Auto dealership rezoning denied for second time near Place Au Soleil

By Jane Smith

The Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority moved closer to its takeover of the Old School Square campus in November when city commissioners gave the DDA $25,000 to run the Cornell Art Museum.
“It’s a short-term agreement,” City Attorney Lynn Gelin said at the Nov. 15 City Commission meeting. It will terminate when the overall deal, called an interlocal agreement, between the city and the DDA is signed. The larger deal will cover the entire campus with its five venues: the Pavilion stage, the Fieldhouse, the Cornell, the Crest Theatre and the Creative Arts School.
Known as the heart and soul of the city, the Old School Square campus is mired in a lawsuit filed in November 2021 by the former operators.
The new overall agreement with the DDA is expected to be ready in December.
The Cornell deal began on Nov. 16 and calls for free admission to the museum.
Exhibits will be a collection consisting of a Surfing Florida display, a historical retrospective of the campus and Delray Beach, and a Love Delray art exposition by local artists, DDA Executive Director Laura Simon wrote in a Nov. 21 email to The Coastal Star.
The prior tenants criticized the Cornell deal in a Nov. 16 email blast, saying the DDA was a taxing authority, “which means that you as a taxpayer will be paying 100% of this cost.”
Simon said she had not heard that criticism.
“We have a big job to do and are staying focused on moving forward,” she wrote. “We are also moving forward with establishing a [nonprofit] arts foundation to collect donations from those who want to contribute to the campus directly, just as it was originally intended back in 1987.”
The former tenant, the Old School Square Center for the Arts, continues to hold events that raise money for scholarships and mentoring, but not for the buildings because the city owns them. Its lease ended in February.
In October, the organization held LunaFest, featuring films for and about women, at the iPic Theater in downtown Delray. Nearly 400 people attended the event, which raised about “$50,000 for arts and cultural programming for local youth in our community,” according to an Oct. 19 Old School Square Facebook post by the organization.
“We are NOT back in the buildings, but we are continuing our mission to bring arts to Delray by supporting one of our partners,” the organization’s board wrote in a Nov. 5 email blast.
The city’s Community Redevelopment Agency board agreed on Nov. 17 to enhance the Old School Square campus lighting by spending up to $10,000 on lights.
In other news from the Nov. 15 commission meeting, commissioners:
• Denied for a second time the rezoning of property on the east side of North Federal Highway next to Gulf Stream’s Place Au Soleil neighborhood. Property owner John Staluppi Jr. wanted to put a Hyundai car dealership there.
The 11 people who spoke during the quasi-judicial public hearing opposed the rezoning, including former City Commissioner Gary Eliopoulos, who said the 8-foot wall separating the dealership and the Gulf Stream residents would limit air circulation. The other 10 live in or represented the town of Gulf Stream.
When land use attorney Bonnie Miskel gave the presentation for Staluppi, she stressed that North Federal was the preferred location for auto dealerships in the 2020 update of the city’s comprehensive plan. That point was hammered home during witness cross-examinations by Beth-Ann Krimsky, a partner in the Greenspoon Marder law firm in Fort Lauderdale.
The commission vote again was 3-2 against the rezoning, with Commissioners Adam Frankel and Shirley Johnson supporting the rezoning.
• Approved a nearly $1 million budget amendment to cover increased payroll costs to police after new collective bargaining agreements were signed at the Oct. 25 City Commission meeting. The expenses will be offset by an unexpected $990,000 increase in the state sales tax revenue.
• Approved a fee increase for the first time in six years at the recently renovated city marina on the west side of the Intracoastal Waterway south of Atlantic Avenue. The fees for people who want to live aboard their boats at the marina increase from $23 a linear foot to $29 a foot for city residents and to $33 a foot for non-residents. For people who want only to dock at the marina, the fees rise from $22 a linear foot to $26 a foot for city residents and to $30 a foot for non-residents.
The day rate stayed the same for city residents at $60, but it increased 25% for non-residents, who will pay $85.
The marina makeover cost about $4.6 million, including consultants’ fees. The work included 23 new floating docks, a raised sea wall, drainage and lighting improvements and installing Wi-Fi.

By Jane Smith

In a battle for control of the “Old School Square” name, Delray Beach says it is more entitled to use the moniker than the cultural center’s ousted operators who want to make it their trademark.
The city has owned the property for more than 33 years; Old School Square has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1988; and the city continues to hold cultural and community events there, its outside counsel wrote in an objection filed Nov. 21 with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Old School Square’s longtime former tenant, the Old School Square Center for the Arts, Inc., applied to trademark the Old School Square name in November 2021, three months after the City Commission voted to terminate the nonprofit organization’s lease effective Feb. 9 of this year.
“The [former tenant] has no substantiated intent to resume use of the applied-for services in connection with the [trademark],” wrote outside counsel Anne Flanigan of the Fort Lauderdale office of Weiss, Serota, Helfman, Cole & Bierman law firm.
A spokesperson for the nonprofit organization did not respond to an email request for comment from The Coastal Star. The organization has until Dec. 31 to file a response with the Patent and Trademark Office to the city’s trademark challenge.
The nonprofit sued the city over its termination about the same time as the trademark application was filed. The organization has continued to raise funds for cultural and arts programs, though not specifically for ones at the Old School Square campus.
The nonprofit canceled all its events and classes on the campus as of Oct. 1, 2021, according to the city’s filing.
The nonprofit listed its address in the trademark application as 51 N. Swinton Ave. — Old School Square’s address — even though the organization had been told it would have to leave the campus in February 2022.
The Old School Square campus is no longer the nonprofit’s physical address, according to the filing.

The five-bedroom spec home in Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club was developed by SRD Building Corp. Photos provided

By Christine Davis

A new 8,300-square-foot residence at 500 E. Alexander Palm Road, Boca Raton, was sold to Arty Langhaus from the 500 East Alexander Palm Road Trust in a $25.75 million transaction. The sale was recorded in September.
Langhaus is the co-founder of Silicon Valley Bank’s private wealth advisory arm.
The five-bedroom spec home in Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club — fronting the Intracoastal Waterway and developed by SRD Building Corp. — was completed this year. Amenities include a club room, wine cellar and billiards room.
Steven M. Scott, an obstetrician/gynecologist and entrepreneur, owned the property.
Scott founded national health-care companies Vista HealthPlan and Phoenix Physicians. Records show that he bought the property for $5.8 million in 2017, and in June 2021 transferred it to the trust managed by attorney Jeffrey Baskies.
David Roberts of Royal Palm Properties represented both sides of the latest deal.

***

Leland Ackerley, one of the owners of the second-largest independent distributor of semiconductors in the world, has new digs in Highland Beach and paid a handsome price for it: $8.25 million.
He acquired the 5,425-square-foot, five-story, four-bedroom townhome, built in 2018, on Oct. 22 from Stuart Siegel. Among the amenities are a private elevator and plunge pool.
Ackerley co-founded the Houston-based semiconductor distributor Smith & Associates in 1984.
Siegel, who was the owner and CEO of the National Hockey League’s Florida Panthers from 2008 to 2012, turned a nice profit on the sale. He had purchased the townhome for just $5.995 million two years ago.
Ackerley’s new residence, Unit 2 at 3621 S. Ocean Blvd., was sold by Catherine McGlennon of Engel & Völkers. Corcoran agent Suzanne Petrizzi represented the buyer.

Premier Estate Properties recently made the T3 Sixty Almanac Top Rankings. The company, with 42 agents, ranked No. 126 nationally of the Mega 1000 Brokerages, garnering 573 sales transactions, totaling $3.116 million.
Premier ranked No. 1 nationally for the highest sales volume per agent and No. 2 for the highest sales price.
The T3 Sixty Almanac, an independent, data-driven report, analyzes and quantifies the national rankings of top real estate companies annually.

***

Joe Fagan is replacing Florida Peninsula Insurance’s vice president of underwriting, Michael Koscielny, who is retiring. Fagan spent 16 years in leadership roles with Travelers Insurance in Hartford, Connecticut, with his last six years as senior managing director of national underwriting.
Most recently, he served as underwriting governance leader with AIG Private Client Group/Lexington Insurance.

***

The Old Inlet Bridge holiday ornament is available for sale.

