This Weekend: Some Shows, But Mostly Just Chillin’

I know that there are probably five things that I planned to do this weekend that I’ve forgotten about, but I don’t care. I’m pretty sure that I can only handle one rock show this weekend and I’m definitely going to the Help! show at Iwan warehouse. That means that I won’t be heading down to PS14 to watch Stonefox and Astari Nite play together.

I’m sure that will be rad. Also, Mike Mineo is playing at Dada on Saturday night. He’s kinda hot looking and his songs don’t sound too bad either, but you won’t see me there. I’ve got to relax this weekend, and I want to go somewhere with a strong South Florida vibe. I just want to go to Cap’s Place in Lighthouse Point to try its hearts of palm salad. I hear that it’s divine. I had the most amazing hearts of palm salad at Nobu in South Beach this week, and it only fanned the fire of my obsession with this garnish food. I think that it cost like $28 or something ridiculous like that at Nobu. As I was leaving South Beach, I saw some dude doing sit-ups in the reclined driver seat of his car. I have never seen that in Broward, which I’m happy about because 6-pack abs are lame. Anyway, the salad at Cap’s is only $10 and I’m sure that there won’t be any idiots doing calisthenics in their automobiles, just a bunch of fat suckers like me.

Next weekend, The Craven, Stonefox, Viva Le Vox and other bands will play a cancer benefit show at Area 7 in Oakland Park.

This Weekend: What Wonderful Things Will Tempt Me Away from Watching Eastbound and Down and In Treatment Reruns On Demand…Hmmm

FRIDAY: This had better be good! Well, on Friday night at 9 p.m., as I’ve stated in a previous post, Peter Giovenco will host the closing party for the very hip Blender exhibit at Full Circle Gallery. I will not dedicate precious time to rehashing all of the details of this exhibit. Instead, I ask you to follow this link to a previous post about Blender, where you can find all of the info. Also, tomorrow night (Friday) at Alligator Alley, there will be a Groove Thangs reunion. To be perfectly honest, I love listening to Florida blues every once in a while, but I lack the sophistication to tell the difference between one local legend and another. Good thing they’re all getting together on one stage — likely this will begin at 9 p.m., the standard time for Alley events.The gang of cutesters that we recently saw at Radioactive Records, Totem Pole, will take the stage at Propaganda in Lake Worth tomorrow night. They’re pretty experimental and fun!

SATURDAY: Early in the evening on Saturday begins the event that I mentioned in the previous post, The Pineapple Jam at Stranahan House. If the S House is just a name you’ve heard a hundred times and forgotten due to lack of interest but you’re finding that you suddenly feel interested, check out a previous post about my visit to that historic location — after all it is where it all began here in Lauderdale. As the hours go on into Saturday night, the tug of war between hot local indie bands begins. For me, it’s between a hand that I’ve seen at least 5 times (Stonefox) and one that I want to see but never have (Quiet River High).

Stonefox will play on Saturday night at Alligator Alley with Monty Warren and The Friggin’ Whatevers and Quiet River High will play at Dada in Delray Beach. Though it is quite tempting to drop into one of my favorite local bars and listen to a band that I know rocks the live show, I think that I will probably opt to see Quiet River High on Saturday and assume that the live show will be as exciting as the songs that they have up on the Myspace. It is, after all, a CD release party for an album called The Marchen. The ad for this show confused me. A band called The Marchen played after Quiet River High, and it was that band, not QRH, that had a CD release party. Below is a video of Paul from Quiet River High covering the Bon Iver song “For Emma”

Cover from Paul Championstar on Vimeo. A fun band with the most disgusting name that I have ever heard, Tongues of the Heartworm (yucky!), will take the stage at Propaganda in Lake Worth on Saturday night. Get ready to rock (and barf every time the band mention its name) with Tongues of The Heartworm. Back in the 954, Radioactive Records will celebrate National Record Store Day with live performances from Mr. Entertainment and the Pookiesmackers, Totem Pole, Secondhand Outfit, Monsters and Bulletproof Your Limousine

.

