Fall festivities are filling the October calendar, with everything from trick-or-treating and costume contests to a drone show, Halloween parties and other seasonal activities.

Sachse has several events planned throughout the month, while neighboring Wylie will close out the season with one of the area’s largest Halloween traditions.

The city of Sachse’s third annual Fall-O-Ween event will take place from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, at Heritage Park. Children are invited to dress up and collect candy from vendors at the Trick-or-Treat Market.

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The festivities will center around downtown Friday through Sunday, Oct. 2-4, with Glen Echo Brewing hosting a three-day Oktoberfest at 106 N. Birmingham St. and local merchants joining the celebration Saturday with an Oktoberfest Village Stroll.

The Village Stroll will run from noon to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, throughout Historic Downtown Wylie, giving visitors an opportunity to make their way among participating businesses at their own pace.

Merchants will create their own Bavarian-inspired stops, offering food and beverage samples, games and activities, shopping specials and photo opportunities. Some food, beverages, crafts and activities will be available for purchase.

Admission to the stroll is free.

Visitors can pick up a free Oktoberfest Village Passport at participating businesses and collect stops as they explore downtown. Those who complete their passports can enter to win prizes provided by downtown merchants.

Lederhosen and dirndls aren’t required, but organizers are encouraging visitors to dress for the occasion.

Just down Birmingham Street, Glen Echo Brewing will stretch its Oktoberfest celebration across the entire weekend.

Activities begin at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, with a ceremonial first keg tapping by Wylie Mayor Matthew Porter and the release of Glen Echo Brewing’s Oktoberfest beer. The first of three steinholding competitions begins at 7 p.m.

Saturday’s brewery activities start at 1 p.m. with a costume contest and parade of participants. A second steinholding competition is scheduled for 3 p.m., followed by beer-carrying obstacle races at 5 p.m.

German music and dancing will take over the patio from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, with DJ Ronnie L of SC9 Entertainment. The third steinholding competition begins at 9 p.m., followed by the announcement of winners.

Perhaps the weekend’s smallest competitors take center stage Sunday.

Dachshund races begin at 1 p.m., followed by a singalong with the Beer Choir North Texas Chapter from 3 to 4 p.m. Glen Echo’s Oktoberfest concludes at 6 p.m.

Registration for the brewery’s contests will be available on site the day of each event. Contestants must be 21 or older except for participants in the dachshund races. Medals will be awarded to event winners.

Together, the events offer visitors a chance to celebrate Oktoberfest while spending the weekend exploring downtown Wylie.

For information about the Oktoberfest Village Stroll, visit Wylie Stroll Companion.

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The resolution is tied to a provision in the city charter requiring council to review its meeting procedures every two years. Council acted on recommendations presented by City Secretary Leah Granger.

Council considered the resolution in six parts, examining each individually. Granger proposed minor changes to the Rules of Order, which were last reviewed Aug. 5, 2024.

Read the full story in the September 24th edition. Stay informed — subscribe to The Sachse News.

Commissioners approved a combined property tax rate of $0.151414 per $100 of assessed value Sept. 14, up 1.39% from the current rate of $0.149343.

For a median-value homestead used in the county’s comparison, valued at $517,911, estimated county taxes would increase $62.88, from $682.10 to $744.98.

County Judge Chris Hill, the lone dissenting vote on the budget and tax rate, said he wanted to avoid increasing the rate for the fifth consecutive year.

“…after 33 years of not raising the tax rate, this will be the first year to actually raise the tax rate,” Hill said.

The adopted rate includes $0.109564 for maintenance and operations and $0.041850 for debt service and remains below the county’s voter-approval rate of $0.152822.

The FY 2027 budget includes $410.9 million in property tax revenue and $222.9 million from other sources. Total expenditures are projected at $619.5 million.Overall revenue is expected to increase 8.1% from the current fiscal year, while expenditures are projected to rise 3.4%.

The General Fund, which pays for many of the county’s day-to-day operations, totals $366.2 million, up from $323.5 million in FY 2026. Property taxes are expected to provide $295.2 million of General Fund revenue.

The budget also increases county staffing to 2,247 full-time equivalent positions, up from 2,170.5 in the current budget.

Among the additions are six deputy sheriff patrol positions, a deputy assigned to GHOST and a sergeant assigned to narcotics. The budget also adds two felony prosecutors in the District Attorney’s Office and positions in facilities, juvenile probation and detention, engineering, elections, information technology and other county operations.

Commissioner Darrell Hale, Precinct 3, said after the meeting that he supported the budget and tax rate to allow the county to keep pace with its growing population.

“I felt that we owe it to our citizens to have excellent services. In order to do that in a growing county we have to add people to keep a level of excellence,” Hale said.

