Vote!
    Municipal elections will be held March 11 and it is up to you to choose the people who will guide the community where you live.  
    This has not been a quiet campaign season for Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Gulf Stream, Highland Beach and Ocean Ridge.  When political consultants are hired, print and broadcast advertising begin to appear and candidates demand face-to-face meetings with reporters from monthly newspapers, you know there is much at stake.
    Power and money are powerful aphrodisiacs. It’s your responsibility as a voter to not be seduced by either.
    Instead, you must ask hard questions about the issues that matter most to you, then cast your vote for the candidate most likely to represent your interests as a resident.
    Many people have requested The Coastal Star begin doing candidate endorsements. Could that be helpful? Perhaps. But it is more difficult and complicated than our small paper can handle.
    Even if we pulled together a local area editorial board of like-minded citizens, it would require face-to-face interviews with difficult questions based on hard facts for every single candidate in the nine municipalities we cover.
    Would it be worth it to have candidates yell at us when they don’t get the endorsement? Hell, yes! Would it be worth the time we’d invest in the process? We don’t think so. (Yet, anyway. There may come a time.)
    For now, I hope you’ll find that we have given equal opportunity to all candidates to state their backgrounds and positions and have presented this information in a balanced way. That’s our responsibility.
    Your responsibility is to ask questions. That’s your right. Ask the candidates if they voted in the last city election. Ask them how they feel about the issues that brought residents out to standing-room-only council chambers this past year. Ask them about their commitment to the unique concerns of the barrier island. Find out where they stand. Then vote. It’s important.
My editor’s endorsement is for you — the voter.
Vote!

— Mary Kate Leming, Editor

Phyllis Spinner, a resident of Delray Beach since 1955, has been active in community service since the early days. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Linda Haase
    
Phyllis Spinner believes in nurturing body, mind and spirit. Dancing keeps the Delray Beach resident in shape. Her mind stays sharp with intricate bridge games and passionate discussions with friends. And her spirit? Nourished by philanthropy and community spirit.
    On March 10, she’ll be able to combine many of her passions during the 2014 Circle of Hope Gala.
    Spinner is the honorary chairwoman for the gala, which raises funds for the Women’s Circle, a nonprofit organization providing education and job development to low-income women. Last year’s event raised more than $130,000 for the Boynton Beach-based group.
    “Phyllis is a great believer in the cause and has been a faithful supporter of the Women’s Circle for many years. She has a real heart for the poor and a passion for helping disadvantaged women,” says Peggy Martin, who is chairing the event.
    The nomination was a surprise for Spinner, a Phi Beta Phi graduate of Bradley University in Peoria, Ill.
    “I really am very proud of being asked to be honorary chair. It’s a very big compliment,” she says, adding that she’s proud to be affiliated with the organization, which offers about 30 classes a week in English, Creole literacy, computer skills, sewing and crochet, as well as a job preparation program and support groups to help empower underserved and unemployed women.
    “The gala is a fun evening with dinner, dancing and a silent auction. And it’s for a very, very good cause,” explains Spinner, who will definitely take a spin or two on the dance floor.   
    Spinner, the mother of three, became involved in community service in Delray Beach shortly after she moved here from Illinois with her late husband in 1955.
    “When I first moved here I came here as a young mother. I remember how much I just wanted to go back to Illinois. Today, I just love everything about Delray Beach, although maybe it is growing a little too fast,” says Spinner, who has two grandchildren.
    Her community service projects have run the gamut — Brownies, Girl Scouts and other endeavors when the kids were small — to today’s list, which includes the Magnolia Society at Bethesda Hospital, Trinity Lutheran Church and the Delray Beach Club (she was one of the club’s first members).
    The club, which her husband was instrumental in founding in 1969, is near and dear to her heart.
She’s on several committees and is involved in social activities there.
    And she’s always happy to help the Women’s Circle. “It’s a very, very worthwhile thing for our community,” she says.
    “I wish them much success in their mission. It is a very important part of our society. This is what our county needs more of.” 

IF YOU GO
What: Circle of Hope Gala    This is the 10th anniversary of the event, which raises money for the Women’s Circle.
When: 6:30 p.m. March 10
Where: Delray Dunes Golf & Country Club
Tickets: $100
For information: Call 244-7627, Ext. 105

Gulf Stream will have its first election since 1993 as six candidates are running to fill five at-large seats.  Voters can cast their votes for up to five candidates. The five with the highest votes will be elected.  The winners will serve three-year terms.

Robert Ganger
(incumbent)

Personal: 78; undergraduate degree Yale University and MBA from Harvard; Gulf Stream resident 22 years; married, two children.

Professional: Former vice president of development for Kraft Foods; business consultant, Gulf Stream Consulting Group.

