Winners surround Kirsten Stanley and Kathy Adkins after the 2019 Grand Awards. Photo provided by Sherry Ferrante Photography
Impact 100 members will decide which projects earn $100,000 grants after hearing presentations at the Grand Awards event. Time is 5:30 p.m. in Lynn’s Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center. Free for members. RSVP at 561-336-4623 or www.impact100pbc.org.
Update: Bethesda Hospital cancels Bethesda Ball
By Amy Woods
The Bethesda Ball turns 65 this month, but this will be the first ball for the new CEO of Bethesda Hospital.
Nelson Lazo took the reins in December following a nine-year stint as CEO of Doctors Hospital in Coral Gables.
“I am very excited to attend the ball to meet community members and supporters of our hospital,” Lazo said. “That is what the night is all about.”
The event will take place March 14 at The Breakers in Palm Beach, where attendees will enjoy cocktails, dinner, live music and an exclusive auction featuring a European cruise and a Mediterranean yachting excursion, among other items.
“The funds this year will directly support Bethesda Hospital’s greatest need,” Lazo said, noting that he expects upward of $600,000 to be raised. “I envision the funds being used for projects like the emergency room, registration areas, the women’s center and more.”
He plans to unveil key highlights of the hospital’s $300 million capital campaign, Vision 2030, and its impact on Bethesda West Hospital.
“It is a growing community, and we feel that investing in our west facility long term is a very smart investment from our end,” Lazo said. “Plus, it would provide a main expanded service to that community.”
Among his goals as CEO, in addition to enhancing and improving operations at both Bethesda East and Bethesda West hospitals, is to change the format of the ball in 2021. He favors fun over formality.
“I am a strong believer in having a good time,” Lazo said. “You can still wear your tux, but let’s dance, let’s have fun, and let’s have an after-party.”
If You Go
What: Bethesda Ball
When: 6:30 p.m. March 14
Where: The Breakers, 1 S. County Road, Palm Beach
Cost: $650
Information: 561-737-7733, Ext. 84428 or www.bethesdahospitalfoundation.org
Conte, vocalists Carlos Manuel Santana and Josephine Dolce and keyboard player Dino DeMarco. Photo provided
Knights of Columbus St. Padre Pio Council No. 17215’s community event featured a six-course meal of traditional foods catered by Doris Italian Market & Bakery as well as dance hits by a musical trio. A sold-out crowd of 350 helped raise $14,430. ‘We were very happy with the outcome, the great company, good wine and sold-out crowd,’ organizer Dominick Conte said.
Perry Isenberg, John and Meryl Guerrero, Matt and Stephanie Scupp, Tami Isenberg and Bari and Michael Zahalsky. Photo provided
Jewish Adoption and Family Care Options’ annual event raised more than $1 million for abused and neglected children and those with developmental disabilities. Chaired by Stephen and Nanci Beyer and Stephen and Helene Weicholz, the elegant evening featured a cocktail reception, fine dining, silent and live auctions, dancing and a heartwarming presentation about the agency’s life-saving work.
Donald and Linda Silpe and Tracy and Jay Silpe. Photo provided by CAPEHART
Donned in festive attire and masks, guests gathered to cavort, frolic and raise funds for the nonprofit institute. The annual extravaganza took place amid a backdrop of art and artisans complete with pomp and circumstance. ‘We are so thankful to the community for joining us again this year to celebrate the start of the carnival season and helping us raise funds to support the Armory’s creative future,’ Executive Director Tom Pearson said.
Paul Finizio and Michique. Photo provided
Il Circolo, the Italian Cultural Society, had a night of gourmet cuisine enjoyed by 100-plus guests. The Campanese dishes, exquisitely prepared by Chef Fabrizio Giorgi, were enhanced by musical entertainment from Fabian Michique. Co-chairs included Rose De Angelis and Regina Peters.
Marcia Caruselle, Gail Guy, Madeline LoRe, Rosaria Gismondi, Audenzia Lo Fria, Carol Trojan and Trish Savides. Photo provided
A fun time was had by all at the third annual cigar and dance party hosted by the UNICO Highland Beach chapter to raise funds for scholarship programs and local charities. The parking lot became an al fresco dining area with tents, tables and music.
