Oh say can you see Francis Scott Key sitting on a picnic blanket nursing a michelada on the velvet green meadows of Auditorium Shores tonight as the Texas National Guard Salute Battery's 70 millimeter cannons (!) keep time with the Austin Symphony and a fireworks display to rival the decadent aerial ordinance of the Hunan Dynasty explodes overhead? We can. ...

If you’re looking to celebrate all things “weird” this Saturday afternoon, head over to Auditorium Shores for the Keep Austin Weird 5k. Hosted by RunTex and sponsored by H.E.B. and AT&T, the 6th annual event includes excellent people watching, a 5k fun run, a kiddie play area and great music courtesy of What Made Milwaukee Famous, Black Joe Lewis, Alejandro Escodevo and more. This family friendly event kicks off at 3pm with the race starting at 6pm. ...

More Wristbands Available Wednesday: At least a few of the coveted SXSW wristbands will be sold via the conventional route this year. The Austin Chronicle reports that 400+ wristbands priced at $165 will be on sale from 9:30am on Wednesday 3/12 at Waterloo Records. These wristbands do not require an local ID, so out-of-towners can finally get their show at wristbands not obtained through nefarious means. They also report that a second batch may be made available next week, so stay tuned for more information....

Meanwhile, both Obama and Clinton are pulling out all the stops to appeal to our state's Hispanic population, which account for as much as 25% of Texas' eligible voters, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. Obama today launched a Spanish radio ad (mp3) stressing his humble working-class roots. Each campaign is also spending upwards of $1 million on TV ads that began running this week....

Image courtesy First Night Austin, by 2008 featured artist Alina Byoun Now in its third year, First Night Austin will return to downtown on New Year's Eve. This massive public gathering, intended to ring in the new year through "art, ritual, and festivity," features visual and performing art projects by more than 60 Austin artists. This year's performances and installations will run from Congress Avenue to Cesar Chavez, including Auditorium Shores, City Hall, and......

Photo by Patrick Dentler Barack Obama "Texas Countdown to Change"Saturday, November 17The Backyard (13101 W Highway 71)$25 General, $15 Students, 3pm[info] | [tickets]Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama dazzled over 20,000 Austinites last February at his Auditorium Shores rally, and this weekend he aims to do the same. Tickets to this Saturday's "Texas Countdown to Change" rally at the Backyard are still available for $25, and even cheaper ($15) if you're a student. Still, if you......

Sunday marks the tenth anniversary of Komen Austin Race for the Cure. With 24,000 attendees and a fundraising goal of over $1 million, this year’s event is expected to be the largest in the Austin's race history. Throughout the past ten years, 150,000 Austinites have raised more than $6 million dollars to support those affected by breast cancer in our community. Susan G. Komen for the Cure started as a promise between sisters back in......

Senator Barack Obama is coming back to Austin in November. This time around, you'll have to show a little monetary support if you'd like to hear what he has to say—judging from his rousing speech at Auditorium Shores last February, it'll probably be worth it. The charismatic statesman still trails behind Clinton in the national polls, but a recent survey indicates that "rock star" Obama has garnered the most positive press. Tickets are $25 for......

Photos taken by Aaron Haley and Eric Uhlir from this weekend's Flugtag at Auditorium Shores. If you can't view the Flash slideshow above, an alternate version appears after the jump.......

Have you ever wanted to see a group of people launch themselves off of a pier 30 foot above Lady Bird Lake? If you answered yes, then you're in luck. Red Bull is bringing Flugtag back to Austin this Saturday night. Enjoy yourself on Auditorium Shores as you watch some of the bravest and/or craziest people in town show off what they've been crafting for months. The evening will also include a visit from......

Absolutely nothing, but they're all part of a Halloween-style flash mob being planned for this Saturday, May 5th, in Georgetown. Equal parts bizarre spectacle and fodder for a film to be submitted to AFF next year, the Cinco de Mayo flash mob will take place at a youth championship soccer game. Thus far, they've already convinced a pair of unicyclists, "some" local media, and a mariachi band to come. They're hoping to get at least......

