61 Years of Ol’ American Entertainment: Homestead Rodeo 2010
30 Jan 2010 Leave a Comment
Is it a big Deal? Of course it is!
Once again, Krome Avenue staged the annual rodeo parade. Hundreds of people arrived early this morning to secure a spot on the sidewalks of downtown Homestead. Children anxiously waited for candy while the floats made their way through the streets of Homestead and cheerfully greeted everyone.
Okay, let’s face it, this is like our Macy’s parade. It doesn’t get any better! We don’t have the elaborate balloons or Taylor Swift hosting the show, but it is a wonderful family event sponsored by the local commerce and government. It is all about the horses, big trucks, the Mahi Shrine members on go-carts, children from local schools and the infallible poop-scooper. Oh yes, the horses are beautiful but … let’s just say, God bless the poop-scooper boy!
The highlight of the parade, a Florida Panther. Not a hockey player, but the real thing. It was an amazing sight and surprisingly not as big as imagined. Hardly ever we have the opportunity to see one of these creatures up close. So it was a real treat to the Homestead audience.
And if you missed the parade, you still have a chance to enjoy the rodeo at Harris Field until tomorrow. As for next year, well, let’s ll cross our fingers for an awesome host, or better, an awesome concert. Hey, why not? But wouldn’t it be something to have Taylor, Tim, Martina, Keith, Toby and even The Dixie Chicks heading down south to spice up the Southernmost Rodeo in the Continental U.S.A? Make your wishes come true , tell it to the Homestead Rodeo Association.
See ya’ll ’round town!
Yee haw!
Live Life Cycling Strong
29 Jan 2010 4 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: Cancer, Crazy Guys on Bikes, Cycling, Florida Cycling, George Mendes, Homestead MediaJive, Isidro Mendes, Livestrong, Tour de Isidro
Life Doesn’t Stop at Cancer: Crazy Guys on Bikes Take on Florida
At first glance, the obvious. Three men with bright tight gear each armed with an iron horse, water bottles, bags, sunglasses, a bob trailer and a GPS. Undeniably, a bike touring group, but as they get closer, a big yellow banner on a trailer calls attention to the eye. It reads ”Pedaling Over 1200 miles . . .” It finally clicks, these guys are on a mission.
The three cyclists, touring and working their way through the Redland section of Homestead this morning, were Isidro and George Mendes, and companion guest, “Buzz” Beilharz who flew from Hendersonville, North Carolina to accompany his friends for a few days as they headed to Key West earlier this week. Meanwhile, the Mendes’ have been on the road since January 17 when they parted from Venice, Florida, on the Gulf Coast, to raise awareness and funds for the cure of cancer. Check out their route here!
And that’s not all, the most impressive aspect of this great ride, also known as, Tour de Isidro, is that Isidro is George’s dad and is a warrior battling cancer. This morning, short of their 600 mile mark, twenty two road kills and one gator sighting later, the Mendes duo and their riding guest, met up with me at Kraus Berry Farm for cinnamon rolls, milkshakes and a little chat. As it turns out, Isidro cycles since he was first diagnosed on 2006 and shortly after George challenged himself to do a transcontinental ride across the U.S. And he did it as a one-man-show, riding solo to raise awareness and funds while his dad battled cancer.
Isidro is originally from Fatima, Portugal. He is a fit and young looking 75-year-old man with a great smile and determination to enjoy every moment that life has to offer. Cheerfully, he points out that, life is not over because one is diagnosed with cancer. In fact, this is a challenge he takes very seriously and he defiantly faces it as he rides coast to coast and, north and south of the Florida peninsula. George, is a man with great love for his father, friend and cycling partner, and together they are determined to defeat the disease.
Undoubtedly, this ride is special for both and for everyone who they meet. As George asserts, it started as a ride to honor his dad but along the way he has been humbled by the many people he encounters on they way. People who are either under treatment or know someone who lost to cancer. For this reason, Tour de Isidro is now more than just a ride for the cure or a proclamation of faith and life. It is a journey to honor all of those people who live with cancer or lost the battle. It is an unmeasurable mission of life, love, courage and strength and a journey one cannot help but think that life is simply wonderful.
