April 17th, 2009
The Weekend: Mutts and Strutters

Shelly King.

By HAP MANSFIELD
Scene Editor

It was National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day on Thursday, and we’re betting you didn’t celebrate it, although we’d be surprised if you didn’t make egg salad this week what with all those leftover Easter eggs. And it was National Egg Salad Week.

We suppose inadvertently celebrating one silly holiday per week is enough, but if you also happened to celebrate National Be Kind To Lawyers Day (which was Tuesday) or That Sucks Day (which, not surprisingly, is the same day income tax is due), then you are a holiday maven.

Most of the time, these odd little holidays are a mere bagatelle, an amusement, an excuse to celebrate something and scrub the doldrums from the calendar. However April 22 is National Administrative Professionals Day (formerly Secretary’s Day), and it’s not a bad idea to buy your administrative assistant(s) a cookie or a card or lunch. Office work, as we all know too well, is often tedious, technical and involves a good deal concentration. It’s a fine idea to give these folks a pat on the back and a holiday. They are the grease that helps to turn the wheel and nothing gets done without them.

Without Administrative Assistants, there wouldn’t be much to talk about for the weekend because these are the folks who often email the events we cite. They must have been doing their job this week, because the weekend is packed chock-full of good stuff. Here are a few highlights.

Friday, April 17

Today starts the United States Dog Agility Association’s (USDAA) Spring Agility Show at the Hays County Civic Center. This three-day contest for the Travis Agility Group promises to hold much extraordinary dog virtuosity. These are well-trained canines going through their paces, courses and jumps.

Tonight’s events will start at 3 p.m. with two rings running simultaneously. These are sanctioned events, meaning that the results are counted towards regional and other championships. The owners and handlers of these dogs fill out forms and take tests that rival in difficulty the forms filled out for the recent tax unpleasantness of late. The show continues both Saturday and Sunday. Call (512) 353-0498 for more info.

The Hays High School baseball and softball teams were to face up against Elgin in both sports tonight at 7 p.m. It’s always fun to watch a bit of baseball or softball in the gorgeous Texas twilight hours, and the kids can always use your support.

San Marcos Activity Center’s JoyDance takes place tonight at 7:30 p.m. JoyDance is a celebration of movement and music that provides good exercise and a fun time for all. It’s only $5 to participate. The activity center is located at 501 East Hopkins Street.

The Texas State Strutters Spectacular Spring Show at Strahan Coliseum promises to be an eye-popping event with high-tech lighting, crisp choreography and lively music that runs the gamut from Hip-Hop to Modern Jazz. The Strutters are nationally famous for their participation in Presidential inaugurations, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and even NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.” The Spectacular Spring Show will be presented on both Friday and Saturday night. On both nights, the excitement starts at 7 p.m. with general admission tickets priced at $10 and $7 for Texas State students. If you’ve seen them before you already know that this is a “don’t miss” event.

Music abounds tonight with the talents of Austin based singer/songwriter Eric Hisaw at 6 p.m. at the Triple Crown (206 North Edward Gary). He sounds like a guy who once lived in an Airstream trailer outside of Nashville and, by golly, he did at one time. His plaintive, bluesy tales of loss and wandering are well worth skipping work a little early so you can hear his full set. Stay later and hear the Hip-Hop bebop of Heroes and the strangely melodic and unique indie rap-hop of Pseudo Promises.

The popular Lil’Bit and the Customatics play Riley’s (8894 FM 1102) tonight at 9 p.m. At Cheatham Street Warehouse the multi-talented Gurf Morlix plays his distinctive songs. For many years, Morlix wore the guitarist/producer/back-up-

vocals hat for Lucinda Williams. He is a distinctive talent in his own right, with an equally distinctive name.

Saturday, April 18

Today is the holiday we all anticipate joyfully as we prepare neon green cupcakes and sing, “We wish you A Merry Waste Day!” That’s right, it’s Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Day and while we are making a bit of lighthearted fun with it, hazardous waste disposal is no laughing matter.

This is the day you can drop off out-dated chemicals, cleaning products (drain cleaners, concentrates, degreasers, oven cleaners, solvents, polishes, pool chemicals, and household batteries), paint, gardening products (pesticides, sprays, dusts, herbicides (weed killers) rat poisons, and insecticides), automotive products (antifreeze, batteries, motor oil, oil filters, brake fluids, and transmission fluids), cell phones and rechargeable batteries.