Samantha Sexton, Angie Myers, Nancy Walsh, Shari Matz, Linda Marenus, Tunis, Renee McCabe Johnson, Nicole Skellenger and Yvette Drucker. Photo provided
The Junior League of Boca Raton’s Public Affairs Committee received the Outstanding Committee Award from the Junior Leagues of Florida’s State Public Affairs Committee. In addition, Boca Raton Public Affairs Committee Chairwoman Stephanie Tunis received the Advocacy Impact Award. ‘We are beyond proud of this committee and the work they have done to advocate for important issues that affect families throughout Florida,’ said Cristy Stewart-Harfmann, president of the local league.
Steven Locante and John Deese. Photo provided
More than 300 supporters of the armed forces joined American Humane in an effort to help save America’s vets — and pets — by investing in trained service dogs. ‘There are many worthy causes in the world, but few inspire more people than working to help our nation’s brave veterans and our nation’s animals in need,’ American Humane President and CEO Robin Ganzert said. ‘Tonight, with your help and the support of some of the nation’s leading advocates for our military heroes and homeless animals, we will save more lives — on both ends of the leash.’
Caron and Bob Dockerty. Photos provided by CAPEHART
Chapter 14 of the Delray Beach Public Library’s fundraiser featured comedian Sarge Pickman, a local resident who entertained nearly 400 attendees. A highlight of the evening was a ‘Call to the Heart’ that honored the late Robert Currie, a longtime member of the library’s board. More than $185,000 was raised.
Becky Walsh and Heidi Sargeant.
Nancy Zarcadoolas and Alissa Rabon.
By Scott Simmons
The Plate: Half BBQ Chicken
The Place: Mississippi Sweets BBQ Company, 2399 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton; 561-394-6779 or www.mississippisweetsbbq.com.
The Price: $11.50
The Skinny: I’d been to Mississippi Sweets’ location in western Lake Worth/Wellington eons ago and had enjoyed it.
I’m glad I finally checked out the restaurant’s Boca Raton location, if for no other reason than it proves there’s great, affordable fare in Boca.
This barbecued chicken half was moist and tender, with just the right smokiness. I liked the fact that the smoker had burnished the skin of the chicken to a rich mahogany. The crew finished the chicken on the grill, leaving a tasty bit of char. It was served with a sweet, tangy sauce. Baked beans served on the side were hearty and warm, and the waffle fries, dubbed “tractor treads,” were crispy on the outside and fluffy inside.
The Tupelo Chicken sandwich ($8.79) also was a hit, with a chargrilled chicken breast served with onions, mushrooms and Monterey Jack cheese.
Andrea Jourdan and Russell Arnold, her chef de cuisine, prepared a multi-course meal for dozens of patrons at the opening of Chez Andrea Gourmet Provence. Photos by Jan Norris/The Coastal Star
By Jan Norris
A ribbon-cutting and mayoral welcome preceded the inaugural dinner at The Little House’s new tenant: Chez Andrea Gourmet Provence.
The restaurant in Boynton Beach’s historic house is the first of two that Andrea Jourdan, from Quebec, is opening in Palm Beach County.
Jourdan, a food celebrity who has owned specialty groceries, created gourmet products, written cookbooks, and opened restaurants in Los Angeles and Montreal, is bringing two styles of French cuisine to her restaurants.
“The Provençal menu here seems to match Florida well. The bright flavors, tomatoes, the seafood,” she said, setting out the amuse bouche of a cucumber and strawberry “gazpacho” shot.
Her opening menu was prix fixe, but offered a taste of dishes on the menu served at two seatings.
“It’s a little difficult in this tiny kitchen,” she said. “With everyone seated at once, it’s like catering. I could not do it without his help.” She put her arm around her chef de cuisine, Russell Arnold, who most recently cooked in Fort Lauderdale.
The modernized house was previously a restaurant called The Little House. Because of historic restrictions at the time, kitchen upgrades were limited and a professional outfitting was not possible.
The 1920s building on Ocean Avenue, the former Ruth Jones Cottage, was converted to the small restaurant/tavern in 2012 with the Community Redevelopment Agency’s backing. The restaurant closed two years later and was vacant until Jourdan moved in.
A complete renovation and addition of a professional kitchen made it marketable in 2017; Jourdan found it in 2019, calling it “a homey nest” that works with the modern French country cuisine she offers.
Diners seeking French onion soup typical in French restaurants may be unfamiliar with her version, a rich bouillon-based pearl onion soup with the cheese in the croutons.
The meal included a seared scallop with bacon foam.
