Kurt Harfmann and league President Cristy Stewart-Harfmann. Photo provided

The Junior League of Boca Raton’s annual culinary event involved hundreds of guests voting on their favorite dishes from participating restaurants. Patrick Duffy served as honorary executive chef. Funds raised will support the organization’s focus areas of hunger, child welfare and nonprofit support.

Mary Anna Fowler, Gary Peters and Isabelle Paul. Photo provided

Boca Helping Hands honored supporters and informed them about how the organization’s leaders are working to ensure that the nonprofit service provider continues its mission through an endowment fund. The Rev. Andrew Hagen, of Advent Boca Raton and Advent Lantana and a Boca Helping Hands board member, served as the guest speaker.

Shelley and Craig Menin. Photo provided by Tracey Benson Photography

The outdoor venue’s first gala in 10 years was a star-gazing success as nearly 200 guests strolled the exquisite grounds amid live music and taiko drumming. The al fresco evening coincided with a rare opportunity to get a close-up look at the super moon. A moon monologue was delivered by Ata Sarajedini, the gala’s honorary chairman, to mark the occasion.

Marilyn Weinberg and Jim and Marta Batmasian. Photo provided

Florida Atlantic University’s Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters’ first Culture, Arts and Society Today (CAST) party fundraiser generated more than $100,000 for student scholarships. The event featured Brazilian entertainment and performances by the college’s theater, music and dance faculty and students. ‘Through the generosity of donors, we are able to support students who may otherwise not be able to attend college, including some that are the first in their families to go to college,’ said Michael Horswell, the college’s dean.

Farmer’s Table is selling vacuum-packed meals that can be refrigerated for up to three weeks. Photo provided

By Jan Norris

By mid-March, Florida’s governor had ordered all restaurants to shut their dining rooms, giving them the options to go to takeout and delivery in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

More restrictions may be ordered as things progress, but for now, that’s the situation.

While some restaurants have closed, others are trying to get by, offering takeout or delivery, a weekly meal pickup, or other types of to-go food preparation.

Menus are limited in many cases, manageable for kitchens that are working with skeleton crews after layoffs. Still, they try to accommodate their diners.

Chef Jeremy Hanlon of Benny’s on the Beach in Lake Worth Beach is watching the situation, and for now, offering takeout and delivery.

“It will be interesting to see what the weekend brings,” he told us just after closings were announced. He’s taking it “day by day right now.”

He was cooking off his full menu to start.

Chef Emerson Frisbie of Delray Beach’s 3rd and 3rd has created a bao-bun pop-up. Boxes of the Chinese-style filled buns, with a variety of fillings for both omnivores and vegans, are popular takeouts. He also offers spirits and wine to go.

Alcohol sales may help save restaurants. Jimmy Everett, owner of Driftwood in Boynton Beach, said being able to sell beer, wine and spirits with a meal is “huge.”

Like others, he’s been changing plans day to day as the closures evolve. He offers takeout meals from a limited menu that changes daily.

But the alcohol may help him hold on by a thread.

“If you think about it, alcohol is a huge part of a restaurant inventory. It’s already paid for. Usually people have a lot more in stock than food, because it will keep,” Everett said. If liquor stores close, it will be even more of a sales point.

Rebel House in Boca Raton is offering family meals — enough to feed four, as a pickup. “Latke’d & Loaded” was a recent choice, with brisket, latkes, carrots and peas. A gluten-free Italian meatloaf with mac ’n’ cheese and Brussels sprouts were served another night. It’s comfort fare for stressful times.

Josie’s Ristorante in Boynton already had a takeout audience, but now it’s 100% of the business. Pizzas and Italian specialties, and wines, are served for pickup or delivery.

Crazy Uncle Mike’s in Boca Raton offers curbside pickup of its craft brews. Delivery Dudes also will deliver growlers and bottles from Uncle Mike’s to your home.

Chains such as P.F. Chang’s and Capital Grille are going to delivery and curbside service as their dining rooms are closed. At Capital Grille, steaks are still cut to order from a limited menu, and wine and spirits, including cocktails, are available to go.

Vacuum-packed meals and individual foods are available from Farmer’s Table in Boca Raton. Cooked foods prepared there keep up to three weeks in the refrigerator. Diners can reheat the foods easily. The restaurant is known for its healthy cooking techniques.

Delivery services step up

The delivery companies are busier than ever before with customers deciding to order food delivery rather than risk exposure to other people. Online or phone orders, along with cashless payments, ease the process. Most delivery people will place the foods on your porch, and no human contact is needed for the transaction.

Uber Eats is the same nationwide service as the ride-share service founded as a smartphone app. Ordering is done on the phone once you choose your own restaurant. No money changes hands. At press time, the fees Uber usually charges restaurants to deliver for them were being waived; the diner still pays for delivery, however.

Delivery Dudes, based in Delray Beach but delivering throughout Palm Beach and Broward counties, has added the Dudes Bodega, available via a phone app or at www.deliverydudes.com/restaurants/the-dudes-bodega-delray-beach-fl-8690. Drivers will pick up and deliver restaurant meals, foods and pet items from the grocery, prescriptions and other drugstore items, and alcohol. ID is required at your end.

Grub Hub is another nationwide service that handles many chain restaurants; it’s found as an app or at www.grubhub.com.
Many groceries such as Publix and Aldi, and stores such as Target and Walmart that carry food, will shop for you and have it ready for pickup through their websites. You also can order through delivery services such as Shipt, which delivers for Publix. It’s available as a phone app or online.

Tips for ordering

Here are some tips for ordering takeout, pickup and delivery:

Make sure your favorite restaurant is offering takeout. Some may have shut down after all. Support those that are open, if possible, by passing the word around on social media, and leaving good feedback on their sites.

Plan ahead. If you can order a day or more ahead for lunch or dinner, it helps the restaurant plan its output. It can’t afford to have much food left over. Popular restaurants may run out of nightly specials early on.

Get an estimated time of delivery as you order, and ask if the restaurant has a thermal bag for delivery to keep the foods hot. Allow extra time for a large order, and realize the independent drivers may come from elsewhere to pick up the foods and not wait at your restaurant. If you have multiple restaurants as pickups and order at rush hour (5:30-7:30 p.m.), expect an even longer wait.

If possible, order directly from the restaurant; some delivery spots and menu sites have fees charged to restaurants. You still may have to pay for delivery, but the restaurant doesn’t pay extra for delivery service.

Don’t expect fast-food pricing just because it’s takeout. The overhead is much greater, even with smaller staffs. There’s the cost of quality food, pay for chefs who are prepping and cooking, workers packing, and the packaging materials. It adds up.

Don’t forget ethnic restaurants that need to stay afloat. Their overhead may not be as much, but neither are their profits. Support those restaurants and small sandwich and sub shops in your community that you usually frequent.

Just as if you were in the restaurants, let them know ahead of time of any serious dietary restrictions on your orders, but don’t expect the wide variety of substitutes from a full menu. Don’t harass the staff about it, either; you’ll look silly.

If you prefer, ask your driver to leave your food on a porch or patio; make sure you are explicit with how to contact you once it’s set out. If there’s a chance you’ll be indisposed at the time of delivery, put a cooler outside to prevent insects from getting to the food first.

If you’re ordering groceries or fresh produce, be prepared with several substitute choices, because all shoppers are facing emptier shelves. Also expect a long delivery time — up to three days as the number of delivery orders soars.

Tip your drivers, especially if you’ve asked them to shop for you. They are frazzled these days and putting themselves out there on the front lines so you don’t have to.

Jan Norris is a food writer who can be reached at nativefla@gmail.com

Local organizations hopeful even as future looks bleak

By Jan Engoren
ArtsPaper Contributing Writer

When the Cannes Film Festival is canceled and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is projected to lose $100 million after closing down because of the coronavirus, the impact on the arts and culture all over the world is significant.

