Arlington, TX

The Arlington Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee is accepting entries for the 2008 “Sharing the Dream” Art and Essay competitions.

The competition recognizes the best in art and literature. It is open to students attending school or residing within the city limits of Arlington, including home, private and charter schools.

The entries will be judged in November and winners will be notified in December. Prizes will be awarded in January during the annual MLK “Sharing the Dream” four-day celebration and include U.S. Savings bonds and college scholarship.

Entries should embody the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the theme “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?” Entry deadline is 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26, 2007. More information, including the entry form and guidelines, is available at http://www.arlingtonmlk.com/.

Arlington, Arlington TX, Martin Luther King Jr., Sharing the Dream, Essay Contest, Art Contest

This week’s video is a little less violent than last weeks. Today’s video is from the UTA Shorthorn and it features the 27th annual UTA Bed Races. The races were held this past Thursday, October 4.

If you’re not familiar with the Bed Races, well, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Student groups, sororities and fraternities race beds down the football field in Maverick Stadium. Prizes are given to the top finishers in each division and an award is given for best dressed team as well.

As you’ll see in the video, there was also an attempt to break the record for the world’s largest pillow fight, although I haven’t been able to confirm whether or not they did break the record. A cookie-eating contest was also held. Other events included a 60-foot Obstacle Course and a Bungee Run. Money raised during the event was donated to the American Red Cross.

Arlington, Arlington TX, UTA, Bed Races, Shorthorn, World’s Largest Pillow Fight

Morton Elementary School is celebrating their 30th anniversary this school year. (How can that be? I went to that school the year they opened - 2nd grade. Surely that wasn’t 30 years ago! Alas, I guess it was.)

To celebrate, they are hosting a reception for former students, teachers and parents on October 25th from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. I know several of the students and parents from my class have already been contacted and are planning to be there. I have it on good authority that some of the original teachers will be there as well.

It should be very interesting to see all of my former classmates, some of whom I probably haven’t seen since 6th grade. If you are a Morton alum, make plans to attend and celebrate our school!

Arlington, Arlington TX, Morton Elementary, 30th anniversary, reception

The Arlington Municipal Court has reinstated its Teen Court program after a four-year absence. Teen Court provides an alternative for minor juvenile offense like traffic violations or other minor offense, allowing participants to appear in a court before a jury of their peers. Sentences include things like community service, and offenses are dismissed once all terms are met. (more…)

As always, we have great music around town and a couple of plays you can check out. The G-Kon gaming convention is in town and Fright Fest is starting up at Six Flags.

Be sure to check out the Front Street Festival in downtown Arlington this weekend. There will be art, entertainment, history, food and fun. Admission to Knapp Heritage Park is $2 for adults and $1 for children.

What: Fender Bender
When: Friday, Sept. 28 @ 9:30pm
Where: Stumpy’s Blues Bar, 2811 W. Division St., 817-275-3231

****

What: Professor D
When: Friday, Sept. 28 @ 9:30pm
Where: Sherlock’s Baker Street Pub, 245 Lincoln Square Center, 817-226-2300

****

What: Bonedriven 
When: Friday, Sept. 28, 9:30 pm
Where: Hot Rods & Hoggs, 706 N. Watson Road, 817-649-5220

**** (more…)

What: Gone By Dawn
When: Friday, Sept. 21 @ 9:30pm
Where: Stumpy’s Blues Bar, 2811 W. Division St., 817-275-3231

****

What: Inflateable Love Boys
When: Friday, Sept. 21 @ 9:30pm
Where: Sherlock’s Baker Street Pub, 245 Lincoln Square Center, 817-226-2300

****

What: Le Freak
When: Friday, Sept. 21 @ 9:30pm
Where: Reflections (Admiral Hotel), 1507 N. Watson Road, 817-640-7712

****

What: Little Shop of Horrors
When: Fri.-Sun., Sept. 21-23 @ 8 pm
Where: Theatre Arlington, 305 W. Main St., 817-275-7661

**** (more…)

Much to do this weekend, as usual! We’ve got some great family activities, some rockin’ bands and lots of other fun things going on. I’m probably going to stay home and lay low. I might watch the Emmy’s on Sunday. (Exciting, eh?)

Enjoy yourselves!

What: Little Legends Storytime
When: Friday, Sept. 14 (call for details)
Where: Legends of the Game Museum, 1000 Balpark Way, Suite 400; 817-273-5087

****

What: Ballpark After Dark Sleepover
When: Friday, Sept. 14 (call for details)
Where: Legends of the Game Museum, 1000 Balpark Way, Suite 400; 817-273-5087

****

What: Mario Marcus
When: Friday, Sept. 14 @ 9:30pm
Where: Stumpy’s Blues Bar, 2811 W. Division St., 817-275-3231

**** (more…)

Popular college hangout and St. Patrick’s Day party purveyor, J. Gilligans, is getting a facelift.

Owner Randy Ford is planning a $50,000 renovation that will update the facade of the bar and grill, best known as the home of the Irish Nacho. The plan also calls for the addition of a covered patio with seating for 60-70 people. He plans to take down the fences surrounding the parking lot and add new landscaping.

