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Celebrate Farmers Branch
A couple of weeks ago, we talked about an upcoming community event on April 5 and asked you to save the date. Since then, I've been bombarded by people wanting to know more about it, who's going to be there and what's happening. Well, here goes.
The Farmers Branch Chamber of Commerce will host a gala on Friday, April 5 to honor the best in Farmers Branch, both businesses and individuals. The event will take place at Brookhaven Country Club and the public is invited to attend.
And, here's a very big reason why you will want to attend.
The special guest speaker will be one of the greatest personalities on television, CBS golf analyst, David Feherty, the Irish-born American citizen who has kept audiences of all kinds transfixed for 15 years.  With his razor-sharp wit and trademark Irish accent, Feherty has made an international name for himself as a golf expert, humorist, television personality and speaker. Now, before non-golf fans tune out, I urge you to click on his picture to sample the experience that is David Feherty (on YouTube).
After that, I'm sure we'll see you on April 5.
Anyone can reserve their tickets by calling the Chamber office at 972.243.8966. Sponsorship packages and tables are also available for those that may be interested.
This will be a wonderful evening to spend with friends, laugh and get inspired and to celebrate Farmers Branch.
I hope to see you there.
  
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FeaturedSTORIES
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Bullet 
Farmers Branch PD brings home speedy new K9 for police service FARMERS BRANCH ~ With speed reminiscent of his namesake, the new Farmers Branch Police Department K9, Bullet, hit the streets earlier this week with his handler, Officer Steve Grigg. A 19-month-old Belgian Malinois, Bullet was imported from Europe and is trained in Czech commands. The dog was acquired from Worldwide Canine in Spring Branch, Texas, just north of San Antonio. Officer Grigg spent four weeks in more than 160 hours of training classes to learn about health and nutrition, canine case law and how to speak Czech. "Bullet is a dual-purpose canine," Officer Grigg explained. "That means he is trained to alert to marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin. "He is also trained to track, search for objects and bite upon command." Bullet passed all of his certification tests last week and started patrol with Officer Grigg on Tuesday. Farmers Branch Police Chief Sid Fuller said Officer Grigg chose Bullet because of his drive. "This breed has a very high drive and is a working dog," the Chief said. "Right now, he's learning his way around the Police Department and is meeting his fellow officers." Officer Grigg and Bullet will be responding to in progress calls, assisting officers in locating narcotics and anything else to help make the streets of Farmers Branch a safer place.
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Ancient Egypt fills Manske Library
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. KING TUT AND THE 1920s 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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Daddy Daughter Dance tickets on sale
COMMUNITY RECREATION CENTER ~ Renewing a Farmers Branch Valentine's tradition, the immensely popular "Daddy-Daughter Dance" is coming back to the Farmers Branch Community Recreation Center on Saturday, February 2 from 6 until 8 p.m. with a "Red Carpet" theme for this year's event, exclusively for daddies and their daughters.
Advance tickets are $5 per person for residents or $8 for non-residents or $10 at the door.
There will be a live DJ, dancing, face painting, keepsake photo and refreshments. For more information, visit the Rec Center on Facebook @ fbreccenter or call 972.247.4607.
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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 on January 8 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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Volume 3.03 | Number 99 
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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Randy Walhood appointed Director of Public Works
FARMERS BRANCH ~ Drawing on a wide range of municipal public works and engineering experience with a number of municipalities, Randy Walhood has been appointed Farmers Branch Director of Public Works by City Manager Gary D. Greer. A registered Professional Engineer, Mr. Walhood turned private experience into government service, previously working for the cities of Arlington and Carrollton before coming to the City of Farmers Branch as a Project Manager in 2001. During his tenure, he has also served in the capacities of Utilities Engineer and City Engineer and, since September of 2012, Interim Director of Public Works. "We conducted a national search and Randy rose to the top in each step of the search process," said Mr. Greer. "From drainage projects to construction inspection, capital improvements and more, Randy brings a wealth of experience to the table. "Also, having been here 12 years, Randy has a familiarity with our organization and an insight to our programs that you can't get anywhere else." Mr. Walhood holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Mississippi State University and is a member of the Texas Public Works Association, Texas Society of Professional Engineers, American Water Works Association, American Public Works Association and National Society of Professional Engineers.
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Rose classes continue
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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 A surprise snowfall Tuesday morning sprinkled Farmers Branch with flakes and pellets of snow, enough to decorate the landscape for a few hours before the temps rose. Photo by Tom Bryson
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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 16, 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. 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. 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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