In case you missed it, American Idol held auditions for its ninth season last week in Dallas. Amongst the contestants was a Richardson resident who was impressive enough to head to Los Angeles. What did the bloggers say about Maegan Wright? Let's find out...
 

Destiny DeLaRosa brings us a review of two of the local's "favoritist" burger joints in Richardson. This is the first installment of a new series called Echo Picks. In the future we hope to have more residents tell us their Echo Picks.

Neil Matzen, the founder of Richardson's competitive swimming team, died on Saturday, December 12, 2009. We have updated this story with a more complete description of Coach Matzen's accomplishments.

The Richardson Echo is proud to announce a new section dedicated to the preservation of local Richardson history. The purpose of this section is to preserve and exhibit pieces from local history. The materials on display are all a part of a private collection of printed materials and ephemera. You can contribute to the collection.

Richardson Council Member Amir Omar will run the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. this Sunday, October 25, 2009. His second effort in running this marathon will be different as he runs to benefit the Methodist Richardson Medical Center Foundation and in memory of his mother.

On October 17, the new Huffhines Recreation Center was opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony and open house. The six million dollar project replaces the aging center built in the 1970s. The new center offers multi-use spaces and more flexibility. Read on for a description of the event, pictures, and a review.

The Richardson Humane Society is having their 8th Annual Canine Classic Golf Tournament on October 3, 2009. Registration is now through September 18. Read on for more information. All proceeds benefit the Richardson Humane Society.

The Kiwanis of Richardson speaker schedule through September includes a Richardson Fire Battalion Chief, a discussion of healthcare reform, technology used in policing and more.

Miss Michelle Grzybowski, a student at Richardson High School, was honored as one of the Top Students at the Youth Leadership Conference by Military Order of the World Wars.

With Texas strengthening its laws on child safety seats, State Farm will host free child seat inspections this Saturday in Richardson, TX. At this event, parents will be educated about the importance of properly buckling up kids. These events focus on the significance of infant seats, booster seats and seat belts for children riding in motor vehicles.

The Kiwanis of Richardson speaker schedule through September includes discussions on volunteers in policing, Animal Services in Richards, City Council and more.

Heroes for Children, a non-profit organization providing financial and social assistance to Texas families with children battling cancer, is celebrating important milestones. On the horizon of celebrating its five year anniversary, HFC this month celebrated its $2 millionth dollar donated to Texas families in need.

Bill McCalpin gives us a personal description of the Wildflower! Festival, how that experience highlights changes in Richardson's transit policies over twenty years and that those policies are helping Richardson change for the better.

iPhone, iPod, iTacos. Can you tell that the folks behind this new taco place on Coit Road in Richardson have a techie background? Owner Tom Radecki, 36, was a big gamer back in the day -- so much so that he opened Shadow Lan, a sophisticated gaming spot on Coit, five years ago. But Radecki is also an entrepreneurial sort; and so, when the Quizno's next door to Shadow Lan shut down, he opened the kind of restaurant he himself would frequent.

Vision Bank of Texas, a local bank in Richardson, has will host a fundraiser for Take Me Home Pet Rescue.(TMHPR) There will be at least nine artists participating in this event and several are from Richardson. All artists will be donating a portion of their sales to TMHPR.

Lazer Vaudeville combines high-tech laser magic with the traditional arts of vaudeville to create an original theatrical production. This exciting event will be held at the Charles W. Eisemann Center on Sunday, September 28, 2008 at 2:30 pm in the Hill Performance Hall. Complete with superlative juggling, black light illusion, acrobatics, zany comedy, and audience participation, Lazer Vaudeville offers clean, classy fun for the entire family.

Creative Focus By Two Gutsy Broads invites you to come see Greece & Turkey, Bryce & Zion at a reception Sunday, Aug. 10, 2-4 p.m. at the Manske Library in Farmers Branch. Westward HO!, a photo exhibit by the Gutsy Broads of Creative Focus, runs Aug. 2-22 at the Manske Library. Along with the photography of Sarah Scott and Carol Stum, the works of potter Randy Findley and folk artist Cynthia Erdei will also be featured. The four artists met while teaching at Richardson High School.

Chelsea Rachel, of Richardson, Texas, is in Missouri today as part of a 15-person team from the Eastern Region National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) that has been deployed to assist those recovering from the floods that hit the area last month.

