Thursday, August 14th - 2025 - The Grateful Dead take over IMAX at MODS all weekend—arrive early for dinosaurs or join Saturday’s beach cleanup. After dark, walk-up for local food trucks or chase R&B vibes with Carl Thomas at Mills Pond. Your Friday-to-Sunday playlist is set.👇​
​

Please note: If you think you are getting this email by mistake, you can unsubscribe with the button at the bottom of this newsletter. But you might miss out on our weekly "basket of goodies" including from Family Friendly Fort Lauderdale, updates for friends of Acton Academy Fort Lauderdale, or supporters of our local Fort Lauderdale Children's Business Fair. Whatever you choose, we will always respect your decision. But once you unsubscribe we will no longer be able to share our updates.

​

Stuff You Won't Want To Miss:

1. Starting tonight until Sunday, the Grateful Dead will be on the big IMAX screen at MODS. Make sure you go early to see the Dinosaur Expedition, or come out Saturday for the MODS Beach Cleanup.
2. Friday you have evening options again while the summer fun still lasts. The Pompano Old Town Backyard Jam starts at 6pm. Summer Jamz is a Mills Pond Park (this is their last event of the summer schedule). They will finish strong with R&B sensation Carl Thomas (starts at 7pm). Also on Friday night, the Food Trucks will be back out for Food In Motion. This is their big return to Flagler Village where they started!
3. Saturday, OP (Oakland Park) is getting its ArtWalk game face on - with Wander, Savor, and Celebrate Art. Downtown Oakland Park will come alive with art, food & drink and live entertainment. In partnership with Art Fusion Galleries, this special event will showcase the city's local artists, restaurants, and businesses.
4. Make sure you stop into History Fort Lauderdale (Old Fort Lauderdale Village by the New River) to see 'Paradise Under The Palmettos' - This free summer fine art exhibit, highlighting Florida’s wildlife and untamed beauty, will feature works by award-winning artists.
5. Next week (22nd) UB40 (Red, red wine!) will be at the Hard Rock for ONE NIGHT ONLY.
6. Have you been following the development of the new Huizenga Park. Construction has been underway all summer but it is pretty cool to see it starting to take shape. There are custom benches, new walkways, and "Poppy's Play Patch" which is sure to delight the little ones. Make sure you subscribe to FTL-DDA for updates. The Park will be ready to fully reopen in early 2026.

😉Hey - quick question. Did we miss anything? Each week we do our research but you might know of an event, an organization, or a local business that deserves some love here in our weekly basket of goodies.​

Just hit reply to this email and let us know!

Featured Fort Lauderdale

In the past couple of months we have shared a lot of water-based adventures, including last week's feature on our Acton crew who dived their way to their PADI certification. But if you don't want to go THAT deep, you can always peek away from the surface.

And just like local walking trails, these water-bound snorkeling destinations each have options to explore. With easy access to vibrant reefs right from the beach, plus exciting artificial reefs and eco-parks, Fort Lauderdale offers unforgettable underwater adventures for snorkelers of all levels.

So... You Think You Know South Florida

You probably already know... Fort Lauderdale is a world-class vacation destination, with folks traveling from all over the map to come and enjoy our long sandy beaches, culinary treats, local adventures, and of course our Stanley Cup-winning Panthers.

But what you might not know... Fort Lauderdale Beach was recently named by Conde Nast (THE name in travel curation) as one of the top 21 best beaches to visit.

The full article surveyed the 21 different beach-front destinations here in Florida, looking at over 1300 coastal miles of sun, fun, and charm. The list was unordered, but since Amelia Island was at the top, we are pretty sure they didn't want to hurt the feelings of our neighboring communities when Fort Lauderdale is clearly at the top of the list! 😎

Treats To Try

We don't let just anyone sponsor this newsletter. Here's who "made the cut" this week:

(Hit reply to this email if you want to reach over 1300+ local families for just $100)

• SAVE THIS DATE - Friday, Sept 26th - the Founding Families Fall Festival at the Stranahan House & Museum. There will be food trucks, beer and wine vendors, games for people of all ages, live music, and more! Sponsorship opportunities still available.
• We are starting a new school year - and we have slots open if you want to get word out.
• 👉 Buy YOUR OWN Classified Ad Here 👈

Just hit reply to this email to get started. Work with us to reach over 1250+ Greater Fort Lauderdale families.

Quote Of The Week

These words by James Joyce are from his classic novel Ulysses. The way we do this at Acton, is to "fail early, often, and cheaply" - because getting feedback from mistakes is the start of the learning process. Making intentional mistakes often speeds up the velocity of learning.

In what ways might you be trying to be too perfect and avoid mistakes? If you gave yourself grace and permission to make mistakes "early, often, and cheaply" would it get you to your intended destination faster?

Flotsam & Jetsam

Here's a fun one-minute game to play: Vystery!​

Many people like Wordle, Sudoku, or other challenge games to tease your brain. Vystery is an "image reveal game" that has people talking. It’s simple, elegant, and the game mechanic is perfectly tuned.

​

Word Play Of The Week

The idiom "right up my alley" means that something is perfectly suited to one's interests, skills, or preferences. It implies that the particular task, activity, or situation is well within one's abilities or matches one's personal inclinations or tastes.

At first, we thought it originated from the game of bowling. Because, in bowling, each player has a designated "alley" or lane in which they bowl. If a bowling ball is rolling right up your alley, it means it's going straight toward your target, which is ideal.

However, the origin of the idiom "right up my alley" is not definitively tied to bowling. It actually originates from the phrase "up one's alley," which dates back to the early 20th century. The phrase "up one's alley" originally referred to something that suited or matched one's skills, preferences, or interests. It likely derives from the idea of a familiar or comfortable place, as in a familiar neighborhood or street (alley). ~ Source​

Idea Of The Week

Tell Us How We Are Doing

Every week we are working to improve #FFFTL every week, both for your reading experience and to provide a cutting-edge media apprenticeship opportunity for our learners.

We want to hear from you. What do you love? What could we do better FOR YOU?

And most importantly, what FTL businesses and experiences should we be highlighting?