City mourns loss of Jody McPherson 

The City of Mesquite and the Mesquite Fire Department (MFD) are saddened to announce the passing of Mesquite Firefighter Jody McPherson. McPherson, age 47, died peacefully surrounded by his family at Azalea Trail Nursing Home in Grand Saline, Texas, at 6:24 p.m. on Dec. 6, 2023. He is survived by his wife Brandi, son Trey, and two daughters, Brooklyn and Blair. McPherson worked for MFD since 2006 and was assigned to Fire Station 3. He recently began experiencing symptoms of unknown origin and was later diagnosed with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which has no cure. McPherson’s funeral arrangements are pending. Please visit the MFD Facebook page for details.

Old-fashioned Christmas with HMI

Take a trip back in time to Christmas of yesteryear with Historic Mesquite Inc.'s Christmas at the Ranch. The event will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Dec. 9. The Florence Ranch Homestead will be decorated for a traditional Christmas with real greenery and old-fashioned garlands. Looking for a beautiful backdrop for your family’s holiday photos?  The Florence Ranch house was built in 1871 and makes for a stunning setting for pictures. The homestead and the park will be available during the event and throughout the holiday season for photo opportunities. The Florence Ranch Homestead is located at 1424 Barnes Bridge Road. For more information, visit www.historicmesquite.org. 

Play highlights true spirit of Christmas

Mesquite Arts Theatre presents “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” now through Dec. 17 at the Mesquite Arts Center. The show is based on a classic holiday movie but staged as a live radio broadcast. Actors portray numerous characters, and sound effects are done by Foley artists. "It’s a Wonderful Life" is about the life of George Bailey, a generous and well-meaning man who has become downcast and tired of life. It will take help from a lovable angel to show George what life would be like if he wasn’t born. Will George have a change of heart and understand the true spirit of the holidays? Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 2:30 p.m. on Sundays. Visit www.mesquiteartstheatre.org for tickets.

Savor the sounds of the holidays

The Mesquite Community Band will present “Sounds of the Season” at 7 p.m. on Dec. 9 at the Mesquite Arts Center. The Band will perform festive favorites including "White Christmas," "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year," "Sleigh Ride," "Greensleeves" and more. The concert is free and open to the public. Click here for more information.

Then on Dec. 16, the Mesquite Symphony Orchestra, joined by the Sunnyvale and Poteet High School Choirs, will give two back-to-back performances of its annual holiday concert, “A Winter Celebration." The program includes John Williams' "Three Holiday Songs from Home Alone," Adolphus Hailstork's "Sleigh Ride," Coleridge-Taylor's "Ballade," and more. The first show will be from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and the second show will be from 7:30 to 9 p.m.  For tickets, visit this link.

Shop local this holiday season

Help Mesquite business owners and the local economy by “shopping local.” Sales tax revenue makes up more than 25 percent of the City’s general fund, which provides the financial resources for most City services for residents and their families. The largest portion of the general fund goes toward public safety – our Police and Fire Departments and 911 Dispatch. The general fund also supports Mesquite Animal Services, the Parks and Recreation Department, and a variety of quality-of-life programs. The City has provided a webpage to help with alternate driving directions to shoppers for key destinations in Mesquite, such as Town East Mall.  Visit www.cityofmesquite.com/ShoppingRoutes so you can shop more and sit in traffic less. Learn more about Mesquite’s variety of shopping options at www.ShopMesquiteTX.com.

Properly dispose of fats, oils and grease during the holidays

Don’t ruin your holidays with a sewer backup in your home. Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG) are the residue left over from cooking with food items such as meat, butter, lard, sauces, dressings, dairy products and cooking oil. FOG and debris poured down drains can build up and cause backups in both private and the City-maintained sewer system. To avoid expensive plumbing repairs and damage to the sewer system:

• scrape or wipe cooled grease or fat from all cookware and place in the trash; and

• pour or scrape grease into a sturdy closed-lid container and dispose in the trash.

Resident may recycle used holiday cooking oil for free at the City of Mesquite Convenience Center, 3550 Lawson Road, or other nearby drop-off locations. Check out the Defend Your Drains website at www.DefendYourDrainsNorthTexas.com.

Officer Richard Houston II Memorial Highway signs installed

The portion of Interstate 635 that runs from LaPrada Drive to Cartwright Road/Bruton Road is now the Officer Richard Houston II Memorial Highway. Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) installed the signage in time for the second anniversary of Officer Houston’s death. The 20-year veteran Mesquite Police officer was slain in the line of duty on Dec. 3, 2021.

The signage was manufactured and installed by TxDOT, but the markers themselves must be purchased by the community. Funding for the signs, which cost $40,500, came from donations raised by MPA Charities. One of the association’s efforts to raise money was 821 Day, an initiative that took place on Aug. 21. 821 Day was named after Officer Houston’s badge number and involved participating area restaurants donating a portion of their proceeds from that day toward the highway signage.

To learn more about the history of MPA’s campaign for the Officer Richard Houston II Memorial Highway, visit www.mpacharities.com/RHMH.