The Soul Of Miami

Saturday, October 15, 3:00-7:00 pm.
Peacock Park/ Coconut Grove
2820 McFarlane Road
Coconut Grove, FL 33133

It’s the Year of the Beer at Grovetoberfest! If you’re a beer lover, then Miami is the place to be this coming October. Beer enthusiasts from all over will converge at Peacock Park in Coconut Grove for Grovetoberfest – a festival that allows guests to sample hundreds of beers from across the world.

Aficionados and the “casual beer fan”will take an active role in beer sampling by voting for their favorite beers in three different categories. Grovetoberfest will include an entertainment stage featuring South Florida’s wildly popular Spam Allstars. In addition, it will feature a variety of craft beers, the Homebrew Pavilion, a Kitchen Lab for beer/food pairings, a VIP area and a designated driver program.

Pre-purchase tickets by visiting www.grovetoberfest.com or calling (305)461-2700.
$29 – Pre-purchased tickets (available now)
$39 – General Admission
$89 – VIP

The Great Grove Bed Race
9/4/2011, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Commodore and Main in the Grove
www.thegreatgrovebedrace.com

The third annual celebration of bed racing will take place this fall, Labor Day Weekend, Sunday September 4th.

The Great Grove Bed Race is a free community event and fundraiser in Coconut Grove, Florida, each year the race is attended by celebrities and proves that a community can come together, have fun, be unique and raise funds for charity

The six-hour event is scheduled to take place from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and is open to the public. The wildly comedic bed race involves rolling beds down village streets in Coconut Grove with the local South Florida community, individuals, businesses, organizations, and clubs sponsoring the beds.

Teams consist of 5 members, four (4) races and one (1) rider, racing against the clock until the fastest beds in each division are determined. Divisions are Men’s, Women’s, Co-Ed and Corporate/Over 30. Those finalists go head-to-head in a race for the top position. More important than the speed trophies are the top prizes are awarded for theme, engineering, décor, best overall and crowd favorite through our TEXT your vote telecom sponsor.
Open to the public, the race is organized as a fun community event to improve awareness and economic impact to the Grove Village and raise funds for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade.

Race fee: $100 registration fee per team for virgins (1 bed, five participants) ($50 for returning veteran teams) from June 1, 2011 to July 15, 2011 — $125.00 late registration (including late veteran teams) fee up to the Final entry deadline of 5 pm, Aug. 26, 2011. 100% of the registration fee goes to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade.

Prizes: Prizes will be announced at Bed Race for the various categories (Top Online Fundraiser – Best Engineered Bed – Crowd Favorite (by text votes) – Most Creative Bed – Best Theme – Best Pit Performance – Top Virgin Entry) Cash and gift certificates go to these categories only. Trophies are awarded for the actual race for First, Second and Third Place finishing.

Many activities will take place during the day along with the Bed Race; there is a Parade of Beds, Theme contest (best costumes and cheers would help in winning this), decoration contest, etc.

For more information visit: www.TheGreatGroveBedRace.com
** Registration is OPEN so please get involved ***

11:00 am starts family fun with our Family Pajama Party!

2:00 pm Actual Bed Races Begin

Coconut Grove comes alive this July 4th weekend with a host of events for the whole
family to enjoy including Miami’s largest busking event, music, food, a coconut scavenger hunt, a hot dog eating contest and, of course, a spectacular fireworks show.

The festivities begin on Saturday, July 2 as the popular two-day “Cirque du Grove: A Busker’s Carnival” returns to the streets of Coconut Grove. Over a dozen performers will present unique fire routines containing baton twirling and rope lassos during the Saturday evening show, and Sunday’s shows which begin at 1 p.m. will offer free performances by trapeze artists, wire walkers, jugglers, acrobats, clowns, mimes, and balloon artists.

Before and after the sizzling Saturday evening spectacle, the Grove Gallery Walk will celebrate taking artistic “liberties” during the popular patriotic weekend. Ten galleries will host a night of art, wine and fun including opening exhibitions such as “American Icons” at Cristina Chacon Gallery.

Special to this month’s Grove Gallery Walk are living, travelling sculptures. Making its way throughout the Grove will be a spontaneously moving six-person figure, created by modern dance elements and inspired by an accompanied musician and narrator. The performance art is directed by Out of Africa store owner Trina Collins and begins at 7 p.m. in the Mayfair Promenade.

The festivities begin at 11 a.m. on Independence Day with an old-fashioned picnic at The Barnacle Historical Park. Activities will include lawn games, board games, kite making and crafts and live music from Joel Zoss. Bring a picnic or treat yourself to hot dogs, hamburgers, veggie dogs and burgers, popcorn, soft drinks and ice cream available for purchase. Admission to The Barnacle is $5 per person; $2 for children ages 6-12.

