Happening Homestead

Tune in to the television news and you'll hear that Miami is one of the worst places in the country to drive. Take a short ride and find out firsthand. Speeding, running red lights, weaving in and out of lanes, turning without using blinkers, cutting other vehicles off -- reckless drivers don't seem to give a hoot what happens to them, others, or their cars. Constant traffic updates on morning and afternoon radio, plus banged-up and decrepit autos often seen crawling the streets, are a testament to that fact.

But don't lump the car owners at The Hot Roads in with that lawless bunch. While the name may ring of road rage, the event is all about the array of pristine automobiles that has lined Homestead's main drag, Krome Avenue, once a month for the last year and a half. There aficionados can admire classic Corvettes, Mustangs, Cadillacs, Camaros, and all sorts of muscle cars, trucks, and even the occasional restored Mercedes-Benz or Ford Thunderbird, which stand proudly with hoods open and immaculate engines gleaming in sun or rain. However, old age isn't a prerequisite for an auto's admission to the show. Plenty of late models -- including motorcycles and the recently released electric/gas Honda Hybrid -- fill the street as well.

Those with a gentler sensibility can view works of art of another kind. Down the street lined with antique stores and quaint cafés is neighboring creative community ArtSouth, which in tandem with The Hot Roads holds monthly Second Saturdays featuring artists who open their studios to showcase paintings, sculpture, ceramics, and more.

Back outdoors, sounds emanate both from a DJ spinning tunes and the local groups performing in Losner Park's enormous band shell. The cars, art, and music all contribute to Homestead's small-town feel -- a small town where people just might drive a little better than those in the big city.