🏈 UNT's Home Opener + a Free Mario Movie

Hey, y’all!

Saturday afternoon, Denton gets its first look at the Neal Brown era. UNT kicks off at home against UNLV at 2:45, and the athletic department cooked up a $35 ticket deal that throws in an exclusive Desert Scrappy tee. New coach. New logo. First home Saturday of the year. We'll be down at the rail.

Saturday night is the cheap date of the weekend. Little Elm's rolling the new Mario movie on the Lawn at The Lakefront at 7. Free, and free popcorn while it lasts.

One bit of housekeeping before you fire up the backyard. Denton County dropped a burn ban in late August. No wood fires, no brush burning. Propane, charcoal, or gas only, with distance from vegetation and combustibles, as well as fully enclosed. Or else it's a fine up to $500. Details in the Lowdown.

Friday marks 25 years since September 11. Local fire departments have held morning remembrance ceremonies every year, and we expect the same this time.

Also inside: a Denton square burger joint run by an honest-to-goodness Texas songwriter, a purple bookstore sitting on half a million books, and Kevin, a sixty-four-pound Lab who talks more than he listens.

See you out there.

- Jason

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DATCU Stadium
1251 S Bonnie Brae St, Denton, TX
Saturday, September 12, 2026
Kickoff 2:45 p.m.
$35 Denton Desert ticket package, exclusive t-shirt included
Get Tickets

First home game of the Neal Brown era. Those don't come around twice. UNT pulled Brown out of Texas (formerly WVU) to push this program up a level, and Saturday at 2:45 is when Denton finds out what that looks like up close.

Theme's Denton Desert. The $35 package gets you a ticket and an exclusive Desert Scrappy t-shirt, and the school wants every seat wearing it. ESPNU's got the cameras. Place needs to look loud.

College football, fifteen minutes up I-35E, for less than you'd pay to park at a Cowboys game. Grab the shirt. Grab a seat. Be able to say you were there for game one.

There's a burger joint on the Denton square where every burger's named after a Texas music legend, and the fella who owns it writes Texas songs himself. Jon Christopher Davis opened LSA in 2013 with partner John "Sparky" Pearson. Named it after his own honky-tonk song, Lone Star Attitude.

Order the Georgie Boy, fourteen bucks of cheddar, bacon and house mayo. Most-ordered thing on the menu. The Waylon's the $13 classic. The Stevie runs $15 with bleu cheese, bacon and Frank's hot sauce. The $17 Spirit of a Hero stacks an onion ring, mac and cheese and queso on one patty. Start with the $12 brisket queso. Dr Pepper BBQ sauce is involved.

The reviews read about how you'd hope. "The burgers were juicy and full of flavor, and the fries were perfectly crispy." And: "I got the Georgie Boy and I highly recommend you try it!"

Head up the stairs painted like piano keys and the rooftop patio stares straight at the 1895 courthouse. Inside, the east wall holds The Great Texas Supper, a Last Supper parody with Willie, Janis and ten other Texas greats passing burgers around.

If Denton's a haul, there's a second LSA at Grandscape, 5752 Grandscape Blvd #120, The Colony, TX 75056.

Price: $$
Hours:
Denton
Sun - Thu 11 AM - 9:30 PM
Fri - Sat 11 AM - 10:30 PM
The Colony
Sun - Thu 11 AM - 10 PM
Fri - Sat 11 AM - 11 PM

The big purple building on the Denton square holds roughly half a million used books, and it's here because a Denton High grad couldn't quit digging through record bins. Don Foster opened Recycled in 1983 in a 450-square-foot storefront off University Drive. Six months, and it overflowed. In 1990 he moved into the 1900s-era Wright Opera House, and it's been sprawling into a three-floor maze ever since. Staff still call him Uncle Don. He's still there.

Largest independent used bookstore in Texas. Books, vinyl, CDs, vintage video games, board games, anime figures. The buy-sell-trade counter runs every day, and for the big DFW collections, they'll drive to you.

The details are the fun part. Gift certificates come in book-nerd tiers, from the $20 "Short Story" on up to the $100 "Finnegan's Wake." Teachers, military, seniors and square employees get 10% off. Wear Recycled merch in the door, 10% off again.

