Palms West Monthly • April 2012 • Page 1
Read us online at PalmsWestMonthly.com
West Palm Edition
Palms West
Monthly Mon Mo nth
Novelist to speak at kick-off event
Artists, musicians invade Royal Palm
The Kravis Center is the setting for the annual Love of Literacy luncheon Friday, March 30.
The Royal Palm Art & Music Festival came to town March 10-11 with carnival rides, street painting, a juried fine arts & crafts show and more.
PAGE 7
PAGE 26
Read Together 2012
Volume 2, Number 4
THE ACREAGE • LOXAHATCHEE GROVES • ROYAL PALM BEACH • WELLINGTON • WEST PALM BEACH
Go behind the scenes into one of six area gardens that’s part of the Wellington Garden Club’s “Secret Garden” tour April 14.
Merger of Palms West, Lake Worth chambers signify ‘new beginning’
space is used than in previous junior tennis programs and softer, larger “low-flight” balls and smaller rackets are provided to make it easier for kids to hit the ball. Jorgensen says the USTA has done a phenomenal job in changing its teaching methods and lesson plans to make tennis more fun for younger kids. “We used to always use the whole court and it would get boring,” she said. “Now, the set-up is to use a much smaller space and to have
Some could argue that the newly formed Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce – which officially launched Feb. 27 at a luncheon with more than 200 guests at the Poinciana Country Club in Lake Worth – is a sign of the times. “What a historic moment for us all to be a part of,” Chamber CEO Jaene Miranda announced at the luncheon. “We are observing today a celebration of new opportunities – it’s symbolizing an end to what we have known for 28 years at the Palms West Chamber and 100 years at the Greater Lake Worth Chamber. More importantly, it’s a new beginning – signifying renewal, as well as change.” Change may be exactly what was needed after Beth Johnston resigned as executive director of the Greater Lake Worth Chamber of Commerce last May, following on the heels of the chamber’s board firing her predecessor, Tom Ramiccio, in December 2009. By the time Johnston left her position, the Lake Worth Chamber was down to one staffer – office manager Nadine Burns – and its membership ranks had declined from a high of about 490 members in 2009 to approximately 402 members before the merger. Meanwhile, the Palms West Chamber of Commerce had been expanding in spite of the rough economy, increasing from about 720 members in 2010 to 780 last year. According to Miranda, she suggested to her board that it could benefit the membership
SEE TENNIS / PAGE 18
SEE CHAMBER / PAGE 8
Protect your campers from the sun’s rays Melanoma rates are rising in all age groups – including kids and teens – making sun protection at camp especially important.
PAGE 15
Fishing club to host annual yard sale
Local Happenings ................ 4-5 In Brief.............................6, 9 Nice and Easy ...................... 10 Arts & Entertainment .............12 Manely Speaking....................13 Community Round-Up .............19 Just For the Fun of It ............. 21 Outside The Neighborhood ...... 23 Service Directory ..............24-25 Classifieds .......................... 27 PalmsWestMonthly.com
Expansion
By RANDALL P. LIEBERMAN Palms West Monthly
PAGE 19
INSIDE
April 2012
The new chamber covers 40 percent of the county in an area stretching from the western sugar cane fields to the coral reefs in the Atlantic.
Take a sneak peek into a secret garden
PAGE 9
West Palm’s GreenMarket moves to Wednesday nights for the summer beginning May 23.
PAGE 16
In one local community, residents volunteer to teach kids tennis using a kid-friendly approach catching on nationwide.
The West Palm Beach Fishing Club will host its annual Marine Yard Sale April 14 from 7 a.m. to noon at its North Flagler Drive headquarters in downtown West Palm Beach.
GreenMarket goes nocturnal
Photo by Robert Harris/Palms West Monthly
Village Walk resident and volunteer Mitchell Fuchs works on an underhand serve and receiving drill with Carlee Deily, 8, at a recent USTA 10 and Under tennis session. Village Walk donates the use of the courts for the 8-week program.
Introducing kids to tennis is a
WHOLE NEW RACKET By RANDALL P. LIEBERMAN Palms West Monthly
WELLINGTON — Even though Tamara Jorgensen of Wellington was a professional tennis instructor in Michigan, she had difficulty teaching the sport to her own daughter, Madison, 7. “Often, your own kids don’t want to learn from you,” Jorgensen said. “Maddie would just grab the racket and say, ‘Mom, I can do this myself.’ “ So, when Jorgensen found out earlier this year that her community, Village Walk, would be instituting a 10-and-
under tennis program, she was eager to see if her daughter would take to it. “I read about the program in a community flier,” Jorgensen reports. “Maddie loves it so far. She has done Irish dancing, swimming and soccer, but she absolutely loves the tennis.” The 10-and-under program, which is led by volunteer Village Walk residents, comes from the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and is part of a new, targeted nationwide initiative to introduce more kids to tennis and make it more fun for them. Less court