February Neighborhood Newsletter
February may be a short month, but it’s the perfect time to start looking forward to all the exciting things that spring has in store! Warmer weather, blooming gardens, and longer days are just around the corner, bringing plenty of opportunities to enjoy our wonderful neighborhood.
Hello Neighbors!
February may be a short month, but it’s the perfect time to start looking forward to all the exciting things that spring has in store! Warmer weather, blooming gardens, and longer days are just around the corner, bringing plenty of opportunities to enjoy our wonderful neighborhood.
In this issue, you’ll find exciting updates and upcoming events, so be sure to keep reading! From community projects to fun gatherings, there’s something for everyone.
We’re excited to keep you in the loop with everything happening in Vickery Place!
Do you have any ideas for Vickery Place this year? Leave a comment to this post on the website to let us know!
🍷 Sign up to host the 2025 Wine Walk! 🏡🏃♂️
The Board is hard at work planning the 2025 VPNA Wine Walk! We are seeking hosts that would like to be a stop on the Wine Walk Route! Interested in showcasing your home? It's a great chance to meet neighbors and show off your home decor! Please fill out the below form if you are interested in being a stop this year!
Happy 43rd Birthday VPNA!
Each February we commemorate the founding of Vickery Place Neighborhood
Association (VPNA). We celebrate resident’s past & present, and salute those
who strive to preserve our rich history, enhance our quality of life, and make
Vickery Place neighborhood a great place to live! Below is how it all began.
On January 28, 1982, nearly 100 Vickery Place neighbors gathered together in the basement of the Greenville Avenue Christian Church for a meeting with representatives of the Dallas Department of Housing and Neighborhood Services to consider the future of the neighborhood.
At the meeting the staff presented the results of an extensive neighborhood study conducted during December of 1981 and then attendees provided feedback on those results. The staff also presented an inventory of needs for public facilities and services and listed recent accomplishments for the neighborhood. Marvin Krout (Planning Manager) said that in his opinion, neighborhoods with neighborhood associations generally do better than neighborhoods without. During the meeting, approximately 30 neighbors signed a list indicating that they were interested in participating in a neighborhood association, and it was from this list that the North Henderson Neighborhood Association was born. Later the name was changed to the Vickery Place Neighborhood Association.
A NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION WAS BORN…1982
~ Excerpt from a series of articles titled 'A Snapshot of Vickery Place...1982',
By Linda Mitchell, published in the 2007 VPNA Newsletters.
Volunteers Needed! St. Patrick's No Parking Sign Placement - 3/13 at 6PM
As part of our preparation for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Block Party on Greenville, Vickery Place will be receiving 94 No-Parking signs to ensure our streets remain clear and safe. These signs play a crucial role in keeping traffic flowing and making sure emergency vehicles can enter and exit the neighborhood during the event.
We’re asking for help to get these signs placed around the neighborhood before the festivities begin. It’s a simple but important task that will help maintain the safety and accessibility of our streets amidst the heavy influx of visitors.
If you’re interested in contributing, your help would be greatly appreciated!
Please make sure you are signed up for our Volunteer Email list below to receive more information about where to meet, what to bring, and what streets need signs.
Social Media
Do you follow our socials? They are a great way to get information and reach out to your neighbors!
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/vickeryplace
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/VickeryPlace
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vickeryplaceneighborhood/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VickeryPlace
February's Pet of the Month: Birdie
This month's VPNA Pet is Birdie! Birdie will be receiving a generous gift basket custom curated just for them from our neighbor Dr. Benjamin Wright & his team at Lakewood Vet Center.
Birdie is a one-year-old miniature schnauzer who lives on Willis Ave. While she has a grueling 9-5 job making sure her yard is free of squirrels (and cats), she loves to spend her free time going on long walks in the neighborhood and saying hi to other dogs and people. Birdie is an aspiring foodie: she never turns down a treat and never shies away from requesting to try someone's meal. Birdie has very good manners, making sure to greet you as soon as you step through the front door and giving you plenty of opportunities to rub her belly. You may hear her before you see her, as she loves to squeal with glee! Say hi to Birdie on her next walk and she'll shower you with puppy kisses!
Be sure to sign up your pet for a chance to be chosen in future months!
Yard of the Month -
Spring is just around the corner, and for gardening enthusiasts in East Dallas, now is the perfect time to prepare your Zone 8 yard and beds for a flourishing growing season. Whether you’re planting flowers, vegetables, or creating a lush landscape, these tips and plant recommendations can set you up for success.
- Plan Your Garden Layout
Before planting, sketch a simple plan of what you want to grow and where. In Zone 8, consider sun-loving vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, and squash, alongside herbs like basil and oregano. If you’re adding trees, think about varieties like crepe myrtle, Eastern redbud, or fruit trees like fig (‘Celeste’ or ‘Brown Turkey’) and peach (‘Elberta’ or ‘Red Haven’).