The Boca Raton Historical Society and the Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum are now offering their annual commemorative holiday ornament, which highlights the Old Inlet Bridge. The first bridge over the Boca Raton Inlet was built in the late 1910s with a fixed span that ran south of the present bridge, which is at the inlet near The Boca Raton resort. In 1920, it was replaced with a wood one-lane “bascule bridge,” as ordered by the resort owner, Clarence Geist. In 1963, it was replaced with the current span. 
This holiday collectible, based on the bascule bridge, was created by Boca Raton artist Barbara Montgomery O’Connell. It is the 21st of the holiday series.
All of O’Connell’s depictions for the ornaments over the years are based on information and photographs from the Boca Raton Historical Society. This ornament can be purchased for $22.50 at the museum’s gift shop, 71 N. Federal Highway, or at BocaHistory.org. Click on “museum store.”
 Some of the previous ornaments are also available. The gift shop hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. For more information, call 561-395-6766.

***

The Palm Beach 2022 Solar Co-op selected Sprightful to install solar panels through a competitive bidding process over four other firms, because of its equipment, price, warranty offerings and experience. The co-op is free to join and open to new members until Jan. 17. Palm Beach County residents and businesses interested in joining the co-op can sign up at www.solarunitedneighbors.org/palmbeach.

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

Former Monkee Micky Dolenz and his band to appear in Beatles fest at Old School Square

By Ron Hayes

When the last surviving Monkee was told he’d have to play a Beatles song or two if he wanted to headline the International Beatles on the Beach Festival in Delray Beach, he was happy to oblige.
“I like to try and support the old bands nobody hears about anymore,” Micky Dolenz says. “My mother and grandmother were big fans of the Beatles, and you never hear about them anymore. I like to support those bands from the distant past.”
He’s joking, of course. The Monkees always got the joke, even when their harshest critics didn’t.
When Dolenz and his five-piece band take the stage Dec. 16 at the Old School Square Pavilion, he’ll sing Last Train to Clarksville, Daydream Believer and all the Monkees’ greatest hits, but you’ll hear some Beatles, too.

Micky Dolenz, now 77, says he will play a few Beatles songs when he performs at the International Beatles on the Beach Festival, on Dec. 16 in Delray Beach.

“I do a bit of ‘Sgt. Pepper’ and ‘Oh! Darling,’” he says. “I’ve done them over the years. I was an enormous fan, a huge, huge fan.”
But a Monkee? At a Beatles festival?
Imagine.
Back in 1966, both the Monkees’ TV show and their records were big hits, but to rock snobs they were the Rodney Dangerfield of pop. They got no respect.
The Beatles were the Fab Four, the Monkees were the Pre-Fab Four.
The Beatles had played together for years. The Monkees were actors, hired by men in suits for an NBC sitcom.
The Beatles had John Lennon and Paul McCartney writing their own songs. The Monkees had veteran tunesmiths like Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart and Neil Diamond writing theirs.
The Beatles played their own instruments. The Monkees’ early albums were backed by studio musicians.
The Beatles were gods, the Monkees were frauds.
But that was 56 years ago. Davy Jones, Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork are dead now, leaving only Micky Dolenz to say again what they’d all said all along.
“The Monkees was not a band,” he explains. “We were a TV show about an imaginary band that lived in this beach house in Malibu. It was a show about a band that wanted to be the Beatles.”
A good comparison, he suggests, is Glee.
“That was a show about an imaginary glee club at a high school, but the actors were singers and dancers. You wouldn’t call them a manufactured glee club.”

Micky Dolenz, then known as Mickey Braddock, starred in the ’50s TV show Circus Boy.

From Circus Boy to Monkee
Dolenz was already an established actor when he auditioned to be a Monkee. In the mid-1950s, he starred in Circus Boy, a TV series about an orphan traveling with a turn-of-the-century show. He called himself Mickey Braddock then, because his father, George Dolenz, was already starring in The Count of Monte Cristo series.
“To get an audition for the Monkees, you had to be able to read lines and act,” he remembers, “but you also had to be able to play an instrument. I played ‘Johnny B. Goode’ on guitar.”
Tork and Nesmith played guitar, too, so Dolenz, who didn’t play drums, was ordained the drummer. He took lessons, learned to mime along with the prerecorded tracks, and then to really play when the band began touring.
“We were not America’s answer to the Beatles,” he says. “Our fans were the younger brothers and sisters of the Beatle fans.”
On Feb. 9, 1964, when the Beatles made their American debut on The Ed Sullivan Show, Dolenz was sitting in his black 1962 Grand Prix at a Bob’s Big Boy in Van Nuys, California.
“A friend of mine had a little portable, black and white TV with rabbit ears that you plugged into the cigarette lighter,” he remembers, “so we watched them while having burgers.”
On that same show, Dolenz might well have heard a young actor sing a song from the hit Broadway musical Oliver. His name was Davy Jones and a year later they would be Monkees together.
“I was the first Monkee to meet a Beatle,” Dolenz says, “at Paul’s house. We had a lovely dinner and Paul was very gracious. We just sat and chatted and he invited me to a recording session at Abbey Road Studios.”
Dolenz arrived expecting a Beatlemania love-in funfest.
“So, I dressed accordingly in my paisley bell-bottoms and tie-dye underwear, glasses and beads. Limo picked me up. I walk in and there’s nobody there except four guys in folding chairs. It looked like my high school gym, and I looked like a cross between Ronald McDonald and Charlie Manson.”
John Lennon glanced up at him and said, “Hey, Monkee man, want to hear what we’re working on?”
They were working on a Lennon tune called Good Morning Good Morning, which wound up on their masterpiece, the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album.
Years later, the two partied together in Los Angeles during Lennon’s infamous drug- and alcohol-addled “lost weekend.”
“I’m told I enjoyed myself,” Dolenz says dryly.

The Monkees, clockwise from upper left: Peter Tork, Micky Dolenz, Mike Nesmith and Davy Jones.

The Beatles got the joke
If Beatle snobs snubbed the Monkees, the Beatles clearly didn’t. In March 1968, viewers saw an episode, written and directed by Dolenz, that began with the four Monkees being awakened by a Rube Goldberg alarm clock that played a tune.
It was the Beatles, singing Good Morning Good Morning.
“It was the first time the Beatles gave anyone permission to use any of their songs, and for no money,” Dolenz says proudly.
No, the Monkees were not the Beatles. Who was? But when the last surviving Monkee sings Last Train to Clarksville at this year’s Beatles on the Beach, he will know that 56 years later, the group has earned an enviable amount of respect and, what’s more, affection.
“The Beatles got what the Monkees was,” Dolenz says. “A TV show about this group.”
The TV show won an Emmy. The band had four No. 1 albums on the charts and sold 75 million records.
In May 1967, the Monkees released Headquarters, on which they played their own instruments.
Headquarters debuted at No. 1, for a single week. Then another album knocked it from the top spot.
That album was Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
The Monkees stayed at No. 2, right behind the Beatles, for the next 11 weeks.

If You Go
What: International Beatles on the Beach Festival, a four-day event featuring bands from around the world playing tribute to the Beatles, artwork displays and a performance by Micky Dolenz of the Monkees
When: Dec. 15-18
Where: Old School Square Pavilion and clubs throughout Delray Beach
Information: beatlesonthebeach.com for a list of venues, events and ticket sales.

Dec. 6: The affair organized by the Boys & Girls Club of Delray Beach will kick off the holiday season with a social featuring entertainment, gourmet food stations, signature cocktails and a silent auction to support club activities. Time is 6 to 9 p.m. Cost is $175. Call 561-676-5472 or visit bgcpbc.org/events/4th-annual-cocktails-for-the-club. ABOVE: (l-r) Co-chairwomen Jorgette Smith, Jennifer Coulter and Virginia Costa. Photo provided

The basketball and volleyball arena at FAU will now be named for Eleanor Baldwin of Boca Raton. Photo provided

By Amy Woods

Eleanor Baldwin of Boca Raton has made a $7.5 million pledge to Florida Atlantic University’s athletics program, and in recognition of the gift, the basketball and volleyball facility will now be known as the Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.
Baldwin’s name is well-known at the university: It graces the Eleanor R. Baldwin House — the campus residence for the president — the Eleanor R. Baldwin History and Tradition Hall in the athletics complex, and the Eleanor R. Baldwin President’s Suite at the stadium.
“Eleanor has generously supported so many projects and initiatives at FAU and throughout the community, and we are so incredibly grateful to her for this gift,” said Brian White, director of athletics. “We cannot thank her enough for this support, which will impact the lives of so many Owl student-athletes, coaches, staff and community members who will utilize Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.”
Added FAU President John Kelly, “Elly has been a true champion of Florida Atlantic and its students over the years, from mentoring future educators to cheering on our sports teams to donating crucial funds to support the university’s growth. The Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena will be one more shining example of her generosity at FAU.”

