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Historic Miracle Mile poinsettia tree competition has raised money for schools for decades, resident says
Summary
A resident told meeting attendees that a long-running poinsettia “Christmas tree” and caroling competition on Miracle Mile has generated roughly $600,000 for schools and continues to draw community participation, funded in part by a Miami‑Dade Cultural Affairs grant.
A resident speaking in the meeting described a long-running Miracle Mile holiday tradition that the speaker said has raised money for schools and nurtured performing‑arts talent.
The resident said the event began after developer George Merrick negotiated land along Alhambra in 1925 and that a large poinsettia “Christmas tree” and caroling competition was later mounted at the site of the 550 Building on Biltmore Way in Segovia. “It held 1,200 plants,” the resident said, and “it’s a $50,000 a year event that’s given over $600,000 to the schools.”
The resident said the competition runs five nights, with six schools performing each night, and that participating schools are paid through a grant from the Miami‑Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs. “We give out $20,000 in cash prizes,” the resident said. The speaker described several regularly participating schools, naming Florida Christian School, Doral Charter, New World School of the Arts and Miami Art Studio; Coral Gables High School (referred to in the transcript as “Gables”) participates occasionally, the resident said.
The speaker traced the modern iteration of the event to work by developer Al Sikolsky in the 1980s, saying Sikolsky built the 550 Building in 1983 and the poinsettia tree competition began in the late 1980s. The resident said organizers added a soloist prize in 2016 and noted — attributing the claim to the speaker — that “the first girl to win it won a Grammy last year for her performance Into the Woods in New York.”
The resident characterized the event as low‑cost to stage, saying the main expenses are facility use and seating, and credited teachers with helping certain schools consistently perform well. The speaker framed the event as a community and cultural benefit: “We are nurturing future talent,” the resident said.
The remarks in the transcript were offered as public comment and did not record any formal action or vote on the event or funding.
