The Dallas Cowboys are gearing up for a thrilling Wild Card matchup against the Green Bay Packers, and they're calling on their fans to help create an unforgettable atmosphere at AT&T Stadium. In a nod to tradition, the team is encouraging everyone to wear white for the game, transforming the stadium into a sea of Cowboys pride.

This "white out" is more than just a fashion statement; it's a rallying cry for the entire Cowboys Nation. The stands will be buzzing with anticipation as fans clad in white raise the decibel level and cheer their team on to victory. The electrifying energy will be a force to be reckoned with, giving the Cowboys a much-needed home-field advantage.

This playoff run holds special significance for the Cowboys. Not only are they the NFC's second seed for the first time since 1994, but they're also seeking redemption after their disappointing Divisional Round loss to the 49ers last year. 

If you can't make it to the game in person you can always watch the game on FOX 4 at 3:30 p.m.

Preservation Park Cities (PPC) New Member Soirée was generously hosted by Lindsey and Ben Doramus in their lovely home. New members over the past couple of years were invited to bring a guest and learn more about Preservation Park Cities, its mission and upcoming events.
        

Amy Beale, president of Preservation Park Cities, welcomed guests and thanked the Doramuses for opening their home and welcomed Lindsey as a new member of the board.
        

She gave an overview of events, including the Distinguished Speaker Luncheon chaired by Cory Bowen and Krista Porteous with Allie Beth Allman as honorary chair, Holiday Party at Park House in December, Spring 2024 Home Tour chaired by Meredith Ferrell and Courtney Petit, Car Show chaired by Jason Morski, PPC’s participation in the 2024 University Park Centennial April 6 through 13, 2024 with Alisa Sell as the Preservation Park Cities Centennial Representative heading up the Landmarking Committee that will gift plaques to University Park in honor of the Centennial, and educational meetings.
        

Reminding everyone about Al McClendon’s efforts gathering video histories and interviews about the Park Cities, Amy said they are available on the YouTube channel @PreservationParkCities including Ray Washburne, president and managing director of Highland Park Village; Larry Good, author of A House for Texas; Gerald Turner, president of Southern Methodist University and more.
        

Landmarking will be happening as PPC focuses on the Top 100 Homes with write-ups by Joan Clark, which will be part of a coffee table book soon. Larry Good and Craig Melde are the chairs of the Save the Top 100 committee and are instrumental in the research and writing of the fourth book. Amy reminded everyone about the PPC archives in the University Park Library and happening in May 2024, a special event celebration National Historic Preservation month.
        

Encouraging membership and everyone to bring in more friends to join, Amy invited everyone to become a part of this vital organization. Membership and more details can be found at www.preservationparkcities.org
        

Over the past several years, PPC has expanded its commitment to education in the Park Cities. In 2011, the organization's board voted to allocate funds from the Historic Home Tour, the Distinguished Speaker Luncheon, and the Classic & Antique Car Show to create an endowment with the Highland Park Education Foundation. PPC and its supporters have built the endowment in excess of $250,000. It provides the annual underwriting for the Distinguished Chair for History at Highland Park High School and scholarships for deserving HPHS graduating seniors interested in architecture or history, reflecting the organization’s passion for the significance of historic preservation.          

The mission of Preservation Park Cities is to preserve and promote the history, architecture, aesthetics, and cultural traditions of the Park Cities. Proceeds of the Distinguished Speaker Luncheon, Historic Home Tour and the Classic and Antique Car Show are used to fund:

•        Property Landmarking

•        Stewardship of the PPC archives at the UP Library

•        HPISD Architecture/History Student Scholarship Award

•        The Park Cities House at Dallas Heritage Village

•        The Distinguished Chair for History at HPHS

•        The “Save the Top 100” campaign and publication of a new book

Overview:

•  The Historic Home Tour, Distinguished Speaker Luncheon and the Park Cities Car Show are the organization’s only fundraisers each year. The proceeds are allocated to help further our mission to preserve and promote the history, architecture, aesthetics, and cultural traditions of the Park Cities.

•  The purpose of the annual Historic Home Tour is to showcase architecturally and historically significant homes of the Park Cities and illustrate how these homes have been restored or remodeled to serve the lifestyle needs of families today.

•  The organization landmarks architecturally and historically significant homes in the Park Cities, some of which are on the Historic Home Tour. 

•  Members of the organization enjoy historic and preservation oriented educational programs.                                              
                                                       

Photos by Thomas Garza.

