Karina Ramírez

Construction on a new Southern-style mansion is catching the eyes of people in Denton County.

Named the Milestone, the new wedding and events center is tucked away on 14 acres off Jim Christal Road, about three miles west of Interstate 35 in far west Denton.

The facility will have everything a couple could want for the site of their special event, including a ballroom with six sets of French doors and four large windows, a ceremony room with a view of hundreds of trees, a bridal suite, a groom’s lounge, a foyer with a 25-foot ceiling, a grand staircase, a covered patio and a gazebo.

The facility can host indoor and outdoor events for up to 300 people with reception-style seating or 500 with convention-style seating, said owner Micah Deweerd.

Deweerd, who does general construction, said his team — which includes his wife, Karen, catering director Adam Zachary and event coordinator Valarie Maier — did a market analysis and visited 10 venues in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. They found that each of them had at least one flaw in location, scenery, space or decor.

“Every place except for high-end hotels had a big flaw, [but] a lot of people do not want to get married in a hotel,” Deweerd said. “We can build a place without a flaw, where the drive up is beautiful, the scenery is beautiful, the landscape,” etc.

When they designed the Milestone, attention to detail was key — from the landscaping and color selection to things people sometimes overlook, such as room locations.

“Our ceremony room is completely different from the reception room. There are no turnovers during the middle of the ceremony; you can go from one room to another room in the middle of the wedding,” said Maier. She said that’s an advantage over venues that use one room to host both the wedding and the reception.

Calls for event bookings at the Milestone began in October, and construction of the 12,000-square-foot building began in May, Maier said. The first event is a wedding scheduled for September.

Courtesy art

This artist’s rendering shows the 12,000-square-foot Southern mansion being built at the Milestone events center in west Denton.

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Maier, who describes herself as a bride’s advocate, said she encourages every client to visit other venues before deciding on their facility.

“I don’t want them to make any rush decisions. Your venue is the main function of your entire wedding; we realize it is a big responsibility and we don’t take it lightly,” she said.

Although it is not even finished, the Milestone has events lined up for this fall and into 2014.

“Every other venue they have seen compared with ours is complete and up and running,” Maier said. “Some of them saw straight through the walls [at the Milestone]. Most of the weddings we booked have been based on what they know it is going to be. When they are comparing a venue that it is not even complete, that says a lot, actually,” Maier said.

The Milestone is located at 9850 Jim Christal Road in Denton. For more information, call 940-323-8100, e-mail info@milestone.com or visit www.themilestone.com.

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Freebirds World Burrito has announced that it will soon set up shop at the Rayzor Ranch Town Center.

The restaurant plans to open by early September, said Charles Hodges, project manager for the development.

“They will be a great tenant to have,” Hodges said. “They were looking for a Denton location, and this was a great opportunity for both of us. I think they’ll do well in Denton.”

The casual burrito restaurant is known for its extensive build-your-own-burrito buffet, aluminum foil art and its motorcycle-riding, burrito-clutching Statue of Liberty character named Libby.

With 48 members belonging to the Internet group, “Denton needs a Freebirds,” the restaurant seemingly already has a fan base.

The new Denton location will have patio dining available, Hodges said.

The restaurant chain was founded in California in 1987, before it expanded to Texas three years later. The Texas restaurants have their headquarters in College Station, and there are about 30 locations in the state.

The chain is owned by Tavistock Restaurants LLC of Emeryville, Calif.

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Denton’s Insurance Connection announced this week it now offers home and auto insurance coverage.

Bob Garrison, owner of the five-year-old company, said in a news release that the new offerings include Travelers, Progressive, MetLife, Safeco, Hallmark and The Hartford insurance.

Prior to adding home and auto insurance lines, Insurance Connection only offered health, life and Medicare products.

For more information, call Garrison at 940-382-4700.

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Jason P. Faigle

Engineer Jason P. Faigle recently joined the Allison Engineering Group, a civil engineering design firm based in Denton.

Faigle will be responsible for project management and the design of both land development and municipal projects, according to a news release.

Before joining AEG, Faigle served as project manager for RKM Consulting Engineers, where he designed and led successful projects in several design fields, the release stated.

Faigle earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering with honors from Michigan State University. He and his wife, Brittany, and daughter, Bailee, live in Frisco.

AEG provides due-diligence studies, feasibility studies, site planning, platting, zoning, drainage studies, civil construction site plans and much more for private- and public-sector clients in Denton and surrounding areas. For more information, visit www.ae-grp.com.

Congratulations

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From left, Kathleen Hildreth, M1 Support Services managing director; Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve committee member Leon Tribble; and William Shelt, M1 president, pose with the Above and Beyond award that ESGR presented to M1.

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M1 Support Services, a government services contractor firm, recently received the Above and Beyond award from the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve. 

The Denton company was nominated for the award by Sgt. Marcus R. Ward of the Air National Guard, said Leon Tribble, committee member for North Texas.

According to a news release, M1 hires employees who will be called away to fight in the war on terrorism and schedules their work so that it does not interfere with their military duties.

The award was presented to M1 Support Services on June 29 at their corporate headquarters at 300 N. Carroll Blvd, Suite 101. For more information, call 940-323-1119 or e-mail info@m1services.com.

Coming up

The Western Heritage Gallery will host its sixth annual National Day of the American Cowboy celebration Saturday at Stonehill Center in Denton.

Local artisans and the grandson and great-grandson of Quanah Parker will be exhibiting artwork at the event, which also will feature Western craftsmen who will be on hand to demonstrate their work in spurs, bits, engraving, saddle making and leather.  

The National Bit, Spur and Saddle Collectors Association is a partner in the event and welcomes collectors of all types of Americana to attend. Professionals will be on hand to evaluate treasures during a NBSSCA “antique road show” at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

For vendor inquiries or to learn more about the event, contact Peg Schaffer at antqgallery@aol.com or 214-912-8896.

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Pre-1950s street rods, muscle cars, classic Chevrolet Corvettes and other vehicles will be on display at a car show at Sonic Drive-In, 2910 State School Road in Denton. The event will take place from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday.

Car show participants will receive 20 percent off food and drinks. The entry fee of $15 will benefit Paws ’n’ Wheels, an animal rescue organization in Argyle.

Bundles of pet food and supplies valued at $15 may be donated in lieu of the entry fee. See a wish list at www.pawsnwheels.com/PnWWishList.htm to learn more.

For more information, call Tracy at 940-566-2202 or e-mail jim@greatamericanwheelsandwings.com.

Staff writer Candace Carlisle contributed to this report.

KARINA RAMÍREZ can be reached at 940-566-6878. Her e-mail address is kramirez@dentonrc.com.