Greetings {name},

Tuesday, Feb 1 is Chinese New Year, ushering in the Year of the Tiger according to the Chinese zodiac. Many celebrations feature colorful costumes, floats, firecrackers and other attractions. It's also the first Day of Black History Month, an annual observation and celebration remembering important people and events in the history of the African diaspora.

Wednesday, February 2 is Ground Hog Day, when news reporters, locals, and visitors meet at Gobbler’s Knob on February 2 each year to await famed Groundhog Punxsutawney Phil’s appearance and his whimsical weather prediction.

Friday, February 4 is National Wear Red Day, bringing attention to the issues of heart disease in women with public outreach events to promote prevention and screening of heart disease.

As always, make plans to enjoy the great outdoors in our little city. Walk down Miracle Mile, experience the live theatre and the best movies, browse the book stores, look into the art galleries and meet up with friends at the restaurants. Visit the parks and public spaces to appreciate the bounties of nature. 

Enjoy the best of Coral Gables in the coming days.

Robert and Robin Burr

please enjoy this image that reminds us of the beauty and serenity of our majestic city

Coral Gables Waterway homes

Coral Gables scenic photo illustrations © Robin and Robert Burr.

This weekend - January 29–30

Coral Gables Festival of the Arts

The 8th Annual Miami/Coral Gables Art Festival with Free Admission - six events at the same time and place. Fine Art & Craft Fest - over 200 fine art & craft exhibitors; Miami Kid Fest with face painting, kid art, kid products and services; Miami Fashion Fest with apparel, jewelry, hats and more; Bo's Dog and Pet Fest; The Beat Music Festival; plus Miami Beer, Wine & Spirits Festival with unlimited beer, wine and spirits samples. Order tickets online.

Opens Friday, January 28

France at Gables Cinema

Léa Seydoux brilliantly holds the center of Bruno Dumont’s unexpected, unsettling new film, which starts out as a satire of the contemporary news media before steadily spiraling out into something richer and darker. Never one to shy away from provoking his viewers, Dumont casts Seydoux as France de Meurs, a seemingly unflappable superstar TV journalist whose career, homelife, and psychological stability are shaken after an accident on a busy Paris street. This accident triggers a series of self-reckonings, as well as a strange romance that proves impossible to shake. A film that teases at redemption while refusing to grant absolution, France is tragicomic and deliciously ambivalent—a very 21st-century treatment of the difficulty of maintaining identity in a corrosive culture. https://www.gablescinema.com/events/france/

New Release

Seraphic Fire - Claude Debussy’s Trois Chansons

Claude Debussy’s Trois Chansons, set to a text by the 15th-century French poet Charles d’Orléans, are an unmistakable nod to the renaissance by a thoroughly modern composer. Published in 1908 during the mature part of Debussy’s career, these three a cappella choral miniatures (the only such pieces in Debussy’s output) are a conscious nod to the historical music revival that had begun in France during the 19th century’s fin de siecle and continued into the 20th century. By using Renaissance modalism combined with jazz-inspired harmonies, Debussy created a seamless connection between French music’s past and present. https://vimeo.com/574618463

Now Playing

Brunch With Bari

Tune into GableStage 8th episode of Brunch With Bari, featuring Theater Critic Christine Dolen who covered theatre for 36 years at the Miami Herald and now continues at Artburst Miami. Join Bari and Christine as they discuss the importance of critics, the power of a review and how the Miami theatre scenario was in the 70s. Subscribe to the GableStage YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/gablestage

Held Over

Parallel Mothers at Gables Cinema

Contemporary melodrama, a bold color palette and a sublime Penélope Cruz in the lead role: these elements combine in Pedro Almodóvar's latest film to form one of the most affecting entries in the celebrated Spanish director's prolific filmography. Cruz stars opposite newcomer Milena Smit, both playing single mothers whose lives intersect in multiple ways after both give birth on the same day in the same hospital. Shocking secrets and painful revelations lie in store for the new mothers and Almodóvar mines the complexity of the situation to explore a deep-rooted trauma in Spain's history, motherhood itself and the inevitability of the truth to out. https://www.gablescinema.com/events/parallel-mothers/

Thursday, January 27 from 5:30 to 7:30pm
Encore! Live Music On The Mile

Enjoy live music on Thursdays every other week at McBride Plaza for Encore! an outdoor concert series featuring the Frost School of Music. Musicians will perform different styles of music including jazz, Latin jazz, funk, classical, R&B and more. Concerts are free and brought to you by the BID (Business Improvement District) of Coral Gables. Seating will be a first come, first served basis and safe social distancing guidelines will be in place in this outdoor space. McBride Plaza is located at 150 Miracle Mile. Get details online. 

