Celebrating Dallas parks
The following is adapted from my email newsletter. To subscribe, click here.
Dallas is beyond proud of its world-class parks and green spaces, and the summer season is perfect for enjoying the city’s incredible parks and cooling off in local aquatic centers.
With July being National Park and Recreation Month, I want to thank the Dallas Park and Recreation Department for its exceptional work in protecting and maintaining Dallas’ most treasured public resources.
The department has done a fantastic job keeping the city’s parks, recreation centers, and green spaces in top shape and adding new locations to ensure every Dallas resident has access to a park or green space. Because of their work, Dallas has the best park system of any major city in Texas!
This month is also Plastic Free July, a reminder that part of enjoying great parks is keeping them clean. To reduce litter and encourage recycling, Dallas Park and Recreation has added new blue recycling bins to all 17 of Dallas’ spraygrounds. For other waste, including food, please use trash bins. You can also reduce plastic waste by bringing reusable water bottles instead of disposable plastic bottles.
For the rest of the summer, and all year round, let’s remember to keep Dallas Parks clean and beautiful for everyone to enjoy!
Mayor’s Back to School Fair
Dallas is only three weeks away from the 28th annual Back to School Fair, which will take place Friday, August 2, at Fair Park in the Automobile Building and Centennial Hall.
The fair will provide free school supplies, immunizations, haircuts, vision exams, and other services from more than 100 vendors! Eligible families can sign up using this link, along with volunteers and vendors.
The deadline to register as a volunteer or vendor is this Friday, July 19. Registration for families closes Friday, July 26, so sign up soon to secure your place! And to stay updated on future announcements, follow the Back to School Fair on Facebook.
FEMA Assistance
For Dallas residents still recovering from May’s severe weather, assistance is still available from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as the deadline to apply has been extended to August 15.
There are two in-person Disaster Recovery Centers open for residents to meet with representatives from FEMA and the Small Business Administration to discuss available disaster recovery resources, apply for assistance, or follow up on open cases.
One site is the West Dallas Multipurpose Center at 2828 Fish Trap Road, and a new site opened yesterday at the Dallas College Mountain View Campus at 4849 W. Illinois Avenue. Both centers are open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Additionally, Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams are continuing to work in neighborhoods throughout Dallas to help residents who may be unable to access one of the aforementioned application options.
SMART Summer
Lastly, the Dallas Public Library is offering the SMART Summer program through August 10.
SMART Summer is my reading program that encourages kids to read and learn while they’re out of school by offering fun prizes, including free books! This year, kids can earn prizes not just by reading, but also by attending library events, visiting museums, and making art.
This program provides enriching educational opportunities to families across Dallas at no cost. To learn more about SMART Summer and to register, visit this link.
SMART Summer is one of the many summer programs available for Dallas youth. Through the annual Mayor’s Summer of Safety, the city is offering many free and low-cost summer activities to keep kids and teens safe, active, and engaged. Here, you can find a complete list of Summer of Safety initiatives, including boxing programs from the Dallas Police Department and the popular Teen All Access Pass.
That’s all for this week. Stay safe and make the most of these last few weeks of summer!
