WHAT WE DID: MAY 5TH, 2014

The weekend was jam packed with sunshine, fun, and plenty tacos. (In fact, we're continuing that taco consortium today. It is Cinco de Mayo, after all.) Between the Cinco De Mayo parade, Free Comic Book Day, the DIME Store Sidewalk Sale, the Mudbug Boil, and general good vibes and good times we are pooped. What We Did does it's best to capture what it's like to live in Denton for a week. At least, that was the idea we had when we started it last summer. We think it does a pretty danged good job of representing Denton from all of the different perspectives that live inside. 

Thanks for keeping us in your loop, y'all. Tag your pics and 'grams with #WDDI and share with us what you're up to! Have a great week, everybody!

The Denton Cinco de Mayo festival/parade often gets overlooked in the shadow of Arts and Jazz fest, but it really is a hell of a good time. Photo by @veronica_n_denton. 

CINCO DE MAYO

@veronica_n_denton

@discoverdenton

Our Cinco de Mayo "office"

@michagb86 snapped a shot of this little fledgling who decided to hang out on a friend's crotch during a picnic on the square. The birds on the courthouse lawn have gotten a little too friendly. 

@besely and the Beer Drinkers Society supported their favorite candidate for the current city council election. 

Damn that's a good-lookin' dog mug. @hkgregory did a little chilling on the courthouse lawn with her furry little friend. 

@jocsanl made sure that the courthouse was well documented this weekend. This part is still there. VSCO or no? 

@siesiesierra enjoyed her first snow cones of the season - one of our favorite firsts of the year. One of which is possibly topped with Gummy Bears which we think we approve of. 

Free Comic Book Day was awesome once again. @mkernan made sure to document the ever growing line at More Comics Fun and Games for Free Comic Book Day when he randomly stumbled across it, trying to purchase someone a gift. 

@thedapperbat got his nerd on with some Green Lantern ice cream from Beth Marie's during Free Comic Book Day! 

@taylorbunch_ made sure to stay well refreshed while hanging in the sun and enjoying the first glimpse of summer. 

@shainasheaffphoto had the pleasure of documenting Two O' Clock jazz band during a recording session. 

@madammcclain caught a shot of one of our favorite 'book nooks' at Recycled. This is not a good place for a square wide game of hide and go seek, FYI. 

@divagirlellie snapped a shot of this fun bug hanging off the square. 

MUDBUG BOIL

Saturday afternoon, a bunch of folk convened and ate some crustaceans that kinda looked like bugs. Did the suck the head? Some may have. Either way. It was tasty. 

@mkernan

@glenfarris

@digijordan

@digijordan  catchin' some screen printing action. 

@hollyintexas knows the best baked goods are happening at Ravelin bakery. We support her choice in quality french pastry. 

@malevolent_teaparty snapped a 'gram of the tree bikini at OSDH. We guess trees need to be ready for summer too. Nice tan, though, Oak. 

Also, treekini. 

@raecheljeanhaley had a Denton themed b-day party for her 2 year old this weekend. Search Instagram for #WeDenton2It for all sorts of Denton bday awesomeness. 

The North Texas football team took on the Robson Ranch softball team in a friendly game over the weekend. Photo by @sarahanneadams . 

@tinyglowlife showed off her amazing @madelinewoodapparel skirt in true spring fashion. 

@gmathews99 caught up with the current sounds of Seryn at Dan's. 

@joshpiers jammed to a little voltRevolt

@taylorbunch_ enjoyed a little cinema on her Saturday. Complete with Mexican corn, Tremors and okay-good friends. We can't think of a better movie to sit on the ground and watch. Just cuddle up with your graboid and watch Kevin Bacon not age. 

We loved our haul from Free Comic book day from Mor Fun Comics and Games. May be one of our favorite days of the year! 

@xtiffanyyoungbloodx enjoyed a pancake bigger than her own face from Old West. We approve for sure of this breakfast decision. 

@wildflowerart is starting their beginning calligraphy class in Denton on May 31. Time to learn how to write pretty. 

WHAT WE DID: APRIL 28TH, 2014

Well, it's not Monday, sorry about that - but hey, we all had to recover from Jazz Fest, TEDxUNT, Twilight Tunes and a whole slew of events. Not to mention you guys left us with a massive pile of photos to compile afterwards. Not that we're complaining. We loved seeing all the things you documented over the weekend. It was like we were somehow able to take it all in just a little more. Now that we've officially kicked off spring and are headed straight into summer make sure to keep those pics a'coming full of the wonderful ways you're spending your days around the best little city in Texas. 

