In case you still haven’t read this week’s paper (shameful!), a group of Rosemont students are en route to Tennessee today for the final round of Destination Imagination, a global competition that allows children to showcase their critical thinking and creative prowess in arts and science. Thanks to the school’s Facebook page, we got a glimpse these little geniuses up before dawn, ready to get scootin’ south.

Show some love for these awesome kids representing Dallas and Oak Cliff.

In today’s edition of Oak Cliff People, I make the case that Saturday’s elections for the District 1 seat on the Dallas City Council and the District 7 seat on the DISD Board of Trustees were largely decided by voters in Kessler Park, Stevens Park, and Winnetka Heights. I didn’t have space to properly present the numbers in print, so let’s do it online. These 12 precincts had the highest voter turnout for the City Council election (I included 12 because three precincts tied for 10th place):

Precinct	Polling Place	City	DISD
4079	Kessler Park United Methodist Church	931	867
4074	Sunset High School	345	328
4073	Preparing the Way Ministries	225	208
4063	Elmwood United Methodist Church	210	190
4069	Winnetka Elementary School	210	188
4080	Kidd Springs Recreation Center	200	188
4067	Peabody Elementary School	175	163
4068	Lida Hooe Elementary School	148	137
4114	Cowart Elementary School	135	125
4035	Academy of Dallas	134	–
4061	L.O. Donald Elementary School	134	126
4078	Kidd Springs Recreation Center	134	125

Look at those relatively astronomical numbers for Precinct 4079, also known as Scott Griggs’ home precinct. (The link will bring up a map.) Those figures represent a quarter of the total turnout for both races. More than 85 percent of the voters in Kessler Park and Stevens Park preferred Griggs to fellow incumbent Delia Jasso, whose Precinct 4078 was one of the three that tied for 10th place. And 86 percent of them chose DISD Trustee Eric Cowan over his two challengers.

The dropoff to Precinct 4074 is significant, but that precinct, which serves Winnetka Heights, still had 120 more voters in each race than the third-place precinct.

Surprisingly, Cowan’s home precinct, Precinct 4077, didn’t even crack the top 10 in his contest. The 87 votes registered there were good enough for only 16th place. His two challengers — Rafael Narvaez III and Arturo “Art” Sierra — live in Precinct 4113 and Precinct 4068, respectively.

If you’ve got a green thumb and a dirty car, there’s two Oak Cliff fundraisers that could use you help on Saturday.

From 8:30 a.m. to noon, the Friends of Oak Cliff Parks will be completing the restoration of the butterfly garden at Founders Park, which already has some visible progress thanks to the efforts of 38 athletes from Adamson and Sunset High Schools. Volunteers will get snacks and a mountain of gratitude. The group will meet at Memorial Plaza. If you have spading forks, shovels, clippers, loppers, or wheelbarrows, bring them. If you don’t, contact Barbara Barbee at brbrb303@aol.com or Steve Williams at swilliams51@ymail.com, and they’ll find some use for your elbow grease.

Also, Sunset High School‘s Purple Marching Machine has organized a car wash from 8 a.m. until noon at the parking lot of CVS, 2427 W. Jefferson Blvd. The group notes it takes 14 cases of water to keep the band hydrated at events, so donations in the form of bottled water will gladly be accepted in lieu of cash.

Today is National Bike to Work Day, and the folks at Bike Friendly Oak Cliff promised a huge surprise this morning at the group’s “energizer station” at the Jefferson Viaduct. And, boy, did they deliver. In addition to KIND and Cliff bars and a swag assortment from DART, a mariachi trio was among the surprises today.

“I love the idea of just tapping into the different aspects of Oak Cliff culture,” said Jonathan Braddick, a board member of BFOC. “It was worth the money we spent to get them out there.”

After setting up camp at 6:30 a.m, the bike traffic was off to a slow start. “We realized people don’t ride to work that early,” Braddick said. But almost 50 bicyclists passed through the station before 9 a.m.

“It was awesome. More people did the bike to work than ever,” Braddick said. “Some of them didn’t even stop. They went right through our tent. But most people came and hung out for a bit.”

So, how does BFOC top this morning’s act? Braddick’s already thinking. ”Next year, we might do a marching band or something,” he said.

The organization is also rallying support for a benefit ride before next week’s fundraiser for Jason Roberts at The Kessler.

 

 Texas Theatre is showing Star Trek Into Darkness at both 7:45 and 9 p.m. tonight.

Glen Farris and Ryan Thomas Becker will take the stage at Bar Belmont tonight at 8 p.m.

Blues singer Joan Osborne, she of the voice the New York Times dubbed “angelic ecstasy and sexual abandon,” will perform at the Kessler tonight at 8 p.m. Sara Hickman opens.

Keep reading for more weekend fun! Read More…

Be they four legged, finned, feathery, or scaly, pets are part of the family. Pose with your pet or send us your favorite snapshot by May 24 for the chance to be featured in our Pet People section, which premieres on May 31. This section will cover news and information for all pet lovers, including community pet-friendly establishments, local animal organizations and services, and your cutest pet pics. Email your pet family portraits to pets@peoplenewspapers.com.

PSW Zoning Request for City Council meeting on May 22, 2013 by Dan Koller

Are you about to graduate from high school? Do you live in Oak Cliff or go to school here? Are you planning on going to college this fall in Dallas, Tarrant, or Denton county?

Then you, my friend, qualify for the Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce’s Golden Oaks Scholarship. And you have exactly 48 hours to turn in your application — assuming that the “Monday” in “Monday, May 17″ is a typo. If the “May 17″ is a typo, then you have 120 hours to turn in your application or your application was due 48 hours ago.

Either way, call the lovely and talented Chelsea Klepfer at 214-943-4567, ext. 17, to clear things up.

If you think you have what it takes to give a TEDxSMU talk, auditions are open through May 31 here. Submit your best story, song poem, or whatever else fits in a 3-to-6-minute window.

The top 8-to-10 performances will be chosen to speak at the Kessler Theater on June 20. Judges will determine who moves on to present at TEDxSMU on Oct. 19. Finalists for the Kessler Theater round will be announced June 6.

If you just want to check out the talent and not compete yourself, you can come to the Kessler to watch the performances at 6 p.m. on June 20. Auditions start at 7 p.m., and tickets are $12 here.

The following educators will be honored by the Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce at 8 a.m. on May 23 in the Hitt Auditorium at Methodist Dallas Medical Center.

College Educator of the Year: Mike Williams Sr. (Dallas Baptist University)

High School Educator of the Year: James Martin (Bishop Dunne Catholic School)

Middle School Educators of the Year: Bobby Diggs (W. H. Atwell Middle School) and Christopher Kemp (Fellowship Christian Academy)

Elementary School Educator of the Year: Alison Beazley (The Kessler School)

Pre-School Educator of the Year: Priscilla Cano (Mi Escuelita)