The Best Things To Do in Dallas, Feb. 8–14

Wednesday, Feb. 8

National Geographic Live: Maureen Beck – Improbable Ascent at The Perot
There are way too many cool things to say about Maureen “Mo” Beck, but we’ll hit the high notes (pun fully intended). Maybe that will get you to the Perot Museum of Nature and Science (2201 N. Field St.) for the National Geographic Live Speaker Series presented by Charles Schwab at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 8. Beck grew up climbing around Maine after defying a camp counselor who told her to skip a rock-climbing activity. Born with one hand, she was accustomed to people assigning her limitations and even more so to proving them wrong. She’s a two-time world champion and has even ventured to free climb the Lotus Flower Tower. She was 2019’s National Geographic Adventurer of the Year and she can tell a story that will have you gasping — both in awe and from laughing really hard. Tickets are $35–$40 per event (there are two more speakers this year), or $100–$115 for the whole series. Get them on the Perot website.

Jim Sonefeld signs Swimming With the Blowfish at Interabang Books
Of course. Which other Blowfish are there? Jim Sonefeld, drummer and songwriter for Hootie & the Blowfish, will be signing his book Swimming With the Blowfish at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 8, at Interabang Books (5600 W. Lovers Lane). It’s all about “Hootie, healing and one hell of a ride” — literally, that’s the subtitle — but it dives into a time when the band took off to become one of the most popular and beloved acts on the charts, and all the stuff that comes with it … and after it. But please, do us a favor and be cool. Don’t be the one to ask Soni if he’s really Hootie. Find out more online.

Thursday, Feb. 9

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Trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard performs in two DSO special events

courtesy Dallas Symphony Orchestra

Terence Blanchard featuring E-Collective and Turtle Island String Quartet at the Meyerson
Sunday night, Terence Blanchard won his seventh Grammy Award. His performance featuring E-Collective and Turtle Island String Quartet at 7:30 p.m. o Thursday, Feb. 9, is one of two opportunities to see him at a Dallas Symphony Orchestra event this week. (The other is the Fire Shut Up In My Bones production at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday night). On Thursday, the trumpeter, composer and constant force in American culture will not only perform, but also offer a conversation beforehand on diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as on his career. The conversation is free but do RSVP to guarantee a spot; tickets for the concert start at $25, available online.

Earth Day Every Day: The Great Backyard Bird Count (virtual event)
The Great Backyard Bird Count with Audubon, Birds Canada, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is coming up Feb. 17–20 and it’s a super easy way to participate in really important research about local wildlife. It takes only 15 minutes, but if you’ve never done it before, you might have a few questions. So, the Dallas Public Library has organized an online seminar with Jake Poinsett, program manager for Academic Programs at the Trinity River Audubon Center, to help you learn all about the time you’ll spend observing bird sights and sounds for science. It takes place on Zoom from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, but you’ll need to register before 11:45 a.m. to be able to join, and you can do that online. Learn more about The Great Backyard Bird Count on its website.

Shangela’s Fully Lit Tour at Majestic Theatre
Halleloo! If you haven’t watched We’re Here on HBO (or HBO Max, for the streamers out there), you’re missing out on some of the most riveting, soul-searching television and flawlessly beat faces out there. (You’re also going to be really, really embarrassed for some of the Lone Star assholery Texas doles out. But then really, really proud for the humanity that fights back.) Anyway, all that to say that one of the three shiniest of shining stars who “host” the show and mentor the participants is DJ Pierce, known to most as Shangela. An explosive stage presence, incredible dancer and inspiring drag mother, Shangela will bring all that magic to the Majestic (1925 Elm St.) for the Fully Lit tour. When we say don’t miss this Paris, Texas, native and Southern Methodist University grad, we mean it. Tickets are available on Ticketmaster. Don’t sleep on them.

Friday, Feb. 10

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JC, AMATÉ at Ochre House Theater
What if the art you made in minutes by folding paper with your hands could change time and space? If you’re really in control of what you’re making, who’s to say it wouldn’t? Welcome to JC, AMATÉ, the bizarre comedy written and directed by Carla Parker. Ochre House Theater (825 Exposition Ave.) is home to a world of curiosity with the run of the play at 8:15 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays through Feb. 15, with a “Donate what you can” night Monday, Feb. 13. Tickets are $17 and up, available online or at the door if not sold out. Masks are required.

In Bruges at Texas Theatre
Writer and director Martin McDonagh is in the award spotlight right now for The Banshees of Inisherin, and so are its stars, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. But as good as the 2022 film is, it’s not the first time the trio has made a winner. In Bruges, which came out in 2008, is one of our top movies and with good reason. It incorporates awesome acting, dark comedy, fierce action, suspense and a good amount of WTF. You can watch it on the big screen at Texas Theatre (231 W. Jefferson Blvd.) at 9:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 10, and at 7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 11. And, yeah, just see it twice. Tickets are $12.50, available online.

