Blog

Dania Beach CRA takes Home 11 State Awards – Most in Florida

Thursday, October 6, 2016 - 12:37pm

Dania Beach Fla. (August 25, 2016) – The Dania Beach CRA was a big winner this year at the 22nd Annual Florida Festivals & Events Association (FFEA) convention and trade show, taking home 11 SUNsational Awards. Dania Beach won the most awards in South Florida for its 4th annual Arts and Seafood Celebration and PATCH Urban Farm and Market. FFEA’s program recognizes members' innovation, individuality and creative collaboration. According to its website for over 20 years, “Florida Festivals & Events Association has been promoting and strengthening the festival, event and fair industry in Florida. FFEA currently supports more than 500 event industry professional members who collectively represent 3,500 events”.

“We are beyond humbled to win these awards and to showcase all of the hard-work and dedication the CRA puts behind everything we do!” States Rachel Bach, DBCRA Executive Director.

Nominations for awards were accepted in nine categories, including Printed Materials; Outdoor Advertisement; PR / Media Campaign; Photo; Promotional Item; T-shirt; Broadcast Media; Multimedia Marketing and Programming. Each category included three budget levels. A total of 130 events submitted their materials for consideration and they were judged by a blue ribbon panel of professionals.

South Florida was well represented with FFEA Members in the area receiving 131 total awards, with the Dania Beach Redevelopment Agency (DBCRA) winning a total of 11 awards.

“The SUNsational Awards have recognized and celebrated the talents of our members for more than two decades,” said Suzanne Neve, Executive Director of the FFEA. “We’re proud of our members and their events – and excited to recognize them in this way each year.”

The following is a list of South Florida winners for a complete list of winners visit www.ffea.com/sunsational-awards

  • Alpha Media USA (4)
  • Bobby Rodriguez Productions, Inc. (3)
  • City of Boynton Beach (1)
  • City of Boynton Beach CRA (9)
  • City of Boynton Beach Parks & Recreation (2)
  • City of Coral Springs (3)
  • City of Hialeah (3)
  • City of North Miami Parks & Recreation (1)
  • City Of Palm Beach Gardens (3)
  • City of Pompano Beach (1)
  • City Of Tamarac (1)
  • City Of West Palm Beach Community Events (7)
  • Coconut Grove Arts & Historical Association (8)
  • Dania Beach CRA (11)
  • Delray Beach Marketing Cooperative (5)
  • Festival Management Group, Inc. (6)
  • Lion Country Safari (2)
  • Margate CRA (2)
  • Palm Beach County Public Affairs (1)
  • Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce (4)
  • Pompano Beach CRA (5)
  • Schmidt Family Centre for the Arts (2)
  • Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County (2)
  • South Florida Fair & Palm Beach County Expositions, Inc. (8)
  • Village of Wellington (5)
  • West Palm Beach CRA (3)
  • West Palm Beach DDA (7)
  • Winterfest, Inc. (8)

For more information on the DBCRA’s events, call 954-924-6801. For more information about FFEA, visit www.ffea.com.

DANIA BEACH ANNOUNCES NEW ART DISPLAY IN CITY HALL ATRIUM

Friday, September 16, 2016 - 1:43pm

Dania Beach, FL: Visitors to Dania Beach City Hall may notice a new eye-catching work of art located in the atrium: a colorful series of paintings created by three different and talented artists. The Cultural Arts Committee of the Creative Arts Council, led by Henriette "Kitte" Arnold, received permission from the city commission to create a revolving art display in the city atrium.  “The committee raised the funds to buy hardware for hanging the art and "voila" the bare atrium became the Dania Beach Atrium Art Gallery.  Under Kitte's direction we have had several different displays from local artists and the response from the public and the city hall staffers has been very positive,” states Bo Donly Chair of the Creative Arts Council Advisory Board for Dania Beach. This art display is free and accessible to anyone.

About the Artists:

Dawn (Duncan) Verheylewegen is originally from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Born into a family with both professional and casual artists, she has continued that family tradition. Throughout her High school and University studies, Dawn pursued her two greatest interests; Visual Arts and Anthropology. Dawn has a keen interest in other cultures, their people, environments and way of life and expresses this through her artwork. During a year-long stay in Japan, Dawn began to develop her detailed style of portraiture. She has traveled extensively throughout North America, Asia, Europe, Australia, Africa and the Caribbean, drawing and painting the people and landscapes of the countries she has visited.

