We’ve found some hot spots for quenching your salty, limey thirst.
BY JUAN R. GOVEA
METROPOLIS
The city’s anti-panhandling road signs appear to stifle giving, not panhandling.
BY MARK HENRICKS
STATIC
Pro-democracy rally set for 6-8pm Thu at Burk Burnett Park downtown. BY ANTHONY
MARIANI
EATS & DRINKS
As this writer’s backyard garden proves, center-cut squash is delicious and filling.
BY JESS DELAROSA
MUSIC
Runaway Sky, $2 Tuesdays at Tulips, and a $20,000 venue grant are here. BY STEVE
STEWARD
INSIDE
They’re big, meaty, delicious, and perfect for growing in our climate.
By Jess Delarosa
Anthony Mariani, Editor
Lee Newquist, Publisher
Bob Niehoff, General Manager
Michael Newquist, Regional Director
Ryan Burger, Art Director
Jennifer Bovee, Marketing Director
Clint “Ironman” Newquist, Brand Ambassador
Emmy Smith, Proofreader
Julie Strehl, Account Manager
Sarah Niehoff, Account Executive
Stacey Hammons, Senior Account Executive
Tony Diaz, District Manager
Wyatt Newquist, Account Executive
Wendy Maier, Account Executive
CONTRIBUTORS
E.R. Bills, Jason Brimmer, Buck D. Elliott, Juan R. Govea, Patrick Higgins, Laurie James, Kristian Lin, Cody Neathery, Wyatt Newquist, Steve Steward, Teri Webster, Ken WheatcroftPardue, Elaine Wilder, Cole Williams
EDITORIAL BOARD
Laurie James, Anthony Mariani, Emmy Smith, Steve Steward
when tragedy
By Rev. Ryon Price
and Gold Celebrate National Tequila Day with these specialty cocktails at some of our favorite watering holes.
By Juan R. Govea
Sites and Sounds
Mullen & Mullen launch $20,000 annual venue grant while Runaway Sky flies and Tulips starts $2 Tuesdays. By Steve Steward
COPYRIGHT
The entire contents of Fort Worth Weekly are Copyright 2025 by Ft. Worth Weekly, LP. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without the express written permission of the publisher. Please call the Fort Worth Weekly office for back-issue information.
Fort Worth Weekly mailing address:
Cover photo by Juan R. Govea
Support for the Kimbell is provided in part by Arts Fort Worth and the Texas Commission on the Arts.
Artemisia Gentileschi, Penitent Mary Magdalene (detail), 1625–26. Oil on canvas. Kimbell Art Museum
OK to Say No
The city’s anti-panhandling signs aren’t deterring panhandling but may be affecting giving.
STORY AND PHOTOS BY MARK HENRICKS
Alex, a lean, curly haired, and tattooed 38-year-old, has a bead of sweat dripping off his sunburned nose as he stands in front of a traffic sign that says, “It’s OK to say no to panhandlers.” In his hand, he waves his own sign, this one soliciting donations from motorists stopping at the light at Bryant Irvin Road and the eastbound 820 service road.
Asked why he’s panhandling in front of a sign that discourages donations, Alex, who declined to give his last name, responded, “It’s not illegal.”
Indeed, there is no ordinance broadly prohibiting panhandling, although city laws forbid it in some cases. The sign Alex is standing in front of is one of 54 installed by the city since April as part of a new anti-panhandling initiative. The idea behind the project is to reduce the inducement to panhandle by making it less likely that people will give money.
Is it working? It is, according to Alex, who’s been working this corner for a year. “It’s effective,” he said decisively. “It’s cut the amount I get way back.”
Fort Worth’s sign program was initiated by the city council.
“The goal is to inform residents that it’s OK to say no to panhandlers and that there are better ways to give,” said District 4 Councilmember Charlie Lauersdorf, who was going to use district funds to install 10 signs at intersections identified in the
METROPOLIS
these groups provides a more sustainable solution than giving directly to an individual.
“Additionally,” she said, “the effort also seeks to help avoid unsafe roadside interactions that panhandling creates, which puts both the individual and drivers at risk.”
Standing in the roadway to solicit donations is already illegal in Fort Worth, as is panhandling near automated teller machines (ATMs), transit stations, and on private property. The same ordinance prohibits aggressive solicitation, such as threatening or intimidating behavior, continuing to solicit after a refusal, and blocking pedestrians or vehicles.
Fort Worth follows a number of cities in taking this approach. Arlington, for instance, installed similar signs in 2023 as part of a multi-pronged effort to reduce panhandling. Arlington Deputy City Manager Jennifer Wichmann said the city has considered or partially implemented public education efforts, traffic camera monitoring by police, and infrastructure redesign, such as changing street medians so they are difficult to stand on.
“There’s not a single solution to this,” Wichmann said. “It’s not something that’s going to be solved with one strategy.”
Arlington City Hall: “There’s not a single solution to this. It’s not something that’s going to be solved with one strategy.”
Good Trouble
Lives On
Another national pro-democracy, anti-fascism rally is planned. In Fort Worth, it will be 6-8pm Thu at Burk Burnett Park downtown (501 W 7th St). Taking place on the 5-year anniversary of the death of legendary Civil Rights warrior and U.S. Congressmember John Lewis, and named after his famous mantra, Good Trouble Lives On will not be a protest per se. It’s said to be more of a rally for democracy and anti-authoritarianism.
MyFW app as having the most panhandling reports. He said the mayor proposed expanding it citywide.
“Right now,” he added, “we don’t know how the signs are performing since they’re still new, but after a year, we will compare reporting to see what, if any, impact they’ve had. What we do know is that the ‘no solicitation’ signs aren’t deterring the panhandlers, so we have to do something different, and that is deter those giving to panhandlers.”
