Austin, TX

Thank goodness the weekend is finally here! It was a busy week for me. Of course the big news this weekend is ACL Fest which kicked off today. My youngest brother is in town from McKinney, Tx and my best mate is also in town from England. The two of them have been at ACL all day and will be there until closing on Sunday night. At this point, if you don’t already have a ticket, your only options are Craigslist or purchasing a single day ticket for Sunday. Every other day is currently sold out. I’m sitting out ACL Fest this year but I can’t wait to see what my brother and friend have to say about today’s events. I would have loved to have seen The Killers, who were today’s closing act. You can catch many of the festival bands playing around town this weekend so if there is someone you particularly want to see, check around!

7th Annual Austin City Limits Festival
When: September 26-28, 2008, 11:00am - 10:30pm
Where: Zilker Park, Austin, TX
$$$: $80 for a Sunday pass

In place of ACL, I went to the 2008 Quilt Show today with Jennifer Bartos, owner and operator of All in One Bakeshop. I went in part to see the quilts but I also went because the show was being held at the Crockett Center which is where my cake club will host our 2009 Cake Show. The Austin Area Quilt Guild is 30 years old this year and it really shows in their organization and attention to detail. We were very impressed with how they managed traffic, how well the vendor booths were laid out and how they managed to direct the flow of traffic inside the hall. There was a wonderful array of gorgeous quilts and I encourage you all to go see the show. See 350 quilts, a judged show, exhibits, demos, a kid’s area, a gift boutique, and a silent auction.

2008 Austin Area Quilt Show
“A Legacy of Quilts”
Pearls of Wisdom from Our First 30 Years
When: September 26-28, 2008
Where: Crockett Center, 10601 N. Lamar
$$$: $6, Free Parking

If you’re looking to escape Austin and the added traffic that ACL Fest brings, then head out to the Texas Hill Country and help the Driftwood Winery celebrate their 10th Anniversary.

Driftwood Winery 10th Anniversary
When: Sep 27, 2008 (Sat), 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Where: Driftwood Vineyards, 4001 Elder Hill Road, Driftwood, Texas 78619
$$$: $5 Wine Tasting ~ Wine Sold by the Glass & Bottle
Phone: (512) 692-6229

If you are looking for a family activity and enjoy an education adventure the you might want to visit the Fall Fest at Dr Pound Pioneer Farmstead. Enjoy these fun activities:

• Tours of restored 1850’s pioneer home and farmstead.
• Craftsmen demonstrating early Texas tastes and traditions.
• See spinners at work, soap being made, a civil war medical unit, and many other demonstrations of crafts and skills.
• Docents in period dress will be on hand to tell the tales of early days on the farmstead.
• Food vendors and mouth-watering barbeque will entice you to fill a plate from the chuck wagon.
• Children’s area featuring games such as corn cob toss, sack races an many other games and activities of a by-gone era.
• The General Store will have old-time games, candy apples, soaps, wildflower seeds, handwork kits and other traditional offerings for sale.
• The Artists of Dripping Springs will show and sell locally made fine art during their Harvest of the Arts annual event.
• Music
• Silent auction

Dr Pound Pioneer Farmstead Fall Fest
When: September 27, 2008, 10 am to 4 pm
Where: Dr Pound Pioneer Farmstead, Dripping Springs
$$$: $5.00 per person, Children 4 and under FREE!

Those are my picks for the weekend. One last thing, the Browncoat’s are coming! The Browncoat Ball, that is, more later on that!

Be safe and have a great weekend!

With just 48 hours to go until the opening of the 2009 ACL Fest, I’m sure the crowds have already begun arriving. Last year I wrote a fairly comprehensive Survival Guide but here is some useful information.

Wristbands:

As of today, the Zilker box office is OPEN. You can beat the crowds and redeem your 3-day passes for a wristband between now and Thursday between 3pm-8pm. Wristbands must be worn for entry into the park. Children 10 and under are free when accompanied by a ticket-holding adult. Having your wristbands means you can slip into the wristband-only lines and cut down significantly on your wait. If you are unable to get your wristband early then you can redeem your tickets for a wristband at either entrance.

