Fort Worth Weekly // December 16-22, 2020 by Fort Worth Weekly

December 16-22, 2020 FREE fwweekly.com

With his first single and video release, Jeff Dazey aims to help heal a community anguished by police violence while fundraising for a new community center. B Y

FEATURE Though the girls have been missing for over 40 years, one brother canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let go. BY JONNY AUPING

E D W A R D

EATS & DRINKS Fort Worth births a national movement to help hospitality owners. BY EDWARD BROWN

B R O W N

STUFF Of course, the Cowboys live to foil our columnist. BY PAT R I C K H I G G I N S

MUSIC How does a locavore handle all of these major-label album-of-theyear lists? Not well. Not well at all. BY ANTHONY MARIANI

Arlington Camera Arlington Camera Arlington Camera Arlington Camera Arlington Camera Arlington Camera Camera Arlington Arlington Camera Arlington Camera Arlington Camera www.arlingtoncamera.com • 800.313.6748 Arlington Camera www.arlingtoncamera.com

www.arlingtoncamera.com 800.313.6748 www.arlingtoncamera.com •• 800.313.6748 www.arlingtoncamera.com 800.313.6748 www.arlingtoncamera.com 800.313.6748 www.arlingtoncamera.com ••• 800.313.6748 www.arlingtoncamera.com • 800.313.6748 www.arlingtoncamera.com • 800.313.6748 • 800.313.6748 800.313.6748 www.arlingtoncamera.com e t i e s t i b s eWeb www.arlingtoncamera.com • 800.313.6748 weW w NeN it!e

Sgeob W Sosonon! wgin ein N mo m CoC Soon! Coming

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

DECEMBER 16-22, 2020

fwweekly.com

Since 1987, ArlingtonCamera Camerahas has been been aafamily-owned camera store Since 1987, Arlington family-owned camera store Since 1987, Arlington Camera has been a family-owned camera store Since 1987, Arlington Camera has been a family-owned camera store Since 1987, Arlington Camera has beento aameet family-owned store Since 1987, Arlington Camera been family-owned store providing a wide range ofhas products the needs camera ofcamera both providing a wide range of products to meet the needs of both providing a wide range of products to meet the needs of both providing a wide range of products to meet the needs of both Since 1987, Arlington Camera has been been aphotographers. camera store Since 1987, Arlington Camera has been a family-owned camera store Since 1987, Arlington Camera has afamily-owned family-owned camera store amateur andof professional providing aArlington wide range products to meet the needs of both providing aArlington wide range of products to meet the needs of both Since 1987, Camera has been a family-owned camera store Since 1987, Camera has been a family-owned camera store amateur and professional photographers. andof professional photographers. providing aamateur wide range of products to meet the needs of both amateur and professional photographers. providing a wide range of products to meet the needs ofofboth providing a wide range products to meet the needs both amateur and professional photographers. amateur and professional photographers. providing a wide range of products to meet the needs of both providing a wide range of products to meet the needs of both amateur and professional photographers. “Photographyamateur is our passion, and it reflects in everything we do for our customers.” and professional photographers. amateur and professional photographers. amateur and professional photographers. “Photography is our passion, and it reflects in everything do for our customers.” amateur and professional photographers. “Photography and itit reflects everythingwe we do for our customers.” “Photographyisisour ourpassion, passion, and reflects in •everything we do for our customers.” Buy • Sell • Rent • New Used • Vintage “Photography is our passion, and it reflects in everything we do for our customers.” “Photography our passion, and reflects in everything we customers.” “Photography isisour passion, and itititreflects in•everything everything we dofor forour our customers.” “Photography isBuy our passion, and reflects in we dodo for our customers.” Buy •Sell Sell •Rent Rent • New New Used •••Vintage • Sell • • Used Vintage Buy • • Rent • Used Vintage “Photography is our passion, and it reflects in everything we do for our customers.” “Photography isour our passion, reflects in we do customers.” “Photography is our passion, and itititreflects in•everything we do for our customers.” “Photography isBuy passion, and reflects in everything we dofor forour our customers.” Buy •Sell Sell •and •• New New ••everything Used Vintage Buy • Sell •Rent Rent New Used • •Vintage • • Rent • Used • Vintage Buy New Used Vintage Buy •Sell Sell •Rent Rent•••• New New ••••Used Buy • •Sell •••Rent Used•••Vintage •Vintage Vintage Buy •Sell Rent New Used

2018-ArlingtonCamera-FWMagazine-Ad.indd 1 2018-ArlingtonCamera-FWMagazine-Ad.indd 1

Free Gift Wrap With Free Purchase Gift Wrap 1 2018-ArlingtonCamera-FWMagazine-Ad.indd 2018-ArlingtonCamera-FWMagazine-Ad.indd With Purchase 2018-ArlingtonCamera-FWMagazine-Ad.indd 1

2018-ArlingtonCamera-FWMagazine-Ad.indd 1 1 2018-ArlingtonCamera-FWMagazine-Ad.indd

2018-ArlingtonCamera-FWMagazine-Ad.indd 1 2018-ArlingtonCamera-FWMagazine-Ad.indd 1 2018-ArlingtonCamera-FWMagazine-Ad.indd 1

Free Gift Wrap With Purchase 2018-ArlingtonCamera-FWMagazine-Ad.indd

544 West Randol Mill Road Arlington, TX 76011 544 West Randol Mill Road •76011 800.313.6748 817.261.8131 Arlington, TX 544 West Randol Mill Road 544 West Randol Mill Road • 800.313.6748 817.261.8131 544 West Randol Mill Road Arlington, TX 76011 Arlington, TX 76011 544 West Randol Mill Road 544 West Randol Mill Arlington, TX 76011 544 West Randol Mill Road Road • 800.313.6748 817.261.8131 •76011 800.313.6748 817.261.8131 Arlington, TX Arlington, TX 76011 •76011 544 West Randol Mill Road 800.313.6748 817.261.8131 544 West Randol Mill Arlington, TX 544 West Randol MillRoad Road • 800.313.6748 817.261.8131

800.313.6748 817.261.8131 Arlington, TX Arlington, 76011 800.313.6748 817.261.8131 Arlington, TX•76011 76011 544 West TX Randol Mill Road 800.313.6748 817.261.8131 800.313.6748 817.261.8131 In-Store Shopping & 817.261.8131 Free••Online Class With • 800.313.6748 Arlington, TX 76011 Curbside Service Available Camera In-Store Shopping & Free OnlinePurchase Class With • 800.313.6748 817.261.8131 Curbside Service Available Camera Purchase •

In-Store Shopping & Curbside Service Available

Free Online Class With Camera Purchase

11/4/18 7:50 PM 11/4/18 7:50 PM

Home & Business 11/4/18 7:50 PM 11/4/18 7:50 PM Delivery Available Home & Business 11/4/18 7:50 PM 11/4/18 7:50 PM Delivery Available 11/4/18 7:50 PM

11/4/18 7:50 PM Home & Business 11/4/18 7:50 PM 7:50 PM Delivery Available11/4/1811/4/18 7:50 PM

Vo lum e 16

N umber 36

D ecember 16-22, 2020

INSIDE STAFF Anthony Mariani, Editor Lee Newquist, Publisher

Fixin’ To

Bob Niehoff, General Manager

Trying to pin down the Cowboys is a fool’s errand.

Ryan Burger, Art Director Jim Erickson, Circulation Director Edward Brown, Staff Writer

By Patrick Higgins

Taylor Provost, Proofreader Michael Newquist, Regional Sales Director

Jennifer Bovee, Marketing Director Stacey Hammons, Senior Account Executive Julie Strehl, Account Executive Cour tesy Facebook

Tony Diaz, Account Executive Wyatt Newquist, Digital Coordinator Clintastic, Brand Ambassador

Digging in the Dirt

4 10 12 14

A brother whose sister and two other girls went missing 42 years ago continues to chase leads. By Jonny Auping

Feature N&D Gift Guide Stuff

24 Classifieds

18 16

Last Call Music

Hearsay . . . . . 16

Eats & Drinks

Backpage . . . . 24

DISTRIBUTION

To raise funds for Atatiana Jefferson’s nonprofit, Jeff Dazey turned to what he knows best: music. By Edward Brown

Cover image courtesy Brooks Burris with artwork by Jenny Lane

authorized independent contractors or Fort Worth Weekly’s authorized distributors. No person may, without prior written permission of Fort

Worth Weekly, take more than one copy of any Fort Worth Weekly issue. If you’re interested in being a distribution point for Fort Worth Weekly, please contact Will Turner at 817-321-9788.

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: 300 Bailey, Ste 205, Fort Worth TX 76107

Street address: 300 Bailey, Ste 205, Fort Worth TX 76107 For general information: 817-321-9700 For retail advertising: 817-321-9718 For classifieds: 817-321-9719

For national advertising: 817-321-9718 website: www.fwweekly.com

email: question@fwweekly.com

fwweekly.com

By Edward Brown

Say Her Name

DECEMBER 16-22, 2020

Hospitality workers are encouraged to participate in this national campaign with local roots.

chased for $1.00 each, payable at the Fort Worth Weekly office in advance. Fort Worth Weekly may be distributed only by Fort Worth Weekly’s

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

Protect the Pour

Fort Worth Weekly is available free of charge in the Metroplex, limited to one copy per reader. Additional copies of Fort Worth Weekly may be pur-

Portrait of a True Crime Character

Rachel Trlica, Renee Wilson, and Julie Ann Mosley disappeared almost 46 years ago. Rachel’s brother, Rusty, hasn’t stopped looking for them, and he’s become the central character in a tragic mystery. B Y

J O N N Y

he Swiss Pastry Shop is a longtime Fort Worth establishment, the kind of place with wood floors, bingo hall chairs, and black forest cake staring at you from behind a glass. It had recently celebrated its 40th anniversary when Rusty Arnold suggested I meet him and Richard Wilson there in December of 2016 to talk about Rusty’s sister, Rachel, and Richard’s daughter, Renee. The last time anyone saw either girl was two years before the diner served its first meal. Two days before Christmas 1974, Rachel Trlica, Renee Wilson, and Julie Ann Mosley piled into Rachel’s beige Oldsmobile and headed for the Seminary South Shopping Center in Fort Worth to go shopping. When the mall closed later that night, the Oldsmobile was in the Sears parking lot, with Christmas gifts locked inside it. The girls were nowhere to be found. Rachel was 17. Renee was 14. Julie was 9. The four decades of aftermath that their disappearances produced would include devastated parents, a much-debated letter from Rachel, suspicious family members, strange coincidences, torn relationships, mysterious phone calls, an ominous psychic, numerous suspects, a potential love triangle, supposed Rachel sightings around Christmas every so often, horrific rumors, and dozens of relatively convincing theories. It also crushed an 11-year-old boy named Rusty, who would never see his older sister again. Rusty is 57 years old now with balding blond hair and a patchy goatee, and he couldn’t believe what he’d heard when the Swiss Pastry Shop hostess blurted it out. “Rachel! Party of three!” We were barely 10 minutes into our meal, three days before the anniversary of the disappearances of Rachel, Renee, and Julie. I had to admit it was an eerie coincidence, but Rusty reacted like he’d seen a ghost. Then it was like a switch had flipped. He was talking faster than I could take notes. He was jumping from theory to theory, leaving little time for follow-up questions or even the foundation of facts that I needed to make sense of them. Renee’s father, Richard Wilson, sat more

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

DECEMBER 16-22, 2020

fwweekly.com

A U P I N G

quietly and answered any questions directed toward him. Rusty’s many stories involve trespassing and digging. He’s searched land and water (his boat is called the “Mary Rachel” — his sister’s given name) for what happened to those girls. His findings include a bag of human teeth and a trash bag of bones and hair. (“It was a dog,” he said, still dismayed. “We thought we had it, but it was a dog.”) If there’s a suspicious connection to one of the girls, then Rusty, who roofs houses for a living, has probably looked into it. Sometimes he doesn’t have to try. He recalled getting a call at work from a woman claiming to be Julie Ann Mosley. She was skeptical of aspects of her past and believed she was abducted as a child. When she saw a picture of a young Julie online, she tracked down Rusty and sent him a picture of herself. “Dude. Dude,” Rusty said, his glass of water paused in the air, halfway between his lips and the table. “It was so convincing. It was so overwhelmingly, powerfully convincing that that was actually her.” Julie’s own mother thought the woman was her daughter, but a DNA test came back negative. When he discovered that convicted serial kidnapper Mike DeBardeleben, known notoriously as the “Mall Passer,” had lived only minutes away from Rachel’s house around the time of the disappearances, Rusty looked into it. “I’ve been to his house,” Rusty told Blog Talk Radio in 2013. “I’ve been through his house. I’ve been in his attic.” To the police, the case of the disappearances of Rachel Trlica, Renee Wilson, and Julie Ann Mosley is an open investigation. To you or me, it might prove to be a compelling story. To Rusty, it’s his universe. So what makes something a true crime story? Clues would seem like a necessary ingredient, but what about a case rich with juicy clues that don’t seem interested in collaborating with one another? By his own estimation, Rusty has personally looked into hundreds of theories on this case. “We work leads every day,” he told me flatly. He’s made

many accusations and burned almost as many bridges. Rusty’s life isn’t a podcast or a Netflix documentary. Rusty’s life is a mess. “I wish I had time to work,” he told me in 2018. “I don’t have a life anymore.”