Political experience: First contested election; appointed to Town Commission in August 2012 and unopposed in 2013; former chairman of the Architectural Review and Planning Board for nearly four years; former president Gulf Stream Civic Association; co-founder and president Florida Coalition for Preservation; vice chairman, Historical Society of Palm Beach County; former president Delray Beach Historical Society.

Positions on issues: Work out differences with the town’s most vocal critics and avoid taking issues to the courts; continue to engage Florida Power & Light to ensure that the town’s underground utilities project moves forward on schedule; revisit and reconsider the proposal to switch to staggered elections; recognize the world is changing but “protect and preserve the qualities that make Gulf Stream an extraordinary little town”; promote awareness of the potential impact of sea level rise on coastal communities.

Quote: “The most important issue the next few months is to navigate ourselves around some people who are trying to upset the apple cart… I think we can figure out a way to accommodate each other. It’s going to be awkward, but I’m very hopeful we can find common ground.”

Scott Morgan
 
Personal: 56; bachelor’s degree, Pennsylvania State University; law degree, Pennsylvania State’s J.D. Dickinson School of Law; married, three children.

Professional: Practiced law in Florida for 25 years; president Humidifirst Co., Boynton Beach, household appliance manufacturing company.

Political experience: No elective office; member of the Gulf Stream Architectural Review and Planning Board for five years, currently serving as chairman.

Position on issues: Take a proactive approach to dealing with residents’ court cases against the town; supports staggered elections to allow for more continuity to the commission and “less disruption in its deliberative processes”; backs use of ad hoc committees of residents to review rules, problems and finances; make ending the delays to the underground utilities project a priority; address the town’s issues “in a creative, positive and civil manner.”

Quote: “The most important problem facing Gulf Stream is the onslaught of litigation brought by two of its residents, which is depleting the town’s finances and is undermining the effectiveness and morale of the town staff. I believe a proactive approach to these lawsuits is necessary to prevent further harm to our town.”

Martin O’Boyle
 
Personal: 62; high school dropout, Woodlynne, N.J.; Gulf Stream resident since 1982; married, six children.

Professional: President, Commerce Group, Deerfield Beach-based commercial real estate development and holding company; Commerce Group incorporated in 1996; has developed more than 200 shopping center and retail store projects in 46 states and Canada; earned first real estate license at 18; developed properties for Color Tile and Pearle Vision retail chains.

Political experience: No elective office; first campaign as candidate.

Position on issues: Revisit the town’s overly cumbersome codes and streamline them; lower taxes; make Gulf Stream a friendly place to live, work and visit;
re-evaluate all policies and procedures, considering efficiency and economy; scale down government; residents “don’t need Big Brother to tell them what color they can paint their front door.”

Quote: “Gulf Stream belongs to ‘we, the people,’ not unelected and inept amateur politicians who have let arrogance and pomposity convince them that they know better than the people.”

Joan Orthwein (incumbent)
 
Personal: 58; bachelor of science degree in civil engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia; 31-year resident of Gulf Stream; married, three children.
Professional: Borg Warner, York Division, St. Louis, 1979; Southwestern Bell, 1979-1984, St. Louis; former treasurer Delray Beach Historical Society; Bethesda Hospital board; former president Gulf Stream School Auxiliary.
Political experience: First contested election; member Gulf Stream Town Commission since appointment in 1995 (Palm Beach County’s second-longest-serving elected official still in office, behind Cloud Lake’s Patrick Slatery with 36 years); vice mayor, 1997-2012; mayor 2012-present; Gulf Stream Planning Board, 1987; chairman, Architectural Review and Planning Board, 1991; Gulf Stream Civic Association and Beautification Committee.

Positions on issues: Supports staggered election terms for commissioners to balance experience with fresh thinking; important to continue progress with the underground utilities project; work with ad hoc committee to review concerns about town’s code; review how Delray Beach fulfills emergency medical services contract with town; believes bringing town’s water department in-house saved money and improved reliability; wants to update town files to digital format.
Quote: “It is a very exciting time in the history of Gulf Stream. The town is bustling with renovations and new construction. We survived the economic downturn incredibly well and home prices are strong and rising.”

Thomas Stanley
(incumbent)
 
Personal: 36; graduate of Atlantic High School, Delray Beach, 1995; bachelor’s degree from Princeton, 1999, majoring in history; law degree, Florida State Law School, 2002; married.

Professional: Partner, MacMillan & Stanley law firm, Delray Beach; practice includes real estate law, wills, trusts, estates, premarital agreements; judicial intern, Family Law Division of the Leon County Circuit Court; Estate Planning Council of Boca Raton.

Political experience: First election; appointed to the Town Commission in August 2012; former alternate on the Architectural Review and Planning Board; former chairman of the Delray Beach Historic Preservation Board.

