Donating Artwork and Celebrating the Grand Opening of the New Dalworthington Gardens' City Hall

As a member of the building committee that helped the new city hall in DWG take shape, I am happy to announce that the grand opening of the building is almost here. On Thursday, November 18 beginning at 5pm, the City of Dalworthington Gardens will hold a grand opening celebration.

There are some very special elements in the new building. Another alderman built and donated the big table for the conference room. It is awesome and even includes the DWG symbol burned into the wood by a custom built branding iron. The table is very elegant with a dash of rustic charm that gives a nod to the City's tag line, "a rural oasis in the heart of the metroplex".

I offered to donate some artwork that would tap into that theme as well. I brought up several examples of my photographic art images I had printed for me as gallery wrapped canvases for the mayor to look at a month or so ago. After looking around the building we thought the conference room was the perfect place to hang some pieces. With the way the windows were laid out in there and the plans already anticipated for the other walls, it looked like two horizontally oriented and two vertically oriented 16" x 20" works of art would be most appropriate. I wanted the images to be of nature that had been photographed in DWG. I had two landscape oriented dragonflies that I had photographed in my backyard and a portrait oriented study of a great egret that I took in Gardens Park. I needed another vertically oriented image.

Great egrets are large birds that frequent Pappy Elkins lake in Gardens Park. A comparably sized bird that also hangs out around the lake is the great blue heron. I did not have an image worked up yet for a 16" x 20" piece of art based on a great blue heron photo I had taken, but thought that was what the fourth image needed to be. I hunted through the photos I had taken over the years in the park to see if I had a suitible one. I wanted to find one where the heron was standing in a similar posture as the egret on the canvas that was already printed and I wanted them to be facing each other once they were hung on the wall. I also wanted the final alteration of my heron photo to take on a similar characteristic as the other three pieces of art I was donating. I found a few original photos of mine that I thought had potential. After working with this group, I settled on one that I thought best fit the criteria I had set out. After completing the image it was time to send it off to be printed on canvas. I always cross my fingers when I do this with a new image. Some images look better printed on different substrates so even though I print out proofs on paper on my printers, I am never 100% sure of how the print on canvas will look. I think it turned out nicely and compliments the egret very well.

One other donation I made to the overall project was to save some of the plants that continued to grow on the original homestead site, even though the old house had been removed years ago, and ultimately return them to the site. I cared for them for over a year until we could tell if there was an appropriate place to set them around the new building. We decided the bed on the north side of the building would make a good location for these hardy, easy care plants. When the plants in the bed mature a bit more, I will take some pictures and make a post about that garden.

(Click on the images to enlarge them.)

Storm Farms Summer Produce

Almost two years ago I wrote about an organic CSA farm I toured in Balch Springs, TX. While touring I snapped a few photos and turned a couple of them into photographic art. One of the images I developed was a produce still life and I have contemplated adding more to form a series of produce images. I found an opportunity to do so last night.

A local operation, Storm Farm, has expanded its summer produce offerings and I stopped in to see what was in season last evening. Their sign has been advertising tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and beans. They did indeed have these as well as yellow squash. In addition to green beans, they also had wax beans. I had not seen those in quite some time. I picked up a box of the wax beans as well as some tomatoes, two yellow squash and a cucumber. Upon bringing my produce home, I set up a still life arrangement from them. I must admit that not all of the wax beans made it into the arrangement, they were too easy to snack on. I used one of the photos that I took to let people know Storms was open in a facebook post, in case anyone needed to grab some fresh produce for dinner and I used another photo to create the new produce photographic art piece seen above.

Storm Farms is better known as a U-pick strawberry farm from late March to late May or early June. They are trying to expand their seasonal offerings. Their summer produce is not U-pick. The experience is more like a small farmer's market or roadside stand (which it is). For fresh, locally grown produce stop by. As the harvest warrants, they plan to be open Tuesday evenings and Saturday and Sunday. See their facebook page for the most up to date time and day info. Hopefully we will see pumpkins in the fall and a Christmas tree market in December too (no, the trees won't be grown on the property).

Great Backyard Bird Count Event in Dalworthington Gardens

On Saturday, February 16, 2019 come take part in the 2nd annual DWG Great Backyard Bird Count event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. beginning in the Annex of City Hall. A short presentation about participating in the GBBC will start at 10 and then participants will divide into groups that will head in different directions around Gardens Park and Pappy Elkins Lake to become citizen scientists for an hour or so while collecting data on the birds we find.

