Community
Alamodome will open 10,000 COVID-19 vaccine appointments tomorrow evening

SAN ANTONIO (March 7, 2021) – The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District continues to work with state and local partners to distribute COVID-19 vaccines to critical populations, within the phases designated by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). The region continues to focus on vaccinating Phase 1A and 1B populations which includes healthcare workers, EMS providers, home health workers, long-term care staff residents of long-term care facilities and people over the age of 65 or over 16 with chronic health conditions.
DSHS also announced this week that school and childcare personnel is also now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Proper ID is required for these individuals to receive their vaccine. This group includes those who work in pre-primary, primary, and secondary schools;
· Head Start and Early Head Start programs (including teachers, staff, and bus drivers)
· Those who work as or for licensed childcare providers, including center-based and family care providers.
10,000 first dose Pfizer vaccine appointments will be available starting tomorrow, Monday, March 8th at 6 p.m. on the Metro Health COVID-19 vaccine registration website. Residents without access to the internet can call 311 option 8 for assistance with registration.
Immunization with a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine is a critical component of the strategy to reduce COVID-19-related illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths and to help restore community and societal functioning. The goal is to have enough COVID-19 vaccine for all people who wish to be vaccinated. However, currently there continues to be limited supply of COVID-19 vaccine.
Individuals who decide to opt-in to the City of San Antonio’s text alert system, can text VACCINE to 55000 or in Spanish VACUNA to 55000. By signing up they will receive a text notifying them of locations that have appointments available. Opting to this text alert system will not sign you up for a vaccine or add you on a wait list. This is an additional method to inform the community when new appointments are available. At this time notifications will be for the Alamodome, Wonderland of the Americas operated by University Health System, and WellMed.
For more information please visit covid19.sanantonio.gov
FOUR WAYS TO SIGN UP FOR COVID-19 ALERTS
- Download the Ready South Texas app, available in the iTunes and Google Play stores
- Text COSAGOV to 55000 to receive SMS text message updates
- Follow @COSAGOV on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
- Bookmark covid19.sanantonio.gov
- Text Vaccine to 55000
Public service announcements on social distancing, prevention and testing are available here.
Art
Downtown SA Lights Up for the Holidays

Downtown San Antonio will sparkle this holiday season with an array of lights and holiday events.
Set against the backdrop of one of the city’s most historic and charming walkways, five blocks of Houston Street will buzz with twinkling lights, decorations, entertainers, and vendors from Nov. 24 and runs through January 2.
Additionally, on Nov. 24, kick off the holiday festivities with the Annual H-E-B Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at Travis Park. Festivities begin at 4 p.m. and include live entertainment, food trucks, letters to Santa, giveaways, holiday crafts, a special visit from Santa, and a movie screening of “The Grinch.” The tree-lighting ceremony begins at 6 p.m., followed by the movie at 7 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.
Get front-row seats to the 42nd Annual Ford Holiday River Parade, which offers a spectacular one-hour parade along the San Antonio River Walk starting at 6 pm at the Tobin Center. This year’s theme, “Holiday Stories,” will kick off the San Antonio tradition. Always held the day after Thanksgiving, the parade and river lighting ceremony will feature 28 illuminated floats and over 100,000 lights (2,250 strands) illuminating the River Walk. The lights turn on from sundown to sunrise every day until the weekend following New Year’s Day. Seating ranges from $15 to $40. It is broadcast live at 7 p.m. at the Arneson River Theatre.
The Rotary Ice Rink, presented by Valero, will also return this fall at Travis Park in downtown San Antonio. Since 2019, nearly 200,000 people have enjoyed the rink and surrounding festivities. For more information, including hours of operation, pricing, and specials, visit (rotaryicerink.com).
For more events, go to (VisitSanAntonio.com).
Black Life Texas
Carver Annual Fundraiser Dec. 2

The Carver Development Board presents the Cavalcade of the Stars on Saturday, Dec. 2, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Center.
This annual fundraiser benefits the Carver’s School for Visual & Performing Arts’ Artist Residency/Master Class Program, summer camps, Youth Matinee Series, and supports the education programs of the Carver Community Cultural Center. The title fundraiser is Valero.
The night will start with a reception and silent auction at 5:30 pm. Dinner is served at 6:30 pm, and the show begins at 8 pm featuring Kiland Kyham, also known as Mr. Houston. Kyham is a gifted and powerful author, singer, and songwriter. He has performed and produced with such music legends as Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Johnathon Butler, and Smokey Robinson. He has written over 400 song jingles and has produced numerous projects.
For over 75 years, The Carver Community Cultural Center (“The Carver”) has served as the San Antonio Eastside’s foremost gathering place of cultural exchange and performance arts. It was originally erected in 1918 as a community center for African-Americans. By the 1930s, the building was repurposed as the Colored Library and renamed the Carver Library and Auditorium in honor of Dr. George Washington Carver. From the 1940s through the Civil Rights Era, prominent African-American entertainers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Louis Armstrong played at the Carver.
Individual tickets for the Cavalcade of the Stars are $250 or $2,500 per table. For more information, visit (TheCarver.org).
Black Life Texas
Free Native American Festival at the Briscoe

Highlighting the continued vibrancy and artistic traditions of Native American communities – and the local tribes who helped shape San Antonio – the Briscoe Western Art Museum invites everyone to enjoy its annual Yanaguana Indian Arts Festival on Saturday, Nov. 11, from 10 am to 4 pm.
The event is free and includes admission to the Briscoe, making it a perfect way to celebrate the vital role Native Americans played in shaping the West while enjoying art and artifacts that highlight Native American history.
The community festival features live performances, storytelling, artist demonstrations, pottery and carving, as well as Native American-inspired food, including REZR’vation Only, a food truck featuring Native American-inspired cuisine that is owned and operated by a registered member of the Navajo Nation. The event starts with a Native American spiritual blessing, followed by a ceremonial drum circle that invites everyone to join.
The annual event is named in honor of the Payaya people, who were indigenous to the San Antonio area. “Yanaguana” was the word they used to describe what is now known as the San Antonio River. The festival has been held annually since the museum opened, with 2020’s event taking place virtually.
To learn more, visit (BriscoeMuseum.org).
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