“I feared they were gone,” recalled Langston, who is now 79. “When we didn’t find them by the time the mall closed, and her car was still there — you know something happened to those girls.”

Rusty doesn’t remember much about the first half of that day in 1974. The Arnolds and Wilsons lived only a few blocks away from each other in a middleclass neighborhood in South Fort Worth known as Greenbriar. The two families went camping together and took trips to Benbrook Lake every month when the weather was nice. Rachel was particularly close to Renee Wilson, who was two grades below her at Southwest High School. The Wilsons owned some pigs in nearby Crowley, and sometimes Rachel would tag along to go feed them. That December day, the girls were expected back from the mall by mid-afternoon. Rusty remembers Renee’s younger brother Ricky saying that she was going to be late for a Christmas party. The next memory Rusty has of that day is scouring the mall with his mother from about 6 p.m. until 11 p.m., going through every store and paging the girls until the entire mall was empty and closed. “Christmas was unusual without Rachel there,” Rusty remembered. But the Arnolds’ three-bedroom house was hardly quiet in those next few days. Various grown-ups and police officers were in and out, speaking in not-so-hushed tones about this possibility or that. Rusty was too young to have a theory of his own and barely old enough to understand what was going on. His other sister, Debra, then 19, had been a rebellious teenager who ran off for days at a time before coming home. “I was kind of used to a sister disappearing on me,” Rusty said. So maybe Rachel and Renee were just doing the same thing. But even to Rusty, it seemed odd they would take 9-yearold Julie Ann Mosley with them. While Rusty’s recollection of the day his sister disappeared doesn’t start until it was halfway over, the only part of that day that anyone can trace for Rachel, Renee, and Julie is the first half. Seventeen-year-old Rachel Trlica wanted to go Christmas shopping for her 2-year-old stepson, the child of her husband of six months, 22-year-old Tommy Trlica. “They were going to have him on Christmas Eve, so they went shopping to find a bunch of toys to put under the tree,” I was told by Rusty and Rachel’s mother, Fran Langston. Late-teenager Debra told police that her younger sister had invited her to the mall that morning but that she declined because she was tired from their game of canasta that had stretched until 4 a.m. that morning. Instead, Rachel invited 14-year-old Renee, who had recently started dating the older brother of Julie Ann Mosley. Nine-year-old Julie was bored and begged them and her mother for permission to tag along before they eventually relented. When evening came and none of the families had heard from them, panic started to creep in.

Today, Rusty and his wife, Terri Arnold, live in the same neighborhood, not far from the house he was living in 45 years ago, where his mother still lives. Richard Wilson is still in the neighborhood as well. At the time of her disappearance, Rachel had been living with husband Tommy only a few minutes from the house where she grew up, close enough to still be a part of Rusty’s life. (Older sister Debra lived with Tommy and Rachel as well.) Rusty looked up to her. When McDonald’s ran a promotion giving away collector’s edition drinking glasses to any child able to recite the Big Mac ingredients in four seconds or less, Rachel would take her little brother to collect them. Now, in his early 50s, he can still deliver the phrase in one breath: “Two all beef patties, pickles, lettuce, cheese, onions on a sesame bun.” The lasting image of Rachel is one of youthful allure. At 5’6’’ and 110 pounds with light brown hair and green eyes, she was pretty, on her way to beautiful. “She was a wonderful girl,” Rusty said with a smile from his living room, having invited me back to his house after lunch. “Charming personality. All the guys loved her. She taught me how to play guitar.” Rusty would later start a band called Rock-N-Rusty. Think: Ted Nugent crossed with the James Gang. They released an album a few years ago. He insisted that I sit in his truck in the driveway so that I could hear on its sound system the song he’d written dedicated to Rachel titled, “In Memory of You.” It begins with a spoken voiceover: You weren’t just my sister; you were my best friend. You taught me my first guitar chords with your guiding hands. Other lyrics include: On that cold December night, So many questions left unanswered Did you try to fight? You were with your two good friends, Why did they have to go, too? Rachel, Renee, and Julie Ann, Where on Earth are you? On Christmas Eve 1974, the day after Rachel, Renee, and Julie went to the mall, Rachel’s husband Tommy and Renee and Rusty’s older sister Debra showed up to the Arnold household with a letter in hand. The police were already at the Arnolds’ when the two arrived. The letter, they explained, was from Rachel. I know I’m going to catch it, but we just had to get away. We’re going to Houston. See you in about

“We can go over there right now.” The phone was already pressed against Rusty’s ear and ringing before I had time to protest that I didn’t have any questions prepared for a mother about her missing daughter or that it felt rude to show up at the front door without having reached out in advance. I just sat on Rusty’s couch and grimaced through a conversation I could only hear one side of. “I have a magazine writer here who’s going to write about Rachel’s case. He needs to talk to you.” The exchange was already taking an urgent tone that I wasn’t particularly

We found something under the dirt. It was a small, light blue women’s buttondown, the cloth so thin and tattered it looked as though it had been there for years, maybe

decades. Part of it was buried so deeply under layers of soil that pulling at it felt like yanking at the roots of a shrub. It was an unusually humid March day in 2017, and I was sweating and thinking to myself that I would rather have been any number of other places than the South Fort Worth property I was trespassing on. Scattered a few paces away from the shirt were some dirty old soda cans. Beyond them were the collapsed remnants of a house, now taken over by squirrels and rabbits. Some 150 yards from there was a divot in the ground, likely just a dry creek bed. Or, as Rusty put it, “a perfect place to hide a body.” We found ourselves on this ramshackle 17acre stretch because Rusty was following a tip from a retired Fort Worth police officer. Alex Falter spent part of his childhood in the same neighborhood as the Arnolds and remembers when the girls went missing. Though he was only 9 at the time, he told his mother he would someday solve the case. The case has had that type of resonance with local law enforcement. Months later, talking to another retired officer with the Fort Worth police department, I asked whether the disappearances sounded familiar. You’d have thought I’d asked whether the JFK assassination rang a bell. “Everyone knows that case” was his response. Falter’s tip was an attenuated one: Another cop had reminded him that, back in the ’70s, the former property owner’s nephew had been a suspect in “the murder or disappearance of some girls,” Falter said, but in all those years, the property had never been searched. Rusty wasn’t worried about getting caught. He had already crafted a cover story: the land was for sale and, if approached, we could just claim to be interested buyers. “Believe me, I’ve done this a hundred times,” he assured me over the phone before the search. And so we — a ragtag group of sleuths including a great-grandfather, a former cop who walked with a cane, and Rusty’s wife Terri — followed Rusty across a busy road to the land. We came upon a spot Rusty had scouted out where the barbed wire fence was down and walked right in. It wouldn’t be until almost an hour later, when Rusty bent down to pick something up off the ground, that I noticed the handgun tucked into the back of his pants. But apparently none of the girls was wearing a light blue shirt when she disappeared, so Rusty moved on, leaving me there thumbing the fabric. He had moved on to the next rabbit hole: A couple hundred yards away was a dry creek bed that, he thought, deserved a closer look. After all, at breakfast, Falter had mentioned that, “Nine out of 10 times when someone puts a body underground, trying to hide it, it’s near water.” So as fire ants climbed up the shirt and onto my hand, I dropped the garment and hustled to catch up with the group, giving in to the wandering attention span this case seemed to bring out of interested parties. The shirt was the wrong color. Waiting to be seated at the Westside Cafe earlier that morning, I asked Terri how many

fwweekly.com

something was wrong with the letter from Rachel and a “feeling” that the girls went north toward “Oklahoma or Illinois” or that they were being held against their will and “dope is possibly involved, along with three to five people.” Langston would plan a funeral six months after the disappearances, not for Rachel but for Rachel and Rusty’s father, who died while the case of his missing daughter was going nowhere. Cotton Arnold was terminally ill with stage 4 melanoma at the time of the disappearances. The Arnolds didn’t have life insurance. Langston, who would remarry a few years later, had to take a part-time job at McDonald’s while trying to raise Rusty and cope with the mystery of what happened to Rachel. “It wasn’t easy,” she told me. “I guarantee you. Lots of tears. I cried myself to sleep a lot.” She remembered her late husband that night at Seminary South, waiting for answers in the Sears parking lot with a shotgun in hand. He was “so sick, and he was running a fever that he was just freezing to death, but he still sat there on that lot.” “Some people say that’s why he died: a broken heart,” Rusty said, in commiseration with his mom. But he was only humoring her. Rusty’s memories of his father are less rosy than Fran’s. Raymond “Cotton” Arnold raced cars for a living when he was young and eventually opened up Arnold’s Transmission Shop in Fort Worth. “If your car’s rotten, bring it to Cotton” was the slogan. He had a dark side, though, and his daughters were often on the receiving end of his demons. Rusty later told me that he could talk his way out of physical punishment because he was the son whom Cotton always wanted. Debra and Rachel were less fortunate. “He was very abusive to the girls,” Rusty said. “I’d seen him whip Debra so hard that she had blood running down her legs.” At one point, Rusty claims, Cotton put a gun to Fran Langston’s head in front of all three children and threatened to kill her. Rusty’s adolescence was a front-row seat for traumatic chaos. He grew up with an abusive father who spared him the beatings that his sisters had to endure. In the span of six months, Rusty grappled with a sister dropping off the face of the Earth and the death of his father that sent him and his mother into financial crisis. There’s no course of action for events like those. Just keep being an 11-yearold boy. “I went ahead with my childhood,” Rusty said. “Of course, I missed my sister. She was one of my best friends, but what am I to do at that age? Just wonder what happened and go on with my life. “Until I got old enough to take charge myself, and I’ve been in charge ever since.”

