February 2009 Serving the communities along the Biscayne Corridor, including Arch Creek East, Bay Point, Bayside, Biscayne Park, Belle Meade, Buena Vista, Design District, Downtown, Edgewater, El Portal, Hibiscus Island, Keystone Point, Miami Shores, Morningside, North Bay Island, North Miami, Oakland Grove, Palm Grove, Palm Island, Sans Souci, Shorecrest, Star Island, Wynwood, and Venetian Islands www.BiscayneTimes.com Volume 6, Issue 12 Don Alfonso and his fi rst true love, Doña Edelmira Sampedro y Robato. TRAGIC DRAMA Under the Miami Moon In 1938 a future king met his fate on the Boulevard By Antolín García Carbonell ildred Gaydon left Frank Hotel, where he had been living for Den, a raucous nightclub located on Driving south on the dark Boulevard, White’s Casino, a fashion- the past year. The time was around a branch of the Miami River. She had a two-lane stretch of asphalt running M able after-hours club at 3:00 a.m. The date was Tuesday, spent that Labor Day evening with through an undeveloped portion of 10990 Biscayne Blvd., and began September 6, 1938. Don Alfonso in their usual routine northeast Miami, they had just passed the driving south on the Boulevard to take Mildred, known as “Merry Millie,” — after dinner and a movie, they had Little Farm sheds at 84th Street (which her gentleman friend, Don Alfonso de was the popular, 25-year-old ciga- visited a couple of nightspots before Borbón, back to the Miami Colonial rette girl at Don Dickerson’s Pirate’s returning home. Continued on page 14 BizBuzz Our Correspondents Community News Dining Guide Patronize our What a cat North of Seven new local businesses. learns on the Wynwood -- the restaurants It’s positively streets of the artist’s new added this month. patriotic! Shores. frontier. Total: 197! Page 8 Page 22 Page 37 Page 46 2 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com February 2009 FEBRUARYK KNIGHT CONCERT HALL C CARNIVAL STUDIO THEATERZ ZIFF BALLET OPERA HOUSE P PARKER AND VANN THOMSON PLAZA SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY Defendiendo al FREE Family Fest Defendiendo al Defendiendo al 11:30AM–1:30PM P 1 2 3 4 Cavernícola 5 Cavernícola 6 Cavernícola 7 (Defending the Caveman (Defending the Caveman - FREE Family Performance (Defending the Caveman Carnival of the Animals - in Spanish) in Spanish) - in Spanish) 2PM Z 7:30PM C 7:30PM C 7:30PM C Defendiendo al Cavernícola “Outrageously “Caveman is a “Hysterically Funny!” 2 & 7:30PM C funny and nationwide comic -Variety Miami City Ballet: surprisingly sweet phenomenon!” Program III exploration of the -The New York Times Miami City Ballet: 8PM Z February 5-15 gender gap.” Program III Whirling Dervishes of Rumi -Chicago Sun-Times 8PM Z 8PM K Defendiendo al Defendiendo al Defendiendo al Defendiendo al Defendiendo al Defendiendo al 89Cavernícola 10Cavernícola 11Cavernícola 12Cavernícola 13 Cavernícola 14 Cavernícola (Defending the Caveman - (Defending the Caveman - (Defending the Caveman - (Defending the Caveman - (Defending the Caveman - (Defending the Caveman - in Spanish) in Spanish) in Spanish) in Spanish) in Spanish) in Spanish) 2 & 7:30PM C 7:30PM C 7:30PM C 7:30PM C 7:30PM C 2 & 7:30PM C “The fireworks of Miami City Ballet: “A comic Flamenco Festival “So perceptive, so the sexual revolu- Flamenco Festival Miami: Carmen Program III phenomenon!” witty, you can't help tion have been Miami: Carmen 8PM K Z -The New York Times feeling exhilarated!” 2PM melted into friendly 8PM K “Stunning flamenco -The Boston Globe The St. Olaf Choir fire.” “Heart-stopping!” virtuosity” 3PM K -Chicago Sun-Times - The Times, London -The Miami Herald 15 Defendiendo al 16 17Grammy Award-winning 18Liberty City 19 Liberty City 20 Liberty City 21 FREE Lecture by Cavernícola vocalist Patti Austin! 7:30PM C 7:30PM C 7:30PM C Dr. Dorothy Fields (Defending the Caveman - “Evoking an entire “Definitive example 12:30PM C in Spanish) Flamenco Festival African-American February 20 of the solo show” 2 & 7:30PM C Miami: community of the Liberty City -Village Voice Estrella Morente 1970s” -Variety 2 & 7:30PM C FREE Gospel Marvin Hamlisch in 8PM K Sundays Jazz Roots Series: Lakmé Concert “Best show of 2008” 4PM K A Tribute to Ella and 7PM Z 8PM K -Flamenco.com Basie 8PM K 22 Liberty City 23 24 Liberty City 25Liberty City 26 Liberty City 27 Liberty City 28 Liberty City 2 & 7:30PM C 7:30PM C 7:30PM C 7:30PM C 7:30PM C 2 & 7:30PM C “S corching insight on “Touches eloquently Lakmé Lakmé “Solid and endearing” on race, politics, Lakmé Featuring special events, how history both 2PM Z -The New Yorker 8PM Z frees and chains us 8PM K and the legacies of including a free lecture by the '60s move- at the same time!” New York Mark O'Connor Dr. Dorothy Fields on 2/21, ments.” Flamenco Festival -Variety Philharmonic 8PM K Liberty City, and Jazz Roots: A -Village Voice Miami: Tribute to Ella & Basie. 