Train enthusiasts and families are invited to climb aboard for the return of Sachse Train Day, a free community event hosted by the Sachse Historical Society from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 25.

“This is our third year to host Train Day, and it is absolutely getting bigger each year,” said Tricia Lindsey, president of the Sachse Historical Society. “The LEGO layout is new… and everyone is excited to see what the North Texas Brick Society is going to create.”

This year’s event follows the same popular format as previous years, encouraging visitors to travel between four “depot” stops, collect stamps on a map and redeem a completed passport for a prize.

The new exhibit, located in the Sachse Library meeting room, joins returning attractions including model train displays, caboose tours and interactive activities at each location.

Aside from the meeting room, activities will take place at the Sachse Historical Society Museum, 3033 6th Street; the Sachse Community Center, 3815 Sachse Road and the historic caboose. 

Guests can enjoy N-scale model train displays presented by North Texas T-TRAK Modular Railroad Club, caboose tours and opportunities to build their own train mini modules while learning about the important role railroads played in Sachse’s history.

Choo Choo Express trackless train rides will once again be available for purchase on-site.

The Sachse Historical Society’s museum features railroad artifacts and exhibits highlighting the city’s heritage, while the historic caboose offers visitors a glimpse into early Sachse through a detailed diorama depicting the community during its railroad era.

“It’s easy to forget how transformative the railroad was to America,” Lindsey said. “It didn’t just move crops and products to market faster. The railroad gave people the freedom to travel, experience new places, and helped shape the growth of cities. I hope visitors can catch a glimpse of that as they explore the different depot stops.”

For more information, visit the Sachse Historical Society website or call 972-496-6577.

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The Rape Aggression Defense (R.A.D.) program is a nationally recognized course that provides realistic, hands-on self-defense instruction for women of all fitness levels. According to organizers, the goal is to provide practical defense options participants can use in real-world situations.

The course consists of four three-hour sessions scheduled from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 14, 21 and 28 and Nov. 4 at 3815-D Sachse Road.

To register, participants must be Sachse residents and at least 16 years old. Space is limited.

For more information about the national R.A.D. program, visit rad-systems.com. To register for the Sachse course, visit cityofsachse.com/RADTraining.

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By Allison LaBrot | [email protected]

Wylie Acting Group (WAG), a nonprofit community theater organization, is gearing up for two weekends of performances of “Newsies.” The musical will be presented July 24-26 and July 31-Aug. 2 by a cast of 42 teenagers and a six-member crew. 

Co-directors Barb Holder and Melissa Johnson said many of the young cast and crew members have already gained experience through WAG or their schools. 

“Their passion and dedication shine in every performance,” the directors said. 

Read the full story in the July 23rd edition. Stay informed — subscribe to The Sachse News.

By Allison LaBrot | [email protected]

The Wylie East Solar Car Team set out on a cross-Texas journey in their newly built vehicle Sunday, July 19, for the annual Solar Car Challenge. The five-day competition sent 24 high school teams on a cross-Texas journey of up to 619.8 miles from Fort Worth to Fort Stockton.

After winning the Advanced Classic division national championships the past two years, the Wylie East team built a new car, “East Beast 2.0,” from the ground up to comply with updated rules for the 2026 competition. 

Planning for the competition started 18 months ago, with construction beginning at the start of the 2025-26 school year. The team has worked continuously, spending two to three days a week on the car this summer and adding in extra workdays over the past month. 

Students contribute to every aspect of the project, from welding and fabrication to aerodynamics, electronics and other critical systems.

Ten of the team’s 16 members competed in this year’s Solar Car Challenge. 

While the 2025 event took place at Fort Worth’s Texas Motor Speedway, students from around the country will travel through several Texas cities this year. Team adviser Matthew Karlsen said there will be three days of tech inspection, called “scrutineering,” before the race. Each race day includes a route with two rest stops and a lunch break.

This year, the team faced challenges during their tech inspection. 

“After two days of repair for an incident that happened on day two of scrutineering, we are ready to start the race,” they relayed on social media,

“Teams can only drive from 9 to 5, so if you don’t get all the way, you must trailer to the destination,” Karlsen said. “Only the miles they drive in the solar car get counted towards their total.”

The winner is determined by total miles driven, with the fastest overall time serving as the tiebreaker. Solar cars are preceded on the road by a truck and trailer and followed by two chase cars with lights and large signs to alert other drivers of the car’s presence. The first chase car also transports a judge who keeps track of mileage and ensures rules of the road are followed. 

Preparation for the cross-Texas race differs from what is needed for the track event. 

“Drivers need to practice driving without cruise control to keep a steady foot, study driving hills and getting through multiple stops and starts without consuming precious energy,” Karlsen said. 

The competition began Sunday in Fort Worth and includes stops in Palestine, Round Rock, Fredericksburg, San Angelo before concluding in Fort Stockton. At each stop, community members can view the solar cars during public displays held from 4 to 9 p.m. For more information and race updates, follow the Solar Car Challenge or Wylie East Solar Car Team on Facebook. 

