It's summertime in North Texas, which means time in the pool or finding refuge in the lake is a near necessity.
While the mercury is rising and the days are long, it's a time of excitement and adventure. With the children out of school, it's a great time to get away for a road trip or to enjoy a cool staycation around the area. In North Texas, there's no shortage of things to do from zoos, museums, water parks, theme parks or just a day at the movies.
Truly it's a magical time for making memories, like the Frasers packing into an RV to go across the country for thrills on the best roller coasters, or the Ostrow's making time around a busy schedule to camp.
July is also a great time with celebrating the Fourth of July by eating a hot dog, a slice of apple pie, and then enjoying fireworks. Some of our best memories are enjoying the holiday with family and friends from the food to the fun and games.
Just like this season has a way of bringing people together, we hope the pages inside this month’s issue will enrich and enliven your experience in Northlake this Summer!
Get out and enjoy it. But remember to hydrate and wear your sunscreen. It will undoubtedly be a scorcher!
CRYSTAL HOBBS, PUBLISHER @NORTHLAKECITYLIFESTYLE
PUBLISHER
Crystal Hobbs | crystal.hobbs@citylifestyle.com
EDITORIAL COORDINATOR
Richard Greene | richard.greene@citylifestyle.com
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Richard Greene, Kate Jones
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Leslie Christine, Savanna Romano, Lacey Whitmer
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Steven Schowengerdt
CHIEF SALES OFFICER Matthew Perry
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER DeLand Shore
DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL MEDIA Mindy Hargesheimer
ART DIRECTOR Sara Minor
OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Janeane Thompson
WEB APPLICATIONS Michael O’Connell
AD DESIGNER Matthew Endersbe
LAYOUT DESIGNER Kathy Nguyen
We design timeless spaces with your wellness in mind.
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Redeemed Life Counseling’s team of licensed counselors is growing. The practice in Argyle, which has provided a vast array of mental health resources for area residences for the past five years, is adding a psychiatrist for a multidisciplinary approach. It is also now offering neurofeedback to its list of treatments, including EMDR and intensive therapy. The clinic is accepting new patients and has counselors and associates offering a variety of therapy methods.
Get in touch by heading over to our landing page to connect: CityLifestyle.com/Northlake
Where
Occurs and Hope is Realized “I have heard them crying out... and I am concerned about their suffering”
Lori Blad at Absolute Realty helps her clients sell for the top dollar and buy when they are ready. Her promises and guarantees are unique and exclusive to her clients. She loves to help people maximize their wealth through real estate. She’s excited to help them do what they want to do! “I would love to work with you and there is no obligation in a conversation,” Blad said.
Your journey to wellness starts at Connections Wellness Group. Discover a compassionate and supportive environment where your mental well-being takes top priority. The award-winning team of therapists, psychiatrists and dietitians provide personalized care to help you navigate life’s challenges. Whether you’re struggling with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, or seeking personal growth, you can find help. Take the first step toward healing, and call 940-222-2399 to book your confidential appointment today.
Few things are better than enjoying a cocktail, while taking in a gorgeous Texas sunset.
The Barrel in Bartonville has become a hotspot, with its exquisite cocktail creations and fun festive patio with a view.
“Especially when the weather is nice, it’s where everyone wants to be,” said Morgan Bohannan, owner of the Barrel. “We have nice landscaping. It’s where we grow our own herbs, and people enjoy seeing that.”
The patio features plenty of seating on a nice evening. The Barrel also hosts live music on the patio to add to the atmosphere. A local artist can usually be heard every Tuesday night. Bohannan said several dates in June had artists scheduled.
The Barrel has a happy hour daily for its tasty cocktails.Reservations are allowed for the patio, but there's often space for guests to walk in and find seating in the popular area.
If the patio is full, there's plenty of seating in the dining room or at the bar, with Ben Franklin watching over.
The Barrel’s finely crafted cocktails, including the ever-popular and delicious Smoked Old Fashioned, made with High West Bourbon, Angostura Bitters, Turbinado Simple Syrup and an orange, make an evening out.
Bohannan said they rotate some cocktails to match the season.
“We do have our big sellers that stick around,” she said.
Along with the tasty cocktails and spirits, the Barrel also features a wide selection of wines and beers to fit everyone's tastes.
The Barrel has several weekly drink specials, including the popular daily happy hour from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. with half-price cocktails. Martini Mondays feature $5 martinis and $10 burgers. Thursday is Ladies Night with half-price cocktails and wine by the glass.
The Barrel also holds monthly wine dinners, which feature a five-course meal and wine pairings. The wine dinners are by reservation. Members of the Barrel Wine Club receive advance notice of the dinners.
