June 24: 2013: Wallenda Pulls Off Grand Canyon Tightrope Stunt, Nightclub-Like Theater for Younger Groups, 'Southern Living' Creates Hotel Collection

1. WALLENDA PULLS OFF GRAND CANYON TIGHTROPE STUNT: Tightrope walker Nik Wallenda successfully crossed the Grand Canyon on a two-inch-thick cable Sunday, a televised stunt he performed without a net or safety harness. USA Today: "Wallenda told reporters after the walk that he hoped his next stunt would be a tightrope walk between the Empire State building and the Chrysler building in New York." http://usat.ly/11VIn1M

2. YOUNGER GROUPS SKIP BROADWAY FOR A NIGHTCLUB-LIKE THEATER: Instead of heading to Broadway, younger arts patrons are seeking a new kind of theater experience that offers a club-like atmosphere with bottle service, upscale food, electronic dance music—and a higher ticket price. New York Times: "Entrepreneurial producers are staging musicals that offer atmospherics and alcohol in hopes of attracting a new A-list crowd to fill more theater seats. The Great Comet, based on a section of Tolstoy’s War and Peace, is playing in a new 6,000-square-foot tent in the meatpacking district, and drawing a younger crowd than Broadway. It already has a six-figure advance in ticket sales, rare for a show beyond Broadway, as are the cost of seats—up to $237.50, which includes plates of caviar and seafood." http://nyti.ms/1cdFkaZ

3. 'SOUTHERN LIVING' CREATES HOTEL COLLECTION: Southern Living will endorse 15 independent hotels across the South. The company will expand the collection to 100 properties, adding Southern Living-branded events and items, and could build its own hotel in the future. Adweek: "We'd really been looking at brand extensions that allow for deeper immersion into the lifestyle," said publisher Greg Schumann. "We always say that our reader doesn’t just read Southern Living—she lives it. As we began to focus on the travel facet of the brand, we realized that our readers are always looking for Southern Living vetted and endorsed experiences." http://bit.ly/183xvr6

* LOCAL NEWS *

BOSTON:  Castle Hill Inn in Newport has renovated its open-air restaurant, the Lawn at Castle Hill. As part of the renovation, the dining room now opens onto an expanded terrace, which has three tiered levels decked with New England bluestone tile, teak furniture, and canvas umbrellas.

El Centro Dos opens Thursday in Brookline. The Mexican restaurant has a redwood bar and wooden tables that owners weathered with fire and charcoal. Menu items include guacamole with chorizo, salmon on lava stone with asparagus and corn, and watermelon sangria.

CHICAGO:  David Burke's Primehouse will host Jove T.'s Ice Cream Shop at Primehouse Bar this summer. Opening July 5, the pop-up shop will offer scoops or cones of flavors such as strawberry-rhubarb-pie, grasshopper, or blueberry-waffle; flavors will be announced on the restaurant's social media sites each Wednesday.

Veuve Clicquot is presenting the 105th annual Race to Mackinac on July 13. The brand will host spectator events surrounding the freshwater race, including a preparty at the Wit Hotel's Roof on July 11 and the Parade of Boats Viewing Party at Navy Pier on July 13. 

LAS VEGAS:  The Electric Daisy Carnival took place this weekend at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and was attended by more than 300,000 people. The event featured artists, carnival rides, interactive art, and many music performances including Calvin Harris and Afrojack. EDC Las Vegas: http://bit.ly/1924Hzl

LOS ANGELES:  Seafood restaurant Salt Air opened in Venice June 20. The beachy joint offers dishes such as lobster rolls and fish-skin chips with roasted cauliflower. Eater: http://bit.ly/1081ut9

Local event listings from Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  Fisher Island Club has named Christian Sarquis the director of catering.

NEW ORLEANS:  The New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau has named Cara Banasch as the new vice president of convention sales and strategy.

NEW YORK:  Make Music New York, a daylong festival celebrating the summer solstice, was Friday and included more than a thousand events citywide—including a drum circle of prisoners on Rikers Island. New York Times: http://nyti.ms/18atXmU

Local event listings from Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork

ORLANDO:  The Caribbean American Heritage Month Festival took place yesterday at Lake Eola Park and included Caribbean food and cultural shows.

SAN DIEGO:  Daryl O’Donnell was promoted to executive chef of Centerplate at the San Diego Convention Center.

TORONTO:  Cool City Oyster Yard, a seasonal, outdoor oyster bar at 99 Sudbury, opens this month and will remain open through early fall. With seating for 74 guests, the venue has daily specials and cocktails including tequila gimlets.

Raw Energy, a party powered by human-generated energy, is Wednesday at the rooftop parking garage at 211 Adelaide Street West. The event will include a human-powered hamster wheel, a rotating LED installation to illuminate the Toronto skyline, and beats from DJ Alex Merrell.

WASHINGTON:  Matt Kuhn is the new executive chef of Ardeo & Bardeo in Cleveland Park.

YOUR NEWS: What are you doing? Tell us: [email protected]. 

JOB BOARD: Post a job or find a job:http://jobs.bizbash.com

With contributions from Jenny Berg in Chicago, Alesandra Dubin in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, and Haley Holton, Beth Kormanik, Lauren Matthews, and Anna Sekula in New York.

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