Home Care In Keller, TX

Fort Worth

One North Texas family is hoping they shine bright on “The Great Christmas Light Fight.”

The Ward family from Keller is appearing on the ABC show that features four families every episode who transform their homes for the holidays in hopes of winning a trophy and a $50,000 prize. The episode featuring the Wards airs 9 p.m Sunday on ABC. Preston Ward said it’s a long time coming for his family’s episode, which was filmed over a year ago in November 2022.

As Ward anticipates seeing his display on national television, he’s encouraging people to see the show for themselves next weekend.

“I’m just super excited for everybody to see what we put together and fingers crossed for the weekend,” Ward said.

Ward is planning to run the same light and drone show seen on the show next weekend at his home in Keller. Next week Ward said he will release more details on the show and where to go via his social media channels.

The family’s Christmas light display includes two components, an over 20,000 light array on the house and a show featuring 400 drones above. Both displays combine to tell the story of penguin saving Christmas.

Ward doesn’t know how his display fared on the show and is eager to find out with his family and friends. He’s even opting to rent out a theater to watch Sunday’s episode in Keller.

If the Ward family does take home the $50,000 prize, the money will be donated to Hope Mommies, a nonprofit who aids families who have experienced miscarriages and infant death.

The Ward’s lost their daughter prematurely a few years ago and the donation will go to support those who have experienced similar events.

“If we win, 100% of its goes to them,” Ward said.

The Ward family have always been a big proponent of decorating for the Christmas season.

They’ve been using animated lights for over a decade and it has become a familytradition for them, Ward said. Every year the displays have gotten bigger, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that Ward began incorporating drones.

Ward is the general counsel/chief pilot for the North Richland Hills-based Sky Elements who host drone shows across the country. Luckily for Ward, he has a backyard green space big enough to safely manage drone operations.

“Seeing people’s reaction to a drone show in a residential neighborhood, it’s quite amazing,” Ward said.

Ward has watched “The Great Christmas Light Fight” before, but never imagined appearing on it.

Two years ago and just for fun, the Ward’s put together a video of their home light display with drones overhead. Show producers saw the video and reached out to the family, encouraging them to apply for the ABC program.

The Ward’s did and were informed they had a spot on the show. But they’d have to wait another year to film the show and another to see how they did.

“We’ve been waiting for this moment for two years,” Ward said.

Gearing up for the show, Ward knew he had to elevate his light design to new heights.

Over 20,000 lights were used for the display, to create items such as candy canes, Christmas trees and stars. A crane was used to place eight moving head spotlights atop the house, Ward said.

For the sky show, over 400 drones were used to create shapes that resemble a snow globe and even Santa Claus being pulled by reindeer on his sleigh.

Both the house and drone show were combined together to create the holiday story of a penguin saving Christmas.

“We really tried to make it an interactive experience and just really tell a story with with what we were doing,” Ward said.

When it came to filming the episode, everything went off without a hitch, despite the cold Texas winter.

Ward recalls that it was below 30 degrees last year when they filmed, but everything with the drone show went according to plan. He credits his friends at Sky Elements for help on the show and said it was a different experience being on the other end of things.

“We’re part of a lot of productions already,” Ward said “It’s one thing to go from being part of the production to the production.”

This story was originally published December 1, 2023, 4:48 PM.

“All walks of life showed up for my baby girl today,” said mom Lex Fitzgerald, after total strangers showered her daughter with love.

KELLER, Texas — All Willa Fitzgerald wanted for her fifth birthday was a party.

The invitations went out. A few responses trickled in.

Her mom, Lex Fitzgerald, quickly realized many of her daughter’s classmates and friends couldn’t attend.

It’s summer and a busy time for family vacations, but there were enough people who said they’d be there to move ahead with the big event.

Saturday morning, mom and daughter showed up at Hat Creek Burger Company in Keller with all the party supplies – crayons, crowns, a cake – and Lex began to decorate.

“I lost track of time,” she said. “I went to check my phone and it was 11:20. The party had started at 11. Poor Willa was sitting there alone waiting for her friends to arrive.”

Lex began to question whether she put the wrong time or day on the invitations, but then reality set in.

“I’m thinking to myself, no, this cannot be what’s happening. As a mom, the last thing I want is for my daughter, for the first time ever at 5 years old, to experience that type of social rejection – honestly, that’s what it is.”

In what she called a “bat signal” move, Lex posted a picture of Willa alone at the decorated party table in the Keller, Texas Neighborly Group on Facebook.

“If anyone has young kids and is looking for something to do right now, no one showed up to my daughter’s birthday party. It’s her first (and likely last) party. We’d love to celebrate with you,” she wrote.

Within minutes, Lex said Hat Creek had no empty tables.

