Hutto finds 150 reasons
to celebrate 2026
Planning underway for sesquicentennial
HUTTO — The city is going full steam ahead with plans to celebrate 150 years of its history beginning as a train stop in 1876.
While Hutto was not incorporated until 1911, the International and Great Northern Railroad arrived in 1876 and established Hutto Station, a depot named for the landowner who sold the easement.
The symbol for the 2026 sesquicentennial celebration was designed by Charlene Martindale. Image courtesy of Hutto
That is reason enough to have a party, according to officials at Thursday’s City Council meeting, where elected representatives also considered crime statistics and a “polar bear” dive.
“We are celebrating 150 years of Hutto being established by the Hutto Station being created with the rail line being laid down. We are celebrating the coming of the railroad,” said Amberley Kolar, a former councilwoman who chairs the 20-member Hutto Sesquicentennial Celebration Committee.
Kolar presented a new logo designed by Charlene Martindale commemorating the event and a timeline for the celebrations.
The logo incorporates a hippo, which is the local mascot, and a train.
The design symbolizes the city’s railway roots and touches on the legend of how the city gained its mascot when a hippo wandered free from a circus train that stopped at the station.
“This is not just a one-day event. This is intended to be kind of a kickoff around the May time frame and sort of priming the public to start thinking about history,” said Councilman Peter Gordon. “Then maybe having art displays that are ongoing and in different locations and getting people excited so that November is the culmination and a huge celebration of what we have done during the year to celebrate the history.”
The committee and council discussed two citywide events, possibly having one at Fritz Park, 100 Park St., in May and another at Adam Orgain Park, 1001 CR 137, in November.
The committee will present more details to the council along with a budget early next year.
Nearby Taylor is also celebrating its sesquicentennial in 2026.
BURGLARIES DOWN, DWI ARRESTS UP
Car break-ins and burglaries of buildings have shown a dramatic drop, but driving-whileintoxicated arrests rose from January to October compared to the same period in 2024, Police Chief Jeffrey Yarbrough told the council.
Motor-vehicle burglaries are down 61% and building burglaries dropped 55%, but DWI arrests are up by 80%.
“Does that mean we’ve got more drunk drivers? No. We’ve got officers that have focused on making sure they identify those, and the arrests and interdiction for DWIs has increased,” Yarbrough said.
He credits the decline in burglaries to “strategic positioning” of patrols in high-risk areas and the public’s willingness to report suspicious activity.
In addition, the chief noted the department also established its first Honor Guard this year.
Four members of the force graduated from the Honor Guard National Academy and represent Hutto police in local observances events including memorial services.
They include officers Deanna Lewis and David Sandoval, Sgt. Anthony Robertson and Cpl. Jeffrey Woolverton.
HIPPOS BECOME POLAR BEARS JAN. 1
The public is invited to take part in a “chilling” tradition to start off the new year — taking a dive into winter waters.
Hutto’s annual Polar Bear Plunge & Diaper Drive is noon Jan. 1 at the Glenwood Community Pool, 107 McCoy Lane.
While Hutto’s event is only a few years old, the practice of taking an icy plunge for fun or charity may have started in Boston in 1904 and soon spread across the globe.
Mayor Mike Snyder, Williamson County Precinct 4 Constable Paul Leal and other officials have indicated they will take the plunge to help support community service.
To participate or just to watch, bring any size package of diapers. The diapers will be given free to families in need through the Hutto Resource Center.
For the “polar bears,” hot cocoa and coffee will be served.
