Nearly 300 Austinites went to eat and compete in iLoveMikeLitt's 2nd Annual Veggie Hot Dog Eating Contest at Scholz Garten last Saturday. Congrats to all the winners! Ann Harkness/iLoveMikeLitt For more information about this and upcoming events visit iLoveMikeLitt's website. If you can't view the Flash slideshow above, an alternate version appears after the jump.......

One could hardly hold something called the Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival without devoting an event to the glory of BBQ. So the folks behind the THCWFF have put together a Saturday afternoon feast of gluttony, with a bevy of ribs, brisket, sausage, and pulled pork that's bad for the heart but good for the soul. Particpating BBQ purveyors include both The Salt Lick and New York's popular upstart Hill Country Barbecue Market, which has been packing them in in Chelsea by serving up Lockhart-style BBQ and beers. Other restaurants will be announced soon. ...

Photo from Obama’s rally at The Backyard by Romain Nayalkar for Austinist.comWith all eyes focused on Texas and what could well prove to be a kingmaking March 4 primary, the statewide political machine has kicked into full gear. Whether it's a happy hour, camp out, or fundraising poker tournament, there's something going on just about every day of the week for Obama or Clinton supporters. Even those still rooting for under-underdog Ron Paul have something......

Tonight's massive Super Tuesday election returns should make for some top notch TV watching, but there's no reason why you should spend the evening yelling at political pundits by yourself. Whether you're a hardcore democrat or republican, plenty of your like-minded brethren are getting together around town to watch the returns and collectively celebrate (or commiserate). Besides the formal meetup spots, you'll probably stand a decent chance of catching some prime time coverage at Brown Bar and the Cloak Room....

Welcome to Ask Austinist, the feature wherein we answer questions from our readers. Today we take on this question: Could Austinist please provide some tips on bars or other not so serious venues where political junkies can watch their favorite change-agent, decider, hope salesman and sycophants and wonks stumble their way through presidential primary election nights?...

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......

Democratic Presidential-hopeful John Edwards will be making a short stop in Austin next Tuesday, and his campaign team is hoping that regular folks (besides the typical big-money donors at such fundraising events) will be able to stop by. By donating $15 to his campaign, you can get in to hear him speak about his plan for America. Austin musician Marcia Ball will be his opening act. We don't expect anything near Obama-sized crowds, but......

Mad scientists with Victorian flair, lend us your ears: next week is your week to sail your rocketships to the moon -- or at least dock them at a SXSW steampunk party. And for the rest of you who don't regularly don goggles and ride penny-farthings: about steampunk. ">Steampunk refers to a brand of creative science fiction that weds modern technophilia with the sweet trappings of railroads, air balloons, top hats and all-around steam engine-ness,......

A new group in Austin called W.O.R.D. (Women Organizing to Revive Democracy) is throwing a bash tomorrow evening in support of Chris Bell. The event will feature appearances by State Rep. Donna Howard, slam poet Genevieve Van Cleve, and Liz Carpenter’s Yellow Dog Democrat mask. The goal is to provide a place for local Democratic women to gather, learn more about Chris Bell, and hopefully rally behind him. So break out of your Perry-induced......

Democratic National Committee Chairman and former presidential hopeful Howard Dean will be in Austin tomorrow night to meet with the faithful to discuss the DNC’s plan for victory. Amid growing concerns among some Democrats that the party is “confused” or becoming the party of “reaction,” Dean will try and provide some cohesion six weeks before the mid-term elections and raise some money for the DNC. To RSVP and contribute, or for more information, click here.......

The Gourds and The Grassy Knoll Boys will play a free concert tonight at Scholz Garten to benefit the Texas Music Project . The event is part of Don’t Mess With Texas Music – Live, a series produced by KGSR and Milam & Company that runs through September. The summer of music benefits the Texas Music Project , a non-profit organization founded by Bruce Orr that raises money to advance music education in our......