Dallas CVB 'BIG' photo contest

The Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau (Dallas CVB) recently announced a social media contest to inspire locals to explore Dallas by capturing photos at prominent locations throughout the Metroplex and sharing over social media for opportunities to win one-of-a-kind experiences for family and friends. The month-long digital contest - March 28 through April 27 - kicks off the city's new brand campaign - "BIG Things Happen in Dallas."

More than two dozen oversized displays at select venues throughout Dallas will feature the letters "B" and "G" where locals simply snap a photo of themselves in between the display as the "I" in BIG and then share photos via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and other social media channels using the hashtag #DallasBIG. Fans can submit one photo per location for the weekly contest for multiple chances to win exciting Dallas experiences and the BIG grand prize. Locals can visit www.VisitDallas.com/BIG to discover a map of the BIG display locations, prize packages and complete contest rules.

Beginning April 5, one winner will be randomly selected each Friday from photo submissions to win Dallas prize packages for sports, arts and culture, shopping or dining experiences. A sampling of prizes include a private dinner with wine pairings for ten guests by Chef Matt McCallister of FT33, a personal driving experience at Texas Motor Speedway, a VIP tour and tickets to the State Fair of Texas and a NorthPark Center shopping spree with a personal consultant and much more.

Mayor Mike Rawlings and the Dallas CVB unveiled the city's new branding campaign on Wednesday, March 27, at the BIG Celebration at Victory Park.

BIG display locations include Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Zoo, Deep Ellum, Fair Park, Galleria Dallas, Klyde Warren Park, Love Field Airport, Main Street Garden, NorthPark Center, NYLO, Perot Museum of Nature and Science, Omni Dallas, Reunion Tower, Texas Motor Speedway, Victory Park and West End Historic District.

2012 Buddy Walk

Down Syndrome Guild of Dallas

2012 Buddy Walk

"These Boots Were Made for Walking"

Sunday, November 4, 2012
AT&T Plaza at Victory Park
11:00 am – 3:00 pm
One-Mile Fun Walk begins at 1:00 pm

The Buddy Walk® seeks to promote acceptance of people with Down syndrome and raise funds to support important programs and services provided by the Down Syndrome Guild of Dallas. With over 260 walks nationally, the Dallas area Buddy Walk® attracts more than 9,000 participants for a fun-filled day that includes a one-mile fun walk, live music, food vendors, and activities for the whole family.

Click here to register.

Chase Supports Dallas Educational Institutions

Last Wednesday, July 20, it was announced that Chase was presenting two prominent Dallas educational institutions – one that focuses on science and math education, the other on creative learning in schools and neighborhoods – with $1.4 million in gifts that will make learning fun, stimulating and interactive for thousands of Dallas-area children.

Chase is donating $400,000 to help fund Big Thought’s Thriving Minds summer camp and after-school programs for elementary and middle-school students. Chase also is contributing $1 million in support of the Bio Lab and related educational programming in the Being Human Hall, which will be part of the new Perot Museum of Nature & Science currently under construction in Dallas’ Victory Park.

On hand to make the announcement and to salute the “community hero” wielding the big gifts were representatives from Big Thought and the Perot Museum of Nature & Science. Also offering their thanks were Dallas Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Tennell Atkins and Jane Didear, the partnerships coordinator in Dallas ISD’s community relations/communication services department.

Bill Bogart of Chase presents the check to Margie Reese, Vice President of Programs at Big Thought and Nicole G. Small, CEO of the Museum of Nature & Science. Photo by Jason Janik

Big Thought’s Thriving Minds middle-school camp is a full-day program currently operating at Fair Park and select Dallas ISD schools for four weeks in July. The camp – presented in partnership with Dallas ISD, the City of Dallas and dozens of community partners – involves nearly 2,000 sixth-through-eighth grade students. Chase’s gift to Big Thought will support the expansion of leading-edge programming to be implemented during the school year at several Dallas ISD schools located in South Dallas and the surrounding Fair Park neighborhoods.

