Dear Friends,
Hi guys, I’m back! With the holiday last week, I opted to sleep in instead of get up at 5:30 to craft this email…and I heard about it. If you were one of the ones jonesing for Downtown news, I’d recommend you subscribe to the DDA “Downtown Update“, there is always a lot of good information there.
This week I want to talk a little more about Clematis Street! In a recent Palm Beach Post article, Rodney Mayo talks about Clematis Street’s character (and lack thereof). It’s an interesting discussion, and got me thinking.
One of the things that give a street character is the locals that frequent it. Over the years I’ve tried to do my part to unite the two ends of the street and give the street a feeling of community, but a community is more than just a blog. When I started aGuyonClematis, in 2009 there wasn’t a whole lot going on. I saw the need for more community engagement both on and offline so three years ago in April 2010, we held the first Clematis Tweetup in the old Forte Ristorante (currently Duffy’s). Thanks to local business support and the support of Palm Beach Post and Sunfest, we had over 20 great happy hours over the two years that we had regular Clematis Tweetups.
Since then, we’ve come a long way. Now I look at Clematis Street and there are events almost every night. Here is a snapshot over the next few weeks:
- All Aboard The History Trolley Tours – Fridays and Saturdays from April 5th – 20th
- Corvettes on Clematis – April 6th from 10am-4pm
- Ginger’s Dance Party: April 6th at 8PM
- Crawl for a Cure: April 6th
- Historic Walking Tour with Rick Gonzales – April 12th at 4pm
- The Lorax featured at Screen On The Green – April 12
- Bus Loop: April 19th
- The Smithereens at Sunday on the Waterfront – April 21
- SUNFEST – May 1st to May 5th
That’s not even getting into all the events that the downtown businesses are throwing,
- KRASH! Day Party at Roxy’s Rooftop
- Wednesday night Trivia at Oshae’s and World of Beer
- Great bands at Respectables
- and much, much more.
Looking at the variety that’s available to us, I think we’re doing pretty good in the “Character” department.
The Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA) has done a lot of work over the last few years to bring the community together – from organizing great events, to getting great “Downtown Deals” from local businesses, and making their members aware of city issues that affect them. They are a great downtown organization.
This month the DNA is working on throwing a LEGENDARY event. It’s so epic in fact, that I’m not supposed to be talking about it, but it’s coming soon so I figured I’d let you know so you would have plenty of time to sign up as a DNA member.
Speaking of neighborhood parties, if you’re a South End resident, or if you’re someone interested in moving to the South End, or really anyone who enjoys a good picnic with good people, join the South End Neighborhood Association THIS SUNDAY for their 9th Annual Picnic at Phipps Park. We are expecting a couple hundred people and look forward to seeing you too.
Getting back to Clematis Street, while I agree that we don’t have the same type of unified “Theme” like Atlantic Avenue, the charm of Clematis Street is that there is truly something for everyone.
Whether you enjoy the charm of the backyard at Oshae’s, or a party animal who participates in the Hot Body Contest at Off the Hookah, or someone who appreciates a quiet dinner at Pistache after watching a play at Palm Beach Dramaworks, you’ll find that there’s something for you to do on Clematis.
That’s all from me! See you on Clematis 🙂