The Coastal Star May 2025 Boca

Along the Coast

O

Canada, will you still come and visit?

By Mary Hladky

If it were up to Canadian Dory Kilburn, she would sell her home in Briny Breezes and never return to the U.S.

“I really love Briny,” she said. But President Donald Trump’s threat to annex Canada as the 51st state, his demeaning rhetoric about the country’s leaders and the imposition of tariffs have horrified her.

She’s equally concerned about how he is running his

Boca Raton

own country.

“Democracy is slipping away in the United States,” she said. “The United States was always our guiding light. Now it is not. It is really scary.”

Yet she’s not going anywhere for now. Her husband, Jack Marcuccio, wants to “wait and see what happens” before making a decision to sell.

Kilburn is not the only Canadian who would like to pull out of Florida. She and her

See TOURISM on page

Barging in

Some Boca Inlet condo residents enjoyed an April 26 show meant for The Boca Raton across the Intracoastal, but many were upset that the display’s barge sat along their sea wall for almost two weeks. Larry Barszewski/The Coastal Star

Unwelcome vessel anchors at condo for lengthy stay, angering residents

By Rich Pollack

They came to Florida for the Easter or Passover holiday and were looking forward to sitting around the pool outside their Lake Boca Raton condo.

Then came the large barge, planted just a few feet off the condo’s sea wall, an unwelcome guest that stayed for close to two

weeks — with little the condo could do about it.

Diesel fumes spewed from a generator on the barge, filling the air and seeping into the 98-unit condo’s fresh air system, later choking at least five residents who had to seek medical attention.

“People came down for the holidays and they couldn’t sit outside,” said Madeline Stern, a board member at the Boca Inlet condominium.

As condo managers began efforts to move the barge — which was there to put on

See BARGE on page

Safety first More than 60 crosswalks provide a measure of safety when you cross A1A in our area.

A1A crosswalk locations Signalized intersections Mid-block crossings

Along the Coast

Crosswalk CONFUSION

How to navigate A1A chaos? Police explain law, give tips for walkers, drivers

By Rich Pollack

He and a friend had just started walking from the beach park near the south end of town when a car slowed to let them

At the same time, the driver of a second northbound car decided to go around the slower first car and came perilously close to hitting his friend and Pineiro, who is advocating for crosswalks in town — which has none — following a collision that killed a pedestrian in 2023.

“I remember saying ‘this is a bad situation’” just prior to the near miss, Pineiro said. Fortunately, he was paying close attention to the roadway and he and his friend stopped walking

Crossing a highway should be simple: Look both ways and wait until the coast is clear before you cross. However, when it comes to A1A, with its abundance of crosswalks in some areas — and lack of them in others — and with many bicyclists also using the road, the guidelines for when a walker should go and when a driver should stop can be complicated.

Confusion can contribute to tragedy and may have been a

Patrick and Maeve Murphy, visiting from Boston, use the crosswalk and crosswalk flag to properly cross A1A just north of the Coronado at Highland Beach. They were headed to the beach.

Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

factor in February when 71-yearold Roz Lowney was killed while crossing A1A in a Delray Beach crosswalk.

For drivers and pedestrians, knowing the best way to be safe can be challenging. Should a driver stop and let someone waiting to cross the road go if that person is not at a crosswalk? Is it OK to cross outside of a crosswalk? Should pedestrians step into the crosswalk when a car is still going, but is far enough away that the pedestrian believes the

The close call came as Rafael Pineiro was crossing State Road A1A in the town of South Palm

A couple crosses A1A without using a crosswalk to get to Atlantic Dunes Park in Delray Beach.

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Editor’s Note

How Intracoastal neighbors smoothed troubled waters

With the completion of the Bonefish Cove Restoration project only months away, we look forward to visiting the mangrove islands and oyster reefs in the central Lake Worth Lagoon north of Hypoluxo Island. American avocets, black skimmers and royal terns, among other of our finefeathered friends, have already begun feeding in the sand there.

But the $15 million project, originally planned for at least five years, almost came to a roaring stop before it even began early last year.

In late February 2024, Hypoluxo Island residents, particularly boaters who live on the east side of the northern end of the island, got wind of the project via a flyer sent to their homes. While they supported the environmental benefits of the project, what they couldn’t stomach was losing boating access to the Intracoastal Waterway — and having their property values plummet as a result.

The blueprint originally called for three islands, but the middle one was directly above La Renaissance channel, the passageway boaters traditionally used to reach the deeper Intracoastal waters.

The project is a partnership between Palm Beach County and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The goal is to create treasured habitat for flora and fauna that had otherwise been lost or degraded because of past dredge and fill activities, stormwater discharges and shoreline hardening.

Named Bonefish Cove after a popular fish that recently returned to the area due to previous county restoration projects, the islands have been formed with 320,000 cubic yards of sand from Peanut Island.

Construction was set to begin weeks from the day residents got those flyers, leaving little time to change course. Bill Simons, a boater who had been using the channel since 1996, and his neighbor Jordan Nichols, a retired civil engineer who once

worked for the South Florida Water Management District, went door to door to blast the alarm.

They enlisted another neighbor, former Lantana Mayor Dave Stewart, who connected with Town Manager Brian Raducci to set up a meeting where residents were able to air their concerns and hear from county and Army Corps officials.

What followed was a flurry of letters and phone calls and petitions from residents for hearings. Neighbors reached out to state and federal senators and representatives for help.

Islander Stuart Fain met with residents who talked about hiring a lawyer but held off and were “politely working” with the county. Turns out, politeness and persistence were effective.

In response to complaints, Deb Drum, director of the county’s Department of Environmental Resources Management, sent a letter to the Army Corps requesting that it sequence the project to not put any fill in the area identified by the neighbors as their navigation pathway until there was a redesign of the project to avoid that area. And, eventually, a redesign was done and the project was changed from three islands to two, leaving the channel in place.

Incredibly, the issue was resolved within a month, a remarkable feat and testimony to the diligence and fortitude of the men and women of Hypoluxo Island who fought so doggedly. It wasn’t smooth sailing. But when their navigation rights were threatened, leaders emerged to take the helm, and they came with admirable navigational skills. They knew what to do and they didn’t give up. They set a good example for all of us.

Coastal Star

CEO’s nonprofit helps cops go after online predators trying to harm kids

By Hannah Spencer

In 2009, while serving as the lead prosecutor for the Internet Crimes Against Children unit at the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office, Greg Schiller began collaborating with the Child Rescue Coalition, which was operating out of the same building.

That proximity introduced him to the organization’s groundbreaking technology — an experience that would ultimately lead to his future role as CEO of the nonprofit dedicated to helping law enforcement track and apprehend online child predators.

“I get to come home to that same building where it all really started,” says Schiller, 47, who became CEO on March 3. In his new role, Schiller will be doing more of what his predecessor, Carly Yoost, did. “So, this is the greatest opportunity I could ever have to globally help children, parents, and the community learn how to fight back against offenders online. And I can do it all through this incredible organization here in Palm Beach County.”

The coalition uses a proprietary software tool, which helps law enforcement agencies around the world identify individuals who are sharing and downloading known child sexual abuse material.

— Mary Thurwachter, Managing Editor

The technology monitors peer-to-peer networks in real time for users who are actively trading illicit content. This allows investigators to build cases proactively and has led to the arrests of tens of thousands of predators globally.

CRC’s technology is free for law enforcement all throughout the world, but is used heavily in

Palm Beach County by federal agents, the sheriff’s office, and police departments in Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Boynton Beach.

Schiller, who lives in Boca Raton, graduated from New England Law in Boston in 2003 and has been in Palm Beach County his entire career.

“I’m originally from New York and my first job offer, after I applied to be a prosecutor in many offices up and down the East Coast, was at the West Palm Beach State Attorney’s Office,” he said.

He spent 121/2 years working as a state prosecutor in West Palm Beach, where the majority of the time, he said, he was the lead prosecutor in handling internet crimes against children and cases of human trafficking.

Then in 2016, Schiller became an assistant United States attorney where he was still a prosecutor but at the federal level in the Southern District of Florida — still specializing in the same crimes.

He held that position until a couple of months ago when he left to become the leader of the CRC, whose software he had already been utilizing for 15 years at his other jobs.

“I think as CEO, I come with a very unique perspective of having been in the trenches as a prosecutor and having seen and dealt with the worst offenders, violence and online exploitation,” said Schiller, whose lengthy workdays leave

little time for much else. But when he has time, he enjoys reading, baseball, music and spending a lot of time with his family. “Working on this side really helps me grow and be the best that we can be trying to protect children.”

Schiller lamented the biggest struggle he and CRC have: making sure that they have the funding to do the job that they want to do.

“Somebody asked me the other day: ‘If you had a billion dollars, what would you do?’” said Schiller. “The ideas and the goal are endless because the goal is to end child exploitation across the internet so that we can protect our kids. There is no amount of money that would generate availability to ever do that globally in absolutely every home across the world.”

In addition to accepting donations, CRC hosts various fundraisers throughout the year. Upcoming charitable occasions include the annual CRC Poker Tournament in September — a friendly competition for card players of any level. The Coalition Cup will celebrate its eighth year in October; the day will have sports, an open bar, awards ceremony and more.

Both events are in Delray Beach, but Schiller said he is looking to expand such events in other cities and countries around the world.

CRC’s technology is used in 106 countries, and the organization is open to working with more, “whoever calls upon us and wants us to bring our technology there,” said Schiller. He said he has seen cases of children exploited by their relatives or guardians in other parts of the world, but hopes his company can shrink those numbers. P

Greg Schiller, the new CEO of the Child Rescue Coalition, keeps reminders of children in his office in Boca Raton alongside screens showing data and the organization’s home page. Schiller is a former prosecutor of internet crimes against children. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Delray Beach/Highland Beach

City requests mediation as questions persist in fire-service dispute

By Rich Pollack

It has been a year since Highland Beach split from Delray Beach and started its own fire department, but a fight over who still owes the other money — and how much — is heating up again.

In late March, attorneys for Delray Beach sent a letter to Highland Beach Town Manager Marshall Labadie requesting the two municipalities attend nonbinding mediation to determine how much the town owes the city.

In response, Highland Beach sent a letter to the attorneys for Delray Beach saying the town sees the advantage of settling the dispute without going to court, but it won’t do that until it receives detailed records it has been seeking for several years.

Delray Beach, according to its letter, believes the town owes it more than $540,000 that was identified during an audit by the Florida Auditor General’s Office.

In his letter back to the city, Highland Beach Town Attorney Len Rubin wrote that the town believes the city actually owes it money because it overcharged

the town almost $238,000 for fiscal 2021 and 2022.

The letter also contends that Highland Beach requested the same information on which it based that finding for four prior years back in 2023 and has yet to receive that information or other records, including those to support Delray Beach’s contentions that it owes the city money.

“We’ve been asking for those records for years and we’ve never received any records that support their claim,” Labadie said. “Before we talk mediation, show us the records.”

Delray Beach City Manager Terrence Moore said his city is continuing to work on determining how much Highland Beach actually owes for services provided.

“We remain in the process of determining what that looks like,” Moore said.

One possible scenario is that Delray Beach could ask Highland Beach for a portion or all of $2.2 million — mostly in pension costs — that the state’s audit showed should have been billed to the town but never was.

In his letter to the attorney

Letters to the Editor

An out-of-town critique of tunneling in Manalapan

In what logical way does it make any sense to allow one person to inconvenience thousands?

Why would a [Manalapan] homeowner be allowed to tunnel under a public road [State Road A1A] for personal use? Why should thousands of people be inconvenienced because a homeowner who

probably is in Florida for two weeks a year can’t cross the street?

Crossing a street really is not that difficult, as my mother taught me: “Look both ways and when there are no cars coming, you can cross.”

— Ira Oaklander Highland Beach

Keep educating residents about the environment

I really enjoyed reading John Pacenti’s article “Reef Madness: City diving deep to restore struggling coral” [April 2025 edition]. I am heartened by the fantastic work of the scientists at the Reef Institute and all the volunteers and supporters in Delray Beach who are working hard to restore our precious coral reefs.

As a Floridian, I see the need to educate new Florida residents on issues affecting our natural environment.

Please keep up the great work in bringing us articles on our reefs, water quality, canopy, beach erosion, marine life and the need for biodiversity.

— Maria Freed Boynton Beach

Publisher’s Request

Let us know about mail delivery

This month The Coastal Star converted all of its delivery to single-family homes, from newspapers in plastic bags thrown in driveways to U.S. Postal Service delivery to mailboxes. If you live in one of these homes, please send an email to admin@thecoastalstar.com that simply states the date you received this edition.

We made this change to improve service to our readers and advertisers. Between sprinkler systems and summer rains, we know we have delivered a few wet papers over the years; we hope this will bring that to an end.

— Jerry Lower, Publisher

representing Delray Beach, Rubin said the town wants to see the long-sought records before it will agree to mediation.

“To fully evaluate the city’s latest claim and to allow the town to fully review and comprehend the city’s position prior to mediation, the town is requesting copies of all records relied upon by the city to arrive at whatever figure the city believes the town owes,” he wrote.

Rubin outlined four specific sets of records the town wants, including daily rosters of employees who worked in the Highland Beach station under a long-standing agreement.

Moore said Delray Beach is in the process of compiling those

records.

“The city of Delray Beach looks forward to a productive path forward,” Moore said. “We’ll provide the relevant information so they can prepare accordingly.”

For more than 30 years, Delray Beach provided fire service to Highland Beach by staffing a town-owned fire station. In April 2021, Highland Beach leaders voted to end the relationship in part because they felt the city was overcharging them. The town’s new fire department took over in May 2024.

During the final years of the partnership, Highland Beach disputed the way Delray Beach calculated how much it was owed.

In recent years prior to the split, Delray Beach began using the actual costs of the 211/2 firefighter paramedics assigned to the station in Highland Beach to determine the town’s cost for service, about $5 million per year.

Highland Beach has argued, however, that the agreement between the two municipalities clearly states that such cost should be calculated based on the average “in-rank” cost of fire rescue personnel throughout the city.

The different interpretations of the agreement could be one of the focal points of any mediation. When that will happen is up in the air. P

Lake Boca was the scene of a milder Boca Bash this April, with only four arrests made and none of the outrage of years past. The annual boating party, held on the last Sunday in April, drew its customary hundreds of boaters to the lake. The Instagram story @thebocabash had nearly 1,000 likes shortly after the event. Boca Raton police arrested two men for boating under the influence, as did officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, jail records show. Boca Raton Fire Rescue was dispatched on five medical calls. As it did in the past, the city closed Wildflower and Silver Palm parks in advance of the Boca Bash. Previous years included a notorious video of teenagers dumping trash into the ocean, a man being charged with attempted murder of his girlfriend, a drowning and often more than a dozen arrests Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Delray Beach

Fire truck driver involved in crash with train challenges his firing

By John Pacenti

Delray Beach on April 10 announced it was firing David Wyatt, the firefighter who was at the wheel of the aerial fire truck struck by a Brightline train in December. Video released by Brightline showed the large fire truck maneuvering around a lowered railroad crossing gate as the train approached.

Wyatt, under the firefighters’ contract, had 10 days to request a meeting with City Manager Terrence Moore to plead his case. He did, and city spokeswoman Gina Carter said the meeting was to take place before May 1.

“The train collision on December 28 was more than a traffic incident,” Moore said in an email announcing Wyatt’s employment termination. “It was a moment that tested the integrity of our public safety system and shook the confidence of the community we serve.”

Wyatt has been on paid administrative leave while the city investigated. His termination was set to be effective April 28.

The crash left about a dozen train passengers injured — as well as Wyatt and fire truck passengers Capt. Brian Fiorey and firefighter Joseph Fiumara III. The fire truck was en route to a reported kitchen fire at a condo building at 365 SE Sixth Ave. However, according to dispatch recordings, another unit on scene had called in to say the fire was contained around the same time as the crash was reported.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office found Wyatt failed to use “due care” as he drove the ladder truck into the path of the passenger train.

In announcing Wyatt’s termination, Moore said the Brightline crash “revealed a pattern of carelessness and poor judgment that went beyond an isolated error.”

The Coastal Star in January reported about an earlier,

off-duty crash involving Wyatt. In that June 2023 crash, he drove his car into a tree in downtown Delray Beach. Police investigated Wyatt for a possible DUI but said in a report that obtaining a breathalyzer or a blood test was not feasible because the firefighter had been transported to a hospital. He was charged with careless driving. There was no DUI charge.

Court records showed that Wyatt didn’t initially go to traffic school to resolve the careless driving citation, which resulted in his license being suspended. An independent investigation discovered he had driven Delray Beach fire trucks during the time his license was suspended in late 2023.

The report by the labor firm Johnson Jackson, released Feb. 25, said Wyatt should have taken leave to address the license suspension. The city discovered that 10 fire department employees had not reported having suspended licenses in the recent past.

Wyatt told the investigator that he was unaware of the license suspension until this year. The investigator wrote that Wyatt’s response “raises question(s) as to his credibility on this issue,” the report stated.

A call to a telephone number associated with Wyatt went unanswered.

After the city’s announcement of Wyatt’s termination, the firefighters’ union, IAFF Local 1842, wrote to Moore saying the city fired Wyatt without a formal hearing.

The union requested that Moore convene a panel of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. The union’s statement was posted on its Facebook page. IAFF Local 1842 did not return a message seeking further comment. P

Delray Beach News

Code enforcement goes 17/7 — The Delray Beach Code Enforcement Division plans to implement a new schedule to ensure enforcement every day of the week.

City Manager Terrence Moore announced in his April 18 memo to commissioners the new sevenday operation, with the plan to have code officers working from 7 a.m. to midnight, even on weekends. Code enforcement over the weekends in the past had been dependent on overtime, according to an April 16 email from Jeri Pryor, the city’s new director of Neighborhood and Community Services, who oversees the division.

One of the priorities of the weekend patrols will be “to reduce and minimize light pollution on our beach affecting sea turtle orientation, through proactive code enforcement,” she wrote.

She said the new schedule is expected to begin on May 3.

Delray competes to be All-America City again Delray Beach is a finalist for another All-America City designation, which honors communities that demonstrate exceptional civic engagement, collaboration and innovation in addressing challenges.

Delray Beach was named an All-America City in 1993, 2001 and 2017, as noted above the dais in the City Commission chambers.

City Manager Terrence Moore said a delegation of about 15 will travel to the National Civic League headquarters in Denver to represent the city in the 2025 finals competition June 27-29. Team members will participate in workshops and community meetings, said Janai Bowens, the education and external opportunities manager who is putting together the delegation.

— John Pacenti

Boca Bash Lake Boca Raton — April 27

Ocean Ridge

Town Manager Ladner’s rocky tenure ends in resignation after poor reviews from commissioners

Fill-in successor is hired for six months at most

By John Pacenti

Lynne Ladner, Ocean Ridge’s sometimes embattled town manager, resigned after commissioners gave her poor evaluations, particularly hammering her on budget and fiscal responsibility, as well as leadership.

The commission, in a special meeting April 14, hired Michelle Lee Heiser, a former Port St. Lucie councilwoman and town manager for Sewall’s Point.

Heiser will be paid $18,670 a month for no more than six months — the same rate as Ladner’s $224,000 annual salary. She has offered assistance in finding a permanent replacement for Ladner.

Heiser will guide the town as it hammers out the budget for the next fiscal year and sets the property tax rate.

In her April 3 resignation letter, Ladner said she has accomplished many of her goals for Ocean Ridge.

“I feel it is the right time to step aside and allow new leadership to guide the town forward,” Ladner wrote. “It has been a privilege to serve the residents and work alongside the dedicated staff and leadership of Ocean Ridge.”

Mayor Geoff Pugh and Vice Mayor Steve Coz thanked Ladner for her service at the April 7 commission meeting, but didn’t have much to add afterward. Commissioners, on the consent agenda, approved a measure that added three weeks of severance pay — a provision under the contract — for Ladner for a total of 17 weeks or

$73,168.

Pugh declined to elaborate as to why the three weeks were added.

The Coastal Star obtained the commission evaluations of the town manager after a public records request. All were filled out in February and included evaluation score sheets for Ladner’s performance.

Budget concerns

Over the last six months, Ladner had been criticized by commissioners for her lack of organization, failing to provide pertinent information for meetings, and making critical errors when calculating the budget. She was a controversial hire, first serving as interim manager starting in August 2022, then rejected for the permanent position by one commission but hired by another after the March 2023 election.

“The last two budget sessions have been an exasperating struggle of missing information and incorrect numbers,” Coz wrote in his evaluation of Ladner. “Lynne has not embraced the fact that she is CEO of the town.”

The commission had to correct a mathematical mistake in the 2023-24 budget after the state called out the town for the error. It resulted in a $58,000 windfall — but commissioners said it could have gone the other way and affected projects in the town.

Commissioner Carolyn

Cassidy said Ladner made the same mistake in an early version of the current fiscal year’s budget, using net values of property rather than gross values as the state requires, which would have overtaxed residents by more than $56,000. Ladner bristled at the criticism.

“I’m worried about the mistakes and the errors and the defensiveness,” Cassidy said at the Aug. 5 meeting. “So it’s just a great frustration.”

Evaluation scores

The evaluations rated Ladner on a scale from 1 (unsatisfactory) to 5 (outstanding) in nine areas: leadership, planning and organization, budget and fiscal responsibility, commissioner interaction, community relations, priorities, operations, staff development, and compliance.

Pugh did not write comments on his evaluation, but he gave Ladner an “unsatisfactory” score for community relations and a “needs improvement” for leadership.

A perfect score would be 45. Pugh gave a score of 21, Coz 24, and Cassidy 19. Commissioners David Hutchins and Ainar Aijala Jr. gave her scores of 23 and 19, respectively.

Coz gave Ladner a low score of 1.5 for budget responsibility and a 2 for priorities. He gave her 2.5 or 3 for other categories, which is a satisfactory mark, and a 4 for exceeding expectations for compliance with regulatory standards.

Coz said in his evaluation of Ladner last year that a new manager should be given two years to meet the challenge of facing “headwinds of institutional knowledge.”

“Unfortunately, in my opinion, this excellence has not

occurred during this period,” he wrote in his recent evaluation.

Coz said Ladner failed to admonish staff when needed, thus “amplifying perceived grievances.” Ladner was a fierce defender of her staff and fought for equal compensation for administrative employees, clashing with commissioners.

Cassidy, though sometimes critical of Ladner, also worked closely with the town manager on issues of securing a lobbyist and on planning a kayak trail for land recently purchased behind Town Hall.

She gave her a score of 1 for budget and fiscal responsibility. Cassidy’s comments were extensive and detailed, praising Ladner for partnering up on finding a lobbyist but then saying, “However, when asked to obtain bids from lobbying firms, her efforts were minimal.”

Cassidy indicated she was still willing to work with Ladner, offering several suggestions for improvement, such as being more receptive to suggestions.

In conclusion, Cassidy wrote, “Please be more communicative about absences. Lynne is frequently not in the office. Health issues are understandable, but the absences seem to be excessive.”

Hutchins gave Ladner “needs improvement” scores of 2 in four categories. “Overall, her performance has been satisfactory, but occasionally she is less than prepared for the commission meetings,” he wrote, noting Ladner has failed to show up at Town Hall for work without explanation several times.

Aijala gave Ladner a score of 1 under the category of leadership and provided some of the most critical comments.

“Lynne demonstrated a complete lack of understanding

that she works for the commissioners and residents,” he wrote. “Her approach is combative and defensive rather than supportive and helpful.”

Ladner proud of work Ladner might have seen the writing on the wall, applying for the town manager position in Juno Beach in January, according to public documents. She noted in an email in that application that she declared bankruptcy in 2014 because of medical hardship. She used Pugh and Coz as references for the Juno Beach position.

Ladner has had similar positions in the small towns of Pahokee, Kenneth City in Pinellas County and in Michigan and Kansas.

Yet, her stay in Ocean Ridge has always been rocky. She was hired as a temporary town manager in August 2022.

Commissioners voted to make her position permanent in January 2023, but reversed themselves the next month over concerns that Ladner had acted at the urging of a minority of commissioners in asking departing Police Chief Richard Jones, who was resigning to take the same position in Gulf Stream, to leave quickly.

After an election the next month that put a new commissioner on the dais and shifted the commission’s balance of power, the majority gave her the job in April 2023. Ladner, in her resignation letter, said she was proud of several accomplishments, including overseeing the implementation of new computer software, managing the bidding for the $2.9 million project to replace town water mains, and the $1.5 million purchase of land behind Town Hall for mangrove preservation.

“I leave this role with immense pride in what we have accomplished and with confidence in the Town’s bright future,” she concluded her resignation letter.

Ladner said after the April 7 meeting that she had employment opportunities but could not elaborate at the time.

New manager’s plans

The commission wasted little time pivoting, hiring Heiser after being wowed by her application, which included a 90-day action plan that looks to evaluate roles “to ensure the right people are in the right roles for the town’s current needs.”

Heiser seemed to be focused on improving staff morale to “cultivate culture and pride in public service focus.”

Pugh said Heiser was a candidate for the position two years ago but withdrew her name from consideration. She

Ladner

Heiser

Ocean Ridge

Town creates bigger fines for having a dog on the beach

As promised, the Ocean Ridge Town Commission passed an ordinance raising the fine for violating the town’s ban on dogs on the beach from $25 to $100.

A second offense rose from $50 to $200 and a third offense rose from $100 to $500.

“The $100 fine will at least hopefully dissuade someone from not respecting our town, and that’s the bottom line. It’s the respect factor,” Mayor Geoff Pugh said at the April 7 commission meeting.

Commissioner David Hutchins said that he had a run-in with a County Pocket resident insistent on taking his dog on the beach. When Hutchins said it was against the law, he said the man “got very close to violence. He was really upset. I mean, yelling at me in my face.”

The commission raised the fines after residents complained that dog owners didn’t mind taking the risk for $25. Police patrols looking for violators increased in March. There were 22 citations issued over five weeks before the fines were increased.

Police Chief Scott McClure at the April 14 special meeting of the commission said the first $100 citation was written that morning.

Routine traffic stop nabs gun involved in shootings

When Ocean Ridge Police Officer Jimmy Pilon stopped a car on March 24 for having illegal window tinting, he was most likely thinking of issuing a routine warning or citation.

Instead, Pilon noticed the smell of marijuana and a backpack. Inside the backpack were 20 grams of pot, $4,000 in cash and a loaded .40 semi-automatic handgun, said Police Chief Scott McClure.

“We sent that gun for forensic testing. It was involved in a shooting in Boynton and a shooting in Delray,” the chief said. He announced the arrest at the April 7 Town Commission meeting. “So he was in your town,” McClure told commissioners. “So we got the juvenile in juvie hall and the gun off the streets.”

McClure said he could not offer further details because Pilon was in the process of obtaining search warrants and there were pending investigations in Delray Beach and Boynton Beach.

Pilon will be honored at the May commission meeting.

“It’s just good police work,” McClure said. Pilon “stopped over 100 cars last month and gave out 120 tickets. The traffic is just picking up. The car traffic and the foot traffic.”

— John Pacenti

Well, say one thing about the current iteration of the Ocean Ridge Town Commission: It’s a group of elected leaders who get along for the most part.

This was reflected in the unanimous vote to retain Mayor Geoff Pugh and Vice Mayor Steve Coz in their current positions at the April 7 commission meeting.

This is Pugh’s second stint as mayor. He previously served six years until resigning in 2018 to spend more time with his family. He rejoined the dais in 2021. He was reelected in March 2024.

Coz — who has previously served as mayor — retained his seat this year when nobody came forward to challenge him. He was first elected in 2016.

— John Pacenti

Continued from previous page

was recommended by Town Attorney Christy Goddeau.

“I thought she was terrific,” Coz said. “The interview went extremely well.”

On an extensive résumé, Heiser served as senior vice president of operations for National Vision from 2014 to 2018. She was a Port St. Lucie councilwoman from 2004 to 2016 and served as town manager for Sewall’s Point from 2019 to 2022. Recently, she has provided executive coaching.

Coz said that Heiser offered to go to the Florida City and County Management Association conference in Tallahassee from May 28-31.

“She said she knew a ton of people up there, and she could basically find us a permanent manager at that convention,” he said.

Heiser, reached on April 28, had yet to have oneon-one conversations with commissioners since her hire.

“Out of respect for them, I will wait to share any outcomes discovered,” she said. “I can say there is nothing extraordinary worrisome. The team is working well together and is energized for a good budget season.” P

— John Pacenti

Pugh

Pugh, Coz stay mayor and vice mayor

City manager to retire at end of year; new deputy manager hired

By Mary Hladky

Boca Raton City Manager

George Brown will retire at year’s end, ending a 43-year career with the city.

Brown, 74, announced his departure at the April 8 City Council meeting, allowing time for the executive search firm Mercer Group Associates to conduct a search for candidates to replace him.

Under the schedule laid out by Brown, council members would interview possibly as many as five candidates in July and finalize a contract with their top choice in September.

Brown’s retirement was expected. When he officially assumed the top job on Jan. 1, 2024, eight months after the council selected him to succeed Leif Ahnell, Brown indicated that he intended to serve a short time.

Yet Brown’s tenure will be long enough that, if all goes as planned, he will have overseen the completion of a final deal with Terra and Frisbie Group to redevelop the 30acre downtown government campus — the city’s highest priority project.

The council heaped praise on Brown.

“Whoever comes in has big shoes to fill,” said Deputy Mayor Fran Nachlas. “I appreciate your expertise, your knowledge and guidance.”

“What we have here is a person who has dedicated his

life to the city,” said Council member Marc Wigder.

“You have done an enormous amount of fantastic service to this city,” said Council member Andy Thomson.

Brown quickly shared credit with city staff. “It is a team effort. It was not just me,” he said.

And he vowed to remain engaged.

“I am not going to be disconnecting from the city,” he said. “I intend to remain involved, committed. I can’t get it out of my blood so that is just something that is going to have to happen.”

Brown joined the city’s building inspection division in 1977 and rose through the ranks to become assistant city manager. He left for five years, but was recruited to return and became deputy city

manager in 2004.

He has handled many of the city’s most complex matters, including the sale of the city’s western golf course in 2021 and the lease of city land in Mizner Park in 2022 that at the time cleared the way for construction of The Center for Arts and Innovation. That project, however, came to a halt earlier this year when TCAI was unable to meet cityset fundraising deadlines.

In another key administrative change, the city has hired Jorge Camejo as deputy city manager.

Camejo effectively will take over Brown’s responsibilities when he held that position, overseeing major projects — especially in the downtown.

Camejo has a 28-year history with the city, serving as executive director of the Community Redevelopment

Agency, which oversees the downtown, from 1989 to 1998, and as director of development services from 1998 to 2010.

He left to become executive director of the Hollywood CRA, a position he held until his return to Boca Raton.

Rules governing downtown development expire in 2028 and the CRA will cease to exist in 2039. Camejo will have a major role in revamping the development rules and the city’s eventual takeover of the CRA’s functions.

Camejo’s ”vast experience in urban redevelopment and his deep understanding of our community’s vision makes him the ideal candidate to help guide growth and development in downtown Boca Raton,” Brown said in a statement. P

Walkability guru called in for East Palmetto Park Road

By Mary Hladky

Boca Raton’s disjointed efforts to make the downtown more vibrant, walkable and inviting are about to get a reset.

The City Council has hired Speck Dempsey, an urban design and planning firm, to help transform the downtown

into a memorable destination.

