Eating Healthy on Vacation

 

By Guest Blogger Cole Millen
Travel Writer & Foodie

Vacations are times to relax. It is a time to leave the worries of every day life back at home while you bask in the sun or ski down some slopes. However, you don’t want to leave behind all your rules and regulations or you may risk putting on those pound that you worked so hard to take off. Here are a few tips on how to stay on track while enjoying yourself on vacation.

In the Air

When you flying, there is a good chance that food will be involved. However, you do not need to succumb to all the high calorie snacks. Begin by eating a healthy meal before you even get to the airport. This can help prevent you from grabbing a snack or meal at one of the many fast food joints that seem to be popping up in airports. When you are stuck at the airport and need to eat, such as on layovers, hunt down healthy food, such as baked chicken and salads. Finally, consider packing some healthy snacks for the flight. You do not have to eat the cookies or whatever other food the flight offers. Opt for dried fruit or other healthy snacks you are allowed to carry onto the plane.

You can also use your time at the airport to burn some extra calories. Instead of sitting down waiting for your flight for hours, spend some time walking around. You can get acquainted with the area, find out some interesting facts about the city, and walk off a meal you may be regretting.

At the Hotel

Finding the right hotel for your healthy lifestyle is a pivotal part of your vacation. Ensuring that the hotel has the proper amenities and that you are utilizing them appropriately can make or break a healthy week. For this reason I have found that a little research goes a long way. In my experience, reviews from other travelers have proved to be the most accurate form of information, probably because they are unbiased. On a recent trip of mine to Sin City, I found a great site that listed reviews for Las Vegas hotels regarding not only their amenities and services, but also reviews regarding the restaurants around them. This allowed me to pick the right hotel for me as well as to pick and plan out which restaurants I can go to for a healthy and delicious meal.

When you are settled into your hotel, there are also steps you can take to ensure that you do not fall off the wagon. For starters, you can refuse the key to the mini bar in your room. Not only are those the most expensive snacks and drinks you can buy, they are usually very unhealthy too. Instead, stock up on healthy snacks to keep in your room. Have some fruit, granola, pretzels, and other snacks that won’t make you feel guilty. You can even get soup and oatmeal that can be easily prepared with the hot water from the coffee maker.

You also need to make sure that you don’t overdo it when it comes to the food the hotel has to offer. For example, many hotels offer a free continental breakfast with muffins, bagels, and more. When you hit this breakfast bar, eat as much of the fruit as you want, but avoid the starchy and fatty foods they are offering. You want to fill up on fiber and nutrients instead. You can also reach for the yogurt and eggs, if they have them, as they are a good source of protein. Keep your healthy goals in mind when ordering room service as well. Many hotels are willing to accommodate any requests you make.

If you follow this advice, you will not undo all of your hard work. You will stay right on track and have no regrets whatsoever when your return home.

You can read more of Cole’s work on his blog.

April in McKinney (2013)

There’s no doubt about the fact that Spring is in full swing in McKinney, despite what Mother Nature was telling us with those mid-March colder-than-usual temps.

We’ve had several visitors in our offices the past week from northern regions of the country – Michigan, Wisconsin, and New York – and all of them, without fail, have asked if this weather is normal. They  no doubt came here hoping to escape the cold, which most did as their home states were all suffering from inch upon inch of snow.

So now that we prepare to turn the calendar to a new month, we wanted to share some of the things to be looking for in April. We’ll be updating this blog entry as we learn more, and to add links as we find them, so we invite you to come back and check this particular blog entry throughout the month.

Something New & Different:
High Noon on the Courthouse Lawn – Fridays in April and May
Grab a lunch and head to the downtown square to sit on the lawn or at bistro tables around the McKinney Performing Arts Center (a.k.a. the historic courthouse). Most of the downtown restaurants will offer lunches to go, too! Entertainment will include various musicians, fitness fun (hula hoop contest, table tennis,  and cycling) and even mechanical bull riding. Fridays in April and May, noon-1 p.m.

Chicken Coop & Victory Garden Tour – April 20
We can’t wait for this first-time event because it features backyard chicken coops and gardens within the historic district – talk about fun and different! The tour is free, starting at D&L AgMart at 201 W. University. (You even get free breakfast when you stop in between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.) Other goodies along the way, too. Check it out at the McKinney Historical Neighborhood Association website.

