THE DEN10: APRIL 2

Has anyone noticed how full the square is feeling? Head down there and sit on the lawn on any weekday or even Sunday night right now and you’ll be impressed with the amount of foot traffic and activity there is. Why do you think that is? We’d like to suggest that the combination of East Side Social Club, Oak Street Draft House, and LSA are pretty big factors. Couple the crop of new businesses with some good weather and you’ve got the perfect storm of foot traffic downtown that results in some real strides made in economic development. We’re going to predict that First Friday at the end of the week is going to be gang-busters and it’s our hope that the long-term effect is more shops, open later, more variety and higher quality. Just make sure ya pick up your trash, though. We will have hit our apex when the first late night artisanal toast shop opens. How’s that for vision?

Questions, comments, rumors and truths may be directed toward glen@wedentondoit.com

Wednesday, April 22nd
The Band Of Heathens | Dan’s Silverleaf | 8PM | $15
One of the greatest live bands you’ll see at Dan’s. Hands down.

Thursday, April 3rd
Gasland 2 Screening: A Denton Premier | Dan’s Silverleaf | 7:30PM
We wonder what they’ll light on fire for this one. This free event is put on by the Frack Free Denton folks who are collecting signatures for a referendum on tracking in Denton so there’s an agenda behind the screening but it’s still a free movie at Dan’s and there will probably be free popcorn.

Friday, April 4th
Mother Falcon / Leoncarlo / Chinaski | Dan’s Silverleaf | 8PM | $15
This fantastic young band of string players rolls through Denton on an already packed night of events. This will be a good place to end up after taking in all the square’s got to offer. Thank us later.

DIME Store Birthday Bash | The DIME Store | 6PM
One of our favorites turns one this Thursday. Time to PAR-TAY. Also, this party continues on over to Saturday, yo. 

First Friday | Downtown | 6PM
Shops stay open late and the streets will be full of folks taking in our beautiful square. There’s no excuse to not go to this and check out all that downtown’s got going for it right now.

Saturday, April 5th
Market Opening Day 2014 | Denton County Historical Park | 9AM
Finally it’s here! Saturday mornings really aren’t the same when you can’t meet up with a few folks, down a locally roasted coffee and sample some food-truck faire while counting the goat soap. We can’t wait to see what new stands, new items and fresh faces will be out. Spring is here, y’all.

Denton Mud Run | Sharkarosa Wildlife Ranch | 7:30AM
If running a 5K through mud and obstacles sounds like your idea of awesome then have we got an event for you.

Dan’s & Little Guys Annual Crawfish Boil | Dan’s Silverleaf | 3PM | $15
This is as Denton as it gets. Complete the incredible Jay B and the Zydeco Posse. Eat and dance your face off.

Monday, April 7th
Saintseneca / Blessed Feathers / Nite | Dan’s Silverleaf | 8PM | $13
Here’s a nice Monday offering. Touring bands supported by Nite. Not bad for a Monday at Dan’s.

Sip’nScience | Oak Street Draft House | 4PM
Another fundraiser for the Explorium Denton people which will feature bar games and food trucks. You know, normal Denton stuff. We’d like to suggest a Slip’nSip benefit featuring a gigantic slip’n slide going down the hill on Oak St. past ESCC. 

PHOTOGRAPHER SPOTLIGHT: ED STEELE

You've seen the work of Ed Steele before. He's a photographer, but his work isn't the kind that slinks by you, unnoticed. Whether it's the super wide angles, unorthodox editing, or spicy subject matter, at least one of his photos has struck a chord with you before. Aside from that, his work is all over the Dallas Observer and the homepages of several local bands and burlesque dancers. Dude has the job that you dreamed of having in your high school photography class and he doesn't take it lightly. Steele is currently in the running for the Observer's "Best Music Photographer in North Texas," which you can vote for here. Read on for some silly questions about photography and cosplay. 

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Ed. You're weird. Who the hell are you and why are you in Denton?

Denton and I go way back. My parents moved to Denton when I was a kid, and I grew up and went to school here. It’s been amazing to watch Denton grow and change over the years – I remember a time when there was literally nothing to do and now some days there are literally so many great shows and events that it’s impossible to catch them all. I honestly don’t think there are many places on earth that have the music talent and creative people that we do.

You’ve recently been named as one of the 12 best music photographers in DFW by the Dallas Observer. How’s that sitting with you? Are you better than us now or is your head still normal-sized?

