McKinney’s Sunset Amphitheater is nearing the home stretch of construction, with Venu officials telling the city last week that the 20,000-seat venue along US 75 is now about 70% complete. A temporary certificate of occupancy could come as early as April 1, 2027, clearing the way for its inaugural concert season.

The project’s total investment has grown significantly since the original deal. The city’s 2024 agreement with Venu initially valued the project at $220 million. That figure has since climbed to $334 million, and Venu is now seeking an additional $60 million in private funding to get across the finish line. The company briefed McKinney City Council, the McKinney Community Development Corporation, and the McKinney Economic Development Corporation at a joint meeting, where they also shared progress on the climate control system - a significant upgrade that will allow the amphitheater to operate shows between October and April instead of just the warmer months, potentially hosting more events per year than originally planned.

The amphitheater was part of a public-private partnership with McKinney that included land and incentives from the city. If the current schedule holds, it opens in 2027 - making it one of the largest entertainment venues in the DFW area, and the biggest thing to happen to McKinney’s event scene in a generation.

McKinney’s newest restaurant opened October 2 and it’s bringing something the city didn’t have before: Hawaiian plate lunches. Ono Hawaiian BBQ is a California-based fast-casual chain with 130+ locations that just made its Texas debut in Plano in July - and now McKinney is the second stop. The menu runs Hawaiian BBQ Chicken, Chicken Katsu, Teriyaki Chicken, Kalua Pork, musubi, crab rangoons, and macaroni salad. There’s also a drive-thru. Part of a planned 10-location North Texas expansion.
4610 W. University Dr., Suite 110, McKinney · Open now.

McKinney ISD released its property tax rate for 2026-27: $1.0664 per $100 of taxable value, down from $1.1043 the year before. Over the past five years, the rate has declined nearly 28% - dropping from $1.4747 in the 2021-22 school year. That’s a reduction of more than 40 cents over five years, which adds up on a typical McKinney home. Individual tax bills still vary based on assessed values and exemptions, but the rate itself is heading in the right direction.
(Source: McKinney ISD, October 8, 2026)

Following the Oct. 5 City Council vote, DDM Construction Corporation has been authorized to build out the Tennessee Street, Lamar Street, and Hunt Street infrastructure improvement project. This is a street-level upgrade in the near-downtown area - new pavement, curbs, and utilities. Expect construction activity in that corridor over the coming months.
(Source: McKinney City Council Regular Meeting, October 5, 2026)

💀 Día de los Muertos Festival at TUPPS - Sat Oct 17
TUPPS Brewery hosts its annual Día de los Muertos Festival from noon to 9PM. Food, culture, and cold beer in the Mill District.
TUPPS Brewery, 402 E. Louisiana St. · Oct 17, 12-9PM (Source: tuppsbrewery.com)

Go to the Farmers Market in style with our original McKinney canvas tote bag. $9.99 OFF automatically applied at checkout to cover shipping & more.

💪 Aging Well: Building a Strong & Healthy Lifestyle
A city-hosted wellness program at the Old Settler’s Recreation Center designed for adults - strength, mobility, and lifestyle strategies for building long-term wellbeing. A good Monday reset.
Old Settler’s Recreation Center, 1201 E. Louisiana St. · Monday Oct 12 (Free, check calendar for time)

💃 Line Dance at the Senior Recreation Center
Weekly line dance at the Senior Rec Center - beginner-friendly, no partner needed, and a genuinely easy way to meet people in McKinney on a Monday.
Senior Recreation Center, 1400 S. College St. · Monday Oct 12 (Free, check calendar for time)

📱 Lunch Bunch - iPhone Filming Tips: The Art of Noticing with Serena Cajas
Dallas-based content creator Serena Cajas (@electriceats) shares practical iPhone photo and video techniques - how to find the right light, frame a shot, and create content that actually looks good without a ring light or a film degree. Useful whether you’re shooting for your business, your art, or your family. Bring your lunch.
MillHouse McKinney, 610 Elm St Suite 1000 · 11:30AM-12:30PM (Free)

👢 Boot Night in The Grain Room at TUPPS
A one-off themed event in The Grain Room Taproom. Wear your boots or show up to appreciate the ones that belong to others. Either way, it’s a Tuesday in a taproom.
TUPPS Brewery, 402 E. Louisiana St. · 5-6:30PM (Free)

🎨 Creative Arts Studio at John & Judy Gay Library
A drop-in adult art program at the Gay Library - bring your ideas or work on something in progress. Relaxed enough to make it Tuesday-night enjoyable.
John & Judy Gay Library, 6861 W Eldorado Pkwy · 6:30-8PM (Free)

