Dean Highland Neighborhood Association

Category: Current Projects

  • Our DHNA Conservancy Initiative recap from Oct. 24th

    Well Dean Highlanders, I was a bit discouraged on Saturday morning when nobody showed up to the triangle for our bimonthly service project. Is it really that boring?

    I hung out at the beautiful benches that the Dean Highland Neighborhood Association had secured for the historic trolley stop a few years ago. I texted my favorite uncle to pass the time. I waited around, but only for about 15-20 minutes. Then, I just left some supplies out (donated to us by our partners at Keep Waco Beautiful) and hoped for the best:

    I was not disappointed! Dean Highlanders came through! When I cruised back over to the triangle earlier today, there was a big, black, beautiful bag of trash for me to collect and place at our usual dropping off site at Mitchell Park:

    So, to whoever showed up and helped clean the neighborhood and pave the way for Hillcrest Park: thank you! You restored my hope in doing things the hard way. Our next conservancy initiative service project will be on November 14th (a Saturday). I’ll wait around for more than 15-20 minutes next time! I’m thinking we hit the alleyway between Windsor and Live Oak from 30th to 26th, but I’m open to suggestions…

  • This Saturday’s (Oct. 24) Conservancy Initiative cleanup

    Hi Dean Highlanders,

    Let’s meet up at the historic trolley stop triangle at 10am and then tackle the alleyway between Maple and Trice. Here’s a map:

    Many of you could slay two birds with one stone by snagging some selfies in front of our new State Historical Marker and submitting them to us via email for our “State Historical Marker Challenge“…

    Catch you at 10am tomorrow morning. Bring a neighbor!

  • We’re back in the news!

    Hi Dean Highlanders,

    Yes, we’re back in the news, but this time it’s only tangentially related to our fight for Hillcrest Park.

    Since early this year there has been a flurry of reports on the plan for the empty lots where Hillcrest hospital once stood. To piggyback off those reports and to build organizational capacity, the Dean Highland Neighborhood Association launched the Dean Highland Conservancy Initiative. This initiative is one-of-a-kind in Waco, and while it’s mostly aimed at cleaning alleyways, streets, empty lots, and pocket parks, we have also utilized the conservancy initiative to help clean up trash in the yards of Dean Highland’s single mothers and, just this past Saturday, to help a local Dean Highland celebrity — Ms. Alice, the Christmas lights lady – get her decorations out of storage and prepped for setup.

    The idea was so cool (thanks to Rick, our DHNA Treasurer, for thinking it up) that the Waco Tribune-Herald picked up the story. Read the whole thing here. Here’s a picture of Saturday’s October 10th crew courtesy of the one-and-only Tinker Kramer:

    DHNA’s President, Scott Michael (holding Goofy), led the charge along with Robert, Skip, and Tinker.

    What a great neighborhood!

    Our next neighborhood cleanup will be October 24th (a Saturday). Mark your calendars, and submit a spot in the neighborhood that you think needs some tender lovin’ care.

  • **Special Announcement**

    Hi Dean Highlanders,

    We are not going to be doing a traditional garbage cleanup this Saturday (Oct. 10th). Instead, we are going to gather as a neighborhood and help Ms. Alice, who has also been known over the past few decades as the “Christmas lights lady.” Her thoughtful Christmas display has brought joy and comfort to many people not only in Dean Highland or even Waco but throughout Texas and the United States (her decorations have won national awards; check it out).

    Ms. Alice is starting to slow down in life. This is one of two main reasons why the neighborhood association is throwing this year’s annual holiday party in Highland Baptist Church’s parking lot rather than in front of Alice’s house (the other reason is budget cuts to the City of Waco’s neighborhood grants program; we couldn’t afford the insurance to shut down Proctor Ave. without that grant).

    With this being said, she is still planning on putting up many of her decorations this year, but she needs our help — that’s right neighbors, our help – to get everything out of storage. So, instead of picking up garbage in our alleyways or pocket parks or abandoned lots, we are going to meet at Ms. Alice’s house at 10am this Saturday to help her get all of her holiday decorations out of storage. We will not be helping her install or put up decorations; we will only be getting everything out of storage and putting the boxes where she instructs us to put them.

