This weekend I am participating with the Hollywood Jaycees in a Back Pack Give Away. We will be giving out 500 backpacks with school supplies and a $10.00 Commerce Bank Savings Certificate to children under 18. In order for the children to receive the merchandise they must be in attendance.

We have a concession stand opening at 6:00 and will be selling hot dogs, soda, water and popcorn for a nominal fee.

There will also be free face painting and balloon twisting!

At 7:00 we will be rocking out to a local Classic Rock Band called Crisis.

So come on out with your family and enjoy all that South Florida has to offer, I am looking forward to seeing you all there!

Hollywood is conveniently located between Ft. Lauderdale and Miami!

Many of you may not know this, but my husband and I raised our  nephews for most of their lives.  As teens, they chose to move back to Illinois to live with their mother, my sister, and see how things would be there.

Well, it is a few years later, and our 19 year old nephew Nick, whom we think of and refer to as a son, has returned to sunny South Florida, bringing with him his girlfriend Nelly, her five year old son Isaiah, and their 11 month old son Jaden.

I had no idea I would be thrown into the role of Grandma--or what I have them call me, GG (glamourous Grandma)--at just under 40 years of age. To my amazement, I love it!

Corteo, which means "cortege" in Italian, is a joyous procession, a festive parade imagined by a clown. The show brings together the passion of the actor with the grace and power of the acrobat to plunge the audience into a theatrical world of fun, comedy and spontaneity situated in a mysterious space between heaven and earth.

The clown pictures his own funeral taking place in a carnival atmosphere, watched over by quietly caring angels. Juxtaposing the large with the small, the ridiculous with the tragic and the magic of perfection with the charm of imperfection, the show highlights the strength and fragility of the clown, as well as his wisdom and kindness, to illustrate the portion of humanity that is within each of us. The music, by turns lyrical and playful, carries Corteo through a timeless celebration in which illusion teases reality.

Last month I had the opportunity to go to the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida to see Bruce Springstein in concert. The Bank Atlantic Center is a large, beautiful arena located in Southwest Florida. I have attended many shows there and have not been disappointed yet. Though I was not a big Bruce Springstein fan, I was a huge fan of The Sopranos. Imagine my surprise to find that Sylvio, Mafia hit man on the Sopranos, was actually a musician and a member of Bruce Springstein’s E-Street Band. It was such fun to watch him dueling guitars with Bruce, rather than dueling guns with Mafia targets on The Sopranos.

Many people think of New York and LA as cities with great entertainment, and they certainly are, but South Florida really holds it's own! My family recently went to see "Wicked" at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, a smaller, more upscale and intimate venue than the Bank Atlantic Center. We were blown away by the performance! Last weekend my mother and daughter went to see "Twelve Angry Men" at the Broward Center and loved that as well.

On Wednesday, April 30th comes an event that I look forward to in my adopted home town of Hollywood, Florida every year! I would love to say that it is because it has been moved from Harrison Street to our lovely ArtsPark at Young Circle, or that I love the networking opportunities. These are both true, but the real reason I never miss this event is the food!

I pay $15.00 in advance, which gives me a wristband and an opportunity to sample food from most of South Florida’s wonderful restaurants. And children 10 and under are free! This is a family friendly event where they serve everything from pizza to sushi (you’ll find me by the sushi!).

I should mention that the city bills this as the ultimate networking extravaganza with restaurant tasting, corporate displays and live music. That is all accurate, but between you and me, I go for the food!

Looking for something fun and cultural to do in South Florida? Artwalk will certainly provide a good time as well as cultural entertainment. The 3rd Saturday of every month from 7-10 p.m. in Downtown Hollywood, you will be treated to cultural entertainment, hors d’oeuvres, wine and strolling musicians.

If that is not enough, this event is free and also features original art work for sale at participating galleries and businesses. Maps of the event are available at Comfort Zone Studio located at 2028 Harrison Street.

Interested in seeing a foreign film? During the winter, films are shown monthly outdoors at the Arts Park in Downtown Hollywood, Florida at no cost. During Daylight Savings Time, the monthly series moves inside to Hollywood Central Performing Arts Center located at 1770 Monroe Street at US1 at a cost of only $2.00 per person. There is plenty of free parking on site.

One of the things I love best about living in South Florida is the abundance of activities we have here. Although I enjoy all of the year round outdoor activities that South Florida has to offer, I have to confess that sometimes a girl just wants to go shopping, and when I want to go shopping I can really have it all at The Aventura Mall, located on Biscayne Boulevard in Aventura, Florida.

As a frequent visitor there, I am always surprised by all of the wonderful shops and services the mall has to offer. I never worry about parking because I always drop off my car at the Aventura Car Wash located in the Macy’s garage where they wash the inside and outside of my car and do a great job for just $15.00. When I come out I love getting into my clean car and driving away!

Last year, they added a Lenscrafters by Optique in the women’s Macy’s. (Yes they have two different stores, one for women and one for men!). I found out Lenscrafters is running a special where you can have your eyes examined by Dr. Michael Kondell, an ophthalmologist, and that the cost is only $38.00, half of the regular price! They also have a 50% sale going on for select frames and lenses; needless to say I took advantage of the opportunity.

One of the things that I love the most about Hollywood, Florida since relocating here from Chicago in 1990, is the abundance of year round outdoor activities.

There are events for people of all ages and interests!

Are you a car lover? The first Sunday of every month, Downtown Hollywood presents the Dream Car Classic, featuring dozens of pre ‘78 vintage cars on display along Hollywood Boulevard. This event will take place April 6th, May 4th and June 1st from 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM and it's FREE!

I had been looking forward to the Hollywood Florida 45th Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards Dinner held last Saturday, February 23, 2008 for a while now!

Being a woman who likes to be prepared for such events, I had everything planned out. I had the dress, the jewelry, a hair appointment , an appointment with a great makeup artist with MAC Cosmetics at Macy's in the Broward Mall, and an appointment for spray tanning, since my fear of skin cancer outweighs my willingness to tan naturally any more.

Friday, I started putting my plan into action. I went to a salon that shall remain nameless and got spray tanned. Although I looked a bit orange, the operator assured me that after showering the next day I would look fabulous.