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JARLEENE ALMENAS
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ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Suzanne Ayala lets her medium dictate her art.
As a glass artist since the late 1970s, she pays close attention to her torch. She’s only gotten burned once, and she’s never going to make that mistake again. When she’s ready to begin, she takes a bar of borosilicate glass and cuts off the portion she needs to work. For about the next 20 minutes, she works it back and forth until it is red and glowing.
Ayala, of Daytona Beach, is one of 70 artists who will be showcasing their work at the fourth-annual Holly Hill Arts Festival at Holly Hill City Hall on Saturday and Sunday, March 26 and 27. The festival features local, regional and national artists and it is the brainchild of Ormond Beach residents Pat Abernathy and Dr. Pam Fieldus.
The idea for an art festival came to Abernathy while she was at a classic car show in Holly Hill and heard a children’s orchestra playing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Upon her discovery that the children in the
“Swimming Turtles” by Suzanne Ayala. All of her pieces are unique; she said she never does the same thing twice.
“Memories” by Nick Alexiades, of Mascotte. Alexiades is one of the 70 artists participating in the Holly Hill Arts Festival. “Green Spring Path” by Alan Gessinger, of New Smyrna Beach. Gessinger is one of the 70 artists in the Holly Hill Arts Festival
orchestra lacked funds for instruments, she decided to find a way to help.
Abernathy spoke to Fieldus, and they decided to use their combined decades of experience volunteering for the Halifax Art Festival in Daytona Beach to help children in Holly Hill. This resulted in the creation of Helping Hands Thru Arts, which supports fundraising through arts for local needs, in January 2019.
Aside from the juried artists, this year’s festival will also have crafters and a student art exhibit, featuring art from students at the Holly Hill School, UBIC Academy and the Rossmeyer Family Holly Hill Boys and Girls Club.
There will also be lots of festival food, including barbecue from Fraze’s Scratch Cookin’.
This will be Ayala’s second year participating in the festival. She had a wonderful time last year and sold some of her pieces. Feedback from festivalgoers was good too, she said.
Ayala uses rocks, such as coquina or volcanic rocks, as her base. Her glass art usually depicts blades of grass or weeds with animals such as fish, turtles and birds. All of her pieces are unique, since she doesn’t begin working with a specific idea in mind.
Last year’s festival was held at Sunrise Park, but that is currently undergoing the construction of a new seawall, so it was moved to Holly Hill City Hall, where it was held in 2019. Abernathy said she actually prefers City Hall’s lawn, as it makes setting up the student art exhibit a little easier.
“My business partner and I, we really believe in children’s art,” Abernathy said. “We really believe that’s a
HOLLY HILL ARTS FESTIVAL
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 26; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 27 Where: Holly Hill City Hall, 1065 Ridgewood Ave. Details: Featuring 70 juried fine artists at Holly Hill City Hall’s front lawn, this familyfriendly festival will have crafters, a student art exhibit, festival food and barbecue. It’s presented by Helping Hands Thru Arts in partnership with the city of Holly Hill. Visit HollyHillArtsFestival.com
strong foundation.”
Abernathy said the leadership of the city of Holly Hill are also supportive of the festival.
Former Mrs. Ormond Beach on ‘The Real Housewives of Orlando’
Leesa Marie Benz used her Marilyn Monroe impression to land on the Bravo show.
JULIA AMBROSE
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Leesa Marie Benz, a Marilyn Monroe tribute artist who lives in Halifax Plantation, has been cast in the upcoming season of “The Real Housewives of Orlando,” to air this summer on Bravo.
Benz was first discovered in 1995, on Marilyn Monroe’s birthday, June 1. A look-alike competition was being held to promote the new Marilyn Monroe postage stamp, and she was encouraged to enter the contest.
After Benz’s Marilyn debut, she went on to win Mrs. Ormond Beach 1999 and Mrs. Daytona Beach 2000. One of the photographers she was working with then kept in touch and informed her, years later, of the audition for “The Real Housewives of Orlando.”
She was apprehensive. She recalls telling him, “I don’t even live in Orlando, and I’m not a housewife anymore.” He responded, “You’re going to be perfect for this.”
After the casting in November 2021, she landed a position on the show.
Through the filming process, Benz has learned what it takes to be on a professionally made show, which requires about 30 hours of filming for a 20-minute episode. Patience was “truly a virtue” for her as she would film for eight hours a day. She describes the experience as “once in a lifetime” and although there might be a little bit of TV drama on the show, it is all part of the fun.
