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Perhaps They'll Show an Oliver Stone Film
| April 28, 2002 |
Oak Cliff |
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 An Oak Cliff landmark with a conspirative past has been scheduled for renovation. The city of Dallas, the Oak Cliff Foundation and the Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce are joining forces with Dallas Summer Musicals to bring the historic Texas Theatre back to life.
The Texas Theatre was made famous in 1963 when accused assassin Lee Harvey Oswald was captured there shortly after the shooting of President John F. Kennedy. Oswald brought attention to himself by entering the theater without paying for a ticket.
The movie house was closed in 1989, but in a ceremony yesterday, Monte Anderson, chairman of the Texas Theatre Committee, and Michael Jenkins, president of Dallas Summer Musicals, marked the beginning of the building's return. They knocked through stucco that had been added in 1965 to reveal the original theater walls.
The first phase of the restoration is scheduled to begin in June. Organizers hope to begin showing films and staging live performances by the beginning of next year. |
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There Ain't No Record for Using Your 'Indoor Voices'
| April 28, 2002 |
Arlington |
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Six Flags Over Texas today hosted the Wonka Scream-Off, an attempt by local children to beat the Guinness world record of Loudest Scream by a Crowd.
Yelling as loudly as they could, the kids reached a level of 124.7 decibels. Unfortunately, though, they fell just short of the 126.3-decibel record set on July 5, 1998 in Hyde Park, London, England. |
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Yeah, But How Big Are Its Nuts?
| April 26, 2002 |
Weatherford |
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It seems Tennessee got one over on us. According to the conservation organization American Forests, which maintains The National Register of Big Trees, Texas no longer holds claim to the Largest Pecan Tree in the United States.
In 1998, the title was bestowed on a 91-foot-tall specimen belonging to Billy Finch of Weatherford. Tennessee's, however, stole the honor with its 136 feet. The Tennessee champ also beat our 256 inches of circumference with 267 of its own.
The Texas tree still boasts a larger spread (120 feet to 111 feet), but unfortunately, champion status is based on a points system and the extra 9 feet isn't enough to hold the title.
Why wasn't the Tennessee pecan named champion before? Well, some believed it to be a black walnut. Having been verified as a pecan, however, it was renominated for the category and remeasured.
Finch's tree is still the state champion, though, as it has been since 1964. But, for the sake of Texas pride, I'd say it's time to break out the Miracle Gro. |
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A Short Time Left for Reflection
| April 21, 2002 |
LaPorte |
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The reflecting pool that compliments the historic San Jacinto Monument in LaPorte is set to be removed.
The monument and its pool are similar to the Washington Monument and adjacent Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. Unfortunately, however, the San Jacinto pool has been slated for drainage and demolition.
Historians prefer to restore the strip of land currently occupied by the pool to its condition in 1836, when it was a gully lined with trees. Sam Houston and his troops hid in the gully to avoid detection by Santa Anna's army. When the troops advanced, a group of soldiers hidden in the trees circled behind the Mexican army and took them by surprise. Historians hope the restoration will help visitors better envision the battle.
For now, the San Jacinto pool beats out D.C.'s by 460,000 square feet. Luckily, though, Texas will still claim bragging rights with the remaining monument, which towers above that other obelisk by 15 feet. (Not to mention the really cool 34-foot-tall star at the top.) |
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Looking Out for Number Two
| April 21, 2002 |
Austin |
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Austin has led the way to a huge triumph over the Brits. Texas Hearing and Service Dogs yesterday held its 2002 Mighty Texas Dog Walk and reclaimed the world record for Most Dogs Walked in a Single Event.
Texas set the record in 1999 with 2,114 dogs walked, but was topped by the Catherine Cookson Great North Dog Walk later that year with 2,439 dogs. The event, held in England, beat the record once again in 2000 with an additional 433 canines.
Not ones to be defeated, though, the THSD reclaimed the record with a whopping 3,117 panting pooches.
The Great North Dog Walk asserts that they still hold the record with last year's 5,921-dog event, but according to Sheri Soltes, THSD's president, the Texas record has been verified by Guinness in writing.
