At 6-feet 4-inches tall, this is literally true for Dennis Gustav Levitin, a Danish-born street muralist, Taylor Press cartoonist, hip-hop performer and dedicated dad, who often towers over the people around him.

But if that weren’t enough, for many years Levitin could also be seen walking through downtown Taylor clad in a Spider-Man onesie with his son, Mikail, now 12.

“When my son was young, I was aware that he was not going to be 4 or 5 or 6 again, so I had fun with him,” Levitin said. “It was for me and Mikail. Both of us would go all dressed up for movie premieres at the Howard (Theatre) for ‘Star Wars’ and other movies .. . but Spider-Man was just our thing.”

Levitin credits his native Denmark for a diverse childhood filled with theater, playing outside, dressing up in costumes and more, which later inspired his parenting as well as a career as a counselor for at-risk youth through a Danish afterschool program.

“I used a lot of my imagination there,” Levitin said. “I was drawing for the kids. We were playing Lego and making swords out of foam. We were making graffiti and doing anti-bullying campaigns.”

Levitin, who is part Jewish, said his family escaped the Holocaust during World War II by fleeing to Sweden.

Though Levitin was raised in a secular home and wasn’t even told about his ancestry until he was a teenager due to family fears of antisemitism and trauma, he has since studied the Torah and explores the Jewish faith through his art and music.

One reason for Levitin’s fascination with comic book characters also has to do with discovering the Jewish identity of some of the creators of his favorite childhood superheroes.

“A lot of the forerunners in this business were American Jewish immigrants, European immigrants, who came over here,” he said. “The men who formed Superman were Hungarian immigrants, and Stan Lee (the creator of Spider-Man) is also Jewish.”

Levitin said he immigrated to Taylor for love in 2009. However, he stayed even after the relationship did not work out for his son’s sake and for the many people in town who had become like family.

“Taylor is wonderful,” Levitin said. “I can’t say anything negative about the community.”

Levitin’s colorful cartoon illustrations and murals can be seen all over town, including on the walls of Old Taylor High, in the courtyard of Black Sparrow Music Parlor, on the garden door of St. James’ Episcopal Church and in other locales.

Black Sparrow owner Shannon Bagent, who has hired Levitin to work her door during live music performances for many years, said Levitin has become a lifelong friend.

“I feel like he has supported me more than me supporting him,” Bagent said. “He has provided art at no cost to me for my venue, which adds artistic integrity to the place. Not to mention he’s my only door guy. He has never not shown up. He has never been late.”

But Bagent didn’t know how good of a rapper Levitin was until he performed during an open mic night about a year into his working there, she said.

“He said, ‘Drop the beat, Shannon,’” Bagent recalled. “And I did drop the beat. And he became this superhero-type stretched out across the stage, with his arms out and legs spread out in the most charismatic physical cadence.”

“It just blew my mind,” she added. Levitin even played a role in the genesis of Potter’s Alley several years ago after befriending several building owners. They wanted to clean up the alley and encouraged him to paint on their rear exterior walls and even collaborate with them on several art projects.

The alley is located behind the McCrory Timmerman Building at Second and North Main streets.

“One day a guy who owns a building (on Potter’s Alley) sees me doing graffiti and street art with my chalk stuff, and he likes the art,” Levitin said. “I did not ask to paint on his wall. I did not have any plans on doing graffiti on the buildings downtown, but it was requested by people who like this type of art.”

Fellow artist Judy Blundell, the owner of the McCrory Timmerman Building, was one of those people. Blundell said she hired Levitin as a kitchen cook for a delicatessen she used to run and has had him illustrate a dog on the back of the structure along the alley among other art projects over the years for different events and exhibitions.

“He is a talented artist, and he is more than anything, I think, willing to do whatever it takes to keep his son safe,” said Blundell.

“He’s one of those guys who is always open,” she added. “He doesn’t seem to have a ‘too-hard’ basket.”

Jason Hennington, the former editor of the Taylor Press and now a Hutto High School educator, said during the COVID-19 pandemic, Levitin jumped at the chance to create a semiautobiographical cartoon strip featuring him and his son, which still runs every Sunday in the newspaper.

“I was like, ‘Hey, a comic book would be great if you could do that for the paper,’” Hennington said. “And he was just like, ‘Just tell me what you want, and we will go from there.’” Since that time, Levitin has used the medium to have fun and to show his creativity — but also to raise awareness about local issues, Hennington said.

“He did one where he and Mikail were over by one of the parks, and apparently there had been people who had run over turtles and messed with them,” Hennington said. “In the cartoon, he and Mikail saved a turtle, and then at the end of it, Mikail was like, ‘Hey, these animals are here too. This is their home.’” Levitin also volunteers with Taylor Press’ annual 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament to support local scholarships and nonprofits.

“He is basically the director of the youth part,” said Hennington, the tournament’s organizer. “He makes sure all the games go on, he makes sure everybody that needs to play is there and ready, and he keeps all the scores.”

Despite being a Scandinavian-born graffiti artist, Hennington said Levitin has become an integral part of the Taylor community — and he is glad to have him as a friend.

“At first it was like, ‘Hmm, who is this guy again, and where is he from?’” Hennington said. “I asked him a couple of times, ‘How did you end up in Taylor?’ And he would go through the whole thing. And then I’d be like ‘OK, with everything that happened to you, this is where you are supposed to be. There is a reason you are here.’”

Developers have planted the seeds of growth through arrangements with area cities and plat approvals for numerous new subdivisions in the unincorporated areas of the county.

Less expensive land outside Travis County has been pushing developers further into surrounding counties such as Williamson, Bastrop and Hays for several years.

Demand, in East Wilco in particular, is expected to boom as workers seek homes closer to a host of new employers in the area including a Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. semiconductor foundry, suppliers to the South Korean chipmaker and service and manufacturing companies catering to the artificial intelligence boom.

Between January and April, 994 residential building permits were filed for Williamson County, according to HBW Inc., which collects and analyzes construction data for Texas and Florida.

In 2025, there were 2,609 permits filed in the county, according to HBW. That made up 3.5% of all permits in Texas last year and nearly a third of all permits in the greater Austin metro area.

“Williamson County continues to attract sustained development interest due to land availability, infrastructure expansion and relative affordability compared to central Austin,” HBW reported. “While overall permit volume is lower than Houston or Dallas, the capital region remains strategically important for factors including but not limited to employment growth, technology-sector expansion and long-term population inflow.” In Taylor, there are 1,400 new residential units across several developments and more than 900 more under construction, according to statistics provided by the city.

A TALE OF EAST WILCO CITIES

By early this year, additional projects are expected to break ground on at least 140 more houses.

“For a community with 6,000 residential units, that is quite the rapid growth, and we expect this growth to continue to speed up,” said Daniel Seguin, Taylor’s executive director of community services.

He said the number of new housing developments should accelerate even more after the city finishes updating the Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code updates.

Hutto, which has the advantage of being closer to Austin and on the Texas 130 toll road, was recently named the 13th fastest growing city in Texas by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The 7.9% increase in Hutto’s population from July 2024 to July 2025 puts the city at 46,000 residents, up from about 27,000 in the 2020 Census.

The growth is prompted by the proximity to Austin and the employment boom, said planners.

While there are at least a dozen new subdivisions actively expanding or in the works in Hutto and its extraterritorial jurisdiction, the scope of some is much larger than in Taylor, sporting more largescale mixed-use projects with residential real estate a big part of the mix.

For example, Wolfe Property Holdings is working on a 257-acre project called Gateway at Hutto. There are 68 acres set aside for 285 stand-alone houses. Total residential units including townhomes and apartments come to 1,140 at the intersection of CR 137 and East Wilco Highway.

Even small East Wilco cities are getting in on the action.

Thrall, which boasts a population of less than 900 residents, is surrounded on three sides by land owned by the Stiles Farm Foundation operated as an experimental site of the Texas A&M University Agricultural Extension Service.

Another large tract of family-owned land won’t be for sale anytime soon and that doesn’t leave a lot of room to grow. However, Countryside Estates, which launched its first phase in 2018, is moving forward with another section.

There are another 97 houses planned for the next stage, said Melissa Perry, city secretary for Thrall.

That could increase the city population by a few hundred people, but without much area to develop, a population explosion isn’t expected.

“We will stay a small town, even with Samsung jobs” in neighboring Taylor, Perry said.

While Granger, a city of about 1,200 people, isn’t the epicenter of the residential growth boom, city leaders know it will eventually come their way.

For now, there is one development platted for more than 100 homes, but it has been on the books for years with some infrastructure in place, said Christy CavnessBradshaw, Granger city administrator.

“There is more and more coming this way,” CavnessBradshaw said, noting development outside the city limits to the south along Texas 95. “It’s going to create more city needs, but it could lead to more businesses. It’s coming whether we like it or not.”

SAYINGNOTOANNEXATION

In the unincorporated areas of Williamson County, there is a slew of activity, some of which is spurred by a state law that allows landowners to pull out of city annexations.

That makes the development subject to only county codes and agreements. The requirements of municipalities can be more variable depending on the makeup of the planning and zoning boards and city councils of various cities.

Developers argue they can offer better value to homebuyers outside the city limits, but they are on the hook for providing key infrastructure that cities would normally provide developments inside their ETJ.

Creating those services, say proponents of pulling out of the sphere of city government influences, sometimes come at a hefty price tag or long after residents have moved in.

Much of that planned growth in the region is in East Williamson County.

There were 23 approved preliminary plats for new subdivisions in the unincorporated areas of the county in fiscal year 2024. The county engineer for Williamson County recorded 62 approved final plats for subdivisions in the same year.

There were more filings in 2025, when 30 preliminary plats for subdivisions were OK’d by the county. Approved final plats for the year totaled 51, according to statistics provided by county officials.

“Preliminary plats can be large and have multiple phases,” said County Engineer Adam Boatright in a written statement. “They are more of an indicator of future development that is in the process but may not have started construction.”

Because there needs to be a way to provide and govern infrastructure for subdivisions in the unincorporated areas, it is common to form a municipal utility district, or a MUD.

There were 15 such districts created from Oct. 1, 2023, through the end of September 2025, with 10 of those MUDs located in East Williamson County.

As of late February, there were nine pending MUD creations, with five located in Precinct 4 in East Wilco, according to the county.

“In the last 22 months, just over six square miles of property in Wilco has been covered by new MUDs,” Boatright wrote. Representing 3,860 acres, “that equates to enough property for over 30,000 additional residents.”

The housing market in Williamson County showed mixed signals in April with the number of houses sold in the month down 1.3% to 878 compared to the same month last year.

The median sales price declined 4.1% to $412,490, according to data from the Austin Board of Realtors and Unlock MLS.

Travis County home prices remain high compared to the region, with an April median sales price of $505,000, 1.9% less than last April.

That affordability issue continues to drive new home development into neighboring counties.

“In April, the rise in sale – both year-over-year and month-over-month – indicates that buyers are purchasing homes because it is a good investment,” said ABoR President John Crowe. “At the same time, affordability remains one of the biggest challenges facing Central Texas families. That’s why expanding housing supply at a variety of accessible price points remains so important.”

STANDING TALL IN TAYLOR New Gov. Dan Moody statue unveiled, Juneteenth rodeo exhibit opens

TAYLOR — The year 2026 marks the city’s 150th birthday observance. To celebrate, the Dan Moody Museum is showcasing its long-awaited bronze statue of Moody, a Taylor native and the youngest governor of Texas.

The unveiling took place this month at the museum, 114 W. Ninth S.

Joe Kenney of Georgetown created the life-size image. Moody stood 6-feet 1-inch tall.

The museum is in the 1887 home built by the Robertson family when they moved to Taylor from Eastern Tennessee. When Dan’l Moody (Dan Moody’s father) married Nancy Robertson in 1890, he moved into the house, and they started a family.

Meanwhile, Taylor is also observing its ties to African American culture with an exhibition downtown paying homage to Black rodeo stars as part of Juneteenth celebrations.

ABOUTDANMOODY

Daniel James Moody was born on June 1, 1893, in Taylor. He graduated from the University of Texas School of Law and was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 1914.

Before he became governor of Texas at 33, he was the youngest district attorney in Williamson County and made a name for himself successfully trying a case against the Ku Klux Klan.

In 1924, he sent four members of the KKK to prison. The next year, he was elected Texas attorney general.

During the time Moody served as the state’s top prosecutor, he investigated former state Gov. James E. Ferguson and his wife, Miriam A. “Ma” Ferguson, who was serving as governor at the time.

In 1927, Moody defeated Ma Ferguson in a runoff election to become the 30th governor of the Lone Star State.

Moody served two terms from 1927 to 1931. Afterward, he returned to private practice in Austin. He died on May 22, 1966, and is buried at the Texas State Cemetery.

FROM IDEA TO INSTALLATION

It has taken about 10 years from idea to installation for the sculpture of Moody to become reality.

The Friends of the Moody Museum — a nonprofit that supports the museum’s preservation, community outreach and events — spearheaded the statue initiative.

According to Susan Komandosky, Advisory Board chairwoman for the museum, the initial meeting with sculptor Kenney occurred in 2017. Then the Friends went to work raising funds.

“Our original plan was to raise the money and have the statue by 2020, but we all know what happened that year,” said Komandosky, referring to the COVID-19 outbreak that brought so many operations to a standstill.

But now “the statue will stand on a plaza situated on the east side of the front lawn at the museum, covered with bricks and a granite plaque listing the major donors,” she added.

According to Komandosky, the plaza was provided by the city, with funding for the sculpture paid by the Friends of the Moody Museum and “many generous donors.”

SCULPTOR JOE KENNEY

After retiring as the chief executive officer of a health management company he founded, Kenney started sculpting in earnest in 2001. He studied at the University of Oklahoma and the Loveland Colorado Academy of Fine Arts after receiving his master’s degree in healthcare administration from the University of Minnesota earlier in his career.

The Friends supplied images, and then Kenney went to work crafting a piece worth of a former Texas governor.

“The sculpture is standing in a traditional Greek and Roman posture, presenting an open and dignified figure,” Kenney said.

ARTISTIC PROCESS

Kenney uses ZBrush, a virtual 3D digital sculpting and painting tool, to create his bronze artwork. This method eliminates the need for a ladder or crawling under large statues.

Kenney can also reduce or enlarge a statue for another casting. He doesn’t have to physically store the molds at this studio.

According to Kenney, it takes about the same amount of time to sculpt in clay as it does on his computer.

“It is basically the same process, except in clay to make a change, the artists cut the clay or add more. Digital has a history and auto-save feature; if I decide I am not happy with the results, I can go back to the file created prior,” the artist said.

THE PYROLOGY FOUNDRY AND STUDIO

Located in Bastrop, the Pyrology Foundry and Studio crafted the bronze.

After an artist is pleased with his or her sculpture, the Pyrology Foundry artisans handle the next step. The foundry can use the lost-wax method to cast bronze sculptures, a 6,500-year-old method or a variation utilizing a 3D-printed original.

First, the artisans at the foundry create a mold using the artist’s clay or polymer material by covering it in several thin layers of silicone rubber, then adding a plaster housing. Next, hot wax is poured into the mold, where it cools and hardens.

The foundry has then created a wax duplicate of the original sculpture. Then, a foundry artisan fixes flaws in the casting and adds exit channels for the molten bronze to flow during the casting process.

Next, the wax sculpture is dipped into a ceramic slurry until it reaches a half inch in thickness. It is then finished with silica sand and allowed to dry, in a process called investing.

After investing, the ceramic mold with the wax inside is heated in a kiln. The interior wax melts, creating a mold in the void.

