Acclaimed craft casual gourmet hot dog, sausage and burger concept sponsors needed food drive at its Arlington and Richardson locations. Offers FREE Burger Slider to donors. As schools are closed, events canceled and work hours curtailed, food banks across Texas are seeing unprecedented demand for resources. It’s estimated that nearly 70% of all people accessing food right now are doing so for the first time.

No stranger to fighting hunger through its ongoing partnership with No Kid Hungry, Dog Haus Biergarten is also setting out to help meet hunger demand locally. Dog Haus is sponsoring a Food Drive from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 20 at its Arlington Highlands and Richardson Restaurant Park locations.

For every grocery sack of food donated Dog Haus Biergarten will give away a FREE burger or slider to each donor and a special offer for redemption on a return visit. Requested items are canned protein, canned vegetables or soups, dry pasta, rice, and jelly. In addition, customers may enter an Instagram give away for a FREE Haus Party for six (dine-in or takeout) by following @DogHaus_DFW and tagging a friend. RSVP for The Great Food Drive on Facebook.

Items donated at the Arlington Highlands location (4000 Bagpiper Way, Suite 110) benefit Arlington Charities. For over 40 years, Arlington Charities has provided help and created hope for the Arlington community. Fighting hunger, poverty, and homelessness remain the core efforts of Arlington Charities.

Dog Haus Biergarten is looking forward to partnering with both Arlington Charities to help meet its current surge in demand.

“We are so grateful to both the Richardson and Arlington communities for their continued support of our stores and employees during these unprecedented times,” said Dog Haus Biergarten Owner Kirk Hermansen. “We felt like we needed to give back and do our part to help meet the demands that food pantries across DFW are experiencing. It only made sense to partner with our local food pantries since we are in the business of delivering food and hospitality.”

The Dog Haus Biergarten location in Arlington features a full bar with 24 beers on tap, emphasizing local craft favorites and signature Haus Cocktails. The Arlington Highlands restaurant was the second DFW location opened less than a year ago.

In that short amount of time that the location has been opened, they have claimed several awards including Fort Worth Weekly’s “Reader’s Choice Award” and “Critics Choice Award.” Regionally Dog Haus Biergarten has been recognized two years in a row as one of “Dallas’ Best Hot Dogs” by CraveDFW and just this month landed on Thrillists’ Best Burgers in Dallas list.

For up-to-date location and brand information, visit dfw.doghaus.com or follow Dog Haus on Facebook, and Instagram @DogHaus_DFW.

Music is a part of many people’s lives. From rock and roll to country, we all enjoy watching our favorite artists perform or listening to our favorite songs live. If the local music scene ceased to exist, it would strip a big part of the entertainment and culture in cities all over the country.

The live music scene has been hit hard. Because of the economic turn, these places that once had crowded shows are now at risk of never opening their doors again. Music venues have been trying to stay in business by offering takeout food and live streaming concerts.

Concerts are not only a great source of entertainment, but they are important to those who put the show together, the musicians, and the music fans. Music venues create jobs and therefore are a part of our community and economy.

Upcoming artists can usually be found playing in small stages including bars and clubs as well as local venues. In Arlington, bars that have live music include J. Gilligan’s, Mavericks Bar and Grill, and The Grease Monkey. Artists are worried about their career and for the future of the local venues they once played in. This is why it is important to support these places and raise awareness on the matter in any way we can.

Larry Gee, a musician who performs in the Dallas area, is one of many artists pouring out their frustration on social media where their voices can be heard. On May 8th, Gee posted on Instagram letting others know that if there is enough funding from the government, it can help save local venues. He also directed followers to the website https://www.saveourstages.com/, where people can get information on the issue and send an email to senators and representatives. The website was put together by the National Independent Venue Association, which consists of various venues across the country that are trying to get the attention of those in Capitol Hill to help provide funding.

When asked why small music venues matter, Gee stated “Local music venues define and enrich our community…Local venues also give opportunities to independent artists such as myself to share our music by putting us on a bill or actually letting us headline a show…”.

Music venues are trying their best to stay afloat in these times. Along with artists, music venues have posted on Instagram and Facebook letting people know why it’s crucial to help out. Among them were the Granada Theater in Dallas and Main At South Side in Fort Worth who posted about the Save Our Stages website. On a Facebook post, the Dallas venue Club Dada wrote, “…While completely shuttered we have no revenue, our employees and artists are without jobs, and normal bills keep coming, regardless…”.

