Features

AN EARLY MORNING JUMP IN THE RIVER

While I was never the late-night, going-out type, New Year’s Eve used to be the one exception. Twenty-five or so years ago, our friends group — most of us co-workers from the “Daily Record” — would meet up at The Showdown and make our rounds on The Square to celebrate the closing of the year. At least once, a group of us wound up leaping into the river at midnight, me in a borrowed sequin cocktail dress (sorry Aunt Amy) that made me feel like a mermaid. But since then, times have changed. New Year’s Eve now means Wok N Roll takeout, board games and PJs. My son and his partner will come down from Austin. My brother and his family will drive up from East Texas. We will converge on my parents’ house and rekindle our decades-old Risk rivalry (sorry Mom) or engage in a game of UNO where the house rules allow us to stack endless chains of Draw Fours upon Draw Fours. As for jumping into the river, I don’t recommend it, unless it’s at the Polar Bear Plunge on Monday, in which case, I will probably see you there (though maybe not in a borrowed cocktail gown)

FIREWORKS AND BEDTIME

As the parent of young children, New Years Eve is a difficult holiday to participate in. We are the type of parents that will let their kids stay up late, but late for my four- and five-year-old daughters is more like 9 p.m.

Whatever it is, it surely isn’t after midnight.

That makes New Years Eve a bit harder to celebrate in the traditional fashion. Enter Roughhouse Brewing, whose owners also have young children. Last year, they set up an event on New Years Eve to shoot off fireworks just after dusk. We felt it was the perfect opportunity for us to get in the spirit of the holidays while also getting to bed on time. Let me tell you, we weren’t the only families to think so. We got in about 4 p.m. last year before the 6 o’clock fireworks show and parked pretty easily. Within an hour or so, it became apparent that every parent in Hays County had the same idea and eventually Oakwood Loop, which is the small neighborhood road that leads to Roughhouse, was lined with cars for what seemed like a mile. It was an incredibly well attended event.

This year, the owners said they plan on having a 10 minute firework show somewhere between 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. There will be live music before and a 10:30 a.m. run to kick off the day with the San Marcos Runners Club. It should be a great time, but get there early and bring your own chair or blanket to relax for a while. You too can see fireworks and get to bed on time.

The whole community came out for the last chance to try one of the famous chili dogs. Daily Record Photo by Shannon West.

San Marcos Public Library’s newest edition to the team, Jennifer Jones-Kelley. Photo provided by the San Marcos Public Library

Season’s greetings, spider lovers. Though female tarantulas can live for 30 years, male tarantulas generally die months after mating.
Photo by Justin Harris