DECEMBER 16-22, 2020

The piece of paper was passed around the room. Even 11-year-old Rusty held it in his hands. All these years later, it remains perhaps the most confusing element of the case. Langston’s immediate reaction was that her daughter did not write it. When examined closely, the handwriting in the actual letter seems different than the handwriting on the envelope. The letter is signed “Rachel,” but it appears that the final “l” has been traced back over, as if she had begun to spell her own name incorrectly. The envelope was formally addressed to “Thomas A. Trlica.” Rachel exclusively referred to her husband as “Tommy,” as did most people who knew him closely. The envelope was smaller than the letter that purportedly arrived inside of it. The following morning, Detective Billy Wilbanks of the Fort Worth police department’s Youth Police Division told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that the police believed Rachel had written the letter, before adding, “but I don’t know if she was forced to write it.” Four years later, a police investigator named George Hudson, who was later assigned the case, told the Star-Telegram, “We sent that letter to the FBI three times. Each time, they asked for more samples of her writing. We sent stacks of things she had written.” All attempts came back inconclusive. Richard Wilson, the father of 14-yearold Renee, was skeptical of the letter’s quick arrival. “Back then, the post office wasn’t near as fast as it is today,” he said. The postmark on the envelope also contained an inconvenient error. The first four postal service numbers are 7608, but the final number is indecipherable. It is perhaps a faded “8,” but, strangely, it also looks like an inverted “3.” If the final number were an “8,” making the zip code 76088, then the letter would have come from Weatherford, which is about 40 minutes west of Fort Worth. The final number being an inverted “3” initially seems unlikely as “76083” is not currently an active zip code, but records show that in 1974, the zip code for Throckmorton, Texas, was 76083 before it was changed years later. Neither Weatherford nor Throckmorton is on the way to Houston.

comfortable with. The awkward silence signified what I could only imagine was an attempt to decline on the other end. “Mother, we need this.” If Langton’s house has changed much in the 45 years since Rachel lived in it, you probably wouldn’t guess it. Langston was sitting in her recliner watching a black-andwhite Western when I arrived. She turned down the volume to speak with me and pulled out a thick binder she kept next to the couch full of short newspaper clippings “from way the heck back,” all concerning her daughter’s disappearance. “I’ve got that one over there,” she said, pointing to a big feature in the Star-Telegram. “ ‘Crimes of the Last Century.’ It starts with Jack Ruby.” She spoke of the girls’ inclusion in the feature with a sort of melancholy pride, like a fractured version of a typical parent showing a stranger that her child had been written up in the newspaper for a less tragic reason. The living room was full of pictures of Rachel, frozen in childhood. The letter was the first and only major lead in the girls’ whereabouts, even after a week had passed and the girls had not returned as the letter had promised. Langston confirmed that, until Hudson eventually took over the case, all three families were upset with the police handling of the case. The police, Rusty interjected, “treated it like a runaway [case] 100 percent.” At lunch, Richard Wilson, father of Renee, was adamant that the police weren’t being entirely forthcoming. “They were lying to us,” he had said, recounting a story about being fed up with the lack of progress made by the police until, one day, officers told him and his wife that they had a tip that the girls’ bodies were at the bottom of a well in Aledo and that the police were heading over there to check it out. Richard decided that he would follow the officers, unbeknownst to them. Instead of going to Aledo, the officers allegedly traveled directly to the Paris Coffee Shop on the Near Southside. Richard parked across the street at Shorty Brown’s Barbershop and waited. From the coffee shop, the officers allegedly returned to the station and called the Wilsons to tell them that nothing had come of the tip about the well. Some weeks after the disappearance, Langston said the families hired a supposedly well-known psychic named “J. Joseph” to visit the Arnold home. Joseph, who apparently did not charge for his services but instead donated to a reward fund, sat with all three families in the Arnolds’ living room and shared an ominous message before beginning the session. Langston recalled that, before he began, he warned them that when he finished, if they never saw him again, “then they’ll know that the girls are dead.” In that same living room 42 years later, Langston told me, “And we’ve never seen or heard from him again,” with gentle finality in her voice. The psychic also left the families with vague hints, including a “sense” that

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

a week. The car is in Sear’s [sic] upper lot. Love Rachel.”

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

DECEMBER 16-22, 2020

fwweekly.com

expeditions like this she had been a part of. She looked up from her phone and smiled. “Well, we’ve been married for 26 years, so a lot.” All of this searching began when Rusty got out of the military — four years served in the 49th Armored Division of the Texas Army National Guard — in his late 20s, and he started to reflect back seriously on the events surrounding Rachel’s disappearance. Around that time, he divorced his first wife, and the case became a bigger and bigger part of his life. The more he discovered, the less he could justify “moving on.” Terri supports his mission for truth. Their wedding anniversary is the anniversary of the girls’ disappearances. Rusty and Terri have two children, now 29 and 27 years old, and a 4-year-old grandson, and Rusty has another son, from whom he’s been estranged for over 20 years. These days, Richard Wilson, 81, is the first one to get a call when Rusty has a new lead. When Richard’s daughter Renee disappeared, the Wilsons still had a 12-year-old son. Richard had a career in the steel industry. Moving on might have been impossible, but moving forward was mandatory. He still remembers his wife Judy going to the courthouse every week begging whoever would listen to upgrade the status of the case, put more men on it, anything. Around the same time, Julie’s mother, RayAnn Mosley, was getting calls that were either silent or sounded like the distant voice of a young girl. Police eventually reprimanded prank callers. Judy died of pulmonary hypertension in 2015,

but Richard’s infant great-grandkids manage to keep him busy. “They get all the money the grandkids used to get,” he told me with a chuckle. Richard rarely instigates new leads, but he tends to serve as Rusty’s right-hand man or at least a source of knowledge of the case from his perspective. Of course, Richard has had theories over the years. It’s patently obvious that the disappearance of his daughter doesn’t sit right with him. If Rusty were to find some answers, Richard wants to be there every step of the way. But when Rusty first became dedicated to the case, before Richard retired, Rusty and Debra would work together, looking for clues to what happened to their lost sibling. That went on until Rusty came to a realization of his own. “Hold on now,” he thought to himself. “She could be involved.” Debra was not only living with Tommy and Rachel in 1974. She had also been previously engaged to Tommy, though she later maintained that it was not a serious engagement. Rachel met future husband Tommy through Debra. All of Rusty’s childhood memories of Debra tend to emphasize her reputation as a problem child. Rachel, he said, “was more of the responsible one. Debra was the rebellious one. She always wanted to cause trouble.” A closer look at Tommy’s marriage records shows an eventful timeline. On August 23, 1971, he married Shauna Ford, with whom

he had a son, Shawn. On April 26, 1974, he and Ford filed for divorce. He married 17-year-old Rachel only 43 days later and was engaged to Debra before that. The disappearances occurred a little over six months into the marriage. Less than two years later, Tommy requested a divorce from Rachel on the grounds of abandonment. On December 15, 1976, he married Josephine Beck, who was also 17 years old. He and Beck were divorced by June of 1978. Less than three months later, he would marry 23-year-old Ruby Fox. Tommy now lives in South Texas and has been married to his current wife, Linda Trlica, for 40 years. Tommy’s marriage applications to Beck and Fox were both conducted in the same city: Weatherford, Texas, 76088. Both applications requested that the marriage licenses be sent to the same address in Throckmorton, Texas, 76083. A recovered deed has Tommy buying a house in Throckmorton, which currently has a population of 828, and including Rachel’s name in the deed. The document was dated in May of 1976, nearly 17 months after Rachel disappeared. These are many connections in a saga of connections, some real, many imagined. Tommy categorically denies any involvement in the disappearance of the girls and rejects any accusations that he may be involved. In an email, he said, “If you are writing things Rusty has said, then you could be opening up to legal repercussions. Rusty Arnold has done nothing but lie and put

money is his pocket from this. To answer your question, I had nothing to do with the disappearance of my wife. I have done everything that law enforcement has ask me to do.” Over the course of my years reporting the case, I did not come across any implication that Tommy did not cooperate with law enforcement or any evidence that he obstructed the investigation in any way. The connections between him and the marriage applications in Weatherford and him and Rachel’s letter and the city of Throckmorton are simply part of the same twisting story, a tale littered with abundant, apparent leads that do not go anywhere but that form the fabric of the knotty, paranoid narrative, that form what we consider a “true crime” yarn. “There has been so much information to come to light that you may want to do more investigation into it before you run the story,” he ended. Rusty tends to draw intense conclusions from his theories. He says that police have threatened to arrest him numerous times for his meddling. He claims that after searching a property that he says the owner gave him permission to search, an officer named Cheryl Johnson told him, “If you ever do that [again], I’ll throw you under the jail. I will arrest you so fast your head will spin.” Johnson, who has since retired from the Fort Worth police department, declined to comment on the case, but she told me that she never said anything

Yummm, They Told Me Fire-Glazed Uncured Bone-in Spiral Ham

5.99/LB.

FIRE-GLAZED UNCURED BONELESS SLICED HAM…$7.99/LB.

Fresh Fruit Pies 10 IN.

10% OFF

*Sale price only valid in-store.

PRICES VALID 12/16/20 - 12/24/20

FORT WORTH 4651 WEST FREEWAY | 817-989-4700 SOUTHLAKE 1425 E. SOUTHLAKE BLVD. | 817-310-5600

50% Off

Your First CBD Order.

Voted Best CBD, 2019 and 2020, in Fort Worth by Fort Worth Weekly. Enter code: SAVE50 at checkout.

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

Formulated by Dr. Lisa Gardner, Top Doctor in Fort Worth over 10 years.

DECEMBER 16-22, 2020

fwweekly.com

welcel.com

along those lines. She did, however, confirm that Rusty was admonished for interfering with a police investigation. One day he called me, despondent, to tell me that an email virus had caused all his records on the case to be erased from his computer. “I feel like I’ve been raped or something,” he told me. Another morning, I stopped by his house to borrow a few binders of old notes on the case, which he had happily volunteered to lend me. As I carried them, he followed me to my car and took a picture of my license plate “just for my peace of mind,” he assured me. At the end of the song he’d played for me back in his truck — the one dedicated to Rachel —he played another one, a more ominous one, dedicated to whoever was behind her disappearance.

He advised me against meeting with “psychopath” Tommy, claiming he would “fear for [my] life.” He gave me Debra’s phone number but, in 2017, warned me that his now 63-year-old sister is “pure evil, but she’ll come across like June Cleaver.” Still, he isn’t the only one who holds suspicions of the two. Richard never liked Tommy. “I got it in my head that him and [Debra] were involved,” Richard said, “and until [the police] find someone who stands up and tells me face-to-face, ‘I did it,’ then I’m going to have that on my mind. Quite a few parents died with that thought.” The parents Richard spoke of are likely his late wife, Judy, and the mother of Julie, RayAnn Mosley, who died in 2014. In a 2000 story by Mary Rodgers in the Star-Telegram, Debra is quoted as saying that she “has nothing to hide.” Afterward, Mosley, Rusty, and the Wilsons wrote an open letter addressed to Debra “begging and pleading” with her to take a polygraph test administered by the Fort Worth police or the FBI. Left off this plea is the name of Fran Langston, who has never entertained the notion that her surviving daughter was involved in the disappearance of her missing daughter. Langston’s theory boils down to what she refers to as “white slavery.” She believes the girls were abducted by someone from another country and sold into the world of human trafficking. The fact that Rusty and Debra did not speak to each other pained Fran deeply. Meanwhile, it’s common when discussing a person even remotely related to the case who had died in the last 45 years for Rusty to use air quotes when describing their cause of death, as if to suggest an unknown conspiracy. But no death sticks out to Rusty more than Jon Swaim’s. In the months following the disappearances, frustrated with the police and wanting to take matters into their own

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

DECEMBER 16-22, 2020

fwweekly.com

But in the end You didn’t really get away with it You can hide Your secrets from us all You live with your conscience I stand tall

hands, the families hired Swaim as a private investigator. He worked the case for nearly three years and supposedly did good work. Richard credits Swaim with getting the police to more actively investigate it. Whatever Swaim uncovered, when the case was still relatively fresh, will never be known. In 1979, Swaim died of an overdose of pills and alcohol in what was deemed a suicide. He had supposedly requested that all the records of his cases be destroyed in the event of his death. “Why would he destroy all the evidence he worked all his life to gather?” Rusty asked me. “That makes no sense.” The explanation the families were given is that a private investigator might have dirt on a number of different people and wouldn’t necessarily want all of that information to be revealed. Perhaps it was to protect his wife from those who might be incriminated by those records. “He had something on everybody downtown,” Richard said. “Judges, lawyers. That’s the story [Swaim’s wife] told us.” Rusty, who can revisit the circumstances only through other people’s recollections, chooses to take a different perspective on the same idea. “Plenty of people had motives to kill him,” he told me. About 20 years after Swaim’s death, Rusty would cross paths with another P.I., Dan James, whose investigations into the case actually predated Swaim’s. If the divide between Rusty and Debra was once merely the difference in how two people mourn the loss of a sibling — one looking for ways to move on, the other obsessed with finding the truth — then that gap became unbridgeable around the time that James came into the picture. He’s a man whom Debra has called “a scumbag.” Langston has referred to him as “the devil.” Rusty does not share those opinions. “Dan James is the most decent man I’ve ever met,” he told me. In early 2017, when I visited with James, a calm deliberate man in his early 60s, he had been hired to work on the high-profile John Wiley Price case in which the veteran Dallas politician stood trial for bribery and fraud. But James’ career as an investigator was in its infancy when the girls vanished. At the time, he was living near Seminary South Shopping Center and began looking into the disappearances in his spare time out of curiosity. Over the next 30 years, he claims to have spent over $30,000 of his own money investigating the case. When he took a job as a chief investigator for the office of the Federal Public Defender in Dallas in 2001, a position he held until 2013, he had to leave the Seminary South case behind, but some of his findings put Rusty on a path he never turned back from. “My mother says Dan James poisoned my mind,” Rusty told me. “Well, that’s not true. He opened my eyes.”

