By Dan Moffett
    
    Bob Vitas was the first candidate South Palm Beach council members interviewed in October for their vacant town manager’s job, and he wasted no time convincing them he was right choice.
    “He came in and knocked our socks off right from the start,” said Mayor Bonnie Fischer. “He was so clear and to the point about what he wanted to do. To me it was obvious he was what we were looking for.”
    Councilwoman Stella Gaddy Jordan said Vitas impressed her with his experience dealing with beach issues from his time as Key West’s city manager.
    “The beaches are an extremely important issue for us,” Jordan said, “and he has what it takes to lead us through some of the work that we’re going to have to do on that.”
    On Oct. 27, the Town Council gave unanimous approval to the $103,000-a-year contract that makes Vitas the new manager and ends a five-month period during which the town has struggled to carry on without one. In June, Jim Pascale was forced to resign as town manager after only six months on the job, when disagreements with the council reached a tipping point.
    Town Attorney Brad Biggs, who negotiated the contract with Vitas, said it does not include a provision for severance pay if he leaves the position for any reason during the first six months.
    “We’ll just let bygones be bygones and go our separate ways,” said Biggs, who believes Vitas is planning for an extended stay in South Palm Beach. “He sees this as a long-term move — 10 to 12 years. Honestly, he’s excited to come to this town.”
    Vitas, 58, was city manager in Key West from 2012 to 2014, until disputes with the city attorney and City Commission over hiring practices and other matters forced him out of office. Fischer dismissed the breakdown as “just politics” and said residents should keep an open mind to help the town move forward.
    “Let’s get to a new era here,” she said.
    Before serving in Key West, Vitas was the administrator of Lake Zurich, with a population of about 20,000 in northeastern Illinois, from 2007 to 2011. Vitas told council members he believed his role was to be the face of government in South Palm Beach.
    “I see myself as a front man, and I understand that it starts with the town manager and his employees and then needs to trickle down,” he said of connecting with residents. “Public relations is critical.”
    Vitas says he wants a “seamless beginning” in the town and will prepare a 90-day plan of action for the council to consider. Fischer said she was impressed by Vitas’ connections in Tallahassee. He told the council his biannual trips to the capital “were worth their weight in gold” for obtaining funding from the state.
    The council interviewed four other candidates: Mark Kutney, former Loxahatchee Groves manager; Sarah Hannah-Spurlock, Key West’s assistant city manager; and two former Delray Beach city managers, Louie Chapman and David Harden.
    In other business: The qualifying period for the March 15 municipal election will run from noon Dec. 1 to noon Dec. 15, according to Town Clerk Yudy Alvarez.

Bess Hatsis, (l-r)  Ellie Ana Sperantsas, Dean Sperantsas and Father Mark Leondis

of St. Mark Greek Orthodox Church in Boca Raton pray over the grave

of Athena Sperantsas. They released balloons into the sky to honor Athena’s birthday.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Lucy Lazarony

    Nine-year-old Ellie Ana Sperantsas sends messages to heaven.
    They arrive via pink balloons with pink ribbons and typewritten notes, the contents of which only Ellie Ana, a fourth-grader at Gulf Stream School, knows.
    Ellie Ana’s grandmother, Athena Sperantsas, who was an award-winning typist in her day, taught Ellie Ana to type. And typing is a special way for granddaughter and grandmother to communicate.  
    Why the pink ribbons and the pink balloons?
     “Because pink is my favorite color and she liked what I liked,” Ellie Ana explains.
    Athena Sperantsas died on Jan. 8 at age 87. And because the two share and celebrate late September birthdays, a balloon launch was planned at Boca Raton Cemetery on Sept. 28.
    After a short prayer service led by Father Mark Leondis from St. Mark Greek Orthodox Church in Boca Raton, it is time for the balloon launch.
    “How much did you love your Yaya?” Ellie Ana’s father, Dean Sperantsas, asks.
    “A lot! A lot!” Ellie Ana replies.
     “How much did your grandmother love you?” her father asks.  
     “As much as every drop in the ocean,” Ellie Ana answers.  
    With a running and joyful leap, Ellie Ana sends the balloons skyward.
    “Dad! It didn’t get caught in the tree!” Ellie Ana cries out.
    “I see! I see!” her father answers. “You made it work!”  
    The family then heads to Maggiano’s with Anastasia “Bess” Hatsis, her grandmother’s best friend, for a birthday celebration.
Ellie Ana’s mother, Christy, died when Ellie Ana was just 3 years old and Ellie Ana and her grandmother grew very close.
    “There were days she prepared food for her grandmother who was 80 years older than her, and cared for her,” Dean Sperantsas says of his daughter.
    For the first balloon launch this spring, Ellie Ana typed letters to her mother, grandmother and grandfather, who died when Ellie Ana was 6.
    “It was her initiative entirely,” Dean Sperantsas remembers. “She typed up letters on an old-fashioned typewriter on her own. She put them in an envelope and sealed them. She attached the letters to each of the balloons and joyously launched them into the heavens.”

    HIGHLAND BEACH — Gordon B. Kelley, 77, passed away peacefully on Oct. 22, 2015. Born and raised in Decatur, Ga., Gordon attended and graduated from the University of Georgia, where he played football for the Bulldogs and helped them win an SEC championship in 1959. He then went on to play in the NFL for the San Francisco 49ers and the Washington Redskins before finishing his football career with the Atlanta Falcons.
    In 1960 Gordon married his high school sweetheart, Charlotte Blanchard, and they shared 55 wonderful years of marriage.
    After retiring from football, Gordon moved his family to Ocean Ridge. He then owned a furniture store, World of Furniture, and worked and invested in real estate before retiring in Highland Beach.
    Gordon loved fitness, walking on the beach, and attending his grandchildren’s sporting events.
    He is survived by his loving wife, Charlotte, siblings, Jack (Brenda), Polly and Patsy, his two children, Gordon B. Kelley Jr. (Annelee) and Mary K. Earnhart (Craig), his five grandchildren, Charles (Rena) and Maxwell Kelley, and Billy, Charlotte and Russell Earnhart, and his great-grandson, Walter Kelley.
    A private family service was held on Oct. 24. Those wishing to remember Gordon in a special way may make a contribution to Alzheimer’s Community Care/Delray Beach Center, 800 Northpoint Parkway, Suite 101B, W. Palm Beach, FL 33407, which is providing wonderful care to his son, Gordon Jr.
    Please visit www.LorneandSons.com to share condolences and sign the online guestbook.
Obituary submitted by the family.

    DELRAY BEACH — Kathleen Stephens Moraskie died at her home in Delray Beach on Oct. 1 surrounded by her children.
    Originally from Shamokin, Pa., Mrs. Moraskie was the daughter of John Edmund and Anna (nee Hollenback) Collins, sister of Anne (Schwartz d. 2006) and Jack Collins (d. 2012).
    Mrs. Moraskie was a 1949 graduate of Shamokin High School and graduated cum laude from Syracuse University, where she was a proud member of Pi Beta Phi.  In 1955 she married William “Bill” Moraskie of Locust Gap, Pa. (d. 2008) at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. The couple lived all over Latin America, welcoming daughters Kathleen Collins, Ellen Elizabeth (d. 2003) and son William Michael “Mike” in Havana, Cuba.
    The family lived in Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Mexico, where daughter Margaret Anne was born, before moving again to Venezuela, Madrid and eventually settling in London from 1972 to 1980 and again from 1982 to 1988. She and her husband moved to Los Angeles before deciding to move to Florida to be closer to family.
    In addition to her children, Mrs. Moraskie is survived by nine grandchildren: Maria, Alexandra and Anna Krezia, Nicholas Struja and Elliot Moraskie, Michael, John and Ana Sofia Moraskie, Katie Wallace; and a great-granddaughter, Ariana Krezia.
    In lieu of flowers, it was Mrs. Moraskie’s wish that donations be made in her name to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Donate by phone (800-805-5856) or online at www.stjude.org.
Obituary submitted by the family.