Urban League’s $5.1 million grant to help minorities
The Urban League of Palm Beach County hauled in the largest grant in the 49-year history of the organization when philanthropist MacKenzie Scott announced a $5.1 million donation.
The gift will enable the nonprofit to elevate its assistance to the Black community and other minorities with the mission of achieving social and economic equality.
“We are so excited that Ms. Scott has recognized the work and contributions that the Urban League of Palm Beach County has made in the communities we serve across South Florida,” President and CEO Patrick Franklin said. “The board of directors and staff of ULPBC thank Ms. Scott for entrusting us with the awesome responsibility of ensuring that this generous gift will have a long-lasting and positive impact in our community.”
In 2019, Scott pledged — along with some of the world’s richest individuals and families — to dedicate the majority of her wealth to charity.
“When our giving team focuses on any system in which people are struggling, we don’t assume that we, or any other single group, can know how to fix it,” Scott said. “Instead, we seek a portfolio of organizations that supports the ability of all people to participate in solutions.”
For more information, call 561-833-1461 or visit https://ulpbc.org.

Boca West foundation has record year for giving
The Boca West Children’s Foundation distributed an all-time high of $2.2 million to local children’s charities this year.
Buoyed by proceeds from the annual golf tournament, which broke attendance numbers, grants were given to the foundation’s 30-plus partner organizations.
“This is truly historic and remarkable,” Executive Director Pamela Weinroth said. “This is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of our board, Boca West members and supporters in the community that we were able to raise record dollars in a year with an array of obstacles.”
In addition to the grants, the foundation donated 45,000 volunteer hours as well as 180,000 diapers, along with cribs and other essential items for families in need.
“Despite some challenges over the last couple of years, so many good and caring people came together and kept our focus on helping the children,” board Chairman Richard Zenker said.
For more information, call 561-488-6980 or visit www.bocawestfoundation.org.

$100,000 donation to boost reading skills
The New York-based Soloviev Foundation has made a $100,000 donation to Roots and Wings to support early student reading for needy families as well as teachers to support the effort.
Delray Beach-based Roots and Wings provides services to economically disadvantaged public school students in South County — more than 500 boys and girls.
“All the research has shown that the pandemic has severely damaged educational advancement for our children, particularly those in disadvantaged communities,” Soloviev Group Chairman Stefan Soloviev said. “It’s all our responsibility to help all our students receive a strong education.”
For more information on Roots and Wings, call 561-404-0455 or visit https://rootsandwingsinc.org.

Gift drive underway for Boys & Girls Clubs
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County has launched its Holiday Gift Drive to collect toys and teen-appropriate gifts for thousands of local youths.
This year, families are facing challenges as a result of inflation and the organization is counting on the community for lots of support. The goal is to ensure less-than-fortunate children receive presents under the tree.
“The holidays are right around the corner, and we need to act quickly to collect enough toys and gifts for these deserving children and teens,” said Sarah Alsofrom, senior director of community relations at GL Homes, the drive’s sponsor. “Inflation is eating into every dollar families try to save, and unfortunately, holiday stockings stuffed with toys may not fit into the family budget.”
The drive runs through Dec. 11. Items can be dropped off at select local businesses — the list of locations can be found at the link below — and at the nonprofit’s corporate offices, 800 Northpoint Parkway in West Palm Beach.
“Our annual Holiday Gift Drive is important because we believe in making sure that our club members are happy,” said Jaene Miranda, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County. “For most members, this will be their only chance to receive a gift this season.”
For more information, call 561-683-3287 or visit bgcpbc.org/2022/10/31/support-our-holiday-gift-drive.

Send news and notes to Amy Woods at flamywoods@bellsouth.net.

Barbara Stark, president and CEO of the Milagro Center, sits among some of the children involved in the center’s programs. Photo provided

By Amy Woods

The Milagro Center’s popular annual fundraiser will take on a holiday twist this year and include an urgent appeal to help the 150 at-risk children it serves.
The Ho Ho Holiday Hoedown on Dec. 10 will be a country-Western shindig combining cowboys with Christmas and line dancing with the lighting of the menorah. The event will direct proceeds to the center’s “Last C.A.L.L.” emergency campaign, designed to rally the “Community Against Learning Losses” stemming from the pandemic.
“We are specifically raising money to increase the academic support so that these kids can make up what they have lost and start to succeed in school again,” President and CEO Barbara Stark said. “COVID really put a monkey wrench into things, if you will.”
The emergency campaign comes on the heels of “The Nation’s Report Card” published in October by the National Center for Education Statistics, a branch of the U.S. Department of Education. The data shows that fourth- and eighth-graders fell behind in reading and had the largest-ever decline in math.
“The saddest part is that COVID has had a disproportionate impact on the country’s most vulnerable children and teens, like the students in our program,” Stark said, noting that poor families often do not have equipment such as laptops, much less high-speed internet service.
“The additional funding will go a long way in making sure each and every student gets the attention they need and deserve so that they have a fighting chance to achieve success in school and in life.”
Funds will enable the center to hire more tutors who can work with children in small groups or, better, in one-on-one settings.
“The fact is these kids have an increased chance of school failure because of their economic status,” Stark said. “Our goal is to help them graduate and pursue a career so they do not repeat the cycle of poverty.”
Guests are asked to bring gift cards to hang on the gift-card tree. The cards will be distributed to middle school and high school students. There will be a live band, a barbecue dinner, a silent auction, a raffle and more.
“It will be a fun night to enjoy,” Stark said.

If You Go
What: Milagro Center’s Ho Ho Holiday Hoedown
When: 7 to 10 p.m. Dec. 10
Where: Delray Beach Elks Lodge, 265 NE Fourth Ave.
Cost: $45
Information: 561-279-2970, ext. 107 or www.milagrocenter.org

The Achievement Centers for Children & Families’ 11th annual Witches of Delray fundraiser took flight to benefit the community-based organization. More than 300 women wearing their best witch apparel atop extravagantly decorated bicycles rode through the downtown area, turning many heads. At the conclusion of the ride, the party continued at Old School Square with activities and awards. A total of $28,000 was raised. ABOVE: (l-r) Achievement Centers CEO Stephanie Seibel, Andria DeVoe and Tricia McFadden. Photo provided by Ethan Dangerwing

More than 150 guests attended Florida Atlantic University’s Arthur and Emalie Gutterman Center for Holocaust and Human Rights Education’s annual gathering. During the event, the exceptional work of teachers supported by the center was celebrated. In addition, the 2021 Gutterman Family Outstanding Holocaust Educators were honored. ABOVE: Arthur Gutterman with Outstanding Educators (l-r) Tracy Sachs, Chelsea Dittrich and Maureen Carter. Photo provided

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County’s fourth annual fundraiser raised a record-breaking $250,000 for the agency’s hunger relief program — of critical concern in light of inflation. The Great Masquerade-themed event offered guests a night of surprises including live performances. ‘Boys & Girls Club of Boca Raton is the smallest and most underfunded club in the county,” advisory board Chairwoman Mandy Bohlman said. ‘With all of our donors’ support, we can move the needle and continue to make a difference.’
ABOVE (l-r): Bohlman, Katie and Abraham Ovadia, and Jaene Miranda.
RIGHT: Dana and Sebastian Ocampo
BOTTOM RIGHT: Morgan Green and Paige Kornblue. Photos provided by Tracey Benson Photography

