Greetings {name},

Friday, August 19 is National Aviation Day, celebrated in honor of the birthday of aviator Orville Wright. It is sometimes called Wright Brother's Day.

Sunday, August 21 is National Senior Citizens Day, recognizing contributions senior citizens make in communities across the United States. It is annually observed on the third Sunday of August.

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

El Carajo

Travel to Spain with Miami’s Hidden Gem

El Carajo is simply the best tapas, authentic Spanish cuisine, a curated selection of hundreds of wines and a wonderful bakery all under one roof -- inside a gas station. Stop by for authentic specialties like Guava & Cheese Tequeno, World Famous Acorn-Fed Ham, Albongigas, Pulpo Al Ajillo, or Fritura Malaguena -- the traditional Andalucian fish fry of shrimp, calamari, and mahi. See the extensive menu for a complete list of outstanding authentic offerings. El Carajo is located at 2465 SW 17th Ave. See the Instagram account. Call 305-856-2424. https://el-carajo.com

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

The smaller Passiflora sculpture by Alice Aycock at the intersection of Coral Way and Segovia.

click on the image to see enlargement.

Coral Gables scenic photo illustrations © Robin and Robert Burr.

Thursday, August 18 at 11am

Painting Together

Express your creativity alongside fellow artists at this informal paint-together at the Pinecrest Library from 11am to 2pm. Please bring your own supplies. Ages 19 years and above. Call 305-668-4571. https://mdpls.org/event/6462928

Thursday, August 18 at 5:30pm

Sip & Stroll: Tahitian Music and Hula

Experience Fairchild Gardenin the late afternoon and early evening with Tahitian Music and Dance, access to the Rainforest and Plant Conservatories during Golden Hour, with Signature Cocktails at the Specialty Bar. Food Trucks will be on hand. Picnic baskets are available. Start with the Hawaiian Coleslaw Salad, and Hawaiian Salsa with Chips appetizers. Entrees include Pork Pineapple Roll, Papaya & Avocado Salad and Hawaiian Pasta Salad, followed by Luau Cupcake for dessert. https://fairchildgarden.org/eventon/sip-stroll-august18/

Thursday, August 18 at 6pm

Community Meeting - Upgrades to Phillips Park

The City of Coral Gables invites the public to attend a community meeting discussing the city’s desire to apply for a Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program grant for upgrades to Phillips Park at 90 Menores Avenue. The meeting takes place in person at the Coral Gables Police and Fire Headquarters, 2151 Salzedo Street, or via Zoom. Call 305-460-5620.

Thursday, August 18 at 8pm

Jazz Vocalist Quiana Lynell

This Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition winner is a feast of soul, gospel, R&B, groove, and jazz. Jazz Vocalist Quiana Lynell's vocal prowess sparkles with a band of incredible instrumentalists in this performance at the Congregational Church. She possesses the maturity of a well-seasoned vocalist while having a forward-thinking approach to creativity, all while making her audience feel at home as she does her thing with style and grace. https://communityartsprogram.org/product/quiana-lynell-tickets/

Starts Friday

A Love Song

Faye (Dale Dickey) is a lone traveler biding her time fishing, birding and stargazing at a rural Colorado campground as she awaits the arrival of Lito (Wes Studi), a figure from her past who is navigating his own tentative and nomadic journey across the rugged West. Like the country music that has traditionally channeled the heartbreak and resilience of Americans in search of themselves and others, A Love Song weaves a lyrical and ultimately joyful refrain out of the transformative act of being alone -- and reminds us that love can nourish and mystify at any age. https://www.gablescinema.com/events/a-love-song/

Friday, August 19 Preview 

Fade at GableStage

Directed by Teo Castellanos, this witty dramatic comedy is about class, integrity, and culture. Lucia is understandably nervous. It's day one at her first TV writing job. As a Hispanic novelist, she may actually be the "diversity hire" she's heard whispers about. Uncertain whether she can make a place for herself in cutthroat Hollywood, she feels less alone when she meets Abel, the Latino janitor. They form a bond and share stories, but it turns out that their friendship is not what Abel expects. The play continues through September 18. Get details and purchase tickets online.

Friday, August 19 at 9:30pm

Rocky IV: Rocky vs Drago - The Ultimate Director’s Cut 

Stallone finally tackled this long-planned recut of the film, tightening the narrative, finessing the sound, and trimming certain scenes. The result is a reimagined vision that finally delivers the knockout punch Stallone envisioned. It's an American classic that also serves a fascinating time capsule of a real moment in American history when popular entertainment echoed audiences' fears about the Cold War. https://www.gablescinema.com/events/rocky-iv-directors-cut/

Saturday, August 20

Bookstore Romance Day 2022

Books & Books loves romance readers. Stop by any location on Bookstore Romance Day and get 20% off all romance section titles and collect an exclusive limited edition bookmark with your romance novel purchase (while supplies last, in-store only). Books & Books is located at 265 Aragon. Call 305-442-4408. https://www.booksandbooks.com/event/bookstore-romance-day-2022/

