A Boca Raton police officer keeps bystanders away as a Sea Tow vessel works to move the twin-engine plane that splash-landed on Aug. 22. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

A 23-year-old pilot who landed her failing twin-engine plane in the ocean just off the beach in Boca Raton rather than take it on a path to the Boca Raton Airport over heavily populated areas on Aug. 22 beat the odds by swimming away unharmed.

Faith Tenkley of Fort Myers was on her way to pick up her parents in Bimini that Saturday after leaving her nearby Southwest Florida International Airport when she told air traffic controllers that her plane was experiencing engine trouble.

Tenkley, who had the option of attempting an emergency landing at the Boca Raton Airport or ditching in the ocean, chose the water and swam to the beach in front of the Marbella condominium with the help of lifeguards.

“Being able to put an airplane down in the water and get out of the plane is remarkable,” said Dave Cohen, dean of the College of Aeronautics at Lynn University in Boca Raton. “That she was able to swim away was impressive.”

What was also impressive, Cohen said, is that the Piper aircraft appeared to have remained intact.

In a statement reported by WPTV, Tenkley said that her primary focus was on ensuring the safety of everyone around her. Recognizing that flying to the airport would take her over buildings, she chose to put the plane down in the ocean, close to the shoreline but away from paddleboarders and swimmers.

Cohen said emergency water landings come with many challenges and that the odds of surviving a splash landing are not good when compared to a hard-surface landing.

“It’s a much more complicated process,” he said.

Tenkley, who has been flying for about four years, may have had several factors working to her advantage, Cohen said, including good weather, suitable water conditions and the proximity to the shoreline.

The pilot’s skill and training may also have been major factors in the landing.

Landing on water, Cohen said, is not always the best option because impact can cause the plane to break apart and waves can cause it to flip over.

“All things being equal, your preference is not to put the plane down in water,” he said.

Cohen said that pilots are trained to think about what to do and where to land in case of emergency.

In Tenkley’s case, the decision turned out to be a good one.

Tenkley, in the statement to WPTV, expressed gratitude to people who offered concern and support and said she considered herself “incredibly fortunate” to have swum away from the water landing. She thanked the air traffic controllers who guided her and first responders who were there to help her from the water, including those from Boca Raton’s ocean rescue, fire rescue and police as well as the U.S. Coast Guard.

Teams from the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will be reviewing the incident and filing reports.

Ocean Ridge and Boynton Beach are exploring the idea of creating an independent water authority to control and operate the city’s drinking water facilities. The separate utility could also include other current and future communities receiving Boynton Beach water, such as Gulf Stream, Briny Breezes and Hypoluxo.

Ocean Ridge Town Manager Michelle Heiser briefed her commission on the discussions at an Aug. 31 budget workshop, and Boynton Beach city commissioners will hear a presentation at their Sept. 16 meeting.

Town commissioners said they’re willing to investigate the idea and Heiser identified $300,000 in the budget — if needed — for reports or consultants.

Boynton Beach is talking with Palm Beach County about the county taking over the city’s utility, so its commission has competing possibilities to weigh.

But Deputy City Manager Andrew Mack, who met with Heiser and attended the workshop, said, “It does look like this would be the direction we would go.” 

A benefit for Ocean Ridge would be to allow the town to move its infrastructure burdens — the town is about $3 million into a $30 million water pipe replacement plan, Heiser said — over to the authority.

Officials compared the proposal to the Seacoast Utility Authority, established in 1988, that serves some 56,000 households in Palm Beach Gardens, North Palm Beach, Lake Park, Juno Beach and some unincorporated areas of North County.

In basic terms, it’s also like the South Central Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant, serving Delray Beach and Boynton Beach, that has an appointed governing board and provides sewer services. 

— Larry Barszewski

Road work to solve water neglect

Work on a $1.9 million water main improvement project along a 2-mile stretch of State Road A1A in Ocean Ridge is expected to be completed by the end of the year, contractors told town commissioners in August.

Extending from Corrine Street to Ocean Avenue, the project will increase water pressure and enhance fire protection, contractors said. Fire hydrants on the west side of the road are also being replaced.

W. Clark Cryer, president of the Lantana-based Johnson-Davis underground utility company, said traffic snarls are inevitable. The project is using portable traffic signals that let vehicles pass in a single lane.

“Like any improvements, there are growing pains,” he said. “It’s like you get sore when you work out — you get bumps and bruises,” he said.

But, he said, he was hopeful the impact would be minimal. Since work began in July, regular updates have been posted on the town’s social media platforms. Those interested in receiving text alerts on their phones can do so by signing up on the town’s website, oceanridge.gov. 

— Jane Musgrave

By Rich Pollack

Following in the footsteps of leaders in other local municipalities, Highland Beach town commissioners preliminarily agreed to a ban of electric vehicles on the town’s 3-mile-long walking path along State Road A1A.

Under a proposed plan that drew consensus from commissioners at their Sept. 1 meeting, people riding e-bikes, motorized scooters or any other micro-mobility devices could face citations issued through the town’s code enforcement process.

The plan for restricting e-bikes and other such vehicles on the walking path is still in the early stages and is not likely to come back before the commission in the form of an ordinance until November.

In the interim, the town’s staff will begin developing a communication plan to ensure residents and e-vehicle users are aware of the possible restrictions.

Vice Mayor David Stern, who has pushed for some type of regulation of electric bicycles on the walking path, or sidewalk, sees the proposed regulations as a step in the right direction.

“It’s for safety, and that’s been my big concern,” he said.

The vice mayor said that the walking path is used by lots of residents who are out for a daily stroll, walking a dog or pushing a stroller.

“You get an electric vehicle on that path and it’s downright dangerous,” he said.

The walking path, Stern says, will be even more perilous come season when more people are using it.

He said he is hoping electric vehicles will use the newly widened bike lanes along A1A.

“To me, that’s a lot safer than having them on the sidewalk,” Stern said.

The proposed ban would provide some exceptions for a few motorized vehicles, including wheelchairs or a vehicle operated by a person with a disability. It would also exempt law enforcement or public safety vehicles or any electronic mobility device being walked and not operated under power.

Those in violation will be cited under the town’s municipal code rather than under state law and will face fines of $50, although Town Attorney Len Rubin says that could change at the discretion of the commission.

Stern said he is hoping that the result of the new legislation will be voluntary compliance.

“You don’t have to have a citation in order to get safety,” he said.

Commissioners all agreed that the main goal of any restriction would be to improve safety.

Commissioners had discussed e-bike rules earlier this year but said they needed to get the OK from the Florida Department of Transportation because the walking path is on state right-of-way.

Town Manager Marshall Labadie said that the state cleared the proposed regulations following a meeting.

Several other municipalities in the county have passed a ban on e-bikes on sidewalks, including Jupiter and Wellington. Palm Beach County commissioners are also discussing the regulation of e-vehicles in unincorporated areas.

E-bikes generally are different from other e-vehicles because users can still pedal them and use the power boost at their own discretion. 

By Robert Haughn

South Palm Beach, which just months ago was planning to spend $7 million or more to replace its aging Town Hall, is now moving forward with a makeover officials say will do the job for around $1 million. 

The Town Council voted unanimously at its Aug. 11 meeting to have Town Manager Jamie Titcomb start working with the selected contractors to begin the process of renovating the building. 

“At the end of these series of projects, we hope to have a shiny, new-old building with new repurposing and new services and new uses and new lifespan,” Titcomb said.

The most expensive item on the project list is replacing the building’s roof for $118,750. The town also plans on updating the bathrooms to ADA standards for $80,000, replacing the flooring for $62,000, painting the inside and outside of the building, and replacing fire exit doors, stairs and railings. 

It might also remove the garage door in front of the building and replace it with hurricane-proof glass to turn it into a multipurpose space. The town also expects to remove the existing maintenance building wing due to its being separated from the main building and sinking into the ground. 

The shift from replacing Town Hall to renovating it came after the town’s seismic March elections, which saw the mayor and two council members ousted by a three-candidate slate opposed to the plans, who are now known in town as Mayor Rafael Pineiro, Vice Mayor Francesca Attardi and Council member Adrian Burcet.

The previous Town Council majority had authorized the building of a new Town Hall building in June 2024, but Pineiro and the others campaigned on keeping the original building.

“We actually got elected because we felt like the majority of people in South Palm Beach felt that the building was sufficient for our needs,” Pineiro said. “So, as soon as we got elected, we canceled it.”

The project was well into development when it was suspended. Titcomb said that there was around $500,000 spent to execute the plans. The town even had bids coming in for the project two days before it was suspended.

Titcomb said that the main benefit of moving forward with this renovation instead of the new building is the cost. 

“They’re not spending the $7 million to $9 million that they were going to spend on the new building,” Titcomb said. “We’re going to spend around a million.”

