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Friends of the Library literary discussion and dinner marks ‘new tradition’

People gather for food and literary discussion at the Friends of the Richardson Public Library's first Table of Contents event at Aboca's Italian Grill on Sept. 9. (Photo by Carl Youngberg)

Disclosure: The author is on the board of directors for the Friends of the Richardson Library.

Where can luscious wines, great books, scrumptious Italian foods and deep discussions on artistic criticism come together?  Not many places we fear, but they did when the Friends of the Richardson Public Library hosted their first Tables of Content literary arts dinner on Sept. 9.

Aboca’s Italian Grill was the perfect setting for the gathering which was filled to capacity.  The concept of pairing classic literature with favorite wines provided the perfect ice-breaker. The search for wines with a clever name and finding a literary story connection started the fun before the party.

On display was the first of the new Little Free Libraries that is supported by the FOL.  Four have been contributed to Richardson HOAs as starter libraries.  The library on display was donated by General Mills and will be placed in the Literary Garden on the north side of the library.

Since I love mysteries and thrillers, I cleverly found a lovely white “Conundrum” wine to contribute.  A more romantic entry was the Nebbiolo d ‘Alba  wine which was paired with and celebrated the frivolous youth of Mr. Darcy while frolicking on the continent. Like Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice, this wine is noted for its class and spontaneous vivacity, which is a perfect description for the Richardson FOL.

Jerome Weeks, the producer-reporter for KERA’s cultural coverage and the featured speaker, brought his experience as a book critic and former theatre critic for The Dallas Morning News as part of his rich commentary on the life of a critic. While many great quotes emerged, his quote on the role of the critic from Pauline Kael, famed critic for The New York Times brought down the house.  “In the arts, the critic is the only independent source of information. The rest is advertising.”

Dr. Barbara Berthold, a board member and city activist noted: “Who does not love a good book, a thought provoking talk, delicious food and wine shared with a group of fellow literary arts aficionados? The FOL annual meeting had it all. A new tradition is born. “

After dinner, guests were invited to take home a book from the book stack centerpieces.  A great discussion point as books were selected, then rejected and then traded.  Everyone left with a title they wanted.  A stray copy of Fifty Shades of Grey was the object of much humor.

Post dinner comments were plentiful.  Linda Honea wrote:  “Thank you for the location, the books, the food, the vino, and the wonderful speaker!!  I loved Jerome Weeks, and I am grateful that he would give us the privilege of his insight and musings.”

A good indicator of the success of an event is when someone like library veteran Walter King gives you a hug and says he “can’t wait to see what you do next year.”  Oh no.

Carl Youngberg is a professional speaker and author whose past work experience includes serving as a retailing executive at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York and Neiman Marcus in Dallas. He has volunteered for many area groups such as the City Arts Commission to the UTD Arts Council.

Love wine? Love books? Join the Friends of the Library’s wine tasting and dinner

For readers, book club members and those who just love a good dinner with inquiring minds, read on. If you have wondered about book reviewers and how they prepare and deliver their insights, join the Friends of the Richardson Public Library for the FOL Tables of Content.

This unique dinner with a purpose is scheduled for 6 p.m. Sept. 9 in the private dining room at Aboca’s Italian Grill in Richardson.

With a share table for communal wine tasting before dinner, we can visit with long-time friends and meet new ones, all of who have a deep love of the literary arts.

You will love the speaker, Jerome Weeks of KERA.  When asked how he began reading, you will love his response.. “I started reading as a child the way any child does, I believe: I needed evidence to prove my older sister was wrong.”

You’ve probably heard Weeks if you listen to KERA, our local NPR station. Jerome is the producer-reporter for Art&Seek, KERA’s cultural coverage. If you haven’t heard him, you’ve probably read him. He has covered the arts in Dallas-Fort Worth for more than 25 years. He was The Dallas Morning News’ book critic for 10 years, and before that, the paper’s theater critic.

Because readers must nourish the stomach as well as the soul, Aboca’s in the Richardson Heights Center has come up with a wonderful dinner menu and a special price. The cost is $25 plus bring a bottle of your favorite literary vino to share and your story behind the wine. (50 Shades of Gray must have some interesting wine pairing.)