Tag those grams and tweets with #wddi to see them here weekly in our round up of local pics! 

Quite possibly the best landmark in the fest. Photo by Paige Gibson. 

People at Arts and Jazz

Photo by @DentonArtsandJazz

Clint Wilkinson selling the Bell and Oak goods for fest-goers.

Photo of the crowd by @evie_marie. 

@hollyintexas caught her kid flyin' high over the festival grounds. 

Food of Arts and Jazz

Photo by @sharonlynnjared

Photo by @thepaigels

Photo by @sharonlynnjared

Photo by @cvincent27

Photo by @dentonjazzfest

@lizkingyoga stocked up on new handmade accessories at the festival. 

Performers at Arts and Jazz

Photo by @dentonjazzfest

Photo by @mkernan

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In celebration of TEDxUNT @uccelloraro chowed down on some themed cupcakes. 

@1000countsheets was super proud of the fibers department at the TEDxUNT talks. 

@thelovelyhunter deemed her day on the square a pretty perfect one with this little guy in tow! 

Reppin' that Denton bar on a shirt - true Dentonite fashion. Way to represent @shainasheaffphoto. 

Photo snapped by @thepinkantler on the DART to A-Train commute from Dallas to Denton. 

This little billy goat made it all the way to Jazz Fest. Photo by @triciamarierollo

@platformsandpeeps grabbed a few tacos and enjoyed the Hickory Street construction. 

WHAT WE DID: APRIL 21ST

Sunday evenings we take a gander at all of the lovely photos y'all took over the past week as you went about town, doing what ya did. We select our faves, throw 'em all together and write some silly captions to accompany them. We call it "What We Did," but it's really more of what "y'all" did than anything else. It's one of our favorite columns and for good reason. This week we thankfully didn't have to put up with any more damned rainbows, but instead were treated to grub from food trucks, records, and some Easter Egg huntin'. 

Check out the following photos from We Denton Do It readers and staff to see what Denton has been up to for the past few days. Thanks for sharing your weekend with us, Denton, and, as always make sure to tag your fun photos with #WDDI this week! 

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"Oh, you're an artist? What medium do you work in?"
"I dabble in steamrollers."
"Oh, that's cool I guess." 

UNT does it right makin' prints with rented steam rollers. We want one! Photo by our historical buddy, Shaun Treat. 

We often overlook how nice it can be to drive a bit north to Lake Ray Roberts. @shainasheaffphoto spent her Sunday there shooting beautiful things. 

@jesskachav and her friend found the only cinnamon roll in town they couldn't defeat thanks to Loco Cafe. Kinda thinkin' we should do a cinnamon roll shootout between this and Royal's and gain ten pounds. 

@hollyintexas and crew browsed around the Community Market on Saturday. Did ya know that the Denton Design Co. sells ties and scarves with prints of the courthouse on 'em?!

@shainasheaffphoto captured the true essence of Denton. We agree with a commenter who called this photo very "Annie Leibovitz-y." 

@hollyintexas 'grammed the sidewalk chalk graffiti argument on Industrial St. 

The Grand Opening of the Austin St. Truckstop

Denton's first food truck park opened up last Wednesday. We were there (along with a few hundred other people) to check it out and took a few pics. 

TACOS FROM SAY KIMCHI

DOUGHBOYS

KIMCHI FRIES

SAY KIMCHI WAS HERE FROM DALLAS

@thepinkantler hopped the DART to the A-Train to make it back to Denton from Dallas without all the nasty traffic. 

@hollyintexas caught our favorite hashtag on the chalkboard... we dig it. Thankful nobody turned the #WDDI into genitals...yet. 

Burger Time Machine proved to have an excellent burger. @thepinkantler can attest to the greatness of the tots too. 

Nathan Williams of Sunday Print Shop designed one of the best shirt designs we've seen in recent years. Check out Bryce Olcon's visage on this insane T. 

Photo by Jade Winter Chessman. 

Who has the best caption for this shifty-eyed dog owned by one Sara Button? Photo by Shaina Sheaff. 

Darts at Paschall's. Photo by Paige Gibson. 