Through various interviews with neighbors and friends, including two people living in an RV in Tommy and Rachel’s backyard, James learned that around the time leading up to the disappearances, there were numerous arguments between Tommy, Rachel, and Debra, including a physical altercation in a bowling alley the night before the 23rd, an account left off Debra’s recollection of the two playing canasta. James believes that Tommy and Debra were having an affair. He also points toward certain individuals with loose connections to Debra and criminal associations who were in town only for the specific window of the disappearances, though this is all just anecdotal, and he doesn’t consider his findings to be proof of anything. James admitted to me that he believes Rusty is overzealous in his approach to the case. “This is something that’s a criticism of Rusty: Rusty has no concern of what people invest in time or money,” James said. “He’s wasted a fortune of people’s money on this case. He’s got people doing freebie stuff all over everywhere, and so much of it is a waste.” He is also aware that he is despised by Rusty’s sister and mother but claims that he handled the case with the same professionalism as any other gig. It was his information in the hands of Rusty that led to inevitable drama. “Rusty would go and torment his mother, and, boy, he would just needle Debra terribly,” James told me. James still comes across the occasional tip in the case. He’ll look into it if it seems particularly credible, but these days he rarely passes information on to Rusty, aware of the lengths the brother might go to investigate it. Debra did not respond to requests to speak for this story, but in 1999, she typed a three-page letter to Rusty chastising him and begging that he end the accusations toward her, which I found in one of many binders of records and notes that James had compiled on the case. The letter criticizes Rusty’s inability to move on, points to the pain his obsession has caused their mother, and speaks to the trauma that she and Rachel endured at the hands of their father, reminding him of the bond the two sisters shared and the age difference between him and them. She cites an incident when she nearly died of a drug overdose: “What did you do? You sent detectives to the hospital because you were afraid that I was going to die and believed that I had some information about Rachel that I might want to confess in my dying breath.” Perhaps most notable, though, are Debra’s direct challenges to aspects of Rusty’s own memory, which clearly became part of his narrative long before I met him. “Rachel didn’t teach you to play guitar,” Debra wrote in 1999. “I did. She didn’t even know how. You have an uncontrollable need for things to be the way you need them to be. Not the way they were.” Rusty told me proudly this year that he and Debra have reconnected and put aside

their differences after years of estrangement. Even James’ investigations seem to contradict the angelic image that Rusty has of Rachel. “He has an oddball assessment of Rachel and her character,” James said. Rusty is keen to highlight Debra’s troubling past, but according to James, Renee and especially Rachel were caught up in the same bad crowd. James also said friends of Rachel told him Rachel was having multiple affairs while married to Tommy. “She just made bad, bad decisions.” Closure and acceptance are two different things. There can be nobility in the search for truth, but theories don’t always exist in a vacuum. Exploring one can mean putting a greater importance on the value of What if I’m right? than on the potential consequences of What if I’m wrong? One afternoon, when I was sitting with Rusty in his living room, he warned me, “This is going to get dark.” He paused, as if unsure whether to go on. What followed was a conversation about Rusty’s father that really became clear to me only over the following months, as more information and context came to light. Back in her own living room, Langston said of Cotton Arnold, “When he died, he didn’t have any brain left. It was full of nothing but tumors.” Rusty nodded along, but tumors or not, Cotton was a deranged man, according to his own son. Rusty can’t shake the idea that Cotton had something to do with the girls’ disappearances, that he might have been the one behind whatever happened that day, and that he had been putting both of Rusty’s sisters through hell before December 23, 1974. Rusty’s ability to think that his father was capable of such evil again comes back to alleged claims found by James. “I’m trying to find a way to parse this so it’s unbiased,” James told me. “Mr. [Cotton] Arnold was really an awful person.” Interviews around the transmission shop led James to determine that Cotton was having numerous relationships with minors. In a 1997 fax to a Detective Fortinberry of the Fort Worth police department, James cites alleged medical records that said that Rachel was six to eight weeks pregnant not long before she disappeared. James told me that he found no evidence pointing to Cotton’s involvement in whatever happened at Seminary South, but he didn’t temper what he thought Rachel’s father was capable of. “I don’t know that Mr. Arnold necessarily had active involvement in the girls missing,” James said. “He had motivation for Rachel to be missing. I think Rachel was pregnant with Mr. Arnold’s child when she went missing.” This is a reckless theory to posit without definitive proof. To someone like James, who is no longer working the case, it is only that: a theory. He was responding to my line of questioning with his honest opinion. Still, he may have walked away from the case but not before that seed was planted in Rusty’s mind.

the disappearances of Rachel, Renee, and Julie. He had heard horrible things about the sexual actions of his father, and he thought he could prove them. A DNA profile was unable to be obtained because the particular sample of bone taken was degraded, which had been a clear possibility considering the time passed since death. Rusty said he is prepared to go through the entire process of exhuming his father’s body again. Austin told me that before assisting Rusty, she had a discussion with him about the realistic “value” of such action. She has since had a similar discussion about a second attempt. When I reminded Rusty that these drastic paths could lead to neither a conviction nor even any sort of proof of what happened to Rachel, Renee, or Julie, he expressed that he just wanted clarity and asked me if I could blame him for that. Clarity, though, is not what tends to come out of Rusty’s searches. And any results from a DNA test are likely to push Rusty only further from closure. Detective Jeremy Rhoden, who represents the entirety of the Fort Worth police department’s Cold Case unit, inherited the position back in March of 2017, including “five banker’s boxes of information on the case.” When he spoke with me in late 2017, he told me that with plenty of cases to investigate, he felt he had barely scratched the surface on catching up and piecing together the previous work done on this one. “So many detectives have actively worked on it,” he said. “I don’t have one roadmap. I have about seven.”

Austin, the medical examiner, told me that over the past 20 years she has worked in tandem with the Fort Worth police on multiple investigations into the case. In some sense, Rusty is part of the case himself now. “Every person who worked this case in modern history has dealt with him,” said Rhoden, who expressed to me that Rusty was a man who had lost a loved one and, above all else, he sympathized with him for that. “We’ve talked, and we are at a point where we see eye to eye,” Rhoden said. “For now.” In late 2018, Rusty orchestrated a team to dive down and pull a car out of Benbrook Lake based on a thin rationale that the girls’ bodies might be in the trunk. If it seems like Rusty has been playing detective for most of his adult life, it’s because he keeps finding intriguing clues that bring him no closer to the truth. Given all the strange circumstances surrounding the case, whatever happened to those girls could very well be as bizarre as one of Rusty’s theories. One of his theories might actually be what happened to them. “The reason that I help Rusty and take his calls is because he is driving this case,” Austin told me from the Anthropology Lab of the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s office. “If Rusty wasn’t doing this, nothing would be happening on the case.” One of the last things Rusty said to me before I finished writing this story was that he was pursuing another big lead that he wasn’t yet at liberty to talk about. He referred to it as the “smoking gun” and assured me I would be writing a follow-up piece. This is not how any

reporter would prefer to leave a story. It’s not out of cynicism or impatience that I didn’t wait out this lead. I think it’s more about accuracy. Whenever you’re reading this, Rusty Arnold is likely just on the verge of a huge breakthrough in the case that has consumed his life. Or maybe — hopefully — he’s found some closure. If alive, Rachel would be 63 years old today. Renee would be 60. Julie would be 55. Maybe “true crime” is a genre to everyone except those who feel they have no choice but to live inside it. Does that make their stories true crime stories? Like Rachel and Rusty, my older sister and I grew up in Fort Worth. In 2000, when I was 11 years old, she was 17. I don’t know how many of Rusty’s theories, deep down, he truly believes. I don’t believe he’s ever intentionally misled me. He almost always provided me with names and phone numbers to follow up on his claims. His motivation for speaking with me was to publicize his Facebook group, Missing Fort Worth Trio, in hopes of generating tips or information. The only thing I’m sure that Rusty believes is that, even 45 years later, someone out there knows something about what happened to Rachel. At some point in my interactions with him, I stopped asking myself whether or not I agree with him. Instead, I started wondering if I did and she was my sister, would I ever stop looking? l

Thank you for joining us in the effort to Reimagine and Rebuild Tarrant County. Together we can help meet the basic needs of Tarrant County families who are struggling to make ends meet.

PLEASE MAKE A GIFT AT

REBUILDTARRANT.ORG

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

REIMAGINE TARRANT COUNTY • REBUILDING A STRONGER COMMUNITY

DECEMBER 16-22, 2020

fwweekly.com

As you’d probably guess, Rusty took this idea and started digging. Literally. This is going to get dark. On September 24, 2016, three months before I met Rusty and Richard for the first time at the Swiss Pastry Shop, Rusty arrived at Colonial Gardens Cemetery and Mausoleum in Marshall, Texas. He had paid the cemetery approximately $3,000, and when he showed up to the grave of Raymond “Cotton” Arnold, they had already broken ground. Fran Langston had relented to Rusty and given written consent for exhumation of her late husband. The wooden casket was dilapidated. What was inside barely represented Rusty’s father. The body had gone through over 40 years of decomposition. Rusty needed only one bone. Dana Austin, a forensic anthropologist with the Tarrant County Medical Examiner, accompanied Rusty. She was not working on behalf of her employer and was not compensated for her assistance. She allowed Rusty to pay for gas. Austin climbed into the casket and removed Cotton’s femur. They took it to a building on the cemetery property where Austin sawed off a sample of the bone as Rusty stood watching. “I had bone dust all over me,” Rusty said. “In my hair. In my lungs.” When they returned to the casket, Rusty climbed down and personally returned the femur. “I just wanted to do that, because that was my dad,” he said. Rusty needed DNA. He was trying to connect dots that didn’t even directly lead to

Holiday Sale! December 21 - 31

Buy 2 Get 1 Free Disposables

*Exclusions Apply*

20% Off E-Liquid & Salts

Buy 2 Get 1 Free

FLYLIGHT & CRAFT CBD HARDWARE WATER PIPES

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

DECEMBER 16-22, 2020

fwweekly.com

25% Off 15% Off

www.ezfumes.com 2104 Collins St. Arlington, TX • 817-460-1780

Rebelsmoketx.com 5620 Bryant Irvin Rd. Fort Worth, TX • 817-423-8938

Located in the TCU area 3467 Bluebonnet Circle Fort Worth • 817-615-9995

Located in TCU area behind EZ Fumes 2 3467 Bluebonnet Circle FW - (817) 615-9995

NIGHT&DAY 16

Ask yourself one question: “Do I feel lucky?” Well, Wednesday do ya, punk? If so, bingo may be your game. At 5:30pm, Texas BingoPlex (5701 Crowley Rd, 817-568-2112) — a charity-sponsored hall benefiting Artes de la Rosa, Knights of Pythias, and Texas Girls Choir, among other organizations — is hosting its annual Big Holiday Giveaway event. Along with the usual winnings that a $3+ bingo card can yield, you can also win up to $2,000 in door prizes and four smart LED flat-screen TVs. Game sessions are at 7pm, 8:45pm, and 12:30am.

Don we now our goth apparel. From 7pm to 2am at The TUB Bar Thursday (2500 E 4th St, 817-2229500) bartender Mal’s annual Gothmas Christmas Party combines her two favorite things: Christmas and all things goth. It will be “black eyeliner, black nail polish, and silver bells” with “fishnets and Christmas sweaters” for a “night of jolly darkness.”

If you avoided the Stockyards last week, it is time to mosey on back Friday over while Cowboy Santa is in town at the Stockyards Station (140 E Exchange St, Ste 132, 817-233-5754). From 11am to 5pm Fri thru Dec 24, visit with Santa — safe and socially distanced visits only, of course — and get photos taken with him at Santa’s Christmas Cabin. The photos cost $20 for a 5x7 print or $45 for high-res digital. There is no cost to attend. Reserve a time slot at bit.ly/StockyardsSanta.

ArtHouse Gallery & Urban Hangout is hosting a roaring ’20s costume Saturday dance party called The Juke Joint. At 9pm, arrive at 1226 Ash Crescent St dressed in style and enjoy an evening of dancing and food, plus a bar will be available to buy drinks. Artemis Funk will provide live music. Dancers of all skill levels are encouraged to do the Charleston, the tango, and the waltz — the easy-to-learn dance crazes of the time. The dress code is strictly enforced, and there’s a $100 prize for the person who’s best dressed. Tickets are $20 at the door. (Use the password “love” for $5 off.) Call 682-503-1980.

