You're invited: Amarillo community events of note now through Saturday

Discover family, fun, science, and nature for just $1

The Don Harrington Discovery Center will open their doors after hours and charge only $1 admission from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8. In addition, Wildcat Bluff Nature Center will only charge $1 all day on Saturday, Sept. 9.

Attendees can enjoy a Friday evening at the Discovery Center with Space Theater shows, live science demonstrations and critter encounters. Then on Saturday, people can take a hike and visit the Nature Center for just $1 all day long.

"The Don Harrington Discovery Center’s Discover for a Dollar program is a fun family setting where visitors can explore and experience DHDC at night for incredibly low cost," a news release states. "Since the acquisition of Wildcat Bluff Nature Center in 2021, WBNC has begun its participation in Discover for a Dollar as well."

Visit DHDC.org for more information on their community programs.

Discovery Center, Nature Center offer Grandparents’ Day Discount over weekend

The Don Harrington Discovery Center (DHDC) and Wildcat Bluff Nature Center (WBNC) are offering $1 admission for grandparents in celebration of National Grandparents Day. The discounted admission will take place over the entire weekend on Sept. 9 and 10.

During that time, grandparents will also get half off the DHDC Grandparents Membership but must purchase them in person. Add-ons are not included in the discount.

DHDC’s hours on the weekends are Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Sundays from 12 to 4:30 p.m. WBNC’s trails are accessible from sunrise to sunset with a check in point at their trail head or bulletin board if visitors come outside of their office hours. For more information on upcoming events, follow DHDC and WBNC on Facebook and Instagram.

Bicycle Tree Sculpture being unveiled Thursday at Rick Klein Trails

Rick Klein Trails will soon be home to unique art that captures the spirit of the trails – trees and bicycles, according to the city of Amarillo.

Thanks to the creativity and generosity of local artist Orville Ladehoff and others, the city's Parks and Recreation Department has received a donation of a Bicycle Tree Sculpture, which will be unveiled Thursday, Sept. 7 at 11 a.m. at the Rick Klein Sports Complex, 3901 S. Grand St.

Don Spence to speak Saturday at monthly series for Texas Panhandle War Memorial

On Saturday, Sept. 9 at 1:30 p.m., Don Spence, US Navy retired, will be the guest speaker at The Texas Panhandle War Memorial’s “Reflections on Military Service”. Spence will speak on the women who answered our nation’s call for women pilots, according to a news release, and two of the original “WASPs” were from the Texas Panhandle.

The WASP women trained out of Avenger Field in Sweetwater and graduated 1,078 women in a two-year period. They were test pilots, target draggers, and ferried planes for the Army Air Corp to bases throughout the United States. The “Avenger Girls” were the first women to fly for the U.S. military.

The public is invited to come out to the War Memorial Center for a bit of history as they remember and honor ourveterans this Saturday. Light refreshments will be served.

Xcel Energy workers to take part in Day of Service on Friday

Xcel Energy has announced its Amarillo employees have planned a Day of Service on Friday, coming together to perform a range of activities from neighborhood cleanup to assembling care packages for the homeless.

The Amarillo efforts are part of several Day of Service volunteer initiatives planned across the company’s eight-state service area that unite employees in giving back to their communities. Xcel Energy’s Amarillo workforce is made up of more than 1,000 employees and contractors that include downtown office workers, customer service representatives, line and substation personnel, power plant workers and fleet operators.

One group of Xcel Energy’s Amarillo employees will work between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. picking up trash, cutting weeds and performing other chores to ready the Tri-State Fairgrounds for the Tri-State Fair and Rodeo, scheduled Sept. 15-23. The initiative is a joint effort with the Barrio Neighborhood Planning Committee, which plans a workday at the fairgrounds for its members on Saturday. Also on Friday, a group of Xcel Energy employees will meet at the company’s 790 Buchanan headquarters building in downtown Amarillo to assemble care packages for the homeless and make centerpieces for the annual Soup’s On luncheon, an Oct. 30 event to benefit Guyon Saunders Service Center and Transformation Park.

Xcel Energy said its annual Day of Service initiative was started in 2010 as a tribute to victims, survivors and first responders of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, and now also celebrates all those who work to keep the country safe.

Discovery Center hosts Resource Fair for Educators

The Don Harrington Discovery Center (DHDC) is hosting a Teacher Resource Fair free for educators on Thursday, Sept. 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. According to a news release, educators are encouraged to swing by after school for a chance to be entered into giveaways, enjoy hors d’oeuvres and refreshments, and to learn how to strengthen their lesson plans and utilize their district partnerships with the Discovery Center and Wildcat Bluff Nature Center (WBNC).

The DHDC and WBNC both offer TEKS-aligned education events, outreaches, virtual learning, on-campus programs, and more for educators to use. The resource fair is a chance for educators to learn how to utilize them and preview the different programs offered. There will also be a free supervised play area for educators that need somewhere for their own children to stay occupied at while they ask questions and walk around. Reservations or tickets are not required for this event, but school badges or identification tags will be required for admittance. To learn more about the DHDC or WBNC’s educational programs, visit DHDC.org.

WT to host unique language teaching workshop

CANYON — More than 70 area language teachers will polish their skills during a workshop held by West Texas A&M University. WT’s Panhandle Language Teachers Association (PLTA), part of the university’s Spanish program in the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities, will host its Fall Kickoff Teacher Development workshop from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8.

Dr. Diane Neubauer, a Mandarin instructor and foreign language teaching researcher from Arizona State University, will offer hands-on training on current teaching techniques, said Dr. Andrew Reynolds, WT professor of Spanish.

During the workshop, Michael Cole and his Pampa High School Spanish program will be given the PTLA Teaching in Excellence Award. Cole’s Spanish program has “consistently demonstrated student success and has been a strong regional proponent of bilingualism and excellence in Spanish teaching,” Reynolds said.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo community activities of note happening through Saturday