Only a few beach cottages like this one occupied the barrier
island around the time of Delray’s incorporation.
Photos courtesy of the Delray Beach Historical Society

Delray Beach Centennial Events

By Paula Detwiller

Climb aboard the time machine. Set the dial to 1911, the year a seaside community in South Florida named “Delray” voted to incorporate. 

Now, sit back and watch as the voters elect their first mayor, aldermen, town clerk and marshal. Witness the drafting of the town’s first ordinances and applaud as the residents of newly incorporated Delray christen their first bridge across Henry Flagler’s East Coast Canal (known today as the Intracoastal Waterway). No longer would they have to drag themselves, their horses, their crops or fresh-caught fish across the canal on a hand-pulled barge. 

Delray’s incorporation 100 years ago this month was indeed a turning point for the town, according to local historians. 

“Prior to incorporation, the Ladies Improvement Association did all the civilized things,” says Delray Beach Historical Society archivist Dorothy Patterson. “But after incorporation, the men who’d been busy establishing farms and businesses got more involved in improving the town.”

By then, Delray already had a canning plant and was promoting itself as the agricultural capital of South Florida, shipping trainloads of pineapples, tomatoes and other produce to the North.

Soon after incorporation, workers finished building the first bridge across the canal, the first bank opened, a jail was constructed, a newspaper was begun (The Delray Progress), and the first theater began showing silent films.

Incorporation also led to a flurry of new laws. “The town had existed since 1895. I figure by 1911 there were probably a lot of things that were irritating people,” Patterson says. 

Apparently, vagrancy was high on the list. Here’s an excerpt from one of the new town ordinances, a copy of which resides in the Historical Society archives:

  Nets hang out to dry at the fishing camp operated by a group of 

Bahamian immigrants on Delray’s beachfront, which was not
incorporated until 1923. 

“Sec. 9 —  All rogues and vagabonds; idle and dissolute persons, tramps who go about begging; persons  who use juggling or unlawful games or plays; common pipers or fiddlers; stubborn children; runaways; common drunkards; common night-walkers; pilferers; thieves; lewd, wanton and lascivious persons, in speech or behavior; common railers or brawlers; persons who neglect their calling or employment, or have not visible means of support, or who misspend what they earn, or do not provide for themselves or families; and all other idle or disorderly persons... shall be considered vagrants, and upon conviction of vagrancy, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding fifty dollars or imprisonment not exceeding thirty days, or both.” 

Barrier island not part of town

Newly incorporated Delray did not include the barrier island, a sparsely inhabited area at the time. Its only permanent structures were a few rustic beach cottages, a small public bathhouse, and the Orange Grove House of Refuge, which served as emergency lodging for shipwrecked sailors. A group of 49 Bahamians and their families operated a fishing camp on the beach, and pineapple plantations occupied the land between the canal and the waterfront.

Delray’s first bridge over the present-day Intracoastal Waterway
helped spur residential development of the coastal area.

“In 1911, the beach in Delray was not anything other than a place you went to occasionally enjoy the ocean,” says Bob Ganger, vice chairman of the Historical Society of Palm Beach County. “It was difficult to get there across the canal, and you couldn’t build anything on the sand. Even the sand road would be tough to negotiate on your horse and buggy.”

As a result, property values on the beach were very low. “One of the pioneer families owned a large oceanfront lot with a small cottage that he tried to sell for $60, but had no takers,” says Ganger. “That wouldn’t buy you a tenth of an inch of coastal property these days!”

Growth and prosperity

The area sprang to life after the Atlantic Avenue Bridge opened, and by the 1920s, Ganger says, advertising for beachfront property had become vigorous and widespread. Beach residents wanted to put in electric streetlights, pave the roads and install indoor plumbing. 

But joining the town of Delray, which had a shaky credit rating, would mean paying higher-than-desired rates for capital improvement bonds. 

So in 1923, coastal residents sought their own charter and voted to incorporate as “Delray Beach.” 

Four years later, the two communities were joined and re-chartered as the city of Delray Beach. 

For history buffs interested in more details about early Delray life, a series of commemorative events are planned this month. They include the unveiling of a new historical marker for the Cason Cottage, an effort financed by the late Robert Neff, who died at age 95 on July 24.

“It’s a shame Mr. Neff couldn’t be here to see the festivities,” says Patterson. “He was such an ardent supporter of our local history.”       Ú

 Countess de Hoernle’s 99th birthday

  Peter Blum Family YMCA, Boca Raton

Children serenade the Countess de Hoernle as she celebrates
her 99th birthday on Sept. 19 at the Peter Blum Family YMCA 
of Boca Raton, where she is an honorary trustee and has been
a board member for more than 16 years. Photo by Jerry Lower

Jewish Community Foundation

Woodfield County Club

The Jewish Community Foundation held a Professional Advisory Committee Kickoff &
Membership Drive Cocktail Reception at Woodfield County Club in Boca Raton. Pictured:
Seth Marmor and Linda Melcer, PAC Kickoff co-chairs; Matt Kutcher, PAC vice chair;  Marjorie
Horwin, PAC chair; David Pratt, Jewish Community Foundation chair;  and Richard Steinberg. Photo provided

Marbella currently has a mix of green and gray windows.  Photo by Mary Thurwachter

By Margie Plunkett

A glass company fighting the city’s thumbs down on green impact windows it had already installed at the oceanfront Marbella Condominium withdrew its appeal.

Continental Glass Systems, which was scheduled to appear before Council Sept. 27, said it expects to work with the condominium to resolve the issue, according to Deputy City Manager George Brown. 

Before going forward with another plan, the company would have to apply for a permit and would be subject to Community Appearance Board review, Brown said.

The CAB in July denied Continental’s request to change the color to green from gray at 86 units at the 150-unit Marbella, 250 S. Ocean Blvd., after the glass company had already changed windows at the condo. 

More than a year earlier, Continental had applied for a permit to install new windows that matched the old, which were gray. But in February 2011, the City Code Compliance Division received a complaint that green glass was being installed. 

Continental later applied for the color change as the city requested, but was turned down in a 5-2 vote. 

The dissenting members said they couldn’t support the change even if it were made to the entire building, according to a city memo, because the Marbella would not look good with green glass.

Of the total 150 units at the Marbella, 49 had earlier replaced glass with matching gray windows as permitted by the CAB. The work was done by various contractors. Continental replaced 86 windows with green glass. And 15 other units still have grey glass, although they haven’t applied for window permits, the memo said. Ú

Florida Atlantic University and its food concession company say
they plan to offer typical stadium fare, plus a few surprises — like
skewered chicken — when the new football stadium opens Oct. 15. Photo provided

By Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley

When hungry spectators at the new Florida Atlantic University football stadium take a break from the Owls’ action, they’ll find typical stadium fare with a few surprises.