Deadline is Monday, Sept. 8 or when sold out.  Credit cards or cash are accepted.  Please pay when you are seated for dinner. RSVP to Carl Youngberg at Carl@concepts3inc.com.  Your response will be considered your commitment to be part of the dinner.

Ten 50 BBQ: A slice of Richardson culture with barbecue sauce

How can you not rave about fabulous barbecue, especially as presented by Ten 50 BBQ on Central Expressway at Arapaho Road in Richardson? To back up, in a launch soft-opening private party with owners Larry Lavine and Steve Wunderlich, who wanted to support the Arts in Richardson as well as build word of mouth about how they do barbecue. Consider that Larry Lavine founded Chili’s and Steve founded Spring Creek Barbecue, their track record is flawless.

Laurie Gleeson Garvie, executive director of the Richardson Symphony Orchestra was in the middle of writing her arts grant when I called and told her the opportunity. She didn’t miss a beat. “I’ll be there tomorrow”. She came, she saw and when they said “we will give you 300 tickets to sell at any price you want”, she jumped on it.

So last Wednesday, all 300 of us came together in three shifts to sample the wares. And wow, the food, the building, the staff and of yes, the five homemade pies are all terrific. It was a celebration of the people of the arts from conductor Clay Couturiaux and his family to Judge and former mayor Ray Noah and his wife Cynthia.

Billy Hines, general manager of NorthPark Center, brought his entire family and their response was effusive. So did everyone else.

The new foodie center opens for lunch only on Monday in Richardson, 1050 N. Central Expressway.

Driving our Imaginations to great nearby performances

One gallon of gasoline and our imagination is all it takes to whisk us to worlds far away from our daily lives via the theatre. Sometimes we don’t realize in Richardson/North Dallas that we are surrounded by live theatre with great local actors and even schools for developing young theatre talent.

Let me share with you stories about two plays of merit presented in close proximity to our fair city. Both theatres and more have built a strong community.

RCT – Repertory Company Theatre

First to RCT as I am remembering with great pleasure my laughter at their hysterical production Legally Blonde. This is a great little family-run theatre that produces terrific work. Debra Carter is the company founder and director. She is assisted by her beloved husband Mike who not only builds sets but also runs the concession stand during every production.

Joining in all the fun are their two talented daughters, Michelle Carter Levall and Laura Carter Alley who both direct and star in productions all year long.  And they also teach in the musical theatre school which they operate.  So it is a little women theatre plus dad Mike. Here David McNair from the City Arts Commission is congratulating Laura Alley for her great performance.

They typically have a big cast and always wonderfully cast from the theatre family. One of the pleasures of community theatre is frankly “community”.  Our friends and family come to cheer mommy or daddy or others on and have a great time doing so. The opening night was no exception.

I have to do a big shout out to Jacob Sanders who plays the morally short-changed Warner, who does all the wrong things, every time. He does a great job at it and was cheered on by a bevy of his co-workers from Richardson-based Flex-Jet who had special orange T-shirts made and were front and center to cheer him on.

It was also a pleasure sitting with the family of Laura Carter Alley as she was cheered on. … by her hubby and kids, all on the front row. Laura did a great job cheerleading the Delta Nu’s which is clearly not a scholastic sorority.

But the star of the show after Elle was the ever wonderful Chris Edwards. He is the hard working mainstay of many local shows and delivers a great performance each time. By day, a UTD librarian, by night…well. Here he is the hero UPS driver who delivers a whole lotta love to Paulette, the owner of the hair salon where miracles do happen.

While much has been written about the fabled Boys in Brown, never have we seen a UPS man is such tight, tight browns. The audience went wild upon his entrance, if that is the word, and his exit, when all we see is his bun, which he then begins to flex, had everyone screaming.

It was a terrific turn and such fun.  Chris is a good example of the volunteer workers and actors who make our local theatre happen.  And this is a good example of the fun that these theatre directors have with their casts and scripts.

I really want to thank all of the community players who do so much to make good theatre right around the corner.  Their next production will be Into The Woods  (Aug 15-24)

(972) 690-5029 is the office and box office number.  650 N COIT #2320 Richardson, TX, United States 75080    http://www.rcttheatre.com

Watertower Theatre

Good theater can make you feel like you have left something behind and then it jumps out at you on stage and was there all the time.  If you have, then you will probably appreciate the Watertower Theatre’s new production of Dogfight. This play brings the anguish of Vietnam storming back through the story of lives of six young Marines on their way overseas.