Bob and Ellie Smela are celebrating 25 years

at Ellie’s 50’s Diner on North Federal Highway in Delray Beach.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Scott Simmons

    You’d think Ellie Smela would be exhausted after 25 years of rocking around the clock at her ’50s diner in Delray Beach, but she and husband, Bob, show no sign of slowing down.
    And why should they?
    As Ellie’s 50’s Diner celebrates its first quarter-century, the place is packed with patrons who are only too happy to savor a bit of their youth — even if they were born long after the decade ended.
    You can sense the feeling as you stroll past the pink 1957 Chevy that’s parked outside.
    “It’s the happy feeling you get when you walk in the door,” Ellie Smela said.
    She and Bob were headed to New England as she spoke. They were looking forward to seeing the leaves change.
    But the reds, golds and oranges of autumn are not her first love.
    “Pink is my favorite color,” she said.
    It shows in the diner, with its rosy theme, that pink Chevy and the shell-tinged Volkswagen Beetle that ferries Ellie Smela around town.
    Inside, Ellie’s boasts retro booths and chairs. Strips of pink and turquoise neon lights wrap the walls. Black and white tiles cover the floor like a giant checkerboard.
    Walk in the door and you feel like a kid again.
    The ’50s diner was not their first foray into food.
    They started in 1982, with Ellie’s Deli on George Bush Boulevard in Delray Beach. There, they had a booming takeout business selling sandwiches and salads. Business was good enough they added three lunch trucks to sell meals at car dealerships, construction sites and warehouses across the city.
    After eight years, the Smelas expanded into their current space on North Federal Highway, creating Ellie’s 50’s Diner.
    They later bought the building next door, demolished it and expanded the parking lot.
    In 1997, they bought land behind the restaurant and added a room to accommodate 40 additional people. The restaurant now seats 140. Later still, they added a banquet room that can accommodate 180 people for gatherings of all sorts.
    “We do a beautiful New Year’s party,” Ellie Smela said. “And we’re busy with weddings. We even do ’50s-themed weddings once in a while.”
    Ellie’s has moved beyond the basics of the deli to offer breakfast, lunch and dinner.
    The most popular dish? The turkey dinner.
    “It’s fresh off the bone, with Yukon Gold mashed potatoes,” Smela said.
    It’s comfort food, just like the meatloaf, also served with those Yukon Gold potatoes.
    “The patty melt also is a favorite. We grind our beef fresh every day,” she said.
    It’s comfort food, or at least fare with a heart.
    “Ellie’s has always been about family. We get all choked up thinking about the number of people, both guests and team members, the restaurant has touched over the years,” Ellie Smela wrote in an essay about the restaurant. “Bob and I are so thankful for our loyal guests and continued support from the community.”
    That’s something that never grows old.

Ellie’s 50’s Diner is at 2410 N. Federal Highway, Delray Beach; 276-1570 or www.elliescatering.com. It’s open 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

On Oct. 21, Lynn University President Kevin M. Ross announced that the Christine E. Lynn University Center

will be built through a $15 million challenge grant from board of trustees chair Christine E. Lynn.

The building will encompass the Hannifan Center for Career Connections, the Center for Learning Abroad,

campus store, mailroom, coffee shop, student affairs offices and collaboration spaces.

The university center is expected to be completed in 2018. Lynn’s gift is the largest

in university history. To learn more, visit www.give.lynn.edu.

Rendering provided

By Christine Davis

    The Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce congratulated its 2015 Luminary Gala Awards winners Oct. 9 at the Delray Beach Marriott. They are: Lifetime Achievement award winner, Virginia Snyder; Business Person of the Year, Terra Spero; Business of the Year winner, Delray Medical Center; Saltwater Brewery as the New Business of the Year winner; Non-Profit Organization of the Year winner, Milagro Center; Retailer of the Year winner, Two Fat Cookies; Restaurant of the Year winner, Caffe Luna Rosa; and Ken Ellingsworth Community Service Award winner, Scott Porten.
                                        
    The Delray Beach Initiative, a volunteer organization that aims to enhance the lives of local children, named Allison Turner its new chair. Turner, CEO of Business Consultants of South Florida, follows former chair Chuck Halberg, president of Stuart & Shelby Development, who founded the group in 2013.
                                    
    Through Delray Beach’s new virtual hotline for local small businesses, entrepreneurs and business owners can email requests for assistance and questions directly to smallbizhelp@delraybeach.com to get help with their challenges.
    Along with the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce’s staff, the hotline is served by representatives from local economic development organizations, including the Office of Economic Development, Community Redevelopment Agency, Delray Beach Marketing Cooperative, Downtown Development Authority and West Atlantic Redevelopment Coalition. For information, visit www.WeHeartSmallBiz.org or call the Office of Economic Development at 243-7054.
                                    
    The Delray Beach Marketing Cooperative and Marina del Rey Convention & Visitors Bureau won an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Destination Marketing Association of the West for their successful “Beach Buddies” cross promotion. Launched in September 2014, the partnership was inspired by their shared “del rey” name and coastal chic similarities, presented through the eyes of their mascots: Marty the Pelican and Delray’s local favorite, Swinton the Turtle.
                                    
    In September, the International Festivals & Events Association recognized the Delray Beach Garlic Fest, Delray Beach Bacon & Bourbon Fest, Delray Beach Wine & Seafood Fest and Delray Affair. These events are managed and produced by Festival Management Group, which received a total of 17 awards.
    Also this month, the Festival Management Group’s executive director, Nancy Stewart-Franczak, and assistant executive director Sarah Vallely received their professional designations as certified festival and event executives.
                                    
    Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa received a first-place ranking in Condé Nast Traveler 2015 Readers’ Choice Awards. Completely renovated by Jonathan Adler in 2014 with a Capri-meets-Santorini-meets-Palm Beach vibe, the 320-guest room resort has amenities such as the Forbes five-star 42,000-square-foot spa, four restaurants, three Har-tru tennis courts, two pools, and child and teen clubs and programs.
                                    
    The Spirit of Giving, founded by Boca Raton resident Barbara Schmidt in collaboration with the Junior League of Boca Raton, was honored for its service at the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties’ inaugural Martens Award Luncheon in October. A collaborative nonprofit South County organization with more than 60 member organizations that share resources, the Spirit of Giving’s alliances and programs such as community volunteer training; screening and placement; annual Back to School Bash, annual holiday gift guide; nonprofit technical alliance; a community nonprofit calendar, and community involvement campaign.
    The Martens Award is named for the late Marie Graber Martens, a Boca Raton philanthropist who gave a $15 million bequest in 1990 to the Community Foundation, doubling its assets at that time.
                                    
    Gov. Rick Scott appointed licensed cosmetologist and educator Rhonda L. Griffis, an instructor for Palm Beach State College’s Cosmetology program, to the state Board of Cosmetology.
                                    
    The Institute for Regional Conservation was awarded a New York Life Foundation Volunteers for Good Individual Grant in the amount of $1,000, recognizing the volunteer service of Boynton Beach’s John Campanola. 
                                    
    Kae Jonsons recently joined Hanley Center Foundation as CEO. She oversees the foundation’s efforts to provide substance abuse prevention and education programs for parents, caregivers and school-age children, and she works with board committees to manage the new granting process for scholarships for patients who cannot afford access to addiction treatment.
    Also, she oversees the foundation’s board and donor relations, fundraising events and fund development strategies.
                                    
    Boca Raton resident Shawn Sherlock has gone from reporting, to dancing for the Miami Heat and Prince, to publishing. Recently, she launched Spotlight Families magazine, “so other moms just like me could get inspired as I had, become informed about something they never knew, or hear a story about a fearless mom ‘doing her thing’ on a day-to-day basis,” Sherlock said.
    Spotlight Families magazine can be found at local schools, restaurants and doctors’ offices. Also, check out its upcoming event listings at  www.SpotlightFamilies.com.
                                    
    Manalapan resident Howard Parker and his son, Derek, have launched HAP Realty, a full-service real estate firm specializing on the barrier island of Manalapan. “As a resident, it’s easy to see the benefits of extended waterfronts and complimentary club memberships, but by staying out of the spotlight, the benefits of the town could go unnoticed by potential home buyers. Derek and I are excited to share our love of Manalapan with the real estate industry and surrounding communities,” said Howard Parker, president and CEO of HAP Realty. For information, call 585-1315 or visit www.haprealty.com.
                                    
    Day Pitney LLP law firm, with attorneys in Boston, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Washington, will merge with the Chapin, Ballerano & Cheslack firm, which has offices in Boca Raton and Delray Beach. “Being able to collaborate with the attorneys in Day Pitney’s various practices will allow us to deliver our combined knowledge and experience more effectively to our clients,” said James A. Ballerano Jr.

    Jeffrey A. Weissman, principal of marital and family law firm Gladstone & Weissman, P.A., was named 2016 Lawyer of the Year in Family Law, Fort Lauderdale metropolitan area, including Boca Raton and Delray Beach, by the Best Lawyers in America, a distinction he has earned since 2007. It is based on voting averages received during peer review assessments. His firm’s main office is at 101 Renaissance Centre, 101 N. Federal Highway, Suite 702, Boca Raton.
                                    
    The Delray Beach Housing Authority recently honored Christel Silver, owner of Silver International Realty, with an award for her eight years of service on the board.
                                    
