Groundbreaking Ceremony Scheduled for 287-Acre Railroad Park
A formal groundbreaking ceremony for Lewisville’s new 287-acre park and athletic complex will be held Thursday, Sept. 25, starting at 8:30 a.m. The ceremony will be held near the intersection of Bennett Lane and Railroad Street, and will include a brief presentation by Mayor Gene Carey.

“This is a great moment for Lewisville and its residents,” Carey said. “Railroad Park will be the crown jewel not only for Lewisville but for Southern Denton County. It will be a premier facility that residents and visitors can enjoy with their families.”

Railroad Park is scheduled to open in Fall 2009 and will feature 10 soccer fields, four baseball fields, four youth football fields, walking trails, the city’s first skate park and the city’s first dog park. The park has been designed with a railroad theme, including concession stands, restrooms and other buildings resembling the city’s historic railroad station formerly located in Old Town Lewisville. Design was completed by Dunkin Sims Stoffels and the park is being built by CORE Construction.

Located just east of the Water’s Ridge development, and touching the Elm Fork of the Trinity River, Railroad Park also will have three manmade lakes designed to prevent flooding while offering an attractive park setting. Only about 150 of the park’s acres are being developed.

At a cost of about $21 million, Railroad Park is the largest capital project in the city’s history. The project is being funded through the quarter-cent 4B Parks and Library Sales Tax, approved by voters in September 2002. Other 4B projects have included the 60,000-square-foot library expansion, conversion of two public pools into aquatic parks, and replacement of playgrounds in some neighborhood parks.

“Railroad Park will be one of the premier multi-sport athletic complexes within the DFW region and the state of Texas,” said architect Bob Stoffels. “It is extremely exciting now that construction has begun and we look forward to the completion of construction in August 2009.”

“Sounds of Lewisville” Free Fall Concerts Continue
Three top regional acts remain in the “Sounds of Lewisville” Fall Concert Series, presented by the City of Lewisville in Old Town Lewisville. The free concerts are being held on Tuesday nights through Oct. 7, starting at 7 p.m. in Wayne Ferguson Plaza across from Lewisville City Hall. Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets or lawn chairs. Leashed pets also are welcome.

The final concert will be the city’s National Night Out event, starting at 7 p.m. and featuring displays from Lewisville fire and police. The full concert series is coordinated by the City of Lewisville Community Relations & Tourism Department with assistance from the Parks and Leisure Services Department. Remaining performances are:

Sept. 23 Spector’s Gun Collection
Sept. 30 Hard Night’s Day
Oct. 7 Briefcase Blues

DCTA to Hold Public Meeting for Commuter Rail Plans
The Denton County Transportation Authority will update Lewisville and surrounding residents on its commuter rail plans and station designs during a open house on Monday, Sept. 22, 6:30-8 p.m. in the Glenmore Savage Community Room at the Municipal Annex, 197 W. Main Street. The meeting is open to the public and will feature renderings of the rail line stations and other displays. DCTA staff will be on hand to answer individual questions, but there will be no formal presentation. Persons with hearing or sight interpretive service needs are asked to contact DCTA at least two business days in advance at 972.221.4600 or info@dcta.net. More information about the DCTA is available at www.dcta.net.

First Choice Power Helps “Green” Lewisville’s Western Day
First Choice Power and the City of Lewisville are teaming up to bring recycling to the popular Western Day festival scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 27, in Old Town Lewisville. The joint effort will place 50 recycling boxes around the festival zone, encouraging the expected crowd of 20,000-plus to keep their empty cans and plastic bottles out of landfills. The red “Recycle Here” boxes are being provided free by First Choice Power as part of its Simply Better Recycling Program.

Lisa Weaver, the city’s environmental programs coordinator, praised the Western Day effort. “It will be the first time Lewisville will recycle during the event,” Weaver said. “Our partnership with First Choice Power will significantly reduce trash at the event and educate hundreds of families on how a simple task such as recycling makes a positive impact on our environment.”

Western Day will be held from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Old Town Lewisville. Headliner for this year’s event is the Eli Young Band, scheduled to perform at 6:30-8 p.m. Other planned activities at Western Day 2008, designed to showcase Lewisville’s rich history, include a Main Street parade, two festival stages of live music, arts and crafts vendors, gunfight re-enactments, trick ropers, car show, Longhorn cattle drive, Tailwaggers Ranch, baking and grilling contests, Stickhorse Rodeo for kids, and the fourth annual World Tamale Eating Championship.

