Public Notice: The Week of Days

Hide your inbox! Mute your TV ads! It's that week again, as Thursday's tryptophan coma gives way to a whirlwind of special days, each trying to earn your money, each offering a different gratification in return.

Thursday: Turkey Day! Eat a lot. Watch large men push each other around on a grassy field in another state. Maybe leftovers. Sleep it off, rest up, because...

Black Friday demands you be ready to go at 7am, armed with credit and a detailed list, if you're going to get the best bargains available on this biggest retail shopping day of the year.

Small Business Saturday® is a trademark of the American Express Corporation, which seems wrong, but their heart is really in the right place. You've heard the stats – money spent at locally owned stores circulates seven times through the local economy, etc. – so whether it's Friday, Saturday, or whatever, keep that in mind during the shopping season. Need ideas? Our Gift Guide issue is next week. Or check out the Austin Indepen­dent Business Alliance IBIZ districts at ibuyaustin.com.

Small Brewery Sunday is there because the Brewers Association saw a hole in the schedule and jumped on it. Good on them! Austin has a crazy number of excellent small breweries (see Eric Puga's "Top 25 Austin Breweries of 2021," Oct. 12). So make a day of it. Take the kids! (Puga's "Austin's Best Breweries, According to Children," Oct. 1.)

Cyber Monday is a thing, too.

Giving Tuesday rounds out the consumerist holy week on a high note, as nonprofits across the city and across the nation hope the previous five days haven't sucked up all of your disposable income, because they're all in greater need than usual, or perhaps ever – stretched thin by the long crisis of the pandemic, and often by governmental neglect of its most vulnerable citizens. If I started listing worthy local nonprofits here, I'd never stop, but I'll bet your favorites have been letting you know that they're kicking off their year-end fundraising campaigns, and matching grants will double your donation for a limited time. And indeed, like small retailers, many nonprofits make a large portion of their annual operating budget from this relatively short fundraising season. So dig deep. And because a lot of organizations can use stuff as well as money, check out the Chronicle's annual nonprofit Wish List compilation starting in next week's issue, or at austinchronicle.com/wish-list.

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As I've reported here, the city land use commissions – Planning, Zoning and Plat­ting, and the Board of Adjustment – have been resisting a plan to move their public meetings from City Hall to the new Permit­ting and Devel­opment Center at Highland, primarily citing the issue of public access. The three boards requested a public meeting to discuss the move, and it now appears that will take place this coming Monday, Nov. 29, at 6pm at City Hall – though it seems clear that staff would just as soon this be as un-public a meeting as possible. The 40 or so commissioners were notified of a scheduled joint meeting this week, but there's no agenda, and no notice of the meeting posted as of press time. That's not required until 72 hours prior, which is 6pm Friday for the Monday meeting. Speakers from the public will be welcome (if you must), in person only.

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The Preservation Merit Awards celebration is the 61st annual such event for Preservation Austin – a cocktail reception at the historic Symphony Square, honoring "those preserving Austin's unique architectural, cultural, and environmental heritage." There are 16 awardees, including the Enfield Condo development, the restored 1841 French Legation, the ATX Barrio Archive, and the Rogers-Washington-Holy Cross Neighborhood Association, along with Historic Landmark Commission Chair Terri Myers and City Historic Preservation Officer Steve Sadowski. Thursday, Dec. 2, 6-8pm at Symphony Square, 1111 Red River St. $100 ($75 for members); proof of vaccination will be required. See preservationaustin.org for more.