Titcomb said there were other cost-saving factors in this option. This included the Town Council’s suspending the original project as opposed to outright canceling it. That allowed the town to use data and information it had already compiled from environmental testing, utilities and other aspects instead of starting from scratch.

While the project has a $777,200 ceiling, certain costs are not estimated yet, including parking lot renovations and landscaping. 

However, Titcomb said that there is not too much concern on outstanding costs and that they were partially accounted for, with 25% of the price ceiling being allocated as a contingency.

One potential issue with renovating the building instead of moving forward with the new one is future flood risk. The original plans included elevating the Town Hall building by one story to meet current Federal Emergency Management Agency standards. 

“Every one of the condos in the town, they all have base floors with first-floor units that are in the same boat as we are,” Titcomb said. “If a big hurricane comes through and these buildings get compromised, we’ll all be dealing with the same kind of restorations and response efforts we would be dealing with anyway.”

With the current project, the renovations cannot exceed half the building’s value, or FEMA rules would require the costly task of bringing the entire building into full compliance with FEMA’s current flood safety codes — including elevating the building. 

Titcomb is comfortable with the switch to renovating Town Hall. 

“You can debate whether the new building might have taken us out 30 years or 40 years, or the renovated building might take us out 10 to 15 years,” Titcomb said. “But it gives the time to figure out what its long-term needs are, and it’s going to take the deteriorated condition of the Town Hall off the table because it’ll be fixed.” 

MANALAPAN — Sharon Allen Kirkland, a frequent volunteer in town, died Aug. 7. She was 84. 

Born Nov. 12, 1941, to Joe and Lillian Allen (née Corinth) in Wilmington, Delaware, Mrs. Kirkland grew up in Westport, Connecticut, where she graduated from Staples High School before attending the University of Arizona. 

She began working as a flight attendant for World Airways, helping transport soldiers between Vietnam and the United States when she wasn’t on commercial trips. After landing in Tampa on one such passenger flight, she met Bob Kirkland; three weeks and a few endearing nicknames later — in April 1966 — the two were married. 

They spent the following 60 years adventuring around the world with each other and their three children, exploring dozens of countries.

Mrs. Kirkland worked as a real estate agent in St. Louis, Missouri, Washington, D.C., and Palm Beach for most of her life — but more important, she served as a cornerstone of her community. She was chair of the Architectural Commission for Manalapan, volunteered at the library, and served as a polling clerk and trainer there for many years. 

She could regularly be seen walking her beloved dog, Charley, throughout town and stopping to chat with anyone she met. Mrs. Kirkland loved volunteering, gardening, biking, spending time with family, and any other project she could get her hands on.

“She will be remembered not only for her many years of volunteerism and civic involvement, but also for the kindness, warmth and laughs she shared with everyone she met,” Manalapan Mayor John Deese said.

She is survived by her husband, Bob; her children, Sean, Paget and Whitney; her five grandchildren, Lilly, Lexi, Lauren, Alexander and Liam; and a wide network of friends and family. She left them all with countless memories and endless wisdom, including: Dance whenever you can, start your morning with fresh fruit, know what to do in case you encounter a bear, dress in fun clothes and bright colors, say hi to everyone you pass on the street, send that letter checking in on old friends, and above all else, JDI (just do it).

A celebration of life was held Aug. 15 at the National Croquet Club in West Palm Beach.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution in her memory to the J. Turner Moore Memorial Library, 1330 Lands End Road, Manalapan.

— Submitted by family

Five months after voters resoundingly rejected the city’s plan to redevelop its downtown campus in partnership with developers, officials are starting over to determine how the property should be re-envisioned.

Boca Raton City Council members on July 28 unanimously ranked Chen Moore and Associates, an engineering, planning and design firm headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, as their top choice to lead that effort. As soon as contract terms are finalized, Chen Moore will follow the city’s timeline to complete project planning in six months.

To avoid issues that led voters on March 10 to shoot down the plans put together by developers Terra and Frisbie Group, developers who stand to profit will not be part of the project.

In addition, city leaders and Chen Moore officials promise that residents will have multiple opportunities to give their input and that Chen Moore will revise its design plans based on resident feedback. City Council members will make the final decisions.

The firm will concentrate on the 17 acres west of Northwest Second Avenue where the City Hall, Community Center and Memorial Park, which commemorates World War II veterans, now are located.

Chen Moore has committed to preserving the banyan trees on site and is amenable to using Addison Mizner-style architecture on any newly constructed building. Veterans will be consulted on plans for Memorial Park.

— Mary Hladky

VILLAGE OF GOLF — Howard “Chip” Emerson Nestor Wilson, a distinguished, healthy and fit husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend, was struck and killed Aug. 9 as he returned to his car after dinner with his beloved wife, Patti, in Polson, Montana. He was 74.

Although his death was sudden, he had just spent two wonderful weeks surrounded by family and friends at his home on Flathead Lake, Montana. He was a devoted family man who lived a full and meaningful life. He and his sister, Kay, took a float trip in Glacier National Park the day before the accident. 

Mr. Wilson was born on Sept. 11, 1951, in Easton, Maryland, to Harry Norman Wilson and Kathleen Nestor Wilson. He often dreamed of returning to his Eastern Shore hometown, where life moved with the seasons, duck hunting in the fall, oysters in the winter, crabs, corn, and tomatoes in the summer. He enjoyed an idyllic childhood with his three older siblings, who looked after their baby brother until the very end. 

He graduated from Easton High School in 1969. A natural athlete, he played football, basketball, tennis, diving, golf and track. He continued to show off his diving skills whenever possible, including his children’s favorite, the “gainer into a can opener,” off the high dive at the Ocean Club in Ocean Ridge.

After high school, Mr. Wilson followed in the footsteps of his father, brother and sister and attended the University of Maryland, an institution he never quite forgave for leaving the ACC to join the Big Ten. During his college years, he studied business, joined the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, and made lifelong friends whom he continued to visit.

But the most important event to come from his time in College Park was meeting and falling in love with Patti McCarthy. The two were married on Dec. 28, 1974, and set off on life’s great adventure, a marriage that would remain devoted for 52 years. Later in life, Mr. Wilson converted from Episcopalian to Catholic, walking alongside Patti in faith just as he had in everything else.

The happy couple moved to Easton after getting married and welcomed their first son, Kiely, in the same hospital where Mr. Wilson was born. A few years later, after a move to Annapolis, they welcomed their daughter, Megan, the apple of his eye, and then their third child, Garrett, born in 1984, who made their family complete.

Mr. Wilson is lovingly remembered for his faithful presence at sporting events for his three children and nine grandchildren. He adored his family, and they felt that love every day. His last act was a gentlemanly one, as always, safely putting Patti in the car before the accident that took his life.

His banking career began in Annapolis at Maryland National Bank, and later continued at American Security Bank in Washington, D.C., where he attended Loyola University at night to earn his MBA in 1984. His hard work paid off when Toby Callaway offered him a job at U.S. Trust Co. in Palm Beach, where Mr. Wilson spent 13 years running the Florida office. 

In 1999, he moved his family to Philadelphia, taking his career and his impact to new heights as CEO of U.S. Trust’s mid-Atlantic region, and along the way became an avid Eagles and Phillies fan. 

In 2004, he joined Glenmede Trust Co. in a senior executive role, where he flourished for the next 20 years, opening offices in New York City and Palm Beach.

Mr. Wilson valued family, philanthropy and traditional values, and he carried that commitment into every community he joined. He was an active board member of the Country Club of Florida and chaired the membership committee at the Gulf Stream Bath and Tennis Club. He also belonged to numerous other clubs, including the Everglades Club, Merion Golf Club, Merion Cricket Club, the Fourth Street Club of Philadelphia, the Union League of Philadelphia, and Eagle Bend Golf Club in Montana. He also gave his time to the United Way of Palm Beach and Mural Arts Philadelphia. 

In retirement, visiting family, playing golf, club leadership, and travel kept him enthusiastically engaged.

He is survived by Patti, his wife of 52 years; his son Kiely of Cherry Hills Village, Colorado, his wife, Merel, and their three children, Charlotte, William, and Rosalie; his daughter Megan Schroeder of Bernardsville, New Jersey, her husband, Steve, and their three children, Emerson, Trey, and Grace; his son Garrett of Wayne, Pennsylvania, his wife, Diana, and their three children, Glory, Shepherd, and Carter; and his sister Kay Determan of San Diego.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Lynne and his brother, Norman.

Mr. Wilson leaves behind a legacy of kindness, love, loyalty, and good humor. A true gentleman whose unwavering presence will be missed by all who knew him.

A celebration of life will be held on Friday, Sept. 11 at 10 a.m. at Basilica of St. Edward, 144 N. County Road, Palm Beach.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations be made to The Boys and Girls Club of the Flathead Reservation, Gulf Stream School or The Everglades Foundation.

