Meandering Around Town # 32: The Carnaval

AN ADVENTURE IN WHICH A FORMER MAYOR CONTINUES TO SEEK THE “SOUL” OF HIS HOMETOWN

A couple of months ago my readers accompanied me on the seemingly never-ending search for our community’s “soul” as we ventured outside our city’s boundaries to appreciate the ties-that-bind the Orange Bowl Committee to Coral Gables. That column brought forth suggestions for a similar article regarding another organization that has, for years, annually provided glitz, glamour, and a Latin demeanor to our downtown – the Kiwanis Club of Little Havana. Most of our residents do not realize that despite the club’s name, it has close ties with the City Beautiful through its membership, its leadership, and one of its principal projects: “Carnaval on the Mile” which is celebrated annually in March.

Almost thirty percent of the more than 150 Kiwanis are proud City Beautiful residents including a long lineage of the club’s leadership: Leslie Pantin, Willy Bermello, Frank Paredes, Carlos Font, Pedro Menendez, Angel Veliz, and Thomas Falcon.

Twenty-five years ago, a former Chair of the Coral Gables Community Foundation, Carlos Garcia (now deceased), led the club to bring the exciting “Carnaval” to Miracle Mile. This past November, the City Commission issued a proclamation recognizing the importance of this event as “one of the City’s most vibrant and long-running art and music festivals… featuring artists and performers from around the world… boosting local economy by drawing over 150,000 attendees who support our restaurants, shops, and hotels.”

The current Kiwanis President, Thomas Falcon, offered this observation: “As a proud resident of Coral Gables for over two decades, I am honored to have contributed to the inception of Carnaval on the Mile. Leading the Kiwanis Club is a privilege that allows me to uplift our community by fostering unity among local residents in the celebration of our diverse cultural heritages.”

An interesting note is that one of the former Carnaval Queens, Karent Sierra, is now a dentist with her office and “Medspa” located on Ponce de Leon Boulevard. The organization’s Founding President (1975) and Gables resident, Leslie Pantin, recently observed: “We are so happy to be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Kiwanis of Little Havana– an organization that prides itself on the creation and conduct of many good works particularly embracing the youthful members of our community. It is especially meaningful to me that so many of my fellow members are citizens of the ‘City Beautiful’. “

My 30+ adventures in creating this series of “meandering” reflections have been enlightening as to the width and depth of our hometown’s soul – convincing me that our collective “soul” extends well beyond our municipal boundaries. 

This column appears monthly by Don Slesnick, who served as mayor of Coral Gables from 2001 to 2011. If you have suggestions on where he should next meander in search of the city’s soul, email donslesnick@scllp.com.