Zilker Box Office
2201 Barton Springs Rd
Austin, TX 78746

On Barton Springs Road, across from the Festival entrance.
Week-of Hours: Mon. 9/22 - Thurs, 9/25, 3pm-8pm
Show Days: Fri, 9/26 - Sun, 9/28, 10am-10pm

Transportation & Parking

I must stress to you that there is NO on-site parking. There are lots of bike racks so biking in is a great option. Otherwise you’ll definitely want to use the Shuttle. The Shuttle is FREE and you can catch it at Republic Park. Republic Park is located at 5th and Guadalupe. That, of course, means you need to find somewhere downtown to park your car. I had a great deal of luck parking across the street from Republic Park last year at the State Garage. Another Fri-Sat city office parking garage that works great is the one at South First & Barton Springs Rd. Park there and you can just walk to the festival. Those won’t work too well for Friday as people who work will be parked there but on Saturday and Sunday it’s open and ran me $5 a day. Extremely reasonable. Cap Metro will be picking up at various locations around town and you can visit their website for information on their routes. Here is a list of Downtown Austin parking garages. Parking will generally run you $5-10 a day. You also have the option of taking a cab or if you have a relative or friend who has pity on you then you might beg them to just drop you off. Click here to see the Cap Metro bus schedule.

Things you CAN take into the Fest:

You may bring in the following items:

• Blankets
• Umbrellas (small hand-held style)
• Soft-sided coolers
• Baby Strollers
• Portable/collapsible chair (individual units only; no “double-wide” connecting chairs)
• Regular-size/unframed backpacks
• Two factory sealed water bottles up to 1 liter each
• Empty Camelbak or other empty plastic container (ie, Nalgene bottle)
• Ice in soft-sided cooler or Camelbak. No large bags allowed.
• Binoculars
• Personal camera equipment (i.e. small digital cameras or point-and-click 35mm cameras). Cameras with any type of detachable lenses are prohibited.

Things you may NOT take into the Fest:

• Weapons of any kind
• Illegal substances (including narcotics) or drug paraphernalia (Um, yeah…)
• Framed or large backpacks
• Alcohol (alcohol will be sold at the Festival)
• Glass containers
• Food or beverages, except for factory-sealed water bottles
• Skateboards, scooters, or personal motorized vehicles
• Bicycles inside Festival grounds (bike racks are available near each entrance)
• Carts
• Large chains or spiked jewelry
• Fireworks
• Explosives
• Large umbrellas
• Non-collapsible chairs
• Hard-sided coolers
• Tents
• Pets (except service dogs)
• Video equipment: No video recording will be allowed.
• Professional still camera equipment (no detachable lenses, no tripods, big zooms, or commercial use rigs)
• Audio recording equipment
• No illegal vending is permitted. No unauthorized/unlicensed vendors allowed.
• Unauthorized solicitations, handbills, sampling, give-aways, etc
• Metal aerosol containers, including sunscreen

For some more in-depth information check out my previous guides:

Part 1 - What to Wear
Part 2 - What to Take
Part 3 - Getting There
Part 4 - A Quick Summary

Here is a look ahead at the weather:

This weekend hails one of my favorite Austin festivals, the Pecan Street Festival. Back with a brand new sponsor, Capital One. With over 250 arts & craft vendors, music, and performing artists, art classes, dance classes, a scholarship competition, international foods, a carnival, petting zoo, and much more, the Pecan Street Festival has something for everyone. Even better, it’s free!

Old Pecan Street Festival
When: Saturday & Sunday, Sept. 20-21st, 2008
Where: 6th Street, Downtown Austin
$$$: Free

For something a bit different you might try this:

The Bicycle Film Fest
When: Fri. & Sat., Sept. 19 & 20th, 2008
Where: 501 Studios, 501 N. I-35, 900 block of East Fifth
$$$: $25

Movies from a human-powered, two-wheeled perspective.

Want to enjoy wine and chocolate while learning how to pair them up? Then head over to Cork & Co for this class:

Cork & Co. Wine & Chocolate Class
When: Satureday, September 20 2008, 5:00pm
Where: 308 Congress Ave
$$$: $25

Learn the secrets of wine and chocolate. Sample different chocolates and pair it all up with some delicious wines. Before you reach a chocolate coma, you’ll learn what makes them interact in such an intense way, and what makes for a great wine-and-chocolate match!