— Submitted by family

Ragtime, a rehabilitated loggerhead sea turtle, crawls into the ocean on the shores of the Beach Club at The Boca Raton. The turtle spent months recovering under the care of sea turtle specialists Whitney Crowder (far right) and Samantha Clark at the Palm Beach Zoo after being found tangled in fishing line. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Steve Plunkett

“Ragtime,” a 100-pound loggerhead sea turtle, lumbered down the beach in Boca Raton, paused to take in the watching crowd of animal lovers, then swam off into the Atlantic Ocean.

The turtle’s public release, choreographed by former Gumbo Limbo Nature Center employee Whitney Crowder and fellow Boca Raton resident Samantha Clark, was the first in the city since June 2025. That’s when the nonprofit Coastal Stewards group abruptly shut down its turtle rehabilitation unit at Gumbo Limbo.

“It’s been a while,” Clark said after Ragtime’s Aug. 7 release at the Beach Club at The Boca Raton. “We love celebrating them and their journeys.”

“We’re back in business, baby!” said Crowder, who used to coordinate Gumbo Limbo’s rehab unit but lost her job in early 2023 as turtle care at the city-operated nature center was transitioned to the now-defunct Coastal Stewards.

Later that year, Crowder and Clark, who spent eight years caring for turtle patients at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach, started a new nonprofit to tend to ailing and injured turtles, Sea Turtle Care and Conservation Specialists. They were joined by Dr. Maria Chadam, Gumbo Limbo’s former on-call veterinarian.

In 2025, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission gave the nonprofit a permit to give veterinary care to ailing sea turtles. The team, which has shortened its name to Sea Turtle Specialists, rents space at the Palm Beach Zoo, not accessible to the public, where it has two 2,000-gallon tanks for turtle rehab.

“The space includes a complete AZA-accredited hospital suite, state of the art hospital equipment, necropsy space, food preparation and storage,” Crowder wrote in the FWC permit application.

AZA is the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Ragtime’s saga began off the Deerfield Beach Pier on June 9 when the sub-adult loggerhead was accidentally caught by a fisherman. Ragtime was not hooked but had become entangled in fishing line.

Although the turtle appeared healthy on arrival at the zoo, radiographs showed a slowed digestive tract packed with crab shell fragments, while blood work indicated the animal had not eaten in some time and was fighting a secondary infection. Ragtime was diagnosed as being in the early stages of Debilitated Turtle Syndrome.

The team estimated the turtle’s age at 20 to 25 years old. It received treatment to heal the gastrointestinal tract, pass the accumulated crab shell fragments and fight the secondary infection. Ragtime also received antiparasitic medication since a debilitated sea turtle can harbor a parasite that lives in the cardiovascular system and can impair its ability to absorb nutrients.

Crowder said the FWC gave her nonprofit a range of suitable locations for Ragtime’s release before it decided on the Beach Club at The Boca Raton.

“We wanted to find a site that was both appropriate for the release and away from the area where Ragtime had originally stranded,” she said. “We also wanted a location that we could access safely with our support team and, most importantly, a community partner that would be supportive of our mission and help us create a safe environment for Ragtime’s return to the ocean. The Beach Club at The Boca Raton was incredibly supportive and helped make that possible.”

Crowder said she and Clark have divided their responsibilities as the nonprofit has grown. Crowder focuses on community engagement, developing local corporate partnerships, fundraising and grant writing. Clark leads the medical program, oversees patient care, manages the website and online store at seaturtlespecialists.org and is the creative talent behind all of their merchandise.

Sea Turtle Specialists operates the only sea turtle hospital in the 100-mile gap between Juno Beach and ZooMiami in Miami-Dade County. It has released three other sea turtles, from Flagler, Volusia and St. Johns counties, in non-publicized events.

“Many people still don’t realize that we’re here,” Crowder said. “Our long-term vision is to establish a permanent, public-facing sea turtle hospital farther south, closer to where the majority of our patients strand.”

Meeting time change — The Town Council voted 4-1at its Aug. 11 meeting to move the time of its regular monthly meetings from 2 to 6 p.m. 

Vice Mayor Francesca Attardi argued that the town was split between retiree and working-class populations almost evenly, meaning many residents would not be available for the town meetings that have been earlier in the day. 

Council member Sandra Beckett, the lone vote against the switch, said 65% of the population of the town is over 65, and 6 p.m. would fall around dinner time for much of the town’s population. She also said that the new time could exclude condo managers and board executives, as the meeting time would fall outside of their normal business days.

The council’s meeting times started out late and have gradually moved to earlier times of day before the new shift. They were initially held at 8 or 8:30 p.m. starting in 1955, moved to 7:30 p.m. in 1970, to 7 p.m. in 2010, to 4 p.m. in 2020, then to 2 p.m. in 2023. 

Sea wall markings update — The Town Council approved requiring condominiums facing the ocean to mark their sea walls with their address numbers to make it easier for emergency services to accurately respond to beach emergencies.

— Robert Haughn

In case you had a notion to feed the iguanas, rats, mice or pigeons on your property, the city of Boca Raton has this to say: Don’t.

The City Council on Aug. 25, by a 3-2 vote, approved an ordinance that imposes a $100 fine on those who do so. It is intended to prohibit feeding that will attract such animals. The city’s code enforcement officers will issue the citations.

Mayor Andy Thomson, who requested the ordinance, disagreed with Council member Yvette Drucker’s criticism that it is a waste of time and taxpayer dollars. Thomson said the nuisance animal issue affects residents.

The ordinance does not apply to feeding feral cats and does not disallow bird feeders.

— Mary Hladky

ABOVE: The catalog shows some people available for conversations during Living Library sessions, which ran for two weeks in July. BELOW: From left are Kianna Muckle, Lantana library assistant and project coordinator; Shari Boochay, who discussed her life as an immigrant; Linda Rosen, author; Kelsey Hamm, polyamory/nonbinary; Sara Garcia, dance teacher; Darcy Gordon, bipolar disorder; Glenn Mendez, on ’The Trajectory of Life’; Lisa Keough, guidance counselor; Kristine Kreidler, library director and organ transplant recipient; Sarsy Nix, ’Life is Full of Surprises’; Quanteria Jones, ’An Untraditional Life’; Raquel King, flight attendant and author. Photos by Tim Stepien/ The Coastal Star

By Ron Hayes 

At the Lantana Public Library, books can be checked out for two weeks.

If it’s a very long book, or you’re a very slow reader, you can renew it for another two weeks. You can renew it up to five times, if no one else is waiting for it.

And for two weeks in July, you could have checked out an actual human being.

But only for 30 minutes.

“We’re trying to foster connection,” explained Kristine Kreidler, the library’s director, “and a library is the perfect place to get people off their phones and having face-to-face conversations.”

They called the program a Living Library.

“The concept began in Europe about 20 years ago,” says Kianna Muckle, the library assistant who organized the event along with Kreidler. “Over there, they call it the Human Library.”

Lantana’s Living Library is a glorified, and glorious, metaphor.

People with interesting professions or unusual lives volunteer to be “books” visitors can “check out” for 30-minute conversations.

Kreidler and Muckle reached out on Facebook, Instagram and other social media sites, and gathered 17 locals who agreed to sit in the library’s study room in two-hour shifts, chatting with any visitors who dropped by.

This was the first time the Lantana library added human beings to its collection. When the Living Library opened for business on July 20, the collection of human books included an adoptee, a flight attendant, a dancer, a person who identifies as nonbinary, a school guidance counselor and, among others, a woman who is breathing with somebody else’s lungs in her chest.

Here’s what some of them had to share.

Jennifer Troyan, 52, an adoptee

My parents were on a list for eight years, and I was adopted at a couple months old, through Catholic Charities. And three years later, I got a half-brother. They got him at 2½ days.

We always knew. My mother told us that giving up a child for adoption is one of the most selfless things anyone can do.

We got a piece of paper with just the mother and father’s age.

There’s no real medical history, so on forms it just says “Unknown.” That doesn’t bother me. Not knowing means it never put a preconceived notion in my head. I’ve had friends who knew there was a family history of heart disease, for example, and they would ruminate on that.

About 10 years ago, I joined ancestry.com and it said I was mostly Irish and Scottish. And 1% Mongolian. Whatever that means!

I debated about finding my birth parents. I sat for three years with a lot of soul searching. What if this or that happened?

Eight years ago, I hired a small boutique firm in California called Birth Parent Finder, and a parent/child connection popped up.

Her name’s Debbie. She’s 72, and local, and she wanted to meet me.

We met at a Starbucks in Lake Worth Beach on Aug. 8, 2018. I have a half-brother who’s 44, and a half-sister 10 years younger than me.

I told Debbie, “I can’t call you Mom.” So, I call her Debbie, or Amma, which is a South Indian dialect for, like, Mama.

She told me she was 19 and it was a two-night stand.

My birth father never even knew about me, but Birth Finder hired a genetic genealogy investigator, and they reached out to one of his daughters, who agreed to supply a DNA sample to confirm.

