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American Press
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- American Press
Hot wheels: Roll into out-of-school fun with 'Skate into the Summer Solstice'
Skatetember was such a success that the city of Lake Charles is opening the Event Center to a night of summer skating. (Special to the American Press) Skating is back by popular demand. And this time around, the skater will roll around the James E. Sudduth Coliseum in celebration of the summer solstice. 'Skate into the Summer Solstice' is from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, June 20, at the Lake Charles Event Center, 900 Lakeshore Drive. The city began presenting skating events in 2023 to bring unique experiences to Lake Charles with Skatember, a series a skate nights that happened every week during that September. In a mission to make skating a quarterly event, the city of Lake Charles Community Services Department hosts 'skatetastic' community parties every few months. City's Assistant Director of Community Services Hannah Veazey said that in the hottest months of the year, it is more important than ever to create family-friendly activities in the city. 'We know that our typical outdoors Partners in Parks events can get hot this time of year, so we try as much as we can to provide safe, indoor and air-conditioned events for kids and families to enjoy! Skating is always fun for families as it creates a space where everyone can interact together—moms, dads, grandparents, littles, bigs, the whole family!' In alignment with the solstice, the theme of the upcoming skate night is 'summer.' Skaters are encouraged to dress up in summer attire, such as shorts, tank tops, sunglasses and 'whatever else reminds you of summertime, as long as it's appropriate for families.' The. Sudduth Coliseum will be decorated with beach balls, inflatables and a summer-themed photo backdrop for guests to commemorate the night with. Music will be provided by the McNeese Radio Station KBYS, and skaters can expect non-stop summer hits that span decades. Skaters who miss this summer celebration can keep an eye out for the next skate night, or even hold out for the next Skatember. Veazey said it is the outpouring of love for skate nights that keeps them coming. 'The feedback from the public surrounding the Skatember event was so positive, it spawned other skate nights like this one,' she said. 'We plan to continue to expand the skating program calendar as long as people are interested.' In between events, the public is more than welcome to skate and explore the city parks with long walkways, such as Riverside Park, Hillcrest Park and the new section of the Lakefront Boardwalk by Veteran's Park. Skates are not provided. Minors 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Chaperones who are not skating can sit in the Coliseum for free. Admission to the event is $5. Payment is cash or card only.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Yahoo
Why is the famous Key West buoy closing and what's taking its place? Take a look
Taking a selfie at the red, yellow and black Southernmost Point marker is one of those Key West must-do's for day-trippers and tourists. But come August or September and for about a year after, you'll be posing alongside a replica in a different location. That's because the landmark buoy will be out of commission. Don't worry — there's nothing wrong with the original buoy. This isn't a repeat of Hurricane Irma's lashing at the concrete marker that led to a month-long closing in September and October 2017 so that the original artists Danny Acosta and Henry Del Valle could do emergency repairs and repaint the battered buoy. MORE: How did Key West land up with a giant buoy as a tourist attraction? Here's the story The giant concrete buoy, which replaced a simple sign at the site in 1983, is fine after its spruce-up nearly eight years ago. But years of storms have undermined the existing Southernmost Plaza where the marker sits. So the United States' southernmost city has to repair the seawall, redo the roadway and attend to other damage at the corner of South and Whitehead streets, said Key West spokesperson Alyson Crean. That coming work will require the shutdown of the area for about a year, barring access to the existing buoy. The replica is being built and painted by Paul Cassidy and Richard Sarver of Key West's Community Services Department. 'It is smaller, but still taller than a person,' Crean said. 'The ocean will still be visible, but the temporary location is farther away from the ocean.' Compose your camera shots just so, and your Instagram followers may not know the difference. The replica will be installed at the Duval Street Pocket Park at 1400 Duval St. That's a block away from the original buoy, 90 miles from Cuba. Will Key West keep both buoys for double the social media snaps? That remains to be seen. 'Once it's done,' Crean said, 'I'm sure the city will do something fun with it.'
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Miami Herald
05-06-2025
- Miami Herald
Your selfie at the famous Key West buoy will soon be changing. A replica is coming
Taking a selfie at the red, yellow and black Southernmost Point marker is one of those Key West must-do's for day-trippers and tourists. But come August or September and for about a year after, you'll be posing alongside a replica in a different location. That's because the landmark buoy will be out of commission. Don't worry — there's nothing wrong with the original buoy. This isn't a repeat of Hurricane Irma's lashing at the concrete marker that led to a month-long closing in September and October 2017 so that the original artists Danny Acosta and Henry Del Valle could do emergency repairs and repaint the battered buoy. MORE: How did Key West land up with a giant buoy as a tourist attraction? Here's the story Why will there be a replica Southernmost Buoy? The giant concrete buoy, which replaced a simple sign at the site in 1983, is fine after its spruce-up nearly eight years ago. But years of storms have undermined the existing Southernmost Plaza where the marker sits. So the United States' southernmost city has to repair the seawall, redo the roadway and attend to other damage at the corner of South and Whitehead streets, said Key West spokesperson Alyson Crean. That coming work will require the shutdown of the area for about a year, barring access to the existing buoy. The replica is being built and painted by Paul Cassidy and Richard Sarver of Key West's Community Services Department. 'It is smaller, but still taller than a person,' Crean said. 'The ocean will still be visible, but the temporary location is farther away from the ocean.' Compose your camera shots just so, and your Instagram followers may not know the difference. The temporary location? The replica will be installed at the Duval Street Pocket Park at 1400 Duval St. That's a block away from the original buoy, 90 miles from Cuba. Will Key West keep both buoys for double the social media snaps? That remains to be seen. 'Once it's done,' Crean said, 'I'm sure the city will do something fun with it.'
