Talk of the Town: Glamping, Gables Pride, and Giving Back
Glam Camping for the Girls
Left: Glamping with Girl Scout alumni on-stage saying the Girl Scout Promise and Law. Right: A guest tries fencing with Davis Academy fencing.
One of the Gables’ biggest fundraisers is now the Campfires to Cocktails gala at Camp Mahachee, the 11-acre Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida compound across Old Cutler Road from Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens. This unique evening of glamping (short for “glamourous camping”) offers attendees the chance to experience the excitement of activities that Girl Scouting offers, including archery, fencing, axe throwing, making friendship bracelets, and, of course, roasting s’mores at the campfire. This year’s November event raised almost $500,000 for the organization and the nearly 3,000 girls it serves throughout Miami-Dade and the Keys. Kudos to this year’s host committee, headed by co-chairs (and GSTF board members) Gloria M. Velazquez and Ray Dueñas. While the event is obviously for girls only, a few men nonetheless slipped in – at least for a while – including former city mayor Don Slesnick and former Miami Herald publisher (and founder of The Children’s Trust) David Lawrence Jr. They won no contests, however. – JP Faber
When Women Ran the Show
Speaking about female pioneers, the inspirational tale of the golden age of luxury department stores – and the trailblazing women who ran them – was recently recounted by author Julie Satow from her latest book, “When Women Ran Fifth Avenue.” Satow read from her New York Times bestseller at an exclusive luncheon held at the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club, presented by philanthropist and high-powered realtor Judy Zeder. Over lunch, an audience of more than 60 accomplished and perfectly coiffed women listened to the inspiring and glittering portrait of glamour and power at the dawn of American fashion, the golden age of American department stores, and of the three visionary women who led them.
Satow spoke of the 20th-century American department store as a literal palace of consumption where every wish could be met under one roof – afternoon tea, a stroll through the latest fashions, a wedding (or funeral) planning. It was a place where women, shoppers, and shopgirls alike could stake out a newfound independence. Whether in New York or Chicago, men owned the buildings, but inside it was women who ruled – Hortense Odlum of Bonwit Teller, Dorothy Shaver of Lord & Taylor, and Geraldine Stutz of Henri Bendel.
Zeder, part of The Judy Zeder Group of Coldwell Banker Realty, invited the author as part of her FORCE series about women who are leaders in business, community, philanthropy, and education. “It was a privilege to have Julie recount her story of these remarkable women,” said Zeder. “These barrier-breaking women are an inspiration to all generations.” The late November event was cohosted by Coral Gables Trust and its managing director John Harris. – JP Faber
Gables Pride
We are always thrilled when national media recognizes Coral Gables as a name-brand city and not as a suburb of Miami. Last month, in an episode of the TV quiz show “Jeopardy,” the $1,000 clue in the category “Florida Women” was about legendary Gables women’s rights activist Roxcy Bolton. The question was: what annual day on August 26 was Bolton “the driving force behind”? Give up? The answer is National Women’s Equality Day, commemorating the day in 1920 when the 19th Amendment was certified, granting women the right to vote. – JP Faber
The Palace Shines Again
The Palace Group, South Florida’s largest family-owned senior living operator, has been honored for a second consecutive year by Fortune magazine as the “Best Large Workplace in Aging Services.” While it has nine locations in South Florida, the Coral Gables Palace on Valencia is considered the star location (and the subject of an MTV special), with a lobby designed to replicate the George V hotel in Paris and amenities that include an Olympic-size swimming pool, personal trainers, adult education classes, and a high-end restaurant and bar. The award was based on a survey of over 181,000 atmosphere was the number one reason employees cited when asked about The Palace,” said Andrea Rodriguez, vice president of human resources. “They praised the accessibility of the owners and said that they felt safe and protected.” The Palace Group advocates promoting from within, including for executive directors, which contributes to a high level of employee retention. – JP Faber
From the Police and Fire Department Blotters
Coral Gables is an exceptionally safe place to live, but that doesn’t mean citizens – and its police and fire department – don’t face occasional challenges.
