Oak Park & Welcome Center opening celebration set

The official ribbon-cutting celebration for Wimberley’s long-awaited public restroom and parking complex will be held Sunday, Oct. 23 from 3-5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public and will include live music and refreshments provided by local restaurants and businesses.

Adjacent to Wimberley Square at 109 Oak Drive, the complex has been named “Oak Park and Welcome Center” by city council and is designed to be a landing space for visitors and locals. The city is also recognizing the completion of the downtown sewer at the event and the unveiling of a sculpture donated on behalf of the Wimberley Valley Arts & Cultural Alliance.

Two stand-alone restroom buildings, Oak Park, ADA parking spaces plus an additional 140 parking spaces and ADA-compliant sidewalks leading into the Square make up this key addition to Wimberley’s downtown. On the porch of the restrooms will be a directory including a large map of the district listing the names and locations of businesses, parks and points of interest.

Additional directional signage is being installed on Oak Drive and Ranch Road 12 this week. These signs will direct visitors to the parking lot to help ease traffic at the square.

“This complex is an important addition to the community that will make an impact on every business in town, every visitor that comes here and the locals as well,” Mayor Pro Tem Rebecca Minnick said. “It’s a facility we can all be proud of, and we’re looking forward to coming together as a community to celebrate.”

The bronze boot sculpture was donated to the city by WVACA, which is joining in hosting the celebration, through the generosity of WVACA past president, Dr. Hilda S. Carpenter and her husband Steven J. Green. The four-foot tall bronze boot called “Hill Country Soul” is a gift from WVACA in appreciation of the town’s continuing support for the area’s diverse creative arts.

Oak Park features high-quality artificial turf and will include a couple of outdoor games and seating.

Rose Gabriel and the Hill Country Honeys are performing at the event and are sponsored by WVACA and Wimberley merchants Kamaway Market, Wimberley Whimsy, Cypress Creek Lavender Cottage and Social on the Square.

Refreshments are donated by the Wimberley Cafe, Creekhouse and Middleton Brewing as well as Social on the Square and Mad Rooster’s.

The site will also feature landscape planters sponsored by Kevin Fowler, Flying C Cattle, Molly and Micah Bowen, Friends of Wimberley Parks, Gina and Tom Fulkerson, Rebecca and Don Minnick, and Teresa Shell. Additional planters are available for sponsorship by calling the City of Wimberley at (512)847-0025.