October 8, 2013 | No Comments | Category: Activities, Lake Ridge | Tags: Fair,Lake Ridge,Texas State Fair
The Texas State Fair is going on now.
Round up the family and bring your appetite, because the 127th Texas State Fair is underway. It’s Time for the Texas State Fair, just 30 minutes from Lake Ridge, giving Lake Ridge residents a short ride to the fairgrounds and those who are looking to tour the community an easy way to fit everything in during one weekend. You have until Oct. 20 to experience all the fun, flavors, and frenetic energy of the Fair.
You’ll have a hard time missing Big Tex on your way in. The newly rebuilt iconic mascot of the Fair (the previous incarnation, which had stood since 1952, was lost in an electrical fire last year) is bigger and heavier. He’s now three feet taller at 55 feet tall, weighs 25,000 pounds, can withstand 100 mph winds, and is fire-retardant. His, which have become one of many Big Tex conversation pieces since his unveiling the day before the Fair opened, feature the Texas state flower and bird, the Texas and U.S. flags, and the Texas Capitol. (You can buy a real pair of the Lucchese boots for $10,000, if you’re so inclined.)
The Dallas Morning News has a great account of the engineering feats and spy-style secrecy involved in building the new Big Tex and keeping him under wraps until the official reveal.
May people come to the Fair for the food, and this year the noted choices include the Deep-fried Cuban Roll, award-winner for best taste, and the fFried Thanksgiving dinner, the winner of most creative.
The Cuban roll is filled with chopped ham, pork shoulder, cheese and pickles, while the Thanksgiving dinner includes stuffing, turkey and cream corn . Consult the Fair’s food map so you don’t miss out on your favorite fried delicacy.
Also at the fair this year are the auto show, the Maytag Celebrity Kitchen, the garden show, the Midway and rides, and daily entertainment including music from Kelly Rowland and Kacey Musgraves.
You can get all the details on the Fair’s main page.
The Texas State Fair, just 30 minutes from Lake Ridge, is a Dallas staple. So to is this incredible community on Joe Pool Lake, offering an incomparable lifestyle that is equal parts relaxing and recreational haven. The final neighborhood development in Lake Ridge on the shores of Joe Pool Lake, The Sanctuary offers pond-front sites and coveted shoreline-close properties from one-half to 1 acre in a gated environment featuring panoramic lake and skyline vistas. Five homes will soon be built in The Sanctuary, including one for wounded veteran Ken Kalish in partnership with Operation FINALLY HOME, Lake Ridge developer SouthStar Communities, the Former NFL Players Association, the Dallas Builders Association, and Victory Custom Homes. For more information on living at The Sanctuary, and for current homesite specials, click here.
September 29, 2013 | No Comments | Category: Lake Ridge, Lakeside Living | Tags: Hill Country. Texas Hill Country,Lake Ridge,lakeside living,sanctuary lake ridge,The Sanctuary
Lake Ridge is Hill Country North
The rolling hills, the gentle curves of the road, the towering trees, the breathtaking scenery. There’s nothing like the Texas Hill Country. Or is there? If this is the majestic landscape you envision, you don’t have to drive three hours to find it. Just head to Lake Ridge and discover Hill Country North.
Lake Ridge is located on the highest point in North Texas—800 feet above sea level—affording residents and landowners in this premier community some of the most spectacular views imaginable. Plus, Lake Ridge has something the Hill Country does not: Joe Pool Lake, where water-close living is more than just a dream.
Lake Ridge, or Hill Country North, offers an incomparable lifestyle that is equal parts relaxing and recreational haven just 20 miles south of Downtown Dallas and 28 miles from Downtown Ft. Worth. Living at a community like The Sanctuary, the newest neighborhood in the Lake Ridge development on the shores of Joe Pool Lake, can mean just stepping outside your door to take advantage of life on the lake. The 7,500-acre Joe Pool Lake offers fishing, boating, boat rentals, wakeboarding, its own marina, and a restaurant and bar. Plus, 15 miles of mountain biking and hiking trails and six city parks are nearby.