His name is David. He’s 80 and lives in Alabama. He was in denial. His daughter told him, “She’s not looking for a kidney.” We’ve had no contact, and I’m OK with that, but I did meet one of his daughters, and she’s also named Jennifer.

I was out of town this Aug. 8, so Debbie and I met again on Aug. 5 at the same Starbucks to mark the eighth anniversary of our first meeting.

My mother’s 86 now, and she was always good with me finding my biological mother. I told Debbie, “You gave my mother something she couldn’t have herself.”

Raquel King, 40, a flight attendant for 10 years with American Airlines

My favorite layover is Buenos Aires, and domestically New Orleans.

I’m not afraid of flying, but I am afraid of angry passengers. People get mad when there are delays or their flights are canceled. Maybe they’ve had too much to drink, or they took something because they’re a nervous flier. Sometimes people just need to vent.

I tell people flying is safer than driving. It’s safer than crossing the street. The only mode of transportation that’s safer than flying is an elevator.

Is there really a Mile High Club? Well, I haven’t caught anyone personally. But I have heard stories.

Sara Garcia, 23, a dance teacher at Boynton Beach School of Music, Dance and Drama

I started dancing at 3, then studied at Nazareth University in upstate New York and the University of Roehampton in England.

I teach combination ballet and tap classes to the school’s Little Learners, ages 3-8.

It’s very cute. There’s a lot of stomping. With ages 3-8, there’s a lot of surprising talent if they really have a passion for it. By about age 6, they’ll start asking for more styles and training.

Dancing classes are expensive outside a school. It can cost up to $500 a month, so after I pay off all my student loans, I want to work toward opening my own studio with more affordable and scholarship classes.

Darcy Gordon (center, with long braid) discusses her experiences with bipolar disorder during a Living Library session in Lantana.  

Kelsey Hamm, 31, who describe themselves as polyamorous and nonbinary

I use they/them pronouns.

I have two boyfriends and a girlfriend, all long-term. I’ve been with the two men for three years and the woman for one year.

I was asked if I would have been happy if I had been trans as a child, but I had no gender dysphoria as a child. Growing up, I dressed very masculine. Sometimes I think of myself as more male than female.

I have considered hormones and surgery, but ultimately, I’m satisfied now.

I try to be out where I can, because I think visibility is important, but I can tell friends, “I’m not out in this situation,” and they respect that.

There’s a bar I go to locally, and even though they’re very confused about me, they’re also very nice.

Do we have orgies? Well, no one asked, but the answer’s no.

Lisa Keough, a guidance counselor at Forest Hill High School

I’ve been doing this for 33 years. I began in 1994 at Palm Beach Gardens High School, then worked with alternative education in the county jail and the Department of Juvenile Justice.

I love high school. The kids are interesting and they can reason, so a lot of it is helping them manage with parents, social media, their teachers.

The undocumented kids confide in me they’re afraid to come to school. We get them through school, but then they can’t afford college. One girl’s got straight A’s, and we got her a small scholarship through women’s clubs and service clubs, but only for one semester. She wants to be a nurse, but now she’s just working in a little restaurant.

And I had a young Guatemalan girl last year who was raped by her first cousin. I had to report it. He went to jail, but the females in her family, her mother and grandmother, wanted her to not press charges.

She was 17.

It’s important to be accepting and have no agenda of your own. Be open. Every teacher has their subject, and my subject is teaching kids how to be good decision-makers.

Kristine Kreidler, 45, a double-lung transplant and the library director

I don’t tell this too often.

I was born with cystic fibrosis, and by age 22 my lungs were at the end of life. In 2005, I went to Duke University, which is known as a great center, and got on a waiting list.

People wanted to know about the donor.

All I know about my donor is that he was 22 and from New York City, and he died on Memorial Day weekend of 2005. At that age, it’s typically an accident or an overdose.

My surgery was on Memorial Day as well. They called me around 8:30 p.m. on the 29th saying they had a potential set of lungs.

Was I terrified? Yes and no. On the morning of my surgery, my mom called and told me The Palm Beach Post had an article that morning about Joan of Arc. I had played Joan of Arc in a play at Palm Beach State College, and there was a quote from her, “I am not afraid. I was born to do this.”

The surgery took between seven and nine hours. I don’t know exactly how long, but when I came to, the ICU nurse was holding a Diet Dr Pepper. I don’t like diet drinks, or Dr Pepper.

I was on a ventilator for the first two or three hours, and then they took the vent out, and I was in the hospital for six days.

The median survival rate after a transplant is 50% at five years and 20% at 10 years. I’m still here after 21 years.

My doctor says long-term survivors like me are in uncharted territory. 

•

During the 10 days of the Living Library’s human books program, 64 visitors “checked out” a book.

“Many attendees stayed well beyond the scheduled check-out period and ultimately befriended one another,” Kreidler said. “That's the best kind of outcome we could hope for.

“We definitely plan to try again next year, tweaking it from what we learned and promoting it earlier and more often. When attendees stay long after a program ends and leave having formed new friendships, that tells us we are creating exactly the kind of community connection libraries are uniquely positioned to foster.” 

***

A small-town library with impressive growth

Kristine Kreidler, Lantana library director and organ transplant recipient, holds a customized wooden book given to each Living Library participant. 

By Ron Hayes

When Kristine Kreidler became the director of the Lantana Public Library in 2019, it had one full-time employee — and she was it.

Today, there are four, plus seven part-timers.

Under her leadership, the library has seen the kind of growth that more than justifies those additional staff members.

For example, Kreidler reports, in the 2018-19 fiscal year, the library issued 264 library cards to new borrowers. In 2024-25, they issued 1,845 new cards.

That’s a 599% increase in six years.

Over the same period, the library has seen a 160% increase in annual circulation, from 12,014 books checked out in the fiscal year before she started to 31,189 in 2025. And this is at a library that doesn’t have DVDs. All those checkouts were for books.

The library has gone from offering 11 programs right before Kreidler arrived to 426 in 2025. And those programs have brought in many more people, from the 97 who showed up back in the fiscal year prior to Kreidler’s start to the 8,740 who attended in 2025. 

“Our mission is to educate and provide a safe, welcoming space, but it goes deeper than that,” Kreidler says. “Beyond books, we want to cultivate community, the kind that happens face-to-face and results in neighbors knowing each other as they used to back in the old days.

“We want to be the vibrant hub of Lantana that residents are proud of.” 

To find out all the Lantana Public Library has to offer, visit lantanalibrary.org.

Participants in one of the 2025 Witches of Delray events included (l-r) Kachi Montalvo, Megan Hanley, Tori Ross, Lauren Kennedy, Leslie Murrell and Rachel Cooke. Photo provided by Debra Somerville

The 15th annual BETR Project’s Witches of Delray benefiting Achievement Centers for Children & Families is planning a fun-filled October to support local residents.

First is the second annual Witches Night Out, from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 1 at Good Night John Boy. Hosted by Oceans for Kids Foundation, the event will offer small bites, tacos from Talkin’ Tacos and special guests from Delray Beach Ghost Tours. Tickets are $75 through Sept. 13, $95 after.

Then, on Oct. 7, Tim Finnegans Irish Pub hosts Witches Trivia Night from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.; costumes are encouraged for this free event. 

On Oct. 16 at Tim Finnegans, the 12th annual Witches Brew is from 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $50 through Oct. 2, $75 after.

The 15th annual Witches of Delray Bike Ride is Oct. 24 along with costume contests, decorated bikes and team themes. Tickets are $75 through Oct. 2, $100 after. Registration is at 7 a.m. at City Hall with the ride at 8 and post-ride festivities at 9 at Old School Square. 

For sponsorship or other information, contact Gina Griffin at 954-232-3806 or GGriffin@DelrayChild.org. 

“Fifteen years in, the Witches Ride is more than just a tradition — it's a celebration of community and creativity,” said Stephanie Seibel, CEO of the Achievement Centers. “What began as a fun, whimsical event has grown into powerful support for the families we serve. Each year, we’re blown away by the enthusiasm and generosity that fills the streets.

“It’s a beautiful reminder of what’s possible when people come together for a cause that truly matters. We remain deeply grateful to the founders whose vision 15 years ago made this tradition possible.”

Children, caregivers attend Summer Foster Family Bash 

Speak Up for Kids drew nearly 100 children and caregivers to the fifth annual Velocity Summer Foster Family Bash on July 22 at Drive Shack in West Palm Beach.

Velocity Community Credit Union sponsored the celebration for the fifth year, providing an afternoon of relaxation for foster and relative caregiver families. Volunteers helped the children learn golf, while families were treated to lunch, a photo booth, toys, gift cards and more.

“There is a desperate need for more foster parents in Palm Beach County, but no family should ever feel they must take this journey alone,” said Coleen LaCosta, executive director of Speak Up for Kids.

