Paying tribute to a special postman

Bulletin Board Bulletin Board

M&P Group acquires Shady Valley CC

Shady Valley Country Club was recently sold and is now privately owned by the Dallas-based M&P Group, which is under the leadership of President Myoung S Choi.

In short order, M&P Group began implementing new plans and ideas for the future of the club. It began remodeling the interior of the club house, installing new wall colors, new bathrooms, and new foors.

US Pan Asian American Chamber-SW honors Arlington Today

During last month’s virtual meeting celebrating its 20th anniversary, the US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce-Southwest presented Arlington Today magazine with the Excellence Publication Award.

Other highlights at the Zoom conference included addresses by Arlington Mayor Jim Ross, DART CEO Nadine Lee, Lockheed Martin CEO Tim Taiclet, UTA Interim President Teik Lim, UTSW Medical Center President Sherwood Brown, and ATMOS Energy EVP Liz Beauchamp.

Neighborhood pays tribute to mailman David Williams

Last month, Wimbledon neighbors held a celebration for “Postman Extraordinaire” David Williams, who is retiring after delivering the mail in Arlington for more than 35 years.

“He has delivered to many longtime Arlington residents who consider him part of their extended family,” says Ella Anderson, who joined her neighbors for “David Day” last month. “David is another example of courageous service, enduring deliveries without a whimper in snow, ice, brutal Texas summer heat, tornadoes, hail and, last but not least, thousands and thousands of red Christmas bows that deck the mailboxes (gratis Wimbledon Garden Club) in November through December! I know he will miss the Christmas bows – and us.”

New business park is in the works in the City of Mansfeld

Dallas-based Stonelake Capital Partners has submitted a proposal to the City of Mansfeld to develop a 146.5-acre industrial site into “Mansfeld Business Park,” which will include 1.8 million square feet of Class-A warehouse buildings upon approval of a zoning change.

Located at the intersection of Seventh Street and Klein Boulevard directly adjacent to Amazon’s new Class-A warehouse, the new Mansfeld Business Park will provide frst-inclass service and convenience to both Fortune 500 and local companies for manufacturing, ofce headquarters and distribution.

“Mansfeld Business Park has the ability to provide a meaningful economic impact for the City of Mansfeld,” says Blake Wilson, Director at Stonelake Capital Partners responsible for the development (and who also was born and raised in the City of Mansfeld.)

For these things we give thanks ...

As we count our sports blessings this year, Globe Life Field and ideal weather are easy to put at the top of the list.

Photo: reddit.com

Iwill never forget my frst November in Texas. It was 1990. My wife and I had moved here from Michigan the previous February. Where we’re from, the weather is terrible in November. Typically not wintry, but it is always cloudy, rainy and cold. So imagine my delight as I sat on the sidelines of the Arlington Lamar practice feld experiencing a bright, beautiful day with temperatures in the middle 70s. I was there to cover yet another playof run by the late, great Eddy Peach and the Vikings. And I remember like it was yesterday thinking, “Wow, this feels like summer in Michigan.”

If you are having any difculty remembering those things for which you should be thankful, let’s start there! The weather here is awesome this time of year. They have turkey trots, parades and tailgate parties in every big city in America this month, and no one has better weather for those activities than we do.

There is plenty more for which we can give thanks. Like the fact that Arlington is home to the best new baseball stadium in the world. More than two million fans came to Globe Life Field, to Arlington, to watch a baseball team that lost over 100 games. The team is still in rebuild mode, and they are headed in the right direction after tearing this thing down to the studs. But the two million fans is a testament to the vision of Rangers Ownership and Arlington Leadership. The exterior look has been lampooned on social media and various websites, but I have attended over 100 games there over the course of the past two years, and I have not encountered one person who disparaged the interior.

From its intimate layout, to the artistic design, to the air conditioning, fans love this place. If you have not seen the inside yet, take advantage of a tour or a holiday event and visit. It is all part of the Arlington Backyard, and the weather is perfect for backyard activities this time of year.

Speaking of the backyard, Loews has announced that we are getting a new pool. Actually, the pool will be part of a $550 million resort hotel that is now being built on the land that was a parking lot and a helipad. Jerry Jones will have the only helipad in the neighborhood, but the residents of Arlington will have a new source of entertainment, economic growth and employment. Mayor Jim Ross is understandably giddy about the addition to our community. “Arlington continues to build on our incredible economic momentum, “ Ross says. “It is another exciting example of our commitment to job creation and providing world-class amenities to our residents and visitors.”

There are 888 guest rooms being built to supplement what is already available at Live! by Loews, which means over one thousand families of fans can stay within walking distance of the games at Globe Life Field and AT&T Stadium. Perhaps you have noticed that the guys who call AT&T home are having a pretty good year. The Cowboys are another reason to be thankful. They have assembled a team that may just bring back memories of the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. With Dak Prescott healthy we fgured the ofense would be good, but who would have bet this defense would be as good as it has been? The Cowboys have made a commitment to the defense in the past couple of drafts, and Dan Quinn has coordinated like he once did with Seattle’s Legion of Boom.

The best thing about this team is how much they like each other. Team chemistry can be very elusive, and it appears this group has found the correct formula for success.

I know you all have so many reasons to give thanks, but these are just a few more to help you remember that we live in a great state, a great city at a great time. If none of the things I have suggested resonate with you, then do me a favor: Just step outside and realize that it is cloudy, rainy and cold in so many places – and perfect here.