Positions on issues: Town must continue to keep the underground utilities project moving; review staggered election proposal and possible charter changes this summer; keep focusing on aesthetics, such as installation of new neighborhood street signs and street lighting infrastructure; improve Town Hall’s internal process with more technology upgrades and improved efficiency; continue to ensure that the town respects the voice of every resident.

Quote: “One of the things I’ve found is that most of the residents care about things that are tangible. So they want to see progress, whether it’s with the undergrounding or getting the signs done in Place Au Soleil. So we want to focus on aesthetics.”

Donna White
(incumbent)

Personal: 65; born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y.; bachelor’s degree from Catholic University, Washington, D.C., psychology major; 11-year resident of Gulf Stream; widow, two children, two step-children.

Professional: Former purchasing agent and assistant purchasing manager for Embraer (Brazilian aircraft manufacturer) in northern Virginia; office manager for McDonnell Douglas Automation.

Political experience: First election; appointed to the Town Commission in June 2013 to fill a vacated seat; Architectural Review and Planning Board, 2006-2010; Place Au Soleil Homeowners Association officer; treasurer for Cedar Run Homeowners Association, Vienna, Va., 1980s.

Positions on issues: Important to get town’s underground utilities project completed in a timely manner; supports ad hoc committee’s revisions of town code to make rules “more user-friendly and responsive to residents;” switch to staggered elections would be good, though the current process “has not seemed to present a problem in the past.”

Quote: “I would like to bring a positive spirit of communication, cooperation and integrity between the barrier island and Place Au Soleil. The town’s responsibility is to provide for the safety and well-being of the residents, as well as the maintenance and enhancement of property values. The current commission, Architectural Review and Planning Board and town staff are dedicated to the best interests of Gulf Stream, and I see that dedication reflected in the beauty of our town.”

Janet Hall, 96, of Ocean Ridge, is the only living member of the trio that bought the first Sea Mist drift fishing boat. 

By Willie Howard

Four generations of the Garnsey family have worked on the Sea Mist drift fishing boats based in Boynton Beach — including the Sea Mist III, which takes passengers on ocean-fishing trips twice a day from Boynton Harbor Marina.
Capt. Burt Garnsey and his sisters, Wendy Garnsey and Jenny Mastroleo, operate the 50-passenger drift fishing boat, one of four “head boats” that use Boynton Inlet to reach the ocean.
The Garnsey siblings are the grandchildren of Wendall and Janet Hall, who co-founded the recreational fishing company in 1957 when they bought the original Sea Mist II, a single-engine wooden boat, with partner Roland Garnsey.
Janet Hall, 96, of Ocean Ridge is the only living member of the trio that bought the first Sea Mist drift fishing boat.
Hall was ahead of her time as one of the few female boat captains in South Florida — possibly the only one — in the 1950s.
Before becoming co-owner of the Sea Mist operation (and skippering the boat from time to time) Hall operated her own charter fishing boat, Anytime, from docks in Pompano Beach. She also ran a commercial fishing boat.
During a recent interview at Boynton Harbor Marina, Hall said she grew up spending winters with her family in Broward County.
She took a job as a “diver” for a glass-bottom boat. She held her breath and dived down below the boat to collect sea fans and other (now protected) natural treasures for the glass-bottom boat patrons.
Hall said she had no formal license to operate boats back in the 1950s, but learned her trade at the helm.
Even though she was a woman in a traditionally male role, Hall said she “was always treated with a great deal of respect.”
Hall is working with a friend on a book about her life.
“One day, I’ll publish it,” Hall said, while wearing her captain’s cap.

The next generation
Capt. Burt’s sons, Drake and Gage, have worked stints as mates on the Sea Mist III, marking a fourth generation to serve anglers who enjoy fishing the waters off Boynton Inlet.
Drake Garnsey, 19, a student at Palm Beach State College, spent five years working as a mate on the drift boat and now works at Hurricane Alley Raw Bar and Restaurant, owned by Burt’s wife, Kim.
As part of the family’s “You Hook ’em, We Cook ’em” promotion, Sea Mist III patrons can bring fish caught on the drift boat to be cooked at Hurricane Alley, located just west of the marina on East Ocean Avenue.
Old life rafts, crusty fishing rods and vintage Sea Mist placards from the days of $6 fishing trips (rods and bait included) can be found on the walls inside Hurricane Alley. Half-day fishing trips on the Sea Mist III now cost $40 for adults, $35 for seniors and $25 for children.
The Sea Mist III is a 72-foot aluminum fishing boat built in the Lantana Boat Yard and commissioned in 1972.
The fishing family’s first boat, named Sea Mist II, was a wooden vessel with a single engine. The second Sea Mist, also wooden, had twin engines.
After it was sold to make way for the more modern Sea Mist III in the early 1970s, the second Sea Mist was sold and later used to bring Cubans to South Florida during the 1980 Mariel boatlift, said Don Lash, a retired sea captain who skippered the Sea Mist III in the 1970s and worked as a mate on the older, wooden Sea Mist in the 1960s.
Hall’s stepdaughter, Nancy Garnsey of Boynton Beach, is no longer involved in the day-to-day operation of the Sea Mist III, but she stays in touch because her children operate the fishing business.
Nancy Garnsey said she didn’t fish much while growing up because she got seasick. But in recent years she has been taking motion sickness pills and boarding the Sea Mist III to fish the waters off Boynton Inlet a few times a year.
“I went fishing last year, and I had so much fun,” she said.