The production will run through Aug. 17 at the theatre in Addison under the water tower off Arapaho.  I believe this production is going to sell out as it was on opening night so act accordingly.  The critical reviews have been outstanding.

In a story set on the eve of the Kennedy assassination on November 21, 1963, Dogfight chronicles the story of newly inducted Marine, Eddie Birdlace. Before shipping out to Vietnam the next morning, Birdlace and his friends make a bet:  Each man contributes $50 to a pot, and whoever brings the ugliest date that night to a bar wins the prize. But when Eddie meets Rose, an awkward and idealistic waitress as his date, she rewrites the rules of the game and teaches him the power of compassion.

The musical is about what happens when the game tables are not only turned, but flipped upside down and more.  Two actors are outstanding among many.

Zak Reynolds as Birdlace and Juliette Talley as Rose bring such nuance to their roles it becomes an excerpt from your own life.  And since the play is set in the pre-Vietnam era, for many of us, it was a slice of our own lives.  I loved it when one of the new soldiers says they are just going to Vietnam as “advisors”.    I am not sure the younger audience caught the historical connection of this line and today’s headlines.

With the young Marines preparing to ship out to Vietnam the next morning, they were caught between their emotions and their actions.  To get a better glimpse of the chemistry between Zak and Juliette, watch this sneak preview of the two singing with Mark Mullino, musical director, accompanying them on the piano. This song captures some of their ambiguity called “First Date/Last Night.”

One of the most outstanding moments was one rooted in the universal dating experience.  Eddie invites Rose out to dinner at a nice restaurant.  Yet only orders a beer for himself as he watches Rose enjoy a delicious meal.  She realizes what is going on with his lack of money and together they share her meal.  That simple moment was a seal to their future relationship.

A footnote on Zak that will be of interest to many in the broader community.  Zak’s grandparents were the co-founders of Casa Mañana in Ft. Worth.  I would say theatre is in his blood.  And notice the picture of his short haircut.  Zak showed me his driver’s license picture with his regular haircut.  Quite a shave for the arts.

Terry Martin has directed this outstanding production which runs until August 17 and once again reveals his genius at finding the right material at the right time and bringing it out in exactly the right way.  I think you will want to be there right away.  We did.

WaterTower Theatre at the Addison Theatre Centre

15650 Addison Road, Addison, Texas 75001   Box Office: 972-450-6232

Box Office: box@watertowertheatre.org

The Bigger Community

These theatres are just two that offer very different theatrical productions but both offer strong engagement with the joy of seeing outstanding performances right in front of you.  When you consider how convenient they are, with free parking, great patron connections with strong material and great talent, now is the time to gas up your Buick Electra and head out for your own night on the town. More good shows coming up soon so go to the new City Arts website for details.

Road show takes Richardson theatre fans to Lewisville for ‘La Cage Aux Folles’

I like to come out of a theatre humming a catchy tune from the show I’ve just seen. The Best of Times is one such hummable song, so when a flyer for a new production of La Cage Aux Folles in Lewisville landed on my messy desk last week, I started to tune up.

However, Lewisville seems like a long, long way from Richardson, so my second thought was “no way”.  But because my friend David had just taken over a role in the show and had dropped off the flyer, we made travel plans from Richardson to Lewisville.

Living in Richardson and serving on the Arts Commission has taken us to a lot of community theatres.  So I have to admit some caution when it comes to local productions of big sturdy musicals such as La Cage, Cats and even Les Miz.

Show directors are faced with a big presenting challenge: Do they play the show as staged or do they rethink the show in some fresh way? Size does matter in staging as well. This can be tricky for both audiences and cast. Take cheerful Oklahoma! Many times, productions have glossed over the darkness and sexuality (remember Jud’s story) that made Oklahoma! ground breaking.  A new production is now delving into the psyche of Jud!

The Dallas Theater Center just rethought Les Miserables with modern dress to mixed audience reactions. Interesting side note: La Cage aux Folles is the only musical in Broadway history to win Tonys each time it has been presented: 1983’s Best Musical, and 2004 and 2010’s Best Revival of a Musical.

