Community
2020 Fire Chief of the Year
Congratulations are in order for San Antonio’s very own, Chief Charles N. Hood on being named 2020 Fire Chief of the Year. This National Award from the Metro Fire Chiefs Association is well deserved.
Chief Hood has served the City of San Antonio since 2007, and is well recognized for being the First African American to oversee the local fire department.
Chief Hood leads one of the largest fire departments in the nation, commanding approximately 1800 personnel with a budget of over 292 million dollars. He is ultimately responsible for providing fire, emergency medical, special operations, and emergency management and fire prevention to over 1.4 million citizens.
Chief Hood joined the City of Phoenix Fire Department in 1984 where he rose through the ranks. Chief Hood was a member of the Phoenix Fire Department’s Urban Search & Rescue team and FEMA’s Urban Search and Rescue’s National Incident Support Team. National responses include the 2004 Winter Olympics, Democratic National Convention, The Rodeo Fire and Challenger Space Shuttle incident and most recently served as the Liaison Officer with the City of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.
Chief Hood’s progressive leadership style and vision has resulted in many achievements. The SAFD is responsible for over 310,000 Unit Responses per year. Since joining the SAFD, Chief Hood has doubled the size of both the HAZMAT and Technical Rescue Teams. In 2010, Chief Hood established a Health & Wellness Program and recently added a Certified Athletic Trainer. In addition, Chief Hood has collaborated to establish a Fusion Center; created a Safety Division, and Fitness Program which includes becoming an official CrossFit Affiliate. In 2015 Chief Hood launched a Mobile Integrated Healthcare Program which represents one of the most progressive evolutions in the delivery of community based care. In an effort to improve department communication, he implemented an annual State of the Department Address presented to all uniform and civilian employees.
EDUCATION
Chief Hood holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Fire Service Management from the University of Ottawa and has attended the Harvard Kennedy School of Executive Education. He is an Adjunct Faculty at Texas A&M University National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center.
In 2010, Chief Hood was the recipient of the Metro Fire Chief of the Year presented by the members of the Black Chief Officer’s Committee, IABPFF. In 2014, the Fire Administrator of the United States Fire Administration appointed Chief Hood to the Board of Directors of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation for a six-year term.
PERSONAL
An Arizona native, Hood is the proud father of four sons, Tevin, Jaxon, Langston and Sheridan.
Art
Downtown SA Lights Up for the Holidays
Downtown San Antonio will sparkle this holiday season with an array of lights and holiday events.
Set against the backdrop of one of the city’s most historic and charming walkways, five blocks of Houston Street will buzz with twinkling lights, decorations, entertainers, and vendors from Nov. 24 and runs through January 2.
Additionally, on Nov. 24, kick off the holiday festivities with the Annual H-E-B Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at Travis Park. Festivities begin at 4 p.m. and include live entertainment, food trucks, letters to Santa, giveaways, holiday crafts, a special visit from Santa, and a movie screening of “The Grinch.” The tree-lighting ceremony begins at 6 p.m., followed by the movie at 7 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.
Get front-row seats to the 42nd Annual Ford Holiday River Parade, which offers a spectacular one-hour parade along the San Antonio River Walk starting at 6 pm at the Tobin Center. This year’s theme, “Holiday Stories,” will kick off the San Antonio tradition. Always held the day after Thanksgiving, the parade and river lighting ceremony will feature 28 illuminated floats and over 100,000 lights (2,250 strands) illuminating the River Walk. The lights turn on from sundown to sunrise every day until the weekend following New Year’s Day. Seating ranges from $15 to $40. It is broadcast live at 7 p.m. at the Arneson River Theatre.
The Rotary Ice Rink, presented by Valero, will also return this fall at Travis Park in downtown San Antonio. Since 2019, nearly 200,000 people have enjoyed the rink and surrounding festivities. For more information, including hours of operation, pricing, and specials, visit (rotaryicerink.com).
For more events, go to (VisitSanAntonio.com).
Black Life Texas
Carver Annual Fundraiser Dec. 2
The Carver Development Board presents the Cavalcade of the Stars on Saturday, Dec. 2, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Center.
This annual fundraiser benefits the Carver’s School for Visual & Performing Arts’ Artist Residency/Master Class Program, summer camps, Youth Matinee Series, and supports the education programs of the Carver Community Cultural Center. The title fundraiser is Valero.
The night will start with a reception and silent auction at 5:30 pm. Dinner is served at 6:30 pm, and the show begins at 8 pm featuring Kiland Kyham, also known as Mr. Houston. Kyham is a gifted and powerful author, singer, and songwriter. He has performed and produced with such music legends as Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Johnathon Butler, and Smokey Robinson. He has written over 400 song jingles and has produced numerous projects.
For over 75 years, The Carver Community Cultural Center (“The Carver”) has served as the San Antonio Eastside’s foremost gathering place of cultural exchange and performance arts. It was originally erected in 1918 as a community center for African-Americans. By the 1930s, the building was repurposed as the Colored Library and renamed the Carver Library and Auditorium in honor of Dr. George Washington Carver. From the 1940s through the Civil Rights Era, prominent African-American entertainers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Louis Armstrong played at the Carver.
Individual tickets for the Cavalcade of the Stars are $250 or $2,500 per table. For more information, visit (TheCarver.org).
Black Life Texas
Free Native American Festival at the Briscoe
Highlighting the continued vibrancy and artistic traditions of Native American communities – and the local tribes who helped shape San Antonio – the Briscoe Western Art Museum invites everyone to enjoy its annual Yanaguana Indian Arts Festival on Saturday, Nov. 11, from 10 am to 4 pm.
The event is free and includes admission to the Briscoe, making it a perfect way to celebrate the vital role Native Americans played in shaping the West while enjoying art and artifacts that highlight Native American history.
The community festival features live performances, storytelling, artist demonstrations, pottery and carving, as well as Native American-inspired food, including REZR’vation Only, a food truck featuring Native American-inspired cuisine that is owned and operated by a registered member of the Navajo Nation. The event starts with a Native American spiritual blessing, followed by a ceremonial drum circle that invites everyone to join.
The annual event is named in honor of the Payaya people, who were indigenous to the San Antonio area. “Yanaguana” was the word they used to describe what is now known as the San Antonio River. The festival has been held annually since the museum opened, with 2020’s event taking place virtually.
To learn more, visit (BriscoeMuseum.org).
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