“All walks of life showed up for my baby girl today,” Lex said hours after the party. “It was incredible.”

Teenagers, grandparents, empty nesters who were total strangers showed up to love on Willa. Even the assistant principal of Willa’s brother’s school. Many of them brought gifts.

Kids were laughing and playing, and moms were hugging, Lex said.

“We moved to Texas in general, and then specifically Keller, because we saw that community feel. They were down to earth, kind, cared about supporting others. And that’s exactly what they did for our family," she said.

Holding a Barbie she received as a present, Willa told WFAA that her day was “good” and her favorite gift she opened was “all of them.”

Lex said she and Willa made a lot of new friends and got invited to several other kids’ birthday parties.

“We’re going to show up to all of them,” she said.

A $27 million renovation of the Keller Sports Park hopes to turn it into “the premier youth sports complex” in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Mayor Armin Mizani told the Star-Telegram.

“Our vision for Keller is to remain Texas’s Most Family Friendly City, and our parks and trail system, including the Keller Sports Park, is consistently named among our residents’ most cherished amenities,” Mayor Armin Mizani told the Star-Telegram. “The improvements to the Keller Sports Park, funded through sales tax revenue, will not only mean added fields and refurbishment to what already exists but will also aid our economic development efforts in recruiting vibrant retail and restaurants to our adjacent commercial corridors. At completion, these improvements will make the Keller Sports Park the premier youth sports complex in the Metroplex, all while strengthening our identity and vision.”

The 140 acre sports facility at 265 Golden Triangle Blvd. will be upgraded by Parkhill, an Arlington design firm.

The Star-Telegram spoke with the City of Keller about what exactly the Keller Sports Park renovations will look like. Here’s what spokesperson Rachel Reynolds told us.

• Converting the baseball 4-plex to synthetic turf infields and foul lines

• Converting soccer pad B to synthetic turf

• Repurposing the West Multipurpose Field into two 175-foot baseball fields with synthetic turf infields and foul lines

• Adding a new rugby-sized multipurpose field and accompanying parking lot on the north side of the park

• Transitioning KYA’s “Field 16” into an all-synthetic Miracle League field, opening up the sports park to players of all abilities

• Upgrading KYA’s “Field 15” to a 175-foot field with synthetic turf infields and foul lines

• Replacing the existing KYA fieldhouse and restroom/concessions building

• Upgrading bathrooms throughout the park

• Adding a new bathroom/storage facility near the equestrian arena and lacrosse field (along with a pedestrian connection from lacrosse)

• Upgrading the soil, seating, and viewing area shade structures at the equestrian arena

• Building new backstops, dugouts etc., for the East Multipurpose Field

• Replacing field fencing throughout the park (except the still-new lacrosse field)

• Replacing backstops for all baseball and softball fields

• Adding lighting to the lacrosse field

• Improving ADA accessibility between parking areas and bleachers for fields along the north side of the park (the southern section is already compliant)

• Upgrading bleachers and shade structures throughout the park and adding scoreboards, etc. to new fields

• Addition of a splash pad

• Upgrades and relocations of the park’s water and sewer infrastructure

Note: This list is subject to change as the City Council continues to discuss this project, and they haven’t received bids back yet. After the council approves a bid on this project, plans will be nailed down at that point.

City Council has approved an updated master plan for the park, and the city recently wrapped up the construction documents.

The list of planned improvements came from extensive discussions with a Keller Sports Park Task Force, created in June 2021, comprised of representatives from the park’s user groups (Keller Youth Association, Keller Soccer Association, Keller Lacrosse Association, Alliance Rugby Club, and the Keller Horse Owner’s Association), in addition to members of the Parks & Recreation Board and City Council.

Work will be completed in phases, and city staff is working with the user groups to adjust their schedules accordingly.

The project will be funded by the Keller Development Corporation Fund. That fund receives a 1/2-cent of sales tax revenue, which voters earmarked for park and recreation capital projects.

The scope of the project has changed since our original timeline estimates, Reynolds said. They added water and sewer infrastructure upgrades into the designs, and City Council decided to pursue a splash pad at the park. The city now hopes to break ground in January 2024. If work begins in January, the project is expected to reach “substantial completion” by December 2025.

Improved amenities will provide an improved user experience for players and their families and friends, Reynolds says. Synthetic turf should minimize rainouts during the season and will cut down on the maintenance required of the associations. New additions like the splash pad will make the Keller Sports Park a destination for area families even if they don’t participate in the leagues.

This story was originally published October 2, 2023, 5:13 PM.

The ACLU of Texas has filed two civil rights complaints against the Keller school district and the Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts, a public charter school, alleging that recently adopted policies on pronouns, restroom use and performing in choirs harm the LGBTQ+ community.

