Lots of new art to see tonight for Art Basel night

The large sculptures by John Angee are in the Mayfair Atrium, there are three of them, near where the bull used to be. The bull is now pushed back and stands behind them. They will be premiered tonight during the Coconut Grove Art Basel event.


You can get an idea of the size with Nicky standing under them. They are sure to be the spot for most of the picture taking tonight.


Outside the Coconut Grove Arts Festival Gallery, is recycled lawn furniture, you may remember these items from Park(ing) Day. The Arts Festival Gallery has two spaces for Art Basel, their usual location in the Atrium and the former Palm Produce spot out front on Grand Avenue. The Atrium is also the place for the after party tonight.


12 galleries will be showing their best tonight for Art Starts in the Grove, to welcome Art Basel to Miami. The Blu Moon Studio will be featuring the works of Sheri Friedman, Aleloop, Atena Komar, Peter Barreda, Carolina Nelida Gauna and Lourdes Orta.

Above is work by Aisha Blakey, a top Art Basel award winner. She will be on hand tonight at the Max in the Grove Gallery (2996 McFarlane Road).

All the galleries will be showing off special works and as much as I didn't want to like it because they took the space of the Windisch-Hunt Gallery, I do like the new AC Fine Art (2911 Grand Avenue). Having just come back from New York and visiting the Museum of Modern Art, I really like seeing the pop art all over the new gallery.

There will be drink and dinner specials all over town from 7 -10 pm. The galleries will be open until 11 pm. Then there is the After Party at the Mayfair Promenade which begins about 9ish. Parking is only $1.00 for the whole night at the Oak Plaza Garage, which is right near the Atrium. Get a pass at the BID office.

During the week of November 29 - December 5, all galleries will be open until at least 9 pm.

Palm Produce Resortwear has two locations in Coconut Grove. One is at the Shoppes at Mayfair, right next to The Bookstore on Grand Avenue and the other is on the first floor at CocoWalk, next to The Gap.


They carry sportswear and accessories for men and women, including bathing suits. One popular feature are Sandra Roberts handbags for $68.00.


The clothing line is always being updated, so check in weekly for new items. At left are items always in stock, men's Bamboo Cay shirts ($62) and Dorfman Pacific hats ($32).


Little purses in fun shapes make great stocking stuffers ($12 to $14).


Beach bags and hand bags are always updated. They start at $42.


Palm Produce has a nice women's show line. Here are Dr. Scholl's shoes ($59.99).


Wicker bags by Michael Carrato and Sheila Dubrofsky are in stock. The wicker bag at left is $42; the one at right is $48; the Sue Cox scarf wrapped around the one bag is $18.


And for visitors and toursits, and even proud locals, Palm Produce offers Coconut Grove souvenir clothing. The baseball cap is $14.50; the Hoodie sweatshirt is $$38; the t-shirts with embroidered lettering are $18.50.

Palm Produce's Mayfair store may be reached at: 305-448-0777 and the CoconWalk location at: 305-445-5533.

Bacardi Sailing Week coming back to Grove

Norway’s Eivind Melleby and Petter Morland Pedersen at 2010 Bacardi Miami Sailing Week.

Following a successful inaugural year, Bacardi Miami Sailing Week (BMSW) will return to Coconut Grove, for its second annual running from March 6-12, 2011.

Featured at the week-long regatta will be the 84th running of the historic Bacardi Cup for the Star Class. The Bacardi Cup was conceived in 1927 as a three-day event with less than ten boats competing for the Trofeo Bacardi as part of Cuba’s Mid-Winter Championship. The regatta continued for 30 years until political unrest forced the Cup to move in 1962 from Havana to the Coral Reef Yacht Club in Coconut Grove. Since continuing ever since in the Grove, the Cup has grown into an internationally renowned sailing spectacle with as many as 200 world-class sailors representing 23 different countries, all channeling the grand tradition of camaraderie that has made the event so cherished by its participants.

The event will be a six-day experience that will gather national and international sailing classes together in a fun-filled week of regattas, awards ceremonies, parties, and cultural exhibits. The racing begins on March 7, with events scheduled daily through March 12. The prestigious Coral Reef Yacht Club will coordinate on-water activities in collaboration with Biscayne Bay Yacht Club and Coconut Grove Sailing Club. The U.S. Sailing Center and Shake-A-Leg Miami will also support the event. Racing will be held on three separate courses approximately two miles out on Biscayne Bay. Event registration is online at www.MiamiSailingWeek.com.

Photo by Cory Silken.

Art Basel starts in the Grove Monday night

Spend the first night of Basel week in Miami's first art district. Coconut Grove welcomes art enthusiasts on November 29 to celebrate the creative process with a variety of media and subject matter in Miami's original art scene. Ten of the area's fastest growing galleries are presenting an array of work ranging from world renowned sculptures to South American fine art pieces to emerging, local contemporary collections. Guest galleries will also be exhibiting on this special night.

The night starts at 5 pm, where restaurants and bars in the Grove will be offering specials for this evening only. At 6 pm, trolleys begin running through the Grove from gallery to gallery. The After Party at the Mayfair Atrium Sculpture Garden, with works by acclaimed artist John Angee starts at 10 pm.

Food, drink, wine tastings, live music, DJs and more will fill the night. It's all free and open to the public.

Have you grown your stash for Movember?

Grove Cares is presenting Movember Happy Hour in the Grove on Friday, December 3 at The Grove Spot (3324 Virginia Street).

During November, the Ride My Stache team, brought to you by the FestiDan guys, has dedicated their facial hair to show support in the fight against cancer. Their mustaches become their "cancer ribbon" for men's health, the means by which awareness and funds are raised for cancers that affect men.

Just like a walk-a-thon or run for charity, the men of Movember commit to growing their mustache for 30 days. The idea for Movember started in 2003 in Melbourne, Australia. The idea was to bring the mustache back as a joke, but at the same time, to do something for men's health.

They didn't raise funds in 2003, but the guys behind the Mo realized the potential a moustache had in generating conversations about men’s health. In 2004, they got serious about raising money, especially for prostate cancer treatment. $55,000 was raised by 432 Mo's.

The Movember movement has grown each year since and has become a worldwide event. In 2009, global participation of Mo Bros and Mo Sistas climbed to 255,755, with over one million donors raising $42 Million US equivalent dollars for Movember’s global beneficiary partners.

The Grove Spot Happy Hour is from 6 to 10 pm. Drinks will be half off from 6 to 9 pm. There are also prizes and giveaways in a raffle.

To donate to the cause, please go here. Info on Movember is here.

The tourists love Barracuda for more than just beer

Barracuda on Fuller Street is known for their fish sandwiches and Magic Hat beer, also now for their Pumpkin Carving and Pet Costume Contest, but one thing you may not know is that it is the most commonly photographed building in the Grove by tourists.

They love the bright pink building and neon signs, they are constantly taking pictures there. Wouldn't it be cool if the Grove was known for this -- if all buildings were brightly painted like in Bermuda and the Bahamas? It's something to think about.

Memories . . . ads from back in the day . . .

These ads came from a 1970 publication put out by the Coconut Grove Chamber of Commerce.