Let there be lights!!!!

Tis the season for light displays! There are so many good ones around here - but some do stand out! Like Verbenia Street in Satellite Beach. It has to be a record for the most neighbors getting together to pitch in and create a light spectacle. This article lists boat parades and light extravaganzas - and where to find them!

Paws for Veterans fund-raiser

 A Christmas event you can bring the whole family to, including the 4-legged members of the family, to benefit Paws for Veterans. There will be food vendors, a bounce house, photos with Santa (family and pets), face painting, pet psychic, local vendors, contests, rescue groups, DJ, raffles, and more. Bring the entire family, 2 and 4-legged for a fun Christmas event that everyone can enjoy. Free admission! For questions or if you are a vendor and would like to participate, email them at pawsforveterans@gmail.com.

Paws for Veterans is a 501 C 3 non profit organization that rescues, rehabilitates, trains, and rehomes dogs as service dogs for injured Veterans. Paws for Veterans, Inc. is a community-based organization that provides service dogs, training, supplies, and therapeutic group sessions to Veteran and Active Duty men and women struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Physical Disabilities.

The dogs in their program are rescued dogs. They strive to improve not only the lives of our Service Members but also the the lives of the dogs that they rescue and place in loving homes with Service Members. They rescue, rehabilitate, train, and rehome each dog. This creates a win, win scenario for everyone. The dogs are given a purpose in a loving forever home and the Service Members quality of life is improved by the healing power of their new canine partner.

What sets Paws for Veterans apart is that the owner assists in training their own service dog with the instruction of their expert staff of dog trainers. Each dog is trained specifically for their owners needs. Having the ability to train your own service dog builds confidence and a sense of accomplishment. This method creates a bond between dog and owner that is unmatched by other methods.

Be there!!   11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Location: Wickham Park
2500 Parkway Dr, Melbourne
Sat  - December 15th

   

Surfing for Life movie

		Surf Film: Surfing For Life - Event Saturday, November 17                  7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Description: This documentary shows 10 legendary surfers modeling healthy aging by staying active into their 7th, 8th and 9th decades. Snacks & sodas provided courtesy of Sunseed Co-op. Location: Cocoa Beach Library, 550 North Brevard Ave., Cocoa Beach Room: Community Room Contact: For more details contact the Information Desk. (321) 868-1104

FREE surf movie!!

As part of the Women of the Waves series, the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum will present Ten: 10 Years of Women's Longboarding. This epic adventure features over 20 of the top female longboarders in the world with incredible footage from California, Costa Rica, Australia and Hawaii. Free, all-natural, organic popcorn and sodas will be provided. 

Date: Friday Sept 28
Time: Doors open 6:30, movie starts 7 p.m.
Where: Cocoa Beach Public Library
Admission: Free, but donations welcome!!

Canova Beach open to dogs starting today!!!!!!

It's official - now you can bring your dog to the beach for some R&R - dogs love chasing the waves. Canova Beach - where Eau Gallie Causeway (SR518) meets A1A is open to dogs for a one-year trial. Read the rules, stay in touch for changes, and don't blow it for the rest of us!! For location, hours, rules, etc - read this article.

Indialantic Art Festival

The Indialantic Art Festival, hosted by the city of Indialantic, features the finest artists in the country including top local talent for a truly eclectic exhibit of quality original art. Prices are set to suit all budgets and range from $25 hand-designed earrings to $30,000 metal sculptures. This popular high-end outdoor festival will take place at Nance Park, located directly on the ocean and AIA. Admission is free and open to the public.

The artists are juried by an independent panel of expert judges and hand-selected from hundreds of applicants based on quality and diversity. All of their artwork is original and handmade in America. “Festival goers will have the opportunity to meet the artists and discuss their techniques and inspiration as they stroll past the booths of more than 100 participating artists,” says festival promoter Howard Alan. There will be a variety of styles and a myriad of media to explore including paintings, sculpture, photography, glass, wood, jewelry, collage and ceramics.

