Latest news with #Flagler
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
July 4th is more than fireworks in the Daytona Beach area. Concerts, contests and more.
Sure, fireworks are the star of the show on July 4th — and Volusia and Flagler's got them covered with pyrotechnic displays in nearly every community But what about stepping out to try something a little different this year? In Orange City, there's an old-fashioned pie-baking contest. Port Orange is hosting a Coney Island-style eating competition to see who can scarf the most watermelon the fastest. Live music will fill the air, from brass band sounds in Orange City to Eagles' classic hits in Daytona Beach, and much more. Check out all the events taking place in the area during the annual summer celebration of patriotism, family and barbecues: Pie-baking contest in Orange City; pies (in a red, white and blue theme) must be entered by 5:30 p.m. at the red and white tent, with judging at 5:45 p.m. Watermelon-eating contest follows at 7 p.m., with different age groups competing every 30 minutes. Valentine Park, 1511 W. French Ave. Visit for details. Pie-baking, watermelon-eating contest and classic car show in Port Orange, 5:30 - 9 p.m., City Center Municipal Complex, 1000 City Center Circle. Visit for details. Patriotic costume contest and hula-hoop contest from 7 - 8 p.m. in Edgewater, Menard May Park, 413 S. Riverside Drive. Visit for details. Skydive DeLand has an all-day event with discounted skydives, a slip-n-slide for D-license holders, smoke jumps, flag displays and tandem discounts. Cool off in kiddie pools, grab an Independence Day T-shirt and get into the Swoop & Chug challenge. Also, music, barbecued foods and cold drinks (including beer). Cap off the day at 6 p.m. with a DJ, bonfire and specialty holiday drinks at The Perfect Spot. Skydive DeLand, 1600 Flightline Blvd. Visit for details. Our Friends Electric, playing in Port Orange, 5:30 - 9 p.m., City Center Municipal Complex, 1000 City Center Circle. Visit for details. Groove Slayers, playing in Orange City; 5:30 - 9 p.m., Valentine Park, 1511 W. French Ave. Visit for details. Music featuring DJ Tom in New Smyrna Beach, 6 - 9:30 p.m., Riverside Park, 299 S. Riverside Drive, New Smyrna Beach. Visit for details. Eagles tribute band Alter Egos at the Star-Spangled Summer Concert Series in Daytona Beach, 7:15 p.m. concert, Daytona Beach Bandshell, 70 Boardwalk. Visit for details. Hayfire on the main stage and Brad Kriebel on the stage at DeBary's 4th of July Freedom Fest, 6:30 - 9 p.m., Gemini Springs Park, 37 Dirksen Drive, DeBary. Visit for details. Watch the Daytona Tortugas, the minor-league team of the Cincinnati Reds, face off against division rival, the St. Lucie Mets at 6:35 p.m., with gates opening one hour before, at Jackie Robinson Ballpark, 105 Orange Ave. General admission is $8-$10; $11-$13 for reserved tickets; $20+ for VIP. Visit Daytona Tortugas for details. Looking to get out of the heat, at least for a little while, on the Fourth? Enjoy air-conditioned comfort when you buy tickets to the 6:30 p.m. stand-up comedy show featuring Tony Black and Scott Orbany at the Brannon Center, 105 S. Riverside Drive, New Smyrna Beach. Here's the full list of Fourth of July fireworks in the Daytona Beach and Palm Coast areas: Daytona Beach, 9:45 p.m. on the beach near the Daytona Beach Bandshell, 70 Boardwalk. DeBary, no time listed, at Gemini Springs Park, 37 Dirksen Drive. DeLand, dusk, at Earl Brown Park, 751 S. Alabama Ave. Pierson, 9 p.m. at Chipper Jones Park, 128 W. Washington Ave. Deltona, 9:15 p.m. at Dewey O. Boster Sports Complex, 1200 Saxon Blvd. Edgewater, dusk, Menard May Park and Kennedy Park, S. Riverside Dr. and E. Ocean Ave. Lake Helen, 9 p.m. at Blake Park, 493 S. Lakeview Drive. New Smyrna Beach, 9 p.m. at Riverside Park, 299 S. Riverside Drive. Orange City, 9:10 p.m. at Valentine Park, 1511 W. French Ave. Ormond Beach, 9 p.m. at Rockefeller Gardens, 25 Riverside Drive. Port Orange, 9 p.m. at City Center Municipal Complex, 1000 City Center Circle. Palm Coast, 9 p.m. at Flagler Executive Airport, off of Fin Way at South Belle Terre Blvd. This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Things to do on 4th of July in the Daytona Beach area
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How a Salt Lake City underpass became a quasi-park, with an assist from an RSL legend