The city has at least a couple of reasons to discourage panhandling, according to Bethany K. Warner, intergovernmental relations manager for the city manager. First, she said, the city would prefer donations go elsewhere. To that end, the signs include the URL FortWorthTexas.gov/change Motorists who visit the site see a list of homeless support organizations. City policy is that giving to
Indivisible Texas-12, Indivisible Fort Worth, Tarrant County Young Democrats, Tarrant County AFL-CIO, LULAC, Funkytown Fridge, Cowtown Democrats, and many more progressive groups are slated to participate. Since good trouble is great and impactful action is even better, Good Trouble Lives On will also offer ways to “advocate for policies that protect our communities,” say organizers. Since most of the left’s rage is directed toward the current occupant of the White House, maybe MAGA will join in the march. They appear to be just as pissed as progressives over the disappearance of the Epstein files. Republican legislators just voted unanimously to keep the files secret while every Dem pol voted for them to become public. MAGA thinks Epstein’s list is going to implicate every famous, powerful liberal, from Bill Clinton to Tom Hanks, while progressives know better. They know the Epstein files could quite possibly include the name of the infamous New
Still, the signs seem to work. Arlington’s initial pilot program in 2023 set up three sets of signs.
“We came back to council six months later and were able to tell them at those three locations, we’ve only had one panhandling call,” Wichmann said.
Based on that, they added seven locations this year.
Not everybody likes the idea. Elsewhere, signs have been defaced, covered up, and even torn down. Homeless advocates say the signs insult and demean panhandlers while highlighting government’s failure to provide other solutions, such as affordable housing.
In Arlington, Wichmann points out that the message applies to anyone soliciting donations, including members of sports teams and other non-homeless people. Evidence suggests, however,
York real estate mogul who flew on the financier’s plane seven times and called him a great pal. Whatever you do Thursday evening at Burnett Park, do not engage the counterprotesting fascists or any fascist cops. Chaos is what they want. Chaos will allow the orange guy who lusts after his own daughter and was found liable of sexual abuse to declare martial law and suspend the midterms. Always keep that in mind. — Anthony Mariani
A version of this story originally appeared in last week’s issue.
This column reflects the opinions of the editorial board and not the Fort Worth Weekly. To submit a column, please email Editor Anthony Mariani at Anthony@FWWeekly.com. He will gently edit it for clarity and concision.
that homelessness drives most panhandling. For instance, a research study published in 2024 found about half of panhandlers in one European city were homeless, with many others marginally housed.
So far, Fort Worth’s Transportation & Public Works Department has installed signs at 14 of 27 intersections identified as panhandling hot spots. Once all signs are up, Warner said, they’ll monitor visits to the featured website, as well as panhandling complaints at these locations.
“Outcomes of this pilot effort will be assessed to determine next steps,” Warner said.
Meanwhile, Alex, who is homeless, works the corner at Bryant Irvin and 820 because it’s a good place to collect donations.
“Most places, you just get ignored,” he said. “Here, there’s a lot of traffic.”
Alex plans to keep it up, road sign or not. “I figure if it’s OK to say ‘no,’ it’s OK to say ‘yes.’ ” l
The idea behind the road signs is to reduce the inducement to panhandle by making it less likely that people will give money.
EASY AS A BEAUTIFUL YARD IS
When it’s time to water your lawn, think 1, 2…zero. Once a week if it needs a little water. Twice a week if it’s dry and hot. Zero if it’s been raining. Make sure your sprinklers aren’t leaking or pointing the wrong way. And try drip irrigation for flowers and shrubs. Visit Water is Awesome.com for more tips.
METRO
When disaster strikes, words fail even us preachers. What can be said in the face of such suffering? Yet we are supposed to speak something into the face of the dark abyss.
Heaven and Earth Accountable
Death, especially of the innocent, is never “God’s will.”
BY REV. RYON PRICE
We’re all heartbroken over the horrific flooding and deaths in Central Texas on July 4. As the magnitude of the loss of life slowly became clear last Friday, I kept thinking of the agonized words that radio reporter Herbert Morrison uttered as he witnessed the Hindenburg disaster in 1937: “Oh, the humanity.”
And as news of the deaths of the 20-plus girls at Camp Mystic made its way out of Kerrville, a sad and sick feeling set into my stomach. Suddenly and inexplicably, I thought also of the somber and solemn lines of “Away in a Manger”:
“Be near me, Lord Jesus / I ask thee to stay / Close by me forever and love me, I pray / Bless all the dear children in thy tender care / And take us to heaven to live with thee there.”
It was such a sad day for so many. My heart truly goes out to all.
We must not take the same approach with weather events that has been taken with school shootings.
Sadly, too often what is said is not good. People are told that their suffering is God’s will, or God’s plan, and that they are not to question. But I shall never forget what my boyhood pastor and Broadway predecessor, John Claypool, said helped him most after his young daughter Laura Lue died of Leukemia in 1970. It was a letter from pastor Carlyle Marney written to John and Laura Lue’s mother, Lue Ann. It said succinctly, “Dearest Lue Ann and John, I have no word for the suffering of the innocent. I never have had. I fall back on the notion that God has a lot to give an account for.”
John said that letter gave him permission to name, question, and grieve the “absurdity” and “ambiguity” of belief in a benevolent God in the face of the loss of such a beloved child.
I forget not either the words of pastor William Sloane Coffin, who, in the wake of the loss of his son in a car accident, preached a wellknown sermon titled “Alex’s Death” in which he said, “For some reason, nothing so infuriates me as the incapacity of seemingly intelligent people to get it through their heads that God doesn’t go around this world with his finger on triggers, his fist around knives, his hands on steering wheels. … The one thing that should never be said when someone dies is, ‘It is the will of God.’ Never do we know enough to say that. My own consolation lies in knowing that it was not the will of God that Alex die, that when the waves closed over the sinking car, God’s heart was the first of all our hearts to break.”
That is some consolation to me also, and it has seemed a consolation for others with whom I’ve shared the sentiment and conviction in times of their own sorrow and anguish.
