Community Newspapers SERVING MIAMI-DADE COUNTY SINCE 1958
TRIBUNE
Biscayne Bay Historic Miami Marine Stadium may be given new lease on life
JANUARY 23, 2012
VOL. 30, NO. 4
BY RON BEASLEY
T
he long dormant Miami Marine Stadium on Virginia Key soon may be given a new lease on life, thanks to the efforts of a group of concerned and very active citizens. The City of Miami closed the stadium after Hurricane Andrew swept across south Miami-Dade County in 1992, although the storm did little damage to the concrete structure. It has lay unused and neglected for almost two decades, open to vandals, thieves and graffiti. Now, the not-for-profit Friends of Miami Marine Stadium (FMMS) is set to offer a plan to restore the bayside facility and operate it independently as an entertainment
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STADIUM, page 4
Marine Stadium on Virginia Key is a striking Miami landmark.
(Photo by Steven Brooke Studios)
Miami Science Museum receives $10M for new downtown building BY DUREE ROSS
T
he John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has committed a challenge grant of $10 million to the Patricia and Phillip
See Grove Section Inside
Frost Museum of Science (Miami Science Museum). The support will foster science education and help strengthen Miami’s rapidly emerging downtown cultural center. Knight Foundation’s grant must be matched with an additional $20 million in funding, a requirement meant to encourage additional community support. “Our gift to the science museum, equal in size to an earlier gift to the art museum that will stand by its side, is a recognition of the importance of science education and of the museum’s leadership,” said Alberto Ibargüen, president and CEO of Knight
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MUSEUM, page 4
Volunteers needed to help staff Grove Arts Festival BY MELISSA NOBLES
T
he 2012 edition of the Coconut Grove Arts Festival, which will transform the streets of Coconut Grove into an artistic adventure during President’s Weekend, Feb. 18-20, is seeking volunteers. The many key assignments include the staffing of merchandise and vintage poster booths, and assisting artists. Volunteers are needed each day either during the morning shift (10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.), afternoon shift (1:30 to 6 p.m.) or full day. Adult volunteers will receive an Arts Festival T-shirt and a souvenir poster. Student volunteers will receive a T-shirt and community service hours. Those arts lovers who volunteer both shifts, all three days will be presented with a complimentary framed Arts Festival poster. No experience is required and young professionals, students in high school or college
(minimum of 16 years of age), parents, retirees and members of community groups or arts organizations are all welcome. Those interested in volunteering are asked to visit the Arts Festival’s website at <www.cgaf.com> and fill out an application online. Or to have an application sent to you, contact the office at 305-447-0401, ext. 28. The Coconut Grove Arts Festival is produced by the non-profit Coconut Grove Arts and Historical Association. The association maintains the Coconut Grove Arts Festival Gallery and the Hunter Gallery, and presents special exhibitions throughout the year from its location at the Shoppes at Mayfair. Since its inception in 1963, the association has awarded more than $100,000 in scholarships to students who attend fine arts programs in local schools. For more information, or to purchase tickets for the arts festival online, visit <www.cgaf.com>.