Ford was approached by Arlington Downtown Management Corp. about fixing up the place earlier this year as part of an effort to revitalize the downtown area. They hooked him up with an architecture student from UTA to do some of the design work.

With the Cowboys coming to town, the city is trying to renovate the downtown area and attract new businesses. You can read more about planned revitalization projects at www.downtownarlington.org.

Source

Arlington, Arlington TX, J. Gilligans, St. Patrick’s Day, Randy Ford, Irish Nacho, Arlington Downtown Management Corp., Downtown Arlington

My pick for the weekend is the Mansfield Night on the Town in Town Park on Saturday. Me & My Monkey will perform and there will be food and drinks available. Should be a great family-friendly night (In case of inclement weather the festivities will be moved to the Mansfield Activities Center at 106 S. Wisteria).

What: Author Aziz Shihab
When: Friday, Sept. 7 @ 6-8 pm
Where: George W. Hawkes Library, 101 E. Abram St., (817) 459-6900

****

What: Texas Ramblers 
When: Friday, Sept. 7 @ 9:30pm
Where: Stumpy’s Blues Bar, 2811 W. Division St., 817-275-3231

**** (more…)

(more…)

Ozarka is sponsoring a “Walk in the Park” to benefit the River Legacy Foundation. The Foundation works to preserve and enhance land along the Trinity River in north Arlington. Ozarka is making a $15,000 donation to start things off and walkers may create an online donation page after registering.

Registered walkers will receive a free ticket to the September 9 Rangers baseball game and have the option to participate in an on-field parade to celebrate participants.

The walk take place on September 9 from 11:15 am to 12:15 pm. Participants will meet at the Spring Creek Pavilion, Parking Lot B at the Ballpark in Arlington. Participants must pre-register online. For more information, call 817-861-2576 or visit www.texasrangers.com/ozarka.

Arlington, Arlington TX, Texas Rangers, Ballpark in Arlington, Ozarka, Walk in the Park, River Legacy Foundation, Free Rangers Tickets

For the first time in more than 10 years, all Texas schools are going back to school on the same day. In recent years, the start date was August 21, but many districts received waivers to start as early as the first week in August. That all changes this year because of new state legislation that passed in 2006. The new law makes August 27 the earliest that any district can start and waivers are no longer being issued. The good news for most students is that they got an extra 2 weeks of summer vacation. The bad news is they probably won’t get out of school until early June, as most districts have made up for the late start by adding a week or two at the end of the year. 

Also new this year: (more…)

Another Municipal Court employee has been arrested. Stacie Marciel, 43, is facing a charge of misuse of official information, a third-degree felony punishable by 2 to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. She is accused of not entering three citations into court records so that the recipients would not have to pay fines. Marciel blames inadequate staff and a backlog of work for the citations not being entered.

A man was arrested Sunday after a stand-off with police. Shots were fired in an apparent domestic disturbance. Marcus Cooper, 29, barricaded himself in a home in the 1100 block of North Cooper but surrendered peacefully to police after about 2 hours. No one was injured. (more…)

Yes, you read that right. This Saturday, August 25, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Mayor Cluck and other representatives from the city will be at the Parks Mall Center Court (below the food court) to visit with citizens and answer questions.

Arlington’s Strong Neighborhood Initiative (ASNI), Community Development and Planning, Community Services, Environmental Services, Fire, Library, Municipal Court, Office of Communication, Parks and Recreation, Police, Public Works, and Water Utilities will have representatives participating. Also on hand will be the Remote Animal Adoption Unit. They will set up on the lower level outside of the skating rink to help promote responsible pet ownership in the city.

“Accessibility is an important part of our service commitment to the public,” said Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck. ”See you at the Mall!”

For more information about this event, call Neighborhood Coordinator RJ Blair at 817-459-6104 or e-mail rj.blair@arlingtontx.gov.

Source: www.arlingtontx.gov.

Police are asking for help in identifying the body of a young woman who was found in Lake Arlington on Sunday. She is believed to be Anglo or Hispanic and around 16 to 21 years old. She was 5-foot 2 to 5-foot 4, with a medium to heavy build, and medium-length brown hair. She was wearing gray sweat pants and yellow panties with the image of a chick and the phrase “Chicks Rule.” She was wearing a black string necklace adorned with a small black crucifix. She doesn’t have any tattoos, but she may have a navel piercing. Police have been unable to match her description to reported missing persons in the local area. If you think you know who the woman is, call Dr. Roger Metcalf with the Tarrant County medical examiner’s office at 817-920-5700, ext. 160, or Arlington police Detective Jim Ford at 817-821-3414.

The Mansfield school district has installed a new system that will require all campus visitors to scan in their driver’s license or a government-issued photo ID card when they arrive. The software matches identifying information against all states’ registered sex offender databases except Hawaii’s, which does not include identifiers such as age and date of birth. When the system flags someone, the system will send a text message or e-mail to notify Mansfield school police and the campus administration, who will monitor the visitor while on campus. As a MISD parent, I think this is a wonderful thing. Although I’m not sure how thrilled I am at having my drivers license picture on my badge…

Arlington, Arlington TX, Body found in Lake Arlington, Mansfield ISD, MISD, Visitor System, Registered Sex Offenders