Sadly, it is upon us. We'd say they saved the best for last, but the whole darn fest has been great from start to finish. Along those lines, all of the offerings these last several days look to be par excellence. Here're just a few. The Blue Screen International Program, Part I, curated by Lisa Kaselak. (Read Lisa's interview with Refraction Arts' Ron Berry here.) This 1.5 hour program, tonight only, 8pm at the Blue......

Tony from LAist letting you know that you have a hell of a town here. Not only did we get to see Slash last night in an amazingly intimate setting, but we also ran into some Oxfam kids who were spreading the good news while everyone was getting plastered. Now that's sacrifice. Below are some LA bands that we think you might like if you wanna check out what the West Coast has to......

Following the precedent set by Barack Obama's well-received rally at Auditorium Shores two weeks ago, the two remaining contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination, Senator Hillary Clinton and former Senator John Edwards, will be making brief appearances in Austin over the next two weeks. Unlike Mr. Obama, however, neither are easily accessible to the public. Edwards will be in town on Thursday to film an episode of Texas Monthly Talks, set to air next Thursday,......

For some of you, SXSW is an obsession. For others...not so much. While we're rather immersed in the whole SXSW experience at Austinist, we know that many of you just want to take in a free or cheap event or two during the festival to experience the thing. No problem. Here's a list of events featuring local merchants, community organizations, and radio stations that will allow you to casually dip a toe in the......

Did Ghostland Observatory play a free show at Auditorium Shores? Nope, it was Illinois Senator and democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama (photos coming soon). Vice President Dick will not back down from his smack down of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Senator Lieberman is almost a Republican. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger would like everyone to quit harassing Senator Hillary Clinton. Vice President Dick would also like for everyone to fear China. Can you really picture......

Chuck Norris and his World Combat League had better work on those fists of legend, because there's a new breed of no-holds-barred brawlers coming to Austin this March. We're talking, of course, about the all-female Pillow Fight League. These fearsome ladies are Toronto's version of the Lonestar Rollergirls, and they boast similarly frightful nicknames, like Betty Clocker, Eiffel Power, and, our favorite, Champain. As in that delicious sparkling wine, but with bubbles... that kill.......

First Night Austin Schedule 2-5pm Family Festival 5:30-6:30pm Grand Procession 7pm Family Finale at City Hall 7-11:30pm Evening programming Midnight Grand Finale First Night Austin takes over downtown this Sunday, kicking off the second annual festival with three hours of family-friendly activities, performances, and art installations. From hip hop freestyling to Appalachian-style clog dancing, there promises to be enough culturally-rich distractions to entertain even that obnoxious nephew of yours who'd rather stay home to......

First Night Austin Schedule 2-5pm Family Festival 5:30-6:30pm Grand Procession 7pm Family Finale at City Hall 7-11:30pm Evening programming Midnight Grand Finale First Night Austin takes over downtown this Sunday, kicking off the second annual festival with three hours of family-friendly activities, performances, and art installations. From hip hop freestyling to Appalachian-style clog dancing, there promises to be enough culturally-rich distractions to entertain even that obnoxious nephew of yours who'd rather stay home to......

First Night Austin Schedule 2-5pm Family Festival 5:30-6:30pm Grand Procession 7pm Family Finale at City Hall 7-11:30pm Evening programming Midnight Grand Finale First Night Austin takes over downtown this Sunday, kicking off the second annual festival with three hours of family-friendly activities, performances, and art installations. From hip hop freestyling to Appalachian-style clog dancing, there promises to be enough culturally-rich distractions to entertain even that obnoxious nephew of yours who'd rather stay home to......