Among other tweaks to the traditional: foams. Parmesan bubbles are spooned over slightly garlicky escargot removed from their shells, and bacon foam surrounds seared diver scallops in a pool of celeriac cream.
Pastry figures into many courses as well, with lamb pithiviers served with grilled lamb chops, and a warm bread pudding served alongside seared foie gras.
Although she’s happy with this restaurant so far, Jourdan is looking forward to her second opening in Lake Worth Beach, Chez Andrea Bistro, in the coming weeks. She’ll take over the former South Shores Tavern on Lucerne downtown, a much larger space that will afford two bars — one wholly for champagne — a dining room and a courtyard. There, a bistro menu will be served.
She calls South Florida, a coastal home to friends and family, a “natural setting” for her foods.
Chez Andrea Gourmet Provence, 480 E. Ocean Blvd., Boynton Beach. Phone 561-248-0612; chezandreagourmet.com. Open Tuesday-Saturday for dinner and weekends for brunch.
Savor the Avenue returns for its 12th year to showcase restaurants in a five-block-long party on Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach.
March 23 at sunset, the avenue from Swinton to U.S. 1 will be set up with banquet tables, each decked out as restaurants vie for “Best in Show” tablescape.
Reservations filled up last month. Restaurants hold waiting lists, however, so you may find last-minute seats.
Some of the participating restaurants offer a “Savor Off the Avenue” menu for the night as well. Diners who choose to eat indoors at the restaurants may be offered the same menus as the banquet diners.
Restaurants participating include 50 Ocean, Cabana El Rey, Caffe Luna Rosa, Che!!!, City Oyster & Sushi Bar, Death or Glory, Elisabetta’s, Lemongrass, Rack’s Fish House & Oyster Bar, Gary Rack’s Farmhouse Kitchen, L’ACQUA, LionFish, Rocco’s Tacos, Rose’s Daughter and Vic & Angelo’s — all from Delray Beach.
The dinner is put on by Delray and Boca magazines along with the Downtown Development Authority. Some proceeds are earmarked for Community Greening, an urban forestry nonprofit in Delray Beach.
For menus, wait lists, and more information about the event, visit downtowndelraybeach.com/SavortheAvenue.
Delray’s Pineapple Grove is the setting for a Wine Walk from 6 to 9 p.m. March 26. Participating businesses include many non-food types in the Grove, such as Hyatt Place Hotel, Nada’s Italy, Claudia Dog Grooming, Salon 5, and others.
They will offer sips of wine and light bites to walkers. Cost is $25 per person.
The Wine Walk is sponsored by Wine House Social, which will stand as the check-in where glasses and swag bags will be given out.
The Beatles on the Beach Festival begins in earnest the next night, and Wine Walk participants are urged to dress in Beatles-era attire (’60s and ’70s, for those not remembering).
Go to www.winehouse-delray.com for all the details and tickets ($25).
A new bakery getting buzz is La Boulangerie Boul’Mich — a mashup of French artisan bakery meets Latin cafe at Town Center in Boca Raton.
The owners’ grandmothers are responsible for several recipes on the menu of artisan breads, pastries, egg dishes, sandwiches, fresh salads, entrees and desserts. The latter include tres leches and Nutella as well as guava cheese croissants.
It’s one of five in this South Florida mini-chain, this one at the Oak Tree valet entrance to the mall. Open daily for breakfast through dinner.
In brief: Boca Bacchanal celebrates everything Bacchus with its exclusive vintner dinners with noted chefs, and its Grand Tasting, the latter of which is still available to the public. It’s 7-10 p.m. March 7 at the Boca Raton Resort & Club. Bring your comfortable shoes; the dine-around features multiple stations of small-bite plates, and 130 wines and champagnes to taste. Proceeds go the Boca Raton Historical Society to fund heritage education programs. Tickets are $125, available at www.bocabacchanal.com. …
Prime Catch in Boynton has completed its renovations and now has opened all its dock space and the new Prime Island bar, surrounded by water as it sits dockside in the Intracoastal. It’s been a total makeover with new menus, all water-view tables and new decor throughout. Go to www.primecatchboynton.com to see photos and get all the details.
Jan Norris is a food writer who can be reached at nativefla@gmail.com.
