City by City: Fort Worth area
BURLESON SCHOOLS
Craft & Health Fair set for Dec. 14 at Burleson High
A Craft & Health Fair is set for Dec. 14 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Burleson High School located at 100 Elk Drive. Hosted by the Booster Club for the school’s Strutter Dance Team, the event will raise funds for the team’s contest costumes, dance room supplies & equipment, team trips, and a college scholarship to every eligible graduating Strutter.
Attendees can shop for Christmas at a variety of arts and crafts booths and visit a number of health vendors who will be there all day. Activities include face painting and pictures with Santa. Entertainment by local performing groups will make the occasion festive. Concessions will be available.
Admission is free, but guests are encouraged to bring 5 non-perishable food items to be donated to Harvest House. Everyone who brings food will be entered in a drawing to win a gift basket.
Visit www.eteamz.com/bhselkstruttersboosterclub or call 817-245-0075 to learn more.
FORT WORTH
Political forum slated Monday for district attorney candidates
The 912FTW group will host a candidate forum Monday for the Republican candidates hoping to become Tarrant County’s next district attorney.
Starting at 6:45 p.m., the three declared GOP DA candidates — George Mackey, Kathy Lowthorp and Sharen Wilson — will talk about the issues in the race.
The forum will be at the Elks Lodge, 3233 White Settlement Road.
— Anna M. Tinsley
Seminar to be offered for students wanting to fund schooling
State Rep. Nicole Collier, D-Fort Worth, wants to make sure local youths can find a way to college no matter what the cost.
Starting at 2 p.m. Dec. 8, she will speak during a seminar, “Show me the money: Writing your way to college,” about ways to pay for college, find scholarships and even how to write scholarship essays.
The seminar, a joint effort between Collier and the Tarrant County Democratic Party, will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. at the CWA Union Hall, 421 S. Adams St., in Fort Worth.
High school juniors, seniors and their parents should RSVP at 817-335-8683 or volunteer@tarrantdemocrats.org.
— Anna M. Tinsley
Texas Boys Choir to hold holiday concert
The Texas Boys Choir will perform a Christmas Festival Concert from 7 to 9 p.m. Dec. 16 at Arborlawn United Methodist Church, 5001 Briarhaven Road.
The cost is $13 for adults and $5 for students in advance. At the door, the cost is $15 for adults and $7 for students.
For more information, go to www.texasboyschoir.org or texasboyschoir.secure.force.com/ticket/#details_a0Sd0000003CD9GEAW.
— Anna M. Tinsley
Santa Claus plans store visit
Santa Claus will visit Burkes Outlet from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday.
Anyone who wants to talk to him, perhaps about Christmas wishes, is being encouraged to come and take as many pictures as they would like for free.
Burkes Outlet is at 1464 Eastchase Parkway in Fort Worth.
— Anna M. Tinsley
Cleanup time for traditional holiday parade
The goal this year is to make the Chesapeake Energy Parade of Lights presented by Chase the cleanest holiday parade in the country.
That's why small litter bags will be passed out to parade watchers during the parade Friday. Volunteers will encourage everyone to dispose of their trash after the event.
“We want participants to know and understand that every little bit counts,” said Marilyn Ackmann, chairwoman of the Festivals and Events Committee for Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives Inc. “Just picking up the trash around you could potentially be one less piece of litter polluting our waterways.”
The parade begins at 6 p.m. at the intersection of Belknap and Throckmorton street and winds its way downtown.
For more information about the Reverse Litter campaign, contact Anthony Spangler at 817-332-0404 or Iman Cole at intern@ocgpr.com
— Anna M. Tinsley
Fort Worth holiday closures, reschedulings
City offices, including City Hall, libraries and community centers, will be closed Thursday and Friday for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Thursday garbage pickup will be shifted to Friday and Friday services will slide to Saturday,. Normal garbage pickup services will resume Monday.
Residents are allowed two extra bags of garbage for the first day of garbage pickup following Thanksgiving, but the city’s three drop-off stations will be closed on Thanksgiving.
Residents with questions should call Solid Waste Services at 817-392-1234.
The Environmental Collection Center will be closed Thursday and Friday and reopens Saturday.
The T and Trinity Railway Express are closed Thanksgiving Day, except for the Cowboy Couch bus shuttles to A&T Stadium.
The T will operate a regular bus service Friday, modified TRE service and free bus service for the Parade of Lights in downtown Fort Worth on Friday night.
Residents can contact the T at 817-215-8600.
— Caty Hirst
Design Talk to show dramatic differences in before and after architecture
Fort Worth residents are invited to a free community presentation about the principles of architecture and design by two of the city’s best.
Joe and Tracy Self, an architect and designer, respectively, will give their presentation, “Before and After — The Power of Transformed Space” from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Center for Architecture, 3425 West Seventh St.
Before and after photos will be shown to show the dramatic differences achieved with different principles of design.
Refreshments will be served at 6:30 p.m. before the presentation.
For more information, contact aiafw@aiafortworth.org.
— Taylor Prater
GRANBURY
Breakfast with Santa open for local kids
Santa Claus will take a break from his busy schedule to have breakfast with some friends at Camp Fire Camp El Tesoro from 8 to 11 a.m. Dec. 7.
