Fort Worth Magazine - March 2025

The City's Magazine

WHAT WILL COWTOWN LOOK LIKE IN

The new Hollywood? The Silicon Valley of aerospace? Data centers outnumbering grocery stores? Our crystal ball has some wild visions for Fort Worth.

Escape to paradise... no passport needed.

Focus 2025: Your Health in the New Year

What effects can hearing loss have on an individual’s social life, emotional well-being, and cognitive health? Recognizing the profound effects that hearing loss can have on an individual, the Chappell team takes a holistic, compassionate approach to hearing care. Untreated hearing loss often leads to social isolation, strained relationships, and even cognitive decline, affecting quality of life in significant ways. With this understanding, Chappell Hearing offers a variety of services tailored to address these issues head-on, including state-of-the-art hearing aids, thorough diagnostic testing, tinnitus management, and customized hearing protection. Chappell Hearing Care Centers is the top choice for comprehensive hearing health services in Fort Worth, Texas, since 1997.

Are there emotional aspects to hearing loss? Patients appreciate Kurt’s commitment to addressing not only the technical aspects of hearing loss but also the broader emotional and social impact. From the initial consultation to fitting and aftercare, the Chappell team works closely with patients to ensure a comfortable and effective hearing experience to help improve their personal relationships. Comfort is our top priority when selecting your hearing aids. Ask about our ‘Try before you buy’ offer so you can experience the high-quality sound that these new and advanced devices can deliver today. Kurt Chappell and his team bring over 40 years of experience in helping restore more natural hearing and are dedicated to finding the right custom hearing solution for each patient’s needs.

“More than Just Hearing.” In addition to its individualized approach, Chappell Hearing Care Centers is committed to community outreach, which includes missions to bring hearing services to underserved areas in Columbia, Central America, and more. For Kurt, this work is considered “A spiritual calling to help others hear more naturally.” Its commitment to community care, coupled with its expertise and personalized support, makes Chappell Hearing Care Centers a trusted partner for all those seeking to improve their quality of life.

Mr. Kurt Chappell

With over 40 years of dedicated service, we've been providing comprehensive hearing solutions to those in need. We offer quality care you can count on.

#ChappellHearingCareCenters  #FortWorth

4736 Bryant Irvin Road, Suite 702 Fort Worth, TX (817) 263-1971

info@chappell-hearing-aids.com

2050: A Peek Into Our City’s Future

Population spikes, evolving schools, shifting politics, and a changing transportation landscape — oh my! Our crystal-ball glimpse into Fort Worth in 2050

By Brian Kendall

44 2025 Top Dentists Open wide! A winning smile starts with the right dentist. From cosmetic experts to family favorites, we’ve rounded up the top dentists in Fort Worth. By FWTX Staff

DEPARTMENTS

Holy Chute

Counting my evenings spent at Dickies Arena and days spent at Will Rogers, I suspect I rodeoed more this year than I have the previous six years combined. You see, I get a little flack from my fellow Fort Worthians for outwardly expressing a slight rooting interest for the livestock, roughstock, or whatever stock a cowboy’s either riding or wrestling. In other words, if something is covered head to toe in fur, I’m pulling for ya.

My tune changed the night I attended Bulls Night Out, which this year changed to PBR’s Last Cowboy Standing. I was lucky enough to get a press pass along with our photographer, Richard Rodriguez. While we assumed we’d be confined to taking photos in a small area halfway up the stands, the PBR representative asked if we wanted to photograph from the bucking chutes for a few riders. We answered in the affirmative before she managed to finish the question.

I didn’t have a camera, so I was simply tagging along with my phone and proclaiming that I was taking video — which is true. The area of the bucking chutes, which is where press, marketers, guys who open and close gates, general helpers, and bull riders all congregate to watch said bull rider mount his indignant bovine, consists of a 5-footwide platform 8 feet off the ground. On one side are the chutes, full of fuming bulls. On the other side is an 8-foot drop with no rail. There are over a dozen people on this platform, some of them quite large, and any time my feet feel less than sure, I react by grabbing the rail of the chute, where my hand grazed the horn of a bull named Constant Payne on more than a couple occasions. Eyeing me through the rails, I imagine he took pity on me. Wearing Chuck Taylors and standing with my phone in landscape mode, I clearly looked out of place. I later realized he hadn’t the time to care. Every ounce of his wrath, which I suspect weighed about 1,800

pounds, was focused on Brady Fielder, the man about to (attempt to) ride him.

As Fielder mounted Constant Payne, the bovine sprung into the air, violently shaking his head. I don’t know how the bucking chutes contained him — reinforced steel is no match for this guy. As the gate sprang open, I pushed to the front to get a view, but it was over within two seconds. By the time I could get a glimpse, the cowboy was already standing and playing keep-away from the charging bull. Both Fielder and Constant Payne would leave the arena in good health. Many of you have experienced this before. This was a first for me. And now I know why I shouldn’t root for the bull.

Brian Kendall EXECUTIVE EDITOR

ON THE COVER:

A graphic by Dallas-based artist Lauren Deitzer, the black-and-white image of a cowboy juxtaposes the modern Fort Worth cityscape, which suggests there might be some changes in the future.

CORRECTIONS? COMMENTS? CONCERNS?

Send to executive editor Brian Kendall at bkendall@fwtexas.com.

Blazing Trails for 25 Years

817.480.1813 alann@williamstrew.com

Lynne Eller 817.371.2209 lynne.eller@williamstrew.com

5320northcrest.williamstrew.com

Steve

817.371.5585 steve.berry@williamstrew.com

If you were a 40 Under 40 honoree, what item would you choose to bring for the photo shoot and why?

I’m very proud of my parents’ military service — both having served over 20 years in the U.S. Air Force. So, I’d bring one item from each of them that represents their service. Whatever they’d let me borrow.

My microphone and stand as a symbol of my journey — from a street singer busking on the sidewalk to a more polished, professional stage presence.

I have been a gamer for years, so I would bring my Funko Pop! of Thrall from Orgrimmar. Or my steampunk cosplay outfit.

A copy of each of our magazines, as that’s where I spend a lot of my time. After that, I’d bring some gardening tools as I love to be outside in the spring planting flowers.

My running medals from my half marathon and 15K races. I would especially bring my Pikes Peak Half Marathon (Ascent Half Marathon) medal because that was my most challenging race to the top of the summit — 14,107 feet.

owner/publisher hal a. brown

president mike waldum

EDITORIAL

executive editor brian kendall

contributing editor john henry

digital editor stephen montoya

contributing writers malcolm mayhew, michael h. price, shilo urban copy editor sharon casseday

ART

creative director craig sylva

senior art director spray gleaves

contributing ad designer jonathon won contributing photographers richard w. rodriguez, thanin viriyaki

ADVERTISING

advertising account supervisors gina burns-wigginton x150

marion c. knight x135

account executive tammy denapoli x141

account executive jim houston x158

territory manager, fort worth inc. rita hale x133

senior production manager michelle mcghee x116

MARKETING

director of digital robby kyser director of marketing grace behr events and promotions director victoria albrecht

project manager kaitlyn lisenby

CORPORATE

chief financial officer charles newton

founding publisher mark hulme

CONTACT US main line 817.560.6111 subscriptions 817.766.5550 fwmagsubscriptions@omeda.com

My prop is a rock (my bride). She is the one that makes all my accomplishments possible.

My bust of Gen. Dwight Eisenhower (which sits on my desk), who is a model of courage, wisdom, visionary leadership, and compassion, along with integrity and resilience.

One of the quilts I’ve made — my favorite hobby. A handmade quilt is more than just a physical item; it embodies love and even a lifetime bond. And the sense of accomplishment that comes with completing a quilt is awesome.

Because of my love for dogs and Saving Hope Rescue, mine would be a rescued dog. However, you said “no living creature,” so my next love would be Fort Worth Magazine. I think after 2 1/3 decades of working here, it would have to be, right?

A boom box to represent my love of music — all genres: jazz, classical, R&B, country, rock. The only genre I don’t listen to is thrash metal; it makes me tired.

DIGITAL EDITION:

The virtual editions of both current and previous issues are available on our website. Flip through the pages to read more about the great city of Fort Worth by visiting fwtx.com.

©2025 Panther City Media Group, LP. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

FortWorthMagazine(ISSN 1536-8939) is published monthly by Panther City Media Group, LP, 6777 Camp Bowie Blvd., Suite 130, Fort Worth, TX 76116. Periodicals Postage Paid at Fort Worth, Texas. POSTMASTER: Send change of address notices and undeliverable copies to Panther City Media Group, PO Box 213, Lincolnshire, IL 60069. Volume 28, Number 3, March 2025. Basic

Subscription price: $21.95 per year. Single copy price: $4.99

Congratulations

Introducing the 2025 Class of Fort Worth Inc.’s 40 Under 40

Priya Acharya | 39, Senior Associate, Wier & Associates

William Adams | 37, Founder, Adams Mortgage Group

Jake Baine | 32, Whitley Penn, Data Products & Strategy Senior Manager

Ryan Barrera | 39, Chief Advancement Officer, Camp Fire First Texas

Shane Benner | 39, First Vice President, Bradford Commercial Real Estate

Brett Berry | 35, Owner/Operator, Warren’s Backyard

Christy Bessert | 31, Senior Tax Manager, Forvis Mazars

Branson Blackburn | 37, President & Managing Partner, Trinity REIS

Tyler Brabec | 32, Founder, Brabec Custom Homes

Taylor Brown | 38, Manager Commercial Portfolio Managers, Simmons Bank

Dr. Mark Cunningham Jr. | 39, Assistant Professor, UNT Health Science Center

Joshua Friend | 36, Director of Regional Development for Fort Worth, UT Arlington

Dr. Sameer H. Halani | 37, Surgeon, Accent On You Cosmetic Surgery Center

Halley Hamer | 39, Owner & Principal Artist, House of Tesla

Brayden Hudson | 35, Co-Founder/VP/CFO, Trellis Energy Partners

Mark Jones Jr. | 32, CFO, Goosehead Insurance

Camille Kelly Garcia | 26, Director of Programming & Fundraising, The Big Good

Robert “Robby” Lebus | 33, Real Estate Agent, Compass Real Estate: The John Zimmerman Group

Alexandra F. Light | 32, Principal/Choreographer, Texas Ballet Theater

William Knight | 39, State District Judge, Tarrant County

Dillon Maroney | 37, Executive Administrator, Tarrant County

Matthew McDonald | 36, VP of Preconstruction, Muckleroy & Falls

Chelsea McGraw | 31, Owner, Fount House

Chris Mellina | 32, Director of Corporate Operations, Avocet Ventures

Viviana Mendez | 28, Director of Corporate Operations, Tarrant Area Food Bank

Jasmine Mendoza | 26, Chief Marketing Officer, ALG Holdings

Cami Miller | 37, VP of Stakeholder Experience, Satori Capital

Graham Norris | 36, Principal & Founder, Norris Legal Group

Andrea Palmer | 39, VP Legal and Compliance, TTI Inc.

Brenda Patton | 37, Program Director, Texas Health

Carolyn Phillips | 37, VP of Operations, HF Custom Solutions

Joseph Romero | 32, Broker Associate, Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s

Miguel Ruiz | 31, Director of Marketing Strategy & Account Executive, J.O. Agency

Bianka Soria-Olmos | 39, Pediatrician, Cook Children’s Medical Center

Kolby Stewart | 34, Vice President, Ashton Agency

Spencer Stilwell | 27, Assistant Vice President, HUB International

Ty Stimpson | 36, Partner, Varghese Summersett

Robert Thaxton | 32, VP of Oil and Gas Business Operations, U.S. Energy Development Corporation

Jody Walker | 38, Partner, Kelly Hart

Jordan Warnement | 34, Program Manager, Techstars Physical Health Fort Worth

Jarratt Watkins | 39, Shareholder, Winstead PC

For 31 years, this program has honored outstanding talent and leadership in Fort Worth’s business community. We’re proud to introduce this year’s honorees.

18

THE FORT

PEOPLE TO KNOW THINGS TO DO PLACES TO GO

WHAT WE’RE WRITING ABOUT THIS MONTH:

On page 14 Fort Worth-based Bison Coolers make Super Bowl Sunday extra super with an ad during the big game. On page 22 The 2000 tornado: A picture of nature’s fury and a city’s resilience.

FORT WORTHIAN Pro skateboarder Neen Williams takes a jump into Fort Worth’s gnarly entrepreneurial scene by making burgers his business in downtown.

by John Henry

Super Sunday

Fort Worth-based Bison Coolers basking in Super Bowl spotlight.

Jeremy Denson’s small-but-mighty Bison Coolers stepped onto the world’s ultimate marketing stage on Sunday evening: the Super Bowl.

The Fort Worth-based company is getting the 15 minutes — and then some — that come with a 30-second ad during perhaps America’s most celebrated cultural event. Bison Coolers was introduced to the captive viewers, numbering in the hundreds of millions, who watched the Philadelphia Eagles torment the Kansas City Chiefs and the always dependable QB Patrick Mahomes, who was turned into a bit of a madcap as he ran for his health and well-being.

“We had about six times as much traffic to the website [on Sunday] with obviously all of it coming in the evening and it’s still up about four times so far and it’s only 3:30 in the afternoon, so we’re definitely seeing some really good traffic,” said Denson on Monday.

The Super Bowl ad came at a great price point: free. It was an opportunity presented by Google, which used the Super Bowl stage as a bullhorn to direct attention to its AI services that small businesses, such as Bison, are utilizing.

Bison Coolers’ inventory includes hard and soft coolers, drinkware, accessories, and a lot more in SKUs numbering in the hundreds.

Denson and his father, Dennis, started the company in 2011 with the pending arrival of his and his wife’s first child. His wife, a schoolteacher, wanted to stay home with the new baby. “I was just looking for something to offset that lost income,” he said.

Denson, who has a bachelor’s from Texas A&M University in business and management with an emphasis in entrepreneurship, observed a niche emerging in premium coolers. He saw an opportunity in a high-end product at a more affordable price point, believ-

ing “we could get people to buy down from our biggest competitor, which is now a billion-dollar company, or buy up from the traditional Igloo and Coleman coolers that have been a staple item for the previous three decades.”

At the time, Denson was working in Southwest Airlines’ revenue management and pricing department. Both his day and side jobs were demanding of his resources. He estimated he was working 50 hours a week at Southwest and 30 to 40 hours in the cooler business.

Bison Coolers is American made, something that resonates well with its customer base, Denson said.

“There’s a sense of pride in knowing that we created jobs here domestically. We have two plants, one in Colorado and one in Tennessee, that produce our hard and soft coolers, and both of them were on the brink of closure before we shifted production there.”

Bison stands out in the marketplace, Denson said, through another critical distinguishing factor: quality.

“Our hard coolers have a lifetime warranty,” he said. “But we don’t aim to ever be the cheapest product on the market. There are plenty of people that can white label products from Asia and just say, ‘Hey, this is our cooler.’ We design them from the ground up. We focus on the little things.”

About half of the company’s employees are family. “We put the ‘family’ in family business,” he says.

In August, the company moved from its location in North Richland Hills to the River Bend Business Park on Trinity Boulevard at Loop 820 and Texas 121. The new location doubled the company’s footprint, Denson said.

“It’s a lot more space for personnel, both in the office and then obviously storage in the warehouse,” Denson said. “That was in August, and we just kind of left it as this blank canvas and said, ‘Let’s get through the holiday season, our busy season, and then we can focus on decorating the office.’

“Well, late October, early November, this Google opportunity came up.”

Denson said he was at a trade show

in Phoenix when a Google query came into his email inbox. He essentially ignored it. “I just marked ‘as read’ because I was in between meetings, and I was a little bit stressed. I just thought it was a typical Google account rep reaching out to introduce themselves.”

He received another email about a week later asking if he was sure he wasn’t interested. The email talked of this really good opportunity, and it was free.

“That’s my favorite kind of marketing,” he said. “I scrolled down, and I was like, ‘A Super Bowl ad!’”

Certainly, he was interested in that. Google selected a company from each of the 50 states.

“I said, ‘Yeah, we’d love to throw our hat in the ring’ for being the nominee from Texas. Then one Sunday morning I got a notification.”

Google had chosen Bison Coolers. His first thought: “This is too good to be true. There’s no way.”

“We had about three weeks to get camera-ready here,” he said. The film crew, consisting of eight people, filmed the commercial over two days.

Denson rented out space in Grapevine for about 150 people to watch the Super Bowl and the ad, which ran shortly after halftime.

Over the two or three months between finding out about being selected, filming, and the actual airing, Denson’s team worked nonstop to create a holistic plan and otherwise identify ways to capitalize on the ad because “the day after the Super Bowl is when the real work starts,” he said.

Three main competitors — ORCA, Otterbox, and Kong — have recently exited the cooler space. So, this could be a game-changer for a small, familyowned company.

“It was just one of those moments you feel you’re living in a dream,” Denson said. “How are we so blessed to get this exposure from this opportunity? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and the last thing we ever want to do is look back and wonder what we could have done differently.”

Museum of Honor

The National Medal of Honor Museum Opens in Arlington

Fort Worth residents Horace Carswell, Charles Pendleton, and Robert Law will soon have a monument worthy of their sacrifices for country.

The long-awaited and long-overdue National Medal of Honor Museum is set to open this month in Arlington’s Entertainment District, taking its place in the midst of the city’s sports and entertainment venues.

“Many of you may be sitting here wondering the same thing,” said Charlotte Jones, chair of the board of directors of the museum, last August at The Crescent Hotel in Fort Worth.

“And that was our first question: Why hasn’t this been done already?”

The drive to build this museum is 20 years in the making. Arlington beat out Denver as the winning bid in 2019 to be home to the museum.

“This museum needed to be in Texas,” said Jones, whose family was initially approached about Arlington’s aspirations by Mayor Jim Ross.

The Medal of Honor is the highest and most prestigious military decoration, awarded to members of the armed forces who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty.

