Flower Mound Online News

If you’re like us, you often wonder what to do on the weekend. There’s always something going on in the DFW area, but sometimes it’s hard to find different things to do on a whim. Of course movies are an easy choice, then there’s dining out and sporting events. Here are a few more suggestions. You’re currently looking at a past weekend.  For the latest weekend update, click here.

This report is updated at the beginning of every weekend with additional updates throughout the weekend so be sure to check in often for the latest.

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This weekend Addison to celebrate their 20th Anniversary of Oktoberfest! Come out to enjoy authentic German food and beverages including several types of sausages, sauerkraut, potato pancakes, pretzels and strudel, plus American fare such as hamburgers and hot dogs. Plenty of Paulaner beer will be available in lager, dark and a traditional Oktoberfestbier. Don’t miss the array of German wines in the Weingarten and European Bier samples in Biers of the World. There will also be arts and crafts, carnival/midway rides and games.

More than 60,000 fans of polka, German food and Paulaner Bier will gather at the Addison Circle Park for four days of music, folk dancing, sing-alongs, children’s entertainment and more at the 20th Anniversary of Oktoberfest, September 20-23, 2007.

Set a World Record - Join the Town of Addison as they try to SHATTER the World Record for the Largest Simultaneous Yodel - Friday, September 21 - Registration starts at 8:00, Yodel at 9:00pm.

TAP THE KEG TEXAS STYLE! Join Addison Mayor Joe Chow and other officials tap the giant keg, officially kicking off Addison Oktoberfest– Friday, September 21 –7:00pm

RUN FOR THE FUN! Join Wipe Out Kids Cancer at the Oktoberfest 5K and 1 Mile Run for the Children. All participating runners get a special t-shirt and admission to Oktoberfest. And, new this year, the first (20) 5K runners who complete the course will get a 20th Anniversary Bier Stein — Saturday, September 22

FROM MUNICH WITH LOVE! As the most authentic Oktoberfest this side of the Atlantic, Addison Oktoberfest has always been the closest thing to going to celebrate in Munich. This year, guests can get even closer to the famed festival, as they enjoy live simulcasts from Munich –Saturday, September 22

IT’S “DACH”SUNDAY! On Sunday, wiener dogs rule! First, see the celebrated Bavarian hounds as they parade across the main stage. Then, dachshunds from all over the Metroplex will compete in dachshund races — Sunday, September 23; Parade at 2:00pm, Races at 3:00pm.

HOIST SOME HILARITY! Join the fun at the Bowl Stage as guests hoist full bier steins to see who can hold them up the longest –and keep them full of their favorite beverage. Contests will feature men, women and children, all trying to keep the steins aloft –All weekend long.

ROLL OUT THE BARREL! Watch as teams from around the area compete in a fun, bier barrel rolling relay. Winners will be announced each day — All weekend long.

Addison’s four-day, authentic German festival is one of the largest Oktoberfest festivals outside of the famed Munich celebration.

WHEN: Thursday, September 20 through Sunday, September 23, 2007.

HOURS:
Thursday: 5 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Friday: 5 p.m. – midnight
Saturday: Noon – midnight
Sunday: Noon – 6 p.m.

TICKETS: Tickets can be purchased at the gate.
PRICES: $5 ages 4 and up

ADVANCE TICKET SALES: Discount tickets will be available beginning September 4, 2007 at DFW area Tom Thumb stores.

For more information, click here.
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Dallas Arboretum -
Cool Thursday Concert with A Hard Day’s Night, A Beatles Tribute Band
Thursday, 7:30pm

(Outside if Sunshine, inside if Rain)

There are a few Beatles tribute bands performing these days. A Hard Day’s Night has been together now for 10 years and focuses on the 40 years of the Beatles since the release of Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. They have received multiple awards including DFW Best Cover Band. For more information on the band and their song list, visit here. Check out their website here - www.hardnightsday.com.

Concerts on the lawn at the Arboretum are a great way to spend an evening. Enjoy the beautiful lawn hillside setting, overlooking the lake, bring your own food and drinks (alcohol is permitted), or purchase it all right there. EatZi’s will offer a nice selection of their wonderful food just for the evening.

Relax, have a picnic and when A Hard Night’s Day cranks it up, get up, dance and sing along! Tickets may be purchased online here or at the Arboretum ticket booth. $16 /adults, $7 /children 3-12, and $6 for members of the Arboretum and their children.

Tickets often sell out quickly, so be sure to purchase your tickets early. And if you purchase an Arboretum member pass, tickets are only $6 each and parking is free! Where else could you hear live music in such as beautiful setting for only $6 and the weather should be perfect too!

