One of the Club’s activities is raising money to buy bicycles for Mission Arlington’s annual holiday bike drive. Watch this video to see them in action, and a surprise visit by Mission Arlington Executive Director Tillie Burgin.

The ball helps thousands of local underprivileged children by donating toys that attendees bring to the event.

Arlington VIBE produced this new video featuring Margarita Society of Arlington President Bart Thompson, with scenes from last year’s ball. Watch it:

Arlington Tennis Center

In a city that seems to squint through the glare emitted by sporting giants like the new Cowboys Stadium, or more recently by the Rangers themselves at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, there is a third much humbler, but equally notable sports facility in Arlington that is under-recognized by the limelight; the Arlington Tennis Center.  Confusingly, tennis is the only traditional sport to grow in participation in the double digits from 2000-2009, a whopping 48.8 per cent according to USTA.com. 

I had to find out the reason I had not heard about their multi-award winning facility, 18 total since its inception in 1995.  I made an appointment by dialing the general phone number at Arlington Tennis Center as quickly as possible.  Within 24 hours I found myself walking across a pristine lawn, all the while gazing at the wooden Adirondack armchairs among the tennis courts, before striding through the front doors of the multi-million-dollar Arlington Tennis Center.

I was greeted by assistant director Lisa Willaims and escorted to the current facility director Sheryl Osborn, the recipient of the prestigious United States Professional Tennis Association Facility Manager of the Year in 2008.  The same year ATC was also recognized as the United States Tennis Association Outstanding Facility of the Year

Mrs. Osborn has been employed at ATC since 1996, and the staff are mostly part-time employees.  “Virtually all of our staff at least have bachelor’s degrees, several have masters and most of the remaining team are working on achieving degrees,” said Mrs. Osborn.

Arlington Parks and Recreation, which won the United States Professional Tennis Association Organization of the Year in 2009, maintain the delicious grounds engulfing the 20, lighted courts of the public facility, as well as giving support financially.  ATC also works closely with the University of Texas at Arlington and Arlington Independent School District tennis programs.  

Tournaments from both UTA and AISD are regularly played on the courts at ATC.  “Over 50,00 people a year pass through Arlington Tennis Center.  Whether it’s for tournaments, programs, drills or for the pro shop.”

Tennis can be played by practically anyone of any age across the globe, it is a family sport.  “Tennis teaches you how to focus, plan, concentrate.  Skills you can take with you for the rest of your life,” said Mrs. Osborn.  ATC has taken this heavy task of teaching aspiring Roger Federers or Maria Sharapovas and applied one of the newest teaching methods available for children.  “One of the things we have really tried to focus on in the last three years is a method for teaching [10 and under] children tennis called Quickstart,” said Mrs. Osborn.

Quickstart is a very recent development in the tennis-teaching industry that ATC jumped on very quickly; in 2008 they were the first tennis center in the area to incorporate the program. The method is very simple for Quickstart in that it is a program patterned after the development processes of children in other sports.  Basically, it is taking the rackets, balls and courts and making them smaller for children so that their tennis equipment grows along with them and their involvement in the sport.  This method seems obvious because of its popularity in virtually every other traditional sport, but it was only recently that tennis adapted low compression balls, smaller rackets as well as “Quickstart courts,” which are approximately half the size of a normal court, for the sole purpose of speeding up the learning process for children involved in tennis. At ATC the USPTA certified professionals are charged with teaching tennis to children. 

There have been two milestones at the Arlington Tennis Center this year that testify to the national prominence of the facility as well as its reputation in the USTA.  In June the U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying Tournament for men and women was held at ATC, of which it was the only tennis center in Texas selected to host such an event.  This was also one of Mrs. Osborn’s proudest moments during her tenure at ATC, “It was the confidence USTA had in our facility to host the event, as well as in my abilities as a tournament director.”

In July [2010] ATC also hosted the five-day competition “Zone Team Championship” for boys and girls 14 and under, in which they were chosen to host the event from facilities across the nation.

The ATC  also has a partnership with the Arlington Bowling Congress and host banquets together for the participants in their events.  