And Palm Beach County is no exception.

While many sectors are suffering, arts organizations and cultural institutions are particularly vulnerable.

The Cultural Council for Palm Beach County, citing a 2017 arts and economic prosperity study, said the cultural sector has created over 14,000 full-time jobs in the Palm Beaches, and arts and cultural organizations contribute over $633 million in economic impact to the area.

According to CEO David Lawrence, even this early in the game, dozens of Palm Beach County cultural organizations have lost millions of dollars in revenue from canceled performances, lost fundraising galas and productions, not to mention lost revenue from ticket sales.

“Many of these organizations have little resources to cover those losses. Individual artists — especially those in the performing arts — have lost critical income that they were counting on,” Lawrence said.

Also of concern to the council is the loss and future loss of tourism dollars to Palm Beach County, and Lawrence said the county is already feeling the impact.

Kelly Smallridge, president and CEO of the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, said the county currently has no plans to provide economic relief.

“If we can come out of this pandemic in a few months, the stronger arts and cultural organizations will survive and register a blip on their radar screens, but smaller venues are already struggling and may not make it out of this epidemic,” Smallridge said.

“Here in Palm Beach County, the arts and culture community faces a challenge with their ticket revenue and donations,” she said. “If this continues much longer, businesses and the arts will have to figure out a Plan B.”

From figures projected by the Washington-based nonprofit Americans for the Arts, financial losses as of March 15 were estimated to be $3.2 billion, since the first U.S. case of COVID-19 was reported on Jan. 20.

The $3.2 billion figure includes actual revenue losses from admissions (ticket sales, subscriptions, memberships), non-admissions income (gift shop sales, sponsorships, contributed income), and unexpected expenditures (new cleaning and disinfecting protocols, adoption of new technologies, cancellation fees).

The Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach was one of the first cultural organizations to shutter its doors, followed by a steady stream of the county’s other performing groups and museums, even as Gov. Ron DeSantis was issuing orders closing restaurants, bars and the state’s beaches.

Annabel Russell, executive director of The Symphonia, a chamber orchestra based in Boca Raton that canceled the last concert of its season, laments the loss of income for her musicians, most of them gig workers.

“We’re all reeling from the abrupt end to our season,” Russell said. “But artists are strong and resilient people, and if there’s a possible bright spot it’s that this comes at the tail end of ‘season’ here in South Florida, and we’re hopeful we can have a successful 2020-21 season.”

Marilynn Wick of the Wick Theatre in Boca Raton announced March 14 the opening and closing weekend of A Chorus Line.

“This is the first time I’ve ever had an opening and closing gala the same weekend,” she said. Upbeat, Wick has already rescheduled the show for April 23, pushing back Nunsense to September and said she’s in good company.

“I’m reassured that we’re not alone,” she said. “Isn’t there a song like that?”

She’s optimistic that next year’s subscription sales will hit 4,000, as compared to this year’s 3,700. She’s encouraging patrons to donate tickets from missed performances back to the theater, as are many local theater companies including Dramaworks in West Palm Beach and Primal Forces at the Sol Theatre in Boca Raton.

“We enjoy producing live theater and providing the best cultural experience,” said Wick. “We’re just having a longer intermission than usual.”

Nearby at Primal Forces Theatre, which suspended the run of its March show, Kenneth Lin’s Warrior Class, artistic director Keith Garsson said he was grateful to have a smaller venue and a cast of three for this production.

“Because we’re a small theater, I was able to call our attendees and let them know we were canceling performances,” said Garsson. Fifty people came to opening night March 11.

“My heart goes out to bigger theaters,” he said. “For us, it’s not as big a disruption as it is for the Wick or the Maltz Jupiter theatres.”
Luckily, he said the theater has a good landlord who may accommodate Primal Forces, but if the productions are rescheduled for summer, they may run into the summer camp season at the Sol Theatre.

“We hope the virus peaks early and we can salvage the end of our season,” Garsson said, “But, in the real world, we just hope everyone stays safe.”

Farther north, the Maltz Jupiter Theatre postponed its upcoming production of the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying until the fall, originally slated for March 17 to April 5, while it was in the final stages of a three-week rehearsal process.

Box office staffers have been contacting ticketholders directly regarding options for their tickets, according to Andrew Kato, artistic director.

“Nothing is more important than the health and safety of the Maltz Jupiter Theatre’s patrons, employees, volunteers and visiting artists, and postponing our next production is the responsible action to take,” said Kato.

 “While this is devastating to us to have to make changes, we understand the significance of acting swiftly to avoid the possible spread of COVID-19 and make sure our community remains safe,” he said.

In the same boat as the other regional nonprofit theaters, Kato is working with unions, tradespeople, staff, crew, musicians and artists to coordinate details for the fall’s productions.  

Kato noted that the economic repercussions of postponing, canceling or reshuffling the productions are significant. By the time the production is canceled, the organization has already invested an enormous amount of time and money into its creation that it will not be able to recoup.

“The best way for patrons to help organizations like the Maltz Jupiter Theatre is to consider donating their tickets back to the theater for a tax-deductible donation or making a new contribution,” he said.

 “Think of it as an investment in our future,” Kato said.  “It is in critical times like these that we ask our supporters to stand by and believe in our work. Most nonprofits do not have the huge reserves to shoulder these catastrophic losses and we ask that the public be mindful of that as we journey through this difficult time.

“We will get through this together, and we’d like to thank our patrons in advance for their support,” Kato said.

Locally, the Cultural Council is looking to address these concerns by initiating strategies to support creative professionals with small grants to help with lost income.

The council plans to extend its drive-market campaign, MOSAIC (Month of Shows, Art, Ideas and Culture), to funnel resources into advertising, activations, public relations and other support efforts through the summer/early fall.

It will coordinate with Brightline to attract visits from Broward and Miami-Dade, and offer hotel packages through Discover the Palm Beaches to encourage visits, staycations, and additional tourism.

Additionally, the council is working with some of its board members and other community leaders to create a task force that will address these recovery efforts from a national, state and local level.

On the national level, Americans for the Arts has put together a number of demands for Congress to act, including designating a minimum of $4 billion — to be distributed through the National Endowment for the Arts — to help offset losses in the nonprofit arts industry and to expand federal programs to ensure artists, entrepreneurs, and small businesses can utilize business interruption relief.
The group requested making additional sums available to the artists and art organizations in the for-profit arena.

Thanks to the $2 trillion emergency stimulus package passed by Congress during the last week in March, $300 million in economic relief will go to support nonprofit cultural organizations, including museums, libraries, public broadcasting, and state and local arts agencies.

Funds have been allocated as well for independent contractors such as actors, musicians and artists in nonprofit organizations and small businesses, as well as those working in the creative economies.

“Our research shows that the coronavirus is already having a devastating effect on arts organizations and artists,” said Robert L. Lynch, Americans for the Arts president and CEO. The nonprofit arts sector is a $166 billion industry and it is suffering.

“There will be a measurable economic and social ripple effect that will be felt in every city and town as arts organizations and performances close, leading to further losses for restaurants, bars, parking facilities, hotels, and much more.

“The economic damage will be in the billions,” Lynch said.

And yet some remain hopeful.

William Hayes, artistic director of Palm Beach Dramaworks, which will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year, is already brainstorming with his staff about how to move forward.

The Light in the Piazza, Craig Lucas and Adam Guettel’s Tony-award winning musical, was scheduled to run this month and has now been postponed.

The set was built, the custom-made costumes were delivered, the 14 actors in the production were ready to go, when the bottom dropped out. Hayes offered two weeks severance to his cast and made no-cost housing available to them. He hopes the staff will remain available and committed to the show when it can run.

