Merriman Park students and their families learned that being healthy can be fun when they attended the MPE Health and Fitness Fair in January. PTA volunteers recruited the experts, including the Tooth Fairy to discuss dental health, LH’s Janie Christy to teach heart-healthy dance steps and Sparky the Fire Dog to promote fire safety.

Families were reminded that February is American Heart Month, and the Zumba instructor from the White Rock YMCA shared a few moves. Friendly folks from CrossFit and the LH YMCA were also on hand to encourage kids and their parents to exercise and eat healthy.

“We are so fortunate to have so many wonderful businesses and individuals in Lake Highlands who care about the future of our children,” said Liz Kluever, VP of Programs for the MPE PTA. “By teaching the kids about safety and staying healthy, they are providing them with the tools for a wonderful future.”

The following also provided activities and information: Lake Highlands Soccer Association, Coach Brooks, Dallas Police Department, Dallas Fire and Rescue, EPA, Texas Lice Squad, Dolphin Swim School, Janie Christy School of Dance, Children’s Dental Care, Kelley Huebner on Car Seat Safety, Play Tri, Spring Valley Athletic Association, American Heart Association, Poison Control, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, CHIPS, Medicaid, Smoothie Factory and Donald Wright with Gilchrist and Company.

Kindergarteners at White Rock Elementary brought in pajamas to donate to the Richardson ISD Clothes Closet in December.

Photo credit: Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images

When the Miami Heat take on the San Antonio Spurs tonight, look for former Lake Highlands Wildcat Terrel Harris wearing jersey number 14 and playing on the home court for Miami. Harris attended LHHS with the Class of 2005, though he moved before graduation and finished at South Garland High.

“Terrel was a funny character,” remembered Tyler Brown, Terrel’s Wildcat teammate in 2002-04. “He always joked around and made sure we all had fun during practice, games, and in the locker room. I’ll never forget his goofy character. He was always a hard worker and went 110%, so I’m glad to see it paying off years later.”

Harris played four years at Oklahoma State after high school, but he wasn’t drafted by an NBA team. He played in French and German leagues and on NBA Development League teams before joining the Heat earlier this season.

Here’s hoping we face him in the NBA finals.

The Exchange Club of Lake Highlands celebrated its 50th anniversary Friday by welcoming back its former presidents, with plenty of scrapbooks and photos to jog memories from the good old days. Twenty-nine ex-presidents attended (many with their spouses) and Lee Leissler got the award for being the earliest serving president in attendance – he helmed the club in 1971.

Event Chairmen Bob Potts and Alan Walne provided copies of a program from the charter meeting, held December 4, 1961 at Vick’s Cafeteria (now a Valero gas station at the corner of Easton and Northwest Highway). It was the Exchange Club of Northlake-Dallas back then, and I’m assuming by the menu of “heavy beef roast prime rib” that the listed meeting time of “7 o’clock” referred to nighttime instead of the morning meetings of today. Robert Koelling was the first president, and Alan’s dad, Herbert M. Walne, Jr. was listed under “Entertainment.” (Alan underscored that this meant only that his dad was responsible for finding entertainment for meetings and events, not necessarily entertaining members himself.)

The original 35 charter members were sponsored by the East Dallas Exchange Club, which included former Dallas Mayor Jack Evans and Dallas Cowboy Coach Tom Landry. Ray Hill, president in 1990, founded the club’s auction fundraiser and Joan Poole, president in 2004, was the first woman to take the helm.

On hand to congratulate the group were dignitaries from the Texas District level of the Exchange Club and State Rep. Kenneth Sheets, also an Exchange Club member, who presented a resolution from the Texas Legislature in Austin.

“As a club, our focus is outward,” said current president Bryan McCrory, summing up the day’s events. “Every once in a while we look inward at the things this club has accomplished and say ‘job well done’ and ‘thank you for the effort from 1961 to now.’”

You can see my photo slideshow of attendees here.

The owner and staff of The Bicycle Cafe at Northwest Highway and Lawther are putting on the final touches and will open “very very soon”, according to their Facebook page. The menu will feature health food, coffee and beer. Storage lockers and changing rooms will be available to guests. They will open at 6 a.m. daily and stay open until 10 p.m. weekdays and midnight Fridays and Saturdays. Here are some of the pics of the interior:

Pictures and happenings from around the neighborhood, like The Lake Highlands Military Moms packing presents for LH service members overseas.

“Are they here yet? Are they here yet?” Piper loves company, so when her human, Vera Shelby, announces that the ladies of the Royal Highlands neighborhood are coming for lunch, the Boston Terrier takes her post at the dining room window.

As a senior at Lake Highlands High School, Elizabeth Housewright believes her life’s been made richer by attending a school and living in a community with much diversity. The Advanced Placement art student entered a competition, sponsored by SMU’s online literary magazine, in which students are encouraged to share their ideas on diversity via visual art and literature. Elizabeth’s “Human” photography won the “Tale of One City” competition and is now featured on the magazine’s website. More than 80 students submitted entries.

“The competition inspired me to create something that instilled the greatness of the diversity between people’s race, interests, differences, origins and personalities,” she told me. “Our city, although diverse, does not always think divergently. The segregation of the city divides much of the population. My human piece was designed to inspire individual appreciation and reveal more than an individual’s appearance.”

For her subjects, Elizabeth used fellow Wildcats, male and female, from four races. (Shown above, from top to bottom: Carly Kaplan, Alex Housewright (Elizabeth’s twin), Everness Evangelista, Josh Pilles, Ƞicolē Uche Duru, Montel Gardner, Jaun Sanchez, and Vicky Angeles.)

“Art and visual expression have always been an interest for me,” said Elizabeth, attributing this to her parents’ architectural background. “I thank God that he blessed me with such wonderful parents who would encourage me to pursue what I am passionate about.”

When LH’s Jana Boswell proposed gourmet food trucks on the Lake Highlands Town Center property back in April, some (including me) thought it was a lightning bolt of genius. While waiting for vertical construction to begin there, bring Lake Highlanders (and their dollars) to the property and get us used to that spot as a foodie destination.

No one bit on the idea, but you can still experience delicious food truck fare at nearby Shops at Park Lane each Friday in December. Food Truck Friday has been drawing crowds in the hundreds to the shopping center at Park Lane and Central Expressway.

“It’s been a huge hit so far,” said Claire Butterworth, of MCA McCrory & Associates, who’s coordinating the event. “We started the first week with six trucks, and this Friday we’ll have ten. It’s growing and everyone wants to be a part.”

The food trucks, with names like Ruthie’s Rolling Café, SSahm BBQ, Jack’s Chow Hound, Butcher’s Son, 3 Men & a Taco and Trailercakes, have loyal followings on Twitter and Facebook with patrons willing to find them around town. “We have a contest on our Shops at Park Lane Facebook page each Friday, and whoever gets the most ‘likes’ wins a week of free advertising,” said Claire.

While having lunch last Friday at Gordon Biersch with some Lake Highlands Women’s League buddies, Jana, Debby Kondrach and I ventured over to investigate the cupcakes – purely for journalistic purposes, you understand – and they were heavenly.

Food Truck Fridays continue from 11am to 2pm throughout December.