Fort Worth Neighborhoods

The Sid Richardson Museum certainly knows the first rule of hospitality: When you and your house-guest are getting along swimmingly, and more of your neighborhood wants to stop in for a visit, well you simply extend the stay. That's exactly what the venerable, downtown Fort Worth museum has done by stretching out the already successful run of Violent Motion: Frederic Remington's Artistry in Bronze -- now on display through Sunday, August 11. Given its size -- 11 bronze casts of riders and their action-filled horses -- and the magical combination of the iconic Western artist, Remington, with his favorite theme of the unbridled energy of the West, this exhibition clearly deserves to be seen by as many art lovers as possible. The show has even more distinctions to earn it more viewing time. It has managed to borrow 10 of its 11 works from private collections, with the 11th coming courtesy of a generous short-term loan from the Amon Carter Museum of American Art's famously rich collection of Remingtons. And last but not least, this assemblage of signature Remington bronzes is being extended for the same low, low, low price as before: Free. Now that makes it impossible to pass up.

Details: Violent Motion: Frederic Remington's Artistry in Bronze at the Sid Richardson Museum, 309 Main Street, Fort Worth. Through August 11. Free admission. More information: 817-332-6554; www.sidrichardsonmuseum.org

Photo Courtesy: Sid Richardson Museum

It's hard keeping up with all the distinctions marking the Amon Carter Museum of American Art's current  exhibition: Romare Bearden: A Black Odyssey.

First off, with its nearly 50 art works by Bearden, it's got a desired heft and scope. Secondly, it's the first ever, comprehensive presentation of Bearden's work to be seen outside of New York City. Thirdly, it shows the artist tackling one of the more daunting themes in the canon of art subjects: Homer's Odyssey. And finally, the multi-media show includes a 15-minute video containing rarely seen footage and interviews with the artist.

The exhibit will reveal Bearden to be an American artist with a rare mastery of not only prints and watercolors, but, more importantly, collage as the disparate art forms and platforms for his signature blending of color. It also illuminates an artist with such a fearless approach to his craft that he based an entire chapter of his output around arguably the grandest work in classical mythology -- and constructed a provocative link between it and African-American history and culture.

The Carter is also determined to elevate the appreciation of the Bearden show by integrating a panoply of digital apps, accessible through any web-compatible device such as a tablet or smartphone. One of the iPad's apps even allows patrons to create from whole digital cloth various art works by manipulating Bearden's various collages. That app goes by the name: "Romare Bearden: Black Odyssey Remixes."  

Details: Romare Bearden: A Black Odyssey -- Through August 11. Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth. Admission: free.

Looking ahead, the Carter has also announced its slate of Fall, 2013 exhibitions and it includes Color! American Photography Transformed which surveys how fine art color photography has been elevated to fully acknowledged high art status. Beginning in late September, the Carter will also offer John Albok's Neighborhood, displaying some of his personal photographic chronicle of the artist's neighborhood, with special emphasis on the children he saw.  And October brings Hotel Texas: An Art Exhibition for the President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy which, in marking the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's assassination, the Carter will reassemble almost all of the works that were initially delivered and exhibited in the president's Hotel Texas suite. This original collection of works was initially curated by Ruth Carter Stevenson, the former president of the Amon Carter board, who passed away this year.  Finally in October, the Carter will mark the 100th anniversary of the death of the Mexican artist, Jose Guadalupe Posada, with Hombre! Prints by Jose Guadalupe Posada, a show of in excess of 50 of Posada's signature male figures. On view will be Posada's special rogue's gallery of lovers and matadors, fugitives, demons and outlaws.

There is nothing quite like the joy that comes from a family bike ride. With every turn, not only do you travel forward, but you also keep the air clean, get some exercise, and join a global community of riders who are traveling the miles using pedal power. 