Oh Will, it’s been an honor and extremely exciting to be nominated and the support I’ve received is astounding. Have you seen the Frenchy’s van asking Denton to vote for me? When Frenchy sent me the picture I was blown away to be on the Van of Fame! My head is totally normal sized though; if not, my Loki helmet wouldn’t fit.

You seem to be out at the local festivals quite a bit nowadays. What are you looking for when you choose a person or group to photograph?

There’s a “look” some people have that jumps out at me, and it’s difficult to explain. I will typically scan a room and find someone who catches my eye, and then ask them if I can snap their photo. It can be someone with unusual features, interesting hair, a colorful outfit; it really differs from event to event. But that little voice in my head telling me “that’s someone I’d like to photograph!” is always the same.

What’s in your camera bag?

Frenchy says vote for Ed Steele. Photo from Frenchy. 

My Canon 5D, a 580EX II speedlite, various lenses depending on the job, extra batteries, the usual. Perhaps the two most important items I’d recommend to any music photographer are a Glotto Rocket-Air blaster for touchless cleaning of dust from lenses and the sensor, and an ASMP Media badge. I recently spoke on a panel of music photographers to a journalism class at Brookhaven College, and one of the challenges many of them faced was access at events. It can be tough if you’re not shooting for a publication and an American Society of Media Photographers badge prominently displayed on your camera strap demonstrates a level of professionalism. I recommended membership to ASMP to the class and a few of them have given me feedback that they’ve joined, which is great!

What’s been your favorite festival or ‘con to shoot so far? Why?

In 2012 I photographed “35 Des Refuses” and it was a blast to shoot for many reasons. Obviously with the sheer number of bands in Denton it’s impossible for the 35 Denton folks to have everyone play, so 35 Des Refuses (which means “of the rejects”) was comprised of bands that just wanted to perform but didn’t make it into 35D. The event was held at Creative Arts Studio and of course it rained, so the main performance area was moved inside and spillover was held at Robin’s photography studio next door. Needless to say it was sheer madness: delays, some bands not getting to perform, more rain, you name it. Denton’s Brave Combo performed at 35DR that night and one of my photos of their set is the insert in their current CD. I literally shot music for twelve hours straight, and at the end of it all I was totally exhausted but euphoric.

If you were to cosplay at a ‘con of your own volition (not as a photographer), what would you dress up as?

Loki or Frank the Bunny from “Donnie Darko.” Some have suggested a mashup of the two, but I can’t figure out a way to wear the Frank mask with the Loki Helmet!

How long does it take you to do your hair?

Haha! Having shaved my head for St. Baldrick’s Foundation two years in a row, it’s quite different to have a full head of hair now.

“My head is totally normal sized though; if not, my Loki helmet wouldn’t fit.”

— Ed Steele

Asian food or Mexican food?

Oh gosh, I love both and I love spicy food! I’ve spent too long on this question trying to decide and it’s making me hungry….you buying?

Nope. What’s been your favorite band to photograph?  

I’ve photographed Greg Ginn of Black Flag, Vanilla Ice, Amanda Palmer, Taylor Momsen of The Pretty Reckless - many wonderful and talented bands. I got my start shooting bands in Denton though, and I’d have to say it’s a tie between Denton’s The Wee Beasties and Brave Combo. In both cases, each band has that magical quality of being able to get a crowd to dance like they’ve never danced before. I mean, it’s one thing to see a crowd go wild over a famous band, but the ability to get an audience that’s never heard you before go wild and dance like crazy, that’s an incredible and amazing talent. I got my start shooting The Wee Beasties and Brave Combo; the members of each have been incredibly wonderful and supportive of me over the years. LoveSick Mary is another great local band that’s been incredibly supportive and I always have a blast photographing them.

Do you prefer to shoot bands playing onstage or getting them in your studio?

I love these questions! That’s really tough because on stage leads to the anticipation of the moment and being in the right place at the right time which is a rush for me, and in the studio leads to all kinds of silliness and fun with props and general conversation. If I had to pick I’d say studio, because it gives me the opportunity to get to know the musicians better and to flex my creative vision and style.

Are there any local photographers whose work you dig? 

I’d have to say Robin Gansle. Not only is Robin a fantastic photographer, but she’s also been incredibly supportive.

Who are some other photographers whom you view as inspiration?

I am a big fan of Glen E. Friedman.

