” Case closed, right? Unfortunately, as the mass hysteria took hold of conspiracy-minded Texans beyond dissuasion, proponents of Williams’ “Prairie Match hypothesis” were dismissively accused of being unpatriotic abolitionist sympathizers, or worse… ended up at the end of a lynch rope. Still today, historians hotly debate how or whether the Prairie Match Mystery might have changed the role of Texas in the Civil War, even as it offers somber if timely lessons for our own troubled times of contemporary political terror.

The Williams Family Store (now the storefront of Barefoot Athletics)

Back In The Day is an ongoing contribution from Shaun Treat. Treat is an assistant professor in Communication Studies at the University of North Texas and founder of the Denton Haunts historical ghost tour. He has written about numerous local places of note and various large personalities on the Denton Haunts blog. In addition, Treat says he is forever indebted to the work of the fine folks of the Denton County Historical Commission and local keepers of history such as Mike Cochran and Laura Douglas at the Emily Fowler Library for their tireless work in helping preserve Denton’s intriguing past.

WHAT WE DID: AUGUST 4TH

will milne August 5, 2013

It may have been hot out this weekend - but that didn't keep us from getting out and enjoying the town. We kicked things off by checking out the Monahans and Overseas at Dan's Silverleaf on Thursday night and then checking out First Fridays. We now feel sufficiently ready to take on August.

Reader Josh Piers (@JoshPiers) shared his photo of Overseas' David Bazan singing at Dan's Silverleaf last Thursday. Did you make it out to the show? What did you think?

We checked out the generically-named, Keep It Local fundraiser, at Dan's Silverleaf on Sunday afternoon. — We checked out the generically-named, *Keep It Local* fundraiser, at Dan's Silverleaf on Sunday afternoon.

SCRAP Denton and Spiderweb Salon teamed up for First Friday with a gallery opening and a live performance off the square.

Reader Sarah Adams (@Sarahanneadams) shared her pic of Dallas Comedy House's Free Improv class in Denton from last week.

Cheese boards from full of local cheeses from Hannah's always make us happy. This one is filled with local goat cheese, a pecan horseradish cheese and plenty of beer bread.

Our local taco faves, La Estrella, were once again out at the Community Market on Saturday. Catch 'em tomorrow at Truckin' Tuesday lunchtime at the downtown DCTA station.

POOL PARTY

Alyssa Stevenson August 2, 2013

Video by Addison Day

It's hot, y'all. We kinda cheated with cooler temps and overcast days in July, and now it seems that August is going to be our payback. The summer days are fleeting - and school is getting frighteningly close - so beat the heat and do something fun this weekend. We know you had grand plans of laying by the pool, reading a stack of books and eating your weight in snow cones. So this weekend, do it before time runs out. We'll even help you out! For those of us who are pool-less, ourselves, our super fun friend Addison Day shows us how to break into the newest, most exclusive pool party around.

Addison Day is a video contributor to WDDI and a talented filmmaker living in Denton. Almost all of his work features beer, and he generally won't show up anywhere unless there's a keg. You could ask him about the rare, unreleased Armadillo Ale Works brewing footage he's always threatening to post, but after a few beers he'll probably tell you about it regardless.

MONTH IN REVIEW: JULY

will milne August 1, 2013

We hope you enjoyed your quiet July, Denton. August is around the corner and we're about to get filled with college students again. Oh well. Let's take a moment and have some nostalgia for some all-too-recent events that happened in July and remember some of the fun things we covered this month with Month in Review: July.

We interviewed wrestler, Gentleman Jackson, before a benefit show in his honor and learned about life with a broken neck, general mustache upkeep and the best root beer at Atomic Candy, among other things.

July was a big month for theatre in Denton, specifically musicals. Music Theatre of Denton put on a rousing original production entitled Square Roots. Square Roots was a parody of all things Denton history with lots of interesting folk participating in the fun. This included a song sang by two of our own city councilmen about water bills while they danced around on stage with shovels. On the flip-side, July also saw the first musical from the Denton Performance Lab this past weekend at a few places around town. The Tissue Issue was a satire based primarily on recent political events (more specifically, House Bill 2, among others).