Be a special part of the biking community this Saturday, May 18^th as you join with bicycling enthusiast Mayor Betsy Price and the bike patrol of the FWPD for the annual Southside Bike Ride. A leisurely ride through Fort Worth’s Near Southside neighborhood kicks off at 9:00 am at One Safe Place, 777 W. Rosedale St. raising awareness for safe bicycling practices for participants of all ages. At the end of th ride, families will enjoy a kid’s bike rodeo, booths promoting family health, and a special chance to meet local police officers and firefighters. You can even get your picture taken with the Chief of Police.

The event is free and you can register online or at the event on Saturday morning.  Don’t forget to grab your $10 commemorative T-shirt, proving that you and your family are bicycling rock stars. All proceeds from the event go to support the FWPD bike patrol in purchasing new equipment and fund special training.  For more family fun in Fort Worth, visit our Family-Friendly page.

Drop me in any foreign country, and radar takes over: It won't take me long at all to find the fancy cheese shop.

Sharp or creamy, blue or brie, sheep's milk or cow's or goat's -- I'm hard-pressed to find a cheese I don't like (though as my sometimes-empty wallet can attest, some I like much better than others). There's something especially tantalizingly about buying cheese at an off-the-beaten track fromagerie, where the proprietor takes particular care sourcing the cheeses, and has a long list of suggestions and samples for you to try.

Until recently, though, I've mostly had to do my cheese shopping at some of the Fort Worth gourmet grocery stores and shops, like Central Market or Oliver's Fine Foods -- not that I'm complaining, but those places lacks that intimate personal touch that you can find at a specialty artisan shop. Needless to say, then, I was very excited when Magnolia Cheese Company opened its doors earlier last December on bustling Magnolia Avenue. 

Who needs to jet off to Paris or Brussels when you have a charming little neighborhood spot like this one in the Near Southside and cheeses so good that you'll have an impossible time picking just one or two to take home? 

Magnolia Cheese Company actually doubles as a cafe, where you can order from the blackboard menu such sandwich options as the Gouda and Pork (which features gouda cheese, proscuitto, smoked bacon, sweet chili saw and pickled red onion) and the Fraiche Fish (which features horseradish creme fraiche, house-cured salmon lox and avocado), as well as salads, soups and a regularly changing line-up of daily specials. If you're looking to sample some of the shops cheeses, you can also opt for a five-cheese tasting plank ($16). 

On our recent visits, though, we were searching for a couple cheeses that we might take home and enjoy before dinner. After sampling a couple of different blue cheeses, we settled on the Point Reyes blue, made in California, an exceptionally creamy cheese that also has a nice tangy bite to it ($10/ per half pound); and since you can't just stop at one, we also purchased a wedge of the Alta Langa Cravanzina, a soft-ripened cheese from the Piedmont region of Italy, made from a mixture of sheep's and cow's milk. It has a soft rind, a creamy center, and a lingering hint of earthiness ($15.45 per half-pound). 

Magnolia Cheese Company also has a nice selection of wines -- you get a $15 discount on bottles if you're purchasing to take away. We opted for an Italian red, which paired nicely with both cheeses – so nicely, in fact, that when we got home, we skipped dinner altogether and just gobbled up our cheeses. Here's hoping this is just the start of a cheese shop boom in Fort Worth.

Magnolia Cheese Company is open: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.,  Monday to Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday

Top Left Photo: Sample Catering Platter from Magnolia Cheese Co.

Fort Worth native, Jamey Ice, guitarist for Green River Ordinance, is proud to say he grew up in the City of Cowboys and Culture. For the last seven years, he has traveled the country with GRO—playing every major city in America, but any time he’s asked what his favorite city is, he is quick to respond, “Fort Worth...it's my favorite city in the country”. Jamey recently opened up BREWED, a restaurant/ pub / coffeehouse on Magnolia Ave., the main street on one of Fort Worth’s emerging districts, the Near Southside. The vision behind BREWED was to create a “local living room” – a place where people can come to feel at home, be inspired and enjoy great hand-crafted food and drinks. Jamey said, “It was fun because I got to bring a lot of ideas that I have seen in other parts of the country back here to Fort Worth.”