Rock N Roll Rummage Sale is always the third Sunday of the month at Sunday Lola’s Trailer Park (2735 W 5th St, 817-759-9100). From noon to 6pm Sun, the December sale comes just in time for last-minute Christmas shopping. (Only four more sleeps ’til Christmas morning!) More than 40 local vendors will be selling their wares, including antiques, art, books, collectibles, jewelry, oddities, retro items, vintage finds, and more. Food is available for purchase from Dayne’s Craft Barbecue, Delicias de Guerrero, and Mama Lu’s Tamales. Admission is free.

At 4pm, end your Monday at Division Brewing (506 E Main St, Arlington, Monday 682-276-1276) for Darkest Night: A Celebration of Dark Beer. In honor of the darkest night of the year, choose from 10 dark beer selections, including Black Is Beautiful, Macaroon Morning, Now Serving Breakfast, Pride of Angram, Smokin’ Jacko’s, and more. Bad Spanish will have its food truck on-site serving tacos. Attendance is free. The beer and tacos are not.

If the new Netflix miniseries The Queen’s Gambit has renewed your Tuesday interest in the game of chess, you may want to check out the Alliance Chess Club. The club meets every Tuesday at 6:30pm at the La Madeleine’s Bakery & French Cafe at Presidio Junction (8825 N Fwy, 682-593-5605). As an official U.S. Chess Federation affiliate and an official chess club of the Texas Chess Association, they will keep you up to date on all rated tournaments and chess-related events. Sounds serious, right? No worries. All ages and skill levels are welcome. There is no cost to attend, but a small purchase from La Madeleine’s is appreciated.

Days a Week

From 6:30pm to 9:30pm daily thru Jan 3, visit the other great zoo in North Texas — Dallas Zoo (650 S.R.L. Thornton Fwy, 469-554-78500) — for its annual Dallas Zoo Lights holiday event reimagined as a drive-thru safari. From the comfort of your vehicle, enjoy light displays, silk-covered animal lanterns, a penguin ice palace, and more along the pathway. Tickets are $65 per car at ZooLights.DallasZoo.com/Guests.

By Jennifer Bovee

BIG TICKET Cour tesy of Facebook

tarrant county’s best smoke and vape shops

A star is shining in the east.

Arlington for the Holidays

While some of us live in Arlington and know what it has to offer, it may have been a while for many of you reading this column. With a thriving downtown at its center, the Arlington experience includes art, coffee, craft beer, dining, shopping, and more, and it extends east to where it melds with Grand Prairie and west to where it meets Pantego. Check out the calendar at DowntownArlngton.org and plan accordingly. Meanwhile, here are a few great event choices. From 5:30pm to 8:30pm on Thu, Arlington Parks & Recreation hosts Jingle Bell Drive-Thru at the Dottie Lynn Rec Center (3200 Norwood Ln, 817-277-5001), where children can meet Santa and take a socially distanced professional picture with him. (A link to the photos is emailed after the event.) Each participant also receives a North Pole Christmas Treat before they leave. The cost is $5 per child. Register to attend at bit.ly/JingleBellDrive-Thru. From 9pm to 2am on Fri, head to Hooligan’s Pub (310 E Abrams St, Ste 150, 817-274-1232) for its annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Party. Along with food and drink specials, there is an ugly sweater contest with prizes for first and second places ($50 and $25 gift cards, respectively). Hooligan’s also offers full-service catering. Keep that in mind if your small, socially distanced gathering will be at the house this year. From 9pm to 2am Fri-Sat, Jamaica Gates Caribbean Cuisine (1020 W Arkansas Ln, 817-795-2600) — Best Caribbean Food winner in our annual Best Ofs many times over — is hosting its Christmas Vibes Party. There will be chef ’s specials on the food menu and Christmas drinks at the bar. Guests should dress up in holiday attire, and the admission is free. For those into Harry Potter, head to Hearth Wisdom Store (2899 W Pioneer Pkwy, 682-323-5085) for a Hogwarts Upon arrival, you will be “unofficially sorted” into your house for the day and catch up with some well-known professors, witches, and wizards. There will be free candy canes and photo opportunities, plus house wands available for purchase. This kid-friendly event is free to attend.

CALL FOR MEMORIES Pioneer Tower Iconic Public Art Project

Arrst Reﬁk Anadol invites you to share your Fort Worth images and/or stories for inclusion in his excirng audio/visual artwork to be projected on the historic 204-foot tower in 2021!

or text CH to 41444 benefiting

PO Box 471277, FW, TX 76147 817-334-0727

movies • video games • music

& more

To submit visit:

www.pioneertowerdreams.org

Tenet

www.FWPublicArt.org

SAT

Visit our website for a location nearest you!

www.MovieTradingCompany.com

fwweekly.com

Available on 4K UHD & Blu-ray.

Miss BLOCKBUSTER? Rent from Movie Trading Co! SHOP THE LARGEST SELECTION OF TITLES AT ANY OF OUR 13 LOCATIONS IN THE DFW METROPLEX

DECEMBER 16-22, 2020

Available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray & DVD.

Dec 19 8pm-12

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

Tremors

Holiday GiftGiving:

Furry Friends & Their Humans Advertising Feature

GIVE THE GIFT OF GIVING

As pet adoptions and pet ownership soared this year amid COVID, with 60% of households in the United States having at least one pet per Corvis News, PetSuites Alliance wants to encourage the local community to think about its Pet Parents and furry friends as they start to make their holiday gift-giving lists.

HOLIDAY DEALS

MEMBERSHIP & GIFT CARDS AVAILABLE!

COME IN & SAVE ALL MONTH LONG!

Why not give your furry friends extra special attention this year in particular as they've given us so much joy during the quarantine? PetSuites' trusted team of pet-loving pros deliver memorable experiences with personalized service, making PetSuites a fun and convenient home away from home for pets. Along with boarding, daycare, and puppy preschool, grooming and training packages are available.

T:8.25”

fwweekly.com

NEW CUSTOMERS RECEIVE A FREE GIFT

IDEALISK Flour sifter

NORDVIKEN Extendable table

499

$ ©Inter IKEA Systems B.V. 2020

Cour tesy Facebook

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY 12

T:10.875”

DECEMBER 16-22, 2020

$ 99

Joy is priceless. The rest is really affordable. The joy of the holidays is in how we celebrate together, even if it isn’t how we had planned. You can still enjoy the holidays, at a price you love, in the comfort of a place that’s always been home.

Grand Prairie: 1000 IKEA Place Frisco: 7171 Ikea Drive

Raise your paw if you need your hair did.

PetSuites also has some tips on how to keep pets just as jolly as their owners during the busy holiday season. HAVING COMPANY? If you are hosting a party, you may want to treat your pet to a silent night by boarding them until morning. Always make sure your pet has a "safe space" in your home. Hectic holiday hustle and bustle can cause anxiety and stress in pets. DECORATE UNDISTRACTED! Need a minute to get the house in order, wrap presents, or do some special cooking? Consider getting Fido out from under your feet by treating him to a play day at Doggie Daycare. Keep decor up high to avoid choking hazards and accidental ingestion that could make your pet sick. DON'T OVER INDULGE! Make sure that any special indulgencies your pet may get are animal-friendly. Things like turkey bones can cause choking. Alcohol, chocolate, and a host of other things are on the naughty list for pets as they may be poisonous to animals. Please do the research. PetSuites would like to wish everyone health, happiness, and lots of snuggles th is h o liday sea so n . Use c o de FWWEEKLY for a $35 credit towards any service, valid through year-end at both the Chisholm Trail (5501 Columbus Tr, 682-310-7818) and Fort Worth Alliance (8496 N Riverside Dr, 972-992-5095) locations.

Promotional support provided by

fwweekly.com DECEMBER 16-22, 2020

The exhibition is organized by the Museo Egizio, Turin, and StArt, in collaboration with the Kimbell Art Museum. It is supported by the Texas Commission on the Arts, the Fort Worth Tourism Public Improvement District, and the Consulate General of Italy in Houston.

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

December 6, 2020--March 14, 2021

STUFF

Fools Rush In

After a roller-coaster monthful of games, the Cowboys prove, win or lose, the thing they excel in the most is making me feel stupid.

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY 14

H I G G I N S

Cour tesy Facebook

P A T R I C K

On Sunday, when the Cowboys took on the Bengals, quarterback Andy Dalton returned to the city where he played for the previous nine years, leading his new club against his former one in what would normally be an impressive 30-7 win. But within the context of this disastrous lost season, in my mind, it barely deserves mention. I’m sure it was a much-needed boost for the players on the field — there’s been so little for them to take pride in. But I felt no joy. I was as emotionless watching that game as I would be a YouTube instructional video on how to replace the load basket sensor in a washing machine. It’s taken three-quarters of the season, but I’ve finally given up. I’ve consistently been of the opinion that the Dallas Cowboys exist for one sole purpose. Their function, distilled to its simplest fundament, apparently, is to make me look as foolish as possible. My weekly modus operandi in “covering” (that term used in the absolute loosest sense) this football team is to try and assemble my largely incoherent and ever-changing thoughts into a passably comprehensible rant with the intention of painting some facile portrait of the current state of things. Yet — as the handful of unsuspecting persons out there who have happened to stumble upon this column and have accidentally left their eyes in place long enough to absorb some of its content can attest — after patting myself on the back for my clever and humorous dissection of any given game one week, this damn confounded organization will

DECEMBER 16-22, 2020

fwweekly.com

B Y

It took a Hall of Famer calling out the Cowboys’ head coach to light some fire in the huddle.

invariably completely contradict any modicum of a point I was attempting to make the next. Far from the enthralling realism of a Rembrandt, capturing every nuance, my images appear infinitely more Jackson Pollock, detached colors simply slung randomly at the wall. (And somehow, I’m still afforded this forum, if only to continue to make myself look like an idiot.) The most recent demonstration of the full asininity of my analysis was when the Cowboys were coming off their surprise upset win over the Minnesota Vikings. The general crux of the column was basically, “Eff the Team Tankers! Let’s win the division!” As the Cowboys were riding a series of impressive games and the rest of the NFC East were falling flat on their faces, it maybe wasn’t such a stupid take at the time. But by nature of the fact that my thoughts were put into indelible print and subsequently distributed conspicuously with my byline attached, Dallas would follow up that win with two of their worst games in a season full of franchise-worst games. As has become a Thanksgiving tradition as integral as bone dry turkey and loud inquiries of “Who the hell is that?!”

in reference to the game presentation’s halftime performer, the Cowboys offered the largest football-watching audience of the year an absolutely pathetic effort with a stench worse than an uncle’s deviled egg flatus. They rolled over and offered their belly to the Washington Football Team 4116. Then the NFL made every effort to accommodate a COVID-riddled Baltimore Ravens team by rescheduling their Thursday Night Football game against the Cowboys three separate times to ultimately fall to last Tuesday (there is no end to 2020’s insanity), a tilt in which Lamar Jackson led the Ravens to a 34-17 victory with a grand total of 107 yards passing. They gained their yards on the ground to the tune of hanging 294 on Dallas. Two of the three highest rushing totals allowed in Cowboys franchise history have happened this year. I’m not sure if I’m an opposing OC I would ever call a passing play against this defense. The Cowboys performance was so terrible, it inspired Fox’s Troy Aikman to directly question the team’s effort on national television. So there you go. So much for winning the division. In the same span, the Giants upset the Seahawks, and the Football

Team has gone on a five-game run, handing the Steelers their first loss of the year and following it up with a road win against the 49ers. Hell, even the Eagles, finally accepting the fact that they’re on the losing end of the great Dak v. Wentz debate, benched the No. 2 overall pick from four years ago in favor of rookie Jalen Hurts and stole one from the 10-2 Saints, knocking them out of first place overall in the NFC. I obviously fell for the fool’s gold of the Pittsburgh and Minnesota games. I’m not falling for Sunday’s 30-7 win over the lowly Cincinnati Bengals. Saving your best effort for a meaningless game against a feeble opponent doesn’t show me anything. When a team apparently needs a Hall of Famer to publicly call them out to inspire their head coach to finally call them out privately and motivate them to play better, that tells you all you need to know. This team’s proverbial goose, or turkey, as it were, was cooked back on Thanksgiving. Now watch, just to spite me, they’ll win out, Football Team will lose one, and the silver and blue will make the playoffs just to continue the trend of making me look like a fool. l

Through January 17 Open until 8 pm on Free Fridays

EATS & drinks See More on Pages 18 to 22

SHOP MODERN Join us at the Modern Shop, in-person or online, for a unique selection of gifts for everyone on your list. shop.themodern.org

GIVE THE GIFT OF MEMBERSHIP

Available for the art lover, Modern shopper, or film enthusiast in your life. Visit the Modern’s information desk or call 817.738.9215. MODERN ART MUSEUM OF FORT WORTH 3200 Darnell Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76107 www.themodern.org

682-224-2601

Facebook.com/LittleGermanyFWTX

fwweekly.com

6737 CAMP BOWIE

DECEMBER 16-22, 2020

MODERN GIFT CARDS

STEAKS • SAUSAGE • SCHNITZEL

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

A Modern membership is the gift that lasts an entire year and is perfect for family members, coworkers, and friends.

