If you’re a disco fan you don’t want to miss the Night Fever: Fashions from Funk to Disco exhibition at Dallas Galleria this week. 

With over 75 garments being featured, American, French, Italian and Japanese couture designers are represented.  Names as diverse as Halston, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Zandra Rhodes, Hanae Mori, Michaele Volbracht, Stephen Burrows, Oscar de la Renta, Lanvin and Anne Klein will grace the exhibition showcases. 

And if you’re thinking about the amazing shoes and accessories from that decade, the exhibition also offers a look at that too.

“There are great shoes, accessories and jewelry, which help define the overall fashion,” said Martha Hinojosa, Director of Marketing for Galleria Dallas, and the creative force behind Night Fever. “Each individual vitrine is accessorized with items that were pertinent in the decade, whether we’re looking at roller boogie fashions and skates or top record albums of the era.”

Hinojosa said this latest exhibition was chosen with a look at the 1970s and the many iconic styles from that era.

“These [styles] are now being reinterpreted in couture and ready to wear fashions,” she said. “However, as we began designing the exhibition boundaries, we found that there were so many great examples of social and political occurrences influencing style as well.  It really allowed us to create a multi-sensory experience to put guests in the 1970s.”

The exhibition is curated by vintage clothing expert Ken Weber, who owns Vintage Martini.

“The 1970s are all around us in fashion.  It could be just the pattern of a Gucci gown or the platform on a Marc Jacobs shoe,” said Weber. “Diane Von Furstenberg has built an empire around her famous wrap dress, which hit the scene in 1974 and is still here today.”

While there are many styles to look at, Hinojosa said the most popular design in the exhibition has been the Battle of Versailles display. 

“It’s a story that most people don’t know, and it reflects a time when American fashion was recognized as internationally relevant,” said Hinojosa.

The Night Fever exhibition is not the first fashion exhibition the Dallas Galleria has offered shoppers and it won’t be the last.  Last year’s Decadence: Fashions of the 1920s was a huge success, which was the impetus for the continuation of the fashion exhibition themes.

“We’re thrilled that Night Fever appears to appeal to a very broad age group too,” said Hinojosa.  “Of course, we knew we’d find guests in their 50’s and beyond who remember wearing these designs during the decade.  However, we’ve had student groups, young fashionistas and more visit the exhibition.  I love seeing multi-generational groups come through, where parents and even grandparents show children the styles they wore and what inspired them.”

Free to the general public, shoppers can see the exhibition this week located on the south end of Galleria Dallas on Level I adjacent to Banana Republic.

“We do hope that Night Fever brings new guests to Galleria Dallas, but we also recognize that fashion history is intertwined with our history as an iconic shopping destination,” Hinojosa concluded.  “We hope that by keeping the history of design and fashion front of mind, we encourage our guests to understand and appreciate how modern fashions in our over 200 retailers owe a debt to the fashion of eras like the 1970s.”

Forget about orange and black this season for Halloween and instead think green.  So, what are some tips you need to know in order to decorate your home and have the best green costume ever. And all with a touch of an eco-friendly scare factor?

First of all, get rid of the idea you have to decorate with things that go bump in the night and on the environment harshly. There are plenty of ways to save the environment and enjoy one of American’s most loved holidays.

Here are nine ideas to get your Halloween minded eco-friendly decorating creative juices flowing.