Speaking of HB2, what’s come to be known as Twittergate also went down this past month. Late one night while following political events, city councilman Kevin Roden made some tweets in regards to what he believed some male’s reasons for being pro-choice were. Said tweets snow-balled into what could only be described as an internet riot by the next morning. Eventually, Roden took to the soapbox, writing both a response and his official thoughts on the subject on his website and inviting citizens into his home (with the promise of free beer) to discuss the subject as a group in what he called The Beer Summit.

The Happy Campers food truck gained a loyal following in the hot month of July with their amusingly-topped balls of shaved ice and flavored syrups. Now, if we could just get them to commit to some sort of a schedule (or start staying open late and serving boozey cones. We don’t know about the legality of this, but we could definitely stand for some Hendrick’s Gin in our Tiger’s Blood cone. They’d reach Denton-Legend status post-haste.

Speaking of, it was nice to start to see food trucks out at Denton bars in July. Both The Pickled Carrot and Shiitake Swerve were outside of Oak St. Drafthouse and Mulberry St. Cantina, serving their respective brands of mobile meals.

Oh yeah, and Mulberry St. Cantina opened a few weeks ago. We’ve had a couple of different experiences the few times we’ve been there. It’s always interesting to be in a bar before any particular clique has laid claim to it. That’s where Mulberry St. Cantina seems to be right now. So if you really like margaritas or tequila, you’d better get your group in there ASAP and start laying down claim to the space before the Rocking Rodeo crowd gets it.

Mulberry St. Cantina finally opened for business in July. Have you checked it out yet?

3 Songs this month might not have introduced you to many new faces, but it did highlight some darn good tunes.

Aside from Mulberry St. Cantina, July also saw the opening of Goldmine BBQ on the square and the pre-natally spurned Subway on the square. We reported that the Subway sign was to be altered before opening after securing that info from sources... and we’re still waiting for that to happen. Last we were told, this week was to be d-day, but we won’t be holding our breath.

We let loose word of the Untapped offshoot, Canned, and how it will be coming to Denton in October. We’re already excited about hearing northwest weirdos Menomena and drinking lots of strange beers out of cans. More details to come soon!

Sean Treat kept us educated this month with Back in the Day, when he tied Denton roots to France in honor of Bastille Day.

Denton Square Donuts changed owners once again this past month. At some point, they’re going to have to realize that it’s the product being sold that is keeping people out of the space. Stop selling baked phyllo dough with random junk on top and start frying up some real, honest-to-goodness donuts, and we’ll be there multiple times a week. Promise.

There was lots of construction going on about town this month. Here's a peek inside the construction happening inside Lone Star Attitude.

We spoke with two awesome female artists, both of which have their work for sale at DIME. Read our conversations with Cassie Arnold and Mandy Hampton, if you haven’t already.

Our Mr. Farris column gave us the inside scoop on all of the construction going on about the square - by the forthcoming Lone Star Attitude and East Side Social Club, and warned everyone about the looming construction on Hickory St. to create angled, back-in parking.

We talked with author Darin Bradley about scary fiction and how he created a fictionalized version of Denton for his book, Noise.

We found out that Midway Mart has beer tastings in another great video from Addison Day.

What else happened in July, y’all? Are we forgetting something?

WHAT WE DID: JULY 29

Alyssa Stevenson July 29, 2013

Summer in Denton is normally when the college kids leave and the town gets a little sleepy. That hasn't really proved true this summer, as we're still exhausted from all of the activity the last weekend of July had for us. We kicked off the weekend with the Creatives Mixer at the DIME Store organized by Maker Space. We chowed down on The Pickled Carrot, sipped on some new local beer, and chatted about creative commerce in our city. After that we hit up a few shows. You might have caught us peeking into the Ladies of Spiderweb Salon showcase at J&J's, checking out The Tissue Issue at Banter, or standing in line at the bar at Dan's. We got some great reader submissions this week, too. Keep it up, y'all.

What did you do this weekend? Tag your tweets and instagrams with #WDDI and we'll include our favorites every week.