You wouldn’t know it from the thermometer, but the calendar says fall begins later this month — and so do a plethora of crowd-pleasing annual events.

Based on the astronomical Autumnal Equinox, the first day of fall in the Northern Hemisphere is Tuesday, Sept. 22.

But the 2026 H-E-B | Central Market Plano Balloon Festival takes to the sky the weekend before, running from Thursday, Sept. 17, through Sunday, Sept. 20, at Oak Point Park. 2801 E. Spring Creek Parkway in East Plano. 

This marks the 47th year of ballooning in Plano and Collin County and the event features balloons, food vendors, crafts made by local artisans, the Central Market Kids Fun Zone, entertainment on the FOX4 Main Stage, RE/MAX of Texas skydiving exhibitions and nightly fireworks.

Tickets are available for purchase onsite with adult tickets priced at $10 and $5 for kids 3-12 and seniors 65 and older.

Kids under 36 inches tall are admitted for free, as are all current and retired military with valid ID.

The festival is cashless, with all sales made via credit or debit card or Apple Pay.

The following weekend, the State Fair of Texas kicks off Friday, Sept. 25, and will run through Sunday, Oct. 18, in historic Fair Park in Dallas. 

Hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. but 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and this year’s theme is “Stars, Stripes and Howdies.”

Children aged 2 and under are admitted free while tickets for kids 3 through 12 are $10. All admissions are $10 after 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday. 

Adult admissions (ages 13–59) are $15 Monday–Thursday and $25 Friday–Sunday. Seniors aged 60-up are admitted for $13 Monday–Wednesday, $7 Thursdays and $20 Friday–Sunday. 

Parking in official State Fair lots is $25 but DART’s Green Line serves the Fair and provides free parking in park-and-ride lots.

Celebrating 16 years of fun, Murphy’s free Maize Days Cornival is from noon until after the fireworks show at 9:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 3, in Central Park, 550 N. Murphy Road.

Parking is free in Tom Kimbrough Stadium just to the north of the park and no shuttle will be available. VIP parking is $10 at the City Hall complex. 

Vendors accept cash but VIP parking and ride wristbands will require a credit or debit card. Wristbands are $15 before the event and $20 on the day of the festival. 

Entertainment will be on the Methodist Richardson Medical Center Main Stage and the CoServ Community Stage. The Maize Midway will have games and rides, and the Primrose Playground will be available for younger tots. Other attractions include inflatables, farm games and cornhole competition. 

Dogs are allowed but must be leashed at all times.

November brings cooler temperatures and the Murphy Family Campout from 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, to 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Central Park pond. 

Campsites for up to five campers are available for $50, with registration only for Murphy residents until Wednesday, Sept. 30. Non-residents may then sign up until Oct. 15.

The event includes dinner, breakfast, s’mores, a movie and a variety of games. 

On Saturday, Dec. 5, Murphy celebrates Christmas in the Park, a free event from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the City Hall complex.

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The Texas Department of Transportation is proposing a $230 million expansion of FM 3286 and FM 546 across Lavon Lake, a project that would replace the existing two-lane bridge and widen nearly five miles of roadway between Lucas and the Princeton area.

But construction remains years away and no money has been identified to build it.

TxDOT presented the proposal Tuesday, Aug. 25, during an open house at Southfork Ranch in Parker.

The project covers approximately 4.71 miles, extending from FM 1378 in Lucas east along FM 3286, also known as East Lucas Road, across Lake Lavon and continuing on FM 546 to FM 982 leading into Princeton.

Read the full story, stay informed, and support your local community newspaper, subscribe to The Murphy Monitor.

Officials say the individual visited three public venues while infectious:

Turrentine Jackson Morrow Funeral Home, 2525 Central Expressway North, Allen, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Aug. 14; Gloria’s Latin Cuisine, 152 Fountain Circle Fairview, between 12:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Aug. 14; and The Revel in Frisco Patio & Grill, 9305 Preston Road, Frisco, from 7:45 p.m. to 12 a.m. Aug. 15.

The county says measles is a highly contagious disease that can be transmitted from person-to-person through the air or contaminated surfaces. Measles can remain in the air for up to two hours after an infected person has left the area. Measles can lead to serious health complications, health officials say.

Collin County Health Care Services says if you or anybody you know were at any of these locations during the specified dates and are not vaccinated against measles, or are unsure of immunity, there is a risk of contracting measles. Those people, as well as pregnant or immunocompromised individuals, should contact their health care provider.

The county says anyone who was at the venues on the dates listed should monitor themselves for measles symptoms through Sept. 5.
Symptoms of measles typically include fever, dry cough, runny nose, sore throat, inflamed eyes (conjunctivitis), small white spots inside the mouth known as Koplik’s spots, and a skin rash made up of large, flat blotches.