Olivia Hollaus, board chairwoman of the Boca Raton Historical Society, joined Mary Csar, executive director of the Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum, in welcoming 300 friends and supporters to the 50th-anniversary celebration. The memorable affair featured decade-inspired passed hors d’oeuvres, live-action food stations, a full open bar and dancing to live music. ABOVE (l-r): Russ and LeAnn Berman, Lynn-Marie Whitefall and Anthony Crupi. BELOW: Dick Schmidt prepares to cut the anniversary cake. Photos provided by Munoz Photography

The Creative Waves Foundation, which provides funding for underserved children and programs that emphasize the arts and the environment, honored Frankie Stevens for a lifetime of service to children’s causes. One of those causes is building a library collection for youths at the First Haitian Baptist Church in Belle Glade. The event raised more than $50,000 and was attended by 160-plus guests, including Grammy Award-nominated singer Cassadee Pope, who hails from Wellington. Pope serves on the foundation’s board and recently donated $88,000 to the nonprofit. ABOVE: Stevens and Pope sing ‘Let’s Stay Together.’ Photo provided

Elisabetta’s Ristorante in Delray Beach has a private room that accommodates up to 20 customers. Photo provided

By Jan Norris

It’s party season, and party checklists usually start with a room to rent. Many restaurants and hotels rent spaces for hosting various-sized groups, with food provided or allowing food to be catered.
Some smaller restaurants allow for a “buyout” — rent out the whole dining room for a party.
Some tips as you plan:
• Have alternate dates in mind, especially around the holidays. Think outside the dinner hour as well: Brunches and even “holiday PJ” breakfasts are ideas.
• Don’t assume anything. Get your event spelled out in writing.
Here are some worth a look.
Kapow! expanded and rebuilt across the street in Boca Raton’s Mizner Park and now has a few party options, including an outdoor “opium garden” and three private karaoke rooms with automated AV systems. These rooms can connect to make larger spaces as well as open onto the patio. Food is modern and traditional Asian cuisine, with sushi a favorite. Contact the restaurant via www.kapownoodlebar.com.
Farmer’s Table in Boca Raton has several rooms for rent, including the newly renovated Oak Room that accommodates 100 for a sit-down dinner, or 150 for cocktails. Other rooms and spaces indoors and out, including a pavilion overlooking the pool, seat from 30 to 140. Contact www.dinefarmerstable.com.
Max’s Grille, a staple in Mizner Park, has a room suitable for a 12-person sit-down. Noted wine list and contemporary American grill fare are offered. Contact www.maxsgrille.com.
History, architecture and signature menu items come together at The Addison in Boca Raton. The 1920s landmark building named for its architect Addison Mizner has 10-plus rooms that accommodate intimate dinners for 12, up to 300 for a large party. It is frequently a site for weddings (and proposals) and has indoor and outdoor spaces available. Contact www.theaddisonofbocaraton.com.
The Pavilion Grille in Boca Raton has a large, open atrium for big parties — up to 300 for sit-downs, and a smaller room for up to 60. A variety of menu choices catering to each party is provided. Contact paviliongrille.com.
At Eclectic Eats in Delray Beach, indoor space accommodating 35 is available, and a lush garden setting can handle up to 125 people. Catered menus for a variety of parties and gatherings are available, or guests can arrange to bring their own foods. Contact www.eclecticeats.com.
The Wine Room Kitchen and Bar on Atlantic Avenue has a private room that seats up to 14. It is especially good for oenophiles, with wine and food pairings a natural here. Contact www.thewineroomonline.com/delray-beach.
Elisabetta’s Ristorante, also on the avenue, has a private area with a fireplace, great for those chilly evenings. It holds up to 20 people; the menu is modern Italian. House specialty is house-made pasta. Contact www.elisabettas.com.
Salt7 in Delray Beach has a private room opening to a patio suitable for up to 50 people for a sit-down affair, or 100 for cocktails. It has a trendy vibe and award-winning chef. Contact salt7.com.
La Cigale in Delray Beach has several private rooms that can accommodate from 10 to 100 diners. Rooms are available from 8 a.m. daily, so breakfast, brunch and luncheons are possible, along with cocktail parties or dinners. Contact www.lacigaledelray.com.
At the Ray Hotel Delray Beach, in Pineapple Grove, the Ember Grill has a private room to seat up to 40. Also available are the Rosewater Rooftop and the Garden at Rosewater, both outdoor venues with variable seating. Contact www.therayhotel.com.
The Opal Grand Resort, oceanside in Delray Beach, has several venues, including a ballroom as well as the main dining room area, Drift. Seafood is Drift’s focus.
Contact www.opalcollection.com/opal-grand.
Benvenuto Restaurant & Banquet Facility is a European-themed event space in Boynton Beach, with several rooms and a large courtyard that accommodate from 30 to 250. Numerous rooms and configurations with courtyards or lounges adjoining are available. Foods are upscale American and Italian. It’s one of the oldest event spaces in the area. Contact www.benvenutorestaurant.com.
Baciami Italiano & Prime Steakhouse on South Federal Highway in Boynton Beach has a private room with capacity of 30 for dinner. Contact www.baciamiitaliano.com.

Amar Bakery & Market is open on Atlantic. Photo provided

Another Amar bakery opens in Delray Beach
A new bakery and market is on Atlantic Avenue, created by the owners of Amar Mediterranean Bistro. It’s just a few doors down, and carries house-made European and Middle Eastern pastries, custom cakes, breads and more.
At Amar Bakery & Market, patrons will find a mix of croissants, falafel and baklava. Owners Nicolas and Susanna Kurban bring modern twists to their native Lebanese sweets and European pastries and breads.
This is their second location; their main bakery is in Boynton Beach.
“We planned the Delray one first, before COVID,” Nicolas said. They soon realized there was not enough space in the bistro to handle the bakery production.
“We looked around, and found an existing bakery for sale in Boynton, and we took it over,” he said. They’ve now doubled their space there to 2,000 square feet.
All the baking is done there, and delivered by 6 a.m. to the Atlantic Avenue location. They also deliver to restaurants and caterers who buy from them.
Susanna uses spices and flavor profiles that set these goods apart: Za’atar, an earthy, savory spice combination, and haloumi, a tangy goat-sheep milk’s cheese, are baked into croissants.
Brownies also get the Middle Eastern treatment. Halva, a sweet candy treat similar to nut butter, pairs with chocolate to create American-style brownies.
Vegan muffins and cakes and gluten-free items are available.
Grab-and-go items from the bistro are in the bakery for takeout, Nicolas said, including baba ganouj, tabbouleh and sandwiches.
“We plan on opening more bakeries like the Delray cafe, one in Boca, one in Palm Beach, and other places,” he said. “We’ll continue production in Boynton, and deliver to them, like a Starbucks — they can go in small spaces.”
Amar Bakery & Market is at 526 E. Atlantic Ave, Delray Beach. Phone 561-819-9020 or visit www.amar-bakery.com.

Lake Worth bakery is a swift start-up
Lake Worth Beach also has a new bakery: Azra Nahic opened Una Pastries and Desserts on Lake Avenue the first week in November. She called it a whirlwind start-up.
“When we got the place, it was all within a month,” she said. “We got the store and put everything in and I started baking right away.”
She’s had no formal training and never baked in a production kitchen before. She was working in the medical field but got tired of doing only paperwork.
“I started baking cookies and cakes, and people started ordering them,” said Nahic, who has Bosnian roots. Finally, she decided to open her own bakery at age 51.
Meanwhile, her children in Fort Myers were dealing with Hurricane Ian and wound up moving in with her and her husband, Armin Becirevic. “They were stuck here for two weeks while their power and water were out.”
Nahic is working long days at the bakery, along with a visiting cousin, doing everything by hand — even kneading dough for heavy bread loaves. “We have mixers for our cakes only. Everything else is done by hand,” she said.
Nahic bakes specialty desserts for a restaurant in Palm Beach, but they are pricey for the average buyer.
“I felt bad, nobody can afford the high-end, fancy desserts. Chocolate is so expensive now. Everything is so expensive. I wanted to make desserts and bake things people can buy and enjoy,” she said.
Her cases feature colorful macarons, cupcakes, cookies, muffins, brownies, breads, baguettes, tarts and Balkan favorites like kifli rolls.
One of the sold-out items each day is a flaky spinach and cheese turnover, borek, that’s a staple in the Balkan countries. It’s also made with meat and onion — the crowd favorite.
“Everybody has their own. But people come here for mine — I didn’t know there were so many people from our country here. I had a store full of people. I made 60 borek in three hours and was sold out. I love it — it makes me happy.”
But she can barely keep up.
“Every day, we’re sold out of some things by 3 p.m. Everything is made fresh, so anything left over, we give away to the homeless. I know what it’s like to be hungry,” she said.
She has plans to open other bakeries. But with such an exhausting pace, first she’s looking for professional help at the Lake Worth Beach store.
Nahic says her daughter Amela Agic does all of the bakery’s marketing and credits her for its success.
How do they plan to handle a second bakery?
“I can do anything,” Nahic says. “I survived war. I was in Bosnia for four years. You just have to be positive, happy, and don’t take things for granted.
“I’m tired. But it makes me feel good. I’m happy that we’re here. Food connects us.”
In mid-November she was awaiting permits for indoor and outdoor seating; the bakery is takeout only with no coffee available yet. “Soon,” she says.
Una Pastries and Desserts is at 513 Lake Ave., Lake Worth Beach. Open daily except Monday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Phone 727-330-0401. On Facebook under UNA Bakery.

