W Hotel Austin light towers donated to soccer club
The Austin Texans Soccer Club was gifted three huge light towers that were used in construction of the W Austin Hotel and Residencies project.
Stratus Properties Inc. and the Canyon-Johnson Urban Fund were behind the donation. The lights are generator-powered and will allow the nonprofit, which is a division of Dallas Texans Youth Soccer, to hold evening practice.
“This type of gift to non-profit youth groups helps us to keep our costs low in order to allow as many youth as possible to participate in the sport of soccer," said soccer club President Dan Williams.
The W Austin and related mixed-use project, known as Block 21, is located downtown in the 2nd Street District. It will include 159 luxury residential units, 251 hotel guest rooms and suites, 17,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, 35,000 square feet of office space and a street-level plaza. Also, a state-of-the-art, live music venue will serve as the new home for the Austin City Limits series.
Excerpted from W Hotel Austin light towers donated to soccer club - Austin Business Journal
http://austin.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2010/08/16/daily54.html?surround=lfn
San Antonio chosen for multiple NCAA championships
San Antonio has been awarded the rights to host several NCAA championships for soccer, basketball and fencing, San Antonio Sports officials said Monday.
The city will host the 2011 and 2012 Big 12 Women’s Soccer Championship. San Antonio will also be the site for the 2012 and 2013 NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Championship at St. Mary’s University’s Greehey Arena.
San Antonio will host the 2011 and
2012 Division III Men’s and Women’s Soccer Championships at North East Independent School District’s Soccer Stadium as well as the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Fencing Championships in 2012 and 2013 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.
“This is a win for San Antonio,” says Susan Blackwood, executive director of San Antonio Sports. “Hosting these events helps strengthen our ties with the NCAA and collegiate sports and brings some of the best collegiate athletes and competitions to our city.”
The Big 12 Women’s Soccer Championship has been held in San Antonio for the last 14 years.
San Antonio Sports is the organization that bids on the right to host sporting events. In the past, the organization has hosted numerous men’s and women’s Final Fours. Officials with San Antonio Sports note that the sports championships hosted by the organization have generated $311 million in economic impact for the city.
Excerpted from San Antonio chosen for multiple NCAA championships - San Antonio Business Journal
http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2010/08/09/daily4.html?surround=lfn
Six Flags parks' attendance up, new CEO says
Originally published in the Fort Worth Star Telegram
The new head of Six Flags Entertainment spent his first day on the job telling Wall Street analysts that attendance is up at its theme parks, and that the company turned a profit in the second quarter after emerging from a "long and often complex" financial restructuring.
"This was a very memorable quarter," said Jim Reid-Anderson, named Six Flags CEO on Friday. "This is great company that had a bad balance sheet."
Six Flags, which also recently moved its New York headquarters to Grand Prairie, emerged from bankruptcy on April 30. It was relisted on the New York Stock Exchange on June 21 under the ticker symbol SIX. Shares closed Monday at $33.73, up $1.73.
The company Monday reported $321.3 million in revenue in the quarter ending June 30, up 8 percent from $296.8 million a year ago.
Attendance at the company's 19 parks in the U.S., Canada and Mexico was 8.2 million in the quarter, up 7 percent, or about 500,000 more people from the same quarter of 2009, the company said.
Season-pass sales were up 16 percent and group sales were up 6 percent, the company said.
Six Flags operates Six Flags Over Texas and Hurricane Harbor in Arlington.
The company reported a $743.4 million profit in the second quarter, compared with a $121.6 million loss a year ago. The figure reflects gains from debt extinguishment as the company emerged from bankruptcy.
Reid-Anderson, 51, was also named Six Flags' chairman and president. He most recently was an adviser to Apollo Management. From December 2008 to March 2010, he was an adviser to the managing board of Siemens AG, a $100 billion worldwide manufacturer and supplier of electronics and electrical engineering in the industrial, energy and healthcare sectors.
Alexander "Al" Weber, who joined the company in May and served as interim CEO, was named chief operating officer.
He is a former CEO of Paramount Parks theme parks, CEO of Kings Leisure Partners theme and amusement park consultants, and CEO of Palace Entertainment, a water park and family entertainment center.
Six Flags filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in June 2009, saying it was $2.7 billion in debt. On Aug. 1, its debt was $830 million, Weber said. On Aug. 5, the company made an unscheduled $25 million principal payment on a loan, he said.
