The Old East Dallas Renaissance Project, an organization dedicated to revitalizing the community, will hold its “Spring Ahead Weekend” April 3-4.
Officials say they expect 2,000 people to participate in a cleanup/home renewal project Saturday, April 3, and a festival at the following day at Buckner Park, on the east side of Carroll Avenue, between Worth and Victor Streets.
The Renaissance Project is an outgrowth of the federal “Weed and Seed” initiative that made its mark in East Dallas with the Justice Department’s seizure of a crack house on Swiss Avenue.
Founders of the non-profit Renaissance Project are seeking corporate support (Mobil Oil Corp. is a primary sponsor) but depend on the involvement of private citizens.
The organization’s president, Tom Moore, said recently that crime and neglect threaten the existence of East Dallas.
“If we do not wage an all-out battle against these elements, Old East Dallas will be largely unfit for civilized habitation and for the legal conduct of business by the turn of the century,” he said.
The group roughly defines Old East Dallas as an eight-square-mile area with its axis on Gaston Avenue running from Downtown to Lakewood Shopping Center and extending two miles to the east and west.
For information on the Spring Ahead Weekend, call 658-5217. Call 658-5218 for general information or 658-5215 to reach the message center.
Art Encounters Host Student Art Contest
High school (grades 9-12) and college students are invited to compete in a fine art competition sponsored by Art Encounter, 325 Northlake Shopping Center.
The competition will include oils, watercolors, photography, sculpture and drawings (pen and ink, pencil or charcoal), and entries must be 35mm slide transparency copies of original artwork conceived and created by the student entrant.
Entry deadline is March 31, with notification of winners to follow in late April. Entry cost is $4 per slide entry, or three entries for $10. Entry fees will be used as cash prizes depending upon the number of entries.
Call 340-1595 for information.
Clements, Realtors Plans Seniors Fair
State Rep. John Carona will be the keynote speaker at Clements, Realtors’ second annual Senior Info-Fair, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. March 20.
The program is designed to provide resources and insight for seniors and their families regarding real estate, financial, insurance and tax issues, says Clements’ senior services director Madeline Boedeker.
Free vision and hearing screenings also will be offered, Bodeker says. Admission is free to the event, which will be held at St. Thomas Aquinas School, 3741 Abrams.
Other program sponsors include Cochran & Cochran, P.C.; A.G. Edwards & Sons Inc.; Hatfield & Hatfield Inc., P.C., certified public accountants; Autumn Leaves/Monticello West Retirement Communities; and Joan M. Gruber Matson, CFP.
Neighborhood Newsletter Display Planned
The Dallas Homeowners League and the City of Dallas will display neighborhood newsletters throughout April in the lobby of City Hall, according to Gary Lawler.
The display is designed to allow Council members and City staff to familiarize themselves with neighborhood concerns and projects, Lawler says, as well as provide ideas for other neighborhood groups.
Neighborhood groups are requested to send three copies of one newsletter edition for the display, preferably published since October 1992, Lawler says.
Forward newsletters by March 24 to Newsletter Display, Dallas Homeowners League, P.O. Box 214822, Dallas 75221. Call 824-2806 for information.
Library Friends Offer T-Shirt as Fundraiser
Local artist and Lakewood Library Friends board member Lynn Armstrong recently designed T-shirts for the group as a fund-raiser for library programs, says group membership co-chairman Nancy Cunningham.
Among the projects undertaken by the Library Friends was the recent upholstering of chairs and cushions in the library’s children’s section, the purchase of three bookshelves and a donation to the library’s book fund.
Membership in the Library Friends group begins at $15 annually, with proceeds benefiting library programs. T-shirts cost $10-$15, depending on size and style.
Call 823-9366 for information or to purchase a T-shirt.
Greenville Merchants Set St. Pat’s Parade
The 14th annual Greenville Avenue St. Patrick’s Day Parade will begin at 11 a.m. March 13, with a route north to south from Greenville at Blackwell (just north of Northwest Highway) to Yale Boulevard.
Parade participants will receive prizes donated by area merchants for entries that are the “greenest, stupidest, most outrageous, most fun for kids, most creative, least likely to finish, funniest, best of the best”.
To receive an application to enter the parade, call 368-6722. Deadline for entries is March 5.
‘Dallas Blooms’ Festival Returns to Arboretum
The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden’s annual five-week floral festival, featuring more than 200,000 blooming bulbs and one of the country’s largest azalea collections, will run from March 6-April 11.
More than 90,000 people attended last year’s event, which includes activities such as a garden hunt, landscape painting, tree-ring arithmetic, nature magnet-making and a ladybug and tree giveaway. Weekend demonstrations will feature floral arranging, beekeeping and fire ant control.
Garden personality Neil Sperry will broadcast live from the Arboretum from 8 a.m.-noon March 13-14, and the Texas State Daffodil Show will be featured throughout the weekend.
Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 for children 6-12, and free for all from 3-6 p.m. Fridays. Parking is $2.
