Set to celebrate its 18th year in 2026, the Allen Arts Festival is expected to draw both local artists as well as artisans from across the country to showcase their art in Allen on Mother’s Day weekend.

The festival is one of the annual events hosted by the Allen Arts Alliance, a nonprofit organization that works to advocate for and support local arts within Allen.

The details: The Allen Arts Alliance originated as a city advisory board in 1998 prior to establishing as a nonprofit in 2006, its website states. The umbrella organization serves as a hub for arts and cultural organizations in Allen, and works to promote local cultural arts organizations and arts education opportunities.

Mark your calendar: The three-day Allen Arts Festival will be hosted in Watters Creek Village May 8-10. The event attracts both local artists as well as artisans from across the country that offer paintings, jewelry, woodworking, metalworking and other art. A ticketed wine walk will be held May 9 during the festival.

True Haven Therapy is opening an Allen location this summer, co-owner Connor Land said.

The specifics: The practice offers a range of mental health services, including cognitive behavioral therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, dialectical behavior therapy and more, according to its website. Counselors at True Haven Therapy help individuals with anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, family conflict, grief, life transitions and more, its website states.
 

• 400 N. Allen Drive, Ste. 302, Allen

Check out six trending stories from Community Impact's Dallas-Fort Worth coverage areas, including US 380 construction and Walmart renovations.

1. Relieving the pressure: $136M US 380 project adds overpasses, reduces congestion
2. Walmart to remodel 5 stores across Dallas-Fort Worth
3. Frisco council approves 98-acre warehouse development off SH 121
4. McKinney council approves rezoning for Cannon Beach project
5. The Butterbeer Parlour offers Harry Potter-themed tastes, treats at McKinney Walmart through May 2
6. Grapevine council approves special use permit for Fellowship Church expansion

Some Texas families began learning April 22 if they were accepted to the state’s education savings account program for the 2026-27 school year, officials said.

The big picture: Over 42,600 students will receive funding notices through April 24, the state comptroller’s office announced April 22. The first awardees include low- and middle-income students with disabilities and their eligible siblings.

Families accepted to the Texas Education Freedom Accounts program will receive state funds to send their children to private school or homeschool them.

The details: The first round of awardees is set to receive about $400 million of the $1 billion allocated for the program. Up to 100,000 students are expected to qualify for the program's first year.

The comptroller's office will run a lottery the week of April 27 to determine which low-income students will be accepted based on a prioritization system.

Stay tuned: Families that do not qualify for funding will also be notified through April 24. Additional students will receive funding awards in the coming weeks, a program spokesperson said.