For your next date night, drinks out with the guys after a round of golf or shopping with the girls, stop into the Barrel for great drinks and lovely view out on the patio. As the pink neon on the back wall states, "I have a good feeling about this."
Enjoy a glass of wine with sunshine and a view on the patio at the Barrel.
PLACING PRIORITY ON FAMILY
ARTICLE BY RICHARD GREENE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY LESLIE CHRISTINE
Working a pair of jobs, including running Mosquito Hunters, and raising a young family, free time is in short supply these days for Daniel Ostrow.
But making time to escape and to make memories with his wife and three children, including a sevenmonth-old, is important to Ostrow.
“You try to find a balance. We love on the weekend to be out of the house and spend time being outdoors,” Ostrow said.
One of their favorite hobbies is traveling and finding fun outdoor spots to camp.
“Everything is family oriented. It’s good to be outdoors with the family,” he said.
It can be difficult to schedule those get-aways between work and sports schedules for his older two children.
“We try to plan as much as we can to make it happen,” Ostrow said. “We put the kids’ needs first."
“You’ve got to be flexible. Things will pop up. Kids will get sick, or you will have a work commitment."
Ostrow is working hard to establish his Mosquito Hunters of Lewisville, Flower Mound and Argyle. The company provides customers with detailed, safe and sensitive application methods and common-sense practices to reduce the mosquito population in their outdoor space.
Ostrow enjoys the opportunity to work outdoors in the role.
“Not everyone has a job where they can be out of the house or office,” Ostrow said.
He reminds everyone to make their best effort to get outdoors and prioritize what matters — family.
Daniel Ostrow balances family time around two careers.
ARTICLE BY RICHARD GREENE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY SAVANNA ROMANO
For the Frasers a trip is about the journey more than the destination.
As roller coaster enthusiasts, Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, topped the bucket list for Jason Fraser and his two sons, Austin and Andrew.
But getting to the home of 18 thrilling roller coasters meant traveling cross country on a memorable quest for the Frasers. It’s a trip they still talk about and not just for the thrilling rides.
“It’s not the destination. It’s the journey,” Jason recalled.
After selling his first HVAC company in 2017, Jason decided to upgrade his RV and truck. They made a trip to Disney World and the next summer wanted a different adventure.
Jason, the owner of A&A Air, formulated a plan to take the two boys and a nephew on the pilgrimage to Cedar Point.
“You devote your life to this business and this monster. You look back and you’re like what have I been doing with my time,” Jason said. “I got to reflect and just spend quality time with my boys. Two weeks in the truck with them and our dogs.”
Jason’s wife Laurie flew up to meet the group, as they made their way across the country. He didn’t want to just drive straight through, planning stops along the way. Their first side trip was in Memphis, staying just off the Mississippi River, where they fished, visited Bass Pro Shops, ate barbecue and visited Graceland.
“It’s a big mansion. I can expect the King of Rock N Roll to have something big like that, and it was the best back in the day,” Austin said.
As much fun as they were having in Memphis, they did have a schedule to keep to meet Laurie in Ohio. But that schedule got derailed after a stop in Louisville.
“I had a blowout on the way and that stopped us down,” Jason said. “We were late to pick her up.
“I was on the side of a highway with diesels doing 80 mph past me. I’ve got the boys out there flagging, so I don’t get run over. But we ended up making it.”
Laurie beat them to Sandusky and settled in.
They spent four days in Sandusky and rode ride after ride, which Austin said included three of the top 10 roller coasters in the United States.
But the adventure was not over after the final corkscrew ride. They made their way to Michigan to visit family for a few days and then over to Chicago. Driving a fifth-wheel and truck in downtown Chicago was interesting, Jason explained. Staying in a truck yard near downtown, they visited all the sights, including the famed Bean and took in a Cubs game at Wrigley.
“The best thing I remember about Chicago was playing football in a big open concrete area,” Austin said. “There was this dog there and he played ball with us, too.”
After Chicago, Laurie flew home. Jason and the boys hit the road back to Texas with a stop in St. Louis at the Arch and more barbecue.
The road home included a second blowout. Jason said it wasn’t as stressful due to not being on a schedule.
“Everybody pitched in and said we got this,” Jason said. They eventually made it home with a lifetime of memories they still talk about over other trips out of the country.
“We’ve gone on nice vacations, but that’s the one the kids talk about,” Laurie said. “They talk about us in the RV and spending time together.”
“It’s not the destination. It’s the journey,” — Jason Fraser
When meeting with a new client, Robert Keeker takes an unusual approach to finding out their true wishes for their back porch or outdoor kitchen.
“I ask them, if money wasn’t an issue, if you had an unlimited budget, what would you see back here? Of course, no one I know has an unlimited budget, but we can take what their vision is and from there go to the drawing board and come up with a design that’s going to meet what they want and is affordable,” Keeker explained.