So says Greg Moran, the resident district manager for Chartwells, responsible for food service on the FAU campus including the stadium.

And Kellie Hensley, director of suites and concessions for the FAU Athletic Department, says: “We’ll be serving good food with a college theme that we take up a notch.”

But getting the food ready for fans attending the first game Oct. 15 hasn’t been easy. Moran has visited the stadium construction site at least twice a week for the past five months. He and his staff of 18 managers and 280 full-time associates also have been busy gathering, preparing and sampling recipes for stadium fare since May. 

Because all the food will be prepared in a kitchen outside the stadium, Moran has special considerations when it comes to the menu.

“We have to be sure the food can be held for an extended period of time and that it tastes good whether it was cooked five or 30 minutes before it is served,” he says.

As game day approaches, his staff will grow by 150 to 200 employees who will work as bartenders, kitchen staff, servers and dishwashers at the stadium. There will be only about two weeks between the end of construction and the first game, during which Moran will have to expedite staff training. 

Although the current list of stadium fare is heavy on traditional favorites, Moran hopes to add more Floribbean favorites.

“Local cuisine is one of the frontiers that haven’t been fully engulfed yet,” Moran says.

Most hungry game-goers will find themselves on the stadium’s third floor, where they can visit 11 concession stands. These include Chick-fil-A, which will offer a limited menu including its signature chicken sandwiches and brownies. 

The Chick-n-Grill will serve burritos, grilled chicken sandwiches, french fries, funnel cakes, pretzels and nachos. PCI Professional Concessions will provide the usual sausage, hamburgers, nachos, pretzels and arepas. 

Pita Hut will add the distinctive flavors of pita sandwiches and gyros as well as Dippin’ Dots and Haagen-Daz ice cream. And Tomasso’s, a local Boca Raton restaurant, will offer pizza slices, meatballs and meatball sandwiches.

Don’t want to leave your seat? Hawkers will deliver personal pizzas in boxes, lemon ices, hot dogs and Chick-fil-A chicken sandwiches.

On the second floor of the towering stadium you’ll find the Priority Deck. That’s a 16,000-square-foot outdoor covered dining space primarily serving the people in more than 4,000 outdoor club seats located on the west side of the lower level. 

In the center of the priority dining area is a tiki bar stocked with draft beers, wines and mixed drinks. 

Flat-screen televisions make it possible to follow the action on the field. And mobile food stations will offer items such as beef brisket sandwiches, pretzels, hot dogs and hamburgers as well as chicken and pita sandwiches.

For something a little different, there also will be a sushi and lo mein station. Sweet endings include Dippin’ Dots and ice cream novelties.

On the third floor, the 8,000-square-foot Premier Club Lounge will offer 1,500 outdoor club seat holders a place to relax and get some chow. The food is included in the price of their tickets.

Here, too, there will be television sets to watch while you eat, or you can take your food back to your seat. 

Starting an hour before kickoff, the Premier Club Lounge will offer a carving stations serving an item such as strip loin of beef or grilled red chili turkey with jalapeño cilantro salsa and avocado cream. 

Around halftime, the food service will shift to action stations that might include a sausage bar featuring apple-and-gouda-flavored links and spicy Italian as well as chipotle cheddar sausage. 

Another game might offer a mac-and-cheese bar where you add your own toppings such as caramelized onions, chorizo, bacon bits or crushed potato chips. 

Or, you might find mini Cuban sandwiches and mushroom quesadillas on the menu. A salad station might feature a cheese display plus a salad offering such as a Caesar or tossed garden salad.

At halftime there may also be snacks such as flavored popcorns, candy cotton, trail mix and pretzels. 

“These are mini fillers that people can take back to their seats,” Moran says.

During the final quarter, desserts such as ice cream bars or a bananas foster station will be available for premier level fans.  

In the suites on the floors above, ticket holders can choose from a variety of food packages that must be ordered at least three days in advance, either by phone or online.

Packages range from the high-end Touch Down Package to the more budget-friendly Hoot Package.

The Touch Down includes bruschetta, shrimp cocktail, Italian chopped salad, ciabatta sandwiches, beef strip loin and redskin potato salad with chocolate-dipped strawberries for dessert. 

The Hoot Package provides roasted garlic and French onion dips for potato chips, a hot dog bar with a selection of toppings, fried chicken tenders, pasta salad, BLT salad and cookies and seasonal fresh fruit for dessert.

For those whose pockets are as empty as their stomachs, ATMs will be available throughout the stadium and food outlets will accept all major credit cards.            

By Arden Moore

Just like us, not every dog wants to be best pals with every dog he meets. Sure, some form friendships at the speed of a tail wag. Others occur after the perfunctory sniffing and a mutual short romp. But accept the fact that not all dogs dig all dogs.

In canine introductions, consistency reigns. Dogs don’t lie. They don’t disguise their feelings. Problems arise when people misread canine communication — or intercede too quickly and then a yap turns into a snap. 

Here are tips to set your dog up for success —  and safety —  at the dog park:

• Assess your dog’s attitude. Some crave canine companionship. Others focus solely on shagging tennis balls and could not care less if there are other dogs in the park. Some prefer hanging out with people.

• Enter the dog park with confidence. Remember, our dogs are masters at reading our emotions — and often feed off our moods. If you are fearful or angry or unsure, they know it. Time your dog’s entrance when there are not a lot of dogs hovering at the gate. Bunched-up dogs in a tight space triggers the fight-or-flight response. Speak in an upbeat tone as you encourage your dog to “go play.”

• Watch in silence as your dog mingles. Don’t panic if one dog puts his head over the back of another. They are just determining who is top dog. Don’t gasp or shriek if one dog’s hackles are raised. In some breeds, like Siberian huskies, raised hair on the back happens automatically whenever they are stimulated. Some dogs like to yap during an intro, especially vocal breeds like schnauzers or beagles. There may be a quick verbal exchange in what I describe as “canine air guitar.” Often, it ends quickly and the two will play or choose to go in different directions. If you sense an escalated exchange, direct your dog to join you in another area of the park.

• Keep your dog’s leash draped around your neck in case a meet-and-greet erupts into a brawl. Act quickly. Speak in a low, commanding tone to both dogs to “knock it off!” or “leave it!” Resist the temptation to grab your dog’s collar because you risk being bitten. Instead, loop of the leash over your dog’s chest and pull the dogs apart. Assess for any injuries and leave, allowing your dog to calm down. 