What’s your favorite photo that you have ever taken?

Last year I was hired by the band Responsible Johnny to do a band portrait. Rob Michaud of RJ told me he trusted my creative vision so after much brainstorming I decided I wanted to do a spaghetti western sci-fi shoot. For good measure I added a model and two members of the 501st Legion - a group who does Star Wars cosplay. I selected an abandoned train car as the location. The story goes that the train engine is actually two of the remaining engines that were converted from coal to steam and it awaits placement in a train museum. So with everyone in costume and permission from the property owners we did the shoot, the results of which you can see here. I always love it when people ask if the train and background are photoshopped because the only thing that’s not real is the planetoid I added in the top right corner.

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You can see more of Ed Steele's work at his website and you can vote for him for the Dallas Observer's "Best Music Photographer" contest here. 

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.

WHAT WE DID: MARCH 31st

Y'all keep us on our toes. We just wanted to have a nice, low-key Sunday evening and then we went to check Instagram and there were like a hundred awesome new photos from the past week. Well done, y'all. I guess it didn't help that there was a whole bunch of awesome stuff going on in the past week. We all hung out on the square and watched Fantastic Mr. Fox, some places got yarn-bombed, and there was that awesome cloud that one time. You know the one. The one that possibly was hiding the reincarnated spirit of Michael Jackson inside of it. Bring it on, spring. 

Thanks for tagging your pics with #WDDI, check back again next Monday for another round of photos. 

Went to fly some kites on Sunday as part of some research and development for an upcoming project. We'll have more on that later. 

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Photo by Shaina Sheaff

Photo by Shaina Sheaff

Photo by Shaina Sheaff

photo by Sara Button. 

Photo by Natalie Drue. 

Photo by Brad Koehn. 

Photo by Katelyn Gibbon.

Check out this awesome serving board from Pastrana Studio.

How to be official. Photo by Bryce Olcon. 

@clcraggett ended the day with a Moscow Mule and a little live poetry at the Kraken reading series. 

We agree with @jadewintersee that the branding on this beer and the amazing weather are an ideal way to kick off a spring weekend.

It was finally time to dust off and tune up that lawn mower. The grass is green and growing again, unfortunately. Photo by Todd Spigener. 

Photo by Shaina Sheaff. 

Did you know you can buy Impossible Project film for your old Polaroids (or buy Polaroids, themselves) at Denton Camera Exchange?

@mbryceo tried out Roman's pizza and spent an afternoon soaking up the sun alongside his extra cheesy pepperoni. 

Keep Denton Beautiful kept it classy during the Great American Cleanup this weekend! Photo by @mouseytoy. 

Photo by Carla Mowell. 

Photo by Carla Mowell. 

Yarn Bombin' at Oak St. Drafthouse

Scrap hosted a yarn bombin' party at Oak St. Drafthouse to raise awareness for their IndieGoGo campaign. Photo by Sharon Lynn Jared. 

Photo by Scrap. 

That Cloud

Photo by Jade Wintersee Chessman. 

Photo by HollyinTexas. 

Photo by Zach Ashcraft. 

Brunch Money $$$

Brunch Money has been released! Watch out for that super hight alcohol content and the deliciousness! Photo by @mkernan.

Things always get a little fuzzy after one or two at an Armadillo Ales launch party. Thanks Brunch Money! Photo by @veeveemarie. 

Plenty of fun to be had on the patio at Oak Street when the sun is shining and the beers are flowing. Photo by @mkernan. 

@dartoo had kids creating masterpieces of their own on the Oak Street Drafthouse patio. We can't blame them, it was a great day for sipping that root beer and puling out those watercolors. 

@shainasheaffphoto was rockin' one of Pan Ector's Denton centric tees - like the great Dentonite she is. 

Cafe Brazil opened this weekend for a soft launch that goes through today. We hit it up and tried out a few things. We are expecting great things for their opening on Tuesday. Photo by @mkernan. 

It's margarita weather, get to Mulberry St. Cantina and partake. 

We had a super foggy morning last week. Photo by @thepaigels. 

Photo by @hollyintexas.

@cereboso shot Two Knights at Macaroni Island. 

@drcruz32 caught Work in Progress jamming live in Denton this weekend. 

Energy Collective at The Abbey Underground. Photo by @jayhumez. 