Last Wednesday before the flood, I had coffee with Broadway member and friend Dr. Dan Stiver, who is my spiritual director and president of Fletcher Seminary in San Antonio, where he teaches a class called Providence, Evil, and Suffering. In our discussion, Dan happened to describe tragedy as the event of something “being worse than it could have been.”
By all accounts, what we witnessed last week in the Hill Country was tragic. The loss of innocent human and animal life was tragic. The destruction of property was tragic. Now, the politicization of the event is tragic.
Surely, we are learning that the event was worse than it could have been. A confluence of things — a lack of a sound warning system, cabins erected in a flood plain, meteorological institutions short-staffed because of government cuts, exacerbating weather patterns, and a storm that struck in the middle of the night — all came together to cause much more loss of life than would have been the case under different circumstances.
As someone who has his spent his whole life going and taking children and youth to camp, I know how much care and concern for safety is considered while still trying to create an exciting and unique experience in nature. I dare not, therefore, join the fracas making uninformed judgments and casting premature blame from afar.
At the same time, accountability is necessary as we must learn from what has happened, lest tragedy strike again and things be worse than they could or should be once more.
continued on page 7
Certainly, as increasing climate change impacts the size and potential destructive force of various storms, we must not take the same approach with weather events that has been taken with school shootings, refusing to acknowledge the root of the problem and offering “thoughts and prayers” rather than real, protective solutions through responsible public policy.
We are the ones responsible. And we must act responsibly.
In addition to the gutsy pastoral words Carlyle Marney wrote John Claypool on the occasion of Lara Lue’s death, Marney elsewhere cut to the prophetic bone when he said he would no longer pray for God to do anything that he
of a madman. Good, God-loving people were being killed. And nothing was going to change through prayer or worship. What was needed was some kind of deeper change on earth, not in heaven.
Thoughts and prayers will not save us or our children from calamity, callousness, or cruelty. For it is not the will of God that any innocent people should die! And it is not from God that innocent people need to be protected!
Insurance policies used to, and sometimes still do, call storms, floods, and other calamitous events “acts of God.” No! God’s heart is always the first to break!
And it must break God’s heart to have us think of God in this way!
God is tender. God is caring. God is careful. God is responsible.
God calls us also to be responsible — with our words and also with our actions.
We pray for so many who’ve lost so much. Oh, the humanity! It breaks our hearts. It breaks
EASY-TO-
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The coronavirus makes everyone and the movie go insane in Eddington.
BY KRISTIAN LIN
There was a psychological study that stated that people who habitually watched horror movies tended to bear up better during the isolation of the COVID lockdown, which might explain why I came through relatively unscathed, but it doesn’t explain what happened to Ari Aster. The director of the excellent horror films Hereditary and Midsommar has now come out with Eddington , a Western set during those bad times, and he appears to have gone somewhat deranged along with his characters. This movie played during the Cannes Film Festival last month, and its supporters are right about this: Eddington tracks the pulse of America better than most films do. However, its detractors are right about this: It’s a really good 90-minute movie that’s stuck in a 148-minute running time. That’s less good.
Joaquin Phoenix portrays Joe Cross, the sheriff of the titular New Mexico town with a population of 2,453. In May 2020, Mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal) has the lawman thrown out of a grocery store for refusing to wear a mask, so Sheriff Joe refuses to intervene later that night when a crazy homeless guy (Clifton Collins Jr.) enters Ted’s bar without one. The joke winds up being on Sheriff Joe, as the unhoused man tackles him and coughs and spits in his face. The sheriff’s response is to run for mayor against Ted and maintain that the county
has no COVID cases, even though the vagrant’s cough only grows nastier as the movie wears on.
The mayor may be right about masking, but the movie does not make him into a clearcut good guy. He’s being bankrolled by big corporate interests, who want to build a data server farm outside Eddington that will likely use water and electricity that the people need. This worthy point unfortunately gets buried underneath the George Floyd protests, the cops on the Indian reservation bordering the town who keep telling Sheriff Joe to mask up, Sheriff Joe’s mother-in-law from hell (Deirdre O’Connell) who keeps telling him how worthless and pathetic he is, white supremacists murdering cops while wearing Black Lives Matter gear, and a Christian cult leader (Austin Butler) who traffics in conspiracies
and definitely thinks that Trump’s White House is hiding Jeffrey Epstein’s client list. With all these ideas knocking around, Aster can’t give any of them proper treatment.
As unpleasant as Sheriff Joe is, the movie would have been better off focusing on him.
With his campaign flagging, Sheriff Joe calls Mayor Ted a rapist and a pedophile during a rally, which visibly appalls even the sheriff’s racist gun nut of a deputy (Luke Grimes), who’s filming the speech. It does the same to the sheriff’s wife (Emma Stone), who was previously romantically involved with Ted. She leaves her husband after the speech and posts a video on social media calling him a liar. The sheriff’s descent into paranoia and COVID denialism is compelling enough to hang the movie on, and it leads to a great sequence when an
unseen gunman starts shooting at him through his living room window. Joe runs down the mountains into the town, where he enters a gun store and emerges spraying bullets at an empty street, an outstanding metaphor for the white Americans who lost their heads and came apart when the disease struck.
It concerns me that Eddington features many of the same flaws as Aster’s other post-pandemic film, 2023’s Beau Is Afraid (which also starred Phoenix). They are both bloated meditations on how fear eats the soul, with too much to say about their subject to bring it to a fine dramatic point. It seems that Aster is better at generating fear than inquiring about its psychological nature. At least, I like his movies better when they’re out to scare me. The horror framework appears to constrain him in a healthy way, forcing him to stay on task instead of being distracted by shiny tangents. He should go back to what he does best. l
Sheriff Joe (Joaquin Phoenix) runs a COVID-truther political campaign from his office in Eddington.
