Tree Arrives for Clematis by Night Holiday Lighting in Downtown West Palm Beach

WHO:      The City of West Palm Beach, Community Events Division

WHAT:    The City of West Palm Beach is getting ready to rock around the holiday tree!  The City’s real holiday tree will roll into downtown West Palm Beach on Monday, December 1.  This 40-ft blue spruce from Beech Mountain, North Carolina is the largest real holiday tree to be displayed in Palm Beach County.

The tree will be officially lit at the Clematis by Night Holiday Lighting event on Thursday, December 11 at 7:30 p.m. along with a menorah and kinara.  The holiday celebrations will also include the 3rd Annual West Palm Beach Mayor’s Parade down Clematis Street at 6:30 p.m., an illuminated light canopy, great live entertainment, lots of kid’s activities, a visit from Santa and much more!

WHEN:    Come catch all the action as the City and holiday crews set up and decorate the tree for the annual Clematis by Night Holiday Lighting.

Monday, December 1, 2008
9:00 am            Tree Arrives in Centennial Square
9:00 am – 10:30 am    Hoisting and Anchoring of Holiday Tree

Tuesday, December  2 & Wednesday, December 3, 2008
9:00 am – noon        Decorating of Holiday Tree

WHERE:    Centennial Square – 100 Block of Clematis Street, Downtown West Palm Beach

SPONSORS:    The Clematis by Night Holiday Lighting is produced by the City of West Palm Beach in partnership with the Downtown Development Authority and features the 3rd Annual West Palm Beach Mayor’s Parade presented by Good Samaritan Medical Center.  Additional sponsors included The Palm Beach Post, KOOL 105.5 fm, WPTV NewsChannel 5, Wachovia, Coca-Cola, Coors Light, Heineken, Samuel Adams, the West Palm Beach Marriott, and many others.  For more information, please contact the City of West Palm Beach, Community Events Division at 561-822-1515.

WPB Shares Free Holiday Meal & Cheer with Less Fortunate Neighbors

WHO: The City of West Palm Beach
WHAT: SHARE-A-SUPPER THANKSGIVING FEAST
The City of West Palm Beach will present its annual Share-A-Supper Thanksgiving feast for its less fortunate neighbors.  During the season of giving, the City is honored to host this special dinner that helps spread some cheer to its residents in need.  

For the 17th consecutive year, the City will once again serve up over 1,000 complimentary Thanksgiving meals with a little joy and holiday cheer on the side.  This festive occasion includes gospel singing and dancing along with turkey and all the trimmings prepared by the Florida Culinary Institute.  Dinner will be served on a first-come, first-served basis.  

Mayor Lois Frankel, City Commissioners, and Department Directors will all be on hand dishing out this free buffet dinner.  This heart-warming event is made possible by the commitment of all the volunteers who generously donate their time and resources to help bring Thanksgiving to the less fortunate in our community.

WHEN: Tuesday, November 25, 2008 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

WHERE: Pleasant City Multicultural Center Gym, 500 22nd Street, West Palm Beach – (561) 835-7050

SPONSORS: Thanksgiving dinner is prepared by the Florida Culinary Institute. Turkeys provided by CBS 12’s Project Thanksgiving and the United Way. Additional sponsors include Cheney Brothers, Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Publix, Sysco, Rachel’s, Melanie Barnum of Mac Fabrics, “4 Ever Praise” Dance Group, Margaret Hawkins, Cynthia Sanders, “The Dream Builders,” Blum Foundation, and all the supporters of the Pleasant City Multicultural Community Center.

(Monday, November 24, 2008)  City of West Palm Beach Mayor Lois J. Frankel is encouraging shoppers to support our City’s merchants and throw a lifeline to locally-owned businesses by making sure they “Buy Local” this holiday season.

“When we support our local merchants, we’re supporting our community and helping put food on the table of our neighbors,” said Mayor Frankel.  “We should all do what we can to support the local economy, and spending our holiday shopping money right here in West Palm Beach is a great way to do that.”

Throughout the holiday shopping season and beyond, the City of West Palm Beach, joined by private-sector partners, will encourage shoppers to “Buy Local,” keeping their dollars in the local economy as much as possible by buying gifts and goods in local stores and from neighborhood merchants.  Local stores are also being encouraged through the Downtown Development Authority to offer discounts to holiday shoppers.

West Palm Beach is home to a wide range of unique shopping districts, from Antique Row to Clematis Street, from Northwood Village to CityPlace.  Shoppers are sure to find anything they need or the special people on their holiday shopping list at the dozens of interesting stores located throughout the City.

The City is distributing thousands of “Buy Local” stickers to support this campaign and will continue to remind shoppers to “Buy Local” in the coming months.

(11/24/08)  All City of West Palm Beach offices, including City Hall, will be closed on Thursday, November 27, 2008, and Friday, November 28, 2008, in observance of Thanksgiving.

Thursday’s residential and commercial garbage routes will be collected Friday, November 28, 2008 and Friday’s routes will be collected on Saturday, November 29, 2008.  Saturday’s routes will be collected on Saturday.

