Come Dance! 2008

Totally Free Event

Butler Dance Education Center
501 W. 3rd St.
Austin  TX  78701

Think you can dance? Want to try? Ballet Austin hosts a day of free dance classes of all types — modern dance, tap, flamenco, hula, jazz, Broadway theater style and yes, ballet. The 40-minute classes start on the hour beginning at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m

There’s also ongoing previews of the family-friendly show Not Afraid of the Dark and a special ‘Nutcracker’ room decked with sets and costumes from the holiday spectacular and ready for your early holiday photo opportunity. Bring the camera and lots of film!

Other things to do in the neighborhood:

Austin Children’s Museum

201 Colorado St, Austin, TX 78701
Near the intersection of Colorado St and W 2nd St
(512) 472-2499 www.austinkids.org

Tuesday - Saturday: 10am-5pm
Community Night Wednesdays: 5-8pm
Sunday: Noon-5pm

Adult: $5.50
Children 2 yrs.and up: $5.50
Children 12-23 months: $3.50
Children under 12 months: FREE

Zilker Park/Barton Springs/Botanical Gardens

Swim Fees
Senior    $1.00
Adult     $3.00
Junior (12-17)   $2.00
Child (11- under)   $1.00
Parking fee at Zilker  $3.00 (March through September)

Bring the family to Austin early and and stay the day.  Picnic in Zilker Park.  Hike or bike the trail around Lady Bird Lake. Swim in the sacred waters of Barton Springs. Ride the train around Zilker Park. Rent a canoe on :Lady Bird Lake.

Austin Duck Adventures

Monday and Tuesday: 2 PM
Wednesday through Friday: 11 AM & 2 PM
Saturday & Sunday: 11 AM, 2 PM & 4 PM

All public tours depart from the Austin Visitor Information Center at 209 E. Sixth Street
Adults - $25.95 + tax
Children (2 and Under) - Free
Children (Age 3-12) - $15.95
Seniors and Students - $23.95 + tax

Bob Bullock State of Texas Museum

Visit the Bob Bullock State of Texas Museum and see The Dark Knight: The IMAX Experience.  Come see Batman six stories high as he fights the Joker and crime in Gotham City.

See the Bats!  See the Bats!

When and Where To See the Congress Avenue Bats:

The best bat views are in August when the young pups join their mothers in the nightly flights. It can take as long as 45 minutes for all the bats to exit the bridge. Flights normally occur around 8 to 8:30 pm but could be earlier or later. Call the Bat Hotline at 416-5700 ext. 3636 for times. In addition to lining up on the sidewalks along the Congress Avenue bridge there are other safer and popular spots for bat-watching:

• Austin American-Statesman public viewing area on the Southeast end of Congress Avenue.
• Cruises on Town Lake are another way to see the bats. Lone Star Riverboat and Capital Cruises offer bat-watching cruises.
• Watch the bats from the Shoreline Bar & Grill, T.G.I. Fridays (in the Radisson Hotel), or the Four Seasons Hotel.

Doesn’t it shound like a great weekend for the family.  Do as much or as little as you wish.  Spend all the time indoors to beat the heat or cool down naturally in Barton Springs.

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Texas Independence Day Celebration
March 1-2, 2008 10am-5pm
Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site

Visit this historic site during the 172nd birthday celebration! Enjoy the free two-day historic festival, with folk in period dress, craft demonstrations, military reenactments and music.

Visit Texas authors and have them sign your favorite book about Texas.

View the hand painted lithographs by naturalist John James Audubon, Audubon’s Creations: His Texas Legacy.

Colonel Travis (in spirit) will be on hand to convey why he and 188 other heroes chose to make a stand in San Antonio de Bexar on March 6, 1836.

Watch Gone to Texas, a musical production about the life of Sam Houston or Once Upon a Time in Texas, songs and stories from Texas History.

The historic site includes:

• Independence Hall-relive the moment Texas was created with a tour through the replica constructed on the cornerstones of the original building where Independence was declared. Tours throughout the weekend.
• Star of the Republic Museum-Delve into Texas’ colorful past through the award-winning exhibits and hands-on activities at this outstanding museum. Open 10–5 daily.
• Demonstrators Trail-Period craft demonstrators and reenactment camps bring the past to life with displays throughout the weekend. Located between the Museum and the Visitors Center; also in the Museum.
• Barrington Living History Farm–Visit the home of the last President of Texas, Anson Jones, and learn what life was like on an 1850’s cotton farm complete with outdoor kitchen, oxen, hogs, chickens and chores. Open 10–5 daily.

Interested in Texas and the fight for independence? The historic Texas Independence Trail is a road trip that takes you

Right-click HERE to download the Texas Independence Trail brochure.

Here is a list of the State Parks and Historic Sites on or near to the Independence Trail.

