Guest Blogger - The Austinot

Wells Branch Disc Golf Course Gets Massive Overhaul

June 24, 2013 by Guest Blogger Leave a Comment

Wells Branch Disc Golf Course (Credit: Travis Wayne Baker)

This guest blog post is by Hunter Stanford.

To only say that the Wells Branch Disc Golf Course got its engine re-tweaked for high performance leaves out the aesthetic changes. But to say that the course got itself an expensive facelift ignores what’s under the hood.

With 18 baskets as opposed to the previous nine, full concrete tee pads and benches, and detailed color signage to boot, the only term for this is a full system upgrade. The bugs have been tweaked and the kinks have been smoothed out. If the beta version didn’t have you convinced, then the alpha version has something to prove. Wells Branch 2.0, welcome home. [Read more…]

Hold My Beer: Mug Muscles Start-Up Launches Exercise Beer Mug

May 15, 2013 by Guest Blogger 1 Comment

An earlier prototype of Mug Muscles

This guest blog post is by George Hillhouse.

Growing up in Alabama, one of my favorite sayings was, “Hold my beer and watch this.” In fact, if that’s not the State Motto, it ought to be. Beer, or the consumption thereof, has inspired many otherwise rational people to do things they would never have thought possible. Sometimes subsequent hospital trips confirm they were right in the first place.

But do we demonize beer after one of these episodes? Hardly. Beer gets a pass, a get out of jail free card, even when we know we won’t get out of jail free for things we did on a beer binge. Beer may be unique in this regard. No one says, “Hold my meth pipe and watch this!” thinking that subsequent events will be explained away and forgiven. It takes a beer, or two, to get that kind of a pass. [Read more…]

Attendance Explodes at Moontower Comedy & Oddity Festival 2013

May 7, 2013 by Guest Blogger 1 Comment

Moontower Comedy & Oddity Festival The Parish

Moontower attendees wait for a show outside The Parish

This guest blog post is by Kelly Love.

The Moontower Comedy & Oddity Festival – yes, another festival in Austin! – premiered last year at main stage presenter Paramount Theatre. In its second year, the festival brought over 100 talented funny people here from April 24-27 2013.

This year’s fest saw a rise in attendance and badge sales, along with the introduction of midnight headliner performances at the Paramount. As with most festivals, it’s impossible to be everywhere at once. But since Bill Hader of SNL fame was one of this year’s headliners, I’ll give you a summary as Hader’s popular NYC club-hopping character Stefon (who made an appearance during his show) would put it (it helps to read the following in Stefon’s voice): [Read more…]

Carry the Load – Austin: Bringing Meaning Back to Memorial Day

May 1, 2013 by Guest Blogger 4 Comments

Reveille Peak Ranch in Burnet

This guest post is by Vol Montgomery.

Ask your neighbors what Memorial Day means to them. Is it a three-day weekend? A barbecue? A mattress sale? What do you think Memorial Day should mean?

Carry the Load – Austin will help bring back the true meaning of Memorial Day. This one-day, non-profit event honors veterans and active duty service members, law enforcement officers, firefighters and their families. It raises funds to support the meaningful work of four local charities: The Comfort Crew for Military Kids, Heroes on the Water, Folds of Honor Foundation and Serve Who Serve.

Carry the Load – Austin will take place on May 25, 2013 at Reveille Peak Ranch, a 1,300-acre outdoor adventure and event center just outside of Burnet, one hour from Austin. Founded three years ago in Dallas by Clint Bruce, a former Navy Seal, Carry the Load is coming to the Central Texas area for the first time. [Read more…]

DIY or Drop Off: Dirty Dog Grooming and Self-Serve Dog Wash

April 16, 2013 by Guest Blogger 1 Comment

Dirty Dog’s Mesa location, one of six in the Austin area

This guest blog post is by Kelly Love Johnson.

Let me start by saying that I’ve been a regular at Dirty Dog’s Mesa location for about three years now, beginning a few months after I moved to Austin in January of 2010.

