Next week brings a magician doing true crime stories at the Broward Center, and a drone show over the ocean that's grown from 50 drones to 500.👇👇👇

Stuff You Won’t Want To Miss This Week:

1. ★ TOP PICK THIS WEEK: Saturday Night - 6-11pm | Wicked Manors: Masquerade of Mayhem on Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors. South Florida’s largest Halloween street party, 40,000+ costumed attendees; proceeds benefit The Pride Center at Equality Park. Cashless, rain or shine.

2. TONIGHT, also Friday Night - 8pm | Ed Sheeran: The Loop Tour at Hard Rock Live, Hollywood. From $185. Two nights of the all-ages LOOP Tour.

3. TODAY through Sunday - Thu-Sat 10am-7pm, Sun 10am-5pm | Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show across Bahia Mar, the Broward County Convention Center, Pier Sixty-Six, Las Olas Marina, Hall of Fame Marina, and Superyacht Village. Its last four days; more than 1,300 boats, from $48/day. Insider Tip: there’s no box office on-site, buy tickets online before you go.

4. TONIGHT - 6-10pm | Beaux Arts Presents: Stardust & Spurs at The Tower Club, 28th floor. A fundraising gala for NSU Art Museum, cocktails and bidding on the night’s prizes, Western-meets-celestial dress code.

5. TONIGHT - 5:30-7:30pm | Yappy Hour at The Dog Spot, Huizenga Park. Free; DogDrop joins with complimentary treats and canine enrichment advice.

6. TONIGHT through Saturday - Thu 7-10pm, Fri 7pm-midnight, Sat 7pm-midnight | Nightmare Village at Xtreme Action Park. $55. Two haunted houses; not recommended for children under 13.

7. Friday Night, also Saturday Night - 8pm | Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Miniaci Performing Arts Center, NSU, Davie. A live shadow-cast performance alongside the 1975 film. 18+.

8. Friday Night - 7pm | Hockey Halloween: Winnipeg Jets at Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise. The Panthers’ own Halloween-themed home game; costumes encouraged.

9. Friday Night - activities 6pm, movie 7pm | Movie in the Graveyard at Sabal Pines Park, Coconut Creek. Free, no registration: a screening of Disney’s Coco, a Trunk or Treat, and free children’s crafts.

10. Friday Night - 6-9pm | Boots and Ghouls Line Dancing Halloween Party at the E. Pat Larkins Center, Pompano Beach. $10 advance, $15 at the door. 18+.

11. Friday Night - 6-9pm | Oakland Park Halloween Bash at Wimberly Field, Oakland Park. Free; Trunk or Treat, a costume contest by age group, and a Toddler Treasure Hunt for children ages 0-4.

12. Friday Night - activities 5:30pm, movie 7pm | Monthly Movie on the Lawn: Halloween Double-Feature at Huizenga Park. Free; Toy Story of Terror and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice back to back. We will be there for the pre-show with our ‘Thumb Buddy’ make and take station!

13. Saturday Night - 7:30pm | Sonic Live in Concert at the Au-Rene Theater, Broward Center. A 35-year retrospective of the Sonic the Hedgehog games with a live ensemble and gameplay footage on screen.

14. Saturday - departs 8:30am | Halloween Dive with South Florida Diving Headquarters, Pompano Beach. $90. An underwater costume contest and an underwater pumpkin-carving contest. Insider Tip: arrive an hour early if you’re competing in the pumpkin-carving contest.

15. Saturday Night - 6-8pm | HalloSCREAM 2026 at McNair Center, Pompano Beach. Free, all ages; children under 5 must be accompanied.

16. Friday through Monday - 11am-4pm daily, by appointment | Jennifer van Weert Vintage, a four-day estate sale in South Miami. A 30-year designer collection: Chanel, Hermès, Cartier, a Lana Marks crocodile bag. Call or text 786-833-5744 for an appointment.

17. Bidding ends Sunday - 7pm | Anthoney Goicolea & Fine Art: A Private Collection, an online estate auction from a Boca Raton collection. Works by photographer Anthony Goicolea, plus Fanch Ledan and Itzchak Tarkay. All items start at $1.

18. Sunday - 5pm | Young Stars Showcase at Aventura Arts & Cultural Center. Young singers from across South Florida; free lap tickets for children 3 and under.

19. Sunday Morning - 11am | Sunday Jazz Brunch at Esplanade Park, Fort Lauderdale. Free; live jazz on three stages along the Riverwalk.

20. Tuesday Night - 7pm | Daniel Sloss: BITTER at Wells Hall, The Parker. Part of the Truist Comedy Series; recommended 16+.

21. Opens Tuesday | Godzilla Minus Zero at MODS (Museum of Discovery and Science). Showtimes and tickets via the museum’s own site.

22. Wednesday Night - doors 6pm, show 7pm | GWAR at Revolution Live, with Midnight, Mac Sabbath, and X-Cops. From $45.

23. Wednesday Night - 6:30pm | Think and Drink Trivia at Huizenga Park. Free.

24. Wednesday Night - 6pm | Community Bingo Night at the E. Pat Larkins Center, Pompano Beach. Free, 18+.

25. SAVE THE DATES for Next Week

    1. Thursday through Sunday, Nov 5-8 - Thu-Fri 7:30pm, Sat 2pm & 7:30pm, Sun 2pm | Con Man: A True Crime Magic Show at the Abdo New River Room, Broward Center. Magician Ben Seidman mixes illusion, true-crime storytelling, and stand-up. Recommended 12+.

    2. Thursday, Nov 5 - 7:30pm | Greensky Bluegrass at Wells Hall, The Parker.

    3. Thursday, Nov 5 - 8pm | Undertale: Determination Symphony at the Au-Rene Theater, Broward Center. A 25-piece orchestra performs the game’s score live.

    4. Thursday, Nov 5 - 11am-7pm | Free First Thursday at NSU Art Museum. Free admission, a free noon tour, and Mini Muse drop-in art for children 4-6:30pm.

    5. Thursday, Nov 5 - 6-8pm | Oldies Music Singo & Dance Show at the Herb Skolnick Center, Pompano Beach. $9 covers bingo cards, refreshments, and prizes.

    6. Friday, Nov 6 - 7pm | Matt McCusker: The Healing Frequency Tour at Wells Hall, The Parker.

    7. Friday, Nov 6 - 7:30pm | A Flock of Seagulls at Culture Room.

    8. Friday, Nov 6 - 6-10pm | Old Town Untapped, downtown Pompano Beach. Free; gallery openings at the Bailey Contemporary Arts Center, the Shane Duncan Band headlines, food trucks.

    9. Opens Friday, Nov 6, runs through Nov 15 (weekends) | Pompano Players presents: Gutenberg! The Musical at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center. $55+. The South Florida premiere.

    10. Saturday, Nov 7 - 5:30-9pm, drones fly 7-7:15pm | Drone Show Extravaganza at Fisher Family Pier, Pompano Beach. Free; 500 drones over the ocean, timed to Veterans Day weekend.

    11. Saturday, Nov 7 - 3-8pm | Day of The Dead Festival at Esplanade Park, Fort Lauderdale.

    12. Saturday, Nov 7 - 6-7:30pm | Starlight Jam Sessions at the Palm Aire Gazebo, Pompano Beach. Free; first Saturday of the month.

    13. Sunday, Nov 8 - 12-4pm | Huizenga Park Community Market, Huizenga Park. Free entry; local artisans, food vendors, and a live DJ.

Our Ask: With all the Halloween festivities this weekend, which one will be your top choice?

Featured Fort Lauderdale

The newly redesigned Huizenga Park sits right in downtown Fort Lauderdale, next to the New River and at the intersection of Andrew’s Ave and Las Olas.

Each week there are dozens of activities that might draw you to the Park. From Tuesday night Run Club, Yoga (moving to Mondays in November), Wednesday night Think & Drink Trivia games, Yappy Hour for our furry friends, Free Saturday Morning Worksouts, Pilates, Zumba, and more.

And food options. Mr. Smashburger has been there since the Park reopened last year. Now Ophelia’s and Sweetwaters join the mix.

If you haven’t been down to Huizenga yet, Friday night might be worth the trip as they kick off the Halloween Weekend with a Double Feature movie set on the lawn. Bring a blanket or a fold-out chair for Beetlejuice and Toy Story of Terror.

In addition to the movies (starting at 7pm, the event will include costumes, trick or treating with community partners. Our own Acton Academy Fort Lauderdale team will be participating with our ‘Thumb Buddy’ make and take art creation station.

Sounds like a great night to enjoy the evening outside and see all that Huizenga provides as an oasis right in the heart of the downtown!

So... You Think You Know South Florida

You probably already know… FLIBS, the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show is taking over the town this weekend.

What you might not know is…

This Year’s Headline Boat Belongs to a Videogame Billionaire.

Among the more than 1,300 boats at this year’s Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, the one getting the most attention didn’t come to sell. The 92.9-meter Oceanco Draak belongs to Gabe Newell, co-founder of the videogame company Valve. She’s built as a scientific-research companion vessel to Newell’s 111-meter superyacht Leviathan.

She’s on display through Sunday, when the show closes. FLIBS 2026. Source: Boat International

More Treats To Try

We don’t let just anyone sponsor this newsletter. Here’s who “made the cut” this week:

• Have you tried Sweetwaters (NOW OPEN) in Huizenga Park? A neighborhood restaurant, right by the water. Think Bryant Park right here in downtown FTL.

• Did you know you can come out and watch the Panthers practice? Or join a hockey league, take a skating lesson… or just join a free skate?

• SAVE THIS DATE: Sunday, November 8th - the first Families Serving Fort Lauderdale. Once a month, on a Sunday morning, we will partner with a different local nonprofit to learn about the important work they do and then roll up our sleeves (parents and children) for a meaningful, hands-on volunteer project. The goal is to help children develop a lifelong commitment to giving back, discover the joy of helping others, and see firsthand how they can make a difference in our community.

• Nights of Fright Returns to Davie for 5 Terrifying Nights! Explore 20+ rooms of sheer terror at this indoor, air-conditioned attraction, plus enjoy live entertainment, a DJ, creepy treats, local vendors, raffles, and more! Bringing your little monsters? The Not-So-Scary Haunted House, from 5–6 PM nightly, offers Halloween fun without ALL the frights! Join us October 23, 24, 25, 29 & 30 at 3801 S. Pine Island Road, Davie. FREE parking! Timed tickets are required. Last year SOLD OUT. More info: https://nightsoffrighthauntedhouse.com/nights-of-fright

• 👉 Buy YOUR OWN Classified Ad Here 👈

Just hit reply to this email to get started. Work with us to reach over 2500+ Greater Fort Lauderdale families.

Quote Of The Week

‘Tis now the very witching time of night, when churchyards yawn, and hell itself breathes out contagion to this world.’

~ William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 3 Scene 2.

Seem apropos for Halloween weekend, right?

Flotsam & Jetsam

Alright. It’s Halloween. Someone you know is going to dress up like a Pirate.

Here in Fort Lauderdale we LOVE our pirates.

So for the pirates in your life, here’s a pirate-themed online game called Tiny Wind.

Build your vessel. Sink ships. Plunder the seas. ‘Arrgh’ your way to greastness!

Word Play Of The Week

“Skeleton crew.”

It means the bare-minimum staff needed to keep something running. The phrase started in 19th-century nautical English, describing the smallest number of sailors who could keep a ship moving, and was first formally recorded in 1891. ~ ​Source

‘Under-The-Radar’ Openings Job Board

Lots of folks offering cool positions here locally. Maybe there’s one for you or a friend?

1. Head Flyman at the Au-Rene Theater, Broward Center. Runs the fly system that raises and lowers scenery and rigging above the stage during live shows.

2. Early Childhood STEM Educator II at MODS (Museum of Discovery and Science). Part time; delivers science programming to young learners.

3. Teaching Artist at Broward Center for the Performing Arts. Contract; works with students of all ages and abilities across education programs.

4. Bartender / Barback / concessions roles at Amerant Bank Arena, via Sodexo Live. Part-time event-day staff for the arena’s three Panthers home games this window alone.

Do you have a listing you would like to place here for next week? Hit reply and let us know.

Lastly… One Big Idea For Your Week

Curiosity is the key? We feel more heard and understood. And asking curious questions can be a gift to another, even someone you just met. Who will you get curious about this week?

Tell Us How We Are Doing

Every week we are working to make #H!L better for you and to provide a cutting-edge media apprenticeship opportunity for our learners.

Please share your feedback. What do you love? What could we do better FOR YOU? What FTL businesses and experiences should we be highlighting?

Stuff You Won’t Want To Miss This Week:

1. ★ TOP PICK THIS WEEK: Wednesday through Sunday - hours vary by day | Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show across Bahia Mar, the Broward County Convention Center, Pier Sixty-Six, Las Olas Marina, Hall of Fame Marina, and Superyacht Village. The world’s largest in-water boat show, more than 1,300 boats on display. General admission from $48/day; children under 6 free with an adult. Insider Tip: there’s no box office on-site, buy tickets online before you go.

2. TONIGHT - 7:30pm | It’s Just a Bunch of Hocus Pocus at Wells Hall, The Parker. An unofficial fan event (not affiliated with Disney): a drag tribute show plus a live Q&A with five of the film’s actual cast members, including Jason Marsden and Vinessa Shaw. 18+.

3. TONIGHT - noon | No Tricks, Just Treasures, a one-day online auction from Williamson Auction Gallery, Hollywood. Royal Albert dinnerware, 1990s special-edition Barbie dolls, and a lot of DC Comics Batman comics.

4. TONIGHT - 6-8pm | Oldies Music Singo & Dance Show at the Herb Skolnick Center, Pompano Beach. $9 covers bingo cards, refreshments, and prizes, then dancing.

5. Friday Night - 7:30pm | The Wilburys, A Traveling Tribute at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center. $45+.

6. Friday Night - 7:30pm | The Vampire Circus at Wells Hall, The Parker. Count Dracula opens a traveling circus in 19th-century Bohemia as cover for a plot of world domination, with international acrobats and contortionists.

7. Friday and Saturday - 7pm | The Mystery of Edwin Drood at the Miniaci Performing Arts Center, NSU, Davie. A Tony-winning musical built on Dickens’s unfinished novel, performed by North Broward Prep students. The audience votes on who the murderer is and how it ends.

8. Friday - 5-9pm | Boo Bash at ArtsPark, ArtsPark at Young Circle, Hollywood. Free; children’s activities and music from 5pm, a costume fashion show at 7pm, then a movie night at 8pm.

9. Friday Night - 6:30-8:30pm | Monster Mash Dance at Community Park, Pompano Beach. Free; games, dancing, and a costume contest.

10. Friday - 5:30-7:30pm | Parkland Halloween Festival at the Equestrian Center, Temple Park. Free; trick-or-trunks and live entertainment, built for young children.

11. Friday Night - 7pm | Teddy Swims: The Ugly Tour at Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise.

12. Saturday - 11am | Nightmare on Auction Street, a 500+ lot online auction from Elite Estate Liquidators, Lauderhill. Andy Warhol prints, a two-volume Churchill biography, and a run of Third Reich reference books.

13. Saturday Night - 8pm | Blake Shelton at Hard Rock Live, Hollywood. From $105.

14. Saturday Night - 7:30pm | Jessica Kirson at Wells Hall, The Parker.

15. Saturday Night, also Sunday - 7:30pm Sat, 1pm and 6:30pm Sun | Miami City Ballet: American Rhythms at the Au-Rene Theater, Broward Center. The company opens its season with a Balanchine classic and a world premiere by Patricia Delgado and composer Emily Estefan, both Miami natives.

16. Saturday - Revolution Live | Wargasm (UK), with Scene Queen and Bailey Spinn.

17. Saturday Night - 7pm | Sombr at Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise.

18. Saturday - 4-9pm | Boo Bash but this one at Community Park, Pompano Beach. Free; a Toddler Zone, petting zoo, hay rides, and a pie-eating contest.

19. Saturday Night - 6-11pm | Red Gala 2026 at Pier Sixty-Six. Goo Goo Dolls headline this charity gala benefiting Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation.

20. Saturday Night - 6-10pm | Margate’s Fall Festival at Margate Sports Complex. Free; a costume contest, a haunted house, and pony rides.

21. Saturday Night - 8pm-2am | Hollyweird Festival on Hollywood Blvd between 19th and 20th Ave. Free admission; one of the largest Halloween street festivals in Broward.

22. Saturday Morning - 10-11am | Art as Medicine: Lessons from the Gilded Age at NSU Art Museum. Free for members, $16 non-members.

23. Saturday Night - 7-9pm | Elaina the Poet: Bringz the Jazz Holiday Special at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center. $23+.

24. Saturday Night, also Sunday Afternoon - 8pm Sat, 2pm Sun | La Velada: An Alchemy of Past and Present at Aventura Arts & Cultural Center. Flamenco dancer Marta Gálvez explores where flamenco tradition meets the present moment.

25. Saturday and Sunday - 10am-5pm, 11am-5pm | Broward Mall Spooktacular Craft & Vendor Market at Broward Mall, Plantation. Free entry; local vendors and handmade goods.

26. Sunday Afternoon - 2pm | December ‘63: Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons Tribute at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center. $45+.

27. Sunday Afternoon - 3-7pm | Horse & Hound Costume Event at Sand & Spurs Equestrian Park, Pompano Beach. Costumed dogs and horses, hayrides, and a bounce house for children.

28. Sunday - 12-5pm | Free Fort Lauderdale Neighbor Day at NSU Art Museum. Free admission for Fort Lauderdale residents, the last Sunday of every month. Insider Tip: bring a photo ID or a utility bill with your Fort Lauderdale address, or you’ll pay full price at the door.

29. Sunday Night - 8pm | Brand New at Hard Rock Live, Hollywood.

30. Also Sunday - 7pm | Katt Williams: Book Tour at Wells Hall, The Parker. A conversation on resilience and faith built around his new memoir; every ticket includes a copy of the book.

31. Monday Night - 5-9pm | Boos & Brews at Lauderhill. Free; Halloween-themed food trucks.

32. Monday Night - doors 6:30pm | CAKE at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center.

33. Tuesday Night - doors 7pm | The Linda Lindas at Culture Room, with Grace Bowers. From $54.

34. Tuesday Night - 7:30pm | David Sedaris at Wells Hall, The Parker. All-new, unpublished stories, with book signing before and after.

35. Wednesday - 12-1:30pm | Riverwalk Tunes on Top at Tunnel Top Plaza. Free; a midday live-music break with local artists.

36. SAVE THE DATES for Next Week

    1. Thursday and Friday, Oct 29-30 - 8pm | Ed Sheeran: The Loop Tour at Hard Rock Live, Hollywood. From $185.

    2. Thursday, Oct 29 - 6-10pm | Beaux Arts Presents: Stardust & Spurs at The Tower Club, 28th floor. A fundraising gala for NSU Art Museum, Western-meets-celestial dress code.

    3. Friday, Oct 30 - 5:30pm and movies begin at 7pm | Halloween Double Feature at Huizenga Park. We (AAFTL) will also be there with our Thumb Buddy ‘make and take’ station.

    4. Friday, Oct 30 - activities 6pm, movie 7pm | Movie in the Graveyard at Sabal Pines Park, Coconut Creek. Free, no registration: a screening of Disney’s Coco, a Trunk or Treat, and free children’s crafts.

    5. Friday, Oct 30 - 7pm | Hockey Halloween: Winnipeg Jets at Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise.

    6. Friday, Oct 30 - 6-11pm | Boos and Brews Halloween Bash at Tarpon River Brewing. Live music, contests and pumpkin carving. Free.

    7. Friday, Oct 30 - 6-9pm | Boots and Ghouls Line Dancing Halloween Party at the E. Pat Larkins Center, Pompano Beach. $10 advance, $15 at the door. 18+.

    8. Saturday, Oct 31 - 5-11pm | Wicked Manors: Masquerade of Mayhem on Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors. South Florida’s largest Halloween street party, 40,000+ attendees; proceeds benefit The Pride Center at Equality Park.

    9. Saturday, Oct 31 - 11am-4pm | Bonnet House Halloween Fest at Bonnet House Museum & Gardens. $25 adults, $8 ages 6-17, free 5 and under. A costume runway, face painting, and a trick-or-treat trail.

    10. Saturday, Oct 31 - departs 8:30am | Halloween Dive with South Florida Diving Headquarters, Pompano Beach. $90. An underwater costume contest and an underwater pumpkin-carving contest, judged on scariest, funniest, and most original. Insider Tip: arrive an hour early if you’re competing in the pumpkin-carving contest, gear and pumpkins get fitted before the boat leaves.

    11. Saturday, Oct 31 - 6-8pm | HalloSCREAM 2026 at McNair Center, Pompano Beach. Free, all ages.

Our Ask: ort Lauderdale calls itself the Yachting Capital of the World, and the Boat Show is why. Going to buy or browse?

Featured Fort Lauderdale

A New Film Asks If Bonnet House Is Really Named For Alligators Wearing Lily Pads

A new 27-minute documentary, “Hidden in Plain Sight,” explores one of Fort Lauderdale’s oldest local legends: that Bonnet House got its name because alligators used to surface nearby wearing lily pads, or “bonnets,” on their heads. Filmmakers Neil Goldberg and Frank Linero made the film, which traces the estate’s history and its founders, artists Frederic Clay Bartlett and Evelyn Fortune Bartlett.

It screens in the Caretaker’s Cottage on Saturday, Oct 31, during Bonnet House’s Halloween Fest. Hidden in Plain Sight · Bonnet House Museum & Gardens

So... You Think You Know South Florida

You probably already know… there's good snorkeling to pick from and Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is a particular favorite.

What you might not know is… that one of the reefs there is a 126-year-old shipwreck.

The British steamer Copenhagen left Philadelphia on May 20, 1900, with almost 5,000 tons of coal bound for Havana. Six days later, she struck the Pompano Dropoff reef and never came off. The inquiry blamed the captain for not taking proper soundings, but let him keep his license on the strength of his record. During World War II, Navy pilots used the wreck for target practice, and spent .50-caliber bullets are still down there.

She’s a Florida Underwater Archaeological Preserve since 1994 and on the National Register of Historic Places since 2001, sitting in about 25 feet of water, three-quarters of a mile off the beach.

Source: Wikipedia, Discover LBTS

More Treats To Try

We don’t let just anyone sponsor this newsletter. Here’s who “made the cut” this week:

• Have you tried Sweetwaters (NOW OPEN) in Huizenga Park? A neighborhood restaurant, right by the water. Think Bryant Park right here in downtown FTL.

• Did you know you can come out and watch the Panthers practice? Or join a hockey league, take a skating lesson… or just join a free skate?

• SAVE THIS DATE: Sunday, November 8th - the first Families Serving Fort Lauderdale. Once a month, on a Sunday morning, we will partner with a different local nonprofit to learn about the important work they do and then roll up our sleeves (parents and children) for a meaningful, hands-on volunteer project. The goal is to help children develop a lifelong commitment to giving back, discover the joy of helping others, and see firsthand how they can make a difference in our community.

• Nights of Fright Returns to Davie for 5 Terrifying Nights! Explore 20+ rooms of sheer terror at this indoor, air-conditioned attraction, plus enjoy live entertainment, a DJ, creepy treats, local vendors, raffles, and more! Bringing your little monsters? The Not-So-Scary Haunted House, from 5–6 PM nightly, offers Halloween fun without ALL the frights! Join us October 23, 24, 25, 29 & 30 at 3801 S. Pine Island Road, Davie. FREE parking! Timed tickets are required. Last year SOLD OUT. More info: https://nightsoffrighthauntedhouse.com/nights-of-fright

• 👉 Buy YOUR OWN Classified Ad Here 👈

Just hit reply to this email to get started. Work with us to reach over 1500+ Greater Fort Lauderdale families.

Quote Of The Week

“A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.”

~ John A. Shedd, from his 1928 book of aphorisms, Salt from My Attic.

Seems like the right quotation with FLIBBS taking over the waterfront.

Flotsam & Jetsam

This week’s F&J was picked specifically for several our “builders” at Acton. We have a group of younger learners who, give them a bucket of LEGOS or sheets of paper, and they will go to town creating vehicles from the future.

So I thought it would be fun to show them examples of just how much creativity can be expressed in cardboard.

I’ve been following Cardboard Adventures online for several years now because Samual Wilde and team… are just amazing! You have to see these creations. Plus, you can buy kits and plans so you can get in on the action too.

Here’s a little teaser but checkout the full YouTube channel to see the full array of awesomeness.

Word Play Of The Week

“Graveyard shift.”

Despite the popular story about watching cemeteries for people buried alive, the real origin is nautical: "graveyard watch" described a ship's midnight-to-4am shift as early as 1895, named for the quiet, lonely hours rather than any actual graveyard. ~ ​Source

‘Under-The-Radar’ Openings Job Board

Lots of folks offering cool positions here locally. Maybe there’s one for you or a friend?

1. Deckhand at Water Taxi of Fort Lauderdale. Assists the captain, sells tickets and concessions, and accumulates sea time toward your own captain’s license.

2. Director of Business Development at MODS (Museum of Discovery and Science). Full time, developing partnerships and business growth for the museum.

3. Bartender at Xtreme Action Park. Now hiring, timed right alongside Nightmare Village’s run through Nov 1.

4. Licensed Horticulture Technician at Flamingo Gardens, Davie. Part time or full time, starting at $20/hr, at the 60-acre botanical garden and Everglades wildlife sanctuary.

Do you have a listing you would like to place here for next week? Hit reply and let us know.

Lastly… One Big Idea For Your Week

Curiosity is the key? We feel more heard and understood. And asking curious questions can be a gift to another, even someone you just met. Who will you get curious about this week?

Tell Us How We Are Doing

Every week we are working to make #H!L better for you and to provide a cutting-edge media apprenticeship opportunity for our learners.

Please share your feedback. What do you love? What could we do better FOR YOU? What FTL businesses and experiences should we be highlighting?

Stuff You Won’t Want To Miss This Week:

1. ★ TOP PICK THIS WEEK: Saturday and Sunday - 10am-5pm | 39th Annual Las Olas Art Fair on East Las Olas Blvd. Painters, sculptors, photographers, jewelers, and glass and ceramic artists line both sides of the street for two full days, free to walk through and talk with the artists.

2. Every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night this month - 5:30-9:30pm | Carrie at Room 901, the hidden speakeasy inside the Hyatt Centric Las Olas. A 1970s-themed prom night built around the film’s 50th anniversary, inside a Prohibition-style bar most people don’t know is in the hotel. Reservation only.

3. TODAY - 4-5pm | Spooky Slime at the Main Library. Children will be instructed on how to make slime with basic ingredients and able to take their creation home with them.

4. TONIGHT - 5:30-7:30pm | Yappy Hour at The Dog Spot, Huizenga Park. Free weekly dog social with DogDrop, plus treats and tips on canine enrichment.

5. TONIGHT - doors 7pm | Toadies: The Charmer Tour at Revolution Live. With Local H and Emily Wolfe. All ages, $41.50.

6. TONIGHT - 8pm | Def Leppard at Hard Rock Live, Hollywood. “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and “Rock of Ages” from the band that’s sold more than 110 million albums. From $75.

7. TONIGHT - 7pm | Vamos Gatos Night: Canucks vs. Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise. The Panthers close Hispanic Heritage Month with their own themed night.

8. Friday - 6-9pm | Old Town’s Backyard Jam in Old Town Pompano, behind Bailey Contemporary Arts. Relentless plays 80s, 90s, and current dance hits. Free.

9. Friday Night - 7-10pm | Carter Park Jamz at Joseph C. Carter Park, 1450 W Sunrise Blvd. Free outdoor concert; bring chairs, blankets, and a cooler.

10. Friday and Saturday - 8pm | ICONS: Latin Rhythms at Aventura Arts & Cultural Center. Migguel Anggelo leads a band through Rubén Blades and Oscar D’León songs and original mashups, with the audience invited to sing and clap along.

11. Friday Night - 8pm | The Rhinestone Cowgirls at the Miniaci Performing Arts Center, NSU, Davie. Three vocalists cover Patsy Cline through Carrie Underwood, with Sarah McCulloch opening.

12. Friday Night - 8-9:30pm | Incompleta de Paula Arcila at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center. A Spanish-language solo show about motherhood and never being enough, told through four characters. $53+.

13. Friday Night - 7:30pm | Journey: Final Frontier Tour at Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise. Def Leppard and Journey in one week? Welcome back to peak 80’s.

14. Friday through Monday - times vary by day | SW Ranches Pumpkin Patch Festival at Southwest Ranches Sanctuary Park. Carnival rides, a pumpkin patch, an inflatable fun zone, a bubble station, and DJ line-dancing. $33 for ages 3 and up.

15. Saturday - doors 3:30pm | Snail Mail at Revolution Live, with Soccer Mommy.

16. Saturday 10am to 2pm | Brazilian Festival at Quiet Waters Park. Brazilian music, food and cultural festivities in Deerfield Beach.

17. Saturday - 1940 Harrison St, Hollywood | Hollywood ArtWalk. SFLCM students and instructors play live during the monthly gallery walk. Free, all ages.

18. Saturday Night - 7pm | Bassem Youssef: The Belly of the Beast Tour at Lillian S. Wells Hall, The Parker. He hosted Al Bernameg, the first political satire show in the Middle East, which drew 30 million viewers a week. 18+.

19. Saturday Night - 6pm | Pink in the Rink: Kraken vs. Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena. A Breast Cancer Awareness Month home game.

20. Saturday Afternoon - 12-4pm | 10th Annual Riverwalk Fall Festival at Esplanade Park. Free; food trucks, seasonal vendors, pumpkin painting, games, the same afternoon as the art fair a few blocks away.

21. Saturday Night - 5-10pm | Pompano Beach Caribbean Fest at Community Park. Free; Farmer Nappy and KLASS headline, with Paul Anthony & the Reggae Soulijahs and Reggae Force opening.

22. Saturday and Sunday - 9:30am-4:30pm | Harvest Festival Weekends: Dia de los Muertos Weekend at Flamingo Gardens, Davie. This weekend’s theme is Dia de los Muertos: costumes, face painting, hayrides, and mini Highland cows. $24 ages 12+, $17 ages 3-11, free under 3.

23. Saturday and Sunday - 9am-5pm | Parkland Pumpkin Patch at the Equestrian Center, Temple Park. Free and open to everyone; hayrides, food trucks, a petting zoo, face painting, inflatables, and arts and crafts for children. Pumpkins and food sold separately.

24. Saturday - two sessions, 12-2pm and 3-5pm | Thrills & Chills at the Coral Springs Gymnasium. Halloween games, crafts, and a sensory-friendly session for children. $5 advance, $8 at the door.

25. Saturday - 2pm | Artifacts, Tribal Antiques and Collectibles from Auctions 4 America, Tamarac. An online auction spanning Fiji, Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and ancient Egypt: an antique Fijian war club, Pre-Columbian Tairona gold beads, a Mayan jade effigy pendant.

26. Sunday - 5pm | Two Piano Extravaganza: Six Pianists in One Evening at Aventura Arts & Cultural Center. The Miami International Piano Festival pairs six pianists across Mozart, Debussy, Barber, Gershwin, Rachmaninoff, and Ravel.

27. Sunday Night - 6:30pm | $uicideboy$: Grey Day 2026 at Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise.

28. Sunday Night - 5-9pm | NoBe Sunday Block Party at Fishtales On 33rd. A weekly outdoor music and street festival in the North Beach neighborhood. Free.

29. Sunday Afternoon - 3-5pm | FGO SongFest - First Sing at First Presbyterian Church. The first Studio Artist Concert of the season from Florida Grand Opera’s 2026-27 Studio Artist Program.

30. Sunday - noon | The Grand Exhibition: Decorative Arts from Lion and Unicorn, Hollywood. A 401-lot British ceramics auction built around Royal Doulton Bunnykins prototypes, trial colorways that never reached production, alongside Wedgwood, Moorcroft, and Meissen.

31. Tuesday Night - 7:30pm | The Concert: A Tribute to ABBA at Wells Hall, The Parker. Recognized by the Official ABBA Fan Club as the best ABBA tribute band in the world.

32. Wednesday Morning - 10am | Mister C Vol. 3: When Science Goes Viral at Lillian S. Wells Hall, The Parker. A live-experiment science show built for children in grades 2 to 5. Lap tickets $3 for children 12 months and under.

33. Wednesday Night - 7:30pm | Live Dead & Brothers at Wells Hall, The Parker. A tribute ensemble with actual and legacy members of the Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers families.

34. Wednesday Night - 6:30-8pm | Think and Drink Trivia at New River Landing, Huizenga Park.

35. Wednesday Night - 6pm | Community Bingo Night at the E. Pat Larkins Center, Pompano Beach. Free, ages 18+.

36. Wednesday - Revolution Live | EsDeeKid.

37. Wednesday - 11am-1pm | FRIENDS Presents: More Than Exhibits at NSU Art Museum. A fundraising lunch where the museum’s Education Curator walks through its learning programs.