The county’s taxable property base has continued to grow even as its tax rate has generally declined. Certified adjusted taxable value increased from $238.74 billion in 2022 to $330.10 billion in 2026, including $7.75 billion in new construction this year.

For comparison, the county’s total tax rate was $0.225 per $100 of assessed value in 2016.

The higher rate will not mean a higher county tax bill for every homeowner. The county’s average home value declined from $603,190 in 2025 to $588,119 in 2026.

At that value, estimated county taxes would be $845.97 under the new rate, compared with $855.78 under the previous rate — a decrease of $9.81.

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The two cities are facing off in the “Peanut Butter Bowl” as part of the North Texas Food Bank’s annual Peanut Butter Drive, which continues through Sept. 30.

Sachse Mayor Jeff Bickerstaff and Rowlett Mayor Jeff Winget are leading the friendly rivalry to see which community can collect the most peanut butter and monetary donations for the food bank.

At the halfway point, Sachse had begun gaining ground.

After trailing Rowlett in fundraising, Sachse’s monetary donations jumped from $310 to $665 overnight following a community appeal highlighting the two cities’ totals.

The response has already pushed Sachse well beyond last year’s results. In 2025, when there was no competition with Rowlett, the city collected about $200 in monetary donations during the entire drive.

Residents still have nearly two weeks to help Sachse add to its total.

Peanut butter donations can be dropped off at Sachse City Hall, Sachse Public Library, Community Center, Senior Activity Center, Public Safety Building and Sachse Animal Shelter.

Monetary donations can also be made online through the city’s Peanut Butter Drive campaign.

The annual North Texas Food Bank drive encourages communities across North Texas to collect peanut butter, a nutritious, shelf-stable food that is frequently requested by food banks and pantries.

The Peanut Butter Bowl continues through Wednesday, Sept. 30. For donation information and updates on the competition, visit the City of Sachse’s Peanut Butter Drive webpage or follow the city on social media.

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From an intricate crocheted blanket and a landscape made from nearly 58,000 seed beads to handmade baskets, digital art, photography and masks, creators from communities across the area earned ribbons in this year’s Creative Arts competitions.

Entries were submitted in July and judged before the fair’s opening. The competition encompasses an extensive range of creative pursuits, with major categories including Canning, Craft Creations, Dolls, Fine Art, Glue-a-Shoe, Hobby Collections, Holiday Corner, Needlework, Photography, Scale Models, Sculpture, Sewing and Quilting and Yarn. Each is further divided into individual contests and classifications.

Wylie resident Melissa “Missie” Rick earned one of the highest honors, Best in Show in the adult Yarn category, for “Astrid’s Wood,” an interlocking crochet blanket that took approximately 225 hours to complete.

Rick’s State Fair experience began only last year, when she entered two smocked dresses and came away with second- and third-place ribbons.

While visiting the fair afterward, she saw the Yarn Best in Show entry and decided to set herself a new challenge.

“I saw the Yarn Best in Show and figured I could make something that could win,” Rick said.

She searched for patterns before settling on “Astrid’s Wood,” which uses a difficult interlocking crochet technique. Essentially, she said, two blankets are crocheted together, with the pattern determined by which color is brought to the front.

“I hadn’t seen one using that same technique so I thought it would be different and stand out,” she said. “And it was a challenge. It was a pretty difficult technique to learn.”

Learning she had won brought another surprise.

“I was pretty surprised and ecstatic when I found out that I had won,” Rick said. “My family was excited for me and we have our fair day picked out.”

She is already considering future entries, including another smocked piece or possibly designing her own interlocking crochet blanket.

“I told my friend I’m probably more fearless than talented,” Rick said. “I say ‘why not’ quite a bit.”

Another Wylie resident, Peggy Ludwig, 70, is no stranger to seeing her work displayed at the State Fair.

Ludwig earned second place in Craft Creations — Miscellaneous for a 20-by-28-inch framed East Texas landscape painstakingly constructed from 57,750 size 11/0 seed beads. Inspired by Caddo Lake, the scene features pine trees and a creek and required about 100 hours to complete.

“I was looking for something that was statewide because it is the state fair,” Ludwig said of choosing the scene.

She has entered the competition for nine years and has earned either a ribbon or honorable mention every year, including a first-place ribbon her first year.

Her technique grew from her earlier experience with cross-stitch. Ludwig had been making jewelry with a friend when she began wondering what else she could create with her supply of beads. She eventually adapted cross-stitch patterns to beadwork, using fishing line and tiny beads laid in rows. 

Ludwig has been selling her beadwork and jewelry at craft shows for about 15 years. She works on pieces regularly to maintain an inventory for the shows she attends.

“It keeps me motivated,” she said. “I do like the competition. Like when you go to the fair and you see all the different stuff and who beat you out.”

