Archive for the ‘Outdoors’ Category

Anxious to get your corny dog fix but don’t want to pay full rates to visit Big Tex and the great State Fair of Texas? Well worry no more because here is a listing of all the entrance specials:

Opening Day Sept. 25: Bring a full 20 oz. Coca-Cola product for donation to the North Texas Food Bank. Containers are at fair admission gates. You’ll enter the state fair for $4 per donation per person.

DART Combo Ticket: Available at Kroger Food Stores. $16 buys 1 general admission to 2009 State Fair of Texas & round-trip transportation on DART the day of your visit. The new Green Line drops off at front gate and a second station is located within easy walking distance to the MLK entrance.

Dr Pepper $3 Tuesdays: Every Tuesday, bring an empty Dr Pepper can and enter for $3. Most rides on those Tuesdays (excluding the Thrillway, Texas Star & selected other attractions) are 5 coupons.

Dr Pepper $5 after 5 p.m.: Bring an empty Dr Pepper can to any State Fair admission gate after 5 p.m. and enter for $5.

Kroger “Three for $1″ Wednesdays: Admission is $1 for each visitor bringing 3 cans of food for area food banks.

Coke $4 Thursdays: Bring an empty 20 oz. bottle of a Coca-Cola product and enter the Fair for $4 admission.

HealthSpring and Mature Texan Magazine sponsor of Seniors Day: FREE Thursdays for Senior Citizens 60 years and older.

FREE Cinemark Thursdays: Free admission with a Cinemark Theater ticket stub on Thursdays.

KISS-FM “Fridays at the Fair”: Half-price admission and half-price rides after 5 p.m. on any Friday. Must present coupon printed from KISS-FM website for admission offer. Half-price ride wristbands will be distributed from KISS booth outside Midway Arch from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. on Fridays only.

Dickies Day: Friday, October 16, wear and show your Dickies logo clothing item at the staffed tent outside the gate and receive a voucher. The voucher is for FREE admission on Friday, October 16 only.

Any Day McDonald’s Deal: McDonald’s offers $4 off General Admission with one of their State Fair coupons (available on tray liner or bag stuffers) any day of the Fair. A free child ticket (with purchase of general admission) coupon is also distributed by McDonald’s. Offer may not be combined with any other offer.

After a controversy that raised tempers throughout the country, Jenny the elephant has received an introduction to her new companion at the Dallas Zoo.

Jenny’s companion, KeKe, died last year and Zoo officials fancied schlepping Jenny off to a questionable facility in Mexico. Advocates wanted her moved to a sanctuary in Tennessee. City officials even got involved and the decision was made to not take either option and instead get Jenny a companion.

The new companion is Gypsy and she arrived at the Zoo in March but has been in quarantine - which is normal procedure.

Jenny & Gypsy were introduced to one another yesterday though a fence was between them. They stuck their trunks through the gaps and seemed to get along well. The Zoo anticipates bringing the fence down by the end of next week.

The fantastic crew from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is in Dallas this week to build a new home with barrier free access for former Dallas SWAT officer, Carlton Marshal, who was shot during a raid a couple years ago.

If you are heading out to the construction site to gawk at Ty Pennington, be sure to be WELL PREPARED by taking lots of water, hats, sunscreen, etc. There are paramedics on the scene but they need to be available to take care of the building team.

With 100+ degree temps expected for most of the next week, there will be precious little relief for the builders.

Granted the highs this weekend will be upwards of 103, but for you hearty souls that want to sample some fine dining at affordable prices ($2 - $5), make your way down to the Taste of Dallas being held in the West End and is FREE to attend!

In addition to the great food and entertainment there are other things to do as well … check them out:

More than just food!

“Taste Town,” a Kids Area to keep the little ones active.

“The Plate Fair of Texas” carnival midway area.

2 stages of entertainment featuring local and regional acts.

Cold drinks to keep the Big Kids happy!

Arts and Crafts in our Artisan Village and in the Marketplace

This weekend the Arts District in Downtown Dallas will be taken over by the annual City Arts Festival. With music, dance, food, art, and museums, there is something for everyone.

The Culinary Showcase will be held at Pearl @ Woodall and will have some of Dallas’ best chefs as they prepare food, suggest wine pairings, cocktail sessions, tequilla tastings, samplings and much more.

ALL the museums will have FREE admission this weekend so if you’ve been wanting to visit the Dallas Museum of Art, Crow Collection of Asian Art, or the Nasher Sculpture Center, this is the weekend to do it.

Get all the details at this link.

Friday: 6p-10p
Saturday: 11a-10p
Sunday: 11a-6p

Downtown Dallas will host a New Year’s Day parade in 2010, city officials say, even if the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic football game will next year move from its namesake stadium in Fair Park to Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

Officially known as the Comerica Bank New Year’s Parade, the event is closely tied to the annual football game, featuring team bands, cheerleaders and thousands of football fans.

At a pep-rally style announcement Tuesday afternoon outside Comerica Bank’s downtown Dallas headquarters, Mayor Tom Leppert said “events like this send a clear message that downtown Dallas is indeed on a roll.”

Asked afterward if there was ever a question the parade would move to Arlington, Leppert said, “we just wanted to make sure it stayed here. Comerica is a great partner.”

The mayor added that there is no formal long-term deal to keep the parade in downtown Dallas, or Comerica as its primary sponsor. But Leppert said he expects the parade to remain in downtown Dallas for years to come.

The parade is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. on New Year’s Day, at the corner of Harwood Street and Ross Avenue. It will end at the corner of All Star Way and Houston Street just short of the American Airlines Center.

Click here to view a map of the parade route.

Construction of the Woodall Rodgers Park will begin in the late summer, with completion scheduled for 2012, according to a revised timeline released by the foundation overseeing the 5-acre deck park’s development.

The Texas Department of Transportation plans to advertise the project bid on June 15 and award the construction contract on July 9. A ceremonial groundbreaking is scheduled for the first week of September, according to information released by the Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation.

In late March, the planned park linking downtown Dallas and Uptown was awarded $16.7 million in federal stimulus funds, allowing the construction timetable to be accelerated.

“We will soon see a world-class park transform the geography and culture of our city center, bringing people together to enjoy Dallas in a new way,” said Jody Grant, chairman of the board for the foundation.

The Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation has raised $77.7 million in public and private funds and aims to raise $20 million to $25 million in private funding for the park’s amenities and operations during the next phase of its capital campaign. Naming rights will be part of the fundraising push.