Thursday, January 27 at 7pm

Thrity Umrigar - Honor: A Novel

In this tender and evocative novel about love, hope, familial devotion, betrayal, and sacrifice, Thrity Umrigar shows us two courageous women trying to navigate how to be true to their homelands and themselves at the same time. Get details online for this virtual zoom event.

Friday, January 28 at 6:30pm

Barkyard Theatre - Shrek

Bring your well-behaved pups to watch the coolest ogre in the land: Shrek! Join Equipaws Pet Services at The Barnacle Historic State Park for Barkyard Theatre. Enjoy tasty goodies from Formaggie Vino, Dulce Dough Cookie Co., and Bullie Bites Dog Treats. Then, snuggle up with your furkids to watch Shrek on the big outdoor screen. The park opens at 6:30 and the movie starts at 7:30pm. https://thebarnacle.org

Saturdays from 8am to 2pm

Farmers' Market At City Hall

Enjoy Coral Gables' iconic farmers market from 8am to 2pm every Saturday through March 26 featuring fresh fruits, vegetables, prepared foods, baked goods, flowers and plants, free tai chi classes, gardening workshops, cooking demos, and activities for children. https://www.coralgables.com/farmers-market-at-merrick-park

Saturday, January 29 at 7pm

Isabel Allende - Violeta: A Novel

This sweeping novel from the New York Times bestselling author of A Long Petal of the Sea tells the epic story of Violeta Del Valle, a woman whose life spans one hundred years and bears witness to the greatest upheavals of the twentieth century. This is a zoom online event. Get details and tickets online.

Saturday, January 29 at 9pm

The Flower of My Secret

Leo (Marisa Paredes) a middle-aged writer of popular romantic novels, despises her own work so much that she pseudonymously writes a scathing review of herself for a newspaper. At home she is equally miserable. Her husband (Imanol Arias), who works overseas, is distant both physically and emotionally. Her mother (Chus Lampreave) and sister (Rossy de Palma) are a maniacal pair constantly bickering with one another. Yet the appearance of a new editor (Juan Echanove) offers an opportunity for Leo to reassess her life. https://www.gablescinema.com/events/the-flower-of-my-secret/

Sunday, January 30 from 6 to 9pm

Bruce Munro: Forest and Field of Light

Experience Bruce Munro: Forest and Field of Light at Pinecrest Gardens -- an exhibition of over 6,000 stemmed spheres lit by fiber-optics that will shimmer morph in gently blooming color throughout the lower garden and surround Swan Lake. Munro is best known for large scale, immersive outdoor light-based installations. This site-specific installation for Pinecrest Gardens showcases his most acclaimed artwork, Field of Light, in two iterations across the garden's tropical forest and on the banks of its lake. Get details online.

Wednesday, February 2 from 11am to 2pm

Oil Painting Techniques

Join Andres Cabrera at the Coral Gables Museum to explore some different techniques as he gives a step-by-step introduction to oil painting. Whether you are a beginner or more accustomed to acrylic paint and want to try something new, this class will help you understand how flexible this medium is and start you off in the right direction. Two sessions. The fee is $180 Members; $200 Non-Members. https://coralgablesmuseum.org/portfolio-item/oil-painting-class/

Thursday, February 3 from 5:30 to 9:30pm

Burgerliscious Block Party

The Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce is celebrating the 10th anniversary of Burgerliscious with an old-fashioned block party on Ahambra Circle between Ponce and Salzedo Street to sample South Florida’s best burgers, with live music, cold brews, and more. Participants include 109 Burger Joint, Clutch Burger, Doctors Hospital, FrshST, The Gramercy, Las Tapas Gables, Meat and Bone, and Shadow Wagyu. General admission is $50 or two for $88; 

http://www.burgerliscious.com

Thursday, February 3 from 6 to 7:30pm

Dave Berry: Best. State. Ever.