Off-site secured parking will be available at First Baptist church, with a free shuttle running between the church and the festival zone from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m.

Radio station KPLX 99.5 FM The Wolf, the top-rated country music station in North Texas, has signed on as a presenting sponsor for Western Day 2008. Tickets for the festival are $20 per person (no charge for children under 6), but free tickets are readily available through Wolf promotional events, the station’s website at www.995thewolf.com or by visiting most City of Lewisville facilities. Lewisville residents without a ticket can show proof of residency at the gate for free admission. The station will broadcast live from the festival from 3 to 7 p.m. Advance tickets also will be given away by radio station KSCS 99.3 FM.

Western Day activities (including a children’s area, craft vendors, live music, and Western-style re-enactments and demonstrations) will start at 10 a.m. and end with the Eli Young Band concert. Other scheduled performers on the Bud Light Main Stage include Derek Sholl at 2 p.m. and Casey Donahew at 4:30 p.m.

Some festival-goers will get an earlier start to their day, however, with the first Old Town Business Association 5K Fun Run, being held to raise money for American Cancer Society in memory of longtime Lewisville resident Wayne Ferguson. The run will start at 7 a.m. and follow a path through Old Town, ending before the opening Western Day activities. Entry fee is $25 prior to Sept. 1, or $35 thereafter. On-site registration will start at 6 a.m. in Wayne Ferguson Plaza, on the north side of Main Street at Poydras. For information, e-mail funrun@tracyscakes.com.

The popular Lewisville Farmers Market, which runs every Saturday morning from April through November in Old Town, will be held at its usual time in the South Poydras Plaza, across Main Street from its usual location. Farmers Market shoppers arriving before the festival opens at 10 a.m. should enter from the south side, generally near the intersection of Poydras and Elm.

An exhibition Vintage Base Ball game between Lewisville and Farmers Branch will be held from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Lewisville Rodeo Grounds on Mill Street, just north of College Street. Free shuttles will be available from the festival zone. Vintage Base Ball is played using 19^th century rules and equipment. This exhibition will be played under the 1860s rules, with no gloves and underhand pitching. Spectators (commonly called “cranks” or “rooters” during the 1860s) are welcome. For more information about Vintage Base Ball, visit www.vbbtexas.org.

The Old West will come alive for festival-goers at Cowboy Camp, a re-enactment of trail drivers featuring demonstrations and presentations throughout the day in such areas as camp cooking, livestock handling and more. Gunfighters will roam the festival ground, staging battles on Main Street at 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m..

The World Tamale Eating Championship, an official International Federation of Competitive Eating event, will grant a $1,500 grand prize to the competitor who downs the most Dallas Tortilla & Tamale Factory tamales in 12 minutes. It will start at 1 p.m. on the front steps of Lewisville City Hall. Last year’s event featured a world record of 71 tamales in 12 minutes consumed by two-time champion Tim Janus of New York, currently ranked fourth in the world by IFOCE. Registration is conducted by the IFOCE through its website, www.ifoce.com.

The popular Western Day Parade will begin at 3 p.m. The one-mile parade route runs from Cowan Street east on Main Street to Mill Street, then south to DeLay Middle School. Parade applications are available at www.cityoflewisville.com.

Military members and veterans will be honored, with a special focus on area soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country, with a display of the Denton Country Fallen Soldiers Memorial Wall. With its theme of “Never Be Forgotten,” this travelling display includes personalized tributes to Denton County service members who have died in combat in Iraq. That list includes two Lewisville residents, Army Private First Class Ryan M. McCauley and Army Major Matthew W. Worrell. Each fallen hero is recognized with an etched granite tile mounted on the wall-like display, built by veterans Monty Slough and Dee Cork. A display of a vintage military vehicle also is planned near the city’s permanent Veterans Memorial on the front grounds of City Hall.

Knight Light Charities, featuring members of the local Knights of Columbus, will hold a casino fundraiser through the day inside the Strange Financial Services building at the northwest corner of Main and Mill streets. Games will include blackjack, dice, Texas Hold’em and roulette. No prizes will be awarded. Knight Light Charities works with established social service agencies in Lewisville, Flower Mound, Highland Village and surrounding areas to assist individuals and families in need. For information on the event, e-mail klci@knightlightcharities.org.

Greater Lewisville Kiwanis Club will hold two Stickhorse Rodeo events, each offering genuine Nocona belt buckles to the top three finishers in three age divisions through second-graders. The rodeos will be held at noon and 5 p.m., with registration starting half an hour in advance. Also during the festival, The Home Depot will offer stickhorse making for kids.