The five-year agreement is for $284,965.

The consulting firm is led by Jeff Speck, the author of Walkable City, who many consider to be the guru of walkable urbanism.

That’s what former Deputy Mayor Monica Mayotte repeatedly pressed her fellow

council members to do before she left office, to no avail.

“I am overjoyed that Jeff Speck is now going to be engaged in this project for our downtown. He is the right person to do this,” she told council members at their April 7 meeting. “It makes me very happy the effort I started is now coming to fruition.”

That sentiment was echoed by architect Juan Caycedo, a member of a group of professionals known as Workshop 344+, who have created their own ideas for how to revitalize East Palmetto Park Road.

“We should have hired him to start with to design this street,” he said. “I am sure when we see the ideas from Jeff Speck, we will be looking at what we really need to do in our city.”

Former Deputy Mayor Andrea O’Rourke, who launched Workshop 344+, also was pleased.

“We are collectively very happy to welcome Jeff Speck on board as a consultant,” she said.

But Speck Dempsey won’t be working alone. The firm will be teamed up with Alta Planning + Design, hired by the city two years ago to re-envision East Palmetto Park Road.

While Speck Dempsey does work with other consultants elsewhere, the situation in Boca Raton is a bit awkward.

When Alta presented three redesign options in November, council members were so underwhelmed that they sidestepped a selection decision.

Deputy Mayor Fran Nachlas indirectly noted that at the

council meeting, saying, “We wanted to see something more significant. …

“I hope when you do come back it will really be what we are looking for — a sense of place, really iconic and a place that is a landmark for our city.”

She hoped the two consultants would “really work together” to do that.

“That is certainly our intent,” said Alta principal Alia Awwad.

The project, though, is about more than just East Palmetto Park Road. Its scope has been expanded to include much of downtown, including the 30-acre government campus that is in the process of being redeveloped to include new government buildings, residential, retail, hotel and office.

Alta already is looking at additional downtown streets and parts of West Palmetto Park Road.

The two firms will do a downtown walkability assessment and traffic and mobility reviews of the government campus.

That will include reviewing traffic and mobility plans being drafted by Terra and Frisbie Group, the joint venture selected to do the campus project.

Saying the Terra/Frisbie proposal is “high quality,” Speck added, “We are excited to look at it, kick the tires a bit … to see if we can integrate it into the downtown.”

The firms will work with the city to hold a 21/2-day design charette, possibly to take place in June, that includes an open-to-the-public, half-day walkability tour along East Palmetto Park Road. P

Brown Camejo

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husband know 10 couples who attend a threemonth golf holiday in Naples each year. They are not booking for next year. Two couples they know in Cocoa Beach have sold their homes.

Other Canadians who own homes in Briny Breezes and spoke with The Coastal Star don’t want to pull up stakes.

Joan Nicholls spent only eight days in her Briny Breezes home this year because medical problems pushed her back to Ontario for treatment.

“I am looking forward to going back down there again,” she said. “I had a wonderful time. I hated to leave.”

And there’s no doubt she will return. She has bought a golf cart. “I have all intention of going back.”

Larry Sudds rooted for Trump to be elected president even though he knew Trump might hurt Canada financially. So he is fine with Trump’s actions.

“I have no problem getting back to Palm Beach County no matter what happens,” said his wife, Linda. “I am not opinionated on anything. It is what it is. Hopefully it will turn out to be the best on both sides.”

The fact that these annual visitors love where they live part-time and have longstanding ties to Palm Beach County sheds some light on whether or how much the county’s Canadian tourism will be hurt by U.S. politics.

No clear trend yet

As of late April, the county’s tourism marketing organization, Discover the Palm Beaches, had no current data that would show if the county is taking a hit. President and CEO Milton Segarra expects to get that as soon as this month.

But Segarra is hopeful.

While he is expecting some decline, “so far, the numbers we have are extremely positive,” he said.

Hotel bookings as of February surpassed all his goals. “The Palm Beaches are registering one of the best high seasons ever,” he said.

Peter Ricci, director of Florida Atlantic University’s Hospitality and Tourism Management Program, agrees that there’s not yet cause for alarm.

“While there is economic and political uncertainty globally, The Palm Beaches seems to have thus far bucked any type of negative trend,” he said in a late March email. “As a local tourism professional, I remain optimistic for the 2025 calendar year thus far.”

As of late April, he had not changed his assessment. He attributes the county’s positive showing so far at least in part to Trump’s frequent trips to Mar-a-Lago and the politicians, other visitors and media who come in his wake.

Canada’s crucial tourism role

The stakes are high. Canada is Palm Beach County’s most important international market, accounting for 39% of the county’s total international visitation.

Last year, nearly 370,000 Canadians visited the county, contributing $500 million to the economy.

Canada is vitally important to the state as well. It is the state’s top international market, with 3.3 million Canadians visiting in 2024.

If Palm Beach County avoids a sharp downturn by the end of the winter tourist season, Segarra said that might be due to the fact that most Canadians arrive in the fall. So they were already here when Trump launched his tirade and tariffs against their country.

But Segarra is getting feedback that shows Canadians are concerned about the potential impact on their economy and they are “emotionally charged about the narrative about the sovereignty of their nation.”

So he took a different approach when members of his organization traveled to

Toronto in March.

Rather that creating a new business strategy to attract visitors, he thanked his Canadian partners for their support.

If the situation improves and Canadians are ready and willing to travel to Palm Beach County, Discover the Palm Beaches will launch tailored marketing that Segarra hopes will retain Canada as a top market.

The Trump effect

But much remains well outside Segarra’s control. If Trump backs off his crusade to take over Canada and punish it with tariffs, relations between the countries might stabilize and Canadian animus toward the U.S. could fade.

If not, Canadians would have even more reason to shun the U.S.

While Palm Beach County may have escaped the worst for now, there are plenty of indicators already that things have gotten ugly.

Canadians are boycotting U.S. goods. Two-thirds of Canadians said they have reduced their purchases of American products in stores and online by more than 60%, according to a March survey by the Canadian market researcher Leger.

Advance bookings for Canada-U.S. flights in April-September are down over 70% compared to last year, according to the aviation data firm OAG. Airlines, however, have disputed that number.

Nonetheless, airlines are reducing the number of flights from Canada to the U.S. The greatest impact has been felt in Florida, with Miami International Airport seeing 23% fewer seats and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport with 20% fewer, according to OAG.

But Canadian travel to Palm Beach International Airport increased in February, according to the airport’s most recent report. Air Canada brought in 5,747 passengers, compared to 4,814 in February 2024. But that number was down from January, when 7,098 passengers arrived.

The Canadian airline Porter, which first flew into Palm Beach International in November, brought in 2,081 passengers in February.

Canadian tour companies have reported a sharp drop-off of people booking tours to the U.S.

A weaker Canadian dollar also is having an impact, since it makes the U.S. more expensive. Canadian money stretches further in places like Mexico and Costa Rica.

The fall will tell

Sophie Lalonde, chair of the CanadaFlorida Business Council, agrees with Segarra that the impact of Trump’s words and actions were muted because Canadians were already in Florida when tensions flared.

“You will have a better feel, a more realistic picture in the fall” when it is known how many Canadians are returning, she said.

But she sees a worrying sign.

Many Canadians, she said, come to Florida for spring break. Yet that didn’t happen this year.

“This year people canceled their trips, even trips that were pre-booked…,” she said. “A lot of Canadians are revolting and saying, I am not going.”

Trump may not be the sole reason, she said. The weak Canadian dollar likely played a role. But feelings in Canada are running strong. “Canadians are upset. They are upset because it is a fight that shouldn’t have started. We have always been good friends. We have done business together for forever,” Lalonde said.

She highlighted Canada’s value to Florida. Six hundred Canadian companies operate in the state while Canadians contributed $4.6 billion to Florida’s economy in 2022.

“We are very important to you guys,” she said, “just like you are very important to us.”

Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Along the Coast

Boca Raton joins Delray Beach as recipients of Blue Flag Beach Award

By Mary Hladky

Boca Raton’s Spanish River Park beach has been awarded the much-coveted Blue Flag Beach Award that signifies it meets stringent environmental and safety standards.

With the award, announced on April 22, the Boca Raton beach becomes only the third in the continental U.S. to be so honored. The others are Delray Beach’s municipal beach and Westward Beach in Malibu, California, which both first received the award in 2023.

Delray Beach also has received good news. On the same day Boca Raton was notified, Delray Beach learned it once again had received the annual award.

Boca Raton planned to hold a flag-raising ceremony at 9 a.m. May 2 at the Spanish River Park beach. Delray Beach was to hold its ceremony at 10 a.m. May 1 at Atlantic Avenue and State Road A1A.

The award recognizes beaches that meet more than 30 environmental, education, water quality, environmental management and safety criteria.

Boca Raton sought the award for the Spanish River Park beach because it is the city’s flagship beach.

The Blue Flag award is administered internationally by the Foundation for Environmental Education, headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. Blue Flag USA, operated by the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association, administers the award in the continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii.

Boca Raton now will install new information boards at the park’s central pavilion with details about local conservation efforts, water quality, water safety and eco-friendly practices, the city said. The city’s free educational programs offered through Gumbo Limbo Nature Center helped the city win the award.

“Our residents and visitors can take pride in knowing that Spanish River Park beach meets some of the highest standards in the world,” Mayor Scott Singer said in a statement.

Delray Beach was honored with the award for the third straight year.

“We at the City of Delray Beach are incredibly proud to receive this prestigious international award again,” Delray Beach Public Works Assistant Director Cynthia Buisson said in a statement. P

In addition to a flag on the beach celebrating Delray Beach’s blue flag status, numerous banners adorn the light poles on both sides of Atlantic Avenue between A1A and the Intracoastal Waterway.

Council abandons flag redesign after residents fail to salute idea

By Mary Hladky

Mayor Scott Singer proposed redesigning the city flag late last year as a way to bolster civic engagement and community pride during Boca Raton’s centennial year.

Instead, his idea rankled many residents, who thought the time and effort could better be spent on addressing city problems such as traffic congestion, homelessness and what many see as overdevelopment.

“Why is this important and why now?” resident Joe Majhess asked the City Council on April 8. “It is clearly not what the citizens want.

“Our message is simple. Enough. Enough of the madness, enough of the dissension and enough wasting taxpayer dollars.”

“Our flag is nice and historic,” said resident Paul Nolan. Holding up images of four of the proposed design

options, he added, “That is hideous.”

City Council members, who had endorsed Singer’s proposal in December, heard the message and pulled the plug on the project on April 21.

The new design options “are fine,” said Council member Andy Thomson, “but not so overwhelmingly better than the existing flag to justify a change.”

The flag redesign is a “distraction” from other important projects, said Council member Yvette Drucker. “At this point, the flag is not a priority, at least not for me.”

“Sometimes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” said Council member Marc Wigder. “I am kind of in that camp right now.”

Singer felt the city flag did not meet current flag design standards and had enlisted flag experts to suggest alternatives.

The city’s centennial marketing

consultant Merit Mile was brought in to launch the project and get residents involved in the effort.

LEFT: Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer said in December that the city’s flag ‘doesn’t meet the high standards in flag design,’ and suggested redesigning it as a way to increase civic engagement for the city’s centennial.

BELOW: Flag experts and consultants suggested a modern redesign, such as Denver’s to the left, but residents weren’t enamored with the proposals that were presented for Boca Raton, such as the one to the right.

Photos provided

That’s when the negative comments started rolling in, surprising Singer.

But he declared victory anyway. The project engaged residents, he said. “I consider this a success.” P

Skateboard parents join tennis devotees in lobbying for facilities

By Mary Hladky

As Boca Raton officials move quickly to redevelop their 30acre downtown government campus, the most vociferous and sustained objections to the massive project have come from users of the recreational facilities there that will be relocated to free up space for a new City Hall, Community Center, residential units, retail, an office building and a hotel.

Avid tennis players who use the 10-court Boca Raton Tennis Center were the first to speak out, demanding the city keep and enlarge the tennis center where it is, or at least relocate it nearby.

They now have been joined by users of Tim Huxhold Skate Park, which also faces banishment to a new location.

Skateboarders and their parents have shown up in force at meetings of the City Council and the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District, even though the district is not the agency responsible for the relocation decision.

“This is a passionate group,” District Commissioner Craig Ehrnst said at an April 7 meeting, adding that it would be a “shame” not to do something for them.

The next night, supporters

spoke their minds to City Council members.

“There is a huge, passionate community that is going to lose a park when it closes for the new city development,” said Toni Fralliciardi, the mother of two

skateboarders. “I really think investing in a place for them to call home is really important.

“We are one of the most underserved areas in the country per capita for skaters,” she said. “We need to build something state-of-the-art that brings people to Boca.”

“It is a beloved part of our city,” said Rachel Bennett, whose son has used the skate park since he was in kindergarten. “There is a whole community of skaters and they are going to miss that little park and deserve to have something bigger and better built.”

Supporters have come to realize that any effort to keep the park at its current location is doomed. So they have coalesced around the idea that this is an opportunity to get a new, better park, replacing one that opened in 1998 and is antiquated.

They have a long list of reasons why it is important to

keep skateboarding in Boca. It’s an Olympic sport, debuting in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Better skate parks are being built in many Florida cities, and Boca should not be left behind. The sport supports mental and physical health. It teaches kids resiliency. Good skate parks have become destinations, and boost the local economy.

The city is working with the Beach and Park District to find new locations for the skate park, tennis center and ballfields.

They are jointly developing a conceptual recreation plan focusing on parks that have enough space for new amenities and are analyzing where downtown recreation facilities could fit in.

Nothing is final yet, but it is all but certain the softball fields would go to Sugar Sand Park, at Military Trail and Palmetto Park Road. A location for the tennis courts hasn’t been decided, but City Manager George Brown has promised that the city will replace all the 10 existing courts.

District commissioners unanimously agreed on April 7 that they want the skate park in North Park, the former Ocean Breeze golf course site north of Yamato Road, and that the city should help them pay for the project.

The city supports the North Park location, and the city and district are now discussing how the cost will be split.

Platform Group, which designs and builds skate parks, has told the district that the cost of one ranges from $3 million to $3.6 million, but the actual cost of a new Boca Raton skate park will depend on its final design, said Briann Harms, the district’s executive director. P

Savanna Cousino, 12, of Coconut Creek rides her skateboard April 27 at Tim Huxhold Skate Park in Boca Raton. The park is downtown on property slated for redevelopment. It has skateboarding, rollerblading spaces, and shuffleboard courts. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Continued from page 1

three light and water shows for conference guests at The Boca Raton resort across the way — they discovered the barge was in a part of the Intracoastal Waterway that no government agency wants to accept as its responsibility in this situation.

The shows, arranged by a nationwide financial institution, were April 23 and 26, with a third set for April 29.

“We started calling every agency we could think of and spoke to everyone except the Army and the Navy,” said Joe Lari, the condo manager whose company, J & J Management, has been working for the Boca Inlet condo for three years. “It seems like it should be in almost everyone’s jurisdiction but no one wants to claim it.”

Lari said the barge also blocked several boat slips at the condo’s dock and he had hoped that it could be moved, perhaps closer to The Boca Raton, without blocking the channel.

Fumes bother residents

Lari said plenty of the fumes from the barge got into the building. “This was dangerous. It’s insane,” he said.

Despite the condo’s efforts — including calls to local, state and federal agencies — the barge which arrived on April 18, Good Friday, was still there a dozen days later, although the noise and fumes from the generator — still annoying to residents — were no longer constant after the first five days.

For one resident, the diesel exhaust fumes were enough to make her so worried about the impact on her health that she called a family physician and went to get checked out.

“I felt like someone was sitting on my chest,” said the resident, who hadn’t been able to go out on her apartment’s balcony or sit by the pool.

Who you gonna call?

While government agencies, including the Boca Raton Police Department and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, have the power to enforce laws on the Intracoastal, there is apparently little those agencies could do as long as the

barge wasn’t interfering with navigation or breaking the law.

The FWC says permits aren’t necessary to travel the Intracoastal, nor does it issue permits to anchor there.

A representative from the city of Boca Raton said that because the barge was outside the city’s jurisdiction it did not require a special events permit. She added that staff from the city’s Code Enforcement Division had visited with residents at Boca Inlet and later reached out to the contractors who were putting on the water and light show.

After code enforcement contacted those operating the barge, some improvements were made. The generator wasn’t running as often and the barge was moved about 20 feet to the north, farther away from the

pool. Even so, it still remained just a few feet off the condo’s sea wall, blocking would-be visitors from docking, Lari said.

One of the main members of the team contracted to produce the water and light show said the crew had made adjustments to minimize the disruption to condo residents, including cleaning the filters and cutting back on the time the generators were operating. Technicians were brought in to make sure everything was operating efficiently.

“When we were working at first, we didn’t see it as a problem,” he said. “When we were made aware that there were community concerns, we made every effort to go above and beyond standards.”

A noise inspection by the city

ABOVE: The barge and its floating water jets were stored across the Intracoastal Waterway from The Boca Raton and out of the channel, beside the Boca Inlet condo. Tim Stepien/ The Coastal Star.

LEFT: Boca Inlet residents (l-r) Evguenia Kostina and Tatyana and Michael Lukas toast with champagne while awaiting the start of the April 26 light and water show. Larry Barszewski/The Coastal Star

found no issues, according to the city spokesperson.

Information hard to get

Although it was a challenge to get any confirmation about what the barge was doing in Lake Boca up against the condominium’s property, Lari said he was told it was there to put on three separate water and light shows set to music — think the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas — on three different nights as part of a conference at The Boca Raton rewarding outstanding employees of Minneapolis-based US Bank.

In an email to The Coastal Star, the resort’s executive director of marketing, Sara Geen Hill, said the hotel was not responsible for the barge or the water and light show and

would not comment on who was putting on the show.

“We are not involved in activations taking place on the adjacent waterway,” she said. “In keeping with our commitment to guest privacy, we do not disclose information about resort guests or the organizations who visit our property.”

While an email to the communications department of US Bank requesting information about the event — Legends of Possible — was not answered, some of those who were being honored for being outstanding employees did post about coming to Boca Raton.

Watching the show

Stern, from the Boca Inlet condo board, said she and several others tried to watch the display from the pool deck on the first night, April 23, but said the wind pushed the water from the display onto the pool deck, forcing her and others to go inside.

Residents who were outside on April 26 for the second display had a different experience, since the wind was blowing away from the condominium.

“I never saw something like that,” resident Evguenia Kostina said of the water and light show. “I love it. It’s not bothering me. It’s beautiful.”

Some condo residents brought champagne poolside, and some boaters on Lake Boca stopped to see the display.

Also present were members from Boca Raton’s code enforcement, who were testing for noise and fumes. With the wind blowing away, however, any fumes weren’t bothering the poolside audience that night.

While there were some residents of the condo who weren’t too upset about the barge being there for almost two weeks, Stern said it was disappointing that residents couldn’t sit outside when the fumes were blown their way.

“The whole situation was quite unpleasant and shouldn’t have happened,” she said. P

Mary Hladky and Larry Barszewski contributed to this story.

Gulf Stream

Controlling traffic is a high priority as construction trucks and workers have to share the road with parents lined up to gather their students at the end of a day of classes at Gulf Stream School. Gulf Stream Police Officer Todd Stanton and Michael Alford of Roadway Construction manage traffic while another worker crosses a metal plate in the road in front of the school on April 25. Jerry Lower/ The Coastal Star

Road project shifts into Phase 2, east of Polo Drive

By Steve Plunkett

Polo Drive has become the new route for the morning rush to drop off kids at the Gulf Stream School.

Phase 2 of Gulf Stream’s comprehensive makeover of the Core District’s roads officially began April 21, the day after Easter, with construction crews moving to the streets east of almost-complete Polo and with new traffic instructions for parents of students.

While student pickup is the same as before, parents dropping off children have been asked to enter the Core District via Golfview Drive, then travel Polo north to Old School Road and the school’s entrance. A police officer is stationed at the intersection of Old School and Gulfstream Road to direct cars into the school’s usual south driveway.

The revised traffic pattern, which diverts vehicles from Gulfstream Road where most of the Phase 2 construction will take place, “is working very well,” Assistant Town Attorney Trey Nazzaro said.

“We are happy to report that the contractor is making progress and we anticipate fewer difficulties for Phase 2 as we get underway at the end of the season into the summer,” he said.

Barring bad weather and other unforeseen problems, this stage of construction is expected to last 10 months, or until late February 2026. Town officials originally hoped to wrap up the whole project in December. Phase 1 began in April 2024 but quickly stalled while contractor Roadway Associates LLC waited for a permit from the South Florida Water Management District.

Baxter and Woodman Consulting Engineers, which is managing the project, issued the contractor a Certificate of Substantial Completion on April 22 along with a punch list of 60 items such as repairing sprinkler lines and leveling mailboxes.

For the week ending May 2, Roadway planned to install new water and drainage utilities on Gulfstream Road between Golfview Drive and Lakeview Drive and on Lakeview between Polo Drive and Gulfstream.

Phase 2 is expected to proceed more quickly because most of the piping will be in the right of way next to the asphalt instead of under it.

Phase 1 consisted of Polo Drive and the finger roads to its west. Besides the punch list items, it will get a final lift of asphalt once Phase 2 is finished.

The entire water main, drainage and road project in the Core District is budgeted at $13 million. P

Mayor writes town’s history ‘just for us’ Gulf Stream centennial book — For residents only

To celebrate the town’s first 100 years, Mayor Scott Morgan collected historical photographs and wrote ‘The Town of Gulf Stream: A Place to Cherish.‘ The 104-page coffee table book chronicles the town’s century-long quest to preserve an ‘understated but elegant’ charm. The hardcover book was given to each of Gulf Stream’s roughly 685 households. They were invited to pick up their copies at Town Hall. The town paid $21,000 to publish it. ‘Every household will get one,’ Morgan said. ‘It’s not for sale. It’s just for us.’ ABOVE LEFT: The cover of the Gulf Stream centennial book. ABOVE RIGHT: Polo came to town in 1927. Gulf Stream became known as the Winter Polo Capital of the World. Photos provided

Briny Breezes

Town will hold at least two budget workshops this year

By Steve Plunkett

The Briny Breezes Town Council was still trying to figure out dates, but it decided at its April 24 meeting to hold a budget workshop in May as well as the one it customarily has in the summer.

The driving reason: Town Manager Bill Thrasher’s proposal to raise the town’s property tax rate by 80%, from $3.75 per $1,000 of taxable value to $6.75.

Thrasher, who earlier in the day was interviewed about the proposal on Alderman Bill Birch’s BBC8 television show, offered the second workshop session as a way for council members to know better the math behind his plan.

He would raise property taxes to obtain a $2.5 million loan to match the grants the town currently has.

“That funding source, what it looks like and where it comes from, is still being worked on, it has not been determined. We have plenty of time because we have enough reserves to get us started,” Thrasher said in the interview, which can be seen at bbc8.tv. BBC8 is a closed-circuit news outlet for Briny residents.

Using Birch’s 2024 tax bill for an example, Thrasher noted that the alderman paid $167 in town taxes and $1,081 overall to the 13 taxing entities.

At the $6.75 rate and if the taxable value of Birch’s home did not change, he would pay $301 in town taxes, or 80% more, and $1,215 overall, or only 18% more, if all the other tax rates stayed the same, Thrasher said. Birch translated that into a monthly increase of $11.15. “It is nothing major at all,” he said. Thrasher pointed out that somebody else may have a taxable value that’s larger than Birch’s, adding that “the numbers will change but the

percentages primarily will not.”

He called the proposed increase “really not something that as a manager I can say is something I’m proud of, but what I do have to tell you is that it’s absolutely necessary to advance our projects.”

The increase would raise about $300,000 more in property taxes.

Briny Breezes wants to enhance its sea walls and update and modernize its drainage system. The total project cost is $14.4 million. The town has qualified for a $1.4 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is in the midst of a 90-day pause, and a $7.2 million grant from the Resilient Florida program.

“Whether you believe it or not, the town and the

corporation have to develop a project for sustainability to protect from seawater intrusion. As tides come in and out, in and out, it’s very destructive. It wears on your sea walls, it wears on your piers, it wears on every part of your protection basin,” Thrasher said.

Along with seeking other grants, “I will be looking to try to obtain donations. … I’ll be begging for money,” Thrasher said. “I’ll try everywhere I can to get money.”

Birch, for one, is on board with Thrasher’s proposal.

“Briny has given generations after generations of families nothing but wonderful memories,” Birch said. “And, let’s just call her a woman — she needs our help, and I think we need to help her.” P

Highland Beach

Residents at forum ask about Milani Park traffic, safety and parking

By Rich Pollack

Traffic issues, pedestrian safety and a familiar subject — parking spots and their abundance — were on the minds of Highland Beach residents as county leaders provided an update on the progress of Milani Park at a public forum last month.

With development of the park certain, county leaders and the team hired to design the park gave about 75 residents a first look at what the site at the south end of town could look like and asked for feedback.

What they got was a list of several dozen questions, many aimed at the county’s commitment to include 100 parking spaces on the west side parcel of the property, which straddles State Road A1A.

While some residents asked

if the county would consider scaling back the number of spots, county leaders said they will be proceeding with 100, the number included in a 2010 stipulated agreement between the county and the town.

In his presentation, lead architect Jeffrey Huber told residents that the parking area will be designed with a lot of plants and trees to make it more attractive in hopes of minimizing concerns.

“We don’t want it to look too much like a parking lot,” he said.

Huber said that the parking lot should be “part of the park experience” and that an abundance of shade trees along with natural vegetation would improve aesthetics.

“From above you’re going to see a tree canopy,” he said.

In addition to pushing for

a reduction in parking spaces, several residents expressed concern about pedestrian safety. People going to the beach side of the park who have parked in the lot will have to cross A1A, and pedestrians will be in the parking area.

Residents also expressed concerns about cars backing up onto A1A as they wait to get into the parking lot and questioned what the county will do to keep trespassers off private beaches and others from loitering.

Assistant County Administrator Isami AyalaCollazo said the design team would take a “comprehensive approach to traffic calming to reduce speeds and enhance pedestrian safety both in the park and at primary crossing points.”

The county will also have enhanced signage at crossings and make sure landscaping does not impede vision for pedestrians or motorists.

“We want to ensure pedestrian and bicycle safety,” said county Parks and Recreation Director Jennifer Cirillo.

Because A1A is a state road, the county is coordinating with the Florida Department of Transportation on some of the safety issues, including a request from one resident who wondered if an elevated pedestrian bridge would make sense.

closure should it reach capacity which will also contribute to pedestrian safety,” Cirillo said.

There will be a charge to park but the attendant will not collect money.

“The parking area will be staffed but parking fees will be collected via a parking app. This eliminates the need to queue at the main gate and allows visitors to proceed directly to a parking space,” Ayala-Collazo said.

County staff also will be on the east side parcel, with Ocean Rescue personnel and maintenance staff assigned to the area. And Cirillo said that park ranger patrols would help enforce the county ordinance against loitering.

Among steps to be taken are raised sidewalks inside the parking area to slow vehicles and improve visibility, consideration of enhanced lighting at key crossing areas, and delineating pedestrian and bicycle paths where feasible to ensure separation from motor vehicle traffic.

561-272-1400

Ayala-Collazo said that the pedestrian crossing area is being designed with distinctive pavement markings and landing points at each end.

Ayala-Collazo said that a pedestrian bridge is not part of the discussions but that the county is open to exploring the idea in coordination with FDOT. So far, however, the focus has been on road level crossings that are minimally disruptive.

To reduce the chances of cars backing up onto A1A, the site is being designed so that there will be room for several cars in a line before any stack up.

The parking attendant on site also will work to prevent traffic from backing up.

“A full-time park attendant will assist with the safe flow of patrons into the park and park

In response to resident concerns about park patrons trespassing on private beaches and adjacent property, Cirillo said the county would keep to the restrictions in the settlement agreement and would have signage on site.

She added, however, that seaward of the mean high-water line along the entire coast of Florida is public beach.

Once design work is completed, the county will submit plans to Highland Beach, which has the responsibility for issuing building permits. P

Council member says he’s running for mayor

City Council member Andy Thomson is running to become Boca Raton’s next mayor in 2026, replacing Scott Singer, who is prevented by term limits from seeking reelection.

Thomson, who filed to run on April 2, was first elected to office in a 2018 special election and was reelected with no opposition in 2020.

He resigned from the nonpartisan council in 2022 to pursue an unsuccessful candidacy as a Democrat for the Florida House District 91 seat now held by Peggy GossettSeidman, R-Highland Beach. He reclaimed his council seat last year, capturing 62.5% of the vote to defeat opponent Brian Stenberg.

Thomson’s three-year council term ends in 2027, but Florida law requires him to resign before the candidate qualifying period this November for the city election the following

March, though the resignation can be effective as of March 31, 2026, when he or someone else would take office.

Also filing on April 1 to run for the city’s top office was real estate broker Bernard Korn, a perennial candidate who never has won an election. But in his unsuccessful run against incumbent Yvette Drucker last year, he garnered his strongest showing ever, capturing 23% of the vote.

Thomson, a Georgia Tech graduate and former college football player, earned his law degree from the University of Miami and practices business law at Baritz Colman Richan & Harris in Boca Raton.

“I enjoyed immensely the opportunity to be on the City Council for over five years,” he said. “I have shown myself to be a rational decision-maker and someone who has the future of Boca in mind. What I want most of all is to move the city in the right direction.”

— Mary Hladky

Owner wants to auction 101 Via Mizner building

By Mary Hladky

An affiliate of Penn-Florida Companies is seeking to auction its 101 Via Mizner luxury apartment building in downtown Boca Raton so that it can pay its creditors.

The affiliate, Via Mizner Owner I, LLC, has requested that the auction take place on June 16.

The April 15 filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court is the latest twist over the fate of the 366unit apartment building at 101 East Camino Real. It is part of a three-phase project that is envisioned to also include a 164room Mandarin Oriental hotel and 85 branded residences.

While the apartment building was completed in 2017, construction of the two other buildings has dragged along for years and the project is well beyond its original completion date.

Penn-Florida first faced losing the apartments late last year. An affiliate of Blackstone Mortgage Trust, which provided a $195 million senior loan to Penn-Florida in 2022, filed a notice in December that it had initiated a Uniform Commercial Code foreclosure on the building for failing to pay off the loan. An auction was to be held on Jan. 15.

At the time, Penn-Florida said that the loan was in good standing and was in the process of being repaid in full in January.

But Via Mizner Owner I filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection that month to head off the auction and give it more time to complete refinancing.

In March, Via Mizner Owner I sought and received Bankruptcy Court approval to hire CBRE to sell the apartment building. Now, CBRE will conduct the auction PennFlorida wants, if it takes place.

Via Mizner Owner I said in a court pleading that it wants to maximize the value of the building for the benefit of creditors. The best way to do that, it said, was to sell the building to the highest bidder. It valued the building at $272.5 million.

The Coastal Star asked PennFlorida for comment, but none was provided as of April 23.

A number of prospective condo owners for the branded residences project, who had placed large deposits, have tired of waiting for construction to be completed and have filed lawsuits seeking return of their money. Some have reached settlement agreements with Penn-Florida, but other cases are pending. P

Thomson

MORE LEADING DOCTORS

IN MORE OF PALM BEACH COUNTY.

