WHAT WE DID: JULY 15TH

While we're currently enjoying the respite from the heat, the weekend wasn't quite as kind. That didn't keep us from enjoying all that was going on in the peaceful Denton summer months. Below, you'll find photos from our adventures at the Denton Community Market, Gentleman Jackson's Benefit and the Campus Theater's production of Square Roots. We even caught a glimpse of Denton art culture at the Dallas Museum of Art. As always, make sure you throw #wddi in your tweets or 'grams and we'll include our favorites in next week's "What We Did."  

We spent our Saturday morning checking out Spiderweb Salon's show at the Denton Community Market. We got to see several of our Denton faves including Jordan Batson and Matthew Long (pictured above). 

We spotted this representation of the Denton art scene - with a piece from the Good/Bad Art Collective at the DMA. 

The Swedish Teens rocked it at the Gentleman Jackson benefit. 

A musical about Denton? Sounds a lot like Hair. Someone better call Popo y Lupe!

We're at the point now that we have to have Happy Campers Snow Cones in our sweaty hands when the thermometer reads above 100. It's not even a choice at this point. 

MIDWAY MART TASTINGS

Story and video by Addison Day  

Denton has its fair share of beer-related events. In fact, we'd venture a guess that our ratio of citizens to beer parties rivals that of heavy drinking towns such as Austin or Dallas. Few small communities in Texas have the healthy culture of bars, brewers and beer fans than the ones that reside in the shadow of the Morrison's sign. While we've been used to seeing the occasional craft beer tastings at music festivals, World Market or even Kroger, we were surprised when we discovered that our beloved Midway Mart offers weekly booze tastings hosted by the local reps from craft brewers across the nation. 

In the video above, Brent Hodgson of Oskar Blues Brewery let's us sample three of their seasonal releases, and gives us interesting beer-related tips along the way. The brewery has an "all cans" distribution model which apparently preserves the beer longer while simultaneously saving costs. 

You can join the "i heart MIDWAY MART" Facebook group for updates on free weekly tastings and new releases, or just stop by and talk to the knowledgeable dudes working the counter. 

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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.

BACK IN THE DAY: THE FRENCH CONNECTION

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.

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Facebook Francophiles may have mentioned that Bastille Day is upon us, but most of us are more likely to regard the Spanish and German influences as more distinctly Texas than the French. However, that wasn’t always the case and, if things had worked out a little differently in 1848, today’s Denton might’ve ended up eating a lot more escargot than barbeque if the French colony of New Icaria had lived up to its utopian promise.

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Before we jump into the French Icarians, first a bit of trivia to pull outta your hat for pals. Didja know that the territory comprising Denton County has been under six different national flags?! Yep, our favorite stomping grounds have at different times been part of Spain, France, Mexico, The Republic of Texas, the Confederate States, and of course the United States (twice). How’s that for political diversity? The French connection goes even deeper, since France was the first country to recognize the independent Republic of Texas between 1836-45 with an 1839 international Franco-Texan treaty and an official diplomatic attaché, Mounsieur Alphonse Dubois de Saligny, stationed in Austin. Not only that, but Texas had an embassy in Paris from 1842-1845 (as well as London), which you can still visit today at the Hôtel de Vendôme. Yeah, this lil’ tidbit blew our minds on our recent walkabout of Paris.

Yes, you can still visit the Texas Embassy in London. It's real. Look it up. 

Word has it, however, that the French ambassador to Texas didn’t hang around that much after a particularly close encounter with a Comanche arrow during one of the regular conflicts with disgruntled indigenous locals, but not every Frenchman was deterred. As teased by beloved Denton historian Mike Cochran, an 1848 settlement of French utopians briefly colonized an area near present-day Justin in Denton County until things badly broke sideways for our croissant-eating cousins. The French journalist, author, and visionary Communist rabble-rouser Etienne Cabet had amassed a huge following after publishing an 1839 novel, Voyage en Icarie, which set forth his concepts of utopian communalism in the years following the bloody French Revolution. With a fan base in the tens of thousands, Cabet aimed to make an actual go of such a utopian society of political and economic equality in the wild Texas frontier - at a decidedly non-Socialist pricetag of 600 francs per settler.

