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Living
LIVING 2018 ANNUAL REPORT
Community Services
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19200 West Country Club Drive Aventura, FL 33180 305-466-8930
The City of Aventura Community Services Department is dedicated to provide its community with quality service, parks, facilities, events, programs, and activities.
Parks
Community Services operates and maintains the Arthur I. Snyder Park, Founders Park, Founders Park SplashPad, Founders Park South, Peace Park, Veterans Park, Waterways Park, and Waterways Dog Park. City parks provide Aventura residents with a wide variety of amenities and outdoor recreation opportunities to refresh, relax and recharge including: athletic fields, playgrounds, an interactive water playground, picnic and exercise areas, a community garden, and tennis courts. In an effort to keep parks and amenities in outstanding condition, parks and playgrounds are continuously maintained. In 2018, the Har-Tru tennis courts were resurfaced, the dugout roofs were replaced, and new interactive water features were installed in the SplashPad at Founders Park, 16 new trees were added along the walking path to create a shade canopy at Veterans Park, new expressive swings were installed at Waterways Park and Founders Park and the shade canopies were replaced at various parks.
For convenience, park shelters and tennis courts can be reserved online at cityofaventura.com/ors, the City’s Online Registration System (ORS).
Arthur I. Snyder Park 3375 NE 188 Street Named after the City of Aventura’s first mayor, Arthur I. Snyder Park is a beautifully landscaped waterfront park adjacent to the Community Recreation Center. The park features covered areas and an outdoor plaza with an open quadrangle play area adorned with trees providing plenty of shade.
Don Soffer Exercise Trail 19999 W Country Club Drive The 3.1 mile Don Soffer Exercise Trail consists of a 10-foot wide paved path circling the Turnberry Isle Resort Golf Course along Country Club Drive. The trail is a popular location to walk, run, jog, skate, and bike.
Founders Park 3105 NE 190 Street The City’s largest park is the 11-acre Founders Park. Founders Park is home to a multipurpose athletic field, tennis courts, the SplashPad, playground, and exercise trail. The park’s SplashPad is a popular and interactive water feature playground for children. Situated along the Intracoastal Waterway, Founders Park South is home to the Aventura Community Green Garden featuring garden planters for residents to grow produce, flowers, plants, and herbs.
Peace Park 3200 NE 188 Street The 1.5 acre park is located adjacent to the waterfront promenade andincludes an open play area, one covered playgrounds and an exercise area for adults.
Veterans Park 18375 NE 31 Avenue The two-acre Veterans Park has an open play field and a covered playground.
Founders Park Waterways Park 3301 NE 213 Street On the City’s north side is the seven-acre Waterways Park. The park has a covered playground, fitness trail with exercise stations, an outdoor basketball court and multipurpose lighted athletic fields.
Waterways Dog Park 3401 NE 213 Street Just east of Waterways Park is the Waterways Dog Park, a 1.5-acre waterfront park offering open space for dogs and their owners to socialize and exercise.
Community Recreation Center
3375 NE 188 Street Community Services operates and maintains the City of Aventura Community Recreation Center (CRC), which offers a complete and balanced program of recreational activities, fitness classes, youth programs, after school programs, social activities, and seasonal camps. Participants of all ages enjoy activities such as arts and crafts; music; dance; science; aerobics; yoga; spring, summer and winter camps; and Teacher Planning Day programs. The Center is a wonderful gathering place bringing Aventura neighbors together.
Founders Day
Movie Night
Share the Road Bike Ride Halloween Movie Night
Special Events
The City hosted an array of exciting events for the entire family to enjoy throughout the year.
• For its 23rd consecutive year, the City was named a Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation and was recognized for this honor at the City of Aventura Earth Day/Arbor Day celebration.
• 4th of July was celebrated with a special aerial display of fireworks easily viewed along Country Club Drive.
30 The Aventura cityofaventura.com • Over 6,000 children and their parents enjoyed seasonal activities in a safe environment at the annual Halloween celebration.
• The 23rd annual City of Aventura Founders Day celebration featured food trucks, entertainment, and plenty of outdoor activities.
• Friends, families, and neighbors attended a series of four fun, family-friendly movie nights at Founders Park.