Rappy is a service dog in training with Vets Helping Heroes. Photo provided

The restaurateur and the service dog
Dogs are so welcome at Burt Rapoport’s Deck 84 in Delray Beach they have their own pup menu. The owner is a dog lover and has supported pet charities with 20% of the money the pup menu earns at all three of his restaurants. The others are Max’s Grille and Burt and Max’s.
The Boca Raton-based charity Vets Helping Heroes, which supplies service dogs to veterans, approached the restaurateur to ask for support, and Rapoport readily agreed.
Overall, Vets Helping Heroes has received around $5,000 from the pup menus.
“They called one day, and said, ‘We appreciate what you’re doing. We have a new dog coming along, and we’d like to know if you’d like to name him in someone’s honor.’”
For Rapoport, the name was a “no-brainer.”
“My dad was a vet — and he loved dogs.”
So the new golden retriever being trained at Vets Helping Heroes has been dubbed Rappy.
“My dad’s nickname,” Rapoport said.

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

A ghost orchid in bloom. Photo provided by Tony Pernas

By Christine Davis

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced in October that it may grant Endangered Species Act protection to the ghost orchid, following a January 2022 petition submitted by the Delray Beach-based Institute for Regional Conservation, along with the Center for Biological Diversity and the National Parks Conservation Association.
A decision is expected in January. 
The rare leafless flower with long delicate petals and a spur of nectar was featured in Susan Orlean’s book The Orchid Thief and the movie Adaptation, starring Meryl Streep and Nicolas Cage. 
“I still remember the first time I saw a ghost orchid,” said Melissa Abdo, Ph.D., the National Parks Conservation Association’s Sun Coast regional director. “I was waist-deep in a swamp in the heart of the Everglades and spotted one woven around a tree trunk. I had spent six months searching, while researching the plant life throughout the ’Glades. It was a moment I will never forget.
“I understand the pull this beautiful, rare plant species has on people, but its popularity comes at a steep price,” Abdo said. “Recent upticks in ghost orchid poaching have left the species in serious peril, with fewer than 750 mature orchids left in the wild.”
Other factors in the ghost orchid’s population decline include climate change, the draining of wetlands, and development, she said. “The ghost orchid deserves nothing less than the full federal protections necessary to keep this species alive and thriving.”
The ghost orchid population has declined by more than 90% globally. Its range in Florida includes the Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and other conservation and tribal areas in Collier, Hendry and possibly Lee counties.
George Gann, executive director at the Institute for Regional Conservation, said he was grateful the government saw the merit in the petition. “Federal protection will help us not only to save this icon of beauty from extinction, but allow for recovery work to commence. Preventing extinction is the lowest conservation bar; our goal must be full recovery.”

Brice Makris, shown near the Colosseum in Rome in 2019, died of a fentanyl overdose at age 23. Photo provided

By Jan Enogren

On March 12, 2020, Boca Raton resident Brice Makris became one of the more than 100,000 people in the U.S. that year — many of them between the ages of 18 and 45 — to die from a drug overdose. He was 23.
This number was an increase of nearly 15% over 2019, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Many overdoses, including his, were due to the synthetic opioid fentanyl, which is more than 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. It is linked to illicit drugs manufactured overseas and distributed through illegal drug channels.
For John and Michelle Makris, the loss of their son was devastating.
“He was a great kid — an excellent student and very bright,” remembers his dad, John Makris, 68, a retired CPA and investment adviser. “He had a great upbringing, was close to us and his older brother, Alec.”
Michelle Makris, 61, says the family “ate dinner together every night and talked about everything — sex, drugs and rock and roll.”
“Brice went to Spanish River High School and the early college program at FAU,” his father says. “He loved his summer camp in the Berkshires, practicing martial arts, being social and hanging out with friends.”
At 6-feet-5, Brice resembled his dad, with a head full of curly brown hair.
“He was athletic, and everyone considered him their friend,” his mother says. “He was fun-loving, enjoyed philosophy and intellectual discussions.”
He graduated from Florida State in August 2019 with a degree in biology and a minor in psychology, hoping to become either a physician or earn a Ph.D. in epidemiology.
That dream was cut short by one fentanyl pill.
He hurt his back and turned to unprescribed drugs.
Michelle Makris, a former marketing director for MDVIP in Boca Raton, says Brice knew he needed treatment and came to his parents for help.
“We knew he was doing OxyContin,” says his mother, who, along with her husband, retired to devote themselves to raising awareness about substance use disorder. “He was in chronic pain due to a fractured back. While his doctors never prescribed opioids for him, he got them from a friend and felt relief.”
Michelle Makris says that “substance use disorder is a disease that develops over time.”
“Brice was trying to detox on his own, but we got him into treatment.”
He had been doing well in recovery, and when he got out, took a job as a behavioral therapist working with autistic kids. He aspired to counsel people in the recovery community.
It was during a relapse that he overdosed and was poisoned with fentanyl.
His mother doesn’t blame him for relapsing, saying she understands relapse is part of the recovery process.
“We have to understand this disease is not the effect of a bad decision, bad parenting or bad kids,” she says. “Brice had a disease and could have survived the overdose if the pill hadn’t been laced with fentanyl.”
Since his death, the Makrises have made it their mission to fulfill their son’s commitment to the recovery community. They have partnered with the Hanley Foundation of West Palm Beach in establishing the Brice Makris Endowment Fund for lifesaving treatment scholarships and addiction prevention programs.
On Dec. 11 the couple will host the second annual Brice Makris Brunch at Boca West Country Club to raise money to support substance abuse prevention programming in Boca Raton schools. They also are working with Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg to advocate for local policy changes and lay the groundwork for strong and successful recovery communities.
Aronberg and Louie Bossi, executive chef of Louie Bossi’s Ristorante and founder of Delray Beach’s “Taste of Recovery,” will serve as honorary chairs of the event.
“There are thousands of smart and talented individuals, like Brice, right here in our community who suffer from substance use disorders,” said Jan Cairnes, CEO of the Hanley Foundation. “Events like this are critical to spread the message of hope and raise funds that allow us to expand our substance use prevention and recovery programs.”
Experts say removing the stigma of substance abuse and recognizing it as a disease that deserves the same attention as other medical conditions are crucial to people seeking help.
“It requires research, early detection, treatment plans and follow-up,” says John Makris. “Most importantly, the stigma needs to be converted to empathy so we can erase the shame our loved ones experience.”
People with the disease “need love, kindness, treatment and supportive recovery.”
With almost three years since their loss, the Makrises have found perspective by knowing they’re doing good for others.
“The grieving process is forever,” says Michelle Makris. “After a lot of therapy and allowing myself to grieve, I find I can live with joy and grief in the same place.”
“We wake up with this pain and go to sleep with it,” says John Makris. “But Brice would want our lives to go on. We do this to honor him. It’s the least he deserves.”

