For those who don’t know me, my name is Mason Lawrence. I grew up in Fort Worth but went to boarding school in North Carolina until my second semester of junior year when I came to Paschal. Upon my return, I was reminded of how much Fort Worth has to offer. This city is constantly growing, and it will always be my home. I would like to introduce a new column I am starting for the Pantherette. In these stories, I will recount stories and experiences from my life in Fort Worth. This may vary from upcoming events and restaurant reviews to crazy encounters and all things Fort Worth.

Starting off strong, I was dining at the historic restaurant Joe T. Garcia’s when Hollywood legend Mark Wahlberg made an appearance. To promote his tequila brand, Fleche Azul, Marky Mark was accompanied by his two partners, PGA golfer Abraham Ancer and entrepreneur Aaron Marquez.

Many people I knew were also there; we had all been informed ahead of time of his appearance, so we made our reservations early. What I did not expect was the enormous crowds of fans and phone cameras waiting outside the restaurant. It was a bit overwhelming, but it was a great night overall, full of vitality and fun.

In the small snippet of time I had to talk to Wahlberg, I shook his hand and said, “Very nice to meet you.” (Even celebrities deserve manners and respect.) and he responded with, “Yeah man, nice to meet you too. Enjoy the rest of your night.” From my experience, he was kind and down to earth.

Clearly, there’s something in the Fort Worth air because just two days earlier, I met and spoke to Shaun White, the three-time Olympic Gold medalist in half-pipe snowboarding. White also holds the title of most X-Games victories of anyone in history. The superhuman was scheduled to speak at TCU that night, and beforehand, he decided to make a stop at the restaurant where I work as a host, Quince.

My favorite part of my job is the social aspect that comes with being the first face people see when they walk into a restaurant. So I made him and his friends laugh a few times before I took them to their seats. I knew it was him immediately, but I got into arguments with my coworkers who didn’t believe it was him.

We had a conversation when he left, and I told him about how I used to play his skateboarding video game on my Xbox. He laughed, and we took a picture, yet another positive encounter.

I plan to continue to entertain readers with stories and events from my senior year. If anyone has any information regarding events/happenings in Fort Worth and you would like to see it covered, DM me on Instagram @masonmlawrence.