Category Archives: Holidays

Fireworks canceled mid-show due to safety concerns

On Monday, Fort Worth’s Fourth fireworks display was halted after several grass fires developed along the banks of the Trinity River, the Fort Worth Fire Department reported.

After consultation with the pyrotechnic company, a decision was made to suspend the fireworks show, out of an abundance of caution, due to concerns about damage to additional tubes used to shoot off the fireworks display.

Tarrant Regional Water District, the organizers of the fireworks show at Panther Island, issued this statement: “The fireworks show at Fort Worth’s Fourth was cut short tonight. We apologize that the show wasn’t able to be completed. Necessary preparations were taken leading up to the event, and as safety is our No. 1 priority, the decision was made to cut the show short at the direction of the Fort Worth Fire Marshal.”

Once the crowds departed the Trinity River area, the pyrotechnic technicians and the Fort Worth Fire Department’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit completed a review of the tubes. A decision was made to eliminate the remaining fireworks by discharging them in a controlled environment.

At about midnight, parts of the fireworks display were discharged to make the area safe. There was no threat to public safety while carrying out this disposal.

On Tuesday morning, the FWFD Bomb & Arson Unit in collaboration with the pyrotechnics company began eliminating the remaining fireworks at Panther Island Pavilion. This was done in a controlled environment under controlled circumstances by professionals. There was no timetable given for how long this process would take.

By midnight on July 4, FWFD had been dispatched to 203 grass fires across the city, which is 126 more than in 2021.

Original Source: Texas Police News

July 4th Fireworks Extravaganza 

Fireworks begin at 9:30 p.m. on July 4th

Celebrate America’s birthday at this year’s July 4th Fireworks Extravaganza complete with spectacular fireworks set to patriotic music. Viewing locations listed below include some of Grapevine’s lakeside parks and are subject to change. Parking or entry fees may apply.

Lake Parks Viewing Areas
Suggested Viewing Areas

(Click on each location name for more information)

Boater/Trailer Parking at Boat Ramps is $10 per.

Due to capacity limitations, cars will not be allowed to leave and re-enter the park without paying an additional fee.
 

Distant/Obstructed Viewing Areas

Viewing Areas with Restricted Acces
  • The Vineyards Campground & Cabins (Accessible to guests only with pre-scheduled reservations for that Sunday night. Gates are closed to the general public. Click here to make your reservation)
Fireworks Music Track

You can’t have a fireworks show without a rocking music track! We have made it easy by giving you the option to stream the show here from the page.

Follow the steps below to enjoy the show to the fullest!

Play Via Soundcloud
  • OPTION 1: If you don’t have the Soundcloud app installed, click on the black “Listen In Browser” button. Please allow up to 15 seconds for the song to buffer.
  • OPTION 2: If you have the Soundcloud app, click on the orange “Play on Soundcloud” button. The app should automatically open. Please allow up to 15 seconds for the song to buffer.
    • The Soundcloud app is free to download for the Apple and Android stores. It is free to register for an account but is not required to activate the app.
    • If you have the app but have not registered an account, the song should still play. You may see a screen that says “create an account” while the song is playing. Click on the button, and then on the next screen click on “cancel” in the corner. This should display the standard playback controls.

Please note that some viewing areas have less cell phone signals than others. It is suggested you check how many bars of service you have and even practice starting the music to see how long it takes to begin playing in the case that buffer times are 30 seconds or longer due to lower cell service signal. We suggest hitting “play” at 9:29 p.m. and then pausing the track to be prepared to hit play once the first shell goes into the air so that the song has appropriate time to buffer.

When you see the first firework go into the air, hit play!

Irving is decorated for the 30th year by The Great Flag Caper

The Great Flag Caper, which is a nonprofit organization in Irving that is made up of over 300 volunteers, decorated the entire 10.5 miles of MacArthur Blvd with over 40,000 American flags. This is their 30th year to do so, and it has basically become an Irving tradition.

Irving resident Nell Anne Hunt founded The Caper 30 years ago.

Nell Anne Hunt

“I moved into a new neighborhood, and everybody was so nice, and I thought I’d like to do something nice for them. So, for the Fourth of July, I bought 100 flags and went in a concentric circle around my house and put flags in everyone’s yards. Well, everybody liked it so much. The next year, I did 200 flags and spread out a little further. And then after that, a neighbor said that they wanted to do the whole neighborhood and that they would help. We did the whole neighborhood and then other neighborhoods expressed interest in doing the same thing. It just all started like that, and it just got bigger from there,” Hunt said.