    The totally rehabbed house at 101 N. Atlantic Ave., Lantana, has had moments of shadiness (if you recall, Robert Van Winkle, aka Vanilla Ice, was arrested and charged in February for taking stuff from the house next door; “It’s a misunderstanding,” VI said at the time), but it’s also had  (and still has) its day(s) in the sun, as the featured estate for season five of DIY Network’s Vanilla Ice Project.
    Offered for sale for $5 million, this “one-of-a-kind, dream house, waterfront mansion” can be yours, said agent James Arena, of Arena and Company, who is marketing the home for Vanilla Ice.
    “The house even has a pirate-ship splash pad for kids in the backyard. It’s like Disney World,” Arena said. To take a look, check out www.TheDreamHouse.info; to book a tour, call Arena at 572-8888.
                                    
    The Indulgence charity event benefiting the Achievement Centers of Children & Families, held at the Delray Beach Center for the Arts at Old School Square, helped raise nearly $160,000, which will be used to assist low-income children and families.
                                    
    Mark your calendar for the Palm Beach Poetry Festival’s public events. “Narrative Poems Revisited” with John Childrey will be held on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 12:30 p.m.
     Local poets and poetry fans with an interest in music are invited to attend the festival’s “Song Writing and Musician’s Showcase” at noon on Nov. 14.
     Local label-signed recording artists will discuss their personal lyric writing process and play original music. They include Bill Hartmann, Stephen Minotti, Shawn Mallon, Aymber Daniel, Cassidy Diana, Kristen Spencer, Eric Muniz and others to be  announced.
     “It’s family-friendly, so children are welcome, and you’ll be able to meet the artists. Their CDs will be available for sale and signing after the showcase,” said the festival’s director of community outreach, Blaise Allen.
     The free workshop will be held at Old School Square’s Crest Theatre, Ocean Breeze Room, 51 N. Swinton Ave. in Delray Beach. For  questions or to RSVP, contact Allen at drblaiseallen@aol.com.
                                        
    At the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce’s fourth annual Delray Beach Wine & Seafood Fest, Nov. 7-8, enjoy a leisurely stroll on A1A while enjoying a glass of wine or a plate of seafood. Check out the work of artists and crafters, and then, head to the main stage, where music, wine and beer are offered.
    Event goers will expand their knowledge of wines at food and wine pairing seminars led by vintners from Napa Valley’s Cakebread, Plumbjack, Silver Oak and ZD Wineries, Sonoma’s Chalkhill Winery and Italy’s Castello Banfi Winery. Admission is free.
                                    
    This Veterans Day, Hair Cuttery, and those who join in, will recognize former service men and women through its Share-A-Haircut program. For every adult haircut purchased Nov. 11, a free haircut certificate will be donated to a veteran in the community where the haircut was purchased. To find a Hair Cuttery, visit www.haircuttery.com.
                                    
    The Greater Boynton Beach Chamber of Commerce’s 2015 Harvest Fest will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov. 14 on the east side of the Boynton Beach Mall. There will be activities for children, craft vendors, local food trucks, live music, and a People’s Choice Award Car Show.
                                    
    On Nov. 28, shop and dine locally in downtown Delray Beach for Small Business Saturday. Ninety-three percent of merchants there are small business owners, many of whom have had their doors open for more than 15 years and some, like Hands Office & Art Supply,  for more than 80 years. Visitors to downtown that day will receive small gifts and refreshments.
    Also, during November, visit Downtown Development Agency’s  www.facebook.com/DelrayDDA and get to know the people behind the counter through its Meet the Merchant program.
                                    
    The Naoma Donnelley Haggin Boys & Girls Club of Delray Beach will host its 13th annual holiday trunk show from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Dec. 2-3 with a preview party and cocktail reception on Dec. 1, at the Seagate Hotel & Spa, 1000 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. The show, which is free and open to the public, will feature specialty vendors offering a variety of gift items. Tickets to the preview party cost $85 and can be purchased at www.bgcpbc.org or at the door.
     The event co-chairs are Susan Mullin, Michele Ramirez, Kari Shipley and Lynn Wilkins. This year’s gold sponsors include The Seagate Hotel & Spa, Lang Realty, Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart and Shipley, Attorneys at Law, and the Mark Gerretson Memorial Fishing Tournament.
 All proceeds from the holiday trunk show will help support programming for the children who attend the Boys & Girls Club.
                                    
    Executive Women of the Palm Beaches is calling for nominations for its 33rd annual Women in Leadership Awards, honoring women with outstanding accomplishments in the volunteer, private, public and nonprofit sectors. Nominations will be open until 5 p.m. Feb. 12. For criteria and submission information, visit www.ewpb.org/about_wila or call 868-7070.

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

By Steven J. Smith

    BRINY BREEZES — If laughter is the best medicine, Terry Dugan heaped generous doses of it on friends and family throughout his life, according to his widow, Barbara.
    “It came from his Irish-ness,” she said. “I have so many pictures of him and there is not one where he is not smiling. He was just a happy-go-lucky guy. He lived life to the fullest, there’s no question about it. He would always answer the phone saying, ‘Top of the morning to ya!’ ”
    Barbara Dugan said her husband took great pride in his heritage.
    “He was so proud to be Irish and American,” she said. “And I remember him saying he wished our kids and their generation knew more about the contributions Irish-Americans made in wars such as World War II.”
    Mr. Dugan died from complications of heart disease on Oct. 1 at his Blue Point, N.Y., home. He was 78. He was buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Coram, N.Y.
    Mr. Dugan was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1937, where he spent his childhood years. When he was 13 the family moved to Long Island, where he attended Seton Hall High School in Patchogue. He received a bachelor’s degree in business from St. Francis College in Brooklyn. Soon after, he and Barbara were married and started raising a family that grew to include children Kelly, Kim, Terry, Tom, Tim and Katie. His early jobs included stints with the telephone company and Pepsi-Cola, before Allstate Insurance Company hired him as a salesman around 1951.
    “He worked for Allstate for 38 years,” Barbara Dugan said. “He sold all kinds of insurance for them. He rose through the ranks to the level of senior account agent and retired in 1989.”
    The couple began visiting Florida in 1985, she added, and eventually purchased a home in Briny Breezes.
    “Terry’s mother rented at the time and she wanted her children to buy in Briny Breezes, because she just loved it,” Barbara Dugan said. “So Terry’s sisters ended up buying and then Terry and I bought a place there. Since he retired, we were there seven to eight months out of the year. We’d come down in October then go back to Long Island in May.”
    Mr. Dugan loved to golf, she added, with a special affinity for the 19th hole.
    “He was very social,” she said. “He played golf for the fun, not the score. He also loved to play cards and he really enjoyed living near the ocean. He just loved the people there. We have a wonderful circle of friends in Briny Breezes.”
    She added he was a passionate fan of the Notre Dame football team, even though he never attended the school.
    “His friends called him a ‘subway alumnus,’ because he just loved the team,” she said. “I think it’s because he was so Irish.”
    Although Mr. Dugan never served in the military, he lost a younger brother in the Vietnam War. Accordingly, he was instrumental in acquiring and installing a large flagpole in front of the Ocean Clubhouse at Briny Breezes to fly flags in honor of all fallen veterans.
    “Terry got donations from people in Briny to put up this great big flagpole,” Barbara Dugan said. “Then he used to put in the Bugle newsletter a notice inviting anybody who would like to fly a casket flag there, in honor of the memory of veterans who gave their lives for our country.”
    Over the last couple of years, Mr. Dugan’s health began to fail.
    “He had a bout with cancer, which cleared, then he came down with pneumonia,” Barbara Dugan said. “Then this past July he fell and broke his hip. He came around from that, but all along he was dealing with a weak heart.”
    Mr. Dugan is survived by his wife, two sisters, Eileen Duffy and Pat Poulos, his six children and 14 grandchildren. He was predeceased by a sister, Carol Morley.
    In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations go to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital at 5201 Blue Lagoon Dr., No. 650, Miami, FL 33126, and Brookhaven Memorial Hospice, 105 W. Main St., Patchogue, N.Y. 11772.

Soup Kitchen delivery program

a prescription for compassion and dignity

Josette Giguere, left, of Boynton Beach, accepts meals from volunteers  Margaret Hudson, center, and Janet Irish, right.

Giguere, who had spinal surgery recently and is unable to cook, and her mother-in-law, Anna Giguere (not pictured),

have been receiving meals from The Soup Kitchen’s Meals on Wheels program for two months.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Linda Haase

    We’re all grateful for our annual Thanksgiving feasts but at The Soup Kitchen in Boynton Beach every single meal is a much-appreciated blessing.
    More than 400 hungry people line up at The Soup Kitchen daily. Volunteers dish up meals — and kind words — to those in need. They also give out bags with food and basic necessities.
    It’s a big help to those who might not otherwise eat. But the staff and volunteers worried about those who aren’t able to get to the Boynton Beach Boulevard venue.     
    Now, thanks to a $100,000 grant from Impact 100 Palm Beach County, the nonprofit organization is bringing food to homebound seniors in Boynton Beach. The free home delivery program offers meals five days a week (weekends are excluded).
    “For over 30 years The Soup Kitchen has been feeding the hungry and consistently evolving to address the many needs of our guests,” explains Executive Director Enrique Zuanetto. “Providing home delivery service was a natural offshoot of what we already do in the kitchen.”

