Grand Prairie Events Calendar - Stay Up to Date!

Browse by Month: www.gptx.org/events

Latest Upcoming Events News Release: Now-Aug. 31

Receive updates to Calendar of Events by e-mail

Tangle Ridge Golf Course Reopens Aug. 31 with New Greens

Tangle Ridge Golf Course, 818 Tangle Ridge Drive, is set to reopen Sunday, Aug. 31, after having been closed since June 1 for a $70,000 reconstruction project including the transition of greens from Bentgrass to the firmer Champion Bermuda, a more heat tolerant grass.

"The Champion Bermuda is a great choice as well because it is an ultra dwarf and will have a better density than Tifdwarf," said Shawn Treibly, Tangle Ridge Golf Course Supervisor. "The grass is also more tolerant of close cutting which will allow players to have a faster and smoother putt."... [more]

Santa Cop and Santa Spot Fund-raiser in Remembrance of Most Treasured Volunteer

Grand Prairie's Santa Cop and Santa Spot programs are conducting a special fund-raiser at Golden Corral Buffet, 2820 Interstate 20, Aug. 25-26 in honor of Joyce Hester, long time Grand Prairie resident who loved the community and loved to volunteer for the city. Grand Prairie Police Department's Santa Cop and Grand Prairie Fire Department's Santa Spot are non-profits that provide food and toys for families in need during the Christmas season.

City police officers, firefighters and other employees will be serving guests at Golden Corral from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Aug. 25 and 26. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Santa Cop and Santa Spot. Toy and coin donation collection boxes will also be available. A silent auction will take place from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Aug. 25.

Anyone who brings an unwrapped child's toy will receive a free child's dinner that can be used at any time during the year. When patrons are stuffed and can't move, Grand Prairie Police officers will be available, for a $5 donation to the program, to carry patrons to their cars.

Contact Mark Calvert at 972-237-8814 for more information on the Santa Cop and Santa Spot fund-raiser.

Notice of Public Hearing on Tax Increase

The City of Grand Prairie will hold a public hearing (Aug. 26 and Sept. 2) on a proposal to increase total tax revenues from properties on the tax roll in the preceding tax year by 0.05 percent (percentage by which proposed tax rate exceeds lower of rollback tax rate or effective tax calculated under Chapter 26, Tax Code). Your individual taxes may increase at a greater or lesser rate, or even decrease, depending on the change in the taxable value of you property in relation to the change in taxable value of all other property and the tax rate that is adopted.... [complete notice]

Weekly Show - GP UPDATE

For the latest in Grand Prairie news, watch GP Update, the city's weekly news show, anytime on www.gptx.org/gptv or at midnight, 6 a.m., 9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. daily on Cable Channel 16.

Watch most recent show: Aug. 13, 2008

Sign up here to receive an e-mail notification every time a new GP Update has been posted to the Web (the link to view the show will be sent straight to your inbox!).

Uptown Theater Season Tickets Now On Sale

The inaugural season of entertainment at the historic Uptown Theater, 120 East Main St., opens this winter with nationally renowned artists. All performances begin at 8 p.m. Box office opens at 6 p.m., doors at 7 p.m. Season Tickets are priced at $150, $200 and $300 each plus applicable taxes and fees and are available at www.UptownTheaterGP.com or by calling 972-237-UPTN.

For more information please call 972-237-UPTN or email elmcdonald@gptx.org.

Register for Citizens Police Academy, to Start Aug. 21

Residents who live or work in Grand Prairie are invited to sign up and learn more about the Grand Prairie Police Department at the Citizens Police Academy. The free course begins Thursday, Aug. 21 and is conducted once a week on Thursdays until Nov. 13. Classes will meet at the Charles V. England Public Safety Center at 310 W. College St. Attendees will learn how the Grand Prairie Police Department works through a series of lectures, demonstrations, tours, hands-on practice and an opportunity to ride along with police officers. Participants must agree to a background criminal history check, be 18 years old or older and not convicted of a felony. To register, call Charlene Muse at 972-237-8724 or email Lt. Dennis Clay at dclay@gptx.org.

