Best Things To Do in Dallas This Weekend

Friday

The name Nat King Cole brings to mind smoky jazz standards and vintage Christmas memories, but the artist is so much more. Beyond his enormous cultural reach, Cole’s songbook is immense and includes more than 100 hits, many of which were firmly in the pop realm, not jazz. The Dallas Symphony Orchestra, led by principal pops conductor Jeff Tyzik, is celebrating this songbook with a series of performances showcasing Cole’s most memorable tunes. Supremely talented vocalist Denzel Sinclaire, a remarkable Cole interpreter, will lead the charge. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the Meyerson Symphony Center, 2301 Flora st. Tickets start at $19. For more information, visit mydso.com. Jonathan Patrick

Spring has arrived early at North Haven Gardens, 7700 Northaven Road. In the gallery from 5-7 p.m. Friday, featured artists Susan Bishop Shelby, Linda Kingsley, Christine Scott and Barbara Mason will be on hand to show, sell and answer your questions about their pottery and paintings at a free reception. Store hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. If you plan to add a splash of color to your house or patio, you have until May 10 to decide at this Petals and Patterns presentation. If you can’t resist filling the car with plants, then be sure to also check out the classes and workshops. For information, call 214-363-5316 or visit nhg.com. Reba Liner

A dance performance — yes, even a solo one — is nothing without collaboration. And given the storied rivalry between Houston and Dallas, Lone Stars is a collaboration that kicks all the Big D versus H-Town crap to the curb and celebrates two talented companies. Lone Stars offers two Bruce Wood-choreographed favorites (“RED” and “Lovett!”) performed by Bruce Wood Dance, and “Volver,” “Paralyzed by Fear” and “Snow Playground” performed by Houston’s METdance before the two companies join for the premiere of “Following Echoes,” choreographed by Dallas native Bridget L. Moore. The performances take place at 8 p.m. Friday at Moody Performance Hall, 2520 Flora St. Join the companies’ artistic directors for a chat on collaboration before the show at 7:15 p.m. in the lobby. The creative team and dancers will be available for a Q&A after the show in the theater. Tickets are $25 to $100 at brucewooddance.org. Merritt Martin

Saturday

We get it. Going to a rodeo in Texas is the textbook definition of a regional stereotype. It’s like going gator hunting if you live in Louisiana or dodging oncoming traffic if you live in Houston. Nevertheless, there’s still something unique and fun about a rodeo. If you don’t enjoy the typical country music fare that accompanies such events, then the seventh annual Hip Hop Cowboys Spring Rodeo is for you. This event puts classic rodeo events such as bull riding, team roping and barrel racing alongside hip-hop and blues acts such as Lil’ Keke and Jaye Hammer. The Hip Hop Cowboys Spring Rodeo takes place at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Mesquite Championship Rodeo, 1818 Rodeo Drive. Tickets are $20 for assigned seats, $30 for seating in the first 10 rows and $40 for the first three rows. Visit ticketmaster.com for more information. Danny Gallagher

It’s the one day of the year when Dallas loses its damn mind, and you don’t want to miss it. Go for the green beads and drink specials and stay for all the people watching. It’s time for the annual Dallas St. Patrick’s Parade and Festival, kicking off at 11 a.m. Saturday at the intersection of Greenville Avenue and Blackwell Street. The 39th edition of this beloved event will see 90-plus floats make their way down a 2-mile stretch to Yale/SMU Boulevard, lined on each side by a crowd of cheerfully inebriated Dallasites decked head-to-toe in shades of emerald, seafoam, jade and olive. You’ll see pets in their St. Pat’s finery, kids scrambling for parade swag and an all-around sense of beer-tinged joie de vivre that you just don’t find the other 364 days of the year. Find yourself a suitable designated driver and line up early for the best view. For more information, visit dallasstpatricksparade.com. Jennifer Davis-Lamm

Brick Road Theatre will present The Cradle Will Rock (music, lyrics and book by Marc Blitzstein), its first show of the season, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Cox Playhouse, 1517 H Ave. in historic downtown Plano. Cradle holds the distinction as the only show ever shut down by the Feds. Blitzstein wrote the play in a specific political and social context, and the questions it raises are as relevant today as in 1937. Well-known DFW actor Diana Sheehan directs the 10 scenes, music director is Bruce Greer and choreographer is Kelly McCain. Leads include Joey Folsom, Mark Oristano and Jennifer Kuenzer. For tickets, $20 or $25, visit brickroadtheatre.org or call 972-941-5600. Reba Liner

Sunday

We’re two years away from entering the ’20s again. Will they be roaring? Will we all live in big cities? Will we all throw massive parties? Before we visit the 2020s, Dallas Heritage Village, 1515 S. Hardwood St,, wants us to revisit the 1920s, when the women were flappers and where everybody danced. The fifth annual Jazz Age Sunday Social will have vintage vendors, ice cream, food trucks, costume contests and, of course, dancing. Enjoy the music and culture of the 1920s from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, call 214-421-5141; tickets are $12 at dallasheritagevillage.com. Paige Skinner