Hannah Kostizen and Jamie Vermeersch are employees at Periwinkle, 339 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. Photo provided

By Christine Davis

    The Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority invites visitors and residents to “shop small” on Small Business Saturday, Nov. 25. Of the 350-plus downtown boutiques, salons, spas, galleries and restaurants, 93 percent are owned by small business owners. New retailers include The Lavender ­Your French Store, Delray Beach Gallery, Fly By Furnishings, Spice, Sunday State Style, Charleston Shoe Co., Brotzeit German Bakery & Café, Tommy Bahama and Whitewall Contemporary.
    These new retailers joined longtime local businesses Vince Canning Shoes, Avalon Gallery, Murder on the Beach Bookstore, Petite Connection, Hands, Delray Camera Shop, Huber’s Pharmacy, Richwagen’s Delray Bike & Sport and more.
    Participating businesses will distribute giveaways provided by American Express, and offer refreshments and special in-store promotions. Visit www.ShopSmall.com for a list of participating merchants and additional offers.
                                
    Also, the Delray Beach Marketing Cooperative announced the arrivals of some new businesses, noting that “this season, there will be a lot going on,” said Stephen Chrisanthus, the cooperative’s associate director. 
    For food or drinks, he named Avant, 25 NE Second Ave.; Batch Gastropub, 14813 Lyons Road; Capital One Café, for coffee while banking, at 330 E Atlantic Ave.; Lucille’s Bad to the Bone, 9173 Atlantic Ave., Suite 120; MIA Kitchen and Bar at 7901 W. Atlantic Ave.; Sardinia Enoteca, 3035 S. Federal Highway, No. 5; and Winemakers Table at 2875 S. Congress Ave.
    For culture, he suggested visiting The Heart of Delray Gallery, an evolution of Artists Alley, on 1440 N. Federal Highway, and Arts Warehouse in Pineapple Grove. Also, he noted, Cornell Museum has just undergone a $1 million renovation.
                                
    On Oct. 26, Delray Beach was one of three South Florida cities to host the first “Downtowns Go Pink” in support of Susan G. Komen South Florida and National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Pink lights, compliments of the Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority, adorned Atlantic Avenue and Pineapple Grove.
    This event kicked off registration for the Komen Race for the Cure, which will be Jan. 27 in West Palm Beach.  To register, go to www.Komensouthflorida.org.
    Komen also encourages a visit to the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum to see “Shades of Pink,” an exhibit by photographer Michiko Kurisu featuring the personal journeys of nine local African-American women who are breast cancer survivors. The exhibit runs through Nov. 11. The Spady Museum is at 170 NW Fifth Ave., Delray Beach.
                                
    The Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority has two new board members who were appointed by the City Commission. They are Mavis Benson and John Conde. Benson, who also will serve as secretary, owns Avalon Gallery and is the chairperson of the Downtown Merchant & Business Association. Conde, owner of the Conde Center for Chiropractic Neurology, is a board-certified chiropractic neurologist, as well as a Chairman’s Club member of the Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce.
                                
    The Delray Beach Marketing Cooperative and Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce won gold medals from the International Festivals & Events Association during its annual Pinnacle Awards presentation in September in Tucson. The Marketing Cooperative won for the Best Newspaper Insert for its annual Christmas Tree. The chamber won for its Seek in the City Scavenger Hunt promotional video. The association also recognized the South Florida Garlic Fest, which is produced by Festival Management Group, with a gold award for its radio ad and a bronze award for its e-blast newsletter.
                                
    The city of Boynton Beach received 10 awards for its marketing and programming initiatives. They included a second-place Silver Circle Savvy Award from the City-County Communications & Marketing Association for the city’s annual report and calendar. The city also won six SUNsational Awards from the Florida Festivals and Events Association for its Yappy Happy Hour, K-9 Competition, and Recreation & Parks events.
    From its submissions to the Public Relations Society of America’s Palm Beach Chapter Palm Awards, the city received a first-place Excellence Award in the products category and a second-place Quality Award for its Yappy Happy Hour program.
                                
    The Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce honored three award recipients at its Luminary celebration in October at the Delray Beach Marriott. The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Frances Bourque, founder of the Old School Square Center for the Arts. Its Business of the Year award went to the Conde Center for Chiropractic Neurology, which was founded in 2006 by Dr. John Conde. Its Business Person of the Year award went to Pedro Andrade, general manager of Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza Delray.
                                
    In October, the Realtors of the Palm Beaches and Greater Fort Lauderdale donated items, along with $10,000, to benefit the Florida Realtors Disaster Fund for Hurricane Irma relief efforts in the Keys.
    “We are very pleased to do what we can to help our Realtor community and many of those affected by the devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Irma,” said Dionna Hall, CEO of the organization.
                                
    Kaufman Lynn Construction, which has its corporate office in Boca Raton, held its annual back-to-school backpack drive, which benefited nearly 850 children at Florence Fuller Child Development Centers. Philanthropy and community involvement are important parts of the company’s culture, and this year marks 20 years of the company’s support to nonprofit organizations.
                                
    Marc Julien Homes’ annual food drive is underway, through Project Thanksgiving, a campaign hosted by the United Way of Palm Beach County, CBS12 News and the Palm Beach County Food Bank. To drop off canned fruit and vegetables, boxes of stuffing and macaroni and cheese, or bags of potatoes and onions, go to Marc Julien Homes’ office, 755 NW 17th Ave., Suite 107, Delray Beach, or call 954-200-7758 to arrange for a donation pickup.

Art in Public Places

‘Cavalcade’, a sculpture by Albert Paley, is installed in front of 500 Ocean, a residential and retail complex under construction along Federal Highway in Boynton Beach. Paley is an American modernist metal sculptor. The work was created specifically for the city. It is one of six Paley sculptures included in a yearlong exhibition. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

                               
    Douglas Elliman Real Estate’s reports for the third quarter note that in Boca Raton over the year, luxury condo median-sales prices moved higher, 12.5 percent to $800,000, as inventory declined 9.6 percent. Luxury single-family prices declined 11 percent to $1.55 million, while inventory expanded 7.1 percent.         Among luxury properties in Delray Beach, condo median-sales prices lost 4.5 percent to $590,000, while single-family median sales prices rose 15.6 percent to $1.535 million. The market east of Federal Highway showed a shift in the mix to smaller but more sales.
    Third-quarter declines in closings in Boca Raton and Delray Beach were a result of the disruption in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.
                                
    New Jersey-based National Realty Investment Advisors bought two waterfront parcels in Gulf Stream for $13 million,    according to property records and news reports.
    The parcels are a 1-acre lot at 2929 N. Ocean Blvd., for $6.5 million, and a 0.77-acre lot at 3565 N. Ocean Blvd., for $6.5 million. Records also show that the company received an $11 million loan from Gamma Real Estate, a New York City commercial real estate firm.
    Corcoran Group agent Candace Friis represented both sides of the deals.
    In 2013, sellers bought the property at 2929 N. Ocean Blvd. for $5.8 million, and the property at 3565 N. Ocean Blvd. for $4.5 million. The property at 2929 N. Ocean Blvd. was listed for $12 million this August. The property at 3565 N. Ocean Blvd. was listed for $10.75 million in November 2015.
                                
    The League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County will host a luncheon with special guest Suzanne Cabrera, the president/CEO of the Housing Leadership Council of Palm Beach County, who will speak on the topic of the county’s workforce housing. The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 15 at the Atlantis Country Club, 190 Atlantis Blvd.
    Cabrera previously served as executive director of The Lord’s Place. An experienced grant writer and administrator, she has written grants resulting in more than $50 million in successful awards.
    Tickets are $25 per person until Nov. 8, and $35 after. RSVP at www.lwvpbc.org or by calling 968-4123.
                                
    The Palm Beach Poetry Festival launched its annual Palm Beach County High School Poetry Contest, in partnership with Old School Square in Delray Beach.         Through Dec. 1, Palm Beach County high school students can submit original poems for consideration.
    The winner will receive $200, and four runner-up high school poets will each receive $100. They also will receive tickets to the Poetry Festival’s Sizzling Spoken Word event in January, and they will read their poems at the festival’s award ceremony in January.
    For contest rules and more information, visit www.palmbeachpoetryfestival.org.
                                
    In response to a challenge from Gov. Rick Scott to provide bachelor’s degrees in high-demand fields, Palm Beach State College’s new incentive program will ease eligibility requirements for earning one of the college’s bachelor’s degrees.
    Effective Jan. 5, Florida students can opt into the $10,000 incentive program without needing to apply or fill out forms provided they: maintain Florida residency, complete associate’s in either arts or sciences at the college, maintain overall 2.5 grade-point averages, complete both associate’s and bachelor’s degrees within six years of enrolling at the college, and complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid each year.
    For more information, visit www.palmbeachstate.edu/Programs/Bachelor/10k-degree.aspx.
                                
    Representing the first endowed professorship in Florida Atlantic University’s School of Accounting, accounting and advisory firm Daszkal Bolton will reward faculty teaching and research excellence at the university’s College of Business by establishing a fund with a gift of $50,000.
The fund supports one faculty member each year, who can use $5,000 to support his or her work. Daszkal Bolton has an office in Boca Raton.
    
    Send business news to Christine Davis at cdavis9797@gmail.com.

