Get Ready for 2021 Holiday Village Christmas Tree Competition!
After a difficult year, the joy, fun and vibrancy of the Christmas holidays in Oakland Park are back! The 5th Annual Oakland Park Holiday Village will take place December 3rd and 4th at Jaco Pastorius Park. As part of the Holiday Village, the City of Oakland Park will be hosting a Christmas Tree Decorating Competition. […]
Oakland Park Moonlit Movies: Events at Jaco Pastorius are Back!
When people attended Taste of Oakland Park on February 28th, 2020, and enjoyed all the flavors our city has to offer, getting to know our local restauranteurs and food vendors, friends and neighbors, it crossed no one’s mind that that specific event would be the last one held at Jaco Pastorius Park for almost two […]
Jaco Pastorius: How One Oakland Parker Changed Music Forever
Tucked behind Funky Buddha brewery on Dixie Highway is a space that, to many, is the heart of Oakland Park. If you’ve been to any of our cultural festivals, Holiday Village, movie nights, or food events you know the iconic fountain and archway that lead into Jaco Pastorius Park. You know the name, which is […]
Neighborhood Journals: Spreading Joy Through Words Around Oakland Park
Just a few weeks ago, Oakland Park resident Layla Hinson had the novel idea of creating Neighborhood Journals for Oakland Park and its surrounding areas. The concept is simple: Layla purchased a variety of pens/pencils/markers, smile stickers, and plastic zip bags for this initiative. With materials in hand, Layla set about creating the journals with […]
Earnest Mitchell Named Youth Day Grand Marshal
Oakland Park is celebrating its annual Youth Day carnival and parade for the 63rd year this Saturday, March 14th. It is currently Broward County’s longest-running parade. This year, Earnest “Ernie†Mitchell has been named Grand Marshal for the 2020 celebration. Grand Marshals are chosen for their dedication and service to the community. Earnest Mitchell: A […]
Taste of Oakland Park: Diverse Flavor, Diverse Community
Over 2000 people milled about in Jaco Pastorius Park under bistro lighting at a sold out Taste of Oakland Park on February 28th. With 32 restaurants showcased, the air was fragrant with the savory smells of hot soups and bite sized samples of a variety of cuisines. The biggest turn out yet, patrons were happy […]
Experience Polynesia at the Annual Polynesian Cultural Festival
Aloha! Grab your grass skirt and lei and head over to Jaco Pastorius Park for the Polynesian Annual Cultural Festival! This festival is the brainchild of Tama Leao, President of the Polynesian Culture Association, located here in our own backyard of Oakland Park. He created the PCA to create awareness of the Polynesian Culture. The […]
Poodles and Pitbulls and Rain, OH MY: 7th Annual Doggy Fun Fest
They say “Dogs have owners, and cats have staff.†In Oakland Park I would say that dogs have fans! On Sunday, February 16th not wind, rain or hail could have stopped hundreds of dog fans from going to Jaco Pastorious Park for the Seventh Annual Doggy Fun Fest! Two Legs or Four Legs, Everyone Was […]
Oakland Park’s Soul Fest: A Hit Despite The Rain
The morning may have started off gray and damp, but Soul Fest went off without complication February 7 at Jaco Pastorius Park on Dixie Highway in Oakland Park. Soul Fest is an annual celebration of black history month and marks contributions and achievements of the African and Caribbean American communities through food, drink, music and […]
Oakland Park’s 2019 Trunk-or-Treat, A “Howling” Good Time!
Halloween is a holiday in which kids get to dress up as their favorite character and go trick-or-treating. It used to be that kids would go from house to house knocking on doors asking for treats. In recent times kids don’t trick or treat as much, instead they trunk-or-treat. But what is Trunk-or-Treating anyways?! Trunk-or-treating […]