Cheap and Free Events in Dallas This Week

Authors Live!: Scott Kelly
Highland Park United Methodist Church
3300 Mockingbird Lane
7 p.m. Monday
Free
Nobody on Earth has spent more accumulative time outside of its gravity than Scott Kelly, former military fighter pilot and test pilot, engineer, retired astronaut, retired U.S. Navy captain and, now, author. He wants to tell you all about it in his new novel, Endurance: A Year In Space, A Lifetime Of Discovery. Like the name suggests, Kelly spent (almost) a year on the International Space Station to help study the effects on human health for future long missions, which will aid in potential future manned spaceflights to Mars. Get to know the man behind the spacesuit, purchase a copy of his book and even get it signed during Authors Live!: Scott Kelly at 7 p.m. Monday at Highland Park United Methodist Church, 3300 Mockingbird Lane. The talk is free; a $30 book signing and reception will follow. For more information, visit hpumc.org. — Diamond Victoria

Lorraine Tady: Sparklines and Leslie Wilke: New Paintings and Gouaches
Barry Whistler Gallery
315 Cole St.
Through Nov. 25
Free
Barry Whistler Gallery, 315 Cole St., juxtaposes two Texas-based artists’ works in its exhibits Lorraine Tady: Sparklines and Leslie Wilke: New Paintings and Gouaches from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays through Nov. 25. Tady’s pieces, which include paintings, drawings and prints from her Octagon Vibration Series, use minimal color and explore spatial architecture inspired by her travels to New Mexico; Cape Cod, Massachusetts; Paris; and northeast Iceland. They draw heavily on linework reminiscent of architectural drawings. Wilke’s exhibit boasts a broader range of color through repetitive, geometric patterns seemingly stacked on top of one another, creating optical illusions that allow viewers to interpret their own various shapes and patterns. More information on both artists and their work can be found at barrywhistlergallery.com. — Diamond Victoria

Big Night Italian Pop-Up With Justin Holt & Scott Girling
Texas Theatre
231 W. Jefferson Blvd.
8 p.m. Thursday
$10
If you’re going to watch 1996’s Big Night, there’s really only one rule: Don’t do it hungry. The film’s treatment of a failing restaurant’s attempt to salvage it all is a love letter to good food. There’s more to it, of course. Stanley Tucci and Isabella Rossellini are in it, after all, so you know there’s a plot beyond gorgeous pasta, but it’s really about the love of the perfect bite. And you’ll get one when Texas Theatre, 231 W. Jefferson Blvd., pairs a screening of the film at 8 p.m. Thursday with lobby pop-ups from two Dallas chefs. Scott Girling and Justin Holt (Lucia) are dishing up the film’s memorable stuffed pasta extravaganza, timpano, at 7 p.m. (7:30 p.m. for those who didn’t buy a movie ticket) before the screening. At 10 p.m., they’re serving lasagna and salad. (The same 30-minute delay applies.) Tickets to the film are available at texastheatre.com; each pop-up meal is $10 cash. — Merritt Martin

Elements: Art and Photography Exhibit
Art Space at Metropolitan Press
1250 Majesty Drive
6-9 p.m. Thursday
Free
The opening reception for Elements: Art and Photography Exhibit will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, at Art Space at Metropolitan Press, 1250 Majesty Drive. The Artsy Monkey hosts the free event, which runs through November. Paintings are by Brenda Woodson, and camera recordings are by Asher Swan. Both are featured artists for the month. The artists’ depictions of Earth, air, fire and water remind us that ancient astrologists believed that a season had the qualities of an element. Did Woodson and Swan link autumn and Earth is this showing? Take a close look. For more information, call 214-635-3131 or visit metpressinc.com. —Reba Liner

The Nutcracker Opera-Ballet
Courtyard Theater
1509 H Ave., Plano
7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday
$15
It looks like we may have a winner. The Ballet Foundation for the XXI Century appears to have come in first in the annual Christmas deluge of performances of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. A quick check online reveals a dozen stagings of everyone’s favorite holiday ballet in DFW in coming weeks. (We have no idea what anyone’s second fave is.) Plano not only gets out of the starting blocks while we’re still digesting leftover Halloween candy, but it combines ballet with opera by having a vocalists sing scripture to make the story about dancing mice and sugar plum fairies more Christian. Opera plus ballet plus religion plus fairy tales! That’s probably the greatest holiday combo since someone decided to add a frothy blend of milk, cream, sugar and whipped eggs to booze. See The Nutcracker Opera-Ballet at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday at the Courtyard Theater, 1509 H Ave. in Plano. Tickets, $15, can be found at balletfoundation.com/ticketing. — Patrick Williams

