For years McKinney has held its Memorial Day ceremony on the Saturday of the long weekend. This year the city moved it to the day itself - Monday, May 25 at 10AM at Corporal RD Foster Veterans Memorial Park, 6053 Weiskopf Ave.

The hour-long tribute is presented by the McKinney Armed Services Board alongside the city, honoring Collin County service members who died in uniform. Expect a formal program - colors, remarks, and a moment to actually stop and reflect, which is the whole point of the holiday underneath the cookouts and mattress sales.

It runs rain or shine, which matters this year because the forecast is wet (more on that below). If you've never been, the park itself is worth the trip - a quiet, well-kept memorial space on the city's growing east side.

For a town that owes a real chunk of its modern history to the military (see this week's MacTown History on the Army hospital that once stood here), it's a fitting place to start the week. (Source: City of McKinney & McKinney Armed Services Board, May 2026)

The off-price department store opened a McKinney location May 15 at 2050 W. University Drive, Ste. 250, stocking clothing, accessories, and home goods at a discount. A practical anchor for the University Drive retail strip. Now open | 2050 W. University Drive, Ste. 250

A discount outlet that opened earlier this spring at 702 S. McDonald St, selling appliances, furniture, household goods, clothing, toys, and electronics at marked-down prices. The kind of treasure-hunt store where the inventory changes every visit. Now open | 702 S. McDonald St

At its May 19 meeting, council took up a rezoning request for the Forest View affordable senior-living project near US 380 and North Lake Forest Drive - one of the first dedicated affordable senior developments to come through the north-side pipeline. (Source: McKinney City Council Regular Meeting, May 19, 2026)

Council moved a roundabout at the Glen Oaks Drive and Ridge Road intersection into analysis and preliminary design. If you drive that stretch, expect a slow-motion change over the next couple of years. (Source: McKinney City Council Regular Meeting, May 19, 2026)

🎖️ Memorial Day Celebration
McKinney's annual tribute to fallen service members, presented by the McKinney Armed Services Board. Colors, remarks, and a moment of reflection at the city's veterans memorial. Rain or shine.
Corporal RD Foster Veterans Memorial Park, 6053 Weiskopf Ave, 10-11AM (Free)

💦 Memorial Day Water Balloon Fight at The Stix Icehouse
The Stix opens the holiday with a Heroes Wall (bring a framed photo of a veteran for a free entree), 15% off for active duty and veterans, and a full-on water balloon fight at 4PM. Wear something you don't mind soaking.
The Stix Icehouse, 301 Eldorado Pkwy, 4PM (Free)

🥪 MillHouse Lunch Bunch: The Perks of Curiosity
A midday talk from speaker Amy J. Schultz on turning everyday curiosity into a creative superpower, hosted by MillHouse's women's collaboration community downtown. Bring an appetite and an open mind.
MillHouse McKinney, 610 Elm St, Ste 1000, 11:30AM-12:30PM ($15)

🎸 Bruce LeBarge at Harvest at The Masonic
A solo acoustic set of old-school country, easy listening, and classic pop-rock in downtown's most intimate live-music room. Order a glass and settle in.
Harvest at The Masonic Lounge, 215 N Kentucky St, 6:30-9:30PM (Free)

🎭 The Musical Improv Jamboree at The Comedy Arena
A welcoming, completely made-up musical comedy night where audience suggestions turn into songs on the spot, backed by live music. Jump in or just watch the chaos unfold - no experience needed.
The Comedy Arena, 305 E Virginia St, 7-9PM (Tickets $5-$15)

🎸 Tyler Bond Live at Harvest
A midweek live set in the Masonic Lounge - quiet, intimate, the best views over downtown, and paired with a genuinely good seasonal menu.
Harvest at The Masonic Lounge, 215 N Kentucky St, 6:30-9:30PM (Free)

📚 Chapters Uncorked: May Book Club
Lone Star Winery's monthly downtown book club takes on "Here One Moment" by Liane Moriarty. Free to join, wine optional but encouraged. Read, sip, repeat.
Lone Star Winery, 103 E Virginia St, 7PM (Free)

