Friendswood Development News

Heart Attack & Stroke Prevention

Please join Village Builders in Heritage at Towne Lake on Tuesday, October 13 for affordable, painless ultrasound tests of your arteries and bones. Unfortunately, insurance companies typically won’t pay for ultrasound testing unless you have symptoms. But, 50% of sudden cardiac death victims and 80% of stroke victims have no symptoms. That’s why a preventive screening is so important to keep you and your loved ones healthy and independent.

Three Tests for $130.95
These painless tests often cost more than $1,000 in hospitals.

Stroke / Carotid Artery Disease Test
80-85% of strokes result from clots that break off, traveling to smaller arteries in the brain. Carotid Artery Disease is a leading cause of these clots. We use ultrasound to identify dangerous plaque build-up.

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State Senator Dan Patrick (R-Houston) and State Representative Allen Fletcher (R-Tomball) were the keynote speakers at the Focus on Government Day event held Saturday, September 26 at the Lodge in The Heritage at Towne Lake.

Focus on Government Day began at 10 a.m. and concluded with a lunch sponsored by Friendswood Development Company, at 1:00 p.m. The event, which focused on issues of concern among citizens in their district, topics related to the growing active adult market and what the lawmakers say did not happen in Austin during the past legislative session.

“We’re honored that these two important members of our state government came to this event,” said Christine Draughn of Friendswood Development Company and  Marketing Director for Heritage at Towne Lake. “We had a great response.”

The  Academy of Lifelong Learning (ALL) is a membership community for seniors age 50 and up, and focuses on enriching the lives of empty nesters and active senior citizens by providing useful classes, seminars, social activities and skills development and opportunities for personal growth. The event was free and open to the public.

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The Houston Arts Alliance in association with the Theatre Communications Group is having its first Free Night of Theater in Houston.  The free performances will go from October 8th to October 18th, with over 2,000 seats available.  Tickets will be available on October 5th.

Here is a list of participating organizations in alphabetical order:

• Classical Theatre Company
• DiverseWorks Artspace
• Encore Players
• Ensemble Theatre
• Express Children’s Theatre
• Frenetic Theatre
• Horse Head Theatre
• Houston Ballet
• Houston Grand Opera
• InterActive Theater
• Main Street Theater
• Mildred’s Umbrella
• Miller Outdoor Theatre
• Stages Repertory Theatre
• Texas Repertory Theatre
• Theatre Suburbia
• Theatre Under The Stars
• Upstage Theatre
• Voices Breaking Boundaries

More information on the event taking place throughout the month can be found at the Houston Arts Alliance’s website, HoustonArtsAlliance.com.  Reservations can be made at FreeNightOfTheater.net.

The Free Night of Theater program began in 2005 and is now in more than 120 cities across the country.  The Theatre Communications Group plans to distribute 100,000 free tickets by the end of the year, up from 65,000 tickets in 2008.  All this effort is done to bring new audiences to the theater arts.

If you are looking for something fun and free this October in Houston then look no further than the Free Night of Theater!

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Good news for Houston community bookworms: On September 16th, Barnes & Noble will be opening a new store in the River Oaks Shopping Center. The new location will be at 2030 West Gray Street, and will stock close to 200,000 books, DVDs, Blu-ray Discs, music, magazines, and a café serving Starbucks coffee.

Additionally, the two story store will have a BN@School department featuring educational products for teachers, parents, and librarians. The new store is set to host a number of book clubs, writing groups and book signing events as well, according to store manager Jaques Oppinger.

The new store will be open from 9 am to 10pm on Monday through Thursday, and 9 am to 11 pm on Friday and Saturday. So far the store will employ 60 people, some of which are from the South Shepherd Bookstop location. Currently there are 15 Barnes & Nobles stores open in the Greater Houston area.

Image courtesy of BarnesandNoble.com

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Hundreds of Realtors from around the Houston area learned a lot more about social media networking at a recent event hosted by Friendswood Development Company in Heritage at Towne Lake on Thursday, July 30. The social media event gave Realtors in attendance the opportunity to gain more knowledge on the importance of social media and its role in marketing real estate, and the change to implement the concept into their own businesses.

