Community EVENTS

Twilight Tunes

Thursdays, May 4-June 29

Downtown Denton, 6:30-8 p.m.

Denton Community Market

Every Saturday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

April through November

8th Annual Honey Run

5K, 10K, and 1-Mile Fun Run

Saturday, May 20 | 8 a.m.-noon

Clear Creek Heritage Nature Center Register at www.dentonparks.com

Denton Juneteenth

Celebration and Parade

Friday and Saturday, June 16-17

Fred Moore Park www.dentonjuneteenth.com

Liberty Run and 1-Mile Walk

Saturday, July 1

Race begins at 7:30 a.m. Denton Civic Center

Yankee Doodle Parade

Saturday, July 1

Downtown Denton, 9 a.m.

Jubilee Festival and Drone Show

Monday, July 3

Downtown Denton, 6-10 p.m.

Enjoy live music, free family fun, food trucks, games, and more!

Drone Show begins at 9:30 p.m. sponsored by Denton Noon Kiwanis Club

Dyno Dirt Compost, Soil Blend, and Mulch are Excellent for Gardens and Landscapes and Make Efficient Use of Our Resources

The Beneficial Reuse Dept. sells Dyno Dirt, a compost product made with brush and yard trimmings collected by the Solid Waste Dept and biosolids recycled from the Pecan Creek Water Reclamation Plant. We offer homeowners and gardeners nutrient-rich soil that has excellent moisture-retention properties.

Product applications include landscape planting and mulching, lawn establishment and maintenance, vegetable and flower gardens, and nursery and greenhouse production. The Dyno Dirt program is an excellent example of city-wide recycling cooperation. The program prolongs our landfill’s life by recycling material that might otherwise go unused.

The Dyno Dirt facility is open Tuesday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1100 S. Mayhill Rd. Visit www.cityofdenton.com/dyno or call (940) 349-8290.

Texas City Nature Challenge

In our environments, we're accustomed to draining our attention between cell phones and traffic jams. Too much directed attention can lead to irritability and what they call "directed attention fatigue." According to the American Psychological Association, shifting our attention towards nature allows our brains to rest, which in turn helps us to focus better later. Altogether, research has shown that cultivating mindfulness in a green environment improves mood, focus, and self-esteem, lowers blood pressure, and reduces anxiety and muscle tension.

May is Mental Health Month, and if you're looking for something mindful to shift your attention fatigue, join the Texas City Nature Challenge with Texas Parks and Wildlife, Texas Master Naturalists, the Nature Conservancy, the Audubon Society, and many others, April 28-May 1.

Using the iNaturalist app, you can track and log observations as part of this event or on your own. You can participate by exploring nature in your backyard or at one of Denton's many parks and trails, and you can also help with IDs for other people's observations to increase a species count. To learn more, visit www.inaturalist.org.

Doing More by Doing Less to Help Early Season Pollinators

According to the National Park Service, 1 out of every 3 bites we eat comes from the hard work of a pollinator like bees, birds, and butterflies. But sadly, they're under threat from the loss of habitat and food sources due to mowing, exposure to pesticides, and the effects of climate contaminants.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, an estimated 67 million birds die from pesticide poisoning each year and more than 600 million are exposed, and estimated pollination losses to food production from pesticides' effects on honey bees and wild bees is a whopping $200 million per year.

“No Mow May” is a conservation initiative backed by research that found that simple changes in mowing can result in enough nectar for ten times more bees and other pollinators. This allows lawn flowers to bloom and feed hungry native bees emerging from their winter retreats. But, if you’re concerned about the appearance of neglect, you can consider a compromise like planting native flowers, allow growth in just certain parts of the yard, or reduce the use of pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers to minimize contaminants.

To take part in “No Mow May” simply keep the City's ordinance in mind that states that grass or weeds in excess of twelve (12) inches in height must be mowed; however, wildflowers and native grasses are exempt until after the final blooming of the majority of the plants, or after the majority of a species have gone dormant, usually June 1. If you have wildflowers or native grass on your property, you can mow around them until they have gone to seed. Make note, they must be native and you need to be able to identify them.