You’ve got to love the public forum portion of city meetings. Anyone who signs up can speak for three minutes. It’s so democratic.

It also brings out a variety of opinions on topics that may or may not even be on the agenda. When I attended the Dallas ISD board meeting yesterday, I never expected to get a earful about Highland Park High School. And to be fair, it was really more like an ear-quarter-ful.

“If I gave Highland Park High School $10M and asked then to rename it Booker T. Washington High School, they’d probably put me in jail,” said Rev. Peter Johnson, who voiced his opinion on a host of issues.

Johnson used this illustration as the exclamation point on his frustration with the lack of naming rights given in South Oak Cliff, particularly the board’s refusal to name a school after John Hope Franklin at the June meeting.

Update: This just in from Unfair Park regarding the district’s distaste of the public forum.

In honor of their work with Guatemalan orphans, Bryan and Karen Perry will dine with Rep. Pete Sessions in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 5. The Park Cities residents are among the 2011 Angels in Adoption being recognized by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute.

Since 2004, Karen has made more than 30 trips to Guatemala with Buckner International and is affectionately known as “Mamita Karen.”

Read the full press release after the jump. Read More…

This weekend I was approached by a super sweet woman who said she’d read my column in Friday’s print product about engagement announcements. She said that her daughter was recently engaged and that the stress over what information to submit was overwhelming. She claims my “advice” helped her complete the project. It was a tad alarming because she seemed totally serious. 

So just in case there’s any fuzzy on this, I don’t really suggest that people use the column as a how-to. K?

In this edition of Bursting the Bubble, the dynamic duo discusses an array of events, including untimely holiday decorations and creepy Art Deco suspenders, that have been occurring in the Park Cities since October.

They begin with a debate regarding the introduction of beer and wine into grocery stores throughout the Park Cites. Charles welcomes the idea, while Merritt is concerned it may lead to terrible things.

In this week’s Bursting the Bubble, Charles and Merritt chat about HPISD’s ACE fee, which leads to Merritt professing her love for Helen Williams and offering to buy her a plethora of drinks.

She also gives HP coaches the green light to grab a round of beers and a steak on the school’s dime.

Also, a cat stops by! The wonders never cease!

On this week’s Bursting the Bubble, Merritt and Charles cover the Scots game against the beautiful team of Monterrey Tec.

We now know that even tornadoes won’t keep Charles from a cheap glass of wine.

Merritt wants to see a comeback in wooden paddles at schools. They might come in handy when you hear about Merritt’s newest lead on naughty middle-schoolers.

Update: The mp3 file has been updated to the correct file (9/13/10). Sorry about that folks!

It’s a back-to-school edition of Bursting the Bubble. Charles and Merritt are back after a summer hiatus. After visiting her daughter’s junior high open house, Merritt gets sent to the office for her previous blog post about a parking sign.

Join Merritt and Charles as they take a trip down memory lane and share memories of daydreams, gossip, and smells of junior high.

I’m sure the fan club is already in full swing and reading Park Cities People since I had the marketing smarts to place a card on the wall of Old Absinthe House in New Orleans. Or they would be if I had realized a little sooner that my cards have the old web address. I mean, who knew? 

Dan, new card request on the way.    

The team is back after a short hiatus. Discussed this week is UP City Hall’s decision not to host 24 Hours of Booty, a 24-hour bicycle ride held by the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Merritt is at it again with her rule-book — this week, about carpool lanes. She has good reason why SMU camp counselors should control the traffic. Charles believes they are perfect candidates since “their brains haven’t been corroded by children yet.”

Unusual male fashion has been noted at the local pools, hence the title of this podcast.

And finally, Charles might have a celebrity stalker. Find out who it is on this week’s Bursting the Bubble.