Thirty years after Pocket’s Grille first opened in downtown Smithville, owner Troy Streuer is looking back on the restaurant’s beginnings while preparing for its next chapter.

Looking back: Streuer began working on the original location at 301 Main St. in May 1996. He said he spent the summer preparing the space with help from family and friends before serving his first customer Sept. 16, 1996, when he was 21 years old.

What else? Ahead of the anniversary, Streuer shared photos and memories on social media from Pocket's early years on Main Street.

“A lot has changed since those days on Main Street, but that building will always be where the Pocket’s story started,” he said.

Looking ahead: Pocket’s is also preparing for its next chapter. Community Impact previously reported that a $400,000 expansion will add 1,223 square feet to the restaurant, including a new bar, additional indoor and outdoor seating, two walk-in coolers and a relocated playground.

Streuer said he hopes to break ground by the end of the year.

• 205 Fawcett St., Smithville

Big Macs and McGriddles are now easier to grab on Bastrop’s west side with the opening of the city’s second McDonald’s.

A closer look: The new McDonald’s is part of the Sendero shopping center—a 75-acre mixed-use development underway in Bastrop.

As previously reported by Community Impact, businesses headed to Sendero include a dual-branded Marriott hotel, retail shops, new dining options, wellness services, multifamily housing and more.

What they offer: McDonald’s is known for popular menu items such as the Big Mac, a two-patty burger with special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions; and the McGriddle, made with maple-flavored griddle cakes, eggs, American cheese and either bacon or sausage.

The chain also runs another location at 496 SH 71 E, Bastrop.

• Opened Aug. 27

• Sendero, 917 SH 71 W., Bastrop

Check out stories trending in the Austin area Aug. 31-Sept. 3. 

1. Georgetown to reduce speed limit on Ronald Reagan Boulevard

2. Rooftop padel club planned at downtown Austin Convention Center garage

3. New East Austin supportive housing offers exit from homelessness

4. Round Rock residents to see higher water, wastewater, sewer bills

5. Bee Cave rejects permit for VVater research lab

6. Hays County secures over $39 million for railroad overpass at Centerpoint Road

On Sept. 1, the State Board of Education moved forward with an overhaul of what Texas high schoolers will learn in four social studies courses: U.S. History, U.S. Government, World History and World Geography.

What's happening: Roughly 100 Texans testified about the high school curriculum rewrite at an Aug. 31 meeting, with the debate revolving around how students would learn about the two largest world religions, Christianity and Islam.

Dozens of Muslim Texans asked that students learn about the religion’s core principles and how Muslims have contributed to advancements in math, science and medicine throughout history.

Some testifiers said the social studies curriculum should highlight the role of Christianity in the founding of Texas and the U.S., praising the board for prioritizing “American exceptionalism” and topics that they said would teach students to love the country.

The context: The discussion comes as the Republican-led board nears the finish line on its new K-12 social studies curriculum standards.

If approved, the new requirements will be rolled out to public school classrooms in the 2030-31 school year.