Seaside Prize: Symposium, Award and Dinner February 1 & 2

The Seaside Prize is an award given to individuals or organizations that have made significant contributions to the quality and character of communities. The Seaside Institute's founding board members came up with the idea of this award to acknowledge those who had made great strides in moving the new urban movement forward. Each year, the recipient of the award is recognized at a ceremony held in Seaside.

The award is a solid bronze key with an image of the town of Seaside imprinted on one end and the prize name on the other. It was designed by architect and town planner Dhiru Thadani and presented for the first time at the 20th anniversary of Seaside in 2001.

The Seaside Institute will award this year's Seaside Prize to Senator Bob Graham, the two-term governor of Florida and eighteen year veteran of the Senate. The ceremony will take place as part of a weekend of events, February 1st and 2nd.

On Friday, February 1, a symposium featuring Senator Graham will be held in the Seaside Lyceum Hall at 4:00pm. The topic of discussion should be of interest to all property owners along 30A, "Seaside/South Walton County: Reflections on the Regions Past and Future Opportunities." This event is free and open to the public.

Symposium Agenda:

4:00pm - Welcome and purpose for the symposium:  Robert Davis, founder,Seaside.

4:15pm - Panel presentations: Jim Murley, moderator, DCA Secretary and Trust member.

4:30pm - Setting the stage:  Bob Rhodes, Jacksonville attorney and former executive vice president of the St. Joe Company: 

4:45pm -. Billy Buzzett: Personal and professional reflections, former DCA Secretary.

5:00pm -  Chris Leinberger: National trends and opportunities

5:15pm -. Rick Harper: Regional trends and opportunities, director, University of West Florida, Office of Economic Development and Engagement

5:30pm -  Responses and Reflections: Senator Bob Graham and Robert Davis
5:45pm -  Audience questions

6:15pm -  Adjourn for light cocktails

The Seaside Prize ceremony, honoring Senator Graham, will be held at the Seaside Chapel on February 2 at 5:00pm. Bob Graham is recognized for his leadership on issues ranging from education, economic development, healthcare, environmental preservation and his service on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence — including 18 months as chairman in 2001–2002. This event is also free and open to the public

Following this prestigious ceremony will be a special Seaside Prize reception and dinner that will be held at 115 Seaside Avenue at approximately 7:00pm. The cost is $80, which includes wine and passed hors d'oeuvres. Tickets for the dinner can be purchased by visiting http://www.eventbrite.com/e/seaside-prize-2013-tickets-5150721948.

Chef Phillip McDonald from Table Five Chef has created another outstanding menu (see below):

Hors d'oeuvres
Skewers of Marinated Artichokes, Grilled Haloumi, Marinated Eggplant, CherryTomatoes & Sopressata
Cornmeal Dusted Fried Oysters with Smoked Bacon Remoulade & Celeriac Slaw
Salad
Chicory & Local Arugula Salad with Spicy Pecans, Alabama Goat Cheese, Country Sorghum Vinaigrette
Entree
Grilled Mahi-Mahi with Succotash of Field Peas, Zucchini, Sweet Peppers, Sweet Potatoes & Florida Orange Buerre Blanc
Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits
Dessert
Apple-Cardamom Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel

Previous recipients of the Seaside Prize include the six founders of the Congress for the New Urbanism, architects Peter Calthorpe, Elizabeth Moule, Stephanos Polyzoides, Daniel Solomon, Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk; historian and scholar Vincent Scully; architects Christopher Alexander, Leon Krier, Robert A.M. Stern, Alex Cooper, Jaquelin Robertson, Donlyn Lyndon, Aldo Rossi, Giancarlo DeCarlo; writer and civic activist Jane Jacobs; Mayor of Charleston Joseph P. Riley, Jr.; Seaside town founders Daryl and Robert Davis; authors Witold Rybczynski and James Howard Kunstler; urban designer Allan B. Jacobs; Hank Dittmar, urban designer and chief executive of The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment; Dhiru Thadani, urbanist, architect and author, and architect and planner Scott Merrill.

The recipients of the Prize have had a major influence on how our towns and cities can best be built and rebuilt to reflect and promote diversity, walkability, beauty, and sustainability. Seaside Prize recipients are considered the leaders of contemporary urban development and education.

A full description of the event can be found at http://seasideinstitute.org/news.php.