@hannahf313 enjoyed a bit of @shiitakeswerve's coconut curry alongside her Strawberry IPA. We've tried it ourselves and can vouch for its deliciousness. 

@stdavidsdenton caught a view of the square with the tulips in full bloom. 

Denton loves its ultimate - come rain or shine - especially shine. Photo by @ritadubb.

Photo by @fussbudgets. 

@maskerphoto caught our fair courthouse looking as dang stately as ever during an early sunrise. We love this little jewel in the center of our city. 

CAFE HERRERA IN PHOTOS

After a long string of opening dates that came and went, Cafe Herrera opened in the corner section of the Texas Building last Friday. The site was on and off crowded over the weekend, we went and checked the place out a couple of times. Below are seven photos of the space. Check 'em out and make sure you stop by for some Tex-Mex real soon. 

While the space doesn't get as great of a view as the other new-to-the-square restaurant, LSA, the ginormous side windows of the skinny space give you some great people watching angles for outside of Recycled and down Locust. 

The place has a massive tequila selection and even offer tequila flights. It's only rivaled by Villa Grande and Mulberry St. Cantina. We'd try and have some sort of a tequila-off blog post, but the stuff makes us fiesty. That said, the cocktails and margaritas were all on point. 

The bar might not be big enough for as many margaritas as they're going to be serving up at future happy hours. 

The house margarita is only $3 and a very interesting shade of green. 

The salsa was fresh and had some heat to it. We were fans and will definitely be back if only for the salsa and drinks. 

All meals come with complimentary bean soup which we were quite fond of. It was deep, meaty and steaming hot. 

The fajita salad. 

The menu was large and pretty varied as far as Tex Mex goes. One of the times we were there, the "brisket guy" wasn't in so we didn't get to partake in the brisket tacos. Instead, the "Rupert Special" took its place. The enchiladas and tostadas were great. 

BACK IN THE DAY: SAM BASS, DENTON'S ROBINHOOD

By Shaun Treat

From left: ‘Judas’ Jim Murphy, Sam Bass, and Seaborn Barnes.

One of our favorite local legends of Denton County doesn't get nearly enough play in the history handbooks, though that may be because he is a Texas bandit who made a damn big impression in a fairly short amount of time. Although many long-in-the-tooth Dentonites may be familiar with the reputation of Sam Bass, few may linger long enough to really chew on why this infamous outlaw became immortalized as a hero of the common folk. Well, pull up a chair and grab a cold beverage, as we take a gander back at the short life and tall tales of the legendary Texas Robin Hood on a Fast Horse who should be more famous than Jesse James, the smiling Texas brigand Sam Bass.

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Sam came to Denton in 1870 from his birthplace in Indiana, where the orphaned runaway had dreamed of Texas adventure gleaned from Wild West novellas. Barely 19, he got a job working the stables at the Lacy House Hotel on the Denton Square, a popular spot for cowboys to rest their herd while enjoying liquor and ladies before droving stock up the Chisholm Trail. Texas was still in the turmoil of Civil War Reconstruction under Federal Marshal Law and had just been readmitted to the Union, but these days of economic hardship and rampant lawlessness from destitute Rebs or Native American raiders plagued frontier outposts like Denton. Sam also took on work freighting supplies for Denton County Sheriff ‘Dad’ Egan, which gave him a knowledge of the county roadways and offpath trails that would come in handy later. By most accounts, Sam was a thrifty and affable lad with an easy smile who, like most teenagers, loved the fast horses that often raced on the dirt outskirts of town. Saving money from menial jobs to buy his own pony, Sam began winning races and gambling bets with a jenny that came to be famously known as The Denton Mare, a hard-charger notorious all across North Texas horse country for beating all challengers. Sheriff Egan became concerned and issued Sam an ultimatum, fearful that the fast life would corrupt honest work, but the young man’s group and his unbeatably fleet filly convinced Sam to go pro with horse racing and gambling. By 1874, the jovial Sam travelled across Texas and Oklahoma with his Denton Mare racing (and winning), but his gambling fortunes soon changed as did the company he was keeping.

