November News Releases

 

November 30, 2010

 

Abilene Zoo’s bison heading to new home on the range

ABILENE, Texas – The bison at the Abilene Zoo will soon have green pastures to graze in when they’re relocated to a private ranch later this week. The relocation will provide the bison a more compatible environment to graze in since grass did not grow well in the current exhibit due to the size of the herd. The zoo’s master plan calls for the return of bison in the future when funding is available to expand the zoo into an undeveloped area.

 

“The bison have had such a long history of being on exhibit here at the zoo and we’re sad to have them leave,” explained Abilene Zoo Director Bill Gersonde. “But it’s in their best interest to be relocated to a facility that has the appropriate space to house these animals. Zoo personnel inspected the private ranch to ensure that staff there is able to provide the proper care for the bison.”

 

Within the next few weeks, zoo personnel will start transforming the bison exhibit into a South American grasslands, or pampas exhibit, which will serve as home for three new species.  Guanacos which are cousins of the llama, rheas which are medium sized flightless birds related to the ostrich and Patagonian cavies, a large relative of the guinea pig, will take up residence in the new exhibit. The South American grasslands exhibit is expected to open in June 2011.

 

“These are smaller animals that spend less time grazing which will allow us to establish grass and other vegetation in the exhibit,” said Gersonde. “The pampas exhibit also ties in with the South American theme of this area of the zoo. The maned wolves, spider monkeys and jaguar are all South American species. This new exhibit will help us to continue to tell the story about South American wildlife.” 

 

The Abilene Zoo is located in Nelson Park, off Highway 36, at 2070 Zoo Lane. It’s open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursdays through the months of June, July, and August. The zoo is closed New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. For more information, visit the zoo’s website at www.abilenezoo.org.

 

November 29, 2010

 

New restaurant to open at Abilene Regional Airport this week  

ABILENE, Texas – Abilene Regional Airport is pleased to announce that Ann’s Airport Café will open in the terminal building on Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2010. The restaurant hours are 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. daily.

 

Anyone who dines at the restaurant can park in the airport’s covered parking lot for free for up to two hours. Patrons will need to have their parking ticket validated by the restaurant staff.

 

For more information about Abilene Regional Airport, go online to www.abilenetx.com/Airport.

 

Giving Tree spreads holiday joy to Abilene Zoo’s animal

ABILENE, Texas – This holiday season, you can give a special gift to animals that reside at the Abilene Zoo through the Giving Tree. The Giving Tree, located inside the Zoo’s gift shop, is decorated with ornaments featuring a picture of a zoo animal along with a gift idea that would be appropriate for that animal. Visitors can either take the ornament off the tree, purchase the enrichment item listed and turn it in at the gift shop or make a monetary donation. Items on the Giving Tree range in price from less than $1 to over $500. The public can also go online to Amazon’s website, www.amazon.com, and search for the Abilene Zoo’s Wish List to purchase items online.

 

The Giving Tree is on display from now until Christmas, December 25, 2010.

 

The Abilene Zoo is located in Nelson Park, off Highway 36, at 2070 Zoo Lane. It’s open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursdays through the months of June, July, and August. The zoo is closed New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. For more information, visit the zoo’s website at www.abilenezoo.org.

 

Abilene Animal Shelter offers special holiday adoption promotion during the month of December   

ABILENE, Texas – Dozens of animals are in need of a loving home this holiday season. During the month of December, the Abilene Animal Shelter is giving a special holiday discount of $20 for puppies, kittens, dogs and cats that are adopted from its facility. In addition, Rescue the Animals, SPCA is partnering with the Abilene Animal Shelter to offer additional promotions.

 

“Our goal is to have more animals placed into good homes this holiday season,” Animal Services Manager Aaron Vannoy noted, “We are appreciative of Rescue the Animals, SPCA for joining us in this effort and giving more people the opportunity to adopt a new furry companion through the discounted prices.”

 

During this special adoption sale, unsterilized dogs will cost $60 and unsterilized cats will cost $50. Dogs and cats that are sterilized will cost $15 each.

 

From Dec. 1 through Dec. 31, Rescue the Animals, SPCA is providing a $20 spay/neuter mail-in rebate coupon on every animal adopted from the Abilene Animal Shelter. The coupons are good at any veterinarian. The coupons will be given to new pet owner(s) with shelter adoptions.

 

Prospective pet owners are invited to visit the Abilene Animal Shelter, 925 S. 25th Street, to see which animals are available for adoption. Shelter hours are 10:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturdays.

