Hill Country town puts a Texas twist on Carnival season for 18th annual Cowboy Mardi Gras

Cowboy Mardi Gras

Photo by Tessa Kolodny

New Orleans may be top of mind for Mardi Gras, but Texas has its fair share of Fat Tuesday festivities. While Galveston's may be the state's oldest celebration, San Antonio wins points for actual floats (courtesy of the River Walk), and Dallas offers up King Cake alternatives aplenty, one little Hill Country town has put its own spin on the annual event for almost 20 years.

Known as the "Cowboy Capital of the World," Bandera hosts a three-day Cowboy Mardi Gras that attracts over 15,000 people from all over the world to the town of 839 residents. Featuring traditional Cajun bands, country music, a Cowboy Mardi Gras parade, costume contests, gumbo cook-off, and more, the 2023 iteration takes place from February 9 to 11.

Bandera is located a little over two hours from Austin, a pleasant 300-mile road trip for North Texans looking for a colorful start to Carnival season. This year's event honors James and Stella McGroarty, former owners of Bandera's 11th Cowboy Bar, who will act as the 2023 Cowboy Mardi Gras Parade Grand Marshals.

With a 20,000-square-foot bar and 70-foot stage, the bar is one of the largest music venues in the Texas Hill Country, housed in a historic wood-framed building with a porch out front and expansive outdoor venue area out back. James McGroarty acquired the bar in 2006, transforming it into the destination it is today and elevating the town's annual Cowboy Mardi Gras Parade to the party it is today.

In July 2022, D. Foster, Melinie Ivey, and Richard and Sasha Sutton purchased the bar from McGroarty, planning to carry on McGroarty's legacy.

"We are so honored to take on the tradition of the 18th Annual Cowboy Mardi Gras Parade," says Richard Sutton in a release. "Bandera is a remarkable town that knows how to throw one hell of a party and we're looking to carry on that tradition."

“James McGroarty has said that 11th Street Cowboy Bar is all about providing the best Country Western music experience in Texas and sharing drinks with good friends," adds D. Foster. "He wanted to make all things in Bandera bigger than life. This is why we bought the bar and we want to carry on James McGroarty's legacy."

This year's lineup of live music will feature a variety of artists including Deanna Carter, Gary P. Nunn, Dale Watson, Jake Worthington, and many more. Find a full lineup of music and daily activities at cowboymardigrasbandera.com, as well as ticketing information. Tickets for the festivities start at $75 in advance or $85 at the door.

Photo by Tessa Kolodny

The three day celebration brings over 15 thousand people from all over the world to Bandera.

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Dallas Cowboys' Dak Prescott champions kindness at 2023 Beacon of Hope Luncheon

Mental health advocacy

What: Grant Halliburton Foundation Beacon of Hope Luncheon

Where: Omni Dallas Hotel

The 411: About 700 attendees gathered to cheer on Grant Halliburton Foundation's mission to support adolescent mental health - and to cheer on their favorite Dallas Cowboys quarterback. Dak Prescott, along with Solomon Thomas of the New York Jets, delivered messages of hope at the 14th annual fundraising luncheon on March 7.

Both players use their platforms off the field to raise awareness about mental health and suicide through their foundations.

Andy Adler, CBS 11 sports anchor and children’s rights activist, interviewed Prescott and Thomas on stage. Both shared the seemingly simple message to "be kind." They demonstrated why it's so important from their personal experiences.

Prescott has been open about his own mental health challenges. His Faith Fight Finish Foundation was established as a tribute to his mom, Peggy, who died of cancer in 2013, and its work also honors his brother, Jace, who died in 2020 by suicide.

"Depression and anxiety can overwhelm you. I realized that during the first month of COVID. Sunny days felt dark, and my big house and yard felt small and closed in," Prescott said from stage. "We have the obligation to take care of ourselves and neighbors. Help your neighbors and loved ones ... We have hope. React in a healthy way.”

Similarly, Thomas (a Dallas native) lost his sister, Ella, to suicide in 2018 and co-founded The Defensive Line with his parents, Martha and Chris Thomas (who were in attendance). Their organization focuses on mental health and suicide prevention.

"We must treat ourselves as human beings and others as human beings. Ask people not how they are doing, but how are you really doing," Thomas urged, adding, "Vote and identify candidates who care about mental health. We have to make sure our kids have support in schools. We didn’t see widespread support 10 years ago.”