38. SAVE THE DATES for Next Week

    1. Thursday, Oct 22 - 4:30-6:30pm | Bark the Vote & Costume Parade at Colohatchee Dog Park, Wilton Manors. Dogs in costume parade for Dog Mayor candidates. Free.

    2. Thursday, Oct 22 - 6-8pm | Oldies Music Singo & Dance Show at the Herb Skolnick Center, Pompano Beach. $9 covers cards, refreshments, and prizes, then dancing.

    3. Friday, Oct 23 - 7:30pm | The Wilburys, A Traveling Tribute at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center. $45+.

    4. Friday, Oct 23 - 7pm | Teddy Swims: The Ugly Tour at Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise.

    5. Friday through Sunday, Oct 23-25 - hours vary by night | Nightmare Village at Xtreme Action Park. Two haunted houses, including Patches’ Slaughter at Ravenswood. $45 this weekend. Not recommended for children under 13.

    6. Saturday, Oct 24 - 4-9pm | Boo Bash at Community Park, Pompano Beach. Free admission; a Toddler Zone, a petting zoo, hay rides, and face painting.

    7. Saturday, Oct 24 - 6-11pm | Red Gala 2026 at Pier Sixty-Six. Goo Goo Dolls headline this charity gala benefiting Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation.

    8. Saturday, Oct 24 - 6-10pm | Margate’s Fall Festival at Margate Sports Complex. Free; a haunted house, pony rides, contests, and craft and food vendors.

    9. Saturday, Oct 24 - 6pm-2am | Hollyweird Festival on Hollywood Blvd between 19th and 20th Ave. Free admission; drink specials.

    10. Saturday, Oct 24 - 7pm | Sombr at Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise.

    11. Sunday, Oct 25 - 3-7pm | Horse & Hound Costume Event at Sand & Spurs Equestrian Park, Pompano Beach. Costumed dogs and horses, hayrides, a photo booth, food trucks, and a bounce house for children.

    12. Sunday, Oct 25 - 12-5pm | Free Fort Lauderdale Neighbor Day at NSU Art Museum. Free admission for Fort Lauderdale residents, the last Sunday of every month.

    13. Sunday, Oct 25 - 2pm | December ‘63: Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons Tribute at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center. $45+.

    14. Sunday, Oct 25 - 8pm | Brand New at Hard Rock Live, Hollywood.

Our Ask: This week has a Panthers Hispanic Heritage night, a 401-lot auction built around Bunnykins prototypes, and a Carrie-themed prom inside a secret speakeasy. Reply GATOS, BUNNYKINS, or PROM: which one are you most tempted by?

Featured Fort Lauderdale

The City’s New Water Plant Just Opened, For Real This Time

Fort Lauderdale held a ribbon-cutting this morning for the Prospect Lake Clean Water Center, a $666 million project at 3501 West Prospect Road. The plant uses nanofiltration and ion exchange and can produce up to 50 million gallons of water a day.

It replaces the Fiveash plant, which has been running since 1954, back when the whole city was a fraction of today’s size. Fiveash is named for Charles W. Fiveash, the water superintendent from 1941 to 1954, and the city only bought the land under it that same year, from the old Twin Lakes Heights Water Company. Prospect Lake Clean Water Center · City of Fort Lauderdale

So... You Think You Know South Florida

You probably already know… because you read it above, Fort Lauderdale just opened a $666 million water plant.

What you might not know is… the plant it’s replacing, Fiveash, has been running since 1954, back when the whole city was a fraction of today’s size.

Fiveash is named for Charles W. Fiveash, the city’s water superintendent from 1941 to 1954. The city only bought the land the plant sits on that same year, from the old Twin Lakes Heights Water Company. It’s a lime-softening plant, a different process than the nanofiltration and ion exchange the new Prospect Lake plant uses.

End result - no more yellow tinted water when you run your bath.

Source: City of Fort Lauderdale

More Treats To Try

We don’t let just anyone sponsor this newsletter. Here’s who “made the cut” this week:

• Children’s Business Fair Registrations are NOW OPEN and filling up fast! Looks like it is going to be a great event the first Saturday in December.

• SAVE THIS DATE: Sunday, November 8th - the first Families Serving Fort Lauderdale. Once a month, on a Sunday morning, we will partner with a different local nonprofit to learn about the important work they do and then roll up our sleeves (parents and children) for a meaningful, hands-on volunteer project. The goal is to help children develop a lifelong commitment to giving back, discover the joy of helping others, and see firsthand how they can make a difference in our community.

• If you have been looking for music lessons to start the school year, Thoven is an online music academy founded in South Florida, where we help families find 1:1 music lessons that fit their kid and their schedule, from home. We work with a hand-picked, vetted network of teachers, including musicians and educators from schools like The Juilliard School and Berklee College of Music. If you’d like a personalized match, you can reach out to keri@thoven.co to talk to our head of music education.

• 👉 Buy YOUR OWN Classified Ad Here 👈

Just hit reply to this email to get started. Work with us to reach over 1500+ Greater Fort Lauderdale families.

Quote Of The Week

“Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.”

~ Oscar Wilde, from his 1890 essay “The Critic as Artist,”

This week full of costume parties so it seems apropos to pick the words of speculation about what it really happening when we don the masks.

Flotsam & Jetsam

This week’s F&J was picked specifically for several our “builders” at Acton. We have a group of younger learners who, give them a bucket of LEGOS or sheets of paper, and they will go to town creating vehicles from the future.

So I thought it would be fun to show them examples of just how much creativity can be expressed in cardboard.

I’ve been following Cardboard Adventures online for several years now because Samual Wilde and team… are just amazing! You have to see these creations. Plus, you can buy kits and plans so you can get in on the action too.

Here’s a little teaser but checkout the full YouTube channel to see the full array of awesomeness.

Word Play Of The Week

“Trick or treat.”

Why do we still say that all these years?

The phrase is newer than the custom behind it: the earliest print use on record is a Canadian paper in 1917, with the U.S. picking it up by 1928. It traces further back to "souling," the poor going door to door for cakes in exchange for prayers for the dead, and to "guising," going door to door in disguise for food or coins. ~ ​Source

‘Under-The-Radar’ Openings Job Board

Lots of folks offering cool positions here locally. Maybe there’s one for you or a friend?

• Boat Captain at Water Taxi of Fort Lauderdale. A 100-ton or greater captain’s license, a TWIC card, and an FCC license are required. You’d be driving the same boats readers ride on the Sunset Music Cruise.

• Nitrogen Ice Cream Specialist, Lauderhill. Part time, pay to be discussed. A short, odd listing: whoever answers it needs to actually know how to make liquid-nitrogen ice cream.

• Zoo Keeper / Farm Worker / Animal Entertainer, Davie. $16/hr as a 1099 contractor. You feed and clean up after a menagerie, then drive the animals to schools, camps, and festivals for educational visits.

• Donut Baker at Glazed and Fueled, Coral Springs. Starting $30 to $35 an hour, up to $45 to $50 with experience. Shifts start as early as midnight, mixing and frying dough before the sun comes up.

• Marine Canvas Shop Helper, Pompano Beach. Pay commensurate with experience, 40 hours plus overtime after a 90-day trial. You learn the marine canvas trade from the ground up, measuring and fitting covers on boats.

Do you have a listing you would like to place here for next week? Hit reply and let us know.

Lastly… One Big Idea For Your Week

They say, the cave we fear to enter holds the treasure we most seek. Where is fear holding you back this week?

Tell Us How We Are Doing

Every week we are working to make #H!L better for you and to provide a cutting-edge media apprenticeship opportunity for our learners.

Please share your feedback. What do you love? What could we do better FOR YOU? What FTL businesses and experiences should we be highlighting?

Stuff You Won’t Want To Miss This Week:

1. ★ TOP PICK THIS WEEK: Tuesday through Sunday - Tue and Wed 7:30pm, more shows through Oct 18 | Buena Vista Social Club at the Au-Rene Theater, Broward Center. The Broadway musical built on the Cuban album that carried Havana’s old dance-hall sound around the world. It won four Tony Awards in 2025, and its band won a special Tony of its own. Here for six days, right as Hispanic Heritage Month ends.

2. TONIGHT - 6-8pm | Free Salsa Classes at L Bar, Seminole Hard Rock, Hollywood. Free lessons for Hispanic Heritage Month, and first-timers are welcome. The last class is next Thursday.

3. TONIGHT - 6-8pm | Oldies Music Singo & Dance Show at the Herb Skolnick Center, Pompano Beach. Bingo played with oldies. $9 covers your cards, refreshments, and a shot at prizes, and the dancing starts when the games end.

4. TONIGHT - 7pm | A Taste of Jazz at Bailey Contemporary Arts, Pompano Beach. A wine tasting at 7, then an hour of jazz history played live by Martin Hand and the Gold Coast Jazz Quartet. Tonight’s chapter is hard bop. $25. Insider Tip: there are no tickets at the door, so reserve ahead.

5. TONIGHT - 7pm | Fortune Feimster: Takin’ Care of Biscuits at Wells Hall, The Parker. Stand-up from the comic behind three Netflix specials.

6. TONIGHT - 8pm | Billy Currington at Hard Rock Live, Hollywood. Twelve No. 1 country singles, including “People Are Crazy.” From $75.

7. Friday - 12-1:30pm | Riverwalk Tunes on Top at Tunnel Top Plaza, Las Olas Blvd and 6th St. Free live music on your lunch break, and this is the last one of the season.

8. Friday Night - 6pm | The Watermelon Woman at The Pride Center at Equality Park, Wilton Manors. A free screening of Cheryl Dunye’s 1996 film, the first feature directed by a Black lesbian. The popcorn is free too.

9. Friday Night - 6-9pm | ¡Fiesta de Cultura! at Island SPACE Caribbean Museum, inside Broward Mall, Plantation. Latin dancers, singers, artists, and pop-up shops, with the museum open.

10. Friday Night - 7-9pm | Music Under the Stars on the Great Lawn at Atlantic Blvd and Pompano Beach Blvd. A free outdoor show by the beach, with the Speaker Box Band playing R&B, pop, and classic rock. Bring a chair or a blanket.

11. Friday Night - 7:30pm | Jefferson Starship at Wells Hall, The Parker. “Jane,” “Miracles,” and “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now,” with founding member David Freiberg still in the band.

12. Friday Night - 7:30pm | Aziz Ansari: Hypothetical Tour at Hard Rock Live, Hollywood. Stand-up from the co-creator of Master of None.

13. Friday Night - 7:30pm | Beyond the Beatles at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center. A show built on the four Beatles’ solo songs, and the audience helps pick the setlist. From $45.

14. Friday Night - 9pm | Bop to the Top at Revolution Live. A DJ dance night of Disney Channel throwbacks, and you are welcome to dance on the stage. 18+, from $26.

15. Friday and Saturday - 7:30pm | Aretha Franklin Tribute Concert at the Center for Spiritual Living, Oakland Park. Cristina Gilbert and the J Blue Band sing the Queen of Soul, two nights only.

16. Also starts this Weekend | Haunted Hamptons. Kicking off the scariest (and most fun) season of the year, this is a haunted trail at Hampton Pines Park in North Lauderdale. Admission is just $5.

17. Saturday and Sunday - 9:30am-4:30pm | Harvest Festival Weekends at Flamingo Gardens, Davie. Hayrides through a botanical garden and wildlife sanctuary that dates to 1927, plus mini Highland cows, new this year. This weekend’s theme is pirates. $24.

18. Saturday (times not yet announced) | Corgi Racing at Gulfstream Park. Yup, you read that right. The place famous for its horse racing… opens up the track for the shortest legs in the business. Thanks to The Browardist for finding this one.

19. Saturday - noon | Golden Age of Ocean Liners & Travel from Lion and Unicorn, Hollywood. An online-only estate auction of 590 lots from the great passenger ships: passenger lists, menus, and brochures from the Queen Mary, the Olympic, and the SS United States, plus shipboard china. You bid from home on LiveAuctioneers.

20. Saturday - 12-1:30pm | Decks for Discovery at NSU Art Museum. A workshop for grown-ups where you design your own mixed-media deck of cards. $25, 18+, and you need to register.

21. Saturday - 1pm and 7:45pm | Come From Away at the Amaturo Theater, Broward Center. Slow Burn Theatre opens its season with the musical about the Newfoundland town that took in 7,000 stranded passengers on 9/11. It runs through Oct 25.

22. Saturday - 2:15pm and 8pm | Tito Nieves: 50 Años at the Au-Rene Theater, Broward Center. The singer they call the Pavarotti of Salsa marks fifty years on stage.

23. Saturday Afternoon - 4-8pm | Deerfield Beach Fall Festival at Pioneer Park. Free, with a biergarten, artisan vendors, a pumpkin patch, and country music from the Whisky Six Band, then Gabriel Key with line dancing at 6. Insider Tip: skip the parking and take the free shuttle from Eller Street, near the Braithwaite Center, from 3:30 to 8:30.

24. Saturday Night - 6-9pm | Dania Beach Oktoberfest at Dania Beach City Hall. Free to get in, with live music, a costume contest at 7, and free pumpkins while they last. A tasting ticket covers unlimited samples from more than 40 breweries, wineries, and distillers. Insider Tip: parking is tight, so use the free shuttle from the Dania Beach Casino, running 5:30 to 10:30.

25. Saturday Night - 6pm-2am | Hells Gate: Dark Arts & Music Festival at Revolution Live. Two stages of darkwave, post-punk, and goth bands, plus burlesque, tattoo artists, and a market of oddities. 18+, from $32.47.

26. Saturday Night - 7-8pm | Kirk Zieser Pop-Up Performance on the Legacy Terrace at Huizenga Park. Free. Dylan to Buffett on ukulele and harmonica, beside the river.

27. Saturday Night - 8pm | Ricky Martin at Hard Rock Live, Hollywood. The San Juan-born star who started in Menudo, here in the last week of Hispanic Heritage Month. From $55.

28. Saturday Night - 8pm | Eva Ayllón & Daniela Darcourt at the Miniaci Performing Arts Center, NSU campus, Davie. Five decades of Peruvian música criolla from a Latin Grammy lifetime achievement winner. Insider Tip: park in the Alvin Sherman Library garage for $1 an hour.

29. Sunday - 12-4pm | Huizenga Park Community Market on the Civic Lawn. Local makers, small businesses, and food vendors with a DJ.

30. Sunday - 2pm | Cabrini at the Miniaci Performing Arts Center, Davie. A screening for Italian American Heritage Month, about the immigrant nun who became the first U.S. citizen named a saint.

31. Sunday Night - 6-9pm | Soulful Sundays at the Ali Cultural Arts Center, Pompano Beach. Andrew Luv & The Franchise Players play soul, R&B, and smooth jazz. $15. Insider Tip: tickets are sold online only.

32. Sunday Night - 7pm | Black Violin at the Au-Rene Theater, Broward Center. Wil Baptiste and Kev Marcus met in orchestra class at Dillard High School here in Fort Lauderdale. Now they bring classical strings and hip-hop beats home on the Be Free Tour.

33. Sunday Night - 7pm | Salud, Moldavsky y Amor at Wells Hall, The Parker. Spanish-language stand-up from the Argentine comic Roberto Moldavsky, with music by Valentín Gómez.

34. Sunday Night - 8pm | Postmodern Jukebox at the Pompano Beach Amphitheater. Pop hits redone as vintage jazz, swing, and soul, outdoors. Doors at 7.

35. Monday Night - 6:30pm | Fort Lauderdale Orchid Society Annual Orchid Auction at Christ Lutheran Church. Members donate rare orchids from their own collections, and the bidding starts at 7. The society turns 75 this year. Insider Tip: come at 6:30 to look the plants over before the bidding.

36. Tuesday Night - 7pm | Weezer: The Gathering at Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise. Weezer, The Shins, and Silversun Pickups on one bill. Great diversion on a Tuesday.

37. Tuesday Night - 8pm | “The Maids” at the Lauderhill Performing Arts Center. Roman Viktyuk’s staging of Jean Genet’s play has run for more than 35 years, with Kabuki-style makeup and a score of Dalida songs.

38. Wednesday Night - 6:30-8pm | Think and Drink Trivia at New River Landing, Huizenga Park. Weekly trivia by the river.

39. Wednesday Night - 8pm | Freya Skye at Hard Rock Live, Hollywood. The British pop singer who sang for the UK at Junior Eurovision, now past 1.5 billion streams. From $56.

40. SAVE THE DATES for Next Week

    1. Thursday, Oct 15 - 7pm | Vamos Gatos Night: Canucks vs. Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise. The Panthers’ Hispanic Heritage night. Doors open 60 to 90 minutes before puck drop.

    2. Thursday, Oct 15 - 7pm | OUTshine Film Festival Opening Night: La Bola Negra at Regal Dania Pointe. Spain’s entry for the Best International Feature Oscar, in its only Florida screening before release, then an after party at 14 North Daiquiri Bar. The festival runs through Oct 25.

    3. Thursday, Oct 15 - doors 7pm | Toadies: The Charmer Tour at Revolution Live. The Texas band’s new album is one of the last records Steve Albini produced. Local H and Emily Wolfe open. All ages, $41.50.

    4. Thursday, Oct 15 - 8pm | Def Leppard at Hard Rock Live, Hollywood. “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and “Rock of Ages” from the band that has sold more than 110 million albums. From $75.

    5. Friday, Oct 16 - 6-9pm | Old Town’s Backyard Jam in Old Town Pompano. Relentless plays dance hits from the 80s, 90s, and now. Free; bring a chair.

    6. Friday, Oct 16 - 7-10pm | Carter Park Jamz at Joseph C. Carter Park. A free outdoor concert, and you can bring chairs, blankets, and a cooler.

    7. Friday, Oct 16 - 7:30pm | Journey: Final Frontier Tour at Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise. Do we need to say anymore?

    8. Saturday, Oct 17 and Sunday, Oct 18 - 10am-5pm | 39th Annual Las Olas Art Fair. Free. Painters, sculptors, photographers, jewelers, and glass and ceramic artists from around the country, and you can talk with each of them about the work.

    9. Saturday, Oct 17 - 12-4pm | 10th Annual Riverwalk Fall Festival at Esplanade Park. Free, with food trucks, seasonal vendors, and pumpkin painting by the river, the same afternoon as the art fair.

    10. Saturday, Oct 17 - 5-10pm | Pompano Beach Caribbean Fest at Community Park, 1801 NE 6th St. Free. Farmer Nappy and KLASS headline, with island food and vendors all night.

    11. Saturday, Oct 17 - 7pm | Bassem Youssef: The Belly of the Beast Tour at Wells Hall, The Parker. He hosted Al Bernameg, the first political satire show in the Middle East, which drew 30 million viewers a week.

    12. Saturday, Oct 17 - doors 7pm | The Chopin Salon at ArtServe, 1350 E Sunrise Blvd. Margarita Shevchenko, a winner of the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, plays in the main gallery. Free with registration.

    13. Saturday, Oct 17 - 7pm | Knocked Loose & Denzel Curry at War Memorial Auditorium. A hardcore band and a rapper share the bill, with Superheaven and Boundaries.

    14. Sunday, Oct 18 - 2pm | “25 Cats of Qatar” with PURRR at Savor Cinema. The cat rescue hosts a screening, and director Mye Hoang stays after to meet people. $15.

    15. Sunday, Oct 18 - 4pm | Fists of Fury at Hard Rock Live, Hollywood. A night of live boxing. Cuban boxer Yuniel Dorticos, known as The KO Doctor, headlines, and Pompano’s Rosalinda Rodriguez is on the card. From $31.

Our Ask: What is the best thing you ever found at an estate sale, a yard sale, or the Swap Shop?

Featured Fort Lauderdale

You get a two for one this week:

A Local Shelter Dog Who Sniffs for Bombs

When Fort Lauderdale police found her, she was seven months old and tied up in a backyard. Nobody knew whose she was. Broward County Animal Care took her in and waited for an owner to come forward. Nobody did.

Officer Dougle Ng-A-Kien wondered whether a shelter dog could do police work. He fostered her and trained her himself. Her name is Mal, and she is a Belgian Malinois. She passed the same tests the department gives the dogs it buys from professional suppliers, and she has worked bomb detection since July. After her probation, she got her badge.

A Malinois brought in from overseas can cost up to $25,000. A dog from the shelter often costs less than $200. Mal is one year old now, and she is Officer Ng-A-Kien’s second work dog. FLPD K-9 Mal.

Source: Hoodline, from WSVN 7News, Oct 2

Windmills by the Highway in Weston

If you have driven I-75 at Arvida Parkway, you have seen the windmills. Roy Rogers put them there. He was the central figure in planning Weston for Arvida, and the wide medians, open green space, and parks came from his belief that a suburb should not feel closed in.

He also helped bring Butterfly World into being and helped found the Parks Foundation of Broward County. In 2023 Pompano Beach named the park at Hillsboro Inlet for him.

Rogers died Sept. 26 at 90. His family will hold a celebration of his life at that park in November.

Source: Sun Sentinel, Oct 1

So... You Think You Know South Florida

You probably already know (I didn’t, but cool story)… about Black Violin, the two Fort Lauderdale musicians who play classical strings over hip-hop beats.

What you might not know is… Wil Baptiste ended up in orchestra because two teachers bet on him over a round of golf.

Years before Dillard, Wil signed up for band because he wanted to play the saxophone. He was put in the string class instead. In 2012, long after Black Violin had made its name, he found out why. The band teacher and the orchestra teacher had made a bet: whoever won the golf game got him in their class. The orchestra teacher won. Wil took up the viola, and at Dillard High School he became stand partners with a sophomore named Kev Marcus.

They play the Broward Center this Sunday night.

Source: WLRN

More Treats To Try

We don’t let just anyone sponsor this newsletter. Here’s who “made the cut” this week:

• Children’s Business Fair UPDATE: For supporters and participants. Next Fair is Saturday, December 5th at MODS. Registrations opening soon. Watch here for the updates. We always have a waitlist so register early.

• If you have been looking for music lessons to start the school year, Thoven is an online music academy founded in South Florida, where we help families find 1:1 music lessons that fit their kid and their schedule, from home. We work with a hand-picked, vetted network of teachers, including musicians and educators from schools like The Juilliard School and Berklee College of Music. If you’d like a personalized match, you can reach out to keri@thoven.co to talk to our head of music education.

• Sunset Music Cruise from Shooters Waterfront, Fort Lauderdale. Live music and the sunset from the water, for $49. Two more Fridays after this one, and then the season is over. Insider Tip: cruise guests get a $10 Shooters coupon for after.

• 👉 Buy YOUR OWN Classified Ad Here 👈

Just hit reply to this email to get started. Work with us to reach over 1500+ Greater Fort Lauderdale families.

Quote Of The Week

“Every passion borders on the chaotic, but the collector’s passion borders on the chaos of memories.”

This one is from Walter Benjamin, the German writer, in his 1931 essay about unpacking his book collection, "Unpacking My Library." Seems appropriate on a week with an Estate Auction from Cruise Liners and an Orchid Sale. We all collect something, even if it is just a collection of moments.

Flotsam & Jetsam

Here’s an interesting one to explore. We are getting into the political season (voting in November) though it feels like politics have become a year-round and brutal sport.

WHY do we think what we think? That’s the premise of 12 Axes. Instead of just jumping on the bandwagon, it is a political quiz that goes past the left-right line. It scores you on 12 separate scales, then shows the ideologies, countries, and political figures you match most. You might be surprised by your results.

Word Play Of The Week

“Going for a song.”

When something sells for far less than it is worth, it went for a song. A song costs nothing to sing, and English has used it to mean next to nothing since at least 1601, when Shakespeare wrote of "a goodly manor for a song" in All's Well That Ends Well. ~ ​Source

‘Under-The-Radar’ Openings Job Board

Lots of folks offering cool positions here locally. Maybe there’s one for you or a friend?

• Sea Turtle Worker with NSU’s Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program. Hourly, nights and weekends, hiring for next nesting season. You patrol Broward’s beaches on an ATV, mark new nests, and check the ones that have hatched.

• Museum Registrar at NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale. Full time with benefits. You keep track of every work in the collection and run the packing, shipping, hanging, and condition reports. Applications close Saturday, Oct 10.

• Booth Photographer at the Awkward Family Photos holiday pop-up, Broward Mall, Plantation. Seasonal, Nov 6 to Dec 24, with training the week of Oct 19. You shoot people in wigs on a set built like Grandma’s living room.

• Changeover Crew at Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise. Part time, nights and overnights. You’re one of the people who turn the Panthers’ ice into a concert floor and back again.

• Ocean Lifeguard for Deerfield Beach Ocean Rescue. $23.85 an hour, on call. Applications close Oct 16 at 5pm.

• Classic Car Body Man, Fort Lauderdale. $22 to $25 an hour, full time. A restoration shop wants someone who can replace rusted floors and straighten old frames by hand. The post is in Spanish.

• Event Technician at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. Seasonal, nights and weekends. You learn stage production from the inside, setting up shows at the Broward Center and The Parker.

Do you have a listing you would like to place here for next week? Hit reply and let us know.

Lastly… One Big Idea For Your Week

We all carry so many thoughts in our heads. What could we do with them, that would make us feel better… less stressed… more heard… better prepared?

Tell Us How We Are Doing

Every week we are working to make #H!L better for you and to provide a cutting-edge media apprenticeship opportunity for our learners.

Please share your feedback. What do you love? What could we do better FOR YOU? What FTL businesses and experiences should we be highlighting?

Stuff You Won’t Want To Miss This Week:

1. ★ TOP PICK THIS WEEK: Sunday Night - doors 7pm | Mariachi El Bronx at Revolution Live, Fort Lauderdale. The punk band The Bronx started playing mariachi in charro suits back in 2008, and this is their first tour in ten years. Bedouin Soundclash and Max Diaz open. All ages, tickets $38.50.

2. TODAY - 11am-7pm | Free First Thursday at NSU Art Museum, Fort Lauderdale. Free admission all day, a free tour at noon, and 2-for-1 happy hour. At 5:30, Miami artist Richard Moreno performs a piece built from heavy metal, swamp imagery, and experimental sound to close out the Close to Home show.

3. TONIGHT - 6-8pm | Free Salsa Classes at L Bar, Seminole Hard Rock, Hollywood. Free lessons in salsa, bachata, and rueda de casino for Hispanic Heritage Month, and first-timers are welcome. They run again Oct 8 and 15.

4. TONIGHT - 7pm | John Crist Live at the Au-Rene Theater, Broward Center. Stand-up from a comic Pollstar ranks among its Top 10 touring comedians.

5. TONIGHT - 7:30pm | Great White & Slaughter at Wells Hall, The Parker. “Once Bitten, Twice Shy” and “Up All Night” on the same bill.

6. TONIGHT - 8pm | Celtic Thunder: Celebrate Your Favorite Songs at the Amaturo Theater, Broward Center. The Irish vocal group’s stage show, with a live band and big theatrical sets.

7. Friday, Wednesday, and Next Friday - 12-1:30pm | Riverwalk Tunes on Top at Tunnel Top Plaza, Las Olas Blvd and 6th St. Free live local music on your lunch break. The series ends Oct 9, so these are the last three to catch.

8. Friday Night - 6-10pm | Old Town Untapped in Old Town Pompano, around Bailey Contemporary Arts. A free block party on the first Friday of every month: Mama Fuma plays funk and soul, BaCA opens new gallery shows, and food trucks line the street. Insider Tip: docent-led art tours run 8 to 8:45pm, and the city’s page has a parking map.

9. Friday Night - 6pm | “In Memory Of” Opening Reception. ArtServe’s members each show a piece of their own past, alongside solo shows by Marco Saint-Juste and Kaila Stutzmann. The reception is free and open to everyone.

10. Friday Night - 5pm happy hour, sails 6:30pm | Sunset Music Cruise from Shooters Waterfront, Fort Lauderdale. Water Taxi’s Friday cruise with live music and a toast on the water at sunset. $49, capped at 100 guests. Insider Tip: cruise guests get a $10 Shooters coupon for after.

11. Friday Night - 7pm | Ziggy Marley and Gov’t Mule at Hard Rock Live, Hollywood. Reggae and Southern jam rock on one bill, with a DJ set from Yola. Tickets from $42.

12. Friday Night - 9pm-1am | Club 90’s presents 2000s Night at Revolution Live. A dance party built on the anthems of the 2000s, with synced visuals all night. 18+, tickets from $26.

13. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday - Fri and Sat 7:30pm; Sun 2pm | Pippin at the Miniaci Performing Arts Center, NSU campus, Davie. NSU students stage Stephen Schwartz’s musical, which won four Tonys in its 2013 revival.

14. This Weekend | Octoberfest kicks off in multiple locations. Oakland Park, Davie, and Coral Springs are all on the calendar.

15. Saturday Morning - 9am-10am | FTL Free Workout at Huizenga Park. I am there (almost) every Saturday morning. Coach Chad and team do an amazing job of bringing the energy. Seven stations with music and a timer.

16. Saturday Morning - 10am-2pm | Las Olas Autumn Festival at First Presbyterian Church. The first year of a fall festival from the Las Olas Association and Flamingo Flea, with local makers, food and drinks, live music, and a pumpkin patch.

17. Saturday Morning - 10am-2pm | Stranahan House Craft Fair at the Historic Stranahan House Museum. Local makers set up beside the oldest house in the county, right on the New River, a few blocks from the Las Olas festival.

18. Saturday Afternoon - 12-6pm | The Fort Lauderdale Margarita Festival at Las Olas Oceanside Park. Your ticket gets you ten 3.5-ounce margaritas from local bars, and you vote for the best one. The winning bar takes home $1,000.

19. Saturday Afternoon - 3-4:30pm | Close to Home Artist Roundtable at NSU Art Museum. The South Florida artists in Close to Home talk about the partners, friends, and family behind their work, the day before the show closes. $16, museum admission included.

20. Saturday - 3pm and 7pm | Absolute Queen with special guest Bo Bice at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center. A Queen tribute band, plus Journey, Def Leppard, and Bon Jovi songs sung by American Idol finalist Bo Bice. It’s worth the short drive south.

21. Saturday Night - 5:30-8:30pm | Fall Collection Salon Opening at the Broward Art Guild. An open-call show with no theme, hung wall to wall. Free.

22. Saturday Night - 6-7:30pm | Starlight Jam Sessions at the Palm Aire Gazebo, Pompano Beach. A free outdoor concert where The Ruminators play British Invasion and 70s rock. Seating is limited, so bring a chair. Insider Tip: park at the Herb Skolnick Center, 800 SW 36th Ave.

23. Saturday Night - 7-9pm | New River Live Showcase at New River Landing, Huizenga Park. Local musicians play their own songs beside the river. Free; RSVP on the page.

24. Saturday Night - 7pm | MJ LIVES! Michael Jackson Tribute at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center. A live band and dancers take you from the Jackson 5 through the solo years. Tickets from $53.

25. Saturday Night - 7pm | Atsuko Okatsuka: The Big Bowl Tour at Wells Hall, The Parker. Stand-up from the comic behind the viral #DropChallenge and the HBO special The Intruder.

26. Saturday Night - 7:30pm | Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida: Program I at the Broward Center. The company opens its season and closes the night with its first-ever Raymonda Grand Pas, Petipa’s classic set to Glazunov.

27. Sunday Morning - 10:30am | Sensory-Inclusive Clifford the Big Red Dog: The Musical at Wells Hall, The Parker. The same show with lower sound, no strobes, and few special effects, for anyone on the autism spectrum or with sensory sensitivities.

28. Sunday - 11am | Sunday Jazz Brunch at Esplanade Park on the Riverwalk. Free local jazz on three stages along the river, the first Sunday of each month. Bring a chair or a blanket; leashed dogs are welcome.

29. Also Sunday - 11am-2pm | Arts Launch Broward at the Broward Center. The county’s free kickoff to the arts season, with local artists and cultural groups all in one place, a short walk from Jazz Brunch.

30. Sunday Afternoon - 4pm or 5:30pm | Whiskers & Hooves Goat Yoga at the PURRR Adoption + Sanctuary Ranch, Davie. An hour of beginner yoga with goats wandering around your mat. $35, mats provided, and every dollar goes to PURRR’s cat rescue.

31. Sunday Night - 7:30pm | CAAMP with special guest Whitney at the Au-Rene Theater, Broward Center. A folk band built on warm harmonies and storytelling, with Whitney opening.

32. Monday Night - 7:30pm | A Day Without Sunshine at the Broward Center. A staged reading of Michael McKeever’s new play about Miami in 1977, when a county law protecting gay residents was overturned by Anita Bryant’s campaign.

33. Wednesday Night - 6pm | Community Bingo Night at the E. Pat Larkins Center, Pompano Beach. Free bingo with prizes. 18+.

34. Wednesday Night - 6:30-8pm | Think and Drink Trivia at New River Landing, Huizenga Park. Weekly trivia by the river, and the host brings the pens and answer pads.