By Jane Smith
    
    Settling to save taxpayers’ money, state Rep. Al Jacquet agreed to pay $300 in fines and receive a letter of reprimand over a $35 parking ticket he received while serving as vice mayor of Delray Beach.
    His attorney, J.C. Planas, represented Jacquet at the Oct. 12 meeting of the Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics.
    “It was the honorable thing to do,” Planas said about Jacquet’s settlement. “He admitted to the violations and wanted to save the taxpayers time and money of a public hearing.”
    Jacquet could not be reached for comment.
    At the ethics commission meeting, Planas argued for the word “unintentional” before the violation, saying the commission likely would get more settlements if elected officials could agree to accept letters of reprimand and pay fines for ethics code violations.
    Three ethics commissioners agreed. But the vice chair, Clevis Headley, did not.
Headley said elected officials receive ethics training and sign a form saying they know the rules.  
    The four commissioners unanimously agreed to accept the settlement.
    The ethics case against Jacquet, who represents parts of Boynton Beach and Delray Beach, stems from a parking ticket he received in April 2016.
    Jacquet initially claimed he forgot to put his city-issued parking pass on the car’s dashboard when he was on commission business and was able to have the ticket voided. An internal Police Department review later revealed that city commissioners don’t receive parking passes.
    Jacquet had broached the parking-pass subject at least twice while he served on the Delray Beach City Commission.
    At a January 2014 workshop, Jacquet floated the idea of a parking pass for commissioners.
    “Wouldn’t that be unethical?” said then-Commissioner Adam Frankel.
    Mayor Cary Glickstein said at the workshop he didn’t support the idea.
    “The Police Department doesn’t support it,” he said. “From the parking management perspective of what we are trying to do, the optics don’t look good.”

For a family-style Thanksgiving dinner, Ellie’s 50’s Diner offers the whole-turkey meal with all the fixings to make the holiday food prep and cooking more manageable. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Avoid the kitchen fuss,

but still enjoy Thanksgiving dinner

in your own home

By Mary Thurwachter

    Some of us aren’t afraid to admit we’re impatient cooks — not fond of long hours in the kitchen peeling spuds, basting turkeys, baking pies and doing dishes.
    When it comes to Thanksgiving dinner, our recipe for success involves making a phone call and placing an order for turkey and all the sides from somebody who excels in the culinary skills we lack.
    We love turkey takeout, and frankly, so do our guests. Sure, those mostly unflappable folks working the Butterball hotline will miss our calls.
    They chortled mercilessly when I called to complain that my turkey had no breast! (They suggested I had cooked the bird upside down!)
    Oh, well. Not to worry. There are several restaurants and stores ready to take my order and yours for the Nov. 23 holiday. But don’t wait too long. The sooner the better. And if you’re going to fake it, be sure to trash the takeout containers before your guests arrive.

Ellie’s 50’s Diner
    Bob and Ellie Smela have been selling turkey dinner for years, and this year will be no exception.
    The restaurant is open, too, but the turkey takeout business has grown every year, Bob Smela says. The meal, which serves 12-14, includes a slow-roasted turkey, country-style cornbread stuffing, Ellie’s famous mashed potatoes, homemade gravy, green bean casserole, cranberry and mandarin orange relish, bakery rolls and butter and homemade pies — pumpkin and apple.
    Cost: $190. Orders must be prepaid and need to be made no later than seven days in advance. Pickup is 9 a.m.-noon Thanksgiving Day.
    2410 N. Federal Highway, Delray Beach, 276-7716

Café Frankie’s
    Turkey takeout is an eight-year tradition at Café Frankie’s, says owner Anthony Calicchio. Dinners are cooked the night before and morning of Thanksgiving.
    The menu includes free-range turkey (Italian-style stuffing with 40 ingredients is from Calicchio’s mother), gravy, mixed green salad with roasted pepper dressing, tomato and red onion salad, garlic mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes with raspberries and pistachios, string beans with fennel and lemon, broccoli rabe with garlic and oil, three types of homemade bread sticks with roasted garlic, chickpea spread and pumpkin nutmeg butter, and mixed berry cobbler and pumpkin pie for dessert.
    Cost: $200 for 6-10 servings, $270 for 12-15. Cash only. 50 percent deposit required. Orders must be made no later than five days in advance. Additional items are available and, for $25, Calicchio will carve your turkey for you. Pickup is 12:30-2 p.m. Thanksgiving Day.
    640 E. Ocean Ave., Boynton Beach, 732-3834

Henry’s
    Thanksgiving dinner to go includes choice of baby spinach salad, butternut squash bisque, Henry’s salad or split-pea soup, slow-roasted turkey with green beans, glazed carrots, mashed sweet potatoes or mashed red bliss potatoes, herb stuffing, sage gravy, cranberry relish and choice of apple, pumpkin or pecan pie.
    Cost: $160 for 4-6 servings, $275 for 10-12. Orders must be placed by Nov. 20. Pickup 2-5 p.m. Nov. 22 or 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Thanksgiving Day.
    16850 Jog Road, Delray Beach, 826-1791

Pig-Sty BBQ
    This popular honky-tonk barbecue joint offers family-style Thanksgiving takeout prepared by pit master Bryan Tyrell. Whole smoked turkeys range from $54.95 for a 10- to 12-pound bird, $92.75 for 18-20 pounds and $122.95 for 24-26 pounds.
    Pig-Sty BBQ has a variety of Thanksgiving packages, including full meal options, or you can buy items separately. Besides turkey, proteins include glazed ham, brisket, sausage and pulled pork. An array of sides, as well as house-made pies, cobblers and homemade ice cream, are available.
    For prices, see www.pigstybbq.com. Orders must be placed 48 hours prior to pickup, which will be available until 6 p.m. Nov. 22.  The restaurant is closed Thanksgiving Day.
    706 W. Boynton Beach Blvd., 810-5801

Meating Place offers Thanksgiving dinners, including cranberry sauce and desserts. Photo provided

Meating Place of Boca Raton
    Jack Baitz, manager of the 50-year-old butcher shop, says takeout dinners include freshly cooked turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, gravy and a choice of pumpkin, apple, pecan or peach pie. Extra side dishes or turkey breasts are available for added price.
    Cost: $129 for 6-8 servings, $179.95 for 10-12 and $219.95 for 12-14. Orders should be placed ASAP because the number of turkeys is limited. Pickup is 8-11 a.m. Thanksgiving Day.
    277 E. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton, 368-1191

Joseph’s Classic Market
    Family dinner includes turkey, appetizers, stuffing, sweet potatoes or regular potatoes, roasted vegetables, green beans and apple and pumpkin pies. Cost: $149 for 10-12 servings. Orders should be placed by Nov. 17 and picked up by noon on Thanksgiving.
    5250 Town Center Circle, Boca Raton, 347-2314

Whole Foods Market
    Holiday meals at Whole Foods come in a variety of sizes — from meals for four all the way up to feasts for 12. Organic and conventional selections are available, as are a vegan meal option, a meal with turkey breast meat and non-turkey options. Turkeys are animal welfare rated through the Global Animal Partnership and raised without antibiotics or added hormones. A turkey feast for 12 includes turkey, spiral cut ham, mashed potatoes, traditional herb stuffing, gravy, cranberry orange sauce, green beans with garlic and parsley, roasted butternut squash, creamed spinach and kale, pumpkin and apple pies. Cost: $249.99. Customers can order in any of three ways: in store, at shop.wfm.com; or by calling 844-936-2428. When you order, you set up a pickup date for the week of Thanksgiving, including Thanksgiving Day.
    1400 Glades Road, No. 110, Boca Raton, 447-0000; for other locations, see www.wfm.com

Publix
    Fully cooked turkeys come with dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, marshmallow delight dessert and cranberry relish. Cost: $44.99 for 7-10 people and $84.99 for 14-18. Orders should be placed at least a week in advance and picked up the day before Thanksgiving.
    Various locations. www.publix.com

Boston Market
    Thanksgiving dinner for 12 includes a roasted turkey, spinach artichoke dip and crackers, mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetable stuffing, cranberry walnut dressing, dinner rolls and two pies — pumpkin and apple. Cost: $119.99. A basic turkey dinner for 12 with no appetizers, relish or pies is $99.99.
    Place orders a week ahead of time. Pick up the day before or on Thanksgiving.
    799 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton, 391-9262. For other locations, see www.bostonmarket.com

    * All turkey providers will give reheating instructions.

By Christine Davis

    Pooja Patel, M.D.,  is now part of Boca Raton Regional Hospital’s Marcus Neuroscience Institute and BocaCare physician network and will be director of the institute’s epilepsy monitoring unit. 
    She is a board-certified general neurologist who is fellowship-trained in clinical neurophysiology. Patel’s clinical specialties include epilepsy and headaches.

                                
FAU High’s Devin Willis, 14, made a machine that he says can improve cancer diagnoses. Photo provided

    While he did not take the top prize, Florida Atlantic University High School freshman Devin Willis, 14, did compete as a finalist in the Discovery 3M Young Scientist Challenge in October.
    He developed a “Slidemap” machine that improves the speed and accuracy of a cancer diagnosis. Using a 20X microscope, the machine captures several images of a tumor at the cellular level, then uses an algorithm to stitch the images together. The final image is passed through a neural network to analyze the tumor and determine whether it’s benign or cancerous.
    “I recently read that when pathologists were given the same tissue sample, they agreed on a diagnosis only 75 percent of the time,” Devin said. “I hope this machine can create more consistency among diagnoses.”
    He got the idea for “Slidemap” from his dad, Scooter Willis, who works in data analytics for cancer research.
 “My dad knew I loved robotics and computer programming and thought this would be a great project for me,” Devin Willis said.
    He’s been building and developing “Slidemap” since he was in sixth grade. Last year, he made a two-minute video about his invention and submitted it to the Discovery 3M Young Scientist Challenge. He was chosen as a finalist in June.
                                 
   Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine unveiled its newly expanded 8,000-square-foot Clinical Skills Simulation Center in October.  At its ribbon-cutting ceremony, nurses participated in exercises using human-like mannequins that simulate medical emergencies, and first-year medical students practiced their skills while working with actors posing as patients. Jeff Atwater, vice president for strategic initiatives and CFO; Dean Phillip M. Boiselle, M.D.; Senior Associate Dean Sarah K. Wood, M.D.; and community leaders were in attendance.

    Send health news to Christine Davis at cdavis9797@gmail.com.

ABOVE: Each customer steps inside, closes the lid and relaxes in a flotation pod. Soaking is said to help with pain relief and enhance creativity.

LEFT: Matt and Destiny Beck of Delray Beach opened Float8 Wellness Lounge in Deerfield Beach in August.
Photos provided

By Lona O'Connor

    For you, dear readers, I soaked myself in a closed egg-shaped pod, in water slick from 1,000 pounds of Epsom salts, in my birthday suit, in total darkness.
    This experiment took place at the Float8 Wellness Lounge in Deerfield Beach.
    Float8’s motto is, “No gravity. No light. No sound. Pure nothing.”
    My motto is, “In space, no one can hear you scream. Get me out of here.”
    Float8 opened in August, the brainchild of co-owners Destiny and Matt Beck. The couple, who live in Delray Beach, became enamored of flotation pods after visiting one near their home in the Pineapple Grove neighborhood. That place closed and the only thing to do was open a flotation lounge of their own.
    The potential benefits of flotation range from pain relief to enhanced creativity.
    Flotation used to be known as sensory deprivation and may be remembered as one of the many experimental therapies of the 1960s. Flotation has been used for a number of conditions, including high blood pressure, insomnia, migraines, fibromyalgia, chronic pain, PTSD, addiction and ADHD. And, of course, stress reduction.
    “More people are looking for a way to unplug from our sensory overloaded society,” Destiny Beck said.
    Me, I don’t want to be more than an arm’s length away from my phone and all the lovely sensory overload it provides. In the Galapagos Islands, in the monasteries of Nepal and sacred temples of India, I was always the one searching the eternal ether for a Wi-Fi signal.
    Float8 has four private float rooms, a meditation studio and a lounge for decompressing before, and reorienting yourself after, the 90-minute float. You can come on your own, as several people did while I was there, or bring friends or co-workers for a bonding experience. In either case, each person floats alone in a pod. Make no mistake: This is not a hot tub club.
    The walls are covered with calm-inducing photo murals and original art. On the coffee table is a book called Artwork From the Void. One of the many spiritually themed books in the Float8 library, it includes floaters’ renditions of scenes they visualized during flotation.
    Inside the pod is about 10 inches of water heated to 93 degrees, the temperature of the skin’s surface, and supersaturated with 1,000 pounds of Epsom salt. Germ phobics, note that the salt discourages the growth of any unwanted life forms. In addition, the water is thoroughly filtered. Once settled into the pod, with no light, sound or gravity to distract, you can enter a meditative state, even sleep. If you’re relaxed enough, it’s possible to experience Theta waves, which occur during meditation or lucid dreaming and provide a state of conscious sleep.

Back pain alleviated
    David Abellard Jr. began floating in 2011. He had been in a serious car crash the year before and suffered excruciating back pain and spasms.
    “I wanted to avoid opiates because they act on your brain, and I need to be alert at all times for my work,” said Abellard, now 40, who lives in Oakland Park, a 15-minute drive to Float8. He’s a consultant to attorneys and real estate investors with a full plate of work and family responsibilities.         “I went in there with back pain at 8½ teetering on 9 out of 10 on the scale and within three seconds the pain completely disappeared. That’s why I’m such an advocate.”
    Now a regular at Float8, he can expect at least three to four hours with no pain after a flotation session. “When I go every week or every two weeks, that extends to six to seven hours. The beneficial effects are compounded,” he says.
    “At the end of the week, or even the middle of the week, I’m exhausted,” said Abellard. “Getting in the tank replenishes me. If you float long enough, it gets you as close to being superhuman with the abilities you’re given.”
    Abellard was working for a pharmaceutical sales company when he started floating for back pain relief.
    “Then, three months in, I’m starting to shatter sales records, and then I’m innovating better ways to sell.
    “You feel like you’re balanced in life. You feel fulfilled. Everything is at the right level. It allows you to be creative. Your brain seems to be focused on solving problems.
    “If I had a company, I would push floating for my employees, free floats for everybody,” he said.
    Abellard, who gets up at 5 a.m. and sometimes pulls all-nighters for work, hopes the Becks will take his suggestion to have midnight floats, possibly in sync with phases of the moon, to enhance the floats’ effects.
 
Fidgety to fidget-free
    “Do I need a swimsuit?” I emailed Destiny Beck.
    “Nope. Birthday suit!” she responded.
    That news caused a tiny jolt of surprise, but it was the 90 minutes part that bothered me most — what the heck will I do? — followed closely by the closed pod and the complete darkness. And having to turn off my cell phone.
    I had once experienced sensations of a living burial during just three minutes in an MRI tube, despite being hammered by a hefty dose of Valium.
    I showered and inserted silicone earplugs. A soft blue light illuminated the pod and, since I had 90 long minutes to kill, I experimented with positioning myself around the pod, turning the light off — keeping a death grip on the blue-light button. Finally, and only because I felt a little chilly, I closed the pod door.
    It was comforting to know that a big, strong professional mixed martial arts fighter had the same worries.
    “My first float session, I did deal with a little bit of paranoia from floating in the dark,” said James Blair, 30, of Boca Raton. “I had trouble slipping away or falling asleep. But now I really enjoy it. My muscles heal quicker and I come out in a really relaxed, euphoric state of mind.”
    The Becks had been planning to direct their marketing to mixed martial arts fighters and other athletes when Blair walked through their door. He had been practicing yoga at a studio nearby. They liked each other right away and Float8 became one of Blair’s sponsors for his fight scheduled for Nov. 3 in Maine.
    “You’ll need about 15 or 20 minutes to get settled,” Destiny Beck advised me.
    I can’t tell you how long it took for all my fidgeting and rearranging, but after there was no other fidgeting to do, I turned off the blue light and surrendered to the dark, salty warmth. I swear to you that it seemed like no more than 60 seconds later when the blue light switched on again, signaling the end of my session. As soon as I had showered off the salty water, I turned my phone back on. Sure enough, 90 minutes had passed. Dang.
    “Once you get comfortable, you don’t know where your body ends and where the water begins,” Destiny Beck said. “Even in a bed, you’re still fighting gravity. In the tank you can get completely comfortable, you can get quality rest.”
    As it happened, I had entered Float8 with a passel of decisions that had to be made within days. I felt scattered and pressured.
    Beck told me to notice changes in mental acuity within a day or so of my float. Sure enough, after a very good night’s sleep, I took a morning bike ride, came home clear and happy, and made all my decisions rapidly and surely. Not bad for one float.
    Whatever you bring to the float — physical, mental, spiritual — will influence what you take out of the tank, said Abellard.
    “I tell people not to have any expectations. Everyone gets different effects. Just go with the flow.”

    Float8 Wellness Lounge, 616 SE 10th St., Deerfield Beach, 754-666-3588. The cost of a single 90-minute float is $80. A package of three is $120. Float8 offers discounts for veterans, teachers, first responders and lifeguards. Veterans can float for free on Nov. 11, Veterans Day.
    For more info and special events, visit www.float8ion.com.

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

Andrea Rutherfoord, officer in charge of public education for Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 36 in Boca Raton, has taught basic boating classes for 25 years. Willie Howard/The Coastal Star

By Willie Howard

    Maybe you’ve been boating for years on the Atlantic and inshore waterways of South Florida.
    Even though experience is helpful, it doesn’t mean you have the education you need to be a competent boater.
    Florida law requires only those boaters born on or after Jan. 1, 1988, to take a class and hold a state boating safety ID card to operate a powerboat with 10 or more horsepower. But statistics show older boaters cause plenty of trouble on the water.
    According to the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, the boat operators most likely to be involved in accidents are middle-aged (or older) men who have boating experience but have never taken a boating safety course.
    The good news: Older boaters are taking basic boating courses and receiving their boating safety ID cards, even though they’re not required to do so.
    About a third of the 47,307 boating safety education ID cards issued by the state last year were to boaters born before 1988.
    “Regardless of whether you’re new to boating or an old salt, it’s a good experience,” said Brian Rehwinkel, the FWC’s boating safety outreach and education coordinator.
    A side benefit: Many boat insurance carriers offer discounts to boaters who have taken an approved class and received a boating safety ID card.
    Volunteers with the Coast Guard Auxiliary’s Flotilla 36 in Boca Raton and Flotilla 54 in Boynton Beach offer the basic About Boating Safely Class monthly, meaning boaters who want to earn their Florida boating safety ID cards and improve their boating skills can do so in a one-day class offered on Saturdays.
    During the Oct. 7 class at Spanish River Park in Boca Raton, instructors with Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 36 added helpful tips to the basic course material and spiced up the instruction with humorous tales from the water.
    Instructor Rob Lambie of Delray Beach, a veteran Florida boater who sails his boat to the Bahamas, told of the men who come to boat ramps on busy weekends just for entertainment. They watch how boat owners handle the backing, launching and loading of their boats. If you’re not prepared, you could be their entertainment.
    Lambie’s trailering tips included driving the route to the boat ramp without a boat in tow just to check for low-hanging trees and tight turns that could pose problems and to watch how seasoned boaters launch and retrieve their boats.
    In addition to trailering, the one-day class touches on a wide variety of boating topics, including terminology, collision avoidance, VHF radio operation, tides, channel markers, anchoring, how to handle emergencies and safety gear. Students take home the About Boating Safely booklet to keep for future reference.
    Flotilla 36 Cmdr. Mario Stagliano said about 150 students have taken the basic boating class at Spanish River Park this year.
    About a third of the Boca Raton students are teens who must earn boating safety ID cards to operate a powerboat, Stagliano said. The rest are the parents of teens taking the course, along with older boaters who want to refresh their boating knowledge.
    The need for boating education is clear, with 714 reportable boating accidents in Florida last year resulting in 67 deaths, 421 injuries and more than $10 million in property damage.
    The two leading causes of Florida boating accidents last year, according to the FWC: inattention or failure to maintain a proper lookout, followed by lack of experience by the boat operator.
    More than half the boat operators involved in Florida boating accidents last year — 60 percent — had no formal boating education.

