The 30th Annual King Mango Strut went off without a hitch, as usual. It was a beautiful day and lots of fun, the crowds seemed larger this year, maybe because it's New Year's Eve and everyone wanted to start partying early. That's Ron Magill from Zoo Miami, with a friend, yes, that's a large snake wrapped around Ron. The Strut Celebrity this year was Katy Sorenson, the never recalled/never indicted/never removed-by-the-governor, former commissioner of Miami-Dade County. She played the Good Witch from the Wizard of Oz -- Glinda. I'll have photos of Katy tomorrow as part of our big slide show presentation of this year's Strut.
As usual, the parade started at 2 pm on the dot and lasted over an hour, everyone and everything that was in the news this year was parodied.
My friend, Patty Gonzalez, at right, was with her friends, and they knew how to enjoy the parade, with chilled wine and front row seats (and table) on Main Highway.
It's a colorful parade, like every year with lots to see and enjoy. This dude reminds me of that guy on Boardwalk Empire, you know, the one with the half face.
The crowds lined up along the route and all seemed to have good seats as the Strut winded its way around the Center Grove.
Audrey Scott, Grove Ambassador, worked in the Info Booth in the morning, then strutted as an dangerous African snail, with her group and then was back at her booth, helping tourists, at the end of the parade.
After the Strut, people hung out around the Grove and enjoyed themselves. I stuck around the end of Commodore Plaza with my friends at LoKal, the new burger place, and The Loft, next door, where Yvonne and Michael always treat us like family. I was exhausted and I didn't even march or strut. I hung out there for a long time enjoying seeing all the people who were enjoying the Grove. If only it could be like that all the time around here! Restaurants and bars were packed from one end of the village to the other.
Please come back tomorrow for a full slide show of the wacky events. Happy New Year!
Today is King Mango Strut Day in Coconut Grove! Hope to see you all out for the wacky parade for it's 30th year! I watched some of the African Snail Group practice yesterday, they will be out slithering around along with the Coconut Grove Drum Circle. And another group marching will be the Real Housewives of Bin Laden, which ironically, I did this cartoon at the time of his death.
Other groups marching today include
· Time Magazine’s Person of the Year protesting protestors protesting protestors! · Herman Cain reveals his 9-9-9 Plan for "Women for Cain" · The Wizard of Odds at Miami’s new destination casino · Highway Patrol Trooper Watts · Wall Street Vampires tap Charlie Sheen’s Tiger Blood · Citizens Revolting Against Politicians (The C.R.A.P. Party) · The Miami Beach Party Cops · North Korean grief counseling group · Sierra Club throws a baby shower to welcome the 7th billion person on earth! · Watch Dr. Buttock fix-a-flat butt, uh oh. · Anthropology Majors for Rick Scott and there is so much more.
The King Mango Strut starts at 2 pm at the corner of Commodore Plaza and Main Highway, it winds down Main, goes up to the triangle at McFarlane and Main and turns onto Grande Avenue. Come out early and check out the goings on all over Commodore Plaza, including the Little Miss and Mr. Strut Pageant, where everyone's a winner, this starts at 1:30 pm.
There's plenty of parking all around Coconut Grove, there's no excuse for you not to attend! Click here for Coconut Grove map for parking. There is also a shuttle from the 27th Avenue Metrolrail station, so take the train to the Strut!
The party continues on Commodore Plaza with live music and fun after the parade until 6 pm. Start your New Year at the Strut!
Tonight is the final Miami Ski Club Happy Hour for the year. It from 6 to 8 pm at The Grove Spot(3324 Virginia Street. You don't have to be a member to join in. There are drink specials and lots of fun. Stop by and continue your holiday celebration with Miami's Skiers, for info Call Pam at 305-774-3696.
All the Grove restaurants and bars are open tomorrow with specials for New Year's Eve. Ran into some of my own family today at Calamari, where the Calamari staff was setting up a band stand, right over the lighted fountain in the courtyard. And I know that the new Villa Mayfair has a special night planned for their brand new venue on Florida Avenue.
