Weather is causing the postponement of the third annual Great Bed Race, which means that there’s two more months to enter the contest, which has already drawn a record 17 beds.
Culture
Ruthless Hilarity, Shop of Horror, Altar Boyz and Philharmonic Oscars: Culture Worth the Miles
The absolute fun of “Ruthless: the Musical” at the Winter Park Playhouse, “Little Shop of Horrors” at the Winter Garden Theater, “Altar Boyz” at Orlando’s Abbey, the Oscars with the Orlando Philharmonic, and much more.
Recoiling Over Park Fees, Little Leagues Shine a Light on Palm Coast’s Increasing Insularity
A debate over new lighting fees at Palm Coast’s athletic fields reveals a city out of touch with its community organizations and contradicting its own claims about being kid- and sports-tournament friendly.
Fun Coast Down Syndrome Association Buddy Walk Saturday: Going for Goal
The Fun Coast Down Syndrome Association raised $17,748 so far this year, ahead of its annual Buddy Walk next Saturday, Oct. 8, in Palm Coast’s Town Center. Help the association meet its $20,000 goal by donating or joining Saturday’s one-mile walk.
This Week in Flagler and Tallahassee: Arts Galore, Taser Time and Creekside
The Flagler school board is set to approve Tasers on campus, the county commission talks sustainable farming, Palm Coast revisits the Palm Coast Park DRI (a major planned development) and three galleries have show openings Friday and Saturday.
Laughs in a Trance at Flagler Playhouse’s “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”
Funny, endearing and biting to the core: A misfit-filled middle school spelling bee is the unlikely setting of the Flagler Playhouse’s 33rd season opener with the “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”
Bug Worlds, Juilliard Secrets, Great Arrangers and Even Mica: Culture Worth the Miles
A bug invasion at the Orlando Science Center, the Juilliard School comes to Edgewater to tell you how to apply, the Orlando Philharmonic’s Great Arrangers (Copland, Stravinsky, Holst), Family Fitness in Winter Park Village, and more.
Palm Coast Civic Association to the Rescue: O’Donnell Crafts Creekside Compromise
The compromise gives the chamber of commerce a face-saving bail-out and allows all political candidates for Palm Coast City Council to meet Creekside visitors under the Flagler Palm Coast Civic Association’s tent.
The Lusty Joys of Book-Banning
Parents who run their homes like North Korea aside, it is literally impossible to ban a book in America anymore. An excerpt from Pierre Tristam’s Banned Book Week address on Sept. 26 to the Friends of the Library in Palm Coast.
Between “Laramie” and “Spelling Bee,” All Flagler’s a Stage
John Sbordone’s production of “The Laramie Project” and the Flagler Playhouse’s “Spelling Bee” musical are enough to briefly spoil serious and less than theater lovers this weekend. Take advantage.
Disbelief and Legal Maneuvers Meet Chamber’s Refusal to Budge on Creekside Exclusion
The Flagler Chamber of Commerce stuck by its decision to deny non-partisan political candidates their own booths at the Creekside Festival, on public ground. County officials are looking for options as they take the brunt of the criticism for appearing to endorse the chamber’s exclusion.
Soviet Propaganda as Art, Pedro Brull, Opera Madness: Culture Worth the Miles
The Neu America Fine Art Festival in Casselberry celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month (that’s how you spell it), Soviet propaganda posters graduate to art, the Orlando Philharmonic’s Verdi and Puccini-gasm, Epcot Food and Wine, and more.
“The Laramie Project” at Palm Coast’s New Repertory Theatre: This Is Who We Are
Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre launches its inaugural season with “The Laramie Project,” a drama based on the torture and murder of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming, in 1998, for being gay, and what the murder did to Laramie–and the nation.
Creekside Festival Slyness: How the Chamber Discriminates Against Non-Party Candidates
Palm Coast City Council candidates Bill McGuire and Dennis Cross have been denied a booth at the chamber-run festival, though Democrats–whose members include Jason DeLorenzo, Cross’s opponent and the husband of the Chamber’s VP, will have a booth, as will Republicans and the Tea Party.
From WNZF to Beach-FM to Easy Oldies: Flagler Broadcasting Launches New Station
The addition of Easy Oldies at 100.7 on the FM dial pioneers a new genre, according to station manager David Ayres, that does away with the “oldy moldy” stuff and appeals to alpha boomers.
The Importance of Being Earnest, Or Verdi, Or Not: Culture Worth the Miles
Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest by The Orlando Shakespeare Theater, Kevin Kelly and Kate O’Neal at the Winter park Playhouse, Showdown’s country, Verdi’s greatest hits, improv and more.
Blue on Blue, the Flagler County Art League’s Homage to the Color of Imagination
Blue on Blue, the Flagler County Art League’s newest show, opens Saturday, Sept. 10, with a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. and runs through September at the league’s gallery at City Market Place.
