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Word from the CVBs Family Fun in the Stockyards One of the Historic Stockyards’ best Western events returns October 21-23: The Red Steagall Cowboy Gathering. This annual event presents an opportunity to get acquainted with a great innovation of the Old West-the chuck wagon. There are many well-known images from cowboy days, and chuck wagons are certainly one of the most familiar because of the numerous films and books about trail drives. At noon Friday, October 21, a parade of authentic chuck wagons will make its way from downtown Main Street to the Stockyards, where the chuck wagons will be on display for the duration of the Gathering. During the parade, the unmistakable sounds of the heavy chuck wagons will be heard as they roll down the streets toward the Stockyards. Chuck wagons were an innovation of Charles Goodnight, one of the early cattlemen of Texas. He designed the first “chuck box” in 1866 to fit in the back of a covered wagon in order to carry the many items necessary to feed cowboys on long cattle drives. “Chuck” was the term cowboys used for food. Goodnight also adapted the wagons of that era to carry the heavy loads of goods and materials needed to set up camps on the long dusty trail to rail heads in Kansas. Cow camps, featuring the chuck wagons of the Red Steagall event, are open to the public, and it is fascinating to talk to the cowboys and chuck wagon cooks (called “cookie,” and various other names), about their wagons and the food traditionally prepared for the difficult trail drives. At this event, attendees will be part of the sights, sounds and smells of the Old West! The Red Steagall Gathering involves a wide variety of activities including a ranch rodeo, cowboy music, horsemanship clinics, cowboy poetry and many other events. For general information, call the Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau at 817-336-8791. For ticket information to the “Gathering” and the “Soul of the West” celebration October 4, 2005 at Bass Performance Hall featuring Red Steagall and other Western celebrities, call 817-625-1025 or 1-888-COWTOWN. Fall Festivals in FUN CENTRAL! When you feel the cool crispness of fall, it’s time to visit FUN CENTRAL Arlington Texas for a bountiful variety of activities for your family. Whether you’re looking for spooky Halloween festivities, fantastic fall events or a combination, FUN CENTRAL is the place to be! For spooktacular fun, stop by Fright Fest at Six Flags Over Texas. Fright Fest is the largest Halloween event in Texas with haunted houses, scare-actors roaming the park and those monster coasters waiting just for you! Fright Fest runs through October 30th. Visit www.sixflags.com for specific information. Bring your little ghouls and goblins to Legends of the Game Baseball Museum for “Batty at the Ballpark,” Saturday, October 29th from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. for a family friendly Halloween event. This party includes mask making, pumpkin decorating, crafts, spooky stories, baseball related games and more! Children in costume will be entered in a drawing to win a baseball autographed by a Texas Ranger! Looking for festivities with a different fall flavor? Visit River Legacy Park Living Science Center’s “After Dark in the Park,” October 14th-16th. This annual event features a children’s craft and activity area, storytelling under the stars, karaoke crooning, stargazing, a pumpkin patch and hay rides. For more details, visit www.riverlegacy.org or call 817-860-6752. For more information on these events and other FUN CENTRAL happenings, visit www.arlington.org. A Cornucopia of Events in Grapevine Autumn is in the air and activities in Grapevine during the month of October are ripe for the picking. Hundreds of Monarch Butterflies will flutter into Grapevine en route from Canada to Mexico. The public is invited to the 8th Annual Butterfly Flutterby, downtown from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, October 15. This free event includes the release of 500 butterflies and a Gossamer Parade on Main Street featuring kids and pets dressed in butterfly costumes. Prizes will be awarded. Butterfly exhibitions, and a variety of activities, will be held at the Cotton Belt Depot at 701 S. Main Street. For information about the Flutterby visit www.grapevinetexasusa.com or call 817-410-3185. Over 70 dealers will buy and sell collectible money at the TEXAS COIN SHOW October 7-9, at the Grapevine Convention Center, 1209 S. Main Street. Public hours are Friday, 2 p.