OWANA Fall 2026 Newsletter, Old West Austin Neighborhood Association.

 

THE OWL - FALL 2026

TABLE OF CONTENTS Hello Old West Austin neighbors! Here's a preview of what's included in the OWL this quarter.  1. Notes from the Chair 2. September General Membership Meeting Agenda 3. For Zoning Updates, please see the Zoning Addendum in a separate message. 4. Events Updates 5. Election Information 6. West Austin Park Overlook update 7. Business Member Listing - we have several new sponsors, so take a look and stop by their local business!    NOTES FROM THE CHAIR Dear Old West Austin Neighbors, How is your summer going? Besides hot! Guess what: I learned something cool about our neighborhood..... Pool Karaoke! Yes, late in the day at the West Austin Pool, you never know when Pool Karaoke will kick in. To my pleasant surprise, at least one person knew all the words to "America Pie". So put "Pool Karaoke" on your calendar for next summer. Looking forward to seeing you at OWANA's next General Meeting: - Tuesday, September 1st - Mathews Elementary Cafeteria, enter through the doors on the left of the building. If you are unable to walk up the stairs and need to enter through the side door, please let us know. - Come early, by 6:15 PM. Meet a new neighbor, say hi to friends, and settle in for an exciting meeting. - We will start at 6:30 PM and wrap up by 7:55, before the alarm goes off.  After brief comments, we’re going right into "Meet the Candidates", sharing your questions, and hearing from the District 9 Candidates. At the end of the meeting, there will be a drawing where a lucky winner will receive 2 ACL tickets.  Please invite a neighbor to join you for the September meeting, a great opportunity to grow OWANA's membership. Now, thinking of community service: OWANA will need at least one more new Steering Committee member for 2027; plus there are always volunteer opportunities from zoning to events. Please let us know if you are available... or have someone you want to "volunteer". :)  Check out OWANA.ORG's great updates, including: - the "Owl Watch", supporting neighborhood safety - thank you, Jeff and Donna!  - the Zoning resources, YMCA PUD questions, and Collaboration Successes ($500+ million in development projects) - thank you, Sheila, Donna, and the Zoning Team! Join me in thanking OWANA's wonderful Business Sponsors!  Please let them know you appreciate their support of the Old West Austin Community. They make it possible for OWANA to host events, support the Mathews student scholarship, and so much more. It is simple for businesses to join. Just share the OWANA Business Membership Information page. Let us know if we can help with the conversations, as we seek to double our Business Sponsors. Put on your calendar - and invite friends - OWANA's awesome fall events: Halloween (10/31) and Music in the Park (11/7), and the many other events happening in our neighborhood listed later in the OWL. Looking forward to seeing you on September 1st. Sincerely, Steve Amos Chair OWANA 2026 SEPTEMBER GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING Tuesday, September 1 at 6:30pm (arrive earlier if possible) Mathews Elementary School Cafeteria   General Membership Meeting Agenda draft Welcome  Approve March and June General Meeting minutes.  District 9 City Council Candidate Election Forum: Q&A Session with District 9 City Council Candidates Zo Qadri, Rich Heyman, and Katie Kam.  Drawing for ACL Festival Tickets!  Please note that in order to maximize our time with the candidates, we will save committee updates, budget review, etc. to your review in this newsletter. Here is updated financial information for your reference.  EVENTS (FROM OWANA AND OTHER NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS!) Thank you to everyone that came out for an amazing Fourth of July parade and celebration! We had great participation, and thank you all to CG&S Design Build for their help supporting the event! Save these dates below for OWANA's upcoming events, and we've included events from other neighborhood organizations as well:  -- September 20 (Austin Museum Day) Music and lawn games at the Haskel House (Clarksville Community Development Corporation) Explore the historic home and beautiful grounds of the Flower Hill Center -- October 18: The Pressler Pour (Flower Hill Center) -- October 23: Movie Screening of Clue (Flower Hill Center) -- October 24:  Octoberama! Mathews Elementary's annual carnival-style fundraiser, and it's open to everyone! More details soon. -- October 31: OWANA Pre-Trick-or-Treat party in West Austin Park. Dress up (adults too!), BYOB, and we'll provide pizza. It's a great way to meet with neighbors before all the kids take to the streets for trick or treating!  -- November 7: OWANA Fall Music in the Park, 3-6pm. Lineup will be announced soon!  -- November 14/15 & 21/22: Austin Studio Tour...check out the map for studios in our neighborhood.  OWANA needs volunteers to help us continue these great community traditions! And a heartfelt THANK YOU to those that have volunteered to plan and organize our recent events!  Halloween Pre-Trick-or-Treat party: help is needed to set up the park, pick up pizzas, clean up afterwards, etc.  Fall Music in the Park: Chair the event, or just generally help out with set-up and/or take-down.  Do you have a teen that needs service hours? Helping out at these events could count, and we're happy to sign volunteer forms!  Contact Renae Alsobrook at renaealsobrook@me.com or text 512-507-4780 for more information and to volunteer. Thank you! Election Info Important election dates are coming up quickly; see the graphic below and mark your calendars.  More information can be found at the Travis County Clerk site.   Do your research, make a plan, and vote on or before November 3!  West Austin Park Overlook Update We are in what will hopefully be a final fundraising push for the Overlook improvements to West Austin Park. Permits are in hand, so we just need to raise the final funds, and we're 80% there! Want to help? One strategy is to have a fundraising happy hour for folks on your street, where people can learn more about the project and meet their neighbors. If any of you are willing to host something for your street (or corner of the ‘hood), we’d welcome the help! Our fundraising efforts are de-centralized with several people trying various strategies. If you have any ideas, time, energy,  or contacts around this, please contact Shelley Kilday at shelley.kilday@gmail.com.    If you'd like to make a donation, you can do so here. Thank you!  A schematic of the Overlook Project at West Austin Park.  Odds & Ends Photo Descriptions: Left: A busy West Austin Pool in the evening. Right: Tall okra plants in the garden at 12th & Elm. Okra seems to be the only veggie that will grow in this heat!    BUSINESS MEMBERS A sincere thank you to our current business members! You can find more information about how your business can be part of OWANA here.  G O L D   M E M B E R S    Zydeco Development 901 Río Grande St #200   1204 W. Lynn St 1200 W. 6th St 1128 W. 6th St S I L V E R   M E M B E R S  1605 West Avenue 1209 W 5th Street, Suite 300 1200 B. W. 6th St 1130 W. 6th St 1130 W. 6th St   1213 W. Lynn B R O N Z E   M E M B E R S    CG&S Design-Build  Instagram @cgsdesignbuild ****** Galaxy Cafe 1000 West Lynn / Instagram @galaxycafe ***** Connelly Martin Gallery 1406 W. 6th St / Instagram @connellymartingallery ***** Jill May Interiors Instagram @jillmayinteriors ***** Cowan & Associates Legal 1403 W. 6th Street ***** Anderson's Coffee Company 1601 W. 38th St / Instagram @andersonscoffeeco ***** NICK DEAVER  JES DEAVER architecture 606 Highland Ave ***** FLOWER HILL CENTER 1316 W. 6th St Instagram @flowerhillcenter, Facebook FlowerHillCenter ***** WILDGINS: Single Origin Gin from Native Texas Junipers Instagram @wildginstx ***** WALLY WORKMAN GALLERY  1202 W. 6th St   Follow Us on Social Media for Quick Updates on Neighborhood Happenings & Events Facebook Instagram

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