Around Town: Big weekend

FARMERS MARKET

In addition to monthly markets at Chestnut Square (Dec. 19, Jan. 30, Feb. 27), the McKinney Farmers Market will be at Adriatica in West McKinney from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday and Thursday.

Historic Downtown McKinney Farmers Market info - www.localharvest.com.

For more information about the market, go to www.mckinneyfarmersmarket.com

ANNA FFA

The Anna FFA Booster Club Annual Auction & Dinner will be at the high school at 1201 North Powell Parkway at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5.

TOYS FOR TOTS

RIDE SATURDAY

At 11 a.m. Saturday., a legion of bikers will take off from VFW Post 2150 in McKinney and fill the highway before heading out on a scenic round-trip through the area benefitting Toys for Tots. The entry fee for the ride is one new, unwrapped toy. The trail heads first to Melissa before cutting near Blue Ridge, veering south toward Princeton and heading back up 380 to McKinney. The Mellissa, Princeton and McKinney Police Departments will provide escort along the route. Bring an unwrapped toy and show up at the 1710 N. Church Street, McKinney by 11 a.m. Saturday.

MCKINNEY CHAMBER

Upcoming ribbon cuttings

Thursday, Dec. 10, 11:30 a.m.: Planet Smoothie, 2014 University Drive.

Thursday, Dec. 10, 5:30 p.m.: McKinney Convention & Visitors Bureau, 2411 Virginia Parkway Ste. 5.

Tuesday, Dec. 15, 11:30 a.m.: Fleurs & Events, 6841 Virginia Parkway, Ste. 105.

CRAZY WATER

Crazy Water and Market Street in McKinney will be spicing up the McKinney holiday celebration this Saturday, Dec. 5 from 2-5 p.m. by bringing talented Texas singer/songwriter, Stan Crawford, to the local Market Street at 6100 West Eldorado Parkway (972-548-5140) for a one-day only performance of his critically acclaimed freshman album "Crazy Water." The event will include live entertainment featuring Stan Crawford and complimentary Stan Crawford autographed bottles of Crazy Water - all to say "thank you" to the loyal customers of Market Street and Crazy Water.

The D/FW Exotic Car Club is holding its 5th Annual “Toy Run” on Saturday, Dec. 5th. 150-180 cars, including Ferraris, Bentley, Lamborghinis, Aston Martins, and Mercedes Benz, will be arriving at the Redmond-Taylor Army Heliport (Dallas Naval Air Station) with toys in hand. Toys donated by members of the club will be given to the families of the 2nd Battalion, 149th Aviation Regiment. CH-47 "Chinook" helicopters will be on display during the event. The 2-149th returned home from Iraq earlier this year and members of the battalion will be on hand to greet the cars. The event will be at 1009 Lakecrest Drive in Grand Prairie. For information on the D/FW Exotic Car Club, contact Don Rose at 469-235-5639.

VOLUNTEER

Volunteer McKinney Center

Volunteer opportunities

Heard Natural Science Center. Volunteers are needed to help set up for the Trail of Lights display. It is primarily outdoor work. Call or email Beverly Halperin 972-562-5566 X 271, bhalperin@heardmuseum.org or Vicki Northcutt: 972-562-5566, ext. 236 vnorthcutt@heardmuseum.org.

Holiday Store. Frisco Family Services Center is seeking volunteers to assist with the Holiday Store which provides clothes and toys for clients in need. Store set-up is December 7 – 11 (shifts 9-12, 12-3, and 3-5), and eight volunteers per shift are needed to sort donations and decorate the store. The Store will be open to clients December 14-18 and 21 (shift 8 -1 and 1-6). During store hours, 30 volunteers per shift are needed to serve as personal shoppers, stockers, and gift wrappers. If your business, church, family or school group can join this effort, contact Christen Heath at 972-335-9495 or volunteer@friscocenter.org for details.

Work directly with victims. The Turning Point (Rape Crisis Center of Collin County) has two daytime volunteer positions. One is to answer the sexual assault crisis hotline offering emotional support and intervention. These volunteers also assist with administrative tasks and other paperwork. Other volunteers are needed to accompany assault victims to the hospital to offer intervention and support. The Turning Point offers (at no charge) the 30-hour certified training required of these volunteers. For additional information, look for “Day Time Crisis Volunteer” under Updated Listings on the VMC website.

