Happy Hour at Southerleigh Oyster Bar

southerleighdrinks — Southerleigh Oyster Bar will now have Happy Hour every afternoon with food and drink specials. Photo: Southerleigh, used with permission.

Starting Thursday, October 25th, Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery will host happy hour at the recently opened oyster bar. Happy hour will take place in the afternoon Monday through Sunday from 3p.m. to 5p.m. with specials on food and drink. Featured items on the menu include $1 pressure fried wings and 75 cent fried biscuits. Dipping sauces are only 25 cents each with flavor options like Crystal Mayo, Black Garlic Ranch, Sweet & Spicy Tiger Sauce, Creole Honey Mustard, Roasted Jalapeño, Texas Sweet Onion BBQ and Texas Honey. There will also be $2 off all beer, wine, punches and mixes. This happy hour is only valid at the oyster bar and is not applicable to the restaurant. (Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery, 2018)

The inviting walk-up bar opened late September and features six Southerleigh beers on tap, plus several varieties of fresh seafood, including oysters, gulf shrimp, crab, caviar and more. The oyster bar is open daily during normal restaurant hours. More information is available online.

Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery, helmed by San Antonio Chef Jeff Balfour, brings a modern take on Texas’ cross-cultural cuisine to Pearl. Influenced by the coastal classics of Chef Balfour’s upbringing in Galveston married with the comfort of southern cuisine, Southerleigh boasts a curated, seasonally shifting menu that reflects Chef Balfour’s innovative craftsmanship. Southerleigh houses a custom manufactured brewery designed by Portland Kettle Works, bringing brewing back to Pearl with up to twenty different beers on tap.

Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery
136 E Grayson St., Ste 120
San Antonio, TX 78215

Annual PARK(ing) Day this Friday

softballparking18 — The annual PARK(ing) Day event will take place this Friday September 21 on McCullough Avenue. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

In cities across America, acres of real estate are dedicated to surface parking. If those spaces could be reclaimed, how would that transform the urban experience? The local chapters of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and The American Institute of Architects (AIA San Antonio) and the McCullough Avenue Consortium are transforming curbside parking spaces into tiny parks at their annual PARK(ing) Day event on Friday, September 21 in on the 500 block of McCullough Avenue (at Avenue B) from 11a.m. until 8p.m. (McCullough Avenue Consortium, 2018)

PARK(ing) Day 2018 will pop up along the 500 block of McCullough Avenue, where talented local landscape architects and local AIA members will re-imagine six 9’ x 22’ curbside parking spaces as places for people. Participants include ASLA, Ford, Powell & Carson Architects & Planners and Lake|Flato Architects. Three additional spaces designed by members of AIA San Antonio’s 2PLP professional leadership class will demonstrate solutions for activating and greening McCullough Avenue. Two spaces, sponsored by Christian Assistance Ministries and the San Antonio River Authority, will creatively reflect the missions of their organizations.

PARK(ing) Day 2018 opens at 11a.m. on Friday, September 21 with six unique mini-parks and a Community Table where some of San Antonio’s best and brightest will gather to discuss issues facing our community, including the opportunity to revitalize McCullough Avenue. The community is invited to ‘come to the table’ and experience the transformational affect the PARK(ing) Day installations have on this normally busy street. Lunch will be offered by area food trucks.

A free Community Block Party begins at 5p.m. and will include a mobile amphitheater and three live bands. Free parking is sponsored by First Baptist Church of San Antonio. The celebration goes on until 8p.m. with a sampling of savory bites offered by area food trucks.

PARK(ing) Day and the Community Block Party are hosted by ASLA, AIA San Antonio and the McCullough Avenue Consortium with generous funding by First Baptist Church of San Antonio, Metropolitan Methodist Hospital, Christian Assistance Ministries and the San Antonio River Authority. In-kind sponsors include Centro San Antonio, CPS Energy, Gratr Landscapes and Schultz Landscapes.

