Dallas Marvels

 Here's my latest documentary short:

Prison Break at Fair Park

 

Prison Break was a hit show in the 00s that involved a group of guys breaking out of and into various prisons and then being on the run from, and sometimes working for, various government agencies.  It's better than it sounds.  

In season 2, the production moved to north Texas.  With other shows like Chase, The Good Guys, TNT's Dallas, it was a golden age for DFW television production.  In the 18th episode of the second season (2007), they took advantage of the great looking locations in Dallas' Fair Park, starting with "Jumbo," the Mammoth statue:

 The episode's story line involves the Prison Breakers needing to talk to some government dude but also feeling the need to make him jump through lots of hoops in order to make sure he's not bugged, being followed, or any other nonsense.  During the process, we get a pretty decent look at some of the Fair Park facilities.

 

Featured front and center were the weirdo sculptures in the lagoon and the swan paddle boats.  Our beleaguered fed was forced to wade in up to his neck to take care of any pesky electronics he might have one him.  From there he drip dries right into...

 

 

 ...the Women's Museum.  It closed down in 2011 but the building still hosts events and whatnot.  I have no idea if that multi-screen thing is still there or not but it's preserved in posterity in this episode.

After this the cat & mouse game came to a close, we get more brief glimpses of Fair Park, Deep Ellum, and other Dallas locations.  Check out the show if you want to see more of Big D on the small screen.

 

Top 5 at the Dr Pepper Museum

 Previously:

Top 5 at the National Videogame Museum

There's no official state beverage of Texas but if there were, it would probably be Dr Pepper.  It's constantly consumed across the state and across the world but it got its start in Waco.  Everybody has heard the origin story of its humble beginnings as a mixture of 23 flavors at the Old Corner Drug Store and the many urban legends that surround the legendary elixir.   

But the record is set straight at Waco's Dr Pepper Museum where history and memorabilia are on display for thirsty enthusiasts to peruse.  It had been years since my last visit so on a recent trip to Waco, I decided  to stop by and pick my top 5 favorites of the collection.

5.  Football Shaped Cooler

There are a lot of coolers from over the years that are displayed at the museum but this one caught my eye.    I've always been a fan of the "things shaped as other things" genre and this one just seems to set the stage for a fun time.  I imagine events elevated from "picnic" to "party" status when one of these bad boys was packed with ice cold Dr Pepper and Big Red.

4.  Hot Dr Pepper Pot

Years ago, there was a big push to serve warm Dr Pepper as a seasonal treat.  I even whipped up a batch last Christmas.  Part of the promotion involved releasing this Hot Dr Pepper Pot as a way to make it even easier to prepare and serve mug after mug at a winter get-together.  I think Hot Dr Pepper is a treat whose time hasn't yet come.  I predict that someday hot DP will take its place among the coffees and hot cocoas of the world.

3.  Iron Man Vending Machine

Dr Pepper has had a ton of superhero movie related promotions including the Iron Man movies.  In one commercial a janitor at Tony Stark's compound attempts to try on an Iron Man suit and ends up inside an Iron Man Dr Pepper Vending Machine.  The prop from that commercial is on display at the museum with plenty of signs warning visitors to NOT touch and that it's not an actual vending machine. 

2.  Dr Pepper Land Cruiser

It's hard to tell the scale in this picture but this thing is pretty big.  The museum describes it as a "space-age go-kart" and was released in 1985 to celebrate the soda's 100th anniversary.  I assume this is just the body because I don't see any wheels and hover technology wasn't too advanced in the 80s (despite what you might have heard).  I can imagine being the coolest kid at the race track when pulling up in this beauty.

1.  Dr Pepper Nautilus Cooler

Another cooler?  That's right, but this gets our top spot because most of the world seems to have forgotten that Dr Pepper Nautilus ever existed.  It was an early 90s sports drink that was meant to compete with Gatorade but there's hardly any information about it on the internet.  In order to get a good look at any Nautilus memorabilia you'll have to take a road trip to Waco...which is fitting since that's where it all began...