                                                Tracy Rosof-Petersen of Lake Worth drew inspiration from her dog Dani
                                                 when she designed a dog park (see photo below) for the second annual
                                                                      Beneful Dream Dog Contest. Photo provided

Arden Moore: Interpreting dog body language at dog parks

By Arden Moore

If you had $500,000 to create a dream dog park for you and your best buddy, what would you do?

One look at her high-energy dog, Dani, and Tracy Rosof-Petersen knew it was a question she must answer with an essay and short video. 

The result? This Lake Worth artist and dog lover is now one of 15 national finalists in contention for the second annual Beneful Dream Dog Park Contest. 

The winner is expected to be named sometime in October — a fact I know quite well. That’s because I — along with television host and design expert Jason Cameron — serve as the contest’s judges. 

Cameron, a licensed home improvement contractor, hosts two popular cable TV design and contracting shows and loves his three-legged dog, CJ. In 2010, we teamed up to select a winning entry submitted by Pat McNeely and watched the first $500,000 Beneful Dream Dog Park transform into reality earlier this year in Johns Creek, Ga. 

At the time of writing this column, I did not know the winner. Final scores were being tallied by the Beneful team. What I can confirm is that later this month, Cameron and I will be part of a special ceremony taking place in the city of the 2011 winner. 

                                                              A finalist winning in the Beneful Dream Dog Park contest.

You can learn more by visiting the contest’s site at www.benefuldreamdogpark.com.

After speaking with Rosof-Petersen recently, I can tell you that she has earned top-dog status when it comes to making community improvements for both people and pets. She is an accomplished clay artist, owner of EarthArtists Clay Studio in Lake Worth and an active member of the Center for Creative Education, a program that matches artists of various disciplines with teachers and students in Palm Beach County.

And, oh yeah, she is a major advocate for pets. 

Years ago, when she lived on the other coast, she helped lead the drive to create a dog beach in Huntington Beach, Calif. 

After moving to Lake Worth and noticing that there were no dog-welcoming city parks, she spearheaded a grassroots group in 1999 to persuade city officials to allow leashed dogs in South Bryant Park. To ensure this privilege was not taken away, she also raised money to create and install homemade doggy bag dispensers that sported the names of local businesses. Earlier this year, Lake Worth officials voted to amend the city ordinance to permit leashed dogs in all of their parks.  

And now, she has her sights set on a bigger quest: to win the $500,000 Beneful Dream Dog Park Contest for her community. Individual winners also receive $10,000 and a year’s supply of Beneful dry dog food. 

“We don’t have a dog park in Lake Worth — the closest one is in West Palm Beach,” says Rosof-Petersen, who shares her home with husband, Steve, and their dogs, Dani, a 5-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback-hound mix, and Buddy, a 13-year-old Schnauzer-poodle mix. 

Inside, Dani is a sweet, mellow, couch-lounging canine. Once outside, however, he switches to active mode, begging for marathon games of fetch and requiring two long energetic-filled walks daily. 

Unleashing her artistic creativity, she created a two-minute video for the contest that depicts what her dream dog park would look like. It features four areas for exercise, play, socializing and chilling out.  She included water features for dogs to romp and splash, art displays and places to safely watch happy dogs. 

“Dog parks are much more than a fence and patch of grass,” says Rosof-Petersen. “They deserve to be places that provide interactive play for people and their dogs. Whatever the outcome in the Beneful contest, I love that I got a conversation going in my county about the need to provide safe, creative places for dogs to play and enjoy the outdoors with their favorite people and doggy pals.”

Whether or not she wins this year’s contest, I say Rosof-Petersen deserves to take a well-earned (play) bow. 

Arden Moore, founder of Four Legged Life.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 Pet Life Radio.com and learn more by visiting www.fourleggedlife.com.

At home in Highland Beach, Marilyn Morgan with her son
Dan as well as her husband, Mike, and their dog, Mandy. Photo by Tim Stepien

By Mary Thurwachter

A few years ago, Marilyn Morgan wrote a book detailing the trials and triumphs of raising a special needs child. It’s a subject she knows well. Her oldest son has Fragile X, a genetic condition that causes a range of developmental problems, including learning disabilities and cognitive impairment.    

“We did not have the diagnosis for our son Dan until he was 21 years old,” said Morgan, a retired reading and language teacher. “After all those years of using trial and error to obtain results, I had a story to share, to enable me to assist other parents trying to raise a special needs child.”

She titled the book The Broken Toy: The Story of a Fragile X Syndrome Child.

“My younger son Bob wrote the poem entitled ‘The Broken Toy’ for a poetry assignment,” Morgan said when explaining how she chose the title. “He compared Dan to a favorite toy that no longer was intact, but was loved more than any other toy.”

Dan, now 33, is participating in a five-month drug study in Nashville for people with Fragile X, and his mother remains hopeful about the outcome. She plans to update her book, too.

Dan is doing well, she said. He takes Palm Tran to his job as a french fry chef at McDonald’s. He enjoys swimming and is a big White Sox fan. He continues to excel at Special Olympics bowling events. His constant companion is Mandy, a zippy Shih Tzu-poodle mix service dog he walks three times a day. 

In October, Dan will accompany his parents to Chicago where he will be the best man at his brother’s wedding. 

Meanwhile, Marilyn and her husband, Mike, who began as high school sweethearts, are happy to be living beside the ocean in Highland Beach. 

Q. Where did you grow up and go to school? 

A. Chicago. Ill. I was determined to obtain a master’s  degree and did graduate with a master’s degree in education, 20 years after my undergraduate graduation. I was forced to stop and delay my continued education twice to care for Dan, who was a very sick infant. 

Q. How did you choose to make your home in Highland Beach?

A. We found our dream location in Highland Beach four years ago. 

We had been coming to Florida on vacations and wanted to live here.

Q. What is your favorite part about living in Highland Beach?

A. Living on the beach is my favorite part of living here. A daily view of the ocean is spiritually uplifting.

Q. What’s the last book you read?

A. The Help. It’s a great book about women of courage.

Q. If someone made a movie of your life, who would you like to play you and why?

A. Angelina Jolie. She is a strong, caring woman who has faced many obstacles and still gives back to the world and puts her family first.

Q. What music do you listen to when you need inspiration? When you want to relax?  

A. Music by Taylor Swift, Sister Hazel, Plain White Tees and James Taylor.

Q. What do people not know about you that you wish they did?

A. That I am very sensitive to others feelings, and that if you are my friend, you are my friend for life.  I also have time now to pursue my hobby of oil painting.

