So, I was going to write about the crazy Austin real estate market and the impossibility of building anything new that remotely approaches affordability, but that’ll have to wait until next week, because I got distracted by all these events that deserve coverage – but primarily by…
Puppy Bowl! Puppy Bowl! Puppy Bowl! Yeah, I know there’s that Animal Planet show during the Superb Owl on Sunday, but the Austin Humane Society has the real live thing. Well, not this year, of course, because pandemic, but AHS Puppy Bowl XIV is happening virtually this Saturday, Feb. 6, starting at 10am with a live tailgate trivia contest, followed by the Tampa Bay Barkaneers facing off against the Kansas City Canines, live on Facebook. Donate $35 through www.austinhumanesociety.org for the full experience, which includes beer, vodka, toys, gift cards, “puppy swag,” and a pass to Yard Bar, where the post-game celebration starts at 4pm.
The Hancock Golf Course/Park saga continues as the Hancock Conservancy, which supports “transforming Hancock Golf Course into a green space and public park,” holds virtual town hall events the next two Tuesdays at 7pm: Feb. 9 is an info session with Q&A from local neighbors; on Feb. 16, come prepared to ask questions of PARD Assistant Director Anthony Segura. Both will be streamed live at www.fb.com/hancockconservancy. More info at www.imaginehancockpark.org.
All Aboard! The Train Comes to Austin is this year’s Angelina Eberly event, the annual fundraiser for the Austin History Center Association. Scripted by playwright Paullette MacDougal, All Aboard! is a 20-minute dramatization of the train first coming to Austin on Christmas Day 1871 – a key milestone in Austin’s history – with cameo appearances by local celebs, at 11:45am this Friday, Feb. 5. It’s a fundraiser, so buy tickets ($75 members, $100 nonmembers) at www.austinhistory.net/eberly-2021.
If you were looking forward to an Austin ISD Board of Trustees work session this coming Monday, you’ll have to wait a few more days. Starting this month, all board meetings will be on Thursdays at 5:30pm, opposite City Council meetings (and after our weekly deadline; boo!). Work sessions are on the second Thursday of the month, voting meetings on the fourth Thursday. See www.austinisd.org/board/meetings for more info.
Oops, I missed this: The season 2 premiere of the hit political comedy series Over the Lege, The Podcast! Live! dropped Jan. 21: “This is a Duty, We Must Govern” with Senator Sarah Eckhardt. Plus, “Mudit Verma and Lucia McMahon compete for the most know-lege-able comedian in Austin.” They feel safe in claiming to be “the only political comedy satire show based solely on the Texas Legislature,” but they’re also really funny, and smart. Get it wherever you get your podcasts.
This article appears in February 5 • 2021.