Courtesy A24 Films
Eddington
Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Austin Butler, and Emma Stone. Written and directed by Ari Aster. Rated R.
EATS & drinks
From Gifted Seeds to Garden Superstar
The surprising variety that overtook our garden — and our plates.
STORY AND PHOTOS BY JESS DELAROSA
We thought we were planting just a few squash plants. Every garden needs variety. What we ended up with were prolific, curling, trellis-climbing giants — producing enough food to feed a small army.
Starting a garden in the backyard seems to be every homeowner’s dream. Who doesn’t want to save money on groceries? My husband and I had the best intentions when we started our little veggie patch in the middle of the yard. We cleared the ground, tilled the soil, planted our seeds, watered them, and waited. Daily chores took us around the garden several times a day, assuring ourselves that supervision was necessary.
We live in Northeast Texas — Zone 8B, according to the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone
map — so we had to research what vegetables could handle the intense Texas heat. Timing was important, too. Starting plants too early or too late can ruin an entire crop.
We began with tomatoes in seed trays — Roma, beefsteak, and cherry — along with lettuce, spinach, basil, thyme, and rosemary. When the overnight temperatures consistently stayed above 40°F, we transplanted the sprouts. At the same
center-cut squash, peas, kohlrabi, pumpkin, broccoli, Swiss chard, more basil, and a few sprouted potatoes. In another raised bed, we planted lemon balm, red leaf lettuce, mint, parsley, lavender, sage, and chamomile.
About two weeks later, the first sprouts appeared. Peas and beans came first, followed by tiny clusters of baby basil, but the real star of the show was something unexpected: the center-cut squash,
If you’re looking for a plant that feeds a neighborhood, hides in a cake, and sneaks onto your kid’s plate without a fuss …
Center-cut squash helped stretch both the family’s snack budget and their meat supply, keeping the family fuller and for longer.
Eats & Drinks
The seeds had been a gift from a kind neighbor who warned us they’d need a cage and plenty of space. What we didn’t expect was how quickly the center-cut squash would dominate the garden. The variety we planted is an Italian heirloom known as tromboncino, selectively bred by Michael Mazourek for Row 7 Seed Company. Row 7 says the vegetable has a mild, nutty flavor and that “the meat hardens with age.” That description matched our experience exactly.
At first, it looked like any other squash — two round, oblong leaves, similar to pumpkins or zucchini. But within days, the true leaves emerged, the stalks thickened to pencil-width, and the plant latched onto a nearby trellis like it had a mission. Gardening, after all, is one big experiment. What works one year might fail the next. This time, though, it thrived.
Soon, bright yellow blossoms covered the vines, followed by small, bulbous squash in strange and delightful shapes. Left to dangle, they formed long necks with round ends. When trellised, they curled into horseshoes. If picked early, their skin was soft and speckled — tender enough to cook with the skin intact. Left to mature, they turned a deep forest green.
Our family eats a lot of vegetables, but squash and zucchini have always been hard sells for the kids. The smell, the texture — none of it was appealing. But faced with an avalanche of center-cut squash, I had to get creative. After a few stir-fries, I started dicing it small and sneaking it into anything with ground beef: spaghetti sauce,
tacos, even quesadillas. Because the squash absorbs whatever flavors surround it, no one noticed. The kids cleaned their plates without a clue.
Our biggest surprise? Chocolate cake. For my husband’s birthday, I used a recipe that called for three cups of grated squash. I reduced the oil and water slightly, crossed my fingers, and braced for
failure. But the result was a moist, fluffy cake with a rich chocolate flavor — and not a hint of squash. Even the kids were impressed.
Summers in Texas are a daily battle between heat and hunger. Center-cut squash helped stretch both our snack budget and our meat supply, keeping the family fuller and for longer. We’re
still novice gardeners, learning as we go, but this one success has given us the confidence to keep growing — even through caterpillars, heatwaves, and mistakes.
We’ve shared the harvest with neighbors and plan to grow center-cut squash again next spring. If you’re looking for a plant that feeds a neighborhood, hides in a cake, and sneaks onto your kid’s plate without a fuss, drop a seed in the soil, add a trellis, and let it surprise you. l
A giant yellow squash flower blooms before the vegetable grows behind it.
The massive squash plant engulfed its area and more.
Ate Days of National Tequila Day
STORY AND PHOTOS BY JUAN R. GOVEA
National Tequila Day is Thu, Jul 24, and for some of the tastiest agave-fueled concoctions in town, the Weekly’s got you covered. The day honors the history of a spirit deeply rooted in Mexican tradition. It’s a great time to hit some local gatherings, like the Tejaraza Tequila Happy Hour at FW Thunderbird (306 Houston St, Fort Worth, @FWThunderbird) 7:30pm-9pm Fri with drinks by the Texas-based brand of the same name, or you can just celebrate with friends and family at your leisure.
1.) Mixed drinks, infused spirits, and tasty bites have made the gothic retreat Atlas (314 S Main St, Ste 100, Fort Worth, 682-348-5386) a destination. Their Guadalajara is a favorite. With Hornitos silver tequila, Boomsma Cloosterbitter, pineapple, lime, agave, and Peychaud’s bitters, the drink is tangy, fruity, and oh-so cosmopolitan.
2.) Made with Espolòn silver tequila, pink grapefruit juice, and Squirt plus a salt rim, the Pink
Panther Paloma at The Cicada (1002 S Main St, Fort Worth, @The_Cicada_FTW) is a colorful treat. Along with great libations, The Cicada is also a primo spot for live, original, mostly local music.
3.) If you’d like some juicy meat to go with your tequila, there’s always Del Frisco’s Grille (812 Main St, Fort Worth, 817-877-3999). Their signature Double Eagle Margarita is made with Don Julio silver tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, and agave, and the Premium Paloma features Milagro silver tequila, Casamigos Mezcal Joven, Combier Crème de Pamplemousse Rose, Aperol, lime juice, and San Pellegrino Pompelmo.
