By Tim Pallesen

The Caron Foundation has sued Delray Beach after the city denied its request to operate a sober house for seven recovering alcoholics and drug addicts at 1232 Seaspray Ave.
    City commissioners also had responded to outrage over sober houses near the ocean on Feb. 21 by approving three ordinances to make it more difficult for treatment providers to operate in the city.
    “The city might not like it, but our rights are well settled by federal laws,”  responded Andrew Rothermel, Caron vice president, calling the city’s actions discriminatory. “I don’t think the commissioners had the will to do the right thing in light of the public outcry.”
    The denial to operate the Seaspray sober house came in a Feb. 22 letter from planning and zoning director Paul Dorling, who said Caron had failed to show why seven residents were necessary for the house to be “therapeutically successful” and “financially viable.”
      A parade of upset residents had implored commissioners at a Feb. 21 public hearing to protect their single-family neighborhoods.
     The most significant new ordinance reduces the turnover of bedrooms rented to alcoholics and drug addicts from six to three times per year. City commissioners also passed ordinances to beef up the application process to operate a sober house and to obtain a landlord permit.
      “We designed our program to follow the city’s rules and they decided to change the rules midstream,” Rothermel had complained after the three ordinances were approved. “If they use these ordinances to restrict us, they’re going to have a fight on their hands.”
      The federal lawsuit, filed Feb. 24, seeks an injunction to prevent the city from enforcing the new rules. Caron also seeks damages and attorney fees.
    The ordinance to limit rental turnovers would restrict providers by forcing sober houses to operate at only half their capacity, Rothermel said.
      Recovering alcoholics and drug addicts typically stay in a sober house for two months. With only three turnovers per year, each bedroom could only be used for six months per year.
      “It’s really detrimental to have patients living in a house that’s half empty,” Rothermel said. “They don’t get the benefit of a sober living environment.”
      The right for treatment providers to house up to seven patients was established in 2007 when Boca Raton attempted to limit sober housing.
      A federal judge struck down Boca Raton’s limit of only three patients per house after the American Civil Liberties Union argued that patients have a greater chance of recovery with more patients in a sober house.
      The judge said recovering alcoholics and drug addicts are protected under the federal Fair Housing Act and Americans with Disabilities Act.
      Delray Beach hired outside attorneys to advise how the city could fight sober housing by other means.  The new application procedure for sober house approvals requires treatment providers provide an address for proposed sober houses so neighbors have time to object.                                   Ú

Jay Van Vechten and Zack Rice have been making plans for the
Boca Raton Boating & Beach Bash for several months. 

Mary Thurwachter/The Coastal Star

By Mary Thurwachter

When Jay Van Vechten envisioned an annual boating and beach event for people with disabilities, he had a convivial day in mind, replete with barbecue, boat rides, music and smiles all around. Little did he know how successful the Boating & Beach Bash for People with Disabilities would be.

Van Vechten, a member of the Boca Raton Advisory Board for People with Disabilities, launched the project in 2009 with co-chairman Zack Rice, the marina director at Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club. 

The first Bash attracted 350 people — more than they had expected.

“We had to go out and get more hamburgers,” Van Vechten said. The party was a big success, and by the next year, the event doubled in size with 700 participants. Then last year, a whopping 2,000 people showed up for the Bash at Spanish River Park. 

This year’s event will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 24, and Van Vechten and Rice are gearing up for a huge turnout. Rice has lined up 26 boats from RPY&CC to provide rides, and monetary donations are rolling in.

While the co-chairmen, both volunteers, weren’t surprised when the event flourished, they couldn’t predict all the joyful tears that would be shed.

“I was on a boat when the captain asked if he could speed up since it was the end of the day,” Rice recalled from last year’s Bash. “Everyone said ‘yes,’ so he did. Then I noticed a boy in a wheelchair moving his arms and making some noise. I asked his mother if we should slow down and she said ‘oh, no!’ She said she’d never heard her son say anything or move his arms like that before. He was happy. Everyone was in tears.”

There were countless other emotional moments at the Bash during the last three years, Rice said. And there are likely to be more this year. 

“When the kids and adults arrive everyone runs out to hug each other,” Van Vechten said. “It’s so touching. They see other people who are like them.”

Besides disabled folks (and their families and caretakers), this year’s beach party will salute and invite wounded soldiers, including Purple Heart recipients.

The Bash is underwritten through private donations, many from residents of RPY&CC, and is organized and run by more than 100 community volunteers. The city provides lifeguards, police, rescue, medical, highway electronic directional signage, sanitation, and free admission into Spanish River Park (an $18 value).

For information go to www.boatingbeachbash.com or call 715-2622 or 289-3680.             

Marge Lanthier, former senior advancement officer
at St. Andrew’s School, is president of the Friends of
the Highland Beach Library. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Mary Thurwachter

The day before Valentine’s Day, a group of volunteers spent the afternoon at the library stuffing envelopes for the annual fundraising campaign. Leading the effort was Marge Lanthier, president of the Friends of the Highland Beach Library. 

Lanthier kept the group (including her husband, Jack) on task. Her enthusiasm never waned — a trait that, when coupled with her strong work ethic, propelled her to phenomenal success in raising money in the past. 

Before she retired as senior advancement officer for St. Andrew’s School in Boca Raton in 1997, Lanthier took just three years to raise $6.2 million for the private school. That accomplishment followed an even bigger one, in which she was able to raise $200 million for the University of Western Ontario, where she was external vice president and director of the Renaissance Campaign. 

“I enjoy supporting education,” Lanthier, 73, says. As for fundraising, “I never thought I would raise money for anybody. I fell into it.”

Isn’t raising money difficult, especially in these troubled economic times?

“It is hard if you don’t do it on a personal basis,” she adds. “The key to fundraising is being sincerely interested in people and helping them do what they want to do to make a difference. And you have to believe in what you’re doing.”

A former journalist and English teacher, Lanthier, who grew up in Fair Haven, Vt., believes in libraries and wants the best for the one in Highland Beach, a town she and her husband have called home for 17 years.      Last year, the Friends of the Highland Beach Library was able to do a whole lot of good for the library, spending a whopping $95,831. The range of projects included hardwood floors, storage cabinets, window treatments and AC for the community room, landscaping for the front entrance, and 10 Nooks so residents are virtually able to get any book they wanted — even if the library doesn’t have it on its shelves.

Last year’s goal was $26,000, which was exceeded by $5,000 because of a very successful gift show and used book sales. A $100,000 bequest from a resident in 2010 fattened the bank to allow for more spending than usual.

This year the Friends, who organize and fund cultural/educational events, including musical events, book talks, and receptions for visiting artists in collaboration with the library, have set a goal of $27,000.

Lanthier has a bachelor of arts degree in journalism from Pacific University in Oregon and a masters in education from Oregon State University.

Between them, she and Jack have nine children and 15 grandchildren.

In their spare time, they deliver meals for The Caring Kitchen in Delray Beach.

The Lanthiers love to travel and went sailing on their honeymoon 17 years ago. They spend summers in their cottage on Lake Heron and are planning a cruise to Barcelona next month.                              Ú

The Friends of the Library will sponsor a performance by the Lyric String Quartet at 5 p.m. March 14, and a piano and vocal performance by Paul Golden at 5 p.m. March 29. Both will be in the library’s Sanford H. Goldstein Community Room, 3618 S. Ocean Blvd., Highland Beach.

