The Times

Saturday, November 27, 1976, page 1 (of 21)

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Starts Dec. 1 Schools plan Cuban-American Day

By ANA MARIA ALVAREZ Staff Writer Cuban-American Day will be celebrated at area schools for the eleventh consecutive year on Dec. 1. Song and dance groups, bilingual playlets, poster and essay contests and typical Cuban luncheons will be among the many events taking place at several area schools with large Cuban-American student populations. Originally, the day marks the inauguration of the now suspended freedom flights from Cuba to Miami. Today, the day has become the date for cementing friendship and understanding between Cuban-Americans and their Anglo friends. Although many schools are limiting their activities to classroom exercises and bicultural studies, many others have prepared elaborate programs. At Coral Way Elementary, 1950 SW 13th Ave., there will be a musical and dance program beginning at 9:30 p.m. Rockway Elementary school children will be entertained with choral, dance and bilingual singing programs at their school, 2790 SW 93rd Ct. Rockway Junior High, 9393 SW 29th Terr., will have a PTA sponsored See SPECIAL, Page 3

Times | Guide

Serving The City Beautiful Since 1926 4627 Ponce de Leon Boulevard Coral Gables Florida 33146 Phone 665 7981 Florida's Best Suburban Newspaper 24 Pages Vol. 50 No. 96 November 27/28 Weekend Edition ★ ★ 10 Cents

Toys, toys, toys . . . Christmas must be near

Photo by ANA MARIA ALVAREZ Peter Ross, 9, tries his hand at Wonderful Waterfuls Toys, toys, toys . . . Christmas must be near By ANA MARIA ALVAREZ Staff Writer Stretch Armstrong, Wonderful Waterfuls, the Bionic Woman and Archie Bunker's grandson — which happens to be a "anatomically correct" — are some of the hottest items at toy stores throughout the area. With Christmas just around the corner, toy stores are busy ringing up sales. And games such as Jaws, Hangman, Popcorn and Cat's Eye seem to be on the best seller list this holiday season. Also popular with the young generation are the video games which hook on to the television sets, as well as the games which are spinoffs from popular TV shows such as Happy Days, The Rookies, Emergency, and S.W.A.T. The Bionic Woman is by far out selling the Six Million Dollar Man according to Walter Krewer, manager of Uncle Eric's on Ponce De Leon Boulevard. The Six Million Dollar Woman also has a Bionic Beauty Salon and the Bionic Woman's Dome House which sell separately. "It's you against the great white shark . . ." and that is what one of the most popular games on the market is all about. Jaws continues to be a very hot item, according to Randal White, manager of Playworld in Westchester. According to White, Playworld has sold more games of Jaws than any other game. The independent stores had sold 25,000 games by the first half of this year. One of the most popular action figures is Stretch Armstrong, a heavy molded doll which stretches from one to nine inches when pulled. The strong man is the most popular doll at the Red Ballon Balloon store in South Dade, according to Claude Wulfret, manager of the toy stores. Most action figures — ranging from Starsky and Hutch to Muhammad Ali — are purchased mostly for boys, according to the toy store managers. "Little boys are playing with dolls now," said Wulfret. A controversial item, but one which seems to be selling a great deal, are the "anatomically correct" See ANATOMICALLY Page 3

Merchants lock doors during business hours; fear robberies

By ANA MARIA ALVAREZ Staff Writer Some of the merchants along Merrick Way have no other choice but to lock the doors of their shops during business hours. During the late morning and early afternoon hours, the only way to get into one of the stores is by knocking on the door. It seems to be the only way to keep the suspicious shoplifters out. Rosa Maria Pantoja, who owns Osmand Clothiers on Merrick Way, a block north of Miracle Mile, has had her shop burglarized three times. The most recent incident occurred Sept. 13 when she was alone in the shop. Two men and two women came into the men's clothing store and within minutes they took over $1,000 worth of merchandise, according to the young store owner. "They always seem to come around lunch time," said Mrs. Pantoja, "so we have started closing the store during those hours and I'm never alone." "Frankly, we looked for a place in Coral Gables to put the store because we had the impression it would be safer," she said. "I never thought it would be like this." Mrs. Pantoja has had the store since June, and about two weeks after the grand opening, a 15-year-old juvenile crawled into the store and took all the receipts from the cash register. No one saw him until he was leaving the shop. "The only time the police come around is when one calls them, and by then it is always too late because the incident has already happened," she said. "We have asked them for extra patrol during the lunchtime hours, but the only police always around are the ones See ROBBERIES, Page 4

South Dixie Highway undergoes a facelifting

By KAY SEVERINSEN Staff Writer Imagine South Dixie Highway lined with big shady trees like those on Coral Way. It's not exactly an idle dream, in fact, the beautification of South Dixie is already well under way. Work on an additional mile of trees and landscaping will begin in a couple of weeks and be finished by January says Clara Oesterle, Metro commissioner. The first mile from Southwest 128th Street to Southwest 144th Street, was completed early this year. The second portion will probably extend one mile north to Southwest 112th Street. Much of the hard work involved in unsticking county red tape was done by the South Dade Chamber of Commerce. "We worked for that first mile for over a year," says Nate Horovitz, chairman of the Chamber's Beautification Committee.

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