Trots and Treats Tomorrow!

The West Village Dog Trot & Treat benefitting The Katy Trail

Saturday, October 31st - 11a.m. to 1 p.m.

An event geared for our furry friends and the people they own. The West Village Dog Trot & Treat will benefit the Katy Trail.

This year, pooches and their people will parade around West Village picking up treats at various boutiques along the way! The fun's just starting when the Trot & Treat ends, we'll have a post-party featuring a canine costume contest, live music, sips, and nibbles for everyone.

Registration at:
http://www.katytraildallas.org/site/PageServer?pagename=fkt_dogtrot_registration

Troy Aikman to kick off membership drive

Dallas Cowboys legend and sportscaster Troy Aikman will make a special appearance on the Katy Trail from 6-7 p.m. Thursday (Oct. 22) to kick off the first-ever Friends of the Katy Trail membership drive. Join the fun at David's Way, the entry plaza at Knox Street.


In addition to special guest Aikman, there will be refreshments and music by Jayson Bales and the Charmers, who will be selling their new CD with half the proceeds going to Friends of the KatyTrail. Check out a free song download at www.KatyTrailDallas.org.



All weekend Friends of the Katy Trail volunteers will be on the Trail to register news members. All those who join this weekend will receive a cool Katy Trail T-shirt courtesy of Luke's Locker.


Also, Friends of the Katy Trail is having a drawing for exclusive prizes with tickets $20 each or six for $100. They are available from the volunteers during the membership drive or online at www.KatyTrailDallas.org. Prizes include four tickets to a Dallas Cowboys game in a private suite with one parking pass and two American Airlines round-trip tickets to anywhere in the Continental U.S. or Mexico.


Although it is a city park, the Katy Trail is improved and maintained with private funds. Anyone can support the Katy Trail anytime of the day at www.KatyTrailDallas.org or texting Katy to 95495. Memberships start at $50.

Troy Aikman to Kick Off Membership Drive

Dallas Cowboys legend and TV sportscaster Troy Aikman will make a special appearance on the Katy Trail Oct. 22 to kick off the first-ever Friends of the Katy Trail membership drive. A devoted Katy Trail user, Aikman will be on the Trail from 6 to 7 p.m. that day signing autographs and convincing people to join the Friends of the Katy Trail. He will be at David's Way, the entry plaza at Knox Street.


In addition to special guest Aikman, there will be refreshments and music by Jayson Bales and the Charmers. Friends of the Katy Trail board members and volunteers will be there to register new members and explain how contributions maintain and improve the Trail. The membership drive will continue through Sunday, Oct. 25 with volunteers recruiting new members on the Trail at David's Way, the Thomsen Overlook at Reverchon Park and at Snyder's Union, the new plaza being built between Lemmon Avenue and Carlisle Place.


So join now or renew if you're already a member!


Also, Friends of the Katy Trail is having a raffle with exclusive prizes during the membership drive. Raffle tickets are $20 each or six for $100. They are available from the volunteers during the membership drive or online at www.KatyTrailDallas.org/raffle.


  Prizes include

    · Four tickets to a Dallas Cowboys game in a private suite with one parking pass

    · Two American Airlines round-trip tickets to anywhere in the Continental U.S. or Mexico

    · One-year family membership to the Dallas YMCA

    · Luke's Locker "runner's fanatic" package including a Garmin GPS personal training device and Asics shoes

    · Hockey stick signed by the Dallas Stars players

    · Tickets to a Texas Rangers game

    · Soils Alive organic fertilization

    · Highland Park Animal Hospital services


Friends of the Katy Trail membership contributions pay for the lights, water fountains, off-duty Dallas Police bike patrols and maintenance of the landscaping.

Anyone can support the Katy Trail anytime of the day at www.KatyTrailDallas.org. Memberships start at $50.

Volunteers needed

We need volunteers to help with the Oct. 22-25 membership drive. During the drive, volunteers will be on the Trail talking to folks about how their membership dollars will help improve and maintain the Katy Trail. If you're interested in helping, send an e-mail to Office@KatyTrailDallas.org or call 214-303-1180. The more the merrier!