The 13^th annual Lewisville Morning Rotary Club Car Truck & Cycle Show, open to all years and makes of vehicles, will be staged on Mill and Main streets throughout the day. Registration is 9 to 11 a.m., judging will be 11 a.m.-noon, and trophies will be awarded at 4:30 p.m. in four categories. Entry fee is $20 per vehicle ($10 with a valid student ID), and the first 75 entrants receive a dash plaque and other gifts. Proceeds benefit Christian Community Action, Adopt-a-School, Rotary Foundation, Habitat for Humanity and other community charities. For information, call (972) 436-6258 or visit www.lewisvillemorningrotary.com.

More than a dozen animal rescue and support groups will participate as Tailwaggers Ranch returns, offering a variety of pet-related activities including displays, contests and demonstrations. Participating groups include City of Lewisville Animal Services, Coppell Humane Society, Denton County Petsitters Association, DFW Collie Rescue, DFW Pug Rescue, Gifted Animal Program, Golden Retriever Rescue, Great Dane Rescue, Hickory Creek Animal Services, Hope Humane Society, Humane Society of Flower Mound, Operation Kindness, Southern States Rotweiller Rescue, Texas Italian Greyhound Rescue, Texas Rustlers Guinea Pig Rescue and Texas Tailwaggers.

Old Town Preservation Society will raise money for restoration work at the historic Lane Chapel CME Church on Hembry Street by holding a kids pie-eating contest at 11 a.m. and a cake contest at 1 p.m., both at the Lewisville Feed Mill on the corner of Main Street and Kealy Street. Entry fees are $5 for the cake contest and $1 for pie-eating entrants. For contest rules and entry forms, e-mail jackbethramsey@verizon.net.

Grill aficionados will have a chance to fire up their best offerings in the inaugural Great Western Burger Battle hamburger grilling contest, sponsored by Tierney’s Café & Tavern at the corner of Main Street and Kealy Street. The contest will be held at the restaurant starting at 4:30 p.m., and registration is limited. The cook whose burger is rated highest by the judges will receive a $1,000 cash prize. Entry information will be posted at www.tierneyscafeandtavern.com.

Concurrent with Western Day, the Big Bass Tour will hold its inaugural Ego Energy Drink North Texas Classic at Lewisville Lake on Sept. 27-28. Based at Lake Park, this popular event comes to Lewisville for the first time, offering amateur anglers the chance to compete for dozens of prizes while enjoying the waters of the official “Urban Bass Fishing Capital of Texas.” The angler who catches the biggest bass during each hour of the competition will win a cash prize, and the largest overall fish will capture a 2008 Nissan Titan from Avery Johnson’s North Texas Nissan. For event information, visit www.bigbasstour.com.

Children also can try their hand at competitive angling at the KidFish area of Western Day, sponsored by Big Bass Tour. The popular KidFish Catch Tank is a portable fishing pond that can accommodate up to 15 anglers at a time for 10-minute periods. It is stocked with adult channel catfish ranging from 2 to 5 pounds each.

Sponsors for Western Day 2008 include City of Lewisville, Lewisville Convention and Visitors Bureau, EMC Mortgage, Pro Tow, Bud Light, Saturn of Lewisville, Big Bass Tour, Verizon FIOS, Waste Management of Texas, The Home Depot, First Choice Power, Dallas Tortilla & Tamale Factory and 99.5 The Wolf. Community supporters include Old Town Business Association, Old Town Preservation Society, Lewisville Morning Rotary Club, Greater Lewisville Kiwanis Club, Knight Light Charities and First Baptist Church of Lewisville.

For additional information and the latest on Western Day 2008, visit www.cityoflewisville.com or call 972.219.3401.

General Entertainment schedule:
7 a.m. OTBA 5K Fun Run
9:30 a.m. Vintage Base Ball Exhibition: Lewisville vs. Farmers Branch
11 a.m. OTPS Kids Pie Eating Contest
11:30 a.m. Main Street Gunfights
Noon Greater Lewisville Kiwanis Club Stickhorse Rodeo
1 p.m. World Tamale Eating Championship
1 p.m. Main Street Gunfights
1 p.m. OTPS Annual Cake Contest
3 p.m. Western Day Parade & Longhorn Cattle Drive
4:30 p.m. Main Street Gunfights
4:30 p.m. Lewisville Morning Rotary Club Car Show awards
4:30 p.m. Great Western Burger Battle
5 p.m. Greater Lewisville Kiwanis Club Stickhorse Rodeo