A donor in Colorado got museum fundraising off the ground with a $20 million pledge. The Jones family, which heads the Dallas Cowboys, matched it. John and Cami Goff of Fort Worth followed suit.

At the time, in August, the museum was still $25 million short

of its $275 million goal.

Carswell, Pendleton, and Law all received the Medal of Honor posthumously for uncommon valor in World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam. All three will be a part of the 100,000-square-foot museum.

Law died in Vietnam on Feb. 22, 1969, the 140th casualty from Tarrant County as part of the yearslong American war effort there.

Law had been in the country for eight months. He was planning to return to Fort Worth in June.

An Army lieutenant who personally delivered the news to his mother said her 24-year-old son had been killed by a hand grenade while on patrol in Tinh Phuoc, Thanh Province.

His death certificate even simply stated that it was an explosion from a grenade that ended his life.

Soon, however, his mother found out the rest of the story. It was, in fact, a grenade that had killed her son.

The company was returning from patrol when Law, a graduate of Trimble Tech High School — it was simply called Tech High School in his day — looked back and saw a communist Vietcong guerrilla soldier hiding in the bushes, throwing a grenade.

Law covered it with his body. The explosion killed him, but his actions saved his brothers.

Law’s family received his medal posthumously from President Richard Nixon in a ceremony in the East Room in 1970.

by Stephen Montoya

‘Fortune’

Seekers

Fort Worth ‘Wheel of Fortune’ winner leaves winnings for you to find.

During his yearslong search for what turned out to be $450 million worth of treasure from the sunken Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha, which sank off the Florida Keys in the 1600s, treasure hunter Mel Fisher woke every day with the same mantra: “Today is the day.”

Well, someday soon might just be your day, if you’re into a little treasure hunting.

In November 2023, a Fort Worth mother-and-son duo, Liz and KC Wright, took home $65,000 and a trip to Antiqua while competing on the iconic “Wheel of Fortune” during “Home for the Holidays” week.

Well, the now-94-year-old Liz

is doing something unique with her $30,000 share of the winnings. She bought gold and has stashed it throughout Texas, just waiting for you or me to find it.

Seek Texas is a book, more like a map, of riddles and clues for intrepid seekers of treasure Liz has buried.

The book drops June 2 at SeekTexas.com. The adventure is also alive and kicking over on Instagram, @seektexas.

“The whole point is to get people to discover Texas on their own terms,” KC says.

Liz’s journey to “Wheel of Fortune” didn’t just captivate audiences at home. When the show aired, even the show’s royalty took notice.

After the taping, Vanna White, the alphabet princess, approached Liz and declared: “You are my most favorite contestant ever in 42 years.” The next morning, Liz and Vanna were side by side on “Good Morning America,” cementing Liz’s status as a game show icon.

Getting onto “Wheel of Fortune” wasn’t just luck. The selection process was no joke — Zoom calls, puzzle-solving challenges, and the nerve-wracking wait to see if they’d make the final cut. Once in the studio, they learned the ropes, rehearsed their banter, and — perhaps most importantly — discovered that the entire “Wheel of Fortune” crew was rooting for them.

“They want you to win. The more money they give away, the better they look,” KC says.

And so, on that November night, Liz and KC spun, guessed, and celebrated their way into game show history. The real victory for them, however, wasn’t just in the winnings — it was in what came next.

The book. The treasure. The adventure still waiting to unfold.

Somewhere out there, hidden in the Texas landscape, is a fortune waiting to be found.

Around Cowtown in 8 Seconds

A smattering of things you might’ve missed

1. RIP, Judge Clifford Davis: Fort Worth says goodbye to the Hon. L. Clifford Davis in February. Davis, who worked with Thurgood Marshall on the landmark Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka, Kansas, that led to the desegregation of schools, led the eventual successful efforts to desegregate Fort Worth and Mansfield school districts. L. Clifford Davis — a great Fort Worth life.

2. A Home for History: The Fort Worth City Council gives its unanimous approval for a $15 million infusion and a plan to lease the property of the city-owned Southside Community Center, where the future National Juneteenth Museum will soon stand. The Grandmother of Juneteenth, 97-year-old Opal Lee, is among those to witness the vote.

3. And They’re Off: Fort Worth City Council elections have drawn 35 candidates vying for a place on the dais. Mayor Mattie Parker has drawn seven challengers, while every incumbent seeking reelection has drawn at least one challenger, except Alan Blaylock and Macy Hill.

4. School Closings: Not for snow or ice. Interim Superintendent Karen Molinar recommends the closing of 25 schools, including one high school, in long-overdue consolidation planning. This is merely a draft. School board members are reluctant.

5. New Life for Woodhaven: Developer Will Northern’s plans to redevelop Woodhaven’s golf course and clubhouse received a big boost with the City Council’s approval to rezone the property for a mixed-use community.

6. Y’all Street: The New York Stock Exchange is relocating its Chicago branch to Dallas, rebranding it as NYSE Texas as part of its expansion into Texas, the exchange announced on Feb. 12.

7. There Really Is No Place Like a Home: Homeless comedy troupe Four Day Weekend, friends of ours, are looking again for shelter after concluding its monthslong residency at Stage West Theatre. The move will be the troupe’s second in less than a year after getting the very familiar Sundance Square shove in May.

8. Gentling Twins Do the Amon Carter: The Amon Carter Museum of American Art is presenting “Classically Trained: The Gentlings and Music,” an exhibition featuring the work of Stuart and Scott Gentling, longtime Fort Worth residents, whose handiwork adorns the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall.

7

Robert Earl Keen

With country musicians being a dime a dozen, there’s a lot of competition within the genre to reach legendary status. Despite zero chart-topping hits, Houston native Robert Earl Keen has reached such heights.

Bass Performance Hall basshall.com

9

Texas Independence Jam

Even with it being a week after Texas Independence Day (March 2), this concert featuring Koe Wetzel, Darius Rucker, and Lee Brice might be the ideal way to celebrate the Lone Star State’s birthday.

Billy Bob’s Texas billybobstexas.com

11

Band of Horses

These indie darlings whose heyday came in the mid-aughts have been churning out great albums for nearly 20 years. AllMusic said the band’s last album, Things Are Great, “feels like a solid return to form.”

Tannahill’s tannahills.com

13-30

‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’

The intimate, professional theater takes on this cornerstone of androgynous rock musicals that pays homage to the glam rock of the 1970s. Think “Rocky Horror Picture Show” but with more poignancy. Amphibian Stage amphibianstage.com

15-16

Southside Spillover

This two-day event coincides with Austin’s famed South by Southwest music festival and features a slew of emerging artists from across the globe, including Geographer, Bird & Byron, Archer Oh, and Gully Boys. Tulips tulipsftw.com

16-22

The Cliburn –Screening Auditions

Seventy-seven pianists from around the globe perform 25-minute recitals to determine who among them will compete in the upcoming Cliburn Competition in May. Oh, and it’s free to attend.

PepsiCo Recital Hall at TCU cliburn.org

25-30

‘Clue’

Based on the Tim Currystarring 1985 film, which itself is based on the 80-year-old board game of the same name, StageSceneLA said this breezy dark comedy is “80 minutes of nonstop whodunit hilarity.”

Bass Performance Hall basshall.com

29

Spring Gallery Night

One of the city’s most significant annual events, Spring Gallery Night includes over 30 participating art museums, galleries, and retailers that open special exhibits and hold demonstrations through 9 p.m. fwada.com

30

Modern Art and Politics in Germany

Over 70 paintings and sculptures from German artists who, from 1910 to 1945, expressed resistance and opposition to political forces during their nation’s most tumultuous and horrific era. Kimbell Art Museum kimbellart.org

March 18-23

‘Les Misérables’

Based on the famous Victor Hugo novel set during the French Revolution, “Les Misérables” is the longest-running musical on London’s West End, where it continues to be

Robert Earl Keen

The Cliburn

Neen Williams

Pro skater, fitness influencer, and entrepreneur

By Stephen Montoya

Photo by Richard W. Rodriguez

Neen Williams isn’t just another transplant from California. While, yes, he did move to Fort Worth from the Golden State, he’s got a resume unlike any other. A professional skateboarder, certified fitness coach, spice rub entrepreneur, and co-founder of the recently opened Not a Damn Chance Burgers (NADC), Williams is both literally and figuratively bringing some different flavors to Cowtown.

Not that he wants to mess with Fort Worth’s flavor too much. After all, Williams says it was Fort Worth’s laid-back vibes that attracted him to the city in the first place. With his wife’s family living in DFW, he visited the area frequently and grew to like its small-town feel. Growing up grinding rails in Chicago and later competing in X Games in Los Angeles, Fort Worth provided the drastic change of pace Williams sought. And he now finds himself a bona fide Fort Worthian with one heck of a diverse portfolio.

In January, Williams opened the fifth location of NADC, a smash burger concept that saw Williams partner with Michelin star chef Phillip Frankland Lee. With locations having already popped up in Austin (Lee’s adopted hometown by way of Los Angeles), Chicago, and Denver, the new 604 Main St. location marks NADC’s first brick-and-mortar in Williams’ adopted hometown.

Keeping things simple, the menu has only two items: the NADC Burger, which includes a double patty of 100% full-blooded RC Ranch wagyu beef, American cheese, secret sauce, onions, pickles, and slightly tamed jalapeños; and fries with a side of chipotle-peppered ketchup. Of course, you can get modifications to the above items. Want an extra patty? $8. Want to order your fries beast mode — adding cheese, diced pickles, and slightly tamed jalapeños? Only an extra $3.

The eatery began as a passion project between Williams and Lee, who first met over sushi at one of Lee’s restaurants and bonded over their mutual love for skateboarding and burgers. The concept started small. Named after Williams’ popular catchphrase, Not a

Damn Chance Burgers initially served as a pop-up at events, making 50 burgers at a time. Their popularity quickly soared, and in only a couple of years, NADC has gone from a fun side gig to the growing business that it is today.

But as most can imagine, Neen’s journey to where he is now has been full of falls and scrapes.

Born and raised in Chicago, Williams first picked up a skateboard at 13. “I borrowed a friend’s board,” he recalls. “I was hooked from the first ollie.”

That passion carried him to California, where he honed his craft with relentless practice while enduring years of couch-surfing. Known for his smooth style and technical prowess, Williams would eventually earn big-name sponsorship deals and compete in several X Games, earning a bronze medal in 2013’s Skateboard Street competition. That same year, he would appear in “The Deathwish Video,” a low-budget skateboarding film that’s since achieved a cult following. He would also appear on the covers of TransWorld SKATEboarding and Thrasher Embracing sobriety in 2016, Williams began focusing on his physical fitness and has since become something of an influencer in the community — most of his social media posts dedicated to physical health and weightlifting. Williams is also a certified fitness instructor and serves as an online coach for over 2,000 students. While this duality of burgers and dumbbells might elicit a headscratch, Williams doesn’t think these two things are at odds.

“Most food can be a good thing if you don’t abuse it,” Williams says. “It’s all about balance — eating clean 70%-80% of the time and treating yourself the other 20%-30%. Moderation is key, not just for health, but for sanity.”

BY THE WAY....

What are your favorite skating spots in Fort Worth?

“The new Dickies Plaza Skatepark on Hemphill, [but] Burnett Plaza would be my favorite place to skate if they allowed skateboarding.”

1. Cover of TransWorldSKATEboarding 2. Max Verstappen eating his favorite burger at the Red Bull after party. 3. Neen Williams and Phillip Frankland Lee, co-owners of NADC Burger at the Fort Worth Grand Opening, Jan. 31. 4. Williams and Phillip at their first pop-up in Austin, January 2022. 5. Skateboarding

Haltom City. 6.

by

Michael H. Price

Cold As Iron

How an out-of-state singer became a defining Cowtown bluesician.

In its Jazz Age and Depression-into-wartime heyday as the principal broadcasting offshoot of the FortWorthStar-Telegram, WBAP Radio generated so much original programming that its discoveries made the station resemble an ambitious network as much as a local source of news.

Manager Harold Hough parlayed his very initials into a comical show called “The Hired Hand,” which cen-

tered upon a cigar-mooching career loafer and inveterate liar, like a Cowtown Munchausen. This character’s misadventures would launch a fan club that proposed to “save the truth from overwork.” An original Star-Telegram cartoon feature, also titled “The Hired Hand,” was developed by Hough as a spinoff, with sports-page artist V.T. Hamlin — himself destined

for prominence as the originator of an adventurous comic strip called “Alley Oop.”

Hough had a keen ear for musical talent, as well. One of his discoveries, the vocalist-pianist Bessie Coldiron, was neither a natural-born Texan nor a Texas-based stage personality, but her billing as “the Sunflower Girl of WBAP” helped to assure her of a major-label recording career, however brief. Her broadcasts and records would leave a small but lasting mark upon Texas’ musical heritage — ranging from blues to comedy to sentimental balladry.

(Much essential research into Coldiron’s local-to-national career has been compiled by Fort Worth-based Radio Dismuke, a web-archive site devoted to long-hidden treasures of the local scene.)

A short stack of phonograph records has survived from the 1920s to drop tantalizing hints of Coldiron’s commanding range: She belts it out like a cross between Sophie Tucker and Bessie Smith on the suggestive “Real Estate Pa-Pa (You Ain’t Gonna Subdivide Me)” — then turns on the charm with “What’s the Use of Crying?” — and then radiates countrified innocence with “She’s a Cornfed Indiana Girl,” a composition associated with the Jazz Age bandleader George Olsen.

Coldiron’s instinctive fusion during the mid-1920s of melodic idioms, combining a citified, bluesbased attitude with down-home sentimental touches, anticipated the emergence of a more fully realized musical form called Western swing, which would originate in Fort Worth during 1929-1930 as a spontaneous crossbreed of country-style fiddle-and-guitar music with blue-note influences.

Originally billed as “the Sunflower Girl from Kansas” (an allusion to that state’s sunflower image), Coldiron was born Bessie Ellen Warrington in 1902 in Oklahoma, then raised in Kansas City. There, in 1923, she married Ray Orville Coldiron, a

carpenter from Nebraska. The Coldirons visited Fort Worth in 1925 and became acquainted with WBAP-Radio’s Harold Hough, likely through family connections. Impressed with her vocalizing chops, Hough invited Bessie to audition for a showcase program, accompanying herself at the piano. A well-received début led her to a series of featured broadcasts, initially spanning five months and foreshadowing national recognition.

On Oct. 31, 1926, the Dallas Morning News reported: “During her radio engagement last winter, the applause mail received was often over 4,000 letters a week, and before each night’s program, scores of wires, some filed two or three days ahead, were asking for numbers. It was a slack day that did not bring at least one dozen boxes of candy, among other gifts of all descriptions from all parts of the world. And she didn’t eat candy because of a feminine whim that it was fattening — she didn’t want to weigh over 104.”

Coldiron spent the spring and summer of 1926 on a tour of the Majestic-Orpheum circuit of vaudeville theatres. The appearances landed for her a recording contract with the Brunswick-Balke-Collender gramophone company in New York — prefacing her return to Fort Worth and WBAP. Six of her eight tracks of September 1926 were issued on three phonograph platters from a Brunswick subsidiary, Vocalion Records (two songs per each 78-rpm shellac disk).

Coldiron would record again in 1927, this time for Columbia Records in Chicago, cutting four sides in two consecutive days. All the Columbia tracks were issued, bringing her commercial discography to five records.

Radio listings from the Dallas Morning News of 1938-1940 show “Sunflower Girl” programs at KGKO Radio in Fort Worth. Like WBAP, KGKO was owned by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. WBAP shared a clear-channel frequency with Dallas based WFAA-Radio, owned by the Morning News.

Star-Telegram chief Amon Carter had acquired KGKO as an alternate outlet for programming during the hours that WBAP would leave the frequency to make way for broadcasts from WFAA. The respective Dallas/Fort Worth stations would sign off at regimented intervals and swap places on the dial. Documentation has proved uncertain as to whether the “Sunflower Girl” shows of 1938-1940 represented a return engagement for Coldiron or if KGKO’s management had assigned that title to some other performer. In any event, Bessie and Ray Coldiron appear to have moved from city to

city, turning up in St. Louis during the early 1930s and returning to Kansas City by 1938.

Localized broadcasts during the 1920s often reached distant cities.

Favorable reviews of Coldiron’s Fort Worth broadcasts appeared in newspapers as far away as Ohio and Indiana. In January of 1928, the Decatur Evening Herald of Illinois raved about Coldiron’s extravagant medley of “Fifty-five songs in a trifle over nine minutes. [An announcer] called the selections..., and [Coldiron] sang snatches from the choruses. One hundred percent entertaining!”

Coldiron remained affiliated with WBAP Radio and its companion station, KGKO Radio, at intervals through the 1930s. Some reports have described her as moving into secretarial or telephone-switchboard duties at WBAP. Coldiron appears to have quit performing by 1941, for she does not appear in the WBAP-KGKOWFAA Family Album brochure for that year. Bessie Coldiron died in 1990, in Hayward, California.

by Malcolm Mayhew

A Storm Revisited

Twenty-five years ago this month, a powerful tornado devastated downtown Fort Worth, killing two and causing millions in damage. The city still bears the scars, but the storm also revealed the community’s remarkable resilience.

Carolyn Cruz remembers exactly what she was doing when she got the call that a photographer was needed to take pictures of a seemingly unfathomable scene: a tornado about to strike downtown Fort Worth.

“Like a lot of people were doing at that time of day, I think it was around 6, I was getting ready to go home,” says Cruz, at the time a photographer for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “The photo desk called back to the photo lab where I was and said, ‘Someone get to the roof; there’s a tornado coming.’ I had one camera with me in the lab with an 80-200mm lens. It happened to be the right lens. As I was loading film in the camera, I was skeptical that I would be seeing an actual tornado downtown.”

She was wrong. Along with two other Star-Telegram photographers, David Kent, who is also a storm chaser, and Laurie Ward, Cruz, who then went by the last name Bauman, raced to the roof, where the three came face to face with an F3 tornado — the deadliest to ever hit the city, then or now.

