Last night, at the invitation of the Foundation Fighting Blindness, I attended the annual Dining in the Dark event. It’s pretty much what it sounds like: I ate in the dark.

I’ll have a story about it in next week’s paper, but SideDish writer/ culinary gremlin Carol Shih also attended, and sat right next to me. Click over to SideDish to read a transcript of our dark conversation.

Angela and Artemio De La Vega's yard will be part of the tour.

The Park Cities Learning Disabilities Association will host its biennial Pool & Garden Tour on Thursday evening, but the association really needs volunteers to help things run smoothly. High schoolers who need to complete their community service hours are more than welcome. If you’re interested, click here.

Our friends at Central Market — more specifically, its parent company, H-E-B — have donated $50,000 to the American Red Cross in the wake of Tuesday’s tornadoes. H-E-B also sent a trailer loaded with 20 pallets of bottled water and sports drinks to the Red Cross. Additionally, food, baby food, and health/beauty products were distributed to the shelter in Lancaster, one of the areas affected most by the tornadoes.

Customers can make donations of their own at any Central Market by adding increments of $1, $3, or $5 to their grocery bills.

“We are committed to providing assistance during this time of crisis as many of our neighbors face loss and uncertainty due to the recent tornadoes,” said Stephen Butt, senior vice president of Central Market. “It is our hope that H-E-B’s donations, along with our loyal customers’ support, will help support the needs of our displaced neighbors.”

Upper school students from Cistercian Preparatory School recently partnered with Hockaday, Ursuline, and Highland Park High School to put on an evening of dancing, games, and fun for North Texas Down Syndrome Guild and the Notre Dame School of Dallas. The March 24 event was the culmination of Cistercian’s day of service, which also included projects at the Voice of Hope Ministries and St. Mary of Carmel School.

The Vought V-173, a.k.a. the “Flying Pancake,” pulled into the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Love Field this morning, after eight years of painstaking restoration by the Vought Aircraft Heritage Foundation. The plane will be available for public viewing April 16, but you can get a sneak preview in the April 6 edition of Park Cities People.

Rotary Club of Park Cities president-elect Fred Brown, Highland Park town administrator Bill Lindley, University Park city manager Bob Livingston and Rotary Club of Park Cities president Jim Mills.

When I was in eighth grade, I contracted Lyme disease from some devil of a deer tick that piggy-backed onto my lanky body. Normal treatments didn’t work, so I needed an IV for a month, pumping Lyme-killing meds into my 13-year-old frame. When the nurse came to my house to put in the IV line, she missed my vein. So she had to stab me again. It was not the most pleasant of experiences.

Because of that experience, I am a terrible person. I don’t donate blood. I know I should, and I do feel bad about it, but the idea of needles on the inside of my arms still makes my stomach flip.

If you’d like to try and make up for me, Highland Park, University Park, and the Rotary Club of the Park Cities are hosting a blood drive March 30 and 31. March 30′s drives will be at the HP and UP town/city halls from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and March 31′s will be at NorthPark Center, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Potential donors can be 16 years old with a parent’s consent; 17-year-olds may donate independently, and there is no upper age limit for donating blood.  All donors must weigh at least 110 pounds, be in good general health and present a photo ID.

I like Billy Reid a lot. I can’t often (read: never) spend hundreds of dollars on clothing, but if/when I can, I like to do it at Billy Reid. It’s American clothing at its most basic, no neon or rayon in sight.

So the news that Billy Reid’s Highland Park Village shop is hosting a free concert on March 24, to raise money for the Cancer Support Community of Texas, is pleasing to me. For more information on the event, head to The Southern Social. But here’s the gist: free music, free food from Sissy’s Southern Kitchen, and free bourbon. Those are lit-er-ally my three favorite free things in the world.

They’re asking for donations, so bring your wallets.

Friends of the Lost Boys, a group dedicated to helping Sudanese refugees, is hosting an educational event called “Discover Sudan” tomorrow at First Unitarian Church of Dallas. The evening begins at 6:30, when SMU professor Patricia Davis will provide some background on the conflict in Sudan. She’ll be followed by Bol Deng Malual, a Lost Boy whom you may recognize if you shop at the Tom Thumb in Snider Plaza. Tickets cost $15, but you can get one for $10 if you register in advance.

Hey, ladies in the place, I’m calling out to you. The hunk you see here is Tre Wilcox, executive chef at the Marquee Grill. As part of an online auction to benefit the Breast Bridge Network, Wilcox is offering up a two-day training course in his kitchen, which will be capped by a chef’s tasting for his new apprentice and a guest. Last time I checked, the top bid was $550. How much are you willing to spend? The bidding ends Wednesday.

It seems a strange connection to me, so I’ll just let Whole Foods DFW take it from here:

The Highland Park store is currently accepting art donations for our annual Whole Planet Foundation Art Auction on March 24-25. It is open to the public and our team members and ALL proceeds will benefit the Whole Planet Foundation!

Click for more information on the Whole Planet Foundation.