1. Start with your costume.  How about recycling for the occasion and that means making your own costume from something bought from a second-hand store.  You might even check out a second-hand store and see what Halloween costumes are on sell there.  Most important, however is to stay away from the cheap store-bought costumes made from nonrecyclable petro-chemical based plastic or synthetic fibers.  These costumes are unhealthy for the environment and you.
2. If you are planning to paint your face as part of your costume be mindful of the ingredients.  Many Halloween store bought makeup options contain nasties like lead or worse.  Think safe and use only organic face paint with approval from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. Even better make your own face paint from an organic recipe.
3. Consider the trick-or-treat bag.  Make sure it is not a bag you buy and use one time before throwing in the trash after Halloween.  Instead, decorate a recyclable canvas or shopping bag making it festive by personalizing it with your own Halloween artwork 
4. For outdoor decorating ideas create your Halloween decorations the eco-friendly way by looking around the house at what you already have at the ready.  Make huge yard spiders and tarantulas from oversized biodegradable black trash bags.  Stuff the bags with leaves that have fallen from the trees or old magazines and newspapers and draw on the face. After the holiday you already have the leaves bagged and ready for pick-up.
5. You can use old sheets to make ghosts hanging from the trees and tie a piece of yarn to make the head.
6. If you have a few pairs of old pantyhose, this will work great for stringing up to double as spider webs on the trees and around the front yard.    
7. You can make bats from old egg cartons.  Just decorate the cartons and hang on the trees outside.
8. Save milk jugs during the year and recycle to make milk jug ghosts and goblins.  Decorate both the inside or outside of your home with these creations and make it an activity the entire family can enjoy.  Start by cutting a hole in the clean milk jug and draw on spooky faces with a colored or black marker.  If you are using the milk jug ghost outside put a battery or, even better, a solar operated tea light into the milk carton hole.  After Halloween you can recycle the milk jugs as normal.
9. Finally, consider using seasonal gourds to create decorations outdoors or indoors on your tables. You can add a few mini-pumpkins here and there too.  It’s easy to draw decorations onto gourds and pumpkins so the sky is the limit with the Halloween message you want to send.

Look around your house and see what other fun ideas you can come up with for Halloween decorating and let us hear from you too.

If you are off work and have an extra day for the upcoming Columbus Day holiday, or even if you are looking for an easy weekend jaunt here are four diverse destinations just a few hours from Dallas, but with an entirely different vibe.

Waco

Just a short jaunt south on I35 the City of Waco has been making a name for itself for a number of yars now.  While many folks head shopping in the downtown area, there is also a real find at Waco’s Mammoth Site. 

It was back in 2015 that the Mammoth Site in Waco, became a National Monument. What was discovered there changed the landscape of the area and made the City of Waco, Baylor University and the Waco Mammoth Foundation proud.   

The site is five acres located on over 100 acres of wooded land on the Bosque River.  It is here that you will find the nation's first and only recorded discovery of a nursery herd of Pleistocene mammoths.  Visitors get a good look at the fossil remains of 24 Columbian mammoths and other Ice Age animals.  The Columbian Mammoths known as Mammuthus columbi lived during the Pleistocene Epoch age about 2.5 million years to 10,000 years ago and were not only one of the largest mammals to have lived during this time, but they were as big as 14 feet in height and weighed up to 20,000 pounds. 

Change gears after your history lesson and try some shopping at Magnolia Market at the Silos. It’s an old Cottonseed Mill and yes, it is the place that is so well-known now thanks to Chip and Joanna Gaines and their HGTV show Fixer Upper.  There are all kinds of shopping opportunities, games, a garden with a wooden teepee for children and diverse food trucks.

Austin

Austin’s Hotel Van Zandt opened in November of last year and is definitely worth a weekend trip.  Located in the city’s hip Historic Rainey Street District, Hotel Van Zandt is the perfect “home sweet home” for visitors wanting a weekend away from home.

Hotel Van Zandt’s name is loosely drawn from its historic Texas muse, Isaac Van Zandt, The Republic of Texas Ambassador to the U.S. The name also pays homage to the Ambassador’s third great-grandson, Townes Van Zandt, who left his mark on Texas music history with emotionally-charged songs that have inspired generations of musicians.

Hotel Van Zandt is designed to deliver a refined riff on Austin’s world-famous music, entertainment and arts scene. From the décor to the musical playlists to the food you will know you are in Austin.  The music changes depending on the mood of the day and you don’t want to miss Geraldine’s, the hotel’s restaurant. This restaurant was named after Rainey Street’s famous former resident, Geraldine the guinea fowl.  The menu is contemporary Austin with a cocktail program, daily live music and breathtaking views of Lady Bird Lake.

