Fort Worth Symphony's 2023 Concerts in the Garden series brings Beatles, Star Wars, and Pat Green

Al Fresco Music

Photo by Julien Lambert

The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra will offer 11 concerts as part of the 2023 Concerts In The Garden Summer Music Festival, taking place May 26 through June 11 at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden.

The earlier dates for this year's season mean that the series will not include the traditional Fourth of July concerts. Instead, the orchestra will presents Patriotic Pops on Saturday, May 27, featuring favorite patriotic songs and marches in their first-ever Memorial Day celebration. The concert will also include a brand new drone fireworks display.

The season will kick off with Windborne’s The Music of Queen on May 26, where the FWSO, under conductor Brett Havens, will welcome singer MiG Ayesa and a full rock band to capture Queen's distinct sound.

After the Patriotic Pops concert, the Memorial Day weekend slate will be wrapped up with The Music of Harry Potter on May 27, where the orchestra will conjure favorite tunes from the eight films in the Harry Potter series that took young witches and wizards to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The weekend of June 1-4 will be mostly orchestra-free. Preservation Hall Jazz Band will perform by themselves on June 1, celebrating 60 years of making great music in New Orleans and around the world. They'll be followed by Radio Highway Performs The Music of The Eagles on June 2, delivering many of the classic band's biggest hits.

The orchestra makes a return on June 3 with Chicago Nights starring Jason Scheff, highlighting the longtime vocalist/bassist for Chicago singing the group's songs. Finally, Classical Mystery Tour: A Tribute to The Beatles will take the stage without accompaniment to presents more than two dozen Beatles tunes performed exactly as they were originally recorded.

That visit to the '60s will be followed a flashback to the '70s with The Music of Led Zeppelin on June 8. A full band and orchestra playing Led Zeppelin’s hits. Then it's on to the '80s with REWIND: The Music of the '80s on June 9, as the orchestra tackles the greatest songs of the decade from artists like George Michael, Mister Mister, Kool & The Gang, Joan Jett, The Cure, and more.

June 10 will bring a visit to a galaxy far, far away with Star Wars, in which the orchestra will play selections from several Star Wars films. The series will come to a close on June 11 with a solo performance by Texas country music legend Pat Green, playing songs from throughout his long career.

Tickets for the series go on sale for VIPs and subscribers on March 27, followed by Botanic Garden VIP and Members on March 28. The general public will finally get their shot on March 29.

Lawn tickets are $28, with children 10 and under admitted free if accompanied by a paid adult. Reserved seating at round tables of 4 is $40-$79, with a 20 percent discount for children 10 and under in price levels B and C.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.fwsymphony.org or by calling the FWSO Box Office at 817-655-6000. Advanced parking is also available.

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'Yellowstone' stars to greet fans at Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo

Yellowstone news

Yellowstone fans, get your comfy shoes ready - there'll be a long line for this one. Cole Hauser a.k.a. "Rip Wheeler" on Yellowstone, and Taylor Sheridan, the show's co-creator, executive producer, and director of the series, will meet fans and sign autographs at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo.

The event will take place from 4:30-6:30 pm only on Friday, February 3. Location is the 6666 Ranch booth near the south end of Aisle 700 in the Amon G. Carter, Jr. Exhibits Hall.

According to a February 2 announcement from FWSSR, "fans will have the opportunity to snag an autograph as well as purchase some distinctive Yellowstone and 6666 Ranch merchandise while also enjoying all the features the Stock Show offers."

The event is free to attend (with paid Stock Show admission) and open to the public.

It's the second year in a row for Hauser to appear at FWSSR; in 2022, he and fellow cast mates drew huge crowds.

Sheridan, a Paschal High School graduate, is no stranger to Fort Worth; he lives in a ranch near Weatherford and filmed 1883, the prequel to Yellowstone, in and around Fort Worth. Currently, another spinoff, 1883: The Bass Reeves Story, is filming in North Texas.

The Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo is winding up its 2023 run on Saturday, February 4.

The Alamo previews awe-inspiring new exhibit ahead of 2024 debut

REFIGURE THE ALAMO

Ask first-time visitors about their experience at the Alamo, and you're likely to hear a frequent refrain: the grounds are so small. But that's slowly changing with ambitious plans to bring the site's original footprint back to life.

