Allen Contemporary Theatre began 15 years ago when the Graham family moved from Alaska to Allen, realized there wasn’t a theatre in town and decided to start their own, ACT board president Chris Berthelot said.

After outgrowing its previous space, ACT moved to its current location on Main Street where it offers seven shows a year, plus classes for children and adults.

A closer look: Of the seven shows ACT offers each year, five are plays and two are musicals, Berthelot said.

“You don't have to go down to Dallas to see a professional, quality production,” Berthelot said. “We're going to do everything we can to provide you with that experience here.”

A new locally owned café called The Happy Blend is coming to Allen later this fall, co-owner Tosin Adebote said.

The details: The Happy Blend will serve smoothies, cold-pressed juices, smoothie bowls, coffee, matcha and pastries.

• 545 W. McDermott Drive, Allen

Check out five upcoming and ongoing transportation projects around Dallas-Fort Worth.

1. Light rail vehicle replacements

Project: Dallas Area Rapid Transit agency received a $70 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration, according to a news release from the agency. DART said it will use the $70 million grant to replace 53 light rail vehicles that were originally purchased over 30 years ago.

Update: DART has already begun the procurement process to purchase the new vehicles, but the agency has not announced a timeline for delivery.

2. CPKC Railroad Crossing improvements

Project: The city of Plano is replacing existing railroad crossings at Los Rios Boulevard and Plano Parkway. The project will also add sidewalk for some of the city’s gaps in the current sidewalk system.

Update: Construction on the project started in September.

The city of Dallas approved the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport’s $1.63 billion operating budget during the Sept. 9 meeting.

Fort Worth City Council will vote on the budget at the Sept. 15 meeting, after getting briefed on the proposed budget at the Aug. 25 work session.

The details: Brian Butler, executive vice president/chief financial officer for DFW Airport, said his staff has been working on the 2026-27 fiscal year budget since April. The airport’s fiscal year runs Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, 2027. The budget breakdown is $820.6 million for maintenance and operations, $801.8 million for debt service and $10 million for board contingency, Butler said.

He said the DFW Airport board approved the budget during its meeting on Aug. 6. The next step is for the owner cities, Dallas and Fort Worth, to approve the budget.

Zooming in: Butler mentioned the growth in passengers has been stagnant, but with the opening of the Terminal A pier and portions of Terminal F opening in the summer of 2027, that number could rise.

Three candidates are running to lead the Texas General Land Office in the Nov. 3 election.

The overview: Democrat Benjamin Flores and Libertarian Neill Snider are challenging Republican incumbent Dawn Buckingham for the seat.

Buckingham ran uncontested in the March Republican primary, Community Impact reported, while Flores won the Democratic primary. Snider was selected as the Texas Libertarian Party's candidate during an April nominating convention.

The context: The state land commissioner manages 13 million acres of state lands, with duties such as allocating disaster recovery funds, leasing state lands to generate revenue for the Texas Permanent School Fund, preserving state landmarks such as The Alamo and overseeing several veterans programs.

Looking ahead: Early voting runs from Oct. 19-30 in the midterm election, and Election Day is Nov. 3.