Mineral Wells

West of Dallas/Fort Worth you will find a little town about an hour and a half’s drive that boasts the states only crazy water supply and a haunted hotel.

You will definitely want to check out the Crazy Water Bath House and try a 20-minute soak in the magic water.  It’s the same think folks used to do a hundred years ago when visiting and today it’s still a big draw.  In fact, the healing waters were discovered in the mid-1800s and as news spread about the “healing” people began to flock to Mineral Wells for all sorts of ailments.

Also in Mineral Wells you will find the 14-story, now defunct, Baker Hotel.  The hotel is a reminder that Mineral Wells reigned as Texas’ go-to health resort back in the day.  The hotel is undergoing a major renovation with no opening date, but it’s worth a visit and ask about the ghost’s stories, of which there are a few.

Round Rock

If you are interested in an old town feel and are into antiques then the little town of Round Rock might be just up your alley.  The town is also known for its leather goods and locally made accessories.  If you are interested in buying local you will want to visit a shop called Stash where local products are sold.

About three hours south of Dallas, Round Rock is also known for a strong art scene and excellent collection of art sculptures.  There are over 20 art sculptures in Round Rock all on loan from regional artists and located in the Downtown area as well as Prete and Centennial Plazas. 

It’s the eighth annual chocolate lover’s event in Dallas this weekend - the Dallas Chocolate Festival.

The chocolate extravaganza will be held at the Fashion Industry Gallery F.I.G  in the heart of the Dallas Art District and founder Sander Wolf said it is a celebration of everything chocolate.

Guests are invited to meet artisans, watch live demonstrations of the chocolate making process and sample and shop from over 40 vendor participants. 

Being held the first time ever downtown, Wolf added “We are very excited about expanding to a larger venue.”

With the new venue, the organizers are also expecting around 2000 people to come out to the event beginning Saturday.

“That will be a record for us, but we have a bigger space and more vendors this year so attendees should still be able to talk with the vendors and get to learn about some great chocolate,” Wolf said.

On Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. guests can sample and shop chocolates, pastries and specialty foods with vendors as diverse as Amano Artisan Chocolate (Orem, UT), Bisous Bisous Patisserie, Cacao Santa Fe (Santa Fe, NM), Chocolate Secrets, CocoAndré Chocolatier, Collin College, Dallas by Chocolate,  Dallas Caramel Company, Dr. Sue’s Chocolate, Eileen’s Pralines,  El Centro, Escazú Artisan Chocolate (Raleigh, NC), Fresco Chocolate (Lynden,WA), FT33, Guittard Chocolate,  Hello Cocoa (Fayetteville, AR), Hoja Verde (Ecuador), Isabelly’s Chocolates and Sweet Treats, Izard Chocolates (Little Rock, AK), Jammit Jam, Kate Weiser, K’UL Chocolates (Minneapolis, MN),  Letterpress Chocolate (Los Angeles, CA), Pacari (Ecuador), Potamac Chocolate (Woodbridge, VA), SRSLY Chocolate (Austin, TX), Toffee Treats, Wackym’s Kitchen,  Wiseman House (Hico, TX), Xocolla (Sugarland, TX) and Yelibelly Chocolates.  

Madame Cocoa (Adrienne Newman) will once again serve as Mistress of Ceremonies along with Kandace Krueger in the Whole Foods classroom.   There will also be free demonstrations and classes throughout the day including “Strange Chocolate Pairings” with Megan Giller and “Breaking Down the Chocolate Wall” with Heather Holland.

Sunday classes offer participants a hands-on chocolate experience in Bisous Bisous Patisserie’s state of the art commissary kitchen located in the Design District.

