ArtFest transforms the historic McKinney Cotton Mill into a destination for art lovers, gift seekers, and weekend explorers. Visitors can browse a thoughtfully curated lineup of artists, offering fine art, handcrafted silver and gold jewelry, studio ceramics, fiber art, woodwork, photography, and more—all handmade, all original.

Who was Saint Valentine? Was he a postal employee who worked on commission? Did he operate a chocolate factory? Actually, he was a martyred saint in ancient Rome. Legend has it that St. Valentine fell in love with the jailer's daughter while he was imprisoned. Before he was put to death, he sent her a letter and signed it, “From your Valentine.” And, you know what they say about the rest---it's history.

Don't miss downtown McKinney's 24th annual Krewe of Barkus Mardi Gras Dog Parade on Sunday, February 15, 2026. It's a free, family friendly event with vendors, a costume contest for dogs and their owners, and a Mardi Gras parade for the dogs. This year's theme is "Dogs Going Overboard - Barkus Sails the Seven Seas". You must register online prior to the event at mckinneytexas.org. The cost is $5 per dog, if you want to be in the parade.

Repticon, a recognized leader in hosting reptile and exotic animal expos throughout the United States, is coming to Grapevine on February 14 and February 15 with an outstanding mixture of vendors and breeders. This family-oriented, fun-filled event offers guests the opportunity to learn about animals not normally seen in local pet stores. Breeder-vendors are always willing to teach in their field of herpetology.

Fort Inglish Village in Bonham has officially opened its doors! So, come on out and visit Fort Inglish and discover the fascinating history of one of the oldest towns in Texas! You will go back in time to 1836 and learn how the town of Bonham begin!

Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a martyr named Valentine, and through later folk traditions it has also become a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world. There are a number of martyrdom stories associated with various Saint Valentines connected to February 14, including an account of the imprisonment of Saint Valentine of Rome for ministering to Christians persecuted under the Roman Empire in the third century. According to an early tradition, Saint Valentine restored sight to the blind daughter of his jailer. Numerous later additions to the legend have better related it to the theme of love: tradition maintains that Saint Valentine performed weddings for Christian soldiers who were forbidden to marry by the Roman emperor; an 18th-century embellishment to the legend claims he wrote the jailer's daughter a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell before his execution. The 8th-century Gelasian Sacramentary recorded the celebration of the Feast of Saint Valentine on February 14. The day became associated with romantic love in the 14th and 15th centuries, when notions of courtly love flourished, apparently by association with the "lovebirds" of early spring. In 18th-century England, it grew into an occasion for couples to express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). Valentine's Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. In the 19th century, handmade cards gave way to mass-produced greetings.