Tips for viewing the final space shuttle launch

July 5, 2011 by Space Coast

By Laura Bly, USA TODAY

If you’re hoping to “feel the thunder” for the last launch of the space shuttle Atlantis, scheduled for July 8 from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, expect lots of company – and a tough time finding hotel rooms close to the action.

Crowds gather at Space View park for the space shuttle Discovery’s launch from Kennedy Space Center. An estimated one million spectators will see the final space shuttle launch of Atlantis, scheduled for July 8.


Photo: Tim Shortt, FLORIDA TODAY

An estimated one million spectators will be on hand for what Space Coast Office of Tourism executive director Rob Varley calls “the world’s greatest tailgate party.” As a result, Varley says, most hotels, condos and campgrounds between Titusville and Melbourne Beach are already sold out.

“We’re sending people to Orlando, where the airport area (about 35 miles from the space shuttle launch site) is pretty much booked up, too,” says Varley.

Elsewhere in Orlando however, particularly along International Drive, “there’s still plenty of availability and we’re seeing some great deals the Fourth of July week starting at $60 for a two-star hotel,” says Visit Orlando’s Susan Lomax.

Tickets for the closest viewing spots, at the Kennedy Center Visitors Complex and along the NASA Causeway, were distributed through a lottery system for $20 to $65 each – but demand has been so high that ticket packages have sold for up to $5,000 on sites like eBay, reports Florida Today.

Other prime areas include Titusville…to read more

 

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Baby, Do You Want Fireworks?

June 30, 2011 by Space Coast

Patriotic activities are planned along every square inch of Florida’s Space Coast it seems. From marathons, gallery walks, symphony concerts, parades, laser light shows and several firework displays you should be able to find something to light your fire this coming 4th of July weekend.

Beginning on Friday, July 2 the Eau Gallie Arts District will host their 3rd Annual Star-Spangled Event. Activities include a plein-air painting competition, farmers market, an apple pie bake-off, the human flag, and a Pptriotic window painting contest. In addition, one-off custom created motorcycles from Tempest Cycles will also be on display as well as plenty of food from participating vendors and live music. The festivities begin at 5:30pm.

Also on Friday, July 2nd, the Astronaut Memorial Planetarium and Observatory will present the Star-Spangled Spectacular Laser Show presented over a 6000 watt sound system with laser graphics, video, and special effects. Patriotic favorites include: The Star-Spangled Banner (National Anthem), William Tell Overture, Fanfare for the Common Man, Yankee Doodle, The Stars & Stripes Forever.

The first of four firework displays over water will begin on Saturday, July 2 with In the Cove at Port Canaveral. Family activities, plenty of food and refreshements and live entertainment are planned for this street party. Festivities begin at 4pm.

On Sunday, July 3rd, the fireworks should bring everyone to the beach as the City of Cocoa Beach continues the on-the-water celebrations with a spectacular fireworks display Along the Beach overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Fireworks are planned to begin at 9pm.

Speaking of wet, the City of Palm Bay is hosting Splashes and Sparks at Brevard Community College’s Palm Bay Campus Fairgrounds. Enjoy live music, great food, bounce houses, water slides, games, and of course a beautiful fireworks display. The fun begins at 5pm.

The celebrations get an early start on Monday, July 4 with Honor America Liberty Bell Museum’s Firecraker 5K which runs through Historic downtown Melbourne. The race begins at 7:15am. American flags to all finishers. Following the race, Honor America’s Independence Day Parade co-sponsored with the City of Melbourne will start at 11am. The parade will also wind through historic downtown Melbourne. The City of Melbourne will also host a firework display at 9 p.m. at Claude Edge Front Street Park, 2205 Front St., in Melbourne.

 

If you’re planning to stay a little further north, you should catch the City of Cocoa’s Annual July 4th Celebration in Riverfront Park.
Expect a spectacular firework display accompanied by family activities, food and a free concert compliments of the Brevard Symphony Orchestra. The concert starts at 8pm and fireworks begin at 9:15pm. Bring your lawn chairs or blankets. Admission and parking are free.

If you’re more sports minded, the Brevard Manatees will also have a fireworks display directly following their match up against the Clearwater Threshers at Space Coast Stadium. The game begins at 7:05pm.