The slow reopening of businesses has not helped these music venues much since the capacity limits do not allow for enough to cover expenses or to earn profit. As a result, many venues have not been able to continue. This was the case for the independent venue, Barracuda Club in Austin, TX who recently shut down permanently. They bid farewell on their social media accounts and stated that proceeds made from their remaining merchandise would be donated.

Even so, music venues like the Arlington Music Hall have slowly been opening up once again. After announcing they were rescheduling shows, Arlington Music Hall opened on June 5th at 25% capacity for its first concert since the pandemic featuring cover band Texas Flood.

Music lovers and non-fans alike have options to support their local music venues, such as:

• Buy tickets for future concerts and events
• Online donations
• Send an email to legislators by going to the website mentioned above (https://www.saveourstages.com/)
• Post on social media to raise awareness

I have been going to concerts for a long time and it is saddening to think that some of my favorite venues might not be able to survive the current crisis. Many feel the same way but if our communities can come together and support music venues, they have a better chance of securing a future.

For two evenings in a row, peaceful protestors gathered in front of the city hall to cry out for justice for George Floyd. The tragic Minneapolis event has sparked protests across the country and even far beyond our own borders into the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, and more. The demonstrations are comprised of protestors desperate for the end of racism, injustice, and police brutality.

Tuesday afternoon a crowd began to assemble across the street from city hall equipped with signs sharing messages like “black lives matter”, “say his name”, and  “excuse your privilege”. Members of the crowd pass out water bottles and snacks while others speak words of encouragement to those sharing the moments of solidarity and frustration by their side.

As Tuesday evening encroached, protestors mobilized and walked through the UTA campus. Arlington and UTA police closely followed the demonstration as roads were blocked to ensure the safety of the protestors. Moments of mutual respect were shared as an Arlington police officer stepped down from his motorcycle to take a knee alongside the crowd. As the heartwarming moment happened others in the crowd held signs that served as a reminder of the death of Christian Taylor, an unarmed 19-year old college athlete killed by an Arlington police officer during a burglary investigation. The investigation was deemed to have a  “catastrophic outcome” by former Police Chief Will Johnson. Even the American Dream City couldn’t avoid the midst of police shootings of unarmed black men.

Protestors gathered around a speaker who encouraged the crowd to voice their opinion at the voting booth. Voter registration cards circulated the crowd as protestors sat and listened to speakers throughout the demonstration. With more young people than ever voicing their political beliefs on social media, progressive leaders are banking on a demographic shift in local elections. According to the Texas Secretary of State, only a quarter of the 16 million registered voters in Texas cast their votes in the 2020 primary. It’s projected that by 2022, one in three voters in Texas will be under 30.

Around 8pm most of the crowd had dispersed. Destinee Franks and Lisa Escalante, some of the last protestors of the evening, stood in front of the star statues at the Arlington PD headquarters. When asked about their affiliation with Black Lives Matter Franks responds “our kids are black”. The sisters raise their signs and explain “This is our entire family right here. We are a multi-race family”.  As we continued our conversation passerby’s honked in support as they drove down Abram Street. 

Monday night, an agitator group looted from Arlington businesses and vandalized that same star statue. A group marched towards the Walmart located at 915 W. Randol Mill Road late in the evening. Of the four people arrested in the incident, only one was an Arlington resident. Later the same night, the First Cash Pawn located at 2916 S. Cooper St. was broken into. The arrest of a Duncanville resident with a felony warrant from Dallas county followed the burglary. In response to the looting and vandalism, Franks says “It’s just not the way to go. We want peace everywhere. We don’t want violence. We have to do this peacefully. We want to do this the right way”. Jaime Ayala, interim police chief, said his department will continue supporting peaceful protests, but will not tolerate others who detract from the message by acting out criminal activity.

Peaceful assemblies are planned to continue in Arlington throughout the week. Big Sammy, a local rapper and organizer of the first protest in Arlington, is staging a march for 4pm Thursday, June 6th at Stovall Park. Prior to the march, a community discussion is planned.

From selling handmade products to used items, online shops are becoming more prevalent. Social media offers a unique experience for businesses to advertise, connect, and engage. It’s not easy to create a small business from scratch but entrepreneurs who have determination and passion can be successful.