The approach he’s used at Firefly has helped clients create the outdoor living spaces of their dreams, with full outdoor kitchens, pergolas, fire pits or freshened up landscaping.
In looking to spruce up your back porch or landscaping, Keeker suggests doing your homework and picking a company with a strong reputation of doing things right and will listen to your vision.
Determine how you will use the space. Are you going to be entertaining? What’s the best use of the limited space?
“With a lot of these new neighborhoods, you don’t have a huge yard,” Keeker said. “It’s important to make the most functionality of the space.”
Also have in mind the material selection and the style you are looking for. Xeroscaping is currently a popular option due to water restrictions.
Best advice to get your outdoor kitchen or patio ready for summer parties, plan ahead.
Thacker was also a semi-truck mechanic, fueling Sanders' interest in mechanical skills.
Sanders' son Kegan is currently serving in the Marines, making it three generations.
In the Marines, Sanders served as a jet engine mechanic. The opportunity to pursue the field led him to enlist. He served four years before suffering a broken ankle and he left the military.
After leaving the military, Sanders entered corporate aviation, landing a role with Learjet on its flight demonstration team.
Sitting at the controls, Brent Sanders receives his clearance for takeoff from the Harry Reid International Airport control tower in Las Vegas. Taxiing down the runway, he pulls up on the controls and takes flight heading toward Hoover Dam.
It’s one of the many flights Sanders has taken without leaving his second story office off Thompson Road in Northlake.
The lifelong aviation enthusiast and Marine veteran has his own flight simulator in his office, which allows him to tap into his love of flying without having to be away from his family or his growing business with his wife Kristi, BKS.
“This is fun for me. I did aviation for 30 years,” Sanders said.
“I miss the airplanes, but I don’t miss the travel. I missed birthdays, Mother’s Days and New Year’s Eves working. This is what I do now for fun.”
Sanders joined the Marines in the late 1980s, as a second generation Marine. His father Pat Thacker was a Marine during the Vietnam War.
“We’d do everything from marketing to flying. If you thought you wanted to buy a Learjet, we’d come give you a demo ride if you had the finances for it,” Sanders said. “I’ve met so many of the rich and famous.”
But the famous people he was proud to meet were not the actors or billionaires, but the heroes of flight he encountered, chiefly astronauts. Memorabilia and pictures of astronauts hang on the wall, including a picture of him with Gene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon.
“I’ve met six of the 12 men that walked on the moon,” Sanders said.
“Cernan and I became really good friends. This is his book signed, sealed and delivered by Mr. Cernan.”
When Cernan died, Sanders helped his daughter sell his airplane.
After 17 years with Learjet, he accepted a job that moved him to the Metroplex to work on jets for a private individual.
Kristi and he started their professional handyman provider business in 2017 and a year later he left aviation behind to work full time with BKS Home Services.
“It was my stress relief. When I was hanging a ceiling fan or a TV on a wall, I wasn’t thinking
about avionics or landing gear,” Sanders said about the start of BKS. “In August of 2018, we took BKS full time and never looked back.”
He enjoys the work at BKS and the opportunity to work with his older son Ben, who is the manager at BKS Home Services.
When he gets the itch to fly, he sits down at the simulator, which allows him to take to the sky. The simulator, which has real-time weather and flight schedules, is akin to ones real pilots use to train.
With work, he doesn’t spend too much time on the simulator these days. But after a long day, he may take a flight to Washington D.C. from Dallas, giving him a few hours to decompress and tap into his passion for flying.
“I’m not a licensed pilot, but I understand airplanes and know everything that’s inside of them,” Sanders said.
“Again, I miss the planes, but I don’t miss the hours. I’m one of those that even at my age looks up when I hear a plane.”
Brent Sanders takes flight on his flight simulator.
Enjoy
ARTICLE BY KATE JONES | PHOTOGRAPHY BY LESLIE CHRISTINE
Summer is upon us, which means an increased exposure to the harsh and unforgiving North Texas sun.
How do we protect ourselves from the harmful by-products of sun exposure — skin cancer, painful sunburn, age spots and premature aging of the skin? Fortunately for us, we have the answer with the experts and trainers at the Luminous Glow Med Spa, right here in the Bartonville area.
Founders Jennifer Buck and Hayley Gaston opened their storefront boutique in Bartonsville after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Glow best describes their mission to artfully combine communication, science and beauty techniques to provide a glowing result for you and your skin. With purpose, passion, knowledge and experience, the experts at Luminous Glow will help you achieve the confidence you get from looking and feeling your best. With more than 10 years in the field of skin care, Buck and Gaston know the value and power of protection against the sun’s harmful rays.
