TCB

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Field of Dreams

One day this field adjacent to the Austin Public Library's Cepeda branch at East Seventh and Pleasant Valley will be a serene public garden and memorial to the many musicians who've hailed from the Eastside. "We're not talking about a sculpture garden or anything," laughs Councilman Raul Alvarez, who's planted the seed with $50,000 of city money from its East Seventh Street Corridor project. The exact form of the monuments has yet to be determined, though plaques and display cases of memorabilia have been discussed; Alvarez says he's open to suggestions. One thing he'd eventually like to see is a small amphitheatre on the site for musicians, poets, and authors to use. For now he's just starting to put the fundraising gears in motion, and hopes to begin construction next year. With developers increasingly casting hungry eyes toward the area's traditionally black and Latino neighborhoods, "We're quickly losing knowledge of its past," says Alvarez.