Volunteers hand out bread donated by Publix at The Soup Kitchen in Boynton Beach.

    The organization’s Meals on Wheels program was launched in July to help homebound seniors and/or physically challenged residents in the Boynton Beach area.   
    “While we are not affiliated with the Meals on Wheels national program, the Meals on Wheels of The Palm Beaches was instrumental in providing us guidance and support for the launch of our program,” says Zuanetto. “The organization was more than generous with their time in helping us minimize obstacles.”     
    A hot meal — along with a hefty snack and a protein shake — is delivered to seniors who are homebound due to medical or health-related mobility issues, transportation limitations or age.  
    “We give them two trays with food. We give them a lot of food. We are very proud to be able to do this,” says Zuanetto.
“There are so many seniors that need help and we appreciate the grant from Impact 100. It made this program possible,” he says. Impact 100 Palm Beach County, a women’s charity organization, donated $436,000 to six nonprofit groups in southern Palm Beach County in April. The Soup Kitchen was one of four nonprofits that received $100,000.   
    “We have heard that many of these people can’t afford to buy food or are too tired or weak to prepare it,” Taryn Wheat, The Soup Kitchen’s grant writer, noted during a speech at the Impact 100 Grants awards ceremony.  “We want to ensure that their health does not deteriorate due to lack of nutrition. Equally important is the daily check-in and a human connection. In many instances, this program is a prescription for compassion and dignity.”  
    Impact 100 members obviously agreed, voting to give the organization one of the four top grants.  
    “We’re here for our community,” says Zuanetto.  
    And that includes people like Peter Moshonas, one of The Soup Kitchen volunteers helping with the initiative. “The program is an important one,” says the Lake Worth resident and chef. “It will help a lot of people.”

For more information on The Soup Kitchen’s Meals on Wheels Program, call 561-806-8636.

Ride Against Hunger
Volunteers will use pedal power to collect food for the hungry during the 2015 Cranksgiving Bike Ride/Scavenger Hunt hosted by the Community Caring Center. The 15-mile route will include stops at four grocery stores where riders will purchase nonperishable items (a minimum of $20) to help fill 250 Thanksgiving baskets and help stock the food pantry.
Prizes will be awarded to the riders with the best turkey costumes.
When: Registration at 8 a.m.; ride starts at 9 a.m. Nov. 15.  
Where: Begins and ends at The Backyard, 511 N.E. Fourth St., Boynton Beach.  
Cost: $10 registration fee.  
Information: www.cccgbb-org.webs.com

By Linda Haase

    Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa’s pastry chef Robert Bellini is gathering sumptuous ingredients for a very special pie. Make that 100 special pies.  
    He and other chefs — including those at Table 26, Boca Grove Golf & Tennis Club, Four Seasons Palm Beach, Mar-a-Lago Club, Howley’s, Whole Foods Market and Testa’s — are donating their time and talent to “Palm Beach County’s Biggest Thanksgiving Pie Sale” hosted by Meals on Wheels of The Palm Beaches.  
    The Pie It Forward campaign, which runs through Nov. 14, unites local chefs and philanthropists — including sponsors Bank of America, TBC Corp., Bush Brothers Provision Company and Suffolk Construction — in support of Meals on Wheels’ mission to feed homebound seniors.  
    Apple, pecan and pumpkin pies can be purchased online at www.mowpb.org and picked up at the Palm Beach County Convention Center Nov. 24. Each pie costs $25 and will feed one homebound senior a week of hot, nutritious meals.  
    “Pie It Forward is built on community spirit. From local businesses to local chefs and our incredible pie selling teams, it has been so exciting watching the community come together for the common goal of supporting Meals on Wheels of The Palm Beaches,” says Maura Nelson, Pie It Forward campaign director.   
    Every bite will help. Meals on Wheels of The Palm Beaches, which expects to deliver at least 25,000 meals to seniors who are homebound in areas including West Palm Beach, North Palm Beach and eastern Lake Worth this year, doesn’t receive any government funding and relies on grants and donations.

Pie It Forward
What: Pie It Forward, hosted by Meals on Wheels of The Palm Beaches. Pies are $25 and each purchase will provide a homebound senior with a week of hot, nutritious meals.  
When: Through Nov. 14.
For more information: Pumpkin, pecan and apple pies can be ordered online at www.mowpb.org.

One of seven orphaned pups that were nursed and cared for by employees of Sklar Furnishings in Boca Raton.

Store owner Pat Howard takes a turn feeding one of the pups.

Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Arden Moore

    Acts of kindness come in many forms. Some are planned. Others are spontaneous gestures. All Neema Jensen and her husband, Nick Woolridge, know is that they needed help — and quickly — and are grateful beyond words by the response.
    Let’s back up to Sept. 9. Their sweet-tempered, blue-nosed pit bull named Asia gave birth to seven puppies inside their Delray Beach home. The delivery went smoothly, but Asia became very ill that night. They rushed her to the emergency veterinary clinic, where she was diagnosed with an infection. Three days later, Asia died, leaving Jensen and Woolridge suddenly in charge of feeding and nurturing seven 4-day-old puppies whose eyes had yet to open.
    Sporting red, puffy eyes from grieving the loss of Asia and looking completely exhausted from bottle-feeding the puppies every three hours, the couple showed up at Sklar Furnishings in Boca Raton on the following Monday. Woolridge is an installer and runs the warehouse while Jensen works in the office at this furniture and interior design store.
    This store has been owned and operated for the past 13 years by Pat Howard and her husband, Rick. They have always welcomed well-mannered leashed dogs into their 23,000-square-foot showroom. This avid pet-loving couple has recognized the importance of selecting furnishings for the entire family, including pets.
    But on that Monday morning, Howard took one look at the visibly heartbroken couple and asked what was wrong.
    Upon hearing the answer, Howard recalls: “I said, ‘Bring the puppies here. We will help you.’" He immediately left and brought back a basket full of adorable puppies. Our staff fed them every four hours for the next five weeks. It was wonderful to see each of these little puppies grow into healthy, happy puppies who enjoyed running around in the back in our warehouse.”
    The entire 38-member staff happily pitched in to volunteer for puppy duty, including Erica Dewolf, the store’s receptionist.
    “We all loved caring for these puppies,” says Dewolf. “When they arrived, they were so tiny and so adorable. Their eyes had not even opened yet. Which puppy did I like best? I can’t tell you because I loved them all.”
    Whelping boxes were made from large empty furniture cardboard boxes and filled with comfortable bedding. Staffers not only donated their time, but some also donated puppy pee pads, puppy bottle formula and other accessories to offset the puppy care expenses for Jensen and Woolridge.
    Wonder what it is like to step into an unexpected role of being a puppy’s surrogate “mom” or “dad”? You can catch a short video depicting some Sklar staffers bottle-feeding the sensational seven young pups in the warehouse by visiting: http://buff.ly/1OUTJNU.
    Later this month, many of us will be enjoying a Thanksgiving feast and hopefully, many of us will take a moment to give thanks. When I heard about these warehouse pups, I knew I had to share this tale of thanksgiving with all of you.
    Every day in so many ways, our dogs, cats and other companion animals show their gratitude to us. They depend on us to feed them, make them feel safe and engage them in purposeful play. But they give back to us with their loyalty, their unbridled joy and their goofiness that makes us genuinely laugh. Sometimes even out loud.
    For Jensen and Woolridge, the past weeks have put the capital T in Thanksgiving. Thanks to their coworkers, their seven orphaned pups are in the process of being placed in loving homes.
    “Thanks to everyone at Sklar, every one of our puppies survived after Asia died and every one of them is healthy,” says Jensen. “I thank everyone on the staff and owners, Pat and Rick, for giving us the opportunity to care for our puppies at Sklar Furnishings. It has been a true act of kindness that Nick and I appreciate very much.”
    This Thanksgiving, I am giving thanks for my pair of senior dogs, Chipper and Cleo, and my young, adventurous orange tabby named Casey. Each day we get to spend together is a blessing. Chipper and Cleo still display puppy-like energy each time I invite them for a walk and Casey is always amazing me with his knack for learning dog-like tricks, like walking on a leash, sitting on cue and giving me a high paw.
    Now, it’s your turn. Please share with our readers why you are grateful and thankful for that special pet in your life. Just email me at Arden@fourleggedlife.com.
    Happy Thanksgiving!

