Briny Breezes park manager Donna Coates jokes with World War II veterans Ed Manley (left) and Peter Bialowas during a Flag Day event on June 14. When asked whether they would serve again if duty called, Bialowas was quick to answer that he would. Always the joker, Manley said that ‘considering the shot I took to the tush, I would have rather spent my younger days dancing.’ Dozens of residents gathered at the Memorial Fountain for ceremonies that included the unveiling of pavers in the veterans’ honor. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Construction of the Ray, a 141-room hotel in Delray Beach, is expected to begin later this summer. Rendering provided

By Christine Davis

Delray Beach-based Menin Development landed a $72 million loan to finance construction of the Ray, a 141-room hotel planned in the Pineapple Grove Arts District at 201 NE Second Ave., according to a June 6 Commercial Observer report. Madison Realty Capital provided the 24-month construction loan with extension options.
The Ray will have a rooftop pool and bar, event space and two restaurants. Menin Development purchased the site for $26.6 million in 2016. Ground was broken on June 12. Construction will begin later this summer and is expected to be completed May 2021.

Ground will be broken for Delray Beach Market, 33 SE Third Ave., another Menin Development project, later this summer.  Touted as “Florida’s largest food hall,” with 60,000 square feet housing 35 curated vendors, the market is set for a grand opening in fall 2020.

Boca Raton’s Mizner Park, which was built by Tom Crocker and opened in 1991, is undergoing a renaissance with an influx of new restaurants, bars and entertainment venues. Among the new tenants signed or in the works are the Lost Weekend bar, Calaveras Cantina Mexican restaurant and bar, Bluefish sushi and Japanese restaurant, and Strike 10 bowling alley.
“The ownership of Mizner Park changed hands,” explained Andrea O’Rourke, City Council member and Community Redevelopment Agency chair. “It was owned by GGP Inc. and bought out by Brookfield (almost a year ago). There was a bit of a standstill because of the sale of the property.”
In addition to new venues, changes are underway at others. Atlas Restaurant Group’s Ouzo Bay restaurant closed the week of June 24 and will move to Miami, while the company’s Loch Bar will remain open at Mizner Park. And Max’s Grille, which opened almost 30 years ago, will stay open while undergoing upgrades to be completed in September.
“There had been two partners and Burt Rapoport bought out Dennis Max,” O’Rourke said.
That transaction happened about a year ago.
What will happen to Lord + Taylor is still a question. Last year, the company said it was considering strategic alternatives and planned to close up to 10 stores in 2019, and in May 2019, Hudson’s Bay announced it was considering selling the Lord + Taylor brand. So far, three stores have been closed, and, announced in June, another two will close this fall.

The nationally historic Gulfstream Hotel is on market for an undisclosed price.
CBRE Group in Miami began marketing the 106-room hotel and nearby vacant parcels in mid-June, said Natalie Castillo, CBRE first vice president.
“We will be bringing highly qualified developers/hoteliers to evaluate this exceptional property at the heart of Lake Worth Beach,” Castillo said.
The six-story hotel sits on .54 of an acre, and 1.12 acres to the west are included.
The properties last sold in May 2014 for $7.23 million to a partnership of Hudson Holdings of Delray Beach and CDS Holdings of Boca Raton. After lawsuits were filed between the partners in early 2018, CDS retained ownership of the hotel. Real estate investor Carl DeSantis is a principal of CDS Holdings.

Rochelle LeCavalier is the new head for sales of the Residences at Mandarin Oriental, Boca Raton, for Penn-Florida Companies. LeCavalier joined Douglas Elliman in 2018 when the brokerage acquired her company, Pink Palm Properties. The 92-unit Mandarin, at 105 East Camino Real, is expected to open in 2021, a year after the hotel is completed.

Regent Holding LLC, managed by Leo Ghitis, sold a pair of office buildings at 902 Clint Moore Road, Boca Raton, to Congress Corporate Plaza II LLC, managed by Sergio Fernandez and Paul Berkowitz. The $21.2 million deal, recorded on May 29, included the assumption of a $10.48 million mortgage from Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Co. The property was formerly acquired in September 1992 for $3.45 million. 

Toby & Leon Cooperman Sinai Residences, a Boca Raton retirement community at 21036 95th Ave. S., plans a $160-million expansion and redevelopment, to break ground next year and expected to be completed by fall 2022. The plan includes the addition of 111 independent-living apartments, as well as updates to existing amenities.

Kim and Stephen Bruno bought 1160 Royal Palm Way in Boca Raton from G. Robert Sheetz for $12.603 million, according to public records dated June 12. Sheetz bought the property, .36 of an acre with 109 feet of water frontage, in 2017 for $4.625 million, and built a new 12,539-square-foot home. The builder was Wietsma & Lippolis Construction.
David W. Roberts of Royal Palm Properties was the listing agent, and Kenneth Beckett of Beckett Realty Advisors, LLC represented the buyers. Sheetz is a co-owner of the Sheetz convenience store chain with more than 500 locations in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio and North Carolina.

David J. Stern sold the 5,275-square-foot home at 925 Hillsboro Mile in Hillsboro Beach for $7.5 million to Thomas O. Katz of Boca Raton, according to public records. Stern had paid $8 million for the home in 2008, according to records. Todd Kirkpatrick of Whitaker Real Estate represented the buyer. Michelle Howland of Compass represented the seller. Stern was disbarred by the Florida Supreme Court in 2014 for his Plantation-based firm’s alleged misconduct.

Douglas Elliman Real Estate reported on the growth of the Oceanfront International Group and its expansion into the Caribbean market. Led by broker Steve Davis, the Oceanfront International Group includes Jessica Robertson, Brent Robertson, Adam Greenfader and Victoria Brewer. In the past two years Oceanfront has grown a portfolio of global listings totaling nearly $400 million throughout Florida, Costa Rica, Dominica, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, St. Barthélemy, St. Maarten and Turks & Caicos.

At Douglas Elliman in Boca Raton, Annette “Babe” DeLuca joined Tinka Ellington’s team. DeLuca is a teaching golf pro who spent 16 years playing on the LPGA tour. She was an all-state softball player and three-time state champion at Cardinal Newman High.
Shelley Nesbitt has also joined Douglas Elliman in the Boca Raton office. Nesbitt has more than 25 years’ experience in finance and real estate, having served as a vice president for the Royal Bank of Canada and as a senior vice president at HSBC Securities.

Lawrence Dahman, who previously owned Dahman Realty, joined One Sotheby’s International Realty in Boca Raton. Dahman spent 12 years as a Florida Association of Realtors state director and was recently awarded Realtor Emeritus status by the National Association of Realtors for his more than 40 years of participation and leadership. 

Mark R. Osherow, of Osherow PLLC Lawyers and Advisors in Boca Raton, was named for the 13th consecutive year to the Florida Super Lawyers in the area of business litigation. Super Lawyers is a rating service that uses independent research and peer evaluations in its selections.
Osherow is certified as a specialist in business litigation by the Florida Bar and can practice before all Florida, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey state courts. He is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Southern, Middle and Northern districts of Florida, as well as before several other federal trial courts. At the appellate level, Osherow is admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Doreen Yaffa, managing partner of Yaffa & Associates, a Boca Raton marital and family law firm, was appointed to the board of the Faulk Center for Counseling. She mentors young attorneys and hosts her Yaffa Power Women series for businesswomen; she is co-chair of the local Alzheimer’s Association; and is involved with Impact 100 and the Jewish Community Center of Boca.

Anthony Bajak, chief operating officer of Good Samaritan Medical Center, joined the YMCA of the Palm Beaches board in May. He will work to create awareness and raise resources to advance the Y’s mission to promote youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. 

George Gann, executive director and chief conservation strategist for the Institute for Regional Conservation in Delray Beach, was an instructor at two workshops at the Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve in Staatsburg, N.Y.  The one-day workshops introduced ecological restoration professionals to an approach based on the Society for Ecological Restoration’s International Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration, of which Gann is second author. 

Professional Bank has a new full-service branch at 980 N. Federal Highway in Boca Raton. Photo provided

Professional Bank has a new full-service branch in Boca Raton. The bank previously operated a loan production center in the city before opening the downtown branch. The new 2,500-square-foot branch is at 980 N. Federal Highway, Suite 100.

Crane’s Beach House in Delray Beach has received Trip Advisor’s Certificate of Excellence for five years in a row, meaning it has entered Trip Advisor’s Hall of Fame. To receive the certificate, a property must receive great reviews and its manager must demonstrate a responsive, customer-focused approach.

Five Star Senior Living Inc.’s Five Star Premier Residences of Boca Raton achieved the newly launched J.D. Power Senior Living Community Certification. To earn the designation, the community underwent an evaluation that included resident satisfaction surveys and on-site evaluations of operational best practices.

