See that new copter fly? Arlington a new base for Italian manufacturer AgustaWestland

City leaders and Arlington residents had a chance to see AgustaWestland’s latest helicopter take a demo flight recently over Arlington Municipal Airport.

AgustaWestland is expanding its flight activities in the U.S. with the addition of the AW189, an eight-ton class twin-engine helicopter program following the AW609 Tilt Rotor.

Robert LaBelle, Managing Director for AgustaWestland Tilt Rotor Company, said the demonstration conveyed the presence the company has in Arlington and the United States.

 “By seeing this aircraft flying, you are seeing a helicopter company that is continually investing in and fielding new products,” said LaBelle.

In 2011, AgustaWestland decided to buy the Tilt-Rotor portion of Bell Helicopter and entered into a 40-year lease with the City of Arlington to create a separate facility at the Arlington Municipal Airport. The Italian company provides about 150 jobs in Arlington. City Manager Trey Yelverton and Deputy City Manager Don Jakeway were on hand to watch the AW189 demonstration and the helicopter’s diverse functionality.

“AgustaWestland chose Arlington as a place to thrive and expand operations, and we are excited to see how far they have come in the past year,” said Yelverton.

The AW189 is optimized for offshore transport, search and rescue, parapublic and passenger transport missions. The AW189 program has logged over 800 flight hours with more than 160 hours in the U.S. The AW189 is now headed to Alaska for additional flight tests.

Through this Arlington-based program, AgustaWestland continues to introduce the latest generation technologies to meet market needs for longer range, higher payload and outstanding mission versatility and safety standards combined with lower operating costs. Several operators across the globe have already signed contracts for more helicopters, including Era Group, Bristow Group, Bond Aviation, Gulf Helicopters, Weststar and BelAir.

“The economic impact of having companies like AgustaWestland here is significant,” said Airport Manager Karen VanWinkle. “It represents AgustaWestland’s commitment to the airport and really putting down roots in this community.”

The AW189 is part of AgustaWestland’s family of new generation helicopters that also includes the AW169 and the AW139 intermediate models. Helicopters across the family concept all possess the same high performance flight characteristics and safety features. Additionally, they share the same common cockpit layout, design philosophy and maintenance concepts. LaBelle says this approach will deliver real cost savings in areas such as training, maintenance and support for companies operating at least two out of the three helicopter models.

Leaping Lizards…Annie is on Broadway and in Arlington with a barky show stealer

By: Sue Stevens Durbec, arts editor

Silent film star W. C. Fields famously advised actors never to share a stage with children or animals. It’s advice Equity Actor Neil Mowles apparently choose not to heed.

Mowles plays Oliver Warbucks in Theatre Arlington’s current production, “Annie.”  Which means he shares the stage with seven adorable little girls and one equally adorable, scene-stealing dog.

The show is earning rave reviews and Mowles is quick to heap a sleigh full of praises on director Melanie Mason.

“When you're working with material that can be and has been delivered in a rather saccharin manner, I think it's important to find the true heart in the story. Melanie was great in helping us find it,” Mowles said.

The children, some with impressive theater credentials, deliver with acting, singing and dancing skills that belie their tender years.

Zu, the canine Sandy, is stealing hearts in her acting debut. She was adopted from Arlington Animal Services in June. Her theater career got a bit of a jump-start, because her adopted parents are Mason and her husband,  UT Arlington Theatre Arts Professor Dennis Maher. Maher is portraying FDR in the show, so it is truly a family affair.

Sue Durbec
Zu seems to be enjoying her time in the spotlight. But that could have something to do with the young cast members.
“She and Sarah, the girl playing Annie, have become fast friends,” Mason said.

In addition to the girls and the dog, Mowles is sharing the stage “with my amazingly talented niece, Jenny Thurman.’

He said when the original movie version of "Annie" came out, Thurman was just a little younger than the title character.

“I remember her being fixated with the movie,” Mowles said. “But I think even then she recognized that the role that would be the best to sink her teeth into was Miss Hannigan.”

“Annie” runs through December 16, but many shows are sold out. To check on tickets availability, visit www.theatrearlington.org

Planetarium expands its WOW! impact with 3-D looks at the galaxy

The Planetarium at UT Arlington is making changes that will allow schoolchildren and other planetarium patrons an even better picture of our galaxy and beyond, including the opportunity to experience 3-D features.

A new Digistar 5 projection system will be installed this month and will be used for shows beginning in 2013. The planetarium, which is part of the UT Arlington College of Science, is the only North Texas facility with the new software.

“With these new features, we will be able to act as if we’re riding in an alien spacecraft visiting other vistas of the universe, such as extra-solar planets orbiting distant stars,”said Levent Gurdemir, the planetarium’s director. “The new software also will allow us to virtually fly from one location to another on Earth because they’ve integrated Google’s terrain map data. So, we can visit volcanoes, fault lines or even take a tourist trip to New York City.”

According to computer graphics innovator Evans & Sutherland, the maker of the Digistar 5 system, the new software “contains the most comprehensive set of astronomical data ever assembled, including the fully integrated Digital Universe data set from the American Museum of Natural History and NASA.”

“The Planetarium has been a great community outreach tool for the University, and we expect this upgrade to make it an even more valuable asset,” said Pamela Jansma, dean of the College of Science.

