The Real Austin Texas Blog:
What's New @ Real Austin Texas

The Real Austin Texas Blog keeps you up-to-date with all additions and changes to the Real Austin Texas website as well as links to special announcements or timely news articles.

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Mar 10, 2010, Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival, Austin Events, Austin Festivals

Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival - April 15-18, 2010 - Austin, Texas

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Mar 10, 2010, SafePlace Field Day, Austin Events, Austin Festivals

SafePlace Field Day and Festival - April 10, 2010 - Fiesta Gardens - Austin, Texas

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Mar 10, 2010, Austin International Poetry Festival - 6 Days Left to Register

Regular registration to read at the upcoming Austin International Poetry Festival ends on 3/15/2010.

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Mar 8, 2010, Austin Attractions, Austin Things To Do, Austin Tourism

Austin Attractions - Come explore all the fun and exciting attractions this city has to offer. The Austin Things To Do list is long. Lots of pictures included.

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Mar 8, 2010, Zilker Park, Austin Attractions, Austin Things to Do

NYC has Central Park; Austin has Zilker Park - Check out the full list of attractions and events at Zilker.

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Mar 8, 2010, Seth Walker Interview - American Songwriter

American Songwriter has posted a new interview with Seth Walker who recently relocated to Nashville after living (and playing some awesome music) in Austin for the last fifteen years.

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Mar 8, 2010, Carnival ah, Austin Events, Austin Arts

Carnival ah! - April 20-22, 2010 - ACC Rio Grande Campus - Austin, Texas

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Mar 7, 2010, "Knockout" Wildflower Season Expected in the Austin area

Excerpt from Austin American-Statesman piece by Judy Wiley:

"We're in an El Nino year since the summertime, and that historically brings good fall rains that are widespread and consistent, and that's really good for wildflower germination," says Damon Waitt, senior botanist at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin. Unlike most of the annuals that gardeners are familiar with, most native wildflowers germinate in fall and begin to grow in winter. So, says John R. Thomas, founder and owner of Wildseed Farms near Fredericksburg, a cold, wet winter is good: "You want it cold to get the warm season grasses dormant so there's no competition."

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Mar 7, 2010, Cactus Manifesto

Excerpt from Peter Blackstock's new piece on the UT's decision to shut down the beloved Austin landmark The Cactus Cafe:

So, what ground is left for the university to stand on?

Frankly, I don't think there really IS anything left. None of the arguments made by University Unions executive director Andy Smith, nor by student government president Liam O'Rourke, nor by student affairs vice president Juan Gonzalez, nor by UT president Bill Powers, ultimately stand up to careful scrutiny. Each of these people -- especially Powers, as the university's public persona #1 -- needs to simply admit they made an error in judgment. There's no harm in that.

To do otherwise would be to admit a willingness to toss a living and breathing cultural and artistic institution onto the scrap heap, without justification. Is this really a legacy that any of these people wish to have in their name? For what purpose? For what need? For what possible good? What is left for an argument that closing or repurposing the Cactus somehow makes any sense?

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Mar 6, 2010, Umlauf Garden Party, Austin Art, Austin Events

Umlauf Garden Party Fundraiser - April 22, 2010 - Umlauf Sculpure Garden and Museum in Austin, Texas

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Mar 5, 2010, Austin Events March, Austin Festivals, Austin Texas

Austin Events March - There's always the chance for a late freeze (early in the month), but by March, for all practical purposes, Spring has arrived in Austin Texas. Check out the full list here.

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Mar 5, 2010, Texas Relays, University of Texas at Austin, Austin Events

Texas Relays 2010 - March 31 - April 3, 2010 - University of Texas at Austin

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Mar 4, 2010, Urban Music Festival, Austin Events, Austin Festivals

Held at Auditorium Shores during the annual Texas Relays weekend in April each year, Austin's Urban Music Festival is a family-oriented music and food festival.

