Taste of Arlington will mark 30th year Tuesday evening with plethora of new restaurants

By: Pam Webb, YMCA release

Taste of Arlington is celebrating its 30 year anniversary. This delicious endeavor unites restaurants, specialty beverages, and gourmet food stores under one roof from 5:30 to 9:30 pm, Tuesday, October 23, at the Arlington Convention Center, 1200 Ballpark Way.

This all-you-can-eat party welcomes nearly 60 restaurants and vendors including five that that have been around since the beginning: Black-Eyed Pea, Spring Creek Barbecue, Chili’s Grill & Bar, Coors Distributing and Andrew’s (Miller) Distributing.

Restaurants new to the table this year include Black Dog Pizza, Blue Mesa Grill, Crawdaddy’s Shack, DoubleDave’s Pizzaworks, Eddie Deen Crossroads, Schlotsky’s and Sweet Crumbs Bakery.

Guest have an opportunity to taste small bites and specialty drinks created by some of the best chefs and restaurants in Arlington and the surrounding area.  The foods presented range from Texas barbecue to French to Cajun.

New this year is a VIP Wine Tasting sponsored by WineStyles in Mansfield. Included as part of the special VIP ticket, the wine tasting begins at 5 pm.

“We are thrilled to have a chance to celebrate 30 years Taste,” says Kay Nash, co-chair, along with Kim Lawson, of Taste of Arlington. “It is really a fun time for everyone. Guests get to sample delicious food and beverages, party with friends and family, and at the same time donate to a worthwhile cause.”

The evening includes live music by The Jet Poets and dancing.  Besides delicious cuisine, guests can snag one of the great Big Board Auction or silent auction items such as two Southwest Airlines tickets, a Texas Ranger Suite for one of the games in 2013 or a Happy Hour for 10 at Boomerjacks in Arlington. Plus many more items.

Tickets are $40 in advance or $35 in advance with a Press Pass at Theatre Arlington, 316 West Main Street or at any YMCA of Arlington branch. Tickets are also available online at www.tasteofarlington.info. Tickets are $45 at the door with VIP tickets $65.

Parking is free, and a shuttle service will be provided from the parking lot. No strollers will be allowed.

Taste of Arlington is a charitable event that for the last 30 years has been helping thousands of children in the community; kids who need fun, educational arts programs and a safe place to stay after school; kids who need positive role models and a chance to learn and try new things; and those who look forward to meeting new friends at summer camp—whether it’s camp at the YMCA or theater camp.

Sponsors include the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Walmart, Coors, Albertsons, Texas Power, Texas Trust, Marquez Bakery and Tortilla Factory, Andrews, Piccolo Mondo, Smile Magic and Westlake Ace Hardware.

For more information call 817-275-7661. For a list of other sponsors and a list of restaurants, visit: http://www.tasteofarlington.info.

At long last perhap those rush hour traffic jams on Texas 360 are behind us

Some local traditions are good and some are not. One “not” so welcome tradition is the reality that Texas 360 in Arlington will inevitably have a traffic jam – or maybe a complete bumper-to-bumper stop – every morning or afternoon rush hour.

But perhaps this will be no more.

Traffic on State Highway 360 in Arlington should be a bit lighter – perhaps a great deal lighter -- thanks to the opening of the new President George Bush Turnpike Western Extension, also known as State Highway 161 just east of and roughly parallel to 360, also connecting to Interstate 20.

This $535 million project is an extension of the Bush Turnpike, connecting Interstates 20 and 30, between State Highway 360 and the combination of Spur 408 and Loop 12. The final stretch of State Highway 161 is approximately 6.5 miles in length.

“The opening of State Highway 161 will go a long way to relieving congestion on Highway 360 in Arlington during rush hour,” said Keith Melton, director of Public Works and Transportation in Arlington.

There is one not-so-slight difference. Texas 360 is a free road. State Highway 161 is a toll road. The 161 project has been in a state of planning or construction since the 1970s – evidence of just how long a major road project can take.

According to the North Texas Toll Authority (NTTA), more than 100,000 cars are expected to travel the new toll road each day. Toll rates will be the same as throughout its system – an average of 15.3 cents per mile.