Off-site shuttle service will be available from 3-6 p.m. Fridays and noon-6 p.m. weekends. Follow signs on Garland Road for parking information.
Call 327-8263 for information.
Service League Party Scheduled March 6
Lakewood Service League members are selling tickets for “Top Hats to Sneakers”, the group’s annual auction party, scheduled for March 6 at the Southland Center Hotel, says member Margie Artieschoufsky.
The annual event, which includes live and silent auctions and a seated dinner, raises funds for disbursements to neighborhood non-profit groups, including the East Dallas Community School, Greater Lakewood Shepherd Center, Disciples of Trinity, East Dallas Cooperative Parish, Lakewood United Methodist (Tutorial), and St. Matthew’s Cathedral (Reading Partners Tutorial).
Attendance is open to the public. Attire is black and white, either formal or informal.
Tickets are $40 in advance, $45 at the door. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. For information and reservations, call 321-5991.
News & Notes
SENIORS CRIME PROGRAM: Dallas Police Department assistant chiefs Greg Holliday and Marvin Bullard will present a program outlining “Crime Prevention for Senior Citizens” at 10 a.m. March 2 at the Lakewood Branch Library, 6121 Worth.
The chiefs will offer tips on avoiding purse snatching, fraud schemes and other crimes typically affection seniors. Admission is free. Call 670-1376 for additional information. The program is sponsored by the Lakewood Library Friends.
KIWANIS MUSICAL PLANNED: The Kiwanis Club of White Rock hosts its annual musical, “Kiss Me Kate”, through March 6 at the Garland Center for the Performing Arts, 5th & Austin.
Featured performers include Debi Goff, Cathy Parks, Ken Hyatt, Jonathan Frank, Daryl Harris, Steve Beene, David Bond, Janet Daves, Morris Baughman, Scott Bardin, Linda Frank, Don Smothers and Mary Dickson.
Performances are scheduled for 8 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee March 6. Tickets are $9 and $18. Call 327-1542 for information.
CHILDREN’S DRAMA CLASSES: Lake Highlands North Recreation Center, White Rock Trail and Church Road, offers children’s drama classes at 4 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays. Call 670-7793 or 340-0307 and ask for Pat McAuliff’s classes.
BANK EARNINGS NOTED: East Park National Bank posted record earnings of $793,000 in 1992, says Michaux Nash Jr., bank chairman. The earnings represented a 63 percent increase over year-earlier results. Nash also announced that Charles Eugene (Gene) Ward, administrator of Doctors Hospital, has been selected as an advisory director for the bank.
LH ALUM PROMOTED BY NEWS: Lake Highlands High School graduate Nancy Barry has been promoted to vice president/community relations of the Dallas Morning News. Barry graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University and worked with TU Electric for 10 years prior to joining the News in 1989. She is active in the Dallas Symphony Association, the Dallas Corporate Recycling Council, the Assistance League of Dallas and the March of Dimes.
VANDERBILT HONORED BY RE/MAX: Realtor Missy Vanderbilt recently received the top marketing award at the RE/MAX of Texas Annual Convention for materials she developed to market and promote in the Lake Highlands area. Vanderbilt also received the RE/MAX Hall of Fame award for “exceptional lifetime production” and the “100% Club” award for the sixth consecutive year.
CANCER SOCIETY LEADERS: Maggie Garner and Mercedes Poe have been named chairmen of the Forest Hill and White Rock areas for the American Cancer Society’s 1993 Community Crusade. Volunteers walk their blocks to solicit contributions for the Cancer Society and distribute information about programs. Additional volunteers are needed. For more information, call 631-3850.
CHI-OMEGA MARKET UPDATE: The recent Chi Omega Christmas Market, co-chaired by neighborhood resident Mary Tabor, raised more than $177,000 for beneficiaries. The total raised broke all previous records. Proceeds will be distributed March 9 to several charitable organizations.
BOX JOINS BAYLOR: April B. Box joined Baylor University Medical Center Foundation recently as director of the current projects division. The foundation seeks to generate current and endowed support for Baylor Health Care System. Box is active in the Dallas Cultural Affairs Commission, the Public Art Committee, and the First Baptist Church of Dallas. Husband Glenn Box represents Lakewood and East Dallas. Husband Glenn Box represents Lakewood and East Dallas on the City Council.
EBBY HONORS REALTORS: Top producers in the Northeast Dallas office of Ebby Halliday Realtors for 1992 included Dan Willems, Grace Geear, Ronda Hardt, Joy Hopkins, Natalia Page, Rose Churchwell, Susan Howard, Debbie Werner and Gloria Young, says office manager Madge Green.
NASH JOINS SWISS AVENUE: Clarence G. Nash recently joined Swiss Avenue Bank as vice president/assistant branch manager of the bank’s Oak Cliff Branch, according to bank marketing director Sue Dorsey, Swiss Avenue Bank.
