Sunday, June 17, 2012, marked the 15th anniversary of the incorporation of the City of Sunny Isles Beach. And to honor this special occasion, the City hosted several events throughout the anniversary week. Here is a brief overview of the festivities: We kicked off the week on Sunday with the World Class City Olympics. Teams competed in various sports, indoor and outdoor, and were awarded with Bronze, Silver and Gold medals based on their team score in each sport as well as an overall World Class Olympic winner. Everyone who participated won a really good time!
A week long scavenger hunt led teams to a variety of City landmarks to ultimately solve the word puzzle, “A World Class City”. According to Team Oceania, Valentino and Sylvie Leidi, the most difficult clue was: “this park is for real swingers and is the only park in the City where you’ll find a girl’s best friend. You’ll feel right at home.” Would you know to go to the Chief Fred Maas Baseball Field? Our winners did!
A Source of Community Pride: the Architecture of Sunny Isles Beach is the exquisite hard cover book that pays tribute to the monumental buildings that transformed this world class city in the past 15 years. It was unveiled with an official book signing ceremony on Tuesday. Author Ellen Uguccioni and Photographer David Gartner were also honored at the City Commission meeting. The book continues to be on sale at the Visitor’s Center. Residents receive special pricing.
On Thursday, in cooperation with the Senior Action Committee, The History of Incorporation came to life with a panel discussion on the efforts of great civic leaders who gave birth to a city. This enlightening afternoon provided insight from all facets of the process from idea to incorporation. Thank you to Dennis Stubbolo and David Gartner and to our panelists Mayor Edelcup, Senator Gwen Margolis, Susan Fried, and Former Commissioners Roslyn Brezin and Danny Iglesias.
After honoring the past, the City looked to the future with the Groundbreaking of Gateway Park on Thursday evening. This signature park is the final piece of the Commission’s “Green Initiative” which provides a park within walking distance of every Sunny Isles Beach resident.
Saturday evening the City showcased its sophisticated style with the Taste of Sunny Isles Beach at Heritage Park. Several restaurants offered sample sized portions of their gourmet menu while FIU’s Ensemble Band performed on stage. With a breeze, the scents of international delicacies and the strings of music in the air, it’s easy to see why we are known as florida’s riviera.
And all this led up to Sunday, another perfect day in Sunny Isles Beach, where the traditional barbecue for residents at Samson Oceanfront Park marked the official anniversary with the cake cutting ceremony and the extraordinary sounds of Nicole Henry as our featured performer. As he cut the cake, Mayor Edelcup regaled participants about “How sweet it is to live in Sunny Isles Beach”. Don’t worry – if you missed any of these, highlights will be broadcast on SIBTV.
Throughout the week I had the extreme pleasure of accepting compliments on behalf of the team for all of the events that our residents and visitors enjoyed. It truly is a team effort and it is important to recognize this great group of dedicated men and women. Along with the Mayor and Commission, I thank the many employees and volunteers that assisted with all of these events. And on behalf of the entire City, Happy Anniversary Sunny Isles Beach!
