It’s traditional. Children on ice skates laughing, a tall tree springing into sparkling colored lights against the dark of the evening, graceful dancers performing The Nutcracker, a parade of lighted boats with Rudolph and Santa aboard cruising softly through the night are all December highlights.
Like the Festival of Trees at Riverside Theatre and the Christmas parade on Ocean Drive, the St. Lucia Swedish Christmas Festival at the Hallstrom House has become a familiar harbinger of the holidays in Indian River County.
Many people find themselves lounging on the couch after a long workday, but then there’s boatbuilder Jeff Warner, who spends his free time building guitars and ukuleles. A “mad scientist” of sorts, Warner was always taking toys apart and tinkering with things from a very young age. His father fostered his interest in mechanics and restoration.
When LaVaine Wrigley walked into the original Elliott Museum in the summer of 1996, she was looking for a volunteer position to keep her busy for a couple of days a week. As a 70-year-old with secretarial experience, she wasn’t quite ready to retire. So she inquired to find meaningful work.
Gary Brady’s executive office is a cramped corner of an overflowing herpetarium-aquarium building. He is comfortable seated in his worn leather chair at his desk wedged between massive saltwater aquariums teeming with colorful tropical fish and temperature-controlled herpetariums accommodating exotic reptiles’ special needs for light and heat.
Grab the calendar and start filling in the blanks with festivals and special events around the Treasure Coast. They are a great way to relax and have some fun, enjoy the fresh air, meet some new people and get away from it all. Almost everything is family-friendly so you can bring the kids for an unforgettable good time.
Main Street America programs throughout the country have painted their blighted downtown districts with murals, but few have elevated their artwork to the degree of the Eau Gallie Arts District. The provocative murals and sculptures have created a genuine outdoor art museum. More than 30 thought-provoking murals grace the sides of historic buildings housing eclectic shops, art galleries and restaurants. The revitalized arts district, quaintly nestled within the live oak-lined streets, has breathed new life into the authentic original neighborhood of Eau Gallie established in 1860.
From one of the most interesting artists working on the international scene to beloved local artists who gained fame painting the area’s natural beauty to an interactive exhibit focused on the human body, Treasure Coast art museums promise something for everyone this upcoming season.
Once again Treasure Coast theater-goers can expect a blockbuster season with shows that can transport them to a different place — one where the internet, the phone, the worries don’t intrude.
After seeing it for the first time, world traveler and nature-lover Diane Wynne knew she wanted to buy the Mediterranean Revival-style home with a rich history and sweeping views of the Indian River in Fort Pierce.