    Ms. Alice has been selflessly bringing cheer to our neighborhood for a long, long time. I sincerely hope all members of the Dean Highland Neighborhood Association can show up for this one. Here’s where she lives:

    Her address is 2737 Proctor Ave, Waco, TX 76708. Again I hope you all, as members of the neighborhood association, can turn up for this service project. If you can’t make it, please shoot us an email at deanhighlandwaco@gmail.com to let us know. You can walk to her house. Ride a bike. Drive. Bring the whole household. Better yet: bring a neighbor!

    Check out some photos from the 2025 holiday party in front of her house.

    Alice holds a place near-and-dear to my heart because she was one of the people (along with my next door neighbor, Gloria) who inspired the “Voices from Dean Highland” oral history project. She is truly a neighborhood jewel.

    Here’s a selfie of me and my friend, and neighbor, Alice Tristan:

    Catch you all on Saturday morning, at the Christmas lights house. The fun starts at 10am!

  • Conservancy Initiative service project (9-26-26) recap

    Hi Dean Highland,

    We had a good turnout this morning, with some Dean Highlanders and some members of Baylor’s Alpha Epsilon Delta Honors Society showing up to do the hard things.

    We met at Highland Baptist Church’s Wellness Center parking lot and hit the alleyway in between Maple Ave and the church from 30th Street all the way down to 27th Street:

    We then jumped in our cars and hit up Zion Hill Baptist Church, Wenz Park, and Mitchell Park:

    Check out all the garbage we collected:

    Big shout-out goes to the one and only Dr. Jim SoRelle for bringing lemonade with him. It hit the spot perfectly. Our next conservancy initiative cleanup will be October 10th. If you’ve got an alleyway or yard or street you’d like to nominate for a service project, click here and fill out this form.

  • “Voices from Dean Highland” spotlight: Mark & Melinda Leazar

    Hey Dean Highlanders,

    Allow me to introduce the Leazars, Mark & Melinda, from Herring Avenue. Mark grew up in the Dean Highland neighborhood, just a few houses down from where he currently resides, and has a wealth of knowledge and memories from Dean Highland as a child and now as an adult with accumulated wisdom.

    Melinda came to Dean Highland via a lengthy and adventurous stay in Los Angeles (where she became a big fan of UCLA) before blessing us with her time and efforts here in the neighborhood.

    Mark sat down with me twice, on June 13 and July 13, 2026, and Melinda sat down with me on July 12, 2026. I am grateful to both of them for their time and their thoughtfulness regarding the Dean Highland neighborhood. They have been good to us.

    Given that the neighborhood association’s stated goals are service, advocacy, and fellowship, please be sure to give the Leazars a hearty greeting if you see them out and about at one of our service projects, advocacy efforts, or raucous quarterly meetings. If you would like to collaborate or fellowship with them, shoot me (Brandon Christensen) an email and I’ll try to introduce you.

    If you, or somebody you know and love, wants to participate in this project, shoot me (Brandon Christensen) an email and we’ll get started.

    You can read more about our “Voices from Dean Highland” project here. You (yes, you!) and your story are way more interesting and important than you think, and this project is something that your loved ones will appreciate long after you’re gone. Check out some other “Voices” spotlights here.

  • “Voices from Dean Highland” spotlight: Jessica Shelby

    Hey Dean Highlanders,

    Please allow me to introduce Jessica Shelby, who resides on Homan Avenue.

    Jessica is a proud Dean Highland Dragon and has lived a beautiful life — filled with adventures and a love of history – in many parts of Texas and beyond. As you can see, she’s a big Star Wars fan.

    Jessica contributed to the “Voices from Dean Highland” project on July 11, 2026.