NOMINATE SOMEONE 

TO BE A COASTAL STAR Send a note to news@thecoastalstar.com or call 337-1553.

By Mary Thurwachter

Managing Editor

Combing through The Coastal Star’s community calendar each month leaves us, first, in awe of Michele Smith, the conscientious scribe who assembles the massive list and, second, inspired by the wealth of things to do here! 

March is a good example, offering so many reasons to get out of the house. For starters, we don’t want to miss Sea Turtle Day at Gumbo Limbo on March 3. We’ll say hello to Butter, the resident lobster, and other reef specimens found off the coast, and get a good look at the new turtle tanks.

Holocaust survivor Eva Appelbaum’s reading at the Highland Beach Library on March 8 deserves our attention. We just finished her book Free Confinement: Survival in Europe 1941-1945.

Can’t miss Festival of the Arts (March 7-18) at Mizner Park Amphitheatre. At the very least, we’ll have to see Casablanca with the Boca Raton Symphonia on March 9. But we’re also looking forward to the Downtown Boca Golf Cart Parade on March 17 for St. Patrick’s Day.

The Hatsume Fair at Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens March 17-18 is an annual must-see, and we’re toying with the idea of doing a little shopping at the Collectible Treasures Sale at the Boca Raton Museum of Art on March 24.

Also on the 24th, and worthy of our support, is the fourth annual Boating & Beach Bash for People with Disabilities at Spanish River Park. We salute the event organizers for adding wounded soldiers to the honorees this year.

We’re only just getting started. We know there’s no way to do it all. 

Make a to-do list of your own so you won’t miss your favorites. After all, it’s spring in Florida and it’s way too nice to stay indoors all the time.

Potential bidders check out the ‘Gasoline Alley’ part of the Milhous
Collection during the auction preview Saturday in Boca Raton.
Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Emily J. Minor

For years they’ve been coming here, often dressed in their finest, to ogle and gawk at this collection of everything from cars and pipe organs to funhouse mirrors and a retired toy soldier — from FAO Schwarz, of course.

Indeed, looking back, this magical place was perhaps one of Boca Raton’s best secrets, except maybe with the charity crowd.

The Milhous Museum was never open to the public, but it was popular for nonprofit  events and collectible conventions. Through the years, Boca Raton brothers Paul and Bob Milhous amassed a collection that was nothing short of historically fascinating: old cars, rare organs, tractors, furniture, artwork, carnival banners, turn-of-the-century firearms, Tiffany lamps, porcelain signs — and a whole ode to the American automobile in an exhibit they called “Gasoline Alley.”

Paul Milhous said collecting the finds was “an extraordinary journey.”

But after four decades of compiling a curious collection, the brothers — distant cousins of President Richard Milhous Nixon — decided it was time to sell. 

And so recently, on two, warm back-to-back Florida afternoons, the public came to buy at a sale held by two prominent auction houses, RM Auctions and Sotheby’s. 

“Now it’s time for others to enjoy these wonderful pieces,” said Paul Milhous, 73, a native of Indianapolis who with his brother ran successful manufacturing and printing businesses. Their prosperous livelihood supported a shared love for what they call “mechanical musical instruments, motorcars and collectibility.”

This merry-go-round sold nearly $1.5 million.

Now, Paul Milhous says it’s time to enjoy the family, vacation in their second homes and walk away from this hobby of cramming as much fun as possible into a 40,000-square-foot space.

The collection began about 50 years ago when Bob Milhous, now 75, bought his first antique automobile. As years went by, the size of their collection forced them to move five times, each space larger than the last. At the end, that one antique car sat aside 28 others — including an ultra-sweet Pontiac with a “pull-out radio” that could be removed from the dash and taken off for a picnic on the beach.

Paul Milhous and his brother, obviously kids at heart, have long called their museum a “big toy box.” After walking through the museum, David Redden, a Sotheby’s vice chairman, called it “an extraordinary experience.”     Several thousand prospective buyers packed the The Milhous Museum, 791 Park of Commerce Drive in Boca Raton, the last weekend in February. 

But while everything on the block that weekend was both stunning and impressive, the real beauty of the Milhous brothers wasn’t just what they found, but rather what they did once they found it. 

One of their favorite pieces was the 1913 Welte Wotan Brass Band Orchestrion, originally from the Bob-Lo Island Dance Hall in Detroit. A rare piece that cost $4,716 when it was built — a lot of money back then — the brothers had it painstakingly restored, said Paul Milhous.

“We undertook an extensive restoration of the piece bringing it back to its former glory,” he said.

An organ music aficionado, Milhous says he loved the great sound produced by more than 400 pipes, orchestra bells, a bass drum, tympani effect, two snare drums, cymbal and triangle.

The brothers said they were holding back nothing for themselves, although we have to imagine they stashed away a little something special. And while it was hard to determine what was most stunning at the weekend auction — the organs, the old tractor, the old neon gas station signs — perhaps the highlight of the collection was the 46-foot custom carousel, complete with 42 animals, two chariots and its very own Wurlitzer Organ. 

All told, the winning bids were expected to total around $40 million, an auction spokeman said. Organizers were still adding up the sales at presstime.                                 

Boca Bacchanal 2nd Annual Iron Chef Competition

Boca Raton Resort & Club

Cindy Krebsbach and Amy Kazma, members of the first-place-winning
team Cendyn, celebrate their victory  at the Feb. 10 event.  

Marie Speed, judge; Allison Lane, Iron Chef Competition co-chair;
Mary Csar, executive director, Boca Raton Historical Society;
Kimberley Rosemurgy, Iron Chef co-chair; Andrew Roenbeck,
executive chef, Boca Raton Resort & Club; Dr. Mary Jane Saunders,
judge, president, FAU.

Tim Stepien / The Coastal Star

Wellness Competition

The Bridge Hotel, Boca Raton

Boca Raton resident and retired ballet dancer Roberta Hauser, 71,
was crowned Miss Fabulous and will serve as a Promise Healthcare
ambassador of well-being. Pictured: Competition Executive Director
Carmel Pasquale, Finalist Julie Kimberly, Finalist Lauri Capano,
Hauser, Finalist Lisa Catania, Finalist Carrie Colangelo,
Promise Healthcare CEO Peter Baronoff. Hauser volunteers
to comfort terminally ill children. Photo provided

Boca Raton Museum of Art Visionaries Ball

Boca Raton Resort & Club

The Boca Raton Museum of Art’s Visionaries Ball  Feb. 18
raised $250,000. The  Jean Spence award went to Dani Sonnenblick (center),
shown with Pam Sonnenblick and Bob Sonnenblick.Photo provided

Candidates are seeking three-year terms on the city commission in two races. * designates winner

Ron Brown
Personal: 65, married, one child, Indiana University business degree and Troy State University master’s degree.

Professional: Retired Air Force and United Airlines pilot.

Political background: No prior experience.

Position on issues: Supports police initiatives to make Highway A1A safer for bicyclists and motorists by meeting with bicycle clubs and educating drivers about right-of-way on the road. Wants a town park along A1A, a resurfaced walkway and covered rest areas for pedestrians. Wants entrance signs saying “Welcome to Highland Beach, a little piece of paradise.” Says building inspector should be a town employee rather a contract employee.

Quote: “Just another day in paradise.”