"I have been fortunate, in my life, to have been able to travel, live and work in a great number of diverse countries and cultures. I believe that, due to my background in both Anthropology and Art, I have come to focus primarily on people in my work. I see the power people have to convey such emotion, character and beauty. I am always captivated by the human face and form and the stories they can tell us,” states Verheylewegen. She now lives in Broward County as one of the 18 working Artists at Studio 18 in the Pines, an 11,000 square foot gallery in Pembroke Pines Florida. For more information on this artist, visit www.dawnvportraits.com.

Robyn Vegas, born in New Orleans, works with paper, color pencil, ink, graphite, oil paint, collage and mixed media.  Vegas describes herself as a “creator.” Her current work explores the theme of historical perceptions of women, celebrating their strength and inner beauty.  “I want to awaken an appreciation for the spiritual qualities manifested through my paintings and sculptures.”

“If my work touches someone else, then I am rewarded because it is meant to inspire the viewer.  This goal pushes me to grow with my creativity and skill. I want people to stop and appreciate that beauty is all around them,” says Vegas. For more info on Vegas, visit www.robynvegasart.com.

With a background in Graphic Design from the New York Institute of Technology, artist Maria Wieder has always had a love for art. After marrying, she decided to pick up painting again and her passion ignited. “I like painting in oil, although I use other mediums as well.  My subject matters are varied, including still lives, sceneries and just about anything I find interesting and beautiful. I trained in the European realism style, and recently I am beginning to experiment with portraiture. My last exhibit was influenced by the Farm to Table movement, which I painted varied vegetables in rich colors and details,” states Wieder. She currently has studio space at Studio 18 in Pembroke Pines where she works and teaches classical painting.

Stay tuned for future revolving art displays at the Dania Beach City Hall Atrium. 

Summer BreakSpot Providing Free Meals to Kids and Teens During Kickoff Event

Friday, September 16, 2016 - 1:40pm

Dania Beach, FL – On Saturday, June 18, 2016 from 9:00AM - 1:00PM, The PATCH Urban Farm and Market will host the Summer BreakSpot Kickoff event. The Dania Beach Housing Authority and the City of Dania Beach, in conjunction with local non-profit organizations, will be distributing free lunches for up to 50 local kids and teens during the event.

Rachel Bach, Executive Director of the Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency, stresses the importance of this program for local children, “Offering free, nutritious meals also provides an incentive for children to participate in summer enrichment programs, which means that children are not only well-fed, but in a safe environment engaged in academic and recreational activities.”

The PATCH is located at 1201 West Dania Beach Blvd and event activities will include:

  • Market with fresh produce
  • Live music
  • Scavenger hunt
  • Ladybug release
  • Art table with crafts
  • $5 PATCH BBQ plate
  • And more!

After the kickoff event, the program will continue throughout the summer months while school is out. The Summer BreakSpot Meal Program, is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and supported locally by non-profits such as Meals on Wheels South Florida. Free meals will be available to kids and teens (under 18) each day at designated locations. The program was created to bridge the nutrition gap during the summer months when children are left at risk of suffering from hunger due to the unavailability of free or reduced lunches provided by schools during the school year.

More about The PATCH™ Urban Farm and Market can be found at www.thepatchgarden.com

More information about the Summer BreakSpot program can be found at www.daniabeachfl.gov

 

Earth Day At The PATCH

Saturday, April 16, 2016 - 12:31pm

Dania Beach, FL (Saturday, April 16, 2016) - Join us at the Dania Beach PATCH (People's Access To Community Horticulture) as we join with the Dan Marino Foundation, the Humana Foundation, friends of the Dania Beach Library, the YMCA of South Florida and other community partners in celebrating Earth Day! In addition to the Farmers Market featuring fresh locally grown produce and family friendly fun, the Memorial Healthcare System will be available to provide FREE Blood Pressure Checks!

Special thanks to the Humana Foundation who will be presenting the Broward Regional Health Planning Council with a grant for $150,000 to provide Diabetes Prevention and Self-Management Programs led by Healthy Community Zone Partners and the YMCA-of South Florida.