Jan Enogren writes about health and healthy living. Send column ideas to jenogren@hotmail.com

If You Go
What: Brice Makris Brunch fundraiser with the Hanley Foundation
When: 11 a.m. Dec. 11
Where: Boca West Country Club
Tickets: $150 at hanleyfoundation.org/events/brice-makris-brunch
Honorees: Max Weinberg of Delray Beach will receive the first Brice Makris Community Spirit Award. Other honorary guests are Troy McLellan, Tina Polsky, Andrea Virgin, Spencer Siegel and Andrea O'Rourke.

Preparing to start the Heart Walk are (l-r) Brian Maciak, Lanelle Meidan, Patti Patrick, Troy Rice, Ava Parker, Darcy Davis, Gina Melby, Michele Jacobs and Hilda Gonzalez. Photo provided by Daniel Decius

By Christine Davis

The Palm Beach County Heart Walk last month at the Meyer Amphitheatre — which attracted more than 4,500 participants, including heart disease survivors and stroke survivors — raised more than $900,000 for research for the American Heart Association.
Michele Jacobs, from the Economic Council of Palm Beach County, was the top fundraising individual, and the Health Care District of Palm Beach County was the top fundraising company, said Heart Walk chair Gina Melby, the CEO of HCA Florida JFK Hospital.
Melby also announced the 2023 Heart Walk chair, Brian Maciak, president and chief operating officer of Big O Tires, and executive vice president and general counsel of TBC Corp.
Donations are still accepted at www.PalmBeachHeartWalk.org through Dec. 31.

***

The prototype prosthetic hand being developed at Florida Atlantic University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science. Photo provided

People with prosthetic hands may find it difficult to perform tasks like using a screwdriver or can opener. That’s because prosthetic hands have five individually actuated digits, but only one grasp function can be controlled at a time.
Aiming to empower amputees to fully control the dexterity of their artificial hands, researchers at Florida Atlantic University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science have received a four-year, $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation.
In the prototype they are developing, individual fingers can be controlled to accomplish more complicated tasks like the motion needed to turn a screwdriver. The technology includes a special skin sensor — an analytical device that measures biological or chemical reactions by generating signals — that can be trained by algorithms to sense the signals to control the hand.
Clinicians will interact with 10 study participants over the course of one year for muscle training via smartphone.

***

Randy D. Blakely, Ph.D., Florida Atlantic University’s Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute executive director, received $5,000 from the Society for Neuroscience in a 2022 Science Educator Award at the organization’s annual meeting in San Diego. An internationally renowned neuroscientist and leading expert in brain neurochemistry, pharmacology and molecular neuroscience, Blakely came to FAU in 2016 as the founding executive director for the university’s Neuroscience Research Institute.
Blakely is credited with launching the institute’s Ascend program (Advancing STEM: Community Engagement Through Neuroscience Discovery). Ascend at FAU addresses the shortage of middle and high school students studying science, technology, engineering and math in Palm Beach County.
Blakely is also credited for developing “Brainy Days,” FAU’s celebration of the neuroscience initiative, which supplements the recognition of national Brain Awareness Week during March.

***

Lincoln Mendez has been appointed to the newly created role of north region executive of Baptist Health South Florida to go with his job as Boca Raton Regional Hospital CEO. He will be responsible for driving Boca Regional and Bethesda hospitals’ growth across Palm Beach County, with a focus on expanding access to orthopedics, cardiac and vascular, cancer and neuroscience services.
Additionally, a search is underway for a new CEO for Baptist Health’s Bethesda Hospitals, who will succeed Nelson Lazo upon his retirement.

***

Healthgrades placed Delray Medical Center within the top 10% of hospitals nationally, giving it a “Stroke Care Excellence Award” for the 14th year in a row.
“Consumers can feel confident that recipients of the 2023 award have demonstrated their ability to deliver consistently exceptional outcomes,” said Dr. Brad Bowman, chief medical officer and head of data science at Healthgrades.
Delray Medical Center also achieved five-star ratings for its treatments of heart failure, cranial neurosurgery, upper gastrointestinal surgeries, colorectal surgeries, sepsis and respiratory failure.

***

Caron Treatment Centers is expanding its services for substance-use-disorder treatment and recovery in Florida with a new medical facility and additional programming.
Caron Florida, which offers the programs at Caron Renaissance in Boca Raton and Ocean Drive in Delray Beach, recently added a stand-alone mental health program.
In early 2023, Caron Florida will add detox services and an older adult program when it opens its new 10,000-square-foot medical facility, the Keele Medical Center, at 4575 Linton Blvd., Delray Beach.
The center is slated to open to patients in mid-January. For more information, visit www.caron.org.

***

From left, Carrie Browne, Dr. Christine Koehn and Lauren Zuchman at the Palm Health Foundation panel discussion. Photo provided by Coastal Click Photography

The Palm Health Foundation hosted a “Celebrating Human Flourishing Through the NeuroArts” panel discussion in October at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, in Jupiter.
Speakers focused on the scientific study of neuro-arts, showing how artistic experiences lead to improved physical and mental health, disease prevention and enhanced brain development in children.
The discussion was moderated by Palm Health Foundation’s director of stewardship and strategic partnerships, Carrie Browne.
Panelists included: Nicole Baganz, Ph.D., director of community engagement and programming, FAU Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute; Cindy Surman, program director of BBT4PD (dance for those living with Parkinson’s) at Boca Ballet Theatre; McLean Bolton, Ph.D., research group leader, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience; and Kenya Madison, Ed.S., senior director for Healthier Delray Beach, a Palm Health Foundation Healthier Together initiative. 

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

The Council of Catholic Women of St. Lucy Church in Highland Beach has decorated its Giving Tree for the season. The tree is adorned with donation requests for underserved people in the community. To support them and brighten their holidays, parishioners select a recipient and shop or donate items requested on the paper angels decorating the tree. Recipients of this goodwill are local groups: AVDA (Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse), Birthline/lifeline (which helps pregnant women and their babies), Fisher House (a group that supports veterans and their families), and St. Mary’s of Pahokee (a church in western Palm Beach County).  
ABOVE: (l-r) CCW members Diana Barrens, Glenn O’Neill, Mary Alice Dill and Rose Bond at the debut of the Giving Tree.  Photo provided

By Janis Fontaine

St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church’s Spontaneous Christmas Pageant is on hiatus for one more year, says children’s minster Dee Zlatic, wife of Pastor Marty Zlatic.
The showcase of children from the congregation is a popular event, filling the church to overflowing. Coronavirus infections may be down, but church leaders decided on a safer outdoor celebration again in 2022.
The church will host its third Drive-thru Bethlehem from 4-5 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Church members have created a series of vignettes with live actors that tell the Nativity story, and guests drive through the Boynton Beach campus using a simple prayer sheet to follow along. Christmas hymns and carols will be broadcast between stations. There is also a stay-in-your-car Communion station at the end. 
Also at St. Joe’s: A special fundraiser will take place from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Dec. 3. This Santa’s Workshop will feature unusual handmade gifts by people in Madagascar. The sale will raise money to bring a group to perform Miaraka: A Time to Dance, a musical about redemption, at three churches in Palm Beach County in March.
The gifts include handmade fabrics and bead necklaces made from upcycled magazine paper. Bring your dull knives for sharpening. A Christmas cookie sale and a hot dog lunch are also planned.
For more information, call the church at 561-732-3060 or visit www.stjoesweb.org.

Happy Anniversary
St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church in Boca Raton will celebrate its 69th anniversary on Dec. 4 with a brunch after the 10 a.m. service.
The festivities include raffles and a silent auction that features yacht trips and intimate dinners.
One of the most coveted dinners is the one with the auction winner and the Rt. Rev. Peter Eaton, bishop of the Diocese of Southeast Florida, enjoying a meal prepared by the Rev. Andrew Sherman and his family. The money raised supports the church’s missions. Call 561-395-8285.
Other noteworthy events at St. Gregory’s:
• Open house: On Dec. 11, after each service, the church will host an open house at the rectory. Come and have tea, coffee and pastries and meet the church leaders.
• Bake sale: On Dec. 18 the Episcopal Church Women will hold a bake sale after services. Proceeds support the ECW’s missions.

