Apparently, the Bath House is the place to be this weekend. Numerous events are taking place there as part of the White Rock Lake Centennial‘s grand finale weekend, and so many are happening that we had a hard time keeping them straight. Here’s a rundown:
• The Beach Party of the Century is exactly as it sounds — pin the tail on the donkey, bobbing for apples, cake walks, food concessions, “very kid friendly,” says Amity Thomas, who is coordinating the Sunday Chef’s Picnic (we’ll get to that soon). The party lasts from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, with $5 tickets for children and $15 for adults — and tickets are good for both days. The best time to attend might be Saturday night at 9 .m., when fireworks will be set off from the historical Bath House swimming island “ for the first time since 1987,” Thomas says.
• On Saturday, the Bath House balcony will be transformed into the “Veranda Lounge”. (Just for Saturday. It’s not a long-term venue.) Five different dining events — that’s right, five — are taking place at the lounge, each priced separately from each other and the Beach Party (stay with us): 1. brunch and cocktails with the ladies from Good 2 Go Tacos, 10-11:30 a.m. ($35); 2. a four-course lunch with wine from private chef Hollie Dorethy, noon-1:30 ($45); 3. an afternoon tea showcasing Lone Star Teas, 2-4 p.m. ($25); 4. an afternoon cocktail party with wine, beer and Mozzarella Company cheeses; 5. a four-course celebrity chef dinner with wine pairings featuring Marc Cassel of the soon-to-come Peavy Road restaurant, 7 p.m. ($100).
• Sunday morning is the 9-11 a.m. Sunset Inn breakfast on the balcony, a $5 old-fashioned meal of biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs and sausage with gospel music setting the tone. The breakfast is a separate ticket than the Beach Party, as is the Sunday noon-3 p.m. Chef’s Picnic, $55. Editor Rachel Stone wrote about a couple of the neighborhood chefs involved; another fairly recognizable name in the list is Graham Dodds of Bolsa, and two that are lesser-known, but you should get acquainted, are Diane and Justin Fourton of Pecan Lodge. Full Custom Gospel BBQ gives it rave reviews, and the pulled-pork sandwich my husband brought home from the Farmers Market Sunday was smoky perfection. Perhaps the most important thing to note about the Chef’s Picnic, Thomas says, is that valet parking at the Bath House is included in the ticket price. All other beach partygoers will have to park at Norbuck, Flag Pole Hill or the White Rock Dart station and catch a shuttle to the Bath House.
So to be clear, eight different events are taking place at the Bath House this weekend, each one with a separate ticket price. The good news is that all tickets are available for purchase on one website: highlandparkcafeteria.com. (The Casa Linda restaurant’s special events coordinator is helping to organize some of the events, so that’s the connection.)
And that’s just at the Bath House. The White Rock Centennial grand finale also includes the free, noon-4 p.m. sailing clubs’ open house and wooden boat show on Saturday, and of course the 7 p.m. “100 and Rockin‘” Sunday night concert with Hard Night’s Day at the Dallas Arboretum.
It’s a big weekend, folks. Make sure you head to the lake — a party of this sort only happens once every hundred years.
