Pompano Beach to hold Fourth of July celebration.
From David Volz
The City of Pompano Beach’s Independence Day celebration will return with the annual 4th of July Fireworks Extravaganza!
“Our Independence Day celebration will kick off at 5:30 p.m. with live music by the Rubixx Band, who will be playing classic hits from the awesome 80s! They will be followed at 7:00 p.m. by the Speaker Box Band who will set the stage ablaze with an array of party favorites from the 80s through today. All live music will take place on the beach, just south of the Family Fisher Pier. Then at 9:00 pm, turn your gaze to the skies as we light up the night with a spectacular fireworks display. Fireworks will be launched from a barge just south of the Fisher Fishing Pier,” said Sandra King, spokesperson for Pompano Beach.
Blankets and lawn chairs are welcome; however, personal fireworks, glass containers, alcohol, personal drones, and pets are prohibited. The Pier itself will be closed on the 4th.
Available parking is located at the end of Atlantic Boulevard and A1A. Both street parking and the beach garage are also available. Starting at 8:45 p.m., eastbound vehicular traffic going on to the barrier island will be shut down for the duration of the fireworks show. They will reopen once the fireworks have ended. Pedestrians will still have access to walk across the bridge throughout the day and night.
Village Collective opens in downtown Hollywood.
From David Volz
Veronica Coleman is excited about the newly-opened Vibrant Village Collective at 2028 Harrison Street, Bay #104. She is a partner in the venture.
Her partner Amanda Nieves agreed.
“Our goal,” she said, “is making this a community-style place for all types of artists, makers and curators, giving anyone the opportunity to open a shop without all the other responsibilities of doing so.”
The Vibrant Village’s mission is to provide a community space where people can gather, shop, and host or attend workshops or classes. And The Vibrant Village does just that.
The intimate but uncluttered space contains the collections of 20 local small businesses that include artists, jewelry makers, and vintage resellers, as well as a workshop area in the back that is available for anyone to run art classes and workshops in any creative discipline.
The two young mothers, each doing independent online businesses selling vintage goods, met while part of another collective. Coleman, a military wife who is thrilled to be finally putting down roots, knew from the start that Downtown Hollywood would be a great place for a co-operative, creative business.
“I always wanted to open a collective, and as soon as I saw Downtown Hollywood, I knew that I wanted to open it here,” she explained. “I watched the small markets grow in Sacramento, where I’m from, and I could see that Hollywood, with its small, family-town feeling, had the potential to be what Sacramento has become.
“And Harrison Street is perfect because it’s a little quieter and away from the main track,” she added. “Amanda had the experience from a collective she was a part of in Colorado, and when I told her about the spot, she agreed that we should do it together.”
“Here, in Hollywood, they get it,” agreed Nieves, who was born in New York and raised in Florida. “The vibe, the style.”
The duo found the space, vendors who wanted to be a part of it, and set up shop in just a few weeks.
“I laugh because we had such a short amount of time to get this done,” said Coleman, “and it looks nothing like we thought it was going to be; it took on a life of its own! But we love love love it.”
The line-up of vendors at The Vibrant Village includes Coleman’s collection, The Repeat Vintage, which features clothing, home decor, art and a variety of accessories, and Nieves’ line, The Thrift Witch, which is mostly clothes, but also features a selection of mid-century colored glass and “random things like Pyrex,” she said. Other vendors offer a huge assortment of vintage goods and boutique, handmade items ranging from clothing to decor to pet accessories.
“We have big dreams for our village and are excited to be a part of this incredible community,” said Coleman.