In order to be “Marilyn ready,” Benz takes her time in the morning after getting plenty of sleep. When watching “The Real Housewives of Orlando,” she said, there will be a lot of jaw dropping moments, with participants talking about each other behind their backs, but the cast says a prayer before filming to keep a positive environment.
The filming feels authentic, she said, because the director places actors in a setting and allows them to simply start a conversation.
The mansions and sets she is working in makes her feel like “a million bucks for a day,” she said, and she hopes that this opportunity leads right into the next adventure.
Courtesy photo
LOCAL EVENTS
THURSDAY, MARCH 10
HALIFAX GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY MONTHLY MEETING
When: 1:30 p.m. Where: Ormond Beach Regional Library auditorium, 30 S. Beach St. Details: Paul Howes will present: “The Joy of Surnames.” Learn about the origin and meaning of surnames, followed by a talk on “Basic Concepts in Genealogy” for the novice genealogist. Free.
SATURDAY, MARCH 12
SHINING STARS PAGEANT AND TALENT SHOW
When: 12:30 p.m. Where: Ormond Beach Performing Arts Center, 399 N. US. 1 Details: See this showcase of talent and beauty for the special needs community, where everyone is a star. Free to all participants; $5 general admission on the day of the show. Contact Lori Koplin for more information at 386-677-3252 or email Lori.Koplin@ormondbeach. org. The PAC’s box office is open Tuesday-Friday from noon to 5 p.m. Tickets can also be purchased online at ormondbeach.org/PAC
GARDEN CLUB’S ANNUAL FLOWER SHOW AND TEA
When: 1-3:30 p.m. Where: The Casements, 25 Riverside Drive Details: Join the Ormond Beach Garden Club for its annual flower show and tea. This year’s theme is: “Walking the Garden Path.” Admission costs $7. See a flower arrangement demonstration, and peruse arrangements and jewelry for sale. Visit www.facebook.com/RockfellerGardens Ormond Beach Regional Library, 30 S. Beach St. Details: Join Halifax Genealogical Society volunteers for this free, one-on-one research assistance program open to anyone interested in researching family history. To register, contact halifaxgensociety@ gmail.com
SUNDAY, MARCH 13
SINATRA THE MUSICAL
When: 2:30 p.m. Where: Ormond Beach Performing Arts Center, 399 N. US. 1 Details: See this multimedia tribute to Frank Sinatra, starring Tony Sands. Tickets cost $25. The PAC’s box office is open Tuesday-Friday from noon to 5 p.m. Tickets can also be purchased online at ormondbeach.org/PAC
FROM SHRIMP TO SHARKS
When: 3-4 p.m. Where: Anderson-Price Memorial Building, 42 N. Beach St. Details: Listen to Chad McFie, manager of the Marine Science Center, as he discusses how a healthy Indian River Lagoon depends on thousands of organisms, and in turn they rely on clean water for survival.
MONDAY, MARCH 14
RACING FINGERS QUILT GUILD MEETING
When: 6:30 p.m. Where: Seabreeze United Church of Christ, 501 N. Wild Ave. Details: The next Racing Fingers Quilt Guild meeting will feature tips on how to cut, piece and press and accurate quilt block. Free and open to the public. Please park behind the church and enter via the kitchen door. Sit ‘n Sew will take place on Tuesday, March 15, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the church. Bring your own sewing machine. Visit racingfingersquiltguild.com ter, 351 Andrews St. Details: Join the Council on Aging at the Ormond Beach Senior for a Halifax Health presentation on “The Five Wishes.” The discussion will focus on living wills and durable power of attorney. Topics include: choosing the right person to be your health care agent, medical treatment preferences, and personal, spiritual and emotional wishes. There will be a Q+A period. Free and open to the public. Call 386-253-4700, ext. 250 to reserve a space.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23
FELTED SOAP WORKSHOP IN THE GARDENS
When: 1:30-3 p.m. Where: Ormond Memorial Art Museum gardens, 78 E. Granada Blvd. Details: Artist Liz Canali will lead this one-day outdoor workshop where students will learn the process of felting to create a useful soap and washcloth combo that is as fun to use as it is to gift to others. Costs $20 for museum members; $22 for future members and includes most supplies. Students should bring two or three bars of soap and three hand towels to the workshop. The towels will be used in the felting process and do not need to be new. Program open to ages 16 and older. Meet outside the Emmons Cottage at the southeast corner of the gardens. Deadline to register is March 16. Visit https://bit. ly/36MANVM
ONGOING
WHIMSY MEETS GEOMETRY: ABSTRACT SCULPTURES AND PAINTINGS
When: Through March 18 Where: News-Journal Center Fine Art Gallery, 221 N. Beach St. Details: Cheri Erdman and Frederick Goldstein offer the viewer an informed experience of abstraction through this exhibition. Open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free and open to the public. Exhibition curated by Stacey Fletcher Reynolds.
