2022 was an amazing year at Union Park.  As a community, we accomplished so much!  We came together for family fun, worked on our fitness goals, celebrated holidays, and helped others in the community.  Let’s take a look at some of the memorable happenings that made 2022 a year to remember!

We Connected with Each Other

Union Park is such a special community because of the connections forged between residents. These relationships are formed when neighbors see each other walking the kids to and from the on-site elementary school, playing with the pups at the Bark Park, relaxing at the Cove Pool, grabbing a quick bite at the Food Truck Park, or enjoying one of the community’s numerous other amenities.

These connections are further strengthened when residents have a chance to get to know each other better at one of the over 300 Union Park lifestyle activities, classes, and celebrations planned by our full-time Lifestyle Manager, Jenny Laible.  These events, like the Foam Party or the Back-to-School Bash, give neighbors the chance to have fun with others in the community in a welcoming, relaxed setting.

 

But Union Park neighbors don’t just connect with each other during events. They come together in groups, like the Bookies, the Homeschoolers, Bad Moms, the Golf-Cart Crew, UP Veterans and Active Military, the Union Park Cornhole group, and many, many more.  Union Park residents have dozens of groups to choose from and residents who have an idea for a new group can create it, with the help of the Lifestyle Manager.

Union Park residents founded three new groups in 2022:

  • The Active Adults 55+ group met every week (and they still do) for coffee, conversation, and to organize events where members solidify new friendships.
  • In their first year, our new Teen Council connected with each other, planned fun activities, volunteered at community-wide events, and raised hundreds of dollars for charity by organizing the dunk tank at our Back-to-School Bash.
  • People of all ages got healthier with the Union Park Fit Camp. This group is led by a resident fitness and nutrition coach who offers complimentary fitness classes three days a week, rain or shine.

We Connected with the Little Elm/Aubrey Community

Our neighborly reach extended from Union Park into the surrounding Little Elm/Aubrey community, too. We hosted regular lunches with our local police department, connected with and volunteered in local schools, donated to the American Red Cross, and supported the Core Community Organized Relief Effort Foundation supporting refugee families fleeing Ukraine.

We also chose a local organization to support with Union Park’s fundraising.  Funds raised at various community events, such as the Back-to-School Bash Dunk Tank Raffle, were donated to Lovepacs Aubrey, a nonprofit devoted to children experiencing food insecurity.

This wonderful organization ensures children in the local community have enough to eat after school, on weekends, and on school holidays, when they might otherwise be hungry.  With the help of schools and volunteers, Lovepacs Aubrey sends bags filled with meals, snacks, and pantry staples home with children who need them when school is not in session.  Through 2022 fundraising efforts, Union Park residents provided Lovepacs food bags to 75 students in the area, including some children right here in our own community.

We Made New Friends

The friendships are what make living at Union Park amazing.  And many lifelong friendships begin with a casual meeting at the park, at a community picnic, or a group get-together.

Sherry Owen Scott, of the Active 55+ group, says “John and I recently met friends in this group that I feel we’ve known forever!!”

New mom Soumya Mohan agrees: “Now that I have a baby, I am excited for her to take part in all the events. I also have had the opportunity to meet a lot of great people at these events. Although I am not near family, it is great being able to build connections.”

“Where I get joy out of my job,” says Union Park Lifestyle Manager Jenny Liable, “is when brand new residents come to my events and say, ‘I’m so glad I came! I’ve met so many new people.’” It happens a lot.

We Made Celebrations Special…

Holiday celebrations at Union Park are one-of-a-kind events that you don’t want to miss!  One of the biggest and best, is our sparkling Winter Wonderland event bursting with craft workshops for kids and adults, holiday light tours by horse drawn carriage, an Ugly Sweater Dash, and of course, Santa and (real) reindeer!

The Easter EGGstravaganza celebration is another massive party.  In 2022 the event was enjoyed by more than one thousand people!

Father’s Day weekend is epic at Union Park, filled with live music, whiskey tasting, and the Bobber Bandits’ Father’s Day fishing tournament.

Then there’s our rousing Red, White & Boom Fourth of July, celebrated with Uncle Sam, water slides, balloon and glitter tattoo artists, food trucks, and live music. Christmas in July, the Back-to-School Bash, Trunk or Treat, and Friendsgiving were all wonderful occasions filled with food, friends, and family.

We love holidays at Union Park and 2022 certainly demonstrated that!

And Ordinary Days Became Extraordinary

But we don’t always want to wait for a holiday. That’s why we also celebrated days like National Bagel Day and 100 Days of School Day.  Hardly a week goes by without something fun planned, from Goat Yoga to Jazz on the Green to a Dive-In Movie and Glow Pool Party.

Live Your Best Life at Union Park by Hillwood

Truth be told, we had so much fun in 2022 we can’t begin to list it all, but you can read Jenny’s 2022 Year in Review Newsletter here! We’re off to a great start for 2023 with Brrry Scrrry 5K, Galentine’s, Fat Tuesday in the Park, and Cosmic Glow in the Dark Bingo in the rear-view mirror and loads more events and celebrations in the works.  If you’d like to follow all the fun, like us on Facebook and Instagram, or check out the lifestyle page of our website.

If you’re looking for a new home community, Union Park by Hillwood may be the perfect fit! Explore our top-notch amenities online, check out our stellar location in Little Elm, Texas (just minutes from Frisco and Lake Lewisville!) and start shopping for your dream home online today. Our new construction builders have available homes including quick move-in inventory, and many are offering incentives, so now is a great time to buy! Visit a builder’s model today to find your dream home.