The May Deep Dive: Graduation Guides, Dallas’ New Park, Knox Henderson, Trails, Design Trends & More

By Jamie Marancenbaum  ·  Midtown Market Group  ·  May 6, 2026  ·  9 min read

May is one of those months where everything happens at once. Seniors graduate. Families make their summer plans. Homeowners discover what their insurance actually covers when the first hailstorm hits. And the neighborhoods — at least ours — feel like they’re at their absolute best before the heat sets in.

This month’s blog goes deeper on everything from the newsletter, plus some stories I couldn’t fit in the email: the Knox Henderson transformation, North Dallas trails worth knowing, design trends I’m noticing at every open house, and a full graduation guide for our school community.

The Complete North Dallas Graduation Guide — Class of 2026

If you have a senior in the house, or know someone who does, here’s everything you need in one place.

Confirmed RISD Graduation Dates — Eagle Mustang Stadium:

• J.J. Pearce High School — Thursday, May 22 at 6:30 p.m.
• Berkner High School — Friday, May 23 at 6:30 p.m.
• Richardson High School — Saturday, May 24 at 7:00 a.m.
• Lake Highlands High School — Saturday, May 24 at 7:00 p.m.

Private School Ceremonies:

• Jesuit Dallas — Baccalaureate Mass: Thursday, May 21. Graduation: Saturday, May 23.
• Ursuline Academy, The Hockaday School, Greenhill School — ceremonies in late May; check each school’s official website for exact dates and times

Senior Portrait Photographers Worth Knowing:

Class of 2027 parents — if you have a rising senior, this is the moment to book. The best senior portrait photographers in North Dallas fill their summer and fall calendars months in advance. Waiting until August means picking from whoever has availability left. These are the two names consistently recommended in our neighborhoods:

• Justin Black Photography — McKinney-based, specializes in outdoor portraits across DFW including Dallas, Plano, Frisco, Allen, and Highland Park. Known for natural light, editorial feel, and a low-pressure session experience. justinblackphotos.com | @justinblackseniors
• Gianna MacLaine Photography — Full-service senior portrait experience, guiding families from styling and location selection through the final reveal. DFW-based. gmacphotos.com | @giannamaclainephotography

Don’t wait on this one — summer books first.

Graduation Gift Ideas Worth Giving:

• Personalized jewelry — initial necklaces, stackable rings, or a birthstone piece from a local jeweler or Kendra Scott
• High-quality luggage — Away, Beis, or Monos for the college-bound senior about to travel more than they expect
• Leather-bound journal or portfolio — the kind that feels like an adult upgrade
• Restaurant gift cards — for where they’re going to school, so they have somewhere to take their new friends
• A framed photo from a significant moment — still the gift people keep the longest
• Noise-canceling headphones — Bose or Sony QuietComfort, the dorm room essential that never loses its value

A note for Canyon Creek and Prestonwood families: This neighborhood has been home to generations of Pearce and Richardson High families. If you’re buying or selling this summer and your move is tied to graduation timing, reach out now. The summer market in our area moves quickly and I can help you time it right.

Sources: RISD Graduation page (web.risd.org/home/graduation), Jesuit Dallas school calendar, Justin Black Photography, Gianna MacLaine Photography

Halperin Park Opens May 9 — Dallas’ New Deck Park Near the Zoo

After nearly a decade of planning and construction, Halperin Park opens to the public on Saturday, May 9. Built over I-35E near the Dallas Zoo in Oak Cliff, it’s a five-acre “bridge park” — the same concept as Klyde Warren Park, but designed to reconnect Oak Cliff neighborhoods that were split apart when the freeway was built in the 1960s.

Phase One, from Ewing Avenue to Lancaster Avenue, includes a pavilion, an amphitheater for performances, a playground area, interactive fountains, and a second-level overlook with views of the Dallas Zoo and the downtown skyline. There’s also a large event room for dining and private events. Phase Two will extend the park toward Marsalis Avenue over the next five years.

