SocialEyes: Firefighter challenge gives you a look at a dangerous profession

By Faye Reeder

The toughest two minutes in sports: This is how the Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge event is described by pros in the firefighting biz. The public is invited to the national competition beginning at 4 p.m. today and running until 10:30 tonight (and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday) at Hurricane Harbor parking lot at 1800 E. Lamar Blvd in Arlington.

The Arlington Fire Combat Committee includes Mark A. Gist, David Berg, Kirk Turner, Sharon Kinnear, Mark Reichert, Michelle Dereta and Gina Jenkins, who have worked hard for the past year planning this exciting event. The challenge is an intense, spirited competition that seeks to encourage firefighter fitness and demonstrates the rigors of the profession. According to Gist, "Unlike sports that exist solely for entertainment value, the challenge is about performing one of the most dangerous and demanding jobs safer and better. It is a competition with a purpose."

Wearing full gear, pairs of firefighters will exhibit the physical demands of real-life firefighting by completing five tasks in a simulation of real-life fire emergencies. There will also be a Kid Challenge Course where kids get a helmet and gear and climb a 12-foot inflatable tower to face the same tasks (adjusted for their age) that the professional competition includes.

Race-car drivers Tom Hixson from One Wild Ride and Beka Mercadel with Beka Racing will have their dragsters on display, along with a race simulator that offers lots of fun and thrills. Kids and adults will enjoy a great exhibit of firetrucks and engines, too. Spectators can enter drawings to win a 42-inch flat-screen TV, tickets for the Cowboys game against the Seahawks, Stars tickets, a race package for the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway and a 2009 Harley-Davidson motorcycle. For more information, visit www.firefighterchallenge.com.

Cash for great teachers: Any member of the community is welcome to nominate a great teacher to receive the cash awards that the AWARE Foundation presents each spring. AWARE stands for Arlington Will Award and Recognize (Educational) Excellence, and nominees for the awards are observed in their classroom by a selection committee that chooses the winners and runners-up. Winners receive a $3,000 cash award, and runners-up get $1,500. Check out the details at www.awarefoundation.com. Dec. 18 is the deadline for indicating your intention to nominate a teacher, and the deadline for the nomination is Jan. 15. The awards banquet is May 17. Contact Bonnie Harmon at 817-261-3330 with questions.

New York couple gives birth to a mouse: That’s how Emmy Klein from Theatre Arlington got my attention with her news about Stuart Little, the new show opening Nov. 6 and running through Nov. 15. This timeless children’s classic chronicles the adventures of a charming mouse named Stuart that is part of a New York family and must learn to survive in a "real-people’s" world. To get tickets, call the box office at 817-275-7661.

Bunnicula: You still have tonight and two chances Saturday to see the popular children’s story Bunnicula, at Creative Arts Theatre & School, 1100 W. Randol Mill Road in Arlington. Is Bunnicula really a vampire bunny? Let your children find out as their imaginations run a little wild watching this funny, fast-paced rabbit-tale of a mystery. Tickets are sold at the door, or call 817-861-2287 for reservations.

Jazz on the lawn: Founders Plaza in downtown Arlington will be busy from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday with a free event that offers fun for all ages. There will be great food and drinks, a children’s area with games and candy, and a lively slam poetry session. For live entertainment, there’s none better than jazz all-star Adonis Rose, performing with the Fort Worth Jazz Orchestra and musicians from UTA and the Arlington school district on the Levitt Pavilion stage. The event is the kickoff for the upcoming Martin Luther King celebration, reports committee chairman Zeb Strong. Visit www.arlingtontx.gov/MLK to learn more.

Please submit your event information to freeder@star-telegram.com so we can SocialEyes again next week.

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