35. Wednesday Night - doors 7pm | Infinity Song at Revolution Live. Four siblings singing soft rock in close harmony; their parents founded the Boys & Girls Choirs of Detroit. All ages, from $40.

36. SAVE THE DATES for Next Week

    1. Thursday, Oct 8 - 7pm | A Taste of Jazz at Bailey Contemporary Arts, Pompano Beach. A wine tasting at 7, then an hour of jazz history played live by Martin Hand and the Gold Coast Jazz Quartet. $25, or $20 for Pompano residents. Insider Tip: there are no tickets at the door, so reserve ahead.

    2. Thursday, Oct 8 - 7pm | Fortune Feimster: Takin’ Care of Biscuits at Wells Hall, The Parker. Stand-up from the comic behind three Netflix specials.

    3. Thursday, Oct 8 - 8pm | Billy Currington at Hard Rock Live, Hollywood. Twelve No. 1 country singles, including “People Are Crazy.” From $75.

    4. Friday, Oct 9 - 7:30pm | Aziz Ansari: Hypothetical Tour at Hard Rock Live, Hollywood. The Master of None co-creator brings his Hypothetical Tour to Hollywood.

    5. Friday, Oct 9 - 7:30pm | Jefferson Starship at Wells Hall, The Parker. “Jane,” “Miracles,” and “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now,” fifty years on.

    6. Friday, Oct 9 - 7:30pm | Beyond the Beatles at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center. A show built on the four Beatles’ solo songs, and the audience helps pick the setlist. From $45.

    7. Saturday, Oct 10 - 10am | Big Toy & Truck Extravaganza at Snyder Park. opportunity to view, climb aboard, and operate fire-rescue trucks, police vehicles, SWAT and bomb squad vehicles, a front loader, bucket trucks, an excavator, a crane, dump trucks, and more.

    8. Saturday, Oct 10 - 5pm | Zero Empty Spaces at DCOTA Grand Opening at the Design Center of the Americas, Dania Beach. Forty working artist studios in 13,000 square feet, open to walk through on opening night. Free; RSVP on Eventbrite.

    9. Saturday, Oct 10 - 6pm | Florida Panthers Home Opener at Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise. The Panthers open their home season against the Minnesota Wild. Doors open 60 to 90 minutes before puck drop.

    10. Saturday, Oct 10 - 6-9pm | Dania Beach Oktoberfest at Dania Beach City Hall. Free to get in, with live music and food; a tasting ticket covers unlimited samples from more than 40 breweries, wineries, and distillers.

    11. Saturday, Oct 10 - 6pm-2am | Hells Gate: South Florida’s Dark Arts & Music Festival at Revolution Live. Two stages of darkwave, post-punk, and goth bands from around the country, plus DJs and performance art. 18+, from $32.47.

    12. Saturday, Oct 10 - 8pm | Ricky Martin at Hard Rock Live, Hollywood. The San Juan-born star who started in Menudo and has sold more than 95 million albums, here in the middle of Hispanic Heritage Month. Tickets from $55.

    13. Saturday, Oct 10 - 1pm and 7:45pm | Come From Away at the Broward Center. Slow Burn Theatre opens its season with the musical about the Newfoundland town that took in 7,000 stranded passengers on 9/11. Runs through Oct 25.

    14. Sunday, Oct 11 - 6-9pm | Soulful Sundays at the Ali Cultural Arts Center, Pompano Beach. Andrew Luv & The Franchise Players play soul, R&B, and smooth jazz. $15. Insider Tip: tickets are sold online only, never at the door.

    15. Sunday, Oct 11 - 7pm | Black Violin at the Broward Center. The Grammy-nominated duo Wil Baptiste and Kev Marcus bring classical strings and hip-hop beats together. They met as stand partners in orchestra class at Dillard High School here in Fort Lauderdale.

    16. Sunday, Oct 11 - 7pm | Salud, Moldavsky y Amor at Wells Hall, The Parker. Spanish-language stand-up from Roberto Moldavsky, with music by Valentín Gómez.

    17. Sunday, Oct 11 - 8pm | Postmodern Jukebox at the Pompano Beach Amphitheater. Scott Bradlee’s collective turns pop hits into vintage jazz, swing, and soul, outdoors. Doors at 7.

Our Ask: The free water trolley on the New River might start charging visitors. Reply YES, NO, or RESIDENTS FREE: what should the city do?

Featured Fort Lauderdale

The Free Boat on the New River May Soon Start Charging Visitors

If you’ve ridden the water trolley, you know how it works. You step onto a small boat at one of eight stops along the New River, ride the loop for about half an hour, and nobody asks you for a dime. It has been that way since 2014.

It has also gotten very popular. The city expects about 140,000 riders this year, up from 67,000 in 2022. The boat holds 19 people, so around 730 people a month are left standing on the dock, and the wait can run 90 minutes.

The city pays Water Taxi $255,000 a year to run the trolley from 10 in the morning to 10 at night. Commissioners haven’t decided anything yet, but they are talking about charging people who don’t live in Fort Lauderdale, possibly as soon as early next year. Mayor Dean Trantalis suggested a fare above $2 and below $10. Vice Mayor Ben Sorensen wants residents to keep riding free, and he’d like to see how many visitors still ride once they pay before the city spends another $255,000 a year on a second boat.

~ Source: Sun Sentinel, Sep 19

So... You Think You Know South Florida

You probably already know… Panthers fans are famous for throwing plastic rats on the ice.

What you might not know is… why. And how that crazy tradition started.

Before the home opener in October 1995, a rat ran across the Panthers’ cramped locker room at the old Miami Arena. Players jumped into their stalls. Scott Mellanby grabbed his stick and one-timed it into the wall. That night he scored two goals with the same stick in a 4-3 win over Calgary, and goalie John Vanbiesbrouck told reporters it was the first “rat trick” in NHL history. A few days later an equipment manager bought a rubber rat at a Halloween shop and set it up where the real one died. The next time Mellanby scored, a rubber rat hit the ice.

The Panthers open their home season next Saturday, Oct 10, against the Minnesota Wild.

Source: NHL.com

More Treats To Try

We don’t let just anyone sponsor this newsletter. Here’s who “made the cut” this week:

• Children’s Business Fair UPDATE: For supporters and participants. Next Fair is Saturday, December 5th at MODS. Registrations opening soon. Watch here for the updates. We always have a waitlist so register early.

• If you have been looking for music lessons to start the school year, Thoven is an online music academy founded in South Florida, where we help families find 1:1 music lessons that fit their kid and their schedule, from home. We work with a hand-picked, vetted network of teachers, including musicians and educators from schools like The Juilliard School and Berklee College of Music. If you’d like a personalized match, you can reach out to keri@thoven.co to talk to our head of music education.

• The run of The Odyssey at MODS is now over. But the must-see shows keep rolling. See Digger at the AutoNation IMAX at MODS. Synopsis: The most powerful man in the world embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity’s savior before the disaster he’s unleashed destroys everything.

• 👉 Buy YOUR OWN Classified Ad Here 👈

Just hit reply to this email to get started. Work with us to reach over 1500+ Greater Fort Lauderdale families.

Quote Of The Week

“I really embraced America up there like I never had before, and I think I finally felt like I was home in some way.”

Richard Blanco, the Cuban-American poet who grew up in Miami, on reading his poem at the 2013 presidential inauguration. (Fresh Air, NPR)

Flotsam & Jetsam

At our Acton school, every single day we talk about or reference the Hero’s Journey as THE myth that powers our growth and identity.

Here’s a fun new online tool.

Before we mapped continents, we mapped the cosmos. Every culture across history has told a story about how everything started—whether out of primordial waters, a shattered cosmic egg, or the branches of a world tree.

A Map of Origin Myths brings these foundational stories together in an interactive world map. It tracks how humanity has imagined the birth of the universe, the Earth, and ourselves across time and geography.

The sheer depth of the tool is staggering. You can:

• Filter by core themes: Trace specific creation archetypes across continents.

• Travel through time: See how myths evolved and overlapped through human history.

• Follow lineages: Uncover the hidden relationships and shared threads connecting distant cultural traditions.

Pick an idea that intrigues you, jump in, and let your curiosity guide the way.

__

And if you want to truly pleasing waste of five minutes, try out Iceberger. Draw the shape of your ice berg and then watch what happens as it settles into the water. It is surprisingly satisfying.

Word Play Of The Week

“Hat trick.”

In hockey it means one player scoring three goals in one game. The phrase started in cricket in 1879, for a bowler who took three wickets on three straight balls, and spread to other sports, hockey most of all, around 1909.

The story goes that the bowler’s club gave him a new hat, or passed a hat around for him, though nobody has proven which. Mellanby came up one goal short of a hat trick that night in 1995, which is why his goalie called it a rat trick. ~ ​Source

‘Under-The-Radar’ Openings Job Board

Lots of folks offering cool positions here locally. Maybe there’s one for you or a friend?

• Lorikeet Attendant at Butterfly World, Coconut Creek. $15 an hour and up, full or part time. You spend the day feeding and caring for the lorikeets visitors line up to hold.

• Diver to Clean Yacht Hulls, Fort Lauderdale. Paid by the day to clean and inspect boats from underwater.

• Assistant Dive Coach at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Complex, next to the Swimming Hall of Fame. $16.40 to $26.94 an hour, part time. Applications close Friday at 5pm.

• Certified Horticulture Tech at Flamingo Gardens, Davie. From $21 an hour, caring for the grounds of a garden and wildlife sanctuary that dates to 1927.

• Groundskeeper, Port Everglades, Broward County. $16.40 to $26.17 an hour, full time, keeping the grounds inside the cruise and cargo port.

• Tailor or Seamstress for a one-person alterations shop, Pompano Beach. She measures and marks each piece, and you sew on your own schedule for half of what she charges.

Do you have a listing you would like to place here for next week? Hit reply and let us know.

Lastly… One Big Idea For Your Week

What do you do that helps you stop and reflect?

Tell Us How We Are Doing

Every week we are working to make #H!L better for you and to provide a cutting-edge media apprenticeship opportunity for our learners.

Please share your feedback. What do you love? What could we do better FOR YOU? What FTL businesses and experiences should we be highlighting?

Stuff You Won’t Want To Miss This Week:

1. ★ TOP PICK THIS WEEK: TONIGHT - 7:30pm | TLC & Salt-N-Pepa with En Vogue: IT’S ICONIC at Hard Rock Live, Hollywood. Three of the biggest names in 90s R&B and hip-hop share one stage. Tickets start around $91 but when will you ever? If not now, when?

2. TONIGHT - 6-8pm | Oldies Music Singo & Dance Show at the Herb Skolnick Center, Pompano Beach. Classic-hits bingo, two games, six winners, and dancing after. $7 per person.

3. TONIGHT - 6-8pm | Community Movie Night at the E. Pat Larkins Center, Pompano Beach. Free monthly movie night with light refreshments. Good thing this one’s inside with all the rain lately.

4. Through Wednesday | Dine Out Lauderdale, last chance. More than 170 Broward restaurants are still running fixed-price menus, lunch from $35 and dinner from $45, before the promotion ends Sep 30.

5. Ongoing through Nov 10 | The Poppy Project Pop-Up Living Garden at Galleria Fort Lauderdale. Oversized handcrafted poppy flowers raising money and awareness for veterans’ mental health. Free to visit and photograph.

6. Ongoing through Oct 25 | Viva Fort Lauderdale at History Fort Lauderdale’s New River Inn. A fifth-anniversary Hispanic Heritage Month exhibition with work from painters in Spain and Venezuela and sculpture from a Nicaraguan artist. Free.

7. Friday Night - 5-8pm | Founding Families Fall Festival. Visit the historic Stranahan House Museum to celebrate the founding families of Fort Lauderdale with festive fall fun. Guests will enjoy food trucks, beer and wine vendors, games, live music, and more for all ages. The Water Taxi will be providing complimentary rides.

8. Also Friday Night | Book Swap at the Cooper City Community Center. Trade the books you’ve read for new adventures.

9. Friday, Wednesday, and Next Friday - 12-1:30pm | Riverwalk Tunes on Top at Las Olas Tunnel Top Plaza, downtown. Free lunchtime concerts under the new shade structure, running through Oct 9. Bring lunch and a chair.

10. Saturday Night - 6:30-9pm | Silent Disco Presented by Good Night John Boy at New River Landing, near Huizenga Park. Wireless-headphone dance party against the downtown skyline. RSVP early for a reserved headset from 6:30-7pm.

11. Saturday Night - 7-11pm | FAT Village Art Walk in the FAT Village Arts District. Rain-or-shine monthly gallery crawl with food trucks, live music, and a free Sun Trolley shuttle from Sears Town.

12. Saturday - 4-8pm | Flamingo Flea at Marina Village. A beachside food hall, vintage and handmade vendors, and a two-story boat bar with a DJ.

13. Saturday | Fall Harvest Festival at Sunrise Amphitheater. A petting zoo, corn maze and DinoDig trailer where kids can excavate dinosaur bones.

14. Saturday Night - 7:30pm | James Taylor and His All-Star Band at Hard Rock Live, Hollywood. This week’s date-night marquee show; doors at 6:30pm. JT never goes out of style.

15. Saturday - 10am | Aerial Arts Society Competition 2026 at the Miniaci Performing Arts Center, NSU campus, Davie. Aerialists of all levels compete on silks and hoops, judges included, for a $1,000 grand prize.

16. Saturday Night - 6pm | Legacy: A Tribute to Pandit Ravi Shankar at the Amaturo Theater, Broward Center. Acclaimed disciples and maestros perform the sitar legend’s repertoire.

17. Saturday Night - 7:30pm | Miamibloco: From the Streets to the Stage at Wells Hall, The Parker. A Brazilian Carnaval-style night of samba, Afro-Brazilian rhythm, and live percussion.

18. Saturday Night - 6-9pm | Salsa in September at Coconut Creek City Hall Courtyard. Free live Latin music and dance instruction from Melendrez Dance Studios.

19. Saturday Night - 9pm-1am | Club 90’s presents Ariana Grande Night at Revolution Live. A full night of Ariana Grande’s catalog for the sing-every-word crowd. Tickets from $52.

20. Saturday - 6pm | Preseason Hockey: Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning at Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise. A cheap preseason tune-up between the two in-state rivals.

21. Sunday - 12-4pm | Huizenga Park Community Market at Huizenga Park’s Civic Lawn. Local artisans, small businesses, and food vendors, with a live DJ through the afternoon.

22. Sunday - noon-5pm | Fort Lauderdale Neighbor Day at NSU Art Museum. Free admission for Fort Lauderdale residents on the last Sunday of every month; bring an ID or a utility bill showing your address.

23. Also Sunday - 2-5pm | Photo Book Speed Date at NSU Art Museum. Bring a favorite photo book and swap it in timed rotations with other photographers and collectors.

24. Sunday | Asian Food and Music Festival at the Seminole Casino in Hollywood. Taste your way through Asia with more than 50 food vendors offering authentic regional specialties.

25. Ends Sunday | School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play at The Hive Black Box Theater, Pompano Beach. Bréva Theatre’s run of Jocelyn Bioh’s comedy about ambition and colorism at an elite Ghanaian boarding school closes this weekend, nightly at 7:30pm.

26. Wednesday Night - 6:30-8pm | Think and Drink Bingo at Huizenga Park. Bingo with music and an energetic host, right in the park.

27. SAVE THE DATES for Next Week

    1. Thursday, Oct 1 - 7pm | John Crist Live at the Au-Rene Theater, Broward Center. Stand-up from a comedian Pollstar ranks among its Top 10 global touring acts.

    2. Thursday, Oct 1 - 7:30pm | Great White & Slaughter at Wells Hall, The Parker. Two four-decade rock bands sharing a bill as part of the Cleveland Clinic Rock Series.

    3. Thursday, Oct 1 - 8pm | Celtic Thunder: Celebrate Your Favorite Songs at the Amaturo Theater, Broward Center. The Irish vocal group’s theatrical stage show, backed by the Celtic Thunder Band.

    4. Thursday, Oct 1 - 11am-7pm, performance at 5:30pm | NSU Art Museum Free First Thursday. Free admission all day, a noon tour, and a closing performance blending heavy metal, swamp imagery, and experimental sound as the Close to Home exhibition ends.

    5. Friday, Oct 2 - 6-10pm | Old Town Untapped in Old Town Pompano. A free block party with live music from Mama Fuma, a gallery opening at Bailey Contemporary Arts Center, and food trucks.

    6. Friday, Oct 2 | Digger Opens at AutoNation IMAX, Museum of Discovery and Science. A high-stakes thriller about a world leader racing to stop a disaster of his own making; showtimes post closer to opening.

    7. Friday, Oct 2 - 7pm | Ziggy Marley and Gov’t Mule at Hard Rock Live, Hollywood. A reggae-and-jam-band double bill; tickets from about $62.

    8. Oct 2-4 | Pippin at the Miniaci Performing Arts Center, NSU campus. NSU’s Department of Communication, Media & Arts stages the Tony-winning musical about a prince’s search for meaning.

    9. Saturday, Oct 3 - 3pm and 7pm | Absolute Queen & Absolute Journey feat. Bo Bice at Aventura Arts & Cultural Center. Two tribute acts covering Queen, Journey, Def Leppard, and Bon Jovi, with American Idol finalist Bo Bice fronting.

    10. Saturday, Oct 3 - 7pm | Atsuko Okatsuka: The Big Bowl Tour at Wells Hall, The Parker. Stand-up from the Truist Comedy Series, drawing on her unconventional upbringing.

    11. Saturday, Oct 3 - 7:30pm | Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida: Program I at the Amaturo Theater, Broward Center. The company opens its 2026-27 season with classical and contemporary works, closing with Raymonda Grand Pas.

    12. Saturday, Oct 3 - 11am-3pm | Coconut Creek Fire Rescue 5-Year Anniversary Open House at Fire Station 50, Coconut Creek. Free open house marking five years of the city’s own fire-rescue department.

    13. Saturday, Oct 3 - 10am-2pm | Las Olas Autumn Festival on Las Olas Boulevard. A seasonal street festival with local vendors, food, drinks, and live music, no tickets needed.

    14. Sunday, Oct 4 - 11am | Sunday Jazz Brunch at Esplanade Park / Riverwalk. Free live jazz on three stages, first Sunday of every month; bring a chair and a leashed dog.

    15. Sunday, Oct 4 - 10:30am | Sensory-Inclusive Clifford the Big Red Dog: The Musical at Wells Hall, The Parker. A 60-minute adaptation with reduced sound and no strobe lights, built for children and adults on the autism spectrum. Insider Tip: presale tickets start at $10 but the price rises after Sep 27, so lock it in early.

    16. Sunday, Oct 4 - 11am-2pm | Arts Launch Broward 2026 at the Broward Center. A free community celebration of the county’s arts scene, stacking with Jazz Brunch and Sensory Clifford for a full Sunday downtown.

Our Ask: If we rolled back 30 years, tonight’s show would be the biggest names in the business. Reply TLC, SALT-N-PEPA, or EN VOGUE: whose set are you most hyped for tonight?

Featured Fort Lauderdale

After 25 Years, Big City Tavern Pours Its Last Drink on Las Olas

If you have lived here more than a year, somebody has probably invited you to Big City Tavern. A first date, a burger after a long week, the lobster mac and cheese you swore you would split. It has held the corner at 609 East Las Olas since 2001.

Next week (September 30) it closes for good.

The announcement went up on the restaurant’s own Instagram last Friday, short and gracious: they are raising a glass to the guests, the team, and the community who made the place what it is. No reason was given. Todd Herbst, who co-founded Big Time Restaurant Group, the company that owns it, put it this way: “I think we were fortunate to be there as long as we have been. Times are changing and you can’t compete with progress.”

Here is the part worth knowing before you mourn the building. Big Time is the same group behind Louie Bossi’s up the street, Rocco’s Tacos, and Elisabetta’s, and Herbst says they have “a terrific agreement with the landlord” and “more to come from us on Las Olas.” The room will get a new tenant, and it will be the same people. The 45 who work there have been offered jobs at the group’s other restaurants.

It is also worth knowing what came out of that kitchen. Louie Bossi cooked at Big City Tavern before the boulevard had a restaurant with his name on it, and so did chef Ladanna Bennett. A good share of what you eat on Las Olas started at that corner.

You have until the end of the month. Go once more and order the thing you always order, one last time.

So... You Think You Know South Florida

You probably already know… our fair city by water is named for a Major by the name of Lauderdale.

What you might not know is… how little time he actually spent here.

Major William Lauderdale rode in with about 200 Tennessee Volunteers and on March 6, 1838, put up a blockhouse on the north bank of the New River, near today’s SW 4th Court and SW 9th Avenue. On March 22 he and the regulars marched west into the pines around what is now Davie, hunting the Seminole leader Abiaka.

They came back two days later with one man shot in the hand and nothing to show for the adventure. On April 4 the Tennesseans left for Fort Jupiter.

All told, Lauderdale was here twenty-nine days. On the way back home he died near Baton Rouge on May 11, 1838, just two months after he first saw the New River.

The fort he built barely outlasted him. The army pulled out in May and the Seminoles destroyed it after the Army’s departure. In February 1839 a second Fort Lauderdale went up at Tarpon Bend. By September a third and bigger one stood on the beach, between the ocean and what is now the Intracoastal, where the South Beach parking lot sits across from Bahia Mar.

That third Fort Lauderdale held until January 1842, when the war ended and the soldiers went home. Very few settled here again in any number until the 1890s.

This is what the New River looked like in 1892 (a bit different from today). Photo courtesy of History Fort Lauderdale.

More Treats To Try

We don’t let just anyone sponsor this newsletter. Here’s who “made the cut” this week:

• Annual Holistic Women’s Wellness Event is happening this year in Delray Beach! Use the promo code LAUDERDALE and all H!L readers get $50 off their ticket. Thanks to Ryann Watkin for the tip!

• Free Tuition Savings Tool: TuitionPay.ai helps private school families find smarter ways to pay tuition and maximize rewards. See how much you could save: https://www.tuitionpay.ai/heylauderdale

• If you have been looking for music lessons to start the school year, Thoven is an online music academy founded in South Florida, where we help families find 1:1 music lessons that fit their kid and their schedule, from home. We work with a hand-picked, vetted network of teachers, including musicians and educators from schools like The Juilliard School and Berklee College of Music. If you’d like a personalized match, you can reach out to keri@thoven.co to talk to our head of music education.

• 👉 Buy YOUR OWN Classified Ad Here 👈

Just hit reply to this email to get started. Work with us to reach over 1500+ Greater Fort Lauderdale families.

Quote Of The Week

“The desire to be loved is the last illusion. Give it up and you will be free.” ~ Margaret Atwood

Best known for the Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood is a Canadian novelist, poet, literary critic, and inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of nonfiction, nine collections of short fiction, eight children's books, two graphic novels, and a number of small press editions of both poetry and fiction.

Flotsam & Jetsam

If your mind is looping on a specific problem today, try this.

Pixel Thoughts is a minimalist tool that started on the web with a simple premise: type your current stressor into a glowing star and watch it shrink into the vastness of space over 60 seconds.

The new mobile app on iOS and Android takes that concept a step further with custom meditations. You pick the duration and background music, type in your exact worry, and the app generates a tailored reframe designed for your specific situation.

No sign-ups, no paywalls, and no setup required. It takes one minute to see if it clears your head.

Word Play Of The Week

“Break the ice.”

Traces back to Erasmus's 1528 Adagia, describing boatmen sent ahead to break up river ice so others could follow. ~ ​Source

‘Under-The-Radar’ Openings Job Board

Lots of folks offering cool positions here locally. Maybe there’s one for you or a friend?

• Teaching Artist at Broward Center for the Performing Arts — contract role teaching across genres and age groups through the Center’s education wing.

• Manager, NSU MD Laboratory Services at Nova Southeastern University, Davie. Runs the gross anatomy and histology labs for med students, including maintaining anatomical specimens.

• Zoo Keeper / Farm Worker / Animal Entertainer in Davie. $16/hour, feeding and handling animals and hauling them to schools and festivals for educational shows.

• Finish Gelcoat Technician at Dusky Marine, Dania Beach. Hand-repairs and color-matches gelcoat on fiberglass boats to a factory finish.

Do you have a listing you would like to place here for next week? Hit reply and let us know.

Lastly… One Big Idea For Your Week

Remember the game of “hotter… colder” as a child? It was so fun to get immediate feedback. Take one step in the wrong direction, and the “colder” clue would tell you to reverse direction.

What about your life today? Are you moving closer or further away from what really matters?

Tell Us How We Are Doing

Every week we are working to make #H!L better for you and to provide a cutting-edge media apprenticeship opportunity for our learners.

Please share your feedback. What do you love? What could we do better FOR YOU? What FTL businesses and experiences should we be highlighting?

Stuff You Won’t Want To Miss This Week:

1. ★ TOP PICK THIS WEEK: TODAY through Sep 30 | Broward Attractions and Museums Month. Say “BAMM” at the ticket window for buy-one-get-one admission at 15 Broward museums and attractions, and walk in free at eight more. Bonnet House, Flamingo Gardens, MODS and History Fort Lauderdale are all in. Pick the one you’ve been driving past for years.

2. TODAY through Sep 30 | Dine Out Lauderdale. More than 170 restaurants across Broward running fixed-price menus, lunch from $35 and dinner from $45. Use the filters on the site and try somewhere new.

3. TODAY, 10am-6pm | Build, Break, Bridge at Bailey Contemporary Arts in Pompano Beach. Luke Jenkins builds, breaks, and rebuilds his materials into the show. Opening week.

4. TODAY, 10am-4pm, meet the artists at 6pm | Viva Fort Lauderdale opens at History Fort Lauderdale. A free exhibit of Hispanic art and culture at the New River Inn, running through October 25.

5. TONIGHT, 5:30-7:30pm | Yappy Hour at The Dog Spot at Huizenga Park. Bring the dog. Downtown happy hour with a lawn.

6. TONIGHT, 7-9pm | Lyrics Lab Open Mic at The HIVE Black Box Theater in Pompano Beach. Poets and songwriters, and the mic is open if you’ve been meaning to.

7. TONIGHT | Jutes, Mothica and Wilt at Culture Room. Three acts, one small room, and a fun diversion for a Thursday night.

8. Friday, noon-1:30pm | Riverwalk Tunes on Top at Tunnel Top Plaza on Las Olas. Free lunchtime live music, Wednesdays and Fridays through October 9. Take your lunch outside and enjoy.

9. Friday (opening day) | I AM WILD: A Charley Harper Exhibit at the Museum of Discovery and Science. The mid-century nature artist’s birds and beasts, included with admission, which is BOGO this month (see number 1).

10. Friday, 5:30-7pm | The Great Toy Rescue. Bring toys with life left in them, take home something new-to-you. Free, monthly, and exactly what the Zero Waste game, part of the Future Studies experience at our school has been practicing.

11. Friday, 6pm | Latin Fest in Oakland Park at Jaco Pastorius Park. Music, food, and Hispanic Heritage Month in the park named for the bass player.

12. Friday evening | Old Town’s Backyard Jam in Old Town Pompano. The free outdoor concert series is back for the season.

13. Friday, 7-10pm | Carter Park Jamz. The city’s free concert series in Carter Park. Bring a chair or blanket.

14. Friday, 8pm | Nikki Glaser at Hard Rock Live. The Golden Globes host, live, an hour of not being able to breathe.

15. Friday Night | DOMi & JD BECK at Culture Room. Two virtuosos, a keyboard and a drum kit, and the most musicianship you’ll see in a club this year.

16. Also Friday Night | Outdoor Movies Fort Lauderdale. enjoy a fun showing of Pirates of the Caribbean.

17. Saturday morning | 41st Annual International Coastal Cleanup. Broward’s beaches, all at once, the biggest volunteer morning of the year. Gloves, water, sunscreen. The beach doesn’t clean itself.

18. Saturday, 9-10am | FTL Free Workout Saturdays at Huizenga Park. Free, outdoors, downtown, before it gets hot.

19. Saturday | Fire Station Open House in Pompano Beach. Hands-on Stop the Bleed and CPR with the people who do it for a living. Go learn the thing you hope you never need.

20. Saturday, 5:30-11:30pm | Halfway to St. Paddy’s Day at The Galway Shawl. Because six months is a long time to wait.

21. Saturday, 6-10pm | Downtown Hollywood ArtWalk. Free. Mural tour at 6, gallery tour at 7, live music at 8, a magic show at 9, and an artisan market the whole time. Hollywood’s best night of the month.

22. Saturday, 7pm | Miramar Latin Music Festival at Miramar Regional Park.

23. Saturday, 7:30pm | Elsten Torres: From Fulano to Forever at the Amaturo Theater, Broward Center. The Cuban-born songwriter, a career in one night.

24. Saturday, 8pm | Zac Brown Band at Hard Rock Live. The Love & Fear Tour.

25. Saturday, 10:30pm-2:30am | Emo Night Brooklyn at Revolution Live. You will know every word. Go scream them.

26. Sunday, 10am-noon | Kreyatif & Kalm Crafting with Taisha at Huizenga Park. Slow Sunday morning to keep your hands busy.

27. Sunday | Vinyasa with Nzingah at Las Olas Oceanside Park. Free yoga by the water. The lowest-friction Sunday plan on this list.

28. Sunday, noon-4pm | Flamingo Flea at Tarpon River Brewing. Handmade and vintage at a brewery. Our most reliable find of the month.

29. Sunday | Panthers vs. Hurricanes, preseason at Amerant Bank Arena. First hockey of the season back in the building.

30. Sunday, 7pm | John Fogerty and Steve Winwood at Hard Rock Live. Two of the great voices of the last sixty years on one stage.

31. Sun Sep 20 through Sun Sep 27, 7:30pm | School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play at The HIVE Black Box Theater, Pompano Beach. Jocelyn Bioh’s comedy about ambition and colorism at a Ghanaian boarding school. One week only.

32. Tuesday Sep 22, 6pm | Sunset Yoga with Las Olas Yoga Studio at Huizenga Park, then the Two Mile Run Club at 6:30. Free, both.

33. Tuesday Sep 22 | Michael Franti Trio at Revolution Live. The most joyful room in town that night.

34. Wednesday Sep 23, 6:30pm | Think and Drink Trivia at Huizenga Park, or Community Bingo Night at the E. Pat Larkins Center in Pompano, free.

35. Thursday Sep 24, 7:30pm | TLC, Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue at Hard Rock Live. Three acts, one night, every song you danced to in 1994.

36. Thursday Sep 24 | Living Room Concert Series at The HIVE, Pompano Beach. Intimate, monthly, and the kind of show where you can see the guitarist’s hands.

37. SAVE THE DATES for Next Week

    1. Fri Sep 25, 5-8pm | Founding Families Fall Festival at the Stranahan House. The oldest house in Fort Lauderdale throws its fourth fall festival on the river.

    2. Fri Sep 25, 6:30pm | Monthly Movie on the Lawn at Huizenga Park. Blankets, chairs, downtown skyline behind the screen.

    3. Sat Sep 26, 10am-5pm | Worldwide Day of Play at MODS. Hands-on science all day, BOGO with the BAMM password.

    4. Sat Sep 26, noon | Pets in the Plaza, Fall Edition, at Plantation Walk, 321 N University Dr. [VERIFY: listing found on an aggregator; confirm on Plantation Walk’s own page before send.]

    5. Sat Sep 26, 5-9pm | Hispanic Heritage Festival at the Charles F. Dodge City Center, Pembroke Pines.

    6. Sat Sep 26, 6-9pm | Salsa in September in the City Hall courtyard, Coconut Creek. Free, outdoors, dance lesson first.

    7. Sat Sep 26, 6:30-9pm | Silent Disco at Huizenga Park. Three channels, one lawn, no neighbors complaining.

    8. Sat Sep 26, 7-11pm | FAT Village Art Walk, Flagler Village. Last Saturday of the month, rain or shine, dogs welcome, free Sun Trolley from the Searstown lot.

    9. Sat Sep 26 | Three at the Broward Center: Miamibloco: From the Streets to the Stage at The Parker, Legacy: A Tribute to Ravi Shankar, and the Aerial Arts Society Competition at the Miniaci.

    10. Sat Sep 26, 7:30pm | James Taylor at Hard Rock Live.

    11. Sat Sep 26 | Panthers vs. Lightning, preseason at Amerant Bank Arena.

    12. Sun Sep 27, noon-4pm | Huizenga Park Community Market. Free, outdoors, downtown.

    13. Sun Sep 27, noon-5pm | Free Fort Lauderdale Neighbor Day at NSU Art Museum. Last Sunday of every month, city residents walk in free. Bring an ID with your address on it.

    14. Sun Sep 27, 7pm | Rodrigo Teaser: Michael Lives Forever at The Parker. The Michael Jackson tribute everyone who has seen it talks about.

Our Ask: BAMM unlocks more than 20 local museums this month. Which one have you always meant to visit and never have? Reply with your, and next week we’ll make the case for going.