First Night Austin Schedule 2-5pm Family Festival 5:30-6:30pm Grand Procession 7pm Family Finale at City Hall 7-11:30pm Evening programming Midnight Grand Finale First Night Austin takes over downtown this Sunday, kicking off the second annual festival with three hours of family-friendly activities, performances, and art installations. From hip hop freestyling to Appalachian-style clog dancing, there promises to be enough culturally-rich distractions to entertain even that obnoxious nephew of yours who'd rather stay home to......

"Everybody just started screaming, took our their pillows, and everybody just started swinging. I didn't even see it coming. I didn't know anybody that was hitting me ... I tripped on a couple of things, and I lost my hat. It was crazy." -- David, Pillow Fighter Check out the Statesman's awesome footage from last night's Pillow Fight, with lightning crashing in the distance and hundreds of Austinites gathered at Auditorium Shores. [Video: Austin......

Our mission here is a difficult one since, as we all know, rules number one and two prohibit us from talking about, uh, Fight Club. But we're going out on a limb here to get the word out so you know where to go and what to do this Thursday at Auditorium Shores. We aren’t saying, we’re just sayin’ that this Thursday a little before 8pm, there may be tons of people who just......

As always, let us know about any corrections or suggestions! MONDAY [3] [music] ICP Orchestra at Scottish Rite Theatre (link) [art] Gabriel Perez-Barreiro, Curator of Latin American Art, discusses "Art is Connection: America/Americas" at Blanton Museum of Art (Free, 6-8pm) (link) [books] Michael Gordon presents Cobra II at BookPeople (7pm) (link) [books] AAIM, Austin Area Interreligious BookGroup will discuss Peace is the Way by Deepak Chopra. Lori Seremetis will be the Special Guest at BookPeople......

Be sure to check out our extensive theatre coverage and new movie releases. Please let us know about any corrections/suggestions! FRIDAY [31] [music] Reckless Kelly at La Zona Rosa (link) [music] Peter & the Wolf, Navajo Radio and more at Emo's (Inside) (link) [music] Ghostface Killah, Word Association, DJ Notion at Emo's (Outside) (link) [music] The Glass Family w/ Quien es Boom (CD Release) & Brothers and Sisters at The Parish Room (link) [music] Red......

There are so many great outdoor activities going on this weekend; we hope that you can find time to enjoy as many of them as possible. On Saturday, UT is playing host to the 10th annual Running of the Horns 5k. This event kicks off the annual 40 Acres Fest, celebrating the diverse interests of the gigantuan UT student body. Amidst the weekend of activity, even the kids are invited to join in. Also......

Time to saddle up the Vespa and git on down to Auditorium Shores to grab some free grub at the annual Brokeback Cowboy Breakfast this Friday morning from 6-9. This event has become the traditional kick-off to the Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo, which will be in our fair town from March 11 – 25th. Start saving your appetite now because there will be quite a heart-attack-on-a-plate spread including, “cowboy coffee, sausage, donuts,......

*image borrowed from www.marathonkids.com 2001 photo gallery ...we just might be able to, too. The last stretch of the Marathon Kids fitness program was held this past Saturday. Marathon Kids consists of a 26.2 mile effort over a six-week period that is both a motivating and fun way for kids to stay in shape. Since we were too old to participate with the kids, we're using it as our own personal motivation to get......

It has taken almost 20 years to reach this point, but the city of Austin will soon have its very own central park right in the heart of town. You have probably seen the bulldozers and construction workers and excavation going on near the Palmer Events Center over the past few months. That was Phase 1, and with it complete, work on Phase 2 will begin in the next month or so and is......

Yesterday morning, stepping out onto our balcony, the first thought that came into our head was: what a perfect day for a swim! And the second thought? But wait, it's only the day after Christmas! Forget about snowmen and fireside eggnog - it's predicted to be a fairly warm winter. Temperatures at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport reached a relatively scorching 81 degrees on Monday, beating a record set back in 1988. And, of course, Austinites......