Arden Moore, founder of www.FourLeggedLife.com, is an animal behavior consultant, editor, author, speaker and master certified pet first aid instructor. Learn more by visiting www.fourleggedlife.com.

A bleeding heart blooms along the path of the butterfly garden.

Garden accessories have been repurposed,

such as this fountain surrounded by bromeliads.

Star fruit are ready for picking.

Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley

    On three city lots owned by the Boca Raton Garden Club, butterflies drift from bloom to bloom pausing only for a sip of nectar. Showy yellow and white roses as well as pastel pink ones compete for attention. And the street noise is a mere background to the singing and chirping of birds perched in the old oaks and royal poincianas.
    This garden is a labor of love for about a dozen Dirt Gardeners, members of the BRGC who cultivate and maintain it. “You’ll quickly realize that this is a haven for those who visit and those who work in it,” says landscape chairwoman Carol Rice.
    Although the garden is on private land, the public will have an opportunity to visit when BRGC hosts its Holiday House fundraiser this month.
    Handmade wreaths, ornaments, centerpieces, Christmas trees, angels, swags and more fashioned from nature’s bounty — including palm fronds, seed pods, pine cones and shells — will be for sale. In the garden, you’ll discover the Dirt Gardeners selling what they have propagated from cuttings and seeds.
    “We will have hundreds of plants available,” Rice says, pointing to pots lined up around the garden just waiting.
    While you are here, take time from the holiday activity to enjoy the garden itself.  
    Start in the parking lot near where a succulent garden features cactus and variegated agave as well as the sword-like leaves of the Spanish bayonet. Nearby a bromeliad garden is shaded by two black olive trees and the official tree of Boca Raton, the Hong Kong orchid.
    Here, as throughout the garden, you’ll notice statuary and a variety of containers repurposed as garden frippery. “I think it’s these touches that add charm to our garden,” Rice says.
    For example, the cement tier of a defunct fountain is now filled with pink and red crown-of-thorns and variegated bromeliads. A cherub holding a shell stands on the rim of a birdbath. And a well-used wheelbarrow is a fertile place to grow flowers.
    Many of these decorative pieces have been scavenged or donated to the club. “People just leave us things. When we come here in the morning we never know what we will find,” says Rice, who has personally rescued pottery and garden statuary from refuse piles in her neighborhood.
    In the garden behind the clubhouse, Rice points to the prolific carambola tree covered with what look like orange Japanese lanterns but are actually ripening star fruit. “You’d pay $2 apiece for those in the store,” she says.
    Elsewhere in the garden you may have a chance to bite into the brown fruit of a sapodilla tree that, if ripe, may remind you of a juicy pear. If not, its tannin will make you pucker.
    Around the perimeter of the property is a pink garden featuring plenty of bougainvillea growing under a powder puff tree. And there’s a yellow garden tucked under a gumbo limbo. Adding to the color scheme is the yellow-green foliage of sweet potato vines as well as the bright yellow blooms of thryallis and hibiscus.
    Nearby is the Japanese garden that is the work of an Eagle Scout. Paebbles cover the ground instead of the pine-bark mulch used elsewhere. The area is graced with towering blue-green bamboo, white crinum lilies with variegated leaves and a jade plant in a pot resembling a bonsai tree.
    With the help of another Eagle Scout who laid paths and built a trellis, a butterfly garden thrives. You enter it under an archway covered with red and purple bleeding hearts to find such plants as fragrant sweet almond, coreopsis with its bright orange flowers, gently blue plumbago, red salvias and fuzzy red chenille plants.
    As we speak, the butterflies are busy and we pause to admire them. “This is a quiet, peaceful and entirely therapeutic place that offers the solitude we all enjoy and need,” Rice says.
    
Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley is a certified master gardener who can be reached at debhartz@att.net when she’s not in her garden.

CHANGE OF PLANS
The Delray Beach Children’s Garden grand opening, planned for Nov. 9, has been postponed until January. For updates, call 716-8342 or visit www.delraybeach childrensgarden.org.

Frank McKinney leads a group of students across the George Bush Boulevard Bridge

toward St. Vincent Ferrer School, following the same route he took every day with his daughter Laura.

Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Bishop Gerald Barbarito leads a special Mass

on Oct. 11 at St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church.

The pews were packed with parishioners of all ages, including these little ones.

A model shows the way the Delray Beach site will look

after a planned $6.5 million expansion of school and church facilities.

By Janis Fontaine

    Parishioners are gearing up for the triple jubilee in 2016 when St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Parish will celebrate its 75th anniversary. It’s considered a triple because the parish is also commemorating the 50th anniversary of the popular Parish Festival in March, and this comes on the heels of the 60th anniversary of St. Vincent Ferrer School, which the church celebrated Oct. 11 with an anniversary Mass led by Bishop Gerald Barbarito, the bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Palm Beach.
    “He is such a humble, gentle man,” Julie Ott, the director of stewardship and development at St. Vincent, said. “It’s an honor and a privilege to have him grant our request.”    
    Barbarito, who survived brain surgery to remove a benign tumor in February, oversees five counties and 267,000 Catholics. More than 1,000 came to hear the bishop speak.  
    During the Mass, Barbarito gave his blessing for St. Vincent  to conduct a capital campaign to raise $6.5 million for three projects: the construction of an addition to the school; the renovation to the existing 60-year-old school building; and the expansion of the entrances to the church, Ott said. A reception followed, which served as the official kickoff of the campaign.
    Before the Mass, the school hosted a reunion of sorts. Alumni and current students and their families were invited on a one-mile walk led by Frank McKinney. The local real estate developer led 150 participants along the path he followed every day when he walked his daughter Laura to school, retracing a route taken nearly 1,800 times.
    Ott says the church is anticipating record turnouts for the programming centered around the jubilee. Next up is the Diamond Jubilee Gala on Jan. 24 at the Delray Beach Marriott.
    “We’re very excited to have Matthew Kelly coming to speak,” Ott said. “He’s known worldwide as the ‘Dynamic Catholic.’ This program is more than just a speech; it’s a four-hour conference on how to live every day with purpose.”
    Kelly is the CEO and president of DynamicCatholic.com, a group that is working to rejuvenate interest in the Catholic Church. He’ll speak Feb. 27.
    The 50th Parish Festival on March 4-6 is going to be bigger and better, with carnival rides, games, live entertainment, food and a monster flea market.
    Ott is collecting memorable photos and stories from the early years of the church to use in scrapbooks and journals. Photos will be returned, Ott said. In addition, The Coastal Star will publish a special section on the school in 2016.
    For more information, call Julie Ott at 276-6892, Ext. 308, or email her at stewardship@stvincentferrer.com.

Holly House Bazaar co-chairs Edna Fisher and Donna King admire Christmas trees

at First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach. The bazaar runs 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Nov. 13-14.

Photo provided

Holly House ladies
in full swing for show
    Drop by Holly House on the campus of First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and you’ll find more than two dozen skillful stitchers, clever crafters and fantastic florists hard at work, according to Linda Prior, a longtime Holly House volunteer.
    Since March, the Holly House ladies have devoted these two mornings per week  to handcrafting gifts to sell at their annual Holly Days Bazaar. They’ll transform their workspace into a gift shop from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Nov. 13 and 14.
    You’ll find Raggedy Ann dolls, aprons, baskets, pillows, tree skirts, place mats and table runners, children’s sweaters and hats, angels, ornaments, wreaths and trees, new and refurbished vintage jewelry. The newest item is a picture frame that holds jewelry, and the dressed-up flip-flops are hot sellers.
    A lot of the materials used are donated, Prior said. Old Christmas decorations, leftover fabric and accessories, and unworn jewelry are repurposed into something beautiful and new.
    The men of the church are on call for the ladies. “We just call Ed’s garage,” Prior laughs, “and the guys show up.” They do the heavy lifting: making tree stands, jewelry display cases, and shelving — whatever and whenever they are called upon to do. They get paid in baked goods. The guys even get in on the action at the bazaar by preparing lunch for the shoppers.
    Around a thousand guests are expected to visit the bazaar over the two days, and Prior says the Holly House ladies can make more than $20,000 in that one weekend. The money is used for other church ministries, but all that cash stays local, fed back into the community these ladies love.
The Holly House, where the ladies meet, was built using funds raised in previous bazaars.  
    Their kindness stretches past the needlework and yarn, Prior said. They help the parish by cooking meals, making phone calls and providing transportation. “We take care of each other,” Prior said.
    During their busiest time of the year, the women found time in October to plan and host a remembrance reception for a member who had recently passed away.
    Like Santa’s elves, these women are happy in their work. They welcome new members, and you don’t need to belong to the church to join. First Presbyterian is at 33 Gleason St., just south of Atlantic Avenue, Delray Beach. For more info, call 276-6338.