The Mead Avenue underpass is often overlooked by drivers entering and exiting I-15 at 900 South, and it's easy to see why. Aside from a massive pile of mulch and some scattered trash littered here and there, there isn't much to look at right now. Salt Lake City leaders acknowledge that they've dealt with homeless encampments in the space over the years, especially before a big community cleanup last year. Residents of the Central Ninth neighborhood, who led that cleanup, say it has essentially split their community in two. "It creates a barrier between the northern half and the southern half," said Doug Flagler, chairman of the Central Ninth Community Council. He explained that it's made it difficult for residents from either side to enjoy what the other side has to offer. However, Central Ninth residents have a bold solution for this problem. After last year's massive cleanup, they're now preparing to construct a pair of futsal courts and new bike racks underneath the bridge hanging over the lot. People can play a version of soccer on the smaller, harder surfaces of the courts. Flagler says about a dozen volunteers have been regularly meeting to think of events to keep the space — known as "MeadUp" — active this summer. A preliminary rendering also includes an amphitheater, but Flagler isn't sure that will ever be built. The quasi-park could instead include a space for dogs to run around or a small gym space, with either option to be built in future phases once funding is secured. Their vision received a boost from the city ahead of upcoming construction. Members of the Salt Lake City Community Reinvestment Agency board, composed of the Salt Lake City Council, voted Tuesday to award $50,000 from the agency's State Street Strategic Intervention account. Their vote tacks onto the $16,000 the project has already received from other entities, while other funding requests are pending. The Utah Department of Transportation, which owns the land, is collaborating with the neighborhood to turn its aspirations into a reality, while RSL legend Nick Rimando has also led the charge on adding the futsal courts. "We feel that we have so much energy, and there's just a lot of people involved in what we're doing," Flagler said. Aaron Boyce, a resident of the nearby Ballpark neighborhood and member of the Ballpark Action Team, agrees that residents have long been annoyed with the overpass dividing the neighborhood. It's also an issue he doubts will be addressed in his lifetime. Similar sentiments led the Central Ninth neighborhood to explore alternatives for the space. Community leaders created a subcommittee a little over a year ago to review options to work around the "barrier," which led them to a concept other cities have explored with otherwise dead space. MeadUP, Boyce said, is essentially making lemonade out of lemons. "(It's about) how can you still activate those spaces? How can you still project hope for spaces like (this) even if they're not going to change the way you would want them to?" he said, staring at the vacant lot on Tuesday, pausing amid a bike ride through the neighborhood. Rimando caught wind of the projects after last year's cleanup and got the ball rolling on what could be MeadUP's crown jewel. Now retired, he reached out and proposed a futsal court for the neighborhood through the Rise Athletics Foundation nonprofit he helps run. The soon-to-be National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee said it could be a "key location," being that it's not far from the 900 South TRAX Station and 9-Line bike line, on top of the roads in the area. "These courts are all over the world, and it has been proven to bring community together (and) bring cultures together," he explained. City leaders say they're thrilled with the community-led plan, offering support where they have jurisdiction. The city provided some funding for new lights and trees to be added to the area, while Tuesday's funding adds to the pot of money collected for projects. "In my mind, it's actually the ideal use of strategic intervention funds, where we have a project that couldn't be funded using the typical CPI (capital improvement program) process or other things, but really will make a big difference in reactivating a targeted area within our city," said Salt Lake City Councilman Darin Mano, whose district includes the project area. It won't be long before MeadUP becomes a reality, either. Another cleanup is planned for April 26. A "pop-up" event bringing futsal to the space is planned for May 10, while the Utah Museum of Fine Arts will add new art installations, Flagler told He expects that the final courts won't be completed until June. The newly pledged funding, he adds, should go "a long way" toward making the concept a reality. All of the funding will also help the community bring in food trucks and other events to keep the quasi-park busy in its first summer. 'Our goal is to keep this space activated until we can fully complete the projects there,' he said.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Yahoo
History: What is Palm Beach County's oldest structure? How did Military Trail get its name?
