What a nice evening it turned out to be last night. It could have rained us out completely, but like last time, the rain had its way with the Village until past midafternoon, then stopped for our whole event, then spat a little again to let us know it was time to go home.
I think people must have decided that perhaps we wouldn't really have our event, or that it was likely to be too wet to come sit on the ground, because the attendance was not as overwhelming as it might have been. But there was finally a nice crowd, with picnickers, food truck junkies, and lots of kids.
The music was very satisfying. It was Dave Wilder's band, which call themselves "No Dice." A very nice treatment of '60s, '70's, and 80's oldies, mostly concentrating on the earlier stuff. They did a wonderful job.
We also had a demonstration of various "circus"-type gymnastics and acts, with belly-dancing, balance and juggling feats, and a beautiful display of artistry involving a high tripod and a fancy rope hanging down from the apex. The girl who did the rope exercises, and the accompanying music, were reminiscent of Cirque Du Soleil. Some of the performers didn't look 15 yet. It was a very interesting demonstration, and people were rapt.
We had four food trucks. Everyone likes Fat Man, and he was back with his usual terrific barbeque and fried food. Bocaditos has been to Food and Tunes before, and they serve excellent, if slightly pricey, "sliders." Arepabox was new, and people seemed satisfied with them. And they brought their friends, who operated a gelato service. Very, very good food all around.
We had special and sometimes unexpected sponsors. City National Bank came, and made us a nice sponsorship donation. That alone meant the event didn't cost us anything. Our only real expense is the band, and CNB covered it. They're very nice people, they gave away some things, like umbrellas, and they would love to have your business. Their closest branch is at the corner of Biscayne and 135th. You can talk to Eddie Yarbrough or Rebecca (Becky) Castillo. If you want to know if I moved my account from Bank of America to CNB, because of CNB's sponsorships of the Foundation and generally good reputation in the area, yes, I did. If I owe you money for anything, you'll get a CNB check from me.
We did our usual 50/50 raffle. We would have made $75 profit for the Foundation, but the winner turned out to be a former Commissioner, and he donated his winnings back to the Foundation. So we made $150. We also sold two pairs of AMC Theater tickets, donated by Roxy and Chuck Ross, and we made $17.50 on that. Someone won a signed Marlin's bat, and paid us $60 for it. We ask the food trucks to donate 5% of what they make during our event, and they did so well, that we made another $100.
Just to remind you, the project in clearest focus for us right now is resurfacing the tot lot. It needs it. The problem is we have gotten two estimates, both of $30K, and money is not easy to raise. We did get four new $20-per-household-per-year contributors last night, but we need many more of those. Another project presented itself just this past week. We can talk about it at our next meeting, which is October 15. The sound system we use for meetings is apparently terrible. And it's old. A new one, including the console and all the microphones we need, probably costs $10K. So perhaps worth talking about. Come to the meeting and either tell us what you think, or just eavesdrop. It'll be at 6:30 in the Rec Center.
Also, we need something from you, apart from $20. One of our five members has had to resign, due to frequent time conflicts. Another has announced an imminent resignation, for the same reason. A third let me know last night that his work schedule expanded, and he can't keep this up. He's given us two more months. So we need three more Trustees. Please want to do this. It's fun, it's interesting, and it's a labor of love for our Village. If you can see your way clear to considering joining us, come to our next meeting and/or send us an e-mail letting us know of your interest, and contact any of the Commissioners. It is they who have to approve new Foundation Trustees, so they have to know about you.
fredjonasmd@gmail.com
csupremed@gmail.com
rross@biscayneparkfl.gov
banderson@biscayneparkfl.gov
bwatts@biscayneparkfl.gov
njacobs@biscayneparkfl.gov
bcooper@biscayneparkfl.gov
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