Falling in with Joel Collins shady crew on a fast-money cattle drive north to the Black Hills, where the earnings were quickly squandered, the desperate ne’r-do-wells turned to robbing stagecoaches with modest returns. Things quickly became hot for the Collins Gang when a beloved stagecoach driver was accidently shotgunned by an itchy trigger-finger during a hold-up, which spurred the bold decision to attempt robbery of a fast-moving train. In 1877, with an unbelievable stroke of beginners luck, the bandits intercepted a Union Pacific train in Big Springs, Nebraska loaded with $20 double-eagle gold pieces fresh from the mint. The robbery haul was estimated at $60,000 in gold coins and another $1,300 in booty, a fortune in those days even divvyed up amongst the gang. To this day, it is still the single largest train robbery in Union Pacific history, a heist which attracted no small amount of attention from the railroad and the frontier press. In fact, Joel Collins and his gang were quickly hunted down and killed for the sizeable railroad reward, but Sam Bass barely escaped with a confederate back to Texas by cleverly posing as their own bounty hunters.

Sam Bass' tombstone in Round Rock, TX. 

Back in Denton by fall under a story that he had struck rich mining silver, Sam fell back in with his old pals Henry Underwood, Sebe Barnes, and Jim Murphy as he freely spent his ill-gotten gains carousing. Sam shared his easy money freely, “I’ve got the world by th’ tail, money’s only good ‘til yer dust!” Yet speculation on the fate of Sam’s impressive cut of the heist has fueled treasure-hunter legends about hidden gold in “Sam Bass’ Cave” for generations, since by 1878 the Sam Bass Gang quickly began a crime wave of robbing stagecoaches and trains within twenty-five miles of Dallas while hiding out in the thickets of the rural Denton County area. By now with a $1,000 reward on his head as one of the most wanted outlaws in Texas, Sam was being hunted by the UP Railroad’s Pinkerton Men, the Texas Rangers, and a covey of bounty hunters. Stories abound of Sam being aided by rural Denton locals with little love for the banks and the railroad tycoons during these hard Reconstruction days, and many tell of smiling Sam’s rascal charm when it came to parsing out money to help neighbors or stymie pursuers. One account has the bandits’ horses confiscated to Denton after Sheriff Egan spooked their camp, only to be reclaimed at sunrise by a mounted Sam awakening Egan by playfully exclaiming to his former employer: “Wake up, Bill! I hear there’s thieving scallywags roaming these parts!” To Egan’s eight year old son, Sam cheerily tipped his hat as he rode away, “Hello ag’in there, lil’ pard!” Another story tells of a Confederate widow whose home was saved from bank foreclosure by Sam gifting money to pay off her note, then robbing the banker on the trail back to Denton. Now targeted by the Texas legislature as much for his growing notoriety than his bold robberies, the Sam Bass Gang led the Texas Rangers and railway-hired Pinkerton Men on a spirited chase across the trails of North Texas in the months known as “The Bass War.” 

Sam met his legendary end in Round Rock, Texas on his twenty-seventh birthday July 21, 1878, betrayed by his childhood friend “Judas Jim” Murphy who had cut a Devil’s bargain to free his Denton family from arrest for aiding the outlaw. Mortally wounded in a shootout with Texas Rangers, Sam confessed he had never killed a man prior to that final gunfight but stubbornly refused to give details of his associates. The Texas Robin Hood was buried in Round Rock, where his mourning sister erected a tombstone inscribed: “A brave man reposes in death here. Why was he not true?” In death, Sam’s legend only grew. A cowboy ballad long immortalized his life and death, frontier dime novels stoked tall tales, and stories spun out in radio dramas and several movies (like the 1949 western Calamity Jane and Sam Bass). There are plenty of stories about Sam Bass to share later, but we might wonder how it was that an outlaw bandit came to be a beloved Texas folk hero? I think knowing a bit of history sure helps to understand the difficult days of Texas Reconstruction and the Gilded Age of the Railroad Robber-Barons who killed desperate towns as they built their own empires. But ole Sam himself was a charming Denton rebel with an entrepreneurial spirit that you may begrudge, but you surely can’t deny.

Below is a moody rendition of “The Cowboy Ballad of Sam Bass” by Denton’s own Justin Hawkins, member of TrebucheT.

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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.

THE DEN10: MARCH 26

Warm weather seems to always beget more house shows. In order to keep track of all the scenes and sub-scenes that will surely spawn over the next few months, invite us to your event or email us a link so we know it’s happening. We always like going to house shows. Especially the ones that don't have minors drinking and get busted. Those aren't really our scene.  We do our best to stay informed, but we can't know everything and we rely on you to give us some help sometimes. Especially because things are about to be very busy for someone until May 10th (see the Denia candidate forum below). 

