This Saturday, the 21st Annual Waterlily Celebration returns to McKee! More than 100 varieties in peak bloom, plein-air artists, aquatic plant vendors, re-potting demonstrations, and the photo contest winners on display in the Hall of Giants. Arrive early. The window when night-blooming and day-blooming lilies open together is brief, and it's not something you want to miss. One more thing: tomorrow, June 9th, is the last day to submit entries for the Waterlily Photo Contest.

For more details on all upcoming events and to register for these, see "The Week Ahead" section here. June 3, 5 p.m. -- Ocean Grill Night Benefitting the Arc of Indian River County June 5, 5 p.m. -- First Friday Gallery Stroll June 6, 2 p.m. -- Artist Talk: Process Behind the Art at the Environmental Learning Center June 13, 8:30 a.m. -- McKee Botanical Garden 21st Annual Waterlily Festival June 13, 10 a.m. -- Second Saturdays at VBMA -- Free Admission All Day

The International Ocean Film Festival's Florida Tour sold out FAU Harbor Branch last year, and if the trend holds, tickets will go fast. The fourth edition takes place this Saturday, June 6 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. $40 per ticket, advance purchase only. See our article on last year's festival here. Ten films, three blocks, filmmakers from a dozen countries. The standouts: a novice Italian diver who goes to Norway to film wolffish and finds a seafloor stripped of its kelp forests

Juneteenth is one of those things most people in Vero Beach would say they know. Federal holiday, June 19, end of slavery. Check, check, check. But knowing a date isn't the same as knowing the story behind it and why it matters.

Burgers and Brews has outgrown Riverside Park. After ten years, United Against Poverty is moving its annual fundraiser to the Indian River County Fairgrounds on Saturday, June 27, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. To celebrate, UAP is giving away two combo packs passes for: 5 sliders 10 brewery tastings A souvenir cup (valued at $50) Enter to win here. Eleven competitors, mostly new ones, will battle for Best Burger in Indian River County while guests sample sliders and vote. Last year'

Some 1,000 people gathered yesterday for a yearly tradition honoring Indian River County’s rich military heritage -- a solemn reminder of the sacrifices we take for granted. It's easy to let the day slip by with the long weekend, the barbecues, the family from out of town. But in a county where nearly 1 in 9 residents has worn a uniform, showing up to Memorial Island yesterday morning for the Military Officers Association of America's annual ceremony was the most Vero thing

The Replogle Family It turns out one of the longest running fundraisers in Vero has neither a ticket price, a dress code, nor a silent auction. Since 1982, the Replogle family, who have run Ocean Grill since 1965, have dedicated one Tuesday evening each May to The Arc of Indian River County. No admission fee. No sponsorship. You make a reservation, order dinner just like any other night, and the evening's proceeds go directly to the organization supporting over 200 individual

America's 250th birthday is 47 days away, and Vero Beach is ready to celebrate in style! Dubbed USA All Day: Pioneers to Paradise, the City of Vero Beach has organized a rich lineup of America 250 festivities in partnership with their sponsors: Cleveland Clinic, Piper, Dyer Auto, MidFlorida Credit Union, the Vero Beach Chamber of Commerce, Vero Heritage, Jackie Robinson Training Complex, Overlay Pros, Fabulous Co. Finery Events, Breeze, and George E. Warren LLC, FPL, with sup

None of us missed the Blue Angels this weekend as they dominated the airspace, but if you're like me, you can't get enough.

Loyal Vero Minute readers know by now that some of the most spectacular natural destinations in Indian River County are hiding in plain sight thanks to the Indian River Land Trust. Don't miss the last two chances to see them with a guide this season. The Trust wraps up its tour season with a native plant hike at Lagoon Greenway Tomorrow, Tuesday May 12 at 9:30 AM, and an early-morning birding walk on Thursday, May 14 at 7:00 AM. Both are free, both are led by knowledgeable v

Main Street Vero Beach's monthly Meet Me on Main series lands at Curfew on 14th Avenue this Thursday, May 14, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Under the stewardship of board president Morgen Reynolds, who's been driving some of downtown's most visible improvements, from the oak tree lighting project at Pocahontas Park to the decorative signal boxes popping up around the district, the series has become, alongside Let's Talk Vero, one of the best ways to stay connected to the city's pulse w

The Vero Beach Air Show is this weekend. Read all about it here. One update since we published: the premium Barnstormer Tent is sold out Saturday, but Friday and Sunday still have spots. If past years are any indication, these will absolutely sell out. Tickets at veroairshow.com.

Nichola Redmond, HSVB CEO, and Lisa McCarthy at March 4's Cause for Paws Gala If you've been contemplating getting a pet, the next two weeks are the best time to take action! The Humane Society of Vero Beach is running reduced adoption fees through May 17 as part of the national Empty the Shelters campaign organized by the BISSELL Pet Foundation. Every pet leaves vaccinated, microchipped, and spayed or neutered, ready to move into its new forever home. If you've never adopted

Tony Cho grew up in Vero Beach, left for Miami, and spent two decades reshaping places like Wynwood and Little Haiti into some of the hottest neighborhoods in the country. Along the way he became one of the more influential voices in regenerative placemaking globally, advising cities, building conservation districts and writing about what it looks like when developers stop extracting from communities and start restoring them. Then he came back to the Treasure Coast and activa

They don't care about arts and culture, but after a two-year absence, lovebugs have returned to Vero Beach, and if you've noticed them drifting across your driveway again, here's what you need to know. First, kill the myth: the University of Florida did not create these in a lab. The story that they were engineered to eat mosquitoes is fiction. They migrated here naturally from Central America, they don't bite, and they survive entirely on nectar. They're also not, technicall

Summer is around the corner, meaning now is the time to pick up a good book and get ready to hit the beach. Here's a look at what the Book Center has lined up to help you find your next read: Fox News Chief Political Anchor and bestselling author Bret Baier presents The Case For America, an argument for the nation's founding ideals as the country approaches its 250th anniversary. Saturday, May 9 at 11:00 AM. Call 772-569-2050 to reserve tickets. Divergent author Veronica Roth

Hundreds of cities apply each year. Only 35 are selected. Rob Lucas has spent twelve years making sure Vero is among the select few.

On April 22, 1970 , now known as Earth Day , 20 million Americans took to the streets in the largest single-day civic demonstration in U.S. history, which led to the creation of the EPA as well as the passage of the Clean Air and the Clean Water Acts. Florida, caught at the crossroads between breakneck growth and the natural beauty that made it worth moving to in the first place, was ahead of its time. The state rode this early Earth Day momentum to pass the Environmental Lan

This Saturday, The Moorings Yacht and Country Club opens its gates to the 16th Annual Wheels and Keels Antique & Exotic Car & Boat Show where collector cars are fanned across the golf course, with yachts at the docks, food trucks, and an awards ceremony. No ticket required to walk in from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. If you'd like to attend the dinner and live auction the night before, tickets are $275 and can be purchased here. Gavin Rutuolo, George O'Malley, and Vincent DeTurris

Travel + Leisure’s new “ Essential Guide to Vero Beach ” reads, for those of us who live here year‑round, like a reminder we didn’t quite need but are glad to see confirmed: this is an unusually rich corner of the map, unlike anywhere else in the state of Florida. In a short sweep it moves from the Vero Beach Museum of Art and Riverside Theatre through McKee’s gardens to the lagoon, Pelican Island , and the Environmental Learning Center — our 64‑acre “hands‑on, feet‑wet