RailUSA, LLC, a Boca Raton-based independent freight railroad and rail services holding company, acquired a 430-mile rail line and related real estate from CSX Corporation in May. The line, now named Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad, operates from Baldwin to Pensacola, passing through Tallahassee, with a connection to Attapulgus, Ga. RailUSA is owned by Equity Group Investments, the private investment firm of Sam Zell; Boca Raton-based International Rail Partners, a group of veteran rail operators; and other Equity Group co-investors.

Two funders have helped start the South Florida Science Center and Aquarium program Pint Size Science: Growing up with STEAM. The goal is to implement science, technology, engineering, art and math learning into regular curriculums for kids ages 3-5.
Science Center educators will train staff from child-care centers throughout the year. The program will also give family members the chance to be involved through Family Fun Packs with a lunch kit, watercolor paint set, a magnifying glass, a collection box and play dough.
The Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation gave $55,000 to fund the program in Palm Beach County. A.D. Henderson Foundation gave $50,000 to fund the program in Broward County. The funding will serve about 75 teachers and staff at 10 child-care centers in Palm Beach County. The Broward grant will reach 400 students and 100 teachers in that county. Palm Beach State College is a partner in this project. The South Florida Science Center and Aquarium is at 4801 Dreher Trail North, West Palm Beach.

The Young Entrepreneurs Academy, teaching students in grades 6-12 how to start and run their own businesses, is accepting applications for its 2019-20 program.
For information on the Greater Boca Raton Chamber’s YEA! class, contact Sherese James-Grow at 395-4433, ext. 232 or sjamesgrow@bocachamber.com.

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

Freebee, Delray Beach’s selected point-to-point transportation provider, plans to have vehicles that carry
advertising. Service is set to begin Sept. 3. Photo provided

By Jane Smith

Delray Beach is still waiting on the new vehicles it contracted for to replace the downtown trolley, and officials aren’t happy with some details of contract negotiations.
First Transit, the city’s fixed-route operator, has not yet ordered the new propane-powered vehicles, Community Redevelopment Agency board members learned at a June 11 workshop. The company is waiting until it has a signed contract with the city before ordering the vehicles, and that could be months away.
“It will take 14 days from when we sign the contract to get the new vehicles,” said Shannon Borst of First Transit, based in Cincinnati with local offices in Boynton Beach. The new mini-van vehicles will take between 120 to 160 days to have their engines changed from diesel power, Borst said.
First Transit will work with Freebee, the selected point-to-point operator, to use its smartphone app to allow riders to know where the minivan is and to find the nearest stop.
The CRA board members had talked about wanting wooden bench seats in the new vehicles like the old trolleys had to give visitors an old-time experience. But the white minivans already on the streets have individual bus seats and have replaced the trolleys, Borst said.
“We were underwhelmed,” Shelly Petrolia, CRA chairwoman and Delray Beach mayor, said after the workshop. “Why would we pay [more] for them if they are going to be exactly like what we have?”
The board members agreed to extend First Transit’s contract to operate two diesel minivans for another six months while the exact type of vehicles, the style of vinyl wrapping and other details are negotiated.
The minivans can be wrapped to look like a Woody — a 1960s era station wagon that had wood panels on doors or roof, Renée Jadusingh, CRA assistant director, said at the workshop.
Meanwhile, Freebee has ordered its vehicles for the point-to-point system, said Jason Spiegel, managing partner of Freebee. The service will begin on Sept. 3.
“We’re excited to be in Delray Beach,” Spiegel said at the workshop. The five electric-powered vehicles will be wrapped and carry advertising, in addition to the city and CRA logos.
The CRA board members didn’t like the idea that the point-to-point vehicles would be promoting businesses as they drove through the downtown.
Without the advertising, Freebee would need to charge the CRA an additional $180,000, Spiegel said.
“It’s a little disappointing,” Petrolia said after the workshop. “I feel snake-bitten by these transit contracts.”
Separately, Patrick Halliday is operating a pedicab service from 8 p.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, weather permitting. His drivers service the area between Swinton Avenue to the ocean and north to Fourth Street and south to Third Street.
Halliday, a bicycling advocate, has wanted to start the pedicab service for years. He received Florida Department of Transportation approval, which said pedicabs should be treated as bicycles and are allowed on the street.
The pedicab ride is free and operates on a “generous gratuity” to the driver. Four pedicabs will run each evening, Halliday said.
Riders who want to summon a pedicab should call 288-4511 and press 1.

By Jane Smith

Bakery owner Billy Himmelrich’s lawsuit against Delray Beach has moved to an appeal court since a circuit judge denied his motion on June 24 to reopen the case.
Himmelrich and business partner David Hosokawa had asked the judge to reconsider their claim under the Bert Harris Act, which protects property rights.
The partners say when the city created a three-story height cap for downtown properties in early 2015, Delray Beach limited what they could build on their four parcels, according to their May 6 rehearing motion. They own two parking lots and two buildings, just east of the Old School Square grounds.
They were not notified in writing, as the Bert Harris Act requires. Himmelrich, though, did attend the zoning hearings.
They are seeking $6.9 million in damages.
Judge Jaimie Goodman agreed with the city that Himmelrich and his partner first needed to file a formal plan with Delray Beach. Goodman made his ruling without prejudice, allowing the partners to make a claim when they file a plan.
The partners had sued Delray Beach in May 2018 to be able to build four stories on their parcels.
While the partners were waiting for Goodman’s decision on the rehearing, they appealed their loss to the Fourth District Court of Appeal.

By Rich Pollack

Getting into Delray Beach City Hall to pay your water bill, stop by the clerk’s office or take care of other business is now a little more challenging than it has been for years, and it may soon get even tougher.
For decades, visitors could just walk right in without having to stop and explain where they were going.
That changed about a month ago, when the city instituted a policy requiring visitors to sign in at the front desk, leaving their names, whom they planned to see and what time they arrived.
While there have long been discussions about improving security at City Hall and other government buildings, the recent shooting at a Virginia Beach municipal building that left 12 people dead increased the sense of urgency to get something done locally.
“This is just the beginning of a multitude of safety and security issues we’re addressing,” interim City Manager Neal de Jesus told city commissioners during a meeting last month. “We’re going to do whatever is necessary to protect our employees and visitors.”
He said the city is looking at security issues at all its buildings, not just City Hall, to ensure that employees and visitors alike are not in harm’s way.
“In today’s world there’s a need to secure facilities,” he said. “Safety and security in municipal buildings has been an ongoing topic for years.”
The interim city manager said the city staff has begun researching security options for City Hall and is considering a system similar to those used by hospitals.
“We intend to go digital,” de Jesus told commissioners.
He said the city is researching the practicality and cost of a system where residents present a driver’s license to be scanned. They then get their photo taken and receive a paper badge with their name and photo on it, as well as the name of the department they’re visiting.
While the city has not had any major security problems at City Hall, there have been issues that raise concerns.
Last month two visitors in the lobby of the city’s building service department got into an altercation, de Jesus said, and there have been threats made against some employees.
“Utility billing gets a multitude of threats of bodily harm on a regular basis,” he told commissioners.
Another problem, de Jesus said, is that staffers frequently find people wandering through City Hall without knowing where they’re going.
A new system, he said, would also provide an additional level of customer service, making it easier for staff to direct visitors who may have trouble getting to where they need to be.
Mayor Shelly Petrolia said that most other cities she visits have some form of city hall security and that Delray has been behind. “I know we’ve come a long way and still have a long way to go,” she said.
Delray is not alone in reviewing its security at municipal buildings. In Boca Raton, which after 9/11 had a metal detector and guard at its City Hall entrance but no longer does, a review of security reinforcements and protocols is in progress.  
The previous security procedures were removed as part of a reconfiguration of the City Hall entrance during the recession, according to city officials.
While the recently implemented sign-in process at Delray City Hall has gone smoothly, according to de Jesus, there was at least one resident who was caught off guard.
Vice Mayor Shirley Johnson said she received a call from a resident who was irate over having to sign in.
“The public is not accustomed to what we’ve done and it was a shock,” she said.
De Jesus said he had heard of only that one upset resident. “There have been several hundred people sign in and only one complaint,” he said.