Hometown: The greatest city in America…Fort Worth, Texas!

Occupation: Guitar player in Green River Ordinance & owner of BREWED. 

Favorite Fort Worth District: The Near Southside. It's a ton of fun. I love it because it is a community that supports and embraces local things. There are so many local artists and artisans here, dreamers and thinkers, awesome one-of-a-kind local businesses, and incredible local eateries. It's also a very community-driven area, with vibrant people who are passionate and active about supporting local goods. People are always outside: riding their bikes, working in the community gardens, or walking their dogs. My wife and I live in Fairmount and we are crazy about our neighborhood and the big front porches are a true reflection of  that everyone is always outside hanging out. I literally see my neighbors every day. I cant think of another neighborhood in town that has the community and camaraderie among the neighbors as Fairmount. 

Favorite Fort Worth Restaurant: BREWED?!? Fort Worth has so many killer places to eat, it is so hard to pick. But if I had to pick the one restaurant that I frequent most and has a special place in my heart, it would have to be Benito’s on Magnolia. It is the real deal authentic Mexican food, not the tex-mex stuff (not that there is anything wrong with good tex mex!). They have great authentic menudo, ceviche, chile rellenos, mole, and my favorite dish, queso flameado (a flaming cheese queso)! It's my dad’s favorite restaurant, so we grew up going there every Sunday and has become a weekly staple ever since. 

Describe your ideal day in Fort Worth. I am obsessed with my city, so it's hard for me to pick just a one-day itinerary. I love Fort Worth in the summertime when the weather is warm. My ideal day would have to include walking around Magnolia, some Fairmount front porch hanging out with my neighbors, sipping margaritas at Joe T's, exploring the Modern, riding my bike around the Trinity River, and maybe catching some awesome music and fireworks during the summer concert series at the Botanic Gardens.

Where are your favorite places to listen to live music in Fort Worth? Green River Ordinance literally got our start at The Aardvark on Berry Street. We started playing there in high school and continued through our TCU days, and I still love catching bands there. The new Live Oak Music Lounge is also a great new spot that is bringing in some awesome music. Of course, it doesn’t get much better than seeing someone play at Bass Performance Hall; that place is unreal. It doesn’t matter who is playing because any show at Bass Hall is sure to be amazing!

If you had to describe Fort Worth in a song title/create a song title for Fort Worth, what would it be? Oh man that’s a hard one. There are some good songs about Fort Worth. Steve Earl has the famous “Fort Worth Blues” song. For some reason Pat Greens music always reminds me of home. With GRO, we have spent so much time writing and recording our music here in town that it's hard not to associate Fort Worth with our songs. “West Wind” and “Dancing Shoes” both loosely about our City. 

If you could play a live show anywhere in Fort Worth, somewhere out of the norm, where would that be? We are playing at the Concerts in the Garden this summer. That is literally one of my favorite things to go to every year, so I am pretty pumped for that. Definitely a “Bucket List” show. But something out of the norm....hmmm. It would be fun to do a show on the roof of the 7^th street parking garage. It has a killer view of all of downtown, so that would be pretty fun! 

Your favorite place to get inspired in Fort Worth: The Kimbell Art Museum lawn (before they started construction on the Renzo Piano expansion). I can’t tell you how many Green River Ordinance songs were written right in front of the Kimbell or by the giant vortex statue at the Modern. Whenever we would get writer’s block, we would always grab our guitars and go down to Fort Worth Cultural District. 

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

Occupation: Database programmer

Describe Fort Worth in three words: Quintessentially Texas, y’all

My return to Fort Worth comes 30 years after I was last there.  I lived in Fort Worth for about three years in the early 80s – just long enough to attend middle school.  Looking back on my childhood, it was not the brightest time of my life, but that didn’t stop me from showing my wife, Stephanie, some sights and telling tales of a younger, less sure-footed me.