“I was in disbelief,” she says. “[But] I wasn’t afraid. I just focused on the scene in front of my lens, staying calm, breathing slow to not shake the camera. I clearly remember saying to David, ‘It’s not moving,’ and he said, ‘That’s because it’s heading right toward us.’”

For many of us who lived in Fort Worth in March 2000, Cruz’s image is ingrained into our psyche. Featured on the front page of the next day’s Star-Telegram, it’s a shiver-inducing picture that, to this day, 25 years later, still haunts those who lived through it.

As well it should. At approximately 6:20 p.m. on Tuesday, March 28, 2000, a powerful F3 tornado mowed through the downtown area of Fort Worth, leaving in its wake a path of destruction that claimed two lives, injured 80 others, and caused an estimated $450 million in property damage. The tornado cut a 4-mile swath, crossing

photo by

Carolyn Mary Bauman/Fort Worth Star-Telegram, courtesy of PARS International

the Trinity River west of downtown, striking the Cash America Pawn building on West 7th, along with many other structures, before it careened downtown, blowing out office building windows, tossing debris, and causing panic during rush-hour traffic.

This storm’s primary tornado spawned another tornado that moved across the east side of Fort Worth and into the cities of Arlington and Grand Prairie, battering a mile-wide residential area and leaving nearly 100 people homeless.

“Considering the storm’s magnitude, its sheer force, we were lucky there were not more fatalities,” thenFort Worth Mayor Kenneth Barr says today, reflecting on the 25th anniversary of the storm. “One person losing their life is too many. But it could have been so much worse.”

Storms were expected that day, but the possibility for tornadoes didn’t form until the afternoon.

“As I recall, the possibility of tornadoes was very likely as the afternoon progressed,” says Troy Dungan, then the chief weather anchor for WFAA-TV, a position he held for three decades. “A tornado warning was issued as soon as its signature showed on radar.”

The storm hit just as many downtown workers were leaving for the day. The proliferation of cell phones didn’t yet exist, keeping people in the dark about what was to come. “The early evening timing caught many people in transit,” Dungan says. “And away from TV and radio.”

While Fort Worth had seen its share of modern-day tornadoes before (just five years prior, a twister touched down near TCU, tossing cars and damaging apartment buildings), this one was different in that it struck downtown. Generally, local meteorologists say, tornadoes don’t often form in urban areas due to a combination of factors.

First, cities occupy a relatively small area compared to rural areas, making them statistically less likely to be hit, according to NBC meteorologist Samantha Davies.

Additionally, urban heat island

effect, caused by the concentration of buildings and pavement, can disrupt the formation of tornadoes by creating localized atmospheric conditions that inhibit their development. “Potentially tornadic storms will often split and go around the heat island,” Dungan says. “This one was strong enough to just barrel right on its path.”

Longtime Fort Worthians will recall the aftermath: a post-apocalyptic scene of a mangled downtown. Broken glass from high-rises fell for days. Catapulted office furniture rested on cobblestone streets. Papers from buildings whose windows had been blown out drifted through the air.

As a result of the damage, downtown was shut down for 24 hours.

“It was a dangerous situation,” Barr says. “We decided to close off downtown for a day or so to keep people safe.”

While Barr quickly put into place repair and clean-up initiatives, certain areas of downtown were still unsafe — so much so that he covered downtown sidewalks with scaffolding.

“A couple of days after the storm, a sheet of glass on the east side of the 777 building broke loose, went around the building in the wind, and landed in the middle of Main Street,” Barr says. “If that would have hit someone, it would have cut through them like a knife. That’s why we put scaffolding downtown. It wasn’t a pretty scene, but it was necessary to keep the public safe.”

The tornado caused a significant amount of damage to several structures in and around the downtown area, including the Bank One building, the original home of well-known restaurant Reata, which closed as a result of the storm.

In a move that sparked a bit of

controversy, Reata eventually moved into the space occupied by the Caravan of Dreams, the iconic live music venue on Houston Street that jump-started downtown’s resurgence in the late ‘80s. Reata’s move into the Caravan’s space effectively ended the Caravan, much to the disdain of the club’s many followers and supporters.

In a twist of irony, Reata recently moved back to the Bank One building, now refurbished and called The Tower.

The 2000 tornado marked another turning point in Fort Worth history: It was the first tornado in the city to take someone’s life. Up to that point, Fort Worth was a “scientific anomaly,” in the words of the Star-Telegram, in that Fort Worth was the only major American city without a single tornado fatality.

In the eyes of others, the storm helped bring the city together — city leaders and the public joined together to maneuver the havoc caused by the storm. This, less than a year after another tragedy befell the city: a mass shooting at a local church; seven people were killed.

“Our city has an amazing ability to respond to events such as this,” he says. “I remember the city leaders came together the night of the storm, late that night, and began laying out plans for how we were going to respond. If there was a tree down in the street, we would get it picked up immediately. If power lines were down, we’d send someone to make those repairs immediately. The destruction downtown — we began our clean-up efforts that night. Fort Worth is an amazingly resilient city — and I for one am very proud of that.”

by Shilo Urban

Kemah, Texas

Population: 2,562

With easy Gulf Coast breezes, stretchy saltwater taffy, and a clack-clack-clacking wooden rollercoaster — Kemah has all the trappings of an iconic American boardwalk. Kitschy? You bet. Tourist trap? Maybe a little. But there’s plenty of fun to be had here on Galveston Bay, just southeast of downtown Houston and five miles from NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Tropical landscaping and dozens of

dancing fountains create a festive atmosphere for the seaside spectacle, a cavalcade of carnival rides and games. Compared to Texas’ other famous boardwalk, the Galveston Pleasure Pier, Kemah is more modern, less crowded, and has a greater variety of attractions…but its history is just as fascinating.

Originally inhabited by the Karankawa Indians, Kemah takes

its name from their word for “wind in my face.” According to a wellstretched local legend, the pirate Jean Lafitte called Kemah home in the early 1800s thanks to its strategic location between Galveston Bay and Clear Creek (now Clear Lake). He buried his treasure nearby — and it was found 100 years later by members of the Maceo Syndicate, the criminal organization that ran Galveston for decades. The mobsters supposedly used the pirate’s treasure as seed money to transform the fishing village of Kemah into a hotbed of illegal gambling. Lavish casinos with names like the Chili Bowl and Kemah Den lined the glamorous boardwalk. The law shut down Kemah’s illegal casinos during the 1950s, and in 1961, Hurricane Carla wiped them off the map with its Category 5 winds. Kemah reverted into a sleepy fishing town and became a sanctuary for South Vietnamese refugees fleeing their war-torn country. Many had been fishermen back home, and Kemah suited them well. The smalltime operators would haul their daily catch to the side of the road and sell it to drivers passing by: the cheapest, freshest seafood on the bay. With NASA’s Johnson Space Center just 10 minutes away, tourism began to revive.

Kemah Lighthouse District

Kemah Boardwalk

In the late ’90s, a new era arrived with the rebirth of the Kemah Boardwalk. Local billionaire Tilman Fertitta, owner of the Houston Rockets NBA team and Landry’s restaurant conglomerate, turned the wooden promenade into a top-notch entertainment hot spot. Inspired by renowned American boardwalks like Coney Island and Santa Cruz, Kemah soon joined their ranks as one of the best in the country. Vacationers can ride a double-decker carousel or hop on the 65-foot Ferris wheel for a bird’s-eye view of Galveston Bay. Thrill-seekers can get an adrenaline rush on Boardwalk Bullet, an old-fashioned wooden rollercoaster whose track runs just 5 feet away from the water. For a more leisurely ride, there’s a miniature replica of an 1863 steam train. Kids will love splashing in the fountains and feeding stingrays, and with a dozen restaurants, you won’t go hungry.

But it’s the simple pleasures of a seaside holiday that will stick with you the longest: the sailboats bobbing by the Kemah Boardwalk, the postcard-perfect views, and the feeling of the salty sea air as you stroll along in the sunshine.

Explore Kemah

Savor: Landry’s Seafood House may be a chain, but it’s a damn good one. Feast on fresh Gulf Coast seafood and enjoy fantastic views from your table. Try to save room for the ice creamstuffed bananas Foster crepes for dessert. Craving Cajun? Grab a seat on the patio at Crazy Alan’s Swamp Shack and try some smoked Parmesan oysters alongside a mountain of crawfish. For dinner and a show, you can watch sharks, stingrays, and exotic fish swim by your table at Aquarium, an underwater-themed restaurant and the top dining draw on the boardwalk. It’s all blue lights and aquariums, including a 50,000-gallon, floor-to-ceiling tank in the middle. While the seafood isn’t anything special, the experience is, so at least hit the bar for a cocktail. You’ll find several more seafood restaurants on the boardwalk, a Starbucks, and a Saltgrass Steakhouse — plus all the funnel cakes, corn dogs, and cotton candy you can eat.

Shop: The boardwalk is loaded with touristy treasures, all the usual suspects like souvenir magnets, bulk candy, fresh fudge, Hawaiian shirts, Christmas ornaments, shell necklaces, beach wear, and nautical decor. You’ll also encounter a few trendy brands like Kendra Scott, Quicksilver, and Pandora jewelry. Stroll a couple blocks south to the Lighthouse District to explore a smattering of quaint indie boutiques and take your picture with the blue-and-white-striped lighthouse. At Toucan Alley shopping center, you can grab a mochaccino or scoop of ice cream and recharge your batteries in the peaceful green courtyard.

Enjoy: The Aquarium restaurant is also home to Stingray Reef, which has a dozen touch tanks filled with the weird, flat sea creatures to pet. You can also feed them straight from your hands. Despite being related to sharks, stingrays have no teeth — so you won’t be bitten (although you might get gummed). Nearby is the Rainforest Exhibit with cute turtles and less-cute tarantulas, scorpions, and piranhas. To continue splashing around, book a ride on the Boardwalk Beast Speedboat and reach 40 miles per hour as you blast around Galveston Bay. Prepare to be soaked.

Snooze: Stay steps away from the action at the Boardwalk Inn, where every room has a balcony overlooking the Boardwalk waterfront. Kids will love the outdoor pool and splash fountains, and the hotel’s uber-convenient location can’t be beat. Most of the area’s short-term condo and home rentals are listed on Vrbo instead of Airbnb, and the majority are suited for larger families and groups. Kemah also has a handful of B&Bs and chain hotels, including the highly rated Courtyard by Marriott. If you want anything fancier than that, you’ll have oodles of options in Houston nearby.

How to Get There: Drive south from Fort Worth on US-287 S for about 60 miles, passing Mansfield and Waxahachie, then merge onto Interstate 45 S just past Ennis. Stay on I-45 for about 200 miles to the northern outskirts of Houston. Be sure to check traffic, but the best route is usually to hop on Interstate 610 E (The Loop). In 24 miles, merge onto TX-225E toward Pasadena/ La Porte, then drive for 14 miles and merge onto TX-146 S toward La Porte. Kemah is about 10 miles ahead, and the entire trip is just over 300 miles.

Along the shore of Galveston Bay in Kemah

Sunset at the Kemah Boardwalk

by John Henry

Keller School Board Earns Big Fat F

No one seems to do more to advance the concept of school vouchers — currently under a legislative microscope in Austin — than public school leaders, particularly school boards.

These boards seem to be often composed of firebrands from one political philosophy or another who use their platform to preach and impose ideology.

Elected school board members seem to do less and less to promote learning and critical thinking, instead wading into divisive political issues that further distract from their core mission.

To wit: the dynamos of the Keller school board, who, by all appearances, are trying to install “Keller Only” water fountains. The members of the board were busted last month secretively scheming to try to split the district along U.S. 377 during an executive session in December.

Keller is the fourth-largest school district in Tarrant County, with more than 34,000 students in Keller, Fort Worth, Colleyville, Haltom City, Hurst, North Richland Hills, Southlake, Watauga, and Westlake.

Twenty-seven of its 42 campuses are in Fort Worth.

That proposed split — which would create two school districts, Keller and Alliance — literally happens to be along railroad tracks. Keller’s leaders literally do not want students from the proverbial other side of the tracks — in Fort Worth.

There are other opinions, too, namely that Keller residents, who are putting fewer and fewer students into the Keller ISD feeders, “simply don’t want to foot the bill” for Fort

Worth students in Keller schools. Another says, “they just want to be another Southlake.”

It’s difficult not to draw these kinds of conclusions because of the air of secrecy the board has taken on.

“That’s certainly what it appears like, right?” says Fort Worth City Councilman Charlie Lauersdorf, whose District 4 includes the Keller schools. “I mean, call it what you want, but you can put a lipstick on a pig, but guess what, it’s still a pig. Perception is reality. That may not be what they’re trying to convey, but that’s certainly the perception. And that’s certainly going to be people’s reality because you don’t see them cutting out everyone else.

“If I have a team of football players and I’m cutting out the smallest, tiniest, disadvantaged ones, and I say, ‘Well, it’s just so we have better control of our team.’ Or is it you’re just trying to have what you consider to be a winning team and you jettison the other the other guys, knowing that they’re going to have an uphill battle?”

Lauersdorf is not alone among city of Fort Worth officials speaking in support of Fort Worth students. City Councilman Alan Blaylock, who also has constituents in the Keller schools, and Mayor Mattie Parker have weighed in.

More recently, three Fort Worth City Council members — Blaylock, Lauersdorf, and Macy Hill — initiated a proposal to rezone 23 properties owned by the school district as only for community facilities.

“They want to sell some properties,”

a little birdie told me recently of the school board.

Blaylock called the proposal “a nothing burger.”

“We’re just bringing the zoning into compliance with the comprehensive plan,” he says. “It’s something we’re going to do across the rest of the city, ensuring there’s public process around anything that affects neighborhoods related to those properties.”

Yet, the Keller ISD has budget problems. The district has shared an audit showing a $35 million shortfall in its general fund, with a more than $9 million deficit projected for the 2025-26 school year.

Moreover, proponents on the board of a split argue that the decision is essential to overcoming those financial shortfalls caused by shrinking enrollment and the legislature’s inability to adjust per-student funding to match post-pandemic inflation.

The split into two districts would also shift costs for underfunded programs into the new district, according to the Star-Telegram which cited an email from a school finance consultant.

A Dallas law firm has filed a federal lawsuit against the Keller school district in U.S. District Court on Feb. 14, alleging its board’s election rules violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as well as the 14th and 15th amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

That will force board members out of their caves. They’ll be under oath answering questions.

Two board members have spoken out about the split, but ultimately, the entire school board should be cast aside at the first electoral opportunity. Board president Charles Randklev should be the first to go. Lauersdorf, a U.S. Marine whose opinions often run without brakes, thankfully, believes the board president should resign.

Students everywhere deserve able, innovative school board leadership up to the job of clearing obstacles so kids have the best opportunity to learn and achieve.

This one clearly isn’t that.

20 50 2 0 25 20 50

BY BRIAN KENDALL

ILLUSTRATIONS BY LAUREN DEITZER

2050: A PEEK INTO OUR CITY’S FUTURE

In hindsight, Nostradamus, the famous prognosticator from the 16th century, might have had it easy. He wrote his predictions in rhyming, cryptic quatrains, which included only vague assertions as to what would happen — “global conflict,” “natural disasters,” “technological breakthroughs,” “economic turmoil” … pick a year, they all apply.

We are taking no such shortcuts in this article.

When one wants to know what the future holds, they want specifics, and they want specifics that are not in rhyming quatrains — we hope.

How much will artificial intelligence change the world? Will we have flying cars? Will said flying cars come with a hybrid option? Will the Cowboys make it to the NFC Championship? You want answers, and we’re going to try to give them to you.

Except, in this piece, we’re going to keep our predictions within city limits — limits that will likely grow by 2050. That said, predicting Fort Worth’s future is no easy task.

It’s been repeated many times and for many years: Fort Worth is at a crossroads. A rapidly growing city trying to cling to the quaintness that differentiates it from the town to the east, the next turn Fort Worth takes is one that will define it for decades.

In June 2024, the city government hosted the Reimagine Fort Worth-2050 Comprehensive Plan Vision Summit. The two-hour meeting included presentations and brief discussions about planning for Fort Worth’s future. What would an ideal Fort Worth look like in 2050?

In July, the planning division launched a website (connectfw.com/comprehensive-plan) asking for contributions from the public. The objective of the 2050 Comprehensive Plan is to create a road map for Fort Worth to “establish a shared vision for the city.”

While this plan, which the city will likely release sometime this year, might have an effect on Fort Worth’s direction, we’re going to confer with our proverbial crystal ball before receiving such assistance and predict 2050. After all, city leadership has been pretty transparent about where they see the city going. And, no surprise, it’s a combination of progress and preservation.

As an aside, we will warn that the following predictions have a generally positive bent. So, we apologize to those seeking prognostications that might reference extreme turmoil. We just happen to be natural optimists.

IN THE YEAR 2050, FORT WORTH(’S)…

POPULATION WILL EXCEED 1.4 MILLION (GROWTH)

For you claustrophobic types, this prognostication could be concerning: Things will start getting a little crowded in Cowtown. But such a prediction shouldn’t come as a shock to the system. After all, this is the trajectory Fort Worth has been on since 2000, and news about the city’s rapid climb up the rankings of most populated cities continues to make headlines.

Fort Worthians gave a collective hoorah in early December when the Texas Demographic Center showed the city had officially jumped those pesky Austinites in population, becoming the fourth most populous city in Texas and 11th in the country.

It’s a bit of a flex and favorite pastime of Fort Worth locals to tout our city’s growth over the last several years — perhaps to further distinguish ourselves from our neighbor to the east. And here’s the kicker: It ain’t slowing down anytime soon.

Jacksonville? San Diego? Dallas? We’re coming for ya.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Fort Worth will hit the “Population: 1,000,000” mark by 2028 and surpass Dallas by 2045. That’s right. In 20 years, Dallas will become Fort Worth’s little brother — so long as we keep population density out of the discussion. That said, the DFW metroplex, as a whole, is also projected to surpass the size of Chicago’s metroplex sometime in the 2030s. This will make our consolidated area the third largest in the nation.

