THURSDAY DECEMBER 23, 2021

Majestic oaks may soon share this small park on West Barton Avenue with popular book characters in Storybook Grove. If a Downtown neighborhood plan is adopted by City Council next month, the park located behind Temple Public Library could become an anchor for an art trail linking Storybook Grove with Downtown murals, art trains and future art projects. David Stone | Our Town Temple

By DAVID STONE, Our Town Temple

A scenic but rarely used parcel of land on West Barton Avenue may soon come to life with families, reading events and story-time characters.

Storybook Grove — a proposed pocket park that would serve as an anchor to an “Art Walk’ linking neighborhood art projects — is part of a Downtown plan Temple City Council will consider in January.

The 135-page plan released earlier this month outlines recommendations designed to draw new businesses and residents to Downtown by creating jobs and recreational opportunities.

“This piece of land has huge potential,” said Assistant City Manager Erin Smith. “It’s located right next to KCEN’s studio and across Barton from Temple Public Library. The city purchased the land in November 2019 as a future park.”

“The possibilities are exciting,” Smith said. ‘Since it’s so close to the library, it could be used as an outdoor children’s story park. There’s even stumps where kids could sit and listen to stories.”

A trail through Storybook Grove would include functional statues of popular children’s characters from Charlotte’s Web, Very Hungry Caterpillar, Winnie the Pooh, Curious George, James and the Giant Peach, Where the Wild Things Are and Dr. Seuss books.

“This is still preliminary — nothing has been funded — but it could be an amazing place for families,” Smith said. “It has awesome potential.”

The property is home to massive oak trees and open spaces, as well as a small parking area.

Smith said Storybook Grove could be a starting point for a Temple Art Walk that would take pedestrians on a tour of Downtown’s art projects.

These projects include three large murals and the current and future Art Trains. Currently there are five trains, including “Circa de Gato is Taken for a Ride” by Linda Lapierre, Traci Winter and Azeita Taylor; “Next Stop: Children’s Museum” by Lee Evans, Valerie Fore, Susan Chandler, Elizabeth Evans, Kate Evans, Emma Fore, Lydia Huffines, Patrick Chandler and Owen Chandler; “Re-Train Your Mind” by Jay Rivera; and “A Wish for the World” by Melanie Hudson; and “Viva La Raza” by Mirando Lugo.

Two more trains are in the works — a floral-themed train at Precious Memories downtown location and a railroad-themed train at Santa Fe Depot. Eventually, there will be 10 trains throughout Downtown.

“The city is looking into other art projects that could be included,” Smith said. “We would like to have some functional art — art that is nice to look at but also serves a purpose. It could double as a bench, a small play area or a bus stop.”

This “functional art” would be located in high-traffic pedestrian areas such as Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe Plaza, The Yard food truck court, the proposed Farmer’s Market and the MLK Festival Grounds, which will one day be home to the Bloomin’ Temple Festival and other outdoor celebrations.

“We are also looking at more murals and some kinetic art that moves in the wind,” Smith said.

City Council is expected to consider the Downtown plan at its first January meeting and consider approval later in the month.

Storybook Grove and various Temple Art Walk projects carry a “probable” price tag of $2.1 million, according to the plan.

Share

Get 50% off for 1 year

TPD launches new recruiting website and social media accounts 

The Temple Police Department is inviting local residents to view their new recruiting website at jointemplepd.com.

 The new website introduces users to the Temple Police Department and the benefits of working in the community. It includes new features to help users easily navigate the site and learn about the opportunities the Temple Police Department has to offer.

 The website and recruitment-focused social media accounts were developed in partnership with Arizona-based Epic Recruiting, a nationally recognized firm that specializes in matching qualified candidates with law enforcement agencies.

 Police Chief Shawn Reynolds applauds the City Council’s commitment to investing in the department’s growth.

“On June 17, Temple City Council approved an agreement with Epic to take our police recruiting to the next level,” he said. “The goal is to help broaden our reach to ensure we get the best qualified candidates for both sworn and non-sworn positions.”

“Temple is a great place to live and work, and we want to make sure that a wide range of top applicants, locally, regionally and even nationally have Temple, Texas, on their radar,” Reynolds said.

 TPD is currently accepting applications for its Feb. 5 exam. The deadline to register is Jan. 31.

 Visitors to the new website or social platforms can stay informed with the latest hiring information.

To view the new site, please visit jointemplepd.com or /jointemplepd on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Ongoing

Monday nights — Yoga Classes offered by Sara Dodd at the Cultural Activities Center. $12. 5:15 p.m. class.

Tuesday nights beginning Jan. 18 — Clay with Marilyn - go to cacarts.org to sign up for her series of classes

Thursday nights beginning Jan 6 —  Clay with Lindsay - go to cacarts.org to sign up for her classes

Wednesday nights — Open mic comedy night at Corky’s Wine Bar. Sign up at 7:30 p.m., show starts at 8

Saturday nights — Comedy Showcase at Corky’s Wine Bar. Open at 7 p.m., show starts at 8.