Yard Waste for Thursday will be collected Friday, November 28, 2008 and Friday’s route will be collected on Saturday, November 29, 2008.  

There will be no recycling pick up on Thursday, November 28, 2008.  Recycling will be picked up on the following Thursday, December 4, 2008.

Kids Take Part in Preparations for 17th Annual Share-A-Supper Thanksgiving Dinner

WHO:      Kids from the Pleasant City Community Center along with Chef David Pantone and Students at the Florida Culinary Institute and Mayor Lois Frankel

WHAT:    Cupcake Making Lesson – Florida Culinary Institute will be hosting kids from the Pleasant City Community Center for a lesson in cupcake making.  It’s no cake walk making desserts from scratch, but these kids are learning from the best.  The kids will also be helping Chef Pantone decorate a dessert centerpiece that will be presented at the Share-A-Supper Thanksgiving feast on Tuesday, November 25.

WHEN:    Kids Cupcake Making Lesson on: Monday, November 24, 2008 from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m.

100 Turkeys will be cooked on Monday, November 24, 2008 from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m.
Side Dishes for 1000 people will be cooked on Tuesday, November 25 from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m.

WHERE:    Florida Culinary Institute, 2410 Metrocentre Blvd., West Palm Beach, 33407
Phone: 561-688-2001

SPONSORS:    Turkeys are provided by WPEC News 12’s Project Thanksgiving and the United Way.  Thanksgiving dinner is prepared by the Florida Culinary Institute.  Additional sponsors include Cheney Brothers, Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Publix, Sysco, Rachel’s, Melanie Barnum of Mac Fabrics, “4 Ever Praise” Dance Group, Margaret Hawkins, Cynthia Sanders, “The Dream Builders,” Blum Foundation, and all the supporters of the Pleasant City Multicultural Community Center.

FUN FACTS:    Over 500 Florida Culinary students help prepare the Share-A-Supper meal.
The students fit this community outreach program into their regular curriculum.
The entire meal for over 1000 people is prepared in two days.
The bake shop turns into a mashed potato station for an entire day.
In 17 years, over 1700 turkeys have been served to over 17,000 people.

What:  Mayor, Business Leaders Announce New Campaign to Support Local Economy, Businesses
When:  Monday, November 24, 2008 at 1:30 p.m.
Where:  J. C. Harris Company, 333 Clematis Street, WPB

(11/21/08)  City of West Palm Beach Mayor Lois J. Frankel will be joined by local business leaders in announcing a new campaign to help support the local economy during the holiday shopping season and beyond.  The campaign will be announced at a press conference on Monday, November 24, 2008 at 1:30 p.m. at J.C. Harris Company, 333 Clematis Street, West Palm Beach.

The new campaign is designed to get shoppers to support local merchants, helping to save jobs and stimulate the local economy.  On Monday the 24th, the City will be distributing more than 2,000 stickers for shoppers and merchants to wear in support of the campaign.

Kids, you can ride the Polar Express to the North Pole and Santa’s workshop!  Everyone is welcome to meet Santa, make a toy and join us for some reindeer games at the West Palm Beach Public Library on Friday, December 12th at 5:30 p.m.  The library is located at 100 Clematis Street.  Visit http://www.wpbpl.com/index.php for more information.

See you on the Polar Express!

The City of West Palm Beach is stimulating the local economy and providing work for more than one thousand people by speeding up more than 100 infrastructure projects.

The City will be spending more than $120 million on the improvement projects, which range for water and sewer line replacements to waterfront redevelopment initiatives.  Since the money is already allocated, no tax increase will be needed to pay for these projects.

“This isn’t a bailout.  It’s a workout for our local economy,” said West Palm Beach Mayor Lois J. Frankel.  “We’ll do everything in our power to created much-needed jobs and and improve the lives of our citizens.

Since infrastructure projects create jobs and foster even more economic gains, it is estimated that the long-term effect of these projects on the local economy will exceed $800 million.

The City is finding new efficiencies in order to decrease the amount of time it takes to get new projects started, and is also aggressively lobbying the federal government for funding for infrastructure projects.

Clematis by Night Lights Up Downtown WPB for the Holidays
Good Samaritan Medical Center Presents the 3rd Annual Mayor’s Parade down Clematis Street

(November 14, 2008 – West Palm Beach)  The City of West Palm Beach is teaming up with the Downtown Development Authority to light up downtown West Palm Beach this holiday season.  The annual Clematis by Night Holiday Lighting event will take place on Thursday, December 11 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., with a parade down Clematis Street beginning at 6:30 p.m. and the lighting of a real holiday tree at 7:30 p.m. in Centennial Square. (more…)

(November 13, 2008 – West Palm Beach, FL)  Looking for the area’s Hot Spot to Chill?  Clematis by Night is it!  Join us every Thursday night at the coolest hangout in downtown West Palm Beach from 6:00 – 9:30 p.m. in Centennial Square.  This FREE weekly event features the area’s best rock, r&b, reggae, Latin, blues, soul and swing music.  Clematis by Night is the place to be every Thursday for great music, a taste of mouth-watering foods, sidewalk shopping for the trendiest items around, and fun in the fountain. (more…)