Texas Lakes Trail Region

06/01/2026

⭐️Board Member Spotlight⭐️

Kristen Gibson serves as the Sales Manager and Assistant Director for Visit Granbury, bringing more than 15 years of experience in the attractions and tourism industry across North Texas. With a passion for connecting people to places, Kristen plays a key role in driving tourism, securing group travel and events, and promoting Granbury as a premier Texas destination.

Originally from Billerica, Massachusetts, a small-town rich in history, Kristen relocated to Granbury in 2003, quickly making it home and falling in love with all the community has to offer.

Her tourism career includes leadership roles such as Operations Manager for The Promise and Director of the Glen Rose Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Kristen holds the Texas Destination Marketer (TDM) certification through the Texas Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus and recently earned the prestigious Certified Tourism Executive (CTE) designation through the Texas Travel Alliance Travel & Tourism College program.

Among her recent accomplishments, Kristen helped lead the successful effort for Granbury to become the 40th Music Friendly Certified Community in Texas through the Texas Music Office. She also played a significant role in Granbury earning its Tourism Friendly Certification. In addition, Kristen serves as Visit Granbury’s liaison for both the Texas Film Friendly and Music Friendly programs with the Governor’s Economic Development & Tourism Office.

Kristen is married and the proud mother of two grown sons, both engineers — one residing in Houston and the other in Dallas. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors, visiting her sons, reading, and exploring unique destinations and hidden gems throughout the State of Texas.

Kristen’s dedication to tourism excellence, community partnerships, and destination development continues to make a lasting impact on Granbury and the North Texas tourism industry.
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Kristen serves the Texas Lakes Trail Region as our Board President. Interested in joining the board? Reach out! The Texas Lakes Trail Region is 31 Texas counties wide and a part of the Texas Heritage Trail Regions helping communities boost their local economies by promoting historic preservation, cultural resources, and educational tourism.

05/29/2026

Visit Grand Prairie is a proud HERITAGE PARTNER of the Texas Lakes Trail Region!🌟

The town of Grand Prairie, with a population of 300 in 1890, now sits at the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The aviation and defense industries spurred city growth before and during World War II and remains a staple of the city’s economy today.

The Bankhead Highway appeared in Grand Prairie in 1920, when the main streets were paved as part of the completion of the Dallas–Fort Worth Turnpike. Over time, the Bankhead route through town was beautified to attract tourists. Many auto-related businesses opened along the highway and much of the futuristic signage common to the 1950s and 60s remains. The Uptown Theater, also built in the 1950s, offers a regular schedule of live performances, and recreational opportunities of all kinds are the name of the game in Grand Prairie today.
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Is your community or heritage organization located within the Texas Lakes Trail Region? Contact us to become a Heritage Partner today!

05/26/2026

⭐️Board Member Spotlight⭐️

With a love for history and a passion for museums and heritage tourism, Kelsey Jistel has served the Denton County Office of History & Culture for 11 years. As the Curator of Educational
Programs, she plans and facilitates various educational programs, events, and tours, and provides interpretive planning and exhibit curation for the Denton County Courthouse-on-the-Square
Museum and the Denton County Historical Park.

She has established several annual events and programs including PARK AFTER DARK at the Bayless-Selby House Museum, Denton County Farm Heritage Day, and the Denton County Junior Historians program. She is part of the collaborative team that established Denton Revealed: Preservation Month, an annual month-long series of events during Historic Preservation Month in May, creating engaging opportunities for residents and visitors to learn more about local preservation in Denton and the surrounding areas.

Kelsey grew up in Austin, Texas and after graduating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a BA in History, and the University of Kansas with an MA in Museum Studies, she found
her way back to Texas and settled in Denton.

Kelsey has proudly served on the Board of Directors for the Texas Lakes Trail since 2024, supporting efforts to promote and preserve the rich heritage of communities across the region.
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The Texas Lakes Trail Region is proud to have Kelsey as a dedicated Board Director and happy to have the Denton County Office of History & Culture as a new Heritage Partner!

Want to become a Heritage Partner? Would you like to include your city, community, or museum in our new Regional Map? Message us directly!

05/21/2026

We are excited to welcome Denton County Office of History & Culture as our new Heritage Partner! They have got some great events coming up!🎇✨

Denton County Farm Heritage Day is Saturday, June 6 from 9-1 at the Denton County Historical Park. https://www.facebook.com/share/1E6mpd9PCK/

On exhibit at the Denton County Courthouse-on-the-Square Museum is Commerce & Community, highlighting the history of local Denton County businesses. Through photographs, artifacts, and an interactive diner booth, visitors are reminded of the lasting impact of businesses both past and present.

