The rescheduled, sold-out annual fundraiser for the Rotary Club of Downtown Boca delivered another memorable evening to benefit the health and wellness needs of area charities. More than 400 guests enjoyed a red-carpet arrival, a 1920s-era dance performance and the presentation of the George Long Prism Awards. Honorees were the Boca Raton Resort & Club (for-profit organization), Boca Helping Hands (nonprofit organization) and Christine Lynn (individual). ABOVE: (l-r) Bonny and Bill Smith, Christine Lynn, John Gallo, Kari Oeltjen and Steven Abrams. Photo provided by Gina Fontana

The Leighan and David Rinker Campus for foster children celebrated the grand opening of its newest home with local dignitaries and organization supporters. The home will accommodate six girls and their house parents. ‘Everyone here has played a part in making this campus what it is today, and we are not done,’ Place of Hope Executive Director Charles Bender said. ‘We have one more cottage left to renovate, and the renovations have already been generously underwritten. This campus will be home to three times the number of people it houses now, and none of it would be possible without your help.’ ABOVE: (l-r) Brad Hurlburt, president and CEO of the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties, with Susan Brockway and Patrick Boroian. Photo provided by Abigail Marsicano

The coalition rang in its anniversary at its new office and recognized the staff and supporters who have been instrumental in its success. ‘As we celebrate our 30th anniversary, we recognize the impact Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies has made on mothers and children for the last three decades and celebrate our efforts of bringing forward issues and solutions to challenges faced by pregnant women in our community,’ founder and Past President Dr. Marsha Fishbane said. ABOVE: (l-r) Coalition board members Ginny Prystawski, Joel Feldman and Sandra Kaplan. Photo provided by Tracey Benson Photography

Golfers took to the greens and raised more than $5,000 for local breast-cancer education, support services and lifesaving research. The shotgun-start, best-ball format included 15 foursomes supporting the Susan G. Komen South Florida affiliate that serves Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties.  ABOVE: (l-r) Jamael Stewart and John Cali, with tournament winners Scott Lewandowski, Chris Aliff and Gary Stubbs, joined by Dayve Gabbard, executive director of the Susan G. Komen South Florida affiliate. Photo provided

Florida Atlantic University’s Alumni Association had its third annual ceremony and reception to honor exceptional former students ages 40 and younger for their personal and professional accomplishments. ‘We are so proud of this year’s OYO award recipients,’ said Pat Breman, interim assistant vice president of alumni relations.  ABOVE: (l-r) OYOs Richard Viens, Lisa Wulf, Isabelle Clérié, Matt O’Brien, Alumni Association Chairwoman Tiffany Weimar, university President John Kelly, Tyler Stubbs, Jodie Gless, Sarah Siebert and Darrel Thomas. Photo provided

The Rotary Club of Boca Raton’s big fundraiser will honor Outstanding People and Leaders who have contributed through volunteerism to make the community a better place. The theme for the Jan. 14, 2017, gala is ‘Changing Lives and Building Futures.’  ABOVE: (l-r) honoree Jordan Zimmerman, hostess Marilyn Weinberg, honorees Peter and Carmel Baronoff, honoree Yvonne Boice, club President Rachel Huerta and Neil Saffer.
Photo provided by Jim Donnelly

The plate: Chicken souvlaki platter
The place: Souvlaki Fast, 305 E. Woolbright Road, Boynton Beach; 877-2441
The price: $10
The skinny: If I could give a restaurant kudos for the quantity of food it serves, Souvlaki Fast would win. But what good is quantity if the quality does not match?
Fortunately, they are equal at Souvlaki Fast, which turns out fresh pitas and platters for lunch and dinner.
A friend and I were starving one afternoon and stopped in for lunch.
The chicken souvlaki platter was loaded with tender, marinated chicken and served with a crisp Greek salad topped with plenty of fresh feta. It was the perfect dish for a hot afternoon and, yes, I had leftovers.
Also a winner: The beef and lamb gyro platter, with enough meat for two meals.
— Scott Simmons

Haitian children surround Delray Beach philanthropist Frank McKinney after they moved into one of the 23 self-sustaining villages his foundation has built on the island. Photo provided