The French Icarians excitedly depart to create utopia…

Negotiating a contract with the Peter Land Company for 10,240 acres near Denton and Oliver creeks, a group of around 69 colonists traveled to establish their utopia christened New Icaria, a far cry from the 20,000 solicited and million predicted by beloved leader Cabet from the comfort of his French chalet. These grumbling Icarians who arrived in February of 1848 must’ve smelled the snake oil once they showed up to find a checkerboard of unconnected smaller lots, difficult water access, and an unrealistic five-month timetable through summer to actually build the required living cabins to maintain the land agreement. Still, these plucky idealists rolled up their sleeves to bravely make a go of it as Cabet repeatedly promised 1,500 reinforcements to be imminent, and while Murphy’s Law then kicked-in like a vengeful ex-girlfriend. Not only was the rocky terrain completely unsuitable for cultivation, and they lacked the necessary equipment and livestock to harvest enough food, but within only a few months 12 colonists were dead and the rest incapacitated by malaria. Five then left the New Icaria colony before mid-summer reinforcements arrived, ten sick and immediately disillusioned Icarians, far short of the promised 1,500 so by the winter of 1848 the ragtag group of sickly utopians straggled out of Texas to rethink things in New Orleans over mint julips. When their fearless leader Cabet rolled into the Big Easy with 450 fresh recruits in January 1849, having high-tailed it from France after being thoroughly discredited and with more than a few folks maybe wanting to burn his house down in the second revolution, there was a rowdy squabble undoubtably laced with French profanity before 200 dystopians threw up their hands and returned to home soil. We hear tell some of Cabet’s remaining Icarian faithful ended up in Illinois or Iowa, which let’s be honest is its own punishment.

…and the Icarian ragamuffins limp out of Texas muttering a few choice words.

So what does this little tale tell us about those frontier pioneers and settlers of Denton who stuck it out to forge enduring communities in the Texas wilderness, despite constant challenges of crop-withering drought or fire, constant warfare with angry Native American raiding parties, and sparse resources that required more’n a little generous hospitality from neighbors? Well, aside from Texans being tougher’n bootleather and harder to kill than a bee-stung rattlesnake, maybe the lesson is that Denton’s cooperative “creative class” is no new development but instead a characteristic built into our community DNA. Still, a nice French restaurant wouldn’t be a bad idea.

THE DEN10: JULY 10

The Summer is half over -- are you halfway through your Summer to-do list? If not you better get on it. This week we've got another handful of things to keep you busy including a homegrown musical about the history of Denton. Sometimes the parallels between our town and Blaine, Missouri are frightening. Tonight there is an opportunity for a get together at Council Member Roden's house to discuss the recent political climates. This should be a lively discussion considering the strong positions held. The irony is that this sort of engagement is why no other council member puts themselves out there like this. But tonight we will see our community come together even in the light of profound differences of opinion and beliefs. We welcome this sort of discourse and are thankful we're among some of the brightest and thoughtful minds in the world and are able to voice our opinions without fear for ours or our families safety.

Wednesday July 10
A Beer Summit | 322 Texas St. | 9PM
Council Member Kevin Roden opens his home again to meaningfully engage the community over beers. Everyone from all sides of the issues are invited and encouraged to attend and take part.

Thursday July 11
The Calmative / Tiger Tooth & Paw / Walker Smart | Rubbergloves | 9PM | $5

Second Greatest Dad Ever / Cat People / Aokigahara / ANGER HOUSE | Gatsby's Mansion | 9PM
Check out this solid line up at Gatsby's Mansion off 1400 Teasley Ln. Cat People have a new record out and "maybe Anger House will bring working demos this time". Yes, we hope so.

Friday July 12
Gentleman Jackson Benefit w/ Fly Gallery / Swedish Teens / Bad Machine / The Spectacle / Brent Best | Rubbergloves | 8PM | $10
It's all fun and games until you break your neck and then it's time for a benefit. Neck health is a good cause and this is a good way to pitch in and help a neighbor in need.