4.) El Gabacho Tex-Mex Grill (2408 W Abram St, Arlington, 817-276-8160) has been around for nearly 20 and just keeps getting better. Festive theme nights on weekends always bring a crowd. Along with the full food menu of enchiladas, fiery fajitas, and quesadillas, El Gabacho offers 12 different tequila-inspired mixed drinks, including the spicy Hondo margarita with Mi Campo silver tequila, Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur, muddled jalapeno and cucumber, lime, and agave with a Tajin rim.
5.) If you follow the alleyway next to indie-music venue Tulips FTW, you’ll end up at Low Doubt Bar (112 St. Louis Av, Fort Worth, @ LowDoubtBar). Tulips’ sister speakeasy offers DJ nights and a chill vibe for drinks between shows, plus several tequila concoctions. The All God Does Is Watch Us and Kill Us When We Get Boring is made with silver tequila, dry vermouth, a lime cordial, cherry juice, and cherry bitters. The Faux Malone is silver tequila, watermelon juice, lime, and ginger beer. Low Doubt also serves Zodiac Cocktails, and for the current Cancer season, it’s a silver tequila with coconut cream, Licor 43, and orange juice. As for Tulips, try the Resonant Head with reposado tequila, Amaretto, honey, lime, and grapefruit juice.
6.) Another tequila-friendly Near Southside spot is Nickel City (212 S Main St, Ste 100, Fort Worth @NickelCityFWTX). This bar and cocktail lounge boasts more than 100 agave spirits. The Regal Paloma, made with Espolòn silver tequila, Giffard grapefruit liqueur, grapefruit oleo-saccharum, lime, and Lady Bird grapefruit soda, has a nice punchy flavor.
7.) It’s always Island Time at Tarantula Tiki Lounge (117 S Main St, Fort Worth, @Tarantula_ Tiki), where the Cheap Sunglasses starring reposado tequila comes with a pair of sunglasses, tiki figurines, and drink umbrellas. It’s a fun, fruity treat. There’s also The Floor Is Guava, with Código 1530 reposado tequila, Stoli vanilla vodka, Cointreau Noir, guava lime, and passion fruit.
8.) A fan fave since 2020, Tinies Mexican Restaurant (113 S Main St, Fort Worth, 682-2555425) offers a wide selection of tequila and tequila-incorporated cocktails. The Devil’s Margarita is bold and fruity, with Código 1530 reposado tequila, Grand Marnier, spicy simple syrup, and lime with a red wine float. Tinies also serves the Oaxacan Flower, a classic Casita Margarita, and a refreshing Paloma. The chicken tacos and pork tamales may make a great bite to go along with Tinies’ other Spanish-style cocktails like the Recuerdame, made with Fort Worth’s own La Pulga Tequila.
With Código 1530 reposado tequila, Stoli vanilla vodka, Cointreau Noir, guava lime, and passion fruit, Tarantula Tiki Lounge’s The Floor Is Guava is set aflame for that little extra something.
Nickel City’s Regal Paloma is made with Espolòn silver tequila, Giffard grapefruit liqueur, grapefruit oleo-saccharum, lime, and Lady Bird grapefruit soda.
Tinies’ Devil’s Margarita is bold and fruity with Código 1530 reposado tequila, Grand Marnier, spicy simple syrup, and lime with a red wine float.
THEATER
RIDGLEA ROOM
RIDGLEA LOUNGE
MUSIC
Local Music News
Law firm launches $20,000 annual venue prize, while Runaway Sky takes flight and Tulips FTW begins $2 Tuesdays.
BY STEVE STEWARD
Runaway Sky’s “Sweet Things”
In one of those right place/right time situations, country-influenced folk pop duo Runaway Sky formed after its two singer-songwriters, Taylor LaCourse and Simone Nicole, literally crossed paths at a 2021 mixer put on by the nonprofit local-artist promotions agency Hear Fort Worth.
“I was on my way out,” Nicole recalled, and LaCourse said, “I was on my way in” before adding, “and then I think we just said ‘hi.’ ”
Normally, those kinds of momentary interactions are forgotten in the jumble of everyday existence, but this one turned out to be something special, like a mind-blowing sunset that’s amazing in part because you decided to look up in time to catch it.
“We followed each other on the socials,” Nicole said, “and then we were like, ‘Do you want to try to write a song together?’ The song was called ‘Bad Decisions,’ and it was really quite magical.”
The two were low-key floored at how well their voices intertwined.
“We started singing and harmonizing together very naturally,” LaCourse said, “and we were just like, ‘Uh, this is really easy!’ We were just giddy.”
Since then, they’ve played a bunch of gigs ranging from cover-heavy sets at places like Troy’s at Texas Live! to opening for touring acts like Alexz Johnson, Tim LightYear, Billy King, and the Bad Bad Bad, plus ’90s folk-pop stars Sixpence None the Richer. In between those gigs, LaCourse and Nicole have been working on an EP and finishing the songs for their full-length debut. Ahead of those projects, the duo just released a new track.
“Sweet Things” is the follow-up to the duo’s 2024 debut single, “Arizona,” which put their gorgeous harmonies into regular rotation on KXT. In the way that “Arizona” sounds inspired by selftitled-album-era Sheryl Crow and Stevie Nicks’ The Wild Heart, “Sweet Things” appears to have roots in Kacey Musgrave’s Golden Hour and Wide Open Spaces Dixie Chicks, then you hear the vibraphone and slide guitar, and the song jumps and skips into its own thing entirely. Harmonizing a sunny meditation on the joys and pitfalls of attraction, LaCourse and Nicole’s lyrics work out the knots of the matter across a soundscape of twinkling vibraphone and subtle, Spaghetti Western-inspired twang.