John Rhadigan

Itinerary Itinerary

THE ELF ON THE SHELF’S MAGICAL HOLIDAY JOURNEY will take place from Nov. 18-Jan. 2, 2022 at Choctaw Stadium (formerly Globe Life Park). Santa’s Christmas Compass has gone haywire, and Scout Elf Tiny Tinkerman and the Scout Elves need human help to get Christmas back on course. Audiences will journey into the concourse at Choctaw Stadium, shrink down to elf size, and explore enchanting, Texas-sized scenery showcasing a company of 50 cheerbuilding performers.

In the spirit of giving, The Elf on the Shelf’s Magical Holiday Journey invites guests to join them in spreading some holiday cheer by donating a toy to beneft Toys for Tots. The Toys for Tots toy drive will be collecting donations at Choctaw Stadium.

elfontheshelfjourney.com

THE TEXAS CHRISTKINDL MARKET, the unique outdoor holiday shopping experience, will return to Arlington from Nov. 18 – Jan. 2, 2022 at Choctaw Stadium (formerly Globe Life Park). Inspired by the cherished German tradition, the Texas Christkindl Market is a free, family-friendly market featuring holiday gifts, decorations and unique fnds. Guests can shop for traditional handcrafted gifts and collectibles straight from Germany, including exclusive Käthe Wohlfahrt merchandise and designs from the iconic Rothenburg ob der Tauber Christmas Village. Meanwhile they can enjoy German treats and eats and festive music.

txchristkindlmarket.com

Dallas Cowboys football Dallas Cowboys football

The Cowboys will host the Denver Broncos at noon on Nov. 7. They’ll welcome the Atlanta Falcons at noon on Nov. 14. And they will play the Las Vegas Raiders in the annual Thanksgiving game at 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 25.

dallascowboys.com

Photo: dallascowboys.com

Creative Courage Creative courage

Arlington Museum of Art will host the exhibit, “Creative Courage,” through Nov. 14. The exhibit features four collections that pay homage to the common thread among all of them: the power of community and art.

arlingtonmuseum.org

Photo: arlingtonmuseum.org

reo Speedwagon in concert REO SPeedWagon in concert

The legendary rock band REO Speedwagon will perform at 8 p.m. on Nov. 8 at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie. The group’s hit list includes “Roll with the Changes,” “Can’t Fight This Feeling,” “Keep on Living You” and more.

grandprairietheatre.com

Expanding the arts in Arlington

“The life of the arts is far from an interruption or distraction in the life of a nation; it is close to the center of a nation’s purpose and is a test of the quality of a nation’s civilization.” – John F. Kennedy.

And so, after almost a half-century of progress in meeting that challenge, Theatre Arlington is advancing the quality of our city’s contribution to the nation’s civilization with a $3 million expansion in the heart of the city’s Cultural Arts District.

President Kennedy would salute the achievement and all that it means in realizing what he acknowledged as essential to American life.

When the work now underway is completed, the renovated theater will have an expanded lobby, new theater seating, a new stage with turntable, state-of-the-art lights, sound, and video projection, expanded wing space backstage, new dressing rooms and new classrooms for its educational programs.

Theatre Arlington’s Executive Producer, Steven Morris describes the purpose of the project, “As Arlington’s only live theater, 30,000 people from 3 to 103 years old attend shows and educational programming every season at Theatre Arlington – all in a building that has been adequate for many years but no longer enough to support us now or in the future.”

The results will enhance the patron experience and broaden the audience as Theatre Arlington maintains its major role as Arlington’s only live theater.

It all started in 1973 when a group of Arlington citizens met together in the Potluck Room of Miss Persis Dance Studio and decided to call themselves The Potluck Players. Their frst production of I Do, I Do was performed at Arlington High School.

Morris, who has acted in or written more than 60 of the Theatre’s shows, continues, “Times were tough for this ragtag troupe of theater gypsies, but with passion, energy and the ability not to say no, the group continued to perform anywhere they could fnd space.”

By 1981 they had acquired an old church on Division Street that provided a 134-seat theater and produced seven shows every season.

As a personal experience for our family, daughter Amy, in elementary school at the time, landed a small role in Evita staged there where she took her frst steps toward a career as a producer in flm making. Last year, one of her movies was recognized with ten Academy Award nominations.

Ten years later, under the leadership of Executive Director Penny Patrick, the team was able to acquire a hardware store building on Main Street in the heart of Downtown Arlington and opened as a 199-seat cabaret-style theater with a dynamite production of Pump Boys and Dinettes – one of my favorites. I still have the Pump Boys ofcial uniform shirt the cast gave me as a tribute to my enthusiasm for the show. A third-generation member of our family, granddaughter Ashley, also has her own history as a student in the theater’s education program that put her on stage for a couple years with some memorable performances.

Equity actor and exciting performer on stage, B. J. Cleveland became Artistic Director in 1994 when the facility was transformed with the Allan Saxe Mainstage providing traditional seating and now being renovated into a major upgrade for audiences with the work currently underway.

The excellent quality of the actors throughout the years has placed Arlington’s reputation among the top in the area’s opportunities for exciting live performances that have endured for fve decades. What now lies ahead will advance that standing and provide our city with even more reasons to be proud of its place in the arts.

There’s lots more to learn about all that is taking place in the project including the 12 shows scheduled for the 2022 season and how you may become a contributing partner in the theater’s exciting future. Take a look at the website for all the details: theatrearlington.org.

Richard Greene