SAT 3/19
Seventy-nine years ago North Miami was far from the modern district it is today. Explore this neighborhood's pioneer past at the North Miami history fest. See antique photographs of the original city hall and fire station, then visit their new digs. Bus tours depart at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. and will whiz history buffs past sites like the Burr House and Arch Creek Park. Discussions and exhibitions will highlight the area's evolution today from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. at the Griffing Center, 12220 Griffing Blvd., North Miami. Call 305-891-7811, or visit www.northmiamihistory.com. -- Patrice Elizabeth Grell Yursik
Fashion Face-Off
Local designers show their bias
FRI 3/18
J.Lo's Sweetface runway show had enough leather and fur to keep PETA busy for months. And what place do those pelts have in a sultry city like Miami? Fabulous young designers will present hot styles to keep you cool at the Fresh Faces in Fashion show presented by Gen Art, an organization dedicated to promoting the "up and coming" in the worlds of film, music, visual art, and fashion. Earning runway time are eight designers, including five locals: Alexandra Vidal (a contestant on Bravo's Project Runway), Cardiac, Michael Anania, and accessory designers Guido & Mi and Luis Morais. "I think events like Fresh Faces are important to local designers like myself," says Morais, "because of the exposure it might bring. You never know who will be in the audience." Wild On E! host Cindy Taylor MCs tonight's show from 8:00 to 11:00 at the Doubletree Surfcomber Hotel, 1717 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. Tickets cost $35. Call 305-695-8200, or visit www.genart.org. -- Jessica Sick
Dirty Pictures
THUR 3/17
Imagine Tom and Jerry in a fur-flying dustup outside one of State Road 441's seedier snake pits to get a handle on Jeremiah Jenner's photography. "Kaboom! Kabang! Kapow!!," opening at the Luna Star Café and Gallery (775 NE 125th St., North Miami) feels more like a riot of neon lights and urban grit than traditional photography. That's because the artist is an avid fan of classic Saturday morning cartoon violence and the Technicolor thump-fests it glorifies. "I like to strap an old-fashioned analog camera on my dashboard and troll scummy neighborhoods for my shots. Explosive saturations of grimy, lurid colors appeal to me and capture the streets in their abstract perversity," he muses. Whether they're sad-sack bars, decrepit amusement parks, or pathetic mom-and-pop shitholes, Jenner milks eye-popping imagery from our skeeviest haunts with enticing effects tonight from 7:00 to 10:00. Call 305-799-7123, or visit www.sixxdragons.com. -- Carlos Suarez de Jesus