The project was funded through a partnership of TxDOT, the North Central Texas Council of Governments, and a $23 million donation from the Halperin Foundation, which also secured the park’s naming rights. The Dallas City Council added $8 million earlier this year to complete Phase One.

It’s a 20-minute drive from our neighborhoods and a genuinely different kind of outing. Worth putting on the calendar before summer heat arrives.

Source: CBS Texas / CultureMap Dallas / Hoodline, February–April 2026

Knox Henderson Is Transforming — And It’s Worth Watching

Knox Henderson is about six miles south of Preston Hollow — close enough that many of Jamie’s clients eat, shop, and walk the Katy Trail there regularly. What’s happening there right now is one of the most significant mixed-use developments in Dallas — arguably the most ambitious in a neighborhood that already has genuine character.

On four acres adjacent to the Katy Trail, a joint venture of MSD Partners, Trammell Crow Company, The Retail Connection, and Highland Park Village Associates is building one million square feet of mixed-use space that includes:

• The Knox Hotel — 140-room luxury hotel managed by the Auberge Resorts Collection, with signature restaurants, a full-floor spa, and an outdoor pool. Designed by the internationally acclaimed Martin Brudnizki Design Studio
• 47 ultra-luxury residences — from 2,500 to over 15,000 sq ft, designed by Dallas-based Chad Dorsey. Nearly sold out before completion
• 3333 Knox — 150,000 sq ft, nine-story office building, 100% preleased since fall 2024. Anchor tenants include ISN Software, Paul Hastings LLP, and BDT & MSD
• Sant Ambroeus — First Texas location of the celebrated Italian restaurant group (also in New York, Aspen, Palm Beach, Paris). Opening at the base of the residential tower overlooking Knox Street Park
• Théa Mediterranean Rooftop — Sam Fox’s acclaimed rooftop concept (first location at The Global Ambassador in Phoenix, named one of the best new hotel restaurants in the world by Condé Nast Traveler). Coming to Knox in early 2027
• DÔEN, STAUD, TOTEME, TWP — Four coveted lifestyle retail brands making their Texas debuts here in late 2026

Separately, on Henderson Avenue a quarter-mile away, Balfour Beatty is delivering a $95.5 million mixed-use development with 10 buildings, 161,000 square feet of restaurant, retail, and office space across a stretch of North Henderson Avenue. Completion is targeted for fall 2026.

Knox Henderson has always been one of Dallas’ most interesting neighborhoods. By 2027, it will be one of its most consequential.

Sources: Trammell Crow Company / CultureMap Dallas / Dallas Innovates, 2023–2026

The Best Trails Near Our Neighborhoods — Before It Gets Too Hot

There’s a short window every spring — roughly from now through mid-May — where trail conditions in North Texas are genuinely perfect. All of these are within our neighborhoods or a short drive. Here are the options worth knowing:

• Preston Ridge Trail, North Dallas — A paved hike and bike trail running through North Dallas, connecting the Preston Hollow area northward and linking to the Marni Kaner Trail near Hillcrest Road and Campbell Green Park. Part of the planned North Dallas Triangle that will eventually form a 4-mile connected circuit with the Cotton Belt and Marni Kaner Trails. Flat, accessible, and right in our neighborhoods.
• Katy Trail, Dallas — The benchmark for urban trail running in Dallas. The 3.5-mile crushed granite path connects Knox Henderson to Reverchon Park and Cole Park, running through some of the most beautiful stretches of the city. A Saturday morning on the Katy Trail in May is genuinely one of the best things Dallas has to offer
• Marni Kaner Trail, North Dallas (75248) — A hike and bike trail in North Dallas near Hillcrest Road and Campbell Green Park, named in honor of Marni Berkowitz Kaner, a beloved RISD community leader and PTA president who passed away in 2020. The trail is part of the planned North Dallas Triangle — a 4-mile circuit linking the Preston Ridge, Cotton Belt, and Marni Kaner Trails. Funding for the connecting segment was secured in 2025, with full completion expected in 2027. A meaningful local trail with deep community roots, right in our neighborhoods.
• Arbor Hills Nature Preserve, Plano — A 200-acre nature preserve on the western border of Plano at 6701 W. Parker Road. Three miles of paved trails, three miles of unpaved walking paths, a 2.8-mile off-road mountain bike trail, an observation tower with treetop views, playground, and pavilion. A mix of blackland prairie, riparian forest, and upland forest — genuinely beautiful and surprisingly wild for being in the middle of the suburbs. Note: closed Wednesdays 5am–2pm for maintenance.