Chase’s other gift will support the Bio Lab, which is part of the Being Human Hall and one of 11 halls of Chase contributes $1.4 million to Big Thought and Perot Museum of Nature & Science – the new 180,000-square-foot Perot Museum. Approximately 1,330 square feet, the lab will offer specific curriculum-based programs for school groups and public use. The Hall will examine the human body and human condition through the lenses of biology, technology and culture. The $1 million gift to the Perot Museum includes support for curriculum development and delivery as well as supplies for the Bio Lab programs, which will directly tie into the TEKS standards for math and science. Museum officials project that more than 40,000 students will participate in Bio Lab Programs each year, including those from Community Renaissance Neighborhood (CRN) areas, specifically in South Dallas and Fair Park. The Perot Museum is projected to open in early 2013.

DIFFA/Dallas - Burgers and Burgundy

Benefitting DIFFA/Dallas

2nd Annual Sizzling Celebrity Chef Event

Featuring Grilled Burgers and Wine Tasting

Hosted by Chef John Tesar

Friday, October 15, 2010
6-10pm

The House Rooftop Pool Deck
2200 Victory Park, Dallas 75219

Confirmed Chefs for this year include:
John Tesar - Culinary Director DRG Concepts
Nick Stellino - Celebrity Chef, Author
RJ Cooper - Chef and James Beard Award Winner (from WashingtonDC)
Matt McCallister - Executive Chef, Stephan Pyles & Samar
Kevin Williamson - Chef, Ranch 616 and the Gage Hotel
Tim Byers - Smoke, Executive Chef/Owner
Brian Luscher - The Grape, Chef/Owner (just voted Best Burger in Texas Monthly)
Sharon VanMeter - SVM Productions, President
Scott Romano - Charlie Palmer, Executive Chef
Dan Landsberg - Tillman's Roadhouse, Executive Chef
Samir Dhurandhar - Nick & Sam's, Executive Chef
Kent Rathbun - Chef/Proprietor of Abacus, Jasper's & Rathbun's Blue Plate Kitchen

Top local chefs will gather to serve up their version of an outdoor grilled hamburger.

From turkey to foie gras, veggie to bison, these sliders are grilled and assembled for guests to try any and all of them. Also, enjoy a variety of wine and beer selections.

DJ Jennifer Miller and DJ Paul Paredes

$75 per person
Limited number of tickets available

Click here to purchase tickets

Start! Heart Walk - Sat, Sept 11

Walk more. Eat well. Live longer. Start! today.

The Start! Heart Walk

Saturday, September 11

Bring the whole family out to Fort Worth, in Sundance Square or Victory Park in Dallas by American Airlines Center to raise funds for the American Heart Association and save lives from this country’s number 1 and number 3 killers – heart disease and stroke.

Why we walk:
Did you know that cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of all Americans? In fact, someone dies from CVD every 38 seconds! Heart disease also kills more women than all forms of cancer combined. And congenital cardiovascular defects are the most common cause of infant death from birth defects.

You can help. When you join Start! Heart Walk, you join more than a million people in 300+ cities across America in taking a stand against heart disease and helping save lives.

The funds you raise in Start! Heart Walk will support projects like these:
-Putting up-to-the-minute research into doctors’ hands so they can better prevent and treat heart disease among patients.
-Groundbreaking pediatric heart and stroke research. About 36,000 babies are born with heart defects each year —research is the key to saving babies’ lives.
-Getting life-saving information to those who need it most – information that can save a life, like how to eat better, how to recognize the warning signs of heart attack, and how to talk to a doctor about critical health choices.

Click here for more information on the local Dallas chapter.

The Limelight: Museum of Nature and Science

The Museum of Nature and Science is a result of the merging of three different cultural institutions in 2006: The Dallas Museum of Natural History, The Science Place, and the Dallas Children's Museum. The integration of all three museums has resulted in one invigorating entity that aspires to inspire minds in the realms of nature and science!


Currently located in Fair Park, the museum has exciting plans for expansion and a new state of the art facility is currently in the works in Victory Park. You can actually watch the progression of construction of the new building here.

The Museum of Nature and Science certainly offers something interesting for the entire family. The museum is currently hosting a Water exhibit through August 22nd which explores the dilemmas of water preservation and challenges around the globe.