Family Fun

Growing up Weird: Kid-approved activities for the return of fall

September seems to be the month where things disappear around Austin. The store shelves are cleared out of school lunch bags and accessories. Around campus, there’s no place to park. I-35 or Mopac? No place to go.

Thankfully, September has plenty family-friendly Austin activities. Get back in the school year swing by mixing in a visit to a few of these unique events.

Sept. 1-2: LEGO Kids Fest

We do our best to give our kids exciting cultural experiences. Zoos. Outdoor concerts. But, kids will be kids, and sometimes they’re simply more excited to see Lightning McQueen made out of thousands of LEGOs. The Lego Kids Fest, held at the Austin Convention Center, is a festival of the famous bricks.

Kids and adults will get a kick out of meeting LEGO Master Builders and taking part in many great activities. Lego bricks are great creative tools for boys and girls of any age. Get their imaginations working at this one-of-a-kind event, and save the trip to the park for a cooler day.

Sept. 22 - 23, 29 - 30: Fall Festival & Corn Maze in Bastrop

These days, the closest a child gets to a farm is peering at a particular Facebook game. Give the kids a glimpse into where Old MacDonald hangs out at the Fall Festival & Corn Maze in Bastrop. While there’s no chicken tending, they’ll be sure to enjoy dashing through the 5-acre corn maze or selecting the perfect pumpkin for painting.

Settled along the banks of the Colorado River, Barton Hill Farms is a short drive from Austin, but miles away from the familiar urban delights. With hay bails, live music and cold brews for the parents, a trip to the farm can be a treat for everyone.

Sept. 23: Austin Museum Day

Oh, the magical day every year when local Austin museums throw open their doors and invite culture-weary residents inside to discover their wonders free of charge! The annual Austin Museum Day is a great way for parents and kids to explore the excitement of any number of Austin museums.

Yes, you can go straight to the Austin Children’s Museum and call it a day, but you’ll be passing up an eye-opening day of fun. Start off at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum for some history lessons, then dash across the street to the Blanton Museum of Art for some art appreciation.

Visit the Mexic-Arte Museum’s annual Day of the Dead exhibit for some art and culture. Each museum usually provides special kid-friendly activities. Get up early and explore the day away.

Sept. 29 - 30: Pecan Street Festival

It’s one of the few days you can take your kids to Sixth St. and nobody will call Social Services. In fact, the Pecan Street Festival draws plenty of families, kids, dogs and even that lady with the weird rodent-thing. The streets are lined with amazing arts and crafts, paintings, homemade jewelry, candles, puppets, clothes and almost anything else you can imagine.

There’s usually a music stage, a petting zoo and small kiddie rides. While it’s a great place to engage your little ones sense of wonder, it’s also a great place to tickle their (or your) taste buds. While there are dozens of booths selling everything from fried pickles to kettle corn, this open street festival is one of the few times you might be able to slip your kids a big fat pretzel at Easy Tiger or a burger from Casino El Camino (just be sure not to let them go inside, as the decor is questionable for those under 13).

Sept. 29: Hairy Man Festival

Yes, you could say your local gym is a hairy man festival. But, the Hairy Man Festival, organized by the Brushy Creek Women’s Association, honors a different kind of hairy creature. Local legend tells of a Hairy Man that used to roam the shores of Brushy Creek, scaring children back in the 1800s.

The festival that bares his name serves to, perhaps, help the Hairy Man repent for scaring little ones. The $2 admission donation goes to various charities to assist the children of Williamson County. It’s a day of kids activities, arts and crafts and, yes, a Hairiest Man contest. Dads, our day may have finally arrived!

Sept. 30: CASA Superhero Run

Avengers assemble! Actually, any spandex-clad superhero or costumed patron is welcome to assemble for a great cause at the CASA Superhero Run. This is an adults timed 5K and Kids 1K that features a costume contest, bounce house, obstacle course, photo booth and more. The event, held at Mueller Park, raises funds for CASA of Travis County and Williamson County.

CASA benefits abused or neglected children by empowering community volunteers to advocate for them in the court system. It’s a wonderful way for kids to help kids, and also a great way to get another use out of this year’s — or last season’s — Halloween costume. Show your kids what a true hero looks like by going to the CASA Superhero Run. Yes, they’ll even let you do the Christian Bale growly voice in your Batman outfit, too.

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Defensive Driving

Austin-based Tesla faces new probe focused on remote driving feature

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating 2.6 million Teslas.

Federal regulators have opened an investigation into 2.6 million Teslas after reports of crashes involving the use of company technology that allows drivers to remotely command their vehicle to return to them, or move to another location, using a phone app.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also said Tuesday, January 7 that Austin-based Tesla did not report any of the accidents. Tesla is under order to report crashes on “publicly accessible roads” involving vehicles being operated through its autonomous driving technology.

The new investigation follows another probe launched in October looking into the company's “Full Self-Driving” system after getting reports of crashes in low-visibility conditions, including one that killed a pedestrian. That investigation covers 2.4 million Teslas from the 2016 through 2024 model years.

Tesla did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

One driver filed a complaint after a crash while using Tesla's “Actually Smart Summon” technology and NHTSA is looking into another three similar incidents based on media reports, the NHTSA said. The agency is looking into 12 total incidents reported by users of the technology.

Each of the vehicles failed to detect posts and other parked vehicles, according to the NHTSA.

Regulators say the vehicles struck objects because the users had "too little reaction time to avoid a crash, either with the available line of sight or releasing the phone app button, which stops the vehicle’s movement.”

Shares of Tesla Inc. slid more than 4 percent in late afternoon trading Tuesday.

Musk has complained that U.S. regulations are too onerous and are holding back the development of self-driving cars. Ethics experts are worried that once President-elect Donald Trump takes office, Musk will push him to ease oversight of Tesla, which just suffered its first decline in annual sales in more than a decade.

Musk donated an estimated $250 million to Trump's presidential campaign and is a frequent guest at Trump's Mar-a-Lago, vetting cabinet nominees and meeting with foreign heads of state. Trump has put Musk in charge of an advisory group, the Department of Government Efficiency, that will recommend where to cut government expenses and staff at federal agencies and reduce regulation.

The NHTSA said it will look into the top speed that Teslas can reach when users deploy its “summons” technology, as well as restrictions on public roads and line of sights requirements. It also said it expects to check for any “connectivity delays" with the app that could result in increased stopping distance.

Tesla’s Model 3 owner’s manual says that its “summons” feature is designed for use only in parking lots and driveways on private property and is disabled on public roads.

The new probe covers 2016-2025 Model S and X vehicles, 2017-2025 Model 3, 2020-2025 Model Y equipped with Tesla's Full Self-Driving driver assistance system.

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