To see how director Chris Robinson would stage La Cage, off we went to the Greater Lewisville Community Theatre (perhaps a shorter name?) and encountered very nice surprises. First surprise. Old Town Lewisville is a long street of great little shops, two theatres and restaurants. Since we avoided heavy traffic, we arrived early and wandered into Square One restaurant, next to the theatre. Great foods and many local brews of beers to enjoy while a porch band tuned up next door.

The theatre itself has a great history in the community that patrons love and their loyalty is a great gift to any theatre company. The theatre is a narrow long space built in stadium style which means every seat is a good seat and with a nice sound system. The board owns the building which makes for a great base for bigger shows and taking risks.

Director Chris has several thoughts on presenting this big show in a small space.

“Well, the first thing I had to consider was presenting a show that’s typically large in a small space. I read some things that author Harvey Fierstein wrote about how the show was always a very intimate story. I concerned myself with telling the story of the family, making sure we cared about these people, and how their choices affected everyone.  If we create believable characters, and tell a great story that gets the audience involved emotionally …  we have succeeded. No matter the size of the production.”

This is a story of two families with a love story between them and the usual tensions present in all romance stories. The strength of the story builds in the second act as the various plot skullduggeries come to no good end but a happy finale.

I was pleased to see music director Kevin Sutton and impressed with the live pit band.  Kevin is an old Dallas hand in every type of music and was an announcer at WRR-FM.

Clearly and rightly, the stars of the show are two men who are veterans of the Dallas stage scene. Lon Barrea stars as Georges, the nightclub owner. And irascible Doug Fowler is both partner and star drag performer as Albin/ZAZA. Both performers carry the story and the show. While Lon gets to wear street clothes and tuxes, Doug goes from size XXXL men’s wear to evening gowns and heels.  Not only are they great in acting, but their singing is wonderful.

Backing them up were amazing all-male chorus girls. When they sang however, they brought a touch of Bloody Mary sailor chorus with them. They also had sideline roles such as Hanna the “Dominatrix from Berlin” who was dating the stage manager Francis.  Progressively, he showed up with medical injury mementos of Hanna and her whip.

When Georges son, Jean-Michel played by Cameron Potts, the product of a one-night stand 24 years ago, arrives with news of his impending marriage and the arrival tomorrow of the brides ultra-conservative parents, the plot gets steaming and so does ZAZA. For the son invited his unseen for 24 years mother to the wedding but uninvited ZAZA feeling the ultra-conservative bride’s parents would not approve of her/him.

There is anger and hurt, and final reconciliation between ZAZA and Jean-Michel, plus much hysteria while trying to disguise their flamboyant lifestyle by redecorating it to resemble a convent. Needless to say, the truth will out.

Although David Tinney is a late arrival on stage, he manages to capture much of the closing attention of the play. As the uber-right wing senator who fights perversion, he makes a major identity transformation to exit the club and retain his dignity. His lines have a contemporary sound to them still today.

Although the parents have come from very different places, the cast all ends up in a place that supports their children. The cast and audience happily shuffle out of the theatre humming The Best of Times and enjoying another night of theatre in which neighbors and friends sacrifice endless nights to build set, rehearse songs and lines and practice stage movement to provide us entertainment.  To get more information on this theatre, go to http://www.glct.org/.

Whether Lewisville, Richardson, Plano or anywhere, we are all blessed with a strong community theatre base that needs our support. Giving financial support, telling others about good shows and finally, becoming a patron and clapping at the Grand Finale are all ways in which we can support this most venerated of art forms.

Bravo Lewisville and all who support you. We’ll be back.

It’s a whole new chapter for Richardson librarian Steve Benson and his wife Cynthia

What’s a retirement party like for the chief librarian of the Richardson Public Library?  How does this “last Chapter” play out?  Punch and cookies in the stately reference room, with everyone hushed and quiet?

We don’t think so; and as citizens, it is important that we also recognize these civil servants who make such a difference in our lives. So let’s go add our best wishes.

For Steve and Cynthia Benson, the library’s lower level conference room was packed to the rafters with a wonderful range of guests from long-time retired librarians to current community patrons. Their affection and laughter filled the room. The common thread was the deep care for both Steve and wife Cynthia, and because both were retiring from the city, it was a festive doubleheader.

A good measure of a manager’s impact can be seen in the farewell. This was a riotous time as the celebration got underway. Tables brimming with homemade foods lined the room. The theme was “The Movies” as they both love film and it was expressed everywhere.  Famous movie posters had been updated with the faces and names of the honorees to hysterical end.  DVDs were redone staring Steve and Cynthia.