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Nearly 90% of participants earned their General Class amateur radio license during a licensing course and Field Day demonstration hosted June 27 by the N5SAC Amateur Radio Club at the Sachse Fire Department’s Emergency Operations Center.

The event combined classroom instruction with hands-on operating experience, allowing participants to make their first General Class radio transmissions after completing the course. Nearly all students who took the exam successfully upgraded their licenses, resulting in an 89% pass rate.

The class was supported by Sachse Fire Chief Marty Wade, whose assistance allowed the event to be held at the fire station’s Emergency Operations Center.

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5 Loaves Ministries is preparing to welcome hundreds of local families to its fourth annual Back 2 School Bash Saturday, July 18, with this year’s theme, “Bright Futures Start Here.” The event is expected to serve 400 children, helping them begin the school year equipped with the supplies and confidence they need to succeed.

Each registered child will receive a new backpack filled with school supplies, along with access to free haircuts, oral care resources and a fun-filled day featuring activities for the entire family. The event reflects 5 Loaves Ministries’ ongoing commitment to supporting children and families beyond meeting immediate needs.

“We know that a successful school year begins long before the first bell rings,” Rebekah Rodgers, executive director, said. “Our goal is to remove barriers for families while reminding every child that they are valued, supported and capable of achieving great things. We want every child to walk into school with confidence because bright futures truly start here.”

As preparations continue, 5 Loaves Ministries is inviting the community to join the effort by sponsoring children, making monetary donations, purchasing school supplies through the organization’s Amazon Wish List or volunteering at the event. Businesses and community organizations are also encouraged to become event sponsors and invest in the success of local students.

The Back 2 School Bash allows 5 Loaves Ministries to bring together volunteers, businesses, churches and civic organizations to ensure children begin the school year prepared and encouraged.

Sachse Parks and Recreation is also gathering the community to support 5 Loaves Ministries. The Pickleball Summer School Supply Drive offers an evening of active fun from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 17, at the Michael J. Felix Community Center. School supplies will be accepted for admission.

For more information about the Back 2 School Bash, sponsorship opportunities or volunteer opportunities, visit 5loavesministries.org or contact 5 Loaves Ministries at 469-767-8071 or [email protected].

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Sometimes the passenger is a woman carrying little more than a purse and a few belongings. Other times, it’s a father traveling with children. Some rides last only a few miles; others stretch across state lines.

The circumstances are always different, but the mission never changes.

Discreetly and often urgently, Families to Freedom staff and volunteers help survivors put distance between themselves and the people hurting them — one ride, one flight, one bus ticket and one tank of gas at a time.

For founder and CEO Sarah Nejdl, the organization grew from understanding a difficult truth: leaving abuse is rarely as simple as walking out the door — and no single charity offered flights for domestic violence victims.

“We started as an all- volunteer organization focused on helping sheltered survivors get to family by road trip or by private flight,” said Nejdl, a private pilot.

Within a year, Families to Freedom expanded beyond private flights, adding transportation to rural shelters, bus and commercial travel, and fuel assistance. During the pandemic, the organization broadened its mission again, helping survivors reach any available shelter regardless of distance.

Today, the nonprofit operates offices in Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston and is expanding into East Texas, helping connect rural victims with resources in larger cities while also guiding metro-area survivors to available shelters in smaller communities.

Funding support has also transformed the nonprofit’s reach.

“Those funds help us afford frontline personnel so donations go directly toward victim travel,” Nejdl said.

Since 2015, Families to Freedom has coordinated more than 1.7 million transportation miles through local and regional rides, cross-state travel, bus transportation, fuel assistance and commercial flights.

For Nejdl, a few stories still stand out.

“There are many survival stories that remind us that sometimes our services are literally saving lives,” she said.

One involved a mother and her children fleeing an ex-partner who pursued them from state to state.

“She got a ride from us to a secure facility in another state where she could completely change her identity to disappear from him,” Nejdl said.

Another call came through a sheriff’s office requesting transportation to an emergency shelter in another county. One of Families to Freedom’s volunteer drivers transported the woman to safety only minutes before her abuser returned.

“The sheriff later shared that the abuser came home within 10 minutes of our driver leaving with her, and he had shotguns in the truck,” Nejdl said.

Roberta “Robbie” Chandler has seen the mission from behind the wheel.

After volunteering for 12 years with a McKinney nonprofit, Chandler attended a meeting where Nejdl spoke about Families to Freedom’s need for volunteers.

“I just automatically put my hand up,” Chandler said. “It just seemed like there was a desperate need.”

Four years later, Chandler dedicates 20 to 25 hours each week to the organization, handling North Dallas outreach and public speaking while reminding audiences that abuse can affect anyone.

When people ask why victims don’t simply leave, Chandler said those questions usually come from people who have never experienced abuse firsthand.

“Before they come to us, they have probably exhausted what friends and family they have,” she said.

