LTC 252-2006 Recreation Update-October 2006
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C9 MIAMIBEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
NO. LTC # 252-2006
LETTER TO COMMISSION
DATE:
Mayor David Dermer and Members of the City Commission
Jorge M. Gonzalez, City Manager ')\ --<- /'
October 24, 2006 U ~ -0
Recreation Update- October 2006
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
Hispanic Heritage Festival- The City's Hispanic Heritage Festival held at North Shore Park,
on Friday, October 13, 2006 was a huge success as over 1,100 Miami Beach residents
came together to celebrate the achievement and contributions of Hispanics from past to
present. Children from the after school programs at North Shore Park, Scott Rakow Youth
Center and Flamingo Park performed dances, skits, and recited poems. The crowd mingled
throughout the field enjoying samples of authentic Latin dishes, the sound of radio station
Mega 94.9, coffee sampling from Cafe Bustelo, amusement rides, an empanada contest and
a cigar rolling station. See the attached copy of the Herald's story on the event.
Flamingo Park Adult Softball League -The adult softball league's third season at
Flamingo Park took the field for league play on September 26, 2006. 10 co-ed teams with 15
adults per team are registered. Miami Beach Parks and Recreation co-ed league requires
that at least one female player take the field ~nd come to bat every inning. Games are
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings with the first pitch at 7:30pm.
Flamingo Park Basketball Courts - The City's basketball courts at Flamingo Park have a
new and improved look. The basketball courts, winner of the 2005 best basketball court from
the New Times, Best of Miami series are now even better. On September 26, 2006, the two
side by side full basketball courts were shut down for repair and repainting. A few days later,
on September 30, 2006, with much anticipation, the courts reopened to a waiting crowd of
regulars. E2 ~
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S~hOUld you have additional questions, please contact Kevin Smith at (305) 673-7~. 2 ~
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Robert C. Middaugh, Assistant City Manager
Kevin Smith, Parks & Recreation Director
Julio Magrisso, Assistant Parks & Recreation Director
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MIAMI BEACH
DANCE MOYES: Teens from the Scott Rakow Youth Center dance to Ricky Martin's 'Drop
it or, Me' during tre Hispanic Heritage Festival at North Shore Park last Friday.
SCARY STUFF: Matias Carrera and Krista Kotorri take a
break from selling pumpkins for the North Shore Park
Teen Club to practice their trick.or-treat spooks
NORTH SHORE PARK AND YOUTH CENTER WAS AWASH IN
HISPANIC SPIRIT AND CULTURE FRIDAY AS MORE THAN 1,000
PEOPLE DANCED, SANG AND ATE AT THE CENTER'S FIRST
HISPANIC HERITAGE FESTIVAL
BY LARRY NOlA.N
J/=-~'a:"'~ ~<eW5 Sev::e
It didn't take long (or
Zoraida Diaz to tind a job in
Miami after she recently
arrived here from Cuba.
Don Sergio Ramar Cigars
recognized her talent immedi-
ately, said Greg Santos, a rep-
resentative of the Miami com-
pany that hand rolls cigars in
the Cuban tradition.
"You have to know what
you're doing when it comes to
making these cigars," Santos
said Friday from his tent at the
North Shore Park and Youth
Center's first Hispanic Heri-
tage Festival, held as part of
the city's Hispanic Heritage
Month celebrations.
It was a showcase of skill,
dexterity and culture as Diaz,
42,. pressed each batch of
cigars into form using Domini-
can or Puerto Rican leaves and
Indonesian wrappings. Watch-
ing her handiwork, Santos
explained the delicate talance
the wrapper must maintain
during the process.
"She has to measure out the
correct amount of each one of
the three kinds of tobacco
leaves that is put in each cigar
or the taste will be less than
favorable," said Santos.
Diaz, 42, now lives in Hia-
leah after arriving in the
United States in the spring.
Although she works at the
cigar store, 518 NW 57th Ave.
in Miami, she was eager to be
a part of the festival to educate
and entertain participants
about the intricacies of this
Cuban art form, Santos said in
translating for Diaz.
A festival highlighting His.
panic culture is long overdue,
said Cindy Casanova, a mem-
ber of the festival committee.
Hispanics make up more than
50 percent of the city's popula-
tion of nearly 90,000.
"We're always hosting dif-
ferent celebration events
throughout the year," said
Casanova, a therapeutic recre-
ation coordinator with Miami
Beach's Parks and Recreation
Department. "We've had a
Black History Month celebra-
tion, and we felt that it would
be a great idea to have some-
thing like this to reach out to a
major part of our community."
The {estival was about all
things Hispanic - from chil-
dren dancing to the driving
beats of Puerto Rican record-
ing artist "Daddy Yankee,"
a k a Ra'mon Ayala, and par-
ents swaying to Julio Iglesias
ballads.
The three-hour event,
which was able to dodge the
thunderstorms of the previous
day, was granted a clear, late
{all-like Friday the 13th night,
full of opportunities for kids to
be kids and adults to watch
kids be kids. The park, at 501
nnd St., offered a rock-clim-
bing wall and an imlatable
playpen with inflatable slides.
The children also held a
variety show celebrating one
o{ Hispanic culture's most vis-
ible art forms - dance.
The North Shore Players,
made up o{ North Beach-area
children in grades four
through 12, developed a series
of exhibitions and expressions
o{ different Latin dances and
songs from widely recognized
standards such as La Cucaro-
cha to songs more exclusively
popular within the Hispanic
community such as Elvis Cres-
po's Suavemente.
"The playing was beautiful,
said Miami Beach resident
Mimi Jardin. "I danced with
the music. My baby enjoyed it;
all the kids enjoyed it."
An empanada competition
pitted North Beach restau-
rants to see who could make
the best empanada. Carmen
Morena, 70, a cook at Mi
Colombia Ca{eteria, 702 7lst
St., won the contest with her
fried and traditional meat-
filled empanada.
The contest was hosted by
the North Miami Develop-
ment Corp, Among the judges
was Miami Beach Commis-
sioner Matti Herrera Bower.
"It's really good to know
about other peoples' culture
and there's nothing better than
food," Bower said as she took
a bite of an empanada.
Another goal of the festival
was to honor current accom-
plislunents of Hispanics in the
community. Maritza Ejen-
baum, who has been a social
worker {or more than 25 year~
in Miami Beach, was recog.
nized for championing thE
cause of at-risk women.
Ejenbaum, 52, is a privatf
practitioner and clinica
supervisor and {ounder 0
Friends for a Woman's Place
Florida's only day center fo
homeless and at-risk women.
"I love what 1 do, and to ge
recognition {or it is just kin,
on the cake," Ejenbaum said.