Dinner and a Show

The fourth episode of season 1 of Walker, Texas Ranger stars veteran character actor Bruce McGill (he played time cop Captain Braxton in Star Trek: Voyager and Al the Bartender/God in the last episode of Quantum Leap) as the bad guy who goes around town doing genuinely bad things.  One of his main stops is Brownie's Diner in the east part of Dallas:

In its heyday, Brownie's was a popular spot for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  It served up everything from Sanka to Flounder to Omelettes.  Take a minute to peruse the menu so you can decide what you would have ordered:

 I'd probably go with the coffee and Steak on a Bun.  As you can see below, not only is it no longer Brownies, the restaurant that replaced it is also closed down (must have been too many bad guys hanging around):

As Mr. Bad Guy leaves you can see the the Eckerd Drug Store and Motts...

...has been replaced by a Family Dollar and Check Cashing place:

Later in the episode there is some hubbub at an old school looking bank:

The building is located on the downtown square in McKinney, TX (north of Dallas).  It's a historic building that was a bank at one time but now it's an antique shop.

Here is the building's historical marker for your reading pleasure:

Of course Walker and his partner show up to put an end to the nonsense:

But unfortunately they didn't have time to visit downtown McKinney's many unique shops and restaurants (maybe they can plan a Saturday afternoon trip sometime):

A few roundhouse kicks later and McKinney was safe from Mr. Bad Guy...but for how long???

Top 5 Things for Sale at the Blue Bell Creameries

 Previously:

Best Maid Pickle Emporium 

80s Corpus Christie  - -  Sam Houston Gift Shop

Texas Treasures Store  - -  Alamo Gift Shop

Blue Bell Ice Cream takes a well deserved place with Fletcher's Corn Dogs, Dr Pepper, Shiner Bock, and Whataburger in the pantheon of Texas Food Brands.  No Fourth of July is complete without a big tub or two of Pecan Praline or Dutch Chocolate.  The delicious dessert is cranked out in Brenham, TX, where hungry visitors can stop by and satisfy their sweet tooth at Blue Bell's own ice cream parlor.  

 
I was in that neighborhood recently and decided to get the scoop on what was for sale in the gift shop.  So finish up your float and peruse my Top 5 list:

5.  Blue Bell Flavored Lip Balm

 You can keep a little piece of Brenham in your pocket and protect yourself from chapped lips with these little beauties.  Flavors come in homages to classic Blue Bell flavors like Peppermint and the best seller Homemade Vanilla.  

4.  Blue Bell Big Rig

 Watch out for Smokies while you're tooling around in this 1/32 scale model of the 18-Wheelers that travel the rocky roads to bring your favorite flavors to the store shelves.  Pair it up with a toy Trans Am and you can spend the afternoon pretending to bootleg Texas ice cream to Atlanta.

3. Blue Bell Beacon Light

 That pint of Cherry Vanilla in your backpack felt like a good idea at the beginning of your hike but by the time you're at your campsite, the leaky slurry you're left with will probably do more harm than good.  You should have packed this little Blue Bell Light instead to help with tent pitching visibility.  It also flashes in case of emergency.  

2.  Scoops

 The boys in Brenham take their ice cream accouterments seriously.  Who knew there were almost as many types of scoops as there were flavors of ice cream?  There were certainly more styles, colors and types of scoops than I had previously been aware of.  You'll never know when you might need a Zeroll Scoop versus a Color Changing Mood Scoop.  So it's best to be prepared.

1.  Ice Cream

 Duh!

Top 5 at the National Videogame Museum

I don't like video games.  It's not that I dislike them, I just lost interest in them at some point as a teenager.  Outside of of a couple of apps on my phone (do those count as video games?) I haven't given them much thought.  But a recent trip to Frisco led to a stop at the National Videogame Museum and memories of joy sticking and button pushing came flooding back.  So here's my Top 5 Picks of Things on Display at the National Videogame Museum:

5.  Oregon Trail

There are plenty of older systems set up and ready to be played by museum visitors.  The one that caught my eye was perennial Middle School time killer, "Oregon Trail."  It took my right back to the days of tapping Y or N, buying dry goods and tack, and dying of dysentery.  Good Times.