For more casual, there is Barracuda, Sandbar and Mr. Moe's. In between there is the Sonesta, GreenStreets and Lulu's and don't forget to pop into the new LoKal burger place on Commodore Plaza, saw them installing their new sign today. There's always something going on there, you'll always run into someone you know at LoKal!
And don't forget Le Bouchon, George's, Bombay Darbar, Bice, Spartico, Jaguar, The Grove Spot and Grove Garden Cafe, to name a few more. There's a lot of partying going on in Coconut Grove these days!
I enjoyed this quote by John Muir, the long-time naturalist and preservationist, I saw it on the Grove TreeWatch Facebook page:
"God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fools." ~John Muir You can join the Grove's TreeWatch page here.
By the way, there may be a meeting in the next week or so regarding the trees on Florida Avenue, Cary Aronovitz, who sent us this letter earlier in the week, has something up his sleeve. We'll let you know when it's concrete, wait, poor choice of words, we'll let you know the meeting details when we know.
Starting in January every second Tuesday of the month, Hallowpalooza will be hosting “Trivia for a Cause” at The Grove Spot (3324 Virginia Street). There is a $5 collection from each participant that benefits the Transplant Foundation, Inc. Stop by to test your knowledge starting at 8:30 pm.
Hallowpalooza was founded in 2009 by three friends with the desire to create awareness and raise money for charities near and dear to their hearts. For the 2012 year they have chosen to promote for the local charity, Transplant Foundation, in honor of Sid Sussman who has advised them with their annual Halloween extravaganza the past few years.
Transplant Foundation’s mission is to provide services for transplant families, increase organ, eye and tissue donation through community education and fund transplant research.
Transplant Foundation, Inc., affiliated with the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami, is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization. It was established in 1987 by a group of thankful transplant recipients wanting to contribute funds toward research and has grown into the best form of itself–the only private, patient-geared transplant organization in South Florida. For more information please visit: www.transplantfoundation.org.
The Miami Conservatory of Music is presenting a "cultural warm-up" to New Year's Eve, on Friday, December 30 at 8 pm.
Marina Rudiushina on piano and Nathan Schram on viola will be performing. Experience the award winning musicians from Carnigie Hall's Ensemble ACJW.
They will play works by Arvo Pärt, Brahms, Schumann, De Falla and Granados. A perfect evening during the holiday break ... enjoy a complimentary glass of wine.
I was standing in front of the Information booth in front of The Gap, with my camera in my hand, as I can usually be seen, and these tourists came up to me, four of them, two women and two men.
They were about to ask me something and one of the ladies says, "Oh, forget it, he has a camera!" Talk about profiling, reminds me of the time Johnny Rockets padded my bill because they saw me with a camera and thought I was a tourist. By the way, that Johnny Rockets story made it all around the world. It's been published time and time again in various consumer publications and national news publications. Guess it wasn't such a common thing, that tourist profiling thing that they do.
Anyway, I told the four tourists that I wasn't a tourist, and I could help them, but alas, I was no help. They wanted to know where Bayside was. When I told them it was a few miles away downtown, they got exasperated and said, forget it. I pointed to our waterfront, such as it is and they were not interested. She asked, "Is this all there is here?" and she swept her hand around the area.
I said, "We'll we are a small village, this is all we've got." Her husband seemed to like that, he said, "Thank God for that."
So I guess it's all in how you see it. He was a small village sort of guy, she wanted a shopping mall.
The City is playing Grinch these days. They were fining the High Gear bicycle shop on Main Highway for this mural, which is actually on the former Grove Central pizza place. I had wondered why it was never finished, I guess that is why.
The sign on the door (of the pizza shop, not the bicycle store) said that they have until December 29 to pay the permit fee or be fined $200 a day. The funny part is that Grove Central is closed, yet they are fining them for the bicycle shop mural which is next door, only the mural was on the Grove Central building and not on the bicycle shop building. It's a mess, which does not need to be. It's a small simple mural that brightens up the area. I know the City is broke and needs every penny, but this is crazy. I think the problem is the name on the mural. It constitutes advertising when there is a company name.
