Community News
CEDAR HILL
Library to host youth
art party March 1
An art party will be from 2 to 4 p.m. March 1 at Zula B. Wylie Library in celebration of Texas Youth Art Month. The event will feature face painting, refreshments, art activities and artwork from Cedar Hill ISD students. The library is at 225 Cedar St.
DeSOTO
Alternative rock concert
for youths is today
Amos Fest, an alternative rock concert for area youths featuring bands from southwest Dallas, Ellis County and Arlington, will be Friday at the DeSoto High School Auditorium, 600 Eagle Drive. The band Amos will also perform music from its debut album, For Life the Dream to Live. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. Advance tickets may be purchased for $ 12 online at www.amos.tv. Tickets are $ 15 at the door. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Young Life.
Young artists
program is Saturday
The Dallas Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority will present its sixth annual Young Artists Renaissance program, sponsored by the DeSoto Arts Council, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturdayat the DeSoto Civic Center, 211 E. Pleasant Run Road.
Call 214-428-7400 or Chandra Dozier at 972-409-9554 or log on to www.dallasalumnae.org for more information.
Gardening group holds
first meeting Thursday
The first meeting of a new DeSoto gardening group will be at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Bluebonnet II room at the DeSoto Civic Center. Monthly speakers will be provided in cooperation with the Dallas Council of Garden Clubs.
Local art league
meeting monthly
The DeSoto Art League meets at 7 p.m. the last Thursday of each month at DeSoto Presbyterian Church, 212 W. Pleasant Run Road.
Each month, members bring their artwork to be judged by the attending members. January winners were Rudy Amato, first; Ava Freeman, second; and Carol Cull, third. Members provide refreshments. At the last meeting, David Dotter demonstrated various methods of throwing pots.
A juried art show is planned for June to coincide with the DeSoto Toad Holler Creekfest. The league’s next meeting is Thursday. Guests are welcome. Call Dotty Germino at 972-224-2209 or Ken Reese at 972-217-1546 for more information.
Black photo series
is being displayed
The Ester Davis Distinguished Art Series is on exhibit through February at the City Hall atrium in the DeSoto Town Center, 211 E. Pleasant Run Road. The exhibit features vintage photographs of blacks in all walks of life. Call 972-230-9648 for group tours.
The series places the spotlight on three black art legends. Robert Jackson and Michael Mann from the “Art on the Boulevard” program publish and distribute fine-art prints by top local and national artists. Mr. Mann will present selected pieces from his collection.
Akua Scott Rahsaan, a scholar and authority on African artifacts, will show pieces from her collection, as well. As an educator for more than 20 years, the native New Yorker-turned-Texan is a frequent visitor to her hometown and Africa.
Production company
offers theater classes
ACT 1 Productions, under the direction of Maureen McDonald and Dennis Gilmore, offers after-school classes at DeSoto’s Corner Theatre.
The two directors have a combined 40 years’ experience teaching youth theater and drama classes. The one-hour classes will run for six weeks. Classes are broken down by age and run from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays and from 4 to 5 p.m. Tuesdays. Each class will culminate in a final presentation for family and friends. Call 972-223-0139 for details.
Arts commission
seeking talent
The DeSoto Arts Commission is sponsoring the first DeSoto Star Search at 8 p.m. April 12 in the Corner Theatre, in DeSoto Town Center, 211 E. Pleasant Run Road.
The DeSoto Arts Commission is seeking singers, dancers, musicians, comedians and other performers. Cash prizes will be awarded to the winners in each of the following age groups: 8 to 12, 13 to 18, adults, and seniors, 55 and older. Winners will be chosen by a panel of celebrity judges featuring Burton Gilliam, national spokesman for Pace Picante Sauce and actor in numerous movies including Honeymoon in Vegas.
All performers must audition before the event. Auditions will be from noon to 5 p.m. March 29 at the Corner Theatre. Appointments are required. Call 972-230-9648 to schedule an audition. All singers and dancers must bring their accompaniment music. A piano is not available. Animal acts, pyrotechnics or lewd behavior will not be allowed. There is a 5-minute maximum per act.
Kite festival will be
April 19 and 20
Eden Kites, in conjunction with the DeSoto Chamber of Commerce, the Smithsonian Institution and the American Kite Fliers Association, will present the annual Lone Star Kite Festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 19 and 20 at Meadow Creek Park in DeSoto.
The two-day festival will feature sport kite demonstrations, buggy rider exhibitions, parasails, food, an outdoor children’s kite making class and Easter worship service on Sunday. The event will be one of more than 700 events held nationwide in celebration of National Kite Month.
DUNCANVILLE
Library presents
black history exhibit
A black history display will run through Feb. 28 at the Duncanville Public Library, 201 James Collins Blvd. The exhibit will feature letters from the days of the Civil War and various books.
IRS help offered
Wednesdays, Saturdays
The Duncanville Public Library, 201 James Collins Blvd., is hosting free tax help. Sessions will be offered from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesdays and from 10 a.m. to noon Saturdays. AARP provides the Wednesday help. Internal Revenue Service volunteers staff the Saturday sessions. Call 972-780-5061 for more information.