Unofficial election results: Zwick - 330 votes

Miriam Zwick (i)
Personal: 82, married, four children, New York University bachelor of arts in literature.

Professional: Retired design contractor.

Political background: Five years as town commissioner, three years as vice mayor.

Position on issues: Water rates must be kept as low as possible, while trying to achieve a self-sufficient water plant. Supported town’s decision to take money from town’s reserves so increase in water rates could be gradual. Believes residents appreciate that the commission has been able to balance its budget without eliminating major services. Led a two-year effort to rename the town jetty from Jap Rock to Yamato Rock Jetty.

Quote: “People deserve to have their way of life preserved.”

CITY COMMISSION DISTRICT 2

Unofficial election results: Kelvin - 255 votes

George Kelvin
Personal: 65, married, three children, Pratt Art & Design Institute graduate.

Professional: Semi-retired science and technical illustrator for publications including Scientific American magazine.

Political background: No prior experience. Campaign manager twice in Great Neck, N.Y.

Position on issues: Wants signs to designate bicycle lanes for the safety of bicyclists and motorists. As a past member of the Highland Beach Cultural Board, he hopes to organize concerts, classes and special events to promote culture, saying he looks forward to working with the mayor and the cultural board to reintroduce a new version of the board’s past programs.  Also wants to organize cultural programs for the town’s cable TV channel.

Quote: “Even paradise has day-to-day problems that need attention. I believe I can make a valuable contribution to our life here.”

Unofficial election results: Stern - 617 votes*

Louis Stern
Personal: 77, married, two children. Temple University bachelor of science.

Professional: Manufacturer representative for jewelry industry.

Political background: Ran unsuccessfully for commissioner in 2009. Two years on Board of Adjustment. Six years on Town Planning Board, including four as chairman.

Position on issues: Wants bridges on Intracoastal Waterway to open on a fixed time schedule rather than on demand. He has been working with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to have a reduced wake zone. Wants upgrades at Town Hall and replacement of some fire equipment. Wants improvements to the town’s small roadways and also to bicycle and pedestrian paths.

Quote: “I wish to preserve Highland Beach as a pristine beach community with sincere effort toward safety, enhanced quality of life and to be fiscally responsible.”

More than 500 guests attended the YMCA of South Palm Beach County’s 10th 
Annual Prayer Breakfast on Feb. 9 at the Boca Raton Resort & Club to see keynote
speaker and daytime TV celebrity Regis Philbin. Pictured are Philbin (left) and
Mary Jo and Richard Pollock of Highland Beach. Photo provided

Community Sweethearts Donna Zoley (left), Dr. Marta Rendon
and Fern Cole at the Junior League of Boca Raton’s 11th Annual
Chocolate Decadence at the Shops of Boca Center.

Photo provided

By Thom Smith

The last time Jose Carreras performed in Palm Beach County, in March 2009, a persistent cough forced him to cut short a concert at the Kravis Center. He apologized to the audience and said he would like to return when he was in better health. That eventually became March 7, the opening of the Festival of the Arts Boca, part of a five-concert U.S. tour.

It’s off. With no reason given, the Spanish tenor, 65, canceled the tour, including a March 2 date in Tampa. The only hint:  a notice published Feb. 13 on an unofficial Carreras website, (http://josepcarreras-tenor-breakingnews.blogspot.com): “The U.S. tour, based on five dates has been cancelled due to organizational problems.”

Nevertheless, the festival will press ahead. 

Doris Kearns Goodwin

With this crazy primary season, presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin is all over TV these days, but on March 18 she’ll be in the flesh talking about presidents past and present under the big tent at Mizner Park Amphitheatre. A Boca Raton winter resident, Goodwin is the festival’s Distinguished Writer in Residence. 

Another face familiar to political TV junkies is Mika Brzezinski, co-host of  Morning Joe on MSNBC and daughter of  former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski. She’ll speak March 12. 

The festival offers a broad spectrum, with jazz by Patti Austin and Tony DeSare (March 15), a screening of Casablanca with live accompaniment provided by the Boca Raton Symphonia conducted by Festival Music Director Constantine Kitsopoulos (March 9), and pianist Valentina Lisitsa performing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Lynn University Philharmonia (March 14). For information, see www.fesitvaloftheartsboca.org or call 866-571-2787.

Whoa! Double take! Is that who I think it is, Senada Adzem asked herself early on the afternoon of Feb. 19 as she was leaving the Boca Raton Resort & Club. Indeed, it was former President Bill Clinton, natty in light gray suit and surrounded by Secret Service.

“The security detail was incredible,” said Adzem, a local Realtor, noting that she was not allowed to snap a photo. “But the buzz was incredible! People love him. He looked terrific.”

A few hours later, the prez had changed clothes and joined Carnival CEO and Miami Heat owner Micky Arison at the Heat’s stomping of the Orlando Magic. No problems with photos at the game, and afterward Clinton met the players and the game officials, whom he told, “No one in this building, other than me, has been second-guessed more than you guys.” 

Clinton’s visit to the Boca Resort, however, was so low-key that some members of management didn’t even know he was there, much less why. And a spokesperson at Clinton Foundation offices in New York had no comment.

Wonder what congressional candidate Adam Hasner was discussing with former Delray City Council candidate Nick Loeb one recent afternoon at Coffee District on Second Avenue? A donation perhaps? Loeb does have some deep pockets. Or possibly a campaign appearance by Loeb’s squeeze Sofia Vergara for Republican Hasner, who would face a tough fight with former West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel?  

Last August, Loeb broke a leg and his pelvis and injured his chest when his SUV left a twisty road in Bel Air. According to RadarOnline.com, he’s suing the city of Los Angeles because no guardrails or signs were present to warn drivers of blind turns. A passerby saw the crash, called police, and then shot video of Loeb motionless on the ground as paramedics tend to him, his smoking car farther down the steep hill.  

Access to music in schools has declined 50 percent in recent years, and studies show that within two or three years of such cuts schools show a decrease in morale and attendance and an increase in vandalism and disruption. Deciding something had to be done, Boca Raton’s Cole twins, Timolin and Casey, who know first-hand the value of music, founded Nat King Cole Generation Hope to support programs that provide instruction, mentoring and resources. 

The spirit of their father will be alive March 8 at BB King’s Blues Club at CityPlace in West Palm Beach: The foundation’s “Generations” concert will feature Mary Wilson of The Supremes, and guest appearances by young Boca stars, 10-year-old violin prodigy Brianna Kahane and 2011 American Idol Semi-Finalist Brett Loewenstern.  (http://natkingcolefoundation.org)

Easy come, easy go. No decision yet as to who or what will replace the destination restaurant at the Omphoy at the south end of Palm Beach. Formerly known as Michelle Bernstein at The Omphoy, it’s now just The Restaurant at The Omphoy. The menu is the same, but hot, hot, hot Miami chef Michelle Bernstein is gone.

Bernstein did not comment about her departure. Nor did executive chef Lindsay Autray, a Bernstein protégé, who was on leave when the announcement was made. 

Also gone after a few months on the job: Glen Manfra at SpoonFed in Delray and Roy Villacrusis at Kapow! Noodle Bar in Boca’s Mizner Park.     

For Manfra, who made his name two decades ago in Palm Beach and later returned at  Vic and Angelo’s in Delray, the arrangement with AMG Restaurants just didn’t work out. He had a good staff and he liked the three-meals-a-day concept.  

