Cycle for change

UT Austin's popular ride against cancer switches gears to go virtual

Texas 4000 presents Day Zero Kick Off for Texas 4000 Riders

No outdoor cycling this year — riders move indoors for a virtual trek.

Photo courtesy of Texas 4000

In response to the risk of COVID-19, Texas 4000 has changed plans for its 2020 summer ride for cancer awareness. The event began on May 29 and goes through June 26, and what is typically a 70-day pedal fest from Austin to Anchorage, is now virtual.

The group is live streaming daily on its Facebook page as participants log miles on stationary bicycles and declare ride dedications. Viewers are also encouraged to make dedications and join the cyclists as they spread awareness and share information about cancer.

You can also expect to hear riders' stories and testimonies of how cancer has touched their lives, plus commentary from family members and organizations who are committed to combatting the disease.

“The global pandemic has brought our communities, our country, and our world to a standstill, but cancer hasn’t stopped. That is why the ride must go on,” explained Texas 4000's executive director Scott Crews.

Texas 4000 began in 2004 and has developed 900-plus young leaders over the years. UT Austin students engage in a year-and-a-half-long program to ready their minds, bodies, and spirits for the demanding 4,000-mile ride. To date, the group has brought in more than $11.6 million over the collective 5.2 million-mile journey. It holds the title of the longest annual charity bike ride in the world.

Abbott, a worldwide healthcare company, is sponsoring this year's ride, and has a neuromodulation business in Austin. Vice president Keith Boettiger said, “We are impressed with the commitment of these young women and men to the fight against cancer. Their leadership in bringing cancer prevention education to people and communities across the United States is a service to us all. Even though they are unable to make their journey to Alaska this summer as planned, their efforts and dedication to raise awareness are not in vain as they continue the fight.”

You can catch the live broadcast every day until June 26, beginning at 7:30 am Sunday-Tuesday; 8 pm Wednesday-Friday; and 7:30 am Saturday. To learn more and see the full schedule, click here.

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MESSAGE OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE

Austin theater auctions off chance to write message on iconic marquee

Paramount Theatre/Instagram

The Paramount Theatre is auctioning off the chance to share a holiday message on its marquee.

Austinites craving the limelight might get the chance to see their name in lights — or at least a personalized holiday message — illuminated on one of Austin’s most historic marquees.

As part of the Austin Theatre Alliance’s final 2020 auction to raise funds for the Paramount and Stateside theaters, the nonprofit is offering up an array of unusual and very “Austintatious” items for bid, including the chance to share a customized holiday message on the iconic Paramount Theatre marquee.

The auction item is one of several dozen currently up for bid through ATA’s online holiday auction, which runs through December 11.

With a starting bid of $1,500, the Paramount marquee message is one of the pricier items in the auction, but it may be well worth the glory, as the winning bidder can treat all of Austin to a two-line, 80-character custom holiday message that will be professionally photographed and live on the marquee for a minimum of four hours. (It should be noted that the chosen message is subject to review. After all, this is a nonprofit theater marquee, not the infamously sassy El Arroyo sign.)

Having to cancel or reschedule hundreds of planned shows because of COVID-19 concerns, the Paramount Theatre has had a particularly rough year but recently reopened at 25 percent capacity for limited engagements, like its Holiday Film Series, which is currently underway. Funds raised from the auction enable the ATA, which manages the Paramount and Stateside, to reach Central Texas students through virtual programs, employ venue staff, and help the historic theaters survive the pandemic.

In addition to the Paramount marquee message item, the auction also includes other perfectly weird items befitting a homegrown Austin event, like Matt Lankes photos of Willie Nelson playing chess and the late, great Billy Joe Shaver looking contemplative while perched on a bridge in Waco; and several autographed guitars, including one commemorative acoustic guitar signed by 10 of Austin’s most notable musicians, Ruthie Foster, Carrie Rodriguez, and Tameca Jones among them.

Of course, there is no lack of booze-forward packages, hotel stays, and artist-signed prints also up for grabs. But true lovers of the Paramount Theatre will find the item with the highest opening bid ($5,000) steals the show: a private catered dinner for four on the Paramount stage.

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