Didn't the Revolutionary War teach those British anything? |
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The Slings and Arrows of Outrageous Fortune
| April 14, 2002 |
Odessa |
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In January, the Globe of the Great Southwest received a $740,000 federal grant for renovations.
The Globe, a replica of Shakespeare's 16th-century theatre, was built in the 1960s in Odessa, about 160 miles west of Abilene. The London original was built in 1598 and burned down in 1613. It was rebuilt the next year, but destroyed again by the Puritans in 1644. The theatre was recreated recently in 1997, but Odessa's version outdates it by more than 30 years.
The Globe's trustees will use the grant money to renovate parts of the theatre and to create a garden on the grounds. They also hope to assemble a regular company of actors and reinstitute an annual Shakespeare Festival. |
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Rea-praise-al
| April 8, 2002 |
New Waverly |
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On March 28, Texas Twisted reported on the dispute between the state and the owner of a 17-foot Jesus statue. Officials have said that the statue stands on state property and must be moved. The owner, Evelyn Blazek, has refused to comply. As she put it, "They crucified him once and I feel like they're trying to crucify him again."
Now, after heated correspondence, the state has agreed to appraise the property line a third time to determine what action needs to be taken. |
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To Some, a Thing of Beauty
| April 4, 2002 |
Fort Worth |
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The 37-story eyesore in downtown Fort Worth, last reported by Texas Twisted on April 2, has caught the eye of two imaginative Fort Worth sculptors.
Derrick Saunders and Steven Price don't mind so much the Bank One Tower's wooden exterior that has quickly become the subject of scorn for most locals. They love its strikingly unusual appearance. They also see it as blank canvas full of potential.
Saunders sees the nearly demolished structure as a Fort Worth icon, "a strange and beautiful object." As such, he has announced the launch of Plywoodskyscraper.com, a Web site featuring conceptual transformations of the building that was battered in a March 2000 storm.
One possibility: modify it into the world's largest stoplight. |
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They've Lost Their Head
| April 4, 2002 |
Bandera |
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The Frontier Times Museum has reported a disturbing theft. It seems that someone has made off with their prized shrunken head.
The condensed noggin is said to be that of an Ecuadorian or Peruvian woman who died in a tribe rivalry. It had been on display at the museum for more than 60 years before disappearing late last month along with its display case and headdress of feathers and beetle wings.
It was a popular centerpiece for the museum, which boasts an eclectic assemblage of items, including dressed fleas, a spur collection and the remains of two-headed animals.
Police are questioning patrons. |
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Quarter Finalists
| April 2, 2002 |
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The Texas Quarter Dollar Coin Design Advisory Committee (whew!) has announced the five finalists for the Texas State Quarter.
Over 3,000 people sent their designs to the Texas Numismatic Association, many of whom sent in more than one design. Just under twenty were chosen and turned over to the governor-appointed committee, who then narrowed the choices down to 5. Those 5 will be sent on to the U.S. Mint for review.
The state's outline and famous Lone Star play a major role in the selected designs. Symbols such as oil wells, the longhorn and the Space Shuttle were passed over, but the widely recognized Alamo does make an appearance in a couple of the chosen images. Many, however, believe the Alamo is too indicative of San Antonio specifically, despite the role it played in the fight for independence of the entire territory. (Was that too editorial?)
Some of the designs that were almost immediately eliminated included a frightened-looking Davy Crockett, the jackalope, a siege on the Alamo by an entire Mexican army, the infamous grassy knoll, and roadkill.
I like to think that those particular designs were sent in by Texas Twisted fans. |
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At Least It Won't Look Like a Giant Acme Crate
| April 2, 2002 |
Fort Worth |
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 The hideous Bank One Tower, reported by Texas Twisted earlier this year (Jan. 31, 2002), is undergoing a superficial change.
In reaction to orders given by the city, the building's owners have begun removing the visually irritating plywood that was used to patch the windows damaged by a tornado that swept through downtown in March 2000. The city has deemed the wooden shell a fire hazard and rather than treat it with a flame-retardant material, the owners are replacing it, most likely with sheet metal.
The tower, now being referred to as Block 82, was once destined to become the tallest structure ever imploded, but due to recurring problems, demolition has been continually delayed. The hollowed-out skyscraper is now expected to remain standing for several years. |
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