Need a good laugh? Alamo Drafthouse has got you covered. Over the past year or two, YouTube has been filling up with groups of people performing the zombie dance from Michael Jackson’s Thriller. There are videos of newlyweds performing that choreography as part of their first dance together at wedding receptions, and of course there’s the clip of the 1,500 inmates of the Cebu Prison in the Phillipines. We were watching those videos last winter and thought to ourselves, “What if we could make that even more awesome?” This fall, that’s exactly what we’re going to do.

They’ve joined forces with Ines Markeljovic, a dance teacher and founder of ThrillTheWorld.com, to help her complete her task of setting a Guiness World Record for having the most people around the world doing the Thriller dance at the exact same time. For the past seven months, they’ve been hosting Michael Jackson Sing-Alongs at the Alamo Ritz, then following the music video orgy with two hours of dance instruction that gets everyone in the crowd up to speed on how to do the Thriller dance themselves. They’ve partnered with local theater groups, dance companies, and schools as well, and they’re convinced that when it comes time to participate in the Thrill the World dance, on Saturday, October 25th, they’ll have more people in one place than anywhere else on the globe!

Michael Jackson: THRILL THE WORLD Sing-Along!
When: Sunday, September 21, 2008, 7:00p
Where: Alamo Downtown
$$$: $12.00

Go forth and learn how to Thrill.

Also, Fantastic Fest is going on this weekend at the Alamo. Fantastic Fest is a week-long festival featuring the best in new science-fiction, fantasy, horror, animation, crime, Asian, and all around badass cinema. The event was created to offer exposure to genre films which are often overlooked by the traditional festival circuit. We strive to offer acquisition, media and exhibition opportunities for undistributed films as well as to spotlight upcoming genre theatrical releases and give audiences a chance to see 35mm prints of repertory classics.

Well, those are my picks for the weekend. It’s going to be in the comfortable 80s this weekend. Roll on fall!

I was out and about today. That was a mistake. Every place I went was crowded. You’d think there was a hurricane headed our way. Heh. I was in Pasedena, Tx earlier this week taking a cake decorating class with Debbie Brown. I’m very glad I got out of town Wednesday night. At the time they didn’t think the hurricane was going to hit Galveston, which I was very close to, but now we know differently and Galveston is looking scarier by the minute. My poor brother, who lives in Miami, has had a hectic hurricane season so far but he is relieved the pressure is off them for a while. Having said that he’s concerned for the 15-25 million estimated people still in the Galveston are.

There were a lot of schools and businesses that let out early or were closed entirely today. I think half of Houston and Galveston are in town, too. They also canceled this weekends football game with Arkansas. I’m going to go ahead and list weekend events but I don’t know at this point which, if any, will be canceled.

Creative Research Laboratory presents the UT Fall Faculty Exhibition. Lest you be frightened that does not mean the UT Faculty will be dancing naked in the streets. Instead, you’ll see recent work by faculty artists in Studio Art, Art Education, and Design at the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Texas at Austin. The opening reception will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Creative Research Laboratory. This celebratory fall semester opening exhibition will feature a large number of works with a wide range of themes. This annual exhibition will offer a rich survey of recent works by the University’s faculty artists.

UT Fall Faculty Exhibition
When: Saturday, September 13 2008, 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Where: UT Creative Research Lab, 2832 E Martin Luther King Blvd
$$$: Free

Enjoy live music from Chaparral and Sons of the Revolution, have some BBQ and benefit the Texas Motorcycle Rights Association.

Biker Barbecue Bakeoff
When: Fri.-Sat., Sept. 12-13, 3pm-12mid
Where: C. Hunts Ice House, 9611 McNeil Dr
$$$: Free ($5 platefuls of BBQ)

If you’re looking for a bit of healthy exercise this weekend then put on your walking shoes and head for the Bright Leaf Preserve for a 2 hour guided tour.

Bright Leaf Preserve
When: Second Saturdays and Sundays of the month, 9am.
Where: Bright Leaf Preserve, 2222 & Creek Mountain Road
$$$: Free

Sunday is your day for cultural events. Step out to Round Rock for a stroll down historic streets. Meet talented artists & musicians in Historic Downtown Round Rock each month, displaying their wares and entertaining strollers.

