Grapevine's Christmas Calendar Is Out

🎄 Grapevine's Christmas Capital Calendar Is Out

🏘️ Keller Council Weighs Brownstones and a Gated Neighborhood Tonight

❤️ Local Favorite: Texan Diner in Haslet

📅 Plus: 60+ Local Events, Weather & More

Tuesday, Oct. 20

Wednesday, Oct. 21

Thursday, Oct. 22

🎄 Grapevine's Christmas Capital Calendar Is Out

It's not even Halloween, but Grapevine has already posted its Christmas Capital of Texas calendar, and the visitors bureau counts more than 1,400 events over 40 days. If your family has a favorite tradition, now is a good time to circle the date.

The season kicks off Monday, Nov. 23. Mayor William D. Tate pardons Nash Farm's Tom T. Turkey at 10 a.m. at 701 S. Main St., and that evening the 38th annual Carol of Lights takes over Historic Main Street from 4 to 8 p.m., with Christmas bounce houses, Santa's Race Track and a three-lane snow hill. The 47th annual Parade of Lights rolls on Thursday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m., with more than 100 lighted floats and marching bands and this year's theme, "Christmas Miracle on Main Street." Then on Monday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m., the sixth annual Merry & Bright Drone Show puts 600 drones over the north end of Main Street, launching from the Northwest Highway side.

If you'd rather skate or ride, the Peace Plaza Ice Rink at 815 S. Main St. opens Saturday, Nov. 21, and runs through Jan. 5, at $20 for a one-hour session with skates included (closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day). Santa's North Pole Express runs on the Grapevine Vintage Railroad from Nov. 27 through Dec. 30, except Dec. 3, 24 and 25, and tickets are on sale now. The visitors bureau is warning families to buy only through ChristmasCapitalofTexas.com, GrapevineTexasUSA.com, GVRR.com or Ticketline, because third-party resellers have become a growing problem. The three Christmas Wine Trains (Nov. 20 and Dec. 10 and 17) are already at capacity. New this year, Dig World is hosting Christmas at Dig World from Dec. 18 to 24, where kids and adults can run real heavy machinery, with day passes from $30.

One more thing to plan around: Historic Main Street closes to traffic for stretches of the season, first from Sunday, Nov. 22, at 1 p.m. until Monday, Nov. 30, at 6 a.m., and again for the parade weekend, drone show night, Dec. 11 to 14 and Dec. 18 to 28. Free parking and a free shuttle run from the Grapevine Convention Center at 1201 Municipal Way.

See Grapevine's full Christmas Capital guide → | North Pole Express tickets and dates →

🏘️ Keller Council Weighs Brownstones and a Gated Neighborhood Tonight

Two housing proposals that went different ways at Keller's Planning and Zoning Commission go before the City Council tonight, Tuesday, Oct. 20. The regular meeting starts at 7 p.m. at Keller Town Hall, 1100 Bear Creek Parkway, and Persons to Be Heard, when anyone can address the council on any subject, comes early on the agenda.

The first is Samantha Springs Commerce, a 15.63-acre redevelopment at 800 N. Main St. The plan calls for 31 brownstone homes of at least 2,500 square feet, about 8.19 acres of commercial space and 3.27 acres of open space, and it would reuse three vacant buildings on the site: the former Harvest Christian Center church, the Samantha Springs water bottling plant and the old Shannon Brewery. The commission voted 4-2 against it in September, and city staff counted 38 messages opposing the request and seven in support. The council tabled it on Oct. 6, when applicant Jason Claunch of Catalyst Commercial said the brownstones are needed to "activate the commercial" on the site, Community Impact reported.

The second is Providence, a proposed gated neighborhood of 22 homes on 20.93 acres owned by Keller ISD at 901 Johnson Road. The rezoning would allow lots of at least 28,000 square feet (32,108 on average), with homes of at least 3,500 square feet on a private street with one gated entrance off Johnson Road. Its 2.36 acres of open space come in under the city's 15% standard, one of the exceptions the council will weigh. The commission voted 4-1 in favor, and staff received no written support or opposition. It's a public hearing, so residents can speak on it directly.

Read tonight's Keller City Council agenda →

❤️ Local Favorite: Texan Diner | 2488 Avondale-Haslet Rd. #140, Haslet

Three lifelong friends started Texan Diner with a simple idea: local food, made from scratch, that brings families together. Chef Curtis James, who ran Fort Worth's Vickery Café as owner and chef, built the menu around Texas comfort food with a gourmet twist, and the goal was for the diner to become Haslet's own hidden gem.

Breakfast is served all day. Try the Bayou Eggs Benedict with house-smoked tasso ham on jalapeño corn cakes, the Butter Pecan Cakes with roasted Texas pecans and house-made pecan syrup, or a Belgian waffle shaped like Texas. At lunch, the Hill Country Meatloaf comes wrapped in bacon and topped with Shiner Bock brown gravy, and there's shrimp étouffée and a chicken-fried New York strip, too. The bread is baked in house, the meats are brined and smoked in house, and weekly specials keep things interesting.

Texan Diner | 2488 Avondale-Haslet Rd. #140, Haslet | Mon-Tue 7 AM-2 PM, Wed-Sun 7 AM-3 PM | (682) 237-9884

See Texan Diner's full menu →

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