Not to be out done, the City of Titusville will once again host the Red, White, and Boom Party. Slated to begin at 7pm at Sandpoint Park, this popular event will stretch through two parks and will feature a fantastic Fireworks show, live performances by the Space Coast Pops. Fireworks begin at 9:00pm at Marina Park.

For more events on Florida’s Space Coast during the 4th of July weekend or any weekend, just visit our calendar at www.space-coast.com/Calendar.

 

Turtles, Beatles and Ballet Fill Upcoming Weekend on the Space Coast

June 24, 2011 by Space Coast

As we head into what will most likely be too short of a weekend, there’s at least a bright spot on the two-day horizon. There will be plenty to do on Florida’s Space Coast this weekend!

Beginning on Friday, June 24, the Brevard Manatees will play the first game of a five-day game schedule that will keep those us who hunger for peanuts, popcorn and crackerjack along with a slice of baseball busy. Of course there will be tons of promotions for each game include a free cap giveaway, a cook-off, and a Harry Potter Look-A-Like contest.

If you’re looking for something a little wet and wild, the 3rd Annual Titusville Sea Turtle Festival will continue on Friday and Saturday. This event celebrates one of the rare natural wonders that frequent the Space Coast every year – the sea turtle! An artisan village, family fish fry, live entertainment, Junior Ranger Camp and guided turtle hunts are scheduled.

Looking for something more musical? Well the Space Coast will have it in spades this weekend with several shows going on throughout the county. On Saturday, June 25, the Astronaut Memorial Planetarium and Observatory will host the U2 Laser Show! Set to the music of the legendary Irish rock band, the show will be an explosion of music, lights, fog and unique imagery. 

The Galmont Ballet’s will take the stage for its seasons finale presentation, “Time, Space, and Movement” featuring original choreography by Frank Galvez at the Cocoa Village Playhouse. Two performances will be held on Saturday, call 321-636-3550 for tickets.

There’s still tickets available for Saturdays’s Classic Album Live-The Beatles Help! at the King Center for the Performing Arts. Classic Albums Live is an ensemble of world-class musicians recreating the greatest Rock albums ever recorded live on stage. On Sunday, June 26 grab you a lawn chair or blanket and head out to Florida Tech for WFIT’s Twilight Jazz Concert. Held every fourth Sunday, Florida Tech’s Panthereum grooves to the sound of cool jazz provided by local and regional artists. Musicians are also invited to sit after the first set. The concert is free and open to the general public.

Want something a little more classical? World-renowned pianist, Jeffrey Biegel and award-winning composer, Kenneth Fuchs will join conductor Aaron Collins and the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra in concert at the Merritt Island Baptist Chuch. “Biegel Performs Emerson & Anderson” will include several pieces by both composers.

Whatever you decide to get into this weekend on the Space Coast, there’s tons of things to do absolutely free. For an actual calendar of events visit www.space-coast.com/Calendar!

June 23, 2011 by Space Coast

The Space Coast Office of Tourism’s Director of Marketing, Kalina Subido-Person, was recently handpicked to be spotlighted in Charm on the Space Coast’s June Travel issue.

The popular magazine dedicated to women, “their work, families, inspiration, health, stle, hearts and souls”, set aside this month’s issue entirely to travel by highlighting girlfriend getaways, staycation ideas and spotlighting those travel gurus that promote our coastal community. And who better than to include than our own Kalina Subido-Person who’s promoted travel to the Space Coast for more than twenty-one years!

This month’s issue of also features ideas for staycations and girlfriend getaways. To pick up a copy or to read the june issue Charm on the Space Coast , visit www.spacecoastcharm.com

 

Hurley’s Rip My Shred Stick Tour 2011 Returns To Cocoa Beach

June 13, 2011 by Space Coast

Hurley’s Rip My Shred Stick Tour Stop will land in Cocoa Beach Father’s Day weekend. The 11-stop East Coast tour will be an all-day fun day for kids 16 and under who will get the opportunity to hang out with the Hurley team, test-drive their boards and compete in a no-pressure, all-fun surf event.

