🌱 Arts In Bloom + Spring Native Plant Sale + Top 2 Safest Cities

Happy Friday, McKinney-Frisco! Here's everything you need to know going on in town today.

First, today's weather:

Breezy with plenty of sun. High: 68 Low: 38.

Here are the top three stories in McKinney-Frisco today:

1. Sip, sip, hooray! The Arts in Bloom Art + Wine Festival is kicking off in historic downtown McKinney tonight and continuing through the weekend. The event brings local artists and their work, as well as Texas wineries and food vendors, to the tree-lined streets near the McKinney Performing Arts Center. Festivities begin this evening at 5:00 p.m., continuing Saturday at 11:00 a.m. and Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Learn more about the event here. (Historic Downtown McKinney)
2. With spring well underway, the Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary will host its 33rd annual Spring Native plant sale. On Apr. 30 and May 1, the public can enjoy a wide selection of "native plants, hard-to-find herbs, and well-adapted plants," according to a news release from the museum. Museum members can head to the McKinney museum the day before, Apr. 29, for a pre-sale. (The Dallas Morning News)
3. A SmartAsset study ranked Frisco and McKinney among the safest cities in America in 2022 ⁠— No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. Among the ranked cities, Frisco was cited as having the fifth-lowest violent crime rate and sixth-lowest property crime rate, while McKinney reportedly has the 18th-lowest violent crime rate and fourth-lowest property crime rate. Both cities were tied for the sixth-lowest drug poisoning mortality rate. (El Paso Inc.)

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Today in McKinney-Frisco:

• Coffee with the Mayor At George A. Purefoy Municipal Center (8:00 AM)
• Meditative Mandala (Adults) At John And Judy Gay Library (10:15 AM)
• Adventures Of Science Club - Electricity & Power! At Apex Centre (5:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Sheriff Skinner with the Collin County Sheriff's Office visited Blue Ridge Elementary to read to the school's kindergarteners. Skinner yielded adorable questions such as, "Are you a cowboy police?" (Facebook)
• The City of Frisco reminds residents there will be multiple road closures tomorrow morning due to a half-marathon and 5K. See the link for more details. (Facebook)
• If you love the Farmers Market and love to eat the freshest local food, this event is for you! Save the date for the Farm Fresh Food Walk, taking place on Apr. 28 at Chestnut Square Heritage Village. (Facebook)

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Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Friday! I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow morning with a new update.

— Nicole Tess Kazora

About me: Nicole is a freelance writer who graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. At her core, she loves painting acrylic portraits, listening to political and social commentary, and examining research in the social sciences.