After much construction and a bit of rescheduling, the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, the newest addition to the Dallas skyline, will officially open the weekend of March 2-4. The three-day celebration is filled with concerts, parities and, of course, a ribbon cutting ceremony, but other events already have kicked off. Here are a few:

Now until Feb 25

The Latino Cultural Center (LCC) is showing “White Steel, Blue Skies: A New Icon for Dallas’ Skyline.” The center invited Latino photographers from North Texas to photograph their takes on the bridge’s architecture to commemorate its opening. The winning submission of the third annual Trinity River Corridor Photography Contest also will be exhibited.

Thursday, March 1

Jim Lake Companies and the Dallas Design District Blog are hosting a kick-off celebration for the opening weekend of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at The International on Turtle Creek. Drinks will be complementary, and fare from the Easy Slider Truck will be on the menu.  Roberto Verastegui and his jazz trio will perform while attendees partake in photos of West Dallas and the new bridge by photographer by Dave Kozlowski, Harman’s prints of historic Dallas neighborhoods taken by David Anthony, and other works from Galerie Zuger. Stay tuned for updates on food and entertainment.

The Haley-Henman Gallery will feature an art show, “Focus on the Bridge.” The installment features photographs taken by David Clanton, Cecelia Feld, Bob Johnson, Michael Lyon and Alan Robertson. An opening reception for is March 1 at 6:30 p.m., and the show runs Feb. 29- March 5.

Friday, March 2

The weekend kicks off with the a $200-per-ticket party on the bridge at 7 p.m. Lyle Lovett and his band are the evening’s headliners, followed by DJ Lucy Wrubel and Sing-Off runners up Street Corner Symphony. Local cuisine and specialty drinks will be served by Trinity Groves. We’re interested to see the 14-foot Calatrava-inspired costumed performers. Fireworks will end the evening.

Saturday, March 3

The eight annual Trinity River Levee Run 5k and 10k races begin at 8 a.m., this year from the west side of the Margaret Hill Hunt Bridge. Runners will cross the bridge, then run through the Design District and back. Contact the Dallas Running Club for more information. Preregistration is $30, and $40 on race day.

Following the race is a free street fair at noon, which will be one of the few times during the weekend when pedestrians can walk across the bridge. Food vendors, dancers, radio personalities, local bands and musicians, and sidewalk artist Douglas Rouse will be there, and artwork from the Trinity River Photo Contest and the Trinity River Art Contest will be exhibited. The “Parade of Builders” will honor those who had a hand in building the bridge, including Santiago Calatrava, and interactive booths will chronicle the work of those who are key to the Trinity River Corridor Project. Fireworks will end the street fair at 9 p.m.

Sunday, March 4

A sunrise blessing and ribbon cutting begins at 7:15 Sunday morning and is open to the public. The National Anthem will be performed by Street Corner Symphony, and the Orchestra of New Spain will sing in honor of the Spanish naming of the Trinity River.

At 1:30 p.m. Bike Friendly Oak Cliff  leads a free bike tour chronicling the major historic moments of the Trinity. The ride will navigate several of the adjacent downtown bridges that span the river. As it turns out, the Houston Street Viaduct turns 100 this year.

Urban Emergence, a seminar that showcases up-and-coming neighborhoods worldwide for their strides to become popular destinations, will begin at 2 p.m. Held in Methodist Dallas Medical Center’s Hitt Auditorium “technology, urban innovation and futurism converge” as city planners, historians and architects alike discuss what makes these neighborhoods the gems of their communities then and now. This event will be in partnership with the Dallas CityDesign Studio.

Kiera Cotten and Kael Alford watch the 2011 Oak Cliff Mardi Gras parade, along with thousands. Mardi Gras Oak Cliff 2012 takes place Feb. 16-17.

The Trinity Trust will host a red carpet event for the premiere of the film “Calatrava Student Constructors” this coming Monday, Jan. 23 at the Texas Theatre.

The movie documents a dozen students from local public and private schools, including Townview and Bishop Dunne, building a 20-by-8-foot replica of Dallas’ Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in one day. The students were selected to be engineers for a day.

“Everything about this project is awe-inspiring, but I think what appeals to me the most is the math and science (engineering) that goes into it,” says Angelica Sanjuan, a Townview student who participated in the project. “I guess the best way to describe it is ‘wow.’ ”

The replica was constructed at The Trinity Trust office, where actual models and maps of the project are housed. Emmy award-winning producer Judy Kelly created the “educational outreach film”.

Part of the event is a panel discussion comprised of people who had a hand in building the actual Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, including: Duane Milligan of the Texas Department of Transportation; Rebecca Rasor of the Trinity River Project/City of Dallas; and Bill Doreen of Williams Brothers Construction. They will answer questions about the bridge, and the architecture and construction methods that went into its completion.