According to Kenney, the foundry made high-resolution 3D prints of his Moody statue using a proprietary polymer material, similar to the lost-wax process.

The 3D print is an alternative to creating a ceramic mold and then a wax positive to burn out of a shell.

Bronze blocks are placed inside a graphite crucible, then moved to a furnace and heated to 2,000 degrees.

Once molten, the metal is removed and poured into the sculpture’s mold and left to cool for 24 hours.

The ceramic mold is removed by chipping or sandblasting, and the bronze exit channels are removed. To apply a patina, the foundry uses chemicals and heat; the sculpture’s bronze reacts and oxidizes.

For the debut of Taylor’s Moody statue, the foundry transported and installed the piece at the museum.

LEARNMOREABOUTMOODY

The museum is open 2-5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. It is free to enter and offers tours. For additional information, visit moodymuseum.com.

According to staffers, there are several books to learn more about the 30th governor of Texas.

• “

10 Dollars to Hate”

by Patricia Bernstein offers a broad explanation of the Ku Klux Klan and its power in the 1920s.

• “

You Can’t Do That, Dan Moody!”

is a 1998 young-adult biography and later a play by Ken Anderson, a former prosecutor and state district judge.

• “ Dan Moody, Crusader for Justice,” a 2008 follow-up by Anderson and a more comprehensive biography and legal history.

• “

Klan on Trial,”

a 2017 short movie written by television personality Chet Garner and Emily Treadway. The latter is a reporter for the Taylor Press and a contributor to East Wilco Insider.

SOUL CIRCUIT: JUNETEENTH RODEOS IN TEXAS EXHIBIT

The McCrory Timmerman Gallery and the Dickey Museum & Multicultural Center will host “Soul Circuit: Juneteenth Rodeos in Texas,” an art exhibit honoring Juneteenth.

The exhibit illustrates the network of Black rodeos across Texas with 43 blackand-white framed photographs.

Based on the book “Juneteenth Rodeo” by photographer Sarah Bird, the exhibit was organized by the Neill-Cochran House Museum of Austin and presented in partnership with Humanities Texas.

“This opportunity to elevate Black culture through storytelling is 100% in alignment with the mission of the Dickey Museum & Multipurpose Center,” said Nakevia Miller, executive director of the museum. ‘We look forward to ensuring that the stories, traditions and art of East Williamson County are remembered, celebrated and elevated.”

“Soul Circuit: Juneteenth Rodeos in Texas” runs through July 15 at the McCrory Timmerman Gallery, 112 W.

Second St.

As Hutto and Taylor both plan celebrations in 2026 to mark 150 years of existence, a look back at the historical record and interviews with local historians highlight 10 of what are considered the most important or consequential events in each town’s development.

TAYLOR

JUNE 1876 THE INTERNATIONAL & GREAT NORTHERN RAILROAD

The International & Great Northern Railroad arrived in Taylor and created a city.

Through its New York and Texas Land Co., the railroad began selling lots on the north side of Taylor and laid out streets, parks and a town square, according to reports.

The town, originally dubbed “Taylorsville,” was named after Edward Moses Taylor, a railroad official.

Immigrants including Czechs, Germans and Swedes moved to town, which would grow into a major center for cotton, cattle and grain.

FEB 1879 GREAT FIRE OF 1879

On Feb. 25, 1879, 29 out of 32 buildings burned down, but this offered an opportunity for rebirth, said former Mayor Brandt Rydell.

“It was kind of a ramshackle railroad town with quick construction and wooden structures that were hastily put together, so it was ripe for a conflagration,” Rydell said.

“They learned their lessons, and they came in with brick and stone which, to this day, is the defining characteristic of the architectural identity of downtown Taylor.”

Rydell is a member of the Taylor Conservation and Heritage Society.

1882-1883 THE MISSOURI-KANSAS-TEXAS RAILROAD ARRIVES

The arrival of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, or MKT, linked Central Texas to critical points north, including Oklahoma City, Fort Worth, and Kansas City, essentially ending the historic Chisholm Trail cattle drive, said Dan Doss, a member of the Williamson County Historical Commission.

“Instead of ranchers driving their cattle all the way into Kansas, they could now just drive them over into Taylor,” he said. “It was a transport hub, and they would put them on the train, and there was a stockyard down there on First Street where the cattle got loaded.”

EARLY 1900S COTTON BOOM

At the turn of the 20th century, Taylor was known as the largest inland cotton market in the world, Rydell said.

“You can go all through Taylor, and people see these beautiful old homes and large estates, which are the vestiges of the incredible wealth that was here during that time,” he added.

Despite the declining importance of rail in the later 20th century, Taylor remained the biggest city in Williamson County until the 1980s, he added.

1921 FLOOD OF 1921

In September 1921, more than 23 inches of rain fell in less than a 24-hour period. According to reports, bridges were washed away, railroads were cut off and more than 90 residents perished.

Doss said this historic flood caused the Legislature to enact changes that prioritized flood control and building safer bridges.

1922 STARDOM FOR TAYLOR’S BILL PICKETT

Legendary African American rodeo cowboy Bill Pickett performed alongside Will Rogers and Buffalo Bill Cody as part of the 101 Ranch Wild West Show during the early 1900s, including for celebrities and heads of state. In 1922, Pickett starred as himself in “The Bull Dogger” film. Pickett pioneered a unique maneuver used even today by rodeo cowboys to bring down bulls.

1923 DAN MOODY PROSECUTES THE KKK Taylor native Dan Moody, then district attorney for Travis and Williamson counties, secured convictions against four Klansmen from Taylor accused of brutally beating and tarring a White man. In 1927, Moody would become the youngest governor in Texas’ history at age 33.

1924 THE TAYLOR DUCKS ARE BORN

The origin of the Taylor High School mascot comes from the last name of 1920s-era Coach C.R. Drake, which also means “adult male duck.”

“The 1924 (football) season had been especially rainy,” according to Tim Crow, a retired spokesman for the Taylor Independent School District. “And fans began to say the team looked like a flock of ducks on the muddy field…For the remainder of Drake’s tenure, the team was referred to as ‘Drake’s Ducks.’”

1953 JAMES L. DICKEY HONORED

During the height of segregation, James L. Dickey, a Black physician, received from White city leaders the award for “Most Outstanding Man of the Year for 1952” honoring his vaccination efforts during a typhoid outbreak as well as for other achievements — garnering worldwide press coverage.

2021 SAMSUNG AUSTIN SEMICONDUCTOR ANNOUNCED

On Nov. 23, 2021, the South Korean manufacturing giant Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. announced it was building a $17 billion facility in Taylor to be known as Samsung Austin Semiconductor.

“This was the single most significant and consequential development for the economy of this area since the railroad came through in 1876,” said Rydell, who served as Taylor mayor from 2017-2024. “So rail took us through most of the first 150 years of the town’s existence, and we can point to the railroad as the key driver in Taylor’s success and prosperity, and I think we are going to see that now with Samsung and high-tech in general being the driver for the next 150 years.” 1854-1855 1854 OR EARLY 1855 ADAM ORGAIN ARRIVES

HUTTO

Adam Orgain is credited with being one of Hutto’s first settlers, and in 2022, government leaders named a 65-acre park, located at 1001 CR 137, in his honor.

The 17-year-old African American slave probably lived in a one-room cabin in the grasslands north of Brushy Creek, now downtown Hutto, to tend the cattle of his master, Sterling Orgain, officials said.

1862 JAMES EMORY HUTTO

James Emory Hutto is the town’s founder and namesake.

In 1862, Hutto purchased 200 acres of blackland prairie along Brushy Creek, followed by an additional 300 acres in 1870. Hutto would go on to become a successful cattleman and cotton grower, said Hutto resident and history commission member Jon Stephenson.

1876 INTERNATIONAL & GREAT NORTHERN RAILROAD

On April 17, 1876, Hutto and others sold easements for the International & Great Northern Railroad to lay its tracks, which would soon run from Hearn through Milam and Williamson Counties with stops in Taylor, Hutto and eventually Austin.

“The old steam engines in 1876 had to have water every ten to 25 miles for steam locomotion to power the engine with people and freight and cars,” Doss said. “At those stations, you would see water towers, which was why the railroad created so many stops. Towns were created all over America because of the trains coming through.”

In the same year, railroad officials bought an additional 50 acres on the north side of the tracks from Hutto and named the train stop “Hutto Station,” said local historian and former Hutto Mayor Mike Fowler.

1878 LOTS SOLD AS THE TOWN GROWS

Hutto and the Orgain family sold lots on the south side of the tracks and saw the town start to expand.

“Before Hutto was established in 1876, families lived along Brushy Creek, but with the railroad, a lot of the people moved into town because they saw the economic opportunities of being near the railroad,” Stephenson said.

New development included a oneroom schoolhouse, a saloon, a church, a post office, a general store and a lumber business, according to reports.

POST 1880S COTTON BOOM

Between 1880-1890, many immigrants, especially from Sweden, began to arrive in the area to grow cotton.

”Cotton was by then commonly called ‘the white gold of Texas,’” Fowler said. “Many new faces were to be seen in the area as a new community developed very rapidly. It was reported that Hutto had 200 residents, a school, three churches and five cotton gins by 1884.”

By 1937, a group of farmers formed a cotton cooperative and stored bales near the railroad. One yard existed northwest of downtown Hutto, by Main and West streets, but it later moved to where The Hutto Co-op currently stands on the west side of town at 420 U.S. 79, Stephenson said.

1886 TORNADO

A major storm in 1886 heavily damaged the new business center of Hutto on the south side of the railroad tracks. In the aftermath, new development relocated to the north side of the tracks.

1900s 20TH CENTURY FIRES

A series of fires, in 1901, 1902, 1916 and 1972 caused the east side of East Street, previously a part of the main commercial drag, to never fully be redeveloped.

“The first two fires led the city to establish a volunteer fire department,” Stephenson said. “Before the 1902 fire, the city had no fire department, only a firebucket brigade.”

1911

HUTTO OFFICIALLY INCORPORATED

By 1911, after Hanstrom and Tinning Water Works drilled the city’s first deepwater well and a new power plant was built, which included electrifying the households of the city, Hutto was ready to incorporate, city officials said.

Willis Dandridge “WD” Holman, a cotton buyer, served as the town’s first mayor.

“The town had gradually grown from 1877-1911, but when the city had its own power source and its own water source, it had developed enough to be incorporated,” Stephenson said. “It led the people to want to have a formal town government to make decisions for how it would continue to be developed, and not just be a drop-off point along the railroad.”

1915

GREAT HIPPO CIRCUS TRAIN ESCAPE

In 1915, a local circus troupe on a railroad train reportedly stopped in Hutto to refuel and water the animals, and during that interval, a hippo escaped from a railcar to nearby Cottonwood Creek, which “flowed beneath the railroad tracks just to the east of the then-Hutto Railroad Depot,” according to Fowler.

“It’s a popular story that became the basis of the identity for the city,” Stephenson added. “But it may be more legend than fact. We have no historically verifiable information to say it ever happened at this point.”

Legend or not, hundreds of hippo statues today dot the city and the animal is the mascot of Hutto High School.

2006

OPENING OF TEXAS 130

With the opening of Texas 130, a toll road that runs parallel to Interstate 35 and connects Hutto to Georgetown, Austin and San Antonio by way of Seguin, Hutto began a period of unprecedented growth which continues to this day.

From the 2000 census, Hutto grew from 1,228 residents to almost 15,000 just 10 years later.

The toll road has allowed residents to find affordable housing with a 30-minute commute to downtown Austin, said Mike Snyder, Hutto’s mayor.

“You can go 80 miles per hour on it, and you can get from here to (Austin Bergstrom International) airport in like 25 minutes,” he said. “I think that allows people to live out here and not have long commutes.”

Today, the city boasts just under 50,000 residents, and the recent arrival of Samsung to the area has only fueled the population boom, Snyder said.

“Really, our biggest milestone has been the unprecedented growth,” Snyder said. “With the last count of the (Hutto Independent School District), there were just over 50 languages spoken in Hutto. We have people from Ukraine, Afghanistan, all over South America and Europe. It’s just an amazing group of people all coming here for the same thing: opportunity.”

A fun guide to Taylor

Swoosh! This year is going by fast and school is nearly over. The kids need something to do this summer, and it would be ideal if it were inexpensive.

From Taylor’s parks to its library to a new theater camp, families will find free activities in June and July. A couple of art camps round out the offering, keeping the kids busy while the mercury climbs.

PARKS AND REC: JUNE FREE SPORTS CLINICS

Taylor’s Parks and Recreation Department will host free sports clinics and events during the break from classes.

School-age kids can join in on the fun from hockey to pickleball, starting June 1.

According to Matt Topham, the city’s recreation coordinator, there is no need to register for any of the summer events or activities.

Here are some free sports clinics for June:

• Hockey on Tuesday and Thursday: June 2 and 4; 9-11 a.m., the Murphy Park Basketball Court, 1600 Veterans Drive

• Football on Tuesday and Thursday: June 9 and 11; 9-11 a.m., Memorial Field, 1213 Davis St.

• Pickleball on Wednesday: June 3 and 10; 9-11 a.m., Murphy Park Pickleball Courts, 1600 Veterans Drive Topham also said a soccer and a tennis clinic are scheduled for June, with details to be announced later.

PARKS AND REC: JUNE SUMMER EVENTS

The city’s Parks and Recreation Department will offer family-friendly activities in June, ranging from arts and crafts to movie nights.

• Mini Golf Monday: June 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29; 9-11 a.m., Murphy Park Mini Golf Course, 1600 Veterans Drive

• Arts and crafts Wednesday: June 3, 10, 17 and 24; 1-3 p.m., Memorial Field House, 1213 Davis St., in a partnership with the Taylor Public Library

• Splash pad Playday on Friday: June 5,12,19 and 26; 10 a.m. to noon, Heritage Square Park, 401 Main St.

• Summer in the Park Tuesday and Thursday: June 9, 11, 16, 18, 23 and 25, Robinson Park, 1009 E. Martin Luther King Drive

PARKS AND REC: JULY SPORTS AND EVENTS

July events hosted by the Parks and Recreation Department include some that will shift indoors.

• Mini Golf Monday: July 6,13, 20 and 27; 9-11 a.m., Murphy Park Mini Golf Course, 1600 Veterans Drive

• Splash pad Friday: July 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31; 10 a.m. to noon, Heritage Square Park, 401 Main St.

• Basketball Sports Clinic at Taylor Event Center Gym on Tuesday, July 14 and Thursday, July 16; 1 to 3 p.m., 3101 N.

Main St.

• Volleyball Sports Clinic at Taylor Event Center Gym on Tuesday, July 21 and 28 and Thursday, July 23 and 30; 1-3 p.m., 3101 N. Main St.

• Summer in the Park Tuesday and Thursday, July 13, 15, 21, 23, 28 and 30; Robinson Park, 206 S. Dolan Ave. According to Topham, a soccer clinic will also be available in July, with details released at a later time.

POOL AND SPLASH PADS

After a dry summer last year, Taylor has a revitalized pool. Officials said the Doris Roznovak Aquatic Center, 1600 Veterans Drive, is perfect for family fun.

It opens noon May 23, with regular hours Tuesday to Saturday from noon-8 p.m. and Sunday from 1-8 p.m. Adult admission (ages 13 and up) is $4, seniors (60 and older) and children 4 to 12 are $3, with those 3 and younger entering for $2.

There are also city-maintained splash pads.

• Heritage Square Splash Pad, 400 N.

Main St.

