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Anybody can serve
"Everybody can be great because anybody can serve."
The exact phraseology of this quotation from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. may have been paraphrased into gender correctness through the years but the basic message still rings as true today as it did 50
years ago. To serve one's community, in whatever capacity that may be, is among the highest callings - higher than any individual political leaning or personal ambition.
In Farmers Branch, as in many cities across our nation, the City Council members, board and commission members and the dozens upon dozens of people that help this community succeed and excel ... are volunteers. They do not draw a cent for their service. They do it for love of community, for an ambition to do good work.
The teenager, Anne Frank, showing wisdom beyond her 15 years, understood the impact of service when she wrote, "How wonderful it is that nobody needs to wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."
So whether they be candidates for office here at home, in other communities or at higher levels, they all share a common attribute. And, when possible, we should put aside the politics du jour and thank these folks for having the heart of a servant. Most of them do jobs we wouldn't want to do, but somebody has to.
For that, they should have our deep gratitude.
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Presale orders underway for pictorial history book of Farmers Branch
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This previously undiscovered picture of Dr. Samuel Gilbert's daughter, Isabelle, will be part of the new book's collection. Dr. Gilbert was one of the earliest residents of the community. His house is the oldest house in Dallas County (1856) and still remains on the grounds of the Farmers Branch Historical Park.
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HISTORICAL PARK ~ Advance orders are now being taken for a limited edition pictorial history book of Farmers Branch, set for publication later this year. The Farmers Branch Historical Park says the volume will be full color with expanded history and an index that will provide a great historical reference of the City. "The book will update the first pictorial history that was published in 1996," said Historical Park Superintendent Derrick Birdsall. "While readers will find some old favorites, there will be many, many new images that the Historical Park has acquired during the past 17 years. "Readers will go along on a journey from the founding of Farmers Branch up to the present day in a full color format." Advance orders are $35 through May 31 and $50 afterwards. Additionally, orders placed by April 22 will qualify for free name embossing. Call 972.406.0184 or click the link for the presale order form. PRESALE ORDER FORM
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 Cleaning Time Again CityWide CleanUp Day moves to Oran Good Park, Saturday
FARMERS BRANCH ~ Old medications, old books, documents, electronics and more can find their way our of your garage on Saturday as the City of Farmers Branch presents the annual CityWide CleanUp Day, from 9 a.m. until 12 noon, this year moving to Oran Good Park, near Valley View Lane at Tom Field Road.
Traffic is asked to enter the Oran Good parking lot from Tom Field Road and exit onto Valley View.
CityWide CleanUp Day will feature opportunities for electronics recycling and document shredding, along with regular refuse disposal and recycling drop off.
Representatives of the Farmers Branch Manske Library will be on hand to accept any old books, DVDs or other media that residents would like to donate to future used book sales. Also, Metrocrest Social Services will be there to accept donations of clothing and canned goods to benefit the less fortunate in the area. Metrocrest officials kindly request that donations be clean and in working order. Gently used clothing and non-perishible food donations are especially welcomed. Small appliances are not currently needed.
Members of the Farmers Branch Police Department will be on hand to collect old and outdated prescription medication as part of the Drug Enforcement Administration's sixth annual "National Take Back Initiative." Collected medications will be turned over to the DEA for proper destruction.
Free rose plants will be given away to the first 20 residents signing up for the City Manager's Rose Contest and UPS will be on hand to give away trees for landscaping this Spring.
Additionally, there will be public safety equipment on display, information on Liberty Fest, Community Watch, animals available for adoption and more.
Oran Good Park is located at 13401 Tom Field Road, near the corner of Tom Field and Valley View Lane. Call 972.919.2510 for more information.
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Food trucks provide mobile menus for Date Night
HISTORICAL PARK ~ Grown-ups should plan on spending an evening out on Saturday night, April 20 as the City of Farmers Branch presents "Date Night" at the Historical Park, beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Entertainment will include the Dallas band, "The O's," along with some of DFW's best gourmet food trucks and an outdoor movie, "Trouble with the Curve," starring Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams and Justin Timberlake.