A student-led initiative from the Speak Up chapter at Spanish River High School became part of the Summer Bash, as a special check presentation brought $5,000 to provide bicycle helmets for foster children. The donation came from the Delray Medical Center Hospital Board.

New wildlife exhibit at Children’s Museum 

Community leaders, elected officials, donors and longtime supporters gathered July 29 at Schoolhouse Children’s Museum, 129 E. Ocean Ave., Boynton Beach, to celebrate the ribbon cutting of Mangrove Manor. It is the newest permanent exhibit and a milestone in the museum’s history as one of the county’s premier destinations for early childhood learning.

Mangrove Manor, made possible by a grant from Impact 100 Palm Beach County, allows children to climb, crawl, slide and explore an environment featuring native Florida wildlife — including an oversized alligator — while building confidence, problem-solving skills and connections through imaginative play.

The celebration included representatives from Impact 100 Palm Beach County, the city of Boynton Beach, including Commissioner Aimee Kelley and Vice Mayor Thomas Turkin, the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches, and nonprofit leaders, educators, board members and community advocates from throughout the county.

“Mangrove Manor represents so much more than a new exhibit,” said Miriam Naranjo, executive director of Schoolhouse Children’s Museum. “It reflects what’s possible when a community comes together to invest in its children.”

YMCA gets donation for Parkinson’s programs

The YMCA of South Palm Beach County was awarded $14,000 by the Parkinson’s Foundation to support disease management programs — including Surf & Turf, Parkinson’s Cycle and Parkinson’s Dance — which help improve strength, balance, flexibility, mobility and overall quality of life.

The money will help sustain eight hours of vital programming each week across the Y’s two locations, in Boca Raton and Boynton Beach.

In all, the Parkinson’s Foundation announced recipients of more than $1 million in grants for community programs across the nation designed to help people live better with Parkinson’s disease by providing support for health, wellness and educational needs.

New CEO, board chief at YWCA Palm Beach County

YWCA Palm Beach County has appointed Mary Hart as chief executive officer and Tessie Watts as president of the board of directors.

Hart brings extensive leadership experience to the CEO role. Before founding Hart Core Solutions, which helps nonprofits and small businesses pursue growth opportunities, she was executive director of Dress for Success Palm Beaches and the Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Palm Beach County.

Watts, a Riviera Beach native, is founder and CEO of The Leadership Haven Resource Center, a consulting firm specializing in leadership development, board governance and organizational strategy.

Current board members are Kimberly Cruz, Vanessa Moss, Cassandra Oliver, Alcolya St. Juste, Karen Stephenson and Trixy Walker. Incoming members are Denise Albritton, Yolanda Cope, Tonya Davis-Johnson, Dena Sisk Foman, Amanda Joiner, Orie McIntosh, Al’Licia Pittman and Ann Marie Sorrell.

BHH names winners of Corporate Challenge

Fourteen local companies joined with Boca Helping Hands in hosting a workplace food drive to help stock pantry shelves with nonperishable food. 

Those that collected the most food by weight within their category earned the boxing-style champion’s belt. The three categories were based on employee count.

A total of 22,195 pounds of food was donated in the Corporate Challenge. That is equivalent to 18,495.83 meals, or a total value of $51,270.45 on average.

The bantamweight champion (50 employees or fewer) was SouthState Bank, coming in with 966 pounds; middleweight champion (51-100 employees) was Woolbright Development with 1,073 pounds; and the heavyweight champion (more than 100 employees) was ADMA Biologics with 16,418 pounds.

“Over the summer, demand for food stays the same, while food donations decline significantly because many people are on vacation and the snowbirds go back up north for the season,” said Andrew Hagen, CEO of Boca Helping Hands. “That’s what made the Corporate Challenge so important. It enabled Boca Helping Hands to provide food to people in need in our community while bringing local businesses together in a friendly competition in support of a great cause.”

5K run to fight hunger set at Okeeheelee Park

Feeding South Florida’s annual Outrun Hunger 5K will be held on Sept. 19 at Okeeheelee Park, 7715 Forest Hill Blvd., West Palm Beach. 

Check-in opens at 6:30 a.m. and the 5K begins at 7:30. After the race, an awards ceremony and a raffle will take place. To register, visit secure.qgiv.com/event/fy27outrunhunger5kpbc. 

Every registration will help provide 120 meals for individuals and families facing hunger and food insecurity. 

Open mic event to raise money for culinary arts

The Community Classroom Project will host JP’s Jam, an annual fundraiser in memory of John Paul Kline, a beloved chef, artist and founder of the former 3rd & 3rd. The open mic event from 7 to 11 p.m. on Sept. 25 is for patrons 21 and up at The Hub at Space of Mind, 101 NW First Ave., Delray Beach. 

Money raised will be for the JP Kline Culinary Arts Scholarship Fund, which supports local chefs and creatives. There will be light bites prepared by the Community Classroom Kitchen and drinks sponsored by Dominick Peri of Prosperity Brewers. The SoulStreamz Open Mic will host the entertainment, which will include musicians, poetry, games and audience interactions. Kline, who died in 2016, was a huge lover of art, music and spontaneous creativity. All members of the community are invited to perform.

“JP was a close friend, having supported the early culinary initiatives at Space of Mind, and he had an indelible impact on Delray when he founded 3rd & 3rd and gave the local music scene a home,” said Ali Kaufman, founder of Space of Mind and Community Classroom Project. “His spirit and mission live on through his scholarship fund, the friends and family who miss him dearly and the students who have benefited. We are honored to support this cause and keep his memory alive by raising a new generation of culinary artists — and giving all creatives a place to thrive.”

Tickets are $50 at JPKline.givesmart.com or text JPKline to 7627.

Karaoke competition to help CROS tackle hunger

Shower singers and seasoned performers alike, take note. The Wednesday Night Mic Karaoke Competition, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Oct. 7 at the Delray Elks Lodge, 265 NE Fourth Ave., will raise vital money for CROS Ministries’ programs that fight hunger in the area.

Sponsored by the Amy & Noreen Team, Lang Realty, the event is part of Do Good Delray, which aims to increase collaboration between for-profit and nonprofit members of the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce.

Tickets are $20 and include pizza, soft drink and a raffle ticket. Alcoholic beverages and additional raffle tickets for baskets will be for sale.

For more information, visit crosministries.org/events.

Goo Goo Dolls headline children’s hospital gala

Goo Goo Dolls have been announced as the headliner for the Red Gala benefiting Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation at 6 p.m. on Oct. 24 at Pier Sixty-Six in Fort Lauderdale. 

Chaired by Deana and Andrew Koenig, the annual event supports lifesaving pediatric care and will feature patient stories, silent and live auctions, a performance by the multiplatinum-selling band and more. Last year’s gala raised more than $3 million.

Walk of Recognition nominations open

The Boca Raton Historical Society and The Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum are inviting the community to nominate notable citizens to be considered for the Walk of Recognition. This year’s celebration will mark three decades of honoring individuals whose leadership and generosity have shaped Boca Raton. 

“When I started the Walk of Recognition in 1997, I saw a community full of people quietly doing extraordinary things — for their neighbors, for local schools, for people who needed help — and no one was stopping to say thank you,” said Marta Batmasian, founder of the Walk of Recognition. “I wanted Boca Raton to have a place where those contributions could be remembered, not just for a moment, but for good. Thirty years later, I’m prouder than ever of everyone we’ve been able to honor.”

The program has honored people across education, healthcare, civic service, arts and culture, business and philanthropy, with each honoree receiving an engraved granite star in Mizner Plaza at Royal Palm Place.

Nominations close on Sept. 15 and can be made online at bocahistory.org/walk-of-recognition-2026/.

The Walk of Recognition is from 6 to 9 p.m. Nov. 4 at The Addison, 2 East Camino Real, Boca Raton. Tickets are $125 via BocaHistory.org or by calling 561-395-6766, ext. 100.

Junior League’s Volunteer of the Year Luncheon set

The Junior League of Boca Raton’s 39th annual Woman Volunteer of the Year luncheon is coming at 10 a.m. Nov. 5 at The Boca Raton, 501 E. Camino Real. JLBR President Melody Cobbe has announced Tandy Robinson as honorary chair and Linda Paton and Victoria Matthews as event co-chairs. Guests are invited to wear white.

The luncheon honors those nominated by nonprofits throughout Palm Beach County and northern Broward County for notable dedication as volunteers in service of the organizations they serve. Proceeds benefit the Junior League of Boca Raton.

Assistant chairs are Nancy Walsh, Joni Goldberg, Carla Thrower, Stephanie Newell and Alex Welsh. 

Sponsorships, tables, and tickets can be purchased directly at wvoy26.givesmart.com/ or call 561-620-2553.

Send news, photos and notes to Lou Ann Frala at philanthropy@thecoastalstar.com.

