Event Kicks-Off with Book-Signing by Award-Winning Architect & Sustainability Expert

Alys Beach, Florida – (February 11, 2008) – To celebrate the extra day in 2008, Fonville Press—a popular coffee shop, newsstand and wine bar located on County Road 30A in Alys Beach—will host a special "Fifth Friday" party on February 29th from 4:30pm until 8:00pm.

From 4:30pm until 6:30pm, award-winning architect and author Doug Farr of Chicago's Farr Associates will be present to discuss and sign copies of his new book, Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design with Nature. Farr’s book eloquently lays out long-term solutions for our built environment by bringing the philosophical backbones of the green building, smart growth and new urbanism movements together, knitting them into a design philosophy that allows the creation of truly sustainable human environments.

Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design with Nature has been a high-ranking seller on Amazon.com since its release in November 2007. Most recently, it was listed as the #3 best-selling Urban Planning book, ranked immediately after two classic urban planning books, one by Jane Jacobs and the other by Chris Alexander. Farr’s book was also recently honored as one of Planetizen's Top 10 books of 2008 (www.planetizen.com/books/2008).

Last October, an Alys Beach courtyard home designed by Doug Farr received the AIA Chicago Design Excellence Award for Environmental Sustainability.

Starting at 6:00pm, live music will be provided by Hubba Hubba, featuring band member Duke Bardwell, who performed nearly 200 shows with Elvis Presley in the 1970s.

A special “"Fifth Friday at Fonville" party menu will feature red beans and rice with Andouille sausage, beef chili with all the trimmings, and Chicago hot dogs right off the grill. Adult dinner tickets cost $12, while dinner tickets for children under 12 cost $8. Children under 5 are free.

This free family-friendly event is open to the public. For more information, please call 1-866-481-8387 or email events@alysbeach.com.

ABOUT FARR ASSOCIATES

Farr Associates (www.farrside.com), identified by The New York Times as "the most prominent of the city's growing cadre of ecologically sensitive architects" and by The Chicago Tribune as "a leader in the anti-sprawl movement," is widely regarded as one of the most sustainable planning and architecture firms in the country. Located in the historic Monadnock Building in Chicago's Loop, Farr Associates' planners and architects work in integrated design teams to create the most client benefit for the least cost.

Farr Associates is led by three dynamic and accomplished individuals. President Doug Farr sets the firm's strategic direction; Leslie Oberholtzer, Director of Planning, focuses on form-based codes as well as corridor, neighborhood and station area master planning; and Jonathan Boyer, Director of Architecture, oversees the architecture studio, which holds the unique distinction of being the first in the world to have designed three LEED Platinum-rated buildings.