When: January 21 - 22, Saturday & Sunday, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm Where: Nance Park in Indialantic - 4 Wavecrest Ave. Indialantic, FL 32903

Happy Palindrome Day

A palindrome is a word, phrase, number or sequence that is the same forwards and backwards. They date back to 79AD. Today is 11-22-11 - Happy Palindrome everyone!

FREE surf movie!

Tonight, the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum will show the surf movie Children of the Sun. This event will be hosted by the Cocoa Beach Public Library. Enjoy (free) organic pop corn and soft drinks along with this free movie! The movie will run from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Haunted House season

On Saturday and Sunday, October 2and 30, the Eau Gallie Self Storage will host their second free Haunted House. Created and maintained entirely by volunteers, the 3,000 square foot house promises to be scary for all ages. Treats will be available at the end of the tour. The storage unit is located in the downtown Eau Gallie area, at 914 Saint Clair Street. This Haunted House is free and all they request is a donation for Breast Cancer Research. Hours for the event are 7 - 10 p.m. both evenings.

Free Space Center Weekend

Residents weekend is happening Oct 21-23 at Kennedy Space Center. Brevard residents, along with up to five guests, get in free with proof of residency and a non-perishable food item. Tours and all other attractions, including the IMAX Theatre, are included! Call 321-449-4444 or visit their website for more information. FREE is good - see you there!

Free Surf Movie at the Cocoa Beach Public Library
Saturday - 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM Oct 15, 2011
The Cocoa Beach Surf Museum will show the surf movie Ticket to Ride. This event will be hosted by the Cocoa Beach Public Library. Enjoy complimentary (free) organic pop corn and soft drinks along with this free movie!

Of mice and man

With the passing of Steve Jobs, the world has lost a modern-day revolutionary soldier. Never content to just leave things as they were, always looking for a better way - he revolutionized the tech world. For me, idol worship began with his creation of the mouse-driven point-and-click system. Toy Story endeared him even more. Not bad for a college dropout.
One of Steve Jobs' many quotes. If you haven't heard it already, listen to his speech given at Stanford's Commencement in 2005, said by those in attendance to be the most important 15 minutes of their lives. Link here or use your favorite search engine.

One Beach - a movie

If you haven't seen the movie One Beach - do it. Now!! It's beautiful and it's short. Most of all, it's important to all of us who live, love and depend on the beach. Support Surfrider, drink Barefoot wine and help keep our coastline from turning into a landfill.

Florida Coastal Clean-Up

The Florida Coastal Cleanup, sponsored in Brevard County by the Ocean Conservancy and Keep Brevard Beautiful, is held every September, on the third Saturday of the month. Times are 8 a.m. - noon.

This cleanup effort is the only event at which volunteers are urged to record all of the items they collect. The Florida Coastal Cleanup is part of a world-wide litter reduction effort. The data from the event are used to educate our community about the problems associated with marine debris and the role we play in solving those problems.

Keep Brevard Beautiful, Inc., the Ocean Conservancy and our sponsors will supply trash bags, gloves, data cards, pencils. Volunteers should bring drinking water and a snack, if desired. FREE T-Shirts while supplies last. For more information, please email Jim Kriewaldt at jimkbb2005@yahoo.com.

Coastal Cleanup 2011 Check-In Sites

South Area Sites
Jon Jorgensen Landing, Grant (Island CU*)
Pelican Beach Park, Satellite Beach
Howard Futch/Paradise Beach Park, IHB
Ocean Ave Beach Park, Melbourne Beach
Coconut Point Park, Melbourne Beach
Sebastian Inlet State Park
Turkey Creek Boat Ramp, Palm Bay - boaters needed