Record Store Day

Saturday was National Record Store Day again. Mad World had a line down to the end of LSA. We scoped out both Mad World and Recycled and got some good scores. We also saw some pretty great cat drawings at Recycled. 

Some people really dress up to go to the square. Photo by @phototerminus.

Spring has sprung. Quick! Throw your lady in front of some blossoms and take a picture. Photo by Taylor Bunch. 

Damn good fish sandwich at Rooster's. Photo by @hollyintexas.

Quit stealing all the copper mugs, y'all! Photo by  @wishmynamewas who most likely did not steal this mug because otherwise the evidence would be too damning. 

We've got a review of the recently redone Cups and Crepes comin' this week. Enjoy this photo of their "huddy" in the meantime. 

Easter Egg Hunt at Cross Timbers. Photo by Bryce Olcon. 

Candidates debate at Dan's. Photo by Paige Gibson. 

Aaron Aguilar can't wait for Cultivar to open (along with Hypnotic Donuts). Don't worry, Aaron. We're in the same boat. They were even recently voted best coffee shop in Dallas. 

The Adult Easter Egg Hunt at OSDH got violent and fast. Photo by the battle-wounded Sara Norman. 

We love seeing this many creative people from different industries in the same room. Ryan Polly, Julian Pastrana and Daniel Routh are hard at work on something. We're assuming it'll be awesome. Photo by Daniel Routh. 

Wait. Didn't we already post this picture up above? Yes. We did. You noticed. You're probably the only one who read this far down. Either way, we're impressed. Please find one of us and tell us the codeword, "Cookie Crisp!" to receive your prize. Photo by @hollyintexas again. 

Oh yeah. We co-hosted a candidate debate at Dan's last week. Did you go? We hope so. If not, Christopher Walker did the hard work of creating this rundown of candidates' answers. 

BACK IN THE DAY: REQUIEM FOR ‘JUDAS’ JIM MURPHY

Jim Murphy to left of Sam Bass, center, and Sebe Barnes “Sam’s Right Bower (sea anchor)” looming tall at right.

Last Saturday’s Denton County Heritage Festival was a wonderful event on the lovely Denton Square, commemorating our town’s 1861-1877 post-Civil War years with period reenactments, historical sketches, and stories by costumed forefathers (and foremothers). The “Texas Troubles” leading to our role the Civil War and its aftermath were indeed a “pivotal era” for Denton township, only 3 years old when war broke out in 1860. Our prior articles on the “1860 Prairie Match Mystery” and “Texas Outlaw Sam Bass in Denton” sets the stage for this modest defense of the betrayer of Sam Bass, Denton’s native son, ‘Judas’ Jim Murphy.

Murphy was the second of nine children born to Henderson and Ruth Murphy, who moved to Denton County in 1851 to establish a General Store in 1852 then the Murphy Hotel in 1855, the first in the county, a split-rail two-story cabin near the log courthouse of the prior county seat of New Alton. In what would become quite a spectacle of the day, The Murphys used a team of mules to move their two-story B&B on rolling logs to its new location, over six miles away along rugged dirt paths, while a very pregnant Mrs. Murphy knitted in her rocking chair on the jostling porch. A few days later, their son John was the first Anglo child born in Denton, and the Murphy Transcontinental Hotel was soon a thriving pioneer community center that offered magnificent meals, tidy accommodations, and rye whiskey for neighbors and travelers alike. The wealthy businessman Henderson served three terms as County Treasurer and at least one term as City Alderman as he also acquired vast ranch land and numerous properties around the Denton Square, interests that sons Bob and Jim helped tend.

Denton’s second Courthouse, rebuilt after 1875 fire attributed to Sam Bass associate Henry Underwood. (Photo courtesy of the Denton County Historical Museum)

The effects of the Civil War were devastating, Denton County lost many men. Weary veterans returned in 1865 to desolate fields and untended farms amidst impoverishing economic depression and drought. Indian raiders of livestock, horse rustlers, and stagecoach bushwackers were persistent threats as Denton County slowly recovered under Union Reconstruction occupation. When the 19-year-old Indiana orphan Sam Bass arrived in Denton

in 1870, working as a hand at the Lacy House Hotel and as freighter for Sherriff ‘Dad’ Egan, the affable lad quickly became friends with the Murphy boys and Henry Underwood and Frank Jackson, locals who were close in age. The Texas Cattle Boom would help make the Murphy family one of the richest in Denton County and, as sons Bob and Jim oversaw large open-range ranches while starting families, the charismatic Sam Bass turned to horseracing and gambling with his legendary “Denton Mare,” then eventually into banditry infamy by 1877 with a $60,000 UP Train heist. Trouble is, once Pinkerton Detectives and Texas Rangers pursued Sam into Denton offering a $1,000 dead-or-alive bounty, the Murphys were soon swept up into the “Bass War” scandal as sleepy Denton became a “terrorized armed camp” of bounty hunters and spies.

