🦆 30,000 Rubber Ducks + a Taylor Swift Night

Hey, y’all!

Autumn Fest is back in Little Elm this weekend, and would you believe it's year 42. Carnival rides right there on the lakefront, food trucks, live music every single night, Thursday clear through Sunday at Little Elm Park. Friday at 7 a Taylor Swift tribute band plays two hours of nonstop hits, and Sunday closes out with a Selena tribute at 6. Admission's $5 most days, kids 12 and under free, and we're taking ours Friday.

Saturday morning we're pointed at Flower Mound. Cross Timbers Rotary tips 30,000 rubber ducks into the River Walk at 1 p.m., and the first one across the line wins somebody a $2,500 gift card. Free to watch, five bucks to adopt a duck, and the money all goes to local nonprofits. Hard to beat that for a Saturday.

Rather spend the day with a guitar solo? Denton Blues Festival runs all day in Quakertown Park. Also free.

Two news items worth your time. Lewisville City Council holds its hearing on a higher property tax rate and a 7.8 percent utility increase Monday night. And North Central Texas College is shutting its Flower Mound campus next summer.

Also inside: Costco finally put a month on its Grandscape opening, a Flower Mound breakfast joint that puts apple pie on French toast, and Hypnotic, a 71-pound Belgian Malinois whose adoption fee is waived. See you out there.

- Jason

If your home or auto insurance has been on autopilot for a while, this is a good reminder to take another look. Bramble Insurance is a southern-focused independent agency that specializes in Texans’ needs. Fill out their form online and complete a quote with a licensed agent and they’ll send you a $5 gift card to Chick-fil-A.

Little Elm Park
701 W Eldorado Pkwy, Little Elm, TX
Thursday to Sunday, September 17 – 20, 2026
Thu 6 – 10 p.m. • Fri 5 – 11 p.m. • Sat 2 – 11 p.m. • Sun 1 – 10 p.m.
$5 Friday and Sunday, $10 Saturday, kids 12 and under free; Thursday & Sunday wristband nights ($30 unlimited rides at gate); parking $10
Get Tickets

Forty-two years. That's how long Little Elm's been throwing this party. Same patch of lakefront grass at Little Elm Park, year after year. Carnival rides. Midway games. Food trucks, artisan booths, and a stage that lights up every single night.

Friday at 7 it's Reputation, a Dallas five-piece that plays two straight hours of Taylor Swift and not one other song. Saturday at 7, Topanga takes on the whole '90s. Sunday's the Hispanic Heritage Celebration. Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico at 2, and a Selena tribute, Tejano Queen Forever, at 6.

Sunday's wristband night too. Thirty bucks at the gate, and a kid rides everything from 1 to 10. Wristband holders skip the admission line. Grab the presale for $25 plus a $2 fee through Thursday at 3 p.m. and your admission's baked right in.

A carnival on the water. A different show every night. And the most it'll run you to walk through the gate is ten bucks. Around here, September doesn't get much better.

This is where we head when breakfast is the whole plan, not the thing you grab on the way to the plan. It sits in Parker Square, west side of Flower Mound. Locally owned. Family run. And packed most weekend mornings going on seven years now.

The Apple Pie French Toast is the reason folks keep coming back. Brioche, warm apple compote, candied pecans, a pile of whipped cream, $13.99. We order one for the table and then fight over the last bite.

Rest of the menu holds up. Breakfast tacos, three for $12.99 with bacon or sausage. Steak Benedict at $16.99, two little medallions under the hollandaise. And if you came hungry, the Whole Hog Omelette stacks ham, bacon and sausage for $14.99.

Reviews say about what you'd guess. "Probably one of the best breakfast meals I've ever had." And: "Food was delicious and came out quick!"

One thing worth knowing. The weekend wait is real, and a handful of those one-star reviews are all about it. They take reservations. Take the hint.

Price: $$
Hours:
Mon - Sun 7:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Fifteen years ago this June, Cara Vasquez opened a little scratch bakery in the Shops at Highland Village. She grew up baking alongside her mom. Went through culinary school at El Centro in Dallas. Then ran the bakery for a Dallas restaurant group a solid decade before striking out on her own. The shop's moved up Long Prairie Road to Flower Mound since then, and she's still the one back in the kitchen.

