The Best Things To Do In Dallas, June 15-21

Wednesday, June 15

Don’t Mess With Texas Women of Comedy at Plano House of Comedy
We all know the proud slogan “Don’t mess with Texas,” so it seems a natural extension to say “Don’t mess with Texas women of comedy.” And not at all because Irma Ruiz, Mary Becquet, Kim Dayoc and (especially local legend and Joan Rivers fave) Linda Stogner can’t handle a heckler. No, they can manage just fine. It’s because they’ll have you laughing so hard it’s not physically possible to talk shit (and you shouldn’t anyway, so this is not a suggestion or invitation). Let the comics threaten the wellness of your abs 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 15, at The Plano House of Comedy (7301 Lone Star Drive). Tickets start at $15, available online.

Mavs ManiAACs at Reunion Tower
We know and love the Mavs ManiAACs for their full-throttle hip-hop antics, but let’s not forget they pull some serious cred, too. They are the original all-male performance squad for the NBA. Join the ManiAACs and the mascots for Your Dallas Mavericks from 3 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 15, on the GeO-Deck of Reunion Tower (300 Reunion Blvd.) for just one of the tower’s Summer in the Sky activities. You can pay for individual tickets, but a summer pass gets you 10 admissions through Aug. 14 for just $59 (adults) or $29 (kids) for other events including magicians, Goliath Games, an afternoon with Sci-Tech Discovery Center and more. Purchase online.

Thursday, June 16

An Evening with Soledad O’Brien at the Winspear
Veteran journalist, former CNN, MSNBC and NBC anchor, host of Matter of Fact, modern media critic, truth teller: Whichever label you want to put on Soledad O’Brien, she’s known for not just delivering facts, but offering with them the stories of real people. Thursday, June 16, she brings her own stories to the Winspear Opera House (2403 Flora St.) as part of the hearhere speaker series. An Evening with Soledad O’Brien: Her Life Stories begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $29, available online.

Friday, June 17

Pride Celebration and Block Party in the Dallas Arts District
This year’s Dallas Arts District Pride Block Party from 6 p.m. to midnight Friday, June 17, is like a dare to see how many things you can enjoy in one night. The Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center and Crow Museum of Asian Art are all offering up outstanding features, and that’s in addition to the district’s outdoor activities. Want a tour of all the cats and dogs in the DMA? Sure! Want a drag show? You got it, kids. Live theater, educational opportunities and a screening of 1982’s Victor/Victoria? It’s all happening, and it’s free. Get out there and get Dallas arts proud. Find a complete schedule online.

Griots at Strauss Square
Griots are West African storytellers, but also historians and artists. The Bandan Koro African Drum and Dance Ensemble is honoring those in the Dallas community considered to be cultural icons and storytellers of our time. Griots: Celebrating a Compilation of Dallas’ Cultural Storytellers of the African Diaspora begins at 8 p.m. Friday, June 17, in Strauss Square (2389 Flora St.) and honors the likes of Erykah Badu, Vicki Meek, Baba Hassan and others through a jubilant performance of traditional ceremonies. Tickets are $29.50, available online.

Saturday, June 18

Dallas Fan Expo at Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center
Y’all, this Fan Expo is ridiculous. Friday through Sunday at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center (650 S. Griffin St.) is an insane gantlet of photo ops, meet-ups and panels with not only anime and comic book greats, but also serious film and television power. A Dexter cast reunion? The four Hobbits together as one? Ming-Na Wen, Giancarlo Esposito and Brent Spiner? It’s too much. No, really – this is going to take a spreadsheet to plan out. Single day passes start at $32 for adults, with three-day passes going for $105. We’re not even going to try to summarize the schedule, but you can find it and tickets online.

33rd Texas Invitational Black Rodeo at Fair Park Coliseum
In its 33rd year, the Texas Invitational Black Rodeo, presented by the African American Museum Dallas, offers a heart-pounding way to celebrate and learn how Black cowboys and cowgirls left their indelible marks on the American West (especially Texas) this Juneteenth weekend. Doors open to the Fair Park Coliseum at 6 p.m., with a Grand Entry Parade at 6:30 p.m. before 300 competitors hit the gates for riding, roping and racing. Audiences can also enjoy trick lasso performances, music and on-field activities for the kids. Tickets start at $10, available online.

Sunday, June 19

The Birdcage Brunch at Alamo Drafthouse (various)
This Father’s Day, let’s celebrate with brunch and two of the best dads to ever have a house manager unable to walk in dress shoes. Alamo Drafthouse is hosting brunch screenings of The Birdcage, wrapping Pride, Dad’s Day, a fabulous show and a stiff drink (depending on your order, of course) all into one event. The 1996 comedy starring Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Hank Azaria, Gene Hackman and Dianne Wiest is based on La Cage Aux Folles and goes great with French toast, an egg BLT and unapologetically being yourself around your parents. See it Sunday at noon at Alamo’s Lake Highlands, Denton or Las Colinas locations (or 11:45 a.m. Saturday at Richardson and Cedars). Get addresses, menus and tickets online.

Dallas Southern Pride Juneteenth Unity Weekend at Various Locations
Dallas Southern Pride (DSP) is an organization/celebration for Black LGTBQ individuals that historically offers a Black Pride Weekend in October to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall riots. Just last year, DSP hosted its inaugural Juneteenth Unity Weekend and this now it’s becoming tradition. With a weekend full of events ranging from health screenings to panels to a blacklight party to an Emancipation Ball, the DSP organizes its own events and incorporates others like the Arts District Block Party and North Texas Juneteenth Celebration into its schedule. Check it out and get tickets to special events via the DSP website.

Monday, June 20

KZPS Lone Star 92.5 Blood Drive begins for Carter BloodCare at Strike + Reel
For more than 45 years, one local radio station has been pumping out the help every year with an annual blood drive: KZPS 92.5. The FM stalwart kicks off the weeklong event Monday, June 20, at Strike + Reel (5902 N. President George Bush Freeway, Garland). While the trusty Carter BloodCare bus receives the good red stuff, donors and listeners will get live broadcasts from Bo and Jim from 6 to 10 a.m. and Jeff K. from 3 to 7 p.m. Coupons and T-shirts are awarded for giving efforts. Buses and broadcasts tour the DFW area the rest of the week, so check the site to schedule your donation at each location.

Tuesday, June 21

Cheryl Medow’s Envisioning Habitat: An Altered Reality at PDNB Gallery
It’s easy to get locked into the mindset that photographs, while works of art, are simply documents of moments. Technicalities aside, many disregard manipulated images as no longer classifying as photographs. Cheryl Medow helps blur that distinction. The birder photographs a variety of species near and far to stunning effect. But she doesn’t stop there. While her images seem natural, Medow places her birds into imagined settings making for a viewing experience that is beautiful, fantastical and intriguing. PDNB Gallery hosts Medow’s Envisioning Habitat: An Altered Reality through July 2 with gallery hours 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Find out more on the PDNB website.