Janet Hall, 96, of Ocean Ridge and Nancy Garnsey of Boynton Beach stand on the Sea Mist III. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Scott Simmons/The Coastal Star

The Plate: Breakfast Club Sandwich
The Place: Max’s Grille, Mizner Park, 404 Plaza Real, Boca Raton; 368-0080
The Price: $11
The Skinny: Max’s Grille has been one of our go-to places for more than 20 years, but we had never checked out the great brunch menu, available until 3 p.m. weekends.
It seems Max’s is the place to be on a Sunday morning. There was a lively crowd, and service, as usual, was prompt and friendly.
This Breakfast Club Sandwich was a great way to start the day, with two fried eggs, plenty of peppery arugula, sliced sweet tomatoes and applewood-smoked bacon on multigrain toast.
The bacon was crisp, but not overcooked and the toast had a nice crunch. The egg was served over-easy, as ordered.
Homefries were hearty and helped fuel an afternoon of shopping.
— Scott Simmons

Delray Beach Library Director Alan Kornblau (left), co-chairwoman Heidi Sargeant, master of ceremonies Paul Castronovo and co-chairwoman Becky Walsh share the stage during the the Delray Beach Library’s eighth annual fundraiser. The event raised nearly $85,000 for the privately supported library. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Thom Smith

He decorates the way he dresses — colorfully — and somehow, Carleton Varney brings it all together into statements that are filled with life.
In the week before Valentine’s Day during a reception at Pioneer Linens in West Palm Beach, Varney, appropriately in pinks and reds with a touch of blue wrapped in a spectral tie, had a few more statements about his style and his career.
    Many in the audience had heard the stories before — as clients, as readers of his equally colorful books or as viewers of his Home Shopping Network shows — including Minnie (Pulitzer) McCluskey and artist Alice Ludwig of North Palm Beach, who’s done some decorating herself. She’s quite proud that she beat Sting at Scrabble while doing his home in London.
    For what it’s worth, Varney has decorated Earth … Europe, Asia, the Americas, you name it. Given a great boost by decorating the Carter White House, he livened up the legendary Greenbrier in West Virginia, the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island and is no stranger to the Palm Beaches, having done grand manses such as Amway founder Richard DeVos’ sprawling estate in Manalapan, The Brazilian Court and The Breakers.
    In the works: The Colony. “Head to toe,” Varney said of what he calls the “truly the one iconic hotel in Palm Beach.”   
                                ***
    Society jeweler David Webb, who has helped decorate Jackie Kennedy, Doris Duke and a few ladies who live along the beach, is the subject of an exhibit at the Norton Museum of Art, while another exhibit is featured separately in “To Jane, Love Andy,” a study of Andy Warhol’s work and his relationship with ’60s supermodel and Palm Beach resident Jane Holzer.
    They put the “pop”in Pop Art, from the iconic Campbell’s soup cans to silent movies with actors who barely moved. The Warhol paintings that Holzer bought and the Chanel and Courrèges dresses she wore half a century ago add that extra special dimension to the show.

    In addition to the special exhibits, the Norton’s permanent collection has some timely pieces, in particular King Pyrrhus, painted in 1656 by Dutch artist Ferdinand Bol. It was a gift to the Norton in 2007 by Valerie Delacorte in memory of her husband, George T. Delacorte, who founded Dell Publishing.
    Pyrrhus was a Greek general who twice defeated Roman armies, but lost so many troops in the process, that the victories were hollow. Hence the term “pyrrhic victory.” Bol’s Pyrrhus stands in defiant profile, hands planted against breastplate, head wrapped in a turban and topped by a crown.
Before World War II, it was owned by a Dutchman, Marcel Wolf, but as the Nazis took over Europe, they conspired to steal as many great works of art as possible.

