Here are a few things to keep in mind while planning your Labor Day weekend:

Be aware of closures

Sept. 5 is an official holiday for the cities of Austin, Cedar Park and Leander as well as Travis and Williamson counties, and most offices will be closed.

• Splash pads and city of Cedar Park-operated pools, including the Brushy Creek Splash Pad, Veterans Memorial Pool and Elizabeth Milburn Pool, will be open. Buttercup Pool, 411 Twin Oak Trail, is closed for the season. Visit www.cedarparktexas.gov for each pool’s hours open to the public.


• Cedar Park Public Library and Leander Public Library are closed Monday.


• Travis County offices are closed Monday with the exception of emergency services and correctional offices. County courts will be closed. Offices for Travis County Emergency Services, including emergency management, medical examiner, fire marshal and STAR Flight departments, are closed, but essential 24/7 services provided by those offices will still be available, according to spokesperson Lisa Block. The Travis County Sheriff’s Office will also be closed on Labor Day, but all essential personnel will be working. Visitation at the jail is not available on Sundays or Mondays, so that facility will operate as usual, according to sheriff’s office spokesperson Kristen Dark.


• Williamson County offices are closed Monday with the exception of the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter, which will be open for regular business hours.


• Austin ISD, Leander ISD, Round Rock ISD and Austin Community College District will also close Monday.

Plan ahead

Capital Metro Leander Station[/caption]

On Monday, Capital Metro will operate its Sunday bus schedule and close its offices, according to a news release. Transit travelers can use the online trip planner.

• There will be no MetroRail, Night Owl, UT Shuttle or E-Bus service.


• All MetroAccess subscription trips are canceled. MetroAccess customers can call 512-852-7272 to reschedule trips scheduled for Monday.

Take a hike

A number of trails in the Greater Austin area will remain open and offer hikers nature views, glimpses of wildlife and more. Read Community Impact Newspaper's regional hiking guide and regional kayaking guide for day trip options in Central Texas as well as places to partake in outdoor recreational activities, such as fishing, camping, boating, scuba diving and biking.

Stay local

Elizabeth M Milburn Community Park[/caption]

For those planning a staycation, a number of local businesses offer events and specials.

• The city of Cedar Park will host a Spash Jam at Elizabeth Milburn Pool, 1901 Sun Chase Blvd., Sept. 4 from 4-8:30 p.m. The free event includes a tournament, live music, food concessions, inflatables, face painting, carnival games, rides and fireworks.


• Regional entertainment options include Round Rock Express baseball games at The Dell Diamond in Round Rock as well as screenings of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Princess Bride and films starring Gene Wilder—who died Aug. 29—at the Blue Starlite Mini Urban Drive-In at its East 51st Street location in Austin.

Give back

Volunteers pitch in at the Central Texas Food Bank in Austin.[/caption]

 

• In Central Texas more than 471,000 people face hunger, and 25 percent of them are children. Central Texas Food Bank aims to help those in need and raise awareness via social media as part of the campaign using the Twitter hashtag #HungerActionMonth.


• Many local retail and corporate partners are holding special events to benefit the food bank during Hunger Action Month. For a complete list of these events or to volunteer, visit www.centraltexasfoodbank.org.

Stay safe

During the Labor Day holiday period in 2015, there were 359 alcohol-related crashes in Texas that led to 12 fatalities and 36 serious injuries, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.  TxDOT urges drivers to arrange for sober rides home before hitting the road.