Five stories that have North Texas talking: A fancy deck for Reunion Tower, Friday night lights dance across the downtown Omni Hotel, Cottonwood hosts tons of artists, and more.
A fancy deck for Reunion Tower: The iconic Dallas tower reopens its observation deck Saturday morning. And it has a fancy name: GeO-Deck. The name is a tribute to the “geodesic sphere,” the tower’s iconic shape. The deck offers high-definition zoom cameras and an interactive digital-touch screen display. Doors open at 9:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets — $16 for adults, $14 for seniors and $8 for kids 4-12 — , although organizers say that tickets will be available at the tower.
Friday night lights: Bright lights will once again dance up and down the walls of the Omni Dallas Hotel in downtown. It starts tonight at 8. It’s part of “Expanded Cinema: MultipliCity,” which helps kick off the 26th Dallas VideoFest. The best viewing spot is from Hickory House Barbecue on 600 S. Industrial Blvd. Tune in to KXT 91.7 for the accompanying soundtrack. KERA’s Anne Bothwell talked with Mona Kasra, the event’s curator. That interview airs today on KERA”s “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered.” KERA’s Art&Seek has coverage of the festival here.
A big bash on Saturday at the Crow: Saturday is the big opening day for the Crow Collection of Asian Art’s Sculpture Garden. To celebrate, the Crow is throwing a Garden Party and Street Festival. It starts at 10 a.m. Saturday. Fifteen works of sculpture will be introduced. There will be guided tours of the Sculpture Garden, food trucks, and lots of entertainment. There will be face painting, a family photo booth, origami and family meditation. Also: Learn how to move like a ninja.
Get your art on in Richardson: This weekend’s Cottonwood Arts Festival, in its 44th year, features more than 240 artists who have produced museum-quality work, from ceramics to photos to drawings to metalwork. And music will be in the air as bands will perform throughout the weekend. Children can create their own wax hands and make hats from scrap, among other crafts. Cottonwood Park is at 1321 W. Belt Line Rd. Parking and admission are free. Dogs on leashes are welcome.
Don Sanders’ home in Dallas came with a surprise: An underground fallout shelter built during the early 1960s, when tensions were high between the U.S. and Soviet Union. The shelter contains three beds, a toilet and an air and water filtration system. The funky feature made him want to buy the Kessler Park house. The Dallas Morning News reports that the shelter also comes with a hand crank that filtered air in and out, and jugs of brown liquid “used to dispel unpleasant smells.” Sanders has taken 400 visitors deep into the bunker, although it freaked out his neighbor, whose house just happens to have its own shelter: a 7-foot trench dug by pick and hammer, The News reports.
And, lucky you, today is Bonus Day at The High Five. Here’s a sixth item:
Wendy Davis is in: The Fort Worth Democrat and state senator was in the spotlight on Thursday as she announced she’s running for governor. It’s something she had hinted at for several weeks – she just finally made it official. KERA’s Shelley Kofler covered her announcement. Here are some highlights from her speech, as well as a slideshow from the event. And brush up on the race that will likely feature Davis and Republican Greg Abbott, the Texas attorney general – KERA has put together some things you should know about the race and both candidates, as well as links to earlier coverage.
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