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Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation - Physical Therapy

Our newest practice, NYU Langone Medical Associates—West Palm Beach, offers gastroenterology and pain management services. With the vast array of specialties we provide throughout Palm Beach County, streamlining access to care is vital. That’s why we use a single electronic health record for each patient across all of our locations, so they and every medical professional can access their conditions, tests, images, medications, and more. NYU Langone Health is committed to bringing you exceptional care from leading doctors…with much more coming soon.

car has time to stop?

Do drivers have to stop if they see a walker entering a crosswalk in the opposite lane? Do bicycles have to stop when a pedestrian is in a crosswalk?

Top tip: Assume nothing

While the answers differ based on specific circumstances, law enforcement professionals who have decades of experience and hundreds of hours of training advocate being cautious and offer some tips that can enhance safety for everyone using A1A.

One of the most basic of the recommendations that apply to both drivers and those crossing A1A is to avoid assumptions.

People entering a crosswalk should never assume that a vehicle is going to stop, even though that is the law, law enforcement and safety advocates say.

“The crosswalk isn’t your savior,” says Manalapan Police Chief Jeff Rasor, who spent several years leading Delray Beach’s traffic division before arriving in Manalapan this year, and who has undergone several hundred hours of traffic safety training. “The crosswalk is not a physical barrier.”

Rasor said some who cross the road just assume a car is going to stop and step into the crosswalk without waiting for the car to slow or without making eye contact with the driver to get an idea of whether he or she will slow down.

On A1A where there are pedestrian-activated flashing yellow lights, some pedestrians enter the crosswalk as soon as they push the button, believing all drivers will hit the brakes.

But some drivers don’t. “Don’t have a false sense of security,” Rasor says.

Do drivers know the law?

Florida law is clear about cars stopping when there is a pedestrian in a crosswalk — crosswalk signs say it, too. Motorists must stop even when the pedestrian is in the opposite lane of traffic and must stop once the pedestrian steps foot into the crosswalk.

Still, Highland Beach Police Chief Craig Hartmann points out that a beach road like A1A draws a lot of tourists from out of state and even out of the country who may not know the law. As a result, pedestrians need to be extra sure the vehicle will stop, which isn’t always the case.

Drivers on A1A should also be alert and defensive and not assume they will be able to stop in time when a pedestrian is in the crosswalk. Rasor recommends keeping an eye on your speed and driving within the speed limit.

He said drivers should reduce their speeds when they see a pedestrian entering the crosswalk. By slowing down gradually before coming to a halt, instead of coming to a sudden stop, motorists can avoid rear-end collisions.

Tips for navigating A1A

For pedestrians

• Look both ways (left-right-left) before crossing — even if you’re at a crosswalk.

• Stay off your cell phone while crossing to avoid distractions.

• Push the button (before crossing) to activate warning lights at crosswalks that have them. Using orange flags where available also will increase your visibility to drivers.

• Don’t assume a car is going to stop, even if you’re in a crosswalk and it’s the law.

For motorists

• Don’t use a handheld cell phone while driving — and be extra vigilant watching for pedestrians and bicyclists while using a hands-free cell phone, which also is distracting.

• Stop for pedestrians once they are in a crosswalk, whether they’re in your lane or the opposite lane. (It’s the law.)

• Drive within the speed limit, making it easier to gradually stop for pedestrians without having to slam on the brakes, which could cause a rear-end collision.

• Be cautious about pedestrians attempting to cross outside of crosswalks. Don’t stop if they are waiting for traffic to pass before crossing, as drivers behind you might not know what you are doing and may either rear-end you or seek to go around you, endangering the pedestrians.

Source: Local law enforcement agencies

Drivers should also be extra cautious if they see someone not at a crosswalk, on either side of the road, waiting to cross. Both Rasor and Hartmann, however, recommend not stopping because the driver behind you could try to go around you and end up hitting the pedestrian.

Don’t be distracted

The message from both Rasor and Hartmann for pedestrians waiting to cross is to go back to what you learned as a kid — look both ways first. Both recommend looking to your left, then to your right and then to your left again.

Crossing in a place without a crosswalk is OK if there’s not a crosswalk nearby, Rasor said, but it should always be done with extra caution.

Another piece of advice to both pedestrians and motorists is to stay off your cellphone both when crossing the road

and when driving along a road with lots of pedestrians and bicyclists, especially if you’re holding the phone.

Distracted pedestrians and distracted motorists account for a fair number of the crashes involving both vehicles and pedestrians, Rasor said.

Even motorists speaking on a phone hands free should be extra vigilant when driving on a heavily traveled road like A1A because of the distraction the phone causes.

Distractions also account for crashes involving bicyclists. In a recent survey done by Boca First, bicyclists listed distracted, impaired and careless drivers as one of the top dangers in riding on A1A.

Like vehicles, bicyclists are required to stop if a pedestrian is in a crosswalk.

Rasor says that it’s important for pedestrians to make sure they’re aware of their

surroundings so they’ll have a better idea of when vehicles might be coming their way. If you’re about to cross the road after a curve, for example, recognize that you might not see a car coming right away, so be extra cautious.

Night crossings

Hartmann recommends taking extra safety steps when crossing after dark.

“Crossing at night, you’re not as visible as you are in the daylight,” he said. “It’s more important that your caution and awareness are greater at night.”

In Highland Beach, which has been a leader in taking measures to ensure pedestrian safety, lights have been installed to illuminate all the town’s seven crosswalks and they are on all night. Those crosswalks all have pedestrian-activated flashing yellow lights and orange flags that pedestrians

can carry across the road.

Other communities also have pedestrian-activated yellow lights at crosswalks.

Highland Beach is planning to embed lights in the crosswalks once road construction is completed.

Educating both motorists and pedestrians on how to cross A1A safely is a priority for local law enforcement agencies. In Highland Beach, police often go to condo meetings and other gatherings to share safety tips.

Highland Beach has also conducted crosswalk safety operations in which a police officer in civilian clothes attempts to use a crosswalk. Motorists who don’t stop can receive a citation.

“Our residents’ safety is our No. 1 priority, so we’re willing to deploy the latest safety measures,” Town Manager Marshall Labadie said. P

Trent Schambach and his son, Sutton, wait with Shelby Stenger, Sutton’s grandma, to cross A1A to their car from Atlantic Dunes Park in Delray Beach. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Questions

Michele Mahon of Ocean Ridge didn’t set out to write a children’s book. It kind of just happened during a time when she was doing substitute teaching.

“There would be breaks and I would just start working on stories,” said Mahon. “The kids always loved me and they wanted to help me write.

“So, I started writing and asking the kids what ingredients they wanted to put in, and they would say, ‘Put some cherries in there,’ or ‘Put some chocolate.’ And I would write their input.”

What came out of it was Unimaginable Ingredients for Shmoogily, a compilation of eight stories, all but one of which are based on true experiences.

“The first one was about how our dog escaped in the woods and we had to go find him. So that became Lost in the Woods,” Mahon said. “But the one I made up was the one they liked best.” That one was about a kid who was afraid to speak in class so he drinks a potion that cures the problem.

A dancer since she first started taking ballet lessons as a young girl, Mahon has put together a presentation for children that involves both reading and dancing. But she has encountered resistance when she has pitched her services to local outlets such as schools and libraries.

“The Delray Beach library told me, ‘No, we have our librarians read stories to the kids.’ But this is different.”

Mahon’s big adventure involving dance came when she spent six months training in Atlantic City for a show in the Bahamas, traveling between Nassau and Freeport to work with Bahamian dancers.

“After two years I had to come home because I had a husband,” she said. “I quit the show in May and was pregnant in July. Then it was ‘OK, what do I do with this kid?’ Then I became a mother.”

Mahon spends her summers in Boston. She and her husband, Paul, who is retired, have three children: daughter Raisha, who teaches families and the nursing staff how to use respiratory equipment at three hospitals in Boston; daughter Sachian, a public school teacher in Boston; and son Brienne, who lives in Manhattan and is vice president of instruction for Five Iron Golf.

— Brian Biggane

MEET YOUR NEIGHBOR: Michele Mahon

Michele Mahon at home in Ocean Ridge with her book, published this year by Austin Macauley and available in paperback for $9.95 on Amazon. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Q: Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?

A: Dorchester, Massachusetts. I went to the Sarah Greenwood School. I had the same teacher as my father, but this time we watched and waited as her teeth were about to fall out as she spoke.

I grew up in a three-family house while my dad was making his first venture into real estate. I played double-dutch jump rope and Red Rover and would hear my mother scream “Michele, where are you? Get in this house,” every night. Transistor radios were blasting, kids were hopscotching, I was enthralled by the neighborhood music and cultures. How could I not be influenced? I was young and watched and listened and danced. I continued my education and graduated from Brookline High School, where I am so fortunate to keep in touch with a lot of old friends.

Q: What professions have you worked in? What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?

A: It seems everything I did came late, but I did it. I first recall training to work in reservations and the information desk in Dallas with American Airlines, and due to layoffs, I wound up with Delta. Then I got my real estate license for Massachusetts. I did this while substitute teaching in Milton, Massachusetts, where my three kids went to school.

My dance career began in Boston with a show named Pouff, then came a solo spot in Remember Old Scollay Square in a dinner theater, the Chateau de Ville. Finally, I worked for the Resorts International hotel chain doing The Crazy Gang show with the wonderful Bahamian dancers.

What I am most proud of is I went to UMass-Boston and earned a degree in humanities and elementary education, making me the first in my family to graduate college. A few years later I received my master’s degree in moderate disabilities from Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Massachusetts, while teaching in Boston public schools. This led me to dance programs and choreography. I still do substitute teaching and writing.

Q: What advice do you have for a young person seeking a career today?

A: Life is a stage which is OK to fall off of. That is how we learn. We try to do what we think we like, and the opportunities seem to arrive unexpectedly. The next thing you know you may love what comes. Change makes life interesting and in the process comes versatility.

Q: How did you choose to live in Ocean Ridge?

A: Originally my separated parents lived with their interesting others in Kings Point in west Delray Beach. While visiting those fabulous facilities

I bought a condo that was for sale across the street from my mom and stayed there until they passed.

Soon after that I was with my brother driving up and down A1A looking for a place to park to go to the beach. We finally found one and were walking around and I spotted a gazebo, then looked and saw some condos. I checked with a Realtor and a couple were for sale. I also looked on the Intracoastal but sent pictures to my kids and they said, “Mom, you can’t swim in the Intracoastal. Go for the beach!” So I did.

Q: What is your favorite part about living in Ocean Ridge?

A: What a beach! What a location! It makes me smile as I walk and see the palm trees and feel the ocean breezes (some days not so much). But I love all the little creatures I say hi to on my walks. I have met many wonderful people. Every day is a happy hour!

Q: What book are you reading now?

A: Honestly, I don’t read books. I love the Smithsonian articles on travel, current issues and its firsthand reporting. I love the National Geographic; it has a kids’ magazine that helps them learn about the environment. The fabulous photographs capture your imagination and draw you into the articles.

Q: What music do you listen to when you want to relax?

When you want to be inspired?

A: It’s really funny because as I get older and remember lyrics to songs that I liked and danced to, I realize I never listen to the words. For relaxing, Luther Vandross, the Beatles, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and the Isley Brothers all told beautiful stories. When I dance it’s to rhythm and blues, Motown, funk and soul. I like “get down on it,” “can you boogie?” and “I bow wow wow yippee yo yippee yeah.” Also “I love music, any kind of music.”

Q: Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?

A: My mom was an artist; she did oil paintings, charcoals and embroidery. Her art is on my walls. She was beautiful and reminded me not to go out without lipstick. My dad could turn anything into funny. He told jokes and he sang and entertained. My legs would be killing me from eighthour rehearsals, and he would say, “You did it, you made it, so be proud and dance.” Toward the end he had nuclear palsy, which caused him to drop without warning. One day while he was in the shower, we heard a loud noise as he grabbed the tub enclosure. We went to help and he said, “It looks like curtains for me.”

Q: If your life story were to be made into a movie, who would play you?

A: I can’t think of anyone more fitting than the Looney Tunes character the Road Runner (people have said that shows how theatrical I am). He’s mischievous, with a silly sense of humor and a cheerful personality. He’s known for his incredible speed, leaving a trail of flame as he runs, and he enjoys surprising, which is good since my whole life has been a surprise.

Q: Who/what makes you laugh?

A: I find humor in all the people I am around and all aspects of life. My dad would do plays on words and talk backwards. I like to go to comedy shows, especially when I’m being picked on. I also get a big kick out of text messages among our family. We used to have a chain under “Old Family” and Brienne didn’t like it so he changed it to “New Family.” We have a lot of fun with them.

By Ron Hayes

GULF

STREAM

— On Easter Sunday 1969, Robert Ganger and his father explored a Gulf Stream mansion they found to be dilapidated, covered with mold, and empty.

Miradero, the former home of Lila Vanderbilt Webb, granddaughter of railroad magnate Cornelius “Commodore” Vanderbilt, had been willed to Good Samaritan Hospital, which had a developer with an option to buy.

Where the developer saw a future investment, the Gangers saw a past worth preserving, and in January 1970, Miradero — Spanish for a “vantage point” or “lookout”— became their new home.

Robert Ward Ganger died in Miradero on April 25 — 33 years to the day after the death of his own father, Robert Mondell Ganger, in the same house. He was 89.

When Mr. Ganger retired to Gulf Stream in 1991, he brought with him the same reverence for preserving the past that had saved that moldy old mansion, and for the next 34 years that devotion blessed both Gulf Stream and all of Palm Beach County.

In 2007, when developers hungered to buy Briny Breezes and replace the mobile home community with towering condos, Mr. Ganger and Kristine de Haseth formed The Florida Coalition for Preservation to fight the sale.

Briny Breezes is still here, and so is the coalition.

“Bob was involved in many worthwhile nonprofit organizations, but his pride and

Robert Ward Ganger

joy was The Florida Coalition for Preservation,” de Haseth said. “We have dedicated 18 years to preserving the smalltown quality of life we all enjoy on the barrier island, which includes supporting Briny Breezes in their efforts to remain a unique, independent community.”

Robert Ward Ganger was born in Bronxville, New York, on Jan. 5, 1936.

After graduating from Bronxville High School, he earned a bachelor’s in American studies from Yale in 1957 and an MBA from the Harvard Business School in 1959.

From 1959 to 1964, he served in the U.S. Air Force Reserves.

Mr. Ganger spent his career in marketing and strategic planning at General Foods Corp., from which he retired after 32 years.

“He never retired,” said his son, Rob Ganger, “and of all my father’s contributions, I think his greatest were in Gulf Stream.”

A year after leaving General Foods, he founded the Gulf Stream Consulting Group, a business development and financial strategies company, which he ran for 20 years while also pursuing his volunteer work.

On an Alaskan cruise in 1993, he struck up a friendship with a gentleman from Broward County, who suggested introducing him to a Finnish woman living in Boca Raton, a friend he thought Mr. Ganger might like.

Mr. Ganger liked her very much, and in 1995, he and Anneli Perlow were married in Gulf Stream, with his adult children Amy and Robert attending.

The newlyweds set about restoring Miradero, but

carefully.

“To assure that the restoration was legitimate, we researched the plans of Lila Vanderbilt Webb,” he recalled. “Her story compelled me to write a book on who Lila was, and why she decided to build a house in Gulf Stream.”

The Historical Society of Palm Beach County published Lila Vanderbilt Webb’s Miradero, Window on an Era in 2005, and the book went on to win a best nonfiction award from the Independent Publisher Book Awards.

From 2004 to 2007, Mr. Ganger served as president of the Gulf Stream Civic Association, and from 2006 to 2012 as a member of the town’s Architectural Review and Planning Board.

Not long after joining the board of the Delray Beach Historical Society in 2005, Mr. Ganger found a new challenge. The society’s historical archives were about to be expelled from the 1913 schoolhouse at Old School Square to make way for an expansion of the Cornell Art Museum.

He went in search of a new home for the records and found the offices of architect Digby Bridges at 124 NE Fifth Ave. The 1906 house, former home of the Harold Hunt family, had been bought by developers planning to tear it down and build a condominium complex.

With Ken Blair, a friend and local contractor, Mr. Ganger crawled under the hundredyear-old home to inspect the Dade County pine flooring.

The house was in good shape, and Ganger, named the board’s new president, helped raise the estimated $750,000 needed to move the building to the society’s property on Swinton Avenue — on the north side of

Cason Cottage — and attach it to a windowless, prefabricated bunker that would hold the archives.

On Nov. 11, 2007, the Hunt house was moved from Federal Highway to Swinton Avenue and became the Ethel Sterling Williams Learning Center, named for the society’s first president—and the Hunt family’s babysitter when they first arrived in Delray Beach.

As a board member of the Historical Society of Palm Beach County, Ganger worked with Harvey Oyer III to save and restore the 1916 Palm Beach County Courthouse in West Palm Beach, now the Johnson History Museum.

“Bob was a true leader on our board, and the project would probably not have happened without Bob’s leadership,” Oyer said. “He was levelheaded, pragmatic, optimistic, persistent, and an idea-generating machine. He was almost always the smartest person in the room, but deflected the credit to others.”

In August 2012, Mr. Ganger was appointed to an interim seat on the Gulf Stream Town Commission after the death of Mayor Bill Koch, and in 2014, he was elected to a full term.

Scott Morgan was named mayor and Mr. Ganger vice mayor.

“No one cared more about the town, or knew more about its origins, than he did,” Morgan said. “His spearheading of the town’s electrical undergrounding, his leadership role in annexing the adjoining county pocket, and his published books and articles on local history are all testaments to his dedication to our community.

“I will treasure his memory — as a mentor, a colleague, and

a friend — not just to me, but to so many people along the barrier island and elsewhere whose lives he touched.”

On April 17, 2016, Mr. Ganger suffered a stroke, a “brain drain” as he called it. The man who had worked so diligently to preserve the past, woke to find he had lost his own.

“I literally could not remember where or who I was,” he would say.

As part of his recovery, he took the suggestion of a neurologist to write an autobiography and recapture his past.

He published The First 84 Years in 2020.

“A critical part of my brain had blown its cover,” he wrote of the stroke, “spilling its contents hither and yon.”

He could remember, and he could write.

In a 2018 interview with The Coastal Star, Mr. Ganger was asked his favorite part about living in Gulf Stream.

“Besides living in a lovely home,” he replied, “Gulf Stream provides an environment allowing me to engage in smalltown public service.”

Bob Ganger certainly did engage in small-town public service — but he did it in a very big way.

In addition to Anneli Ganger, his wife of 30 years, he is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Rob Ganger and Jodi Wille of Tallahassee; a daughter and son-in-law, Amy and Mike Diethelm of Atlanta, Georgia; stepsons Ossian and Patrick Ramsay; and six grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Florida Coalition for Preservation, 4600 N. Ocean Blvd., Suite 102, Boynton Beach, FL 33435, or at www.preservationfla.org.

William Strucker

DELRAY BEACH — William Strucker, who opened Gulfstream Pharmacy in Briny Breezes almost 70 years ago — a business that remains family-owned and -operated — died on March 27. He was 94.

Born May 12, 1930, in Erie, Pennsylvania, to Howard and Helen Strucker, he had a brother, Richard Strucker.

After graduating from Temple University in 1952 with a bachelor of science in pharmacy, Mr. Strucker served two years as a pharmacist in the 57th Field Hospital in Toul, France. Following his service, Mr. Strucker started Gulfstream Pharmacy in 1957.

He married Virginia Foht, also of Erie, on July 8, 1967, and they settled in Delray Beach.

A devout Christian throughout his life, Mr. Strucker was an active member of his church as early as his teen years and served as master councilor in the Order of DeMolay and received its Legion of Honor Award. While a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Delray Beach, he served on several committees including the Vestry.

Mr. Strucker is survived by his loving wife of 57 years, Virginia; his three beloved daughters and their husbands, Elizabeth and Jason Meador, Erin and Thomas Craig, and Alison and Peter Goodridge, all of Delray Beach; and three grandchildren, Lexi Craig, Drew Craig, and Chase Goodridge.

There will be a funeral service at a later date at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 188 S. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach.

Remembrances may be sent to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church or Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Who is leaving ruts near turtle nests? Suspects blame each other

By John Pacenti

Manalapan officials are trying to get to the bottom of which mechanical beach raking company is leaving deep ruts near turtle nests in town. Two companies that clean the beach of debris are pointing the finger at each other.

Dr. Peter Bonutti, who is Manalapan’s liaison with the county on beach erosion, sent photos to the town on April 6 showing what he said were tractor tracks 11 inches deep directly adjacent to a turtle nest.

Town Manager Eric Marmer, in an April 6 email to a program administrator at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, said, “Where are the DEP staff that are supposed to police these violations Dr. Bonutti is reporting? Any guidance for the town?”

Ginger K. Shirah — environmental administrator for DEP’s Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection — responded to Marmer on April 7 that the department met with David Rowland of Beach Keeper Inc., the company that rakes private beaches in Manalapan at homeowners’ expense.

Rowland told DEP that it was another company, Universal Beach Services, leaving the ruts with a very heavy tractor after he had already cleaned the beach.

“We have requested a meeting with Universal, as they do not have a permit from DEP to

beach clean in this area,” Shirah wrote in her email to Marmer.

A request for comment from Shirah was passed to the DEP’s spokesperson, who did not provide a statement.

Rowland told The Coastal Star that Universal Beach Services was leaving the ruts after servicing condos in South Palm Beach, driving along the beach through Manalapan, and exiting at the public access point at Ocean Inlet Park.

“He’s driving a lot higher than what the permit should allow us, and because his tractor is so massive, it’s leaving these huge ruts,” Rowland said. “They’re not abiding by the guidelines that have been set for the town.”

Palm Beach County permits beach raking only below the high-water mark.

Universal denies it is leaving the ruts and points the finger back at Beach Keeper.

“It’s really much to do about nothing, in my opinion,” said Clayton Peart, president of Universal. “The simplest explanation would be, you’ve already got your guy on that beach working, that would be the obvious person.”

He said he has to traverse Manalapan beach maybe once every two or three weeks, but does so at low tide in the “wet beach area,” so any tracks would be washed away.

Bonutti says mechanical beach raking causes erosion

Evelyn & Arthur women’s clothing store closing its Manalapan location

By Christine Davis

Evelyn & Arthur women’s clothing boutique will close its Manalapan location at Plaza del Mar on May 17.

All merchandise is already marked down 50%, and customers will receive another 50% off that price at the register. “That’s about as special as it gets,” said Fred Weissman, chief financial officer of the company.

Fixtures are also for sale, added his wife, Adrianne Weissman, Evelyn & Arthur’s president.

The store is closing because of rising prices following the sale of the plaza in December, Fred Weissman explained.

“The cost of doing business there got to be too high from what it used to be to what it is today,” he said. The Weissmans decided in early April to close the Plaza del Mar store and a sign went up on the storefront notifying the clientele by mid-month.

Plaza del Mar’s new

owners say they tried to get the store to stay. “Evelyn & Arthur had a renewal term in the lease that they had negotiated with the previous ownership and we made it clear that we value their tenancy and that we would honor that renewal at the same terms and conditions set forth in the lease,” said Scott Loventhal, managing member of Manalapan Plaza del Mar LLC, a subsidiary of New Jersey-based Garden Commercial Properties.

“The tenant was unwilling to renew under the terms they previously negotiated, and we then indicated our willingness to work with them on new renewal terms. Tenant indicated that they were considering reducing the number of stores they have as they consider the future of their overall business model and declined our offer.”

The Weissmans said that all of their other stores will remain open, and that Manalapan employees will go to stores in Boca Raton and

Palm Beach Gardens.

Closing this location is bittersweet for them, Adrianne said. “It’s sad to close it. Had the management not changed, we would still be there. We’ve had a loyal client base there and hopefully they will go to our other locations and shop online.”

Adrianne’s parents, Evelyn and Arthur Lewis, opened their first store in Palm Beach in 1985 after Arthur retired as a manufacturer of women’s sportswear in Manhattan. The Manalapan store subsequently opened in 1986.

Previously buyers for Macy’s NY, the Weissmans joined the Lewises’ business in 1986 and expanded the company to include seven stores across Florida, with an eighth location in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

Evelyn & Arthur Manalapan is at 277 S. Ocean Blvd. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. P

Committee has discussed the issue of mechanical beach raking, but it has been mainly focused on the sand transfer plant and beach erosion. Marmer has suggested that a more balanced approach is needed, saying that while a pristine beach is aesthetically pleasing, some natural elements might help prevent erosion.

To be fair, having residents upset over tractor tracks on the beach isn’t new. The Coastal Star has covered the issue numerous times, such as in October 2018 when a resident in Highland Beach installed poles and ropes in the sand to keep the tractors at bay.

because it removes the unsightly wrack — the seaweed and natural detritus that come from the ocean.

“It destroys the beach, destroys the dunes,” he said.

Bonutti said mechanical raking also is detrimental during sea turtle nesting season from March through October. He said beach raking — mechanical or manual — is prohibited from going deeper than two inches in the sand during turtle season.

He said Beach Keeper’s 4½ton tractor can’t help but to penetrate deeper.

Bonutti said he believes only manual raking should be allowed during turtle season.

Manalapan’s Beach

Manalapan News

Marmer said the schedules of the beach raking companies are not consistent, which makes it hard for the town to get to the bottom of who is actually causing the ruts.

He said that Manalapan has met with DEP and is working toward best practices for mechanical beach raking — such as having the town alerted when it occurs.

While some residents believe — like Bonutti — that mechanical beach raking is harmful, others do not, Marmer said.

“A lot of people, they want to have the beach raker because they see it as a good service that provides clean beaches so their kids, or whoever, even themselves, don’t go to their beaches and step on glass bottles or whatever,” he said. P

Tunnel construction restrictions move forward — The Manalapan Town Commission at its April 8 meeting passed — on first reading — new regulations for the construction of residential tunnels under State Road A1A.

The main thrust of amending the town’s ordinances is to prohibit the construction of the tunnels from the Intracoastal Waterway side of A1A to the beach side during the tourist season — Nov. 1 to April 14 — without advance approval of the Town Commission. The commissioners wanted to amend the town’s ordinances after receiving complaints and experiencing traffic backups the past few months because of two tunnels that have been under construction. Applicants for tunnel construction also would have to submit a “maintenance of traffic plan” to be approved by a Manalapan building official. It would have to include a provision for at least one off-duty police officer.

At the April 8 meeting, commissioners asked Town Attorney Keith Davis to add language to state that the cost of traffic maintenance, including the cost of the off-duty officer, will be borne by the applicant. Commissioners also clarified a section requiring the installation of secure doors at each end of the passway to make it an optional accessory, changing the word “shall” to “may.”

The amended ordinance was passed with the new provisions. It will come up for a second reading and final approval by the commission, most likely at its May meeting.

— John Pacenti

LEFT: Peter Bonutti points to ruts adjacent to a sea turtle nest on the beach in Manalapan.

RIGHT: A closer photo shows how deeply the ruts cut into the sand. Photos provided by Peter Bonutti

Manalapan

‘Help my dog first’

Officer praised for saving man, curious pooch from Intracoastal

By John Pacenti

Let’s just say Molly, a 16-yearold goldendoodle, is one very lucky — and very loved — canine.

When Molly and her owner, Steve McMillan, fell off a dock into the Intracoastal Waterway at night on March 11, a quickresponding Manalapan police officer helped save them both. Officer Daniel Turnof lay on his

belly on the dock and reached one arm toward the water, securing McMillan, who in turn held on to the pooch until Palm Beach County Fire Rescue could arrive.

When Turnof got there, McMillan, 79, was in the water holding onto a crossbeam of the dock at their Manalapan residence on Lands End Road.

“Whoever the guy was that was lying on the dock, his hand down, holding my hand, may have made all the difference in the world, because I don’t know whether I could have held on to that crossbeam anymore,” McMillan said.

A Pictorial History of Boca Raton,’ that chronicles the city’s remarkable 100-year journey. With more than 170 pages of storytelling and images, ’Dream City’ explores Boca Raton’s transformation from Addison Mizner’s Mediterranean-inspired vision to its rise as a culture and technology hub. The book, priced at $100 plus tax, may be picked up at the History Museum store, 71 N. Federal Highway, or shipped for an additional $15. More information is at www.bocahistory.org.

LEFT: The cover of the centennial book. ABOVE: Sea turtles, new condominium high-rises, the city’s first Office Depot and a dog rescued by city firefighters are among the topics covered in the 1980s section of the book. Photos provided

Turnof — who will be honored with the life-saving award at the next Town Commission meeting for his work — said when he got there, the first thing McMillan said was, “Help my dog first.”

This is where we need to rewind. About six months ago, around Halloween, Molly broke one of her right legs at the McMillans’ home in California.

The veterinarians all suspected cancer, which is often the cause of broken legs in older dogs. One wanted to amputate, but McMillan’s spouse, Gail, kept getting second opinions. It turned out Molly didn’t have cancer, and the bone was set.

“She’s still happy and trotting along and eats and drinks and, you know, loves her treats,” Gail McMillan said in a telephone call from the vet’s office on April 17. “She’s still going.”

So is her husband, despite battling Parkinson’s disease, which makes his balance a bit iffy. Around 10 p.m., both her dog and her spouse decided to go for a little walk to the end of their dock, with Molly on a leash. Molly likes to put her snout over the edge and look at the water — and that’s when it happened.

“Next thing I know, I’m in the water, and I went under and struggled back up,” Steve McMillan said. “My view was, hell, this is it for me. I am really not a swimmer of any sort.”

But McMillan then saw Molly, still with her leash on, dog-paddling in the Intracoastal.

“She’s just been through three months of therapy, from surgery, from having her leg

broken, and it’s like if I drown, my dog is going to drown, too, and my wife will kill us both,” he said.

By happenstance, Gail McMillan had turned off the TV to make a phone call when she heard her husband yelling for help. She called 911 at 10:07 p.m.

The situation was no joking matter. Her husband could feel the steady current of the Intracoastal.

“It was quite stressful,” she said. “I was so panicked and screaming for my neighbors to come because I didn’t know whether he had a heart attack or a stroke or what. How did he get in the water?”

That is when Officer Turnof arrived and located McMillan and Molly with the help of a neighbor. He noticed that the situation was dire as McMillan had his leg around the piling, which had barnacles on it.

“So, he was getting cut up pretty bad,” Turnof said. “Obviously, he’s concerned about the dog. I wasn’t going

to argue it. So he had the dog around, I believe, his left arm.” Turnof got on his stomach. “I reached down, and I slowly pulled him towards me, and then I grabbed a nice, good grip on his arm with both hands.”

Fire Rescue then arrived and used a surfboard and a ladder to rescue both McMillan and Molly. McMillan estimated he had been in the cold Intracoastal waters for about 40 minutes.

Police Chief Jeff Rasor praised Turnof, who has been on the Manalapan force for two years. “This is the expectation. Obviously, he did an outstanding job,” Rasor said. “Certainly his response time was incredible.”

Gail McMillan said that the incident took a toll on the couple and their pooch for a few weeks.

“We both couldn’t even leave the house. It was rough. It was scary,” she said. “But now I just have to laugh about it. Now we just laugh.” P

Gail and Steve McMillan sit with dog Molly and Officer Daniel Turnof near where Steve almost drowned. Molly broke her leg a few months earlier. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Carlisle sold and scheduled for massive renovation

Eight years after its last sale, the Carlisle Palm Beach at 440 E. Ocean Ave., Lantana, has changed hands again. But this time the senior living facility sold for $67 million — $10 million less than the complex went for in 2017, when its sale price was $77.2 million.