For information on these and other volunteer opportunities, contact Volunteer McKinney Center at 972/542-0679 or by e-mail at volunteermck@sbcglobal.net or Web Site www.volunteermckinney.org.

The Dickens of a Christmas…Home for the Holidays event may be over, but there is a lot more fun to be had in Historic Downtown McKinney this season.

Candlelight Shopping in Downtown McKinney

Saturday evenings in December many businesses open for extended hours.

www.downtownmckinney.com

Visits with Santa Claus

Saturdays in December (Dec. 5,12,19)

Visit www.downtownmckinney.com for specific times and locations.

10th Annual Rotary Christmas Light Parade in Historic Downtown McKinney

Dec. 5, 6:30 p.m.

Historic Downtown McKinney

www.mckinneyparadeoflights.com

2009 Holiday Tour of Homes

Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 5 and 6

Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Sunday 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.

The first weekend of December has been The Heritage Guild Holiday Tour of Homes since 1973. Tickets for the 2009 Holiday Tour of Homes are available at www.chestnutsquare.com or by calling 972-562-8790.

McKinney opens John and Judy Gay Library

In spite of a tough economy and a resulting tighter budget, McKinney maintains its commitment to high quality resident services by opening its second city library this month. A grand opening ceremony will be held on Dec. 10 at 10:30 a.m. at the new John and Judy Gay Library, 681 W. Eldorado Pkwy.

“Opening the John and Judy Gay Library is a tremendous success for our city. While many others cities have been forced to reduce existing staff and make other service cuts, we feel fortunate to have McKinney’s second library on the ground and beginning operations. The new building lays the physical foundation for the important role that the library will play, especially on the west side of McKinney,” said City Manager Frank Ragan.

The John and Judy Gay Library, located in Gabe Nesbitt Community Park on the west side of the city, opens right in time, as the Roy and Helen Hall Memorial Library welcomed record numbers of visitors this year. The new library features free wi-fi access, special areas for kids and teens, chairs designed for laptops, self-service computers with internet access and a study room. The building was designed with sustainable elements like a geothermal heating and cooling unit and lots of natural lighting.

The economy will have an effect on the service level at the library. McKinney’s second library will open with what is referred to as storefront service. Patrons can check out books, DVDs, CDs and all of the materials normally found in a library, in addition to accessing the self-service automated computer lab. Regular programs like book clubs and lecture series cannot be offered at this time due to budget constraints, but city leaders plan to incorporate these elements into the library as soon as funds are available. In the meantime, Hall Memorial Library, 101 E. Hunt St. near Historic Downtown McKinney, will continue to offer its full lineup of programs and activities.

“McKinney residents have a very strong appreciation for the value of libraries in our community, and we are very happy to have our second library serving residents throughout the city,” said Library Director Beth Scudder.

For more information, please call the Library at 972-547-7323, or visit www.mckinneypubliclibrary.org.

East Fork dam study to begin with public meeting

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is beginning a planning study for upgrading and rehabilitating dam Site 2A of the East Fork above Lavon watershed, located northwest of the intersection of CR 153 and CR 164 in McKinney. The first stage of the planning process includes a public meeting. The initial scoping meeting will be Wednesday Dec. 9 at 6:30 p.m. in McKinney’s City Council chambers, 222 N. Tennessee St. The purpose of the meeting is:

1. To obtain input from landowners and other stakeholders regarding environmental concerns and other issues.

2. To review rehabilitation program requirements and procedures.

3. To discuss potential rehabilitation alternatives.

4. To select a steering committee.

The planning study will evaluate possible changes to the dam that will be required to bring the facilities into compliance with current NRCS and State of Texas criteria. It is expected to take a year to complete and is being carried out by engineers from the Texas NRCS headquarters in Temple.

Site 2A was originally constructed in 1957 to manage sediment and aid in flood control for the Wilson Creek watershed. Because of the high population growth and land use changes that McKinney has experienced in recent years, the dam is in need of an upgrade.

The dam is proposed to be rehabilitated to current safety standards in the year 2012. This project is being sponsored by the City of McKinney, Collin County, and the Collin County Soil and Water Conservation District, who work in partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to design and rehabilitate the dam.

For more information about the study or the meeting, please contact Lissa Shepard at (972) 547-7419 or lshepard@mckinneytexas.org.

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