Shopping & Eating
Ladies Night Out at the Heard-Craig Center- April 18
Enjoy delicious hors d’oeuvres, desserts, memorable music and appreciate the good fortune of being able to shop at some of the most unique and elegant retailers in the area…all in one location! Call 972-569-6909 to make reservations.

Cupcake Bliss Class – April 2
Learn about baking special cupcakes during a class at Market Street with food blogger and radio personality Lorie Fangio.

Heard Spring Native Plant Sale – April 5-7
Select from a wide assortment of landscape plants that are native to Texas- beautiful and drought-resistant to add color and depth to your garden.

Third Monday Trade Days – April 12-14
Old Red Lumberyard & the Flour Mill District Shopping Days – April 12-13

The Arts!
49th Annual Collin County Adult Art Show and Student Art Show - April 5-7
Hosted by the Art Club of McKinney at Heard-Craig Center for the Arts.

Heard-Craig Garden Concert Series – April 11 & April 25
The annual garden concert series features the E-Flat Porch Band on April 11 and the McKinney Community Band on April 25. Concerts are free and start at 7 p.m. in Katie’s Garden at the Heard-Craig House.

Fibers, Brushes and More – April 12
Participants will create four projects at four downtown studios/businesses – Diggin’ It, Happiness Is…Quilting, Wild Brush Studios and Walls of Clay.

Arts in Bloom – April 13
This all-day event is a perfect opportunity to experience the magic of McKinney’s historic shopping district during the spring season with art, music, food and much more. Also going on as part of the event: Art in the Making, Second Saturday on the Square, and Chalk Walk, among other happenings around the square that day.

Fun with Wellness & The Great Outdoors
Spring Family Fun Day (Part of the Mayor’s Health Partnership) – April 6
Family fun at Cooper Fitness in Craig Ranch featuring fit kid demonstrations, sand pit relays, healthy snack creation and more. Open to the public; $5 non-members, free for members. 11 a.m.- 2 p.m.

Heard Museum’s Celebrate Nature event – April 6
Explore the various habitats on the 289-acre Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary as well as enjoying family activities, live music and animal presentations in the outdoor amphitheater. Refreshments will be available for purchase.

Color Me Cooper 5K/10K – April 20
Start the off-road foot race dressed in white and cross the finish line covered in colors!

We’re in the process of getting these events loaded on our website and on our app, too, so you’ll soon be able to find them there, too.

Instagramming McKinney

By Beth Shumate, MCVB Communications Manager

McKinney is fertile ground for photographers, from the historic district to the parks to our own Croatian village, Adriatica, and beyond.

Any good-weather weekend finds families walking through the historic downtown square, a photographer trailing them, to find that perfect spot for the perfect family memory shot. Or maybe you’ll see agency photographers scouting unique backdrops for some type of product shots, be it clothing, accessories or even vehicles.

One such beautiful Saturday (just last weekend, in fact), I had the privilege of accompanying a visiting group of photographers around the historic square. A couple of them had digital cameras to document this stroll, but all of them, including me, were armed with their Smartphone cameras, seeking unusual angles and subject matter to share via the popular app, Instagram.

McKinney resident Shawn Roller posted a photo promoting this “Instameet” on the McKinney Convention & Visitors Bureau’s Destination McKinney Facebook page. I wasn’t familiar with this type of meet-up group, so decide to head to the meeting point (in front of the McKinney Performing Arts Center) at the appointed time to check it out. I found 10 participants, ready to head out on a quest for cool pictures of downtown McKinney; half of the group were locals while the other half hailed from elsewhere in the metroplex – Euless, Dallas, Richardson, and The Colony. Some knew each other, having participated in earlier Instameets elsewhere in the area, while others exchanged Instagram user names and got acquainted before heading off. 

I must say, as someone who promotes McKinney and who loves to spend time on the square, allowing myself to follow these folks around without wearing my usual tour guide hat was quite refreshing…and doing so allowed me to experience McKinney again through fresh eyes. These new friends headed off down alleys and into tight spaces, wide open ground, looking high and low, and often snapping close-up shots of little details or interesting angles not immediately noticeable, not unless one takes the time and makes the effort to see it.

