Temptations and Four Tops Come to Grand Prairie

I spent the Friday evening with 3 of my good friends , Mrs. Ruthe Jackson , the Clemson family ,and the Sala family . We had an exciting evening listening to the old school sounds of the Four Tops and the Temptations .I was surprised that even though both groups have lost some of their original members ,the sound was still awesome.The Motown sound is bigger than one man or one group ,its part of Americana ,and so is good friends.Thank you for both the friendship and the sounds of good music.
The music clips feature some of the original members of both groups , Turn up the music and enjoy!

Four Tops 2004 clip with Levi Stubbs who no longer longer tours:


This is the You Tube Temptations Tribute , enjoy the sounds!

America on The Move at the Grand Prairie YMCA

I attended the America on The Move program @ the Grand Prairie YMCA today . The Program was also attended by over 600 citizens this past Saturday , September 20 from 10:00-1:00 pm .
The kids had fun beating drums , dancing , face painting , eating hot dogs , and just being kids . The adults , well we had talking to the vendors , and participating in the adult information services. The vendors were led by ATT which debuted their Uverse product , many other vendors were there such as Camp Grady Spruce YMCA , Cedar Hill State Park , Grand Prairie Farmers Market , Chick Fil A , and many more .
The America on the Move program is a partnership between the YMCA and America on the Move.The program is designed to combat the obesity epidemic and get America Moving again. The following is a review from the America on the Move web site .

September is America On the Move’s national month long celebration highlighting the benefits of active living and healthy eating. While obesity rates are on the rise making these two small simple changes can help prevent the annual one to two pounds of yearly weight gain in adults:

1. Move More – take 2,000 additional steps each day
2. Eat Healthfully – Reduce your daily calorie intake by just 100 calories each day.

By entering the six-week STEPtember challenge (start date between August 17 - September 30), you will receive daily tips on nutrition and physical activity, have the ability to track your progress, and be eligible to win the grand prize.

Grand Prairie Rotary Update : Rotary Honors Jim Blackmore

Linda Elliot from the Grand Prairie Rotary is doing an excellent job of promoting Rotary and its principles .In a recent conversation she articulated the goals and why the Annual Golf Tournament is honoring one of Grand Prairie's finest citizens .
Join me and other Rotarians as we honor Jim and save the children.

"This year we are honoring Jim Blackmore (1946-2008), for his commitment to
public service and his significant contributions to the Grand
Prairie Community. Jim made things happen and wore a variety of hats,
serving as president of the Grand Prairie Rotary Club, board member of the
GPISD Education Foundation and GP Chamber of Commerce."

Tournament information: Oct 17. Advanced registration is requested. Shotgun
start at 8:00 a.m., with 4-person Florida Scramble. Awards for 1st & 2nd
place teams, Individual Awards for closest to the hole, longest drive and
putting contest.

Cost is $125 per player. Other sponsorship opportunities available. For
more information, call 972-237-8012.

Rotary International President D.K. Lee Speaks:

Grand Prairie Rotary Golf Tournament

The Grand Prairie Rotary Golf Tournament will be played October 17 ,2008 @ Prairie Lakes .It is the signature event for the Rotary club. The tournament is the primary fundraiser that supports are charitable efforts in Grand Prairie. The programs that we support include scholarships , tuberculosis screening , and free dental examinations for Grand Prairie Independent School District students.
I have been a member of Rotary for over a year ,and I have found my membership to be most beneficial.It truly is service over self.
Contact your local Rotarian for more details on the Golf Tournament . There will be regular updates on this blog site regarding the tournament in the upcoming weeks .

Fight at Night in GP

Grand Prairie played host to Oscar Da La Hoya's promotional " Golden Boy " productions . The fight night in Grand Prairie made history as the first organized professional fight in the city . Parking spaces were at a premium and cheers were at a maxium . I cheered the exploits of Jesse Lara from Dallas , and the 2004 Olympian Rock Allen from Philly , and many others .As a long time fight fan and student of the game , I was impressed by the fantastic crowd that cheered the warriors as they entered in the ring . This will not be the last time Oscar or anyone else will put on a fight in the metroplex . When they do the perfect venue is Grand Prairie.

My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys

My heroes have always been Cowboys. Dallas Cowboys that is . When I was a kid , one of the first Dallas Cowboys I met was Bob Hayes . It was 1967 and "Bullet" Bob Hayes was the reigning fastest man on the planet .I attended the school across the street from his house and it was routine for him to wave to us kids on our way home .
As a young man ,I idolized the original 88 , Drew Pearson , and cheered when he caught the "Hail Mary" pass from Roger Staubach. When Roger "the Dodger"retired , my devotion to the Dallas Cowboys did not. My high school year book contains a signed autographed picture of his successor Danny White .
Even in the lean years I cheered the Dallas Cowboys.I laughed during the torrid heat wave of 1980 when "Crazy Ray" Jones had an parka on as he whistled at commuters on Commerce Street while shivering during an 110 degree August day .Years later I mourned with the Jerry Jones family at the "Crazy Ray " memorial service, and shared my memories with the Jones family.I mourned in a different way the firing of Tom Landry , and welcomed Jimmy Johnson to the Dallas Cowboy family.I hoped he would return to us the glory days. I didn't have to wait long.
I had the pleasure of meeting all of the triplets on three occasions.I met Troy Aikman at a hospital ,met Emmitt Smith at a friends birthday party. Guess what ? Emmitt was a good dancer even back in the day. I talked to Michael Irvin about football and life.

I have gotten a little older , however my passion for football has not changed. I love football and Dallas Cowboy football in particular.I have done charity work with Larry Brown , discussed Machavelli with Calvin Hill.I have had the pleasure to know many of the Cowboys in other aspects of their live. A class act was Herschel Walker, who was always patient with the fans. Thank you Herschel , for allowing me time to share with your family at your book signing. There is obviously more to life than football ,but I want to thank all the Dallas Cowboys for providing joy in my life. From touring Valley Ranch with Robert Newhouse ,to talking about drug abuse with "Hollywood" Henderson, to telling Nate Newton that he had an imposter on MySpace , its a been quite a ride. It just leaves me to ask , "How about them Cowboys ? "

Ed Gray Congrats Grand Prairie Air Hogs

On behalf of all the fans I want to thank the Grand Prairie Air Hogs on a sucessful baseball season. What a great innagural season you have provided us. We all have cheered your exploits on the diamond. Inky and all the boys have done a fine job in representing Grand Prairie across the nation .Often times when you think of Grand Prairie in the news its an by thought .The Air Hogs have been our ambassadors to the nation ,continue my friends to be our ambassadors to greatness in Grand Prairie .