Featured Fort Lauderdale

One of the Four Goodyear Blimps on Earth Lives in Pompano Beach

You’ve probably seen it, drifting over the beach on a Sunday or hanging above the stadium on a Dolphins broadcast, moving so slowly it looks parked. What most people don’t know is where it sleeps.

There are four Goodyear blimps in the world. One is in Ohio. One is in California. One is in Germany. The fourth lives at the Pompano Beach Airpark, in a 45,000-square-foot hangar big enough to hold two of them fully inflated. It is the only Goodyear blimp on the entire East Coast, and it has been based here since 1979, when the city leased Goodyear a corner of the airfield and a local paper called what followed “blimpmania.”

The airship is called Wingfoot Two. It is 246 feet long, about the length of a Boeing 747 fuselage, and 58 feet tall. Top speed is 73 miles an hour, which it almost never uses. Ten seats in the gondola. Goodyear’s first blimp, the Pilgrim, went up on June 3, 1925, and the company marked a century in the sky last year.

When it isn’t covering a game somewhere in the Southeast, Wingfoot Two flies for the pleasure of the people below it. Up the coast over Broward and Palm Beach, back down again, low enough to read the name.

You can’t tour the hangar, and you can’t buy a ride. The only passengers are charity-auction winners and the occasional sweepstakes. But you can stand along NE 5th Avenue or at the edge of the Airpark on a flying day and watch a 246-foot aircraft leave the ground with no runway, which is a thing worth doing once in your life.

So... You Think You Know South Florida

You probably already know… this newsletter is produced by the folks at Acton Academy Fort Lauderdale, as a gift and connection to our bigger community.

What you might not know is… why our school is so focused on connecting with our local community beyond what happens in "classroom” (we call our learning environment multi-age “Studios” or like a one-room schoolhouse but built for the future).

This past week we had two experiences that I think demonstrate ways our learners at Acton are reaching out and leveling up.

The first was the First Aid training conducted by Supreme CPR & First Aid Training. Most schools pursue professional training for their staff. At Acton, we included our older learners (ages 11 to 15) as they prepare for their apprenticeships and other adult-like competencies.

Big shoutout to James Kennett III from Supreme, who was the perfect trainer who made the training both fun and worthwhile. As one of our parents relayed, “I was expecting the group to be grumbling about being at school at 6pm on Friday after a busy week, but they loved it!”

Born and raised in South Florida, James is a firefighter/paramedic in Broward County for 8+ years, and has seen firsthand how much the minutes before help arrives matter, often the whole difference between life and death. That’s why he started Supreme CPR & First Aid Training.

He teaches AHA-certified CPR, AED, and First Aid to schools and childcare centers across Broward and Palm Beach County, plus BLS for healthcare providers like dentists, nurses, medical assistants, and EMTs. Every training is hands-on and personal, taught by someone who’s actually done it in the field.

A second adventure out into the community was more about team-building and bonding, but was fun for the learners as they took on the Great Big Game Show at Dania Pointe.

In both cases, our teenage learners are mixing fun and learning outside of what you expect to see in a typical school day. And that’s the point!

More Treats To Try

We don’t let just anyone sponsor this newsletter. Here’s who “made the cut” this week:

• Annual Holistic Women’s Wellness Event is happening this year in Delray Beach! Use the promo code LAUDERDALE and all H!L readers get $50 off their ticket. Thanks to Ryann Watkin for the tip!

• Free Tuition Savings Tool: TuitionPay.ai helps private school families find smarter ways to pay tuition and maximize rewards. See how much you could save: https://www.tuitionpay.ai/heylauderdale

• Did you know that the AutoNation IMAX at MODS has extended the showings of The Odyssey through September 30th? If you haven’t seen the film that everyone is talking about, you still have a chance. A “must see” on the big(gest) screen.

• If you have been looking for music lessons to start the school year, Thoven is an online music academy founded in South Florida, where we help families find 1:1 music lessons that fit their kid and their schedule, from home. We work with a hand-picked, vetted network of teachers, including musicians and educators from schools like The Juilliard School and Berklee College of Music. If you’d like a personalized match, you can reach out to keri@thoven.co to talk to our head of music education.

• SAVE THE DATE. Founding Families Fall Festival. Stranahan House. September 25th. Email director@stranahanhouse.org for sponsorship opportunities.

• 👉 Buy YOUR OWN Classified Ad Here 👈

Just hit reply to this email to get started. Work with us to reach over 1500+ Greater Fort Lauderdale families.

Quote Of The Week

“The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.”

~ Dorothy Parker

Dorothy Parker was a founding member of the Algonquin Round Table, now well-known as a poet, critic and screenwriter whose one-liners outlived almost everyone to whom she aimed her wit.

Flotsam & Jetsam

Everything else in the Hey! Lauderdale newsletter is focused on what’s happening locally in the Great Fort Lauderdale area. But the Flotsam & Jetsam section is reserved for something cool we find online, that is too good not to share.

Well, this week… we combined the two. Too good not to share AND it also has a local connection. Our find is called NearbyWiki and it is like a Wikipedia page that you can search for anything nearby.

And as you can see, there is A LOT to see and do all around us. Most are places, but occasionally it gives you something unexpected.

Word Play Of The Week

“Cost an Arm and a Leg”

The idiom “cost an arm and a leg” is used to convey that something is very expensive or comes at a high price. It doesn’t mean that something literally requires the sacrifice of limbs; rather, it’s a figurative expression indicating that the cost, whether in terms of money, effort, or other resources, is exceedingly high.

Often attributed to soldiers returning from war missing limbs often incurred significant medical expenses, and it’s believed that this phrase may have emerged from the literal cost, both financially and personally, of such injuries.

Another theory suggests that the phrase may have originated from the world of portrait painting. During the 18th century, it was customary for artists to charge more for portraits that included the subject’s limbs in the painting, as it required more time and skill to paint them accurately. Hence, a painting that depicted arms and legs would cost more, figuratively “costing an arm and a leg.” ~ ​Source

‘Under-The-Radar’ Openings Job Board

Lots of folks offering cool positions here locally. Maybe there’s one for you or a friend?

• Teaching Artist at Broward Center for the Performing Arts — contract role teaching across genres and age groups through the Center’s education wing.

Do you have a listing you would like to place here for next week? Hit reply and let us know.

Lastly… One Big Idea For Your Week

If you knew for sure you could not fail, would it help you enjoy the journey along the way?

Tell Us How We Are Doing

Every week we are working to make #H!L better for you and to provide a cutting-edge media apprenticeship opportunity for our learners.

Please share your feedback. What do you love? What could we do better FOR YOU? What FTL businesses and experiences should we be highlighting?

Stuff You Won’t Want To Miss This Week:

1. ★ TOP PICK THIS WEEK: Starting TONIGHT (Sep 10 - Sun Sep 13) multiple showtimes | Disney On Ice presents Spotlight Magic!. A four-day family marquee run right as school routines settle back in.

2. TODAY, all day | The Poppy Project Pop-Up Living Garden at Galleria. A living-garden installation supporting Henderson Behavioral Health.

3. Friday Morning, 9:30am | City of Fort Lauderdale 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony. Mark the 25th anniversary of the first-responders who ran into danger that day.

4. Friday | The Mavericks & Friends. Part of the Cleveland Clinic Rock Series.

5. Friday night, 6-8pm | Community Movie Night in Pompano. E. Pat Larkins Center, but no listing for the movie choice this week.

6. Also Friday Night, 8pm | Movie night at ArtsPark (Hollywood). This week they are playing “The Sheep Detective.” Bring your own blankets and chairs. Check the rain first.

7. Saturday Morning | Fort Lauderdale Beach Sweep. Volunteers needed. Bring water and sunscreen. The beaches don’t stay clean by themselves.

8. Saturday | Tito Puente Jr & His Orchestra. The Music of Tito Puente, a full orchestra night.

9. Opens Sat Sep 12, runs through Nov 13 | Andrew Dice Clay: Live on Stage (opening). Opening-night hook on a stand-up run.

10. Saturday, 7:30pm | Pro Rodeo in Davie. Fun for the entire family and will include the most dangerous event... BULLRIDING.

11. Saturday Night, 7-9pm | Singles Travel Trivia Night. At the Fitz on 2nd Ave in downtown FTL.

12. Saturday Night - Date Night Idea | Colours of Time at Savor Cinema. Festival-award winning film in French with subtitles. A true Hero’s Journey.

13. Sunday | Seraphic Fire - Pure Imagination. Part of the Amplify Arts Series.

14. Sunday, 12pm-4pm | Huizenga Park Community Market. Free, outdoors, downtown — the easy-yes local market.

15. Mon Sep 14 - Wed Sep 16 | Dine Out Lauderdale. Prix-fixe menus across dozens of restaurants — the highest-leverage ‘go eat something new’ item of the window.

16. Thu Sep 17, 10am-4pm | Viva Fort Lauderdale. Free heritage exhibition honoring Hispanic culture — concrete, local, timely.

17. Opens Fri Sep 18 | I AM WILD: A Charley Harper Exhibit (opening). Opening-day hook on a new nature-art exhibit — good family pick.

18. Sun Sep 20, 12pm-4pm | Flamingo Flea at Tarpon River Brewing. Our highest-keep-rate discovery source — handmade/vintage market at a brewery.

19. Sun Sep 20 | Florida Panthers vs. Carolina Hurricanes (NHL Preseason). First hockey of the season back in the building.

Featured Fort Lauderdale

A shipwreck… in a bar… with a porthole… that looks into a pool… to see mermaids.

Is there anything that sounds more like Fort Lauderdale than that?

On July 13, 1956, a hotel shaped like an ocean liner opened on Fort Lauderdale beach. The Yankee Clipper had a 400-foot beach as a Polynesian revue, and with one idea nobody else had ever considered. They added a bar built like a wrecked Spanish galleon, with portholes that looked straight into the swimming pool. From 1956 to 1965, swimmers performed behind the glass while the bar watched.

The hotel is the B Ocean Resort now, and the Wreck Bar is still there, aquariums and all. So are the swimmers. In 2006 Marina Anderson brought the show back as MeduSirena, with her troupe, the Aquaticats, in tails she makes by hand. She calls it a showgirl spectacle, not a mermaid act. By her count it is the last porthole pool in Florida that still runs a swim show.

Fridays and Saturdays, two shows a night: an early one for everyone, a 9 p.m. burlesque for 21 and up. Sunday brunch has swimmers too. Get there early. The portholes are the best seats in the house, and there are not many of them.

So... You Think You Know South Florida

You probably already know… Greater Fort Lauderdale has many amazing attractions including Butterfly World, the ten acres of aviaries inside Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek.

What you might not know is… that it started as a retirement hobby.

Ronald Boender grew up chasing cabbage whites on his father’s farm in Illinois, became an electrical engineer, moved to Florida in 1968, and after he retired started raising butterflies at his house. When he learned that zoos and universities would pay for them, the hobby became a farm turning out a thousand pupae a week. In 1985 he flew to England to meet the man who ran the London Butterfly House, and on March 28, 1988, the two of them opened the first butterfly park in the Western Hemisphere.

It is still the largest in the world: about 20,000 butterflies, fifty species, and the biggest free-flight hummingbird aviary in the country, which almost nobody mentions.

Here is the part that should stop you. There is a lab at the University of Florida with Boender’s name on it, and Butterfly World credits it with helping save the Schaus’ swallowtail, a butterfly that lives almost nowhere except the islands of Biscayne National Park. In 2012 a survey found four of them. Four. UF started breeding them in captivity, and today there are more than 1,500 in the wild.

More Treats To Try

We don’t let just anyone sponsor this newsletter. Here’s who “made the cut” this week:

• Did you know that the AutoNation IMAX at MODS has extended the showings of The Odyssey through September 30th? If you haven’t seen the film that everyone is talking about, you still have a chance. A “must see” on the big(gest) screen.

• If you have been looking for music lessons to start the school year, Thoven is an online music academy founded in South Florida, where we help families find 1:1 music lessons that fit their kid and their schedule, from home. We work with a hand-picked, vetted network of teachers, including musicians and educators from schools like The Juilliard School and Berklee College of Music. If you’d like a personalized match, you can reach out to keri@thoven.co to talk to our head of music education.

• The Florida Renaissance Festival is once again hosting its Acting & Dance Workshops. You can attend as a Member or just $5 per workshop if you want to try it out. Classes from now until October. Use this page to register

• SAVE THE DATE. Founding Families Fall Festival. Stranahan House. September 25th. Email director@stranahanhouse.org for sponsorship opportunities.

• Brightline is offering $15 tickets. Book a ride in South Florida for just $15 one-way when you book by October 31 for travel through November 1, 2026. Simply book an Adult SMART fare on eligible trains running Friday, Saturday, and Sunday within South Florida with a 2-hour advance purchase. But hurry, fares this low will sell out fast, so book today.

• 👉 Buy YOUR OWN Classified Ad Here 👈

Just hit reply to this email to get started. Work with us to reach over 1500+ Greater Fort Lauderdale families.

Quote Of The Week

“You can choose courage, or you can choose comfort, but you cannot choose both.” ~ Brené Brown

Brené Brown is most famous for her groundbreaking research on vulnerability, courage, shame, and empathy, as well as her viral 2010 TED Talk titled “The Power of Vulnerability”.

Flotsam & Jetsam

Here’s one that is not South Florida, but if I didn’t share it I would kick myself.

We all love David Attenborough. That voice. That passion for the natural world.

And this year, he turns 100! So his work has inspired his admirers to collect and curate the best of Attenborough.

With Sir David turning 100 this year, someone built the thing that should have existed already: a searchable archive of nearly 5,000 episodes across 90 of his series, from Zoo Quest in 1954 to Secret Garden this year.

Type in any animal, a habitat, a place, or a phenomenon, and it hands you the episode and where to stream it. There is also a “surprise me” button, which is the correct way to lose an evening.

Word Play Of The Week

“Foot in Mouth”

This idiom refers to someone saying something embarrassing, inappropriate, or foolish. Its origins are not precisely documented, but similar phrases suggesting someone saying something regrettable or embarrassing have existed for centuries. ~ ​Source

‘Under-The-Radar’ Openings Job Board

Lots of folks offering cool positions here locally. Maybe there’s one for you or a friend?

• CHOICES Job & Community Resource Fair on Thursday, September 10, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the E. Pat Larkins Community Center, 520 NW 3rd Street, Pompano Beach, FL 33060.

• Boat Detailer / Polisher — waterfront work in the Yachting Capital of the World, the kind of job that explains why every marina here looks that clean. Listing

• Puppy Care Team Member — a local pet-care startup, for the reader who has been quietly hoping their job search would lead here. Listing

• Cook II at the NSU Art Museum — the job behind the café at one of Fort Lauderdale’s best small museums. Listing

• Teaching Artist at Broward Center for the Performing Arts — contract role teaching across genres and age groups through the Center’s education wing. Listing

• Animal Husbandry Specialist II at the Museum of Discovery and Science — hands-on care for the animals behind MODS’s live exhibits. Listing

Do you have a listing you would like to place here for next week? Hit reply and let us know.

Lastly… One Big Idea For Your Week

If you knew this ahead of time, would it help you relax and enjoy the journey?

Tell Us How We Are Doing

Every week we are working to make #H!L better for you and to provide a cutting-edge media apprenticeship opportunity for our learners.

Please share your feedback. What do you love? What could we do better FOR YOU? What FTL businesses and experiences should we be highlighting?

Stuff You Won’t Want To Miss This Week:

1. ★ TOP PICK THIS WEEK: Now through Sep 30 | Broward Attractions and Museums Month (BAMM). Buy one admission, get a second free at 20+ museums and attractions across the county, six more are just free outright. Twenty-three places this year, double what it was five years ago.

2. TODAY - 11am–7pm | Free First Thursday at NSU Art Museum. Free admission, plus a Mini Muse kids workshop, one of two dated free-day hooks this month alongside BAMM.

3. TONIGHT - 6:30pm | Blues Traveler & Gin Blossoms at Hard Rock Live. The ‘90s radio-rock double bill. I might be dating myself, but when I was in college, Blues Traveler played on our campus and it was the biggest news of the year. They are still going strong.

4. Friday Night - 8pm | ‘Michael’ at the ArtsPark Movie Night. Bring your chairs, blankets, snacks, and beverages.

5. Friday Night | Steve Higgins: Moonlight, Memories & Music at the Rose and Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center.

6. Starting Friday - Sept 4 to 7 | South Florida’s Biggest Home Show. Four days at the Broward Convention Center. Hundreds of home pros, full-scale designer rooms, live stages and tastings.

7. Also Starting Friday - Sept 4 to 6 | Matt Tkachuk Hockey Celebration. Competitive hockey tournament featuring Boys AAA (Tier 1) and Girls AA (Tier 2) as they battle it out for The Matthew Tkachuk Cup. FREE open Public Skating Sessions too.

8. Saturday - 11am to 12pm | Chess Club at the Main Library. A chance for casual practice or play for ages 5-18.

9. Saturday | Starlight Jam Sessions. Starlight Musicals may be done for the summer but come out to the Palm Aire Gazebo in Pompano for a free outdoor community music night.

10. Sunday - 10am-2pm | Dream Car/Classic Car Show. Featuring dozens of classic cars, trucks, and other vehicles of interest. Free admission.

11. Sunday - 11am–2pm | Sunday Jazz Brunch at Riverwalk. First-Sunday-of-month only, so catch it while it’s actually in the window.

12. Sunday - 4pm to 9pm | Labor Day Festival at North Beach Neighborhood. Features a curated vintage car showcase, along with local vendors and sidewalk tag sales hosted by area boutiques.

13. Also Sunday · 12–5pm | Doc Reno’s 9th Bacon Beer & BBQ Festival, Margate Sports Complex. Quirky, local, needs the drive to Margate.

14. SAVE THE DATES for Next Week

    1. Saturday, Sep 13 | Pompano Beach historic downtown walking tour, two hours, stops include the Bailey Hotel (now BaCA Art Center).

    2. September 10 to 13 | Disney on Ice at Amerant Bank Arena. All your favorite movies and music come to life, on the ice. Multiple showings.

Featured Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale is famous for a few things. The beaches and vacation getaways. The world-class art, music, and food. Spring break. And… shipwrecks?

A lot of folks don’t know that in addition to trading along the New River, collecting the goods from ships wrecked by storms was a focus of early industry in the area.

And one of those “shipwrecks” ended up producing The Bonnet House Museum & Gardens.

Yup, the whole Bonnet House story starts with a shipwreck.

You might know Bonnet House as one of the oldest homes on Fort Lauderdale Beach. The land only became available because Chicago attorney Hugh Taylor Birch got marooned.

In 1893, Birch’s yacht ran aground during a storm. Stranded along the quiet southeast Florida coast for ten days, he didn’t just survive; he fell in love with the raw terrain.

Two years later, he returned to buy three miles of pristine oceanfront for roughly a dollar an acre.

When his daughter Helen married artist Frederic Clay Bartlett in 1919, Birch gave them 35 acres of that coastline as a wedding gift. The newlyweds broke ground on Bonnet House the following year, creating the Caribbean-style plantation home that still sits nestled between the ocean and the Intracoastal today.

What started as a shipwreck victim’s lucky detour ended up saving one of the last natural coastal ecosystems in South Florida from concrete and high-rises.

So... You Think You Know South Florida

You probably already know… here in Broward we have the Brightline, The Tri-Rail, and freight trains. You see them every day, maybe even sit at an intersection waiting for them to pass.

What you might not know is… some people LOVE trains!

Tucked inside the Deerfield Beach Tri-Rail station sits the South Florida Railway Museum, a low-key paradise for train enthusiasts, history buffs, and families alike.

Best of all? It costs absolutely nothing to visit.

The museum opens its doors to the public every second Saturday of the month from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Inside, you will find intricate, fully operational model train layouts alongside authentic historical artifacts tracing Broward’s rich railway history.

Passionate and knowledgeable volunteer hosts are always on hand to answer questions while they run the lines.

Mark your calendar for their upcoming 2026 open house dates:

• September 12

• October 10

• November 14

• December 12

Whether you are looking for a weekend outing with the kids or simply want to discover a piece of local history, this local secret is well worth the trip.

Want to visit? 1300 W Hillsboro Blvd, Deerfield Beach, FL (Inside the Tri-Rail station)

More Treats To Try

We don’t let just anyone sponsor this newsletter. Here’s who “made the cut” this week:

• If you have been looking for music lessons to start the school year, Thoven is an online music academy founded in South Florida, where we help families find 1:1 music lessons that fit their kid and their schedule, from home. We work with a hand-picked, vetted network of teachers, including musicians and educators from schools like The Juilliard School and Berklee College of Music. If you’d like a personalized match, you can reach out to keri@thoven.co to talk to our head of music education.

• The Florida Renaissance Festival is once again hosting its Acting & Dance Workshops. You can attend as a Member or just $5 per workshop if you want to try it out. Classes from now until October. Use this page to register

• SAVE THE DATE. Founding Families Fall Festival. Stranahan House. September 25th. Email director@stranahanhouse.org for sponsorship opportunities.

• Brightline is offering $15 tickets. Book a ride in South Florida for just $15 one-way when you book by October 31 for travel through November 1, 2026. Simply book an Adult SMART fare on eligible trains running Friday, Saturday, and Sunday within South Florida with a 2-hour advance purchase. But hurry, fares this low will sell out fast, so book today.

• 👉 Buy YOUR OWN Classified Ad Here 👈

Just hit reply to this email to get started. Work with us to reach over 1500+ Greater Fort Lauderdale families.

Quote Of The Week

The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.

~ Joseph Campbell

Joseph Campbell was an American writer, teacher, and scholar who specialized in mythology and comparative religion. He’s often called the “father of modern mythology”. Campbell’s work explored the world’s mythological traditions and proposed the idea of a universal mythology that’s expressed differently across cultures.

The Hero’s Journey is part of our daily conversation at Acton, as we prepare young people for a world that will look very different in 10 years.

Flotsam & Jetsam

Most websites give you information. Neal Agarwal’s The Deep Sea gives you altitude sickness in reverse.

Hosted on neal.fun (we’ve shard a bunch of his fun projects), this interactive site turns a basic vertical scroll into a literal descent through the ocean’s depth zones. You start at the sunlit surface, surrounded by familiar sightseers like sea turtles and dolphins. Scroll down, and the page steadily darkens as sunlight dies off, pulling you through the mesopelagic, bathypelagic, and abyssopelagic zones.

A real-time depth counter in meters and feet keeps score as you sink past notable milestones, the deepest scuba dive, the wreck of the Titanic, and depth markers where the pressure becomes unfathomable. Along the way, the wildlife shifts from the familiar to the grotesque: giant isopods, stoplight loosejaws, and eventually the Mariana snailfish lingering near the absolute floor.

By the time you hit the bottom of the Mariana Trench at 10,924 meters, the sheer scale of the ocean hits you. It is one of the cleanest, most effective visual explanations of marine biology on the internet.

You can experience the descent yourself at neal.fun/deep-sea.

Word Play Of The Week

“Slice of the action”

The idiom “slice of the action” means to get a share of the involvement, profits, or excitement in a successful or lucrative activity. While the phrase sounds modern, the linguistic concept of “action” meaning a financial stake goes back to the early 1600s.

By the 1950s, the phrase broke out of casinos and into American pop culture via crime fiction and gangster movies. ~ ​Source

‘Under-The-Radar’ Openings Job Board

Lots of folks offering cool positions here locally. Maybe there’s one for you or a friend?

• CHOICES Job & Community Resource Fair on Thursday, September 10, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the E. Pat Larkins Community Center, 520 NW 3rd Street, Pompano Beach, FL 33060.

Do you have a listing you would like to place here for next week? Hit reply and let us know.

Lastly… One Big Idea For Your Week

Is there one thing you are so sure of that nothing could change your mind?

Tell Us How We Are Doing

Every week we are working to make #H!L better for you and to provide a cutting-edge media apprenticeship opportunity for our learners.

Please share your feedback. What do you love? What could we do better FOR YOU? What FTL businesses and experiences should we be highlighting?

Stuff You Won’t Want To Miss This Week:

1. ★ TOP PICK THIS WEEK: One month in and one month to go for Dine Out Lauderdale. It is an overwhelming list of choices, so local Matt Hall created DineDecoded as a website that helps you navigate 262 menus across 179 restaurants. Worth exploring for the savoring and the saving. ~ Source: Axios Fort Lauderdale.

2. TODAY | Introduction to Clay: Hand Building. Bailey Contemporary Arts, Pompano. A hands-on pottery class for anyone who has never touched a wheel, no experience needed.

3. Friday Night - 6pm | Riverwalk Chocolate & Whiskey Tasting. Fort Lauderdale Woman’s Club, downtown. A guided pairing, the kind of date-night actually worth the ticket price.

4. Friday Night - 5-8pm | Taste of Trinidad & Tobago. Free entry, Inverrary Community Center, Lauderhill. Real Caribbean food and culture, not a festival-lite version of it.

5. Friday Night - 6:30pm | Zumba In The Park By Domingo. Need to move your body? Weekly fun and refreshing dance fitness class designed specifically for older adults and anyone looking for a lower-impact workout.

6. Also Friday Night - 8:30-10pm | Fear Circus Unleashed. Adults-only horror spectacular, blending immersive theater, circus arts, and spine-chilling entertainment.

7. Saturday Morning - 12-5pm | Indie Craft Bazaar. War Memorial Auditorium fills with local makers, the all-ages pick that isn’t a kids’ event dressed up as one.

8. Saturday Night - 6-10pm | Trinidad & Tobago Independence Celebration. Vizcaya Park, Miramar. Outdoor, community, free, the kind of night you stumble into and stay for hours.

9. Saturday Night - 6-9pm | Art Fest at Thrive Art District. Fort Lauderdale. Working artists, open studios, an “I didn’t know that existed” find that never makes a tourist map.

10. Sunday - 12-5pm | Free Fort Lauderdale Neighbor Day. NSU Art Museum. Free admission for residents, last Sunday of every month, the dated hook that makes an art museum worth an actual Sunday.

11. SAVE THESE DATES:

    1. Next week at Savor Cinema: Award-wining French movie Colours of Time will be running from the 3rd to the 6th. Catch it while you can.

    2. Saturday, Sep 5 · 8pm | Lil Baby & Kodak Black, “Fall Fest 2026” at Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise. Ticketed, limited capacity.

    3. Sunday, Sep 6 · 12-5pm | Doc Reno’s 9th Bacon Beer & BBQ Festival, Margate Sports Complex. Quirky, local, worth the drive to Margate.

    4. Saturday, Sep 5, time TBD | Starlight Jam Sessions, Palm Aire Gazebo, Pompano. Free outdoor community music night.

Sweetwaters is coming to Huizenga Park this fall from the family behind Miami's Rusty Pelican. Reply with the one Fort Lauderdale restaurant, open or closed, you wish someone would bring back or reinvent.

Featured Fort Lauderdale

Get Lost in the Clouds at Superblue Miami

This one comes from Christine, a Hey! Lauderdale reader and Acton parent who came back raved about their visit. This is exactly the kind of find we want more of.

Superblue Miami is 50,000 square feet of art you don’t just look at, you walk into it. One room is a mirrored maze of sculpture. Another is a digital world where seasonal flowers bloom and waterfalls pour around you. Three thousand lights pulse to human heartbeats. And the showstopper is teamLab’s Massless Clouds: they hand you a poncho at the door, because you’re going to wade through the cloud, not admire it from a rope line.

The practical stuff: it’s in Allapattah (1101 NW 23rd Street, Miami) - an easy 40-ish minute run down I-95 from Fort Lauderdale. Plan 90 minutes to two hours. All ages welcome, and it genuinely works for the whole crew: adults are $32, Florida residents $29, ages 3–12 are $17, and under 3 are free. Open seven days, later on Friday and Saturday nights. Tickets at superblue.com.

Been somewhere lately your family can’t stop talking about? Hit reply — the best finds in this newsletter come from readers like Christine.

So... You Think You Know South Florida

You probably already know… the New River winds through downtown. Many of us drive over it several times a day (or wait in traffic while the bridge goes up).

What you might not know is… the river path traditionally moved on its own.

According to Seminole legend, it earned that name after an evening of howling wind, strange noises, and shaking ground, the people woke to find a deep river where none had been, and called it Himmarshee: “new water.” The recorded explanation? An earthquake collapsing the roof of an underground river.

Here’s the twist the postcards leave out: “New River” shows up on maps as early as the 1600s — more than a century before the Seminoles reached this coast — and one folk historian insists the Seminole name was actually Coontie-Hatchee, for the coontie plants on its banks. The overnight legend was first written down in 1940 by WPA writers, which makes it either a preserved oral tradition or very good marketing.

One part of the river really did move, though: its mouth. Before 1928, the barrier beach shifted on its own — the outlet wandering anywhere between Hillsborough and Dania — until Port Everglades was dredged and the channel fixed in place. The river stopped moving. The name stuck anyway. ~ Source

More Treats To Try

We don’t let just anyone sponsor this newsletter. Here’s who “made the cut” this week:

• The Florida Renaissance Festival is once again hosting its Acting & Dance Workshops. You can attend as a Member or just $5 per workshop if you want to try it out. Classes from now until October. Use this page to register

• The new school year is starting up. Lots of excitement for the first days of school. But if it is not feeling right for your family, you might want to look at something very different and totally worth it.

• SAVE THE DATE. Founding Families Fall Festival. Stranahan House. September 25th. Email director@stranahanhouse.org for sponsorship opportunities.

• 👉 Buy YOUR OWN Classified Ad Here 👈

Just hit reply to this email to get started. Work with us to reach over 1500+ Greater Fort Lauderdale families.

Quote Of The Week

“What goes too long unchanged destroys itself.” ~ Ursula K. Le Guin

Ursula Le Guin was an American author known for speculative fiction, including the Earthsea fantasy series and science fiction set in the Hainish universe. Her work is known for challenging ideas about human relations and the natural and inevitable.

Flotsam & Jetsam

This one will cost you five minutes and is just a visual meditation. It is called ZoomQuilt and travels from a single image that zooms forever. Each layer dissolves into the next scene.

Hard to imagine and hard to stop watching. Judge for yourself.

Word Play Of The Week

“A Blessing in Disguise”

This idiom means that something that appears to be a problem or misfortune at first turns out to be beneficial or good in the end.

The phrase has been in use since at least the 18th century. It was first recorded in James Hervey’s “Reflections on a Flower-Garden” in 1746, indicating that what seems unfortunate can often bring about good outcomes. ~ ​Source

‘Under-The-Radar’ Openings Job Board

Lots of folks offering cool positions here locally. Maybe there’s one for you or a friend?

• Broward County Aviation Job Fair: Friday, August 28th. 300 vacancies at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

• XB Architecture is looking for an Architectural Project Manager. High end residential construction projects.

• September 9th - Hospitality and Tourism Job Fair with CareerSource Broward.

• Animal Husbandry Specialist II (FT) at Museum of Discovery & Science (MODS) Listing

• Video Wall Installation Technician, Tamarac Listing

Do you have a listing you would like to place here for next week? Hit reply and let us know.

Lastly… One Big Idea For Your Week

What is one thing you are wildly curious about learning? What’s stopping you?

Tell Us How We Are Doing

Every week we are working to make #H!L better for you and to provide a cutting-edge media apprenticeship opportunity for our learners.

Please share your feedback. What do you love? What could we do better FOR YOU? What FTL businesses and experiences should we be highlighting?

Plus: sixty-four hatchlings went the wrong way on Friday night, and Harry and Meghan made a Girl Scout cookie documentary.👇👇👇

Stuff You Won’t Want To Miss This Week:

1. ★ TOP PICK THIS WEEK: TONIGHT - 7pm | Squeeze with Adam Ant and Haircut 100 at Hard Rock Live. Three British bands from the same five year stretch, on one stage, on the night Squeeze marks fifty years together. Tickets start at $65. If you owned any of these records, this bill is not coming back around.

2. TONIGHT - 8pm | Eureka Day at Island City Stage, Wilton Manors. The Tony winner about a private school board trying to talk its way through a measles outbreak. It is a comedy right up until it is not. Runs Thursdays through Sundays into September, in a room small enough that you can see everyone squirm.

3. TONIGHT - 6 to 9pm | Food Truck Frenzy at Brian Piccolo Sports Park, Cooper City. Broward County Parks rotates this one around the county on Thursdays, so the lineup changes with the park. Bring a chair, it is a field not a food hall.

4. TONIGHT - 7 to 9pm | Live Music at the Hollywood Beach Theatre. Free bands on the Broadwalk, three nights running through Saturday. There is room to dance and nobody minds if you do not.

5. Friday Night - 8 to 10pm | Sea turtle hatchling release at Anne Kolb Nature Center, Hollywood. Broward’s conservation program runs these Wednesday and Friday nights through the end of August, and then the season is done for the year. You watch hatchlings that were dug out of a nest make the last few feet to the water.

