With Martin Luther King Jr. Day coming up Monday, residents can attend a variety of events around Arlington to honor the activist's legacy during the city’s 36th annual Advancing the Dream celebration. Events will run Friday through Monday. King Jr. was a prominent leader in the 1950s Civil Rights Movement, known for paving the way to end the legal segregation of African Americans in the United States. He was assassinated in 1968 in Tennessee while advocating to highlight poverty and economic injustice. In 1983, Martin Luther King Jr. Day became a federal holiday, celebrated on the third Monday of January each year. @arj3395 news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

The Arlington Museum of Art opens the “Wicked Threads: The Artistry of Costume in Oz” exhibit Friday. According to its website, the AMA will present an exclusive collection of costumes from the Universal film Wicked to celebrate the costume design and the musical’s 21 years on Broadway. This Ozian exhibit is free and will be open until April 27. Natalie Neale, assistant director of exhibitions, said in an email that since this is the museum’s year of pop culture, director of exhibitions Kendall Quirk decided to showcase the Wicked exhibit. The AMA and Universal’s collections partnered up to make the experience possible. While the costumes may travel to other places later, this exhibit will be the collection’s first showing. Six costumes will be featured, including Elphaba’s “Defying Gravity” dress, Glinda’s bubble dress, costumes from Fiyero, Boq, the Wiz-O-Mania narrator and Nessa in her Shiz uniform. A few props will also be displayed, such as Glinda’s wand and Elphaba’s broom. Neale said part of the AMA’s mission is representing all different types of art. “We believe that anything can be considered art, and the art of costume design directly reflects art and artists,” Neale said. “For example, Elphaba's and Glinda's costumes were designed by Paul Tazewell, who was inspired by the Fibonacci spiral for Glinda's costumes, Elphaba's were inspired by trees, mushrooms and moss. These costumes directly reflect nature and art, and our mission.” Residents can go to the AMA’s website for visitor information. @amandaLaldridge news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

UTA will be closed for observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday. Here are the Monday hours for the Maverick Activities Center, dining and library hours. The MAC will be open from noon to 8 p.m. Dining options on campus will be limited. Connection Café will be open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. The Market will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Maverick Café at The Commons will have limited hours from 5 to 8 p.m. Panera Bread at the College Park District will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. All other campus dining options will be closed. All UTA Libraries will be closed Martin Luther King Jr. Day. @reyyhankilic news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

The annual Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo kicks off Friday with a schedule full of competitions, contests and horse shows. This year the Stock Show and Rodeo will be open Friday to Feb. 8 at the Will Rogers Memorial Center with various events 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Hours for the stock show grounds are 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. daily and office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. What started as a PR stunt by the Fort Worth stockyards company, to attract the interest of Chicago meat processors, has transformed to being known to be the core of Fort Worth, said Matt Brockman, Stock Show and Rodeo director of communications. The Fort Worth Stock Show epitomizes Fort Worth culture and celebrates the Western way of living. “It’s part competition, it’s part celebration. It’s recognition of what makes Fort Worth the most unique city in the state of Texas, especially as it relates to our identity and heritage,” he said. Beginning in 1896, the Stock Show and Rodeo would publicly showcase cattle to be sold at stockyards auctions, Brockman said. If cattle could be processed and harvested in Fort Worth, then it would spur the local economy and raise the value of livestock. Because of its success, a new tradition was etched in the city’s history and it became an annual event. There are interactive educational exhibits that tell the story of the livestock and agricultural industry, explaining what Brockman calls agricultural literacy — how their food gets from farm to fork. Additionally, a petting zoo, Carnival Midway and Western themed shops will be available for attendees to explore. Rodeo events include Cowboys of Color, Best of Mexico Celebración, “Best of the West” Ranch Rodeo and the ProRodeo Tournament. The livestock shows present animals of all shapes and sizes, including goats, pigeons, rabbits, poultry, pigs, lambs and cows. The horse show events include a miniature horse show, donkey and mule show, and barrel racing. General admission to the event grounds is $15 for adults, $8 for children aged 6 to 16 and free for children five and under. The rodeo and other specific event tickets are sold separately and can be purchased online. Reserved seating for the Stock Show Parade on Saturday at 11 a.m. is $25 at Sundance Square Plaza and $15 at the Convention Center. Tickets must be purchased in advance and are available online. Parking is $20 per vehicle. Spots are available in the Western Heritage Garage, Orange, Blue and Yellow lots, Farrington Field parking lot, N. Texas Health Science Center, Casa Mañana Lot and Dickies Arena West Lot. Visitors can find parking and traffic tips on their website. According to their website, outside food and nonalcoholic beverages are permitted. Glass containers are not allowed on show grounds. Wagons and strollers are welcome on stock show grounds but not in the Cowtown Coliseum, Will Rogers Auditorium or Dickies Arena during scheduled events. Only service animals are allowed as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act. “The Stock Show is something that’s tightly woven into the fabric of the city of Fort Worth,” Brockman said. “It goes to the core of Fort Worth's identity as ‘the city where the west begins’ and [is] a celebration of the Western way of life.” Those planning a visit can check the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo website for more information. news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Two weeks after J.T. Wenger, former UTA head volleyball coach, resigned to take the reins at Gonzaga University, sophomore outside hitter Sjakkie Donkers followed. Wenger announced Donkers as his first signee Friday after becoming Gonzaga’s head coach, according to a Gonzaga press release. “I am excited to add Sjakkie to the Gonzaga volleyball program,” Wenger said in the press release. “She brings a competitive attitude and volleyball acumen that will make an immediate impact. Sjakkie is a great teammate and I'm eager to welcome her to Spokane.” The reigning Western Athletic Conference co-freshman of the year contributed to UTA’s historic season, clinching a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Donkers finished the season with 289 kills, second behind graduate outside hitter Brianna Ford, and collecting an average of 2.98 kills per set. Donkers said it was a season of many highs as she recalled how special the NCAA tournament game against the University of Southern California was. Despite it being the end of the team’s season, Donkers said she was thankful to reach that goal. “I am thankful for the team, for the coaches, the staff, for the fans,” Donkers said. “Everybody made me feel like I was home away from home.” Donkers’ relationship with Wenger was one of the deciding factors in her decision. “He sets a good team culture and I enjoy just every second at UTA, working with him,” she said. Donkers entered the transfer portal a few days after Wenger resigned. She said she wanted to reach a higher level as a player following last season and is excited to do so at Gonzaga. @babyboimatt sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

J.T. Wenger, UTA volleyball head coach, resigned after leading the program for eight seasons, according to a press release Friday. Wenger accepted a head coach position at Gonzaga University. The news comes off the heel of a record-breaking season for the team. Wenger led the Mavericks to a 29-3 overall score, the best winning percentage in school history, including a perfect 16-0 run in Western Athletic Conference play. Athletics director Jon Fagg said he is excited for Wenger and his future. Wenger is an even better person than he is a coach, Fagg said. He said Wenger is someone who cares more about teaching instead of focusing on schemes and strategy, which is an underrated skill. “He had a historic season and I sensed that maybe he wanted to take advantage of that success, lots of coaches do, and and give himself an opportunity to look at other jobs,” Fagg said. “He's earned that.” After winning the conference regular season and tournament championship titles, the team earned its first NCAA tournament berth since 2002. Wenger was also named the WAC coach of the year at the end of the regular season. He aided player successes, including graduate outside hitter Brianna Ford who was named WAC player of the year, graduate setter Mollie Blank as WAC setter of the year and his recruitment of freshman outside hitter Sjakkie Donkers from the Netherlands who won co-freshman of the year. “J.T. is a fantastic coach and an even better human being," deputy athletic director Debbie Garcia said in the press release. “I have total respect for him, his coaching, and his leadership style. The work he and his staff have done has positioned UTA for great things going forward.” Losing a head coach is never easy, but Wenger’s success leading the program to its first championship since 2002 makes the job attractive, Fagg said. It shows potential candidates that they can thrive at UTA. The search for a new coach has already begun, Fagg said, with the position being posted in the upcoming days. “It’s a real testament to J.T.'s success, and it's a testament to [UTA] because we have the infrastructure and the location and the kind of institution that attracts great players,” Fagg said. “We should all be proud of the success we had and the success that J.T. had, and be happy for him and know that we're going to continue that success.” @heyyyitslando @babyboimatt sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