My Pomeranian, Lulu, was just a year old and no longer small enough to bathe in the kitchen sink, so I had been torturing both of us with bend-over-the-tub baths and 45 minutes of blow drying (with my not-professional blow dryer).

There was also the issue of her toenails.

Her vet clipped them for me before I moved. My one attempt to trim them myself resulted in one of us bleeding (dog) and the other in tears (me). [Read more…]

Mike Milligan and the Altar Boyz: Talent and Attitude Weekly on 6th

April 15, 2013 by Guest Blogger Leave a Comment

This guest blog post is by Kyle Bailey.

Mike Milligan has a great smile. It’s toothy, wide and communicates his warm and approachable personality. When he walks on stage, though, all of that vanishes. Once he grabs that microphone and takes center stage, Mike Milligan is six feet two inches of energy, growl and talent. A consummate frontman, he grabs your attention and doesn’t let go until he and his band are done with you.

Mike Milligan and the Altar Boyz have been performing “Texas Blues with Louisiana Attitude” in Austin and around the country for more than eight years, rolling out a unique blend of music that is equal parts blues, rock, bayou and pure energy. Powered by Mike’s amazing four and a half octave vocal range and unique vocal tone, you find yourself being impressed with the band as a whole and with Mike himself as a frontman. [Read more…]

Bearded Brothers Wholesome Snack Food Company Is All Natural

April 10, 2013 by Guest Blogger 2 Comments

This guest blog post is by Troy Herman.

Austin, Texas is known for many things worldwide: outstanding educational environments, LIVE music venues, an eclectic and accepting culture, sports and activities for everyone, and the birth of technology trends and startups.

On top of all that, this city contains a growing population of health-conscience individuals. So there’s no better place for Bearded Brothers to make energy bars that fuel the active Austin lifestyle in an 100% natural, raw, vegan friendly, gluten- and soy-free way. [Read more…]

Burnet Bluebonnet Festival: Parades, Pets, Races & Small Town Charm

April 4, 2013 by Guest Blogger Leave a Comment

Credit: Jeff Cohen

This guest blog post is by Tracey Louis.

Austin and Burnet contrast greatly from one another. Funky, urban-yet-outdoorsy Austin is only an hour away from quaint, traditional Burnet.

Yet they share some commonalities, including a love of reveling in springtime’s natural beauty, and fabulous hospitality inclusive of our beloved pets.

One of my favorite festivals is the Burnet Bluebonnet Festival, precisely because it does such a good job of showcasing Burnet’s small town charms, sharing the beauty of springtime wildflowers that paint the roadways and hillsides, and including our animal companions in the fun. [Read more…]

What Is Human Trafficking and Why Should Austin Care?

March 26, 2013 by Guest Blogger 3 Comments

This guest blog post is by Kyle Bailey.

When you hear “human trafficking,” what comes to mind? If you’re like most people, it’s probably the image of Liam Neeson, his voice rasping out threats against his daughter’s captors in the 2008 movie Taken.

In a couple of ways, this image embodies the misconceptions around the evil that is human trafficking. The first misconception is that it’s “over there” (international, outside the United States). The second misconception is that human trafficking always involves shipping humans from one point to another.

Human trafficking is oppressive, evil and pervasive. It’s also here in Austin, right under our noses. [Read more…]

Wells Branch Disc Golf Course Eventually Wows

March 20, 2013 by Guest Blogger 10 Comments

This guest blog post is by Hunter Stanford.

Wells Branch is a course your grandfather would approve of. No bells, no whistles and it isn’t here to prove anything. Rather, one might consider this disc golf course to be a straight-shooter.

Maybe you’re still scratching your head. My grandfather doesn’t even know what disc golf is. To be clear, the Wells Branch disc golf course is as standard of a course as they come. There’s nothing incredibly hard, easy, varied or zany. Whether that’s a bad thing or not is really up to you and your expectations. [Read more…]

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