Coast Guard Auxiliary helps Hurricane Maria survivors housed in Weston

Mario Stagliano, left, and Jim Goldasich of the Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 36 in Boca Raton helped the family members of active Coast Guard personnel stationed in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. The families were flown to South Florida and stayed at the Bonaventure Resort & Spa in Weston. Photo provided

    Members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 36, based in Boca Raton, spent weeks helping the families of Coast Guard personnel stationed in Puerto Rico following the devastation brought by Hurricane Maria.
    About 350 Coast Guard family members, including several mothers with small children, were flown to South Florida on military aircraft following the late September hurricane and housed at the Bonaventure Resort & Spa in Weston.
    Flotilla Cmdr. Mario Stagliano and three other members of the flotilla — Jim Goldasich, Stephen Rogers and Ardalan Montazer — drove vans carrying the displaced family members around Weston, helping them shop for clothing, cellphones and other supplies.
    Stagliano said members of the Boca Raton flotilla also contributed supplies to a free store established for the displaced families at the Weston hotel and chipped in $650 to buy Walmart gift cards that were given to the families.

Delray Beach Surf Festival
    The fifth annual Delray Beach Surf Festival is scheduled for Dec. 2, on the beach east of Nassau Street.
    Set for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the festival will feature surfing and tug-of-war contests, stand-up paddleboard races and other fun competitive activities, organizer Sven Mautner said.
    “It’s a great, local family event, and we’ve been really lucky to have had decent surf for all prior contests,” said Delray Beach Mayor Cary Glickstein, a lifelong surfer who judges the contest. 
    Registration costs $25. Delray Beach Ocean Rescue will use proceeds from the festival for its children’s programs.
    Photos and video clips from previous festivals can be found by searching Facebook for the Delray Beach Surf Festival.

Fort Lauderdale boat show
    The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show continues through Nov. 5 at seven waterfront locations, including Bahia Mar Yachting Center, the Broward County Convention Center and Pier 66 Marina.
    The 58th annual show features nearly 1,500 boats on display along with electronics, fishing gear, nautical art and clothing. Fishing seminars for adults and youths as well as on-the-water boat handling workshops are offered.
    Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., except on Nov. 5, when the show closes at 6 p.m.
    Tickets cost $29 for adults, $12 for ages 6-12. Children younger than 6 are free.
For more information, call 800-940-7642 or go to www.flibs.com.

Coming events
    Nov. 4: 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 is $35 for adults or $20 ages 12 to 19. Register at the door. Bring lunch. Call 391-3600 or email fso-pe@cgauxboca.org.
    Nov. 25: Boating safety class offered by Coast Guard Auxiliary, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the classroom next to the boat ramps, Harvey E. Oyer Jr. Park, 2010 N. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach. Fee is $25. Register at the door. Call 704-7440.

Tip of the month
    Not sure whether your boat has the required safety gear? Schedule a free vessel examination with the Coast Guard Auxiliary — either Flotilla 36 in Boca Raton or Flotilla 54 in Boynton Beach. In most cases, vessel examiners will meet you at your boat to check distress signals, fire extinguishers, life jackets, running lights and other safety equipment. Examiners often find small deficiencies that owners overlook.
    To reach Flotilla 36 in Boca Raton, call 391-3600. To reach Flotilla 54 in Boynton Beach, call 331-2429. Leave a message if necessary.  

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

Patrick Gramm of Gulf Stream tees off on the ninth hole of The Little Club on Oct. 20. A few trees like the one in the foreground did not survive Irma’s winds, but the rest of the course looked to be in prime playing condition.  Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Brian Biggane

    Officials cited toppled trees and mangled vegetation as the main obstacles they needed to overcome in getting Palm Beach County golf courses back up and running in the wake of Hurricane Irma.
    But while all of the dozen or so courses surveyed reported extensive damage, hardworking maintenance crews had most of them open within a week of the storm’s passing.
    Sam Metott, who oversaw the cleanup at the Delray Beach Golf Club as assistant parks and recreation director for the city, said there was even a silver lining in the destruction.
    “The greens and fairways on our course and most courses were largely untouched, so the fact they were closed for that time reduced the foot traffic to zero,” Metott said. “They were provided a little rest and we were able to hit them with pesticides and fertilizer, and our members are telling us they’re in great shape.”
    A closer look at how some of the local courses fared:

The Little Club
    Superintendent George Ralish estimated the private course lost “probably about 30 or 40” trees, mostly green buttonwoods, the majority of which were away from the prime playing areas. The club was closed for two days before the storm and six days after.
    “We didn’t have power for eight days after the storm, and we’ve only had eight people doing the cleanup, so we’ve still got some stumps and trees with broken limbs,” Ralish said. “Some of our sump pumps went down as well, so we had four holes where we had standing water for several days.”
    A tree company had been contracted to assist with the cleanup, and The Little Club is another that typically doesn’t get a lot of play until sometime in November.
    “The course looks really good now — better than ever,” head pro Wanda Krolikowski said. “Sometimes the land just needs a good combing, but you can’t tell people that.”

Gulf Stream Golf Club
    Manager Kevin Bauer estimated the sprawling private beachside property lost “roughly between 80 and 100 trees” but added that a lot of what was lost would not be noticeable when the course opened on schedule for the season on Oct. 20.
    “We really had no structural damage to the [clubhouse],” Bauer said. “It was all about the trees and debris and flooding, and we’re almost 100 percent recovered from that.”
    The most noticeable change after the storm was the disappearance of 10 towering palms that lined A1A in front of the clubhouse and were shredded by Irma’s winds. They have been replaced by six smaller Sylvester palms.
    “They were probably the most prominent trees we lost,” Bauer said. “A lot of [the trees] we lost were in areas that are not prominent.”
    Bauer credited superintendent Ryan Swilley and his crew for their cleanup efforts after he estimated the course lost about four weeks of normal maintenance to the storm.

Seagate Country Club
    Chairman Anthony Wilson said his course lost 24 trees and was closed for a week after the storm passed.
    “The bigger problem is it keeps raining,” he said. “The course drains well and comes back quickly, but all the rain has been hard to overcome.”
    Wilson noted that his golf course crew also maintains the community around the course, requiring him to hire outside contractors to assist with the cleanup.
    “It was a big job; guys were working from sunup to sundown,” he said. “We had a lot of sand on the cart paths — typical stuff that washes out and gets beat up.” He said the fact the club has so-called billy bunkers, which are designed to minimize sand erosion from heavy storms, was a big plus.

Red Reef Par-3
    Greg Jerolaman, manager for the city of Boca Raton’s three courses, said 10 trees were lost and another 11 had major limb damage at Red Reef, but the vegetation between the beach and the holes east of A1A prevented sand from being a major problem.
    “We had two banyan trees and a huge sea grape that were basically sheared in half,” Jerolaman said. “We spent nine days chain-sawing and cleaning up debris to get the course playable.”
 The course was closed 12 days, beginning when the city declared a storm emergency on Sept. 8. It reopened Sept. 20.
    Jerolaman said only two city employees are assigned full time to Red Reef, so the assistance supplied by a Parks Division crew for several days “really enabled us to reopen when we did. Our part-time staff were terrific, too. They weren’t required to assist but showed up in the searing heat and assisted with the cleanup as well. Quite heroic of them — as they are not spring chickens!”

Delray Beach Golf Club
    Metott, who also oversaw the cleanup at the par-3 Lakeview course as well as Southwinds in west Delray Beach, reopened the front nine at the city course, just west of Interstate 95 on Atlantic Avenue, on Sept. 29 and the back nine a week later.
    “We lost hundreds of trees, but the biggest issue was large broken limbs hanging down,” he said. “It was more a safety issue. A downed tree won’t hurt anybody, but those significant size limbs that could fall and injure people, we had to have contractors cut them down.”
    The club became a staging area as a generator was brought in right after the storm passed so all three meals could be prepared for city workers.
    Metott said golfers who got impatient at the pace of cleanup didn’t understand the dynamics at work.
    “The management companies hired by the city and FEMA to do cleanup of the golf courses are the same ones that have been clearing the streets and picking up debris, so they have priorities,” he said.

 St. Andrews
    General manager Robert Grassi suspects a tornado touched down near the clubhouse where three trees were lost and a water fountain was pulled out of the ground. Beyond that, the most significant damage was to a handful of banyan trees on the property.
    “We still have two that need to come down because they took a lot of stress,” he said.
    Grassi brought in an arborist who advised the club to replant younger trees that will have to grow their own root systems. But with planting season over, that will have to wait until spring. The private course is reopened but won’t get much play until most members return for the season.
    “We lost a lot of trees,” Grassi said. “It looks kind of barren out there.”
    Options include planting cabbage and eureka palms for protection and installing paspalum grass around the two lakes on the course.

