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Spring dreaming
Listening to the steady downbeat of last night's downpour, mingled with the irregular drips off the roof or across the edge of the flooded gutters, clearly revealed to me why some call this "good sleeping weather." It's nature's white noise. It's the Earth inviting you to relax and doze off while the gentle patter of the miraculous renewal of water falling from the sky keeps time. It also gave me hope because while the last few years have been remarkably dry here in north Texas, this winter has featured some precipitation. This little spell of rain will have given us two to four inches by the time it's over with. Perhaps, the first raindrop-dimpled green leaf of Spring is closer than we think.
But, we do still have February standing in our way. Still, there is no time like the present to begin thinking about the upcoming growing season. All you have to do is drive down any residential street in Farmers Branch to find out that our residents take pride in their yards.
They dig gardening (pun intended).
So, even though there's still likely some winter weather ahead of us, we've got several opportunities in the coming days to get together with fellow green thumbs and get a handle on plans for our yards in 2013.
First chance is tomorrow with a class on "Early Spring Gardening" at the Rec Center at 7 p.m. The City's Landscape Manager extraordinaire, Pam Smith, tells me that Master Gardener Ruth Klein has got a knack for early garden planning so this could be a good one to catch.
Then, beginning next week and running through mid-February, Pam begins her regular mid-winter series on "Landscaping with Roses" for 2013. It's no secret that we're trying to promote the planting and proliferation of roses in Farmers Branch and this series provides those that are well-versed, as well as those that are looking to get started, with a wealth of vital information that will serve both interests.
The exact schedule is going to be all over our City media channels for the next month, so check it out or call the Rec Center for more information and to register (for free) at 972.247.4607.
OK, so if the dead heat of the summer is called "the dog days of August," what should days in February be called?
  
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EgyptologyMONTH
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Talk like an EgyptianManske Library features all things ancient Egypt during programs in January MANSKE LIBRARY ~ Opportunities abound in the month of January to learn about the history of ancient Egypt, inspect some of its relics and find out more about current efforts in Egyptology through programs and displays at the Farmers Branch Manske Library. GALLERY EXHIBITION
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Richard Posey
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Rollin Phipps, former professor at the University of Texas at Arlington and expert on ancient Egypt, has provided an exhibition now on display at the Library Gallery that includes a variety of both authentic relics, up to 5,000 years old, and museum replicas that span the history of the region from the time of the pyramids to the Ptolemaic Period of the Greek rulers. The 75 items on exhibit include a eight-foot-tall obelisk and a reproduction of a mummy case along with a replica of the Sphinx and more. The display is on loan from a private collector in Dallas - Fort Worth. His collection consists of some 225 museum replicas from great cities around the world and 125 artifacts from ancient Egypt. ANCIENT EGYPT AND THE MUMMIFICATION PROCESS Tonight, Wednesday, January 9, Mr. Phipps will be on hand for a 7 p.m. presentation on the history of Egypt and the mummification process, including a profile of some of the era's most famous personalities, like King Tut and others. KING TUT AND THE 1920s | |
Richard Posey
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The connection between King Tut and the transformative culture of the 1920s will be examined in a Saturday presentation on January 19 at 2 p.m. Although more than 3,000 years separated the two eras, attendees will learn how ancient Egypt directly influenced the 1920s Art Deco movement, one of history's greatest artistic and architectural achievements. ANCIENT EGYPTIAN JEWELRY Wrapping up January, Mr. Phipps will profile ancient Egyptian jewelry on January 22 at 7 p.m. This will be a hands-on experience for the audience as attendees will be able to examine authentic artifacts. For more information, call the Manske Library at 972.247.2511.
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FeaturedSTORIES
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Charles in chargeFinance Director Cox named to national financial policy oversight boardNORWALK, CT ~ In an appointment reserved for only the most accomplished in their field, Farmers Branch Finance Director Charles S. Cox has been named to the Financial Accounting Foundation Board of Trustees.  | |
Farmers Branch Finance Director Charles S. Cox was named one of the top CFOs in Dallas-Fort Worth by the Dallas Business Journal in 2011.
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An independent organization, the Financial Accounting Foundation is responsible for oversight of the Financial Accounting Standards Board and its counterpart for state and local government, the Government Accounting Standards Board. Now in his 20th year as Farmers Branch Finance Director, Mr. Cox will serve a five-year term on the board that sets financial policy for public and private entities. "This appointment speaks volumes to Charles' expertise in the field of finance and underscores the kind of national leadership we have on this City staff," said Farmers Branch City Manager Gary D. Greer. "Not only is Charles one of the best in the business, he will now serve with a group that tells the best how to do business." In addition to this post, Mr. Cox is a past president of the Government Finance Officers Association of Texas and the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States & Canada and was named one of the top CFOs in Dallas-Fort Worth by the Dallas Business Journal, in 2011.
