The Good Life

Discover Miami Tours a
Gateway to Diversity
 
 by Michael W. Sasser
Consulting Editor

 
 
The opportunity to explore the cultures of Miami-Dade County’s numerous diverse communities is key to Discover Miami, taking place this weekend around the County and guaranteeing participants a unique and colorful insight to numerous aspects of our unique home city.

Moreover, one of this writer’s favorite local Miamians and leading authority on local history is at the center of this fantastic, community event.

Miami is a relatively young city, but its brief history packs a wallop. Unique communities, off the beaten tourist path, are brimming with interesting architecture, lively community gathering places, and historical events. Overtown, Little Haiti, Miami Shores, the Temple Israel area, and Little Havana all provide unique opportunities to get to know the city better, to become familiar with its past, and to meet neighbors making changes in the present.

On Saturday, September 4th, from 1-7pm, the day to Discover Miami, live music, ethnic foods, and craft and flea markets will greet visitors at each stop, and then it’s onto the next neighborhood. The bus ride, guided tour and performances are all free, and make a refreshing family alternative to the mall!

Robert Rosenberg, coordinator and producer of Discover Miami, speaks vividly of Miami’s “parallel universes” and observes that “most Miamians are familiar with salsa on the radio, for example. If they hop on a Discover Miami bus, they can absorb other people’s music and cultural activities in an authentic context, in a real neighborhood!”

The guided tour element of Discover Miami distinguishes it from just another street fair or concert in Miami. The tour buses are convenient for participants who can park their cars at any one of the five neighborhood sites and hop on the bus. Dr. Paul George, local historian, will train special guest tour guides to share tidbits and colorful anecdotes on each bus tour, exposing the illustrious past life of each neighborhood, and especially how transitions at each site find remnants of the past and present existing side by side. For example, in Little Haiti at 62nd Street and NE 2nd Avenue was the homestead of a woman named Ada Merrit, who now has a high school named after her! At the Magic City trailer park, one can hear southern accents persisting amidst a newer wave of Haitian immigrants. Visitors can bring along their burning questions about Miami’s unique past and ethnic mixes. Specially trained tour guides will be more than happy to provide answers.

Native Miamian Paul George, an uncontested expert on local history and lore, is delighted to develop the narrated tours for Discover Miami bus rides. His activities range from editing Tequesta, the scholarly journal of the Historical Association of Southern Florida, to producing documentary films on Miami for WLRN, to curating exhibitions at the South Florida Historical Museum and the Jewish Museum. He also conducts about thirty-five different history tours of Dade, Broward, and Monroe Counties and is president of the Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archive. An author of eight books and over 100 articles and book reviews, Dr. George has twice been cited as Miami’s outstanding Historian by New Times. Currently Professor of History at Miami-Dade College, Wolfson campus, he has taught and lectured at Florida State University, Florida A & M University, Florida Atlantic University, and the University of Miami. A living fountain of information on the streets Miamians trod daily, who better than Dr. George to script tours and train tour leaders on the five neighborhoods selected for Discover Miami.

Paul also happens to be your columnist’s favorite local historians and a rich source of information and terrific stories of this community’s past. He is infused with a sense of optimism and fascination with this terrific city that is absolutely infectious. Profoundly generous of his time and knowledge, he epitomizes many of the best qualities an engaged citizen bears.

An informative brochure will be available with short articles describing the background and location of each neighborhood, as well as listings of favorite restaurants and shops for future reference. The Discover Miami project is produced by Music Fest Miami, Inc. in partnership with local community-based organizations. Visitors at the five events will get a unique glimpse into what makes Miami a distinctive mosaic and true crossroads of the Americas.

At Temple Israel, 137 NE 19th Street, north of downtown Miami off of Biscayne Boulevard, a complex with a 1920s Art Deco synagogue at its center, a Jewish program will be presented by the Temple and the Jewish Museum of Florida. The program includes the Klezmiamians, an authentic Jewish Klezmer dance band; a play addressing anti-Semitism from City Theater’s “Summer Shorts” festival, and Kabalistic spiritual story telling by Rabbi Mitchell Chefitz. In addition, there will be art and history exhibitions, and a showcase of shorts from the Miami Jewish Film Festival.

In Liberty City, African American & Caribbean culture, featuring comedian Larry Dogg, musical sensations Jazmin, Lyfe, Time Piece, Nicole Henry and Gospel Explosion, will be presented by The Martin Luther King Economic Development Corporation, a producer of the monthly “Soul on 7th” cultural evening. In Little Haiti, at the colorful Caribbean Marketplace, the cultural arts group Sosyete Koukouy, in collaboration with the Haitian Artists Network Development, will present an afternoon of storytelling, book signings, art exhibitions, and Haitian music and dance. Performers include Gifrantz and ensemble, Haitian music with a world beat; Sosyete Koukouy, traditional Haitian drumming and dance troupe, and solo acoustic performances by Kiki Wainwright, Yolande Thomas, Marcel Alexis, among others. In the heart of historic Little Havana an afternoon of Latin culture will be presented by The Latin Quarter Cultural Center, 1501 SW 8th Street. Performers at the outdoor stage on SW 15th Avenue and 8th Street, will include Danzón by Six, Mariachi de Mujeres, and Ife Ile Dance Company featuring Neri Torres. Along Calle Ocho there will be exhibitions by artists and craftspeople and local restaurants selling Latin food. At the Shores Performing Art Theater, located on the main street of the historic Village of Miami Shores, European American/Anglo culture will be presented by The Folk Club of South Florida.

The afternoon, emceed by WLRN-FM’s Michael Stock, will include folk, country, and classical music performers Amy Carol Webb, Grant Livingston, Celtic Bridge, John Blosser, and The Coral Gables Chamber Symphony.