This season was one of the company’s best and box office sales were up 20%, according to Hayes. 

 To continue, Hayes said, “We need to do some creative thinking, be proactive, redefine what we do and  think outside the box, including how to make use of technology.”

In addition, Dramaworks has canceled the summer production of Jason Robert Brown’s Last Five Years, but Hayes hopes Kenneth Lonergan’s Lobby Hero, and The Light in the Piazza can be produced before the calendar year ends.

“We’re fortunate that we’ve been fiscally conservative and operated in the black the last 19 years,” Hayes said.  “We have some money in reserve and will most assuredly be dipping into this reserve fund.

“I hope our patrons and clientele will recognize that we are struggling and consider our long history of being fiscally responsible and understand we have no choice at this point,” he said. 

“We hope that over time our patrons and donors will step up to the plate and show their support,” Hayes said.

More than 60 people attended and other Briny residents watched the service on BBC-8, the community cable service. By the following Sunday, Briny had closed the services to the public until further notice. They still will have a pastor and choir, and each service will be on BBC-8. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Janis Fontaine

For millions of Americans, to have no church on Sunday or Shabbat on Friday is the cruelest of the restrictions on our lives so far, especially when we need comfort and spiritual support the most.

People depend on their faith and its rituals like Mass, prayer, confession and Communion even more during times of crisis. Worship fosters a soothing optimism that comes from the belief that God will take care of us.

In mid-March, just as we began coronavirus restrictions, the Rev. Ben Thomas, associate rector at St. Gregory’s Episcopal in Boca Raton, got a phone call asking him to perform last rites for a parishioner who had been hospitalized suddenly. He performed rites over the phone, the first time he’s ever done that or heard of it being done.

“The beeping of the machines seemed louder,” Thomas said.

The person didn’t have COVID-19, but visiting the hospital is a real concern for Thomas, a father of five children, ages 6-12.
It’s just as important to let people know the church has not forgotten them, and the leaders are using every avenue available to reach the congregation. The clergy and senior lay people have divided up the names of the 1,200 members and they will call each one, Thomas said.

At Boca’s Advent Lutheran, live streaming-only of services started in mid-March.

Churches are electing to live-stream services in place of in-person worship, as are some synagogues, but Orthodox synagogues don’t allow the use of technology, so those rabbis are encouraging families to pray at home together.

Social media helpful

For many spiritual people, technology is their lifeline to God right now.

“Now is the time for social media,” Advent Pastor Andy Hagen said.

On that first Sunday, 140 families logged in to live-stream, and the church got lots of good feedback. “We want to make services more intimate, and there are just some things that work better live,” he said. “We will also be taking live questions via text.”

Hagen worries about the older parishioners, especially, because “church is their meeting place, and seniors love to be together.” For now, Bible studies will be virtual, and the church connects its parish with programming from Right Now Media, a nonprofit membership service with streaming of Bible study videos and other positive programming. Email Hagen at AHagen@GoAdvent.org for information on getting access.

If you need a special prayer for yourself or a loved one, you can post a request on the Advent Prayer Wall. Or you can find people who need prayers and pray for them. “I’ve seen the church family really pulling together, and that will make a difference,” Hagen said.

There’s no shortage of information for people looking for spiritual reassurance. “All the resources springing up are pretty cool,” Thomas said. “A friend of mine said, it’s like ‘where do I want to go to church today?’ It’s a chance to make technology really meaningful.”

Usher Larry Farr and resident Beth Foland exchange elbow bumps as a safe welcoming gesture before the interdenominational church service at Briny Breezes on March 15.

Virtual attendance is up. The daily Eucharist at St. Gregory’s has minimal attendance, but the stream on Facebook Live is attracting hundreds of people who need a daily dose of prayer.

Appreciation is up, too. “People are telling us how grateful they are we’re here for them,” Thomas said.

Other classes and groups will meet on Zoom, the videoconferencing/webinar service, and new ways of communicating will spring up. “I don’t think we’re going back to the way things were,” Thomas said.

And there’s another message the Rev. Andrew Sherman of at St. Gregory’s wants to send: “God is not quarantined,” he wrote in his letter to parishioners on March 13, which included his cellphone number.

To symbolize God’s eternal presence, St. Gregory’s has established a “Tent of Meeting” outside the church to make its support visible. It’s a reference to the Old Testament and the tentlike sanctuary Moses carried. Destruction of the temple does not stop worship. Separation by physical distance doesn’t stop faith. But it does change it.

“Our presence in front of the church is symbolic, to show people we are here for them,” Thomas said. “People are looking to us for guidance, and we’re going to be there. Father Sherman said it’s like we’re learning to be priests again.”

Catholics are being asked to watch services on TV, too. On March 20, the Diocese of Palm Beach suspended public celebrations of Mass within the diocese. Priests will continue to celebrate daily and Sunday Mass without congregations, and a list of local parishes live streaming Mass and television stations airing Mass is available at www.diocesepb.org. The Diocese of Palm Beach airs Sunday Mass on WTVX Channel 34 at 10:30 a.m.

On March 13, the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida canceled all worship, events and other gatherings until at least March 30, hoping that Easter services on April 12 wouldn’t be restricted. But on March 20, the diocese said with the exception of 12-step programs, all worship, events, and other gatherings are canceled until at least April 15. This means Easter, “our most sacred liturgies of the year,” Father Paul Kane of St. Paul’s Episcopal of Delray Beach said, “will be virtual this year.”

Father Dominic Toan-Tran of St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Boca Ratondistributes Communion to parishioners at the last allowable Mass, until further notice. Photo provided by Lisa Browne-Banic

Kane says we should really call this physical distancing, because in some ways we’re more socially connected than ever before. “We’ll continue to spread God’s word, just not the virus,” he said, pointing parishioners to the church website, YouTube channel and Facebook page. The church is committed to keeping person-to-person communications alive, especially for older adults, reaching out by phone and email as much as possible.

Kane also recorded a message addressing the sacrament of communion: Can we take it at home? According to the Episcopal Church, yes.

“When being present at a celebration of the Eucharist is absolutely impossible, such as during this pandemic, this act of prayer and meditation can provide the means by which you can associate yourself with the Eucharistic Action and open yourself to God’s grace and blessing.”

To find out more, visit www.stpaulsdelray.org.

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

Denise Rizzuto and Erika Rizzuto. Photo provided

The nation’s top dogs and human heroes gathered for a gala luncheon to honor America’s most courageous canines. Seven such animals were celebrated for their extraordinary accomplishments in categories including Military Hero Dog, Law Enforcement Hero Dog and Therapy Hero Dog. Philanthropist Lois Pope, children’s author Loretta Neff and veterinarian Terry Morris were recognized as well.

Sandblast, by Al Pessin, 422 pp., Kensington Books, $9.99.

By Sharon Geltner
Contributing Writer

Goodbye, Homeland.

Hello, Sandblast.

Showtime’s hit series Homeland ends in May. But covert ops fans can turn to Sandblast, the first book in an action, adventure and suspense trilogy by Al Pessin, who covered the world’s hot spots from Afghanistan to Washington, D.C., before retiring in 2015 and moved to Delray Beach.

The plot: After terrorists blow up a plane carrying the secretary of defense, the Defense Intelligence Agency creates Operation: Sandblast. The top-secret asset is California-raised, Afghan-American Lt. Faraz Abdallah. His heritage and military training make him the perfect undercover agent, but can he fool the Taliban? Then can he uncover its terror plots and assassinate the leaders?
The president is on board. “We’re facing our toughest threat since 9/11, and if we don’t handle it right, we could end up living in a very different world, a much more hostile one.”

