Christmas on Las Olas is an annual event held the Tuesday after Thanksgiving every year on the most chichi shopping boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. In its 40-something-th year, it is a grand holiday celebration with champagne, lighted palm trees and people of all ages strolling Las Olas Boulevard, home to the trendy and chic since the founding of Broward County on October 1, 1915.
Las Olas Boulevard has the distinction of being the very first road built to the ocean when Florida still knew the likes of the Flaglers and the Stranahans. When the county was founded, the beach- a chief attraction- was only accessible by boat. That just would not do. A bridge was built and opened only two years after the establishment of Broward County, but, as Las Olas was the first high street in the new city, you know that all the really great shopping would be found there.
photo by Sherri Rase
Kris & Koffee
Today, there are many other boulevards that join Las Olas on the east-west trek, but none that are as trendy, to this day. Christmas on Las Olas brings all of the wonderful aspects of the season together on three stages for a single Cinderella night. The event begins at 6pm and runs through 10pm and a great section of Las Olas, from SE 6th Avenue through SE 11th Avenue, is blocked off for the festival and pedestrians rule!
The SE 6th Avenue Stage played host, when I was there, to the American Heritage High School A Cappella Choir. It is a fine group of young men and women blending their voices in as tight harmonies as you could imagine. The program ranged from traditional caroling through doo wop, which prompted oohs and ahhs from the crowd. From a singer's perspective, I was a little concerned about some artificial snow being made by an adjacent shop as the wind was swirling it quite close. Usually outdoors, we're worried about moths and other insects, but to aspirate some fake snow would be a problem indeed! Luckily the youthful choristers sang on and, frankly, I got chills- they are so good! One singer, Michael Kushner, found his extended family in the crowd and didn't miss a beat as he smiled and acknowledged their love and support of his talent.
The SE 8th Avenue stage featured the youngsters of the Embassy Creek Elementary School choir. These young singers range in age from 7 through 9 and you could already spot the kids who will one day be in the All State Choir!
Several different children acted as interlocutors during the program-the first one thanking the principal and his family for attending, another discussing the meaning of a Kwanzaa song, yet another talking about Chanukah and more.
I truly got a sense of the world we live in where every child learns and respects the traditions of each of their friends. The singers were enthusiastic and I stood there thinking, "this is what it's all about"! Across Las Olas Boulevard from the 8th Avenue stage, was a new age ice-skating rink-space age polymers letting girls and boys skate. No more of the traditional white and black skates though-each child wore royal blue and had the time of his or her life!
Deb and Kris, my sister and her partner, and I were all sporting these fuzzy red fedoras as our homage to the season. We felt very soignée until someone called us "the red hat ladies." Ah, well, style being what it is, there will always be those who don't recognize upcoming trends when they see them. Next year, those fuzzy fedoras will be all the rage!
The SE 11th Avenue stage featured our friends from the Lambda Chorale singing selections from their Holiday Concert, "Fruits and Nuts," to be presented in its entirety on Wednesday, December 10, 2008. The Lambda Chorale was the last group to present on the 11th Avenue stage and was well received by the crowd. Wonder of wonders, showing how the Holidays bring us all together, snowbirds Joan Van Ness and Lorraine Michels were strolling the Boulevard with their handsome escorts as I was queuing up with Lambda! They were on their way out, but all generously consented to remain for a few of the numbers. Dear and supportive friends that they are, their applause after each song rang out over that of the full crowd.
I looked out over the crowd as we sang, and people looked as rapt as I had been at the other stages earlier in the evening. Though we all have a thousand ways to gather these days -via Internet, events, etc.-there is nothing that brings us together like joining in song. When Lambda's final notes of the last song, a great arrangement of "Do You Hear What I Hear," were ringing out, audience members called out, "Do it again! Do it again!" to which the Chorale replied, "Come see 'Fruits and Nuts' on December 10!"
After the singing, we walked past the booths that were now in the process of breaking down. We walked down SE 8th Avenue as they were dismantling the ice-skating rink and we all enjoyed the chilly weather. Chilly for that region that evening was 55 degrees, when it is usually in the 70s. It is truly beginning to FEEL a lot like Christmas, and couldn't we all use a Holiday? The evening was a great way to kick off the season.