From July 27-August 12, the Courthouse-on-the-Square Museum will have a special traveling exhibition, The American Revolution Experience, in partnership with the Flower Mound Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. This innovative pop-up exhibition includes display panels and interactive digital kiosks that use storytelling, illustration, technology, and unique artifacts and primary accounts to connect modern audiences with the people and places that shaped the birth of our nation.

05/20/2026

Congratulations to our friends Visit Ennis, Texas and Downtown Ennis Tx on becoming a Main Street Community!

🎉 Big News, Ennis: We’re proud to announce that Ennis Main Street has officially been named a 2026 Accredited Main Street America Program!

🏘️ Only 838 communities across the nation received this honor, and Ennis is proudly one of them!

This is the highest national recognition awarded to Main Street program and it highlights the incredible dedication of our staff, board, volunteers, business owners, and community partners who work every day to keep Downtown Ennis thriving.

This accreditation celebrates our commitment to historic preservation, economic vitality, community engagement, and creating a downtown where locals and visitors feel connected, welcomed, and inspired.

Thank you, Ennis, for believing in the power of community and helping make our historic downtown a must-experience destination. 💙

Learn more about Ennis Main Street: ennistx.gov/ennismainstreet

05/20/2026

Our NEW newsletter is live!
https://conta.cc/4vgUnjd

Click "Join our Mailing List" at the top to receive news and updates about the Texas Lakes Trail Region! 🌅

We're also rolling out our new Heritage Partners membership and Regional Map! Reach out to our Executive Director on how you and your organization can get involved!

05/19/2026

Howdydoo, friends! The Texas Lakes Trail Region is excited to roll out our new Heritage Partners membership program and our new 2026-2028 Regional Map to be carried across the great state of Texas!

As your heritage tourism promotional and advisory partner representing 31 counties, Texas Lakes Trail Region staff and volunteers can help stretch your marketing, programming, and training dollars for your benefit—and that of your visitors. We know your resources and staff are limited. That’s why we’re here to let people know about the authentic stories and authentic places of the Lone Star State as a way to help preserve our heritage and make our communities attractive places to visit, live, and work.

Contact our Executive Director Wade Dillon to become a Heritage Partner and participate in the Texas Lakes Trail Regional Map!

05/18/2026

We have some great news and projects in the works! Make sure to click the link below to subscribe to our newsletter so that you do not miss out!

https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/PzIK8hn/texaslakestrail

05/18/2026

⭐️Board Member Spotlight⭐️

With more than 20 years of experience in marketing and communications, Amy Borders has built a career rooted in telling the stories of Texas. Her work spans branding, public relations, tourism, and special events, with a consistent focus on strengthening community identity, honoring local heritage, and creating meaningful connections.

She served more than 15 years as Director of Communications and Marketing for the City of Waxahachie, where she built the department from the ground up, led award-winning campaigns, and founded the Crossroads of Texas Film and Music Festival. Today, she serves as Director of Communications for the City of Justin and provides consulting services to municipalities, destinations, and small businesses across Texas.

Raised in a multi-generation farming family, Amy brings a deep respect for the land, tradition, and the people who shape Texas communities. That perspective is the foundation of Mockingbird Collective, her Texas-rooted brand focused on place-based storytelling, heritage, and helping communities and businesses define and share what makes them distinctly their own.

Amy has proudly served on the Texas Lakes Trail Region Board of Directors since 2024, supporting efforts to promote and preserve the rich heritage of communities across the region.

10/20/2025

On October 23, Wise County and the Texas Historical Commission will celebrate the rededication of the Wise County Courthouse in Decatur.

Chosen as the county seat in 1858 for its elevated location and central placement, Decatur has long stood as the civic center of Wise County. Its landmark courthouse, completed in 1896, showcases renowned Texas courthouse architect J. Riely Gordon’s signature Richardsonian Romanesque style—built of locally sourced pink granite and ornate terra cotta, with a clock tower visible for miles around.

A major restoration project was launched in summer 2023 to preserve the building’s granite masonry and intricate terra-cotta detailing, and to restore the functioning courtroom. The balcony was also reconstructed, with replica windows now gracing the exterior. Craftsmen refinished original furnishings, doors, and wrought-iron railings, ensuring the landmark’s historic integrity.

The rededication ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. with remarks by local and state officials, a ceremonial flag-raising by members of the Wise County Veterans Group, and a performance by the Decatur High School Choir. Following the ceremony, the courthouse will be open for public tours until 2 p.m.

For more information: https://thc.texas.gov/events/wise-county-courthouse-dedication