Hockey match to benefit
area women’s shelter
The Duncanville Dr Pepper StarCenter and the Duncanville Police Department will host a Best of the Southwest Hockey Match between police and fire departments in the southwest area of Dallas County at 4 p.m. Saturday at the StarCenter, 1700 S. Main St. The event will benefit the Brighter Tomorrows women’s shelter. The public is invited. The cost is $ 8 for adults and $ 2 for children 12 and under.
Library to host events,
Dad’s Night Out series
The Duncanville Public Library will host the Dad’s Night Out entertainment series, which takes place at 7 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month.
The library also will host other programs through March 29. The programs include Nursery Rhyme Time at 10:15 a.m. Mondays, home school videos at 2 p.m. Tuesdays, Spanish story time at 10:15 a.m. Wednesdays, library story time at 10:15 a.m. Thursdays and group story times.
Groups of five or more should make appointments for the free programs. Call 972-780-5044.
Citizens Police Academy
to start Tuesday
The Duncanville Police Department is sponsoring its 15th Citizens Police Academy. The 11-week course will run from 7 to 10 p.m. every Tuesday beginning Tuesday at Duncanville City Hall, 203 E. Wheatland Road. Participants must be at least 21 and live or work in Duncanville. A criminal background check is required. Call Pug Pagliara or Officer Eddie Edwards at 972-780-5027.
Women’s business group
hosts annual scholarship
Duncanville and Cedar Hill high school seniors are invited to apply for the annual scholarship offered by the Duncanville Charter Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association. The application deadline is March 17. All applicants must be U.S. citizens who live in Duncanville or Cedar Hill, attend Duncanville or Cedar Hill high schools or be a daughter of an ABWA chapter member. A degree or career objective in business is not required. The scholarship will be awarded in May. For more information or to receive an application, call Evelyn Duncan at 972-296-7188.
Library presenting
Spanish story times
Former teachers Valois Hounsel and Carmen Boyle are presenting Spanish Story Times at 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays through March 29 at the Duncanville Public Library, 201 James Collins Blvd.
The library’s weekly video presentation on 13 subjects from the series Animal Life for Children allows home-schooled students, ages 4 to 10, an opportunity to observe animal behavior and habitat. The videos are presented at 2 p.m. Tuesdays through March 29.
Nursery Rhyme Time is 10:15 a.m. Mondays through March 29. Library Story Time for groups are at 10:15 a.m. Fridays. Programs and tours for groups of five or more are by appointment only.
Call 972-780-5061 for more information.
LANCASTER
Library to celebrate
Black History Month
Lancaster Veterans Memorial Library, at 1600 Veterans Memorial Parkway, will host a program featuring a black history video festival and cultural and historical performers every Saturday in February. The schedule is: film Sojourner Truth at 11 a.m. Saturday and jazz trio Daddy’s Chair at 2 p.m. All programs are free and open to the public. Call 972-227-1080.
Meeting at library
to feature actor
Friends of the Lancaster Library will meet at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. The event will feature actor Bob Heinonen, who brings historical characters to life. The library is at 1600 Veterans Memorial Parkway.
Preschool story hour
offered on Tuesdays
Preschool story hour starts at 10 a.m. Tuesdays at Lancaster Veterans Memorial Library, 1600 Veterans Memorial Parkway. Valli Hoski, children’s and youth services librarian, leads the storytelling, songs, puppetry and movie activities. All programs are free and open to the public. Call 972-227-1080, e-mail camil@lancastertxlib.org or visit www.lancastertxlib.org.
AREAWIDE
Sock hop to benefit
Bryan’s House
St. Anne Episcopal Church, 1700 North Westmoreland Blvd., is sponsoring an evening of ’50s music, dancing and light refreshments from 7 to 10 p.m. SaturdayFeb. 15 to raise money and supplies for Bryan’s House. Admission to the Sock Hop is a donation of either cash or supplies to Bryan’s House. Needed supplies include baby food and formula, diapers, pacifiers, bottles, bibs and children’s clothes.
Bryan’s House provides services to children and families affected by HIV and AIDS. About 600 children and 250 families are served annually.
For more information, call the church at 972 709-0691.
Grief support group
offered for parents
Charlton Methodist Hospital offers a bereavement support group for parents who have lost a baby through miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth or infant death. The group provides a place to talk with others who have experienced a similar loss. Counselors are available. The free sessions are from 7:30 to 9 p.m. the third Wednesday of each month in the main auditorium of Charlton Methodist Hospital, 3500 W. Wheatland Road in Dallas. Call 214-947-7127.
Comptroller to speak
to Pachyderm Club
The Southwest Dallas County Pachyderm Club will host its 2003 officer installation banquet and fund-raiser from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Melrose Hotel 3015 Oak Lawn Ave. in Dallas. The featured speaker is Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn. Mrs. Strayhorn was the first recipient of the Friends of Texas Taxpayers Award from the Citizens for a Sound Economy.
Supreme Court of Texas Associate Justice Dale Wainwright will swear in the new officers.
Call 214-232-2381 to make reservations.
Hospital to host
technology fair
Charlton Methodist Hospital is hosting a free technology fair to share information on the latest technologies for people with diabetes from 6 to 9 p.m. March 10 at the Outpatient Center, 3550 W. Wheatland Road. The technology fair is open to the public, and will feature vendors for all of the latest products used to manage and treat diabetes.
The fair will also have Ask-a-Doctor and Ask-a-Dietician sessions so participants can ask questions.
Call 214-947-0000 for more information.
