BRANCH BULLETIN - eNews from Farmers Branch
Memo from the MANAGER

Aquatic transformation

   

  Here's a great story that I know you'll appreciate as much as I do.

   Once upon a time, in a faraway land called 'Oklahoma,' there lived a young girl.

  At the tender age of 12, her younger brother and several cousins decided to encourage her to employ the time-honored pool tradition of "sink or swim."

   She sank.

   Her relatives were laughing so hard at her flailing about in the deep water that they failed to notice that the lifeguard had to go in to get her. She was alright, but now terrified of the water.

   Through her formative years, she wouldn't go near a swimming pool for fear of repeating that awful experience all over again.

   Fast forward.

   Our young heroine is now in her 20s and a mother of two who wanted to go to the pool. It took her lifeguard-certified husband to finally persuade her to take swimming lessons so that she could take her kids to the pool and enjoy it with them.

   Fast forward again.

Margaret Young

  It's decades later, and this young girl not only learned how to survive but how to thrive in the water. In fact, she began to take up the cause of recreation activities of all kinds in her new Texas hometown. She eventually became such an advocate that her planning and influence were responsible for wonderful parks and tremendous facilities that would benefit thousands of people for years to come.

   And, this Saturday, we are opening our newest facility in honor of that 12-year-old girl who was once terrified of the water - the Margaret Young Natatorium.

   We hope you'll come by from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday or from 1 until 4 on Sunday to see this newest marvel of our community and help us pay tribute to longtime Parks and Recreation supporter, the force of nature that is Margaret Young.

 

To contact Gary, click on his picture 

In case you missed it, please check out these links for the most recent month of 'Memos from the Manager' and complete editions:
Breaking NEWS

Power outage reported in Wooded Creek neighborhood

 

FARMERS BRANCH ~ A utility crew working in the area has reportedly cut a power line, resulting in an electrical outage to some of the Wooded Creek neighborhood, east of Marsh Lane, between Valley View and Brookhaven Club Drive.

   Oncor representatives are responding to the scene and will be working to have power restored as soon as possible.

This WEEKEND
Featured STORIES

FARMERS BRANCH ~ Construction gives way to year-round swimming as the first phase of the all-new Farmers Branch Aquatics Center, the Margaret Young Natatorium, opens its doors Saturday, April 18. 

   Named for longtime Farmers Branch Parks and Recreation supporter Margaret Young, the facility is one part of the new Aquatics Center. The summer-season "Frog Pond" outdoor water area is directly adjacent to the natatorium and is expected to open Memorial Day Weekend, Saturday, May 23. Aquatics Center Logo

   The public is invited to visit the new Natatorium this weekend on Saturday, from 1 until 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 until 4 p.m. Staff will be on hand to answer questions and provide information about upcoming programming, lifeguard training, lap swim times and open swim times.

   Memberships will be available for sale with members invited to, literally, jump right in.

   Cost for annual memberships is $90 per individual, $180 for a family and $50 for a senior (ages 50 and up). Daily admission fees are $3 for residents and $5 for non-residents. Kids age 2 and under are free.

   The 13,000 square-foot building contains the 85,000-gallon, four-lane, 25-yard lap pool and the 24,000-gallon, heated therapy pool. In addition, there are locker rooms, family locker rooms, offices and a party/meeting room with rental options for birthday or private parties.

   Additional, limited hours of operation for the Margaret Young Natatorium will be announced in the coming week.

   The Margaret Young Natatorium at the Farmers Branch Aquatics Center is located at 14032 Heartside Place, adjacent to the Community Recreation Center. Find out more at www.fbh2o.com.


Ty Mayfield to provide music for Date Night in the Park

 

HISTORICAL PARK ~ Dallas-based pop artist Ty Mayfield will serenade the crowd as they choose from the food truck offerings at the outset of "Date Night in the Park" on Saturday, April 25 at the Farmers Branch Historical Park.
   With his sophomore album reaching number 13 on the iTunes singer/songwriter chart, Mayfield promises to be an engaging musical act to lead off the popular springtime event.
   Historical Park gates open at 6:30 p.m. and admission is free. Music begins at 7 and the movie, "St. Vincent" (PG-13) will begin at dusk.
   New this year will be a Craft Beer Tasting available for $2 each. 
   Childcare is available at the Community Recreation Center for $10 per child but advance registration is required at 972.247.4607. Fee includes activities and dinner.
   For more information, visit www.fbspecialevents.com.