Palm Beach Par-3
    Head pro Tony Chateauvert reported that the paspalum grass on his course was a key to its reopening Sept. 17, a week after the storm passed.
    “We had sand everywhere — the clubhouse was covered in it and it was a half-inch deep on the holes on the ocean,” Chateauvert said. “We spent two days power washing everything and the paspalum came back quickly.”
    The closing of State Road A1A north and south of the South Palm Beach facility made reaching the club impossible for a time, and business was slow through the first week but has picked up since.
    “We lost a couple trees but a lot of courses further west got impacted [more] than we did,” Chateauvert said.

‘Come to Bethlehem’ is an interactive town with people dressed as they were in Jesus’ time. Photo provided

By Janis Fontaine

    With Thanksgiving this month we realize Christmas is just around the corner. With that in mind, Cason United Methodist Church is making plans to present “Come to Bethlehem,” 7-9 p.m. Dec. 2-4 at the church, 342 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach.
    Visitors can walk through the streets of Bethlehem, which are being designed and decorated to look as they did at the birth of Jesus. Visitors can meet historical characters in authentic dress in the interactive town and marketplace and visit a  Nativity with live animals.
    A quiet area is available for personal prayer and reflection. The church sanctuary, with historic stained-glass windows and Christmas decorations, will be open to visitors.
    Afterward, folks can enjoy cookies and Christmas music. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated.
    For more information, call 276-5302.

Enjoy gardening?
    Cason United Methodist’s community garden is buzzing with activity and help is always needed. Church leaders say a community garden is a nonthreatening place for interaction among people of all ages and cultures, income levels and physical and mental abilities. Medical professionals say edible gardening is a healthy activity that rewards you again when you harvest heart-healthy organic produce for the dinner table.  
    There’s a small fee to become an organic farmer with your own plot, and all gardeners are asked to donate a portion of their bounty to the food pantry. Donations of labor, gardening tools, landscape supplies and mulch are always welcome. The season began in August and continues until April. No experience is needed to participate.
    Contact garden coordinator Candy Evans at 374-2434 or by email at onatripw3@gmail.com for more information.

Beer, conversation and God
    Pub Theology meets at 7 p.m. Nov. 7 (the first Tuesday of each month) at the Biergarten, 309 Via de Palmas, No. 90, Boca Raton, and 7 p.m. Nov. 16 (the third Thursday) at Barrel of Monks, 1141 S. Rogers Circle, No. 5, Boca Raton. Conversation, fellowship, open discussion. 395-1244; www.fumcbocaraton.org.

Annakut Darshan

Hundreds of members of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Temple in Boynton Beach took part in the Hindu New Year’s celebration on Oct. 20. The Annakut festival occurs on the first lunar day of Shukla Paksha (bright fortnight) in the Hindu month of Kartik. The same day is the fourth day of Deepawali (Diwali), the Hindu festival of lights. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Jewish chef signs books
    James Beard Award recipient Joan Nathan will talk about her 11th book, King Solomon’s Table: A Culinary Exploration of Jewish Cooking From Around the World, Nov. 13 at the Miami Beach Jewish Community Center, 4221 Pine Tree Drive, Miami Beach.
    Nathan will offer petite tastings from the cookbook and sign books from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tickets are $36, which includes a signed copy of the book. Get tickets at MBJCC.ticketleap.com/joan-nathan or call 305-534-3206, Ext. 232.

The Interfaith Café meets
    Join the theological discussion from 7 to 9 p.m. Nov. 16 at South County Civic Center, 16700 Jog Road, Delray Beach. Light refreshments are served.
    The meeting is free, but donations are appreciated. The Interfaith Café meets the third Thursday of the month, and volunteers are needed to assist with a variety of duties to keep this program going.
    For more information or to volunteer, email Jane@Aurorasvoice.org.

Parish’s annual fall festival
    St. Mark Catholic Church hosts its annual Fall Vendor and Craft Event from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 19 at St. Mark Place, 643 NE Fourth Ave., Boynton Beach. This free indoor event features one-of-a-kind gifts, many handmade, plus artisan foods including tea and jam, plus a pancake breakfast and food truck, and raffles.
    Vendors include Avon, Mary Kay, Pampered Chef, Origami Owl and more. For more info, call 734-9330 or visit www.stmarkboynton.com.

Duo Beaux Arts performs
    Music at St. Paul’s presents Duo Beaux Arts at 3 p.m. Nov. 19. Duo Beaux Arts features pianists Tao Lin and Catherine Lan, who will perform a program of Francis Poulenc’s Sonata for Piano Four Hands and Claude Debussy’s Petite Suite as well as solo piano works by Mozart, Scarlatti, Ginastera and Schubert.
    A pre-concert conversation with Tao Lin and church music director Dr. Paul Cienniwa begins at 2:30 p.m. Admission is $20, free for 18 and younger. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church is at 188 S. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. Call 278-6003 or visit www.music.stpaulsdelray.org.

Connections service features Christian music
    Contemporary Christian music performed by the worship band is at the core of Trinity Lutheran’s “Connections” services. This modern worship experience is informal and is held a little bit later, at 11 a.m. Sundays.
    If music is your passion, consider arriving an hour early at 10 a.m. for elder Steve Cruz’s discussion of Christian music, including the latest hits on Christian radio.
    Trinity Lutheran is at 400 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. Call 278-1737 for more information.

Send religion news to Janis Fontaine at janisfontaine@outlook.com.

Rabbi Shmuel Biston leans heavily on his wife, Sarah, in his new role as the chabad’s co-director. Photo provided

By Janis Fontaine

    For Shmuel Biston, being a rabbi is the family business. His father, Yosef Biston, is a rabbi in Parkland. His brother is a rabbi and several of his four sisters are rebbetzins, married to rabbis and with important leadership roles.
    Today, at 28, the younger Biston is the co-director of Chabad of East Delray. He has his sights set on establishing a vibrant Jewish community on the coast where all Jews feel welcome.
Biston, who’s known as Shmuli, knew he’d be a rabbi and never questioned it.
    “I always liked praying and speaking and giving back to the community,” he said.  He completed his rabbinical studies by age 21, which is early for anyone to commit to a life path, especially one with such great responsibilities.
    He joined his father at Chabad of Parkland, the same synagogue where Shmuli had grown up. His parents moved to Miami in 1973 and promoted Jewish life in Aventura, Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton before founding Chabad of Parkland in 1998.
    Chabad, Biston says, is a Hebrew acronym that stands for wisdom (chochma), understanding (binah) and knowledge (da’at). It’s nondenominational, a place where “you don’t have to be something you’re not,” he says.
    Biston understands the complexity of the Jewish family: “You have two Jews, you have three opinions,” he laughs. “But no matter how you look at it, we are all children of God.”
    Biston’s easy manner and friendly nature make him a welcome sight at times of great personal stress. He serves as the chaplain for the Delray Beach Police Department and is on call for emergencies at local hospitals.
    But it’s the focus of most places of worship to attract new members and retain existing ones.
    “I want to build a community from the ground up,” Biston said.
    In September, Chabad of East Delray held High Holy Days services for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur at the Residence Inn by Marriott on Atlantic Avenue. You didn’t need to be a member and you didn’t need to buy a ticket, even though Chabad is self-funded.
    Biston’s altruism stretches to accommodate the needs of his community. From marriage counseling to lessons in Torah to programs for young professionals, Biston wants to be a full-service go-to source for all Jews.
    He understands that bringing people back to the fold is hard. “I worry they don’t realize what religion has to offer them because they had a bad experience,” he says.
    Biston doesn’t care if you never went to synagogue. Everyone is welcome, “with no judgment of any kind.” He said he learned to let go of judgment when he spent a year in Cape Town, South Africa. It’s counterproductive and narrow-minded, he says.
    In addition to his rabbinical studies, Biston said, “I was fortunate to get a lot of real-life experience.”
    It wasn’t all good. When he was 23, Biston was attacked by strangers because of his faith. It doesn’t compare with what his grandparents faced as Holocaust survivors, but he says it taught him to “hate injustice” but not to hate.
    As many rabbis do, Biston leans heavily on his wife of just over two years. He met Sarah through friends and traveled to Montreal to visit.
    By the fourth date, Biston was sure. “I liked everything about her. She’s funny and easygoing, and she can roll with the punches. We were on the same path,” Biston said.
    Sarah understood the responsibilities of being the wife of a rabbi, and she welcomed them. “I think it’s harder than being a rabbi,” Shmuli Biston said.
    He is driven by his faith, his insatiable curiosity and a deep need to understand the world.
    “I’m interested in not only action but understanding. Why are we doing what we’re doing? My life is about constantly learning and growing,” he said. “You do acts of goodness and kindness. You learn a little. You pray a little. That’s life.”
    For more information about Chabad of East Delray, visit www.jewisheastdelray.com. Biston can also be reached at 954-857-3543 and rabbi@jewisheastdelray.com.