As you know, all these things should never be put into your regular trash for weekly pick-up, as they contaminate ground water and hurt the environment. So bake up your celebratory cupcakes after you take your hazardous waste to the City Traffic Yard at City Hall (630 East Hopkins Street) between 8 a.m. and noon, where it will be gathered up and disposed of properly.

The Aquafina Major League Baseball Pitch, Hit and Run Competition takes place today in Kyle from 10 a.m. to noon on Gregg-Clarke Park Baseball Field. This skills competition is open to boys and girls ages 7-14 and is the first step in a progression of contests that will lead the winners to the championship competition at Major League Baseball’s All-Star game.

You and your dog can get some fun exercise at River Ridge Park today at Mutt Strut, an event that starts at 10 a.m. with a walk around the park and continues with contests, information booths, treats and many more doggy delights.

Cirque D’Or with the Golden Dragon Acrobats will be enthralling audiences at two shows today, one at 2 p.m. and another at 7:30 p.m. Both shows will take place at Evans Auditorium.

The Golden Dragon Acrobats are part of a Chinese athletic training tradition that stretches back at least 2,500 years. They have traveled from their home in Hebei, China, to 65 countries and all 50 United States. Prepare to see unicycles, Chinese vase tricks, rolling, balancing, hoop diving, spinning plates, chair stacking and foot juggling in their many incredible acrobatic displays. An online study guide provided by the University of California Berkeley at www.goldendragonacrobats.com is a good primer on what they do and how they do it.

Tickets for the event are $15 for the general public and $5 for students. The show will be worth every penny.

If you missed the Texas State Strutters Spectacular Spring Show last night at Strahan Coliseum the exciting pageantry continues tonight, same strut time (7 p.m.) same strut location.

Winter Dance Party, Boxcar Satan and Monkey Town will regale the audience at the Triple Crown tonight with their dark reverberating Goth and roll. The Cheatham Street Warehouse features the pride of Wimberley, Texas Renegade.

Shelley King will delight Riley’s with her fabulous, spirited, gutsy voice. Shelley was appointed the Official Texas State Musician of the year for 2008. She is the first woman ever so appointed and, once you hear her, you’ll know the reason why. Her vivacious delivery is as uplifting as birdsong in the morning and just as strong and sweet.

Sunday, April 19

Today is the last day of the USDAA Spring Agility Show for the Travis Agility Group at Hays County Civic Center.

The second annual Hays County Cattle Baron’s Ball Style Show will be held at the Embassy Suites at 3 p.m. today. The show will feature spring fashion finds, tickets are $25 and all proceeds go the American Cancer Society. While we wouldn’t recommend this for dads, husbands and boyfriends, it would make a wonderful girls-day-out for friends, sisters and moms. The ticket price includes a gift bag as well as refreshments of various desserts and cheeses. Should be both fun and stylish!

The VFW Sunday Afternoon Dance in beautiful downtown Geronimo (6808 North SH 123) will feature the country stylings of the Tom Teboe Band. If you long to dance to traditional country music, this is the place to be at 3 p.m. Take off your coat, throw it in the corner, don’t see why you don’t stay a little longer.

The fellas of FX from Hays High will be on the bill with the fellas of Edison Chair from Dripping Springs High, so it’s going to be a local talent throw-down with lots of spirit and verve at the Cheatham Street today from 4 -8 p.m.

As always, the mics are open tonight at both Riley’s and the Triple Crown, so you can get out of the wings and take center stage for at least one night of the week.

If you feel like staying in, at 9:30 p.m. KLRU is showing “Historic Texas Courthouses: Foundations of the Future”, a half-hour long documentary celebrating the Texas Historic Courthouse Restoration Program. Texas’ county courthouses are considered to be among the treasures of American civic architecture and the viewers of this program will tour restored courthouses across the state, from the Panhandle to the Texas coast.

Or you could watch the soon-to-be forgotten 2008 movie Zombie Strippers on Spike at 9 p.m. It stars the ubiquitous Jenna Jamison and Nightmare On Elm Street’s Robert Englund. Obviously not for young viewers, the slogan for the movie was “They’ll dance for a fee but devour you for free.” Not exactly Shakespeare, but campy and succinct. Might just be a good time to go out and buy a card or some candy for your administrative assistant.