While many chroniclers of Sam Bass unfairly characterize Jim as an active member of the rotating Sam Bass Gang, there’s little doubt that he often gave the group of childhood friends safe harbor, supplies, and lookout warnings that helped the outlaws evade their murderous pursuers in the Cross Timbers thickets. By then, however, Jim Murphy was happily married to Mary ‘Molly’ Paine with two twin daughters and a promising future soon in jeopardy. Besides Sam, cowpoke Frank Jackson, horse rustler Henry Underwood (accused of burning down the first Denton courthouse in 1857), and tinsmith thug Sebe Barns were close if rough-n-tumble acquaintances who some locals saw as ‘Robinhood’ Rebels giving heck to the Reconstruction Union League and their cozy Railroad Tycoon profiteers. Though a hero to dirt-poor common folk, the moneyed elite were anxious to make an example of such lawlessness. Embarrassed Rangers and government officials ruthlessly retaliated by arresting several sympathetic Denton locals, including Jim and his innocent father Henderson in May 1878, in a unscrupulous dragnet intended to legally intimidate unwilling local cooperation. Dragged in chains and shame to await trial in Tyler for aiding wanted outlaws, even as on-the-run Sam’s shootouts desperately escalated, Jim famously cut a Devil’s bargain with Capt. June Peak and Ranger Major Jones to deliver Sam to capture in exchange for the legal exonerations of himself and his father. Despite assurances Sam would be taken alive if possible and his family freed, Jim had little idea that fate had other plans for both of them.

“...some whispered it was murder and still others thought suicide, even after Jim was secretly buried in a still-unknown grave.”

What finally transpired is the well-known subject of disgraceful infamy for ‘Judas’ Jim Murphy in “The Cowboy Ballad of Sam Bass” and Judge Hogg’s book. Jim joined Sam’s gang under considerable suspicion from Sebe Barnes, set on killing the suspected informer had not Jim’s bud Frank Jackson bravely faced him down at gunpoint. Deciding to head into Mexico with money from banks robbed along the way, the remaining Sam, Sebe, Frank, and Jim ambled into Round Rock TX to case the bank. Jim’s hasty wire had assembled Texas Rangers to apprehend the robbers but Deputy Alijah Grimes inadvertently sparked a premature gunfight trying to confiscate their sixguns as they were casing town. When the gunfire settled, Sebe was dead and Frank fled with a mortally-injured Sam as Jim looked on. Sam died a few days later on his 27th birthday without giving up any secrets on his pals, and Jim returned to his family in Denton. Jim managed Denton’s Parlour Saloon and attempted to rejoin polite society, but he was now an outcast. The elite rejected him as a Bass cohort, while the admirers of Sam resented his betrayal and would-be gunslingers targeted him as a means to infamy. After spending many a night in the jailhouse for his own protection for almost a year, Jim Murphy gruesomely died of belladonna poisoning in early June 1879 while receiving treatment from Doc McMath for an eye ailment. Family believed it an accident, but some whispered it was murder and still others thought suicide, even after Jim was secretly buried in a still-unknown grave. Regardless, the tragic end to a sordid saga led the Murphys to retire northward of the town they’d done so much to establish.

We met Murphy’s descendents at Saturday’s Heritage Festival. They were generously kind but also quite understandably protective of how their kin were caricatured in worshipful Sam Bass mythmaking. We’ve long thought that the stories of these two childhood pals were a fascinating snapshot for coming-of-age in those anarchic Post-War times that made, broke, and changed the fortunes of so many Dentonites. We think that sympathy and pity for ‘Judas’ Jim Murphy should should be thrown his way. Considering that both he and Sam seem less like figures of a simplistic melodrama than epic characters within a sweeping Greek Tragedy. In this tragic tale of two very different Texans from back in the day, their youthful choices in chaotic times made it nigh impossible to change or escape their capriciously intermingled fates.

