Best bets: Things to do this weekend in Brevard, including art, ballet, music
Support local journalism: Find offers for new subscribers here: Special Offers — FLORIDA TODAY.
Want to read our e-Edition? Here are some tips for getting the best experience.
Caribbean Art Fest
Celebrate Caribbean American Heritage Month at the Caribbean Art Fest on Saturday, June 11 from 1 to 9 p.m. at the Captain's House, 1300 Bianca Drive NE, Palm Bay. Enjoy a photo exhibition, book reading, poetry, and cultural displays featuring Jamaican artist Phillip Curtis, poet and photographer Paulette King, poet Johan Russell and poet and dramatist Marcia Jackson. The event will also feature the Space Coast Collective Drummers, BCASCA Drummers and BCASCA youth steel pan player Joshua Baptiste. Admission is free. Call 321-557-2968, email bcasca.florida@gmail.com, or visit bcascafl.com.
Cocoa Beach gallery celebrates anniversary
The Studios of Cocoa Beach, currently in its its fifth year as the creative hub on the beaches, is a nonprofit, artist- staffed gallery that inspires, educates and enriches the community through art.
The gallery, at 165 Minutemen Causeway, showcases local artists and its roster of instructors present classes for everyone from beginners to experienced artists.
To celebrate its fifth anniversary, the gallery will host a “Sunset Social” from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., Friday, June 10, at Beachside Hotel & Suites, 3901 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach. The public is invited to enjoy an evening with food, entertainment, cash bar, duck derby, silent art auction, art demonstrations, 50/50 Raffle, and more! Tickets are $40 per person
For tickets and more information on the Studios and this event, visit studiosofcocoabeach.org.
Galmont Ballet plans summer show
Galmont Ballet founders/artistic directors Frank Galvez and Lucia Montero will host “Summer Ballet Gala 2022” to end the season. The event is slated for 7:30 p.m., Saturday, June 11, at Satellite High School Auditorium.
The program, which blends fantasy and myth, builds on Galmont’s two decades of innovation in classic and contemporary ballets. The summer production features stagings from the classical repertory such as” Don Quixote” and “Le Corsaire” pas de deux and re-stagings from Galvez’s choreographic repertory such as “Bolero.”
The program features guest dancers Josue Justiz and Branden Reiners, artists of the Grand Rapids Ballet, who will share the stage with Galmont’s talented young dancers.
General admission tickets are $25. Purchase by calling 321-208-7074 or at the door.
Galmont Ballet offers a comprehensive ballet curriculum to children 3years old and older, with performance opportunities in annual ballet productions including the holiday classic “The Nutcracker,” a Frank Galvez's original production at Historic Cocoa Village Playhouse.
Visit galmontballet.com.
Atlanta youth choir makes Merritt Island stop
As part of its U.S. tour, the Shallowford Youth Choir of Atlanta will perform at 7 p.m., Friday, June 10, at Merritt Island Presbyterian Church, 600 S. Tropical Trail, Merritt Island. The performance is particularly significant, since choir founder Emily (Current) Floyd grew up attending the church and was also the former chorus teacher at Merritt Island High School. “This youth choir tours the U.S. every summer, but only gets down this way every four or five years, so we are really excited to have them here,” said church spokesperson Leslie Mitchell.
For more on the choir, visit shallowford.org/music. For more on the concert, call 321-452-5689, extension 102, or visit merrittislandpc.org.
Sybil Gage jazz concert
Jazz singer Sybil Gage will perform at the Veterans Memorial Center, 400 S. Sykes Creek Pkwy., Merritt Island, on Sunday, June 12 from 2 to 4 p.m. Admission is $10 for Space Coast Jazz Society and Veterans Memorial Center members, $15 for guests and free for students under 25. Bring your own refreshments; seating and tables are provided. Visit spacecoastjazzsociety.org.
World Elder Abuse Awareness day observed in Melbourne
Brevard Alzheimer’s Foundation, Brevard County TRIAD and Brevard Commission on Aging will observe World Elder Abuse Awareness Day from 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday, June 15, at Wickham Park Senior Center in Melbourne. Admission and parking are free to all attendees.
Activities include vendors, educational information from law enforcement and senior services, a “Walk Down Memory Lane” to view scenes from the '40s, '50s, '60s and '70s; and educational seminars.
For more information, contact Brevard Alzheimer’s Foundation at 321-253-4430.
Pet Pride parade
Cocoa Village’s Tails at the Barkery will sponsor the “Be the Rainbow” Pet Pride Parade at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 11, starting at the Myrt Tharpe gazebo. Dress your pet in a “Be the Rainbow” costume and enjoy a walk through Cocoa Village for a day-full of Rainbow Pride. Awards will be presented to the top three “most creative rainbow” dressed pets.
