Early Fourth of July

Fourth of July is fun, but let’s face it…unless your home is in a prime fireworks location, there’s a lot of planning that goes into attending an Independence Day celebration. Parking is challenging, not to mention lugging you picnic basket, lawn chairs, blankets and more. The solution? Try celebrating in Victory Park a little early this year.

This Sunday, from 2-6pm (no fireworks, sorry), celebrate in the plaza of Victory Park with free burgers and drinks courtesy of some of Victory’s phenomenal restaurant neighbors. There will be fountain pools and misting fans to keep everyone comfortable, and Dallas DJ WishFM will be providing musical entertainment all afternoon.

Have a great weekend!

-liz

Hittin' the streets....

Well, it’s out…the biggest DallasChild issue in the history of our magazine! Don’t miss the 116 pages of our complete family phonebook of just about every number you could dream of wanting (or needing). This one is a year-round keeper…

Best Seat in the (Car)

Don Herring Mitsubishi and Kids Safety First are giving away free booster seats this weekend to help raise awareness about the importance of these lifesavers. Safety experts and community police officers will be on hand to educate parents of children between four and eight how to properly install and use them. Children will receive more than just an education on car safety – they also get items such as free coloring books, stickers and temporary tattoos.

Fast Fact: Children riding in booster seats are 59 percent less likely to be injured in a car wreck than children who are only wearing a seat belt, says a 2002 study by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. However, the 2003 Motor Vehicle Occupant Safety Survey says only 21 percent of children between five and eight ride in booster seats.


Child Safety Event
Saturday, June 30th
2 - 4 p.m.
Don Herring North Mitsubishi
4225 W. Plano Pkwy
Plano, TX 75093
972/387-8600

Don Herring Mitsubishi
3520 Marvin D. Love Fwy
Dallas, TX 75224
214/372-7850

Don Herring Irving Mitsubishi
2901 W. Airport Fwy
Irving, TX 75062
972/785-3000

- Jessica

The Ultimate Working Girl

As you may have heard, Liz Claiborne, the working woman’s advocate in her own way, has died from complications of cancer, the New York Times reports.

Her clothing line, Liz Claiborne, gave women affordable clothing options for the workplace in an effort to break through the “glass ceiling,” and effectively compete with their male counterparts…revolutionary at the time.

She was a woman of spunk and strength…a woman’s woman. From the overflow of reports, articles and musings of Ms. Claiborne already, it’s evident that she’ll be missed greatly by her colleagues and the industry that she so loved.

Lauren

Image from the New York Times

Entertaining AND educational

What’s the difference between a puma, a mountain lion and a cougar? Is Antarctica considered a desert? What events did the X Games originally feature? These are all questions that are answered in The World Almanac for Kids 2008. There are chapters about animals, environment, mythology, science, sports and many more! Also, check out their Web site, The World Almanac for Kids, for games and quizzes about the book trivia. What better way to keep the kids quiet during those long vacation car trips?

- Jessica

Close Encounters

Alien encounters, free outdoor movie and delicious concession snacks. Sounds like a great family outing! Every Tuesday throughout the summer the plaza of Victory Park in Dallas hosts free outdoor screenings of classic blockbuster films. Moviegoers can sit in seats provided in the plaza or they can watch the movie from various restaurant patios, including NOVE, N9NE or Paciugo Gran Caffé. This week’s showing is the 1977 sci-fi film, “Close Encounters of a Third Kind.”

Victory Park Theatre
Tuesday, June 26
8 p.m.
Victory Plaza
3090 Olive Street
Dallas, Texas 75219
Parking available in Lot A

Photo courtesy of Victory Media Networks.

- Jessica

Trip of a lifetime

For the many families with terminally ill or physically challenged children, a trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, would be a dream come true. Kidd’s Kids is accepting applications now through Friday, August 3, 2007, for the annual, all-expense paid trip to Walt Disney World. The five-day trip takes place in November. The children also have a special breakfast with appearances from Disney characters and a live broadcast with Kidd Kraddick in the Morning. To apply, children must:

• be between ages 5-12
• suffer from a chronic or terminal illness and/or are physically challenged, or be impaired due to an injury or accident
• demonstrate a financial need
• reside in a Kidd Kraddick in the Morning radio listening area.

For an application, contact Derrick Brown at 866/541-KIDS, or look on the Kidd's Kids Web site.

- Jessica

Rock & Roses...and Baseball

So, Dallas might be more of a hotbed of celebrity activity than I thought. Case in point—this weekend is the 2007 Reebok Heroes Celebrity Weekend, benefiting The Heroes Foundation and The Mike Modano Foundation.

Start your weekend off Friday night at the Rock & Roses Party at the House of Blues. Cocktails start at 8:30, and a special Counting Crows concert starts at 10pm. (A very prolific band, due largely to front man Adam Duritz's ability pull off looking like a Fraggle with rock-star cool). General admission tickets are $65, and VIP entrance will set you back $250+.

Then, Saturday evening, bring the kids out to Dr Pepper Ballpark in Frisco for the Celebrity Home Run Derby and Baseball Game, at 5 and 7pm. Tickets are $5 and up, available from Ticketmaster.

