You Better Be Good. . .

Santa was in Lake Worth this afternoon as the festivities kicked off at Cultural Plaza.  Many children lined up to take a chance in a raffle for 50 free bicycles and of course they lined up to see Santa and Mrs. Claus. They also swung hammers at Santa’s Workshop as well as playing on inflatable slides and bounce houses.

It was a wonderful afternoon and even a little bit of rain didn’t dampen the spirits for the parade this evening.

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Hoping her ticket will win one of the bikes.

Santa and the Missus.

Santa’s Workshop.

One of the elves.

Amy.

Just having fun.

More elves.

(Repost) Why doesn’t Lake Worth have. . .

Note: I originally posted this back in January. With the completion of the 10th Ave Gateway project I believe it’s worth revisiting.

As I was driving back to Lake Worth after dropping my daughter off at school this morning I was coming up to the 6th Ave. south exit and started to wonder. We have all seen the highway signs that point out historic downtown districts. I used to have to travel quite in the past, and when I was looking for somewhere to eat or explore during my downtime I always would follow one of these signs.

Not only should the type of signs be placed on the highway, they could also be placed on A1A, Dixie and Federal Highways.

Gateway. . .

The ribbon cutting ceremony for the 10th Ave. North Gateway project was held this afternoon  at the corner of E Street and 10th Ave. North..  Burkhardt Construction put on a great barbecue for all who attended.

As it was pointed out today the improvements are more than skin deep as the power lines have been buried along the project as well as improvements to water mains and sewer lines.

The Gateway project is an example of having the vision to invest in the City’s future, and much like investing in the stock market the goal is the long-term return on the dollar.  Attempting to time this type of  investment to the ups and downs of the economy would only result in more cost and never being ahead of the economic curve.  Having the foresight to bank on projects like these will position Lake Worth to be an attractive location for others to invest in as the economy turns around.

Cutting the ribbon.

Mayor Varela and Vincent Burkhardt.

CRA Chair Peter Meyerhoefer.

Two guys in suits!

Santa cooking it up.

The crew chowing down.

Part of the crowd.

Non-Political (maybe) Caption Contest.

Yesterday Downtown:

Try your hand at captioning the photo above taken downtown yesterday!

Mother Still Needs You. . .

Mother Earth Coffee and Gifts has suspended all evening events until January.  Read more about it and how you can continue to help this wonderful Lake Worth  business once again become a venue for entertainment that cannot be found anywhere else.

So come on Tom’s Page readers let’s help out on this!

This is from Patti’s Blog:

Many of you know that Mother Earth Coffee, formerly known as Les Beans Coffee, has been a favorite place for young local musicians and poets to try their original music and poetry before a supportive audience.

Many of you may not know, as I did not, that any place which offers a space for a poem to be read, song to be sung, movie to be shown or workshop, is required by Palm Beach County to pay a $350 “Live Entertainment” license. This is what bars and night clubs routinely pay. The county is now coming after any restaurant, Hooka Bar, Kava Bar, Coffee Shop, furniture store which hosts any event that “gathers people to your business”. So, at a time when many small businesses are struggling to pay the basics, the government has found a way to harvest a revenue stream.

If you are a musician who attends Open Mic Nights or a business owner who has hosted an event to draw people in, please make note, let other small business owners know that this is happening. You may choose to do these events anyway, but you run the risk of fines of up to $250 an event.

I have learned that we cannot depend on the government to understand our stuggle nor to offer assistance to independent businesses. We are, quite frankly, on our own. But those of you who know me, know that I will not let this stop me or Mother Earth Coffee. So, here is OUR plan!

There will be a benefit to raise money for Mother Earth Coffee on December 19th from 5 – 11:00. Please mark your calendars, come by and get more info and spread the word! It is my goal to return to evening events by the end of January. The event is being produced by my dear friend Cleo and her company Wahgwan Entertainment. You can check out more info or even make a donation by going to her site.

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Thanks for all your love and support!

Hope to see you on the 19th!

Peace and Love,

Patti

Ethics Complaint Against Commissioner Cara Jennings Is Dismissed.

Citing a “lack of legal sufficiency” the ethics complaint filed against Commissioner Cara Jennings was dismissed yesterday by the Florida Commission on Ethics.

Click here to read about it at the Juice Blog.

Raising Cane. . .

This week we had a unique opportunity to visit an Eco-Farm on the other side of Florida where sustainable living is taken from theory and put into practice.  We were lucky enough to visit on a day when they were making cane syrup and everyone there was eager to answer all our questions and show us how it is done.

The Cane is cut with a machete.

An electric golf cart replaces the traditional mule.

The cane is feed into the press.

The juice is squeezed out.

And poured into a large kettle.

Everyone checks it out.

The fire is lit.

Both the fire and syrup are tended continuously.

The cane juice is brought to a boil to reduce it to syrup.

The whole process takes about 4 hours and the photos make it appear a whole lot simpler than it really is.  There are many small nuances involved, some  passed down from older generations and others learned by trial and error.  It takes a lot of work and constant attention to reduce the 60 gallons of juice to about 8 gallons of syrup.  But the cooperative effort we experienced made it a very enjoyable process.

Credit Where Credit Is Due. . .

On our morning walk we came across a city crew finishing up trimming the bushes and cleaning up the corner of Lucerne and N. L St.. The owner of the property had not been maintaining it to the point that the sidewalk on North L was virtually blocked off by overgrowth. It is a huge improvment.

We spoke with Andy Amoroso who said that the city was fining the owner and was therefore able to clean up the lot and bill them for the work.  He added that Commissioner Mulvehill and City Manager Stanton were instrumental in getting this done,  just in time for the Christmas parade and other festivities this weekend.

A big thumbs up to Andy, Suzanne Mulvehill and Susan Stanton for taking the time and effort to clean up this corner!

Beachhead. . .

beachhead–noun

1. the area that is the first objective of a military force landing on an enemy shore.

2. a secure initial position that has been gained and can be used for further advancement; foothold.

The plan that the City Commission passed last night, click on image to enlarge.

The plan approved by the City Commission last night is indeed a beachhead, not only for the beach property but for the revitalization of our city as a destination.  Its attractive and multiple use design will attract visitors from nearby and afar.  Couple this with the established and new restaurants and nightspots in our downtown and we have the beginnings of a great recipe for attracting tourism.

There are a few ingredients still missing.

The most obvious is the Gulfstream.  Key to our City’s success in the competitive tourism market is a downtown hotel.  The restaurant and other amenities that the hotel will offer to those not staying there will further enhance Lake Worth’s ability to attract local visitors.  It is time to discard any past animosity that we may hold against the owner of the Gulfstream and reach out once again to facilitate the hotel’s reopening at the earliest possible date.

The other missing ingredient is, of course, the rehabilitation of the Casino.  The key element now is simply getting it done.  An attractive functional facility surrounded by the new site plan will be a major tourism draw and permit the charging of a fair market rent for the commercial spaces.

Despite the hangovers from Greater Bay and the long road it has been to get to this point, it’s time to start feeling optimistic not only about our beach, but about our downtown as well.

I’m Back. . .

I took a little hiatus from the blog, and am now refreshed and ready to go.  Look for posts starting again this afternoon!

Tom