Hey Tyler!

We’re officially in the final stretch.

It may not feel like it, but summer is almost over, and school is about to be back in session.

Still feel like your summer just started?

Us too.

Thankfully, there are still a few things going on around Tyler this weekend.

Let's get into it.

🎸 Brick Street Revival brought songwriters to downtown Tyler
The Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce pulled off the first Brick Street Revival Singer-Songwriter Festival at Liberty Hall over July 31 and Aug. 1, with Wade Bowen, Sean McConnell, Aaron Raitiere and Jack Ingram trading stories behind the songs across two nights. Chamber COO Grant Ingram said ticket buyers came in from Houston, Fort Worth, the Metroplex and Waco — not just Smith County. The idea was to send those visitors into downtown shops and restaurants, and Ingram framed it as one piece of a bigger collaborative push to bring the square back to life. Connie Pinkerton also ran a day-long songwriter workshop during the festival, built around growing an actual songwriting community here. Read more

🎓 A new Catholic high school opens on Highway 64, built in a daughter's memory
Chesterton Academy of Tyler opens this fall on State Highway 64 with 16 students, most of them previously homeschooled, at $9,000 tuition — well under most private schools in the area. Co-founders Devin and Catherine Rose started it after their daughter Josephine died of leukemia two and a half years ago, and they funded the Josephine Rose Memorial Scholarship with money they'd set aside for her future. The school is book-based with no screens, leans hard into fine arts alongside academics, and will start with freshmen and sophomores, adding a grade each year up to a cap of 150. Sports are parent-led — parents have already floated wrestling, tennis, cross-country and swimming. No football. The school plans to pursue accreditation so it can accept state TEFA funds in about two years. Read more

🌿 Blue Zones is coming to Tyler for a six-year project — and the numbers are big
City, county and community leaders packed the Tyler Rose Garden Center to hear the results of a six-month Blue Zones readiness assessment, which included focus groups, leadership interviews and surveys of more than 2,000 current and former residents. Tyler scored 4.5 out of 5 for readiness, and the resulting "Ignite Tyler" plan — funded by the Health Foundation of East Texas — is aimed at walkability, shade and trails, food access, volunteer infrastructure and youth wellness. The assessment flagged Tyler's civic leadership, nonprofits, school districts and parks as real strengths, and pointed to declining life satisfaction since the pandemic (especially among younger residents) as the main concern. Blue Zones exec Dan Buettner Jr. estimated the effort could cut cumulative health risk in Tyler by 18% over 10 years, which he translated to roughly $500 million in avoided medical costs and productivity gains. Phase 1 runs nine to twelve months; Phase 2 runs five years after that. Read more

💧 The new state water plan puts $1.7B on the table for Northeast Texas — including Lindale and Mineola
The Texas Water Development Board released the first phase of its 2027 state water plan, a $174 billion document that guides water planning for the next five years. For Northeast Texas, it lays out more than 100 strategies worth about $1.7 billion by 2080 — mostly new wells and repairs to leaky water lines. A few land close to home: Lindale Rural Water Supply is in for $5.2 million in water loss reduction, Mineola for $242,000, and Wood County for $174,000, with new well drilling recommended in Wood and Upshur counties. The plan also puts the long-contested Marvin Nichols Reservoir on hold — permits can't be issued before 2030 — and asks lawmakers to give Black Cypress Creek and Bayou protected ecological status. Phase 2, with a lot more detail, lands later this year. Read more

⚡ Abbott pauses data center approvals statewide pending audits
Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday that approvals for new data centers seeking connection to the state's power grid are on hold until the Public Utility Commission and ERCOT can audit them. Abbott's letter asks regulators to collect information on tax breaks, power use, water use and cooling, local impact and facility ownership, and says projects that fail the audit should be denied grid connection. ERCOT is tracking more than 1,800 projects in its interconnection queue — roughly 90% of them data centers. ERCOT has paused its "batch zero" review in response. The pause lands in a place that's already had this conversation: Tyler's Planning and Zoning Commission voted 5-2 on July 7 to deny a special use permit for a 12-megawatt Bitcoin mining facility proposed by Vulcan Core on West Erwin Street, after residents raised concerns about water use and noise. Reaction to the governor's directive has been mixed — Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller called it vague and said it doesn't actually stop projects, while the Data Center Coalition said it hopes the audits separate responsible developers from the rest. Read more

