Now that the winter chill is fully upon us, we can’t help but daydream about summer, especially those warm evenings spent outside on the patio. And while we sit inside reminiscing about summer fun, we often forget that our patio furniture is outside braving the winter elements – naked and cold.

Anyone who has ever bought patio furniture knows that it is an expensive investment ($200 or more!). Leaving your patio furniture unprotected – both inside and out – will be sure to cause fading and rust. To maintain your outdoor furniture as long as possible, it is essential to protect it from the elements. Patio furniture covers are a great and inexpensive way to keep your furniture looking new. So, all you patio furniture neglectors out there listen up!

EmpirePatioCovers.com would like to give away $100 worth of free patio covers to one lucky D Magazine reader.

Find out how after the jump.

EmpirePatioCovers.com has been selling high quality furniture covers online since 2004. We have number of cover options for outdoor chairs, tables, chaise lounges, sofas, ottomans, BBQ grills and much more. Our covers are both durable and chic, and come in a variety of styles – Classic Nutmeg, Metro Brown, Hunter Green – that will be sure to compliment any outdoor patio set.

All of our patio furniture covers are UV treated and 100% waterproof, so you’ll never have to worry about sitting on wet furniture again. Each cover comes equipped with four sewn-in straps that can be tied to the legs of your furniture, keeping the cover secure against strong winds. Because we care about our customers and the environment, our covers are also environmentally friendly and PVC free, meaning no chemical run off.

Since everything is done big in Texas, we’d also like to offer a “20% off $120 or more” coupon for all D Magazine readers – be sure to type in DALLAS during checkout. Good luck and remember to stay patio-friendly!

To enter the contest: Simply tell us what product/products you would choose, and why you want to protect your outdoor furniture.

Quick, though, you only have 30 minutes or so before we must randomly select a winner.

Once you’re at the Fair, consider dropping by Chevrolet Town Square. As I said in this week’s handy guide, they’ve got charging stations for phones—a nice perk. But what’s even better is the chance to pick up a free VIP wristband for FrontRow Live on Nov. 3, which gets you exclusive event access and a cool swag bag. Since you’re joining us that evening anyway, why not? You can track down the wristbands at the Cruze and Sonic Launch Pad.

Update: Since these are physical tickets, winners should plan to drop by our office to claim their tickets.

All you have to do is follow FrontRow on Twitter (@D_FrontRow) and retweet our #FunFunFunFest ticket giveaway tweet. So easy. We’ll pick a winner Monday. Good luck, and happy weekend.

Let me answer that for you: you’d rather be on that beach in Nicaragua. Yes, that Nicaragua. In other words, you’d rather be on vacation.  I don’t have facts to back this up, but I’ve found that American workers spend between 86 and 92 percent of each work day planning for their next vacation.

D Magazine wants to help. We’re soon going to launch a new travel page of our website that will let readers swap vacation stories and photos, as well as learn from the travel experiences of our editors. We’re calling it Qwikster the D Travel Club.

Before we launch, we want to hear from you. And we’re offering the chance to win a two-night stay at the Gaylord Texan resort in return.  Just click through to this form, tell us all about your last great vacation, share some photos, and you’re entered to win.

You must enter by October 30 to be eligible to win.

Anyway, today’s giveaway is a pair of tickets to Topdog/Underdog at the Jubilee Theatre in Fort Worth. I haven’t had a chance to see this play yet, but it’s worth the drive for the writing alone. Suzan-Lori Parks is brilliant, and she won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for this one. Go. Enter, now that the 3 p.m. entry deadline has been extended. Winning is fun, and losing doesn’t kill you. Usually.

Interested in attending, perhaps with kiddos in tow? We have tickets to give away. The first five (5) people to enter will each win four (4) tickets. Click here. Pronto.

Once you’re hanging out at the festival, feel free to stop by the D Family booth, grab a complimentary copy of our special family-oriented issue, and register to win an excellent holiday “staycation” at the Gaylord Texan. The potential for free awesome stuff abounds.

I’ll be there. I’m the guy with the beard. No, not that one. Or that one. Yes, there I am. Hello. Anyway. The good folks at the Granada have made available a special prize pack to attendees. The details are after the jump.

It’s worth more than $400 and includes:

-Shabazz Poster
-Shabazz CD
-Shabazz Patch
-White Denim Poster
-WD Vinyl
-WD Shirt
-Granada Shirt
-Mission of Burma Tix
-Hard Tour tix
-GvB Fest poster
-GvB fest Shirt
-Spot to review the show on our blog
-Preteen Zenith Poster
-Preteen Zenith Button
-Live Hair Group $100 Gift Certificate
-Good Records $10 Gift Certificate
-Libertine Bar $25 Gift Certificate

OK, first thing. You MUST have a ticket to enter to win this thing. Don’t disappoint me or waste everyone’s time. If you don’t have tickets yet, get them now, or enter to win over on FrontRow, where a couple pair should be going up momentarily.

How to win: In the comments, name your favorite GvB Fest band and why. Be creative. I’ll pick the best one.

UPDATE: Here’s a link to the live feed.

We’re giving away 50 “girlfriend packs” which equates to two VIP entry (no lines, no waiting) tickets. One for you, one for a friend. Enter here by 3pm.