One TripAdvisor review issues the correct warning: "I dare you to get in and out in less than an hour."

Parents, one deadline: 2026 summer reading coupons are redeemable only through Sept. 15, so this weekend's the window.

Price: $
Hours:
Mon - Sun 9 AM - 9 PM

4 beds
3 baths
3,931 sqft
0.5 acre lot

A) $899,000

B) $949,000

C) $995,000

D) $1,065,000

Flower Mound Town Council signed off on a land swap with Argyle this month. Just over 62 acres heads to Argyle, about 8 acres comes back, and most of that returning slice is slated to hold water detention for the roughly 200-acre Monarch development along I-35W.

That detention capacity is the whole unlock. With it, Monarch can add a fifth big-box store, on top of two home improvement centers, restaurants, maybe gas stations, and about 250 townhomes expected to run from the high $500,000s to the high $700,000s.

Here's the kicker: most of what Flower Mound handed over sits in floodplain it couldn't touch anyway, and the deal makes Argyle keep it as parkland or open space. TxDOT's got a frontage road and interchange planned there inside two years.

One vote left. Argyle's council takes up the boundary change Sept. 21.

Source: Cross Timbers Gazette

County commissioners passed a countywide burn ban Aug. 25, effective right away, after 30-plus days with no rain. County Judge Andy Eads signed a wildfire disaster declaration the same morning.

Here's the part that reaches your backyard. Grilling isn't banned outright, it's just fenced in. Propane and gas are fine in a fully enclosed cooker, and charcoal or wood works too if the grill's fully enclosed with a five-foot clearance around it. Open fires, brush burning and open flames are done. Break it and the fine runs up to $500.

A 125-acre grass fire over in Ponder the weekend before is what put everybody on edge. The ban holds till commissioners or Judge Eads lift it.

Source: Cross Timbers Gazette

The city dropped 2026 hours and prices for Western Days, Sept. 25 and 26 in Old Town Lewisville, TX. Admission's free before 6 p.m. both days, no ticket, live music included. After 6 it's $15 all-inclusive, and kids 12 and under are always free.

Two more wallet notes. Friday happy hour, 4 to 6 p.m., knocks Kid Kountry wristbands from $15 down to $10, good both days. And the grounds are cashless. Bars and food trucks take RFID wristbands only, $1 to activate, and last year's wristbands still work if you've got a balance left on one.

Eli Young Band headlines Friday at 10 p.m. Randy Rogers Band closes it out Saturday.

Source: City of Lewisville

Every school district in southern Denton County passed the TEA's 2026 School FIRST financial integrity ratings, and Lewisville ISD scored a perfect 100, best of the bunch locally. Northwest ISD and Denton ISD each landed 98, Argyle ISD 92.

Different report card from the academic A-F ratings we ran last edition. FIRST grades how a district handles money. Data accuracy, admin cost ratios, debt, fund balance.

And here's the turn. LISD appealed an F on this same rating back in 2022, blamed clerical errors at the time. F to a 100 in four years.

Source: Cross Timbers Gazette

Work kicked off in August on a $1.5 million job turning Field No. 5 at Chinn Chapel Soccer Complex in Flower Mound, TX from grass to synthetic turf, plus a new scoreboard, goalposts, netting, fencing and drainage. Expected completion: October.

If your Saturdays run on youth sports, this is the fix for the rained-out text chain, at least on the multipurpose field. The new surface gets marked for soccer, football and lacrosse.

Voters funded it in the May 2025 bond, and the bid went to Paragon Sports Constructors, the same crew behind a bunch of LISD campus fields.

Source: Cross Timbers Gazette

Some dogs sit in the back of the kennel and wait for you to notice them. Kevin is not one of those dogs. He is eleven months old, sixty-four pounds, and he has plenty to say about all of it.

Shelter staff put it plainly. He's an outgoing boy who loves people and will tell you all about it. If you want a talkative goofball, Kevin is your guy. He's still a puppy in a big dog's body, so the energy runs high and it will for a while yet. A yard helps. A family that likes long walks before the heat sets in helps more.