The African American Museum, Dallas kicks off 2024 with an array of activities honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday in January and celebrating Black History Month in February. They include a health and wellness fair, family/community day, musical concerts, an African American heritage bowl competition for local high schoolers, a Black sports hall of fame event and more.

The museum will also feature three ongoing exhibitions including Central Track: Crossroads of Deep Ellum, Seeing A World Blind Lemon Never Saw, and The Souls of Black Folk: Selections from the Billy R. Allen Folk Art Collection and The Decorative Arts Collection.

Also, visitors are encouraged to view the newly dedicated Texas Historical Marker, which commemorates the Hall of Negro Life that was constructed for the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition at Fair Park in Dallas. The Hall, which celebrated the numerous achievements and deeds of the African American community in America, attracted more than 400,000 visitors over the course of the fair, with an estimated 60% of visitors being White. The African American Museum, Dallas now stands at the original site of the Hall of Negro Life. Museum leaders say they never intended to replace the Hall of Negro Life but to instead carry forward its mission.

The African American Museum, Dallas is located at 3536 Grand Ave. in Dallas’ historic Fair Park.

JANUARY EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES:

FREEDOM TO THINK: AN INTRODUCTION TO MALCOLM X’S USE OF THE LIBERAL ARTS
Saturday, Jan. 13, and Saturday, Jan. 20, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
African American Museum, Dallas, AT&T Auditorium
Free and open to the public

Ever wondered why Malcolm X continues to be such a capable thinker and communicator? Join University of Dalals graduate fellow Kevin A. Marshall and founder of the Dawam Center for Liberal Learning and the designer of several HBCU courses, for this exploration of truth and wisdom within diverse communities.

AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM YOUTH CLASSICAL ARTIST COMPETITION
Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, at 4 p.m.
African American Museum, Dallas
Free and open to the public

Come experience an afternoon of brilliantly talented young instrumentalists. The competition winner will perform at the museum’s Scott Joplin Chamber Orchestra concert on Saturday, Feb. 3, at 5 p.m. at The Black Academy of Arts and Letters (see details in February listing). Requested dress is semi-formal attire.

REALIZING THE DREAM HEALTHY LIVING EXPO
Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
African American Museum, Dallas
Free and open to the public

With a mission to build strong families and community, the Realizing the Dream Healthy Living Expo will feature health screenings, wellness and financial literacy workshops, vendor marketplace, performances and more.

MUSIC UNDER THE DOME FEATURING MAHOGANY THE ARTIST
Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024, at 7:30 p.m.
African American Museum, Dallas
Free and open to the public; register at aamdallas.org/events

Bringing jazz concerts to the heart of Fair Park, the three-part Music Under the Dome winter series kicks off with jazz sensation Mahogany The Artist. While admission is free, seating is limited and registration is required. Food and beverages will be available for sale.

FEBRUARY EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES:

SCOTT JOPLIN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA OF HOUSTON
Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024, at 5 p.m.
Black Academy of Arts and Letters Live, 1309 Canton St., Dallas, 75201
Tickets are $15 and $25 at the Museum and Ticketmaster.com

One of the nation's oldest contemporary majority African-American community orchestras, The Scott Joplin Chamber Orchestra of Houston’s mission is to showcase Black artists and composers while setting an example to the Black community that orchestras can include people that look like them. Presented by the AAM with proceeds benefiting its youth programs, the orchestra’s seventh Dallas appearance will feature performances by the South Dallas Children’s Choir and the winners of the Youth Classical Artist Competition. The concert features an array of music – from classical and jazz, to blues and gospel, to contemporary music including hip-hop and more. This year’s event is in honor of Dr. Clark Joseph, minister of music and worship arts at St. John Church in Dallas. Event chair is Dr. Vivian Johnson.

AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM FAMILY/COMMUNITY DAY AND READ-IN
Saturday, Feb. 17, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
African American Museum, Dallas
Free and open to the public

This free family-fun day will offer arts and crafts, a paint party, live music, exhibition trivia and documentary and film screenings throughout the day. The event will also feature the African American Read-In, presented by The Dock Bookshop in collaboration with the AAM.

