City Limits Newsletter
A monthly newsletter for the Citizens of Waco, Texas
To view the previous issue, click here: August issue
National Night Out - October 7
With a two month delay, the Waco Police Department is hoping cooler temperatures will lead to an even bigger National Night Out party. They invite 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, National Night Out is allowing Texas residents to celebrate their event in October.
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. A few parties are listed on page 4 under the Neighborhood Association meeting section.
Yard Waste Collection Service Now Offered Year-Round
Thanks to innovations in the way yard waste is collected, the City of Waco Solid Waste Services is pleased to announce that the Yard Waste (Green Cart) program has been expanded and will now be provided all year long. New split-style trucks make it possible to pick up green waste and recycling at the same time, resulting in greater efficiency and fuel savings when servicing routes.
When using your green yard waste cart, please remember to place only loose (not bagged) materials in the container, place it out at the curb by 7 a.m. at least 3 feet away from obstructions such as mail boxes and parked cars.
Don’t have a green yard waste cart yet or need to replace a damaged cart? Just call 299-2612, and we will be happy to provide one to you at no charge.
Halloween Fun at Waco Attractions
Safe & Spooky Community Carnival
The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum will sponsor their 2nd annual Safe & Spooky Community Carnival in partnership with the Waco Convention Center and Mars, Inc.
The free carnival will be held Saturday, Oct. 25 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Waco Convention Center.
Join the museum and local safety organizations as the Texas Ranger Museum celebrates its 40th Anniversary with trick-or-treating, games, storytelling and more!
Children can wear their costumes and are encouraged to bring bags to take home lots of candy and prizes. For more information visit www.texasranger.org or call 750-8631.
Zoo Boo at the Cameron Park Zoo
The Cameron Park Zoo will undergo its annual transformation for Zoo Boo on Friday, Oct. 31. Costumed visitors will enter Arachniguy’s web, tour the harrowing herpetarium and walk the plank with the Pirates of the Flower Garden Reef. Along the way, children will enjoy games and receive lots of treats to take home.
The hours are from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets will be available for purchase online at www.cameronparkzoo.com as of Oct. 1. The cost is $7 per adult and $5 per child for ages 4-12. Children ages 3 and under will receive free admission. All children must be accompanied by an adult. For more information, call the Cameron Park Zoo at 750-8400.
Fall Festival
Bledsoe-Miller Recreation Center will host a fall festival from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24 for kids ages 5 to 13. The cost is $2 per child (concessions sold separately).
The festival will be filled with a variety of entertainment, food, crafts and games. For more information, call 750-8684.
Halloween Carnival
Enjoy a safe, fun-filled Halloween carnival with games, candy, and a costume contest from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Oct. 31 at Dewey Recreation Center. The cost is $3 per child. For more information, call 750-8677.
Halloween at the Pavilion
As an alternative to door-to-door trick-or-treating, South Waco Recreation Center will host Halloween at the Pavilion from
6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 29.
The event is free and will include games, candy and a costume contest. For more information, call 750-8650.
Park Closures for Bond Improvements
Due to the construction of several bond election projects, sections of Cameron Park and Cameron Park East will be closed to the public during the next year.
Cameron Park East will close completely during October, and sections of Cameron Park will start to close at the same time as well.
Various areas of Cameron Park will be closed and unavailable for rentals during the renovation project. Updates will be posted in the park kiosks and at www.waco-texas.com. Construction in both parks is expected to be complete by spring 2010.
Kayaking Classes
This fall the City of Waco Park Rangers will teach the basics of kayaking on the calm waters of the Brazos and Bosque rivers. Tours will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 1, 15 and 29. The cost is $10 per person for ages 8 and up. Participants must register in advance with the City of Waco Parks and Recreation Department at 750-8080.
Mountain Biking Workshop
Ever wanted to give mountain biking a try? If so, check out the mountain biking workshops held in Cameron Park.
The cost is $10 per person; the helmet and bike are provided. Workshops will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 8 and 22.