The new owners are planning an extensive renovation.

New York-based Cerberus Capital Management and Ocean Ridge-based Newland Real Estate Capital purchased the 291-unit Carlisle in a deal recorded in April. The seller was Palm Beach FL Senior Property, care of Southlake, Texas-based Altus Group.

Newland Real Estate Capital is led by Max Newland, who previously led senior living investments for Kayne Anderson Real Estate.

One block west of the beach, and cater-corner from the Eau Palm Beach resort, the 235,071-squarefoot Carlisle was built on the 7.15-acre site in 1999.

Under the new ownership, Liberty Senior Living will be the property manager. The new owners plan to retain the staff.

“I acquired the building through a partnership that includes myself, Liberty and Cerberus Real Estate,” Newland said. “We are going to renovate 100% of the units and common areas that were not finished by the prior owner. We will be swapping old windows with an impact-rated product, upgrading elevators, repainting the exterior. We are reimaging the branding, too. The Carlisle has great bones and offers

some of the largest units in the market. Its location and the market warrant a much nicer product, though.”

Casa Palm Tranquila Capital LLC, managed by Mike Gandolfo, bought the eightbedroom, 12,421-square-foot oceanfront home at 2367 S. Ocean Blvd., Highland Beach, in March for $28.5 million.

The seller was Bos Property LLC, managed by Aogan D. Ohaolian. The house was built in 2001 and features a summer kitchen, pool, tiki hut, bar and a balcony. The home previously traded for $22 million in 2021.

The seller was represented by Candace and Phillip Friis of The Corcoran Group. The buyer was represented by Jonathan Postma of Coldwell Banker Realty

A trust in the name of David P. Pfeil, founder of Texasbased Southwest Consulting Associates, paid $15 million for a 12,786-total-square-foot estate at 4217 S. Ocean Blvd., Highland Beach. The sellers were real estate broker Robert C. Patek and Bianca Mercedes Patek, who were represented by Steve Gerken of Highland Beach

Realty. The buyer worked with Michael O’Connor and Nicholas Malinosky of Douglas Elliman

The home, which was built on the 0.42-acre site in 1993, last traded for $2.8 million in 1998.

ABC JS Auto Imports II LLC, managed by Christina M. Ribaudo of Las Vegas-based Superstore Auto Group, sold the 4.4-acre site at 2419-2613 N. Federal Highway, Delray Beach, to Ultra Luxury Townhomes LLC, managed by Joseph Rocco, for $15 million in March.

The deal included $7 million in seller financing. The land previously sold for $10 million in 2022. Ocean Delray Real Estate represented the seller.

The three-bedroom, 6,037-square-foot condo, unit No. 701, at 1000 S. Ocean Blvd., Boca Raton, sold for $13 million. The property was sold by Barry M. Smith, as trustee for the Barry M Smith Trust, with his wife, Neuza Pereira de Oliveira, who were represented by Douglas Elliman agent Senada Adzem. Smith bought the condo in 2013 for $7 million. The buyer, a Delaware LLC, 1000 Ocean Blvd 701,

was represented by Jonathan Postma, an agent with Coldwell Banker Realty

A six-bedroom, 10,033-square-foot home with 123 feet of water frontage at 2525 Spanish River Road, Boca Raton, recently sold for $10.95 million.

The seller was Carol A. Morse, who bought the property in 2008 for $10.3 million. The buyer is Parkwood Trust Co. as trustee of the 2001 Laurel Court Trust for the benefit of Anthony M. Beyer.

The home was designed by architect Carlos Martin and built by Frankel Estate Homes with interiors designed by Marc Michaels. Premier Estate Properties’ D’Angelo Liguori Team represented both sides in the deal.

The nine-story Glass House, 280 E. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton, with 28 condominiums, broke ground in downtown Boca Raton with completion expected in the second quarter of 2027.

With units ranging from 2,504 to 3,865 square feet and priced $2.6 million to $7 million, it’s being constructed

by 280 E Palmetto Park Road LLC, managed by Adam Gottbetter, Anthony Perera and Noam Ziv.

Delray Beach-based Kaufman Lynn is the general contractor and West Palm Beach-based Garcia Stromberg is the architect. Douglas Elliman is leading the sales efforts for the project.

Facialworks, a facial bar and spa founded in 2013, opens it first Florida location in May at Mizner Park, 439 Plaza Real, Boca Raton. The brand operates five facial spas in Southern California. At the new location, in addition to having five facial bar chairs and two private treatment rooms, Facialworks sells products from its skin-care line created by Meghan Gilboa, master esthetician and Facialworks cofounder. For more information or to book an appointment, visit thefacialworks.com.

Snitch, a Boca Raton-based startup launched in late March, offers residents a way to report local code violations.

Addressing concerns stemming from Florida’s 2021 Senate Bill 60, which prohibits anonymous code enforcement complaints, Snitch can file accurate verified complaints from users under its name for a low fee, ensuring compliance with the law while protecting users’ identities.

“We’re not tattling — we’re fixing what’s broken, one report at a time,” said Chaz Stevens, who founded the Z Production Group that’s behind the company.

For more information, visit JoeSnitch.com.

The Empire Development Group celebrated the opening of its new headquarters at 374 E. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton, on April 17. The company’s founder and CEO, Marc Elkman, has already built and successfully exited businesses such as Fresh Meal Plan and 10 Orangetheory Fitness locations. With Empire Development Group, Elkman has self-capitalized and built more than $100 million in real estate inventory in just 24 months.

The Carlisle senior living facility in Lantana has changed hands and will undergo major upgrades, according to Max Newland of Ocean Ridge, part of the purchasing team. This will mean renovations to every unit, he said. Photo provided

Newland

The Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority and the Downtown Merchant & Business Association hosts a Mother’s Day Orchid Giveaway through May 10. Shoppers who spend $200 or more at downtown businesses from May 1 to May 10 can receive a complimentary phalaenopsis orchid and enter to win a gift basket.

For shoppers to pick up an orchid, they need to bring their receipts, between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. May 8 to May 10, to any of the following locations: A Little Wyld at 157 NE Second Ave., Avalon Gallery at 425 E. Atlantic Ave., and KoKo Delray Shoe Store at 1049 E. Atlantic Ave.

Receipts from restaurants, Green Market vendors, hotels or food/beverage venues are not eligible. For more information, visit downtowndelraybeach.com/ mothersday.

The Boca Chamber will host its 2025 Business Awards Luncheon on June 6 at the Boca West Country Club. Three leaders will be honored for their innovation, leadership and community impact.   Business Leader of the Year is Jason Aube, market president for Palm Beach County at Truist Bank. Business of the Year is The Boca Raton resort. Small Business Leader of the Year is Laureen Pannullo, owner of Confident Bookkeeping LLC.

To attend the luncheon or for sponsorship opportunities, visit web. bocaratonchamber.com/ events/BusinessAwards%20 Luncheon-10633/details.

Heather Abbruzze has become a partner of Slatkow & Husak Public Relations. She oversees a team of five full-time and two parttime employees with managing partner Kelly Husak, while helping to expand the company’s growth and client base. Abbruzze joined Slatkow & Husak PR as an account manager in 2013. She became the firm’s vice president in 2018.

The Boca Raton-based home security company ADT appointed Fawad Ahmad as its chief operating and customer officer. Previously, Ahmad was State Farm’s chief strategy and transformation officer. ADT also named Omar Khan as its new chief business officer. Previously, Khan was senior adviser at Boston Consulting Group. These appointments follow the retirement of ADT’s chief operating officer, Donald Young, who will move to an adviser role during the transition.

Richwagen’s Bike & Sport, which has served generations of customers, celebrated its 65th anniversary on April 22.

The family-owned business, at 298 NE Sixth Avenue, Delray Beach, sells everything from children’s bikes to high-end carbon fiber racing models, apparel and repair services. Also offered are daily and weekly beach cruiser rentals, along with high-performance road bike options.

Albert Richwagen, operating manager, says working at the store on northbound Federal Highway is a labor of love.

“Delray Beach is home,” he says. “We’re proud to serve this community and look forward to continuing the legacy with great service, fair prices and expert knowledge.”

The business supports local nonprofits such as the Achievement Centers for Children & Families and plays

a role in shaping Delray’s future. Richwagen serves on the Transportation Planning Agency Board, advocating for safer streets, bike lanes, and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure.

The Richwagen family also operates Delray Beach Watersports Rentals on the south end of the beach.

Downtown Development Authority Executive Director Laura Simon, a Delray native, says Richwagen’s and other legacy businesses are the heart of downtown. “They carry the story of who we are,” she says.

Richwagen’s is open Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit delraybeachbicycles.com.

Send business news to Christine Davis at cdavis9797@ gmail.com.

Abbruzze

Dining

Time to toast our mothers. Page AT6

On the Water

Blackfin tuna are abundant this time of year. Page AT18

Tots & Teens

St. Andrew’s champ squashes the competition. Page AT22

House of the Month Contemporary residence in Delray Beach. Page AT27

JOY For the of ice cream

Shop in Plaza del Mar keeps a mom-and-pop flavor even with owners as guardians of booming industry

By John Pacenti

It’s been happening now for nearly five decades. Customers come from all over to the Ice Cream Club in Manalapan’s Plaza del Mar.

Why??? Have you tasted the ice cream?

“I love it,” said Sammilia Wells, a home health care provider who had been introduced to the store from a client on Palm Beach.

“And even though she passed on, I still would take my husband, my kids, and would try to introduce them, because it’s just really good ice cream,” she said.

Adam and Donna Goldstein got a taste of the Ice Cream Club’s offering at the Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival in December and just had to have more. Adam is an ice cream aficionado and even went on an ice cream diet (he swears he lost weight).

“I love that it’s a mom-and-pop space, and they started years ago

See ICE CREAM on page AT15

ABOVE: Rich and Heather Draper sample their product from behind the counter of the Ice Cream Club shop in Manalapan's Plaza del Mar. Rich opened the store in 1982, and Heather is financial director. TOP: The store can offer more than 100 flavors, whether you buy a 3-gallon bucket or a sugar cone with sprinkles. The ice cream is made in a plant in Boynton Beach.

Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

I12 charities win as Impact 100 gives $837,000 in annual awards

mpact 100 Palm Beach County awarded a total of $837,000 in grants to local nonprofits in five focus areas arts, culture & historic preservation; education; environment & animal welfare; family, and health & wellness.

More than 450 members and guests gathered last month for the 14th annual Grand Awards Celebration, at which 12 South County organizations received financial support.

“This annual event represents the culmination of months of hard work, collaboration and connection,” said Kimberly Boldt, copresident of Impact 100 Palm Beach County. “What unites us is our shared belief in the power of giving and the future we’re building together for our community.”

Eight high-impact grants of $100,000 each were awarded to:

• Achievement Centers for Children & Families;

• Baptist Health South Florida Foundation;

• Center for Child Counseling;

• Delray Beach Children’s Garden;

• Hanley Foundation;

• Healthy Mothers/Healthy Babies Coalition of Palm Beach County;

• Milagro Center; and

• Roots and Wings.

An additional four groups received merit grants: Community Greening; Move to Heal; Restoration Bridge International; and Volta Music Foundation.

For more information, call 561-336-4623 or visit impact100pbc.org.

Grants to YMCA will send kids to summer camp

The YMCA of South Palm Beach County is making the dream of summer camp a reality for children and teens from the Caridad Center in Boynton Beach thanks to a pair of grants totaling $40,000.

A $10,000 grant from the Walter and Adi Blum Foundation will provide financial support for 65 youths from the Caridad Center to attend the Y’s program for free. Camp is June 2 to Aug. 6.

“Summer camp is more than just a fun escape from school; it’s an opportunity for personal growth, socialization and skill development,” said Barry Davis, executive director of the DeVos-Blum Family YMCA in Boynton Beach.

The Y also received a $30,000 grant from the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties to support camp scholarships for Caridad Center youth.

“Since 2005, this program

JAN SIMON

WARDROBE EDITOR & STYLIST

has been a critical resource for families facing economic and social challenges,” Davis said. “This grant ensures that children who need it most can enjoy a safe, enriching summer camp experience that fosters learning, friendship and fun.”

For more information, call 561-237-0974 or visit ymcaspbc. org/summercamp

Beach cleanups come with educational talks

The Coastal Stewards, a nonprofit dedicated to the protection of marine life and the coastal ecosystem, had its monthly beach cleanup in Ocean Ridge where a team of 20 volunteers removed 300 pieces of debris.

The beach cleanup was led by Harrison Albert, the organization’s education officer, who taught attendees about the difference between macro- and micro-plastics and how small changes with regard to singleuse plastics can make a massive difference in the environment.

The next beach cleanup will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. May 24 starting from The Coastal Stewards’ headquarters, 5112 N. Ocean Blvd. The public is welcome to participate.

For more information, call 561-310-9921 or visit thecoastalstewards.org/events.

Continued on the next page

The next edition of The Coastal Star will be delivered the weekend of June 7

Impact 100 Palm Beach County's $100,000 award winners are (l-r, front) Andy Caesar, Achievement Centers for Children and Families; Renee Layman, Center for Child Counseling; Ted Hoskinson and Ashley Kluthe, Roots and Wings; Jeaneen West, Milagro Center; Bridget Langford, Delray Beach Children’s Garden; (back, l-r) Impact 100’s Janean Mileusnic with winners John Dyben, Hanley Foundation; Michelle Gonzalez, Healthy Mothers/Healthy Babies Coalition of Palm Beach County; Kimberley Trombly-Bermeister, Baptist Health South Florida Foundation; and Impact 100’s Jeannine Morris. Photo provided by Warner-Prokos Photography

Philanthropy Calendar

Note: Events are current as of 4/28. Please check with organizers for any changes.

MAY

Saturday - 5/3 - Milagro Center’s Milagro Vibe Feel Good Gala at Indian Spring Country Club, 11501 El Clair Ranch Road, Boynton Beach. Stroll down memory lane with The Memory Lane Band during an evening celebrating another year of making miracles in the community.  7-11 pm. $150. 561-279-2970 or milagrocenter.org.

Thursday - 5/8 - Jewish Adoption and Foster Care Options’ Mother’s Day Luncheon at Boca West Country Club, 20583 Boca West Drive, Boca Raton. Celebrate all the mothers out there while honoring Woman of the Year Susan Lyman. 10 am boutique, auction and mimosas followed by the luncheon and program. $150. 954-3681879 or jafco.org.

Saturday - 5/16 - Arts Garage’s Funraiser in Paradise at 94 N.E. Second Ave., Delray Beach. Lively up to the sounds of Peter Troup and the Coral Rummer Band, a Jimmy Buffett tribute, during a tropical evening supporting arts-education programs and summer theater camp. 7-10 pm. $70-$75. 561-450-6357 or artsgarage.org/event/funraiser-in-paradise.

Women’s recovery group hits $1 million milestone

Since Her 2nd Chance incorporated in 2018, the nonprofit based in Boca Raton has paid more than $1 million in working wages to the women in recovery it serves.

The women create custom gifts for sale online and in the studio at 3100 NW Boca Raton Blvd., and learn career skills.

“This achievement is more than just a number; it’s a testament to the resilience of the women we serve and the power of employment and economic opportunity in the recovery journey,” Executive Director Erin Sabin said. “By providing employment and support, we are helping break cycles of addiction, relapse and unemployment, one paycheck at a time.”

For more information, call 561-405-6346 or visit her2ndchance.org.

Send news and notes to Amy Woods at flamywoods@ bellsouth.net.

LETTERS: The Coastal Star welcomes letters to the editor about issues of interest in the community. These are subject to editing and must include your name, address and phone number. Preferred length is 200-500 words. Send email to news@ thecoastalstar.com.

Celebrations

23rd Annual Gala

The Breakers, Palm Beach — Feb. 17

During a special evening that honored student achievements, celebrated orchestral music and recognized donors, the Palm Beach Symphony raised more than $850,000. Proceeds will support educational and community initiatives. The 400-plus guests in attendance were treated to a performance by the jazz band from West Boca Raton Community High School prior to the dinner and program, titled ‘A Standing Ovation.’ ABOVE: Tish Messenger and Steve Clawson. Photo provided by Capehart Photography

20th

anniversary

Vegso Community Resource Center, Boca Raton — Feb. 13

The Junior League of Boca Raton celebrated two decades of having the Countess de Hoernle Building as the organization’s headquarters. ‘We were delighted to celebrate this milestone,’ said Nicole Stelzer, league president. ‘The building has been such an incredible asset over the years to both the league and other nonprofits in the community.’ Peter and Anne Vegso were honored at the event. Pattie Damron was recognized for chairing Funding the Future, the center’s capital campaign. ABOVE: Dick and Pattie Damron. Photo provided

Art in the Park: A Gallery of Hope

Broken Sound Country Club, Boca Raton — Feb. 18

Hundreds of members gathered at the Pap Corps Champions for Cancer Research’s signature event, which celebrated creativity while supporting groundbreaking research at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. In all, more than $120,000 was raised. The event featured an inspiring exhibition of artwork from members, local students and Dani Papa, a descendant of the pioneering Dr. Georgios Papanicolaou, who helped invent the pap smear test. ‘We were deeply moved by the outpouring of creativity,’ CEO Sally Berenzweig said. ‘Each piece reflected personal inspiration, making this a truly remarkable event for cancer research.’ ABOVE: (l-r) Barbara Eisensmith, Ilene Rand and Lori Margolis. Photo provided by Amy Pasquantonio

I Stand with the League Luncheon

West Palm Beach Marriott — Feb. 26

The League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County welcomed 200-plus friends to its annual event, which was packed with juicy dialogue between MSNBC reporter Katie Phang and author/ historian Robert Watson. The league, a nonpartisan organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, has a mission of empowering voters and defending democracy and strives to make sure voter turnout increases each election year. ABOVE: (l-r) Alice Munn, Trudy Wasserman, Darlene Kostrub, Marilyn Ricci and Linda Sorenson. Photo provided by Jacek Gancarz

Boca Bacchanal, a benefit for the Boca Raton Historical Society/Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum, uncorked in grand style during its kickoff celebration. Fine wine, gourmet bites and the highly anticipated reveal of this year’s chefs were on the menu. The night also marked a special moment in Boca Raton’s centennial celebration. ‘Bacchus Beckons is always a highlight of Boca Bacchanal, and this year was particularly special as we celebrate Boca Raton’s 100th anniversary,’ said Mary Csar, the society’s executive director. ‘The energy in the room was incredible, and we are thrilled to have officially kicked off Boca Bacchanal 2025 with such enthusiasm.’ ABOVE: Stephen and Nicola Verses. LEFT: John and Judith Temple. Photos provided

Bacchus Beckons

Saks Fifth Avenue, Boca Raton — Feb. 27

Giving for Good Reception

Private home, Gulf Stream — March 4

34th Annual Love of Literacy Luncheon Kravis Center, West Palm Beach — April 23

Bobby and Joanne Julien served as hosts of the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties’ evening affair attended by several South County philanthropists. Joanne Julien is chairwoman of the foundation’s Scholarship Committee, and she educated those in attendance about the program and its impact on the community. Since 1972, the foundation has distributed nearly $250 million in scholarships aimed at closing the area’s opportunity gaps. ABOVE: (l-r) Bobby Julien, Danita DeHaney, Jeff Stoops and Joanne Julien. LEFT: Russell and Mariam Hagan. Photos provided by Tracey Benson Photography

Star Maker Awards

Waterstone Resort & Marina, Boca Raton — April 6

The National Society of Arts and Letters’ Florida Chapter gala dazzled attendees with a showcase of talent from local students. The fundraiser bestowed the Lifetime Achievement Award upon Jeff and Joanna Kaye for their contributions to the arts.

‘Our Star Maker Awards provides an extraordinary platform for the incredible young artists NSAL supports,’ said Kirsten Stephenson, chapter president. ‘Witnessing their performances is truly inspiring and deeply rewarding for our members and supporters who play a vital role in propelling these artists to the next level.’ ABOVE: (l-r) NSAL member Madi Guzinski, Stephenson and Marilyn Nelson. Photo provided by Amy Pasquantonio

Donation of rare book

Florida Atlantic University — April 10

L-R: Florida Atlantic University’s library archivist, Victoria Thur, is joined by Susan Oyer, Boynton Beach resident and founder of the St. George’s Society of Palm Beach; Susan Watts, St. George’s Society member and donor; and Linda Golian-Lui, dean of FAU’s library, to celebrate the society’s donation of A King’s Story, a rare (only 385 copies) autobiography by Prince Edward VIII, the Duke of Windsor. Edward gave up the throne to marry his beloved Wallis Simpson, to whom the book is dedicated. Tao Woolfe/The Coastal Star

The Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County hosted more than 600 literacy supporters, including New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Victoria Christopher Murray, who was featured at the event and interviewed by South Florida PBS ’Between the Covers’ host Ann Bocock. The luncheon, presented by Bank of America, raised more than $300,000 to support literacy programs throughout the county. TOP: (l-r) Simone Bonutti, Kristin Calder, Tammy Fender, Maggie Dickenson and Debra Ghostine. MIDDLE LEFT: George Elmore and Marti LaTour. MIDDLE RIGHT: Pat Toppel and Robin Muir. ABOVE: (l-r) Janet Donovan, Caron Dockerty and Brenda Medore. Photos provided

A photo caption in the April 2025 edition of The Coastal Star misidentified two of the women pictured at the centennial celebration of the Boynton Woman’s Club. The correct identification is, from left to right: Michele Walter, Lynne Freeman, Janet DeVries Naughton and Donna Artes.

Dining

MTreat Mom to brunch or dinner on her special day

ay is all about Mom, and dishes designed for her on Mother’s Day menus span global offerings.

Consider a chicken française at Pavilion Grille in Boca Raton, or a vegetable lo mein for the vegetarians.

On the buffet at the Seacrest Ballroom of the Opal Grand in Delray Beach is a charred peach salad; the Mediterranean station features a spicy Moroccan hummus bar. Rack of lamb is carved to order. A copious selection of dishes on the brunch menu makes this a favorite for discerning diners.

For something wildly different, check out Throw Social in Delray Beach. It will have a brunch, a dueling pianos show, and ax-throwing as entertainment. Details below.

Here’s a look at some of the restaurants serving Mother’s Day meals May 11. Reservations are required, and cost is before tax and tip. (Be extra kind to servers on this day. It’s beyond hectic at most places.)

Seacrest Ballroom, Opal Grand, 10 N. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach. Phone 561-2743200; opalcollection.com/opalgrand.

A number of stations fill

out this large buffet in the ballroom with ocean views. Choices of composed salads, cheese and charcuterie boards, a Moroccan hummus station, fruits and juices, a bakery display, egg and brunch dishes including omelets, Benedicts and waffles, a chilled seafood display, a carving board with prime rib, rack of lamb and

grilled Atlantic salmon, a grand buffet station with numerous entrees and sides, and a dessert table. Serving 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cost is $99 for adults and $29 for children under 12.

Pavilion Grille, 301 Yamato Road, Boca Raton. Phone 561912-0000; paviliongrille.com. Diners choose from six

stations for this brunch buffet: salad, breakfast, omelet, entree, carving and sweets. Entrees include chicken française, eggplant rollatini, pulled pork sliders, penne a la vodka, vegetable lo mein and for kids, mac and cheese and chicken tenders. Carved to order are New York strip steak and plank salmon.

Mother’s Day offerings in area restaurants include buffet brunches complete with mimosas and bloody marys (above), and sumptuous dinners such as the lamb curry dish at Le Colonial (left).

Photos provided

Live music by David Morin. Serving 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cost is $65 for adults, $39 for kids. Polpo, Eau Palm Beach, 100 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan. Phone 561-533-6000; eaupalmbeach.com.

A three-course prix-fixe menu is served. It includes a pastry basket for the

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table, choices of Key West pink shrimp served with gazpacho, or avocado toast with a poached egg; yellowtail snapper or roast Cornish hen with sides, and for dessert, strawberry roulade. Serving 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; cost is $95 per person.

Latitudes, Delray Sands Resort, 2809 S. Ocean Blvd., Highland Beach. Phone 561278-6241; opalcollection.com/ delray-sands/restaurants/ latitudes.

It’s an all-day, three-course, prix-fixe menu here, with starter choices such as a BLT wedge, classic Caesar, East Coast oysters, a watermelon burrata salad, lobster bisque and crab cocktail.

Entrees include prime rib and accompaniments ($98), surf and turf ($98), a “naked bird” free-range chicken ($88), rustic seafood stew ($92), crabstuffed sea bass ($95), crispy skin-on branzino ($95), and lobster-shrimp fettuccine ($94).

A number of desserts are on the last course list.

Cost is based on the entree price. Serving noon to 9:30. The Addison, 2 E. Camino Real, Boca Raton. Phone 561-372-0568; theaddisonofbocaraton.com.

Start with unlimited bubbles, bloody marys or wine. Move along to a buffet that features a harvest table with fresh fruits, grilled vegetables, smoked salmon and cheeses.

A salad station has avocado or beet salads, roasted and grilled vegetables and mixed greens. Jumbo shrimp is the seafood. At a breakfast bar, you can have an omelet to order, potatoes, French toast, berries, sausage and bacon, and a variety of breakfast breads and pastries. New York strip, lamb, brisket, Atlantic salmon and Tuscan chicken are on the carving board with numerous sides. A Viennese dessert table ends the meal.

Serving 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cost is $160 for adults, $85 for children 12 and under.

Serena Pastificio, Mizner Park, 301 Plaza Real, Boca Raton. Phone 561-9226699; serena-pastificio.com/ locations/boca-raton-fl.

The fondutelli al tartufo, a version of pasta purses, are stuffed with fontina and taleggio cheeses, and served with braised leeks and napped with a truffle cream sauce — elegant. Buffet serving 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost is $65 adult, $25 children 12 and under.

Throw Social, 29 SE Second Ave., Delray Beach. Phone 800561-0755; throwsocial.com/ delray.

Mother’s Day will include a brunch buffet and special cocktails. But you’re coming for entertainment here. Tickets include the brunch, the dueling pianos live show and, of course, ax-throwing if you choose. All ages welcome for the buffet hours. Outdoor patio available. Two seatings: 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and 1:30 p.m. to 3

p.m. Tickets are good only for the time slot you reserve. Cost is $50 for a bar stool; $200 for a table for four; $300 for a table for up to six; and $500 for a VIP cabana for up to 10 people.

Other options

Driftwood, 2005 S. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach. Phone 561-733-4782; driftwoodboynton.com.

Specials along with regular menu served, 4-9 p.m.

Le Colonial, 601 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. Phone 561-566-1800; lecolonial.com/ delray-beach.

Specials for the day at lunch (11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and dinner (4-9 p.m.) include squash dumplings, duck confit and crab salad as small plates. Large plates are mushroom and bok choy quiche, lamb curry and braised short rib clay pot. Dessert special is cherryalmond tart. The regular menus are available as well.

Prime Catch, 700 E. Woolbright Road, Boynton Beach. Phone 561-737-8822; primecatchboynton.com.

Brunch specials include egg dishes such as a ham and cheese omelet, filet mignon scramble, eggs Benedict and more, with sides. Each is a la carte. The regular seafood menu is served. Waterfront patio dining. Brunch is served till 3 p.m.

Josie’s Ristorante, 650 E. Woolbright Road, Boynton Beach. Phone 561-364-9601; josiesristorante.com.

Free roses, and a free mimosa or glass of rosé are given to moms here at either brunch, lunch or dinner on Mother’s Day. At brunch, find crème brulee challah French toast. Dinner diners can try the new frutti di mare special. Cost is a la carte.

Novecento, 116 NE Sixth Ave. (northbound Federal Highway), Delray Beach. Phone 561-450-6101; novecento.com/ locations/delray-beach.

Classes start May 27: Sur La Table in Mizner Park, 438 Plaza Real in Boca Raton, is offering a series of four- and five-day cooking classes for kids (7-11) and teens (12 and up) throughout the summer, starting May 27-30. Cost is $289 to $349 for a series, which ranges from sweet and savory baking to ambitious recipes that teach techniques such as making stuffed pasta and yeast dough. Call 561-953-7638. Full calendar and descriptions are at surlatable.com/cooking-classes/kids-teenssummer-cooking-series. Photo provided

The Argentinian-influenced restaurant offers a prixfixe menu May 10-11. The special three-course menu includes a choice of appetizer such as charred octopus, an entree such as USDA prime sirloin, and a dessert, plus a complimentary glass of house wine, sangria or a mimosa. As a special gift for mothers, Novecento will present each party with a $20 gift card, valid through the end of May. Cost is $59 per person.

Cook with the kids

If you are looking for interactive classes with your child, check out the Mother’s Day Mommy and Me baking class at Hub at Space of Mind, after the holiday on May 17 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 101 NW First Ave., Delray Beach. Mothers and their mini chefs can bake up treats to

take home: lemon sunshine cupcakes and strawberry shortcake. For children ages 5 and up, accompanied by a participating adult. Cost is $65. Details at yourccp.org/event/ mothers-day-mommy-mebaking-class.

In brief

The 25-year-old Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in Boca Raton shuts its doors this month. May 11 is the last scheduled day of service. No word on why, but a plethora of new steakhouses in the area may have had an effect. … A new nightclub opens early May in Delray Market downtown. It’s an import from Cleveland, a ’70s scene called Goodnight John Boy. Expect bell-bottoms, disco balls and trucker caps signifying a “dive bar” atmosphere. ... Nicholson Muir Distinguished Meats, a

Boynton Beach market and steakhouse in the former Little House cottage on Ocean Avenue, is now sporting a “recommended restaurant” notation in the prestigious Michelin Guide 2025. The guide expanded its Florida picks this year, adding Palm Beach County to its coverage. That’s thanks to the county’s tourism board, which put $180,000 into a $1 million pool to draw the guide’s reviewers to South Florida. Distinguished Meats joins eight other eateries in Palm Beach County winning Michelin’s recognition.

Jan Norris is a food writer who can be reached at nativefla@ gmail.com.

www.palmbeachartspaper.com

Ornamentation

adoration

At Norton, artists’ jewelry makes a case for art, not just adornment

By Bill Meredith ArtsPaper Music Writer

Named for original Allman Brothers Band guitarists Duane Allman (1946-1971) and his own father, Forrest Richard “Dickey” Betts (1943-2024), 47-year-old singer, guitarist and songwriter Duane Betts has had expectations to live up to since his birth.

That event occurred in Sarasota in 1978, at a time when the ABB was one of the top touring acts in the world. And Betts’ career and life have come full circle in recent years. He has property in that same area that he and his wife plan to build upon. There’s also the 2023 release of his debut full-length album, Wild & Precious Life (Royal Potato Family); being present for his father’s death in Osprey last year, and hosting and performing throughout the In Memory of Dickey Betts all-star concert at Macon City Auditorium in Georgia on Feb. 28.

“That evening was really special,” Betts says by phone from his home in Jackson Hole, Wyo., “even though there was a lot of stress leading up to it. I was making sure that everything went smoothly and was taken care of, and worrying about every little nuance, which I probably shouldn’t have

By Jan Engoren ArtsPaper Art Writer

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Cultural Council’s Biennial 2025 highlights the breadth of talent in Palm Beach County and features a variety of works by 17 artists living and working in the community.

Spatial Concept), 1967, silver and pink lacquer bracelet by Lucio Fontana; and

RIGHT: Nana, 1995, painted plaster on black metal base, by Niki de Saint Phalle.

