Texas During the Summer of Coronavirus
The best news and things that happened in Texas during the Summer of 2020
Texas is known for being a maverick in the face of overwhelming danger and low odds. It’s one thing that seems to unite all Texans from every background, race, religion, and creed. The Summer of Coronavirus has been no different in this regard as people in the state have worked hard to get through the pandemic many banding together and others trying to forge new paths.
These are the 15 best stories out of Texas during the Summer of 2020
(will be updated throughout the season).
GOOD NEWS
1. Fort Worth Zoo Has Been Named the Best Zoo in the Nation
The Fort worth Zoo has been one of the best zoos in the country for decades and this year was finally recognized for their ongoing focus on conservation and education as the #1 zoo in the entire USA.
Fletcher’s Corny Dogs is a staple food for the State Fair of Texas and many Texans look forward to trying the limited delicacy during event. Unfortunately the Sars-CoV-2 Coronavirus that causes COVID-19 forced the closure of this year’s State Fair of Texas. In response that mainstay food brand announced a schedule of popups around the Dallas - Fort Worth region for the rest of the year.
3. Taco Cabana is Offering Free Lunch for Kids All Summer Without Any Purchase Requirements
Taco Cabana is a Texas based taco and tex-mex quick service restaurant. They quickly realized most meal services for kids from low-income families during the summer were closed during the pandemic or were severely limited on resources. The restaurant stepped in and offered a no-purchase required free lunch for all kids in Texas.
4. Mark Cuban Wants to Make Sure AAC Employees Are Paid During NBA Shutdown
Dallas based billionaire Mark Cuban made sure hourly employees of the American Airlines Center in Dallas where his basketball team, the Dallas Mavericks, play were paid something to help get through the initial lockdown phase of the pandemic response in Texas.
5. Mattress Mack is Opening a Tuition-Free Vocational Training School in One of His Stores
Mattress Mack is an icon in the Houston community and is the owner of Gallery Furniture, a chain of furniture stores that have a massive square footage foot print similar to larger chains like IKEA and Nebraska Furniture Mart. One thing becoming very apparent during the pandemic is the necessity for trade-based workers in the US and for lower-cost access to gain the education required to pursue those opportunities. Realizing this Gallery Furniture partnered with a Texas non-profit educator to build a tuition-free vocational training school inside one of their stores.
6. Matthew McConaughey is Driving Through Rural Texas Handing Out 110,000 Face Masks to Hospitals
It might be hard to remember now, but there was a time at the onset of the pandemic where supply chains failed and medical face masks become merely mythological. It would take a hero to help local hospitals get access to fresh protective equipment, good thing Texas had one in homegrown legend Matthew McConaughey who took his treasure on a trek across rural Texas handing out supplies to local hospitals in need.
7. Dirk Nowitzki and Rick Carlisle are Helping Clean Up Deep Ellum After Riots
Rioting rocked across the country and Dallas’s Deep Ellum was also hit as young people and anarchists broke away from peaceful protests to vandalize local businesses and loot stores. The next day legendary Dallas Mavericks player Dirk Nowitski was joined by Dallas Mavericks head coach in helping clean up the neighborhood.
8. A Restaurant in Houston is Delivering Frozen Margaritas to Your House
The global pandemic has forced many businesses to think on their feet, innovate, and improvise to stay alive and stay in business. Houston restaurant Bovine and Barley started a margarita delivery truck having it drive around and various nearby neighborhoods delivering delicious frozen or on the rocks Texas goodness in a glass.
9. Dez Bryant Gave Out 500 Free Meals in the Dallas Area Over Memorial Day Weekend
Ex-Dallas Cowboys superstar Dez Bryant kicked off summer with a giving gesture shipping in a catered dinner from a Houston based restaurant for 500 people in the DFW area.
10. A Chain of Giving Randomly Started This Weekend at a Cafe in Dallas
After the riots left much of the Downtown Dallas area feeling shaky and unsafe, something remarkable happened at a Cafe in the area. One customer offered to leave money to pay for drinks for those who looked like they could use them and it took off growing to about $400 in free beverages.
Dallas has been becoming a hot bed for digital tech over the past decade, so it should be no surprise that when a developer found himself on the wrong end of a pandemic layoff he built a better solution to connecting to state unemployment agencies. The service keeps dialing the agency’s phone lines and lets you know when it finally gets connected.
12. Meet the Texan Using the OK Hand Gesture to Fight Bullying
After a story in the Star-Telegram came out about a young white lady connected to TCU holding up the “OK” hand gesture and being called a racist for it, a local Fort Worth man reached out to tell us why the gesture isn’t only not racist, but it helps support his anti-bullying non-profit.
THINGS TO DO
note: some of these events have already passed and this is only a historical account of them.
13. You Can Float Down the Longest Lazy River in the World in Waco
While river floating was closed temporarily during the pandemic, lazy rivers were allowed to reopen, as long as they had a plan to allow for minimal human interaction and contamination if a COVID positive person arrive at the location. That included the world’s longest lazy river in Waco, TX.
14. The Texas Rangers are Having a Drive-In Music Festival at Globe Life Field
While MLB baseball was on a virus induced hiatus, the Texas Rangers hosted a unique concert series for fans who stayed in their cars.
15. Enjoy Drive-In Movies While Social Distancing at This Texas Theater
Evo Entertainment, a chain of theaters in the San Marcos / Hill Country region converted all of their theaters into drive-ins to allow people to drive-in and watch a movie while social distancing.
Thank you for sharing the good news! We need more of this.
Jeffrey.MBA