Summer Rendezvous block party on Commodore Plaza

Lucas had the whole street to himself for awhile last week, as Commodore Plaza was made ready for the Saturday night Summer Rendezvous block party.

It's on again tonight!

Stop by. Shop, dine and unwind on the plaza from 6 pm to 4 am. There is live music, food, drinks and lots of people have a great time.

There is plenty of parking in the lots surrounding the Center Grove and lots of valet parking also available.

Deadly boat accident in Grove waters last night

Two dead in boat collission in waters off Coconut Grove. Story here.

Young Professionals Book Club meets Tuesday

The Young Professional Book Club will be discussing Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins. The club is meeting Tuesday, July 14, at 8pm at the Bookstore in the Grove (3399 Virginia Street).

Book Club participants will receive both discounts on that month’s book and items from the café.

Join in, have a glass of wine, discuss a hopefully great book and meet some fellow Grovites!

The Young Professionals Book Club promotes reading for young men and women in a fun and social literary environment with a Coconut Grove flavor. Their aim is to read books that will be appealing for both sexes and that will cover many different interests.

To receive updates join the Facebook Group here.

One last patriotic image

This past 4th of July was the best ever. Many people took part: the Merchants Association, the Chamber, the BID, the City, the NET office, the Parks and Rec. Dept., Comm. Marc Sarnoff's Office, Comm. Carlos Gimenez's office and lots of sponsors and volunteers.

Every time I drive or walk by the Chamber office, I point out the table inside the window and I tell whomever is with me, that it all happened there.

I cropped the top of the photo a bit, but if you would like to purchase this photo, it is by Javier Lopez-Rosende he may be reached here: www.snapphotography.biz

Coconut Grove library receives historic designation

As expected, on Tuesday, the Historic and Environmental Preservation Board designated the 1901 Coconut Grove Library as an historic site which was added to the City's Register of Historic Places.

The gravesite next door, that of Eva Hewitt Munroe, a Grove pioneer, will be considered for historic designation in September.

The library has plans for renovation including adding an elevator, a new entrance will be added to the side and a new foyer would be added. Also, a new restroom and the reading area would be expanded. None of the renovation will affect the current structure's look.

Virginia Street festival updates

The Virginia Street Street Festival, which was to be a big thing on August 2 is not going to happen. Apparently the Grove can only have two events a month and the upcoming Woodstock festival in Peacock Park (details to come) and a ladies 5K run already have claimed August.

Some are scoffing at the Virginia Street closing for a Christmas village for a couple of weeks in December. For a year or more there was scaffolding and a mess on Virginia Street, that didn't seem to affect traffic patterns. Not sure why Santa will.

BID discusses their plan for marketing and advertising

The BID (Business Improvement District) Board discussed marketing at Thursday's meeting.

One great idea that Marshall Steingold (shown above at left with David Collins and Lalo Durazo, board members) spoke about, was doubling the marketing and advertising budget of the BID through co-op money. With the extra money, they can do more than just the main billboard on US1 and 27th Avenue, which they would like to keep forever, if possible. It's almost an entrance sign for the Grove at this point.

The co-op money would come from Grove Merchants and it doesn't have to be cash, they could use "in kind" items like meals from restaurants and hotel rooms, etc. to "pay" for their side of the co-op. Ron Jakubisin, board member (above right, with Mia Stierheim and Frank Couzo), also was very knowledgeable on the subject and spoke of his experiences with other towns and their co-op programs.

I would like to do that myself, with Grapevine ads, you know, an "in kind" trade of advertising for advertising, but I heard from a few reliable sources that the Grapevine is forbidden to be a link from any Coconut Grove official websites, so I assume, we are persona non grata on billboards and magazines, too. I guess I don't always tow the line of the BID or Chamber. They never know what I'll say.

The ironic thing is that I probably bring more out of town visitors to the Grove than any advertising or marketing they could do. People read the Grapevine and see Coconut Grove as a quirky little village and they want to visit and "meet the characters." I can't tell you how many people have come to the Grove, pointed to people and said, "I saw you in the Grapevine!"

Another thing the BID may do regarding the internet is buy search engine placement, in the form of click-thru ads. They would pay up to $1000.00 per month for that, to purchase phrases and get to the top of the search engines.

Photos by AnnaMaria Windisch Hunt

Trunk show happy hour at Ritz-Carlton

Ladies Champagne Fridays is tonight, July 10, at the Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove (3300 SW 27 Avenue).

From 5 to 7 pm, Miami dress designers Lynda Martin and Emmanuelle Cagol-Landreu present complimentary champagne for ladies, paired with gourmet light bites and live music in the The Lobby Lounge.