“Chocolate is loved everywhere, which makes it a lot of fun to work with,” Wolf said. “People are always happy around chocolate. We’ve noticed over the years that Dallasites have become more knowledgeable about chocolate, which increases their enjoyment. And when you have places like Kate Weiser Chocolate, Dr. Sue’s Chocolate, and Chocolate Secrets making such amazing chocolate, how can you resist?”

Since its inception the Chocolate Festival in Dallas has changed.  The first event was a lecture and dinner with a couple of chocolate makers with about 100 people.

Wolf said over the years however the festival has grown has the word gets out that Dallas is a great city full of people who love and appreciate fine chocolate.

“Because of that each year we have more vendors from out of town that come to Dallas to meet the attendees and show them what they do,” Wolf explained. “And when they come to Dallas and meet our local vendors they help spread the word about all the great stuff happening in Dallas. It’s a great cycle.”

Wolf started the Chocolate Festival because “I had become aware of bean-to-bar chocolate and loved hearing the stories of people hand making what I had thought was only an industrial product. I then became more aware of all the local chocolatiers and wanted to get the word out about them all.”

More than anything, the founder just wants people to learn about all the great artisans who work tirelessly and passionately to make and work with chocolate.

“We also use some of the proceeds from the events to sponsor scholarships for pastry students at local community colleges,” Wolf concluded.

It’s almost that time for children to head back to school.  That means parents need to make sure their child’s immunization shots are up-to-date.  On August 12, 2017 the Dallas County Health and Human Services will be offering free back-to-school immunizations for eligible children.

It is a service DCHHS has been offering for the past 20 years according to Renae Crutchfield, Public Information Officer, Dallas County Health & Human Services.

“We estimate between 150 to 200 clients to be immunized this coming Saturday, which is a projection based off of last year’s numbers,” Crutchfield said.  

Dallas County residents from birth to age 18 in the following categories are eligible to receive free immunizations on August 12 under the Texas Vaccines for Children Program (TVFC):

• Medicaid eligible
• Uninsured: a child who has no health insurance coverage
• American Indian or Alaskan Native
• Enrolled in CHIP
• Underinsured (as defined by the Texas Department of State Health Services)

The back-to-school  immunization clinic will be held from 8 a.m. to noon on the first floor of the main DCHHS building located at 2377 N Stemmons Freeway in Dallas.

Appointments are not required, however parents and guardians should be sure to bring immunization records for walk in immunizations.

“Mumps cases in Dallas County spiked last school year and vaccinations were essential in helping reduce the spread,” said Zachary Thompson, DCHHS director. “This fall, don’t let your child’s seat in class be left empty. Get your children the vaccinations they need for school now.”  

It is also recommended that parents and guardians review immunization records and consult with a primary care provider or a public health professional to determine the needed vaccinations for their children.  Texas has specific minimum state vaccine requirements for students grades K-12. These requirements can be found online here.

 “Provisional enrollments are not always guaranteed and are only short term,” said Tammara Scroggins, DCHHS asst. director public health communicable disease. “Acting now will help ensure that your children are ready for classes on the first day of school.”

If your child is not eligible for the free clinic this Saturday, there are still low-cost clinics in the area for inexpensive immunizations costing around $10.  Below is a list of the clinics spread across the Dallas area providing these services.

Oak Cliff Branch Immunization Clinic

1113 E. Jefferson Blvd. Suite 200 in Dallas

8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday

214-948-0425

John West Branch Immunization Clinic

3312 N. Buckner Blvd. Suite 200 in Dallas

8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday

214-321-5747

Irving Branch Immunization Clinic

440 S. Nursery Rd. in Irving

8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through F riday

972-721-3661

North Dallas Branch Immunization Clinic

8202 Spring Valley Rd. #200

This clinic location is located at the corner of Waterfall Way and Spring Valley behind the laundromat.

8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday through Friday

214-358-0926

Carrollton Farmers Branch Immunization Clinic

2774 Valwood Pkwy. in Farmers Branch

8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday

972-241-2684