Sachse resident Hope Costello earned second place in Fine Art — Digital Illustration for a drawing depicting two girls performing in a school talent show, one playing guitar and the other piano.

Although Costello has been drawing since she was 3, she began working digitally only two or three years ago and said adjusting to drawing on a tablet presented its own challenges.

This year marked not only her first State Fair art competition, but her first art competition of any kind.

“I was extremely happy!” Costello said of learning she had placed. “I’ve always been told that I’m good at drawing, but actually placing in this competition shows that other people that don’t have a bias for me like my art, too!”

Princeton resident Kimberly Lindsey also earned a second-place ribbon, in Craft Creations — Handmade Baskets of Any Material, for a piece carrying special meaning.

Lindsey made the basket for her best friend, Stacy Konrad, who died before Lindsey could finish it.

“I thought entering it would be a good way to honor her,” Lindsey said.

She began basket-making about five years ago after retiring and taught herself through Pinterest and YouTube. She is also a returning State Fair winner; one of her baskets earned first place in 2023.

“Winning a ribbon at the fair lets you know you have reached a new level in your craft,” Lindsey said.

In Murphy, 13-year-old Cooper Junior High eighth grader Olive Jimenez earned third place in Craft Creations — Masks, for “Celeste,” a mask she originally created for a friend’s story character.

Jimenez has been making masks for about six months, drawing inspiration from online tutorials, Pinterest, YouTube and friends. Her creation incorporates materials including feathers, paint, hot glue and jewelry.

Her inspiration to enter came during a family trip to last year’s State Fair, when she spotted a mask displayed among the award winners and realized she was already making similar projects at home.

This year she submitted Celeste, a beaded star and several photographs. The other entries earned participation ribbons, but the mask stayed behind after judging — a clue that something special had happened.

“It was really cool because a lot of people in the state put their entries in and I got one of the places,” Jimenez said.

Her mother, Monica Jimenez, said Celeste and Olive’s third-place ribbon will be displayed together in case No. 86 in the Creative Arts Building throughout the fair.

Olive is looking forward to seeing it there.

“It will be really fun and I can’t wait,” she said. “It will be pretty awesome to see my own thing in the glass case and see my ribbon on it.”

Fellow Murphy resident Savannah Marstell is another returning competitor. She earned third place in Photography — Holiday and an honorable mention in the Cultural photography category this year.

Her third-place photograph captured the chandelier at the Winspear Opera House transformed into a Christmas tree and illuminated in red and green for a Leslie Odom Jr. holiday performance.

Her honorable mention came from another memorable outing — a photograph of country flags displayed on the field during a FIFA World Cup match in Dallas.

Marstell and her sisters, Sierra and Kendra, have been interested in photography since high school and have entered State Fair photography contests since 2023. Between them, they have collected several ribbons.

“I was thrilled!” Marstell said of this year’s results. “When I go to drop off the entries and then pick-up the non-winning entries, I see stacks and stacks of photos, so to have not only one, but two of my photos make it is incredible knowing how much competition is out there.”

The sisters have come to view each other’s successes as shared victories.

“My sisters and I joke that any photograph State Fair ribbon is a ‘family ribbon’ even though we all entered in separate photos,” Marstell said.

For the winners, the payoff comes when the State Fair gates open and months — or, in some cases, hundreds of hours — of work are displayed for thousands of fairgoers to see.

Ludwig hopes others might be inspired to try the competition themselves, noting that entering doesn’t require a major investment.

“In reality, it costs 5 bucks to do an entry in the fair,” she said. “It’s dirt cheap to do an entry. So even if you lose, you had fun.”

Editor’s note: Other residents from the communities we cover also earned ribbons and honorable mentions in the State Fair of Texas Creative Arts competitions. This story highlights local winners who responded to requests for information about their entries.

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The program, part of the society’s America 250 activities, will be held from 7-9 p.m. at the Sachse Historical Society Museum, 3033 Sixth St.

Featured speaker Tom Washington, a fifth great grandnephew of President George Washington and a member of a Texas chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, will present “America 250: The Washington Family.”

Sachse Historical Society President Tricia Lindsey said one of the organization’s new board members discovered Washington and suggested him as a possible speaker.

“He fits perfectly as a speaker as we celebrate America 250,” Lindsey said. “I hope people take away a greater appreciation of who George Washington was and what events in his life shaped him into the future president of our country.”

Lindsey said she is particularly interested in learning more about the man behind the familiar historical figure.

“I’m looking forward to getting a sense of who Washington was beyond what the textbooks show,” she said.

The evening will combine history, conversation and dessert in a more informal setting than a traditional historical presentation. Lindsey said this will be the society’s first program of its kind, but organizers hope it won’t be the last.

“We have never done one of these types of programs and we hope to have more in the future,” she said.

