HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS
HEATHCOTE BOTANICAL GARDENS
15
A SEASON OF CELEBRATION
Heathcote Botanical Gardens in Fort Pierce
creates knock-out dazzling light displays each
year, all done by volunteers who work on them
for months. It’s a fantastic holiday experience.
MERRY
MAKEOVERS
BY SUSAN BURGESS
The Nutcracker goes from stage to airwaves
while McKee goes from night to day
A See the holiday datebook on pages 27-28 for times and dates of holiday events.
series of sparkling after-dark boat parades will light
up early December nights on the Treasure Coast this
holiday season. That’s great news for everyone who
longs for a sense of normalcy. Bring the whole family
and cheer for the boats you like best as they go by.
Eager to make plans to see them? Put these dates on your
calendar: Dec. 5 for Martin and St. Lucie counties and Dec. 12
for Indian River County.
The holidays are a welcome distraction from the coronavirus
pandemic. While not all of our favorites are on this year,
many are. Some have changed format from previous years
giving fans a new experience.
Ballet Vero Beach took one look at the looming pandemic
and rushed to find a way to bring The Nutcracker to audiences
anyway. The innovative company found it: Film the ballet
instead of presenting it live onstage, CEO and artistic director,
Adam Schnell says.
The energetic Schnell and company moved fast, changing
their special localized ballet from in-person theater audience
to film viewable on TV-30 a local broadcast channel, and
YouTube or Vimeo or both online. Its performance is an adaptation
of the venerable favorite, setting it along the Indian >>