I definitely think that the Eastbound & Down and In Treatment Reruns will have to wait until the following weekend.

Last Monday Eve: Talk on Moving the King-Cromartie House Up the New River

In 1971, the Junior League of Fort Lauderdale put their heads and heels together to move the King-Cromartie House, a historical Fort Lauderdale home built in 1907, up the New River to the site where it now stands behind the New River Inn, located in the historic area behind the Himmarshee Village area. On Monday eve, a few folks including Stan Smoker spoke about what that project entailed. How fortunate for us that the history of Fort Lauderdale is a short one so that we can, if we choose to make ourselves available to the numerous opportunities afforded us, hear first-hand accounts of how the growth of the town came to pass! Yay!

It was quite interesting to hear that the driving force behind the move was a group of young women, especially because there was no equivalent group of concerned young women in the room to hear the story. Though I knew that it was the Junior League of Fort Lauderdale behind putting the home on a barge and moving it along the New River — going through three draw bridges (with only 18 inches on either side when it went through the railroad bridge) — to settle it in at its new location, I did not know how they did it. The story was long and humorous, but my favorite parts were hearing about just how much passion they had for preserving the area’s history and also hearing the story about how the women got dressed up real fancylike when they went out to request favors, such as procuring building materials, from local vendors. What a bunch of vixens! This home was built by Edwin T. King in 1907, and its residents were King’s daughter Louise King and her husband Bloxham Cromartie — Ivy Cromartie (Stranahan)’s brother. I’ve had so much fun recently at events held at Fort Lauderdale’s historical locations such as New River Inn and The Bonnet House. On Monday night, they had a potluck dinner — how cute! — with a wine and beer bar and tons of very friendly locals. While at the lecture on moving the King-Cromartie House, I learned about other upcoming events that the History Center and The Stranahan House are putting on. On May 9th, the Fort Lauderdale History Center will put on the “Old Florida Fish Fry”, in conjunction with Tarpon Bend, right along the banks of the New River in front of the New River Inn. It’s $20 for the event. Also, on April 18th at 6:30 p.m., there will be an event called the Pineapple Jam at The Stranahan House with live music by John Day, who does not appear to have a myspace page.

Notes on Bonnet House Lecture by Author Bill Crawford on His Book Florida’s Big Dig

If you think paying tolls to drive on the Florida Turnpike is a pain in the butt, imagine if you had to pay tolls when cruising on the Intracoastal too! OK, I’m kinda kidding. Most Fort Lauderdale folks never make it onto the waterways because we’re not boat owners (but to those I say, there’s always the water taxi), but it’s worth contemplating the origins of that majestic waterway.

Seriously, when I look at the Intracoastal and think about how much work must have gone into construction it, I just want to take a really, really long nap. Local author Bill Crawford does not have the same reaction. He answered his curiosity about the inland waterway with meticulous research that ultimately yielded his book Florida’s Big Dig: The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. He spoke on his book last Monday at Bonnet House, one of the lectures in the estate’s series, and took us all the way back to Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson’s disagreement over whether canals should be federally funded or not, and on through the years that the Florida Coast Line Canal and Transportation Company, a private company, worked with the state of Florida and raised funds from private investors to bring the inland waterway into existence. How much land did the state of Florida give to these chappies in exchange for building the canal? How long did it take? What role did the big man Henry Flagler play? All of these questions were covered in the lecture, and are covered, in greater detail, in the book, which we were told we should read with a man of Florida in hand. I, for one, want to get cracking on reading this book, but I have to finish The Stranahans of Fort Lauderdale first. Anyway, whether you want to read a book like this or not, the lecture series at Bonnet House is a fun way to get some factoids on local history. The next event in the series will be Patsy West’s lecture on The Traditional Culture of the Seminole and Miccosukee Indians, March 9 at 10 a.m.

Florida’s Big Dig – All The Detes on The Intracoastal Waterway

I don’t know about you, but I’m so there. $5 to walk through the beautiful Bonnet House grounds and listen to a lecture about the digging of the Intracoastal Waterway by author Bill Crawford. Don’t know about you, but I’m so there.