Villacrusis, he of the two-toned hair and the multi-toned palate, has checked out of Kapow! Noodle Bar in Mizner Park. Apparently what he wanted to do with his Asian fusion menu didn’t coincide with what the somewhat more conservative patrons wanted, so he took a hike after a few weeks. 

Meanwhile, until he finds another restaurant venture, Villacrusis can find solace in Fort Lauderdale with The Traveling Plate, a movable feast that raises money for charity. On April 5, he’ll create the menu and oversee the festivities at Girls’ Club Collection, a gallery dedicated to women.

Mixed media. First to shut down was Florida Stage. Now the Caldwell Theatre Company faces at minimum, bankruptcy, or worse, curtains. Artistic Director Clive Colerton says South Florida’s longest-running regional theater is trying to restructure its debt and doesn’t intend to shut down. 

No doubt the builders of Broadstone at North Boca Village wonder what will happen. Alliance Residential Company LLC of Phoenix, Ariz., had planned to make the Caldwell an integral part of its new 384-unit townhouse and apartment complex rising just to the south, even providing 126 parking spaces for the theater. A fitness center, putting green, yoga studio, business center, video game room, demonstration kitchen, cyber café, personal massage salon, wine and cigar room, and resort-style swimming pool area already are planned. Why not a theater, too!

Parade Productions’ inaugural show, Brooklyn Boy, at The Studio at Mizner Park (in the old cartoon museum) received mixed reviews, although Avi Hoffman, a double Carbonell Award nominee, received good notices as the title character. Parade promises another as yet unannounced play at The Studio “this time next year.”    

While on the subject of Carbonell Awards, which recognize the best theater in South Florida, Best New Work Nominees include Carter W. Lewis for The Cha-Cha of the Camel Spider at Florida Stage and Michael McKeever for Stuff at Caldwell, which also received two best production nominations, for Stuff and Clybourne Park. Stuff , also received a supporting actress nomination for Angie Radosh and scenic design for Tim Bennett, while Clybourne Park claimed a best ensemble nod. Also Antonio Amadeo received a supporting actor nomination for Florida Stage’s Camel Spider.

Palm Beach County was tops among the three counties, with 43 nominations, 25 going to the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, 10 to Palm Beach Dramaworks, six to Caldwell and two to Florida Stage. 

So good theater is out there; it just needs support.  

Good art and good museums also are out there, no better an example than the Boca Raton Museum of Art, which was named the county’s outstanding arts and cultural organization for programs with budgets more than $500,000. 

“This award is a testament to all who’ve worked and contributed to the museum during its 60 years,” said Steve Maklansky as he accepted the Palm Beach County Cultural Council Muse Award. “Not only is there a culture of philanthropy but also a philanthropy of culture.” 

Maklansky, who’s only been at the museum’s helm since last July, replacing the retired George Bolge, is known for establishing partnerships with local businesses, schools and civic organizations and creating community outreach programs. Billboards have popped up, even in Broward County, urging people to go to StartClass.org for information about the museum’s art school, and pre-feature ads in movie theaters promote “Close Up,” the museum’s show of ultrarealistic celebrity photographs by Martin Schoeller.

For those in the audience at the Kravis Center who could remember when Boca was known for its big hotel and an amusement park called Africa USA, the ceremony offered confirmation that South County culture is thriving as five of the eight Muses came south. 

Stephen Backhus, outreach program manager at the Milagro Center in Delray Beach was named outstanding arts educator; Palm Beach Poetry Festival, outstanding organization with budget less than $500,000; The Morikami’s Bon Festival, outstanding art or cultural program; and Carol Prusa, artist and art professor at FAU, received the Hector Ubertalli Award for Visual Arts. 

“I read in Art in America that Palm Beach was the next hot place, and I asked myself could that be,” Prusa said. “So I packed my bags and moved down here. And I haven’t regretted it.”

Party on … and on … and on … annnnnd  … 

For St. Patrick’s Day, Boca will inaugurate the “Off the Green” Downtown Golf Cart Parade, starting at noon from Mizner Park to Royal Palm Place and back. Families, neighborhoods, country clubs and golf courses, schools, organizations and visitors are urged to decorate golf carts. Entry fee is $25. (Call 393-7827.)

Parade will be followed by Irish festivities all afternoon and a free concert by Celtic band Seven Nations at 6. 

All things must pass. Internationally acclaimed sculptor Esther Wertheimer has sold her Boca Raton winter home and is returning to Montreal to be with her family.

“My son, my daughter and my grandchildren are all in Canada,” Wertheimer says. “Business has been slow here and my family is providing me with an apartment. Health care is provided in Canada too. I hate to leave Boca Raton, but I will be back.”

Born in Lodz, Poland, Wertheimer moved with her family to Montreal as a child.  She won her first gold medal for art in Italy in 1977. In the years since she has amassed a list of honors, but says one of her most significant awards is the Gold Medal of Lorenzo il Magnifico and Certificate of Honor for her career and body of work at the Biennale Internazionale Dell’ Arte, Florence, Italy, in 2009.

Thom Smith is a freelance writer. Contact him at thomsmith@ymail.com. Skip Sheffield contributed to this column.

Candidates for Seat D on the City Council are running for a three-year term. A March 27 runoff will be held in the event of a tie. Constance Scott won a second two-year term to Seat C after challenger Bill Trinka, a retired firefighter, dropped out.

*Designates winner

Unofficial election results: Chapman - 2,984 votes

Frank Chapman
Personal: 44, married, three children, Ohio University accounting degree and Case Western Reserve law degree.

Professional: Attorney.

Political background: No prior experience.

Position on issues: Pledges to be an independent voice on the council who will “get results from Day One.” Says raising taxes is not the way to balance Boca Raton’s budget because the council should not ask families to give the government more when they are trying to survive with less. Believes government and the private sector innovators should work together to create new jobs. Says safe neighborhoods and high achievement in schools are critical to the city’s future. Pledges to hold special interests accountable because he would work only for residents.

Quote: “When I say I won’t raise taxes, I mean it. When I say I will create jobs, I will do it. And when I say I will put the people first, you can believe it.”

Unofficial election results: Majhess - 3,853 votes*

Anthony Majhess (i)
Personal: 43, single, no children, University of Florida sociology degree.

Professional: Firefighter and paramedic.

Political background: City Council member since 2009.

Position on issues: Says Boca Raton residents deserve an open, honest and accessible representative on the City Council who will fight to protect their interests over outsiders, developers and political special interests. Says he voted to reduce property taxes, fought to pass a smart, balanced budget that reduced spending in a tough economy without sacrificing vital city services such as police and fire protection. Believes the council needs to protect residents, neighborhoods and the entire community from overdevelopment, too much density and poorly planned growth that clogs streets, eliminates green space and harms the city’s quality of life. Pledges to continue asking tough questions and being an advocate for the people.

Quote: “I will fight to protect the people of Boca Raton and not the special interests.”

By Jan Norris

Boca Raton’s mayor and her staff got a leg up on movie-goers at the new iPic theater slated to open this summer in Mizner Park.

Hamid Hashemi presented Susan Whelchel and a few council members with their own monogrammed pillows and blankets — to be used in the new electric leather recliners that will serve as seating in the luxe-premium areas of the upscale theater.