Eliot Kleinberg, a retired reporter from The Palm Beach Post and a historian, wrote more than 1,000 history columns for The Palm Beach Post published under the name "Post Times." The column title refers to the "Palm Beach Evening Times," sister publication of "The Palm Beach Post," which was founded in September 1922. "The Post" debuted in January 1916. They merged in May 1987, and the afternoon edition featured both mastheads. Casino magnate E.R. Bradley bought the papers in February 1934 and the Sunday edition was called the "Palm Beach Post-Times." More: How the Ashley gang, who robbed banks and killed law officers, met their bloody end Here are some of the historical facts and trivia that Kleinberg learned over more than two decades of writing. We thought we'd share a few with you, with more coming in the future. It really was a military trail. During the Second Seminole War, the longest and costliest of the Native American wars and one of the most unpopular in U.S. history, Maj. William Lauderdale was leading troops of Tennessee Volunteers. After the battles of Okeechobee in December 1837 and the battles of Lockahatchee (Loxahatchee), Jan. 15 and Jan. 24, 1838, soldiers went on to build Fort Jupiter. They carved the north-south trail to supply the fort. It's accepted as gospel by many. But the evidence all but dismisses it. The shantytown known as the Styx sprang up in Palm Beach in the 1890s for more than 2,000 Black workers who built Henry Flagler's nearby hotels. The story is that Flagler was eager to oust the residents so he could develop the land. He hired a circus to set up across the Intracoastal Waterway in West Palm Beach, gave Black residents free passes, and while they enjoyed the show, burned their homes down. But Flagler didn't own the land. The Bradley brothers, one of whom was the famous casino owner E.R., did, as a member of a pioneer family pointed out to The Post in 1994. The workers were squatters and could be evicted at any time. A former resident told Kleinberg before she died that she didn't remember any fire. Post Time: Pioneer's photos give glimpse of Palm Beach's mysterious Styx It originally was Boca de los Ratones — "mouth of the mice." In this case the translation referred to an inlet — a mouth — full of mice. The Boca Raton Historical Society says there was, in fact, an inlet with sharp rocks that gnawed the ropes of ships rocking at anchor along the shore. But the inlet was not in southern Palm Beach County. It was at Miami Beach. Map makers inadvertently placed it where it is now. Technically, it's a brick oil house, finished in January 1860, that stands alongside the Jupiter Lighthouse. The lighthouse wasn't officially considered completed until the first lighting on July 10, 1860. Here are some of Kleinberg's most memorable history stories: Tiny Sowell, the beloved Palm Beach High graduate, Class of 1941, had died at 21 in a foxhole on the Japanese-held island of Saipan on July 7, 1944. His remains had laid there for years before authorities could return. When they couldn't make a positive identification, he was buried in a numbered grave in Hawaii for seven decades. In 2015, the military took a DNA swab from his nephew and made a match. And in 2017, he was returned to West Palm Beach and buried the day before Veterans Day, with full military honors. Jeff Garten, ride captain of the Patriot Guard, a veterans group that provides motorcycle escorts, saluted and told nephew Lewis Sowell Jr.: "Soldiers don't fear dying. They fear being forgotten." For decades, people talking about what probably is West Palm Beach's oldest home repeated the story — that the original owner, British expatriate Richard Hone, was shot Oct. 20, 1902, by a mystery gunman on horseback who melted into the dark and got away with murder. The Post had gone with that version, and since the paper hadn't started until 1916, there was no way to check archives. But there was another way to check the facts. We got into editions of the Weekly Lake Worth News and the Tropical Sun, both predecessors to The Post, which heavily covered the slaying. It turns out one of Hone's employees was caught within days, confessed to shooting him through a window — though not from horseback — and eventually was hanged. "Those articles, at least those in Palm Beach Post archives," we wrote at the time, "now will have to be accompanied by what likely will be the most belated correction in the newspaper's history: 116 years." Eliot Kleinberg is a noted historian and former reporter for The Palm Beach Post. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County history: Oldest structure, Military Trail's name
