On Thursday, April 27, Candy Evans of CandysDirt.com led a Spring Market Refresh discussion hosted by Trinity Falls, a 2,000-acre Johnson Development master-planned community in McKinney, TX. The all-star expert panel included George Bass, owner and interior designer of George Bass Stage and Design; JPAR Realtor Marisol Gallegos; Shay Geyer, owner and interior designer of IBB Design Fine Furnishings; Ebby Halliday Realtor Hollie O’Gorman Siglin; and Sarah Nowak, owner and interior designer of Sarah Nowak Interiors. CandysDirt.com publisher Candy Evans moderated the panel discussion, which focused on sprucing up marketing plans and staging for success in an uncertain market.

Top tips shared included:

• High ceilings, sliding doors, chandeliers, and ceiling fans are hot items for Spring/Summer
• Not every room needs to be photographed for a listing or featured in an Instagram Reel
• Listen to your designers and trust the pros!
• Don't underestimate the power of professional photography in showcasing a good staging job
• Deep clean before listing a property and clean up the clutter
• Use white and champagne-colored fabrics and linens to make the house bright

The Trinity Falls development served as a perfect backdrop for the discussion, as guests toured model homes and viewed the Collin County community that is now home to about 1,700 residents. At Trinity Falls natural beauty and exceptional amenities combine to create a spectacular lifestyle. A world apart from the hustle and bustle of nearby Dallas - yet never far from major employment centers, shopping, dining and fun - Trinity Falls offers beautiful new homes by award-winning homebuilders, acres of open green spaces, miles of forested trails and opportunities to connect with neighbors and friends.

On Saturday, April 1, Gala Co-Chairs Jolie Humphrey and Gail Plummer, along with Honorary Co-Chairs Ambassador Kathryn Walt Hall and Craig Hall, welcomed than 350 Dallas leaders, philanthropists and lovers of the arts to celebrate the magic of musical theater at Broadway Dallas’ 2023 Gala featuring a full performance of MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL, raising $870,000 in support of Broadway Dallas’ nonprofit’s mission to spread the gift of Broadway to more than 40,000 students and their families each year including 3,400 Dallas ISD students and more than 5,000 students from 72 schools who participate in the High School Musical Theatre Awards.

Creatively imagined by Hamilton A Sneed of HAS Events, the Parisian affair at the Music Hall at Fair Park began with a pre-show cocktail reception and silent auction inside a French boudoir, followed by a four-course custom dinner menu created by FGF Catering paired with HALL wines. Taking inspiration from the iconic Moulin Rouge cabaret of the late 1800s and 1900s, the Crystal Terrace Dining Room was transformed into a modern Parisian-cabaret with the help of Fauxcades, Shag Carpet Props, Murray Media, Jan Strimple Productions and 25 plus other event partners.

The highlight of the dinner program featured 30+ students from Guyer High School who participate annually in Broadway Dallas’ High School Musical Theatre Awards performing “Paris Holds the Key (to Your Heart)” from ANASTASIA. Excitement then filled the room as paddles were raised high for exclusive live auction packages and a paddle raise.  Broadway Dallas’ 2024 Gala featuring a full performance of TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL! was then announced and had guests marking their calendars for Friday, February 2, 2024.

Notable guests in attendance included Lydia and Bill Addy, Broadway Dallas Board Chair Tom Watson and Leigh Ann Watson, Calvert Collins and Vince Bratton, Sara Lee and Stan Gardner, Sally and Forrest Hoglund, Tina and Brian LuAllen, Helen and Brendan McGuire, Mary Lucille Quick and Robert Quick, Kymberley and Tony Scalia.

“I want to express our immense gratitude to our wonderful supporters for coming together on this spectacular night to celebrate magic of Broadway, MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL, and the impact we continue to make through our education and community partnerships programs,” said Ken Novice, President and CEO of Broadway Dallas. “Spreading the spirit of Broadway is our driving force, and because of the generosity exhibited at this year’s gala, we are able to continue and build upon our education and community initiatives as we work to make a difference in the lives of others through the power of live theater.”

The evening continued with a show-stopping performance of MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL, winner of ten 2021 Tony Awards® including Best Musical, after which, happy, confetti sprinkled guests headed to the After-Hours Fête post-performance party hosted by Co-Chairs Emma Coppola and Hannah Hunt. The party featured French-inspired fare including crepes from Whisk Crepes Café, parmesan and truffle pommes frites and croque monsieur, a full flowing bar with specialty themed cocktails, tunes spun by DJ Sheka, plus a special performance by Trap Opera Star Madelyn Brené. As patrons headed home, Fletcher’s Original Corny Dogs provided their famous corny dogs as a late-night snack for the road.