By Jane Smith

Lawyer Renée Jadusingh became the executive director of the Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency as of June 29, a promotion from the assistant director’s post she held since 2018.
Jadusingh replaces her former boss, Jeff Costello, who submitted his resignation on May 28. He offered to stay until Aug. 23 “to facilitate a smooth transition.”
But CRA board members decided that Costello would stay only 30 days, as his contract required. Costello, who made slightly more than $146,000 a year, was to have a performance review last month.
The board members voted 6-1 in June to promote Jadusingh, 38, to be executive director with a $145,000 annual salary and a $3,000 annual car allowance.
CRA Treasurer Bill Bathurst voted no because he wanted to conduct a search for the best candidate.
‘I’m very impressed with Renée,” CRA Vice Chairwoman Shirley Johnson said at a June 4 meeting. When Jadusingh worked for the Overtown CRA in Miami, “she visited 450 homeowners and convinced them to move out of their homes temporarily and move back at CRA expense. ... I thank Jeff Costello for hiring her.”
Jadusingh, happy to be promoted, said, “I will benefit from the redevelopment plan that Jeff created from the board’s input. Now, I’ll have to implement the projects.”
She will oversee 13 employees, including the Greenmarket manager and Arts Warehouse director. The CRA area covers one-fifth of the city, mostly along Atlantic Avenue east of Interstate 95 to the ocean.
The agency is embarking on an ambitious plan to clean and complete the alleys in the Northwest and Southwest neighborhoods. It also is negotiating with a developer, BH3, to redo 9 acres in the 600 to 800 blocks of West Atlantic.
Jadusingh became the assistant director in February 2018. She was making $110,000 in that position.
Previously, Jadusingh spent 3 1/2 years as the staff attorney for the Southeast Overtown/Park West Community Redevelopment Agency in Miami. She negotiated and drafted general business contracts, housing restrictive covenants, construction contracts and other legal documents.
In 2012, she graduated from St. Thomas University School of Law in Miami Gardens. She sits on the board of the Florida Redevelopment Association.
Costello, 55, said it was “a good time” for him to leave. “I’m glad they promoted from within the CRA.”
After 30 years with the city, including 12 at the CRA and more than four as executive director, he will take some time off to spend with his two teenage sons. Between his previous city planning job and the CRA assistant director’s position, he spent two years at New Urban Planning in Delray Beach.
He will stay in Delray Beach, but he declined to say what his next job will be.
At his last board meeting on June 11, the board members and staff treated him to an Oreo cake from Publix and a card.
“God bless,” Costello said, “and thanks.”

A change of paint color and replacement of the barrel-tile roof with a more durable metal will change the aesthetics of the Marriott and please its insurance company. Rendering provided

By Jane Smith

The Delray Beach Marriott plans to change its architectural style and color scheme starting in August.
“Right after Hurricane Irma, our insurance company said we needed to change the roof,” said Mike Walsh, president of Ocean Properties, which owns and runs the oceanfront hotel.
The barrel-tile roof, indicative of the hotel’s Mediterranean architectural style, was not holding up well to severe weather. Metal roofs were suggested, meaning a new look for the hotel in the Anglo-Caribbean style.
“We’re excited,” Walsh said. “We want the hotel to look its best.” Renovations should be finished by Christmas, he said.
The hotel will be repainted from standard beige to Arcadia white with details in Brilliant white. Both are Benjamin Moore paint colors, said Gary Eliopoulos, the architect for the project.
He presented the changes on June 12 to the city’s Site Plan Review and Appearance Board.
“It was a standard beige for decades,” said Roger Cope, chairman of that advisory board. “The color change is phenomenal.”
The white colors are trending now, Eliopoulos said.
The already approved restaurant with an entrance on East Atlantic Avenue will have “real cedar shakes as a roofing material,” Cope said.
The cedar shakes will be used only on the new 5,000-square-foot restaurant, Eliopoulos said. The rest of the hotel will have metal roofs.
The board approved the changes 5-0. Two members, Annie Adkins-Roof and Linda Purdo-Enochs, were absent.
Delray Beach residents will notice other design changes to the south façade facing Atlantic Avenue and to the west one facing Andrews Avenue.
The medallion on the south side will be removed and replaced with a large, concrete-etched mural of palm fronds.
The western side will have two vertical, concrete-etched murals of palm fronds.
The hotel’s lobby will be freshened, too.
Ocean Properties hired the same interior designer the iPic movie theater used to create a new front desk and ceiling treatment, Walsh said.

Grilled salmon salad is one of the $7.99 Thursday lunch specials at Cafe Frankie’s in Boynton Beach. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Those who stay put during the sweltering season are treated to restaurant deals well worth checking out

By Jan Norris and Janis Fontaine

It’s heating up out there — and not just the weather. Summer dining deals are getting hotter as restaurants aim to lure customers to make up for those who have fled to cooler climes.
Those who sweat it out are rewarded.
Check out the prix fixe menus at 50 Ocean, above Boston’s on the Beach in Delray Beach. Two-course lunches are $19, and a three-course dinner for $39 with that oceanfront view is well worth it. Try the fire-grilled swordfish with farro tabbouleh and preserved eggplant. It’s a terrific spot to take out-of-towners.
On the ocean in Manalapan at Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa’s Temple Orange Mediterranean Bistro, the three-course Eau Neighbors lunch prix fixe is $28, and the Neighbors dinner is $60.
If it’s a drink you’re after at Eau Palm Beach, the bar at Angle and the Stir Bar & Terrace both offer Manhattans or glasses of Champagne for $5 each Tuesday through Thursday. Angle’s three-course prix fixe dinner on those days is $75 and has entree choices such as a Fort McCoy Ranch filet mignon, a miso-glazed Florida grouper and Lake Meadow Farm duck breast — all with sides. Fruit cobbler with the signature strawberry-basil ice cream is what we’d choose for dessert.
More drinks are on tap at Deck 84 in Delray Beach on the water. It extends happy hour from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. A bar bites menu is available 3-6 p.m. with a gluten-free, spicy tuna taco for $12. Bring Rover on over, too — dogs have their own menu here that even features a vegetarian option and a CBD biscuit. Howl, yeah.

Tanzy’s farm-to-glass cocktails are $7 during happy hour at the Boca Raton restaurant. Photo provided

At the Sardinia Enoteca Ristorante in Delray, take 40 percent off the food menu prices on Mondays (spaghetti Bottarga di Muggine — oh, my!) and half off bottles of wine on Tuesdays. A plate of pasta is just $12 on Wednesdays, and ladies drink free at the bar from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursdays.
Josie’s Ristorante in Boynton Beach is taking 20 percent off the whole check each Monday through Thursday, lunch and dinner, and up to 3 p.m. on Fridays.
The craziest deal is Meatball Monday, however — but get there early because word’s definitely out. The signature giant meatballs with fresh ricotta cheese are only $2 each, and one may fill you up. Meatball sliders are just $2.50, and the restaurant whacks $3 off the martinis. That’s one cheap date. (Grab a rideshare home, please.)
In Palm Beach, saddle up for the steak deal on Sundays at the Meat Market. It’s half price for all the signature steaks.
There’s an early bird deal at PB Catch, also in Palm Beach, where it’s BOGO on the entrees every night before 6:30. That includes the signature cioppino, a treasure of a dish filled with seafood in a tomato-fennel broth with a grilled crostini to dip in it. A true taste of coastal summer.

The Atlantic Grille, at the Seagate Hotel in Delray Beach, offers happy hour specials, plus a prix fixe menu. Photo provided

Most of these deals last through summer; check the restaurants ahead of time just to be sure. Reservations might be a good idea, though it shouldn’t be as hard to get in during these lazy days of summer.

Boca Raton
Casimir French Bistro — 416 Via De Palmas Suite 81, Boca Raton. 955-6001; www.casimirbistro.com.
Summer Madness dining deals through Oct. 25 include: Monday, All-you-can-eat mussels, $25.50; Tuesday, Reward night: Spend $75 and get a $25 gift card; Wednesday: Duck Night. The house favorite is $23; and Thursday, Lobster Night: Get a 1.5-pound lobster, sautéed spinach and basmati rice, $28.
Chops Lobster Bar — 101 Plaza Real S., Boca Raton. 395-2675; www.buckheadrestaurants.com/restaurant/chops-lobster-bar-br/
Happy Hour: 5-7 p.m. daily. Wine by the glass, $6; spirits, $7; signature martinis, $7.75. Get $8 small bites including baked clams casino, Thai chili calamari, truffle fries and burrata mozzarella. $12 plates include lobster and white cheddar mac ’n’ cheese and ahi tuna tartar. Get a 7-ounce bacon cheeseburger with gaufrette chips for $11.
Three-course prix fixe dinners: Sunday-Thursday. Choose from six appetizers, eight entrees including filet mignon and lobster-stuffed lobster, and three desserts starting at $54.
Louie Bossi’s Ristorante — 100 E. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton. 336-6699; www.
louiebossi.com.
Martini Monday: Half off all martinis and $2.50 meatball sliders, Monday 4 p.m. to close.
Roman Holiday: Half off every bottle of wine under $99 with the purchase of an entrée, Wednesday.
Extended Happy Hour: 4-7 p.m. daily at the bar. $2 off drinks and half-price pizzas.
The Rebel House — 297 E. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton. 353-5888; www.lifetastesbetter.com.
Beer, bourbon, barbecue: A five-course dinner pairing: 7 p.m. July 3. $75, inclusive.
Rocco’s Tacos — Boca Center, 5250 Town Center Circle, Boca Raton. 416-2131; and 110 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. 808-1100; www.roccostacos.com.
Summer dining deal: From 4-7 p.m. daily at the bar, get signature tacos and appetizers for $2, $3 house wine, Mexican beer starting at $3 and $5 well drinks and margaritas. Bottles of Veuve Clicquot are $50.    
Tanzy Restaurant — Mizner Park, 301 Plaza Real, Boca Raton. 922-6699; www.tanzyrestaurant.com.
Weekend brunch: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Happy Hour: 4-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday. Get wine by the glass and beer, $5. Farm-to-glass cocktails, $7. Small plates like housemade meatballs and flatbreads, $6. And Chef Jet Tila’s spicy tuna on crispy rice, $6.
The Yard House — Mizner Park, , 201 Plaza Real, Suite 1201, Boca Raton. 417-6124; www.yardhouse.com.
Happy Hour: 3-6 p.m. Monday-Friday, and late night from 10 p.m. to close Sunday-Wednesday. Get select half-priced appetizers, including boneless wings, poke nachos, ahi sashimi, spinach cheese dip, queso dip, chicken nachos, chicken lettuce wraps, fried chicken tenders, classic sliders, Wisconsin fried cheese curds, fried calamari, moo shu egg rolls, fried mac and cheese, and half-priced pizzas. Take $2 off draft beer, wine, spirits and cocktails, $3 off nine-ounce wine and $4 off half yards.

