Howdy Frisco -
My wife caught me looking at the Lunar New Year Festival lineup last night and asked if I was planning our social calendar around free Asian street food now. Guilty as charged.
🛝 That $40 million park south of PGA Frisco opens this summer
Northwest Community Park is on track for a summer opening, and I'm already planning which Saturday we're camping out there all day.
What you're getting:
120 acres total, 70 acres developed. The rest stays natural landscaping.
Splash pad, dog park, adventure playground with ziplines and slides, open field areas.
The coolest feature: an all-weather asphalt bike pump track. If it's wet, you can still ride it. There's nothing else like it in Frisco.
Also getting a 20-foot prairie lookout structure where bikers can gain speed entering the trails. Plus views of the Frisco skyline.
The details:
$40 million project, funded by Frisco Community Development Corporation. Located just south of PGA Frisco. Construction is on schedule and on budget, opening this summer.
My 4-year-old is going to lose her mind over those ziplines.
🏐 Dallas Pulse volleyball just made it stupid easy to watch games
The Dallas Pulse, Frisco’s new women’s volleyball team, signed an exclusive streaming deal with Victory+ for their inaugural season.
All 27 remaining matches stream live and on-demand. Free. Ad-supported.
Victory+ already streams Dallas Stars, Texas Rangers, and high school football. Now add Frisco's professional women's volleyball team.
The Pulse plays San Diego tonight at 7 PM at Comerica Center.
Emily's already eyeing a Saturday game once baby boy arrives and we're not completely drowning in diapers.
Download the Victory+ app or visit victoryplus.com.
🚨 School threat hoaxes hit North Texas hard this week
North Texas schools got slammed with hoax threats. Frisco ISD, Fort Worth, Lake Dallas. All fake, but the effects are real.
What happened:
Monday: threatening emails hit Frisco ISD campuses. District locked external doors, kept school running. Parents could pick kids up early.
Days earlier: social media video threatened 14 Texas schools. Week before: bomb threat at North Dallas High pulled 40+ police units.
Why it matters:
Experts say hoax threats create real trauma for kids. Constant anxiety and uncertainty take a toll. Frequent false alarms also make people take future threats less seriously. As someone whose daughters will be in Frisco ISD someday, this hits home.
Police are getting better at tracking these down. Penalties are getting stiffer. These aren't pranks.
⚡️ Quick Hits
🗳️ Early voting is open through January 27. Election day is January 31. Frisco has a special election for Place No. 1: Ann Anderson (20-year resident, insurance owner) versus Mark Piland (former fire chief).
🧧 Lunar New Year Festival on February 7, 3-8 PM at Simpson Plaza. Free. Asian street food, cultural fashion show, live performances. Year of the Fire Horse.
🏨 Hall Park Hotel ranked No. 9 in USA Today's best new hotels.
🌿 Texas wants to raise hemp retailer fees from $150 to $20,000 annually. Small business owners say it'll destroy them. State says it'll fund better regulation. Public comment ends January 25.
🛒 DFW retail occupancy hit 95.3% in 2025. Three-year record streak. 34 new grocery stores coming in 2026-2027. We're the most active grocery market in the country.
📅 What's Happening Around Town
If your calendar is empty this weekend, allow me to fix that. If it’s already full… well, here are a few reasons to reshuffle. From live music to farmers markets to a dinosaur sighting (yes, really), here’s what’s happening around Frisco and nearby this weekend.
Today, Thursday, Jan 15
🕊️ Detective Jerry R. Walker Memorial Ceremony | Little Elm Honor Park, 102 W Eldorado Pkwy | 9:00am | Public welcome to attend wreath placement ceremony.
Friday, Jan 16
🎉 $3,500 Grand Opening Event | Club Car Wash, 2492 E University Dr, Denton | 12:00pm-7:00pm | First 250 guests get scratch-off tickets for grand prize, first 200 get free coffee card. $1 MVP washes benefit Serve Denton.
🎸 The String Kings | Didi's Downtown, 7210 W Main St | 7:00pm-10:00pm | Live music, food, and good vibes in downtown Frisco.
💑 Datey 35+ | Palato Lounge, Hall Park Hotel, 3220 Internet Blvd, Frisco | 7:00pm-10:00pm | Signature cocktails, shareable bites, and evening of connection. Tickets $7.18-$12.51.
🎵 Truck Yard Live Music | Truck Yard The Colony, 5959 Grove Ln | 7:00pm-10:00pm | Alley Katz playing Texas/Red Dirt Country indoors at the Sour House.
🎬 Movie Night: Happy Feet | PGA District, 3255 PGA Parkway | 7:00pm | Free outdoor movie. Bring a blanket, no lawn chairs. Pets on leash welcome.
🎸 Bangla RockFest | Frisco Performing Arts Center, 9360 Pasadena Dr | 7:00pm | $15 tickets benefit Spreeha Foundation charity clinic. Features Gonojowar, Aux4s, Neon Riff, and Bachchu & Friends.
🎵 The Cure Tribute: Le Cure | Legacy Hall, 7800 Windrose Ave, Plano | 8:00pm | All ages. Tickets required. Afterparty at Tonic Bar at 10pm (21+).
🎸 Twenty Hounds | The Frisco Bar & Grill, 6750 Gaylord Pkwy, Frisco | 9:00pm-12:00am | No cover.
Saturday, Jan 17
🥕 Plano Farmers Market | Berkeley Square, 4757 W Park Blvd, Plano | 10:00am-2:00pm | Fresh produce, artisan goods, baked treats. Pet friendly.
🧘 Vibe & Thrive | Grandscape, 5752 Grandscape Blvd, The Colony | 10:00am-1:00pm | Free fitness classes, wellness vendors, oxygen bar, smoothie samples. Over $1,500 in prizes.
🛍️ End of Season Sale | Painted Tree Boutiques, 2930 Preston Rd | 10:00am-8:00pm (Saturday and Sunday) | Up to 60% off decor, gifts, fashion. Continues Sunday.
🩸 Blood Drive with Carter BloodCare | PGA District, 3255 PGA Parkway | Saturday, Jan 17, 11:00am-3:00pm | Free hooded sweatshirt for donors. Walk-ups welcome, reservations encouraged.
🎨 Made By Hand: Frosted Snow Jars | Little Elm Public Library, 100 W Eldorado Pkwy | 11:00am | Adults only craft class. Registration required.
🎭 BAANA Makar Sankranti Mela | Independence High School, Frisco | 12:00pm-4:00pm | Food, cultural performances, games. Traditional festive attire encouraged. Tickets required.
🎸 The String Kings | Didi's Downtown, 7210 W Main St | 7:00pm-10:00pm | Live music and dinner.
Sunday, Jan 18
🎵 Vinyl Sundays | Three Empires Brewing, 6990 Main St Suite 200 | 2:00pm-7:00pm | Bring your vinyl records, spin tracks, enjoy beer and pizza. Family and dog friendly.
🦖 Dinosaur Discovery | Play Street Museum Plano, 5964 W Parker Rd | 11:30am-1:00pm | Kids become paleontologists for the day. Reservations required.
