Good morning DFW,

Before we get into our local rundown, a reminder that I’m finally launching the Courier Texas statewide newsletter, Farm to Market Texas, tomorrow!

This might be the “Friendship State,” but Texas is very much siloed by its regions. We often don’t know what’s happening in other areas and can’t begin to fathom how it may affect us.

You know what I mean:

💭 The South is framed as only immigration and SpaceX
💭 Austin as the eccentric outlier (but is it?)
💭 The Panhandle often forgotten about
💭 And Houston swears they’re competing with, well, everybody 😆

This newsletter will be about connecting us all as Texans, sharing what we love and value, and the challenges we face. How can we be better neighbors? How can we work together to improve our state? You’ll find out in the FM newsletter!

I’d love it if you’d subscribe and share the link with a loved one in another region. Thanks in advance, and see you on the other side on Thursdays. 🛻

Walk & Talk Social is bringing Dallas residents together, one outing at a time. (Vitaly Gariev/Unsplash)

By Sam Cohen

Making friends feels increasingly hard to do as an adult, especially when you don’t have many opportunities to meet people with common interests. Walk & Talk Social is looking to change that for Dallas residents, one gathering at a time.

At 7 p.m. every Friday, the group meets at the Thomsen Overlook found along the Katy Trail (3100 McKinnon St.), a 3.5-mile stretch of urban greenspace. Once everyone arrives, members of Walk & Talk Social pair everyone off in groups of two so you can focus on talking to and befriending someone as you stroll. 

The idea is to put your phones away for the duration of the walk—something that seems unimaginable in today’s largely tech-driven society. Walk & Talk wants people to connect with one another in real time to foster real friendships. It’s a simple concept that’s perhaps even more successful than the group originally thought it would be when starting out.

👨‍💼 Dallas’ next mayor? The Dallas mayoral race may be more than a year away, but the first candidate has officially thrown his hat in the ring. Oak Cliff native Michael Hinojosa has spent a career in public education, including two terms as DISD superintendent. (WFAA)

🍖 BBQ for the Brits: Soccer legend David Beckham and his designer wife Victoria Beckham indulged in some Texas barbecue ahead of the World Cup semifinal, and, like other visiting celebrities, visited Terry Black’s Barbecue in Deep Ellum. Find out what the Beckhams ordered. (Dallas Morning News)

🚫 Party & prejudice: Before pool party planners could change their flyer language from “Muslims only” to “Modest dress only,” the event had already gotten the attention of Gov. Greg Abbott, prompting a threat to the city of Grand Prairie: Cancel the event at the city-owned venue or lose your federal funding. Now, several community advocates are calling the governor’s move unnecessary and dangerous. (KERA)

👩‍🚀 Space pioneer dies: A North Texan, and the oldest woman to go to space, died last week in her Grapevine home. The aviation pioneer became the first woman to hold several positions in the field. Learn more about legend Wally Funk.

Here are some things to do around the metroplex this weekend:

📺 FIFA watch party at Klyde Warren Park

Dallas

🛍️ The Melting Pot Night Market

The Colony

🐂 Ultimate Bullfighters

Fort Worth

👯 Cowtown Comic Con

Waxahachie

🥁 McKinney DrumLine Expo

🛥️ Dallas Summer Boat Show

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Joi Louviere with reporting by Sam Cohen and editing by Paula Solis.

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