6. TONIGHT | Dine Out Lauderdale food tour, Lauderdale By The Sea. The restaurant-months program runs through September, and the walking tours are the part people forget about. You eat your way down a street instead of sitting in one room.

7. Friday Night - 8pm | Old Town’s Backyard Jam, Pompano Beach. The monthly outdoor concert in Pompano’s old downtown, free, with food on site. This one came in from a reader in July and it has produced every month since.

8. Friday Night - 9pm | Club 90’s presents MJ Night at Revolution Live. A full night of Michael Jackson, hits through deep cuts, 18 and up. $23 to $35.

9. Friday Night - 8pm | ArtsPark Movie Night: Cars, Downtown Hollywood. Free outdoor movie at the Young Circle amphitheater. Grass, a screen, and nobody checking whether you brought your own snacks.

10. Friday Morning - 9am | Sale of the Year, Spectacular, Miami Shores. An in-person warehouse estate sale that opens Friday and keeps going. Worth the drive if you like getting there before the dealers do.

11. Opens Saturday | Cookie Queens at Savor Cinema. The Girl Scout cookie documentary that won the audience award at SXSW, produced by Harry and Meghan, which is a sentence that reads like a joke and is not. Runs through Aug 30.

12. Saturday and Sunday | Monster Jam at Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise. Trucks the size of a garage, indoors, extremely loud. Tickets move for this one and the good seats go first.

13. Saturday Morning - 10am to 2pm | Pompano Beach Fire Rescue’s 100 Year Anniversary at the Sample-McDougald House. A century of the city’s fire department, marked at Pompano’s 1916 house museum. The kind of local anniversary that happens once and that nobody outside city hall hears about.

14. Saturday Afternoon - 3 to 7pm | Flamingo Flea at Marina Village. Beachside market with a food hall, a DJ, and the two story boat bar. Small makers, not resellers, which is the whole point of this one.

15. Saturday Night - 7pm | STILL ALIVE, a Pearl Jam tribute at Revolution Live, with a Foo Fighters tribute opening. $23 to $27.

16. Saturday Afternoon - 4 to 9pm | Ukrainian Cultural Fest, West Palm Beach. Food, music and dance on the downtown waterfront. Out of county, but there is nothing else like it in South Florida this month.

17. Saturday Night - 6 to 10pm | West Palm Beach Beer Festival at Bryant Park. Fifth year, on the water, and far enough north that you should decide about the drive before you decide about the beer.

18. Saturday Afternoon - 2 to 6pm | Rock the Plaza, Boynton Beach. Free live music in a strip plaza parking lot, which sounds unpromising and is consistently better than it sounds.

19. Saturday | Introduction to Clay, wheel throwing at Bailey Contemporary Arts, Pompano. One of a handful of weekend studio classes at BaCA. Registration required and the wheel classes fill first.

20. Sunday - 11am to 4pm | Sunny Side Up Market at the Historic Stranahan House. Local makers, bakers and growers set up on the lawn of the oldest surviving house in Fort Lauderdale. Yoga and a sound bowl at 11, market from noon, live music 1 to 3. Free, on the New River, and the house itself is worth the walk around.

21. Sunday Afternoon - 12:30pm | Weston distressed estate sale. Live auction plus an in-person sale: luxury watches, fine art, high jewelry. Distressed sales are where the pricing gets strange.

22. Tuesday - 5 to 8:30pm | Tasty Tuesdays at Sunset Cove Amphitheater, Boca Raton. Food truck rally with live music from 5:30. Out of county, but it is the reliable weeknight one.

23. Wednesday | Community Bingo Night at the E. Pat Larkins Center, Pompano. Free bingo with prizes. Included because Pompano is chronically under-covered in our roundup, not because it is glamorous.

24. Thursday and Saturday | Watercolor and colored pencil classes at Bailey Contemporary Arts, Pompano.

25. Huizenga Happenings:

    1. Saturday Morning - 9am | FTL Free Workout Saturdays at Huizenga Park. Free hour in the park downtown. Ran in the Aug 13 issue and keeps drawing.

    2. Tuesday Night - 6:30pm | Huizenga Park Two Mile Run Club. Free weekly two miles from the park, downtown loop. Two miles is short enough that nobody gets dropped.

    3. Tuesday - 6pm | Sunset Yoga with Las Olas Yoga Studio, Huizenga Park.

    4. Wednesday Night - 6:30pm | Think and Drink Trivia at Huizenga Park. Free trivia outdoors downtown. Teams form on the spot if you show up alone.

    5. Thursdays - 5:30 to 7:30pm | Yappy Hour at The Dog Spot, Huizenga Park. Dogs, drinks, downtown.

    6. Friday - 6:30pm | Zumba by Domingo, Huizenga Park. Free class outdoors, 12 and up.

    7. Sunday Morning - 9am | Pilates in the Park with Doug Banker, Huizenga Park.

26. SAVE THESE DATES:

    1. Thursday, Aug 27 · 10am to 2pm | Job News South Florida Job Fair at Amerant Bank Arena. Multi-industry hiring event with the Miami Dolphins, City of Sunrise, CareerSource Broward, Boca Raton Police and the armed services in the room. Free, but register.

    2. Friday, Aug 28 · 6 to 8pm | Riverwalk Chocolate & Whiskey Tasting at the Fort Lauderdale Woman’s Club. Six whiskeys, six chocolate pairings from Kilwins Las Olas, a gift bag, and somebody explaining why any of it works. $60 in advance, $75 at the door if there is a door. 21 and up.

    3. Friday, Aug 28 | Fort Lauderdale United FC v Brooklyn FC at Beyond Bancard Field. The second home match of the season for South Florida’s only pro women’s club. The stadium is small enough that you can actually hear the bench banter.

    4. Friday, Aug 28 · 5 to 10pm | Party in Paradise, Delray’s tribute to Jimmy Buffett at Old School Square. Florida’s official Jimmy Buffett Day, done properly: two tribute acts, a limbo contest, a costume contest, and margaritas. Free if you bring a lawn chair, $50 for the VIP tent.

    5. Island Time:

       1. Friday, Aug 28 · 5 to 8pm | A Taste of Trinidad & Tobago at the Inverrary Community Center, Lauderhill. Roti from Joy’s, Tabanka, Singh’s and King’s, steelpan, tassa drumming, and soca from Shelly Sweetshells. Free.

       2. Saturday, Aug 29 · 6 to 10pm | Trinidad & Tobago Independence Celebration at Vizcaya Park, Miramar. The bigger of the two independence events this weekend, on the Saturday, in Miramar.

    6. Saturday, Aug 29 · 6 to 9pm | Art Fest at Thrive Art District. Last Saturday of the month, every month, in the arts district on the northwest side. Original work, small vendors, and the artists standing next to what they made.

Featured Fort Lauderdale

Sixty-Four Baby Turtles Went the Wrong Way

A nest hatched on Fort Lauderdale beach last Friday. Sixty-four hatchlings dug their way up through the sand, got their bearings, and set off away from the water.

They were heading for a hotel.

A volunteer filmed it. The video went around, people got loud about it, and the Beach House Fort Lauderdale at 505 North Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard spent the weekend as the least popular building in the city. All sixty-four turtles were collected by hand and carried to the ocean. The resort has since reached out to the group that rescued them.

Here is the part worth understanding, because it is not really about one hotel.

A hatchling has exactly one instinct when it reaches the surface: go toward the brightest horizon. That rule worked for as long as there have been turtles and beaches, because the brightest thing on a dark beach is the open sky over the water. It is not a decision the turtle makes. It is closer to a reflex.

Then we built a wall of light behind them, and the rule stopped working.

Fort Lauderdale has an ordinance about this. No lights visible from the beach between March and October, fines up to $500 a day. About 35% of city businesses actually comply. County-wide it is worse. The volunteer group that runs the night patrols puts roughly two thirds of coastal properties out of compliance, with Hallandale Beach the worst of them, averaging 17 visible lights per property.

So the county built a workaround.

Nova Southeastern has run Broward’s sea turtle program for more than thirty years, on contract, across 24 miles of beach. Every morning from March through October, before sunrise, staff ride the sand on ATVs reading the previous night’s tracks. They can tell a real nest from a false crawl. They stake it, log it, sweep the crawl marks away so nothing else follows them in, and come back to it for the next two months.

On the stretches where the lighting is worst, they put a cage over it.

That is the thing almost nobody knows. A restraining cage goes over the nest before the eggs are due. Its ocean-facing door is opened at dawn and shut again at dusk. Somebody checks it through the night. When the hatchlings come up, the cage holds them, so instead of setting off toward A1A they wait in a box on the beach until a person with a permit walks them down to the waterline and lets them go.

That is the hatchling release. The one you can book at Anne Kolb. The one that sells out. The one that is, genuinely, lovely to watch.

It is a rescue operation with tickets.

None of that is an argument against going. Go. It costs very little, there are only a few nights left in the season, and watching something that small make a run at the Atlantic will fix your whole week. Only about one in a thousand of them lives to grow up, which makes it feel less like a photo opportunity and more like seeing someone off at the airport.

Just know what you are looking at. The cage is not part of the plan. It is a patch. The actual fix is a light switch, on a building, belonging to somebody who has not flipped it.

Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program · releases run at Anne Kolb Nature Center, Hollywood, on set nights through the end of August. Pre-registration and a ticket required: (954) 357-5161.

So... You Think You Know South Florida

You probably already know… Chase Stadium as the place the soccer team played until this year, before they moved down to the new place in Miami.

What you might not know is… what used to stand on that exact patch of ground. It was Lockhart Stadium, and from 1977 it was home to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, and the roster reads like somebody made it up.

Gerd Müller played there. The man who scored the winning goal in the 1974 World Cup final. So did George Best. So did Gordon Banks, the England goalkeeper who made what people still call the greatest save in the history of the sport, off a Pelé header in 1970.

And here is the part that should stop you.

Banks was playing with one eye.

He lost the sight in his right eye in a car crash in 1972. It ended his career in England. He came to Fort Lauderdale in 1977, played 26 games, let in 29 goals, which was the best defensive record in the entire league, and was voted Goalkeeper of the Year.

Half blind. In a car park off Commercial Boulevard. Best in the country.

More Treats To Try

We don’t let just anyone sponsor this newsletter. Here’s who “made the cut” this week:

• The Florida Renaissance Festival is once again hosting its Acting & Dance Workshops. You can attend as a Member or just $5 per workshop if you want to try it out. Classes from now until October. Use this page to register

• The new school year is starting up. Lots of excitement for the first days of school. But if it is not feeling right for your family, you might want to look at something very different and totally worth it.

• SAVE THE DATE. Founding Families Fall Festival. Stranahan House. September 25th. Email director@stranahanhouse.org for sponsorship opportunities.

• 👉 Buy YOUR OWN Classified Ad Here 👈

Just hit reply to this email to get started. Work with us to reach over 1500+ Greater Fort Lauderdale families.

Quote Of The Week

“If more information was the answer, then we’d all be billionaires with perfect abs.” ~ Derek Sivers

Derek Sivers is an author of philosophy and entrepreneurship (founding CD Baby in the early days of internet sales), known for his surprising quotable insights and pithy succinct writing style. Formerly a musician, programmer, TED speaker, and circus clown.

Flotsam & Jetsam

This section of the newsletter (Flotsam & Jetsam being a nautical term) always covers something interesting found from the world-wide webs, but not necessarily local.

The rest of the newsletter is local by nature. We talk about what’s happening downtown, in Fort Lauderdale, the Greater Fort Lauderdale area, and South Florida. Here’s a story that isn’t local in origin… until it is.

Sugata Mitra is famous for his “hole in the wall” experiments where he placed a computer in some of the poorest communities, and then observed what children did together as they got access to unlimited learning.

It also happens that Sugata’s work (including his “grannies in the cloud”) experiments were a major inspiration for the start of the Acton Network over 15 years ago. We (Acton Fort Lauderdale and the purveyors of this newsletter) are part of that Network, so this article hit differently for us.

It also happens that Sugata is talking about one of the topics that seems to be in the news and on peoples’ minds these days - and that is what is going to happen in a world where AI is easily available to anyone, anywhere, and anytime.

AI is not replacing teachers. It is exposing what schools forgot to teach

The argument that Mitra is making, is one that is central to what we do each day at Acton. He says “Artificial intelligence is not destroying education. It is revealing a problem education has managed to ignore for decades: too many schools still confuse the delivery of information with the cultivation of thought.”

You can read more from the full article here. I’m curious. What do you think the future holds in a world of AI? Are you feeling hopeful or guarded?

Word Play Of The Week

“Damn The Torpedoes.”

In the Civil War, floating naval mines were known as “torpedoes” and the famous phrase meant to go forth, with courage.

Admiral David Farragut, Battle of Mobile Bay, August 5, 1864. His lead monitor Tecumseh hit a mine and sank in minutes, and he ordered the fleet straight through the minefield anyway. ~ ​Source

‘Under-The-Radar’ Openings Job Board

Lots of folks offering cool positions here locally. Maybe there’s one for you or a friend?

• Divers for underwater boat bottom cleaning, Broward County. You scrub hulls. Underwater. All day. In a city with 300 miles of canals, somebody has to, and it is a real trade with real hours.

• Senior Custom Millwork Cabinetmaker, Coconut Creek. Senior level, which means somebody wants a person who has done this for twenty years and is willing to pay for it.

• Locksmith and locksmith apprentice, Broward. The apprentice half is the interesting half. A licensed trade you can still get into without a degree, and almost nobody advertises the entry point.

• Dance teachers, Pompano Beach. Hip hop, ballet, tap, jazz, musical theatre and cheer, all at once. If you have one of those in your history and have wondered what to do with it on a Tuesday night, this is it.

• Marine manufacturing helper, entry level, Dania Beach. No experience asked for. Dania Beach is where a surprising amount of the boat industry actually gets built, and this is the door into it.

• Job News South Florida Job Fair, Thursday Aug 27, 10am to 2pm, Amerant Bank Arena. The Miami Dolphins, City of Sunrise, CareerSource Broward, Boca Raton Police, the Army and the Navy, all in one room. Free, but register.

• Visitor Services Associate, Bonnet House Museum & Gardens. First face anyone sees at the 1920s beachfront estate with the monkeys and the orchid house. If you have ever wanted a reason to be there on a weekday, this is it.

Do you have a listing you would like to place here for next week? Hit reply and let us know.

Lastly… One Big Idea For Your Week

Every week, we reach out and deliver our basket of goodies. Our way of showing our love. Who needs that bridge from you this week? One small effort might make a huge difference for someone you care about.

Tell Us How We Are Doing

Every week we are working to make #H!L better for you and to provide a cutting-edge media apprenticeship opportunity for our learners.

Please share your feedback. What do you love? What could we do better FOR YOU? What FTL businesses and experiences should we be highlighting?

Stuff You Won’t Want To Miss This Week:

1. ★ TOP PICK THIS WEEK: Saturday Night - 7:30pm | USA Men’s Eagles v Argentina XV at Chase Stadium. The US national rugby team is playing a full international in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday night, which is not a sentence anyone expected to write. Argentina’s XV is the sparring partner, tickets start around $40, and the whole thing is over in 80 minutes plus a halftime. You do not need to know the rules. Go for the noise, the hits, and the novelty of a test match happening 15 minutes from your house. Insider Tip: Fort Lauderdale United’s home opener kicks off at the exact same time on the field next door, so the complex will be busy. Park once, pick your sport, and give yourself the extra twenty minutes.

2. TONIGHT - 7–9pm | Live Music at Hollywood Beach Theatre. Free live music in an open-air beachside theater with room to dance, right on the Broadwalk. No ticket, no cover, no reason not to. Insider Tip: It runs Thursday, Friday AND Saturday this week, so if tonight does not work you have two more shots.

3. TONIGHT | A Taste of Jazz at Bailey Contemporary Arts, Pompano. Live jazz inside a small arts center on Pompano’s old downtown strip, which is a very different room than a big theater. The kind of night where you end up talking to the musicians.

4. Ends TODAY at noon | Pianos, online and absentee bidding only. An entire auction of nothing but pianos, closing at lunchtime today. If you have been telling yourself you will learn one day, this is the cheapest that day will ever be.

5. TODAY through Saturday - 10am–4pm | Antiques and Art Plus estate sale, Fort Lauderdale. Three days of antiques with an Erté bronze on the listing at $1,500, which tells you what kind of house this was. Go today for the pick, Saturday for the markdowns.

6. TODAY and Friday - 8am–1pm | Moving Sale, Great Items, Wilton Manors. Somebody is leaving town and the whole house is priced to go. Two mornings only.

7. TONIGHT | Dine Out Lauderdale Downtown Dinner & Drinks Tour. A guided walk through downtown’s food and drink scene with a local telling you the Prohibition-era backstory between stops. Dine Out ends this month, so the tour calendar thins out fast after this.

8. TONIGHT | Oldies Music Singo at the Herb Skolnick Center, Pompano. Bingo, except you win by recognizing the song. Exactly as silly as it sounds and the regulars take it seriously.

9. TONIGHT - 6–9pm | Food Truck Night at TY Park, Hollywood. A dozen trucks parked in a county park with a lake in front of them, no cover, bring a blanket.

10. TONIGHT - 6–9pm | Food Truck Night at Tree Tops Park, Davie. Same idea, west side, under the oaks. Tree Tops is one of the few genuinely shady parks in the county.

11. Ends Sunday | Popcorn Frights Film Festival at Savor Cinema. Florida’s biggest horror festival is in its final four days. If you skipped it last week, the closing weekend is when the crowd is loudest and the programmers stop being polite. Insider Tip: Screenings split between Savor Cinema and the Classic Gateway Theater, so check the venue before you drive.

12. Friday Night - 7–10pm | Starlight Musicals at Holiday Park. The last one. Forty-six summers of free Friday concerts on the football field and this is the final night until next June, with the Shane Duncan Band closing it out. Bring a lawn chair, a cooler and a picnic, and go be a person who has done this once. Insider Tip: Canopies and umbrellas are only allowed along the back and sides of the field, so if you want shade, get there early and go wide. Weather line is 954-828-5363.

13. Friday Night - 8–10pm | ArtsPark Movie Night: Field of Dreams at Young Circle, Hollywood. A free outdoor screening of the baseball one, in an amphitheater in the middle of a traffic circle, which is a very Hollywood thing to do. Get there before eight for a decent patch of grass.

14. Friday Night - 5–10pm | Night Market at Dania Pointe. Vendors, food and music strung along the open-air promenade on a Friday evening. Free to walk through, which makes it an easy default when nobody can decide.

15. Friday through Sunday - 10am–5pm | Obon Weekend at the Morikami, Delray Beach. The Japanese festival for honoring ancestors, done properly: taiko, dance, lanterns, and sixteen acres of garden. Worth the drive north, and genuinely unlike anything happening in Broward this weekend.

16. Friday through Sunday - 9am–4pm | Garage, Craftsman Tools, Quality Furnishings, Home Treasures, Fort Lauderdale. A full garage of Craftsman tools going at once. If you moved into a house here and own one screwdriver, this is your Friday morning.

17. Friday and Saturday - 8am–2pm | Man Cave Meets Mom, Coral Springs. Best-named estate sale of the week and probably the most honest description of a garage in Broward County.

18. Friday Night - 6:30pm | Plunge into the Arts at Plunge Beach Resort, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. Five local artists rotate through the lobby gallery every thirty days and the unveiling nights are open to anyone who walks in. Free, oceanfront, and you get to talk to the person who made the thing.

19. Saturday Night - 7:30pm | Fort Lauderdale United FC home opener v Sporting JAX. South Florida’s only professional women’s soccer club opens its season at home, and the season runs all the way to May, so this is the one where you find out whether it becomes your thing. Insider Tip: Kickoff is the same 7:30 as the rugby next door. If you want a quieter parking lot, get there early.

20. Saturday Night - from 5pm | National Rum Day Festival at The Wharf. More than a hundred rums, six bars built for the occasion and a menu cooked with the stuff, on the river downtown. Fort Lauderdale spent the 1920s being called Fort Liquordale, so consider it a heritage event.

21. Saturday Night - 6–10pm | Downtown Hollywood ArtWalk. Galleries and studios open late along Harrison Street with live music between them. Free, walkable, and one of the few genuine art nights in the county that is not tied to a museum.

22. Saturday | After Work Players: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Broward Center. Adults who take classes at the Broward Center put on a full show once a year. It is the opposite of a touring production, which is exactly why it is worth a ticket.

23. Saturday | Doris Italian Market Wine Night. A wine tasting in a grocery store, which sounds wrong and is in fact excellent. Doris is a South Florida institution and the pours are not stingy.

24. Saturday | Ceramic Workshop: Pottery & Propagations. Make a planter, leave with a cutting to put in it. Two hobbies for the price of one afternoon.

25. Saturday | Saturday Morning Legos and Estate Finds, Hollywood. Somebody’s Lego collection is going to a stranger this weekend and it might as well be you.

26. Saturday Morning - 9–10am | FTL Free Workout Saturdays, Huizenga Park. Free group workout in the rebuilt downtown park. Show up, no signup.

27. Sunday - 11:30am–4pm | India Independence Day Festival at the Broward Center. Food, dance and music for India’s Independence Day, put on by the Association of Indians in America, in the middle of downtown. One of the bigger cultural festivals of the Broward summer and almost nobody outside the community knows it happens.

28. Saturday and Sunday - 12–8pm | Smorgasburg South Florida, Flagler Village. Forty-plus food vendors in an open lot, every Saturday and Sunday. The default answer to “we cannot decide where to eat.”

29. Saturdays and Sundays - 1-4pm | Build & Talk Legos at MODS. Children and caregivers together for hands-on building challenges and fun conversations about digital gaming.

30. Tuesday and Wednesday | The Invite and I Want Your Sex at Savor Cinema. Popcorn Frights clears out and the art-house calendar restarts, with both films running the rest of the week. Savor is a 200-seat independent house downtown, which is the whole point of going.

31. Wednesday Night - 6:30–8pm | Think and Drink Trivia, Huizenga Park. Outdoor trivia downtown. Low stakes, easy to bring a stranger to.

32. Wednesday | Lyrics Lab Open Mic at The Hive, Pompano. An open mic run inside a real black box theater rather than the back of a bar, which changes the whole room.

33. Did you see the Fort Lauderdale Parks & Rec Playbook is out? This is the annual program to all activities, including aquatics, athletics, classes, and more.

34. SAVE THE DATES for Next Week

    1. Saturday, Aug 22 and Sunday, Aug 23 | Monster Jam at Amerant Bank Arena. Trucks the size of a garage, indoors, very loud. Tickets move for this one and the good seats go first.

    2. Saturday, Aug 22 | Pompano Beach Fire Rescue 100 Year Anniversary at the Sample-McDougald House. A century of the city’s fire department, marked at Pompano’s 1916 house museum. The kind of local anniversary that only happens once and that nobody outside city hall hears about.

    3. Friday, Aug 21 | Old Town’s Backyard Jam, Pompano. The monthly outdoor concert series in Pompano’s old downtown.

    4. Saturday, Aug 22 · 7pm | STILL ALIVE, a Pearl Jam tribute at Revolution Live, with a Foo Fighters tribute opening.

    5. Saturday, Aug 22 · 4–9pm | Ukrainian Cultural Fest, West Palm Beach. Food, music and dance on the Great Lawn downtown. Out of county, but there is nothing else like it in South Florida this month.

    6. Wednesday and Thursday, Aug 19–20 | New City Hall and Parking Garage Job Fair, Pompano Beach. Two days of hiring and info sessions tied to the new civic build.

Friday is the last Starlight Musicals until next June. What’s the one free thing in Broward you tell every new arrival about? Reply with it and I’ll credit you when I run the list.

Featured Fort Lauderdale

Mangos Isn’t Coming Back. Something Else Is Taking That Corner.

If you moved here in the last few years, you have probably heard someone say Las Olas used to be different. Here is the specific thing most of them mean.

Mangos opened in December 1992 at 904 East Las Olas, on the corner of Southeast 9th Avenue. Restaurant during the day, live music at night, bands playing most nights, the kind of bar people walked into on a Tuesday for no particular reason. It ran like that for 25 years. In January 2017 the owner sold the business and the liquor license, and it closed.

Then for most of this year, people said it was coming back. Back in January, Miami New Times listed a Mangos revival among the year’s most anticipated openings, with a late-summer date on it. That is the version still going around town. It is also the version I nearly printed here.

It is not happening. In May, The Restaurant People confirmed they are opening something new on that corner instead. It is called NAIA, it lands in October, and it is Mediterranean food with Asian influences and a big indoor-outdoor bar. Their CEO Tim Petrillo called it “the next evolution of how we think about dining on Las Olas,” which is a polite way of saying the old thing is not returning.

The building is gone too, by the way. That corner was rebuilt from scratch: about 5,700 square feet of restaurant on the west end, retail on the east, new live oaks along 9th Avenue.

And it is not one restaurant. As of last week the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance counts 11 new restaurants opening on or near Las Olas over the coming months. Foot traffic on the boulevard is up 19% since 2021 and now runs past five million visits a year. The city is planning wider sidewalks and more than 90 new trees.

So when somebody tells you Las Olas used to be different, they are right. It also happens to be changing again, right now, while you live here. That part you get to watch.

So... You Think You Know South Florida

You probably already know... Fort Lauderdale is home to some of the world’s longest stretches of sandy beaches. People come from all over the world to stick their toes in the sand.

What you might not know is... this past week, Fort Lauderdale also played host to the 2026 National Lifeguard Championships. From high-intensity surfboat races and paddleboard rescues to lightning-fast beach flag sprints, the nation’s most skilled first responders went head-to-head right here on Fort Lauderdale Beach.

And our own Deerfield Beach Ocean Rescue Team from right here in the Greater Fort Lauderdale region captured their fifth straight National Championship!

While the talent gathering from coast to coast is world-class, the biggest story of the championship hits right in our own backyard.

Dominating the competition year after year takes far more than luck. It demands endless early-morning training sessions, flawless teamwork in rough surf, and an unrelenting commitment to athletic excellence. Seeing our local squad cement their dynasty on home turf makes this victory even sweeter.

Beyond the medals and bragging rights, these championships showcase the razor-sharp skills, stamina, and quick thinking these men and women use every day to keep beachgoers safe.

So next time you’re soaking up the sun in South Florida, give a tip of your hat to our local heroes. Not only do they keep our shorelines secure year-round, they also happen to be the undisputed best in the nation!

More Treats To Try

We don’t let just anyone sponsor this newsletter. Here’s who “made the cut” this week:

👉 Buy YOUR OWN Classified Ad Here 👈

• The new school year is starting up. Lots of excitement for the first days of school. But if it is not feeling right for your family, you might want to look at something very different and totally worth it.

• Make your morning feel like a getaway with Fort Lauderdale’s Hollywood Early-Bird Cruise. Fort Lauderdale's Hollywood Early-Bird Cruise departs daily at 9 AM from Stop F4 – Hilton Marina & Convention Center, and is $20 roundtrip. Lot’s to do in Hollywood.

• The Jury Experience: The Deadly Boat Ride. An immersive courtroom drama where you're the jury, staged at Savor Cinema. A boat crime, in this town — on the nose and kind of perfect. From $48.50.

• 🎶 Music lessons for your child. Start building confidence on day one. See our special promotion for an extra 15-minute personalized onboarding session. Voice. Piano. And combo lessons. Text Shontel at 516-945-9742.

• SAVE THE DATE. Founding Families Fall Festival. Stranahan House. September 25th. Email director@stranahanhouse.org for sponsorship opportunities.

Just hit reply to this email to get started. Work with us to reach over 1500+ Greater Fort Lauderdale families.

Quote Of The Week

Mary Kay Ash on the power of listening:

“Many of the problems I hear don’t require me to offer solutions. I solve most of them by just listening and letting the involved party do the talking.”

Mary Kay Ash was an American businesswoman and founder of direct sales company Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc. At the time of her death, she had a fortune of $98 million, and her company had more than $1.2 billion in sales with a sales force of more than 800,000 in at least three dozen countries.

Flotsam & Jetsam

This one will definitely fit the “cool thing found on the web and definitely not local to Florida” - which is kind of the definition we gave to this Flotsam and Jetsam section.

This week families are returning from summer explorations for the start of the new school year. And one of the things several families reported was they saw castles!

Now to be clear… the word “Coral Castle” shows up several places (Homestead being the most well known) in Florida (we even have a tiny one here in Fort Lauderdale). But what we do have… is a bunch of historical Forts that will rival any of the European castles. Like Forts Jefferson or Zachary Taylor down in the Keys, or Castillo de San Marcos up in Saint Augustine.

But if you really want to see castles (lots of them), look at this map! It’s cool to see the clusters, as you can zoom in on Europe or even the many locations in Japan.

Which one is most surprising to you? Fort Conger (furthest north) up in Canada? There is even a fun “Surprise Me” or a “CastleGuesser” for those who want to test their knowledge.

Word Play Of The Week

“Groggy.”

In 1740 Admiral Edward Vernon ordered the Royal Navy’s daily rum ration watered down. Vernon wore a coat of grogram cloth, so sailors called him Old Grog, and the watered rum became “grog.” Feeling rough the next morning was feeling groggy. The word for your hangover is named after the man who tried to prevent it. ~ ​Source

‘Under-The-Radar’ Openings Job Board

Lot’s of folks offering cool positions here locally. Maybe there’s one for you or a friend?

• Shoe Cobbler / Repairman in Margate. Somebody in Broward is still resoling shoes by hand and needs help doing it. If you have ever wondered where that skill goes when the last shop closes, here is the answer. Listing

• Marine Gelcoat Technician at a Dania Beach boat manufacturer. Gelcoat is the finish that makes a hull look like glass, and it is a genuine craft. A job that only exists because of where we live. Listing

• Aircraft Detailing Technician in Dania Beach. Cleaning private jets at the executive airport, which is a real industry here and completely invisible unless you work in it. Listing

• Bird Care and Bug Zoo Department Management at Butterfly World, Coconut Creek. Running the breeding programs and habitats for the birds and the insects. Outdoors, weekends included. Listing

• New City Hall and Parking Garage Job Fair, Pompano Beach, Wed-Thu Aug 19-20. Two days of hiring and info sessions tied to the new civic build. This one is dated, so it can run in the roundup instead (std11). Listing

• Director of Business Development at the Museum of Discovery and Science. The person who goes and gets the sponsors and partnerships that keep a downtown science museum running. Listing

• Do you have a listing you would like to place here for next week? Hit reply and let us know.

Lastly… One Big Idea For Your Week

Are you moving towards what you want, or away from what you are hoping to avoid? Your answer matters more than what you might think.

Tell Us How We Are Doing

Every week we are working to make #H!L better for you and to provide a cutting-edge media apprenticeship opportunity for our learners.

Please share your feedback. What do you love? What could we do better FOR YOU? What FTL businesses and experiences should we be highlighting?

Dine Out Lauderdale is underway from now until September. 140+ restaurants feels like a list that is too long to be useful. If you could only pick ONE to send your friends to… which one are you picking?

For this week, a scary movies film festival, lighthouse tours and sunken ships to explore. Don’t miss the Price Is Right auditions. All of that and more👇👇👇

Stuff You Won’t Want To Miss This Week:

1. ★ TOP PICK THIS WEEK: Starts TONIGHT, runs through Aug 16 | Popcorn Frights Film Festival at Savor Cinema. Florida's biggest horror festival takes over two Fort Lauderdale theaters for eleven straight days, and this is its twelfth year. 116 films, 19 of them world premieres. Opening night is a zombie double bill: the Florida premiere of Yeon Sang-ho's Colony, paired with a 4K restoration of Train to Busan for its tenth anniversary. If you only go once, make it the world premiere of Gator Face, a creature feature shot in the Florida swamps with real alligators, practical effects and zero CGI. You live here now. Go watch someone get eaten by a local. Insider Tip: Screenings split between Savor Cinema and the Classic Gateway Theater, so check the venue before you drive. All-Access Badges are limited.

2. TODAY - 11am–7pm | Free First Thursday at NSU Art Museum. Free admission all day, no card and no catch, right on Las Olas. There is a VR pigment-history piece running until 5, drop-in Mini Muse art-making, and short films by the Close to Home artists screening at 5 and 6. Ninety minutes here is the cheapest way to feel like you did something with your Thursday.

3. TONIGHT - 7pm | Hadestown: Teen Edition at the Broward Center. The final two nights of a summer camp production of the Tony winner, staged in the Amaturo by teenagers who have been rehearsing all summer. Tonight or tomorrow, then it is gone.

4. TONIGHT | Oldies Music Singo at the Herb Skolnick Center, Pompano. Bingo, except you win by recognizing the song. It is exactly as silly as it sounds and the crowd takes it seriously.

5. Friday - 2-3pm | Lego Club at the Main Library. Is there anything better that offering your lego-maniac a big box of blocks, and a new set of friends to built with?

