Marking the beginning of the transition of services from the Hornsby Bend clinic’s initial, temporary home off FM 969 (Webberville Road), a new medical facility and resource center in the Austin’s Colony neighborhood near Dailey Middle School will have its grand opening 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21. The Hornsby Bend Health and Wellness Center – opened by Central Health to supply clinical, social, and support services for those living in Eastern Travis County’s medical deserts – will offer a number of services and community voices at its kickoff event. Medical and support specialists who’ll be working at HBHWC will administer Covid and flu vaccines and “practice” at the Teddy Bear Clinic. Local agencies and organizations will be on hand at the Community Resource Fair. And there will be performances by the cheer, stomp, and ballet folklorico groups from Gilbert Elementary in northern Hornsby Bend, plus live music from Rey Arteaga, a member of the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians. Hornsby Bend Health and Wellness Center is located at 3700 Gilbert Road, Hornsby Bend, TX 78725.

Austin City Council is seeking applicants to fill two seats on the five-member Municipal Civil Service Commission. The seats are for two unexpired terms that run through May 2024, and applicants may also be considered for the follow-up three-year terms. The commission’s focus is the rules and regulations concerning those who work in civil service, and one of its main tasks is hearing appeals and “making final, binding decisions in the case of any municipal civil service employee who is discharged, suspended, demoted, denied a promotion, or put on disciplinary probation.” The time commitment for the position is estimated at 20 hours a month. Applicants should be a city resident, a qualified voter and have experience in administration of human resources or labor relations or knowledge of labor and employment law. The application is available online.

As the state Legislature carries out a special session on “school choice,” local school leaders, advocates and policy experts will take part in a discussion hosted by The Texas Tribune on what could come out of the session and how legislation could change things for students, parents, teachers and schools across the state. Speakers include Norma V. Cantú, professor of education and professor of law at UT-Austin College of Education; John Emerich, superintendent of Crockett Independent School District; and Corey A. DeAngelis, senior fellow at the American Federation for Children. “Public Education and the Special Session” is planned for 9 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 18, online at texastribune.org and in downtown Austin in the Tribune’s Studio 919, located at 919 Congress Ave., sixth floor, 78701. The event will be livestreamed online and available to watch on demand afterward at texastribune.org/events. RSVP here to attend this free event.

The city of Austin and Waterloo Greenway Conservancy will be holding a series of community conversations to learn more about the future of Sir Swante Palm Neighborhood Park. The meetings are open to the public and designed to be an opportunity to talk to people working on the project, for the public to offer feedback on future plans and for people to share Palm Park stories. The meetings, which are listed below, start today and run through the end of the month. Registration for the conversations can be found here. Feedback on the future of the park can also be offered through a survey that is available in both English and Spanish.

• Tuesday, Oct. 17
  6-7:30 p.m.
  Palm Elementary School
• Thursday, Oct. 19
  6-7:30 p.m.
  Palm Elementary School
• Saturday, Oct. 21
  10:30 a.m.-noon
  Chalmers East Community Room
• Wednesday, Oct. 25
  6-7:30 p.m.
  Mendez Recreation Center

Waterloo Greenway’s park system is currently in its third phase design and is expected to break ground in 2026.

Austin’s Chess in the Park is back for another round on Oct. 29 in Wooldridge Square Park. The scholastic chess tournament is for students grades K-12, with another division that is open to adults. Medals will be awarded to the top three players in each of the divisions. Registration, which can be completed here, is limited to the first 50 players. There is no elimination, and players can participate in all tournament rounds. Because the tournament is not rated, it’s open to all. In case of bad weather, the tournament will be held at the Dobie Mall food court – Guadalupe and 21st on the second level.

Community members are invited to come together for Día de los Muertos, Day of the Dead, on Saturday, Nov. 4 – the 16th annual celebration of this beloved tradition presented by the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center (ESB-MACC). The large-scale festival celebrating the lives of ancestors, family, friends and public figures will be at the Pan American Recreation Center, 2100 E. Third St. Guests can enjoy hands-on children’s activities, art activations, vendors, food trucks, and a collective community altar. MexAmeriCon – the only Latine-focused comic con in Central Texas – will present its afternoon showcase of Mexican American and Latinx artists who create comic books, graphic novels, zines and pop art. The event will also offer sugar skull decorating, large-scale art installations by Las Piñatas ATX, a live lotería bingo game and face-painting. The ESB-MACC, in collaboration with Oakwood Cemetery, the Long Center, and Parks and Recreation facilities, will also offer free public pop-up events before and after the festival. Día de los Muertos, the day that loved ones can return, is Thursday, Nov. 2. The Alma y Corazon Ceremony takes place from 5:30 to 8 p.m. that day at the Oakwood Cemetery, 1601 Navasota St., with an altar presentation, ceremony and talk from Mariana Nuño Ruiz McEnroe, author of “Dining with the Dead,” on rich culinary traditions in Mexico associated with Día de los Muertos. There will be guitar music and complimentary hot chocolate and tamales while they come together to share their stories. All are invited to pay respect to the individuals buried in Oakwood Cemetery. For more on the collective ofrenda (altar), what to bring and more details on these ceremonies and events, visit the city’s rundown here.

