Eight Things to Do in South Florida This Week

Thursday, May 28:

Miami's Wynwood Brewing Co. and Davie's Mack House Nano Brewery and their respective brewers got together and created what is being called an "amber Belgian" with the name Wynwood Mack Rumours' – and it's ready to be tapped. Wynwood's Nik Mebane, who has been brewing with the company since 2013, traveled up to the Mack House in April to brew a beer with resident brewer Justin Miles. After a bit of discussion, a consensus was formed, and the resulting beer was thus: an amber Belgian ale, brewed with saison yeast, and honey from local Natural Chai Farms. An early tasting at the end of April revealed a brews that poured an opaque brownish red, that touched on orange. Taking a sip, there was a full body of sweetness that moved into a lot of grape character, light fruits, and a spicy ester-heavy finish. A hint of spicy yeast flavor clings to the back end as well, sealing the deal. As for alcohol, it hits home at 8.1 percent alcohol by volume. With a few more weeks, that grape and ester should be nicely mellowed out, perhaps turning into a bit of raisin-like sapor.

See for yourself this Thursday, May 28, as the Mack House hosts Wynwood Night, officially releasing this beer to the general public as well as featuring special beers from Wynwood Brewing. Mack House is located at 9118 W. State Road 84, Fort Lauderdale. Call 954-474-5040, or visit themackhouse.com. 
A party is not a party without food and wine. In fact, nowadays, in South Florida, a fete is best served outside in lively surrounds. We’re not talking about a binge-fueled frat soiree marked by keg stands and dominoes but a sophisticated way to celebrate the evening and the scenery. We want chicken meatballs with Moscow Mules, Bahamian conch fritters with Pusser’s Rum painkillers, chicken skewers with pomegranate mojitos, Mama’s meatballs with a Negroni, and hey, butternut squash ravioli accompanied by a glass of Chard. That’s exactly what you’ll find at West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority’s Fourth Annual Pairings Food & Wine Event. Benefiting the Historical Society of Palm Beach County, the progressive dinner features food and booze at the Clematis Street’s most beloved eateries including Bar Louie, Cafe Sweets Bakery, Don Ramon, E.R. Bradley’s Saloon, Hullabaloo, Longboard’s, Subculture Coffee, Lynora’s Osteria, Roccos Tacos and Tequila Bar, Clematis Pizza Heaven, Rise and Grind Cafe, Off the Hookah, and O’Shea’s Irish Pub.

Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the of. It takes place up and down the strip. Tickets are available at the West Palm Beach Development Authority, SunFest, and online. Call 561-833-8873, or visit downtownwpb.com. 
Before Rolando Chang Barrero and a clutch of other artists moved into the industrial area that now occupies the Boynton Beach Art District, it was a nondescript row of warehouses not unlike any of the others that dot the landscape along I-95. Fast-forward almost five years and instead of the gritty storage spaces being occupied with random car parts and stuff we no longer need, a burgeoning arts scene flourishes inside of their interiors, helped greatly by the monthly BBAD’s Art Walk. It is the definition of art making a difference. This month, “Art Making a Difference” is the central theme and title of the walk that takes place in the 400 block of West Industrial Avenue in Boynton Beach. The free walk – once deemed Best Art Walk by the staff at New Times – includes open studios, open-mic performances, live art, food and drink, vendors, and much more. "The concentration from everybody is to build community throughout and to build community between artist and layperson. We have no anchors here. No bars or businesses to attract people, so it's strictly arts and community that keeps us going," Barrero says. And the community has pulled together, donating lighting and greenery to spruce up the area. Commissioned murals on display include Chan Sheperd's latest graffiti-inspired piece on Jesus Christ. 

Art Walk is now operating on a summer schedule of every fourth Thursday of the month so if you miss tonight, you’ll have to wait another 30 days for your creative fix. The night runs from 6 to 10 p.m. Visit activistartista.blogspot.com.
Friday, May 29:

Supermarkets come in all shapes and sizes. Some, like Whole Foods, espouse nutritional benefits. Others are considered hometown heroes – we’re talking about you, Publix. There are chains known for being affordable yet impressive (think Aldi and Trader Joe’s). We have supersized box stores including Costco and BJs. And then we have the markets, the ones that specialize in a certain type of gourmet foods. Doris Italian Market & Bakery is a South Florida favorite. Not only does it offer an amazing selection of product but it also gives back to the community. Its upcoming effort is the Doris Wine & Food Gala. Benefiting Relay for Life – American Cancer Society, it includes more than 100 wines from around the world, a full buffet of authentic Italian fare, and artisan cheese. The evening features one-night special event wine pricing, storewide shopping exclusives, and $10 credits toward all wine purchases.

The cost to attend is $29.95, $10 of which will be donated to Relay for Life. Tickets are available at the Sunrise and Coral Springs locations. The event takes place from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Doris Italian Market in Sunrise. It’s located at 10057 Sunset Strip in Sunrise. Call 954-749-1919, or visit dorismarket.com. For tickets, email [email protected].


