JOE POOL LAKE, 5700 LAKE RIDGE PARKWAY

This Coupon is Good for $2 Off Admission
At Prairie Lights 2013!
Lynn Creek Park on Joe Pool Lake, 5700 Lake Ridge Parkway
One coupon per vehicle. May not be combined with any other offer.
Valid Monday-Thursday Dec. 2-5 and Dec. 9-12 only.
City of Grand Prairie Monthly Citizen Newsletter
November 2013 Vol.14 No.11
Prairie Lights Drive-Thru Light Park
Holiday Tree Lighting
The City’s popular drive–thru holiday light park, Prairie Lights, is open
for another season of holiday fun! This
year’s park will once again have all new
displays, featuring Santa’s Coal Mine,
A North Pole Rodeo and, of course, the
world’s longest light tunnel. Holiday
Magic Theater will once again feature a
LIVE musical production, the walk-thru
will be open for those family photos, and Santa will once again be a V.I.P. visitor to talk with all of the good little children. Over 168,000 people visited the
park last year, and it’s a tradition for so many in North Texas. The prices will
be the same in 2013, so come see the most affordable holiday display around.
Dates:
Times:
Where:
Price:
Thursday, Nov. 28–Tuesday, Dec. 31
Sunday – Thursday (non-holidays) 6-9 p.m.
Friday, Saturday and Holidays 6-10 p.m.
Lynn Creek Park
5700 Lake Ridge Pkwy.
Monday – Thursday (non-holidays) $20 per carload
Friday – Sunday and Holidays $30 a carload
For more information, visit PrairieLights.org or call 972-237-GLOW.
Tip: To avoid the lines, come early in December and on Monday through
Thursdays! And, coupons are also available during many of these days!
Holiday Garbage/Recycling Collection
Thursday, Dec. 5 • 6-7 p.m.
City Hall Campus, 317 College St.
Have a Very Prairie Christmas in
downtown Grand Prairie with GPISD
choral entertainment and the annual
lighting of the tree.
Ugly Lamp Contest
Calling all Ugly Lamps for the Lit
on Main Ugly Lamp Contest. Entries
are due by Nov. 22 to the Uptown
Theater, 120 E. Main St., to make
the opening of the display Nov. 27;
however, late entries will be accepted
and added to the display until Dec. 6.
Entry is free. For more information,
visit www.gptx.org/litonmain
Copeland Home
Open House
Saturday, Dec. 7
10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Copeland Home,
125 SW Dallas St.
Free
Staff will give
tours and answer questions about the
quaint 100-year-old home during the
open house. To get to the home, from
Main or Jefferson streets in Grand
Prairie, turn south on SW 2nd Street,
and east on SW Dallas Street. The
open house, tours and refreshments are
free.
There will be no garbage and recycling collection on Thursday, Nov. 28;
Wednesday, Dec. 25; and Wednesday, Jan. 1.
The landfill will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 28; Wednesday, Dec. 25; and
Wednesday, Jan. 1; and will close at 3 p.m. on Dec. 24 and 31. There will be
a special recycling collection for Wednesday residential curbside recyclers on
Saturday, Dec. 28. Please place your recycling bins/blue bags on your curbside
by 7 a.m. that morning to ensure collection.
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Grand Prairie
Tourism Needs
Volunteers!
Coming Soon to the Uptown Theater
Enjoy a spectacular show at Grand Prairie's Uptown
Theater, 120 E. Main St. For tickets, visit www.
uptowntheatergp.com or call 972-237-8786.
Annie
Presented by the Grand Prairie Arts Council
Dec. 6-8,
Dec. 13-15
Roy Rogers Christmas Special
Presented by Texas Family Musicals
Dec. 21
Holly Jolly Christmas
Dec. 22
Household Haz Waste Collection
Proper Disposal of Cooking Oil
Grease blockages are the single greatest cause of sewer overflows in Grand
Prairie. This is usually due to people pouring cooking oil or grease down the
kitchen sink. The grease congeals, blocking the pipe and causing raw sewage to
come up through cleanouts or city manholes, contaminating the soil and waterways.
Used grease and cooking oil should be poured into a non-leaking container
and taken to a household hazardous waste (HHW) collection event for recycling.
The next HHW events will be December 7, 2013, and January 10, 2014, at
the Development Center (206 W. Church Street) from 9-11 a.m. REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Register by calling 972-237-8055 or on-line at www.
gptx.org/wq/hhw
We will accept household and automotive batteries, pharmaceuticals, motor
oil, cooking oil, paint, aerosol cans, fluorescent bulbs, and household, landscape,
and pool chemicals. We will not accept explosives, gas cylinders, fireworks,
medical waste, radioactive materials, or municipal trash. No commercial waste
will be accepted.