Looks like it's going to be a big King Mango Strut this year, according to the crowd that showed up last night at Greenstreets Cafe, for the final meeting for this year's event, which hits the streets of Coconut Grove on Saturday, December 31, at 2 pm. Above, Karen Deilke and Liz Gibson, flank Theresa Calluori. Karen and Liz head up the drum circle, which will be on a flat bed truck as part of the Strut this year. Theresa showed me her costume, which is quite clever and will remain secret until Strut day.
As everyone munched on Bruschetta pizzas and had a drink or two, Antoinette Baldwin went over the rules and order for this year's event. At left are Deborah Crisp and Antoinette, at right are Alyn Pruett and Joel Krieger. Alyn is part of The Barnacle group, whose motto is, "Occupying the Grove since 1891."
The Grand Marshal this year is Ron Magill. With over 30 years as a wildlife expert and Communications Director for Zoo Miami, there's no better king of the jungle to lead the animal house of Mangoheads.
The Strut Celebrity this year is Katy Sorenson, the never recalled/never indicted/never removed-by-the-governor, former commissioner of Never-Neverland (dba Miami-Dade County.)
The Pre-Parade activities begin at 1:30 pm at the corner of Commodore Plaza and Main Highway with the Little Mr. & Miss Mango Pageant (for kids 4-10) hosted by Buzz Fleischman (shown here addressing the crowd last night). He's Radio Buzz from WLRN's "South Florida Arts Beat." Unlike Toddlers & Tiaras, everyone is expected to win. The winners will ride the first float of the Strut.
The parade begins at 2 pm at the corner of Commodore Plaza and Main Highway. The parade turns left onto Main Highway, turns left onto Grand Avenue at CocoWalk and back to Commodore Plaza. If they're having too much fun, they will go around again until they all fall down. After the Parade, Commodore Plaza will remain closed to traffic and the King Mango Music Massacre begins. All the bands in the parade will continue playing until the festivities end at 6 pm.
All this entertainment is free and open to the public. There is plenty of parking along or near the parade route at CocoWalk, Mayfair, Coconut Grove Playhouse parking lot on Main Highway and Charles Avenue, St. Stephens Episcopal Church, Coconut Grove Elementary School, City garage at Oak Avenue and Mary Street, and the City garage next to the Sonesta Hotel. Click here for Coconut Grove map for parking.
You can also take the Metrorail to the Coconut Grove Station. There will be shuttle buses (Coconut Grove Circulator) picking up eager parade-goers every 15 minutes at the station and dropping off by the parade route.
Cary Aronovitz, Florida Avenue resident, sent out this letter to residents and others today. Recently, Coconut Grove TreeWatch tried to stop the street scape project, which will entail removing many mature trees as part of the sidewalk renovation plan. The appeal was reversed by the HEP Board. Here is Cary's letter, he asked me to post it:
TREE DESTRUCTION - PERMIT 11-231
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
As many of you know, eleven fully mature live oak and mahogany trees on Florida Avenue are scheduled for removal. The destruction is one phase of a City of Miami Capital Improvement Program initiative. To my knowledge, a developer/landscape architect, hired an arborist and made a pitch to the City to have these trees removed. Justified by the hired arborist’s naked eye report, the City’s Capital Improvement Program decided that nine of the trees are diseased and should be replaced. Two of the trees subject to removal have the unfortunate fate of being situated near the new Villa Mayfair restaurant and will be torn down to create a valet parking stand for the restaurant. (In the photo above: Mayfair Hotel – live oak tree, front left, is one of eleven that will be removed for a newer sidewalk).
I do not pretend to be a botanist; however, my naked eye tells me this decision solely is driven by money. In short, the landscape architect will be paid, the new specialized sidewalk brick company will be paid, and the City politicians can brag about the money they’ve spent to revitalize downtown Coconut Grove. Most concerning about this “project” is that it appears all it takes is a hired arborist’s report that a tree is damaged and that is enough for the City to tear it down. All of this comes at the expense of the property owners, businesses, residents, and, of course, the tree lined streets that make Coconut Grove the jewel of South Florida.
