Lindsey Field in Tyler

June 14th, 2012

Tyler’s city parks are becoming increasingly central to my sense of community in this town. I realize that for most people it’s probably always been this way, and I’m only now noticing it since I’m now an adult and a parent. Here at Tyler TX Directory, we’ve written fairly extensively on the various city parks. Rose Rudman, Bergfield and Faulkner Parks have all graced our pages at one point or another and all are great parks. A number of them have been improved in recent years. One park, on which we’ve not written much, deserves a mention, and that’s Lindsey Park, on Greenbriar road and spur 364. The park has at least five baseball / softball fields, about six or seven different soccer fields and a frisbee golf course. All the facilities are really nicely developed, and well maintained. The park has also recently added some new children’s playground equipment.

I’ve already spent some evenings with my son at this park since the summer started. Even (and perhaps especially), when there’s no one else around, it’s a great place to hit a few balls and run the bases. When that gets old the new swings and jungle gym are a great way to burn off a little excess energy before hitting the showers and heading to bed. So when the kids get rowdy this summer, try visiting this park. You’ll find lots of space to run, and play.

Tags: Adult, Balls, Baseball Softball, Evenings, Excess Energy, Faulkner, Frisbee Golf Course, Jungle Gym, Lindsey Park, Parent Directory, Playground Equipment, Rudman, Showers, Soccer Fields, Swings, Tx Directory, Tyler Texas, Tyler TX, Tyler Tyler
Posted in Tyler Businesses | No Comments »

Summer Activities in Tyler for 2012

May 30th, 2012

Nearly every summer we, here at Tyler TX Directory, put out a list of summer activities as suggestions for East Texas parents. Keeping the kids busy and maybe even learning a little something, during the summer months can be a challenge. Family vacations are generally more difficult than years past, due to financial concerns, so the trick is making the summer fun and memorable without going overboard on expenses. So our suggestions are as follows:

The Caldwell Zoo is always on the list, but hey it’s always fun educational and is ever improving. It remains an area favorite. The Brookshire’s Wildlife Museum looks from the outside like an odd place for a family museum, but trust us, it’s a great stop. (It’s graced our site on numerous occasions already, so feel free to scroll through the attractions column on the right for more info). Discovery Science Place is located in downtown Tyler and is a growing attraction in our area. Admittedly it’s been a while since I’ve checked it out but I’m hearing it mentioned more and more by local parents. This summer the museum is welcoming a traveling exhibit called Predator and Prey. And here are the summer activities schedule for the Caldwell Zoo:

ZOO MEMBERS’ ONLY EVENING AT THE ZOO

Come enjoy a special evening at the zoo! ZooMembers are welcome to bring a picnic supper or enjoy food from our Chakula Cafe. There will be behind-the-scenes looks at our newly refurbished cat enclosures as well as keeper chats throughout the evening. Of course, you will want to stop by the concession stands for a complimentary small sno-cone and have fun feeding the birds at Wild Bird Walkabout with a complimentary seed stick

June 8 5:00-8:00 p.m.

RED, WHITE AND BLUE AT THE ZOO

Celebrate our country’s birthday! Caldwell Zoo appreciates our country’s military personnel! On July 4th, the zoo will give one free admission with a valid military ID.

DON’T STEP ON A BEE DAY

July 10th is set aside each year as “Don’t Step on a Bee Day.” Don’t bee left out–make a beeline for the African Huts where we’ll have a hive-full of fun activi-bees.

July 7 1:30-4:00 p.m.

BACK TO SCHOOL

Bring your small fry to the African Huts for some swimming-good fishy fun.

August 25 1:30-4:00 p.m.

ELEPHANT APPRECIATION DAY

There will be a trunk-load of elephant fun on the African Overlook.

September 22 1:30-4:00 p.m.

One area attraction that is often overlooked in our area is the Hudnall Planetarium. The Planetarium is located at Tyler Junior College, and to my surprise, has actually begun advertising on local television. Hudnall has really great programs running this summer, including IMAX films. Visit their web page for more information. http://www.tjc.edu/cesse/ I love making trips to the Gulf Coast, in fact I hope visit the beach at some point this summer. Now I may or may not be able to make that happen, but I know a visit to Tyler State Park,is always a possibility. Great campsites and a sandy beach are never more than an hour away for most Tylerites. For older students and or children, The Historical Aviation Memorial Museum, and The American Freedom Museum,are two of my documented favs.