The executives said they will move forward focusing on improving customer service, establishing a better-structured ticket discount plan, reducing debt and using its Mr. Six pitchman less.
"Our advertisements have relied too heavily on Mr. Six," Weber said. "While his awareness is high, his effectiveness of the message is low. We need to listen to our guests better."
Per capita guest spending decreased 1 percent, to $36.86, in the second quarter from $37.15 a year ago, the company said. The decline resulted from a decrease in season-pass pricing that began last fall, but it was offset partly by an increase in sales of single-day tickets and food, the company said.
The executives said the theme parks are in excellent condition, thanks to $1.75 billion spent on upkeep and other capital expenses since 1998. Locally, the company is spending $10 million to renovate the Texas Giant wooden roller coaster to make it faster. The ride is scheduled to reopen next year in time for the amusement park's 50th anniversary.
Palo Duro Canyon - TEXAS musical Celebrate Anniversaries
Imagine hiking and rafting deep desert canyons by day and attending first class stage performances under the beautiful starry Texas sky at night. You can in the heart of West Texas where a hidden treasure of outdoor recreational opportunity awaits, and an artistic theatrical production that rivals the best of Broadway.
It all happens in magical Palo Duro Canyon, often called the Grand Canyon of Texas. Even though the canyon is a little less than half the size of the Grand in length and depth, it is a remarkable and rather unexpected sight in West Texas.
Palo Duro Canyon State Park celebrates its 75th anniversary this year and to mark the occasion the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum has created a special exhibition highlighting the parks colorful history. The exhibition covers the creation of the park, its geological significance, the history of Native Americans and the enduring legacy of ranching on the wild Texas frontier. And the exhibition wouldn't be complete without the history of TEXAS LEGACIES - the outdoor musical presented by the Texas Panhandle Heritage Foundation.
"Palo Duro Canyon: Then and Now" will run through July 16th at the Pan-Handle Plains Historical Museum.
Rugged Outdoor Fun
Palo Duro Canyon State Park offers active travelers great opportunities for exploration with over 120 miles of trails, camping areas and nature centers to discover. Whether you like to hike, bike, raft, ride horseback, or perhaps just sit and enjoy the view, there is an activity for everyone to enjoy in the canyon.
The canyon is also full of interesting and unique flora and fauna - some that can only be found this area.
Perhaps one of the most popular canyon activities takes place at night. Even though the canyons' daytime views are impressive, when the sun sets and the moon rises, the beauty of the canyon and the Texas night sky leave you awestruck and nearly speechless. The park offers night time hikes and astronomy evenings where participants are able to receive instruction and use of world-class telescope and equipment. Viewing the night sky deep in the heart of the canyon will be a memory you won't forget.
There are many options for lodging as well, including RV sites in the park with full electrical hookup, water, paved parking areas, a firering, and a picnic table. Some offer shade shelters. So popular is the park as an RV destination that there are actually three RV areas within the park, each sporting a restroom and shower facility.
The fee for camping runs $20/per site and includes up to 2 vehicles and 8 people for each site. It is recommended to call ahead during the TEXAS musical theater season to check for site availability.
For years the theater has entertained and educated thousands of fellow Texans and world travelers with its outstanding productions. This year, in honor of its 37th birthday, artistic director Bruce Lumpkin will produce The Best of TEXAS, a combined creative vision of former artistic directors and the evolution of the production to its present state.
It's no small production with state-of-the-art lights, sound, special effects and over 120 performers and actors making it an impressive Broadway-style production.
Perhaps one of the most unique aspects of the production is the Palo Duro Canyon Outdoor Epic Theater itself. There are comparable outdoor theaters like it in the world. With the canyon walls serving as the backdrop and stage for the production, it is guaranteed to be a sensational experience. As Lumpkin says "You may leave emotional, proud or humbled, but you will certainly leave with a deeper understanding of why Texans are proud to be called Texans."
This special production will run for one season only for a total of 58 performances. The official season opens June 2 and will run through August 19. The show begins at 8:30 p.m. A good old fashioned Texas barbeque dinner is included before the performance. It is recommended to plan ahead for this very special production and reserve your tickets well in advance.
So pack the RV and head west this summer to check out the Jewel of the Texas Pan Handle, Palo Duro Canyon, the Palo Duro Canyon Outdoor Epic Theater, and the fantastic production of TEXAS!
Excerpted from Palo Duro Canyon - TEXAS musical Celebrate Anniversaries
http://gorvtexas.com/palodurocanyontexas.htm |