       Hermann Göring, Hitler’s No. 2 man, decided he wanted King Pyrrhus. Perhaps he noticed the resemblance, but regardless, he had it stashed in his private horde at Carinhall, his country residence northeast of Berlin. As the war began to turn against the Nazis, they made plans to hide what they could and destroy the rest. They were thwarted by members of the U.S. Army’s Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program, better known now, thanks to the new movie, as the “monuments men.”
    After the war, the painting was returned to Wolf. In 1960, he put it up for auction in London. A New York gallery bought it and sold it to the Delacortes, who happened to own a winter home in Palm Beach Gardens and developed a relationship with the Norton.
    George died in 1991, and in his memory Valerie gave the Norton five Old Master paintings and $1 million. In 2008, she stunned museum officials with a “monumental” gift of 66 European sculptures and paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Tiepolo and others, including King Pyrrhus. It hangs in the Delacorte Gallery on the third floor.
Now anyone can see it.
                                
                                ***                          
    Bruce Helander could be considered the Santa Claus of art, not because he gives things away, but because, like the old Ray Stevens song declares, “He’s everywhere! He’s everywhere.”
Working in several media but best known for his collages, his talent is on display in more than 50 museums including the Guggenheim, the Smithsonian and the Norton, and in the collections of major patrons and the likes of Dennis Hopper. Ken Moffett, former director of the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art once said, “If there was a Pulitzer Prize for collage, Helander would surely win it.”
Born in Kansas, he earned a masters degree at the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design and later served as its provost and vice president of economic affairs before moving to West Palm Beach in 1982. He sets up exhibitions for other artists, writes books, and contributes to magazines and websites such as The Huffington Post.
    Helander also has caught the attention of the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs … officially. In a few weeks he’ll be inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame. The only other inductee this year: rock legend Tom Petty.  Those nominated but not selected included West Palm Beach wildlife artist Janet Heaton and Jupiter street painter Jennifer Chaparro and singers Pat Boone (who was born in Jacksonville) and Bobby Goldsboro (born in Marianna).
    A year after the Florida Legislature established the Hall of Fame in 1986, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, John Ringling and Ernest Hemingway became its first inductees. The roster, now at 55, includes Jimmy Buffett, Ray Charles, Tennessee Williams, Zora Neale Hurston, Edward Villella, and Palm Beach countians Mel Tillis (singer), Burt Reynolds (actor), Laura Woodward (artist), Ralph Norton (arts patron), Addison Mizner (designer) and Jackie Brice (artist).
                                ***
    Despite recent cold spells, Delray’s restaurant scene has been hot … literally. In early February, 32 East owner Butch Johnson was awakened by a 4 a.m. phone call from the company that monitors alarms at his popular Atlantic Avenue eatery. Fire!  
    Within minutes Delray firefighters were on the scene and quickly located and doused a small blaze inside a wall near the wood-burning pizza oven.
    “It was spontaneous combustion,” Johnson said. “Some material that had been in the walls for years just heated up over time and finally caught fire. It was so close to the pizza oven that no one ever noticed. We didn’t have any major damage, but we closed for five days and took the opportunity to clean the place up a bit.”
    L.L. Bean may be a legend in retailing, but the Bean name didn’t help his granddaughter’s foray into Delray’s restaurant scene. Despite offering fresh seafood from the icy waters of Maine, Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine Lobster never caught on and shuttered after four years on the southeast corner of Atlantic and Second.  
    But Delray restaurants don’t stay empty for long. Area restauranteur Gary Rack, who recently opened Racks Fish House + Oyster Bar in the old VFW club just behind Bean’s, has bought the space.
    “We have a plan,” Rack’s General Manager Richard Combs said of what will be the fifth restaurant in the group that includes Table 42 and Racks Downtown Eatery + Tavern in Boca and Racks Italian Kitchen in North Miami Beach. “It’s a new concept but we’re not ready to divulge it yet. We’ll reveal more in about six weeks, and we hope to be open in late August or early September. I can say that it will be novel for Delray.”         
    After working in restaurants for decades, including the popular Renato’s in Palm Beach, Henry Lowenberg decided to follow his dream and buy one. He and wife, Pamela, found just what he wanted in Delray just south of Atlantic on Federal. Once a two-story frame house with metal roof and a big porch, it most recently had been Café Loredana. The Lowenbergs renamed it, naturally, The Porch and brought along Willie Lopez as chef to whip up fresh seafood and wood-fired pasta and pizza.
                                ***
    Now the Russian national soccer team knows how the Denver Broncos feel. On Feb. 8 at FAU Stadium, the U.S. women stomped them, 7-0 —  an embarrassing differential in international soccer —  and several top Americans, including Abby Wambach and Megan Rapinoe, former members of the now defunct Boca-based Magic Jacks pro team, didn’t play until late in the game.
    Although the stadium holds more than 30,000, FAU officials were tickled that the game attracted 8,857 fans. The game was the third collaboration by the university and US Soccer, and Athletic Director Pat Chun expects more. “They came to us,” Chun said. “They know we have a great stadium, they get a decent crowd and we make a little money.”
    Anyone who thinks a university survives off tuition fees and ticket sales has no hope of passing the FCAT. Every little bit helps. That’s why Chun is also thrilled that the stadium will host a football bowl game next winter, and National Lacrosse League’s Florida Launch will call the stadium home. “It’s summer rental,” Chun said as he and acting President Dennis Crudele entertained trustees, boosters and local government leaders in the President’s Suite.
    Some also speculate that the stadium might offer a perfect temporary home for David Beckham’s new Major League Soccer franchise, until he builds his stadium in Miami — that is, if he can raise the money to build it.
    Crudele, incidentally, will stay on in an advisory position to help incoming President John Kelly settle in, but he’ll leave no later than December, because he is enrolled in the state’s deferred retirement option program.
    The next big event in the stadium will be FAU’s Making Waves Gala in the Greenberg Tower. The fundraiser provides scholarships and support for veterans and first-generation students. Tickets are $150 and sponsorships already have raised nearly $500,000. Auction items include hot laps in a Porsche at Sebring Raceway, an Oceania Cruise and a $10,000 Saks gift card.
Incidentally, three members of the U.S. womens soccer team made Rantsports “25 Most Beautiful Women in Sports”: goalkeeper Hope Solo and forwards Sydney Leroux and Alex Morgan, plus Jupiter Island’s recovering skier and Tiger Woods’ muse, Lindsey Vonn.
                                ***
Here and there:
    Boca’s Festival of the Arts kicks off March 6 with a concert by Itzhak Perlman at Mizner Park Amphitheatre and closes with Forte, the operatic trio that won America’s Got Talent on March 15. In between, something for everyone — Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane Dance Company (March 7), jazzman Arturo Sandoval with Monica Mancini and the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra (March 8), author and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin (March 13) and Cirque de la Symphonia acrobats with the festival orchestra (March 14). For tickets and info, go to festivalboca.org.
    Missing the festival will be Steve Maklansky, who suddenly resigned Jan. 31 as director of the Boca Raton Museum of Art after 2½ years. The four-paragraph news release praised Maklansky’s efforts to attract new supporters, new audiences and new money and wished him “success in all his future endeavors.” However, it offered not a hint of the reasons for his departure, which sources in the area art community suggest were not his own — that he was fired, because he was not a good fundraiser and had not lived up to the board’s expectations.
Meanwhile the museum’s board of trustees has appointed Irvin Lippman as interim director.  Lately residing in Fort Worth, Texas, Lippman served as executive director of the Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale from 2003 to 2012.
                                ***
    How do you get to Carnegie Hall? To the old saw “practice, practice, practice” add money, money, money. Especially for Dimensional Harmony, the Boynton Beach High School chorus that just won the state high school competition and hopes to enter national events in Atlanta, Tennessee and New York. Total cost could exceed $60,000.
 In 2010, Dimensional Harmony topped 1,000 U.S. choirs to win a Today show competition, and in 2008 at Carnegie Hall it backed up Broadway singers and Van Halen. Its first goal this year is to raise $5,000.
    With the help of the Delray Beach Republican Club, the choir will perform at 3 p.m. March 15 at the Church of the Palms in Delray. Ticket donations start at a meager $25 and include a reception. To help, call Boynton Beach High School at 752-1200.