At an outdoor press con-ference in Mizner Park’s green space last month, Hashemi, CEO of iPic Entertainment, unveiled design plans and details of the new theater he dubs “the future of cinema.”

“Think of it as a better version of the W Hotel,” he said. Top hotel designers were hired to design the interior of the 43,000-square-foot two-story space that replaces the old Sunrise Theater, vacant for a year in the shopping park.

IPics — there are eight others in the Southwest and Northwest U.S. — aim to take movie-going to a new level, with eight intimate 40- to 80-seat auditoriums featuring large leather chairs with tables for food and, at the Premium-Plus level, food and beverage service and plush pillows and blankets for comfort.

“You won’t want to watch a dull movie here, or you’ll be asleep in no time,” he said.

That comfort comes at a price — tickets to the movies will average more than $20 — but include a free box of popcorn at the Premium-Plus level. Free membership in the theater includes similar perks, including online ticket purchasing and advance release notes. Registration is already open at ipictheaters.com.

Tanzy, a 7,000-square-foot, 250-seat restaurant will be the dining venue at the theater, but will open to the public as well. The independently run restaurant with full bar will front Federal Highway, where a vivid sign and seating will attract visitors to Mizner Park and the theater, Hashemi said. 

An express counter for ordering premade foods to take into the theater will be accessible inside. Diners can expect flatbreads, salads, sliders and similar fare, he said. Further details of menus, chefs and interiors will be announced at a later date.

Other innovations have to do with technology, he said. Movie buffs will be able to interact in real time with directors or producers brought in for Q&A sessions in the California iPic and shown on a video feed. 

The theater is slated to open sometime in May or June. It competes with one of Hashemi’s first upscale movie palaces — now known as Cinemark Palace 20 — formerly Muvico Palace, less than 4 miles away. 

He opened that theater in 2000, with a premiere level for adults only. The new iPic will be open to all ages.

Hashemi will also be in charge of first-run and other movies to be shown under the stars at the Mizner Park Amphitheater. Whelchel said during the news conference.

More details about those showings, prices and schedules will be released at a later time, Hashemi said. “We’re still working out some of those details.”                                      Ú

The flower beds of Gail Brown’s Delray Beach house are
filled with 1,400 New Guinea impatiens. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Antigone Barton

Every October, for each of the last 20 years, Gail Brown has surrounded her white-pillared, white-trimmed gray house with 2,000 white impatiens, creating a vista that stops passing drivers, sparks countless conversations, and earned her the informal title of “the White Impatiens Lady.”

Then in early February this year, her plants began to droop one day. A few leaves turned yellow, a few green stalks lost their flowers. Within three days, they had all collapsed. Brown’s garden was indistinguishable from any other hit by a plague exclusive to impatiens that has swept the state this season, taking out hundreds of thousands of the popular plants countywide. 

The flowers were felled by downy mildew, a fungus that had recently appeared in Europe and then in other states in this country, but has not been seen in Florida since the mid-1960s. Its path has been swift and devastating here, leaving gardens and community entrances barren, nurseries bereft and landscapers scrambling for replacements.

Bob Glynn of Delray Garden Center replenished Brown’s garden with 1,400 New Guinea impatiens, which are not affected by downy mildew. The substitute, with darker, richer, waxy green leaves and slightly larger flowers, won’t get as voluminous as her former garden, and the sight of them is “not as dramatic,” she says. “But I will say, they are lovely and gracious bedding.”

She and the many others who rely on impatiens to infuse the Florida winter months with color will have time to grow accustomed to the new look; landscapers say it will be about five years before impatiens can thrive again here.

New Guinea Impatiens

In the meantime, however, Glynn has seen about 50,000 plants felled by the disease.

“And I’m just a little guy,” he added. There is no stopping the disease, which he first saw in the beginning of this year, and which is airborne.

“People need to be educated on this,” Glynn said. He has continued to see the plants sold, he said. “It’s a shame. The plants are all going to be diseased and die in a few weeks.”

As impatiens vanish from landscapes, some homeowners are planning a head start on summer, with pentas and vincas, which some growers have started supplying earlier than usual, said Joe Mignano of the Boynton Beach-based Mignano Tree Care. 

“We’re putting color back,” he said.

Mignano, whose clients include homeowner associations and estates running the length of State Road A1A, has pulled more than 100,000 impatiens since first spotting diseased impatiens in a west Boca Raton community in early January.

Mignano is advising clients to get rid of their impatiens quickly. 

“People are telling us they look fine,” he said. “They’re not fine.”

Vincas, which usually aren’t available until early May, should be ready for planting in the next few weeks, Mignano said.           Ú

By Steve Plunkett

The town has offered to settle former Town Manager Dale Sugerman’s lawsuit out of court and is waiting for his answer.

“At this point, all I can tell you is a lawsuit is going on, but there’s always conversations in any lawsuit about can we settle the case or do we fight the case. That’s really where we’re at now,” Town Attorney Glen Torcivia said at the Town Commission’s Feb. 7 meeting.

Sugerman’s suit claims his February 2010 suspension and the subsequent non-renewal of his contract amounted to an “unlawful ouster.” It seeks damages in excess of $30,000 each from Highland Beach, Town Commissioner Doris Trinley, former Commissioner John Sorrelli and former Mayor Jim Newill, plus attorney’s fees and costs.

Torcivia convened private attorney-client sessions with the current mayor and commissioners on Jan. 4 and Jan. 31. Also sitting in was Lyman Reynolds, the town’s labor lawyer, and Town Manager Kathleen Weiser.

On Feb. 3, the town alerted the court that it had delivered a “proposal for settlement” to Sugerman, according to records at the county clerk’s

                              Dale Sugerman                                            office.

That followed a mediator’s report Jan. 18 that “the parties have reached a total impasse,” the clerk’s records show.

And on Jan. 20, Judge Janis Brustares Keyser ordered Sugerman’s claim for attorney’s fees be stricken from the lawsuit, the records show.

The suit says Trinley, Sorrelli and Newill “led the charge” not to extend Sugerman’s employment when they learned he planned to suspend Town Clerk Beverly Brown without pay for emailing “White America” jokes at work on her official computer.

Sugerman contends his employment contract could be terminated by a commission vote or by himself, “but in no event could it not be renewed” so he is entitled to a year’s severance pay plus accrued vacation and sick time and 12 months of health insurance.

Before the suit was filed Oct. 3, Sugerman’s lawyer demanded Highland Beach pay its ex-manager $166,114 in severance, $31,567 for accrued time, health and medical benefits for a year and $12,100 for attorney’s fees.

“Moreover,” the letter said, “Dr. Sugerman requires a written public apology, approved by the Town Commission at a duly called meeting of the same, and clarification that he is not at fault for any wrongdoing in connection with his employment by the Town.”

Commissioners ordered Sugerman to leave Town Hall at their Feb. 1, 2010, meeting. In April, an independent hearing officer agreed with then-Town Attorney Tom Sliney that Brown should be punished with a written reprimand instead of Sugerman’s proposed unpaid suspension.                               Ú

Milton’s Grooming Parlor in Manalapan incorporates images of Milton.

By Arden Moore

Martha Stewart inspires many with her cuisine and knack for home décor. But for Maurici Luz, it’s all about the dogs. Specifically, Stewart’s eye-catching French bulldogs, Francesca and Sharkey, sparked his motivation to become a successful pet entrepreneur. 