Gardening with a little help from our friends

Maintaining the landscape along the Katy Trail is a big job. That's why we're very grateful for help from the Heart of Dallas chapter of the National Charity League, a non-profit group of mothers and their daughters serving communities together. Last month, 28 NCL mothers and daughters spent their Saturday on the Katy Trail weeding one-eighth mile of the Trail. That's a lot of dirt.


Their volunteer project started with a "identify the weed" session led by Jim Apken and Amanda Griffin, two members of the Landscape Advisory Committee, a blue-ribbon group of experts lending their expertise to maintaining the Trail's landscape. Helping to the keep the Katy Trail weed-free will be an ongoing project for the NCL volunteers.


"Heart of Dallas NCL is committed to helping the Katy Trail. This is an ongoing partnership," said NCL member Charisse Bradley.


Friends of the Katy Trail board chairman Philip Henderson welcomed the NCL group and told them how as "volunteer gardeners" they are providing a big service to the Katy Trail and the beauty of Dallas overall.


If you know of other groups that may be interested in helping with the gardening along the Katy Trail, let us know by sending an e-mail to Office@KatyTrailDallas.org.

Friends of the Katy Trail Membership Drive

Join, renew and volunteer Oct. 22-25

Friends of the Katy Trail is launching its first-ever membership drive Oct. 22-25. The objective is to tell Trail users how their support helps keep maintain and improve the Katy Trail, making it the resource they love.

What can you do? Join right now at www.KatyTrailDallas.org or sign up on the Trail during the membership drive. If you’re already a member, renew now.

Want to do more? We need volunteers to help educate Trail users about the benefits of joining Friends of the Katy Trial. Most users don’t realize that improvements and maintenance of the Katy Trail is paid for with private money.

Volunteers will work shifts over that weekend to explain how the lights, water fountains, off-duty police patrols and landscape maintenance are some of the things that just wouldn’t happen if it weren’t for Friends of the Katy Trail. Volunteers will be stationed at three spots on the Trail: David’s Way at Knox Street, Thomsen Overlook at Reverchon Park and Snyder’s Union, currently under construction between Lemmon Avenue and Carlisle Place.

If you want to volunteer, send an e-mail to Office@KatyTrailDallas.org or call 214-303-1180.

Dog Trot & Treat

More construction on Katy Trail

Construction has started on yet another new entrance to the Katy Trail. Work began this week on the sweeping staircase that will go from Hall Street to the Katy Trial above. This project is expected to be completed in December and will provide much more convenient access to the Katy Trail than the dirt path that was there.

While work is underway, the construction site is fenced off so please avoid it and get on the Katy Trail at other places.

Possible Rain Contingency

If you're planning to ride to city hall tomorrow with Bike Friendly Oak Cliff, then you will need to heck in to: http://dallasbikestocityhall.com/ by 6AM on Wednesday morning (October 7th). Bike Friendly Oak Cliff will announce if the ride will be rescheduled due to inclement weather.

DALLAS BIKES TO CITY HALL' ON OCT. 7

JOIN COUNCIL MEMBER ANGELA HUNT

Anyone who spends any time on the Katy Trail knows that there are plenty of Dallasites who love to ride bicycles. However, our fair city has the not-so-fair distinction of being one of the worse U.S. cities for bicycling (according to one publication). So join City Council Member Angela Hunt and other city officials for a ride to Dallas City Hall to promote greater bicycle awareness.



Wear your Friends of the Katy Trail T-shirt or hat and meet Council Member Hunt at Union Station at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7. City Council members, Park and Recreation Department officials, Bike Friendly Oak Cliff members and bike lovers will then ride along Young Street to City Hall.

At the completion of the ride, the city's new bicycle coordinator will be introduced and new initiatives that embrace “complete streets” policies will be unveiled. Complete streets are streets designed to provide access for all users, not just cars.

For more information, visit www.dallasbikestocityhall.com.

As Council Member Hunt's District 14 includes a lot of the Katy Trail, you may be interested in attending her Oct. 12 town hall meeting at Arlington Hall, 3333 Turtle Creek Blvd. On the agenda is Oncor's tree-trimming practices, which often result in trees cut into unsightly V-shapes around electric lines. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m.