By Thom Smith

Few folks are more optimistic than Frank McKinney. The longtime Delray Beach resident has built oceanfront megamansions that have sold for $50 million. He has published several books about real estate and even a children’s fantasy. He’s taken his brand of entrepreneurship across the country and run 135-mile ultramarathons across Death Valley.
    On Nov. 12, he’ll host a daylong traveling seminar, Aspire, that will start at his “treehouse” on North Ocean, head north to his first “micro mansion” in Ocean Ridge and then return home for a fireside chat. His goal is to inspire the participants to aspire to greater creativity and social impact.
    McKinney believes his micro mansion will be the next small thing, with all the luxury appointments of a Palm Beach mansion, but in only 4,000 square feet. Its public unveiling is set for New Year’s Eve, but he’ll sell it now for $3.9 million. He’s already turned down $3.5 million.
    Who knows, maybe one of Aspire’s 50 participants will put in a bid. The day will cost $500 ($750 for the bonus VIP session around McKinney’s fire pit), and it’s all tax-deductible. That’s because the money will go to McKinney’s Caring House Project Foundation.  
    Since 2003, Caring House has built 23 self-sustaining villages in Haiti. They’re a far cry from the micro mansions but far better than wooden huts with thatched roofs. One concrete and steel Caring House can be built for about $4,000 and accommodate a family of eight. Each village contains a school/church/community center, 16 concrete and steel latrines, water filters, solar lighting and hundreds of goats and chickens.
    Proceeds from Aspire will build six or seven homes. But because of Hurricane Matthew, the program is in dire straits. Nine villages around Jeremie on the northwest tip of the Tiburon Peninsula took a direct hit. At least 450 homes were flattened by the Category 5 winds. The death toll in Haiti has surpassed 800 and is expected to grow as cholera and other diseases add to the misery.
    “We will rebuild, but we need help, more than ever,” McKinney said.
    For information or to make a donation, go to www.frank-mckinney.com/caring-house-project.
                                     ***
    For folks down here, Dennis Kozlowski has been out of sight, out of mind for a decade. He’s been away, at New York’s Mid-State Correctional Facility near Utica, reflecting and planning.
Kozlowski became notorious as the boss at Tyco, brilliant but greedy, making millions but wanting more. It cost him nearly seven years. Since his parole in New York in early 2014, he’s kept a low profile, but on Nov. 9 he’s scheduled to make his first public appearance — at a luncheon of the Gold Coast Tiger Bay Club at City Fish Market in West Boca (www.goldcoasttigerbayclub.com).
    Tyco was a small high-tech business in New England when Kozlowski signed on in 1975. It was already growing when he became chairman in 1991, and over the next decade Tyco acquired more than 1,000 other companies and in 2002 was worth $120 billion. Tyco Integrated Security is based in Boca Raton.
    Kozlowski became the highest-paid CEO in the U.S. He owned two New York apartments worth $24 million and a $3 million home in Boca’s Sanctuary. But upward of $100 million in excess, including a $6,300 sewing basket, a $6,000 shower curtain and a $445 pincushion, did him in.
    “It was greed, pure and simple,” he told the parole committee in March 2015. He lost paintings by Renoir and Monet, the shower curtain and his second wife, Karen. Last December he sold the Boca mansion for $10.3 million.
    While in prison, he renewed an acquaintance from the ’90s with Kimberly Fusaro. After his release, Dennis proposed, offering her not a diamond but a cubic zirconia worth about $300. The couple has moved back to South Florida to be near Kozlowski’s two daughters and the grandkids.
    With former colleagues, Kozlowski has created Harbourside Associates to provide mergers and acquisitions advice and is co-CEO with Palm Beacher and Netscape founder Jim Clark at Commandscape, a new high-tech security and building management company.
    Perhaps more significant, in February he was named chairman of the Fortune Society, a New York organization that helps former inmates re-enter society.
    “While I was (in prison) I taught GED courses and I knew that was a step in the right direction,” Kozlowski told Fortune magazine, “but people coming out after spending many years away need so much more than that. They need help to prepare for the job force, to figure out where to live, how to get food, how to survive on the outside. Especially those without friends and family or any kind of support system.”
                                     ***
    At first it just seemed like good TV. Producers at Good Morning America suggested to co-host Amy Robach that she have a mammogram screening to support breast cancer awareness during the annual October Pink initiative.
A mammogram! Live! In Times Square! She was too young to be worried about breast cancer. She was only 40. Her family had no history of the disease. But fellow host Robin Roberts, a breast cancer survivor, pressed her: If it saves one life, it’s worth it.
“I had no idea it would be mine,” Robach told more than 1,500 luncheon guests Oct. 21 at the 13th annual Go Pink Luncheon at the Boca Raton Resort & Club. The event benefited the Lynn Women’s Health & Wellness Institute and Lynn Cancer Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital.
    Robach’s mammogram revealed a malignancy. Later tests turned up more tumors, and the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes. A decade ago that would have been a death sentence, but Robach was lucky, although the path to recovery was rife with obstacles. It almost destroyed her marriage to actor turned internet entrepreneur Andrew Shue.
    They married in 2010, Robach bringing along two daughters, Shue three sons. But they wanted one child together and were so committed to that goal that Shue had a vasectomy reversed.
“But my oncologist told me I was out of the baby-making business,” Robach said.
    She had to fight to keep her sense of security. Their marriage nearly died, but therapy helped them get through tough times. She accepted that she may die tomorrow or live to 100, but can’t let fear control her.
    “Before she wouldn’t even go in the pool,” Shue said. “This year she swam with sharks. We do live differently now.”
    Both are grateful Robach had that mammogram and stressed the importance of vigilance. “Thousands of women die each year because they choose to wait,” she said before closing with a motto first offered to her by Shue: “Don’t die before you die.”
The gala raised more than $1 million, including $33,000 from its inaugural Fund A Need Flash Campaign, in which attendees made on-the-spot pledges via their smart phones.
                                     ***
    The lineup — on the court and onstage — is finally set for the 27th Chris Evert/Raymond James Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic. Evert didn’t have to look farther than Palm Beach to find entertainment for the Nov. 19 gala at the Boca Raton Resort & Club — Jimmy Buffett.
The celebrity participants, including Emmy-winner Carson Kressley, Kevin McKidd (Grey’s Anatomy),  Jamie McShane (Blood-line), Timothy Olyphant (Justified) and Scott Foley (Scandal), will team on the Delray Beach Tennis Center courts on Nov. 19 and 20 with Evert and pros Martina Navratilova, Andrea Jaeger, Rennae Stubbs, Jesse Levine and Vince Spadea.
Since 1989, the Classic has raised more than $22.5 million to battle drug abuse and help at-risk families in South Florida. Details at chrisevert.org.
                                     ***
    It certainly won’t be Hamilton and it’s a long way from Broadway, but Jimmy Buffett is making a foray into theater. Escape to Margaritaville will premiere next May at the La Jolla Playhouse in California. Featuring a mix of new songs and Buffett standards, the story follows a part-time bartender-singer who falls for a career-minded tourist.
    It’s hardly a unique concept, but La Jolla boasts an impressive legacy: 25 productions went on to Broadway and claimed 35 Tonys, including Jersey Boys, Memphis and Big River.
                                     ***
Granger’s, a Delray eatery for more than two decades, will take over the old VFW Post at 802 SE Fifth Ave., about 1 mile south on Federal Highway.  Owner Tim McLarney,  who had been looking for a new space since May 2015, said he was “happy, happy!”
“We have a great lease with 50 parking spaces for 75 seats in 2,783 square feet for the same rate as our current location,” which has 960 square feet, space for 38 customers and six parking spots. That property at Federal and Northeast Second Street, including a 1,500-square-foot house, sold in March for slightly more than $1 million.
He hopes to move by Dec. 1.
A regular customer who is a real estate broker, Lynlee Fraser Glynn, helped McLarney search for a new location. “We came together because we are just a small town,” said Glynn.
McLarney plans to keep the same menu and may hire more staff. For now, he’s doing a happy dance about the new site.
                                 ***       
Ah, the stories they could tell … but will they? CEO Judith Mitchell, director of programming Lee Bell and Chairman of the Board Michael Bracci will share backstage stories of the Kravis Center’s first 25 years Nov. 7 as The Colony hotel in Palm Beach launches another year of Culture & Cocktails.
    Cocktails (with hors d’oeuvres) begin at 5 p.m. followed by the culture at 5:45. Tickets are $65 in advance (472-3330), $75 at the door. Proceeds support the county’s Cultural Council artist programs.
                                     ***
    A little post-election perspective, courtesy of FAU professor Steve Engle. “The Presidency of Abraham Lincoln at 150 Years: Lessons for a New Age” will be the subject of his lecture at 4 p.m. Nov. 9 at the University Theatre.
    A Lincoln scholar who this year published Gathering to Save a Nation: Lincoln and the Union’s War Governors, Engle will provide an overview of lessons learned and possibly unlearned in 150 years. As Lincoln told Congress in 1862: “We cannot escape history. We of this Congress and this administration will be remembered in spite of ourselves.”
For tickets ($25, free for students, faculty and staff), call 297-6124.
Jane Smith contributed to this report.

Thom Smith is a freelance writer. Email him at thomsmith@ymail.com.

