Kicks Off Summer 2010

This year dogs and their best friends can kick off the summer at the Dog Days of Denton Celebration on Friday, June 4th and Saturday, June 5th.   Relax in the evening sun on Friday night as the festival brings back “yappy” hour from 5:00 pm to 8:30 pm, and start the fun again on Saturday from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm.

“This is the second year to have evening hours on a Friday, as we had some great feedback from attendees on Friday evening last year,” said Christine Gossett, co-director for the Dog Days of Denton Celebration.

The celebration features the same traditional fun both Friday night and Saturday, with some activities and contests featured on Saturday only.  Attendees can take in live music, “dancing with the dogs” performances by T.C. Cappel, and flyball and dog’n disc demonstrations throughout the event.  The Glamfur photos, arts/crafts booths, pet care information and adoptions, the “Heinz 57” contests, festival foods and more will also be featured on both Friday night and Saturday (check the website for any updates or changes to the contest and entertainment schedule).  This year attendees are encouraged to bring pet food donations with them for the animal shelter.

Saturday’s schedule includes the popular Spokesdog Pageant which will be held around noon.  Attendees can also try their dog’s skills on the agility and obedience course with donations going to the Denton Animal Shelter Foundation fund.  For spokesdog pageant guidelines, please visit the website www.dogdaysdenton.com.

Dog Days of Denton will be held at the north end of Quakertown Park, 321 E. McKinney Street and offers free general admission.  The celebration requires that ALL dogs be kept on a leash at all times and must have current vaccinations. For everyone’s safety and enjoyment, please do not bring aggressive dogs.

Dog Days of Denton is made possible by the generous support of the City of Denton, the Denton Record-Chronicle, Beau’s Bath House and Doggie Spa, Denton County Animal ER, Invisible Fence of Greater Dallas, Banfield The Pet Hospital, Southridge Animal Hospital, and Wells Fargo. Dog Days of Denton is a not for profit 501c3 organization.

Due to overwhelming response for the North Texas Book Festival – over 100 authors will be in attendance -  the festival has now moved from the Center for Performing Arts to the Denton Civic Center. Please come out and support our local authors!

NORTH TEXAS BOOK FESTIVAL

APRIL 17th from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Denton Civic Center

321 E. McKinney Street at Bell Avenue

ADMISSION IS FREE!

The tenth annual North Texas Book Festival will begin the weekend festivities with the “Book Trails Dinner”  Friday, April 16^th at 6:30 p.m. at the Center for Visual Arts, 400 East Hickory at Bell Avenue. The dress is casual and tickets for the dinner are $25.00 a person.  The North Texas Book Festival will be held Saturday, April 17^th, at the Denton Civic Center, 321 E. McKinney St. at Bell Avenue.

by Taryn McColpin

Ahh, April…  The snow has finally stopped, the weather is warming, and there is a welcome release from the cabin fever that drives us all outside.  People take to the roads without fear of black ice skids and low visibility.  With February’s hearts and flowers behind us and June’s wedding marches yet to come, what can get our hearts thumping and adrenaline rushing more than…traffic?

Nothing in our modern world brings about more irritation, frustration, or bad behavior than driving…except maybe politics!  Want to really insult someone?  Call them a lousy driver.  Want to witness 3-year-old stubbornness in a 40-yr-old woman?  Try to merge in front of her in a rush-hour standstill.  Want to see a normally sane and mild-mannered gentleman turn into a testosterone-fueled raging bull?  Put him behind the wheel of a pickup truck in…traffic.

The differences in traffic between countries can be startling, especially since it is such a universal activity and there is no universal standard. An example is the high degree of American irritation and blocking behavior brought on by those driving to the end of a closing lane and merging into the waiting traffic.  In Britain, this is an encouraged common practice called Late Merge, and the ensuing “zippering” of traffic is highly effective, causing 35% less congestion.

In Texas, highway travel is ubiquitous and necessary, given the sprawling size of our state. To get to work, to school, to play, we find ourselves stuck in, dealing with, navigating…traffic.  How is the traffic? There was bad traffic. Allow for the traffic! I’m late because of the traffic. While in Italy tailgating is seen as a sign to Move Over, which the tailgatee graciously does, here in Texas we see it as either aggressive road-hogging or as “drafting,” which really doesn’t work as well on highways as it does in NASCAR.

In Denton, we have our own Olympic-style challenges: The double-turn-lane-only-on-arrow slalom at Sherman and Carroll, the 6-name-change road course that starts as Cooper Creek and ends as Nottingham, and the enter-merge-exit triathlon at the Dallas Drive/ I-35/Lillian Miller cluster.  Oh, and did you hear that there’s going to be more construction lane closures on the Loop?  April Fool!  (Not.)

