MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
In the CRA’s continued efforts to celebrate even during a pandemic as a city, there were things we had to do a bit different this year at the Riviera Beach Marina Village.
Our Annual Winter Wonderland, where we traditionally have thousands of people on the promenade, turned to a Holiday Drive Thru Event. We hosted a virtual tree lighting that was taped and shown on TV18 and social media with our City Manager and Commissioners on December 4, 2020.
The Drive-Thru opened at 6:45pm with cars coming in steadily to see the tree lit, Santa and Mrs. Claus, DJ playing Holiday Hits, Tron “Light-Up” Man dancing, and Faith’s Place musicians and dancers with their holiday concert. Kids received goodie bags on entry with fun holiday treats. It was a fun event to be able to be with everyone socially distanced.
Celebrating the eight days of Hanukkah each night a flame was lit on the Menorah on the promenade. Rabbi Berel Namdar from Chabad Singer Island & the Beaches, lead a brief prayer and song blessing at the Riviera Beach Marina Village and lit the flame celebrating each day of Hanukkah. We were able to post these on our social media and celebrate each day of Hanukkah together through still photography this year.
Councilperson Shirley Lanier (along with) The City of Riviera Beach celebrated our inaugural drive-thru Kwanzaa experience at the Riviera Beach Marina Village on Saturday, December 26, 2020 from 3pm till 6pm. This celebration was a drive-thru experience that was also televised on TV18.
Councilperson Shirley Lanier stated: “Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday, which is meant to honor African Americans’ ancestral roots by embracing the culture with family and the community. The act of Kwanzaa is to honor the seven principles that represent seven values of African culture, that builds and reinforces community among African-Americans. Each day a different principle is discussed, and each day a candle is lit on the kinara (candleholder). We wanted to inform and ultimately share our ancestral heritage traditions for this holiday season and the holidays to come. “
The celebration started with the lighting of the life size Kinara for the first day. There was live entertainment of African dancers and drummers, poets, and a DJ. The Tiki Market joined the celebration on Sunday, December 27, 2020 for the 2nd day of Kwanzaa, showcasing the principle of Ujamaa, which is to build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
The Riviera Beach Community Redevelopment Agency
The Riviera Beach Community Redevelopment Agency is at the heart of dramatic transformations underway within the district. Formed in 1984 by the Riviera Beach City Council, the Riviera Beach CRA provides funding for a wide scope of projects that incentivize economic growth through business attraction and retention; finances and new and improved infrastructure for real estate projects; and generally works to expand the tax base by creating a welcoming environment that eliminates blight and improves the perception of safety in the area.
The Agency’s main mission is to guide the city’s redevelopment efforts. This includes making investments of public funds in key infrastructure improvement projects that have the capacity to act as a catalyst for additional private funding and development, create jobs and help to improve the quality of life for city residents. For more information about the Riviera Beach Community Redevelopment Agency, follow the official Facebook, Instagram @RBCRA and Twitter @RivieraBeachCRA pages or visit rbcra.com.