Q. Do you have a favorite quote that inspires your decisions? 

A. I love when a plan comes together.

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

A. My parents have always inspired me. I strive to show integrity and strength as my father always did, and to make family a priority as both my parents did.

Q. Who or what makes you laugh?

A. My husband, Mike, (also a retired teacher) is always there for comfort and humor. 

                                                        Africa USA boasted a 260-foot geyser. The theme park closed in 1961
                             and the area now is home to Boca Raton's Camino Gardens neighborhood. Images provided

By Liz Best

When you think of Boca Raton, images of beautiful beaches, high-end restaurants and trendy shops may come to mind, but lions and tigers and bears?

Oh, my.

OK, so there weren’t lions, tigers or bears at Africa USA when it opened its gates west of Boca Raton in 1953, in what is now the Camino Gardens subdivision, but the 300-acre property was home to some 200 exotic species. Monkeys, gazelles, giraffes and zebras featured in what is considered to be one of the first wild animal attractions in the world. 

The park closed 50 years ago, on Labor Day 1961, following a series of zoning disputes with the city and the county.

Africa USA was the brainchild of John “Pete” Pedersen, a visionary with only a sixth-grade education, who had a hankering to open a park where animals weren’t in cages but in their natural surroundings. Keep in mind, this was the pre-Disney era and, in fact, Walt Disney was a frequent visitor to the park. 

Pedersen’s daughter, Shirley Schneider of Boynton Beach, says her dad was determined to be a millionaire and wanted to live to be at least 100. He became a millionaire when he sold the park for $1.1 million in October 1961. He also came darn close to his second goal when he died in 1996 at the age of 99.

After purchasing the land for $25 an acre, Pedersen imported animals from Africa to populate his little piece of heaven. Admission was free and for 95 cents, visitors could tour the park by tram on the Jungle Train Tour.

                                                                     Africa USA had a waterfall and manmade lagoon.

Ginger Pedersen, a dean at Palm Beach State College, wasn’t born until 1963, two years after Africa USA closed, but she remembers well the spunky spirit her grandfather carried throughout his life.

“He did a lot of out-of-the-box thinking,” she said. “He never stopped thinking and he was an extremely positive person. I think that’s one of the reasons he lived as long as he did. I don’t think he really thought he would die.”

During its heyday, the park featured a man-made lagoon, waterfall and 260-foot geyser (Pedersen wanted his own version of Old Faithful). Today, the only remnant of the park is the geyser base.

Lynn Kalber of West Palm Beach moved to the nearby Boca Square subdivision in 1967. The park was closed, but it still managed to keep the neighborhood kids entertained.

“There was a little island still there with a small, gated and locked bridge to the island and that’s where the monkeys lived,” she said. “Also left were large groups of peacocks that roamed the Camino Real area, and they came over into our neighborhood, too. … As kids, we thought it was very cool to have monkeys and peacocks living so close by. Our own private zoo, of a kind.”

Pedersen’s daughter, Schneider, remembers a story her father told about his first circus, which seems to have sparked his interest in the business of entertaining the masses. 

Around the turn of the century, the circus rolled into his hometown of Racine, Wis. Penniless, he was determined to get inside the big tent. 

“He was only 5 or 6, but he wanted to see the circus,” she said. “He went all around (the circus grounds) saying, ‘Would you please give me a job so I can see the circus?’ He just met with dead ends.”

                             This ticket for the Jungle Train Tour shows the train chugging through Africa USA. It cost 95 cents.

That is, until, a man named Red sat the young Pedersen down and told him not to move. Pretty soon the tent was full of spectators and a cowboy on a beautiful white horse entered and stopped right in front of Pedersen.

“The horse bowed to him and then the cowboy bowed. Then he removed his hat to reveal Red,” said Schneider.

She says her grandfather got a spanking when he got home but didn’t care because it was the happiest day of his life.

Africa USA may be a distant memory 50 years after its closing, but Pedersen’s descendants are doing their best to keep the legacy alive.

Ginger Pedersen maintains a website (www.africa-usa.com) and updates it often with historical information, old photos and anything else she can find that pertains to the old theme park. After all, she may have been born after the park closed, but she feels like she grew up there nonetheless.

“Oh, I heard all the stories.”           

                                                        Africa USA also had villages depicting life on the Dark Continent.

Lesley Hlatki and her daughter, Danielle, take in the display of flags  at a 9/11 memorial service held on campus at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton.  Students and members of the community gathered near a display of thousands of flags. Hlatki once worked at the Bankers Trust building next to the World Trade Center. She moved to Boca Raton since the attack. 

 Photo by Jerry Lower

                                At the Machon Menachem Rabbinical College, it’s all about education.  Photo provided

By C.B. Hanif

Education, education, education — particularly adult education. It’s the root that has characterized Chabad of East Boca through the years. It’s the tree whose fruit includes the chabad’s new Machon Menachem Rabbinical College. It’s the harvest soon to ripen as the first ever rabbis “made in Boca.”

“It’s a significant milestone in the advancement of the Jewish community of Boca Raton,” said Rabbi Ruvi New, “insomuch as this is a school of advanced Jewish learning and the only one of its kind that will actually offer rabbinic ordination.”

Although there are rabbinic schools in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, he said, the 14 students completing their studies here represent “the first time in the history of Palm Beach County that there are rabbis who are trained and ordained here.”

Count on others flocking to join them in what he called a sort of a coming of age. “In Jewish history, the stamp that puts the community on the map is having what’s called a yeshiva, where there are scholars who are devoted full-time to their studies — higher, advanced levels of Jewish studies.”

Beyond the obvious attraction for the students, he said, is that “part of their training is to be tutoring people and teaching classes to people at all levels, whether it’s how to read Hebrew, or more advanced levels of study. But we’ve set up three nights a week where people from the community can come and study with the students. So that’s a unique opportunity for them. 

“They’ll also be sitting with local business people and reaching out to them, and generally helping with our outreach efforts. So they bring a tremendous energy and idealism to our organization and to the community at large” — illustrated in the Sept. 15 official welcoming ceremony attended by 150 people.

The rabbinical college only is the first phase of an overall vision laid out at an inaugural gala dinner in April at the Boca Raton Resort and Club. Phase two, New said, is to build what will be called the Jewish Heritage Museum, “a very dynamic, technological wonder kind of place. It’s going to bring Jewish traditions of yesteryear and today together in a very exciting way that will be an educational center for the entire South Florida community, whether Jewish or non-Jewish.”