Saturday, May 30:

Eclectic brewery Funky Buddha came to us like cosmic energy from the sun, celebrating the vital principles of socialization and damned good beer. It has grown an additional arm in which to lead us to nirvana by having two locations for our inner eyes to open. Keeping in stride with this running rule of twos, it has decided to throw two parties in honor of Funky's Buddha Brewery's Two Year Anniversary, one at each location. They will occur on Friday at Boca Raton and Saturday at Oakland Park.
The Boca Raton location will be hosting a preparty featuring an amalgam of beers that routine visitors have come to rave about. The real circus begins on Saturday. Funky Buddha’s Oakland Park Location will throw a block party of epic proportions. They’re shutting down Dixie Highway from 13th Street all the way to the front of the brewery. The streets will be lined with food trucks and vendors, live music, and a list of local and nationally brewed beers on tap long enough to make your head spin.

Funky Buddha’s pre-anniversary party will take place at Funky Buddha Lounge, 2621 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton, and will commence at 4 p.m. The anniversary block party will take place at Funky Buddha Brewery, 1201 NE 38th St., Oakland Park, from noon to 10 p.m. Admission to both events are free, but the block party is selling beer by way of drink tickets, which can be purchased at two specific ticket booths for $6 apiece. Visit funkybuddhabrewery.com, or call 954-440-0046. 

The monthly FAT Village Art Walk returns to the eponymous Flagler Arts and Technology Village this Saturday, May 30. This month’s adventure features two unique, very cool, very phat (remember when we said that unironically back in the '90s?) exhibitions. First up the Mockingbird Trail Takes Flight is an urban exploration themed design project. Carried out by Design Collective, Mockingbird Trail’s internal coconspirators Cadence aims to link social interaction alongside eye-catching landscape architecture. To meet their overall goal of bringing light to sculptor Valeria Yamamoto’s vision of a stylized urban trail, they have opted to spring a pop-up shop into action where donations can be made. Further entrenching the overall sense of community, community center/venue/workplace General Provision further delves into the nuances of public revelry by celebrating the human-powered machine: the bicycle. Entitled "Bicycles: Mobilizing the Human Engine" since 1817, the event coincides with national bike month, which makes for cosmic alignment levels of interwoven outdoor party vibes. 

FAT Village’s Art Walk occurs on Saturday, May 30. The events begin at 6 p.m. and go on until 11. The Mockingbird Trail Takes Flight event takes place at Cadence, 435 N. Andrews Ave., Suite 2, Fort Lauderdale. Entitled "Bicycles: Mobilizing the Human Engine" will occur at 525 NW First Ave,. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Visit generalprovision.com or mockingbirdtrail.com. 

Sunday, May 31:

Paddle boards can be used for anything from surfing to yoga, but what about getting competitive with them? You don’t have to travel to California for the same experience thanks to Riverwalk on Water Battle for the Paddle right here in Fort Lauderdale. Put together a team of four, and hit the water to benefit the Riverwalk foundation as well as the Coastal Conservation Association. Battle for the Paddle takes place on Sunday, May 31. Riverwalk Fort Lauderdale and Finlandia Vodka present the third annual battle where teams of four can sign up and compete for a trophy in a series of both individual and team challenges. The event will also include lessons and board demos, so all levels of paddlers are welcome to participate. Proceeds from the event benefit the Coastal Conservation Association and Riverwalk Fort Lauderdale.

Registration for the event begins at 8 a.m. and events take place from 9 a.m. through 1 p.m. To sign up, email [email protected], or call Josh Vajda at 954-789-9008. All riders must be 18 in order to participate and it’s $100 per team to register. For more information about Coastal Conservation visit finalandia4purewater.com. The event takes place along the New River at Esplanade Park, 400 SW Second St., Fort Lauderdale. 
May is the month of Mother’s Day and Memorial Day, but it’s also the month of something almost as close to our hearts: National Burger Month. And what better way to celebrate by gloating about how many burgers you can stuff in your face? Thanks to the National Hamburger Month Food Truck Competition and Krystal Slider Square Off, this dream can become a reality. Show off how many sliders you can eat in three minutes as a participant in the Krystal Slider Square Off. To register, sign up in the Players' Club in the Mardis Gras Casino before Friday, May 29. Participants must be 21 years of age or older and pay a $10 entry fee. The first place winner of this delicious contest will receive a trophy, $1000 and the right to brag about their slider eating skills. Second place receives $500, third gets $250 and contestants 4 to 60 will receive $10 bonus play for the casino. All contestants will receive a t-shirt. In addition to seeing who the next competitive food eater Takeru Kobayashi might be, a panel of local judges will choose the winner of the 2015 National Hamburger Month Best Food Truck Burger. Food trucks featured include Cheeseburger Baby, Mr. Good Stuff's Food Truck, Munchie's Snack Shack, Palate Party and more.

Participate or merely watch the burger bash Sunday, May 31, at the National Hamburger Month Food Truck Competition and Krystal Slider Square Off from noon until 4 p.m. The festivities take place at the Mardi Gras Casino located at 831 N. Federal Highway, Hallandale Beach. Admission is free for those watching. Visit burgerbeast.com/national-hamburger-month.

For more events, visit our online calendar or pick up the print edition of the New Times Broward-Palm Beach every Thursday. To submit an event, use our online form.

You can contact Rebecca McBane, Arts & Culture Editor/Food Editor at [email protected]. Follow @cleanplatebpb on Twitter, and like us on Facebook.