The popular Faulkner Park splash park is a great free option for the summer time. This is a small water based park inside of Faulkner park which is known for mainly being a softball and tennis court park with some biking and hiking trails. I think you will find the splash park to be a fun place to bring the kids and there are two playgrounds at this park as well when the kids want to do something not water based.

Many local churches are holding Vacation Bible School programs this summer as well. Most use a standardized curriculum which allows potential students multiple opportunities to get on board at some point over the break. Christ Episcopal Church is holding theirs from June, 25ththrough the 29th. https://www.groupvbspro.com/vbs/ez/CEC/gpgs/Home.aspx, www.christchurchtyler.org I’m no doubt leaving off some good stops and events, but for those of us wanting to fill the kids summer days with something other than Xbox and Boomerang, I think these are a good start. As a parting note I should also remind readers that we are living through a golden age of Ranger’s Baseball, so if the cost is affordable, what better summer memory then a family outing at the ball park?

Tags: American Freedom, Brookshire, Caldwell Zoo, Challenge Family, Discovery Science Place, East Texas, Family Vacations, Favs, Financial Concerns, Flickr, Free Admission, Freedom Museum, Gulf Coast, Historical Aviation, Hudnall Planetarium, Imax Films, Odd Place, Picnic Supper, Popu, Predator And Prey, Sno Cone, Texas Parents, Tjc Edu, Tx Directory, Tyler Junior College, Tyler State Park, Tyler Texas, Tyler TX, Valid Military Id, Walkabout, Wild Bird, Wildlife Museum, Zoo Members, Zoo Zoo
Posted in Fun, Zoo and Wildlife Refuges | No Comments »

Local Artist Paul Ruark Plays the Purple Pig

July 28th, 2011

The writers here at Tyler TX Directory over the years, have made no secret of our love of great barbeque. In fact, promoting the local traditional Texas staple has been something of a mantra on ours. I realize there are a few excellent examples in the surrounding area, but in my opinion, there are basically two Tyler stops that stand alone, they are Stanley’s and the Purple Pig. Both of these local institutions also offer live music on the weekends to entertain patrons and provide a venue for mostly local talent to perform; which brings me to the central point of this article. Up and coming local country music artist Paul Ruark, will be playing “the Pig” on Saturday night.

Paul is causing quite a stir with his first single “You Can Keep the Change.” He’s recently played the new tune at campaign rallies and for presidential candidates. The song is now available at itunes, and the video is steadily gathering hits. It should be stated however that Mr. Ruark is far from a one trick pony. There are a number of new songs and eventually a complete album, due to be released shortly. He’ll be performing the latest material Saturday night as well.

Texas takes a lot of pride in its contribution of talent to the national music scene, particularly when it comes to traditional styles like country and bluegrass. Events like this one represent an opportunity to get behind one of our own and help push him to the top. It’s especially important in charged political times when our musicians reflect, in large part, the traditional cultural and political view; that we as their friends and neighbors support them. It seems to me, this is something the arts have failed to do in recent years.

All sanctimony aside however, Saturday’s event promises to be great fun; terrific local music and terrific local barbeque! Paul’s set starts at six and runs until around ten. The Purple Pig is located at 19785 State Highway 155 S, between Tyler and Palestine. For more info on the Purple Pig visit their webpage at http://www.purplepigcafe.com/index.php . For more on Paul Ruark, or to see his video, visit his website at www.PaulRuark.com .

Tags: Artist Paul, Barbeque, Bluegrass Events, Campaign Rallies, Complete Album, Country Music Artist, Friends And Neighbors, Itunes, Local Country, Local Music, National Music Scene, New Songs, New Tune, Presidential Candidates, purple pig, Ruark, Sanctimony, Trick Pony, Tx Directory, Tyler Texas, Tyler TX
Posted in Tyler Businesses | No Comments »

The Hague Sports AKA The Ranger Report, Holds Its First Live Event

July 26th, 2011

Here at Tyler TX Directory we maintain an informal connection with growing on- line, sports news magazine, and podcast site, The Hague Sports. In fact, a link to that site can be found to the right on this page. The site is operated by Nathan Hague, (also known as Neigh- neigh), and contains articles, headlines and links from the world of sports, particularly, but not exclusive to, Texas. Nathan, a journalism major from SFA, (and TJC prior to that), has been a sports writer for the Baytown Sun, and has worked around radio and broadcasting off and on for a number of years.