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Mar 4, 2010, Pecan Street Festival, Old Pecan Street Festival, Austin Events

Old Pecan Street Festival - Twice a Year - Next: May1-2, 2010 - Austin, Texas

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Mar 3, 2010, Louisiana Swamp Thing, Crawfish Festival, Austin Events

Louisiana Swamp Thing and Crawfish Festival - April 10, 2010 - Austin, Texas

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Mar 3, 2010, St. Patrick's Day Austin, Austin Events, Austin Concerts

There are usually a number of options for celebrating St. Patrick's Day Austin style. Info for the St. Patrick's Day Festival in Austin is available here as well as links to Austin area pubs.

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Mar 3, 2010, Austin Music Festival, Austin Music Events, Austin Events

Austin Music Festival Page (Austin Texas) - Comprehensive guide to Austin Music Events

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Mar 3, 2010, Lone Star State Jam, Lone Star Jam, Austin Events

Lone Star State Jam - April 24, 2010 - Waterloo Park - Austin, Texas

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Mar 2, 2010, KOOP Austin, KOOP Radio, 91.7 FM, Austin Radio Stations

KOOP Austin (pronounced "co-op") is a community radio station, operated and broadcast by volunteers. With around 60 different weekly shows, there's always something unique on KOOP. Stream it here.

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Mar 1, 2010, Art Week Austin, Austin Events, Austin Art

Art Week Austin - April 22-26, 2010

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Mar 1, 2010, Cine Las Americas, Austin Events, Austin Film Festivals

Cine Las Americas Internation Film Festival in Austin, Texas - April 21-29, 2010.

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Mar 1, 2010, Austin Record Convention, Austin Events, Austin Music

Austin Record Convention - Twice Yearly - March 18-20, 2010 and October 15-17, 2010.

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Feb 26, 2010, Student Friends of the Cactus Cafe Rally Today (2/26/10)

From austincitysphere:

The Student Friends of the Cactus Cafe, made up of University of Texas students protesting the planned closure of the live music listening room in the Texas Union, will hold a rally Friday morning from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the West Mall.

The group will host several speakrs, including state Rep. Rep. Elliott Naishtat of Austin, City Council Member Laura Morrison and Austin Music Commission Chairman Brad Stein.

Several musicians will perform throughout the rally as well, including Sara Hickman, Bill Oliver, David Garza, Barbara K and Richard Bowden and Elizabeth Wills.

Click for more info

Feb 26, 2010, Partial Albino Grackle

Photographed near Whole Foods Lamar Blvd at West 6th Street

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Feb 25, 2010, Austin Green Living Expo, Austin Events, Austin Things to Do

The Austin Green Living Expo - April 23-25, 2010 - An annual Austin event since 2006.

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Feb 24, 2010, Snow in Austin, Austin Snow, Austin Weather

Does it snow in Austin, Texas? Well, sometimes it does - and we've got exclusive pictures of Trashy the Snowman to prove it.

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Feb 23, 2010, Austin Dentist Directory A, Austin Dentist

Austin Dentist Directory A: An alphabetical listing of dentists in the Austin, Texas area.

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Feb 22, 2010, Profile of Vernon Hunter - Killed in Suicide Attack on IRS in Austin

News 8 ran this piece about Vernon Hunter, the 67 year old Vietnam Vet killed in the suicide plane attack last week at the Echelon I building in Northwest Austin.

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Feb 21, 2010, Suicide Attack on Austin IRS Building - Why Fatalities and Injuries Weren't Far Worse

Jeremy Schwartz of the Austin American-Statesman reported over the weekend about a couple of very lucky breaks that undoubtedly saved a lot of lives in the wake of last Thursday's suicide plane attack on the Echelon I building in Northwest Austin.

One was the fact that the Travis County Hazmat team happened to be in the nearby Dave & Buster's parking lot conducting monthly training at the time of the attack.

The other was thanks to the quick actions of Robin De Haven, a window installer driving in the area who witnessed the crash and rushed to the scene, using his company ladder to save employees trapped on the second floor.

Hats off to the true heroes in Austin who will always outnumber the frustrated failures who would rather blame and murder others than look in the mirror.

For the full American-Statesman story . . .

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Feb 21, 2010, Curious Grackle

This guy loves to show off and make that hideous noise on my roof every year. See the rest of my critter photos her

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Feb 21, 2010, Grackrobat - Grackles in Austin

I love the sounds they make, their blue-black feathers and the dance the males do under the trees in my front yard.

