| ||||||||
 YOUR CITY. YOUR MORNING. Hello, Round Rock.CITYAPOLLO DAILY · TX | ||||||||
City view · Round Rock  Round Rock, Texas, 2021 · Another Believer · License | ||||||||
| ||||||||
Hello, Round Rock. Friday’s library workshops can turn a business idea into a better research question. There is also music over lunch today, an art opening Saturday and a few service, school and park dates worth keeping close. | ||||||||
Business & learning Today’s big storyUse Friday’s free workshops to answer a business questionRound Rock Public Library’s Friday Biz.ability program brings two research tools into a practical setting for entrepreneurs, nonprofits and people exploring an idea. Reference Solutions runs October 16 from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM; PolicyMap follows from 1 to 2 PM. The workshops are free, aimed at adults 18 and older, and require registration. They meet in the library’s first-floor Meeting Rooms A & B at 200 E. Liberty Avenue. The morning session focuses on finding and understanding a target market, researching competitors and similar businesses, exploring industries and gathering information for a business plan. A useful starting point is one real question from your own project: who might need a service, which comparable businesses operate nearby or what evidence would support a proposal? The program is designed to show how the library’s data resources can help investigate questions like those. After a half-hour break, the afternoon session turns to PolicyMap. Its advertised topics include demographics, neighborhood comparisons, community trends and using maps to support business plans or grant applications. That makes the day relevant beyond a storefront opening: a nonprofit considering where to focus a program, for example, can use the same kind of location research. The library describes both databases as resources available free with a library card. At today’s check, the booking page displayed 10 remaining seats; availability can change as people register. Use the current registration form before committing to the visit. The teaching timetable above leaves time for a lunch break between sessions. The library’s current construction notice directs visitors through the courtyard entrance, and the adjacent city-owned garage at 210 E. Liberty Avenue provides free ordinary visitor parking. Together, those details make it easier to arrive ready to work on an actual question.
| ||||||||
EventsThursday, Oct 15Undiskovered Trio at the lunchtime parklet | 11:30 AM–1:00 PM | Parklet #4, Griffith Building Paseo, Downtown Round Rock | Free performance; food purchases optional Thursday's dated city schedule places Undiskovered Trio at the Griffith Building Paseo from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Bring lunch or coffee from home, or buy something nearby. The city also advertises free face painting and balloon twisting. This is a lunch-break option, so set aside only the time that suits your day and check for weather changes before heading downtown. Saturday, Oct 17Polish poster art opening reception | 2:30 PM–5:30 PM | Round Rock Public Library; exhibition on second and third floors, program in Meeting Rooms A & B | Free; selected artwork will be available for purchase Saturday's Tour de Force of Visual Imagination opening includes poster viewing, a screening of Freedom on the Fence and a moderated conversation with Polish artist Rafał Olbiński. The schedule separates viewing at 2:30 p.m., the film at 3 p.m., the conversation at 4 p.m. and a final reception period. Admission is free, but the library asks visitors to reserve a place; artwork purchases are optional.
| ||||||||
News NotesServices Two dates to mark before a library trip The 2026 library holiday table lists Thursday, October 22 for staff training and Wednesday, November 11 for Veterans Day. The October 22 notice says regular hours resume at 9 AM Friday, October 23. During a closure, the exterior book drop and online resources remain options. Today’s homepage still directs visitors through the courtyard entrance while main-entrance work continues. Schools A new chief joins the school district November 9 Round Rock ISD’s October 9 announcement names Mike Harmon as its next police chief, with a November 9 start date. The district says he spent 28 years with Cedar Park’s police department, including the last five as chief. The appointment concerns the school district’s police department. It does not change the leadership of the separate Round Rock municipal police department. Youth sports Spookout teams are now in late registration The regular $289 team-registration window ended at 11 PM yesterday. The organizer now lists $309 late registration through October 18, if space allows. U12–U14 play October 23, U9–U11 October 24 and U7–U8 October 25, with a maximum six-player roster and three-game guarantee. Divisions follow the new U.S. Soccer school-age rules. Check the actual registration page for remaining places before paying; listed start times are tentative. Parks Creekside Loop is interrupted by construction A portion of Creekside Loop Trail in Old Settlers Park remains closed for Harrell Parkway work. The city expects construction through the rest of 2026 and anticipates trail reopening afterward, in January 2027. The project raises the roadway and trail outside the Chandler Branch floodplain. Plan a shorter accessible route using the current closure map; the forecast month is not an announced reopening day. Development Trail connections have an approved long-term plan Council adopted the updated Trails Master Plan September 10 and approved the Heritage Trail East construction contract. That segment is planned along the north side of Brushy Creek from Mays Street to Georgetown Street, with connections beneath existing bridges. The city estimates about 18 months of construction. The approval advances a connection; use current trail information for routes already open to walk or bike. | ||||||||
Local practical guide The Local FindA parking base for a downtown visitThe city-owned garage beside the library is at 210 E. Liberty Avenue and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Ordinary visitor parking is free, including for people visiting other downtown destinations. Entrances are at East Liberty Avenue/North Sheppard Street and East Austin Avenue/North Sheppard Street. The four-level garage has 286 spaces, an elevator and accessible parking on its first level. Six EV charging stations sit on the top floor, with a separate payment process for station parking through the charging app. Keep that distinction in mind when budgeting: free ordinary parking does not make charging free. For a downtown lunch performance or library program, save the garage address together with the destination’s address so the group meets in the right place.
| ||||||||
Plan aheadWednesday, Oct 28Fall Fun Festival for toddlers and preschoolers | 9:00 AM–11:30 AM | Old Settlers Park, Round Rock | Free; organizer asks for a canned-food donation Costumes are encouraged for this weekday morning of seasonal activities. Bring a canned item for the Round Rock Food Pantry, as requested by Parks and Recreation. Old Settlers Park has active construction and different access routes for different areas, so review the city’s current park map before setting out. | ||||||||
The WrapChoose a plan with its practical details attached: a registration for Friday’s workshops, the correct entrance for a library visit or the current route through Old Settlers Park. Today’s lunchtime performance is a chance to step outside without committing the entire afternoon. If a neighborhood project or community program deserves a closer look, send its dated source through our tip form. The next useful local story often starts with a specific question.
CityApollo’s editorial team is responsible for research, publication and corrections. | ||||||||
 | ||||||||
CityApollo · Round Rock Publisher mailing address: 9273 SW 8th Street #223, Boca Raton, FL 33428 | ||||||||