Charity Bashed,
By Sharon Geltner
PoloPublishing, 210 pp., $15.95

By Steve Pike

The old adage that writers write what they know about has never held more true than with Sharon Geltner. The Boca Raton resident has spent the past several years raising money for Palm Beach charities, meaning that nobody is more qualified than Geltner to chronicle the lifestyles of the island’s rich and famous.
In her first published book, Charity Bashed, Geltner, a former Boca Raton News reporter, spins a terrific tale of murder, blackmail, selfishness and selflessness that it seems can only happen in Palm Beach “who do you know?’’ circles.
Geltner begins Charity Bashed with these words: “My tiara’s too tight.’’ That’s enough to get anyone interested from Palm Beach to Newport.
While Charity Bashed is a work of fiction, many of the characters and situations she describes undoubtedly are based on Geltner’s years of dealings with the good and bad parts of the philanthropic worlds of Washington, D.C., and Palm Beach.
And as good as the story is — it will keep you turning each of the 210 pages — it’s Geltner’s reporter’s eye and ear for details that give the story of murdered millionaire Vincent Paul Louis depth and reality.
“I’ve seen how important philanthropy is to this economy and this entire society,’’ said Geltner, who is president of Froogle PR, which specializes in digital media.  “But I really never knew about the social standing that goes along with it. It’s a whole industry. I think that people in Palm Beach County don’t even realize it to this day unless they are part of it.’’
 Geltner’s life in the nonprofit world began in Washington, D.C., where she spent her days as a freelance magazine writer and her evenings involved as a volunteer for organizations such as the Washington Independent Writers and the National Writers Union, as well as the charity initiatives of the National Press Club.
Back in South Florida, Geltner covered the philanthropic world as a general assignment reporter at the Boca News and later worked inside the nonprofit industry where “it was even sillier, and crazier and more fun than I had imagined. That’s when I started getting interested in it in a big way.’’
That big way included a book manuscript, a Washington-based thriller, Geltner called it, for which she couldn’t find a publisher. Not deterred, Geltner turned her sights (and words) on the manuscript that would become Charity Bashed, based on her experiences and observations in the nonprofit worlds of Washington. D.C., and Palm Beach.
“After that I got another agent, so it took a lot of editing and polishing,’’ Geltner said. “At that time, mystery writing was strongly recommended by agents. I wanted to write about what I know, but I also wanted to put a mystery in there. That was my motivation.’’
For those who get the sense of déjà vu when they see the Charity Bashed title, it’s probably because the story was first published for Kindle in 2010. It wasn’t published in paperback until this past September.
“There’s much more interest in the book now that it’s tangible,’’ Geltner said.
“I didn’t want to be the kind of author who has thousands of books in her garage, but the price (to publish) has gone down so much that you can order a few dozen or a few hundred at a time and you don’t break the bank. So I’m really having a lot of fun with it.’’
And readers will have fun with Charity Bashed.

Donn Colee Jr. at the original studios of Lake Worth’s ‘All-Girl’ radio station WLIZ, now transmitter site for WWRF, ‘Radio Fiesta.’  Thom Smith/The Coastal Star

By Thom Smith

Long before Florida became a state, the Colee family was setting the stage. They farmed land along the St. Johns River south of Jacksonville and operated carriages on the streets of St. Augustine, a stagecoach line over to the St. Johns River and a ferry service across it. They were postmasters, bankers, engineers, railroaders and real estate speculators.
A notch in the St. Johns still carries the name Colee Cove. In Fort Lauderdale, Colee Hammock on the New River is now a city park.
Eventually the Colees found their way into broadcasting. In the mid-’40s, high school friends Donn Colee Sr. and Mike Gannon landed part-time jobs as announcers at WFOY in St. Augustine. They loved the work, but college lay ahead. Gannon became a history professor at the University of Florida; Colee returned to broadcasting, working at Central Florida radio stations,  then opening WLOF-TV in Orlando. In 1963 he bought WHEW in West Palm Beach (now WPOM), and three years later opened an advertising and public relations business. In ’68 he sold the station; in ’89 he sold the agency and retired. He and wife Shirley live in Palm Beach Gardens.
 Seven generations removed from St. Augustine, Donn Colee Jr. followed his dad into broadcasting, starting as a rock ’n’ roll DJ in Orlando, and after a Navy hitch ventured into advertising and public relations. Young Colee eventually landed at WPEC-Channel 12 in West Palm Beach — in marketing, community relations, programming and eventually as station manager from 2002 to 2007. 
 He’s out of the business now, but the ties still bind. Taking the advice of his dad and Gannon, he went to work on a history of Florida broadcasting. Towers in the Sand was released last month, and at more than 700 pages, it offers a fascinating anecdotal journey of the history of Florida broadcasting from the land boom of the Roaring ’20s to the present.
Colee recounts some of the notable personalities now in the national spotlight who first attracted attention in Florida: Katie Couric, Roy Firestone, Red Barber, Steve Kroft and Brian Norcross.
But villains can offset heroes and Florida has had its share. Radio took a near fatal hit in Miami Beach in 1959 when the second annual Radio Programming Seminar and Pop Music Disc Jockey Convention attracted 2,500 jocks gorging at a trough stocked by the record companies. Under such headlines as “Booze, Broads and Bribes,” newspapers reported wild sex parties on private yachts, fleets of Cadillac convertibles, side trips to Cuba and, worst of all, $600,000 ($5 million in current cash) was lavished on the DJs.
To assorted members of Congress and law enforcement officials who saw rock ’n’ roll as a scourge, the weekend of “payola” broke the camel’s back. Six months later, the House Oversight Committee began hearings.
Though not one was from Florida, 335 disc jockeys admitted taking payola. The biggest fish were Dick Clark and Alan Freed. Clark was clever. He classified his bounty as “consulting fees,” and was even lauded by some government officials. Freed pleaded guilty to two minor charges; but then the IRS went after him. Before he could pay the $38,000 in back taxes, he died a broken man.
 
Towers in the Sand is available in print ($29.95 plus $5 shipping) and digitally ($8.95) at www.towersinthesand.com.

By Thom Smith

    “You’ve got a nice voice; you should go over to the all-girl radio show,” a newscaster at WEAT (radio and TV then) suggested to the Palm Beach Junior College student he was dating in the mid-’60s.
    “And that was it,” Deidre Hall recalled. As many as 700 women applied for jobs when the new radio station in Lake Worth, WLIZ, went on the air in 1959. Six were hired.
    The second station in the nation with an “All-Girl” staff, it was the “sister” station of WHER in Memphis. Both were the brainchild of Sam Phillips, the owner of Sun Records who helped launched rock ’n’ roll by recording the likes of B.B. King, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison and, of course, Elvis Presley.
    Hall never met Phillips, but his radio venture laid the foundation for her career.
    “The pay was so little that I can’t remember,” said Hall, who eventually gave up the radio console for a psychiatrist’s couch as Dr. Marlena Evans on Days of Our Lives. “It was really for the experience and the fun of it. I was probably the youngest girl on the staff, but it was wonderful training. There’s something about putting on a headset with a microphone in front of you and hearing the sound of your own voice, your enunciation and your expressions, your pace and your volume. It’s an enormous learning experience. Communicating without the visual, you had to be more effective.”
    The job also required them to operate the equipment and pass an FCC test.
    “Once we did that we were thrown into the deep end,” Hall said during a phone interview. They pulled their own records, recorded commercials, ripped and read news items from the Associated Press teletype machine in the back and interviewed guests who had something — a book, a show, a product or a cause — to promote.          “Plus we had to read the meters every 15 minutes to make sure we were in the right wattage,” she said. “It was fun, local radio, seat-of-our-pants entertainment. We just made it up as we went along.        “The most exciting times were when we would have a hurricane, with 10-minute updates on what was happening, what to do, what to stock up on, public service. With a storm coming it was a lot more important what we were telling people.”
    Specific dates have dimmed with the years, but Hall was on air in the mid-’60s, for at least two years. She also let on that she also spun records on weekends at WQXT, which overlooked the Atlantic from atop the dunes at the south end of Lake Worth Public Beach.
    “It wasn’t near as much fun,” she confessed. “It was actually a little frightening being the midnight person on the weekends in that empty parking lot.”
Hall, who turned 69 on Halloween, joined Days of Our Lives 40 years ago. In so many ways, the show is her life. And largely because of her character, the show still has life. When she debuted, 14 daytime dramas competed for viewers. Only four remain. Hall attributes its success to its adaptability, realistic story lines, production flexibility and doing more with less, budget-wise.
    “We cracked the code for staying on the air and hopefully we’ll be there for a long time,” she said.
    Though she cherishes the memories of her youth in Lake Worth (she currently lives in Los Angeles), she doubts she’ll return anytime soon. But she still wants to keep in touch.  
    “I have a Deidre Hall fan page on Facebook. People can check in and tell me what’s going on back there,” she said. “There was a joy to growing up in a small town. Everyone knew everybody else. It was such a safe, protective and loving environment.”

