How did David Stern and the George Mason — a Jewish rabbi and a Baptist preacher — come to be such good friends?

Several neighbors who know their way around a kitchen are sharing the stories behind their favorite recipes this month.

What it means to be part of The Greatest Generation.

This isn’t biology class. It’s a typical Saturday morning at one of the top biomedical research labs in the country.

Honor Flight of Dallas, based near Preston Hollow, aims to get as many WWII vets as possible to “their memorial”.

It’s time to put the finishing touches on your costume (and your dog’s costume), load up on candy and start filling your schedule with some of these neighborhood (and family-friendly) activities:

Royal Lane Baptist Church hosts its fall festival 5:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 27 in the back parking lot, featuring free food and activities.

Town North YMCA will hold its Halloween Fright and Delight Carnival 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 28.

It may not scream “Halloween”, but there will be lots of kids dressed up for Hillcrest High School’s Homecoming parade at 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29. This year’s theme is Candy Land.

NorthPark Center will host the sixth annual Sam’s Day, a huge, free event that raises money for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Activities include a silent auction, obstacle course, bounce house, face painting, a performance by David Chicken – all with a Halloween theme. It all happens 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30 in CenterPark Garden.

Orvis in Preston Center is calling dog owners to participate in a Pet Parade and Costume Contest, which includes prizes such as “Funniest Costume” and “Most Original Costume”. Last year’s winning dog came dressed as a fly fisherman. I sense a little bias considering Orvis is “a leader in the fly fishing industry”. The event starts at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30. For questions, call 214.265.1600.

On your way to Orvis, you can stop by Gold’s Gym in Preston Center 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, Oct. 30 to meet some adoptable dogs who will be fully outfitted in Halloween costumes. The event raises money for Operation Kindness.

If you’re doing some last-minute pumpkin carving, check out these neighborhood pumpkin patches.

Know of other events happening at your school, church or community center? Let us know and add them to our online calendar.

The Lamplighter School held its fall carnival “Ode to Oz” Friday, which transformed the campus in Emerald City for the theme, “There’s No Place Like Lamplighter”. The event included several whimsical attractions like the yellow brick road slide, the flying monkey zipline, the Tin Man’s laser tag and the ruby slipper salon. Among other treats, the munchkin land bake sale offered several goodies.

Here’s a slideshow of some submitted photos from the carnival, co-chaired by Sharon Pfaff and Laurie Darlak.

Does your school have an upcoming fall festival? Email photos to Emily Toman, and they’ll be considered for the Advocate blog.

To make sense of Texas’ complicated alcohol laws, you have to navigate through 100 years of complicated laws. But after November, that may change.

“Weddings: A Family Affair” includes old photographs and artifacts from members’ wedding days, dating back to the late 19th century.

The local nonprofit marks 30 years of helping women succeed in commercial real estate.