In the research lab at FAU, neuroscience Ph.D. candidate Claudia Alvarez works at the laptop as medical student Paige DeForest wears a VR headset and Dr. Ali Danesh observes. Photos provided

By Jan Engoren

While enrolled in an artificial intelligence course at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Florida Atlantic University, Dennis and Pamela Popaca learned about a study at FAU’s College of Education examining the relationship between hearing, balance and cognitive function in adults ages 55 and older.

Intrigued, the couple — Dennis Popaca, 74, a retired Boca Raton city employee, and Pamela Popaca, 67, a retired principal from Sandpiper Shores Elementary School — decided to enroll.

“We’re both happy to do what we can to increase understanding of issues that affect seniors,” Dennis Popaca says. “We hope they learn something significant to add to the scientific literature. We’d like to encourage seniors who may be reluctant to get involved, to come out and participate.”

Dennis Popaca admits to slight tinnitus and, according to his wife, some mild hearing loss, but says he has no significant balance or cognitive issues. The couple have friends and neighbors living with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and are eager to support research that may lead to better treatments or a cure.

A former FAU undergraduate and longtime season-ticket holder for the university’s football team, Dennis Popaca says he was impressed with the lab and its facilities. “My annual Medicare exam is not that elaborate,” he says. “Claudia Alvarez and her staff are very professional and make it an easy and pleasant experience.”

Alvarez, a neuroscience Ph.D. candidate at FAU’s Stiles- Nicholson Brain Institute, is conducting the study in Dr. Ali Danesh’s research lab on hearing, tinnitus and balance.

While cognitive decline is a challenge for many older adults, the reasons behind it remain unclear. 

The National Institutes of Health estimates that 42% of Americans over age 55 will eventually develop dementia.

Alvarez’s work comes at a time when hearing loss and dementia are affecting millions of older adults nationwide, underscoring the importance of this research.

Mild hearing loss doubles the risk for dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Society, and the risk increases with further loss. And the Hearing Loss Association of America reports that one in seven people — roughly 50 million Americans — have some degree of hearing loss. 

Those numbers highlight the scale of the challenge.

Here in Palm Beach County, the issue is especially relevant due to its senior population: In 2026, more than 334,000 residents age 65 and older live in the county, according to the Florida Department of Health.

The study seeks to understand the relationship between hearing loss, dementia and vestibular issues — systems that support balance, spatial orientation and environmental processing, and often deteriorate with age. 

A second study examines the same criteria in those with Parkinson’s disease. Together, the studies highlight how sensory decline can translate into everyday health risks, often correlating with falls, cognitive decline and reduced quality of life.

Alvarez says hearing loss is the leading modifiable risk factor for dementia, and that cognitive decline can often be reversed or stabilized once hearing issues are addressed with hearing aids or other treatments.

She adds that a variety of therapies may support cognition. 

“The best is when individuals are engaged and challenged in some capacity,” she says. “If you listen to music and do a puzzle, or listen to music and read a book, it can yield a more positive outcome.”

So can engaging your brain in something it’s not used to and doing things in social situations, Alvarez says.

The study is among the first to examine the balance and auditory systems together, making it a unique contribution to the field — an important step because it will provide researchers and medical providers with a better understanding of the variability currently seen in the presentation of cognitive decline.

“Our goal is to investigate how impairments in hearing and balance interact to shape spatial cognitive deficits,” Alvarez says. 

By studying these systems together, she hopes to identify sensitive multisensory markers of early cognitive decline and strengthen screening approaches for older adults.

Dennis and Pamela Popaca enjoy themselves at an Owls football game. The retired couple are participants in a cognitive function study Alvarez is conducting. Photos providedParticipants complete a one‑time, 90‑minute on‑site visit and receive free access to their study reports, which include hearing, balance and cognitive screenings. The first 100 participants also receive a $50 gift card.

To date, Alvarez has enrolled 50 participants and is seeking another 50. Exclusions include neurodegenerative disorders, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, vestibular diseases such as Ménière’s, and a history of seizures within the past six to 12 months.

Recent research has also indicated that staying socially connected as you age is an important step in aging well. Alvarez says that everyday habits play a role in maintaining our cognitive health.

“Engage with your environment,” she says. “It’s a busy and loud world, but be present and engage with your senses. The more we stay present in our environment with the things we enjoy, the better it is for our cognitive and overall health. Being present keeps you present.”

For participants, that mission feels personal. The Popacas say they’re glad they enrolled — to support research that may help their generation stay sharper, steadier, more connected and have more time to enjoy the FAU Owls’ victories.

For more information or to sign up for the study, contact Alvarez at 954-756-0510 or at claudiaalvar2021@fau.edu.

Jan Engoren writes about health and healthy living. Send column ideas to jengoren@hotmail.com.

Marquis MD, a concierge medicine company, opened its first practice at 660 Glades Road, Suite 460, Boca Raton, in August. It functions on an annual membership fee structure, giving members a concierge care coordinator and direct access to physicians around the clock. The Boca Raton location also offers Marquis MD Pediatrics so that parents and children can be seen in the same practice. For more information, visit marquismd.com.

Study: Focused ultrasound helps Parkinson’s patients 

Delray Medical Center’s study on Parkinson’s disease, published in the July 2026 issue of The Lancet Neurology, found that staged bilateral magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound is an effective treatment for some patients. 

Focused ultrasound sends targeted waves, guided by MRI imaging, to precisely treat areas of the brain associated with Parkinson’s disease symptoms without surgery or implants. The researchers found that improvements showed up within one month and lasted through at least 12 months after the second treatment. 

The study was co-authored by Delray Medical Center physicians Dr. Arif Dalvi, neurologist and director of the Comprehensive Movement Disorders Center at Palm Beach Neuroscience Institute, and Dr. Lloyd Zucker, neurosurgeon at the Brain and Spine Center of South Florida. 

— Christine Davis

The Promise Fund celebrated receiving a $300,000 state appropriation with a check presentation, bringing together fund leadership, elected officials, community partners and care advocates to highlight the lifesaving impact of patient navigation. Participants included Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker, founder of Promise Fund; state Sen. Lori Berman; state Rep. Kelly Skidmore; Promise Fund Executive Director Jacqueline Marsan; Promise Fund board member Amy Young, a partner at Ballard Partners; and Genesis Community Health CEO DeAnna Warren. The money will support Promise Fund Navigators, guides who help uninsured and underinsured women overcome barriers that can prevent them from receiving timely health screenings, services and treatment. It was secured with the support of Berman and  Skidmore in the Florida Legislature. For more information, visit thepromisefund.org. ABOVE (l-r): Young, Skidmore, Brinker, Berman, Marsan and Warren. Photo provided by Gina Fontana

Dozens of restaurants are participating in the Flavor South Florida and Downtown Delray promotional events. Some of those eateries include Gary Rack’s Farmhouse Kitchen, top, and Avalon Beach House, below. Photos provided

September is a great month to be a diner in South Florida.

Two promotions have lists of restaurants offering dining deals at noted places. Diners are encouraged to get out of their ruts and explore the food scene throughout Palm Beach County: Try a new restaurant, cuisine or location and save a few bucks at the same time.

The Downtown Delray Beach Restaurant Month is in its 11th year and offers up deals at 50 participating restaurants.

Flavor South Florida, a program encompassing Palm Beach and Martin counties, promotes deals at more than 100 restaurants, specialty shops and quick-serve spots.

Both programs run the month of September, a down-time in South Florida for the hospitality industry. 

Tourism is at a low, kids are back to school, and traveling and dining out aren’t a priority, so hotels and restaurants put marketing into high gear. 

To get diners into seats, and to entice them to try a new-to-them restaurant, then get them back later, owners offer special menus for a set price. 

Flavor South Florida created the format 20 years ago. Restaurants have a prix fixe menu, typically three courses, representing selections from the main menu. Choices range from $44 to $66 for a three-course dinner, $30 to $50 for a three-course lunch, and include old and new restaurants in the area.

The Downtown Delray program mimics the Flavor program, offering an exclusive menu, typically three courses with a few choices on each, for a set price.

Exclusive specials designed just for diners coming in during the promotion range from multicourse prix fixe lunches or dinners, to happy hour menus, and sweets from treat shops. There are cooking class deals in the mix as well.

Participating restaurants in Downtown Delray Beach represent Mediterranean cuisine (Amar Mediterranean Bistro, La Cigale), steaks (Bourbon Steak), Italian (Gabriella’s Modern Italian, Elisabetta’s Ristorante and Campi Italian), American (Gary Rack’s Farmhouse Kitchen, The Office), Mexican (Papa’s Tapas, El Camino),  Asian (Le Colonial, Hawkers Asian Street Food, KaPow Noodle Bar), pizza (Death by Pizza, Windy City Pizza, Rose’s Daughter), coffee shops, ice cream parlors and dozens more.

