City of Austin officials held a little news conference in front of City Hall to publicize Austin’s New Year, a free celebration planned for New Year’s Eve.
This news conference was attended by:
- 4 city officials
- 10 local news staffers
- 6 ANY entertainers
- 1 family that stopped by while taking a walk
- 8 random people (mostly city employees)
- 1 downtown resident
After his photo op with the Snowy Owl from Austin Bike Zoo, Kevin Johns, director of Austin’s Economic Growth Department, announced that ANY will again be held on the evening of December 31 at Auditorium Shores. Representatives from the Austin Fire and Police Departments reminded everyone that fireworks are illegal within city limits and that the upcoming holiday is a “no refusal” night for DUI testing—two good reasons to live within walking distance of city-sponsored fireworks.
Various family-friendly activities are planned for ANY. Aerialists from Sky Candy gave a short demonstration at the news conference and will perform their muscle-defying feats again on New Year’s Eve.
Texas State Musician, Sara Hickman, sang by herself at the news conference, but said she would be back with her band on New Year’s Eve. ANY will end with fireworks over Lady Bird Lake at 10 PM.
The news conference lasted about 20 minutes, and then we all rushed off to file our reports…