Black Communities Through a Camera Lens, Louis Armstrong and More Dance: Culture Worth the Miles
Black photographers’ eye on Jacksonville, Daytona Beach and Winter Park, Satchmo at the Waldorf at the Orlando Shakespeare Theatre, Orlando’s Third Thursday exhibits, and more.
Flagler Youth Orchestra, County’s Largest Arts Program, Launches 7th Season Open House
Parents and students are invited to the Flagler Youth Orchestra’s open house Wednesday, Sept. 7, at the Indian Trails Middle School cafeteria, at 5 p.m., to join the orchestra. All skill levels welcome, from 3rd grade and up.
So You Think You Can Dance in Orlando, Wild Art in Sanford: Culture Worth the Miles
Robert Mier’s wild Florida at Gallery First, So You Think You Can Dance comes to the Amway Center in Orlando, Disney on Ice, the Musical of Musicals at the Winter Park Playhouse, and more.
Native Sons: Remembering Josh Crews One Young Writer at a Time, With a Ball
Josh Crews, the long-time manager at Woody’s and voracious reader, was killed last year in a car crash. The Josh Crews Fund is created in his memory to underwrite writing scholarships in Flagler schools. A fund-raising masquerade ball is scheduled for Oct. 28.
Museum of Florida Art Turns 60, Cirque Du Soleil Florida Special: Culture Worth the Miles
The Museum of Florida Art’s 60th birthday celebrates children, Cirque du Soleil offers special prices to Floridians, celebrity impersonators, the musical of musicals and more.
Kisses, Spoofs, Puns and Rap Run Wild in Repertory Theatre’s Shakespearean Vaudeville
Director John Sbordone’s first workshop production this weekend at the Repertory Theatre’s stage, at Hollingsworth Gallery, dares grope where no Shakespeare has versed before. It’s high-energy hilarity.
Palm Coast’s Fireworks, Canceled on July 4, Are Now Leveraged Over 3 Fall Dates
The $15,000 subsidy to Palm Coast will be split over fireworks shows on Labor Day and the two evenings of the city’s seafood festival in early November.
Capital Punishment As a Crime More Dreadful Than Murder: Dostoyevsky on the Guillotine
The death penalty, in this passage from Dostoevsky’s “The Idiot,” is seen as a punishment mostly for what precedes it–and an indictment of those who impose capital punishment.
Auditions Set for Flagler Playhouse’s “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”
The Flagler Playhouse will hold open auditions for their upcoming production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” on July 31 and Aug. 1 at 6 pm at the Flagler Playhouse in Bunnell.
Tony Robbin, Philharmonic Horns, the Art of Trash: Culture Worth the Miles
A Tony Robbin retrospective at the Orlando Museum of Art, Theresa Rebeck’s “The Understudy” at the Mad Cow Theater, Parker Sketch and M Scott Morgan at Gallery Q, and more.
Sbordone’s Next Act: Ex-Playhouse Director Opens New Theater With Poetry Clash
Palm Coast’s theater scene is about to get much richer as John Sbordone launches his City Repertory Theatre with a “poetry clash” at Hollingsworth Gallery, where the theater will have its home for the coming season.
Hairspray, Sounds of Summer and Orlando’s Looming Boom: Culture Worth the Miles
Doug Bloodworth at the Gallery at Avalon Island, a youthful “Hairspray” at the Orlando Repertory, the Orlando Philharmonic’s Sounds of Summer Series, Orlando as the next boom town, and more.
Citing Deception, Council Rejects Reinke’s $10,000 Request for Palm Coast Half-Marathon
Adding to the Reinke Sports Group’s troubled history, it is the third time in two years that the Flagler Tourist Development Council rejects a request for subsidies for the Palm half-marathon. The Flagler Auditorium had an easier time with its $10,000 request.
A Quartet’s Steely Encore at Hollingsworth, a Summer Sale at the Flagler County Art League
Joe Thompson’s balancing acts of whimsy and rule-breaking anchor Hollingsworth Gallery’s encore with Jean Banas, Betty Parker and Karin Stover, while the Flagler County Art League holds a two-month art sale of 120 works at very reasonable prices.
“Colors of the Sea,” A New Cannizzaro Show, Opening at Ocean Publishing July 14
Rick Cannizzaro, Ocean Publishing’s commissioned artist, exhibits paintings of loggerhead turtles while the publishing house showcases a new book on the Southeast National Marine Sanctuaries and Jean-Michel Cousteau.
Kerouac’s Original Dharma Bums, Sovereign Brass and Snow White: Culture Worth the Miles
Kerouac’s Dharma Bums manuscript on exhibit at the Orange County History Center, the Orlando Shakespeare Festival’s version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the Sovereign Brass in the Orlando Philharmonic’s Sounds of Summer Series, and more.