Lynda and Emmanuelle are throwing a trunk show tonight. Their "Nibbatti" Summer Collection features "easy, classic silhouettes with a modern edge in bold, jewel tones that carry you from day to night with just a change of heels."

A portion of their proceeds of everything sold go to support Katrina related rebuilding efforts, including this year's charity, Sweet Home New Orleans, according to the two New Orleans natives.

For info: 305-644-4680.

BID agrees to give Bed Race Committee matching funds

The BID (Business Improvement District) Board met yesterday afternoon, not all board members were there, but there was a quorum.

One subject that came up was the Great Grove Bed Race. Members of that committee were present to ask for money -- $15,000 to help put on the September 6 event.

The BID Board agreed to give matching funds up to the $15,000. The Bed Race committee needs to come up with that figure to receive that figure. Daisy Lewis, the Bed Race event planner expects to bring in $30,000 through sponsors, so that should not be a problem.

A few sponsors are already signed up, the largest so far is Heineken beer.

Screw all of you; I park where I want, for free

This is another case of the authorites doing whatever the hell they feel like. We get ticketed if the meter is a few minutes over, they park free on the sidewalk, in the shade! You remember this photo last week. It must be nice to park wherever you damn well please. I'll post the license plate number next time we see it happen.

Burn Notice filming around center Grove today

Jeffrey Donovan, this morning at and around Kenneth Myers Park in Coconut Grove, filming Burn Notice. The crew is moving to a Center Grove neighborhood this afternoon to film other scenes.


Photos by Harry Emilio Gottlieb for the Grapevine, all rights reserved, they may not be copied or duplicated under penalty of law.

Chili's lunch specials

Chili's at CocoWalk has some great lunch deals.

Buy five lunches, get the sixth one free! In addition, Chili's offers 10 lunch items under $7 including Fire Grilled Quesadillas, Chicken Tacos, Kickin' Jack Nachos, Cajun Chicken Pasta, etc.

All those 80 cent donations added up

Good news: Thanks to all your generous support, the 80 cents guy got a brand new bicycle.

Bad news: His bike was stolen within a week. Poetic justice? He was still asking for 80 cents for the bus while on his bike, so that wasn't right.

Either way, that stinks, too many bike thieves in the Grove. They work fast. They cut the chain at the bike racks and make off with the bike within seconds.

Double dipping and gouging Grove visitors

This is the guy who works at the lot at St. Stephen's run by Kings Car Park.

We parked there early Saturday morning. The fee was $5.00. Fine. It was $4.00 an hour before, but that's ok.

Well this guy tells us that we have to be out by 4 pm. Because at 4 pm, the prices go up to $10.00 and that is when they gouge the 4th of July people coming into the Grove for fireworks and such.

It's bad enough that they are raising prices as the day goes on, but they are then going to have people who are parked there already leave, and then re-enter and pay a higher fee at 4 pm? Isn't this double dipping?

When we questioned if that was legal, this is the response we got from this attendant, this and a few choice words that shouldn't be used on church property. But again, this is St. Stephen's.

On the horizon . . .

Remember the painted Cows in New York and the Roosters on 8th Street? Look for large Peacocks around the Grove, possibly in the fall.

Woodstock's anniversary is coming up. Look for something in the Grove for mid-August.

Sections of Virginia Street may become Santa's village for a couple of weeks around Christmas time.

Details on all of the above as more news happens.

Lots of local artists on hand for mermaid opening

The Mermaid show is now being exhibited at the Windisch-Hunt Gallery. All sorts of mermaid project are being shown from dolls to paintings. Artist Trish Jesselli's merman painting is one of the featured pieces of art. It's an interesting take on our polluted oceans.


Many of the Grove artists came out last weekend for the opening reception. From left are Audrey Scott, Liz Gibson, Dan Bondroff, Trish Jesselli and Sheri Friedman.

The gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 am to 10 pm, the mermaid exhibit will be on display until the end of the month.

Some are hesitant to sign up so early for the Bed Race

Some people have been hesitant for sign up for the Great Grove Bed Race so early. They aren't sure of team members and aren't ready to put them all down on the sign-up sheets. That's ok.

You can just sign up a single team captain for now and that captain can even change in the future. You can add the team members at the last minute if you like. But for now, the more team captains that sign up, the sooner "captain parties" and meetings can happen.

So if you are sure you would like to be part of the Great Grove Bed Race on September 6, you should sign up now, here: www.thegreatgrovebedrace.com

Saving history; it's about time!

A new county resolution was passed recently by the Miami-Dade County Historic Preservation Board regarding the Saint Stephen's project.

