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    Fort Hood, TX Festivals Arts

    The Green Avenue Farmer's Market brings fresh produce from local farms from April to November, at typical market prices.

    The Killeen Arts & Activities Center features a theater, meeting rooms, and is the location of various local events.

    Killeen has been the recipient of the Kaboom! Playful City Award several times, reflecting a city-wide commitment to children's active play, instead of sitting at a screen or otherwise inactive entertainment. This is reflected in several community funded opportunities to play at city parks, programs with adult watched guided and unguided play, and a community awareness of the need for time to play in a child's day. Check the Kaboom! site for local playgrounds and options.

    The Killeen Salutes the Arts Fest features artists in several mediums and different levels of skill, and gives local sculptors, painters, illustrators, and authors a chance to show and share their work.

    The Mayborn Science Theater is on the campus of Central Texas College, and features a planetarium stars-and-planets show and a laser light show, and science shows on a variety of other topics.

    Texas A&M University of Central Texas is the local member of the A&M university system. The student body is attended by many part time students, including a large number of military service personnel.

    The Cultural Activities Center, in Temple, is a major local venue for music and theater performances.

    Austin is also home of several Film Festivals through the year, including the Butt-Numb-A-Thon, dedicated to watching films until some part of you goes numb; the Cine Las Americas International Film Festival, a Latin American films showing; the irregularly held Quentin Tarantino Film Festival, which focuses on films Tarantino likes; SouthSlam Film Festival, a small non-profit independent film festival; Fantastic Fest, specializing in fantasy, science fiction, and horror movies; and the Austin Film Festival, originally focused on writers, and now on filmmakers other than directors.

    Austin Music : Austin is famous for it's wide-ranging live music scene, including the Austin City Limits Music Festival, an October general music festival with a side of food venue; Carnaval Brasileiro, the Austin version of a Brazilian Mardi Gras carnival, with serious samba, parades, live music, and scandalous costuming; November's Fun Fun Fun Fest features live music, street food, comedy, skating, and other fun; the Lone Star State Jam, in May, features a variety of music, especially Country, and proceeds go to a cancer charity; the Old Settlers Music Festival is held in April, and features various grassroots music - jazz, blues, bluegrass, and country, plus food and crafts; Pachanga Latino Music Festival, held in May, showcases Latino music, including tejano, cumbia, folklorico, reggaeton, and rock, and features Latino crafts, arts, food, and dance; the Urban Music Festival features Afro-American music, particularly hip-hop, gospel, soul, and rhythm & blues, held in March or April; and RedGorilla, a free, no badge required, public music modern music festival deep in the heart of Austin in mid March.

    Austin Literary Events: Austin also features a few events for readers, including the Austin International Poetry Festival, in April; the O. Henry Pun-Off, in May, which celebrates wordplay and word humor, but is not for the faint-hearted; and the Texas Book Festival, a general book and reading celebration held in October, with author events, youth fiction writing contest, some Halloween events, and book dealers.

    Other Austin Events: Austin is a major city, and has non-film, non-music events and other interesting attractions. including the Old Pecan Street Festival, an arts and crafts event covering twenty-four city blocks, held twice a year in May and September, and featuring hundreds of artisans and crafters selling their goods; the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge is home of the largest known bat colony - yes, Austin is batty - which summer in the city and winter in Mexico, and can be seen leaving the bridge at dusk in a huge cloud; the city is also home to Eeyore's Birthday Party, the last Saturday of April, an event featuring drumming, partying, dancing, and folk singing.