FROM THE PUBLISHER & Creative Director
A toast to you, and wishing our friends, readers and advertisers all the best for this holiday season,May you enjoy the companionship of family and friends as you celebrate the season.
SEASON’S GREETINGS!
Did you survive Black Friday, Shop Small Saturday and Cyber Monday? We’re now fully engaged in the frenzy of the holiday season, and as the catch phrase coined years ago says: “The Holiday Season Starts in South Miami!”
If you have a moment, pour yourself a cup of coffee and thumb through our holiday issue. Thanksgiving fittingly ushers in the holiday season; it provides us a good time to reflect and express gratitude before the hustle and bustle otherwise distracts us.
Our cover feature celebrates the 35th annual Parade of the Elves. For the past three decades as an image marketing and business development consultant with my offices here in South Miami, I’ve had the privilege to work on and help develop the parade and other family-oriented events in my hometown. In the first Parade of the Elves in 1983, my then seven-month old daughter Ashley was the littlest elf, sitting next to me in a car seat as I drove the Grand Marshal’s convertible – and that was “Skipper Chuck” Zink (for those who may recall the name, and smile!). The parade would forever be part of our family, as it is for many other parents (and children), as over the years Ashley would be decked out as a cute elf. The parade also brought me to a greater awareness of how important celebrated events are in the life of the community.
Community events shape who we are, and whether you dress in a Halloween costume with your kids, put on a pair of running shoes for the 5K run, stroll through the artist tents on Sunset Drive for our annual art shows and car shows, the experience of coming together is a refreshing and exhilarating.
The economic future of our city for both the business owners and residents is squarely on the shoulders of our South Miami City Commission. Development projects which will bring certain economic gains are coming before the commission over these next several months. Read about these developments in our NEWS section, beginning on page 35.
The introduction of new residences and a hotel will provide a significant and sustained economic benefit to SOMI’s town center shopping and restaurant district by creating a consumer base within walking distance to the area’s existing businesses. It is imperative that the commission address the dire needs of the retail and restaurant district and bring these projects on line without delay.
Cyclists have particular reason to be joyous this season. Two major projects are fully engaged: The Underline and the Ludlam Trail. The ten-mile urban trail and linear park under the Metrorail, known as The Underline had a recent Ground-Breaking for the beginning of the ten-mile route at Brickell Station. Read more about this in our IN & AROUND column (page 12) and in Meg Daly’s regular Underline report on page 38. And as for the Ludlam Trail, the Miami-Dade County Commission voted to fund the trail for $25 million. SOMI Magazine will run an exclusive feature on the Ludlam Trail in an upcoming issue. Stay tuned…
Check out this issue’s SOMI SIX in our centerfold Keeping It Local, These businesses are just another reason why SOMI is so special. and I’m pleased to recognize them as among our “SOMI Business Subscribers.” And we’ve got some new businesses in town to introduce you to in our WHAT’S NEW IN TOWN feature (see page 40).
And so after Black Friday, Shop Small Saturday and Cyber Monday, I hope you can enjoy the pleasant presence of family and friends in this joyous holiday season.
Enjoy the SOMI experience in 2019 and remember to SHOP SMALL in SOMI all year round!
All the best in the New Year,
