The Hippodrome's Grand Opening Week is just eight days away and we're particularly excited about the Gladsome Light show on Nov. 19.

Originally we told you The Digital Age was playing and they're friends of ours, but now another bunch of our friends has taken over the show. Tickets for The Glasome Light are $20 for the floor and $10 for the balcony and can be purchased here. Doors will open that night at 7.

Hey, who wants to go to Chili's on Thursday?

I've been given the heads up by our friend Venée Hummel that Chili's is having a give-back day to support Communities in Schools from 10:45 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Thursday, which I have to think is the entirety of their opening hours that day.

One of the most anticipated new arrivals in downtown is almost upon us as the Hippodrome has announced its Grand Opening Week to be held November 14-19.

Actually, the Hippodrome isn't new, it's classic. But it's new remodeled form after $2.6 million in renovations is as worthy of new-stuff celebration as anything. On Friday, the Hippodrome released its plans for opening week, but we learned some additional specifics today.

A few weeks ago, I attended the soft opening of Kuma, the new sushi bar on Austin Ave. Because it was opening night at a sushi bar, I felt obligated to try the sushi.

I saw the pork belly fried rice on the menu and wanted to order it so bad but, like I said, it was opening night at a sushi bar. But on Monday night, I finally made it in specifically to order said fried rice.

The new Kim's on Waco Drive will hold its grand opening Saturday afternoon, swinging the doors ajar at 4 p.m.

I just spoke with Woody and Darla Page, who have poured a lost of elbow grease and money into renovating Kim's. They were a mix of excitement, nervousness and determination after holding a soft opening on Thursday evening. They seemed hell-bent on getting the kinks straightened out.

Heads up, friends, tomorrow is kind of like Christmas and the moon landing all on one day.

Tomorrow, for the first time ever, you’ll be able to look an out-of-towner in the eyes and say, “Yeah, we have three Chick-fil-As — the one in the mall and two freestanding stores.” And then you just sit back and watch their amazed expression.

I snooped around the new Kim's on Waco Drive on Tuesday afternoon and ended up speaking with co-owner Darla Page for a few minutes.

Page said they're hoping to reo-open the historic Waco restaurant by the end of the month, tentatively targeting Oct. 18, but she expressed the usual misgivings about setting an opening date. Since we've been publishing WacoFork the last three years, we've noticed there's usually significant lag time between when restaurateurs hope to open and when all the necessary documentation is finished and they actually open.

I stopped into Firehouse Subs this morning to check on their status and learned, in more ways than one, that they're close to opening.

For one thing, the inside of the restaurant already looks like an operational Firehouse (the restaurant, not the municipal service dedicated to putting out fires, saving lives and getting cats out of trees). And, of course, I spoke with the a gentleman who looked as if he was working hard to get the sandwich shop closer to opening for business.

Kuma is open and offering sushi in a swanky environment downtown.

We received the heads up earlier this week that Kuma would be launching with a soft opening, so, naturally, we were all over it. I landed at Kuma about 8 Tuesday night and enjoyed the scene while the staff found its rhythm.

A new family-style restaurant called Bronc's and serving breakfast, lunch and dinner is planning to open in October next door to Cavender's in the Valley Mills-Waco Drive shopping center.

My friend Tate Barrett reminded me of this place today. I'd seen the sign and figured it would be a bar, but Tate asking about it prompted me to go inside and learn more. I'm glad I did as co-owner Johnny Miller gave me the inside scoop.