Stewart’s pair of pooches star on her Daily Wag website and blog when they are not out and about traveling in style in New York City with their famous owner.

“Her dogs, Francesca and Sharkey inspired me and I fell in love with the French bulldog breed,” confesses Luz, the Brazilian-born owner of Maurici’s Salon & Spa in Manalapan.

Not only did Luz adopt a French bulldog from Brazil and name him Milton, but he unleashed his passion for pets by opening Milton’s Grooming Parlor in the same location as his human salon in April 2011. And, yes, this 6,000-square-foot stylish business is in Plaza del Mar, right across the street from the pet-welcoming Ritz Carlton.

And business is going to the dogs (and a few felines) so well that Luz is seriously considering making the location cater strictly to four-legged clientele by increasing its grooming services, doggy day care and boarding services and hosting the occasional yappy hour.

“I could easily close this salon overnight and turn it into a spa parlor for dogs,” says Luz, age 47. “Why, in the past three weeks, I’ve made more money providing dogs with facials and baths than I have styling hair for people. It’s amazing how much people love their pets.”

Milton

Playfully, Luz says while some people may bark at the cost for salon treatments or complain about a haircut, his canine clients always show their tail-wagging appreciation.

In the latest issue of Milton’s e-newsletter letter, Luz unleashed a top 10 list of reasons why it costs more to get your pet groomed than your own haircut. My favorite picks from this list: 

No. 10: Your hairdresser does not wash and clean your rear end.

No. 9: You do not go eight weeks without washing or brushing your hair.

No. 5: You sit still for your hairdresser.

No. 4: Your haircut does not include a manicure and pedicure.

No. 3: Your hairdresser only cuts the hair on your head. 

Luz has served as a personal hairdresser for millionaires, ridden in jets and been chauffeured in stretch limousines, but none of that compares to hanging with his beloved Milton, who he credits with bolstering his outlook on life. 

“I do not treat Milton like a dog; I treat him like my friend,” says Luz. “I love how mellow he is, his big ears and his cute face. Everywhere we go, everyone knows Milton. He makes people smile. He is great therapy. There is nothing better to fight stress that to take a half-hour walk on the beach with a dog like Milton.” 

Luz returns the pampering favor to Milton, who is treated to regular massages, teeth brushing, ear and paw cleaning and the opportunity to do a full-body wiggle whenever Luz plays spirited samba music. 

Come March 11, Milton will turn 5 and Luz is busying planning for a dog party celebration that will rival some of the top people parties in Palm Beach.

“I do my best for my dog and he always gives me kisses. That’s my Milton,” he says.

Like Martha Stewart, Luz has a dog in his life to credit for unleashing creativity and tapping into the pet-loving public. Milton, like Francesca and Sharkey, has his own magazine, e-newsletter and an ever-expanding Milton Collection line of pet products that include dog bathrobes, T-shirts, fragrant vanilla candles and essential oils made from a blend of tropical flowers, citrus fruits, lemon grass, mint and eucalyptus. A little dab is enough to turn a tired dog into a revived one. 

And, this little dog also sports a closet full of clothes, from the casual Brazilian T-shirt to a black tailored tux. Milton’s growing popularity has Luz considering a new T-shirt slogan: Milton for President.

Hmmmm … I’m betting if dogs could be on the ballot, there would be plenty of paw-tisian support for a special black French bulldog from Palm Beach County. 

Arden Moore, founder of FourLeggedLife.com, is an animal behavior consultant, editor, author, professional speaker and certified pet first aid instructor. She happily shares her home with two dogs, two cats and one overworked vacuum cleaner. Tune in to her Oh Behave! show on PetLifeRadio.com and learn more by visiting www.fourleggedlife.com.

Debbi Lahr Lawlor

Debbi Lahr Lawlor, a long-time resident who was chairwoman of Boca Festival Days for the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce, has been named operations director for the 33-year-old Boca Raton Children’s Museum.

In the newly created position, Lawlor is responsible for the management of all museum staff, volunteers, facilities and resources, as well as for development and implementation of museum programs.

Previously, Lawlor had leadership roles with Kids in Distress, Gumbo Limbo Nature Center and Little Palm Family Theatre. Her volunteer experience includes event volunteer coordinator for Boca Raton Educational Television; board member of the Royal Palm Dinner Theatre and the Little Palm Family Theatre; and volunteer at Addison Mizner Elementary School, Boca Raton Middle School, Spanish River Community High School, Hospice by the Sea, and the George Snow Foundation.

The museum, at 498 Crawford Blvd., helps children develop creative and critical thinking skills. 

— Staff report

By Steve Plunkett

Changing town attorneys may save the town upward of $30,000 a year if January’s legal bill is any guide.

New attorney Glen Torcivia billed Highland Beach $6,396 for 32.8 hours of work in his first month on the job. The total is just 71 percent of the $9,000-a-month retainer paid the man he replaced, longtime Town Attorney Tom Sliney.

“I’m pleased that our bill was less, but I don’t want to jump to conclusions,” Torcivia said. “It could have just been a slow month.”

Besides attending meetings of the Town Commission, the Planning Board and Code Enforcement Board, Torcivia billed Highland Beach $975 for five hours drafting legal opinions about bicyclists on State Road A1A and Florida statutes that affect town government. Also on the bill: $585 for three hours’ work on former Town Manager Dale Sugerman’s lawsuit against the town.

Torcivia, who is paid $195 an hour, did not charge Highland Beach for 5.1 hours of work during the transition between Sliney and himself, or for the time he spends traveling to and from town.

Another freebie: the 12 minutes Torcivia spent writing a bio for the town newsletter.

Torcivia is also town attorney for Palm Springs, Belle Glade and Sewall’s Point in coastal Martin County.

Sliney, who became Highland Beach’s attorney in 1973, resigned Dec. 31 after Commissioner Dennis Sheridan said he wanted to find out how much other law firms would charge to represent the town. Ú

St. Lucy Catholic Church member Marilyn Rubin (left)
of Highland Beach enjoys the Xpressions 2012 40th Annual
Fashion Show & Luncheon with her guest Audrey Miller. The
show was held at the Delray Beach Club on Feb. 18. 

By Tim Pallesen

The social life at St. Lucy Catholic Church is geared to the seniors.

“We cater to an older population that loves to come out and dance,” said Rana Vitha, president of the St. Lucy Council of Catholic Women. “That’s a little unique to St. Lucy because of the age of our population.”

Nearly all 700 members at the Highland Beach congregation are retirees. Many are snowbirds who arrive for the winter when St. Lucy’s social season comes alive.

“We’re quiet in the summer and blooming in the winter like any other vacation spot,” former CCW president Pat Foster said.

Italian Night on Jan. 14 was the first big dinner-dance this season, organized by the St. Lucy Men’s Club. A seven-piece live band provided music in the parish hall.

The Men’s Club sponsored a bus trip to see the horse races at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 4. Next up is the St. Patrick’s Day dinner-dance on March 10.

Church members Rose Tenny-Grasso (top), Marilyn Fontenelli (middle)
and Jacqueline Philippoussi (above) model clothing from Sondro’s in
Deerfield Beach and Plaza Boutique in Delray Beach.
Photos by Kurtis Boggs/The Coastal Star

Women outnumber the men in the aging congregation. So the ladies have their own calendar of social events.

Their season began with a December tea called the Baby Jesus Shower in which they brought clothing and toys as Christmas gifts for children in a poor Catholic parish in Pahokee.