Offense-Incident Report

By Dan Moffett

  Ocean Ridge Vice Mayor Richard Lucibella is facing possible felony charges following a Saturday night shooting incident at his oceanfront home that left him in handcuffs and bloodied from a scuffle with police officers.

  Police say alcohol played a role in the incident on Beachway North, and Lucibella’s neighbors said they heard about five shots. Police Chief Hal Hutchins said his officers responded to a call at 9:13 p.m. reporting gunshots fired near 5700 Old Ocean Blvd.

 “Initial investigation led the officers to the rear of 5 Beachway North,” Hutchins said in a statement, “where officers encountered persons in the rear yard of the residence and observed evidence of spent bullet shell casings.”

 Hutchins said further investigation “resulted in the discovery of a Glock 40 caliber pistol with a partially loaded magazine.”

  Officers arrested Lucibella, and he was booked into Palm Beach County Jail early Sunday morning on charges of resisting an officer with violence, firing a weapon in a residential area, and use of a firearm while under the influence of alcohol.

  This isn’t Lucibella’s first run-in with the town’s Police Department. In 2014, he got into a heated dispute with then-Chief Chris Yannuzzi that ultimately forced his resignation the next year.

 The clash began when Lucibella found a stolen credit card on his patio deck. The two men argued over whether Lucibella was required to turn the card over to police. After Yannuzzi recorded a telephone conversation with Lucibella without his knowledge,  town commissioners decided to force the chief out of the job and replace him with Hutchins.

 Lucibella, 63, first won election to the commission in 2014, and commissioners unanimously approved his appointment as vice mayor in April. He has been an outspoken advocate for greater security on the town’s beaches, claiming the town hadn’t done enough to keep non-residents from creating problems along the oceanfront.

Arun Gandhi will give a free lecture, ‘Lessons From My Grandfather,’ Oct. 2 at Florida Atlantic University. Photo provided

By Janis Fontaine

Arun Gandhi, the fifth grandson of international symbol for peace and human rights Mahatma Gandhi, will speak at 5 p.m. Oct. 2 at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton in honor of his grandfather’s 147th birthday.
    The free lecture at FAU’s University Theatre, titled “Lessons From My Grandfather,” will shine a light on the danger of anger and the meaning of justice. It is hosted by the university’s Peace, Justice & Human Rights Initiative.
    Gandhi also will visit and speak at his grandfather’s memorial, Gandhi Square Florida, in Falcon’s Lea Park in Davie, where a 7-foot-tall brass sculpture of the icon stands. The work was made by the craftsmen at Big Statues in Provo, Utah, and was dedicated in 2012.
    Arun Gandhi, who was a journalist for The Times of India for 30 years, is the author of several books, including Gandhi’s Legacy of Love and most recently, Grandfather Gandhi in 2014 and a children’s book, Be the Change: A Grandfather Gandhi Story in August 2016.
    A private dinner will follow the lecture at Farmer’s Table, 1901 N. Military Trail in Boca Raton. The dinner will be vegetarian fare, a nod to Gandhi’s strict diet. Tickets are $100 and the proceeds will benefit Auroras Voice, Gandhi’s Square Florida and Sea Star School in Boca Raton. Find tickets on www.Eventbrite.com. For more information, visit www.GandhiTalk.org.

Music at church
    Some of the best music is heard in church.
    Local houses of worship are announcing schedules for fall and beyond. What’s coming:
    Music at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 188 S. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. A free-will offering will be accepted. For information, call 276-4541.
    • Giorgi Chikvadze, piano — 3 p.m. Oct. 2.
    • The Delray String Quartet, 3 p.m. Oct. 16.
    • Fuoco e cenere: Music from Versailles — 3  p.m. Nov. 13.
    • Lessons and Carols: Noel, Noel, A French Christmas — 3 p.m. Dec. 18.
    • David Pedraza, viola, and Sheng-Yuan Kuan, piano, 3 p.m. Jan. 15.
    • Gareth Johnson, violin, Tao Lin, piano, 3 p.m. Feb. 5.
    • Camerata del Re: Not Outside the Bachs — 3 p.m. March 19.
    • Raisa Isaacs and friends: Brilliance of the Baroque — 3 p.m. April 2.
    • Trillium Piano Trio — 3 p.m. May 21.
    • Agustin Anievas, piano — 3 p.m. June 4.
    • Mei Mei Luo, violin, Daphne Spottiswoode, piano — 3 p.m. Aug. 20.
    St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church has announced its 2016-17 concert series. Performances take place at the church, at 100 NE Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton. Tickets are available at www.stgregorysboca.eventbrite.com , 395-8285, or stgregorysepiscopal.org.
    • Phantom of the Opera — 7 p.m. Oct. 22.
    • A Seraphic Fire Christmas: On Winter’s Night: 4 p.m. Dec. 18.
    • An Evening with Tim Brumfield & Friends — 7 p.m. Jan. 14
    • Wycliffe Gordon — 4 p.m. Feb. 12.
    • The Florida Singing Sons & Girls Choir of South Florida — 4 p.m. March 5.
    The Symphonia of Boca Raton announced its 2016-2017 Connoisseur Concert Series, which includes the Florida premiere of I Will Not Remain Silent on Holocaust Remembrance Day. The five concerts will be held at the Roberts Theater at St. Andrew’s School, 3900 Jog Road in Boca Raton.
    The series:
    • Concert No. 1 — 3 p.m. Dec. 4. James Judd, guest conductor, Jan Mracek, violin soloist in a program of Schubert, Brahms and Dvorak.
    • Concert No. 2 — 3 p.m. Jan. 8. Brett Karlin, guest conductor, and Sherezade Panthaki, soprano soloist, in a program of “Baroque Brilliance” featuring Handel, Vivaldi, Rameau and Bach.
    • Concert No. 3 — 3 p.m. Feb. 19. Alastair Willis, guest conductor, and Lindsay Garritson, piano soloist, in a program called “Paris Impressions.”
    • Concert No. 4 — 3 p.m. March 26. Gerard Schwarz, guest conductor, and Gregory Miller, horn soloist. Mozart, Diamond, Copland are explored in the program called “Vienna to Appalachia.”  
    • Concert No. 5 — 3 p.m. April 23. “Heroism and Hope,” the Holocaust Remembrance Day performance, features Michael Stern, guest conductor, and Sharon Roffman, violin soloist, in a program that features Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, Adolphe’s Violin Concerto I Will Not Remain Silent, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, Eroica.
    Special programs related to the concerts include:  
    • For Children: Meet the Orchestra — 10:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, the day before each connoisseur concert. Families can meet and interact with the Symphonia’s conductor and musicians and attend a live dress rehearsal at the Roberts Theater. Children can learn about and hold instruments. $5 adults, free for children/nonprofits. Reservations are required.
    • Box Lunch It With The Symphonia — 11:30 a.m. Dec. 2, Jan. 6 and March 24, at Unitarian Church, 2601 St. Andrews Boulevard, Boca Raton. Get a look behind the scenes. Sit in on part of a rehearsal and enjoy a box lunch while listening to the conductor, soloist and musicians’ perspective on the upcoming concert. Tickets are $35 and reservations are required.
    • Pre-Concert Conversations — 2-2:30 p.m. the day of each concert. A conductor or special guest speaker will provide insight about the program and the artists whose work was chosen. The discussion is free with your ticket.
    Season subscription tickets range from $175 to $350, depending on seat selection. Single tickets are $50 to $84, and all tickets are available at www.thesymphonia.org or by calling 866-687-1201. You can also email tickets@thesymphonia.org.