The consistent advice from everyone who runs these: get out before 8am in May. By Memorial Day weekend, the window has already started closing.

Richardson Public Library Update — What to Know Right Now

The Richardson Public Library renovation is 75% complete as of February 2026 — but it has had delays, and the timeline has been updated. Here’s the current picture:

• Construction completion: Targeted for May–June 2026
• Staff move-back: Targeted for mid-August 2026
• Public reopening: Targeted mid-to-late September 2026, following a six-week transition period
• Current temporary location: 2360 Campbell Creek Blvd, Richardson
• Total renovation budget: $48.1 million (2021 bond + certificates of obligation). An additional $1.17 million was approved in early 2026 to address waterproofing issues

When it reopens, the renovated library will be approximately 84,000 square feet and will include a new makerspace, a podcasting room, redesigned children’s area with commissioned public art, a community-painted mural, and significantly improved natural light throughout.

Sources: Community Impact Richardson / City of Richardson Library Renovation page / Richardson Today, February 2026

What I’m Seeing at Every Open House Right Now

After touring dozens of homes this spring, I’ve started noticing the same design choices show up again and again in the homes that feel current and well-presented. This isn’t about a full renovation. It’s about the details that make a room feel intentional in 2026.

What’s working right now:

• Warm neutrals, not cold grays. The cool gray palette that dominated for a decade is giving way to warm whites, creamy taupes, and clay tones. Think limewash walls, warm white trim, and natural wood accents
• Textured throws and pillows. Chunky bouclé, linen, and handwoven textures — layered, not matched. The rooms that feel most appealing right now have pillows in three or four different textures from the same warm color family
• Indoor plants that look like they belong. Not a single fiddle-leaf fig in the corner anymore. The homes that show well have multiple plants at different heights — a trailing pothos on a shelf, an olive tree in a corner, a small cluster of terracotta pots near a window
• Statement lighting. Drum shades are out. Sculptural pendants, rattan fixtures, and oversized linen shades are what’s going over dining tables and in primary bedrooms
• Linen bedding in earthy tones. Crisp white hotel bedding has been replaced by linen in oatmeal, dusty sage, and terracotta. Layered with a waffle weave throw at the foot of the bed
• Trays and intentional styling. A tray on a coffee table or ottoman with a candle, a small plant, and one or two books signals ‘this space is lived in and loved’ in a way that feels authentic rather than staged

None of this requires a renovation. Most of it is available at Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, Anthropologie Home, and Amazon. If you’re getting ready to list your home this summer and want an honest walk-through with specific suggestions, reach out. I do this conversation with clients before every listing and it makes a real difference.

The May Big Picture

May is a month of transitions. Seniors are walking across stages. Families are deciding what comes next. Homeowners are finding out what their insurance and tax bills are actually going to look like. And the neighborhoods we work in every day are continuing to evolve faster than almost anywhere else in North Texas.

If any of this prompts a conversation — about timing a sale, understanding your tax appraisal, planning a renovation before listing, or just wanting to know what comparable homes are actually selling for on your street right now — I’m here. That’s the conversation I’m built for.

— Jamie Marancenbaum, Midtown Market Group

midtownmarketgroup.com  ·  @jamiesellsdallas

Your Midtown Minute  ·  Midtown Market Group  ·  May 6, 2026