Austin Kossacks unite! April 2, 2pm, Scholz's

I just joined Booman, and this is my first post here. Another Kossack/Booperson suggested I post this announcement from dKos here too. I hope that some of you Austinites out there can join us on Saturday. The forecast is for absolutely perfect weather–just right for an afternoon at Scholz’s.

Crossposted at Daily Kos on Monday:

Yes, that’s right. At 2 p.m. this coming Saturday afternoon, Kossacks of Austin TX will meet in person at Scholz Beer Garden–outdoors of course. I’ll have a sign/card on the table with some mention of “Kos” on it so we can find each other. And if you have a digital camera, please bring it! I would like to post a brief diary with photos on dKos [and Booman Trib] afterwards.

I’m looking forward to meeting y’all. Let’s start plotting and help Mindmouth get some respect for Texas!

(As proof that Texas is (almost) a whole other country, bagpipers start playing at 5 p.m. at Scholz’s. If we stay that long, we’ll probably be ready for them…)

6 Comments

Janet Strange on March 31, 2005 at 6:39 pm

For any Austinites who are not long-timers in our fair city, here’s a little history about Scholz’s, from an Austin Chronicle article of July 2003:

Wilson’s warmest memories roll off his tongue in a series of fleeting flashbacks — Bob Eckhardt, the beloved state and U.S. representative parked at a table drawing cartoons … future Gov. Ann Richards with her husband Dave (he was a law student; she was a teacher at Fulmore) … Willie Morris and The Texas Observer gang repairing to the garden after tapping out peerless prose on manual typewriters … writer Bill Hilmer … the list goes on. “We’re talking about the mavericks,” says Wilson, “the sharpest of the sharpest.”

Wilson believes the culture began to shift “when they started advertising deodorant on television. Suddenly, we weren’t supposed to be wet under the arms anymore, and here all this time we’d just been sweating and suffocating in the goddamn heat.”

The Eighties brought Wilson’s disappointing Scholz business venture, but he brightens when he recalls: “I had the temerity to tell the fraternity boys that they couldn’t just come down and take over the place,” he said. “I told ’em, Scholz is for the people, not the sons of the rich, white bullies of Texas.”

More recently, the Garden hosted political Austin blasphemy: Last August, the Travis County Republican Party kicked off its 2002 campaign season at Scholz, packed with elephants grinning from ear to ear in anticipation of sweeping the Legislature and all the statewide offices.

But prog Dem and former state Rep. Glen Maxey is doing his part to recapture the old Scholz: It is now the regular meeting place for supporters of presidential contender Howard Dean. Addressing the Dean rally at Plaza Saltillo a few weeks ago, Maxey vowed: “We’re going to take back Scholz Garten; we’re going to take back the state of Texas; and then we’re going to take back the White House!”

A few days later, Maxey elaborated: “I intend … to give a whole new generation of progressive activists the ability to reminisce like I do — now that I’m old and bald — about political gossip they shared over beer and nachos at Scholz’s.”

roses on March 31, 2005 at 9:27 pm

Thanks for rounding up that great info on Scholz’s, Janet. Geez, I didn’t know that Republicans had been trying to take over Scholz’s too. Egads–there really is nothing sacred to them! OK, that’s officially part of our mission now too–to do our part to take back Scholz’s!

Sandia Blanca on March 31, 2005 at 9:54 pm

Sandia Blanca and Noisy Gong will be there (probably with our three middle-schoolers in tow)!

roses on April 1, 2005 at 6:09 am

Terrific! See you there.

Mindmouth on April 1, 2005 at 7:08 am

Hi Roses! I’m so glad to see you come post at Booman’s! I’m so excited for the Austinites getting together this weekend. We’re gonna want details!!

roses on April 1, 2005 at 8:04 am

Hi, Mindmouth! I’m really happy to “discover” Booman–and so many of my favorite dKos posters here. I like this smaller venue, which allows diaries to stay up longer. Also, I love the regional sections, though I haven’t had a chance to spend much time there yet. In fact, I don’t know how I’m going to keep up with both this and dKos and Texas Kos (and still keep up with that pesky job I have to earn a living), but I’ll do my best.

I’ll definitely report on how it goes. Thanks again for your original diary that inspired this meetup! Maybe at some point we can have a statewide meetup…

Janet Strange on March 31, 2005 at 6:39 pm

For any Austinites who are not long-timers in our fair city, here’s a little history about Scholz’s, from an Austin Chronicle article of July 2003:

Wilson’s warmest memories roll off his tongue in a series of fleeting flashbacks — Bob Eckhardt, the beloved state and U.S. representative parked at a table drawing cartoons … future Gov. Ann Richards with her husband Dave (he was a law student; she was a teacher at Fulmore) … Willie Morris and The Texas Observer gang repairing to the garden after tapping out peerless prose on manual typewriters … writer Bill Hilmer … the list goes on. “We’re talking about the mavericks,” says Wilson, “the sharpest of the sharpest.”

Wilson believes the culture began to shift “when they started advertising deodorant on television. Suddenly, we weren’t supposed to be wet under the arms anymore, and here all this time we’d just been sweating and suffocating in the goddamn heat.”

The Eighties brought Wilson’s disappointing Scholz business venture, but he brightens when he recalls: “I had the temerity to tell the fraternity boys that they couldn’t just come down and take over the place,” he said. “I told ’em, Scholz is for the people, not the sons of the rich, white bullies of Texas.”

More recently, the Garden hosted political Austin blasphemy: Last August, the Travis County Republican Party kicked off its 2002 campaign season at Scholz, packed with elephants grinning from ear to ear in anticipation of sweeping the Legislature and all the statewide offices.

But prog Dem and former state Rep. Glen Maxey is doing his part to recapture the old Scholz: It is now the regular meeting place for supporters of presidential contender Howard Dean. Addressing the Dean rally at Plaza Saltillo a few weeks ago, Maxey vowed: “We’re going to take back Scholz Garten; we’re going to take back the state of Texas; and then we’re going to take back the White House!”

A few days later, Maxey elaborated: “I intend … to give a whole new generation of progressive activists the ability to reminisce like I do — now that I’m old and bald — about political gossip they shared over beer and nachos at Scholz’s.”
- roses on March 31, 2005 at 9:27 pm
  
  Thanks for rounding up that great info on Scholz’s, Janet. Geez, I didn’t know that Republicans had been trying to take over Scholz’s too. Egads–there really is nothing sacred to them! OK, that’s officially part of our mission now too–to do our part to take back Scholz’s!
Sandia Blanca on March 31, 2005 at 9:54 pm

Sandia Blanca and Noisy Gong will be there (probably with our three middle-schoolers in tow)!
- roses on April 1, 2005 at 6:09 am
  
  Terrific! See you there.
Mindmouth on April 1, 2005 at 7:08 am

Hi Roses! I’m so glad to see you come post at Booman’s! I’m so excited for the Austinites getting together this weekend. We’re gonna want details!!
- roses on April 1, 2005 at 8:04 am
  
  Hi, Mindmouth! I’m really happy to “discover” Booman–and so many of my favorite dKos posters here. I like this smaller venue, which allows diaries to stay up longer. Also, I love the regional sections, though I haven’t had a chance to spend much time there yet. In fact, I don’t know how I’m going to keep up with both this and dKos and Texas Kos (and still keep up with that pesky job I have to earn a living), but I’ll do my best.
  
  I’ll definitely report on how it goes. Thanks again for your original diary that inspired this meetup! Maybe at some point we can have a statewide meetup…

Austin Kossacks unite! April 2, 2pm, Scholz’s

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