Current public shows appeal to a variety of ages, from the children’s astronomy primer “Secret of the Cardboard Rocket” to the amusement park ride thriller “Spacepark 360” to the beautiful “Experience the Aurora.” Holiday shows, including “Holiday Music Magic” and “Season of Light,” start Dec. 6. For more information, visit www.uta.edu/planetarium/.

On Dec. 21, the venue will host a Not The End of the World Party from 7 p.m. to midnight, featuring lectures, arts and crafts and planetarium shows.
(Article by Traci Peterson, UTA)

First Volksmarch has terrific weather, attracts walkers from around the state

Patricia Collier has never heard of an organized group walk in which she didn’t want to partake, so naturally she turned up Saturday at Arlington’s Christkindl Market 10K/5K Volksmarch – all the way from her home in San Antonio.

The morning before Collier was at a run/walk in Waxahachie, a Dallas White Rock Lake walk that afternoon, and another walk in Fort Worth early Saturday morning. Since the Christkindl Market event was from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., she strolled into Arlington by 10:30 or so, ready for yet another power walk.

“I heard about this one and just had to be here,” said Collier, who was seen later running the course. “I spent 23 years in the military, including Germany, and was quite familiar with the whole idea of a volksmarch.”

Arlington residents Steve and Connie Kerr came up with the idea of adding the traditional volksmarch to the Christkindl Market, the outdoor family festival celebrating the German Christmas heritage with authentic German cuisine, crafts and entertainment.

Held just north of the Ballpark and featuring over 50 booths, Christkindl Market runs through Dec. 15.

“Steve was stationed in Germany for three years in the 70s and we did a lot of volksmarches when we were there,” Connie Kerr said of the sport, which was brought to the U.S. by service members like her husband returning from Europe. The German term means “a people’s walk.”

“When we were talking about the Christkindl Market this year, his first comment was, `so are they going to have a volksmarch?’ We talked with (Council Member) Sheri Capehart, and that’s how the whole thing began.”

Organizers thought the walk was a neat addition and turned to the Tarrant County Walkers to set up the route and handle registrations.

By noon more than 200 people had walked around the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, through scenic Richard Greene Park and parts of the Cowboy Stadium. Walkers started at the Arlington Visitors Center and had the option of covering a 6K or 11K.

Arlington resident Sherry Pointer arrived to the Visitor’s Center with her 10-year-old twin boys in tow, confessing little knowledge of this German tradition.

“Our plan was to attend the market and I found out about this walk so we came early to do it,” Pointer said. “The best part of the walk was Richard Greene Park. The kids just loved the big sculptures and I really enjoyed the exercise without having a time limit.”

That’s the idea, said Tarrant County Walkers President Susan Fine.

“It’s a nice, non-competitive walk without someone clocking you,” Fine said. “You can go on a power walk and clock yourself, you can run it, you can just do a leisurely stroll. It’s up to you. That’s the beauty of the tradition, which I hope becomes a tradition here. That’s why we’re calling this our first annual walk. We hope to be back.”

Interlochen tradition of festive holiday lighting will continue with big crowds expected

One of the largest neighborhood holiday lights displays in north Texas continues to shine bright in Arlington. Interlochen starts Friday, Dec. 14 and continues through Christmas Day.

This year, the popular holiday attraction is 12 days of bright lights and holiday-theme displays involving more than 200 homeowners. Admission into the area is free. Entrance begins at Randol Mill Road and Westwood Drive.

To help facilitate safe travel for Interlochen homeowners and the thousands of motorists who return every year to ride and enjoy the sights, the Arlington Police Department will operate traffic control posts each day from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. This year, motorists can expect to see more signage to help them safely navigate the route.

Before you go, download this map or www.ArlingtonPD.org.

How to Enter and Exit Interlochen:

• Enter the Interlochen neighborhood from Westwood Drive at Randol Mill Road.
• From Westbound Interstate 30, take the Fielder Road exit and south to Randol Mill Road. Turn right on Randol Mill Road and follow it to Westwood Drive.
• From Eastbound Interstate 30, take the Eastchase Parkway exit, go east on Meadowbrook Boulevard to Randol Mill Road, then right on Randol Mill Road to Westwood Drive.
• All other streets to the Interlochen neighborhood are closed. Left turns are prohibited from northbound Bowen at Westwood and at Westwood and Porto Bello. All traffic will be forced southbound on Crowley Road. Tour buses and limousines are not allowed on Porto Bello Court.

Helpful Travel Safety Tips:

• Traffic must keep right at all times, leaving the left lane open for emergency vehicles and Interlochen homeowners.
• Adults and children must be properly secured by safety belts and child safety seats. Avoid distractions in the vehicle such as texting.
• Visit during the week. Weekends are the highest traffic-volume days.
• Pack a little patience. Traveling through the area could be slow at times.
• Pedestrian traffic is permitted (Does not include people exiting vehicles which could pose safety hazard).
• Roller skating in the street is prohibited by the Arlington Municipal Code.
• No solicitation or sales by any vendors or group will be allowed from any public roadway or public rights-of-way.

Be sure to download the map! Interlochen Road Map.

(City of Arlington release)