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Back in The Day is an ongoing WDDI contribution from Shaun Treat, an assistant professor in Communication Studies at the University of North Texas and founder of the Denton Haunts historical ghost tour. Doc Treat has written about numerous local places and personalities at his Denton Haunts blog, and is forever indebted to the great work of the fine folks with the Denton County Historical Commission and local keepers of history like Mike Cochran and Laura Douglas at the Emily Fowler Library for their tireless work in helping preserve Denton’s intriguing past.

WHAT WE DID: APRIL 14TH

This was one of those classic Denton weekends. You know, the ones where you get drinks with friends, the weather is nice, and you nosh on food truck goodies all the while making sure to attend the many events around town. On Saturday, the square was hopping with people celebrating our heritage in costume, putting on a show like it was 1861. After having our hearing a little altered from the canons, we grabbed locally roasted beans from the Community Market before heading over to the Redbud Festival to see what the kids are doing to keep their closets sustainable with the Trashion Fashion show. Stuff like that makes Saturdays in Denton awesome. We know you guys were out and about as well, because we say all of your awesome pics. 

Keep having all of the fun, and tagging those pics with #wddi to keep us up on all of your Denton shenanigans! 

East Side Social Club is climbing the ranks of the best graffiti in town. @sara_button made sure to add to the creative wordplay those tables have become. 

The Explorium had a fundraiser last week at Oak St. Drafthouse featuring catapults, Legos and The Waffle Wagon. 

@thepaigles enjoyed some fried deliciousness from the Waffle Wagon. A great way to get in all of the important food groups; fried dough, chicken and maple syrup. 

We are pumped that @bellandoak has finally launched their online store and started selling their products inside Weldon's Western Wear. Stop by and get some awesome handmade leather goods ASAP!

University (and flag) day at UNT. Photo by Naomi Woods. 

"Buy a beer get a free shirt from Pan Ector Day" at Lou's is one of our favorite days. We're obviously not alone. Photo by @mkernan. 

Hey @jadewintersee - we totally support that taco decision! 

Burgers and bluegrass Friday evening. Photo by Courtney Craggett.

The Redbud Festival was this past Saturday and the Trashion Fashion program had their runway show complete with winners, dancing and Recyclesaurus Rex. 

Cody Sharp is man enough to go for the ten pepper infused tequila at Mulberry St. Cantina. 

The 2nd annual Serve Denton Gala. Thanks for serving our community, dudes! Photo by Joshua Piers.

Bigfoot got spotted in an original musical at UNT last weekend. Photo by Erin Nicole. 

@dimehandmade was feeling good supporting local makers all day Saturday... just as they do everyday. 

Nite is playing J and J's on Tuesday as part of CollageDNTN. Photo by Bryce Olcon. 

Sometimes we forget how awesome Rose Costumes is and then we see photos like this. Remember that one OJ Simpson window display they had way back when? Oh you don't? "Who's OJ Simpson?" you say? Now we feel old. Photo by @Coffeecatkid.

Mother Falcon played Dan's last week and it was awesome. Photo by Corey Van Hunter.

Y'all sick of these rainbows yet? Photo by Darby McFall. 

Cats and printing. Photo by Nathan Williams.

The Community Market was open for weekend #2. Wildflower Art Studio was there. 

One of the many reasons we love Scrap Denton is because we can thank them for awesome yarn bombings such as the one you see above. Photo by Rachel Nichelson.

@Courtney Craggett

Springtime makes the cows look prettier. Photo by Paige Gibson. 

Paschall's bartender Alphonso Quiñones even makes awesome drinks in his offtime.

Art sale at Mulberry St. Cantina this past Saturday. One month until the next one. Photo by @buttonupdenton. 

And some taco porn for y'all from El Taco Rico courtesy of Shaina Sheaff. 

TRASHION FASHION PREVIEW

Instead of throwing that coffee sleeve into the recycling bin, why not wear it as a cuff or, better yet, a leg warmer? That's the type of thinking that went into the creation of Denton's Trashion Fashion Program going into it's third year now. The award-winning program, a joint venture from the City of Denton's Solid Waste and Recycling Department and the Denton Public Library, invites designers of all ages to create clothing (or what they call "wearable art") from materials that would otherwise end up recycled or in a landfill. Every year, they see designs that really earn that "wearable art" title; impressive garbs from all ages made from items as inconspicuous as dryer sheets. 