We spent a total of two hours together, encountering numerous photographers and families along the way, some doing high school senior portraits, and even a couple of guys with fancy cameras and lights, shooting photos of an equally fancy motorcycle. We made a wide loop – east on Louisiana, across Hwy. 5 to the Flour Mill (a favorite place of all involved), and back westward on Virginia before scooting north of Tennessee, then heading west to Church Street. We turned the corner at Virginia, stopping briefly at the MCVB Visitors Center to grab a bottle of water or can of soda. These Saturday visitors then headed off to enjoy dinner on the square, with the residents recommending their favorite places to the out-of-towners.

What a fun way to spend an afternoon, and how fun to see a new kind of tourism – created through social media networking – at work/play in our very own city!

Jeyson Paez, resident of The Colony and organizer of the metroplex group, InstaDFW, has held 10 of these meet-ups since November 2012, the largest being one in downtown Dallas where 40 folks turned out. Next up? “I want to do one at the Fort Worth Stockyards,” said Paez, who is also a freelance photographer.

We’ve shared some of these Instagram photos (and others we found from McKinney) on a special Pinterest board. Or if you’d rather see them directly through Instagram, search for tag “#historicmckinneygramsesh”.

If you Instagram and want to share your photos, drop us an email and we’ll share them on our Facebook page and add them to our Instagram board on Pinterest.

Many thanks to Jeyson, Shawn, Brandi Hussey, Crystal Hexamer, Jessica Wright, and the other Instagrammers for letting me tag along. It was a blast!

A Romantic Surprise…With a Little Help from His Funny Friends

Photo Credit: Mark Woods

Three decades ago, Cliff Cubbage (of Allen) proposed to his bride-to-be Linda in his car. But Saturday night in McKinney, Cliff was more public, this time asking his wife to renew their vows while on stage in front of a comedy show audience of more than 400.

“When I first asked Linda to marry me, I chickened out and instead of asking her over dinner at Red Lobster, I asked her in the car. [A couple years ago], Linda said it would have been nice if I had asked her in the restaurant,” Cliff said. “I was going to take her to Red Lobster again [this year] with everyone in the family and ask her to redo our vows for our 30^th anniversary.”

Enter McKinney’s all-female comedy troupe, the Four Funny Females, who came into the picture after the Cubbages attended one of their January shows.

“Sitting there at the show, I was thinking [they] might be able to help me go above and beyond my own expectations,” Cliff said.

Cliff met with Bartlett to share ideas about a special surprise for his wife, and she asked him if he’d mind the re-proposal being built into the show.

“He said he was game for anything,” Bartlett said.

During this meeting, Cliff related to Bartlett the circumstances behind his request, which dated back to 1995 when a bad fall dislocated his left shoulder, lower back, and left ankle, and crushed his right knee, leaving him in pain and disabled.

“[At one time], I was taking 39 medications. [A few years ago], I was rushed to the hospital three different times. That last time, when my wife walked in the room, [the way] she looked at me, I knew I had to make some changes,” Cliff said. “I stopped taking 22 of the medications, I started reading the Bible and what I was reading told me I needed to fix my marriage.”

The idea of renewing their vows seemed the perfect way for Cliff to rededicate himself to Linda.

“After I heard his story, I knew we needed to make this more special than just inviting him onstage,” Bartlett said.

A few phone calls to local businesses explaining the romantic request resulted in donations of special touches for the evening: a tuxedo rental from Men’s Warehouse (in Allen), a bouquet of roses from The Lily Pad Flower Shop, a romantic dinner at Café Malaga, and sweets from Nothing Bundt Cakes. The comedy troupe also gave the couple a special-label bottle of wine from Landon Winery, and Bartlett contacted Red Lobster (in Plano), who donated a gift card.

The night of the Feb. 9 show arrived, and Cliff and Linda took their seats at the McKinney Performing Arts Center, ready for an evening of laughter followed by dinner with the family and friends attending the show with them. Cliff had taken Linda to have her hair and nails done and had bought her a red gown for the evening out, so she had an idea he was planning something.