6. Friday | Dine Out Lauderdale Cake Decorating Class. Dine Out is not only prix fixe menus this year. There is a whole run of hands-on classes attached to it, and this is the one where you leave holding something. Or… Saturday | Dine Out Lauderdale Ramen & Pottery Class. You make the bowl, then you fill the bowl. Runs again Aug 15 if this Saturday is spoken for.

7. Friday Night - 7–10pm | Starlight Musicals at Holiday Park. Free live music on the football field, and this Friday it is Mischief playing pop covers. Bring a lawn chair, a cooler and a picnic. There are only two Fridays left in the whole season.

8. Friday Night - 6–11pm | Food in Motion at 511 Bar & Lounge, Flagler Village. Food trucks, street eats, art and shopping in the parking lot on NE 3rd Ave. It is the Flagler Village version of a night out: loud, casual, and you can leave whenever.

9. Friday Night | Ode to Tomato: An Immersive Dinner Experience in Dania Beach. A whole dinner built around one ingredient, at peak tomato. This is the kind of thing you tell people about later.

10. Friday Night - 7pm | Completely Unchained at Revolution Live. A Van Halen tribute with a Ratt tribute opening. No irony required, the musicianship is the point. Or… (also Friday night) | Living the '80s in Pompano Beach. A full '80s tribute night at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center.

11. Friday - 6:30pm | Zumba by Domingo at Huizenga Park. An hour of dance-fitness outdoors downtown, open to anyone twelve and up.

12. Friday through Sunday | Professional Bull Riders at Amerant Bank Arena. Freedom Days, three nights of bull riding in Sunrise. Genuinely a spectacle if you have never seen one live, and eight seconds is a very long time.

13. Saturday Morning - 8:30am | Plantation Acres Estate Sale. John Deere equipment, tools and whatever else comes out of a Plantation acreage property. This is the good kind of estate sale, the one where somebody actually used the stuff. Insider Tip: 8:30am start, and the tools go first.

14. Saturday Morning | North Grove Estate Sale, Coconut Grove. 938 photos in the listing, which is either a warning or an invitation. Worth the drive if you are furnishing a place.

15. Saturday Night | "Presidential Palate" Chef Experience Dinner in Sunrise. A themed tasting dinner built around dishes served to US presidents. Odd premise, but real cooking.

16. Saturday | Clay Open Studio at Bailey Contemporary Arts, Pompano. Second Saturday of the month, the clay studio opens to anyone who wants to get their hands in it.

17. Saturday | U-Ball Beach Basketball Tournament, Dania Beach. Basketball in the sand, with former pros on hand. Free to watch.

18. Sunday - 7pm | Deep Purple at Hard Rock Live. Still touring, still loud, still the band that wrote the riff every guitar shop bans. A legacy act if that’s your schtick.

19. Sunday | The XXXI International Ballet Festival of Miami at the Broward Center. Thirty-one years old and it still only comes north for one night. Dancers from companies around the world on one bill.

20. Monday - 6-7:30pm | Play AND Singalong with Ukulele Fun at the Main Library. We stopped by one day because I was curious. Not only is it fun to see a bunch of folks (all abilities) playing together, but you won’t be able help yourself from singing along as they play many popular songs.

21. Tuesday | Wine Wise Fine Wine & Maine Oyster Cruise. Same boat, oysters added. Maine oysters (flown in for the event) on the Intracoastal feels a very fun Fort Lauderdale contradiction.

22. SAVE THE DATES for Next Week

    1. Saturday, Aug 15 · 7:30pm | USA Rugby v Argentina XV at Chase Stadium. The USA Eagles host Argentina in a full international test match, in Fort Lauderdale, in a 20,000-seat stadium fifteen minutes from downtown. Tickets start around $48.

    2. Saturday, Aug 15 · 7:30pm | Fort Lauderdale United FC home opener vs Sporting JAX. South Florida's only pro women's soccer club opens its third season at Beyond Bancard Field. Same night, same 7:30 kickoff, roughly the same corner of town as the rugby. Pick a side or do a very ambitious doubleheader.

    3. Saturday, Aug 15 · boats 9am–3pm | Hillsboro Lighthouse Tour, Pompano Beach. Once a month a boat runs out to the lighthouse, and you can climb it. Not a view from the water, actually up the tower. Insider Tip: Boats leave hourly from South Florida Diving HQ, 125 N Riverside Dr, seating is first come first served, so show up 15 to 20 minutes before the hour you want. Your ticket is a Hillsboro Lighthouse Preservation Society membership, which you can buy on the dock that morning.

Hey - quick question. Did we miss anything? Each week we do our research but you might know of an event, an organization, or a local business that deserves some love here in our weekly basket of goodies. Just hit reply to this email and let us know!

Featured Fort Lauderdale

Keeping up with several recent features about the fun (conservation and snorkeling) up at Wahoo Bay, today’s focus is on Ship Wreck Park in Pompano Beach.

Ten years ago, a retired vessel embarked on an extraordinary new journey. Sunk intentionally to give back to the ocean, the Lady Luck transformed into one of South Florida’s most iconic and vibrant artificial reefs.

Fast forward over the last decade, and what was once an empty hull is now a bustling underwater metropolis!

Over the last 10 years, the Lady Luck has achieved incredible milestones:

• A Marine Sanctuary: Home to thriving coral growth and countless marine species.

• A Diver’s Paradise: A bucket-list destination attracting underwater adventurers from all over the globe.

• A Community Triumph: A shining symbol of what’s possible when conservation, collaboration, and community come together for our oceans.

Her legacy stretches far beyond the ocean floor, sparking education, protecting our local marine life, and inspiring thousands of unforgettable dives. This is what the shipwreck looked like 9 years ago:

So... You Think You Know South Florida

You probably already know... there are lots of fun (and free) things to do all around the Greater Fort Lauderdale area.

What you might not know is... that one of those free (and fun) things is stargazing at the Fox Observatory at Markham Park every Saturday night, from sunset to midnight.

They have a members program (exclusive events for members) and public viewings take place every Saturday night (weather permitting), allowing visitors to view planets, the moon, and distant nebulas.

The primary telescope at the observatory is a 14 inch Schmidt-Cassegrain F/10 and several Dobsonian reflecting telescopes. The observatory also houses a 6-inch f/15 Brandon refractor donated in 1965 by the observatory’s namesake, Dr. Joseph Dennison Fox.

What to Expect

• Telescopes: Access to large association telescopes and setup views from local hobbyists who share their personal scopes on the grounds.

• Viewing Tips: Bring your patience, as lines for popular telescopes can form.

• Weather Dependency: Sessions depend entirely on clear skies; check updates via the SFAAA Official Site or their social pages before heading out.

  

More Treats To Try

We don’t let just anyone sponsor this newsletter. Here’s who “made the cut” this week:

(Hit reply to this email if you want to reach over 1400+ local families for just $100)

👉 Buy YOUR OWN Classified Ad Here 👈

• Make your morning feel like a getaway with Fort Lauderdale’s Hollywood Early-Bird Cruise. Fort Lauderdale's Hollywood Early-Bird Cruise departs daily at 9 AM from Stop F4 – Hilton Marina & Convention Center, and is $20 roundtrip. Lot’s to do in Hollywood.

• The Jury Experience: The Deadly Boat Ride. An immersive courtroom drama where you're the jury, staged at Savor Cinema. A boat crime, in this town — on the nose and kind of perfect. From $48.50.

• This Weekend check out Smorgasburg South Florida. Over 40 vendors slinging global street food in Flagler Village, free to walk in. Go hungry and graze your way down the row instead of committing to one thing.

• 🎶 Music lessons for your child. Start building confidence on day one. See our special promotion for an extra 15-minute personalized onboarding session. Voice. Piano. And combo lessons. Text Shontel at 516-945-9742.

• Ditch the endless swiping and meet real Fort Lauderdale singles in person at Jigsaw’s curated August lineup of speed dating, trivia nights, and happy hours across local hotspots. Complete with host-led icebreakers, interactive games, and post-event match codes.

Just hit reply to this email to get started. Work with us to reach over 1300+ Greater Fort Lauderdale families.

Quote Of The Week

“...much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on.” ~ Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs needs no explanation or link to understand his background. But this works words jumped out at me because I just finished reading “Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned” which is a counter-intuitive look at how setting goals can actually work against us. The solution? Seek our the curious and interesting options in life, because our greatest discoveries and breakthrough moments all came from an unexpected leap.

Flotsam & Jetsam

Remember during the COVID shutdowns when people were stuck and home and the began to connect and explore in the most unique ways? I remember seeing folks singing and playing music between balconies in Italy.

This “flotsam find” reminds me a bit of that playful peacefulness.

It is called WindowSwap and it is about seeing the world through the eyes (and the windows) of a stranger half a world away. There is also an Instagram feed showing more portals into someone else’s every day scenes.

Their stated mission is: WindowSwap is here to fill that deep void in our wanderlust hearts by allowing us to look through someone else’s window, somewhere in the world.

Word Play Of The Week

“Nightmares”

We THOUGHT it had to do with scary black horses trampling through our dreams. Turns out, the “mare” part actually is Old English for a demon that sits on our chest and terrifies us in our sleep. Who knew? ~ ​Source

‘Under-The-Radar’ Openings Job Board

Lot’s of folks offering cool positions here locally. Maybe there’s one for you or a friend?

• Did you know about the Broward Center Teen Ambassador program? The deadline to apply is September 8th. What a great way to build skills and connections.

• Want to be an extra on RJ Becker (the TV series set in Fort Lauderdale)? Casting TaylorMade is looking for extras for shooting that will take place next week.

• This looks like an interesting one. Barry University is looking for someone to run their Simulation Learning Center. Extra bonus, your dependents get free tuition.

• Animal Care / Lorikeet Attendant at Butterfly World (Coconut Creek) — $15/hr+ to wrangle lorikeets at the world's largest butterfly park. ALSO… Retail Sales / Tour Guide at Butterfly World. Part time. Hour-long tours through the largest butterfly park in the world.

• Sea Turtle Overnight Monitoring (temp) at NSU Halmos College, Dania. Overnight surveys and nest relocation. Yes, this is a job where you walk the beach at night counting turtle nests.

• Integrated Communications Assistant Manager at MODS. Run the science museum's voice. ALSO… Afterschool and Camp Manager at the Museum of Discovery and Science, downtown FTL. Run the programs that fill MODS with kids all summer.

• Do you have a listing you would like to place here for next week? Hit reply and let us know.

Lastly… One Big Idea For Your Week

We all know a gratitude practice is a good thing. It is the antidote to victimhood. But what is your practice? Do you write it down? Do you drift off to sleep counting your blessings?

Tell Us How We Are Doing

Every week we are working to make #H!L better for you and to provide a cutting-edge media apprenticeship opportunity for our learners.

Please share your feedback. What do you love? What could we do better FOR YOU? What FTL businesses and experiences should we be highlighting?

Also - a quick request: Any of you really good shoppers at the local thrift shops? Not really my thing, but I think it would be cool to get some insider tips if you are willing to share. Hit reply, and I will give you credit in an upcoming newsletter.

Stuff You Won’t Want To Miss This Week:

1. ★ TOP PICK THIS WEEK: Sunday - 11am–2pm | Sunday Jazz Brunch. Free live jazz along the New River, and the only Sunday in August you can catch it. The city runs this on the first Sunday of the month and it is the single easiest way to feel like you actually live here. Bring a chair, buy a coffee downtown, stay longer than you planned.

2. TODAY - 5:30pm | Once Upon a Time in a Cinema. Savor Cinema is the FLIFF-run indie house on SE 6th Street and it programs the stuff the multiplex never will.

3. TONIGHT - 7pm | Hadestown: Teen Edition. A summer theater camp production of the Tony winner, staged in the Amaturo. Four nights total, so if tonight doesn't work you have Friday, then Aug 6 and Aug 7.

4. TONIGHT | Old School Vinyl at Revolution Live. Records played front to back on a real system, not a playlist and not a club night. Two nights, tonight and tomorrow.

5. Friday Night - 7–10pm | Starlight Musicals: Shaw Davis & The Black Ties. Free high-energy blues on the football field at Holiday Park, 47 years running. Insider Tip: Bring a lawn chair, a picnic and a cooler, all allowed. No pets, and the main field is a tent-free zone so everyone can see.

6. Friday Night - 8pm | BIG3 Basketball. Ice Cube's 3-on-3 league, with All-Stars and Hall of Famers playing a format that's genuinely faster and weirder than the NBA. Insider Tip: Doors open 60 to 90 minutes before tip.

7. Friday Night - 8pm | Alan Cavé. One of the biggest names in Haitian konpa, playing a room this size. If you've never been to a konpa show, this is the one.

8. Friday Night - 6:30–7:30pm | Zumba by Domingo. Free outdoor Zumba in Huizenga Park before you go anywhere else. Did we say it’s free. The Huizenga events (yoga, pilates, zumba, run club, trivia night) have been fabulous! Shoutout to the Huizenga team for all they are providing each week.

9. Ongoing - Mon–Sat 10–5, Sun 12–5 | The Science of Guinness World Records. A hands-on arena with live leaderboards where you test your own strength, reflexes and endurance against record-setters. Runs through Sep 7, so no rush, but it's the best rainy-afternoon answer in town right now. Insider Tip: It's included with regular museum admission, no separate exhibit ticket.

10. Friday through Sunday - $12/day | Antiques Festival. Three days of dealers in West Palm. Worth the drive if you're furnishing a place and refuse to buy everything new.

11. Friday Night - 5–10pm, $10 | Art After Dark: Improv Night. The museum stays open late and hands the room to improv. Ten dollars for a night out that isn't a bar.

12. Saturday Morning - 9–10am | FTL Free Workout Saturdays. Free group workout in Huizenga Park before the heat wins. I’ve been going the last couple of weekend. Folks are super welcoming and all range of abilities. Just give it your best shot and someone will encourage you to push that little extra.

13. Saturday - 1–4pm | Emancipation Day: Freedom Across the Anglo-Caribbean. August 1, 1834 is the day slavery ended across the English-speaking Caribbean, and this is Broward marking it with music, storytelling, food and consuls general from a dozen island nations. Free, and the kind of afternoon that explains the county you moved to. Insider Tip: Free, but register first at islandspacefl.org/EmancipationDay26.

14. Saturday Afternoon - 3–7pm | FTL Beach Market. Flamingo Flea's beachside market with a food hall, a DJ, and the double-decker boat bar at The Shorely for the view.

15. Saturday Night - 5–10pm | South Florida Italian Festival. Live music, food trucks, artisan vendors and a Best Italian Dish contest at the Margate Sports Complex. Insider Tip: Free parking, and dogs are welcome.

16. Saturday Night - 7pm | Zendatta, a Tribute to The Police, with Touch & Go. Two tribute bands, one bill, at Revolution Live. Lower stakes and lower cost than the arena shows this week.

17. Saturday and Sunday | Horsegirls. Two-day run at the indie house downtown.

18. Saturday and Sunday | Museums on Us at NSU Art Museum. Free admission all weekend if you carry a Bank of America card. If you don't, Aug 6 is free for everyone anyway.

19. Saturday and Sunday - 10am–4pm | Oceanside Markets at Las Olas Oceanside Park. Weekend markets across the road from the beach, so you can make a morning of it and end up in the water.

20. Starts Saturday, runs through September | Dine Out Lauderdale. Three-course prix fixe at 140-plus restaurants for two months. Lunch is $35, dinner runs $45, $60 or $75. Insider Tip: No ticket, no signup, no pass. You just walk in during August or September and ask for the menu.

21. Sunday | Unspoken Bond. A Sunday screening at Savor Cinema.

22. Also Sunday - 9:30–10:30am | Music and Movement with Miss Tracy Sings. Free morning music in Huizenga Park.

23. Sunday - 9am–3pm | Coco Market. A wellness market in Delray if you want to make a drive out of Sunday.

24. Monday Night - 7–11pm | Monster Jam. Trucks the size of a studio apartment, on a Monday, because why not.

25. Tuesday - 7am and 6pm | Yoga in Huizenga Park with Las Olas Yoga Studio. Two sessions, both outdoors, pick your hour.

26. Tuesday - 6:30–8pm | Granite Rapids Moon. A Tuesday-night screening at Savor Cinema.

27. SAVE THE DATES for Next Week

    1. Next Thursday - 6–9pm | Clematis by Night. Free weekly music on the Great Lawn. Worth the drive once, to see how another downtown does it.

    2. Next Thursday | Oldies Music Singo & Dance Show. Bingo, but you win by recognizing the song. Pompano Beach.

    3. Next Thursday | Introduction to Colored Pencil Drawing and Painting. Bailey is Pompano's downtown art space and it runs classes most people never hear about.

    4. Friday, Aug 7 | Ode to Tomato at MAD Arts. A six-course dinner staged inside an animated projection about the years Dania Beach called itself the Tomato Capital of the World. Two nights only this season, Aug 7 and Aug 21, so book it now or miss it.

    5. Friday, Aug 7 · 7pm | Completely Unchained, a Van Halen tribute. Tribute night at Revolution Live.

    6. Friday, Aug 7 through Sunday, Aug 9 | Professional Bull Riders: Freedom Days. Three days of PBR in Sunrise. Tickets move for this one, so decide early.

    7. Saturday, Aug 8 · 8:30am | Plantation Acres Estate Sale. John Deere equipment, tools, and whatever else a Plantation Acres property has been holding onto. Get there at open.

    8. Sunday, Aug 9 · 7pm | Deep Purple. A legacy act at Hard Rock Live on a Sunday night.

    9. Sunday, Aug 9 | The XXXI Annual International Ballet Festival of Miami. Thirty-one years running, and this is the Broward night of it.

Hey - quick question. Did we miss anything? Each week we do our research but you might know of an event, an organization, or a local business that deserves some love here in our weekly basket of goodies. Just hit reply to this email and let us know!

Featured Fort Lauderdale

Did you know this iconic Fort Lauderdale attraction changed hands this spring?

You’ve driven past it a thousand times at Bahia Mar. Maybe you took it on a 5th-grade field trip, or dragged your visiting relatives on it once, then forgot it existed.

The Jungle Queen just sold this spring.

After almost 70 years with the same family, Fort Lauderdale’s longest-running tourist attraction has a new owner. The buyer is local hospitality operator Bill Fuller, the guy currently restoring the Mai-Kai and running Ball & Chain in Little Havana.

The boat isn’t going anywhere, and the famous island barbecue dinner cruise stays.

When a landmark that’s been cruising the New River since 1935 gets fresh backing from someone who specializes in historic South Florida spots, it’s worth a second look. Next time you’re planning a weekend on the water, skip the usual spots and go rediscover the classic right in your backyard.

So... You Think You Know South Florida

You probably already know... there’s reef off our beach. You’ve seen the dive flags bobbing past Anglin’s Pier and the charter boats heading out before the sun’s all the way up.

What you might not know is... the oldest and largest coral colony anyone has found in Broward County started growing in 1694. Fifteen feet long, nine feet tall, and still out there.

Sit with that year for a second. In 1694 Florida was Spanish. The United States was 82 years from existing.

Here’s the part that got me. Stony coral grows somewhere between a fifth of an inch and eight tenths of an inch a year. Do the math on fifteen feet and you land at about half an inch a year for three hundred and thirty years. That thing built itself out of seawater at the pace of a fingernail, through every hurricane that has crossed this coast since the 1600s.

And we know the year because coral keeps its own records. Drill out a core, x-ray it, and you get bands. One light layer plus one dark layer is a year, same idea as tree rings. Somebody counted back to 1694.

The reef is also closer than most people assume. Broward has three tracts running the length of our 24 miles of coast, and the inner one sits in only 20 to 30 feet of water. Off Datura Avenue in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea you can walk in from the sand and swim to it. The first reef is about a hundred feet out.

You live on top of the third largest barrier reef system on the planet. Go put your face in the water and look at it. ~ Source

More Treats To Try

We don’t let just anyone sponsor this newsletter. Here’s who “made the cut” this week:

(Hit reply to this email if you want to reach over 1400+ local families for just $100)

👉 Buy YOUR OWN Classified Ad Here 👈

• Make your morning feel like a getaway with Fort Lauderdale’s Hollywood Early-Bird Cruise. Fort Lauderdale's Hollywood Early-Bird Cruise departs daily at 9 AM from Stop F4 – Hilton Marina & Convention Center, and is $20 roundtrip. Lot’s to do in Hollywood.

• The Jury Experience: The Deadly Boat Ride. An immersive courtroom drama where you're the jury, staged at Savor Cinema. A boat crime, in this town — on the nose and kind of perfect. From $48.50.

• This Weekend check out Smorgasburg South Florida. Over 40 vendors slinging global street food in Flagler Village, free to walk in. Go hungry and graze your way down the row instead of committing to one thing.

• 🎶 Music lessons for your child. Start building confidence on day one. See our special promotion for an extra 15-minute personalized onboarding session. Voice. Piano. And combo lessons. Text Shontel at 516-945-9742.

• SAVE THE DATE. Founding Families Fall Festival. Stranahan House. September 25th. Email director@stranahanhouse.org for sponsorship opportunities.

Just hit reply to this email to get started. Work with us to reach over 1300+ Greater Fort Lauderdale families.

Quote Of The Week

“Plenty of growth can be found in removing your vices, but the real leaps are unlocked when you stop clinging to your comforts.”

~ James Clear

James Clear is an American writer best known for his 2018 self-help book Atomic Habits.

Flotsam & Jetsam

Art can be beautiful. And depending on who you were cheering for last week in the World Cup final, the beautiful game might also produce the most beautiful art.

This week I came across a fun data visualization tool that plots every World Cup game, including those just down the road in Miami. If you went to match watch party (or three) do these views capture the ups and downs when a late stage shot hit the crossbar?

Each data “portrait” is an impression, but one built entirely from the data. Nothing is staged or dressed up to make it look better. Each match is reconstructed from roughly 1,500 recorded events, including every touch, pass, shot and yellow (or red) card issued.

This is what the final game looked like, and it pretty much matches the feeling to me. Dominated by Spain’s control of the ball, with too little, too late from Argentina.

The France/England game is also interesting to look at because it was a tale of two halves, dominated by the Englishmen to start, but the French showed up in the second half.

This concludes our World Cup coverage for another four years. It was fun to see the host cities show off their best. And the stories of fans traveling the states to see such wonders of the world as Buc-ee’s Travel Centers was priceless.

Word Play Of The Week

“Salad Days”

The idiom “salad days” means a bright, carefree time of youth, happiness, and innocence. It often describes a period when a person was young, full of life, and lacking deep responsibilities, though it can also point to a peak “heyday” of success.

First coined by William Shakespeare in his play Antony and Cleopatra (around 1606). ~ ​Source

‘Under-The-Radar’ Openings Job Board

Lot’s of folks offering cool positions here locally. Maybe there’s one for you or a friend?

• TOMORROW (Friday, the 31st) - come out to the YMCA Job Fair. Positions for life guards, swim instructors, after-school, and family services positions.

• Hard Rock Stadium is hiring for their PT Food & Beverage Team. Come out to the hiring event on Wednesday, August 5th.

• Apprentice Luthier (Violin Maker) at The Fiddlershop in Pompano. Maybe our most unique job posting of the week.

• This looks like an interesting one. Barry University is looking for someone to run their Simulation Learning Center. Extra bonus, your dependents get free tuition.

• Animal Care / Lorikeet Attendant at Butterfly World (Coconut Creek) — $15/hr+ to wrangle lorikeets at the world's largest butterfly park. ALSO… Retail Sales / Tour Guide at Butterfly World. Part time. Hour-long tours through the largest butterfly park in the world.

• Sea Turtle Overnight Monitoring (temp) at NSU Halmos College, Dania. Overnight surveys and nest relocation. Yes, this is a job where you walk the beach at night counting turtle nests.

• Integrated Communications Assistant Manager at MODS. Run the science museum's voice. ALSO… Afterschool and Camp Manager at the Museum of Discovery and Science, downtown FTL. Run the programs that fill MODS with kids all summer.

• Marine Canvas Sewer in Fort Lauderdale. Peak yachting-capital job, sewing canvas for boats is a real, paying craft here.

• Do you have a listing you would like to place here for next week? Hit reply and let us know.

Lastly… One Big Idea For Your Week

Are you ready to hear what they are actually saying? Sometimes our expectations and reality don’t exactly match up. So what can you do to take in the beauty that is all around us?

Tell Us How We Are Doing

Every week we are working to make #H!L better for you and to provide a cutting-edge media apprenticeship opportunity for our learners.

Please share your feedback. What do you love? What could we do better FOR YOU? What FTL businesses and experiences should we be highlighting?

Stuff You Won’t Want To Miss This Week:

1. ★ TOP PICK THIS WEEK: Sat 9–5; Sun 9–3 | Card Party South Florida. Pokémon cards take over the Convention Center: 250+ vendor tables, artists, creators, and a crowd that treats a Charizard like a Basquiat. First time in Fort Lauderdale, tickets from $26. Insider Tip: it's built for trading, not just buying, so bring your binder.

2. TODAY - 11am–3pm | VR Immersive Art at NSU Art Museum. Make art in VR/AR at the museum. Experimental, drop-in, and air-conditioned at high noon.

3. TONIGHT - 6:30pm | Our Hero, Balthazar at Savor Cinema. An indie you won't catch at the multiplex, in our favorite little cinema on SE 6th Street.

4. Ends TODAY | 500+ lots of comics, figures, diecast & Funko. An online auction out of Pembroke Pines wrapping Thursday at 1pm.

5. TODAY - 12pm | The “Fiesta” estate sale in Sunrise. Odd inventory that makes these worth the trip, including a vintage gold-plated S.T. Dupont lighter.

6. Friday Night - 7–10pm | Starlight Musicals: Brass Evolution. Rock with a full horn section, free, on the Holiday Park lawn. Chairs and coolers aren't just allowed, they're the whole move. Insider tip: they take non-perishables for local food banks at the gate.

7. Friday Night 5–9pm | Food Truck Fridays in Tamarac. Second-and-fourth-Friday truck rally at the Village Amphitheater. A low-lift dinner plan out west.

8. Friday Night 7:30pm | Pour Minds Podcast: Still Sippin' Tour. The unfiltered podcast live will be a different kind of experience for The Parker stage.

9. Friday and Saturday | Jewelry & silver from a Long Island dealer's estate. A dealer's own stash hitting estate-sale prices in Fort Lauderdale. Go Friday if you're serious. The good pieces won't be there on Saturday.

10. Saturday Morning | House Pilates Society at the beach. A free, high-energy mat Pilates class set to house music at Las Olas Oceanside Park.

11. Saturday Afternoon - 3pm | A.U.X Fest x Relief Alliance. A local music-and-cause fest at Club Vault in Hollywood.

12. Saturday Night - 7–8pm | Pop-up performance by Kirk Zieser. A free hour of live music downtown as the heat breaks.

13. Saturday Night - 7:30pm | Sunset Kundalini Yoga + Sound Bath on the sand. Moonlight breathwork and a sound bath two blocks south of Sunrise, ocean as the backing track.

14. Saturday Night | The Chili Poppers + American Idiots. RHCP and Green Day tribute double bill at Revolution. Sweaty, loud, and fun for real fans of either band.

15. Saturday Night - 8pm | Disturbed at Hard Rock Live. Full-throttle arena metal if your week needs volume. Tickets still available last we checked.

16. Saturday and Sunday - 3–8pm | Fast & Flavorful: Asian-Latino Street Food & Car Fest. Lowriders and lumpia in the same Flagler Village lot. Free entry.

17. Sunday Afternoon - 1pm | Mahjong at the Center. Beginner and open tables at the Hollywood Art & Culture Center. Learn the click of the tiles in an actual art center.

18. Sunday - 4–8pm | Flamingo Flea at Tarpon River Brewing. Vintage and maker vendors with a craft beer in hand, for the good kind of Sunday scavenging.

19. Also Sunday - 12–4pm | Sunny Side Up Market at Huizenga Park. Curated local makers, farmers, and a live DJ in the middle of downtown. Dogs celebrated, not just tolerated.

20. Sunday - 4–9pm | Christmas in July Block Party at Fishtales. Santa hats in 90-degree heat in the NE 33rd Street bar pocket.

21. SAVE THE DATES for Next Week

    1. Thursday, Jul 30 | Once Upon a Time in a Cinema at Savor. A love letter to moviegoing, plus Sugar Island screening the same night. Pick your ticket; times on the site.

    2. Friday, Jul 31 · 8pm | BIG3 Basketball at Amerant Bank Arena. Ice Cube's 3-on-3 league rolls into Sunrise. Ex-NBA names, real chippiness, and don’t you think 3v3 is actually the pure form of basketball? Said by a former hoops coach 😉 Tickets start about $33.

    3. Saturday, Aug 1 | Zendatta + Touch & Go at Revolution. Police and Cars tributes on one bill for that generation.

    4. Aug 1 → Sep 30 | Dine Out Lauderdale kicks off. 140+ restaurants run three-course prix fixe menus: $35 lunch, $45/$60/$75 dinner for two full months. Hit the places you've been meaning to try, at their best math. Insider Tip: not every spot volunteers it, so ask your server for the Dine Out menu.

Hey - quick question. Did we miss anything? Each week we do our research but you might know of an event, an organization, or a local business that deserves some love here in our weekly basket of goodies. Just hit reply to this email and let us know!

Featured Fort Lauderdale

August is right around the corner. New school year. New after-school activities.

Have you ever thought about getting your younglings interested in music?

We are getting ready to restart our local podcast. The last time we were running under the Family Friendly Fort Lauderdale banner, and we talked to two different guests who might have options, depending on your taste for rock or classical.

1. FYO - Florida Youth Orchestra (Episode 36): Since 1988, over 20,000 children have been educated and inspired by their participation in the Florida Youth Orchestra. In this episode we talked with Myra Weaver, the Chief Executive Officer of the 501(c)3. https://www.floridayouthorchestra.org/index.html

2. School of Rock (Episode 2): Seems like in forever since we talked to Burny Pelsmajer of School of Rock Broward. We talked about how the movie inspired the growth of a network of schools across the country, and how the students grow their passion with music they love. You can learn more about our local musicians at https://www.schoolofrock.com/locations/fortlauderdale

Also, make sure you check out the Apprentice Luthier posting in the job board below. That is not something you see every day. A bit of a lost art and they are willing to train.

So... You Think You Know South Florida

You probably already know... they do BIG in Texas and we do WATER here in So Flo.

What you might not know is... apparently, we do BIG too.

The giant bronze horse off US-1 at Gulfstream Park. You’ve driven past it. You may have even said “what is that” out loud to yourself in your car.

It’s Pegasus and Dragon, it stands 110 feet tall, and only two statues in America stand taller. One of them is the Statue of Liberty. It took more than 700 tons of steel and bronze, cast at a foundry in Germany and shipped here in pieces, to put the country’s third-tallest statue next to a racetrack parking lot in Hallandale Beach.

And the horse is only half the act. At night the plaza turns into a full show: fog, lights, music, and the dragon breathing 20 feet of real fire.

A statue taller than most buildings around it, and the rest of the country mostly shrugged. Very Florida.

More Treats To Try

We don’t let just anyone sponsor this newsletter. Here’s who “made the cut” this week:

(Hit reply to this email if you want to reach over 1400+ local families for just $100)

👉 Buy YOUR OWN Classified Ad Here 👈

• The Jury Experience: The Deadly Boat Ride. An immersive courtroom drama where you're the jury, staged at Savor Cinema. A boat crime, in this town — on the nose and kind of perfect. From $48.50.

• This Weekend check out Smorgasburg South Florida. Over 40 vendors slinging global street food in Flagler Village, free to walk in. Go hungry and graze your way down the row instead of committing to one thing.

• 🎶 Summer music lessons for your child. Start building confidence on day one. See our special promotion for an extra 15-minute personalized onboarding session. Voice. Piano. And combo lessons. Text Shontel at 516-945-9742.

• Mermaid Tails & Cocktails at the Wreck Bar (Tuesdays thru Aug 25). Live mermaids swim behind the porthole windows of a 1958 hotel bar while you sip something cold.

• SAVE THE DATE. Founding Families Fall Festival. Stranahan House. September 25th. Email director@stranahanhouse.org for sponsorship opportunities.

Just hit reply to this email to get started. Work with us to reach over 1300+ Greater Fort Lauderdale families.

Quote Of The Week

“Adlerian psychology is a psychology of courage. Your unhappiness cannot be blamed on your past or your environment. And it isn’t that you lack competence. You just lack courage. One might say you are lacking in the courage to be happy.”

I just finished the two books The Courage to Be Disliked and The Courage to Be Happy by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga. I particularly like the Audible versions. Read once (I am on my second reading) and there are definitely a nuggets of wisdom that will stick with your lifetime.

Flotsam & Jetsam

What if there was a map with the whole universe on it?

Turns out… there is. It is called Universe Atlas.

