Those looking for the perfect adieu to 2020 will find it at the Environmental Learning Center’s “Full Moon Therapy Walk,” early evening Wednesday, Dec. 30. The two-hour journey through a forest beneath a full moon is designed to “recharge, re-energize and reconnect you” to that which gives life in abundance – Mother Nature. This is an outdoor event for everyone. It’s an easy amble through the Center’s verdant Indian River Lagoon campus. You’ll engage with all your senses and delight in the silvery show the full moon paints on the leaves and branches. While this may sound very different to you, it’s actually inspired by the Japanese practice known as “Shinrin-Yoku,” which translates in English as “forest bathing.” It originated in Japan in the early 1980s and is regarded as “ecotherapy,” which surmises that reconnecting with nature is therapeutic for both body and mind. If you can’t make it to the ELC’s magical moonlight event, you can still make some time to reconnect to nature. In addition to this delightful experience, the Environmental Learning Center is a hub with terrific appeal. The Center comprises 64 acres on an Indian River Lagoon island off the Wabasso Bridge. There you can explore mangrove trails, take pontoon tours, guided kayak adventures, enjoy campfire cooking, learn about surviving in the wilderness, get up close to creatures in the center’s Aquarium Experience, and so much more. The Full Moon Forest Therapy Walk takes place from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. It costs $20 per person to join it. Moreover, it asks participants to practice social distancing and to wear masks when a safe distance cannot be maintained. Space is limited, so if you’re interested, best sign up right now. The Environmental Learning Center is at 255 Live Oak Dr., Vero Beach. Call 772-589-5050 or visit DiscoverELC.org.
If you feel like you’re already connected enough to nature, then maybe you’d prefer a great rock concert. You’re in luck, because there’s really no better cover band group out there than Classic Albums Live. And after a long pandemic hiatus, the organization comes back to town with its recreation of Fleetwood Mac’s 1988 “Greatest Hits” album, which includes favorites such as “Rhiannon,” “Don’t Stop,” “You Make Loving Fun,” “Go Your Own Way” and so much more. Bev Paris, one of the four producers bringing the concert to Vero Beach, says the organization has been working hard to make sure patrons will feel safe and comfortable attending the concerts, which were suspended in March because of the pandemic. Now, though, she said, people are eager for the concerts to resume. “There was a real outcry from the community for these concerts,” she said. “So we’ve taken everybody’s concerns into consideration. We won’t have anything in the lobby, so when you arrive, you will be escorted to your seats right away. And there’s no intermission.” Moreover, only 400 tickets will be sold for the 833-seat venue. So there should be plenty of room by your seat to jump to your feet and “rock on.” And that’s an urge you will feel because Classic Albums Live produces really great rock concerts. You will be hard pressed to find a difference between their note-by-note faithful recreation of the greatest ’60s and ’70s rock bands that ever lit your fire. Classic Albums Live uses professional studio musicians, many of whom have played backup to big names. You must wear a mask and practice social distancing from those not in your “pod.” Classic Albums Live performance of Fleetwood Mac’s “Greatest Hits” begins 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 30 at the Emerson Center, which is at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Vero Beach, 1590 27th Ave., Vero Beach. Tickets are $40 to $95. Call 772-234-4412 or visit MusicWorksConcerts.com. For tickets, you can call 800-595-4849. n
