City Limits Newsletter
A monthly newsletter for the Citizens of Waco, Texas
To view the previous issue, click here: July issue
5th Annual Waco Cultural Arts Fest
The 5th annual Waco Cultural Arts Fest will take place Saturday, Sept. 20 from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 21 from noon to 7 p.m. at Indian Spring Park.
The Waco Cultural Arts Fest is a free celebration of arts and culture, in downtown Waco, and features artists, live music, dance, poetry, food and art activities for the entire family. Activities include wood and clay sculpture, painting, and mask making.
Watch demonstrations of sculpture by Rolando Saenz and talk with local artists Paul McCoy and Mike Maguire at the potter’s wheel. Shop for original paintings, drawings, wood sculpture, jewelry, ceramics, calligraphy and photography and more!
Musicial performances begin with a salute to our young artists. The Waco Junior Symphony Orchestra opens the main stage followed by Waco’s own “Ambassadors” Steel Drum Band from A. J. Moore High School. “Del Espadin” will bring the color and drama of Flamenco to the festival. The “Indian Extravaganza” will showcase beautiful saris and Indian Classical dance by Sharmada Srikant, a senior at Baylor University. Be on the look out for a Chinese Dragon! See the “Capital Highland Bagpipe Band” march from East Waco across the Suspension Bridge into the festival for a performance in the Indian Spring Performance Bowl.
Saturday headliners include Grammy award winning “Brave Combo,” America’s premier contemporary polka band and “The Inner City All Stars.” Then get ready for Country and Western singing star Dale Watson, closing headliner for the festival.
The KWBU PBS Stage features a wide variety of entertainment on both days of the festival, including the now traditional Dance-a-Thon featuring many Waco dance studios. This will be followed by up and coming young Waco performers as the stage changes to “Beatnix at Night.”
Waco Cultural Arts Fest is a celebration of the arts and culture in our community. The event is free of charge thanks to the support of the Waco Cultural Art Fest sponsors and underwriters including the City of Waco.
Visit www.wacoartsfest.org for more information about this year’s artists, art activities hours and live music performance times.
Zoo Docent Training
The Cameron Park Zoo is offering docent training during the month of October. Docents are volunteer educators who use easily handled animals and biofacts to share information with zoo visitors, as well as local schools and organizations to help them develop an appreciation of animals, their environment and the delicate balance between them.
Docents assist with tours, zoo adventure camp, classes and animal presentations. Basic requirements include the following:
- You must be 18 or older
- Background check will be run
- Signed liability release form
- Completed application
The training will be offered Oct. 4, 11 and 18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you are interested in volunteering at Cameron Park Zoo, please mail your application and resume to the Education Department.
Applications must be received before the first training date. You are required to attend all trainings. For more information or to request an application, contact Kim Hafertepe, Education Coordinator, at 750-8466 or by e-mail: kimh@cameronparkzoo.com.
Fall Library Activities for Children
The Waco-McLennan County Library offers a variety of free children’s activities this fall.
Toddler Time, a special storytime for youth ages 12 to 36 months of age, will be held on Wednesdays at the Central Library, 1717 Austin, starting Sept. 10. Two programs will be offered at 9:45 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Toddler Times offers lots of movement, language enrichment, songs, and stories appropriate for that age group.
Baby Time is a six-week interactive series for birth to 12 months that includes stories, movement, and rhyme. This series will be held on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. at the Central Library. The fall series runs Oct. 14 – Nov. 18. Space is limited so please call 750-5956 to register for this six-week program.
Preschool Storytime, for children ages 3 – 6 will be held at 10:30 a.m. at all four library locations, starting the week of Sept. 8.
The schedule is:
- East Waco Library, 901 Elm, on Tuesdays
- Hoover Library, 1428 Wooded Acres, on Wednesdays
- Central Library, 1717 Austin, on Thursdays
- South Waco Library, 2737 S. 18th St., on Fridays
Kids’ Computer Classes, aimed for students in 3rd through 7th grade, will be held monthly at Hoover Library, 1428 Wooded Acres. The one-hour programs are held monthly on the second Thursday at 4 p.m. Space is limited so please call 750-5956 to register. The topics are:
- Sept. 11- Word Processing using Microsoft Word
- Oct. 9 - Internet Web Sites
National Night Out - October 7
The Waco Police Department invites everyone to participate in the 25th Annual National Night Out on Tuesday, Oct. 7 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Due to extreme summer heat, Texas cities are observing the event in October rather than August this year.
National Night Out provides citizens with the opportunity to display a unified stance against crime and drugs in our neighborhoods by joining together in Neighborhood Watch and Neighborhood Association block parties.