Families to Freedom staff handle intake calls, develop individualized safety plans and assign one staff member to remain with each client throughout the process, coordinating transportation and working directly with volunteers.

Volunteers never pick people up at front doors and are never placed in unnecessary danger. Drivers are tracked from pickup through drop-off, receive descriptions of suspected abusers and remain in constant contact with staff.

“We know at all times, if we’re driving, that we’re being watched,” Chandler said.

Volunteers also provide small comforts. Survivors receive purses stocked with essentials, gift cards and toiletries, while children receive backpacks, books, toys and snacks.

“Anything that would make them feel like they have something to call their own,” Chandler said.

Staff continue checking on survivors for up to a month after they reach safety and will arrange additional transportation if another shelter becomes necessary.

The work, Chandler admitted, can be emotionally draining.

“You never cry in front of the client when you hear their story,” she said. “You wait until you get them safely delivered.”

Afterward, volunteers check in with office staff to talk through the trip.

“They’ve got nothing but our best interest at heart,” Chandler said.

The past decade has brought tremendous growth for Families to Freedom, though Nejdl said she wishes there were no need for the organization at all.

“Sadly, we won’t run out of work to do,” she said.

Still, she remains hopeful.

“I dream of a future when all Texas victims have access to arrive to safety … no matter how far away,” she said. “With more volunteers, grant funding and donations, we’ll see that become a reality soon enough.”

To volunteer, donate or learn more about Families to Freedom, visit familiestofreedom.org or call 833-903-SAFE (7233).

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The county could seek $820 million in bonds to fund several projects, including  a major expansion of the county jail, which officials acknowledged is at or above capacity most of the time.

County administrator Yoon Kim said he considered a package totaling $1.2 billion but reduced the proposal to the $820 million total that is now under consideration.

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While many North Texans are planning Fourth of July cookouts and looking forward to fireworks, Danielle Girdano is already thinking about Christmas.

Applications opened July 1 for the 2 Fishes Project’s annual holiday assistance program, kicking off months of planning, shopping, wrapping and organizing to ensure local families in need can experience the joy of Christmas.

Registration remains open through Aug. 1.

“The logistics just takes time,” Girdano said. “We provide Christmas for families who otherwise would not have it.”

Founded by Girdano after nearly years of quietly helping families during the holidays, the 2 Fishes Project became an official nonprofit as its mission continued to grow. Last year, the organization helped families throughout the area, including in Farmersville, and this year hopes to serve as many as 2,000 families.

Girdano said applications open in the middle of summer because creating personalized Christmases for hundreds of families is a months-long effort.

“We have families that are nominated to us. It’s overwhelming. We have to turn people away,” she said. “I think the need in this area is much greater than what people may realize.”

The nonprofit works with an extensive network of community partners, including local food pantries, outreach organizations, veterans groups, Meals on Wheels and other nonprofits that help identify families facing financial hardship.

Rather than focusing solely on children, the organization provides gifts and essentials for entire households.

“We take care of the whole family,” Girdano said. “It’s not just about the kids. It’s about mom or dad, maybe grandma lives with them. We do everything from decorations to Christmas trees to bicycles, toys, clothes and school supplies.” 

The organization also provides household items, outdoor games, tools and even gifts for family pets. Each family completes a questionnaire that helps volunteers personalize the gifts based on favorite colors, hobbies, interests, needs and holiday wishes.

While many families receive their gifts through the project’s “Reindeer Families” delivery program in November, others are invited to a Christmas Eve celebration at Girdano’s home.

The event includes a live nativity, Santa Claus, food, activities and the presentation of larger gifts such as bicycles. Adults receive gifts as well, something Girdano said often becomes one of the evening’s most meaningful moments.

“Santa knows their names,” she said. “When he walks up to an adult and hands them a gift, it is the most magical thing ever.”

The project has grown so much that Girdano’s home in Lavon once became overwhelmed with donated items before volunteers helped construct a storage building on her property in 2024. Today, the nonprofit continues seeking additional retail partners, donated merchandise and volunteers to meet increasing demand.

As of July 1, just hours after registration opened, Girdano said she had already received more than 100 requests for assistance.

She said the organization’s mission is to restore hope, renew faith and relieve some of the financial stress families face during the holidays.

“We want Christmas to be joyful and be a celebration, not be a time of stress or worry,” she said.

Families needing assistance through the 2 Fishes Project can request an application by emailing [email protected]. Registration is open through Aug. 1. Applicants are vetted through the organization’s network of community partners, and Girdano encourages those experiencing financial hardship to apply as early as possible.

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The North Central Texas Council of Governments Regional Police Academy is expanding its use of technology to better prepare future law enforcement officers by incorporating Motorola Solutions V700 body cameras into recruit training.

The academy began using the body cameras in January as part of scenario-based training exercises. Video recorded during simulated public interactions and emergency response situations allows recruits to review their own performance, helping improve communication, decision-making and de-escalation skills.

The technology also familiarizes recruits with equipment they are likely to use once they enter the field while reinforcing professionalism and accountability.

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