More upcoming events
First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach at 33 Gleason St. hosts its Holly Days Bazaar from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Nov. 10, 11 and 12 in the Holly House.  For information, call 276-6338.
Unity of Delray Beach is hosting a new arts and crafts show this year featuring the work of local artists. From 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 8-9, you’ll find the work of outdoor photographer Sally Lynskey of Boynton Beach and children’s custom poetry wall décor by Amy Shafranek of Delray Beach.
    Also in the show are Terry Varga, who paints portraits of pets and other animals, and Lynn Robins, who paints special tree pods and donates the profit to charities such as Place of Hope in Boca Raton and St. Jude Research Hospital. The show’s organizer is church bookstore manager Jill Reid.
    From 10 a.m. to noon Oct. 8, there is a Blessing of the Animals planned. Pets must be properly controlled at all times.  
Unity of Delray Beach is on the northwest corner of Swinton Avenue and Northwest 22 Street. For more information, call 276-5796.

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

The Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing at Florida Atlantic University received a three-year, $2 million grant from the Health Resources & Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for an advanced nursing education program. It’s called the “Caring-based Academic Partnerships to Enhance Nurse Practitioner Readiness and Willingness to Practice in Rural and Underserved Communities.” These grants are intended to grow the primary-care workforce.
                                ***
In August, Harrigan Foundation  presented Southeast Florida Behavioral Health Network with an $8,000 check from its inaugural Run to the Rescue 5K Run/1 Mile Walk Fundraiser in February. The money will help offset co-pays for counseling and treatment for first responders such as firefighters, police officers, EMTs, nurses, lifeguards and veterans. For information, visit www.harriganfoundation.com.
Send health news to Christine Davis at cdavis9797@gmail.com

How to extract coconut water and crack a coconut

Using a hammer and a Phillips-head screwdriver, punch holes in the three eyes of the coconut and drain the coconut water into a bowl or jar. Then tap the hammer around the circumference of the coconut until a hairline crack appears. Keep tapping and the shell will crack in half, allowing you to extract the coconut meat.
Palm Beach County cooperative extension agents are available to answer questions from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call 233-1750.

By Lona O'Connor

If you own a coconut tree, you have the source of an endless supply of coconut water, the health food world’s latest craze for hydration. All you need is a screwdriver and a hammer and …
    Wait. Before you can feel comfortable drinking homegrown coconut water, you need to know more about your coconut palm.
    If your tree is healthy and free of pesticides, you are good to go. But if you don’t know what treatments it might have received, you need to do your homework, and it could be up to a year after treatment before your coconuts are safe to eat.
    “Most homeowners know what’s being applied to their plants,” said Deborah Levulis, a member of the extension faculty, Environmental Horticulture UF/IFAS Extension Palm Beach County. “Most people have an interest in what’s being sprayed.”
    If you don’t know, start by reading the fine print on that sack of pesticide in your garage. Pesticides for edible plants have clear instructions for how long after treatment the fruits and vegetables are safe to eat. If someone else is maintaining your landscape, ask what he or she is using to keep bugs away.
For example, are landscapers using a leaf spray to eliminate whiteflies?
    Since about 2009, coconut, gumbo limbo, live oak and other trees in South Florida have been visited by rugose spiraling whitefly, which originated in Central America.
    The whitefly lays its eggs in spiral patterns on the underside of leaves. When the young hatch, they feed on the nutrients in the leaves, causing wilting, yellowing and even plant death.
    The leaves will be covered by what looks like a chalky white dust. Certain wasps, mites and ladybugs are natural predators of the whitefly, but they take a while — months or years — to reduce its numbers, according to the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Services.
    There are some products considered natural remedies for the whitefly, including oils that suffocate the insects. A horticultural oil or soap is sprayed onto the surface of the plant, so a hard spray of water will remove its residue. Unfortunately, some leaf sprays also kill the whitefly’s predators.
    Other pesticides deserve an even closer look, particularly systemic insecticides. Systemic pesticides are taken into the roots of the plant along with water and distributed to all the tissues of the tree, including the edible parts.
    “The label, required by law on all pesticides, would say that coconuts or tropical fruits are allowed to be sprayed,” said Levulis. “There are always restrictions. For a systemic product, it’s usually about a year before you can eat the coconuts.”
    As for eating coconuts from somebody else’s yard, once again, if you don’t know what a coconut has been treated with, don’t eat it.
    “Around the lake in Juno Beach, they injected antibiotics (into coconut trees) to prevent lethal yellowing,” said Levulis. “I would never eat the coconuts from those.”
    Despite her cautions, Levulis is a coconut fan: “The coconut water is so good for you. It’s a great fruit as long as you know where it’s coming from.”
    According to IFAS and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, coconut and its components contain small amounts of protein, carbohydrate, fat and trace minerals.
    Coconut oil is a saturated fat that lends a pleasant, nutty taste when used in cooking.
    “I cook with coconut oil sometimes, but not every day,” said Levulis’ colleague, Ada Medina-Solorzano.
Medina-Solorzano drinks the coconut water from her own backyard trees. It rarely lasts too long in her house, but if you have extra, she recommends freezing it in ice cube trays for later use.
    The most coconut water comes from a green coconut, said Medina-Solorzano, who teaches nutrition, cooking and food safety for the Palm Beach County Extension Service. Later, most of the liquid is absorbed into the white flaky meat of the coconut.
    As with all fad foods, moderation is the key, said Medina-Solorzano. “For hydration, nothing can beat just plain water, but coconut water is nice to drink once in a while, to replenish some of the nutrients. People are always asking me about ‘superfoods,’ but there is no one food that is going to cure you. It’s the combination of nutrients in different foods.”

