Humble ISD officials will celebrate the opening of a new “Futuristic”-themed playground at Lakeland Elementary School with a dedication ceremony at 5 p.m. May 13.

The details: According to a May 1 news release, the playground is designed for children ages 5-12 and includes the following features:

• Slides
• Net and belt climbers
• Swings
• Balance challenges

• Opening May 13
• 1101 Rustic Timbers Drive, Humble

Check out what's happening in the Lake Houston area this weekend, May 8-10. 

'Six: The Musical (Teen Edition)': The Kingwood High School Theatre Department is presenting a special arrangement of this musical with Concord Theatricals. The production has a run time of 120 minutes.

• May 6-7 and 9, 7 p.m.; May 9-10, 2 p.m.
• $30 (adults), $15 (students and teachers)
• 2701 Kingwood Drive, Kingwood

• May 8, 6 p.m.
• Free (admission)
• Uptown Park, 308 Main St., Humble

• May 9, 9-10 a.m.
• Free (admission)
• 22306 Aldine Westfield Road, Humble

Houston city officials announced May 4 that country artist Keith Urban will headline this year's signature Fourth of July celebration, along with artist groups Collective Soul and Los Lonely Boys.

The celebration: Freedom Over Texas is one of the largest Fourth of July celebrations across the region and includes festivities such as the Dr. Pepper Flavor Zone and the Budweiser Bayou beer garden, which are both set to make a reappearance this year, city officials said. Additional activities include:

• All American Kid Zone: free games, face painting and interactive educational activities
• Liberty Park: a tribute to the Armed Forces and first responders
• Fútbol Park: a dedicated space to enjoy soccer-themed games, activities, food and outdoor screens

More than 53,000 students will be invited to join Texas’ education savings account program this week, the state comptroller’s office said May 4.

The details: Families will be notified by email between May 4-6 if they were awarded funds in the second round of the Texas Education Freedom Accounts program, per a news release from the comptroller’s office.

To date, nearly 96,000 students have been selected to participate, with these students set to receive about $820 million of the $1 billion state lawmakers allocated for the program, an agency spokesperson said. Of the 53,000 second-round awardees, over 51,000 are from low-income families. The other 2,000 students accepted this week were found to qualify for disability-related funding, the agency said.

The background: Families accepted to the TEFA program will receive state funds to send their children to private schools or homeschool them for the 2026-27 school year.

Proponents of the new program have said it will expand educational opportunities, while critics have expressed concerns that the program will unfairly benefit students already enrolled in private schools.