Arthur Gutterman with retired Admiral James Stavridis, a former NATO commander who holds a copy of his new book. Photo provided by CAPEHART
American Friends of the Hebrew University facilitated speakers who touched on topics ranging from agriculture to health to nanotechnology and from the humanities to the environment. Designed to showcase the work and importance of the university, the event was titled ‘A Tradition of Innovation: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Future of Israeli Society, Technology and Medicine.’
Students learn dance, leadership skills and etiquette at the Junior League of the Palm Beaches’ Cotillion Academy, which finishes its 62nd season with an April 7 ball. Harper Mull pairs here with Benjamin Bagocius. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
Junior League’s Cotillion Academy adapts traditional etiquette to modern life
By Jodi MacNeal
Engage in conversation with Harper Mull, and it’s easy to imagine her being perfectly comfortable in a Fortune 500 job interview. Or at an elegant dinner. Or on the Senate floor. Harper Mull is 9 years old.
The Delray Beach fourth-grader’s poise, polish and presence seem to come from her natural intelligence and personality, refined over the course of two seasons as a student in the Junior League of the Palm Beaches’ Cotillion Academy.
This modern version of the 62-year-old tradition isn’t designed to be snobby or old-fashioned. It’s meant to teach children how to conduct themselves with grace, no matter the situation, and to convey skills they’ll use for the rest of their lives. This year’s Cotillion Academy has brought together 23 students, ages 8 to 13, for monthly instruction in etiquette, leadership and social dancing. The young gentlemen wear jackets and ties. The young ladies wear dresses and white gloves.
Fancy gloves and handbag are a nod to the more formal nature of the classes.
Pulling on her gloves reminds Harper that she’s stepping into an out-of-the-ordinary setting that requires her very best manners. “It makes you look more formal when you have the gloves on,” she said. “It makes me feel something … special, almost. It makes me feel different.”
To a one, the children seem happy to be there. When they enter the ballroom, each child greets the instructors with a firm handshake, direct eye contact and a bit of friendly conversation. The children then find their seats and give their full attention to the lesson.
Well, most of their attention. A small portion goes to silliness and whispering.
Declan Tarpey escorts Colette Stickle into a Junior League of the Palm Beaches’ Cotillion Academy session in Jupiter.
Leadership instruction is the first order of business, led by Craig Domeck, dean and associate professor at Palm Beach Atlantic University’s MacArthur School of Leadership. This component was added three years ago, in an effort to make the Cotillion Academy more relevant to a new generation of students. Domeck makes sure to distill his lessons into a series of short, highly focused concepts that the children not only retain, but reference from week to week.
Harper’s favorite leadership lesson thus far? “Lead yourself,” the notion that as an effective leader, she must first develop the self-control and presence of mind to make wise choices about her own behavior. “The leadership part is helping me a lot,” said Harper, who attends Delray Beach’s Unity School, plays the clarinet, and competes as a gymnast. “It’s a really good feeling when people want to look up to you.”
Wendy Robinson Fernsell teaches etiquette lessons, which cover topics such as table manners (elbows off the table) and the differences among salad, dinner and dessert forks. But the discussion also breaks new ground, exploring best practices for social media, texting and cellphone use.
Finn Tarpey, Warren Taylor and Iain Tarpey (l-r) are ready to answer questions about cellphone etiquette.
Holding her iPhone, Fernsell began the discussion with a series of questions: “If we are dining with our families, should we have these out? Should our moms and dads have them out? What kind of message are we sending to the people at our table if we have them out?”
One young man’s hand shot into the air, and he answered confidently, “It says, ‘I don’t care about you.’ ”
Throughout the 75-minute session, there’s a steady exchange of ideas between students and instructors. At the break, the girls remain seated and the boys take their beverage orders, making sure each girl is served before helping themselves. No one wolfs down the mouth-wateringly thick gourmet chocolate chunk cookies. Everyone uses a napkin and the girls take off their gloves.
The evening closes with the dance segment, led by Jennifer Schwartz, an adjunct instructor of dance at Palm Beach Atlantic. The students learn new steps each month, and thus far have covered the waltz, foxtrot, salsa (“mild salsa,” one girl giggles), East Coast swing and square dancing.
You’d think it would be a big, dramatic production for boys and girls of this age to pair up and dance together, but they approach one another matter-of-factly, laugh at their missteps, and try really hard to get it right.
Craig Domeck of Palm Beach Atlantic University teaches leadership skills at an academy session.
