It’s all happening in Dallas
The following is adapted from my email newsletter. To subscribe, click here.
Tomorrow will be a very exciting day for Dallas as thousands of people visit for a front-row seat to the Great North American Eclipse!
The city will have an estimated 400,000 additional visitors for Monday’s Total Solar Eclipse, and to all these visitors, I just want to say — welcome to Dallas!
While you are here, enjoy some of the city’s wonderful parks, great restaurants, local businesses, and other attractions. Dallas is taking full advantage of this eclipse with many local institutions — including public libraries and parks — hosting viewing events for visitors and residents.
Klyde Warren Park will be a perfect spot to experience this eclipse, with complimentary viewing glasses, live music, a panel discussion with astronomers from the Carnegie Institution for Science, and other family-friendly activities for families.
Another exciting event will be the Sun, Moon, and You experience at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Fair Park. This event will be co-hosted by NASA and feature scientific speakers including special guest Neil deGrasse Tyson!
Other local organizations putting on exciting eclipse events include the Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Garden, the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, and the Frontiers of Flight Museum. And don’t forget that all of Dallas’ public parks will also be wonderful places to experience this once-in-a-lifetime event!
Reconnecting Communities
Last week, Dallas officially accepted an $80 million federal grant for the Bridging Highway Divides for DFW Communities project.
These funds will go toward projects aimed at reconnecting communities that have historically been divided by public infrastructure, such as highways. Now, the city is working to reconnect these neighborhoods through projects like Dallas’ innovative deck parks, making the city more friendly to pedestrians and cyclists while also providing more parks and green spaces for people to enjoy.
More than half of this grant — $45 million — will go toward expanding the deck parks at Klyde Warren Park and Southern Gateway Park.
Here in Dallas, we are all about parks. A flourishing park system is a necessity, not a luxury. Well-maintained parks can breathe new life into neighborhoods and connect communities. Parks make the city more beautiful and fun for current residents and more desirable to incoming residents and businesses. Dallas is committed to investing in parks and building the best city park system in America.
Restoring Forest Theater
On Thursday, we also broke ground on the restoration and expansion of the historic Forest Theater in South Dallas.
This renovation will restore the Forest Theater to its former glory and upgrade it with modern amenities. This theater, which once served as a cultural landmark for Dallas, will soon be a new center of arts and culture in South Dallas, enriching the lives of thousands of children, teens, and adults.
The new rendition of the Forest Theater will also bolster the local economy, generate much-needed jobs, and attract visitors from across North Texas. Furthermore, this $75 million restoration will spur more investment into South Dallas and draw more businesses and developments.
This incredible project would not be possible without the years of work put in by the nonprofit Forest Forward and the thousands of voices across Dallas who have supported this effort.
That’s all for now. Enjoy tomorrow’s eclipse and make sure to wear protective glasses!