Bud Light Main Stage performance schedule:
10 a.m. Dallas Stars Sing
10:45 a.m. Glad Dance Troop
11:25 a.m. Beyond Words with Vaughn Anthony
12:30 p.m. Dancers in Motion
2 p.m. Derek Sholl
4:30 p.m. Casey Donahew
6:30 p.m. Eli Young Band

Community Stage performance schedule:
10:15 a.m. YMCA Kickers
10:50 a.m. Dance Fusion
11:15 a.m. Double Team
11:35 a.m. Macedonia Youth Dance Team
Noon Crown Violet Belly Dance Troupe
12:45 p.m. Karen Kouassi
1:25 p.m. Dancers Workshop
1:45 p.m. Performing Artists Network
2:35 p.m. Millennium Dancers
4:30 p.m. Excite! Dance Company
5:30 p.m. The Fiddle Rascals
6:55 p.m. Megan Mason band

Tailwaggers Ranch schedule of events
10 a.m. DOGA Doggie Yoga by Blue Anjou
10:30 a.m. Gifted Animal Program service dog demonstration
11 a.m. Doggie Contests – Waggiest Tail, Best Dressed, Most Kissable
Noon Gifted Animal Program service dog demonstration
12:30 p.m. Doggie Contests – Waggiest Tail, Best Trick, Best Bark
2 p.m. Gifted Animal Program service dog demonstration
2:30 p.m. Doggie Contests – Waggiest Tail, Owner Look Alike, Most Kissable
4 p.m. DOGA Doggie Yoga by Blue Anjou
5 p.m. Tailwaggers Parade

Alley Repairs Between Granada Lane and Bellaire Blvd.
The City of Lewisville Street Division has contracted Hencie International to make repairs in the alley between Granada Lane and Bellaire Blvd., from Bellaire to Edmonds. The repairs are scheduled to begin on Wednesday, September 17, 2008, and be completed by Friday, October 17, 2008, weather permitting. This will require that trash be placed in front of the residences until the work has been completed. Residents will need to park their vehicles in front of their homes due to the limited access to the alley and use of heavy equipment.

Alley Extensions Behind 1903 and 1904 Wild Horse Corral
The City of Lewisville street division will be making alley extensions behind 1903 and 1904 Wild Horse Corral. The alley will be closed to through traffic. Homeowners can enter from Dark Forest. Construction is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, September 30, 2008, and be completed on Friday, October 3, 2008 weather permitting. This will require that trash be placed in front of the residences until the work has been completed.




September Meetings & Events

September 22 Old Town Design Review Committee Meeting
September 23 Sounds of Lewisville Fall Concert
September 27 Old Town Farmers Market
September 27 Western Day Festival
September 29 City Council Meeting
September 30 Sounds of Lewisville Fall Concert

October Meetings & Events

October 1 Zoning Board of Adjustment Meeting
October 3 First Friday Dance – Sr. Center
October 4 Old Town Farmer’s Market
October 6 City Council Meeting
October 7 Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting
October 7 Sounds of Lewisville Fall Concert & National Night Out
October 8 Park Board Meeting
October 10 50+ Golf Tournament hosted by Sr. Center
October 11 Old Town Farmer’s Market
October 11 2^nd Saturday Collection Day
October 13 Old Town Design Review Committee Meeting
October 15 Library Board Meeting
October 16 Transportation Board Meeting
October 18 Old Town Farmer’s Market
October 20 City Council Meeting
October 21 CDBG Meeting
October 21 Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting
October 25 Old Town Farmer’s Market
October 25 Autumn Extravaganza Carnival – Frederick P. Herring Rec Center
October 27 Old Town Design Review Committee Meeting

November Meetings & Events

November 1 Old Town Farmer’s Market
November 3 City Council Meeting
November 4 Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting
November 5 Zoning Board of Adjustment Meeting
November 8 Old Town Farmer’s Market
November 8 Lewisville 2^nd Saturday Collection Day
November 10 Old Town Design Review Committee Meeting
November 12 Park Board Meeting
November 15 Old Town Farmer’s Market
November 17 City Council Meeting
November 18 CDBG Meeting
November 18 Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting
November 19 Library Board Meeting
November 22 Old Town Farmer’s Market
November 24 Old Town Design Review Committee Meeting
November 27-28 Thanksgiving Holiday – OFFICES CLOSED
November 29 Old Town Farmer’s Market