Read more from NewsBreak…

July 4th Holiday Affected by Soaring Grocery and Gas Prices

Holy cookout, Batman! The cost to host an Independence Day party has gone up 17% since last year, according to a news release from the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF). This “market basket” survey of consumers monitored the most popular items purchased and then compared the cost of those items today to the prices in 2021.

Read more from NewsBreak…

Grand Prairie City Services Memorial Day Schedule

In observance of Memorial Day, City of Grand Prairie administrative offices will be closed on Monday, May 30. The city will have an in-person Memorial Day ceremony on Monday, May 30 at 10 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial, 925 Conover Dr. The ceremony may also be viewed live virtually at https://www.facebook.com/GrandFunGP prior to the event.

Memorial Day hours for city services are as follows:

  • Libraries – closed, items can be renewed online at gptx.org/library. All libraries have book drops for the return of items after-hours.
  • Water bill payment offices – closed
  • The Epic Recreation Center – closed
  • Shotwell Life Center, Charley Taylor and Dalworth Recreation Centers – closed
  • The Summit 50+ Adult Activity Center – closed
  • Prairie Lakes Golf Course – open
  • Tangle Ridge Golf Club – open
  • Kirby Creek Indoor Pool – closed
  • Lake Parks on Joe Pool Lake – open, holiday rates apply
  •  Outdoor Pools and Splash Factory – Bowles Pool will be open 1-5 p.m.  All other outdoor pools and the Splash Factory will be closed.
  •  Garbage Collection/Recycling – No garbage or recycling pickup; garbage will be picked up on your next regularly scheduled day.
  • Landfill – closed
  • Animal Shelter – closed
  • Tourist Information Center – open 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
  • Municipal Court – closed

‘Grandmother of Juneteenth’ to Walk 2.5 Miles at Age 96 for 1st Anniversary of Juneteenth National Independence Day

Almost a year has gone by since President Biden made the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law on July 17, 2021. The concept of Juneteenth has been celebrated on June 19 in different parts of the U.S. since 1965. This day commemorates the freedom of African Americans that were previously kept slaves, as well as a celebration of African American/Black history and culture.

This year is a special one for many people of all colors and ethnicities, as it marks the first anniversary of the Juneteenth Law. Many other minority groups join in this celebration as well.

Read more from NewsBreak…

The Life of Friday the 13th: It’s Longer Than You Think

Welcome to the only Friday the 13th in 2022! For those of you who are not superstitious, it’s probably no big deal. In fact, you probably forgot about it. But for folks who are superstitious, like the darker side of life, or find themselves saying, “Murphy’s Law” a lot, today may be extra dreadful, a celebration, or at least a great day to play morbid (yet harmless, please) pranks on friends and family. It’s also a popular day for haunted houses around the nation.

But why?

Read more from NewsBreak…

March is more than St. Patrick’s Day: March 26 – 31: Part 6 of 6

March is full of lesser-known and even strange “holidays.” Check out my previous articles to see what you may have missed!

Here’s what’s going on March 26 – 31:

March 26:

Make Your Own Holiday Day is the perfect day to celebrate whatever you’d like! The only guidelines are to make sure that your chosen topic for celebration is not already an official or unofficial holiday, and, of course, be courteous to your fellow humans.

Just FYI, “Joe Day” is taken, but I’m sure there are plenty of other things available.

Today, you can skip all the red tape and effort, and just declare Your Own Holiday!

It’s also Live Long and Prosper Day, which was created by Matt McCarthy in 2017 on Make Your Own Holiday Day. McCarthy’s purpose for this day is to encourage people to think about how they can live long and prosper. Whether it’s through exercise, eating right, or swearing off robbing banks, this is the day for self-improvement.

Read more from NewsBreak…

March is more than St. Patrick’s Day: March 22 – 25: Part 5 of 6

March is full of lesser-known and even strange “holidays.” Check out my previous articles to see what you may have missed!

March 22:

National Goof Off Day was allegedly created by Monica “Moeller” Dufour from Michigan and her grandfather. Dufour’s granddad was a radio DJ, and when Dufour was around the age of 10, she called into his radio show anonymously, suggesting “Goof-Off Day,” most likely because she had been goofing off. A local newspaper heard the suggestion and Granddad thought that it was a great idea, even though he had no idea who called it in. Dufour confessed the next day, but since an article was already in the paper, National Goof Off Day was born.

Read more from NewsBreak…

How Pi Day Became America’s Biggest Math Holiday

(Credit: Geralt/CCO/Flickr)

A holiday associated with a math constant may not seem very exciting. But Pi (“π”) Day, observed annually in the US on March 14 (3/14), is an exception. That’s because the celebrations may start with math activities centered around pi — the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, widely recognized as 3.14. But they inevitably end with a slice or two of delicious pie!

Read more from DOGO News…