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

Manalapan resident Suzi Goldsmith, executive director of Tri-County Animal Rescue, holds Peter, a 3-month-old Great Pyrenees that the shelter took in following the death of his owner, a Great Pyrenees breeder. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Arden Moore

    Living in South Florida comes with lots of perks (sandy beaches, awesome sunrises and no icy sidewalks) as well as perils — with hurricanes topping that list. Think of the time and energy you invested to try to fortify your home from Hurricane Irma’s relentless winds and rains. Now multiply that by, say, 40 times or more.
    And think of keeping a cool head all the while and putting the needs of other people and animals in front of your own as the hurricane zeros in on you and what you cherish the most.
    That’s exactly what Suzi Goldsmith, co-founder and executive director of the Tri-County Animal Rescue in west Boca Raton, did before, during and now after Irma teamed up with a tornado to pay this nonprofit complex a rude visit.
    “We are grateful that no employee or animal was harmed during the storm,” she says. “We were hit hard and lost power for a week, but we are still here and we will continue to be here for the animals.”
    About seven staffers volunteered to work 24/7 shifts during the storm to protect the 200-plus cats, dogs and other animals on this 12-acre property. The shifts began on Sept. 9 and ended on Sept. 12.
    Around 3 p.m. Sept. 10, the storm struck Tri-County Animal Rescue, with the biggest hit delivered when a century-old maple tree landed and crushed the large isolation building. At the time, two employees and about 40 cats and dogs with contagious diseases like ringworm were inside. All escaped injury.
    The staffers braved the high winds and pelting rain to relocate these frightened animals into the main building as power flickered on and off and a backup generator ran until it emptied its diesel supply.
    “Our 2,400-square-foot isolation building is gone,” says Goldsmith. “We are just waiting for the permits to demolish the building.”
    What about insurance to cover the building?
    “We have liability insurance, but we can’t afford insurance to cover loss due to a hurricane,” she says. “We’re a nonprofit and that kind of insurance costs a lot of money that we do not have.”
    Just before Irma’s arrival, people from this rescue shelter made two trips to Houston in trucks loaded with bedding, food, medicine and other items for animals displaced during Hurricane Harvey.
    And after Hurricane Maria, Goldsmith reached out to pilots of small aircrafts to bring in 20 to 30 dogs from Puerto Rico to her rescue compound so the shelter staff could try to get them adopted into homes in South Florida.
    “What happened to Puerto Rico is so mind-blowing and sad,” says Goldsmith. “They got hit worse than we did.”
    Mother Nature is indiscriminate when she unleashes storms, earthquakes and wildfires. Goldsmith offers these tips to other animal shelter groups to help them prepare for the worst and to protect animals under their care:
    • Maintain a large supply of bottled water to give to staffers and animals during storms.
    • Make sure you have a generator for backup power as well as electric drills and saws.
    • Invest in special battery-operated radios that provide up-to-date weather information.
    • Ensure you have enough food stored for the animals.
    • Begin boarding up windows and tying down furniture as soon as you learn that a storm may be heading your way. Goldsmith started this a week before Irma hit.
    • Usher mobile vans and other vehicles into secured parking places so they are not out and exposed to the storm.
    • Bring in air mattresses and plenty of food (sandwiches, potato chips, sodas) for staffers who may not be able to leave the shelter due to the storm conditions.
    • Do your best to keep animals calm and stick to routines as much as possible, including twice-a-day feedings. Goldsmith fitted some storm-fearing dogs with anti-anxiety jackets known as Thundershirts.
    “My advice is to prepare in advance and don’t wait until the last minute,” she says. “I began stockpiling food and water in June.”
    Goldsmith has weathered other hurricanes during her 21 years at Tri-County Animal Rescue and suspects she will weather more.
    “I have such a passion for saving animals’ lives,” she says without hesitation. “It keeps me and my employees going. We are here for the animals. Always have been and always will be.”
    To learn how you can help Tri-County Rescue recover from the storm, visit www.tricountyanimalrescue.com or call 482-8110.

    Arden Moore, a pet health and safety coach, is also an animal behavior consultant, editor, author, speaker and master certified pet first aid instructor.  She hosts the Oh Behave! show on www.PetLifeRadio.com. Learn more by visiting www.ardenmoore.com.

ABOVE: A nonslip aluminum walkway lets visitors feel as if they are walking on water. BELOW: Crinum americanum (with white flowers) is also called swamp lily. In the background is a red-leafed Crinum ‘Menehune.’  Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley

    From the soothing sound of water tumbling over rocks, to the nourishment it provides plants and animals, to the pleasure and relaxation it affords humans, Mounts Botanical Garden in West Palm Beach wants to make you aware of this natural treasure.
    That’s why it spent $500,000 on the newly installed Blume Tropical Wetland Garden.
    Called “Windows on the Floating World,” the garden was designed by Mags Harries and Lajos Heder of Cambridge, Mass., who created large-scale public art projects across the country.
    They were chosen, in part, because they understood Mounts’ mission to educate. “This is an opportunity to make people aware of rainfall and the importance of water in the landscape,” said Harries.  
    Approach the garden from its south side and you hear the falling water, but your view of the installation is partly blocked by a variety of plants. The screening is done, in part, with a bank of heliconias, red ginger whose flowers attract butterflies, a West Indian holly with leaves that show purple underneath and a coconut palm hung with a purple orchid.
    The partial view was intentional, said Joel Crippen, a horticulturist at Mounts who worked on this garden. The artists wanted your introduction to this quarter-acre space to be gradual, he explained.
    As you reach a towering cypress tree, you know you have arrived at the wetland garden. The tree’s knees are actually standing in a man-made stream.
    Entering, you follow the sloping path as it parallels this stream until you come to a weir or man-made waterfall that helps move the water downhill into a larger pond.
    Here too is a piece of pipe standing vertically that is called the rain gauge, although it doesn’t actually measure rainfall. Instead, its height is marked in 2-inch increments with markers showing levels of remarkable rainfalls throughout the years.
    These include the highest annual rainfall in West Palm Beach (6 feet, 10 inches) and the average rainfall per year in West Palm Beach (5 feet, 2 inches).
    As you consider just how much water falls in South Florida, you’ll begin to see the plants that call the water home.
    “When we selected plants for this project we decided color was an important element,” said Crippen, explaining that’s why they used both native and exotic species.
    Along and at the edges of the stream, native pickerel weed flowers bloom year round and native fire flag with its lance-shaped leaves on tall stalks is hung with purple flowers.
    Crippen bends down to point out minnows in the water. “As the garden matures we’ll have native frogs and water birds calling this home,” he said.
    Already koi, tilapia, trout and turtles are thriving.
    At the bottom of this path, you step onto a walkway made of nonslip aluminum grates that, depending on the water level, can actually skim the top of the pond to make you feel you are, well, walking on water. The grates create five pentagon-shaped pools used to showcase aquatic plants, such as papyrus and wild rice, growing submerged in the water. You’ll note these plants are potted so the display can easily be changed.
    Floating atop the water, discover the mosaic star lily that looks like it’s made from small pieces of green tile arranged in a delicate star-shaped pattern.
    Now you recognize the source of the gentle background noise as falling water pours over cap rock. The rock wall is planted with green, pink and yellow bromeliads that require humidity and spray from the waterfall to live.
    Dominican coral stone stairs with imprints of shells and other aquatic life lead to the top of the waterfall and to a bridge. As you cross the bridge with the showy leaf motif on its sides, you may note the pink hutu tree whose powder puff-like flowers bloom at night. Its seeds have been used to stun fish.
    Taking the path on your left, you’ll note its pervious concrete surface that allows water to drain through to reduce runoff, Crippen says. At the end of the path, benches are available so you can sit and look out over a small man-made lake.
    It’s here that children can have close encounters with the fish. “This garden really appeals to the young because here they can actually get their hands wet,” said Crippen.

Gardening tip
    You don’t have to build a pond or have lots of acreage to enjoy a water garden. In fact, you can create one in your backyard using a large container such as an oversized flower pot, a child’s pool or even a galvanized steel watering trough.
    Filled with water, these can become home to aquatic plants available at many local garden centers. If you are lucky, a frog will take up residence and help control your backyard mosquito population.
    For more information on native aquatic and wetland plants, visit http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_native_aquatic_and_wetland_plants

Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley can be reached at debhartz@att.net.

If You Go
Where: Mounts Botanical Garden with its new wetland is at 531 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach.
When: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Cost: The suggested donation for entry is $5. Parking is free.
Information: On this and other events, 233-1757 or www.mounts.org.

Isabella Ghislandi of Boynton Beach does her best Supergirl pose for her mother, Laura, as they join ‘Trick-or-Treat Along the Avenue’ on Oct. 29 near Old School Square in Delray Beach. The lighting of the city’s new 100-foot Christmas tree will be held 5-9 p.m. on Nov. 30. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Volunteer Hope Sargeant and librarian Ilene Glickman hold some of Hope’s favorite reads. They want people to donate new books to give to at-risk young readers. Photo provided

