Several hundred people attended the official groundbreaking ceremony for Austin’s new central library on May 31. This new library will be located in downtown’s Seaholm District, just to the east of the old Seaholm Power Plant. The building is expected to open in 2016.
About 3,000 athletes competed in the CapTex Triathalon on Memorial Day. This race—renamed the Lifetime Tri CapTex this year—was again centered around Auditorium Shores, closing the First Street and Congress Avenue bridges as well as Cesar Chavez and many downtown streets. The Olympic triathlon distance required a 1.5K swim, 40K bike ride, and 10K run, but there were also shorter Sprint and First Tri distances.
A large crowd had already gathered for this year’s O. Henry Pun-Off by the time we arrived on Saturday afternoon. Some bleachers and folding chairs were set up, but many brought their own camp chairs or blankets to watch this “nearly yearly” contest in the backyard of the O. Henry Museum between Fourth and Fifth Streets.
The 2013 Austin Food & Wine Festival, sponsored by Food & Wine magazine, was held at Butler Park during the last weekend of April. The festival was moved to the grassy area next to the Palmer Events Center due to the poor condition of last year’s location, Auditorium Shores. Saturday’s festival hours were 10 AM – 4 PM, with shorter 11 AM – 3 PM hours on Sunday. The weekend weather was comfortable, with highs in the 70s.
Friday morning commuters couldn’t help but notice more cyclists pedaling around downtown Austin. Our local Bike to Work Day was organized by the Austin Cycling Association. Similar events are held in other cities around the nation during May.
Sometimes you just know that a concert is going to be great…and Thursday’s KLRU All-Star Celebration did not disappoint! The evening at the ACL-Live-Moody Theatre honored musician/producer Lloyd Maines and was a fundraiser for local PBS station KLRU, which produces the long-running Austin City Limits TV show.
Fortunately, the weather was perfect for Taste of Texas, the opening outdoor event for the Austin Food & Wine Festival. Attendees visited a fenced-in Republic Square Park from 7-9:30 PM, sampling dishes prepared by over 20 chefs (mostly from Texas) and listen to music by Whiskey Shivers and Delta Spirit.
Patty Griffin played a free in-store concert at Waterloo Records on Friday evening. Only the first 150 people in line were permitted into the store. Bill and I had made a last minute decision to walk the mile over to Waterloo, so we were fairly far back in line. Luckily, we were among the last ten people allowed inside the store.
Spring weekends in Austin are typically jam-packed with activities, and last weekend was no exception, with the Austin Food & Wine Festival and the Moontower Comedy Festival in town. Both festivals required badges and, for the most part, did not sell tickets to individual events. Probably a few hardy souls attended both, but most of us had to choose between stuffing our faces or tickling our funny bones for the weekend.
Last Sunday’s AMP UnGala 2013: UnWind was organized by and also benefited local non-profit Austin Music People. AMP’s self-described mission is “advocating for the brands, bands and fans that make Austin the Live Music Capital of the World.” The concert showcased a variety of local musicians representing genres ranging from orchestral rock to alternative country.