If symptoms develop, health officials recommend staying home and avoiding contact with others. A health care provider should be contacted for guidance, and individuals are advised to call ahead before visiting a clinic or hospital to prevent further exposure.

The most effective way to prevent measles is vaccination with the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, said health officials.

For more information about measles, including symptoms, prevention and treatment, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at www.cdc.gov/measles.

Collin County Health Care Services said it will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as needed.

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Renovation work at Plano East Senior High School begun in February of 2025 is scheduled for completion in the first half of next year, according to a report by school district officials.

Tony Pearson, director of planning and new construction, updated the Plano ISD Board of Trustees on the progress of construction under the 2022 bond program. 

Pearson said at the Tuesday, Aug. 18, board work session that contracts called for $58.4 million in construction including renovation of about 7,000 square feet in Building D, major locker room renovations and two new gym floors. 

Read the full story in the August 27th edition. Stay informed — subscribe to Murphy Monitor.

“How does Murphy compare to these other cities that are around us?” Bradley asked. “Murphy is a good deal,” he answered himself.

“If we’re not meeting the needs of the residents, or we’re providing services that the residents don’t need, then that comes back to you,” the mayor added.

Bradley and other members spent more than an hour at the Tuesday, Aug. 18, council meeting discussing the Fiscal Year 2026-27 city budget and tax rate before giving preliminary approval to the numbers. But they could change by the time a public hearing is held on Tuesday, Sept. 15.

Read the full story in the August 27th edition. Stay informed — subscribe to Murphy Monitor.

Read the full story in the Aug. 27 edition. Stay informed — subscribe to Murphy Monitor.

“This measures how much students are learning in each grade and whether or not they are ready for the next grade,” the TEA said. “It also shows how well a school or district prepares their students for success after high school in college, the workforce, or the military.”

Student Achievement within PISD was a B, up 3 points from 83 to 86. Student Achievement measures whether students met expectations on the STAAR test. It also measures graduation rates and how prepared students are for success after high school.

Read the full story in the August 20th edition. Stay informed — subscribe to Murphy Monitor.

Within 24 hours, a tiny hole in a buried copper pipe sprayed more than 15,000 gallons of water into the dirt 4 feet below the sidewalk in a Murphy neighborhood.  

Once the leak was detected, it took more than two hours for a four-man crew from the Murphy Public Works Department to dig down and fix it.

The aging copper service lines that connect water mains with meters are a big reason that Murphy lost 13% of water in the municipal system, more than 168 million gallons, Public Works Director Donald Reese says.

Read the full story in the August 13th edition. Stay informed — subscribe to Murphy Monitor.

Councilmembers meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 4, did not vote on the increases, but City Manager Aretha Adams won preliminary approval for increasing the city budget by $4.3 million to $67.4 million.

Adams proposed adoption of the voter approval property tax rate of $0.361832 per $100 of assessed valuation, an increase of $0.004318 or 1.2%. 

Read the full story in the August 13th edition. Stay informed — subscribe to Murphy Monitor.

Thousands of Plano ISD students and their families swarmed the Plano Center for the district’s annual Back to School Fair.

Working in triple-digit heat, Plano police officers controlled access to the Wednesday, July 29, event — funneling cars to park on the grass. Overflow crowds parked across Jupiter Road at the Oak Point Recreation Center.

PISD students could pre-register for a free Trailsport backpack and there were a variety of other services available including Toni&Guy haircuts, Constant Eye Care vision screening and dental screening by Family Smiles.

Lovepacs and Minnie’s Food Pantry had food boxes and Passport Health/Staying Healthy Medical Services operated a vaccination clinic with immunizations for chicken pox, diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis (whooping cough), mumps/measles/rubella, polio, pneumonia, meningitis and hepatitis.

District resources on site provided school enrollment and registration, food and nutrition services support, language services, transportation information about bus routes and eligibility, and help with school details or programs like the Head Start Early Childhood Campus. There was also a PISD recruiting booth for jobseekers.

Titan Robotics club students set up displays in the courtyard so visitors could operate robots that threw balls and Toyota had an inflatable soccer goal for students to practice free kicks. 

Community vendors manned tables offering information about health, wellness, social services, sports and after-school programs and enrichment opportunities. 

There was a long line for Cane’s chicken fingers; Bed Start, a local ministry of sharing, asked, “Do you need a hand up?” and a playful squirrel puppet enticed young readers to sign up for a Plano Public Library card.

Plano ISD campuses serving Murphy students include Boggess, Hickey, Hunt and Miller Elementary Schools, Murphy Middle School, McMillen High School and Plano East Senior High School.

Most campuses have “Meet the Teacher” events on Monday, Aug. 10, prior PISD’s first day of school on Tuesday, Aug. 11.

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