Photos provided

By Jan Engoren ArtsPaper Art Writer

Jewelry is often viewed as adornment — beautiful, intricate and valuable, but also relegated to the decorative arts section in museum shows and exhibits, and too rarely thought of as art in its own right. You wouldn’t be alone if you didn’t realize that renowned artists such as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Niki de Saint Phalle created jewelry, a genre overlooked by both the public and art experts, most likely because jewelry-making was viewed as a craft and typically considered “women’s wear.”

In the Norton Museum of Art’s latest exhibit, Artists’ Jewelry: From Cubism to Pop, the Diane Venet Collection, running through Oct. 5, jewelry comes out of the closet and makes a full appearance as fine art.

The exhibit showcases jewelry made by leading artists alongside artworks from the Norton’s collection. The exhibit comes from the private collection of the French-born Venet, a lifelong art enthusiast who knew many of these artists personally. A number of pieces were created expressly for her, including one by Pop artist Robert Indiana, who created his iconic “love” ring for her in gold.

Also made for her were a glass pendant (“For Diane”) by Colorado minimalist sculptor DeWain Valentine and a 2009 Frank Stella overly large, bow-tie necklace, “Untitled,” made from steel and gold paint. Many of the artist-designed jewelry pieces were not made for commercial purposes, but created as expressions or tokens of love or friendship, and thus even more valued by the owner.

showcases the talent of the county’s professional artists.

Running through June 20, at the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County headquarters in Lake Worth Beach and curated by Los Angeles gallery owner Tim Hawkinson, the show represents a variety of perspectives, media and techniques and

“On behalf of the Cultural Council, we wish a heartfelt congratulations to each of the winners of this year’s Biennial exhibition,” says Jessica Ransom, director of artist services at the Cultural Council. “Their originality, creativity, and commitment to their craft is exemplified by the works on display in this show.”

Three artists received top recognition and a cash prize of $2,000 for first place, $1,000 for second place, $500 for third place and the People’s Choice award, to be announced a week

before the end of the show.

First-place winner Yvonne FokGundersen, 68, of Palm Beach Gardens took the top honors for her zodiac paintings titled Taurus and Libra

“I’m so honored,” says the artist, who has a background as a gilder, painter and architectural designer.

Her work Zodiac: Taurus — Homage to the Masters, painted in a traditional 14th-century medieval style of manuscript illumination, also is reminiscent of both Delacroix and Goya’s depictions of bullfighters,

Zodiac: Taurus is a work by Yvonne FokGundersen, who won first place in the Cultural Council Biennial Photo provided See BIENNIAL on AT11

Pieces in the Artists’ Jewelry: From Cubism to Pop exhibit at the Norton Museum include: ABOVE: Ellisse Concetto spaziale (Ellipse

Betts

Continued from page 9

done. I had my hands in a lot of different things beforehand. But once it was time to play the music, the part that’s fun, I realized that I couldn’t go wrong with the people that were on stage with me.”

Betts and his band Palmetto Motel appear at the Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton on May 16. The quintet is rounded out by guitarist/vocalist Johnny Stachela, keyboardist Max Butler, bassist/vocalist Pedro Arevalo, and drummer Vince Fossett Jr.

Wild & Precious Life features Stachela, keyboardist John Ginty, bassist Berry Duane Oakley (son of original ABB bassist Berry Oakley), and Tedeschi Trucks Band drummer Tyler Greenwell.

“Johnny is like my right-hand man,” Betts says, “and I played with Pedro for many years in Dickey Betts & Great Southern. I definitely wanted to include them both in that evening’s festivities.”

The memorable February tribute was named for one of the late Betts’ compositional ABB classics, the instrumental “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,” a marathon version of which was played. Many of that band’s alumni eventually performed, including keyboardist Chuck Leavell, guitarist/vocalist Warren Haynes, guitarist Derek Trucks and bassist Oteil Burbridge, as well as the sons of late founding vocalist/ keyboardist Gregg Allman

(singer/guitarist Devon Allman) and late bassist Lamar Williams (vocalist Lamar Williams Jr.).

The Tedeschi Trucks Band’s frontwoman, singing guitarist Susan Tedeschi; former Wet Willie vocalist Jimmy Hall, and Blackberry Smoke singer/ guitarist Charlie Starr were among others who appeared.

Highlights included the ABB classics “Hot ‘Lanta,” “Southbound,” “Melissa,” “Nobody Knows,” “Jessica,” “Nobody Left To Run With,” “Seven Turns,” “Back Where It All Begins,” “Soulshine,” “Blue Sky,” “Revival,” and Betts’ channeling his father to sing and solo on an encore of the hit “Ramblin’ Man.”

Nearly all were written or cowritten by the late Betts, one of the great American songwriters in popular music history.

“There were definitely some pickers up there that night,” says Betts. “I was comfortable doing my own thing.”

A teenaged Betts sat in with the ABB in the 1990s, and he worked with several different bands while also playing on and off with his dad and Great Southern from 2006 to the pivotal year of 2018. That’s when he released his solo debut EP, Sketches of American Music, and co-founded the Allman Betts Band, a legacy act with two album releases since, with Devon Allman.

Aside from his father’s long shadow as a player and composer, Betts pays homage to a wide range of influential guitar forerunners that explains why he has his own sound — a

If

You Go

Duane Betts & Palmetto Motel appear at the Funky Biscuit, 303 SE Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton.

When: 9 p.m. May 16

Tickets: $40-$65

Info: 561-395-2929, funkybiscuit.com

mix of blues, country, bluegrass, jazz/fusion, classic rock, and even grunge.

With a new album, Isle of Hope, set for release in 2025 on a label to be determined, Betts is currently rounding out the tour cycle for the critically acclaimed Wild & Precious Life That album was recorded at husband-and-wife Trucks and Tedeschi’s Swamp Raga Studio in Jacksonville.

“Your dad is one of those players who’s not afraid to stare directly into the sun,” Trucks said.

“I loved that line,” says Betts. “I was already working on a new song, and Derek’s sentiment gave the song a center.”

Betts’ tour itinerary on his website has him on the road through October. And, he says, well beyond.

“I try to stay pretty busy,” says Betts. “This is kind of an inbetween connector tour after a long run of Wild & Precious Life dates, and the continuation will be to support Isle of Hope when it comes out later this year.” Behold the return of the ramblin’ man.

Continued from page 9

complete with a swirling matador cape in brilliant vermilion done with mordant gilding.

It’s adorned with a 24-karat raised gilding border, using watercolor on goatskin parchment.

In Zodiac: Libra, the artist pays homage to English author and illustrator Aubrey Beardsley. The sun shines on an idyllic bucolic scene, while a delicate Beardsley-esque figure draped in frayed clothing, wearing a mask and holding the scales of justice, appears in a field of flowers.

Fok-Gundersen, who was born in Hong Kong, has lived and worked around the world, including Canada, London, Milan, Singapore and Shanghai with her architectural design business.

In 2007, while living in Los Angeles, Fok-Gundersen took four years of master classes at The Getty Museum, where she learned the art of medieval-style manuscript illumination.

During that period, she completed a series of paintings called Eight-Treasure Rice, a.k.a. Ba Bao Fan, a dessert symbolic of happiness, sweetness and prosperity. The painting was juried into the 2019 Biennial at the Cultural Council.

And, while she admits to never trying the dessert, she hopes to return one day to Hong Kong and order it.

Delray Beach resident Mark Forman, 85, took second place

for his 60-by-48 abstract and realist painting The Inevitability of Change, created in 2017.

“It’s a painting representing the chaos of life,” Forman says, describing his painting as “human forms in a semiabstract style moving off into the distance.”

“Isn’t that what life is?” he asks.

Forman paints in acrylic and mixed media on canvas or paper, based on his perception of what he sees around him. He doesn’t mind criticism (“at least I have someone’s attention”) and says he’s happy he has been able to build an intellectual and artistic pursuit.

A former high school and college teacher in New Jersey, Forman has lived in Florida for more than 30 years. A thinking artist, he believes that art must have thought or intellectual capacity for the work to be meaningful.

After Rembrandt, he says, beauty is redundant. He points to artists such as Spanish painter Francisco Goya, who in the early 1800s expressed criticism of the Church, the monarchy, Napoleon and his army, and social conditions of the time, through his art, using it to spark societal reform.

“Artists have to use their intelligence to translate what is going on in the world,” Forman says.

He expresses themes of politics, social conditions and what’s important in people’s lives. “If you have nothing to say, what are you doing behind an easel?” Forman says.

Irina Grimaldi, who won third prize at the 2025 Cultural Council Biennial, loves to paint botanical subjects, such as these mangoes. Photo provided

With a studio at home, Forman works every day, whether it’s research, or thinking about his process, and usually “gets a flow” before painting. Motivated by the “little guy that sits in my head,” Forman says he goes full steam ahead.

“That’s the way I am,” he says, noting that a certain intensity is required for a life in the creative arts.

Growing up in Moscow in the former Soviet Union, Irina Grimaldi, 56, a Boynton Beachbased artist, has a newfound passion for Florida and its tropical flora and fauna.

Taking third place in the Biennial 2025 exhibit for her botanical watercolor painting of Simmons Avocado and Brogdon Avocado, Grimaldi is excited to be a part of the exhibit.

Featured in other museums, including the A.E. Backus Museum and Gallery in Fort

Pierce and the Cornell Art Museum in Delray Beach, Grimaldi says: “I’m taking little steps, and this exhibit is a highlight of my career.”

“It’s a huge deal,” says the artist, who only began painting seriously in 2017.

She earned her bachelor of arts degree in 2012 from the State University of New York at Stonybrook in art history and art criticism. She is drawn to the impressionists and the way they capture the light.

“To do that, you have to describe the darkness,” she says. “There’s no room for mistakes.”

She studied botanical art and illustration at the New York Botanical Garden, painting tulips, peonies and camellias.

When she moved to Florida four years ago, she made sure to be in close proximity to Mounts Botanical Garden and to the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, both of which

If You Go

The 2025 Biennial runs through June 20 at the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County, 601 Lake Ave., Lake Worth Beach. Hours: noon-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday Info: 561-471-2901; palmbeachculture.com

Note: Irina Grimaldi will participate in the Lake Worth Art League open studio event May 17 and 18, and will teach a workshop at the end of May about painting avocados.

she frequents for inspiration.

On her first visit to Mounts, still unfamiliar with tropical fruits, Grimaldi was overwhelmed by the hundreds of mangoes she saw. “It looked like a party or a celebration,” she says. “They looked like candy or ornaments hanging from the trees.”

Grimaldi says eating mangoes, drawing and painting them is like joining the party. “When you paint from life, you get to touch it, see it, observe it, cut it and eat it,” she says. “You get the full experience.”

She sold her Cogshall mango painting, also part of the exhibit, on opening night.

“It was a good day in paradise,” she says, between receiving the award and selling the painting.

“I go for the ‘wow factor,’” she says. “I want to make an impact and have people ask, ‘How did you do that?’”

JEWELRY

Continued from page 9

Venet began her collecting career almost by chance, although she came from a family of collectors. Arriving to New York City in the early 1980s, Venet was unable to get a work visa to continue her work as a journalist. In France she worked as a radio and television journalist and co-hosted a weekly culture program, Samedi Soir (Saturday Night).

She began to work with her husband, sculptor Bernar Venet, and organized exhibitions around the world, meeting many artists, including Stella and Robert Rauschenberg, both of whom gave her a unique piece of jewelry, and who would later become her friends.

She bought her first piece of jewelry from Joan Sonnabend, a New York and Boston art dealer, and has been collecting ever since for the past 40 years. Among her favorites were two she was wearing at the Norton Museum preview.

One was an oversized, amaranth wood and gold ring, The Zervodexos, created by Greek sculptor Sophia Vari, who was married to Colombian artist Fernando Botero.

Around Venet’s neck was a large silver necklace created by French artist Faust Cardinali.

“I am so honored that the

Norton Museum has invited me to share these special pieces with a larger public,” says Venet, who came in from Paris for the opening.

She is very attached to her collection, saying: “I will never sell; it’s an endless love story.”

The exhibit opens with the engagement ring and love story between her and her husband, Bernar, who sculpted a massive silver cylindrical ring made from a silver stick for her, symbolizing their love together.

The two married in 1985.

Accompany visitors through the exhibition is an original soundtrack, Sweet Vanitas, created by Venet’s friend, the Italian artist and composer Sheila Concari. It uses spoken word techniques, including excerpts of Venet’s reflections on her collection, and varying sounds designed to complement the visual components of the exhibit.

“Diane Venet’s collection is

Le Grand Faune (The Great Faun), 1973, 24-karat gold pendant by Pablo Picasso. Photo provided

second to none,” says Ghislain d’Humières, the Norton’s CEO. “The necklaces, rings, brooches, earrings, headpieces, and more that she has collected feature incredible details rendered in interesting materials by some of the most famous artists of our time.”

This is the first time that pieces from Venet’s collection are on exhibit alongside companion artworks by many of the same artists.

The 189 pieces of jewelry are juxtaposed alongside related paintings, sculptures, and works on paper from the Norton’s collection, including Picasso oil paintings and Roy Lichtenstein lithographs, creating a visual dialogue between the jewelry and the other art forms.

“Jewelry is not a separate category, but part of the larger art-making process,” says J. Rachel Gustafson, chief curatorial operations and research officer at the Norton.

If You Go

Artists’ Jewelry: From Cubism to Pop, the Diane Venet Collection runs through Oct. 5 at the Norton Museum of Art, 1450 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach.

Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon., Wed., Thurs., Sat.; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Fri.; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun. Admission: $18 adults, $15 seniors, $5 students; children 12 and under, free. Info: 561-832-5196 or www. norton.org

“With this exhibit, we realize there is no more dividing line between jewelry and the fine arts.”

The exhibit is organized into seven sections: Avant Garde and Surrealism; Abstraction; Pop Art and Nouveau Realisme; Minimalism and Conceptualism; Kinetic Art; Nature and the Body; and Contemporary Works.

A number of the installations are interactive.

Visitors can place their hands under a plexiglass display and see what it is like to wear a Warhol watch, or in another, to envision how an “outfit” of jewelry looks.

Included in the exhibition are jewelry by Rashid Johnson, Yayoi Kusama, Man Ray, Kiki Smith, Georges Braque, Louise Nevelson, Max Ernst and others. While many of the jewelry items are made from hammered metals and precious stones, others are made from found objects and other unconventional materials.

The jewelry pieces on display are a balance between fine art and popular culture, allowing visitors to view works by artists they may know, and to view them in a new context.

Also on display are charms by Picasso and Braque, whimsical headpieces by Claude Lalanne and Ray, surreal brooches by Dorothea Tanning and Dalí, and abstract pieces by Nevelson and Arnaldo Pomodoro.

Other highlights of the exhibit include Ray’s Optic Topic (1974), a face mask modeled after a driving mask fabricated in 18-karat gold, purchased by Venet as a gift for her husband; a chunky gold ring designed by Yoko Ono resembling a vinyl record with “Imagine Peace” engraved on it for her husband, John Lennon; and a 1967 gold and enamel geometric necklace by Meret Oppenheim, titled Tête de poète (Poet’s head ).

Also of interest in the pop culture section are a pair of massive gold elongated spiral earrings made by Ray and worn by Catherine Deneuve in the 1967 film Belle du Jour

A 23-karat gold pendant designed by Picasso, Le Grand Faune (1973), and two brooches are paired with two of his 1950s earthenware pieces with painted faces and his 1956 painting L’Atelier, connecting themes across media.

Andy Warhol’s color lithograph Vesuvius 365 (1985) is mounted next to Venet’s black steel Warhol watch.

In the kinetic section is Two Lines with Spirals, a necklace by kinetic artist Georges Rickey, whose sculpture Two Open Rectangles, Excentric, Variation VI, sits in the museum’s outdoor sculpture garden.

These jewelry pieces in and of themselves are each a work of art, with the same characteristics as the artists’ other works, even making a statement or challenging the viewer’s perceptions, set apart by their wearability and no longer relegated to second-class status.

Gustafson grappled with the idea of categorizing the jewelry pieces when the show was conceived. People looked at her askance when she mentioned “artist jewelry.”

“We have to unpack our biases,” she says, “and look at why we value it less.”

She notes that an artist (think Nevelson) may even use the same materials (assemblages) to create his or her work and jewelry.

“So, what’s the difference if it’s on a body or on a pedestal?” says Gustafson, who admits to being surprised to learn how many artists also made jewelry.

Her favorite pieces in the show are the kinetic pieces, especially the 1968 gold kinetic bracelet cuff (Balls on Both Sides of a Cylinder) made by Belgian sculptor Pol Bury, composed of small half-spheres that undulate so the wearer can feel their movement.

“Kinetic artists engage with the idea of perception and movement,” she says. “I love the idea of an artist who can translate the kinetic motion to a piece of wearable jewelry.

“There’s something special about these pieces,” she says. It just may be enough to challenge people’s perceptions and usher in a new era where “artist-jewelry” is celebrated as an essential and integral part of fine art.

Arts Reviews

Here are excerpts of reviews from recent events covered by the ArtsPaper. For the full reviews, visit palmbeachartspaper.com.

Camping with Henry and Tom (Palm Beach Dramaworks, closed April 27)

Suppositional history is a specialty of playwright Mark St. Germain, as he demonstrated in Freud’s Last Session, The Best of Enemies and Camping with Henry and Tom — plays of fiction that bring together notable real-life characters, unconstrained by any knowledge of what actually occurred at their meetings.

Camping with Henry and Tom explores a historical footnote when, in 1921, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and President Warren G. Harding drove into the woods in Maryland’s Blue Ridge Mountains, intent on escaping — at least briefly — from the watchful eyes of the Secret Service and the press.

This imaginative collision of the innovator of mass production, the brilliant prolific inventor and the reluctant 29th U.S. president begins inauspiciously when Ford’s car — a Model T, of course — collides with a deer, leaving the trio stranded. So, they have nothing to do while waiting to be rescued but expound on their personal philosophies and get on each other’s nerves.

St. Germain interweaves familiar quotes from his three articulate, cerebral men, with dialogue from his own fertile brain. If this sounds familiar to you, perhaps you saw Camping with Henry and Tom the first

Arts Calendar

Editor’s note: Events listed through June 6, 2025, were current as of April 19. Check with the presenting agency for any changes. Ticket prices are single sales unless otherwise specified.

ART

Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens: Through June: Alex Katz: Portraits and Landscapes Through the Seasons, works by the minimalist American painter, working in nature scenes. $15; $10 seniors. 253 Barcelona Road, West Palm Beach. 10 am-4 pm W-Sun. 561-832-5328. Info@ansg.org

Armory Art Center: Through May 9: Life or Something Like It, works by the Colombian artist Hermes Berrío. Opens May 19: Before I Forget, works by artist Kristin Beck about dementia, memory and identity. Through June 11. Free. 811 Park Place, West Palm Beach. 9 am-5 pm M-F, 9 am-noon Sat. 561-832-1776 or armoryart.org

Boca Raton Museum of Art: Through Oct.

26: Donald Farnsworth: The Parma Portraits (The Kindness of Strangers); through Oct. 27: Glasstress Boca Raton 2025 $16; $12 seniors 501 Plaza Real (Mizner Park), Boca Raton. 11 am-6 pm W, F, Sat, Sun; 11 am-8 pm Th. 561392-2500, bocamuseum.org

Cornell Art Museum: Through June 15: Icons of Art: Italian Mosaic Portraits, 30 mosaic images of celebrities including Kobe Bryant, Gene Wilder, Amy Winehouse and others. Free. 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. Noon-5 pm W, Sun, noon-7 pm Th, F; 10 am-5 pm Sat. 561-2437922 or oldschoolsquare.org

Cultural Council for Palm Beach County: Through June 20: Biennial 2025, Works by local artists, in a show curated by Los Angeles-based gallerist Tim Hawkinson. Through May 17: Luciana Boaventura: Fragile Beauty, Steeped in Life, works by the Delray Beach artist, who dyes paper with tea, herbs, leaves and seeds. Free. 601 Lake Ave., Lake Worth Beach. Noon-5 pm T-F. 561-471-2901, palmbeachculture.com/

time Dramaworks produced it in 2001, when the West Palm Beach company was in its infancy. Artistic producing director William Hayes revived the talky but involving work for its 25th anniversary season.

The crux of the play is the conflict between the politically ambitious Ford, eager to parlay his affordable cars into a run for the presidency, and the man he would probably have to beat for the job, Harding. Ford eventually shows his racist, antisemitic attitudes, convincing Harding that he will have to run for a second term.

The third, albeit unequal, leg of this dramatic triangle, Edison, prefers to remain as neutral as Switzerland while his compatriots wage their war of words. He is content to catch up on his reading, though he lobs the occasional pointed barb into the conversation.

Like all good history plays, Camping with Henry and Tom has resonances to current events. In 2001, I noted that the Ford character brought to mind a cross between Ross Perot and Pat Buchanan. These days, it is hard to listen to his unfettered hate-mongering and not think of today’s feisty commander-inchief.

If this three-way portrait of prominent icons between the world wars becomes Ford’s play, that is certainly due in part to the standout pugnacious performance by John Leonard Thompson, egotistical and caustic. Considerably cooler but no less compelling is Tom Wahl’s Harding, physically more imposing than Ford, yet

exhibitions

Flagler Museum: Through May 25: The Ethereal Worlds of Maxfield Parrish, 25 works by the American illustrator, whose dreamlike pre-Raphaelite drawings are unmistakable and have been hugely popular since their creation. $28; $14 ages 6-12. 1 Whitehall Way, Palm Beach. 10 am-5 pm M-Sat, noon-5 pm Sun. 561655-2833, www.flaglermuseum.us

Lighthouse ArtCenter: Through Aug. 1: Roadside Reveries, works by 22 artists featuring images of vacations in Florida. $5 nonmembers. 9 am-5 pm M-Th; 9 am-4 pm F; 10 am-4 pm Sat. 561-746-3101, lighthousearts.org Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens: Through Sept. 28: The Art of Peace: Jizai Okimono From a Private Collection, articulated sculptures ( jizai okimono) of animals and mythical beasts, made by former warriors who turned to a new art form after giving up armory. $15; $13 seniors; $9 children; free for members, ages 5 and under. 4000 Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach. 10 am-5 pm T-Sun. 561-495-0233, morikami.org

Norton Museum of Art: Opens May 10: Laddie John Dill: Eastern Standard Time, an installation by Dill, a key member of the California Light and Space Movement. Dill’s immersive installation features a landscape illuminated with tubes filled with argon gas. Through Oct. 5: Artists’ Jewelry: From Cubism to Pop, the Diane Venet Collection, more than 150 pieces of jewelry designed by 140 major artists. Through June 29: Art of the Word: Calligraphy and Chinese Artists, monochrome ink works by Wu ChangShuo and Li Chun-yi. $18 adults; $15 seniors; $5 students; free for ages 12 and under, 1450 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach. 10 am-5 pm, M, T, Th, Sat; 10 am-10 pm F; 11 am-5 pm Sun. 561-832-5196, www.norton.org

Society of the Four Arts: 100 Four Arts Plaza, Palm Beach. 10 am-3 pm M-F. 561-655-7226, fourarts.org

CLASSICAL

Friday, May 2

New World Symphony: The Miami Beach

without the taste for the blood sport of politics. And although Edison is the least well drawn of the characters, Rob Donohoe leaves a vivid if understated impression in the role.

— Hap Erstein

The Marriage of Figaro (Palm Beach Opera, Kravis Center, April 4)

Palm Beach Opera closed its 2025 season with an outstanding production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro. Even by the higher standards set by the company since the pandemic, this one was exceptional, and for many reasons.

First produced in 1786, The Marriage of Figaro, as it is known in English, not only is a masterwork in the operatic genre, but also its music can be easily ranked as the one of the best ever conceived.

Perfection was achieved through the seamless symbiosis between music, text, and action on the stage. One may

orchestral academy journeys up Interstate 95 to the Kravis for a concert featuring the great American violinist Gil Shaham, who will be the soloist in the Violin Concerto of Antonín Dvořák. Edward Gardner, conductor of the London Philharmonic, also leads the New World in Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra, while NWS Conducting Fellow Molly Turner directs Song of the Enchanter, a brief curtain-raiser by the Scottish composer Thea Musgrave, still with us at age 96. 7:30 pm, Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, West Palm Beach. $35-$95. 561-832-7469 or kravis.org

Monday, May 19

Palm Beach Symphony: In its encore concert, Gerard Schwarz and the orchestra close the season with the American pianist Kevin Kenner, who will play the Piano Concerto No. 2 (in F minor, Op. 21) of Chopin. Also on the program is Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture and one of the most iconic works in all of classical music, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 (in C minor, Op. 67). 7:30 p.m., Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, West Palm Beach. $45-$95. 561-832-7469 or kravis.org

DANCE

Sunday, May 11; Sunday, May 25

Paris Ballet and Dance: The Jupiter-based dance school presents two programs over two different weekends at the Kravis Center. The May 11 program in Dreyfoos Hall features a suite from Midsummer Night’s Dream (Mendelssohn) and “The Kingdom of the Shades” from Marius Petipa’s La Bayadère (Minkus). The May 25 program in the Rinker Playhouse features the same two works plus contemporary ballet, tap and jazz. Tickets start at $25 on May 11; $40 on May 25. Both shows begin at 7:30 pm. 561-832-7469 or kravis.org Friday, May 23-Sunday, May 25 Harid Conservatory: The Boca Raton dance school hosts its annual end-of-semester dance performances featuring graduating seniors of the Class of 2025. Expect a mix of classical and contemporary ballet scenes. 7:30 pm Friday and 3 pm Saturday and Sunday at Spanish River

vocal technique and beautiful tone, although her acting was sometimes too exaggerated. Nevertheless, her singing of “Deh vieni non tardar” was one the high points of the evening. That exaggeration in the acting was not exclusive to her, though, as the stage direction of Stephen Lawless felt sometimes too heavy on slapstick and histrionics. There was too much jumping on the bed, too many sexual gestures, especially in the first two acts. Fortunately, the performances became more natural as the opera progressed.

argue that, not since the days of opera pioneer Claudio Monteverdi was this kind of perfection accomplished. And it would take two generations of composers for that kind of perfection to be found again in the works of Richard Wagner.

Back to this production: Its traditional staging, utilizing beautiful sets by Lyric Opera of Kansas City (and co-owned by Palm Beach Opera) and equally stunning costumes and makeup, did not distract the audience from the action taking place, as more avant-garde productions so often do.

With a strong cast as ever — many of its principals having sung at the most prestigious opera houses worldwide — this latest offering was without question the crowning jewel of a strong season.

Adam Plachetka’s resonant baritone, perfect diction, and commanding stage presence provided an ideal fit for the role of Figaro. Inna Demenkova as Susanna impressed by her

High School, 5100 Jog Road, Boca Raton. $35$40. harid.edu or 561-997-2677.

Saturday, May 3

JAZZ

The Smoogies: A South Florida quartet of percussionists who bring the history of jazz to their unique blend of “people music.” 8 pm, Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave., Delray Beach. $30$35. 561-450-6357 or artsgarage.org.

Tuesday, May 6

Kenny G: The smooth jazz sax-playing icon born Kenneth Gorelick has sold many millions of records for his special style of mood music (he’s also a professional-level golfer). His 20 th album, Innocence, a collection of lullabies, came out late in 2023. 7:30 pm, Kravis Center, West Palm Beach. $39.50 and up. 561-832-7469 or kravis.org

Wednesday, May 14

Luciana Souza Trio: The Grammy Awardwinning Brazilian jazz singer and composer’s most recent album is Cometa (2024), which was nominated for a Latin Jazz Grammy. 7:45 pm, Amaturo Theatre, Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale. $65 and up. Visit browardcenter. org or goldcoastjazz.org.

Friday, May 30-Saturday, May 31

Tito Puente Jr.: The Latin jazz percussionist and salsa master, son of the legendary Tito Sr., returns to the Arts Garage for two nights of high-energy jazz. 8 pm both nights, Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave., Delray Beach. $50-$55. 561-450-6357 or artsgarage.org.

POPULAR MUSIC

Wednesday, May 14

Breaking Benjamin and Staind: Pennsylvania pop-metalists Breaking Benjamin team with New England post-grungers Staind for a tour called Awaken the Fallen. 5:30 pm, iThink Financial Amphitheatre, South Florida Fairgrounds, West Palm Beach. $50-$308. livenation.com

Saturday, May 17

Morrissey: The iconic British singer and

Other roles were equally well sung, especially the Cherubino of agile Angela Brower, and the multifaceted portrayal of the Count by John Chest. Hailey Clark was a strong Countess, her “Porgi amor” surely deserving the mini ovation she received.

Finally, young artist Dylan Gregg’s Antonio was not only well sung, but also convincingly performed.

The short interventions of Palm Beach Opera Chorus were well done as always.

The orchestra, however, really shone under the direction of Gary Thor Wedow.

An early music specialist, Wedow made the Palm Beach Opera Orchestra sound like a period-instrument band. His emphasis on the woodwinds brought a clarity and lightness of playing that had been not heard in previous productions of Mozart.

One can only hope to have him back for more.

— Márcio Bezerra

songwriter who led The Smiths to stardom in the 1980s has a built a huge solo career and a prominent position as an animal rights activist. 8:30 pm, Hard Rock Live, 1 Seminole Way, Hollywood. $115- $650 ticketmaster.com

Friday, May 30

Styx, The Kevin Cronin Band and Don Felder: Styx and Cronin, who led REO Speedwagon, join with Eagles guitarist Felder for a tour they’re calling The Brotherhood of Rock. 7 pm, Hard Rock Live, 1 Seminole Way, Hollywood. $45-$355. ticketmaster.com

THEATER

Through Sunday, May 4

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?: Edward Albee’s classic, bitter 1962 play about a middle-aged history professor and his wife, who invite a young couple over for drinks, and a display of a very troubled relationship. At the Island Theatre at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, 1001 E. Indiantown Road, Jupiter. $65 and up. jupitertheatre.org or 561-575-2223

Dry Powder: Sarah Burgess’s 2016 drama about an equity firm considering taking over a small company, which presents problems for two of the CEO’s junior partners, who are on different sides of the argument. At the Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 NW 9 th St., Delray Beach. $59-$69. 561-272-1281 or delraybeachplayhouse.com.

Through Sunday, May 18

My Way: A musical tribute to Frank Sinatra, featuring 55 songs made famous by Old Blue Eyes himself. Starring Mark Sanders, Shelley Keelor, Elizabeth Bedley and Jeremy Benton. Twenty performances in May. $119. Wick Theatre, 7901 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton. thewick.org

Opens Friday, May 23

Dangerous Instruments: In Miami playwright

Gina Montet’s drama, a single mother finds herself navigating the mental health system when her brilliant son spirals into darkness.