MUSIC

Song for Atatiana

With his first single and video release, Jeff Dazey aims to help heal a community anguished by police violence while fundraising for a new community center. B Y

E D W A R D

B R O W N

Few events in recent memory have shaken Fort Worth like the killing of Atatiana Jefferson. The 28-year-old Black woman who was shot and killed by Aaron Dean, a white police officer, as she played video games in a house with her nephew Zion, who lived just a few miles from musician Jeff Dazey. “I was out of town on tour with a band when it happened,” Dazey said, referring to the October 12, 2019 shooting. Dazey, who has seven nieces and nephews, was struck by the senselessness of

HearSay We all know this, but it’s worth repeating. Stop buying new music only from year-end lists. Unless it’s local. Then buy all of it. Fair warning: You’ll be reading our year-end list of Fort Worth favorites in a week or so. Until then, please do what you can with your fat/phat $1,200 Trump check from 200 years ago that I’m sure you’re still stretching and save it for local music. There is a ton of quality stuff here in our backyard which is just as good if not better than what you’ll find between the pages of The New York Times or The New Yorker or on Pitchfork. What I’d like to chat about today is that chasm: How do workaday artists transcend the “local” tag and become part of the national conversation? (Spoiler alert: They don’t!) Jon Pareles has been a pop critic at the Times since I was in high school, and I’m old enough to remember National Enquirer covers with Elvis on them. I stopped reading Pareles, and the rest of the Times’ arts coverage, about 20 years ago, after the Old Gray Lady repeatedly refused to not even shit on but even acknowledge my professional advances. “What?!” I raged to myself, crying in my attic bedroom, surrounded by dirty McDonald’s wrappers and empty bottles of $2.17 Night Train. “You mean dumb jocks who know English and can type fast aren’t welcome

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

DECEMBER 16-22, 2020

fwweekly.com

Your Best-Albums Lists Are Trash

Jefferson’s killing. Jefferson was shot through Andrew Trube of The Greyhounds, who are her window by Dean, who did not announce friends with Moeller and Dazey, volunteered his presence. Dean entered the property’s to join the recording session. Dazey outlined backyard after a neighbor alerted Fort Worth a blues progression that serves as the acoustic police through a non-emergency line that the scaffolding for the ballad he envisioned. “I started with what I thought would be front door of Jefferson’s home was open. Dazey attended a candlelight vigil the chorus,” said Dazey, whom Zion refers for Jefferson and, weeks later, the National to as “Uncle Jeff.” The lyrics kept coming. Day of Outrage, where he met Jefferson’s Atatiana’s nephew “loves music,” Dazey relatives. It was through those tragic first said. “He’s a great singer. He sings with the days and weeks that Dazey connected with radio and has a great voice for a 10-year-old. ‘What if I can make Atatiana’s name singable Amber Carr, Jefferson’s younger sister. Beyond being a source of support as for Zion?’ That’s how it started.” Recorded at Bud’s the Carr family sought Ceremonial naming of Recording Services in Austin, justice for Jefferson’s death Atatiana Jefferson “Song for Atatiana” is steeped — Dean has been indicted Memorial Parkway in Texas blues. Ferrell opens for murder but remains 2pm Sat, 1203 E Allen Av, FW. Free. the chorus with warm and free on a $200,000 bond, deep vocals as he sings, and an August 2021 court date has been tentatively set by Judge David “Atatiana, we won’t forget you. / We won’t Hagerman — the local saxophonist recently let the world forget that you were taken too released his first single, “Song for Atatiana,” soon.” Dazey answers Ferrell’s lines with to fundraise for the Atatiana Project, a STEMbased community center that will operate out bluesy lines that sew the verses together of Jefferson’s former home, which belonged into one continuous melody. Trube’s guitar to her mother, Yolanda Carr, who died just solo, unhurried and stirring, leads to a melancholic bridge that oscillates between months after Jefferson was killed. The “Song for Atatiana” concept, major and minor. The extended outro is which evolved into a fundraiser, started with bathed in soulful vocals by Austin-based conversations between Dazey and Austin- singer Tameca Jones. To expand the reach of “Song for based blues drummer Jay Moeller early this year. Dazey is known nationally as the Atatiana,” Dazey directed a music video sideman for R&B sensation Leon Bridges, using footage from an October event dubbed but he’s been active in the local music scene Pull Up for Tay, referring to Jefferson’s for 17 years and currently tours with the nickname. The music video, directed by Colorado-based band Nathaniel Rateliff Dazey, was filmed by camera operator Jake & the Night Sweats. Keyboardist/bassist/ Ryan Hull and edited by Barbara FG, and it singer Anthony Farrell and guitarist/singer follows the two-day celebration of Jefferson’s

life that respectively included a car parade, ceremony at Jefferson’s home, candlelight vigil, and memorial service at Jefferson’s gravesite. The cinematic feel of the footage blends solemnity and resilience. Dazey said striking the right tone for the song and music video was important. The subject matter is tragic, but “Song for Atatiana” is intended to do more than evoke feelings of sadness, he said. “I’d love to raise awareness for them, and if we can raise funds in the process, even better,” Dazey said. “There are forces that are trying to make us forget about her. We need something to counter that.” Friends and family of Jefferson remain skeptical that Dean will ever face justice. A recent article in The New York Times found that “few police officers are ever charged with murder or manslaughter when they cause a death in the line of duty, and only about a third of those officers are convicted.” The too-frequent killing of unarmed Black people haunts Dazey. “There are tragedies happening all over the place, but Atatiana is a Fort Worth, Texas, tragedy,” he said. “It involves a child [Zion] who was 8 at the time. Who can’t read about this story and not become devastated by it? She was such a bright light for that family and anyone who she was around.” “Song for Atatiana” is available on Bandcamp Friday under Jeff Dazey’s music profile. All proceeds benefit the Atatiana Project. The video will be shown on Saturday at the ceremonial naming of Atatiana Jefferson Memorial Parkway in the Southside neighborhood of Hillside Morningside. l

Fort Worth scene — and the Miami scene and the St. Louis scene and the Denver scene — shining bright but only because new, presumably young bodies are willing to throw themselves onto the flames. Whatever you do, local musos, do not underestimate the kicks. Never pass on the good times, the art-for-art’s-sake rebelliousness, the late-night makeout sessions, the hangovers from hell followed by an hour over black coffee and lathered-up pancakes at Ol’ South. Sometimes they’re all there is (the good times, not just the pancakes), but what a lived life. As part of the Times’ best-album package, each of the paper’s three pop critics — Jon Caramanica and Lindsay Zoladz in addition to Pareles — offers a Spotify playlist reflective of their choices. I listened to all of them. They’re good, for sure. I really liked Fiona Apple’s theatrical, aggressive, pianistic, semi-melodic noise and Charli XCX’s dark, glitchy pop. I’ve heard, and seen, local versions of the latter in this town: Former Fort Worthian Squanto specializes in similar musics, and at the Boiled Owl Tavern a couple of years ago, some kid from Denver absolutely wrecked the place with his one-man show, just him, a microphone, and a laptop. It was brilliant. His wheels-off artistry was certainly listworthy. Wonder what he’s up to now. Listening to Apple’s challenging Fetch the Bolt Cutters, I wondered if anyone in any local scene could get away with that kind of avant gardism. The time I spent on this question was

about five seconds, because I knew the answer was no. Maybe the only thing less marketable or profitable than noise-rock is actual noise. Like honking car horns or jackhammers going off. Though among my favorite genres (now that I’m old and bitter … “bitter-er”?), noiserock comes at us one of two ways: from devout, lifelong noise-rockers or from artists who have outgrown whatever poppy or less noisy past they may have established. That’s it. I’m not saying I’m not happy it exists. Again, I truly dig it. I’m just brought back to a comment to the Times story by some bro Ruben. Long story short: Ruben is curious why most of the critics’ picks didn’t top the charts or even crack the charts in some cases. His theory is that critics, all critics, delight in obscurities. Indeed, Ruben. I don’t know how Taylor Swift makes rent. Or Bob Dylan or Sufjan Stevens or Justin Bieber or more than half of the other artists on the Times list. If only there were a PPP for pop musos signed to major labels … Which brings me back to the chasm. How do I get Jon Pareles to love me? Simple question with an even simpler answer: Relocate to New York City and live right next to him. While you’re volunteering to walk his dog, housesit for him, or take his kid’s SAT or bar exam for them, slip him your CD. Note: You still may have to bake him a cake. — Anthony Mariani

on your staff?! I’m canceling you!” And this was long before cancel culture took off. #pioneer #yourewelcome Thinking of the chasm between the haves and have-nots in our culture, I go back to Sam Anderson. When I asked the Quaker City Night Hawks co-frontman why his band wasn’t receiving any airplay on KXT — a bona fide terrestrial radio station that actually spins a ton of local tuneage — he said he didn’t know what else he had to do. His business people had been sending tracks to the Dallas studio for years. Still, no airplay. “Do we gotta bake ’em a cake?” Sam asked. And it’s true. WTF do I have to do for The New York Times to notice me? Sorry, I mean, What do local musicians all over the globe but especially here have to do to gain an audience with Jon Pareles? Understand that mailing him a CD is basically saying, “Here, Mr. Pareles. Please throw this away for me.” There has to be a way. I’m just here to tell you I don’t know which way that is. It’s an age-old story, one with the unhappiest of endings. “Anthony Mariani died broke and in obscurity but was a totally OK husband, father, and son.” We don’t want to think of it, but without connections, without access to the gatekeepers, there is no music industry. (There is no arts industry at all without gatekeepers. Books have been written about film gatekeepers for years.) Then the world boils down to just artists making kickass music and releasing it to the wild for everyone and no one to hear. Then it’s just the

Contact HearSay at anthony@fwweekly.com.

CLOG-FREE GUT TERS

OR YOUR MONEY BACK

GUARANTEED! ER

AFT ter

fFil

NATIO

’S

SAT 2/27/2021

Lea

ORE

BEF

ter fFil Lea

ER GUA

INSTALLS ON NEW & EXISTING GUTTERS

BASTARDS OF SOUL

LIFETIME WARRANTY

FRI 1/22

SAT 1/23

15% OFF YOUR ENTIRE LEAFFILTER PURCHASE* Exclusive Oﬀer – Redeem By Phone Today!

ADDITIONALLY

10% OFF SENIOR & MILITARY DISCOUNTS

PLUS!

YOUR ENTIRE INSTALL!

Subject to credit approval. Call for details.

**Offer valid at estimate only

CALL US TODAY FOR

A FREE ESTIMATE

1-877-689-1687 Promo Code: 285

Mon-Thurs: 8am-11pm, Fri-Sat: 8am-5pm, Sun: 2pm-8pm EST *The leading consumer reporting agency conducted a 16 month outdoor test of gutter guards in 2010 and recognized LeafFilter as the “#1 rated professionally installed gutter guard system in America.” *For those who qualify. **Oﬀer valid at time of estimate only **One coupon per household. No obligation estimate valid for 1 year. CSLB# 1035795 DOPL #10783658-5501 License# 7656 License# 50145 License# 41354 License# 99338 License# 128344 License# 218294 License# 603 233 977 License# 2102212986 License# 2106212946 License# 2705132153A License# LEAFFNW822JZ License# WV056912 License# WC-29998-H17 Nassau HIC License# H01067000 Registration# 176447 Registration# HIC.0649905 Registration# C127229 Registration# C127230 Registration# 366920918 Registration# PC6475 Registration# IR731804 Registration# 13VH09953900 Registration# PA069383 Suﬀolk HIC License# 52229-H

SAGINAW’S NEIGHBORHOOD SPOT fwweekly.com

UP-TO-DATE INFO ON OUR WEBSITE

5% OFF

Made from scratch kitchen full of passion and creativity and the best drink specials around. We pride ourselves in being a one stop shop a neighborhood bar with a true culinary menu.

