Located on the northwest corner of McKinney's Square is Lone Star Wine Cellars. It is located in the old Ritz Theater building, which is kind of like a tiny mall, with an interior corridor leading to a jeweler, florist, gift shop, and the salons.

If you are passing by Friday or Saturday night, you can't really miss it, as they broadcast the evening's live music towards the square via an outdoor speaker. It is one of two wine bars on the square, I will write about Landon Winery another time.

The music at Lone Star is simple. So far we have seen solo musicians, but always playing to a packed crowd. On weekend nights, tables and chairs are available in the Ritz's hallways to accommodate those patrons spilling out of the main bar. Couples dance in the hallways as well, since it is such a small venue. The smokers dance outside on the sidewalk to the music piped out via speaker. I've heard country, pop, reggae, and plenty of Jimmy Buffet of course.

We went on Valentine's Day, since our table at Cafe Malaga wasn't ready quite at 9:00. We really just went to waste a little time, but it turned out to be a fun discovery.

Our server informed us that they have live music on Friday and Saturday nights. Friday is "date night" and Saturday is "party night".

The wines were mostly local Texan. The prices were remarkably reasonable. I selected four tastes for under $8 and I think David had the same. I had the Wales Manor Sweet Ruby Cabernet, a Blueberry wine, and a Blackberry wine (yes, they were good, as I enjoy sweet wines) and I cannot recall the final selection. David had a series of reserve selections, which he enjoyed.

There is a selection of light foods available, including cheese trays and baked brie, typical cellar fare. Also, Cafe Malaga will deliver to Lone Star Wine Cellars... interesting!

The variety of patrons was interesting. There were cowboy types with dates, girls out on the town, next to us a man was introducing his fiance to his family. A family came in with teenaged kids and sat in comfortable looking winged back chairs in the hallway/foyer. It was Valentine's Day, so there were quite a few Valentines.

The music is loud enough to sing along to, yet it is easy to have a conversation. It is a nice low-key weekend evening outing, especially if one has plans to dine elsewhere on the square or in the historic district.

This one is a no-brainer. The Square is a great place to spend the day or to take visitors.

I don't usually walk about the square on Saturdays. Usually I park off the square, get my hair done at the Salons at the Ritz, dash down the back alley for some meat and cheese and Hamm's for the upcoming week of lunches, and then get the heck out of Dodge. But today, I had an hour to kill while David had his massage, so I checked out the Saturday square happenings.

The square was packed with people. It was great to see. I even had to dodge people on the sidewalk the entire time, Yeah!

My first stop, after leaving David at Diana's Healing Hands for a massage, was the Garrett Art Gallery. Here, one will find some wonderful artwork, including a bunch of Texas and McKinney art. I spoke with Gail Delger regarding the work she had on display. It was fun stuff, especially her bird art. There are also McKinney tee shirts available for purchase in the gallery, and they are nice.

After the gallery, I walked around the corner towards Hamm's. I decided to putter about the antique mall adjacent to the newly remodeled Herby's Soda Fountain. Herby's was packed, which was encouraging. There was even a group of cute Boy Scouts having lunch at Herby's. The burgers and fries looked huge. Maybe someday soon I'll have lunch there.

I continued to walk around the square, and was very surprised to see a new addition, "Loco Cowpoke", at 206 E. Louisiana Street. Take your out of town visitors here the day before they fly home so that they can buy some Texas condiments and tasty stuff to take home with them. This is the place for corn salsas, habanero sauce, dips for chips and vegetables, chili mixes, etc. Here you can also find various "pies in a jar" and other goods that look delicious. The owner's business card states, "country fixin's, salsas & jellies" and outside of the apostrophe abuse, he's dead on on his inventory.

Also new on the square is UPTOWN, which is a home store, full of kitchen stuff, bath towels, and a selection of furniture. It reminds me of Z Gallery a bit. I was a little surprised by the odd mix of a small section of utility and a large selection of decor. Yet, it is a nice store!

A walk along Kentucky Street highlights the new patio dining options for Landon Winery, Bob's Chophouse, and Mischa's.

A sharp left at Virginia takes you to Cafe Malaga or even Doll Haven, which is an interesting place if you like dolls. Especially if you like unusual dolls such as lifelike baby dolls, perhaps one of a kind. What caught my eye was a new in box Mrs. Beasley doll in a box signed by Cheryl Ladd of Charlie's Angels fame. What does Family Affair have to do with Charlie's Angels? I don't know, but the dolls were exquisite.

In general, the square was bustling with activity, and I was glad to see it. It was a relief to see the Pantry doing a hefty lunch business and to see that they had featured a breakfast menu earlier in the day. Spoons was packed with a waiting "crowd". The Londoner was sharing their music with the passersby. Cars were parked down the streets in all directions.

And of course, in the middle, is the MPAC, the McKinney Performing Arts Center and once the Collin County Courthouse, beautifully restored. Just last Saturday night, we were there, enjoying a night of female standup comics with a theater packed full of others. I heard the people behind me say, "I didn't know McKinney was such a happening place..." Well, as a matter of fact, it is. I doubt David heard the comment though, as he was off getting us drinks at the bar, which was shared by the art show downstairs. So, two groups were enjoying the MPAC on the same night.

So the McKinney Square is definitely on the top of the list for things to do.