The program has had months of preparation in the form of various workshops that help designers along the creation process. Last weekend, many of the models and designers had a photoshoot with Denton ISD's Commercial Photography class at the Pratt Recycling building off of Mayhill. Many of the photos from that shoot are embedded below. This saturday, at the Redbud Festival (Quakertown Park by the Civic Center), this year's program will culminate with an actual fashion show complete with a runway, judges, and food trucks. So, if you're the type who likes to chill out on the grass and munch on some banh mi (we're hoping The Pickled Carrot will be out), catch some live music, think about the environment for a bit (recycle that banh mi wrapper, dagnabit) and then catch a quick fashion show - you should probably go to the Redbud Festival. It is free afterall. Let's go ahead and look at some pretty photos now. 

Model/Designer: Angela Rawlings
Photographer: Lexi Drake

Model/Designer: Sam Cogley
Photographyed by Cynthia Pantaleon

Photographer: Cynthia Pantaleon, Model/Designer: Megan Gibson

Photographer: Lexi Drake, Model Jensen Owens

Designer: Dominique Brown

Model: Cara Walker

Kiba Jacobson

Christa Boyd-Nafstad

Katja Boyd-Nafstad

Aurora Boyd-Nafstad

Eryka Amaning

Alyssa Hoberer

Carolina Carrasquillo

EDITOR'S NOTE: The writer of this article, Will Milne, is affiliated with the Trashion Fashion Program in that he teaches the photography class that took the photos above. He also made this editor's note in which he proceeded to write in the third person. Conflicts of interest be darned. 

WHAT WE DID: APRIL 7TH

Between storms and music festivals, spring in Denton is a busy time of the year. We didn't have any music festivals last week, but we had a storm big enough to cover for it. Y'all got hail damage? We sure do. Aside from that, the Community Market is back in swing and The DIME Store celebrated it's 1st birthday party. We're just trying to keep up. 

Thanks for documenting your weekend activities and tagging them with #WDDI. We'll see ya again next Monday with more of the same!

The DIME Store's 1st Birthday Party

The CVB has put up a giant chalk board on Industrial to encourage people while the E. Grand Hickory renovations are going on. They'll be asking a new question and they have chalk below for you to put up your answers. So far we're impressed to see how clean everyone has kept it. Impressively mature, Denton. Photo by @mbryceo. 

The DIME Store turned one over the weekend and we were there with a photobooth to take some photos of the attendees on their backyard bash. 

Photo by @mkernan.

The DIME Store had a Birthday Bash with some extra special vendors serving up all kinds of backyard fun! We're so happy they're here and a part of our community!! Photo by @wildflowerart. 

@savviedesign spent her Saturday at the Backyard Birthday Bash celebrating the one year birthday of the DIME Store! 

The Storm

Oh man. That storm, y'all. Hail, followed by more hail and a possible tornado, hail for a third time and then an ice cream truck showed up. That's how it went down on Austin St., at least. #TornadoSelfies didn't catch on, sadly. Here are a few photos of the storm, some of the destruction and the ironically beautiful sky that followed.  

Photo by Paige Gibson. 

Photo by Paige Gibson. 

Photo by Jillian Zamora

Photo by ashley cook

Photo by Hannah Kane

Photo by Cali

Photo by Kim McClellan

Photo by Taylor Bunch. 

Photo by Zach Ashcraft. 

Photo by Rachel Nichelson. 

Photo by bsbassist. 

The crawfish were right on at the Mudbug Boil at @dansilverleaf this weekend! 

Kiddos were arting it up at the opening of the Denton Community Market on Saturday morning! Photo by @mkernan.

@shainasheaffphoto and friends raised a glass this weekend at Oak Street Drafthouse. 

@lcd7383 enjoyed mimosas and board games on that rainy Sunday. 

New signage uncovered on the square. Photo by Denton Camera Exchange. 

This was the special at Paschall's last week. Photo by one of our favorite bartenders, @Alph0nso. 

@veeveemarie had an impressive looking lunch at Weinberger's. 

@paperlocket shared their love for this town through a square filled photo. 

@serynsounds played a fancy house show with @panhandlehouse - and @jadewintersee made sure to gram it! 