Just over two years ago Nathan decided to attempt something new, a sports talk podcast. It was mostly an opportunity for him to hone his understanding of broadcasting, but over the last couple of years the show has garnered something of a following. The format of the show is pretty simple: Nathan, accompanied by a few, mostly well informed friends discuss, complain about, debate and even occasionally mock, major events and individuals from the sports headlines. Ben Dieter host of his own baseball website and podcast, entitled The Ranger Report, is an almost weekly co-host. In fact, the two hosts have worked so closely together, that about six months ago they essentially merged their shows into one. Regular listeners can find the program at either www.thehaguesports.com or www.therangerreport.com .The name depends largely on which site listeners use to download the latest episode. Over the last two years, Neigh and Ben have interviewed numerous professional athletes and sports journalists including: Josh Hamilton, Michael Young, Derek Holland, Darren Oliver, Tom Grieve and numerous others.

For the first time, Nathan and Ben will be holding an on location, live broadcast at The Art of Coffee Café in Lindale Texas, starting at eight o’clock pm on Friday the 29th. Other regulars from the show will be present in person and on the phone. The Art of Coffee is located at 2808 S. Main Street, Suite G, in Lindale. For more info on the café, visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/artofcoffee?sk=wall . To learn more about The Hague Sports go to www.facebook.com/pages/The-Hague-Sports/133934019959450 .

Tags: art of coffee, art of coffee lindale texas, Baseball Website, Baytown Sun, Co Host, Darren Oliver, Derek Holland, Hague, Josh Hamilton, Lindale coffee shop, Lindale Texas, Lindale TX coffee shop, Line Sports, O Clock, Oliver Tom, Professional Athletes, Sfa, Sports Headlines, Sports Journalists, Sports Writer, the hague sports, the ranger report, Tom Grieve, Tx Directory, Tyler Texas, Tyler TX, World Of Sports
Posted in Coffee, Tyler Businesses | No Comments »

Tyler’s Walk to Cure Juvenile Diabetes

May 23rd, 2011

I realize that our summers are very full of all sorts of charitable walks, marathons, concerts, fund raisers, meet ups and every conceivable event aimed at raising money for one cause or other. I understand that they are all noble pursuits and worthy of our time and energies, but I for one, simply cannot keep up with all of them. The best strategy seems to be to dig in to the ones about whom you feel strongest, and work for its success. Writing for Tyler TX Directory however, allows me to cast a fairly wide net. As events occur throughout the year I try to promote them by simply informing the local public, which brings me to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) walk coming this June.

Juvenile diabetes, or type one, is treatable but incurable. As I understand it, the patient lacks sufficient insulin to naturally store much needed glucose, and thus provide the body with energy. While most people associate diabetes with weight gain, juvenile diabetes (so named because it generally first appears in childhood), causes the patient to lose weight regardless of how much they may actually eat. Other symptoms that commonly accompany the disease are, frequent headaches, dizziness, nausea etc. The most common treatment is of course insulin injections. Insulin pumps are also being tested which would pump the hormone into the patient’s system and maintain it at normal levels. JDRF exists to help fund the search for new treatments and hopefully an eventual cure.

Tyler’s walk will be held at Bergfield Park on the 25th, beginning at 7:30 in the morning. Of course there will be children’s events, and various other vendors etc. participating throughout the day. JDFR has a great website with all kinds of information, and literature, both as promotion of its coming fund raisers and as support for parents and families dealing with juvenile diabetes. For more information, or to register for Tyler’s walk, visit that site at http://www2.jdrf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=walk_homepage .

Tags: Diabetes Research Foundation, Dizziness, Eventual Cure, Frequent Headaches, Fund Raisers, Glucose, Insulin Injections, Insulin Pumps, Jdfr, Juvenile Diabetes Research, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Marathons, Noble Pursuits, Raising Money, S System, Tx Directory, Tyler Texas, Tyler TX, UPS, Weight Gain, Www2
Posted in Tyler Businesses | No Comments »

Recent Posts

Lindsey Field in Tyler

Summer Activities in Tyler for 2012

Local Artist Paul Ruark Plays the Purple Pig

The Hague Sports AKA The Ranger Report, Holds Its First Live Event

Tyler’s Walk to Cure Juvenile Diabetes