Produced by Timothy Allen (Tim LightYear, Shane Smith & The Saints) and mixed and mastered by Bradley Prakope (Averi Burk, Shane Smith & The
“Sweet Things” is the follow-up to Runaway Sky’s 2024 debut single, “Arizona,” which put their gorgeous harmonies into regular rotation on KXT.
Saints), the track backs LaCourse and Nicole with an ace studio band: Allen on electric, acoustic, and baritone guitar joined by drummer Matt Mabe (Big Mike’s Box of Rock, Polydogs), bassist Ryan Stogner (Local Union, Breaking Bad Co.), and percussionist Nick Werth (Galaxe, Ghost-Note) on vibraphone. The combination of Allen’s arrangement assists and Prakope’s expansive mix gives the duo’s harmonies endless space to roam, like a pair of white-winged doves flying over a mystic desert.
Runaway Sky is headlining The Cicada (1002 S Main St, Fort Worth, @The_Cicada_FTW) on Fri, Jul 25, with Remy Reilly and Ryker Hall filling the opening slots. Like that mind-blowing sunset, you don’t want to miss them.
Tulips’ $2 Tuesdays
To help grow the local scene, Tulips FTW (112 St. Louis Av, Fort Worth, 817-367-9798) is launching a weekly, all-ages, all-local/semilocal-band showcase night on Tue, Jul 22, with a $2 cover and employee pricing on drinks. Aptly named “$2 Tuesdays,” the shows open at 7pm and will typically feature a threeor four-band bill. The first kicks off with Glüestick, Spun, Dead Stereo, and Yellowbelly.
You’d be forgiven if you haven’t heard of all or any of them, but introducing new music to the local scene is kind of the point of these shows.
“We want to field as many bands as we can,” wrote Tulips media rep Conor Dardis in an email. “We want to help the scene … want to have space for local bands to blossom.”
Though the first $2 Tuesday lineup’s bands hail from neighboring scenes — Glüestick’s members come from all over North Texas, Spun and Dead Stereo call Denton home, and Yellowbelly claims Arlington — Dardis said Tulips would “give preference to Fort Worth bands.”
The $2 cover (which pays the audio engineer) is hella cheap, and a show that starts at 7 or 8pm is ideal for those who are inclined to comment (in the Facebook/ Instagram conversations about show attendance) that they would go out to shows if only the start times were earlier. And the cover more affordable. If you have teenagers at home wasting the summer in a TikTok hole, a $2 Tuesday sounds like a good pretext for dragging them out of the house. And if you’re a person (parent or not) of a certain age — i.e., old enough to have been young when Pearl Jam was new — the kickoff $2 Tuesday lineup will probably light up certain circuits in your brain, particularly the ones electrified whenever “Wicked Garden” or “Angry Chair” floats out of a bar’s PA. Glüestick calls their sound “girl punk,” and I kind of think they sound like if Bikini Kill were a garage-rock band. Spun sounds like Soundgarden doing crossover thrash. Dead Stereo’s grungy hardcore could be affectionately described as “Nü-rvana,” and Yellowbelly’s “bootgaze” aesthetic could easily have been dredged from Mudhoney’s super-fuzzed fury. Taken together, these bands will probably remind you of long-forgotten
pastimes like getting sunburned at Edgefest and programming your VCR to tape 120 Minutes
That the new bands in Tulips’ inaugural $2 Tuesday lineup have semi-throwback alt-rock vibes — they all sound (at least to my ears) inspired by the heavier wing of the ’90s alt-rock pantheon — is incidental. Dardis said that Tulips intends to book $2 Tuesdays that are across genres to draw attention to “local flavor,” whatever that may be.
“Might be rock or hip-hop, alt or country,” he said. “It’s the Fort Worth sound we’re trying to promote.”
Maybe that means a show that pairs Toxic Madness with Gabby Minton or Sheprador with J/O/E, but mixing a lineup’s genres up is also kind of the point.
Of the local bands on his and Tulips’ radar, he said, “We’re really loving Labels, The Grae, Midnight Thirty, It’s Ernie, and Christian Carlos Carvajal” but that they are open and looking to new bands they haven’t yet seen or heard. “Please shoot us as many suggestions as you can! We need the community to help us make this grow.”
Dardis also said that playing a $2 Tuesday slot is an avenue for local bands to snag opening slots for bigger, touring acts. “The goal is to help local bands grow from $2 Tuesdays into feature nights and marquee slots with appropriate touring artists.”
For bands interested in playing a $2 Tuesday, Dazdis said to reach out at Conor@TulipsFTW. com and mention $2 Tuesdays in the subject line. Showcasing bands are paid a percentage of bar sales, he said, though the venue is actively looking for a sponsor.
Regardless of the payouts, Tulips’ $2 Tuesday offers an opportunity for local bands to get their foot in the door at a prominent local venue that regularly books nationally touring performers, as well as foster the local scene.
$20,000 Venue Prize
Back in June, after a steep rent increase, a hike in overall costs, and the other realities of post-COVID economics, The Cicada nearly shut its doors. That it avoided that fate is thanks in no small part to the local bands who played a benefit show on Jun 8, as well as the venue’s fans and regulars who have supported the business throughout the rest of the month. But the Near Southside spot also got a much-needed lifeline courtesy the Fort Worth Music Office and Mullen & Mullen Injury Law Firm. After determining what The Cicada needed to remain open, the office and M&M teamed up, graciously contributing the necessary funds to keep the venue afloat.
While that one-time rescue is a feel-good story on its own, it sparked a bigger idea. Mullen & Mullen, who launched the JAMBALOO Music Festival earlier this year — a week of free shows across Fort Worth, Dallas, and Denton — as a way to juice the local music industry after the toll of the shutdown, saw an opportunity to further safeguard local venues: the JAMBALOO Venue Prize, a $20,000 annual grant with built-in operational support, awarded to one independent North Texas venue every year starting in 2026. The Cicada is the first recipient. Future winners will be selected through a public contest.