If anyone else is interested, please email me at caryaron@gmail.com and we’ll meet as a group and decide what can be done. For more information please also check out TreeWatch Coconut Grove on Facebook, an activist group vehemently opposed to this project.
I thought I was on 14th Street in New York for a minute as I walked down Grand Avenue. It's true that American Apparel is gone from the Grove -- over. They left. And now it looks like the landlords really want to rent the space out. So much so that this huge 14th Street-type sign is a can't miss feature in the windows now. I remember when that place was Miami Subs. Now, who knows what's coming in.
Word is that a new Tapas place is opening up on the other end of the building, to the left of the nail place, at the former Starbucks location.
There's a conflict regarding the Apple store on Miami Beach -- on Lincoln Road, to be exact. They apparently want to expand, but the historical designation of the area will not allow much in the way of construction, demolition or renovation. So now is the time for maybe Coconut Grove to step up.
I know it is far fetched, but why can't Coconut Grove be the location of an Apple store? Right now the Apple Corp. is said to be looking for a place in downtown Miami, but Coconut Grove would be very suitable. Unfortunately, too many places are closing in the Grove, another few possibly in January, and this is opening up large spaces where Apple could feel very nicely at home.
There is not much traffic in the Grove, but in this case, Apple is a destination. People will come to Apple and to Coconut Grove to shop at Apple. Apple really does not rely on passersby, they aren't an impulse store. The Grove lost Apple to Dadeland one time, maybe they would consider coming back again.
This could be a big win-win for Apple and Coconut Grove and if there is someone or some entity in Coconut Grove who could woo Apple here, they would be the hero of the decade. This could be the start of the turn-around for Coconut Grove.
Body Minute Beauty Center is now open at 3133 Commodore Plaza. Above are Carol, Yenicey, Lyn and Manuela. They call it a "journey into wellness," the concept is that for members, there is a gift every month of professional products and services, they also offer free tanning and Bright waxing care. No appointment is necessary.
Along with waxing, Body Minute offers facial and body care along with nail care and body contouring along with the tanning beds.
For more info, you can call 305-450-3370 or just stop in, their hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10:20 am to 7 pm. Their website is at http://www.bodyminute.com/
This is my favorite tv commercial. It's a Publix commercial from the late 1980s. It always reminds me of Christmas, I used to look forward to this commercial every year. I would stop whatever I was doing when it came on and I would just listen and watch.
It's called "Last Train Home," by Pat Metheny. Merry Christmas!
Looks like there will be a little more life on the corner of Grand Avenue and Commodore Plaza these days -- LoKal Burgers and Beer, the new place at 3190 Commodore Plaza is having a soft opening today, December 24, at noon. Take a break from your Christmas shopping and stop in if you get a chance, it's worth the visit.
Matt Kuscher and Albert Collado are featuring all natural food, including clean protein grass fed beef , kobe-style, from Ocala Florida, also from the same farm comes Florida bacon. The chicken is free range and comes from Central Florida, too. The beef is ground right at the restaurant daily. It's a comfort food place, with a conscience. That's Matt behind some of his new staff, from left: Nicole, Ruby, Carmen, Cris and Katie.
All the beers are craft, you won't find Bud or Bud Light at LoKal, David Rodriquez (their beer guru, made sure of that). They even make their own ketchup and other condiments! The desserts, including tres leches and key lime pie are made right on the premises, too.
I think we needed a burger joint like this in the Grove and hopefully you'll all agree and stop by for a visit.
Burgers include: the Frita ($11), the 50/50 ($12) the Classic ($9) and Miami Blues ($13) to name a few. Sandwiches include "My Wife's Tuna Fish Sandwich" ($8), Chick Chop ($10) and LoKal Mahi Sandwich ($12) among others. Above, left, Ruby is holding the 50/50, which is 50% grain fed beef and 50% bacon, with onion marmalade. At right, Katie has the Frita, with Guava paste and Gouda cheese. Both served with fries and homemade sauces.