The final neighborhood development in Lake Ridge on the shores of Joe Pool Lake, The Sanctuary offers pond-front sites and coveted shoreline-close properties from one-half to 1 acre in a gated environment with panoramic lake and skyline vistas. Five homes will soon be built in The Sanctuary, including one for wounded veteran Ken Kalish in partnership with Operation FINALLY HOME, Lake Ridge developer SouthStar Communities, the Former NFL Players Association, the Dallas Builders Association, and Victory Custom Homes.
Lake Ridge offers homeowners and land owners a truly unique experience to enjoy Hill Country topography right in the middle of the Metroplex. If you thought you had to move to Austin to get away from the flat landscapes of North Texas, head to Lake Ridge and discover Hill Country North.
For more information on living at Lake Ridge and for current homesite specials, click here.
September 19, 2013 | No Comments | Category: Charity, Golf, Lake Ridge, Operation Finally Home, The Sanctuary | Tags: charity,charity golf tournament,Dan Wallrath,Lake Ridge,Lake Ridge Patriot Cup,Operation FINALLY HOME,Tangle Ridge Golf Club,wounded veterans
Dignitaries and community leaders including SouthStar Communities’ executives break ground on the new home for a wounded warrior at Lake Ridge.
Want to have some fun and do some good at the same time?
Take part in the Lake Ridge Patriot Cup on September 11 at Tangle Ridge Golf Club in Grand Prairie, TX benefitting Operation FINALLY HOME to build a home for a wounded veteran at Lake Ridge.
The Golf Tournament
The Lake Ridge Patriot Cup is a charity golf tournament with all proceeds going toward the building of a custom, mortgage-free home for a wounded veteran. The veteran chosen to receive this home became an amputee while serving in the military in Afghanistan.
The Lake Ridge Patriot Cup at Tangle Ridge Golf Club:
• September 11
• Registration: 7:30 a.m.
• Shotgun start: 8:30 a.m.
• Four-man scramble
• Lunch provided
• $100 per player
• Deadline to sign up: September 6
Building a Mortgage-Free Home at Lake Ridge
The Lake Ridge Patriot Cup directly benefits Operation FINALLY HOME, who has partnered with Lake Ridge, SouthStar Communities, the Dallas Builders Association, Former NFL Players Association and Victory Custom Homes to build this home in Lake Ridge.
The new custom home is under construction on a one-acre, treed property in The Sanctuary at Lake Ridge, an exclusive gated community on the shores of Joe Pool Lake, one of the area’s most coveted spots for relaxation and recreation.
Participation and sponsorship in the Lake Ridge Patriot Cup event will help an American hero regain his life.
About Operation FINALLY HOME
Operation FINALLY HOME provides mortgage-free homes to wounded and disabled veterans and their families. Founded by CNN Top 10 Hero for 2010 Dan Wallrath, Operation FINALLY HOME has provided more than 40 homes to veterans throughout the country, including two that are currently being built in the SouthStar Communities of Vintage Oaks in the Texas Hill Country and King Oaks in Bryan-College Station.
CNN is documenting the building of this mortgage-free home at Lake Ridge for a new special.
Interesting in sponsoring or participating? Download a sponsorship packet or a player/registration form. The deadline for registration is September 6.
For more information about the Lake Ridge Patriot Cup, call (800) 984-4028 or email [email protected].
September 19, 2013 | No Comments | Category: Operation Finally Home, The Sanctuary, Uncategorized | Tags: Lake Ridge,mortgage-free home,Operation FINALLY HOME,The Sanctuary,wounded veterans
Ken Kalish gifted with mortgage-free home at Lake Ridge.
It’s tragedy to triumph for Marine Sergeant Ken Kalish, an American hero who lost three limbs during his service in Afghanistan and who was surprised with a new mortgage-free home at Lake Ridge.