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

 From flavored latte and beer to cereal and dog treats, the pumpkin-mad season is upon us

By Janis Fontaine

Starbucks is busy at 4:30 on a Friday in Lake Worth. Baristas are churning out drinks at a rapid pace. Every other order is a pumpkin spice latte, a sweet, aromatic cinnamon-spiked coffee drink that tastes like a bite of pumpkin pie.
Last year, Starbucks called its pumpkin spice latte its most popular seasonal beverage. The drink, which debuted in 2003, has grown in popularity every year. In the first 12 years, Starbucks says it sold more than 2 million pumpkin spice lattes. The coffee drink even has its own Twitter account with more than 110,000 followers. Like Peeps at Easter or candy canes at Christmas, pumpkin spice latte has become synonymous with fall.
But America’s obsession with pumpkin spice has gone haywire, with new products permeating every corner of the market. No longer just food, pumpkin spice is now in air freshener, lip balm and body butter. Self magazine reports that pumpkin is the hottest new fall hair color.
“It just tastes like Thanksgiving,” said Marissa Cantu of Lake Worth.
 Those homey, pungent spices that come from cinnamon, ginger and cloves fill our noses and help release endorphins, which make us happy. But it’s more than that. The science geeks have a name for the anxiety we feel when we hear something is available for only a limited time. It’s called “the reactance theory,” and it’s not very different from children fighting over toys. When one child has a toy, his playmate becomes obsessed with having that toy to the exclusion of all else, simply because he can’t have it. As adults we do the same thing. We actually rate products that are limited in number as better even if they’re inferior. Just because we can’t get something or have it any time we want, its value and importance increase. It’s related to the feeling millennials call FOMO — Fear of Missing Out.
Americans have been fans of pumpkin pie back to the 1600s, but that pie was more savory, often mixed with apples. They used molasses sparingly to sweeten the pie. Amelia Simmons’ 1796 American Cookery had a pair of pumpkin pie recipes, one of which was similar to today’s custard version with the pumpkin spice flavors we know and love. These earthy, rustic flavors have made pumpkin pie second only to apple in Americans’ hearts. It’s immortalized in at least three Christmas carols (Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow; Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, and Home for the Holidays).
At Starbucks, the star of the seasonal latte show is the pumpkin spice sauce, made using real pumpkin puree (the one change since the drink debuted is that Starbucks now uses real pumpkin), sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. That nectar is blended with fresh-brewed espresso, a dash of vanilla syrup, and steamed milk, then topped with real whipped cream and dusted with pumpkin pie seasoning. It’s available hot or cold and, new this year, in some markets you can substitute almond milk for the steamed milk.
If the pumpkin spice latte is your guilty pleasure and you wait all year for it, don’t worry. Health-wise, pumpkin is a knockout. It’s fat free, high in fiber and has tons of Vitamins A and C, calcium and iron. But don’t forget to factor in the calorie load: Starbucks’ pumpkin spice latte has about 380 calories in a 16-ounce beverage ($3.85), with 14 grams of fat (8 grams of saturated fat), and 52 carbs.
You can probably shave off a few calories if you make pumpkin spice latte at home, and you make your own pumpkin pie sauce from scratch. But you might just want to buy pumpkin pie sauce from Starbucks. Fontana Pumpkin Spice Sauce is $25.95 for 63 ounces at starbucks.com. Less expensive options are available at amazon.com. Torani Pumpkin Pie Sauce is $14.95 for a 64-ounce bottle, but you may need a pump, which is about $7. Starbucks’ version comes with a pump.
Barista Matt says he still likes making the lattes and he’s not sick of the scent of cloves and cinnamon. A coworker disagrees. She’s a little tired of pumpkin spice already.
And it’s not limited to coffee! Pumpkin spice is available in dozens of foods. The Comprehensive Guide to Pumpkin Spice Flavored Foods from People magazine’s staff members includes more than 50 foods, under the heading “Because it’s perfectly acceptable to give into your obsession now.” Which seems to be the real trend.
But you’re going to have to pay for it. So before you buy consider this: Quaker Pumpkin Spice Life cereal limited edition is available online for $12.60 for a 13-ounce box. That’s three or four times the cost of regular Life cereal. But experts say that if people want it, they’ll pay for it. Price is generally not a decisive factor when we have a craving, or a FOMO.

A sampling of pumpkin products
Caramel Almond Pumpkin Spice KIND Bars
Pumpkin Spice Cheerios
Pumpkin Spice Chobani Greek Yogurt
Lindt LINDOR Pumpkin Spice Truffles
Pumpkin vodka, perfect for an autumnal cocktail
Pumpkin M&Ms
Milano Pumpkin Spice cookies
Pumpkin Spice Oreos
Pumpkin Spice Pringles
Thomas’ Pumpkin Spice Bagels Pumpkin spice peanut butter from JIF
International Delight Pumpkin Pie Spice Non-Dairy Coffee Creamer
Krusteaz Pumpkin Spice pancake mix
Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts: Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin spice hummus
Pumpkin spice dog treats
Pumpkin Spice Mini-Wheats
Pumpkin Spice Special K  
Pumpkin spice and milk chocolate Kisses
Kraft Pumpkin Spice marshmallows
Pillsbury Pumpkin Spice cinnamon rolls
Philadelphia Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese

Non-food products
Pumpkin Spice Air Freshener from Glade
Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spice Body Butter
Pumpkin spice soap and fragrance
Burt’s Bees Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Lip Balm
For more pumpkin products, visit site.people.com/food/pumpkin-spice-foods-guide

Charles Gregory and Jamie Anderson release two fish for an exhibit.

A checkered pufferfish is on display.

John Miller of Delray Beach builds aquarium bases.

