SAT 1/29
Sparkling water, tropical breezes, and your best friend. Is there a better way to spend a beautiful Saturday morning? Bring your dog down to the Keys and take a 4.6-mile stroll along Marathon's Old Seven Mile Bridge for the 2005 Paws for a Cause dog walk. Proceeds will benefit the Domestic Abuse Shelter of the Florida Keys. What? You say you don't have a dog? No worries. The Marathon SPCA will provide a fur buddy for the day, and you'll enjoy miles of licks, barks, and tail wags that say "please take me home!" Any borrowed barkers not adopted must be returned in the same condition, so be careful with your rental. The walker who raises the most money will receive a two-night stay at Key West's Curry Mansion Inn. Small dogs are welcome to bunk with their winning parent, larger dogs will receive free boarding at Keys Animal Hospital in Marathon. Register this morning at 8:00 and start walking at 9:00 at the Marathon side of the old bridge near mile marker 47 on Knights Key. Registration costs ten dollars, but the fee is waived for participants who raise more than $100 in donations. Call 305-743-6250, or visit www.fla-keys.com. -- Lyssa Oberkreser
Retro Redland
Get a glimpse of Miami's past
SAT 1/29
Once upon a time, South Dade was a happening place. After Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railroad came to Miami in 1895, people flocked south in droves. They came seeking an El Dorado-like legend of trees bearing fruit in such abundance that it fell to the ground and rotted in piles, and weather so warm that it cured ailments. The evidence of Miami's pioneer days is rapidly disappearing in the face of relentless development. Today's Redland Riot Tropical History Tour will show you the stubborn but fading traces of the great farmland. Check out the home of the strawberry king, Burr's Berry Farm. Visit Anderson's Corner, the former general store that is now the last standing pioneer-era commercial property in Miami-Dade, then treat yourself to a key lime milkshake at Robert Is Here. Take a car-caravan jaunt through a more verdant part of our city, starting at Cauley Square, 22400 Old Dixie Hwy., Goulds. Call 305-443-7973, or visit www.redlandriot.com for your tour booklet. -- Patrice Elizabeth Grell Yursik
Run Around
5K for a cause
SAT 1/29
Instead of complaining about the growing number of homeless people in Miami, why not do something about it? Mobilize your efforts and participate in the Great Florida Bank Tropical 5K Run for the Homeless. Among the notable personalities fellow runners are sure to find out of breath are music mogul Emilio Estefan and celebrated local artist Romero Britto. The latter has designed a vibrant, limited edition silicone wristband he calls "Where Hope Lives," which will be given to each participant, along with a spinning medal for those who actually finish. The marathon starts this morning at 7:30 at the Miami Children's Museum (980 MacArthur Cswy., Miami) and ends at Nikki Beach. Registration costs $25, and is due by January 27. Call 305-329-3042, or visit www.runmiami.com. -- Kris Conesa
Cowboy Junkie
SAT 1/29
Um, do you do bareback? How about tie-down roping? Will you saddle this bronco and ride him into the sunset? It may sound like a personal ad, but we're talking rodeo. The two-day 56th Annual Homestead Championship Rodeo and Frontier Days starts tonight at 7:00, at the "Doc" DeMilly Rodeo Arena at Harris Field, 1034 NE Eighth St., Homestead. Tickets cost $6 to $14. Call 305-247-3515, or visit www.homesteadrodeo.com. -- Kris Conesa