Those who attend the breakfast get free digital photos with Santa and free holiday crafts. The overall event is free, but a hot breakfast is available for $8.
Hay rides, caroling, archery games and one-on-one visits with Santa are part of the package.
RSVP online at CampEITesoro.org or call 817-806-5451.
Camp Fire Camp El Tesoro is at 7710 Fall Creek Highway, Granbury.
— Anna M. Tinsley
ROANOKE
Music and comedy group to perform for holiday audience
A holiday music and comedy group that has delighted audiences throughout North Texas since 1986, Holiday Hams will perform free at 7 p.m. Dec. 7 in Roanoke Recreation Center, 501 Roanoke Road.
The performers take seasonal songs, blend in music celebrities and cartoon characters, integrate audience members and throw in a generous dollop of holiday pop culture humor. The age-appropriate mix is lots of fun for everyone, because everyone is part of the show.
The concert is part of the MasterWorks Concert Series sponsored by Arts Council Northeast and the city.
— Terry Evans
SAGINAW
T-Mobile opens store in Saginaw
The Saginaw Area Chamber of Commerce recently celebrated the grand opening of a new T-Mobile Store with a ribbon-cutting and reception. The new T-Mobile Store is located at 1205 North Saginaw Blvd.
Matthew Kendig is owner of the mobile telephone store, where customers can get service set up, purchase new phones and choose accessories.
— Shirley Jinkins
WEATHERFORD
Gallery night to benefit local art association
Local artists are gathering for a day to celebrate their own unique works of art at the Good Neighbor Gallery Night on Dec. 7.
The come-and-go event is from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Mader Bagley State Farm Building, 1916 Martin Drive.
Pieces of art will be features from more than 20 local artists. Refreshments, wine and music will also be offered as part of the opening.
Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. All proceeds will benefit the Weatherford Art Association.
To purchase tickets, ask any Weatherford Art Association member or visit the mader-Bagley office or Parker County Today office at 114 E. Church St.
— Taylor Prater
WHITE SETTLEMENT
High school drill team to hold first holiday sale
The Brewer High School Honeycomb Drill Team will present its first annual holiday market and craft show Dec. 7.
The event is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the high school, 1025 W. Loop 820 North.
Many vendors will be featured alongside pictures with Santa, gift wrapping and a bake sale.
Admission is $1 or one canned good to benefit the Family Readiness Group of the 136th Airlift Wing Readiness Group.
For more information, contact Kim Belousek at kbelousek@yahoo.com.
— Taylor Prater
Region
JPS Health Network mails colon cancer test
Among the bills and holiday catalogs in 1,700 Tarrant County mailboxes will be a lumpy, pale blue envelope containing a fecal immunochemical test and a chance to participate in major colon cancer prevention program.
JPS Health Network is participating in three-year program to evaluate early detection strategies for decreasing colon cancer mortality. Colon cancer is treatable, especially when detected early, but the mortality rate has fallen slower than expected because many people don’t get early screening tests.
The program has been under way since 2011 and involves members of the JPS Connection program, which provides low-cost care to county residents at John Peter Smith Hospital and JPS clinics. JPS was selected to participate in part because JPS Connection provides access to those requiring further testing or treatment. Cancer screening is effective only if participants have access to follow-up care.
“Colorectal screening can be lifesaving, and it is best done before you have any symptoms,” said Dr. Mark Koch, a co-investigator on the prevention program, funded by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.
The principal investigator is Dr. Keith Argenbright of UT Southwestern/Moncrief Cancer Institute. The program is based on prior work by Dr. Samir Gupta of the University of California, San Diego.
Blood drives scheduled for The Parks mall
Patrons at The Parks at Arlington mall throughout December will have three opportunities to donate blood in the giving spirit of the holidays.
Scheduled donation days are Dec. 6, Dec. 7 and Dec. 28 from noon to 6 p.m. on the lower level in the Samsung Galaxy Center court.
Registration will be held at the court while the donor bus will be in the parking lot near Hollister at entrance five.
Appointments may be made at 1-800-366-2834 or carterbloodcare.org. Although appointments are not necessary, those who create one will be given priority.
For more information, visit www.theparksatarlington.com.
— Taylor Prater
Six Flags Over Texas kicks off 26 Days of Giving
Six Flags Over Texas has launched a community give-back initiative called 26 Days of Giving. The effort began Monday and continues through Dec. 20.
“Each day, park employees will do something special either for guests within the park, people within the community, nonprofit organizations or fellow team members,” Six Flags said in a news release. “Some of the items that will be given away are general admission tickets, season passes, expedited ride passes, a weekend getaway and monetary donations. Other activities include taking Santa to visit a school and serving meals within the community.”
Six Flags presented a check for more than $15,000 Monday to the Arlington Santa Cops organization. The funds will be used to help purchase Christmas presents for children in the Arlington area.
Employees were the focus Tuesday, with an opportunity to win gift cards.
Today Six Flags Over Texas and Hurricane Harbor will present general admission tickets for kids at Thornton Elementary who participate in the Arlington Police Department’s East Division Mentor Program.
Employees will help make Thanksgiving meals at Mission Arlington on Thursday.
This story was originally published November 27, 2013 at 12:00 AM with the headline "City by City: Fort Worth area."