Saturday July 13
Jimbo Mathus & The Tri-State Coalition | Dan's | 9PM | $13
Jimbo of the Squirrel Nut Zippers takes the stage with his band this Saturday.

MTD Presents: SQUARE ROOTS | Campus Theatre | $15
 A hilarious parody of the history of Denton brought to you by members of City Council, School Board members, police and fire. Written and Directed by Donna Trammel, Assistant Directed by Melissa Sims, Stage managed by Tony Capps and with David Pierce of Cirque Du Horror, banging it out on piano. Our community theater can beat up your community theater.

Spiderweb Salon at Denton Community Market | Denton County Historical Park | 9AM
Spiderweb Salon curates the sights and sounds of Community Market this Saturday. Also make sure to drop by the Coffeewright Roasters (Denton's newest roasters) table to check out their ice coffee and tell them we sent you.

Spiderweb Salon + SCRAP Reused Art Workshop I 2PM I FREE

Sunday July 14
Christmas In July! | Dan's Silverleaf |4PM | FREE
The Holiday Lighting Festival Association is launching a kickstarter campaign to produce a CD compilation of performances that "capture the sound and spirit of this Denton holiday tradition". The square is full of sound and I end up full of spirits during the Tree Lighting

Monday July 15
Boxcar Bandits | Hailey's | 10PM | FREE
Best deal in town. Hands down.

GENTLEMAN JACKSON

Words by Dave Koen photos courtesy of Gentleman Jackson 

While the future of 35 Denton is in question, there are some of us who are still recovering from the last one. None more so than Jackson Kyle McPeek, also known as the amateur wrestler Gentleman Jackson. At this year’s festival, local wrestling promoters, XWC Wrestling, set up a ring next to the main stage and allowed festival goers to watch all of the wrestling they could handle. During Friday night’s festivities, Gentlemans Jackson and Jameson were set to face off against Lumberjack Bobby Lambert and a returning Scott McKenzie. Jackson started off his day with, “a strong cup of coffee, plenty of bacon and vigorous calisthenics” to prepare for his fight that night. But no amount of bacon or calisthenics could have prepared him for what was about to happen.

Photo taken by Pete Freedman of Central Track during 35 Denton

During the fight, Jackson was thrown to the mat and landed squarely on his neck. Despite numbness in his hands and feet, he was able to finish but would have to cancel two other fights scheduled for that weekend. Days later, still in severe pain, Jackson decided to seek medical attention. It was then that he learned that he had dislocated a vertebrae and tore a ligament but his doctors said it was easier to call it a broken neck. He would need emergency surgery to prevent any further damage that could leave him paralyzed.   

As you can imagine, a broken neck isn’t easy to recover from and it sure isn’t cheap (especially when you consider that amateur wrestling doesn’t provide insurance coverage). That’s why, on Friday, July 12th, there will be a benefit show at Rubber Gloves featuring music by Fly Gallery, Sweedish Teens, Bad Machine, the Spectacle, and Brent Best. It will cost $10 to get in but all proceeds are going to help pay for the Gentleman’s hefty medical bills. If you would like to help out but are unable to attend the event, consider contributing on giveforward.com.

We were able to pin Gentleman Jackson down and got him to answer some questions for us but it wasn’t easy. It took like, three guys. Seriously.

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Wrestling is all about personas. So, who is Gentleman Jackson?

Gentleman Jackson is first and foremost a gentleman, as well as a bare knuckle boxer who decided to try his hand at wrestling since the Marquess of Queensbury had to ruin the manly practice by requiring gloves.

You have a killer mustache. What do you use to keep it looking good?

I keep my mustache in top form through regular washing and conditioning, daily combing, and the application of Firehouse Mustache Wax.

Those who know you, know you as a bit of a root beer aficionado. What would you say is the best root beer at Atomic Candy?

I would rank Judge Wapner's brew at the top with Sprecher's at a close second.