Saturday, August 20 at 2pm

Honeymoon in Vegas

A groom with cold feet, his eager fiancée, a smooth-talking card shark with eyes for the bride, and Elvis impersonators as far as the eye can see. It could only happen on a Honeymoon in Vegas. Jack Singer (Nicolas Cage) made a promise to his mother on her deathbed that he would never marry. There's one problem, he's head over heels in love with his girlfriend Betsy (Sarah Jessica Parker) and wants to take the plunge. The two elope to Las Vegas, but Jack decides to stop at a casino for one last hand of poker as a bachelor. Luck isn't on Jack's side, however, and he loses a big bet to a mobster (James Caan) who is smitten with Betsy and asks for one night with her to settle Jack's debt. Now, as Betsy starts to fall for the suave card shark, Jack will do anything to win his fiancée back in this nonstop romantic comedy. https://www.gablescinema.com/events/honeymoon-in-vegas/

Saturday, August 20 at 7:30pm

David Lynch - Lost Highway

Janus Films presents a new 4K restoration of David Lynch’s 1997 neo-noir, a thematic and stylistic predecessor to his dream-logic masterpiece Mulholland Drive. The movie stars Bill Pullman, Patricia Arquette, Balthazar Getty, Robert Loggia and Robert Blake in a brief but unforgettable cameo -- one of the creepiest moments in Lynch’s entire body of work. Tickets are $10 plus tax and service fee for the general public, free for UM students with Cane ID. Get details and purchase tickets online. https://cosfordcinema.com/event/david-lynchs-lost-highway-new-4k-restoration/

Sunday, August 21 at 10am

Gables Bike Tour - Old and New Fire Stations

A great family adventure in the outdoors, and a history lesson, visiting Old and New Fire Stations on this five-alarm bike tour, starting at the Coral Gables Museum at 10am. Get details and RSVP online. https://coralgablesmuseum.org/portfolio-item/gables-bike-tours/

Sunday, August 21 at 5pm

Ukraine: Music in Wartime Performance

Attend a special performance presentation at the Coral Gables Museum, Ukraine: Music in Wartime -- A Journey through Film and Music with Hobart Earle. This event comes on the heels of the successful opening of the exhibition, Painting in Excess: Kyiv’s Art Revival, 1985-1993, featuring Ukrainian avant-garde art from the time of its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Get details and purchase tickets online.

Monday, August 22 at 10pm

Sneak Preview - Three Thousand Years Of Longing

Catch the free sneak preview of Three Thousand Years of Longing, from director George Miller, based on the short story by A.S. Byatt and starring Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton. Swinton plays an academic who is content with life and a creature of reason. While in Istanbul attending a conference, she happens to encounter a Djinn (Elba) who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom. Fanstastical! You must register online for a free tickets to be admitted into the theater.

Wednesday, August 24 at 1:30pm

Crime Watch - Learn To Stay Safe

Join the Crime Watch team and the Police and Fire Departments for an informational session on how to avoid crime and stay safe, including a self-defense presentation. The meeting takes place at the Adult Activity Center, 2 Andalusia Avenue. For more information contact 305-461-6765 or email aacinfo@coralgables.com

Starts August 24

Now And Then at Miracle Theatre

From the author of Actors’ Playhouse’s signature plays Making God Laugh, The Tin Woman, and Married Alive... Now And Then is an inspiring story of love and life. Sometimes what happens after the last call just might change your life. Jamie is a young aspiring pianist working as a bartender. He is closing up for the night when a desperate last-minute customer enters and offers him and his girlfriend Abby two thousand dollars to sit and have a drink with him. What follows is funny, moving and captivating. Who wouldn’t take it? Get details and purchase tickets online.

Friday, August 26 at 7:30pm

Regina Belle Benefit Concert

Enjoy a night of song and celebration with Grammy-winner Regina Belle at Gusman Concert Hall. Known for a string of hits including Make It Like It Was, If I Could, Baby Come To Me and This Is Love, Regina is partnering with our UTrailblazers to present an intimate, one-night-only concert benefiting the UTrailblazers/First Black Graduates Endowed Scholarship Fund. Don't miss your chance to experience a night of inspired music -- with a special performance featuring students from the Frost School of Music -- all for a powerful cause. Priority tickets include a unique opportunity to meet with University President Julio Frenk and star of our UTrailblazers benefit concert, Regina Belle. Get details and purchase tickets online. https://events.miami.edu/event/regina_belle_benefit_concert

Saturday, August 27 at 9pm

The Batman - at Cosford Cinema

Robert Pattinson takes over as the Dark Knight in this new installment to the franchise, this one focusing on Bruce Wayne’s earlier years as a crime fighter. When a sadistic serial killer known as The Riddler begins murdering key political figures in Gotham, Batman is forced to investigate the city’s hidden corruption and question his family’s involvement. Cosford Cinema is located on the second floor of the Memorial Classroom building on UM campus. Cash only. Call 305-284-4861. https://cosfordcinema.com/event/the-batman-free-screening-2/

Saturday, September 10 at 2pm

Matt Stock - Abandoned Everglades Images

Award-winning Photographer Matt Stock has earned a reputation for his dramatic images of natural wonders, including his series of Abandoned Everglades -- exploring the interaction between man and nature as seen through night-time environmental portraits of vehicles long abandoned in the Everglades ecosystem. Each image was captured at night utilizing the highly specialized technique of light painting combined with long exposures and seasonally specific images without adding anything to or taking away from the scene. This event by Miami Pioneers and Natives of Dade historical society takes place at the Pinecrest Library. Get details and RSVP online.