Children’s Christmas show
First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach presents the children’s choir in its first evening performance of its Christmas pageant, “Sing with us the Christmas Story,” at 6 p.m. Dec. 11 in the church’s sanctuary. This short musical tells the story of the first Christmas. A reception follows in Fellowship Hall where guests can meet the performers. Free.
First Presbyterian is at 33 Gleason St. Call 561-276-6338 or visit https://firstdelray.com.
Also happening at First Presbyterian Church:
• The Deacons’ Christmas Tree, which raises money to provide 300 $25 gift cards to children in our community, supports these five agencies: Achievement Centers for Children & Families, Adopt-A-Family of the Palm Beaches, AVDA (Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse), Boys and Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County, and Milagro Center.
Here’s how you can help this more than 50-year-old tradition: Mail a check with “Deacons’ Xmas Tree” on the memo line. Drop off a check in the lobby offering box. Or easiest: Donate at https://firstdelray.com/give. Include “Deacons’ Xmas Tree” in the notes section.
• The Holly House Holiday Gift Shop is still open for shopping from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesdays and Thursdays and 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, until Dec. 18. Call 561-330-0245.

Music at St. Paul’s  
Music at St. Paul’s rings in the holidays with its annual concert, A Festival of Lessons & Carols, at 3 p.m. Dec. 11.
The concert features the Chancel Choir of St. Paul’s under the direction of David Macfarlane and will also feature congregational Christmas carols and lighting of candles. Organ voluntaries by César Franck and Gerald Near will be played on the Moeller pipe organ.
“A series of readings leading from the Hebrew scripture prophecies to the New Testament birth story is complemented with Christmas carols from a variety of traditions to create a beautiful, seasonal celebration,” Macfarlane said.
 A Festival of Lessons & Carols is open to the public, and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church is handicapped accessible. A freewill offering supports Music at St. Paul’s programming.
The church is at 188 S. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. 561-276-4541 or https://musicstpauls.org.  

Happy Hanukkah!
Old School Square will again host the lighting of the menorah at sundown on Dec. 18, the first night of Hanukkah.
Rabbi Shmuel Biston of Chabad of East Delray, who will speak again this year, expects a record turnout. Previous years have drawn crowds of more than 1,500 people.
Delray Beach Police Chief Russ Mager has been asked to light the first candle.
An Israeli Beatles tribute band, in town for the Beatles on the Beach festival, will perform, Biston said. There also will be games for the kids and lots of festive treats.
Old School Square is at 51 S. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach.

Send religion news to Janis Fontaine at fontaine423@outlook.com

By Janis Fontaine

We asked some of our friends in the religious community to tell us about their most memorable Christmas or Hanukkah gifts. Here are their touching, thoughtful reflections.

A grateful recipient
The Christmas season brings with it the spirit of reflection and joyful anticipation for the year to come. For me, the season is a reminder of the art of being a grateful receiver.
In 2020, in the middle of COVID, my family got the news that my dad had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer. One of the silver linings of COVID and the normalization of virtual learning was I had opportunities to fly back and forth to my hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, to spend time with my family.
During one of my visits, my dad and I were going through his closet, cleaning, sorting things, and mostly just talking. Out of one of his drawers, he pulled out a pair of thick, wool, dog print tube socks. “You need these, Genevieve. You love dogs!”
My first reaction was to remind him how incredibly hot it is in South Florida, and how I wouldn’t be able to wear them.
After a long pause, he said, “Well, I don’t think I’ll be able to wear them where I am going either. Just accept the gift, Genevieve, you can always throw them away later.”
These socks represent a defining moment in my life. They help me remember that over the course of life, you will be likely to find yourself being offered a meaningful gift. It could be a tangible item, or someone’s time, their money, their advice, their help. Dad’s dog socks help me remember how incredibly precious this act of giving is — that this person cares for you, loves you, and wants to support you so much that they offer up a little piece of themselves.
Every gift that comes from the heart has the ability to strengthen a relationship. Accept the gifts you’re offered, graciously and with thanks. You may not realize how meaningful they are until later.

— Genevieve Hoppe, head of school, Unity School of Delray Beach

A symbolic acorn
As a pastor for nearly 36 years, I have experienced generosity beyond anything I deserve — from a Starbucks gift card to an all-expense-paid trip to Israel with my wife. Yet, the singular gift that quickens my heart and draws tears of gratitude each Christmas was given in June of 2012, when I said goodbye to a congregation in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, that I had loved for over 12 years to accept a new ministry in Delray Beach.
One of my dearest friends in that church presented me with a tiny box wrapped with clumsy 75-year-old fingers. Over the last 12 years, we had buried his wife, shared more lunches than I can count, spent hours together driving scenic roads and took a day trip to New York City marked by continuous laughter.
Inside, I found a gold acorn Christmas ornament. He said that 12 years ago when I became his pastor, I was then only an acorn in his life. But in that time, our relationship has grown into a mighty oak tree.
Some months ago, Bill moved his church membership to the church triumphant and he will celebrate his first Christmas with his Lord in heaven this year. That simple gold ornament hangs on my Christmas tree and each time I see that small acorn, I’m filled with gratitude for the gifts of friendship and love we shared.

— Doug Hood, senior pastor, First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach

Grandson changed me
Some people say, “I don’t really care about gifts, I have everything I want.”
I envy them because I care about gifts and still seem to want things. As a Christian pastor I preach annually that “Jesus is the best gift of this and any Christmas.”
And I believe it.
But the second-best gift I ever received was in the middle of the pandemic, three days before Christmas when my grandson was born. It may be commonplace to say, “I didn’t realize how much it would change me,” but it has changed me. And my wife, Grandma Zu Zu, and my son, now “Dad.”
It’s the reason climate change is really starting to bother me. The change shows in how much I hope he’ll play guitar like me. He wasn’t on any list or in any sermon. He just was. And is. What a gift!

— Andy Hagen, lead pastor, Advent Church, Boca Raton

Family is everything
When I left my country, the Philippines, to come to the United States for work, I knew that it would be difficult for me to go home on Christmas. That’s the nature of working in health care and as a priest.
Because of some immigration restrictions, I was only able to go home and visit my country three years after I landed to the United States.
Finally, I was able to return home in 2005 during the Christmas season. In early November, I got my green card, proof of a permanent U.S. resident status, meaning I could travel freely outside the U.S. Then, the excitement of seeing my country and my loved ones, the joy I felt as I picked some Christmas presents for my family and close friends, and the opportunity to celebrate Christmas with family and loved ones was the greatest Christmas present I ever got.
I don’t know when this opportunity will happen again in my life. I share the love of family with those who are around me on Christmas. I pray that my presence to those people who the Lord has entrusted to my care will bring joy to their lives and draw them closer to their loved ones as well, on Christmas and throughout the year.

— Father Dennis Gonzales, St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church, Delray Beach

 A POW’s compelling log
My grandfather, James Feerick, volunteered for the Army Air Corps (predecessor to the Air Force) and was a bombardier when he was shot down over Germany. He ended up in the same POW camp The Great Escape memorialized. My grandfather led choir practice to cover up the sound of hammering inside the barracks and would sing his favorite songs to encourage the men, even when he was punished for it. At POW reunions, many people said his singing kept their spirits alive and helped them survive.
In 2013, my parents gave my sisters and me a reproduced version of my grandfather’s wartime log that he kept as a POW. It is full of names and roles of other prisoners, sketches and journal entries. My parents added pictures and entries that testify to the full life he lived after the war. It is a gift that inspires us to live life to the full and never forget that acts of heroism can be as simple as a song.

— the Rev. Kevin McQuone, spiritual director and assistant professor of pastoral theology at St. Vincent De Paul Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach

A Hanukkah miracle
Most of my possessions were in storage because I was renovating a house. When it was time to move into our home, I discovered that the head of the moving company had disappeared. A few boxes were returned, and we were making do with what we had.
But all of my ritual objects were gone! The night before Hanukkah, I noticed a box that I’d had a television sitting on top for a few weeks. I moved the television and looked in the box. I found a hanukkiah (Hanukkah menorah) that was a family heirloom, a piece from the 17th century.
Finding it has become our family’s Hanukkah miracle!