Photo by MCVB

As headliner Linda Stogner took the stage, Cliff excused himself to the restroom, when in reality he was sneaking into the MPAC Green Room where the comics helped him do a quick-change into the tux. Comics Jodi Hadsell and Sherry Belle, who had finished their sets, worked with the back-stage volunteers gathering the goodies and listening for their cue. As the show ended, Belle went into the audience to escort Linda from the front row onto the stage.

“Come on. Huuuhhh-neh,” Belle said in her thick Louisiana drawl, grabbing Linda’s hand. “You’re come’n with me!”

“You think you’re just here for a night out with family,” Bartlett told Linda, as they stood center stage. “But you’re really here because your husband wanted to make this a special evening for you.”

The tux-clad Cliff appeared from behind the curtain, walked to center stage, handed the roses to Linda, and took a knee in front of his stunned wife. The audience cheered.

“To the world, you are just a person, but to me, you are my world,” he said, holding her hand. “Buttercup, will you be my Valentine?”

Following a kiss and more enthusiastic applause from the sold-out audience, Cliff continued.

“I love you with all my heart. Linda Marie Friend Cubbage, will you marry me all over again for the second time?” he asked, pulling the ring box from his pocket.

Photo: MCVB

Barlett held a microphone for Cliff so the audience could hear the proposal, adding her own narration, “She said ‘yes!’,”eliciting more applause and a standing ovation. “And she said ‘yes’ again!”

Backstage after the show, the Cubbages posed for photos with the comics.

“I knew he was doing something, but I just thought he’d do something while we were having dinner with the family,” a beaming Linda said. “My husband’s never done anything like this. And I’ve never even seen him in a tux! I’m still in shock!”

The Cubbages will renew their vows on September 4, 2013, their 30^th wedding anniversary.

For more about the Four Funny Females, visit www.FourFunnyFemales.com.

To see more photos of this event (including backstage shots), visit the MCVB Facebook page, Destination McKinney Texas.

New Year Brings Excitement to MCVB

The MCVB’s new website – a nice fresh look!

As we wrap up 2012, the McKinney Convention & Visitors Bureau is looking forward to an exciting 2013.

Our excitement actually started on Dec. 14 with an early Christmas gift – the launch of our new website! It can still be found at  www.VisitMcKinney.com, but the content and style are fresh, new and fabulous! And it’s mobile friendly. This was followed closely by a move to new offices just west of the historic downtown square over Christmas week. We’re all settled in now and hope you’ll come visit us.

Website

You’ll notice as you check out the new website, there are many positive changes such as photo galleries, enhanced calendar listings with photos, dining listings, a spot to host our blog (we’re deciding now whether to host it there or continue to host it here while accessing it from there). The calendar is so easy to use, too (remember our policy: the events must be open to the public and be held in McKinney) and you can now add photos to them easily. As before, the items then go to a holding screen where they await our approval, so please don’t expect them to appear immediately once you submit them. We check the approval page every day, so it won’t take long to show up on our website. Please do remember to include an email address or phone number so we can contact you should we have a question.

Submitting an event is easier than ever!

Entering events that are recurring or occur over a period of time (week, month, etc.) are easier to enter than in the past, too. If you have any questions, please let us know! (The website was created by CivicPlus, a company the City of McKinney partnered with for their own website, then we followed suit, as did the airport and the McKinney Economic Development Corporation. CP specializes in municipal and tourism related site development.) We love it and know you will too.

New Location

The front entrance to our new offices – at the corner of Virginia and Wood.

Our new offices and Visitor Center are located at 200 W. Virginia, two doors east of The Pub and across the street from Ruggeri’s. We’re situated in such a great place – parking is plentiful and Mitchell Park, the site/starting point of so many city events, is a stone’s throw from our front door. We’re in the process of reordering the latest and greatest statewide literature for our visitors, but our McKinney brochures and maps are plentiful so please stop on by and see us. We have comfortable places to sit, a library of not only brochures but also wonderful books and photo albums featuring McKinney history, and maybe even some fresh-baked cookies or other treats!

Our hours are as they have always been, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., but we will be announcing extended hours on certain weekends and even an occasional evening. (Watch for this information soon!)

