North Texas weather’s a real brain scratcher. But leave it to Old St. Nick to come prepared. Perfect example was the Turtle Creek Conservancy’s Light Up Turtle Creek Park presented by Park Place Dealerships on the late afternoon of Tuesday, November 28.
After days and nights of winter’s sneak preview of cold weather, North Texas temperatures were hitting the upper 70s as the area trees were dazzling in autumn’s golds, oranges and rust reds.
As for the jolly old Santa, he decided to leave the reindeer and Mrs. Claus at home in northern parts and instead haul along a floor fan. Rightly so. Because the temperatures weren’t exactly North Polish.
On the other hand, they were simply ideal for the free family-friendly showplace of mistletoe market, art bazaar and Easy Slider food truck that set up shop around Turtle Creek Park’s Arlington Hall circular driveway along with Park Place luxury vehicles.
While Chic Coffee barista Robert Pellizzi offered a menu of caramel, amaretto, peppermint and pumpkin spice for his brew across the drive, the scotch tasting was already seeing early birds lining up to sample the adults-only libations.
One unexpected appearance of the day was Lake Tawakoni’s Frank Ackenback, who shared his find. It seems that over the years, Frank had collected the remains of turtles that had succumbed to old age and/or cruel temperatures. Carefully, Frank had resurrected them into little works of art that he shared with TCP President Tiffany Divis, her twin sis Tammy Duclow and Ellen Winspear.
While a goldendoodle played off-leash on the grounds, all types of neighbors and friends like City Councilperson Paul Ridley, Katherine Wyker with son Jack Wyker, Elizabeth Knowles with grandson Jack, Rhonda and Fraser Marcus, Kay Anderson with daughter-in-law Olivia and granddaughter Sophia, Jane Manning and Gail Fischer checked out the pop-up shops like the mother-daughter Olivia G team of Connie Miles and daughter Olivia Miles and works by artists Deborah Hartigan and Arkansans Lori Pilkington Weeks and Matt Coburn.
Despite some North Texans shaking their heads about the area’s fickle weather, California transplant Ken Christensen didn’t hold back his feelings about the North Texas climate. Sounding like a head cheerleader at homecoming, he loved the region’s ever-changing conditions.
Just as the evening’s drive home along Turtle Creek Boulevard got underway, the lights of the season were in full array as Arlington Hall and the trees lit up.