Austin Zoo, Animal Sanctuary: A walk on the wild side that’s close to home
AUSTIN – The Austin Zoo and Animal Sanctuary was my very first stop in exploring the central Texas region as the new leisure editor. As my navigation system directed me around Austin and then down quiet country roads, I wasn’t sure I had copied down the address correctly. And then out of nowhere, a small sign for the zoo appeared. I made another turn onto an even smaller, quieter, gravel road and I was there.

BOSS: August packed full of events
It’s Midnight Madness! We are throwing our second softball tournament of the year. If you remember our last tournament we had 48 teams battle it out for a chance to win $1,000 for their unit funds. This time, we have 36 teams that will compete for the title in a 24-hour, non-stop, action-packed tournament. We’ve had many requests for a softball tournament like this, so we’re making it happen. It’ll start on Aug. 5 at 6 p.m. and finish at 6 p.m. the following day. We’ll definitely have all kinds of fun. We do have a couple more slots open, so if you have a team that would like to play, give us a call as soon as possible. You can also mark your calendar and come out to support your units on their path to victory.

BOSS: Black Jack troops keeping it cool in pool
There’s no better way to beat the heat in Texas than with a splash in the pool, and there’s no better time to go to the pool than when you’re supposed to be working. During a Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers event July 16, single Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, traded in a work day for some fun in the sun at the Summer Fun Water Park in Belton.

Fort Hood Calendar of Events
JULY 30 Warrant ‘Round Up’

Leisure Travel Services
Leisure Travel Services offices are located at: Equipment Check-out Center, Bldg. 4930 on Clear Creek Road and 761st Tank Battalion shopping center, near Military Clothing Sales, Bldg. 136. For more information, call 554-6800, 287-7310, 532-5292, or 287-6024.

Across Central Texas
KILLEEN ‘Beauty and the Beast’

The oldest American, Eunice Sanborn, is an East Texan
As of this writing, East Texan Eunice Sanborn of Jacksonville is the oldest living American. The Gerontology Research Group in Los Angeles says Sanborn is 114, which makes her the oldest person in the United States and the second oldest in the world. The oldest person in the world allegedly is a French woman who predates Miss Eunice by five months.

Soldier Show: Internet theme clicks with audience
Although based upon current social media, the 2010 Soldier Show incorporates music history ranging from Irving Berlin to Michael Jackson and Disturbed; its computer screen stage sets transitioning from scene-to-scene as if the audience were surfing the internet on Facebook or Google.