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Marauder and Jaguar Friday Night Football

Friday Night at 7:30, both the Marcus Marauders and the Flower Mound Jaguars will take to the fields for Fall football.

The Jags will take on Fossil Ridge at Home and the Marauders will travel to Keller.

For Flower Mound’s full schedule, click here.
For Marcus Marauder’s schedule, click here.

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Plano Balloon Festival - Sept 21-23, 2007
As many as 75 Hot Air Balloons will be on display and will take to the sky as Plano celebrates their Annual Balloon Festival. We could not find details on how many years this festival has been around, but we remember going to it about 25 years ago, and it has grown to be one of the premier festivals of it’s kind in the US.

There will be parachute team exhibitions, balloon glows, balloon launches, an “Elvis” concert, street dances. The show is also well known for many uniquely shaped balloons.

As you might guess, there will also be many, many food and craft vendors, exhibits and kids activities. This is a great opportunity bring the family out for a fun day or evening.

Festival Operating Hours are as follows:
Friday 4PM – 10PM
Saturday 6:00AM – 10PM
Sunday 6:00AM – 7PM

Ticket pricing is:
$5 per person event ticket
$8 per person day ticket
$4 per person discount (9am-3pm)
$1 off Seniors 65 and over
Kids under 36 inches-Free

Location:

Oak Point Park
2801 E. Spring Creek Pkwy.
Plano, TX 75074

Official website: www.planoballoonfest.org

For a convenient PDF sheet with hours, pricing, and most importantly, parking information, click here.
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Fort Worth Indoor RV Show - Thursday-Sunday

Billed as the largest completely indoor RV show in Texas, the Tarrant County RV show will be even larger this year as a result of new expansion in the Fort Worth Convention Center.

Check out the latest in RV innovations in indoor comfort. There will be hundreds of Recreational Vehicle units of all shapes and sizes on display, and for sale…from the smallest of pop-up tent campers to the most luxurious of live-aboard Class “A” motor coaches with all the amenities of a modern home! There will be everything there the RV enthusiast could want.

BRING THE WHOLE FAMILY TO CHECK OUT ALL KINDS OF RV’S….AND MAKE YOUR TRAVEL AND CAMPING DREAMS COME TRUE!

Thursday, September 20 - 1PM to 8PM
Friday, September 21 - 1PM to 8PM
Saturday, September 22 - 10AM to 8PM
Sunday, September 23 - 11AM to 6PM

Admission is $7.00 Adult or $3.00 for Children 6-12, under 6 Free
Seniors (55+) $6.00

BUT by visiting this link, you can print as many coupons as you want for $1.00 off each Adult or Senior ticket.

www.fortworthrvshow.com
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FM Theatre-The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds - Sept 20-Sept 30, 2007

Performed by the Flower Mound Performing Arts Theatre in Parker Square, This Pulitzer Prize winning play by Paul Zindel, is the story of Beatrice and her daughters, Ruth and Matilda. A widowed eccentric, Beatrice is looking for her life in the classified ads while all about her is the rubble of an unkempt house. All she needs is the right opportunity, she says puffing on a cigarette. Poorly equipped to survive the vagaries of modern life, she has nonetheless always managed to muddle through. Ruth, epileptic and making her way through the rebellious phase of adolescence, seems doomed to make the same mistakes as her mother. Quiet Matilda, on the other hand, seeks refuge in her animals and her schoolwork. The play’s title is the subject of Matilda’s science project at school and serves as a metaphor for life — how some are able to find opportunity in adversity and thrive and how some succumb when the burden becomes too heavy.

For more information click here to visit the FM Performing Arts Theatre.

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A Music Festival and Old-Fashioned Fair

Come visit a place where the past meets the present at the Dallas Heritage Village “crossroads.”
Join in for the 2nd annual Texas Crossroads Festival, a family event filled with music, games, heritage, crafts and fun! You’ll have the opportunity to learn more about the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago (yes, that’s 1893), the inventions, and how it all impacted Dallas.

There will be carriage rides, crafts demonstrations, costumed characters, old fashioned carnival games. And of course, music, from old style country to Celtic.

There will also be an arts and crafts fair and bake sale! Click here for more information and to purchase tickets online.

To learn more about the Dallas Heritage Village, visit their website here- www.dallasheritagevillage.org

Dallas Heritage Village at Old City Park

Nestled in 13 wooded acres just south of downtown Dallas, Dallas Heritage Village provides visitors, young & young at heart, a unique museum experience.