— David Steinhardt, senior rabbi, B’nai Torah Congregation, Boca Raton

Menorah memories
Each Hanukkah at my house, we light a menorah that I purchased in Israel while competing as part of the World Maccabiah Games. It gives me an opportunity to think about my many beautiful memories exploring Israel while representing the USA and my Jewish heritage.

— Melissa Perlman, president, BlueIvy Communications

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

Reed Brand has become a digital star with no-frills videos on how to clean and fillet fish. Photos provided

By Jan Norris

Call him the Dexter of seafood.
Like the handy-with-a-blade star of the Showtime TV series, Reed Brand, aka Reed the Fishmonger, has thousands of people watching his knife skills as he goes about his work filleting fish.
One of the sons in the Captain Clay & Sons Seafood Market family, 29-year-old Brand has become an internet sensation of sorts, posting reels and videos on social media, showing how he slides his knife along the side of a fish with the precision of a surgeon.
On some, he’ll instruct, telling viewers about the type of fish, how deep it’s caught and its flavor, then explaining his cuts and method. On others, it’s simply showing the work table, the fish and his knife, and has only the sound of the cuts as he works.

In a YouTube video he uses a yellowtail snapper as an example of how to fillet a fish while leaving the skin on. 1 Make a single cut behind the gills through the fleshy part of the fish. 2 With the sharp side of the blade facing away from the body of the fish, make a shallow cut along the backbone. 3 Flip the sharp side of the blade toward the body to slice between the ribs and the meat of the fish in a single movement. 4 Use your thumb to pull the fillet open from the body and make a second slice to remove the fillet.

More than 130,000 people subscribe to his channels and videos on YouTube and Instagram, but he shines on TikTok with 245,000 viewers. Views for his posts combined exceed 12 million.
Brand posts on one or the other daily, recording the videos in the store around 5 a.m. when the fish come into the market fresh off the boats. He then uploads the reels later the same day.
“It blows my mind how many people want to watch fish cleaning,” he said. “I’m humbled and grateful, and excited to show off our brand new market.”
Captain Clay & Sons, currently on Northeast Fourth Street in Delray Beach, is moving to a larger store at 1319 N. Federal Highway, just north of George Bush Boulevard, scheduled to open in December.
A year and a half ago, Brand decided he wanted to post instructional videos and share recipes for the market’s products to promote the new place, so he asked a tech-savvy friend how to get started.
“He told me to go to TikTok. I never even heard of it.”
He started there and as he got more confident, branched out to the others. Now, TikTok is his most popular platform, pulling in a younger audience than most others.
Brand says he has viewers of every age, though most followers are of his generation — those who use social media as second nature.
“Think about it like how to change a tire. You and I know, but for the younger people, they pull out their phone and go to YouTube and search a video,” he said. “It may take them once or twice, but they’ll get it.”
It’s the same with cleaning fish — not many people buy whole fish, so breaking them down is foreign to them. “They go to YouTube and can watch how to clean a snapper.”
Although some do watch for the instruction, he admits others are there “for the ASMR. Do you know what that is?”
We didn’t. It stands for autonomous sensory meridian response, a buzzword in videos.
“It’s relaxing entertainment. People say the sound of the knife sliding along the fish is satisfying. It relaxes them,” Brand said. The viewer will watch over and over for ASMR’s tingling sensation.
Comments on the videos “like slicing through butter” and “sick!” encourage him to do more.
So, he sometimes merely shows the fish, then cuts it slowly, separating the flesh from the skin or bones and filleting or steaking out the fish with no sound except the knife.
He says all the fish shown is used: The scraps go into fish cakes or the store smokes it or makes fish stock to sell to restaurants.
Occasionally he’ll show recipes or other techniques — how to devein a shrimp easily, or the story on stone crab claws, coming to the market now.
The store has its own fishing boat, and Brand recently went out on it for recreation and caught his first swordfish — his favorite fish to fillet. Naturally, he took a video of the trip, and will post it, though he says catching fish is a lost cause on social media.
“There are literally millions of videos of people fishing and catching fish. It’s saturated with those. But there aren’t that many of people cutting and cleaning fish,” Brand said.
He gets plenty of feedback. The No. 1 comment, however, is a question: What kind of knife do you use?
He answers: Just a bunch of fillet knives. He’s had dozens of offers daily trying to get him to promote cutlery and other equipment or foods. But he says he has no interest in marketing affiliation or promotions that make some internet stars serious money.
“I just want to promote my family’s market,” he said. “Let people know what they can find in the store. It’s all locally caught, fresh fish, with every fish cut that day that it comes in.”

Find his videos on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok under Reed_thefishmonger.

Chuck Van Buskirk and Jim ’Chiefy’ Mathie show off their catch of lobsters following Hurricane Nicole. The lobsters were clustered in a coral reef in 35 feet of water just south of the Boca Inlet. Photo provided by Jim Mathie

By Steve Waters

Hurricane Nicole pounded our shore with intense waves and 24 hours of heavy rain and blustery winds. Intracoastal flooding made a mess of some roads and plenty of backyards. It also affected the lobster diving around the county’s coral reefs.
The rough seas created by Nicole’s winds resulted in silt-laden water off the region’s beaches, which prompted lobsters to move to deeper, cleaner water. After a storm, the crustaceans, which also are known as “bugs,” return to South Florida’s three coral reefs, where they gather in clusters as they look for new homes.
One of the coolest sights a lobster hunter will ever see is when the crustaceans walk in a line in the sand. No one knows the reason for a lobster walk, where dozens of bugs walk north in single file in 8 to 20 feet of water.
After Hurricane Ian, which made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast in late September, lobsters walked for two weeks, according to Jim “Chiefy” Mathie, a retired Deerfield Beach Fire-Rescue division chief.
The author of Catching the BUG: The Comprehensive Guide to Catching the Spiny Lobster, which is available at South Florida dive shops and at chiefy.net, Mathie waits for the waters around the Boca Raton Inlet to clear after a storm so he and his dive buddies can see the lobsters walking.
On his first trip a couple of days after Nicole’s passage through South Florida last month, Mathie said the visibility in shallow water was poor. So, he and his friends went to the third reef in 65 feet, where the visibility was better and they could see lobsters huddled together.
Five days after the storm, Mathie and his buddies found the bugs gathered together in the second reef in 35 feet just south of the Boca Inlet, and they quickly caught their daily limit of six lobsters apiece.
“One and done,” Mathie said of his and his crew’s needing only one dive to catch 24 lobsters. “We found them clustered with some big boys.”
It was the same story the following day. The lobsters were clustered together, but not walking.
Catching lobsters is easy when they are walking. When the bugs are shallow, snorkelers can swim from the beach and use a net or snare to capture their limit.
Mathie said that during the walk after Hurricane Ian, commercial lobster scuba divers whom he knows sat on the bottom in the sand and waited for the lobsters to walk to them. Those divers easily caught their commercial daily limit of 250 bugs.
Before heading in his boat to the reefs, Mathie looks for lobsters walking off the beach, usually by having one of his divers jump in the water with a mask, fins and snorkel. If the lobsters are there, his crew members will don their scuba gear, go to the bottom and pick out the six biggest bugs that they see.
“After Ian, we saw as many as 100 lobsters walking in a line,” Mathie said. “When we’d take one or two, the line would break up a little, and then there’d be like 20 walking in a line.”
The walk was so good, Mathie said, anglers on local fishing piers caught some lobsters — hooking them with their rods and reels, which is illegal.
As word of a lobster walk spreads, it brings out people who don’t dive, but like the idea of catching a delicious dinner. Anyone catching lobsters must have a saltwater fishing license, which costs $17 for Florida residents, and a $5 spiny lobster permit.
Snorkelers and divers who head out from the beach must have a floating dive flag so boaters can see them. They also must have a measuring device with them. Lobsters must have a minimum carapace length of more than 3 inches and must be measured in the water.
For all lobster regulations, visit https://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/lobster.

Editor’s note: Willie Howard has retired from The Coastal Star to focus on his charter business and his family. We welcome Steve Waters as an occasional columnist. Many of you may remember him from his days as the outdoors writer at the Sun Sentinel.

Steve Waters is a freelance outdoors and golf writer. Email steve33324@aol.com.