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, nearly 80% of crashes involve driver inattention, 75% of drivers over age 40 have received at least one traffic citation, and 65% of the same age group have been involved in an accident…which makes the 80% self-rating of “above average” in a recent drivers’ poll both highly improbable and statistically impossible.

There’s an old saying:  Everyone who drives slower than you is an idiot, and everyone who drives faster than you is a maniac.  So unless you are driving exactly the same as every other driver around you, you are either someone’s idiot or someone’s maniac.  Let’s find a median between idiotic and maniacal, and remember: If you think you are a member of the special percentage of above-average drivers who can drive and text at the same time, you truly are an April Fool.

Information and statistics courtesy of Tom Vanderbilt, author of Traffic – Why We Drive The Way We Do (And What It Says About Us) My favorite quote: “Traffic is like a language.  It generally works best if everyone knows and obeys the rules of grammar, though slang can be brutally effective.”

by Matt Fairchild, Extreme Cuisine Catering

Whether a simple cake reception or a full service catered event, so many new and fun ideas for receptions are out there and the possibilites are limitless!  What to cater should be determined by several things:  budget, size of your wedding, time of day, and most importantly, what you want.  Remember, a good caterer works within your budget to provide you exactly (or as close as possible) what you want without sacrificing quality.

A nice option for afternoon receptions that is budget friendly is simple but beautiful fruits, vegetables and cheese displays. The addition of melons carved into swans or your names carved into watermelons can be used to highlight the presentation. The addition of mini-croissant sandwiches or a nice spinach dip with bruschetta can round the display nicely.

A noon wedding usually requires heavy hors d’oeuvres or a light lunch.  The afore mentioned reception menu plus stuffed mushrooms, chicken and beef flank steak skewers with dipping sauces, or delightfully filled filo cups.  These may be plated or served buffet-style.  If it is lunch you are serving, let your caterer know what you would like or ask for creative ideas and suggestions.

An evening wedding will warrant a dinner or very heavy appetizers for hungry guests and also serve as a balance if alcohol is served.  Dinners may be plated or buffet depending on where they are held and what facilities are available. Prime rib and steamship round beef carving stations are great additions here.

Let’s not forget about the brunch; a wonderful way for a morning wedding to be followed.  Usually served around ten or eleven in the morning, everything from scrumptious pastries, tasty pasta salads, to ham and turkey carving stations are found in brunches.  Coffee bars with plenty of flavors and condiments to accompany along with mimosas and wine.

Many other creative options are out there as well from mashed potato bars, dessert receptions, themes from around the world and whatever your imagination thinks up. Remember this is your wedding – your food!

Born and raised in Texas, Lynette Theisen knew she liked telling stories.  During her two mile walk to and from school each day as a young girl, she would dream up various characters and stories in her head though she never really shared them with anyone or thought to write them down.  Years later, when she felt a calling to be a published writer, it took her by surprise.

A stay-at-home mother of four,  Lynette began questioning her purpose in life.  “We all have a purpose, and I thought mine was to raise great kids.” But after months of feeling that she should be doing something more, she realized she had a passion to write.  Luck was on her side when the local owner/editor of her hometown newspaper needed a story covered.  Before long, she was working part-time for The Town Charter.  She quickly gained popularity, which resulted in a weekly inspirational column.  She also had several articles published in the Lifestyles magazine. When one of her readers approached her and suggested she write a book, Lynette giggled at the notion.  “I didn’t have the confidence to take on such a tremendous task,” she said.  However, when several more of her readers suggested it again, she became intrigued with the idea and considered it whole-heartedly.

The release date of her first book Through the Night is scheduled for early April and the book is stirring some real excitement.  Complete with humor and battles between supernatural forces, this exciting love story is filled with plenty of suspense and inspirational messages for the soul.  Through the Night will keep the reader captivated to the last page.  For more information, visit www.lynettetheisen.com.

As you change your wardrobe from winter to spring it comes as no suprise you will want to change your hair as well.  Winter can be harsh on your hair leaving it dry, dull and lifeless.  A glaze over your natural tones or lightened hair will leave your hair healthy, glossy and rich looking.  This spring we are seeing a lot more natural colors and natural looking color placements transitioning into lighter brighter colors as summer approaches.

Spring hairstyles are demanding one thing; “oomph.”  It’s a welcome change to see lots of curls, texture, and volume, volume, volume. Versatility and quick-change looks are also big this year.  Add soft weightless layers to any hair length for desired volume and ease of style change. Razor cutting is great for removing weight and adding movement and versitility to hair styles.  When done correctly, it gives layers a soft look and grows out beautifully.  Changing your hairstyle at home can be easy with a few tips from your stylist and great products.

We invite you to visit our website at www.headrushsalon.net to help you choose a stylist that is right for you and make your quick-change into spring simply beautiful.