Through June 5 at Palm Beach Dramaworks, 201 Clematis St., West Palm Beach. $72-107. 561-514-4042 or palmbeachdramaworks.org

The cast of Palm Beach Opera’s The Marriage of Figaro, performed in early April at the Kravis Center. Photo provided

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Immaculate and stylish home with 2 BR + DEN, 3.5 BA, and an extended terrace featuring a wooden pergola with stone columns. Views overlooking resort / golf course. Jeannine Morris 561.706.8287 | jeannine@morrisreg.com

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CHALFONTE | $2,300,000

This renovated 8th-floor corner residence features panoramic Boca Raton coastline views, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, porcelain floors, a sleek kitchen with quartz countertops, and a spacious oceanfront terrace for relaxing or entertaining. Ana Londono 561.843.1171 | a.londono@langrealty.com

TOWER 155 | $1,600,000

Unit 1014 at Tower 155, a luxury 2-bed, 2.5-bath home with 10-foot ceilings, porcelain tile, 2 private balconies, stunning sunrise/sunset views, featuring premium upgrades throughout. Iris Cohen 561.702.3755 | iriscohen1010@gmail.com Amy Cohen 561.703.0999 | amymarlacohen18@gmail.com

BOCA HIGHLAND | $1,200,000

Experience luxury in this renovated Braemar Isle penthouse with breathtaking ocean views, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, and an oversized balcony overlooking the Atlantic and marina. Brian Bahn 561.213.4227 | bocabeachside@gmail.com Kim Spielvogel 561.251.0989 | kms33@bellsouth.net

OSCEOLA PARK | $2,987,000

Stunning coastal contemporary residence by SPACEdfi features 4 beds, 4.5 baths, loft, car enthusiast garage, and is steps from vibrant Atlantic Avenue. Noreen Payne 703.999.4214 | team@amyandnoreen.com

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CHALFONTE | $1,955,000

South-facing residence has been meticulously renovated to the highest standards. The open layout is designed for both comfort and entertaining, with abundant natural light and expansive views of the ocean, coastline, and Lake Boca.

Ana Londono 561.843.1171 | a.londono@langrealty.com

BOCA SAILING & RACQUET | $1,849,000

This renovated 8th-floor corner residence features panoramic Boca Raton coastline views, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, porcelain floors, a sleek kitchen with quartz countertops, and a spacious oceanfront terrace for relaxing or entertaining. Steve Brendle 561.866.2500 | steve.brendle@gmail.com

LA FONTANA CONDO | $1,175,000

Gorgeous corner residence w/outstanding views of both the Intracoastal Waterway & Atlantic Ocean! Enjoy morning coffee & stunning sunrise from east balcony, breathtaking sunsets from private west balcony. Entertaining flow of yacht & boat activity awaits you. Jeannie Adams 561.414.5030 | jeannieadams7@gmail.com

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and they’re still here,” Donna Goldstein said.

The storefront that Rich Draper started in 1982 with two buddies turned into an ice cream wholesaler with a plant in Boynton Beach that supplies independent shops throughout the eastern seaboard and the Bahamas. You won’t find Ice Cream Club at your local grocery store. You have to find a boutique parlor that carries it.

“We made ice cream in the store for the first, I don’t know, seven or eight years,” Draper said. “It was in the back of the store and people would come in, you know, from different parts of the country.”

Heather Draper, his spouse of 18 years, is a former regional bank president who is the Ice Cream Club’s financial director. If you don’t appreciate ice cream, you will after talking to Heather.

A town institution

“It’s not just getting the ice cream, it’s an experience,” she said outside of the Manalapan store on a sunny afternoon. “I have so many people telling me about how they came here with their grandparents or their parents. There’s a lot of good stories behind it.”

The Ice Cream Club is renowned for its flavor profiles (more than 125), plus hardpacked yogurts, no-sugar or non-dairy desserts, and soft serve. The store has the flavor Garbage Can with seven different brand name candy bars, but also Butterscotch Bomb that keeps up with it, Blueberry Cheesecake and Harry’s Brew (with a wizardly treat). And the classics, of course, the velvety chocolate and the buttery vanilla.

The Ice Cream Club couldn’t be in a better place. The store was the first to inhabit the Plaza del Mar shopping center in 1982. It is across the road from the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa and nestled in a sweet spot for people who live along State Road A1A in several municipalities.

When the store opened, it was across from the Eau’s predecessor, the private La Coquille Club. The members were some of the first dedicated customers.

The backstory

Rich Draper grew up in Springfield, Illinois, went to college in Champaign and migrated to Chicago — but as a young man he wanted to get down to the Sunbelt. He made $12,000 on a real estate commission and that was the seed money for the Ice Cream Club’s shop.

He opened the store with Tom Jackson and Mike Scott, the latter a friend he had known since kindergarten. Both are still with the company. Jackson is senior vice president and Scott is vice president.

The three amigos did find

trouble getting ice cream to stock in the store. Then Rich Draper went to a restaurant show in Chicago and met a guy selling ice cream makers and the rest is history.

Members of La Coquille Club, down from the Northeast on vacation, would tell Draper about ice creams they enjoyed.

“So we just tried a lot of different flavors,” he said.

A scoop on the business

Heather Draper said ice cream is a pretty good business, proving to be “recession-proof, Amazon-proof and pandemicproof.”

“Overall, with the cost of everything today, it’s still an inexpensive treat. And so you see people yearn for that experience,” she said. “We’re providing them with a unique product, they can’t get anywhere else.”

And it’s not just the business proper into which the Drapers put their effort. Food safety is a big priority. They are on multiple committees, helped develop websites, and do all sorts of speaking engagements on the subject.

“Food safety is job number one, right?” Rich Draper said.

“It’s the foundation. Everything else is nothing without that.”

The Ice Cream Club is involved in www.safeicecream. org, a group of industry and education experts that was brought together by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy.

“These smaller companies, mom and pops, they don’t have a team of 75 people in quality control,” Heather Draper said. “How do we make food safety pre-competitive? How do we give them every tool to be physically compliant and to make sure it’s safe for their customers to do it?”

And helping these boutique ice cream shops succeed is seen as a winning strategy for the wholesaler. It comes as a service when the clients sign up to buy the ice cream.

“We help them with store layout, help them with equipment selection, training, we do all these things just to help them get started,” Rich Draper said.

He also stressed that the company values its employees, now up to 70 with an average tenure of 23 years. He said many are “diamonds in the rough.”

“Maybe young men and women that hadn’t really had a good start in life, but end up being like super smart and can

do a lot of great things,” he said. “And we’ve seen them come along. You’ll see someone be able to buy their first house for their family.”

Boynton plant churns on

The Ice Cream Club’s 18,000-square-foot plant is in Boynton Beach and it has a storage and distribution facility, opened in 2021, in Riviera Beach that holds up to 1,000 pallets of ice cream.

The Drapers, who live in Palm Beach, often drop in at the Manalapan store just to people-watch. They observe the grandparents or the parents come in with their kids, watching them get excited, and talking about what flavors they are going to get.

“This is probably their only outing of the day, if not the week, but they’ve chosen to come to us and relax,” Rich Draper said.

“We take a lot of pride that we’re bringing joy.”P

Lantana residents (l-r) Joe Sweat and his wife, Vell Sweat, share a banana split with Keri Sweat, Joe’s sister, at the Ice Cream Club in Manalapan. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Religion Notes St. Paul Lutheran loses beloved minister of comfort

St. Paul Lutheran Church & School in Boca Raton lost a beloved member of its ministry with the passing of Jemimah, the comfort dog, on March 12.

For more than three years, the loving golden retriever brought the love and comfort only a dog can provide to many parishioners. She and her team visited nursing homes, ministered at schools and attended open houses, spreading joy. Jemimah comforted hurricane victims after Ian and Helene and was deployed to Georgia when a shooting took the lives of four students and staff at Apalachee High School in 2024.

invites families to its signature event, Celebrate Israel, from 1 to 4 p.m. May 4 at Patch Reef Park, 2000 Yamato Road, Boca Raton.

The event features bounce houses, hands-on crafts, mitzvah projects, Israeli music, food trucks and special interactive activities with the Shinshinim, Israeli young ambassadors.

PJ Library provides free Jewish books to families with young children and creates opportunities for families to engage in Jewish learning and community events. This event is free and open to the public, but RSVP at jewishboca.org/pjisrael

afternoon of inspiring music by beloved Jewish composers in this multi-generational performance by the music ensembles of Temple Beth El. Free, but registration is required at tbeboca.org/event/sounds-ofmusic-concert

Churches hosting events to celebrate Mother’s Day Ascension Catholic Church, 7250 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton, will host a pre-Mother’s Day Tea at 11:30 a.m. May 10 in the family center. Tea, finger sandwiches, sweets and fellowship. Tea party attire. $12. RSVP to Leslie at snavely.leslie@ gmail.com or call 561-997-5486.

The ministry was started in 2008 and has more than 130 comfort dogs working in churches in 27 states.

The church at 701 W. Palmetto Park Road is one of a handful of churches to bring in specially trained comfort dogs. The Lutheran Church Charities K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry is a national human-care ministry “embracing the unique, calming nature and skills of purebred golden retrievers.”

For more information about the ministry, visit

lutheranchurchcharities.org/k9-comfort-dogs-about.html

’Celebrate Israel’ day of fun and food at PJ Library

The PJ Library in partnership with the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County

Temple Beth El ensembles to be featured at concert

Temple Beth El of Boca Raton hosts a free concert at 3 p.m. May 4 at its Schaefer Family Campus, 333 SW Fourth Ave.

From Gershwin to Bernstein to Sondheim, enjoy an uplifting

Celebrate Mother’s Day at The Journey Church, 2200 NW Boca Raton Blvd., at 9:30 or 11 a.m. May 11. A day celebrating women is planned. Guests can get a free individual or family portrait taken. For kids in grade 5 or younger, there will be bounce houses and Bible lessons hosted by Journey Kids. Info at bocajourney.com/events or call 561-420-0606.

Candlelight concerts offer classical, modern music Featuring tributes to both classical masters like Mozart and contemporary icons like Taylor Swift, Candlelight Concerts feature gifted professional musicians set against the backdrop of thousands of LED candles at St. Mark Greek Orthodox Church in Boca Raton. These concerts are planned:

• The Best of Hans Zimmer at 8 p.m. May 16. Tickets start at $40.61.

• Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at 8 p.m. May 24 and July 11. Tickets start at $41.20.

• Tribute to Adele at 8 p.m. June 20. Tickets start at $41.20.

• Tribute to Queen at 8 p.m. July 25. Tickets start at $40.61.

• Rings and Dragons at 8 p.m. Aug. 15. Tickets start at $40.61.

St. Mark is at 2100 Yamato Road. Get tickets at feverup. com/en/boca-raton-fl-us.

Journey’s recognition day to honor new graduates

The Journey Church hosts Graduate Recognition Day at 11 a.m. May 18 to celebrate high school, college or graduate school graduates. The Journey Church is at 2200 NW Boca Raton Blvd., Boca Raton. Register your student to be recognized and receive a special gift at bocajourney.com/ graduate or call 561-420-0606.

Help backpack brigade pack bags for children

Boca Raton Community Church’s Boca Helping Hands Backpacks Outreach Group needs team leaders and packers to help for one to two hours on Tuesday afternoons to pack backpacks. These are distributed to local children in the National

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Jemimah worked at St. Paul’s for more than three years before she passed away. Photo provided

Finding Faith

Director brings class act to St. Gregory’s new learning center

All clergy are teachers, but few come with the academic pedigree of the Rev. Dr. Robyn Neville of St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church in Boca Raton.

Neville, who says it’s perfectly fine to call her Robyn, brings more than two decades of academic study and service to her job as director of the new Center for Spiritual Formation at St. Gregory’s. The church describes it as “a learning center for adults seeking continuing education in theological studies, as well as formation in the history, theory and practice of spirituality.”

The center has been offering classes since January.

“We have so much to teach each other,” Neville said. “I used to teach world religious cultures and medieval spirituality at the college and graduate level, so I’m especially interested in creating classes and programs that foster healthy discussion about different religious traditions and practices. Boca Raton is a diverse community in terms of religious affiliations and identities, and I hope we can share our differences and learn from each other, but also celebrate our strengths.”

Classes are offered both in person and via Zoom, which allows Neville to reach a wider audience. “I see the center as a unique opportunity, whether you’re religious or not, for people to learn about spirituality and their connection to the divine. Our programs are open to people of all backgrounds,” she said.

“People join from all over the country,” Neville said. The curriculum “is rigorous, discussion-based and free. We see education as a service to the community because it’s hard to do spirituality on your own. We provide a sense of community and bonding, because there’s a group of us all looking for truth and meaning. We try to provide an experience with divine that lifts us up.”

Neville says she’s a “perpetual student” as the best teachers are.

Neville was raised in Alexandria, Virginia, the daughter of two college professors. Her father taught English literature, her mother, art history. A “cradle Episcopalian,” she earned

Free & Reduced Lunch Program to supplement students’ meals over the weekend.

The Outreach Group also prepares and serves 300 to 350 meals from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. the fourth Saturday of every month. Help is needed. The next meeting is May 24. Volunteers will meet at Boca Helping Hands Food Center at 1500 NW First Court.

Neville

“People are hurting and scared and worried, and we can help each other through tough times by listening to each other and listening to the voice of God.”

— the Rev. Dr. Robyn Neville

her undergraduate degree in religion from William & Mary (founded in 1693 by King William III of England and Queen Mary II, it’s second only to Harvard as the oldest institutions of higher education in the United States).

Neville is a theologian in the strictest sense of the word. She has a Ph.D. in historical studies in religion from Emory University, a master’s degree from Harvard in medieval historical theology, and a master of divinity with honors from Virginia Theological Seminary. Her interest in church history dominated her studies and earned her opportunities to study abroad. Her deep interest in religious history led her to serve on the board of the Historical Society of the Episcopal Church in 2012 and as president from 2016 to 2022, and she continues to serve as its vice president.

Neville was ordained as an Episcopal priest in 2003 and has served the church as an assistant rector, a pastoral associate for Christian formation, and as the theologian-in-residence in parishes in Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts and Virginia. She has served as a hospice chaplain, school chaplain and youth minister, and she served for two years as the port chaplain at Port Everglades, where she ministered to sailors from all over the world.

“Most of the sailors are from Indonesia or Southeast Asia or Africa,” she said. “We’d offer them literature in their own language and phone cards so they could call home and see to their medical and dental issues. As a chaplain, your job is part social worker. We would just encourage them to keep their faith, whatever it was.”

Teaching people to forge a stronger connection with their faith inspires almost all of the classes the center offers. During Lent, Neville offered

Parking is available in the lot across the street from the center. For more information, visit bocacommunity.org/ detail/?groupID=103

St. Vincent offers six-week Bible course for women

St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church, 840 George Bush Blvd., Delray Beach, is offering a sixweek Bible study course for

Special Mass with workout

St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church, Boca Raton

a course called “Medieval Monastic Spirituality: Harvest for the Soul” that explored five ways in which medieval spiritual seekers sought religious fulfillment. From the practices of Benedictine monks and nuns to Franciscan friars to female mystics, Christians have found ways to achieve a meaningful holy life. The course was designed to show ways modern society can use these practices.

Starting May 15, the center will offer an online class called “Always, We Begin Again: Benedictine Spirituality and the Rule of St. Benedict.” It meets at 6:30 p.m. Thursdays and runs through summer via Zoom.

Some others in the works are “Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Spiritual Tradition,” both in person and via Zoom sometime in the fall; “Women, Heretics, Jews, and Others— Stories from the Margins of Christianity,” via Zoom in early winter; “Greening the Household of God: Ecology and Holiness”; plus guest speakers and one-day seminars. Classes are free.

In her role as teaching priest, Neville said, “I’m hoping that we will meet a need here in Boca Raton.” Although all the courses are different and cover a wide swath of topics, Neville said, “I would say one of the questions we seek to answer is: How do we become better Christians?”

To learn more about the center, email Neville at RNeville@st-gregorys.com, call the church at 561-395-8285 or visit stgregorysepiscopal.org/ spiritual-formation.

Janis Fontaine writes about people of faith, their congregations, causes and community events. Contact her at fontaine423@ outlook.com.

women called “Living in the Father’s Love” beginning June 18. The class meets from 10 a.m. to noon in the St. Vincent Ferrer room. This course is part of Walking with Purpose (www. walkingwithpurpose.com). Contact Jeanne King at wwp@ stvincentferrer.com to register.

— Janis Fontaine

May 24: A yoga Mass is offered at St. Gregory’s from 4 to 5 p.m. in St. Mary’s Chapel. The Rev. Elizabeth Pankey-Warren and Father Andrew Sherman lead this combination of prayer and yoga practice. All levels are welcome. Bring your own yoga mat. St. Gregory’s is at 100 NE Mizner Blvd. Call 561-3958285. Photo provided

Pope Francis remembered

Pope Francis, who died April 21, was remembered as a pope for the regular people.

The Most Reverend Gerald M. Barbarito, Bishop of the Diocese of Palm Beach County, called the pope “a man of tremendous hope, which he lived to the end, and which provided joy to all of us.”

On April 23, Bishop Barbarito spoke at a Mass of Remembrance and Prayer for Pope Francis at the Cathedral of St. Ignatius of Loyola in Palm Beach Gardens. At the cathedral's Sunday masses on April 27, its bells tolled 88 times to mark each year of the pontiff's life.

St. Vincent Ferrer Church

in Delray Beach had a memorial Mass for the pope on April 25 and St. Joan of Arc Church in Boca Raton on April 27. The Rev. Nestor Rodriquez, preparing for the Mass at St. Joan's, wrote that Pope Francis “was a holy and humble shepherd—faithful, courageous, and full of compassion."

During the Mass, a trumpet and choir performed hymns including “Ave Maria,” and in his homily, Pastor Rodriguez reminded more than 700 faithful congregants of Pope Francis' tender love for the least among us, and how he once said, “My name is Mercy.”

— Janis Fontaine

Religion Calendar

Note: Events are current as of 4/23. Please check with organizers for any changes.

MAY 4-10

Sunday - 5/4 - Zoom Bible Study at Ascension Catholic Church, 7250 N Federal Hwy, Boca Raton. Every Sun 7 pm. Free. Zoom link: communications#accboca.net; 561-9975486; ascensionboca.org

Monday - 5/5 - Women’s Bible Study via Zoom at First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach, 33 Gleason St. Every M 10 am. Free. 561-276-6338; firstdelray.com

5/5- Rosary for Peace at St. Vincent Ferrer Family Life Center, 840 George Bush Blvd, Delray Beach. Every M 5:45-6:15 pm. Free. 561-276-6892; stvincentferrer.com

Tuesday - 5/6- Tuesday Morning Prayer Service at Unity of Delray Beach Church, 101 NW 22nd St. 10 am. Free. 561-276-5796; unityofdelraybeach.org

5/6 - Colorful Profiles - Short Stories of Extraordinary Lives from Jewish History at Boca Beach Chabad, 490 E Palmetto Park Rd. Rohr Jewish Learning Institute. Every T through 5/27 7-8:30 pm. $69/includes textbook. RSVP: 561394-9770; bocabeachchabad.com/JLI

Wednesday - 5/7 - Men’s Spirituality Hour via Zoom at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church, 100 NE Mizner Blvd, Boca Raton. Every W 8 am. Free. For link: 561-395-8285; stgregorysepiscopal.org

5/7  - Wednesday Evening Meditation Service at Unity of Delray Beach Church, 101 NW 22nd St. 6:30 pm. Free; love offering. 561-276-5796;

unityofdelraybeach.org

Thursday - 5/8 - Thursday Morning Telephone Prosperity Coffee presented by  Unity of Delray Beach Church, 101 NW 22nd St. Phone meeting (605-475-6006, passcode 3031030). Free; love offering. 561-276-5796; unityofdelraybeach.org

5/8 - Men’s Fellowship at First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach Courtyard, 33 Gleason St. Every Th 8:30 am. Free. 561-276-6338; firstdelray.com

5/8  - Women’s Bible Study at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church Youth Room, 100 NE Mizner Blvd, Boca Raton. Every Th 1 pm. Free. 561-395-8285; stgregorysepiscopal.org

Friday - 5/9 - Legion of Mary at St. Vincent Ferrer Family Life Center, 840 George Bush Blvd, Delray Beach. Every F 9:30-11 am. Free. 561-276-6892; stvincentferrer.com

5/9 - Bible Study w/Dave Kirk at Advent Boca Raton Fellowship Hall, 300 E Yamato Rd. Every F 10-11:30 am. 561395-3632; adventboca.org

5/9 - Virtual Shabbat Service at Temple Sinai of Palm Beach County, 2475 W Atlantic Ave, Delray Beach. Every F 7:30 pm. Free. 561-276-6161; templesinaipbc. org

Saturday - 5/10 - Master Chorale of South Florida: American at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church, 100 NE Mizner Blvd, Boca Raton. 4 pm. $40/advance; $45/at the door; free/student. 954-641-2653; masterchoraleofsouthflorida.org

On the Water

Blackfin tuna is easy catch with full spread of baits, dim sunlight

South Florida offshore anglers have their pick of species in May, and many of them put blackfin tuna at the top of their fish wish list.

Even though the grouper season opened on May 1, and fried grouper is delicious, those fish can be difficult to catch.

Blackfin tuna, on the other hand, are plentiful off South Florida this month, they can be caught on live bait and dead bait and by trolling lures, and they are exceptionally tasty grilled or seared in a skillet and served rare on the inside.

Unlike grouper, there is no minimum size limit for blackfins, although most of them range in weight from 10 to 30 pounds. The daily bag limit is two tuna per angler or 10 per boat, whichever is greater. That means two fishermen can keep 10 blackfins and six anglers can keep a total of 12 fish.

The first step in catching blackfins is finding water where they hang out. Some of the best tuna water is from Boca Raton Inlet to Boynton Beach Inlet.

According to Capt. Skip Dana of Deerfield Beach, purple-blue water is ideal, but tuna can also be caught in green water.

More important than the water’s color is the presence of baitfish.

“I tell people to find water that’s alive, where it’s got baits and activity,” Dana said. “If you find that good, alive water, the tuna will find you.”

When he fishes in tournaments, Dana will drift with live baits such as pilchards, sardines and goggleeyes on flat lines, which his crew casts out behind the boat, as well as live baits on kite lines,

which splash on the surface suspended from a fishing kite.

“When the conditions are right, you want a full spread out,” said Dana, who also has his crew put chunks of sardines in the water to attract the tuna — but not too many chunks.

“I think some guys overchunk,” said Dana, who uses frozen sardines sold by tackle

Outdoors Calendar

Note: Events are current as of 4/23. Please check with organizers for any changes.

MAY 3

Saturday - 5/3 - Seining the Lagoon at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, 1801 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. Explore grasses/flats of the Intracoastal Waterway behind Gumbo Limbo. Wear clothes that can get wet. Closed toed shoes required. Ages 7-adult; child must be accompanied by an adult. 9:30-11 am. $15/ member; $19/non-member. Reservations required: 561-544-8605; myboca.us/ calendar.aspx?CID=47

5/3 - Outdoor Marine Aquarium

Feedings at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, 1801 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. All ages; child must be accompanied by an adult. Daily 12:30 pm. Free. 561-544-8605; myboca.us/ calendar.aspx?CID=47

5/3 - Resident Sea Turtle Talk at Gumbo

Limbo Nature Center, 1801 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. All ages; child must be accompanied by an adult. Held again 5/4 1 pm. Free. 561-544-8605; myboca.us/ calendar.aspx?CID=47 5/3-5 - 30th Annual Lantana Fishing Derby & Kid’s Fishing Derby at Old Key Lime House 300 E Ocean Ave, Bicentennial Park 321 E Ocean Ave & Lantana Recreation Center 418 S Dixie Hwy. Derby Sat 7 am-3:30 pm; Kids Derby Sat 8:30 am-11:30 am at Bicentennial Park; Awards BBQ at Lantana Rec Center Sun Noon-3 pm. Check website for schedules/times/locations/fees: 561-5858664; lantanafishingderby.com

MAY 4-10

Friday - 5/9 - After-Hours Guided Tours at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, 1801 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. Guided tour through Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Facility, outdoor

stores. “Don’t get crazy. You want a slow, steady stream of chunks, but not too much.

“There are so many sharks, you can’t chunk that much, otherwise you’ll have sharks up in the chum, and triggerfish.”

Local anglers lose a lot of blackfins to sharks, often reeling in only the head of a tuna. So, after hooking a tuna,

aquariums, open-air butterfly garden, nature trail; ends w/sunset views of the Intracoastal Waterway from the beach by the Seminole Chiki. Ages 7-adult; child under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Held again 5/23 & 6/6. 6:30-8 pm. $10/resident & member; $13/non-resident. Register: 561-544-8605; myboca.us/calendar.aspx?CID=47

Saturday - 5/10 - Intracoastal Adventures: Advanced Kayaking at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, 1801 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. Includes short talk about South Florida’s unique animals/ecosystems. Ages 7-adult; each child under 13 must be accompanied by one adult. 9-10:30 am. $20/resident & member; $25/non-member. Registration: 561-544-8605; myboca.us/ calendar.aspx?CID=47

MAY 11-17

Tuesday - 5/13 - Island Treks at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, 1801 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. Visitors will be guided on a short trek along the shaded boardwalk through the tropical hardwood hammock forest, pausing for some intracoastal views through the mangroves. All ages; child must be accompanied by an adult. Held again 5/27. 10-10:45 am. Free. 561-544-8605; myboca. us/calendar.aspx?CID=47

Saturday - 5/17 - Coast Guard Auxiliary Boat America: A Boating Safety Course at Spanish River Park HQ Building, USCG Auxiliary Classroom, 3939 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. Boating terminology, boat handling, navigation rules, regulations, more. Course provides knowledge needed to obtain a boating certificate; possible insurance

Dana said most anglers would do fine using two 20-pound spinning outfits with 3/0 to 5/0 hooks. Using dead or live baits, he’d put one on the surface and the other down with a 1-ounce sinker and drift in 150-220 feet.

The time of day can be a factor in tuna fishing success.

Capt. Mario Coté of Hollywood noted that blackfin tuna have big eyes that allow them to take a careful look at a bait. He uses 20-pound conventional outfits with 15-foot leaders of 40-pound fluorocarbon, which is invisible in the water.

He recommended fishing for tuna early in the morning, late in the afternoon and on cloudy days, because that’s when the sunlight is less intense.

fish are plentiful off Palm Beach County this time of year. LEFT: Stuart Newman holds the remains of a blackfin after a shark got to it. That’s why anglers try to reel in the fish as quickly as possible. Photos by Steve Waters/The Coastal Star

it’s essential to reel in the hard-fighting fish as quickly as possible.

If the tuna aren’t feeding like they should, anglers need to go lighter and smaller with their tackle. So, if you usually fish with 30-pound leaders and size 5/0 circle hooks, you might want to downsize to 20-pound leaders with a 2/0 or 1/0 hook.

discount. 9 am-5 pm. $35/adult; $5/teen. 561-391-3600; peauxboca@gmail.com

MAY 18-24

Saturday - 5/24 - Coast Guard Auxiliary Boat America: A Boating Safety Course at Harvey E. Oyer, Jr. Park, 2010 N Federal Hwy, Boynton Beach. Boating terminology, boat handling, navigation rules, regulations, more. Course provides knowledge needed to obtain a boating certificate; possible insurance discount. 8 am-4 pm. $20. 561-3126439; birdlover5@bellsouth.net 5/24 - Beach Cleanup at The Coastal Stewards HQ, 5112 N Ocean Blvd, Ocean Ridge. Group will walk to Ocean Ridge beach to pick up plastics and other trash. Supplies will be provided. Water shoes, hats, sunscreen recommended. 9-11 am. Free. RSVP: thecoastalstewards.org/event 5/24 - Intracoastal Adventures: Advanced Canoeing at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, 1801 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. Short talks about South Florida’s unique animals/ecosystems. For experienced paddlers ages 13-adult; child under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. 9-10:30 am. $20/member; $25/non-member. Registration: 561-544-8605; myboca.us/ calendar.aspx?CID=47

MAY 25-31

Tuesday - 5/27-29 - Turtle Walk at Gumbo Limbo Environmental Complex, 1801 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. Ages 8+; child must be accompanied by an adult. Held rain or shine; subject to cancellation due to lightning or severe weather. Every T-Th through 7/3.

“If you were in the water on a sunny day and you had to look up to see something, it wouldn't be easy,” Coté said. Coté fishes with live pilchards on two flat lines and two weighted lines, one down about 50 feet and the other close to the bottom. He hooks the pilchards through the nose, although other anglers hook the baits toward the tail so the pilchards swim down.

No matter how you catch a blackfin tuna, and whether you marinate it in soy sauce or teriyaki sauce or sprinkle it with olive oil, salt and pepper before grilling or searing it, you’ll forget all about fishing for grouper once you taste it.

Outdoors writer Steve Waters can be reached at steve33324@aol. com.

8:45 pm-midnight. $15/resident; $20/nonresident. Advance reservation required: 561544-8605; myboca.us/2133/Turtle-WalksHatchling-Releases Thursday - 5/29 - Early Birding w/Al at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, 1801 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. Learn about native & migratory birds from an experienced birder; walk the Ashley Trail/boardwalk in search of warblers, gnatcatchers, woodpeckers, other avian species. Binoculars recommended. Meet on nature center front porch. Ages 10+; child must be accompanied by an adult. 8:30-10 am. Free. 561-544-8605; myboca.us/ calendar.aspx?CID=47

JUNE 1-7

Saturday - 6/7 - Coast Guard Auxiliary

Boat America: A Boating Safety Course at Spanish River Park HQ Building, USCG Auxiliary Classroom, 3939 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. Boating terminology, boat handling, navigation rules, regulations, more. Course provides knowledge needed to obtain a boating certificate; possible insurance discount. 9 am-5 pm. $35/adult; $5/teen. 561-391-3600; peauxboca@gmail.com 6/7 - Intracoastal Adventures: Intro to Canoeing at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, 1801 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. Learn about our native & migratory birds from an experienced birder. Ages 12-adult; child under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. 9-10:30 am. $20/member; $25/non-member. Advance reservation required: 561-544-8605; myboca.us/calendar.aspx?CID=47

ABOVE: Hunter Barron and Pasta Pantaleo show off a nice blackfin tuna. The

Paws Up for Pets

Found a lost pup? How to help while also keeping yourself safe

Nearly every day in some area of Palm Beach County, a dog darts out of the house, roams away and becomes lost. Or an unwanted dog is taken for a ride and then ushered out of the vehicle in a strange place miles away. Imagine the panic they feel.

If you came across a roaming dog who is clearly lost, what would you do? Your response depends on many factors. Ask yourself:

• Do you know how to safely handle a dog you do not know to avoid being bit?

• Do you keep a spare leash in your car as well as pet treats and a water bowl to entice the dog to come to you?

• Can you secure the dog in your vehicle so that you can safely drive to your home or to the nearest veterinary clinic or animal shelter to scan the dog for any signs of microchip identification?

• Do you have a room in your home or a secure fenced area in your yard to keep this dog safe while you try to find its owner?

• Do you have other pets in your home who may be agitated seeing this newcomer?

• Do you even know how to report a lost dog?

All good questions. If you decide to help, please make sure that your safety is a top priority.

Some dogs roaming the streets may be escape artists. Others may have been abandoned. All depend on good Samaritans to provide a temporary safe place until they can be reunited with their families or placed in new homes via animal shelters or rescue groups.

Over the years, I have found and reunited countless dogs. Then came Emma. In April 2020, at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, my

neighbors phoned me about a very sick-appearing little gray dog sitting in their front yard.

“Arden, come quick! We are trying to feed her, but she seems to be very sick,” my neighbor Monique relayed. “We saw on our security camera a car that pulled up in front of our house and pushed this dog out of the car and left.”