RSVPs are required for the event with a $10 donation suggested. The evening begins at 6 p.m. with a reception, followed by the first movie screening at 6:30 p.m. and the panel at 7 p.m., then the second and final screening of the movie.

The King would’ve turned 77 this Sunday, Jan. 8. That’s the day sign-ups begin for the annual Elvis look-alike contests at El Ranchito.

This year, there are two contests: at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 11 and 18. It costs $5 to enter the contests, and there is a $3 cover to watch the performances. One overall winner will receive a $500 prize.

El Ranchito started celebrating Elvis’s birthday in 2003. General manager Juan Sanchez is an Elvis impersonator, who started doing Elvis impressions when he was 14.

From All in the Family to The Office, New York magazine put together this entertaining, “mushy” and funny two-minute video comprising 40 TV Christmas moments. From Advocate Media, merry Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus … and general holiday season!

It’s Christmas with the Griswolds time. “Christmas Vacation” screens at the Texas Theatre Thursday-Sunday.

Can you believe that holiday favorite was released 22 years ago? And while we’re on the topic, did you know Randy Quaid resents that he is most famous for his role as Cousin Eddie? It is sad, but if you’re a fan, go read the Vanity Fair piece about Quaid’s recent descent into deep paranoia. Then go laugh hysterically when Cousin Eddie blows up the storm sewer.

The Texas also is screening “Rare Exports,” a Finnish action/comedy released in 2010. It screened at Texas Theatre last December too, so it’s becoming a holiday tradition.

Did you know that “Bonnie & Clyde” — as in infamous outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, who lived in what is now West Dallas (and was buried along Fort Worth Avenue, in Barrow’s case) — opens in a Broadway musical this week? I didn’t until I saw this ticket special in my email inbox this morning.

The above montage of scenes from the musical, as well as this lusty little promo, indicate that the musical centers on the romance between the two murderers and bank robbers. Previews of some of the songs, including “Dyin’ Ain’t So Bad” and “This World Will Remember Us,” also are on the Broadway’s Best Shows YouTube channel.

Official marketing for the show reads: “Two small-town kids from the middle of nowhere became the biggest folk heroes in all America. They craved adventure — and each other.” Maybe they don’t realize Parker and Barrow’s hometown of Eagle Ford was practically in Dallas, which is not exactly the middle of nowhere, even in the 1930s. Based on that premise, it’s probably safe to assume that the musical takes quite a bit of dramatic license.

I’m all for a good story, even if it is Hollywood-ized or, in this case, Broadwayed, but it would be interesting to watch this musical while sitting next to Bonnie and Clyde historian Ken Holmes, who was friends with the late Blanche Barrow, the wife of Clyde’s brother, Buck, both of whom also are characters in the musical. Holmes told Advocate editor Rachel Stone he thinks the biggest misconception about Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow is “that their lives were glamorous.” If that’s the case, Holmes might not think much of this portrayal.

The new Omni Dallas Hotel, just across the river from Oak Cliff, should be a winner for Dallas and a boost for Oak Cliff shops and restaurants.

This is the first hotel in Dallas to be directly connected to the convention center, via above-ground, air-conditioned walkways. The hope is that many more conventioneers will be in Dallas in the future.

In addition to the ever-changing light show on the exterior of the Omni, the interior contains some wonderful surprises. Works by local artists are featured in the common areas and local food is sold in the gift store (a shout-out to Oak Cliff’s own Dude, Sweet Chocolate). And I can’t wait to go to a meeting at the Oak Cliff, Bishop Arts or Fair Park Rooms. But the highlight is a view of downtown Dallas from the pool deck at night. Even if the exterior lighting of the Omni is not on, you have a 180 degree view of downtown Dallas, from the Reunion sparkly ball to the Flying Red Horse. If you are lucky enough to be there when the exterior lights are reflecting off the buildings that border the Omni, it’s quite an experience to be enveloped by that light show.

As the Dallas weather changes, you may want to try the Owners Box sports bar. With more than 70 TV screens and some incredible-sounding cocktails, this could turn into the next “scene” in Dallas. For the more laid-back, there is Bob’s Steak & Chop House. Prediction: This hotel will rejuvenate downtown.

Art curators Cynthia Mulcahy and Leila Grothe put on Square Dance: A Community Project at the Trinity River Audubon Center on Saturday night, Nov. 12. Oak Cliff editor Rachel Stone was there and captured the crowd in do-si-do mode. Click here to read Rachel’s post about the hipster square dance … more

Aviation Cinemas, the company that runs the Texas Theatre, will put on a film festival in Oak Cliff June 14-17.

The inaugural Oak Cliff Film Festival will take place at the Texas Theatre, the Kessler Theater, Bishop Arts Theater and the Belmont Hotel.

Sponsors include Bolsa, Mesa, Eno’s, Oddfellows, Oak Cliff Bicycle Co. and the Belmont.

The festival will accept local, regional, national and international films. Keep up with the Oak Cliff film festival on Twitter and Facebook.