View this email in your browser

City Announces Historic Broadband Access Plan

Since the start of the pandemic, City of Amarillo officials have been discussing the need for high-speed broadband internet access throughout the city, and decided to designate a portion of American Rescue Plan Act funds to address the issue. Last week, the city announced a $24 million partnership with AT&T to build a state-of-the-art fiber network, serving more than 22,000 customer locations across Amarillo.

“The city of Amarillo broadband access plan is one of the more significant technological infrastructure advancements in city history,” said Amarillo Mayor Ginger Nelson in a press release. “Amarillo is taking the lead in ensuring all its residents have access to the world wide web and its countless uses – from education to workforce development to health care and more. AT&T, with a longtime tradition of excellence in communication, is the perfect company for this historic project that will benefit the entire Amarillo community and serve as a template for other cities and communities to follow on how to connect their residents in the digital age.”

AT&T is the nation’s largest fiber internet provider and says the project will eventually make affordable internet service available for low-income households.

Local Focus

Hoodoo announces 2022 lineup: Hoodoo Mural Festival organizers have announced the lineup of muralists and musicians for its October 1, 2022, event. Muralists include Drew Merritt, Tristan Eaton, It’s a Living and Rabi. Eaton has created murals from New York to Paris to Shanghai, and returning artist Merritt is the muralist behind the vertical cowboy mural across Polk from the ANB parking garage.

CVMR breaks ground: Last week, Chemical Vapor Metal Refining (CVMR) broke ground on the first environmentally neutral industrial scale critical minerals refinery in the United States. The 500,000 square-foot refinery is on 540 acres on U.S. Highway 60 west of Parsley Road. This $1.5 billion processing facility is expected to bring more than 1,000 new jobs to the region.

Barrio SHARE Fair event: The Barrio Neighborhood Planning Committee is hosting a Safety Health Awareness and Resource Education fair this Saturday, July 9, at 10 a.m. at City Federal Credit Union (901 S. Lincoln). The free, family-friendly event features games, music, snacks and door prizes, with booths from local businesses and organizations.

Chip Chandler’s “Can’t Miss”

Charley Crockett: The sensational Texas country-rocker returns for a gig in the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts. (7 p.m. Tuesday; 500 S. Buchanan St.; tickets $40 to $70; 806-378-3096)

High Noon on the Square: The downtown concert series continues its season with performers from the cast of Amarillo Little Theatre Academy’s “42nd Street” and food from Schlotzsky’s. (Noon Wednesday; 501 S. Fillmore St.; free, lunch $10; 806-372-6744)

Music at Wellington Square Courtyard: Amarillo’s Jim Laughlin Quartet opens the sophomore season of this local outdoor music series. (7 p.m. Thursday; 1601 Kentucky St.; cover $15)

Zahna: The female-fronted rock band takes the stage with Divided Me and The Light Superior at Leftwoods. On Wednesday, 16-year-old guitar wunderkind Jaden Decker makes his local debut. And Saturday, check out Creatio. (10 p.m. Thursday; 2511 S.W. Sixth Ave.; cover; 806-367-9840)

“42nd Street”: Amarillo Little Theatre Academy tackles one of the giants of the musical theater world with a two-weekend run on the Allen Shankles Mainstage. (7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday; 2019 Civic Circle; ticket prices vary; 806-355-9991)

Suds & Sounds: Hit the road and head to Nazareth for the annual German Fest and music festival, this year celebrating 50 years with Reckless Kelly, Kyle Park, Dale Brisby and more. (4 p.m. to midnight Saturday; tickets $25 advance, $30 at gate; nazarethhalltx@gmail.com)

Koben Puckett Invitational: The local cowboy, whose riding career was cut short in an accident that hasn’t slowed his drive, brings his Professional Bull Riders event to the Amarillo National Center. (7:30 p.m. Saturday; Amarillo Tri-State Fairgrounds, 3301 S.E. 10th Ave.; tickets $20 adults, $10 children; 806-376-7767)

Streaming/In theaters:

“The Thing”: Cool off with a 40th-anniversary screening of this Arctic horror film starring Kurt Russell. (7 p.m. Wednesday; Cinemark Hollywood 16, 9100 Canyon Drive, and Regal UA Amarillo Star 14, 8275 W. Amarillo Blvd.)

“Thor: Love and Thunder”: The Asgardian surfer bro swings back into action in a multidimensional epic that finds Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) returning, also wielding Thor’s hammer. (Opens Thursday; Cinemark Hollywood 16, 9100 Canyon Drive; Cinergy, 9201 Cinergy Square; and Regal UA Amarillo Star 14, 8275 W. Amarillo Blvd.)

That’s not all. For a list of more entertainment options this week in and around Amarillo—including films and streaming shows—read Chip’s full list on our website.

Eye on Amarillo

The 4th in Amarillo. There hasn’t been a downtown Independence Day fireworks show for several years—and dry conditions this year limited these kinds of municipal shows anyway—but our friend Jim Livingston shared this photo on Instagram from a past 4th of July, with fireworks exploding behind the Santa Fe building. It’s a stunner!

Best of the Brunch

Our new July/August issue is here! For our cover feature “Best of the Brunch,” we traveled to more than 20 local restaurants, interviewing chefs, owners and general managers about their brunch menus, their signature eggs Benedict dishes and Bloody Mary drinks, and how brunch as a trend continues to grow in Amarillo and Canyon.

We were so encouraged by how welcoming these restaurateurs were as they prepared brunch dishes for us—sometimes in the late afternoon—and accommodated our photography equipment. Food issues are so much fun to create, and the local culinary scene is definitely in a period of renaissance. Dig into the story here.