Sunday, October 30, 2016

Happenings Downtown Cocoa Beach

It's good to see new things happening in downtown Cocoa Beach ahead of the completion of the Minutemen Causeway streetscape project. It's been a long haul so far but I believe the end result will have been worth the inconvenience of the detours and closed roads. Speaking of, please support those businesses across from City Hall while their section of Minutemen is closed. They are all accessible from the alley (Wayne Coombs Way) by Roberto's Cuban Cafe connecting Orlando and Brevard Avenues.

New arrivals to downtown include The Thirsty Oyster raw bar on the corner of Atlantic and Minutemen in the old shell shop location. The Bula Kava Bar has opened on Orlando Ave. between North 1st and 2nd streets and, Grand Opening next weekend, the Studios of Cocoa Beach next door to Heidi's Jazz Club on Minutemen between Orlando and Atlantic Avenues.

The Studios are a co-operative, non-profit venture run by volunteers and the artists who display there. The idea was conceived by Peter Hain and Tony Sasso who enlisted a group of hard-working volunteers to join them to make the dream a reality. At present there are over 25 artists displaying a diverse mix of works in assorted mediums. The Studios are open to the public now with the big Grand Opening celebration next weekend, November 5. For those interested in displaying, teaching, volunteering or sponsoring please contact them through their website Studios of Cocoa Beach There will be an ongoing roster of classes and the art lineup will be ever-changing. Please stop by and support the arts in our community and visit the other new arrivals to the downtown scene while you're there.

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” __Pablo Picasso