UTA women’s basketball (4-5) sealed a hard-fought victory in a physical matchup against Florida International University (3-6) on Monday at College Park Center, 72-56. Players battled for every possession and challenged both ends of the court in the Lady Mavericks’ second game of the Western Athletic Conference and Conference USA, a multi-year scheduling initiative where teams from the WAC and CUSA match up against one another. After its first-half adjustments, UTA turned a corner and ran away with the game. It was a tale of two halves as the Lady Mavs picked up their fourth win of the season, remaining perfect at home against the Panthers’ stingy defense. UTA played a complete game, with head coach Shereka Wright saying it’s another victory to add to the team’s resume. “It was a time for us to regroup, to refresh,” Wright said. “I thought our team did a really good job of handling the break, taking care of their academics, and then coming in and doing their work. This team is growing up. I love that about us.” With FIU being a larger team, the Lady Mavs relied on speed, aggressiveness and opportunities to overcome their size disadvantage. Wright said it’s important to capitalize on additional scoring opportunities. It was a scrappy, low-scoring start as both teams challenged one another to earn their buckets, going on several scoring droughts. Fifth-year forwards Koi Love and Avery Brittingham carried the team offensively in the first half with Brittingham notching eight points and Love scoring nine. After a tightly contested battle, early on, the Lady Mavs heated up to close out the first half on a 7-0 run. Junior guard Taliyah Clark said when the team starts replicating ball movement and knocking down shots they’ve made in practice, it gives everybody a confidence boost. Clark found her rhythm midway through the game, knocking down four 3-pointers for 17 points, four rebounds and two assists. Love matched her in scoring with 17 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Junior guard Nya Threatt recorded 12 points, four rebounds and three assists, reaching double-figure scoring for the first time this season. “The coaching staff and my teammates really emphasize that I need to be more aggressive,” Threatt said. “I feel like today, I was really looking for my shot, and my teammates believed in me, so I just went out there and did what I had to do.” With two non-conference games remaining, Wright said she wants the team to focus on its continuity, understanding its strengths and maintaining defensive disruption before heading into conference play. The Lady Mavs will have two days off before their next road matchup 4 p.m. Thursday against UT-San Antonio. The game will be streamed on ESPN+. @heyyyitslando sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

AUSTIN, Texas – For the first time in 22 years, UTA volleyball made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. However, the Mavericks’ historic season came to an end in a defeat against No. 6 University of Southern California 3-0. Despite the unfamiliar territory, the team soaked in the moment. UTA spirit groups and fans scattered across Gregory Gymnasium in support of the team, with the Maverick Marching Band performing the national anthem. It didn’t matter who was on the opposing side, there was a belief that the team could win, graduate middle blocker Paige Reagor said. With excitement carrying over from practice, the team was ready to let loose. “We did a lot of things this season that every other team in the NCAA Tournament didn’t do, because we swept our conference and we won our conference championship,” Reagor said. “We know that we deserve to be here.” The Mavericks were on their heels from the start, trailing 1-8 before a timeout was called. Point by point, the Mavericks rallied to take their first lead after a thunderous block by Reagor, forcing a Trojans timeout. The team’s effort wasn’t enough as UTA dropped the opening set, 26-24. “We were right there,” head volleyball coach J.T. Wenger said. “They made some plays, a couple things went our way, but a couple things went their way also.” The teams battled hard in the opening set with each having favorable moments, but Wenger said the adrenaline rush dropped off in the second set. USC dominated set two, jumping out to a 6-0 lead causing Wenger to burn through timeouts early. The Trojans won the set 25-7. The Mavericks showed more resolve in the third set, going on a 9-1 run to tie the set 14-14. However, the Trojans made the necessary adjustments to finish out the match, 25-21. “Very proud of the effort and the push that we saw tonight,” Wenger said. “Definitely a spirited battle.” Acknowledging the nature of the sport and going on runs, he said he was ultimately happy with the effort his team showed down to the wire. Despite the loss, graduate outside hitter Brianna Ford credited her teammates for all the memories throughout their time at UTA. She led the team with 14 kills. “I cherish every single one of them, and every moment and memory that I have I'll remember forever. Especially this season,” Ford said. “I wouldn't ask for any other turnout.” Graduate setter Mollie Blank said that in the last year and a half of being on the team, she’s been proud of the growth that she’s gained in her career. “I think it’s been really cool to look back and just see how far I have come,” Blank said. “I can still go, I can still keep going up, and that’s what I plan to do.” Brad Keller, USC head volleyball coach, credited Wenger for