Child care is available at the Farmers Branch Community Recreation Center, but must be pre-registered by calling 972.247.4607.
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LBJ Express Project Animation VIDEO
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FARMERS BRANCH ~ The weekly update on the Interstate 635 expansion project has been made available by LBJ Express, the construction team responsible for the five-year project that will completely renovate the freeway from the Dallas North Tollway to Interstate 35E. This update is for Wednesday, April 10, 2013.
Valley View (at IH35E): The IH35E northbound frontage road left lane will remain closed at Valley View through June. In addition, there will be various lane closures along Valley View between the IH35E frontage roads for several weeks beginning this week to facilitate construction of a new IH35E northbound entrance ramp over Valley View.
IH 635/IH35E Interchange: Eastbound LBJ will be closed on the night of May 4 for bridge construction.
Denton Drive: The westbound LBJ frontage road between Ford and Denton will remain closed until mid-April. The westbound frontage road between Metro and Denton will be closed on the nights of April 22-25 for beam installation. The westbound frontage road between Metro and Ford will be closed during the night of April 14 for paving work.
Josey Lane: Construction of the permanent paving and drainage on Josey has experienced delays and will now require various lanes closed through Mid-May. Various lanes will be closed during night-time hours April 10-16 for bridge construction.
Treeview Lane: Treeview and Maybrook will be closed during night-time hours on April 19 and 22.
Webb Chapel: Webb Chapel will be closed at IH635 on the nights of April 16, April 26 and May 6 for bridge construction. Various lanes will be closed on the night of April 17.
Marsh Lane: The pavement and bridge work on Marsh south of Ridgeoak will continue through early May when all lanes should be reopened. The southbound right turn lane will be closed until April 16 to allow for sidewalk construction. Various additional lanes may be closed during off-peak hours. Marsh Lane is scheduled to be closed during the weekend of April 12-14 to allow for paving of the intersection at the westbound frontage road. During this closure southbound Marsh will be closed at Valley View Lane. The closure will also include the westbound Marsh exit and the westbound frontage road approaching Marsh. The westbound LBJ exit to Marsh will be closed on April 26 for an indefinite period. To reach Marsh Lane, traffic will exit at Midway and use the new frontage road between Midway and Marsh that will open April 26.
Valley View (at IH635): Valley View is scheduled to be closed on the nights of April 19, 20, 21, 22 and 26 for bridge construction.
Midway Road: The southbound left turn lane on Midway Road between the LBJ frontage roads will remain closed indefinitely. Expect various lanes to be closed on Midway at LBJ during off-peak hours. The right southbound lane of Midway south of LBJ is schedule to be closed from March 29 to April 30 for drainage installation. The westbound to eastbound U-turn lane is closed indefinitely. The eastbound frontage road east of Midway will be closed during off-peak hours daily through June. Midway will be closed on the nights of April 20, April 27 and May 4 for bridge construction.
Welch Road: Welch is narrowed to one lane in each direction at LBJ for through April for drainage system work.
Other Locations: 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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Photo by Derrick Birdsall
Sunset silhouette
Keenan Cemetery guide Dawni Callahan strikes a silhouetted pose against the setting sun during "Encounters from the Past" tours last weekend. The guided tours, which take a glimpse into the past of Farmers Branch from the "people" who lived it, conclude this weekend.
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Volume 3 | Edition 15 | Number 111 
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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'Encounters' wrap up this weekend at Keenan Cemetery
KEENAN CEMETERY ~ After a successful opening, the Farmers Branch Historical Park's annual glimpse into Farmers Branch history wraps up this weekend with the final "Encounters from the Past" tours at Keenan Cemetery. 
The remaining tours will be held on Friday and Saturday, April 12-13, beginning at 6:30 p.m. each evening. Tours leave every 15 minutes with the last tour beginning at 7:30 p.m.
The unique, guided walks through Farmers Branch Keenan Cemetery will explore the lives and contributions of many of the community's early citizens, with the help of local, costumed actors.
Tickets are on sale now $5 each, free for kids under age 6. Call 972.406.0184.