ACESSeabreeze aces first half of tennis season
MAC CHIUMENTO, Seabreeze senior
MICHELE MEYERS
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
For Seabreeze’s first-year tennis coach, Trishna Patel, the goal was to build camaraderie and create a team. The result has been an undefeated team: The boys and girls were both 7-0, after a sweep of Father Lopez on March 3.
Last year, Seabreeze’s head coach Robert Holtgrewe retired at the end of the season. Patel was encouraged by friends to seek the position, and after navigating the school system requirements, she landed the job. She has been running a local junior tennis program called the Trailblazers for five years and had already been training some of the Seabreeze players. It was a natural fit.
In terms of her experience regarding team tennis, Patel knew what to expect and how she planned to run the team her first season. She attended the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in high school, now known as the IMG Academy, then played Division I tennis at Brown University. In 1997, Brown made its first appearance in the NCAA championships, and the same year, Patel was named Ivy League Player of the Year.
Qualifying for the state championships in April with his team, remains a goal for Seabreeze senior Mac Chiumento. His record this season after the Lopez match was 8-2 with the losses coming in one single and one doubles match against Daksh Talati of University High School. Chiumento’s favorite match this season was a grueling two-and-a-halfhour singles match with Talati.
“I played him in doubles and I was thinking this kid is so good,” he said. “I was down 2-5, came back 6-6 and he ended up winning 8-6. I have to beat this kid. The answer is keep training and get more confidence in myself. That’s 90% of it. You’ve got
Akshay Gupta returns the ball
Claudia Venables eyes the ball for the return
to know you can do it.”
Moving forward, Patel wants her players to gel with each other even more to create a solid foundation for teamwork.
Seabreeze tennis player Geraldine Garcia
Mary Kwetkus and her Father Lopez opponent change the score before switching sides. Mary Kwetkus focuses on returning the ball during the match against her Father Lopez opponent.
Photos by Michele Meyers
Ewan Noval returns a serve First year Seabreeze tennis player Bryce Gornto serves the ball to his Father Lopez opponent.
Riya Arab returns the ball
Photo by Michele Meyers Jah’Mya Hill placed fourth in the 155-pound class at the girls state wrestling championships.
Mainland’s Hill, Wigley win medals at state girls wrestling
Jah’Mya Hill placed fourth in the 155-pound class; Cheyenne Wigley place seventh at 235 pounds.
BRENT WORONOFF
STAFF WRITER
Two Mainland wrestlers reached the podium at the first FHSAA girls state wrestling championships March 3-5 at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee.
Junior Jah’Mya Hill placed fourth in the 155-pound weight class, and sophomore Cheyenne Wigley finished seventh in the 235-pound class.
Senior Abby Couillard also qualified for the state tournament and won her first match in the 100-pound class, pinning Genesis Gallegos of Miami Jackson in 1:14. But Couillard was knocked out of the wrestlebacks. She finished the season with a 28-12 record.
“Our girls really showed out, especially Jah’Mya,” Mainland coach Matt Lawrence said. “We expected Cheyenne Wigley to be in the medal mix as a returning placer from the unofficial tournament last year, but Jah’Mya has consistently beat the person across from her and that came from hard work and dedication at practice. Abby Couillard also offered senior guidance to our girls this year, and even though she fell short of her goal, she is looking forward to competing at the next level.”
Hill pinned Raniya Stephens of Miami Norland in 1:07 in the first round and got a forfeit into the semifinals, where she lost to eventual champ Mya Bethel of North Miami by pin in 2:59. Hill advanced to the consolation final with a pin of Karla Ortiz of Jacksonville Westside in 2:35. Gabby Tutera pinned Hill to take third place. Hill finished the year with a 27-7 record.
Wigley (24-9) advanced to the quarterfinals with a forfeit. Aniya Herbin of Tampa Jefferson sent Wigley to the consolation bracket, where she won two of three matches. Wigley pinned Daphne Pierre of Fort Myers in 2:03 in the seventh-place match.