New rector
    The St. Paul’s Episcopal Church family will gather for the institution of the Rev. Paul Kane as its new rector on Dec. 1. He’ll lead services for the first time on Dec. 5 and 6. A dinner and reception for Father David Knight, who served as interim rector while the committee searched for a permanent replacement, will be held at 6 p.m. Nov. 7. He’ll lead services for the last time on Nov. 7 and 8. The church, at 188 S. Swinton Ave, in Delray Beach, can be reached at 276-4541.

Janis Fontaine writes about people of faith, their congregations, causes and community events. Contact her at janisfontaine@outlook.com.

    Bo Brown, 8, a third- grader at Addison Mizner Elementary School in Boca Raton, created the winning illustration in a contest for Boca Raton elementary school students, sponsored by Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation.
     Bo and his parents, Caroline and Bill Brown, who live in Boca Raton, did some preliminary research on the Internet, and his grandmother Denise Brown, a retired nurse practitioner, explained bone marrow transplants to Bo.
    Bo, who likes to draw, and his dad brainstormed a few ideas, ending up with three. Bo’s drawings are usually more detailed, but he and his dad decided to keep it simple: He drew a super-hero figure, dressed in green, with a blue M medallion on its chest, flying through the air and proclaiming, “Be a hero! Donate bone marrow!”
    Bo and his classmates at Addison Mizner were treated to an ice cream party. But for him, the real prize was something else.
“The best part was, I got to help a ton of people, to give the message that donating bone marrow is a good thing.”
    And yes, he says, when he gets older, he hopes to volunteer to become a bone marrow donor himself.
— Lona O’Connor

Florida Freedivers owner Jonathan Dickinson demonstrates the ‘free immersion’ method

of moving up and down a line in the water without kicking. The method allows

breath-hold divers to expend less energy in the water.

Photo contributed by Florida Freedivers

By Willie Howard

    Following the Sept. 19 death of 15-year-old free diver Skyler Hunt in the ocean off Boca Raton, those who enjoy the growing sport of free diving — or diving without the aid of scuba gear —emphasize the need for proper training.
    Although it’s not clear what degree of training the Hobe Sound teenager had or what happened that day when he was free diving with a spear gun in about 55 feet of water off Red Reef Park, experts say proper training and strict adherence to fundamental safety rules can prevent most free-diving accidents.
    A call for help went out around 1:50 p.m. that afternoon. A Boca Raton police boat joined vessels from the Coast Guard, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and private boaters in the search for the missing boy.
    Scuba divers from several dive boats searched underwater for two hours before a private diver found the boy’s body on top of a reef in 60 feet of water, according to a Boca Raton police report.
    His death is one of about 60 reported “breath-hold” diving deaths that occur annually worldwide, according to the Divers Alert Network in Durham, N.C., better known as DAN. Just under half of the reported deaths happen in the United States.
    DAN Research Director Neal Pollock said the number of free-diving deaths is underreported, either because they are reported as drownings instead of breath-hold diving incidents or not reported at all.
    Free diving has been growing in popularity in recent years, partly because it requires less gear than scuba diving. Spear fishers like free diving because the lack of breathing noise and bubbles associated with scuba diving makes target fish less wary.  
    Lack of knowledge and the use of improper methods contribute to most of the accidents in breath-hold diving, said Martin Stepanek, a free-diving world record holder and founder of Freediving Instructors International, an educational organization based in Pompano Beach.
    Matthew Pasa, training director for Florida Freedivers in Lake Park, where basic training classes are booked about a month out, said training is essential, even though free diving might seem less complicated than scuba diving.
    “It’s not something that you can just hold your breath and go as deep as you want without training,” Pasa said. “We teach safety, and as a byproduct you learn to have longer breath-hold and deeper dives.”
    A common cause of free-diving accidents and deaths is shallow-water blackout — a loss of consciousness caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain that typically happens toward the end of a breath-hold dive in relatively shallow water.
    Pasa teaches four golden rules of free diving safety to minimize the chances of problems in the water:
    One up, one down. Two free divers should be in the water at all times. The diver on the surface watches out for the one who is diving.
    Arm’s-reach distance. When both are on the surface, the dive buddy should be within an arm’s reach of the diver. If the diver blacks out, the buddy must be close enough to hold the diver’s head out of the water.
    Are you OK? Both verbal and hand-signal responses are required to check the diver’s motor functions and his or her ability to speak.
    Wait 30 seconds. A dive buddy on the surface must wait for a full 30 seconds after the diver has surfaced (before diving himself or herself) to make sure the diver who just came up does not develop problems.
    Fitness to dive is somewhat important, but better-than-average athletic ability is not required to be a good free diver, Pasa said.
    The average person who practices proper breathing methods, knows how to equalize pressure on the ears and understands how to use his or her body position in the water and energy-conserving kick strokes could be a better free diver than a marathon runner, he said.
    Certification courses outlined by Freediving Instructors International require participants to take hours of classroom instruction before training in a pool and then in open water.
    Most are two-day courses.
    Core free-diving courses include Junior Free Diver, for ages 12 to 15 with a maximum depth of 50 feet.
    The popular Level 1 free-diver course, for ages 16 and older, trains divers for a maximum depth of 66 feet.
    Level 2 certification trains free divers for a maximum depth of 132 feet. Level 3 training is for competitive free diving and includes instruction on changes in diet and exercise to maximize the body’s free diving potential.

Fort Lauderdale
boat show activities
    The 56th annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, featuring boats ranging from kayaks to superyachts along with marine accessories, art and clothing, continues through Nov. 9 at seven waterfront locations.
    Special events include kids fishing clinics beginning at noon and 2 p.m. on Nov. 7 and Nov. 8 at the Broward County Convention Center.
    IGFA School of Sportfishing seminars also will be held at the convention center.
    The Blue Wild Watersports and Marine Art Expo will be held in lobby B/C of the convention center. Speakers will discuss watersports such as free diving, spear fishing, stand-up paddleboarding and underwater photography.
Adult admission is $25 online or $27 at the show. Youth tickets (ages 6-15) are $10 online or $12 at the show. Children under 6 will be admitted free.
Details: www.FLIBS.com or (800) 940-7642.

Coming events
    Nov. 7: Basic boating safety class offered by the Coast Guard Auxiliary in Boca Raton. Class will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the headquarters building at Spanish River Park, 3939 N. Ocean Blvd. Fee $35. Register at the door. Bring lunch. Call 391-3600 or www.cgauxboca.org.
    Nov. 12: CCA Florida’s North Palm Beach Chapter hosts its 30th annual banquet and auction, 6 p.m., Palm Beach County Convention Center, West Palm Beach. Tickets: $125 per person or $225 per couple. Call Matthew Behm at 644-2788.
    Nov. 28: Basic boating safety class offered by Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 54. Begins at 8 a.m. in the meeting room (next to the boat ramps) at Harvey E. Oyer Jr. Park, Federal Highway south of Gateway Boulevard, Boynton Beach. Fee $40. Call Ron Cuneo, 389-1850.

Tip of the month
    As cooler weather moves into South Florida, expect Spanish mackerel along the beaches. The hard-charging beauties with golden spots are fun to catch on light tackle. Try casting spoons, flashy jigs and lures such as Gotcha plugs on spinning rods rigged with 40-pound-test leader.
    Cast out jigs or spoons, let them sink for a few seconds, then reel them back fast to trigger a strike. Also try a 7-weight fly rod with intermediate sinking line and a wire trace on the leader to avoid cut-offs.
    Look for Spanish over patches of hard bottom along the beach in 5 to 20 feet of water. If they’re hard to find, anchor in the sand near hard bottom and chum with glass minnows. Watch for flocks of sea birds that follow mackerel schools. If they’re feeding near the beach, Spanish can be caught from shore (or from piers such as the Lake Worth pier) by using a heavy jig, Gotcha plug or casting spoon that can be cast far enough to reach the school.
    Bring pliers to remove hooks along with extra lures and leader because toothy Spanish often bite through leaders.
    Minimum size: 12 inches to the fork of the tail. Daily bag limit: 15 per angler.
    
Willie Howard is a freelance writer and licensed boat captain. Reach him at tiowillie@bellsouth.net.

Schools of mullet are chased by larger predators off the coast of Ocean Ridge during their annual fall migration in early October.

Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Sean Kenney puts the finishing touches on his peacock sculpted from Legos

that will be part of the display at Mounts Botanical Garden in West Palm Beach.

Photos provided

INSET BELOW: One whimsical piece shows a hummingbird sipping nectar.