Excluding yourself, who is your favorite wrestler of all time?

There is a British wrestler by the name of Les Kellett who's matches I love to watch and are entertaining no matter the numbers of times I view them.

At this years 35 Denton, you had your neck broken during a match. How's your recovery coming along?

Fortunately my recovery is going quite well; I have been able return to work at all my various jobs, and don't have much pain aside from some stiffness in the morning.

Do you think you’ll ever get back into the ring?

As far as returning to the squared circle; I can't answer that. I honestly have no idea if I will ever wrestle again. I can tell you that I miss it and its an amazing business to be part of.

WHAT WE DID: JULY 8TH

We're feeling like Garfield back at work on this hot Monday morning. Thankfully, we got plenty of fun in on the long holiday weekend. Below, you'll find photos from our adventures at last Thursday's parade, the Denton Community Market and more. As always, make sure you throw #wddi in your tweets or 'grams and we'll include our favorites in next week's "What We Did."  

The square was jam-packed for the annual 4th of July parade last Thursday morning. 

We saw horse masks, real animals and even a washing machine in the parade. 

Kiddos jumped at the chance to fill up their pockets (or cups) with candy thrown from various parade floats. 

Some were happier than others to be there. 

Several gathered, instruments in hand, to hang out before marching and playing wonderful cacophonous music together. 

Many Denton businesses were represented in the parade. 

It was a "Splash Day" on Saturday at the Denton Community Market. 

We spotted District 1 city councilman, Kevin Roden, out at the Denton Community Market talking with various vendors and pushing kids down the slide. 

We also got the chance to take in a show at the Star Theatre inside UNT's Environmental Sciences building. While we were actually checking out a movie for kids, we learned a lot, ourselves, and definitely recommend going there. 

THE DEN10: JULY 3

What a magnificent time it is to be an American citizen. As we stare down the 237th observation of our nation's Declaration of Independence, it's important to remember those inalienable rights written down by Jefferson and Adams. That these truths are self evident, that's how it is. Not how we wish it was, but how we have no choice for it to be. Celebrate this however you can: sparklers in the streets, a house show, eating for 'Merica, staying on your couch and watching Wall-E, do it however you see fit. Get to the highest point you can get and watch the burning-magnesium light up the air and fall back to the earth as Souza is blaring from the general direction of Apogee Stadium. It's mesmerizing watching Denton grow, born from of the spark of freedom and democracy. Celebrate that.

Thursday July 4

The Denton Institute Of Phrenology Half-Fast Marching Band | Wells Fargo Lot | 8AM

Bring an instrument and get dressed up for this one. Easily one of the most entertaining ways to spend an early July 4th morning is by being in the marching band in the parade on the square. In keeping with tradition, the marching band will continue marching after the parade route ends straight into Dan's which will be graciously serving bloody mary's. Start your holiday off on the right foot.

Remain In The Light | Dan's | 9PM | $10
Becker, Cripps and Contreras among others take the stage to perform Talking Heads Remain In Light. 

¡FIESTA! with Weedeater / ASG/ Terminator 2 | Rubbergloves | 9PM | FREE

Kiwanis Fireworks Show | Apogee Stadium | 6:30PM | FREE
Get as close or far as you need. Get up on a rooftop with a cooler and some friends. This is summertime in full effect.

Friday July 5

Sparkles + Rita's: July First Friday with DIME | DIME Store | 6PM | FREE
Get some local handmade goods and get lit on sparklers and 'ritas.

Spiderweb Salon First Friday Gallery Opening | Jupiter House | 7PM | FREE

Star Party / Black James Franco / Ghost Daddies | Rubbergloves | $10

Saturday July 6

Splash Day At The Market | Denton Community Market | 9AM | FREE
Watching kids come down the water slide comes second to watching kids take out all the other kids when they flub on the top step to get to the water slide. Serious people watching happens weekly at the Community Market and the presence of a water slide really ups the ante. Human Child Bowling is a real thing, y'all.