The women held their 40th annual fashion show and luncheon at the Delray Beach Club on Feb. 18. Eight women from the congregation modeled clothes from dress shops in Delray Beach and Deerfield Beach.

But church leaders at St. Lucy aren’t just trying to have fun. They are also trying to combat loneliness, particularly among elderly widows in the congregation.

“Women outlive men,” Vitha said. “We have a lot of women who are experiencing loneliness, health [issues] and financial shock.”

To better understand needs within the congregation, the Council of Catholic Women invited the women to speak out at “Life Challenges for Women” on Feb. 7.

Their concerns will help church leaders plan next winter’s schedule of events at St. Lucy.

“We feel we are providing Christ’s ministry,” Vitha said.

The musical talent from four churches and two synagogues will join March 25 to perform a Sounds of Promise concert to benefit the interfaith Family Promise charity.

Choral and instrumental music during the 4 p.m. concert at First Presbyterian in Delray Beach will range from spirituals to Hebrew songs. “It’s going to be an exciting and varied event with something for everybody,” said Jim Poch, the concert’s musical director.

The horse-drawn carriage in Cuba.

Glades Presbyterian and the B’nai Torah congregation will send full choirs. The praise band from First United Methodist is coming along with organist Brian Davy from St. Gregory’s Episcopal and soloist Barbara Bayer from Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.

“It’s going to be phenomenal,” said cantor Stephanie Shore from B’nai Torah, who will sing and serve as master of ceremonies for the event.

The six congregations participating in the concert and six others form Family Promise, a charity that provides emergency shelter and food to families with children. Tickets for the fund-raiser are $20.

Members of First United Methodist Church in Boca Raton are off to Haiti and Cuba with a renewed spirit for world mission.

The congregation began on Vision Sunday last November by adopting a new slogan: “Making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”

“We believe we are waking up to a stronger emphasis on mission, both in the community around us and in the world,” associate pastor Tom Tift said.

A delegation left March 4 to Haiti to explore ways to help Grace Children’s Hospital in Port-au-Prince and the Christian School of New Vision in LaJeune.

First Methodist already supports the children’s hospital financially, and trip leader Dan Bertotti has led three previous delegations to Haiti to help build a dormitory and well for the school.

“We see this month’s trip as the first step to identify ways we can become a more meaningful partner,” Tift said.

Teachers from Toussaint L’Ouverture High School, a Delray Beach charter school for Haitian immigrants, is with the delegation to teach the Haitian school’s teachers.

As they do, Tift and the Methodists will escort the 60 orphans who live at the school on a tour of the Citadel, a castle on a mountaintop. They also plan Bible readings and a talent show for the children.

In Cuba, the Methodists from Boca Raton have embraced Christians in the rural town of Palenque to build a home for their pastor. They also purchased a horse-drawn carriage to bring people to church.

All Methodist churches in Florida are encouraged to identify a sister church in Cuba. The communist regime of Fidel Castro doesn’t allow new churches to be built. So the pastor’s home in Palenque was built with a special room where the Cuban congregation can worship.

First Methodist’s mission efforts got a boost when William Joel, a long-time church usher, surprised the congregation with a $1 million gift after his death last year.

Celebrants will wear Spanish costumes for the annual Purim party at the Chabad of East Boca Raton on March 8.

Flamenco guitarist Alex Fox will perform after a 5:30 p.m. dinner to celebrate the deliverance of Jews over their enemies in the ancient Persian Empire. A carnival will entertain the children.

Tickets to Purim en España are $35. Call 417-7797 for details.

Tim Pallesen writes about people of faith, their congregations, causes and community events. Email him at tcpallesen@aol.com.

Stephanie Miskew of coastal Delray Beach raises a glass
inside the wine room at the Seagate Hotel & Spa, where one of the Boca Bacchanal events will be held. Miskew is general
chairman. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Stephanie Miskew is a busy woman. A self-taught wine educator, she’s not only blogging about food and wine, but she’s also organizing monthly food and wine appreciation courses. And right now, she’s particularly busy serving as general chairman of the 10th annual Boca Bacchanal.

“I’m lucky. I get to work on a great event that involves my passion for wine. I get to work with a great group of people and it’s all for a good cause,” she says.

The Bacchanal, which runs March 23-25, is a wine and food weekend benefiting the Historic Preservation and Heritage Education Programs of the Boca Raton Historical Society. It starts with six Vintner Dinners on Friday night that pair chefs and winemakers with intimate groups of diners.

On Saturday night, the Bacchus Bash at the Boca Raton Resort and Club features appetizers created by visiting chefs as well as a sit-down dinner prepared by the resort’s executive chef, Andrew Roenbeck.

Sunday is the Grand Tasting of 140 wines and samples of food from 30 local restaurants under a tent at Mizner Park Amphitheater. 

With the Bacchanal fast approaching, Miskew and committee members are feverishly working to pull it all together. 

“At this point we are sure to be touching base with each other often,” Miskew says.

In fact, she is not only helping to organize the event but also teaming up with Kate and Ted Toomey of Delray Beach and Sharon and Bill Shubin of Boca Raton to sponsor a Vintner Dinner. 

“What I love about this event is that you get to have intimate access to people in the food and wine world that you don’t get at other similar events in the area. It’s a special experience,” she says.

Miskew hasn’t always been into food and wine. She grew up in Plantation before going to Rollins College in Winter Park. Then  she went to graduate school in Colorado for speech pathology.

“But food was always in the background. My mother was a wonderful cook, and I always cooked during my college days,” she says.

After grad school, she lived on the upper east side of Manhattan. “The thing about living in New York is that you can walk out into the neighborhood and find three great places to eat. I got spoiled,” she says.

Although she found plenty of places to explore, she found little market for her speech skills. So instead, she became a pharmaceutical sales representative. And she met her husband. 

Her sister, who lived in Annapolis, Md., was on a Southwest flight for a visit with their parents in Florida. And, as fate would have it, a man boarded the plane late and took the center seat next to her. 

“He was kind of a big guy crammed in the seat so they got to talking,” Miskew says. He turned out to be Steve Miskew, who was into commercial real estate and lived in Delray Beach.

Her sister thought he’d make a great match for Miskew so she gave him the contact information of her sister in New York. He called and they talked.

In January  2001, Miskew’s grandmother died and she returned to Florida for the funeral. While here, she met Steve and the couple continued to email each other. “But we were just friends,” she says. 

When Miskew’s company offered her a position in Florida, she wanted warm weather and accepted. They gave her a month to move. But four days later, Manhattan’s twin towers were attacked by planes.

“I was ready to go, and I left the city a week later,” she says.

Once she was in Florida, the couple dated and then married. In 2005, they celebrated their second anniversary with a 10-day tour of Rome, Florence and Tuscany.  “It was here that I caught the wine bug,” she says.  

Returning home, she “jumped into wine sales” by taking a position with a boutique wine distributor.  “I knew I wanted to make wine my career,” she says.

But when the economy tanked, the distributor shut its doors. Miskew, however,  continued her wine education with classes and certification tests at The Breakers in Palm Beach and Johnson & Wales in North Miami. Today she lists certified sommelier and wine location specialist as credentials.

“Some of the tests including tastings and were traumatic,” she says.