Please have a SAFE and Happy New Year… and please come visit us. We’d love to see you!

Ring Them Bells: It’s Christmastime in McKinney!

And so the Christmas season has begun again in McKinney, the holidays official rung in over Thanksgiving weekend at Dickens of a Christmas: Home for the Holidays and the wonderful Believe Run with its Great Santa Chase. That weekend was the precursor of a month full of feel-good, homey activities in McKinney ahead of us, a time when the community comes together to celebrate all we hold dear, and a time to reach out to those who might need help. (In McKinney, the desire to help others is happily a year-round attitude. That being said, please drop a contribution in the red kettles while you’re out and about. We have a very active Salvation Army and they will appreciate your support.)

Take a gander at what is coming up in the month of December, mark your calendars and by all means, please take part in one, three or many of them. You’ll be glad you did, and your cheeks will feel rosier!

The Arts: Music, Drama & Visual

There’s still time to see Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol,” the classic holiday tradition from the McKinney Repertory Theatre at the McKinney Performing Arts Center (Dec. 1-2.  Tickets are available online or by calling 214-544-4630.

Join McKinney’s own Jon Christopher Davis (pictured at right) for Wales Manor’s first Music Under the Stars Holiday Concert (Dec. 1, 7-10:15 p.m). Admission is $10/person. Bring a lawn chair and blankets, but no outside beverages. Wine, margaritas, sodas and water for sale, and oven-fired pizza!

The Krakatuk Ballet presents two performances of A Nutcracker Prequel Ballet (Dec. 12 for schools; Dec. for the public). The story includes an evil mouse queen, a king, queen, princess, sausages, nursemaids, cats, a very hard nut to crack and a boy who is able to crack it. Tickets are at MPAC.

The all-volunteer McKinney Community Band is holding its first public Christmas Concert, “Sounds of the Seasons” (Dec. 14, 7;30 p.m.) at Christ Fellowship Church in McKinney, 2801 Orchid, just off Eldorado. Admission is free, and the church will have its coffee shop open for purchases of hot chocolate, coffee, cookies and other yummy goodies.

Enjoy the Romance of Christmas Concert with Erica Lane and Dustin Keele (MPAC, Dec. 14, 8 p.m.). Tickets are $20 and $22.

The Turtle Creek Chorale brings laughter, joy and the most beautiful music of the season to MPAC (Dec. 15, 2 p.m. & 7 p.m.) in their “Comfort & Joy” concert. Tickets are $20 and $30.

Second Saturday (Dec. 8, 7-10 p.m.) as always showcases the art of wonderful local and regional artists at our downtown art galleries. For a list of participating galleries and businesses, click HERE.

The annual Heard-Craig Center for the Arts hosts its annual Holiday Tea & Conversation (Dec. 12) program this year, showcasing the amazing voices of the McKinney High School Harmony group and the Boyd High School Jazz Choir.

Holiday Sights and Lights

The McKinney Rotary Club presents the 13th Annual Christmas Parade of Lights (Dec. 1, 6:30 p.m.) around the historic downtown square. This year’s parade features the theme, “Christmas at the Movies.” Gather your family and friends to see all of the beautifully decorated and lighted floats as we kick off the festive Christmas season, McKinney-style. Then hang around the square for dinner and live music!

The first weekend of December (Dec. 1-2) has been The Heritage Guild of Collin County Holiday Tour of Homes since 1973! Every year, five or six homes and historic structures are decorated for Christmas for the tour. Proceeds from ticket sales and raffle are a major component to the ongoing operation of Chestnut Square. Tickets are $20 at the door/$15 in advance and are available online or at locales downtown; 12 and under free.

The Heard Museum hosts its Holiday Trail of Lights (Dec. 14-15, 6:30-9 p.m.) where guests will see thousands of holiday lights–many synchronized to holiday music–along a half mile Heard nature trail. Have a photo taken with Father Christmas and Mother Nature in a festive setting. Enjoy hot beverages and treats. Listen to live holiday music in the Heard outdoor amphitheater performed by local groups.

