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    Friends of Miami Marine Stadium  
   Newsletter #66   September 2013 

In This Issue
City Commission Approves Site Plan
Celebration
Facebook Page
Jimmy Buffett Party
Dade Heritage Trust
Dade Heritage Trust (DHT) is the foremost organization in Miami Dade County devoted to historic preservation Formerly, DHT was the parent organization to Friends of Miami Marine Stadium, providing important advocacy and support and an administrative umbrella. Since 2011, Friends of Miami Marine Stadium became an independent 501(c)(3) not- for-profit organization.For more information on Dade Heritage Trust, click here.

             
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 If Seats Could Talk:
Miami Marine Stadium and a Real Marine 
 
Since May of 2009, we have been collecting memories of the Marine Stadium for our book "IF SEATS COULD TALK."

We got a terrific, unsolicited story last month from Marine PFC Gabriel Ruiz. This project has been challenging, but it's stories like this one that get us fired up.

# of memories for IF SEATS COULD TALK

...........185
Marine Stadium Presentations

National Trust Presentation


The Miami Marine Stadium continues to attract not just local-but national attention. As we move into fundraising mode, it is important for us to get the word out. 


If you know of a group that is interested in a presentation about the Marine Stadium, please reply to this email.

# of Marine Stadium presentations made to date.................76 

To: Miami Marines    

Since the Miami City Commission's approval of our site plan on July 11, we have been swamped with leads, inquiries, and offers to help. Fundraising begins as we initiate our "quiet campaign" to attract major donors while working to raise our public profile. Our efforts have shifted into overdrive;  we have much to accomplish in a short period. We're both invigorated and prepared to meet the next challenges. 

  Tourism Cares Will Collaborate With Friends of Miami
                              Marine Stadium 

Tourism Cares

Friends of Miami Marine Stadium (FMMS) is pleased to announce a collaborative partnership with Tourism Cares, a not-for-profit organization funded by the travel industry seeking to promote historic preservation so people in the future will have unique places to travel.  

 

Formed after 9/11, Tourism Cares has completed volunteer projects at historic sites across the United States: Gettysburg, Valley Forge, and most recently, Coney Island and Plimouth Plantation. Tourism Cares will allow us to leverage the participation of the tourism community in restoration efforts of not just the Miami Marine Stadium, but all of Virginia Key. It also garners terrific exposure of Miami to the tourism industry. 

 

Through Tourism Cares, approximately 600 tourism and travel professionals from around the United States will visit Miami on May 29-30, 2014 for a volunteer day, helping to prepare the Marine Stadium site for restoration. In addition, we are working with other organizations on Virginia Key, such as Virginia Key Beach Trust, on other important volunteer projects. 

 

FMMS and Tourism Cares are particularly interested in making sure that the Marine Stadium-and Virginia Key-serves ALL Miami residents. Their participation can help Miami implement the Master Plan for Virginia Key, approved by the Miami City Commission in July, 2010.

On a long term basis, Tourism Cares is prepared to work with industry professionals from their pool of corporate sponsors to provide FMMS with vital fundraising and restoration assistance

"We are very excited to be working with Friends of Miami Marine Stadium and the Miami community" said Mike Rea, CEO of Tourism Cares. "This is an exceptional opportunity to help restore an architectural gem, both for those who recall its heyday and for those fresh to the cultural and economic potential of an urban marine venue."
   September 6th Event to Support our Veterans at the
                              Miami Marine Stadium      

                  Never Quit Challenge
   
To all Miami Marines: Please join Gloria Estefan, Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado, and representatives of the U.S. Armed Forces and Veterans at 5:00 PM, September 6 as we support our veterans at the first stop of the NEVER QUIT CHALLENGE. This event will take place at the Miami Marine Stadium (just to the East of the Stadium).

The Never Quit Challenge is a land and nautical centered fundraising event supporting American Veterans and their families. Six teams of US Special Operations warriors will drive jet skis on a 1,600 mile journey from Key West, arriving in New York City on September 11. The first stop of the journey will be at the Marine Stadium Basin.

