Dallas weekly e-newsletter |
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Sat, Jan 17: Dallas Area Train Show Sat, Jan 31: Little Sweetheart Dance at Plano Event Center
Fri, Feb 6: The Little Prince at WINSPEAR OPERA HOUSE
Sat, Feb 14: Ennis Czech Music Festival at Sokol Hall
Sun, Feb 15: Annual Lunar New Year Celebration 2026 at City of Richardson Core District
Sat, Feb 21: Lunar New Year Festival at Bookmarks at NorthPark Center
Fri, Feb 27: Tulipalooza at Getzendaner Memorial Park
Sat, Feb 28: Celebrating Heritage Black History Month
at Polk-Wisdom Branch Library
Fri, Mar 6: North Texas Irish Festival at Fair Park
Sat, Mar 7: TEXFest at City of Carrollton
Sun, Mar 15: Wizard of Oz on Ice Presented by the Coppell Arts Center
Thu, Mar 26: Let's Fly- Art Has No Limits at Louis Shanks |
Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers:
If it weren’t for a Polish pastry, I might not exist. When my great-grandmother Karolina Stelmach was a teenager in a small village in Poland, she was told she’d be entering an arranged marriage. But her heart belonged to Sylvester Nowakowski. So she left... on her own, by boat... and made her way to America. She found work in a restaurant, where she made her
family’s signature dessert: chrusciki. One day, a “distinguished gentleman” insisted on meeting the pastry chef, and he offered her a better-paying job in his own kitchen. She took it, saved enough to bring Sylvester over, and they married. Which means if chrusciki didn’t exist, neither would I. Stories like this do more than entertain. According to psychologist Robyn Fivush, interviewed on a recent episode of the Hidden Brain podcast, they help kids develop identity,
resilience, and self-worth. The more children know about their family’s past—not just the “big” stories like crossing oceans, but even the day-to-day moments and struggles—the more connected and grounded they become. Fivush and her colleagues at Emory University found that kids who know more family stories have higher self-esteem, greater emotional understanding, and a stronger sense of meaning and purpose. But it’s not just the information that matters...it’s the telling. When we sit down and
share what came before, we help kids feel like they’re part of something bigger, and that they belong. No AI can replicate that. A chatbot can write a story, sure. But it can’t tell your kids how Grandma’s meatloaf could’ve doubled as a construction material, or how two little girls in the 1950s turned a couple of ice cream cones into a front-porch endurance contest. So this year, make a point of telling your kids about your family's shared history: about
mistakes, about perseverance, about love, about dessert. Connection doesn’t have to be complicated: Just pull up a chair, pass the cookies, and pass down the stories.
—Debra Ross, publisher
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KidsOutAndAbout.com: Discover more. Do more. Connect more. If you like my publisher's column, you can easily scroll through past columns in the "Notes from Deb" section of our site. |
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Join us at the North Texas Council of Model Railroad Clubs Dallas Area Train show on January 17th and 18th at the Plano Event Center, 2000 E. Spring Creek Parkway, Plano, TX. Hours are 10 am to 5pm on Saturday and 10 am to 4 pm on Sunday. Admission is $11. Children 12 and under are free. Cash and Credit accepted. Discount of $1 for Cash. This is a family friendly event with 250 + vendor tables and 14 model railroads. The Mini Diorama table is back, the always kid friendly Garden Railroad Club, the NMRA Junior Engineer program and a Lego railroad. The kids will love the trains!
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Grab a spot and join us on Sunday, January 18th from 11:30 am -1 pmfor a Dinosaur Exploration where your kiddos will become paleontologists for a day! Uncover the mysteries of the past as we dig deep into the fascinating world of fossils, volcanoes, and the incredible creatures that once roamed the Earth.
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The annual FREE-ADMISSION KidFilm Family Festival will take place on January 17-18, 2026 at the Angelika Film Center Dallas. The program will feature twenty-three short film presentations and eight new feature films -- including the highly anticipated THE POUT-POUT FISH movie (with book author Deborah Diesen in attendance for a book signing following the event).
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The City of Irving hosts an annual observance honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The program features a special performance by Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Cherish Love, and recognition of the MLK Essay Contest winners. Admission is free and open to the public. Get ready for an unforgettable show filled with talent and inspiration!