August is here, and East Texas feels it. Teachers are back in their classrooms. Football players are grinding through two-a-days in the heat (some even starting as early at 5:30 am). Parents are hunting for the last box of pencils and the right size of gym shorts.

The housing market feels it too. Every August, showings slow down a bit as families settle into schedules instead of open houses. That's normal, not a warning sign. If you're selling, don't panic when the phone rings less this month. If you're buying, this quieter stretch can mean less competition and more room to negotiate.

Either way, take a breath. School is starting, the market is settling into its late summer rhythm, and both are exactly where they should be this time of year.

Here's to a great school year for our students, teachers, and coaches. 

Minions: The Rise of Gru Free Admission Hometown Cinemas, Jacksonville | Thursday, August 6 | 10:00 AM | Learn more

Tyler Farmers Market 4850 Old Bullard Rd, Tyler | Thursday August 6 | 7:00 AM | Learn more 

Preschool Story Time Tyler Public Library | Thursday, August 6 | 10:30 AM | Learn more

Yarn Club Lillie Russell Memorial Library | Thursday, August 6 | 4:00 PM | Learn more

School Is Cool
W.T. Brookshire Conference Center, Tyler | Thursday, August 6 | 4:30 PM | Learn more

Dr. Factenstein’s Trivia  Brisket Love, Lindale | Thursday, August 6 | 7:00 PM | Learn more

Lee Mathis Live The Grove, Tyler | Thursday, July 30 | 7:30 PM | Learn more

Mermaid Storytime #1 Lillie Russell Memorial Library, Lindale | Friday, August 7 | 9:00 AM | Learn more

Mermaid Storytime #2 Lillie Russell Memorial Library, Lindale | Friday, August 7 | 10:30 AM | Learn more

United Way Pickleball Tournament
Tyler Indoor Pickleball, Tyler | Friday, August 7 | 5:30 PM | Learn more

Pickin’ at the Lillie Lillie Russell Memorial Library, Lindale | Friday, August 7 | 6:00 PM | Learn more

The Tuxedo Cats Live The Grove, Tyler  | Friday, August 7 | 7:30 PM | Learn more

Duffy Douglas Live Fresh by Brookshire’s | Friday, August 7| 6:00 PM | Learn more

Into the Woods
Tyler Civic Theatre, Tyler | Friday, August 7 | 7:30 PM | Learn more

Natalie Cuomo Rose City Comedy, Tyler | Friday, August 7 | 7:00 PM | Learn more

Hayden Haddock Live Rick’s on the Square, Tyler | Friday, August 7 | 8:00 PM | Learn more 

After Comedy Karaoke Rose City Comedy, Tyler | Friday, August 7 | 9:00 PM | Learn more

Dr. Factenstein’s Karaoke  Brisket Love, Lindale | Friday, August 7 | 7:00 PM | Learn more

Tyler Farmers Market 4850 Old Bullard Rd, Tyler | Saturday, August 8 | 7:00 AM | Learn more 

Family Circle Fun Run 110 E. Houston St., Tyler | Saturday, Aug. 8 | 7:00 AM | Learn more

Mineola Farmers Market Farmers Market Pavilion, Mineola | Saturday, August 8 | 10:00 AM | Learn more

Saturday Brunch with Josh Love Live The Grove, Tyler | Saturday, August 8 | 10:30 AM | Learn more

Read with a Therapy Pet Lillie Russell Memorial Library, Lindale | Saturday, August 8 | 10:30 AM | Learn more

East Texas Genealogical Society Tyler Public Library | Saturday, August 8 | 12:00 PM | Learn more