Thom Smith is a freelance writer. Contact him at ThomSmith@ymail.com.

Alana St. John, Melissa Novak, Co-Chairwoman Stephanie Economos, Custodia Olivieri, Co-Chairwoman Laura Kendrall and Shanna St. John. Photo provided

By Amy Woods
    
The food-focused fundraiser that has made the Junior League of Boca Raton the charity of choice for chocolate-lovers will enter its 13th year with a new theme and venue.
    Flavors: Farm to Fork debuts March 13 at the Sonoma House, an indoor/outdoor banquet facility with a lodge-like look and a California-country feel. All the fare at the culinary celebration will be sustainable and nutritious.
    But will there be chocolate?
    “Yes, of course, there will be chocolate,” said Laura Kendrall, event co-chairwoman and coastal Delray Beach resident. “How could we forget to pay homage to [our] successful Chocolate Decadence events?”
    This year’s guests will be treated to the Decadent Chocolate Dessert Lounge, offering a variety of sinful sweets from South County bakeries and restaurants.
    Kendrall is co-chairing the event with Stephanie Economos and Chef Chairman Patrick Broadhead, of Max’s Grille and Max’s Harvest fame.
    “My goal with the Flavors event is layered a little bit,” Broadhead said. “The No. 1 goal is to raise money and awareness regarding childhood hunger. Secondly, though, we would like to raise awareness about  our local scene regarding farms and farmers and how they’ve grown in the area.”
    Proceeds from the evening will benefit Junior League programs that address child welfare and hunger.
    “I’m donating my time for this event because I believe in the cause,” Broadhead said. “I have a 3-year-old, which brings to light the issues surrounding the event, and it hits a lot closer to home.”
    In addition to the locally sourced, diversely flavored organic food, Flavors: Farm to Fork will feature an open bar, a silent auction and live music.
    “What better incentive to stamp out childhood hunger than to come together at such an incredible venue under the stars in South Florida in March, with some of the best restaurants providing top-notch tastings?” Broadhead asked. “I felt it was my duty to be the chef chairperson.” 