Besides the intrepid Abdallah, the other hero is military and security expert Dr. Bridget Davenport, in a role similar to Carrie Mathison.

The book moves fast and the complex plot makes sense. Pessin is most persuasive describing how tough it is for Faraz to maintain two identities at once. He has to fit in, quote the Koran, remember his emergency extraction code, avoid recruitment as a suicide bomber and not be subsumed by the Taliban.

The Afghan village scenes are plausible, and Pessin offers many authentic details of the Pentagon.

Bridget’s relationship with an officer is the book’s only false note, such as when the two debate whether to call each other sugar pie or sweet cakes.

Otherwise, Sandblast reads like the real deal.

Pessin was a journalist at Voice of America for 39 years, 15 of them overseas. His first foreign assignment was Hong Kong in 1984. He’s also worked in Pakistan, Guantanamo Bay, Ukraine (in flak jacket and helmet), Jerusalem, London and New York. He enjoyed his first six-month tour in Islamabad so much, he offered to stay longer.

One of Pessin’s proudest moments came in 1989, when China expelled him for covering the Tiananmen Square massacre. He also reported from the White House and the Pentagon, traveling with two defense secretaries to Iraq and Afghanistan.

“[Years later], when I returned for a visit to Islamabad, I went to the old market and it was tense. All eyes were on me. I was the only foreigner there.”

Pessin speaks some French, Spanish, Hebrew, Arabic, Mandarin and Cantonese. “I wanted to know if the side conversation was discussing lunch or about kidnapping me and selling me to Hamas,” he said.

He said in Gaza and the West Bank, “Being Jewish was never an issue. No one asked. I felt they didn’t know.”

Pessin was inspired to write Sandblast during his six years at the Pentagon, when he came across an outdoor naturalization ceremony for people who joined the military as legal residents and were then being sworn in as citizens. Their happy and proud families were dressed in colorful dress from their home countries.

“I thought about what sort of unique capabilities they bring to our military. They are our generation’s new Navajo code talkers [from World War II.]”

Sharon Geltner is the author of Charity Bashed, available on Amazon and in bookstores.

YouTube sensation Postmodern Jukebox closed Festival of the Arts Boca in rousing style. Photo by StoryWorkz Photography

Here are edited reviews of performances that occurred in early March. For complete reviews, see palmbeachartspaper.com

A Chorus Line (March 14, Wick Theatre)

This production of A Chorus Line is arguably the best work in the Boca Raton troupe’s seven seasons of operation.

Of course, it had a head start with the nine-time Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning show that strips the musical of its usual colorful sets and costumes for a look backstage at chorus dancer auditions led by Zach, a somewhat sadistic director-choreographer who uses his power to pry into the lives of his cast hopefuls.

Still, it is a difficult show to pull off well, but you would never know it from the pitch-perfect Wick production, staged by Mitzi Hamilton, a veteran of the show’s original London company and later of the Broadway cast, as well as the inspiration for the character Val of “Dance: 10, Looks: 3” renown. Hamilton is a keeper of the flame of the late Michael Bennett’s iconic direction, keeping it alive in subsequent productions like this one.

From the opening cattle call, which winnows the wannabes down to 17, to their apprehensive poses in a line waiting for their interviews, to the ethereal “At the Ballet,” to the raucous “Hello 12, Hello 13, Hello Love,” to the finale “One,” in which they become the autonomous unit Zach has been rehearsing them to be, Hamilton crafts her cast into an ensemble on a par with any tour of A Chorus Line that has ever danced its way to the area.

There is not a weak link in the Wick cast, but certain roles are natural standouts. As Cassie, the director’s former girlfriend who failed to catch on in Hollywood, Jessica Lee Goldyn is stunning in the narcissistic solo of anguish, “The Music and the Mirror,” as graceful and powerful as any performer I’ve ever seen in the role. And Jonathan Fleites is heart-breaking with Paul’s monologue of his days as a female impersonator, based on the life on the show’s co-writer, Nicholas Dante.

Emily Tarallo is probably too young for the role of chorus veteran Sheila, but she conveys all of the character’s hard-bitten attitude. And Jawan Hayes is always worth watching as Richie, the former kindergarten teacher.

The trick now will be keeping this cast together until the production can return in late April. Those theatergoers intrepid enough to attend in mid-March were treated to a remarkable show that more deserve to experience.

— Hap Erstein

Postmodern Jukebox (March 8, Festival of the Arts Boca)

The final evening of this year’s festival at the Mizner Park Amphitheater in Boca Raton was damn cold, with a biting wind.
Still, the not-too-comfortable folding chairs on the amphitheater lawn were nearly filled, thanks, in large part, to the appearance of Postmodern Jukebox, an ensemble of genre-bending singers and musicians known for taking songs originally done in one style and presenting them in a totally different way.

A reworked “Thriller (Michael Jackson) was among the offerings. Michael Cunio (who introduced himself as “Coolio”) did the vocal honors and immediately notched the audience’s attention.

Known widely as PMJ, the jazz and soul-fueled troupe is a rotating musical collective founded by arranger and pianist Scott Bradlee in 2011, when he began shooting videos with friends from college in his basement apartment in Astoria, Queens.

In less than a decade, PMJ has amassed more than 1.2 billion YouTube views and 4 million subscribers. When Cunio asked the audience how many had seen the group before or were fans, at least half applauded.

Since debuting, Postmodern Jukebox has featured 70 performers and has toured six continents.

PMJ brought some fine lady vocalists, including Tia Simone, a soulful dynamo who hit some high notes that shook the stage lighting. She, Hannah Gill and Brielle Von Hugel all walked to their assigned spots in a variety of different, elegant costumes.

The audience largely chilled through the early songs, including Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble,” given a bouncy beat by Cunio, Simone and Gill.

In the more-intense second half, PMJ twisted a couple of tunes with remarkable agility and ability. Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass” was an up-tempo success.

Postmodern Jukebox closed out with an encore tracing the evolution of the Friends TV theme, “I’ll Be There for You.”

— Dale King

Swallow (opened March 6)

It’s about time somebody made a movie about pica, the psychological condition, first described by Hippocrates, of habitually consuming non-nutritive objects: soil, paint, glass, needles. Because of pica’s generic intersection between psychodrama and body horror, one might have thought that somebody would have been David Cronenberg.

But Swallow is the work of a new voice — Carlo Mirabella-Davis, in his debut as writer-director — whose approach is no less fastidious, and no less squirm-inducing. While his ear for dialogue could use some occasional polish, his freshman effort is auspicious and intuitive, seeing past the surface of his protagonist’s destructive condition into the cluttered belly of the matter: a controlling patriarchy whose micro-oppressions drives the behavior in the first place.

Haley Bennett, in a performance of career-catapulting depth, bravery and ambiguity, plays Hunter, a housewife who appears to be enjoying a charmed life of privilege. Her husband Richie (Austin Sowell) is an upwardly mobile businessman with wealthy parents, whose generosity paid for their comfortable New York manse.

When she learns that she’s pregnant, it is cause for much celebration from Richie and her in-laws, if not Hunter herself.

There are reasons for her reticence. Richie is an inattentive, emotionally absent Type A male. Hunter’s in-laws (Elizabeth Marvel and David Rasche) are callous and passive-aggressive to a point of unnecessary extremity.

Hunter is a textbook case for pica, which occurs most frequently in pregnant or postpartum women, or in those with physical or mental impairments. Hunter checks off both boxes.

But Swallow endeavors for a deeper, more psychologically astute depiction — one that, for Hunter, becomes synonymous with a drug addiction.

Swallow missteps in its need to date Hunter’s disease to a psychological trauma from her childhood and then resolve it a bit too tidily.