Like Edwin Hubble said of the cosmos, this town is going to expand on a near perpetual level. And the source of this growth isn’t Fort Worthians birthing new Fort Worthians. In fact, Mr. Stork will have very little to do with the population increase. Instead, the city will

continue luring out-of-towners with its jobs, vast options for higher education, opportunities in diverse industries, relatively — at the moment — low cost of living, and a welcoming culture that embraces newcomers. And, as these transplants flood the town like a broken spigot, the population will also continue to get younger and more diverse. With population shares of Hispanic and Asian Americans doubling over the last 30 years, and Fort Worth’s median age clocking in at five years under the national average, one can expect these trends to continue.

But what does this growth mean for prices, politics, infrastructure, and utilities? Ultimately, this continued boom of new Fort Worthians will have the greatest effect on everything that follows in this article.

NAYSAYING NOSTRADAMUS SAYS: More people means heavier traffic, pressure on the grid, and maybe even a third area code. But we all know what matters most: your pocketbook. It’s going to get pricey to live in this town.

THE ROSE-COLORED OUTLOOK:

As Fort Worth grows, it will also embrace growth in the right ways, leading to Cowtown’s designation as a world-class city.

GEOGRAPHIC FOOTPRINT WILL CONTINUE TO EXPAND (ANNEXATIONS)

In this version of “The Twilight Zone,” I’m traveling west of the Loop, across the vast open skies of what was once Amon Carter’s domain, where the Fort Worth Star-Telegram boasted an extensive distribution network — throwing newspapers to homes and at pump jacks in West Texas’ major population centers

on the rolling plains, including Lubbock, Midland-Odessa, and Amarillo.

Much of this is now Fort Worth in 2050. OK, yes, this alternate reality is more an imagination run amok.

However, the city’s geographic footprint will expand in the generation to come, much as it has over the preceding 25 years, moving even more significantly into Parker, Johnson, Wise, and Denton counties through the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, the 5-mile-wide zone that borders the city limits in unincorporated areas.

In 1997, the city was 296 square miles. Today, the city is 347 square miles, an increase made through the annexation of its extraterritorial jurisdiction. There’s still a significant amount of ETJ remaining before incorporated suburbs start encroaching on Fort Worth.

Today, the city’s ETJ is 265 square miles. So, Fort Worth will outgrow its brother Dallas — 385 square miles and nowhere to grow — in terms of square miles by 2050.

Fort Worth in the 1980s and 1990s gobbled up ETJ in the Alliance corridor along Interstate 35, one of the city’s most forward-thinking decisions, rivaling those of any of its most visionary leaders in its history.

Fort Worth has always kept its options open on expansion, a mindset completely different from what Dallas did in the 1970s, when that city declined to annex northward. Plano cut them off.

City leaders grappling with unprecedented population growth will likely continue on the path of expanding its borders.

The city’s projected urban sprawl will eventually impact to an even greater degree its edge cities, like Aledo, Benbrook, and Haslet. As Fort Worth expands outward to accommodate population growth, corporate relocations, and infrastructure improvements, the suburbs north, west, southwest, and

continuing to the south — did you know Burleson has a population over 50,000? — will be poised to evolve into urban center cities themselves with a blend of business hubs, residential areas, and retail spaces.

NAYSAYING NOSTRADAMUS SAYS:

An expanding city must extend utilities, roads, public transit — more traffic! — and emergency services to newly incorporated areas. Upgrades are — surprise — costly.

THE ROSE-COLORED OUTLOOK: Conversely, an expanded city will increase the tax base, generating more revenue for public services, infrastructure, and schools. New commercial development increases economic activity, attracting businesses and creating more jobs.

NEIGHBORHOODS WILL BECOME MORE WALKABLE (CITY PLANNING)

As Fort Worth gobbles up land like a Pac-Man ingesting ZIP codes, the city and its residents will fight their natural urge to fall into the trappings of the urban sprawl. This inclination to build out instead of up is a common habit among cities in the Central Time Zone. But it’s a pattern Fort Worth will break. Instead of space making — an obsession with five-figure-squarefootage homes and large acreage lots that place extra burdens on the grid and water supplies — the city’s residents, both new and old, will embrace placemaking. New communities with condos, apartments, townhomes, grocery stores, retailers, movie theaters, concert venues, coffee shops, bars, restaurants, and, most importantly, sidewalks will start to sprout up. Diverse groups of people who earn a wide range of incomes will inhabit these densely populated areas, where they can work, eat, sleep, and play without adding pressure to the city’s infrastructure.

In fact, such pockets of hyperconvenience are already beginning to

take shape. The South Main Village in the city’s Near Southside is priming itself to be an example that future communities can follow. Located within walking distance of T&P Station and the fancy new digs of Texas A&M School of Law, the area has multistory buildings filled with 500-square-foot studio apartments as well as larger complexes that offer multiroom condos and amenities out the wazoo. And multiple coffee shops, bars, restaurants, breweries, concert venues, an apothecary, and even a bodega with great sandwiches reside within walking distance of anyone who calls this village home. We aren’t exaggerating when we say one could reside in this community and have every one of their needs met without having to own a car. Dare we say, “No car? How un-Texas of South Main Village.”

It might sound like an against-thegrain idea that flies in the face of Fort Worth’s wide-open West and a cowboy’s inherent need to “own land,” but for the city to achieve sustainable growth and become an inviting place for young talent, such urban communities will exist in multiples. Yes, even in the Stockyards.

NAYSAYING NOSTRADAMUS SAYS:

Urban density will strip Fort Worth of its “big city with a small-town feel” charm, leading to a metropolitan area overrun by young, overcaffeinated techies who’ve never milked a cow in their lives.

THE ROSE-COLORED OUTLOOK:

Successfully combating the spawl, the city’s advocacy for placemaking has resulted in Fort Worth becoming a haven for young, skilled workers, and three Fortune 500 companies are considering a move to Cowtown.

WILL HAVE STREETCARS AND LESS CAR CARS

(PUBLIC TRANSIT AND INFRASTRUCTURE)

In this seesawing political climate, we wouldn’t dare share any conjectures on the future of electric vehicles or

previously promised federal funding for public transit projects. We can, however, say with certainty that exponentially more Fort Worthians will be hopping around the city via some form of public transit in 2050.

Despite more homegrown oil drilling and dipping into the billions upon billions of barrels of U.S. oil reserves, gas prices are likely to continue to outrage, and the city’s penchant for widening highways, byways, and country roads won’t have the slightest effect on decreasing congestion. Sick of high prices and a concrete infrastructure that never had a chance to keep up with population growth, it’s likely that some folks will take refuge in the public transit system — whether by the soon-toexpand TEXRail, bus, or rideshare. And as ridership increases, the demand for a more robust public transit system could become the order of the day. And with densely populated urban villages now speckled throughout the city, natural stops for a streetcar line have emerged.

The city is no stranger to streetcars, having once been home to over 40 miles of streetcar lines that operated throughout the city between 1876 and 1937. And in 2010, the City Council revisited the streetcar but ultimately voted down a proposed line that once

seemed likely to pass.

Ideal for tourists and locals alike, the 2050 line will connect most of the city’s inner residential and entertainment districts, and we suspect young Fort Worthians will have already embraced the system as a popular alternative for work commutes; museum days; Stock Show events; and night-time treks for dining out, concerts, Bass Hall performances, and social gatherings.

Now, with more streetcars and fewer car cars, congestion will decrease, making any additional concrete driving paths unnecessary. Thus, the fight for an improved infrastructure will shift from roads to rails. And with an increased population, rise in median income, and the potential for a city budget that prioritizes transit, Trinity Metro, Fort Worth’s transit agency, could obtain the funding necessary for a light rail. While it’s wishful thinking that such a scenario could unfold before 2050, it’s not out of the question. After all, this is an area in which Fort Worth is playing catch-up.

Add to this the proposed $30 billion high-speed rail line connecting Fort Worth to Dallas and carrying on to Houston, come 2050, the way Fort Worthians get around will be unrecognizable.

NAYSAYING NOSTRADAMUS SAYS:

Streetcars and light rail systems that resulted from the uptick in urban villages won’t service anyone in the suburbs, so most people are paying for something they never use.

THE ROSE-COLORED OUTLOOK: A robust public transit system does far more than provide affordable transportation for urban dwellers, it will also improve Fort Worth’s air quality, increase property value resulting in higher revenue for the city, and attract young talent to the city.

BECOME

(TRIED AND TRUE INDUSTRY)

They’re still testing aircraft near the old Carswell Air Force Base, but that’s no longer the F-35 you hear screaming through the sky, but a different jet fighter altogether. Something we suspect causes a sigh of relief.

Not long after President Donald Trump’s reelection, his then-recent appointee to head the newly christened Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Elon Musk, put Fort Worth into a frenzy when he suggested the Department of Defense put an end to the F-35 program. For those who don’t know, the F-35 is a fifth-generation combat aircraft made right here in Fort Worth by Lockheed Martin. While his criticisms were not directed at the craftsmanship of our fellow Fort Worthians, his suggestion that the aircraft amounted to little more than wasteful spending put at risk the jobs of 16,400 Lockheed Martin employees at its Fort Worth facility.

While this shows the potential for tumult due to political winds, regardless of what happens to the F-35 program — very unlikely to be canceled, by the way — Fort Worth will remain a mecca for the aviation and aerospace industries. In addition to Musk’s punching bag, there’s another aircraft soon to come equipped with a “Made in Cowtown” sticker. In December 2024, Fort Worth-based Bell Helicopter announced plans to construct a $632 million factory in Alliance to build the Army’s next-generation assault helicopter, the V-280 Valor.

If you’re keeping score, that means Fort Worth will soon be the manufacturing hub of the two preeminent combat aircraft for all branches of service — the Air Force, Navy, and Marines all use the F-35.

In the coming years, the U.S. Army will deploy the V-280 in 2031, and government purchases of the F-35 are set to end in 2044 — though the aircraft will operate through 2070. However, decades before the aircraft retires, a sixth-generation fighter will already be on deck to take its place. And with China threatening to become the first nation with a sixthgeneration fighter, the Navy and Air Force are on a consolidated plan to select an aircraft in the next few years. Lockheed Martin, which won the last two government contracts for combat fighters,

might be the odds-on favorite to come out on top.

Whether the F-40-somethings are manufactured in Fort Worth or elsewhere, a win for Lockheed is still a win for Fort Worth.

NAYSAYING NOSTRADAMUS SAYS:

Fort Worth continuing to thrive in the era of the military industrial complex is not the best of looks.

THE ROSE-COLORED OUTLOOK:

Fort Worth’s research and development tax credit will lead to an expansive and diverse field of aerospace companies calling Cowtown home.

WILL BECOME THE HOLLYWOOD OF TEXAS (NEW INDUSTRY)

According to his Wikipedia page, which we have on record is entirely inaccurate, Taylor Sheridan will be 80 years old in 2050. While many successful writers and directors continue to work, sometimes even at a prolific rate, into their golden years — Scorsese, Eastwood, Spielberg, and Coppola to name recent examples — we’d say it’s fair to avoid putting the weight of an entire city’s film industry on the shoulders of someone entering their ninth decade of life.

And while Sheridan could feasibly be amid another batch of popular shows streaming on whatever service is bound to have replaced Paramount+ — are we going to follow John Dutton II into a wartorn 1942? — by now, he would have built a sturdy-enough foundation and lured multiple filmmakers into producing films almost exclusively in Fort Worth.

But, for this to happen, a key domino must fall.

In the Texas film world, a lot is happening right now — the state senate is proposing a $500 million investment into incentives for Texas-based film productions, more than doubling the current incentive program; Matthew McConaughey is headlining Super Bowl commercials in favor of said incentive

program; and devastating wildfires are bound to leave Southern California reeling for some time.

Concerning the investment, a number that would exceed the annual $330 million cap in California, those who proposed the bill aren’t mincing their words. Their objective is to make Texas the “motion picture capital of the world.” Yet, budget-conscious lawmakers aren’t thrilled about the high price tag — no matter how charmingly persuasive McConaughey might appear. Perhaps a better way to convince such legislators is to point to Sheridan’s impact on the Fort Worth economy — $700 million since 2015. Of note, Sheridan along with Mayor Mattie Parker spoke to the Texas Senate in October 2024, urging for more incentives.

Our crystal ball is saying the senate passes the bill, opening the flood gates of filmmaking to the Lone Star State. And with a likely gold rush for filmmakers to carve out a piece of that $500 million investment, we suspect many will be keen on choosing the city where the state’s most well-known showrunner filmed the most-watched Paramount+ show ever. Yes, we’re talking about Fort Worth.

In 2050, don’t be shocked if clapboards become a familiar sight.

NAYSAYING NOSTRADAMUS SAYS: That’s a lot of my hard-earned money going to the “Hollywood elite.” I thought we were trying to keep Cali out.

THE ROSE-COLORED OUTLOOK: More jobs, more tax revenue thanks to the expenditures of cast and crew, and few things bring more attention to a city than a popular motion picture. Why wouldn’t we want more of those made here?

DATA CENTERS WILL OUTNUMBER GROCERY STORES (TECHNOLOGY AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE)

Not sure if you’re aware, but artificial intelligence (AI for short) is taking over

the world. And the world happens to include Fort Worth; you do the math.

The possible outcomes of such a wrinkle, one that movie directors and cynics long anticipated, are innumerable and mind-boggling. But we can say with 100% certainty that AI and generative AI — the tool most now use to generate “original” text, images, and videos — will have a massive effect on our lives and the city we call home.

We suspect there are two distinct and dissimilar ways in which this new technology will most impact Cowtown.

First, Fort Worth — and by Fort Worth, we mean every facet of the city and how it operates, from police to utilities to waste management — will harness artificial intelligence to improve its residents’ quality of life. Getting assistance from AI to monitor and collect massive amounts of data around traffic flow, air quality, energy usage, criminal activity, and just about everything inbetween, the city will become privy to

North Texas will become Data Capital, USA. In other words, as Houston is to oil, Dallas/Fort Worth will be to data.

Even more jarring, with the popularity of online shopping extending to our food, grocery stores will become fewer and more niche. And, in 2050, those data centers powering your online shopping will outnumber physical grocery stores in Fort Worth.

NAYSAYING NOSTRADAMUS SAYS: Have you not seen “The Terminator”?

THE ROSE-COLORED OUTLOOK:

While our reliance on the digital can be depressing, the city will become more efficient, and the new data centers will also employ Fort Worthians and pay taxes, generating revenue for the city.

ECONOMIC GROWTH

WILL OCCUR ON BOTH SIDES OF I-35 WITH MINIMAL DISPLACEMENT

(GENTRIFICATION)

One of the biggest concerns when one speaks of economic growth directly east of I-35 is gentrification. When new businesses arrive, new developments get green-lit, new housing gets built, and property values increase and rent prices go up. Suddenly priced out of their residences, lower-income and disadvantaged families and individuals are forced to leave. While this is a natural cycle and evolution of neighborhoods, there are ways to boost economic growth within a particular neighborhood while minimizing displacement.

And Fort Worth might already have the blueprint.

A new urban village at Evans and Rosedale is set to reshape a large chunk of the Historic Southside and Hillside neighborhoods of Fort Worth. However, the developer had to meet certain stipulations defined by the city, such as the inclusion of affordable housing and use of minority subcontractors.

According to the upcoming urban village’s Milwaukee-based developer, Royal Capital, the final design of the Evans and Rosedale development included significant input from the community.

Ultimately, a development with mixed-income housing and shops, eateries, and entertainment options tailored to the community that exists instead of one they’re trying to attract, could provide new options and opportunities for locals, lower crime rates, and improve infrastructure without significant increases in cost of living. Yes, Fort Worth is having its cake and eating it, too.

In this prediction of the future, this handsome and walkable urban village will become a shining example of how to develop a neighborhood with a disadvantaged population. And you’ll see several more developments just like it throughout the city.

NAYSAYING NOSTRADAMUS SAYS: Putting such stipulations on new developments will only stymie growth. And with no increase in property taxes, the city is getting no additional revenue for its trouble.

THE ROSE-COLORED OUTLOOK: Some types of growth needn’t be stretched beyond certain boundaries. And staying within those limitations will centralize growth and promote population density, which is precisely what the city needs.

WILL EMBRACE ENERGY IN ALL ITS FORMS (OIL

AND GAS AND RENEWABLES)

Fort Worth was once home to an office of every major oil company, had seven oil refineries, and reaped massive benefits from the seven-year boom of the Barnett Shale. This boom, which once provided 40% of the natural gas in the U.S., kicked off the shale revolution in the early aughts and led to the U.S. becoming self-sufficient in oil and gas. There are no two ways about it, Cowtown wasn’t just an oil and gas town, it was at the center of the industry.

Eventually, the Barnett Shale gas production slowed — it now accounts for less than 2% of U.S. natural gas — the oil refineries closed shop, and many oil and gas companies left town. But with alternative forms of energy becoming more necessary and reliance on oil and gas decreasing, Fort Worth has a unique opportunity to reclaim its title and become a hub of new forms of energy.

We suspect, by 2050, that Fort Worth’s old moniker of being an “oil and gas town” will expand to the much broader “energy town.” And, according to the Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership, the city is already taking the steps necessary “to build an ecosystem that spans the full energy spectrum — from generation and production, to distribution, storage and other downstream applications.”

On the docket is a new facility by

Siemens that will produce the lowvoltage switchgear that will power those previously mentioned data centers. Elsewhere, a rare earth manufacturing factory is near completion in North Fort Worth, which will produce materials critical to power electric vehicles. And, speaking of EVs, in January 2024, LG opened its first U.S. factory to produce EV charging stations.

NAYSAYING NOSTRADAMUS SAYS:

Alternative forms of energy might remain just that, alternative forms of energy. Fort Worth might be building an ecosystem for something that people simply don’t want.