By Paula Detwiller

    After years of volunteer service to the Literacy Council of Palm Beach County, Kristin Calder has been named to head up the organization. Calder, of Boynton Beach, was appointed CEO by the Literacy Coalition Board in December and started her new job on Jan. 13. She replaces longtime CEO Darlene Kostrub, who retired.
   Calder, 40, has more than 15 years of leadership, communications and fundraising experience in the Palm Beach County nonprofit sector. Prior to joining the Literacy Coalition as CEO, she was director of communications for the Bethesda Hospital Foundation, where she worked for 12 years. She is a graduate of Leadership Palm Beach County; a past president of the Junior League of Boca Raton and the Public Relations Society of America, Palm Beach Chapter; and a recipient of the Chamber of the Palm Beaches Young Athena Award.
    A native of Huntington, W.Va., Calder holds a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Marshall University. She and her husband, Glen, have three children.
    “As a mother of school-aged children and an active community volunteer, I’ve witnessed the needs and issues in our community regarding education and literacy,” Calder says. “It’s exciting to be part of the solution.”
    In Palm Beach County, an estimated 1 in 7 adults lack basic literacy skills. The goal of the Literacy Coalition is to ensure that every child and adult in Palm Beach County becomes a reader.
    Calder is working to promote several fundraisers and campaigns, including the coalition’s signature Love of Literacy Luncheon scheduled for March 7 at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, and the Read Together 2014 campaign in which county residents will read a community-selected book together between March 7 and April 9, joining book discussions all over the county.
    On March 22, the coalition is sponsoring a one-day training session to prepare community volunteers to work with adult literacy students. The tutor training will take place at the coalition’s new headquarters: the Blume Literacy Center for Education, Training and Outreach at 3651 Quantum Blvd., in Boynton Beach. For more information, visit www.literacypbc.org.

More than 175 supporters of the School of the Arts Foundation attended a benefit for Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts that featured performances and art exhibitions by  its students. There also was a live auction and a special dance number choreographed by Christopher Huggins, a former member of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Top: Committee members Richard and Donna Schuller with Simon Benson Offit.
Center: Jenny Gifford and Hans Evers, with sponsor Lisa Marie Browne.

Above: Sponsors Debra Elmore and George Elmore.
Photos provided

Inspired by the Ocean Science Meeting in Hawaii, Pope John Paul II High School marine-science students bored into the sand to collect a core sample of sediments. Students used a system devised by Gavin Guinan, in which a piece of pipe was placed over a clear tube and pounded into the ground. Photo: Pope John Paul II High School marine-science students Jon Gray, of Ocean Ridge, with Zachary Markle, Chris Cantazaro, Gavin Guinan, Emily Guinan, Rob Eubanks, Katrina Ybanez, Elizabeth Eubanks and Aislinn Lavoie. Photo provided

No travel was required for a California-inspired food and wine event benefiting BocaLocals, a nonprofit organization that is trying to raise awareness about cystic fibrosis and stem-cell treatments. The afternoon reception offered a food stations, wine flights, live entertainment and a silent auction. Photo: Norma Guerrerro, Tony Martello and Michelle Rodriguez. Photo provided

Celebrants gathered as a church family and honored each of this year’s recipients of the Christine E. Lynn Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Award, the Ronald G. Assaf Benefactor Award and the Stewardship Award during an evening of dining and dancing. Photo: Honorees Violeta and Vincent Chiong, Carmelita Espirito and Luke Glen. Photo by Barbara McCormick

Wally Findlay Galleries International, through the support of its chairman and CEO, James Borynack, presented the photographs of 43 children who participated in the 2013 Arthur R. Marshall Foundation program during a special exhibition and private recognition reception. One of the finalists was Martina McManus, 10, of south Palm Beach. Photo: Martina, with Borynack and the foundation’s Nancy Marshall. McManus received a plaque and a camera — a gift from Borynack. Photo provided

