Greetings {name},

Friday, April 15 is Good Friday, occurring two days before Easter Sunday. It's also the traditional last day to file federal income taxes.

Saturday, April 16 is the first day of Passover on the Jewish calendar.

Sunday, April 17 is Easter Sunday. Many churches hold special services and it's traditional for children to hunt for decorated Easter eggs and enjoy chocolate bunnies.

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

Saturday, April 23 and Sunday, April 24

Miami Wine & Spirits Festival

Enjoy a weekend of fine wine and spirits at 2985 S. Bayshore Drive, Miami, FL 33133 as the Miami Wine & Spirits Festival comes to Coconut Grove. Taste amazing food from miami's top restaurants, with craft beer, fine wine and craft spirits, plus live entertainment and exhibits. https://www.beerwinespiritsfestivals.com

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

The Chinese Village compound is one of the original international themed architectural villages of Coral Gables, designed by architect Henry Killam Murphy and built in 1926.

click on the image to see enlargement.

Coral Gables scenic photo illustrations © Robin and Robert Burr.

Tuesday, April 26 at 6pm

Miami-Dade Solar Co-op Launches

Join your neighbors who enjoy producing clean green energy from the sun by learning about Solar United Neighbors co-op for Miami-Dade County. Register for a free interactive Zoom session online to learn about solar energy and how this nonprofit co-op model simplifies the process of going solar on your home or small business. This will be a live presentation so you'll be able to ask questions. https://www.solarunitedneighbors.org/event/florida-solar-101-22-04-26/

Friday, Saturday, Sunday at noon

The Book Of Dust - National Theatre Live

In Philip Pullman's fantastical world, waters are rising and storms are brewing. Two young people and their demons, with everything at stake, find themselves at the center of a terrifying manhunt. In their care is a tiny child called Lyra Belacqua, and in that child lies the fate of the future. And as the waters rise around them, powerful adversaries conspire for mastery of Dust: salvation to some, the source of infinite corruption to others. Eighteen years after his groundbreaking production of His Dark Materials at the National Theatre, director Nicholas Hytner returns to Pullman's parallel universe. This production includes a 15-minute intermission. https://www.gablescinema.com/events/the-book-of-dust-ntl/

April Saturdays from 3 to 5pm

O, Miami -- Meet A Poet at Books And Books

What inspires you? What topics do you like to write about? Poets are available for check-out at Books & Books in the Gables on Saturdays. They only ask that you return the poets afterwards, don’t take them home. Celebrate O, Miami Poetry Festival in April. https://omiami.org/poetry-festival

Now Playing

Mothering Sunday

On a warm spring day in 1924, house maid and foundling Jane Fairchild (Odessa Young) finds herself alone on Mother's Day. Her employers, Mr. and Mrs. Niven (Colin Firth and Olivia Colman), are out and she has the rare chance to spend quality time with her secret lover. Paul (Josh O'Connor) is the boy from the manor house nearby, Jane's long-term love despite the fact that he's engaged to be married to another woman, a childhood friend and daughter of his parents' friends. But events that neither can foresee will change the course of Jane's life forever. Official Selection, Cannes Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival. https://www.gablescinema.com/events/mothering-sunday/

Fridays Evenings

Parents Night Out

Parents, drop the kids off at the War Memorial Youth Center, 405 University Drive from 6 to 9pm on Friday evenings and enjoy a night on the town. Club P.L.A.Y counselors provide fun-filled adventures as kids participate in active games, arts and crafts, and more. Pizza and juice are provided. Call 305-446-6800.

Saturday, April 16 from 9am to noon

Bird-Friendly Gardening Day

Do you enjoy digging in the garden, learning about native plants that attract birds and other pollinators, or weeding invasives? Sign up to help Tropical Audubon maintain their Bird-Friendly Demonstration Garden and near-native Steinberg Nature Center grounds. You'll get hands-on experience creating wildlife habitat under the guidance of resident Master Gardeners. The knowledge and skills you gain will enable you to establish a bird-friendly garden in your own yard, patio or balcony. Interested volunteers must register because group size is limited. https://support.tropicalaudubon.org/a/bird-friendly-gardening-day

Saturday, April 16 at 10:30am

Book Club: Great Conversations

This program is dedicated to dialog covering topics that span over the centuries and millennia. The goal is to advance the critical, reflective thinking and social and civic engagement by discussing works and ideas of enduring value. Join in person at the Pinecrest Branch Library or online via Zoom. Space is limited. Registration is required. For online event, a Zoom link will be emailed to registrants within 24 hours of the event start time. Ages 19 and up. https://mdpls.org/event/6453826

Saturday, April 16

Osteen Hammock Trail in Everglades National Park

The Dade County Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society presents a field trip to Everglades Osteen Hammock in the Long Pine Key area, near the road to the Research Center. The trail to Osteen Hammock passes through beautiful prairie, hammock and pineland. There's likely pineland deltoid spurge not far from trail, and Havana skullcap. The pinelands surrounding Osteen Hammock have many unique species that aren’t found in other areas of Everglades National Park, like Gopher apple and Dichanthelium species (in the grass family). April 16 is on a holiday weekend -- the first day of National Park Week (thus the free entrance). Get details online. https://dade.fnpschapters.org/events/