Most astronomy diagrams lie to you. They have to. If you drew the Earth the size of a marble, Jupiter would sit hundreds of feet away, and the nearest star would be thousands of miles off in another state. True scale is usually impossible to show on a flat screen.

Until now.

Imagine an interactive canvas that lets you scroll continuously from the vast edge of the observable universe all the way down to the heart of a single atom—with zero shortcuts.

Every size, distance, and cosmic leap in this map is 100% true to scale.

Why You Need To Try It

• 6.8 Million Celestial Objects: You aren’t just scrolling through generic space art. The map renders millions of real cataloged stars, exoplanets, and galaxies, complete with their actual dynamic orbits.

• The Reality of Space: As you zoom out past our solar system, the immediate takeaway is how empty the universe actually is. You will spend genuine time scrolling through vast, quiet voids before stumbling onto the next solar system.

• The Microscopic Descent: Once you pull back from the cosmic web, the zoom doesn’t stop at human scale. It punches right through cells, molecules, and electrons, taking you straight into the quantum realm.

Word Play Of The Week

“More Than One Way to Skin a Cat”

The phrase “more than one way to skin a cat” is a proverbial expression meaning there are multiple ways to accomplish a task or achieve a goal.

The saying came from a book by Seba Smith (1854), in which he wrote, "This is a money digging world of ours; and, as it is said, 'there are more ways than one to skin a cat,' so are there more ways than one of digging for money” ~ ​Source

‘Under-The-Radar’ Openings Job Board

Lot’s of folks offering cool positions here locally. Maybe there’s one for you or a friend?

• Apprentice Luthier (Violin Maker) at The Fiddlershop in Pompano. Maybe our most unique job posting of the week.

• This looks like an interesting one. Barry University is looking for someone to run their Simulation Learning Center. Extra bonus, your dependents get free tuition.

• President & CEO at Visit Lauderdale — $155,771–$248,612 to be the person who sells the world on Fort Lauderdale. Yes, the tourism-boss job is now open.

• Animal Care / Lorikeet Attendant at Butterfly World (Coconut Creek) — $15/hr+ to wrangle lorikeets at the world's largest butterfly park.

• Integrated Communications Assistant Manager at MODS. Run the science museum's voice.

• Marine Canvas Sewer in Fort Lauderdale. Peak yachting-capital job, sewing canvas for boats is a real, paying craft here.

• Do you have a listing you would like to place here for next week? Hit reply and let us know.

Lastly… One Big Idea For Your Week

Do you feel stuck this week? I bet there is someone reading this same newsletter who could help you get unstuck. How can we help? Hit reply and let us see if we can connect you.

Tell Us How We Are Doing

Every week we are working to make #H!L better for you and to provide a cutting-edge media apprenticeship opportunity for our learners.

Please share your feedback. What do you love? What could we do better FOR YOU? What FTL businesses and experiences should we be highlighting?

Stuff You Won’t Want To Miss This Week:

1. TOP PICK THIS WEEK: Saturday - 2–6pm | Riverwalk Tacos & Tequila Festival (4th Annual). Free to walk into and built for grazing: taco vendors from carne asada to seafood, five tequila brands pouring, lawn games on the grass by the river. The $30 VIP ticket (21+) adds tequila and margarita samples plus bites from Epazote and La Mexicana.

2. TONIGHT - 5:30–7:30pm | Yappy Hour at The Dog Spot. The downtown park's dog social runs the night this issue lands, with Barkyard N' Brews pouring. Free, and the dog watching costs nothing either.

3. ALSO TONIGHT - 7pm | Men At Work + Toad the Wet Sprocket + Shonen Knife. “Down Under,” “All I Want,” and Japanese punk legends Shonen Knife on one open-air bill. The kind of weeknight nostalgia show you plan the next week around.

4. Or… Opens TONIGHT | The Odyssey opens in 15/70mm IMAX. Christopher Nolan's Odyssey lands on the five-story downtown screen in true 15/70mm film, a format only a few theaters in the world can run.

5. Starting Tonight thru Wed, Jul 16–22 | National Theatre Live: All My Sons. Sally Field and Bill Pullman in the National Theatre's Arthur Miller revival, captured live and running on the Savor screen through Wednesday. Box office: (954) 525-FILM.

6. Friday Night - 6:15pm | Candlelight debuts at Savor Cinema: Bad Bunny + Vivaldi. The candlelit string-quartet series lands at the art-house with two programs in one night: a Bad Bunny tribute (from $41) and Vivaldi's Four Seasons at 6:15. Sixty minutes, hundreds of candles, ages 8 and up.

7. Friday Night 7–10pm | Starlight Musicals: ReaXtion Band. Free live music on the Holiday Park field, year 47 of the series, with ReaXtion Band covering the hits. No ticket, no cover; lawn chairs and coolers both welcome.

8. Friday in West Palm - 6:30pm | Lynyrd Skynyrd + Loverboy. Skynyrd and Loverboy share an amphitheater bill up in West Palm. If “Free Bird” still lights you up, here's your shot.

9. Friday 8pm | Dive-in Film: Space Jam at the Pompano pool. Space Jam on a screen at the Pompano pool, watched from the water. It's free; bring a float.

10. Friday - 6pm-9pm | Pompano’s Backyard Jam Convert. This month features Scorpio Rising (good for dancing).

11. This Weekend (Fri/Sat 8am–2pm, Sun 10am–2pm) | Pompano estate sale with a boat and a street-legal golf cart. One estate sale holding a 21-foot Robalo with a Yamaha four-stroke, a street-legal golf cart with a new lithium battery, a pool table, a pinball machine, comic books, and albums. The address posts at midnight tonight; the good stuff will not survive Friday morning.

12. Saturday - 2–9pm | Bahamas Goombay Broward (first ever). Broward's first Goombay festival: Junkanoo parades, a Battle of the Conch Fritters, a Bahamian village, and a lineup topped by founding Baha Men member Isiah “Bahamen” Taylor. General admission is listed free; $100 VIP puts you at the front of the parade with rum in hand.

13. Saturday - 3–7pm | Flamingo Flea at Marina Village. The curated market sets up by the marina, 3 to 7. Every vendor sells handmade, upcycled, vintage, or locally sourced; no mass-produced anything.

14. Saturday - 6–10pm (mural tour 6pm) | Downtown Hollywood ArtWalk. Downtown Hollywood's third-Saturday ArtWalk: an artisan market on 20th Avenue, a free guided mural tour at 6, and a free champagne gallery tour at 5 if you get there early.

15. This Weekend | Bluey's Big Play. The theatrical version of the show half the country has memorized, with full-size puppets, two days downtown. If there's a Bluey household in your life, this is the week's marquee ticket.

16. Auctions this weekend:

    1. Saturday - online bidding | “Road to the Final” World Cup memorabilia auction. The Hollywood auction house runs a World Cup exclusives sale the day before the final.

    2. Saturday - 1pm start (online) | Antiques, Artifacts & Taxidermy auction. An antiques, artifacts, and taxidermy catalog out of Tamarac, with online bidding. You will not open a stranger tab this week.

17. Jul 18–25 · Multiple Sessions | Learn to Curl at War Memorial. The War Memorial's rink runs Learn to Curl sessions all week. Curling, in Florida, in July. Sounds cool 😉. The brooms are provided.

18. Saturday and Sunday - 9am–2pm | Wilton Manors Green Market. Produce, international baked goods, cheeses, and coffee both weekend mornings at Hagen Park. Early beats hot.

19. Saturday - 7pm | Waifus & Wet Mode rooftop pool party. An anime-themed pool party on a downtown rooftop. Cosplay by the water, with a beautiful skyline in the background.

20. Sunday - 4pm | “Bigger than Me” premiere at Savor Cinema. A local filmmaker premieres “Bigger than Me” at the art-house. Be in the room before anyone's heard of it.

21. Sunday - 9am-4pm | Coral Springs Collectorfest. What to expect: Vintage & Modern Toys, Hot Wheels, Retro Gaming, Comics, Artwork & More Pop Culture Goodness. Kids under 12 are free.

22. Huizenga Park Happenings:

    1. Tuesday Night with Lauderdale Run Club. The route will finish back at Huizenga Park and roll straight into social hour with Mr. Smash, where runners can refuel, connect, and celebrate a strong finish together.

    2. Wednesday - 6:30–8pm | Think and Drink Trivia. Outdoor trivia in the downtown park, drink in hand, no cover. Round up a few people and find out what you've retained.

Hey - quick question. Did we miss anything? Each week we do our research but you might know of an event, an organization, or a local business that deserves some love here in our weekly basket of goodies. Just hit reply to this email and let us know!

Featured Fort Lauderdale

Last week we profiled the snorkeling up at Wahoo Bay. This week… the Jelly Fish Museum in Pompano Beach.

The Only Jellyfish Museum in America Is Across From the Pompano Pier

Not a tank in a gift shop. A whole museum, almost 10,000 square feet of it, right across from the pier at 199 N Ocean Blvd.

It opened at the end of March, and the city bills it as the only one of its kind in the country. Inside are about two dozen species from oceans all over the world, drifting through glowing tanks that range from tiny nano cubes to wall-sized panoramas. You’ll find a lion’s mane, one of the largest jellyfish on earth. A flame jellyfish the color of a traffic cone. And Cassiopea, the upside-down jelly that spends its life resting on its back in warm shallows. That last one is a Florida local. You’ve probably swum past one without knowing it.

There’s also a small lab where you can see how they raise the jellies and what they eat, plus a projection room where the walls turn into slow-moving ocean. The whole place is built for lingering. There’s no time limit on your visit, and honestly, standing still is the point.

If you’ve been hunting for a date idea that isn’t another dinner on Las Olas, they also do a private evening for two among the tanks.

Straight talk on logistics: open daily 10 to 7, last entry 6:30. Tickets run about twenty bucks and change depending on which page of their site you’re reading (one says $19.50, another $23; Florida residents get a couple dollars off, kids under 2 are free, and there’s a $65 annual pass). Tickets are non-refundable, so pick your day with some confidence.

So... You Think You Know South Florida

You probably already know... July down here feels like the surface of the sun.

What you might not know is... in nearly 130 years of record-keeping, Miami has hit 100 degrees exactly once. July 21, 1942. That’s it. That’s the whole list. Fort Lauderdale’s thermometer isn’t much braver: we first touched 100 in August of 1944 and haven’t done it since June 22, 2009.

It might feel like Death Valley, but the ocean and those afternoon storms cap the actual temperature almost every day, which is why our “record heat” would be a mild afternoon in Phoenix.

So the next time someone back home asks how you survive a Florida summer, tell them the truth. The heat was never the problem. It’s the humidity that’s out to drown you.

More Treats To Try

We don’t let just anyone sponsor this newsletter. Here’s who “made the cut” this week:

(Hit reply to this email if you want to reach over 1400+ local families for just $100)

👉 Buy YOUR OWN Classified Ad Here 👈

• This Weekend check out Smorgasburg South Florida. Over 40 vendors slinging global street food in Flagler Village, free to walk in. Go hungry and graze your way down the row instead of committing to one thing.

• 🎶 Summer music lessons for your child. Start building confidence on day one. See our special promotion for an extra 15-minute personalized onboarding session. Voice. Piano. And combo lessons. Text Shontel at 516-945-9742.

• Mermaid Tails & Cocktails at the Wreck Bar (Tuesdays thru Aug 25). Live mermaids swim behind the porthole windows of a 1958 hotel bar while you sip something cold.

• SAVE THE DATE. Founding Families Fall Festival. Stranahan House. September 25th. Email director@stranahanhouse.org for sponsorship opportunities.

Just hit reply to this email to get started. Work with us to reach over 1300+ Greater Fort Lauderdale families.

Quote Of The Week

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”

— Anaïs Nin

Anaïs Nin is famous for her candid, multi-volume personal diaries and her pioneering erotica. Spanning over 60 years, her journals explored female desire, psychoanalysis, and the bohemian avant-garde in Paris, establishing her as an iconic figure of 20th-century feminist literature.

Flotsam & Jetsam

Okay. The World Cup games have been fun, both locally and on TV.

But imagine for a moment, if countries had to compete in the same kind of play-off bracket, but the scoring was based on GDP… or happiness levels… or life expectancy.

That’s the idea behind the Data World Cup.

You pick the measure that matters most to you, and see who comes out on top.

Sounds like fun, but I bet the don’t get the vikings rowing or the Tartan Army takeovers for these competitions.

Word Play Of The Week

‘Dog Days of Summer’

The “dog days of summer” refer to the hottest, most humid, and uncomfortable weeks of the year, spanning July 3 to August 11. So we are fully in it right now. Just walk outside to see what I mean.

The phrase traces back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. It was coined in reference to Sirius (often called the "Dog Star"), the brightest star in the night sky. Sirius is part of the constellation Canis Major (the "Greater Dog"). ~ ​Source

‘Under-The-Radar’ Openings Job Board

Lot’s of folks offering cool positions here locally. Maybe there’s one for you or a friend?

• Artis Senior Living Center is looking for a Memory Care Program Assistant. Chance to show your creativity, and with benefits.

• The Town of Davie is looking for part-time Lifeguards and also an Animal Resource Officer.

• President & CEO at Visit Lauderdale — $155,771–$248,612 to be the person who sells the world on Fort Lauderdale. Yes, the tourism-boss job is now open.

• City Photographer / Videographer at City of FTL — $76,902–$119,214 to shoot the city for a living. But act fast. Application close tomorrow (July 17th).

• Animal Care / Lorikeet Attendant at Butterfly World (Coconut Creek) — $15/hr+ to wrangle lorikeets at the world's largest butterfly park.

• Do you have a listing you would like to place here for next week? Hit reply and let us know.

Lastly… One Big Idea For Your Week

How will you show courage this week?

Tell Us How We Are Doing

Every week we are working to make #H!L better for you and to provide a cutting-edge media apprenticeship opportunity for our learners.

Please share your feedback. What do you love? What could we do better FOR YOU? What FTL businesses and experiences should we be highlighting?

And a quick question: Anyone out there interested in Futures Thinking? I’ve been reading Jane McGonigal’s book Imaginable (again) and am thinking about taking the certification course on Coursera. Thought it might be fun to create a local study group. If that sounds like you, just hit reply. I would love to connect.

Stuff You Won’t Want To Miss This Week:

1. TONIGHT | Space Jam — Cool Summer Nights. The 1996 Jordan-and-Bugs matchup on the art-house screen, part of the Cool Summer Nights series.

2. Starting TODAY at 11am | “Hot Hot Hot!” Estate Sale. A Sunrise estate sale built around Daum Nancy crystal and art glass vases. If you know what that is, you're already in the car.

   1. If Estate Sales are your jam, Thu–Fri, Jul 9–10 · 8am–1pm | “Plot Twist” Estate Sale. A boutique estate company's two-day, mornings-only sale in Hollywood. Short hours mean the good finds move fast; go at open.

   2. And this Weekend (Fri–Sun) from 9am | Elegant Global Estate Sale. A well-traveled collector’s place packed with mid-century furniture, sterling, fine art, and Asian and European finds. Sunday is half the day only, so go Friday if you want first pick.

3. Friday Night 7pm | Starlight Musicals: The Pitbull of Blues. Free live blues from The Pitbull of Blues Band on the football field, year 47 of this series. No ticket, no cover; lawn chairs and coolers are both welcome. 💡 They collect non-perishable donations for local food banks at the gate

4. Also Friday | Catch the opening of Moana on IMAX at MODS. Moana hits the five-story IMAX screen downtown. A good escape on a too-hot-to-be-outside afternoon.

5. Friday and Saturday | Florida Supercon. South Florida's biggest pop-culture convention, with Hayden Christensen and TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman headlining the guest list. Cosplay, comics, artists' alley: if that's your lane, it's worth the drive south.

6. Saturday 8–11am | Fort Lauderdale Beach Sweep. Much needed after the big crowds from the fourth. Show up where Las Olas hits the sand and help clear the beach. A typical morning pulls 100 pounds of trash and 7,000 cigarette butts. Wear a hat and bring water.

7. Saturday | Sensory-Inclusive Shrek the Musical JR. Summer-camp kids stage Shrek with the lights and sound dialed down for sensitive audiences. A rare welcoming-by-design theater night.

8. Saturday | FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarterfinal. Yes, the USA is out but a World Cup quarterfinal just 25 minutes from downtown. If you have a ticket, skip the parking nightmare. No ticket? This is the weekend every sports bar in town goes loud.

9. Saturday 11am–4pm | FlockFest Beach Party (11th Annual). Picture the ocean dotted with hundreds of pink flamingo floats and a DJ set rolling on the sand. Free to walk up to, and the proceeds go to charity. Bring your own winged float or grab a VIP ticket that comes with one inflated and ready. 💡 VIP includes open bar, a $10 food voucher, and a pre-inflated flamingo float (flockfestevents.org).

10. Saturday 7–10pm (VIP 6pm) | Boca Burger Battle (13th Annual). Eighteen chefs cook off-menu burgers and your ticket covers unlimited food plus craft beer, wine, and spirits. It sells out every year; presale GA is $69 before it jumps to $89.

11. Saturday Night 7pm | Alice In Chains + Faith No More tribute night. Two of the 90s' heaviest catalogs back to back, played live downtown. Tickets run about $23 to $27. A solid cheap night out if the heat keeps you off the beach.

12. This Weekend (Sat-Sun) 9am | June Krauser Summer Splash. Watch Masters swimmers race a 50-meter Olympic course at the historic Aquatic Center by the beach. Free to watch from the deck, and a few hundred yards from FlockFest if you want to stack your Saturday.

13. Weekend Markets worth exploring:

    1. Saturday 9am–4pm | Saturday MKT at Las Olas Oceanside Park. The beach market’s first-ever Saturday edition, with pizza, tacos, and roughly 35 handmade vendors steps from the water. Get there early before the heat sets in.

    2. Sunday noon–4pm | Huizenga Park Community Market. Local makers and vendors set up in the redone downtown park. A low-key way to spend a Sunday afternoon and see the space that anchors the new downtown vibe.

    3. Saturday and Sunday 9am–2pm | Wilton Manors Green Market. Produce, baked goods, coffee, and local vendors every weekend morning in Hagen Park. Go early before the heat and the good stuff both run out.

    4. Daily · 8am–5pm | Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop. Eighty-eight acres of vendors, plus a free classic car museum tucked inside that most people walk right past. Go on a weekend morning before the lot bakes in the sun.

14. Every Thursday 5:30–7:30pm | Yappy Hour at Huizenga Park. The downtown park's dog social, free, with drinks on hand. Easy after-work plan.

15. Thursday Thru Sunday 6:30pm | Shakespeare by the Sea. Free Shakespeare under the stars in a beachside park, from the area's longest-running summer festival. It's a haul north, but free theater on the ocean is a rare species.

16. Mon–Fri, Jul 13–17 | APSCON 2026 (airborne public safety expo). Public-safety helicopters and drones fill the convention center for the airborne rescue industry's national event. It's listed as public but built for the trade.

17. Tue, Jul 14 (Tuesdays thru Aug 25) | Mermaid Tails & Cocktails at the Wreck Bar. Live mermaids swim behind the porthole windows of a 1950s hotel bar while you sip something cold. The single most only-in-Fort-Lauderdale item on this list.

18. SAVE THE DATE, Jul 16 · 7pm | Men At Work + Toad the Wet Sprocket + Shonen Knife. “Down Under,” “All I Want,” and Japanese punk legends Shonen Knife on one open-air bill. The kind of weeknight nostalgia show you plan the next week around.

😉​ Hey - quick question. Did we miss anything? Each week we do our research but you might know of an event, an organization, or a local business that deserves some love here in our weekly basket of goodies. Just hit reply to this email and let us know!

Featured Fort Lauderdale

Want to go snorkeling but thought you needed a boat to see the good stuff?

Dive In From the Shore & Discover Wahoo Bay

You don’t need a boat, a plane ticket, or expensive dive gear to experience a thriving marine ecosystem. Broward County’s newest underwater wonder is just a steps-from-the-sand walk away.

Located at the Hillsboro Inlet Park in Pompano Beach, Wahoo Bay is officially serving up crystal-clear waters, vibrant tropical fish, and world-class snorkeling without the offshore hassle.

What Makes Wahoo Bay Unique?

Unlike natural reefs that require a boat ride to access, Wahoo Bay is a specially designed marine conservation and educational area located right along the shoreline. It’s a living laboratory engineered to restore marine life while giving the public a front-row seat to nature.

• The SEABenches: The park features innovative, eco-friendly submerged benches designed to foster coral growth and provide a nursery habitat for local fish species.

• Real-Time Tech: It’s not just for swimming! Wahoo Bay is equipped with underwater cameras and water-monitoring technology, letting scientists (and curious locals) track the ecosystem’s health in real time.

• Family-Friendly Exploration: Because it’s sheltered and easily accessible from the park, it’s the perfect spot for mini-explorers, first-time snorkelers, and seasoned divers alike.

Pack your mask, snorkel, and fins—nature is waiting!

• Where: Hillsboro Inlet Park, Pompano Beach

• Cost: Free to park and access

• What to Look For: Keep your eyes peeled for colorful parrotfish, sergeant majors, and maybe even a passing manatee or sea turtle!

Local Tip: Check the local tide charts before you go. Snorkeling around high tide usually offers the absolute clearest visibility for spotting your new underwater neighbors.

You can even catch the live underwater camera from Wahoo Bay. Keep an eye out for Stingrays, Turtles, Manatees and some species of sharks and over 100 Species of fish!

So... You Think You Know South Florida

You probably already know... we celebrated the fourth this past weekend.

What you might not know is... Who did it better?

More Treats To Try

We don’t let just anyone sponsor this newsletter. Here’s who “made the cut” this week:

(Hit reply to this email if you want to reach over 1400+ local families for just $100)

👉 Buy YOUR OWN Classified Ad Here 👈

• This Weekend check out Smorgasburg South Florida. Over 40 vendors slinging global street food in Flagler Village, free to walk in. Go hungry and graze your way down the row instead of committing to one thing.

• 🎶 Summer music lessons for your child. Start building confidence on day one. See our special promotion for an extra 15-minute personalized onboarding session. Voice. Piano. And combo lessons. Text Shontel at 516-945-9742.

• Here’s a plug for the 14‑year‑old owner of Tater Tots Plushies, a mobile plush‑making business. She offers to bring a full bear‑stuffing experience directly to senior centers, adult day programs, birthdays, parties, school events, and so much more! Interested? Book with us here: linktr.ee/tatertotsplushies no party too big or too small!

• Well, now that Giannis is coming to town… did you know you can take off season tours of the Miami Heat All Access Arena and facilities? Minimum group of 4 required. Tell Victoria you heard about it from us.

• Urban Air Adventure Park Plantation offers the ultimate way to keep kids active all summer long and beat the heat and rain. For Summer Group Packages full of nonstop indoor adventure call or email today! Lea@elevatedvg.com or 561-831-4311 for fast turnaround.

Just hit reply to this email to get started. Work with us to reach over 1300+ Greater Fort Lauderdale families.

Quote Of The Week

“To be on a quest is nothing more and nothing less than than to be an asker if questions.” ~ Sam Keen

Sam Keen (1931–2025) was a prominent American philosopher, author, and pop psychologist. He is best remembered as a major figure in the 1960s human potential movement and the men’s movement of the 1990s. He wrote more than a dozen books and served as a longtime editor for Psychology Today.

Flotsam & Jetsam

This week’s Flotsam & Jetsam is kind of (could be) related to Fort Lauderdale and it also could fit on the ‘Under-The-radar’ Job Board too.

The “official rules” for this section (the detritus found floating in the water) is: NOT local but the most interesting thing we found on the interwebs this week.

So I think this one qualifies, but maybe… maybe the right person will see this and it WILL become a Fort Lauderdale story because, who deserves to have an on-the-water ice cream truck more than the ‘Venice of America’ - what do you think?

Because of all the Independence Day stories this past week, I came across this one of a Long Island family selling homemade ice cream out of their boat.

Any aspiring entrepreneurs out there looking for a new line of business? If you love being on the water and making people smile, this might be your ticket!

Word Play Of The Week

“Down To The Wire”

Seems appropriate as we go into the last rounds of the World Cup.

The idiom “down to the wire” comes from 19th-century horse racing. In the days before photo finishes, tracks literally stretched a wire across the finish line high above the track. When a race was extremely close, judges used the wire to see which horse crossed first. ~ ​Source

‘Under-The-Radar’ Openings Job Board

Lot’s of folks offering cool positions here locally. Maybe there’s one for you or a friend?

• TODAY 10am-Noon | Choices Job Seekers Workshop. No registration required (and no cost). E. Pat Larkins Community Center in Pompano Beach. For more information: 954-968-6777.

• Oasis Laundry is looking for an Assist. Manager. No laundry experience? No problem, they'll provide all the training you need. Send me a message or email your resume to info@oasislaundry.com.

• Full-Time Captain at Jungle Queen Riverboats. Great team. Fun environment. Not for anyone who doesn't enjoy hard work outside every day.

• Parks Naturalist at Everglades Holiday Park (Broward County). $25–40/hr to lead nature programs in gator country.

• Taproom Tour Guide at Funky Buddha Brewery. Give tours at SoFla’s largest brewery. Turn your passion for beer into the dream career.

• Do you have a listing you would like to place here for next week? Hit reply and let us know.

Lastly… One Big Idea For Your Week

What feelings will you feel this week? If you think about them as wise mentors who are on your side, what are they trying to tell you?

Tell Us How We Are Doing

Every week we are working to make #H!L better for you and to provide a cutting-edge media apprenticeship opportunity for our learners.

Please share your feedback. What do you love? What could we do better FOR YOU? What FTL businesses and experiences should we be highlighting?

Stuff You Won’t Want To Miss This Week:

1. Thursday 11am–7pm | NSU Art Museum Free First Thursday. Free admission with late hours, so you can swing by after work. Catch the VR immersive art and the new Frantz Zephirin Haitian-painting show while you’re there.

2. Thursday 6–9pm | Broward Student Film Festival. A free night of short films from South Florida high schoolers at the city's art-house theater, with food, raffles, and the filmmakers in the room. Go cheer on the next generation before they get famous.

3. Thursday 5:30–7:30pm | Yappy Hour at Huizenga Park. Bring the dog, grab a drink, meet the neighbors in the redone downtown park.

4. Thursday 6:30–9:30pm | Ladies Night Market at The Shorely. Local handmade vendors and pop-ups with a free welcome drink. Worth a look if you like shopping small without the mall.

5. Friday 6 & 8pm | Influenced. A sharp satire on the superficiality of social media and influencer culture: an Upper East Side influencer chasing online fame trips over the real thing, friendship. Ensemble cast (David Krumholtz, Justin Bartha, Christine Taylor) with cameos from Drew Barrymore, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Matt Damon.

6. Friday and Saturday 9am | Oakland Park art & Swarovski estate sale. The listing names Dali and Rembrandt artwork, boxed Swarovski crystal, and mid-century furniture. Cash or Zelle, wraps by 1pm, so go early. A genuine “didn’t know that was here” find on a holiday morning.

7. Friday and Saturday 8pm | Old School Vinyl. A late-night throwback dance party over the holiday weekend downtown. If your idea of fireworks is a packed floor and old records, this runs till 1am.

8. Trying to decide which way to go on the fourth of July? Here’s what’s happening near you (or the ones worth the drive):

   1. Fort Lauderdale Beach will be alive all afternoon and evening, with the Walker Hayes concert at 7:30pm, a Drone Show at 8:45pm, and what is promised to be a spectacular 250th-worthy fireworks at 9pm. Here’s the full schedule for the day.

   2. Before the bash on the beach, come join the ‘picnic in the park’ (at Huizenga Park). Mr. Smashburger will be offering $2.50 burgers and hotdogs to celebrate the 250th. There will be games, live music, and giveaways.

   3. Hollywood Star-Spangled Spectacular. The pick if you want toes in the sand and the Broadwalk within reach. A DJ at 5, live band at 7, offshore fireworks at 9. Pack a picnic for the marked beach zones. A1A closes to incoming cars from 8pm.

   4. Pompano Beach Fireworks Spectacular. Set up near the Fisher Family Pier; the 9pm fireworks launch from a barge offshore, so the view stays clear down the beach. A Beach Boys tribute plays from 5.

   5. Deerfield Beach 4th of July. Best if drones are your thing. Four bands play the beach from 4, then drones fly over the water at 9 instead of fireworks.

   6. Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Fourth of July. The small-town day: a morning parade down El Mar Drive, family stuff at El Prado Park till 2, then fireworks at 9.

   7. Coral Springs Fourth of July. A roomy inland park party at Mullins with the Remix Band, lawn games, and free parking. Fireworks go around 8:30, earlier than the beach shows, so you will get home sooner.

   8. Plantation 4th of July. A true all-day inland plan: a morning parade down Broward Blvd, then a kids zone, concert, and Zambelli fireworks at Central Park at night.

   9. Sunrise Fourth of July. Two parts: a Sunset Strip parade in the morning, then an evening at Amerant Bank Arena with live bands from 6 and a fireworks finale. The arena gives you an AC break from the July heat.

   10. Pembroke Pines Fourth of July. A no-fuss evening at the Pines Rec Center grounds: live band and DJ from 6, fireworks at 9. The easy choice for southwest Broward if a beach drive sounds like a headache.

   11. Miramar Independence Day. Gates open early at 4:30 for a DJ dance party leading to 9pm fireworks at Miramar Regional Park.

   12. Margate Fourth of July Extravaganza. The most packed single-town day: a 9am parade, a 1–4pm pool party at the Calypso Cove waterpark, and fireworks at 9 at Margate Blvd and 441.

   13. Tamarac All-American Celebration. A free, easygoing evening at the Sports Complex with the band Extasy, bounce houses, and a vendor hall before the fireworks.

   14. Seminole Casino Coconut Creek Fireworks & Drone Show. Food trucks and bars open at 7, then both a drone show and fireworks at 9:30, the latest start of the night. Head to the rooftop parking garage for the best view and an easy exit.

   15. Davie Fun on the 4th. Davie pairs a drone show at 9 with fireworks right after. One catch: it’s residents-only with pre-registration, so this one’s for folks who live in town, not a drop-in.

   16. Freedom Fest at Gulfstream Park. For something that isn’t a beach: horse racing, the Village shops and restaurants, family activities, and a trackside fireworks show to close the night.

   17. July 3rd · 6pm | Weston Hometown Fireworks. It runs a night early, so you can do Weston on the 3rd and still catch a beach show on the 4th. DJ and a live band from 6, fireworks to finish, with the city marking its 30th year.

   18. Another July 3rd | Oakland Park All-American Picnic. A relaxed July 3 picnic at Centennial Park with live music and a library ribbon-cutting, not a fireworks night.

   19. Wed–Sun, Jul 1–5 | Wilton Manors 4th of July Weekend. A multi-day LGBTQ-focused weekend on and around Wilton Drive (parties in the park, circuit events), not a single fireworks show. Worth flagging for readers who want the scene more than the sparklers.

9. Sunday and Monday | Frida Kahlo (documentary. A special-edition documentary on Kahlo's life and art, built with material from the Tate Modern and MFA Houston curators. A cool, air-conditioned hour-plus with one of the most magnetic artists of the last century.

10. Tuesday 11am | Showcase at Akiba Antiques. An antiques and jewelry showcase from one of Dania's go-to estate houses. Good browsing if you like to know what is out there before you buy anywhere else.

11. Tuesday 2pm | Adventures in Collectibles at Lion and Unicorn. A collectibles auction worth scrolling even from the couch. The lot list is where you find the stuff you did not know you wanted.

12. Tuesday afternoon 3pm | Press Play: Teen and Tween DJ Camp (Broward Main Library). Got a teen who loves music and dreams of DJ’ing? Join others in learning you don’t have to have all the fancy equipment.

13. Tuesday Night 5pm | Family Movie Night (also Broward Main Library). Come watch The Good Dinosaur (2015) and make a themed craft. Light refreshments will be provided.

14. Wednesday 6pm | Estate Jewelry, Fine Art & Décor at Kodner Galleries. An evening estate auction of jewelry, fine art, and home pieces. Worth a look even if you just want to see what real estate jewelry goes for.

15. Wednesday night 5–9pm | Food Truck Wednesdays at Plantation Heritage Park. A rotating lineup of trucks pulls into the park every Wednesday evening. Bring a chair, grab dinner from three different trucks, eat on the grass.

16. Daily at MODS | The Science of Guinness World Records. Test yourself against real world records at the Museum of Discovery and Science. A solid air-conditioned plan when it’s too hot to be outside.

17. SAVE for Next Weekend - Sat, Jul 11 · 11am–4pm | FlockFest Beach Party. Picture the ocean dotted with hundreds of pink flamingo floats and a DJ on the sand. Free to walk up to. Bring your own winged float or grab a VIP ticket that comes with one inflated and ready, plus a tumbler and a food voucher. Proceeds go to a local nonprofit.

😉​ Hey - quick question. Did we miss anything? Each week we do our research but you might know of an event, an organization, or a local business that deserves some love here in our weekly basket of goodies. Just hit reply to this email and let us know!