The event is open to ages 16 and older. Admission is $5 for Sachse Historical Society members and $10 for nonmembers.

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The department will host a free Civilian Response to an Active Shooter Event, or CRASE, training at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Sachse Public Safety Building, 3815-D Sachse Road.

The community training is built around the Avoid, Deny, Defend model, which teaches civilians options for responding when confronted with an active shooter or similar threat.

The course is open to residents, business owners, employees and anyone interested in becoming better prepared. There is no cost to attend and registration is not required.

CRASE was developed by the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center, or ALERRT, at Texas State University. The program was designed in response to requests from schools, businesses and communities seeking guidance on how civilians should respond during active shooter events.

ALERRT developed the Avoid, Deny, Defend strategy in 2004. The model encourages people to first avoid the danger and move to a safe location when possible. If escape is not possible, the next option is to deny an attacker access to their location. Defending oneself is considered a last resort when faced with a life-threatening situation.

The concepts are similar to the more widely recognized Run, Hide, Fight model, but ALERRT uses different terminology intentionally.

According to ALERRT, “Avoid” recognizes that not everyone may be physically able to run, while “Deny” emphasizes taking steps to prevent an attacker from gaining access rather than simply hiding. “Defend” describes taking action to protect oneself as a last resort.

The organization emphasizes that regardless of the terminology used, the goal is for civilians to have a plan, remain aware of their surroundings and understand that their actions during an emergency matter.

CRASE training also provides information about the history and prevalence of active shooter events, civilian response options and medical considerations. Law enforcement officers who complete ALERRT’s instructor training can then provide the information to schools, businesses and members of their communities.

The Sachse class is part of that community outreach and gives participants an opportunity to learn the response principles directly from local law enforcement before they are ever faced with an emergency.

The free training begins at 9 a.m. Oct. 3 at the Sachse Public Safety Building, 3815-D Sachse Road. No advance registration is required.

For additional information about CRASE and the Avoid, Deny, Defend model, visit alerrt.org.

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New Secretary of State Robert Howden has rolled out an online portal that allows Texans to confirm their active voter registration, register to vote in the upcoming election on Tuesday, Nov. 3, or make changes to a voter registration certificate. 

Monday, Oct. 5, is the last day to register to vote in the November Election and early voting runs from Monday, Oct. 19 through Friday, Oct. 30.

Requests for a ballot by mail must be received by Friday, Oct. 23. The mail ballot must be received by Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, (Election Day) at 7:00 p.m. if the carrier envelope is not postmarked, OR Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026, (the next business day after Election Day) at 5:00 p.m. if the carrier envelope is postmarked by 7:00 p.m. at the location of the election on Election Day (unless overseas or military voter deadlines apply).

 The link to the Secretary of State’s voter registration portal is: https://goelect.txelections.civixapps.com/ivis-mvp-ui/#/login.

The portal, with a first build date of Aug. 18, confirms voter registration by asking for First Name, Last Name, Suffix, Date of Birth, and either ZIP Code and county, Driver’s License number or Voter ID number.

If a site visitor is not registered, a link asks in English or Spanish if the person is a U.S. Citizen and whether they will be 18 years of age on or before Election Day.

Clicking “No” on the citizenship question triggers the response: “You must be a United States citizen to proceed with this form.”

A similar message informs those under 18 that they must be at least 18 years old in order to vote.

Answering “yes” to both questions opens a form that must be completed, printed, signed and sent by U.S. Mail to the Secretary of State’s office.

The form requests a Driver’s License number, Texas ID number or the last four digits of a Social Security number. There is a box to check if a person does not have any of those documents.

The information form includes a warning that giving false information to procure voter registration is perjury and a violation under state and federal law.

“Conviction of this crime may result in imprisonment up to one year in jail, a fine  up to $4,000, or both,” the form says. “Please read all three statements to affirm before signing: I am a resident of this county and a U.S. Citizen; I have not been finally convicted of a felony, or if a felon, I have completed all of my punishment, including any term of incarceration, parole, supervision, period of probation, or I have been pardone [sic.]; and I have not been determined by a final judgment of a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote.”

Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Howden on July 17 to succeed Secretary Jane Nelson, who Abbott appointed in January 2023 following her three decades in the state Senate.

A University of Texas at Austin graduate, Howden had worked in Abbott’s office as director of legislative affairs. He previously worked with Govs. Bill Clements and Rick Perry.

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For Ashley Carlisle, growth does not always begin where it can be seen.

Sometimes, it starts in darkness — with no outward sign that circumstances are changing or prayers are being answered.

That idea is at the heart of Roots, a new Christian devotional app Carlisle developed to encourage people navigating seasons of waiting, uncertainty and spiritual growth.

Read the full story in the September 10th edition. Stay informed — subscribe to The Sachse News.