The ACLU of Texas said in a news release that the civil rights complaints were filed Thursday with the U.S. Department of Education, and that the organization is asking the federal agency to investigate.

The ACLU of Texas described the policies as “part of a wave of attacks” against transgender and nonbinary students and the LGBTQ community as a whole as students seek medical care, play sports, take part in fine arts and access an inclusive education.

“It is deeply disappointing that these North Texas school boards have targeted their transgender, nonbinary, and intersex students, who just want to feel as though they belong,” said Chloe Kempf, an ACLU of Texas attorney.

The Keller school district did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

Paul Gravley, president and CEO of the Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts, said in an email, “We are looking into the complaint and have no further information or comment to provide at this time.”

The complaint against the Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts was filed on behalf of the family of a transgender and nonbinary child who wanted to join the Singing Girls of Texas choir with the support of the choir director.

The student was blocked from completing their audition, and the school board adopted a policy that requires students to perform with the choir that aligns with the sex assigned at birth.

In Keller, the school board voted in June to adopt policies that prohibit transgender and nonbinary students from using restrooms and other facilities that align with their gender identity, and teachers are not required to refer to students by their preferred pronouns.

The ACLU of Texas also filed a sex discrimination complaint against the Keller school district last November, alleging that Keller discriminated against the LGBTQ community by enacting bans on all library materials that discuss or depict what the policy calls “gender fluidity” for all grade levels.

This story was originally published August 11, 2023, 5:00 AM.

A mother in the Keller Independent School District says she's upset with the district's book policy, saying it's causing elementary school librarians to remove certain books such as the seventh book in the Harry Potter series.

Over the past two years, books have been a major topic of discussion in Keller ISD. Last year the district banned books on 'gender fluidity' amongst a list of topics that resulted in books being removed from schools.

The board approved new policies last fall with guidelines for educators and librarians in the district to follow. It includes making sure books are age or grade-level appropriate.

Laney Hawes, a mother of four in the district, has been vocal about the topic. She said she's concerned about recent books that have been removed from her son's elementary school library, not because of content alone, but rather age recommendation.

"It is simply based on its grade or reading level. It doesn't even matter what's inside the book, it could be the most simple benign book in the world, but if it's reviewed for say, 13 years old, it can no longer be in my child's library and I'm angry," said Hawes.

The policy, which is posted on the district's website, has a chart that shows recommended ages, grade span and content access levels.

“I have a fourth grader who's reading at a sixth, seventh, potentially even eighth-grade reading level, and now, we have this policy that's come down that says, well, those books can't actually be in his school anymore," said Hawes.

She said she learned through educators in the district that books like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 were being removed from elementary libraries based on their age recommendation.

"Harry Potter book seven is apparently reviewed for ages older than fourth grade and because of that, it can't be in the elementary schools anymore," said Hawes based on information she said she received from educators in the district.

In a statement Keller ISD said:

District policy requires that we twice annually review and confirm that books in our libraries align with grade-level recommendations from professional reviews. If more than 50% of the reviews are for a grade level that the campus does not serve, the book will be relocated to the next campus level. The majority of professional reviews for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows rate it for sixth grade and up, while Keller ISD’s elementary schools go to either fourth or fifth grade. Books in the Twilight series are rated for seventh grade and above, so they would continue to be available in our middle school libraries.This review process is ongoing, so no books have been moved at this time. However, in the event that a book is ever moved to a higher grade level, students at any grade level can still request to check out available copies of the book via an interlibrary loan, with their parent or guardian’s permission.

Hawes said she reached out to the district and heard back from an administrator earlier this month. Hawes said was given a similar explanation and was told that professional reviews for that Harry Potter book are for grades six and up. At the time, she was told librarians had not removed any books because they had until the end of the school year to complete the review process. Hawes and her family could still have access to the book, they would just have to take an extra step.

"I reached out to the district and said I have a child who is an advanced reader and I want him to be able to check out Harry Potter number seven if he gets through one through six. And she said, 'Well, the way that it's working is you still can, you just have to request it be shipped from another library," explained Hawes.

She said that defeats the purpose of her son picking out a book for himself.

"What's frustrating about that is it takes away the magic of the library. Like the library is this magical place full of endless possibilities," explained Hawes. "If a child doesn't know that this book is available at another library, how is he going to ask? How's my son going to ask for the book he doesn't know exists? He can't, unless I specifically asked."

She said she agrees that illicit material should not be allowed, but expressed her concerns that a broad policy may have unintended consequences for books that have nothing to do with such topics.

On the district's website, there is a frequently asked questions page regarding books, policies and challenging books.

Parents are allowed to challenge books per the district's policy. If a book is removed due to a challenge, it will not be eligible for consideration to be added again for at least 10 years, according to the district website.