Happy happenstance


While tending to the rose gardens at Gussie Field Watterworth Park last week, Parks Landscape Manager Pam Smith (center) encountered an out-of-town couple enjoying the park for the first time. Further conversation revealed that the Michigan-based couple was Gussie Field Watterworth's grandson, Joel Watterworth and his wife, Susan. Pam called the meeting "serendipitous."
BRANCH Briefs
Tell it to the Mayor next Wednesday

 

CITY HALL ~ Continuing his regular open office hours, Mayor Bob Phelps will be available at City Hall from 3 until 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22 for "Tell it to the Mayor."

   Anyone is invited to come visit with Mayor Phelps for any reason during those hours. No appointment is required.

   "Tell it to the Mayor" is regularly held on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month. Call 972.247.3131.

Document shredding coming in May

 

CITY HALL ~ Spreading its services out through the year and to different venues, CityWide CleanUp will offer document shredding to Farmers Branch residents on Saturday, May 16 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at Farmers Branch City Hall.

   These document destructions services are designed for residents only and proof of residence may be required. For more information, call 972.919.2510.

Opera comes to the Library, April 25

 

MANSKE LIBRARY ~ The Brookhaven College Opera and Musical Theater Workshop will be performing at the Farmers Branch Manske Library on Saturday, April 25 at 2 p.m.
   The group is comprised of talented singers and actors who perform scenes from famed operas and musicals. The performers are students, and the program consists of dramatic and comedic solos and group numbers. 
   This performance is free and open to the public. For more information call the Library at 972.247.2511.
  

Award-winning poet to return for reading

 

MANSKE LIBRARY ~ Award-winning poet R. Flowers Rivera will be reading excerpts from her recent publication Heathen at the Farmers Branch Manske Library on Wednesday, April 29 at 7 p.m. 

   Currently a resident of McKinney, R. Flowers Rivera completed a Ph.D. in English at Binghamton University. Her work has been anthologized in Mischief, Caprice & Other Poetic Strategies and published in several journals. 

   Rivera was awarded the 2009 Leo Love Merit Scholarship in Poetry in association with the Taos Summer Writers Conference. 

   This reading is free and open to the public. For more information call the Library at 972.247.2511. To learn more about Rivera and her work, visit her website promethea.com.

   For more information call the Library at 972.247.2511. 


 

PARTING Shot
Front row
These kids had a special seat on the front bumper of this Farmers Branch fire engine for the official ribbon cutting of the Firehouse Theatre, located in old Farmers Branch Fire Station No. 1 on Valley View Lane, near City Hall.
Volume 5 | Edition 15 | Number 216
Wednesday, April 15, 2015  
Branch Bulletin
is published weekly by the Communications Office since March 5, 2011
of the City of Farmers Branch, TX.
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Updated NEWS
RAWHIDE CREEK ~ An annual rite of spring in Farmers Branch, the annual Fishin' Fun event returns to the banks of Rawhide Creek, near City Hall, on Saturday, May 2, from 8 a.m. til 12 noon.
   Rawhide Creek will be stocked with a ton of fish waiting for young anglers (16 and under). 
   The event is free of charge and no registration is required. Additionally, there will be a kayaking area further downstream that has proved to be very popular. 
   Fishing will take place between 8 and 10 a.m. with an awards ceremony at 10:30. The free KidZone and kayaking will continue until 12 noon.
   Kids are welcome to bring their own gear or to borrow from the inventory of rods and reels on hand. For more information, call 972.919.1444.
FARMERS BRANCH ~ Storybook tales collide in the epic musical "Into the Woods," to be presented by the Firehouse Theatre on select nights April 16 through May 3.
   Based on the book by James Lapine with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, the show was recently translated to a highly successful film version.
   For reservations or ticket information, call 972.620.3747 or visit thefirehousetheatre.com.
April 2015
Elections INFO
 EARLY VOTING
at Dallas County Early Voting locations, including 
 Farmers Branch City Hall

APR 27 - MAY 2 . Mon-Sat
8 am to 5 pm
MAY 3 . Sun
1 to 6 pm
MAY 4 - 5  .  Mon-Tue
7 am to 7 pm

Council District 3
Candidates

Andy Olivo
Brenda Brodrick
John Norwood 

Council District 5
Candidates

David Merritt
Mike Bomgardner

ELECTION DAY
at Dallas County Polling Precincts

Saturday, May 9
7 am to 7 pm


May 2015

All events & meetings are subject to change. Call listed numbers or 972.247.3131 for verification or more information.
 
IN the BANNER
Floaties won't be the only thing in the water when the Margaret Young Natatorium opens to the public this Saturday.
Photo by Tom Bryson

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About the City of Farmers Branch Farmers Branch Logo
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  lovethebranch.com or call 972.247.3131.