Here I am throwing a jab at trainer David Raposa’s punch mitt at Lake Cliff Park during Saturday morning’s boxing cardio blast class by Beyond Physical Fitness.

In my head, I’m asking myself why I’m here at 8:45 in the morning. And whether I’m going to fall down or not.

Well, at least I can still throw a decent punch from long-ago training at a boxing gym. More exhaustive (and exhausting) details in this week’s Oak Cliff People.

Maybe if it’s popular enough.  According an E-mail from Amy Cowan yesterday afternoon, organizers have sold half of the 100 tickets for Bishop Arts Big Table, scheduled for 6 p.m. Nov. 1.

The six-course dinner, served at a 150-foot-long table running down Bishop Avenue between Seventh and Eighth streets, is $100 a plate, Cowan’s e-mail stated.

Each course is served by a different local chef. Proceeds benefit the Well Community, a local nonprofit which assists adults recovering from mental illness, Cowan wrote.

You can buy tickets here. For more information on the event, visit Go Oak Cliff’s website.

Hello, Friends!

We love it when you tell us about your favorite place to get a margarita, the best place for tacos, and your neighborhood stop to get your beer on. Now you can make sure your favorite place to slurp and nosh gets the recognition it deserves.

Go and vote in the very first ballot of this year’s People’s Choice Awards. You can vote on the food and drink ballot once a day until midnight on Thursday (Oct. 28). Winners will be announced in our Jan. 7 edition.

What are you waiting for?! GO MAKE YOUR CHOICE!

You’d have to be a resident of a deep, dark hole somewhere to not know about some of the great work Art Conspiracy does for the Dallas community. The annual one-night-only art gallery/auction/concert starts at 7 p.m. tomorrow in a very unassuming warehouse at 511 W. Commerce St., which happens to be the same place as last year.

This year’s beneficiary is Today Marks the Beginning, a nonprofit that uses art to teach non-violence and social justice to children. Karen Blessen, the organization’s co-founder, said being selected as this year’s Art Conspiracy recipient couldn’t have come at a better time.

“It’s been a challenging year economically for a lot of arts non-profits,” Blessen said. “So the news of our being chosen as the Art Conspiracy beneficiary was both a big psychic and economical shot in the arm.”

Blessen says that the funds from Art Conspiracy will help the organization continue bringing the message of peace and justice to Dallas children through art.

“On top of that, Art Conspiracy does a terrific job of publicizing the event, so we hope to enlarge the community awareness of what we do in Today Marks the Beginning,” she said. “We also hope to make a lot of new friends in the arts community.”

Find out more about Art Conspiracy 6 in this week’s Oak Cliff People.

On Tuesday (Oct. 19), the city Board of Adjustment failed to overturn a building official’s decision saying 939 N. Winnetka Ave. was never a legal apartment building.

That official denied property owner Josh Terry a certificate of occupancy Aug. 30, writing in a letter the property in King’s Highway Conservation District had never legally been a multi-family property.

The vote was 3-1 in favor of overturning the official’s decision, but four out of five votes are needed to overturn. One of the five members, Johnnie Goins, walked out of the meeting before that vote.

Terry has 10 days to file an appeal to district court. When reached by phone, Terry said he isn’t sure what he will do.

A legal argument from assistant city attorney Charles Estee concedes the city erroneously issued Terry construction permits earlier.

“The city acknowledges that the applications should not have been accepted and construction permits should not have been issued [for multi-family use],” Estee’s filing states. “Mr. Terry is charged with knowledge of the applicable zoning, and existing zoning cannot be undone by the accident of a city employee.”

For more on both sides’ documents and neighbor reactions, read tomorrow’s edition of Oak Cliff People.

“To the Greater Glory of God”

Prestonwood Christian Academy (PCA), with over 1400 students in pre-kindergarten 3 through grade 12, is a dynamic, biblically-based program. It is located in West Plano, just off the North Dallas Tollway. Intertwined in all aspects of PCA is the philosophy of Kingdom Education that weaves the student’s spiritual and educational experiences with the church, home, and school. PCA is committed to the family and developing biblical worldview students who are graduating to attend major universities across the country.

Students at every age, every level are successful at PCA, and they excel in all areas. Through their academic accomplishments, nearly $5.8 million in scholarships was awarded to the Class of 2011. In athletics, PCA teams compete with excellence in a variety of sports and this year earned state championships in varsity football, basketball, soccer, track and tennis. Well-known for its excellence in fine arts, PCA’s International Thespian Society (ITS) troupe won a national title, and visual arts, choir, and band students were awarded regional and state awards among private schools across the state. Of a recent PCA musical theatre performance, the Dallas Morning News wrote, “I can honestly say that I’ve never been to a better high school musical production.” Additionally, PCA offers programs distinctive to the Academy that encourage leadership development, including Future Problem Solvers and Student Leadership Institute. Students are encouraged to be servant leaders in their communities and around the world through programs such as PCA’s Minimester mission trips. The leaders of tomorrow attend PCA today.

The eternal perspective is the rudder, as PCA students learn, grow, and strive to do all things to the greater glory of God. Throughout the year, PCA works to serve and equip families through its acclaimed Family Conference, Biblical Worldview Institute, Kingdom Parent Institute, and Family Missions Trips.

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Friends of Oak Cliff Parks, Kidd Springs Central, and Methodist Health System are teaming up to clean some parks starting 8 a.m. Oct. 30.

FOCP and Methodist will be working on Oak Cliff Founders Park, and Kidd Springs Central will be working on the Kidd Springs Butterfly Garden and monument sign flower beds, according to an e-mail from FOCP president Barbara Barbee.

Volunteer will need gloves, hats, sunblock, shovels,  clippers, loppers, wheelbarrows, rakes, comfortable shoes, and gardening  clothes, Barbee wrote, though they have some tools to lend.

For more information, call Barbee at 214-331-4758 or e-mail her at brbrb303@aol.com

A North Oak Cliff woman reported to police that she was abducted at gunpoint and driven around in her own car for nearly two days last week.

The woman, who lives south of Greiner Middle School, had walked out to her car at 8:30 p.m. Oct. 15 when she was approached by a man in Western clothing, she told police. The man forced her into her green Jeep Cherokee at gunpoint, telling her to “get in the car and drive.”

The suspect and the victim then drove throughout Oak Cliff and Duncanville for the better part of two days. The suspect would occasionally switch driving with the victim, and when either person had to use the bathroom they would go in the street, no matter the time of day, the woman told police.

The suspect appeared to be looking for something, but would not tell the woman what, she said. The pair would use drive-thru restaurants to eat, she said.

On Sunday evening, the suspect dropped the woman off on the west side of I-35, and drove away, according to police.