Local students joined Prescott and Thomas on stage to ask questions before Halliburton Foundation president Kevin Hall presented theprestigious Beacon Award to both players.

Steve Noviello of FOX 4 News served as the master of ceremonies for the luncheon, which followed a champagne reception where guests took part in mental health activations, viewed and purchased raffle packages, and listened to DJ Lucy Wrubel keep the beat lively.

This year's luncheon chairs were the Conly family — Jeanie and Bert Conly and their children, Lindsey and Aaron Berg, Mark Briscoe, and Kendall and Luke Cagle; Barb Farmer is the founding luncheon chair. Vanita Halliburton spoke about the organization she co-founded after losing her son Grant to suicide 17 years ago.

For more information about the Grant Halliburton Foundation and resources they offer, visit their website.

Who: Kaileigh Johnson, Misaki Collins, Rama Vangipuram, Neera Truong, Judy Rawle, T.J. Griffin, Polly Campbell, Bev Berry-Vuckovich, Susan Griffiths, Lucy Witte, Sonya Parker Goode, Norman Goode, Julia Butler, Amy McCloskey, Dave Farmer, and hundreds more.

Grant Halliburton Foundation Beacon of Hope Luncheon, Dak Prescott

Photo by Simon Luna

Dak Prescott greets high school students during a backstage lunch before going on stage.

Willie Nelson receives prestigious honor and inaugural endowment at Texas university

Willie forever

Willie Nelson has earned countless awards for his seven-decade music career, but the legend is also well known for his activism — particularly in the areas of farming and food security. In recognition of his longtime advocacy work, the LBJ Foundation will present its highest honor, the LBJ Liberty & Justice for All Award to Nelson this spring.

The award will be presented at a special gala tribute dinner on Friday, May 12, 2023, which in turn will benefit the newly established Willie Nelson Endowment for Uplifting Rural Communities at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, a part of The University of Texas at Austin.

According to a release, the endowment will fund research and student fellowships focused on sustainable agriculture, eliminating hunger, resilient energy, sustainable water, and natural disaster recovery to benefit rural and farm communities.

Along with Neil Young and John Mellencamp, Nelson organized the first Farm Aid concert in 1985 to raise funds for struggling farmers, which has since raised over $70 million for those who own and operate family farms throughout the United States. He has also helped raise millions around disaster relief, for families of the victims of the 9/11 attacks and for veterans, as well as working toward environmental and animal advocacy, and voting rights. His Luck Family Foundation provides financial grant assistance and other resources to artists, organizations, and programs in need, donating proceeds from Luck Reunion events to Farm Aid and other longtime charity partners like the Texas Food & Wine Alliance.

“Willie Nelson is a national treasure who gained fame through his sheer musical talent and won hearts as someone who truly cares about the lives of his fellow Americans," says Larry Temple, Chairman of the LBJ Foundation Board of Trustees, via release. "A product of rural Texas, Willie has never forgotten where he comes from. His longtime efforts to raise money and awareness for family farmers through Farm Aid and numerous other endeavors to help those in need throughout his career make him a true inspiration.”

The dinner will honor Nelson's lifelong support for rural communities, embodying President Lyndon Baines Johnson's commitment to public service, particularly in the areas of farming and food security. With their similar backgrounds as rural Texans, both President Johnson and Nelson shared a keen awareness of the struggles of those who work in the agricultural industry.

“The bounty of the earth is the foundation of our economy," President Johnson shared in a 1965 Special Message to Congress on Agriculture. "Programs in every aspect of our nation’s life depend on the abundant harvests of our farms.”

ATTPAC's 2023-24 Broadway season overflows with Tony-winning titles

Season Announcement

Familiar titles populate the Broadway at the Center 2023-24 season lineup at the AT&T Performing Arts Center. And within these mostly classic musicals, there are 16 Tony, 20 Drama Desk, one Outer Critics Circle, and one Grammy award winners.

New this season are some pre- and post-show events, including pre-show Facebook Live viewings, post-show talkbacks, afterparties, themed photo opportunities, themed bar drinks, and more.

“We are so excited to bring in this new season of shows with fan favorites on the best stage in North Texas for Broadway,” says Warren Tranquada, president and CEO of the AT&T Performing Arts Center. “We are also delighted to share our new campus activations we will have before and after shows in the 2023-2024 season that will let patrons embrace and invest in the Center’s new offerings.”