The new rule at the City of Miami is that permit applications must now be reviewed when buildings older than 50 years are affected. Applicants are now required to disclose the date of construction of buildings they seek to tear down, specify their use, and provide detailed photographs.

About the destruction of the historic 1912 church by St. Stephen's, the board: "proffers its strong opposition with the unnecessary destruction of one of Miami Dade County's most historic structures, and vows to support a more ambitious system of educating our citizenry about those buildings and sites that constitute the cultural, historic and architectural legacy of this area and the rich history associated with it.

The new resolution with all required signatures may be seen here.

They mean business; do not question the cops

Crime is up around the Grove (car break ins, etc.) but the police are busy giving tickets with their speed trap on South Bayshore Drive.

I hate to complain about it since people do speed in that area, but I think the car breakins are more important and a flashing light or empty police car sitting there would help slow down the speeding cars.

A funny thing happened to Harry Emilio Gottlieb. When he attempted to question one police officer about why and how long they planed to be giving out speeding tickets on South Bayshore, he was hit with a jay walking ticket!

The photo here is by Harry, not sure if it was before or after his little predicament.

"Let's Make a Deal" for a hotel room in the Grove

The Mayfair Hotel and Spa (3000 Florida Avenue) is playing games!

Well, they are playing game show games, like "Let's Make a Deal" or "Deal or No Deal." All you have to do is call the hotel, mention the Let's Make a Deal rate and make an offer on any of their suites. The hotel may counter offer with a Deal or No Deal offer or may accept your offer!

"It's time to be interactive with guests even more than ever, so we want to have fun with it, in the spirit of game shows that everyone can play," states Alice Land, Director of Sales and Marketing.

This is based upon availability, reserve by calling 786-220-7050 and ask for the "Let's Make a Deal Rate".

For more info on the hotel, their website is here: www.mayfairhotelandspa.com

How the Golden Coconut was found

AnnaMaria Windisch-Hunt, Oscar Thompson, Tom Falco, Steve Licata

I had the Golden Coconut during the Coconut Scavenger Hunt on Saturday. We had always wanted to have it a moving element in the hunt, but we weren't sure who would do that.

The day before it was decided that I would do it, for one main reason -- The Grapevine was one of the clues, but we don't have a bricks and mortar place, but it seemed only fair to have the Grapevine involved, since people would be looking for that.

One person in fact asked me at the start off point if I was one of the clues. I told her to look on line at 3:15 pm, when the clue would be posted. Here.

The poem/clue for the Grapevine was:

Not bricks and mortar, but by going online,
get Grove news that is fresh and just picked form the vine.

Anyway, at about 3 pm, I left the sign-up booth at Mayfair (by the bull) and went to the parking lot across the street, where I had the Golden Coconut in my car. I put it in a bag and handed it to a friend, who then met me in The Bookstore. We exposed the Golden Coconut in The Bookstore.

Since no one came in, even though they were one of the places participating, we went out the side door onto Virginia Street and walked to Bice, at CocoWalk, another participant. Still no takers.

We exited again onto Virginia Street and just then one of the participants spied me, or so I thought. So as he sort of walked toward me, I walked toward him, holding out the coconut and smiling. Only for some strange reason, he turned and went the other way. (He told me later that he didn't see me and he was heading toward Out of Africa, just realizing that clue).

We then took the coconut the other way, toward Olav's Pommes and Pane restaurant, another participant and then through the Mayfair entry area, where people from the hotel oooed and aahed at the shiny gold object. One doorman asked it is was a papaya.

We walked down Florida Avenue, turned into the plaza at Mayfair and stopped at Hibiscus Hill, Sweetpea, the owner, was telling me that she was all out of coconuts, because the participants had already cleaned her out of her supply.

Just then, little Oscar, walked up to us with his mother. He asked "Do you have any coconuts?" I held up the Golden Coconut and handed it to him and told him he was the grand prize winner. His mother and he were very excited.

While we didn't allow anyone to carry the coconuts in any sort of bag as part of the game, we felt that if people saw the Golden Coconut, they would just stop searching, so we asked them to put it in the backpack they had and just remove it at the finish line (the fountain at CocoWalk).

The ironic part is that the guy who had seen me on Virginia and then headed to Out of Africa, may have had a second chance since we were headed right that way, but as fate would have it, we stopped to talk with Sweetpea and were delayed on our way, which would have been right past Out of Africa. And that's when Oscar approached us.

And that's how the Golden Coconut was found by little Oscar Thompson!

Photo by Javier Lopez-Rosende of www.snapphotography.biz

New breakfast special at Georges's in the Grove

Georges Farge, shown here, is introducing a new Breakfast Special at George's in the Grove (3144 Commodore Plaza).