    Given that the neighborhood association’s stated goals are service, advocacy, and fellowship, please be sure to give Jessica a hearty greeting if you see her out and about at one of our service projects, advocacy efforts, or raucous quarterly meetings. If you would like to collaborate or fellowship with her, shoot me (Brandon Christensen) an email and I’ll try to introduce you.

    If you, or somebody you know and love, wants to participate in this project, shoot me (Brandon Christensen) an email and we’ll get started.

    You can read more about our “Voices from Dean Highland” project here. You (yes, you!) and your story are way more interesting and important than you think, and this project is something that your loved ones will appreciate long after you’re gone. Check out some other “Voices” spotlights here.

    The project is going well. In addition to capturing neighborhood stories from residents, I have started to make inroads with people who have worked in the neighborhood at some of our most important institutions: Hillcrest Hospital, Zion Hill Baptist Church, Waco Police Department, and Highland Baptist Church.

    Currently, I am collaborating with the good, God-fearing folks at Zion Hill, who are celebrating their 145th anniversary this year. Please, shoot me (Brandon Christensen) an email or text, and lets get your neighborhood stories told and archived for the generations to come.

    Thanks Jessica!!!

  • Another postponement / SAVE THE DATE

    Hi Dean Highlanders,

    We were supposed to do another cleanup for our Dean Highland Conservancy Initiative yesterday but, alas, it was too darn hot.

    We will absolutely be doing our first cleanup post-summer break on Saturday September 26th, and our friends from Baylor’s Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED) Honor Society will be joining us again!

    We are going to meet in the parking lot of Highland Baptist Church that’s next to the church’s new Wellness Center. Here it is on a map:

    We collaborated with AED this past spring, and had a blast. We’d love to see all neighborhood association members attend this time. The fun will start at 10am. Saturday, the 26th. If you have any questions, shoot us an email at deanhighlandwaco@gmail.com.

    Our next Quarterly Meeting, by the way, will be before the neighborhood cleanup, on Thursday, September 17th 24th, at 6pm. We are still trying to find a spot to hold it, since administrative functions at Dean Highland Elementary School, our traditional meeting spot, are in flux.

    Stay cool out there!

  • Tomorrow’s Conservancy Initiative service project

    has been cancelled. It’s way too hot to be outside doing good around the neighborhood.

    Be well, Dean Highlanders. Be well.

    To read more about our Dean Highland Conservancy Initiative, go here. To check out all the good times we’ve had serving others, click here.

    Don’t forget about our neighborhood oral history project, either. It’s turning into quite the gift. Tell us your neighborhood stories!

  • “Voices from Dean Highland” spotlight: Michael Long

    Hi Dean Highlanders,

    Allow me to introduce you to Michael Long, who comes to us from Fadal Avenue. He and his lovely wife, Edith, sat down with me on May 19th, 2026, although only Michael actually did the interview. Michael was a radio DJ for many years and is currently a filmmaker and podcast host. You can check out his podcast here.

    Michael has been interested in UFOs since his first sighting at the age of 12 in Ellisville, Mississippi. On the same date as Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker’s abduction in Pascagoula, Michael witnessed a huge orange ball float across his property about 90 miles from the coast headed north to south toward the gulf coast and Pascagoula. Since then he has had sightings concurrently about every two years. In 1975 he and a friend observed a huge silver ball hovering over them and moving against the wind. He has witnessed saucer shapes, balls of light, and even a small fleet of unidentified objects.

    Michael was definitely a cool addition to Dean Highland’s oral history project.

    If you, or somebody you know and love, wants to participate in this project, shoot me (Brandon Christensen) an email and we’ll get started.

    Given that the neighborhood association’s stated goals are service, advocacy, and fellowship, please be sure to give Michael a hearty greeting if you see him out and about at one of our service projects, advocacy efforts, or quarterly meetings. If you would like to collaborate with Michael, or simply fellowship with him, shoot me (Brandon Christensen) an email and I’ll try to introduce you.

    You can read more about our “Voices from Dean Highland” project here. You (yes, you!) and your story are way more interesting and important than you think, and this project is something that your kids and grandkids and other loved ones will appreciate long after you’re gone.