🌱 Austin Ranks No. 2 In Happiness + TrendiTech Inc. At SXSW 2022

Gabriela Couvillion
Updated ·4 min read

Rise and shine, Austin! Let's get you started this Friday with everything you need to know going on today in Austin.

First, today's weather:

Rain and drizzle in the a.m. High: 48 Low: 31.

Here are the top stories in Austin today:

  1. Starting Monday, March 21, Barton Springs Pool, located at 2131 William Barton Drive, will close on Mondays and Wednesdays, in addition to the regular Thursday closure, but the "swim at your own risk" swim times from 5-8 a.m. will not be affected. This new schedule "will continue until a sufficient number of guards can be hired, trained, and certified. The city's Aquatic Division is making every effort to provide a full schedule during Spring Break from March 12-20, but due to low staffing, "modification to the pool schedule or temporary capacity limitations may need to be imposed." For other swimming options, please see AustinTexas.gov/Pools and for more details visit: (AustinTexas.gov)

  2. They say that "a smile is worth a thousand words" but in Austin, it's worth a top placement "among the happiest places in Texas and the U.S.," according to a study from personal finance website WalletHub. Per the study, Austin is No. 2 in Texas and No. 30 in the country "in terms of the happiest locales." WalletHub based the ranking on 182 large city key happiness indicators such as "depression rate, suicide rate, sports participation rate, separation and divorce rate, and hours worked per day." They then "placed those numbers into three buckets" to arrive at various categories. Austin ranked No. 109 in community and environment category, No. 35 in physical and emotional well-being category, and No. 5 in income and employment category. For more details on the study and the city of Austin, please visit: (CultureMap Austin)

  3. One of the official sponsors of SXSW 2022 this year is "TrendiTech Inc. (Trendi), Canada’s robotics start-up focused on innovative food waste and upcycling solutions." Co-founder and CMO, Carissa Campeotto, will be at the event from March 15-19, where guests will learn about food waste technology, engage in "food waste video games and AR activation" and sample upcycled drinks. Trendi focuses on The Pledge to Stop Food Waste "intended to make food waste reduction part of a lifestyle, to raise awareness, introduce food wasters to innovative solutions, and encourage more long-term, sustainable operations." It also "provides resources which empower all stakeholders, from individuals to families, from small businesses to large organizations of all sizes, including producers and more, to take action and make a difference." For more information visit: (Yahoo Finance)

  4. Franklin Barbecue, located at 900 E. 11th, is one of the most famous barbecue spots in Austin! Co-founder Stacy Franklin, who has worked in the restaurant business most of her life, decided to turn "her husband's barbecue dream into a business" and that's how their restaurant began. She said, “I figured out how to get started. While he brought his passion for barbecue, I brought the business side.” The venue a well-known Texas Austin staple and now "you can usually find a line wrapped around the restaurant hours before they open, and their meat sold out by lunchtime." For more on the Franklin Barbecue story, check out their website, follow the restaurant on Instagram and visit: (KVUE.com)

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Today in Austin:

  • Virtual Zumba Class by Stronger Austin. (8 a.m.)

  • Wacoal Fit for the Cure Event at Dillard's in Barton Creek Square Mall. (9 a.m.)

  • C4 Energy Video Experience at SXSW 6th Street Takeover on East 6th Street and Trinity Street. (11 a.m.)

  • COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic at Uphaus Early Childhood Center. (3:30 p.m.)

  • ZenBusiness Startup Crawl at SXSW 2022 at 701 Brazos St. in Austin. More information at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/zenbusiness-startup-crawl-at-sxsw-2. (5 p.m.)

  • Russell Howard: Live In Austin at Vulcan Gas Company. (7:30 p.m.)

  • Young Giants of Texas Jazz Experience at Historic Victory Grill. (8 p.m.)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

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Events:

  • Second Saturday Divorce Workshop — What Everyone Needs to Know About Divorce (March 12)

  • Taxes in Retirement Seminar (March 15)

  • Virtual Medicare 101 with Sid Martinez (March 22)

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You're officially in the loop for today. See you all tomorrow morning for another update!

— Gabriela Couvillion

About me: I'm an active mom of two grown sons and lifelong San Antonio resident. I received a BA in Spanish from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and in my free time I immerse myself in creative writing. Thanks for reading Patch, and feel free to reach out if you have any news and happenings you think may appeal to our readers!

This article originally appeared on the Austin Patch