Nearly 500 Realtors from Conroe to Clear Lake attended the event, which included two informative and educational sessions presented by Poetic Systems and Boe Creative Services, a session on setting up Facebook pages for business, YouTube filming and catering by Pierre and Candy Massoud, was praised among all who attended. The event also offered insight on the growing focus of social media networking in business, and was represented by agents who ranged in age from their 20s to their 60s. Twenty agents won Flip cameras at the event, in addition to a dozen other door prizes donated by the developer's builders.

An album of photos from the event is posted on the company's Facebook page.

“We received a lot of positive feedback from the Realtors who said that in addition to having the opportunity to tour our new Lodge facility in Heritage at Towne Lake, they were able to participate in an event that offered them so much value,” said Tim Fitzpatrick, Community Development Manager for Friendswood Development Company. “The presentations were excellent and offered a lot of insight on the global approach in which real estate is being marketed.”

Poetic Systems has also redesigned and launched new websites for Friendswood Development Company and each of its Houston area communities which include Fairfield in Cypress, Graystone Hills in Conroe, Lakemont in West Houston, Lakes of Savannah in the Pearland area, West Ranch in Friendswood, Oakhurst at Kingwood and active adult communities that include Heritage at Towne Lake in the master-planned Towne Lake community. Heritage at Towne Lake is designed for buyers age 55 and over.

The significant investment Friendswood Development Company has made in the new sites has also includes a very focused, intensive Search Engine Optimization program with blogs updated regularly and a presence on popular social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter. “Friendswood Development has a great story to tell – a long history of success and great master-planned communities,” said Cheryl Boe-Perry of Boe Creative Services, which hired Poetic Systems to implement the new websites. “The Houston real estate market has become a place where international buyers realize a wonderful investment and marketing must now be tailored to reach the global market.” Since the debut of the new sites, Friendswood Development Company has seen a significant increase in traffic on the sites, and interest from potential home buyers both locally and internationally.
 
“Our communities overall are performing very well,” Fitzpatrick said. “Summer has been particularly strong, with sales and traffic ahead of our projections.”

Friendswood Development Company hosted the event to show its commitment to its Realtor partners, offering them information that is timely and extremely important. “Realtors have always been a part of our success, and this event offered them information that can help them in their own businesses and help us all market and sell more new homes,” Fitzpatrick said.  “The internet has become the most powerful tool in marketing real estate. People are online networking with other consumers about homes, communities, builders, schools and amenities, and it’s more important than ever that we become a part of that conversation.”

The developer plans to post the seminars on its websites and YouTube, offering agents who could not attend the event, the opportunity to view it.

In addition to being hosted by Friendswood Development Company, the event was also sponsored by Houston Eflyer, CasaNuevaGuide.com and Houston Newcomer Guides.

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We would like to thank all of the realtors and sponsors that made yesterday's Social Media event a success!

Realtors from around the Houston area gathered to learn from experts about how they can utilize social media online to further their business. We covered networks like Facebook, ActiveRain, and Twitter, and talked about the importance of being effective "community members" online. After our two classes, Realtors could visit with Social Media Experts (a huge hit!) and get answers relevant to their own unique situations.

Realtors also enjoyed dancing to music played by the excellent Doppelganger (a nine-piece variety dance band), food, martinis, candy, and a FlipCam giveaway.

We will soon be posting a video with highlights from the event, so look out for that article soon!

If you were unable to attend this Social Media event, you can still view the handout provided by PoeticSystems with a list of a few references to get you started.

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Social networking on the Internet has become one of the most powerful tools in marketing real estate today. Helping Realtors to use and understand the importance of social media to expand their business has become an industry-wide outreach campaign all across the nation. Now, Friendswood Development Company is again setting a precedent in how we market and work with our Houston area master-planned communities and Realtors.

On Thursday, July 30, Friendswood Development Company will host an event that promises to be the first of its kind in Houston. For Realtors city wide, it will focus on helping them to gain a better understanding of social media in their business, offering them the latest trends in social media marketing. The event will also have industry experts on hand who can answer questions and offer valuable information on everything from setting up Facebook and Twitter accounts to posting a YouTube video.  Realtors in attendance will also have the opportunity to learn about various aspects of website effectiveness, including tips about the latest gadgets that will help them enhance their business.

