Tuesday February 7th, 2023 - Ren-Fest (A MUST SEE) is underway. We show our Pride at the parade this weekend. Beach Clean-ups, Food Trucks, 50 Years of Pow Wow, and Pooh at The Parker. All of it - tightly wrapped in a basket of goodies for you below 👇

Stuff You Won't Want To Miss:

1. Each weekend between now and March 26th - Ren-Fest (South Florida's Renaissance Festival) is back! This is another one of those DON'T MISS events, with a mix of myth and history that will transport you back in time or to a whole other world. Consort with Knights, Pirates, Kings & Queens, Fairies, Minstrels and Magicians. Check the schedule for their themed weekends. (Tickets)
2. This week at Noon Tunes (Wednesday at Stranahan Park Downtown), catch the Copper Tones playing Soulgrass music in the Botanical Garden Paradise behind the Women's Club. (Free)
3. Saturday at African American Research Library & Cultural Center, it will be the Louise Bennett-Coverley Reading Festival: Urban Voices. This year's theme will focus on dance, music, poetry, and real-life stories from Caribbean Artists. (Free)
4. On Saturday at the Beach, it's the Pride of The Americas Parade & Festival, presented by Visit Lauderdale. The parade starts at Noon and this is a 3 day festival drawing visitors from all over the world. Not only is Greater Fort Lauderdale a premier tourist destination, but it is also a diverse and welcoming community with one of the largest concentrations of LGBTQ+ households in the nation. (Free + Tickets)
5. Lot's of shopping options this weekend, with Urban Jungle Market back on Saturday. Sunny Side Up has their Valentine's Day Market on Sunday. Of course you have great options at TheLoopFLB Markets (Saturday and Sunday) and the New River Open Air Market (Sunday), plus the Yellow & Green Market (in Hollywood).
6. The month of February at MODS (Museum of Discovery & Science) is all about building the future! What does it take to build a towering skyscraper? What forces, like wind, do you need to consider when constructing a large building or a long bridge? Do you use the strongest, heaviest and most rigid materials, or ones that flex and bend? Come to the Museum to discover some answers to these questions, and see how you can engineer your own kind of superstructure! (Free with Admission)
7. Also organized by MODS, Saturday is the Beach Cleanup at Eula Johnson State Park. This is a favorite event for our Acton families, as we do good work in the morning and then picnic at the beach before heading home. (Park Admission Free For Volunteers)
8. And lastly from MODS - parents you will want to know about this one - the next Kids After Dark (and free night for you) is not this weekend but next. On Saturday the 18th, drop the kiddos for fun and play while you get to explore lively Las Olas and all its restaurants. Sounds like date night! (Tickets)
9. Friday night the Food Trucks will be out at Food In Motion at Peter Feldman Park. Featuring a closed off street lined with quality food trucks, an incredible lineup of gourmet prepared food & greenmarket purveyors, plus plenty of art, craft, & boutique shopping through the park. (Free)
10. This weekend, the Seminole Tribe will celebrate the 50th Anniversary Tribal Fair and Pow Wow at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood. Alligator wrestling, drumming competition and exhibition dancing will also be performed throughout the weekend. (Free)
11. Saturday, the Ann Storck Center will host its Annual All Heart 5k. Proceeds benefit Ann Storck Center, which accommodates 96 permanent residents and serves more than 300 clients daily through an array of critical care, learning and ability focused programs.
12. Sunday, enter the hundred acre wood for Disney's Winnie The Pooh at The Parker. In a new story from the Hundred Acre Wood, told with stunning life-size puppetry through the eyes of the characters we all know and love, this fresh stage adaptation features the Sherman Brothers’ classic Grammy-award-winning music. (Tickets)

FEATURED FORT LAUDERDALE

This last week we caught up with Lisa Quinn, the Lillian S. Wells Education Curator at the NSU Art Museum in downtown Fort Lauderdale. We had a great conversation about the educational workshops, ways the museum is making itself available for more people and... docents. Would you be interested in becoming a Museum docent?

Do you have a favorite event, place, business, or organization you would like to see featured on the podcast? HIT REPLY and let us know!

So... You Think You Know Fort Lauderdale?

You probably know... Fort Lauderdale first became famous as a world-wide vacation spot, and a pioneer town in its earliest days on the New River.

But you might not know is... that there are nearly 2 million people in Broward County in the heart of South Florida. Anchored by Miami and Palm Beach on either end, the city of Fort Lauderdale is home to roughly 10% of those 2 million - with more than half traveling in for work for play. We average over 5,000 of us per square mile.

One out of every 5 Fort Lauderdale-ites (is that the right word for us?) you meet will be under the age of 18, and another 1 of the 5 will be over 65. The growth of families with young children in the downtown area has grown over 70% in the last year, with a number of high rises under construction that will attract even more.

We have nearly 8,000 veterans in Fort Lauderdale alone (thank you for your years of service) and 1 out of every 4 people you meet will likely be of foreign birth and like you (or me) - has fallen in love with our adopted city.

Classifieds & Giveaways

• ​PIXAR PUTT is the ultimate pop-up, mini-golf experience made up of 18 fun and interactive holes inspired by the stories, characters, and icons from some of Pixar’s most beloved films.
  Don’t miss this limited run at the LOOP, January 25 – March 26.
• Looking for a great place to do Fitness outside and with friends. Come down to #TheLoopFLB for a myriad of fitness classes. From morning yoga to sunset yoga, Tai Chi, Kettlebells, aerial decompression, and building buns of steel - we've got it all for you to try!
• Want to experience authentic South Florida culture - then you can't miss the Swap Shop & Thunderbird Drive-in. This sprawling flea market is like a treasure hunt, with a decent indoor food court as well!
• Want to talk about AI in Education? While the largest school district (NYC schools) and many others are taking steps to ban the use of ChatGPT, what if the best approach for preparing for the future meant learning to work with AI the same way we use pair up with computers today. Join our Acton Academy Discussion Group on Tuesday, Feb 14th at 7pm for a short, virtual discussion. Hit reply to this email for details.

Question Of The Week

Flotsam & Jetsam

If you could ask a question of any famous person - who would you pick and what would you ask?

Is your answer the same if you could also talk to personages from favorite movies and historical characters?

Through the wonders of generative AI (yes, we've been doing a lot of research lately) YOU CAN ask your questions. Chat directly with Michael Scott and Dwight Schrute from Dunder Miflin, Harry Potter (or Lord Voldemort), Abraham Lincoln, Shakespeare, or Socrates - with AskFamousPeople.com​

We cannot be held responsible for the results, but if he who cannot be named starts asking you to recite an incantation he created for you... I would close the browser window 🪄

Tell Us How We Are Doing

Every week we are working to improve #FFFTL 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?