GP Firefighters Place in Volleyball at the Texas Firefighter Olympics

Congratulations to our Firefighters who earned gold and silver medals for volleyball in the Texas Firefighter Olympics July 21-15 in College Station. 

Top photo, left to right:
Jon Leigh, Eric Goodrum, Chad Watson, Alan Walker — 4-man Gold Medal winners.

Bottom photo:
GP vs El Paso Finals, Chad Watson hitting.

Also, Chad Watson and Alan Walker won the 2-man Gold Medal; and Jon Leigh and Eric Goodrum earned the 2-man Silver Medal.

Autumn 2008 Life is Grand Magazine

The Autumn 2008 edition includes... All New Parks and Rec Classes Loyd Park Campgrounds Earn Good Sam Rating Historic Grand Prairie Books on Sale Uptown Theater Season Tickets on Sale GPISD Test Scores See Big Improvements Grand Prairie and Cedar Hill Build Joint Fire Station and more!

Rhonda Banks, a Grand Prairie resident, won the City of Grand Prairie's Staycation Giveway on Aug. 1. The prize package, $1,400 in value, featured coupons to Grand Prairie's tourist attractions including Nokia Theater, Lone Star Park, Lake Joe Pool, Ripley's Believe it or Not!, Traders Village, AirHogs, Prairie Lakes and Tangle Ridge golf courses, The Hyatt Place, and indoor and outdoor pools.

Free Monthly Tours at Historic Copeland Home

See how Grand Prairians lived in the 1900s with a free tour of the beautifully restored historic Copeland Home, 125 SW Dallas St., every first Saturday of the month from noon-4 p.m.

Next tour is Saturday, Sept. 6!

Parks & Rec Named NRPA Gold Medal Finalist 2nd Year in a Row

Two years in a row, your Grand Prairie Parks and Recreation Department is an National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA) Gold Medal Finalist!

In our population category (100,000 - 250,000) there are only three other cities in the nation that are part of this esteemed group. The winner of the medal will be crowned at the NRPA's national conference in Baltimore in September... [more]

Click here to view video highlighting what makes our city so grand!

Drive Clean Across Texas Sweepstakes

Your chance to win a brand-new 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid SUV. It's fast and easy to enter by going to www.DriveCleanAcrossTexas.org.

GP in Top 100 for Best Places to Live in U.S.

Grand Prairie has been named for the first time ever to Money Magazines' annual Top 100 Best Places to Live in the U.S.!

Ballpark Restaurant Now Open to the Public!

The restaurant "Whiskey Charlie's" at QuikTrip Park is open full-time time now to the general public.

Hours are 11 a.m.-midnight, Thursday to Monday (closed Tuesday and Wednesday).

Patrons can park directly behind the restaurant (turn east on Lone Star Parkway, go past the ballpark, and turn right for parking behind the restaurant.

www.airhogsbaseball.com

IMPACT Grand Prairie Bulletin - July 2008

Stay up to date with what IMPACT Grand Prairie is doing in our community - helping eliminate and prevent youth substance abuse in Grand Prairie: July 2008 IMPACT Bulletin

No outdoor watering 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Thank you for helping to preserve our natural resources.

Grand Prairie Police Adds Online Option for Filing Police Reports

Citizens can now file certain types of offense reports from the comfort of their own computer screens in Grand Prairie thanks to a new online police reporting system on the Grand Prairie Police Web site at www.grandprairiepolice.org.  [News Release]

Grand Prairie Pools Open

The City of Grand Prairie's outdoor swimming pools are open for the summer from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. until the last summer holiday weekend, Aug. 30.