Starting May 25, visitors have been getting a sneak peek at the complex's newest structure, the Mission Gate and Lunette exhibit, before it officially opens in 2024. Funded in part by a $3 million donation from the Joan and Herb Kelleher Charitable Foundation, the exhibition gives guests a broader understanding of the Alamo's scale.

The historical re-creation was crafted by lauded San Antonio artist Carlos Cortés. A third-generation concrete faux bois artisan, his work is featured throughout the city, most notably on the River Walk, where his fantastical The Grotto greets thousands of Museum Reach visitors each year.

The life-size sculpture stands in for the original main gate of the fort at the southern boundary of the complex. Cannons and placards scattered throughout give crucial context to the structure. Though early renderings show the beams and spiked fence with more verisimilitude, the forms currently stand in ghostly concrete — inviting quiet contemplation.

When the exhibit is finished next year, guests will be more fully immersed in the hallowed grounds, which extend far beyond the walls of the iconic Church and Long Barrack. Coupled with the upcoming Alamo Visitor Center and Museum and the recently debuted Ralston Family Collections Center, it will turn the grounds into one of Texas' most awe-inspiring historic sites.

"We are deeply grateful to the Joan and Herb Kelleher Charitable Foundation for their support of the Alamo and our ongoing efforts to preserve this important piece of Texas history," says Kate Rogers, Executive Director of the Alamo Trust, Inc., in a release. "Their generosity will allow us to continue to educate and inspire visitors from around the world, ensuring that the legacy of the Alamo lives on for generations to come."

Photo courtesy of the Alamo.

The Mission Gate and Lunette exhibit gives visitors an understanding of the original grounds' scale.

Decadent desserts in jars from celebrity Top Chef roll in to Fort Worth

Dessert News

Desserts in jars from a celebrity chef are coming to Fort Worth: Jars by Fabio Viviani, a fast-casual dessert brand serving popular desserts in jars, is opening a location in the Trinity Commons/Tom Thumb center, at 3000 S. Hulen St. #150, taking over a former Wild Bird Center.

This will be the first of a planned 10 franchised stores in the DFW area. According to a representative from the company, it'll open in late 2023.

Longtime fans of Top Chef will recall the charming and dreamy Fabio Viviani, who was a contestant in 2008, voted "fan favorite," and was among the most engaging contestants to ever appear on the series. That is a totally objective statement. To be honest, this story should have featured a photo of Fabio as the lead art, instead of the desserts. To wit:

Top Chef Fabio Viviani Why yes, chef Fabio Viviani, I will totally buy your desserts in a jar.Courtesy photo

A native of Italy who moved to the U.S. in 2005, he's cultivated a profile as a celebrity chef, hospitality developer, best-selling cookbook author, and TV host, opening dozens of restaurants, bars, and event spaces, and serving as spokesperson for several international brands.

He founded Jars in 2021 as a gourmet quick-serve dessert concept serving an assortment of classic desserts from around the world in a single-serve jar. The first corporate location opened in Chicago's West Loop in February 2023, and there are now many more in development.

The menu rotates through more than 100 recipes, featuring classics such as cherry cheesecake, birthday cake, and even gluten free options.

Selections include:

Double Dark Chocolate Cake - Dark Double Chocolate Custard, Chocolate Sponge Cake, Vanilla Frosting, Rainbow Sprinkles
French Vanilla cake - French Vanilla Custard, White Sponge Cake, Vanilla Frosting, Rainbow Sprinkles
Tiramisu Espresso & Cream Custard, Coffee-Dipped Lady Fingers, Nilla Wafer, Cocoa Powder
Tres Leches Cake - Salted Caramel, Tres Leches Sponge Cake, Sweet Strawberries, Crunch Cereal Topping

They also limited-edition seasonal flavors such as Apple Pie with Granola Crumble, Pie Crust, and Pastry Cream; and Freedom Jar with Red, White, & Blue Custards, Sponge Cake, and Blueberries.

Prices range from $7 to $10.

They also do flavored waters such as mango passion fruit and blood orange.

Bringing the Jars concept to Fort Worth are husband-and-wife Tejal and Jason Wible, Fort Worth residents and franchise veterans whose prior businesses include a location of Dogtopia.

They're particularly happy about the location.

“We’re right between I-20 and I-30 and situated near some great schools, including Texas Christian University, and several residential neighborhoods,” the couple says in a statement. “We’re confident we found the perfect spot to bring the good people of Fort Worth the next big thing in desserts.”

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