Throughout the day, Hello Again Books in Cocoa Village will offer free activities and events to honor and celebrate LGBTQ+ pride within our community. Come dressed to “Be the Rainbow”. Wear your bright colors, your unicorn t-shirt, your tutu… whatever makes you feel happy, full of pride, and ready to celebrate diversity.
Three raffle gift baskets will be on display at Hello Again Books. Donate $1 for each raffle ticket for a chance to win. All proceeds collected go to The Trevor Project, a nonprofit organization focused on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning youth. Drawing takes place at 5 p.m. Winners need not be present.
A moment of remembrance will be observed at 11 a.m. for the Pulse shooting, which happened six years ago on June 12 in Orlando. Call 321-877-0351 or visit helloagainbooks.com.
'Dream Cars' exhibit at Green Gables
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, June 11, Green Gables will host "Dream Cars," an exhibit of the post-modern contemporary works of local artist Dr. Michael Shelton. Paintings, prints and posters will be available for sale. Tours of Green Gables will also be available for $10. The historic estate is at 1501 S. Harbor City Blvd., Melbourne. Free parking is available at the Reflections building north of the home.
Guided sea turtle walks
The Sea Turtle Preservation Society, 111 S Miramar Ave., Indialantic, offers guided sea turtle walks on various nights throughout June and July. Wear beach-appropriate dark clothing with comfortable shoes, as you may have to walk up to a half-mile on the beach each way. There will be no flash photography or lights on the beach. Bug repellent is highly recommended. Children under 7 are not permitted. Reservations are required. The cost is $18. Call 321-676-1701 or visit seaturtlespacecoast.org.
Flick-N-Float: ‘Encanto’
Watch the movie ‘Encanto’ (PG) from the pool at McLarty Park Aquatic Center, 790 Barton Blvd., Rockledge, on Friday, June 10. Swimming starts at 6 p.m., and the movie starts at 9 p.m. The cost to swim is $4, and the movie is free to watch whether you’re in the pool or on the lawn. Bring lawn chairs or blankets. No outside flotation devices are allowed, but tubes will be provided. The event may be canceled in the event of severe weather. Call 321-633-1874 or visit facebook.com/events/619896435779600.
Get in on the act
Auditions for ages 20 and older for the musical ‘Assassins’ will be at Melbourne Civic Theatre, 817 E. Strawbridge Ave., Melbourne, at 7 p.m. Sunday and Monday, June 12-13. Auditions will consist of readings from the script, a short movement routine and a short music selection that will be taught on site. A multiple Tony Award-winning theatrical tour-de-force, ‘Assassins’ combines Stephen Sondheim's lyrics and music with a story of our nation's culture of celebrity and the violent means some will use to obtain it, embodied by America's four successful and five would-be presidential assassins. Production dates are Aug. 5 through Sept. 11. Call 321-723-6935 or visit mymct.org.
Still playing
'Sense and Sensibility': Melbourne Civic Theatre, 817 E. Strawbridge Ave., presents the play through June 26. This adaptation of Jane Austen’s beloved novel follows the fortunes of the Dashwood sisters—sensible Elinor and hypersensitive Marianne—after their father’s sudden death in 18th-century England. When reputation is everything, how do you follow your heart? Tickets are $30. Call 321-723-6935 or visit mymct.org.
‘We Will Rock You’: The musical is on stage at the Henegar Center, 625 E. New Haven Ave., Melbourne through June 12. Featuring more than 20 hit Queen songs including 'Another One Bites the Dust,' 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' 'Killer Queen,' 'We Will Rock You,' and many more, the show follows two revolutionaries as they try to save rock ‘n’ roll in a post-apocalyptic world. Tickets are $27-$34. Call 321-723-8698 or visit henegarcenter.com.
Donut and craft beer pairing at Titusville brewery
Playalinda Brewing Co.'s Hardware Store location in downtown Titusville will host a Donut & Craft Beer Pairing June 9-11.
The event will pair Playalinda brews with a flight of doughnuts from another Titusville favorite, Kim's Donut and Deli.
The Playalinda Hardware store is at 305 S. Washington Ave. Titusville. Visit facebook.com/playalindabrewingcompany for more information.
Do you have a community event? Email tgif@floridatoday.com and toastofthecoastfloridatoday@gmail.com at least two weeks in advance for consideration for the Best Bets roundup.
Support local journalism: Find offers for new subscribers here: Special Offers — USATodayNetwork.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Things to do on the Space Coast: Pet Pride parade, Dream Cars and more
