The City of McKinney officially opens its new Fire Department Headquarters campus at 2100 Taylor Burk Drive on Friday, May 8 at 10AM. The $53 million campus has been quietly under construction for several years and consolidates three distinct buildings on one site: a two-story, ~40,000 sqft administration building, a logistics center, and the new Fire Station 2.

The administration building houses Fire Administration, the Fire Marshal's Office, and Emergency Management - which means the people who run the department, the people who inspect commercial buildings, and the people who coordinate the city's response to major incidents are now all under one roof. The logistics center is the new hub for equipment storage, repair, and deployment. Fire Station 2 covers north McKinney's response zone with state-of-the-art apparatus bays.

It's the biggest single piece of public-safety infrastructure to come online in McKinney in years - and it was paid for entirely by the bond package voters approved back in 2018. The ribbon cutting Friday is open to the public. (Source: City of McKinney News Release, May 1)

Luxury interior design firm Burress Design Group has officially opened in McKinney, offering high-end residential and commercial design services.
A great spot to check out if you’re planning a home or business refresh, with a grand opening that’s already drawing attention.
Opened Apr 30 | 6958 Mediterranean Dr, Adriatica Village, McKinney

The city's Parks & Rec summer camp catalog is live. Half-day, full-day, sports specialty, and themed art and STEM camps are filling up fast at Apex Centre and OSRC. If you've been promising the kids "I'll figure it out in May," May has arrived 🙂 (Source: City of McKinney - Camps Directory)

If you've parked near the square lately and noticed construction fencing at Hunt and Tennessee, that's the former McKinney City Hall and Development Services building coming down. The process is expected to take three months. Parking on those lots is closed - plan accordingly for any downtown trips this week. (Source: City of McKinney / RNDI Companies contract)

🏓 Beginner Pickleball: PM
The Old Settlers Rec Center's beginner-friendly drop-in pickleball - paddles available, instruction informal, court time guaranteed. The lowest-friction way to start the week with a sport that's apparently cooler than you remember.
Old Settlers Recreation Center (OSRC), 1201 N Tennessee St, Afternoon (Drop-in)

🏺 Metal Casting Workshop at McKinney Art House
Pour molten metal and cast your own custom pendant, charm, or small sculpture in this hands-on evening workshop. One of the more genuinely unique things you can do on a weeknight in McKinney. McKinney Art House, 502 N. Kentucky St., 6:30-8:30PM ($75)

🎵 Zane Williams + Tanner Usrey at Local Yocal
A double-bill of Texas singer-songwriters at Local Yocal's BBQ-and-music room. Doors at 6, show at 7 - bring an appetite, leave with new playlist material.
Local Yocal, 350 E Louisiana St, Doors 6PM / Show 7PM ($25-$36 tickets)

♟️ Chess Night at Lion & Crown
Drop in, grab a pint, push some pawns. All skill levels welcome - the Tuesday-night version of cardio for your brain.
The Lion & Crown McKinney, 7951 Collin McKinney Pkwy Ste 1600, 6-9PM (Free)

🎸 Luqman Rashada Live at Harvest
Live music Tuesday evening at the Masonic Lounge - three intimate hours of Luqman Rashada performing on the third floor with views over downtown McKinney. Dinner menu available.
Harvest at The Masonic, 215 N. Kentucky St., 6:30-9:30PM (Free)

🧑‍💻 Small Business Masterclass (Adults)
A free SCORE-led session at the library on starting and growing your own business. Real advice, no upsell, an hour of practical guidance for owner-operators and side-hustlers.
John & Judy Gay Library, 6861 W Eldorado Pkwy, 7-8PM (Free)

🎭 The Yes, And Improv Jam
The Comedy Arena's drop-in improv session - performers welcome, audience welcome, the line between the two often blurs. Two hours, mature audiences.
The Comedy Arena, 305 E Virginia St, 7-9PM ($5-$15 tickets)