8PM K Los Farruco Lakmé Lakmé 8PM K 8PM K 8PM K BOOK YOUR EVENT TODAY! Combine your entertainment February 12-28 in a stunning setting with first- class THIS IS BLACK HISTORY! dining by Performing Arts Catering February 18 - March 1 by Barton G. Try our new “bistro” concessions, With more than 2,700 spaces located throughout the Center, available, parking is plentiful at ORDER NOW! every performance. created by Valet parking also available. DINING: 305.949.6722 • arshtcenter.org PARKING: February 2009 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 3 COMMENTARY: FEEDBACK PO Box 370566, Miami, FL 33137 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Member of the Should Have Been Riding corridor was used for commuter rail a newspaper or magazine remembers Florida Press Association the Rails Long Ago with a stop at “Freedom Tower Station” there is an icon in our backyard, and (http://miamivisionblogarama.blogspot. Bunny once again recounts the tale of www.BiscayneTimes.com Terence Cantarella’s cover story “Wait- com/2006/08/fec-tracks-for-commuter- hand-sewing the fi rst bikini in America, ing For the Train” was a great article PUBLISHER & EDITOR rail-in-our.html). The second one looks at and of course helping launch Bettie Page (January 2009). Thank God someone else creating a monorail connection between to stardom — or infamy, depending on Jim Mullin is aware that studying the FEC corridor [email protected] Miami and the Beaches (http://miami- who you ask. for possible commuter trains should have beachmonorail.blogspot.com/). On hearing of Bettie’s death, I im- INTERNS been done long ago. Margaret Griffi s’s story about mediately thought of Bunny, who I once Andrew Leins Can you believe that Miami charges Bunny Yeager in the same issue (“She had the pleasure of interviewing. She [email protected] one of the highest fares for bus travel Remembers Bettie”) reminds me that I is gracious and engaging, and always David Rodriguez in the nation? Remember the previous discovered her in the early 1960s, when happy to talk about her old friend Bettie. [email protected] county mayor said that if we voted for I, like thousands of other randy boys, Even today she still takes pictures of CONTRIBUTORS a sales tax increase, bus fares would be came across her series of books on local girls and runs a Website devoted to Victor Barrenchea, Pamela Robin Brandt, basically free for the folks who use this how to shoot the nude. I can’t remem- her photography. Terence Cantarella, Bill Citara, Wendy overpriced system? What a joke! ber learning anything except that Ms. After the interview, Bunny gave me Doscher-Smith, Kathy Glasgow, Jim W. Bill Clark Yeager sure knew how to take pictures two autographed books of her work and Harper, Lisa Hartman, Jen Karetnick, Jack Belle Meade of naked women. a signed self-portrait from her modeling King, Derek McCann, Frank Rollason, Bunny is as legendary as Bettie Page, heyday. After a lot of procrastinating Silvia Ros, Jeff Shimonski Riding the Rails Is a but unlike Bettie, Bunny is alive and well and moving, I fi nally framed it and it ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Visionary Solution and living right here in “Biscayne City.” now hangs in my home. Every visi- Marco Fernandez Regarding “Waiting for the Train,” it’s She deserves a parade! tor loves seeing “The World’s Prettiest [email protected] nice to see this transportation solution D.C. Copeland Photographer,” and I get to tell the story being addressed in the media. I too have Miami Beach all over again. Marc Ruehle Thanks, Bunny, for taking us all [email protected] been following the issue over the years and I think Miami Shores years ago down memory lane. And sorry about OFFICE MANAGER Bunny and Bettie and Bettie. She will be missed. declined to have a commuter station built America’s First Bikini Wilmer Ametin in its fair burg. How short-sighted. Christian Cipriani [email protected] By the way, here are links to some vi- Like Don Bailey, whose tribute to Burt Edgewater Reynolds’s 1971 Cosmo nude still adver- ART DIRECTOR sionary solutions for South Florida mass tises his fl ooring business, Bunny Yeager transit. The fi rst one paints a great picture Continued on page 6 Marcy Mock is a classic Miami story. Every few years [email protected] about what life could be like if the FEC ADVERTISING DESIGN DP Designs TABLE OF CONTENTS [email protected] COVER STORY COMMUNITY CONTACTS The Biscayne Times welcomes proposals Tragic Drama Under the Miami Moon ...........................................1 Neighborhood Associations ..........................................................28 for articles and press releases. Submitted material may be edited for length, clarity, POLICE REPORTS and content.