There are bites and sides like New Mexico Chili and Heirloom Tomatoes and lots of salads, too. Michael, left, and David are part of the staff, which there is quite a lot of, you won't want for service at LoKal.
The beer menu is long, it includes Dog Fish Head 60 Min, Bells' Kalamazoo, Dale's Pale Ale, Palm and lots more in bottles and draft.
And if you dare, ask about the $300 Burger & Bubbles on the menu. Yes, $300. But we promise you, the prices are reasonable on the rest of the menu. In fact, here's the menu if you want more info. Above is the Frita. The Burger & Bubbles involves expensive Champagne and all.
This is the Heirloom Tomatoe salad, which is topped with Maytag blue cheese, cucumbers, homemade croutons and fresh basil, sprinked with LoKal vinaigrette dressing ($9).
The hours at LoKal, for now are, Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday from noon to 10 pm and Thursday, Friday and Saturday from noon to 2 am. The way Wednesdays are going around here in the Grove, which is turning into one of our busier nights, they tell me that they may extend the hours to later than 10 pm.
The masthead has gone a bit retro (by a couple of years) to celebrate the upcoming King Mango Strut's 30th Anniversary! On Saturday, December 31, the King Mango Strut will take to the streets of Coconut Grove at 2 pm.
This masthead is from the "Gripevine" group, who marched and parodied us in the 2009 parade, you can see the purple balloon Gripers here. It was such an honor, AnnaMaria Windisch-Hunt, from the Windisch-Hunt Gallery, came up with the concept, and so many friends joined in. It was the largest group that year and you really could not miss those big purple balloons coming down the street.
They parodied the Grapevine and the politics of the that year and the Anonymous commenters, which we had a lot of back then.
The Grapevine will soon be seven years old. It's been that long! Lucky seven. In honor of that, we have lowered our ad rates by a lot. Take a look at them here.
The Grapevine is read by all of you daily, isn't this where you want your ad to be seen? We actually publish stories and the news daily, we're fresh every day and we don't charge for inclusion in our Calendar of Events like other publications do, which makes us the only place to see what's really going on since we include every event in Coconut Grove, not just the ones who pay for the privilege.
The Grapevine is published as a community service, not as a money maker. And our stories are fresh, appearing when they actually happen. To keep it going, how about an ad or two? Support us, we support you. The Miami Herald and The Huffington Post both link to us, among so many others, people see your ads when they click over to us from those major publications and those links bring us lots of readers.
Steve, from the Blind Mind blog replied to my post about Mr. Moe's getting their 5 am bar license back (as opposed to the 3 am license). I also mentioned that I had a feeling that Villa Mayfair may be getting a 5 am license in the scheme of things. I did not say that I felt the Grove was back and hopping, all I did was state the fact about Mr. Moe's and my hunch about Villa Mayfair. Here is Steve's response, edited, for the whole thing, you can go here.
I hate to break it to ya, Grape, but the days of the Grove being popular for nightlife are numbered. It wouldn't matter if the City told every business they could be open until 5am. It's too late. Time to focus on something else. Moe's may have gotten their 5 am license back but when was the last time you went to that place?
To think that 5am closing is going to revitalize the Grove is just plain silly. Had it never been taken away, maybe things would be different. But change was made and people adapt to change. Adapting meant finding somewhere else to enjoy a late night if that is your thing.
The Grove was a happenin' spot for awhile but between the loss of the late nights and the development of South Miami, people have adapted and moved on. The main nightlife crowd for the Grove was always the college kids from UM.