Arlington Tennis Center      500 W. Mayfield Rd, 76014

Monday-Thursday; 8 am to 9:30 pm                 Saturday; 8 am to 5 pm                   Sunday; 12 pm to 8 pm

817-459-6163 to reserve a court or register for programs.

Website:   http://www.arlingtontx.gov/park/tennis/index.html

Here are some photos from some of the people having fun from Epworth United Methodist, Pantego Park, George Hawkes Central Library, New World United Methodist, Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic, St Matthew’s Catholic, The Church on Rush Creek, and St. John the Apostle United Methodist.

And…. more photos sent to us by LONE STAR COMICS on Cooper St who held several parties this Halloween for kids & adults.

Thanks to everyone for inviting us and for participating.   Were you at any of these parties?

Do you see anyone you know? 

Leave a comment and tell us about your Halloween!

Okay Rangers fans it’s time to pull on those navy blues and support our AL West champions as they face AL East champions the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Wednesday.  Sunday marked the last game of the regular season and also Fan Appreciation Day 2010 of which 45,000 fans showed up to cheer on the Rangers against the Anaheim Angels, the Angels coming away with their 6-2 victory but only in the short-run.  ”The Texas Rangers got exactly what they wanted out of Sunday’s regular-season finale against Los Angeles.  Right-hander Colby Lewis, who will start game 3 against Tampa Bay, pitched five innings of one-hit ball, Josh Hamilton got four more at-bats and a batting title, and the Rangers got to thank their fans…” reported the Star-Telgram.

This is the first year of a Rangers playoff appearance since 1999 and they’ve already left to Tropicana Field in Florida to begin working out for the 3 game series against Tampa Bay: Wednesday Oct 6, 12:37 pm at Tropicana Field; Thursday Oct 7, 1:37 pm at Tropicana Field; and Saturday Oct 9, 4:07 pm at The Ballpark in Arlington.  During the regular season series Tampa Bay won against the Rangers 4-2 at Tropicana Field, but this time it seems things might be different according to manager Ron Washington.

“We’re a totally different team than we were last time,” Washington said.  ”I know we didn’t win a ballgame there, but I feel like we’re capable of playing baseball against any team in baseball.  We’re ready to go.  We’ve played a lot of baseball since then.  We have a lot of confidence in ourselves.  We’ll go there and see what happens.”

Will you be watching these playoiff games?    Do you have a prediction?    Leave a comment.

Tonight is the Cowboys‘ season opener against the Washington Redskins in Washington. 

We want your opinions. So….
Will the Cowboys win their first game tonight?  
How will they do this season?   
Can they make it to the Super Bowl which will be played at their own stadium here in Arlington in February 2011? 

Share with us your comments.  Give us your predictions.

Here are some basics about the Arlington school system:

* AISD is the 9th largest school district in Texas, with a total of 74 schools:  9 high schools, 13 junior high schools, and 52 elementary schools.

* More than 62,500 students are enrolled in the Arlington ISD.  Over 29,000 students are in art classes each school year.

* Ethnicity breakdown: 41% Hispanic / 27% White / 23% Black / 7% Asian

* The 2010 fine arts program was named one of the Best Communities for Music Education for the 7th consecutive year.

* AISD is the largest employer in Arlington and the third largest in Tarrant County, with a staff of more than 8,000, including over 4,200 classroom teachers.

* Average years of teaching experience with the district: 8.4.

* Average teacher salary is $57,064 while beginning teacher salary is $45,422.

* Budget: $438,635,549  –  About 49% of revenue comes from property taxes.

* The Board meets at 7:00pm on the first and third Thursdays of each month at the JW Counts Administration Building.

For more information on schedules, enrollment, news, staff, services, athletics, special programs, statistics, and more, visit the AISD website:   http://www.aisd.net/

Do you have a child in school?
What do you/they like about school?  Any dislikes?   
Please share your opinions about Arlington schools. Leave a comment below.