Deconstruction of the Heights Space Age playground happened on Monday. Many people were on hand with many learning of it from stories on the Echo, the Dallas Observer's Unfair Park blog, and a Dallas Morning News story. Many people arrived hearing of its demise only that day.

Rose Tattoo open in the space previously occupied by the Parlour Wine Bar in the Shire.

For several generations, the Space Age themed playground at Heights Park has fascinated and affixed Heights Park as one of the few truly unique places in Richardson’s suburban landscape. That era is about to come to an end. Starting July 14, without any ceremony or recognition of Richardson’s past, the equipment along with other "non compliant" equipment will be removed.

Cheaper by the Dozen at the Richardson Theatre Centre on July 11 and running through August 2. What do you get when you mix a blunt-talking, famous efficiency-expert father and a brilliant, compassionate psychologist mother with twelve rambunctious offspring of various sizes? You get one of America 's all-time best- loved memoirs. This Christopher Seagel dramatization is based on the 1946 book by Frank Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey.

Dr. Dennis M. Kratz, dean of the School of Arts and Humanities at The University of Texas at Dallas, is the 2008 recipient of the Heart For The Arts award. The honor is given annually to an outstanding community leader who has devoted time and financial resources to further the arts in the greater Richardson area.

Richardson native and Kansas State freshman jumper TiAra Walpool has been selected to compete for the U.S. team at the 12th annual International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) World Junior Championships to be held July 8-13 at Zdzislaw Krzyszkowiak Stadium in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

Buckingham Storage heard about the emergency at the Food Pantry and decided to take action. They will host a food drop at the location at 500 E. Buckingham Rd.

The City of Richardson and Texas Instruments Foundation announced today a grant of $500,000 from the TI Foundation to the Charles W. Eisemann Center for Performing Arts and Corporate Presentations to help fund the center’s much-needed Phase II capital projects. The donation will boost performance capabilities and enhance patron amenities, further establishing the Eisemann Center as one of the leading performing arts and corporate meeting facilities serving the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

The Mercury 13 were a group of women selected in 1961 to join the fledgling United States Space program. They were to be part of project Mercury but the feminine part of the project was cancelled. Richardson resident Jerri Truhill was one of those women.

When we are kids, most of us don’t know what we are going to be when we grow up. Some people do. The person I interviewed seemed to know. This person has just turned professional and comes from three generations of this chosen profession. All that would not be very extraordinary, if not for the fact that this life long Richardson resident just turned 21, wants to dominate NASCAR, currently races for breast cancer survivors like her very own mother, and – yes – she is a woman in a sport dominated by men. Meet Lindsey Adams.

Lindsey Adams, a third generation racing driver, began a program in 2007, with her mother, Debbie, called Survivors’ Circle. Lindsey wanted to use her racing for something more than just a competitive endeavor at the race track every weekend. DIRECTV Hometown Heroes, a new original series hosted by Joan Lunden, features the inspirational stories of everyday people whose extraordinary acts of kindness, courage and bravery are making a profound difference in the lives of others. Each week, the 30-minute program honors three exceptional members of the DIRECTV community from across America.

Mumtaz Indian Restaurant and Bar was opened in Richardson on January 16 by Kulwinder Dhaliwal, a longtime local who ran Taj Mahal for 15 years. In December, he sold out his interest to his partner and headed north to what has become a pretty busy center on Campbell, just west of US 75.

The Richardson Theatre Centre will be presenting the classic thriller "Gaslight" by Patrick Hamilton. May 9th-May 31st Friday-Saturday at 8pm and Sunday Matinees at 3pm. "Gaslight" by Patrick Hamilton is a Broadway masterpiece with some of the most brilliant suspense in the modern theatre.

Using timeless pieces by Scott Joplin, Billie Holiday and Motown, the inaugural performance of the Strings of Color Orchestra will be presented in “The Sounds of Black History” concert, at The Eisemann Center in Richardson, Texas. The orchestra features several Richardson residents. The concert will be held Sunday February 24, 2008.

Parlour Cafe & Wine Bar opens in the northern edge of Richardson in the Shire shopping center built by Dale Wamstad that also houses Silver Fox, Main Street Bistro, and a coming-soon branch of Scalini's Pizza & Pasta.