Participants must register in advance with the City of Waco Parks and Recreation Department at 750-8080.
Ride Cameron Park
The City of Waco and Bicycles Outback invite women of all ages to take part in the annual Ride Cameron Park mountain bike clinic on Nov. 1 and 2. This year’s clinic will be held at Lover’s Leap in Cameron Park.
The event is free and includes training sessions with professional mountain bikers, along with demonstrations, bike games and camping. Helmets and bikes are available on a limited basis or you may use your own. To register, contact Bicycles Outback at 772-2453.
Notice from Water Utilities
As of Oct. 1, requests for same day service for turning on water received before noon will incur a service call fee of $50.
All requests for same day service received after noon will incur a service call fee of $100.
The service fees are necessary to cover additional fuel and other costs associated with the same day service. For more information, call 299-CITY (2489).
Good Times Guide
Make sure to get a copy of the 2008 fall and winter Good Times Guide! Copies of the guide are available at city facilities such as area libraries, recreation centers, the Cameron Park Zoo, the Health Department or City Hall.
A digital version can be accessed online at www.waco-texas.com. The Good Times Guide contains information on City parks, attractions, events, sports, aquatics and recreation programs.
Grandparents Appreciation Day
Make a Difference Day is an annual event that takes place on the fourth Saturday of every October.
The Teen Leadership Coalition (TLC) will be taking part by providing a Make a Difference on Grandparents Day from 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 25 at South Waco Recreation Center.
TLC will be providing a fun atmosphere of games, food and entertainment. Everyone will have the opportunity to bring their grandparents and make it an unforgettable day for them. For more information call 750-8650.
Youth Basketball
Registration is ongoing for the winter youth basketball league for ages 5 to 14. The cost is $300 per team or $35 per child.
The last day of registration is Friday, Nov. 28 and draft day is the following day with the league beginning Jan. 3. For more information, call 750-5980.
Adult Men’s Basketball Leagues
Registration is currently under way for the adult Men’s Church and Open Basketball Leagues.
The cost is $35 per person for ages 18 and older. The church leagues play at Dewey Recreation Center and the open leagues play at Bledsoe-Miller Recreation Center.
This includes a minimum 8 game season plus playoffs. The deadline to register is Oct. 24 and the leagues will begin Friday, Nov. 7. For more information, call 750-5980.
Save the Date
The annual Friends of the Library Book Sale will be Nov. 13-16 at the Heart of Texas fairgrounds. Donations are still being accepted at area libraries. For pick-up of more than four boxes, please call 750-5943.
9th Annual Genealogy Lock-In
In celebration of October as Family History month, the Genealogy Division of the Waco-McLennan County Library System, in cooperation with the Central Texas Genealogical Society (CTGS), will be sponsoring the 9th Annual Genealogy Lock-in on Friday, Oct. 17 from 6:30 p.m. to midnight at the Central Library, 1717 Austin Ave.
This event is free and open to any members of the public who have an interest in genealogy. This year’s lock-in features Max Blankfeld, vice president of Operations and Marketing at Family Tree DNA. If you are new to genealogy, join us for the Genealogy Beginners Class or for a hands on presentation of the database Ancestry Library Edition. Visit the re-enactors area and get a glimpse of how your ancestor might have lived.
Visit with our invited professional genealogists specializing in areas such as: court house research, Texas church records, research in Texas and Missouri, migration settlement patterns especially those of ethnic groups, Indian research and more. These experts will be available at the reference desk to answer questions from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. This will be particularly helpful for those encountering a major roadblock in their family history research.
The lock-in will include genealogical advice, instruction, food and door prizes. Participants need to arrive between 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Doors will be opened at 6:30 p.m. There will be no admittance after 7:30 p.m. Participants may leave at any time. Security will be provided.
Library facilities other than Genealogy will not be available for use during the lock-in. Children under the age of 16 attending the event must be accompanied by an adult. For more information contact Bill Buckner at 750-5945 or e-mail bbuckner@ci.waco.tx.us.
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