Possessed By Paul Jame / Delaney Davidson | Dan's | 9PM | $10
You've got to see this one to believe it. Possessed by Paul James drifts between "I'm ready to fight you to the death" to "I'm ready to die for your love" as effortlessly as the Clancy Brothers.

Tuesday July 9

The Reptilian / Innards / Atla / Acidic Tree / Cat People | Macaroni Island | FREE
No Jerks.

SUMMER QUINOA SALAD

We're experiencing an incredibly cool week of weather- which is simply unheard of for the first week of July in Texas. So in light of not needing to hide out from the heat, we've got the perfect picnic salad for you and yours to enjoy outside in the beautiful weather. With tomorrow being the 4th of July - we know you'll want something tasty to share with friends and family while waiting on the fireworks.  So we whipped up something that will be just fine in the cooler alongside a local summer ale. 

This salad is a perfect balance of farmer's market finds - or your neighbor's backyard - and a few items from the local grocer. We like quinoa because it's a super food, an incredible protein and it's crazy easy to make. Just like pasta salad or rice salad - quinoa salad is perfect served chilled or room temperature. And it's vegetarian friendly - so you don't have to worry about having a different option for your health-and-earth conscious friends. 

Summer Quinoa Salad

4 cups cooked quinoa (follow your package instructions)

1 diced mango

1 pint grape tomatoes sliced in half

2 ears of corn, griled and kernels cut off  

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed

1 can black beans, rinsed  

1 avocado, diced  

1 bunch of cilantro, chopped

1 tbsp kosher salt  

2 tbsp fresh ground pepper

1/2 cup feta  

1 cup olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

in a large bowl or serving dish combine the quinoa, mango, tomatoes, corn, garbanzo beans, avocado, cilantro, salt, pepper and feta. In a medium bowl whisk together the lime juice and olive oil until combined. Toss the salad with the lime juice and olive oil and serve cold or room temperature. 

WHAT WE DID - JULY 1ST

We're soaking up as much of summer as possible. We're trying our darndest not to spend our days inside binge-watching BBC shows on Netflix. So far, there's been more than enough going on to keep us entertained. We haven't looked back and regretted a second so far. 

Between a Sarah Jaffe concert, a trip to the Denton Community Market and a day at the closest 'beach' to town the past few days have been pretty alright. We indulged in some tasty cocktails crafted to keep us cool and checked out a new food truck on the Denton scene. In addition, we spent some time working hard to introduce you to some talented Denton artists and tastemakers. Keep an eye out. The fruits of our labor will be up soon enough.

How about you? Did you have a great weekend, too? Don't forget to tag your 'grams with #wddi and we'll pick from our faves to add to our future posts. 

Saturday we headed over to the market and grabbed a bag of beans from the new Coffeewright roasters in town. We'll keep you updated with our thoughts on 'em!

The special "adult" snow cones at The Green House this month didn't live up to our expectations. This is the Texas Picnic with watermelon, sour apple and Waterloo gin. It wasn't as good as it looks. 

Thursday evening found a large crowd of Dentonites ignoring the heat on the square while dancing at Twilight Tunes. 

Denton is slowly but surely getting our fair share of food trucks. One of the newer ones, Kendrick's BBQ, was out at the Denton Community Market this past Saturday.  Have you had a chance to check them out yet? 

We did a little recipe testing and photo shooting with Thomas Paessler for a new cocktail recipe. 

Getting that close up of our new favorite summer drink...

We headed into Kevin Roden's perfectly historic house for a living room show. 

Picking up a summer ale from Midway Mart. 

Sarah and Taylor having a drink with Kevin Roden pre-show. 

Sarah Jaffe told some really funny and touching stories and sang to a crowd of about 75 people in Kevin Roden's living room. 

We spent a little bit of time poking around Mandy Hampton's workshop while she showed off her wood-working skills. 

Be on the lookout for this talented artist's interview with us later this month. 

We spent a little time at the oh-so-close beach of lake Ray Roberts. 

Kids and families were out building sandcastles and enjoying the perfect weather all day. 

We still can't believe this place is just ten minutes out of town and $7. Totally worth it.