Courtesy Dallas Arboretum

Community Contribution

The Nancy Rutchik Red Maple Rill opens at 1:15 p.m., Oct. 6 at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, adding another feature to the internationally recognized display gardens.

The 2-acre site, originally a ravine filled with bamboo and poison ivy, has been transformed into a series of Texas Stream cascades and reflecting pools lined with Encore azaleas and woodland plants, and featuring more than 80 varieties of Japanese maples.

More than 200 trees were hand-selected and range in size from weeping varieties only 2 feet tall to a large, signature specimen believed to be more than 100 years old.

Mike Rawlins, Dallas mayor, Joan Walne, Park Board president, Steve Coke, chairman of the Arboretum board, city officials, and other dignitaries will be in attendance, including Rowland Jackson, president of Newman, Jackson Bierbestein, along with architect Milton Powell and Partners, who designed the Martin Rutchik Concert Lawn and Stage four years ago.

A gathering plaza off the Arboretum’s main walkway, the Paseo de Flores, is at the top of the hillside. Clear sheets of water spill from the limestone walls into two large bowls that flank the view of the Martin Rutchik Concert Stage and White Rock Lake in the distance.

At the plaza level, a reflecting pool cascades down the narrow boulder-shaped ravine and meanders down a stone runnel to dark reflecting pools at the base of the hill. The concert lawn walk is enhanced with views of natural waterfalls and rivulets for concert patrons.

More than 1,000 tons of giant boulders were installed by the Beck Group to create this natural water course. Winding walkways lead visitors down the hillside, crossing the rill, or stream, on a featured Maple Bridge.

West of the bridge is the Maple Terrace display that features circular rows of contrasting colors of maples. Distinctive night lighting will create a magical setting for evening concerts, garden parties, and weddings.

The Red Maple Rill completes the master plan for the adjoining concert lawn and stage that was also commissioned by Mrs. Rutchik in honor of her late husband, Martin Rutchik. The completion of the Red Maple Rill provides additional VIP concert seating in an overlook that offers a  vista of both the rill and White Rock.

Completing the Red Maple Rill also increases the Arboretum’s collection of Acer species and cultivars to more than 120 varieties, said Jimmy Turner, senior director of gardens.

“This installation will help us evaluate these new varieties and species for their adaptability to Texas gardens and landscapes. From a horticultural standpoint, the Red Maple Rill is an important addition to the gardens because of the impressive collection of maple species and cultivars.”

Elizabeth Pierce — Courtesy Photo

Community Contribution

Corgan, one of the largest U.S.-based architectural and interior design firms, hired Lake Highlands resident Elizabeth Pierce as its marketing manager.

Her main focus will be business development, including support for project proposals, client relations, and creating firm promotional materials.

Before joining Corgan, Pierce served as a firm associate and marketing manager for IA Interior Architects in Dallas, working on the production of marketing collateral, corporate branding, and business development.

An executive board member of CoreNet Global’s Southwest Chapter, Pierce has been selected as vice president for 2011-12 and president-elect for 2012-13.

She also has been elected to the Global Young Leaders Committee where she serves as the vice chair for the Service and Charity Committee.

Additionally, Pierce is an active member of the Junior League of Dallas, as well as an associate member of Community Partners of Dallas Women’s Auxiliary Group, which provides resources to the caseworkers of Child Protective Services.

Pierce received a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from Arizona State University.

Full disclosure: I’m two-timing you guys. Well, kind of but not really, but sort of.

Respected real estate blogger Candy Evans asked me to do a story on what effects, if any, Stonewall’s academic rating drop might have on the market for existing home sales in the school’s attendance zone.

It published this morning.

Long story short: Pffftttt, home sales in the area remain unaffected and, in practical terms rather than bureaucratic, Stonewall remains a fine school.

Hope you’ll forgive me, but every little freelance fee helps.

The East Dallas Networking group started connecting local business people three years ago, and now looks to organization members to help fine tune operations.

The group meets at 11:30 a.m., Oct. 6, at Highland Park Cafeteria for its weekly meet-up lunch. Admission costs $2, RSVPs required, and lunch costs regular prices through the cafeteria line.

This week’s agenda bypasses the usual 10-Minute Spotlight address by a guest speaker and focuses on the quarterly roundtable discussion during which members present ideas and suggestions for improving the group.

Other topics of discussion include:

• a potential EDN canned food drive;
• an upcoming charitable donation and voting, and;
• a possible multi-organization networking event in early 2012, which could potentially have 100-150 attendees.

Specific ideas should be sent via the modern miracle of the e-mail to group leader Chuck Kobdish before tomorrow’s meeting.

That is all.

The monthly Second Saturday Shoreline Spruce-up at White Rock Lake, organized by For the Love of the Lake, fans out to clean up this weekend.

The volunteer service organization takes it upon itself to clean up trash and litter — seemingly redundant, yes, but subtly different — along the banks and wherever else individuals can reach at the lake.

The assemblage gathers at 8 a.m., Oct. 8, at the FTLOTL office. Breakfast is served, supplies issued, and volunteers embark on their mission of cleanliness.

Afterward, volunteers and organizers bask in the feeling of accomplishment and community service.

Welcome to Lake Highlands Oktoberfest — All photos courtesy of the Exchange Club of Lake Highlands

Community Contribution

Lake Highlands was treated to the first community Oktoberfest Oct. 1 sponsored by the Exchange Club of Lake Highlands.

The festival took place at the Lake Highlands Town Center site. The weather was beautiful the entire day and it is estimated that more than 4,500 people attended.

