Celebrate Earth Day Through Music

The Polyphonic Spree and young performers shine at Earth Day Texas

Earth Day Texas is a free weekend festival featuring environmentally focused events, programs, businesses and organizations. The festival, April 26-27 at Fair Park, also promotes local talent — an eco-friendly way to enjoy live music.

Because touring can cost millions of dollars and leave a large carbon footprint, the less an artist has to travel, the better for the environment. To that end, Earth Day Texas is excited to announce the headliner for the event is the The Polyphonic Spree. Additional performances will take place by up-and-coming young musicians.

“There’s just something special about The Polyphonic Spree that makes you want to get up, dance and celebrate,” says Michael Cain, executive director of EDTx.

The Polyphonic Spree, the Dallas-based 21-member choral and symphonic pop band, has gained an international reputation for high-spirited performances, and local fans look forward to the group’s Holiday Extravaganza in Dallas each year.

“There’s just something special about The Polyphonic Spree, something that makes you want to get up, dance and celebrate the world around you. And that’s exactly the experience we hope to bring people at this year’s event,” says Michael Cain, executive director of EDTx.

Wearing their trademark choir robes, the band will make its last 2014 U.S. appearance at Earth Day Texas before beginning its UK tour in June. (If you’ve missed any of The Polyphonic Spree’s recent music, the group released an album last year titled Yes, It’s True.) Free wristbands for The Polyphonic Spree concert will be available Saturday and Sunday, 10 am-5 pm, in the Earth Day Texas indoor information booths at Fair Park.

There are a limited number of seats, so pick up your wristbands early. The concert will begin at 6 pm on Sunday, April 27, with opening act Howler Jr., a local band made up of Booker T. Washington graduates.

Earth Day Texas will also feature performances of musicians between the ages of 13 and 19 in the inaugural Earth Day Texas Rising Stars Music Competition and Talent Showcase.

“Music and education are extremely important to EDTx,” Cain says. “The EDTx Rising Stars Music Showcase is a great way to celebrate young talent and show event attendees that no matter how young you are, you can make a difference in this world.”

Attendees can also enjoy performances by Broadway Bound, a program offered by Dallas Summer Musicals Academy of Performing Arts. This troupe of young actors and singers travels around Dallas-Fort Worth and performs hits from both current and classic Broadway shows.

Earth Day Texas 2014 and the organization’s ongoing community outreach efforts are possible thanks to the support of its 2014 partners, including BMW of America, NBC 5, Home Depot, Samsung, DART, Radio Disney, Sewell Automotive Companies and U.S. Trust.

All ages are welcome to join Earth Day Texas. Admission is free, and you can even take DART’s Green Line to the Fair Park stop.

For the latest information about Earth Day Texas, visit the website or follow the organization on Facebook and Twitter (@EarthDayTexas). You can also download the iPhone app.

The Polyphonic Spree will headline Earth Day Texas at Fair Park.

Photo courtesy of Earth Day Texas

The Polyphonic Spree will headline Earth Day Texas at Fair Park.

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Politics News

Dallas narrows down field for new city manager to 4 candidates

Photo by R K on Unsplash

This is an Dallasite's sign to launch that small business they've been dreaming of.

After six months without a city manager, the city of Dallas has narrowed down the field of replacements to four semifinalists including one serving as current interim city manager, plus candidates from Fort Worth, Michigan, and Georgia.

Dallas has been without a city manager since May, when previous city manager T.C. Broadnax left to take a job with the city of Austin. Since that time, Broadnax's former chief of staff Kimberly Bizor Tolbert has served as interim city manager.

The city retained Baker Tilly, a consulting firm, to recruit and compile candidates. (Baker Tilly famously erred in the brochure it created for the position by featuring a photo of the Houston skyline instead of Dallas; they've since replaced it with Dallas.)

A spokesperson for Baker Tilly did not respond to inquiries but according to D Magazine, an email listing the candidates has been sent to the Dallas City Council.

The semifinalists include:

Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, Dallas’ current interim city manager
William Johnson, an assistant city manager in Fort Worth
Mark Washington, the city manager of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Zachary Williams, a county chief operating officer in Georgia

All have more than 25 years' of public administration experience and have worked in similar capacities in their respective cities.

Before working in Fort Worth, Johnson was Baltimore’s transportation director and Atlanta’s deputy chief operating officer and public works commissioner.

Washington worked in Fort Worth and Austin before becoming Grand Rapids’ city manager.

Williams has mostly worked in Georgia at the county level, including serving as county manager in Fulton County and chief operating officer in DeKalb County.

Tolbert began working for the city in 1998, first as the city manager’s assistant and later in the aviation department. Broadnax hired her as his chief of staff in 2017.

Unlike the Mayor and the Dallas City Council, the city manager position in Dallas is not elected but is instead appointed by the city council, and is tasked with executing policies, overseeing the annual budget, and managing staff at city hall.

The council’s Ad Hoc Committee will choose finalists, introduce them to the public, and make an offer in early 2025.

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