A free Downtown Delray Restaurant Month mobile pass, available at DowntownDelrayBeach.com/RestaurantMonth, shows diners all the menus and deals available. Points can be earned and prizes, usually gift cards, can be won on the site as well. No app download is necessary.

For Flavor Palm Beach, the new mod American Man Ray from the Subculture group in Lake Worth Beach is on the list, and is one of the less expensive. 

Barcelona Wine Bar, the new hot spot in Sundy Village in Delray Beach, offers a selection of three tapas from its large list, plus a dessert for its prix fixe.

Old favorites such as Avalon Beach House in Delray Beach, Driftwood in Boynton Beach, and Florie’s in the Four Seasons also are here. Oceano Kitchen, in Lake Worth Beach, is a James Beard Award nominee, noted for its creative dishes.

All the information about Flavor South Florida, with restaurant lists that can be filtered for cuisine and location, is at Flavorsouthflorida.com.

Here are some tips to take full advantage of the specials:

• Check out the restaurants, cuisines and menus online before you go. Be aware of limitations on menus; many will not offer substitutions on these special menus. Many are dinner-only menus; lunch is listed separately if available.

• Reservations for the deal menus are almost a must. We say almost because the restaurants will book limited numbers of tables for Restaurant Month or Flavor diners per service. This is most important on weekend nights. Both websites offer reservation links.

• Without a reservation, as a walk-in, you will need to ask for the Downtown Delray Restaurant Month or Flavor Palm Beach menu; it’s not guaranteed.

• Restaurants do not combine their specials menu with any other deals. All offer their regular menus, however.

• A prix fixe menu is for one diner only. Tax, tip and alcohol are not included. Most restaurants offer wine or a special cocktail for an additional price.

John G’s expanding

John G’s in Manalapan, a longtime favorite of locals, is cooking up franchise opportunities in South Florida.

An institution in Palm Beach County since 1973, now in Manalapan, the restaurant was sold in May, and new owners are offering franchise opportunities.

One is already in the works. The first new location will be in Port St. Lucie, with a projected opening in early September, according to General Manager Napoleon Barone. 

He would not name the precise location “until all is settled.”

But it’s a pre-existing spot, ready to go.

The restaurant in Plaza Del Mar was sold by the original Giragos family in 2019 to Doris and Laurent Di Meglio.

The Boca Raton couple are restaurateurs who made minimal changes to the menu. Their biggest switch was accepting credit cards.

In March, the couple sold the nautical-themed cafe, famous for its breakfasts and fish and chips, to a Canadian businessman, Barone said.

The owners are listed as The Sikellis Group LLC, with Charalambos Sikellis and Nexhmije Hoxha its authorized members, according to Florida Division of Corporation records. Online reports show the Sikellis family have been involved in restaurant franchises in Quebec.

Future John G's locations could include Boynton Beach and Boca Raton, Barone said.

Plans are for at least nine John G’s to be in South Florida in the next five years, he said.

“We’re planning to come south from Port St. Lucie — Jupiter, West Palm Beach, Boca, maybe even into Miami.”

The restaurant has strong ties to Palm Beach County, having served countless meals in its original spot at the casino building fronting the Lake Worth Beach pier. 

It’s nostalgic for many diners who remember the long lines around the building on weekends, and trays of chocolate-covered fruits served by founder John Giragos as patrons stood in the hot sun.

There were no reservations: Tourists, celebrities and locals put their names on the list and waited together for a seat. Fresh roses were on every table. Longtime servers knew many guests by name and their favorite food orders. It was a family affair, as well, with John’s daughter Wendy Yarbrough handling front-of-house duties, and sons Jay and Keith cooking.

Best sellers off the menu included the cinnamon-nut French toast, and the fish and chips served with a unique tartar sauce, slaw and a corn fritter. On Fridays, the seafood chowder was in big demand.

For years, a takeout window for the restaurant at the beachfront sold bags of sliders, the two-piece “petite” order of fish and chips and a fritter, and soup containers of gazpacho.

At this time, there are no plans for out-of-state franchises, despite some interest in putting one in New York, his native home, Barone said. 

“We’re not set up for that yet.”

Man Ray in Lake Worth

The mod new restaurant Man Ray opened at 522 Lucerne Ave. in Lake Worth Beach — the former C.W.S. bar — in August.

It’s from the Subculture Group, the same one behind Dada in Delray Beach and Tryst in Boca Raton.

Billed as “retro-American” with an “artistic wink,” the menu is a mix of old and modern takes on casual foods.

What’s different is the origin of each dish listed alongside on the menu.

There’s Barb’s Cheese Ball, from Cheshire, Massachusetts — a mix of goat cheese, almonds and cherries served with good old Ritz crackers.

The beer-grilled chicken wings are from Decatur, Alabama, served with a white barbecue sauce typical of the Cotton State.

A Faroe Island cedar plank salmon, served with huckleberry-miso, asparagus teriyaki, and furikake granola, comes from Seattle.

French dip is from Los Angeles, the “Out & In Style Smashed Burger” is from Baldwin Park, California. 

No sign of Florida on the menu, but Man Ray, the artist, was unconventional, too.

Man Ray, 522 Lucerne Ave., Lake Worth Beach. Phone 561-335-3329; sub-culture.org. Open 5-11 p.m. daily.

Pigsty BBQ reopens

We wrote about Pigsty BBQ in Boynton Beach closing last month, but they recently announced a reopening, in partnership with The Bungalow.

Pigsty will be serving their menu at the indoor/outdoor bar at 511 N. Fourth St. in Boynton Beach where live music is a draw.

Tom and Nicole Rhodemyer, owners of the barbecue spot that closed after a decade on Boynton Beach Boulevard described the joint venture as a “win-win relationship,” giving them an outlet to serve their popular ’cue without a prohibitive overhead.

They'll have the smoker on site, serving many of the popular items from the restaurant, along with sides and specials. The menu is being tweaked, they wrote on their website.

For a month, Pigsty will operate during The Bungalow’s hours, Wednesday-Thursday, 4-11 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, noon to midnight, and Sunday noon to 11 p.m., but plan to open for lunch daily after they are settled in.

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

Steve Anderson holds Harvey Shane’s 33-pound snook. The best spots to snag the popular gamefish are in the Intracoastal Waterway, local canals, inlets in Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Lake Worth Beach and Jupiter, as well as off beaches. Photo provided

By Steve Waters

Snook fight hard and are delicious to eat, and there’s no better time to catch the fish than September.

The snook season opened Sept. 1 after a three-month closure on the Atlantic coast. One of Florida’s most popular saltwater gamefish, snook are protected during the summer because that’s when they gather at inlets as they prepare to spawn and are easy to target.

After spawning in Palm Beach County, many snook head back into the Intracoastal Waterway and local canals. But a bunch remain in inlets in Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Lake Worth Beach and Jupiter, as well as off beaches, where they can be caught on live bait and a variety of lures such as jigs, plugs and soft-plastic baitfish imitations.

Because snook are so fun to catch and so good to eat, they are intensely managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Anglers along the Atlantic coastare allowed to keep only one snook per day with a total length of 28 to 32 inches.

The season is closed from June 1 to Aug. 31. The open season is Sept. 1-Dec. 14, then it closes Dec. 15-Jan. 31, when the potential for cold weather can make snook so lethargic that unethical anglers could simply scoop up the fish with a landing net. The season reopens from Feb. 1 through May 31.

Boat docks and bridges also harbor snook this time of year. Snook hang around pilings and wait for the tide to bring baitfish or shrimp. Anglers who fish at night prefer bridges and docks with lights and fish their baits and lures, so they drift from the light side of the shadow line to the dark side. If you’re fishing a dock without lights, cast your lure or bait under the dock and let it sink to where the snook are waiting.

Tom Greene of Lighthouse Point, who grew up fishing for snook in Boca Raton more than 60 years ago, said bridges across the Intracoastal Waterway from Boca Raton to Palm Beach can be snook hot spots at the start of the outgoing and incoming tides. The fish will almost always be on the down current side of the bridges.

Greene said he’d cast a Flair Hawk jig and bounce it on the bottom parallel to the bridge and along the shadow line.

“The secret of snook fishing is that snook are feeding on the bottom, not on top,” said Greene, although he acknowledged that the fish will occasionally hit a topwater lure.

For those who prefer to fish in canals, Greene suggested slowly trolling diving plugs from a small boat early in the morning and in the evening. He said kayak anglers should fish early and cast plugs or DOA plastic shrimp around sea walls and docks.

Rain also plays a role in snook fishing this time of year. After heavy rains, spillways in South Florida are opened to release the excess water into the Intracoastal. Snook wait at the spillways to feed on small freshwater fish such as bluegills, shad and shiners that are swept through the water control structures.

Greene said top spillways include those in Boca Raton, Boynton Beach and Lake Worth Beach. His favorite way to fish the spillways is to hook a live or dead bluegill, shad or shiner through the bottom of the mouth and out through the top on a half- or three-eighths-ounce jig. He casts the bait into the fast-moving water at the mouth of the spillway and bounces the jig on the bottom.