Cotillion Academy classes, held at the Wyndham Grand Jupiter at Harbourside Place, run from October through March. This season will culminate in the 62nd Annual Cotillion Ball on April 7 at the Four Seasons Palm Beach. The 2019-2020 Cotillion Academy co-chairs are Junior League members Kayla Foriere, a Cotillion graduate and former Miss Boca Raton, and Delray Beach resident Kelsey Puddington.
“While Cotillion itself is seen as an upper-class, old-school tradition, the Junior League of the Palm Beaches has worked to adapt the program to apply traditional etiquette to today’s world,” Puddington said. “We live in a very technology-focused environment, and teaching our Cotillion Academy students how to socially interact without a phone, to introduce themselves properly, to write thank-you notes, how to have proper table manners and so many other skills, just sets them apart in today’s world. The Junior League enjoys keeping this tradition alive and giving back to our community’s youth.”
“We wanted to take something that is so classic, and bring it into the 21st century,” added Lisa Bagocius, a Junior League member who was instrumental in the addition of the leadership component. Her son Benjamin is in the academy. “It’s all about investing in your children and teaching them things that never go out of style.”
Harper Mull of Delray Beach says ‘the leadership part is helping me a lot. It’s a really good feeling when people want to look up to you.’
Harper’s parents, Lisa and Thomas Mull, admired the Cotillion tradition and felt that the experience would serve their daughter well. “You can never reinforce etiquette and leadership enough at this age,” Lisa Mull said. “It’s so nice that Harper’s learning to be a confident, strong young lady, but still be gracious and kind.”
Harper’s 4-year-old brother, Marshall, is a bouncy, dark-haired fellow who shakes hands with a friendly smile and remembers to add, “Pleased to meet you.”
He’s already warming up for his turn to attend the Cotillion Academy. In his closet is a little pair of tan suede dress shoes. Most people would call them loafers, but Marshall has given them a different name. They’re his Cotillion shoes.
Dozens of surfers paddled to the south end of the William O. Lockhart pier at Lake Worth Beach on the morning of Feb. 8 to honor the late surfing icon and orthodontist John ‘Chummer’ McCranels, who died Dec. 26 at age 81. McCranels was a South Florida surfing pioneer who was inducted into the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame. Willie Howard/The Coastal Star
Seakeeper’s roll-angle meter appears on multi-function displays, such as this Raymarine unit on the company’s 33-foot Boston Whaler demonstration boat. Willie Howard/The Coastal Star
By Willie Howard
People who have avoided boats because of seasickness in the past have been taking to the water on boats equipped with computer-controlled gyroscopes that eliminate most of the roll.
Maryland-based Seakeeper says its gyros work in all sea conditions and can eliminate up to 95% of rolling, both while the boat is at rest and underway.
Other companies — including Mitsubishi, Quick and Mohmei — build boat-stabilizing gryos. Seakeeper is a fast-growing brand that has become popular on sport fishing boats in South Florida.
Stabilizing gyros are available for boats of many sizes. The smallest Seakeeper 2, for example, is designed for boats 27 to 35 feet. It runs on DC power and costs about $20,000, not including installation.
On the large end, the Seakeeper 35 is designed for boats over 85 feet, runs on AC power and costs $216,300. There are several models in between.
Introduced in 2008 after five years of development, Seakeepers are basically computer-controlled gyroscopes that tilt to counteract boat roll. A steel flywheel spins at high speed in a near vacuum (to minimize friction). The momentum of the spinning flywheel generates the stabilizing force.
The Seakeeper 2 on the company’s 33-foot Boston Whaler test boat took about half an hour to “spin up” before it was ready to work during a Jan. 24 trip led by Seakeeper demonstration captains Brian Mullinax and Pete Nolan.
Capt. Pete Nolan, the demonstration boat manager, shows the Seakeeper 2 stabilizing gyroscope. On a test run it dropped the roll angle to 2 to 4 degrees from port to starboard and back compared with 13 degrees when it was turned off. Willie Howard/The Coastal Star
After running south from the Nautical Ventures marina in North Palm Beach, Mullinax ran the Boston Whaler to the wavy mouth of Palm Beach Inlet and stopped.
When Nolan turned off the stabilizer, the boat rolled about 13 degrees from port to starboard and back. With the Seakeeper on, the roll dropped to 2 to 4 degrees.
For the record, gyro stabilizers do nothing for up and down pitch of the bow when a boat moves over waves. They address side-to-side roll.
