A mariachi trio, courtesy of Oak Cliff Bike Company and Oak Cliff Bike Cargo (Photo: Jonathan Braddick)

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.

Joan Osborne (Photo: Brian Blauser)

 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.

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Friday is National Bike to Work Day — which is every day for some serious cyclists in Oak Cliff.

This year, Bike Friendly Oak Cliff is teaming up with BikeDFW and DART to create an “energizer station” at the Jefferson Viaduct’s new bike lanes.

From 6:30 an 9 a.m., the group will offer safety checks and free beverages and snacks.

“This is the first time BFOC has done a station,” said Jonathan Braddick, a board member of the group. The station idea “started in Richardson last year. I heard their turnout was really good. Hopefully, we’ll see quite a few folks showing up”

While the group plans to present bagels, doughnuts, and KIND snacks, they’ve also got a secret up their sleeve. They plan to put a south-of-the-Trinity spin on their site, which is among five planned for that day (there’s another station not too far on Akard Street).

“We’ll give you a hint. Think loud and fun, with a bit of Oak Cliff culture,” clues the invitation to Friday’s event.

Os Mutantes (Photo: Bourbon Theatre)

Don’t let today’s gloomy weather get you down — the fact that it’s Friday is worth celebrating. Besides, the sun’ll come out, tomorrow (sorry, couldn’t resist), with absolutely gorgeous whether on the horizon Sunday.

The Adamson Alumni Association is teeing off at 1:30 p.m. at the Golf Club of Dallas for their Charity Golf Classic.

Texas Theatre is showing Days of Heaven at 7:30 p.m. tonight followed by Upstream Color at 9:45 p.m. They’ll show the films again at 6 and 8:15 p.m. on Saturday, and 5 and 7:15 p.m. on Sunday, respectively.

Somebody’s Darling’s Amber Farris performs at 8 p.m. tonight at Bar Belmont.

Lucky Dog Books is celebrating their first birthday at their Oak Cliff location with festivities all weekend long. The fun includes poetry readings, karaoke, author readings and signings, collectible appraisals, meditation instruction, and more. Hopefully there will be some birthday cake somewhere in the mix as well. Click here for a full schedule.

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Dan Hicks, minus the Hot Licks (Photo: Dan Hicks)

If you haven’t made plans for the weekend yet, there’s still time to schedule some fun. Here’s the roundup.

Enjoy an evening at the races with The Kessler School tonight. The derby fundraiser takes place at 6 p.m. at Lone Star Park and will include a dinner buffet and cocktails.

The uniquely-named Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks will take to the stage at 8 p.m. tonight at the Kessler to perform their unique blend of jazz, folk, country, and swing music. Carsie Blanton opens.

It’s time for Spring cleaning, and the members of Stevens Park Estates Neighborhood Association are hosting a community yard sale on Saturday. It begins at 8 a.m. and will take place in various yards in the neighborhood.

With Earth Day right around the corner, it’s only fitting that Saturday is all about the bikes. Bike Friendly Oak Cliff and Dallas Art Dealer’s Association (DADA) are hosting a “Bike Swarm” at 1:30 p.m. at the Oak Cliff Cultural Center. The event is free and open to all ages, and it will include a self-guided tour of of the art galleries in the design district.

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Oak Cliff can be quite an obstacle course for cyclists. There’s construction detours, narrow lanes, and heavy pedestrian traffic competing for your attention during what should be a leisurely ride. What cyclist couldn’t use a little more wisdom?

At  7:45 a.m. this Saturday, Bike Friendly Oak Cliff and the League of American Bicyclists are hosting “Traffic Skills 101″ at El Jordan, 416 N. Bishop Ave. The half-day course “is designed to teach basic cycling skills to riders of all ages and abilities. Bicyclists will learn to ride effectively and with confidence in an urban environment,” according to a news release from the group.

The class is $30, and requires the completion of an online course before Saturday’s meeting. More details here.

Ray Wylie Hubbard (Photo: Todd Wolfson)

If you’re like us and have the day off, you may want to head to the Bishop Arts Theatre Center this morning at 10 a.m. to see their Black History Month production – Audacity: A Celebration of American History. The program will highlight the contributions of many famous African-Americans, including Ella Fitzgerald, Maya Angelou, and Langston Hughes. If you can’t make it today, there’s another show at 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Tonight musician/photographer Noah Galaviz takes the stage at Bar Belmont at 7 p.m.

The Texas Theatre is showing The Playroom at 7 p.m. tonight, followed by The Master at 9:30 p.m.

Wrapping up the evening’s events, country-music legend Ray Wylie Hubbard will perform at the Kessler Theater at 8 p.m. tonight with special guest Jon Dee Graham.

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Somewhere, Bike Friendly Oak Cliff’s Zac Lytle and Jason Roberts are tipping their caps to the bicycle gods — who are probably each other.

According to the BFOC blog, the one on North Bishop Avenue lane is a full-fledged bike lane, not shared by a vehicle, connecting the Bishop Arts District and Methodist Dallas Medical Center.

This was the second lane to come into the Oak Cliff with the first being a buffered bike lane installed outside Rosemont Elementary.

"Hey, um, guys? Oak Cliff's in the other direction." (Photo: Dallas Symphony Orchestra)

Zang! (That’s the Oak Cliff version of “Dang!”) There is a ton of fun going on this weekend. Let’s take these chronologically.

Tonight, you have the rare opportunity to hear the Dallas Symphony Orchestra without crossing the Trinity River. As part of its “DSO on the Go” series, the heralded group will perform at 7:30 this evening at Cliff Temple Baptist Church.

The Bishop Arts Theatre Center will host three performances of Ain’t This Some Sh*t. This “timely new comedy about nuns and chicken sandwiches with lots of dance music” was written and directed by my fellow Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts graduate Jonathan Norton.

On Saturday morning, your kids can bounce in a bounce house, check out a police helicopter, and meet McGruff the Crime Dog at Mountain View College’s Public Safety and Recycling Fair.

If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to build a Dutch-style cargo bike, Bike Friendly Oak Cliff has arranged for Adamson High School to host a two-day workshop this weekend.

Speaking of two-day events, the craftiest creatures in all the land will fill the Bishop Arts District on Saturday and Sunday for the Urban Street Bazaar.

For even more artisans and designers — not to mention musicians, food trucks, and a pop-up dog park — check out the Elmwood Street Fair.

And we wrap up with the biggest event of the weekend, the Old Oak Cliff Conservation League Fall Home Tour. This is the league’s big fundraiser, the one that makes all of those grants to various neighborhoods possible. So rest assured that your voyeuristic trips through strangers’ houses will be for a worthy cause.

Zac Lytle, the president of Bike Friendly Oak Cliff, is scheduled to brief the City Council’s Quality of Life Committee on Ciclovia de Dallas this morning. That’s a festival that will keep vehicular traffic off the Houston Street Viaduct all day on April 14.