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Financial responsibility for children presented at Library
MANSKE LIBRARY ~ The importance of financial responsibility for children will be the topic of a lively presentation set for Saturday, January 12 at the Farmers Branch Manske Library.  Presented by Ashley Parks, author of The Saving Seed and a certified financial planner in north Dallas, the session is set for 3 to 4 p.m. in the Library's meeting room. Ms. Parks promises to provide useful insights and practical tips for helping children be financially responsible and savvy with money. Positive and negative modeling on the part of parents will be explained along with time for questions and answers. For more information, call the Library at 972.247.2511.
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PartingSHOT
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Tom Bryson
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Special Olympics
Alice Brimlow (left), from Special Olympics Texas and Special Olympics Athlete Paul Holland (right) pause for a moment with the Panda (center) at the grand opening ceremonies for the new Panda Express restaurant near the corner of Valley View and Josey Lanes in Farmers Branch. The restaurant donated $956 from their opening weekend sales to Special Olympics on behalf of the Farmers Branch Police and Fire Departments.
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Volume 3.02 | Number 98 
is published weekly by the Communications Office of the City of Farmers Branch, TX.
Two-time TAMI Award Winner for Best eNewsletter in Texas
Given by the Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers
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Landscaping with Roses mid-winter classes set to start
REC CENTER ~ Those green-thumbed residents that can't wait for Spring can get a head start on the 2013 growing season by attending a free series of classes on "Landscaping with Roses," January 15 through February 16.  Farmers Branch Landscape Manager Pam Smith has assembled a slate of world-class gardeners and rosarians for the annual mid-winter series that will be featured on Tuesday evenings at 7 p.m. at the Community Recreation Center January 15 through February 12. The Saturday, February 16 finale will be a 10 a.m. "hands on" Rose Pruning clinic at the rose gardens in Gussie Field Watterworth Park. > MORE <
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City Council to meet January 22
FARMERS BRANCH ~ To avoid conflict with the New Year's holiday, the Farmers Branch City Council is meeting in regular session on the second and fourth Tuesdays in January, rather than the traditional first and third. The City Council met last night and will meet again on Tuesday, January 22. All regular meetings are held at 6 p.m. in City Council Chambers at Farmers Branch City Hall, 13000 William Dodson Parkway.
Meetings are also broadcast on FBTV, cable channel 16 in Farmers Branch, AT&T Uverse channel 99 throughout the DFW Metroplex and online at www.farmersbranch.info.
All meetings and times are subject to change. Call 972.247.3131 to verify a particular meeting or event.
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Daddy Daughter Dance tickets now on sale
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Early Spring Gardening session set Thursday
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 This museum replica of the Sphinx is among the 75 reproductions and actual artifacts on display at the Farmers Branch Manske Library during the month of January. Photo by Richard Posey.
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LBJUpdate
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 FARMERS BRANCH ~ Weekly updates are provided by LBJ Express Project, the construction company responsible for the 5-year project that will completely renovate the freeway from the Dallas North Tollway to Interstate 35E. The following update is for the week of January 9, 2013. Denton Drive: AT&T work continues to require lane closures on the west side of Denton. Beginning next week the westbound LBJ frontage road between Ford and Denton is planned to be closed for up to 10 weeks. Denton will be closed at LBJ on the night of January 18 for bridge work. Josey Lane: Construction of the permanent paving and drainage on Josey has been delayed and will require various lanes closed until late February. All lanes of Villa Creek at Josey are reopened. Marsh Lane: The pavement and bridge work on the west side of Marsh south of Ridgeoak will continue until April. Marsh Lane is expected to be closed at LBJ for one night on January 19 for construction of the bridge deck on the west side of the new bridge. Midway Road: The left turn lanes on Midway Road between the LBJ frontage roads have been closed for bridge pier work until late January. Expect additional lanes to be closed on Midway at LBJ during night- time hours. The eastbound frontage road east of Midway is scheduled to be closed for one night on January 14. Dallas North Tollway: LBJ is narrowed to 3 main lanes in each direction at the DNT. Other Locations: The new westbound frontage road from Valley View to Marsh will open in January. The new section of eastbound frontage road from Marsh to Midway should also be opened by January. Various main lanes of LBJ will be closed frequently during night-time hours. There will also be intermittent night-time closures of various LBJ entrance and exit ramps. All scheduled work is tentative as permitted by weather conditions and other factors.
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About the City of Farmers Branch
 An historic community in the geographic center of the DFW Metroplex, Farmers Branch boasts a residential population of 28,800 and a daytime employment population of 66,000. Located on the northwest border of the City of Dallas, the City's 27 parks and lush greenbelts feature nationally-acclaimed, award-winning soccer fields, football facilities as well as baseball and softball complexes. The city's location in the center of the Metroplex and only 15 minutes away from both DFW Airport and Love Field, along with the 2,200 hotel rooms within the city, make Farmers Branch an ideal location for residents and for business. For more information on the City of Farmers Branch, visit farmersbranch.info, visitfarmersbranch.com, lovethebranch.com
or call 972.247.3131. |
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