Parent and Child Time Together (PACT)
The Grand Prairie ISD’s PACT program provides parents and caregivers opportunities to learn how to support their child in becoming school ready. Parents
and caregivers learn how to support their child’s learning through family interaction and meaningful activities. PACT time provides parents with the opportunity
to make and take materials to use at home to help develop literacy skills and fine
and gross motor development. During PACT time parents and caregivers are
encouraged to interact with their children using strategies learned during their
training.
Free hands-on workshops are offered every Thursday 9-11 a.m. and 1-3
p.m., at Bonham Early Education Center, 1301 East Coral Way. Free childcare
is available. For more information, call 972-262-4255.
Candle Light Memorial Service
Saturday, Dec. 7 • 5 p.m.
Grand Prairie Memorial Gardens and Mausoleum, 3001 S. Belt Line Road
Learn more about volunteer
opportunities in Grand Prairie
Tourism on Thursday, Dec. 5 at
1 p.m. at The Summit theater,
2975 Esplanade. Free popcorn
will be served.
The Grand Prairie Tourist Information Center, 2170 N. Belt Line
Road, is in need of adult volunteers
(ages 18 and older) Monday-Saturday
to help our visitors. Volunteer responsibilities include providing driving
directions and information about area
hotels, motels, restaurants and tourist
attractions. Shifts are 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
and 1 p.m.-5 p.m. once per week, or as
needed.
Volunteers are treated to free outings throughout the year and an attractive and fun work environment.
For more information, call Cathy
Raymond at 972-595-5402 or email:
craymond@gptx.org.
Farmers Market
Saturday, Dec. 7, Dec. 14 and Dec. 21
8 a.m.-1 p.m.
Market Square, 120 W. Main St.
The Grand Prairie Farmers Market
is sure to get everyone in the holiday
spirit with gift items, reindeer games,
pictures with Santa and snow piñatas.
The Farmers Market will come to
a close for the 2013 season after the
Dec. 21 market, and will reopen on
Saturday, March 1, 2014.
Meet and greet will begin at 5 p.m. with the candle light memorial service
immediately following at 5:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served. Please RSVP
to Laura Gomez at lgomez@gptx.org or 972-237-3001.
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Recycle More Items in Your Bin
Republic Recycling is now accepting more items for curbside recycling.
Eligible recyclable materials include all plastics marked 1 through 7, paper products, cardboard, glass, aluminum, and other materials. Wax-coated juice boxes,
aerosol cans, plastic grocery bags and pots and pans are also accepted. Do not
put household hazardous waste like batteries, electronics, pharmaceuticals,
chemicals, light bulbs or propane tanks in your recycle bin. For any questions
regarding recycling please call 972-237-8061 or visit www.gptx.org.
City Christmas Ornament Available Nov. 15
The annual custom-designed 2013 city of Grand
Prairie holiday ornament is hand made this year by Rebecca Jensen, wife of Mayor Ron Jensen. Mrs. Jensen
recycled books into hand-made Christmas trees, glittered and adorned with a tinsel top. Many of the books
were retired from the Grand Prairie Library system and
from Mrs. Ruthe Jackson’s personal collection.
The 2013 ornament sells for $11 each and may be
purchased at:
• City Hall, 317 College St. 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday-Friday
• Tourist Center, 2170 N. Belt Line Road, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Monday-Saturday
• Warmack Library, 760 Bardin Road, hours vary, check gptx.org/library
• The Summit, 2975 Esplanade, 9 a.m. – 9 p.m., Monday-Saturday
This is the 10th in a series of annual ornaments. Also available for $10
each, discounted from their original price of $15 each, are ornaments from 2004
to 2012, which include the inaugural 2004 ornament, recognizing Lone Star
Park at Grand Prairie’s World Thoroughbred Championship Breeders’ Cup; the
2005 “I Love Grand Prairie” ornament; the 2006 “Starry Nights” ornament; the
2007 “Uptown Theater” ornament; the 2008 “Prairie Lights” ornament; the 2010
“Willow Tree in Central Park” ornament and the 2011 “Farmers Market” ornament. The 2009 “Centennial” ornaments are sold out.
The ornament series was created by Janice England, wife of retired Mayor
Charles England, as a way to celebrate Grand Prairie and raise funds for local
charities.
For more information, call 972-237-8086.
Dalworth After School Program
Monday-Friday, 3:20-6 p.m. • Dalworth Recreation Center, 2012 Spikes
Dalworth Recreation Center services David Daniels Elementary with their
After School Program. Children receive snacks, homework help and participate
in gym games, arts and crafts, computer time and more. Registration is $10, and
the program fee is $20 per week. Recreation center membership is required.
For more information, call 972-264-7670.
Don't clog the main.
Keep grease from the drain.
