Tuesday, February 20th - 2024 - Wow - what a stacked weekend of family fun days, fun with our furry friends, and different types of music genres to suit your taste! Two features from our podcast and two useful tips in the Flotsam and Jetsam section down below.👇

Stuff You Won't Want To Miss:

1. Tonight (Tuesday) the Symphony of the Americas will be performing Symphonic Stories at the Broward Center. These stories traverse the essence of Spanish culture and music, to the tales of The Arabian Nights, creating a musical sensation and symphonic feast! (Tickets)
2. More Noon Tunes this week at Stranahan Park. Each Wednesday the park fills for music over the lunch hour. This week it will be the Big Harvest Band. Bring your lunch and enjoy the fresh air. (Free)
3. As mentioned in the "Did you know..." below, Saturday afternoon is the Camp Birch Fun Day at Birch State Park. With train rides and lots of activities for the little ones, this annual fundraiser held by the Friends of Birch State Park helps maintain our hidden treasure off Sunrise and A1A. (Tickets)
4. Saturday from noon to 7pm at The Loop at Fort Lauderdale Beach, it's the Reggae Month Jam. Reggae lovers will enjoy live music with the ocean view, vendors, and Caribbean food. This awesome event is all about spreading good vibes and celebrating the best of reggae music. (Free)
5. Also on Saturday and all day at Esplanade Park, the 14th annual Yoga Fest is back! There will be music, meditation, drumming, south baths, vendor booths, & more. Admission is free. Workshops with paid registration. (Free)
6. In the middle of the day on Saturday, History Fort Lauderdale will be hosting its Family Fun Day, with author meetups. Spend an afternoon on the Riverwalk and see the New River Inn. The day will feature kid-friendly activities presented in conjunction with museum partners Flamingo Gardens and NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale and will include a book signing and meet & greet with George LeMieux and Laura Mize, authors of Florida Heritage Kids. (Free)
7. Yes - Saturday is a busy day with lots to pick from. One more choice is the Fur The Love Pet Fest down at Las Olas Oceanside Park. Voted “Best Event” in the Fort Lauderdale Magazine 2023 Readers Poll, the beachside celebration of National Love Your Pet Day will feature people and pet vendors to roam, a variety of food and drinks to chow down on, line dancing to kick up your heels! (Free)
8. By evening, take a stroll through the Fort Lauderdale ArtWalk. Head to the streets of MASS District as they come alive with a collaboration of art, music, food, vendors, and local businesses. Explore the diversity of local art showcasing unique and stunning collections of original creativity. (Free)
9. Sunday you can shop the Riverwalk with two different markets. The New River Open Air Market will be open outside History Fort Lauderdale. And down the Riverwalk at the Stranahan House, the Stranahan Bazaar will have local food, music, and artisans. (Free)
10. Sunday evening, the South Florida Pride Concert Band will be playing at the Broward Center. These students have been rehearsing for the past month and will perform under the direction of Dr. Chandler Wilson, Director of Athletic Bands for Florida State University. The evening’s program will include two specially commissioned including “Las Olas” composed by Dr. Chandler Wilson and “Proud of Me” by Michele Fernández, a local composer. (Tickets)

Hey - quick question. What did we miss? Each week we do our research but you might know of an event, an organization, or a local business that deserves some love here in our weekly basket of goodies. Just hit reply to this email and let us know!

FEATURED Fort Lauderdale

Have you got your new "groovy love" inspired library cards yet?

It's the 50th year anniversary at the Broward County Library, so let's chat with Library Director Allison Grubbs. With 37 ​branch locations covering more than one million square feet, host over 10 million visitors and circulate nine million items annually, and over one million library cardholders who can choose from over three million library materials for public use.

And remember, if you still want to see Moonlight Tales at the Fort Lauderdale Women's Club on Friday Night, Allison recommends getting on the waitlist because there will be folks who registered but are not able to attend. Don't miss out!

Do you have a favorite event, place, business, or organization you would like to see featured on the podcast? HIT REPLY and let us know!

So... You Think You Know South Florida?

You probably know... there's lots to do in Greater Fort Lauderdale... because we share a rundown each week!

But what you might not know is... there is the hidden treasure of Birch State Park nestled between the ocean beaches and the intercoastal waterway, with a full day's adventure.

This past week we talked with Michelle Schmitz, the Executive Director of the Friends of Birch State Park. These volunteers are helping to make each day and each visit more fun for visitors and rangers alike.

The Friends of Birch State Park is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization formed to help preserve, conserve, enhance, and promote Hugh Taylor Birch State Park through community support.

The organization has initiated and assisted in securing funding for several large-scale capital improvements projects, such as the installation of a new floating dock and welcome pavilion, cleaning of the park’s coastal dune lake and moat, and replacement of the north playground equipment. They have also raised funds for the installation of a meditation garden and the restoration of the park’s beach tunnel.

Additionally, they fund the park’s live animal program and purchase supplies and needed veterinary care for the program. The Friends of Birch State Park is dedicated to supporting the preservation and enhancement of the park through various initiatives and projects. For more information: https://birchstatepark.org/

Classifieds

• The Fort Lauderdale event is slated for May 11th at MODS. Applications are OPEN NOW. We expect we will have a waitlist, so don't delay your application.
• Upcoming Craft Fair on March 9th at the Historic Stranahan House on the New River. 10am-2pm. Vendors welcome. Bring your own table or rent a table. Call 954-524-4736 or email education@stranahanhouse.org
• ​The Best of Fort Lauderdale voting is underway! Nobody knows Fort Lauderdale better than the people who live and play here. What are your favorite spots? Your favorite people? The things to do that make the Lauderdale lifestyle so unbeatable?
• ​The Florida Renaissance Festival is open! It’s a celebration of play, wonder, and pure joy. From thrilling rides to interactive exhibits, and tasty treats to live entertainment, this event is a treasure trove of delight for all ages.
• Got a Florida Adventure Wish List? Check out this scratch-off bucket list from Reach International Outfitters. Plan ahead by picking a city you are visiting soon, or be spontaneous and grab a card once you've arrived in the area!
  

Quote Of The Week

​Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) was a renowned Alsatian polymath, known for his work as a theologian, organist, musicologist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician. He is particularly famous for his medical missionary work in Africa. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952 for his philosophy of "reverence for life" and his humanitarian work. This philosophy emphasized the ethical responsibility to show care and respect for all forms of life.

Flotsam & Jetsam

Since we are featuring Broward Library for its 50th Anniversary this week, it seems like a good time to also share different ways you can explore your library card. Did you know you can use the Libby smartphone app to read Kindle versions of books and listen to audiobooks? You just need a library card from your local library to activate your free account. If you have trouble finding a particular book, use the deep search function listed under “Filters” in the app. Here’s a video that explains more about how to use it.

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And here's a tip about Fraud that everyone needs to hear:

If someone is calling you to alert you to fraud, nine out of ten times they are themselves the fraudster.

These days fraud-alert fraudsters are sophisticated, and they may know information about you like your SSN, address, etc., and are playing a long game not asking for money at first.

Warning signs: they prohibit you from talking to anyone else, and you can’t hang up, or call back. This very long article How I Got Scammed Out of $50,000, by a very savvy financial advice columnist who got scammed by so-called fraud investigators has all the elements of the common tricks. Yes, it can happen to you. Learn from others’ mistakes.

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