 

For more information about animal adoptions, contact the Abilene Animal Shelter at (325) 698-0085 or go online to www.abilenetx.com/animal.

 

November 24, 2010

 

Local youth place at Punt, Pass & Kick Team Championship

held at Cowboys Stadium

ABILENE, Texas – The City of Abilene’s Recreation Division is proud to announce the local results for the NFL Punt, Pass & Kick Team Championship. Four Abilene-area youth participated in the event held Sunday, Nov. 21, 2010 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The results are as follows:

 

Since more Team Championship events are scheduled to take place around the country next month, it’s undetermined if any of our local athletes will move on to the National Finals. The top four scorers nationally from all first-place finalists in each age division for boys and girls in the Team Championship Events will advance to the National Finals. A total of 40 winners from around the country and one parent or guardian will travel to the finals at an NFL playoff game sometime in January.

 

According to its website, the NFL Punt, Pass & Kick program is “a national skills competition for boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 15 to compete separately against their peers. Established in 1961, the PPK program is the oldest NFL Youth Football program.” For more information about NFL Punt, Pass & Kick, go online to http://www.nflppk.com.

 

Come join us for next month’s Family Holiday Festival

ABILENE, Texas – The Rose Park Senior Activity Center is hosting its annual Family Holiday Festival fundraiser on Friday, Dec. 10, 2010 from 5:45 p.m. to 10 p.m. Have a great time at this festive event while raising money for future activities at the senior activity center.

 

Dinner tickets are available at the Rose Park Senior Activity Center, 2625 S. 7th Street, through Monday, Dec. 6. Ticket prices are as follows:

 

The activities will include:

 

For more information contact the Rose Park Senior Activity Center office at (325) 734-5300.

 

November 22, 2010

 

Abilene Police Department: Cooper H.S. students detained at Lubbock mall

On 11-19-10 three Cooper students were detained in a Lubbock mall by loss prevention.  They were detained pursuant to a shoplifting allegation. An Abilene School Resource Officer, who had accompanied the Cooper students and staff to the football game, was requested at the mall. Eventually the students were released to the officer’s custody, pending possible criminal charges by Lubbock PD. Two of the three students were adults and one was a juvenile. Since they were not arrested at the time of this incident, no names will be released.

 

Concerning the three athletes who were removed from the team for after-game violations, at no time was the Abilene Police Department involved in that situation or the resulting decisions. That includes the School Resource Officer who was present during the game.  This matter needs to be addressed with AISD. 

 

Second Chance Appliance Rebate Program begins Monday, Dec. 20

ABILENE, Texas – Just in time for the holidays, the City of Abilene will offer a Second Chance Appliance Rebate Program which gets underway Monday, Dec. 20, 2010. This program serves as an opportunity for citizens who may have missed out on the State’s “Texas Trade Up Appliance Rebate Program” this past spring. For complete details about the rebate program guidelines, click here.

 

Abilene residents must replace an older, functional appliance with a new ENERGY STAR qualified model to receive a rebate check. The new program will be based on the State of Texas’ new Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program. City residents with a valid Abilene residential address qualify for a rebate if they follow all program rules established by the State program as well as the program guidelines of the City of Abilene. More information on the State program can be found at www.texaspowerfulsmart.org/rebate/.

 

Per the State program guidelines, appliances may be purchased beginning on Monday, Dec. 20, 2010. Purchases before this date WON’T be eligible for the rebate. City rebates are subject to available funding and will be provided to citizens on a first come, first served basis until all available funding has been exhausted.

 

For questions, contact the City of Abilene Planning & Development Services Department at (325) 676-6237.

 

November 19, 2010

 

Most City offices closed in observance of Thanksgiving

ABILENE, Texas – Most City of Abilene offices and community service centers will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 25 and Friday, Nov. 26 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday with the exception of those providing life safety services such as fire and police protection.

 

The Abilene Animal Shelter will be closed Nov. 25 and Nov. 26 for the holiday. Citizens with an animal related emergency should contact the Abilene Police Department at 673-8331 and an Animal Services Officer will be dispatched to handle the call. The animal shelter will open once again on Saturday, Nov. 27 and resume its regular business hours from 10:00 a.m. through 2:00 p.m. 