The participants will enter the Basin and line up in front of the Marine Stadium. We plan on having a large American flag affixed to the Marine Stadium. From there, we'll go to Whiskey Joe's Bar and Grill  (near the entrance to the Rusty Pelican). At Whiskey Joe's supporters can meet the participants, make donations to the Never Say Quit charities and participate in a live auction.

As logistics and timing may change, we'll send an update. You can also go to our Facebook Page for the latest details.

We'd like to thank Art Serig, the Coordinator of the Miami stop, for bringing this worthy initiative to our attention. Art headed up the Marine Patrol for the City of Miami Police and 
strongly supports our efforts to restore the Stadium.  
 
Marine Stadium News
 

           Parrothead Club
                     Miami Parrothead Club Fundraiser for
                  Miami Marine Stadium at Woody's Tavern
                    Photo by Rhonda Ferrari Calvert c/o
                      River City Gazette & Miami Herald


The Miami Parrothead Club hosted a fundraiser for us on the Anniversary of Jimmy Buffett's Legendary Concert  August 17, 1985. Read the story here.

We have a new supporter in Boat Stars, a web based magazine devoted to high performance boating and boat racing. 

Edin Chavez, a Miami based photographer, has done a haunting video of the Marine Stadium. 

Angelica Baini, a Miami School of the Arts student, has designed a typeface inspired by the Marine Stadium. Angelica was recently filmed as the subject of a short documentary film financed by Adobe.

Finally, our Facebook Page held a contest and eight lucky participants visited the Marine Stadium on the afternoon of August 23. The group was genuinely ecstatic to be inside the Stadium. What is it like to go into the Marine Stadium after many years? Read the first person account by photographer David H. Dennis. You can also see his photos on our Facebook page...another good reason to "like us" on Facebook- as we provide a continuing stream of information and opportunities.

Please note: The Marine Stadium is closed. Unauthorized visits to the Stadium are illegal. The police will arrest trespassers. 
 Coral Gables Museum Mounts First-Ever Marine Stadium Exhibition  
  CGM Arch
Posters For Newsletters
                         Posters of Marine Stadium Events
                 to be displayed at the Coral Gables Museum  

This multi-media extravanganza at the Coral Gables Museum, curated by renowned author and architectural conservator Rosa Lowinger, explores the design, social history, artistic importance, and dazzlingly-envisioned future of Miami's most dramatically modernist building.

 

Assisted by the Friends of Miami Marine Stadium and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the exhibit will be a stirring, interactive experience that uses photographs, video, oral histories, boat racing memorabilia, and cutting edge contemporary artworks to explore how the iconic, fifty-year old grandstand has been at the center of Miami's social, cultural, and artistic life since its opening in 1963.

 

The exhibit will be presented in the Museum's beautiful Fewell Gallery for three months, October 17 - January 5, 2014.  Among the many programs planned around the show are panel discussions on boat racing and graffiti, a curator-led conversation with the original architect, a "Bike the Basin"  tour, and a talk by National Trust President Stephanie Meeks.  

 

Opening night is a ticketed event featuring parkour athletes, DJ/VJ Psyberpixie and Bacardi cocktails.  For more information about the exhibit, associated programming, sponsorship opportunities and opening night tickets, please contact Christine Rupp of the Coral Gables Museum at 305-603-8067

 

Conclusion

The breadth of this newsletter demonstrates the enormous potential of the Marine Stadium-whether its art, tourism, or community-based events such as the Never Quit Challenge, the Marine Stadium will be a magnificent and significant addition to growing culture of Miami and South Florida.

Tourism Cares is our fourth collaboration with a national organization. We thank the World Monuments Fund for their support of a vital engineering study. The Antique Boat Museum of Clayton, NY has pledged to work with us to create a satellite maritime museum adjacent to the stadium and community outreach programming.  Finally, the scope of support from the National Trust For Historic Preservation to develop our fundraising plan, raise our on line and social media presence, devoting countless man hours to our efforts, makes them an invaluable partner and we are grateful.

Miami Marines: Please keep "spreading the word" and fuel us with your contacts, ideas, and support.

Yours truly,

Friends of Miami Marine Stadium
www.marinestadium.org 

 In the past, we have featured historic and current photos of the Marne Stadium. Now we look forward to stadium's future with tremendous excitement!

Arseni Varabyeu

                            Rendering by Arseni Varabyeu