The Aventura Community Green Garden at Founders Park South features 4’x12’ garden planters filled with sterilized topsoil for residents to grow vegetables, fruits, flowers, herbs, and other plants. The garden improves health by allowing gardeners to enjoy fresh food right from their garden planter to their dinner table; encourages outdoor exercise; and reduces the environmental impact by growing food without harmful pesticides and herbicides.
The garden contains a compost tumbler used to create plant fertilizer and soil from decayed organic material such as leaves and egg shells, as well as fruit and vegetable scraps.
Since its opening, the garden has flourished and expanded from 20 to 46 planters.
Aventura BCycle Bike Share
The City of Aventura’s bike share program offers a way to expand the City’s transportation options, alleviate traffic, boost public health with exercise, and enhance the City’s Go Green initiative by replacing a portion of trips that would otherwise be made by car with pollution-free bike trips.
Aventura BCycle Bike Share opened on September 8, 2016. There are a total of 129 members and approximately 6,098 total trips have been taken on the new bikes since the grand opening.
How does the bike share program work?
Bikes are parked at docking stations around the city with self-serve, solar-powered kiosks. Riders can take bikes from any station and return them to the same or any other station for convenience.
Where are the bike share docking stations located?
There are six biking stations within the City of Aventura which include:
• Williams Island • NE 34th Street • Aventura Mall • Founders Park • Community Recreation Center • Yacht Club Way/East Country Club Drive
Green City
The City of Aventura is committed to reducing its carbon footprint on the environment and is a Florida Green Local Government, which meets the sustainability standards established in the Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) Green Local Government 5-year recertification.
The City of Aventura’s Go Green campaign encourages all City departments and the community to practice environmental sustainability by maintaining green standards including: recycling; replacing light bulbs for energy efficient bulbs; using HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning) systems and technologies promoting the conservancy of water and energy; the use of native landscaping and natural light to create resources for heat reduction on rooftops as well as energy generation for solar panels; and reducing invasive plant growth to protect natural wildlife.
A quick drive around Aventura shows this is a community with a zest for sports.
Youth Sports
Aventura’s team sports follow the National Standards for Youth Sports to raise awareness through leadership and education conducive to teaching skills, physical fitness and positive selfesteem. In 2017, over 1,300 children participated in the City of Aventura’s Youth Sports.
• From fall to spring, children have the opportunity to participate in a variety of athletic sports including: recreational and travel basketball, recreational and travel girls’ and boys’ soccer, and tennis.
• Throughout the year, young athletes can participate in special sport skills training sessions including soccer, and strength and conditioning. Private sports and wellness coaching are also available.
• Tennis classes are available for different age groups: ages 3&4, ages 5-10, junior tennis for ages 8-12, and adult clinics. Private tennis lessons are also available.
Adult Sports
Adults can get in on the sports by joining a softball league, playing in a social round-robin tennis match, participating in adult tennis clinics which provide instruction about all aspects of the game, or enrolling in a high-energy, cardio tennis workout. For details, visit cityofaventura.com/ors, or contact the Community Recreation Center at 305-466-3883, Founders Park at 305-466- 0183, or Waterways Park at 305-466-8008.
Facilities
Founders Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192,952 Founders Park SplashPad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26,651 Waterways Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69,589 Waterways Dog Park. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27,399 Community Recreation Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98,262
Events
Arbor Day & Earth Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468 4th of July Fireworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Estimated 18,000 Halloween . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,138 Veterans Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185 Founders Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,614 Ride with the Aventura Police . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507 Share the Road Bike Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460 Movie Night Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,831 Taste of Excellence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 596
Programs
Youth Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,349 Adult Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510 Spring Camp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Winter Camp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Summer Camp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 754 Senior Trips & Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Teacher Planning Day Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263 Afterschool Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Aventura BCycle Bike Share
Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Total Trips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293 8,343
April 13 Movie Night
April 25 Earth Day/Arbor Day
May 4 Movie Night
May 22 Trips & Tours: Doubt
June 3 Summer Recreational Classes and Programs Begin
June 10 Summer Camps Begin
June 19 Trips & Tours: Bronx Tale
July 4 Fireworks Show Along East and West Country Club Drives
August 16 Summer Camp Ends
August 26 Fall Recreational Classes, Programs, and Sports Begin September 30 Teacher Planning Day
October 6 Share the Road Bike Event
October 9 Teacher Planning Day
October 25 Teacher Planning Day
October 26 Halloween
November 3 24th Annual Founders Day
November 4 Teacher Planning Day
November 11 Veterans Day
November 27 Teacher Planning Day
December 23 Winter Camp Begins
For a complete listing of events visit cityofaventura.com.