 

Solid Waste Services division offices will not be open Nov. 25 and 26. There will be no residential pickup on Thursday or Friday. There is no commercial container collection on Thursday, Nov. 25. There will be limited commercial container collection on Friday, Nov. 26. There will be no bulk and brush collection on Nov. 25 and 26. The Environmental Recycling Center (ERC) will also be closed Thursday and Friday. The ERC will resume regular business hours on Saturday, Nov. 27.

 

The Municipal Court will also be closed on Nov. 25 and 26. All citations due Nov. 25 and 26 will be due on Nov. 29 with no penalty.

 

Other City closings for Nov. 25 and 26 include: City Hall, Health Division, all Abilene Public Library locations, Abilene Civic Center, the Development Corporation of Abilene, the Airport Administration Office and City Recreation and Senior Citizen centers.

 

CityLink Transit will not run on Nov. 25. On Friday, Nov. 26, CityLink will operate a Saturday schedule for the Fixed Route service.

 

The Abilene Zoo is closed on Thanksgiving. The zoo will resume regular hours on Friday, Nov. 26.

 

The Water Services Center, 701 E. Hwy. 80, won’t be open on Thanksgiving. The center will reopen on Friday, Nov. 26 as well as on Saturday, Nov. 27 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. For water emergencies, sewer problems and reports of water conservation ordinance violations, citizens may call the Water Services Center’s emergency hotline, 676-6000, seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

 

November 18, 2010

 

Abilene Police Department: Ongoing investigation regarding Pigeon Drop Scam

On 11-17-10, an Abilene man was approached and asked for help in cashing a check in order to be able to claim $300,000.00. The suspect asked the mark to cash a check for $5,000.00 at First Financial Bank (FFB). FFB was suspicious and refused to cash the check. An Abilene Police Department detective later contacted the mark and he avoided the $5,000.00 loss. 

 

This morning, 11-18-10, a man tried to withdraw $8,000.00 from an account at FFB. It is believed that will be part of the same group as above. They did have a very professional looking fake drivers license. The teller at FFB tried to stall the man and called police but he left before police arrived. 

 

The scam operators seem to be good at what they do and are probably part of an organized group. 

 

November 17, 2010

Come listen to holiday music at Abilene Regional Airport

ABILENE, Texas – Abilene Regional Airport visitors can enjoy holiday music this holiday season, compliments of area schools. Students from several schools will treat listeners to a variety of Christmas music and styles including jazz and contemporary to the sounds of a handbell choir. The public is invited to come out and enjoy the festivities.

 

Here is the schedule for the Airport’s Annual Christmas Choir Performances:

    • Tuesday, Nov. 30, 1 p.m. – Wylie Jazz Band
    • Thursday, Dec. 2, 6:15 p.m. – Abilene High School Pure Gold
    • Friday, Dec. 3, 4:30 p.m. – Madison Pops
    • Wednesday, Dec. 8, 1 p.m. – Cooper Rhythm and Blues
    • Wednesday, Dec. 8, 5 p.m. – Abilene Christian Schools
    • Thursday, Dec. 9, 10:15 a.m. – Woodson Handbell Choir
    • Friday, Dec. 10, 1 p.m. – Austin Elementary Choir

 

The airport will offer free parking in the covered parking area for visitors who are attending the musical performances. Drivers will need to get their parking tickets validated at the airport office.

 

For more information about Abilene Regional Airport, go online to www.abilenetx.com/airport.

 

Abilene Police Department: Aggravated robbery arrest

On 11-17-10 at approximately 8:43 a.m., the Dairy Queen at 5110 Hwy 277 was robbed at knife point. Rapid response by the Patrol Division resulted in the arrest of 23-year-old Matthew J. Edwards. The stolen money was recovered as well as the weapon. Edwards is being charged with Aggravated Robbery.   

 

November 16, 2010

 

Punt, Pass & Kick sectional winners advance to championship qualifier at Cowboys Stadium

ABILENE, Texas – The City of Abilene’s Recreation Division is proud to announce NFL Punt, Pass & Kick sectional area qualifiers who will now advance to the 2010 Dallas Cowboys NFL Punt, Pass & Kick Team Championship this month. They are:

 

 

The Team Championship is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 21, 2010 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX. Each of the first place sectional winners' scores was compared against winners from the other 13 sectional competitions held in the North Texas/Southern Oklahoma area during the past few weeks.

 

The City’s Recreation Division hosted the Abilene area sectional competition on Saturday, Oct. 23. Each age group had a boy and girl winner. Out of 88 participants, the sectional winners were:

 

 

According to the NFL Punt, Pass & Kick rules, each participant is allowed one punt, one pass and one placekick as part of his or her competition. Scores are based on both distance and accuracy. The competition is open to boys and girls, ages 6-15.