In 2009, the Junior League of Boca Raton celebrated the 10th anniversary of its award-winning cookbook, Savor The Moment. Miskew is a member so after seeing the movie Julie & Julia, she decided to promote the anniversary by cooking her way through all 255 recipes in the book and then blogging about it. 

But she didn’t get to finish her task. 

In the fall of 2010, she tripped and broke her hip. She’d had a hip replacement at age 27 due to a motorcycle accident she’d suffered when she was 15. This break was a sign she needed another. She had surgery in January 2011 and is still undergoing physical therapy.

“It’s been a long recovery,” she says. But that hasn’t stopped her. 

She’s returned to blogging about food and wine. And she’s working to making this year’s Boca Bacchanal something special.

“I’m always impressed with the caliber of food and wine they have at the Bacchanal. Who knew there could be such an event in Boca Raton?” she says.                     

If You Go

Boca Bacchanal, March 23-25.

Vintner Dinners: Held at six private locations  at 7 p.m. on March 23  $300 per person.

Bacchus Bash: March 24 at 6 p.m. Boca Raton Resort and Club in the Great Hall, 501 E. Camino Real, Boca Raton; $250 per person includes valet parking.

The Grand Tasting: March 25 from noon to 3 p.m. in Mizner Park Amphitheater at the north end of Mizner Park on Federal Highway just north of Palmetto Park Road; $85 in advance, $100 at the gate.

For information and tickets, visit www.bocabacchanal.com; call 561-395-6766, ext. 101, or email info@bocahistory.org .

Art of Wine and Food Series: For information on Stephanie Miskew’s monthly wine and food program at the Art Museum of Fort Lauderdale, visit www.moafl.org or call 954-525-5500.

The Glamourous Gourmet: www.theglamorousgourmet.com is Stephanie Miskew’s food and wine blog.

By Steve Plunkett

All planning and design efforts for a park at Ocean Strand have been stopped.

The Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District, which owns the oceanfront 14.85 acres just south of Spanish River Park, ordered a halt to Ocean Strand work on Feb. 21 “until a documented recreational need is recognized.”

Curtis+Rogers Design Studio Inc., the consultant hired to plan a park for the parcel spanning the Atlantic to the Intracoastal, recommended the work stoppage.

“Basically they looked at the amount of recreation amenities that we have compared to the rest of the world,” said Robert Langford, executive director of the beach and park district. “This property is just so unique. You can plop a ball field almost any place you want to.”

“We shouldn’t squander it on just whatever recreation need might pop into our heads.”

Langford said he agreed with the Curtis+Rogers recommendation “that we stop spending money on this site, on this planning and development until we find something that really, really is what we need for our town.”

The proposal was not wholeheartedly endorsed.

“There is, in my opinion, a very serious need in this town for a park specially designed for people with disabilities … for instance, people who cannot go out into the sun,” said Joe Pedalino, who lives in the Boca Towers condominium next to the site and is chairman of KeepYourBocaBeachesPublic.org.

Beach and park commissioners voted unanimously to stop planning and design of a park.

Separately, the Boca Raton City Council voted Feb. 14 to send a comprehensive land-use amendment to the state Department of Economic Opportunity for review. The change would reserve the Ocean Strand parcel for Recreation and Open Space uses instead of its current Residential Medium status.

The Residential Medium land use and its accompanying zoning would have permitted up to 80 residential units on the barrier island, acting Planning, Zoning and Development Manager Jim Bell said. 

The Recreation and Open Space designation would allow only park-related structures no more than about 51,000 square feet and cut a potential 544 daily automobile trips, he said.

Bell said the parcel is the last vacant property stretching from the ocean to the Intracoastal in the city. The Economic Opportunity review should take about 60 days, he said.

“I just want to thank the neighbors and the citizens for their advocacy to make this happen tonight,” Deputy Mayor Susan Haynie said. “Everyone in this room will be pleased with putting this area aside for a future park.”

The property was discussed at a number of beach-park district and city meetings after Florida-Penn Cos. in late 2009 proposed putting a cabana club there to augment a luxury hotel planned for downtown. 

Neighbors were shocked to learn the city’s comprehensive plan labels the parcel Residential Medium.

The city and the beach-park district are waiting for the 4th District Court of Appeal to schedule a hearing for KeepYourBocaBeachesPublic.org’s lawsuit seeking a special election to bar private clubs on public land on the barrier island.

The beach and park district bought the property in 1994 for $11.9 million, but never developed it.                            Ú

Residents of the Boca Cove/Camino Cove neighborhood are on guard after two burglaries on the south side of Russell Drive.

Police alerted residents via email following the second burglary. 

Both incidents happened on a late Saturday afternoon or early evening, moments after the residents left in their vehicles, police said. Both times the burglars entered the residences by smashing a sliding-glass door, police said.

Officers asked residents to report any suspicious people or vehicles to the department.

Burglaries are somewhat rare in condominium-heavy Highland Beach. 

The town reported seven burglaries to the FDLE in 2009, the most recent year available. 

 — Steve Plunkett

The Boca Raton Historical Society is offering snippets
of pioneer Frank Chesebro’s diaries as tweets. Photos provided

By Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley

Frank Chesebro moved to Boca Raton from Michigan in 1903. He planted his land, worked with a crew of African-Americans and came to respect the Japanese settlers who planted pineapples.

Today, if you want to learn more about Chesebro and the history of Boca Raton, it’s easy.

He kept diaries from the time he arrived until his death in 1936. And the Boca Raton Historical Society is making his diary entries available through the popular social networking service Twitter. You can follow him at twitter.com\bocahistory.

Just about every afternoon, education director Laurie-Lynn Jones tweets the diary entry for the same date in 1912. That way you can follow exactly what was happening in Frank’s life 100 years ago to the day. 

As anyone who regularly uses Twitter knows, the messages — called tweets — can’t be more than 140 characters. Although packed with information, Chesebro’s short diary entries fit nicely.   

“His writings in his diaries are primary sources of history, no matter how brief they are,” says Susan Gillis, curator of the BRHS.

For example, one diary entry mentions the first run of the Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast Railway. Frank’s son Harry as well as his sister Libby and her husband, Elmor, were on the train. We also learn Frank sent 61 roosters weighing 204 pounds on the train’s inaugural trip south. 

On another day there’s news of a 45-mile bike ride to Miami. He took the train home.

“If you read his entries over a period of time, they are like a soap opera, and there’s plenty of local gossip,” Gillis says. 

The diaries were kept safe by Harry Chesebro’s wife,  Ethyl. When she moved from her bungalow on Dixie Highway south of Palmetto Park Road in the 1970s, a collection of Chesebro family history was donated to the BRHS.

Among the papers, maps, accounts, family sketches and other reminiscences were these diaries. Collected into about 25 handwritten volumes, they detail the beginnings of Boca Raton.

Gillis has made the diary entries more accessible by creating an online glossary of unusual terms and a list of the people involved in Frank’s story (view them at www.bocahistory.org/; click on Frank’s Tweets).

Chesebro’s homestead, planted with pineapples in 1905,
was east of Dixie Highway and south of Camino Real.

You’ll meet his wife, Nettie, whom he affectionately shortens to “N” in his diaries, there’s Mrs. Townsend, the bridge keeper’s wife, and Frank’s teenage daughters Esther (called “E”) and Ruth (“R”), among many others. 

“It’s fun to be able to share this primary resource from our pioneer past,” Gillis
says.                                         Ú