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The Dallas Area Train show features model railroads, vendors and several activities for kids. Those include the Junior Engineer layout, the Mini-Diorama table and the Switching layout. Kids can see a Lego Model Railroad and get down on the floor in the large scale garden railroad room, The Dallas Area Train Show will be held at the Plano Event Center, 2000 East Spring Creek Parkway, Plano, TX. Dates are Saturday, January 17th, 10am to 5pm and Sunday, January 18th, 2026, 10:00am to 4:00 pm.
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Honor Dr. King’s enduring impact through creativity and community by crafting flowers from a variety of materials. Take-and-make kits will also be available for individuals to create flowers at home and return them to the South Irving Library to be included in a collaborative art display.
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Attending a Dallas Mavericks home game is pure fun from start to finish. The energy inside the arena is electric as fans cheer, music blasts, and lights flash during every big play. Watching the players warm up builds excitement, and the crowd erupts when the team hits a clutch three or throws down a dunk. Halftime shows, contests, and fan cams keep everyone laughing and involved. Wearing team colors and chanting together makes you feel part of something bigger. Whether the Mavericks win or lose, the experience is unforgettable with friends, snacks, memories, excitement, tradition, pride, and nonstop basketball joy.
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Enjoy an afternoon of guided looking and informal drawing instruction with artist and educator Desireé Vaniecia. Each session offers the chance to carefully observe artworks, explore different techniques, and develop drawing skills in a fun, hands-on environment.
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Spark your toddler’s imagination and encourage early literacy and social development with storytime, songs, and rhymes.
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In January 2026, the City of Dallas hosts its annual celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a week of events highlighting issues of opportunity, diversity, and community. This year’s theme is “Remaining Awake Through a Great Transformation.” MLK Week will feature our Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship and Awards Gala, in which we will present scholarships to the winners of our MLK Essay contest and recognize organizations and individuals that have supported the MLK Center and our community throughout 2025, and will culminate with the annual MLK Day Parade.
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Kids Night Out/ Parents Night Off is a scheduled opportunity for parents to plan a date night for three hours by dropping off their kids at Pipe and Palette for an evening of painting, pizza, popcorn, and a movie. Kids Night Out is every Friday & Saturday evening. Splatter Room Kids Night Out are every Saturday and every first Friday of the month.
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Join Horizon members and friends as we join in honoring Dr. King’s legacy and work toward the vision of beloved community.
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- Toddler Time (16 Months-3 Years) - John and Judy Gay Public Library, McKinney, Fri 1/16, Sat 1/17 & Sun 1/18, 10:30-11:15 am
- 2026 MLK Celebration Week - Martin Luther King, Jr. Community
Center, Dallas, Fri 1/16 & Sun 1/18, times vary
- Saturday
Chess Meetup (All Ages) - John and Judy Gay Public Library, McKinney, Sat 1/17, 11 am- 1 pm
- Saturday Morning Kids - Richardson Public Library - Richardson Public Library, Richardson, Sat 1/17, 10:30 - 11 am
- Carrollton MLK Parade 2026 - Horizon Unitarian Universalist Church, Carrollton, Sat 1/17, 9-11 am
- MLK Parade & Program - Carrollton City Hall, Carrollton, Sat 1/17, 10 am
- Blooms of Peace: Honoring Martin Luther King Jr. - South Irving Library, Irving, Sat 1/17, 11 am
- Free Family Festival - 42nd Annual KidFilm Family Festival - Angelika Film Center & Café - Dallas, Dallas, Sat 1/17-Sun 1/18, 12:00PM
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Observance Event - Irving Arts Center, Irving, Sun 1/18, 6 pm
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EXPERIENCES create memories much more than stuff does. As you're considering gifts for family and friends, consider giving the gift of a family membership to one of our local attractions in and around Dallas. Here are local organizations that offer
memberships.
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Winter is here and fun options for families just keep getting better! Whether you stick with what you love or decide to try something new, KidsOutAndAbout has plenty of ideas. From Ice skating, kid-friendly museums, indoor play centers, and outdoor
activities to thinking ahead to next year's school options - we've got you covered.
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Click here to discover Birthday party locations in the Dallas area. From Arcades to Ziplines our Big List will help you think outside the box and plan the party of your kids' dreams! KidsOutAndAbout has dozens of ideas!
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Every May and June, thousands of local parents, grandparents, and caregivers weigh in on their favorite local places to take kids. This is the page where we showcase the Dallas-area winners for 2025. (Click here to see the full list of nominees.)
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Have a great weekend!
Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Mom of Madison and Ella |
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