From Our Mayor
Jay F. Feibelman
Another 4th of July parade and party at the park and, no doubt, the biggest and best ever! Large parade, food, dunking booth and a great car display. Thanks to all for their help in the success of this endeavor, especially the Police Department and Public Works for many hours of preparation. The only downside was the food running out prior to the end of the advertised serving hours. Food quantities were about the same as past years, but the crowd was such that it overwhelmed the vendors. We will adjust for the future. This year I was hoping for rain! Thanks for your continued support..
Have a fun, safe summer!

Mayor getting dunked July 4th

Welcome to Garden Ridge
New Residents:
Those listed and families:

Tyrone & Edna Austin Jr.
William Barno
Shane & Laurie Crites
Marion & Carolyn Johnson
Ted & Kelly Lane
Jim & Shelia Leech
Larry & Karen Lynch
Bryan & Felicia McCollum
Richard & Jean Mihalik
Jerry & Marie Mills
Ronald O’Neil
Michael & Ginger Perry
Tammy & Eric Pinkham
Brad & Sandy Ramey
Taylor & Ashley Rogers
Dianna L. Spencer-Bell
Louis & Linda A. Williams Jr
Mario & Ana Wimbush

Note: Newcomers are identified by water service records. Consequently, not all names in the household will appear. Those not appearing are also welcomed!

New Garden Ridge Business
Julie K. Wiedner, CPA, PC
19155 FM 2252, Ste 9
Garden Ridge, TX 78266
Office: 210-651-3449 Fax: 210-651-0110 Cell: 210-693-2254
Julie is a certified Public Accountant with a Masters Degree in Taxation and both large Public Accounting and Industry experience. She hopes to help individual and small businesses with their accounting and tax needs.

QUICK NOTES

Register your Pets
The City of Garden Ridge requires that all dogs and cats be registered.
Register your pets with the city to insure their safe return. Call 210-651-6831 or fill out Pet Registration form online.

Garden Rridge Women's Club
Fall Luncheon and Fasion Show
This is it, the BIG EVENT! The annual GRWC Fall Luncheon and Fashion Show! Join us at the Garden Ridge Community Center for fashions from Andie and Barbara’s Fashion Boutique, followed by a creative new luncheon menu from True Flavors. This event is one of our biggest each year, so mark your calendars for:

Thursday, September 18
11am to 2pm
$28 for members, $32 for non-members

RSVP: Make checks payable to GRWC before Friday, September 12th and mail to:

Becky Baldwin
21022 Plum Ranch
Garden Ridge, TX 78266
(210) 375-3368

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT
August 5 - 7 to 9 pm

National Night Out is August 5, 2008 - 7 to 9pm at the Community Center sponsored by American Bank of Texas.
This year, Digi Kids sponsored by your local Ameriprise Financial Advisors — Doris Dollar and Ivan Friend — will have equipment to fingerprint and photograph your children. In case of an emergency, your children’s finger prints and photograph will be in a national data base for reference. Last year it was such a big success, that they kindly decided to sponsor it again. This community is grateful for their generosity.
We will have a theme “Meet Your Neighbors and Community” with picnic tables where you may sit and eat the free food that is provided and meet your neighbors.
We would like local churches, homeowner associations, clubs, sports groups and scouts to participate by manning a table. There will be tables to sign up new residents to register to vote and one to verify names that will be in the 2009 Garden Ridge Phone Directory.
Jerry Warden of Texas Parks and Wildlife will be there with his “skins and skulls” display that attendees can touch and learn about wildlife.
There will be a face painter and bounce machine for the children, as well as fire equipment from the Bracken VFD and helpful information from the GRPD. Mark the first Tuesday in August on your calendar.
Contact Mickey Sanders at 651-5782 if you would like a table.

Library Footnotes
by Lynne Dean

We have been very busy buying new books for the library. Here’s a sample:
Days of Infamy by Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen — Follow-up on the best seller Pearl Harbor. This sequel begins minutes after the Japanese attack ends.
War and Decision: Inside the Pentagon at the Dawn of the War on Terrorism, by Douglas J. Feith. Feith, a key member of Donald Rumsfeld’s inner circle, takes readers into strategy meetings with Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell, Rice and Franks. Never reported new information presented with balance and rigorous attention to detail.
Stealing Lincoln’s Body, by Thomas G. Craughwell. True account of a gang of counterfeiters who attempted to steal the entombed, embalmed body of Abraham Lincoln and hold it for ransom.
The Ezekiel Option, The Copper Scroll, Dead Heat, three more exciting and thought provoking novels by Joes C. Rosenberg, author of The Last Jihad.
More from Elizabeth George: A Great Deliverance; J. Richard, Careless in Red, Payment in Blood, A Suitable Vengeance, and Well-Schooled in Murder.
The Zookeeper’s Wife, by Diane Ackerman. The remarkable World-War II story of the zookeeper of the Warsaw Zoo, and his wife, who, with courage and cool headed ingenuity, sheltered 300 Jews and polish resisters in their villa and in animal cages and sheds.
Look here next month for new junior and young adult books.

Library Hours are:
Monday - Thursday 10 am to 6 pm
Fridays and Saturdays 10 am to Noon.

Garden Rridge Women's Club
We are starting our 2008-9 membership drive and are looking for new members. We have many activities and special interest groups. If you are interested in joining our group and have any questions, you may contact Becky Baldwin - Membership Chairman - at 375-3368. Dues are $20.00 per year. You may send checks made out to GRWC to:

Becky Baldwin
21022 Plum Ranch
Garden Ridge, TX 78266

Important Numbers

City Hall 210-651-6632
Lost Pet 210-651-6831
Police Department 210-651-6441

Photo by Ian Briton

Significant Dates in August
6 Aug 1945 — First atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan
9 Aug 1945 — Second atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan
14 Aug 1945 — World War II Pacific hostilities end

Triumphant Lutheran Church Annual Oktoberfest
Saturday October 18

10 am - Arts and Crafts Fair

Children's activities and silent auction

4pm - Live music with dancing by the Bohemian Dutchmen

5pm - Homemade BBQ supper served.

All proceeds will benefit local charities.
Anyone wanting a table for the Arts & Crafts Fair contact Kristin at 210-843-7953.

Comal Elementary PTO
Comal Elementary PTO is planning for the 2008-2009 school year. If you are interested in getting involved and volunteering, contact:
Rhonda Janns 210-274-7112 rhondajanns@satx.rr.com
Kathy Riley 210-651-3328 twitchets@aol.com

Quarry Happenings

The Garden Ridge Quarry Commission meets monthly to monitor and analyze the blasting activities of the Hanson quarry. The goal is to minimize any adverse effect on our residents and facilitate peaceful coexistence between all parties.
At the July 14 meeting, it was learned that the quarry had begun opening a new area of excavation, basically moving north of the existing pit. While this essentially means that the blasting activities will be moving away from existing residential neighborhoods, there may be many other factors that influence how a blast is perceived at any particular location. For this reason, the Quarry Commission welcomes citizen comments. You can contact City Hall at 651-6632 for either comment or complaint. And the Commission meetings are always open to the public — second Monday of each month, at 7:00 PM at the Garden Ridge City Offices.

More details about the Quarry Commission meetings are available at the City Municipal Building or on the Quarry Commission page of this website.

Coming Events
Go to the Calendar.

Significant City Council
Go to Council Actions.

Grapevine Deadline
Grapevine Deadline. The deadline for articles/notices for the GRAPEVINE is the 18th of the previous month. Please have all submissions for the September Grapevine in by August 18th.