— ArtsPaper staff

The winning dog was Parker, a 2-year-old golden retriever who gave Lake Worth Playhouse artistic director Dan Eilola a sniff during his audition for the role of Sandy. At right is Reese Lores, 11, one of two actresses who will play Annie in the musical. Seated are stage manager Lara Palmer and Andrea Gershbein, Reese’s mother. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Larry Keller

This was no cattle call, but a canine casting search at the Lake Worth Playhouse.

The March 8 audition was for the role of Sandy, Little Orphan Annie’s dog in the musical Annie. Only four animal aspirants vied for the job.

The play’s timing is notable. The Lake Worth Playhouse opened in 1924 as a movie theater — the same year that the comic strip Little Orphan Annie debuted. The first performance of Annie on Broadway wasn’t until 1977.

Now Annie is in local theater limbo with events at the playhouse suspended indefinitely because of the coronavirus. These are gloomy days coping with a pandemic, but Annie would have understood. She sang:

The sun’ll come out
Tomorrow
So ya gotta hang on
’Til Tomorow

Director Cathy Randazzo-Olsen and artistic director Daniel Eilola were seeking a midsize dog, preferably sandy-colored — to match the character’s name. And — in keeping with Sandy’s personality — a loner, yet friendly.

Randazzo-Olsen had the dogs’ owners demonstrate their pups’ aptitude to respond to a few hand signals that could be given offstage. And she tested them on their ability to respond to a voice command — “Come, Sandy” — because the dog needs to respond correctly when told by Annie to come to her.

Reese Lores, 11, of Palm Beach Gardens, one of two youngsters slated to play Annie, tried out the verbal command with each dog.
The first hopeful hound to audition went to Reese when called, then flopped at her feet for a belly rub. “She’s a people person and loves little girls,” her owner said. Clearly.

Next, a Bedlington terrier named Cha Cha responded to Reese’s command to come to her but walked past her — twice. And while Cha Cha was cute as a lamb and resembled one, the 3-year-old had neither the size nor coloring of Sandy.

The youngest candidate was Bailey, a 4½-month-old golden retriever owned by Randazzo-Olsen’s sister. Bailey was remarkably good at such a tender age, but would she be overwhelmed in a production with 20 adults and 17 children?

Then there was Parker, a 2-year-old golden retriever. With his tail wagging like a high-speed windshield wiper, he was already demanding star treatment, parading around the rehearsal room expecting and receiving a pat from each person there. His Lake Worth agent — um, owner — Mike Gantner watched.

After a couple of false starts, as well as brief foray out an open door to Lake Avenue — perhaps to sniff out paparazzi — Parker returned and came to Reese when she called him.

“I think Parker probably had the most personality,” Randazzo-Olsen said afterward. “We’d really have to work with him. I think he is our best bet.”

And so, Parker got the job.

The original theatrical Sandy missed only 14 of 2,377 performances on Broadway in a nearly six-year run that ended in 1983, his owner and trainer told The New York Times. He was hours away from being euthanized at an animal shelter when he was rescued and found his calling as a performing pooch. He lived to age 16.

Parker will have a far less arduous schedule if and when Annie is presented. Still it will be no walk in the dog park. With rehearsals and 15 actual performances during the play’s run — which had been planned for April 9-26 — he will be practicing and performing at the theater around 50 times, Randazzo-Olsen said.

That’s fine with Reese, who seemed to like all the dogs and approved of Parker as a co-star. “He’s not too crazy,” she said. “And he’s not lazy.”

As for those critters and their owners who didn’t make the cut: Well, there’s always Tomorrow.

By Christine Davis

Pregnant women will be able to better care for their babies and themselves thanks to a new prenatal and postpartum program at Boca Raton Regional Hospital’s Christine E. Lynn Women’s Health & Wellness Institute. The woman who made it possible is longtime Boca Raton resident Barbara C. Gutin, who made a $3 million donation to the institute in March.

“This program will allow pregnant women and new mothers to be better equipped to understand their changing bodies and to know what is a normal part of pregnancy and what may require additional care,” said Dr. Kathy Schilling, medical director of the Women’s Institute. “New mothers will work with their personal physicians, the Toppel Family Place at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, as well as the team of clinicians at the Women’s Institute.”

This includes a board-certified urogynecologist, doctoral trained physical therapists, mental health professionals, nurse practitioners and others.

Gutin, along with her now-late husband, had previously established the Barbara C. Gutin Center for Pelvic Health at the Women’s Institute. Their gift to the hospital of new technology in 2013 established the Irving and Barbara C. Gutin Center for Robotic Surgery. Their first transformational gift was in 2008 to help create a stroke program at Boca Raton Regional Hospital.

 
In February, Jean Blechman, co-founder of Twinlab Corp., made a significant financial commitment to Keeping the Promise — The Campaign for Boca Raton Regional Hospital to name the Jean and David Blechman Surgical Intensive Care Unit.

“Jean’s commitment throughout the years has been remarkable and enhances vital care for all,” said Lincoln Mendez, CEO of Boca Raton Regional Hospital. The $250 million Keeping the Promise campaign is the largest in the hospital’s history.

It is supporting plans to reimagine the hospital campus. The project includes construction of the Gloria Drummond Patient Tower, the Toby and Leon Cooperman Medical Arts Pavilion, an expansion of the Marcus Neuroscience Institute and Christine E. Lynn Cardiovascular Institute, new operating rooms, renovation of the existing facility to create an all-private patient room environment, and the recently opened Schmidt Family Parking Facility.

Blechman has been a longtime supporter of the hospital and has a special interest in cardiology programs. When her donations helped create the Jean and David Blechman Center for Women’s Specialty Care and Preventive Cardiology, she felt for many years that cardiac care for women was badly neglected. Subsequently, it became known that cardiac disease is the No. 1 killer of women, still true today.

Specialties for this program include breast health, cardiology, and general and robotic surgery.
 

Maureen Mann, assistant vice president of Boca Raton Regional Hospital’s Eugene M. & Christine E. Lynn Cancer Institute and Christine E. Lynn Women’s Health & Wellness Institute, was elected vice chair of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. In her job, she has administrative responsibilities for strategic and daily operations. In her role as vice chair, she will work with volunteers to educate elected officials on important cancer-fighting policies and help them enact legislation that will support cancer research, prevention and treatment.

Making a treat puzzle for cats is fun and easy, if you follow the book’s instructions. Photos provided

By Arden Moore

Kids and pets rule. There, I declared it. When given the opportunity, kids and pets can bring out the best in all of us. And we need the happy, healing magic of this “pawsome” duo now more than ever.

As we all contend with this coronavirus pandemic, I’m betting that you and your family are probably going a bit stir crazy at home and looking for ways to productively spend your time together. You can’t spend a weekend at Disney World. Or catch a movie at your favorite theater. Or even chow down at your favorite pizza joint.

I share my home with my spouse and our two dogs, Kona and Bujeau, plus four indoor cats, Casey, Mikey, Rusty and Mort. We are limiting exits out of our home to pick up takeout food or essentials at our supermarket.

And, like you, we are using hand sanitizers, spending lots of time hand washing and practicing other heightened hygiene habits.
So, I’m on a mission to bring out the wonderful kid in all of you, regardless of your age. In the pages of my just-published pair of books, A Kid’s Guide to Cats and A Kid’s Guide to Dogs, I offer all pet lovers lots of tips, insights, fun games and DIY projects to boost that bond you have with your pets and your family members.

My books feature running sidebars with “comments” unleashed from Pet Safety Dog Kona and Pet Safety Cat Casey to readers. These shelter alums are also certified therapy pets, who travel all over the country to assist me in our pet first aid and pet behavior classes.