“We hope that downtown workers, neighbors and all of San Antonio will join us at this one-day, free event, PARK(ing) Day is planned to be casual and fun – everyone is invited to join us during lunch or after work to see ideas for making McCullough Avenue more welcoming.” – Caleb Etheredge, ASLA South Texas Section president

PARK(ing) Day takes place annually on the third Friday in September. The event began in 2005 with one parking space. The temporary public park in San Francisco was created by Rebar, a local landscape design firm, in response to the fact that 70% of San Francisco’s downtown outdoor space was dedicated to the private vehicle. More than a decade later, their open source event has gone viral. Each year, more than 700 PARK(ing) Day events are organized in more than 150 cities across the United States and on 6 continents, in 21 countries around the world.

Mariachi Lab: Ole Edition at Pearl

Mariachi Lab at Pearl returns for a new Olé, San Antonio edition with local artists and Spanish guitarist Luis Gallo. The second annual Mariachi Lab will take place on September 16 from 1p.m. to 8p.m. in a day-long and campus-wide finale to Olé, San Antonio, Pearl’s summer-long initiative celebrating the city’s cultural connection to Spain. Mariachi Lab showcases mariachi talent from San Antonio, from youth to top-level performers, along with interactive workshops and activities for children. (Pearl, 2018)

Las Mujeres Showcase in the Pearl Stable is a ticketed event and new to this year’ s event. This headlining show will feature a collaboration between Vanessa Del Fierro of Las Coronelas and renowned Spanish guitarist Luis Gallo. Madrid-based Gallo performs on an international circuit and is one of the most acclaimed guitarists in the flamenco scene. He hails from Madrid, Spain and is well-versed in jazz, classical and flamenco genres and one of the most acclaimed guitarists in the flamenco scene. Gallo performs on an international circuit while remaining firmly rooted to his Spanish origins. His latest project – Caminos de la Guitarra (“Paths of Guitar”) – traces the historical journey of the guitar back to 15th century Spain.

Pearl is partnering with area high schools, San Antonio Mariachi Academy, Guadalupe Cultural Arts and the Consulate General of Mexico. In addition to live performances, workshops and activities, Pearl will feature vendors such as Mr. Piñata and Snake Hawk Press. Restaurants will also feature different specials that day to celebrate Olé’s finale.

Mariachi Lab performances are free and open to the public except Stable performances, which are $25 per person. Tickets for Stable performances can be purchased online.

Mariachi Lab schedule:

Amphitheatre: Youth Showcase – 1p.m. to 6p.m.
Parkito: Romanticos Showcase – 3p.m. to 6p.m.
Pearl Studio: Workshops – 2p.m. to 5p.m.
CIA Shade Structure: Rincón del Alebrijes – 1p.m. to 5p.m.
The Stable: Las Mujeres Showcase – 2p.m. to 6p.m. ($25 per person)
Pearl Park: Mariachi Main Showcase – 4p.m. to 8p.m.

Pearl Brewery
303 Pearl Parkway
San Antonio, TX 78215
(210) 212-7260

Kids Club Naturalist Program at La Cantera Resort & Spa

Part of the Destination Hotels collection, La Cantera Resort & Spa announces the launch of Kids Club Naturalist Program benefitting San Antonio Zoo and San Antonio Botanical Garden. A picturesque Hill Country nature trail on the west side of La Cantera Resort & Spa is now a classroom where children can get an up-close and personal introduction to flora and fauna. Children will learn about the different trees, cactus, birds and native wildlife such as raccoons, armadillos, deer, wild pigs and possums, that share the 550-acre grounds of the resort. (La Cantera Resort & Spa, 2018)

The Kids Club Naturalist Program is designed for children ages four to twelve and is available to resort guests for $70 per child. Reservations can be done online or by phone at (855) 499-2960. A trained resort staff member will accompany eight to ten children on a quarter-mile tree-shaded nature trail for the start of a four-hour adventure. Children will have the opportunity to see deer, road runners, lizards, hummingbirds and more, and to walk among the cedar, oak and cactus on the trail. Young naturalists get a backpack with tools to support their adventure, such as a magnifying glass, notebook to log observations and a booklet with naturalist-themed puzzles and games.