🎸 Preston Parker at Harvest
Red Dirt country from one of Texas’s most exciting young voices - draws from Whiskey Myers, Turnpike Troubadours, and Tyler Childers, and has already opened for Stoney LaRue. Tuesday night at the Masonic Lounge with views over the square.
Harvest at The Masonic, 215 N. Kentucky St. · 6:30-9:30PM (Free)

🌷 Pressed Flower Pumpkins Workshop at MillHouse
Transform a white pumpkin into a botanical keepsake using pressed flowers and leaves in this hands-on Wednesday morning workshop. Screen-free, creative, relaxing - and you go home with a piece of fall décor that actually looks good. $35.
MillHouse Create, 610 Elm St Suite 520 · 10AM-12PM ($35)

✏ Creative Writers Workshop at John & Judy Gay Library
A Wednesday afternoon creative writing workshop for adults at the Gay Library. Free, no prior experience required. The best cure for a blank page is other people who also have a blank page.
John & Judy Gay Library, 6861 W Eldorado Pkwy · 1-2:30PM (Free)

☠ True Crime Book Club at John & Judy Gay Library
The Gay Library’s adult True Crime Book Club meets Wednesday evening. Read, discuss, connect the dots, and go home grateful for your own boring life. Check the library calendar for this month’s selection.
John & Judy Gay Library, 6861 W Eldorado Pkwy · 7-8PM (Free)

🎲 Euchre Tournament at Barro’s Pizza
Weekly euchre at Barro’s Pizza in McKinney - fast-paced, max 24 players, $5 to the pot with cash prizes for 1st and 2nd. RSVP is required (and fills up), so don’t wait. They love adding new people - leave a comment on the Meetup page if you’ve never played euchre before.
Barro’s Pizza, 2730 S Central Expy, McKinney · 7-9PM ($5 pot)

🤝 Beyond the Summit: Building Housing Partnerships
A morning event at Gather on the Square for developers, employers, and affordable housing partners to connect around McKinney’s housing future. McKinney Chamber organized. If affordable housing is your world, this is the room to be in.
Gather on the Square, 207 E. Virginia St. · 9-11AM (Registration required)

🕯 Hot Spot Candle-Making Workshop at Old Settler’s Recreation Center
Hands-on candle-making at the OSRC Thursday evening. Go home with something that smells better than whatever Thursday usually leaves you with.
Old Settler’s Recreation Center, 1201 E. Louisiana St. · 6-8PM (check calendar for price)

🎸 Vic Duncan at Harvest
Vic Duncan closes out the week’s Harvest run on Thursday evening. A consistent, quality Thursday-night show at the Masonic Lounge.
Harvest at The Masonic, 215 N. Kentucky St. · 6:30-9:30PM (Free)

When McKinney National Airport opens its commercial terminal on November 11, it will feel like a brand-new thing - and in many ways, it is. But the land along FM 546 has a longer aviation history than most residents realize. The story starts not with commercial air travel, but with World War II.

In the early 1940s, as the U.S. war effort ramped up, military training infrastructure spread across Texas with speed. The flat terrain, reliable weather, and wide-open spaces made Texas ideal for pilot training, and dozens of airfields went up across the state. McKinney’s airfield - then known simply as McKinney Municipal Airport - served as a training and auxiliary facility during the war years, part of a broader network of fields that gave the Army Air Forces the runway space they needed to train tens of thousands of pilots and support personnel.

After the war, the field returned to civilian use, as most military training airfields did. For decades it was a quiet general aviation airport - the kind that serves private pilots, small cargo operations, and the occasional charter flight, not commercial passengers. The FAA designated it McKinney National Airport (TKI) and it gradually grew its infrastructure, but commercial service always stayed just out of reach.

What changed was scale. As McKinney exploded from a small county seat into one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, the case for commercial service became hard to ignore. The airport’s distance from DFW and Love Field - both of which serve entirely different parts of the metro - suddenly became an asset rather than a limitation. In 2023, the city broke ground on a commercial passenger terminal. This November 11, Veterans Day, that terminal opens. A wartime airfield, 80 years later, finally getting to take off.

Mon: ☀️ Sunny, warm and humid, high 88°F
Tue: 🌤️ Partly cloudy and very warm, high 91°F
Wed: 🌤️ Clouds and sun, warm and humid, high 90°F
Thu: ⛈️ A thunderstorm in spots, high 86°F

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