• Bastrop State Park, Bastrop
• Battleship TEXAS State Historic Site, La Porte
• Brazos Bend State Park, Needville
• Buescher State Park, Smithville
• Casa Navarro State Historic Site, San Antonio
• Fannin Battleground State Historic Site, Fannin
• Galveston Island State Park, Galveston
• Goliad State Park, Goliad
• Lockhart State Park, Lockhart
• Monument Hill/Kreische Brewery State Historic Sites, La Grange
• Palmetto State Park, Gonzales
• San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site, La Porte
• Sebastopol State Historic Site, Seguin
• Sheldon Lake State Park, Houston
• Stephen F. Austin State Park, San Felipe
• Varner-Hogg Plantation State Historic Site, West Columbia
• Washington-on-the Brazos State Historic Site, Washington

Find information on any of these parks and historic sites at Texas Parks and Wildlife website HERE.

Note: The Alamo is NOT on the Independence Trail. The defenders of the Alamo held Santa Anna and his arm at bay to give Sam Houston and his ragtag militia time to develop into a fighting force that could defeat Santa Anna.

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Photograph by Eileen Trainor, all right reserved.

South by Southwest (SXSW) is a huge series of events that begin on March 7 and end on March 16, 2008. This blog post is an attempt to simplify the information on the SXSW site. If you are interested in one aspect of SXSW, rather than the entire ten days, you will find this helpful. Start here with an overview of entire event from SXSW.com.

Dates

Interactive - March 7 - 11
Film - March 7 - 15
Music - March 12 - 16

2008 SXSW Interactive Conference and Festival

Keynote speaker Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook.

• Panels by Categories
• Core Conversations
• Author Talks and Book Signings
• ScreenBurn Festival features four days of presentations on the newest developments in the gaming industry.
• Interactive/Film (iF!) Trade Show + Exhibition is place to find tools for development and productivity employed by digital creatives and filmmakers.

2008 SXSW Film Conference and Festival

Feature Film Lineup

• Spotlight
• Documentary
• Narrative
• Visions
• 24 Beats
• Midnight
• Lone Star
• Special Screening

SXSW Music and Media Conference and Festival

Five nights of live music with 1500+ bands from 33 different countries, performing in 70+ spots in Austin, Texas.

• Preliminary Panel line up for conference
• Lou Reed is the keynote speaker, March 13.
• Dolly Parton will perform on the BMI showcase at the Austin Music Hall on Friday, March 14.
• The Black Crowes will return to SXSW with a performance on Saturday, March 15
• R.E.M. will perform Sunday, March 16.
• Applications for artists and bands are closed, so check this page for lineup to be posted in February.

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14th Annual Wine Opener

The intimate black tie affair features the gold medal winning wines from the San Antonio Wine Competition as well as outstanding foreign vintners.

11th Annual Champagne Brunch

The Champagne Brunch gives admirers of sparkling wines the opportunity to taste medal winners from the San Antonio Wine Competition, along side a multi-course brunch prepared by Chef Jeffrey Foresman of the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa.

28th Annual Fine Wine & Cuisine Tasting

Only the Alamodome is a large enough venue to accommodate the nearly 3,800 participants who will sample the hundreds of domestic and imported wines at the annual Fine Wine and Cuisine Tasting.

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Come to Austin, Texas in the springtime for the South by Southwest Music/Film/Interactive Conference/Festival. Yes, that is a mouthful to say, but it is the most exciting ten days of the year.

• Whether you are a musician, a music lover or in the music business, a Net2.0 person or a gamer, an independent film maven, a seasoned producer or a newbie screenwriter–you must come.
• Spend the days networking, promoting your band, book, game, application or innovation. Learn about social networking, mobi marketing, new apps and platforms. Get discovered, funded, mentored or published. Connect with press, radio, and film industry players.

• At night, grab a music or film schedule and anguish over your choices. Run around downtown Austin, eat and drink too much, have a wonderful time listening to tunes or watching flicks, but remember you should get up the next day to do it all again.

SXSW Music and Media Conference is held March 12-16, 2008. What started at an area hotel with about 30 bands playing in a few clubs around town has expanded to 1500+ musicians performing at 70+ music venues. During the day, thousands of entertainment and media industry professionals fill the Austin Convention Center for panels, presentations, trade show and exhibits. Dolly Parton, R.E.M. and The Black Crowes are already scheduled to perform.

SXSW Interactive Festival (Interactive feed), held March 7-11, 2008, explores the latest in media technologies with panels, presentations, trade show and exhibits. Look for ScreenBurn, gaming-specific programming with an open-platform arcade featuring tournaments and exhibitions. Mark Zuckerberg, from Facebook, is the keynote speaker on Sunday, March 9

SXSW Film Conference and Festival (Film feed), held March 7-15, 2008, covers the art and the business of independent cinematography. Scheduled events include a conversation with Michael Eisner, ex-head of Disney, and Helen Hunt, actress turned director whose new film Then She Found Me, will screen at this year’s SXSW Film Festival.

Register for events by clicking here | Download tools to keep updated here | Keep up with industry news here

If you will be staying in a hotel, reserve NOW. Otherwise, you may be staying in San Marcos or Johnson City and commuting in each day. This is a huge event, even for Texas!

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