Central Area Sites
Kelly Park, East, MI (Island CU*)
Cherie Down Park, Cape Canaveral
Shepard Park, Cocoa Beach
Lori Wilson Park (N), Cocoa Beach
Ramp Road Park, Cocoa Beach (Island CU*)
Pier/Central Park, SR A1A, Patrick AFB
Lee Wenner Park, Cocoa Village (Island CU*)

North Area Sites
Haulover Canal, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
Marina Park, Titusville (Island CU*)
Canaveral National Seashore, Beach 1

Green Living Festival

The Cocoa Beach Chapter of Surfrider Foundation and the Sierra Club will hold the first ever Space Coast Green Living Festival on September 17, 2011 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Hosted at the Courtyard by Marriott Cocoa Beach — a “green” certified hotel — there will be vendors, speakers, food, films, children's activities, and more. The purpose is to teach Space Coast residents how to incorporate environmentally friendly practices into their daily lives.

There will also be special presentations by the Surfrider Foundation Emerald Coast Chapter — an area of Florida that was hit hard by the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill disaster. They will share their stories on how the oil continues to impact their beaches.

Harvest moon

Sunrise Sunday morning.
Moonrise Sunday night. (Not really but great picture, huh?) Harvest moon happening Sept 10-13, with tonight being the brightest. After seeing sunrise this morning, the full moon just rounded out (sorry for the pun) a day meant for deep thoughts. Perfect.

Party with the stars

The Barrier Island Sanctuary invites you to view the stars from one of the darkest places there is - over the ocean! Please join the Barrier Island Center and the Brevard Astronomical Society for an amazing opportunity to view the treasures of our universe through their powerful telescopes on the observation deck. Time 9 - 11 p.m. You can also enjoy a short “Night Sky” Film offered before the star party viewing. Imagine how great it would be if a nest of turtles hatched or a mama turtle came on shore to lay her eggs! What a double feature that would be! Please dress for the outdoors (insects) and be sure to pick up your very own glow-in-the-dark pocket guide to “The Night Sky” from their Mermaids Purse Gift Shop. 8385 S. HIGHWAY A1A, MELBOURNE BEACH 321.723.3556. How romantic is this!

Trouble in Paradise

Keep Brevard Beautiful's beach clean-up for this Sunday is at Paradise Beach in Indialantic. For those trying to decide whether or not they want to get up early on a Sunday morning, I would like to point out that this beach is a prime source of eye candy on any given day - there is plenty to see, male and female. So come enjoy the scenery and help keep the beach clean and sanitary.
8 a.m. - noon.

Fitness was never so easy

According to Fitness Magazine (July-August 2011), "Walking in the sand burns up to 50 percent more calories than walking on a sidewalk, track, or street at the same pace." Good to know - just another reason to be thankful for where we live. Personal experience would also like to point out the psychological health that may be attained by a walk on the beach.

Hands Across the Sand 2011

Hands Across the Sand event in Atlantic City, New Jersey - June 26, 2010.

Hands Across (and around) the Sand event in San Francisco - June 26, 2010.

This Saturday, June 25th, Hands Across the Sand will take place around the world. At twelve noon, participants are asked to join hands as a symbol to the world that we do not want oil drilling off our pristine beach. Last year, this small group assembled at Pelican Beach (Satellite Beach), was among the 100,000 participants in all 50 states and 43 countries.

This year’s Hands Across the Sand could not come at a more important time. With memories of the BP Horizon disaster fading from the public memory, and gas prices hovering around $4 a gallon, the oil industry and their allies in Congress are mounting a major effort to dramatically expand oil drilling in US waters. They are even bringing back a proposal that seemed unthinkable a year ago—oil drilling on New England’s Georges Bank, one of the richest fisheries on earth. The truly scary part is that Big Oil is making progress. In Washington DC the House of Representatives recently passed 3 bills that would have required a massive expansion of offshore drilling, and a recent poll shows that public support for drilling is on the rise as gas prices tick up. Join hands Saturday to send a message to our representatives. Read more at:
http://www.handsacrossthesand.com/