I moved to the Grove 8 years ago because I really liked the laid back vibe and the abundance of vegetation amongst the streets surrounding Center Grove. There were some cool spots to hang out at, most notably Cafe Tu Tu Tango which I felt did the best job at capturing the spirit of the Grove -- the laid back lifestyle, friendliness, funky art, and casual fun of it. In fact, that's the first place I would take visitors from out of town to get a feel for my Miami neighborhood. Well, I watched as that space plummeted downhill in terms of the building (during its last CG Arts Festival there were parts of the wooden floor that you would sink into when you walked!!) and soon they were forced to vacate. Between rising real estate costs and the decline of visitors to the Grove (for multiple reasons, lots of which have to do with the progress of other neighborhoods like S. Miami, Brickell, and the DD/Wynwood area), plus a down economy, the Grove dwindled away.
In the past year or so, I think that there's been a little pickup of activity thanks to some nice events at Peacock Park, parades, etc. The momentum that these events provide only lasts for a few days and then it's back to the current situation of struggling businesses and many empty storefronts.
I actually saw a commercial for the Grove on TV last week. It said, "Why is the Grove so cool?" I laughed, not because the Grove isn't cool in it's own way, but because the ad was pretty cheesy. I think the main challenge is figuring out what makes the Grove DIFFERENT. Late night bars and clubs are a "me too" and, quite frankly, they don't really fit the neighborhood outside of what currently exists. What I like about the Grove is being outside, seeing the waterfront, clean streets. There's a few decent spots to eat - Jaguar, Le Bouchon, Sandbar (for tacos and fries and football). I think being part of the outdoors and the waterfront needs to be played up. There's this Waterfront Master Plan that is supposed to be a game changer to our waterfront on Biscayne Bay but all I know is that the developers and resident groups are still battling about what is to be done.
Regardless of what happens to the waterfront plan, nightlife is not the answer. There have been plenty of spots who have tried and failed - Burgundy Room, Central Beer Garden, Central Sushi, just to name a few of the more recent casualties. The new spot at the Mayfair [Villa Mayfair] that wants to do bottle service will likely be the next victim. Nightlife in terms of bars and clubs are square pegs and the Grove is a round hole. They just don't fit.
The Coconut Grove Chamber of Commerce attended a very special party at St Alban's Child Enrichment Center in Village West yesterday, to celebrate the very best part of their annual toy drive: seeing the delight of the little ones as they choose from an amazing array of Santa's Bounty, the result of the generosity of Chamber members, friends and supporters, along with toys from the District 2 Commission office toy drive.
Above, from left: Chamber Board members Dr. Franklin Sands, Andres Lemos, Peter Laird, Liliana Dones & Carol Lopez-Bethel.
After the party, the chamber members were given a tour by St Alban's Director Dr. Frankin Sands, and marveled at the many ways in which this is truly and "enrichment center" for little ones. For instance, in the classrooms for 3 and 4 year olds, they noticed a neat stack of journals. The children are encouraged each day to draw their thoughts, and the teachers then write down their description in their own words.
St. Alban's is a quality childcare program, serving a diversity of families that may otherwise not be able to afford daycare. The facilities strive to have a positive impact not only on the children, but also on the families and the surrounding community. It is estimated that St. Alban's has served approximately 15,000 children over its more than 58 years of existence.
Dr. Sabrina Tassy-Lewis helps a little one choose from Santa’s bounty.
St Albans Director Dr. Franklin Sands and wife, Katherine Sands, administrator at St Albans.
I have a theory. It's only a theory, but I want you to remember this. Mr. Moe's has it's 5 am last call license back. They got it back from the City Commission earlier this month, without much fanfare.
I am guessing that the next 5 am license will go to the new venue on Florida Avenue, shown here, Villa Mayfair. Only because the owners have deep pockets, they seem to be able to call a lot of the shots around the Grove and they have been promoting after hours and bottle service. So it just seems to reason that 5 am last call is next. We do need a dance club in the Grove. The Beer Garden and Sushi Lounge at CocoWalk was the closest thing lately, but they are now both closed. So is The Burgundy Room.
I could be totally wrong, I have not asked around, but I just have a hunch. Stay tuned.