There was ample and food and drink available to the crowd throughout the day, provided by local merchants Urban Crust, Enchilada’s, Eat the World, Fat Daddy’s Burger House, the Grape, and Kuby’s.

Several folk and polka performers — including STV Almarusch, Matt Tolentino and the Royal Klobasneks, and Doc Flor’s Oktoberfest Band— entertained the crowd. The Lake Highlands High School cheerleaders, Highlandettes, and Wrangers also performed to the delight of the crowd.

Thanks to the efforts of the Lake Highlands Area Early Childhood PTA the young kids in attendance were entertained with bounce houses, face painting, an obstacle course, petting zoo, and pony rides.

“We could not be happier with the way the event turned out,” said Adam Meierhofer, co-chairman of the Oktoberfest. “We were able to put on an event for the entire community. It was great to see so many families, parents, and kids coming out and having fun. We hope this becomes an annual event for the Lake Highlands community and for the Dallas area in general.”

In addition to the food and fun, the festival also raised money for several worthy causes sponsored by the Exchange Club, including providing annual scholarships to seniors at Lake Highlands High School, sponsoring the teacher appreciation banquet at LHHS, providing tutors and mentors for students in the Lake Highlands attendance zone, providing emergency clothing, medical and dental care to area children and families in untimely circumstances, providing support for Healing Hands Medical and Dental Clinic in the Lake Highlands area. and providing support for one of the club’s main beneficiaries, the Child Abuse Prevention Center in Dallas.

“Our goal as an organization is to serve the community, and I thought we accomplished that goal in two ways — providing a family-friendly fun event and raising money for many of our organization’s good causes,” said Tate Gorman, co-chairman of the Oktoberfest. “Oktoberfest may well have been the largest community gathering in the history of Lake Highlands.”

Thanks to Robert W. Van Amburgh for providing the words and pictures.

Courtesy Photo

By Bruce Felps

Speaking of Doctors Hospital at White Rock Lake, and we were just this morning, the Patient Access Services team pooled their respective carpentry talents to benefit Family Gateway, an Old East Dallas agency that provides housing and services to homeless families.

The access sevices staff built, with their very own hands, a children’s table and two stools for the charity.

Team members, shown in the photo above, are Audrey Duncan, Elizabeth Smearer, Jill Zielinski, David Perez, Audrey Tarrant-Parker, Jenny Stachurski, Cheryl Dillard, and Shirley Gonzales. Not shown are Marina DeLaCruz and Jana Millsap.

Nicely done, people, nicely done.

"Flying Skeletons" — Mixed-media by Rebecca Guy

By Bruce Felps

The Bath House Cultural Center and participating artists — 59 of them — pay tribute to the dearly departed, be they people, things, or ideas, this month with the opening of the Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead art exhibit.

The gallery opens Oct. 15 and runs through Nov. 12, at the Bath House. An artists reception takes place from 5-7 p.m., Oct. 16. The exhibit and reception are free.

Now in its 25^th year — five years less than the Bath House, which marks 30 this year — the showing includes more contemporary styles and media than earlier installments that consisted primarily of altarpieces.

According to the Bath House press release, the participating “59 artists were inspired by the ceremonies of honor, symbols of remembrance, and expressions of joy that are closely associated with the Mexican celebration. The inclusion of traditional Día de los Muertos altarpieces alongside contemporary artwork in a variety of media is evidence that this show, albeit rooted in the syncretistic Pre-Columbian and Catholic tradition of All Saints Day, has inspired artists of all backgrounds and cultures, who have in turn made the aesthetics of the tradition part of their creative sensibility.”

All photos couortesy of Rosalyn Costanzo

Community Contribution

The J.L. Long Middle School cross country team traveled to Carrollton Christian Academy Oct. 1 to compete at the CCA Invitational.

The Long team consists of a large group, and their accomplishments at this meet are astounding for so many reasons. Most of the runners have never run any kind of distance prior to three weeks ago, more than likely they have even surprised themselves. These kids are definitely on the radar now. 

Three team members, Garret Wood, Mack Reed, and Campbell Hotchkiss, earned special recognition for going extra mile during the meet. Even after completing their 3200 meters run they stayed to cheer on the girls, and when they noticed a lone teammate left on the course they ran to her side and encouraged her to keep up the fight.

Side by side, they all finished the race and brought the day’s event to a close. This kind of sportsmanship did not go unnoticed by the hosts and many other parents from other teams.

These guys really represented the spirit of these events and they deserve a big “Way to go!”

The team will run at Thursday’s Long Run and again this weekend at Norbuck Park. Saturday’s meet starts at 10:30 a.m., but these events run rather fast so it’s a good idea to arrive around 10 a.m. If you can make it by, please come out and cheer our guys and gals on. Otherwise, we will see you at the Long Run.

Thanks to Rosalyn Costanzo, parent of a Long student, for providing the words and pictures.

Tom Crabb and Aden Shank with his Cheer Launcher — Courtesy Photo

By Bruce Felps

Woodrow’s Aden Shank and his entrepreneurial invention, the Cheer Launcher, enter the final day of voting in the Elevator Pitch 2001 contest conducted by Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship.

Online voting closes at midnight, Oct. 4.

So far Shank earned top vote-getter for the day Oct. 1 and top vote-getter for the last week earning, respectively, a MasterCard gift card and two round-trip tickets on Southwest Airlines.

The overall contest winner, announced Oct. 6, walks away with $2,500 seed money for his or her business or education.

Rally time, Woodrow Nation, today.

A Woodrow cheerleader aims the Cheer Launcher during a football game. — Photo by Kyle Rains