Spotlight Pulse 240920 Playhouse Battle

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Playhouse saga inches towards resolution.
Struggles with gentrification, heat and literacy.
Works of imagination.

County Wins Another Round in Battle over Playhouse

With another legal victory and proposed funding, Miami-Dade County appears ready to move forward with its restoration plan. Opponents vow to fight on.

By Kelly Keough

A prolonged fight over the fate of the historic Coconut Grove Playhouse has left the landmark in limbo for 18 years.

With proposed funding of $16.4 million and a recent legal victory, Miami-Dade County appears poised to put its plan for a renovated Coconut Grove Playhouse into action.

On August 29 Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal dismissed the most recent effort by opponents to halt the county’s plan to partially demolish the playhouse and resurrect it as a smaller performance space operated by the GableStage theater company.

County officials cheered the court ruling as a welcome conclusion to a prolonged and bitter struggle over the future of the historic landmark.

Where we’ll be…

Struggles and Heroes

Miami’s Liberty City community was an early battleground of gentrification. Razing Liberty Square – a new documentary on the struggle over the redevelopment of public housing and prime urban real estate (Sound familiar?) – will be shown at 6:00 p.m. Friday 9/20 at MDC Gibson Center Cinema, 3629 Grand Avenue. Producer Ronald Baez will discuss his film and a reception follows. Free registration here.

You don’t have to retreat from the heat by staying indoors. The waters of Shenandoah Park Pool are actually cooled during the summer (79-82F). No ordinary pool, here you’ll find open swim, lap swimming, aerobics, water walking, evening swim lessons and swim teams. Open seven days a week (Monday through Friday at 6:00 a.m.; weekends at 9:00 a.m.), you can stay until they close at 9:00 p.m. (weekends at 5 p.m.) Osvaldo Castillo supervises. Open year-round. Nominal fees. 1800 SW 21st Ave.

Cool off in the Bay at Miami Watersports’ Sailing Center on Hobie Island. (That’s the first island on your way to Key Biscayne.) Maybe kayaking, maybe Hobie Cat sailing, maybe just splashing in the water and picnicking on the beach. Who knows? Maybe we’ll even try to windsurf. Maybe.

Not a water athlete? If a family member is disabled, Shake-a-Leg Miami offers fully accessible and free outings on the Bay in sailboats and other watercraft. Sign up here to schedule.

Be a lifelong hero as a volunteer with Uplift Literacy — simply by reading books to young children for an hour. How easy! How fun! How impactful! In-person and on-line options are available. Share your other favorite spots to volunteer with the Spotlight by sending a note here. Thanks!

The Celebration of Life for Merrett Stierheim will be held at the Zoo Miami Amphitheater, Wednesday 9/25, 1:00 p.m. Stierheim led several large organizations foundational to the growth of Miami-Dade County, South Florida tourism and women’s tennis. Particularly notable was his interim tenure as City Manager after the discovery of a $68 million shortfall in an approved – but bogus – city budget. The memorial event requires an RSVP but is free to attend. 12400 SW 152^nd St. Miami.

Free front row seats for the most expensive ticket in town are available at the City of Miami’s second budget hearing Thursday 9/26, 5:05 p.m. at City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive. $3.5 billion of proposed expenses are up for consideration and comment. Your copy can be found here. You decide if it’s a work of non-fiction, fantasy or terror.

Real-life tales of wonder and disbelief can be heard at the book launch party for Coconut Grove’s own Andy Parrish and his new book 30 Mostly True Stories of Coconut Grove. The book signing will anchor the Coconut Grove Chamber of Commerce meeting Thursday 9/26 at 6:00 p.m. Tickets here. Mayfair Hotel. (Our favorite tale to stay cool? Lourdes of Ice.)