You can purchase TollTags at Arlington City Hall, located at 101 W. Abram Street, or visit the NTTA website for a list of TollTag partner locations. The tags are good at any toll facility in Texas, including DFW Airport, and are also honored across the nation. Tagged tolls are also generally considerably cheaper than tolls that are directly billed to motorists.

(Portions of this article are from a City of Arlington release)

Delay put on smoldering smoking issue as some councilman have second thoughts

The Arlington City Council, which was set to consider tougher smoking restrictions, instead decided Tuesday afternoon to delay a vote on the city’s smoking ordinance.

Councilman Robert Rivera, who initially led the move toward a total smoking ban at the Ballpark and other parts of Arlington, explained he’s had a change of heart on the matter after speaking with some business owners.

 “The last thing we should be doing is forcing someone to close up shop,” Rivera said. “These businesses employ our residents. One billiard hall owner told me smokers are the backbone of their industry.”

The revisions to the smoking ordinance include restrictions on smoking in bowling alleys, night clubs, sexually oriented businesses and parks, with the exception of golf courses. The changes would also impact the Rangers Ballpark, where smoking restrictions were recently modified in response to concerns.

Smoking is now banned on the balconies of the Cuervo Club and smoking areas on the upper concourse have been reduced and moved farther from seating and concessions.

Indoor smoking is already banned at the Cowboys Stadium.

Arlington’s smoking ordinance was last revised in 2008.

The council will consider the revised ordinance at the next scheduled meeting on October 30.

(City release M. Rice)

Trend toward increasingly restrictive smoking ordinances may evolve into another step

The Arlington City Council this week will consider a vote on the ordinance that would limit the number of smoking areas at the Rangers Ballpark, as well as at several other areas that now allow smoking.

Smoking would be eliminated on the balconies of the private Cuervo Club at the ballpark, and smoking areas on the upper concourse would be reduced and moved farther out from seating and concessions. Smoking areas on the ground level of the open-air stadium would also become more visible through floor markings.

Indoor smoking is already banned at the Cowboys Stadium and most other places in Arlington. Tuesday, the council is also set to vote on proposals to prohibit smoking in public parks, billiard halls, nightclubs and bowling alleys. Bars, bingo parlors, private clubs, private offices and tobacco shops would not be affected.

Arlington’s smoking ordinance was last revised in 2008. The ordinance has been an evolving work-in-progress, the trend being to eliminate smoking in public areas, for almost two decades.

Indoor smoking is already banned at the nearby city-owned Cowboys Stadium and at most other places in Arlington.

In October, the council will also vote on proposals to prohibit smoking in public parks, billiard halls, nightclubs, bowling alleys and the city’s last strip club. The changes would not affect bars, bingo parlors, private clubs, private offices or tobacco shops. Arlington’s smoking ordinance was last revised in 2008.

The ordinance bans smoking within 50 feet of a building’s entrance, so banning smoking altogether inside the ballpark would force ticket holders who want to smoke to leave ballpark property. Council members were shown a map of the ballpark marked with a line showing the 50-foot perimeter.

“You are either in the street or you are in the median,” said Roger Venables, assistant director for community development and planning. “It’s really not a practical solution to take it outside.”

Read more here

(City of Arlington release)

Even zombies can do good deeds, though they may have to “crawl” downtown to do

By: M. Rice, city release

Halloween zombies of all ages will unite for the first annual Zombie Downtown Crawl on Saturday, October 27. All zombies should meet at the Central Library’s patio, 101 E. Abram Street, at 5:00 p.m. to register.

The Zombie Downtown Crawl is sponsored by the Arlington Public Library Foundation and will benefit Arlington-Mansfield Community Summer Reading Program.

Several downtown restaurants will provide special discounts at specific times during the evening. Grease Monkey, Mellow Mushroom, Maverick’s Bar and Grill and Twisted Root Burger are some of the restaurants participating. All you have to do is buy a wristband for $5.00 to get special deals and discounts around town AND support literacy.

“The Zombie Downtown Crawl is all about a community celebration, having fun and supporting a good cause,” said Sharon Granado, Arlington’s Library Service Manager for Youth Services. “Our goal is to raise a lot of resources to support the Arlington-Mansfield Community Summer Reading Program, which is designed to help area students enhance reading skills.”

The Arlington Public Library held a superhero-themed crawl in the spring, which raised more than $1,000 for the summer reading program for children.

View event in calendar