Everything's from scratch. No mixes, no artificial anything. Cupcakes $5, cookies $3, cinnamon rolls $6, and a whole Boston cream pie runs $45. The coffee bar pours $5.50 lattes, with a $7.75 pumpkin spice on for the season. She bakes pan dulce and sourdough loaves too, $10 a loaf.

Here's the new part. This year she opened Sweet 250, a 21-and-up cocktail bar tucked right inside the bakery. Thursday through Saturday, 6 to midnight. Mixology lessons and cookie-decorating nights you can book. A bakery by day, a cocktail lounge by night. Not a combo we saw coming on Long Prairie.

One Yelp reviewer put it plain: "Their cupcakes are amazing, especially the wedding cake and hot fudge sundae cupcakes."

Price: $ to $$
Hours:
Bakery
Tue – Sat 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Mon & Sun Closed
Sweet 250
Thu – Sat 6 p.m. – 12 a.m.

4 beds
3.5 baths
4,642 sqft
0.37 acre lot

A) $1,099,000

B) $1,175,000

C) $1,249,000

D) $1,325,000

The city's proposed $148 million budget raises the property tax rate from $0.419009 to $0.436381 per $100 of value. Tacks on a 7.8 percent utility rate increase too. City says the rate still lands among the lowest in North Texas.

Budget hearing already happened, Sept. 14. The tax rate hearing is the one to watch: Monday, Sept. 21, at the City Council meeting, Lewisville City Hall, 151 W Church St, Lewisville, TX. Want to speak your piece before it's on the books? That's the night to show up.

Full budget document's posted on the city's Annual Budget page and sitting at the Lewisville Public Library. Questions go to Budget Manager Ashley Carlisle at 972-219-3411.

Source: City of Lewisville

The North Central Texas College Board of Regents voted to shut the 32,000-square-foot Parker Square campus in Flower Mound no later than Aug. 31, 2027, once the summer term wraps. The campus opened back in January 2011.

Chancellor Brent Wallace and Board Chair Karla Metzler pointed at enrollment, demand and what it costs to keep the lights on. Students can slide over to NCTC's other Denton County spots or go online. Staff may get reassigned, and some jobs may go away.

For the dual-credit families in Lewisville ISD, this was the close one. You've got a year to figure out plan B.

Source: Cross Timbers Gazette

The 155,000-square-foot Costco going up near Spring Creek Parkway and Grandscape Boulevard in The Colony, TX is set to open in October 2026. And the company's hiring for all positions on its careers site right now.

No exact date on the door yet. Memberships run $65 for Gold Star, $130 for Executive.

For most of us around the lake, this'll be the closest Costco by a country mile. Job link's down in the In Search Of section.

Source: FOX 4 News

Thirteen Lewisville ISD kids made the National Math Stars program this year. Picked from roughly 9,000 applicants nationwide. Just over 600 got in.

Three of them are Voyager Stars: Layth Nasir at Donald Elementary, Maksym Shevchenko at Hebron Valley, and Steven Tang at Forest Vista. That's a fully funded 10-year deal the organization says runs more than $100,000 per kid. The other 10 are Pathfinder Stars, out of Bluebonnet, Morningside, Independence, Old Settlers and Homestead.

Source: Lewisville ISD

The Colony City Council adopted a $0.6275 tax rate on Sept. 1. A quarter-cent cut, and the 26th straight year the rate's dropped or held flat. General Fund spending drops about $3.4 million after a zero-based budget review shaved roughly 10 percent off expenses.

Separately, the city reminded residents that the deadline to register for the Nov. 3 City Council election is Monday, Oct. 5. Register at votedenton.gov or at City Hall, 6053 Main St, The Colony, TX.

Source: City of The Colony | City of The Colony

He's a 71-pound Belgian Malinois mix with legs for days, and he's been waiting at the Lewisville shelter since June 3. That's better than three months. Which is exactly why the shelter tagged him a VIP and waived his adoption fee.