Boynton Beach
Café Frankie’s — 640 E. Ocean Ave., Boynton Beach. 732-3834. www.cafefrankies.com.
Half wine deal: Take 50 percent off all bottles of wine from 8-10 p.m. daily. Dine in only.
Dollar off deal: Take $1 off all bottled beer and $2 off glasses of wine.
Discounted appetizers: 4:30-6:30 p.m. daily. $5 (grilled eggplant), $6 (fried calamari) and $8 (spicy mussels).
Lunch specials: $7.99 lunch deals from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Josie’s — 1602 S. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach. 364-9601; www.josiesristorante.com.
Summer celebration deal: Take 20 percent off the menu all day Monday through Thursday and until 3 p.m. Friday. Dine in only. Limited time. Some exclusions apply.
Eight for $8 deal: Choose from eight lunch specials including shrimp or chicken Caesar, eight wings, 2 meatball sliders, rigatoni bolognese, panini caprese. Dine in or take-out.
Extended happy hours: 2-7 p.m. Monday-Friday and 4-7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Late Night Happy Hour: 9 p.m. to close, order from the happy hour bar menu.
Meatball & Martini Monday: $2 meatballs, $2.50 sliders and reduced-price martinis, dine in only.
Take-out pizza special: Get a large one-topping pizza for $10.99 on Monday and Tuesday.

Delray Beach
The Atlantic Grille — 1000 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. 665-4900; www.theatlanticgrille.com.
Happy Hour: Get $4 house wine, draft beer and well cocktails, $6 Svedka martinis and reduced-price appetizers.
Prix fixe menu: Sunday through Thursday, order from the special prix a la carte fixe menu. Choose from two appetizers, two entrees and two desserts. The menu (and prices) change each week. In week one, they offered a watermelon caprese, $12, or chilled cherry soup, $10. Entrees: Sautéed flounder amandine yellow rice, garlic green beans, $27, or farro primavera, $24. Desserts are blueberry cobbler and white chocolate cheesecake, $9, or ice cream, $8. Get three courses with a choice of La Terre Merlot, Cabernet, Chardonnay, or Rex & Goliath Pinot Grigio. Two glasses per guest or one bottle of wine per two guests, $38 per person.
50 Ocean — Above Boston’s at 50 S. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach. 278-3364 or 665-4666; www.50ocean.com.
Prix fixe menus: Two-course lunches are $19, and a three-course dinner for $39. Try the fire-grilled swordfish with farro tabbouleh and preserved eggplant.
Burt & Max’s — 9089 W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. 638-6380; www.burtandmaxs.com. Deals are valid through Sept. 30.
$1 Kids’ Meals: Monday through Thursday, get a kids’ meal for a buck with the any adult entrée purchase. The $1 price benefits the Child Rescue Coalition. Kids are age 12 and younger. No take-out/delivery.
Extended Happy Hour: From 11:30 a.m.- 6 p.m., get wine by the glass and half-price on beer and spirits at the bar and high tops. A bar bites menu is available from 3-6 p.m.
Half-Price Wines Days: Mondays and Wednesdays, get half off bottles of wine with the purchase of an entrée.
$20 Bottles of Wine: Choose from a rotating list of wines by the bottle.
12 for $12 Lunches: Twelve meals priced at $12 each, Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Caffe Luna Rosa — 34 S. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach. 274-9404; www.caffelunarosa.com.
Wine Dinners: A four-course meal paired with appropriate wines selected by the restaurant, $59, plus tax and tip. Dates: July 23, Aug. 13, Sept. 3 and 24, Oct. 15, and Nov. 5 and 26.
City Oyster & Sushi Bar — 213 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. 272-0220; www.cityoysterdelray.com.
Half-price wine: Take half off any bottle of wine under $99 on Mondays with the purchase of an entree.
Happy Hour: From 4-7 p.m. daily at the bar; includes half-off drinks, beer and select wines and $1 off raw bar.
Bottomless brunch: $13 mimosas and $13 endless Bloody Marys with the purchase of an entrée, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sundays. 
Deck 84 — 840 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. 665-8484; www.deck84.com.
$1 Kids' Meals: Monday through Thursday, get a kids’ meal for a buck with the any adult entrée purchase. The $1 price benefits the Child Rescue Coalition. Kids are age 12 and younger. Through Sept. 30. No take-out/delivery.
Wine Wednesdays: Half-price.
Extended Happy Hour: From 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday get wine by the glass and half price on beer and spirits at the bar and high tops. A bar bites menu is available from 3-6 p.m.
Ellie’s 50’s Diner — 2401 N. Federal Highway, Delray Beach. 276-7716.
Summertime Specials: Prix fixe breakfast ($4.97), lunch ($8.97) and dinner ($13.97).
Cash only deal: Get 20 percent off your check when you pay cash through Sept. 30. Not valid on Summertime Specials.
Harvest Seasonal Grill & Wine Bar — 1841 S. Federal Highway, #402, Delray Beach. 266-3239; www.harvestseasonalgrill.com.
Prix fixe menu: From July 21-Aug. 2, get a $20 three-course prix fixe lunch menu and a $35 four-course dinner menu.
Lemongrass Asian Bistro — Two locations: 420 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. 278-5050; www.lemongrassasianbistrodelraybeach.com, and 101 Plaza Real S., Boca Raton. 544-8181; lemongrassasianbistrobocaraton.com.
Lunch specials — 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday. Sushi and sashimi lunch specials ($9.95-$12.95) come with a choice of appetizer: ginger salad, shumai (steamed or fried), gyoza (steamed or fried), California roll or a vegetarian spring roll. Poke bowls are $15.
Luigi’s Coal Oven Pizza — 307 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. 274-1969; www.luigiscoalovenpizzadelray.com/food/ ;
Summer Happy Hour: From 3-7 p.m. Monday Friday and 3-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, get half off well drinks, glasses of wine $12 or less, domestic beers, $1 off craft and imported beers, plus an array of appetizers from $5-$9.
Wine Wednesday: Half off all bottles of wine $100 or less all day.
Late Night Happy Hour: Get an 8-inch pizza for $5 from 10 p.m. to close Friday and Saturday.
Mussel Beach — 501 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. 921-6464; www.musselbeachdelray.com.
Happy Hour: 3:30-6:30 p.m. Monday-Friday in the bar/lounge only. Get half-priced cocktails, $10 off mussel bowls and appetizers for $7, $10 and $14.
Sardinia Enoteca Ristorante — 3035 S. Federal Highway, Delray Beach. 332-3406. www.sardinia-ristorante.com.
40 percent off Mondays: Take 40 percent off the food menu on Monday nights.
Pasta Wednesdays: Get a bowl of pasta for $12.

Manalapan
Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa — 100 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan, 800-328-0170, www.eaupalmbeach.com.
Breeze Ocean Kitchen — Daily: Get two tacos and a margarita for $20.18.
Temple Orange Mediterranean Bistro — Daily Eau Neighbors Lunch: A three-course meal is $28. 
Daily Eau Neighbors Dinner: A three-course meal is $60.
Stir Bar & Terrace — The classic summer special: Tuesday through Thursday, get $5 Manhattans and Champagne by the glass at the bar.
Angle — Get a three-course tasting menu for $75 Tuesday through Thursday (a $20 savings).