INTERVIEW WITH ANYAH BRITTAIN MARTINEZ OF THE EXPLORIUM

Photo by Melissa Gill

Did y'all know there's an awesome event at Oak St. Drafthouse on Monday called Sip'nScience? Even better, it benefits a hopeful children's museum called The Explorium. We've previously highlighted fundraising efforts of The Explorium through our crowdfunding column. We're super pumped about Sip'nScience, though. What beats adult and kid-friendly games with food trucks in close proximity? Anyway, we recently chatted with the unofficial director and co-founder of The Explorium, Anyah Brittain Martinez, about Sip'nScience and her hopes and dreams for The Explorium. Read on for more!

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WDDI: Hey Anyah! Tell us a little about yourself!

I moved here in 1996 as a Sophomore to attend UNT. My husband and I met in high school, so he moved out the following year. We got married while in college, still managed to finish on the four year track, and fell in love with Denton while attending school.

I got my first job at TWU, he started working as a teacher with Denton ISD,and gradually we became more involved in the community. Our jobs and our church made it easy to find ways to get plugged in. By the time our twins were born, we’d both finished grad school, moved up in our jobs, and I’d completed Leadership Denton and served on the Library Board. I used to do a presentation to the freshmen at TWU called “Denton: Not just a DENT ON the map” because I loved our town and wanted them to love it too. I have a friend that says I’m the Denton encyclopedia. I truly truly love Denton.

What is The Explorium and what is your affiliation with it?

A few months after our third child was born I started to really think and pray about what God wanted me to do with my time when the twins started school. I’m the type that needs a project to work on but I also wanted to be available to serve in the community, volunteer at the boys’ school, and still fill the role of a work at home mom and give Creed the same amount of attention our twins had when they were little. One day I was running and this idea just hit me and I thought, “I’m going to start a children’s museum right here in Denton!” I began doing lots of homework, joined the ACM and got their startup manual, filed all the necessary paperwork to establish ourselves, got some friends together to form our first board of directors and create a logo, asked a buddy for some seed money, and we got started. That was two years ago this month. Unofficially I’m the Director and Founder.

How much funds are actually needed in order to get this thing off the ground?

There really isn’t a set dollar amount. One major hangup is waiting for our 501c3 status to be approved by the IRS. We applied over a year ago, and until we hear from them, we cannot access the many grants that are available for a project like this. So we are doing what we can in terms of small-scale fundraising, like our popular toy and book swap, selling our t-shirts (which were sponsored), and our upcoming charity Monday at Oak Street Draft House.  Based on the metrics reports and information provided through our membership with the Association of Children’s Museums, our initial operating budget for Explorium Denton will be funded half through grants and donations, and half through memberships/admissions, rental revenues, etc.

What are some of your favorite activities to do with your children around Denton?

Photo by Melissa Gill

I’m a huge fan and supporter of our library system. Many of the events and activities they provide are free to the community, which is very attractive to a single income family like ours. In the summer, we usually go to the Wednesday concerts on the square and meet friends for a picnic. We go bike riding and running together almost daily in the spring and summer. In the summer we stop at the Denton Community Market most Saturdays. My boys love going to Minifigs, Bricks, and More to play with Legos. Sometimes we go to a movie but we really enjoy being out and about and spending time with friends. Year-round we spend a lot of time at parks, we’re involved in Denton Boys Baseball, Denton Soccer Association, and attend lots of DISD athletics and fine arts events. Fall is rife with festivals all around town and we hit them all. I take them on dates to get hot chocolate at Zera or cinnamon rolls at Royal’s or let them choose something fun and funky with their allowance from one of the many thrift stores in town. My children come with me pretty much everywhere I go. That’s one thing about Denton that I love, being able to take my boys on adventures as we take advantage of myriad  teachable moments in our community.

Who dreamed up Sip’nScience?

I can’t take credit for that! Alana Presley and Tara Mills, two of our board members, dreamed that up while I was out of town! We wanted a way to make this a super family friendly event, with activities that adults would enjoy as well. Cliff Caster created the flier.

“The reality is, we need a building, at least a temporary location, before we can start building exhibits, and that’s going to take a lot of money.”

— Anyah Brittain Martinez

Is Sip’nScience more for adults or children?

Both! It’ll be family friendly from 4-8. All the activities are for both children and adults, there will be a raffle for a Kindle, a drawing for a t-shirt, and of course family-friendly food trucks will be on site for everyone’s enjoyment. We are thankful to John Williams and his staff,  Waffle Wagon, and Lean Machine, for agreeing to support our project!

