Vanilla Ice is Grand Marshal of Sunday's Bed Race

Rapper, Musician, Actor and Home Improvement Guru via DIY Network’s “Vanilla Ice Project," will be the Grand Marshal for the Sept. 4 Great Grove Bed Race in Coconut Grove this year.
Ice, along with Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado met the media today at a press conference at the Peacock Garden Cafe, here in the Grove. There were a lot of laughs and people enjoyed meeting the celebs.

Update: "Real Housewife of Miami," Cristy Rice, was announced as Celebrity Judge for Sunday's Race. (story here).


At left is Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado with Vanilla Ice, and at right, Mr. Ice was generous enough to pose with me.

What is it about Vanilla Ice that merits assuming the Grand Marshal reins previously held by famed fast-trackers and Indy Car legends Helio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan? Well, aside from being a long time Miami resident, Ice is very athletic, he auditioned for the X Games after winning three straight Motocross titles at the Grand National Motocross Championships and once was the world’s No. 6-ranked sit-down Jet Ski racer. Plus he's a big Bed Race fan!


Daisy Lewis, coordinator of the Great Grove Bed Race stands to the left, introducing from left, Steve Licata, co-chair of the Grove Merchants Group, Mayor Regalado and Vanilla Ice.

Having shared the stage with MC Hammer, N.W.A., Ice-T and Sir Mix-A-Lot en route to selling more than 100 million albums, Ice will now share the streets of Coconut Grove with the likes of the “Grove 5-0,” “Miami Vice City Rollers” and “Sexy Secrets Lingerie Boutique Bed-Racers.”

You can meet Vanilla Ice on Great Grove Bed Race Day, Sunday, September 4, when the streets of Coconut Grove turn to BEDlam.


Ice told the crowd how he loves the Grove and used to skateboard around the village when he was younger. His album is now out called "WTF," no, not what you are thinking -- that's Wisdom, Tenacity and Focus.


We'll have the Bed Race schedule of events in the Grapevine later this week.