Fun and healthy events are a way of life at Elyson

At Elyson, we believe helping our residents stay active and connected is so important, we have a dedicated Director of Community Engagement who plans events and activities for every member of our 2,500 (and counting) families throughout the year.

Nicole Harris has deep roots in Katy and more than 20 years of leadership experience with nonprofit organization in Katy, Houston and Atlanta.

Her outlook for her role at Elyson is simple.

“My goal is to plan events where Elyson residents will have a great time and feel connected to the community and each other,” she said. “It’s all about listening, talking with residents and meeting their needs. I want to make sure we’re hosting events and activities that residents want and that are meaningful to them.”

Nicole is always adding new events and activities, based on her own experiences and on feedback from residents. We recently talked with her to find out more about some of Elyson’s most popular events as well as some new ones that take advantage of the community’s growing array of recreational amenities.

Weekly & monthly activities

Weekly fitness classes are a big hit with residents of all ages, including Water Boot Camp classes at Elyson House and Total Body Circuit classes at Elyson Commons. Offered at different times throughout the year, the classes are led by certified fitness instructor Katie Comer, founder of Strongbird Fitness Katy.

Elyson has many more ways for residents to stay fit on their own or working out with neighbors. These include the indoor fitness center at Elyson House, the outdoor fitness trail at Elyson Commons, and more workout options coming at Lakeside Landing. Open for year ‘round swimming, Elyson’s big pool offers more opportunities to get exercise, along with miles of trails, tennis courts, and pickleball and bocce ball courts.

Elyson’s youngest residents love the monthly Story Time activities, offering an hour of stories, songs, crafts and treats. This activity is open to children ranging in age from infants to 8 years old.

Special events  

Since Elyson opened in 2016, we’ve established many annual traditions that residents look forward to each year.

With so many families at Elyson, summer is a big season to celebrate. We kick things off with our annual Jump into Summer party, featuring food trucks, inflatables, a DJ and kids’ activities. It ends with a family-friendly outdoor movie.

After a summer filled with more fun activities, we wrap things up with Back to Cool, marking the return to classes in our highly rated Katy ISD schools with an equally festive community-wide event.

Other favorite annual events include Party in the Park at Elyson Commons, and Movies Under the Stars at the Elyson House event lawn.

Dogs are part of the party at Tails & Ales, our annual pet-friendly social at Elyson Commons at Bear Creek. Face painting, lawn games, inflatables, arts and crafts, live music and caricatures make this a woof-worthy event at our largest amenity, where the dog park is just one small part of 145 acres of fun. For the tastebuds, there are food trucks, beer specials and, of course, dog treats.

Elyson is big on holidays, filling the year with events like our Halloween Spook-Tacular, Photos with Santa, Pictures with the Easter Bunny and Valentine Bingo.

Along with so much for the kids, there are also very popular adults-only events, including bingo nights and cocktail mixology parties.

Giving back

Giving back to the larger Katy community has become a strong tradition at Elyson.

Since 2018, Elyson has partnered with Katy-based Clothed by Faith to hold a back-to-school clothing drive, collecting new and gently used clothing, shoes and accessories for those in need. The organization’s 20-foot-long “roaming closet,” actually an inspirationally painted truck, has become a familiar site parked at Elyson House each August.

Another community tradition is Elyson’s participation in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, supporting the Alzheimer’s Association’s efforts to provide care, support and research to fight this disease.

Elyson also partners with Katy ISD, especially for projects benefitting our two elementary schools, McElwain and Youngblood elementaries. As Youngblood Elementary was opening in August 2023, Elyson and our builders donated coffee machines, a barbecue grill and other equipment, along with snacks for teachers.

Keeping in touch

Elyson offers several ways for residents to stay informed about their community and keep in touch with each other.

Launched shortly after Elyson’s grand opening,  www.MyElyson.com is a resident website that provides neighborhood information, community updates, news about upcoming events, important contacts, and HOA documents.

Nicole also creates a monthly newsletter that is mailed to all residents around the first of each month, and is also available online. Each issue offers a smorgasbord of news, such as upcoming events & activities, pictures from recent events, neighborhood information, community updates, important contacts, upcoming events and special from Elyson, and highlights of what’s happening around town.

A weekly email with the latest updates and reminders helps make sure residents don’t miss a chance to have fun.

Explore upcoming events from Elyson, and see photos from past events.