Bottles and Books Twelve Kitchen + Cocktails, Tyler | Saturday, August 8 | 3:00 PM | Learn more

Buttermilk Sky Duo Live Fresh by Brookshire’s | Saturday, August 8 | 6:00 PM | Learn more

Natalie Cuomo Rose City Comedy, Tyler | Saturday, August 8 | 7:00 & 9:00 PM | Learn more

Into the Woods Tyler Civic Theatre, Tyler | Saturday, August 8 | 7:30 PM | Learn more

Gary Freeman & the Girl Next Door Live The Grove, Tyler | Saturday, August 8 | 7:30 PM | Learn more

Sunday Brunch with Emily Glover Live The Grove, Tyler | Sunday, August 9 | 10:30 AM | Learn more

Little Brushes: Silly & Suspicious Pinot’s Palette, Tyler | Sunday, August 9 | 2:00 PM | Learn more

Into the Woods
Tyler Civic Theatre, Tyler | Sunday, August 9 | 2:30 PM | Learn more

Open Mic Monday
Rose City Comedy, Tyler | Monday, August 10 | 7:30 PM | Learn more

Tyler Farmers Market
4850 Old Bullard Rd, Tyler | Tuesday, August 11 | 7:00 AM | Learn more

Adult Game Day
Lillie Russell Memorial Library, Lindale | Tuesday, August 11 | 10:00 AM | Learn more

Baby Storytime
Tyler Public Library, Tyler | Tuesday, August 11 | 10:30 AM | Learn more

Whiskey Tuesday with Gary Patrick
The Grove, Tyler | Tuesday, August 11 | 6:00 PM | Learn more

Kooky Tuesdays: The Passion of Joan of Arc
Liberty Hall, Tyler | Tuesday, August 11 | 7:00 PM | Learn more

Toddler Story Time
Tyler Public Library, Tyler | Wednesday, August 12 | 10:30 AM | Learn more

Homeschool Game Day
Lillie Russell Memorial Library, Lindale | Wednesday, August 12 | 2:00 PM | Learn more

Wine Down Wednesday with Paul Shafer Live
The Grove, Tyler | Wednesday, August 12 | 6:00 PM | Learn more

Dr. Factenstein's Trivia Night
Rose City Comedy, Tyler | Wednesday, August 12 | 7:00 PM | Learn more

Dr. Factenstein's Trivia Night
ETX Brewing Co., Tyler | Wednesday, August 12 | 7:00 PM | Learn more

Wildeflower Poetry Society Tyler Public Library  | Thursday, August 13 | 2:00 PM | Learn more

Yarn Club Lillie Russell Memorial Library | Thursday, August 13 | 4:00 PM | Learn more

Darrin Morris Live The Grove, Tyler | Thursday, August 13 | 7:30 PM | Learn more

Chris Cope Rose City Comedy, Tyler | Friday & Saturday, August 14 & 15 | 7:00 PM | Learn more

Tyler Home Town Dance True Vine Brewery, Tyler | Friday, August 14 | 7:00 PM | Learn more 

Jenna Paulette Rick’s on the Square | Friday, August 14 | 8:00 PM | Learn more 

Grease Sing-A-Long Liberty Hall | Saturday, August 15 | 7:00 PM | Learn more 

Toadies True Vine Brewery, Tyler | Friday, August 21 | 8:00 PM | Learn more

Love Thy City W. T. Brookshire’s Conference Center, Tyler | Saturday, August 22 | 10:00 AM | Learn more

BeatleGras True Vine Brewery, Tyler | Saturday, October 24 | 8:00 PM | Learn more

That's the week. Whether you're stocking up on school supplies, floating a lake under a full moon, or just grabbing tomatoes at the farmers market, there's plenty going on out there.

If you've got an event, a tip, or a story you think your neighbors should know about — hit reply. Some of the best stuff in this newsletter comes from readers who spotted something first.

See you next Thursday.

Eric & April
From Tyler