R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, On March 1, 1999, proud residents of Grand Prairie 1-2 will gather in Austin to celebrate Grand Prairie Day at the State 1-3 Capitol, and this auspicious occasion offers an outstanding 1-4 opportunity to extol the city's many virtues; and 1-5 WHEREAS, First settled under the name Dechman during the 1-6 Civil War, the community was rechristened Grand Prairie with the 1-7 arrival of the railroads and continued to grow steadily through the 1-8 1920s; and 1-9 WHEREAS, The arrival of Hensley Field in 1928 marked the 1-10 beginning of a new era in the town's history, and the military base 1-11 of operations and training ground brought with it new residents and 1-12 visitors to the area; by World War II, the field was also the site 1-13 of the Naval Reserve Aviation Base, and with the opening of a 1-14 nearby defense plant, Grand Prairie became a hub of wartime 1-15 activity, increasing in population from 1,600 to more than 18,000 1-16 between 1940 and the war's end; and 1-17 WHEREAS, Since that time, Grand Prairie has established 1-18 itself as a center of industry and commerce, and manufacturing 1-19 firms producing furniture, boats, chemicals, aircraft, plastics, 1-20 and machine parts have all been integral elements of the local 1-21 economy; and 1-22 WHEREAS, Tourism, too, is a vital component of Grand 1-23 Prairie's prosperity, and visitors from across the nation flock to 1-24 such attractions as Lone Star Park, one of the world's finest 2-1 racetracks, which brought in more than 1.3 million fans in 1998; 2-2 Six Flags Over Texas; the Traders Village market; the Prairie Dog 2-3 Chili Cookoff; Oktoberfest; the Western Days Rodeo; and the 2-4 National Championship Indian Pow-wow; and 2-5 WHEREAS, Combining the warmth and friendliness of a small 2-6 town with the dynamic appeal of the Metroplex, Grand Prairie is 2-7 truly one of the Lone Star State's most valuable assets, and it is 2-8 indeed fitting at this time to recognize this town's many 2-9 noteworthy attributes; now, therefore, be it 2-10 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 76th Texas 2-11 Legislature hereby recognize March 1, 1999, as Grand Prairie Day at 2-12 the State Capitol and extend a warm welcome to members of the 2-13 city's delegation who are visiting the Capitol on this day; and, be 2-14 it further 2-15 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 2-16 prepared for prominent display in the city of Grand Prairie as an 2-17 expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. Allen Garcia _______________________________ Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 299 was adopted by the House on March 1, 1999, by a non-record vote. _______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House