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.

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.

It’s officially pumpkin time! We all sense the change in weather and enjoyed the drop in temperatures, at least in the mornings! Yes, it’s still strangely warm hitting the 90’s in the first week of October, but nonetheless, the Pumpkins, Patches, and Haunted Houses have arrived.

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Visit a local Pumpkin Places to Pick your Preferred Plump Pumpkin! I love saying that.

If you’ve lived long in Flower Mound, you know that pumpkin shopping is more than just going to the store. It’s a short drive into the country…well almost the country, to the Pumpkin Patch or Pumpkin Village, located right next to each other on FM1171 just West of Bridlewood before you get to Lusk. Both will offer entertainment and recreational events for whole family, especially the kids. Each offers something unique such as face painting, hay rides, hay bale mazes, petting zoo, hay pyramids, teepees, pony rides, picnic tables, bounce houses, slides and oh, of course, pumpkins! There are also settings to get great photos of your children.

The Aloha Adventure Park, aka Putt Putt, sits quietly at the Northwest corner of FM407 and I-35E and has added an Aloha Fall Festival, running through November 11, 2007. For their flyer and to get a discount pumpkin coupon, click here. While they do charge admission, they offer a variety of attractions and events, including miniature golf, a hay maze, pony rides, bounce houses, a petting zoo, carnival games, batting cages, a hay ride, go karts and mini-go karts.

We’ll add more information on other activities, such as Haunted Houses later.

Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch

Flower Mound Pumpkin Village

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Calloway’s Nursery Fall Harvest Kid’s Day, Saturday October 6, 9am-6pm

Calloway’s sets aside this special day for family activities. Children can take part in bounce house shenanigans and gleeful pumpkin decorating. And, they give each child one free pie pumpkin to decorate.

• Shop the old fashioned Farmer’s Market
• Choose the perfect scarecrow from Scarecrow Village
• Visit the Pumpkin Patch — mounds of carving pumpkins, plus rare and unique gourds, squash and pumpkins
• Capture a photo of your child in the Picture Takin’ Place
• Select from dozens of Color Creations — our beautiful pre-made container gardens

And especially for Children:

• View the incredible Mad Science show
• Watch your children perform in the Bounce House
• See the artwork emblazoned in the Chalk Garden
• Enjoy the harmless (but slimy) sculptures of Slime Station
• Attend the free Clinics, see listing, at right.
• Gain the extra protection of Ident-A-Kid, for your children

Full schedules are posted at each Calloway’s and on line: www.calloways.com.
Click “Specials” and scroll to “Events…”
At every store on Saturday, October 6
? 10:15 am - Colorful Fall Flowers-best performers.
? 11:15 am - Pumpkin Centerpiece Decorating, Workshop

Each Store also has additional unique events. Click on the location below for details.

See a “Farmer’s Market,” the “Picture Takin’ Place,” a fun “Scarecrow Village” and much more!
Click Below on the store’s near Flower Mound to see the schedule for that location.

Lewisville
423 East FM 3040, near Vista Ridge Mall, 972.315.3133

Grapevine
3525 Highway 121 South, near Hall-Johnson, 817.421.6667

Addison
14120 Marsh Lane, at Spring Valley, 972.484.0784

Denton
1601 Dallas Drive, Northwest of Golden Triangle Mall, 940.591.8865

Plano
1000 Preston Road, near Plano Parkway, 972.964.3084
1621 Custer Road, at 15th, 972.596.5211

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Shops at Highland Village Open

Last weekend’s Grand Opening was reportedly a success, according to center officials with over 20,000 shoppers visiting the new center over the 3 day grand opening. The property is very nice, but limited on restaurant choices at present. Pot Belly Sandwiches, Corner Bakery and Texas Roast are open with Rockfish coming this weekend and Snuffers soon too. The AMC Movie Theatre is scheduled for an early December opening. Approximately 35 stores opened and by this time next year, they hope the property will be built out at around 70 stores.

Click here for a list of the stores and pictures of the Opening Weekend.

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Marauder and Jaguar Friday Night Football

Friday Night at 7:30, the Flower Mound Jaguars will travel to Hebron. The Marcus Marauders will be playing Creekview at Goldsmith Stadium.

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

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State Fair of Texas - Sept 28-Oct 21, 2007
Fair Park, South of Downtown Dallas

THE SKY’S THE LIMIT!

Did you know the State Fair of Texas is the largest state fair in the United States based on attendance? Did you also know that it has been held at Fair Park since 1886? And did you know that it has the largest ferris wheel in North America?

This year the fair will re-introduce us to a new ride, the Texas Skyway, a $5 Million sky gondola system that will take you on an aerial tour of Fair Park. There are 34 Art-Deco gondolas each capable of holding 8 passengers, covering 1,800 feet traveling 65 feet above the ground.

Of course the centerpiece of the Fair is the annual football game, shootout, red-river rivalry, Big Red-Crimson Orange match…yep, the Oklahoma-Texas football game played in the Cotton Bowl at Fair Park.