The popular series sponsored by the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County attracted nearly 200 fans to lively ‘conversations’ by featured speakers. Above: Sanford Kuvin, David Rubinger, Gabriel Kuvin, Arnold Drapkin, Miryam Flint and Lisa Schreier at the Jan. 6 event. Photo by Corby Kaye’s Studio Palm Beach

Former U.S. Ambassador Stuart and Wilma Bernstein received the American Friends of The Hebrew University’s 2014 Scopus Award during the annual gala. Nearly 250 supporters gathered for a cocktail reception, dinner and special presentation. ‘The Scopus Award is our highest national honor,’ professor Isaiah Arkin said. Photo: Howard and Terri Fine. Photo by Lucien Capehart Photography

To say the Armory Art Center’s wearable-art runway show was over the top in creative genius would be an understatement. A standing-room-only crowd of 300-plus cheered the inventive undertaking as 36 models strutted in everything from a multicolor ensemble of sliced pool noodles to a dress made of recycled trash bags. The show raised $45,000 for the center. Above: Fashion ARTillery Co-Chairwomen Barbara Kaplan, Zelda Mason and Linda Silpe. Photo by Lila Photography

The ‘pride’ of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County roared once again at the annual gathering attended by more than 400 Lion of Judah members. The women reflected on turning points in their lives — when they knew they wanted to support the federation — and listened to stories from local residents whose outlooks were changed by the charity. Above: Selma Sitrick and Phyllis Wachtel. Jeffrey Tholl Photography/Carlos Aristizabal

A capacity crowd of almost 1,200 hospital supporters rocked out to the Beach Boys, with special guest John Stamos, at the 52nd annual fundraiser. The ball celebrated the establishment of the Marcus Neuroscience Institute, paid tribute to Honorary Chairpersons Bernie and Billi Marcus, and recognized 13 physicians with the longest tenure in their area of specialty. More than $1.2 million was raised. Photo: Donald Marszalek, Diana Wold Marszalek, Elaine Wold and Jennifer and Keith Wold Jr.  Photo provided

ABOVE: Tom Vinci, 90, a resident of the Sabal Point Condominiums in Boca Raton, poses with his artwork — intricately painted squares similar to the stenciled designs created by his father. BELOW:  Gay ‘Gigi’ Vela holds a hand-woven mohair jacket she created.  On the wall are her paintings. Dale King/The Coastal Star

By Dale King
    
They don’t actually live in an artist’s colony. But many folks who dwell along the shoreline in Boca Raton and Delray Beach find themselves exercising their creative muse this time of year.
    The Delray Beach Club recently held its annual art show, a visual forum for 13 people whose talents include portraiture, photography, jewelry and books.
    Fanciers of photography at Sabal Point condominiums in Boca Raton will get their chance March 4 to display their works.
    The events are opportunities to attract residents to the showings, where they can admire the works of neighbors and enjoy wine, hors d’oeuvres and other munchies. The photo show at Sabal Point is competitive. Sue Tolpin was last year’s winner.
    Among those mingling in the crowded hallway at the Delray Beach Club the night of Feb. 7 was Connecticut resident Robert VanBrott, who displayed his vibrant painting of Wolfeboro, N.H., on Lake Winnipesaukee. Gay “Gigi” Vela held a hand-woven mohair jacket and showed paintings she created of the French countryside where Vincent Van Gogh once put brush to canvas.
    The March 4 presentation in Boca Raton will be the third display of photographs taken by shutterbugs at the seaside complex, said Tom Vinci, who helps pull the events together. Since 2004, Sabal Point has hosted nine art shows featuring acrylics, oils or watercolors.  
    So far, the photographic competition hasn’t gained the same momentum as the art show. But Vinci said residents “always want to do more.”
    Vinci, 90, said his own ability runs more to painting. His decorated squares are similar to the stenciled designs his father created.
    The folks with a penchant for painting are helping with the photo show this year. And they bring their own stories of personal inspiration.
    “I travel and take a lot of pictures,” said painter Gio Muzio-Postelnek. “When I get home, I try to paint them.”  
    Annie Figlia says she “paints anything I see. I go to New York a lot.”
    “I love the country, particularly beach scenes,” said Marilyn Koeppel. “I like landscapes, houses and beaches. I am self-taught. I never took a lesson.”
    Tony Baratta loves painting “landscapes, buildings and churches.” He created a likeness of the famed Jesus statue in Brazil.
    Jo-Anne Nappi admitted her “artistic periods” range from houses and vases to flowers and ballerinas. 

Bob Weisblut (right)presents a Certificate of Appreciation Feb. 13 to Eric Vandernook of FAU, following an Ocean Ridge Town Hall Lecture.