"Earth Day reminds us to take care of all of those things that keep us, our families, our worksites, our communities and our world, healthy," said Michael De Lucca, President and CEO of BRHPC. "The support of the Humana Foundation will help ensure our communities' health as we work to prevent chronic conditions and diseases."

Some of the fun family-friendly activities include a scavenger hunt, ladybug release, arts and crafts for the kids, farm activities and Go, Slow, Whoa games. The Market is open for customers to purchase locally grown produce and a barbecue lunch. As always SNAP/EBT holders enjoy 50% savings on all Florida produce purchases. Additionally, there will be awareness raising information about Autism, ways to eat healthy and be active at The PATCH, and new free programs at CW Thomas Parks for Diabetes Prevention and Diabetes Self-management.

Thank you to all of our partners for working together for a healthier Broward!

Date Saturday, April 16, 2016
Time 9:00AM - 1:00PM
Location The Dania Beach PATCH
1201 West Dania Beach PATCH
Dania Beach, FL 33004

 

DANIA BEACH CRA ANNOUNCES THE FOURTH ANNUAL ARTS & SEAFOOD CELEBRATION

Wednesday, March 23, 2016 - 1:50pm

Dania Beach, FL -- It’s that time of year again to mark your calendars to Catch the Wave of the Dania Beach Arts and Seafood Celebration. The Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (DBCRA) proudly presents the award winning, fourth annual Dania Beach Arts and Seafood Celebration on Saturday and Sunday, April 2nd and 3rd, 2016 from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm on Saturday and 11:00 am to 7:00 pm on Sunday in Frost Park, located at 300 NE 2nd Street in Dania Beach. This year’s event promises to be even bigger and better with the addition of a national Grammy award winning act soon to be announced. This free event is filled with beautiful art, delicious seafood, exciting interactive creative experiences and live entertainment.

Local volunteers are very proud to be affiliated with the creative arts and economic development initiatives in Dania Beach and community members are rightfully proud of being the recipients of the 2014 Florida Redevelopment Association, Roy F. Kenzie Award for Cultural Enhancement. “We have a very special feeling for the town, for its past, and for its future and we are very proud of that,” said Bo Donly, Chair of the Dania Beach Creative Arts Advisory Board. In light of the city’s legacy as the “first in Broward” and the success of this event over the last three years, the DBCRA is determined to offer an experience that is “second to none” for the visitors that attend this uniquely designed event.

Some of the exciting news to announce is the role of the Casino at Dania Beach as the presenting sponsor of the 2016 Art and Seafood Celebration. In return, the Casino will provide the bands Ragdoll and Good Vibrations accentuating the show leading up to the headline National act that will be disclosed within the month! Also exciting is the return of several local Dania Beach musicians including the Whipping Post, Speakerbox and Nikki Kidd. Another returning feature is the massive Sand Sculpture. This year the sculpture will be created with over 100 tons of sand and will take several days to complete. You won’t want to miss this exciting creative process with the finished masterpiece revealed on Sunday afternoon.

Plan to stay for the day, patronize our artists and food vendors – bring your lawn chairs and blankets; relax and enjoy exciting entertainment and great food; and stroll through the Fine Arts Treasure Cove and Crafters Island. With activities for all ages, there will be something fun for everyone in the family. The artist committee anticipates that the event will double in size with creative art vendors and anticipate hosting over 100 art and artisan booths for you discover. Whether you’re a collector of fine art or a new lover of art, you can expect to find something

Contact: Sarah Blake
Marketing Consultant
Dania Beach CRA
772-708-0230; sarah@rma.us.com

Event Highlights:

  • Fresh Delicious Seafood
  • Live Music at Jimbo’s Sandbar Stage
  • Fine Arts, Crafts
  • Sponsored Food Competitions
  • Local Retailer Booths
  • Culinary Delights from Top Local Restaurants
  • Beer and Wine Garden
  • Magnificent Sand Sculptures
  • Nautical Arts and Crafts
  • Family Activities and More

For more information about volunteering, sponsoring or vending and to keep abreast of event details regarding the entertainment line-up, participating art and food vendors and sponsors, please visit www.DaniaBeachArtsandSeafoodCelebration.com and follow us on Facebook at www.fb.com/DaniaBeachArtsandSeafoodCelebration.