THE ROSE-COLORED OUTLOOK: With little return from the shale these days, Fort Worth is better off embracing new forms of energy. The upside, getting a leg up in the industry, is far greater than any downside.

CONSERVATION OF UTILITIES WILL BE FRONT OF MIND (WATER AND THE GRID)

By 2050, your utility prices will go up. Way up. Sorry, but the inevitable increase in population will lead to the inevitable increase in the cost of utilities. Increased demand = increased prices.

But beyond the basic economics of the issue, Fort Worth will soon have to address hurdles with water and electricity supply. Tarrant Regional Water District, which covers 11 counties, operates the four reservoirs from which Fort Worth gets most of its drinking water (Lake Bridgeport, Eagle Mountain Lake, Cedar Creek Lake, and RichlandChambers Lake). But if Fort Worth’s growing population continues to expand outward into high-water-usage areas, new water restrictions could become a city ordinance.

While TRWD has taken steps to combat the potential for water shortages, including the 150-mile integrated pipeline that taps into existing reservoirs outside TRWD’s service area, the region

will require 1.3 million acres of water supply by 2080 to meet water demand. Fortunately, the potential for two new reservoirs, both to be completed by 2050, could put a dent in that.

On the electricity side, demand in Texas is expected to double — the result of population increase and the potential for greater EV use. Such projections have put state officials in a tizzy to incentivize the development of new natural gaspowered generation plants. While natural gas isn’t renewable, these plants could be a necessity if the state and ERCOT want to avoid the frequent brown outs like those experienced in California.

NAYSAYING NOSTRADAMUS SAYS:

The unreliable grid will remain just that, unreliable. Let us not forget the freeze of 2021.

THE ROSE-COLORED OUTLOOK:

The TRWD remains a proactive, forward-thinking water district with great foresight and has earned trust. But long-term solutions for Texas’ grid remain to be seen.

WILL TURN BLUE. POLITICALLY, THAT IS (LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS)

With migration to Fort Worth occurring at a record pace, it stands to reason the population — projected to be around 1.5 million by 2050 — will reflect an increased diversity.

That will naturally lead to more diversity of thought and an electorate comprising a larger percentage of Hispanic, African American, and Asian voters, groups that historically lean Democratic.

Add to that an expected surge in young voters with Fort Worth and Tarrant County fast becoming a hub for research and university offerings and you likely have a blue city, a trend that has already begun with statewide candidates.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz hasn’t won Tarrant County since 2012. Donald Trump is two for three. In other words, if turnout is high, it’s a struggle.

Those downtown and urban

neighborhoods, already Democratic, will likely become even more solidly blue as the population density increases and young professionals, students, and diverse communities are predominant in those areas.

The suburbs in the county still lean heavy Republican. Those areas are what got Republican Betsy Price beat in her primary against County Judge Tim O’Hare in 2022. Will there be a shift? More than likely. Urban sprawl will make them more competitive. Moreover, new suburbs may develop more diverse, middle-class populations that tend to favor more centrist politics, pushing these areas toward a purple hue.

Four factors will in all likelihood significantly impact the political direction: climate change and sustainability, and water scarcity. Two, affordable housing. And, three, policies surrounding public transportation. Lastly, public education.

National political dynamics will also serve to influence where we all stand in 2050.

NAYSAYING NOSTRADAMUS SAYS:

Does a Democratic-led city that knows how to deal with all the issues of urbanity exist? Housing, homelessness and social services strains, crime and public safety, and business and tax policy. If they’re out there, they hide very well.

THE ROSE-COLORED OUTLOOK:

Blue cities tend to be economic powerhouses, attracting tech, finance, health care, and creative industries. See Austin and Silicon Valley.

WILL GET EDUCATED ON EDUCATION (SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES)

Texas A&M’s emerging campus on the southeast side of the downtown — once so desolate and sleepy a place, I saw a panther hibernating down there … I swear — is representative of our own little renaissance on the Western frontier.

The transformation of that quiet

corner into full bloom as the campus of Fort Worth-Texas A&M is something much more than that. Business and innovation have already begun to invest and locate to Fort Worth because of what is happening down there.

That’s not all that’s going on.

TCU’s medical school is off the ground and running, doing its part to see that the burgeoning Medical District expands into a regional health care leader with cuttingedge hospitals and research facilities. Theirs and A&M’s presence will lead to biotech companies looking for a home here. Texas Wesleyan is refining course offerings to better suit professionals in search of additional education. And UT Arlington, seeing the demographic writing on the wall, is making a huge investment in Fort Worth, plotting to build a 51-acre campus to serve a booming portion of North Texas region to serve up to 10,000 students when finally built out.

By 2100, Aledo, with a population of 6,200, as of 2023, is expected to be the population center of the region. Egads! They’ll have a choice to go to school nearby.

Tarrant County College, too, will continue to ramp up offerings for those whose not on a traditional college path. Its HVAC program is already one of the best in the state.

The expanded educational presence will foster a more educated workforce and ensure Fort Worth’s future is one as a hub for research and innovation.

Primary and second education? Only the good Lord knows. We’re hopeful the kids can start reading and doing the maths at grade level in Fort Worth. It will likely depend on the social issues, namely, familial units with strong leadership.

Our fingers are crossed.

NAYSAYING NOSTRADAMUS SAYS:

Finding a negative is difficult, unless, of course, the public schools don’t get their stuff together.

THE ROSE-COLORED OUTLOOK:

Fort Worth becomes something akin to Florence and Venice on the Western frontier, producing a ready workforce for all the industry clamoring for space.

Preservation and growth can coincide.

continue to evolve, adapt, and survive. While it’s difficult to predict digital trends, it is likely that social media, and this includes all the never-ending global feeds of infinite and instantaneous content, will somehow become even more prevalent in our daily lives. These channels will morph into the ecosystems by which we do absolutely everything — work, communicate, pay bills, learn, shop, watch TV, listen to music, etc.; their algorithms feeding you everything you want to see and hear. And media — newspapers, magazines, broadcast channels, and digital news outlets — no matter the medium, will be right there vying for your attention.

NAYSAYING NOSTRADAMUS SAYS:

The bigger problem is the fact few trust major media sources anymore, and regaining that trust is essential for its survival.

THE ROSE-COLORED OUTLOOK:

Glaring conflicts of interest aside, Jeff Bezos’ ownership of The Washington Post is of high interest for two reasons. First, it’s positive he sees potential growth. Second, how will that growth come?

While the Star-Telegram has taken some hits and no longer prints daily, we’re not counting them out in the year 2050 quite yet. It’s still a name that carries emotional weight in Cowtown, and we suspect someone will carry on the Star-Telegram title. It’s unlikely to go back to being a daily, and it might even go completely digital, but they’ll remain in your social media feeds, or wherever you’re consuming content.

THE MEDICAL DISTRICT WILL

ADD CUTTING-EDGE TO ITS LEXICON (HEALTH CARE)

Fort Worth becoming a medical hub isn’t a prediction awash in wishful thinking or niceties. No, Fort Worth becoming a medical hub is a necessity. After Cowtown eclipses Dallas in

research and innovation in health care. Most cutting-edge medical advancements happen at clinics tied to well-regarded medical schools and, while the newness of TCU’s program means it might take a while, the potential for it to become a major player in the medical industry can’t be overstated. The school’s current location in the Near Southside gives it great access to all the area’s major hospitals to research and perform clinical work. And we posit that, one day, TCU will be slapping its name on one of those hospitals.

NAYSAYING NOSTRADAMUS SAYS:

Despite JPS’s high national ranking, how is Fort Worth still home to the ZIP code (76104) with the state’s lowest life expectancy?

THE ROSE-COLORED OUTLOOK:

As TCU’s Burnett School of Medicine becomes more recognized and its reputation continues to improve, the school will become a positive influence on an already strong medical district.

CULINARY SCENE WILL ATTRACT FOOD TOURISTS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE (RESTAURANTS AND ENTERTAINMENT)

It might take a few years, but those disappointed in Cowtown’s lack of Michelin stars during the guidebook’s visit to the Lone Star State will get their frowns turned upside down. Absorbing some culinary lessons, the city’s chefs and restaurateurs will lead Fort Worth into a major dining boom.

This foodie revolution will be the result of a perfect storm of inspiring cuisines from local chefs, an influx of curious and cultured incoming residents willing to try wild dishes, and the city of Fort Worth making some revisions to its arduous 63-regulatory-step process to open a new restaurant — don’t worry, the cuts won’t affect food quality or health and safety.

While we predict this will happen long before 2050 rolls around, the newly minted world-class dining scene will have some staying power.

To date, no Fort Worth restaurant has ever been honored by the two most prestigious groups that make it their duty to judge eateries: James Beard Foundation and the Michelin Guide. While our crystal ball isn’t granting us any exact figures, we do predict by 2050, Fort Worth will have multiple restaurants honored by both.

And, yes, Cowtown will still have the best barbecue.

NAYSAYING NOSTRADAMUS SAYS: Can we please not lose the charm of our local dining scene by inviting foodie tourists to the table?

THE ROSE-COLORED OUTLOOK:

A city’s food scene is indicative of a city’s diversity, energy, prosperity, and general good taste. Improving the quality of Fort Worth’s restaurants cements its status as a world-class city.

SUNDANCE SQUARE WILL BE AT

FULL OCCUPANCY (DOWNTOWN)

Just a few months ago, we never thought the magnificent Victorian street clock in front of the downtown location of Haltom’s Jewelers would ever disappear. Nor did we suspect Haltom’s Jewelers itself would ever close. And yet, the corner of Main and Third is now void of timepieces and jewelry stores.

Then again, it’s easy to argue the shuttering of Haltom’s shouldn’t have come as a surprise. When it comes to Sundance Square, the 35-block jewel of Fort Worth’s downtown, predicting vacancies and occupancies is a fool’s errand. The area is a vortex where logic has no residency and leases have no staying power. It’s become routine for long-standing and popular institutions to close their doors for good as quickly as it takes them to turn the lock.

As disturbing as the trend is, we don’t see it lasting till 2050. And the reason is simple: It’s bad business. Having that many vacancies and a revolving door of businesses would make one think this area is in a rough part of town, not one of the most walkable and highly trafficked areas of the 11th largest city in the United States. So, regardless of what’s happening now, the bottom line will eventually dictate getting great, popular tenants to occupy every available space in Sundance Square.

Concerning the rest of downtown, reuse and urbanization will result in more living spaces, office spaces, and maybe even a few new skyscrapers. Downtown will continue to push west, where you’ll see vacant lots and singlestory office spaces become high-rise office buildings, condos, and urban apartments.

NAYSAYING NOSTRADAMUS SAYS: Sure, Sundance Square might be at full occupancy, but spaces full of obscure art galleries and plant shops aren’t going to lure many downtown.

THE ROSE-COLORED OUTLOOK: Bass Performance Hall, Sundance Plaza, and the walk down Main Street. If those things still exist in 25 years, Fort Worth has one of the most incredible downtowns regardless of who occupies the spaces.

PANTHER ISLAND WILL BE DELAYED, BUT IT WILL EXIST (PANTHER ISLAND)

According to recent reports, those at the helm of the Central City federal flood control project, colloquially referred to as Panther Island, are still holding out hope for a 2032 completion date.

The project, which has been in the works since 2001, is a $1.16 billion canalization of the Trinity River just north of downtown that will give way to a massive urban village on an 800-acre island. The new island will be the result of a bypass channel built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that will reroute part of the Trinity. The bypass is also supposed to relieve stress on Fort Worth’s 21 miles of levees and protect thousands of acres from flooding — hence how the city managed to secure the federal funding.

It’s an ambitious project that has long been hindered by changes to the plan, changes to funding — Congress authorized over $500 million in federal funding, but the project had received only $62 million through 2022 — and changes in leadership.

If the channels are, in fact, completed by 2032, the island will now be visible and ripe for construction at a location that would have any developer licking their chops. The current plan calls for mixeduse buildings, green spaces, hotels, sports facilities, and a heck of a lot more. It’s a dense urban village that will need a solid infrastructure of roads, potential rail lines, and utilities and will take years upon years

to develop and build. Of course, the above plan is also sure to be tweaked. At the moment, there’s no set timeline for the island’s eventual development. But with the Army Corps of Engineers promising completion of the bypass by 2032, we feel confident Panther Island will exist by 2050. And we’ll go one step further and say that developments — apartments, restaurants, retailers, etc. — will exist, in some capacity, on the island. After taking so long to get the bypass done, we doubt anyone drags their feet to develop this prime piece of real estate.

NAYSAYING NOSTRADAMUS SAYS: $1.16 billion? So, is this the going rate for swamp land?

THE ROSE-COLORED OUTLOOK: Needing urban development, Panther Island provides 800 acresworth of mixed-use development that will become one of the hottest spots in town.

DFW AIRPORT WILL HAVE A TERMINAL G (AIR TRAVEL)

Terminal F, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport’s sixth terminal that comes with a $1.6 billion price tag, is set to open in 2027. And don’t expect this to be the sole addition before 2050 rolls around.

According to forecasts from the Federal Aviation Association, DFW Airport ‘s passenger traffic and airline flights could grow by as much as 80%. While the metroplex’s population boom is partially to blame for this increase, most of the traffic will come via connecting passengers. As aviation becomes more accessible to the global population, the demand for flights will increase.

According to the International Civil Aviation Organization, air traffic is expected to double over the next 20 years. And, with Love Field legally constrained to 20 gates, no airport exists that can take the load off DFW. This, of course, means more gates — the airport likes to add them four or five at a time into

connecting areas between terminals — more Skylink stops — which itself will get a facelift — and likely another terminal. Terminal G.

The airport will also have some new electric-powered, or perhaps hybrid, planes taking off, landing, and parking. While Airbus’ previous electric airliner program (E-Fan X) failed to achieve liftoff thanks to COVID, we wouldn’t be shocked if they pick up the pieces, give it another go, and sell a couple planes to more adventurous airlines doing shorter trips.

Perhaps our most confident prediction for the airport in 2050 is a halt of all paper tickets to board planes. That’s right, like everything else, the airport will fully embrace your touch-screen mobile device, making those tracing-paper-thin tickets only good for emergency tissue.

NAYSAYING NOSTRADAMUS SAYS:

The fact the airport will become 80% more crowded means DFW will be ground zero for the next pandemic and will give a large chunk of Fort Worth’s population even more reason to avoid air travel.

THE ROSE-COLORED OUTLOOK: With two new terminals, this might also mean two more TGI Fridays.

PROFESSIONAL SPORTS WILL REMAIN EAST (PRO SPORTS)

[NOTE: For the sake of this argument, we’re electing to put aside the notion that most Fort Worthians likely consider any squad with Dallas in their name a “home team.”]

The average lifespan of a professional sports team stadium is 30 years. If this statistic holds true, this means all four of the metroplex’s major sports franchises (Cowboys, Rangers, Mavericks, Stars) will be playing in new arenas, domes, or ballparks by 2050 — with the Rangers set to debut their new digs.

With the prospect of a new stadium comes handwringing among city officials; there’s always that slight threat

a team could pack their bags and go elsewhere. It’s no mistake that a team’s lease with the city typically lasts 30 years.

So, let’s imagine for a second that each of the four professional teams in the metroplex, upon completion of their 30-year leases, are considering a new home. Could Fort Worth, with its climb up the population rankings and acres upon acres of unused land, be an attractive option? There’s no doubt the city could make a push for it. After all, snagging one of these teams that already exists within Fort Worth’s media market might be the city’s best chance to get a professional sports franchise.

While it’s feasible the Rangers could make the leap to Fort Worth, despite their stadium being 30 years old in 2050, their lease with Arlington technically doesn’t expire until 2054 due to their building the new park four years before their previous lease expired in 2024. Thus, their new 30-year lease goes to 2054. Also, the Rangers have had a long history in Arlington and are unlikely to leave town.

The Cowboys, perhaps still owned and managed by Jerry Jones in an iron lung, have never had a problem with switching up cities yet retaining the name “Dallas.” Their lease with Arlington expires in 2039, and some land in the exploding Alliance Corridor might make for a great new Jerry World. But it’s doubtful the Cowboys will want to move that far away from the metroplex’s main population center, which, even in 2050, will be Dallas. However, Jerry did take a glance at the Alliance Corridor 25 years ago.

The Mavericks, who sold their team to a family of Las Vegas natives and just traded away arguably the best player in the NBA, could very well move. Anything is possible. But, like the Stars, a move to Fort Worth doesn’t do anything for them.

Perhaps the best way for Cowtown to get professional ball is for the metroplex to grow to such an astronomical size that it warrants two franchises, and one of the leagues awards Fort Worth an expansion team — a la Los Angeles. This is not our prediction, mind you, but it is fun to imagine.

NAYSAYING NOSTRADAMUS SAYS:

At least require a team’s name to include the city in which they play, not the city next to it.

THE ROSE-COLORED OUTLOOK:

With Arlington likely to remain the metroplex’s hotbed of professional sports, at least Fort Worthians won’t have to return to the days of traveling to Dallas for games.

WILL REMAIN THE CAPITAL OF COWBOY CULTURE (PRESERVING OUR ROOTS)

Some people say their greatest fear is public speaking. Others might say loneliness, rejection, or failure. Indiana Jones says it’s snakes. But for Fort Worthians, they fear losing their identity, losing the thing that distinguishes them from others — those charming cowboy yeehawisms carried down from

generation to generation that make them uniquely Fort Worthian.

While this Fort Worth culture is rooted in its people, it’s also represented in things like the Stockyards, the Herd, Billy Bob’s Texas, and the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. So, when people catch wind of urban dwellings around the very un-urban Stockyards, or a fast-food joint rubbing up against Cattlemen’s Steakhouse, it’s only natural to get a little worried about the future of our hometown.

Truth is, these very un-Fort Worth developments — we call them un-Fort Worth because they fly in the face of our small-town vibe — are inevitable and ultimately important for the growth and sustainability of the city. The Stockyards are going to change. Some of the changes we’ll like, and others we won’t. But the Herd will still walk down the bricks of East Exchange Avenue twice a day and Billy Bob’s Texas will still have line dancing on Tuesday. Yes, both will be happening in 2050.