Casey, my comical, confident orange tabby, for example, explains why cats are branded finicky in his response: “It’s true that we’re more selective about what we eat than our canine chowhounds. Perhaps one reason is that cats have only 473 taste buds (dogs have 1,700!), so we like food that has a lot of flavor, which usually means it smells strongly, too, like fish. Yum!”

In one of Kona’s sidebars, my sweet and smart terrier mix shares this canine insight: “Woof! Hello! Hola! Did you know dogs are multilingual? We speak Dog, of course, but we all know some human words. In fact, I speak five languages: Dog, English, Spanish, sign language and a little Cat.

“Arden taught me sit and come in English, Spanish and sign language, so she can communicate with me without saying a word if we are at a busy, noisy place. As for Cat, I know to approach my feline sibs when they’re purring and to back off if they hiss!”

Here are some tips to share with your pet-loving family from the pages of these books published by Storey and available on Amazon.com:

• Cats are good for your health. Petting your cat can release calming brain chemicals, lower blood pressure and slow your heart rate.
• Dogs are better at reading human body language and postures than people are at interpreting canine body language. So, choose your words, tone and body language carefully when “chatting with” your dog.
• A cat’s tongue features spiky barbs that aid in grooming, lapping up water and scraping meat from a bone.
• Fend off boredom in the house by creating a makeshift mini-obstacle course for your dog. Balance a broom on two piles of books or a couple of large cans and encourage your dog to hop over it. With your dog on a short lead, have him weave between a line of objects on the living room floor, such as paper plates, books or small pillows.
Here are a couple fun do-it-yourself projects to create:
• Give new life to an old, hard-sided suitcase by transforming it into a cozy bed for your dog. Decorate the interior lid with your dog’s name and use the pocket to hold a favorite toy. Stuff a pillow into the larger side of the opened suitcase. To keep the lid from closing, attach a block of wood or a strap of fabric to the back of the suitcase with heavy-duty glue.
• Create a treat puzzle toy for your cat. Cut two or three holes along the length of a toilet paper tube — just a little larger than the size of the treats. Decorate the toilet tube with a funny cat face using crayons. Fold down the sides of one end to close the tube. Drop in a few cat treats into the tube and fold the other end shut. Call your cat over and encourage him to paw at it to release the treats.
My wish for all of you is to recognize the many benefits our cats and dogs give us every day. It goes without saying, that pets do a body good.

Win an autographed book from Arden
Want to get your paws on my new books? In two or three sentences, email me how your cat or dog makes your life better. Send a photo of you with your pet if you wish. I will choose a winner for each book, A Kid’s Guide to Dogs and A Kid’s Guide to Cats, and announce the winners in next month’s column. Send email to: arden@ardenmoore.com. Deadline to submit is April 14.

Arden Moore, founder of fourleggedlife.com, is an animal behavior expert and host of the Oh Behave! show on petliferadio.com. Learn more at www.ardenmoore.com.

Photo provided

By Janis Fontaine

Thanks to the ingenuity of the Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Commandery of the Palm Beaches, and the generosity of a local nonprofit and a Delray Beach car dealership, kids in Belle Glade will ride to their after-school program in a safe, clean, refurbished van.

The Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem is an ecumenical Christian order focused on helping sick and poor people. It dates back nearly 1,000 years. The Palm Beach Commandery has been supporting the work of the First Haitian Baptist Church Youth & Children Development Center, which provides a hot meal, homework help and a safe space to play each day to elementary- and middle-school students in Belle Glade. High-schoolers mentor the kids, who are mostly children of migrant workers.

The program’s aging van was limping along, and two Palm Beach Commandery members stepped up to help. Candace Tamposi of Ocean Ridge worked with the Cathleen McFarlane Foundation of West Palm Beach to acquire grant money and Marie Ryan, who works for Grieco Mazda, secured a deal from Grieco Motors. The van has room for 15 passengers.

The SOSJ’s designated philanthropic project is to build a new multipurpose building for the First Haitian Baptist Church Youth & Children Development Center. The organization will continue work on that goal, but in the meantime, the wheels on the bus will continue to go ’round and ’round.

Holocaust remembrance delayed, not forgotten

But for the coronavirus, the Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust, an eight-day period for civic commemorations and special educational programs focused on the Holocaust, would have been marked by somber events nationwide.

And Yom Ha Shoah, Israel’s national commemoration of the Holocaust on April 21, would have been accompanied by events at local synagogues, but all in-person events have been canceled.

Any commemorations will be virtual this year. But the Holocaust and its victims won’t be forgotten.

For Holocaust survivors, Days of Remembrance can be a double-edged sword.

“We need to remember, but for survivors it can be a trigger for bad memories, especially as the population ages,” said Danielle Hartman, president and CEO of Ruth & Norman Rales Jewish Family Services.

JFS helps about 800 South Palm Beach County survivors each month with financial, physical and mental health care and spiritual needs. About 30 new clients are signed up each year, but 2019 was a big year with 60 new clients, Hartman said, likely because of the publicity surrounding the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

JFS also educates its staff, including the caregivers who work directly with clients, with Holocaust sensitivity training to help them understand what a survivor may be going through.

“There’s assistance out there for any who want it, and there is no wait list for services,” Hartman said, but there is a process and individuals must qualify for assistance. For personal reasons, some don’t apply, but the goal of the program is to provide everything the individual needs to stay at home for as long as he or she needs it. “Home is the safest, most comfortable place for them, and many don’t do well in an institutional setting.”

Ceremonies are important for keeping the stories of the Holocaust alive, but many survivors prefer to acknowledge the passing of another year privately, Hartman said.

And the stories and the lessons are preserved with programs like From March to Miriam, which matches teens with survivors to strengthen the intergenerational bond. The teens commit to keep the memories alive.

Visit the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County website for information about virtual ceremonies and commemorations at https://jewishboca.org.

The fishing team aboard Hy Jenx celebrates the catch of this 194.8-pound bigeye tuna that hit a trolling lure intended for wahoo in about 80 feet of water near the Juno Beach Pier. The fight by angler Beau Kelly, far right, lasted about an hour. Capt. Steve Jenkins of Hobe Sound, second from right, said the big tuna didn’t count in the Shamrock Shootout fishing tournament, but remains a once-in-a-lifetime catch. Photo provided by Steve Jenkins

Effective March 25, Palm Beach County closed all public and private golf courses, parks and natural areas within its borders, including those inside municipalities, to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The action followed a March 22 order closing all boat ramps and marinas to recreational boaters. Also, islands, sandbars and Intracoastal Waterway lands were prohibited for use by the public.

The emergency order was amended the next day to cover any other venues utilized for launching vessels to be used for recreational purposes, “including but not limited to fishing charters, boat tours, diving excursions, and the like.” The closures will remain in effect “until further notice.” 

Licensed commercial fishermen, commercial marine operations and support services were permitted to operate.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies were enforcing the closures.

For updates, visit www. pbcparks.com and pbcgov.com. 

Dana Bass, who owns La Paella Chef, serves up steaming hot paella. Photos by Linda Haase/The Coastal Star

Related Story: Online farmers markets emerge as local ones close down

By Linda Haase

For years, Lori Nolan and her daughter had a Saturday ritual: They walked to the Delray Beach GreenMarket.

And until the coronavirus came calling, they still reserved Saturdays for the greenmarket — Nolan is the market’s manager; her daughter is a vendor.

While Nolan waits to hear if the summer greenmarket can open, she's planning next season’s winter greenmarket — which is its 25th anniversary. “It’s a shame having to close the market but there was no way around it,” Nolan said. “It is so sad. It’s not only a great place to buy fresh food, it is such a part of the community.”

Nolan is using the downtime to work on planning “special things” for the anniversary.