By Janis Fontaine

    For someone who loves to read, access to books is like having access to air or food or water.
    Hope Sargeant, a junior at American Heritage ​School​ ​of​ ​Boca Delray, has loved to read since she was 4.
    “Reading is important to me because opening a book opens possibilities,” the 16-year-old said. “By reading you can travel to outer space and around the world. I love to read and I want to share my love of reading with others.”
    She’s so committed to a world of books, she volunteered the last two summers in the children’s section at Delray Beach Public Library.
    And now she’ll be part of “Hope for the Future,” a program to collect new books to give to at-risk kids before the winter school holiday. Together, she and Ilene Glickman, who runs the library’s children’s section, came up with a plan to place drop boxes around town to collect the books.
    The book drive will run Nov. 27 through Dec. 22.
    The idea is patterned after the library’s summer outreach programs, which take books to schools and community organizations to promote summer reading.
    “A lot of children don’t have access to the library,” Glickman says.
    Experts say low-income families tend to live farther away from public libraries and kids lack transportation to get there, so Hope worked alongside Glickman to bring books to the kids.
    “Hope always has a welcoming smile and she speaks with a soft voice, and that really helps her connect with the kids,” Glickman said. “She’s upbeat and exudes enthusiasm and she really likes enriching the lives of kids. Working with Hope is a win-win-win.”
    The library gives away thousands of books in its summer outreach programs.
    “When Hope saw the excitement on the kids’ faces when they got their books, she was very moved by their need,” Glickman said. She wanted to do more.
    “​I​ noticed​ ​that​ ​many​ ​of​ ​the​ ​children​ ​who participated​ ​in​ ​the​ ​summer​ ​and​ ​outreach​ ​programs​ ​were​ ​thrilled​ ​when​ ​they​ ​received​ ​a new​ ​book​ ​at​ ​the​ ​end​ ​of​ ​each​ ​session,” Hope said. “​I​ ​thought​ ​it​ ​would​ ​be​ ​nice​ ​for​ ​these​ ​children​ ​to​ ​receive​ ​a​ ​new​ ​book​ ​at​ ​the​ ​holidays to read over​ ​the​ ​Christmas​ ​break.​ ​I​ ​also​ ​thought​ ​it​ ​would​ ​keep​ ​the​ ​kids​ ​​on track​ ​with​ ​their​ ​reading​ ​levels.”
    Hope will collect the books each week and monitor the program to ensure books get to her target audience: at-risk children and teens in Delray Beach.
    Only new books are being collected, and if you need a suggestion for a good book, Hope suggests a few of her favorite books as a child: Knuffle​ ​Bunny, the Percy​ ​Jackson​ ​series​ ​and​ ​the​ Among​ ​the​ ​Hidden​ ​series. For older kids, Hope’s favorites include the classic about burning books, Fahrenheit​ ​451,​ ​by Ray​ ​Bradbury; Turtles​ ​All​ ​the​ ​Way​ ​Down, ​by​ ​John​ ​Green;​ ​and Outliers,​ ​by​ ​Malcolm​ ​Gladwell.
    “For​ ​many​ ​of​ ​these​ ​children,​ ​receiving​ ​a​ ​new​ ​book​ ​is​ ​a​ ​very special​ ​gift,” Hope said.
    When the Delray Beach resident isn’t busy with schoolwork, yearbook, her book drive and other volunteer work, she likes to run, watch movies, try new restaurants with her parents, Jeff​ ​and​ ​Heidi​ ​Sargeant, take walks with her dog, Winnie, and get lost in a good book.
    During “Hope for the Future, Hope will pick up books at each location each week and bring them to the library until distribution. Drop boxes — look for the “Hope for the Future” sign — will be set up at these Delray Beach places:
    • The Love Shack, 137 E. Atlantic Ave.
    • The Snappy Turtle, 1100 E. Atlantic Ave., Unit A.
    • American Heritage School of Boca Delray, 6200 Linton Blvd., at the lower, middle and upper campuses.

•Ace Hardware, 50 SE Sixth Ave., Delray Beach.

    • Delray Beach Public Library, 100 W. Atlantic Ave.

Rita Thrasher is president and CEO of the nonprofit Boca Raton’s Promise. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Amy Woods

    Rita Thrasher dedicates her work to her daughters. Her youngest died at age 43. Her oldest died at age 60. Both had mental illnesses. The youngest, Valerie, suffered from bipolar disorder. The oldest, Leslie, suffered from schizo-affective disorder. Valerie was diagnosed at 15, Leslie at 28.
    Thrasher, a Broward County Public Schools reading specialist at the time, said she remembers not knowing what to do or where to turn. Her colleagues made a referral to the Faulk Center for Counseling.
    The resident of the Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club has been affiliated with the organization ever since and will receive its Community Impact Advocacy Award next month for her work as president and CEO of Boca Raton’s Promise.
    Thrasher co-founded the nonprofit with Dr. Merrilee Middleton, who first treated Valerie, and developed the “I AM 1” campaign with the goal of getting those who understand the tragedy of mental illness to talk about it. The name symbolizes the silent struggle that affects one in four in the United States.
    “One in four will have an issue with mental health,” Thrasher said. “I am one of those four.”
Thrasher draws no salary for her work, which seeks to build alliances and identify resources in the treatment of mental illness.
    Her surviving daughter, Marla, helped with the campaign by appearing in the film We Are One, which chronicles the stories of those whose loved ones have faced or are facing mental illness.
    “My daughter and I have reconnected on a new level,” Thrasher said. “We are no longer going to moan and groan about the loss of her siblings or my children. We are joining forces. We are holding our hands out to help and guide each other into the future.
    “The hope that we have is to get 1,000 people starting the conversation. We are on the brink of opening the doors to South Florida’s mental health crisis, and that’s why we’re doing this.”
    Thrasher, 85, also sponsors an LGBTQ+ support group that meets weekly at the Faulk Center for Counseling and is involved with “Breaking the Silence,” a fourth- and fifth-grade curriculum aimed at bringing mental illness out of the shadows. The initiative focuses on educating children about depression, obsessive-compulsive behavior, panic attacks and other brain malfunctions that occur through no fault of their own.
    “It doesn’t have to scare the hell out everybody who talks about it,” Thrasher said. “We want people to give up the shame, the fear that enshrouds the community.
    “I am aware that there are many people who are dealing with mental health problems. I would encourage them to seek the shelter of others in the same situation and share their miseries and their hopes.”

If You Go
What: Community Impact Awards
When: 6 p.m. Nov. 9
Where: Broken Sound Club, 2401 Willow Springs Drive, Boca Raton
Cost: $75
Information: Call 483-5300, Ext. 105, or visit www.faulkcenterforcounseling.org

    In between the National Hurricane Center’s every-three-hour updates, I grew anxious thinking what it would mean for our area to have the eye wall of a Category 4 or 5 Hurricane Irma blow directly up the I-95 corridor.
    “If the eye passes east of the lake, we leave. If it goes west, we stay.”
    That was the thin piece of logic I held to as we rushed through storm preparations. My husband was determined to stay regardless of the path. He’d laid the groundwork for survival — over the years we’ve hardened our 1950s-era house with a new roof, impact glass and accordion shutters. As a career photojournalist, he’d seen the aftermath of tornadoes and hurricanes, and he refused to get stuck in evacuation traffic jams. Plus, he had a generator and a chainsaw. He didn’t plan to bolt.
    I was the worrier. I had visions of our life forever altered by the storm.
    When you own a business and a Category 5 hurricane is heading in your direction, you tend to pace the floors and think through myriad scenarios of what could force you to wrap up loose ends, lock the doors and move on. Sadly, for many small-business owners across Texas, Florida and the Caribbean those nightmare scenarios are happening now. We are grateful to have avoided the life-changing situations so many others are now facing.
    We were lucky. Once our staff regained power and internet access, we were able to get back to business. Thankfully, so were our partners — our advertisers. We are grateful the residents and businesses in our slice of paradise survived with little more than power loss and tree damage.
    Will I stay on the island the next time a hurricane heads our way? I can’t say for sure, but I learned it will take a lot more than Irma to keep us from publishing a newspaper.
    And it will take more than a frivolous lawsuit from a prominent developer to keep us from reporting on stories in our community. A week prior to Irma’s arrival we received notice that Hudson Holdings LLC and Steven Michael had filed a $60 million libel suit against our publication.
    We were stunned. After the storm passed, our attorney talked with their attorney and we then had a reporter contact this same attorney for comment.
    The following week the case was dismissed without explanation.
    This was unexpected, but not a surprise. We stand by our reporting and believe the suit was nothing more than an attempt to intimidate and harass our publication.  

     In today’s world, litigation has become a standard tool of intimidation, and a yoke of so-called “fake news’’ has been placed around the necks of all news organizations no matter how small. This increases our commitment to getting the facts right and maintaining the trust of our community.  
    As professional journalists we work hard to lay the groundwork for survival each and every time we go to press. That’s our responsibility. We don’t plan to bolt.

— Mary Kate Leming, Editor

By Ron Hayes

    Hurricane Irma spared Palm Beach County the worst it could do, and the county’s sea turtle nests seem to have been spared its worst as well.
    “In general, the beach was in better shape than we expected,” said Kirt Rusenko, the marine conservationist at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center who monitors nesting turtles along Boca Raton’s coast.
    “We lost about 80 nests and 96 nests survived the storm and are still on the beach,” he said. “Pretty decent, considering past storms. Right now we’re monitoring the remaining nests, which so far are hatching out right on schedule.”
    As of the week after the storm, Rusenko had counted 1,071 nests on Boca beaches — 767 loggerhead nests, 299 green turtle nests and five leatherback nests.
    “There was about 2 feet of sand blown into the dunes, which helps the dunes a lot. Not a whole lot of erosion.” Rusenko said.
    In the full 2016 season, from March 1 to Oct. 31, a total of 767 nests was counted in the same 5-mile stretch, from Highland Beach south to the Broward County line.
    In Ocean Ridge, the county’s Environmental Resources Management department tallied 582 as of late September — 492 loggerheads, 88 greens and two leatherbacks. The total count last year was 637, according to Kelly Martin, the department’s environmental analyst.
    Jackie Kingston, who holds a permit to monitor nesting on the 3-mile stretch from Pelican Lane in Delray Beach to Adams Road in Ocean Ridge, estimated that her team of volunteers has counted more than 700 loggerhead nests this season, more than 500 green turtle nests and five leatherback nests. If that number holds, Kingston said, it would mark a 10-year high. When Irma arrived, about 300 nests were on her stretch of beach, Kingston said, but though the storm destroyed about 100 of those nests, the rest were still healthy.
    The total number of turtle nests in the county won’t be released by the state Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission until early November. During the 2016 season, 35,851 nests were tallied along the county’s coast — 33,892 loggerhead nests, 1,582 greens and 377 leatherback, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission report.