When Steve Benson punched his last Dewey decimal card on June 30 as director of library services, he was wrapping up 27 years of public service in Richardson.  With his quiet style, many patrons might not have noticed Steve watching to see how well the library was serving its customers.

For those not frequenting the facility, it has grown into one of the top libraries in the state.  With more than 253,000 literary ingredients on stacks, shelves and online, it never closes for digital use and is as close as your computer. In fact, the library aims to always be open for everything digital.

When Steve arrived from Illinois, his first spot landed him in the library technical field and it never stopped. His last major installation fascinates kids and adults as you return a book either outside or inside the Civic Center Library. A voice in the wall calls out to place your book in the slot.  A conveyor belt comes to life and carries the media inside. Using the RIFD media identification system, the data is quickly scanned and the book moves along the conveyor until it comes to the rack where materials are shelved and then rolled to their home.

For those of us who remember Lucy and Ethel in the chocolate factory, this might seem fairly amazing — and it is. This check-in and the scanning checkout system get our library poised for the next generation of patrons and our needs.  And Steve was the guru who quietly walked us through every step of the way.

Carrying on the work of Steve with many new initiatives will be Susan Allison, already a long-term library associate for 31 years.  As Susan says, “I love what I do and this is home”.

Both laughter and tears were plentiful as we said goodbye and thanks to both Steve and Cynthia, who met and married while working for the city. A happy ending for them, for us and for the patrons of the Richardson Public Library.

We can’t wait to read the next installment in their series.

From the Ground Up: Grow where you’re planted

From left, councilman Mark Soloman, Todd Carlson, Artur Pira, Mayor Laura Maczka, Carl Youngberg and David McNair.

Albania, nestled on the shores of the Adriatic Sea is less than 45 miles from Italy. Perhaps that is the inspiration that brought Chef Artur Pira from sunny Albania to sunny Richardson and where he founded his delightful Aboca’s Italian Grill in the Heights Shopping Center.

As he built his reputation for fine Italian cuisine, Artur was also building a second reputation as a strong supporter of the community in which he found himself planted. Stories were beginning to circulate among the nonprofit world of food provided by Artur and best of all, feeding a homeless woman every day of the year.

So imagine a gathering at the restaurant where he somehow managed to segue from dinner talk into making a wonderful gift for the Waterview Drive medians — six desert willow trees.

The back story is that years ago, we began to reimagine the plantings that distinguish the medians on Waterview Drive.  Well over 50 years old, they were showing their age.  Working with the city, we began to change out the plantings and hardscape.  But we had lots more to do.

Along came Artur and a great step forward with beautiful trees that bring wonderful blooms throughout the season. Better yet, their ability to withstand arid conditions with beautiful flowers and a long flowering period make it one of Texas’s best small native trees. It is easily cultivated but must not be overwatered.  Well, I think we can sure take care of overwatering.

Since the city planted the trees in February, Lois and Richard Ferrara and David McNair and I said we wanted to host a neighborhood gathering and bring Artur to Waterview Drive for his first visit.

On our courtyard, we soon were brimming with great foods and fine wines. Finally, the guest of honor arrived to great cheers. On hand was Mayor Laura Maczka, Mayor Pro Tem Bob Townsend and councilmen Mark Solomon, plus a good slice of the hood.  Former HOA president Todd Carlson told the story of the trees and then Mayor Laura spoke and presented a citation to Artur.

“We are celebrating a true community advocate,” Laura said. “He not only has a business,  but truly invests in the neighborhoods in the community that supports his business. I love the fact that Waterview Preservation paused long enough to show their appreciation!“

From this point on, it was a night of sharing with Artur and each other on the charms of living on Waterview Drive and how it continues to grow and blossom.  When the trees were planted, they are now so happy in their new home they promptly burst into bloom.

The lesson is, grow and bloom where you are planted.

From the Ground Up: My ground-breaking series on how I see Richardson

How do we see ourselves in Richardson? That was my challenge.

Motivating me was a recent headline from The Dallas Morning News proclaiming Frisco “is one of the fastest growing cities of 50,000 or more.”  It was above a photo of a vast landscape of new Frisco housing. No tree more than 5 feet tall. It looked like the houses were glued together with nothing of nature in between and no room for pools. Someone described it as a bomb site waiting to happen. Well, I know we can do better than that.