By Janis Fontaine

    Mounts Botanical Garden is abuzz with excitement and activity as the staff prepares to welcome a group of construction experts who will install the 14-acre garden’s next exhibit.
    It’s no easy task: It involves setting up 13 vignettes of 15 huge sculptures throughout the West Palm Beach garden. The sculptures — including a bee and a butterfly, a corn spider and peacock — are made entirely out of Legos. Yes, Legos.
Nearly half a million of those sturdy plastic bricks kids love — and parents hate to step on in the dark — have been transformed into garden-themed plants, animals and insects by New York artist Sean Kenney.
    In addition to building objects from Legos, Kenney has written eight inspirational children’s books.
    But it’s more than child’s play to him.
    “I like to think that what I create is more than just a bunch of pieces pressed together in the right way,” Kenney told Mike Doyle in Doyle’s book Beautiful LEGO. “My sculptures need to be rooted in personal expression and have some kind of educational or artistic value.”
    Visitors apparently agree. People who love Legos have been showing up in record numbers to see the exhibition since it debuted in 2012. Attendance rates have increased by about 25 percent at the venues that have hosted it. Kenney has extended the exhibit’s tour until 2019 because of the demand.
    This is Kenney’s third update to the installation, called Nature Connects, which was built specifically to be displayed in a garden or arboretum.
    Rochelle Wolberg, the  program coordinator at Mounts Botanical Garden, has been focused on bringing this popular exhibit to South Florida since she started at Mounts about a year ago.
    “This is our first truly blockbuster exhibit,” Wolberg said by phone between meetings. “We really want to get all the details correct.”
    For the first time ever, through a partnership with The Lord’s Place, they’ll be serving food during this exhibit. Wolberg is thinking ahead about what to do with the increase in garbage and the million other behind-the-scene details you’ll never notice if she and her team do their jobs.
    These pieces originally took Kenney and his team nearly six months to build; hundreds of hours of work went into each one. The peacock, the most intricate, took 625 hours to build. So when a parent plopped a toddler on the bison sculpture for a photo, gardens realized they would have to hire bodyguards for the pieces. Security, never really an issue at Mounts before, is an issue now.
Wolberg says the garden will hire around 30 full and part-time employees including two dozen people to handle admissions and memberships. They also plan to hire two additional gardeners, another janitor, an extra retail person for the bookstore plus two or three security people.

    Mounts hopes the exhibit will increase garden attendance numbers by 25 percent.

    After viewing the exhibit, kids will be able to play with about 30,000 Legos in a special play area. But Kenney really hopes that kids go home and dig out their bucket of Legos and build something from their own imagination.
    Several special events that stimulate creativity are tied to the exhibit. Currently, children  and teens are challenged to construct an original garden-themed holiday ornament out of Legos — suggestions include a flower, plant, insect, animal or gardening tool. Finalists will be invited to hang their ornaments at a special public event on Dec. 5. Drop yours off by Nov. 25.
    A corporate Lego brick-building challenge pits teams of locals against each other. They must build a sculpture from scratch, on the spot, around a particular theme and with a limited number of Legos.
    You can even become part of the exhibition as a volunteer, Wolberg said. Call 233-1757 to find out how.
Or support the garden and get free admission to the exhibit and Mounts’ other programs by becoming a member: A yearlong family membership is only $75. Single memberships are $50 per year.

EXHIBIT DETAILS
Total Legos: 464,770
Most intricate piece: Peacock
Longest to build: Peacock (68,827 pieces)
Tallest sculpture: Hummingbird. (31,565 Lego bricks)
Longest sculpture: Dragonfly
Smallest sculpture: Bonsai tree
Heaviest sculpture:  Polar bear mother and cubs (more than 500 pounds)
Sean’s Lego collection: More than 5 million
Sean’s chronological age: 39
Sean’s age at heart: 12

IF YOU GO
What: Nature Connects
Where: Mounts Botanical Garden, 531 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach
When: Nov. 14-Feb. 16
Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; noon to 4 p.m. Sunday Admission: $10 adults; $7 for seniors, veterans and students; $5 ages 3-12. Free for members and ages 2 and younger. Individual garden tours, $15.
Info: 233-1757; www.mounts.org

The town of Lantana got into the Halloween spirit with its Haunted Nature Preserve

at 400 E. Ocean Ave. A guided excursion through the haunted depths of the nature trail,

hayrides and a costume contest were among the many ways to enjoy the evening.

ABOVE: Angeling Valerio, 12, dressed as a leopard, and her friend Miranda McRae, 12,

dead prom queen, are students at Lantana Middle School. Miranda won the contest for most creative costume.

BELOW: The Adelman family of Lantana enjoys the hayride: (l-r) Scott, Shelby, 11, Tyler, 18 months, and Korinne.

Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Related story: Boca Raton youngster’s drawing wins Gift of Life art contest

By Lona O'Connor

    When Crystal Mahannah signed up to be a campus ambassador for the Gift of Life bone marrow donor registry, it seemed like a good idea. Earn a modest stipend for persuading other students at Florida Atlantic University to swab the inside of their mouths and increase the chances that someone with a deadly blood disease might find a match.
    The idea, which was hatched by Nicholas Hudson and Alec Burkin independently and simultaneously, was so simple as to be genius: The best marrow donors are between the ages of 18 and 24. College campuses are full of such people. So, place campus ambassadors in as many colleges as possible to get the word out.
    “We have nearly 300,000 in the registry as a whole,” said Hudson. “Generally, one in 1,000 is a match. In the campus ambassador group, one in 150 is a match. So we said, ‘Why are we swabbing anyone but college students?’ ”
    Gift of Life was founded in Boca Raton in 1991 by Jay Feinberg, whose life was saved when a donor match was found during a massive drive by his family, which added 50,000 bone marrow donors to the registry.
    Since 1991, the Gift of Life registry has led to nearly 3,000 transplants.
    Hudson was swabbed in college. A year and a half later, he got a call saying he was a match for a 4-year-old boy with leukemia. They ended up meeting and remain friends to this day.
    Burkin also was swabbed in college and became a donor. Both men ended up working for Gift of Life after graduation, recruiting college students as potential donors — Burkin in the Boston office and Hudson in New York.
    “I am not at a college, so how am I supposed to run a drive on campus?” wondered Hudson, 30. “It’s a tough sell.”
    They talked every day by phone and developed a pilot program using eight student ambassadors as donor recruiters. That was last year. This year, there are 100 campus ambassadors, located in all 50 states, many recruited by the first group of ambassadors.
    Mahannah, 21, and her fellow FAU ambassador, Natalie Banks, set to work, staffing tables at student events, using catchy slogans like, “Will you marrow me?”
    They explained how easy the swab test was and how improved marrow collection now seldom requires a painful spinal tap. Today, 80 percent of marrow for donation is extracted from blood.
    One donor told Mahannah’s training group that he played basketball the day before and the day after his donation.
    During their first week back at FAU from summer break, Mahannah and Banks swabbed 35 students. Each ambassador is given a goal of swabbing 500 students and raising $500 each semester. In return, Gift of Life sends them $1,000 for each semester. Paying the ambassadors helps keep them focused on the goal, Hudson said.
    Mahannah’s commitment stems from the fact that both her grandparents were diagnosed with cancer and died two weeks apart, with no treatment available.
    “That’s what inspired me,” said Mahannah, an honor student who works in FAU’s student advisory services. “I remember how devastating it was to lose someone that important in my life. I tell everybody that to be a perfect match is like winning the lottery. You are this person’s only chance.”
    The next training for campus ambassadors will take place on Jan 5. To apply, or to join a 5K walk-run scheduled for Jan. 17 to benefit Gift of Life, visit Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation at www. giftoflife.org or www.campus ambassador.org.

Lona O’Connor has a lifelong interest in health and healthy living. Send column ideas to Lona13@bellsouth.net.

By Mary Thurwachter
    
    Things are cooking at Mario’s Ocean Avenue, the Italian eatery that opened earlier this year in a location previously occupied by another restaurant, 225.
    In August, Mario’s owner Henry Olmino got the Lantana Town Council’s approval to lease a town-owned lot on Third Street for employee parking, adding at least 25 spots to the 44 parking spaces the restaurant already had secured.
    And during the council’s Sept. 28 meeting, Olmino persuaded the town to grant a special code exception to expand the restaurant to include a 900-square-foot building behind it  — and to get a liquor license. The back building will be used for takeout food.
    Some neighboring business owners expressed concerns about parking problems. But Olmino insisted parking would not be a problem.
    “Twenty-five of our 44 spaces will be freed up because of the employee parking lot,” he said.
    “We run our valet and we keep our cars on our property,” he said. “We never park on the street. That wouldn’t be fair to others.”
    Olmino said the takeout service would be curbside and only accessible from the back. The town’s parking code requires two parking spaces for the takeout business.
    “225 used the back building for a bar,” he said, “but we’re not just going to use the building for takeout. We’re going to use it as a prep kitchen, which we will use every day.”
    Lantana Chamber of Commerce president David Arm said Olmino had done everything he could to comply with the town.
    “He’s really livened up that end of Ocean Avenue,” Arm said.
    Council member Phil Aridas agreed, saying Mario’s was good for the town. “Thank you for working with us by leasing the lot when others had a chance and didn’t take it.”
    During a budget hearing before the Sept. 28 council meeting, the town adopted a 3.24 tax rate, the same rate it has had for 14 years. The combined budget of all funds is $17,144,475. Property values increased by 10.7 percent for a total valuation of $803,027,456.
    In other action, the town delayed consideration of a site plan and special exception for Water Tower Commons on the former A.G. Holley property until its Oct. 12 meeting.