“We will celebrate all season long with activities, giveaways and several other things. We will be a quarter of a century old and every year it just gets better,” she said.

So what will visitors find when the market reopens?

“It’s a healthy, happy Saturday morning vibe. Coming to the park and shopping at the market is a nice way to start your weekend. You can bring the dog, the kids. You go home with healthy fresh groceries,” Nolan said.

Customers can follow their noses to fresh breads from the French Bakery.

The market, which has relocated at least 10 times since it was created in 1996 by the Community Redevelopment Agency, draws big crowds at its current Old School Square Park locale.

“See you next weekend” is an oft-repeated phrase here, as visitors wind their way through the 60-plus vendors selling fresh cut flowers, plants and gourmet fare.

What’s not there? Jewelry, clothes and other items of that ilk.

“The market is food- and plant-based. We don’t sell other products. That is not our mission. The vision of the CRA is that we maintain a true farmer’s market,” explained Nolan.

Arrive when the market opens at 9 a.m., pick up an instrument and join the two-hour family music circle.

“It gets jamming over there and the playground is also right there. It’s a kids’ dream on Saturday morning,” said Nolan.
Live music continues all day — another band plays from 11 a.m. until the market’s 2 p.m. closing.

The event is nirvana for foodies, who can savor Italian, Cuban, Peruvian, Mexican, American and other tempting cuisine. What's here? Pierogis, paella, açai bowls, crabcakes, arepas, tamales, beans and rice, vegetable spring rolls, smoothies, Italian ices, Hungarian cinnamon horn rolls, and so much more.

There are plenty of places to sit and enjoy the food, but the take-home items are just as tantalizing. Bone broth, homemade granola, fresh seafood, produce, spices galore, salad dressings, chocolate cashew butter, chocolate ginger rooibos tea, meatballs, sausage, pork chops, fresh pasta (gnocchi linguine, squid ink and more), salsa and guacamole, pumpkin bread, cookies of every shape and flavor, the list seems endless.

There’s even a chef’s showcase featuring mini cooking lessons and samples.

Spices include Nigerian and Egyptian mixes, lemon pepper, tandoori and ginger.

Signs denoting gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and sugar-free are plentiful here. There’s a reason for that, Nolan explained: “People are food savvy, they want to know where their food is coming from and what’s in it. Many have dietary restrictions. They want to talk to the people who made, grew or produced their food. They can do that here.”

The market is dog-friendly; some vendors cater to canines with food and treats and support dog rescue groups. “People can’t adopt on-site, but I have heard of dogs who have found forever homes after people visiting those booths found out about them,” Nolan said.

It’s just another reason the market is so special.

“I loved the market back when I was a customer. It is my passion now. I have the best job in Delray Beach. And my daughter is still with me on Saturday mornings,” Nolan said.

Capt. Bruce Cyr of the Lantana-based Lady K drift fishing boat shows the 60-pound kingfish he caught off Boynton Inlet in early May 2019. Cyr’s kingfish hit a dead sardine on double 5/0 hooks in 180 feet of water. Photo provided by Bar Jack Fishing

Related: Boat ramps and public parks closed for now

By Willie Howard

Fishing action heats up with water temperatures during April and May, leading anglers to catches of rod-bending king mackerel, better known as kingfish, along the coast of Palm Beach County.

Kingfish are hard-charging fish that make reels sing and are relatively easy to catch. That makes them tempting targets for a variety of anglers, from drift-boat novices to saltwater tournament veterans.

One of the easiest ways to catch kingfish is a personal favorite: a dead sardine on triple 5/0 hooks topped with a quarter-ounce sinker and a flashy kingfish “duster” that covers the weight and the leader-to-hook connection.

Thread the sardine onto the trio of hooks so that the bait covers the hooks. Use 30- to 50-pound leader (monofilament or fluorocarbon), depending on water clarity. The clearer the water, the lighter the leader.

Start by drifting in 80 to 120 feet of water, watching the depth finder for “marks” of fish below the boat. Drop the bait over the windward side of the boat and let it sink slowly. Kingfish love a falling bait, so watch the reel and engage it if the line starts to fly off the reel.

Check the baits frequently; you could be fishing with bare hooks.

Fighting a kingfish requires steady tension. Anglers who get too excited and create slack in the line often lose toothy kingfish when they bite through the leader.

If the kingfish turns and charges the boat, be prepared to reel fast to wind in the slack. If the fish takes off for Grand Bahama Island, hold the rod tip up and let it run.

The bend in the rod will tire it, assuming the reel drag is properly adjusted.

Other methods for catching kingfish include using live bait, such as goggle-eyes and blue runners. Use wire leader and double hooks to reduce the chance that the kingfish will sever the leader or eat half the bait and miss the hook.

Try rigging live baits with about 2 feet of No. 5 fishing wire holding a 5/0 live-bait hook and connected to the monofilament leader with a small 80-pound swivel — or tie the wire directly to the mono leader with an Albright knot.

Some anglers use trailing treble hooks, or “stingers,” to catch kingfish, especially in tournaments that allow treble hooks. I prefer double J hooks.

Smaller live baits such as pilchards and threadfin herring can be deployed on 3/0 or 4/0 hooks tied to about 6 inches of light fishing wire, then attached to the leader with a small swivel or Albright knot.

Trolling spoons (often towed behind planers or downriggers) will catch kingfish, as will vertical jigging with metal jigs, flashy bucktail jigs or diamond jigs. Like their smaller cousins, Spanish mackerel, kingfish will strike flashy jigs, spoons and lures.

Kingfish are oily fish, making them good candidates for smoking. Try soaking the meat overnight in the refrigerator in water mixed with kosher salt and brown sugar. Then dry it and smoke it at 200 degrees or so for about four hours.

Mix the smoked kingfish with mayonnaise to create a dip that can be served on crackers with hot sauce or a jalapeño slice. (Every angler seems to have his or her own favorite recipe for smoked kingfish dip.)

Smaller kingfish also can be marinated in mojo or Italian salad dressing, then grilled.

Mercury warnings apply to kingfish. The Florida Department of Health (www.Floridahealth.gov) advises young children, women of childbearing age and pregnant women to avoid eating kingfish.

Healthy adults should limit consumption and avoid kingfish over 31 inches, according to the state.

Anglers should consider releasing large kingfish. Smaller ones (24 to 31 inches) make better table fare anyway.

Regulations for kingfish include a minimum size of 24 inches (measured to the fork of the tail). Daily bag limit is two kingfish per angler.

Water-related events postponed or canceled

The Palm Beach International Boat Show and the Superyacht Show, originally set for March 26-29, have been postponed until further notice. As of late March, www.pbboatshow.com listed May 14-17 as new dates for the shows.

The Boynton Beach Firefighters Fishing Tournament and Chili Cook-Off, set for April 18, was canceled because of coronavirus concerns. It’s possible the tournament could be rescheduled. For updates, go to www.boyntonbeachfirefighters.com.

The kickoff party for the Lantana Fishing Derby and Kids Derby has been postponed until the second week of April. As of mid-March, the captain’s party was still set for April 30, followed by fishing May 2 and the awards party May 3. Go to www.lantanafishingderby.com.

The West Palm Beach Fishing Club’s annual yard sale, originally set for April 18, has been postponed until further notice. Some club meetings have been canceled. For updates, call 561-832-6780 or go to www.westpalmbeachfishingclub.org.

Tip of the month

Help fisheries managers track populations of recreationally caught fish in the South Atlantic by reporting your catches through the MyFishCount smartphone app. The app allows anglers to create a personal fishing log while sharing much-needed recreational fishing data with fisheries managers. For details, and to see what other recreational anglers have reported, go to www.MyFishCount.com.

