Wow, has it been a week already. Geez, I am so sorry folks, I got tied up with work and home issues and just slipped away from it all for a moment. This time last week I was getting down at the third night of Black Smoke Miami 2018. As you know by now, if you read my previous two articles, Black Smoke Miami 2018 (BSM18) was already a bigger event than last year. If you were there last year you know what I am talking about. If you were Black Smoke Miami virgins this year (you know who you are) then you can measure the growth next year.
Best Outfit at Black smoke Miami 2018 Night 3
Night three of BSM18 was Casino Royale Night. Tobacco Kennedy, StogieTV owner and BSM Promoter, chose a special venue to host this event – the historic Ward Rooming House in Overtown Miami.
What is that you may ask?
Well, let’s start with Overtown Miami, the second oldest and continuously inhabited neighborhood of Miami .
Overtown Entrance
According to Wikipedia, Overtown is:
A part of the historic heart of Miami, it was designated as a “colored” neighborhood after the creation and incorporation of Miami in 1896. The incorporation of Miami as a city occurred at the insistence of Standard Oil and FEC railroad tycoon Henry Flagler, whose mostly black American railroad construction workers settled near what became Downtown Miami, just north of Flagler’s Royal Palm Hotel on the Miami River. Owing to a substantive black population, 168 of the 362 men who voted for the creation of the city of Miami were counted as “colored,” but the separate but equal segregation laws of the Deep South dictated the city designate the portion of the city, in this case, north and west of FEC railroad tracks, as “Colored Town.”
The Ward Rooming House, which is located in Overtown, was a built in the early 1900’s but was destroyed by a fire in 1925 down and was rebuilt as a rooming house. It was designated as a historic site of Miami on November 7, 2006. Looking at the structure, it does not resemble anything special, but the history goes back to the boom of times in the oldest black community in Miami. It’s location is in the heart of the neighborhood and when you drive around it is pretty much the only structure of its kind to still exist. Although we did not get to tour the house, the entry to the event was through the front door and one could see how it has been renovated to bring it back to it beauty of days gone by.
I want to give some kudos to Kennedy Achille for presenting some of Miami’s black history at this years event, and I hope future events continue to do so.
Once we entered through the house, we got our credentials and exited into the homes large backyard that was decorated with tables and lights, three bars, and of course fun time gambling tables including blackjack, roulette, and craps. There were also vendor tables that were offering cigars and cigar related gear for sale. Cigar brands including Don Kiki, Hiram and Solomon, Figaro, and Calá were present through the evening in case you needed to add to your cigar collection.
Here are the photos from night three of Black Smoke Miami 2018 just in case you want to relive the evening or see what you might have missed. In case you did not know, you can click any pic in the slide show to open it up bigger especially on your phone.
Sadly, I had to depart after night three this year for a family function back in Melbourne, FL but I continued to follow the event on Social Media and I say the big Back Yard Boogie on Saturday afternoon, which was by all means larger than last year. My friend Melvin (Bossman) Robinson was kind enough to send me some of his photos to use in this article which captures more of the events. Bossman was also the recipient of the Best BOTL award at Black Smoke Miami 2018, so a big congratulations to him as the work he does for the industry is second to none.
Well that’s a wrap for this year, like I said, it was nothing but love and friendship at Black Smoke Miami 2018 and I hope to see you all next year and even more.. till then – this is Boston Jimmie “Out” —Stogie Press “Peace“