For $10, you'll get an omelet or pancakes, with coffee, orange juice, toast and if you can tell the waiter the last French Tour de France winner, a free mimosa!

Their breakfast starts late -- around 10 am, so it may be more of a brunch for many.

Mojito Moms Nite Out at Los Ranchos

Mojioto Moms Nite Out is happening at Los Ranchos restaurant at CocoWalk on Thursday, July 9 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.

It's an evening of summer refreshments and fun. Complimentary Kilo Kai Mojitos will be served along with other light refreshments. Devine clothing will be offering fashion tips.

Stay for dinner and receive 20% off the regular dinner menu, plus 2 for 1 specials on other cocktails.

The Taurus knows how to throw a party

One of the best events this past weekend was the reopening of The Taurus bar and grill (3540 Main Highway). So many friends and neighbors were there for the opening reception, that it was such a comfortable place just because of that.


The staff was very efficent and hundreds ate and drank as guests of Salvatore Catania and his crew. There were delicious hamburger sliders and pizza and the drinks flowed on the house.


The bars were outside and inside the original 1919 structure. A live band played as you entered and people danced all afternoon.

At left, artist Debra Cortese orders a drink. At right, Mark Diaz and Bill Kearney enjoy a beer.


John Lawrence, Antoinette Baldwin and Bruce Wilson (co-owner of the original Taurus), show off one of the original signs.


Here's a birthday party happening beside the fireplace inside the bar. There was even a tribute to Butch, a long-time favorite bartender.

For more photos, join us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/coconutgrovegrapevine

Another successful poetry night at The Bookstore

Friday night was Poetry Night at The Bookstore. Quite a nice crowd showed up to hear stories and poems, it was a nice start to the long holiday weekend.

Jerry Wade, above, as usual, had everyone laughing with his bittersweet story/poem about a guy, a bus bench and an umbrella. I ran into some friends I had not seen in awhile. It's a nice cultural atmosphere.

Here are the clues to the Coconut Savenger Hunt

Now that the hunt is over we can show you some of the poems that were used in the 30 odd participants, merchants who partook of the funky Grove Coconut Scavenger Hunt.

On Friday night, before the hunt, we went around town with the little red wagon full of coconuts and allowed the participants to select their favorites to store for the next day's hunt. Above, Sandy Francis chooses the ones she likes for The Bookstore, as Steve Licata helps.

Can you guess the locations where the coconuts were hidden by the clues below?

1) We sound like royalty but we are down to earth;
stop in for a healthy lunch to avoid the girth

2) Known for brown trucks and shipping to Timbuktoo,
I'm also a storefront and a Notary, too.

3) Fat free, tasty, icy and smooth in a cone or a cup
they always give samples for you to eat up.

4) This place serves ribs and chicken and steak,
known for their swing tables when you need a break

5) It's a perfect place to get a "colada,"
especially for those who love caffeine a lotta.

6) Fish Tacos and beer and fajitas are outta site
They are known for it all, especially college night.

7) You won't find Redford winning Meryl's heart,
but a continent's worth of objets d'art

8) I have all the "best friends" that a girl could want,
on her wrists, ears and fingers, she'll just love to flaunt.

Answers below


Jaguar, Maya Hatcha and Olav's Pommes and Pane were some of the participants.

Answers to the above clues:
1) Smoothie King
2) UPS
3) Yogurbella
4) Mr. Moes
5) Havana Grove
6) Sandbar
7) Out of Africa
8) H&H Jewels

The next coconut scavenger hunt will be the night before the Great Grove Bed Race, just before the Pajama Pub Crawl on Saturday, September 5, 2009.

Bikram Hot Yoga opening later this week

The first class at the new Bikram Hot Yoga studio (2500 SW 28 Lane) is Friday, July 10 at 9 am.

They will have open house tomorrow Tuesday, July 7 and Wednesday, July 8 from 9 to 11 am and 4 to 8 pm, both days to just have a meet and greet. It's a way to see the place, get to know the instructors and owners, Will and Mary Margaret Thomas and sign up for classes.

Tuition: $140 for a 10-lesson package that expires in 30 days, $180 monthly unlimited. Visit www.miamibikram.com for more details or call 305-856-9922.

Online registration for their new studio software is now available, too. This will be for class check-in and their key tag system. Or you may wait and register at the studio.

Commodore Plaza becomes party central

The Summer Rendezvous kicked off on Saturday night, that's where Commodore Plaza was made into an actual plaza -- no cars allowed.


I am told that about 2000 filled the street to eat, drink and dance. Music played on each end of the street, and in between, all live.


