Here's a smattering of activities around Dallas that are free to attend.

• Every Thursday night, the Angelika Dallas shows 30 Rock, The Office, and Lost on one of their big screens. Admission is free. A full bar and menu is available for purchase to take in the theater with you or to eat upstairs in the cafe.
• US Congressman Sam Johnson will be in Plano to help with a Foreclosure Prevention Seminar. Representatives from housing organizations will be there to answer questions. The seminar is on Saturday, May 17 from 10 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. at the Plano Centre at 2000 East Spring Creek Parkway.
• Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Traders Village is having a Cajun Festival with zydeco, gumbo, and crawfish, among other Cajun things. Admission is free. Traders Village is T 2602 Mayfield Road in Grand Prairie.
• The Dallas ISD, the African-American Museum of Fair Park, and the Dallas Public Library are sponsoring a Children's Book Fair (pdf file) and Literary Festival at the J. Erik Jonsson branch -- the Central Library, which is across from City Hall in downtown Dallas. The festival starts at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 17. Fourteen children's authors and illustrators will be there. Admission is free.
• Sorbeteria is celebrating its grand opening by giving away free full-sized sorbets or smoothies on Saturday, May 17 from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. Sorbeteria is located at 7700 Northwest Highway, across the street from Northpark Center.
• Def!nitely Maybe, a bluesy rock band, will be playing a concert benefitting American Eagle Youth at Carrollton City Hall on Sunday, May 18, 1:30 p.m.-5 p.m. The concert is free, but donations are encouraged.
• Karma (at 15203 Knoll Trail in Dallas) is hosting a free fashion show called "The Freakum Edition" on Sunday, May 18. Admission is free and the first drink is free. Doors open at 8 p.m. and the show starts at 9 p.m.

More than 60,000 people are expected to attend this year's Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival. The three day festival features music on two stages, a battle of the bands with local talent, a songwriter's competition, and a songwriting school. Scheduled to perform are Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, Bret Michaels Rock of Love Tour, America, Everclear, The Guess Who, Loverboy, Jerry Jeff Walker, Blue Oyster Cult, Kathy Mattea, Eve 6, Roger Creager, Firehouse, Seven Mary Three, Quietdrive, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Butch Hancock, The Django Walker Band, Candy Coburn, No Justice, Slaid Cleaves, Jon Vezner, Steve Fromholz, Chris Smither, and Paramount's LaserSpectacular featuring the Music of Pink Floyd.

Other festival activities include a Guitar Hero III gamers' station, a KidZone with lots of crafts, street performers, and shopping and food. A one-day pass is $15 for adults. Richardson residents get half off their tickets -- $7.50 for a one-day pass. An advance purchase three-day pass is $25 and can be picked up at Tom Thumb stores or online. Kids ages 5-12 get in for $3. To get there, take DART's Red Line to the Galatyn Park station in Richardson or go to I-75 at Galatyn Crossing.

Allstate Insurance has been ordered to refund $51.6 million to anyone who bought or renewed a policy with them since December 1, 2004. The insurer settled a lawsuit with the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) over excessive rates. The TDI had calculated a larger refund owed to customers, but decided to accept the settlement rather than fight a long court battle. More than 700,000 policyholders will be receiving the refunds between August and November of this year. The refunds will be automatic; there is no need to apply for a refund. Customers who renew a policy with Allstate between June 2, 2008 and June 1, 2009 will receive a 3.9% reduction in rates.

Source: Dallas Morning News

Grapevine is just full of festivals. Most weekends, there's something going on. This weekend, Main Street Days takes over downtown Grapevine. It's one of Grapevine's largest festivals and there is plenty for everyone to do -- lumberjack shows, the BMX bike shows, a white tiger exhibit, scuba diving, and other things. It's Grapevine, so the local wineries will have tents selling samples of their wines or whole bottles and cases. And, of course, a midway, arts and crafts, food, local organizations, and vendors will be there to enjoy.

Main Street in Grapevine doesn't have a whole lot of shade, so remember a hat or sunscreen. Many of the shops and boutiques stay open during the festival and have sales or special discounts, but they're often crowded. Fortunately, Saturday and Sunday will be in the 80s -- not too bad for this time of year. Admission is free on Friday before 5 p.m. After 5 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday, admission is $7 for adults and $5 for seniors and kids.

As the J. M. W. Turner exhibit winds down (it ends May 30), the Dallas Museum of Art is continuing to present early nineteenth-century themed events. Four of Jane Austen's novels put to film -- Emma, Persuasion, Sense and Sensibility, and Pride and Prejudice -- will be shown in the theater.

• Sat, May 17, 11:30 a.m. Emma (1996, starring Gwyneth Paltrow)
• Sat, May 17, 3 p.m. Persuasion (1995)
• Sun, May 18, 11:30 a.m. Sense and Sensibility (1995, starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet)
• Sun, May 18, 3 p.m. Pride and Prejudice (1940, starring Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier)

Admission to the Jane Austen film festival is free with general admission to the museum.

The Eta Aquarids meteor shower is predicted to be strong this year. This meteor shower is formed of dust from Halley's Comet and the meteors are brighter than most. Watch for it in the eastern sky May 4-7. The best viewing time is just before the sky lightens in the morning.

Also, see nebulae, star clusters, planets, moons, and interesting happenings in the night sky this Saturday night with the members of the Fort Worth Astronomical Society. Society members bring their telescopes to the parking lot north of the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History and allow the public to view the night sky. Admission is free. The star party starts after dusk when the sky is dark enough to see the stars.

Bobby Flay will be in Southlake to sign copies of his new book, Bobby Flay's Grill It! His latest cookbook contains 150 new recipes for the grill, including some vegetarian ones. He'll be at the Williams-Sonoma in Southlake (172 State Street) on Wednesday, May 7 from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m.

...or so says Forbes magazine. The article mentions that our housing values and unemployment rates are holding steady, but that's right now. What will keep us staying strong during a recession? It's the variety of industries based here that have products or services that people won't cut back on if times get tough. As an example, we all have to eat, so food corporations are considered recession-proof (some would say recession-resistant).

Photo (c) Heather Carr, licensed to About.com

Mother's Day is coming up and it's a holiday that takes a little planning to really pull off. One thing that requires very little planning is the May Flowers festival at the Dallas Arboretum. It runs the whole month of May. There's live music and horse-drawn wagon rides every day and weekends have even more to do.

It's one of the most popular holidays for dining out, so you might want to make your reservations. If you want to save a little money, you could always try the home-cooked route. Danilo Alfaro has put together an easy Mother's Day brunch menu. Even if you don't want to go that route, stop by and look at those pictures. Yum.

Cinco de Mayo is technically on Monday, but most of the block parties, parades, and celebrations are happening on Saturday. I've collected a list of Cinco de Mayo celebrations from around the Dallas area and I think there's at least one big one near everybody. The largest party is on Sunday at Texas Stadium and is sponsored by Univision and others.