Fiction or reality: Thin Line makes you think

By Amber Mullins

Joshua Butler navigates the red carpet ropes of a local coffeehouse with a swagger, then plops himself down to discuss a “hobby” that’s become his passion: documentary film. Choosing the venue with a movie theater twist seems conscious, or maybe not. With Joshua, nothing is ever as it seems, which is the concept behind his startup – the Thin Line Film Fest. The documentary film festival, now in its fifth year, invites its audience to explore the “thin line” between reality and fiction in film. His question: Can a documentary ever be real?

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Arts & Jazz: a brave combo

By J.K. Nickell

A baby mannequin swaddled in multicolored Mardi Gras beads peers out from behind the storefront window of Brave Combo’s office. The band’s headquarters and rehearsal studio just off Denton’s historic Downtown Square is shuttered. Where is the pink-top-hat-wearing mad scientist of a musician who’s famous for herding people onstage to perform the Chicken Dance? Just then, Carl Finch’s baby blue Mercedes convertible cruises into view and Brave Combo’s co-founder steps out dressed totally in black, his shoulder-length silver locks billowing in the wind.

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When Dogs Fly!

Dog Days of Denton
By Katharine Pettigrew

They’re at their mark. They’re breathing heavy. Their eyes are locked on the finish line. They’re ready to run as fast as they can. No, they’re not professional athletes lining up for an Olympic race. These are the dogs of the Texas Heat Flyball team. Ego, Gimmick, Quick, and Logo meet every Sunday, rain or shine, to compete and train for the Dog Days of Denton Celebration in Quakertown Park each June. The dogs bark with excitement as soon as their trainers start pulling out training mats, bright green hurdles and, finally, the long, colorful ropes called “tugs.” The dogs go crazy for the tugs. It’s their motivation to finish a practice race so they can get in a quick game of tug-of-rope with their owners.

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Skies of military might

Denton Airshow thrills with flights at 575mph and vintage planes

By Stacy Powers

Looking down from the air traffic control tower, Brigadier General Tommy Williams sees a sea of people filling the grounds of Denton Airport. They’re looking down the runway, waiting for a first in Denton – the first U.S. Air Force F-16 Viper to take off from the airport. The general has the best seat in the house high up in the air-conditioned tower, but Tommy Williams knows there’s an even better seat. He wants to feel the F-16 engine rippling his skin as it zips across the sky at 575 miles per hour.

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