Saturday, April 16 from 3:30 to 4:30pm

Online Event: Musical Biographies

A longtime staple in movies and on Broadway, biographies of musical performers, musicians, and song writers are especially popular due to big star names, notoriety and signature songs. Join experts Sam and Candy Caponegro for a discussion of Annie Get Your Gun, Night and Day, Funny Girl, and more, presented by the Coral Gables Branch Library. 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 years and up. https://mdpls.org/event/6258747

Saturday, April 16 at 8pm

Watching Movies With Carlos Frias - Big Night

Join food writer Carlos Frías and Cosford Cinema manager Rene Rodriguez for a screening and discussion of Campbell Scott’s and Stanley Tucci’s Big Night (1996). Winner of the Best Screenplay Award at the Sundance Film Festival, Big Night is the story of two brothers (played by Tony Shalhoub and Stanley Tucci) whose Italian restaurant is on the brink of bankruptcy. Their only chance for success is to risk everything they own on an extravagant feast for bandleader Louis Prima. But their big night is complicated by a lovers’ triangle, a sneaky restaurant rival, and the hilarious perfection of Chef Primo. Order tickets online.

Saturday, April 16 at 9pm

I've Heard the Mermaids Singing

This charming, whimsical story about a waifish daydreamer with artistic aspirations is structured around a video-recorded confession. In Patricia Rozema’s fanciful character study, aspiring photographer Polly (comedian Sheila McCarthy) lands a job at a Toronto art gallery run by Gabrielle (Paule Baillargeon), who is also a painter. Polly is impressed with Gabrielle’s paintings, but as Polly gets to know her lover Mary (Ann-Marie MacDonald) and becomes entangled in their lives, she realizes Gabrielle isn’t exactly who she appears to be. The gauche absent-minded temp with spiky orange hair and the polished, bourgeois curator with a gift for gab are like night and day, yet a strong connection builds between these two women through their shared love of art, and their genuine curiosity and appetite for love. https://www.gablescinema.com/events/ive-heard-the-mermaids-singing/

Sunday, April 17 from 10am to 5pm

The Bunny Hoppening at Fairchild

Enjoy the garden in bloom with live music, Eggsplore Galore hunts, picnic baskets, trackless train rides, lawn games, plant sales and a bunny hop hosted by Mr. Bunny himself. And for the adults -- mimosas and chocolate martinis. It’s the perfect way to spring into the garden with a delightful family fun event. Get details and tickets online. https://fairchildgarden.org/eventon/the-bunny-hoppening/

Sunday, April 17 from 10am

Easter Brunch at Bellmónt Spanish Restaurant

Celebrate Easter with your loved ones at Bellmont. Book as early as 10am for a special brunch menu. Enjoy authentic flavors of Spain and don’t forget to try the homemade Torrijas, a traditional dessert made with lots of love during lent season. Bellmónt Spanish Restaurant is located at 339 Miracle Mile. Call 786-502-4684. https://www.bellmontrestaurant.com/events/easter-brunch-and-more-at-bellmont/

Sunday, April 17 from 11am to 3pm

Easter Brunch Under the Rotunda

Celebrate Easter under the historic Rotunda at Hotel Colonnade Coral Gables. Enjoy live entertainment and Easter fun for kids of all ages. Chef Michael Cowan has created a savory menu featuring traditional breakfast favorites, a Seafood Bar, Lechon Asado, Aleppo Crusted Salmon, Bone in Prime Rib and Roasted Chicken. Assorted Cheeses, Vegetables and Charcuterie along with multiple salad options and side dishes will round out the main course. Libations include Bottomless Mimosas, Sparkling Wine and Bloody Marys. Choose from 11am or 1pm seating. Call 305-569-6529 or email happenings@hotelcolonnade.com

Tuesday, April 19 at 7pm

Kate Kelly - Ordinary Equality

Books & Books and Miami Book Fair presents a virtual evening with Kate Kelly in conversation with Brandon Wolf discussing Ordinary Equality: The Fearless Women and Queer People Who Shaped the U.S. Constitution and the Equal Rights Amendment. Kate Kelly provides a much-needed fresh perspective on the ERA for feminists of all ages, and this engaging, illustrated look at history, law, and activism is sure to inspire many to continue the fight. Get details online.

