We went to the Frisco Mercantile this weekend which is in the old Brookshire’s Grocery Store site at Preston Rd. and Main St.  The Mercantile is a place to visit 198 different companies that have everything from arts to antiques and collector dolls to furniture.  There were many booths that had excellent art ranging from paintings to photography and handcrafted pieces of wood, metal and glass.  There was an excellent crowd all day and this new space of 27,000 square feet of unique items will be a great addition to Frisco.

Recently my wife and I returned from a visit to our hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. As we arrived back in Frisco, we commented how we often take the accessibility of our numerous local venues and activities for granted. Having lived in eight cities and seven states, I feel qualified to talk about what we have and to encourage more people to utilize and support these facilities.

Sports and Entertainment Everywhere

Frisco is still considered a small city, but we offer more sports and entertainment opportunities than cities five times our size. We have the Frisco RoughRider Double A baseball team playing in award-winning Dr Pepper Ballpark and a major league hockey and entertainment facility just across the street. The corporate office of the Dallas Stars, their practice facility, another sheet of ice in the recently enlarged Dr Pepper Arena that is the home of the Texas Tornado, all in one complex. You can watch the Stars practice, take in a game by the three time Gold Cup National Champion Texas Tornado or see a performance by Bill Cosby, who recently performed there all in one arena. Upcoming in February will be the world-renowned Cirque Du Soleil-Alegria with performances February 24-28. In addition, this fall brings outstanding basketball with the start of the new Frisco NBA Developmental team, coached by Nancy Lieberman.

We have been treated to outstanding gymnastic competitions in the Arena as well as the Frisco Convention Center; that will continue with the WOGA Classic also in February. You have the opportunity to see former Olympic champions coach and perform as well as the newest up and coming future Olympians. Dr. Pepper Arena has also been host to the Chinese Olympic basketball team and tennis exhibitions by top national tennis stars; it will continue to provide sports and entertainment opportunities with its expansion to over 7,000 seats for some performances.

We have baseball, hockey, basketball, gymnastics, tennis and professional entertainers all at the Dr Pepper Ballpark and the Dr Pepper Arena, just minutes from our communities.

A few miles up the Dallas North Tollway is Pizza Hut Park where the sports and entertainment options expand even more. There is world-class professional soccer provided by FC Dallas; soccer players from all over the world come here to participate in events like the recent InterLiga tournament. In 2005 and 2006 Frisco received national and international exposure by hosting the MLS Cup national championship; our citizens have been able to see the best U.S. and international players as a result of the Dallas Cup and other major youth and professional tournaments. You have to drive only a few miles to see the best soccer in the country; something that only a limited number of cities in America can claim.

Pizza Hut Park has also been the site of sold out appearances by George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Jimmy Buffet and many other well-known concert performers. When the stadium was designed with the partnership of Hunt Sports Group, the intent was to bring big name entertainment to Frisco and allow you to have a short commute and fun experience right in your own back yard.

There is a good chance that college football will come to Frisco as the NCAA Division 1 Championship Committee has been in Frisco with an eye toward moving the Championship from Chattanooga, Tenn., to our city. A team of Frisco City officials, Hunt Sports Group Executives, the Frisco Economic Development Corporation, Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Chamber of Commerce has been working with the Southland Conference to capture this event. It will be a great opportunity for our people to see college football in Pizza Hut Park.

More Than Sports

We are also fortunate to have a variety of venues and entertainment opportunities for those who are not sports enthusiasts. We have parks throughout the city where families can picnic, play, fish, walk and enjoy the public art found in almost every park. There are 43 parks covering over 1360 acres of land and the city owns another 744 acres to be developed in the future. If you like art, there are more than 100 pieces of art in our public arts collection located throughout the city in our parks, municipal buildings, Heritage Center and sports venues.

For history buffs and to help educate our children on the history of Frisco, we have an excellent museum in our Heritage Center just east of our city hall. You can see an example of our rail heritage with the old steam engine and caboose along the railroad tracks, tour historic homes and the Railroad Depot. There are also displays in the museum reflecting our heritage as a farming and railroad community in the early years. An exhibit of the cowboy and cattle drive history of our city recently received great publicity and was enjoyed by hundreds; young and old alike. This Shawnee Trail exhibit is being held over through February 28th because of its popularity.

Another fun place that provides great educational benefits is the new SciTech Discovery Center. This center had its “soft opening” in October of 2009 with an exhibit call Grossology, all about the human body; 16,000 people visited the show. The Center, which is just off the Dallas North Tollway at Cotton Gin Road is being remodeled and will open again soon.

The Museum of the American Railroad is coming in the near future. With this venue, Frisco will host one of the largest and finest collections of old engines and cars, exhibiting the great history of rail transportation in this country.

LOTS of Choices at Very Good Prices

Another advantage is that we can attend these events for a reasonable price. In many cases a family of four can attend a hockey, baseball or soccer game for about the same amount that it cost to go to the movies. Any of these events, depending on how much you eat, can run in the range of $40-$80 or $10-$18 per person, including the ticket. Check with all these organizations as they are always running family packages.

We are fortunate to be able to see sports and entertainment events of all kinds just minutes away. Our stadiums and facilities are new, fun for the family to attend and a good value. We will add even more once we open the new Arts of Collin County performing arts hall and park near the Sam Rayburn Tollway/SH-121 and Custer Road in a few years. With arts and cultural events just miles and minutes away, you will see everything from local arts groups, schools, college, dance and theater groups to the symphony, ballet and Broadway shows. It will round out all that we have to offer our families.

It’s all here–just take advantage of it, please.