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!