The Open
Morning, Georgetown. 👋
October is Month of the Arts here, and this is the week it really shows up. There are new sculptures all over downtown, painted rain barrels in shop windows, and on Friday night the whole Cultural District turns into one big open house. It ends with a silent movie on a big outdoor screen and a live orchestra playing along. Add a ghost tour or two and some fireworks out on Hwy 29, and that's a pretty great fall weekend. Let's go.
A Little Good News: The Palace got its seats back
Remember January? The ice storm and flooding that month wrecked the seating area at the historic Georgetown Palace. The Springer Stage reopened a few months later with the old seats, and the theater kept the shows going.
Now the comeback is finished. The Sun got photos of brand new seats in the main house, installed in time for "Oklahoma!", which runs through Nov. 1. If you've been meaning to catch a show this fall, this is a good excuse. Tickets are at georgetownpalace.org.
One more happy one: Crestview Baptist Church, which has served Georgetown since 1961, holds its first service in its new two-story building on Williams Drive this Sunday, Oct. 18.
The Week Ahead
Wed 10/14 · "The Maltese Falcon" at the Georgetown Public Library, 6:30 p.m. It kicks off the library's free Spooky Film Fest, and there's popcorn.
Thu 10/15 · Imagine a Day Without Water downtown. Participating businesses are giving out free swag, plus a raffle. The painted rain barrel auction also wraps up this week, and you bid by QR code.
Fri 10/16 · Autumn Art Stroll, 4 to 8 p.m. in the Downtown Georgetown Cultural District. It's free. More on this one below.
Fri 10/16 · Phantom of the Opera under the stars. The Sculpture Tour awards start at 8 p.m. at the Light and Water Works Plaza. At 8:30 p.m., the Central Texas Philharmonic plays live with an outdoor screening of the 1925 silent film. Bring a chair.
Fri 10/16 and Sat 10/17 · Ghosts of the Georgetown Square. Tours leave the Williamson Museum (716 S. Austin Ave.) at 7:30, 8, and 9 p.m. Tickets are $20, or $15 for members, students, and veterans. Space is limited.
Fri 10/16 and Sat 10/17 · Fireworks at Sweet Eats, 14400 E. Hwy 29. The Fall Festival runs through Nov. 8.
Fri 10/16 · New show at the Palace. "The Second-to-Last Chance Ladies League" opens at the Doug Smith Performance Center and runs through Nov. 15.
Sat 10/17 · Georgetown Pride Festival, 1 to 6 p.m. at Wellspring United Methodist Church, 6200 Williams Dr. Free.
Mon 10/19 · Early voting starts. It runs through Oct. 30. More in The Big Thing.
Tue 10/20 · Chicks for Charity Designer Purse Bingo, 6 to 9 p.m. at 455 E. Morrow St. Tickets are through gajf.org.
Wed 10/21 · "Clue" is next in the library's Spooky Film Fest, 6:30 p.m., free.
Looking ahead: Southwestern's 560 groundbreaking is Fri 10/23, and the free Dia de los Muertos celebration is Sat 10/24 at the Light and Water Works Plaza.
Something we missed? Hit reply. The tip line is always open.
Eat and Drink: Make the Art Stroll your dinner plan
Friday's Art Stroll is a good excuse to eat downtown. Local restaurants serve food and cocktails along the route, so the move is to grab a stroll passport at any check-in spot, wander a few galleries, eat somewhere on the Square, and get to the plaza before Phantom starts at 8:30.
Something new on Williams Drive: Project LeanNation is now open at 4720 Williams Dr., Bldg. 1, Ste. 105. It held its grand opening in late September. It's a healthy, grab-and-go spot with ready-to-heat meals and a protein shake bar, for the weeks when you know you won't cook.
Still coming: The Junction is planning a November opening, and Texas Roadhouse is planning to open Nov. 16. I'll tell you once they're actually open, and I'll confirm it first.
The Big Thing: Early voting starts Monday. Here's what to know
The November election is close. Early voting in Williamson County runs Monday, Oct. 19 through Friday, Oct. 30, and Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. You can vote at any early voting location in the county, not just the one closest to home.
Registered through DPS? Check your status. Community Impact reports the county is working through 18,762 delayed voter registration records. The records came from a technical problem with the Texas DPS online driver's license portal, going back to October 2025. The county has added staff and overtime to catch up. The key point: if you registered through DPS by the Oct. 5 deadline, you're eligible to vote, even if your record hasn't been processed yet. Check your status at wilcotx.gov/elections or votetexas.gov. If something looks wrong at the polls, you can still cast a provisional ballot.
Bring a photo ID. These seven are accepted: a Texas driver's license, Texas personal ID card, Texas handgun license, Texas election ID certificate, U.S. military ID with photo, U.S. citizenship certificate with photo, or U.S. passport. If you don't have one, you can sign a reasonable impediment declaration and show something like a utility bill or a paycheck instead.
Two more quick things: the deadline to apply for a mail ballot is Oct. 23, and phones and smartwatches aren't allowed in the voting booth. Look up your sample ballot before you go so you can take your time with the races at the bottom.
Early voting sites and hours are on the county elections site.
Local Spotlight: The Caring Place
Some things should stay on our radar even when they aren't fun. The Caring Place, Georgetown's longtime nonprofit food pantry, says it's seeing a record number of people in recent months. As of September, the pantry had served more than 10,362 unique visitors this year. In August alone, more than 1,700 families came through the doors.
That's a lot of our neighbors, and the holidays haven't started yet. If you want to help, this is a good time. Donate, volunteer, or just drop off a bag of groceries. Details are at caringplacetx.org.
And a quiet shoutout to the volunteers at the Madella Hilliard Senior Center, who pack and vacuum seal meals for Meals on Wheels. That's the kind of work that keeps a town like this running.
Know a Georgetown person or group doing quiet, great work? Hit reply and nominate them.
The Roundup
Ronald Reagan Blvd. is growing: Williamson County broke ground Oct. 7 on a $27 million, 2.4 mile segment from Williams Drive to CR 245. It adds two southbound lanes with a median and should be done by summer 2028. Sun City drivers, this one's for you.
The county animal shelter is expanding: work on the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter is expected to start Nov. 1 and finish around Jan. 1.
Melina gets its builders: Hillwood Communities named four home builders for Melina, a planned 840 home neighborhood near University Blvd., CR 110, and SH 130.
A 24/7 gym is coming: HT Fitness plans to open this fall at 4159 E. University Ave., with kids care and free group classes.
Your Turn
Thank you for the K9 name ideas! [UPDATE WITH A FEW FAVORITE REPLIES, OR SAY THEY'VE BEEN PASSED ALONG TO GPD]
This week: What's your favorite fall tradition in Georgetown? It could be a ghost tour, the corn maze, a certain patio on the first cool night, anything. I'm putting together a local's guide to fall in Georgetown, and the best answers (with credit) will go in it. Hit reply.
The Sign-off
That's the Buzz. If you're heading to the Art Stroll Friday, bring a friend, and maybe forward this to them first. That's genuinely how this thing grows. If someone sent it to you, you can subscribe free at gtownbuzz.com.
See you on the Square, Armand
GTown Buzz, your weekly buzz on Georgetown, TX Got a tip? Just hit reply.