August Neighborhood Newsletter

Aug 5 - VPNA Summer Splash!

Mark your calendars for Saturday, August 5th for a
Summer Splash event! Starting at 2:30pm, in the 5200
block of Vickery, near Homer Street. Taco truck, Snow
Cone Truck, water slide, bounce house, pool and beverages!
Cool down, grab a bite, hang out and meet some neighbors. It’s the perfect way to end
summer vacation before heading back to school! Children need to be accompanied by their
parents. Free event, but donations are welcome. See you there!!

Sales Tax Holiday Weekend - Aug. 11-13, 2023

This year’s sales tax holiday begins Friday, Aug. 11, and goes through midnight Sunday, Aug. 13. During this annual sales tax holiday, you can buy most clothing, footwear, school supplies and backpacks (sold for less than $100) tax free from a Texas store or from an online or catalog seller doing business in Texas. In most cases, you do not need to give the seller an exemption certificate to buy qualifying items tax free. The sales tax exemption applies only to qualifying items you buy during the sales tax holiday. Items you buy before or after the sales tax holiday do not qualify for exemption, and there is no tax refund available. For more info on qualifying items, go to www.comptroller.texas.gov.

Aug 14 - Back to School!

Dallas ISD starts back to school on Monday, August 14, 2023. In an ongoing effort to ensure safer schools, Dallas ISD will require clear backpacks for all students starting in the 2023-2024 school year. As an additional option, mesh backpacks will be acceptable, however clear ones are preferred. Students may carry a small, nonclear pouch in their backpack to hold personal items, such as cellphones, money, and hygiene products. To support families, each student will be provided a durable clear backpack at no cost. Parents may also purchase the preferred clear backpack, or the acceptable mesh backpack, for their students.

Kroger Community Rewards

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. 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 $46.99. The more neighbors who shop with Kroger and connect their digital account with Vickery Place, the more funds our organization will earn! Thank You!

Yard of the Month – 5432 Miller Ave

August 2023 marks Julie and Huy’s 2nd Vickery Place Yard of the
Month win, and we could not be more thrilled to recognize them and
share some of their secrets of success with all of you!
Julie and Huy share their Arts and Crafts Style home on Miller Ave
with their 2 children, June and Miles, and the fluffiest white Miniature
Poodle, named Winter. Julie and Huy have lived all over the US before
calling Dallas home in 2008, and purchasing their VP house in 2009.
As medical professionals, they both do important work every day and enjoy the retreat and stress relief found in beautifying their spaces for the entire family.
Julie and Huy are clever “green thumbs” and we found their approach both smart
and inspirational. For example, when presented with free time, Huy enjoys
perusing the botanical offerings of proximal nurseries or garden centers,
regardless of whether he’s in Dallas or traveling. He enjoys bringing home
treasures he’s found in cities visited, and particularly enjoys exploring smaller,
local, non-chain merchants who really know how their plants thrive and
sometimes offer an unexpected variety. In addition to the local nurseries we all enjoy in our area, Huy enjoys shopping at Covington Nursery on PGBH in Rowlett, Walton’s at 8652 Garland Rd in Dallas, and in Richardson, Plants and Planters at
1050 Greenville Ave, and Bruce Miller at 1000 E Beltline Rd. Blending their individual skills to create beauty everywhere, Julie enjoys bringing annual color to their yard and their welcoming and relaxing front porch. She finds Coleus and Zinnias provide abundant color outside and in, when curated in a
vase. Sun Coleus is a vibrant option Julie also recommends.
As you might expect, Julie and Huy also nurture a thriving herb garden for at-home culinary enjoyment. Cilantro, Shiso, and Perilla are among their flavorful crops. To be honest, I researched the last 2 herbs mentioned as their names were new to me. In case they are new to you too, I found this link to be quite informative: https://www.smh.com.au/goodfood/shiso-andperilla-everything-you-need-to-know-20221031-h27hyv.html As if meeting great neighbors like Julie and Huy wasn’t rewarding enough already, the priceless wisdom they share with us is a gift we enjoy sharing with you. So, congratulations (again!) to Julie and
Huy and many thanks to the entire family for
spending some time revealing their smart approaches
to beauty and bounty. Of course, thank you to North Haven Gardens for
being our monthly sponsor of Vickery Place’s Yard
of the Month. From our generous sponsor, Julie and
Huy will receive a North Haven Gardens gift card!
~ VPNA Beautification Committee, Tory, Michelle and Angela