One of those occurred at the tail end of November, reinforcing the need to continue undergrounding power lines in the city. At about 5 am on the Friday morning before Thanksgiving, a power line on Ferdinand Street near Country Club Prado snapped and fell onto two parked cars, which burst into flames. Coral Gables Fire Rescue and crews from Florida Power & Light arrived at the scene, quickly shutting down the power grid to prevent the fire from spreading to adjacent homes. More than 1,000 residents in the Gables went without power for much of the morning, but there were no injuries and the fire was contained.
In another recent incident, Gables police veteran Edwin Pagan III was charged with playing a supporting role as “bagman” in a conspiracy to bribe a DEA supervisor in Miami for access to confidential information about drug-trafficking suspects. The information was allegedly passed to a retired DEA agent, who then shared it with several Miami defense attorneys so they could recruit new clients. The charges stem from a time when officer Pagan – currently suspended without pay from his patrol officer’s job – worked as a special agent for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Pagan has plead not guilty.
On the other hand, kudos to the Smart City technology that the Coral Gables Police Department prides itself on. Police in New York recently arrested a Romanian man suspected of participating in a national fraud ring after he and another suspect installed a “skimmer” in an ATM at a Family Dollar store in upstate New York. The suspect, Laurentiu Urziceanu, was arrested based on facial recognition taken from video camera footage recorded in 2023 in Coral Gables, when he allegedly installed a similar skimming device at the ATM for Synovus Bank at 121 Alhambra Plaza. – JP Faber
The Mayor’s Ball
It felt like a scene out of “Crazy Rich Asians.” Towering flower arrangements marked the centerpiece of each table, blue lighting saturated the room, and chandeliers and candles lit up the faces of elegantly dressed guests, as bubbles floated through the air and ballet dancers floated through the crowd. This year’s third annual Mayor’s Ball was something to be seen – and seen at. On-stage in the Loews Hotel’s ballroom, Mayor Vince Lago addressed the audience of political and business leaders with a summary of all the city has accomplished during his tenure as mayor over the last three years: record-breaking appropriations from the state, the relocations and expansions of Fortune 500 companies in Coral Gables like Apple and Ryder System – and the hundreds of thousands of dollars raised for charity from the ball. Each year, proceeds from the Ball go to the Coral Gables Community Foundation, which uses them to fund scholarships for local high school students; and to La Liga Contra el Cancer, the League Against Cancer. This year more than $150,000 was raised.
“The holiday season… is a time to give back and be thankful for the past year. It is a privilege to be able to give back to causes that serve our community and help those in need,” said Lago, before going on to detail causes close to his heart and the inspiration he takes from his father, a pro bono physician for La Liga. With speeches out of the way, all took to the dance floor for some much-needed “time off.” – Kylie Wang
Small Business Saturday
On the last Saturday of November, the United States celebrates Small Business Saturday, a marketing initiative created by American Express to encourage holiday shopping at small businesses. With a multinational company like Amex at its helm, it is impressive that a relatively small city like Coral Gables has made such a splash with the program.
“In year two, when we got involved, it was us, Detroit, New York City, and Washington D.C.,” says Mark A. Trowbridge, CEO and president of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce, which partners with American Express on the event. “Every year, it’s grown… and probably the coolest thing was that in year five, we were selected as one of [Amex’s] spotlight communities. We were given a small grant, and we actually filmed a commercial here with Books & Books.”
This year – the Gables’ 15th year – Small Business Saturday kicked off with an event at Joy By, the holiday pop-up store on Miracle Mile. Officials including Mayor Vince Lago and Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson were in attendance and joined the Chamber’s Architectural Walking Tour afterwards, which combined shopping with history. The tour popped into various small businesses on Miracle Mile and Aragon Avenue, including Veranda Plants & Gifts and Books & Books, where patrons could participate in a scavenger hunt before shopping from more local retailers. “It’s amazing to have been part of this since almost day one,” says Trowbridge. – Kylie Wang