When I arrived, this poodle-Chihuahua mix had no collar, no identification tags. Fortunately, it was during the day, so I took her to my local veterinary clinic to have the staff scan her for a microchip that could show her name, her owners and more details.

No microchip, but my veterinarian did say, “Arden, this dog is very sick. She is infested with heartworms.”

We agreed to care for this dog as she recovered from

heartworms. Within two days, we had given her a name: Emma. It took several months and many treatments for her to recover.

Like some of you, we didn’t plan for this dog, but we are so glad Emma is part of our family. She just celebrated her sixth birthday and is super sweet, smart and super healthy. So let me offer you some tips and resources to help you help lost dogs.

If the dog sports ID tags on the collar, do not approach the dog face to face to read the tag info. Instead, just slide the tags to the back of the dog’s head so you can read in a safe manner. Local licenses or rabies tags can be used to find dogs’ owners.

Microchips, each about the size of a grain of rice, are often implanted between a dog’s shoulder blades. Animal

Arden Moore in this recent photo snuggles with Emma, who is now healthy and happy. ABOVE: Emma in 2020 shortly after Arden’s neighbors found her. She was suffering from heartworms and needed treatment. Photos by

shelters, rescue groups and veterinary clinics are equipped with wand devices that can scan and reach out to the dog’s owner. Unfortunately, it is estimated that more than 30% of dogs do not have microchips, or their people fail to update the chip information when they move.

Let’s not overlook one of the most basic but vital game plans — posting “Found Dog” posters on telephone poles in your neighborhood as well as in businesses or on community bulletin boards.

These posters should include a clear photo of the dog, where you found the dog and your phone number. It is believed that most lost dogs are found within a mile radius of home. And you can create missingdog flyers using apps for iPhones and Android.

With the dog safely secured at your home, rely on social media or file a report with the county (see box nearby). Popular sites posting lost and

More resources

• To report a lost or found animal to Palm Beach County Animal Control: palmbeachcounty.com/ palm-beach-countyanimal-control

• To post a notice about an animal: secure.co.palmbeach.fl.us/snap/founddogs

• Tri-County Animal Rescue: tricountyanimal rescue.com/find-a-stray3F

• Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League: peggy adams.org/services/lostfound

• Petfinder.com

• Missingpets.co

• Lostmydoggie.com

• Pawboost.com

found dogs are Next Door and local Facebook pages. Be sure to include a clear photo of the dog, the location, and ask for help from those reading the post. Also reach out to shelters near where you found the dog, such as Tri-County Animal Rescue in Boca Raton and Peggy Adams Rescue League in West Palm Beach. Call ahead to see if you can bring the dog to these places, as they may not have space to take in lost dogs. But the information you provide may help in reaching people who have contacted the shelters while searching for their missing dogs.

Lost dogs — and their families — will be forever grateful to people who step in and help reunite them.

Arden Moore is an author, speaker and master certified pet first aid instructor. Learn more by visiting www. ardenmoore. com.

LEFT:

Arden Moore/The Coastal Star

clericalorganizing.com Contact Joanne Email jpoitras@clericlaorganizing.com

Phone 561-865-7887 • Cell 516-884-0268

Florida Atlantic University celebrated “Match Day” with its Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine’s class of 2025. Match Day occurs nationally on the third Friday of March when the results of the National Resident Matching Program are announced.

Along with thousands of other fourth-year medical students around the country, members of the class of 2025 opened their sealed envelopes at noon to learn where they will receive their medical residency training. In addition, FAU’s post-graduate residency programs accepted 48 graduating medical students from across the country.

Delray Medical Center performs milestone surgery

Delray Medical Center completed its 1,000th bariatric surgery since launching the program in 2015. The program is led by Dr. Erica Podolsky, a board-certified surgeon specializing in minimally invasive techniques and robotic surgery.

For more info, visit www. palmbeachhealthnetwork.com/ services/general-surgery-care/ bariatric-surgery/delray or call 561-495-3022.

Couple opens concierge clinic in Boca Raton

Imran Siddiqui and his wife,

Dr. Abeer Aziz-Siddiqui, have opened their members-only clinic, Palm Beach Concierge Medicine, at 825 Meadows Road, No. 111, Boca Raton.

The clinic provides roundthe-clock medical services to patients for a monthly fee.

Dr. Abeer Aziz-Siddiqui is an internist who has held positions at the HCA Florida JFK Hospital in Palm Beach County. Imram Siddiqui previously was the executive director of Tech Equity Miami.

Palm Beach Health has new chief medical officer

Dr. Eric Lieberman is Palm Beach Health Network’s new chief medical officer. He will lead quality improvement initiatives, guide strategic planning, and support the growth of the company’s cardiovascular services. Lieberman will continue to see patients at Delray Medical Center.

Hospital opens kosher pantry for Jewish patients

During Passover, Baptist Health Bethesda Hospital East in Boynton Beach celebrated the opening of its new kosher pantry to meet the dietary needs of its Jewish patients and their families. The pantry is on the fourth floor of the Heart Hospital and is a collaborative effort between the hospital’s

Note: Events are current as of 4/23. Please check with organizers for any changes.

MAY 3

Saturday - 5/3 - Morning Beach

Yoga at The Seagate Beach Club, 401 S Ocean Blvd, Delray Beach. Every Sat 8-9 am. $20/person. Tickets: 561-330-3775; eventbrite.com/e/sunrise-beach-yogatickets-336433921917

5/3 - Saturdays @ Sanborn: Yoga Class at Sanborn Square, 72 N Federal Hwy, Boca Raton. 8:45 am registration; 9 am class. Free. 561-393-7703; downtownboca.org

5/3 - Zumba Class at South Beach Park Pavilion, 400 N State Rd A1A, Boca Raton. Every Sat 10 am. Free. 561-393-7703; downtownboca.org

5/3  - Yoga Class at South Palm Beach Town Hall, 3577 S Ocean Blvd. Every Sat 9 am. Free. 561-588-8889; southpalmbeach. com

5/3 - Yoga at the Beach at Red Reef Park West, 1221 S Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. Held on grass overlooking the Intracoastal. No cash accepted on-site. Every W 6:30 and 1st & 3rd Sat 10-11 am. $10-$12.50/class; 60-day membership $65/resident, $81.25/ non-resident. 561-393-7807; myboca.us

5/3  - Judo Class at Boca Raton Community Center, 150 Crawford Blvd. Warm-up exercises, instruction, practice,

pastoral care team and volunteers from Bikkur Cholim of Boynton Beach and the Florida Chesed Network.

Addiction, mental health center expands services

Caron Treatment Centers, a nonprofit specializing in addiction and mental health care, has expanded its South Florida services with new innetwork programs for adults. These include residential, partial hospitalization, outpatient options and detox services at Caron’s Keele Medical Center in Delray Beach. Insurance coverage includes Lucet, Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO, and United Healthcare/ Optum.

Baptist Health Cancer Care gets second proton system

Baptist Health South Florida recently expanded its proton therapy capabilities at the Eugene M. & Christine E. Lynn Cancer Institute in Boca Raton. The cyclotron, which delivers precise and targeted cancer treatment, was delivered to the institute. The gantry, another component of the proton therapy system, arrived shortly after. This marks the second proton therapy system within Baptist Health Cancer Care.

Send health news to Christine Davis at cdavis9797@gmail.com.

tournament training. W 6:30-8:30 pm mixed ages/ranks; Sat 10 am-noon all groups. Per month $21.50/resident; $27/ non-resident. 561-393-7807; myboca.us

5/3  - AA Meeting at Unity of Delray Beach Fellowship Hall, 101 NW 22nd St. Every Sat 5:30 pm. Free. 561-276-5796; unityofdelraybeach.org

MAY 4-10

Sunday - 5/4 - Yoga at the Beach at Red Reef Park East, 1400 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. Held on grass overlooking the Intracoastal. No cash accepted on-site. Every Sun 4:30 pm. $10-$12.50/class; 60day membership $65/resident, $81.25/ non-resident. 561-393-7807; myboca.us 5/4 - CODA (Codependents Anonymous) Meeting at Unity of Delray Beach Fellowship Hall, 101 NW 22nd St. Every Sun 6 pm. Free. 561-276-5796; unityofdelraybeach.org

Monday - 5/5 - Pickleball at Hester Center, 1901 N Seacrest Blvd, Boynton Beach. Combines badminton & tennis. Adults. M-F 9 am-noon. $5-$7; $60-$85/15-visit pass; $250-$375/annual pass. 561-742-6550; boynton-beach.org

5/5 - Zumba Cardio at Boynton Beach Arts & Cultural Center, 125 E Ocean Ave. Adults. Every M/W 5:30-6:30 pm. $10. 561742-6221; boynton-beach.org 5/5 - LGBTQ ACOA Meeting at Unity of

Health & Harmony

Fast action, expert surgeon empower nurse’s recovery from stroke

What happened to Wonder Woman could happen to you.

In December 2024, actress Gal Gadot, known for her roles as Wonder Woman in the film franchise, underwent emergency surgery after suffering a massive blood clot to the brain — a cerebral venous thrombosis, which is a rare form of stroke.

Eight months’ pregnant with her fourth child, Gadot was bedridden with excruciating headaches before an MRI showed the clot and she was rushed into surgery.

Symptoms of CVT include headache, blurred vision, fainting or loss of consciousness, loss of control over body movement, seizures and coma, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Fortunately, the actress had a healthy baby girl, made a full recovery and is appearing in the recently released film Disney’s Snow White

While nobody hopes for a stroke, if you’re going to have one, it’s good to be on a first-name basis with Dr. Brian Snelling, director of the stroke program at Marcus Neuroscience Institute, part of Baptist Health at Boca Raton Regional Hospital. Fortunately for Delray Beach resident Julie Knichel, she is.

Knichel, 58, is an ICU nurse at the institute, working alongside Snelling, who earned his M.D. degree in 2011 from West Virginia University School of Medicine. Snelling had a fellowship in endovascular neurological surgery at Jackson Memorial Hospital & University at the Miami Miller School of Medicine from

Continued from page 20

Delray Beach Prayer Room, 101 NW 22nd St. Every M 6:30 pm. Free. 561-276-5796; unityofdelraybeach.org

5/5 - Adult Zumba Class at Boca Raton Community Center, 150 Crawford Blvd. Every M 7-8 pm. Per class: $6/resident; $7.50/non-resident. 561-393-7807; myboca.us

Tuesday - 5 /6 - Slow Flow Yoga + Sound Bath at Arts & Wellness Space at the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County, 11 S L St, Lake Worth Beach. Every T & F 9-10 am. Donations accepted. Songofthesoulcollective.space

5/6 - Tai Chi Class at Boca Raton Community Center, 150 Crawford Blvd. Beginner through advanced. Age 16+. Every T 6-7 pm. $8-$10/class. 561-3937807; myboca.us

5/6 - Al-Anon Meeting at Unity of Delray Beach Fellowship Hall, 101 NW 22nd St. Every T 7 pm. Free. 561-276-5796; unityofdelraybeach.org

Wednesday - 5/7 - Tai Chi Class at South Palm Beach Town Hall, 3577 S Ocean Blvd. Every W 9 am. Free. 561-588-8889; southpalmbeach.com

5/7 - Stretch & Strengthening

2014 to 2016, and he is dual trained in neurosurgery and neuroradiology.

Knichel came under Snelling’s care in February 2024, when the Missouri native was awakened at 3 a.m. with a pounding headache she couldn’t ignore.

Feeling nausea and pain, she knew to call 911 and was rushed to the emergency room at the hospital and admitted to the same unit where she works.

She had suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage, where bleeding occurs in the space between the brain and the membrane that covers it.

“I was lucky to be taken care of by Dr. Snelling and my coworkers,” she says. “It was wonderful — as much as having

a stroke can be wonderful.”

Snelling, who was going off-duty at the time, realized the just-admitted patient was Knichel, and stayed on several hours to perform the surgery.

“I had total confidence in Dr. Snelling,” says Knichel. “I knew his work and level of expertise and of my colleagues’ abilities to care for me.”

Knichel wasn’t completely surprised when she learned of the stroke, because her mother had died from the same thing at the age of 47.

For Snelling, this was all in a day’s work.

“And, while it can be tough to treat a colleague,” says Snelling, “we’re a big family and have a good working relationship. I was happy I could be there for her

Mindfulness Class at South Palm Beach Town Hall, 3577 S Ocean Blvd. Every W/F 10:30 am. Free. 561-588-8889; southpalmbeach.com

5/7  - Judo Class at Boca Raton Community Center, 150 Crawford Blvd. Warm-up exercises, instruction, practice, tournament training. W 6:30-8:30 pm mixed ages/ranks; Sat 10 am-noon all groups. Per month $21.50/resident; $27/ non-resident. 561-393-7807; myboca.us

5/7 - LGBTQ+ AA Meeting at Unity of Delray Beach, 101 NW 22nd St. Every W 7 pm. Free. 561-276-5796; unityofdelraybeach.org

5/7-8 - Yoga in the Museum at Cornell Art Museum at Old School Square, 51 N Swinton Ave, Delray Beach. Every W & Th 11 am-noon. $8/class. Registration: 561654-2220; delrayoldschoolsquare.com/ events

Thursday - 5/8 - Alateen Meeting at St. Mark’s Catholic Church, 643 NE 4th Ave, Boynton Beach. Every Th 7:30 pm. Free. 561-278-3481; southpalmbeachafg.org Friday - 5/9 - TRX Outdoor Workout at the Park at Old School Square Amphitheater, 51 N Swinton Ave, Delray Beach. 4:45-5:45 pm. Free. Registration:

and thrilled that she had a great outcome.”

To stem the bleeding in Knichel’s brain, Snelling inserted a “coil,” by threading a catheter through her groin up to the brain, while watching the image on a computer screen.

Knichel was in the hospital for three weeks and out of work for three months, taking nimodipine, a calcium channel blocker used to treat aneurysms, every four hours for 14 weeks.

She had severe head pain for several weeks, which she managed with Tylenol and other medication.

Stroke is an umbrella term for a set of conditions characterized by loss of blood flow to the brain. A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is disrupted, either due to a clot blocking a vessel (ischemic stroke) or because of bleeding in the brain (hemorrhagic stroke).

Snelling suggests that anyone with a genetic predisposition or with two close relatives with a history of brain aneurysms go for a magnetic resonance angiogram screening.

Like the arteries to your heart, the arteries to your brain can clog from smoking, high cholesterol or high blood pressure.

“Don’t ignore the warning signs,” he says.

According to the American Stroke Association, someone in the U.S. has a stroke every 40 seconds, and someone dies from a stroke every four minutes.

Stroke is a leading cause of serious long-term disability, with more than 6.5 million stroke survivors currently living in the country.

Once the brain is deprived of blood and oxygen, brain cells begin to die within minutes. This can lead to permanent brain damage, disability or death.

That was not the case for

561-243-1077; delrayoldschoolsquare.com/ events

MAY 11-17

Sunday - 5/11 - Coco Market at Old School Square Amphitheater, 51 N Swinton Ave, Delray Beach. Monthly wellness market: 30 local vendors, health/wellness professionals w/various healing modalities; live music; 2 free yoga, meditation or fitness classes per event. 9 am-3 pm. Free. 561-870-4090; thecocoyogi.com/market

Wednesday - 5/14 - The Benefits of Meditation at Boynton Beach Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. Instructional program and short heart-based meditation practice. Adults. 5:30-6:30 pm. Free. Registration: 561-742-6390; boyntonlibrary.org

MAY 18-24

Sunday - 5/18 - Yoga at the Museum at Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real. 9:30-11 am. $15/member; $30/nonmember. 561-392-2500; bocamuseum.org

Wednesday - 5/21 - Scripps Research Front-Row Lecture Series: The Science of Longer, Healthier Lives w/ Eric Topol, Ph.D. 1-hour virtual lecture. 7 pm. Free. Register for link: frontrow.scripps.edu

Knichel, who returned to work full-time, resumed her beloved gardening and DIY projects, and incurred no lasting effects of the stroke. She can credit her quick action in calling 911 and the trained medics who treated her even before all the help she received since then.

Snelling says that only 10% of patients have a complete recovery, 25% have minor impairment and almost half of people are left with moderate impairment.

A nurse for more than 26 years, Knichel says the experience has given her more insight and a new ability to empathize with her patients and to give them hope.

“It’s a surreal experience,” she says. “I’m grateful to Dr. Snelling for saving my life.”

Recognizing the warning signs of stroke is crucial in getting prompt medical attention and preventing longterm damage.

The American Stroke Association suggests using the acronym “FAST” to remember the signs of stroke:

• Face drooping: Does one side of the face droop or feel numb?

• Arm weakness: Is one arm weak or numb? Raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?

• Speech difficulty: Is speech slurred or hard to understand? Try repeating a simple sentence like, “The sky is blue.”

• Time to call 911: If someone shows any of these symptoms, call 911 immediately.

Visit stroke.org for more information.

Jan Engoren writes about health and healthy living. Send column ideas to jengoren@ hotmail.com.

Snelling

Julie Knichel is an ICU nurse with Marcus Neuroscience Institute, part of Baptist Health at Boca Raton Regional Hospital. She suffered a stroke early last year and credits her colleague Dr. Brian Snelling with saving her life. Photo provided

St. Andrew’s School senior squashing competition in underrated sport

By Faran Fagen

Alexander Dartnell admits that many in the United States don’t know about the sport of squash. But thanks to his recent national championship, the St. Andrew’s High School senior is serving up volleys of fame at his school and around his home in eastern Delray Beach.

“Squash is very underrated,” said Dartnell, 18. “Many people in Florida haven’t even heard of it. It’s been proven that an hour of squash burns more calories than an hour of any other sport, and I believe many people would start playing because of this fact alone.

“The sport combines strength, cardio, mental fortitude and strategy, like no other sport out there.”

During his senior year, Dartnell has performed like no other squash player out there.

He claimed his second national title at the U.S. Junior Squash Championships on March 16 in Philadelphia.

A standout on St. Andrew’s squash team — which recently

secured a third-place finish at the 2025 high school nationals — Dartnell dominated the boys under-19 division as the top seed in Philadelphia, winning every match.

This victory cemented his position as the No. 1-ranked U.S. junior player and built momentum as he prepares to compete at the World Junior Championships this summer in Cairo, Egypt.

“It felt extremely deserved and satisfying to see my hard work pay off,” said Dartnell. “Throughout the weekend, I was physically and emotionally disciplined, not dropping a game throughout the entire event.”

In squash, players alternate hitting a rubber ball against the front wall of a four-walled

court, with the goal of making the opponent miss or hit the ball out of bounds. A valid serve must hit the front wall between the out line, and then land in the opposite quarter of the court.

Players can hit the ball before it bounces (a volley) or after it bounces, and the ball can hit other walls before or after hitting the front wall. A game is typically played to 11 points, with a two-point lead required to win.

Dartnell grew up in Connecticut, where squash is popular, and tagged along with friends who played. He previously played soccer and tennis, but quickly fell in love with squash and pursued it over other sports.

He trains at the Kinetic

St. Andrew’s High senior Alexander Dartnell, a two-time national champion and the top-ranked U.S. junior player in squash, is preparing for the World Junior Championships in Cairo, Egypt. The sport was added to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, where he hopes to compete. Photo provided

Indoor Racquet Club in Boynton Beach under Coach Wael El Hindi. Almost all of his events are played in other states and countries, which leaves his circle of friends at St. Andrew’s in Boca Raton watching his matches on livestream video.

The travel takes its toll, but that is worth the price to Dartnell.

“It’s difficult because of the number of events and activities I have in and out of school, especially in the second semester,” Dartnell said.

“Nevertheless, I try my best to stay disciplined academically and attend as many school events as possible.”

Dartnell enjoys math and economics, and his hobbies include scuba diving, fishing and hanging out with friends.

At the beginning of his junior year, he committed to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. In the fall, he will begin his next

chapter studying finance and entrepreneurship. He’s drawn to investment banking — assuming professional squash is not an option.

Squash recently was added to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, and he views himself as a serious contender.

Should he make it to L.A., his parents will be there to continue their support.

“Alexander has been obsessed with any ball, large and small, since he started walking at 9 months old,” said his mom, Sabine Dartnell. “His innate focus and discipline combined with an extraordinary sense of spatial relations has helped him develop into this outstanding athlete. We could not be prouder.”

As for Alexander, he’s happy that more sports fans are finding out about him — and squash.

“It’s such a great combination of everything you want in a sport,” he said. “The most challenging aspect of squash is mental consistency. Squash requires a lot of cardio and maintaining mental composure; to follow your strategy when you’re tired can be incredibly challenging. It’s just an amazing workout.” P

Dartnell

Tots & Teens Calendar

Note: Events are current as of 4/23. Please check with organizers for any changes.

MAY 3

Saturday - 5/3 - Pop-Up Pages at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Literacy enrichment: stories, music, movement. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Ages 0-5. Every Sat 10-10:30 am. Free. Registration: 561-393-7968; bocalibrary.org

5/3 - Saturday Morning ART (smART) at Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real. Based on artwork at the Museum, links art making w/learning about art. Ages 5+. Held again 5/3. 11:15 am-12:15 pm. $15/member; $25/non-member. Registration: 561-392-2500; bocamuseum.org

5/3 - Sandoway Discovery Center Daily Feedings at 142 S Ocean Blvd, Delray Beach. All ages. Shark & stingray feedings 1 pm; aquarium feedings 2 pm; animal encounters 3 pm. T-Sat. Free w/$10 admission. 561-274-7263; sandoway.org

MAY 4-10

Monday - 5/5 - Fun w/Fernanda: Bilingual Spanish-English Story Time at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 0-5. 3:30-4 pm. Free. Registration: 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

5/5 - K-Pop Club at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 13-17. 5-6 pm. Free. Registration: 561-266-0197; delraylibrary.org

Tuesday - 5/6 - Tumble Tots w/ First Steps

Dance & Tumbling at Schoolhouse Children’s Museum & Learning Center, 129 E Ocean Ave, Boynton Beach. Ages 2.5-5. Every T through 5/20 11-11:45 am. Per visit drop in: $10/ members; $12/non-members w/ pd admission. 561-742-6780; schoolhousemuseum.org

5/6 - Baby Rhythms w/ First Steps Dance & Tumbling at Schoolhouse Children’s Museum & Learning Center, 129 E Ocean Ave, Boynton Beach. Ages 2 mos.-2 yrs. Every T through 5/20 11:45 am-12:15 pm. Per visit drop in: $10/ members; $12/non-members w/ pd admission. 561-742-6780; schoolhousemuseum.org

5/6 - Teen Book Club: Heartless by Marissa Meyer at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 13-17. Held again 5/20. 5-6pm. Free. Registration: 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

5/6 - Tiny Mites Indoor Football League at Hester Center, 1901 N Seacrest Blvd, Boynton Beach. Age 3-5. Every T/Th through 6/5 6-7 pm. $35/resident; $44/non-resident. 561-742-6550; boynton-beach.org

5/6 - Sustainability Skills for Tweens: Punch Embroidery at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Ages 9-12. 6-7 pm. Free. Registration: 561-393-7968; bocalibrary.org

5/6-7 - Sensational Story ‘n More at Schoolhouse Children’s Museum & Learning Center, 129 E Ocean Ave, Boynton Beach. Children’s books come to life. Ages 2-5. Every T 10-10:45 am & W 3-3:45 pm. Free w/paid admission. 561-742-6780; schoolhousemuseum.org

Wednesday - 5/7 - ABC’s & 123’s at Schoolhouse Children’s Museum & Learning Center, 129 E Ocean Ave, Boynton Beach. Ages 3 yrs & up. Every W through 5/21 9:30-10:45 am. Per visit drop in: $10/members; $12/nonmembers w/ pd admission. 561-742-6780; schoolhousemuseum.org

5/7 - Messy Play at Schoolhouse Children’s Museum & Learning Center, 129 E Ocean Ave, Boynton Beach. Ages 3 yrs & up. Every W through 5/21 11-11:45 am. Per visit drop in: $10/ members; $12/non-members w/ pd admission. 561-742-6780; schoolhousemuseum.org

5/7 - Farmer Jay’s Junior Sprouts Class 5: Photosynthesis / Plant Nutrition at Boca Raton Public Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Ages 6-8. 3:30-4:30 pm. Free. Registration: 561-3937968; bocalibrary.org

5/7 - Knight Moves Beginner Chess Class at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Ages 8-12. 6-7:30 pm. Free. Registration: 561-393-7968; bocalibrary.org

Thursday - 5/8 - Dance with Me at Schoolhouse Children’s Museum & Learning Center, 129 E Ocean Ave, Boynton Beach. Adult participation required. Ages 15 mos.2.5 yrs. Every Th through 5/22 9:30-10 am. Per visit drop in: $10/members; $12/nonmembers w/ pd admission. 561-742-6780; schoolhousemuseum.org

5/8 - Tots in Tutus with First Steps Dance & Tumbling at Schoolhouse Children’s Museum & Learning Center, 129 E Ocean Ave, Boynton Beach. Ages 2.5-5 yrs. Every Th through 5/22 10-10:45 am. Per visit drop in: $10/members; $12/non-members w/ pd admission. 561-7426780; schoolhousemuseum.org

5/8 - Pop-Up Pages at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Literacy enrichment: stories, music, movement. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Ages 0-5. Every Th

10-10:30 am. Free. Registration: 561-393-7968; bocalibrary.org

5/8 - Kid’s Music Circle with Noam Brown at Schoolhouse Children’s Museum & Learning Center, 129 E Ocean Ave, Boynton Beach. All ages. Every Th through 5/22 11-11:45 am. Per visit drop in: $10/members; $12/nonmembers w/ pd admission. 561-742-6780; schoolhousemuseum.org

5/8 - Mother’s Day Tea at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. All ages. 3:304:30 pm. Free. Registration: 561-819-6298; delraylibrary.org

Friday - 5/9 - Art Explorations at Schoolhouse Children’s Museum & Learning Center, 129 E Ocean Ave, Boynton Beach. Ages 2.5-5 yrs. Every F through 5/23 10:30-11:15 am. Per visit drop in: $10/members; $12/nonmembers w/ pd admission. 561-742-6780; schoolhousemuseum.org

Saturday - 5/10 - ART Tales at Boca Raton Museum of Art Wolgin Education Center, 501 Plaza Real. Literacy/visual arts program; Boca Raton Library joins w/book readings. Special art project follows. Ages 4-9 w/guardian. 11:15 am-12:15 pm. $15/member family; $25/nonmember family. Registration: 561-392-2500; bocamuseum.org

5/10 - Piano Class at Boynton Beach Arts & Cultural Center, 125 E Ocean Ave. Every Sat through 6/14. Ages 5+. 30 Minute time slots between 1-3 pm. $210/resident; $263/nonresident. 561-742-6221; boynton-beach.org

5/10 - Gaming Club at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 13-17. 3-4:30 pm. Free. Registration: 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

MAY 11-17

Monday - 5/12 - Caribbean Getaway Party at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 13-17. 5-7 pm. Free. Registration: 561-2660194; delraylibrary.org

Tuesday - 5/13 - Teen Tech Sandbox at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 13-17. 3:30-4:30 pm. Free. Registration: 561266-0194; delraylibrary.org

Wednesday - 5/14 - Bilingual Outdoor Storytime at Boynton Beach Library under the Banyan tree, 100 E Ocean Ave. Stories, rhymes, more. Ages 5 & under. 10-10:30 am. Free. 561742-6390; boyntonlibrary.org

5/14 - Farmer Jay’s Junior Sprouts Class 6: Chickens and a Pig on a Farm at Boca Raton Public Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Ages 6-8. 3:30-4:30 pm. Free. Registration: 561-393-7968; bocalibrary.org

Saturday - 5/17 - Wild Wonders (formerly Little Wonders & Nature Detectives) at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, 1801 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. Hike, crafts, stories. Ages 3-6 w/an adult. 9:30-10:15 am. $8/resident & member; $10/non-member. Reservations: 561544-8605; myboca.us/calendar.aspx?CID=47

5/17 - Bones to Books at Boynton Beach Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. Children read to friends from Bonafide Therapy Dogs. All ages. 1-2 pm. Free. Registration: 561-742-6390; boyntonlibrary.org

MAY 18-24

Monday - 5/19 - TAB (Teen Advisory Board) Meeting at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 13-17. 5-6 pm. Free. Registration: 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

Wednesday - 5/21 - Special Guest

Storytime w/ Sanitation Truck Driver at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Up to age

5. 10-10:30 am. Free. Registration: 561-3937968; bocalibrary.org

5/21 - Farmer Jay’s Junior Sprouts Class

7: Where Food Comes From at Boca Raton Public Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Ages 6-8. 3:30-4:30 pm. Free. Registration: 561-393-7968; bocalibrary.org

Saturday - 5/24 - ColorSpace: Teen Art Studio at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 13-17. 11 am-noon. Free. Registration: 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

5/24-25 - Creation Station at Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real. Limited seating. Noon-4 pm. Free w/admission. 561-392-2500; bocamuseum.org

5/24-25 - Taily Tales Show: A Magical Forest Bubble Adventure at Lake Worth Playhouse, 713 Lake Ave. Family fare. Sat/ Sun: 3 pm; Sun: noon. $30. 561-586-6410; lakeworthplayhouse.org

MAY

25-31

Wednesday - 5/28 - Special Guest Storytime: Safari Sue at Boynton Beach Library under the banyan tree, 100 E Ocean Ave. Stories, rhymes, more. 10-10:30 am. Free. 561742-6390; boyntonlibrary.org

5/28 - Farmer Jay’s Junior Sprouts Class 8: Planting a Garden at Boca Raton Public Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Ages 6-8. 3:304:30 pm. Free. Registration: 561-393-7968; bocalibrary.org

JUNE 1-7

Monday - 6/2-6 - Kid Dj Camp with DJ Luis Martinez at The Studio at Mizner Park, 201 Plaza Real, Boca Raton. Ages

7-14. M-F, 9 am-2 pm. $598. 561-203-3742; thestudioatmiznerpark.com

6/2-28 - Summer Show Camp: Finding Nemo Jr. at Lake Worth Playhouse, 713 Lake Ave. Age 8-15. M-F 9 am-4 pm. $850. 561-5866410; lakeworthplayhouse.org

6/2-7/3 - Summer Camp at Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 NW 9th St. Ages 7-18. Check audition/rehearsal schedule for times. Broadway Camps: Junior Camp Moana Jr. ages 7-13 6/2-7/3 M-F 9 am-3 pm, $1614/6 weeks; Teen Camp The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee ages 14-18 6/30-8/1 M-F 9 am-5 pm or 3-5 pm (see website), $1345/5 weeks. Summer Fun Camp ages 7-13 6/2-8/8 (no camp 7/4) M-F 9 am-3 pm $150/week, $50/one time registration fee. 561-272-1281; delraybeachplayhouse.com

6/2-8/1 - Summer Theatre Camp at Lake Worth Playhouse, 713 Lake Ave. Weekly themes with showcase every Friday for friends & family. Ages 6-11. M-F 6/2-8/1 (no camp 7/4) 9 am-4 pm. $200/first week; $150 per week/additional weeks. 561-586-6410; lakeworthplayhouse.org

6/2-8/8 - Summer Camp at Art-Sea Living, 412 E Ocean Ave #1, Boynton Beach. 6/2-7/3, 7/7-8/8 (no camp 7/4) Ages 6-12 M-F 10 am-2 pm $365/week. Extended care 2-3 pm $25/day. 561-737-2600; artsealiving.com  6/2-8/8 - Surf Camp at Red Reef Park, 1400 N State Rd A1A, Boca Raton. Ages 5-14. 9 am-3 pm M-F. $379-$474/week; $99-$124/1 day; aftercare $25-30/day. 561393-7995; bocasummercamps.my.canva.site/ summercamps Friday - 6/6 - Summer Reading Kickoff at Boynton Beach Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. Boynton Beach. 5-8 pm. Free. 561-742-6390; bbflpl.libcal.com/event/14398062

Note: Events are current as of 4/23. Please check with organizers for any changes.

