Lake Highlands iReporter

There's only two more nights remaining until Evening of Jazz takes place at the Lake Highlands Freshman Center on Friday, February 24 at 7:00 p.m. The concert will take place in the auditorium with the doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Some of the top musicians in the area and the state will be playing, no music lover will want to miss out.

It wasn't a joke that some of the top musicians in the area and state will be at Evening of Jazz. The Lake Highlands High School Jazz Band boasts seven All-Region musicians and two All-State players. And the guest artist - the TCU Jazz Ensemble - has some of the best musicians from around the nation. Two members of the TCU Jazz Ensemble, Garrett and Luke Wingfield, are Lake Highlands High School alumni.

Tickets are $5 for students and $8 for general admission. All funds raised for the event will go towards supporting the jazz programs at Lake Highlands schools.

For those looking to make a difference in the neighborhood but don't know how, look no further. The City of Dallas now has a Citizen's Fire Academy course and enrollment will go from Monday, February 20 until Monday, March 12. The course will span eight weeks and only those 18 years and older are eligible.

The primary goal of the Citizen's Fire Academy is to provide an overview of the services that the Dallas Fire-Rescue department provides, increase fire and life safety awareness, and promote the customer service aspect of the department. Participants will gain knowledge of the core job functions of Dallas Fire-Rescue with classroom instruction and live demonstrations.

The classes will be held once at week on Thursday evenings. Classes will engage and discuss such topics as apparatus familiarization, USAR (urban search and rescue), and fire tactics and strategies. Participants will also receive invaluable CPR certification training. At the conclusion of the course, graduates will participate in a formal graduation ceremony at the training center.

To learn more about Citizen's Fire Academy or to sign up, visit the Dallas City Hall website.

Photo from Dallas City Hall

Getting a citation is never fun and people tend to want to put it away and just pretend it never happened. But, for anyone who still has unpaid citations, it would be a good idea to pay them off. Starting on Saturday, February 25, the Great Texas Warrant Roundup will begin and anyone with unpaid citations will be taken to jail.

Police warn that people with unpaid citations can be arrested at home, place of business or wherever the offender is found. Those with unpaid citations may be denied the ability to renew their Driver's License and/or register their vehicle at the DMV.

Citations can be paid in three different ways: in person, by mail or online. To pay in person, go to the Municipal Court Building at 106 South Harwood or to the Dallas Marshal's Office at 1600 Chestnut Street. To learn more or to pay citations online, visit the Dallas City Hall website.

Gardening is an activity that consumes a lot of time but is fun and rewarding. However, not all homes and backyards are suitable to growing a garden. However, the Lake Highlands Community Garden has a few open plots available for enthusiastic gardeners to use.

The Lake Highlands Community Garden is a 501(c)(3) organization that is under the umbrella organization of Dallas Is Gardening. It is the perfect place for residents to get down and dirty with nature; gardeners frequently supply friends and family with nutritious, tasty produce. And now if the best time to start preparing for spring planting.

To learn more or to put yourself on the wait list for a plot, check out the Lake Highlands Community Garden website for more information.

The City of Dallas will be shutting down most of its city offices on Monday, February 20 in honor of President's Day Holiday. However, while many of the administrative offices will be closed, most of it's regular services will still be available in case of emergencies.

Both city offices and public libraries will be closed for the holiday. The administration offices for Animal Services will be closed but the adoption center/lost & found will be open from 11:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. For dangerous animals or animal control, residents can call the 3-1-1 Customer Help Line. Other emergencies, such as water main breaks, downed trees and signal lights out, can also be reported to 3-1-1.

And finally, although both the Police and Fire Rescue administrative offices will be closed on Monday, both services will continue to operate on a normal schedule.