🏦 After 30 Years at Woodforest, Mayrant Becomes CEO
☕ Waygood Coffee Opens Its Doors on College Park Drive
💪 DFW Gym Franchise Absolute Recomp Coming to Spring
🏡 Home & Outdoor Living Show Returns to Conroe in August

⛅ Partly Cloudy · Saturday, July 18, 2026

🌡️ High 94°F · Low 73°F
💧 Humidity 68% · 💨 Wind SSW 7 mph · 🌧️ Rain chance 8%
☀️ UV Index Extreme · 🌅 Sunrise 6:32 AM · 🌇 Sunset 8:24 PM

UV hits extreme today, so slather on sunscreen if you're headed to tonight's Flatland Cavalry show at the Pavilion.

Source: The Weather Channel

Julie V. Mayrant stepped into the role of President and CEO of Woodforest National Bank on July 15, after more than 30 years at the employee-owned bank. Her Woodforest career began at the company's first in-store branch, right here in Conroe, a model that helped grow the bank into one of the largest retail banking networks in the country, with nearly 740 branches across 17 states.

"It has been a privilege to grow with Woodforest over the past 30 years," Mayrant said. "Our success has always been rooted in our people, our culture of ownership, and our commitment to putting customers first and communities always." Mayrant and her husband, Jerry, have lived in Montgomery County throughout her career and currently chairs the board of Interfaith of The Woodlands.

Why it matters: the person now running one of the largest employee-owned banks in the country got her start at a single branch in Conroe.

Source/Credits: Hello Woodlands | PR Newswire

Waygood Coffee is holding its soft opening on College Park Drive in The Woodlands area this week, running July 15 through 19, with a grand opening week and 50% off drinks set for July 20 through 26. The drive-thru only shop is the coffeehouse's fourth Texas location, founder Auri Jalili confirmed, and specializes in espresso-based drinks with housemade syrups like vanilla and caramel.

"We really hone in on the richness of our flavors and pick out which coffee beans work the best," Jalili said. "And it's fresh. So now, you have a product that we think is superior to brands off the shelf that go down the supply chain." Menu favorites include the Waygood Latte and the Seaside Shakerato, a salted vanilla shaken espresso with an extra shot.

Source/Credits: Community Impact

Dallas-Fort Worth gym franchise Absolute Recomp is expanding to Spring on Holzwarth Road, according to a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing. The gyms are staffed and open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and the Spring location will be equipped for strength training, physique-focused workouts, and longer-term body goals.

Each Absolute Recomp location also houses a retail shop offering merchandise and supplements, giving members a one-stop setup alongside their workouts.

Source/Credits: Community Impact

The 8th Annual Fall Montgomery County Home & Outdoor Living Show returns to the Lone Star Convention & Expo Center in Conroe on August 29 and 30, with free admission and parking. Homeowners can meet one-on-one with local pros covering everything from kitchen and bathroom remodeling to pools, patios, roofing, and generators.

Highlights include a live appearance from Tom Tynan of HomeShow Radio, gardening advice from Skip Richter of KTRH's GardenLine, and a Saturday-only Children's Entrepreneur Market featuring more than 40 young local business owners. The show's Buy It Now aisle also spotlights small local vendors, from Heritage 1857 Coffee to handcrafted Talavera décor, alongside nonprofits including Habitat for Humanity Montgomery County and Operation Pets Alive!

Source/Credits: Hello Woodlands

Saturday, July 18

🎸 Flatland Cavalry: Work of Heart Tour. The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, 2005 Lake Robbins Drive. 7:30 p.m. Texas country night with Randy Rogers Band and Zack Telander opening. Tickets required. More info

🎨 Art Matters Series III: Fireside Chat with Bob Mosier. The Woodlands Arts Council Gallery, 9450 Grogan's Mill Road, Suite 160. 2–4 p.m. An intimate conversation with exhibiting artist Bob Mosier on art, creativity, and community. Free, RSVP required. More info

Sunday, July 19

🎹 Family-Friendly Sing-Along Show. Two Tones Dueling Piano Bar, 27832 I-45 North. 2–4 p.m. Interactive dueling-pianos performance mixing Disney songs, classic sing-alongs, and crowd-pleasing hits for all ages. More info

Tuesday, July 21

🎼 The Music of Billy Joel & Elton John, starring Michael Cavanaugh. The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, 2005 Lake Robbins Drive. 8 p.m. Free show with the Houston Symphony, no tickets required. More info

Thursday, July 23

🎬 Movies on the Lawn: The Bad Guys 2. The Woodlands Mall, 1201 Lake Woodlands Drive (near Shake Shack). 7 p.m. Free, family-friendly outdoor movie night on the lawn. Blankets and chairs welcome. More info

The YMCA of Greater Houston has kicked off the 22nd year of Operation Backpack, its annual drive collecting and distributing backpacks and school supplies for kids ahead of the 2026-27 school year. The program reaches roughly 30,000 community members across the Houston area each year, according to a July 10 news release from YMCA officials.

Source/Credits: Community Impact

🧑‍💼 Texas added 43,400 nonfarm jobs in June, bringing the state to 177,900 new jobs over the past year, a 1.2% annual growth rate outpacing the national rate by 0.9 points, according to new Texas Workforce Commission data. Read more

🦟 Montgomery County confirmed its first human West Nile virus case of the year on June 26, as mosquito season hits its June-to-August peak. Read more

🥎 Diamond Impact Training Center, a new indoor baseball and softball training facility in Spring, officially opened June 1 with HitTrax swing-analysis technology for real-time performance feedback. Read more

Before George Mitchell built The Woodlands as a forest-preserving, master-planned community, he was already known in the oil and gas industry by a very different nickname: the "father of fracking." He spent nearly two decades developing hydraulic fracturing techniques in North Texas's Barnett Shale, finally striking commercial success in 1997, the same fortune that helped bankroll the community he'd already started building here in 1974.

"That boy's a few fries shy of a Happy Meal." Translation: bless his heart, he's not the sharpest tool in the shed.

Your car keys have traveled farther than your car ever will, since they've ridden along on every trip, plus every time you've walked around the house looking for them.

Why don't skeletons ever start arguments?

— They don't have the guts.