MAY 3

Saturday - 5/3 - 10th Annual Walk Against Violence & Hate at Pompey Park, 1101 NW 2nd St, Delray Beach. Walk starts/ends at Pompey Park, Unity Assembly follows; community gathering w/food, speakers, performances, Community Champion Award. 9-11:30 am. Free. 561-243-7250 x7253; delraybeachfl. gov

5/3 - Virtual Saturday Morning Writers’ Group w/Caren Neile at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Adults. Every 1st & 3rd Sat 11 am-12:30 pm. Free. Registration: 561-393-7906; bocalibrary. org

5/3 - Theatre: The Monkey King - A Kung Fu Musical at Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. Part of the Family Series. Ages 3-12. 2 pm. $10. 561-4506357; artsgarage.org

5/3 - Rock the Plaza at Ocean Palm Plaza, 1600 N Federal Hwy, Boynton Beach. Live music, activities, food offerings from restaurants in the plaza. 2-6 pm. Free. 561600-9097; boyntonbeachcra.com

5/3 - Run for the Roses at Old School Square Amphitheater, 51 N Swinton Ave, Delray Beach. Featuring food, live racing, derby festivities, best dressed & hat contest. Proceed to benefit Annual Scholarship Fund and various charitable projects throughout Delray Beach. 5-8 pm. 561-243-1077; delrayoldschoolsquare.com/ events

5/3 - Sheena Easton at The Studio at Mizner Park, 201 Plaza Real, Boca Raton. 6 pm & 8:30 pm. Tickets start at $55. 561203-3742; thestudioatmiznerpark.com

MAY 4-10

Sunday - 5/4 - Celebrate Israeli Culture & Heritage at Patch Reef Park, 2000 Yamato Rd, Boca Raton. Family event featuring bounce houses, crafts, mitzvah projects, Israeli music, food trucks and activities with the Shinshinim. Presented by PJ Library in South Palm Beach County in partnership with the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County. 1-4 pm. Free. RSVP: https://jewishboca.org/events/ataste-of-israel-with-pj-library/ 5/4 - The Sounds of Music Concert featuring the Musical Ensembles of Temple Beth El at the Schaefer Family Campus, 333 SW 4th Ave, Boca Raton. 3-5

pm. Free. Registration: 561-391-8900; tbeboca.org/event/sounds-of-musicconcert

5/4 - Music in the Museum - Con Brio Quartet at Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real. 3-4 pm. $8/member; $18/nonmember. 561-392-2500; bocamuseum.org

5/4 - Sunday Matinee Music Series: Sheffield Brothers Band at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Adults. 3-4 pm. 561-393-7906; bocalibrary.org

5/4 - Concert: The Latin Divos Return at First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach Courtyard, 33 Gleason St. 4 pm. $20. 561-276-6338; firstdelray.com

5/4 - Notorious - The Ultimate Duran Duran Tribute at Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. 7 pm. $25-$30. 561450-6357; artsgarage.org

Monday - 5/5 - Advanced Squares at Boynton Beach Arts & Cultural Center, 125 E Ocean Ave. All ages. Every M 2-4 pm. $6. 561-742-6221; boynton-beach.org

Tuesday - 5/6 - Gumbo Limbo

Nature Center Update at Boca Raton Garden Club, 4281 NW 3rd Ave, Boca Raton. 1-3 pm. Free. 561-395-9376; bocaratongardenclub.or

5/6 – Socrates Café at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Philosophical discussions. Every T 1:30-3 pm. Free. 561393-7852; bocalibrary.org

5/6 - Book Talks - An Hour to Kill: How Can I Help You by Laura Sims at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Adults. 2-3 pm. Registration: 561-393-7906; bocalibrary.org

5/6 - Beginning Tap for Adults at Lake Worth Playhouse, 713 Lake Ave. Age 18+. Every T through 5/27 5:30-7 pm. $60/4-weeks; $20/drop-in. 561-586-6410; lakeworthplayhouse.org

5/6 - Movie Night at Highland Beach Library, 3618 Ocean Blvd. Held again 5/20 & 6/3 5:30 pm. Free. 561-278-5455; highlandbeach.us

5/6 - Comedy Open Mic at Arts Garage , 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. Every 1st T 8-10:30 pm. $10-$15. 561-450-6357; artsgarage.org

Wednesday - 5/7 - GFWC Woman’s Club of Delray Beach Meeting at Delray Beach Public Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Bring your own refreshments/coffee. 10 am. Free. delraywomansclub.com

5/7 - Intro to Wheel Throwing 4-Day Workshop at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Adults. Every W through 5/28 12:30-2:30 pm. $360. 561-330-9614;

Municipal Meetings

5/5 & 6/2 – Ocean Ridge Town Hall, 6450 N Ocean Blvd. 6 pm. Agenda: oceanridgeflorida.com

5/6, 5/20 & 6/3 – Delray Beach City Hall, 100 NW 1st Ave. 5 pm. Agenda: delraybeachfl.gov

5/9 – Gulf Stream Town Hall, 100 Sea Rd. 9 am. Agenda: gulf-stream.org

5/12 – Lantana Town Hall, 500 Greynolds Cir. 6 pm. Agenda: lantana.org

5/13 – Manalapan Town Hall, 600 S Ocean Blvd. 9 am. Agenda: manalapan.org

5/13 – South Palm Beach Town Hall, 3577 S Ocean Blvd. 2 pm. Agenda: southpalmbeach.com

5/6 – Highland Beach Town Hall, 3614 S Ocean Blvd. 1:30 pm. Agenda: highlandbeach. us

5/13 & 5/27 – Boca Raton Auditorium, 6500 Congress Ave. 6 pm. Agenda: myboca.us

5/20 – Boynton Beach City Hall, 100 E Ocean Ave. 6 pm. Agenda: boynton-beach.org

5/22– Briny Breezes Town Hall, 4802 N Ocean Blvd. 4 pm. Agenda: townofbrinybreezes-fl.com

Green Markets

Delray Beach GreenMarket every Sat (through 5/17) at Old School Square, 51 N Swinton Ave. Fresh local produce, baked goods, gourmet food items, plants, live music, children’s activities. 9am-2pm. 561-276-7511; delraycra.org/green-market Spring Farmers Market at Royal Palm Place (5/4), Via de Palmas (at the Clocktower, NE corner of S Fed. Hwy & SE Mizner Blvd), Boca Raton. Fresh fruits & vegetables, goods by local artisans, fresh curated & caught meats and seafood, locally-grown flowers, and handcrafted wares. 8 am-noon. Free. 561-362-8340; royalpalmplace.com/farmersmarket

Delray Beach Summer Green Market (5/31) at Old School Square, 51 N. Swinton Ave, Delray Beach. More than 60 culinary and artisan vendors, plus live music. 9 am-1 pm. 561-276-7511; delraycra.org/green-market

artswarehouse.org

5/7 - Just Darviny Sip-n-Shop at 905 George Bush Blvd, Delray Beach. 20% of sales benefit Achievement Centers for Children & Families. 2-7 pm. 561-276-0520; achievementcentersfl.org

5/7-9 - City of Boca Raton Strategic Planning Sessions at 6500 Congress Ave. City Council and leadership staff meet to discuss strategic goals and priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. W: 9 am-4 pm; Th: 10 am-5 pm; F: 9 am-4 pm. Free. myboca. us/2702/2025---2026-Strategic-Plan

Thursday - 5/8 - Quilters meet at Boynton Beach Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. Share quilting information, perpetuate quilting as a cultural & artistic form. Limit 10 quilters at a time. Every Th 9 am-noon. $1/lifetime membership. 561-742-6886; boyntonlibrary.org

5/8 - Petals & Power Strokes: Express Yourself in the Landscape at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Adults. 10 am-1 pm. $75. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

5/8 - Line Dancing at Boynton Beach Arts & Cultural Center, 125 E Ocean Ave. All ages. Every Th 10:30-11:30 am. $6. 561742-6221; boynton-beach.org

5/8 - Film: Taking Venice at Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real. Held again 5/15. Two times: 2-3:30 pm & 6-7:30 pm. $8/member; $18/non-member. 561-3922500; bocamuseum.org

5/8 - Intermediate Tap for Adults at Lake Worth Playhouse, 713 Lake Ave. Age 18+. Every Th through 5/29 5:30-7 pm. $60/4 weeks; $20/drop-in. 561-586-6410; lakeworthplayhouse.org

5/8 - Polynesian Culture Through Spoken Word, Music, and Dance w/ Dr. Sandra M. Tsurutome at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Part of the Thursday Night Speaker Series. Adults. 6-7:30 pm. Free. Registration: 561-3937906; bocalibrary.org

Friday - 5/9 - 9th Annual Literacy Links Golf Tournament at Palm Beach

Par 3, 2345 S Ocean Blvd. Benefits Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County. Lunch/

awards follow play. 7:30 am check-in; 8:30 am shotgun start scramble format. $1000/foursome. Register: 561-767-3370; literacypbc.org

5/9 - 2nd Annual Corporate Networking Breakfast - Think Outside the Blocks at Boca Raton Innovation Campus (BRiC), 5000 T-Rex Ave, Boca Raton. Benefits the Fuller Center. 9-11:30 am. $125/person. 561-391-7274 x 123; fullercenterfl.org

5/9 - Intro to Alcohol Ink: A Two-Day Creative Session at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Held 5/9 & 5/16 2-4 pm. $90. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

5/9 - Beginner Squares at Boynton Beach Arts & Cultural Center, 125 E Ocean Ave. All ages. Every F 6-7 pm. $6. 561-7426221; boynton-beach.org

5/9 - Castoffs Square Dance at Boynton Beach Arts & Cultural Center, 125 E Ocean Ave. Basic modern western square dancing. All ages. Every F 6-9 pm. $6. 561-742-6221; boynton-beach.org

5/9 - Damon Fowler at Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. 8 pm. $30-$35. 561-450-6357; artsgarage.org

5/9-11 - The Bridges of Madison County at Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 NW 9th St. Runs through 5/25. F/Sat 7:30 pm; Sat/Sun 2 pm. $45. 561-447-8829; bocastage.org Saturday - 5/10 - Annual Ocean Mile Swim 2025 at Anchor Park, 340 S Ocean Blvd, Delray Beach. Join the United States Lifesaving Association for this annual event. Course: South 5 Tower north to Atlantic Ave and back. Divisions: Men’s and Women’s 14 & under to 70+ and 13 age divisions in 5-year increments. Registration 6 am; start 7 am. Register: https://usladelray-beach-chapter.company.site/ 5/10 - The Amazing Delray Beach Challenge 2025 at Delray Beach Community Center, 50 NW 1st Ave. Register as a team from 2-5 people. Divisions for children, adults and families. Check-in 8:30 am; race starts 9 am. $25 + tax/adults; $15 + tax/age 17 & under. Info: 561-243-7277; delraybeachfl. gov/Home/Components/Calendar/ Event/2583/336?curm=5&cury=2025 5/10 - Open Figure Studio w/Model at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Ages 18+. Held again 6-8 pm 5/22. 10:30 am-12:30 pm. $15. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org 5/10 - Intro to Creativity with Georgia O’Keeffe at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Ages 16+. 10:30 am-12:30 pm. $55. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

5/10 - Torn & Textured: Abstract Art with Attitude at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Held again 10 am12:30 pm 5/14. 2-4:30 pm. $65. 561-3309614; artswarehouse.org

5/10 - Master Chorale of South Florida: American Voices at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church, Harris Hall, 100 NE Mizner Blvd, Boca Raton. 4 pm & 8 pm. $40/advance; $45/at the door; free/student. 954-641-2653; masterchoraleofsouthflorida.org

5/10 - Sarge-In-Charge at Lake Worth Playhouse, 713 Lake Ave. 6 pm. $25. 561586-6410; lakeworthplayhouse.org

5/10 - The Allman Revival - A Tribute to the Allman Brothers Band at Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. 8 pm. $45-$50. 561-450-6357; artsgarage.org

MAY 11-17

Sunday - 5/11 - Siempre Flamenco at Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. 7 pm. $45-$50. 561-450-6357; artsgarage. org

5/11-12 - My Life With Lucy: An Afternoon with Lucille Ball’s Secretary at The Wick Theatre & Costume Museum, 7901 N Federal Hwy, Boca Raton. Get up close and personal with Lucille Ball’s longtime personal secretary, Wanda Clark. Sun: 7 pm; M: 2 pm. $65. Reservations: 561-995-2333; thewick.org

Monday - 5/12 - HomeSafe’s Annual Charity Golf Tournament at Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club, 199 Royal Palm Way, Boca Raton. Registration starts 7:30 am; shotgun start 9 am. $625/person; $2500/ foursome. 561-383-9842; cherebrodi@ helphomesafe.org

5/12 - Monday Movies - Documentary: The Painter and the Thief directed by Benjamin Ree at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Adults. 5:30-8 pm. Registration: 561-393-7906; bocalibrary.org

5/12-15 - Sing Me A Showtune at The Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 NW 9th St. M-Th: 2 pm; T/W: 7:30 pm. $65-$75. 561272-1281; delraybeachplayhouse.com

Mother’s Day

Note: Events are current as of 4/23. Please check with organizers for any changes.

MAY 3

Saturday - 5/3 - Mother’s Day Luncheon at Intracoastal Park Clubhouse, 2240 Federal Hwy, Boynton Beach. All ages. $23/resident; $29/non-resident. Registration: 561-742-6644; mckinonL@bbfl.us

MAY 4-10

Thursday -Saturday 5/8-10 - Mother’s Day Orchid Giveaway in downtown Delray Beach. Shop at downtown retailers from 5/1-10, spend $200 or more, receive an orchid plant at one of 3 locations: A Little Wyld (157 NE 2nd Ave); Avalon Gallery (425 E Atlantic Ave); and KoKo Delray Shoe Store (1049 E Atlantic Ave). Receipts must be dated 5/1-10, must be from downtown shops. Restrictions apply. 11 am-4 pm. 561-243-1077; downtowndelraybeach.com/mothersday

Friday - Sunday 5/9-11 - Mother’s Day Jewelry Sale at Boca Raton Museum of Art Store, 501 Plaza Real. 11 am-6 pm. 561-392-2500; bocamuseum.org

Saturday - 5/10 - South Florida’s Craft Show Celebrates Mother’s Day at Sanborn Square Park, 72 N Federal Hwy, Boca Raton. Shop local artisans. 1-6 pm. Free. msha.ke/ southfloridascraftshow

MAY 11

Sunday - 5/11 - Mother’s Day Art Making at Boca Raton Museum of Art Wolfin Education Center, 501 Plaza Real. Noon-4 pm. Admission for up to two caregivers and four children: $20/members; $35/non-members. 561-392-2500; bocamuseum.org

5/11 - Mother’s Day Brunch at The Addison, 2 E Camino Real Boca Raton. Outside courtyard seating available. 11 am reservations start. $160/adult; $85/child; free/under age 3. RSVP: 561-372-0568; theaddisonofbocaraton.com

5/11 - Mother’s Day Concert: Delray String Quartet - Masterworks 5 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 188 S Swinton Ave, Delray Beach. 3 pm. $35. 561-808-5084; delraystringquartet.com

Tuesday - 5/13 - The Life, Presidency, and Post-Presidential Years of Jimmy Carter w/Ronald Feinman presented by FAU Lifelong Learning Institute at The Field House at Old School Square, 51 N Swinton Ave, Delray Beach. 10:30 am-noon. $30/ member; $35/non-member & guest pass 561-297-3185; olliboca.fau.edu

5/13 - Guided Walking Tours of The Boca Raton at 503 E. Camino Real. 2 pm. $29. Advance ticket required: 561-3956766; bocahistory.org

5/13 - Book Talks - Summer Book Preview at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW

2nd Ave. Adults. 2-3 pm. Registration: 561393-7906; bocalibrary.org

5/13 - All Arts Open Mic Night at Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. Every 2nd T 8-10:30 pm. $10-$15. 561-450-6357; artsgarage.org

Wednesday - 5/14 - GFWC Woman’s Club of Delray Beach Meeting at Delray Beach Public Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Bring own refreshments/coffee. 10 am. Free. delraywomansclub.com

5/14 - Mozart’s Operas at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Adults. 1:303 pm. Registration: 561-393-7906;

Library Classes

Local libraries offer hundreds of adult classes each month. To discover what you can learn at your library, please visit: Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. 561-393-7906; bocalibrary.org

Boynton Beach Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. 561-742-6390; boyntonlibrary.org

Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

For children and teen classes, please see our Tots & Teens calendar. "Libraries are the free universities of the people." — Andrew Carnegie

bocalibrary.org

5/14 - Town Hall Talk: Double Take: Boomtime Boca - Boca Raton in the 1920s w/Susan Gillis at The Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum, 71 N Federal Hwy, Boca Raton. 6 pm check-in/refreshments; 6:30 pm lecture. Free/BRHS member; $10/guest. RSVP: 561-395-6766 x100; bocahistory.org

5/14 - Delray Beach Orchid Society Meeting at Veterans Park, 802 NE 1st St, Delray Beach. 2nd W 7 pm. Free. 561-5732422; delraybeachorchidsociety.org

Thursday - 5/15 - Still Life, Full Throttle: Bring the Ordinary to Life in Acrylic at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. 10 am-1 pm. $75. 561-3309614; artswarehouse.org

5/15 - Twilight Tribute Concert Series: Dave Matthews Tribute Band at Old School Square Amphitheater, 51 N Swinton Ave, Delray Beach. 5-9 pm. $50/VIP; $10/ General admission; free/kids 12 & under. 561-243-1077; delrayoldschoolsquare.com/ events

5/15-16 - Self Portrait Painting with Primary Colors - 2-Day Workshop at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Adults. 10:30 am-12:30 pm. $50. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

Friday - 5/16 - Achievement Centers for Children & Families 6th Annual Golf Tournament: Swing to Achieve at Palm Beach Par 3, 2345 S Ocean Blvd. 8 am registration/breakfast; 9 am shotgun start; 1-2:30 pm post-event reception: cocktails/ bites. $900/foursome; $250/golfer. 561-

276-0520; achievementcentersfl.org

5/16 - 10th Annual 6X6 Exhibition & Art Sale at Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce, 140 NE 1st St, Delray Beach. Public preview 10 am-3 pm; lottery style sale starts at 6 pm. 561-243-7922; oldschoolsquare.org

5/16 – Fun-Raiser In Paradise: Peter Troup & The Coral Rummer Band at Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. All proceeds support arts education programs including summer theatre camp. 7 pm reception; 8 pm show. $70-$75. 561450-6357; artsgarage.org

Saturday - 5/17 - Tree Giveaway at Spanish River Athletic Park, 1000 Spanish River Blvd, Boca Raton. City of Boca Raton residents only. First come, first served, limit 2 trees per household (1 fruit tree max). 9 am. 561-927-8733; communitygreening. org

5/17 - Sunny Strokes: Beginners Sunflower Watercolor at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. 10:30 am-12:30 pm. $40. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

5/17 - Free Dance Workshop at Boynton Beach Arts & Cultural Center, 125 E Ocean Ave. Celebrate Haitian Flag Day with workshop led by Dr. Duga. Honor the rich culture and rhythms of Haiti. 12:30-2 pm. Free. 561-742-6221; boynton-beach.org

5/17 - A Dance with Death! Elegant Murder Mystery Dinner at Delray Beach Golf Club, 2200 Highland Ave. Ages 21+. 6-10 pm. $60/person. 561-243-7000; delraybeachfl.gov/

Home/Components/Calendar/ Event/2540/336?curm=5&cury=2025

5/17 - Ultimate Floyd Tribute - An Evening with Pink Floyd at Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. 8 pm. $45$50. 561-450-6357; artsgarage.org

5/17-18 - Palm Beach County Open

Studios Weekend at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Adults. Sat: 10 am-3 pm; Sun: Noon-5 pm. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

MAY 18-24

Sunday - 5/18 - Annual “A Delray Beach Family Affair” 2025 at Spady Cultural Heritage Museum, 170 NW 5th Ave, Delray Beach. 1-4 pm. Free. 561-379-8883; spadymuseum.com

5/18 - Story Central Storytelling Slam at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Adults. 3-4:30 pm. Free. 561-393-7906; bocalibrary.org

5/18 - Kent Burnside at Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. 7 pm. $40-$45. 561-450-6357; artsgarage.org

5/18 - Masterworks Chorus: The Great American Songbook at Royal Poinciana Chapel, 60 Cocoanut Row, Palm Beach. 7 pm. Sponsor songs/information/get tickets: masterworkschoruspb.org

Monday - 5/19-20 - The Shee GeesThe All Female Tribute to The Bee Gees at The Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 NW 9th St. 2 pm. $49. 561-272-1281; delraybeachplayhouse.com

Tuesday - 5/20 - Book Talks - NonFiction/Biographies: The Tree Collectors: Tales of Arboreal Obsession by Amy Stewart at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Adults. 2-3 pm. Registration: 561-393-7906; bocalibrary.org

5/20 - FAU Astronomical Observatory public viewing at Florida Atlantic University Science & Engineering Building 4th floor, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. 1st F & 3rd T 8 pm. Free. Schedule subject to change; check website: 561-297-7827; physics.fau. edu/observatory/events/ 5/20 - Spoken Word Open Mic: Poetry,

Monday - 5/26 - Memorial Day Ceremony at Boca

Storytelling & Lyrics at Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. Every 3rd T 8-10:30 pm. $10-$15. 561-450-6357; artsgarage.org

Wednesday - 5/21 - Book Buzz Adult Book Club at Boynton Beach Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. Adults. 10:30 amnoon. Free. Registration: 561-742-6390; boyntonlibrary.org

5/21 - Abstract Expressionism Inspired by Joan Mitchell at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. 10:30 am-2:30 pm. $110. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

5/21-22 - Color Harmony: Intensive Color Mixing in Acrylic - 2-Day Workshop at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Adults. 10 am-1 pm. $140. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

Thursday - 5/22 - Sara Campbell Sip-nShop at 1051 E Atlantic Ave, Delray Beach. 15% of sales benefit Achievement Centers for Children & Families. 2-6 pm. 561-2760520; achievementcentersfl.org

5/22 - Spotlight Tour - Glasstress Boca Raton 2025 at Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real. Adults. 5:30-7 pm. $20/ member; $35/non-member. 561-392-2500; bocamuseum.org

5/22 - Drag Queen Bingo at Lake Worth Playhouse, 713 Lake Ave. Age 21+. 7 pm. $25. 561-586-6410; lakeworthplayhouse. org

Friday - 5/23 - Sunset Concert Series:

Bon Jovi Tribute Band at Old School Square Amphitheater, 51 N Swinton Ave, Delray Beach. 5 pm. $50/VIP; free/general admission; free/kids 12 & under. 561-2431077; tickets.delrayoldschoolsquare.com

5/23 - JP Soars and The Red Hots at Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. 8 pm. $30-$35. 561-450-6357; artsgarage.org

5/23-24 - AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tournament at Delray Beach Tennis Center, 201 W Atlantic Ave, Delray Beach. The AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals) kicks off 2025 league season in Delray Beach. 6-10 pm. Tickets start at $28. avp.com

Saturday - 5/24 - Bob Marley Tribute by Yvad & The Legal Roots at Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. 8 pm. $45-$50. 561-450-6357; artsgarage.org

5/24-25 - 27th Annual Downtown

Delray Beach Memorial Day Weekend Craft Festival at The Tennis Center, 201 W Atlantic Ave. Free admission. 10 am-5 pm. 561-746-6615; artfestival.com

MAY 25-31

Sunday - 5/25 - Exhibit Opening

Reception at Artist’s Eye Gallery Boutique, 604 Lucerne Ave, Lake Worth. Runs through 6/22. 2-4 pm. Free. 561-586-8666; lwartleague.org

5/25 - Centennial Celebration Weekend Drone Show at Boca Raton Innovation Campus (BRiC), 4950 Communication Ave, Boca Raton. Watch the night sky come alive with an amazing drone show. Doors open: 7:30 pm; two shows: 8:15 pm & 9:15 pm. Free. 561-3937700; boca100.com/events

Monday - 5/26 - Memorial Day Wednesday - 5/28 - Annual Lifeguard

Competition at South End Municipal Beach, S Ocean Blvd, Delray Beach. 8:45 am-4 pm. 561-243-7000; mydelraybeach. com

5/28 - Lilly Pulitzer Sip-n-Shop at 601 E Atlantic Ave, Suite 103, Delray Beach. 10% of sales benefit Achievement Centers for Children & Families. 3-7 pm. 561-276-0520; achievementcentersfl.org

5/28 - Mental Health Book Club: The Let Them Theory at Boynton Beach Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. Adults. 4:30-5:30 pm. Free. Registration: 561-742-6390; boyntonlibrary.org

5/28 - Radical Play-Making at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. 6:30-8:30 pm. $65. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

Thursday - 5/29 - Long Pose Open

Figure Studio w/Model at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Age 18+. 6-8 pm. $15. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

5/29-30 - Color Theory Basics 2-Day Workshop at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. 10:30 am-1:30 pm. $90/2days. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

Friday - 5/30 - Alter Eagles Tribute at The Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 NW 9th St. 8 pm. $45. 561-272-1281; delraybeachplayhouse.com

Saturday - 5/31 - Shred Day at Delray Beach City Hall, 100 NW 1st Ave. 9 amnoon.  561-243-7000; mydelraybeach.com

5/31 - Doobie Brothers TributeSteve Miller Band at The Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 NW 9th St. 2 pm. $45. 561272-1281; delraybeachplayhouse.com

5/31 - Family Promise of Southeast Florida’s Bad To The Bone Beer-B-Q at Nobo Brewing Company, 2901 NW Commerce Park Dr, Boynton Beach. 6-8 pm. $40. Tickets: 561-265-3370 x102; https:// bit.ly/badtothebonebeerbq

JUNE 1-7

Sunday - 6/1 - Lecture - Maria Magdalena Campos - Pons and Berengo Studio: Collaborations in Glass at Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real. 3-4 pm. $8/member; $18/nonmember. 561-392-2500; bocamuseum.org

Tuesday - 6/3 - Book Talks - An Hour to Kill: Karla’s Choice: A John le Carre Novel by Nick Harkaway at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Adults. 2-3 pm. Registration: 561-393-7906; bocalibrary.org

6/3 - Golden Bell Battle of the Bands Alumni Reunion Show at Crazy Uncle Mike’s, 6450 N Federal Hwy, Boca Raton. Supports the Golden Bell Education Foundation. 5-7:30 pm. $20. 561-395-4433; bocaratonchamber.com

6/3 - Beginning Tap for Adults at Lake Worth Playhouse, 713 Lake Ave. Age 18+. Every T through 6/24 5:30-7 pm. $60/4-weeks; $20/drop-in. 561-586-6410; lakeworthplayhouse.org

Thursday - 6/5 - Intermediate Tap for Adults at Lake Worth Playhouse, 713 Lake Ave. Age 18+. Every Th through 6/26 5:30-7 pm. $60/4 weeks; $20/drop-in. 561-5866410; lakeworthplayhouse.org

6/5 - Concert: David Einhorn Latin Jazz Quartet at Highland Beach Library, 3618 Ocean Blvd. 5:30 pm. Free. 561-278-5455; highlandbeach.us

Friday - 6/6 - First Friday @ 5 Concert: Joey Calderaio Band at Centennial Park & Amphitheater, 120 E Ocean Ave. Featuring food trucks, artisan market, children’s activities and music. 5-9 pm. Free. 561-7426024; boynton-beach.org

6/6 - First Friday Art Walk at Cornell Art Museum, 51 N Swinton Ave, Delray Beach. 6-9 pm. Free. 561-654-2220; delrayoldschoolsquare.com/events

6/6 – The Art of Laughter with Headliner Vanessa Gonzalez featuring Sheena Reagan at Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. 8 pm. $35. 561-4506357; artsgarage.org

6/6 - The U.S. Bee Gees Tribute at The Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 NW 9th St. 8 pm. $45. 561-272-1281; delraybeachplayhouse.com

Saturday - 6/7 - Rock the Marina at Boynton Harbor Marina, 735 Casa Loma Blvd, Boynton Beach. Live music, activities, food offerings from plaza restaurants. Check website for time. Free. 561-6009097; boyntonbeachcra.com

6/7 - Breakdown: Tom Petty Tribute at The Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 NW 9th St. 8 pm. $45. 561-272-1281; delraybeachplayhouse.com

6/7 - The Rusty Wright Band at Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. 8 pm. $35-$40. 561-450-6357; artsgarage.org 6/7 - Burlesque On The Ave at Lake Worth Playhouse, 713 Lake Ave. Age 18+. 8 pm. $35-$55. 561-586-6410; lakeworthplayhouse.org

LEFT: This contemporary three-floor masterpiece in Delray Beach features a terrace on each level including the roof, offering unparalleled opportunities for an indoor/outdoor style of living. RIGHT: On the main level, the great room, highlighted by a linear gas fireplace, is just adjacent to the dining room and kitchen.

with custom tiger-wood cabinets topped by concrete countertops, a cook island with

New contemporary residence in Delray Beach

counters,

With four outdoor terraces and courtyards, this industrial-modern home on Gleason Street has incredible outdoor space in which to relax or entertain. In the ground-level walled courtyard, the loggia is adjacent to a heated pool and spa counterbalanced by a dramatic waterfall, while an outdoor shower is convenient when you return from the beach a block away. The secondfloor balcony connects to the primary suite and has a summer kitchen fitted with a grill. The third-floor gathering room opens to a large lanai for entertaining. The 1,500 +/square-foot rooftop terrace, featuring Ipe-wood decking and a gas firepit, is the crown jewel of the residence with panoramic ocean and city vistas.

This trophy estate, built in 2022, has five bedrooms and 6,065 +/- total square feet. A focal point is a glass-shaft elevator, wrapped by a floating staircase fabricated by View Rail and inspired by the cylindrical glass lift that graces the Reina Sofia museum in Madrid. It presents as a beautiful statement of functionality and artistic design.

Epitomizing modern elegance, this house harmoniously blends bespoke commercial elements within a sophisticated and refined contemporary design. Offered at $6,995,000.

Contact the Pascal Liguori Estate Group, 561-414-4849. PLEG@premierestateproperties.com

The sleek European-inspired epicurean kitchen is a culinary masterpiece, fitted

an Italian marble counter and Thermador appliances.

The primary bedroom has a spa-inspired bathroom finished with stone

handmade slatted wood paneling, dual sinks, a Toto toilet, and a water room enveloping the soaking tub and shower.

NICHOLAS MALINOSKY

#1 TEAM IN FLORIDA AND NATIONWIDE

2025 ELLIES

#1 TEAM IN THE NATION

By Volume and GCI

By Volume and GCI

Sold and Under Contract in 2024

Exclusive Group is extremely honored to be ranked as the #1 Medium Team in the company!

A huge thank you to our amazing clients and everyone who has been a part of this journey.

Together we will continue to exceed expectations and achieve even more!