Yes, I am from good ol’ TC, or to outsiders, The Colony, Texas. It’s a suburbia city smack dab in the middle of the madness that is Frisco, Little Elm, Carrollton, and Lewisville. When I was growing up, Tc was a pretty normal place. It was big enough to have things to do but small enough where if you weren’t careful, everyone knew your business. Now, it’s growing into something I barely recognize. Every time I go back, there always seems to be another restaurant being built or more construction started on 423. So, before the Tc I knew is gone, I figured I would share some of the “classic” quirks of growing up in my hometown.
1.You’ve seen the “Duck Lady” cussing someone on her bike while you were on your way to school.
We’ve all seen her on our way to school or to Walmart. She used to have a duck in her basket and she was almost always flipping someone off when she swerved out in front of them. For those of us who have actually had conversations with her, she seems to be pretty nice. Just really likes riding her bike. Ride on Duck Lady, ride on!
2. Your school colors have been black and gold you're entire educational career. (Specifically those who went to Camey and Lakeview.)
I went from being a Camey Cobra to a Lakeview Leopard to a Colony Cougar with the same black and gold themed t-shirts my entire educational career. I’m not really complaining. I just always thought it was extremely odd.
3. Angelina’s is the go-to restaurant for any special occasion. (Yes, Margarita Mondays count!)
Angelina’s is literally the best place to eat Tex-Mex. I grew up on their queso and fajitas. We went there for birthdays and special occasions. We even went there on a school field trip once. Best. Lunch. Ever. And now that I am older, Margarita Mondays are literally one of my favorite parts about visiting home. Great friends, great food, and awesome drinks. What more can you ask for?
4. You used to go to Larry’s to hang out.
I honestly don’t know if this was a thing with everyone. I just know that my friends and I would always ride our bikes over to Larry’s to get a milkshake and fries. We would always sit in one of the booths in the back corner and somehow we almost always ended up throwing food at each other. (Sorry y’all!) I am pretty sure I had my first “real” date with my late husband there. He bought me a dipped cone and he had a strawberry milkshake. It was adorable.
5. Cougarcards.
Lord, you always knew football season was about to start when you would get three random teenage boys knocking on your door asking you if you would like to buy a cougar card. My awkward middle school self would always squeal and run away when I would open the door and high school boys were standing on my front door. So to whoever saw me in my strawberry shortcake pjs and got a good laugh from my social anxieties, you're welcome.
6. You know about the ghost of Bill Allen Park
Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, I knew would always tell me about the ghosts of Bill Allen Park by the train tracks. I never believed them until one night I found myself walking in the park after curfew. (I knew I should have listened to my mother.) My boyfriend and I were walking around, not wanting to go home just yet, and in the dead of summer, both of us started getting cold. When we started to head back to the car, we heard voices and then a train horn. But THERE WASN”T A TRAIN ON THE FREAKING TRACKS!! Literally one of the creepiest things I have experienced. I don’t remember the exact background story I heard of the supposed ghosts that haunt those woods, but I remember it being about two teenagers who were in love but couldn’t be together. I am sure there’s a thousand different versions. If anyone can remember, please share! I love a good ghost story!
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7. Potholes. Potholes everywhere.
My family and I literally joke every time we are up there that we are going to send The City of The Colony a bill for our cars to get realigned. I swear every road you turn on, there is a pothole on it. When I was younger, my mom would literally have to weave around the potholes. Back then I thought it was awesome. Now, I just want to be able to visit my family without having to take my car to the shop when I get back home.
8. You have to explain to people who don’t live there that you don’t live in a cult.
Literally the greatest part about telling people that you’re from The Colony is the look they give you afterwards. It’s somewhere between “Are they serious?” and “Should I run?” For some reason or another, the second question I get after where am I from is always, “Oh, so what was it like being raised in a cult?” It is the funniest thing seeing people process that our city’s name is actually “The Colony” and not “Colony” or some other weird name they come up with. Our city’s slogan is “The City by The Lake” but sometimes I wonder if it should be something more along the lines of “We promise we aren’t a cult. You’re safe.”