 

For more information about NFL Punt, Pass & Kick, go online to http://www.nflppk.com.

 

November 10, 2010

    

Abilene's first dog park to open Saturday, Nov. 20

ABILENE, Texas – The public is invited to attend the grand opening ceremony for Abilene’s first dog park, Camp Barkeley Dog Park, scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2010. The new outdoor facility for dogs is located in Nelson Park on the east side of the Abilene Zoo entrance. Named after a World War II camp in Abilene, the dog park is a public/private partnership between the City of Abilene and The Park People, a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization.

 

“Dog owners and their beloved pets will now have a place to go in Abilene where they can enjoy the outdoors freely and socialize with other dogs,” explained Mayor Norm Archibald. “Camp Barkeley Dog Park is the result of the City and The Park People working together along with the efforts of concerned citizens who wanted to improve our community’s quality of life.”

 

Funded through donations, the dog park consists of one acre of leash-free fenced area for small dogs and two acres of leash-free fenced area for large dogs which shall be open from dawn to dusk. The City of Abilene provided the park land and will provide basic maintenance such as mowing. The Park People provided the funding for the construction of fencing and gravel sidewalks, installation of benches, water fountains, doggie bag stations and trash receptacles, and irrigation and seeding of grass.   

 

The dog park requires residents to display the dog’s city license tag and have a current rabies vaccination tag or documentation. Owners are limited to two dogs per person per visit and must have a visible leash with them at all times. The park rules prohibit: dogs in heat, dogs with aggressive behavior, puppies less than 4 months of age and the use of spiked collars.

 

The complete Dog Park Guidelines can be found here.

 

November 5, 2010

Abilene Zoo guests can continue to feed the giraffes and ducks as new animal feeding policy goes into effect  

ABILENE, Texas – Due to the United States Department of Agriculture (U.S.D.A.) mandate requiring an employee monitor the public feeding of animals, the Abilene Zoo will have an attendant at the giraffe exhibit starting today, Nov. 5, 2010. Also effective today, the giraffes and the zoo ducks are the only animals that zoo guests may feed. The zoo’s new animal feeding policy is for the safety of both the animals and the public.

 

“We know it’s a big change. There’s been a long history of feeding crackers to the animals at the Abilene Zoo but we also know our guests care very much for the animals and want to see us provide quality care to the collection,” acknowledged Zoo Director Bill Gersonde. “Our animals are on special diets and it’s very difficult to keep them healthy when they’re fed so many crackers. At times you’ll see piles of crackers in front of the bears or crackers scattered throughout the bison or zebra exhibits. They get so full that they just leave them. We need to provide the best care possible to the animals and monitoring their diets is a very important part of that care.”

 

The giraffe attendant will help guests have a great experience feeding the giraffe while observing the interactions between the people and the giraffe. Now, zoo guests will purchase a token for $1.00 from the zoo admissions window, check in with the giraffe exhibit attendant to exchange the tokens for crackers and then feed the giraffes. Zoo staff will monitor the amount of crackers fed to the giraffe and adjust their diet accordingly.

 

Cracker tokens will be available for purchase on weekends, holidays and during school breaks from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The giraffe public feeding schedule will expand to daily in the spring.

 

The Abilene Zoo is located in Nelson Park, off Highway 36, at 2070 Zoo Lane. It’s open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursdays through the months of June, July, and August. The zoo is closed New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. For more information, visit the zoo’s website at www.abilenezoo.org.

 

November 4, 2010

 

Abilene Police Department to hold promotion ceremony this Friday, Nov. 5  

ABILENE, Texas – The Abilene Police Department will hold a promotion ceremony at the Law Enforcement Center conference room, 450 Pecan Street, at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 5, 2010. This promotion ceremony is especially noteworthy due to an African American being promoted to a supervisory position for the first time in the Abilene Police Department. Because of the room’s capacity, attendance at the event is limited to City of Abilene employees, family and special guests including the media.

 

During the ceremony, Sergeant Keith Shackleford will be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. Shackleford came to the Abilene Police Department in 1995 after serving 10 years in the U.S. Air Force. Shackleford has served as a patrol officer and field training officer. He then became a member of the K9 Unit prior to going to the Criminal Investigations Division as a detective. Shackleford promoted to Sergeant in 2006. He has served in that capacity in the Community Services Division as well as the Responsive Intelligence Division. He has served as the Police Department’s public information officer for the last three years.

