HERE COMES SUMMER! Compiled from Palmbeachbusiness.Com
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Tdelrayhe Delray Beach beach Pineapple www.DelrayPineapple.com JUNE 2012 • 1 he ineapple www.DelrayPineapple.com T Your DowntownP Delray Beach Community Newspaper JUNE 2012 BEACH PAVILION PROJECT ON TRACK FOR SEASON HERE COMES SUMMER! Compiled from PalmBeachBusiness.com DELRAY BEACH, FL – Delray’s Beach Properties Owners Association put its money where its proverbial mouth is last month, as they presented the city with a check for nearly $24,000 to help cover the cost of restoring the municipal beach pavilion. The repair of the pavilion is the centerpiece of a plan to revitalize and upgrade the beachfront. The pavilion sits at Ocean Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue. The donation to the city represents the proceeds of a “Delray’s Got Talent” show fundraiser the BPOA conducted earlier this year. The association held a similar fundraiser a year ago, and over the two years has donated nearly $60,000 to the project. The hope is that donations, coupled with the city funds and donated work from the project’s architects and construction company, the project can be done in time for the upcoming winter tourist season. “The BPOA has held up its end of the bargain,” spokeswoman Mary Renaud said during a recent city commission meeting. “The residents of Delray are watching.” City commissioners earlier in the year considered pulling the plug on all capital improvement projects, including the pavilion, to plug a $3.2 million hole in the budget. Commissioners, however, pulled the pavilion project from the chopping block. Southern Californian Laura Villa (left), on a recent visit to South Florida gets the grand tour from Delray Beach resident Jenny Diaz. DELRAY BEACH VIES FOR BEST SMALL TOWN Wins Florida’s top spot in “Best of the Road” competition The Best of the Road competition is coming to Delray Beach. Rally visit in June. Road rally teams will leave Washington DC and This national tour is sponsored by Rand McNally and USA Today. For visit 30 small towns who will vie for the title of Most Beautiful, Most the last 10 years Rand McNally has been celebrating locations that Patriotic, Friendliest, Most Fun, and Best Small Town for Food. On are lesser-known or off the beaten path, are unique or have special July 15th the Road Rally teams will arrive in Seattle and announce the character and capture the region’s essence. These destinations have best small towns in America. been featured as the Best of the Road® in travel guides and in the “I’m so proud of Delray Beach, enthused Stephanie Immelman, Rand McNally Road Atlas. Destination Marketing Manager for Delray Beach. “We came into In May, Delray Beach joined the competition and thanks to the competition late but thanks to our incredible community we will voting by Delray Beach locals and lovers, the town vaulted to the top be able to show the whole nation what we already know. Delray Beach of the best small towns in Florida, beating out Deland at the last hours is the best small town in America.” of voting. Thanks to the voting and social media frenzy spearheaded Be sure to check out the DBMC’s Facebook page www.facebook. by the Delray Beach Marketing Cooperative (DBMC), Delray Beach com/downtowndelraybeach or the www.godelray.com website for has been chosen as one of the 30 small towns that will receive a Road updates on the Road Rally team’s arrival in Delray Beach. OLD SCHOOL SQUARE Arts Garage Launches Garage Discovering The School Blues plus Summer Jazz Project of Art and Photography Arts Garage announced its summer series lineup, featuring the new signature series Garage Blues and showcasing Bringing life’s passions to light huge names in its popular Jazz Project. Both series feature international talent with strong Florida connections that By Rigel Herman emphasize the broad influence that legendary Floridians have The Pineapple Staff Writer had in the larger world of American music. Last year, during its debut season, Arts Garage presented regional A-listers. ecent rain aside, the forecast for Delray Beach is generally idyllic, sunshine This year, the series expands to feature musicians with and blue skies day in and day out. While this weather attracts it’s fair share international clout, who also have roots to the Sunshine Rof tourists and snowbirds, it also caters to a creative and artistically inclined State, but are rarely seen in South Florida. The Garage Blues group of folks. With a collection of locals as eclectic as many major cities, Delray series debuts this summer in response to overwhelming is known throughout South Florida and nationally, as a cultural hub, facilitating audience demand, and features artists who have impacted the artistic endeavors of those advanced in their disciplines and those who wish the development of the art form. Individual tickets are priced to