In celebration of the Miami-Dade Public Library's 50th Anniversary, join New York Times bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Dave Barry as he discusses his books Lessons from Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old, Happy Dog and Best. State. Ever.: A Florida Man Defends His Homeland. After the online discussion, enjoy a Q&A session with the author. Space is limited for this online event. Registration is required. Zoom link will be emailed to registrants within 24 hours of the event start time. Ages 19 yrs. + https://mdpls.org/event/6072750

Friday, February 4 at 6pm

Art Exhibition - Work In Progress

Enjoy an exhibition at the America Collection that seeks to showcase the talent of three young artists from the Miami Area. Selected for the vigorous nature of their work, their passion for art, and thriving artistic practice, this exhibition promises a refreshing look and an inspirational outlook that is much needed in our time and day. The Americas Collection is located at 4213 Ponce. Call 305-446-5578. https://americascollection.com

Starts Friday, February 4

Moonfall at Landmark Theatre

In Moonfall, a mysterious force knocks the Moon from its orbit around Earth and sends it hurtling on a collision course with life as we know it. With mere weeks before impact and the world on the brink of annihilation, NASA executive and former astronaut Jo Fowler (Academy Award winner Halle Berry) is convinced she has the key to saving us all -- but only one astronaut from her past, Brian Harper (Patrick Wilson, Midway) and a conspiracy theorist K.C. Houseman (John Bradley, "Game of Thrones") believes her. These unlikely heroes will mount an impossible last-ditch mission into space, leaving behind everyone they love, only to find out that our Moon is not what we think it is. Get details online.

Saturday, February 5 from 3 to 5pm

Genealogical Society - Freedmen’s Bureau Records

For genealogy enthusiasts, The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands records are a goldmine of fascinating details. Enjoy a special presentation by Sharon Batiste Gillins Freedmen’s Bureau Records - A Rich Resource for Black and White Southern Ancestors online on 3pm. She will discuss the value of this record group in informing Southern research during the Reconstruction era with examples of records for both freedmen and refugees. She will include resources to access the records and the most recent developments in researching them. Please register online in advance. https://www.gsgmfl.org

Saturday, February 5 at 7:30pm

Frost Percussion Group Performance - Online

Join this professional-grade collective led by Svet Stoyanov for an evening of modern immersive solo and chamber music performances, featuring a specially curated collaboration with Frost classical pianists -- on YouTube Livestream. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIDtqkWw0Jg

Sunday, February 6 at 1pm

Goldfinger 1964 - Commissioner's Special Treat

Commissioner Kirk Menendez brings 007 and "Goldfinger" to the Coral Gables Art Cinema and invites residents 50+ to a free showing of this 1964 spy film. "This is a great way to kick-off the new year and meet others in the community," said Menendez. "My goal is to bring people together in a fun and relaxing manner. See you at the movies!" Tickets can be picked up at the Adult Activity Center. Call 305-461-6764. Get details online.

Sunday, February 6 at 2pm

MPNOD - National Park Service Museum and Archive

Enjoy an interactive program by Bonnie Ciolino, archivist for the South Florida Collections Management Center in Everglades National Park with "Opening the Closed Doors: National Park Service Museum and Archival Collections in South Florida." Presented by the Miami Pioneers and Natives of Dade historical society.  https://www.mpnod.org/events/mpnod-national-park-service-museum-and-archive/

February 9 to March 6

On Your Feet Musical Debuts February 9

Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre presents its production of On Your Feet! -- the inspiring true story about heart, heritage and two people who believed in their talent to become an international sensation: Gloria and Emilio Estefan. The Miami engagement of the hit Broadway musical will run from February 9 to March 6 at the Miracle Theatre -- here in the couple’s hometown of Miami -- in an original production that celebrates its South Florida Regional Premiere. The Miracle Theatre is located at 280 Miracle Mile. Call 305-444-9293. http://www.actorsplayhouse.org