TEXAS BLACK SPORTS HALL OF FAME INDUCTION LUNCHEON
Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, at 11:30 a.m.
Dallas Renaissance Hotel
2222 N. Stemmons Freeway Dallas
Tickets $125 at aamdallas.org/events

The Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame (TBSHOF), housed at the AAM, chronicles the sports history contributions made by African Americans. It was established in 1996 to honor Texas coaches and athletes of high character and achievement who have made recognizable contributions to African American culture and/or history. Each year, the general public submits nominees and a panel of judges (including sports media journalists) makes the final selection. The 2024 honorees for basketball are Jennifer Bell, Tamicha Jackson, Robert Pack Jr. and Retha Swindell; for football are Bobby Brooks, Lester Hayes, Nate Newton and Marvin Washington; for golf is Richard Bonner; for journalism is Roger B. Brown (posthumously); for Rodeo is Fred Whitfield; and coaching is Abron Young, Jr.

MUSIC UNDER THE DOME
Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, at 7:30 p.m.
African American Museum, Dallas
Free and open to the public; register at aamdallas.org/events

Bringing jazz concerts to the heart of Fair Park, the three-part Music Under the Dome winter series kicks off with jazz sensation Mahogany The Artist. While admission is free, seating is limited and registration is required. Food and beverages will be available for sale.

Bringing jazz concerts to the heart of Fair Park, the three-part Music Under the Dome winter series continues with saxophonist /vocalist Rob Holbert. While admission is free, seating is limited and registration is required. Food and beverages will be available for sale.

Free and open to the public, the three exhibitions on view at the AAM are as follows:

CENTRAL TRACK: CROSSROADS OF DEEP ELLUM
Through May 30, 2024
Free and open to the public

Central Track: Crossroads of Deep Ellum focuses primarily on the 1920s and 1930s and features newspaper clippings, archival photographs, posters, and recordings of blues, jazz and popular music of the period. The exhibition unravels the growth and demise of North Central Avenue, in the area known as Central Track or Stringtown, which connects Deep Ellum to what was called Freedman Town after the Civil War. The area was later renamed Short North Dallas then Old North Dallas before being identified as Uptown. The exhibition raises questions about cultural identity difficult to reconcile, juxtaposing the harsh realities of racism to the vitality of a community that struggled to survive. While few photos have been found, numerous newspaper accounts bring to life a world little known and often overlooked that was destroyed in the 1940s to make way for North Central Expressway and the I-345 overpass.

SEEING A WORLD BLIND LEMON NEVER SAW
Through May 30, 2024
Free and open to the public

Seeing a World Blind Lemon Never Saw presents a photographic series by Alan Govenar from 2021-2023. The exhibition explores rural East Texas, little-known places in Dallas and locations that the legendary blues singer, Blind Lemon Jefferson, visited or alluded to in his songs. Govenar’s compelling photographs of Jefferson’s environment are characterized with chromatic elegance and depth. The images encapsulate the spectrum of human experience. The photographs’ clear tonal contrast of light and shadow evokes a timeless quality that transcends the boundaries of time and gives Govenar’s photographs universal appeal.

THE SOULS OF BLACK FOLK: SELECTIONS FROM THE BILLY R. ALLEN FOLK ART COLLECTION AND THE DECORATIVE ARTS COLLECTION
Lower level of the museum
Ongoing
Free and open to the public

Spotlighting folk and self-taught artists from Texas and beyond, the exhibition features works from the museum’s permanent folk art collection which is one of the largest collections in the country. Featured pieces include an 1821 coverlet made and signed by a 16-year-old enslaved girl, an 1888 crazy quilt, a desk made by slaves in 1830, an 1864 silver spoon made by a slave, and a chair designed by Charles Harrison, a 30-year industrial designer at Sears.

Season sponsors of the African American Museum, Dallas, are Atmos, Eugene McDermott Foundation, Fair Park First, Friendship West Baptist Church, Oncor, OVG360, NBC 5/Telemundo, State Fair of Texas, Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District, and the City of Dallas’ Office of Arts and Culture.

HOURS. Hours are Tuesdays through Fridays from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. NOTE: The museum will be open on Monday, Jan. 15 for Dr. King’s birthday. Free self-parking is available in nearby lots.

For more information, go to aamdallas.org or call 214-565-9026. For the latest updates, follow the Museum on Instagram and Facebook.

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About the African American Museum, Dallas
The African American Museum, Dallas was founded in 1974 as a part of Bishop College. The Museum has operated independently since 1979. For more than 40 years, the African American Museum has stood as a cultural beacon in Dallas and the Southwestern United States. Located in Dallas’ historic Fair Park, the African American Museum is the only museum in the Southwestern United States devoted to the collection, preservation and display of African American artistic, cultural and historical materials that relate to the African American experience. The African American Museum incorporates a wide variety of visual art forms and historical documents that portray the African American experience in the United States, Southwest, and Dallas. The Museum has a small, but rich collection of African art, African American fine art and one of the largest African American folk-art collections in the United States. Learn more at aamdallas.org.

