Families wearing Christmas T-shirts and sweaters filled downtown Miami Lakes to celebrate Small Business Saturday and enjoy the 35th Annual Main Street Festival of Lights. The crowd gathered after sunset near the fountain on Main Street, waiting for Santa Claus to arrive and for all of the decorations to glow. Liliya Passman of Tampa held her 16-month-old son Adam as they swayed to “All I Want for Christmas,” a tune spun by...

Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic School in Miami Lakes held its 23rd annual children’s fashion show and luncheon to raise tuition for families in need as well as to support the school’s educational needs. Students from prekindergarten through eighth grade -- 120 in all – wore clothes from Macy’s at the Pembroke Lakes Mall; Zayas Tuxedos & Formal Wear; Zayas Bridal & Quinceañeras; Step by Step; Neptune’s...

Miami Lakes Branch Library 6699 Windmill Gate Rd. Miami Lakes, Fla. 33014 305-822-6520 Through Dec. 6, drop off new, unwrapped toys for children of all ages, part of Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez’s toy drive. For teens, consider gift cards from bookstores, clothing stores, electronics and gaming stores. Monday, Dec. 9 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. Staff from the office of Florida Sen. Manny Diaz, Jr. available. For...

You may not often think about using native plants as part of your landscape. Most of us are used to the colors and standard plant material we see at the big box stores. But shrubs that are indigenous to our region provide food and shelter for all types of wildlife, and support pollinators such as butterflies and hummingbirds. I’m going to suggest three plants native to Florida that are all part of the Verbenaceae...

Monsignor Edward Pace High School in Miami Gardens hosted the Broward All Catholic Conference cheerleading competition on Nov. 9. For the past three years, Pace has partnered with the All Catholic Conference from the Archdiocese of Miami to provide cheerleading camps and competitions for ACC teams in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. Last month’s event brought 11 middle and elementary schools from the Broward Catholic Conference...