It’s all part of the overall mission of chabad to reach out to the community through education and humanitarian efforts, he said. “Chabad is the largest movement in the Jewish world. To give perspective, in the state of Florida alone there are about 150 chabad centers, about 100 of those probably in South Florida. So it’s a very dynamic and dominant force in Jewish life today. 

“What people are attracted to is that we are very accepting, we are very open-minded, and at the same time we deliver a message that’s very authentic, that resonates, that’s real. I think that’s why you see a proliferation of chabad centers” — 3,000 branches worldwide, he said.

That worldview helps explain why New was born and bred in Australia — where his grandparents went on behalf of the chabad movement. His primary training was through the Rabbinic College of Australia and New Zealand, and advanced his studies in New York, before his educational outreach work on behalf of the movement from South America to the former Soviet Union and Asia. 

“So we’re a branch of this global network that has a very global vision,” New said, “and that is to educate, to be a light unto the world, and to bring the world to a point where it is enlightened with purpose and with meaning and an awareness of God. And when the world will be saturated with that, it will be a world at peace, and harmony. And that’s what we’re working towards.”

On the web: www.chabadbocabeaches.com

  C.B. Hanif is a writer and inter-religious affairs consultant. Find him at www.interfaith21.com.

By tasting samples of Delray Beach’s water gathered from Gulf Stream Town Hall [Whose water tastes best?, August 2011] we may have implied that all of Delray Beach’s water would taste the same regardless of where the sample was gathered. A more comprehensive sampling may have been to gather water from the city halls in Delray Beach and Boynton Beach as well from the coastal towns.  

The Coastal Star article described a purely subjective taste test and in no way suggested that any municipal water was unsafe to drink.

 By Mary Thurwachter (below)

Let us be the first to extend birthday wishes to Boca Raton philanthropist Countess Henrietta de Hoernle, who turns 99 later this month. 

The countess has been doing good in Boca Raton since she and her husband moved here in the 1980s and will be honored by friends and fans at Mizner Park Amphitheater on Sept. 24, when a large statue of the couple will be unveiled with names of the buildings they have endowed over the years engraved on the granite base.

Here at The Coastal Star, we’re marking a birthday, too. 

It’s been exactly one year since the Boca/Highland Beach edition of The Coastal Star launched.

If you’ve had a chance to see our core edition, which covers the coastal communities from South Palm Beach to Delray Beach, you’ll see that while some of our features are shared, most of the stories in your newspaper are unique and geared toward folks like you who live in eastern Boca Raton and Highland Beach.

We have our own Coastal Star of the Month. We have our own Meet Your Neighbor. Both of these features give you  (and us) a chance to get to know some of our neighbors.

Our seasoned and award-winning journalists continue to cover what matters most to you, from local government to the environment to schools to special events.

It’s been a good year and it just keeps getting better. It’s been especially good to get to meet so many of you. We look forward to more of that.

In the meantime, we remain committed to providing local news, information and advertising to you, our coastal neighbors in Boca Raton and Highland Beach. 

— Mary Thurwachter, managing editor   

The existing boardwalk areas of the parks would be
expanded to provide more access to picnic areas and
the mangrove stands. Photo by Jerry Lower

By Steve Plunkett

The county plans to convert an overgrown spoil island in Lake Wyman into a seagrass restaurant for manatees and a picnic site for humans, if enough money can be found.

Rob Robbins, deputy director of the county’s Environmental Resources Management Department, said his staff is “right now in a competitive grant mode” to win $2.1 million from the Florida Inland Navigation District, the taxing body that maintains the Intracoastal Waterway and owns the spoil island.

The project would also need $419,000 in matching money from the county and $419,000 from the city, the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District or some other local source, Robbins said. The county must have state and federal permits in hand to meet FIND’s Sept. 27 application deadline.

“We’ve been moving as quickly as we can to try and qualify for funding,” Robbins told the Boca Raton City Council at its July 25 workshop.

County Commissioner Steven Abrams said residents had asked him to find a way to clean up Lake Wyman Park and neighboring Rutherford Park on the west side of the Intracoastal.

“It was a mess,” Abrams said. “The canoe trails had clogged up, the exotics were taking over, the mangroves were deteriorating. It was even a focal point for some criminal activity.”

The project would remove 11 acres of exotic vegetation, mostly Australian pine and Brazilian pepper, from FIND’s island and two smaller spoil islands created in the 1930s as the Intracoastal was dredged. Then approximately 72,000 cubic yards of spoil material would be excavated to create mangrove and seagrass habitat and maritime hammock. The excavated earth would be spread over Lake Wyman Park to elevate ball fields and reduce flooding.

The FIND island will be scooped out to create a 3.3-acre seagrass basin for manatees to munch on. A dock on the island’s east side will provide six slips for day boaters.  Upland areas will have picnic tables and a crushed-rock road for emergency and maintenance vehicles.

About one mile of the canoe trail system would be restored to increase tidal flushing around mangroves and make the trail passable at low tide. 

The existing boardwalk would be extended to reach the picnic areas, two beach areas and an observation platform near the shore opposite Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. Robbins tried to allay residents’ concerns that the seagrass would draw manatees too close to boat motors at the day slips.

“So far we haven’t had any negative interactions between boats and manatees at other projects — Ocean Ridge, Juno Beach, some others like it,” he said at an Aug. 16 informational meeting.

The navigation district has seagrass beds at Ocean Ridge and Juno Beach to mitigate possible damage to seagrass during routine dredging of the Intracoastal. The Lake Wyman project would become its south county sanctuary.

Robbins also said the plan had changed to accommodate residents south of the project. 

The boat slips at first were planned for the south end, then moved to the eastern side. 

After the City Council presentation, the seagrass lagoon and picnic areas were reconfigured to move the access road farther from the neighbors.

Neither the county nor the city has made a presentation to the Beach and Park District yet. 

“We’ll hear about it when they need money,” beach-park Commissioner Dirk Smith said.

Assistant City Manager Mike Woika told residents at the Aug. 16 meeting that Boca Raton’s proposed 2012 budget does not have money for Lake Wyman, but said the City Council could change that during hearings in Septem-
ber.                                             

The proposed expansion of  building on East Palmetto Road also calls for a facelift for the building.

By Mary Thurwachter

A plan to expand and redevelop a building on East Palmetto Park Road narrowly won approval from the Planning and Zoning Board after dozens of merchants and neighbors voiced opposition.

The plan, presented during an Aug. 18 meeting at City Hall, calls for a 777-square-foot addition to the building at 831 E. Palmetto Park Road. 

Armen Batmasian of Investments Limited, owner of the property, said the building and the shopping center are outdated, and the company has been struggling to find tenants.