providing a challenging matchup, saying the two are no strangers. “We speak each other’s volleyball language, so I think that does have some entertaining values to it,” Wenger said. “It was fun seeing a familiar face across the net.” Wenger and the graduate athletes said this season’s group of players laid the foundation for the program moving forward. “I’m excited to see where [the program] is going to be in the next five years, the next two years even. I think we have a lot of girls on our team now, underclassmen, who do have that leadership mentality and who are willing to step into that role,” Reagor said. @heyyyitslando @babyboimatt sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Residents have various entertainment options for the upcoming break including a Dallas Cowboys game, holiday brunches and local shopping deals. Entertainment Explore new pieces at the Holiday Art Walk from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Goldmark Cultural Center in Dallas. With free admission, the event will feature over 175 local artists, exhibitions, art activities, demonstrations and more. Residents can show off their skills for a chance to win prizes during Community Beer Co.’s Ping Pong Tournament from 1 to 4 p.m. Nov. 30 at Commonwealth Drive in Dallas. Registration is available online for $10. Check-in begins at noon. Support local businesses during The Mosaic Market’s Small Business Saturday Sale from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 30 through Dec. 1. Shoppers can enjoy 10% off gift baskets and other discounts from local vendors. Food Gather with friends and head to Dallas for a Friendsgiving brunch 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at Community Beer Co. Reservations are recommended and available online. Attendees can enjoy patio seating with “Friends” playing on the televisions, and an array of food and beverages. Sports Residents can enjoy the staple Thanksgiving combination of turkey and football as the Dallas Cowboys take on the New York Giants at 3:30 p.m. Nov. 28 at AT&T Stadium. Tickets are available online and seats start from $36. The Dallas Stars will face the Colorado Avalanche at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 29 at American Airlines Center. Tickets are available online and start at $61. The game will be available to stream on Max. news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

The entrance to Taste of Europe features wooden, medieval-inspired double doors and warm, lantern-style lights on both sides of the doorway. Inside, cabinets on the walls display rows of colorful, painted nesting dolls — a mix of whimsical and cultural collections of Eastern European folk art. The decor was recently renovated with wood walls, terracotta tiles and new lighting to bring out the restaurant’s brown tone. The lights were dimmed and smooth jazz flowed through the dining room. This is the world of Alexandre Tsalko, a Belarusian who took over the restaurant in 2021 after his wife’s father, Mikhail Frumkin, retired. Frumkin didn’t want to close the restaurant because they had regular customers, so he told his son-in-law, “You can try. If you’re good, good. If you’re not good you can close,” Tsalko said. In 2002, Frumkin founded Taste of Europe on West Pioneer Parkway, about three miles from UTA. The restaurant was temporarily closed in August and reopened Nov. 1 following renovations. Outside of serving a variety of Eastern European dishes, the restaurant also has a small section in the corner selling European snacks, beverages and ingredients. When Tsalko took over the restaurant, he learned the business step by step from Frumkin. The family recipes, which haven’t changed, require all components of the dishes to be made from scratch. The restaurant’s signature dishes include golden brown potato cakes with a side of applesauce and sour cream, as well as beef stroganoff, served with a cream onion and mushroom sauce on top of egg noodles. Its flavors were once featured on Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” in 2012. The jagerschnitzel, thinned tender pork fried in breadcrumbs and covered in a mushroom sauce with sautéed sauerkraut, has brought Grand Prairie residents Deborah Cypert and Holli Blackwell back to Taste of Europe for almost a decade. They bring each other to the restaurant on their birthdays, Cypert said. They don’t eat out much, but if they are going to, “We want to come somewhere special where the food is excellent,” Blackwell said. Although Taste of Europe only opens for dinner Wednesday and Thursday and all day during weekends, Tsalko drives an hour and a half from Rowlett, Texas, to arrive at the restaurant at 7:30 a.m. every day to either clean, order or pick up food and do the prep work. His two sons live in Arlington, so he sometimes stays with them over the weekend. In the morning, Tsalko prepares in the kitchen. In the evening, he greets guests and serves tables. “This is family restaurant,” he said. “We check in everything, and it’s hard work, but it’s good. For business, it’s good.” His first order of business every day, though? “Coffee,” he said, laughing. Tsalko didn’t have much experience running a restaurant other than a pizza franchise from 2001 to 2008. He was a heating, ventilation and air conditioning technician before running Taste of Europe and is the only one in his family to have run a restaurant. The