Topic: Holidays

Happy Earth Day, Miami! Here at Plum, we're all about making things greener.

Aside from cleaning up a beach or attending any of the many festivities centered around this green day, the Earth Day network wants you to put in a call to congress. The network hopes to flood the capital with over a million calls from people demanding climate change. It’s a call to end global warming. If you want to get involved, click here.

Gather around you jilted, jaded, bitter & broken hearted. In this sunny town full of shady people, it can be hard to find that special someone. No worries, just sit back, relax and fill your black heart with advice from this guide to spending Valentine’s Day solo.

Looking for a way to celebrate MLK Day? Here is a rundown of events happening around Miami.

Legacy of the Dream March for Dignity, Ft. Lauderdale; Free; 954-347-3228.
Annual march starts at Martin Luther King Elementary School, 591 NW 31st. Ave., Fort Lauderdale and ends at Dillard High School, 2501 NW 11th St., Fort Lauderdale, with a performance by the Dillard Gospel Choir.

Martin Luther King Jr. Inspirational Breakfast; Ft. Lauderdale; $30; First Baptist Church of Fort Lauderdale; 954-334-9622
The YMCA of Broward County presents the fourth annual event with Miami guest speaker Barrington Irving who, at 23 years old, became youngest and first black person to fly solo around the world in 2007. Proceeds benefit the L.A. YMCA Family Center.

Martin Luther King Run and Fitness Walk, Miami; $20 for adults, $15 for children; 305-666-7223; www.footworksmiami.com.
The 25th annual 5K Run/Walk benefits the Miami-Dade Youth Explorers. Trophies will be handed out for first, second and third place finishers.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade, Liberty City; Free; 305-835-2464; 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
The 31st annual parade features marching bands and representatives from Miami-Dade County, Hialeah and Opa-locka to honor the civil rights leader. Takes place along Fifty-fourth Street from Seventh to 19th avenues in Liberty City.

Unity in the Community, Carol City; Free.
The City of Miami Gardens hosts the Fourth Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Celebration presented by the Children's Trust and Comcast. The event will include food, musical entertainment, a keynote speaker, interactive games, the Miami Carol City Park.

This holiday season, we had the chance to speak with Miami City Ballerina Tricia Albertson about her roles as the the Sugar Plum Fairy, Dew Drop and Marzipan Shepherdess in George Balanchine's The Nutcracker. Here's what she had to say.

Q: What are some of your memories of The Nutcracker?
A: I've been dancing since I was four years old, so when I was younger, I danced as one of the children (a doll) and remembered idolizing the professional dancers. Now, as a professional dancer, it is really special performing with the children, because they look up to you so much.

Q: What are some of the challenges you face?
We are traveling all over performing, somewhere from 3-6 shows per weekend. With The Nutcracker, we are going to Clearwater, West Palm , Broward and Naples. Plus, during the week, we train 6-7 hours per day. It's exhausting.

Q: How do you prepare yourself to go on stage?
I really try to focus, go over the performance in my head and visualize the way I want it to look. I also try to take a deep breath and calm myself down, but once I get on stage, it all disappears.

Q: How are you going to spend your holidays this year?
Relaxing! I'm going to spend my time relaxing here in Miami with my boyfriend.

The Nutcracker runs Dec. 1 - 23 at:

Miami City Ballet, Miami Beach; 305-929-7010; www.miamicityballet.org.

Ahh, the holidays. Aside from the inevitable family and friend obligations, there are plenty of festive happenings going on in Miami for you to enjoy. Here's the run down of Thanksgiving events not to be missed. As always, check out our online calendar for more options!

Start this Turkey Day bright and early with the Turkey Trot 5k/10K race at 7:30 a.m. Then, run over to the 33rd Annual Winter National Thanksgiving Day Parade. After the parade, you can go lend a helping hand to Miami Rescue Mission at the Great Thanksgiving Day Banquet to help feed the homeless (insider tip: D.J. Irie will be there spinning after 2 p.m.).

Don't stop there! On Friday you can walk off those extra Thanksgiving calories at Turkey Trail, a 3.5 mile trail through Miami Metro Zoo. If you still have it in you, you can start your Christmas celebrations with an outing to Santa's Enchanted Forest, the largest Christmas themed park and carnival in the world.

Happy Thanksgiving!

What says Halloween more than a pug in a bunny costume? Luckily, we'll never have to find out. Residents of the Flamingo South Beach trotted out their best and brightest doggie costumes last weekend for a heated competition, complete with a red carpet, food, drinks and music by DJ Supersede.

Ready to get your Halloween party on? Check out these hot spots for plenty of tricks, treats and just enough trouble to get you through the night.

• The Enchanted Forest at Touch – Step off of Lincoln Road and into an Enchanted Forest themed bash. Staff will be dressed as ethereal fairies and the crowd will be treated to an aerial and fire show.
  Find the party at: 910 Lincoln Road Miami Beach; 7 p.m.; 305-532-8003.

They’re big, they're orange and they conjure images of your favorite Halloween fantasies. Whether you crave or carve this Halloween icon, please enjoy our homage to that which is sliced, served and eventually smashed in the street: pumpkins!

Getting the Goods