With cowboy fashion and the world

of Western culture experiencing an en vogue renaissance, the fad of pearl snaps, Stetsons, and bandanas is likely to fade in the next few years. No, in 2050, rodeos won’t be nearly as celebrated around the U.S. as they are right now, so enjoy.

But we also predict that in 2050, rodeos will be just as cool in Fort Worth as they have always been. Despite newcomers from every other state in the union and developers going scorched earth on Cowtown lore, Fort Worth isn’t going to lose the things that made it Fort Worth.

NAYSAYING NOSTRADAMUS SAYS: Urban apartments within one’s eyeline while watching the Fort Worth Herd is just plain wrong no matter how you slice it.

THE ROSE-COLORED OUTLOOK: Successfully straddling the line between progress and preservation, Fort Worth graduates to worldclass-city status while sticking to its Cowtown roots.

CONCLUSION

The following might be obvious, but we’re going to say it anyway: It’s impossible to predict the future. New technologies, political strife, international conflict, asteroids threatening our very existence, or, if you’re into astrology, specific planets in retrograde — we live in an erratic and uncertain world full of events that can affect the trajectory of our lives. Each of these predictions is simply a shot in the dark.

So, if in 25 years you find your robots dusting off your old Fort Worth Magazines and your AI pal reading aloud the words from this article, please don’t judge these predictions too harshly. Like a 5-year-old writing about what they want to be when they grow up, we’re approaching this with just enough knowledge to be dangerous. Perhaps we should have approached a modern-day seer as a subject matter expert, or maybe our grasp was limited by a refusal to use generative AI. Regardless, when we revisit this — whether in 10 or 25 years — we’re open to the possibility that it could induce a mighty cringe. But such is the nature of predicting our future.

Top Dentists

This list is compiled and provided by topDentists (Copyright 2012-2025 by topDentists, Augusta, GA) a database of dental professionals who have been selected as “tops” by vote of their peers.

The complete database is available at usatopDentists.com. For information email help@usatopdentists.com or visit usatopDentists.com.

Dental Anesthesiology

Rajeev Misra

Endodontics

Chad R. Allen

Sayeed Attar

Charles “Trey” E. Brown III

Susana M. Bruce

Ray C. Gillespie

Pei Kang

John W. Loeffelholz

Deborah C. Loth

Miguel Martinez

Francisco J. Nieves

Rajiv Patel

Todd W. Remmers

Jeffrey L. Saunders

Casey L. Turner

Ryan M. Walsh

General Dentistry

Kevin M. Altieri

Stephen P. Anderson

Jonathan R. Angwin

Kristen L. Angwin

Sheri N. Audu

Kimberley A. Baker

John E. Barroso

Barrett L. Bartell

Garron Belnap

Amy N. Bender

Gina A. Biedermann

Jessica H. Brigati

Stephen G. Brogdon

Jacob S. Brown

Kent R. Brown

Timothy S. Casey

Sean M. Cerone

Johnny S. Cheng

Barry S. Cole

Mitch A. Conditt

Katie M. Coniglio

William L. Cook III

P. Brent Cornelius

Reid Darnell

Rupal B. Davé

Emily Davis

N. Dakota Davis

Ravi V. Doctor

Lee C. Dodson

Chad L. Drennan

Lauren A. D. Drennan

Michael R. Drennan

Chad C. Duplantis

T. Paul Dyer

Caitlin Flosi

Jason R. Fowler

Tonya K. Fuqua

James B. Getz Jr.

Michael J. Goulding

Tamara Gray

Nikki P. Green

David J. Greer

Christopher Hawkins

Victoria C. Heron

D. Brent Hicks

Lindsey A. Horwedel

Timothy M. Huckabee

Christopher Kim

Tracy Kirk

Kenneth D. Kirkham

Justyna S. Laska

Donald Michael Mabry

Patrick R. Malone

Yahya M. Mansour

Gregory Martin

Scott A. Mason

D. Keith Metzger

David Kyle Metzger

Jason M. Miller

Mark S. Moore

Sarah J. Morris

Partha Mukherji

Ashley K. Murrey

Karen L. Neil

David M. Nelson

Kathleen Ong

Depal P. Parikh

Sahil K. Patel

Gary N. Pointer

J. Richard Polson

Jo Lynn Porter

William H. Ralstin

Diana H. Raulston

Alejandra “Ali” C. Rivas

Kovach

J. Michael Rogers

Jeremy I. Rudd

Souvik Sarkar

Michael D. Shelby

Joshua T. Smith

Brent A. Spear

Brooks M. Stevens

John B. Struble

Mark E. Studer

J. Tyler Tate

Jean A. Tuggey

Bryan S. Wall

Timothy M. Warren

Eric S. Wear

Gary L. White

Todd White

Eric M. Wilson

Gregory B. Wright

Marshall H. Wright

Saam Zarrabi

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Franklin Awah

Brandon R. Brown

Ryan Carmichael

Mazen Duraini

Eduardo A. Humes

David K. Hunter

Haroon Ismaili

Herman Kao

David W. Kostohryz Jr.

Todd A. Kovach

Diana Lois

James Macholl

John P. McPhillips

David E. Parmer

Robert B. Peak

Mau K. Pham

William F. Runyon Jr.

Gregory B. Scheideman

Michael D. Sheppard

John C. Shillingburg

Andrew M. Sohn

John P. Stella

Gregory D. Taylor

Chris L. Tye

Michael R. Warner

Fayette C. Williams

Orthodontics

J. Moody Alexander

James Andy Barron

Daniel J. Bekish

Sheila G. Birth

Jose G. Chow

Monte K. Collins

Basma M. Fallah

Cristi L. Fletcher

Ronald D. Groves

Bradley S. Hall

Cameron Jolley

John M. Kelley Jr.

Jeremy R. Lustig

David C. McReynolds

David M. Mikulencak

Robert J. Montoya

Scott A. Myser

Maya V. Oliver

Anthony Patel

Evan Perkins

Nicholas R. Ridder

Paul Robinson

Christopher A. Sorokolit

Aaron V. Swapp

Shane R. Tolleson

Andrew N. Young

Pediatric Dentistry

Sandra L. Armstrong

Michael Ball

R. Nelson Beville III

Jerod W. Brazeal

Alexis Capeci

Shannon Coyle Cestari

Austin R. Church

Jody D. Cremer

Christopher M. Davis

Daniel E. Donohue

Debra C. Duffy

Aishwarya Indiramohan

Drew M. Jamison

Jennifer P. Ketchel

Manivara P. Krone

Elizabeth M. Laborde

Mark C. Lantzy

Bridget D. McAnthony

Charles W. Miller

Janell I. Plocheck

Elizabeth Gold Rector

Susan Merlene Roberts

Robert Casey Stroud

Amy K. Watts

Ed Watts

John B. Witte

Daniel E. Wright

Jason A. Zimmerman

Periodontics

Amjad Almasri

Elise Anyakwo

Scott Bedichek

Farhad E. Boltchi

Steven K. Britain

Brent F. Gabriel

William M. Grover

Sarah J. Kelly

N. Joseph Laborde III

Shelby Nelson

George D. Pylant III

Matthew R. Steffer

Daniela A. Zambon

Prosthodontics

Hanife C. Bayraktaroglu

James C. Fischer

Steven J. Fuqua

Jorge A. Gonzalez

Annie C. Wilson

Email:

Instagram:

FOCUS

Dentists to Know

When asked their biggest fear, many people reply, “Going to the dentist.” It seems that there is something about sitting alone in a huge chair surrounded by unknown gadgets and the shrill of machinery that undoubtedly makes the stomach uneasy. However, the intention of dentists is not to scare you but to leave you with a dazzling smile. To help ease your mind, local dentists have purchased space to not only inform you of their skills but to gain your trust.

The information in this section is provided by the advertisers and has not been independently verified by Fort Worth Magazine.

Shannon Cestari, D.D.S.

Children’s Dentistry of Arlington

SPECIALTY: Pediatric Dentist. EDUCATION: D.D.S., Texas A&M University College of Dentistry; Pediatric Certificate, Eastman Institute for Oral Health; Certificate of Proficiency American Board of Laser Surgery. AWARDS/HONORS: Fort Worth Magazine Top Dentists; D Magazine Top Dentists; Fellow of the AAPD; Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry; Cambridge Who’s Who. PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS: American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, Texas Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, Southwestern Society of Pediatric Dentistry; Greater Dallas Pediatric Dental Society; American Board of Pediatric Dentistry; American Dental Association, Texas Dental Association, Fort Worth District Dental Society, Dallas County Dental Society, Academy of Laser Dentistry, American Dental Society of Anesthesiology, Mommy Dentists in Business. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: My greatest professional achievement is being credentialed at multiple hospitals allowing dental rehabilitation under general anesthesia to help protect the patient’s developing psyche. INNOVATIONS: We offer laser dentistry for patients’ dental needs and infant frenectomies. UNIQUE PATIENT CARE: We listen to your needs and concerns and provide many sedation options regarding methods of treatment, including Nitrous, Oral Sedation, IV Sedation, or General Anesthesia at a hospital facility. The team is fun and energetic to help make your child feel at ease while providing excellent dental care. PICTURED: Shannon Coyle Cestari, D.D.S.

Children’s Dentistry of Arlington 1000 North Fielder Arlington 76012

817.261.3100

Fax 817.303.3715

childrensdentistryofarlington.com

DENTISTS TO KNOW

MEDICAL SPECIALTY: Cosmetic, Implant, Comprehensive, and Sedation Dentistry.

EDUCATION/CERTIFICATIONS: All doctors have a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree.

AWARDS/HONORS: Best of Fort Worth for more than 10 years. MEMBERSHIPS: American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, American Dental Association, Texas Dental Association, Fort Worth District Dental Society, Spear Education, Texas Dental Association, and American College of Oral Implantology.

GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS:

Building a team where everyone truly cares about each other and every patient in a positive and supportive environment. INNOVATIONS: Digital Scanner, 3D printing, same-day CEREC restorations, DEKA Diode Lazer, Piezosurgery, Platelet-Rich Fibrin Technology, 3D Cone Beam Technology, and Fontana Lightwalker II. UNIQUE PATIENT CARE: We strive to provide personalized, comprehensive care with superior comfort. It aligns with our values to create a warm, understanding, and empathetic environment for every patient that walks through our doors. FREE ADVICE: The best dentistry is no dentistry, when a healthy beautiful smile is maintained throughout our lifetime. We are here to serve you and help you achieve a healthy smile, the one your heart desires. If you find yourself needing and wanting to improve your oral health or appearance, give us a call. PICTURED: Dr. Nikki Green, Dr. Bob Leedy (not pictured), Dr. Jeanette Mikulik, Dr. Laura Wasek-Throm, and Dr. Raina Sobarzo.

Fort Worth Cosmetic and Family Dentistry

5720 Locke Ave.

Fort Worth 76107

817.737.6607

Fax 888.503.8727

ngreendental.com

Fort Worth Cosmetic and Family Dentistry

Orthodontics by Birth & Fletcher

SPECIALTY: Orthodontics. We specialize in straightening teeth with braces and clear aligners, as well as simple appliances for sleep apnea for patients that cannot tolerate their CPAP. EDUCATION/ CERTIFICATIONS: Both Drs. Sheila Birth and Cristi Fletcher are board certified by the American Board of Orthodontics. AWARDS/HONORS: Top Dentist, Fort Worth Magazine; Mom Approved, Fort Worth Child; Tops in Tarrant County, Society Life. MEMBERSHIPS/AFFILIATIONS: American Board of Orthodontics, American Association of Orthodontics, American Dental Association, Texas Dental Association, and Fort Worth Dental Association. INNOVATIONS: We use an intraoral scanner which replaces “gooey” impressions and have a 3D X-ray which give us more tools to treat orthodontic cases. UNIQUE PATIENT CARE: Dental monitoring-remote monitoring. We monitor your child’s compliance remotely and keep you informed weekly with fewer in-office visits.

MISSION STATEMENT: We redefine orthodontic care with cutting-edge technology and patientcentered treatment. Through dental monitoring, we provide weekly virtual check-ins, minimizing office visits while maximizing efficiency and results. Our philosophy prioritizes expansion over extraction, ensuring a healthy, natural smile that lasts a lifetime. We are committed to innovation, convenience, and exceptional outcomes because your time and your smile matter.

Orthodontics by Birth & Fletcher

4420 Heritage Trace Parkway, Ste. 300 Keller 76244

817.348.0910

109 W. Renfro Burleson 76028

817.546.0770

3060 Sycamore School Road Fort Worth 76133

817.370.0268

2011 W. Bardin Road Arlington 76017

817.557.0025

bsfortho.com

Rodeo Dental & Orthodontics

SPECIALTY: In the realm of dental health care, Rodeo Dental & Orthodontics continues to redefine excellence and patient experience, earning a spot on Fortune Magazine’s Impact 20 list. This recognition underscores Rodeo’s unwavering commitment to not only providing top-tier dental care but also to making a profound impact in the communities it serves. With its roots firmly planted in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards, Rodeo has blossomed into one of the premier multi-specialty dental groups in the nation, boasting a team of over 150 award-winning doctors across more than 47 locations in Texas, Colorado, and Arizona. AWARDS: The company and its dentists have garnered numerous accolades, including being named the Best Place to Work in Fort Worth and consistently appearing in Fort Worth Magazine’s Top Dentists list from 2014 to 2025. INNOVATIONS: Rodeo’s innovative spirit is evident in its approach to creating a dynamic and engaging environment for its patients. As Rodeo Dental & Orthodontics continues to grow, its core mission remains steadfast: to provide exceptional dental care while creating unforgettable experiences for its patients. PICTURED: Dr. Yahya Mansour, CDO; Suzanne Jackson, COO & President; Jeremiah Radandt, CFO; Dr. Saam Zarrabi, CEO.

Rodeo Dental & Orthodontics

3204 N. Main St., Ste. 120 Fort Worth 76106, 817.997.4990

3330 Mansfield Highway, Ste. B Fort Worth 76119, 817.727.4189

2540 Gus Thomasson Dallas 75228, 469.791.7146

3557 N. Beltline Road Irving 75062, 469.784.9181

RodeoDental.com

CHOWTOWN

LOCAL EATS AND RESTAURANT NEWS

56

License to Grill Marc

WHAT WE’RE CHEWING OVER THIS MONTH:

On page 54 Tim Love is giving patrons 25 delicious reasons to help Lonesome Dove mark its landmark 25th birthday. On page 58 Crystal Springs

pays homage to both the greatness of the cheeseburger and a nostalgic site rich in Fort Worth history. On page 59 The

Hideaway

Chowtown Lowdown.

Fadel is serving up righteous barbecue from his Habibi BBQ food truck. And he’s only 19.

by John Henry

Photos by Richard W. Rodriguez

A Tribute to Taste

Tim Love celebrates 25 years of Lonesome Dove the only way he knows how — big.

Tim Love has experienced the peaks and valleys of a life in restaurants and a business that today, despite setbacks and punches absorbed from a “notoriously unforgiving” industry, borders on something akin to empire.

On this evening, he is embracing the

moment as we sit out back of his original Lonesome Dove Western Bistro in the Stockyards, alongside Marine Creek, overlooking Saunders Park.

The occasion is a media preview of the 25-course retrospective tasting menu he is deploying to mark

the 25th anniversary of Lonesome Dove. The menu reflects the daring personality of its creator, who now shares the stories behind each dish as these little packages of righteousness sit before us on a plate over a white cloth.

It’s as big as what Lonesome Dove represents to the culinary renaissance of the city. The menu will be available May 2-6, priced at $250 a person.

You can tell that the 25th is a big deal to Love, who has not only survived but expanded his portfolio to include more than a dozen concepts.

“Lonesome Dove represents the foundation of everything I’ve built over the last 25 years,” says Love.

“It’s where my career took full force, and it’s the heart of what drives me every day. Celebrating this milestone isn’t just about looking back — it’s about acknowledging the creativity, collaboration, and community that have fueled the journey and looking forward to what’s ahead. It’s a celebration of the incredibly talented team who has been part of this journey and the generations of diners who have made Lonesome Dove a place where memories are created.”

It has always been about the experience, Love says.

It’s just as clear that Love has a lot of life and ideas — and ambition — left in him. He is as much a serial restaurateur as he is serial competitor. The latter is a word he likes to use to describe himself. There’s plenty of competing to do for a guy approaching his mid-50s.

Just last month, Love Management Inc. announced Love’s most recent concept, which will come to life in the next few months. Stewart’s Croquet & Cocktails, a refined cocktail bar and croquet club designed to capture the charm of an English country club — without the exclusivity of private membership, not to mention the snobbery of the pompous and self-important — is set to open this spring in the River District at 4424 White Settlement Road.

It will be, he says, “a country club for the people.”

Stewart’s follows in a line of Love creations that dot the map of North Texas, including, in no particular order, Woodshed Smokehouse, Love Shack, Queenie’s Steakhouse in Denton, the renowned White Elephant Saloon, Gemelle, Hotel Otto, and Atico, Paloma Suerte, Caterina’s, and Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall, all sharing space with Lonesome Dove in the Stockyards.

His portfolio includes 14 hospitality brands and 18 total concepts across the South. And he mentioned a desire to take Love Management across the pond. Stay tuned for all of that. London, hardly known for flavor, might get turned over on its head.

It’s not a bad rise for a guy who didn’t discover the craft until he was 18 and only because he needed a job to pay his way through college. Love grew up with his mother in Denton and spent his summers with his father in Cookeville, Tennessee. As a freshman at the University of Tennessee, he applied for a position as a waiter at a Greek restaurant in Knoxville. Instead, the restaurant

hired him to make salads.

That’s where this story all began and really started to take shape with Love’s employ at Reata and then, ultimately, in June 2000 with the opening of Lonesome Dove, a “daring concept” which pairs globally inspired flavors with Western traditions.