• Robinson Park Splash Pad, 206 S.

Dolan Ave.

According to city officials, both splash pads use recirculated water to conserve the resource while providing entertainment.

The system filters and treats water before reusing it, ensuring a safe and sustainable experience for all ages.

TAYLOR PUBLIC LIBRARY

The Taylor Public Library, 801 Vance St., will host free family events from June through mid-July. This summer’s theme is dinosaurs.

“We are excited to host programs, see new faces at the library and have a roaring good time this summer,” said Abigail Sachnik, youth services librarian.

According to Rachel Sims, the technical services librarian, there will be crafts on Mondays, movies on Tuesdays, evening story times on Thursdays and teen activities on Fridays.

Each Wednesday, there will be a performer or special event.

“We will also be hosting a summer reading challenge for readers of all ages,” Sims said. Adults and children will be able to win a prize for every two hours spent reading up to 20 hours.”

ARTANDTHEATERCAMPS FOR KIDS

The arts are alive in Taylor this summer for kids. With returning programs at Art Off Center and the Every Time Institute, youths can expand their creative side.

New for summer 2026, the new Taylor Theater Foundation and the Boys and Girls Club of East Williamson County will bring a theater camp for students in grades six to eight.

The Art Off Center is 116 W. Second St., Suite 108; Every Time Institute is 410 W. Seventh St., Suite 203; and the Boys and Girls Club of East Williamson County is at 2500 North Drive.

FREE THEATER CAMP AT THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB

In a partnership with the Boys and Girls Club, the Taylor Theater Foundation will host a free two-week summer theater program this June.

The camp will conclude with a live performance of “The Day the Internet Died.”

The program runs 10 a.m. to noon June 15 to June 26. The program is limited to 20 students.

For more information, contact Mike Kasper at MikeKaspar@aol.com.

ART OFF CENTER

FORCLAYBOOTCAMP

Located along Potter’s Alley, Art Off Center will offer Summer Clay Bootcamp for Kids on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

According to Melanie Shaw, owner of Art Off Center, the three-day session covers the basic skills of coil building, slab building, pinch pots and decorating with underglazes. Students will be introduced to clay and complete one to three projects per session.

• Summer Clay Bootcamp 1, June 9 to June 11, 10 a.m. to noon

• Summer Clay Bootcamp 2, June 23 to June 25, 10 a.m. to noon

• Summer Clay Bootcamp 3, July 14 to July 16, 10 a.m. to noon

• Summer Clay Bootcamp 4, July 28 to July 30, 10 a.m. to noon Each session is $180 per child ages 5 to 12. The Art Off Center is at 116 W.

Second St., Suite 108.

To register, visit its website at https:// artoffcenter.com/class-registration/.

EVERY TIME INSTITUTE

Nicolas Nadeau owns Every Time Institute, which holds art classes for school-age students and teens. It is located in the Old Taylor High complex.

The classes are “four days of processbased art focused on exploring creativity,” Nadeau said. “Each student is invited to contribute a work of art to our student group show on Saturday, Aug. 15.”

• STUDENTS AGES 7 TO 13

Puppets, Masks and Creatures June 8-June 11, 10 a.m. to noon July 8-July 11, 10 a.m. to noon Exploring the Natural World June 15-June 18, 10 a.m. to noon July 20-July 23, 10 a.m. to noon Anime and Manga

June 22-June 25, 10 a.m. to noon July 27-July 30, 10 a.m. to noon

• TEENS AGES 14 AND OLDER Portrait Painting June 8-June 11, 2-5 p.m. July 8-July 11, 2 -5 p.m.

Drawing and painting from nature June 15-June 18, 2-5 p.m. July 20-July 23, 2-5 p.m.

Anime and manga

June 22-June 25, 2-5 p.m.

July 27-July 30, 2-5 p.m.

All classes are held on the second floor of Old Taylor High, 410 W. Seventh St., Suite 203,. Each class is capped at six students, and materials are provided.

The classes for students 7 to 13 are $200 for the four days.

Teen classes are $250 for the four days. To register, visit the Every Time Institute at https://everytimeinstitute. square.site/.

The Art Off Center is 116 W. Second St., Suite 108; Every Time Institute is 410 W. Seventh St., Suite 203; and the Boys and Girls Club of East Williamson County is at 2500 North Drive.

In a partnership with the Boys and Girls Club, the Taylor Theater Foundation will host a free two-week summer theater program this June.

The camp will conclude with a live performance of “The Day the Internet Died.”

The program runs 10 a.m. to noon June 15 to June 26. The program is limited to 20 students.

For more information, contact Mike Kasper at MikeKaspar@aol.com.

ART OFF CENTER

FORCLAYBOOTCAMP

Located along Potter’s Alley, Art Off Center will offer Summer Clay Bootcamp for Kids on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

According to Melanie Shaw, owner of Art Off Center, the three-day session covers the basic skills of coil building, slab building, pinch pots and decorating with underglazes. Students will be introduced to clay and complete one to three projects per session.

• Summer Clay Bootcamp 1, June 9 to June 11, 10 a.m. to noon

• Summer Clay Bootcamp 2, June 23 to June 25, 10 a.m. to noon

• Summer Clay Bootcamp 3, July 14 to July 16, 10 a.m. to noon

• Summer Clay Bootcamp 4, July 28 to July 30, 10 a.m. to noon Each session is $180 per child ages 5 to 12. The Art Off Center is at 116 W.

Second St., Suite 108.

To register, visit its website at https:// artoffcenter.com/class-registration/.

EVERY TIME INSTITUTE

Nicolas Nadeau owns Every Time Institute, which holds art classes for school-age students and teens. It is located in the Old Taylor High complex.

The classes are “four days of processbased art focused on exploring creativity,” Nadeau said. “Each student is invited to contribute a work of art to our student group show on Saturday, Aug. 15.”

• STUDENTS AGES 7 TO 13

Puppets, Masks and Creatures June 8-June 11, 10 a.m. to noon July 8-July 11, 10 a.m. to noon Exploring the Natural World June 15-June 18, 10 a.m. to noon July 20-July 23, 10 a.m. to noon Anime and Manga

June 22-June 25, 10 a.m. to noon July 27-July 30, 10 a.m. to noon

• TEENS AGES 14 AND OLDER Portrait Painting June 8-June 11, 2-5 p.m. July 8-July 11, 2 -5 p.m.

Drawing and painting from nature June 15-June 18, 2-5 p.m. July 20-July 23, 2-5 p.m.

Anime and manga

June 22-June 25, 2-5 p.m.

July 27-July 30, 2-5 p.m.

All classes are held on the second floor of Old Taylor High, 410 W. Seventh St., Suite 203,. Each class is capped at six students, and materials are provided.

The classes for students 7 to 13 are $200 for the four days.

Teen classes are $250 for the four days. To register, visit the Every Time Institute at https://everytimeinstitute. square.site/.

TAYLOR — Outgoing Mayor Dwayne Ariola — a Navy veteran — knows how to run a tight ship, and he spent his political career trying to bring some of that discipline to City Hall. 

This year he chose not to run for office May 2 as the city for the first time switched to a voter-elected mayoral system. 

Before voters approved the change in 2024 to the City Charter, the City Council — not the people — chose the mayor from within their own ranks. 

Ariola has served on the council since 2017. He was selected as the city’s chief executive by his fellow council members after his reelection in May 2024 on an at at-large ticket. 

Jim Buzan was elected Taylor’s new mayor by popular vote on May 2. He will be sworn in on May 12, which will be Ariola’s final day as mayor. Buzan’s first council meeting is May 14. 

But this isn’t the last the people will see of him, Ariola said. 

“I tell people my calendar is going from 150% full to 110% full because I just like being involved in a lot of different things,” added the military veteran and businessman. 

SERVICE ABOVE ALL 

After graduating from Taylor High School in 1985, Ariola enlisted in the Navy and quickly climbed the ranks. 

His career included serving on submarines in San Diego and Pearl Harbor. He worked as a submarine mechanic and helped design fast-attack underwater vessels. When he retired in 2005, he was chief of boat on the USS Albany, which was recognized with the Battle E Award as the Best Submarine for the Atlantic Fleet. 

Ariola honors his military career by serving as the vice commander of American Legion Post 39. He also has a full-time job at Burkert Fluid Control Systems, an international company specializing in measurement and control technology for fluids and gases. Ariola is the area sales manager overseeing Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. 

Still, he said his experiences in the highly regimented area of military service and the highly efficient arena of private enterprise did not quite prepare him for the disorder he found when he took his first seat on the council dais nearly a decade ago. 

DESCENT INTO CHAOS 

The veteran city leader recalls pre-2020 city operations as lacking formalized organizational systems. He described a situation where the Public Works Department wasn’t tracking which roads were being fixed and city growth was not being directed with the vision of master-planning documents. 

He set his sights on bringing city efficiencies in line. He lists one of his greatest accomplishments as having each department today know their clearly defined goals and objectives. 

“In my day job, if something’s broke I recommend how to fix it and it’s done. In (the) City Council world, you identify the problem, put it on a priority list, put it on the capital-improvements list, put it on a funding list, hopefully it gets approved and then it gets incorporated so far down the road,” the erstwhile mayor said. 

Ariola said the working relationship with fellow council members can either help the city move forward or stymie growth. 

“You can’t just throw a hand grenade over the wall and say, ‘Here’s what’s wrong, y’all need to fix it,’” he said. “You gotta come up with the solutions and it makes it a whole lot easier if you get buyin from your other council members and staff members.” 

In large part, he said he has successfully completed his goals. 

The city adopted a comprehensive plan in 2021 and is currently revamping it. A downtown master plan as well as drainage, water and wastewater and fire-services master plans have been developed during Ariola’s time on the council. 

Others including the parks master plan are scheduled to be updated soon. 

“When you’re requesting funds from different entities, they’re not just going to send you a check, because hey, you put your name on the list,” he said. “I mean, you gotta have master plans. Nobody with a checkbook will listen to you unless you have a master plan.” 

CREATING A LEGACY 

Other than streamlining city operations, Ariola is proud to have been part of the leadership team that heralded a major new chapter in Taylor’s history. The town of 18,000 situated on the Blackland Prairie has transitioned from primarily agrarian and small businesses to a high-tech hub expanding at light speed including bringing Samsung Austin Semiconductor to town. 

Top of his list: Bringing jobs to town, he said. 

During an address at the recent groundbreaking for Gradiant Technology Park, Ariola said such projects will reverse the trend where Taylor “exported its people” to jobs in Austin. 

NOT EVERYONE’S A FAN 

Though he has helped lead the city through an era of sometimes dizzying development, Ariola noted he has his detractors. Some of his critics have said a change in city leadership is needed to focus more on social equality, lower taxes and nonpartisanship at City Hall. 

The Blueprint Data Centers project, which has been protested by some neighbors on the south side of town, was granted economic incentives by the city last year. The development is currently under litigation. 

Ariola also faced criticism last year when he declined to sign a proclamation supporting Pride Week observances, although local events went off as planned. The event led to a change in the city’s proclamation policies. Now, only a preapproved list of city-sponsored events can receive proclamations. 

So the big question: With all the controversy, why seek public office in the first place? 

The city statesman believes that if you don’t like what’s happening, you should step up and change it, even if it means exposing yourself to all the “hate and discontent and just the craziness” of being the town’s top official. 

“I absolutely love Taylor, Texas. It’s my hometown,” Ariola said. “You know, prior to Samsung, we were never going to stay small because FM 3349 was already approved and the farmland was just going to become too expensive.” 

He added, “I own my home. I’m not a small business owner and I have no other land so, you know, all my decisions were for the best of the community.” 

MORE TIME FOR FAMILY AND HEALTH 

Even though Ariola is putting down his mayoral gavel, he isn’t giving up his workaholic ways. 

At 59, he plans to continue full-time employment for at least five more years. He said the traveling he does for his job is an extra benefit in his marriage, allowing him and his wife, Alice Marie, to get away together. 

He and his spouse spend time with their grown children Koby, Joanna and Jennifer and a 4-year-old grandchild. There is extended family in the area, so Ariola will have more time for birthday parties and get-togethers.

Shortly after announcing he would not seek another term as mayor, Ariola also announced he had been diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer. With a family history of the disease, he said he has been conscientious about regular testing.

He had a procedure to remove a mass in March and doctors said no further treatment is needed aside from monitoring.

He encourages all men aged 50 or older to get regular prostate-cancer testing as the disease has a high survivability rate when caught early.

GRATITUDE FROM HIZZONER

The military veteran and public servant

took a few moments to reflect on the contributions of city staffers, a job he said is thankless.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had a better staff in my nine years. Not that the others weren’t the right people at that particular time, but for our current situation, with... all these changes coming,” he said.

“Our council is very well diverse in their expertise and the staff that we’ve brought on know their business, the downtown people know their business. Permitting people know their business. I mean, it’s just, it’s quite impressive.”

And while Ariola no longer will chair council sessions at City Hall, he doesn’t see himself slowing down. He intends to take a larger role in the renovation of the American Legion Hall.

He also wants to find time to reconnect with old Navy shipmates. And maybe, just maybe, he might start jotting down a few notes to write a book on his adventures navigating the choppy waters of small-town government.

— DWAYNE ARIOLA MAYOR, CITY OF TAYLOR

This year, as the cities of Hutto and Taylor celebrate their 150th anniversaries, many credit the arrival of the railroad as the catalyst for the economic boom that enriched eastern Williamson County during the late 19th century.

However, the Czechs and the Swedes — two immigrant groups known for their industriousness, farming skills and unique cultural traditions — also fueled the growth of the region during that era.

“Taylor was founded in 1876 when the railroad was built, and 30 years later, it was the biggest town in the county,” said Jon Stephenson, a member of the Williamson County Historical Commission. “That was driven mostly by immigrant populations.”

THESWEDES

According to the commission, the earliest wave of Swedish immigrants came to Texas in the mid 19th century at the behest of Swante Magnus Swenson, the first modern-era Swedish settler who arrived in America in 1836.

After becoming a successful self-made plantation owner and businessman, in 1847 Swenson returned to Sweden to recruit families to work on his farms for a year in exchange for free passage to Texas, alongside his uncle and business partner, Swante Palm, county officials said.

“It turned into this pipeline of Swedes from the same area of Sweden coming to Texas,” Stephenson said.

Many of these newcomers settled between Round Rock, Hutto and Taylor.

“They were hardworking farmers, and they were hospitable neighbors,” Stephenson said. “They fit right in with the other Anglo settlers in the county, but they also were a close-knit group who looked out for each other.”

Georgetown resident Larry Olson said his grandparents, Anna and Anton Olson, who owned a 184-acre farm near Taylor, would often recount the hardships their families had endured prior to immigrating to the United States in the early 1900s.

“Sweden was agrarian, and a third of the population left from 1880 to 1920,” said Olson, whose Anna+Anton Olson Legacy Foundation currently funds local nonprofits in honor of his late grandparents. “Grandpa would tell me that they had to make soup out of birch bark sometimes. They hadn’t industrialized, so the population had gotten really big but the opportunities weren’t there and there was a shortage of food.”

By the 1880s, Swedes had become the largest immigrant group in Williamson County, settling around Georgetown, Palm Valley, Hutto, Taylor, New Sweden and beyond.

“If you look at the census, the 1880, 1900 and 1910 census, the Swedes are the most dominant group of immigrants born in a foreign land,” Stephenson said.

These Swedes not only farmed, but also became “businessmen, service people, you can go down the list,” Stephenson said. “Some were tailors, watchmakers and jewelers. They just fit right into this growing county. ”

Former Taylor Mayor Brandt Rydell, who is half-Swedish, remembers hearing the Scandinavian language spoken at the Hutto Lutheran Church, previously known as Hutto Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church, during his youth.

“Growing up in the 1970s, there were certain times of the year with certain services where a hymn would be sung in Swedish, and there were enough Swedish speakers in the congregation from the older generation that the church would be filled with the sound of a Swedish hymn,” Rydell recalled.

These days, Hutto Lutheran is a thriving congregation that continues to recognize its Swedish roots despite changing demographics, he added.

“I am just amazed at the vitality, but there is barely a hint at the Swedish heritage of it,” he said. “My family is about what is left, but they still honor the origins and the traditions.”

One way is by celebrating Saint Lucia, a Swedish holiday observed on Dec. 13.

“It is a winter tradition, with a candlelight procession, and they serve these saffron buns,” Rydell said. “The kids pass it out. The girls are dressed in white, with one with candles in her hair, and the others are like the attendants. And the boys are called star boys with (conical) caps… One aspect of Santa Lucia is the children in the family are supposed to serve their parents breakfast in bed.”

Rydell said he loved his grandmother’s homemade rye bread and other baked items. However, one tradition he avoided was her “lutefisk,” a dried white cod fish soaked in lye and buried in ash.

“It becomes this gelatinous texture,” he said with a laugh. “It’s a very involved process and not delicious, but it’s a reminder of how hard folks had it.”

Olson also has memories of his grandma’s limpa rye bread and buttery cookies.

“When we were up there we would always go on Saturday nights to see her sister Ellen at her farm in Hare,” Olson said. “They were Swansons, and we were Olsons, and so both the sisters made these Swedish spritz cookies, a kind of a white cookie, that they would put in these funnels and push them out and make shapes. They would make those cookies in the shapes of S’s and O’s.”

THECZECHS

According to the historians, Czech immigration to Williamson County began in the 1880s, primarily from the historical Czech lands of Moravia and Bohemia, which are now currently part of Czechia, or the Czech Republic.

Though Czechs originally settled in the San Antonio area earlier in the 1800s, these newcomers were drawn to Taylor, Granger and Corn Hill because of the “abundance of good, relatively inexpensive farmland and the rich, blackland prairie soil,” Stephenson said.

Many of these new Williamson County residents were fleeing poverty and political instability in their homeland, he added.

“There was just this political turmoil over there,” Stephenson said. “People in Europe craved land. Land was very hard to come by.”

The Czechs had large, close-knit family units centered around farm life and a strong Christian faith, officials said.

Taylor businessman Tim Mikeska, the CEO of Mikeska’s Bar-B-Q Inc. and the owner of Mikeska Brands USA, echoed this assertion.

“In the 1880s and 1890s in Moravia, it was a difficult time, and everybody was poor,” said Mikeska, whose greatgrandfathers emigrated to the area in the 1890s. “People like my family were sharecroppers because they didn’t own any property.”

However, Texas offered a different way of life — and new opportunities.

Many of these immigrants became landowners, business founders and important members of the community through participation in churches, schools and social clubs, Mikeska said.

Prominent area churches with deep Czech roots today include Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius Church in Granger, as well as St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church and Taylor Brethren Church in Taylor.

Czechs also formed meat clubs, through which they used their butchering and traditional sausage-making skills honed in the Old World.

“Back then, there was no refrigeration so when you processed an animal you had to do something with it quick,” Mikeska said. “My great-grandfather would go out in the community and butcher other people’s animals: cattle, hogs, goats, sheep, ducks, geese, everything. They were butchers and they were very skilled at what they did.”

Over time, this turned into a popular family barbecue business that was even featured in Texas Monthly magazine.

“My grandfather John taught all six of his sons how to butcher animals by taking them to the beef club in Taylor,” he added. “This evolved into butcher shops and markets, and that evolved into barbecue and catering, and that has evolved into wholesale food distribution in 26 states.”

These days, the Mikeska brand just began offering a sausage wrapped in a pastry from a generations-old family recipe, which Mikeska emphasizes isn’t a “kolache.”

Despite what some marketing campaigns might have you believe, the kolach is a Czech pastry stuffed with sweet fillings, not meat.

“Let’s get this straight,” Mikeska said with a laugh. “Kolach is one, and kolache is plural for more than one. You can call it a pig in a blanket or you can call it a sausage kolache, but we find that very offensive. That would be like if you called a tortilla a frisbee. The thing that we put meat into in a pastry is called a klobasnek.”

Though the Czech influence has faded somewhat, Granger still had its own Czech-language newspaper called The Našinec, which means “fellow countrymen,” printed until 2018, said Monica Stojaník, the town’s former mayor.

In addition, the local radio station in Taylor played Czech music on Sunday afternoons and daily until the early 2000s, she added.

Still, the Czech folk-music tradition continues in the area through the Taylor Czech Chorus, which often performs lively songs at Heritage Square Park and many other area venues, said Stojaník, who speaks, reads and writes Czech and serves as the nonprofit organization’s spokeswoman.

“We do polkas and waltzes, and we also do some spiritual music called polka Masses,” Stojaník said.

In addition, Stojaník can often be found wearing a kroj, which is a traditional folk costume featuring lace and ribbons, while sharing the Czech flag and other items at various area elementary schools, family reunions and more.

“I’m going to be honest,” Stojaník said. “I am so proud of my Czech heritage.”

SEEDS FOR THE FUTURE

These days, visitors to eastern Williamson County are more likely to hear Korean spoken than any other language besides English or Spanish, thanks to the recent arrival of Samsung Austin Semiconductor to Taylor.

Nevertheless, the cultural impact of the Czechs and the Swedes can still be felt to this day, the descendants of the pioneers said.

“It’s amazing,” Mikeska said. “My family risked everything to get on a ship and spend six to eight weeks at sea to come to a country where they could not speak the language, but they saw the opportunity and they saw the freedom.”

He added, “The dreams of my father and our grandfathers built the foundation, and today the Mikeska name stands as proof that faith, hard work and opportunity in this country can turn humble beginnings in a small village in Moravia into a legacy that serves thousands of people and hundreds of restaurants across America.”

For his part, Olson said his Swedish grandparents instilled in him a love of his heritage, an entrepreneurial spirit and a desire to help area nonprofits grow stronger.

Since Anna+Anton was founded in 2021, nearly $1 million in grants have been given to local charities, including the Boys and Girls Club of East Williamson County and The Greater Taylor Foundation to fund their recent communitywide needs assessment.

Olson said that as eastern Williamson County continues to grow, he wants to make sure no one gets left behind.

But he also wants the Olson name to live on.

“I’m kind of the last of the clan, and I have been looking at ways to recognize their names,” Olson said of his immigrant grandparents. “When I am no longer here, I didn’t want their names to disappear. They were just too important to me.”

TAYLOR — With its neon sign looming over the 300 block of North Main Street, the Howard Theatre has weathered wars, droughts and the Great Winter Storm of 2021.

Drawing on community and family support to bring it back to life, the venerable cinema after major funding drives and hard work by organizers opened after a closure of a few years for limited showings in the spring.

Everyone who has been in town for any length of time has a story about the Howard. It might be attending a kids’ birthday party with cartoons flickering on the big screen or a nervous first date decades ago.

The venue has always welcomed neighbors for family-friendly entertainment downtown.

“We dressed up for superhero movies and ‘Star Wars’ premieres. Being able to do such a nostalgic thing with my son meant the world to me. We have cried together in that theater, laughed and grown up there through the years,” said Dennis Levitin, a movie enthusiast and cartoon artist, including inking strips for the Taylor Press.

THEOLDHOWARD,THERITAAND THENEWHOWARD:AHISTORY

According to Cinema Treasures, an online website documenting theaters across the U.S for 25 years, the original Howard Theater was located on the west side of Main Street, now Taylor Sporting Goods.

Opened in 1924 by Howard Bland, it showed first-run movies.

Bland debuted another theater on the east side of Main Street in 1940 to show B-run movies, naming it The Rita. In the 1950s, Bland closed the Old Howard and rebranded the Rita, adding the Art Deco neon sign announcing the new Howard Theatre.

In the 1970s, the theater went from one to two screens by adding a stage and a wall at the end of the balcony, creating a smaller upstairs theater and a larger downstairs theater. It was a staple for movie-watching residents for decades.

In 2020, the Howard shuttered during the pandemic. When it did reopen, two small pipes burst, flooding the new seats and the carpet.

Shortly after, the former owners wanted out.

With more passion for preserving the space than funds, Taylor entrepreneur Channing Kingery-Boles took over ownership in 2023. With a newly formed nonprofit board, Kingery-Boles spearheaded the effort to reopen the theater, assisted by donations and volunteers.

NOWSHOWING

Earlier this spring, the Howard Theatre began showing second-run movies on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Starting Friday nights with a 7 p.m. movie, followed by dual movie times on Saturdays and Sundays with a matinee and evening showing, the screen comes to life with classics and fan favorites.

The theater is currently operating the main downstairs chamber, outfitted with 97 widely spaced seats, including four seats accessible to the mobility challenged. The space between the rows is generous, with some close to 4 feet apart.

With its budget-friendly pricing, a second-run movie is $5 per person for a matinee and $8 per person for an evening showing. The concessions are also a bargain, with a large bag of popcorn running $4 and a soda for just two bucks.

Some of the recent second runs have included “Back to the Future,” “Grease,” “E.T. the Extra-terrestrial” and “Top Gun.”

WHATARESECOND-RUNMOVIES?

Soon after purchasing the Howard, Kingery-Boles learned about the movie business, like how films are distributed and the types of theaters. With one screen in a historic property, the way forward became clear.

According to Kingery-Boles, the first-run theater model didn’t work for the Taylor cinema, where the distribution company takes a high percentage of the box-office sales, especially since the Howard has one screen and would have to run the same movie for a month.

However, with a second-run movie, theater owners pay a licensing fee to show the film, which is more economical, she explained. As in most theaters, the concession stand is an important income stream, as are special events.

In addition to second-run movies, the Howard plans to offer free screenings of public domain movies over the summer. These classic films are over 100 years old and are no longer protected by trademark, copyright or a patent.

COMINGSOON:FILMFESTIVALS

According to Kingery-Boles, the Howard Theatre will host the She Speaks Film Festival on Sept. 18 and Sept. 19 to celebrate “bold, inspiring stories” created by women.

“When we came and toured then met all the different women who basically keep the downtown commerce of Taylor running, it was just kind of a no-brainer being a female-centered festival,” said Sarah Joy Byington, local filmmaker and sponsor manager for the She Speaks Film Festival.

CINEPHILESSTRESSWHYCINEMAS AREIMPORTANT

According to four-time Oscar-winning director Sean Baker, “Watching a film in a theater with an audience is an experience. We can laugh together, cry together, scream in fright together, perhaps sit in devastated silence together. And in a time in which the world can feel very divided, this is more important than ever. It’s a communal experience you simply don’t get at home.”

Kingery-Boles echoed the sentiment. “We are building a sense of community and want people to have fun,” she said.

HOLDANEVENTATTHEHOWARD

As a community cinema, the Howard Theatre will continue to host events, private showings and benefits including corporate gatherings, like team building, to fundraisers and private movie nights.

The theater also airs bring-your-own DVDs and Blue-ray videos.

According to Kingery-Boles, a couple’s movie night from Monday to Thursday costs $99, and parties for up to 10 people are $150.

For larger events, the charge can range from $250 to $499 and above.

GETYOURTICKETS

According to Kingery-Boles, theater staff aim to announce movies three weeks in advance via the theater’s website, https:// www.howardtheatre.com/ or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/p/The-Howard-Theatre-100063459013477/.

Tickets are available online or at the box office at 306 Main St., and the theater accepts cards and cash.

Three out of four of these young offenders return to the criminal-justice system within three years.

Williamson County officials are trying to reverse that trend.

The Transformative Justice Program, hailed as “unique” among criminaljustice professionals, is giving young-adult offenders a second chance at redemption and a productive life instead of a cell and a cot.

“If you had a school and you only succeeded with 25% of the students, you wouldn’t keep doing the same thing, but that’s what the criminal-justice system has been doing for decades,” said District Attorney Shawn Dick.

About 10 years ago, Elizabeth Henneke, founder and chief executive officer of the Lone Star Justice Alliance, proposed the idea of the Transformative Justice Program to Dick and 277th state District Court Judge Stacey Mathews, whose docket includes cases involving juveniles, or those 16 and under charged with a crime.

Dick and Mathews both agreed the system needed to change and decided the change would start with them.

Mathews and prosecutor Stephen Hesse noted the county already had a strong diversion program for juvenile offenders, but those slightly older were falling through the cracks of the justice system.

“It seemed to me that if we extended that (youth program) into young adulthood and provided some of the same services that we were able to give to juveniles … we would reduce criminality and recidivism,” Hesse said.

Dick and Mathews spent several years gathering all the key partners and components to create a program.

One piece of this multifaceted puzzle included extensive research. To receive state funding, the Legislature wanted data, but Mathews said there was none at the time.

“There had never been any randomized controlled study in the criminal-justice system that we’re aware of or that our researchers were aware of,” Mathews said.

The judge compared the research they needed to that of medical trials. They had to receive approval from ethics boards and program participants had to sign consent forms.

“It was a very interesting process because it’s humans we’re looking at and that’s what makes this work so critical,” Mathews said.

Georges Naufal and Emily Naiser from the Texas A&M University’s Public Policy Research Institute became involved with the TJ project in 2018.

The data-collection period began in earnest in November 2020. From 2018 to 2020, Naufal said they had to determine what research design was feasible for project evaluation, what data existed, how the program would function and how outcomes would be captured.

Initially, Dallas County was also in the study as officials there attempted a similar program, but due to a lack of funding and other resources they dropped out.

“The TJ program is complex. It’s not easy to set up and manage,” Naufal said. “Building successful programs like this one relies on a variety of community services and committed stakeholders.”

Naiser added, “The Transformative Justice Program in Williamson County has proven to be quite unique.”

Participants must be nonviolent felony offenders, but TJ is not a one-size-fits-all rehabilitation program. The goal is much larger and broader than that.

“It’s teaching these youth about accountability, about their role in our community, about how to be a productive member of society, but it’s also about giving them an individualized treatment plan so that they have the tools they need to succeed in life,” Dick said.

Some of the tools include mental health and drug counseling, parenting classes for those participants with children and life skills such as resume building, budgeting and furthering their education.

It is a requirement that participants have their general education diploma before they can graduate from the program.

“And then we really require them to do something else. Like attending Austin Community College or training and certification programs,” Dick said. “Why would a program like ours settle for anything less? These kids should be encouraged to go to trade school, go to college, go to graduate school. The whole world is still in front of them.”

From the first day, Dick said TJ case managers and lawyers work to get these young adults invested in their future.

HOWITWORKS;NOTEASY

Transformative justice works faster than the standard criminal-justice system, authorities said. Once offenders decide to participate in the program, many remain in jail less than one day.

“There’s research about how every day, every hour somebody is sitting in jail negatively affects lives,” said Jo Poenitzsch, an attorney at the TJ facility.

Once the paperwork is signed, the offender receives an immediate personal recognizance bond to get out of jail, then they promptly meet with someone from the program.

Poenitzsch pointed out in the regular criminal-justice system offenders who bond out can hire legal counsel or get a court-appointed attorney, but they may not meet with their lawyer that day and they will not have a court date for a month or more.

Some of the young adults do “moan” about the amount of work and length of time the TJ program takes, but “I remind them that regular probation is a minimum of three years,” Poenitzsch said.

Dick acknowledged TJ isn’t easy. It involves three different phases and takes 10-18 months to complete.

“It’s a lot of work, but if you can get an emerging adult to think long-term, the results for their life are night and day,” he said.

In phase one, current needs and immediate challenges are evaluated and addressed, such as mental-health issues and substance-abuse problems.

Unlike many other programs, a substance-abuse relapse is not an immediate dismissal from TJ.

Case manager Marc Ruiz said, “We expect them to have a relapse and have those issues. That’s why we have the counseling. That’s why we have the substance-abuse program that we’ve got.”

Ruiz said the program also uses a relapse as a chance for accountability, allowing the young adult to be honest.

“When they realize they’re not going back to jail, they have more ‘buy’ into the program,” Ruiz said That leads to phase two, the step toward positive change in outlook and direction.

During phase three, participants focus on the growth they have made and look outward toward helping others in their community.

The program teaches the emerging adults that they are also accountable to their community.

“They have to give something back,” Mathews said.

Before the program’s introduction, the arrested young adults posed a risk to society and to themselves, the district attorney said.

“These youth that were coming out of the justice system were harming themselves and the community,” Dick said. “They were becoming a burden and a drain on our society and tax base.”

Now, they are learning the benefit of community service, but TJ participants will not be out on the side of the road picking up trash—unless they want to.

Mathews said the program does not want to dole out service hours to fill up time but offer something that gets the young adults interested and actively engaged in looking beyond themselves to help others.

“What we’re trying to do for this population is to be that community, teach them what community means. And then it becomes their turn. Now they get to go out into their community and make it better,” Mathews said.

Many participants did not recognize themselves as part of a community before becoming a part of TJ.

“They were just shocked at how even the judge and the prosecutor, how everybody, wanted to learn about them and wanted to help them and actually did care about them,” Poenitzsch said.

THE FRUITS OF SUCCESS

Successful graduation includes having their offense expunged from the court record, in addition to the new skills they will have learned and tools they will have developed to create a different path in life.

Today, the progam has a graduation rate of 60%, but officials want that figure to be much higher.

“I’d like 100%,” Poenitzsch said, adding she knows that’s not likely for any program.

Still, officials acknowledged the numbers are higher than those found in the traditional justice system.

Naufal and Naiser concluded if the young adults could make it through TJ’s first 200 days, they were more likely to complete the program.

“Our system is very individual based. You have to figure out what the needs are for each emerging adult that comes in, each treatment program plan, each accountability plan is based on them and their case and their needs,” Dick said. “It’s challenging because you’ve got to find all of these different resources and different ways to help different people, but I think the individualized nature is also what leads to the success.”

During the Feb. 6 session of Williamson County Commissioners Court, Dick, Matthews, Naufal and Naiser shared their findings and data.

The program received permission from the county’s representatives to apply for a fiscal year 2027 grant through the state Criminal Justice Grants Program for $164,000, with commissioners agreeing to contribute matching funds.

The funding is budgeted for the purchase of a new software system and salaries for a program director and case manager.

For more information and ways to help or donate, visit tj-wc.org.

In 1876 the International-Great Northern Railroad steamed into Williamson County and established depots not far from Austin that would become the cities of Taylor and Hutto.

Now, 150 years later, both municipalities are commemorating the importance of the railroad in 2026 with sesquicentennial celebrations.

Yet at the same, the railroads that created an economic boon for East Wilco in the 19th century — while still vital — pose plenty of challenges for the fast-growing county in the 21st century as the population expands, roads are built to accommodate more autos and new industries locate to the region, officials said.

“We as citizens can complain about blocking the crossings or the long permitting and approval processes, but we also know that trying to get any changes made from (Union Pacific Railroad) is a battle … Don’t expect to win the fight,” said Scott Murrah, an engineer whose local projects have faced delays from Union Pacific.

Union Pacific officials declined to comment directly for the story, but did send this response: “Communities developing projects on or near Union Pacific right of way can start the process by reaching out to our public projects team on our website, where you can find detailed information on how the process works.”

The railroad provided this link: www. up.com/communities/public-projects.

According to local historians, without the railroad Hutto, Taylor and many other Central Texas towns might not exist.

“We had several pioneer families around here and about all they could do was survive. But when the railroad came it meant you could be a farmer and you could grow something like cotton and get it to market,” said Don Doss, a member of the Williamson County Historic Commission.

Doss added, “That made it possible for a lot of people to make money and raise a family and build a house and that was very viable for a long time.”

The railroad connected Williamson County to the rest of the United States and the Port of Houston, igniting a boom in the cotton industry. In the early 1900s, Doss said, the county was the secondlargest producer of cotton in Texas and the state was the largest producer of cotton in the world.

Houston shipped more cotton than any other port on the planet.

“Without the railroads, Williamson County could have been like a lot of the counties you see now in East Texas where they only have small rural towns and no real industrial growth ... at least until Austin grew up,” Doss said.

A MIXED BLESSING

In the 21st century, the local tracks are now owned and operated by Union Pacific. BNSF Railway has trackage rights on the UP rails through the area. There is also an Amtrak stop in Taylor for passenger transport.

Cotton is no longer the economic driver for east Williamson County, but freight trains still run the rails through the cities. While the towns initially relied on the railroad for survival, in 2026 the rails are a mixed blessing for the growing communities, according to some local leaders.

HUTTOAND EMERGENCY PLANNING

In Hutto, where the train tracks bisect the city as they run parallel to U.S. 79, the train affects all parts of life from the daily commute to school to transportation and logistics for first responders. The tracks cross several major intersections and have an impact on 79, a main transportation artery through the city.

An average of 15 trains pass through Hutto each day.

“In a fast-growing district like (the) Hutto Independent School District, rail lines don’t just mark history—they actively shape the present. They influence where schools can be built, how students are transported safely, and how long students spend on the bus,” said Hutto ISD board Chairwoman Amy English.

English said district buses cross the railroad tracks more than 40,000 times a year. By law, the transport vehicles must stop at every railroad crossing. Hutto ISD is working to secure a secondary transportation hub on the other side of the tracks from the current facility that will cut the number of railroad crossings nearly in half.

In addition to the inconvenience of adding to travel time, waiting for a train to pass could have disastrous results during an emergency.

Police Chief Jeffrey Yarbrough said his department works to keep patrol officers available in different sectors of the city so residents aren’t waiting on a response when patrol cars are stuck at crossings.

Hutto Fire Rescue has stations on both sides of the tracks to get crews to scenes faster.

The railroad presents unique hazards that require specialized planning and training.

“The railroad running through Hutto is an important factor in how Hutto Fire Rescue plans and delivers emergency services. Trains can occasionally block crossings, which could potentially delay response times,” said spokeswoman Cassie Balderas. “Having four strategically located stations throughout our service area ensures that emergency resources can reach calls from multiple directions, even when trains are present.”

According to Balderas, fire crews coordinate efforts with other Williamson County agencies and regularly train for a range of incidents that could occur along the tracks, including derailment of cars carrying passengers, hazardous-materials shipments and other unknown cargos.

The department responded to three railroad crossing accidents in 2024 and one in 2025.

Overall, there were 40 reported incidents or accidents from 2021-2025 with four fatalities in Williamson County, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

LONG DELAYS IN THRALL

Trains are regulated by federal law, and there are no state laws that limit how long a stopped train can block an intersection. Trains have been known to block the two crossings in Thrall for more than an hour at a time, cutting off access between 79 and the schools, forcing buses, parents and other commuters to find alternate routes miles out of their way, according to residents and officials.

GRANGERAND

THE WATERLINE WOES

In Granger, trains frequently block the tracks for up to 30 minutes at a time but on rare occasions the three crossings have been rendered impassable for days, according to Murrah, president of 5M Associates, a firm that has worked with Granger and several other cities in Williamson County.

“We do understand the importance of the railroad and its effect on our surrounding economy, but the Granger community does not benefit directly from the railroad’s presence,” Murrah said.

Granger is divided in half by the railroad, which follows Texas 95. The city has two parallel tracks through town and is used as a passing zone for northbound and southbound trains.

Murrah said the close proximity of the crossings usually means that all three are blocked when one train has to wait for an oncoming train.

While freight trains can move fast, Union Pacific can be a slow-moving bureaucracy, Granger officials said.

Getting approval to go under or over the tracks can add months and in some cases years to a project.

In Granger, Murrah’s company ran into delays while installing a new water line that crossed under the tracks. The holdup kept the Granger Secondary School from opening until March due to a lack of accessible water.

“The permit for the bore under the railroad cost the city about $17,000 and took about three months for approval ... this was just to get permission to bore under the railroad,” Murrah said.

When the drilling hit an unexpected snag and a second hole bored into groundwater, UP halted all operations and required the city to hire a geotechnical engineering firm to perform groundpenetrating radar services.

The revised drawings took four months to complete and another three months to receive UP approval.

Murrah believes it might have taken even longer for the railroad company to approve the revised permit, but Mayor Bruce Waggoner contacted District 52 state Rep. Caroline Harris Davila and her office made inquiries with Union Pacific.

He believes her support helped speed the process by several months.

“For small cities like Granger, the (Union Pacific Railroad) is the 800-pound gorilla that the city has to live with,” Murrah said.

EASTWILCOHIGHWAY

Granger hasn’t been the only government entity to call on state or U.S. leaders for help when working with Union Pacific.

In September 2024, Williamson County Precinct 4 Commissioner Russ Boles faced delays on a pair of bridges crossing over the tracks on FM 3349 as part of the East Wilco Highway.

For many long months drivers traveling on 79 between Hutto and Taylor saw the skeletons of unfinished bridges with no work being done because the permit to cross the tracks had not been approved.

With the project already behind, Boles said he received a message from the railroad company the permit needed to pass by yet another department that would potentially delay construction another three months.

Boles reached out to Congressman Pete Sessions, who interceded with Union Pacific. Boles had the permit in hand within two weeks.

ECONOMICADVANTAGES

While railroads may cause issues with development, in other cases they give small cities special economic advantages, officials said.

The RCR Taylor Logistics Park at 79 and FM 3349 is a rail yard served by both UP and BNSR. It is situated with easy access to Samsung Austin Semiconductor and industrial sites in both Taylor and Hutto. It is also a main shipping hub for Tesla, which has leased a facility within the park for transporting its Model Y vehicles and Cybertrucks.

Officials with the Taylor Economic Development Corp. consider the facility a strategic asset.

“As the only rail-served port facility in Central Texas, Taylor is uniquely positioned to attract and support a diverse range of industries that rely on rail for the efficient movement of raw materials and finished goods,” said Ben White, CEO/President of the EDC. “This competitive advantage enhances our ability to recruit manufacturers, logistics providers and distribution operations that depend on reliable freight rail service— bringing quality jobs and (an) expanded tax base to our community.”

In addition, White said the Amtrak station in Taylor adds to the city’s options, allowing the town to leverage both freight- and passenger-rail assets for industry and community development.

RAILROADS AND A TRAVELING EXHIBIT

Taylor will celebrate its rail-based history during its sesquicentennial year with a visit from the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street traveling exhibit – “Spark! Places of Innovation.”

The traveling exhibit will be in town from Aug. 15 to Sept. 27.

Taylor is the only city in Williamson County to host the showcase this year.

The event was created to explore “the unique combination of places, people, and circumstances that sparks innovation in invention” in rural communities, according to organizers.

“Taylor’s addition to the exhibit will highlight the region’s close ties to the railroad, cotton and incoming tech industry – along with local art, stories and historic vehicles,” said Taylor Special Events Coordinator Ruby Fisher. “Our hope is that folks leave the exhibit with the story of Taylor.”

More details are pending.

Energizing lovers of literature across Central Texas

Creating a community one book at a time is the philosophy driving most indie bookstores in Central Texas including eastern Williamson County.

In an era of instant media, bookstores entice customers into their brick and mortars with recommendations, events and the chance to meet fellow bibliophiles.

Every April, booksellers band together to celebrate each other and promote the art of reading with the bookstore crawl known as the Austin Texas Book Trail.

The love of all things literary is capped off by Independent Bookstore Day, an annual event.

AUSTINTEXASBOOKTRAIL

Now in its third year, the Austin Texas Book Trail features 36 independent bookstores spread across Central Texas open for visits the weekend of April 4 and April 5.

From Dripping Springs snd Bastrop to Leander and Taylor, the mission of the Austin Texas Book Trail is to uplift newer bookstores, cherish the old and energize the local literary community, according to founders Jacqueline Rangel and Michelle Zhang.

“We were initially a one-day event in 2024, coordinated with Independent Bookstore Day, but we pulled apart from it in 2025 to stretch the self-guided crawl to two days over a weekend in April,” Rangel said.

According to Rangel, participation has grown from 29 bookstores in 2025. For more, see www.austintexasbooktrail.com/.

CURIOMRVOSA BOOKSANDMORE

Opening in 2021 and now in its second, larger location, Curio Mrvosa Books and More at 114 N. Main. St. in Taylor stocks an eclectic mix of fiction, nonfiction, novelty gifts and vintage finds.

It has been on the Austin Texas Book Trail since the beginning.

“We curate an unusual mix of new, used and vintage books and endeavor to be a welcoming and weird alternativeculture mom-and-pop shop like the ones we frequented back in the ’80s and ’90s,” said co-owner Alyse Mervosh.

For the Austin Texas Book Trail weekend, Curio Mrvosa Books and More will offer a 10% discount for visitors with trail maps, available at any of the participating bookstores. It will also host a raffle in the store.

According to Mervosh, the shelves are stocked with interesting local titles such as Austin’s “Music Scene,” edited by Mitch Baranowski. Other recommendations include “The Witch of Willow Sound: A Novel” by Vanessa F. Penney, a gothic fiction book.

“We encourage kids to read,” Mervosh said.

Curio Mrvosa Books and More features a large section dedicated to young readers, from board books for babies to graphic novels for middle grades and beyond. The store even has a section of free books for kids to take.

A new addition to the shop is the Build Your Own Ephemera files. This flat file features graphic images and single pages from vintage books that can be used for projects and sold by the envelope. Divided by subject, customers will find people, places and animals, sci-fi elements and a drawer just for kids.

“We celebrate physical media,” said Mervosh.

In addition to books and novelties, it also hosts a different artist each month, celebrating them with an opening and closing reception. It is also a featured location on the Taylor Studio Tour each year.

In its larger space, Curio Mrvosa offers a meeting space for book clubs and book signings. It also opens up its space to small community events.

“We even offer a discount to encourage book clubs to buy local,” said Mervosh.

Hours are noon-4 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon-4 p.m. Sunday.

For more, visit curiomrvosa.square.site/.

LARK AND OWL BOOKSELLERS

Founded by women in 2018, Lark and Owl Booksellers is also participating in the Austin Texas Book Trail. Located in historic downtown Georgetown, 205 Sixth St., Suite 101, its books are as diverse as its readers who whittle away a few hours thumbing through titles, the booksellers said.

Nestled among the volumes, customers will find Alouette Bistro offering baristamade coffees and teas, plus an assortment of baked goods and lunch items including quiche and sandwiches.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday.

THE STORY EMPORIUM &BOOKSHOP

Opening in late 2025, the Story Emporium & Bookshop in Hutto is the newest independent bookseller in the area.

Located at 202 U.S. 79 in Hutto, it stocks a curated mix of new and used books in genres for readers of all ages.

According to owner Ash O’Rourke, readers will find their favorite top titles for all ages, from children’s picture books and graphic novels to young-adult selections.

Adult readers will discover contemporary, fantasy and historical romance, literary and contemporary fiction, mystery, horror and thrillers.

The Story Emporium & Bookshop also stocks fantasy, science fiction and nonfiction titles along with a section featuring local authors.

Though not a part of the Austin Book Trail this year, The Story Emporium and Bookshop hosts events during the month.

From a Silent Book Club to writing workshops, readers and writers can gather in a supportive space, O’Rourke said.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For more, visit www. thestoryemporiumandbookshop.com/.

INDEPENDENT BOOKSTOREDAY

Scheduled for April 25, the 13th Annual Independent Bookstore Day celebrates independently owned bookstores across the country.

In 2026, over 1,300 stores will participate, organizers said.

For readers east of Taylor, there is also a bookstore in Rockdale. Main Street Bookshop is located at 202 W. Cameron Ave.

Elgin features a pop-up bookstore, Lonely Hunter Books, inside of Lo-Fi Coffee House and Studio at 109 A Central Ave.

What’s happening in East Wilco arts and entertainment

— COMPILED BY CATHERINE PARKER

SUNDAY, MARCH 1 

• Hutto Silent Book Club at The Story Emporium & Bookshop, 202 U.S. 79, Hutto, 3-4:30 p.m., free and all ages.

MONDAY, MARCH 2

• Chair yoga at Taylor Public Library, 801 Vance St., Taylor, 9:30 a.m., free.

• “Moving Stories Monday” at The Story Emporium & Bookshop, 202 U.S. 79, Hutto, 10:30-11:30 a.m. for ages 4-12, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for ages 13-18.

• Sketch Club at Atelier 95, 311 N. Main St., Taylor, 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Donation: $15, ages 18 and up.

TUESDAY, MARCH 3 

• Storytelling with Kelley McRae at Black Sparrow Music Parlor, 113 W. Second St., Taylor, 7 p.m., free, ages 18 and up.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4

• Storytime at Taylor Public Library, 801 Vance St., Taylor, 10:30 a.m., free, all ages.

• Preschool Storytime at the Hutto Public Library, 500 W. Live Oak St,. Hutto, 11 a.m.

• Senior Social at Taylor Public Library, 801 Vance St., Taylor, 2 p.m., free.

• Hutto Farmers Market at 350 Ed Schmidt Blvd., Hutto, 3-7 p.m.

• “Wine Down Wednesday” at The Story Emporium & Bookshop, 202 U.S. 79, Hutto, 5:45-6:45 p.m., free, ages 21 and up.

• Yoga by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 6:30 p.m., $5.

THURSDAY, MARCH 5

• Chair yoga at Taylor Public Library, 801 Vance St., Taylor, 9:30 a.m., free.

• Butts ’N’ Guts by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 6 p.m., $5.

• Track Time & Walk to Run by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 6:30 p.m., $12.

• Taylor Neighbors Coalition at Black Sparrow Music Parlor, 113 W. Second St., Taylor, 7 p.m., free, ages 18 and up.

FRIDAY, MARCH 6

• Senior Social at Taylor Public Library, 801 Vance St., Taylor, 2 p.m., free.

• SeniorFit by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 10:30 a.m., $5.

• Mindfulness Art Workshop at The Story Emporium & Bookshop, 202 U.S. 79, Hutto, 6-7:15 p.m., details at www. thestoryemporiumandbookshop.com.

• Karaoke Night and pool tournament at Cotton Country Club, 212 E. Davilla St., Granger, doors open at 5 p.m.

• Sterling Country at SPJST Lodge 29, 5025 FM 619, Taylor, 7:30 11:30 p.m., free.

• Texas Zephyrs & Giddy Up Go at Black Sparrow Music Parlor, 113 W. Second St., Taylor, 8 p.m., $10 at the door, ages 18 and up.

• Neal McCoy at Coupland Dancehall, 101 Hoxie St., Coupland, doors open at 6 p.m. Ticket info at CouplandDancehall.com.

SATURDAY, MARCH 7

• Heritage Square Farmers Market, 400 N. Main St., Taylor, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., free.

• Record Pop-Up at Curio Mrvosa Books and More, 114 N. Main St., Taylor, noon-5 p.m.

• Teen Writing Group at The Story Emporium & Bookshop, 202 U.S. 79, Hutto, 1-2 p.m., free, ages 13-18.

• Author signing: Nikei S. Salas at The Story Emporium & Bookshop, 202 U.S. 79, Hutto, 2-5 p.m., free.

• “Paint & Pour Night” at The Story Emporium & Bookshop, 202 U.S. 79, Hutto, 6-7 p.m. $30 per person, ages 21 and up.

• The Light Aluminum at Black Sparrow Music Parlor, 113 W.

Second St., Taylor, 8 p.m., $10 at the door, ages 18 and up.

SUNDAY, MARCH 8 DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME BEGINS • Resume workshop for adults at The Story Emporium & Bookshop, 202 U.S. 79, Hutto, 2-4 p.m, details at www. thestoryemporiumandbookshop.com.

MONDAY, MARCH 9

• Chair yoga at Taylor Public Library, 801 Vance St., Taylor, 9:30 a.m., free.

• “Moving Stories Monday” at The Story Emporium & Bookshop, 202 U.S. 79, Hutto, 10:30 a.m. to -1:30 p.m. for ages 4–12, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for ages 13–18.

• Sketch Club at Atelier 95, 311 N. Main St., Taylor, 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Donation: $15, ages 18 and up.

TUESDAY, MARCH 10

• SeniorFit by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 10:30 a.m., $5.

• Pilates by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 6 p.m., $5.

• Track Time & Walk to Run by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 6:30 p.m., $12.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11

• Storytime at Taylor Public Library, 801 Vance St., Taylor, 10:30 a.m., free, all ages.

• Preschool Storytime at the Hutto Public Library, 500 W. Live Oak St., Hutto, 11 a.m.

• Senior Social at Taylor Public Library, 801 Vance St., Taylor, 2 p.m., free.

• Hutto Farmers Market at 350 Ed Schmidt Blvd., Hutto, 3-7 p.m.

• Anime & Manga Club at The Story Emporium & Bookshop, 202 U.S. 79, Hutto, 5:30- 6:30 p.m., free, ages 13 and up.

• Sounds Bowls (ages 18 and up) & Sunshine Kids Club at Black Sparrow Music Parlor, 113 W. Second St., Taylor, 6 p.m., free.

• Yoga by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 6:30 p.m., $5.

THURSDAY, MARCH 12

• Chair yoga at Taylor Public Library, 801 Vance St., Taylor, 9:30 a.m., free.

• “Women Who Wander” at The Story Emporium & Bookshop, 202 U.S. 79, Hutto, 6-8 p.m. free, RSVP at www. thestoryemporiumandbookshop.com.

• Butts ’N’ Guts by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 6 p.m., $5.

• Track Time & Walk to Run by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 6:30 p.m., $12.

FRIDAY, MARCH 13

• Senior Social at Taylor Public Library, 801 Vance St., Taylor, 2 p.m., free.

• SeniorFit by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 10:30 a.m., $5.

• Monthly Book Club at The Story Emporium & Bookshop, 202 U.S. 79, Hutto, 5-6:30 p.m., free.

• Karaoke Night and pool tournament at Cotton Country Club, 212 E. Davilla St., Granger, doors open at 5 p.m.

• Closing party for “100 Bucks Art Show” at Curio Mrvosa Books and More, 114 N. Main St., Taylor, 5-8 p.m.

• Robert Lawhorn & Triple Threat at SPJST Lodge 29, 5025 FM 619, Taylor, 7:30-11:30 p.m., free.

• Steve Delopoulos at Black Sparrow Music Parlor, 113 W.

Second St., Taylor, 8 p.m., free, all ages.

• Asleep at the Wheel at Coupland Dancehall, 101 Hoxie St., Coupland, doors open at 6 p.m. Ticketing info at CouplandDancehall.com

SATURDAY, MARCH 14

• Downtown Taylor Community Alley Cleanup starting at 9 a.m.

• Heritage Square Farmers Market, 400 N. Main St., Taylor, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., free.

• “Gilmore Girls Day” at The Story Emporium & Bookshop, 202 U.S. 79, Hutto, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., free.

• Middle Earth D&D Campaign (ages 18 and up) and Teen D&D One-Shot (ages 13-18) at The Story Emporium & Bookshop, 202 U.S. 79, Hutto, 1:30-5:30 p.m., details at www. thestoryemporiumandbookshop.com.

• Open Mic Night at Black Sparrow Music Parlor, 113 W. Second St., Taylor, 6 p.m., free, all ages.

SUNDAY, MARCH 15

• “Writing Talk: Turning Ideas into a Book” at The Story Emporium & Bookshop, 202 U.S. 79, Hutto, 2-3:30 p.m., free, all ages.

MONDAY, MARCH 16 SPRING BREAK FOR TAYLOR AND HUTTO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS • Chair yoga at Taylor Public Library, 801 Vance St., Taylor, 9:30 a.m., free.

• “Moving Stories Monday” at The Story Emporium & Bookshop, 202 U.S. 79, Hutto, 10:30-11:30 a.m. for ages 4-12, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for ages 13–18.

• Sketch Club at Atelier 95, 311 N. Main St., Taylor, 6:30 -9:30 p.m. Donation: $15, ages 18 and up.

TUESDAY, MARCH 17

• SeniorFit by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 10:30 a.m., $5.

• Pilates by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 6 p.m., $5.

• Track Time & Walk to Run by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 6:30 p.m., $12.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18

• Storytime at Taylor Public Library, 801 Vance St., Taylor, 10:30 a.m., free, all ages.

• Preschool Storytime at the Hutto Public Library, 500 W. Live Oak St., Hutto, 11 a.m.

• Senior Social at Taylor Public Library, 801 Vance St., Taylor, 2 p.m., free.

• Hutto Farmers Market at 350 Ed Schmidt Blvd., Hutto, 3-7 p.m.

ARTS & MUSIC

• Teen Writing Group at The Story Emporium & Bookshop, 202 U.S. 79, Hutto, 5:45-6:45 p.m., free, ages 13-18.

• Yoga by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 6:30 p.m., $5.

THURSDAY, MARCH 19

• Chair yoga at Taylor Public Library, 801 Vance St., Taylor, 9:30 a.m., free.

• Butts ’N’ Guts by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 6 p.m., $5.

• Track Time & Walk to Run by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 6:30 p.m., $12.

• Music on Main: The Animeros at Heritage Square Park, 400 N.

Main St., Taylor, 7 p.m., free.

FRIDAY, MARCH 20

• Senior Social at Taylor Public Library, 801 Vance St., Taylor, 2 p.m., free.

• SeniorFit by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 10:30 a.m., $5.

• Karaoke Night and pool tournament at Cotton Country Club, 212 E. Davilla St., Granger, doors open at 5 p.m.

• Midnight Wranglers at SPJST Lodge 29, 5025 FM 619, Taylor, 7:30-11:30 p.m., free.

• Open Jam Night at Black Sparrow Music Parlor, 113 W. Second St., Taylor, 8 p.m., free, all ages.

• Austin Meade at Coupland Dancehall, 101 Hoxie St., Coupland, doors open at 6 p.m. Ticket info at CouplandDancehall.com.

SATURDAY, MARCH 21

• TMA Urban Farm & Garden’s Plants and Pastries Party, 701 S.

Main St., Taylor, 9 a.m.

• Heritage Square Farmers Market, 400 N. Main St., Taylor, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., free.

• Local vendor market at The Story Emporium & Bookshop, 202 U.S. 79, Hutto, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., free.

• Atlas Major at Black Sparrow Music Parlor, 113 W. Second St., Taylor, 8 p.m., $10 at the door, ages 18 and up.

• Katie Watson at Coupland Dancehall, 101 Hoxie St., Coupland, doors open at 6 p.m. Ticket info at CouplandDancehall.com.

MONDAY, MARCH 23

• Chair yoga at Taylor Public Library, 801 Vance St., Taylor, 9:30 a.m., free.

• “Moving Stories Monday” at The Story Emporium & Bookshop, 202 U.S. 79, Hutto, 10:30-11:30 a.m. for ages 4-12, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for ages 13-18.

• Sketch Club at Atelier 95, 311 N. Main St., Taylor, 6:30-9:30 p.m. Donation: $15, ages 18 and up.

TUESDAY, MARCH 24

• SeniorFit by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 10:30 a.m., $5.

• Pilates by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 6 p.m., $5.

• Track Time & Walk to Run by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 6:30 p.m., $12.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25

• Storytime at Taylor Public Library, 801 Vance St, Taylor, 10:30 a.m., free, all ages.

• Preschool Storytime at the Hutto Public Library, 500 W. Live Oak St., Hutto, 11 a.m.

• Senior Social at Taylor Public Library, 801 Vance St., Taylor, 2 p.m., free.

• Hutto Farmers Market at 350 Ed Schmidt Blvd., Hutto, 3-7 p.m.

• Yoga by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 6:30 p.m., $5.

THURSDAY, MARCH 26

• Chair yoga at Taylor Public Library, 801 Vance St., Taylor, 9:30 a.m., free.

• Butts ’N’ Guts by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 6 p.m., $5.

• Track Time & Walk to Run by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 6:30 p.m., $12.

• Poetry Open Mic at Black Sparrow Music Parlor, 113 W. Second St., Taylor, 7 p.m., free, ages 18 and up.

FRIDAY, MARCH 27

• Senior Social at Taylor Public Library, 801 Vance St., Taylor, 2 p.m., free.

• SeniorFit by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 10:30 a.m., $5.

• Game Night at The Story Emporium & Bookshop, 202 U.S. 79, Hutto, 4-7:30 p.m., free, ages 18 and up.

• Karaoke Night and pool tournament at Cotton Country Club, 212 E. Davilla St., Granger, doors open at 5 p.m.

• Second Hand Rose at SPJST Lodge 29, 5025 FM 619, Taylor, 7:30-11:30 p.m., free.

• Trey Harland at Black Sparrow Music Parlor, 113 W. Second St., Taylor, 8 p.m., $10 at the door, ages 18 and up.

• Sterling Elza at Coupland Dancehall, 101 Hoxie St., Coupland, doors open at 6 p.m. Ticketing info at CouplandDancehall. com.

SATURDAY, MARCH 28

• Heritage Square Farmers Market, 400 N. Main St., Taylor, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., free.

• Taylor Studio Tour in Taylor, noon-5 p.m., free. For more, visit www.taylorstudiotour.com/.

• Middle Earth D&D Campaign (ages 18 and up) and Teen D&D One-Shot (ages 13-18) at The Story Emporium & Bookshop, 202 U.S. 79, Hutto, 1:30-5:30 p.m., details at www. thestoryemporiumandbookshop.com.

• Taylor Youth Safety Bike Rodeo at Pasemann Elementary School, 2809 North Drive, Taylor, 2-5 p.m. (2-3 p.m. lowsensory hour), free for all ages.

• “Gatopalooza Art Show” opening reception at Curio Mrvosa Books and More, 114 N. Main St., Taylor, 5-8 p.m.

• Peer Feedback Circle – Writers Meet-Up at The Story Emporium & Bookshop, 202 U.S. 79, Hutto, 4-6 p.m., free.

• Bob Schneider at Coupland Dance Hall, 101 Hoxie St., Coupland, doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets: https://www.etix. com/ticket/p/46402724/bob-schneider-coupland-couplanddancehall.

• Chubby Knuckle Choir at Black Sparrow Music Parlor, 113 W. Second St., Taylor, 8 p.m., $10 at door, ages 18 and up.