The restaurants actually brought their tables out into the street. The Summer Rendezvous will continue each Saturday for the next four weeks. If the program is a success, the party will go on every Saturday night, where the street will be closed for the night and turned into a pedestrian party zone!

The Commodore would have been proud

Is it 1899 or 2009? It's hard to tell when you visit The Barnacle (3485 Main Highway). It's very hard to tell on the 4th of July, when most activities could have taken place 100 years go. Commodore Ralph Munroe would have recognized his house and land very easily, not much has changed.

Picnics, kite making, croquet and hot dogs filled the day. The sunny day, under shady trees along the pristine bay, completed the scene.


Music, mostly acoustic, entertained the guests. Jerry Wade grilled hot dogs, here he is serving Kyle Adams, an Americorp volunteer. The Barnacle is always open for visitors but the 4th of July is a magical day there.

Music, food, drinks and fireworks in Peacock Park

If you missed 4th of July this year in Coconut Grove, well, you missed a lot. There was so much going on around the village and Peacock Park has it's own thing. Starting late in the afternoon, until the build up of the fireworks show about 9:15 pm, people streamed in to picnic and party. The fireworks show as one of the best. People enjoyed it from right in the park and from all the surrounding areas and hotels.


The best place was right under them, on a blanket in the park.


At fireworks time, we are being told there were between 7000 and 8000 people. It was a very neighborly crowd, people mentioned that, aspect. Even with all those thousands of people, it felt small town and homey.


The vendors did a great business, all at reasonable prices and if you brought your own picnic basket, that was perfectly alright and encouraged, too. Above left, Jamie and Chris from Smoothie King did a great business. It was so hot that those smoothies went down well. I had two of the Strawberry/Banana ones.

At right is Grovite Ryan Stone, who performed and emceed the park event. On stage behind Ryan is JT4 (the Juan Turros Quartet).


At the end of the fireworks as people made their way from the park and from hotel rooftops and other areas surrounding the park, it was a mass exodus, but quite orderly. Everyone left in a very happy and patriotic mood. McFarlane Road and some other streets had to be closed to car traffic for a bit, to allow for the masses on foot and bike.

Many went to local restaurants to eat, many want to bars to drink and many went to the Summer Rendezvous block party on Commodore Plaza.

There's a new Hot Dog King in Coconut Grove

While these guys thought Damon Serignet won the first prize in yesterday's Hot Dog Eating Contest, the real winner was Dennis Marchant, who ate 13 in the 10 minute time period. Damon came in second place, eating "only" 10.

Naomi Evans, of CocoWalk feeds Dennis one final hot dog after being claimed the victor. His prize was a two-night stay (for two) at the Mutinty Hotel (who provided the same prize for the Coconut Scavenger Hunt -- thank you Mutiny!), also part of the prize was a $100 gift certificate for Crazy Pianos and a $30 certificate for Chilli's, both at CocoWalk. Damon won a $50 certificate for Cheesecake Factory.


The photo above is almost a foreshadowing of who would win, see how Dennis is checking out the dogs as they set them up?


The contestants were all great sports and the hundreds who cheered them on had a great time. People were almost hanging from the rafters at CocoWalk.


Naomi Evans deserves a lot of credit for putting on the contest without a flaw. She made a great emcee, too. Olav Smit from Pommes and Pane supplied the delicous Boars Head hot dogs. How do we know they were delicious? Well, there were so many left over afterwards, that everyone had a free for all with free hot dogs! Guess they thought the contestants would eat more than 13?

The Bucks are hitting the streets!

Victor Magluilo is going mad over the Grove Bucks! You may see them all over this weekend. Participating merchants, who were part of the Scavenger Hunt will be accepting them until July 9.

Little Oscar Thompson wins grand prize in Coconut Hunt

And the Oscar goes to little Oscar, I mean the Golden Coconut goes to Oscar Thompson. Oscar here to the right, won the grand prize in yesterday's Coconut Scavenger Hunt! Many tried, but he did it! At left, Angie Cruz manged to come in with a few nicely painted coconuts.


The contestants started signing up early at the Mayfair and in front of The Barnacle. About 60 people signed up. At 3:15 promptly, the hunt started and everyone was given the clues in the form of two line poems. Basically the locations needed to be found, more than the actual coconuts, because once you knew the location, you just had to go in and ask for a coconut.


The finish line was fun, everyone started showing up at around 3:30, the hunt ended at 4 pm. The start off was amazing too, all at once, people burst off into the the Center Grove searching in one mad rush.

I had the golden coconut and I told many people at the sign-up points that there was a major clue on the Grapevine, being posted exactly at 3:15, the start time. Many did look on line using their phones and said, "We know that a guy in red has it." That was me, I guess this photo posted was not so clear on their phones, so I guess it made it even more fun.