If you want to use technology to help you plan your garden, consider an app like Gardena, Gardenize, or iScape.
- Test and Amend Your Soil
Healthy soil is the foundation of a thriving garden. Test your soil’s pH and nutrient levels using an at-home kit or by sending a sample to your local extension office. Add compost, aged manure, or amendments like sulfur (to lower pH) or lime (to raise pH) as needed. In North Texas, clay-heavy soil often benefits from organic matter to improve drainage.
- Start Seeds Indoors
Cool-season crops like broccoli, cauliflower, and lettuce can be started indoors in late winter, along with warm-season plants like tomatoes (‘Cherokee Purple’ or ‘Sun Gold’) and peppers (‘California Wonder’ or jalapeños). These will be ready for transplanting after the last frost, typically in mid-March in the Dallas area.
- Clean and Sharpen Tools
Dust off those gardening tools! Clean, sharpen, and oil them to ensure they’re in good working order. This will save time and effort once the season is in full swing.
- Prune Trees and Shrubs
Late winter or early spring is an excellent time to prune trees and shrubs in Zone 8. Trim dead or damaged branches from crepe myrtles, Southern magnolias, and roses (like ‘Knock Out’ or ‘Lady Banks’). Avoid pruning spring-blooming shrubs like azaleas or camellias until after they flower.
- Mulch and Weed Early
Clear out weeds before they have a chance to take over, and apply mulch to retain moisture and suppress future weed growth. Hardwood mulch or pine straw works well and can help regulate soil temperature as the weather warms.
- Prepare Watering Systems
Check your irrigation or drip system to ensure it’s functioning correctly. If you rely on hoses, inspect them for leaks and replace damaged parts. For a more eco-friendly option, install a rain barrel to collect water during the rainy spring months.
- Plant for Pollinators
Attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators by planting native flowers and pollinator-friendly blooms. Options include black-eyed Susans, coneflowers, blanket flowers, coreopsis, and milkweed for monarch butterflies. Herbs like lavender and thyme also pull double duty, attracting pollinators and enhancing your garden’s fragrance.
- Learn More From Local Experts
- https://www.nhg.com
- https://www.dallasarboretum.org/education/
- https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu
- https://neilsperry.com
With these steps and Zone 8-specific recommendations, your garden will be off to a thriving start this spring. Happy planting!
What are your favorite plants to grow in our zone? Share your ideas, and let’s make this the most vibrant growing season yet!
January General Meeting was a Success!
Vickery Place Neighborhood Association's first General Meeting of the year was a great success! Thanks to all who made it!
To Recap:
- The vote for Pet Waste Stations passed and we will continue forward on that effort.
- We are still looking for one more volunteer to host a pet waste station on Worcola!
- More information: Neighborhood Poll - Dog Waste Stations
- We discussed some upcoming events such as:
- St. Patrick's Sign Placement Event (Mark your calendars for March 13th!)
- Wine Walk (Want to Host? Sign up here!)
- National Night Out (Planned for the first week in October!)
Thank you to Local Public Eatery for hosting us, providing an awesome space, and donating a $50 gift card for us to giveaway at the meeting!
2025 Event Calendar
Be sure to keep an eye on the Vickery Place Events page to keep your calendar up to date with all future VPNA Events! Please consider clicking the "+ Add to Google Calendar" to make sure you don't miss anything!
Have something you want us to add? Let us know at [email protected]
VPNA Board
Dallas Hot Chocolate Run - 2/8
The Hot Chocolate Run is coming to Dallas on Saturday, February 8th and will lead to some road closures near our neighborhood on Lower Greenville.
More information at :
🍀Lower Greenville St. Patrick's Day Events🍀
Get Your Green On! The Annual Dallas St. Paddy’s Day Block Party, 5k and Parade on Lower Greenville are back on Saturday, March 15, 2025, bringing a day full of Irish spirit, festive fun, and community pride.
🍀8am St. Paddy's Day Dash 5K starting at Greenville Ave & E University
🍀9am - 6pm Block Party on Greenville Ave between Vanderbilt & Vickery
🍀11am - 2pm Annual St. Paddy's Day Parade starting at Greenville & Blackwell, ending at Greenville and SMU Blvd
Blocks closest to the Lower Greenville party zone (between Vanderbilt &
Vickery) will be closed to through traffic and the City will designate “no parking” areas with signs placed generally on the north side of streets in Vickery Place and surrounding neighborhoods. Maps of the affected areas, and other pertinent information will be in your March newsletter, posted on our webpage VickeryPlace.com, and on the Vickery Place Facebook page and groups page. Stay tuned!🍀
Monthly Book Club
Interested in joining the VPNA book club? We are a once-a-month group that meets on the 2nd Thursday of every month. Our next meeting is February 13th.