Talk about putting your money where your mouth is, right? The Mullen & Mullen Music Project, having started pretty big already with a week-long free music festival, is really leaning into its mission to uplift North Texas’ live music scene. With next year’s JAMBALOO in the works and the Venue Prize ready to launch, MMMP is supporting North Texas’ music scenes in ways that really matter. But no matter who’s helping, a music scene can’t exist without the people on the speaker-facing side of the stage. Whether it’s Runaway Sky at The Cicada on the 25th or some bands you’ve never heard of at a $2 Tuesday at Tulips, go see a show. l
NIGHT & DAY
Dance Festival, Omni Rock Concert, Ice Cream, and More
At 7pm, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (3200 Darnell St, 817-738-9215) will host its 18th annual Modern Dance Festival in the auditorium. Presented by Contemporary Dance/Fort Worth (CD/ FW), this free event celebrates the Alex Da Corte exhibit The Whale . An interdisciplinary mix of artforms and ideas will be presented live via screen projection, including the premiere of the duet “Rufus Turpentine,” featuring choreographer/dancer Danielle Georgious
with Justin Lockleer; a collaboration between Jennifer Mabus and William Labossiere called “Where has the time gone?”; and more. An audience Q&A with the artists will follow the performances. Admission is free.
Jul 20 marks the 55th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon, and in the event of a worst-case scenario, where the astronauts struck the moon and were waiting there to die, a speech was prepared called “In Event of Moon Disaster.” In 2019, Fort Worth roots rockers Cut Throat Finches asked themselves how things would be different now had the mission failed. The resulting answers formed the foundations of a concept album of the same name. Tonight, the band will perform the album in its entirety live at the new Omni Theater at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History (1600 Gendy St, Fort Worth, 817-255-9300) as part of its Live from the Omni concert series. Tickets are $25 per person at buy.fwmuseum.org/19900/20555.
Academia Así es mi Perú, an organization that promotes Peruvian culture, and local nonprofit Artes de la
Rosa are hosting Peruvina Festival 2025: Cultivating Our Roots in celebration of Peru’s Independence Day at Artes de la Rosa’s cultural center on the North Side (1440 N Main St, Fort Worth). This family-friendly event begins with a catered reception by Tineo Peruvian
Restaurant at 5pm, then the show featuring folkloric dance and live music starts at 6pm. Tickets start at $35 at buy.ticketstothecity.com. Free parking is available.
From noon to 5pm, the Kimbell Art Museum (3333 Camp Bowie Blvd, Fort Worth, 817-332-8451) is hosting Family Festival: Ice Cream Sunday This community event will feature artmaking, gallery activities, live performances, and complimentary ice cream from MELT (while supplies last). For the full schedule, visit KimbellArt.org/IceCreamSunday. The event is free to attend for members and those with daily museum admission tickets.
Every Monday over the summer, the White Settlement Public Library (8215 White Settlement Rd, Fort Worth, 817-367-0166) has been presenting Summer Movies at the Library, featuring a different movie each week at 1pm for families to screen for free. The final two dates include SpiderMan: Into the Spider-Verse on Jul 18, then The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie on Jul 21 in the library’s storytime room on the big projector screen. Feel free to bring your favorite movie snacks. There is no cost to attend.
By Jennifer Bovee
The Kimbell’s Family Festival: Ice Cream Sunday features artmaking, gallery activities, live performances, and complimentary ice cream from MELT (while supplies last).
The Modern Dance Festival will celebrate The Whale via dance at the Modern on Thursday.
Fort Worth roots rockers Cut Throat Finches will perform their 2019 album In Event of Moon Disaster in its entirety at the Omni Theater on Friday at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History.
WEEKLY LISTINGS
Free Will Astrology
By Rob Brezsny
ARIES (Mar 21-Apr 19)
The element of fire holds profound cultural significance and serves as a purifying and renewing force, helping people reconnect with their purpose, heal relationships, and catalyze positive change within the community. What are you ready to ignite for the sake of nurturing and care? What truths need light and heat?
TAURUS (Apr 20-May 20)
Any discomfort you feel during states of creative change is not a sign of failure, but a harbinger of the wisdom and power that will come by molting the identity you have outgrown.You are not lost; you are mid-ritual.
GEMINI (May 21-Jun 20)
Some useful influence or presence you have absorbed from another is integrating into your deeper systems. You’re making it your own now. This isn’t theft, but creative borrowing. You’re not copying; you’re synthesizing and synergizing.
CANCERIAN (Jun 21-Jul 22)
Like bees, who adapt well to their unusual homes, your sweetness and bounty may also thrive in unlikely structures. Don’t wait for the perfect container before beginning your work. Make honey in the best available setting.
LEO (Jul 23-Aug 22)
Trade in your dried-up old obsessions in favor of a sweet, fresh, productive passion—and outgrow all the fruitless nuisances.
VIRGO (Aug 23-Sep 22)
You are undergoing change, and the messages and expressions that are forming within you are meant to last. They will be crucial to both your own future and the destinies of those you care for. Be bold, decisive, and precise as you choose your words.
LIBRA (Sep 23-Oct 22)
Are you still a casual dabbler in a field where you could ultimately become masterful? If you answered yes, now is a perfect moment to kick yourself in the butt and leap to the next level. Waiting around for fate to kick your butt would be a mistake.
SCORPIO (Oct 23-Nov 21)
Resist pressure for immediate results. Trust in the slow, steady refinement process.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22-Dec 21)
You will wrangle at least one amazing victory over hardship. Your chances of a semi-miraculous visitation by a benevolent intervention are as high as they have ever been.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22-Jan 19)
Your natural inclination is to be practical, take action, and get things done. But for now, your main superpower will be listening to everything. Let your attention be so complete that the world softens and speaks to you about what you really need to know.
AQUARIUS (Jan 20- Feb 18)
If you would like to glide into rapt alignment with astrological rhythms, give gifts to your two closest allies. These offerings should inspire their ambitions, not satisfy their cravings for comfort. Show them you love both the person they are now and the person they are becoming.