A turn for the better

Jennifer Hernandez is a senior Marketing and Management major at UTA who has found success on Instagram with her business eatsbyjenn.her. It is a meal prep and catering business providing meals on the go for people with busy, active lifestyles

In July 2018, she had a hectic lifestyle consisting of two jobs and school. Hernandez said it was tiring and stressful to commute and balance so much work. She says, “I just wanted to be a full-time student. That was my ultimate goal in my life at the time.”. She has always loved food and cooking, so she began posting colorful, mouth-watering desserts and healthy food on Instagram such as breakfast tacos. She gained followers by being active on the platform and by word of mouth. People began asking if she would consider selling or meal prepping the food she made. “Well, I don’t see why not!”, she replied. Two clients grew into a small business for Hernandez and she was comfortable enough to quit her other jobs and focus on school. She now dedicates most of her time to engage with her 6,000 plus followers on Instagram. 

Like a one man band

Hernandez handles everything on her own from staying active on Instagram to cooking the meals. 

She relies on the platform for marketing her business. She begins by posting a new menu every week on her Instagram story. Customers can then go to her profile and click a link to fill out their order and personal information. At the end of the week, she compiles and organizes all the orders. From there, she picks up groceries, emails customers to confirm payment, and prepares the food. Customers can then pick up their orders from two locations in Dallas

The work is tiring and time consuming, so how exactly does she manage to do it all? Her advice to small business owners is to create a balance between work and your personal life. This includes having a certain time designated for marketing while going about your daily life as well. Creating daily to-do lists helps her stay organized and this goes for both her business and school.

Business during changing times

Once the pandemic hit, she says it did not change her routine much since her business and classes were all online to begin with. She emphasizes that taking care of one’s health is the most important. For Hernandez, she realized that prioritizing her mental health was crucial during these times. She likes to incorporate one day of the week to rest. “I’m not going to feel guilty about not being productive.”, she says.

It’s been more work for her business, but she is glad about the extra exposure since everyone is on their phone a lot more. Hernandez feared that business would go down since many were making their own meals at home. To combat this, she decided to adapt and tried to bridge the gap of her regular customers. She started by offering empanadas, which are a Spanish baked good made of a soft outer crust and filling inside. She calls it a “quarantine snack” since she wanted a comfort snack and figured others would too. This temporary menu item has become one of her top sellers.

She says right now eatsbyjenn.her is going steady and she is grateful for the success so far. She hopes to dedicate 100% to her business and find an internship in social media marketing once she graduates in the Fall of 2020.

You can follow her journey on Instagram @eatsbyjenn.her, and order some delicious food while you’re at it!

A rainy Memorial Day afternoon did little to stop Mike Elliot, president of the All Veteran Group, and his team of veterans from parachuting over the Arlington Entertainment District for “Operation Airdrop” in remembrance of fallen Armed Forces personnel.

At exactly 4 PM, Mike Elliot and his team began Operation Airdrop and parachuted from over 10,000 feet to form a giant, 2-mile wide heart with pink smoke and landed safely in a large parking lot between Globe Life Park and the newly completed Globe Life Field. Elliot himself carried a 1,400 square foot American flag on his way down.

In attendance of the event was Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams, who met with and personally thanked each of the veterans. Operation Airdrop was a very significant event since, according to Mayor Williams, “This is just about the only event that will be happening during this Memorial Day weekend”, presumably due to the unprecedented effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The organization behind the demonstration, the All Veteran Group, is a team of active and retired military personnel led by Army veteran Mike Elliot. Elliot served for over 10 years as a Team Leader for the United States Army Parachute Team, nicknamed the Golden Knights. As the president of the All Veteran Group, his mission for the organization is “to honor, remember and serve in support of veteran’s related interests; to showcase skill-sets acquired through military experience.”

Other attendees of the event included Sid Eppes, Chairman of the Airpower Foundation, as well as two Medal of Honor recipients: Donald “Doc” Ballard and Mike Thornton.

The point of the event was to remind the citizens of Arlington of the sacrifices that are made by the Armed Forces in order for them to live normal lives. Put simply by Mike Thornton, Medal of Honor recipient, “It is so important to remember what the whole purpose of Memorial Day is. Remembering those who paid the price.”