Palm Beach
The Breakers — 1 S. County Road, Palm Beach. 659-8488; www.thebreakers.com. Summer deals continue through Sept. 30.
Prix Fixe Summer Specials: Specially priced three-course menus at Echo and the Italian Restaurant.
Flagler Steakhouse’s Prix Fixe Brunch — A specially priced three-course Sunday brunch menu, through Sept. 30.
Sunday Brunch at the Circle dining room — Hotel guests save 20 percent.
Buccan — 350 S. County Road, Palm Beach. 833-3450; www.buccanpalmbeach.com.
Summer Sunday Fried Chicken Special: Chef Clay Conley brings back his summer fried chicken special. Every Sunday night through September, get three pieces of crispy chicken with specialty sides (like collards, baked beans, mashed potatoes, biscuits) for $27.
Café Boulud — 301 Australian Ave, Palm Beach. 655-6060; www.cafeboulud.com.
Le Voyage: Vietnam — July.
Le Voyage: China — August.
Summer Les Plats Du Jour — Monday to Sunday. A selection of classically inspired dishes
prepped by Executive Chef Rick Mace: Monday: Coq au Vin; Tuesday: Moules Frites; Wednesday: Moroccan Lamb Shank; Thursday: DB Burger; Friday: Salt Baked Yellowtail Snapper; Saturday: Chateaubriand for Two; Sunday: Veal Viennoise.
Brunch Prix Fixe: 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Three courses, $39.
Lunch Prix Fixe: Noon-2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. Two courses, $29, or three for $36.
Dinner Prix Fixe: Three courses with your choice of dishes like Key West pink shrimp, pate grand-mere, moules frites and baked Alaska. Monday to Thursday, $49.
Happy Hour: From 4-6 daily in Le Passage, the remodeled lounge, get $9 wine and signature cocktails and ten $17 bar bites like squash blossoms, chicken yakitori, charred octopus and crispy duck pastilla.
Café L’Europe — 331 S. County Road, Palm Beach. 655-8272; www.cafeleurope.com.
Sensational Summer Prix Fixe menu: Choose from a trio of appetizers, four entrees and three desserts for $55.
Wine Not Wednesday — Bring your own bottle, with no corkage fee.
Thirsty Thursdays — 30 percent off all wine and Champagne bottles.
Fabulous Fridays: Start the weekend with a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label — $85.
Wine Flight Weekends: Sample two ounces, three wines for $19.50 per flight.
Hai House — 150 Worth Ave., #234, Palm Beach. 766-1075; www.haihousepb.com.
Get a Summer Prix Fixe for 2 for $50, featuring soup, a dim sum sampler plate, and a shareable entrée and house fried rice. Upgrade to include two cocktails, wine or draft beer for $62.
Meat Market Palm Beach — 191 Bradley Place, Palm Beach. 354-9800; www.
Meatmarket.net.
Signature Steak Sundays — Every Sunday five Signature Steaks are half price and offered at full- and half-sizes.
PB Catch Seafood & Raw Bar — 251 Sunrise Ave., Palm Beach. 655-5558; www.PBCatch.com
Summer BOGO: Before 6:30 p.m. daily, buy one entrée and get the second free. Dine in only.
Happy Hour: From 4:30-6:30 p.m. daily, get two-for-one drinks and oysters, and $5 appetizers.

And there’s more!

Flavors of the Season: Summer Dining Series — The annual series hosted by the Society of the Four Arts features four lunches by award-winning chefs at some of your favorite restaurants in Palm Beach. Chefs present meals especially suited to our long hot summer and will include a discussion with the chef on current dining trends. Lunch begins at 12:30 p.m. except the Grand Finale at the Flagler Steak House, which begins at 11 a.m. At that program, a discussion — “The Breakers — A City on the Island” — is planned. Tickets for the four-part series are $300, single lunches are $95. Meet at the restaurants; valet parking is available. Reservations are required at 805-8562; email campus@fourarts.org; www.fourarts.org.
Restaurants: July 11, Sant Ambroeus, Marco Barbisotti; Aug. 1, Renato’s, Javier Sanchez; Aug. 21, The Grand Finale at The Breakers Flagler Steak House, Anthony Sicignano.

Flavor Palm Beach
For September, the best restaurants throw a party and offer a three-course lunch for $20 and a three-course dinner for $30-$45. More than 50 restaurants are participating, including Ruth’s Chris, Morton’s Steakhouse, 50 Ocean, PB Catch, Vic and Angelo’s and Sant Ambroeus.
Info: www.flavorpb.com.

Dine Out Downtown Delray Restaurant Week — From Aug. 1-7, restaurants in downtown Delray Beach are hosting a week of multi-course prix fixe menus starting for lunch at $20 and dinner at $40 per person. More than 35 restaurants will participate, including Caffe Luna Rosa, Deck 84 and 50 Ocean. Info: www.downtowndelraybeach.com/restaurantweek.
Boca Restaurant Month — This takes place in September at more than 20 restaurants in Boca Raton. For $21, get a three-course lunch, and for $36 get a three-course dinner. Restaurants include Rocco’s Tacos, Brio, the Melting Pot, Morton’s Steakhouse, Prezzo and Ouzo Bay. Info: www.bocarestaurantmonth.com.

— Compiled by Janis Fontaine

ABOVE: Serving on the Junior League board are (l-r) Krista Downey, Alexandra Chase, Emily Schachtel, Laura Wissa, Ann a, Pam Schanel, Sue Gibson, Felice Shearer, Julie Rudolph and Sarah Cohen.
BELOW: The management team includes (l-r) Aimee Shaughnessy, Jeana White, Natasha Rawding, Felice Shearer, Kathryn Sexton, Nadia Islam Spivak and Sarah Kudisch.
Photos provided by CAPEHART

The Junior League of the Palm Beaches has named its 2019-20 board of directors and management team.
Leading the cause is President Laura Wissa, who has been a member of the league since 2006 and served as vice president of fundraising as well as chairwoman of numerous committees.
“In my 13 years of being in JLPB, this organization has changed me,” Wissa said. “It has taught me how to become a community leader and a better person.”
Members of the board of directors are President-Elect Julie Rudolph, Executive Vice President Felice Shearer, Secretary Krista Downey, Treasurer Ann Breeden, Nominating Chairwoman Kristen Laraia and members Alexandra Chase, Sarah Cohen, Sue Gibson, Emily Schachtel and Pam Schanel.
The management team, which oversees the league’s day-to-day operations, includes Shearer, Executive Vice President-Elect Sarah Kudisch, Membership Vice President Jeana White, Community Vice President Kat McGinley, Communications Vice President Aimee Shaughnessy, Treasurer-Elect Nadia Islam Spivak, Fundraising Vice President Natasha Rawding and Fundraising Vice President-Elect Kathryn Sexton.

Community Foundation caps year of giving
The Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties’ year of charitable giving — focused on community revitalization — included grants totaling over $1.3 million to area nonprofits. The foundation also awarded more than $1 million in scholarships to 104 county high school students in amounts that ranged from $1,000 to $26,000, with Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, Atlantic High School and Lake Worth High School earning the most scholarships.

Major legacy gift to benefit Boca Helping Hands clients
Boca Helping Hands has announced that the late Arthur Remillard Jr. left the organization $1 million as a legacy gift to its endowment fund.
“This is huge in our world,” said Gary Peters, Boca Helping Hands board president. “Arthur Remillard’s first major gift to Boca Helping Hands in 2006 enabled us to purchase the building we are in today, allowing our organization to expand from its beginnings as a small soup kitchen. His estate gift will help ensure that we can keep growing and serving those in need for decades to come.”
When Remillard initially contacted Peters, Boca Helping Hands was providing 36 meals per day. Now it is feeding nearly 200 poor and hungry a meal six days a week, serving 4,000 per month.
“As a longtime Boca Raton resident, our father was passionate about wanting to help establish a comprehensive resource center for the less-privileged citizens of this great town,” son Regan Remillard said. “Boca Helping Hands is the culmination of that passion, and our father’s legacy gift will help Boca Helping Hands continue its critical, compassionate mission of providing food, access to medical care, financial assistance and job training to Boca’s neediest residents.”

Glades seniors get college scholarships via Take Stock
Fifty seniors from Glades Central High School received $440,000 in Florida Prepaid scholarships as a result of their commitment to the Take Stock in Children Palm Beach & Johnson Scholars program.
The students joined the program in 2015 and have maintained their participation in the Glades Climate Change Initiative. The initiative paired the then-freshmen with volunteer mentors and set them on a course to academic success. The graduation rate nearly doubled in four years.
“Our students in the Glades are so deserving of this opportunity,” said Nancy Stellway, Take Stock in Children’s executive director. “Belle Glade is an area that can often be overlooked because of the economic disparity, but it is so encouraging to know that we are giving the students an opportunity to further their education and improve their future lives and the lives of their family members.”

Moran Foundation aids environmental education
Sandoway Discovery Center in Delray Beach has received a two-year grant totaling $90,000 from the Jim Moran Foundation.
The money will be used to support the center’s education and animal-care programs that allow students and visitors to learn about the environment through hands-on activities and live-animal encounters. The money also will enable a book to be sent home with every student from a Title I school participating in the Junior Naturalist Program.
“This is a tremendous opportunity to enhance and strengthen the student experience at Sandoway,” Executive Director Danica Sanborn said.

