Remember that Waterloo Park grand reopening festival we told you about a few days ago? Well, it’s been postponed, due to the alarming climb in Covid cases and hospitalizations driven by the Delta variant. A news release from Waterloo Greenway explains that the organization “has made the difficult but necessary decision to postpone all opening-day celebrations scheduled for this Saturday. This includes postponement of the ribbon-cutting ceremony and land dedication, daytime programming and nighttime concert showcase.” All is not lost, however; the newly reimagined downtown park will still open to the public on Saturday, Aug. 14 at 10 a.m., though Waterloo Greenway urges all visitors to wear face masks and practice social distancing while enjoying the park. “The opening of this park comes at a critical time for the community, and access to outdoor space has never been more important for physical, mental and emotional health.” The planned CommUNITY Day festivities will be rescheduled at a date to be announced.

All Austin ISD students, whether they’re attending in-person classes or virtual learning, will receive free breakfast and lunch this school year, regardless of their household income. The school district goes a little deeper into the fine print to explain that, while the meals are free for everyone, “campuses will still collect income verification to help maintain demographic information needed for various types of funding for schools and potential state-funded benefits for families. Families may submit income verification during online enrollment, electronically on the AISD Cloud through the Parent Portal, or schools can provide a paper form.” Since the meal program is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, AISD is reimbursed for all meals served, “so the more students who eat school meals, the more we can invest in higher quality food, maintain local jobs and support the Texas economy.” So parents, don’t bother packing that school lunch and check out the daily menus.

Community members will get a chance to meet the finalists for chief of police at two community meetings scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 18, and Thursday, Aug. 19. Both meetings are from 7-8:30 p.m. The city received 46 applications for the position. The city’s announcement explains, “Like many major cities in America, Austin is reimagining how it provides public safety services. Austin is approaching this process in a methodical and strategic approach, and the next chief of police will begin their duties during a period of intense change for the Austin Police Department. The challenges and opportunities related to this initiative alone are many. The chief of police will help APD and the city adapt and emerge from reimagining law enforcement in a manner that improves public safety for all who visit, live and work in Austin.” More details about the meetings, including the candidates’ names and the meeting venues, will be announced later this week.

Bowing to the reality of the rapidly worsening Covid spike, the organizers of the 2021 Austin Pride Parade, which was scheduled to return on Saturday, Aug. 14, after a year’s absence, announced “with an unimaginably heavy heart” that the popular event is postponed until future notice “due to Delta.” The press release explains that the decision to cancel the parade and the street party “was made for the safety of the community and city,” and concludes, “There is only one way out of this, and that is together. Please, #getvaccinated, #maskup, #socialdistance until we get this in check again.”

The producers of Blues on the Green have made the decision to postpone the last two performances of the popular free concert series, which were scheduled for Aug. 10 and 11, due to the “latest wave in this public health emergency.” A statement released on Twitter Monday read, “This was wholly our call and we’re grateful for the understanding and cooperation we’ve received from the artists that were set to play, the sponsors and the vendors that make Blues on the Green possible, the Austin Parks and Recreation Department, and the Austin public health officials we’ve consulted with along the way.” The statement concluded by urging everyone “to get vaccinated so we can again enjoy free live music in Zilker Park.”

That got your attention, didn’t it? That’s the idea behind a campaign from We Are Blood called Pint for Pint. From now through Aug. 14, We Are Blood is offering blood or platelet donors a voucher for a free pint of Blue Bell Creameries ice cream. For those who are wondering, We Are Blood assures donors that “the FDA has found no evidence that Covid-19 can be transmitted via blood transfusion. It is completely safe to donate blood and to receive a blood transfusion.” The organization follows all of CDC’s recommended Covid safety measures. Quantities of ice cream are limited and advance appointments are necessary. Schedule here.

With Covid-19 cases aggressively surging due to the highly contagious Delta variant, health officials are urging anyone with signs or symptoms of Covid to get tested, regardless of their vaccination status. As Central Health explains, “While the vaccine doesn’t make you invincible from Covid-19 and its variants – including Delta – the vaccine significantly reduces your chance of getting extremely sick, being hospitalized, or dying.” Free community testing is available at the George Morales Dove Springs Recreation Center, 5801 Ainez Drive, Tuesday and Thursday from 3-7 p.m. and Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Drive-thru tests are available at the St. Johns site at 7211 N. Interstate 35 Frontage Road, Tuesday through Saturday from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Learn more about Covid tests in Austin-Travis County here.

CommUnityCare’s last back-to-school event before school starts is a science roundup offering free school supplies and backpacks, health resources, vaccines, music and cold treats for free, while they last. Vaccines are free, but registration is mandatory. Kids 12 and older may receive the Covid vaccine (register here) and school-age children ages 4-18 may receive free immunizations (register here). Saturday, Aug. 14, 8 a.m.-2 p.m., Southeast Health & Wellness Center, 2901 Montopolis Drive.

Monday’s meeting of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Policy Board was canceled due to a staff member’s recent exposure to the Covid-19 virus. In a press release, CAMPO said, “Out of an abundance of caution, we are cancelling because there is not enough time for CAMPO staff testing prior to the meeting time.” The meeting items will be transferred to the Sept. 13 meeting instead. Any questions regarding the meeting or its items can be sent to campo@campotexas.org.

Photo courtesy of Waterloo Greenway Conservancy

The grand reopening of Waterloo Park, or Waterloo Park CommUNITY Day, is happening – and it’s happening on Aug. 14, the same day as the Pride Parade. It doesn’t take much imagination to visualize what traffic will be like on the big day, so plan accordingly. The festivities begin with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and dedication at Moody Amphitheater at 10 a.m., followed by local music and dance performances and family-friendly activities and food options throughout the 11-acre park. The day culminates with a “Taste of Austin” concert showcase featuring a lineup of nearly a dozen musical performances. Consult the map for a timeline of festival events, street closures and parking garages. Wear your most festive face mask and be safe.

After being postponed last year due to the pandemic, the Austin Pride Parade is roaring back on Saturday, Aug. 14, promising to be even bigger than 2019’s event, which organizers say drew 400,000 revelers to the streets. Notwithstanding the current dramatic spike in Covid cases, thousands of people are expected to participate in the vibrant spectacle, which kicks off at 8 p.m. at the Texas Capitol, streams down Congress Avenue and concludes around Fourth Street/Bettie Naylor Street. (See a map of the parade route.) It goes without saying that traffic will be hellish and multiple streets will be closed, so organizers suggest leaving the car at home and taking public transportation or a bicycle. Austin Public Health strongly recommends that only vaccinated people attend the event and urges everyone, participants and spectators alike, to wear face masks to protect themselves and others.

The current surge in Covid-19 cases, driven by the highly infectious Delta variant, makes this upcoming virtual event hosted by the Austin Forum on Technology & Society devastatingly timely. In a talk titled “Covid-19: From Delta to the Pandemic Endgame,” biologists Ilya Finkelstein and Jason McLellan from the University of Texas will “explain what variants are, how they come to be, how we detect them, and more. Ilya and Jason will share what we know about Delta so far, what we can expect, and how we can battle this and future variants. While science and technology play important roles in population health and understanding pandemics, Ilya and Jason will also share what medical and scientific experts believe we can do individually and collectively to improve our outcomes.” Wednesday, Aug. 11, 7 p.m. Register on Eventbrite.