Austin's green spaces were in the spotlight this weekend as Travis County did its part to keep the city weird—and eco-friendly—with its second annual "For the Love of Parks" shin-dig. The eco-celebration, courtesy of the Travis County Parks Foundation, popped off at Richard Moya Park, where the community got its nature fix with a healthy dose of outdoor festivity.
While kids were bouncing off the walls—quite literally, in a bouncy house—adults had their pick of vibes with tunes from Flaco Jimenez and Los Texmaniacs, plus the munchies were covered by local food trucks. According to CBS Austin, Travis County Parks Foundation's big cheese, Joanna Wolaver, pointed out that parks "bring us together" and are "free," "open to everybody," and basically the place to be for anyone, anytime, any day. Talk about the perfect antidote to our digitally drenched lives.
As reported by KXAN, the foundation wasn't just serving up good times, but also dishing deets on the new 70-mile network of greenways for biking, walking, and nature-loving along eastern Travis County. Thanks to Travis County voters saying "aye" to a $276 million bond package last fall, new parks and trails are about to spread like wildfire across the natural landscape.
The foundation's board member Reggie James, told CBS Austin, "You’re providing opportunities for people to get outside," adding that it's a move to preserve precious green spaces for "our children, our grandchildren and beyond." Meanwhile, Judge Andy Brown emphasized the scarcity of undeveloped green space and the urgency to conserve it for the future. Also, James hinted to KXAN that the trail expansions are an "orders of magnitude" boost for access, especially as East Austin continues to boom.
The event's goal was to serve up a slice of park life and to educate about the greenway vision that includes access to Onion, Gilliland, and Wilbarger creeks, as well as the Colorado River. The hope is that by giving people a taste of what's out there, the attendance, which reportedly matched last year's count of over 1,000 folks, will translate into a greater appreciation and protection of nature's bounty in Travis County. For those who haven't dipped their toes in the park life, the best advice from the organizers is to start with the park nearest to you—and just get out there.