The prizes were handed out by Felice, Steven and AnnaMaria at the fountain at CocoWalk. Everyone seemed to have a great time and I guess they were pleased that little Oscar won first prize -- a two night stay at the Mutiny (for two), breakfast, lunch and dinner and 100 Grove Bucks to spend at participating merchants. The next prize was a night for two at the DoubleTree hotel and 50 Grove Bucks.

Everyone won at least one Grove Buck, as long as they brought in one coconut or more. The remaining prizes went to the person who had the most coconuts (which ended in a run off, literally, up and down the stairs at CocoWalk) and others were drawn randomly (each coconut was not only painted and decorated, but they were numbered).


Anton Maratos looks like he had enough. We all did, it was quite an event. So many, worked so hard, preparing the rules and actually the coconuts -- there was a lot of painting done in the past month. And a lot of arguments over rules and procedures, which all ended up working out perfectly in the end.

I'll explain how the Golden Coconut was found by Oscar and how I went about the Center Grove with it, actually myself, being the "moving coconut." Stay tuned.

Best 4th of July ever!

All the planning paid off. Yesterday's Coconut Grove 4th of July happened perfectly, and the main concern, the weather, cooperated, too.

It started with the old fashioned picnic at The Barnacle, then eased into the Coconut Scavenger Hunt, the hotdog eating contest was next and then we checked out the new Taurus.

The Art Stroll at Mayfair was fun and the fireworks were the best -- not to mention the live music at Peacock Park, it was first class.

Someone said that they believe 7000 people showed up, I don't know if that was the case, but it did seem like a full house.

The streets were closed after the fireworks show because of all the people. It looked like Halloween night, you know, how crowds just decend on the Grove out of nowhere? Everyone had a great time.

The Commodore Plaza Summer Rendezvous street festival started after the fireworks and we ended up at Aladdin's Grill on Main Highway for a late dinner.

The day started early and ended late and it all went off without a hitch. I'll get into details about each event with photos and stories. Stay tuned.

Become a fan of the Grapevine on Facebook

Text "fan coconutgrovegrapevine" to F BOOK - (32665) from your mobile phone, and you will be added as a fan instantly. Standard charges may apply.

Or just go directly to Facebook and sign up. We'll have most of our 4th of July photos posted on Facebook this year.

Here is the Golden Clue; find the Golden Coconut now!

Here is the clue for the first prize: Find the Golden Coconut in the Scavenger Hunt between now, 3:15 pm and 4 pm:

The clue:

"Not bricks and mortar, but by going online,
get Grove news that is fresh and just picked from the vine . . . "

It's me! I will be walking around the Center Grove with the Golden Coconut. Find me, ask for the Golden Coconut and it's yours! Bring it to the finish line: the fountain in front of CocoWalk
by 4 pm.

Good luck!

The Mermaid Show starts tomorrow

The Mermaid Show starts at the Windisch-Hunt Gallery (2911 Grand Avenue) this weekend.

Artists and crafts people have been designing all sorts of mermaids for the exhibit. There was a call to artists in April for this summer project.

This is not a juried show and most mermaids are for sale.

The opening reception is Sunday, July 5 from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. Stop by if you're not all 4th of July-ed out.

These mermaids were created by Atena Komar.

How the Coconut Scavenger Hunt will work today

Today The Coconut Scavenger Hunt will be at 3:15 pm starting at the bull sculpture at Mayfair. Sign-ups begin at 2:15 a the bull, CocoWalk's fountain and outside The Barnacle.

It will go something like this:

Within a 45 minute period, contestants need to find and bring back coconuts to the finish area. No one will know who the winner is until we announce it after the fact.

The top prize will go to the person who brings in the golden coconut. The winner of this prize will win a two night stay at the Mutiny Hotel (for two), three meals (for two) and 100 Grove Bucks to be used at participating merchants. The next prize will go to the person who brings in the most coconuts. That will be a one night stay at the DoubleTree hotel (for two) and 50 Grove Bucks.

The next three prizes will be Grove bucks in the amounts of 50, 35 and 25. No one knows what the winning coconuts are yet, but they will be randomly drawn and announced something like "the green coconut with the orange bunny on it with the number #17" or "the coconut with the American flag painted on it with #44."

Everyone else who brings in one to three coconuts will win a minimum of one Grove Buck.

Only one coconut per location will be given out, so the person will have had to make their way around the Grove searching. Clues will be given in the way of two line poems which will give hints as to where the coconuts are hidden.