Lonesome Dove was designed to pay homage to all the influences of the Old West — including Spanish, Mexican, French, and Asian cultures — as well as the diverse traditions that evolved over time across the Southwest.

The curated journey through the restaurant’s most iconic dishes will be accompanied by new creations “inspired by its evolution.”

The menu, he said then, would be a “melding of foods.” The 25-course menu includes items such as Hamachi Tostada, a rabbit and rattlesnake sausage dumpling, a garlic-stuffed tenderloin, and snow-aged wagyu with mole.

The restaurant was the beginning of making the Stockyards a destination for dining. And since

its opening, Lonesome Dove has earned widespread acclaim for its use of wild game and inventive flavor profiles. I can’t recall how much of what I was eating, as I toured the 25 courses, Love had harvested himself. He learned to hunt and fish before he learned to read.

Only a few short years after opening, Love became the first Fort Worth chef to cook at the prestigious James Beard House, and the restaurant has been a regular on honor rolls, including a Zagat rating of 28 in 2004, the highest in Texas and among the top 50 in the U.S. Lonesome Dove was also named one of The Top 50 Restaurants in the World by American Way Magazine in 2002.

“This year is about celebrating the journey — both for myself and for everyone who has been a part of Lonesome Dove’s story,” Love said.

Love’s publicists are calling the 25-course retrospective a “culinary feat.”

The story of Lonesome Dove is nothing short of a feat. More like the story of a guy who fearlessly dared.

by Malcolm Mayhew

License to Grill

A young pitmaster in Arlington is helping raise the city’s barbecue bar with a new truck called Habibi BBQ

It’s not surprising that Habibi BBQ, a new food truck in Arlington, is churning out some of Arlington’s best new ‘cue. Owner Marc Fadel has, after all, spent the past two years perfecting his rubs and recipes, experimenting with flavors both traditional and bold. At the same time, he’s been fine-tuning his skills not only as a pitmaster but also as an entrepreneur. There’s a lot more to running a restaurant, whether it’s on wheels or slab, than just cooking.

What is a bit surprising is the little tidbit you’ll learn about Fadel if you happen to strike up a conversation with him: He’s only 19 years old.

Many of North Texas’ most wellknown barbecue maestros started out young — but few, if any, ran their own barbecue business while they were college freshmen. It’s probably safe to say that none launched that business while they were still in high school.

In an increasingly competitive

barbecue market, Fadel is somewhat of an anomaly. But his age is neither a selling point for him nor an obstacle. He is simply doing what other pitmasters have done — the rigorous training, the grueling early morning/ late night hours, the constant trial and error — at a younger age.

“I really love it,” he says, modestly, standing outside of his bright red food trailer, which is parked at Arlington’s Ghost Food Park. “I don’t know if it’s what I want to do with the rest of my life, but right now, I’m loving it.”

While studying construction management at the University of Texas at Arlington Monday through Thursday, he fires up his 250-gallon smoker for service every Friday evening and Saturday afternoon. His family is often by his side, helping wherever they

Photos by Thanin Viriyaki

Marc Fadel, right, sits in front of his Habibi Barbecue food trailer in Arlington.

can. His parents not only financed the trailer and smoker but also join the crew sometimes alongside brother Michael, grandmother Adiba, and girlfriend Francesca Carrillo. This close-knit Lebanese family is all about supporting Fadel’s venture.

“We helped him here and there, but the cooking, the recipes, that’s all him,” says Gus Fadel, his father.

Habibi’s menu includes barbecue essentials such as moist and lean brisket, seasoned well, smoked perfectly, its exterior etched in a ‘Vette-red smoke ring, along with ribs, pulled pork, pork belly burnt ends, and sometimes smashburgers.

What makes his food stand out are the personal touches that pay tribute to his Lebanese heritage. Instead of the usual sides, he offers batata harra, crispy fried potatoes tossed in red pepper flakes and other seasonings, and hashweh, rice loaded with ground meat and nuts. Instead of white bread, trays of ‘cue are accompanied by pita bread.

On Fridays, Marc will sometimes offer specials such as smoked kibbeh, a traditional, deep-fried Middle Eastern dish made with ground meat, or

smoked kafta, a Lebanese meatball made with parsley, onions and other spices, and served on a skewer.

“That’s the food I grew up on,” he says. “It’s a way of standing out from other places, but it’s more about paying tribute to my heritage and family.”

Marc’s journey into the local barbecue community began while

he was competing on his high school barbecue team at the Dan Dipert Career and Technical Center in Arlington. He’s somewhat of a reality show celebrity, having been featured in a documentary series about Texas high school barbecue competitions. The series, “BBQ High,” followed four schools — Dipert, Granbury High, Southlake Carroll and Ben Barber Innovation Academy in Mansfield — as they competed around the state.

The following year, the series aired, attracting the attention of Texas Monthly, which wrote a story about Marc and his family, helping boost business for the young pitmaster just as he was launching Habibi.

During the show, he took a parttime job at Arlington’s famed Smoke N’ Ash BBQ to help sharpen his cooking skills. Working at the small mom and pop that specializes in Ethiopian-style ‘cue, he realized he could put his own spin on things.

“It’s traditional barbecue with a little of my heritage in it,” he says. “For me, that’s what makes it special.”

habibibarbecue.com

Habibi BBQ at Ghost Food Park, 2529 West Arkansas Lane, Arlington,

Owner Marc Fadel dresses up his pork ribs with Lebaneseinspired seasonings.

A little bit of everything at Habibi Barbecue.

by Malcolm Mayhew

A Peek Into the Past

Crystal Springs Hideaway, a new burger spot and wine bar, resurrects a 100-year-old bungalow in the River District

Many of Fort Worth’s best new restaurants aim to make you feel like you’re anywhere but Fort Worth. With its colorful murals and wheeled elote cart, La Cabrona aspires to transport you to Mexico. Chumley’s, as I pointed out in a story earlier this year, whisks you away to Europe. One of our city’s finest restaurants, the still somewhat unknown Hatsuyuki Handroll Bar, recreates the experience

of eating in a small sushi restaurant in Japan, one otherworldly bite at a time.

But then there are new restaurants in Fort Worth that are vehemently Fort Worth, and that’s where Crystal Springs Hideaway comes in.

Located in the budding River District, this restaurant/wine bar combo fully embraces Fort Worth’s history — and one of its favorite cuisines, burgers. Opened earlier this year by

couple J.D. and Shanna Granger, the Hideaway takes over a historic space whose roots date back to the 1920s; it’s also the new home of Big Kat Burgers, a onetime food truck whose burgers rank as some of the best in the city.

“It is very Fort Worth,” J.D. says as he shows me around the grounds.

“There’s so much history here. We felt like it was important to carry on this property’s legacy.”

The Grangers are best known for helming or managing several of the city’s big-picture projects. Former Tarrant County prosecutor J.D. oversaw the design, construction and implementation of the Trinity River Vision while Shanna oversaw marketing and programming for Panther Island Pavillion and its numerous events. The two have worked together and separately on numerous other Fort Worth projects, including their own real estate ventures.

The two share a deep love for Fort Worth history, Shanna says. Which is why this property was so appealing to them: Where Crystal Springs Hideaway now sits is near where, a century ago, a similarly named venture, Crystal Springs Dance Pavilion, gave birth to western swing music, with acts such as Bob Wills and Milton Brown. Old black-and-white photos of the dance hall and its many performers are peppered throughout the Hideaway, connecting the dots between the property’s past and present.

While the original dancehall is long gone, the 100-year-old bungalow and stone carriage house that sat next to it have remained throughout the years, in various states of repair and disrepair. The Grangers turned the bungalow into a restaurant and bar, and the carriage house into a standalone bar and stage for live music.

Separating the buildings is a courtyard with picnic tables that offer full service.

The couple did a beautiful job bringing back to life a property that many had forgotten. “It’s a little off the beaten path,” J.D. says. “But that’s what I love about it. So many of Fort Worth’s

Photos by Thanin Viriyaki

Burger and fries, courtesy of Big Kat Burgers, at Crystal Springs Hideaway.

hideaways have disappeared. We wanted to open a place that brings back that hidden gem feeling.”

Utilizing the bungalow’s original hardwood floors and shiplap, the couple turned the bungalow into a full-service restaurant, with a menu from Big Kat Burgers owners Mike Sugg and Bryce Blackburn. In addition to Big Kat, there’s an on-site cheese and wine shop, whose menu of baked goods and charcuterie boards is curated by Nonna Tata’s chef de cuisine Kelly Burton.

The late Jonathan Clark, the long-running wine manager at Central Market, helped curate the wine list; Clark passed away in December.

“It was such a thrill working with him,” J.D. says. “We’re both really into wines, so sharing this project with him meant the world to me.”

A large shotgun-style bar sits in the main dining room; next to it is an indoor patio.

Longtime Fort Worthians may recognize some of the furnishings.

“The chairs come from Edelweiss,” J.D. says, referring to the 56-year-old German restaurant on the west side that closed two years ago. “That was an institution in Fort Worth for many years. I knew when it closed I wanted to own something from it, so we bought all the chairs. Having them here, in our own place, it’s just another way we’re paying tribute to the city we know and love.”

Crystal Springs Hideaway, 113 Roberts Cut Off Road, crystalspringshideaway.com

The Chowtown Lowdown

Wino Events may have a terrible name, but their upcoming wine festivals in Arlington and Fort Worth sound like a blast, especially if you’re into Texas wines. Happening in March in Arlington and Fort Worth in April, the indoor Wino Festival showcases 40+ different wines from around the state, and you’ll get to sample them all. Price of admission includes a complimentary wine glass to sample wines of your choosing, along with a paper form that’ll allow you to keep tabs on the bottles you like. Festival organizers are quick to point out this is not a big, huge festival but rather a small, intimate outing that should allow wineries and wine lovers to learn more about each other. There will also be food vendors and live music. The festival is happening March 8-9 at Arlington’s Sky Event Center and April 19 at Fort Worth’s Southside Preservation Hall. winofest.com

Tim Love’s Gemelle Italian restaurant has launched a new menu, with brand-new spuntino options, an expanded pasta selection and a dedicated frutti di mare - fancy talk for “seafood” - category. New dishes include octopus carpaccio; sausage-stuffed olives with jalapeño pesto and pickled okra; white bean pesto ravioli with rabbitrattlesnake sausage; Chianina skirt steak with charred onions; Gulf shrimp fra diavolo with polenta; lamb shank with potato-Swiss chard gratin; and blistered leeks with pine nuts. gemelleftw.com

Local chef Victor Villarreal has embarked on a new culinary adventure. The former chef and owner of the Bon Appétit-approved La Onda has launched a food truck that’s permanently parked at our city’s favorite dive bar, the Down N’ Out. Cleverly called the Up N’ In, the truck offers about a dozen or so small and large bites, from a unique rendition of chicken and waffles (chicken nuggets with waffle sticks drizzled in honey) to a chili cheeseburger to Frito pie served in a Fritos bag, fruiteria-style. Vic’ll be there 5pm-2am WednesdaySaturday. 150 W. Rosedale St.

Likewise, another well-known local chef, Andrew Dilda of the late Eazy Monkey, has a new gig as the executive chef of Shoals Smokehouse, a new barbecue joint that recently opened next to the Toyota Music Factory in Irving. Dilda has told me time and again how much he loves barbecue. Matter of fact, as I’ve pointed out in previous stories about him, Dilda spent time in Beijing, where he helped open a brewery and barbecue restaurant called Jing A Brewery, and Estonia, where he consulted on another beer and barbecue concept called Pohjala Brewery & Tap Room. I know barbecue is his thing so I’m glad he’s landed in a place whose cuisine will be near and dear to him. His menu includes some cool surprises, like his rendition of steak fingers (short ribs disguised as the Dairy Queen classics), a tri-tip sandwich with chimichurri and giardiniera, and charro beans spiked with wagyu beef sausage. Of course, Shoals also serves brisket, ribs, sausage, burnt ends and other ‘cue staples. Can’t wait to try it. 340 W. Las Colinas Blvd., Irving, shoalssmokehouse.com

Couple Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras parties happening early March. B&B Butchers & Restaurant is hosting its annual Mardi Gras Brunch 11am-1pm Saturday, March 1, with a special menu of gumbo, Cajun mac and cheese, and crawfish beignets; they’ll also have a live zydeco band. A few days later, on Tuesday, March 4, Walloon’s will usher in Fat Tuesday with beignets all day, specials on hurricanes and oysters, and live jazz. Resos are recommended. bbbutchers.com, walloonsrestaurant.com

Shanna and J.D. Granger.

HOME

THE INSPIRING LIVING SPACES OF YOUR FELLOW FORT WORTHIANS

62 HOME

Tiffany and Greg Blackmon’s facelift turned their 7,700-square-foot home in Colonial Hills into a stunning villa that overlooks Hogan’s Alley.

When perusing the home of Tiffany Blackmon, no matter where you look, a distinct, one-of-a-kind piece is bound to catch your eye. Among these prized works is an original painting by Atlanta-based artist Lisa Moore and a custom corner couch by Baker Furniture, both appearing behind Blackmon.

A Personal Touch

Clever design, thoughtful flares, and a timeless aesthetic make the home of Tiffany Blackmon a standout in one of Fort Worth’s most charming neighborhoods.

By Brian Kendall Photos by Richard W. Rodriguez

It’s hard to believe the large, front-facing terrace of Tiffany Blackmon’s home that overlooks Colonial Country Club was once, in fact, not a terrace at all. And neither was the exterior white nor the entryway fountain, which calls to mind a Roman piazza, in existence. Truth is, you’d hardly recognize it as the same house from 10 years ago. “We just did a full facelift,” Blackmon says of the home’s makeover, which began in earnest when Blackmon and her husband, Greg, bought the 7,700-square-foot villa in 2017.

Though Blackmon, a local influencer, podcast host, and chef, was initially hesitant to purchase the home, she also recognized its potential. Perched along the undulating

Though Blackmon didn't retain much from the original home, her interior designer, Pamela Kay Flowers, convinced her to keep the ornate columns from Italy and the blue tile (right) from Belgium — a color Flowers calls dell blue. "I think she has thanked me [for convincing her to keep the tile] over and over again," Flowers says.

slopes near Colonial, the two-story home has an unimpeded view of the famed 18-hole golf course where Fort Worth native Ben Hogan won five PGA tournaments. Embracing this jaw-dropping panorama, the home’s clever design places its main living areas — kitchen, dining, living room, and master bedroom — upstairs, and additional bedrooms, along with a gym, downstairs. The result provides the home’s most trafficked areas with a sweeping view of one of the world’s most famous golf courses.

Enlisting the help of friend and longtime interior design partner Pamela Kay Flowers of P.K. Flowers Interiors, the pair would ultimately create a modern, well-lit, livable space that reflects the personality of its owner. While the exterior now reads Italian Renaissance Revival — a classic look that has no expiration date — the interior is modern, glossy, and colorful with just the right amount of quirky flare (check out the blue tile and ornate columns in the living room). “A home is a way to express who you are,” Flowers says, giving insight into her creative approach. “You spend a lot of time at your office and in other people’s homes, and you want your home to reflect you.”

A TCU alum, Blackmon would find herself in Austin before moving back to the city of her alma mater when her daughter, Kennedy, followed in her mom’s footsteps and became a Horned Frog. Fully reintegrated into Cowtown, Blackmon now has her hands full with a popular lifestyle blog (tiffanycblackmon.com) and podcast (My So-Called Fabulous Podcast). And, as a content creator, her bright and inviting home has served as an ideal backdrop. After all, the home reflects her.

With only four feet of backyard, Blackmon received the proper zoning to build a pool in the front yard but settled on a fountain (opposite above). The mirrored walls (opposite below) are another hand-me-down from the previous owners. Flowers explains that, in modern design, people are craving light, "and the mirror is the first trick [to enhance it]. You learn to reflect light as you age."

Covering the western wall of the study is an exotic wood called African Limba. And peppering in a nod to Italy, a pair of Lamborghini books sit on the bottom of the built-in shelf.

(Clockwise from top left)

Blackmon turned this onceindoor room into a front-facing terrace for the purpose of entertaining; the master bedroom, like the kitchen and main living area, is also on the second floor; the African limba makes a return in the spacious his-and-her closets that include private sinks and bathrooms; a painting by Blackmon's mother; a home gym covered in purple shows TCU pride, but the horned frog mural puts it over the top; each of the four downstairs bedrooms carries a unique design; according to Flowers, "This home feels like you're on a trip, like you're in a resort, because you're looking at beautiful views everywhere." ;

Explore stunning imagery of remarkable local home projects. Each project’s unique character, craftsmanship, and vision are vividly showcased on the following pages for your inspiration. Dive into the world of design, architecture, finishes, fixtures, outdoor spaces, and more, where the beauty and inspiration behind each home are expertly captured. The information in this section is provided by the advertisers and has not been independently verified by Fort Worth Magazine.

AJ Designs

Elegant Revival

This project showcases a stunning transformation from a traditional dining space into a luxurious wine room. The original room featured ornate details and classic furnishings that created a sense of classic charm. The reimagined space embraces a modern transitional aesthetic with a palette of soft neutrals, bold textures, and glamorous details. A statement chandelier, with its warm, golden glow and striking design, becomes the focal point, complemented by elegant toile wallpaper and flowing drapery that brightens the space. Subtle metallic accents and a blend of materials, such as the wood coffee

table and plush upholstery, bring warmth and balance. This transformation shows how thoughtful design can change the character of a space. AJ Designs has a way of creating spaces that merge modern luxury with timeless sophistication.

Project Profile

B Smart Builders

This original 1950s midcentury modern, split-level home has been transformed into a perfect contemporary forever home. The property served as an ideal canvas, allowing the team at B Smart Builders to reveal the home’s full potential. Its inherent charm and unique features provided a solid foundation upon which they could build.

