Mark Your Calendars

Map out your year with the ultimate Uptown Dallas events calendar

Uptown Dallas Inc. isn't wasting any time in 2017, and neither should you. The public improvement company that shapes Dallas' premier shopping, dining, entertainment, and residential district already has a slate of fun events lined up for the year, so get ready to mark your calendar.

It all starts with the new Uptown Fitness Series, a partnership between UDI and West Village. Each month you can discover a new way to work out, such as trying out SoulCycle at its new Uptown studio or running football training drills in Griggs Park. January and February fitness events filled up in about 15 minutes, so be sure to check the new UDI website and follow them on social media for updates and to reserve your spot. Did we mention these events are free?

If being social while you sweat isn't your thing, show up for the quarterly networking happy hours where you’ll get a free drink or two along with complimentary appetizers and the chance to mingle with fellow Uptown aficionados. The first one is scheduled for February 22 at Idle Rich Pub, from 5:30-7 pm.

The free Uptown Family Fest returns April 29 from 10 am-1 pm in West Village, with face painting, balloon artists, live music, and more. With the addition of the new playground at Griggs Park, this is just one more way Uptown is becoming more family friendly — and we're loving that.

Salute the sun every Saturday at 9 am in May with free yoga in Griggs Park.

Youngsters rule again on August 12 with a Kiddos Carnival, held in the eight beautiful acres of Griggs Park. September is the perfect month to grab a picnic and enjoy free flicks under the stars at Uptown Dallas Inc.’s Movie Nights in Griggs Park, held every Thursday at 8 pm.

We love October in Uptown, because that means it's time for the annual Uptown Block Party. Last year 800-plus people partied as The Spazmatics performed a free concert in Griggs Park — stay tuned for the announcement of this year's headliner, who will perform October 12 from 6-10 pm.

A new signature fundraising event this year is the Urban Table Dinner, set to take place on September 24. This whimsical evening is expected to be nothing short of a fairytale, filled with performance art and fine dining. Tickets will go on sale a month prior to the event, and all sales will go toward increasing Uptown's public art.

Come the holiday season, Uptown is stepping up its game — you can expect to see the area sparkle even more with dazzling Christmas decor and a special event on December 8 called Christmas on the Patio.

Throughout the year, UDI is also celebrating fun holidays such as the International Day of Happiness (March 20) and National Chocolate Day (July 7). Most recently on National Popcorn Day (January 19), the company handed out free bags of popcorn on the McKinney Avenue Trolley. On Random Acts of Kindness Day (February 17) the staff took to the Uptown streets, passing out golden bags stuffed with gift cards, free passes, and other incredible goodies from Uptown merchants.

In addition, Uptown will be celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2018 and the staff has hinted we can all expect big things. So stay on the lookout, because you never know what Uptown Dallas Inc. has in store.

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Stay up to date with events and all things Uptown year-round by visiting UDI's shiny new website, signing up for its newsletter, and following on social media.

Enjoy free yoga in Griggs Park this May.

Photo courtesy of Uptown Dallas Inc.

Enjoy free yoga in Griggs Park this May.

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Wicked News

Wizard of Oz ruby slippers bought by mystery bidder for $28 million

Heritage Auctions

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A pair of iconic ruby slippers that were worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz and stolen from a museum nearly two decades ago sold for a winning bid of $28 million at auction on December 7.

Dallas-based Heritage Auctions had estimated that they would fetch $3 million or more, but the fast-paced bidding far outpaced that amount within seconds and tripled it within minutes. A few bidders making offers by phone volleyed back and forth for 15 minutes as the price climbed to the final, eye-popping sum.

Including the auction house fee, the unknown buyer will ultimately pay $32.5 million.

Online bidding, which opened last month, had stood at $1.55 million before live bidding began late Saturday afternoon.

The sparkly red heels were on display at the Judy Garland Museum in her hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, in 2005 when Terry Jon Martin used a hammer to smash the glass of the museum’s door and display case. Their whereabouts remained a mystery until the FBI recovered them in 2018.

Martin, now 77, who lives near Grand Rapids in northern Minnesota, wasn’t publicly exposed as the thief until he was indicted in May 2023. He pleaded guilty in October 2023. He was in a wheelchair and on supplementary oxygen when he was sentenced last January to time served because of his poor health.

The shoes were returned in February to memorabilia collector Michael Shaw, who had loaned them to the museum. They were one of several pairs that Garland wore during the filming, but only four pairs are known to have survived. In the movie, to return from Oz to Kansas, Dorothy had to click her heels three times and repeat, “There’s no place like home.”

As Rhys Thomas, author of The Ruby Slippers of Oz, put it, the sequined shoes from the beloved 1939 musical have seen “more twists and turns than the Yellow Brick Road.”

Over 800 people had been tracking the slippers, and the company’s webpage for the auction had hit nearly 43,000 page views by Thursday, said Robert Wilonsky, a vice president with the auction house.

Among those bidding to bring the slippers home was the Judy Garland Museum, which posted on Facebook shortly after that it did not place the winning bid. The museum had campaigned for donations to supplement money raised by the city of Grand Rapids at its annual Judy Garland festival and the $100,000 set aside this year by Minnesota lawmakers to help the museum purchase the slippers.

After the slippers sold, the auctioneer told bidders and spectators in the room and watching online that the previous record for a piece of entertainment memorabilia was $5.52 million, for the white dress Marilyn Monroe famously wore atop a windy subway grate.

The auction also included other memorabilia from The Wizard of Oz, such as a hat worn by Margaret Hamilton, who played the original Wicked Witch of the West. That item went for $2.4 million, or a total final cost to the buyer of $2.93 million.

The Wizard of Oz story has gained new attention in recent weeks with the release of the movieWicked, an adaptation of the megahit Broadway musical, a prequel of sorts that reimagines the character of the Wicked Witch of the West.

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Mark Your Calendars

Map out your year with the ultimate Uptown Dallas events calendar

Enjoy free yoga in Griggs Park this May.

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Wizard of Oz ruby slippers bought by mystery bidder for $28 million

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