06 Dec LUDLAM TRAIL HOSTS 2ND ANNUAL “LUDLAM LIGHTS” FESTIVAL AND LANTERN PARADE IN SOUTH MIAMI

The Knight Foundation and The Miami Foundation Award $275,000 for trail’s public space master plan

Florida East Coast Industries, in partnership with the Friends of Ludlam Trail and Miami-Dade County, today announced its 2^nd Annual “Ludlam Lights” Lantern Parade and Festival at South Miami High School on Saturday, December 10^th at 5 p.m. The festival will also celebrate the project’s newly announced funding partners, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and The Miami Foundation.

The trail aims to create a continuous bike and pedestrian path, and greenspace that will provide 30,000 residents with a direct link to five schools, six parks, and a 30-mile trail network. Knight Foundation’s contribution of $250,000 and The Miami Foundation’s $25,000 match will go directly towards the development of the master plan for the public portions of the trail.

“The Ludlam Trail will help to build a more vibrant, connected Miami,” said Matt Haggman, Knight Foundation program director for Miami. “By linking residents and neighborhoods across our community, as well as encouraging recreation and alternative transit, it will provide a new public space for people across our city to engage and make Miami an ever greater place to live and work.”

In just five months, more than 5,000 people have joined to support the Ludlam Trail through volunteerism and events including free movie nights, yoga classes and bike rides sponsored by dozens of organizations like the Miami Marlins, Biscayne Bay Brewing Company, Greenmonkey Yoga, La Carreta, HandsOn Miami and South Florida PBS.

“Support from Knight Foundation and The Miami Foundation only furthers our vision for the Ludlam Trail to transform the South Florida landscape in a meaningful way,” said Peter Rabbino, President of the Friends of Ludlam Trail. “Ludlam Lights is our way to illuminate the project’s benefits for the community.”

The Miami Foundation is the presenting sponsor of Ludlam Lights.

“Running right through the heart of Miami-Dade County, the Ludlam Trail is a community investment set to connect thousands of Miamians and enhance their quality of life,” said Javier Alberto Soto, president and CEO of The Miami Foundation. “Ludlam Lights is a beautiful opportunity to literally shine a light on the need to activate this corridor and public spaces.”

At Ludlam Lights, crowds are encouraged to bring their own decorated lanterns for an illuminated parade and festival along the trail with activities including live music, food trucks, holiday treats and an award ceremony for the best lantern designs at the event site at 6856 SW 53rd Street, Miami, FL 33155.

Ongoing collaborations with key partners for the Ludlam Trail activation event series will continue on into 2017 with programming that will celebrate the neighborhoods along the corridor and the initiative to convert this underutilized land into a public space.

“The success of the Ludlam Trail activation events showcases the community’s desire to come together in this public space,” said Vincent Signorello, President and CEO of Florida East Coast Industries. “We are thankful for partnerships with the Knight Foundation and The Miami Foundation to make the collaborative vision for the trail a reality.”

The Miami Foundation has awarded Public Space Challenge grants to projects focused on developing the Ludlam Trail. See how Erik Katz of the Green Mobility Network used his grant to bring wayfinding signs to the trail.