Children enrolled in the daylong Kids Club Naturalist Program will scout animal tracks, observe and categorize trees and wildflowers and learn to identify different kinds of animal poop. They will do this under a curriculum co-developed with San Antonio Zoo and San Antonio Botanical Garden. For their partnership, La Cantera Resort & Spa will donate a portion of the registration fee to these non-profit organizations. Aly Wehde, Director of Recreation for La Cantera Resort & Spa, worked with educational staff from San Antonio Zoo and San Antonio Botanical Garden on site as they developed the program.

On the trail, resort staff place molds of various animal tracks for children to discover (coyotes, rabbits, deer and more) just in case the critters that inhabit the grounds are a bit shy. Signs identify native Hill Country trees, flowers and plants. After the trail hike, children return to the Kids Club activity center for arts, crafts and educational exercises that complement the outdoor lessons.

While the kids are on their four-hour educational adventure, parents can relax at the adults-only infinity pool, take a few swings at one of the two world-class golf courses, be pampered with a signature treatment at Loma de Vida spa or sit and enjoy a hand-crafted cocktail and sumptuous meal at one of the property’s fine restaurants.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with La Cantera Resort & Spa on nature programming that connects children to the plant world,” – Bob Brackman, Executive Director of the San Antonio Botanical Garden.

La Cantera Resort & Spa
16641 La Cantera Pkwy
San Antonio, TX 78256
(210) 558-6500

Float Fest 2018 in San Marcos

floatfest18 — Float Fest 2018 in San Marcos is set for July 21 and July 22. Photo: Chad Wadsworth, used with permission.

Float Fest is the only festival in the world that combines the Texas tradition of floating the river with live music. The fifth annual summer music festival will take place on Saturday July 21 and Sunday July 22 in San Marcos, TX and will offer attendees a highly curated mix of alternative, rap, indie rock and EDM performers. This year, the Texas event will feature two main stages and offer fans a chance to catch every moment of main stage action with non-overlapping sets. Headliners, including Tame Impala, Bassnectar, Snoop Dogg, Modest Mouse, Run The Jewels, Cold War Kids and Lil Wayne, will close out the fest each night. Float Fest will also host popular local and regional bands to showcase their talent. Cold War Kids will replace Glass Animals who, due to unfortunate circumstances, had to cancel their appearance. The full music performance schedule and ticket information is available online. (Float Fest, 2018)

Float Fest also organizes a river cleanup project, Keep the River Clean, which includes cleaning up the river before, during and after the festival with divers and boats to ensure a safe and clean zone. They partner with local businesses such as Don’s Fish Camp, Texas State Tubes and The Eyes of the San Marcos River as well as local businesses, employees and volunteers to keep the river clean. The festival and partners will work together to encourage ways for guests to float responsibly, assist with trash pick-up and do a deep river clean up. Activities implemented include mesh biodegradable trash bags available for free with tubes for floating, River Wranglers on canoes to help take trash bags, trash receptacles available after tubing at shuttle pick up stations and the Float Fest crew cleaning up the river before, during and after the festival with divers and boats. Float Fest cleanup efforts this year brings more initiatives for an efficient clean up.

Additional festival efforts include:

Cooler Checks at the tubing shuttle pick up tent. No glass or styrofoam is allowed on the river.
Float Fest Staff will be at the river entrance to assist tubers into the river with their coolers, bags and additional items.
Float Fest staff at the river exit taking tubers’ mesh bags and disposing in trash receptacles and providing them assistance as they exit the river.
Two River Clean up stations will be set up along the float with 40 staff members to take trash from tubers as they float by. There will also be lifeguards at these stations.
A “Human Net” just beyond the river exit consisting of 4 people will collect any remaining floating debris that might make it past the exit point.
Top Water Clean ups via Kayaks and Canoes will assist on Saturday morning and evening, Sunday morning and evening and Monday morning and evening. Before, during and after the event.
Kayak and Canoe Team will make regular trips all day Saturday and Sunday during the festival times into the evening on the river cleaning up trash and helping tubers as needed.
Divers will do a river bottom clean up on Tuesday following the festival. They will focus on any remaining debris and anything that sunk to the river floor that might have been left behind.

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Category: Outdoor Recreation