Taste of Europe crew is small, with only a few full-time employees, but most of them have stayed for years. One of whom is Terry Petersen, a chef who started at the restaurant in the summer of 2019. Petersen typically comes in an hour before opening to check if all the sauces are heated up and all the proteins are prepared, he said. He used to work at breakfast places. Here, he learns a different way of cooking instead of prebagged, frozen foods. “It’s real nice to get into an actual kitchen and cook scratch,” Petersen said. In August, Tsalko briefly planned to close the restaurant and move elsewhere. News of the closure spread on local Facebook groups like Real Arlington Foodies and Reddit, where he saw hundreds of messages asking him to stay open. He changed his mind and began redecorating. “I love my customers, and I stay,” he said. Blackwell and Cypert said they missed the old decorations, where artifacts reminded them of a museum. Now, it looks more like a restaurant. “But, the food is still the same, excellent,” Cypert said. As conversations went on, Blackwell, Cypert and their friend continued to taste the flavors of East Europe. And before the waiter could take her plate and clean the table, Blackwell wanted one last bite of beef stroganoff. @DangHLe news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Ian Gillies, UTA alumni and artist, said UTA has been instrumental in getting him to where he is today as a musician. Students gathered for Gillies’ acoustic EP release party for The Practice Room Sessions, at Brazos Park from 7 to 9 p.m. The concert was held by UTA Student Records, UTA’s music label, and featured Gillian Jolie along with Abigail Hill, who opened for Gillies and performed their own songs. Amy Franco, music business and biology major, said that UTA Student Records is a class that brings music students together to produce music. In order to achieve this, she said their class has a regular lecture and has conversations about the music business industry. “It’s all student-run. It’s all student-motivated,” Franco said. “The professor assigns a CEO of a group, and we all basically collaborate together with our ideas,” Franco said. She said that so far, they’ve signed two artists. Jarod Silverio, UTA Student Records president and audio production major, said that in the class, students learn about what goes into managing a record label, like copyright law, marketing and publishing. “I’m overseeing the operations of our marketing, distribution, artist and repertoire and our contracts team, where we take in artists and consider them as projects for our semester,” Silverio said. In this position, he said he's had to learn new organizational skills and what it’s like to spend time in a studio with artists. “Having a taste of that really excites me for what I want to do after school,” he said. “Now, I see artists and label management as something I want to get into.” As someone who’s trying to make his way in the industry, Gillies said that UTA Student Records has helped him release his new EP. “They've been a massive help in terms of just advertising and producing and helping with so many different facets of, especially the show, putting it all together,” Gillies said. “I couldn’t have done any of this without them.” @mn.alansari news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Residents have various entertainment options this week including a Dallas Cowboys vs. Houston Texans game, a yappy hour event and a chili cook-off, including seasonal events like Coca-Cola Classic Christmas and The Nutcracker ballet performance. Sports The Dallas Cowboys will take on the Houston Texans at 7:15 p.m. Nov. 18 at AT&T Stadium. Tickets, required for ages two and up, are available online and. Doors open 5:30 p.m. Holiday entertainment Coca-Cola Classic Christmas is an immersive holiday event held 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. daily from Nov. 22 to Dec. 29 at Choctaw Stadium. Guests can enjoy a Christmas light display, holiday market, ice skating, snow slide, live entertainment, themed nights and visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Tickets are available online. The United Performing Arts Guild presents The Nutcracker Ballet from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Nov. 22 at the Arlington Independent School District’s Center for Visual and Performing Arts Robert C. Copeland Concert Hall. This ticketed holiday performance invites the audience to experience a journey to the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Seating is reserved and prices range from $32 to $47. Local Dining Doggie Depot Yappy Hour will be 4 to 8 p.m. Nov. 21 at The Tipsy Oak. This event supports The Doggie Depot, a new off-leash dog park in downtown Arlington. The restaurant will donate a portion of sales to help fund the park. Attendees can enjoy food, live music and the company of fellow dog lovers. Leashed dogs are welcome on the patio. Residents can bring the heat to On Tap’s fifth annual Chili Cook-Off from 2 to 5 p.m. Nov. 17 Participants can enter their chili recipes for a chance to win the judge’s choice $100 prize or taste and vote for their favorite chili in the people’s choice competition for $5, with a $50 prize for the winner. Entries must check in and pay the $15 entry fee by 1:45 p.m. @fluffsjourney news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu