[Robotgroup] Austin American Statesman Mention!

[brooksdesign]

Good going gang.Wish I could have been there(not just because it was 10 degrees and blowing snow up here).I can't wait to see the pictures.

-----Original Message-----
>From: Vern Graner <vern at txis.com>
>Sent: Jan 1, 2008 3:23 PM
>To: The Robot Group Mailing List <robotgroup at puremagic.com>
>Subject: [Robotgroup] Austin American Statesman Mention!
>
>Small blurb, no pics, but coverage! :)
>
>http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/01/01/0101firstnight.html
>
>------------------------ clip -----------------------------
>
>Third First Night is second to none
>125,000 join carnival-like atmosphere downtown to greet 2008.
>
>By Patrick George
>AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
>Tuesday, January 01, 2008
>
>How did Austin ring in the New Year? With rock 'n' roll, funnel cake and 
>giant insects, of course.
>
>In front of Lady Bird Lake, thousands of revelers kicked off 2008 by 
>attending First Night and turning the city into a massive carnival.
>
>The Texas Juggling Society added a spark to Monday night's events: 
>Connie Leaverton lights up the First Night parade as she juggles her way 
>along Congress Avenue. The third year of the Austin event attracted up 
>to 125,000 people, according to city estimates.
>
>Kids who couldn't greet 2008 at midnight got their own fireworks earlier 
>in the evening.
>
>Jack Fairchild put the yee-haw in Monday's First Night parade, stopping 
>to rope a spectator on Congress Avenue. Plenty of costumes, creativity 
>and talent were on display as Austin turned out to meet the New Year.
>
>Bicycle parades, dancing librarians, sausage wraps and toddlers with 
>glowing plastic swords all dotted the downtown streetscape Monday night. 
>Approximately 125,000 people enjoyed the third year of this festival of 
>creativity and local flair, according to city estimates.
>
>Recent Albuquerque, N.M., transplant Jill Price brought her 3-year-old 
>twin girls downtown and said she was impressed by First Night's 
>alcohol-free environment.
>
>"It's definitely family-friendly," Price said. "It's a good, safe place 
>to bring your kids for New Year's Eve."
>
>Traffic on Cesar Chavez Street, Guadalupe Street, Lavaca Street and the 
>South First Street bridge was shut down from 2 p.m. Monday to 2 a.m. 
>today to allow partygoers a safe space to view more than 60 public art 
>showcases. A parade along Cesar Chavez Street included zany bicycle 
>floats shaped like huge butterflies and even a gargantuan snake skeleton.
>
>And what would any New Year celebration be without fireworks at 
>midnight? This year, there was also a fireworks show earlier in the 
>evening so kids could have some New Year's fun before bedtime.
>
>The event drew out odd contraptions, too. Austin-based tech-artists the 
>Robot Group showed off Ponginator, a 20-foot-tall computer-controlled 
>robot that fired pingpong balls at up to 160 mph. Robot Group president 
>Vern Graner said the robot, stationed on West Cesar Chavez Street, could 
>launch balls nearly to the top of the CSC building across the street.
>
>"It's been amazing. Kids love it," Graner said. "It's a big, giant 
>robot, and kids love robots. It makes a lot of loud noise, and kids love 
>that, too."
>
>The carnival atmosphere was strongest on the South First Street bridge, 
>where the smells of sausage wraps and funnel cake filled the air and 
>kids drew New Year's greetings in chalk on the pavement. Toni Gonzales 
>and her husband, David, said the fun on the bridge let their 4- and 
>6-year-olds enjoy the New Year's celebration before their 8 p.m. curfew.
>
>"We had fun making kites," Toni Gonzales said. "We just had some sausage 
>wraps over there."
>
>"The lemonade was good, too," her husband added.
>
>First Night was a big opportunity for those who serve the throngs of 
>revelers. Just ask pedicab driver Jeff Raby, who, despite being new to 
>the job, had big goals for the evening.
>
>"Tonight, you can make up to $400," Raby said. "I heard someone made 
>over $1,000 last year."
>
>pgeorge at statesman.com; 445-3851
>------------------------ clip -----------------------------
>
>:)
>
>Vern
>
>-- 
>Vern Graner CNE/CNA/SSE    | "If the network is down, then you're
>Senior Systems Engineer    | obviously incompetent so why are we
>Texas Information Services | paying you? Of course, if the network
>http://www.txis.com        | is up, then we obviously don't need
>Austin Office 512 328-8947 | you, so why are we paying you?" ©VLG
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