CROS Ministries event raises nearly $50,000
CROS Ministries welcomed 200 supporters to its “Raise Your Glass To End Hunger” event at Delray Beach’s Old School Square Fieldhouse.
The fundraiser included wine and beer tasting, as well as signature dishes from local restaurants and caterers. Guests bid on a variety of donated items in both the silent and live auctions.
The nearly $50,000 in proceeds will benefit the faith-based organization that brings together members of the community to help alleviate hunger.

Arts grant to fund Spady comic book project
The Spady Cultural Heritage Museum has been awarded a $20,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to create an exhibit and a series of community events exploring the origin and impact of multicultural comic book heroes.
The history of multicultural comic book characters extends far beyond Black Panther, Falcon and Storm — heroes made famous by recent movies — and the project, titled eroica: black, brown, red and yellow comic book narratives, focuses on the origins and representations of superpowers of color.
“eroica will be an opportunity to engage people in conversations and reflections that deal with pop culture, iconic imagery, cultural representation, civil rights, modernism and history — all through the depiction of heroism in comic books,” museum Director Charlene Farrington said.
Additionally, The NEA awarded an Art Works grant of $10,000 to Palm Beach Poetry Festival in support of the 2020 festival, which will be Jan. 20-25 in Old School Square, Delray Beach. 

5K run/walk benefits four local charities
The 12th annual Rooney’s 5K Run/Walk held in April at Palm Beach Kennel Club raised $19,039.41 for Greyhound Support Transport, Palm Beach County Police Athletic League, Potentia Academy and Westgate/Belvedere Homes Community Redevelopment Agency, with the help of sponsorships and nearly 600 participants.
 The fourth annual Rooney’s Spring Golf Tournament, at Abacoa Golf Club, raised $16,000 to benefit Awesome Greyhound Adoptions/Hounds & Heroes, Florida Atlantic University Honors College, Forgotten Soldiers Outreach and Wounded Veterans Relief Fund. 

Office Depot employees assist at Boys & Girls Club
Boca Raton-based Office Depot recently had its second annual Depot Day of Service volunteer initiative. In South Florida, more than 300 volunteers helped to complete a revitalization project at the Naoma Donnelley Haggin Boys & Girls Club in Delray Beach.

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

ABOVE: (l-r) Peter Bonutti, Iain Calder, Harrison Calder and Glen Calder. Photo provided

The Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County scored a hole in one with its third-annual outing, raising more than $20,000 to provide links to literacy for children, adults and families who struggle with reading. A total of 40 players took part in the oceanside tournament, which was followed by lunch and a silent auction. The winning foursome was Vincent Delazzero, Trent Hayes, Wayne Warren and Troy Wheat, but the real winners are those the coalition serves. ‘One in seven adults in our county is unable to read and understand information found in books, newspapers and manuals, and nearly half of all third-graders are not reading on grade level,’ said Kristin Calder, CEO of the coalition. ‘Fundraisers like Literacy Links help us ensure that every child and every adult in Palm Beach County can read.’

ABOVE: Stephanie Cherub with Kari Shipley. BELOW: Reeve and Anne Bright. Photos provided

Glitz, glam and giving were the stars of the show celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Achievement Centers for Children & Families. Specialty retailer Boston Proper unveiled its summer line on the runway, but the bigger announcement was that the Boca Raton-based company has donated more than $1 million to ACCF since their partnership began 11 years ago. ‘It was a stunning evening that captivated everyone’s attention and hearts,’ Executive Director Mary Kay Willson said. ‘We are grateful for our long-standing partnership with Boston Proper and the opportunity to serve more than 10,000 families over the years.’ This year, the event raised $78,000. ‘There’s no other organization making the kind of impact ACCF is on our community,’ Boston Proper CEO Sheryl Clark said. ‘We are absolutely delighted to support this worthy cause year after year.’

St. Joseph’s Episcopal School had its 61st-annual auction — the institution’s signature fundraiser — to benefit the Jaguar Fund. The Jaguar Fund is used to provide scholarships and financial aid to eligible students; it also is used to make improvements to the campus. This year, proceeds will help purchase technology to enhance the STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) initiative. ABOVE: Amy McCabe with Suzanne Boyd.
Photo provided by Carol Cunningham

TOP: (l-r) Caroline Villanueva, Jeff Stoops and Erren. MIDDLE: Elmore and LaTour. BOTTOM: Caron and Bob Dockerty. Photos provided by CAPEHART

Palm Beach County Food Bank supporters came together for an evening of celebration sponsored by Marti LaTour, chairwoman of the agency, and George Elmore, who welcomed guests with cocktails and passed hors d’oeuvres. LaTour shared accomplishments from the past season and goals for the future, pointing out that the issue of hunger continues to grow. ‘According to the Palm Beach County commissioners’ study, there is a 78-million-pound gap here in our county from what we currently distribute to what is actually needed,’ she said. Added Executive Director Karen Erren: ‘When we think of Palm Beach County, we think about a lot of things, but we don’t always realize that there are almost 200,000 people in our county that don’t know when they will get their next meal.’

More than 100 golfers participated in a dynamic day on the course to support Sacred Heart School’s scholarship fund. The 10th-annual charity event raised $154,000. ‘The weather was amazing, and the greens, as usual, were impeccable,’ Principal Candace Tamposi said. To date, the school has provided grants to more than 1,800 students. ‘These amazing students have received scholarships to prestigious high schools like Cardinal Newman, Oxbridge Academy, American Heritage and St. John Paul II Academy, just to mention a few,’ Tamposi said. ABOVE: Honorary Chairman Patrick Donaghy with Tamposi. Photo provided

Tatyana Fishman gives Eva Takacs a hug during her 90th-birthday party at Oceanfront Park.
Fishman and Takacs, both of Boynton Beach, do daily swims there. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

People walk the beach at Oceanfront Park scanning the shore for wave-smoothed shards of sea glass or unblemished sand dollars. Almost four years ago, ocean swimmers Eva Takacs and Tatyana Fishman found the most precious treasure of all — each other.
“One day I was swimming, and I always have trouble getting out of the water,” says Takacs, 90, of Boynton Beach. “My balance isn’t great. So, I was looking around for somebody to help me. Here’s this poor, pathetic, old lady trying to get out of the water. Tatyana came along and took me out like I weigh nothing.”
Fishman, 57, also of Boynton Beach, smiles. “Since that day, I am responsible for getting her in and out of the water. It’s funny to see but we have developed a friendship. She is an inspiration. I actually don’t know anyone else who is 90 that goes into the ocean. Do you?”
“Tatyana has extended my life,” Takacs says. “The ocean has extended my life.”
Fishman, Takacs and Ocean Ridge resident Jay Magee, 66, form a trio of daily and lifelong swimmers who combine the healthful benefits of friendship and a vigorous ocean workout. They swim for an hour at their own pace, as long as there’s no red flag flying from the lifeguard stand. When all’s clear, the swimmers suit up in their own mix of neoprene, sun-shielding clothing and topical skin protection, and head into the surf.
Fishman, who’s a good foot taller than Takacs, leads her friend into the ocean and finds her a sargassum-free patch of water not too far from shore. Then she heads off on her own, usually swimming about a mile. Throughout, she keeps a close eye on Takacs’ bathing cap-cloaked head. Of course, the lifeguards always have this beloved beach icon in their sights.
Magee, a former swim coach, logs about two miles every day. “I feel like a Coast Guard rescue swimmer some days when it’s really big out there,” he says. “I like swimming through the waves. You’re more buoyant because of the salt, and it’s just easier to swim. I’ve seen incredible things. I see tarpon all the time. I’ve seen lobster doing a lobster crawl, where they’re all head-to-tail in a line — hundreds of them. I’ve seen manatees out there. There’s a nurse shark that lives down on the rocks off the Ocean Club. It’s just amazing what you see.”
That sense of wonder is another gift from the sea. Being outdoors adds a natural dose of Vitamin D, good for bone health. And swimming can help lower blood pressure, boost mood, ease arthritis pain and tone the body.
Though just a sample size of three, Takacs, Fishman and Magee could provide researchers with anecdotal evidence gathered over their lifetimes of swimming in the sea. Takacs has been swimming at Oceanfront Park for 60 years, from the time her parents made Boynton their home.
“The funny thing is, it gives you relaxation but at the same time it gives you energy,” Fishman says. “Whatever happened yesterday, whatever happened in the morning … after swimming an hour, you forget about it. I spoke to a therapist once who told me that swimming is dynamic meditation, because it’s all about breathing in and out. You can basically do it with walking, too. That’s why his wife walks the beach.”
Nadine Magee walks daily from Oceanfront Park to Gulfstream Park and back. “That’s how you met her,” Jay Magee says to Fishman. “She was walking back.”
Such are the serendipitous friendships that blossom at this beach. Lured by the sun, sea and salt air, an informal group of beach-lovers congregates regularly.
“They’ll come early in the morning. Some will stay a short time; some will stay all morning. Everybody knows everybody. And, you know, it’s ‘Hi, how are you’ and ‘Beautiful day on the beach.’ We just love this,” Magee says, gesturing toward the ocean. “The beach, and the water.”
When Takacs turned 90 in April, Fishman organized a beachside surprise party for her cherished friend.
“Everybody was so happy to congratulate her on her birthday,” Fishman says. “She’s amazing. She’s sharp, and we are really friends. I tell her things … that I wouldn’t trust to anyone else.”
“And I care,” Takacs says, “I really care. I don’t have many friends. They’re all in a nursing home or someplace else. Except at the beach.”
The ocean, her friends, the swimming— they’re “everything,” Takacs says.
“It’s made me feel different. If I’m tired, instead of lying down or looking at television I want to go swimming. And it makes me feel great. And it’s never too crowded, even if it’s crowded. We just go on out. And we’re in the water, and it’s all ours.”