4.  1981 Journey at Reunion Arena Ticket Stub

This one might be a little bit of a cheat.  There's a room in the museum that's made up like a kids bedroom in the 80s.  There's lots of attention to detail including this ticket stub for a Journey concert on Nov 8, 1981 at Reunion Stadium.  There's a lot of nostalgia in this tiny paper square.  There's also some Rangers and Cowboys stuff on the wall.

3.  Video Game Cereal

I remember a couple of these from childhood but some are more recent.  Pac-Man Cereal and Nintendo Cereal are the ones that ended up in my bowl on Saturday mornings.  I'm surprised that there's only been about half a dozen video game-based cereals so far, but sometimes it's the obvious tie-ins that are never quite so obvious.  

2.  Super Mario Movie Props

Nothing adds gravitas to a museum exhibit like a Certificate of Authenticity.  And it turns these seemingly mundane plumber's tools into a museum-worthy exhibit.  The 1993 movie was a critical and commercial failure and it's a little surprising to some of its props under glass but I guess this is definitely the right place to display them.

1. Texas Chainsaw Massacre Atari Game

If you think that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie might not be the most appropriate concept to base a kids' video game on, you're not alone.  This was released in 1983 and since the player plays the part of Leatherface (with the goal of murdering as many tourists as possible), it was very controversial and sales reflected that.  It has a cult following online but it's since it sold so poorly, it's an incredibly rare find.  Loved seeing it on display.

There's a lot more to see at the museum, including an arcade stuffed with games (including the original Star Wars game that I used to play every year at the Fort Worth Livestock Show) so when you get the itch to pump some tokens into some retro consoles, head to Frisco.

Never Bean Better

 Previously:

Crunch Time  - -  Chicken & Somethin'

Since it was invented at the Old Corner Drugstore in Waco, Dr Pepper has been a big part of Texas culture.  It's everywhere you look.  Check out the score at a little league game and you'll probably see the DP logo on the scoreboard.  Go to the downtown area of any small Texas town and you'll probably see a faded, hand-painted Dr Pepper mural on an old brick wall.  The most misunderstood soft drink has also become one of the most popular and its unique flavor can't be contained to the soda aisle of the grocery store an more.  

These days you can get lots of your favorite foods in Dr Pepper flavor.  Licorice, cotton candy, barbecue sauce, pound cake and even lip balm.  I've tried one or two of these but today I tried something new:  Dr Pepper Baked Beans:

Dubbed "Sweet & a Bit Sassy," these are made by Serious Bean Co., a company known for their unique take on the canned classic as well as their little Bean Guy mascots, a different one for each of their flavors.  You can see that the little guy for the Dr Pepper variety has a #23 on it, representing 23 flavors said to be in the recipe for the legendary beverage.  But were they actually able to incorporate all of them into their beans?

I gotta say the taste is...interesting.  While there was nothing I enjoyed more on a hot summer day than a cold Dr Pepper as a kid, I actually haven't drank soda regularly in decades.  So my palate my be a little unrefined.  But I do eat beans on a semi-regular basis so I usually know what to expect.  But I didn't expect this.  The best I can say is that they are very "soda-esque."  I'd almost say they're "zesty"...which is not a term I typically use to describe beans.  

The Dr Pepper flavor is definitely noticeable, impossible to ignore, even.  These are not a subtle side dish.  In fact if you served them without announcing that they're Dr Pepper flavored you'd definitely get a "What's up with these beans?' type of reaction from your dinner guests.  But knowing what flavor they're shooting for would definitely lessen the surprise.  

These would be great for a festive picnic but maybe not for a simple side during a quick lunch.  These guys want to be noticed, not just relegated to the side of the plate.  With that being said, I'm not sure when I'll serve them again.  I'm thinking I'll keep the soda in my memories of hot summers cold drinks.