On Sunday, June 19 from 8:00am-noon, Hurley’s pro surfers Rob Machado, Asher Nolan, Oliver Kurtz, Michael Dunphy and others will host a free surf competition for kids 16 and under at Shepard Park, 200 E. Cocoa Beach Causeway in Cocoa Beach. No experience is necessary for kids to participate. A free lunch will be provided and prizes will be awarded as well.

Immediately following the surf contest, Hurley will host a post-event slideshow and party in front of Ron Jon Surf Shop, 4151 N. Atlantic Ave in Cocoa Beach, from 4:00–pm-7:00pm. Rob Machado and Endless Summer star Pat O’Connell, will be signing autographs. The Hurley Phantom Truck will also make an appearance and there will be a customization station for guests to get boardshorts or t-shirts customized. For each Phantom bought to the event, you’ll receive a free Supersuede Hurley boardshort customizable at the Phantom Truck. There will also be tons of prizes and giveaways throughout the early-evening event.

Please note: all entries to the Rip My Shred Stick events will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis. Events are free of charge. And free lunch will be provided as well during both events, while supplies last.

 

June 10, 2011 by Space Coast

It’s not even the middle of June and I’m already exhausted from all the festivals, golf benefits, and marathons planned for just this weekend on Florida’s Space Coast. I don’t know about you, but you almost need another body or two to squeeze everything in.

Beginning on Friday, June 10, treat the entire family to Downtown Melbourne’s Friday Family Fest. This free event is family friendly and entirely outdoors. Expect fun activities for the kids and live entertainment.

If you’re looking for something wet-n-wild, the 10th Annual Waterman’s Challenge Surfing Contest will kick-off with pre-registration at International Palms Resort in Cocoa Beach. Competition doesn’t start until the next day, with the finals and awards ceremony being held on Sunday.

If you’re looking for something more interactive, On Saturday, June 11, go where no man has gone before in the Southeast as Kennedy Space Center opens Sci-Fi Summer with the Star Trek: The Exhibition. This will be the first time the exhibit has been curated in the Southeast.

Speaking of kick-off, the Brevard Zoo will start its popular Summer Saturday Nights on Saturday as well. The event is an extension of the zoo’s normal operating hours every Saturday during the months of June and July. Prices also drop to only $5 per person.

Expect activities for the kids and live entertainment provided by the likes of the Brevard Symphony Orchestra, Dixie Hiway Bluegrass Band, Country Classics Band and others.

Looking for something to whet your palate? Consider attending the Brevard Manatees Beer Fest at Space Coast Stadium from 4pm-8pm or Cocoa Village’s BBQ and Blues Festival also on Saturday, June 11.

Both events are inaugural events and benefit community projects, but that doesn’t mean they won’t pack a powerful punch! More than four dozen barbequers from around the state of Florida and locally are gathering to compete for money and prizes in downtown Cocoa, while more than 50 brews will be on tap at the Space Coast Stadium. Admission is FREE for the Bar-B-Que fest as is parking at Carnival Mall in Rockledge.

If you’re more of a sportsman, you should consider playing in the Bridges Golf Tournament to be held at Manatee Cove Golf Club or running in the Rotary Club of Palm Bay’s Race Day in Palm Bay. Both are scheduled for Saturday, June 11.

More musically minded? Check out Sandbarpalooza 5! This annual musical fest hosted by Sandbar Sports Grill, 4301 Ocean Beach Blvd, features a jam-packed Saturday schedule of almost two dozen bands! Want something a little more classical? Grab a lawn chair and blanket and head over to 7550 Spyglass Hill Road in Suntree on Sunday evening for the final free concert in the Suntree Concert in the Park series. Music begins at 6pm and will be provided by The Central Florida Winds. The only semi-professional wind group in Florida that includes musicians from seven counties of Central Florida.

Want to get a little Nauti this weekend or take in some maritime fun? You should head up to Titusville. The Titusville Municipal Marina is hosting a FREE nautical-themed day filled with free kayak rides, boat safety demonstrations, seafood samples from Cracker Jack’s Restaurant, big boat displays, sail boat lessons and more!