Mullinax and Nolan said Seakeepers are becoming popular with owners of deep V ocean fishing boats. The V-shaped bottoms help the boats slice through waves, but make them more likely to rock from side to side when drifting.
Anyone attending the Palm Beach International Boat show in late March can step onto the Seakeeper Boston Whaler for a “dock rock” test or visit the company’s booth to schedule a demonstration ride on the ocean.
Boat Show March 26-29
The 35th annual Palm Beach International Boat Show, featuring boats in a wide range of sizes, marine electronics, fishing and diving gear and educational seminars, is scheduled for March 26-29 along Flagler Drive in downtown West Palm Beach.
Produced by Informa Markets and owned by the Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County, this year’s boat show will offer more than $1.2 billion worth of boats, yachts and accessories on display.
Seminars offered at the show include youth fishing clinics presented by Hook the Future and adult fishing clinics produced by the IGFA School of Sportfishing.
New this year is the separate Superyacht Show Palm Beach, featuring about a dozen yachts ranging in size from 180 to 300 feet.
The invitation-only Superyacht Show will be March 26-28 at the Flagler Museum in Palm Beach.
Hours for the regular boat show are noon to 7 p.m. March 26; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. March 27-28; and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 29.
Standard show admission is $28 for ages 16 and older and $18 for youths 7-15. Children 6 and under will be admitted free with adults.
Boat show attendees can choose the $150 Windward VIP experience, which includes show admission and access to a VIP lounge with food and drinks.
For details and tickets, visit www.pbboatshow.com.
Coming events
March 7: Basic boating safety class offered by Coast Guard Auxiliary, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the headquarters building at Spanish River Park, 3939 N. Ocean Blvd., Boca Raton. Fee $35 ($5 for youths ages 12-19). Register at the door. Bring lunch. Call 561-391-3600. Leave a message.
March 19: Kickoff party for 26th annual Lantana Fishing Derby, 5:30-7 p.m. at Lakeside Anchor Inn. Captains meeting April 30. Fishing tournament set for May 2. Early registration fee $200 for up to four anglers through April 17. Regular entry fee $250. For details, call the Greater Lantana Chamber of Commerce at 561-585-8664 or visit www.lantanafishingderby.com.
March 28: Basic boating safety class offered by Coast Guard Auxiliary, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the classroom building next to the boat ramps, Harvey E. Oyer Jr. Park, 2010 N. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach. Fee $20. Register at the door. Call 561-331-2429.
Tip of the month
Want to refresh your boating skills before the spring and summer boating seasons? Go to BoatUS.org/courses to find a list of online courses such as using GPS for navigation, marine weather, boating basics and cruising. Use the code “Spring25” to save 25% on the cost of the courses through March 31.
Willie Howard is a freelance writer and licensed boat captain. Reach him at tiowillie@bellsouth.net.
The boardwalk at Gumbo Limbo winds through one of the few remaining maritime coastal hammocks in the county. Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star
By Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley
Wandering along the newly rebuilt boardwalk at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton, you can discover the beauty of the maritime coastal hammock preserved at this site.
Set atop the highest elevation on the barrier island, with beach and dunes to the east and wetlands to the west, this ancient hardwood forest used to run the length of Florida’s southeastern coast.
That’s until invasive plants and development destroyed much of it, says Gumbo Limbo Manager Leanne Welch.
Today, there are only three pieces of hammock preserved in Palm Beach County: this parcel (which measures about 15 acres), an 8.5-acre piece in Ocean Ridge and a segment in John D. MacArthur Beach State Park in North Palm Beach.
Ancient man, like modern man, found these tree-covered and elevated areas to be particularly habitable. To prove it, our ancestors left shells, bones and broken pottery in refuse piles or middens. From the walkway, you can see their remains, which date back about 2,000 years.
The original Gumbo Limbo boardwalk, built in 1986, was a loop that included a 40-foot observation tower.
Bill Aseere was one of about 40 volunteers who spent about eight months building those original structures. He’d just moved here from California with a truck full of power tools, including an electric saw that ran on a generator. His job was to cut boards, handrail supports and railings that lined the pathway.
“It was hot with lots of mosquitoes and then it rained. That walkway was a buzzard to build,” says Aseere, 86, of Boca Raton.