You may have seen Steve Licata last night getting the coconuts out around town in his little red wagon. If you did, you have a little advanage of knowing where some will be hidden today.

The Coconut Scavenger Hunt starts at 3:15 in front of the bull sculpture at Mayfair, the finish area is at the fountain at CocoWalk. Starting at 2:15 pm, participants may sign up at the bull or at CocoWalk's fountain or at the entrance of the Barnacle.

Coconut Grove's old-fashioned 4th of July is on!

Happy 4th of July! We hope you'll all spend an old fashioned 4th with us here in the Grove.

There is plenty to do from the Barnacle's old-fashioned picnic to the Coconut Scavenger Hunt and the Hot Dog Eating contest. There is a closed street party later at night on Commodore Plaza and of course live music, food, drinks and fireworks at Peacock Park! You'll even see Spider-Man (Shaun) around town, take a ride on his rickshaw!

The Chamber has a full list of events with times and locations here.

Show your red, white and blue!

The Merchants Association asks that all merchants have their employees dress for 4th of July tomorrow by wearing red, white and/or blue!

Let's get into the spirit. It's going to be a big day around here.

And as chaotic as the day may be (we have actually gotten complaints about too much going on), things are quite organized.

The planning committee has gone out of its way to be sure not to step on anyone's toes. The Center Grove activities (coconut scavenger hunt, hot dog eating contest, etc.) will take place after The Barnacle's picnic. The bands start playing in the park after the Center Grove events. Commodore Plaza will be closed around 6 pm, but it really won't start happening there until after the fireworks are done at 9:30 pm.

As for other events, the fireworks cruise, the Taurus grand opening, the hotel and restaurant parties and other things, those are separate events that will happen during the Grove's own town events, but by all means are welcomed and encouraged and add to the festivities of the frenetic day.

The whole schedule of events is here. Check 'em out and enjoy the day! A lot of work went into this year's 4th of July in Coconut Grove.

Odd man out?

Divine Fashion has moved to the first level of CocoWalk from the Promenade at Mayfair. Stop in and try on some of their new summer dresses and beach hats. Divine accepts Code 33 and gives 15% off regularly priced items.

Now Paul and his sunglasses are the only kiosk at Mayfair. Be careful what you wish for Paul, you just might get it.

"Convergence" bead exhibit coming to town

There's a great event coming to the Grove tomorrow, and toward the end of the month, it will be a great marketing opportunity for all merchants.

Starting tomorrow, July 4, the International Society of Glass Beadmakers (ISGB) will be having a showing at the Windisch-Hunt Gallery (2911 Grand Avenue) called "Convergence." This is a juried exhibition project, the pieces are museum quality art. They were created using the elements of air, earth, fire and water as the theme. There were over 140 entries for this one-of-a-kind lampwork and jewelry-design exhibition and 50 are on display at the gallery.

The use of glass, metals, seed beads, semi-precious, fibers, and other materials has resulted in extraordinary creativity, superior artistry, and innovative design. Hours upon hours of detailed work were dedicated to each piece. Through the interweaving of color, form, texture, and line, the Convergence pieces are infused with the energy and spirit found in the four elements.

The pieces will be on exhibit until July 25.

Now this is where the rest of the Grove comes in. On July 24, the ISGB convention will be converging (there's that word again) on the Grove for one night. Sort of a mini pow wow (minus the rain we hope).

An opening reception will be held at the gallery at 7 pm and the 500 or so guests will then be "set free" upon the Grove. They will shop, dine and unwind (on their own money), they will be out there spending.

The merchants are asked to participate by just welcoming them. Know they are here and feel free to offer specials or just do simple things like leave your doors open.

Grove Bucks may enter the scene again. For that one night, merchants may be asked to participate in some sort of Grove Bucks promotion, where the 500 or so guests will use the Bucks as coupons. More on that to come.

It's beginning to look a lot like Independence Day!

If you're not into fish today (below) join David and Ellie at Shell Lumber today for free hot dogs! As part of customer appreciation day and to celebrate Independence Day, they are serving up the hot dogs and sno cones.

Fish dishes

Someone asked once where they could get good fish in the Grove, the Neighborhood Bistro (2779 Bird Avenue) is a good place to start. Above is oven baked salmon with herbs and served with leak cream; this dish was served with Tomatoes Provencal.

Below: oven baked grouper with french herbs, baked in lemon pepper and butter with capers; you have a choice of sides, this was served with rice and mixed veggies.

The Golden Coconut is ready; are you?

The Coconut Scavenger Hunt rules have been finalized. The rules will be posted here tomorrow morning, July 4. You will also be able to pick them up when you sign up for the hunt tomorrow afternoon.

