As shameful as it was to be a citizen of Dallas on November 22, 1963, our collective dishonor was short-lived. This city is inextricably linked to the Kennedy legacy, and you could argue that the legend really began here. Dallas has venerated the events of that day and respected its place in American history with monuments and a museum to a beloved former president. More than that, though, Dallas honors the Kennedy family's commitment to culture and arts education by supporting innovative arts and cultural agencies, museums and performance groups every day. On May 3, more than 50 Dallas-based arts groups will participate in the John F. Kennedy Center's Imagination Celebration event at Old City Park. The free family arts festival will offer African mask making, video claymation, Native American storytelling, folklorico dance, sidewalk chalk murals, Mexican tin art, international folk songs, origami and classical dance activities from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eddie Coker and Sara Hickman will perform together and individually throughout the day. Dallas is one of only six national sites for Imagination Celebration, which has held its road show of family arts and creativity for 18 years. Call 214-520-0023. --Annabelle Massey Helber
5/3
Tele-Fun-do
Parents spend their free time doing two things: complaining about being too tired to conduct themselves in a manner that suggests they are indeed married, and trying to find wholesome educational entertainment for their kids. Problem solved (the second one, anyway): Saturday at 2 p.m., you and your children can listen to Telemundo 39 personalities read during bilingual story time at the Lakewood Library, 6121 Worth St. It's part of the Dallas Public Library series Leyendo Juntos. Call the library at 214-670-1376. --Eric Celeste
5/5
Celebration Cinco
To acknowledge Mexico's independence this year, go to the library. At 2:30 p.m., the Hampton-Illinois Library, 2210 W. Illinois, will offer music, crafts and refreshments. At 4:30 p.m, the Highland Hills Library, 3624 Simpson Stuart Road, pays tribute to Hispanic culture. Then at 7:30 p.m., you and the kids can learn a few words in Spanish and make a book about Cinco de Mayo at the Renner Frankford Library, 6400 Frankford Road. --Carlton Stowers
5/2
Tale Waggin'
The DCT howls at the moon
The Dallas Children's Theater has a new home, and the organization fittingly marks its territory this Friday with a premiere production of Coyote Tales. Penned by resident playwright Linda Daugherty, the play focuses on the high jinks of the open plain, as Coyote repeatedly tries to sniff out dinner from the likes of Fox, Rabbit and Prairie Dog. Taking a cue from misadventures and comedy-of-errors of the past, expect to see a Southwestern motif throughout, with exaggerated puppets (adapted from Oaxacan woodcarvings) creating a rainbow of surrealism across the stage. It may sound a bit like Terry Gilliam on a peyote high, but Coyote Tales promises to be a harmless, colorful and cultural way to spend an afternoon or evening with the family. After all, we're sanitized to a point that a predatory scamp like Wile E. Coyote has the censorship shackles clamped on, so don't expect anything questionable in the way of food chain shenanigans. A courtship between the sun and the moon is hinted at, too, but it's probably not as hot as any of us would prefer (although La Luna is described as "sultry"). Kids ruin all of our fun, don't they? Anyway, performances run throughout the weekends of May, so there are plenty of opportunities to entertain the kiddies (with ages 3 and up recommended) and come off looking like a cock in the hen house at home. So, basically, Señor Coyote's all, "I wanna be your dog," and then we're all like, "All right." The Rosewood Center is located at 5938 Skillman St. Call 214-740-0051 or 214-823-7644. --Matt Hursh
5/2
Apt Pupal
The elementary school poetry genre has been severely hampered by the fact that there is no exact rhyme for "butterfly." Unless you resort to the trite "flutter by," but we would never stoop that low. Actually, we can't think of exact rhymes for "unicorn" or "rainbow" either. How the heck did we ever write poetry in our sticker-festooned Lisa Frank diaries? While we ponder that, feel free to stroll through Texas Discovery Gardens to visit a few of these non-rhyming anomalies during The Miracle of Metamorphosis. (Butterflies, that is. We guarantee no rainbows or unicorns.) Guests can learn which plants certain caterpillars and butterflies favor and how to identify different species in their own yards. Attendees of the Butterfly Gardening Workshop will also receive a flat of selected plants to attract and feed indigenous butterflies. The Miracle of Metamorphosis exhibit begins May 2 with the workshop on May 3, 9 a.m. to noon. Admission to Texas Discovery Gardens, 3601 Martin Luther King Blvd., is free on Tuesdays and $3 for adults, $2 for seniors and $1.50 for children Wednesday through Sunday. Paid advance registration of $45 is required for the workshop. Call 214-428-7476. --Michelle Martinez
