Putting the "Bed" in Bedlam!

September's here, and that can only mean one thing, the yearly Great Grove Bed Race returns to the streets of Coconut Grove this Sunday, September 2. Will The Grove Spot group hold onto their crown as the fastest bed for the past two years? After all, they auctioned off the winning bed earlier this month. Will the police take it this year? Will the fire department?

The Pit Row Parade and judging starts on Grand Avenue at 1 pm, then at 2 pm sharp, it's off to the races -- beds will roll! All day Sunday, Center Grove will be filled to capacity. 30 beds have signed up for the racing season. Text your vote is back, where you can vote for your favorite bed (BED01, BED02, BED03, etc. to 88588) as the beds are numbered, from 1 to 5 pm on race day. This is presented by the Miami Parking Authority.

The Junior Chamber's Easter Seals Toy Drive and Children's Hospital are beneficiaries of this year's Race.

Magic 102.7 has an interactive Rock Band game at one of the intermissions and also the new Cars2Go, has a special intermission musical audience participation event in front of the VIP tent. The Manatees, a bunch of fat guys will be performing live, you've seen them on Regis and Kelly, Marlins Stadium and on CNN and also in the New York Times!

There are pit crews, the "cone heads" (the JCI group who runs the show) a vip area, a special grand marshal and of course lots and lots of people in and off the course! The course goes from the Grove Post Office down toward the Sandbar Grill, where the finish line is. Get there early, grab a special place to view it all! Get out early and enjoy the beds and performances at Pit Row (in front of the post office, behind the main stage).

There will be face painting and games for the kiddies during the race and after all the racing, head on over to The Barnacle on Main Highway for the Up Past Bedtime Movie out on the big back long along the bay!

Coconut Grove businesses and restaurants will have specials all day. Enjoy a cool drink and a delicious lunch at any of the Grove's fine restaurants and bars. Get a tattoo and Grove Ink or a piercing a few doors down. Sit out at a cafe and enjoy the ambiance. Take in Coconut Grove, enjoy what we have to offer. This is a day where the whole Grove community is out! Come and join us! All are welcome. Help us put the NUT back into Coconut Grove.

There's plenty of parking in and around the Center Grove. There's lots of surface lots and garage parking. You'll easily find somewhere to park. Here's a map, look at all the places available!

There is also the 'Cudapalooza Block Party, which starts at the Barracuda Bar on Fuller street at 3 pm and goes until 11 pm. The street is closed and bands and lots of other entertainment will take place there. Speaking of the 'Cuda, there's a Pajama Pub Crawl the night before, on Saturday, September 1. A bunch of Grove bars are part of the fun. The cost is $25 per ticket, but get tix at Dealtificate for only $15 right now! The crawl is limited to 300 people. That's it! So get in now!

Barracuda is at 3035 Fuller Street, call 305-448-1144 for info.
Here's a little taste of last year's Great Grove Bed Race.

Keep up with all updates and fun on twitter at http://twitter.com/grovebedrace
And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegreatgrovebedrace
Come back to the Grapevine early Sunday morning for the day's full lineup of events.

The Grove Spot team, bed at left, races (and won) the FestiDan team at last year's race.