For those of us who have let down our sun protection guard in the past, Luminous Glow provides relief in the form of skin rejuvenation, laser treatments and skin resurfacing.Buck is a Bartonville local, who finds great joy in the countless and inspiring examples of neighbors helping neighbors in our community.
She enjoys working on her farm, where she practices what she preaches by protecting her skin from the constant sun exposure that farm work necessarily entails. She has a passion for educating others, and later this year plans to open a school for aestheticians, to help them to offer a level of service comparable to what she provides.
Luminous Glow Med Spa is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday at 2652 FM 407 Suite 135 in Bartonville. Appointments can be made online at luminousglowmedspa.com. Also check for specials and events.
Luminous is happy to meet your needs.Their journey started 24 years ago when Erik started working with his dad for a well known franchise in Puerto Rico. After several years they both started working in the private sector and quickly realized they missed helping people. There was when they opened Its Bugs Or Us in Northlake to serve all of the community and their surroundings.
It’s Bugs Or Us is your local pest company. When you need us, we will be there for you. That’s how the Its Bugs Or Us family works.
To contact us please call 817.345.4453
itsbugsorus.com/northlake
A curated selection of the most intriguing upcoming events in our area.
JULY 1ST Glow Run
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY |
7:00 PM
Light up the night like the Fourth of July, while running a 5K. The popular Foam Glow 5K returns to the Texas Motor Speedway July 1. Runners will make their way around the speedway and get covered in glowin-the-dark foam. Stay around after the race for music and fun. Register at foamglow.com.
JULY 1ST
Yankee Doodle Parade
DENTON SQUARE | 9:00 AM
Deck out in red, white and blue for this patriotic occasion, or watch from your lawn chair on the square as the parade rolls out. The parade route begins near the Wells Fargo building at Austin St. and Hickory St., continues around the square, then down McKinney St. to the Denton Civic Center.
JULY 3RD
Drone Show for the Fourth NORTH LAKES PARK | 7:00 PM
Celebrate Independence Day with a different show. Instead of fireworks, the Denton Kiwanis Club will present an intricate and entertaining drone show by Sky Elements on the Denton Square. The free event will start at 6 p.m. July 3. There will be live music, children’s activities and food trucks before the drone show.
JULY 5TH
Wednesday Wine Nights AT THE TABLE, 734
CRAWFORD ROAD IN ARGYLE |
6:30 PM
Enjoy some wine each Wednesday night at 6:30 during At The Table’s fun Wine Night. No ticket is needed. Glasses of wine will be sold and cheese boards to nibble on.
JULY 7TH
Singing in the Rain CAMPUS THEATRE, DENTON |
7:30 PM
Get ready to tap your feet and sing along during the performance of “Singing in the Rain” at the historic Camps Theatre in Denton. Denton Theatre will present performances
July 7-23 with show times at 7:30 p.m. and weekend matinees at 2 p.m. Get tickets at theatredenton.com.
JULY 15TH
Christmas in July Jeep Festival
HALSELL STREET, BRIDGEPORT | 6:00 PM
Dress up your Jeep for the holidays and head west to Bridgeport. The home of the Endeavor OHV Park will host its third annual Christmas in July Jeep Festival. Jeeps will parade through downtown with Christmas decorations. A free concert will follow. The event benefits the Bridgeport Police Department’s Santa Cops program.
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Chasing children or grandchildren around a theme park in the summer is taxing on anyone. But for some people, it may not seem possible due to a lack of mobility.
Beth Peltier has made it her mission to help people regain the precious moments through strength training. Through her training program Season to Change, she works with clients to build strength, coordination, stability and mobility.
“I’m very passionate about it,” Peltier said. “My father had cervical spine surgery when he was 40. He died at 41 from heart disease, but it was because he was so limited in his ability. He got very depressed after this neck surgery. His ability to live like he was living was gone.
“It’s just heartbreaking to see someone’s freedom taken away from them when there’s something we can do.”
Peltier has been training for 25 years, adding knowledge and techniques. It started with her own body transformation over a 90-day period in her 20s.
She’s earned several certifications from exercise specialist to Ortho-Kinetics, helping people find the source of an issue plaguing their mobility or lack of strength and correcting it.
She works with a wide age range of clients. Her training is not heavy weights or a boot camp. It’s about training muscles to move properly and with intention.
“It’s about firing up that muscle tissue and getting it moving in proper patterns,” Peltier said.
“Intentional mobility is about really connecting to the muscle and the joints and moving them in a way that helps build your strength, your coordination and your stability.”
She loves seeing her clients progress and reach new goals from going on hikes with family or making a visit to a theme park.
“It’s really about teaching and empowering somebody’s body to overcome chronic things that have been going on,” Peltier said.
ARTICLE BY RICHARD GREENE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY LESLIE GUY
