3 minute read
ONE MAN’S TRASH
Dallas Bulk Trash Renders Treasures
Story by RACHEL STONE
What is the best thing you ever found in Oak Cliff bulk trash?
For Sarah Valdez-Tate, it’s this 12-foot macramé planter that’s now a focal point of her dining room.
She found it in the Red Bird area, outside a house that was being emptied out for sale. The workers put everything out on the curb. That same cache had an antique sewing machine and a marble tabletop that Valdez-Tate turned into a lazy Susan. “I’m a raccoon,” she says. “I love trash.”
What about rogue trash piles?
Neighbor Juan Rodriguez had one on his block. For years, people consistently dumped trash near his home where there is a side yard facing the street.
As soon as bulk trash was picked up, a new pile would appear. Annoyed, Rodriguez wrote a letter to the person he thought was the dumper. And he wrote a letter to the property owner. But the trash pile persisted.
A few weeks ago, he got the idea to plant a garden there. Since he installed two chunks of grass and a leafy plant, there’s been no dumping.
“I had to find a way to stop it from happening,” says Rodriguez, a lifelong neighborhood resident. “North Oak Cliff is booming, and people don’t want to see trash out there in their neighborhood all month long.”
The City of Dallas is considering changes to how it handles bulky trash and brush pickup. Stay updated at oakcliff.advocatemag. com. Meanwhile, please tell us: What is the best thing you ever found in bulk trash? Have you ever done battle on a rogue trash pile? Send a photo and few sentences to rstone@advocatemag.com.
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About The Cover
The Margaret Hunt Hill bridge in West Dallas was designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and was constructed in 2012.
Photo by Danny
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Free squeeze
A strolling party in Bishop Arts and free mammograms are on tap this year for Shop Eat Drink Pink, from 6-9 p.m. Methodist Health System’s mammography bus will provide 12 mammograms, funded by the Mammogram Poster Girls, during the event. Call to schedule an appointment, 214.947.3441. The VIP event at House of Dirt includes dinner, dessert, cocktails and entertainment. $25-$60
When: Oct. 4
Where: Bishop Avenue at Seventh Street
More Info: mammogrampostergirls.org
National night out
Find your neighborhood association’s gathering or attend the Kings Highway Conservation District’s National Night Out with Owls from 5-7 p.m. Window to the Wild will bring a screech owl and a great horned owl. Methodist Dallas Medical Center celebrates with a cookout and kids activities in Hitt Auditorium, Colorado at Bishop, from 6-8 p.m., free
When: Oct. 2
Where: Twelve Hills Nature Center, 817 Mary Cliff Road
More Info: twelvehills.org
Nina, 1962
“The Champions,” based on true events, portrays a turbulent day in the life of Nina Simone and kicks off the theater’s 25th season. $18-$30
When: Oct. 11-28
Where: Bishop Arts Theatre Center, 215 S. Tyler St.
More Info: bishopartstheatre.org
Lively up yourself
The fifth-annual roots-reggae festival Oak Cliff Lively Fest features live music from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. free
When: Oct. 14
Where: Lake Cliff Park, 300 E. Colorado Blvd.
More Info: oakclifflivelyfest.com
New Orleans brass
Put a little wiggle in your back with Rebirth Brass Band and Big Sam’s Funky Nation, starting at 8 p.m. $26-$56
When: Oct. 20
Where: The Kessler, 1230 W. Davis
More Info: thekessler.org
Horror and dancing
Dallas Neo-Classical Ballet performs a “Suspiria”-inspired piece at 8 p.m., followed by an 8:30 screening of the original Dario Argento masterpiece. $16
When: Oct. 31
Where: The Texas Theatre, 231 W. Jefferson Blvd.
More Info: thetexastheatre.com