Saturday, February 12 from 1 to 5pm

Commodore Trail Secret Garden Bike Tour

Spend an afternoon with friends and family enjoying this self-guided tour that gives you access to explore six of the most beautiful gardens in Coconut Grove. You can take the tour on bikes, scooters, or by car (but limited driving tickets are available due to limited street parking). End the day on a high-note at an intimate Garden After Party. Just 40 tickets offered for this special finale, raising funds for Friends Of The Commodore Trail. Get details online.

Monday, February 14 starting at 5:45pm

Valentine’s Day Dinner at Luca Osteria

Luca Osteria is opening on a Monday for its very first Valentine’s Day dinner. The seven course prix fixe menu highlights truffles and chocolate in every dish and is meant to be shared. The menu includes Cacao Cured Bluefin Tuna with Black Truffle Vinaigrette and Oyster Mushroom; Black Truffle Stracciatella with Chocolate Honey, Olive Oil and Local Bread; Black Cocoa Pappardelle with 24 Month Parmigiano, Black and White Truffle Butter; Cocoa Butter Roasted Sea Scallops with Jerusalem Artichoke, White Chocolate and White Truffle; Slow Cooked Short Ribs with White Truffle Hollandaise, Black Truffle Jus and Risotto di Cacao; Dark Chocolate Budino with Caramelized Black Truffle, Blackberry and Tonka Bean; ending with Roasted White Chocolate Truffles. Price is $149 per person and includes two glasses of rosé. Reservations are required. Luca Osteria is located at 116 Giralda Avenue. Call 305-381-5097. https://lucamiami.com

Monday, February 14 at 6pm

Romance Under The Stars At the Venetian Pool

The annual Romance under the Stars event at Venetian Pool features a night of fun, dancing and romance -- with buffet-style dinner, group dancing, and a souvenir photo to take home. Tickets are $75 per person. For complete details, email VPinfo@coralgables.com

February 19-21

Coconut Grove Arts Festival

The Coconut Grove Arts Festival is three-day outdoor art festival with a focus on world-class art, with culinary displays, live performances, and family areas. Held every Presidents’ Day Weekend, the Arts Festival is one of the nation’s premier arts festivals with more than 360 internationally-recognized and jury-selected artists. On-site general admission tickets are $25 on-site and $20 online per person per day. Discount tickets and packages are available in advance online. https://cgaf.com

Starts February 25

The White Card at GableStage

The Florida premiere of Award-winning poet/playwright Claudia Rankine's first published play, The White Card comes to GableStage, posing the essential question: Can American society progress if whiteness remains invisible? https://www.gablestage.org/production/

Saturday, March 5 at 3pm

Frost Opera Theatre - The Leopard

Frost Opera Theater with the Frost Symphony Orchestra present the world premiere of The Leopard at the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center. Based on the international best-selling novel Il Gattopardo, later adapted into a film starring Burt Lancaster, Claudia Cardinale, and Alain Delon, and winner of the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Set in Sicily in the year 1860, the opera is told through the eyes of Don Fabrizio Corbera, Prince of Salina (also known as the Leopard). Known for his commanding personality, he is a member of an impoverished Sicilian aristocracy soon to be obsolete. Now facing a society in upheaval, he is forced to choose between decay and progress, and between the downfall of the nobility and the future of his family. Music by Michael Dellaira. Libretto by J. D. McClatchy. Starring MET Opera baritone Kim Josephson, and featuring Robynne Redmon, Frank Ragsdale, Kevin Short and students of Frost Opera Theater. The opera runs 120 minutes with intermission. Discount tickets are available online. Use code: FROSTFRIEND. The South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center is located at 10950 SW 211 Street in Cutler Bay. https://smdcac.org/events/leopard-world-premiere

Many of our favorite eateries in the Gables are offering curbside takeout, as well as delivery services. Here's a handy list of choices for Gables residents and friends.

http://www.greatgables.com/CoralGables/ToGo.html