Austin Independent School District, Austin Public Health and other community partners will host “Boo to the Flu” this Saturday, Oct. 7. The event will feature free seasonal flu vaccines for those six months and older, in addition to “games, treats, and community resources.” No insurance, ID or proof of residency will be required. “Going to the doctor to get a shot, especially when you’re taking a kid, isn’t always fun. This event is looking to change that,” said APH Director Adrienne Sturrup in a statement to the press. “Our nurses are the best in the business and they’re raring to go and get your families the vaccines they need to have a safe rest of the year.” The event will take place on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Allison Elementary School, which is located at 515 Vargas Road.

The annual Zilker Holiday Tree Art Contest is on! Young artists between the ages of 5 and 10 are invited to enter their best original drawing of the Zilker Holiday Tree before Nov. 1. The top three artists from each category (junior and senior) will take part in the lighting of the tree in addition to their public recognition. Drawings can be submitted online or by mailing the Austin Parks and Recreation Department at 200 S. Lamar Blvd., along with an entry form in English or Spanish. Contest rules also stipulate one entry per child, and that all artwork fit in an 8.5-by-11-inch flat frame and be done on paper of a normal “paper thickness.”

A mural commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Onion Creek flood that devastated Onion Creek neighborhoods will be unveiled at 10 a.m. Oct. 28 at Onion Creek Metropolitan Park, 8652 Nuckols Crossing Road. Mayor Kirk Watson, City Council Member Vanessa Fuentes and Travis County Constable George Morales will speak at the ceremony, taking place at the site of the mural near the intersection of Vine Hill and Onion Creek drives in the park. Onion Creek flood survivors participated in a series of focus groups with artist Alonso Estrada to collaborate on the mural, which is inspired by an ancient Native American myth of a wild white horse that inhabited Onion Creek. The mural tells the story of the community members who survived as they struggled to save their neighbors from floodwaters. Following a second flood in 2015, the city offered buyouts to relocate residents and return the flood-prone area to nature. The Austin Parks and Recreation Department invested $4 million to establish Onion Creek Metropolitan Park, completed in 2019. Austin-based artist Alonso Estrada was chosen in an open call to complete the mural. It was produced by PARD’s Dougherty Arts Center staff in partnership with the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center, the Watershed Protection Department, the Office of Resiliency and community service organization GAVA (Go Austin Vamos Austin).

Austin’s quality of life commissions are getting a very early start on their budget recommendations, and they are looking for community input to flesh them out. Commissions like the African American Resource Advisory Commission, Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission, Commission on Aging, Commission on Immigrant Affairs, Commission for Women, Early Childhood Council, Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission, Human Rights Commission, LGBTQ Quality of Life Advisory Commission and Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities will host “investing in community” budget listening sessions to determine the community’s needs, as determined by the community. The meetings, which are free and open to the public and hosted by the Joint Inclusion Committee, will take place over Zoom, with each being about 1.5 hours each. Meetings will take place on Oct. 18, Oct. 24 and Nov. 4. More information and registration to attend can be found here.

Want to work at the city of Austin? Or in Austin? Next Tuesday, Oct. 10, the Human Resources Department will host a Community Job Fair designed to let job seekers meet representatives from city departments and local employers who, according to a press release from the city, are “committed to hiring and assisting individuals from all backgrounds, including justice-involved, individuals who are 50+, veterans, and people with disabilities.” The job fair will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the City of Austin Permitting and Development Center. It is free and open to the public, with registration online available here.

This October, Austin Animal Center and Adopt a Pet are teaming up to waive all pet adoption fees. The month will kick off with an event from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, at the Austin Animal Center designed to give would-be pet owners a chance to meet animals up for adoption and get free swag. Animals will be available for adoption on a first-come, first-served basis. For those not able to attend the Oct. 7 event, the shelter is also open for adoption walk-ins. “Guiding adopters from finding their best match to becoming pet parents is what Adopt a Pet is all about – so hosting an in-person event with Austin Animal Center is the perfect way to bring our mission to life,” said Jeannine Taaffe, CEO of Adopt a Pet. “We’re very excited to help these lovable animals and ensure their pet parents feel confident and ready to welcome them to their forever homes.”