PISCES (Feb 19-Mar 20)
In the coming months, you may encounter a turning point—a magical interlude awakening you to a marvel that will become an enduring presence in your life. Be alert for it. Better yet, declare your intention to shape events to ensure they happen and you’re ready for them.
EXPANDED HOROSCOPES
For unabridged versions of the horoscopes above by Rob Brezsny, go to FreeWillAstrology.com.
BULLETIN BOARD
For local listings, products, and services, flip to page 20 and check out the back cover!
What truths need light and heat, Aries?
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CELEBRATION
Located at 908 Pennsylvania Av (817-335-3222), Celebration Community Church has services on Sundays at 10am. Want to check out a nonjudgmental, inclusive church at home before attending in person? All services can also be viewed on YouTube! (@ CelebrationCommunityChurch130)
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DENTAL INSURANCE
from Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. Coverage for 400 plus procedures. Real dental insurance - NOT just a discount plan. Do not wait! Call now! Get your FREE Dental Information Kit with all the details! 1-888361-7095 www.dental50plus.com/fortworth #6258
EMPLOYMENT
CAD Technician - Engineering Designer needed in Mansfield, TX to create civil engg drawings using AutoCAD Civil 3d, draft plans & details for civil engg projects as directed, dvlp detailed engg drawings for water resources, drainage systems, flood mgmt, & other hydraulic structures, for commercial, residential, & industrial project projects, & create cross sections & survey maps in Civil 3d as needed for construction drawings. Must have HS dipl./GED & 4 yrs of exp. Mail resumes to Hanna Surveying & Engineering, LLC, Attn: HR-16778, 1380 US 287 Frontage Rd, Ste 101, Mansfield, TX 76063.
EMPLOYMENT
Data Analyst sought by Quick Track Inc in Bedford, TX to analyze sales, inventory, & customer data to optimize revenue & operational efficiency; collaborate w/ mktg, merchandising, & supply chain teams to enhance product strategies & promotions based on analyses; Utilize SQL, Tableau, Power BI, & Microsoft Excel to create reports & dashboards for decision-making. Must have Master deg in Inf Systems, IT, Data Analytics or a related field & 1 yr exp in the position offered or related position. Mail resumes to: Quick Track Inc, HR-18884, 1501 Pipeline Rd E, Ste B, Bedford, TX 76022.
EMPLOYMENT
General Manager needed in Arlington, TX to oversee the daily operations of convenience store/gas station incl all employment & personnel, merchandising, inventory control, fin’l mgmt & cash handling, & controlling loss prevention; & will provide leadership & direction to ensure excellent customer service & optimize store performance. 2 yrs exp reqd. Mail resumes to Cooper 2905 LLC, Attn: HR-E18347-24(1), 2905 S Cooper St, Arlington, TX 76015.
EMPLOYMENT
Head Chef sought by Indopak World Market in Arlington, TX. Prep high-quality authentic Bangladeshi cuisine incl Kacchi Biryani, Kala bhuna, Fish curry & Kababs using fresh ingredients & traditional Bangladeshi cooking techniques, methods, tools, eqpmt & ingredients. Must have at least 2 yrs exp. Mail resumes to: Indopak World Market, ATTN: HR-18589, 808 SW Green Oaks Blvd, Ste 400, Arlington, TX 76017.
EMPLOYMENT
QA Automation Eng. for BorrowWorks, LLC in Fort Worth, TX. Create detailed, comprehensive, wellstructured test plans & test cases. Reqs. BS + 3 yrs exp. must incl. programming & scripting for QA & defect & test case mgmt. To apply send CV to hr.contractor@ borrowworks.com.
INSTANT SHADE!
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LIFE INSURANCE
Up to $15,000.00 of GUARANTEED Life Insurance! No medical exam or health questions. Cash to help pay funeral and other final expenses.Call Physicians Life Insurance Company- 844-782-2870 or visit www. Life55plus.info/ftworth
NEED A FRIEND?
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OLSHAN Foundation Solutions
Your trusted foundation repair experts since 1933. Foundation repair. Crawl space recovery. Basement waterproofing. Water management and more. Free evaluation. Limited time up to $250 off foundation repair. Call Olshan today at 1-855-824-7345. (MB)
POTTER’S HOUSE
Join the Potter’s House of Fort Worth (1270 Woodhaven Blvd, 817-446-1999) for Sunday Service at 8am and Wednesday Bible Study at 7pm. For more info, visit us online at www.TPHFW.org.
PREPARED for OUTAGES?
be ready with a Generac Home Standby Generator. Act now to receive a FREE 5-Year warranty with qualifying purchase. Call 817-752-957 today to schedule a free quote. It’s not just a generator. It’s a power move. (MB).
PUBLIC NOTICE
The following vehicles have been impounded with fees due to date by Texas Towing Wrecker, 205 S Commercial St, Fort Worth TX 76107, 817-877-0206 (VSF0000964): Ford, 1990, E-350, VIN 1FDKE37G4LHB08637, $1162.99; Four Wheeler, 2025, Four Wheeler, VIN NA, $608.29; Four Wheeler, 2025, Four Wheeler, VIN NA, $608.29; and Western Star, 1981, 4900, VIN 2WKPDCLE6BK907186, $1689.25.
STUCK WITH A TIMESHARE?
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TDLR Complaints:
Any Texans who may be concerned that an unlicensed massage business may be in operation near them, or believe nail salon employees may be human trafficking victims, may now report those concerns directly to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) by emailing ReportHT@TDLR.Texas.gov.
WINDOW NATION
New windows from Window Nation. Special moneysaving offer: zero down, zero payments, zero interest for TWO years AND buy 2 windows and get 2 FREE! Offer is valid for select models. Labor not included. Other restrictions apply. Call Window Nation today! 877-9190521 (MB)