Find the golden coconut, shown here, and win a top prize, and there will be an even better prize for the person who brings the most coconuts to the finish point.

Clues will be in the form of two line poems. They will indicate where in the Grove, at which location, the coconuts are hidden.

Think Amazing Race and Herald Tropic Hunt combined.

Coconut Grove 4th of July events

People have been asking about the schedule for all the 4th of July events. We have it here to the right, see the US flag? You can click that for a list of events. It goes to the Chamber's page, they seem to have the best and most comprehensive list.

I will have updated reports, tidbits and major changes and schedules as they happen. So keep checking back here, too.

I'll post the Coconut Scavenger Hunt rules the morning of July 4th. We are firming them up tonight.

Protecting your home this summer

According to Robert Loupo, co-chair of the All Grove Crime Watch, home burglaries are up due to the poor economy. He encourages everyone to install home alarms. An imporant point is to have the sirens placed outside the house, rather than inside. Also he thinks adopting a dog would be a good idea.

If you plan on going away for summer vacation, whether it is a few days or weeks, please alert the police so they can keep an eye on your house with extra drive bys. Please call Officer Carillo at 305-389-7996 or Officer Guell at 305-303-9163.

Too many hurt feelings and erroneous facts

There were some hurt feelings at this morning's Merchants Meeting. Apparently the media is not treating the Merchants and Coconut Grove correctly according to some. But as I told one person, if you don't like it, you'll have to buy the Miami Herald. I think any mention of our events is a good thing, but the facts do come out wrong many times.

The person who complained felt that people are sending out press releases without anyone double checking them. I know I was very hurt a week or so ago when the whole committee for 4th of July was mentioned in Neighbors and I was left out. I didn't care about having my name in the paper, I just felt that I am at every meeting day and night, doing my part, and then the person who wrote the press release just left me out. Am I invisible at these meetings?

The Merchants Association is the group putting on many of the popular events during 4th of July -- the Coconut Scavenger Hunt, the hot dog eating contest and other things, but they are not given credit.

I, myself, have learned to live with it. I am interviewed almost daily by various media outlets, the stories come out and I am nowhere to be seen. It's just a fact of life at this point.

But I do have to agree that if there is a big committee, one person should not be responsible for writing press releases and then just sending them out without being double checked. There is a committee for a reason. Everyone should have a look at the releases before they go out, I don't buy the excuses about being in a hurry or having deadlines. If the facts come out wrong in the stories, who cares if the paper's deadline is met?

Police on bikes hitting the streets

Miami Police Chief John Timoney (left) and some of his officers patrolled the Grove this morning by bike.

I saw Commander Martin riding around the chamber and NET office earlier today on his bike and then he stopped in on the Merchants Meeting.

It's nice having the cops on bikes around the village, I love the mounted police, too.

Was that trip necessary?

The City of Miami's Chief Financial Officer Larry Spring and his staff took a nice little all expense paid trip to Seattle, WA on the City's money (over 10 people went). They went to party at the Government Finance Officer's Association, from June 28 to July 1. According to the brochure, if you register early, you can save. Hope Larry did that, we need to save all we can in Miami these days.

According to the promotion: "In today's challenging economic environment more than ever, state and local governments are turning to the public finance professional for practical advice and strategic vision. Finance officers need to understand and be able to explain the economic situation and the potential fallout for their jurisdictions.To do so, public finance professionals must stay informed of the latest developments and trends and continually enhance their skills."

This is what the trip cost:
10 round trip tickets from Miami to Seattle = $ 5,000.00
10 Hotel Rooms for 6 nights = $12,000.00
60 Days of Per Diem = $ 9,000.00
10 Fees for Conference = $10,000.00
10 Miscellaneous = $ 4,000.00
The Pair of Balls on Larry = Priceless!

They even had a party at the Seattle Mariner's Safeco Field. Meanwhile the City of Miami is trying to save the taxpayers from tax increases. When your property taxes go up, you can thank Larry.

Larry also took a recent trip to Europe with his sponsor, Mary Conway, you don't want to know what that cost.

As of now, we have not received any response from Mr. Spring's office. We did contact them.

Photo courtesy City of Miami

The Best Brews for your BBQ

Angelo and Maxie's (3000 Florida Avenue) is having a Craft Beer Tasting tonight, July 2, called "The Best Brews for your BBQ."

Chris Montelius bring a new twist to summer barbecuing with his favorite backyard brews: Dogfish Head Festina Peche, Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale and Stone Levitation are just some of the beers on tap.

Cost is $20 per person, which includes appetizers. The fun starts at 7 pm and ends at 9 pm.

For info: 305-445-8177.