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

By Linda Haase

Canceled. Postponed. Suspended. Shut down.

One by one our favorite places closed in fallout from the coronavirus — including greenmarkets in Lake Worth Beach, Lantana, Delray Beach, Boca Raton and beyond.

With social distancing the new normal, several farmers markets have carved out versions of working remotely.

Less than 24 hours after organizers at the Lake Worth Beach Farmers Market were told to close, they came up with a plan: an online market, where they would coordinate transactions between vendors and customers and arrange deliveries.

“Giving up just isn’t in our nature and we decided that there had to be a way to turn a negative situation into a positive experience, as opposed to just giving up on our customers and vendors,” explains manager Emily Theodossakos.

The response has been phenomenal — about 20 vendors are participating.

Among items available: raw, local unfiltered honey, fruit, farm fresh eggs, vegan muffins, baked goods, coconut water, olive oil, specialty clothing and jewelry, soap and edible flowers.

“In addition, and what we are most proud of, is that our main farmer is making a variety box that includes various fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, and two dozen farm fresh eggs,” says Theodossakos. “We are taking orders from customers and arranging for home deliveries. So far we are up to about 50 produce box delivery orders and it’s only been two days since we started this.”

The Lantana Shoreline Green Market, in its inaugural season, may have been the last to close — its last day was March 15.

Now, Hector V. Herrera, the market’s founder and manager, is spearheading a virtual greenmarket focusing on essential foods that can be ordered online and delivered.

“We want to give people hope and a light at the end of the tunnel,” he said about the project, which should launch by early April. “We are working hard to make sure farmers can still have a direct connection to people who need their products.”

The abrupt closures also halted the winter/spring Delray Beach GreenMarket and the Boca Raton Greenmarket, along with the Artisans & Green Market at Mizner Park, which opened for the first time on Feb. 9.

“The vendors were in tears and the customers were asking how they were going to get things,” said Laurie Landgrebe, who sells homemade gourmet granolas and muesli at her booth, Laurie’s Pantry, at the Delray market. “It is devastating. March and April are high season for us, when we make money.”

So, she reached out to vendors from several green-markets in South Florida, offering her Hallandale warehouse as a distribution point, and is in the process of setting up an online market.

Customers will find items sold at several greenmarkets, follow a link for more information about them, and order home delivery, she said.

Keeping greenmarkets in business is vital.

“All our vendors are local small businesses who have families to support and they rely on the market income, so these closures have put many in a difficult financial position,” says Theodossakos. “As we always say, the fruits and vegetables don’t stop growing, but if the farmers don’t have a way to sell it, sadly it goes to waste. We’re trying to do our part to help everyone through this difficult time.”

Online greenmarkets
• Lake Worth Beach Farmers Market: Lakeworthfarmersmarket@gmail.com or a private message on Facebook.
• Delray Beach GreenMarket: Farmersmarketstogo.com.
• Lantana Shoreline Green Market: Shorelinegreenmarkets.com or via Facebook.

Second-grade teachers Marie Boslow and Lizzie Paskal work in one the courtyards at Gulf Stream School on March 16, to organize take-home packets for their students to use while the school is closed. All Palm Beach County schools are closed in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Rachel S. O'Hara/The Coastal Star

By Janis Fontaine

As you self-isolate, you’re going to be looking for things to do at home with the kids.

Part of the time you’ll be homeschooling, and plenty of resources are available through your child’s school and online, including top education sites like Ted-Ed, Brain Pop, Khan Academy, Scholastic Learn at Home and Quizlet.

But what about the rest of the time? A new series of free online programs called Keep Kids Smart with ART is being offered by the team at the Boca Raton Museum of Art. Connect with it at www.bocamuseum.org/covid-19-status-update.

Its goal is to help parents and their children by providing visual arts programs.

Experts say art can help us deal with difficult emotions, and Executive Director Irvin Lippman said the museum will support the community by creating new virtual enriching experiences online.

Library resources

Our libraries may be closed, but they have tons of content, available in traditional and digital form. The Boca Raton Public Library has an extensive learning platform for students at www.myboca.us/963/Digital-Library.

There is also a vast selection of audio- and e-books, music, newspapers and magazines, movies and TV shows available to download with your library card. Not sure how to use it? Video tutorials are available on demand for many of the digital services and research databases.

The Highland Beach Library canceled all events and community meetings until May 1. On March 18, the library cut its hours to 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, but materials are available only by calling or emailing the library with your request for pickup. You can search for available materials via the online catalog, and the library staff will assist residents with downloading e-books. 

If you must have a paper book, the library will provide a pickup time to collect materials from a restricted area at the entrance. For more information, visit https://highlandbeach.us/departments/library/.

The Lantana Public Library at 205 W. Ocean Ave. is closed until further notice, but will offer walk-up services during normal library hours for those who call ahead. Patrons can place books on hold via the library’s Koha system, or call 561-540-5740 to make arrangements. The library will offer virtual story-time and other children’s activities on its Facebook page.

Online instruction

In response to school closures, Delray Beach-based Space of Mind, a modern schoolhouse, is offering personalized online teaching, enrichment activities and standards-based curriculum for students grades 1-12, as well as coaching and programming for parents and families. 

In addition to offering programs for all mainstream learners, SOM personalizes its curriculum to serve students with ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, visual and auditory processing challenges, anxiety, dyslexia, giftedness and the like. Online courses are taught live in small groups that are tailored by learning style.

Space of Mind is at 102 N. Swinton Ave. For info, call 877-407-1122 or visit http://findspaceofmind.com.

Other ideas

Connect the generations: This stay-at-home mandate won’t go away as quickly as you’d like, so this may be the time to undertake a long-term project like researching your family history.

Sandwich-generation parents — with both school-age kids and elderly parents — can make it a family project by connecting the two groups. Have kids ask questions and use the Boca Raton library’s new genealogy tool, MyHeritage Library Edition, to access one of the largest, most internationally diverse genealogy databases in the world. Find it under the Online Resources link on the library’s website.

Craft a solution: If the Boca museum’s art classes are a little too challenging, consider an easy craft. Research shows that purposeful use of the hands can decrease stress, relieve anxiety and lessen depression. From knitting to needlepoint, rock painting to fashion design, now might be the perfect time to rekindle an old interest or kick-start a new one.

With the area’s supply chain semi-intact, yarn and crochet hooks will cost just a few bucks if you haven’t stockpiled craft materials in the spare bedroom. Don’t know how to knit? YouTube it. Or perhaps Grandma knows. Hook her up with the kids on Google or FaceTime. And there’s a bonus at the end — like a handmade winter scarf for future travel or gifting.

Take a fresh-air approach: Doctors and mental health professionals agree that fresh air and sunshine (needed to process Vitamin D) and spending time in nature are important to staying healthy.

Playgrounds may be off-limits, but you can use your yard to play with the kids. Get out the soccer ball, the baseball and glove, put the basketball net back up, and take the kids out to play. Easy sports for kids and parents like badminton, croquet, bocce, cornhole and pingpong can reduce stress and anxiety. Even easier? Take a walk or a bike ride.

Use distraction: It seems counterintuitive, but keeping the hands busy lets the mind rest. Dig out that 1,000-piece puzzle you got as a secret Santa gift. And don’t forget the board games.

Find joy in cooking: Since you’ll likely be cooking and eating more at home, make it a family thing. Cooking and baking can challenge math and problem-solving skills, and kids are more likely to eat something they had a hand in preparing.

Meditate on it: Even young kids can learn to quiet their minds. A few minutes spent in a quiet, comfortable position paying attention to your breathing can help lower blood pressure and reduce the release of stress hormones like cortisol. Start with two minutes and work up from there. Try to keep it positive, but don’t discourage talk about fears and anxiety.