817-349-9387 WWW.EAGLESPOINTSAGINAW.COM Coming from 820, exit Saginaw- Main exit towards Saginaw. About 2 miles down we are located in a shopping center on the left.

DECEMBER 16-22, 2020

SAT 1/30 IN BLOOD, LIBELLIST, LODED QUESTION, BASILISK

FINANCING THAT FITS YOUR 1 BUDGET!

RECEIVE AN ADDITIONAL

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

KAREN MILLS CANDID CAMERA TOUR COMEDY

THE FIRST 50 CALLERS WILL

Monahans Av, 682-207-1500) and Frisco (3680 The Star Blvd, Ste 1300, 469-850-1850).

LAST CALL

Brew Year’s Eve City Works Eatery & Pour House is Offering Safe Options for NYE

Those looking to get out of the house can have a safe New Year’s Eve celebration with chef’s specials and more than 90 craft beers on draft at City Works in For t Wor th (5288

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

DECEMBER 16-22, 2020

fwweekly.com

City Works considers themselves beer geeks, not beer snobs. Celebrating all styles of craft beer, the restaurant houses 90 local and global varieties on draft. City Works chefs cook from scratch, adding brilliant twists to American classics, offering a unique marriage of beer bar and satisfying restaurant to its local community. Above all, City Works employs genuine people extending genuine hospitality.

Guests are invited to bid farewell to 2020 with ‘Brew Year’s Eve’ on December 31. The craft beer bars with over 90 beers on draft offer an elevated m e n u o f c h e f ’s s p e c i a l s w i t h recommended beer pairings from City Works experts. Guests also receive a complimentary glass of Champagne.

BREW YEAR’S EVE CHEF SPECIALS:

Filet Medallions ($28) - Pan-seared filet medallions, bleu cheese mashed potatoes, sautéed baby arugula, red wine demi-glace. Pair with Blonde Ale or Pilsner. Short Rib ($22) - Braised boneless short rib, creamy grits, bacon tomato jam, crispy pickled fennel, au jus gravy. Pair with Brown Ale Cajun Linguine ($14) - Blackened chicken, andouille sausage, bell peppers, red onion, scallions, sriracha cream, linguine pasta. Pair with Helles Lager. Steak Sandwich ($18) - French onion soup-style grilled onions, smoked provolone, toasted French bread. Pair with IPA. Those celebrating the holiday are invited to come back to City Works the next morning beginning at 10 a.m. to officially usher in 2021 with a New Year’s Day Rock N’ Roll Recovery Brunch

Cour tesy Bottleneck Management

Advertsing Feature

Brew Year’s Eve at City Works includes Chef’s Specials and Pairing Recommendations.

with dishes such as the Jon Bun Jovi, Chak Shuka Khan, and the Johnny Hash. Reservations encouraged for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

Year’s Eve specials along with its entire a la carte menu for takeout. For more information, or to make a reservation, please visit CityWorksRestaurant.com.

For those spending New Year’s Eve at home, City Works offers the above Brew

BEERS, BURGERS & WINGS! To Go - Patio - Drive Thru - Dine In Life Without Mexican Food is No life At All! $4.99 for six wings every Wednesday!

“The burgers have an edge over most in Fort Worth” - Bud Kennedy

5404 River Oaks Blvd | 682-708-7109

BYOB

We have been Cleaned and Sanitized by

3520 Alta Mere Dr, Fort Worth (817) 560-3483

Southside Cool Fort Worth Smooth

NOW AVAILABLE AT BOARDROOM: BLACK LABEL TRADING COMPANY DUNBARTON TOBACCO & TRUST FOUNDATION CIGARS

Now Available at Funky Picnic!

Come enjoy

ch New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day Brumnen u!

nch w/ our NEW bru 11am-4pm New Years Day

Dia de los Muertos

Make Your Reservations Now!

Low Hanging Fruit

Coaster Roaster

401 Bryan Ave, Ste 117 - Fort Worth, TX - 817.708.2739 WWW.FUNKYPICNICBREWERY.COM

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

COCKTAILS

DECEMBER 16-22, 2020

fwweekly.com

1708 8th Ave | TheBoardRoomDFW.org

E D W A R D

B R O W N

Like many things in 2020, restaurants and bars are becoming political (in a nonpartisan manner). Faced with a Payment Protection Program (PPP) that allotted around 5% of forgivable loans to restaurants and bars at a time when the hospitality industry was being forced to temporarily close, many hospitality owners who oversee a workforce of 15 million are barely able to pay rent and overhead. In April, Fort Worth native Nathan Whitehouse founded THIRST, a nonprofit that helps small hospitality businesses advocate for themselves at all levels of government. THIRST, which now supports hospitality workers in 20 states, is launching a public awareness campaign dubbed Protect the Pour on Sunday. Hospitality workers are invited to take a grab-andgo bowl of smoked pork (or a vegetarian alternative) starting at 5 p.m. at The Usual (1408 W. Magnolia Ave., 817-810-0114). One aim of Protect the Pour is to address food insecurity among hospitality

Cour tesy iStock.com

B Y

Hospitality workers are invited to take a grab-and-go bowl of smoked pork (or a vegetarian alternative) starting at 5 p.m. at The Usual.

workers. Waiters and bartenders subsist off tips, Whitehouse said, meaning that the ongoing slowdown of in-person dining has left waitstaff with as little as $2.13 an hour (the minimum allowed for tipped employees in Texas). Well-intentioned as it may have been, the PPP initially required that federal funds be spent within eight weeks, meaning that many bars and restaurants across the country were left with no choice but to hire back workers during mandated shutdowns or risk having to repay the loans in full. Those economic stressors and other factors have led to the permanent shuttering of more than 100,000 U.S. restaurants and bars, according to CNBC.

Aaron Lamprecht-Morphew, who works for Colorado-based distillery Laws Whiskey House, said March brought the usually bustling lives of waiters and bartenders to a “screeching halt.” Lamprecht-Morphew joined the board of THIRST to support an industry that was in uncharted waters, he said. THIRST is pursuing several avenues to support and save U.S. bars and restaurants. Political advocacy is a top priority, Whitehouse said. THIRST and other hospitality advocacy groups are calling for U.S. Congress to pass the Real Economic Support That Acknowledges Unique Restaurant Assistance Needed to Survive

COME ON IN! Fort Worth | 612 University

A Full-Service Seafood Restaurant

fwweekly.com

Fort Worth is home base to a national movement that is raising public and political awareness of the plight of restaurants and bars.

DECEMBER 16-22, 2020

Protecting the Pour

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

EATS & drinks

(RESTAURANTS) Act. If passed, the act would direct $120 billion to foodservice and drinking establishments that are not part of a large chain or are publicly traded. Whitehouse, who is a lawyer by training, said many restaurants and bars missed out on PPP loans because those establishments did not have a team of lawyers that knew how to file the necessary federal paperwork quickly. Several THIRST volunteers recently sought and gained low-level government positions (city aldermen, who represent neighborhoods and districts, and commission appointees) across the country. Placing restaurant and bar advocates in positions of power ensures that small businesses in the hospitality sector have a voice in local politics, Whitehouse said. Many food and beverage business owners said they were denied benefits from business interruption insurance, even when the proprietors were entitled to those insurance payouts, Whitehouse added. THIRST members work to educate hospitality workers on their rights to those and other payouts. “Tax abatements are always helpful,” Whitehouse said. “One of the big issues [these small business owners are confronted with] is paying rent while facing a super-reduced revenue rate.” Sunday’s event is the first step in what will be a national effort to raise awareness of the importance of saving non-chain restaurants and bars. Besides being an integral part of any community, Whitehouse said, the gathering spaces serve a critical societal role. “Bars and restaurants are embedded in their communities,” he said. “Where you learn to be civil with people who disagree with you is around the table. All of us enjoy food and drinks. … Bars and restaurants have always been that place where community is built. That is something that heals people’s experiences in life. I find this to be something superimportant to support.” Donations to THIRST can be made via ThirstGroup.org. l

fwweekly.com DECEMBER 16-22, 2020 FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY 22

FIRST BLUE ZONES APPROVED THAI RESTAURANTS IN FW!

“Best Thai Food” – FW Weekly Critics Choice 2015, 2017 & 2019 4630 SW Loop 820 | Fort Worth• 817-731-0455 order online for pickup Thaiselectrestaurant.com

SPICE

“Best Thai Food”

– FW Weekly Critics Choice 2016 – FW Weekly 411 W. Magnolia Ave readers Fort Worth • 817-984-1800 Choice 2017, order online for pickup at Spicedfw.com 2019 & 2020

Thai Kitchen & Bar

THE BEST THAI IN FORT WORTH

MUSIC XCHANGE EMPLOYMENT Mama Angie’s Mexican Cocina is Now Hiring! New restaurant in Mansfield is seeking Servers, Cooks, and Dishwashers. Apply online today at Jobs.AngMarRetailGroup.com HEALTH & WELLNESS American Standard Walk-In Bathtub 1-877-914-1518 Receive up to $1,500 off, including a free toilet, and a lifetime warranty on the tub and installation! Call us at 1-877-9141518 or visit www.walkintubquote. com/fort. Physicians Mutual Dental Insurance 1-888-361-7095 Coverage for 350 procedures. Real dental insurance, NOT just a discount plan. Don?t wait! Call now! Get your FREE Dental Information Kit with all the details! Call 1-888-361-7095 or visit www. dental50plus.com/fortworth #6258. Inogen One Portable Oxygen Concentrator 866-970-7551 May Be Covered by Medicare! Reclaim independence and mobility with the compact design and long-lasting battery of Inogen One. Call for free information kit!

Music Junkie Studios 1617 Park Place #106, Fort Worth www.MusicJunkieStudios.com We are operating with our same great instructors, same excellent quality, but now serving students online. We offer lessons on voice, piano, guitar, bass, ukulele, violin, viola, drums, recording, and music for littles! We are soon launching a brand new offering- MJS Summer Music Project. Keep an eye out for more details. RENTALS / REAL ESTATE Alexander Chandler Realty 6336 Camp Bowie, FWTX 817-806-4100 AlexanderChandler.com SERVICES AT&T Internet 1-888-699-0123 Starting at $40/month w/12-mo agmt. Includes 1 TB of data per month. Get More For Your HighSpeed Internet Thing. Ask us how to bundle and SAVE! Geo & svc restrictions apply. AT&T Wireless 1-877-384-1025 Two great new offers from AT&T Wireless! Ask how to get the new iPhone 11 or Next Generation Samsung Galaxy S10e ON US with AT&T’s Buy one, Give One offer. While supplies last! CALL 1-877-384-1025.

Planned Parenthood Available Via Chat! Along with advice, eligible patients are also able to receive birth control, UTI treatments, and other healthcare appointments via the smartphone app and telehealth appointments. To chat, you can text PPNOW to 774-636.

DeconMasters.com Decontamination Services specialized in sanitization and disinfection of viral pathogens and particulates. We are the elite soldiers at war with COVID-19. Our unique air and surface approach makes us stand out amongst the rest.

MIND / BODY / SPIRIT

DIRECTV 1-855-648-0651 Every live football game, every Sunday - anywhere - on your favorite device. Restrictions apply. Call IVS today.

Gateway Church Church time is the BEST time! Join us for online church each weekend. Online services start at 4 pm on Saturdays and are available to watch any time after at https:// gway.ch/GatewayPeople.