🎨 Soft Pastel Workshop: Rivers & Streams with Robin Maria Pedrero
A two-hour pastel class at MillHouse with a Pastel Society of America Signature Member - learn to capture moving water, light, and atmosphere in landscape work. Materials provided, beginners welcome.
MillHouse McKinney, 610 Elm St Ste 1000, 10AM-12PM ($80)

📚 Adult Book Club: The Push by Ashley Audrain
The library's monthly book club for grown-ups - this month's read is The Push, Audrain's chilling debut about motherhood. Low-key, friendly, free. Don't skip if you didn't finish.
John & Judy Gay Library, 6861 W Eldorado Pkwy, 12-1PM (Free)

🖼️ Art History Lecture: Orientalism Today
A free lunchtime lecture at the Heard-Craig Carriage House on how 19th-century notions of "the Other" still shape contemporary art and media. Brain food in the best sense - and it costs nothing.
Heard-Craig Center for the Arts (Carriage House), 205 W Hunt St, 12:30-1:30PM (Free)

🎵 Colin Boyd at Harvest
Dallas-based singer-songwriter Colin Boyd brings six albums of original work and a polished live set to Harvest's Masonic stage. Window seat + seasonal menu = the right midweek reset.
Harvest at The Masonic, 215 N Kentucky St, 6:30-9:30PM (Reservations recommended)

🎶 Courtney Marie at Lion & Crown
A singer-songwriter set leaning into originals and timeless covers - the kind of midweek night that puts the work day in its place.
The Lion & Crown McKinney, 7951 Collin McKinney Pkwy Ste 1600, 7-10PM (Free)

🎵 Nathan Hansen at Harvest
A solo set on Harvest's Masonic stage - the listening-room treatment, full menu, no opener. The Thursday-night version of "actually slowing down."
Harvest at The Masonic, 215 N Kentucky St, 6:30-9:30PM (Reservations recommended)

🎤 Tony Vea at Lion & Crown
Classic rock to country and everything in between - Tony Vea's three-hour set turns the Lion & Crown into a low-key Thursday-night listening party.
The Lion & Crown McKinney, 7951 Collin McKinney Pkwy Ste 1600, 7-10PM (Free)

🌱 Backyard Composting (Adults)
A free library workshop run by the Master Composters - what to throw in, what to keep out, how to not attract the worst possible animals. Earth Day extending into May.
John & Judy Gay Library, 6861 W Eldorado Pkwy, 7-8PM (Free)

😂 Three Companies (Comedy Arena)
The Arena's Thursday-night ensemble show, $5 with online tickets. One hour, mature audiences. The lowest-friction way to laugh out loud on a school night.
The Comedy Arena, 305 E Virginia St, 7:30PM (from $5 online)

In 1973, McKinney's population had just crossed 16,500 - up 871% in a century - and the city was growing so fast that some of its 19th-century buildings were on the chopping block. So a group of local women got together, decided "their community's history was something to be treasured and preserved," and rallied to relocate threatened structures onto a single block downtown that would become Chestnut Square. The Heritage Guild of Collin County (which still runs the village today) grew out of that effort.

What's wild: McKinney has grown another 1,300% since then, and Chestnut Square is still standing, still hosting the Saturday Farmers Market, still throwing Living History Day - largely because a small group of women in the 1970s decided not to let the past disappear under the pace of growth. Worth remembering the next time you're walking past a 1900s farmhouse. (Based on Heritage Guild presentation, April 23 MCDC meeting)

Mon: 🌤️ Partly sunny and windy, high 82°F
Tue: ⛈️ Sun and clouds with a late-afternoon thunderstorm in spots; hail and damaging winds possible, high 86°F
Wed: 🌧️ Morning rain and storms, then clouds breaking for sun, breezy in the afternoon, high 73°F
Thu: ☀️ Pleasant with plenty of sun, high 73°F

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