Staff call him a leggy dude who loves his people. Housebroken, heartworm negative, and the activity level on his card reads "Busy bee!" Ever met a Malinois? Then you know that's not a joke. This is a dog for somebody who runs, hikes LLELA on the weekends, or just wants a training partner who genuinely wants the work.

Here's the honest part. He gets nervous meeting new dogs. Not mean, just cautious. Staff say he's curious about them, he only wants a proper introduction first, and he does best with dogs who match his motor. Kids are a question mark, so plan a slow meet and greet if you've got either at home.

He's vaccinated, microchipped, wormed and neutered. Normally the $90 fee covers all of that plus a year of city registration for Lewisville folks. For Hypnotic, it's zero. Adoptions go first come, first served, so if you've already got a dog, bring them along for the meet.

Find him at the Gene Carey Animal Shelter and Adoption Center, 995 E Valley Ridge Blvd, Lewisville, TX 75057. Tue to Fri 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sat noon to 5 p.m., Monday by appointment, closed Sunday. 972-219-3478.

🎡 Autumn Fest, Reputation: A Tribute to Taylor Swift - Little Elm Park, 701 W Eldorado Pkwy, Little Elm, TX | 5 to 11 p.m., music 7 to 9 p.m. | $5, kids 12 and under free, parking $10 | More: lakefrontlittleelm.com
Night one of the carnival for us. Two hours of Taylor Swift from a Dallas five-piece, rides spinning the whole time. It's our Event of the Week, see up top.

🎬 Movie in the Park: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants - Heritage Park, 600 Spinks Rd, Flower Mound, TX | Movie at 7:30 p.m. | Free | More: flowermound.gov
Week three of the Friday movie run on the Heritage Park lawn. Food trucks on site. Bring chairs or a blanket, no sign-up needed.

🏄 The Cove at The Lakefront - 417 Lakefront Dr, Little Elm, TX | 4 to 8 p.m. | $14 ages 15 to 49, $11 ages 2 to 14 and 50+, under 2 free | More: thecoveatthelakefront.com
Indoors and climate controlled, on school-year hours now. Four hours of slides and lazy river, then Autumn Fest is two blocks over.

💦 Old Town Splash Park - 535 W College St, Lewisville, TX | 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. | Free | More: playlewisville.com
Ninety spray features, no standing water, not a dime to get in. Still going through the end of September.

🌳 LLELA Trails - Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area, 201 E Jones St, Lewisville, TX | 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. | $5 per vehicle, card only | More: llela.org
Trails, fishing, a kayak launch, and yes, a bison herd. Gatehouse takes card only, and no pets anywhere on the property.

📖 Story Time at North Branch - Denton Public Library North Branch, 3020 N Locust St, Denton, TX | Baby Story Time 9:30 a.m., Story Time ages 1 to 5 at 11 a.m. | Free | More: denton.bibliocommons.com
Two sessions, split by age. Tickets go out at the door since the room fills up, so roll in a few minutes early.

🎨 Art Lab - Emily Fowler Central Library, 502 Oakland St, Denton, TX | 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. | Free | More: denton.bibliocommons.com
STEM-flavored hands-on art, ages 6 to 10. Younger ones welcome with a grown-up along.

🖼️ Fresh Ideas 2026 and Tears to Glory exhibits - Lewisville Grand Theater, 100 N Charles St, Lewisville, TX | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Free | More: lewisvillegrand.com
Two free indoor galleries. Tears to Glory comes down after Saturday. Fresh Ideas hangs through Sept. 26.

🎸 Autumn Fest, Topanga '90s Cover Band - Little Elm Park, 701 W Eldorado Pkwy, Little Elm, TX | 2 to 11 p.m., music 7 to 9 p.m. | $10, kids 12 and under free, parking $10 | More: lakefrontlittleelm.com
The big day of the carnival, nine straight hours of rides. Topanga plays the whole '90s at 7. Plan on a Saturday night out with the kids.

🎸 Denton Blues Festival - Quakertown Park, 321 E McKinney St, Denton, TX | 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. | Free | More: dentonbluesfest.com
Twenty-eight years running, one day only. Ten acts on the stage, food and craft vendors, and headliner Mathias Lattin at 9. Bring your own chairs.

