
August 2011 Issue

Features


The Skirmish Will Be Followed by a Ladies’ Tea
The Civil War may be 150 years old, but that doesn’t mean it can’t still stir up a fuss (Confederate license plate, anyone?). Just ask one of the hundreds of very accurately uniformed reenactors who descend on Jefferson every year to die for the cause.
Columns

Arch of Triumph
Dallas’s almost-finished Calatrava bridge may be an emblem of the city’s status. But the smart urban plan for the small neighborhood it leads to says more about the city’s future.

The Texanist: Has the Quinceañera Tradition Been Americanized Away?
Expensive quinceañeras, dangerous toys, lawn-watering etiquette, and seasonal restrictions on chili consumption.

Minor Emergency
Drug gangs in Mexico are increasingly turning to American teenagers to smuggle their loads across the border. What can be done?
Dear Yankee
You didn’t ask, but here’s some free advice for you and the rest of the national press corps as you prepare to write about Rick Perry.
Reporter

Rescuing Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles
Donna Shaver on finding a nest, sleeping at the office during hatching season, and dedicating her career to saving sea turtles.

Gunfire and Brimstone
Fort Worth preacher J. Frank Norris paved the way for today’s televangelists. But he’s probably best known as the defendant in a wild 1927 murder trial.




Downtown Denton
Plenty of college students frequent this historic area, but they’re not the only ones who avail themselves of the culinary, sartorial, and vintage offerings on hand.


How to Noodle
Catching a catfish with your bare hands has been a tradition passed down for generations, but it has only been legal in Texas since June 17. That’s when Governor Rick Perry signed a bill that officially permits noodling. “No one knows why it was illegal,” said Houston representative Gary Elkins,

Cheryl Evans, Church Sign Writer
Evans, whose official job title is facilities manager, has lived in Amarillo for 55 years. For the past two decades she’s overseen the building and grounds of the Southwest Church of Christ, including its four-by-ten-foot sign. She changes the message every Monday.You can’t just put up there “You’re all going

Web


A Q&A With Michael Ennis
The writer-at-large on the development of West Dallas, Big D’s need for an urban middle class, and what a standout twenty-first-century city looks like.

A Q&A With Katy Vine
The senior editor on attending a Civil War reenactment, preserving history, and standing inside the Globe of Death.

Brasserie 19
When early reports on a restaurant sound like a train wreck, I tend to wait for the debris to be cleared. And Houston’s Brasserie 19—a project of two veteran restaurateurs, Charles Clark and Grant Cooper, of Ibiza and Catalan—had clearly jumped the tracks. In the first few weeks, the Brasserie’s

The Drop Everything List
The Buck Owens Memorial Birthday Bash, Texas Sommelier Conference, Stevie Nicks, and the Lavender and Wine Fest . . .


The Drop Everything List
The Cow Parade, Gorilla vs. Bear Festival, WBNA All-Star Game, National Day of the American Cowboy, and the Summer Balloon Classic & Airfest. . .

Tomato-Braised Wild Boar
Tomato-Braised Wild Boar Print Recipe Ingredients 3 pounds wild boar shouldersalt and pepper to taste4 tablespoons

Successful Formula?
Even in this year of massive budget cuts, Texas will likely spend $25 million to help bring a Formula One race to a newly constructed track in Austin’s backyard. Why?

The Drop Everything List
Texas High School Football, Chingo Bling, Houston Restaurant Weeks, Iron and Wine, Kueckelhan Rodeo, and the Legends of Kung Fu . . .

Wind Instruments
From the old-style models to the three-story turbines, windmills are a part of Texas history. The machine's evolution is on display in Lubbock at the world's largest windmill museum.

The Drop Everything List
Asleep at the Wheel, Texas Olive Oil, Alejandro Escovedo, Plaza Classic Film Festival, Juan Williams, and Dandee Danao's take on Smurfs . . .

Crossing State Lines
With a new album, a wildly popular single, and sold-out shows all over America, the Eli Young Band is one of the state's few homegrown acts to transcend the Texas Country Scene.

The Rookie
Two and a half years ago, the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum asked me to organize an exhibit about high school football. Did I mention I'm not a curator?
Miscellany
Roar of the Crowd
Great EscapeYour colorful, creative, high-profile cover story is especially valued now, when state parks, like all other aspects of state government, will soon face the reality of operating with fewer resources [“Into the Wild,” June 2011]. However, we do have one concern that amounts to a minor quibble when

Cover Edge
One of the best—and the hardest—parts of being a magazine editor is deciding what goes on the cover every month. There is nothing else quite like that little rectangle of real estate. Book jackets and album covers are quieter, movie posters are less integral to the product, billboards are more
August 2011 Contributors
Barney Nelson, LeAnn Mueller, Kate Galbraith, and Asher Price.