ARTS & CULTURE 2018 ANNUAL REPORT
The Tamburitzans
Aventura Arts & Cultural Center
3385 NE 188 Street Aventura, FL 33180 Tickets 877-311-SHOW(7469) Groups 954-660-6307 Information 305-466-8002 aventuracenter.org @aventuracenter
In 2018, the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center (AACC) celebrated its ninth fantastic season of arts and entertainment in the City of Excellence. The AACC hosted one of the most diverse seasons to date with more than 160 events and performances in its elegant, state-of-the-art, waterfront theater conveniently located in the heart of the City of Aventura. Each performance was thoughtfully selected to provide relevant cultural programming for audiences of all ages and enhance the quality of life for all residents.
The AACC continued to not only fill seats but attracted a growing social media following with almost 1,800 fans on Facebook and nearly 600 followers on Instagram and Twitter.
Mandy Gonzalez
Robert Klein
Yamandu
New this season
A partnership between the City of Aventura and the Nova Southeastern University Lifelong Learning Institute launched a new educational speaker series with prominent experts discussing thought provoking topics.
Sold-out performances
Back by popular demand was Debbie Taylor’s Top of the World-A Carpenters Tribute. Also drawing huge crowds were The Edwards Twins from Las Vegas; Main Event Entertainment’s Streisand & Sinatra: Memories; Night Fever: the Music of the Bee Gees, Robert Klein, A Temptations Revue featuring Barrington “Bo” Henderson and Captain Sandy from Bravo’s Below Deck: Mediterranean.
Classical Music
This genre remained extremely popular with the Miami International Piano Festival presenting classically trained pianists from Israel, Russia, Ukraine, Croatia and Italy.
Comedy
Black Box Productions’ Stand-Up Comedy Series presented Emilio Lovera’s sold-out Spanish language comedy show and headliners such as Vic DiBitetto, Wendy Liebman, Bruce Vilanch, Bobby Collins and Sarge’s Chanukah Chutzpah Tour...Kiss My Mezuzah. Other comedic highlights included The Second City: Look Both Ways Before Talking and Steve Solomon’s Cannoli, Latkes, and Guilt and My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish, & I’m Home for the Holidays.
Arts Ballet Theatre
Musicals
The multiple Carbonell Award-winning Slow Burn Theatre Company returned with Disaster! The Musical and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Plus, the long-running, national touring production Menopause the Musical delighted audiences.
Broadway Stars
The Aventura Arts & Cultural Center’s 2018 Broadway Concert Series featured headliners Chris Mann, Santino Fontana, Mandy Gonzalez, Andrea McArdle, Donna McKechnie and Max von Essen.
Dance
A diversity of dance performances were enjoyed, including Carolyn Dorfman Dance presents Dance That Connects; Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida presented several programs including Harlequinade, Le Corsaire, Firebird, and their annual Nutcracker; Dance NOW! Miami’s The Book of Psalms; and the New World Dance Ensemble.
Cross-cultural exchanges
Multicultural connections were fostered through the Aventura International Film Series and performances by Nestor Torres; Cultural Square’s presentation of The Tamburitzans; SCA Oplenac Rep Ensemble’s A Serbian Story; BB MusikGroup’s presentation of Venezuelan artist Yordano; Brazilian virtuoso guitarist, Yamandu Costa; Cirque Zuma Zuma and Dudu Fisher Celebrates JerUSAlem.
Studies have shown that students involved in the arts improve academic skills and develop the social skills and creativity needed to succeed later in life. Star of Broadway’s Hamilton, Mandy Gonzalez, featured 30 chorus students from Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School and from the Broward Center’s Education Center singing onstage with her to her new song composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda. A free Jerry Herman Master Class Workshop with renowned Broadway performers Scott Coulter and John Boswell was held and 15 local high-school singers were given the opportunity to perform on stage -- two were chosen to perform at the Jerry Herman Tribute concert.
The Broward Center for the Performing Arts continued to provide management services and presented multiple family-friendly shows featuring the finest in children’s literary theater including: Charlotte’s Web; Go, Dog, Go!; The Rainbow Fish; and Giggle, Giggle, Quack. The City of Aventura presented several school-day educational performances including: The Cat in the Hat, Cirque Zuma Zuma, The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System, and The Nutcracker.
