Food & Fun for July 4-10: Craft fair in Indialantic, jazz in Cocoa Beach and Bite Squad

Summertime and the living is crafty

The annual Indialantic Craft Festival returns for its 17th version on Saturday and Sunday, July 7 and 8, at James H. Nance Park, 201 N. Miramar Ave.

The summer festival of U.S.-made crafts features pottery, jewelry, handmade clothing, fiber art, handbags, wood crafts, stained glass, paintings and more, all without the high-season crowds and prices.

More than 75 artisans from around the country will participate in this juried showcase. The festival also includes a green market of plants, homemade soups, food goodies and more.

Pets on leashes are welcome.

For information, call 561-746-6615.

Grooving with Ron

Brevard County jazz enthusiasts are familiar with bassist Ron Pirtle, one of the most popular musicians along the Space Coast. Pirtle is back on the bass again, thanks to the Space Coast Jazz Society, which is hosting a concert at 2 p.m., Sunday, July 8, at Rockledge Country Club, 1591 S. Fiske Blvd.

Accompanying Pirtle for this jazz on a Sunday afternoon will be Billy Davis on sax, Marce Palos on keyboard and Brock Wollard on drums. Expect to hear Latin, swing, hard bop and blues.

“I like to blend it so everything is not the same and appeal to a wide range of people,” Pirtle said. “If people want to dance, we would love that.”

Pirtle has been making beautiful music since the age of 12 when his parents gave him an electric bass guitar. He has been a fixture in the Central Florida jazz scene for decades.

Saxophonist Davis has worked internationally and toured as part of the opening act for Chicago, Hall and Oats, Eric Clapton and others.

Drummer Brock was in a band that toured around the United States, Mexico and Europe before returning to Brevard to teach music and play local gigs.

Keyboardist Palos’ trio was the resident music group at the prestigious Four Seasons Resort in Palm Beach for nine years.

Tickets, available at the door, are $15 for the general admission, $10 for Jazz Society members and free for students.

For more information, call 321-960-4897 or go to SpaceCoastJazzSociety.org.

Build your own giraffe

Award-winning artist Fonda Haddad will help children create their own gourd giraffe at the Studios of Cocoa Beach, 165 Minuteman Causeway.

Families can select a class time from 9 a.m. to noon or 1 to 4 p.m. on Friday, July 13. Students will choose a dipper gourd for the body and a miniature gourd for the head. The giraffes may be decorated in a traditional style with tan body and brown spots or can be funky with a white body and zentangle type black designs.  Each giraffe will have eyes, ears and short horns and a fiber tail. 

$30 fee covers all materials. To register, call 321-298-2796 or email fondahaddad@cfl.rr.com.

Concert by the bay

The City of Palm Bay will host its First Friday by the Bay concert from 5 to 9 p.m., July 6, at Celebration Square, U.S. 1 and Port Malabar Blvd.

The free concert features children’s activities, vendors, food trucks and music by classic rock, blues, funk and Southern rock group Whisky Tango.

For more information, see pbfl.org/firstfriday.

Taking an additional bite

Minneapolis-based food delivery service Bite Squad has acquired Melbourne delivery service Twins Food Taxi to expand its Brevard presence.

Bite Squad entered the local market in April of 2017 with the acquisition of Doorstep Delivery. The Minneapolis-based company currently offers delivery from more than 100 restaurants in the area via its squad of more than 100 employee delivery drivers.

“The Space Coast market has experienced tremendous growth over the past year, and we’re excited to build on that momentum with the Twins Food Taxi customer base,” said Bite Squad co-founder and CEO Kian Salehi.

Bite Squad has greatly expanded in the last 18 months through acquisitions in Florida, as well as other southern states including Texas, North Carolina and Mississippi. They acquired 17 regional delivery services last year and have reported 10 acquisitions this year.

Among the 30 new restaurant partners in the Space Coast delivery area are El Antojo, Robburritos, Off the Traxx, Me-n-Tito’s Mexican Grill, Hooters and BJ’s Restaurant.

Delivery is available within a seven-mile radius of participating restaurant partners.

Along with expanded restaurant choices, former Twins Food Taxi customers can expect a consumer app with live order tracking to stay updated on where their food is and when it will arrive; a live chat support team for real-time help and fully-uniformed, trained employee drivers.

Order Bite Squad seven days a week on the Bite Squad app or at bitesquad.com. Delivery fees start at $1.99.

Laughter is the best medicine

Surfside Playhouse, 301 Ramp Road, Cocoa Beach, will host Cambridge Impronauts, a British-based improvised comedy troupe, at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 6. Let the Cambridge Impronauts restore your faith in the future, or at least provide you with a good laugh about your present, while at the same time raising money to fight devastating health challenges, since the troupe donates 100 percent of proceeds to organizations that include research groups fighting multiple sclerosis, breast cancer and chronic diseases linked to parental addiction and childhood trauma.

Tickets for the family-friendly performance are $25 for general admission and $20 for seniors, students and the military. A VIP experience, priced at $500, includes front row priority seating, free valet parking, private improv show, DVD of Impronauts, backstage pass for meet and greet, light food and beverage, professional photo with the cast and signed Impronauts t-shirt and swag.

To purchase tickets, visit impronautstour.com.

Horsing around

Wild Horse Rescue Center, a nonprofit that rescues and rehabilitates neglected and abused mustangs, will host an open house from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m., Saturday, July 7, at the sanctuary at 1200 Lake Harney Woods Blvd., Mims. Currently, about 50 mustangs are housed at the facility.

Enjoy music by Leo Aether, tours, raffles, training and riding demonstrations, tack sales and education stations. Admission is free.

For information, call 321-427-1523 or visit wildhorserescuecenter.org.

Country church

Highland Avenue Fellowship, the re-branded St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, invites the public to join their community in a free concert by classic country crooner Jerry Lenoir. Lenoir promises to sing “country classics to make your summer smile.”

The event begins at 7 p.m., Friday, July 6, at the Eau Gallie Arts District church, 1591 Highland Ave.

For more information, call 321-254-6363.

Email toastofthecoastfloridatoday@gmail.com.