To take a closer look, with smartphone camera in hand, off we went on a morning walk in Waterview Preservation and Cottonwood Heights neighborhoods to see the lay of the land.

This is what we found.

Poor Frisco with its tiny trees. Richardson is blessed with a wonderful canopy of trees.  Probably more than Oncor would like, but shade is everywhere — which made our walk so pleasant. And my favorite tree shot was the elderly tree growing over the sidewalk which now has a crutch to keep it in place.

Bringing our eyes to ground level, we found many things that make Richardson such an inviting outdoor environment. We seem to love to repurpose found objects to new uses, and mostly gardening related. In the pictures you will see a fire pit now brimming with flowers and a metal chair where the seat had fallen out and now holds a lapful of succulents.

One of the most intriguing was the novel solution to disposing of all those old Readers Digest books. They have been turned into a garden border wall.

But whether a simple urn filled with flowers or small pots filled with attractive succulents, every home has a story and we will continue to walk these streets with camera in hand.  Please let me know of more hidden gems I should see.

At Citizens Fire Academy, we learned to fight fire with fire

How do you like going into burning buildings with a few friends on a pretty night in Richardson?

That’s how we at the Richardson Fire Department Citizens Fire Academy finished up our 10-week volunteer training course. It was terrific with great people that I was honored to meet and work with. They are friendships that I will keep going past graduation.

On our last class night, Chief Steve Dossett laid out three experiential activities that would pull it all together. All of this was in the state of the art Fire Training center right behind Owens Farm.

First was the death by smoke exercise. Imagine walking down a hallway of an apartment building. Suddenly, thick acrid smoke fills the hallway to the point that you cannot see …. period. Your task is to get out of the hallway and outside in the fresh air. BTW, the smoke is the same type of smoke as you would see on stage at Phantom of the Opera, but realllllly thick.

Next was finding the missing person. I passed on that. Using special equipment that can find heat sources, your job is to find them and bring them out to safety. Oh yes, this again was in a burning building. Quite a trip.

The last segment was upstairs in the hallway of death. You are still in that same building but now upstairs in the hallway. You feel heat.

Suddenly, the ceiling above you erupts in high flame. It rolls over you only if you are down on your hands and knees. Think California forest fire and fill in the blanks. I passed on this one because of bad knees and being the tallest member of the class. The good news is that everyone came out alive.

This program is one of two volunteer programs available to all city residents. The police and fire departments offer these behind-the-scenes working programs and it gives you information and a connection that you never knew you had. To learn more, click here.

I salute Chief Steve and Junior Fireman Wesley who are two fire department leaders and make the entire experience very fun and informative. Let me know if you are interested.

Cottonwood Arts Festival reminds us of event’s impact

Serri Ayers and Mayor Laura Maczka getting ready to speak to the artists and community leaders

It takes a village to raise a child, and it’s also true in our Richardson arts community where it takes a village to support and nurture the arts. The artist dinner served on the eve of the Cottonwood Arts Festival is one such nurturing village.

Every artist was invited and a catered buffet and the beer and wine and beverages made sure that a good time was had by all. With tables overlooking the mini-lakes, it gave artists and the community a chance to bump into each other.

Serri Ayers, the parks department’s superintendent of community events, has helped grow Cottonwood into one of the most respected arts shows around. Rated as one of the top art festivals in the United States, the prestigious show is the premier fine art event in North Texas.

In its 45th year, the festival is a juried show with more than 240 artists from 1,400 submissions eager to exhibit their museum-quality work. In individual tents set up throughout Cottonwood Park on the banks of the creek, this year was a time of luminous beauty. Crystal-clear skies in a deep-blue hue with a balmy breeze combined with a country-western band to telegraph it made for a night to relax before the busy festival.

Part of this village included arts activist Bonnie Perry with her distinctive red hair. Bonnie is one of the jewels of our city and celebrated as an Arts Patron of the Year. When your phone rings and Bonnie is calling, get ready to get involved.

Serri and assistant Suzann Etman together make these festivals — Cottonwood, Wildflower, Huffhines, and so much more — happen.

As a beautiful arts night ended, it was great to gather with a group of friends, neighbors and Richardson activists who came together to celebrate the great arts in Richardson.