Guided by knowledgeable birders, we will identify and record the many birds who live in or are visiting Gardens Park, make new friends and enjoy the time outdoors, rain or shine. No experience is needed. Bring binoculars and/or

your camera if you have them. Download the Merlin App or we can help you that morning (works with android or iOS devices). Last year, spotters identified 34 species in about 1 hour, including the two species photographed in Gardens Park and included in this post. Light refreshments will be served when we meet back up to discuss our discoveries. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

2018 Great Backyard Bird Count Event in DWG

I have participated as an individual contributor to the Great Backyard Bird Count for several years now and promoted it on this blog. This year I am pleased to also be able to promote a GBBC event that my city of DWG will be hosting. Our Park Board agreed that an event like this would be a good fit in a city whose tag line on its website is "A Rural Oasis in the Heart of the Metro-plex". Our Gardens Park has walking trails, a fair number of trees and a small lake. The photo above was taken during a GBBC about 10 years ago and it contains four bird species likely to be found this year.

The Dalworthington Gardens GBBC event will start at 10 am on Saturday, February 17 in the community room next to the fire bays. For approximately the first hour, we will meet inside to talk about bird identification, what the goal of the worldwide GBBC is and how to participate. We will then break into groups with a guide to do some bird counting in the park. Depending on the weather, we will regroup to sip some water or hot chocolate in the community room while we share what birds the different groups found. If you are in the area, I hope you can join us for this fun citizen scientist opportunity. Suggested items to bring; clipboard with paper and pencil, binoculars, mobile device loaded with the Merlin bird app, camera, walking shoes and inquisitive nature.

Your participation in the Great Backyard Bird Count is not limited to this event. The GBBC runs for four days and you can count birds on your own as well as in groups and report your sightings to provide data for scientists to use in their research. You can also submit photos you take to their annual photo contest. Check out some winners from last year's photo contest.

Design This - Volunteer of the Year Swag

Many years ago, the Tarrant County United Way had an annual volunteer dinner at which it recognized a range of volunteerism, including a recipient from each city in Tarrant County who nominated a Volunteer of the Year. Dalworthington Gardens participated in that program from the time I was aware of it in the 90's until it was discontinued. Last year the Dalworthington Gardens Historical Committee decided to bring back awarding an annual Volunteer of the Year recipient locally.

Nominations were called for and the Historical Committee voted to award the 2016 Volunteer of the Year to James Harris for his years of facilitating a movie in Gardens Park during the summer. Former Alderwoman, Velma Bogart introduced James at a City Council meeting and Mayor Kimberly Fitzpatrick read the proclamation.

Initially the committee was considering giving the Volunteer of the Year recipients a plaque in addition to the signed proclamation, however several members wanted to give a more useful item commemorating their volunteerism to the recipients. Several ideas were bounced around and finally the idea of a keychain or necklace was chosen. I came up with a simple design (a one inch bezel does not give a lot of room for something complex) and mocked up a sample for the committee to see. They liked it, I made one up for James and the chair of the committee took it to him recently. Even though the remainder of his award was delayed, it was well received and I have secured supplies for several years going forward so that future recipients can be recognized and receive all their swag at the same time.

Nominations for the 2017 Dalworthington Gardens Volunteer of the Year will be available at the Neighborhood Night Out on October 3 in Gardens Park.

Now for Something a Bit Different

I love living in my small city of Dalworthington Gardens. I have served it in various capacities over the years. The past several years I took on smaller roles as I focused more on my creative passions. In addition, the couple of years prior to last May's elections saw a lot of turmoil that spilled over into council meetings that made them draining to go to and caused me to pull back my attendance in the audience even more. The atmosphere has been more pleasant this past year and I have been attending meetings that I am an audience member at much more frequently. (I have a great attendance record to the meetings I need to attend based on appointments.) I have also had several people urge me to run for city council.

All of this led me to decide to file for Alderman, Place 3 in Dalworthington Gardens when I found out that the incumbent was planning not to seek re-election. Another resident filed too, so we have a contested election for Place 3. It is a small city and I do not know how many of you out there that are reading this actually live in DWG and can vote for me. To any of you that can or can encourage a friend or relative to vote for me, please do. You can join in the discussion on my campaign facebook page or learn more about me on my campaign website and blog which includes important dates for the May 6, 2017 election.

I took a series of photos of some ducks in our park that seemed to be having a conversation. I added a caption to the one below.

Fall Photo Frames - Picture Props

A couple of weeks ago, a few of us were firming up plans for a fun family fall evening out that the Dalworthington Gardens Historical Committee, with help from additional citizens, is hosting. We will have Trunk or Treat for the kiddos, giving them an additional opportunity to wear this year's costume. And speaking of costumes, there will be a costume contest for kids 13 and under and for dogs (on leashes please). Attendees can paint a pumpkin and play a version of musical chairs. Hot dogs, popcorn and nachos will be available beginning about 5:30. There will be a short Halloween Charlie Brown video inside the community room after the awards are given out for the costume contest and the first Harry Potter movie will play on the big screen in the park as it gets dark. In addition to all of this I wanted to have a picture taking area. We will have some seasonal decorations to provide a nice backdrop along with props that can be used to create some great photo opportunities. Bring your camera or phone and someone will help you capture memories for you if you need assistance.