The renovation uncovered and incorporated original details such as a stacked stone fireplace, exposed rafters, and decorative iron accents. Outdated windows were replaced with contemporary, energy-efficient ones, and the brickwork was aesthetically reworked while maintaining the retro charm. Staying true to the home's original design aesthetic, the space was enhanced with a clean, simple approach that radiates comfortable warmth. From the exterior to the inte -

rior, the design rethinks retro style.

It's the journey from the old to the new, the reimagining of spaces, and the unveiling of hidden potential that truly creates the "wow" factor. B Smart Builders’ in-house designers, project managers, and craftsmen worked seamlessly with client input to create spaces that are both functional and visually stunning. This collaborative approach enables B Smart Builders to adapt to meet the unique needs and preferences of their clients, resulting in truly one-of-akind environments.

ProServe Plumbing

The Mediterranean 2023 Dream Street Project

This exquisite home built by John Webb represents the perfect balance of modern luxury with comfortability in a beautiful space. Every room and detail in this home isn’t just a design, it’s a feeling and an experience, a modern approach to interior design with Mediterranean aesthetic. The master suite bathroom is the “wow factor” in the home with the master tub and twin showers. Being a Dream Street project, many subcontractors worked together simultaneously to complete the project on time. What makes this project unique is the tremendous amount of exposure and the ability to showcase our creativity, along with other craftsmen in the industry. ProServe Plumbing provides exceptional quality plumbing services with attention to detail. We want our clients to feel confident in selecting us and to know that we will provide them with the

same professional service exemplified in this Dream Street project. We have been in business for 20 years and have seen the evolution of design and functionality, culminating into the many custom homes you see today. We have forged our path throughout Fort Worth and continue to experience tremendous success because of the relationships we have built and maintained over the years. We consider it an honor to participate in the Dream Street project and hope that it adds to our legacy in a city we call home.

Project

Semmelmann Interiors

Idyllic Oasis

Idyllic Oasis is a home designed to balance bold glamour with serene, resortinspired living. Teal accents and metallic finishes flow through the spaces, creating a sense of harmony and personality that reflects the family’s unique story. The master suite offers a tranquil retreat, blending masculine structure with soft, inviting textures. A custom geometric headboard mirrors the sleek fireplace, while layers of fabric and finishes add warmth and depth. In the kitchen, brass fixtures and marble surfaces bring together luxury and function, anchoring the home’s sophisticated design. The family room features a bold bookmatched stone fireplace, tying together rich textures and accents of color. Personal details, like the sariinspired rug in the lounge and the handcrafted lazy Susan in the dining room, honor

the homeowners’ cultural heritage while elevating each space. Outdoors, the poolside lounge extends the home’s elegance with a cozy sectional and egg chair framed by architectural screens. This serene space encourages connection, relaxation, and seamless indoor-outdoor living. Idyllic Oasis is a perfect blend of luxury and tranquility, a home where every detail tells a story and every space feels like an escape.

Semmelmann Interiors

Vintage Floors + Finishes

Pool Deck and Cabana

Vintage Floors recently completed a stunning pool deck and cabana project that showcases their ability to blend timeless design with modern elegance. The project features a custom quarry tile mosaic with a distinct perimeter border, carefully crafted to complement the surrounding space. “What makes this project truly special is the attention to detail in matching the original tile work of the house, creating a seamless flow from the interior to the outdoor living area,” said Riggs Byther, Project Manager. The team worked meticulously to make sure that the colors across the entire deck and cabana harmonized perfectly, maintaining the intricate design while creating a cohesive and balanced look. The result is a striking combination of vibrant colors that come together flawlessly, delivering a wow factor that’s both dynamic and beautiful.

The aesthetic of the deck and cabana is deeply rooted in the original design of the home, reflecting the same style that was present when the house was first built. This attention to historical detail ensures the pool deck and cabana feel like a natural extension of the home. The project is a perfect example of Vintage Floors’ design style, which is centered on customization and precision. Whether restoring a classic look or creating something entirely new, Vintage Floors excels at bringing clients’ visions to life, ensuring every project feels as unique as the homeowner. Photography provided by Jordan Hutyra.

Project Profile

Brian Michael Distinctive Homes

Stunning Dream Home in Colleyville

Located in Oakleigh, a prestigious gated community in Colleyville, this home is perfectly positioned on a half-acre corner lot at the end of a cul-de-sac, across from the serene community pond. Built by Brian Michael Distinctive Homes, an award-winning builder featured in the 2024 Dream Home Tour, and listed by Sophie Tel Diaz Real Estate, this home offers modern elegance at its finest. The energy-efficient home features foam encapsulation, ensuring comfort and sustainability. Other notable features include a floating staircase with sleek steel cable design and a spacious island with breakfast bar. The thoughtfully designed open floor plan bathes the interior in natural light, with expansive floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding doors that seamlessly blend indoor and outdoor living spaces. This home easily stands out within the community because of its unique design.

Gutierrez Painting

Ridglea Hills Kitchen

Gutierrez Painting helped transform this Ridglea Hills kitchen with expert finishing. A bright white finish was applied to the upper cabinets, and the maple lowers were carefully custom-toned for a smooth, even color. Although staining maple is challenging due to its dense grain, which absorbs unevenly, the crew adjusted the stain formula and layering technique to ensure consistent color depth while maintaining the wood’s natural beauty. The deepstained lowers and crisp-white uppers create a striking contrast. The handfinished stain work brings warmth and character, making the cabinetry a standout feature of the space. Gutierrez Painting’s dedicated team works closely with clients to select the perfect colors and finishes, ensuring every project feels both timeless and impeccably modern.

Gus Gutierrez

Gutierrez Painting

817.829.9524

gutierrezpainting.net

Project Profile

Renova Custom Woodworks A Concisely Elevated Kitchen

This project highlights the quality craftsmanship and the collaborative approach Renova takes to creating high-end cabinetry. The beaded inset cabinetry, the centerpiece of this project, creates a luxurious appearance which is complimented by the stone countertop and matching backsplash, the uplit glass cabinets, and the bar cabinet. Seamlessly incorporating appliances with hidden panels elevates the overall look and feel of an open-concept design, providing an upscale aesthetic that compliments the dining and living rooms. The wow factor is the bar cabinet with cremone bolts and mesh, setting this part of the kitchen off from the rest. These special elements required close coordination between the cabinet maker and interior designer. Our collaborative work with Meredith Warnock Interior Design provided creative cabinetry solutions that fit the needs of the homeowner.

Stanton & Co.

Vista Home Spa

The transformation in this primary bathroom is impressive. Removing the existing garden tub allowed for the installation of an entire wall of elegant floating cabinets, providing abundant storage with a centrally located linen cabinet. Undercabinet lighting and the lighted mirrors highlight the dark stained cabinets and the beautiful quartz countertops. The remarkable eucalyptus wood sauna and sophisticated steam shower are situated behind a frameless glass wall. Using large format porcelain tiles on both the bathroom floor and the shower walls create a seamless, cohesive look. The home sauna is a memorable feature in this design. The contrast of light versus dark materials and tile versus wood create a striking combination. This primary bathroom reflects the owner’s style through material choices, colors, and function. Stanton & Co. works very hard to provide the best design, service, and quality of work for each project.

Stanton & Co. Design Center

4824 Camp Bowie Blvd. Fort Worth 76107

817.731.5855, Ext. 1 stantonandco.net

Mira

by Brian Kendall

The Day Dream Got Her Dream Home

A Wish with Wings, the main beneficiary of FortWorth Magazine’sDream Home, granted 64 wishes to children with life-threating diagnoses in 2024, including the construction of a new living space for a 7-year-old girl named Dream.

Charity has long been at the forefront of FortWorthMagazine’sDream Home, which this year is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Sure, the project teams together some of Greater Fort Worth’s best homebuilders, architects, interior designers, and subcontractors to construct a stunning home in one of the city’s most exclusive neighborhoods, but the major beneficiary of home tour tickets sales is local charity a Wish with Wings.

This important aspect of the project is what convinces many of the home -

building industry’s most talented professionals to join the project and to return year after year. Interior designer Susan Semmelmann, who this year is designing her seventh Dream Home, says it’s the mission-driven message that keeps her coming back. “The spirit of living is in the giving,” Semmelmann told us back in December. “We love that we can go out and forge that path in our local community to give back to not only a Wish with Wings but also diving into our community with tremendous passion for what we do.”

Before the 2013 Dream Home, the magazine partnered with a different local charity for each year’s Dream project — the charity receiving profits from home tour ticket sales. In 2013, the magazine teamed up with a Wish with Wings, and the nonprofit has been the signature beneficiary of the Dream Home ever since.

“I think it became obvious at that time that [becoming the annual beneficiary of Fort Worth Magazine’s Dream Home] was a natural fit,” said Judy Youngs, president and CEO of a Wish with Wings.

The main charge of this local charity is to fulfill the wishes of children with life-threatening medical diagnoses. Whether it’s going to Disney World, visiting Hawaii, petting cheetahs, or swimming with dolphins, a Wish with Wings has granted over 1,900 wishes to North Texas children over its 43 years of existence. In 2024, the nonprofit had a banner year, fulfilling 64 wishes, the most in its history. And one particular wish, one granted to a 7-year-old girl named Dream, required far more than their typical request.

Dream has multiple diagnoses that render her nonambulatory — unable to walk — and nonverbal. She lives in an older home in Fort Worth that required substantial modifications to make it more accessible for Dream.

“[The home] was not conducive for what she truly needed to keep her on track for a healthier lifestyle,” Youngs says. “For instance, she

receives physical therapy in her home every day, and the only room they could use was about the size of a small walk-in closet.”

To fulfill this wish and improve Dream’s residence, a Wish with Wings partnered with over 20 different contractors and vendors to renovate Dream’s home, a project that took nearly two years to complete. And in January, a Wish with Wings introduced an overjoyed Dream, sporting a pink bow in her hair, polka dot shoes, and a Minnie Mouse sweater, to her newly renovated digs.

Not a dry eye spotted.

“It was such an amazing wish,” Youngs says. “It really touched all of us, and it makes us refocus on our mission. This is truly what we are all about and why we do what we do for these kids.”

Though a Wish with Wings is a small organization with only one part-time and three full-time employees, they have mighty objectives. But, like all charities, their work requires a little assistance from the hearts of the public. According to Youngs, the annual Dream Home has played a major role in helping the organization fulfill wishes like the one granted to Dream.

“It's incredible,” Youngs says. “Not only the attention and awareness, but the revenue that [the Dream Home] produces for us. It's difficult to replace a revenue stream like that — one that has been so continuous annually.”

This year’s Fort Worth Magazine Dream Home, designed and built by Morrison Group and located in the West Fort Worth neighborhood of Montrachet, will open for touring in late May. All proceeds from ticket sales will benefit a Wish with Wings. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit dream.fwtx.com.

[Editor’sNote:Visittheonlineversion ofthisarticleatdream.fwtx.com/news to see the full list of vendors involved in grantingDream’swish.] Th

Dream Home Partners

APPLIANCES

ARTIFICIAL GRASS

BEAMS

BRICK

BUILDER

CABINETRY (KITCHEN)

CABINETRY (MASTER)

CABINETRY (OTHER)

COUNTERTOP (FABRICATION)

COUNTERTOP (MATERIALS)

DOOR - FRONT

ELECTRICIAN

FENCING

FIREPLACES

FIREPLACE AND VENT HOOD TILE

FLOORING & TILE LABOR

FLOORING MATERIAL (WOOD AND CARPET)

GARAGE DOORS AND OPENERS

GLASS

GUTTERS

HARDWARE

HVAC

INTERIOR DESIGN

LANDSCAPE AND IRRIGATION

LIGHTING FIXTURES

LOW VOLTAGE, AV, AND SECURITY

OUTDOOR FURNITURE

PAINT (LABOR)

PAINT (MATERIALS)

PLUMBING (FIXTURES)

PLUMBING (LABOR AND SUPPLIES)

POOL

REALTOR

ROOFING

TILE MATERIAL

WASTE REMOVAL

The Jarrell Company

WinterGreen Synthetic Grass LLC

Green Valley Beam & Truss Co.

Metro Brick & Stone Co.

The Morrison Group

The Kitchen Source

The Closet Factory

Renova Custom Woodworks

Absolute Stone

Daltile

Durango Doors

Fox Electric

Buzz Custom Fence

Metro Brick & Stone Co.

Cosentino

Vintage Floors

Vintage Floors

Open Up Garage Doors

Fashion Glass

Loveless Gutters

Rick's Hardware & Decorative Plumbing

Moss Heating & Cooling

Susan Semmelmann Interiors

Guardado Landscaping

Passion Lighting

H Customs

Yard Art Outdoor Living

Gutierrez Painting

Benjamin Moore

The Jarrell Company

Pro Serve Plumbing

Purselley Pools

John Zimmerman Group

Tarrant Roofing

Daltile

Waste Advantage

PLATINUM SPONSORS: SEWELL & FIBER-SEAL

Beyond the Bag

Joan Katz Cancer Resource Center

The 14th annual Beyond the Bag was a night to remember — filled with glimmers of generosity, excitement, and hope! From dazzling auction items to the thrilling 2025 Lexus RX giveaway, our incredible supporters helped raise vital funds for the Joan Katz Cancer Resource Center. Thanks to the incredible attendees and donors, this essential resource will continue offering free nonmedical services to those facing a cancer diagnosis for generations to come!

Stacy Hollis, Chris Culver, Crystal Bolt, Joy Rich, Tracy Bolt

Alicia Deane, Amy Adkins

Jerome & Amy Hill, Kimberly & Brent Tipps

Jeff & Judy Rotzoll, Michele & Fred Reynolds

Mike & Jineen Bessire, Joan & Howard Katz

Michael & Kate Norris

photos by Britt Stokes

GREATER FORT WORTH’S CHARITY/SOCIAL EVENTS

ortWorthInc.threw a party on Feb. 13 to celebrate its inaugural class of 40 Under 40. More than 300 were on hand at River Ranch Stockyards for a cocktail reception, seated dinner, an awards ceremony, and good times. Sharpwitted Four Day Weekend served as the masters of ceremonies.

The 2025 40 Under 40 Honorees

Randy & Gaye Walker, Jody & Kristee Walker, Susan & Kenny Davidson

Hunter Barker, Meghan Rosprim

Erica Aulds, Shane Benner

Camille & Hal Brown

Oliver Tull, Dillon Maroney, Jordan Warnement Camille Kelly Garcia

Ryan Barrera, John Henry

photos by Asia Eidson with Photobyjoy

GIVE BACK

Mar. 1

The Sky’s the Limit Gala

Will Rogers

Jewel Charity

Mar. 2

Lanterns on the Trail

The Keith House

Project 4031

Mar. 5

Champions Breakfast Palmwood Event & Conference

Girls Inc of Tarrant County

Mar. 8

Camp Classic Trail Run

Camp El Tesoro

Camp Fire First Texas

Mar. 8

Lost ‘N Sound Music Festival

Various South Main

Village locations

Near Southside, Inc.

Mar. 27

Bank on Women

Tarrant Area Food Bank

Tarrant Area Food Bank

Mar. 28

Heart of Gold Awards

Texas Wesleyan

Arts Fort Worth

Mar. 29

Arts Forward Summit

Texas Wesleyan

Arts Fort Worth

Mar. 29

Boots N BBQ Gala

River Ranch Stockyards

Cristo Rey Fort Worth

Mar. 29

The Blast Walk/Run

Panther Island Pavilion

Cook Children’s

Mar. 30

Roadhouse Gala/Concert

River Ranch Stockyards

Ronald McDonald House of Fort Worth

Puttin ' on the Pink

FASHION LUNCHEON

Coming together for a great cause is what Texans do best! Thank you for your support of the 2025 Puttin’ on the Pink Fashion Luncheon! Proceeds from the event benefit the Texas Health Wellness for Life ® Mobile Health program that brings no-cost mammograms and other health screenings to underserved neighbors in Fort Worth and surrounding communities.

Kristen Perello and Savannah Petronis

AND OUR SPONSORS

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR EVENT CHAIRS

For more information on how you can help please visit www.texashealth.org/Community-Health/Mobile-Health

Join Event Chairs Ish Arebalos & Linda Boswell

Celebrating the transformative power of a wish and the Hope it brings to children facing life-threatening medical challenges

Featuring Fort Worth’s own award-winning country duo JOLIE HOLLIDAY & SONNY BURGESS with the Cowboy Band

may 2, 2025 in the pavilion at dickies arena 1911 montgomery st. fort worth, tx 76107

For sponsorship information, go to awww.org or contact Lesley Irwin at lesley@awww.org or 817-469-9474.

SPONSOR

Fort Worthians who managed to wake up at dawn for the Jan. 23 announcement of Oscar nominees, might’ve heard a familiar name. In the category of Best Original Song, Rachel Sennott announced “Like a Bird” from the movie “Sing Sing” with music and lyrics by Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada. Alexander, who first appeared on the local music scene when he provided backing vocals for Leon Bridges’ debut album, ComingHome,has quickly become one of the city’s most recognized and heralded musicians. The above photo, taken by Crystal Wise, captures Alexander in April 2023, right before the release his debut solo album, SEA/SONS,when the magazine published a cover feature on the musician.

The Oscars will take place Sunday, March 2, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, where Alexander will be in attendance. You can catch the ceremony and all red carpet shenanigans on ABC.

Prints of this image are available for purchase on the Fort Worth Magazine website. Check out the QR code for the link.

@crystalwisephoto

PHOTO BY CRYSTAL WISE

$15

CHILD ADMISSION (AGES 6-13)

Ticket includes access to all events as well as the chefs, Kid’s 2 tasting tickets and endless tots, and all our vendors.

$49

GENERAL ADMISSION (AGES 13+)

Ticket includes access to all events as well as the chefs, 3 tasting tickets, 1 fan favorite ticket, endless tots, whiskey tasting (21+ up), and all other vendors.

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Ticket includes access to all events as well as the chefs, VIP seating area with hosted open Texas centric bar, 4 tasting tickets, 1 fan favorite ticket, endless tots, whiskey tasting (21+ up), and all other vendors.

EVENT SPONSORS