Friday nights @ The Yard — Food trucks and drinks at Mo’s Rail Yard.

December

December 23, Thursday - Santa & Elvis at Fire Street Pizza. 6-9 p.m.

December 25, Saturday — Christmas Dance at Bo’s Barn featuring Secondhand Rose, 8 p.m.

December 25, Saturday — Ugly Christmas Sweater party at Green Door. Open at 6 p.m., karaoke at 9 p.m.

December 20-25: “The Polar Express” at The Beltonian Theatre. Visit https://TheBeltonianTheatre.com/Movies for show times.

December 31 - January 1 - Texas Elite Pole Vaulting. The Expo Explosion, the second largest indoor pole vaulting event in the country. Bell County Expo Center’s Garth Arena.

January

January 3-4 — Learn the art of glass fusing during evening classes at A Work of Art Studio. Contact: Jillmoon4655@gmail.com

January 6, Thursday - In partnership with the Temple Community Clinic and other sponsors, the Living Well in Bell wellness series will debut at the CAC. The first presenters for the 2022 series will be Dr. Patricia J. Sulak and Dr. Jeffrey Waxman who will discuss all aspects of well-being. 6 p.m.

January 6, Thursday - Central Texas Arts League meets to plan a year of creative ventures. Open to the public.  6:00 pm to 8:00 p.m.  Come learn about the plans and meet with fellow artists in the Central Texas area.

January 7, Friday - On the first Friday of every month, historic downtown Temple transforms into a giant party. Enjoy street music and performances, drinks, food, and after-hours shopping.

January 8, Saturday - Cabin Fever: Stargazing Family Dat at Temple Railroad & Heritage Museum. Learn about constellations, meteor showers and other celestial objects while checking out the night sky.

January 14-15 - No Limits Monster Truck Winter Nationals & Mud Races. Some of the nation’s most competitive truck and motocross racers as they invade Bell County Expo Arena on Friday and Saturday. 7:30 p.m.

January 15, Saturday - Game Show Night by Texas Red at Fire Base Brewing Co. We have the night for you! 4 rounds of the game show questions and prize-winning for all! Free to play and Family Friendly! Who will walk away with the evening's Oscar? Play as a team or individual. Win free drinks and other prizes! 7-9 p.m.

January 19, Wednesday - The city of Temple is undertaking the development of a Mobility Master Plan designed to produce a multimodal transportation system. The second public involvement meeting will be hosted online with a live event and in person at the Wilson Park Recreation Center on from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

January 29, Saturday - Parker McCollum Red Dirt Mardi Gras at Bell County Expo. 8 p.m.

February

February 4, Friday - On the first Friday of every month, historic downtown Temple transforms into a giant party. Enjoy street music and performances, drinks, food, and after-hours shopping.

February 5, Saturday - Geek Out Family Day at Temple Railroad & Heritage Museum. Want to show off your geeky side? Come out to the museum for Geek Out Family Day. Dress up as your favorite superhero, cartoon, or video game character. Enjoy the nerdier side of life.

February 11-12 - Bell County Youth Fair Livestock Show & PRCA Rodeo. The Bell County PRCA Rodeo is currently in its 34th year of continuous operation at the Bell County Expo Center. Last year, the Bell County Youth Fair awarded over $25,000 in scholarships to local area youth. https://agrilife.org/bellctyyouthfair/

LIST YOUR EVENT! Email info to OurTownTemple@gmail.com with “What’s Happening” in the subject line.

Belton

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 59 degrees; 2.20 feet low. This week’s fishing steadily improved as we shook off the effects of the last cold front. The best scenario was finding heavily schooled white bass still in under 25 feet of water and working the MAL Heavy Lure (white blade, chartreuse tail) with a sawtooth tactic whenever we could, or working a three-eighths ounce Bladed Hazy Eye Slab vertically when things were tougher. Catfish are good, scattered from mid to deep water in the river channel. Relating to structures in this warmer weather. Drifting using fresh cut bait will put the cats in the boat.

Stillhouse

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 57 degrees; 1.79 feet low. White bass are good using the use of the Bladed Hazy Eye Slab transitioning from the MAL Heavy lures as the water temperature declines. Some catches of freshwater drum, striped bass and largemouth mixed in.

Upcoming tournaments

TUFF MAN SERIES. Jan. 22 at Belton Lake. Call Dean Thompson at (254) 290-1937.

TEXAS BOAT WORLD OPEN. Jan. 30 at Belton Lake and Stillhouse. Call Cliff Brown at (254) 291-1907.

TEXAS BOAT WORLD OPEN. Feb. 27 at Belton Lake and Stillhouse. Call Cliff Brown at (254) 291-1908.