Photos by Tim Stepien and Willie Howard/The Coastal Star

By Willie Howard

The Delray Beach Historical Society will kick off the second phase of its popular “Fish Tales!” exhibit during its annual Autumn Harvest Celebration on Oct. 20.
    The fishing history exhibit, which opened June 17, gives visitors a taste of fishing and diving in south Palm Beach County through the decades — including commercial fishing in the early 1900s and in the carefree days following World War II, when shopkeepers would close their stores because bluefish were running just off the beach.
    “Fish Tales!” showcases hundreds of photographs and articles along with a large display of fishing and diving equipment — much of it loaned or donated by Palm Beach County families who have enjoyed fishing area waters for generations.
    “It’s really a locals exhibit,” said Winnie Edwards, executive director of the historical society. “So far the response has been more than we could ask for.”
    The exhibit’s second phase will focus on conservation and education, with fishing seminars for kids, guest speakers and scientific displays on topics such as the Gulf Stream (the current, not the town).
    Live fish and mangroves are on display in saltwater aquariums installed in three buildings on the historical society’s campus by Healthy Aquatics of Boynton Beach, which promotes ocean conservation through education.
    The gamefish tank, in the 1908 Hunt House, holds a barracuda, grunts, snappers and jacks. (Also known as the Ethel Sterling Williams History Learning Center, the wooden cottage was built by Horace Hunt, who established a commercial fishing business in Delray Beach in the early 1900s.)
    The mangrove tank, near the exhibit entrance in the 1926 Florida Bungalow, contains a live red mangrove and checkered pufferfish.
    A tank with a porcupine pufferfish was scheduled to be installed in September in Cason Cottage. Porcupine pufferfish are big-eyed and intelligent and tend to interact with humans.
    “They have to be smart because they’re slow,” said Charles Gregory, veterinarian and aquarist who serves as director of Healthy Aquatics.
    “This is a great addition to the exhibit and the historical society’s education efforts,” said John Miller, co-chairman of the exhibit. “We’re excited to be working with Healthy Aquatics to help educate the community about the state of our ocean ecosystem.”  
The Fish Tales Slam storytelling contest is scheduled for Nov. 10. Most of the fishing yarns are expected to originate from the waters of southern Palm Beach County.
    A limited number of storytellers will be chosen for the storytelling contest. It will be moderated and timed. Storytellers who go over the time limit will be “gaffed” and pulled out of the fighting chair they’ll be using to reel in the audience with tales from the water. Anyone interested in entering should call the historical society at 274-9578.
    The audience for the storytelling contest will be able to eat fried fish, drink beer and cast their votes for the best fish tale, Edwards said.
    Guest speakers are still being scheduled as part of the exhibit’s second phase. Names, dates and presentation topics will be announced in the weeks ahead.
Ceviche and other seafood dishes will be part of the Autumn Harvest Celebration, an annual outdoor dinner and wine pairing for historical society members set for Oct. 20. Cost for the members-only DBHS Harvest Celebration: $160 per person.
    For more information or tickets, call the historical society at 274-9578 or go to www.delraybeachhistory.org.
    The “Fish Tales!” exhibit is open to the public 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and is scheduled to run through Feb. 28 at the historical society’s campus at 3 NE First St. (North Swinton Avenue at North First Street) in Delray Beach. Admission is free. Donations are welcomed.

FWC relaxes rules on
transporting Bahamas fish
    Anglers returning by boat from the Bahamas can enter Florida waters with fillets of dolphin (mahi mahi), wahoo and reef fish caught in the Bahamas instead of bringing the fish back whole.
    The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission approved the rule change in September. The new rule does not apply to fish transported by air.  Similar rules for federal waters (more than 3 miles offshore) took effect in January.
    Tips for anglers bringing Bahamas-caught fish to Florida by boat:
    • Skin must remain on the fillets so law enforcement officers can identify the fish.
    • Anglers must comply with federal size and bag limits.
    • Boats must have valid Bahamas cruising and fishing permits.
    • Passengers must have passports marked with Bahamas stamps and travel dates.
    • Travel through state waters must be continuous, and fishing gear must be stowed. (That means hooks, leaders and other terminal tackle must be removed from rods and stored separately.)
    • Anglers and boaters must comply with Bahamian recreational fishing rules and limits.

Capt. Jay Kobosko, top left, and members of his Shutter Up team show off their 37.6-pound wahoo (top) and a 26.2-pound wahoo (below) caught at the same time just south of Boynton Inlet. The big ’hoo won $5,000 as the largest fish of the X Generation 440 Challenge fishing tournament. Willie Howard/The Coastal Star

37.6-pound wahoo a winner in X Generation tournament
Jay Kobosko and his fishing team on Shutter Up trolled at high speed to catch two wahoo at the same time near Boynton Inlet on Sept. 17 — including a 37.6-pound ’hoo that won biggest fish in the X Generation 440 Challenge tournament.
Kobosko, of Lake Clarke Shores, said the doubleheader wahoo strike happened around 7:30 a.m. as his team was towing “crazy-looking” lures at high speed in about 225 feet of water south of Boynton Inlet.
The 37.6-pound wahoo won $5,000 as the biggest fish of the tournament. The 26.2-pound ’hoo won top lady angler award for Lauren Miller, fishing with the Shutter Up team.  
The father-and-son team of Christopher and Chase Perry, fishing on Choppy, won top dolphin with a 17.2-pound mahi mahi caught just before the 3:30 p.m. lines-out deadline on a live goggle-eye off Juno Beach.
Perry said he and his son were bottom fishing near the end of the tournament when he looked over and realized he was hooked up to the dolphin jumping near his boat.
Alex Burgess and his team on Sea Premacy caught a 34.3-pound kingfish that won $2,000 as the second-heaviest fish of the tournament.
Adam Townsend and his crew on Sword-a-Broke won the $1,000 prize for the third-largest fish, a 31.3-pound kingfish.

New mutton snapper
limits take effect Jan. 1
The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission recently approved new size and bag limits for mutton snapper to help protect the reef fish. New limits take effect Jan. 1.
    The minimum size for mutton snapper will increase from 16 to 18 inches in total length. The daily bag limit will drop from 10 to five mutton snapper per recreational angler (as part of the 10-fish aggregate snapper bag limit).

Coming events
    Oct. 22: Coast Guard Auxiliary offers basic boating safety class, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the classroom next to the boat ramps at Harvey E. Oyer Jr. Park, 2010 N. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach. Fee $40. Register at door. Call 331-2429.
    Oct. 25: Chef Mike Kuckelman demonstrates fish cooking methods at a meeting of the Boynton Beach Fishing Club, 7:30 p.m. in the clubhouse next to the boat ramps, Harvey E. Oyer Jr. Park, 2010 N. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach. Free. Details: www.bifc.org.
    Nov. 3: The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show begins (and runs through Nov. 7) at multiple locations. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (5 p.m. Nov. 7). Admission: $28 for adults; $12 for ages 6-15. Ages 5 and under free. Preview (Nov. 3) $45. Details: (954) 764-7642 or www.flibs.com.

Tip of the month
    A fish is too valuable to catch only once. So says Florida Sea Grant, which offers tips for helping released fish survive:
    • Decide early whether the fish will be released. Know the size and bag limits for the fish you’re targeting. (Consult the free Fish Rules cellphone app.)
    • If you’re targeting fish that are often released, such as snook, consider bending down the hook barbs.
    • Use non-offset circle hooks when possible. They’re less likely to hook fish deep than conventional J hooks.
    • If you’re fishing with a lure that comes with dangling treble hooks, remove all but one. Cut one of the three points off the remaining treble hook.
• Release fish in the water when possible. Handle them as little as possible. Use wet hands, not a towel.
• If you must lift a fish into the boat, avoid lifting it by the jaw. Instead, use a landing tool such as a Boga-Grip to hold the fish’s mouth. Support the belly with your hand when lifting the fish. For more fish release tips, go to www.catchandrelease.org.


Willie Howard is a freelance writer and licensed boat captain. Reach him at tiowillie@bellsouth.net.