Questions, comments or answers? Email glen@wedentondoit.com.

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Wednesday, March 26th
Game Night! | Rubbergloves | 10PM
Like playing games? Well have we got an event for you. What type of games are played? Who goes to this? We want pics and full reports. Let us know because we’re busy getting caught up on gen. 1 Pokemon. 

Raised Right Men | Dan’s Silverleaf | 10PM
I haven’t been to this but judging on the folks playing the music it’s a pretty safe bet that this is probably the best thing happening in Denton whenever it’s happening. 

Friday, March 28th
Armadillo Ale Works Release Brunch Money & 1 Year Anniversary | Oak St. Draft House | 6PM
Has it really been a year? Well, Happy Birthday! Let’s raise our glasses and toast the third release from our favorite local brewers. We're also super happy with the name of this new brew. Keep it up and lets figure out how to move your brewing operations into Denton! Be careful, though. Craft brews often have a higher ABV than other beers so watch your intake! 

Troller / Pinkish Black / Marie Davidson / Knifight | Rubbergloves | 9PM | $6
This is an “earplug” show. As we get older we realize that getting home from a show not smelling like smoke and our hearing mostly intact is a pretty good evening. It’s the simple things, y’all.

Atrium | Denton Community Theatre | $15 
We've been hearing lots of good things about this play written by local playwright Michael Mulder. It apparently deals with mental issues and has lots of adult themes which we always like seeing in plays at DCT. It's showing this weekend only. Buy tickets here. 

Saturday March 29
Denton’s Great American Cleanup | Civic Center | 9AM - 1PM
Show up at the Civic Center at 321 E. Mckinney at 9AM this Saturday and volunteer to help cleanup Denton for a day. This is a citywide cleanup involving over a thousand volunteers. In it’s 23rd year now, an estimated 2 million pounds of litter has been removed through this volunteer event. 

Kraken Presents: David Tomas Martinez, Kristin Kostick, Alex Lemon & Chad Davidson | Paschall Bar | 6PM
Here’s a literary event for you brainy type of folks. Turns out, there’s a lot of you in Denton which is why we’ve got cool events like this in cool bar’s like Paschall’s.

Danny Rush & The DD’s / Loves It! / Hares On The Mountain / Sydney Wright | 2014 Northwood Terrace | 8PM
It’s about the right time of year you see the house shows start to pick up. Will this be a regular house for shows, Burton? Let us know and keep us posted.

Chris Watson | Dan’s Silverleaf | 9PM | $10
Straight up SRV’ish blues. If you’re into that you’ll be into this. 

Monday, March 31st
Denia Area Community Group Denton City Council Candidate's Forum | Denia Recreation Center | 6:30PM
This is the first public candidates forum. If you want to get down in the trenches and see how the sausage is made then I highly recommend attending this historically lively forum. This one is hosted by the Denia Area Community Group and consists of a 3 minute opening from each candidate followed by audience questions and a 2 minute closing. Come out and support your candidates! 

MR. FARRIS GOES TO CITY HALL: MARCH

Mr. Farris Goes to City Hall is our monthly column in which we highlight some of the goings-on that are happening (or about to happen) in Denton. 
 

The Downtown Task Force has been busy after taking a month off. Two major grants and a sign grant were approved this week. The first is a project in the old Barney’s building off of East Hickory. Barney’s is known for not being in code for years, holes in the roof and generally just a collections of rusting items in the back but still has a cool facade. There are plans to keep that facade and turn the property into a “Foundry-style” (bar in Dallas beside Chicken Scratch) indoor/outdoor pub with a place for food trucks to pull up. If it went into place it would be one of the first things you’d see if entering the downtown area from the train on foot. This site at 331 E/ Hickory is  unnamed as-of-now, but we are waiting with bated breath to see if it comes about.

The DIME store is getting a sign update that looks lovely, lit, and double sided. It’s up on a pole and will remain there since it was grandfathered in and we’re glad because we love them.

Also, be on the look out for thew new bike racks designed by Sean Starr of Starr Studios. They’re being fabricated by our very own Parks and Rec. and are paid for by a Neighborhood Empowerment Grant we wrote last year and received. They're shaped like little d's and will be quite colorful. They'll be placed around downtown in various locations. You can check out a rendering of them above.

