"Summer time is our special time," claims the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau Web page plugging Summer Festival Season, its new marketing campaign co-sponsored with the Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority. Seems Miami in the off season is about more than just cheapo Euro tourists showing off sunburns and sandals paired with snazzy white socks. It's about beautiful people looking sexy while having fun. That's news to us, who know a Miami summer means dodging daily deluges and struggling to find something amusing to do. Well, summer officially begins Saturday, June 21, and if the dearth of events and futile fight against frizzies hasn't already let you know, the City of Miami Beach's Art in Public Places will remind you with its new sculpture project: Miami Beach Balls. Yes, just like those painted flamingos that perched in Coral Gables and on South Beach and the immense roosters that invaded Little Havana, giant ornamented beach balls will be seen all over Miami Beach from July through September. Isn't that special? -- By Nina Korman
Now 24/7
Who Dat?
The 16-block stretch of SW 87th Avenue between Coral Way and Bird Road, Saint Marcellin Champagnat Way, might have once been planned as Miami's righteous boulevard. But despite its air of divinity, the suburban corridor that cuts through the heart of Catholic Westchester is soiled with earthbound foibles. The Florida Legislature designated the road in 1999, the same year Pope John Paul ll canonized the French saint and staunch education advocate. Coincidentally one passes the Marists' Christopher Columbus High School while driving on the road, and its neighbor, St. Brendan Catholic Church and High School. Both institutions have been fraught with sex scandals, from touchy-feely track coaches to pedophilic priests. -- By Juan Carlos Rodriguez
Monday June 23
Blubber Busters
Teachers get buff
You'd think that a daily routine consisting of chasing kids around a classroom to disarm and tackle them would keep any school teacher in tip-top shape. Ha! Think again. That other hour spent sitting behind a desk acting all authoritative wreaks havoc on your legs and buttocks, leaving a distinct imprint of a chair on your fanny. Well, school's out at last, which only means your body is really gonna go to hell now. Why not use the season to slim down and tighten up via the 8-week Summer Weight Loss Program for Teachers, offered by WITHIN Wellness Center (7800 Red Rd., South Miami)? The good folks at WITHIN want to show you how much they care about the important job you do by teaching you for a change -- about nutrition, exercise, relaxation, and more. Cost is $50. Call 305-668-0570. -- By Nina Korman