We started at the Fort Worth Stockyards.  I figure if there’s one sight in Fort Worth not to miss, this is it.  Historically, this district is where cattle and other livestock were bought and sold, earning Fort Worth the nickname “Cowtown.”  Now it’s a touristy stretch of bars, western-wear and souvenir shops.  We found some unique, and undeniably Texan items to bring back to the gang in Philadelphia.  We also found a spot where instead of a mechanical bull, you can ride remote controlled mechanical animals including a saddled bass, a TCU horned frog, and a “reinsteer” (a longhorn with horns and reindeer antlers).

Next up were the Fort Worth Water Gardens.  I remember this place (a) from when I was a kid, and (b) from the final scene of the movie “Logan’s Run.”  The Water Gardens feature three different pools of water.  The most famous is the “active pool” where you can walk down stepping stones and watch the water cascade all around you.  It is hard to describe the feeling of being surrounded by water falling all around you at different levels, while you stay dry, beneath the street level in the middle of a city.  There’s also a “Quiet Pool”, which is again below street level, lined by perfect rows of trees, and designed to make you feel very small in the large space around you.  Finally, there’s the Aerated Pool, where sprinkler-like apparatuses spray huge water droplets into the air before they fall back down into the pool.

After this we drove to my old neighborhood, where we saw the house where I lived, the synagogue I attended as a kid, and even the rectory where my Boy Scout troop met.  At the rectory, there is a short drainage culvert that I was afraid to walk through when I was 12, but was able to successfully – and probably illegally – navigate with Stephanie’s help.

We also paid a visit to the Hulen mall where in the early 80s I discovered the joys of video games.  The mall is now a crowded behemoth, especially since we were there two weeks before Christmas, but the cool clock is still hanging inside, so yay.

Every city in Texas seems to have its own personality, but Fort Worth screams “Texas” more than any others.  If you really want to sample a slice of the Lone Star State, start here.

Follow me and Stephanie, the Mile High Duo, as we travel around the world!

My #fortworthfav (yes, I am working on this to be a trending topic) about Fort Worth has got to be the distinct neighborhoods and easy access through the city to get to them.

There’s the new West 7^th, the diverse and wonderful Sundance Square, the authentic, country Stockyads National Historic District, Camp Bowie District, and the up and coming Fort Worth Southside plus more! To see all districts and neighborhoods, visit http://www.fortworth.com/visitors/neighborhoods-and-districts/

Because Fort Worth is ever changing, there’s never a dull moment here in funkytown. There’s something for everyone and always something to do in the city of #cowboysandculture.

Please join us for a tour of the ENDANGERED Ridglea Theater
6025 Camp Bowie Blvd. ·  Fort Worth, TX 76116

Don't miss this chance to see the interior of this iconic theater, one of the last single screen theaters in Fort Worth. Architect John Roberts will lead the tour and the current tenants, Wesley Hathaway and Richard Van Zandt, will answer questions. Beer and wine will be for sale at the concession stand.

The Ridglea Theater opened on December 1, 1950 with a gala party and searchlights blazing in front of the building. Built by A.C. Luther, the Ridglea Theater's 70 foot stone tower announces arrival to the Ridglea neighborhood. Like all buildings in this part of Camp Bowie, the theater and attached office building were designed in the Spanish-Mediterranean style. Original interiors remain, with intricate terrazzo floors and large scale murals of Spanish explorers, chased by pirates, arriving in California.

RSVP to Corry Smith at 817-336-2344 x 100 or Corry_Smith@historicfortworth.org.
Historic Fort Worth, Inc. members are free, guests are $10.00.

For more information on historic Tours and information in Fort Worth visit www.fortworth.com and click on Things to do then Historic Sites.  Thanks for thinking of the "City of Cowboys and Culture."