Hanging Out at The Fort Lauderdale History Center

You know what’s awesome? The history of Fort Lauderdale, that’s what. Whether you want to impress on a first date or have a really good bar conversation (to attract a first date…or just for the fun of talking to strangers), it would behoove you to know a thing or two about the town that you live in. If you’re visiting Fort Lauderdale and you’ve heard of Las Olas and you’re wondering, why of all the streets in this heaven on earth that I’m vacationing in is Las Olas so freaking special, you just might want to check out the Fort Lauderdale History Center to fill yourself in on all of the details. What, after all, is that cute little house with the green awnings that’s situated right across the street from the Cheesecake Factory? Hmmm….what makes The Stranahan House so special? Who were the Stranahans anyway?

There it is…a nice view from the dock behind the house.

The Fort Lauderdale History Center is not located at the same site as the Stranahan House. It is, in fact, located a few blocks west of The Stranahan House in a not-so-quiet part of town known as Himmarshee (if you walk a few blocks west of Las Olas, you can pick up the Riverwalk, which leads to it, at Huizenga Plaza, right across the street from the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale). Anyway, when we arrived to at the Fort Lauderdale History Center, we said our hellos to Research Director Merrilyn Rathbun before meeting up with a formidable tag team of local knowledge in the form of curator Margo Edwards and tour guide Tim Myette.

There’s Tim. He told us all about what life was like on the New River back in the old days and all about the arrival of Henry Flagler’s East Coast Railroad in Fort Lauderdale. According to Tim, Flagler used to build up towns at each of his railway stops, recruiting locals to be barbers and various other essential professionals. You wanna know why Fort Lauderdale doesn’t have a big, old-fashioned luxury hotel like the Breakers, which Flagler built in Palm Beach or The Royal Palm Hotel in Miami? Ask Mary Brickell. Below: New River Inn.

Here’s a nice view of New River Inn from the Riverwalk in Fort Lauderdale. This building, which has stood in this spot since 1905, housed many who came to Fort Lauderdale to conduct agricultural business dealings and to visit our town in the early part of the 20th century. It’s a remarkable structure with the original interior made out of a very hard type of local wood called Dade County Pine — very hard, heavy and resistant to termites. Inside of New River Inn, the Museum of History hosts many exhibits about the town. If you’ve ever wondered what it was like down here during WWII, why the area was so underpopulated until Frank Stranahan came down here in 1893 (hint: it has something to do with a conflict between local Seminoles and William Cooley arising from an unsatisfactory outcome in the trial of the murderers of Chief Alibama), what kind of bathing suits the beauties used to wear on Fort Lauderdale Beach, how the Seminoles lived and changed over the centuries, you’ll find many answers inside of this building. Below: The King-Cromartie House.

The King-Cromartie House — like most of the early homes in the area — was built by Edward T. King. It was also his home for some time and served as the home of his daughter and her husband, Bloxham Cromartie. The cool thing about the King-Cromartie house, besides the insights its interior offers into Lauderdale Pioneer living, is that it was moved up the New River on a barge to its present location in Fort Lauderdale’s historical district. Inside, there are photos of the home’s former occupants and some pretty impressive images of those Junior Leaguers getting their hands dirty for the sake of preserving history.

As you can tell, I had an amazing time going deep in Fort Lauderdale history with Margo and Tim. When you tour the historical buildings of Fort Lauderdale, you will get to visit all of the exhibits at the Museum of History, tour the King-Cromartie House, visit a replica of the original schoolhouse and hear all about the the early days in party central, AKA Fort Lauderdale. CLICK ON THIS LINK TO THE FORT LAUDERDALE HISTORY CENTER “VISIT US” PAGE TO FIND OUT WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO GET DOWN THERE AND FIND IT ALL OUT FOR YOURSELF. If Tim Myette looks like the guide for you, you should know that he gives tours on Sunday starting at around noon, and he will be prepared to receive you after church of after your fourth bloody mary/mimosa.