Round Rock Artisan Stroll
When: Sunday, Sept. 14th, noon - 6pm
Where: Downtown Round Rock, depending on weather (call: 512.535.5761)
$$$: Free

One of the best opportunities of the year happens this Sunday. It’s our annual Museum Day! Museums throughout Austin will be open and free to the public. That is a great value! Take the kids and go see them all. If you want to go outdoors, hit up the Umlauf Sculpture Garden. Take the kids to the Austin Children’s Museum. Learn all about Texas history at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. See the beauty of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Your biggest challenge will be deciding which museums to visit!

11th Annual Austin Museum Day 2008
When: Sunday, 14 Sept. 2008
Where: Participating Museums (See website)
$$$: FREE!

Here are some cancellations coming in:

• The Diez y Seis celebration has been canceled for Saturday
• The Westcave Preserve birding habitat walk for Saturday has been canceled
• CHI VS. YORKIE CUTE-OFF meet-up group has been canceled

Those are my pics, have a safe weekend!

Interested in Historical Recreation?

Wells Branch MUD, and The Society for Creative Anachronism Brings You:

“RENAISSANCE DAY IN THE PARK”

Saturday, Sept. 6, 2008
10am to 5pm
Location: Katherine Fleischer Park
2106 Klattenhoff Drive
Pflugerville, TX

Visitors will get a taste of medieval times thanks to collaboration between Wells Branch and the local chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism. The society is an international association of people who re-enact the Middle Ages as they will for visitors with chivalric and rapier demonstrations and approximately 17 guilds including clothiers, fiber artisans, leather workers, dancers, scribes, brewers, metal workers, glass engravers, enamelers, herbalists, and others. Many of the ancient arts will be on display in the baseball field at Katherine Fleischer Park. The event is free to the public.

Historical Dancing will follow inside from 6-10

(This is a small, non-commercial historical recreation demo put on by volunteers)

If you’ve missed the old Excalibur Faire in Smithville, a new Faire is opening this weekend on the same grounds. I know I’ve missed Excalibur! If you make it out there please let us know how it compares.

Serendipity Haven is located at the “OLD” Excalibur Site on the Rocky Hill Ranch in Smithville TX 45 miles from Austin on HWY 71. Take HWY 71 East to Smithville and turn north (left) on FM 153 and it is on the left. There is a link below to a Google map.

I’ve already mentioned Asia Fest and the Arts Run but if those don’t light your fire, how about a Folk Art Shop and Swap? If you love kitchy, nostalgic fun stuff or if you just love to look at other people’s stuff then this is your event. You’ll find jewelry, home decor, clothing, and more.

Folk Art Shop and Swap
When: 9am-1pm, Saturday, September 6th
Where: 502 W. Live Oak
$$$: Free.

If you love to shop for bargains then you might want to continue on the the Palmer Event Center for Le Garage Sale. There you’ll find an array of Austin’s chicest boutiques offering their best deals in men, women and children’s clothing as well as new looks for your home.

Le Garage Sale
When: Sat.-Sun., Sept. 6-7, 11am-5pm
Where: Palmer Events Center, 900 Barton Springs Rd
$$$: $10 ($15, two-day pass).

All that shopping is bound to work up an appetite so why not follow it up with some chili, BBQ and a little music? Lucky for you the Del Valle Independent School District is having a cook-off!

Outlaws and Ladies Cook-off
When: 10am-10pm, Saturday, 6 September
Where: The Waterhole Saloon, 5244 Hwy. 71 E., Del Valle.
$$$: Free ($100 to enter all events)

Have a bit of fun, learn a bit of history and have a lovely walk this weekend at the Zilker Botanical Gardens with their Dinoland Exhibit. This weekend there will be a hatching! This is a kid friendly event and will even have storytelling by those awesome folk at BookPeople.

Dinoland
When: Saturday, Sept. 6 & Sunday, Sept. 7, 10 am - 5 pm
Where: Zilker Botanical Garden, 2100 Barton Springs Road
$$$: $5 Adults/$3 Kids

For my geeky friends, this weekend brings a celebration for one of Austin’s favorite game stores, Dragon’s Lair. Help them celebrate 22 years of epic gaming, tournaments, competitions and fun, fun, fun! Bill Williams will be there to sign copies of his work.

