A Taste of Austin, Texas

Photo of Austin's famous nightlife destination

ACVB photo/Denise Chambers

NASAA Assembly 2010, October 14-16, takes place in Austin, Texas. This month, Did You Know…? offers a sampler of appealing morsels from The Live Music Capital of the World®.

“Keep Austin Weird” has become a local motto in recent years, featured on bumper stickers and t-shirts. This motto not only has been used in promoting Austin’s eccentricity and diversity, but is also meant to bolster support of local independent businesses.
The O. Henry House Museum hosts the annual O. Henry Pun-Off, a pun contest where the contestants exhibit wit and corn.
Austin is home to North America’s largest urban bat population, with up to 1.5 million Mexican freetail bats.
According to the Nielsen Company, adults in Austin read and contribute to blogs more than those in any other U.S. metropolitan area.
Whole Foods Market, a grocery store that specializes in organic, local and natural foods and other goods, was founded and is based in Austin.
At night, parts of Austin are lighted with “artificial moonlight” from Moonlight Towers. Several 165-foot (50-meter) moonlight towers, built in the late 19th century and recognized as historic landmarks, illuminate the central part of the city. Only 17 of the 31 original towers remain standing. The towers are featured in the film Dazed and Confused.
The Paramount Theatre, opened in downtown Austin in 1915, contributes to Austin’s theater and film culture, showing classic films throughout the summer. The program features a series of double features, often paired with vintage cartoons or serials to complete the retro feel. Gone With the Wind is shown at the end of the season or over the Labor Day weekend.
Ballet Austin is the fourth largest ballet academy in the country.
Austin is the largest city in the United States without a franchise in a major professional sports league.
Austin is home to the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum, which houses documents and artifacts related to the Johnson administration, including LBJ’s limousine and a recreation of the Oval Office.
For more than 100 years, the State Fair of Texas^® (a.k.a. the Fried Food Capital of Texas™) has been a major source of entertainment for millions, as well as a powerful factor in the growth of Dallas. This year the fair will be held September 24 – October 17 and features such foods as deep fried butter, chicken fried bacon, fried banana splits and much more.