Approval of the plan, the residents said, would bring a 7-Eleven convenience store to the store space, when the shopping area already has two convenience stores and doesn’t want or need a third.

The vote to approve was 4-3, with Grace Johnson, Arnold Sevell and Kenny Koen dissenting.

Board member Steve Utrech said he liked the idea of money being put into redeveloping the area and hated to tell any developer “that we don’t want to move the ball forward.”

But even before the steady stream of residents opposing the site plan could speak, board member Grace Johnson and city planner Daryl Johnson made it clear that the board had no control over the use of the building. 

The zoning code determines use, Grace Johnson said. So a 7-Eleven could go in with or without the proposed expansion.

Expansion of the retail area is the first step in a plan to redevelop the entire city block, said Douglas Mummaw, architect for Investments Limited.

“We propose to completely reform this aging asset into something that retail businesses, both local and national businesses, would want to lease and then serve the neighboring community,” Mummaw said. 

“The project before you is a very simple request,” Mummaw said. “We’re asking for an increase of less than five and a half percent of the overall density to expand our retail area in this one particular building.” 

The plan, which includes a façade remodel, also calls for four handicap-accessible parking spaces where there were none, circulation routes and an articulation of entrance points to Palmetto Park Road, Mummaw said.  

It reconfigures the parking lots to provide 74 spaces, where only 67 are required according to shared parking calculations. A new bus stop would also be added.

Five residential units occupy the second floor. A lease has not yet been signed for the first floor of the building, Mummaw said. 

But many residents at the meeting weren’t buying that, saying maybe a lease with 7-Eleven hadn’t been signed yet, but surely it would be. 

Diane Hoffman presented more than 200 signatures to

the P&Z board opposing the expansion of the property. Photo by Jerry Lower

Diane Hoffman, owner of the Boca Beach House at 887 E. Palmetto Park Road, delivered a petition signed by more than 200 residents opposed to a 7-Eleven moving in to the shopping area. She said she had spoken to Batmasian and he told her about his desire to lease the building to 7-Eleven.

“We don’t want this for several reasons,” Hoffman, whose home is directly behind the building set for expansion, said. 

She said she worries about delivery trucks’ light coming into her home at night, property values dropping, not enough parking and vagrants hanging out around the store.

Hoffman’s husband, Howard Hoffman, asked that the vote be postponed until February.

“No one has been notified and I think this has been done strategically when people aren’t here. I’d like a traffic report done when there is traffic,” he said. (A traffic study was done in late April).

City staff said proper notice had been given with signs posted and newspaper notification. But merchants argued that the signs weren’t up long enough and many hadn’t seen them. 

Doris Majhess, a local Realtor, said a 7-Eleven with increased parking demands could hurt real estate values in the area.

“People pay big money to live here and they won’t with a 7-Eleven,” Majhess said.        

September is a transitional month for Americans.  We celebrate Labor Day, enjoy the start of autumn, and football season begins.  In Florida, September is also viewed with caution as it’s the peak month of hurricane season.  

For all of us, the events that occurred on 9/11 10 years ago gave September an entirely different meaning.  

Most people remember exactly where they were the moment we learned that American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center. America had been attacked by terrorists, who had boarded and hijacked planes and turned them into weapons of mass destruction.   

The terrorists were able to operate openly and escape detection in part because they secured legal state driver’s licenses and ID cards.   A driver license not only grants driving privileges, it also serves as an identification to access a variety of banking, retail, transportation and community services and benefits. It presumes legitimacy of the holder.

Thirteen of the 19 9/11  terrorists secured Florida driver licenses and IDs. Eight of these terrorists had lived in Delray Beach and Boynton Beach and three in Hollywood.  

Before 9/11,  many people viewed the issuing of driver’s licenses or state ID cards as a clerical task — if they thought about it at all.  Some saw this as a simple “administrative” function.

Now we know better.  Post-9/11,  driver licenses and ID card issuing has become part of our national security system.  Constitutional tax collectors are now part of that “security system” because the Florida Legislature transferred these services to us in 2010.

The federal Real ID Act requires that every person prove his or her identity to receive a state driver license or ID card.  That requires everyone to visit a service center with specific and original documents. The Department of Homeland Security requires proof of birth, Social Security and residence.  

You have until 2014 (50 or younger) or 2017 (50 or older) to comply. After 2017, possession of a Real ID will be required to board a commercial flight or enter a federal building.

The Real ID security process has resulted in a dramatic increase in people coming to our offices. We have longer lines and wait times. The increase is temporary, though, because a person only has to become Real ID compliant once.  We expect the crowds to diminish after 2017, because users will be able to renew online. 

Our staff works hard to process residents’ Real ID driver license or ID card as quickly as possible.   Readers can help by taking the time to prepare and by bringing the correct documents. Our website, at www.taxcollectorpbc.com, has a listing of the documents.  

Terrorists murdered 2,977 innocents on 9/11.  The death toll didn’t stop there. America was soon at war. More than 6,000 members of our armed services have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11. My prayers are with the surviving families and friends. As Americans we feel their loss and hope to see the safe return of our troops serving abroad in the very near future.  

— Anne M. Gannon, 

Palm Beach County tax collector

Highland Beach Police Chief Craig Hartmann was presented a framed Lifesaving Award at the Town Commission’s regular meeting in August for helping to save a resident from jumping from a 10-story building in June.

Hartmann “personally took charge” of a difficult situation, “one that if not handled correctly could have disastrous consequences,” Assistant Delray Beach Fire Chief Russ Accardi said. The Delray Beach department provides Highland Beach with fire-rescue services.

Hartmann said that fire-rescue officials and other police officers were involved in the incident.

“That was very nice, unexpected of you. [I’m] very appreciative, very humbled by that award,’’ Hartmann told the Delray Beach fire officials.

Hartmann became Highland Beach’s police chief in January 2008 after more than 26 years with the Delray Beach Police Department, where he rose from rookie to deputy chief.

He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy with a bachelor’s degree in organizational resource management from Palm Beach Atlantic University and a master’s in educational leadership from Florida Atlantic University.

— Steve Plunkett

By Margie Plunkett

Boca Raton leaders looking for creative ways to drive revenue up in another tight budget year have raised the possibility of selling a city golf course.

The idea came up at a recent council meeting, during which members struggled with covering ever increasing revenues without raising taxes — or dipping further into the city’s reserves. 

 “I feel strongly about looking at alternate ways of raising money,” said council member Constance Scott, pushing to get an appraisal of the property and to look at alternatives for the property.