Dragon Lair 22nd Anniversary Celebration
When: Fri.-Sun., Sept. 5-7
Where: Dragon’s Lair Comics & Fantasy, 6111 Burnet Rd, 454-2399
$$$: Free

If you’re up for a bit of charity work, like to act and look rather scary then Scare for a Cure is looking for volunteers. This year’s Scare for a Cure haunted house will give its proceeds to college scholarships for students whose lives are affected by cancer. If you think you’re scary enough, then audition, and prove it. All would-be ghosts, goblins, and demons are invited.

Scare for a Cure Auditions
When: 2-5pm, Sunday, Sept. 7th
Where: Elks Lodge, 700 Dawson

If you’re looking for music events, check out the Austin Showlist, Do512 or Austin Sound!

When: September 6-7, 2008
Where: Texas Culinary Academy, 11400 Burnet Road
$$$:See Website

I attended this event last year and it was just a blast. As with last year, the event will kick off on Friday night with an amazing dinner. This year’s dinner will be a 6-course Pacific Sake Dinner and will be held at the Satay Restaurant. The Satay, if you’ve not been, is a one of my favorite restaurants in Austin. Owned and operated by Dr. Foo, the Satay is a gem. They have some of the best Thai curries in Austin and consistently good service, if sometimes a bit slow. However, we tend to rush our meals in this country and I find I always have time for a good conversation with my dinner guests.

Friday, September 5th:
Pacific Sake Dinner
Location: Ventana, 11400 Burnet Rd., Austin, TX 78758
Time: 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
$$$: $75 per person
Note: Tickets must be purchased in advance

Saturday’s activities will be held at the Texas Culinary Academy and will include a series of cooking classes for all ages.

$15 per class adults
$10 per class-child classes
$50 for all adult classes
$25 for all child classes

Sunday is a super fun day with the Iron Chef competition and will also be held at the Texas Culinary Academy. I really enjoyed this portion last year. In addition, there will be an Asian Market & Food Extravaganza. If it’s anything like last year there will be a wonderful assortment of food to try. If you’re a wine enthusiast you’ll be pleased to know that there will even be wine pairings.

$35 per adult (includes food)
$10 per child (6-12)

Saturday, September 6 @ 8:30 am
With Free Concert to Follow

+ Adults $27 | Children $20
Online registration closes September 5 at 10 pm.

The Race: The Arts Run begins and ends at the Paramount Theatre on Congress Avenue and consists of two races - a Kids K and an Adult 5K Fun Run/Walk. [More Info]

RACE DAY SCHEDULE
7:00 am - Packet and Chip Timer pick up begins
8:30 am - Kids K begins
8:45 am - 5K Run begins
8:50 am - 5K Fun Run/Walk begins
10:30 am - Free concert for Arts Run participants by White Ghost Shivers at the Paramount

Prizes: All registered participants will receive an Arts Run packet - includes a t-shirt and other fun goodies. Top runners will compete for prizes with the help of chip timing and every participant in the Kids K will receive a special prize. Plus, anyone can win with over fifteen fantastic door prizes given away following the run.

Music: Live music will be provided by Austin’s own Brooklyn Lane on Congress Avenue. Following the run, all participants will be treated to a free concert by the White Ghost Shivers inside the beautiful Paramount Theatre.

Costume Contest: Runners, walkers, sponsors and volunteers are strongly encouraged to participate dressed as their favorite stage or film star. Prizes will be awarded for the best costumes. Rumor has it that Audrey Hepburn, Elvis, Marilyn Monroe and Jane Fonda are set to make an appearance.

Food: After you’ve worked up a thirst and an appetite, Gatti’s Pizza will serve fresh pizza to everyone and Steaz will provide the beverages! Plus, plenty of Crystal Gyser bottled water will be available to keep you hydrated.

Cause: The Paramount Theatre brings more than 10,000 area youths to the Theatre each year as part of our youth outreach program. Many of those children gain admission for free and would otherwise be unable to attend the Theatre. Your registration helps us provide this and other services to our community.