Schlock Fest
I forgot how each year the Mother's Day Concert comes to Peacock Park and each year it is the biggest schlock fest in Miami.
Hundreds, maybe thousands show up for the free concert, but it costs them a lot in the end.
It's basically designed to put money into the pockets of vendors, and making everyone who attends a captive audience for the vendors. You see, people are turned away at the entrance if they have any sort of food or drink. They are required to purchase from the overpriced vendors in the park or go without.
Ironically, outside the park, shady characters show up and set up illegal stands and sell peanuts, water, soda, whatever, and even Nestea was handing out iced tea. And when the people get to the park after purchasing the items or getting the free tea, they are told to throw out the food and drink if they want to enter. Some people have pizza and other items purchased at Grove businesses.
As you can see above, their bags are literally searched in an undignified manner. These guys to the left were told to dump their water bottles. This group to the right were turned away.
This family left dejected. It's either buy from the park vendors, or go without. Not very friendly or welcoming is it? This is the impression of Coconut Grove they all leave with.
In the park, all sorts of crap is sold -- fake jewelry, crummy art and even the Miami Herald is there hawking subscriptions.
It's a tacky un-Grove-like event put on by the City of Miami and some promoter. People leave frustrated, with the feeling of being cheated and ripped off, thinking it is Coconut Grove trying to scam them. Then we wonder why people don't want to return to the Grove.
Roberta Flack was wise to cancel her appearance. She would be associated with this cheap carnival just like the Grove is. I know in my head Jon Secada will always be D-List in my mind, just for associating himself with these promoters.
This event should be like the free movies, and free Shakespeare and other events that we hold in the park, where people can bring their own picnic baskets and coolers and enjoy our small town atmosphere. Even the Great Taste of the Grove doesn't turn people away who walk into the park with food or drinks not purchased at the event, and they are a food festival!
The BID, the Chamber, the NET office or someone needs to start controlling what goes on in Coconut Grove. This schlock fest is not how we want to portray ourselves. It sends mixed messages about the Grove. The people that were turned away yesterday, probably won't return to the real free events like the movies and Shakespeare because they probably don't realize that at those events, they can bring their own picnic lunches.
posted by Tom Falco at 12:01 PM
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22 Comments:
I went to the show yesterday, had a great meal of cracked conch and fries for $9, I thought it was delicious and worth the $9, but the beer was a total ripoff $6. The music was mediocre with John Secada, the atmosphere was OK. What I really got a kick out of was the music being blasted straight into the Cloisters residences for hours, now tell them to continue making complaints about Grove businesses staying open late and being noisy. This is what they deserve every weekend for complaining about the business district.
All true, there were 8 of us with a huge cooler, we were turned away.
To be honest, most of these people would not have come to the grove yesterday if it wasn't for this concert. Sometimes I wish you would just post something positive and leave it at that instead of always having something negative to say. A free concert is hard to come by these days, and we "groveites" should be happy that they chose our little town for this event.
Sometimes you wish I would say something nice? I am usually accused daily of ONLY saying nice things. And seeing things through "rose colored" glasses.
very unfamily friendly event.
that chubby cop in the one pic is the same jerk that keeps throwing out people from Kennedy park at dusk. Why the heck cant the park be open til 8 or 9. Its getting hot again and there are still tons of people running, playing soccer and hanging out as a family. It really ticks me off that they treat us all like we are doing something wrong. In this day and age when most people are not getting enough exercise and not spending enough time with their kids you would think the city would want to promote activity. And to say it is a security issue is bogus. While the park is full of people I feel fine. Its only when it is empty that I worry about criminal activity.
I agree wholeheartedly Grape -- This was not a "free" concert -- can anyone say 7$ sucker for the prices of "rum" punch -- sorry but we got suckered in for one round and didnt go back because I think I just paid 14$ for something I could get at fresh market (fruit juice) for about 1$ - Notice how the actual bottles were nowhere, just "pre-mixed" crap in plastic pitchers. Yesterday we grove residents promised not to get suckered again by this one. Lame.
Who is in charge around here?!?!?!?!?!?!?
I am sure the concert was over by the time the noise ordinance went into effect at 11on so chill guy. It didn't go til 5am. But I can't believe you couldn't even bring your own water in the park. And they want to blow up the Expo Center and give us more green space- for what - crap like this. At times like this give people a free concert, let them bring their own food and let them buy food if they want to. It is after all the taxpayer's park.
frankly, i can't think of an event held in coconut grove that isn't a schlock fest. in fact, i find the art festival to be one of the worst offenders we see in coconut grove without moral or aesthetic value and selling items much like the work of thomas kinkaid (if you can call it "work"). its as tacky as the fockers are in the movie.
if standards are to be imposed (putting aside the near impossible endeavor of defining "art"), apply them to all the events held in the grove. saturday's event was not really a departure from what we see in the grove.
and, yes, this is MY opinion and i realize the subjective nature of what one deems as art.
