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Community Corner

🌱 SA Book Festival + Local Scooby Doo Mystery Machine Needs Your Help

The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in San Antonio.

Gabriela Cantu Couvillion's profile picture
Gabriela Cantu Couvillion, Neighbor
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Happy Wednesday, neighbors! Here's everything you need to know about what's happening in San Antonio today.

First, today's weather:

Breezy and very warm. High: 95 Low: 70.

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Here are the top stories in San Antonio today:

  1. Get ready book lovers! The "San Antonio Book Festival" will be taking place on Saturday, May 21, at various venues in town! More than 60 panels with over 90 authors of all genres will be participating in this free festival event! Among the participants will be "San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson W. Wolff" who will both "speak about the Alamo City's response to the pandemic and its impacts on the county." Other participants include award-winning novelist and poet Sandra Cisneros, New York Times bestselling author Emma Straub, former San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros; Phil Hardberger, former mayor and founder of Phil Hardberger Park, and many more. For the full event schedule click here and for more information visit: (San Antonio Magazine)
  2. On Cinco de Mayo (May 5), "Mas Chingon" bar held its grand opening on the Southside of town. The new bar owned by Sam Garcia Jr. features "tequilas like Dos Artes, Clase Azul, Casamigos as well as mezcals like Tapatio Reposado and Rey Campero." Although its focus is "tequila and mezcal," they also serve other drinks such as "beer, micheladas, bloody marys, margaritas and "specialty cocktails with San Antonio-centric names like a 'Como La Flor.'" The new venue is located at 4904 South Presa St. and is open Wednesday-Sunday from 5 p.m.-2 a.m. For more details visit: (mySA)
  3. More than 12 years ago, local Air Force veteran Linda Pearson painted her van to look like the "Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine van" and turned it "into a mobile free library... to bring books to children across San Antonio." Sadly, "now the Mystery Machine is dead" and she is asking for help. Although Pearson was able to turn her Mystery Machine into a nonprofit "and has partnered with television stations, Bexar County, the city, museums, and small businesses to get the books out to the children," she still has to pay "out of pocket for all the repairs, gas, insurance, and maintenance" and in the last two years, "she has personally put in over $12,000 to maintain the vehicle since it's an older model... valued at $5,000." Unfortunately, now the "transmission is shot and will not work until she puts another $6,000 into it" but "instead of continuing to throw money at the van," she started a "GoFundMe with the hopes of raising $21,000 to help pay for a used 2012 Honda Pilot." She said, "We know what needs to be put in place to really bring the community together and put the systems in place... It's just a matter of continuing that mission." During her search for help, Pearson presented "the community with a 5-5-5- challenge" and said, "Here's the challenge, just donate $5, it takes less than 5 minutes, and then share with 5 friends and ask them to do the same." For more visit: (mySA)

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Today in San Antonio:

From my notebook:

  • San Antonio Pets Alive! (SAPA!) is in urgent need of fosters! SAPA! provides everything you need to take care of the animals. If you or someone you know is willing to foster them, please fill out the foster application and email foster@sanantoniopetsalive.org as soon as possible! For more information visit https://www.sanantoniopetsalive.org." (Instagram)
  • "As summer approaches, the San Antonio Food Bank is getting ready for the busiest time of the year. While inflation rises and children get out of school, more families look for food assistance during the upcoming months. On Saturday, May 14, they ask that you please place any nonperishable foods by your mailbox to contribute towards the 'Stamp Out Hunger' campaign. Please help the San Antonio Food Bank provide food for families this summer! For more details visit https://www.ksat.com/empty-shelves-at-san-antonio." (Facebook)
  • "On Saturday, June 4, a Woodlawn Lake neighbor will conduct a multi-agency search for someone that has been missing for almost 3 years and ask that you please sign up to help. All volunteers must go through a screening process, and they will also receive training prior to the search to get acquainted with how everything works. They are looking for long-term volunteers that will not only dedicate time to searching, but also to training and certification, as those are requirements to be on the search team. Through this search, they hope to bring closure to a family that has been hurting for years. Contact the neighbor through the Nextdoor site if you're interested and available." (Nextdoor)

Alrighty, you're all good for today. I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow morning with 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!

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming San Antonio Daily? Contact me at sanantonio@patch.com

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

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