9. Your parents went to the same high school as you/had some of the same teachers.
My mom and dad didn’t go to The Colony High School, but I know A LOT of my friends’ parents who did. And literally all the kids from my family went to/ is going to TCHS. And my nephew has had at least three of the same teachers I had when I was growing up.
10. The Lakeview/Griffin rivalry.
The only two middle schools in the town, there’s bound to be bad blood boiling between the two. Even if they were only on opposite ends of North Colony.
11. How annoying it was when they closed the five-star parking lot for students during the day.
I remember the day people protested because they closed Five Star’s parking lot for students to park in because no one was buying student parking lots anymore. I mean, there was also the whole drugs and smoking between classes that they wanted to stop too, but since it wasn’t on school grounds, they decided to become a monopoly and force students to buy parking passes. My lazy butt just liked it because it was a shorter distance to walk.
12. How huge Hawaiian Falls was when it first opened.
So, when Hawaiian Falls opened, there was only two tube slides, three body slides, and the big purple slide. Then they had the wave pool and the lazy river, with the kiddie section in between it all. And it was still the coolest thing that that town had ever seen. If you weren’t working there for a summer job, you were there enjoying the wave pool and hanging out with your friends in the lazy river. It was always packed.
13. You still had to go to school on “snow days” when all the other districts were canceled.
I remember always being so upset when FISD would be out for “snow” days and we would still have to go to school. Even the teachers would be a litter more peeved off than usual on those days.
14. You got asked what kind of drugs you were on because you were from The Colony.
I’m not really gonna get into this part, because if you’re from Tc, you know what Tc is really known for. I didn’t really ever experience that part of it so I don’t have much to say about it other than people never believed me when I told them I’ve never done drugs and I was from Tc.
15. You ran into people you knew EVERYWHERE.
You couldn’t go anywhere without running into someone you knew, whether it be a teacher or a friend, heck even running into family members was common for me.
16. Going to the duck pond to feed the ducks was a right of passage.
We’ve all done it. Take an old loaf of bread up to Lion’s Park. Call the ducks and they come running. But what our parents always failed to mention to us unsuspecting innocent little juveniles was the evil white feathered demons that would attack you unprovoked and give you nightmares for months! (Yes, I am talking about those damn geese.) When I was younger, I loved feeding the ducks. It was awesome. They would come and take the bread out of my hand and they were so cute. And when I would run out of food, they would go politely on their way back to the pond and I would go play on the playground. But alas, if you ran out of bread and the geese were around, well you better freaking run because those soulless beaks will take all of your peaceful dreams of the pond and throw them to the fishes. I can’t tell you how many times those dang things have terrorized people. But, they are part of the experience and as such part of the right of passage. So the geese stay. Just make sure you wear running shoes.
17. Growing up, Saturday Night Out was the cool place to hang out.
If you don’t know what Saturday Night Out is and you grew up in Tc, you didn't really grow up in Tc. Saturday Night Out, or SNO, was the place to be when we were still in our innocent years. It had dodgeball and basketball and music. It was like an exclusive “club” that gave the parents time to themselves and the kids the idea that they were able to go out without adult supervision. It was a win-win!
18. Everyone went to the pep rallies and football games during football season.
I mean, it’s Texas. Of course, everyone is at the high school on a Friday during football season. Duh.
19. The Colony Creeper was a thing.
I can’t tell you how many Facebook posts and text messages I got during the “Colony Creeper” escapade. It was some kid running around Tc freaking people out, staring into windows and basically being a creeper, hence the name. Parents were terrified, they didn’t let their kids go out at night. Teenagers out looking for the guy. It was chaos. They found the guy and the city went back to normal. But I still hear people talk about it.
20. Living by the lake was literally the best thing about living in TC.
Whether it was camping by the lake with your friends in the fall or hanging out on a boat all summer, living by the lake was literally the most amazing part about growing up in TC. We had Liberty by the Lake on the Fourth of July. Summer was always spent laying out on the "beach" in Stewarts Peninsula or wake-boarding with your friends. We didn't need the water park, we had the lake!
So those are just a few things I could think of. The Colony may change and grow, but the Tc I know and remember will always be my hometown. If there’s anything you can think of, please comment below! And for those of you who would like to visit The Colony, Texas, click here.