Holocaust lecture at Library to mark Remembrance Day
MANSKE LIBRARY ~ In honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Charlotte Decoster, PhD., will give a lecture on the Holocaust at the Farmers Branch Manske Library on Saturday, April 13 at 2 p.m.
Dr. Decoster, Education and Public Engagement Coordinator for the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance will give a presentation on the Holocaust in Europe at the Farmers Branch Manske Library. The lecture will include a discussion of the rise of Hitler, the different phases of the Holocaust from persecution to extermination, and acts of resistance and rescue along with a brief introduction about the establishment and exhibit at the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance.
This lecture is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the North Texas Dieselpunks.
Free tax help enters home stretch
FARMERS BRANCH ~ Free tax preparation assistance from AARP volunteers is now available on Tuesdays at the Farmers Branch Senior Center and at the Manske Library. 
Volunteers are on hand at the Senior Center on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. and at the Manske Library from 1 until 7 p.m. through April 16. The tax filing deadline is Monday, April 15.
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Library plans DART art tour, April 17
MANSKE LIBRARY ~ Concentrating on artistic expression that has led to what are essentially outdoor galleries along DART's light rail lines, "The Community as Canvas: DART Art Station Tour" will depart the Farmers Branch Manske Library Wednesday morning, April 17, at 10 a.m.
Participants will ride the DART train and enjoy the collection of public art that has won numerous awards for design. Commuters will marvel at how artists have transformed common elements in the transit stations, such as canopies, columns, paving, windscreens, fencing and more into striking art and design elements.
The tour is free but seating is limited so advance registration is requested by calling the Library at 972.247.2511.
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Information meeting planned for Friends of the Library
MANSKE LIBRARY ~ Anyone who loves the Farmers Branch Manske Library and wants to help advance its programs and objectives is invited to an information meeting for the Friends of the Farmers Branch Manske Library, set for Wednesday, April 24 at 7 p.m. in the Library Theatre.
For more information, call the Library at 972.247.2511.
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Certified Tourism Ambassador class set April 30
CITY HALL ~ Those interested in becoming Certified Tourism Ambassadors for the City of Farmers Branch are invited to participate in a private certification class on Tuesday, April 30 from 1 until 5 p.m. at Farmers Branch City Hall.
A nationwide certification, the CTA program seeks to increase tourism by training and inspiring front-line hospitality employees and volunteers to work together to turn every visitor encounter into a positive experience.
The Farmers Branch Economic Development and Tourism Department is hosting the class with an emphasis on Farmers Branch attractions.
Deadline for registration is April 15. For more information, costs and registration information, visit www.ctanetwork.com, using promotion code EC03081230007733.
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Fishin' Fun returns to Rawhide May 4
FARMERS BRANCH ~ Ever expanding the range of offering fun, with fish, the 2013 edition of Fishin' Fun in Farmers Branch will feature kayaking and kayak fishing as part of this year's event, set for Saturday, May 4 around Rawhide Creek at Gussie Field Watterworth Park, near City Hall. The traditional fishing event, open to kids ages 16 and under, will begin with registration starting at 7 a.m. that morning. The tournament goes from 8 until 10 a.m. with kids looking for the biggest of the one ton of farm-raised catfish that have been stocked in the creek. The awards ceremony will follow. Additionally, the Kids Zone, featuring games for younger kids, will be open from 8 a.m. until 12 noon. Kayak fishing will be held from 9 a.m. until 12 noon with onsite reservations available for specific time slots. General kayaking will be available throughout the morning. As always, registration for Fishin' Fun is free and loaner fishing equipment is available at no charge. For more info, call 972.919.1444.
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Click on the video or print links to download different media for the Farmers Branch Office of Economic Development and Tourism Year End Report
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 Amelia Jewell, of Farmers Branch, portrays 12-year-old Callie Bryan, a 19th century resident of the area, in the Farmers Branch Historical Park's "Encounters from the Past" tours of historic Keenan Cemetery, which conclude their 2013 run this weekend. Photo by Derrick Birdsall
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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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