Joyce Reingold writes about health and healthy living. Send column ideas to joyce.reingold@yahoo.com.

The Palm Beach County Medical Society Services honored 39 men, women and organizations in health care for their outstanding service during the 16th annual Heroes in Medicine luncheon. The event was held in May at the Kravis Center’s Cohen Pavilion.
Shawn Baca, MD, Rheumatology Associates of South Florida, Boca Raton, and Colleen Haley, ARNP, Team Health, received the Hero in Medicine of the Year awards.

Other South County honorees included Michelle Lizotte-Waniewski, PhD, and medical students Jordyn Cohen and Rachael Silverberg of Florida Atlantic University; Bonnie and Jon Kaye of Kaye Communications; Pediatric Interest Group at FAU; Rhonda Goodman, PhD, of FAU nursing; Stephanie Stiepleman of West Boca High’s Medical Science Academy; Anthony Goldberg and Tatiana Cavarretta of the FAU Student Nurses Association; Mario Jacomino, MD; Ari, Gracyn and Jarrett Smith of Smith Smiles Toy Donations; Mary Labanowski, MD; Jose Castaneda, MD; and Diane Schofield, RN.

In honor of Stroke Awareness Month, Delray Beach Medical Center held its Stroke Survivors Reception and Get With the Guidelines Award presentation.
Jeffrey Walker, director of quality and systems improvement from the American Heart Association, Palm Beach County, presented the hospital’s stroke team with the Get With the Guidelines Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus award for the fifth consecutive year. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the quickest, safest and most appropriate treatment.
The Elite Plus Gold designation represents the highest level of distinction that can be awarded by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

In June, Delray Medical Center, Good Samaritan Medical Center, Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, St. Mary’s Medical Center, Palm Beach Children’s Hospital and West Boca Medical Center led a community effort to provide area children and adults struggling with hunger with a healthy breakfast during the summer through the Healthy Over Hungry Cereal Drive.
The following partnerships took place: Delray Medical Center: CROS Ministries/Caring Kitchen of Delray; Good Samaritan Medical Center: Feeding South Florida; Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center: Feeding South Florida; St. Mary’s Medical Center & Palm Beach Children’s Hospital: Boys and Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County; West Boca Medical Center: Boca Helping Hands.

Out of approximately 460 programs nationwide, Palm Beach State College was one of 139 to receive the Distinguished Registered Respiratory Therapist Credentialing Success Award from the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care. Graduates of Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care-accredited programs in the U.S. are eligible to take the registered respiratory therapist credentialing exam administered by the National Board for Respiratory Care. Upon passing the exam, they become registered respiratory therapists.
The college’s Respiratory Care program is also recognized by the American Medical Association. The associate’s degree program is based at the Palm Beach Gardens campus.

Andrew Burki, Hanley Foundation’s new chief public policy officer, will develop the foundation’s relationships with national recovery organizations to create grant and funding opportunities related to the prevention and treatment of substance use disorders, with a focus on initiatives for young people.
Burki holds a master’s degree in social work from Florida Atlantic University. He is a member of the Young People in Recovery national board, as well as a board member of a recovery high school in Philadelphia. He served on the Florida Sober Homes Task Force and participated on advisory panels for the Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration under the last two presidential administrations.
In 2012, he founded an academically focused comprehensive continuum of care offering treatment for young people with substance use disorders.
The Hanley Foundation is based in West Palm Beach.

Delray Acura collected 23 pints of blood during a drive on June 14 as part of World Blood Donor Day and Acura’s annual National Week of Service.

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

Luciana Boaventura of Delray Beach plans her next move as she paints during the inaugural Art Throwdown fundraiser at the Arts Warehouse. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Stephen Moore

Imagine preparing for a day’s work at your place of employment. But as you walk into your office, you are met by 200 inquisitive guests wanting to find out what you do at work and how you do it. There is a DJ in the corner blasting out feel-good vibes, inspiring guests to tap their toes, sing along with the lyrics or break out in dance. Those curious guests could also purchase pizza, drinks and visit a popular virtual reality booth with a long line to prove it.
That was the scene on June 7 at the Arts Warehouse in Delray Beach during the first Art Throwdown & Monster Drawing Rally and fundraiser. Four local artists tested their concentration and creativity by drawing or painting any subject they chose during a 90-minute session and using limited supplies. All the while, curious onlookers and reporters asked questions. The artists were trying to block out the clatter of conversation that at times approached commotion status.
“No, I’m not really comfortable,” said Luciana Boaventura, a Brazilian artist living in Delray Beach. She was declared the winner of the event as determined by the amount of applause each contestant’s artwork received from the crowd of approximately 200. “Oh my gosh, this is fun. But I am not comfortable.”
But Arts Warehouse Director Jill Brown looked very comfortable as she patrolled the 3,000-square-foot hall, handling announcements, checking on the vendors and the four contestants, and offering encouragement to the 20 or so amateur artists who were not contestants but were working on their own creations.
“We just want to give the people the opportunity to create,” Brown said early in the day. “We want people to come in shorts and flip flops and have fun and experience what we are. Tonight, the spectators get to see the process of creativity and they are also able to purchase some original art.”

Her friends and family applaud and cheer as she is announced the winner among four artists. The fans include (l-r) Joshua Longhi, Luciana’s daughter, Gabriela Boaventura, and her son, Luis Fernando.

All the artworks, by both amateurs and pros, were hung on the Buy Wall with the beginning price of $30. A bidding war began on Boaventura’s floral-painted creation, which ended up selling for $275.
“I’m still not really comfortable,” she said after receiving first-place prizes of a belt that looked like it was stolen from a professional wrestling champion, a trophy establishing her as the 2019 winner and the invitation to defend her title at the next competition in 2020.

One of Luciana’s awards was a trophy. Her floral painting sold for $275.

“But I’m much better because we are finished. I didn’t have an idea of what I was going to paint because I wasn’t sure of the materials I would get. But I got inspired by nature. The florals kind of inspired me. I tend to get inspired by science and try to find the path of the right and left brains. So, I would listen to the painting. I do a lot of florals. I love the colors.”
Batia Lowenberg, a New York artist who has lived in Tel Aviv and currently resides in Boca Raton, was working well with the people and the commotion. She danced to the music while putting the finishing touches on her painting, which revolved around ladders.
“I have never done this artist throwdown,” she said. “In fact, I don’t know anyone who has done it. So, it is going to be fun. I don’t consider this throwdown as a competition. This is a creativity. Artists are my brethren and getting together with a lot of artists is just fun.”
Gregory Dirr, a Boca Raton painter, was nonchalant about all the excitement as he tried to channel a Bob Ross painting. Ross was the creator and host of the PBS show The Joy of Painting, televised from 1983 to 1994.
“I’m used to the distractions. I do a lot of outside work,” Dirr said. “This is not finished. I usually like to refine and go over and over it. I just wanted to do a Bob Ross painting, just to give a hint or an idea of an image.”
Eric Karbeling, a painter from Miami, found the atmosphere relaxing.
“There are a lot of distractions, but I like that,” he said. “I had an idea what I wanted to do and after that it was just a question of what colors to use.”
The Arts Warehouse, which opened in 2017, is a 15,000-square-foot, renovated warehouse building in the Pineapple Grove District in Delray Beach. It has 18-20 rented-out artists’ studios. The two-story building also has gallery space for exhibition shows.
“We didn’t have any monetary goals this year,” Brown said. “Our goal was to create awareness for the arts community. We started this day at 7 a.m., and this entire organization came together to make this a great day. I’m really pleased with the turnout and the interest. It was a real eclectic crowd. I had a lot of great feedback, lots of people said they were looking forward to next year’s event and other events we have planned.”

