European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 23, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The mix a old West and Rich culture Here the Climax of an annual event the 25-Mfla fort Worth Cal shot trait Flea has become City Best Selling Point. Unt Rendy fort Worth is rated an in City by Peter Applebome new York Timossi Ivel i Isuf r is not a regular Reader of in. The  fashion and society publication. A tie was unaware thai ii in cd rail ii liar cd Forl world in its much  usual list of in places people and things to  not Overly dazzled when inform cd of inc Honor in where7 asked Fisher who Sells used cars at Forl Worth s co limn motors it s a Good question but trendiness can work in Alfange ways Forl world missed most of the economic and Public relations benefits of inc Texas Boom but while Tho rest of the state has cooled of i these Are relatively Heady limes in a town thai traditionally has been Content to go by lha nickname of cowl own ii Lias acquired enormous Pofi Lical clout since it is the Home of both Jim Wright the new speaker of the u 5 House of representatives and Gib Lewis the speaker of the Texas House of representatives the local arts Doyen Anno Bass wife of the Oil and financial magnate Sid Bass has become the talk of the we Root. A plan to revitalize the City s historic stockyards May finally be gelling off the ground even Van Cliburn i to reclusive pianist whose quadrennial piano Competition is held in Forl Worth has Recolly moved Back trom new York after a Litot Irne in Tho Shadow of Dallas its More ambitious neighbor to the Easl. Forl Worth May finally to galling its Monini m thu Sun fort Worth which no has a population around 425,000. Has  Boon Lorn Between its . Wait to is cd Lle Loami origin1 and hit nagging feeling that n or inuit be out there  it has always been Bellner at the Lormor than the latter. One of fort Worth s earliest marketing ventures was to spend $100.000 in 1ebq on the Spring Palace an unusual orifice one local Booster modestly called easily inc most Beau Ful slur clue Ever erected on  every Inch of the str Cluro was covered with Texas Flora such As wheat Corn Cactus and Johnson grass h was envisioned As a major Louril attraction unlit it loss $23,000 in its first year of Emeralion and then burned to Tho ground. Bui ii fort Worth has never quits Gol its promotional ocl in order tvs old West Charm Lively arts scene and Low Cost Low headache lifestyle have Mada it one of the most liable cities in Texas its Castlo cultic heritage is most conspicuously on display at this time of year when inc whole town is transformed by the 91st annual Forl Worth fal Stock show and Rodeo which brought in afoul 740,000 people before it closed feb 8 Tho mix of old Wisl and / Ich Cul Tuio has become the City s Best Selling Point Forl Worth has always id a sense of history and its own roots said Edmund Pillsbury director of Forl Worth s Kimbell Art museum who recently turned Down the position of director of Tia National gallery in London to slay in Forl Worth fort Worth has a lol of contradictions Pillsbury said. It s a Blue Collar loan but in has a Small group of people of enormous we Jyh it s a Well Kepi secret bul people hero like that i i nol smugness people Here Aren t interested in trends they re nol interested in being in " these Are hardly Boom ii nos bul with a Strong military Industry and a relatively diversified Economy tort world has not been Hias hard by the collapse in Oil prices As Many Texas cities. Ii has just been chosen As Tho silo Lor a or in Federal currency monday february 23, 1987 printing Plant that will inject about $100 million into Tho local Economy the Dallas computer magnate h Ross Perot has purchased 16,000 acres of land Lor possible development but unemployment which is now 6 5 percent has been running Well above historic Levels and fort Worth suffers from a glut of office space thai rivals Dallas with office vacancy rates of 24 percent downtown and 29 percent countywide the most promising economic development is a proposed $125 million plan to redevelop the City s historic stockyards Inlo what some arc calling a Williams big of Tho Wesl. Ii May help get the City known bul it draws a Good Deal of scepticism from local residents my gosh. 40 years ago i sold calves Al the stockyard when it was the real thing said Layne Harwell a local attorney now it s Disneyland they re Iryma to turn fort Worth Inlo a Disneyland of the old  i drove a taxicab on the Northside when you had to be six loot tall to drive a taxicab on the  Harwell continued now it s nothing but Deltete cowboys going to Billy boil s who have never seen the  no one wants or expects a Danas style Boom bul these Are rare times in Texas when .1 is More Lun to be the Tortoise than the Hare. Fort Worth does t Boom a great Deal said George Mollick. Who Heads a corp Ralton that Hopes to redevelop the stockyards sul it does t bust a great Deal  As for ivs Contention that places like a stand and St Mont May be Cul but cowl own is in people arc still scratching their Heads about that one As Christina Paloski. A local photographer and Froio and television producer Puls in Mayst. Foil world is so out in so " the stars and stripes Page 13