The 2023 Broadway Dallas Star of the Show sponsors included Forvis, HALL Group/HALL Wines, PNC Bank, and Broadway Dallas 2024 gala chairs John Quattrocchi and Joseph DeMartino. Producer underwriters included Lydia and Bill Addy in honor of The Addy Foundation, Stacey Jones Angel and Venise and Larry Stuart, Mark & Elizabeth Cannon, TEAMIZZY Foundation, Fox Rothschild LLP, Frost Bank, Haynes and Boone, LLP, Jolie & Bart Humphrey and Sheryl and Gary Wood, The Massiatte Family, Roberto Quiroz Mata, Michelle and Chris Mazzini, Jim Pitts, Gail Plummer, Western Addition Restaurant Group, Sheri and Andrew Rosen, Phil and Toni Sanders, and Laura and Randy Wright. The paddle raise was sponsored by The Rosewood Corporation and the silent auction was sponsored by Luminate, a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC.

On March 16, the Women's Alliance of McKinney hosted a "Lunch & Learn" event at The Lodge at Trinity Falls themed Inspire - Invest - In Power presented by BaylorScott & White. Featured speakers were McKinney City Council Woman Dr. Geré Feltus and Frisco City Council Woman Tammy Meinershagen who spoke of their journey to leadership. Funds from the event benefited Belle & Sparrows who provide services, employment and encouragement to underserved women in McKinney and the surrounding suburbs.

Previously closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, Bread Winners Café & Bakery's Inwood Village location has changed their hours of operation to now offer service seven days a week, 8 AM to 3 PM. Guests to Bread Winners can enjoy breakfast, lunch, dinner, a tempting array of freshly baked breads, pastries and desserts, and always - Bread Winner’s famous weekend brunch. This unique, award-winning concept is a Park Cities hotspot for food and libations made from scratch daily in an atmosphere unlike any other. Located at 5560 W. Lovers Lane in Inwood Village, Dallas, Texas  75209, 214.351.3339, www.breadwinnerscafe.com

On Thursday, October 13, the elegance of Professor Higgins’ English townhouse found its equal in the historic Bertram Hill designed home of Clare and Cal Chaney on Dallas’ historic Swiss Avenue. Ticketed guests enjoyed a Spotlight Dinner benefiting Broadway Dallas in anticipation of the upcoming performance of Lerner & Loewe’s MY FAIR LADY. The premise of the series, generously sponsored by PNC Bank, is for patrons to experience exclusive dinners in beautiful Dallas homes or venues, each showcasing a specific Broadway Dallas production.

The evening, imagined and executed by Hamilton A Sneed of HAS Events, began with Dallas native Logan Lowery on the front porch serenading arriving guests as he sang “On the Street Where You Live”. Upon entering the home English garden inspired canapés and Pimm’s Cup cocktails were served, and guests strolled through enchanting rooms filled with cherished, antiques and theatrical memories. There was lots of chatter about the Betty Buckley room!  As guests moved into the backyard, Ken Novice, Broadway Dallas President and CEO gave a toast to welcome guests and thank the Chaney’s for generously welcoming Broadway Dallas supporters into their lovely home.

Decked in black and white cocktail, a nod to the Royal Ascot scene of MY FAIR LADY, each guest received a pair of binoculars as they watched former Broadway Dallas High School Musical Theater Award students Emery Gray and Logan Lowery along with performers Gena Loe, J. Alex Langley, Michael Alonzo, Natassia Dominique, Presley Duyck and Spencer LaBoda perform “Ascot Gavotte”.  Once back inside, a mélange of English classic courses, accompanied by HALL wines provided a feast befitting the elite. The finale of the evening was a serenade of “I Could Have Danced All Night” from Eliza Doolittle (performed by Presley Duyck) as guests toasted to the effortless sophistication, wit, and elegance of a smashing, positively dashing, spectacle of an ev’ning. In attendance were Kymberley Scalia, Margaret Coughlin, Lynn Fisher, Jane McGarry, Phillipe Volcy, Jim Pitts, Harriet Jeffers and Sandy & Steve Watson.

Tickets for Broadway Dallas’ remaining fall 2022 Spotlight Dinner will be themed around the show SIX. Tickets are $450 a seat with proceeds benefiting artistic and educational excellence at Broadway Dallas including programs in classrooms and throughout the community that serve more than 40,000 students and families each year.