Their mission is to preserve structures, artifacts & other historical materials related to the history of Dallas & North Central Texas & through educational programming, interpret these historical materials to the public.

“Living Breathing Texas History”
Dallas Heritage Village is a living history museum portraying life in North Texas from 1840-1910. The museum is composed of 38 historic structures & boasts a working Civil War era farm, a traditional Jewish household, elegant Victorian homes, a school, a church & commercial buildings.
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MOVIES

The box office winners last weekend were:

1. The Brave One (new)
2. 3:10 to Yuma (1)
3. Mr. Woodcock (new)
4. Superbad (3)
5. Dragon Wars (new)

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As we had predicted last week, The Brave One starring Jodie Foster took #1 in the Box office with $13.5 million. The weekend brought 3 new movies into the top 5 box office producers. One big surprise to us was Dragon Wars, but then again, it only produced $5 Million, barely edging out The Bourne Ultimatum and Halloween so that indicates a generally slow box office weekend overall. Superbad hung in the top 5 for the fifth straight week.

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NEW THIS WEEKEND

Good Luck Chuck
A man breaks up with his long-time girlfriend only to see her get engaged to the next guy she dates. The same pattern occurs with his next girlfriend, and continues to repeat. All of a sudden he finds himself becoming a lucky charm for women, who all want to date him…with one goal in mind. This is our pick for weekend box office winner.

Sydney White
Amanda Bynes stars in a modern retelling of Snow White, as gorgeous freshman Sydney White, goes to college to pledge her late mom’s once-dignified sorority. But while surviving the pledging process wrought by an evil campus witch Rachel, Syd finds out this version of sisterhood isn’t remotely what it’s cracked up to be. Banished to a condemned house on Greek Row, Syd finds her rightful place with a band of seven very socially challenged guys. With the help of one lovestruck frat boy named Tyler, she and the doofs campaign to take over the student government. Fighting for the rights of misfits everywhere, Syd and her “gang” revolutionize the system, once and for all.

Resident Evil: Extinction
In a new installment in the Resident Evil series, Milla Jovovich returns as Alice, now in hiding in the Nevada desert, once again joins forces with Carlos Olivera and L.J., along with new survivors try to eliminate the deadly virus that threatens to make every human being one of the undead. Since being captured by the Umbrella Corporation, Alice has been subjected to biogenic experimentation and becomes genetically altered, now, of course, having much needed super-human strengths, senses and dexterity. These skills, and more, will be needed if anyone is to remain alive.

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Continuing this Weekend

The Brave One
New York radio host Erica Bain (Jodie Foster) has a life that she loves and a fiancé she adores. All of it is taken from her when a brutal attack leaves Erica badly wounded and her fiancé dead. Unable to move past the tragedy, Erica begins prowling the city streets at night to track down the men she holds responsible, dishing out Vigilante justice as well as any man could.

Our Review: Well Acted, but Jodie Foster can pull off about any role. Violent, which seems consistent with Ms. Foster’s last several movies, and somewhat difficult to watch a few scenes due to the graphic nature of the violence. Even though most of the scenarios weren’t realistic, you could feel her character’s emotions and empathize with her objectives.

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Mr. Woodcock

John Farley (Seann William Scott), author of a best-selling self-help book about letting go of the past, violates his own advice when he returns to his small hometown to receive the community’s highest honor. While there, John learns, to his horror, that his widowed mother, Beverly (Susan Sarandon), is engaged to be married to none other than Mr. Woodcock (Billy Bob Thornton), the gym teacher whose sadistic exploits were the bane of John’s youth. While casting is good, critics give this movie an average C++…but what do they know!

Our Review: Funny. Billy Bob Thornton took his character over the top…almost all the time. Susan Sarandon was surprisingly funny and light-hearted as opposed to her usual character. Seann William Scott (American Pie famous), is starting to develop his own acting personality, but is he forever stereotyped as a corny-comedic actor? Their chemistry was well presented.

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Eastern Promises

Naomi Watts is a London midwife who looks into the death of a patient, putting her in the sights of a ruthless Russian mobster. Critics give this one a B average, though it’s probably not a high-volume revenue generator.

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Across The Universe is a movie that it seems like we’ve been seeing previews for a year or so now. That’s usually a bad sign meaning they’ve run it past a couple of test audiences and had to rework it several times to make people like it.