In 2002, an extension was added to connect the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center to Red Reef Park West. But over the years, flooding from storms and high tides caused the boards to decay, making the path dangerous to navigate. It finally was closed in February 2015.
It took four years to remove and replace the original walkway in two phases before it finally reopened to the public in July.
“It’s lush and cool back here, even on the hottest day,” says Welch.
A stroll along the boardwalk becomes a nature lesson as signage provides Quick Response codes that can be read by cell phones to provide more information on what you see.
Technology aside, we turned off our phones and turned to Welch to help us understand what makes this mature hardwood forest special.
The peeling bark of a gumbo limbo glows in late-afternoon sun. Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star
As we walk, she points out the tropical plants that are typical of this habitat — including gumbo limbos, cabbage palms, poisonwoods, pigeon plums, wild coffees, sea grapes, strangler figs, lancewoods and a mastic tree that was hit by lightning.
Now a snag, it is left for nesting birds, insects and other wildlife to use as habitat. Spotted skunks have been seen in the area, Welch says.
Paradise trees with their “beautiful red flowers” are just starting to reappear. “We had them everywhere but unfortunately they were taken out in the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005,” says Welch. Hurricanes Frances, Jeanne and Wilma impacted Palm Beach County in those years.
“Tons of birds,” such as three varieties of woodpeckers, have also returned since the construction finished, Welch says.
The area also has cardinals, warblers, thrashers, gnat-catchers, kingfishers and an occasional owl.
The woods are home to squirrels, raccoons, a family of foxes, mangrove crabs climbing the trees, box turtles with domed shells that can be closed for protection, orb weavers obstructing the path with their intricate webs, and some not-very-welcome iguanas.
On our visit we even saw tree snails. They had been collected almost to extinction for their colorfully striped shells. But today, they are back again.
“This is the perfect place to discover the beauty of Florida’s disappearing maritime hammock as well as the plants and animals it nurtures,” says Welch.
Maintenance tip
“Although we do remove plastics and other manmade debris brought into Gumbo Limbo on the tide, we practice hands-off maintenance — so we don’t pick up fallen palm fronds or broken branches. Our goal is to maintain the area as a habitat, not a park. We know everything in nature has value.”
— Leanne Welch, manager of Gumbo Limbo Nature Center
If You Go
What: The reconstructed Gumbo Limbo Nature Center boardwalk
Where: 1801 N. Ocean Blvd., Boca Raton
Hours: Open daily 7 a.m. to dusk
Parking: The 59 carefully patrolled free parking spaces at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center quickly fill up. Additional, metered parking is available at Red Reef Park West to the south along A1A. Residents with beach parking stickers can also park at Red Reef Park East.
Info: www.gumbolimbo.org or 561-544-8605
Admission: $5 donation requested per person
Tours: “A Walk in the Hammock” tours are offered on most Saturdays starting at 10 a.m. and Sundays at 1 p.m. “Early Birding With Al” is offered the third Thursday of each month starting at 8 a.m.
Schedules can change, so be sure to consult Gumbo Limbo’s program calendar (www.gumbolimbo.org/Programs-and-Events) or call the center to confirm the tour you wish to attend. These tours begin on the front porch of the Nature Center. No registration is required.
Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley can be reached at debhartz@att.net.
Ocean Ridge Garden Club member Allison Adams helps install new plants near the town’s entrance sign on A1A near Ocean Inlet Park. Club members replaced and added plantings at the town’s main entrances. Photo provided
Update: Plastic awareness event postponed
By Margie Plunkett
The Ocean Ridge Garden Club is hosting a Plastics-Free Awareness Day in an effort to help rid the sea of debris.
The daylong event, “Save the Seas — Plastics-Free Awareness Day: Engage, Inform, Inspire,” is presented by the Garden Club and the town of Ocean Ridge. It starts at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, March 21, with a beach cleanup.
Each year, the Ocean Ridge Garden Club has a community engagement event — and this year, it decided to focus on the environment with the Save the Seas day.
“Our mission is ‘the ocean is our garden’ and we realized that plastics pollution is a huge issue. We decided to create an awareness day to educate, inform and inspire as many people as we could,” said Mickey Farley, chairperson for the event.
The Garden Club hopes to provide a forum for groups with a “right to a point of view” on the issue to share their knowledge, Farley said, adding that the club has 12 partners who will be exhibiting their organizations’ efforts and purpose through the day.