The AACC hosted 21 events for the students and parents of the Aventura City of Excellence School (ACES). In addition to the opportunity to learn firsthand about technical production and the entertainment industry, students attending ACES participated in numerous events on the stage including spelling bees, lectures, the annual Winter Showcase, spring Talent Show, theatrical productions and class graduations.
Summer Theater Camp
When school was out, the Broward Center for the Performing Arts and the Performance Project School of the Arts presented two sessions of age-appropriate summer theater camps at the AACC for children ages 6 to 18 that served as an introduction to all facets of the performing arts. Every camper experienced the joy of performing onstage in a Broadway-style show as they gained self-confidence and learned important team-building skills. Under the direction of artistic professional and teaching veteran Nina Felice, campers gained hands-on experience in musical theater, acting, dance, voice, and technical production.
Session 1: June 24 - July 21, 2019 Session 2: July 22 - August 16, 2019
For more information about upcoming family theater performances and summer camp, visit aventuracenter.org/education.
AVENTURA ARTS & CULTURAL CENTER
Golden Dtragon Acrobats
Celebrating Linda Ronstadt
March 1, 2019 Siudy Flamenco Intimo
March 6, 2019 Broadway Concert Series: Jeremy Jordan
March 10, 2019 Capitol Steps
March 14–17, 2019 You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown
March 20, 2019 Broadway Concert Series: John Lloyd Young
March 29, 2019 Love is a Rose: Celebrating the Music of Linda Ronstadt
April 5, 2019 Direct From Las Vegas! A Salute to Frank Sinatra
April 7, 2019 The Barricade Boys
April 27, 2019 Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida: Spring Gala
April 28, 2019 Golden Dragon Acrobats
Arts Ballet Theatre
Jeremy Jordan
John Lloyd Young
Summer Theater Camp 2019
June 24 - July 21, 2019 Session 1
July 22 - August 16, 2019 Session 2
Box Office Information Box Office is open Tuesday - Saturday, Noon - 5 PM and 1½ hours prior to performances.
Box Office 877.311.7469 (SHOW) Groups 954.660.6307
Box Office FAQs
Ticketmaster, the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center Box Office, Broward Center’s AutoNation Box Office, AventuraCenter.org, and BrowardCenter.orgare the only OFFICIAL TICKETING PROVIDERS for events at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center. Know who you are buying from when you purchase tickets. Tickets obtained from unauthorized sources may be inflated in price, stolen, counterfeit, or invalid and maynot be honored. We CANNOT PROVIDE REFUNDS OR CUSTOMER SERVICE for tickets purchased from unauthorized sites, brokers or secondary ticket sellers.
When is the box office open? The box office is open Tuesday - Saturday from 12 PM – 5 PM and 1½ hours prior to the start of a performance.
Can’t Attend Show
I purchased tickets to an event, but now I cannot attend. What do I do? All ticket sales are final. Once a sale is completed, there are no refunds or exchanges for ticketed events. However, we are happy to work with you so that someone else such as a friend or family member may use your tickets. For more information, please contact Ticketmaster customer service at 800-653-8000 to speak with a friendly customer service representative.
Disability Access
I am in a wheelchair or have difficulty with steps. Where will my seats be located? The Aventura Arts & Cultural Center is fully compliant with ADA rules and regulations. We have wheelchair accessible seating available in all price levels. Tickets for these locations are available at the box office, on the website at aventuracenter. org or can be reserved by contacting the Ticketmaster call center at 877-311-7469.
Tickets Didn’t Arrive
When I placed my ticket order, I requested for my tickets to arrive by mail, but they did not arrive. What should I do? If you believe your tickets were mailed and you did not receive them, please call Ticketmaster customer service at 800-653- 8000. We will be happy to arrange a lost ticket voucher for you. To pick up your voucher, present a valid ID or the credit card used to purchase the tickets at the box office window 1½ hours prior to show time.
Box Office 877.311.7469 (SHOW) OR 954.462.0222
Groups 954.660.6307
Group Sales
Is there a Group rate? Yes, most events offer a group discount for parties of ten or more! You may contact the Group Sales Department directly at 954.660.6307 or groups@browardcenter.org. Our group sales representative will contact you back within 2 business days.