Operation FINALLY HOME (OFH), the Former NFL Players Association, the Dallas Builders Association, SouthStar Communities and Victory Custom Homes teamed up to donate the land and home to Kalish. The Lake RidgePatriot Cup took place the following day at Tangle Ridge Golf Club, with all proceeds benefitting Kalish’s home.
The Sergeant was injured when he stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED) or “road-side” bomb while serving our country on his second tour. The death of his fiancé from a critical illness while Kalish was in surgery was an additional, tragic setback.
Kalish had been trained to detect roadside bombs alongside his black lab, Fynn. Fynn was uninjured and returned stateside with Kalish, where he will also soon make his home at Lake Ridge. Construction on Kalish’s home, which is being built on a one-acre treed lot in The Sanctuary at Lake Ridge, an exclusive gated community on the shores of Joe Pool Lake, is expected to be finished within 90 days and will be part of a CNN special the channel is filming.
Kalish was under the impression he was coming in for an interview yesterday to determine if he was eligible for a mortgage-free home at Lake Ridge. Instead, he was surprised by more than 100 eager individuals including Lake Ridge residents; Mayor Pro Tem of Grand Prairie Ruthe Jackson; Cedar Hill City Manager Alan Sims, members of the Grand Prairie Police Department; the Grand Prairie Honor Guard; and fourth-graders from Lake Ridge Elementary, who led the Pledge of Allegiance and then joined the crowd in writing notes of love on the construction of a wall that will be included in Kalish’s home.
Also in attendance were several NFL greats, including Dallas Cowboy Bill Bates; however it was Kalish to whom the elementary students flocked, eager for his autograph, curious about his service, his injuries and his dog, and clearly moved by his heroism.
The non-profit organization Operation FINALLY HOME builds homes for wounded veterans and their families. This new mortgage-free home at Lake Ridge is the 10th with SouthStar Communities; homes are also currently being built in the SouthStar Communities of Vintage Oaks in the Texas Hill Country and King Oaks in Bryan-College Station.
Anyone wishing to join the list of volunteers for OFH at Lake Ridge can do so at Lake Ridge.
September 5, 2013 | No Comments | Category: Cedar Hill | Tags: Cedar Hill,community fire station,Grand Prairie,Lake Ridge
Residents here at Lake Ridge at Joe Pool Lake can sleep safer at night thanks to our neighbors over at the Cedar Hill-Grand Prairie Fire Station #4. Located at 15105 Lake Ridge Parkway, the cities of Grand Prairie and Cedar Hill have worked together to create a station that responds quickly to emergencies, at an average 3-4 minutes faster than the next closest station.
This one-of-a kind joint effort was brought to life near the end of April 2009, but was voted on initially in February of 2007, where it was decided that joint funding and construction would take place between the two cities of Grand Prairie and Cedar Hill. After a long time of planning and recruiting, the station opened up and began doing its job in our local community.
There are many other benefits to having a joint community Lake Ridge neighborhood fire station, including:
- Faster response times. When a fire is burning, 3 or 4 minutes can make all the difference. By having access to a station in the middle ground between Cedar Hill and Grand Prairie, firefighters can respond to emergencies in a more timely manner due to the close proximity.
- Insurance rates drop. The closer the fire department is to you, the less damage can occur to your home by fire. Thus with the introduction of a new community fire station, you are at less risk to extreme damage to your home, dropping your home insurance rates.
- It’s a unique concept. This station’s dual-city partnership is something totally different. After careful planning, city council meetings, interviews, and a lot of work out, the two cities came in agreement to combine funds and resources to build the fire station serving both areas.
You can find the Lake Ridge neighborhood fire station on the corner of Lake Ridge and Eagle Creek, just minutes away from the Lake Ridge at Joe Pool Lake community, keeping you safe from random mishaps that life throws at you. You can visit their station’s page on the CedarHillTX.com to learn more about the station, and to view photos and videos.