Lakewood Home Festival
11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
$15 and up
Ever wondered what the insides of all those grand homes in Lakewood — for our money, the prettiest neighborhood in Dallas — look like? Now’s your chance to find out as the Lakewood Early Childhood PTA hosts its 41st Lakewood Home Festival this Saturday and Sunday. Six gorgeous homes of varying styles will be open for you to envy. (See pics at lecpta.org/home-tour.) Tours take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, with a special candlelight tour from 7-9 p.m. Saturday. Regular tickets are $15 in advance or $20 if purchased at one of the homes. Tickets for the candlelight tour are $30. Find them at lecpta.org. — Patrick Williams

Art Conspiracy 13
Cedars Union
1201 S. Ervay St.
7 p.m. Saturday
$10 and up
Considering how big the event has gotten in 13 years and that about everyone involved in the local arts and music scene knows about it, can you really call it a conspiracy? Semantics aside, the nonprofit Art Conspiracy’s annual marquee charity event, Art Con, is a live art auction and concert that benefits a different regional arts-related program each year. Some 150 visual artists are given 24 hours to create pieces of art, each on an 18-inch plywood square. The results are sold at a raucous party to the highest bidders between sets by bands and DJs. It’s an affordable night of philanthropy, too, with a $10 cover and bids starting at $20. This year, the party benefits Seek, a Dallas-based organization that aims to implement art programming designed for trauma survivors as part of its mission to assist refugees of conflict zones. Acid Carousel and Medicine Man Revival perform, and duo The Good Taste Collective will DJ. Art Con 13 begins at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Cedars Union, 1201 S. Ervay St. Visit seekingpeace.org and artcon.org. — Jesse Hughey

Turtle Creek Fine Arts Festival
Reverchon Park
3505 Maple Ave.
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday
Free
Art Con 13 isn’t the only game in town this weekend bringing together local artists and musicians. Think of the inaugural Turtle Creek Fine Arts Festival, featuring up to 125 artists, as a newer, quieter, outdoors, daytime alternative, a pre-party or a day-after wind-down. Along with fine artists, it promises glass blowers, jewelers, leather-workers, metalworkers and other crafters, with lemonade and iced tea in place of booze. There were still quite a few TBDs and TBAs as of press time, but confirmed musical performers Saturday include the Booker T. Washington High School jazz vocal ensemble, T.J. Kuenster (the late Glen Campbell’s longtime keyboardist) and jazz singer (and Balcony Club owner) Teddy Davey. Sunday’s lineup includes guitarist Carls Guedes and pianist Scott Bucklin. Artist demonstrations, kids’ activities and festival foods round out the fun. The free fest, organized by the Atlanta Foundation for Public Spaces, is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at Reverchon Park, 3505 Maple Ave. Visit turtlecreekartsfestival.com. — Jesse Hughey

Etsy Dallas Jingle Bash
Eddie Deen's Ranch
944 S. Lamar St.
10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday
Free
It doesn’t seem possible that it’s time, but still … we’ll suffer the early onset of the holiday season if it means we get to go to the Etsy Jingle Bash. From 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Eddie Deen’s Ranch, 944 S. Lamar St., local vendors will gather with their handmade art, jewelry, accessories and home goods for a Christmas shopping kickoff that will get you stocked up on unique gifts. Find screen-printed scarves from Little Minnow, whimsical dog collars hand sewn by Dixie Goods Co., artisanal gemstone earrings at Earrings By Erin, giftable T-shirts from SweetTees, and stuff from about 100 other artists and crafters. Eddie Deen’s will have food and drink available; other attractions include crafts for shopping-weary kids and a photo booth so you can forever remember your holiday shopping triumphs. Admission is free, and the first 50 shoppers will receive Jingle Bash swag bags. For more information, visit etsydallas.com. — Jennifer Davis-Lamm

Backyard Story Night
Wild Detectives
314 W. 8th St.
7-9 p.m. Sunday
Free
Everybody has a story. Introverts, glossophobes, misanthropes, oversharers, the long winded and the painfully shy: they all have unique viewpoints that shape their worldview and render their stories worth telling. Stories have been told around campfires, under blankets, in hushed tones in the ladies’ restrooms and on the back patio of The Wild Detectives, 314 W. Eighth St., where popular Austin-born Backyard Story Night finds itself from 7-9 p.m. Sunday. Grab a seat, sip a drink and swap tales with other Dallasites at the second Big D installment of the series that encourages extemporizing your profound experiences or silly conundrums on the theme “Seriously, Thank You.” Gather your thoughts and work up your storytelling courage. Admission is free, and bites and liquid courage will be available for purchase. To learn more, visit thewilddetectives.com or RSVP on the event’s Facebook page. — Jennifer Davis-Lamm