Annual events in Keene
In addition to the Chamber’ s sponsored activities, Keene has many other family, cultural and educational events:
• Keene ISD Hot Dog Supper – Each Fall, Keene ISD has a community-wide open house and hot dog supper. More than 2,500 hotdogs are served, both beef and veggie, to more than 1,000 attendees. This year, 30 school / community organizations set up booths to offer their services to our students, parents and friends.
• Each Spring, Keene ISD hosts a STEAM Fair for the community. Held at Keene Junior High and Keene High School, Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math students put together a hands-on fair for students and adults to attend and learn how KISD is producing“ Makers of Learning” to be prepared for a brand new world. This is also a great night to eat out as food trucks are positioned on campus offering a variety of cuisine.
• Keene“ 22 Classic” Basketball Tournament. This annual three-day tournament held in November involves the Keene High School Chargers and Lady Chargers and 20 other teams from throughout North Texas.
• Project Hero. Formerly the Ride To Recovery Texas Challenge, Project Hero features about 200- plus Wounded Warriors who are veterans of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who bicycle into Keene for breakfast and ceremonies. The event attracts elected officials, city officials and high school musical groups. The 2025 ride was the organization’ s 17th visit to Keene. Usually the second Saturday in May.
• Hoops Classic High School Basketball Tournament. The Southwestern Adventist University Hoops Classic is an annual four-day basketball tournament that attracts boys and girls high school teams from coast to coast. Games are played at multiple sites in Keene and surrounding cities. The tournament is held each spring.
• Resurrection Story: Hope Rises. Held since 2005( with a hiatus from 2020-2024), the pageant tells the story of the final events in the life of Jesus re-enacted in dramatic fashion using venues with natural surroundings and live scenes on the campus of Southwestern Adventist University. The pageant, presented eight times throughout the day, involves 350 volunteers and attracts a total audience of about 6,000 people.
• A Night at the Meyerson. Southwestern Adventist University’ s annual“ A Night at the Meyerson” began in 1993 and continues to be held on a Sunday night in February at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas. The annual performance is a collaboration of more than 500 Southwestern Adventist University and high school student musicians and vocalists from all over the United States. Proceeds from the ticket sales benefit Southwestern’ s Music Festival Scholarship Finalists for students with musical talent from all academic disciplines.
12 Keene Chamber of Commerce 2025
• National Night Out. This annual event is observed in October at the parking lot at the Keene Municipal Complex. Local businesses combine to provide free hot dogs, drinks, bounce houses and games to promote communication between residents and members of the Keene Police Department and Keene Fire Rescue Department. National Night Out is held nationally on the first Tuesday in August and in Texas on the first Tuesday of October.
• Starfest. The annual Starfest, which started in 1989, is the carnival-like assembly of games, rides and food booths, held as an alternative to Halloween at the Keene Police and Keene Fire-Rescue complex at the intersection of Hillcrest and Mockingbird streets. There is no admission charge and all games are free. There is a minimal charge for food and drinks, provided by local nonprofit organizations.
• The Annual“ I Will Remember You” Memorial Day Ceremony is held on Memorial Day at Keene Memorial Park to honor those military service personnel who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country. The ceremony attracts many uniformed veterans and speakers from the American Legion and American Legion Auxiliary.
• Bulk Trash Pickup Days. Republic Services provides on-call bulk curbside pickup on the first Tuesday of each month. Residents need to call Republic by noon on the day before the bulk pickup day.
• Movies in the Park. Three free movies a year at Elisa Carver Park on a Saturday night 30 minutes after sundown. The concession stand is open.