Selling a property could raise cash, but the city manager, residents and fellow lawmakers offered cautions against considering filling budget coffers with one-time income generators, such as sale of the city-owned golf course.

The city-owned and operated greens are Boca Raton Municipal Championship/Executive Golf Courses at 8111 Golf Course Road, which is on the north side of Glades and west of the turnpike, and Red Reef Park Executive Course at 1221 N. Ocean Blvd. While selling a property can provide needed revenue, City Manager Leif Ahnell said the danger in relying on a one-time gain: There may not be future options for replacing that income stream or the expenses that have since grown.

Mayor Susan Whelchel didn’t think it likely a property would sell fast enough to generate revenue for the budget that has to be approved by September. “I’m not interested in talking about the golf course,” she said during the same meeting. “You’re not going to sell it in time for this tax year. Let’s live with what’s in front of us rather than pie in the sky — something that can be done quickly.” 

Resident Lenore Wachtel urged council to hold on to its courses, listing a host of reasons it’s not time to sell. Golf courses enhance Boca Raton’s prestige and are important to corporations with a presence here or that might want to move here. Hard assets like property are more attractive than soft assets, like the dollar, right now, Wachtel said. 

Besides providing enjoyment for residents, the golf course produces income, has paid off its municipal bonds and it has reserves, she said. 

With the economy still lackluster, the course “is still having problems, but what doesn’t?” Wachtel asked. “I don’t hear anyone talk about selling City Hall. I don’t think you should sell the municipal golf courses either.”

The resident also pointed out that the property has appreciated tremendously since purchased — and the city would have to answer to the public about what it would do with the dollars from such a property sale.  

Meanwhile, the city won’t get the price the property is worth by selling into the weak market, Wachtel said. “Commercial is certainly at a low and it’s not time to do something,” she said. “It’s not a good time to lease or sell. Those people forced to are selling at bargain prices.”

A quick search of the Internet also indicates that if the city put its golf course on the market, it wouldn’t be alone. 

One website indicated the 55-acre Boca Raton Executive County Club course recently was for sale. The course, which is east of I-95, has been closed since it was damaged by a hurricane years ago. A fire ravaged the country club in December.                    

                                              Ú

Jay DiPietro struts his stuff on the dance floor with
Pam Casanave, co-owner of the Fred Astaire Dance
Studio of Boca Raton. 

Here are more photos from the competition

By Thom Smith

A community the size of Boca West couldn’t get by without a ballroom, but if club manager Jay DiPietro is on the dance floor, he’s probably scurrying somewhere. Not much time for dancing.

Still, when summoned to compete in the Fourth Annual Boca’s Ballroom Battle to benefit the George Snow Scholarship Fund, Jay was on his toes. 

Before an SRO crowd of 763 including 14 tables of supporters at the Boca Raton Resort & Club Aug. 19, Jay’s cabaret quick-step was judged best among the four male dancers. The $36,000 he raised was tops, too!

When tapped as a contestant earlier in the year, veteran community activist Pat Thomas declared she was “in it to win it.” Well, her cha cha wasn’t the best dance — that honor went to rhumba-ing financial manager and Junior League President Jackie Reeves — but the $49,000 she raised was tops over-all.

As usual, the judges were assisted by a real pro — from TV’s Dancing With the Stars. This year it was the glamorous Chelsie Hightower. 

The event raised a record $211,000 for the fund. Entering its 30th year, it has awarded nearly $5 million in college scholarships to 1,236 students.

A few weeks earlier, another standing-room-only crowd packed Mizner Park Amphitheater. The occasion was the first-ever tour concert for Selena Gomez, the hottest topic in female popdom. Rising to the elevated stage by hydraulic lift, the just-turned-19 Gomez opened with A Year Without Rain. Late she sang a medley by another pop princess who made a similar tour debut in June 1999 at Pompano Beach Amphitheater — Britney Spears. 

Gomez appeared to have borrowed some costuming ideas from Spears, too. She opened in a Bob Mackie-ish Vegas showgirl costume that would have made Cher proud and later switched to a shredded fabric skirt and overly-padded, sequined bra. Her voice was strong but she seemed nervous and not yet at home with the choreography required of a full-bore tour. In a word, she was stiff. 

In one nice touch, Gomez’s pre-concert sound check was open and lots of lucky fans were able to watch at the edge of the stage as she rehearsed in gray backless T-shirt and cutoff jeans. She even shared the mic with them.

Oh yeah, and backstage through all this … boyfriend Justin Bieber and his bud, singer Sean Kingston. They show up in some of the online videos, which include a nice pre-show, hand-holding pep talk by Gomez. However, no one connected with the tour or the amphitheater would confirm Internet reports that Bieber “narrowly missing being trampled by a crowd of screaming teenage girls” who forced him to rush him backstage and to flee to a waiting car. 

Next up at the amphitheater on Sept. 10, catch Chick Corea with Return to Forever. Rejoining keyboard wiz Corea are original RTF members Lenny White on drums and Stanley Clarke on bass, plus violinist Jean-Luc Ponty and guitarist Frank Gambale. Opening the show is Dweezil Zappa’s Grammy-winning Zappa Plays Zappa, a celebration of his father’s music. 

Heading west, season tickets at a 25 percent discount are going fast for the “Live at Lynn” series at Lynn University’s Wold Performing Arts Center, which opens Oct. 15 and 16 with Clint Holmes, and follows Nov. 12 and 13 with The Capitol Steps. 

Also on the bill this season are Bravo Amici, Jan. 21 and 22. Five Guys Named Joe, Feb. 11 and 12, Jack Jones, Feb. 25 and 26, Florida Grand Opera Young Artists, March 17 and 18,  The Beatlemaniacs, March 31 and April 1 and David Osborne, April 10. (www.lynntix.com).

At the other end of Mizner Park, the long-vacant second floor of the building formerly occupied by the International Museum of Cartoon Art is taking a dramatic turn times two.

Revived as the Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center, the fully equipped studio theater will be occupied by two groups: Caldwell 2@Mizner, a spinoff of Caldwell Theatre Co., and Parade Productions, a new venture headed by Kim St. Leon. 

Caldwell 2 held a reception and preview Aug. 19; now it’s up to artistic coordinator Kenneth Kay to assemble a lineup. (www.caldwelltheatre.com).