The block parties may include cookouts, parades, youth activities, anti-crime displays and rallies. Each registered party is visited by a motorcade of police, fire, Citizens on Patrol volunteers, East Texas Medical Service EMS, McGruff the Crime Dog and more. The deadline for registering parties is 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 26.
For more information or to register a party, please call 750-1761. Contact your Neighborhood Association for information on parties in your area or visit www.waco-texas.com for a list of registered parties.
Cameron Park East Construction
Cameron Park East will be closed to the public beginning Oct. 1 due to redevelopment construction. The bond project is set to be finished by fall 2009.
Parts of Cameron Park will be closed and unavailable for event rentals as the renovation project continues. This bond project is planned to prepare the park for a 100-year celebration in 2010 and is expected to be finished by fall 2009.
After-School Camps
Registration is underway for the City of Waco Parks and Recreation after-school camps. South Waco, Bledsoe-Miller and Dewey Recreation Centers are offering after-school camps for kids ages 5 to 12 from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Children take part in tutoring, afternoon snacks, and recreational activities. The camps provide limited transportation from area schools. The registration fee per child is $40 per month.
South Waco Recreation Center is also offering a Teen Aide after-school program. Teens participate in mentoring and tutoring programs, while assisting after-school counselors with activities and special events. Registration is $40 per academic year for ages 14 to 16.
For more information or to register, contact the recreation centers at South Waco 750-8650, Bledsoe-Miller 750-8684, and Dewey 750-8677.
Labor Day Holiday Collection Schedule
The City of Waco will not offer Solid Waste Services on Monday, Sept. 1. Monday’s routes will be picked up on Wednesday, Sept. 3. The landfill and Cobbs Recycling & Collection Center will also be closed on Sept. 1.
All other routes will not change. To ask questions, call the Solid Waste Department at 299-2612.
Diabetes Classes
The Waco-McLennan County Public Health District is offering the “Do Well, Be Well with Diabetes” self management course on Tuesdays evenings in September.
The free classes will be offered from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Preparedness Training Room at the Health District.
Topics include how to plan your meals, monitor your blood sugar, manage your medications and prevent future complications of diabetes.
The classes are free of charge to attend, but space is limited so please register by calling Christine Smith at 750-5631.
Adult Fall Softball League
Registration begins Monday, Sept. 8 for the Adult Fall Softball League, which begins Oct. 13.
Late registration will take place Sept. 29 to Oct. 3. Players must be 18 or older to be on an adult team. Games will be played at Riverbend Park. For more information visit www.riverbendpark.com or call 750-5875.
Infant CPR Training
Waco-McLennan County Public Health District is sponsoring free Infant CPR traning classes during the month of September.
Classes take place on:
- Sept. 10, 10:30-11:30 a.m
- Sept. 17, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
- Sept. 24, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
For more information or to register, please call 750-5475.
Used Tire Collection Day
McLennan County residents can dispose of used tires for free on Saturday, Sept. 13 from 8 a.m.- noon at the Heart O’ Texas Fairgrounds.
The offer is limited to 8 tires, up to 34 inches in diameter. Tires that are larger will be accepted for a fee. Proof of residency is required.
The event is sponsored by Keep McLennan County Beautiful and Keep Waco Beautiful.
For more information please call 750-5728.
Donate Books at HEB
The Friends of the Waco-McLennan County Library will be holding a book drive Sept. 1-30 at all six area HEB locations. Books may be dropped in specified containers at the front of each store throughout the month.
These books will be available at the Book Sale held Nov. 13-16 at the Heart O’ Texas fairgrounds. For more information, contact Kim Salome at 750-5974.
Volunteers Needed for Safe & Spooky Community Carnival
The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum staff is currently looking for volunteers and sponsors for our upcoming Safe & Spooky Community Carnival. The event will be held Saturday, Oct. 25 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Waco Convention Center.
Volunteers are needed for event hours (1:30-6:30 p.m.), set up during the day, and clean up after the event.
If interested, please contact Tina Brumm for volunteering and Tracie Evans for sponsorships at 750-8631 or e-mail TracieE@ci.waco.tx.us. Volunteers will be required to undergo a background check.
Don’t Throw Away that Television!
A message from Solid Waste Services:
At midnight on Feb. 17, 2009, the broadcast television signal that has been in use for decades will be changed from an analog signal to a digital one.
This will provide a clearer picture, and will free some transmission space for emergency services. Unless your television is relatively new and equipped to receive a digital signal, you will not be able to watch TV.
However you don’t have to get a new TV, because converter boxes are available that allow your existing TV to receive the new signal. The converters are available at stores where most TVs are sold.
The U.S. Congress has created a program to help ease the transition to digital TV and is offering a $40 coupon toward the cost of purchasing a converter. For more information, visit https://www.dtv2009.gov or call 1-888-DTV-2009.
Note: If you receive your signal from a cable service or satellite, you will not need a converter.
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