And Even More To Do:

Dec. 1: The DFW Toys for Tots 44-mile Motorcycle  Run kicks off in McKinney to collect toys. Line up at 8:30 a.m., leave at 10:30 a.m. Don’t ride a motorcycle? Bring $15 and a new toy to the McKinney VFW Post 2150 for lunch, and photos with Santa and Marines. Benefitting DFW Toys for Tots. 1710 N. Church. For info, call 214-563-4185.

Dec. 1:  Morning Maniacs Shine & Show Classic Car Show: 7:30-10:30 a.m. around the McKinney Performing Arts Center on the square.

Dec. 5-6: Scholastic Book Fair: Pick up books and great stocking stuffers at this annual  McKinney Community Center event; all inventory 50% off.

Dec. 14-16: Third Monday Trade Days is the oldest and largest monthly trade days/flea market in North Texas. Over 400 vendors offer almost anything you can imagine—unique gifts, delightful home décor, trendy clothing and accessories, sporting goods, antiques and collectibles, landscaping materials, tools, and small animals along with many specialty “state fair” type food concessions. Shoppers will find plenty of all-weather parking, clean restrooms, two ATMs, an air conditioned and heated Mall building, mobility cart rental, wagon and stroller rental, and a family-friendly atmosphere including a fun playground and train ride. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. all three days.

Dec. 15:  For Adriatica’s Christmas Cookie Competition & Craft Fair, bring a plate of your decorated cookies, take pictures with Santa, sip on some hot cocoa, and check out all of the wonderful crafts! Winners of the Christmas Cookie Decorating Competition will receive awesome holiday prizes! Craft Fair: 10am-5pm; Cookie Competition: 2pm-4pm; Pictures with Santa: 2pm-4pm. At the Love Life Wrapping Center, 6851 Virginia Parkway, 972.540.5955.

Saturdays at 11 a.m.: Franconia Brewery Tour with Bavarian brewmeister Dennis Wehrmann shares his knowledge and laughs. Tour fee of $5 gets you the tour and tastings. 495 McKinney Pkwy., 972-542-0705.

 

Ring in the New Year at MPAC!

The McKinney Performing Arts Center is hosting a New Year’s Eve on Dec. 31 bash featuring casino games, dancing and a champagne toast. Guests will groove to the beats of DJ Mark Brown and enjoy refreshments in the courthouse’s old vault retrofitted as a lounge area. Details and tickets are available on the MPAC website.

It’s November Already?

This will be the scene in downtown McKinney in the next week or so, as the city prepares for the holiday season.

Doesn’t it feel like it was just September? Then we blinked and it was November. We did enjoy many wonderful activities in McKinney in October; it just seemed to go by in a whirl.

Now that we’re into November already (it’s Election Day, as we post this – we hope you all voted!), there is again so much to keep everyone busy as we close in on the holidays – music, art, drama, races, and of course, Dickens of a Christmas.

McKinney Art Studio Tour (MAST)

Three galleries and 22 artists’ studios will welcome guests for tours  (self-guided after buying a ticket booklet – get tickets HERE) during the McKinney Art Studio Tour (MAST). This is the fourth year of the tour which offers T-shirts for purchase, and those who complete at least 15 stops on the tour (validated by signatures from the artists) can enter a prize drawing. The self-paced, leisurely tour allows visitors to watch the artists where they work and live, and talk to them about their creative processes.

32nd Annual Dickens of a Christmas

McKinney Main Street kicks off the holiday on Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. 23-25) by hosting Dickens of a Christmas – Home for the Holidays. Historic Downtown McKinney will offer holiday shopping, entertainment, activities and food. This free event offer visitors to Historic Downtown McKinney a chance to enjoy strolling carolers, live entertainment, carriage rides, children’s activities, holiday shopping and dining at the more than 100 shops and restaurants downtown. The ever-popular show hill is coming back this year, and of course, Dickens wouldn’t be complete without Santa!

Believe Run (1 Mile/5K/10K)

This fun and healthy family event starts and ends at McKinney’s Mitchell Park early the Saturday morning after Thanksgiving (Nov. 24). The McKinney Rotary Club hosts this race that benefits Holy Family School and other charitable organizations. Before the race, kids get chase Santa (alias McKinney Mayor Brian Loughmiller) in the Great Santa Chase. Teams and families often dress in costume; strollers and dogs are welcome! Then hang around town after the race to enjoy Dickens.