Tumbling Tumbleweeds - 16 x 20
on MDF board Acrylic paper collage

For this native Texan, each new project is like the first day of a journey, bringing surprise and joy from the “detours” of endless amounts of information on new methods and techniques. Nancy’s paintings capture a moment in time during her life experiences at home in Texas or in travel. Her daily inspirations might be Parker County peaches, or a gecko in the bathtub. The journey in Art Journaling is the reward with each new friend and each new travel destination, for which she has incredible enthusiasm.

Summer Friends - 11 x 15 Watercolor

“There is a constant race against time, some risks, and so much to learn in the search for the beauty and joy in paints, water, paper and canvas,” Nancy believes. “All that I see and experience has the potential for a painting or a journal entry.”

Coming up in November, Nancy will be teaching a class on “Art Journaling” at Arlington’s Upstairs Gallery. You can find out more details on her blog. Works from previous Art Journaling classes and retreats can be seen on her blog.

Nancy loves “jumping around” on her painting styles, she says, because she likes to experiment. Her art is a means of self-expression that is constantly evolving and taking a new direction. She tends to use intuitive colors and is comfortable with representational and non-objective subjects. Nancy says, “I don’t strive for a photographic reproduction of an image as I feel like a camera can do a better job. Art has an emotional dimension and I’d like to leave something for the viewer’s imagination.”

Since retiring from being an elementary school librarian in 2000, Nancy has been able to put more and more time into her art. With degrees and certifications from Texas Woman’s University and University of North Texas, Nancy is an active member in the Arlington Visual Arts Association, the Society of Watercolor Artists of Fort Worth, and the International Society of Experimental Artists, among other groups.

Nancy’s work can be seen at local shows and galleries such as F6 and Upstairs Gallery, as well as on her website and her blog. There, she also features other artists and talks about various workshops and seminars that she attends. Nancy is a founding member of the Canvas by Canvas collaborative art group of Arlington, TX. In this group, each artist paints a gallery-wrapped canvas which is then assembled and framed into a finished piece of fine art.

“Painting has enriched my life and creative spirit. I enjoy the process because it’s fun, energizing, challenging, and it provides a beautiful and pleasing journey of new places and new friends.”

To learn more about Nancy Standlee, visit her websites and blog:
http://nancystandlee.blogspot.com
http://canvasbycanvas.com
http://nancystandlee.com

This post, highlighting an Arlington woman, is part of a series commemorating Women’s Equality Day.

Kate owns and operates The Lion’s Den Resale Shop and Resource Center — a grass-roots initiative that combines the business model of a trendy shop with the inspiration and objectives of community outreach. Open since June of this year, The Lion’s Den offers new or gently used items for the entire family — items that have been donated by members of the community. Volunteers of all ages keep the place running!

Proceeds then go directly towards the organization’s various support programs, which are designed to help young adults and single parents by providing information, education, and guidance. Such programs include “sponsor-a-student” sessions, parenting classes, managing stress workshops, college workshops for single parents, and others. Counseling and case management are also available.

A mother of three children, Kate Greene graduated from UTA with honors and has a degree in social work. She plans to return to UTA to get here master’s degree in the same field. Her focus to help children, young adults, and single parents is influenced by both personal and work experience.

The mission of The Lion’s Den is “to challenge this community to care about one another.” Kate wants to “strengthen community bonds, (and) instill character values in youth….” She believes, “For a project to foster character development, it must provide a positive social environment,…and ties among school, home and community.” The result is the development of “character in both the child and the community.”

“People need each other,” Kate says, “and we all can contribute to build a strong, caring community.”

The Lion’s Den Shop hours:
Mon-Sat 8am-9pm Sun 12pm-6pm

Location: 1812 Southeast Parkway, Arlington, Texas 76018
Phone: 817.419.8888

To volunteer or contribute items, contact Kate though her The Lion’s Den website (http://www.thelionsden.org). They accept gently used clothing, shoes, baby items, purses, toothpaste, toilet paper, soap, shampoo, feminine hygiene products, disposable diapers and unopened canned formula.

This post, highlighting an Arlington woman, is part of a series commemorating Women’s Equality Day.