Now the unknowns. Nobody has logged how he does with kids or other dogs, and his housetraining is a question mark. That's normal for a young dog who ended up at a shelter. Bring your kids and your dog up for a meet and greet first, then give him a few weeks of routine at home. Labs sort it out fast.

Kevin's vaccinated, wormed, microchipped, heartworm negative, treated for fleas and sterilized. The $90 adoption fee covers all of it, plus a year of city registration for Lewisville folks.

One thing worth knowing before you drive over. Adoptions here are first come, first served during open hours, and if more than one person shows up at opening for the same dog, the shelter holds a drawing. Getting there an hour early buys you NOTHING.

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

🎬 Movie in the Park: How to Train Your Dragon - Heritage Park, 600 Spinks Rd, Flower Mound, TX | 7 p.m., movie at 7:30 p.m. | Free | More: flowermound.gov
Week two of the Friday movie run on the Heritage Park lawn, this time the live-action dragon one. Food trucks on site, no sign-up, bring chairs.

🎸 Live on the Stage: Graceland Ninjas - Corona Stage & Lawn at Grandscape, 5752 Grandscape Blvd, The Colony, TX | 7 to 9 p.m. | Free | More: grandscape.com
A mashup party band that runs Elvis clear through Bruno Mars. Blankets and lawn chairs welcome, parking's free in the Crest Auto Garage, no outside coolers.

🎨 Last days for three galleries at the Grand - Lewisville Grand Theater, 100 N Charles St, Lewisville, TX | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Free | More: lewisvillegrand.com
Fresh Ideas 2026, Tears to Glory and She Found Her Way all come down after Saturday. Free, indoors, and the AC works.

💦 Old Town Splash Park - 535 W College St, Lewisville, TX | 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. | Free | More: playlewisville.com
The last Lewisville water spot still running after Labor Day, ninety spray features, no admission. Closed Thursdays for upkeep, open the rest of the week.

🌳 LLELA Trails - Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area, 201 E Jones St, Lewisville, TX | 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. | $5 per vehicle | More: llela.org
Cooler mornings are finally close. Gatehouse is card only, and leave the dog home, no pets anywhere on the property.

🏄 The Cove at The Lakefront - 417 Lakefront Dr, Little Elm, TX | 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. | $20 adults weekday, under 2 free | More: thecoveatthelakefront.com
Indoor and climate controlled, so let the weather do whatever it wants. Same-day re-entry with your wristband.

🎬 Lights, Camera, Lawn: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie - The Lawn at The Lakefront, 125 Main St, Little Elm, TX | 7 to 9 p.m. | Free | More: lakefrontlittleelm.com
Free lakeside screening of the new Mario movie, free popcorn from Flix while it lasts. Our Free Event of the Week, see below.

🐦 2nd Saturday Bird Walk - LLELA, 201 E Jones St, Lewisville, TX | 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. | $5 per person plus $5 per vehicle, registration required | More: llela.org
Expert-led walk on the prime birding trails, ages 10 and up. Registration closes 4 p.m. Friday, so don't dawdle.

🎣 Beginner Fly Fishing Class - LLELA Cottonwood Pavilion, 201 E Jones St, Lewisville, TX | 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Free with $5 per vehicle entry | More: llela.org
The Dallas Fly Fishers walk you through casting, knots and fly tying. Bring a hat, water and a sack lunch, and call Paul Locklear at 318-518-8945 to sign up.

🥕 Denton Community Market - 317 W Mulberry St, Denton, TX | 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Free | More: dentonmarket.org
Producer-only market, every Saturday through Dec. 20, live music and food trucks. Mid-September is peak fall produce.

📖 Family Storytime - Lewisville Public Library, 1197 W Main St, Lewisville, TX | 11 a.m. | Free | More: library.cityoflewisville.com
All ages in the Bennett Program Room. Free tickets go out at the Youth Services desk before class, space is tight, so roll in a few minutes early.

🛍️ Scheels Celebrates North Texas Giving Day - Grandscape Lawn, 5752 Grandscape Blvd, The Colony, TX | 4 to 8 p.m. | Free | More: grandscape.com
Live performances and local nonprofits out on the lawn. Easy add-on if you're already headed to Grandscape for dinner.

