The Heart of Austin

Join Us At www.WestAustinMarketplace.com!

Thank you so much for reading our blog at HeartofAustin.com! The West Austin Properties Team loves sharing information with you, and we will continue to share events, real estate news, stories and more at our new site www.WestAustinMarketplace.com. This new site will feature video blogs, as well as our traditional written blogs, enabling us to better inform you of what is going on in and around Austin, Texas! We can't wait to see you there and encourage you to leave comments and questions!

www.WestAustinMarketplace.com

The Mighty Texas Dog Walk is Mightier Than Ever!

     Calling all pooches, big and small, we need YOU to bring the Guinness World Record for "Largest Dog Walk" back to Texas! How? Simply round all the pups you know and attend Austin's 12th Annual Mighty Texas Dog Walk this Saturday, April 17th, at 9 A.M. It will take over 10,272 dogs to beat Britain's record, but I think we can do it! 

     The 3 mile stroll starts at the 1st street bridge and takes you through beautiful downtown Austin. There will be plenty of dog watching and vendors en-route with amazing products and services for every dog to enjoy! Let's show the rest of the country and the world why Austin, Texas is ranked in the top five cities for pets!

All proceeds benefit Texas Hearing and Service Dogs. For more information and to register check out the service dogs website. Each dog is $30 when you register the day of and $25 if you register early. Don't miss out on the chance to be part of this World Record breaking event! Can't wait to see you there!  

TOP 5 PET FRIENDLIEST CITIES

Based on rankings among six different top 5 lists published by “Forbes,” “Dog Fancy,” AAA, “Men’s Health,” DogFriendly.com, and the Humane Society of the United States, WebVet.com recommends the following five cities as America’s pet friendliest:

1. Portland, Ore. (listed four times; ranked No. 2 twice)
2. Seattle, Wash. (listed three times; ranked No. 2 once)
3. Albuquerque, N.M. (listed three times; ranked No. 3 twice)
4. Austin, Texas (listed three times; ranked No. 3 once)
5. TIE: San Francisco and San Diego, Calif. (each listed twice; each ranked No. 1 once

Race Around Austin at the Capitol 10K

Fellow Austin race enthusiasts, join me and the rest of the West Austin Properties team for one of my personal favorite Austin traditions, the Statesman Capitol 10,000! This Sunday, April 11, is the 33rd anniversary of the largest 10K in Texas, and the fifth largest in the country. Whether you are a competitive runner or simply want to be a part of the action, grab your tennis shoes and join over 18,000 people to support Meals on Wheels and More in this 6.2-mile loop around Austin.

Entertaining to say the least, the eccentric participants of the Capitol 10K embody our city’s motto to “Keep Austin Weird.” H-E-B will be sponsoring a Mad Hatter station where you can create fun hats using a H-E-B bag as your canvas or feel free to transform yourself into a bag monster! 

Late registration begins today so head on over to the North Austin Event Center (formerly the Crockett Center) located at 10601 North Lamar Blvd. to pick up your packet and register. Can't wait to see you there!

Following the Capitol 10K, join us for our open house at 1102 Heritage Way in Central Austin by O'Henry Middle School. The National Association of Realtors has designated this weekend as National Open House Weekend, and West Austin Properties is excited to participate by holding open a house not yet on the market! We suggest you stop by before it's gone! 

This is also the last opportunity to take advantage of the $8,000 Federal Tax Credit. To qualify for the tax credit, the home must be under contract by April 30th and close before June 30th. Call us today at West Austin Properties to take advantage of these low rates, low prices, and stimulating government tax credit. 

Submitted by Katy Duggan, Buyer Specialist

West Austin Properties

512-826-4316 or Katy@WestAustin.com 

   

An Austin - Dallas – Norman Tradition – Red River Rivalry Weekend!

Pack your bags and get on the road with your burnt orange or crimson and cream, because it is Red River Rivalry time at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas!

Formerly known as the Red River Shootout, this annual football game is one of the greatest rivalries in college football. The Red River itself lies along the Texas-Oklahoma border; representing a dividing line between two states and two states of mind. 

This year’s game will be the 104^th meeting of the two teams and will determine the future of the Texas Longhorn’s National Championship hopes. The Oklahoma Sooners come into the game plagued by injury, youthfulness and two heavy loses. Their goal for the Sooners is to salvage what is left of their season. A win against Texas might be their saving grace.

This blog post is not an analysis of the match up or a prediction of the results. It is a celebration of the tradition. Both schools represent the pinnacle of public school education. Just visit the websites for each school (www.utexas.edu and www.ou.edu) and you will get a feel for how hard hitting both schools are academically.

The Cotton Bowl, in which the game is played, is more storied than the rivalry itself. Visit their website to view the history of the stadium, http://www.attcottonbowl.com/stadium/, and you will be awakened by the spirit of the game of football.

The beauty of the game is that it is always on neutral territory. The stadium sits almost exactly 3 hours from both Universities. Come mid-afternoon today, I-35 Northbound out of Austin and I-35 Southbound out of Norman will be clogged with fans making the trek to Dallas. Checkout the map below for a better idea of how ideal the location really is.

View Red River Rivalry in a larger map

Upon arrival in Dallas awaits the largest State fair in the United States. The Texas State Fair surrounds the stadium and to gain entrance to the game you must pass through roller coaster rides and vendors serving up a plethora of fried concoctions. To learn more about the State Fair of Texas, visit www.bigtex.com.   

 

If you are traveling to the game this weekend, please drive safely. We will see you there!

Patrick Birdsong, West Austin Properties, (512) 345-1252, patrick@westaustin.com.

Longhorn Baseball Team is Late Night Winner

Today, you can catch the best in college baseball as the University of Texas hosts the final day (let's hope!) of the Regional Tournament, the first stop on the "Road to Omaha" where teams vie for national honors in the College World Series. After a 25 inning game that lasted until 1:30 this morning, the Texas Longhorns prevailed over the Eagles of Boston College in a pitching standoff that treated the crowd to one of the best pitching and defensive performances in collegiate ball. Augie Garrido, the head coach for UT,called the pitching of reliever Austin Wood, the best and most courageous he had ever seen in over 40 years of coaching. It was an unbelievable outing for Woods who pitched 13 almost flawless innings in "relief" after Chance Ruffin pitched a great 7 innings. Austin Dicharry finished the game after 7 hours and 3 minutes, the longest game in NCAA history.

There were also some brilliant plays by Kevin Keyes who hit a two run homer and a double, Preston Clark who caught everything that even came close to 1st base and Brandon Belt who served as designated hitter just one day after leaving the first game of the series in an ambulance after getting hit in the head by an Army pitch.  The teamwork and team energy was splendid.

The stands were full of screaming Longhorn fans until the last out and the triumphant "Eyes of Texas" rang out in the night sky. Like a concert performance, each played their part; pitchers, players, coaches and the fans until the lights went out at Disch Faulk field.

You can catch the championship game tonight at 6:00 pm in Austin at the Disch. Come early, wear orange and cheer for a championship team, our Texas Longhorns!

Posted by Laura Duggan, West Austin Properties, May 31st, 2009.