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Building a Better
Education with a
Strong Foundation!
Did you know that Grand Prairie
ISD was the first school district in
Texas to establish an education foundation? The Grand Prairie Education
Foundation was founded in 1970 with
the mission of providing education
excellence
and inspiring
community
ownership and pride in GPISD.
The Foundation raises funds for
innovative teaching grants, student
scholarships, educational equipment
and field experiences to strengthen our
school system. The Grand Prairie ISD
Education Foundation proudly supports our 27,700+ students and over
1,900 dedicated classroom teachers
through "friend-raising" and fundraising. Here are a few examples of the
creative learning opportunities funded
by the Foundation:
LEGO We Do Robotics Kit at
Daniels Academy, Succeeding through
Reading with Nook Colors at Florence
Hill Elementary, Wii Love 21st Century Fitness at Bush Elementary and
the Trinity River Audubon Center
We seek parents, business owners,
alumni, community leaders and Grand
Prairie citizens who believe in public education and want to contribute
to the success of GPISD. There are
numerous ways to help. You can give
through:
• Annual giving
• Event sponsorship
• Major Saver cards
• Club 1970 membership
For more details, visit www.
gpisd.org/edfoundation or contact
Diana Mora at 972-237-5487 or diana.
mora@gpisd.org. Thanks for your
support!
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Cold Weather Pet Care
Brrrr—it's cold outside! The following guidelines will
help you protect your companion animals when the
mercury dips.
1. Keep your cat inside. Outdoors, felines can freeze, become lost or be stolen, injured or killed. Cats who are allowed to stray are exposed to infectious diseases, including rabies, from other cats, dogs and wildlife.
2. During the winter, outdoor cats sometimes sleep under the hoods of cars. When the motor is started, the cat can be injured or killed by the fan belt. If there are outdoor cats in your area, bang loudly on the car hood before starting the engine to give the cat a chance to escape.
3. Never let your dog off the leash on snow or ice, especially during a snowstorm, dogs can lose their scent and easily become lost. More dogs are lost during the winter than during any other season, so make sure yours always wears ID tags.
4. Thoroughly wipe off your dog's legs and stomach when he comes in out of the sleet, snow or ice. He can ingest salt, antifreeze or other potential-
ly dangerous chemicals while licking his paws, and his paw pads may also bleed from snow or encrusted ice.
5. Never shave your dog down to the skin in winter, as a longer coat will pro-
vide more warmth. When you bathe your dog in the colder months, be sure to completely dry him before taking him out for a walk. Own a short-haired breed? Consider getting him a coat or sweater with a high collar or turtleneck with coverage from the base of the tail to the belly. For many dogs, this is regulation winter wear.
6. Never leave your dog or cat alone in a car during cold weather. A car can act as a refrigerator in the winter, holding in the cold and causing the animal to freeze to death.
7. Puppies do not tolerate the cold as well as adult dogs, and may be difficult to housebreak during the winter. If your puppy appears to be sensitive to the weather, you may opt to paper-train him inside. If your dog is sensitive to the cold due to age, illness or breed type, take him outdoors only to relieve himself.
8. Does your dog spend a lot of time engaged in outdoor activities? Increase his supply of food, particularly protein, to keep him, and his fur, in tip-top shape.
9. Like coolant, antifreeze is a lethal poison for dogs and cats. Be sure to thor-
oughly clean up any spills from your vehicle, and consider using products that contain propylene glycol rather than ethylene glycol. Visit the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center more information.
10. Make sure your companion animal has a warm place to sleep, off the floor and away from all drafts. A cozy dog or cat bed with a warm blanket or pil-
low is perfect.
Golf Tournament
Specials at
Prairie Lakes
November – March
Monday – Friday, Non-holidays
$32/player (60 player minimum)
Shotgun start
Saturdays and Sundays, Non-holidays
$37/player (60 player minimum)
Tee-times after 10 a.m.
Includes green fee and cart, range
balls, cart staging with cart name
signs, score cards, “proxies”, score
sheets and pavilion use.
Food and beverage is extra. Visit
PrairieLakesGolf.com for menu options and pricing.
Did you know that veterans and their
spouses may qualify for a pension to
cover the cost of senior living?
• The Aid and Attendance Benefit
is available for veterans and their
spouses.
• Helps cover the cost of care and
living in a senior community or
your home.
Please call 972-237-2515 to speak to
our team of VA-trained personnel.
2305 Corn Valley Road,
Grand Prairie, Texas 75051
972-237-2515
A Grand Prairie Housing Finance
Corporation property
To Report Graffiti
Call The Graffiti
Busters Hotline
972-237-8599
Produced by city of Grand Prairie Communications Department, Contact: Cami McKillop 972-237-8108 or e-mail cmckillop@gptx.org