🏄 The Cove at The Lakefront - 417 Lakefront Dr, Little Elm, TX | noon to 6 p.m. | $22 adults weekend, under 2 free | More: thecoveatthelakefront.com
Six indoor hours, a lazy river and a FlowRider. A solid reset before the school week.

🌳 LLELA Trails - 201 E Jones St, Lewisville, TX | 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. | $5 per vehicle, card only | More: llela.org
Trails, paddling and the bison herd. Get there before 10 a.m. for the best bird action and temps you can stand.

💦 Old Town Splash Park - 535 W College St, Lewisville, TX | 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. | Free | More: playlewisville.com
Ten free hours of spray features. September in Texas is still splash-pad weather, let's be honest.

🥃 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, ends in a guided tasting, and the whiskey-garden happy hour runs 7 to 10 after. Book ahead and bring your ID.

🎸 Spun, Yellowbelly, Maybe in the Next Life - Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios, 411 E Sycamore St, Denton, TX | doors 7 p.m., show 8 p.m. | $15, 18+ | More: rubberglovesdenton.com
Album release show in the Showroom. Denton's weird-music institution doing its thing.

🦇 HELL HOUSE Goth Night - Rubber Gloves Rubber Room, 411 E Sycamore St, Denton, TX | 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. | $10, 18+ | More: rubberglovesdenton.com
DJs spinning Siouxsie, Boy Harsher and Ministry till 2 a.m. The flyer's dress code reads "dress for death," so wear the black one.

🍷 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. The owners will walk you through the production room if you ask nice.

🎺 Factory Fridays plaza live music - Toyota Music Factory, 316 W Las Colinas Blvd, Irving, TX | 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. | Free | More: toyotamusicfactory.com
Free live music on the plaza with the whole restaurant row right there. No ticket, no cover, no catch.

🎧 DJ Night at Tande Craft Kitchen & Cocktails - Grandscape, 5752 Grandscape Blvd, The Colony, TX | 10 p.m. to midnight | No cover | More: grandscape.com
Live DJs, craft cocktails and a short late menu. Garage parking's free and wide open at that hour.

🎤 Aaron Stephens at Windmills Brewery - Windmills at Grandscape, 5752 Grandscape Blvd, The Colony, TX | 7 to 9 p.m. | $30 table seating, $20 bar seating | More: grandscape.com
Blues and soul listening-room show inside the brewery from an ACL Fest alum. Buy ahead, the room's small.

🥃 BENDT Distilling Saturday tours - 225 S Charles St, Lewisville, TX | 1 and 3 p.m. | $10, 21+, reservation required | More: bendtdistillingco.com
Two daytime slots that pair up nice with lunch in Old Town. Bottle shop's open noon to 5.

🤘 Powerplant, Laughing Matter, Battery Licker, Cries of Agony - Rubber Gloves Showroom, 411 E Sycamore St, Denton, TX | doors 7 p.m., show 8 p.m. | $15, 18+ | More: rubberglovesdenton.com
Goth-tinged punk on an album tour. Four bands, fifteen bucks. Math checks out.

🎶 Zac Yevette, Smallest Towns, Maple, Rats of Mars - Rubber Gloves Rubber Room, 411 E Sycamore St, Denton, TX | doors 7 p.m., show 8 p.m. | $10, 18+ | More: rubberglovesdenton.com
Four-band local indie bill for ten bucks. Sunday shows in Denton always feel like a secret you're in on.

🍸 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.

The sequel to the Mario movie your kids made you watch twice is playing outdoors, on the Little Elm lakefront, for nothing.

Mario, Luigi, Peach and Toad blast into space after Bowser Jr. Saturday, September 12 at The Lawn at The Lakefront (125 Main St), starting at 7 p.m., and the whole thing wraps by 9 so bedtime lives.

Flix hands out free popcorn while supplies last. Popcorn runs dry, Mr. Jim's Pizza and Kona Ice are set up right there.

Bring chairs. Bring blankets. Bring the crew that still fights over who gets to be Mario. A movie on a lawn next to the water in September, and the only money you'll spend is optional pizza money. Best deal of the weekend, and it isn't close.