By Jane Smith
    
    After more than a decade of work, Federal Highway in Delray Beach is back to its roots as a thoroughfare with two lanes in each direction.
    In the mid-1970s the road was widened to three lanes before the state Department of Transportation extended Interstate 95 from Fort Lauderdale north to West Palm Beach. But the plan always called for Federal Highway to be narrowed again, said former City Commissioner Gary Eliopoulus.
    “The road closures took longer than anticipated,” said Eliopoulus, who sat on the commission from 2007 to 2011. “But in the end it will be the best thing that Delray ever did — slowing the cars down near Atlantic Avenue.”
    This time, the roadway is more scenic.
    The approximately $14.2 million project boasts benches, more landscaping dominated by palms, trash cans and pavers used to create wider sidewalks between Northeast Second and Southeast Second streets. It also will have a 5-foot-wide cyclist lane in each direction and on-street parking. Finishing touches will be made this month, said Randal Krejcarek, the city’s environmental services director.
    Money for the project came from five sources, he said. Florida DOT paid more than $5 million, Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency paid $3.6 million, the city paid nearly $3 million, the federal share was about $2.2 million and the developer contribution was $178,734.

Project started back in 2002
    The Federal Highway project had a long gestation period.
    It began in 2002 when it was added to the city’s downtown master plan, Krejcarek said. The first study was done in 2004. Public meetings were held in 2005 and 2006. In 2008, the City Commission and state agreed to a “trial narrowing,” putting posts in one lane of Federal Highway the length of the project, between George Bush Boulevard and Southeast 10th Street. Traffic studies were done before and during the trial.
    The studies showed significant decreases in crashes for an eight-block section of Federal Highway with Atlantic Avenue as the midway point, Krejcarek said. The number of crashes dropped by 48 percent, rear-end crashes were down by 39 percent and sideswipe crashes fell by 59 percent.
    When the design contract was issued in 2009, Kimley-Horn and Associates was told to “go down to Atlantic Avenue and make it look like that,” Krejcarek said. The designers chose pavers for the sidewalks and palms as the main landscape element.
    Initially they had hoped to have wider sidewalks with pavers and special streetlights between Northeast Fourth and Southeast Fourth streets, but federal dollars fell short of the city’s request. It received only $1.4 million, not the $5 million requested, forcing the city to scale back the project’s area of wider sidewalks to between Northeast Second and Southeast Second streets, Krejcarek said.
    In the eight blocks north and south of that area, plans did not call for streetlights to be replaced and power lines buried, he said. Those two sections still have power poles on the sidewalk, even though Federal Highway was narrowed, a dedicated bike lane added and landscape islands created in that area, according to the plan.
    The initial low bidder for the construction of the five-mile roadway (2.5 miles in each direction) dropped out after learning the city would not allow construction to take place during the night. The city then awarded the contract to Sealand Contractors Corp., the next lowest bidder.
    Construction began in the spring of 2013 to limit the effects from the torn-up streets to just two seasons, Krejcarek said.
    Al Costilo, who co-owns Big Al’s Steaks at the southwest corner of Southeast Fifth Street and Atlantic Avenue, may have suffered the most. His sidewalk was torn up for about a year and a half, he said. He will be granted a waiver from paying his café license fee for one year, the city manager said. That comes to about $950.
    Even so, Costilo gushed about the newly renovated Federal Highway. “It’s beautiful,” he said. “It came out much better than I expected.”
    Another merchant who is happy to see the construction end is Albert Richwagen. Business at his bike shop along North Federal Highway dropped by 30 percent, he told fellow Downtown Development Authority board members at the September meeting.
    The four-year gap between the design and the construction of Federal Highway created some issues. The city’s code now calls for a 5-foot clear passage on sidewalks for pedestrians, wheelchair users and strollers. In some cases, the placement of the palms and street furniture, including benches, decreased that passageway.
    But in certain areas, the passage can go down to 36 inches and still be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines, said David Romano of R.J. Behar & Co. Inc., the engineering firm  hired by the city to assist with managing the project.
    At the May 20 City Commission meeting, City Manager Don Cooper said the project designers used a semi-permeable membrane at the base of the palm or tree that allowed counting an extra 6 inches because the material could support foot and wheelchair traffic.
    He advised commissioners to complete the project and “then go into corrective mode after that, based on our financial ability and the difficulty of correcting the issue.”
    Delray Beach needs design standards for infrastructure that also would cover street furniture, such as benches and garbage cans, to help brand the city, Commissioner Jordana Jarjura said. She hopes they can be created this year.

Some want shade trees
    Using palms created a showy street, but they don’t provide enough shade for pedestrians, urban planners say.
    “When are landscape architects going to realize that Florida is a hot state? Shade trees are important,” said Dan Burden, who spent 16 years as Florida DOT’s bicycle and pedestrian coordinator. He now consults on walkable communities throughout North America.
    “The threat of hurricanes is often used as an argument for palms, but shade trees can survive if planted well,” he said. “They help filter vehicle exhaust, lower urban air temperatures and add value to adjacent businesses and homes.”
    Fewer shade trees may have been used than might be desired today, Delray Beach Mayor Cary Glickstein said. “But the design was completed and bid many years ago when priorities were different. There are also benefits in varying streetscape landscaping to avoid monotony.”
    He sees the city’s multimillion-dollar investment in Federal Highway producing “dividends for decades as properties along this stretch of what was once a six-lane highway are improved.”

Walking should get priority, mayor says
    Mayor Cary Glickstein wants Delray Beach to have “complete streets” that would give priority to pedestrians and alternate modes of transportation “so they can coexist safely with cars and not be an afterthought for whatever space is left over.”
    When he appears on a Walkable Communities panel Oct. 15 in Fort Myers with noted urban planners Jeff Speck and Joe Minicozzi, the mayor plans to address those issues and the need for a diverse economy.    
    Delray Beach is “too reliant on trendy hospitality uses, which can change quickly,” he said. “We need to make it easier for folks to reconsider using their cars, but we also need to give them diverse reasons to want to be here — as a resident, tourist or business owner.”

How money was spent

INSET RIGHT: BEFORE

Palms
81 Royal palms at $499.23 each. Total: $40,437.63
148 Cabbage palms at $211.29 each. Total: $31,270.92
25 Thatch palms at $357.18  each. Total: $8,929.50
27 Montgomery palms at $293.36 each. Total: $7,920.72
13 Foxtail palms at $444.68 each. Total: $5,780.84
5 Red leaf palms at $499.23 each. Total: $2,496.15
Total palms: 299
Total cost: $96,835.76

INSET LEFT: AFTER -- Looking north onto Southeast Fifth Avenue from
Southeast Fourth Street.

Shade trees  
4 Silver buttonwoods at $334.54 each. Total: $1,338.16
41 Jatropha integerrimas at $156.46 each. Total: $6,414.86
19 Crape myrtles at $257.34 each. Total: $4,889.46
10 Live oaks at $1,317.56 each. Total: $13,175.60
Total shade trees: 74

INSET LEFT: BEFORE

Asphalt  
Amount used: 14,536 tons
Total: $1,678,188

Paint used for striping
Solid 12-inch white stripe: 15,024 linear feet
Solid 24-inch white stripe: 3,858 linear feet
White skip traffic stripe: 1.33 gross miles
Painted guide skip stripes: 19,880 linear feet
Solid 6-inch yellow stripe: 8.026 net miles
Solid 8-inch yellow stripe: 950 linear feet
Total: $23,835

INSET RIGHT: AFTER -- Looking south onto Southeast Fifth Avenue from Atlantic Avenue.

Pavers
Amount: 10,632 square yards
Total: $366,804

Benches
Number: 23
Total: $39,100
 
Garbage cans
Number: 21
Total: $27,720

Specially designed streetlights
Between NE Second and SE Second streets
Number: 120
Total: $872,000

Signal mast arms and signal lights
Number of mast arms: 9
Number of traffic signal lights: 22
Total: $330,110

Sources: City of Delray Beach and R. J. Behar, the engineering firm hired by the city to assist with managing the project