Paul Ridley was no stranger to Dallas City Hall when he was voted into the District 14 council seat last June. He had served as the district's plan commissioner for eight years. Before that, he spent four years representing the district on the landmark commission. He's lived in the area for about 27 years, practicing construction law and commercial litigation, occasionally stepping away to serve the city. He's devoted to serving Dallas residents, and his attention to detail can make for some interesting mic-drop moments around the council's horseshoe.

In a party-loving city such as Dallas, there is hardly a shortage of great DJs keeping the nightlife lit. Ursa Minor stands out as one of the city's most popular party leaders, known for "playing to the Black girl in the room." Ursa's turntable skills are in high demand from clients such as Netflix and at events such as SXSW. But you can find her setting the tone all over town, whether it's a Sadie Hawkins dance at Charlie's Star Lounge, a pride event or the free PNC Patio Sessions at the AT&T Performing Arts Center.

During the pandemic, the DJ started a successful side business as a cookie maker with brand The Butter Fairy, but her beats will always be the way to our hearts.

Being called the best comedy club is even more impressive when the club in question does only improv. Four Day Weekend, however, is not just a place where people who've never done comedy take a class and get shoved on stage at the end of the term. Four Day Weekend is a Dallas and Fort Worth comedy institution with costumes, interactive media and some very talented people who helped the theater reach its 25th year in 2022. The on-the-spot comedy troupe was one of the first to bring professional, improvised comedy to DFW, starting in Fort Worth and later Dallas. Founding members David Wilk, Frank Ford, David Ahearn and Troy Grant opened their show with a run at the Casa Mañana theater before moving to a massive, underutilized space on Fort Worth's Sundance Square and opening a second location in Dallas across from the Truck Yard in Lowest Greenville. The foursome and other cast members created characters in their shows, film shorts, TV pilots and outdoor spectacles that are now staples of the core cast's weekend performances. Both theaters still attract loud, responsive and entertained crowds who sell out the place almost every night.

As conventions become more corporatized and less local, it's easy for the organizers to forget how to cater to the fans who truly fuel the experience. The annual horror gathering Texas Frightmare Weekend is still a local entity that knows what its fans want and gives them more of it each year. This year's gathering in April-May featured the usual array of big-name cast reunions of horror classics such as Scream, The Monster Squad and A Nightmare on Elm Street 3. It put a great amount of focus on Texas' contribution to the genre with a number of panels and a special screening of the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre and local filmmaker Bradley Steele Harding's creepy and creative 13 Tracks to Frighten Agatha Black.

There are many excellent ambassadors for the Deep Ellum neighborhood. This award goes to one who needs some recognition: Geoff Lloyd. Lloyd has been in Dallas for 27 years and a Deep Ellum resident for 16. You've seen him as the sound engineer of RBC. You've surely come across him sitting at the bar of your favorite neighborhood spot. Today, he's a partner at Club Dada and Off the Record, both on Elm Street. He's an expert in sound with a passion for good, live music. We all know Deep Ellum has less of the live instrument pulse these days. But ask Lloyd what's coming up at Dada: He'll list off shows with enthusiasm, and that night you'll hear the energy that only live music can offer.

If cheap and easy is how you roll, welcome home. While so much has changed around it, Lakewood Landing has literally held steady for decades. It offers a simple menu of affordable bar food. Try the pork tenderloin sandwich with a side of thinly sliced onion rings, a seasonal specialty. If you go late, get the house-battered and fried corn dog made with Rudolph's sausage. The jukebox has some strange juju, too, bouncing from Dwight Yoakam to Duke Ellington like that's how music is supposed to go. A dark beer in a dark bar never felt so right.

Rent, gas and food prices are skyrocketing, making meeting up for happy hour tougher on the ol' pocketbook. But great deals aren't the only thing that make Three Links' happy hour outshine the competition. Happy hour-goers can escape the heat upon entry into the dark cavernous space. The Deep Ellum spot is a dive bar institution, with band stickers plastered everywhere and cryptic occult imagery. Stick around long enough and you might catch soundcheck for whatever punk, metal or otherwise underground band is featured on that night's bill. Before you go, grab some mouthwatering bar food to help soak up that tallboy.

Queen Bleach is putting in the work. She's been in overdrive in 2022, and Dallas is living for it. Bleach has naturally stepped into her celebrity status in Dallas as a style icon and top-of-the-line entertainer. Bleach transforms from the likes of Gwen Stefani to Peggy Bundy flawlessly. Her Kim Kardashian 2021 Met Gala take is top tier, but what keeps Dallas infatuated with Bleach is her ability to host a damn good time. If Bleach is on the mic, be prepared for an interactive experience. The queen does what it takes to make sure everyone has the time of their life, even if that means a Disney princess orgasm-mimicking contest. It's no wonder Bleach became the queen of Dallas pride this year. From events at Fair Park to Double Wide, Bleach hit every stage and made Pride 2022 one for the books.

When Texas' hysteria over so-called "critical race theory" erupted last year, certain Black educators were falsely accused of teaching the academic framework to public school students. Unfortunately, Dr. James Whitfield, who served as Colleyville Heritage High School's first Black principal, was also driven from his district amid the furor. But Whitfield hasn't let that keep him down. Since then, the education advocate has continued to inspire. Whitfield has opened up about what it's like to teach about race in the West and has spoken to Congress about the nationwide spike in school censorship efforts. Texas needs more educators like Whitfield.

Bring only your smartest friends because you'll be trapped in a room with only an hour to get out at Escape the Room Dallas. Escape the Room has locations across the country, including several in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. With most allowing up to 10 people, there are several rooms to pick from, one of the funniest being from the creators of South Park. In this creation, you enter "the most diabolical and evil place ever invented: SKOOOOL! There, you'll see cartoon violence, comic mischief," as the website describes it, and everything else that makes South Park great, all in a cleverly designed escape room. Other rooms include The Agency, where 10 players become secret agents taking part in a classified mission; the Western Bank Heist, where 10 players rob a bank and have to make it out alive with their loot; and several others.