Life, Arts & Society ED 12th

Boca Strawberry Festival Jan. 21 and 22 will be a berry good time for all

By Dale King

It may be the middle of winter. But bright red juicy fruit normally associated with summertime will be the featured attraction at the Mizner Park Amphitheater this weekend when the First Annual Boca Strawberry Festival comes to town for a ticketed event on Saturday, Jan. 21 and Sunday, Jan. 22, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.

It takes place on the green in front of the Amphitheater and on the Northeast lawn next to the Amphitheater. The festival will be held rain or shine.

The Boca Strawberry Festival will be filled with activities for all ages. These include a Pop-Up Shopping Village featuring American and international handmade treasures as well as unusual decorative pieces for your home and mouthwatering specialty foods.

Laugh at the antics of the “America’s Got Talent” Stunt Dog Show. Be amazed by the strolling magicians while you enjoy the scrumptious strawberry treats and fair food.

Families will enjoy games, bungee trampolines and bounce houses. Kids will be captivated by the Strawberry S.T.E.A.M. Kids Explora-

tion Station with Mad Scientist Instructor. They will also love the experience of petting live animals at the petting zoo and little ones will be safely entertained in a fenced-in soft play area.

Teens and adults alike can test their skills at the super-fun video game truck and football challenge.

Advance Discounted Tickets:

• Entry Ticket (Single Day) - $15

• Entry Ticket (Weekend) - $22

• Unlimited Activities Entry Ticket (Single Day) - $35

• Unlimited Activities Entry Ticket (Weekend) - $55

• Kids 2 & Under are Free.

*Ticket prices are $5 higher on festival days. Advance tickets are best value.

Seating: Picnic tables and event seating will be available, first come, first served.

Tickets can be purchased online or at the door.

Outside food, beverages and pets are not permitted.

For more information, visit: BocaStrawberry Festival.com.

Julie Kleiner.

‘To Life 3’ celebrates contributions of Jewish composers to great Hollywood musicals

Photos courtesy of Carol Kassie

George Gershwin. Irving Berlin. Johnny Mercer. Harold Arlen. Sheldon Harnick. Jerry Herman.

ese composers and others will be highlighted in To Life 3: Stories & Music Celebrating the Contributions of Jewish Composers to the Great Hollywood Musicals. e production runs from Jan. 20 to Feb. 5 at the Willow eatre in Boca Raton’s Sugar Sand Park, 300 S. Military Trail.

To Life 3 is a follow-up to two previous To Life productions – both of which sold out at the Willow eatre in 2019 and 2020.

Boca West Children’s Foundation Gala, Featuring Jay Leno, Raised $1.1 Million for Local Kids

Shari Upbin.

Michael Materdomini.

Boca West Children’s Foundation Gala, Featuring Jay Leno, Raised $1.1 Million for Local Kids

Boca West Children’s Foundation raised $1.1 million for projects serving at-risk youth at “An Evening with Jay Leno,” on January 8 at Boca West Country Club. Since its founding, the organization has donated $18 million dollars. The event featured entertainment by acclaimed late night talk show host and stand-up comedian Jay Leno. In addition, students from Dreyfoos School of the Arts High School’s jazz band and dance department performed, courtesy of Nat King Cole Generation Hope and Dreyfoos School of the Arts. The evening featured an exciting live auction and a call to the heart.

Event chairs were Michelle and Gary Gluckow, with Yvonne and Don Ackerman serving as honorary chairs. FAU Past President John W. Kelly, Ph.D. was honored for his role in supporting scholarships for first generation college students through the Kelly Strul Emerging Scholars program.

The event included a cocktail hour, seated dinner and a live auction hosted by Neil Saffer. Raffle tickets, which will be drawn on January 23, were sold at the event. The raffle prizes include two tickets and Pre-Game Hospitality Tailgate to Super Bowl LVII, seven to nine nights at the St. James Club & Villas in Antigua, and two nights at The Breakers Palm Beach including dinner and golf. Tickets are still available.

“We were thrilled to commemorate our 13th anniversary and the significant impact the Foundation has made in our community by supporting local chil-

dren’s charities,” said Pamela Weinroth, Executive Director/COO of Boca West Children’s Foundation. “The generosity of our supporters at the gala was overwhelming.”

Funds raised at the gala will benefit at-risk children and their families in Palm Beach County. The organization funds project-based programming at more than 30 local children’s organizations. Boca West Children’s Foundation volunteers give more than 45,000 hours of their time annually to its partner agencies with which the organization works.

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‘To Life 3’ celebrates contributions of Jewish composers to great Hollywood musicals

By Dale King

To Life 3 is a follow-up to two previous To Life productions – both of which sold out at the Willow eatre in 2019 and 2020.

Featuring amusing anecdotes and fascinating historical facts, along with tributes to some of the greatest Jewish performers in Hollywood history, including Eddie Cantor, Danny Kaye and Barbara Streisand, To Life 3 will be performed by ve of South Florida’s award-winning musical theatre artists: Julie Kleiner, Bruno Faria, Michael Materdomini, Amy Tanner and Shari Upbin.

Hy Juter of the Jupiter eater Company, LLC, will produce the show: “We’re extremely excited about this iteration of our To Life series,” he said “ is time we’re focusing on Hollywood and the outstanding talents that contributed to those great musicals we all remember.”

“Our director, Shari Upbin, has also written the show this year. Her background in theatre and her extensive knowledge of the Hollywood musical made her a natural choice to continue our tradition of presenting audiences with a unique combination of history, music, and fun.”

Bobby Peaco will serve as music director and pianist.

“To Life 1 and 2 featured the Jewish composers of Broadway,” Upbin said. “But what most people don’t realize is rst of all, how many of them transitioned to Hollywood, and secondly, that there were numerous Jewish composers who wrote primarily for the movies.”

“I had an amazing time writing the script for the show,” she noted. “I learned so much – there are so many fas-

cinating stories involving these amazingly talented individuals I can’t wait to share with our audiences. And of course, I couldn’t leave out some of the greatest Jewish stars who le their indelible marks – Eddie Cantor, Danny Kaye, Barbra Streisand… so many and so memorable.”

Tickets for the show can be purchased online at www. sugarsandpark.org/life-3 or by phone at 561-347-3948.

George Gershwin. Irving Berlin. Johnny Mercer. Harold Arlen. Sheldon Harnick. Jerry Herman. ese composers and others will be highlighted in To Life 3: Stories & Music Celebrating the Contributions of Jewish Composers to the Great Hollywood Musicals. e production runs from Jan. 20 to Feb. 5 at the Willow eatre in Boca Raton’s Sugar Sand Park, 300 S. Military Trail.

Amy Tanner

Bruno Faria

Photos courtesy of Carol Kassie

Bobby Peaco