Have Breakfast with Santa tomorrow!

The big guy from the North Pole is hosting the City's 15th annual Breakfast with Santa on Saturday, Dec. 6, 7 a.m.-11 a.m., at the BRiCk. The event is geared to children from birth to 12 years old (children 2 and younger get in free). Saint Nick's elves will be cooking up and serving breakfast. Santa will be in the Winter Wonderland until 11 a.m. to hear Christmas wishes, so bring your camera. Stop by Santa's workshop to make holiday crafts. Advance tickets are available through today, or you can buy tickets at the door Dec. 6. Advance tickets are $4 for children and $5 for adults. Tickets at the door are $5 for children, $7 for adults. More 

Streets will be closed Dec. 6 for parade

To protect Parade of Lights participants, drivers, pedestrians and parade watchers, the streets around Kerr Middle School will be shut down starting at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6, so that the parade organizers may begin staging of the parade at 4:30 p.m. Those closures include Irene Street, Lena Street and Dian Street. Every street and driveway between Gardens Boulevard and Renfro Street that intersect with Johnson Avenue will be barricaded by 5:30 p.m. The square block area around the fireworks display (First Baptist Church's parking lot at Ellison and Johnson) will be barricaded by noon on Dec. 6. There will be no access from Hwy. 174 to Johnson Avenue, including cutting through parking lots (FasTaco, Whataburger, Southwest Bank) starting at 5 p.m. Street vendors are not permitted at the event site or on the streets along the parade route. Violators may be ticketed.

Rotary hosts Parade of Lights Dec. 6

The Burleson Rotary Club is hosting the Parade of Lights that step off from Kerr Middle School at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2014. Twinkling lights are a must on each parade entry. Fees in the four categories range from $10-$45. The parade will start on the Irene Street side of the school parking lot, turn right on Gregory Street, right on Johnson Avenue, and right on Ellison Street. The Christmas parade will then turn right at the intersection of Ellison and Warren Street (next to Community Bank and Burleson City Hall) and head back to the middle school parking lot. The parade will not go past city hall. For more information about the parade, call Lisa Keese at 817-447-7300. The parade application is available online.

What's building in Burleson?

The City's November building permit and activity report is posted on the City website. Find out where the 13 permits for new homes were issued. The average square feet of these new homes is 3,152. The average value is $182,975. On the commercial side, permits were issued for Wagner Smith on HighPoint Parkway and a commercial remodel at 104 N.W. Renfro St. The November report shows 29 active commercial permits and eight completed projects. 

Get your Christmas crafts Dec. 6

Stop by the Burleson Senior Activity Center on Saturday, Dec. 6, for the Christmas Craft Fair. The fair takes place 9 a.m.-2 p.m. and showcases one-of-a-kind handmade items - sewn creations, art, jewelry and more - from area vendors. This is a great time to get that special gift for friends and relatives. The center is located at 216 S.W. Johnson Ave., next to the Burleson Post Office.

Five trout, two poles, 24 hours

Bailey Lake is filled with trout! Please note the rules for trout fishing . . . you are limited to two fishing poles per person. That means one person can't be fishing with five poles. Speaking of five, the limit is five trout per day (yes, per every 24 hours). If you catch one, two, three, four or five trout in 24 hours, you can keep it/them. But if you catch anything that is not a trout, you have to release it. And, as a reminder, a fishing license is required for anglers 17 years of age and older who wish to fish at Bailey Lake. Bailey Lake is located at 280 W. Hidden Creek Pkwy. in Burleson (corner of Hidden Creek and Gardens Boulevard). All state guidelines and requirements are applicable. To learn more about fishing licenses, please go to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Division page.  

Be part of our website redesign

The City of Burleson website is undergoing a redesign in 2015. You can be part of that! Capture a few shots of your favorite scene in Burleson. The pictures must be a minimum of 2,000 pixels wide (3,000 is preferable), so pictures from camera phones will not work. Email your favorite scenery shots. Make sure to include your name, the location of the picture, and your contact information. The deadline to submit is Dec. 18. We'll let you know if we choose your favorite scene!

Talk about proposed changes to City's noise ordinance Dec. 9

Fireworks are the big finale Dec. 6

Fireworks will light up the sky in Old Town Burleson on Saturday, Dec. 6, to serve as the big finale for a day full of Christmas festivities. The Burleson Rotary Club is hosting the Parade of Lights that steps off from Kerr Middle School at 6 p.m. on Dec. 6. Santa will be on that last Parade of Lights float. His final stop for the day is the corner of Johnson Avenue and Ellison Street, which will be bustling with dancers and singers entertaining the parade crowd. The big finale is at 7 p.m., at that same corner, with the lighting of the City's Christmas tree and a firework show choreographed to holiday music. More 

Say no, no no to holiday thieves

The Texas Auto Burglary and Theft Prevention Authority, of which the Burleson Police Department is a member, reminds drivers that a vehicle is burglarized every two minutes and stolen every eight minutes in the state. These crimes can escalate during the holiday season. A thief won't necessarily stop with taking your vehicle and the things inside. A thief may also look for personal documents and items that can help them steal your identity or gain access to your home. Auto burglars are more likely to scout malls, shopping centers, entertainment venues, hotels, and other business parking lots looking for opportunities to break into vehicles and take gifts, purses, wallets, packages, electronics, suitcases, garage door openers, keys and personal information. When vehicles are left unlocked and unattended, drivers are inviting thieves to walk away with everything they see inside. More

Public safety hosts Heart for Kids game Dec. 13

This year's benefit game for Heart for the Kids will be a little different. Burleson Police, Burleson Fire, and the Crowley Fire Department are banding together to form two teams to hit the donations out of the park . . . all to make sure that families who need help can put toys and clothing under the Christmas tree. The bats will be cracking Saturday, Dec. 13, at 2 p.m. at Hidden Creek Sports Complex, 295 E. Hidden Creek Pkwy. Admission is one unwrapped toy. Heart for the Kids will distribute the donated items to families the week of Dec. 14.This is the 13th year that the Burleson Professional Fire Fighters Association Local #4025 and Burleson Police Officers Association have hosted the event. More  

Expect lane closures week of Dec. 15

The Texas Department of Transportation will be installing a new red light camera at the Wilshire/Gardens/Summercrest intersection (southbound side) the week of Dec. 15. This work is to relocate the original camera which was removed when the median project was done and a dedicated right turn lane for south bound traffic was added. There will be short term lane closures towards the end of the week to install remote sensors. The lanes will be closed only between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and each closure should last about 30 minutes 

Hang out at Russell Farm & meet

the Rein Donkey 

Get your picture taken with Joey, the "Rein-Donkey," during the three-day Christmas at Russell Farm festivities. The City's 30-acre historic farm at 405 W. County Road 714 is the site for fun Dec. 18-20. The hours on Thursday and Friday are 5 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Saturday's hours are 2 p.m.-8:30 p.m. The festivities are free. The fun includes pictures (bring your own camera) with a donkey wearing antlers; checking out the Christmas trees decorated by community clubs and organizations; hay rides; handmade crafts for sale; tours of the historic Russell-Boren house as well as the Russell Farm Art Center gallery; and hot chocolate, cookies and coffee. More

City facilities close for awards luncheon

City of Burleson facilities - with the exception of Hidden Creek Golf Course, the Senior Activity Center, the Burleson Police Department and the three fire stations - will be closed on Thursday, Dec. 11, between 11:15 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. so that City employees may attend the City's annual awards luncheon. Russell Farm will be closed. The Burleson Animal Shelter will open at 2 p.m. For normal business hours, go to the news release.