Parade, on the other hand, will debut Jan. 26 with local vet Avi Hoffman in Donald Margulies’ Brooklyn Boy for a two-week run. (www.paradeproductions.org)

       Yaacov Heller’s statue of the Count and Countess

 de Hoernle stands at Royal Palm Place. Photo provided

If you’ve strolled around Royal Palm Place lately, you couldn’t miss the life-sized statue of Boca Raton’s philanthropists Count and Countess de Hoernle outside Yaacov Heller’s Gallery 22. The statue, created by Heller, has been there since June, but at 3 p.m. on Sept. 24 it will be formally dedicated at Mizner Park Amphitheater to mark Countess Henrietta de Hoernle’s 99th birthday. (Count Adolph de Hoernle died in 1998). The artwork will remain at the amphiteatre next to the stage.

The granite foundation will be engraved with names of all the buildings the couple financed over the years. 

Boca restaurants will be busy this month with special promotions — “Dine Around the World” in east Boca and Tastemakers in Mizner Park. 

For the entire month, 21 restaurants in east Boca from Gary Woo’s (3400 N. Federal Highway) to Rocksteady Jamaican Café (1179 S. Federal) are offering special prix fixe meals. The tabs range from $7.99 for a three-course lunch at Boca Skewers to $49 for a three-course chef’s tasting at Chops Lobster Bar. For a full list, call 392-8920

The third annual Tastemakers of Boca, Sept. 13 and 14, will feature progressive tastings and cocktails at 11 Mizner Park restaurants. A VIP ticket ($30) is good for one sampling plate and one drink at each spot, including Max’s Grille, Racks, Uncle Julio’s, The Dubliner and Mizner’s newest, Kapow! Noodle Bar. Ticket holders also can take advantage of Tastemaker specials at each restaurant through Oct. 31. For more info, go to www.ggp.com. 

Unfortunately, business didn’t go and better the second time around for Old Town Tavern. Located a block north of Palmetto Park Road on Dixie, the former steakhouse was revived last spring as a family-friendly sports bar. In a move unusual in South Florida’s whacky restaurant market, the management had the decency to send out an email announcing it would close Aug. 3. 

Chris Evert thought she was going to have old rival Steffi Graf on the court with her in November at the 2011 Chris Evert/Raymond James Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic in Delray Beach. Not to worry, she’s lined up plenty of other stars. 

Thus far the list includes a healthy list of TV and film stars including Elisabeth Shue (Oscar nominee for Leaving Las Vegas), Christian Slater (“Oz” in TV’s Breaking In), Scott Foley (Grey’s Anatomy, Cougar Town), Jeffrey Donovan (Burn Notice) and NBC’s Hoda Kotb, who’ll no doubt grab some cuddle time with new boyfriend, Boca Raton attorney Jay Blumenkopf. 

The 22^nd annual event is set for Nov. 11-13, with the celebrity gala on Nov. 12 at the Boca Raton Resort & Club. More at www.chrisevert.org.

Taking civic duty to a new level. Office holders worthy of election should be able to take a few shots, but can they pour a decent one? On Sept. 21 the  mayors of south county’s big three — Boynton’s Jose Rodriguez, Delray’s Woodie McDuffie and Boca’s Susan Whelchel — will test their skills as guest bartenders at Bru’s Room in Delray. The first “Mayors Throwdown for the Arts,” a benefit for Delray’s Plumosa School of the Arts, goes from 5 to 7 p.m.. Tips and a percentage of the take will go toward a bus to transport students for field trips and performances.

Band Boosters for Boca Raton High School’s Marching Band host a dinner, concert and auction Sept. 24 at the school.  The event includes an evening of performances by  the symphonic and jazz bands, as well as a pasta dinner. Tickets are $20. 

At a recent practice Rachel Hornbeck on mellophone and Martin Gelwasser on baritone. 

At a recent practice, Evan Stoltz plays bass guitar.  

Photos by Jerry Lower

Thom Smith can be reached at thomsmith@ymail.com.

Artist Yaacov Heller created a painting of Jackie Evancho
singing with the Boca Raton Symphonia at Festival of the Arts Boca.
The Symphonia will use the painting as a fundraiser, selling
it to a donor it hopes will license back giclée prints that can be sold. Photo by Tim Stepien

By Paula Detwiller

When 10-year-old singing sensation Jackie Evancho performed with the Boca Raton Symphonia at Festival of the Arts Boca in March, internationally renowned local artist Yaacov Heller was not there.

“I had tickets and was looking forward to going,” Heller, a Boca Raton resident, says. “I’m a big fan of Jackie’s. But I had twin grandsons being born in Israel, so I flew to Tel Aviv to see them and had to miss the performance.”

You wouldn’t know it by looking at Heller’s re-creation of the performance on canvas. His 40- by 60-inch painting shows Evancho center stage surrounded by the orchestra, with lights strung in the background and the Centre for the Arts logo hanging above. 

Heller’s friend and fellow Rotarian Steve Pomeranz, president of the Symphonia’s board of directors, suggested Heller make the painting as a fundraising mechanism for the orchestra.

“The idea is that someone can actually own the painting in exchange for a substantial donation,” Heller says, “and then license it to the Symphonia to make a limited number of giclée prints on canvas. I will hand-embellish and sign each one to make them more valuable. You’ll hardly be able to tell them apart from the original.”

Heller, 70, says investing his time in such a worthy cause is “what Rotarians do.” When he’s not sculpting, painting or making his signature silver jewelry at his art gallery/studio — Gallery 22 in the Royal Palm Place shopping center — Heller works on Rotary initiatives.      He helps raise money to send talented local kids to college.               He plans fundraisers for Home Safe, a nonprofit that provides care and treatment to abused, neglected and abandoned children in Palm Beach County. 

And lately he’s been promoting and co-sponsoring Wednesday night “Jazz, Bossa and Blues” performances held at the top of the Boca Raton Bridge Hotel.

Heller’s artistic talents emerged at a young age. His family ran a hardware store in his native Cleveland Heights, Ohio. He would tinker in the back room, making animal sculptures with scraps of glass, pipe and metal. 

“One day I came home from kindergarten with a small clay elephant. My parents said, ‘Take this back to whoever you stole it from.’ I said, ‘No, I made this.’ ” His parents enrolled him in an after-school program at the Cleveland Museum School of Art.

Following high school and a stint in the U.S. Navy, Heller joined his family in Florida and became a high-end Miami Beach hair stylist, sculpting hair instead of clay. In 1972 he moved to Israel, where his eldest sister was raising her family on a kibbutz. Heller set up a workshop in Jerusalem and began to sculpt figures and scenes from the Bible. 

One of Heller’s proudest works is a sculpture of David and Goliath commissioned by former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin and given to President Gerald Ford during a White House visit in 1974. “David and Goliath was an analogy for the state of Israel,” he says. “A small country surrounded by great oppressors.”                              Ú