TRAVIS COUNTY
DOWNTOWN AUSTIN
Student innovation showcase Friday
EcoRise Youth Innovations and the city of Austin’s office of sustainability will host the fourth annual Student Innovation Showcase from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Friday at Austin City Hall, 301 W. Second St.
EcoRise’s Eco-Audit Grant Program helps students “green” their schools with funding provided by the city. More than $17,000 in microgrants have been awarded to 15 schools in the Austin area this school year.
Twenty student teams from across Central Texas will present their innovative, grant-funded projects in a science-fair style format.
Many of the projects featured at the showcase were identified through student-led campus audits of energy, water, transportation, food, waste, public spaces and air-quality measures using scoring criteria and educational materials developed by EcoRise.
This year, the partnership between EcoRise and the city of Austin funded programs that included a zero-waste lunch program, an aquaponics garden and a food forest.
— American-Statesman staff
EAST AUSTIN
Town hall for District 1 residents
City Council Member Ora Houston will host a town hall for District 1 constituents from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex, 1156 Hargrave St.
The town hall will include a discussion on the city of Austin’s 2018-19 budget and to introduce City Manager Spencer Cronk to the community. Attendees will be able to share priorities and input on the budget, ask questions and provide feedback.
— American-Statesman staff
NORTHEAST AUSTIN
‘CelebrASIA’ festival Saturday
The fifth annual CelebrASIA Austin food and heritage festival will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Asian American Resource Center, 8401 Cameron Road.
The free festival, “CelebrASIA Austin: Five Years, Five Spices,” will celebrate the combinations of spices frequently used in Asian cuisine. Participating local restaurants include Atia’s Kitchen, Pakistani; Jenna’s Asian Kitchen, Pan Asian; Mom’s Taste, Korean; Tito Adobo, Filipino; SnoMo, Taiwanese; and Asahi, Japanese.
The event will include live performances, a community outreach fair and the ability to explore the indoor cultural experience rooms presented by local community organizations, featuring activities, clothing, décor and artifacts from various regions of Asia and the Pacific Islands.
— American-Statesman staff
EAST AUSTIN
‘Pancake Palooza’ benefit set
Creative Action, at 2921 E. 17th St., will host its Pancake Palooza fundraiser at 9:30 a.m. Saturday to raise funds for its after-school programs.
The event will include students, many from the Hornsby Bend area, for the one-day festival featuring a pancake breakfast with performances, film screenings, painting and other visual arts.
— American-Statesman staff
WILLIAMSON COUNTY
GEORGETOWN
Watch free movies in park
The city of Georgetown Parks and Recreation Department will screen “Coco” at sunset, about 8:15 p.m., on Friday.
The free film will be shown in San Gabriel Park on the soccer fields behind the Georgetown Recreation Center, 1003 N. Austin Ave. Moviegoers are welcome to bring blankets, chairs and picnics; and are encouraged to arrive early for free popcorn and children’s activities and games beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Other free films to be shown this summer will include “Moana” on June 23 at Williams Drive Pool, 3201 Williams Drive; and “The Sandlot” on June 20 and “A Wrinkle in Time” on Aug. 17 at San Gabriel Park.
— American-Statesman staff
HAYS COUNTY
BUDA
Public meeting to be rescheduled
The public input meeting on the proposed district lines for City Council places 2, 4, and 6 that was scheduled for Thursday will be rescheduled for a later date.
The city will notify once a new date has been chosen.
In November 2017, voters approved an amendment to the city charter for the city of Buda to transition to single-member districts. City Council places 2, 4 and 6 will be the first to switch.
— American-Statesman staff
BASTROP COUNTY
SMITHVILLE
Fire Department adds new truck
The Smithville Volunteer Fire Department has added a new brush truck to its fleet with the help of a $100,000 grant through the Texas A&M Forest Service Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program.
The 2017 Ford F550 brush truck has a 500-gallon water tank and foam capability and can be used for firefighting and high-water rescues. It has a walk-through for the safety of the firefighters and easy access to two whip lines. There is also a water cannon on the front of the apparatus and storage space for firefighting and rescue equipment.
— American-Statesman staff
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