Court and Sweet Bronco go to the Stranahan House

Yesterday, Sweet Bronco and I went to The Stranahan House in downtown Fort Lauderdale, located right where the Henry E. Kinney Tunnel goes under the New River and across the street from The Cheesecake Factory. Built in 1901, this building is a fine example of the pioneer lifestyle in early South Florida.

The Stranahan House is the former home of Fort Lauderdale’s first family, Frank and Ivy Stranahan. We met up with a very informative docent named Doris, who’s been giving tours at the historical home for over twenty years. She told us all about how the Stranahans lived and what they gave to this community. The site of the historic Stranahan House is more than just the home of a couple that once lived here. When Frank first moved to Fort Lauderdale, there was no tunnel or bridge across the New River. He operated a ferry by pulley that allowed people to cross the rather wide New River when they were en route to Miami on the road that is now Federal Highway. People would come up to the site of Stranahan’s place on the river and ring the bell below to alert him to their presence:On that same site, Frank opened a post office and a trading post with a campground. That’s where everyone — including the Seminole Indians, with whom Frank traded frequently — stayed when they came to trade with Stranahan. All was running smoothly, and Frank even had a little post office operation running on the grounds. What does a post office attract if not fine young single women, such as the 18-year-old Ivy Julia Cromartie, who’d come up to Fort Lauderdale from her home town in North Miami to take a teaching post in 1899, who just love to write long letters to their families? Frank couldn’t help but take notice of Ivy — cutie though she was, as you can see in the picture below (her wedding picture), Doris informed us that she was the only single woman in town at that time. Frank and Ivy married in 1900, which meant that Ivy could no longer formally teach. She taught Seminole Indian children to read when they visited Stranahan’s trading post with their families. Over the years, Frank sold his trading post and became a banker. He made a great deal of money, and he and Ivy entertained a few big names such as Henry Flagler in their pioneer home on the New River. The China above the doorway in the photo below is a gift from Flagler.
Things turned for the worse in 1929, when Frank’s health and the U.S. economy started to fail. According to Doris, Frank took his own life. Ivy lived on in The Stranahan House and struggled to make ends meet until her death in 1971. The home became a boarding house for some time as well as a restaurant that some may remember called The Pioneer House. Now, the home is restored to its early 20th century state and is open for daily tours just like the one we took with Doris. The one-hour tours are available every day at 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Well-informed docents like Doris take you through every room of the home and answer important questions. How did Ivy really feel about Frank’s beard? What feature of the home did Ivy and Frank bicker about most? What low-cost items did Ivy use to dress up her shoes? Photo gallery below:

This Moodvane post fueled by Intown 411.

Peaceful Moments at Colee Hammock Park

On Sunday, Misha and I decided to go to a late lunch/early dinner at Sushi Rock on Las Olas Boulevard. We arrived slightly before the restaurant’s opening hour of 4:30 p.m., so we strolled across the street to check out the New River at Colee Hammock Park. Colee Hammock is a very special park not only because it’s located in one of Fort Lauderdale’s most beautiful areas — just a few blocks of off Las Olas among the beautiful older homes in that area — but because it’s a historical site.

Colee Hammock Park is the site of The Cooley Massacre, an incident in which local Native Americans attacked and murdered the women and children at the settlement while the men were away tending to a shipwreck. The attack, as the story goes, was a response to William Cooley’s failure, as the area’s judge and justice of the peace, to obtain a conviction for the murderers of Creek Indian Chief Alibama. That massacre occurred during the years of the Second Seminole War, the ongoing conflict between Florida’s Native American population and the U.S. Government, which wanted the indians west of the Mississippi River.
Today, Colee Hammock Park is peaceful and beautiful, a prime spot for a picnic or a first kiss. And, the park has plenty of benches and single seats to cup your little bum. What’s great about the single-person benches, Misha and I agreed, is that there’s no where for French guys to sit down and hit on you. We loves it…except for that whole massacre bit!

This Moodvane post fueled by Intown 411.