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Items available are gold, U.S. and foreign coins and currency, the latest state quarters, and the new buffalo nickels, among other things. Three drawings for gold coins take place Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Free parking, police security, and a $2 admission fee. For more information, contact Ginger or Dave Pike at 214-535-3465. Ghouls and goblins (grown one’s, too) are invited to celebrate Halloween on Main Street from 6 to 8 p.m., October 31. Children can trick-or-treat at downtown merchants, and participate in a variety of games. The costume contest is open to all ages. Register at 6:30 p.m. near the Gazebo. The event is free. For more information, call 817-410-3450. Fruits and vegetables remain plentiful at Grapevine’s Farmer’s Market, open Wednesdays from 1 p.m. to sellout and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to sellout. The new Grapevine Market, an open-air market, is open Thursdays and Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. To learn more about Grapevine events, visit www.grapevinetexasusa.com or call 817-410-3185. Grand Prairie, Right in the Middle of Dallas/Fort Worth BOO! Halloween is just around the corner and Grand Prairie has something for everyone. Singe returns to Louis Tussaud’s Palace of Wax with Nightmare at the Wax Museum October 7-31. Singe is a wax artist who fell in love with one of his wax figures and jumped into a vat of hot wax to become like her. Contact 972-263-2391. October 6-26, Green Meadows Petting Farm is at Lynn Creek Park providing hay rides, a huge pumpkin patch, and pony rides for children. Contact 1-800-799-1166. The 14th Annual “Forest Of Fear” and Camp Decorating Contest, featuring haunted hay rides, pumpkin carving contests and campsite decorating contests, is held at Loyd Park on the shores of Joe Pool Lake, October 22-21. Contact 817-467-2104. On October 29, Traders Village hosts “Haunted Hallway” for younger children. Contact 972-647-2331. And there’s more…! The Quarter Horses are racing at Lone Star Park for the Fall Meeting of Champions October 1-November 27. Grandstand gates open at 4 p.m. The first race is at 5 p.m. Contact 972-263-7223.NOKIA Theatre features Santana #2 October 1 and on October 6, Robert Plant. Celtic Woman soothes the audience October 11, while MXPX rocks the house October 14. Billy Idol brings his Devils Playground Tour October 21. Danzig plays Blackest of the Black Tour 2005 on October 26. Chris Tomlin appears with Louie Giglio and Matt Redman on October 29. October 30, Rob Thomas has special guest Antigone Rising. Contact 214-373-8000, 972-647-5700 or visit www.NOKIAtheatreDFW.com. Traders Village hosts the 22nd Annual BBQ Championship Cook Off, October 8-9. On October 15, AAFES holds a gigantic Garage Sale at Traders Village. Contact 972-647-2331. Bring a chair or blanket to the Main Street Gazebo Park in downtown Grand Prairie each Saturday in October for the Music on Main Free Concert Series presented by the Grand Prairie Arts Council. Different professional musical groups will perform from 2-4 p.m. Contact 972-642-2728. East Texas Tourism Association sponsors the 4th Annual Historic Hi-way 80 Garage Sale October 8-10 and 15-17, stretching more than 200 miles from Grand Prairie to Bossier City, Louisiana. Contact 903-757-4444 or www.us80.com. Log on to www.gptexas.com or call 972-263-9588 for more information. Granbury Hosts Vintage Planes, Cars and Tractors If you’re into vintage transportation, then Granbury should be at the top of your list of places to visit during October. Approximately 25 World War II Stearman biplanes are scheduled to be in Granbury September 29-October 1, participating in the 26th Annual “End of Season Fly-In.” The event was scheduled for Jennings, Louisiana. Due to storm damage caused by Hurricane Katrina, however, the event was relocated to the Nassau Bay One Landing Strip on the outskirts of Granbury. Granbury will also be one of the host cities for The Space City Ts, a Houston Chapter of the Model T Ford Club of America, “Texas T Party.” Over 100 "Tin Lizzies” are scheduled to roll into Granbury at approximately 9:30 a.m. Friday, October 7, for photo sessions in the Historic Downtown Square and theGranbury Depot. The Model Ts will be on display in the Square and in Shanley Park until 1:30 p.m. when they will caravan to The Windmill Farm outside of Tolar. Antique tractors will parade through Granbury as part of the Granbury Historical Merchants’ Association Harvest Moon Festival in October. Parade organizers are planning to have approximately fifty 1920s and 1930s vintage tractors on display and at least 30 tractors in the parade. Most tractors are completely restored, some are “right out of the field,” and a few home-built tractors will also be on display. If names like Moline, Farmall, John Deere, and Fordson bring back memories, don’t miss the Tractor parade scheduled for October 15th at noon. October is a great month to load the family into your favorite mode of transportation and journey to Granbury. There are plenty of additional activities for the entire family, including