For those who can “mustard” the courage, a gourmet hot dog eating contest will begin at 3 p.m. at CocoWalk. The competitor who eats the most hot dogs in 10 minutes will capture the title of Hot Dog Champion and receive a prize package that includes gift certificates from various CocoWalk merchants. Last year’s winner, who consumed 11 hot dogs, is expected to defend his title.

A Coconut Scavenger Hunt begins immediately after the Hot Dog Competition with participants scouring the Grove in search of painted coconuts. It is sponsored by the Coconut Grove Merchants Association.

The festivities continue in Peacock Park at 5 p.m. with food and beverages, photos with a live Lady Liberty statuette and culminate with a stunning fireworks display over Biscayne Bay at sundown (9 p.m.) under the coordination of the Coconut Grove Chamber of Commerce.
The Coconut Grove Business Improvement District (BID) exists to improve the quality and financial success of the Grove commercial core. The BID enhances Grove parking, lighting, sanitation, marketing, and safety, as well as supporting special events. For more information on the Coconut Grove BID, visit www.coconutgrove.com or call 305-461-5506.

Part of Grove-wide All Day Celebration on July 4th

Any moment now, the flags will be unfurled and once again be lining the streets of downtown Coconut Grove, as the village readies for its favorite holiday celebration. As in previous years, the events start early and end late, beginning with the traditional picnic at The Barnacle, and culminating with a big bash and fireworks display at Peacock Park (2820 McFarlane Road Miami, FL 33133).

The Board of Directors of Coconut Grove Chamber of Commerce is excited to be at the helm of the fireworks extravaganza at Peacock Park, and especially looking forward to teaming up with returning sponsor, the Boston Beer Company. Sam Adams is once again the official beer for July 4th at Peacock Park, and nothing goes better with beer than an assortment of some of the city’s top gourmet food trucks, including, as of this date, CheeseMe Mobile, Dim Ssam a gogo, Gastropod, Latin Burger and The Fish Box, plus Fireman Derek’s World-Famous Pies and a Snow Caps stand. Soft Drinks, Cocktails and Zico Coconut Water will round out the menu.

Free Entertainment includes performances by The Ramblers Band, Pit Bull of Blues and Joel Zoss. There will also be a Children’s Fun Zone.

Festivities in the Park get going around 5 pm, and are expected to last until 10 pm.

As per tradition, the Coconut Grove Independence Day celebrations begin at 11 am with an old-fashioned picnic at The Barnacle Historic State Park. Lawn games, board games, kite making, crafts, and a treasure hunt will keep the whole family entertained and in a sporting mood. Live music from Joel Zoss adds atmosphere to a Park already decked out in traditional Fourth of July bunting. Bring a picnic or treat yourself to hot dogs, hamburgers, veggie dogs and burgers, popcorn, soft drinks and ice cream available for purchase. The Barnacle Historic State Park is located at 3485 Main Highway in downtown Coconut Grove, across the street from the Coconut Grove Playhouse. Admission to the Park on the day of this event is $5; $3 for ages 6-12; children under 6 are free. The park opens at 9 am with activities from 11 am to 4 pm. Park closes at 5 pm. The Barnacle welcomes Blankets, lawn chairs and picnics, but alcohol and fireworks are not permitted. For additional information call 305-442-6866 or visit www.TheBarnacle.org.

The fun continues in downtown Grove, with the Merchants Group Scavenger Hunt which starts around 3 pm, followed by the Hotdog Eating Contest at CocoWalk.

Once the winner is announced, it is time to head to the park and stake out a spot to relax and sup al fresco on a variety of food with ice cold Sam Adams, and let the fireworks begin!

The entire weekend is filled with festivities. Many of the Grove hotels will be having weekend specials, and the Grove BID will once again feature all manner of street theater – from flame throwers, to tightrope dancers and acrobats, performing daring feats along Grand Avenue.

Call for Volunteers: The Chamber is in need of volunteers to help at the vending booths in the park. It is a lot of fun and a great way to make sure you have a spot to see the fireworks. For more information, please contact Lisa Shallenberger at lmshall@hotmail.com.

Thanks to our Sponsors: The Coconut Grove Chamber of Commerce thanks the generous contributions that make this event possible: Coconut Grove BID, Office of D2 City Commissioner Marc Sarnoff, The Boston Beer Company, Creative Tools, Inc. Communications, CocoWalk, Fast Signs Downtown, Coconut Grove Grapevine, Zico Coconut Water, Turning Point Digital, Regions Bank, Sonesta Hotel and Suites in Coconut Grove and Coconut Grove Gazette.