Elusive Landscape: Elusive Landscape: Legion Memorial Park

The second installment of Elusive Landscape will take place on Saturday, July 17 from 8-10PM at Legion Memorial Park, 6630 Biscayne Boulevard in Miami. Seven original hand-crafted 16mm films, all of them created especially for this location, and some of them filmed in the park itself, will be projected into the giant oak trees and surrounding landscape. The projections create magical 3-D effects that viewers can immerse themselves in, certainly a new and unusual way to spend a summer's eve in Miami. As always, my home-made all-natural, non-toxic insect repellent will be freely available.

Sprawling eastward from Biscayne Boulevard, Legion Memorial Park transitions you from the bustling hustle of the MiMo business district and the rooster-roaming back streets of Little Haiti to a serene bayside paradise in seconds. This gorgeous gem of urban park space is located on Biscayne Boulevard and NE 66th Street. To enter the park, head East on NE 64th Street and turn left on NE 7th Avenue, which leads you directly to an ample parking lot for park visitors.

For sports enthusiasts and lovers of the outdoors, Legion Memorial Park is like a tall drink of water on a hot summer's day, right smack in the middle of the urban vapor. Here you can enjoy a game of tennis or soccer with a breathtaking view of the sparkling Bay, or shoot some hoop under the shade of grand Florida Oaks. Need to launch your kayak or canoe? The park has that covered as well. Triathletes can strengthen their swimming skills by swimming out to Legion Picnic Island, which creates a lovely visual point in the blue horizon, as does the smaller, protected sanctuary of Bird Key, only a little to the north. Skateboarding, soccer, tennis, or just plain-old dog-walking are highly favored here thanks to the shady trees, open space and cooling breezes from the Bay.

For kids, the park offers after-school programs, summer and winter camps, teacher planning days, indoor games and activities such as Cheerleading, Table Tennis, Basketball, Football, Soccer, Softball, and Golf, all managed lovingly by the very cool Park Manager, Coach Kim Sands, a seasoned tennis pro with a 10-year career and No. 46 world ranking (No. 29 in doubles) who played Wimbledon and studied with the legendary Arthur Ashe right here in magic Miami. Coach Sands serves as an amazing role model for some 100 kids in the summer camp, stressing the benefits of fitness and outdoor living, as well as responsibility and team spirit, all with the patience of a saint and a cutting-edge sense of humor.

Legion Memorial Park was founded in 1966 when the City of Miami bought 37 acres of land from American Legion Post 29, on which stood the remains of a 12-bedroom, two-story mansion, once owned by Armour Foods heir William Ogden. The stately coral-façade mansion, designed by architect George L. Pfeiffer, was constructed in the 1910's. Its colorful history includes a stint as an illegal casino in the 1930's, but it now serves as the park's community center, housing a library/tutoring room, computer room, activities area, offices and two large meeting rooms. Neighborhood groups meet here regularly, as room rentals are generally affordable. For more information about the Park's programs and services, call 305-758-9027.