If your floors are bare or in need of sprucing up, take note: the Oak Cliff Society of Fine Arts and Winnetka Heights Neighborhood Association are hosting an estate and lawn sale from 8 a.m. to noon tomorrow at Turner House, where you’ll find furniture, rugs, lamps and larger items on sale to fund repairs for the historic building. The French doors on the upper porch need some TLC, apparently, and OCSFA members hope to raise $2,500 tomorrow to complete the project.

If you’d like to donate furniture and other items in good condition, can drop them off from 6 to 8 p.m. this evening, or email info@turnerhouse.org to arrange a time.

Where’s Nancy Drew when you need her? It seems that there have been two major police raids at the Fantasy Flower Shop and Anabel’s Window Tint (at the intersection of Beckley and Zang) within the last few weeks.

We received reports from neighbors about one raid several weeks ago, and yesterday one of our staff photographers was returning from a photo shoot and witnessed another raid, that included at least 10 DPD squad cars, dozens of officers, a K9 unit, and a swat team. (FYI: The small dog you see in the above photograph isn’t a Chihuahua on the K9 force; he’s a pup in training.)

We’ve contacted the Dallas Police Department, and they have been unable to tell us what happened — on either occasion. Neighbors are equally clueless.

In our April 1 issue, I wrote an article about the mysterious vacant lot adjacent to Anabel’s and the flower shop. In my research, I attempted to ask the owners of Fantasy Flower Shop if they had any information about the lot, but the doors were bolted and there were bars on the windows, although the listed store hours indicated the store should have been open.

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Delia Jasso, District 1 City Council member, helps with the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

This morning Oak Cliff’s Promise House, on Page Avenue, held a “new” grand-opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for its recent renovations, made possible by The Real Estate Council’s Associate Leadership Council.

The House’s second-floor, 2,000-square-foot storage facility got a complete makeover, and will now offer greater resources for residents. Those in attendance included Dallas City Councilwoman Delia Jasso; Dr. Harriet Boorhem, executive director of Promise House; Michael Krywucki, ALC class chairman; Manny Ybarra, TREC governmental affairs chairman; Judy Wright, vice president of external affairs for Promise House.

See next week’s paper for the full story on Promise House and its recent facelift.

With 14,000 square feet to showcase over $75,000 worth of new and gently used items ranging from designer clothes, furniture, office equipment, home electronics, art, books, sports equipment, and toys; Rummage Round up is sure to be a hit!

Be sure to stop by Freeway Hall located at Dallas Market Center, 2200 North Stemmons Freeway on Saturday April 30th from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sunday May 1st from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. to check out all the goods!  Admission is free, and all proceeds will benefit the community service fund of the Junior League of Dallas.  For more information about Rummage Roundup, visit www.rummageroundup.org.

See you there!

Overview of the plaza

Despite excessive wind, an overcast sky, and cooler-than-normal April temps, the party at the Dallas City Hall Plaza was a hit. Oak Cliff’s Jason Roberts said he was thrilled with the event’s turnout.

Guests chowed down on tamales, crepes, and barbeque sandwiches; they played chess and dominoes on the concrete benches (turned game tables); and were entertained by a wandering folk band.

If you missed the event, check out these pics for a glimpse of the fun.

Two lovely ladies enjoy the plaza activities	"What attracts people, in sum, is other people." -Whyte	Oak Cliff's Jason Roberts chatting it up with a guest
Kiddos enjoy a super-sized game of chess	A folk band serenaded the crowd.	Rockin' out!

Last weekend Oak Cliff’s Boy Scout Troop 5 collected more than 2,000 water bottles, hundreds of T-shirts, socks, and gloves for firefighters battling wildfires in the Possum Kingdom Lake Area.

They also raised $700 to donate to the Helping Hands organization in Mineral Wells.

Way to go guys! OC is proud of you!

William H. Whyte

“What attracts people most, in sum, is other people,” said William H. Whyte, author of Reflections on Urban Space. Hmm…something worth pondering, especially so for Dallas.

Whyte had some grand ideas for the Dallas City Hall Plaza, which he presented to the City Council in 1983. While his vision has not yet come to fruition, Brent Brown and Oak Cliff’s Jason Roberts plan to create a temporary Whyte-style area in the plaza tomorrow.

Whyte’s recommendations included erecting seating, covering the barren concrete area with trees, building kiosks from which people could purchase food, allowing people access to the pool, and scheduling regular entertainment events.

Tomorrow (April 27^th) while the City Council is in session, the Dallas CityDesign Studio, The Better Block, bcWORKSHOP, the Trinity Trust, and the Dallas Institute will erect Whyte’s dream of a living plaza.

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Scott Griggs was lurking at this March 2009 event. (Staff photo by Chris McGathey)

Because early voting starts Monday, we will have biographic profiles of City Councilman Dave Neumann and challenger Scott Griggs in this week’s paper. To illustrate said stories, we’ve been searching our archives for photos of both men. The one you see here — of Neumann (left) and several dignitaries at the March 2009 groundbreaking for the never-realized La Reunion Towncenter project — gave me a laugh. Do you see Griggs peeking over the shoulder of City Councilman Steve Salazar? It looks like a picture you’d see on This is Photobomb.

Saturday April 30th from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. to Sunday May 1st from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. come check out the Rummage Roundup at Freeway Hall located at Dallas Market Center 2200 North Stemmons Freeway.

Admission is free!  The sale will include over $75,000 worth of new and gently used items including designer clothes, furniture, office equipment, home electronics, house-wares, art, books, sports equipment, toys and much more.

All proceeds will benefit the community service fund of the junior league of Dallas.

For more information about Rummage Roundup, visit www.rummageroundup.org.

I’m kicking myself for not making it to the Texas Theatre last night. When I belatedly saw the report that Dallas star Larry Hagman might show up for the weekly screening of his old show, I sent an email to the Texas’ creative director, Jason Reimer, to find out if J.R. Ewing himself was there. Not only was Hagman there, Reimer said, he brought along Linda Gray, aka Sue Ellen.