By the time this is posted, will Herrera’s be open? We hope so! We’ll keep you posted on when the Sysco truck is loading actual food into the kitchen but until then we'll keep our fingers crossed.  Their soft opening date is set for tomorrow, March 26th. We hope to check it out and let ya know. 

A render of some of the signage that will guide people into Denton. 

There’s about to be some monument-style way finding signs installed. By the end of the summer you’ll start to see these getting installed that will help you and people from out of town find things in Denton like UNT, TWU and City Hall. One of the main goals for the signs will be to direct folks to all the free parking on the square that’s there that people don’t think about. The signs will be scaled for pedestrian and vehicular traffic and are a product of our beloved Downtown Implementation Plan. Want to get nerdy about downtown? Print that and read it over a weekend.

If you’re OCD, the 3 colors of yellow that attempt to cover the Scripture building and the missing spire on the corner of Elm and Oak have been driving you insane for years. Scott Brown is now in the process of fixing it up to be his realty office and apartments on top and behind. While this doesn’t really add anything to the square as far as traffic goes (before it was an office and apartments also) at least we’ll see a new, historic awning and some fresh paint and please oh please just replace that missing spire.

Over the next month you’ll be noticing more candidates out and about at forums and in people's homes giving their pitch for what their vision for the future of Denton is. We encourage you to take part in the municipal process of choosing leaders that will shape our future by going to these events and asking the tough questions. Get active and get engaged because the way you vote on May 10th or early vote starting April 28th will have an effect on you the second you step foot on the sidewalk outside your doorway. Check out Kevin Roden’s exploratory video about what this upcoming election is about, get registered, and be sure to vote.

That’s it for this month. Be sure to register to vote and then be sure to vote. Make democracy count!

WHAT WE DID: MARCH 24TH

Another week, another set of beautiful pictures. If after civilization ends, the world were to be judged by the photos that get tagged #WDDI, whomever would be looking at the photos would think we were a bunch of taco-eating beautiful people who worshiped goats, cats and the sky. That makes us happier than anything else could this morning. Have a great week, y'all. Remember that we're showing Fantastic Mr. Fox on the courthouse lawn Tuesday evening at 8pm. Tag your photos this week with #WDDI to get included in next week's What We Did. 

Goats are definitely an acceptable pet in the land of Denton... don't worry @jadewintersee - we don't think you're crazy. 

Midlake showed some folks in Europe how Texans dominate at bball. Photo by @mccjoey. 

One of our favorite local designers is about to debut a new collection. Photo by @madelinewoodapparel. You can purchase her work at The DIME Store. 

One of our favorite murals in town. Photo by Zach Ashcraft. 

We agree with @thedapperbat. Sundays really are best spend on the patio at Dan's listening to local jam kings, Hares on the Mountain. 

No green beer last week. Photo by @Veeveemarie. 

Stephen Masker telling a bad joke at a photography club meeting at Paschall's. Photo by Shaina Sheaff. 

Oh yeah. We're still doing this with Collage tomorrow at 8pm. Come hang out!

Rodney Parker + Co atop LSA. Photo by Shaina Sheaff. 

Dan's Patio is the best in the spring. Savage and the Big Beat make it even better. Photo by Paige Gibson. 

There's always something fun to play with at Denton Camera Exchange.  Photo by Zach Ashcraft. 

Woody's Rampage played Mulberry St. Cantina last week. 

The Waffle Wagon was outside of Mulberry St. Cantina on Sunday offering up $2 "You Call Its," which is our favorite type of waffle...and now our favorite side to accompany a margarita. 

Uno at Mulberry St. Cantina. 

3P challenge! Photo by @DentonParks. 

 Zach Ashcraft's dueling skies. 

 Zach Ashcraft

Bountiful Baskets. Photo by @HollyinTexas. 

The never ending drinking Santa... should we just start considering this a piece of public art? Or does the Industrial Street Guild just wish it was Christmas all year round? Maybe add an Uncle Sam, an Easter bunny, and a Turkey to it and it can incorporate all holidays. Photo from @thepaigels. 

A little sticker bombing is just part of the local music culture. Thanks for catching the action @sundayprintshop! And catch a Dome Dwellers show whenever y'all have a chance, readers. 

More Waffle Wagon outside of Mulberry St. Cantina which was a popular venue the past week. @MulstCantina. 

Saturday was a little overcast, but Sunday was nice enough to throw some meat on the grill. No taco photos this week, y'all. Where ya at, Denton? Was it not a taco-appropriate week?