Saturday, Feb. 11

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Meat Fight offers a Valentine’s Day event that will be fun even if you don’t have a box to pick up

Jeff Amador

Meat Fight Valentine’s Day Box Pickup at Community Beer Co.
This year, the nonprofit Meat Fight has collected a helluva Valentine’s Day sampler box: 24 local restaurants, chefs, coffee roasters and brewers are putting together their best snacks into one offering with 100% of ticket sales benefiting people living with multiple sclerosis. And it’s just in time for the Big Game or Valentine’s Day games. Or Monday. Whatever. The sad news is you can’t reserve a box for pick-up anymore. But the good news is, snackers find a way. The pick-up event is 2–5 p.m. at Community Beer Co. and here’s the deal: You can drink beer, eat food (from restaurants including Loro, Easy Slider, Lockhart Smokehouse, Haute Sweets Patisserie and others), buy merch launching at this event, take a pic at a very ridiculous photo booth and enter a raffle to win a box! See, all hope is not lost. If you can’t make it, but want to be a part of Meat Fight’s mission to help people with MS do epic stuff, head over to the website. Or send a Valentine’s Day donation via Causevox. (You can also use that link to vote for your favorite item with a $5 donation after you eat all the Valentine’s Day box num-nums.)

For the Love of Kettle Art
Need some art? First, get in line early. Doors open at 7 p.m. sharp for For the Love of Kettle. The one-night fundraiser offers more than 150 works of art in 9×12 format and is the event that helps Kettle Art (2650-B Main St.) keep the doors open, offering a space to showcase both up-and-coming and well-known artists. There are no previews, but you don’t need them. Works are available for just $50 each. It’s the best way to bulk up your art collection. Pop over to Facebook and tell the gallery you’re coming.

Forever Young at Coppell Arts Center
Billy Joel? Check. Bob Dylan? Check. The Beatles? Check. And those are just some of the B names. The musical Forever Young is coming to the Coppell Arts Center (505 Travis St.) to wow audiences with a maximum energy tour of greatest hits spanning decades. Set in a basement, and following one group of friends through a true story, the cast combines vocal talent with fine-tuned choreography to give audiences a trip back in time. Tickets are $40, available online.

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The cast of Forever Young tells a true story through music.

courtesy of Coppell Arts Center

Dallas Hot Chocolate Run at Fair Park
The Hot Chocolate Run (both distances) might offer the best swag of any run out there. The jackets are always stellar, the add-ons worth it, and well, the after-run calories second to none. You come through the gate at Fair Park and turn in your ticket to receive a cup of awesome hot chocolate along with chocolate fondue and all these dippers like graham crackers, bananas, marshmallows and more. Do the 15K, 10K or 5K — it doesn’t matter, because you still get the treats. And if it’s freezing cold, it’s even better. Sign up online.

Flip Orley at Dallas Comedy Club
The hypnotist’s form of comedy is so exciting because it’s largely improv. Who knows what the audience member is going to do or say? So that’s why Flip Orley performing at improv-friendly Dallas Comedy House (3036 Elm St.) makes so much sense. Orley offers 7 p..m. and 9:30 p.m. shows both Friday and Saturday, just in time to get an awkward date night out of the way before Valentine’s Day. Tickets are $25 each, available online.

Monday, Feb. 13

Marissa Clarke signs Accidentally Famous at Interabang Books

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The Galentini is just one of the Pyramid Bar’s special holiday cocktails

courtesy of Fairmont Dallas

Yeah, we already have an Interabang book signing on the docket this week but we love Monday bookstore visits, and this event grabbed our attention in a fun, certain-cable-channel-movie sorta way. Marissa Clarke is an award-winning romance novelist for teens and ‘dults and lives on an island in the middle of a river. Somehow, that last part already gives her credibility for writing a love story we want to read. She’ll be signing Accidentally Famous at 6 p.m. on Monday and will discuss her story about an adorable home renovation expert accidentally shoved into a fake relationship with a Hollywood A-lister thanks to a social media mishap. It’s been a whole year and it’s only February — this is just the page-turner we might need. Find out more online.

Galentine’s Day at the Pyramid Bar
Toast friendship with special-occasion cocktails at the Fairmont Dallas’ Pyramid Bar (1717 N. Akard St.) on Monday, Feb. 13. Get ready for the ‘grammable moments and order one of two limited edition cocktails (or just go nuts for specials on Möet champagne and rosé). The Galentini is a bright red raspberry martini garnished with fresh strawberry, and the Cupid’s Cup is made with Empress gin and grapefruit tonic. The Fairmont also offers Valentine’s Day dinner, so check out seating options online.

Tuesday, Feb. 14

Valentine’s on Tap at the Perot
Leave the kids at home and go look at dinosaurs for Valentine’s Day. The Perot offers up Valentine’s Day on Tap 6:30–9 p.m., when adults over 21 can enjoy a night out playing at the museum, checking out The Science Behind Pixar presented by NexPoint, noshing on bites from food trucks, drinking beer and enjoying live music from Little Lies Band, a Fleetwood Mac cover band. Check out the Perot website for tickets and more info.