“I would find myself at a spillway at daylight and fish that,” Greene said. “If you can’t make the daylight bite, fish a spillway late in the afternoon. If you have to work all night, you can still fish them in the middle of the day because fish at spillways will eat all day.”

Outdoors writer Steve Waters can be reached at steve33324@aol.com.

Temple Beth El’s Lunch and Learn for September features educator Michael Hollander discussing “Israel Votes 2026 — Never Has There Been Such an Important Election,” at noon on four consecutive Tuesdays, Sept. 8-29, on the Schaefer Family Campus in Boca Raton and virtually via Zoom. 

Hollander says some of the most popular questions he is asked about Israel are: “Why is the Israeli system of governance so crazy? Why does everything feel like such a ‘balagan’ here?” referring to a state of chaos.

Hollander, a licensed Israeli tour guide and scholar with more than 30 years of experience teaching Jewish history, Zionism, and Israeli society, designed this series to help people understand the nature of Israeli democracy and how the Israeli political system and elections work.

Sessions include “How a People Without Power Became a Powerful People”; “Continued Challenges to Israeli Democracy”; the parties and leaders, platforms and issues in the 2026 election, scheduled for Oct. 27; and what comes after the election. 

For more information, call 561-391-8900 or go to tbeboca.org.  

Lectio Divina prayer circle at St. Gregory’s church

The Center for Spiritual Formation hosts a prayer circle facilitated by Rosie Sandoval at 10 a.m. Sept. 5 and Oct. 3 in St. Mary’s Chapel at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church, 100 NE Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton. This contemplative prayer experience meets for 30 to 40 minutes of Lectio Divina, the ancient Christian practice of using Holy Scripture to center prayer. Beginners are welcome. Contact Sandoval at Rose@rose-sandoval.com.

Rabbis featured in Temple Beth El podcast premiere 

Join the audience for the live launch and recording of the podcast “Essential Questions with Soul” at 7 p.m. Sept. 5 at the Schaefer Family Campus of Temple Beth El, 333 SW Fourth Ave., Boca Raton.

Rabbis Dan Levin, Greg Weisman, Laila Haas and Ashira Boxman will explore life’s deepest question: What is the soul? Selichot services, featuring original music by new cantorial associate Todd Herzog, and oneg (social gathering)follow the podcast. Register at tbeboca.shulcloud.com or call 561-391-8900. 

Bondi Beach terrorist attack survivor to speak

Leibel Lazaroff, the 20-year-old survivor of the December 2025 terrorist attack at a Chanukah celebration on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, will speak at Boca Beach Chabad’s Souls of Sydney Breakfast at 10 a.m. Sept. 7. The special Labor Day event will feature Lazaroff’s firsthand account of the violent event, followed by High Holiday music.

Lazaroff was helping Chabad of Bondi organize for its “Chanukah by the Sea” celebration on Dec. 14 when terrorists opened fire on the crowd, killing 15 people and injuring dozens more. Lazaroff had been helping a gravely injured police officer before he was shot in the abdomen and leg. He waited 45 minutes for an ambulance.

Since his recovery, Lazaroff has been sharing his story around the country. His message focuses on what Jews choose to do in response to terrorist attacks. The program is part of Boca Beach Chabad’s Souls of Sydney initiative, which hopes to transform the tragedy into positive Jewish action.

The breakfast talk takes place at Boca Beach Chabad Jewish Center, 490 E. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton. 

Reservations are required at BocaBeachChabad.com/SOSBreakfast. Call 561-394-9770 or visit bocabeachchabad.com with questions. 

CityLead Boca seeks to inspire business leaders 

Boca Raton Community Church hosts CityLead Boca from noon to 1 p.m. Sept. 10, Oct. 8 and Nov. 12 at the church, 470 NW Fourth Ave. This monthly event for the business community is designed to inspire leaders to use their influence to serve others and transform the city. 

Reservations are recommended. $20 includes lunch. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. for networking. 561-395-2400; citylead.com/boca/.

Feast to fight hunger features Italian cuisine

St. Jude Catholic Church hosts the Feast of San Gennaro, sponsored by the Saint Jude Hunger Program, from 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 12 in Mount Carmel Hall at the church, 21689 Toledo Road, Boca Raton. 

Enjoy Italian cuisine, beer and wine, music and conversation, raffles and prizes. Tickets for the event are $35 for adults, $12-$15 for children at stjudeboca.org/newsevents or call the church at 561-392-8172. 

Biblical conversation explores what is inclusion

Join “A Biblical Conversation With Father Andrew” on two Sundays — Sept. 13 and 20 — following the 10 a.m. service at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church, 100 NE Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton. 

Father Andrew Sherman invites you to join him for a deep dive into Holy Scripture to explore the biblical conversation regarding inclusion. Meet at 11:45 a.m. in the second-floor conference room. Bring your Bibles. 561-395-8285; office@st-gregorys.com; stgregorysepiscopal.org.

Evensong music steeped in Anglican church tradition

Under the direction of Tim Brumfield, director of music, organist and choirmaster at St. Gregory’s, Choral Evensong is a beautiful service that features the choir performing stirring music steeped in the Anglican tradition. Evensong takes place at 6 p.m. Sept. 27 at the church, 100 NE Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton. 561-395-8285 or stgregorysepiscopal.org.

PJ Library, Levis JCC to host Pizza in the Hut celebration 

The PJ Library and Levis JCC host Pizza in the Hut, a Sukkah celebration, from 4 to 6 p.m. Sept. 29 in Cypress Preserve in the back parking lot of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County campus at 9901 Donna Klein Blvd., Boca Raton. This family event features pizza, arts and crafts, storytelling and games. The cost is $10 per child and reservations are required at jewishboca.org/events/pizza-in-the-hut-sukkah/ or email pjlibrary@jewishboca.org. 

Bring Fido, other pets to annual Blessing of the Pets

St. Gregory’s will host its annual Blessing of the Pets at 9 a.m. Oct. 3 on the southwest corner of the church grounds, 100 NE Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton. 

All pets are invited. The event highlights the youth group’s annual pet food drive. Bring unopened canned and dry pet food to support shelter pets. 561-395-8285; office@stgregorys.com; stgregorysepiscopal.org.

Newcomers invited to special welcome brunch

Father Andrew Sherman and Anita Sherman welcome newcomers to St. Gregory’s to a special brunch following the 10 a.m. service on Oct. 4. Children are welcome at this event in the rectory, across from the church parking lot at 245 NE Second St., Boca Raton. 

Newcomer classes with Father Andrew begin Oct. 11. Classes run five weeks with childcare available for each session. 561-395-8285; office@st-gregorys.com; stgregorysepiscopal.org.

Judge to speak at B’nai Torah Congregation  

U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman, a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author, will speak at 7 p.m. Oct. 15 at B’nai Torah Congregation, 6261 SW 18th St., Boca Raton. As part of the 2026-27 Author Series, he will discuss his book Israel on Trial: Examining the History, the Evidence, and the Law. 

Altman was born in 1982 in Caracas, Venezuela, and the Jewish jurist was the youngest federal district court judge in the United States when he was appointed in 2019 to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. 

Altman’s book, using historical, archaeological and genealogical evidence, analyzes the factual accuracy of six claims Israel’s adversaries have advanced about the Jewish state.

Tickets are $18. Registration is required. Register at btcboca.shulcloud.com/form/israel-on-trial or call 561-392-8566. 

Buy honey to support Beth Ami Congregation

Congregation Beth Ami in Boca Raton is holding a fundraiser called “Honey from the Heart,” which ships an 8-ounce jar of premium kosher honey to your loved one. The cost:  $18 per jar plus $8 for shipping. Proceeds support Beth Ami Congregation. orthoney.com.    

Janis Fontaine writes about people of faith, their congregations, causes and community events. Contact her at fontaine423@outlook.com.

Rabbi Leibel Stolik of Chabad of South Palm Beach blows the shofar as his son, Dovber, 6, and grandson, Yoef, 2, look on. Photo provided

Related: High Holy Days Calendar

On Sept. 13, the second day of Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Leibel Stolik of Chabad of South Palm Beach will continue his practice of blowing the traditional horn for the community. Stolik will hold Tashlich services beginning at 3:30 p.m. at the Lantana Nature Preserve, 440 E. Ocean Ave. 

Afterward, the rabbi will stop at these communities: 4 p.m. at the Carlisle; 4:15 at Mayfair House; 4:30 at the Barclay; 4:45 at the Patrician; 5:05 at the Atriums, and 5:40 at the east end of the Lake Worth Bridge. 

The shofar finale will take place at 6 p.m. at Lake Worth Beach Cultural Plaza, 414 Lake Ave., under the banyan tree. For more information, contact Chabad at 561-351-1633 or chabadspb.org. 

— Janis Fontaine