Day: October 29, 2020

San Antonio Book Festival 2021 will be virtual event

The 2021 San Antonio Book Festival will be an online event. Photo: San Antonio Book Festival, used with permission.

For the first time ever, the San Antonio Book Festival (SABF) will take place entirely online. Featuring three full days of free virtual programming, the 2021 Festival will run Friday April 9 through Sunday April 11. The festival will bring together thousands of readers and writers across Texas, the U.S., and beyond for engaging, enlightening and educational programming. Pending the pandemic numbers in 2021, the Festival could be somewhat hybrid with select in-person, socially distanced events, which will be announced at a later date.  (San Antonio Book Festival, 2020)

SABF is a free, family-friendly event that showcases both first-time and established, prominent writers, introducing attendees to new and well-known literary talents and connecting them with their favorite authors. The 2021 Festival will feature more than 75 local, regional and national authors participating in virtual sessions, including programming for adults, young adults, middle-grade readers and children. All festival writers will be announced in early February 2021.

SABF will be using the online platform called Accelevents to run the festival, which gives each event a clear, high-quality look. Accelevents allows the Festival to offer book clubs, groups of friends and classes the opportunity to chat privately among themselves during an event. There is also a “networking” capability to mimic the in-person festival, where attendees can meet one another and talk about which events they’re attending and enjoying.

For the first time, locally owned and operated bookstore Nowhere Bookshop will be the Festival’s official bookseller, a change from Barnes & Noble in previous years. The Book Festival’s singular fundraiser, the Book Appétit Literary Feast, featuring novelist Amor Towles, has been rescheduled to April 8, 2021 and will also be held online.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak and stay-at-home measures in the U.S., the San Antonio Book Festival has produced several online programs, including a virtual mini festival for kids and teens, in collaboration with The DoSeum and a handful of stand-alone author events. SABF is excited to continue providing additional online programming in the months leading up to and through the three-day virtual Festival, offering even more book discussions, author panels and interviews, bringing these inspiring conversations from celebrated and emerging writers into the homes of readers across Texas and the country.

The mission of the San Antonio Book Festival (SABF) is to unite readers and writers in a celebration of ideas, books, libraries and literary culture. SABF was first presented in April 2013. Founding partners include the San Antonio Public Library, the Southwest School of Art, the San Antonio Public Library Foundation and Texas Book Festival. This “Fiesta for the mind” is a gift to visitors and the citizens of San Antonio, free and open to all.

“While the uncertainty of the coming months drove our decision, we are embracing the potential to reach a wider audience and elevate the Book Festival’s reputation on a national scale. Are we disappointed? Of course. It’s another year that we don’t get to celebrate books in person with our Festival friends. But the safety of our attendees, writers, moderators, and volunteers is our first priority. If we have to be virtual, we’re focusing on ways to make the online experience as close to the real thing as we can.” – Lilly Gonzalez, SABF’s executive director.

Taco Cabana announces breakfast enchiladas and new $1 tacos

Taco Cabana has new $1 tacos and breakfast enchiladas available all day at San Antonio locations only. Photo: Taco Cabana, used with permission.

Taco Cabana is thrilled to announce the launch of four new $1 tacos and new breakfast enchilada items at all San Antonio locations starting Wednesday October 28, 2020. Taco Cabana guests can order the new breakfast enchiladas and $1 tacos all day, every day. (Taco Cabana, 2020)

The new $1 tacos include four different recipes, including Potato a la Mexicana (potatoes with pico de gallo), Potato Ranchero, Bean & Chorizo and Eggs a la Mexicana (scrambled eggs with pico de gallo).

The new Breakfast Enchiladas feature a variety of flavor-filled builds, including two cheese enchiladas topped with guest’s choice of Tex-Mex or Ranchero Sauce and scrambled eggs or chorizo and eggs – each $4.49. Guests can add potatoes or refried beans for $4.79 or add potatoes and refried beans for $5.09.

Taco Cabana, a subsidiary of Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: FRGI), was founded in 1978. The brand specializes in Tex-Mex-inspired food including enchiladas, fajitas, quesadillas, flautas, burritos, tacos, flour tortillas and a selection of made-from-scratch salsas and sauces. Restaurants feature open-display cooking, a selection of beer and tequila margaritas, patio dining, drive-thru windows, curbside pick-up and delivery. As of Jan. 1, 2020, Taco Cabana operates 145 company-owned restaurants in Texas.

Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc., owns, operates and franchises Pollo Tropical and Taco Cabana® restaurant brands. The brands specialize in the operation of fast casual/quick service restaurants that offer distinct and unique flavors with broad appeal at a compelling value. The brands feature fresh-made cooking, drive-thru service and catering.