During times too often coarse or rough, the graceful and delicate art of calligraphy can bring peace of mind and body. Monica Hine, a local calligrapher and Grove resident, leads an expressive journey through this art form with a live demonstration at a fundraiser for Plymouth Preschool. The slower pace of the handwritten note, she hopes, can spark curiosity and invite others—young and old—to fall in love with letters again. Plymouth Congregational Church. 3400 Devon Road. Saturday 4/26, 10:00 a.m.
Earth Day rides onward as the Dade Heritage Trust, Friends of the Commodore Trail and the Friends of the Underline lead casual cyclists on The Nature Loop bike ride – a 3-mile circuit that connects the Underline and Commodore Trail and features some of the most biologically diverse areas of each. Riders will see lush landscapes where native species thrive, and witness the vibrant migration of the iconic Atala butterflies. Stops at Simpson Hammock Park and Alice Wainwright Park are planned. The Nature Loop starts and ends on the Underline at the Vizcaya Metro Station Plaza, 3201 SW 1st Avenue. Saturday 4/26, 10:00 a.m. – noon. Free registration required.
Family-friendly bike rides with a special City of Miami police escort continue. This weekend’s ride is sponsored by Bike Coconut Grove, the Coconut Grove Business Improvement District, the City of Miami Police Department Coconut Grove Team and Friends of the Commodore Trail. How nice to spend quality time with your loved ones while enjoying a safe and organized bike ride. Bring your bikes, helmets and smiles! Coconut Grove Playhouse parking lot, 3514 Main Highway. Saturday, 4/26, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. Free but please register here to let them know that you’re coming.
The Kampong celebrates Earth Day with a Mangrove Cleanup. Free garden admission is includes the opportunity to help protect South Florida’s vital coastal ecosystems. Scientists from Florida International University will be on hand to share insights about mangroves, their role in our environment, and their ongoing research in the region. It’s a great way to give back, learn something new, and spend the morning in our beautiful garden. The Kampong, 4013 S. Douglas Road. Saturday 4/26, 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. Free with registration. Please bring your own gloves!
The University of Miami’s Coral Gables Campus is a treasure trove of architecture, history, and natural beauty. Celebrating the University’s centennial anniversary, Bike Walk Coral Gables and the Coral Gables Museum lead a bike tour of the U-M campus. Coral Gables Museum, 285 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables. Sunday 4/27, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Modestly priced tickets. Bring your helmet 🙂 Waiver required.
Bike Walk, and Roll to School Day returns to Coconut Grove and celebrates the start of National Bike Month. Coconut Grove Elementary is the destination and the event will feature an all-new traffic calming configuration at Matilda Street and Oak Avenue. Although only temporary, the ‘modal filter’ will facilitate safe access to the bike lane, reduce neighborhood through traffic, and reduce traffic conflict points. The CGES PTA co-sponsors the event. Many students (and parents too!) will gather at Blanch Park (Shipping Avenue between Virginia and Almanda Streets) Thursday 5/1, 7:50 – 8:00 a.m. and then…Off they go! Priceless photos are free. Don’t forget your helmet!
Save Me a Seat
The schedule for the Coconut Grove Theatre Festival has been announced and it’s time to make your plans. Performance will be staged at the Woman’s Club of Coconut Grove, South Bayshore Drive. May 8-11. Times vary. Tickets are available online here. The briefest of synopses follow.
Liberty City Vignettes
A Liberty City 14-year-old and her tight-knit community band together to protect their roots and the place they’ve always called home against redlining, displacement, and redevelopment of Miami’s historical black neighborhood, Liberty Square. Thursday, 5/8, 7:30 p.m.
Humanization
A daring, laugh-out-loud exploration of power, grace, and just the right amount of holy blasphemy as an eccentric and a priest wrestle to save a threatened church. Friday, 5/9, 5:30 p.m
A Shiva for Joseph: Day Two
Biblical allegory and kitchen-sink realism blend in a bold journey through grief, belief, and the unbearable weight of being chosen—asking, what does faith mean when even God is grieving? Friday, 5/9, 8:30 p.m
The Death of Kings: An Encyclopedia
Rewrite the encyclopedia? Why not? Especially if you can wander through time to get the real story from those on the scene. Saturday, 5/10, 2:30 p.m
The Queer Séance at #3 Sutton Place
It’s 1903 and the daughter of J.P. Morgan is the main protagonist of a whip-smart dark comedy about power, privilege, and the ghosts we carry—in history and in ourselves. Saturday, 5/10, 5:30 p.m
Turbo Hybrid
Written Wildly unpredictable twists and turns of an imagined F1 season fuel this high-octane ride through ambition, identity, and the fuel it takes to go the distance. Saturday 5/10, 8:30 p.m
When the Sea Wall Cracks
A catastrophic hurricane rips through the lives of a Cuban business owner and his activist daughter. The waters reveal their truths, politics, pains, and pasts. Set to live music. Sunday, 5/11, 4:30 p.m
The Feral Spinster Society
A rousing, intersectional feminist comedy set in the suffragette year 1912, celebrates the unsung women who defied the status quo by refusing to play by its rules. Sunday, 5/11, 7:30 p.m