It’s a flashback to the 60’s psychedelic romantic musical told mainly through numerous Beatles songs performed by the characters. A young man from Liverpool comes to America during the Vietnam War to find his father. He winds up in Greenwich Village, where he falls in love with an American girl who has grown up sheltered in the suburbs. Together they experience the sweeping changes of America in the late 60’s. It’s long at 2hr 13min and the critics give it a B- average. We’ll see! Not sure if we can survive sitting through this one ourselves, but it is the Beatles music. It’s actually in limited release to only a few theaters at present.

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Another limited release movie this weekend is In The Valley of Elah, with a couple of our favorite actors, Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron and Susan Sarandon. This is the story of a war veteran (Tommy Lee Jones), his wife (Susan Sarandon) and the search for their son, a soldier who recently returned from Iraq but has mysteriously gone missing, and the police detective (Charlize Theron) who helps in the investigation. We like the storyline and the actors, and hope this one is a success.

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3:10 to Yuma is yep, just what it sounds like-a Western from the director of Walk the Line. Can a western make a comeback? Well with Christian Bale as a struggling rancher who agrees to help transfer Russell Crowe, a notorious outlaw, into the hands of authorities, it’s got potential.

Our Review: The best western movie we’ve seen this year. LOL. Classic Good vs Bad Guys. Crowe hits it home with his character, the Bad Guy of course, but with several redeeming qualities that don’t quite offset his evil nature. It’s actually kinda odd seeing a modern produced western. So much more visual. Christian Bale, and especially his son, Logan Lerman showed the importance of a Dad in the eyes of his son. We were really impressed with Lerman, only 15, but he’s got a long list of credentials including What Women Want, Jack and Bobby, Hoot and more.

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Halloween, yep, the movie studios are thinking of those scary days already! In this rework, director Rob Zombie re-imagines the 1978 horror slasher classic, with Tyler Mane starring as masked serial killer Michael Myers. After being committed for 17 years, Myers, now a grown man and still very dangerous, is mistakenly released from the mental institution (where he was committed as a 10 year old) and he immediately returns to Haddonfield, where he wants to find his baby sister, Laurie. Anyone who crosses his path is in mortal danger. We’re not excited.

 

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Shoot’EM Up
In Shoot’Em Up, Clive Owen, as Mr. Smith, a mysterious loner, teams up with an unlikely ally to protect a newborn baby from a determined criminal who hunts them throughout the bowels of the city. You can guess what to expect from the title alone.

 

 

 

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Superbad
The teen movie, Superbad, has now racked over $111 Million. This is an example of teen buying power these days! Actually, the critics and public give this movie an average B+ rating. In the story, two co-dependent high school guys want to hook up with girls before they graduate and go off to different colleges, but, after a calamitous night just trying to buy alcohol for a school party, overcoming their separation anxiety becomes a greater challenge than getting the girls. Note it is an R-Rated film.

Ok, We’ve seen Superbad, and as mentioned, the storyline fits just what most teenage boys think about-duh, but is full of laughs and ultimately has a solid message in the end.

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The Bourne Ultimatum

After 6 weeks on the top 5, The Bourne Ultimatum slid to #7. It has generated $216 Million! In perhaps the best of the Bourne series, Matt Damon portrays a government-trained killer Jason Bourne, a man without a past on the run from the CIA. This time Bourne returns home to face head on those chasing him. The consequences are disastrous, but for whom?

Our Review: This may be the best IMHO of the Bourne series. The action is great, the stunts incredible and the sites shown around the world are awesome. Our favorite line in the movie: “Because if you were in your office right now, we would be having this conversation Face to Face”

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Farmer’s Market

There’s still good Farmer’s Markets to go to right now!

Lewisville Farmers Market - Saturday 8am until sell-out. Every Saturday through Oct. 27, The Lewisville Old Town Business Association presents the Old Town Farmers Market for the second year, operating in Wayne Ferguson Plaza in Old Town near the City Hall.

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Bartonville Farmers Market - Saturday 8am until sell-out. Bartonville Town Center Northside. 2650 FM 407.And if you’ve never been, the Dallas Farmer’s Market is huge. Located in the southeastern corner of the central business district in downtown Dallas at 1010 South Pearl Street, Dallas, Texas 75201, it provides a unique opportunity to shop for fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers, specialty and international products.The Dallas Farmers Market is open Sunday thru Saturday 7am to 6pm. There are other Farmers Markets in the area, Grapevine, Coppell, etc. Let us know if we should add others.

 

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Keep checking. We always add more! There’s a lot going on this weekend, and of course, the Texas State Fair opens next Friday! Then we start slowing down and settling into a routine for the Fall! This is a great time to get out and enjoy the fall weather…take a walk, go bicycling, do things with your kids!