Blogging about the Arts in Katy
All Aboard Katy! You are HOT!
Thank you Katy Heritage Society! Your Public Art Train Project, “All Aboard Katy!” is putting Katy on the track to becoming a cultural HOT spot! And City of Katy hotel taxes and the Arts in Katy are the attractive passengers on that Hot Train!
“All Aboard Katy!” is a public art project initiated by the Katy Heritage Society to help raise money for the Heritage Society and their mission to protect and preserve the history of Katy. The Trains help share the history of Katy with residents outside the city’s jurisdiction, residents of Cinco Ranch for example, who may not be as familiar with the MKT Rail connection to Katy’s history. “Why a train?” is a common question concerning this art project. “Doesn’t our history in Cinco Ranch connect to horses?” or “I thought Katy’s history was related to our schools, a prairie, a goose, maybe that rice dryer?” All true, all good. But never forget that the MKT rail line is what moved all the people and materials we needed to build Katy on the plains. The truth is, having Katy “newcomers” share a sense of history with Katy “old timers” will create a stronger connection to Katy for everyone, and a strong connection to your community is what makes citizens become proud stewards of a community.
That is the Katy Heritage Society’s vision: to make ALL of us proud and protective of our entire Katy community, whether we live in the City of Katy jurisdiction or not, and most this area’s residents don’t live within the City of Katy limits. We live in the unincorporated areas surrounding the City of Katy. But we all live close enough to the City of Katy to care about the city’s efforts to protect and preserve Katy’s history and to keep planning to improve the look and feel of the community, including public arts projects like “All Aboard Katy!”. It makes us feel proud of our environment and makes us want to stay.
Everyone gains when their City cares enough about their citizen’s environment to invest in the Arts. Thanks Katy Heritage Society you are on the right track. Thanks for caring for all of us!
I live in Cinco Ranch and I know my family benefits and my home value increases when the arts are present within my community, and our caring elected officials in Katy would certainly get my vote, if I had one! I hope when a vote for the Arts comes up on the Council, they will be thinking about us. Thank you for supporting the arts in Katy!
Knowing that Hotel tax funds can only be spent with the city limits, it usually goes to restoration of a park building, the rice harvest festival, and various small conventions. These funds must include some facet of bringing visitors to Katy to stay in the hotels where the funds come from. Our quality of life, and our sense of place can be positively impacted by what the decision makers decide to fund. What art projects would you like to see the City of Katy support using Hotel tax funds?
