Katy Goes International

A magazine from Japan came to Texas to do a story on how the Lone Star State was “going green.” They visited Houston and Dallas in their quest. Click here to see a copy of one page of the four-page spread in Sotokoto and see if you recognize anyone. And let us know what you think the photo captions say.

Latest on Lighting

There’s been a delay in completing the lighting on the Katy Trail. The final two meters – one at Travis Street and the other at Tracy Street – have not been installed by Oncor yet. Until they are, the lighting installer cannot test the lights on the northernmost mile of the Trail to see if they work.

When we last spoke with Oncor three weeks ago, they said the meters would be installed “soon.” Not sure what the definition of “soon” is, though. Once the meters are in, the contractor will test the lights, make any adjustments, complete his final “to-do list” and the lights will be fully operational. We’re still hopeful that the lighting will be working in the next few weeks.

Walk to School Day is Coming Up

Walk-to-School-Day is October 8 this year. Nearly 1,500 schools are participating from 48 states to encourage students to get to school without a car. Walk-to-School Day in the United States is part of international Walk-to-School Day, which involves more than three million walkers around the world.

Why promote walking and biking to school?
Engaging in active transportation at a young age is an important step for children to develop into lifelong walkers and bikers. In 1969, 50 percent of American children walked to school, but by 2004 that number had dropped to 14 percent. Several problems have accompanied this decrease. Parents dropping their kids off at school account for 20 to 30 percent of all morning rush hour traffic. Further, 50 percent of all American children (under age 19) were overweight or obese in 2003, compared to 15 percent in the early 1970s. Walking or biking to and from school is an easy way for children to build activity into their lives and meet the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendation of 30 minutes of moderate physical activity at least five days a week.

Latest on the PSA

I talked with the composer yesterday. He said he thought he'd have music back to us by Monday. Once we have his tracks, we'll do a polish edit of a 30 sec and 1 minute version. We do have some post- production to do to make the motion control shots look perfect. We're shooting to have everything wrapped up this month.

Lost & Found

We've recently gotten calls about a few things that have been lost and found on the Katy Trail. If you think either of these are yours, call our office at 214-303-1180 and we'll reunite you.

1. A pair of nice sunglasses. Call our office to describe them and if they're yours, we'll make sure you get the back. Otherwise, KT has taken quite a fancy to them.
2. A cat was found on Sept. 14. near KT 117. He's not feral and clearly comes from a good home. If you think he's yours, give us a call so he can come home.

We'll keep you updated if we get any other calls about stuff lost and found on the Trail.

Waiting to Hear the Music

Regarding the PSA that we're all dying to see, we've done a rough cut (1 minute version) and are working with our composer to develop music. Once the music is done, we'll re-edit the rough and then develop a 30 second verison.

Then you'll get to see it(and maybe yourself if you volunteered to be in it) and all it's magnificent glory.

Clearing on the Trail

Just a reminder that Lawns of Dallas is scheduled to start clearing work on the Katy Trail between the Harry Hines and McKinnon bridges on Monday, Sept. 8.

Chris Miller, who oversaw the clearing of the limestone escarpment from Harry Hines to the Victory Overlook, will be supervising.

Don't worry, this is a good thing.

Mark Your Calendar for Katy Trail Days

Yes, your favorite time on the Trail, Katy Trail Days has returned this year and will be better than ever. To make sure you don't miss a thing, mark your calendars for these events:

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25

• Chalk Art Competition 10 a.m. 4 p.m. Area students will create works of art featuring Katy Trail Days themes on the Katy Trail. The young artists will compete for prizes from area restaurants and retailers. Trail users will pick the winners by voting at www.KatyTrailDallas.org
• On-Trail Entertainment 10 a.m. 4 p.m. Bands, clowns, jugglers, face painters and chalk artists will be on the Trail for six hours of non-stop entertainment. Located at various locations along the Trail, all entertainment is free.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26

• Pumpkin Party 3-5 p.m. Children and families will fill Reverchon Park for an outdoor Pumpkin Festival, where pumpkins can be purchase, designed, carved and decorated all in one spot. Live music, tasty treats, spicy drinks and ghostly tunes round out the festivities.
• On-Trail Entertainment 10 a.m. 4 p.m. Bands, clowns, jugglers, face painters and chalk artists will be on the Trail for six hours of non-stop entertainment. Located at various locations along the Trail, all entertainment is free.
  

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29

• Pub Crawl 6-8 p.m. One of the most popular events of Katy Trail Days is back for its second year. Crawlers get to sample signature drinks from some of the hippest bars, pubs and restaurants in Dallas. Cost is $50 per person, with all ticket sales at www.KatyTrailDallas.org. Members receive a discount.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1

• Dog Trot 10 a.m. 12 p.m. A new event geared for our furry friends and the people they own. The Katy Trail Days Dog Trot begins at the American Airlines Center and travels 3K up to Reverchon Park, where a post-race party features music, doggie massages, food and drinks for dogs and people. Entry fee is $25.
• On-Trail Entertainment 10 a.m. 4 p.m. Bands, clowns, jugglers, face painters and chalk artists will be on the Trail for six hours of non-stop entertainment. Located at various locations along the Trail, all entertainment is free.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2

• On-Trail Entertainment 10 a.m. 4 p.m. Bands, clowns, jugglers, face painters and chalk artists will be on the Trail for six hours of non-stop entertainment. Located at various locations along the Trail, all entertainment is free.

Oh, and we got the alcohol permit this morning for the post-race party after the Dog Trot, so you know it will be a great party. Stay tuned for all the latest info after our meeting tomorrow.

PSA Progress

Good news for all of you anticipating the fabulous Katy Trail PSA. . . . The transfer house finally re-digitized the final reels of film we shot for the PSA. We're going to pick up the hard drives this afternoon and continue the editing process.

We'll let you know when we've got it ready for your viewing pleasure.