Denton Live - Featured Events

Action Jackson

Fame hasn't spoiled Denton's humble hometown hero
By Lori Dann
Denton Live Jan-June 2013

The skinny 12-year-old with the confident Ken Griffey batting stance didn’t look like much. But to New York Yankees scout Mark Batchko, the sound emanating from the kid’s bat was unmistakable. It was the spring of 1999, and Batchko was watching a group of older kids play at a ballpark in Fort Worth when the distant ping of Austin Jackson’s first home run caught his attention. Soon there was another, followed by a loud roar. When Jackson smacked a third ball over the fence at the adjacent field, Batchko decided to head over and see what the fuss was all about. “Who’s that kid?” he asked.

Daredevils in the Sky

Barrel Rolls and Heart-Stopping Loops at Denton's Annual Airshow
By Mike Mezeul II
Denton Live Jan-June 2013

The morning sun rises above the horizon, bathing the planes on the tarmac in a golden light, slowly warming their cool steel frames. Each plane is unique. An antique propeller-driven P-40 Warhawk sits wing-to-wing with a modernday jump jet, the AV-8B Harrier II. Parked behind the P-40 is a civilian Pitts S2B biplane. Each has a story to tell. The old Warhawk, a relic of World War II, needs runway room to take off. The Harrier isn’t so fussy. It’s got an engine with enough thrust to take off vertically in combat situations. The biplane, by comparison, looks like a toy with its red, white and blue wings, but wait until Julia Wood climbs into the cockpit. When she flips her Pitts biplane upside down and pushes it into a screaming nosedive, “ooohs” and “ahhhs” are sure to follow.

Dog Days of Denton

Do-Good Dogs Wag their Way to Denton for Annual Event Celebrating Man and his Best Friend
By: Nicole Jordan
Denton Live Jan-June 2013

Tammy Freeman doesn’t go anywhere without her black Labrador, Vince. He goes with her to work. He accompanies her to her son’s school. He coasts down the aisles of the grocery store with her. He even sits next to her during the Sunday sermon. When Tammy wakes, Vince is there. Even when she uses the restroom, Vince is there. “Find the elevator, Vince,” she’ll say, and he will take her directly to the elevator. “Find the chair,” and he marches her right to her favorite chair. Vince is Tammy’s perpetual sidekick, her protector and her best friend. He is her leader dog.

Jazzy Reunion

Big Acts Roll in Each Spring for Denton Arts & Jazz Festival
By: Sean Gorman
Denton Live Jan-Jun 2013

Henry Paine distinctly remembers the N’Awlins Gumbo Kings performing at the Denton Arts & Jazz Festival. One minute he and wife Debbie were in their booth near center stage, grilling up fajitas, squeezing fresh lemons and enjoying the music, when suddenly they looked up to see festival-goers ditching their lawn chairs and blankets. The crowd was on its feet, says Henry, getting into the Gumbo Kings’ rendition of “When You’re Smiling,” the song made famous by Louis Armstrong.