HometownGeorgetown.com

The Boys & Girls Club of Georgetown is in the midst of a capital campaign. They provide a much-needed service to the community, giving kids a positive, healthy place to spend the hours they’re not in school. If you’re interested in making a donation to the Boys & Girls Club, please feel free to call me at 512-876-6544, and I’ll hook you up.

One way to make a donation is by going to the Sport Clips location in the Rivery Town Center (in front of the Wal-Mart.) Sport Clips will make a donation for every haircut they give to someone who brings in one of the coupons below. (Click on the picture for a printer-friendly version.) Sport Clips is a chain of hair salons for men, which is headquartered right here in Georgetown. Please spread the word!

The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce’s blog today alerted me to an article on the City of Georgetown’s blog about behind-the-scene changes to Austin Avenue. The city has taken over ownership of the portion of Austin Avenue that runs from FM 1460 to Williams Drive. The rest of Austin Avenue is still owned by the state, but that means that these two segments are now unconnected spurs in the state highway system. No longer is any of it going to be called Business 35. Remember that, if you’re giving directions to someone coming into town. If they’re looking for Business 35 on the signs, they’ll be guaranteed to get lost.

Georgetown just put out a newsletter with ten romantic things to do in Georgetown over Valentine’s Day weekend. They’re trying to encourage more tourists to come to town to enjoy everything Georgetown has to offer. I would love it if our downtown area became as much of an attraction as Fredricksburg’s, and I think we’re heading in that direction. The Downtown Georgetown Association is certainly doing everything they can to make the square fun and lively. They’re having a fabulous event, tied in with the launch of First Fridays. This coming Friday evening, from 6 - 8 p.m., the public is invited to come to the square for Death by Chocolate. Local restaurants are providing delicious chocolate desserts in some of the stores on the square, and there’s going to be a drawing for a Death by Chocolate gift basket. Musicians will play live music, and you can bet there will be wine, too. Stop by Moreland’s if you’re out and about. I have it on good authority that the agents at Moreland’s will have some delicious desserts on hand, as well–for free!

Hill Country Magazine is a high quality quarterly filled with wonderful stories and photos from right here in the Texas Hill Country. (Georgetown is, in my opinion, at the northeasternmost point of the Hill Country. In fact, I would say the portion of our town that lies east of I-35 is outside of the Hill Country. East of 35, we have beautiful flat farmland. West, we have those gorgeous rolling hills.) From what I hear, Georgetown will be featured in Texas Hill Country Magazine in their Spring 2009 issue. You can buy it at the Hill Country Bookstore on the square here in Georgetown, a wonderful little bookshop that has a great selection of reading material. (The bookstore itself was featured in Community Impact just over a year ago.)

This morning, I added a page to HometownGeorgetown.com to advertise an apartment that my husband and I have decided to rent out as a vacation rental here in Georgetown, Texas. If you know anyone who’s coming to town for a weekend, a week, or even a month, and they would prefer to stay in an apartment over staying in a hotel or bed and breakfast, please tell them to check out the “Vacation Rental” tab at the top of the page on HometownGeorgetown.com. Take a look at the pictures to see the quality of the apartment. I’m proud of how it turned out, as we did a lot of the work ourselves.

My husband and I lived in Saudi Arabia for ten years, and during that time, we did a lot of traveling. We rented vacation rentals in Italy, Australia, Spain, and even here in Texas. (In much of Europe, they’re called self-catered apartments.) We set up the apartment above our garage with all the conveniences we wanted when we traveled. The kitchen has a full-size refrigerator and stove so that guests can cook at home if they choose, and with satellite TV, they can even veg out in front of their favorite show while they eat. Our house is located in Old Town, with plenty of restaurant choices within blocks, so cooking is definitely optional. Guests can also order pizza or Chinese food to be delivered. When we travel, we don’t enjoy eating at restaurants every single meal. It feels hectic and uncomfortable, and it’s too darned expensive.

Another biggie when you travel is having a washer and dryer available. We’ve ordered a set for the apartment, and it should be in place in the apartment’s bathroom by April. In the meantime, we’re happy to offer our guests the use of the washer and dryer in our home.

Guests will have use of our swimming pool, lounge chairs, barbecue grill, and gazebo. We’ll provide all the kitchen utensils, dishes, sheets, and towels. We want people to feel that this apartment is even more comfortable than a hotel or bed and breakfast; we want it to become a true home away from home.

The apartment is set up for privacy. The bedroom is around a corner and down a short hallway from the kitchen and living area. We set it up this way especially for the convenience of guests from different time zones. I always felt very uncomfortable in a hotel when I woke up in the middle of the night because I didn’t want to turn on a light and wake my husband. In this apartment, guests will be able to go into the other room and turn on the lights and TV without fear of waking their partner.

The apartment is the perfect size for one to two guests. There are stairs leading up to the apartment, which are accessed through the garage. The garage is detached from the house, giving the apartment a separate entrance for added privacy.

On February 21, the Georgetown animal shelter is hosting a dog walk and canine costume contest at San Gabriel Park. You’ll see the poster below around town a lot over the next month. (Designed by the multi-talented Nick Ramos of Graphismo.)

The dog walk’s major sponsor is our local Schlotzky’s restaurant. I have to say, Michele J., the owner of this particular Schlotzky’s (whose last name will be too hard for me to spell until her upcoming marriage), has a philanthropic spirit. This past weekend, in fact, they donated 50 cents for every sandwich sold to the very talented Georgetown High School band. Support Schlotzky’s by eating there when you’re in the mood for a sandwich; they sure do a lot to support Georgetown. They also provide great catering services with fresh ingredients.

Online registration is available for the Mardi Gras dog walk. I’ve already signed up. Now I’m practicing with my dog to wear his colorful Mardi Gras costume so he’ll wear it all the way around the 3.1-mile walking path. He is going to have so much fun!

With very little fanfare, the city of Georgetown has unveiled a new employment website for people interested in working for the city. There are currently only three openings - for Assistant City Manager, City Secretary, and Lifeguard. (The lifeguard position seems to be a perennial posting.) Interested applicants can create a city application online and may also attach a resume. The software seems to be similar to the Georgetown Independent School District jobs website. Georgetown ISD has a nice feature that allows job seekers to subscribe to their email list so that they receive an email each time a position is being advertised. Convenient and proactive.

The Rec Center in Georgetown is undergoing a massive expansion, and the city has announced that the grand opening should take place on January 31. Not quite in time for New Year’s resolutions, but pretty close, and you will still find lots going on even before the grand opening of the addition. It looks like a fabulous facility, with well thought-out features that will enhance the lives of city residents. They’re going to have an elevated track around the gym and weight training areas, so that runners and walkers can get their workout simultaneously with folks playing basketball or doing other types of cardio.

I am so proud of Georgetown’s Parks and Recreation Department, and of our citizens for supporting Parks & Rec. Our parks bring great quality of life to our community. Our hike & bike trails are renowned, deservedly so, and I spend a lot of time at the Bark Park. We have a number of small neighborhood parks sprinkled throughout town, which don’t get a lot of glory, but which are well used and well loved by people who live nearby. I live close to Old Town Park, which, at half a city block, is one of the smallest parks in town. People use the park every day. Over the Christmas holidays, families were out playing pick-up games of soccer, laughing, calling out to each other, and having great fun.

You can find more information about joining the Rec Center here. Non-residents are welcome to join, so if you don’t live within the city limits, don’t count yourself out.