What are some of the activities that you would like to have at The Explorium?

There is not enough room in your blog for this, trust me! However, I will say that every exhibit will be hands-on, and we are targeting the ages 0-12. It will be a fun and educational place for everyone. There will be tie-ins to Denton: for example I’d love to get Peterbilt to sponsor an exhibit where you could take apart and build a small engine; or a music area tied into the college of music at UNT; or some sort of cool gymnastics area tied into TWU.

What would your dream location for The Explorium be?

……..Oh, sorry, did I drool get drool on you? Honestly there are so many places this project would thrive. I’ve been drooling over several vacant/available buildings for the past two years, none of which I can seem to get my hands on until we establish our 501c3. We would ideally repurpose an old vacant building somewhere near downtown. While I have my eye on several places, I don’t want to count my chickens before they hatch. Anyone reading this have a building they’d like to give me?

What can we, as citizens, do to help get The Explorium off the ground?

Stop by and see us at our events. Introduce yourself. I’m big on cultivating relationships. Just meeting poeple who echo that thought “this is such a great idea” helps build momentum and keeps me motivated. We’ll be at the Denton Community Market the third Saturday of each month April through November. We’ll be at the Redbud Festival, and have been invited to demonstrate with various groups like the American Heritage Girls.  Currently we have an ongoing gofundme campaign, which seems to be the easiest thing for most people. Just go online and contribute any dollar amount. Support our fundraisers like our toy swap, and our charity nights at local places like OSDH. Buy a t-shirt (they’ll soon be available at Noles General Store, or you can get one directly from me). Write a check and send it to PO Box  52145 Denton, Texas 76206. Just know that your contribution will not be tax deductible at this time.  A HUGE boon would be if someone would agree to be a fiscal sponsor, and that way we could expedite our IRS paperwork and get approved quickly, and start doing large-scale fundraising and grantwriting right away. Like us on facebook. Follow us on twitter. Word of mouth goes a long way in our community. The right person may just catch wind of our project and decide to get involved even in another community.

What’s your favorite knock knock joke?

Keep in mind I’m a mother to two six-year-old boys:

Will you remember me this afternoon?

Yes.

Will you remember me tomorrow?

Yes.

Will you remember me next week?

Yes.

Will you remember me next year?

Yes.
Knock knock.

Who’s there?

You forgot me already?!?!?

---

Explorium on Twitter | Explorium on Facebook

DNA TESTING PROVES JOHN B. DENTON NOT BURIED ON SQUARE

Early Tuesday morning, research scientists at the University of Texas confirmed what many have thought for decades. The grave located on the southeast corner of the Denton square, does not actually belong to John B. Denton.

After a well-shrouded exhumation that occurred in July of 2013, subsequent DNA tests showed that the bones that lie near the Denton Courthouse are actually of porcine (read: pig) origin and not even human.

While many anthropologists and historians have suspected that John B. Denton wasn’t actually buried in this location (after all, dude has three graves - Shaun Treat said so in this Back in the Day from last year) for many years, to actually have this confirmed is fairly disheartening to many Dentonites who have viewed and respected this gravesite for many years. There have been plenty of times that we have taken it upon ourselves to clean trash off of what we thought were the resting grounds of John B. Denton.

While no known likeness of John B. Denton was made in his lifetime, this is a drawing of what some dude thought his death may have looked like. 

Unfortunately, this news now places the courthouse’s historical status under question and it is now likely that by the end of the summer of 2014, the courthouse and surrounding grassy area will no longer be considered “historical.” Apparently, the courthouse’s renovation in 1987 was so heavy that the crux of what comprises the structure is too new to be considered for preservation. The courthouse also sits directly over an interesting section of the Barnett Shale that local natural gas drillers, EagleRidge Energy, have been eyeing for fracking purposes for many years now. So far, the company has been unable to reach the area through horizontal drilling from any of their Denton gas well sites. The loss of the courthouse’s historical status will make it fair game for fracking purposes if the current regulation stands.

As for John B. Denton, we are now left wondering, “Where do the remains of John B. Denton actually lie?” Many suspect that Denton’s body was never moved from it’s original unmarked burial location in what is now Bolivar, TX. In the meantime, write to your city council and state representative if you don’t want to see fracking on the Denton square. Also, J & J’s is turning into a Pizza Hut.