Iris Jones, who provided land for the Frog Alley Community Garden, and Michele Service, a founding member, are hoping more people in the neighborhood will take advantage of the opportunity to grow their own vegetables.  
Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley

Even after a long hot summer, the raised beds at the Frog Alley Community Garden in Delray Beach still have vines covered with green beans, bushes hung with jewel-like eggplants, and plenty of pineapple plants sipping sunlight as they develop their spikey fruit.
    When you visit, you can wander the brick pathways, stopping on a bench shaded by a wooden pergola covered with passion fruit vines. Or you can do a little weeding while you enjoy the sounds of birds and insects buzzing in the warm air. A number of cats adopted by the members makes the garden home.
    As you spend some time here, you’ll find that more than just organic fruits and vegetables are taking root in this garden.
    “Our goal is to connect people with each other through the soil, to sow community through organic gardening,” says Pablo del Real, who is one of the founding members.
    In fact, four years ago, when del Real was canvassing the neighborhood to talk to residents about his idea for a community garden, he met Iris Jones. A member of one of Delray’s founding families, Jones stepped up to offer a third of an acre to be used for the garden.
“I bought the land to build my dream house,” she says. “But through Pablo I got inspired to help others grow organic food.”
    She named the garden after fond memories of her childhood in the area. She recalls that after a rain, the land would be covered with frogs. There were so many it inspired her father and grandfather to create concrete frog sculptures.
    When she met del Real, he had just been informed by the city that another piece of land he’d wanted to use for the garden was off limits. He was very disappointed until Jones stepped up.
Her city lot held little more than a few oaks, a couple of mango trees and a lot of grass and weeds. Today that land provides an oasis for 30 garden members to grow their own in raised beds that range in size from about 16 to 64 square feet.
Jones has one where she grows kale, mustard greens and collards. “My community wants greens and they want a lot of them. Not those little bags you get at the grocery store for $2 or $3,” she says.
    Joanna Sanguinetti comes from Lake Worth to tend two plots where even this time of year asparagus grow feathery fronds and marigolds bloom. Soon she’ll also plant radishes, Malabar spinach, black-eyed peas and watermelons, which did well last year.
    The plots also offer places for people who live in condos and apartments to grow healthful and nutritious food crops. “That’s what I like about the garden … city folk can come out and plant what they like,” Jones says.
    A bed raised on legs is labeled with a wooden sign that reads “Chiemeka’s Garden.” It was built for a young gardener who uses a wheelchair and couldn’t bend over to reach the ground, Sanguinetti says. Today the plot is available, as Chiemeka has gone off to college.
    “We are so proud of her,” says founding member Michele Service, who lives in Delray Beach.
    Just as the number of members grows, so does the garden. There are plans for adding honeybee hives. Volunteers have already built a wire mesh locker for keeping the hives safe.
    “That’s what we are bragging about right now,” says Jones, who knows the bees will help pollinate the crops.
    When cool air hints of the fall growing season in South Florida, you’ll see a lot more activity in the garden. Recently 30 FAU students volunteered to pull weeds, mulch and get the garden ready for planting. Volunteers also gather on Saturday mornings to tend to the garden’s needs.
    Besides the member plots, the garden has common areas planted with things such as banana trees, star fruit, papayas, moringa and a sour sop.  
    The sour sop, which was a mere sapling when planted, has much meaning for Service, who grew up in Barbados. She felt this garden was the right place to plant a tree in memory of her little sister, who died about 20 years ago.
    The variety of common crops gives community members a good reason to stop by and pick what they need. “Some like to come and sit and watch while others like to get dirty and dig in the soil,” says Jones. “The garden brings all these people together.”

Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley is a master gardener who can be reached at debhartz@att.net.

Peaches, Claire and Bob Spielman’s Yorkshire terrier, will be a star in the Paw-litical Party on Nov. 5. Photo provided

By Arden Moore

Three days before Americans cast their votes and a new president is elected, the political process will be going to the dogs in Palm Beach — in a good way.
    On Nov. 5, the America’s Top Dog Model Paw-litical Party will take place at Via Amore, 256 Worth Ave., in Palm Beach. The event kicks off at 2 p.m. and will benefit Share-A-Pet of Fort Lauderdale, a national pet therapy organization that trains, certifies and insures pets to offer therapy in hospitals, nursing homes, children’s centers and schools.
    “Guests will enjoy a paw-litical themed event featuring America’s Top Dog Model 2017 calendar launch, a people and pet fashion show, music, drawings and a doggy buffet,” says Jo Jo Harder, creator of America’s Top Dog Model and a Boca Raton resident.
    Sounds like much more fun that attending a politician’s pricey fundraising dinner, right?
    The stars of this event are a pair of adorable dogs named Pearl and Peaches, who exemplify welcoming qualities to be admired by anyone from any political party. Pearl will be officially crowned America’s Top Dog Model 2016 at this event, while Peaches will be honored as America’s Top Dog Model 2017 calendar cover dog. The event will also honor 11 other finalists from all over the country.
    Pearl is a puppy mill survivor who was rescued at age 6 and for the past two years has enjoyed being loved by her owner, Cheryl Bauer of Lantana. In true canine Cinderella fashion, this Pomeranian has blossomed.
    “When I first saw Pearl, I was surprised at how beautiful her coat was,” recalls Bauer. “After she had been rescued, her foster parent loved to brush her fur. Yes, she looked so beautiful, but emotionally she was so scarred and scared. She cowered when approached, ran away to her safe spot and trembled when I picked her up.”
    Bauer admits she was nervous that she didn’t possess the skills needed to rehabilitate a puppy mill survivor, but with the help of professional dog trainers, she has been able to make Pearl feel not only safe but also confident.
    “Every day, we work on her rehabilitation, training and socialization skills,” she says. “Pearl’s progress is phenomenal. It is our hope that Pearl’s story will educate the public about puppy mills and educate local, state and federal lawmakers in order to change laws regarding puppy mills and commercial breeding facilities.”
    As for Peaches, she is a Yorkshire terrier gotten as a puppy by Claire and Bob Spielman of Lake Worth from a reputable breeder from Tampa. She employs her canine charm and savvy obedience talents as a therapy dog. She successfully completed the therapy training through Share-A-Pet and now regularly visits children at Palm Beach Children’s Hospital at St. Mary’s Medical Center as well as seniors at the NuVista facility.
    “She has been called the smile maker because every time she walks into a patient’s room, they can’t help but smile,” Claire Spielman says. “She loves children, and we felt her being a therapy dog was a good way to give back to the community in a positive way.”
    When I asked what qualities Peaches would like to see in our next president, Spielman replied, “The next president should have compassion and love for not only people and our country, but for all animals. Peaches would love to see all puppy mills abolished. She wants honesty in our elected offices. Dogs never lie!”
    As for Pearl? Bauer said, “I wish our new president would demonstrate some of Pearl’s kind, gentle spirit, have an open mind and help make our world a safer, kinder place.”
    When it comes to celebrating the power of pets, Pearl and Peaches definitely have my vote.

Event Details
To learn how you can support this event benefiting Share-A-Pet, visit www.americastopdogmodel.com or call 212-2441.

Arden Moore, founder of www.FourLeggedLife.com, is an animal behavior consultant, editor, author, professional speaker and master certified pet first aid instructor. Each week, she hosts the popular Oh Behave! show on www.PetLifeRadio.com. Learn more by visiting www.fourleggedlife.com.