Fireworks Blaze Over Flagler Beach In a Thundering Display of Color and Pomp
Anticipation gave way to an explosive display of colors and sounds as Flagler Beach’s July 4th celebration culminated with its traditional fireworks show.
When the New York Philharmonic Played the Star Spangled Banner in North Korea
In February 2008, the New York Philharmonic was invited to play in the North Korean capital. It was a remarkable concert. The rendition of the American national Anthem was one of its most moving moments.
Parades of Radiance From Heroes Park To Flagler Beach on America’s 235th
Solemnity and celebration at Heroes Park was followed by Flagler Beach’s July 4th parade at the start of a day and evening of revelry. A full image gallery of the celebrations.
They’re On: County Repeals Ban On Flagler Beach Fireworks in 4-1 Vote
Eleven days after cancelling the county’s Independence Day fireworks shows, the Flagler County Commission this afternoon voted to allow the Flagler Beach show to go on.
First Fridays in Flagler Beach: The Halifax Country Band
This month’s edition of Flagler Beach’s First Fridays also features tie-dye t-shirt making, corn hole game face painting and balloon sculptures.
County Likely to Reverse Fireworks Ban in Flagler Beach In Special Meeting Friday
A majority of county commissioners are now in favor of overturning the ban on Flagler Beach’s Independence Day fireworks. They’ll decide at a special meeting 4 p.m. Friday.
July 4 Celebrations in Art, Song and Fireworks: Culture Worth the Miles
The evolution of video games, July 4 fireworks with Hot Chelle Rae, Paper Tongues, Shontelle and Cody Simpson at Altamonte’s Cranes Roost Park, free admission at Winter Park’s Morse Museum, Medieval Times tournaments and laser shows at the Orlando Science Center.
54 Girls (and Women), 4 Trophies, One Miss Flagler County Title in Sunday’s Pageant
It must be summer: it’s time for the Flagler County Scholarship Pageants. Meet them all, the 54 contestants in each category, as they vie for the crowns in Sunday’s pageants at the Flagler Auditorium.
A Dissent on Canceling July 4 Fireworks: When Palm Coast Dictates to Flagler Beach
Canceling the fireworks in Town Center was justified, canceling them in Flagler Beach was not, argues Jeremy Mahoney, who sees the decision as another way of making Flagler Beach subservient to Palm Coast.
Cut Glass, Sounds of Summer, “Hair” and Claude Bolling: Culture Worth the Miles
An exhibit of brilliant American cut glass at the Orlando Museum of Art, American Brilliant Cut Glass 1876-1914, the Morse Museum in Winter Park’s free programs, the Orlando Philharmonic’s Claude Bolling-rich Sounds of Summer, “Hair” and more.
Risk-Avoidance: July 4 Fireworks Canceled in Flagler Beach and Palm Coast’s Town Center
The Flagler County Commission canceled both fireworks shows, saying it would be too risky in fire-prone, drought conditions despite projected rains. The $30,000 worth of fireworks may be staged around Labor Day.
“P.S. Your Cat Is Dead”: Raunchy, Earnest, Serious Fun at the Flagler Playhouse
In “P.S. Your cat Is Dead,” the early 1970s play by James Kirkwood, the hilarity of losers competes with sexual ambushes through blazing dialogue to produce an endearing, if adult, comedy. A review.
Synchro Belles Prepare to Defend State Title For 6th Year in a Row with Sunday Exhibit
The Flagler County Synchro Belles, established in 2000, have been reigning state champions since 2006. The 32 girls, ages 9-18, will put on a two-hour exhibition at the Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club Sunday evening.
Early Bette Midler, Men Painting Men, Sondheim’s Forum: Culture Worth the Miles
120 competitors ages 10 to 22 at the World Ballet Competition at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center, Men painting Men at the new Gateway Center in DeBary, early Bete Midler, ageless Stephen Sondheim.
Calling PBS a “Special Interest,” Rick Scott Vetoes $4.8 Million in Public Broadcasting Aid
The veto means that each one of Florida’s 13 public radio stations, including WMFE in Orlando and WJCT in Jacksonville, both of which can be heard in Flagler County, is losing $61,715. Every TV station is losing $307,447.
Eying Jobs and Tourism Dollars, Orlando Ready to Build $274 Million Arts Center
Arts columnist Josh Garrick appraises the value of Orlando’s Philips Center for the Performing Arts–stalled for four years, now scheduled to open in 37 months with two stages, and a third at a later date.
Spotlight on Flagler Youth, the Annual Talent Show, Raises $1,000 for Carver Gym
Krystene Maceda’s solo performance of Chopin’s Waltz in C-sharp minor for piano won her the Entertainer of the Year award in the senior division, while Kayla Byrne won the honor in the junior division. Complete list of performers and winners.