Proper sale

New owner checks in at highly acclaimed luxury hotel in downtown Austin

The Austin Proper sale means the Colorado firm now owns two hotels in "one of the hottest hospitality markets in the country."

Austin Proper Hotel & Residences

McWhinney, the Loveland, Colorado-based company behind the Hyatt Centric hotel under construction in downtown Austin, now owns another prime hotel property in the Capital City.

McWhinney, a real estate investor, developer, and manager, said September 27 that it purchased Austin Proper Hotel & Residences in Austin’s Second Street District. The sale price wasn’t disclosed. The seller was Goldman Sachs Asset Management, one of the world’s biggest investment managers.

Developed by the Santa Monica, California-based Kor Group, the 32-story Austin Proper opened in December 2019. It features 244 guest rooms, 98 condos, and more than 14,000 square feet of meeting and event space. It already has collected accolades from Conde Nast Traveler.

Highlights of Austin Proper include:

Fifth-floor pool.
Full-service Verbena spa.
Fitness center equipped with Peloton bikes.
Peacock Mediterranean Grill & Bar, The Mockingbird sidewalk café, poolside restaurant La Piscina, and Goldie’s Sunken Bar. McGuire Moorman Hospitality operates these four spots.

Santa Monica-based Proper Hospitality will keep managing the property.

“This new eclectic hotel has already become a top leisure destination for Austin, and we look forward to welcoming more guests while continuing to deliver strong results at this fantastic luxury property,” Dave Johnstone, executive vice president and chief investment officer for hospitality at McWhinney, says in a news release.

As McWhinney absorbs Austin Proper into its portfolio, it continues construction on its 31-floor, 246-room Hyatt Centric Austin at Eighth Street and Congress Avenue. The hotel is expected to open in early 2022.

“The purchase of Austin Proper is a perfect complement to the Hyatt Centric hotel that will open in 2022, giving McWhinney and our investors two of the premier hotel properties in one of the hottest hospitality markets in the country,” says Ray Pittman, president and CEO of McWhinney.

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founders day 2025

36th annual Founders Day Festival to take over downtown Dripping Springs

Founders Day Festival parade in Dripping Springs

cityofdrippingsprings.com/

The theme for the annual Founders Day Festival parade is "Viva Las Drippin'!"

The annual Founders Day Festival in the bustling Southwest Austin suburb of Dripping Springs is making its grand return from April 25-27.

The long-running family-friendly festival was created by the City of Dripping Springs and the Founders Day Commission to celebrate the Hill Country town's founding in 1850. Since its inception, the festival has ballooned into a beloved community-wide tradition that's now in its 36th year of operation. The festival is held on Mercer Street, which runs through the center of town, and along nearby connecting streets.

There will be more than 150 arts and craft booths, food vendors, nonprofits, and local businesses participating in the festivities this year, and several live performances from local bands, a barbecue cook-off competition, street dances, and more.

Attendees might see a few Elvis impersonators among the crowd while the signature parade flows through Mercer and Wallace Streets from 6:30-7:45 pm on Friday, April 25. This year's parade theme is "Viva Las Drippin'!" and floats will be decorated like famous Las Vegas hotels and chapels, but with a Dripping Springs twist to pay homage to the city's reputation as the "Wedding Capital of Texas."

The iconic Mighty Thomas Carnival will bring its thrilling rides for the festival, starting at 4 pm on Friday (and closing temporarily for the annual parade). Carnival hours are from 4-11 pm on Friday, 11 am to 11:30 pm on Saturday, and 11 am to 7 pm on Sunday.

Founders Day Festival in Dripping Springs, The Mighty Thomas Carnival Adrenaline junkies will love the thrilling carnival rides.Photo by Dave Wilson

Austin-based rock band Chance of Weird will kick off the weekend of live music at 7:30 pm on Friday, with 90s cover band Type A scheduled to perform from 9-11 pm.

Saturday's main stage performance lineup is as follows:

10 am – Head to Toe Dance Studio
10:35 am – Dripping Springs Music Academy
11:10 am – Sycamore Springs Middle School Jazz Band
12:45 pm – Cunningham Sisters
1:20 pm – Ryker Pantano
2:00 pm – Vaughan Segers
3:00 pm – Tone Junkies
4:30 pm – Rochelle & The Sidewinders
6:30 pm – Bobby Pounds Band
8:30 pm – Jamie Weston Band

The final day of the Founders Festival will begin with a church service from 10-11:30 am at the main stage, with official festival hours beginning at 11 am. Scheduled music performances for the day include Denver-based funk band Wild Love Tigress on the main stage at 12 pm, followed by a chicken clucking contest at 2:30 pm. The barbecue cook-off awards will be presented at 3 pm. The arts and crafts booths will be set up from 11 am to 5 pm on Sunday.

Know before you go
No matter how sunny the weekend gets, don't forget to bring your sunscreen, and some water in a reusable bottle (as glass bottles are discouraged). Festival organizers also discourage bringing pets to the festival grounds, as the asphalt may get too hot.

The festival is free to the public, but attendees who are interested in riding the carnival rides will need to purchase tickets in advance or during festival days. Select local businesses will be offering carnival pre-sale tickets through noon on Friday, April 25. Pre-sale prices are $40 for 70 tickets. Festival-goers can also purchase all-day Sunday wristbands for $30 each.

Pre-sale tickets are being sold at:

South Star Bank, 10901 US 290, Austin
Lone Star Capital Bank, 401 US 290, Dripping Springs
Prosperity Bank, 721 W Hwy 290, Dripping Springs
Sunflower Bank, 100 Creek Road, Dripping Springs
Martin's Wellness Pharmacy, 100 Commons Road #1, Dripping Springs
City of Dripping Springs Development Services Building, 661 W Hwy 290, Dripping Springs
Texas Regional Bank, 700 E Hwy 290, Dripping Springs

Where (and where not) to park
Festival attendees cannot park on Ranch Road 12 at any time during the three-day weekend (and cars that do park on the street will be towed), but there will be free parking all weekend long at Dripping Springs High School. The DSHS Rotary Club will provide a shuttle service from the high school to the festival all day on Saturday. The Dripping Springs VFW will have limited general parking available at varying prices. Handicap parking will be located on Old Fitzhugh Road.

dripping springs austin hill country festival