Well whatever you decide to do this weekend on the Space Coast, there’s tons of things to do absolutely free. For an actual calendar of events visit www.space-coast.com/Calendar!

 

Pork Butts and Barbeque Sauce To Smother Florida’s Space Coast This Weekend

June 8, 2011 by Space Coast

In the South, we’re notorious for bragging about our ministers, souped up cars and our cooking, especially our Bar-B-Que. So its no surprise the Space Coast is all atwitter about the Cocoa Village BBQ & Blues planned for June 10-11, 2011 in downtown Cocoa, FL!

Expected to practically take over downtown Cocoa Village this coming weekend, this two-day festival is not any old finger-licking event its a Florida Bar-B-Que Association sanctioned backyard BBQ competition! Competitors from around the southeast will compete for awards to be given for People’s Choice, Best Sauce, Best Dessert and Anything Butt. Currently almost four dozen professional and amateur barbecue teams have signed up to compete and provide food for hungry festival goers.

All of the teams have names, but the backyard competitors have come up with the most ingenious monikers such as Palm Bay’s Bill’s Belly Busting Barbeque, Cocoa’s Smokin Spuds BBQ, Patrick Air Force Base’s Boar’s Nesters, Merritt Island’s 2 Sons and a Pig and Titusville’s Papa Joe’s Saucy Butz!

Live blues music is also scheduled to whet the music lovers appetite. Bands committed for the festival include: The Nouveaux Honkies, Little Mike and the Tornadoes, James Mckaba and the After Hours Band, Shaun Rounds Blues Band and Josh Miller’s Blues Revue.

Cocoa Village BBQ & Blues is a FREE event for the public! Free park and ride is also available from Carnival Mall, 876 U.S. 1, Rockledge, FL. But make sure you bring your wallet because there will be plenty of food to chomp on and ice-cold beer to swallow it down with. Partial proceeds from the festival are going to Brevard Music in Schools program.

Full Schedule
Friday
6:00 pm VIP Meet & Greet Parish Grove Inn Cocoa Village
6:30 pm Friday Pub Crawl meet Mryt Tharpe Gazebo Cocoa Village
Some food will be available for purchase on Friday night

Saturday
11:00 Festival opens to general public
Noon Saturday live music starts
5pm Awards Ceremony

Plan on attending? Download the full schedule or to find lodging on the Space Coast, visit www.space-coast.com.

 

Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts Hosts Mid-century Modern Exhibition:British Bolts

June 6, 2011 by Space Coast

The Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts newest exhibit, BRITISH BOLTS: Artist’s Fabrics of the Mid-Century, is now open to the general public. Curated from the the extensive private collection of H. Kirk Brown III and Jill A Wiltse, BRITISH BOLTS is an intimate look at the variety of aesthetic influences and approaches of men and women designers during the Mid-20th-century, specifically in post-World War II Britain. During this period, as a way of recovery and looking toward the future, the textile industry in post-World War II Britain changed dramatically with the promotion of better-quality “national” design through artist-designed textiles.
 

Lucienne Day : Apollo 1950s

As you can guess, the completed designs were both bold and innovative in that they captured the quality of brush-stroked color. Mid-20th-century artists included in the collection at the Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts include male designers Terence Conran, Henry Moore, John Piper, and William Scott and female designers such as Lucienne Day, Jacqueline Groag, Marian Mahler and Paule VézelayTerence Conran, Marino Marini, Henry Moore, John Piper, William Scott, Lucienne Day, Jacqueline Groag and Paule Vézelay.

British Bolts will be on view through Aug. 27, 2011.

Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts is located at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, FL. Hours of are Tuesday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Saturday, 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, directions or to arrange a group tour, contact the Ruth Funk Center at (321) 674-8313, email textiles@fit.edu, or visit: http://textiles.fit.edu.

 

Florida Tech’s Ruth Funk Center is the only textiles center in the state and one of very few in the nation. The center preserves and displays an international collection of textiles through rotating public exhibitions and educational programs. Highlighting the collection are traditional handmade textiles, embroidery, garments and related accessories from Africa, Japan, India and Central Asia; European and North American embroidery, lace and samplers from the 17th through the 20th centuries; and contemporary wearable art and fiber arts.
 
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