The cleanup, sponsored by the Surfrider Foundation, is followed by an agenda of events held at Ocean Ridge Town Hall. From 10 to 11 a.m., family art activities and awards will be held.
Exhibitor booths are open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with music by Indigo Dreamers and a Nomad Surf Shop food truck.
Environmental presentations include “The Story” at 11 a.m., by Bryan Galvin of PasTrek 2019; “Rise Above Plastics” at noon, by Tom Warnke of the Surfrider Foundation; and “Native Plants and Wildlife for Coastal Gardens” at 1 p.m., by George Gann of the Institute for Regional Conservation.
Dick Lewallen’s book is intended to comfort people struggling with aging. Cover art provided
By Janis Fontaine
Pastor Dick Lewallen led small churches and worked as a campus minister in Texas until his 33-year marriage failed and he was forced to reinvent himself at age 59.
“Nobody wants a divorced pastor, but I found a little country church in North Florida that was as desperate as I was,” said Lewallen, who was born in Arkansas and raised in Oklahoma.
The new setting allowed him ample time for self-reflection, and as Lewallen looked back over his education, he recalled a significant class in clinical pastoral education. It’s the coursework that prepares an individual to work as a chaplain in hospitals, ministering to ill and dying people and their loved ones.
“I felt drawn to that setting,” said Lewallen, who’s now 78 and retired, living in Boynton Beach. When he found a program just down the road at UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville, it felt divine.
A chaplain is usually a member of the clergy attached to a secular institution rather than a church. Chaplains are vital members of the military, serve police and fire-rescue personnel, provide post-disaster relief and support health care facilities. At hospitals, chaplains work closely with doctors, nurses and other staff to support them and provide spiritual care to patients and their loved ones — really anyone who needs help during a crisis.
Lewallen said he might find himself in the ER with a gunshot victim or with the family of a traffic fatality, or in oncology visiting patients forging their battles while their families keep watch.
“I had the gift of being good with people in crisis,” Lewallen said. “I was able to approach people with confidence. When I go into a death situation, I try to listen and watch. Presence is more important than talk.
“I had worked with college students for 20 years and I loved it, but chaplaining is my fit, my gift. It’s the hardest work I’ve ever done, but it was the best.”
After taking his CPE training at Shands, Lewallen brought his talents to South Florida to work as chaplain at John Knox Village, an aging-in-place, transitional retirement community in Pompano Beach. He held weekly services and Bible study, but much of his day focused on visiting residents whose deteriorating health forced them to be transferred to the hospital.
“I visited every resident to help them know they hadn’t been forgotten,” he said.
Some needed his visits, and some didn’t; Lewallen’s empathetic nature helped him tell the two apart. But his tender mercy came with a price. “I feel deeply, and it depletes you. It drained me and I realized I had to renew myself. Reenergize,” he said.
His favorite short-term methods of coping were to take a nap or go for a walk. “And I think service is very important. Volunteers get more than they give. I think a heart of service is genetic. My dad was the same way,” Lewallen says.
But eventually Lewallen took a year off after serving John Knox for about six years. Then he signed on for three more years at Abbey Delray retirement community.
Since he retired he has discovered a new vocation: author.
He recently published a 117-page collection of essays with a simple theme: “Aging is a spiritual journey.”
“You’d be surprised how many people don’t know that,” Lewallen said.
Older and Wiser: Inspiration, Humor and Hope for Growing Older is part parable, part stunning photography.
“I just started writing down stories when I was at John Knox, significant events, and the book kind of wrote itself,” he said.
Lewallen’s work has made him very fond and protective of older adults.
“Most people don’t know that growing older is tough,” he said. “We should show older folks they’re special.”
He will return to John Knox at 10 a.m. March 10 to give a talk about his book, and he welcomes the chance to start a compassionate conversation about aging, death and the transition.
Death is still a terrifying mystery to many people. Even after years of study, Lewallen is not sure why people fear death. He’d rather focus on stealing the sting of death by helping people accept and even welcome it.
In the last few pages, Lewallen writes, “Being gathered to one’s people is a comforting way to look at death. Death is not the end. Death is a transition from this life to the next. It is a door from one life to a better one. As persons of faith, we can look forward to the transition instead of fearing it, and we can be gathered to our people in peace.”
And who wouldn’t welcome a peaceful finale to a long journey?
Janis Fontaine writes about people of faith, their congregations, causes and events. Contact her at janisfontaine@outlook.com.
