What's up with the leaf blower mess?

My friend Riley Smith picked up on one of my pet peeves in his Real Estate Coconut Blog. It's the messy lawn cuttings and crap all over the swales.

His pet peeve is the stuff laying there on the side of the road, mine is the lawn guys who actually take a leaf blower and blow the stuff away from their client's yard and into the street and everywhere else.

Ever see this? It's all over the Grove; they blow the leaves and grass into the street or across the street into the neighbor's yard. I have a photo here of a guy blowing the stuff all over McDonald Street. Who does he think is going to pick this up?

Breakfast with the Artist is this Saturday

Grove artist Valentina Ramos is the featured artist for Breakfast with the Artist at Focaccia Rustica (3111 Grand Avenue) tomorrow, Saturday, June 27.

The Breakfast is at 10:00 am. Please feel free to join the group of friends and learn about Valentina and her art -- paintings picturing famous cities around the world.

Is it just an urban legend?

The Thriller video may not have been shot here in the Grove, but every news outlet wrote that it was the fact, so I guess we all grew up thinking that. I remember hearing it when I was a boy, right after Thriller came out. I know Michael Jackson stayed at the Grand Bay Hotel around that time and maybe that is how people got the Grove mixed into it.

Either way, the New Times disputes the rumor here. (That's my screen shot, so I guess they got the info here first and then checked out the facts, which maybe I should have done, but I just grew up with that fact, so I guess you hear something long enough and it becomes fact. I always pictured them filming on Charles Avenue. Now I guess I have to think a whole new way, with Michael gone, I guess we all have to think a whole new way.

But Thelma Gibson, probably the Grove historian, claimed on tv today that she witnessed the filming of Thriller at the Grove cemetery so many years ago. I tend to side with Ms. Gibson.

People are actually showing up at the cemetery this morning. I should go out and take pictures. Even if it's not in the video, it is a great part of Grove history. I wrote about The Weathered Edge, the old house next door, too, not long ago.

Michael Jackson and Coconut Grove

The Coconut Grove Cemetery (3650 Charles Avenue) is rumored to be where the cemetery scene in Michael Jackson's Thriller video was filmed in 1982.

Hot Dog eating contest is part of Grove festivities

There will be an old fashioned hot dog eating contest at CocoWalk on July 4th. The Hooters girls and maybe some others from Crazy Pianos, will be the counting -- doing the judging.

Naomi Evans from CocoWalk is running the contest and Olav Smit from Pomme and Pane is supplying the hot dogs.

Only 15 contestants will be allowed in the contest and it's first come, first served.

Participants will be allotted 10 minutes to eat as many hot dogs as possible. Prizes will be announced, but they will be nice prizes. The sign-up form is here. Again, it is the first 15 people who sign up, so do it now if you are serious.

Grapevine contest

The Bookstore in the Grove just won a "Best of" award from the Miami New Times. For what?

They said they were a great bookstore and probably the only decent bookstore in Miami, but they were given the award for a specific thing.

We will have two winners. Each winner will receive free admittance for two to the Kampong.

The contest ends tomorrow at 2 pm and winners will be announced sometime after that.

We will take all correct answers and choose two winners randomly from them.

Contest is now closed.

Grove Harbour Marina goes back to the drawing board

Press release from Commissioner Marc Sarnoff's office - just in, word-for-word:

City of Miami District 2 Commissioner Marc D. Sarnoff initiated the withdrawal of a controversial plan by a developer to build a 21,000-square-foot office building just 22 feet from the water in Coconut Grove.

The proposed three-story Grove Harbor Marina office building would have been located a block North of Miami City Hall at the Grove Harbor Marina site. The building was not included in the City’s Coconut Grove Waterfront Master Plan as adopted by the City Commission and approved by City residents during public workshops.

“This plan has been unacceptable and inappropriate since it was first introduced. There is no reason to have an office building 22 feet from the water, especially when our City allows nothing closer than 50 feet,” says Commissioner Sarnoff.

After nearly a year of debate and negotiations, the Marina has agreed to withdraw the building as designed, solicit input from the community, and bring back a modified design in one year.

“I am very gratified that the developers are listening to the members of the public who’ve voiced their concerns. Protecting our waterfront must remain a priority,” says Commissioner Sarnoff.