This is also the fifth year of the partnership between Broadway Dallas and the AT&T Performing Arts Center, where certain Broadway Dallas shows are presented at the Winspear Opera House. In 2024 that means five weeks of Hamilton, with subscribers to both ATTPAC and Broadway Dallas given priority access to score tickets.

And now without further ado, here is the season:

The Cher Show — Superstars come and go, but Cher is forever. For six straight decades, only one unstoppable force has flat-out dominated popular culture — breaking down barriers, pushing boundaries, and letting nothing and no one stand in her way. The Cher Show is the Tony Award-winning musical of her story, and it’s packed with so much Cher that it takes three women to play her: the kid starting out, the glam pop star, and the icon. This is the show that caused a sequin shortage in New York City, thanks to all the Bob Mackie-designed, Tony-winning gowns it showcases. It run December 14-16, 2023.

Annie — Holding onto hope when times are tough can take an awful lot of determination, and sometimes, an awful lot of determination comes in a surprisingly small package. Little Orphan Annie has reminded generations of theatergoers that sunshine is always right around the corner, and now the best-loved musical of all time is set to return in a new production — just as you remember it and just when we need it most. It runs March 14-16, 2024.

Chicago — After 25 years, Chicago is still the one musical with everything that makes Broadway shimmy-shake: a universal tale of fame, fortune, and all that jazz, with one show-stopping song after another and the most astonishing dancing you’ve ever seen. No wonder Chicago has been honored with six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, a Grammy, and thousands of standing ovations. It runs April 4-6, 2024.

Shrek the Musical — “Once upon a time, there was a little ogre named Shrek....” And thus begins the tale of an unlikely hero who finds himself on a life-changing journey alongside a wisecracking Donkey and a feisty princess who resists her rescue. Yes, your favorite ogre is back in the hilarious stage spectacle based on the Oscar-winning, smash hit, DreamWorks animated film. The Tony Award-winning stage version features songs from Jeanine Tesori (Kimberly Akimbo; Caroline, or Change), a sidesplitting book by Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire (Kimberly Akimbo), and brings all the beloved characters you know from the film to life. It runs July 18-20, 2024.

That's the main season, with the option to add on these shows:

MOMIX Alice — Seamlessly blending illusion, acrobatics, magic, and whimsy, MOMIX sends audiences flying down the rabbit hole in Moses Pendleton’s newest creation, ALICE, inspired by Lewis Carroll’s classic Alice in Wonderland. “I don’t intend to retell the whole Alice story,” Pendleton says, “but to use it as a taking-off point for invention.” Join this dazzling company on a mind-bending adventure as Alice encounters time-honored characters including the undulating Caterpillar, a lobster quadrille, frenzied White Rabbits, a mad Queen of Hearts, and a variety of other surprises. It runs September 22-23, 2023.

CIRQUE MUSICA HOLIDAY WONDERLAND — Igniting joy and wonder like never before, Wonderland is an all-new musical journey that transports audiences to a magical land far away for a fun-filled, holiday-themed show experience. Be dazzled by the acrobats, aerialists, hilarious hijinks, and holiday cheer. The show blends the spellbinding grace and daredevil athleticism of today’s greatest circus performers with a musical mix of timeless seasonal favorites. It runs December 22-23, 2023.

Jagged Little Pill — Joy, love, heartache, strength, wisdom, catharsis, life — everything we’ve been waiting to see in a Broadway show — is here in the exhilarating, fearless new musical based on Alanis Morissette’s world-changing music. It's directed by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus (Waitress, Pippin, 1776) with a Tony-winning book by Diablo Cody (Juno). It runs January 12-14, 2024.

Hamilton — This is the story of America then, told by America now. Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B, and Broadway, Hamilton has taken the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and created a revolutionary moment in theater, a musical that has had a profound impact on culture, politics, and education. With book, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, and musical supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, Hamilton is based on Ron Chernow’s acclaimed biography. Presented in partnership with Broadway Dallas, it runs May 8-June 9, 2024.

Subscription packages go on sale Friday, March 31, with single tickets available closer to the opening of each show. Four-show subscription packages range from $95 to $595 and may be purchased by phone at 214-880-0202, or online at www.attpac.org/broadway.

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