SUNDAY, MARCH 29

• Taylor Studio Tour in Taylor, noon-5 p.m., free, more Information at www.taylorstudiotour.com/.

• Children’s Author Reading: Dana Rawdah at The Story Emporium & Bookshop, 202 U.S. 79, Hutto, 12:30-2 p.m., free.

• East Wilco Dems Meet at Black Sparrow Music Parlor, 113 W.

Second St., Taylor, noon, free.

MONDAY, MARCH 30

• Chair yoga at Taylor Public Library, 801 Vance St., Taylor, 9:30 a.m., free.

• “Moving Stories Monday” at The Story Emporium & Bookshop, 202 U.S. 79, Hutto, 10:30-11:30 a.m. for ages 4-12, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for ages 13-18.

• Sketch Club at Atelier 95, 311 N. Main St., Taylor, 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Donation: $15, ages 18 and up.

TUESDAY, MARCH 31

• SeniorFit by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 10:30 a.m., $5.

• Pilates by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 6 p.m., $5.

• Track Time & Walk to Run by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 6:30 p.m., $12.

APRIL

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1

• Storytime at Taylor Public Library, 801 Vance St., Taylor, 10:30 a.m., free, all ages.

• Preschool Storytime at the Hutto Public Library, 500 W. Live Oak St., Hutto, 11 a.m.

• Senior Social at Taylor Public Library, 801 Vance St., Taylor, 2 p.m., free.

• Hutto Farmers Market at 350 Ed Schmidt Blvd., Hutto, 3-7 p.m.

• Yoga by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 6:30 p.m., $5.

THURSDAY, APRIL 2

• Chair yoga at Taylor Public Library, 801 Vance St., Taylor, 9:30 a.m., free.

• Butts ’N’ Guts by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 6 p.m., $5.

• Track Time & Walk to Run by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 6:30 p.m., $12.

• Taylor Neighbors Coalition at Black Sparrow Music Parlor, 113 W. Second St., Taylor, 7 p.m., free, ages 18 and up.

FRIDAY: APRIL 3

• Senior Social at Taylor Public Library, 801 Vance St., Taylor, 2 p.m., free.

• SeniorFit by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 10:30 a.m., $5.

• “You Be the Judge” at The Story Emporium & Bookshop, 202 U.S. 79, Hutto, 12:30- 1:30 p.m, free, ages 13 and up.

• Karaoke Night and pool tournament at Cotton Country Club, 212 E. Davilla St., Granger, doors open at 5 p.m.

• Open Jam Night at Black Sparrow Music Parlor, 113 W. Second St., Taylor, 8 p.m.

SATURDAY, APRIL 4

• Heritage Square Farmers Market, 400 N. Main St., Taylor, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., free.

• Easter Egg Hunt at Memorial Field, 1213 Davis St., Taylor, 10 a.m. to noon.

• Black Sparrow Showcase at Black Sparrow Music Parlor, 113 W.

Second St., Taylor, 8 p.m., $10, ages 18 and up.

• Ghosts of the Hill Country at Coupland Dancehall, 101 Hoxie St., Coupland, doors open at 6 p.m. Ticket info at CouplandDancehall.com.

SUNDAY, APRIL 5 EASTER • Hutto Silent Book Club at The Story Emporium & Bookshop, 202 U.S. 79, Hutto, 3-4:30 p.m., free.

MONDAY: APRIL 6

• Chair yoga at Taylor Public Library, 801 Vance St., Taylor, 9:30 a.m., free.

• “Moving Stories Monday” at The Story Emporium & Bookshop, 202 U.S. 79, Hutto, 10:30-11:30 a.m. for ages 4-12, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. for ages 13–18.

• Sketch Club at Atelier 95, 311 N. Main St., Taylor, 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Donation: $15, ages 18 and up.

TUESDAY, APRIL 7

• SeniorFit by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 10:30 a.m., $5.

• Pilates by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 6 p.m., $5.

• Track Time & Walk to Run by Taylor Parks and Recreation Department, 1412 Davis St., Taylor, 6:30 p.m., $12.

• Storytelling with Kelly McRae at Black Sparrow Music Parlor, 113 W. Second St., Taylor, 7 p.m., free, ages 18 and up.

WWW.EASTWILCOINSIDER.COM

ON THE COVER

Danielle and Will Vermillion are the owners and operators of Vermillion Farms, the only aeroponics farm in Williamson County. The Coupland- based endeavor features COUPLAND — Farming in Texas has always been a struggle pitting man against nature. From mercurial weather to pestilential assaults, farmers today can now also add the challenges of labor shortages and global-market fluctuations to their list of livelihood complications.

AGRIBUSINESS

ROOTOF THE MATTER A look into aeroponics farming

Land is a separate concern. Texas has seen the price of land increase at a mind-blowing, exponential rate in the last six years, but rising costs are not the only worry as children of farming families leave to seek other careers and properties become industrial operations or are swallowed by urban sprawl.

What is to be done? How can these issues be mitigated while also growing fresh, healthy food?

Will and Danielle Vermillion of Coupland might just have an answer.

They own and operate Vermillion Farms, the only aeroponics farm in Williamson County.

‘TOWERFARMING’

Aeroponics is the process of growing produce without soil, but Will Vermillion added aeroponics is really about giving plants the oxygen they need.

“We all know that plants want our (carbon dioxide), but what most people don’t know is that a plant’s roots really want a lot of oxygen. They usually get that from water, but with plants in the ground or in a hydroponic system, the oxygen doesn’t always reach down to the roots,” Vermillion said.

There are different versions of the aeroponics technique, but they all involve plants’ roots exposed and not buried in dirt.

Vermillion Farms plants its crops in 12foot vertical towers. Many call aeroponics “tower farming,” but other aeroponics systems use flat boxes set on tables, stacked on top of other tables with grow lights hanging between them.

Vermillion’s interest in aeroponic farming stemmed from a documentary he saw about the subject that utilized the stacked tables and grow lights method.

“One-hundred percent of the photosynthesis was artificial, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but there is a lot more cost involved. With the towers, I use all-natural sunlight,” Vermillion said.

The Vermillions have a 4,300-squarefoot greenhouse constructed from diffused polycarbonate panels.

“They shatter the light so it’s more evenly distributed, which is very important when you’re growing in towers…The panels also block 99% of the (ultraviolet rays) and 100% of the infrared so that no surface is getting radiated from the infrared rays and I don’t get sunburned from the UV,” Will Vermillion said.

Inside the Vermillion Farms greenhouse there are 200 towers that each take up 12 square feet with 52 plants per tower.

“When you compare that to field-grown, they might be able to grow nine plants in that same amount of space,” Vermillion said.

Vermillion Farms produces one acre’s worth of crops from one-tenth of an acre.

The towers are positioned inside the greenhouse to allow the plants to receive light evenly from the top to the bottom. The roots are suspended in mid-air inside the towers, receiving nutrients through enriched mist.

“That way most of (the plant’s) life is in the air which allows better mineral absorption,” Vermillion said.

Through the misting system, aeroponics farms use 95% less water than crops planted in the ground.

CROPS

Vermillion Farms grows romaine, butter leaf and arugula lettuces, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers and seven different herbs including chives and cilantro.

Before the seedlings at Vermillion Farms are placed in the towers, they are planted under grow lights in rockwool, which is a natural product created primarily from crushed basalt rock that is spun into a fiber in a process similar to that of cotton candy. The fiber is then pressed into a spongelike sheet with holes bored into it for the seedlings.

Vermillion said rockwool works so well in the aeroponics towers because it is light, not super dense and it absorbs the perfect combination of air and moisture.

“The defining factor of what makes aeroponics so great is that you’re creating this hyperoxidated environment for the roots so that it’s able to absorb the oxygen it needs through the root base and grow and be the best possible plant,” Vermillion said.

Even when harvested, the Vermillions leave the roots on their plants.

“The moment you take (the roots) off, the plants start to decompose, which means it’s losing nutrients,” Will Vermillion said. “Our produce is the most nutritionally dense you can find compared to anything in the grocery store, if for no other reason than (the plant) is still living.”

He has also noticed the roots of many of his herbs have the same distinct aroma as the plant itself.

“Some people are starting to say to use the roots too,” Vermillion said, noting he has seen recipes calling for not just cilantro but cilantro root.

RAPIDGROWTH

Most Vermillion Farms crops grow so quickly, the family receives a greater return on their investment.

“On average, depending on the plant, you can see 20-40% faster growth in aeroponics crops than crops planted in the ground,” Vermillion said.

Plants can grow in the winter, too, though with less daylight many take eight to nine weeks to sprout as opposed to six weeks in the summer.

“And we don’t have to stop for seasons,” Vermillion said. “We grow 52 weeks a year.”

The weather outside the greenhouse doesn’t affect production inside. In the heat of Texas summers, the temperature in the greenhouse never climbs above 85 degrees.

“A lot of it depends on the humidity, but we’ve got the evaporative cooler that does most of the work,” Vermillion said.

The evaporative cooler, also known as a “swamp cooler,” is 5 feet high and 30 feet long. It keeps the greenhouse temperature 10 to 25 degrees cooler than the outside.

In the winter, temperatures in the greenhouse don’t drop below 60 degrees. Propane heaters at both ends of the greenhouse provide the warmth with fans on the floor circulating the warm air. Sail cloth is also stretched above the towers on cold nights, trapping the warm air down below with the plants.

In the event of a power outage, the Vermillions also have generators to keep the electricity going.

MOREBENEFITS

Another benefit to growing crops indoors is that it generally prevents the pesky problems caused by insects and other pests, although the Vermillions have noted they occasionally get spider mites on their tomatoes and aphids on the cucumbers.

A regular release of live ladybugs received through the mail tackles their aphid problem as aphids are a favorite snack of ladybugs. The Vermillions also discovered another natural and very simple deterrent to the spider mites: water. They spray the mites with a hose and the problem is solved.

The Vermillions maintain an all-natural, organic approach to their farming but do not have organic certification.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has given aeroponics- and hydroponicsgrown crops an organic designation, despite disagreement from the National Organics Standard Board that has argued organic farming comes from healthy soil fertility and biodiversity. The USDA countered the Organics Food Production Act doesn’t explicitly prohibit soil-less growth systems.

Sidestepping the issue, the Vermillions have labeled their produce “beyond organic.”

EXPERIMENTALFARM

There are no aeroponic towers at the Stiles Farm Foundation in nearby Thrall, but farm manager Ryan Collett said he is interested in the process.

Stiles Farm is an experimental farm operated by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Not only does the farm raise different crops or try different farming practices, but they test agricultural technology, such as the John Deere autonomous tractor — which originates at a facility just south of Coupland — and using drones for treating and analyzing crops.

Collett and Vermillion both consider aeroponics farming a type of agricultural technology.

Collett would like to try aeroponics farming, but “it would pull me away from the other aspects of our business model,” he said.

Collett also noted if someone wanted to get into tower farms they should focus all their time and attention on that process — which is exactly what the Vermillions have done.

Vermillion Farms is a family-run business and the Vermillions have embraced the life of farmers, “seven days a week, day in and day out,” Will Vermillion said.

While the aeroponics farm was Vermillion’s idea, he has had his wife’s wholehearted support, even when she was working at farmers markets with their third child strapped to her chest.

“I knew from the beginning that I was going to be involved…I love this,” Danielle Vermillion said.

In the early stages of the farm, the Vermillions enlisted family members to help sell produce at 13 different farmers markets in the surrounding area.

“But now we’re down to three,” Will Vermillion said.

On Saturdays, the Vermillions can be found at the Wolf Ranch Farmers Market in Georgetown and Barton Creek Farmers Market in Austin. Sundays, Vermillion Farms sets up shop at the Texas Farmers Market at Mueller in Austin.

The Vermillions have plans for expansion. They would like to build more greenhouses and increase their crop production. Eventually, Vermillion Farms would like to deliver boxes of fresh food directly to customers’ doorsteps.

“When I first learned about (aeroponics farming), I said, ‘This is how we do this. This is how we feed people’… Economically, environmentally and nutritionally, it hits every nail on the head,” Will Vermillion said.

Hometown law officers maximize resources

Even as several crime categories saw drops in Taylor and Hutto in 2025, funding challenges have the cities’ police departments seeking creative strategies to make the most of their resources while manpower remains an issue.

In addition, the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office is using more high-tech tools to take a bite out of crime.

With populations of 14,661 and 17,872 respectively, Hutto and Taylor are small cities with limited budgets. The revenue the towns bring in has to fund all municipal services, including the police departments.

In addition, being part of the greater Austin area with more than 2.4 million people creates larger challenges as East Williamson County law enforcement deals with homegrown offenders as well as roving criminal activity from other towns.

“The resources that we have as a city are not unlimited. With our requests to meet the growing demands of the community, we have to be measured in what we ask for and the timing of that because if we go and we get everything, that’s taking something from some other department,” said Hutto Police Chief Jeffrey Yarbrough.

Yarbrough and Taylor’s interim Police Chief Joseph Branson both say the need for more patrol officers is increasing as the area population grows, but in the meantime they are finding other solutions to keep their communities safe.

Taylor is employing more cameras that are tied directly into the police station, enabling constant monitoring of potential hot spots for drug use and vandalism. The city is also enacting a vacant building ordinance that will help in fire prevention as well as reduce the potential for criminal activity.

The city is also pushing a new ordinance that limits loitering and vagrancy downtown. Meanwhile, Hutto is increasing from one drone pilot to four, in order to have more coverage for an aerial program Yarbrough said has been an effective means to add more “eyes” to watch for crime. He has reworked shift coverage and patrol sectors to maintain a consistent police presence throughout town, he added.

Yarbrough has also been able to create additional staff positions to free up patrol officers from non-patrol functions. The department has added a court compliance accreditation manager to take over gathering data needed for trials and a crisis intervention officer to assist when an enforcement-trained person is needed for situations involving people with mental illness or diminished capacity.

Both chiefs say the relationship between officers and the community is an important factor. Hutto has several programs that put officers out on the streets, and Yarbrough himself frequently meets with new businesses.

Taylor has a downtown foot patrol that helps establish a visible presence.

“We’ve had great results from that, getting to personally know our downtown business owners, shoppers and residents that visit downtown. That’s been a really good program for us,” Branson said.

POOLINGRESOURCES

Williamson County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Noel Johnson said the county sees many of the same types of crime trends as the cities do, and the local agencies frequently work together.

“We have a very strong working relationship with our city partners,” Johnson said. “In some of the smaller communities we really rely on them and they rely on us for assistance, especially on the east side of the county. Areas like Granger and Thrall and Bartlett are much smaller departments, much more limited. So we rely on them to support us and to back us up and we try to be there for them in any way that we can as well.”

WCSO included city law-enforcement agencies on several proactive initiatives in 2025 targeting trending crimes.

The Criminal Investigation Department conducted package-theft operations during the holidays, construction-theft operations in areas with a lot of development activity, vehicle-burglary operations and “antijugging” operations focused on a couple of banks that had seen a high number of customers targeted.

Johnson said jugging is a dangerous crime that has grown in the past few years. It involves thieves watching to see when a person comes out of a bank with an envelope holding money or important documents. They then follow the person to their next destination, and if the victim leaves the envelope in the car the thieves break in and steal it. People often leave their valuables in the car if their next stop is a business. If they go directly home, the burglars then know where they live and that they might have cash.

The Flock Safety license-plate readers that are used on main transportation corridors across the county have led to additional opportunities for different agencies to work together as they look for or track the progress of a suspect vehicle. Though controversial in the eyes of privacy advocates, many residential neighborhoods have now installed license-plate readers that can be monitored by WCSO as well.