Music Fest Miami's mission is to celebrate cultural diversity through musical expression and education, and to promote Miami-Dade County as a cultural, tourist and economic center. Music Fest Miami’s other major project is an annual outdoor festival and concert event held at Bayfront Park that features world-renowned headliners, as well as local artists.

Discover Miami is made possible in part with the support of the Miami-Dade County Tourist Development Council, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami–Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners, the City of Miami, Miami-Dade Transit, Comcast, the Greater Miami Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, Aerolineas Argentinas, Miami Dade College Interamerican Campus, Calle Ocho News and The Miami Herald.

For further information, call Music Fest Miami at 305-373-0011 or visit www.discovermiami.org. 

Miami author and journalist Michael W. Sasser’s explorations of all aspects of the good life in South Florida appear weekly in Entertainment News and Views. Event notices and commentary are welcome at SassFL@aol.com.
           
 
PHOTO IDS
 1.  Dr. Paul George

Who Killed Patton a Fascinating Book
by Dr. Ferdie Pacheco
 
by Buddy Clarke
Critic at Large

 
 
I just finished reading a fascinating new book by Dr. Ferdie Pacheco. Who Killed Patton is a work of fiction, based on fact, and the story was so absorbing that I couldn’t put it down until I had finished.

The following is a copy of the book’s dedication, which will give you an idea of what the story is about:
“This book was inspired was real-life adventures of 2nd Lieutenant Dale Robertson of Patton’s Third Army. Mr. Robertson fought a long, hard war, was grievously wounded, and survived to become a heroic movie and TV star in such long series as ‘Death Valley Days.’ His handsome face was seen for two decades in cigarette ads and for Buick Motor Company.

Most of the battle descriptions in this book actually happened to Dale Robertson. In spite of his national fame, he declined to brag about his combat experiences. He is a patriot, and his modest reticence illustrates the best qualities of the men who fought under the hard-driving General Patton.”

While this book of fiction is an absorbing story, it is also a history lesson about World War II. Dr. Pacheco is a historian and the book is very well-researched.
Outside of the real characters in the book, Pacheco has invented some unusual people, all of whom are integral to the story. Pacheco’s gift for dialogue is tremendous, and while reading the book, I felt as if I were taking part in a documentary, listening in on all the dialogue and participating in the action. The story contains some interesting conjecture on Patton’s death. It is very well-written, and I cannot wait to see the movie, which I am sure will be made from Who Killed Patton. This book is a “must” on your reading list.

Who Killed Patton is published by AuthorHouse. Don’t miss it! This is the most enjoyable book I’ve read in years!
 
PHOTO IDS
 1. Dr. Ferdie Pacheco
Photo by Gene Chavioni 

“A perfect fit” is what International Tennis Championships Founder Mark Baron and Millennium President and CEO Bob McAllister call the naming of Millennium National Events, Inc. (MNE) as the title sponsor of the ATP tennis tournament.

Delray Beach-based Millennium is a 10-year-old entertainment company that specializes in special events and corporate sponsorships. Millennium is a fully integrated event promoter that owns, partially or entirely, and/or operates to some extent, events in Washington D.C., Florida, New York, Indiana, Colorado and California.

“Our search for the ‘right fit’ title sponsor for this event and this city has come to fruition,” said Baron. “We have found a common thread that runs through both of our businesses, and our partnership with Millennium will immediately have a positive impact on the International Tennis Championships.”

“Our primary purpose for this title sponsorship is for people to begin to have a brand recognition with Millennium. Our association with the International Tennis Championships gives us a global audience,” said McAllister. “The ITC is a hybrid event, with a special location and a special following. The demographics are consistent with those of Millennium, and it is also consistent with our goals of aggressively expanding and acquiring sporting events.”

Millennium’s strength exists in its diverse segments that include all aspects of an event—event planning, sponsorship, operations, catering & beverage, transportation, warehousing, environmental clean up and customer service. Millennium maintains relationships with the top sports marketing companies and leading music agents in the world.

The Millennium name is involved in behind-the-scenes planning and operations of many premier South Florida sporting events. Locally in Delray Beach, the company was instrumental in the staging of the Etta James and the America concerts at the Old School Square Entertainment Pavilion as well as the annual Delray Beach Garlic Festival. The Garlic Festival was recently hailed by Miami New Times as the the Best Festival of 2004.

Says McAllister “Our company is border to border, coast to coast. We are not limited to South Florida. Millennium National Events is looking to transform the interaction between corporate sponsors and the world of special events.”
The $380,000 International Tennis Championships is in its 12th year, having found a home at the Delray Beach Tennis Center in 1999 after the event had previously been held in Coral Springs. The ITC recently signed a contract extension with the City of Delray Beach to host the tournament at the Tennis Center through 2013.

The tournament annually attracts top tennis professionals to its coastal community, including world former No.1s Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt, Carlos Moya, Marcelo Rios, Patrick Rafter and Jim Courier. Hardcore tennis fans, families, tourists and corporate patrons converge on Delray Beach for a week-long bonanza of tennis and entertainment. In 2002, the International Tennis Championships was the only American tournament of its size to receive the ATP Award of Excellence for site presentation.

The 2004 tournament, which will be held September 13-19, will be seen on television in 50 million homes nationwide and in 231 million homes in 171 countries. With the title sponsorship, the tournament now becomes the Millennium International Tennis Championships presented by 1400 The Fan. The ITC and Millennium National Events have agreed to a five-year contract, which will run through the 2008 tournament.

For more information, call the tournament box office at 561-330-6000 or visit www.matchpointinc.com.

All content property of Entertainment News & Views © 2003. Nothing that appears on this site may be reproduced, either wholly or in part, without the written permission of the publishers and solely at their discretion.