February's book is Rental House by Weike Wang. The book for March is Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon and the book for April is James by Percival Everett.
Please visit the page below for more information
Andrea Hundley
You can opt-in to future communication by managing your email preferences at https://www.vickeryplace.com/#/portal/account/
Cookie Season
It's Girl Scout Cookie Season! Help encourage our local youths to be savvy businesswomen by supporting their entrepreneurial efforts!
Kroger Community Rewards
During the Q4 period of 2024 we only had 23 households signed up for our Kroger Community Rewards. With nearly 1200 homes in Vickery Place, we can fund events like this month's donations to local Pantries with no effort every time you get groceries! If you shop at Kroger, please take the time to sign up below and a portion of your purchases go to supporting local schools, charity drives, and neighborhood events.
When you do your grocery shopping at Kroger, don’t forget there is an easy way to also support Vickery Place Neighborhood Association. VPNA is a registered charity with the Kroger Community Rewards Program. A few simple steps will help raise funds to support more neighborhood activities. https://www.kroger.com/account/communityrewards/
To Connect With Kroger Community Rewards:
• Sign into your Kroger Rewards digital account (or easily set one up if you do not already have an account).
• Select “My Account”.
• Scroll down to the ‘Community Rewards’ section of your account page.
• Select ‘Enroll Now’ or ‘Edit’.
• Enter the name of the organization you wish to support.
• Select ‘Vickery Place Neighborhood Association’ and click on ‘Save’.
Any transactions moving forward using the card number associated with your Kroger digital account will be applied to the Community Rewards program. It takes about 10 days for the Community Rewards totals to begin displaying on your receipt. Vickery Place NA gets quarterly rewards payments—last quarter we received $44.22. The more neighbors who shop with Kroger and connect their digital account with Vickery Place, the more funds our organization will earn! Thank You!
District 14 News from Paul Ridley
February is shaping up to be a busy month of community meetings. We will be holding three community meetings in the next few weeks: On February 10th we will hold our first 2025 quarterly CBD Public Safety meeting; on February 12th we will hold an Oak Lawn Public Safety Meeting and on February 19th we will hold a community meeting regarding an SUP for Milli at 1914 Greenville Ave. I am also very much looking forward to my annual breakfast with the Global Politics IB students from Woodrow Wilson High School before the Council’s agenda meeting on February 12th.
New City Manager
Last Wednesday, Council voted to hire Kimberly Tolbert as the City Manager of Dallas. While I cast a no vote due to concerns over contract terms, I am optimistic about our time ahead.
City Manager Tolbert and I met on January 29 after her appointment to discuss my priorities for District 14. These are:
1. Continuing to reduce homelessness, especially in Downtown and Oak Lawn, and investigate feasibility of alternative housing options for those experiencing homelessness.
2. Advancing Vision Zero traffic calming projects to reduce traffic injuries.
3. Improving walkability through decluttering sidewalks, increasing sidewalk width requirements in the development code, and including a digital kiosk opt-out provision for neighborhoods and PIDs which do not wish to sacrifice sidewalk space to digital advertising.
Honoring Max Glauben
On Monday at the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, the city honored the late Holocaust survivor Max Glauben for the educational work he accomplished in North Texas.
His legacy was memorialized in the form of ceremonial street-topper signs in Downtown Dallas at the corners of Ross Avenue at Houston and Record streets. I was honored to have signed the memorandum to obtain these toppers for such a great man. As I stated in my remarks at the event, “He inspired generations of residents nationwide with his story of survival and his commitment to tolerance and understanding of each other.”
Bond Projects
You may have noticed new infrastructure work being done in your neighborhood. There are many bond projects in the district underway or scheduled for 2025. You can find more information on these projects at the bond website: 2024 Dallas Bond
Quality of Life, Arts and Culture Committee
As an update on the work of the Quality of Life, Arts and Culture Committee which I chair, last week we received a briefing on the city’s Public Art program and the new Public Art dashboard (link). We requested monthly briefings to track the implementation progress of City policy documents, such as the Library Master Plan. The Committee also received a briefing on the city’s residential vehicle towing policy. You can view the full agenda here: Agenda
Upcoming Events
January 30
HSMNA Governance - Quarterly Forum - 5:30pm Stoney's Wine Lounge
February 10
CBD Public Safety Meeting - 6pm - February 12
Oak Lawn Public Safety Meeting - 6pm - Oak Lawn Public Library
February 19
Community Meeting re: SUP for Milli at 1914 Greenville Ave - 6pm - Lakewood Public Library
As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact me or my staff via email:
Let us know what you think of the Newsletter and if there is anything we missed in the comments under this post on the website!
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