Featured Fort Lauderdale

South Florida is for foodies. We have lots of options and fan favorites to choose from. But there are exciting new venues that will soon be entering the market.

Sweetwaters will soon be coming to Huizenga Park as part of their revisioning of this popular downtown oasis. This venue is slated for a Fall 2026 opening.

And 17th Street Causeway is getting a new two-story tiki hut called Hula Kai!

Brought to life by James Flanigan (the mastermind behind the local favorite Quarterdeck restaurants), Hula Kai isn't just about the atmosphere. The treats (Crispy Duck Crab Rangoon, and Bang Bang Shrimp) plus flaming drinks is sure to make moments worth talking about after your visit.

Sounds like hanging with or entertaining friends (as well as our taste buds) is going to get even more fun later this year!

So... You Think You Know South Florida

You probably already know... 4th of July has meant fireworks for what seems like forever.

What you might not know... it now means drones, drones, and more drones lighting up the sky.

The traditional firework show is quickly becoming the encore, rather than the main event. At 8:45 PM this Saturday, before the first firework shell is even launched at Fort Lauderdale Beach, hundreds of GPS-guided drones will take flight to paint patriotic shapes across the night sky, serving as the official opening act before fireworks take over at 9:00 PM.

This shift represents a new era of Fourth of July entertainment taking over South Florida. Sunrise is deploying drones outside its arena. Miami’s Bayfront Park is hosting a massive display to celebrate the country’s 250th, and Lauderhill has completely done away with fireworks in favor of a drone-only event.

Here is the part that gets you: each of these drones acts as a single flying pixel. That’s one LED light married to a GPS unit accurate down to the centimeter, all fully choreographed using advanced animation software. Programming a single 300-drone show takes roughly 80 hours of work for just ten minutes of runtime.

Local governments love them because they are nearly silent. That makes for a show far easier on pets, local wildlife, and our veterans. They carry zero risk of causing brush fires or smoke pollution. Even better, if bad weather cancels the event, you can simply fly them again another night. While South Florida is flying “hundreds of drones,” China recently set a world record with a massive 11,198 drones in the air at once.

One twist before you completely write off traditional fireworks, though: when two California towns put the issue to a public vote, 80% of residents asked to bring the classic bang and smoke back.

More Treats To Try

We don’t let just anyone sponsor this newsletter. Here’s who “made the cut” this week:

(Hit reply to this email if you want to reach over 1400+ local families for just $100)

👉 Buy YOUR OWN Classified Ad Here 👈

• 🎶 Summer music lessons for your child. Start building confidence on day one. See our special promotion for an extra 15-minute personalized onboarding session. Voice. Piano. And combo lessons. Text Shontel at 516-945-9742.

• Here’s a plug for the 14‑year‑old owner of Tater Tots Plushies, a mobile plush‑making business. She offers to bring a full bear‑stuffing experience directly to senior centers, adult day programs, birthdays, parties, school events, and so much more! Interested? Book with us here: linktr.ee/tatertotsplushies no party too big or too small!

• Well, now that Giannis is coming to town… did you know you can take off season tours of the Miami Heat All Access Arena and facilities? Minimum group of 4 required. Tell Victoria you heard about it from us.

• Urban Air Adventure Park Plantation offers the ultimate way to keep kids active all summer long and beat the heat and rain. For Summer Group Packages full of nonstop indoor adventure call or email today! Lea@elevatedvg.com or 561-831-4311 for fast turnaround.

Just hit reply to this email to get started. Work with us to reach over 1300+ Greater Fort Lauderdale families.

Quote Of The Week

“This freedom is a funny thing,” he told them. “It ain’t something permanent like rocks and hills. It’s like manna; you just got to keep on gathering it fresh every day. If you don’t, one day you’re going to find you ain’t got none no more.” ~

From Florida-born author Zora Neal Hurston’s 1939 allegorical novel, Moses, Man of the Mountain. Seems ‘appropos’ for a 250th Independence Day holiday weekend and a global conversation about what it means to be free.

Flotsam & Jetsam

How will you spend your day today? We all are given the same 24 hours to work with. And I bet you (like all of us) enjoy the weekends for having a bit more leisure time and a lot less of what you need to do on your plate.

Well, that picture of how people use their time has changed over the decades. This fun video comes from the folks at Data is Beautiful (aren’t we all nerds each in our own way) and depicts the shifting usage of time over the last 100 years.

*only displays US adults, ages 25 to 35, and excludes sleep, work, and other activities with minimal variation.

Word Play Of The Week

“Dog Days of Summer”

The “dog days of summer” is an ancient astronomical idiom that refers to the hot, sultry, and stagnant days of mid-summer. It has absolutely nothing to do with earthbound dogs or heat-exhausted pets.

The idiom comes from Sirius (known colloquially as the Dog Star), which is the brightest star in the night sky and the eye of the constellation Canis Major (the Greater Dog).

Ancient civilizations noticed this alignment happened during the hottest weeks of the year. The Greeks and Romans falsely believed that the combined brightness and energy of the Sun and Sirius added extra heat to the Earth, bringing drought, fever, lethargy, and bad luck. ~ ​Source

‘Under-The-Radar’ Openings Job Board

Lot’s of folks offering cool positions here locally. Maybe there’s one for you or a friend?

• Science Facilitator, Sea Turtle Walks Lead at MODS. Runs the gamut from delivering high-quality educational programming that engages diverse audiences in science learning, including public engagement through exhibit interpretation, science shows, demonstrations, cart activities, ambassador animal handling, STEM classes, camps, overnights, school and group programs, tours, and community events.

• Full-Time Captain at Jungle Queen Riverboats. Great team. Fun environment. Not for anyone who doesn't enjoy hard work outside every day.

• Taproom Tour Guide at Funky Buddha Brewery. Give tours at SoFla’s largest brewery. Turn your passion for beer into the dream career.

• Do you have a listing you would like to place here for next week? Hit reply and let us know.

Lastly… One Big Idea For Your Week

What will be your worthwhile journey this week?

Tell Us How We Are Doing

Every week we are working to make #H!L better for you and to provide a cutting-edge media apprenticeship opportunity for our learners.

Please share your feedback. What do you love? What could we do better FOR YOU? What FTL businesses and experiences should we be highlighting?

Stuff You Won’t Want To Miss This Week:

1. Friday Night 8pm | Monthly Movie On Lawn at Huizenga. The live-action Lilo & Stitch will on the big screen, along with a Tiki Bar, Polynesian dancers, and face-painting. Come early. The first 100 to arrive get free popcorn for the movie.

2. Also Friday 7pm | Starlight Musicals at Holiday Park. Taking a break over the holiday weekend. But you have two great shows before and after. 6/26 Sabor Latino; 7/3 No Concert; 7/10 The Pitbull of Blues.

3. Friday 7pm | Team Boxing League: Nashville vs. Miami. The hometown Miami Assassins fight the Nashville Smash in a team-format boxing card. A cheap, loud night out if you’ve never seen live boxing.

4. Friday and Saturday 8pm | Matt Rife at Hard Rock Live. The work-the-crowd comedian has two nights in Hollywood. I’ve been seeing this guy on social media. He can get pretty crazy.

5. Friday to Sunday 9am | Southwest Ranches estate sale. Remington bronzes, a one-of-a-kind carved chair, Lladro figurines, and gently used designer bags. The kind of haul people drive across the county for. Bring cash and your own muscle.

6. Saturday 7pm | ‘Haunting On The River’ Ghost Tour Like Never Before. Join Tim Arnwine and his paranormal team at History Fort Lauderdale and discover what it takes to be a true paranormal investigator.

7. Saturday 5–10:30pm | Red, White & Booze Block Party. Kick off the holiday week early at Gulf Stream Distillery with cocktails and a street-party feel. A good way to scope out a local distillery most newcomers walk right past.

8. Saturday 5:30pm | World Cup Watch Party at Amerant Bank Arena. Watch Colombia vs. Portugal on the big screen with free admission and free parking, plus food trucks and games outside. Grab tickets ahead; the opener sold out.

9. Saturday 3–7pm | Flamingo Flea at Marina Village. Browse handmade and vintage goods on the water, then grab a drink from the two-story boat bar with a DJ going. Free to walk in.

10. Saturday and Sunday Noon–8pm | Smorgasburg South Florida. Close to 50 food vendors in one Flagler Village lot, everything from dumplings to birria. Free to walk in, so go hungry and graze.

11. Sunday Noon–5pm | NSU Art Museum Neighbor Day. Get into the city’s main art museum free for the afternoon. A no-cost way to spend a hot Sunday somewhere with good air conditioning and real art.

12. Sundays (both Jun 28 & Jul 5) Noon–4pm | Sunny Side Up Market. Every Sunday at Huizenga Plaza you’ll find local makers, farmers, and seafood with a DJ spinning. Dog-friendly and right downtown.

13. Tue Jun 30, Thu–Fri Jul 2–3 · 8pm | Ariana Grande at Amerant Bank Arena. Three nights in Sunrise on the Eternal Sunshine tour, so you have options if one date sells out. The arena show everyone will be talking about next week.

14. Wednesday 8pm | Ratones Paranoicos at Hard Rock Live. The Argentine rock legends bring their Stones-flavored sound to Hollywood on a Wednesday. Worth a midweek night out if you grew up on this stuff.

15. Thursday, Jul 2 · 11am–7pm | NSU Art Museum Free First Thursday. Free admission with late hours, so you can swing by after work. Catch the VR immersive art and the new Frantz Zephirin Haitian-painting show while you’re there.

16. Through Sun, Jul 5 · daily | FIFA Fan Festival Miami. The official World Cup fan zone at Bayfront Park is in its final days: big-screen matches, live stages, food. Worth the drive south while it’s still running.

17. Fri–Sat, Jul 3–4 · 9am | Oakland Park art & Swarovski estate sale. The listing names Dali and Rembrandt artwork, boxed Swarovski crystal, and mid-century furniture. Cash or Zelle, wraps by 1pm, so go early. A genuine "didn’t know that was here" find on a holiday morning.

18. Tuesday Evenings | Mermaid Tails & Cocktails at the Wreck Bar. Watch a retro underwater mermaid show through the portholes of a below-deck bar. One of the strangest, most "only here" nights in town.

19. Daily at MODS | The Science of Guinness World Records. Test yourself against real world records at the Museum of Discovery and Science. A solid air-conditioned plan when it’s too hot to be outside.

How Will You Celebrate Your July Fourth?

We are a little over a week out from the Independence Day Celebrations. Happy 250th birthday to the old U. S. of A. If you don’t already have plans, here’s some of the fun you can add to your holiday:

1. Fort Lauderdale Beach will be alive all afternoon and evening, with the Walker Hayes concert at 7:30pm, a Drone Show at 8:45pm, and what is promised to be a spectacular 250th-worthy fireworks at 9pm. Here’s the full schedule for the day.

2. Before the bash on the beach, come join the ‘picnic in the park’ (at Huizenga Park). Mr. Smashburger will be offering $2.50 burgers and hotdogs to celebrate the 250th. There will be games, live music, and giveaways.

3. Hollywood Star-Spangled Spectacular. The pick if you want toes in the sand and the Broadwalk within reach. A DJ at 5, live band at 7, offshore fireworks at 9. Pack a picnic for the marked beach zones. A1A closes to incoming cars from 8pm.

4. Pompano Beach Fireworks Spectacular. Set up near the Fisher Family Pier; the 9pm fireworks launch from a barge offshore, so the view stays clear down the beach. A Beach Boys tribute plays from 5.

5. Deerfield Beach 4th of July. Best if drones are your thing. Four bands play the beach from 4, then drones fly over the water at 9 instead of fireworks.

6. Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Fourth of July. The small-town day: a morning parade down El Mar Drive, family stuff at El Prado Park till 2, then fireworks at 9.

7. Coral Springs Fourth of July. A roomy inland park party at Mullins with the Remix Band, lawn games, and free parking. Fireworks go around 8:30, earlier than the beach shows, so you will get home sooner.

8. Plantation 4th of July. A true all-day inland plan: a morning parade down Broward Blvd, then a kids zone, concert, and Zambelli fireworks at Central Park at night.

9. Sunrise Fourth of July. Two parts: a Sunset Strip parade in the morning, then an evening at Amerant Bank Arena with live bands from 6 and a fireworks finale. The arena gives you an AC break from the July heat.

10. Pembroke Pines Fourth of July. A no-fuss evening at the Pines Rec Center grounds: live band and DJ from 6, fireworks at 9. The easy choice for southwest Broward if a beach drive sounds like a headache.

11. Miramar Independence Day. Gates open early at 4:30 for a DJ dance party leading to 9pm fireworks at Miramar Regional Park.

12. Margate Fourth of July Extravaganza. The most packed single-town day: a 9am parade, a 1–4pm pool party at the Calypso Cove waterpark, and fireworks at 9 at Margate Blvd and 441.

13. Tamarac All-American Celebration. A free, easygoing evening at the Sports Complex with the band Extasy, bounce houses, and a vendor hall before the fireworks.

14. Seminole Casino Coconut Creek Fireworks & Drone Show. Food trucks and bars open at 7, then both a drone show and fireworks at 9:30, the latest start of the night. Head to the rooftop parking garage for the best view and an easy exit.

15. Davie Fun on the 4th. Davie pairs a drone show at 9 with fireworks right after. One catch: it’s residents-only with pre-registration, so this one’s for folks who live in town, not a drop-in.

16. Freedom Fest at Gulfstream Park. For something that isn’t a beach: horse racing, the Village shops and restaurants, family activities, and a trackside fireworks show to close the night.

17. July 3rd · 6pm | Weston Hometown Fireworks. It runs a night early, so you can do Weston on the 3rd and still catch a beach show on the 4th. DJ and a live band from 6, fireworks to finish, with the city marking its 30th year.

18. Another July 3rd | Oakland Park All-American Picnic. A relaxed July 3 picnic at Centennial Park with live music and a library ribbon-cutting, not a fireworks night.

19. Wed–Sun, Jul 1–5 | Wilton Manors 4th of July Weekend. A multi-day LGBTQ-focused weekend on and around Wilton Drive (parties in the park, circuit events), not a single fireworks show. Worth flagging for readers who want the scene more than the sparklers.

😉​ Hey - quick question. Did we miss anything? Each week we do our research but you might know of an event, an organization, or a local business that deserves some love here in our weekly basket of goodies. Just hit reply to this email and let us know!

Featured Fort Lauderdale

Our city of Fort Lauderdale was featured in Forbes, and by our own Jenni Morejon (a regular reader of this newsletter). If you recognize the name but don’t know the background, Jenni is the President and CEO of Fort Lauderdale’s Downtown Development Authority (DDA). Among other things, they are the folks who are getting the highest accolades for the newly redeveloped Huizenga Park, which is now seeing over 25,000 visitors each month.

The basic premise of the Forbes Feature is that while Miami and West Palm Beach are getting headlines for their billionaire benefactors, the magic of Fort Lauderdale development as a city was laid out years ago by our billionaire (founder of three different publicly traded companies) H. Wayne Huizenga.

The quiet but compelling growth and development of Fort Lauderdale reminds me of the age-old aphorism, that "Confidence is silent. Insecurities are loud." And Fort Lauderdale is quietly winning.

So... You Think You Know South Florida

You probably already know... the good ‘ole U. S. of A. turns 250 years young next week.

What you might not know... Florida wasn’t one of the original 13 colonies.

It was actually invited, and said… ‘no thanks.’

While everyone up north was busy dumping tea in Boston Harbor and declaring independence, there were two more British colonies down here. East Florida, run out of St. Augustine, and West Florida, run out of Pensacola.

Britain picked them up from Spain in 1763, and both stayed loyal to King George. Both got invited to send delegates to the Continental Congress. Both passed. Must have watched the YouTube video and were won over by his winning personality.

Then it got personal. On August 11, 1776, word of the Declaration reached St. Augustine, and the locals were so steamed they built effigies of John Hancock and Samuel Adams, strung them up in the plaza, and set them on fire. Possibly that makes for the original Florida Man headline: it’s 95 degrees, let’s burn something.

This was no backwater, either. St. Augustine had the only stone fort south of the Chesapeake, the Castillo, which is still standing and waiting for you to visit today.

George Washington took the place seriously enough to write more than 80 letters about it and order five separate invasions. None of them stuck.

So this weekend, while everyone waves the flag, you can be the one at the cookout who mentions the two colonies that stayed loyal, threw a bonfire, and only became part of American later. (Spain took Florida back in 1783. The U.S. didn’t get it until 1821.)

Now you know. Happy 250th.

Source: Florida Historical Society

More Treats To Try

We don’t let just anyone sponsor this newsletter. Here’s who “made the cut” this week:

(Hit reply to this email if you want to reach over 1400+ local families for just $100)

👉 Buy YOUR OWN Classified Ad Here 👈

• Here’s a plug for the 14‑year‑old owner of Tater Tots Plushies, a mobile plush‑making business. She offers to bring a full bear‑stuffing experience directly to senior centers, adult day programs, birthdays, parties, school events, and so much more! Interested? Book with us here: linktr.ee/tatertotsplushies no party too big or too small!

• Did you know you can take off season tours of the Miami Heat All Access Arena and facilities? Minimum group of 4 required. Tell Victoria you heard about it from us.

• Urban Air Adventure Park Plantation offers the ultimate way to keep kids active all summer long and beat the heat and rain. For Summer Group Packages full of nonstop indoor adventure call or email today! Lea@elevatedvg.com or 561-831-4311 for fast turnaround.

• Summer is getting hot and Brightline is offering deals on getting families to the closest water parks (Aventura, Boca, West Palm, or Orlando).

Just hit reply to this email to get started. Work with us to reach over 1300+ Greater Fort Lauderdale families.

Quote Of The Week

“Confidence and self-belief are contagious; they are not a matter of pure arrogance or overweening egotism, they are the sense of being part of a greater story others have not yet discovered and giving off an almost physical sense of invitation to join that story, that disarms and then changes potential enemies into allies.”

Poet David Whyte on the relationship between self-belief and confidence.

Flotsam & Jetsam

This Coming Week History Is Having It’s Moment (and a 250th Birthday!)

America turns 250 this week. Funny timing, because the best way to actually see the past right now isn’t a textbook. It’s AI, and it’s all over YouTube.

Here are three channels worth your time to time travel:

• Majestic Studios rebuilds a single place in detail, so you can stand in ancient Rome or 1776 Baltimore.

• The Entire History of Paris in 37 Minutes does the opposite: it fast-forwards one city from a Roman river town in 259 BC into the Paris you know.

• And Chloe VS History sends an AI “time-traveling influencer” into the Black Death or the Titanic, reacting like she’s filming it for her followers.

Is it flawless history? No. AI fills the gaps, and sometimes fills them wrong. But for getting you to care about 1776? Hard to beat. Happy 250th. Go explore with a little time-travel adventures.

Word Play Of The Week

“The Stakes Are High”

The idiom “the stakes are high” means that a lot is at risk or there are significant consequences depending on the outcome of a situation. It implies that the potential rewards or losses are substantial, making the situation critical and the decisions or actions taken very important. Used figuratively since at least the early 19th century. ~ ​Source

‘Under-The-Radar’ Openings Job Board

Lot’s of folks offering cool positions here locally. Maybe there’s one for you or a friend?

• Brewer at Funky Buddha Brewery, Oakland Park. Hands-on brewhouse role at Broward’s best-known craft brewery.

• Social Programs Facilitator & Mentor. The Friendship Circle. A deeply rewarding community role. You will be designing dynamic social experiences, field trips, and events for children and adults with special needs, while also partnering with local businesses on Las Olas and beyond to create vocational training programs.

• Temporary Museum Preparator at NSU Art Museum - installs/de-installs exhibitions: crating, carpentry, hanging shows.

• Head Audio, Au-Rene Theater at the Broward Center. Lead sound engineer for the 2,600-seat flagship room.

• Do you have a listing you would like to place here for next week? Hit reply and let us know.

Lastly… One Big Idea For Your Week

Who will you be this week? You are not the same person now. You get to choose.

Tell Us How We Are Doing

Every week we are working to improve #H!L every week, both for your reading experience and to provide a cutting-edge media apprenticeship opportunity for our learners.

We want to hear from you. What do you love? What could we do better FOR YOU? And most importantly, what FTL businesses and experiences should we be highlighting?

Stuff You Won’t Want To Miss This Week:

1. Thursday, 6–9pm | Food Truck Night at Brian Piccolo Park. Broward’s rotating food-truck night lands in Cooper City. A low-key weeknight dinner out that doesn’t cost much.

2. Thursday evening | “FRESH SoFlo Summer Flavors” Chef Experience Dinner. A communal-table chef dinner in Sunrise built around South Florida summer produce. Around $92 a seat, so a real night out.

3. Friday, 5:30pm | Coral Springs Juneteenth Celebration & Comedy Show. A Juneteenth evening with live comedy at the Center for the Arts. An easy way to mark the day without leaving Broward.

4. Friday 7pm | Starlight Musicals at Holiday Park. Free outdoor concerts on the football field, a 46-year FTL summer tradition newcomers always miss. Bring a blanket and a cooler. (Runs again next Friday, the 26th.)

5. Saturday, 3–11pm | Wilton Manors Stonewall Pride Parade & Festival. The Drive shuts down for one of South Florida’s biggest Pride street parties. Vendors and music all afternoon, then the parade after dark. Go for the people-watching, stay for the block-party energy.

6. Saturday, 7pm | The Juneteenth Experience: MainStage. Live performance at the African American Research Library, part of the city’s bigger Juneteenth programming. Worth knowing the library doubles as a cultural venue.

7. Saturday, 8pm | Josh Groban & Jennifer Hudson at Hard Rock Live. Two huge voices on one stage in Hollywood. A bucket-list arena night if you don’t mind the casino trek.

8. Saturday, 10am–2pm | Pup Stroll on Las Olas. Bring the dog to the Riverside Hotel for a morning of vendors and very good boys. An easy, peak-Las-Olas Saturday morning.

9. Saturday | Yoga by the ocean (International Yoga Day). A yoga session at Las Olas Oceanside Park with the water right there. Outdoors, low-commitment, a good reset.

10. Saturday, 5pm | Doc Reno’s Wingsfest. A wing-eating, beer-drinking summer fest up in Margate. Go hungry; this one’s about volume.

11. Saturday, 8pm | Renata the Band at Tin Roof. Live band downtown, no cover-charge fuss. A simple Saturday-night-out option on Andrews.

12. Sunday, 2–6pm | Island SPACE Caribbean Mango Festival. Peak mango season gets its own party: tastings, Caribbean food, and vendors at the Dodge City Center. Very South Florida, very seasonal.

13. Sunday | Coca-Cola Caravan at Las Olas Oceanside Park. A pop-up at the oceanside park if you’re already down at the beach.

14. This Weekend, 12–8pm | Smorgasburg South Florida. The huge open-air food market in Flagler Village. 40-plus vendors, 15 countries, free to wander.

15. Daily · from 10am | The Science of Guinness World Records (MODS). The science museum’s summer exhibit on record-breaking. A good backup when the heat wins.

16. This week · 3pm | Mae West in “Sunset Boulevard”. A staged show at The Foundry, the intimate theater most people here don’t know about.

17. Weekdays · through Jun 30 | History Fort Lauderdale: “Three by the River” Artists-in-Residence Exhibition. A local artists-in-residence show at History Fort Lauderdale on the river. Quiet, downtown, the kind of small-museum thing locals walk right past.

Next weekend (Jun 26–28) And Worth Planning Ahead

• Fri, Jun 26 · 9am | Estate sale: art, Swarovski & decor. An Oakland Park house clearing out art, crystal, and odd decor. The estate-sale crowd shows up early for a reason.

• Fri, Jun 26 · 6–8pm | The Art of Language: opening reception. An evening reception for a new exhibit on Sunrise Blvd. Art and a wander, if that’s your speed.

• Sat, Jun 27 · 3–7pm | Flamingo Flea at Marina Village. The curated maker-and-vintage market sets up on the water. The kind of small-biz browsing where you actually find something. Go at golden hour.

• Sat, Jun 27 | House Pilates Society at the beach. A pop-up beachside pilates session at the oceanside park. A workout with a view. (confirm time)

• Sun, Jun 28 · 12–5pm | Free Neighbor Day at NSU Art Museum. The museum drops admission for locals, with two new shows just opened (Frantz Zéphirin and “Close to Home”). Cheapest culture you’ll get all month.

😉​ Hey - quick question. Did we miss anything? Each week we do our research but you might know of an event, an organization, or a local business that deserves some love here in our weekly basket of goodies. Just hit reply to this email and let us know!

Featured Fort Lauderdale

Summer is here. And its hot!!

You can go to the beach. But while they are still cleaning up the sargassum seaweed invasion of the last couple of weeks, what if you tried one of the local water parks?

In the Classifieds section below we shared a link to discounted Brightline tickets are part of their summer promotion. And that got us looking at all the fun water parks are that within riding (or driving) distance.

• Paradise Cove Waterpark - 401 SW 2nd St, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312

  Perfect for families with toddlers and teens alike, this local favorite features a massive interactive water playground and a relaxing lazy river to drift the day away.

• Castaway Island Waterpark - Mardi Gras Park, 3800 SW 92nd Ave, Davie, FL 33328

  Offering two separate water playground structures and a lagoon-style swim area, it’s the ultimate spot for younger kiddos to splash safely while parents relax in the shade.

• Water’s Edge Park, City of Tamarac - 7500 W Oakland Park Blvd, Lauderhill, FL 33319

  This neighborhood gem boasts a modern, vibrant splash pad packed with spraying fountains that offer a quick, budget-friendly way to beat the afternoon heat.

• Splash Adventure Waterpark at Quiet Waters Park - 401 Powerline Rd, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442 (Hop off at the Brightline Boca Raton Station!)

  This zero-depth entry water playground features a massive 400-gallon tipping bucket and interactive sprayers designed to keep the little ones endlessly entertained.

• Rapids Waterpark - 6566 N Military Trl, West Palm Beach, FL 33407 (Hop off at the Brightline West Palm Beach Station!)

  As South Florida’s largest water park, it packs a punch with 40 thrilling attractions, including a giant wave pool and dueling water coasters for big-kid families seeking high-energy fun.

• Tidal Cove Miami - 19999 W Country Club Dr, Aventura, FL 33180 (Hop off at the Brightline Aventura Station!)

  This upscale, 5-acre resort-style water park features gravity-defying raft rides and a surf simulator for thrill-seekers, alongside a pristine Kids Cove for the younger crew.

Summer means slides, spray zones, and giggles at these best kid-friendly waterparks in and around Greater Fort Lauderdale.

So... You Think You Know South Florida

You probably already know... the World Cup games are underway and folks are excited.

What you might not know... not only do we have games here in Miami, but lots of venues are also hosting watch parties. You don’t need stadium tickets to feel the electricity. The Greater Lauderdale area has turned into a massive, interconnected viewing party.

No matter what kind of fan you are, Broward County has a spot with your name on it. The local scene essentially breaks down into two vibes:

Neighborhood Hangouts

If your ideal match day involves a cold pint, familiar faces, and a table of friends screaming at the top of their lungs, the local pub and sports bar scene is thriving.

• Local staples like Bokamper’s Sports Bar are hosting live watch parties for the matches, complete with massive TV setups and game-day energy.

• Neighborhood favorites like LauderAle Brewery are turning into “Summer of Soccer” hubs with big screens and rotating food trucks, while spots like Baires Grill on Las Olas are bringing massive, passionate crowds (especially when Argentina plays!).

• Over in southwest Broward, places like Agave Bandido and Twin Peaks in Pembroke Pines are keeping the energy high for every single match.

• The consensus on the local Reddit threads? Find your community, pick your local watering hole, and get there early if you want a stool!

The “Feels Like You’re at the Stadium” Experience

If you want to feel the collective roar of thousands of fans, Broward County and the Florida Panthers have you covered with some massive, stadium-scale events.

• Amerant Bank Arena (Sunrise): They are throwing four massive, official free watch parties on their giant jumbotron inside the arena! They are highlighting major match days, including Colombia vs. Portugal (June 27), the Quarterfinals (July 11), and the World Cup Final (July 19). Best of all? Admission and parking are totally free (though you need to RSVP for tickets on SeatGeek). They’re even rolling out a family-friendly fan plaza outside with food trucks, face painting, and games.

• Miramar Regional Park Amphitheater: For another massive outdoor screen vibe, Miramar is hosting six days of free watch parties covering 12 matches.

Broward County Transit (BCT) is actually running special Park & Ride shuttle services to the Amerant Arena watch parties from locations like Miramar, Sheridan Park, and Broward Boulevard, so you can skip the traffic hassle entirely.

Whether you’re squeezed into a booth at your local sports grill or high-fiving strangers in an NHL arena, there’s no excuse to miss out on the action.

Where will you be watching the next match? Use the “Say Hey! Chat” (for Members) to share and invite friends to join you.

More Treats To Try

We don’t let just anyone sponsor this newsletter. Here’s who “made the cut” this week:

(Hit reply to this email if you want to reach over 1300+ local families for just $100)

• 👉 Buy YOUR OWN Classified Ad Here 👈

• Here’s a plug for the 14‑year‑old owner of Tater Tots Plushies, a mobile plush‑making business. She offers to bring a full bear‑stuffing experience directly to senior centers, adult day programs, birthdays, parties, school events, and so much more! Interested? Book with us here: linktr.ee/tatertotsplushies no party too big or too small!

• Did you know you can take off season tours of the Miami Heat All Access Arena and facilities? Minimum group of 4 required. Tell Victoria you heard about it from us.

• Friend of the newsletter (Hey! Laura Duksta that’s you 🙂) shared this new children’s book coming out from her friend Angela Yoder. Please support her Kickstarter. Over 183 backers already!

• Urban Air Adventure Park Plantation offers the ultimate way to keep kids active all summer long and beat the heat and rain. For Summer Group Packages full of nonstop indoor adventure call or email today! Lea@elevatedvg.com or 561-831-4311 for fast turnaround.

• Summer is getting hot and Brightline is offering deals on getting families to the closest water parks (Aventura, Boca, West Palm, or Orlando).

Just hit reply to this email to get started. Work with us to reach over 1300+ Greater Fort Lauderdale families.

Quote Of The Week

“I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself.” ~ Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou is an American memoirist, essayist, poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years.

Flotsam & Jetsam

Answer ten questions and get a chance to win a million dollars?

Almost sounds too good to be true. But judge for yourself. The Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) is running (in true alignment with its core mission) a public awareness campaign that will challenge your assumptions… and it’s brilliant!

They are asking people to look more closely at what’s behind the affordability crisis?

Americans are working harder than ever and still can’t afford the basics. Housing, healthcare, education, and childcare; the costs keep climbing.

So their goal is to help Americans understand what’s really driving rising costs—clearly, honestly, and grounded in real economics. It’s what FEE has done for 80 years.

The 10-Question Quiz takes 3 minutes. Twelve finalists will be chosen and flown to Atlanta for a chance at the big prize (and more).

Beware - this is a creative and unique way to get folks to reexamine and maybe even challenge some of their core beliefs. Americans can’t afford healthcare. Going to college? Buying a home? But what’s really behind it? You might think you know. FEE has a million dollars that says, What if you’re wrong?

Disclosure: I am a fan of FEE’s work and a couple of years ago did some writing for their “entrepreneur-in-residence” program.

Word Play Of The Week

“Pride and joy”

Fitting, with the Drive about to throw the year’s biggest party. The phrase is centuries old and means your “pride and joy” was whatever you were proudest of. This weekend, the whole city qualifies. We support all members of our extended family. ~ ​Source

‘Under-The-Radar’ Openings Job Board

Lot’s of folks offering cool positions here locally. Maybe there’s one for you or a friend?

• Samuel shared that NYY Steakhouse is looking for bussers. Located in the Seminole casino. The pay is good for the position and opportunities are abundant once your foot is in. Must be18+

• Craft Beer Brewer. 26° Brewing Company. Pompano Beach, FL. A dream role for a beer enthusiast with a strong technical background.

• Social Programs Facilitator & Mentor. The Friendship Circle. A deeply rewarding community role. You will be designing dynamic social experiences, field trips, and events for children and adults with special needs, while also partnering with local businesses on Las Olas and beyond to create vocational training programs.

• Teaching Artist at Broward Center for the Performing Arts. The Center hires working artists to teach across its education programs. Contract and flexible, and you'd be shaping the next round of FTL theater kids.

• Do you have a listing you would like to place here for next week? Hit reply and let us know.

Lastly… One Big Idea For Your Week

Who will you be this week? We only want you to be fully yourself.

Tell Us How We Are Doing

Every week we are working to improve #H!L every week, both for your reading experience and to provide a cutting-edge media apprenticeship opportunity for our learners.

We want to hear from you. What do you love? What could we do better FOR YOU? And most importantly, what FTL businesses and experiences should we be highlighting?