🏚️ Saturday at the Homestead - LLELA, 201 E Jones St, Lewisville, TX | 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. | $5 per vehicle, card only | More: llela.org
Docents open up the 1869 Minor-Porter log house. It's a 0.4-mile walk from the Cicada Pavilion lot, so pack water.

🌾 Service Saturday: Pollinator Seed Harvesting - Thrive, 1950 S Valley Pkwy, Lewisville, TX | 8 to 10 a.m. | Free, registration required | More: llela.org
Harvest native seed from Thrive's no-mow zones for next year's plantings. All ages with an adult, wear closed-toe shoes, supplies are on them.

🥕 Denton Community Market - 317 W Mulberry St, Denton, TX | 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Free | More: dentonmarket.org
Producer-only market, live music and food trucks, every Saturday through Dec. 20. Pairs easy with the Blues Fest four blocks over.

🪶 Stories of the Comanche with Lance Tahmahkera - Denton Public Library North Branch, 3020 N Locust St, Denton, TX | 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Free | More: denton.bibliocommons.com
Quanah Parker's great-great-grandson tells the family stories himself. All ages, no sign-up.

📖 Family Storytime - Lewisville Public Library, 1197 W Main St, Lewisville, TX | 11 a.m. | Free | More: library.cityoflewisville.com
Stories, songs and wiggles in the Bennett Program Room. Grab free tickets at the Youth Services desk before class, space is tight.

💃 Autumn Fest, Hispanic Heritage Celebration and Wristband Night - Little Elm Park, 701 W Eldorado Pkwy, Little Elm, TX | 1 to 10 p.m., Ballet Folklorico 2 to 4 p.m., Tejano Queen Forever 6 to 8 p.m. | $5, kids 12 and under free, unlimited-ride wristband $30 at gate, parking $10 | More: lakefrontlittleelm.com
Closing day. Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico at 2, a Selena tribute at 6, and the wristband covers every ride plus your way in.

🥬 Supergood Farmers Market - Grandscape Plaza, 5752 Grandscape Blvd, The Colony, TX | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Free | More: grandscape.com
Brand new Sunday market, only its second week. Produce, meats, baked goods and local makers spread across the plaza.

🐕 Bow Wow Luau - Hawaiian Waters, 4400 Paige Rd, The Colony, TX | 1 to 5 p.m. | $24.99 per person, up to 2 dogs | More: thecolonytx.gov
The water park's last day of the season goes straight to the dogs. Proceeds help The Colony Animal Shelter's injured animal fund.

📚 Denton StoryWalks - Denton Square, 110 W Hickory St, Denton, TX | Anytime | Free | More: denton.bibliocommons.com
Picture-book pages posted in storefront windows around the courthouse square. Read a whole book on a stroll.

🎷 The New York Voices with the UNT One O'Clock Lab Band - Windmills Brewery at Grandscape, 5752 Grandscape Blvd, The Colony, TX | 7 to 9 p.m. | $50 table, $40 bar | More: grandscape.com
A Grammy-nominated vocal jazz quartet on its farewell tour, backed by UNT's One O'Clock Lab Band. Small room. Buy ahead.

🎤 Lakeside Music Series: Becky Middleton - Music Series Plaza at Lakeside Village, 2412 Lakeside Pkwy, Flower Mound, TX | 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. | Free | More: lakesidevillage.com
Free R&B and pop on the plaza over Lake Grapevine. Bring chairs and your own cooler, both are fair game.

🥃 BENDT Distilling tour and tasting - 225 S Charles St, Lewisville, TX | 6 p.m., about 45 minutes | $10, 21+, reservation required | More: bendtdistillingco.com
Walkable from Old Town, and it ends in a guided tasting. The whiskey garden happy hour runs 7 to 10 after that.

🎭 Emo Drag Night - Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios patio, 411 E Sycamore St, Denton, TX | Doors 7:30 p.m., show 8:30 p.m. | $10 advance, $15 day of, 18+ | More: rubberglovesdenton.com
Drag on the patio to an emo soundtrack. Flyer says dress up, so dress up.

