Dogs Going Overboard: Barkus Sails the Seven Seas brings a nautical flair to Downtown McKinney. This year’s theme invites four-legged revelers and their humans to don their best nautical, pirate, and ocean inspired costumes for an afternoon of family friendly fun. photos by Allen Rich

It's time again for the annual I Love Bonham Valentine Shopping Spree, and this year, the fun has been extended to two days of shopping shenanigans! Come out and shop local on Friday February 6 and Saturday February 7 to find a special gift for your special someone.

Help us celebrate 100 years of Black History Month! Make plans to join us for a special opening reception on Friday, February 6 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Artwork is due February 5.

Fannin County Republican Party Chairman Darren York welcomes the crowd to the Fannin County Republican Party County Candidate Forum on Saturday, January 31 at the Roy Floyd Community Center. The last day to register to vote is Monday, February 2, 2026 and early voting begins Tuesday, February 17, 2026. Although there is a statewide delay in mailing new voter registration cards, voters are allowed to present an acceptable government-issued photo ID.

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) officials have announced upcoming nightly full closures of the following roadways beginning at 7 p.m. until 5 a.m. on the following dates: Feb. 2 to Feb. 3, Feb. 3 to Feb. 4, Feb. 4 to Feb. 5, and Feb. 5 to Feb. 6.

Groundhog Day is a tradition observed regionally in the United States and Canada on February 2 of every year. It derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day and sees its shadow, it will retreat to its den and winter will go on for six more weeks; if it does not see its shadow, spring will arrive early. In 2025, the shadow was seen, auguring six more weeks of winter. While the tradition remains popular in the 21st century, studies have found no consistent association between a groundhog seeing its shadow and the subsequent arrival time of spring-like weather. The weather lore was brought from German-speaking areas where the badger (German: Dachs) is the forecasting animal, while in Hungary for example the bear serves the same purpose, and badgers were only watched when bears were not around. It is related to the lore that clear weather on the Christian festival of Candlemas forebodes a prolonged winter. The Groundhog Day ceremony held at Punxsutawney in western Pennsylvania, centering on a semi-mythical groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil, has become the most frequently attended ceremony. Grundsow Lodges in Pennsylvania Dutch Country in the southeastern part of the state observe the occasion as well. Other cities in the United States and Canada also have adopted the event.