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Feb 19, 2010, Austin Cactus and Succulent Society Show, Zilker Botanical Gardens, Austin Event

The Austin Cactus and Succulent Society Show and Sale is a twice yearly event held at the Austin Area Garden Center located on the grounds of Austin's Zilker Botanical Gardens.

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Feb 18, 2010, Austin International Poetry Festival, AIPF, Austin Events

The Austin International Poetry Festival began in 1994 as the brainchild of four exremely talented local Austin poets and has since grown into the largest non-juried poetry festival in the U.S.

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Feb 18, 2010, SXSW, South by Southwest, Austin Festivals

SXSW is Austin’s premiere festival, an annual event celebrating creativity, innovation, and networking across three disciplines: music, film, and interactive media.

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Feb 16, 2010, Buda Wiener Dog Races, Buda Country Fair, Austin Events

The event has grown so popular in recent years that the Buda Wiener Dog Races now attract around 400 racers each year (or 1600 very short legs).

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Feb 15, 2010, Austin Reggae Festival, Bob Marley Festival, Austin Events

Formerly known as the Bob Marley Festival, the Austin Reggae Festival has been one of this city's most popular music festivals since 1994. A fun event for people watchers and watchees alike.

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Feb 15, 2010, Texas RockFest, Heart of Texas Quadruple Bypass Music Festival, Austin Events

Texas RockFest, scheduled during SXSW, strives to be an in your face antithesis to SXSW - no covers, no wristbands, and no pretensions.

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Feb 13, 2010, Austin Nonprofit, Austin Charities

Real-Austin-Texas.com is a proud supporter of worthy Austin nonprofit organizations. See the list of organizations this site has supported.

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Feb 12, 2010, Artz Rib House, Austin Restaurants, Austin Restaurant Guide

One of my favorite Austin Restaurants, Artz Rib House packs a triple punch: great food, great atmosphere, and great music.

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Feb 11, 2010, Austin Texas Events, Austin Festivals, Austin Garden

The Austin Texas Events Page - Your comprehensive guide to home, garden, and culinary related events and festivals in and around Austin Texas.

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Feb 11, 2010, Zilker Garden Festival, Zilker Botanical Gardens, Austin Events

An Austin spring rite of passage since the late 1950s, the Zilker Garden Festival is a weekend gardening event held at the beautiful Zilker Botanical Gardens.

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Feb 11, 2010, Zilker Botanical Gardens, Austin Attractions, Austin Things To Do

The highlight of Zilker Botanical Gardens is the wonderfully photogenic and tranquil Isamu Taniguchi Japanese Garden. See for yourself here.

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Feb 2, 2010, Grackles...One Woman's Observation

Grackles have become an army of one. Upon sunset they congregate and begin descending through the Austin sky, creating massive black clouds as they move

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Jan 27, 2010, Explore UT, University of Texas, Austin Events

Billing itself as "The Biggest Open House in Texas", Explore UT has grown from its 1999 inception as "UT Interactive" into an exciting and ambitious annual Austin event.

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Jan 27, 2010, Rodeo Austin, Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo, Austin Events

Rodeo Austin - The Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo is held each year in March. It features ProRodeo events, daily/nightly concerts, a livestock show, and the largest Austin area carnival.

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Jan 27, 2010, Austin Festivals, Austin Events, Austin Texas

Austin Festivals and Events - Your comprehensive guide to annual cultural and seasonal events in and around Austin Texas.

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Jan 22, 2010, Celebrate Texas, Texas Independence Day, Austin Events

Celebrate Texas - Texas Independence Day, an official state holiday, commemorates the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence from Mexico on March 2, 1836.

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Jan 22, 2010, Texas State Cemetery, Austin Attractions, Austin Things To Do

The Texas State Cemetery, beautifully manicured and maintained, is an ideal Austin tourism destination for anyone with an interest in Austin Texas history.

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Jan 21, 2010, Capitol 10K, Cap 10K, Austin Events

Since 1978, one of the more popular spring traditions in Austin, Texas has been the Capitol 10K. The race is for everyone from serious runners and wheelchair athletes to mischevious spring revelers.

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