Did I mention who's scheduled to attend? Mike Modano, Mark Cuban, Willa Ford, Mark McLemore, Roy Williams, and various other athletes and film and television actors.

...Just some local boys and girls getting together to play some charity baseball. And another day in Big D.

-liz

No more fears

Every parent fears a child gone missing…it’s quite possibly your worst nightmare. Help calm your fears by visiting Operation KidSafe’s National Safety Tour. You get a free Child Safety Kit, which includes a free digital photograph and fingerprints of your child on a take-home printout, and important safety tips for both parents and children. No record is kept so their information is safe and hacker-free. If a child goes missing, his prints can be scanned off the take-home printout into the National Crime Computer.


Operation KidSafe National Safety Tour
Day 1: Friday, June 22, 2007
1:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
Ewing Buick-Pontiac-GMC
4464 W. Plano Pkwy
Plano, TX 75093
972/964-7400

Day 2: Saturday, June 23, 2007
10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Ewing Buick-Pontiac-GMC
4464 W. Plano Pkwy
Plano, TX 75093
972/964-7400

- Jessica

Giving Him the Boot

This morning on the way to camp (kids)/office (me), we encountered a fireman hoisting a large boot at the intersection of Lebanon and Legacy in Frisco. He was darting rather haphazardly in between cars in search of spare change for charity (don’t ask me which one – I had not had my coffee yet). Here’s how my 5-year-old son (who does not need coffee) interpreted the scene:

Son: What’s that man doing with a boot?
Me: Trying to collect money.
Son: He should get a clue.
Me: (snickering) Why?
Son: First of all, he should be at a boot store. Also, that boot is so ugly and there is only one. Who would want it?
Me: (laughing uncontrollable despite lack of coffee)

There you have it. GQ reporter someday?

Happy Thursday. --shelley

Hit the Polls

If you live in the cities of Cedar Hill, Dallas, Garland or Richardson, you have run-off elections this Saturday. You may not have been able to escape the campaign ads and yard signs, but the final drive to get you to the polls is finally over, and next week, Dallas County will have some new leaders.

While Dallas and Garland are choosing new mayors, Richardson and Cedar Hill are filling places on their city councils.

For info on precincts and polling places, visit the Dallas County Elections Department site, and, for a handy reminder of who's in these run-offs and why, refresh your memory with the Dallas Morning News Elections 2007 page.
-liz

C-3PO Live!

Hi, I’m Jessica, one of the editorial interns at DallasChild this summer. I went on my first assignment “in the field” this morning to preview the Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination exhibit. I got a sneak peek at all of the cool costumes and models used in the movies. The kids there enjoyed playing at the interactive stations where they could build robots. One of the kids even brought his lightsaber!

While previewing the new exhibit, I had a quick chat with C-3PO, British actor Anthony Daniels.

DallasChild: What does Star Wars mean to a new generation of kids?
Anthony Daniels: I think any generation adopts its own icons. Star Wars is an icon that has passed very smoothly and affectionately through the generations. … Each generation has passed it on, and really I think there are three generations that can enjoy this now.
DallasChild: Why has Star Wars stayed so popular throughout the years?
AD: I don’t think even George Lucas knows why it became so popular. … It had all the ingredients of a classic quest. ... We all know that children love familiarity of a story, and so people have watched Star Wars again and again.

The Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination
June 9 – September 3, 2007
Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
1501 Montgomery Street
Fort Worth, Texas 76107
817/255-9300

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

- Jessica

On the Town:

Mark next Wed, June 13 on your calendar for the 3rd Annual Grape Escape at Ferré and Crú in the West Village. If it’s got “grape” in its title, it’s a pretty safe bet that there’ll be wine there, and this event is for a very good cause at two very cool venues.

The Grape Escape benefits Heart House Dallas, an after school program for low-income and at-risk kids in the Dallas area. The program is novel because it reaches directly into the apartment complexes of the kids who need it most, making fun and safe afternoon activities easily accessible and free. Heart House programs currently serve 85 Dallas kids, and last year’s Grape Escape raised more than $70,000.

A $75 or $150 ticket gets you into the event for an evening of wine, food, music, silent auction and raffle. Purchase tickets online at Heart House and check out the silent auction page.

welcome to june

One of my favorite little, local indulgences is Barney’s Co-Op. It’s got the big-girl allure of the main store, with the hip, downtown coolness of an NYC boutique, and the best part is, there are plenty of selections that are actually affordable, so that fabulous dress you bought on impulse is not quite as damaging to your AmEx.

The Co-Op sale starts this weekend, and you’ll be able to pick up spring and summer goods from Diane von Furstenberg, Splendid, Vince and more at up to 40% off. (Dallas weather makes these early summer sales the perfect opportunity to add a few pieces to your “collection,” ie-wardrobe)

But it’s not all about you—it’s time to focus on Dad. OK, you have two and a half weeks, but it might take that long to decide on the perfect way to celebrate him. We’ll be sharing some thoughts in the next two weeks, and please share your tips with us, too!

And, there’s a new face around Lauren Pubs. Jessica Morris, a senior at the University of North Texas, joins us this summer as editorial intern. She’s got a week under her belt already, and we’re so glad to have her!

happy friday-liz