HometownGeorgetown.com

I love the internet! (Can you tell?) I love that we can now read papers from the other side of the country and, for that matter, from the other side of the world. This evening, I happened upon an article from Portland, Oregon about a new kind of social networking site that’s in a trial phase there. Why do we care? Because the developers are working on a site for Georgetown, Texas, as well.

The site is called Bright Neighbor, and the article bills it as My Space for grown-ups. Basically, it’s an online neighborhood that consists of your real-life neighbors. The internet is a great way to meet people who share your interests, but it can be frustrating sometimes to form friendships with people you never get to meet face-to-face. Bright Neighbor offers an exciting alternative. Because it’s localized, the people who join are people you could actually meet for lunch if you so chose. People post on the site their interests, classes they’d like to take or that they might be willing to teach, and even items they’d be willing to loan to people whom they trust.

I think this has wonderful potential for making Georgetown even friendlier than we already do. On the Bright Neighbor home page, there’s a box where people can request rides or offer rides. Isn’t that nice? Say you’re going to a concert in Austin. Why not share a ride with other Georgetown folks?

I’m not sure who it is in Georgetown who’s started this, but I’m excited about the possibilities. Sign me up!

Tune your TV’s to KXAN (Channel 36) Friday morning between 5-7 for coverage of this weekend’s Holiday Home Tour. The Home Tour will take place on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5. The news coverage will air again on Saturday morning’s news program.

The city announced this week that bus service will start tomorrow. Seven times throughout the day, Monday through Saturday, the bus will start at the Sun City Social Center, and will stop at the HEB on Williams Drive, downtown, St. David’s Hospital, Wolf Ranch Mall, Wal-Mart on Rivery Blvd, and City Lights Theatres. Click the link above for a bus schedule and route map.

The City of Georgetown’s Convention & Visitors Bureau has put out a nice newsletter with details on all the holiday happenings here in Georgetown. First up is the Lighting of the Square on November 28, the day after Thanksgiving. (Which means, for those of you doing your math, that Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away!) For a handy one-page calendar, click here. Doesn’t the little boy holding a Williamson County Courthouse snow globe make you smile? That graphic was designed by Georgetown’s own Nick Ramos of Graphismo.

Williamson County has announced an open house, cohosted by the Federal Highway Administration, to get public feedback on improvements to Williams Drive (aka RR 2338). The particular segment under discussion will stretch from FM 3405 on up to Ronald Reagan (aka Parmer). The open house will take place on December 2 at 6:30 p.m. in Ford Elementary School.

 By the way, has anyone else noticed how many darn “aka’s” roads have around here?! Can’t we all just pick one name and stick with it?

On this election day, our minds should turn to our civic responsibility to give back to the community at large. There are many ways you can make a contribution. The city of Georgetown is now accepting applications from citizens interested in serving on one of its many boards and commissions. Click here for more information. I serve on the Zoning Board of Adjustment, and it’s been a wonderful experience. Go out there and get involved!

The accolades just keep rolling in for our Hometown. Southern Business & Development magazine has included Georgetown in a list of Smart Small Towns. We made this list because of Southwestern University, as the magazine featured small college towns in this article. They call Georgetown an “Up and coming business location.” Boy, isn’t that the truth? Seems like every day, we hear about some new business coming to town. (Speaking of which… I saw a sign yesterday that Souper Salad is now hiring, so if they haven’t opened yet, they should do so soon. If anyone knows for sure, please post a comment.)

According to the article on the Williamson County website, there are several early voting locations in Georgetown. Three are full-time, meaning they’re open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6. The fourth location will be open part-time, on specific dates only. (See below)

Full-time Locations Open October 20 - October 31, 2008 Monday - Saturday, 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. Sunday, Noon - 6 p.m.

Williamson County Inner Loop Annex

301 SE Inner Loop

Sun City Social Center

2 Texas Drive

Parks and Recreation Admin Building

1101 N College St

Part-time Location Open October 23 - October 25, 2008 October 29 - October 31 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Georgetown ISD Admin Building

603 Lakeway Drive

The other day as I left HEB, I briefly considered renting a movie. I hadn’t caught Sex and the City in the theatres because I felt asking my husband to go would be cruel and unusual, so I decided to wait until it was out on video. And now it was out on video, but I felt conflicted because renting it seemed so frivolous, in light of all the economic woes on the news. (Catholics don’t have a monopoly on guilt.) I don’t think I would’ve felt as conflicted if it had been a movie that Larry would enjoy, but renting this movie would mean spending $5 on myself. No one else would benefit from this, which meant I had no way of justifying the expense as doing something nice for someone else.

Until.

I realized that our local economy depends on us, each one of us. The owners and employees of the establishments in Georgetown need us to loosen our grips on our wallets. I know the news is scary, but try to remember that news is national, and much of it doesn’t apply to our little Central Texas microcosm. We enjoy sound fundamentals in our local economy, but that will only continue if we all make a conscious effort to support local businesses. Mel Pendland, president of our Chamber of Commerce, said it beautifully in an open letter to the community at large. We cannot let our fear become a self-fulfilling prophecy. So chin up. Get out there today and make a point of spending some money right here in Georgetown. Buy yourself a new outfit or a new stereo. Go out to eat with a couple of friends.

Just don’t rent Sex and the City. It wasn’t worth $5.