Texas Women’s Foundation (TXWF) has announced that Dena Jackson, Ph.D., interim president and CEO, will leave the organization on January 31, 2024. Fifteen years ago, she first served as a volunteer and donor, and then in 2012, she was hired as senior vice president of grants and research. She eventually became chief strategy officer responsible for research, advocacy, strategy and collaboration with stakeholders. At the request of the TXWF board, she assumed the role of interim president and CEO in spring 2023.

The Foundation has also announced that Hattie Hill will serve as Executive in Residence, effective January 1. Jackson and Hill will work together to ensure a smooth transition.

TXWF Chair of the Board Carrie Freeman Parsons said, “Dena stepped up to serve as interim CEO and provide stability. We are grateful for her service, which enabled our organization to stay focused on what is most important: supporting women and girls in Texas. During Dena’s tenure, she spearheaded our vital research Economic Issues for Women in Texas, which is celebrating its 10^th year and has been the basis of our focus on the pillars that support economic stability for women in our state. Additionally, she extended TXWF’s reach into the community as well as our profile as the expert on challenges facing women and girls. We owe Dena a debt of gratitude for her tireless support of Texas Women’s Foundation.”   

Jackson said, “My last 12 years at Texas Women’s Foundation have truly been the best of my working life. It has been an honor to focus on the many ways Texas women contribute to our great state with my dedicated coworkers, grantee partners and donors.”

A long-standing supporter of the Foundation and experienced CEO of non-profits, Hattie Hill will primarily ensure ongoing organization health and help prepare the board and organization for its new CEO. Once the new CEO is hired, Hill will assist with the onboarding process and then continue her role as a valued Board and Executive Committee member. Hill is president and CEO of Hattie Hill Enterprises, Inc. She has also served as CEO of two nonprofits and is a board member of the Prosper Company.

“I’m honored to support the TXWF’s staff as they continue the work of making our communities stronger and more vibrant through grants, advocacy and leadership,” said Hill. “While the search for CEO continues, I am deeply passionate about the TXWF’s mission and I want to ensure a good starting place for the new CEO.”

Freeman Parsons added, “As an active member of our board and Executive Committee, Hattie is the perfect fit for this interim role. Her background as an HR professional will serve the organization as we search for our permanent CEO replacement.”

Texas Women’s Foundation is working with Victory Search Partners to fill the open CEO role.

About Texas Women’s Foundation: As Texas Women’s Foundation (TXWF) nears its 40^th year, it is clear that now more than ever is the time to elevate Texas women. By working with women, families and communities, they are building a stronger, more equitable Texas. TXWF raises funding from a broad base of donors, including individuals, foundations and corporations. These resources support more than $7.1 million in investments that advance economic security and leadership for Texas women and girls through timely research, advocacy, grants and strategic initiatives. Since inception in 1985, TXWF has invested $78.9 million in women and girls. Their statewide research on issues affecting women and girls provides decision-makers and lawmakers with critical data to inform policies, practices and programs in the state. Its advocacy, grantmaking and leadership initiatives support solutions that help Texas women and girls thrive. In addition, Texas Women’s Foundation is an acknowledged leader and advocate in the gender lens investing movement and has deployed 100 percent of its invested assets – endowments, operating investments and donor-advised funds – in a gendered impact portfolio that yields strong financial returns and social benefits to women and girls. For more information, visit www.txwf.org, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram or donate now

A bite of nostalgia just got a little harder to find. On January 1st, 2024, Chip's Old Fashioned Hamburgers announced the closure of their iconic Lakewood location, leaving a bittersweet taste in the mouths of loyal patrons. For a decade, the restaurant nestled on La Vista Drive served up juicy burgers, crispy fries, and a hefty dose of community spirit.

"After 10 years, we have closed our Lakewood location," read the simple Facebook post, sending ripples of disbelief and fond memories through the local neighborhood. While no official reason was given, the message assured followers that other Chip's locations remain open and hinted at an exciting "next chapter" on the horizon.

Don't despair, burger fans! Chip's flame still burns bright at three other locations:

• Park Cities: East of the Dallas North Tollway on Lover's Lane (4530 W. Lovers Lane).
• Plano: Boardwalk at Granite Park (5872 Texas 121, Suite 105).
• Oak Cliff: Near Methodist Dallas Medical Center (1605 N. Beckley Ave).