The Max in the Grove Gallery (2996 McFarlane Road) is featuring the work of Art Basel's top award winning sculpture artist John Berry. His life size sculptures can be seen year round at Aventura Mall and now a few of the large steel pieces are on exhibit right here in the Grove.
The last "disorganizational meeting" for the King Mango Strut Mangoheads is Tuesday, December 27 at 7 pm at Greenstreets (3468 Main Highway).
The King Mango Strut is Sunday, December 31, kicking off at 2 pm.
If all the crazy late breaking news makes you want to enter a group in the Strut, this disorganizational meeting is for you! With King Mango's matchmaking services, if you want to be in the Strut but don't have a group, there are many groups looking for people. If you have a group and are looking for people crazy enough to strut their stuff, come to this last meeting.
If you prefer working behind-the-scenes, King Mango needs you too. They need people to help out the day before the Strut painting signs, banners and funny props. They also need about 10-12 people the day of the Strut with set-up in the morning, group line-up and pacing during the parade.
If your group has a vehicle, has more than 20 people or you have line-up preferences, please make sure they know about it. Commodore Plaza - where they line-up - is only so big. There is only room for 20 parade vehicles on Commodore Plaza and trucks with trailers or flatbeds count as two.
To show your true holiday spirit and live up to the slogan, "Put the NUT back in CocoNUT Grove," wear your ugliest Christmas sweater for this last meeting.
One of the oldest buildings in the Grove, is always the prettiest, espeically around the holidays. H&H Jewels on Main Highway is all decked out in a big red bow, sort of like Cartier does in NYC. The building of course, was the original Coconut Grove Bank building in the late 1800s.
I was at a party on Fuller Street recently and I was showing folks this old photo in the Arva Moore Parks book on Coconut Grove and oddly enough the next day, I was standing outside H&H Jewels and a tourist pulls up and askes me where the Coconut Grove Bank is. I thought he meant the historic building itself, I pointed to it, but it turns out he was looking for a current bank because he wanted to use the ATM.
Coconut Grove artist Lisa Remeny has a current exhibition of her paintings at WDNA radio. There was live jazz at Thursday night's reception by the band 2over4.
Brian Smith, Lisa Remeny and Fazia Ali.
Sam Gellerstein, Lisa Remeny and Ben Stocker of 2over4 jazz.
You may have heard them in the neighborhoods off Tigertail Avenue. First a visit from Santa, and then Sunday night, the North Grove neighborhood friends went house to house singing Christmas carols. They do this yearly -- mothers, fathers, kids -- it's a really nice way to celebrate the season. It's still Father Knows Best and Leave it to Beaver back in that hood -- quaint and a nice place to be.
The Polar Express, starring Tom Hanks, is being shown a The Barnacle tonight, December 19. Their Up Past Bedtime Movie special starts at 7 pm, gates open at 6 pm. No admission after 7:15 pm.
Admission: $5 age 6 and up; $3 age 2 to 5; free under 2.
See this classic family movie on the grounds of this classic home. This event is sponsored by The Barnacle Society, Inc., a volunteer non-profit organization created to generate public awareness and financial support to preserve The Barnacle Historic State Park.
Chairs, blankets, and coolers welcome. Flashlights recommended. Pajamas encouraged. Sorry, no pets. The Barnacle is located at 3485 Main Highway.
For additional information contact 305-442-6866 or visit www.TheBarnacle.org.
Santa arrived at SW 22 Avenue Park this week for the 4th Annual Friends of the Hood North Grove Neighborhood Gift Exchange. That's Sandy and Tye with Santa.
And even Santa received a gift of his own this year. The neighbors gave him this great collage consisting of photos of Santa visits from the past three years in the neighborhood.
They even had a violin player who serenaded the crowd as the kiddies visited with Santa. And last night, the neighbors went carolling door to door!
Ritchie's back in town. The bathing suit store returned to its old home last week, right at the corner of the Engle Building on Main Highway, at McFarlane Road. For many years, this was Ritchie's home and a few years ago, the left. In the interim, there were all sorts of other businesses that came and went and now Ritchie is back. Welcome home!