🎸 Team Effort, Trash Puppies, Crash Through The Floor - Rubber Gloves Showroom, 411 E Sycamore St, Denton, TX | Doors 7 p.m., show 8 p.m. | $10, 18+ | More: rubberglovesdenton.com
Three-band rock bill indoors, ten bucks. Denton at its most Denton.

🎧 DJ Night at Tande Craft Kitchen & Cocktails - Grandscape, 5752 Grandscape Blvd, The Colony, TX | 10 p.m. to midnight | No cover | More: grandscape.com
Late DJs, craft cocktails, a short late-night menu. The landing spot after the Windmills show.

🍷 LaRue Winery tasting room - 1491 N Kealy Ave, Suite 1, Lewisville, TX | 6:30 to 11 p.m. | No cover, pay per pour or bottle | More: laruewinery.org
Lewisville's first winery, open late on Fridays. Natural wines, no sugar added. Ask for the production room walk-through.

🎶 Everything Yes - Windmills Brewery at Grandscape, 5752 Grandscape Blvd, The Colony, TX | 7 to 9 p.m. | $30 table, $20 bar | More: grandscape.com
Jazz-fusion outfit led by drummer Zack Grooves, and those 440,000 YouTube subscribers didn't show up by accident. Funk, gospel and prog in one set.

🏈 LSU Football Watch Party - Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux at Grandscape, 5752 Grandscape Blvd, The Colony, TX | 6:30 p.m. | Free entry | More: grandscape.com
Dedicated game sound, private room, LSU Alumni Dallas running it. Ten percent of sales go to the alumni scholarship fund.

🤘 Mr. Phylyzzz, Stress Palace, Gli33i, Toothpick - Rubber Gloves Showroom, 411 E Sycamore St, Denton, TX | Doors 7:30 p.m., show 8:30 p.m. | $12 presale, $18 door, 18+ | More: rubberglovesdenton.com
Chicago noise-rock duo fresh off a Melvins tour, three local openers stacked ahead. Headliner hits at 10:45.

💃 Las Chingonas - Rubber Gloves patio, 411 E Sycamore St, Denton, TX | Doors 8 p.m., show 9 p.m. | $10, 18+ | More: rubberglovesdenton.com
Retro salsa party on the patio. Wear shoes you can actually move in.

🎺 Nicholas Payton - Windmills Brewery at Grandscape, 5752 Grandscape Blvd, The Colony, TX | 7 to 9 p.m. | $50 table, $40 bar | More: grandscape.com
Grammy-winning New Orleans trumpeter, 20-plus albums with his name on top. A Sunday night jazz show this good in The Colony doesn't come around often.

🍸 Sunday Unwind with Chloe Clemente - Tande Craft Kitchen & Cocktails, 5752 Grandscape Blvd, The Colony, TX | 5 to 7 p.m. | No cover | More: grandscape.com
Live acoustic sets and handmade cocktails, every Sunday through October. An early night out that still counts as a night out.

🎶 M.i.N.D and The Chromeishomes, Christine Spades Band, Neon Swami - Rubber Gloves Showroom, 411 E Sycamore St, Denton, TX | Doors 7 p.m., show 8 p.m. | $10, 18+ | More: rubberglovesdenton.com
Three-band local bill, ten dollars. Sunday shows in Denton feel like a little secret.

At 1 p.m. Saturday, somebody tips 30,000 yellow rubber ducks into the Flower Mound River Walk and the whole bank hollers them toward the finish. First duck across wins a $2,500 Visa gift card. Second takes $1,500, third grabs $1,000, and places four through ten pull prizes too.

Ninth year Cross Timbers Rotary has run it, and it's grown into a real morning out. Live music from 10. Food trucks, vendor booths, a kids' zone, and a chalk artist who drew Ernie holding a rubber duck last year.

Walking in costs nothing. Adopting a duck costs $5, or five for $25, and every dollar heads to local groups like CASA of Denton County, PediPlace, Christian Community Action and the LISD Education Foundation. You've got to be 18 to adopt one, and you don't have to be standing there to win.

Park at the Marriott Courtyard and follow the Rotarians in yellow. Bring a chair, bring the kids, and get down to the water's edge before 1. The drop itself lasts about a minute. Worth every second of the wait.