With recent rain, Mueller parks are enjoying much-needed water. Blogs Great Stems, The Grackle and Digging have all recently posted photos and articles about the plants, landscape and composition of Mueller’s newest park, the Southwest Greenway. To view these posts click on their names and to learn more about the Southwest Greenway and other Mueller parks, visit our Thinking Green – Parks and Open Spaces section of www.MuellerAustin.com.

After years of extensive planning, the Austin Children’s Shelter has completed its new facility that will offer the ability to provide emergency shelter as well as longer term residential care for abused and neglected children and youth. In this expanded facility, ACS will ultimately care for as many as 78 children at a time and increase its programs to include an on-site charter school and family-based support services. Built on 13 acres adjacent to Mueller, the new campus of five “cottages” and three program support buildings is designed to safeguard children with some areas in the campus not generally open to the public.

Please join us for this one opportunity to tour the entire site of our new campus and celebrate our 25th anniversary on Wednesday, October 7, 2009 from 5:00-7:00pm.

Activities will include:

• Campus tours by Austin Children’s Shelter Guild members
• Minis and Friends – Little Horses, Big Hearts
• ACS Kids Council Lemonade Stand
• Live Music from The Biscuit Brothers (courtesy of A Texas Christmas Carol and other artists), and musical artist Elizabeth Wills
• Tastings from Which Wich, Tres Amigos, Stardust Pastry and EL CHILE CAF É Y CANTINA
• Interactive Play-Doh Station for the kids
• Visit Da Bull, dancers and coaching staff of the Austin Toros in the gym

Frost Bank is celebrating their grand opening in the Mueller retail center with three days of family-friendly fun! See more information about the festivities below.

Thursday, September 10
7 am to 9 am
TexMex Breakfast from Lee’s Meat Market

Thursday, September 10
3 pm
The Frost Mueller Financial Center offers American Sign Language access through Deaf Link’s Video Remote Interpreting to the deaf and hard of hearing customers. Frost is inviting the deaf community (any anyone else ionterested in this technology) to attend a presentation demonstrating this service.

Friday, September 11
7 am to 9 am
Chuckwagon breakfast in the parking lot

Saturday, September 12
11 am to 1 pm
Family Fun Day: Frost Bank will be serving barbecue from Hoover’s and dessert from Upper Crust Bakery for lunch. For the kids, they will be giving away 100 Build-A-Bears from the Build-A-Bear Workshop. They will also have music provided by the Reagan High School Drum Line!

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for these wonderful community events all happening at Frost Bank in the Mueller retail center at 1200 Barbara Jordan Blvd.

SunFlowers – An Electric Garden is complete.  Located at Mueller along IH-35, Austin’s largest public art project will officially illuminate tonight, Thursday, July 30th, and you are invited to join us.

We’ll begin to gather at 7:30 p.m. in the Northwest Greenway near where Philomena Street ends. Remarks will begin at approximately 8:15 p.m. with a walk along the trail to follow.  Here are a few more event details:

In addition to capturing solar energy to glow at night, the SunFlowers rely on sensors to determine when they will begin illuminating. We can’t precisely predict when the SunFlowers will turn on, but we know it has to be dark — so bring a flashlight and enjoy the trail.  We’ll be in a park setting, so bring the family, consider packing a snack or spread out for a picnic (don’t forget the bug spray)!

Free parking is available at the Mueller retail center or along Philomena and Robert Browning streets (south of both the retail center and Dell Children’s Medical Center near the new Seton office building).

Hope to see you out there!

Designed by Mags Harries and Lajos Heder,  “SunFlowers – An Electric Garden” creates a bold landmark at the west entrance to Mueller, casting patterns of shade along the hike and bike trail during the day and using the power collected through its solar panels to glow at night.  SunFlowers extends nearly 540 feet in length; the 15 sculptures range in height from more than 18 – 24 feet above the footpath and the photovoltaic “petals” form blossoms that reach 13 to 15 feet in diameter.  For more information on SunFlowers – An Electric Garden including the artists, selection of the art and its self-sustaining solar arrays, you can visit solarsunflowers.muelleraustin.com.

Have you seen the 2009 Parade of Homes at Mueller yet? The last weekend for the Parade is coming up. Enjoy live musice from Cienfuegos this Saturday, June 6 and Wendy Colonna on Sunday, June 7.

Want to see more? Take a sneak peek at this video from the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Parade. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMudXKCR1SA