DIRECTV NOW No satellite needed. $40/month. 65 channels. Stream breaking news, live events, sports, & on-demand titles. No annual contract. No commitment. Call 1-817-730-9132. DISH Network 1-855-844-6556 $59.99 for 190 channels! Blazingfast internet, $19.99/mo (where available). Switch and get a FREE $100 Visa gift card. FREE voice remote. FREE HD DVR. FREE streaming on ALL services. Call today! Don’t Forget To Feed Me Pet Food Bank, Inc. 5825 E Rosedale, Fort Worth 817-334-0727 Facebook.com/DF2FM We are experiencing a rapid increase in demand for pet food from both regular distribution partners and newly created needs identified at local animal shelters and rescue organizations. Please consider a pet food or monetary donation. Earthlink High Speed Internet 1-866-827-5075 As Low As $14.95/month (for the first 3 months.) Reliable High Speed Fiber Optic Technology. Stream Videos, Music and More! Firefighting’s Finest Moving & Storage 3101 Reagan, Fort Worth 817-737-7800 FirefighterMovers.com Open to serve you safely, quickly and at the best price possible. With new Covid precautions, you will have peace of mind that your crew is there to serve as safely as possible. Use movers you can trust! Fort Worth Taxi Cab 469-351-0894 www.FortWorthTaxiCab.com Offering service in Fort Worth. Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. W&O Cleaners 2824 S Hulen St, Fort Worth 817-923-5898 www.WOCleaners.com W&O Cleaners is now open normal business hours M-F 7am-7pm and Saturday 9am-4pm. We utilize methods that kill viruses and bacteria including dry cleaning, laundry service, eco-friendly wet cleaning, household items & rug cleaning. In an effort to help keep you and your family safe, we offer curbside service as well as free pick up and delivery in many areas.

To participate, email Stacey@fwweekly.com See more listings online at www.fwweekly.com

public notice

PROJECT Transformer Service MANAGER Project Manager Reinhausen Manufacturing, a world leader in the Electrical Power Engineering Industry has

Reinhausen Manufacturing, a world leader in the Electrical Power Engineering Industry has an opening for 1 Project an opening for 1 Project Manager for one of our Facilities in Chandler, AZ. Manager for our Arlington, TX facility.

The Project Manager will be directly responsible for our transformer clients throughout the U.S.

This position is responsible for the Sales & Service activities of both the German & USA LTC service projects including profitability and customer satisfaction for all turn-key and T&M related projects within the appropriate region. This position will act as the technical lead and actively quote service projects while assisting the Service and Parts • inCustomer visits astransformer related torelated increased service sales activity per quotations Targets outside the Coordinators quotations involving tap changer work including turnkey realm of normal tap changermultiple maintenance. Additionally, the Project manage select projects aftermanagorder • Managers concurrent projects, and Manager provideswillguidance to other project inception and service execution through the invoicing stage while ensuring overall operational excellence and ers drives and service coordinators service growth. • Develops project plan to establish scope/deliverables, schedule, budget, and allotment

Essential Functions:

of available resources to various phases of project

Essential •Functions: Develops the project proposal during business development phase, including technical

approach, scope/assumptions, schedule, cost, staffing

• Customer visits as related to increased Service sales activity as per Targets • Confers with project staff to outline work plan and to assign duties, responsibilities, and • Manages multiple concurrent projects, and provides guidance to other project managers and service coordinators scope of plan authority • Develops project to establish scope/deliverables, schedule, budget, and, and allotment of available resources Maintains accountability of project success and quality assurance. Directs and coordito various• phases of project nates activities of project to ensurephase, project progresses onapproach, schedulescope/assumpand within • Develops the project proposal during personnel business development including technical prescribed budget, and informs project personnel and senior management in a timely mantions, schedule, cost, staffing. • Consults managers andplan. project staff to establish work and staffing plans for each phase of project, and nerwith ofother variances from arranges• for recruitment assignment of project personnel the MR Change Order Process Develops,orcreates, owns and manages • Confers• withReviews project staff to outline work plan and by to assign responsibilities, and scope of authority deliverables prepared projectduties, personnel and modifies schedules or plans • Maintains as accountability required of project success and quality assurance. Directs and coordinates activities of project personnel project and progresses on schedule within prescribed budget,tools and informs project personnel • to ensure Establishes maintains projectand filing systems, tracking and databases and senior management in a timely manner of variances from plan. • Tracks and analyzes project financial results including revenue and cost data and • Develops, creates, owns and manages the MR Change Order Process projections. Prepares project reports and presents results to management. Confers with • Reviews deliverables prepared by project personnel and modifies schedules or plans as required project andproject other filing management personnel to provide technical advice and to resolve • Establishes andteam maintains systems, tracking tools and databases • Tracks problems and analyzes project financial results including revenue and cost data and projections. Prepares project reProactively manages clientConfers expectations within of established scope, schedule, and ports and• presents results to management. with project teamlimits and other management personnel to provide negotiates technicalcost. adviceEffectively and to resolve problemschange orders and builds client relationships to achieve growth. • Proactively within limits ofrelationships. established scope, schedule, and cost. orders Effectively • manages Managesclient anyexpectations project subcontractor Initiates purchases andnegotiapates change orders and builds client relationships to achieve growth. with Accounts Payable proves vendor invoices, and coordinates payments • Manages project subcontractor relationships. Initiates purchase ordersReceivable and approves vendor invoices; and • anyPrepares invoice requests for issuance by Accounts coordinates Accounts Payableand Performance Incentive Reports • payments Prepareswith project closeout • Prepares for issuance Accounts Receivable • invoice Otherrequests tasks as assignedbyby Supervisor • Prepares project closeout and Performance Incentive reports • Must be able to travel up to 50% domestically. Travel may vary depending on location • Other tasks as assigned by Supervisor of clients and which home office is assigned upon hiring. • Frequent overnight travel is required for this position; approximately 25% travel required

* Reasonable accommodations be made to enable disabilities to * Reasonable accommodations may be mademay to enable individuals with individuals disabilities towith perform the essential functions.perform the essential functions.

Education:

Education: • Bachelor’s in Engineering work history in line with Business and/or suitable combi• degree Bachelor’s degree orinspecific Engineering or specific work historyNeeds in line withaBusiness Needs nation ofand/or years ofaexperience plus education of in transformers, power plantplus maintenance andinservice business area suitable combination years of experience education transformers, power required plant maintenance and service business area required • 3+ years’ in Project Management • experience 3 + years’ experience in Project Management leading a team of transformer technicians • 5+ years’ experience in technical engineering preferred • 5+ years’ experience in technical engineering and in large Power Transformer installa• 5+ years’ experience in large Power Transformer installation, maintenance & testing preferred tions, maintenance & testing preferred • 3+ years’ experience wiring of electrical systems preferred • 3+ years’ experience • Metal Fabrication experience a plus wiring of electrical systems preferred • Metal Fabrication • PMP Certification strongly desiredexperience a plus

•

PMP Certification strongly desired

Competencies: Benefits: Execution Reinhausen provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and 401(k) matching Decision Making Dental/Vision applicants for employment without regard insurance to race, color, religion, sex, national Communication insurance origin, age, disability or genetics. Disability In addition to federal law requirements, ReinhauStrategy Development Employee assistance program sen complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in Team Management employment in every location Flexible inschedule which the company has facilities. Business Acumen Health insurance Technical Competence Life insurance Reinhausen Manufacturing enforces the Drug-Free Workplace Act; hence drug testCritical Thinking Paid time off ing will be conducted as a condition of employment. Inassistance addition- random drug tests Leadership Professional development

are performed in accordance with our policy.

Reinhausen provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, Please national send origin,your age,resume disability,to:or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Reinhausen complies with applicable state and local lawsatgoverning nondiscrimination in Mr. Ric Bates r.bates@us.reinhausen.com or Jaime Vega j.vega@us.reinhausen.com employment in every location in which the company has facilities. Reinhausen Manufacturing enforcesNo thePhone Drug-Free Act; hence testing will be conducted as a callsWorkplace and no third partiesdrug please. condition of employment. In addition- random drug tests are performed in accordance with our policy. Please sendPlease resume visit to: Mr.our Ric web Batessite, r.bates@us.reinhausen.com or Jaimeplease Vega j.vega@us.reinhausen.com if you apply at our website do not enter any perNo Phone calls and no third parties please. sonal information such as Date of Birth, age, upload a picture or nationality. Please apply on indeed.com and do not enter any personal information such as Date of Birth, age, upload a These questions are for our EU partners. picture or nationality. These questions are for our EU partners.

fwweekly.com

Hannah in Hurst 817-590-2257 MasseuseToTheStars.com Alternative Health Sessions available immediately by remote with SKYPE, Zoom online or by cell phone. Services include Hypnosis for Health, Reiki, Engergetic Healing Techniques, Guided Medication. Call for a consultation.

CLASSIFIEDS

DECEMBER 16-22, 2020

BEST OF 2020

bulletin board

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

CLASSIFIEDS

SR. ANALYSTS - INTERNAL AUDIT (Fort Worth, TX): This role reporting to the Director of Internal Audit will provide support to the audit team through their execution of audits. This role will need to be available to travel up to 40% while conducting audits; Resume to: Alcon Vision, LLC. Attn: Sylvia Cruz, 6201 South Freeway Fort Worth, TX 76134. Reference job #LF7287

Lone Star Gun Shows Fort Worth December 19-20 3401 West Lancaster Ave.

Saturday 9am to 5pm. Sunday 10am to 4pm Admission $9 12 and under FREE Cash only at the door Subscribe to our email list for entry discounts www.lonestargunshows.com

PMQ MASSAGE & SPIRITWORKS Massage, Reiki and Manscaping Call for an appointment

817-442-3685

https://bit.ly/3lMbFRW Call for your New Year Forecast Reading!!

FREE HOLIDAZE GIFTS

THE RIDGLEA PRESENTS

RIDGLEA THEATER: Sat 2/27 Bastards of Soul. RIDGLEA ROOM: Fri 1/22 Karen Mills Comedy Live; Sat 1/23 Candid Camera Tour; Sat 1/30 In Blood, Libellist, Loded Question, Basilisk. RIDGLEA LOUNGE: Up-to-date information at our website. Contact us for help booking your safe special private events via our website or email: theRidglea. com, RidgleaTheaterFW@gmail.com. More at

theRidglea.com.

With-A-Buy 12/18 to 12/31

Fort Worth

817-763-8622

Arlington

817-461-7711

WATERFALLS NOW OPEN Open 9am-9pm 7 days a week Cash and Credit Cards Accepted

$80 Flat Rate

817-831-7266 NOW HIRING!!

Garland Dallas Plano Lewisville

HANNAH IN HURST

50 YEARS OF PEACE LOVE & SMOKE thegaspipe.net

IT’S TIME TO LOVE YOUR KITCHEN AGAIN

For updates and to check out my services, visit me online at MasseuseToTheStars.com today. 817.590.2257 Be Safe, Be Well.

ADVERTISE HERE!

If you need to hire staff or promote your business, let us help you online and/or in print. For more info, call 817-987-7689 or email stacey@fwweekly.com today.

50% OFF INSTALLATION*

The Gas Pipe, The GAS PIPE, THE GAS PIPE, your Peace Love & Smoke Headquarters since

4/20/1970! Now, SCORE a FREE GIFT on YOUR Birthday, FREE Scale Tuning and Lighter Refills on GAS PIPE goods, FREE Layaway, and all the safe, helpful service you expect from a 50 Years Young Joint. Plus, SCORE A FREE HOILIDAZE GIFTSWithA-Buy 12/18-12/31. Be Safe, Party Clean, Keep On Trucking’. More at thegaspipe.net

*Limit one offer per household. Must purchase 5+ Classic/Designer Shelves.

EXP 3/31/21

Schedule Your FREE Design Consultation Now:

(855) 382-5733

NEED A FRIEND? Ronnie D. Long Bail Bonds Immediate Jail Release 24 Hour Service City, County, State and Federal Bonds Located Minutes from Courts 6004 Airport Freeway

817-834-9894

Conditions Apply

EMPLOYMENT: MGMT/PROFESSIONAL

Hours: Mon - Fri 9am-9pm, Sat 10am - 4pm EST

A massage you won’t soon forget

RonnieDLongBailBonds.com

fwweekly.com

Asia Spa Plus one Hour Massage $65

DECEMBER 16-22, 2020

All Asian Style Massage

Free Body Scrub

817-785-3515 | Open Everyday 9am-10pm

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

328 Harwood Rd. | Bedford, TX 76021

$60 One Hour Special $40 Half Hour Massage

Open Mon-Sat

682-301-1115

Located Near The Jackalope! Persian and Oriental Rugs

Rug Cleaning and Repair, Sales and Expert Consultation Professional & Friendly Rug Cleaning

5928 Curzon Ave. • 817-920-RUGS (just off Camp Bowie next to Zeke’s)