ShopAnthropy Shopping Tournament

How fun is this? Teams of four each ($200 per team to enter) will spend the day (Nov. 10) on the downtown square, saving money (participating stores offer discounts to these teams), stopping for great food, and having 100% of the proceeds help kids in our area who have aged out of the foster care system and were never adopted. You can check out the charities here: www.embracetexas.org andwww.simplestofgifts.com.

On Stage

Everything from young performers to seasoned ones are performing this month.

Legally Blonde, the Musical (Nov. 10-11, 15-17): Fine arts students at McKinney Boyd High School bring this adaptation of the popular Broadway musical to their auditorium at 600 N. Lake Forest.  An opening night gala on Saturday (10th) features reserved seating, dinner, dessert at intermission, a silent auction and a meet-and-greet with the cast following the show, all for $25. Regular show tickets are $15 for adults. Get tickets HERE.

Young Actors Guild One-Act Plays (Nov. 16-18): McKinney Repertory Theatre’s Young Actors Guild presents two one-act plays, the mystery comedy “Who Murdered Who?” and an old-fashioned melodrama, “She Was Only a Farmer’s Daughter.” For showtimes at the McKinney Performing Arts Center (MPAC)  and to get tickets, click HERE.

Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (Nov. 23-25, 30-Dec. 2): The McKinney Repertory Theater once again presents this holiday class to MPAC in what has become a long-standing tradition for kicking off the

Steel Magnolia (Nov. 29): This country duo won Can You Duet? on CMT in 2009 and now they’re hitting the Courtroom Theater stage at the McKinney Performing Arts Center. Winners of the McKinney Mash-Up (finalists were crowned earlier in the month) will open for the duo. Get tickets HERE.

Nightlife

Many talented musicians and singers call McKinney and our area home. You can see them almost any day of the week at many eateries and the wineries downtown and elsewhere throughout the city. Below are establishments that regularly offer live entertainment.

• Cadillac Pizza Pub
• Delaney’s Irish Pub
• Hank’s Texas Grill
• Grand/Rick’s
• Grotto
• Jack’s Pub
• Landon Winery
• Lone Star Wine Cellars
• Spoons Cafe

Second Saturday Art Exhibits & Activities (Nov. 10)

McKinney’s galleries and other businesses feature new art exhibits, starting each Second Saturday on the Square, or hold special events. During this special evening, the galleries and many stores stay open later than usual, and provide snacks as well as the opportunity to meet the artists and talk to them about their work. The artists being featured at various locales downtown this month include:

• Design Ten1 Studio: Ashley Bossung Bruegel; 110 S. Tennessee. 972-542-5514.
• Garret Gallery:  Garret artists Clara Stovall, Ginny Bitting, Babs Light, Gail Delger, and Marian Hirsch; 111 E. Virginia; 972-548-9361.
• Imaging on the Square: Jewelry artist Joy Jones. 109 S. Tennessee, 972-548-7575.
• Laura Moore Fine Art: Peggy Epner (GODSPEED); 107 S Tennessee. 214-914-3630.
• Orisons Art & Framing: Santa artist Brenda Brannon;. 110 E. Louisiana, 972-529-1441.
• McKinney Wine Merchant: Nick Saia (sample pictured at right) and wine tastings from Mt. Eden Vineyards; 120 W. Virginia, 972-542-4636.
• Main Street Magic & Fun Company presents two cabaret style magic shows in their Magic Attic Theater on Saturday – 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. $10 each. Seating is limited so call 214-274-7802.

While we try to be as complete as possible in our monthly event blog, new things do come up, and then there are the monthly standards like flea market and vintage shopping at Third Monday Trade Days, Old Red Lumberyard, and the Flour Mill District; classes, garden shows and workshops, nature days and Dinosaurs Live! (at right) at the Heard Museum and more!

As always, check VisitMcKinney.com and the Destination McKinney Texas Facebook page for more event information.

And if you don’t have our Smartphone app yet (for iPhone, iPad or Android) by all means, go HERE now and get it! You’ll be glad you did.