Farmers Market in GP Thursdays and Saturdays

The North Central Texas Farmers Market kicked off the 2008 selling season with a grand opening on Saturday at its new location in Grand Prairie at City Hall Plaza, one block north of Main and NW 4th streets.

Fresh fruits and vegetables will be for sale on Thursdays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. until sell out, which is usually around 1 p.m.

Last year, Farmers Market was a block away in the Army/Navy store parking lot.

Market vendors accept Tarrant County WIC vouchers.

Click here for detailed maps to each Grand Prairie library location.

Linda Hughes
August 2008

A City of Grand Prairie Employee for 23 years, Linda Hughes has been named Employee of the Month for August. She started out working for the Library and from there went to Building Inspections. Hughes has been working in her current position in Planning since 2003. Her duties include processing plats, site plans, property addressing, street naming and renaming, data processing and application tracking.

Hughes goes above and beyond every day by tackling jobs outside of her normal job duties. Her work in managing the street addressing system in HTE has been described as "...exemplary and of great benefit to other divisions within the Development Department," by Chief City Planner, Kevin Lasher. Hughes has mastered both the plat application and the post-plat approval process. This has resulted in a greater number of land subdivision plats being filed and recorded at the County Courthouse. Hughes also took the initiative to teach herself how to use the city’s Graphic Information System (GIS) software, and improved it without receiving any formal training; she is now considered a "power user" amongst the GIS staff. Maria Hunt, GIS Manager, said "Linda's contagious positive attitude and dependability is an example of what we can all do to help make others jobs easier…she is a tremendous asset to the city."

2009 Calendar Photo Contest Underway

The annual Calendar Photo Contest is underway with a special theme for 2009: Historic Grand Prairie. The incorporated city of Grand Prairie will be 100 years old in 2009, and the city's annual photo calendar will celebrate, featuring photos with historic significance, such as:

• old photos of people, places and events from early and mid-century Grand Prairie
• new photos of historic places in Grand Prairie

[more]

Lynn Creek Park on Lake Joe Pool Offers Free Entry to Grand Prairie Residents

Grand Prairie residents can now enter popular Lynn Creek Park, 5700 Lake Ridge Parkway, on Lake Joe Pool free with a current driver's license with a Grand Prairie, Texas address.  This offer is good for one vehicle, up to six people in the vehicle.  Customers towing a boat and non-residents will still pay the $10 entrance fee.  Offer is not valid on special event days, July 4, and during Prairie Lights.... [read more]

Lake Parks

Grand Prairie's Lynn Creek Park, 5700 Lake Ridge Parkway, and Britton Park, on Seeton Road on the southwest shore of Joe Pool Lake, are open 6 a.m.-10 p.m. daily through October.

Visit www.lakeparks.net or call 817-467-2104 for information.

Neiman Marcus Last Call Store to Anchor Grand Prairie Outlet Mall

One of Neiman Marcus' Last Call stores will anchor the Prime Outlets in Grand Prairie shopping center.

The 50,000-square-foot outlet center developed by Prime Retail will be constructed near the intersection of Interstate 20 and State Highway 360 and will open next year.

The Grand Prairie City Council approved an agreement and contract with Prime Retail in October 2007.

Ambulance Subscription Program Provides Affordable Emergency Care

To help residents fully prepare for medical emergencies, the City of Grand Prairie provides an optional

ambulance subscription program made available to all residents of Grand Prairie apart from Medicaid recipients. Participants, by submitting an annual $60 fee, will have no out-of-pocket expenses for City of Grand Prairie's EMS emergency ground ambulance use; they will receive unlimited emergency (only) transports and coverage for all household members.

The membership covers the portion of expenses not reimbursed by the member's medical coverage for services rendered by Grand Prairie Emergency Medical Services. The annual fee covers the applicant, applicant’s spouse, unmarried dependent children under 25 years of age living at home and any other dependent of the applicant or spouse who lives at the applicant's address.

Click here for an application. For more information, call 972-237-8300.