Out-of-the-ordinary happenings should stir some interest for you in the next few days. They start tonight, Thursday, May 20, at the Emerson Center where you’ll be able to mix it up with artists and art patrons at a Meet the Artist Reception for “The Human Element” exhibition. The exhibition comprises “mysterious expressions of the human body” by area artists and photographers: Keila Small, Sara Alfaro, Mark San Souci, John Biondo, Hector Cruz, Amy Saville and Anne Whitney. The reception runs 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. The exhibition runs through July 1, 2021. Regular gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays. Free admission. Please wear masks. The Emerson Center is at 1590 27th Ave., Vero Beach. Call 772-538-2338.
Let the writer in you come out at a special 90-minute interactive Zoom workshop with award-winning mystery and crime fiction writer Libby Fischer Hellman. The workshop is presented by the Laura Riding Jackson Foundation. Hellman has written 16 thrillers and dozens of short stories. She will teach how to build suspense, whether you want to write fiction, memoir or creative non-fiction. The workshop runs 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. this Saturday, May 22. The cost is $35. To register, visit LauraRidingJackson.org.
It may be hard to choose what to do on Sunday, so you might want to do it all, starting with a morning Walking Meditation at the Environmental Learning Center. Held the fourth Sunday of each month, the Walking Meditation takes people through the ELC’s intimate Butterfly Garden. Led by Elise Mahovlich of Living Yoga with Elise, beginner and seasoned meditators will keep their eyes open as they break away from the stress of daily living and reconnect to nature and to themselves. ELC executive director Barbara Schlitt Ford said the experience starts first with a brief orientation where you are encouraged to listen, observe and see what the natural world wants to reveal. The Butterfly Garden has a mulch path taking visitors along native plants, tall shade trees and a fountain with relaxing sounds. “It’s a beautiful setting, very conducive (to meditation), a comfortable, quaint, magical little spot,” Ford said. The program is part of the ELC’s focus on educating, empowering and inspiring all people to be stewards of the environment. Advancing that mission, the ELC offers a whole array of opportunities to reconnect to nature, including wellness retreats, overnight campouts, sunrise and full moon kayak tours, forest therapy and more. The next Walking Meditation runs 11 a.m. to noon Sunday, May 23. The cost is $15 for non-members with discounts for members, students and seniors 65 and older. After you go to the Walking Meditation, be sure to explore more of the ELC’s 65-acre campus. The Environmental Learning Center is at 255 Live Oak Drive, Vero Beach. Call 772-589-5050 or visit DiscoverELC.org.
Animal lovers will say the best deal in town happens Sunday afternoon when Mash Monkeys Brewing Company holds a big fundraiser for H.A.L.O. – Helping Animals Live and Overcome. The event, called “Pups, Pints & Pinups,” is a collaboration between the H.A.L.O. leadership team and Mash Monkeys owners Derek Gerry and Pat Kirchner. There will be opportunities to adopt a dog, and purchase a pint of craft brew, with $1 from each pint sold going to H.A.L.O. In addition, H.A.L.O. will also offer beauty makeovers (for the humans) and a special $25 pinup beauty shot by professional photographer Michael Jackson. Just be sure to bring your own glamor garb. “People are looking forward to getting out, and we thought this would be a cute, fun event to do,” said Allyson Bootes, director of development for H.A.L.O. The organization was founded in 2006 to provide a no-kill safe haven for abused and abandoned animals. Last year, there were many foster families that ended up adopting pets, but there were also many people surrendering their pets because they could no longer afford them. Additionally, many pet owners turned to H.A.L.O. to help with medical costs for the pets. “Our current save rate is 97 percent, so people turn to us because they know we are going to do everything in our power to save that life,” Bootes said. Pups, Pints & Pinups runs 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Mash Monkeys Brewing Company, 920 U.S. 1, Sebastian. Call H.A.L.O. at 772-589-7297 or visit HALORescueFl.org. To reach Mash Monkeys Brewing Company, call 772-571-6283 or visit MashMonkeysBrewing.com.
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