Grove residents offered discount for upcoming Coconut Grove Arts Festival

When the Coconut Grove Arts Festival gets under way Feb.13-15, Coconut Grove residents can attend for half price.

A discounted entrance rate of $5, with proof of a 33133 ZIP code, will be offered to help make the weekend more accessible and to “thank” the residents who support the project throughout the year, said the festival’s Chief Operating Officer Katherine Phillips.

More than 150,000 people are expected to crowd the streets of the Grove for the 47^th annual festival. Sponsored by Blue Shield of Florida, the festival invites art lovers from all over to come out and survey thousands of pieces of artwork, sample food and enjoy live music and entertainment.

Author Jeff Lindsay, whose books were the basis for the popular Showtime series “Dexter,” will be at the festival for a special cooking demonstration with Chef Paul Leblanc and the festival’s culinary director, Gary Ciuca.

The trio will be featuring the blood orange in their presentation – a tribute to the opening scene of the television series about a Miami serial killer.

“I thought this would be fun and said let’s combine literary art with culinary art,” said Ciuca, who met Lindsay at the Miami Book Fair.

During the festival, 360 artists and 15 chefs will line the streets of McFarlane Road, South Bayshore Drive and Pan American Drive for an event named top fine arts festival in the nation by Sunshine Artist Magazine.

Gary Traczyk, known for his polished stainless steel kinetic sculptures, will be one of 150 local artists featured.

Traczyk has been coming to the event for six years and has developed a bit of a following for his work.

The North Miami firefighter, originally from Homestead, has been featured on HGTV, has done sculptures for HIV/AIDS awareness and has one of his pieces on display in the fountain at the Ritz Carlton in Coconut Grove.

His advice to those planning to attend: “Come early if you’re into the art. It becomes a bit of a party seen later on.”

The festival is put on by the Coconut Grove Arts & Historical Association, a local nonprofit. The money earned from the $1.3 million production goes toward the association’s arts center building fund, as it hopes to one day host a permanent art education location in the Grove area.

Although the festival is a celebration of art, food and music, organizers say they try to maintain a consistent quality each year.

“It’s always just a really good taste of what South Florida has to offer,” Phillips said. “But we don’t change much. You don’t mess with what’s good.”