Grape, keep up the good job of pointing out the good and the bad. That is the only way for them to do it right...it's the cockroach approach - turn on the light and see how the all show themselves!
I am so glad we went to the UM baseball game instead! Now that is a class act. Best milk shakes in Miami!!!!
I tried to get into the concert today with my wife and kids but they wouldn't let us in because we were carrying a small cooler.
That's never been a problem before in the Grove with the Bed Races and the Art Festivals.
Things have definitely changed.
And we won't back back.
Sorry to disagree but my time spent at the concert was enjoyable and I saw a crowd of people heading into the bars when the show was over so I am sure it was good for local businesses.
I agree not allowing people to bring food/drink is lame. The vendors should realize that if I am the type of person to lug in my cooler I not going to by it at the show anyway.
Lets not dump on the City's effort to host a free show in the Grove, lets work with them to make it better next time. Maybe the BID could try that approach.
We cant continue to permit these kinds of Schlocky Festivals.
We cant keep irritating visitors by not allowing them to bring refreshments or food.
We cant keep charging so much for parking, ticketing so many cars and towing so many cars.
We cant keep permitting the proliferation of unsightly banners (legal or illegal).
We cant keep tolerating the demolition of historic buildings.
We cant keep allowing Coconut Grove to deteriorate.
Coconut Grove residence, business operators and those that visit us deserve better.
Harry Emilio Gottlieb
Not every family can affford to pay vendors prices; maybe that went to Fresh Mkt or Milans and made sandwiches; that would still help the Grove. It's like building the Marlins Stadium and pricing tickets so far out of reach parents can't take their children. The City gives and the City takes.
The situation of prohibiting coolers, snacks, etc. is ridiculous. It's an outdoor, public park on a Saturday afternoon! If that first picture you posted is any indication, it looks like some people were able to sneak coolers in (the people in chairs on the right have one).
On another note, Grape you provide a great service for the Coconut Grove community w/ this blog, and lots of us out here really appreciate it! :-)
i love living in the grove, but we clearly have a case of 2 groves. for instance, look at what happened with the home depot along macdonald and us 1. because "the grove" opposed the strang plans we are left with an eyesore which people now complaint of. its a microcosm for what is wrong with the knee-jerk activism the grove is renown for.
unfortunately, coconut grove is in many ways the birth child of the aesthetically vacuous middle america and bad urban management. the grove business center leaves much to be desired. the architecture is sad, the stores are generally subpar, the "mall" is garish, the mayfair is a missed opportunity, the cloisters is an abomination, the king strut is a relic to dead political humor, the festivals are ALL schlocky. the only event with value in the last 5 years was the obama kids event. we need stricter codes. beth dunlop's herald article on st. stephen's demonstrates her sense of unwarranted and narcissistic entitlement and simply argues for preservation for the sake of preservation.
I'm glad I was out of town for this. What a shame. It's one thing to say no coolers or to say you can't bring in food, but to search people's personal belongings to keep them from bringing in a bottle of water is above and beyond. That's just not right.
Where were the chamber and BIC etc., when this thing was being planned and the policies put in place?
How on earth is it legal or right that we sell out a public park and deny its use by recreational visitors (picnic-carrying citizens), even if just for a day?
Security guards being paid to search peoples' bags? Puh-lease. The only thing they secure is revenue for the vendors. Sad.
Who was the sponsor of this event? Was it the City of Miami? Poster didn't say. Can the park be rented out by private promoters? Was that the case here?
If this was a city thing than I think it was wrong not to allow coolers, outisde food, etc.
But if it was a private event (even if it was free) then they can control what comes in.
Movie theaters don't allow outside food. Neither does the Bank Atlantic center.
Not allowing patrons to bring in their own food/drink is absurd. There is no positive outcome to doing that because for as many that abandon their food/drink there are a a greater amount who simply turn away and/or get pissed off. I cant believe organizers dont think about this stuff.
im sorry but it was a free show, and no body thinks about the vendors in this situation that would like make some money at a show. there seems to be something wrong with complaining about spending money at an event you entered free when had it been an event you paid for you would have no choice but to leave your cooler.the grove should support and put on more of these events. it is not just the city that fi=unds these events whomever the promoter is needs to have vendors in order to make cost and those vendors need to make money in order for them to come back.the problem with the grove is that it lacks unification and a want to move toghether.every one should be doing something in there shops or resturant when there is a concert in the grove , in that way the people still frequent the establishments before and after the show.
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