🧠 Weekly Trivia at TUPPS
The Grain Room's weekly trivia night - team up, sharpen the trivia game, win bragging rights and TUPPS merch.
The Grain Room at TUPPS, 721 Anderson St, 7-9PM (Free)

🎸 Lily & Tim Acoustic Duo at The Lion & Crown
Warm harmonies and stripped-down takes on classic gems and modern hits from an easygoing acoustic duo. Grab a drink, settle in, and ease into the evening.
The Lion & Crown, 7951 Collin McKinney Pkwy, Ste 1600, 7-10PM (Free)

🚼 Stroller Strides at District 121
A free, baby-friendly total-body workout you can do right alongside the stroller, out on the District 121 lawn. Strollers and all fitness levels welcome.
District 121, 6731 Alma Road, 9:30-10:30AM (Free)

🐮 Collin County Beef Cattle Workshop
A hands-on, all-ages evening with the Collin County Agriculture & Natural Resources Board - tips, tricks, and cattle talk for seasoned ranchers and the merely curious alike. About as McKinney as it gets.
The Landing at Myers Park, 7117 CR 166, 5-7PM ($23)

🐦 Wildlife in Balance: McKinney's Egrets
McKinney Animal Services Manager Hannah Golden on the migratory egrets that nest in town every year, their behavior, and how to coexist with a protected species that doesn't read property lines. A genuinely local talk for adults.
John & Judy Gay Library, 6861 W Eldorado Pkwy, 7-8PM (Free, registration required)

🎸 Will Foutz at The Lion & Crown
A Texas-born-and-raised acoustic act running through oldies and modern hits. Grab a drink and ease into the long-weekend wind-down.
The Lion & Crown, 7951 Collin McKinney Pkwy, Ste 1600, 7-10PM (Free)

🎶 Zin Zen Live Music: Nickel & Dime
Live music in Adriatica Village's lakeside wine bistro - 80+ global wines, a chef-driven menu, and a relaxed Thursday-night soundtrack. Nickel & Dime is an acoustic duo that features silky, soulful vocals and strong guitar picking!
Zin Zen Wine Bistro, 6841 Virginia Pkwy, 7-10PM (Free)

🎤 Curated Comedy at The Comedy Arena
The Arena's handpicked stand-up showcase - a rotating lineup of local favorites and touring comics, no filler, in an intimate cabaret-style room.
The Comedy Arena, 305 E Virginia St, 7:30-8:30PM (Tickets $10-$23)

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Drive past the VA grounds on the south side of McKinney today and there's almost nothing left to tell you that, for a few years in the 1940s, this was one of the busiest military hospitals in Texas.

It started as Ashburn General Hospital. The Army designated the site in December 1942, named it for Col. Percy Moreau Ashburn (a career Army doctor), and had it running by mid-1943 - 100 buildings spread across a 266-acre tract, with nearly 1,600 beds. As World War II wound down, wounded soldiers shipped home from the European and Pacific theaters cycled through McKinney for surgery, recovery, and rehab. For a town that counted only a few thousand people at the time, an Army hospital this size was the biggest thing going.

The last Army patients were discharged in December 1945, and in 1946 the facility reopened as the McKinney Veterans Administration Hospital, a 500-bed operation that served veterans for nearly two more decades. It closed in 1965 and the buildings went on to a second life - including a stint as a Job Corps training center.

It's easy to forget, in a city now known for breweries and a PGA stop, that McKinney spent the 1940s patching up the people Memorial Day exists to remember. Worth a thought on Monday.

Mon: ⛈️ Humid with a thunderstorm in spots, high 84°F
Tue: ⛈️ Humid, a stray afternoon t-storm, high 86°F
Wed: 🌧️ A morning thunderstorm or two, high 77°F
Thu: ⛈️ Rain and a thunderstorm, humid, high 81°F

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