Tuesday, April 19 at 7:30pm

Moulin Rouge

Set against the backdrop of a spectacular show in 19th-century Paris, an idealistic young writer (Ewan McGregor) is drafted into a bohemian entourage and falls in love with an ambitious but doomed showgirl (Nicole Kidman) who is caught between the hero and a ruthless duke. Like Strictly Ballroom and Romeo + Juliet, this film was made in director Baz Luhrmann's signature style of "red curtain cinematics," a phrase coined by the director himself to describe his vision of creating heightened experiences for the viewer in these highly theatrical films. Free admission for members. https://www.gablescinema.com/events/moulin-rouge/

Wednesday, April 20 at 4pm

Historic Preservation Board

The monthly Historic Preservation Board Meeting takes place at Coral Gables City Hall Commission Chambers at 4pm. The board considers preservation and protection of historic or architecturally worthy buildings, structures, sites, quaint neighborhoods and artifacts which impart a distinct historical heritage of the City. Citizens may view and participate via Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88413827534

Thursday, April 21 at 7:30pm

Hadley Keller - Beachside: Windsor Architecture and Design

Books & Books and Miami Book Fair present an in-person evening with Hadley Keller and Jessica Klewicki Glynn discussing Beachside: Windsor Architecture and Design. The planned community of Windsor, on a barrier island in Vero Beach, offers elegant-yet-casual seaside living at its best. This sublimely landscaped village, planned by the renowned New Urbanists Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater‑Zyberk, boasts houses by A‑list architects and top interior designers, among them John Stefanidis, Steven Gambrel, and Alessandra Branca. The exteriors, Anglo‑Caribbean in style, feature steeply pitched roofs, open eaves, cantilevered balconies, and palm‑shaded courtyards and pools. The interiors, all executed with exquisite craftsmanship and appointed with fine finishes, range in style from traditional to sleekly contemporary. Beachside presents a wide array of the houses, organized by room. Filled with photographs of bougainvillea‑framed entrances, airy open‑plan living-dining rooms, cozy studies, and bedrooms that open onto balconies with sweeping ocean views, Beachside will inspire anyone yearning for a stylish coastal life. Get details online.

April 22, 23, 24

Tropical Audubon Society's 75th Anniversary Celebration 

South Florida’s “Voice of Conservation” is throwing a milestone Birthday bash this spring to mark its 75 years of environmental advocacy and education. As the official local chapter of National Audubon, Tropical Audubon Society (TAS) has been leading area bird walks, defending wildlife, protecting natural resources, Biscayne Bay and the Everglades since its 1947 founding. Fittingly, the grassroots conservation organization will celebrate its 75th Anniversary over Earth Day Weekend at its historic 90 year old Doc Thomas House headquarters. The community is invited to party with the proverbial birds at one or more of the society’s 75th Anniversary venues: Friday evening’s Bubbly & Bites Birthday Bash; Saturday morning’s Bill Baggs Bird Walk; Saturday evening’s Birdstock Conservation Concert; Sunday afternoon’s Members Migration. Get details and tickets online. https://tropicalaudubon.org

Friday, April 22 at 7pm

The Loyola Project

In 1963, at the height of the civil rights movement, the Loyola Chicago Ramblers broke racial barriers on their way to a national championship. Now, nearly 60 years later, this legendary team is reexamined by Loyola basketball player and co-captain, Lucas Williamson. Woven together with archival footage and modern day interviews, this captivating story is surprisingly relevant to today’s continued struggle for equality. Director Patrick Creadon will attend the screening and participate in a Q&A with the audience following the film. https://cosfordcinema.com/event/the-loyola-project/

Saturday, April 23 from 2 to 4pm

Family Painting Class: Earth Day

Share a fun, artistic, and educational painting session, celebrating our beautiful Earth at Fairchild Gardens. Learn fun, easy painting skills with Raquel Torrent of Art and Juice. Children are encouraged to trust their own abilities while learning to observe with artistic eyes. In this class, kids and adults learn contour, form, colors, and value while expressing creativity by adding unique details. Supplies will be provided. The final product will be a frameable canvas painting. Get details and tickets online. https://fairchildgarden.org/eventon/family-painting-class-earth-day/

Friday, April 29 at 7:30pm

Gables Moonlight Movies - Jurassic World

Bring the family out to the Coral Gables War Memorial Youth Center Athletic Field for a 7:30pm showing of the the fourth installment of the Jurassic Park franchise and the first in the Jurassic World trilogy. Set 22 years after the events of Jurassic Park, Jurassic World takes place on the same fictional island of Isla Nublar, located off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. A successful theme park of cloned dinosaurs, dubbed Jurassic World, has operated on the island for years, bringing John Hammond's dream to fruition. The park plunges into chaos when a transgenic dinosaur escapes from its enclosure and goes on a rampage, while a conspiracy orchestrated by the park's staff creates more dangers. https://www.gablescinema.com/events/movies-under-the-gables-moonlight/

Weekend of May 13-15

Tamiami International Orchid Festival

The Tamiami International Orchid Festival is Miami’s largest, most diverse orchid show. Over the past twenty years, the festival has become a nationally and internationally recognized orchid event. The 2022 Tamiami International Orchid Festival will take place at the Miami Dade County Fair Expo Center from 11am to 6pm each day. Tickets can be purchased prior to the festival's start at a discount. Admission is $15 at the door or online after the festival opens. https://tamiamiorchidfestival.com/about

The Season Is Here

Everglades Swamp Tours

Reserve space with Everglades Swamp Tours for an amazing adventure in the wild Everglades -- with your own custom tour of these vast open spaces. Experience the natural wildlife up close and appreciate the serene nature of this pristine environment. https://www.evergladesswamptours.com

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