 

Detective Will Ford will be promoted to the rank of Sergeant. Ford’s promotion to the rank of Sergeant will mark the first time in the history of the Abilene Police Department that an African American has been promoted to a supervisory position. Ford began his career with the Abilene Police Department as a patrol officer in March 1985. He is a former field training officer and has served over 10 years as a detective in the Crimes Against Persons Unit. Ford holds a Master’s Peace Officer License as well as an Instructor’s License.

 

Also during the ceremony, several awards will be given out including but not limited to a Life Saving Bar, Police Medal of Valor, Police Shield and two Meritorious Conduct Bars.  

 

November 3, 2010

Taylor County residents: sign up to receive severe weather warnings through CodeRED®

ABILENE, TX – All Taylor County residents, including those who live in Abilene, can now sign up for a free service to receive warnings about dangerous weather conditions on their phone through CodeRED® thanks to a recent decision by the Abilene/Taylor County 9-1-1 District to purchase the service. Citizens must sign up (opt-in) for the weather warning, even if they are already registered in the CodeRED® system, by logging on to the City website, www.abilenetx.com, or the Taylor County website, www.taylorcountytexas.org and clicking on the CodeRED® logo. CodeRED® is the emergency notification calling system for Taylor County.

 

“Previously, City and County officials would have to be informed of the rapidly approaching weather situation such as a flash flood, determine who might be affected, record a call and send it out through CodeRED®,” explained City of Abilene Emergency Management Coordinator Jim Bryan. “Now, with the Weather Warning system, calls are automatically delivered by CodeRED® within seconds after warnings are issued by the National Weather Service for tornadoes, flash floods or severe thunderstorms. What’s important to note about this system is that only those residents, who are within the projected path of the dangerous weather and are registered for this free service, would be called.”

 

When you fill out the online form, you must check the box indicated for Weather Warnings and choose what notifications you want to receive. You may register up to two telephone numbers for your address. For residents without a computer, Internet access is available at all three City library locations. For seniors who cannot register online, Weather Warning Signup Assistance will be offered on the following dates and locations:

 

Time/Date                              Location                          Address

10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.       Friday, Nov. 5             Rose Park Senior Activity Center (S. 7th and Barrow St.)

 

10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.        Friday, Nov. 19           Rose Park Senior Activity Center (S. 7th and Barrow St.)

 

Since the City’s CodeRED® system became operational on April 1, 2007, it has been used to notify affected residents of flooding, grass fires in southern Taylor County, and police action. The Abilene/Taylor County 9-1-1 District contracts with Emergency Communications Network, Inc., of Ormond Beach, Florida, for the service. The annual contract costs $54,350 and is paid for through the Abilene/Taylor County 9-1-1 District.

 

November 2, 2010

 

Most City offices closed for Veterans Day

ABILENE, Texas – Most City of Abilene offices and community service centers will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010 in observance of the Veterans Day holiday with the exception of those providing life safety services such as fire and police protection.

 

The Abilene Animal Shelter will be closed Nov. 11. Citizens with an animal related emergency should contact the Abilene Police Department at 673-8331 and an Animal Services Officer will be dispatched to handle the call. The shelter will open once again on Friday, Nov. 12 and resume its normal business hours. 

 

Solid Waste Services division offices will not be open Nov. 11 but residential and commercial collection will run their regular schedules. There will be no bulk and brush collection on Nov. 11. The Environmental Recycling Center will also be closed for the holiday.

 

The Municipal Court will also be closed on Nov. 11. All citations due Nov. 11 will be due on Nov. 12 with no penalty.

 

Other City closings for Nov. 11 include: City Hall, Health Division, all Abilene Public Library locations, Abilene Civic Center, the Development Corporation of Abilene, the Airport Administration Office and City Recreation and Senior Citizen centers.

 

CityLink Transit will run on Nov. 11. The Abilene Zoo will be open regular hours.

 

The Water Services Center, 701 E. Hwy. 80, will be open on Nov. 11, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m., to take delinquent payments for customers whose water has been turned off and for new customers needing water service. For water emergencies, sewer problems and reports of water conservation ordinance violations, citizens may call the Water Services Center’s emergency hotline, 676-6000, seven days a week, 24 hours a day.        