“It’s been a game changer,” Johnson said. “We are covering almost 1,000 square miles and serving over 300,000 people in the unincorporated areas of the county, and many times working with anywhere from nine to 15 deputies on duty at a time. With the numbers of call-ins that we have, we definitely are working hard to make sure that we’re meeting those needs.”

According to demographic figures, Williamson County is one of the fastest-growing in the nation, and new industries including data centers and the multibilliondollar Samsung Austin Semiconductor are fueling much of the population expansion, which likely will lead to more calls for first responders.

CRIMEBYTHENUMBERS

Offenses tracked by the Texas Department of Public Safety Uniform Crime Reporting System show that countywide, reported crimes decreased from 2024 to 2025.

For the Sheriff’s Office, total incidents dipped from 4,524 to 3,967.

Most offense categories saw declines, except for a slight rise in fraud, animal cruelty and obscene material cases. Burglary, larceny and vehicle theft saw significant decreases of more than 20%. Murder/ non-negligent homicide in the county increased 118% from 11 to 24 cases in 2025.

Manslaughter by negligence increased from one incident in 2024 to five in 2025.

WCSO cleared 871 of the 3,967 cases, with some open episodes still being investigated.

In Taylor, the Police Department handled 6% fewer incidents, dropping from 824 in 2024 to 775 in 2025. Most of the decrease was in crimes against property, shrinking from 509 to 413 with a significant lower tally in larceny and theft offenses.

However, crimes against persons rated higher in 2025, jumping from 239 to 267 reports. The city saw an increase in assault offenses and in forcible sex offenses.

Drug arrests also increased in 2025, from 61 to 79. Taylor PD cleared 244 of 775 total incidents in 2025.

In Hutto, there was an almost 16% nosedive in criminal incidents, falling from 1052 in 2024 to 885 in 2025.

The biggest decreases were in drug offenses, larceny, theft and burglary. Vandalism and fraud saw small increases. Crimes against persons also rose slightly, from 223 to 234 incidents.

Hutto officers cleared 223 of 885 total incidents.

The majority of criminal arrests involve male suspects, with 75% of those arrested by the Sheriff’s Office being men.

In Hutto, 71.4% are male. In Taylor, 75.2% are male.

ACTIVISTS:FEDERALINITIATIVES FREEZINGOUTVICTIMS

Some industry officials, activists and pundits in the media have questioned whether there truly has been a drop in offenses.

Immigration status and deportations in Texas have affected how residents view law enforcement. Some crime victims are not calling for police help due to a fear of deportation, pro-immigration advocates argue.

Yarbrough and Branson clarified that immigration is a federal issue, not a municipal one, and their officers are not asking those they encounter for their immigration status.

“We don’t want anybody in our community to feel like they’re extremely vulnerable and they don’t have any confidence in reporting an incident because HPD is going to inquire about their immigration status,” Yarbrough said. “That is not what HPD or most police departments focus on. We focus on helping the victim, holding the person who committed the crime accountable and providing the support and resources to those people to get them through the crisis.”

As of late January, neither Hutto nor Taylor worked directly with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, but the dynamic is changing quickly.

In January, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis updated the city’s policies to allow Austin officers to follow their own discretion on whether and when to contact ICE.

The Legislature passed a law in 2025 that requires all counties with a jail, including Williamson, to enter into an agreement to work with ICE. The state also requires local police departments to support federal immigration operations when requested.

“The Taylor Police Department is not assisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement with immigrationenforcement activities,” Branson said. “TPD would only provide assistance to ICE if requested during an emergency, and only in the same manner we would assist any law-enforcement agency facing an immediate public safety concern. Public safety depends on open communication and cooperation between residents and law enforcement, and we are committed to maintaining that trust.”

BUILDINGABETTERFORCE

Hutto and Taylor are both in need of additional officers to answer the public’s expectations of “responsive public safety,” but in reality both departments are running out of room.

The Taylor Police Department is shoehorned into an old beer distribution facility. Hutto operates from the former City Hall. Taylor has some officers working in a converted storage container. Yarbrough recently split his own office in half to create additional room.

Both departments require more space for officers and the technology that comes with modern policing, and that relief is on the horizon.

Hutto is in the early design phase of what will likely be a $57 million Justice Center to house the Police Department and the Municipal Court. Taylor will break ground this year on a $53 million Justice Center that will incorporate a new City Hall as well as the Police Department and Municipal Court.

Williamson County is also planning to build a new Justice Complex to hold its expanding Sheriff’s Office operations, as well as a new county jail facility and the district courts.

“Our community is growing. Our staffing is growing but it’s not growing at a pace that catches up. It’s growing at a pace that we as a community can manage when it comes to the many different needs of a community like this,” Yarbrough said. “At the end of the day, we serve our community. They don’t serve us, we serve them. So we have to be responsive to their needs.”

More information on crime statistics can be found at txucr.nibrs.com/Report/CrimeTrends.

GIVEMESHELTER Rents and mortgage payments stable but still outstrip worker wages seeking affordable housing

Affordable places to live in Williamson County are like the jackalope or chupacabra of real estate. Some people swear they’re out there, but the search is the stuff of legend.

While many subdivisions are popping up in the Hutto and Taylor areas, most of them are well above what many can afford thanks to demand from people searching outside Austin for lower prices.

With thousands of new jobs added in the county and a major influx of thousands more in the next few years, especially advanced manufacturing jobs in East Williamson County, the prospect of finding a place to live less than 30 minutes from work is becoming even more daunting.

“We don’t have enough houses today and we know the jobs are coming,” said Williamson County Judge Steven Snell.

He spoke at the recent Central Texas Growth Forum hosted by the Austin Board of Realtors and Unlock MLS, sharing a stage with Travis County Judge Andy Brown.

“We talk about housing affordability. It’s tough when the land’s not affordable, and the building materials aren’t affordable, and the permitting fees are crazy depending on where you are. And yet you’ve got to have affordable housing at 7% interest rate or whatever you have,” Snell said.

The median price of the 29,383 houses sold in 2025 in the five-county Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Metropolitan Statistical Area was $435,000, which was 2.4% less than the 2024 median price, according to data from ABoR and Unlock MLS.

The 10,070 houses sold in Williamson County last year resulted in a median price of $417,000. That’s a whopping 26% less than the $570,00 median price tag on homes sold in 2025 inside the city of Austin.

There was some softening in December, with the median sales price in Wilco at $415,000.

THE AUSTIN EXODUS

With that kind of price difference, industry observers aren’t surprised that Austin workers are seeking cheaper options. When the thousands more expected jobs, such as the nearly 2,000 at Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.’s advanced semiconductor fabrication plant in Taylor, come to Williamson County, prices could heat up again if not balanced with new developments.

The bargains are in counties that are a little longer haul to the employment centers of Austin, such as Caldwell County at a median price of $282,000 last year, Bastrop County at $352,000 and Hays County at $375,000.

For every plant manager, engineer, marketing executive and dentist, there are many times more people engaged in oil changes, operating a retailer’s cash register or working in restaurant kitchens.

The lower-wage earners are competing for the same inventory of houses and apartment rentals as those with high salaries.

Because of construction costs, profit motive and not enough tax-incentivized multifamily developments that include some apartment rental rates tied to the poverty level, too few job holders can live near where they work.

“As we grow and you think about all our small businesses and our restaurants, they need employees, and employees aren’t going to drive by 100 job opportunities and spend that gas money to get out to the corners of Williamson County,” Snell said. “It’s a balance. We’re having those growing pains; we’re going to continue to have them.”

COMMUTINGFACTOR

In 2021, it was estimated that 53% of Taylor residents who worked had commutes of 30 minutes or more, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data by the Greater Taylor Foundation. Now, those coming to new jobs in Taylor are looking at similar commutes to keep a roof over their heads.

That’s why the multifaceted issue needs a multipronged solution, Snell said. Roads are the first part.

“We want you at home with your family or at work or in one of those great green spaces, or parks or a downtown community in one of our small cities out there having a great time. We don’t want you stuck in traffic,” Snell said.

“We have to plan ahead. At some point, Williamson County is going to have more people than Travis County. We’re not going to have the big city like Austin. We’re going to have lot of mid-sized cities throughout the county. As soon as we get water, it’s ‘Katy, bar the door’ on the north side as well,” he said.

The county judge added, “If we can stay in communication (with the cities), if we can know when the growth is coming, if we know where the houses are being built and when they’re being built then we can get those roads on the map.”

The other solution is more new homes and apartments at different price points and not all luxury.

“Affordable means different things to different people,” Snell said. “There are no starter cars and starter homes anymore. There needs to be diversification of prices” including smaller homes and apartments.

DEFINING ‘AFFORDABLE’

An analysis of data from Unlock MLS found the housing market in 2025 was dominated by houses that don’t match most definitions of affordable.

In the five-county MSA, 58% of the houses sold last year went for more than $400,000 with nearly one in 10 fetching over $1 million.

Williamson County saw 55% of all house sales in 2025 changing hands at more than $400,000. Only 13% of the houses went for less than $300,000.

In Travis County, just 10% of sales were below that threshold while twothirds of the houses were more than $400,000.

Builders faced with rising costs and some softness in sales are now getting back to putting more inventory out there, which will help continue to stabilize the market as demand increases along with job growth, economists say.

“We’re coming out of a year or two where things have been a little soft for builders,” said Vaike O’Grady, research advisor at Unlock MLS. “I expect to see builders reengage.”

While she thinks builders want to provide homes at a variety of price points, O’Grady said they face stumbling blocks.

For one, the cost of development, including land acquisition and materials, hasn’t gone down. Smaller lot sizes could help control costs but “cities have been under pressure to keep out smaller lots,” O’Grady said.

Having more houses available on the market (while it won’t push prices down significantly) will keep the market more stable for the buyer and seller instead of skyrocketing costs brought on by high demand for too few houses from about 2020 to 2022.

Even people willing to spend a largerthan-normal chunk of their

income on

mortgage payments to score a house were shut out by multiple bids and incentives over the asking price.

“I am optimistic because of some of the big plays around Samsung and the (Austin Bergstrom International) airport,” O’Grady said. “Jobs will ramp up and inventory around Williamson County will get picked up. I’m encouraged that there’s more conversation about how to get more housing.”

At some point, Williamson County is going to have more people than Travis County.”

— STEVEN SNELL, WILLIAMSON COUNTY JUDGE

New owner promises to maintain music traditions, create new ones

COUPLAND — In fall 2025, the Coupland Dancehall changed hands, calming fears it would close and instead passing the torch to new owners of the famed Central Texas boot-scootin’ venue known for acts ranging from Americana to rockabilly.

As generations come and go on the dance floor, Lightstream Presents employees said they are bringing regional expertise to fully realize the potential of the local jewel.

With the live-entertainment group at the helm, the Coupland Dancehall has recently undergone upgrades to the sound system, kitchen and restrooms.

The building’s antiques and history still shine; however, new tables and chairs level up the guest experience, Lightstream Presents said.

THEBOOTSCOOTINGBUILDING

The Coupland Dancehall occupies several buildings along the 100 block of Hoxie Street, steps from the railroad tracks and a historical depot. From the covered porch out front to the rustic interior, the combined spaces feature their own aesthetic.

Built in 1904, one of the buildings started as the Coupland Drug Store. Above the pharmacy, the town doctor operated a few examining rooms, and rumors have it that some of his patients might still come to visit.

Another of the buildings constructed in 1910 housed the Speckles Brothers Dry Goods, Boots and Shoes. By 1916, a restaurant and saloon opened.

Along the way, it was home to a local newspaper as well.

Though not a dancehall in its early years, the space was converted into a 7,000-square-foot live music venue by one of its former owners.

The Coupland Dancehall served as a backdrop for music videos featuring Stevie Ray Vaughn, Pat Green and Kevin Fowler.

The site boasts movie credits as well, including “Lonesome Dove.”

Spotify used it to promote George Strait’s single “Every Little Honky Tonk Bar” in 2019.

NEWOWNERS,SAMEVIBE

All the things guests love about Coupland are still there, plus now the new team said they are dedicated to continuing live-entertainment production. Regionally operated, Lightstream Presents owns and manages three other locations in Central Texas: Haute Spot in Cedar Park, The Backyard in Waco and Buck’s Backyard in Buda.

“Everything is done in-house and in collaboration with the talent. Our inhouse talent bookers work with touring acts to coordinate and respond to initial opportunities,” said Kurt Wheeler, Lightstream Presents partner.

According to Wheeler, the internal marketing team creates the media assets used to promote the shows and distributes them.

“We also actively work with local talent to fill support slots and shine a spotlight on regional bands that round out an evening of entertainment,” Wheeler added.

Coupland will host premier artists soon, and those shows will be labeled “Live in Concert.”

Other artists will perform for the traditional “Dance Nights.”

UPGRADINGWITHANEYE TOWARDDANCEHALLCHARM

After acquiring the Coupland Dancehall in October, Lightstream Presents went to work upgrading the space without diminishing the history, a company representative said.

Much of the work was completed in five weeks before reopening in November.

According to Wheeler, the company completed behind-the-scenes work, including beefing up the subfloor and renovating the kitchen. Many of the antique furnishings got cleaned up and moved to improve the flow during shows.

The antique bars are lined up against the back wall, leaving spaces near the stage available for guests. The boudoir portrait of a former owner still hangs above the bar, watching from her perch.

Another addition, a 3-foot riser next to the dance floor, elevates the second set of reserved seating. This allows unrestricted views of the stage and the dance floor.

Restrooms also got upgrades. The women’s received a glow-up; however, it still sports a full-length dressing mirror.

ASOUNDSYSTEMTHAT’SMUSIC

TOYOUREARS

Lightstream Presents books live entertainment at all four of its locations, bringing in talent that prefers venues with upgraded audio, a company official said.

In the initial renovation of the Coupland Dancehall, the historic site received a new, custom-designed audio system from the same team that outfitted Austin’s Moody Theater.

“Lightstream Presents takes pride in our attention to detail to the guest experience when it comes to audio. In partnership with Auvili and d&b Audiotechnik, the new audio system was custom designed to fit the space,” said Bryan Hagemann of Lightstream Presents.

The entire space was sound mapped under the guidance of d&b Audiotechnik, one of the top manufacturers of live audio systems, he added.

“We strive for even audio coverage throughout the space, creating an experience where there is no bad seat in the house,” Hagemann said.

The compact cardioid line loudspeakers, or CCL, combined with array processing technology, deliver perfect sound coverage, according to the company.

“The new system consists of brandnew CCL loudspeakers and SL Subs (subwoofer). This cardioid line array allows us to focus the sound where we want it and mitigate unwanted reflections where we don’t,” Hagemann said.

COMINGBACKTOCOUPLAND DANCEHALL

For decades, Coupland Dancehall has also served as a restaurant.

Starting with the Valentine’s Dinner and Dance with Rick Trevino, guests will see a rollout of food on select dates this spring.

According to John Bock, food and beverage director with Lightstream Presents, the dancehall initially will serve brisket, sausage and chicken, utilizing a smoker “that makes the whole town smell like barbecue.”

Lightstream Presents offers in-house catering for barbecue and fajitas, plus a full bar. The space is available for events from weddings to corporate gatherings, accommodating 500 people.

According to Lightstream Presents, Teen Nights will make a return in the spring as well.

For the latest show information and to purchase reserved seating, visit www.couplanddancehall.com.

For more on event planning, reach out to Bock at JohnBock@hautespotvenue.com.