The State Fair of Texas is the only Fair in the country to include a full blown auto show. It includes over 300,000 square feet of new model vehicles, two buildings, a Truck Zone and a Test Drive Track. The State Fair has been the site for several international launches including the 2007 Chevy Tahoe, the 2007 Ford Sporttrac and the 2008 Chevy Silverado.

Fair officials are also offering an online digital edition of their show guide you may access by clicking here.

For more information, show schedules, and to purchase tickets online, click here.

Ticket Prices:

Season Pass $39.95
Adult Advance Purchase $11.95 Regular Price $14
Seniors Advance $8.95 Regular Price $10
Children Advance Purchase $ 8.95 Regular Price $10
(Under 48″ tall)
2 and under - Free

NOTE: DISCOUNT TICKETS are available at all area Kroger stores!

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MOVIES

The box office winners last weekend were:

1. The Game Plan (new)
2. The Kingdom (new)
3. Resident Evil: Extinction (1)
4. Good Luck Chuck (2)
5. 3:10 to Yuma (4)

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It looks like everyone was either looking for a relaxing good time of comedy or someone’s in love with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, pulling in almost $23 Million in it’s opening weekend. Jamie Foxx’s action movie, The Kingdom, came in a distant second with $17 Million. Resident Evil: Extinction and the rest brought in less than $8 Mill. . The weekend brought 2 new movies into the top 5 box office producers. We’ve seen Good Luck Chuck which was entertaining, but definitely strong R, bordering on NC-17 and 3:10 to Yuma which is great as a modern-produced western.

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NEW THIS WEEKEND

Heartbreak Kid - Ben Stiller stars as a bachelor who after years of being single, and being pressured by his father, Doc, and best friend Mac, Eddie starts to wonder if he is being too picky about the women he meets. So when a chance encounter with an alluring blonde named Lila leads to a sweet romance, he impulsively proposes. But right after the wedding, as the newlyweds get to know each other on the drive down the California coast, Eddie begins to realize he’s made a terrible mistake. Soon after reaching their exotic Mexican hideaway, he falls for the down-to-earth Miranda, who has no clue he’s on his honeymoon. Now Eddie has to find a way to extricate himself from his days-old marriage without losing the girl of his dreams.

The Seeker - The Dark is Rising - A young man, Will Stanton, discovers he is the last of a group of immortals dedicated to fighting dark forces of evil. Traveling back and forth through time, Will uncovers a series of clues, some dating back to biblical times, that lead him to a showdown with forces of unimaginable power.

Penelope Cruz, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Danny DeVito star in The Good Night. Gary, a once successful musician, struggles with his career and an inert relationship with his girlfriend Dora. As his work as a commercial jingle writer spirals into ever more degrading depths, his best friend and former band mate Paul seems to find success at every turn. Gary is depressed and dejected until he meets Anna. She is everything Gary wants sexually, artistically and intellectually–she is the girl of his dreams, literally. But Gary can only be with Anna in sleep which consequently sends him on a quest for more frequent slumber. With the help of a new age guru named Mel, Gary shuns reality for the comfort of his dreams even as the troubles of his waking life increase.

George Clooney returns to the big screen in Michael Clayton. Michael Clayton is an in-house “fixer” at one of the largest corporate law firms in New York. A former criminal prosecutor, Clayton takes care of his company’s dirty work at the behest of the firm’s founder. Though burned out on his job, a bad divorce, a failed business venture and mounting debt have left Clayton inextricably tied to the firm. Meanwhile, the career of litigator Karen Crowder rests on the multi-million dollar settlement of a class action suit that Clayton’s firm is leading to a seemingly successful conclusion. But when Kenner Bach’s brilliant and guilt-ridden attorney Arthur Edens sabotages the case, Clayton faces the biggest challenge of his career and his life.

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Continuing This Weekend

Feast of Love - With Morgan Freeman, Greg Kinnear, and Selma Blair. In a coffee shop in a tight-knit Oregon community, local professor Harry Stevenson witnesses love and attraction whipping up mischief among the town’s residents. From the unlucky in love, die-hard romantic coffee shop owner Bradley who has a serial habit of looking for love in all the wrong places; to the edgy real estate agent Diana who is caught up in an affair with a married man; to the beautiful young newcomer Chloe who defies fate in romancing the troubled Oscar; to Harry himself, whose adoring wife is looking to break through his wall of grief after the wrenching loss of a beloved…they all intertwine into one remarkable story in which no one can escape being bent, broken, befuddled, delighted and ultimately redeemed by love’s inescapable spell.

The Game Plan - The Rock returns to the Theater as a superstar quarterback whose bachelor life is turned upside down when he discovers he has a young daughter.

 

The Kingdom - In this high-impact action movie, Jamie Foxx heads an elite U.S. counter-terrorism team investigating a deadly attack on Americans in Saudi Arabia. The movie also features Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper, Jason Bateman and Jeremy Piven.

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. Strong Sexual Content!

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 m

ake 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.

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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In The Valley of Elah, stars 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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Farmer’s Market

There are 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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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 through 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!