 

November 1, 2010

 

Evening City Council Workshop scheduled for November

ABILENE, Texas –The City Council will hold a workshop concerning City of Abilene programs at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010, in City Council Chambers at Abilene City Hall, 555 Walnut Street. The workshop, which is likely the first of more workshops to come, concerns the viability of a variety of City programs. Citizens will have an opportunity to address the City Council during the workshop. No dates have been scheduled yet for additional workshops on this topic.

 

The November workshop is the result of a recommendation by Councilman Joe Spano, Place 2, in which he suggested that the City Council discuss City programs and whether there is an opportunity for cost savings by reevaluating the services that are currently provided to citizens. During a Feb. 25, 2010 City Council meeting, City Manager Larry Gilley provided examples of possible program reductions if sales tax revenue continued to decline. The examples included discontinuing the Maxwell Municipal Golf Course subsidy, closing the South Branch Library, discontinuing senior citizen van transport, closing pools, closing one recreation center, eliminating the mosquito spraying program, eliminating weed/nuisance abatement, eliminating wild animal trapping program, eliminating YMCA juvenile justice program and eliminating graffiti eradication program. This month’s workshop may include discussion about these and other City programs.

 

The Fiscal Year 2010-2011 Budget, which was approved by the City Council in September, does not include any program reductions. The new fiscal year began Oct. 1, 2010.

 

The City Council Workshop will air live on TV Channel 7, the City’s education/government channel. TV Channel 7 is available on Suddenlink Cable Channel 7 and broadcast Channel 7 KXN TV.

 

Abilene Police Department: Arrest for outstanding parole warrant

Today David Reyes was arrested for the outstanding parole warrant that was issued by the Pardon and Parole Board in Austin, Tx.  Reyes is currently in a local hospital receiving treatment for injuries he received during a collision following a police pursuit with Knox County last week. 

 

The Knox County Sheriff, Sheriff Homstad, has sent a Deputy to Abilene with the intent of taking custody of this prisoner.  The prisoner will remain in Knox County’s custody thereafter.

 

‘Tis the season for the Community Christmas Tree Lighting

ABILENE, Texas – The City of Abilene is pleased to announce that the annual Community Christmas Tree Lighting will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2010 at the Abilene Civic Center, 1100 North 6th Street. Mayor Norm Archibald will light the tree. The public is invited to attend this community-wide celebration to usher in the holiday season.

 

Along with the tree lighting, Cooper High School’s Red Rhythm & Blues will perform as well as the Abilene High School and Cooper High School combined orchestras. Afterwards, refreshments will be served and Beamer’s Gymnastics Group will put on a demonstration in the Exhibit Hall.   

 

This event is sponsored by the City of Abilene, Civic Abilene, Inc. and the Abilene Independent School District.

 

The tree lighting caps off the 22nd annual City Sidewalks which gets underway earlier in the evening with entertainment by AISD students from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Merchants, museums and galleries open their doors for an evening of holiday cheer during this Abilene Downtown Association-sponsored event. Other activities include KTXS-TV Christmas Lights Parade, entertainment, food, Reindeer Game and lots of family fun. The Reindeer Game runs from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. and the parade takes center stage at 6:30 p.m.

 

For additional details about City Sidewalks and the Community Tree Lighting, contact the following:

1. KTXS-TV (Parade): (325) 677-2281

2. Wilma Butman (City Sidewalks): (325) 676-2556

3. Abilene Civic Center (Tree Lighting): (325) 676-6211

 

Abilene Fire Department: Structure fires

At approximately 3 am this morning (Nov. 1) a structure fire was reported in the 300 block of Meander. Firefighters arrived to find a resident had drug an ignited mattress into the front yard and was attempting to extinguish it with a water hose. Firefighters noticed smoke and flames coming from the structure’s attic vents and began efforts to ensure residents and pets were evacuated. Investigation concluded that electrical problems in the residence had started the occupant’s bed and attic on fire. The duplex suffered about $9000 damage. No one was home in the adjoining home. No one was injured and approximately 15 pets were saved by firefighters.

 

While returning to the fire station, a fire investigator noticed smoke and flames coming from a nearby neighborhood. Upon further investigation, the investigator found a detached garage of a home in the 500 block of Santos fully involved with fire. Fire crews were immediately dispatched to the scene. About 5 minutes later, a 2nd alarm was called. The garage with a vehicle inside was a total loss. The fire also damaged a nearby garage of a neighbor and a fence. No one was injured and no dollar estimate on the loss is available at this time. The cause of this blaze is under investigation.