As the Mendes duo leaves town we wish them well and a ride with no dog chases, pleasant weather and good food. Buzz is now on his way home to the Blue Ridge Mountains and father and son travel towards Jacksonville. In a few days they will head back triumphantly riding Southwest and leaving a print over central Florida as they head home to the Gulf coast. We wish them a safe ride back home. We hope to see them again soon and we ask them to keep us all posted of their adventures on their awesome blog. Good luck boys!
Explosion of colors by Big Artists with Little Hands
10 Jan 2010 1 Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: Art, CHILDREN ART, Florida City, Homestead MediaJive, Krome Avenue, Leisure City, Lullaby Learning Center, Naranja, Redland, The Children's Gallery and Art Center
I don’t think I ever felt this cold in South Florida. Last night the temperature dropped in Homestead to an unimaginable 35 degrees and raining. But that did not stop Carlos Franco and Natalie Prieto from the Children’s Gallery and Arts Center, whom along with Romy Capote from Lullaby Learning Center joined forces to bring us an exciting new exhibit, “Big Artists with Little Hands.” Last night was an amazing time to view, interact and admire the talent of our little Homesteaders. The paintings are a spectacle of color and imagination. The little artists were present to talk about their paintings and explain details about their choice of color and subject. The paintings are a vivid representation of their talent as their art mentors cultivate the seeds of culture in these young minds. This is a triumph for the children whose paintings attracted many visitors and the staff who ignite curiosity in the children every day.
Homestead Hospital’s 5k Run … or reporting in the cold
09 Jan 2010 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: BAPTIST HOSPITAL, COLD, finish line, Homestead 5k run, RUNNERS, South Florida, WEATHER
Well, oh well. I am staggered to see the resilience of our Southern Floridians. It is Saturday morning and it feels colder than the 60 degrees registered at 7:00 a.m. I heard temperatures will continue to drop as the day progresses.
So here I am, at the Homestead site of Baptist Hospital. The event goes on, as they say, “rain or shine,” but did anyone mention if the temperature drops more than 20 degrees than the usual the race should go on? Let’s just say that I am glad I am not one of them.
I stood out to get some shots of the runners as they made their way to the finish line on this hazy, rainy, nippy morning. The small crowd cheered vigorously to the runners dressed in shorts with scarfs and gloves crossing the line to the beat of the B52s and David Bowie. And instead of water some runners would get coffee from the Dunkin Donuts stand. It is hard to imagine anyone would want to run or even be out here. I know all I wanted to do is crawl back into my car, turn on the heat and drink my double shot cafe con leche.
I stand near the DJ station not because of the music, but because it is the only tent with the sides rolled down. I wait for some more of the runners to cross the finish line so I can take a picture. Meanwhile, the temperature continues to drop. After a few minutes I tell myself, “forget about it, I am heading back to my car.” I get my jacket, scarf and I am going to write my blog and maybe get a picture of the front of the hospital to post on this blog. On my way back to the car, I speak with two of the runners for a brief moment, one of them is from the Keys and the other one is a hospital employee, they tell me they did not expect such cold weather and one of them expressed how hard it was for him to breath in the cold air.
Back in the car, it is much nicer watching the runners from this cozy site, my coffee still warm and my fingers are now thawing. And yes, having moved to South Florida from New York over fifteen years ago, I can say this is COLD weather. I used to run and cycle in the fall up north and the worst part is trying to breath, not to mention how your nose and ears feel like they were frozen and ready to fall off – not a good feeling. Anyway, I cannot imagine what these happy, sunny people are experiencing this morning. Nonetheless, all of them are winners, you ought to be crazy to be running around in shorts and scarfs.
The good news is that this is only another proof of our South Florida strength to overcome just about anything that comes our way. Bring it on, winter, bring it on!
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