If you live in The Woodlands, you probably know of The Christmas Street, a neighborhood in Panther Creek in which the streets are lined with green lights, and almost every house is decorated festively with lights and various Christmas themed decorations. But do you know the story behind this community’s tradition, and how it all got started? It all began back in 2001. After Cort Martin, a Senior at The Woodlands High school, passed away in a tragic car accident, Mark “Homer” Holmes noticed Cort’s father Tim out late putting up Christmas lights. Homer and some neighbors came together and decorated their homes on Tanglebrush in remembrance of Cort, who loved Christmas lights, and as a way to spend time with and comfort their neighbor during a rough time.

​Candidates for The Woodlands Township Board explained their views on incorporation at a recent forum hosted by The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce​. 

Last Friday morning, members of the Bayou Land Conservancy and community leaders, volunteers, and residents from The Woodlands area gathered for a ribbon cutting ceremony to unveil the Spring Creek Nature Trail. The grand opening celebrating the completed construction of the new 13-mile natural surface hike and bike trail was the culmination of coordinated efforts between various organizations and over 2500 hours of hard work from volunteers.

Surrounded by lush forest and greenery, the Spring Creek Nature Trail meanders along and across Spring Creek, and is the first trail that’s going to connect Harris and Montgomery Counties and go all the way to I-45.

The trail has four main entrances: The Dr. Ann Snyder trailhead is located of Creekside Forest Drive, the Rob Fleming Trailhead is at 6464 Creekside Forest Dr., the Flintridge Trailhead is inside the George Mitchell Nature Preserve, and the Montgomery County Preserve Trailhead is off Pruitt Road. The Dr. Ann Snyder Trailhead is not open to the public yet, but should be later this summer.

Jill Boullion, Executive Director of the Bayou Land Conservancy, started off the ceremony by sharing a brief history of her organization’s construction of the trail. “On March 10, 2017, a group much like today gathered at the Creekside Park Preserve to break ground on the Spring Creek Nature Trail," she said. "I remember that event was graced by the presence of a bald eagle soaring over our heads. Our goal was to finish the 13 miles of the volunteer-built trail by the summer of 2018. To be honest, we weren’t sure we could accomplish that, but we are here today to celebrate that unbelievable accomplishment. The initial construction phase is complete, slightly ahead of schedule."

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The 32nd Annual Economic Outlook Conference hosted by The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce gathered local businesses, community leaders, elected officials, and corporate executives and advisors to provide valuable insight into local community developments and projected economic growth in Montgomery County and Texas. In the midst of a region that got right back on its feet after being knocked down by a devastating Hurricane Harvey, the event theme this year was “Resilient Community, Innovative Future.”

The first segment of the conference featured a community update from The Woodlands Township Chairman and Founder and CEO of The Woodlands Financial Group, Gordy Bunch.

The Chairman highlighted the impact that Harvey had on The Woodlands area, and how different groups worked together to provide relief.

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In The Woodlands, an iconic sculpture of a man lying half submerged in the ground rests in the median on the east side of the intersection of South Panther Creek and Woodlands Parkway, where it was installed by artist David Phelps in 1989. 

"The Dreamer" is a triple life-size mixed media figurative sculpture originally commissioned by the Connemara Conservancy for a temporary outdoor exhibit in 1987. It was then cast in a limited edition of three bronze castings. The first was commissioned by The Woodlands, the second was commissioned by the city of Palm Desert, California, and the third was commissioned by the Sterling Research Group of Collegeville, Pennsylvania.

I reached out to David Phelps inquiring about the meaning behind the sculpture. According to Phelps, the sculpture's origins can be traced to his childhood home in California’s Central Valley Delta, where a maze of rivers meander and crisscross on their way to the San Francisco Bay and eventually, the Pacific Ocean. Middle River, Old River, and the San Joaquin River intersect to form the largest island in the Delta: Roberts Island. The threat of the island flooding left powerful memories and emotions with Phelps as he grew up, and sequentially influenced much of the artwork he created as an adult.

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On Friday January 5, 2018, community leaders and planners of The Woodlands met at Town Green Park to celebrate a new partnership between The Woodlands Township and the world’s premier bike sharing platform, Mobike.

Mobike is a Chinese bike sharing company that utilizes smart phone technology and GPS data to allow people to pick up, ride, and drop off Mobike bicycles at their own convenience, for a price of $1 per 30 minutes of use. The bikes are designed with punctureless tires, smart locks, and disc brakes to be as safe and durable as possible.

Mobike is a turnkey operation, and it is providing 50 smart-bicycles for use in The Woodlands at no cost to the local government and taxpayers. The Woodlands is the third township/municipality in the US, and the first in Texas, to receive Mobike’s services following its rapid expansion to 200 cities around the world in the past two years.

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