By Jane Smith
    
    If you aren’t drinking the water, don’t use it.
    Delray Beach utilities officials sent that command via email, social media and its CodeRed app about 10:20 p.m. on Sept. 10. Banned uses included bathing, toilet flushing and dish washing.
    Hurricane Irma’s winds were still lashing Delray Beach, toppling trees that brought down 140 power lines. The city lost power at 70 percent of its 129 sewage pumping stations. It had portable generators for only 30 stations.
    Most of Delray’s water customers also lost power. Less than half of its residents had signed on for alerts from CodeRed, an emergency application that works on smartphones.
    As a result, the sewage flows remained the same, said Neal deJesus, interim city manager. He spoke at a special City Commission meeting Sept. 13 to update commissioners on Irma’s damage.
    He called the lift station problem “the Achilles’ heel” of the storm.
    “Staff did an incredible job moving the generators from station to station,” deJesus said. “Even though the public was asked to please conserve, that didn’t work. Each pump station is at near normal use for this time of year.”
    He approved an emergency purchase of 20 generators for $2.2 million. “When the power comes up, no one wants to give up their generators,” deJesus said.
    Commissioners said the city needs a better way of communicating with its residents and business owners during emergency situations. They’ll devote part of the regularly scheduled Oct. 10 workshop to that discussion.
    That might be a notice in water bills asking customers to sign up for CodeRed alerts, Commissioner Shelly Petrolia said at the Sept. 13 meeting. She and fellow commissioners thanked the staff for working so hard to avoid a public health emergency.
    At the meeting, Petrolia asked why the problem had not happened in the past.
    “We had major power outages with this storm,” deJesus said. “The downed power lines were not just between the poles, but between the transformers.”
    By the special meeting on the Wednesday of the week after Irma, city officials had changed their message from a command to a request for water conservation.
    Although notifying water customers was not required, it was called “prudent to alert water users of a potential problem,” said Tim O’Connor, spokesman for the Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County.

In Boca and Boynton
    The cities of Boynton Beach and Boca Raton also lost power at their sewage pumping stations, a typical situation during tropical storms and hurricanes.
    “Prior to the storm we asked residents to conserve water by limiting use and flushing and to turn off irrigation systems,” said Chrissy Gibson, Boca Raton spokeswoman.
    The city has approximately 300 lift stations and lost power to 80 percent of them during the storm, Gibson said.
    Boca Raton staff worked around the clock to move the various generators and rotate them, she said. “We had enough to keep the system running, even with 80 percent out of power,” she said.
    In Boynton Beach, the city lost power to about 70 percent of its sewage pumping stations, said Colin Groff, assistant city manager and former utilities director.
    But unlike Delray Beach, Boynton Beach didn’t ask its water customers to restrict water consumption. The city uses a combination of fixed, portable and diesel generators as backup power, Groff said.
    During Irma, the city had two or three spills of between 10 to 15 gallons of sewage each, Groff said, when Irma’s winds were high and it was not safe for workers to be outside. The city reported them to the state Department of Environmental Protection, but they did not appear in the database. “It might not have met their threshold,” he said.
    Under rules that went into effect in July, utility operators are required to report sewage spills less than 1,000 gallons to the DEP or health department within 24 hours, according to Jill Margolius, local DEP spokeswoman.
    Spills over 1,000 gallons, which may threaten the environment or public health, must be reported immediately to a 24-hour hotline.
    As of Sept. 14, 22 of Florida’s 67 counties reported sewage spills, a combined total of 28 million gallons of treated and raw sewage, according to the DEP database. The amount is likely higher because some reports did not contain amounts.
    The same day, Delray Beach reported less than 1,000 gallons of sewage had bubbled up from a storm drain in the Rainberry Bay community near Congress Avenue and Lake Ida Road, according to the DEP database.
    All Delray Beach water users were supposed to follow the restrictions, deJesus said.

Restaurants opened
    Caffe Luna Rosa reopened its oceanside restaurant Sept. 11, the same day Irma winds diminished in Delray Beach.
    For the next three days, the eatery served a limited menu, used generators to power the coolers, didn’t serve water, cooked on a gas stove and used disposable plates and cups, said Fran Marincola, co-owner of the restaurant.
    Mixed drinks do not need water, he said.
    The following day, Sept. 12, more restaurants opened in Delray Beach, including Subculture Coffee Roasters.
    “We didn’t know about the water use restrictions,” said Jenniffer Woo, food manager. “We were never contacted.”
    “We are all about conserving water so we would have been happy to comply,” she said.

By Jane Smith
    
    Hurricane Irma’s winds delayed the beach promenade construction in Delray Beach by at least two weeks, according to the project manager. The new expected completion is by Thanksgiving.
    The contractor removed construction equipment from the promenade just after Labor Day to prepare for Irma. Work resumed Sept. 18, said Missie Barletto, project manager.
    About half of the newly planted shade trees and coconut palms toppled, she said. Many were replanted; others that couldn’t be saved will be replaced.
Delray’s beach promenade work is now concentrating on the north end, Barletto said.
    For safety reasons, the city asks residents and visitors to enter the beach at the designated entrances: across from the Sandoway parking lot on the south end, at the main pavilion at Atlantic Avenue and at the Thomas Street entrance on the north end.
The $3.1 million project includes solar-powered smart meters, a tricolored sidewalk, new benches, showers, water fountains, bike and surfboard racks, and trash containers.
    In addition, the city’s parks department purchased mobility mats that sit atop the sand to help wheelchair users access the beach, Barletto said. One set will be placed near the main pavilion at Atlantic Avenue. The mats roll down to the water line, allowing wheelchair users to enjoy the beach. Boca Raton purchased the mobility mats in 2015 for two of its city beaches.
    The city has added a third Downtown Trolley route for those choosing to park in the city garages. For questions about parking during the construction, call Jorge Alarcon at 243-7000, Ext. 4112.

Eugene and Maureen Garrett found refuge and a card game at the Highland Beach Library. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Ron Hayes

    In the days after Hurricane Irma left air conditioners silent, reading lamps dark and cellphones feeble, refugees from sweltering homes found comfort in secular sanctuaries some had never visited before.
    Our public libraries.
    They came for books to pass the time, and a light to read them by. They came for the gloriously cooled air, electrical outlets to fortify their phones, Wi-Fi to touch the outside world. And they came for more unusual reasons, too.
    “We had one lady come in this morning to blow-dry her hair in the restroom,” Lois Albertson, director of the Highland Beach Public Library, said on the Thursday after the storm.
    Not far away, Eugene and Maureen Garrett sat in the sunny reading area, but they were not reading. They were playing yet another round of 500 Rummy.
    “My husband’s winning because I’m so tired I’m making mistakes,” Maureen Garrett said, and then she smiled. “But it’s cool here. It’s great.”
    The power died in the Garretts’ Bel Lido Isle home about 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10. Now it’s 3 p.m. Thursday. With the storm approaching the previous Friday night, the couple had abandoned Highland Beach for a Hilton Garden Inn on Congress Avenue and stayed until Sunday, when the power died there, too.
    “So we came home,” Mrs. Garrett said. “No sense paying for a hotel room when they don’t have power, either. Now we just ride around all day and stop at restaurants.”
    Wednesday they drove down to Coral Springs in search of another hotel with power, but couldn’t find one. Thursday morning they charged their phone at Another Broken Egg Cafe over breakfast, drove around some more, and then had lunch at Renzo’s Cafe in Boca Raton. Now they’ve been playing 500 Rummy — for the past two hours.
    “We also brought Scrabble and snacks,” she added, “nuts and raisins. But I’m just exhausted.”
    Across from the checkout desk, a large cooler of Nestle’s bottled water waited, courtesy of the Police Department and free for the taking.
    Free water was a big attraction at the Boynton Beach City Library, too.
    “When we opened on Tuesday, it was like a mad rush to get in and fill up water bottles at our fountain,” said Karen Abramson, the library’s administrative assistant. “Little empty plastic bottles and jugs and a line at the fountain between the men’s and ladies’ rooms. We opened at 9 a.m., and they were waiting outside the door.”
    All week long, all the teen and children’s computers were taken, Abramson said, and so were all the charging stations.
    “And you should see our DVD collection,” she added. “It’s almost gone. People borrowed everything before the storm.”
    Librarians printed out coloring pages, brought out toys for the children and games for the teens, and that morning all the chairs were filled.
    “A supervisor from another library came by and used our facilities,” Abramson confided proudly, but wouldn’t name names.
    A week after the hurricane, the parking lot of the Delray Beach Public Library became a makeshift dining room as community organizations served hot meals and water to hundreds still recovering from the storm. The event was the culmination of a week in which librarians saw many unfamiliar faces.
    “We’ve had people here this week who’ve never been in the library before,” Director Karen Ronald reported. “Some hadn’t spoken to family since the storm. Hopefully they’ll become regular users.”
    Upstairs, the library’s 40 computers were almost always in use, said reference librarian Alyson Walzer, usually with people trying to connect with family. And downstairs the circulation desk was bathed in gratitude.
    “I’ve had about 50 people thanking us for being open,” said library assistant Jane Weiss. “That makes us feel good, because we’re hot and tired, too.”
    Flipping through magazines were Lisha Sutton and her grandmother Mattie Brown, a lifelong resident who was 10 when the infamous 1928 hurricane struck Belle Glade.
    “I love it here!” Brown gushed. “I love it! I love it! It’s nice and cool in here. My home is like a heater.”
    Not far away, Christina Wood worked on her laptop. A freelance writer and editor, she had brought her work to the library for the past two days.
    “I’m working,” she said. “I downloaded about 500 emails today. Most of it’s spam, but still. I’m in and out of here regularly, and I’ll be here every day until my power comes back.”
    She shrugged. “Where else am I going to go?”