The largest waterlily collection in the state is in full bloom this summer at McKee Botanical Gardens, and Saturday morning is the season kickoff with the 12th Annual Waterlily Celebration.
The 350 specimens include 100 varieties, and are the pride and joy of the horticultural staff and volunteers who tend them all year. They’ve all been wading around in the mucky waters to gussy them up in time for their big moment, when thousands of visitors along with artists and photographers arrive to admire them.
The gates open early – 8:30 a.m. – to give people a chance to see the night-blooming varieties before they close up for the day. There will be demonstrations on repotting the lilies as well as a chance to buy some. There’s also a photography exhibit on view that visitors can take part in. Experts will be available to answer questions around the gardens. Things wrap up by 2 p.m. Admission for adults is $10.
Monday afternoon from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., the Vero Beach Book Center is hosting a pop-up kids’ book festival when the specially-outfitted RV of the Scholastic Summer Reading Road Trip pulls into Miracle Mile. The van is carrying authors, illustrators and characters of popular books for young children. The event is an effort to encourage summer reading.
The Treasure Coast Wind Ensemble, a group of music professionals including band directors, college musicians and professional musicians, is holding its ninth annual concert Friday at 7 p.m. at the Vero Beach High School Performing Arts Center. The program includes “Music for Prague 1968” by Karel Husa, Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man,” and Beethoven’s “Rondino in E-flat for Winds.”
It’s a great chance to find out how truly talented our kids’ band and orchestra instructors are. Directed by the high school’s orchestra instructor Page Howell, the musicians come from not only the Treasure Coast but from Brevard and Palm Beach counties. The concert is free but donations are appreciated.
Space Coast Symphony goes pops this month with a program of Broadway hits this weekend and a patriotic program next week.
The Bright Lights of Broadway concert is Sunday at 3 p.m. at Vero’s Community Church. Conductor Aaron Collins leads the group in the music of some of the best-known musicals, including “South Pacific,” “Phantom of the Opera,” “Mama Mia” and “Wicked.” Tickets are $20 and kids 18 and under get in free.
Then, next Friday at 7 p.m., Space Coast Symphony Wind Orchestra is holding its annual tribute concert to the Armed Forces at the First Presbyterian Church in Vero Beach. “Land, Sea, Air” features patriotic music from “The Star Spangled Banner” to works of John Philip Sousa, with choral works performed by the Space Coast Symphony Women’s Chorus.
It’s a free concert, but you have to reserve tickets and apparently they go fast.
The summer-camp kids at Riverside Children’s Theatre have been busy creating their own versions of “Disney’s Aladdin.” The older bunch will be staging the hour-long “Disney’s Aladdin Jr.” Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. The younger campers take the stage next weekend in their own shorter version at the same times.
Tickets are $12 for adults; $6 for children.
Palm Beach Dramaworks is staging a full production of “1776,” opening July 1. The 1969 Broadway musical written by pop music composer Sherman Edwards is about John Adams’ quest to get all 13 colonies to sign the Declaration of Independence. It won three Tony awards, including for best musical, and was revived on Broadway in 1997.
The entire show takes place in Philadelphia’s Independence Hall and portrays the historical figures as real people, arguing angrily but committed to getting a job done. Directed by Clive Cholerton, this is a fully-staged production, not just in concert form, as the theater often does in summer.
During the year, it stages mostly straight plays, for which it has an excellent reputation. Palm Beach Dramaworks is at the fountain end of Clematis Street in downtown West Palm Beach.
Riverside Theatre is launching its new Howl at the Moon dueling piano parties starting next weekend, with a dance floor set up in front of the stage and cabaret-style tables as there are for Comedy Zone weekends. The pianists are part of a national franchise in multiple cities including Orlando. Because they play songs by request, the shows are different each time.
Starting next week, Howl at the Moon will alternate with Comedy Zone weekends. And there’s still a live band on the circle. Tickets range from $16 to $22.
