As 2015 comes to an end, I looked back through my blog entries and picked out my favorite activities over the past twelve months. Austin is certainly not boring! There’s a festival, race, or big-name concert nearly every weekend, and lots of local live music every single night. So, here’s my Top Five picks for 2015…
Our neighborhood became a little cooler—and weirder—a few years ago when Toy Joy moved to Second Street. After getting through a rough spell last year, our favorite toy store was stocked full of fun stuff for the holidays and crowded with customers. And their decorated trees were unique as always!
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Your candles shine out brightly.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Your candles shine out brightly.
Each bough does hold its tiny light
That makes each toy to sparkle bright.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Your candles shine out brightly.
A large crowd gathered on the south steps of the Texas State Capitol on Monday to hear Tuba Christmas Austin. This annual event featured the often-forgotten low brass instruments—euphoniums, tubas, and sousaphones—playing well-known Christmas songs. One of the conductors announced that a total of 225 musicians had registered to play in the hour-long concert.
The University of Texas Women’s Volleyball team will be playing Nebraska in the National Championship game on Saturday evening! Last night they defeated the #2 ranked Minnesota team. UT was ranked #3 going into the semifinals, but won 3-1 in very close games.
Thousands of Central Texas children received their winter coats through Coats for Kids last weekend. The Junior League of Austin organized this coat drive, one of the largest in the country. Over 32,000 coats were distributed in 2014, and even more were expected to be given away this year.
Wild, Wild West was the theme of this year’s gingerbread village in the Four Seasons Austin. The village was created by the hotel’s pastry chefs and set up in the front lobby. Proceeds benefited the Seton Shivers Cancer Center.
Unseasonably warm weather contributed to a large turnout for this year’s Holiday Sing-Along. Several thousand carolers of all ages gathered on the south lawn of the Texas State Capitol to sing secular and religious songs of the season. The event was free, although attendees were urged to bring canned goods for the Capital Area Food Bank.
Saturday was cold and dreary—not great weather for the annual Chuy’s Children Giving to Children Parade. Spectators still lined both sides of Congress Avenue, but the crowd was sparser than in recent years. Specially-marked “Toy Trucks” were scattered throughout the parade, and towards the end, the line-up stopped for children to put their donations into the vehicles. The gifts went to Operation Blue Santa for distribution to about 5,000 Austin families in December.
The Turkey Trot is a Thanksgiving morning tradition for many Austinites, including Bill and me. ThunderCloud Subs began this event 25 years ago and remains the primary sponsor. Over the years, more than $2.5M has been raised to benefit local non-profit Caritas of Austin.