learn more about their expressive natures. $20-$30, and series subscriptions are available. Full details are Old School Square Cultural Arts Center is a testament to the creative and available at www.artsgarage.org. culture-seeking population of Delray Beach. The award-winning, historic site located on Atlantic and Swinton Avenues, ‘“Jazz Project has been passionately received from the encompasses the Cornell Museum of Art and American Culture, Crest Theatre, The Entertainment Pavilion and The School start,” said Alyona Ushe, Executive Director of Arts Garage. of Art and Photography. Founded in 1986, the beautiful and pristine buildings and grounds of Old School Square, offer a wide “Our audiences feel a connection with the artist that is rarely selection of visual and performing arts. experienced in night clubs and larger venues. There is a power While many locals attended the Old School Beer Fest back in April, or Shakespeare in the Pavilion’s performance, Much that is felt at our performances, and Continued on page 18 Ado About Nothing in May, one of the most integral facets of Old School Square is its School of Art Continued on page 7 2 • JUNE 2012 www.DelrayPineapple.com The Delray Beach Pineapple A SIAN CO MFO RT FOOD PRESENTS D E L RAy’s HappiesT H O URS Tuesday - Saturday | 5-7 p.m. | 3-4-1 Drinks | Half off all food OPEN TUESDAY - S A T URDAY | 5 P.M. Sign up for the Union Member Card at FACEBOOK.COM /UNIONDELRAYBEACH and extend your Happy Hour! RESERVAT I O NS: 561.330.4236 8 E Atlantic Ave | Delray Beach, FL | uniondelray.com | (561) 330-4236 | The Delray Beach Pineapple www.DelrayPineapple.com JUNE 2012 • 3 Coloring book project highlights CITY APPROVES GATEWAY FEATURE New entrance into downtown Delray Beach Delray architectural icons & styles The city wants to build an By Paula Detwiller of each architectural icon. In the back, you’ll find entrance on Atlantic Avenue Special to The Pineapple detailed descriptions of each historic structure that will make downtown and its corresponding architectural style. feel seamless from I-95 to Inspired by last year’s Centennial and a “It’s a coloring book for children, but it’s the beach. It’s part of a long- crayon-art exhibit at the Cornell Museum, the for grown-ups too,” said Trust president JoAnn awaited project to spruce Delray Beach Preservation Trust has created Peart. She laughs when she remembers how up West Atlantic Avenue. a unique coloring book that will preserve at first she was calling it an “adult” coloring “A lot of people want to see Delray’s architectural history for years to come. book—until people started jumping to the this done. As soon as you get The Architectural Icons & Styles of wrong conclusion. off I-95 they want to see a Delray Beach coloring book consists of hand- Significantly, a copy of the book with beautiful area,” says Delray drawn sketches of the city’s most significant autographs of each participating design Beach City Commissioner architecture over the past 100 years. It includes professional will be placed in the Trust’s 2011 Adam Frankel. such well-known structures as the 1925 Arcade – 2111 Time Capsule at Delray Beach City The Gateway Feature, anticipated to be completed by Spring 2013, will create a grand entrance to downtown Delray Beach. Six 30-foot concrete columns decorated with unique designs, will line West Atlantic Avenue between I-95 and NW/SW 12th Avenue, paying homage to the rich culture and history of Delray Beach. Additional improvements will include landscaping, a winding sidewalk, and trellis feature. The community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) is providing nearly $1 million for the project. “The money comes from our budget, it’s tax increment financing. A portion comes from property taxes that goes toward improvements and redevelopment projects,” says Diane Colonna, the executive director of the Community Redevelopment Agency. A $200,000 grant from the Florida Department of Transportation will also help offset the cost. Colonna hopes the project will help spur other development on West Atlantic where vacant lots are available. Delray Beach raises the bar Success of The Big Top “On The Ave” DELRAY BEACH, FL – The forecast Onlookers watched locals climb the ladder called for rain, but on Thursday, May 17th in and swing down onto the net. Between downtown Delray Beach, the sky did not fall on guest swingers the professionals running the the 50 circus performers lining Atlantic Avenue trapeze displayed their skills as they flipped for The Big Top “On The Ave.” The Delray and flew from one swing to the next for the Beach Marketing Cooperative (DBMC) excited crowd. Purchase your own copy of the coloring book at Hand’s Stationers in downtown Delray, where Pat Gerretsen pulled out all the stops for the most exciting Colorful tents running the length of all is happy to direct shoppers to the various Preservation Trust items on sale.