One of the other people helping plan this event suggested that some large picture frames would be a great prop for the photo zone. I remembered a couple of old, in need of a bit of love, partially covered with burlap very large wood frames I had been given in case I needed them for something. I decided this project was the something they were destined for. I shopped for some fall themed ribbon
and fabric fall leaves. I covered the inside edge of each of the frames with a different ribbon. Then I divided the leaves up and attached half of them to the larger frame. I had a little bit of ribbon left after covering the inside edge of the smaller wood frame so I made a couple of bows out of the left over piece and added leaves to the corner of this frame. I did not need all of the half I had reserved for it.

It was getting late so I used a flash to take a quick picture of the frames to share with one of the other volunteers. When I looked at the photo, I decided it would be nice to use the leftover leaves from the smaller frame to fill in the gaps between the leaves on the larger frame seen in the first photo. The second photo in this post shows the completed frames that we will have in our photo props at the picture zone overlooking the pond in Gardens Park. Costume contest registration and goodie sack decorating begins at 5:30pm. The Harry Potter movie begins at 7:15pm.

Dalworthington Gardens' 80th Celebration - Join in the Fun in the Park

It is difficult to believe it has been 5 years already since I shared the 75th anniversary of my great little city with the longest city name in Texas, Dalworthington Gardens (DWG). This Saturday, June 11 marks the 80th anniversary of the incorporation of the Dalworthington Gardens Homestead Association. This was the beginning of what would eventually become the City of Dalworthington Gardens. To celebrate, we will have a dinner on Friday night, June 10 and all day fun in Gardens Park on Saturday, June 11, 2016.

A DWG resident created the logo that we are using this year. We have had t-shirts made with the logo on it in either green or white. They are very sharp looking and will be available for sale at the all day event on Saturday.

Saturday kicks off with a 1 mile and a 5k run. We will have a four city softball tournament, lots of family fun activities in the evening, musicians, a movie in the park and more. Check out the day's schedule and join us for anything that interests you or stay for the day.

Dalworthington Gardens 75th Celebration Weekend

I would like to invite all of my local readers to a big bash that has been two years in the making. My little city, Dalworthington Gardens (DWG), turns 75 this year. To celebrate this event a group of citizens that I have been part of have worked with the city to plan a three day weekend of events celebrating our unique history and the community spirit that allowed this tiny hamlet to flourish.

DWG began as a homestead association project during the Great Depression to assist people during this difficult time. Much more information about its history can be found on the DWG Celebration website and in one of the displays at the Fielder Museum in Arlington, TX. More information and displays will be found at the event on Sunday, June 12 at the Celebration Committee Booth. There will also be a continuously playing short movie in the DWG Annex titled “Dalworthington Gardens - Building Hope” by People's History in Texas. This video focuses on how DWG was formed and descriptions of early life in this community.

The activities on Sun., June 12 kick off with a dedication at the Texas State Historic Marker Plaza. Other activities on Sunday include hayrides, face painting, games of skill, sketch artists, a hula hoop contest, an interactive fishing demonstration and more sponsored by citizens, local businesses and organizations with ties to DWG.

Inspiration for many of the weekend long events came from recollections of life in early DWG that were recorded for our oral history project, from our Friday night supper (tickets required) to ball games on Saturday evening to movies in the park on Saturday night. We also have four different musical events planned as part of the festivities. There will be a concert by Melissa Lawson, winner of the 2008 Nashville Star competition on NBC, from 7:15 – 8:15 under the tent at Gardens Park on Saturday, June 11. An informal concert by John E. Dosher will be part of the “Fun, Food and Frolic” portion of the festivities from 5 – 7 pm on Sunday, June 12 followed by a concert by the Arlington Community Band at 7 pm. After the band concert, get up and dance to oldies tunes provided by a local DJ.

The Etsy team that I am a member of is sponsoring a face painting booth. Etsy817 will also hold drawings for door prizes and have information about participating member's shops and wares. You will be able to flip through a portfolio of some of my items and pick up my business card.

So if you will be in the area, check out the schedule, mark your calendars and come out and have a blast celebrating this important milestone event at one or more of the planned activities. The Friday night supper (tickets required) will be held at the Montessori Academy of Arlington and all other events and activities will be held in Gardens (Pappy Elkins) Park off Roosevelt Drive.