“The Internet has become the most powerful tool in marketing real estate,” said Tim Fitzpatrick, Community Development Manager. “People are online networking with other consumers about homes, communities, builders, schools and amenities, and it’s more important than ever that we become a part of that conversation.”

As an extra special feature, we will be giving away 20 FlipCams as door prizes. This new flip video camcorder has become one of the newest and most effective tools in social media/Internet marketing. FlipCams will also be used at the event that will be captured on YouTube.

The FlipCam was a significant device in helping to promote this event, as seen from the YouTube video link, a personal invitation from the Friendswood Development team. “This was another way to show the effectiveness and ease of using tools like the FlipCam and YouTube, and we want the agents to see how they can implement this into their own businesses,” Fitzpatrick said. Realtors, who account for more than 70 percent of new-home sales in our communities, have enjoyed a lasting working relationship with us. “Realtors remain a strong partner for us, and we want to continue to be a strong partner for them,” he said. “A part of that relationship is offering Realtors the tools and support they need to successfully sell new homes in our communities.”

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Houston area citizens of Friendswood Development Company communities like those ranging from Lakes of Savannah to Graystone Hills can all come together in appreciation of the arts as the Houston Ballet's season continues. The 2009/2010 season calendar is available for viewing and purchasing tickets.

September: Manon
In September, mature ballet lovers can attend Manon, a "modern classic" romantic adventure about a Parisienne and her one true love.

September 10, 12, 13, 18-20

Through October: Without Boundaries

Without Boundaries showcases modern dance at its finest, with a world premiere of Elements, a piece written by two of the twentieth century's greatest choreographers. The show will also include Falling Angels, which features eight female dancers, and In the Upper Room, a balancing piece featuring classical motion with modern energy. Children as young as 5 are invited to join the family in this celebration of dance.

September 24, 26, 27
October 2-4

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Congratulations are in due order for Friendswood High School! For the first time in the 12-year history of the award, Friendswood High has won the deserved Lone Star Cup for overall achievement in athletic and academic championships.

The championships include one-act plays, marching band and the state academic meet as well as various other athletic and academic performances, with points awarded based on state, regional and district finishes.

Friendswood HS is the first Class 4A school from the greater Houston area to win the Lone Star Cup, which recognizes high schools in all University Interscholastic League classifications based on their overall team achievements. Not only will Friendswood HS be able to showcase their very own Texas Cup Trophy, but the school will also receive a $1,000 scholarship presented by the Texas Dodge Dealers. In addition to the state academic championship, Friendswood HS also reached the state finals in girls soccer and the state semifinals in football and volleyball.

"We're thrilled," said Friendswood ISD Superintendent of Schools Trish Hanks. "We did win the (Class) 4A UIL academic state championship this year so that gave us some extra points and we had really good results with all of our athletic teams this year."

This year’s win by Friendswood ended rival school Highland Park’s string of six consecutive Lone Star Cup trophy wins in the Class 4A classification. That trophy now proudly resides in Friendswood’s spotlighted place of honor.

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Big plans are underway for the City of Friendswood’s 114th Annual Fourth of July Celebration on Saturday, July 4th, themed “Family, Friends and Friendswood, a Standing Tradition."

The day will be packed from morning to night with parades, live entertainment and of course, a “fantastic fireworks extravaganza!”

The fun begins at 10 am with the Grand Parade marching down Friendswood Drive from the corner of FM 518 and Heritage Drive to Stevenson Park. Once at the park, the grounds will be filled with over 50 booth entries and will sport rides, games, food and activities for the whole family. Live performances will be held by the Zydeco Dots musical group and other patriotic presentations.

The evening program starts at 7:30 pm with the Bellamy Brothers headlining the night’s entertainment at Friendswood’s Centennial Park, followed by local performers. And the Grand Finale will begin shortly after 9 pm with a spectacular fireworks show, guaranteed to be one of the best in the Houston area.

A free shuttle service will be provided for admittance, beginning at 6:30 pm in the evening for the lack of public parking at Centennial Park. The shuttle will be available from Clear Brook High School at 4607 FM 2351, and from the Friendswood Community Church at 2821 Parkwood Avenue.

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