golf, wine tasting, shopping in the Historic Downtown Square, Theater opportunities at Granbury Live or Texas Star Theater, dinner cruises on the Granbury Star Riverboat and dinning throughout the community. With an excellent variety of bed and breakfasts and hotel facilities, Granbury is an exceptional place to spend the night. Fossilmania, Harvestfest, and Lord’s Acre all Happening in Glen Rose Best known as the “Dinosaur Capital of Texas,” Glen Rose is also home to one of the largest fossil shows in the state, with Fossilmania taking place at the Somervell County Expo on October 28, 29 and 30. Sponsored by the Dallas Paleontological Society, this will be the 23rd year for the event. Fossilmania is an annual fossil and fossil related show that features dealers from all over the country. The show is sure to be of interest to collectors, paleontologists and every fossil enthusiast. There will also be free educational seminars on Saturday and all of the children who attend will receive free fossils. Also on Saturday, hourly drawings for door prizes will be held. The day will culminate with a fossil auction at 7:30 p.m.Glen Rose will be the sight of several events the final weekend in October with Harvestfest Glen Rose and the Lord’s Acre also being held on Saturday, October 29. Arts and crafts, food and fun will be the focus of both events that will take place in downtown Glen Rose. Glen Rose always makes for a fun day trip or weekend escape with Fossil Rim Wildlife Center and Dinosaur Valley State park among just a few of the area’s attraction. For more information on Glen Rose or any of the events, call 888-346-6282 or visit www.glenrosetexas.net. Denton’s Hallmarks of Autumn When it comes to blending sights and sounds, Denton, Texas is a virtual orchestra of small town charm and big city shopping, music, arts, culture, and entertainment. Situated 36 miles north of Dallas and Fort Worth where I-35 E meets I-35 W, Denton is the county seat of Denton County. Shop historic downtown Denton where antiques, specialty items and unique gifts abound. The last week of October, “Scarecrows on the Square” will officially kick off the harvest season in Denton as merchants around the square enter a friendly competition for the best job of decorating their storefronts with scarecrows and pumpkins along with all the hallmarks of autumn. Of course, world-class shopping is also available throughout Denton at hot shopping spots like Denton Crossing, Denton Station, and Golden Triangle Mall. No visit to Denton is complete without a visit to the Courthouse-on-the Square Museum where visitors enjoy one-of-a-kind exhibits and the Bayless Selby House Museum where visitors step back in time to view life in Denton during the romantic Victorian era. The Campus Theatre, located just one block off the square, offers live performances year round, including the popular “Seussical the Musical,” playing October 21-30, 2005. Visit www.musictheatreofdenton.com for ticket information. Denton is home to year-round festivals, great family fun, and quality accommodations at great values. Discover Denton…and all that jazz! Call 1-888- 381-1818 or visit www.discoverdenton.com. A Spook-tacular Time in Waxahachie Throughout the month of October, people of all ages may be spooked by some of Waxahachie’s most haunting attractions including dinners, amusements and lodgings. Dinner with a ghost is just one of the items served at the famous Catfish Plantation, America’s Most Haunted Restaurant. It is believed that three ghosts, Will, Caroline and Elizabeth, haunt the restaurant year-round. Special “ghostly” activities have been planned for the diner’s enjoyment every weekend during the month. The restaurant is located at 814 Water Street in Waxahachie. With 50 acres devoted to Halloween, SCREAMS is the world’s largest Halloween Theme Park. The park is open from 7 p.m. until 1:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday nights September 30 through October 29, and Sunday, October 30 until 11 p.m. For only $19.99, visitors can stay all evening to experience the terror over and over from four haunted houses, a Trail of Terror, the spooky hollow children’s area, and more. Children 5 and under participate free. For more information, call 972-938-3247 or visit www.ScreamsPark.com. To complete the perfect haunted weekend, guests can stay at the historic Rogers Hotel located in historic downtown Waxahachie at the corner of Main and College Streets. The Rogers Hotel was featured as a haunted destination in the October 2002 edition of Texas Highways. For reservations, guests can call 972-938-3688. For more information to help plan a “haunted weekend” in Waxahachie, visit www.waxahachiechamber.com or call the Waxahachie Convention & Visitors Bureau at 972-937-2390. Current
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