Philanthropist Lois Pope has helped Tri-County Animal Rescue’s Suzi Goldsmith with the clinic and other needs. Photo provided

A shiny new car. A diamond ring. An original painting by a renowned artist. Pricey but cherished possessions, right? However, for many of us, the most priceless asset we have wags a tail or purrs steadily.
Scientific studies reinforce what many of us already know: Pets are good for our health and outlook on life. But no matter how you got your pet — from a shelter, a breed rescue group, a responsible breeder or found wandering on the streets, keep this in mind: There is no such thing as a free pet.
Even if you did not pay to adopt, you are paying for veterinary care, food, bedding, toys, treats and more. In fact, it costs more than $1,000 annually per pet to provide basic care, according to a study conducted by the ASPCA.
That amount does not include the unexpected hits to your wallet: an expensive dental procedure or surgery to mend an injured leg or installing a fence in your backyard to keep your roaming dog at home.
People who love their pets come from all socioeconomic levels. But tragically, people who become suddenly jobless or on tight household budgets sometimes have to surrender their beloved pets to a shelter. Or worse, some must make the gut-wrenching decision to have their pets “economically euthanized” at veterinary clinics simply because they lack the funds to pay for medical expenses.
But now there is some added assistance for people in South Florida. Last month, Tri-County Animal Rescue celebrated the new Lois Pope Pet Clinic, set to open sometime in July, on its grounds in Boca Raton. This $5 million clinic contains much-needed staff (one veterinarian and four veterinary technicians per shift to provide veterinary and dental care) and equipment inside its 9,000 square feet. It features an ultrasound machine, surgical areas, a lab, isolation areas, outdoor runs and fenced-in play yards. Soon it will have an MRI machine donated by American Humane.
This new clinic will enable Tri-County Animal Rescue to provide spay/neuter surgeries and other needed care on site for the dogs and cats housed at the shelter. There will be less of a need to transport these shelter animals to outside veterinary clinics in the area. Second, it will offer reduced veterinary rates exclusively to pet owners with low incomes. Individuals just need to bring proof of income. This is the first time that Tri-County has arranged to offer discounted rates to low-income people.
“We are thrilled because the Lois Pope Pet Clinic can help us save thousands more dogs and cats and help those who cannot afford the care to keep their pets alive,” says Suzi Goldsmith, co-founder and executive director of Tri-County Animal Rescue. “Plus, the new building is 100 percent hurricane-proof. If a storm is approaching, we can move all of our animals in there.”
The lead financial backer to build this clinic is renowned philanthropist Lois Pope. A resident of Manalapan, Pope is a lifelong animal advocate who has adopted many dogs and cats, including five dogs from Tri-County.
“I’m fortunate that I can afford the best health care for my pets, but there are thousands of low-income families in the tri-county region who have pets, but who do not have the financial resources to provide them with medicine or shots, or even take them to a veterinarian,” says Pope. “In many cases, the families give up their dogs and cats to shelters, or worse, just abandon them. So, when Suzi Goldsmith approached me about helping to establish this new state-of-the-art veterinary clinic specifically focused on providing low-cost or free health care for pets in low-income families, I knew that it was the right thing, and the most humane thing to do.”
Goldsmith and Pope met more than three decades ago at a theatrical production in Manalapan, and in the words of Pope have been “soul sisters” ever since. They even arrange play dates for their own pets.
“We are soul sisters when it comes to the welfare and well-being of animals,” says Pope. “So, whenever she has come to me for help with a Tri-County need, I always say yes.”
Adds Goldsmith, “Both of us share a passion for animals. My dogs ... get along well with all of Mrs. Pope’s dogs.”
Tri-County is a no-kill, nonprofit animal shelter that serves Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties. Since 1996, Tri-County has adopted thousands of companion animals and saved more than 64,000 domestic animals from being euthanized by placing them in homes through its adoption center.

The Lois Pope Pet Clinic is at 21287 Boca Rio Road, Boca Raton, on the Tri-County Animal Rescue campus. Hours of operation are to be determined. Call Tri-County's main number at 482-8110.
Learn more at https://tricountyanimalrescue.com.

Learn more about animal behavior consultant Arden Moore at www.ardenmoore.com.

Connor Cane will spend two weeks planning a simulated mission to Mars. The plaque honors previous missions. Photo provided

By Janis Fontaine

On the Cane family’s homepage under 15-year-old Connor Cane’s name is a quote by Albert Einstein: “Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”
The reason, says George Torok, who posts insights on creative thinking on www.creative-problem-solving.org, is that “curious people learn more, discover more and change things. If you want creative people — look for curious people. They ask the questions about things that others ignore.”
And Boca Raton’s Connor Cane is curious about a lot of topics: the space program and missions to Mars, epidemiology and the threat of antibiotic-resistant superbugs, underwater robotics that can explore unseen worlds, precision drone-flying, bike racing and scuba diving. He also enjoys chess.
From July 21 to Aug. 5, Connor’s curiosity will take him to United Space School in Houston to represent the United States in an advanced, international program that will challenge students aged 15-20 to plan a simulated mission to Mars — with the help of NASA engineers and scientists.
Connor is one of only 50 fertile minds from around the world to be hand-picked from thousands of applicants in an arduous process that included writing an essay and excelling at a Skype interview with seven NASA engineers.
During the program, Connor hopes to work on the team that will design ground operations. Other students will be charged with the flight, and Connor’s team will make the mission viable. “I want to work on the team designing the habitat once they get onto the planet,” Connor said.
It’s not Connor’s first connection to the space program. In 2012, he won an essay contest at the South Florida Science Center in West Palm Beach that earned him the opportunity to speak with Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide on the International Space Station while it was passing overhead at more than 17,000 mph.
Connor is an alumnus of the U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala., where he simulated astronaut training. More important than the science, which for Connor is super-fun, he took away lessons in leadership and teamwork. These days, people skills are just as critical as a sharp mind.
Connor is currently sharpening his mind in an accelerated pre-collegiate program at FAU’s Dual Enrollment High School/University in Boca Raton. When he graduates, probably around 2022, he’ll have a high school diploma and a bachelor’s degree. He hasn’t chosen a major yet because his interests and skill set are so diverse, it’s like trying to pin down a hummingbird. Or, in the case of the space school, a flock of 50 hummingbirds.
In June, before heading to Houston, Connor went to Tanzania in Africa to work on a research project at Gombe National Park. He planned to join the technology team for a research project on a new species of monkeys. He hoped to capture enough images of individual animals to create a facial recognition algorithm for the head researcher.
It’s more proof that Connor is a deep thinker capable of so many things. “I like to work as part of a team to put together ideas, check each other’s work, avoid mistakes,” he says.
Because the stakes are high — life and death — in space.
But the stakes are high on earth, too. Connor’s other arena is solving the superbug threat and changing how we treat diseases. “I try to balance them both, but if I had to choose, I’d choose biomolecular engineering,” he says.
Specifically, Connor wants to find new ways to fight diseases, some of which have the potential of becoming the next Black Death. The bubonic plague caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis killed 60 percent of Europe’s population and 50 million people worldwide in the 14th century, before antibiotics.
Today’s medical treatments are working toward fighting bugs by using other bugs, tiny bacteriophages, viruses that kill the bacteria that cause the deadly infections.
Phages work a little bit like our own immune systems, but “one key difference,” Connor says, “is that the immune system gets overwhelmed over time and phages get stronger.”
It’s fascinating, cutting-edge stuff, but there’s a bigger purpose.
“Ultimately,” Connor says, “I want to save lives.”
Connor is the son of Dan and Deb Cane of Boca Raton. Dan Cane founded the data company Modernizing Medicine in 2010 with Palm Beach County dermatologist Dr. Michael Sherling.
The company is usually described as an electronic medical records provider, but it’s really an iPad compatible system designed to lower health care costs and improve outcomes. Cane’s first successful venture was Blackboard, an e-learning tool used by universities, which he sold in 2011 for $1.6 billion.
Dan and Deb Cane have two other children, Elizabeth and Anya, and are well known for their generous financial gifts to local nonprofits like the South Florida Science Center and Aquarium, and the A.D. Henderson University School.

Daniela Guarino in costume as Miep Gies, the woman who helped Anne Frank and family hide from Nazis. Photo provided

By Ron Hayes

Daniela Guarino was given just 10 minutes to dramatize the tragedy and triumph of the Holocaust. It took her 10 months, but she triumphed.
She was 13, an eighth-grader at American Heritage School of Boca/Delray.
The National History Day Contest was 45. Founded at Case Western Reserve University in 1974, it attracted 124 students that first year.
This year, more than half a million junior and senior high school students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa and international schools in China, Korea and South Asia would compete in five categories.
Obviously, a girl from Manalapan didn’t have a chance.
But she also didn’t have a choice.
“It was required,” Daniela conceded. “Everyone at American Heritage has to participate in National History Day.”
Last year, she’d chosen Billie Jean King in the Exhibit category, creating a large panel about the tennis legend and feminist. This year, she decided to enter the Individual Performance category, for which she would develop a monologue lasting no longer than 10 minutes.
“I love acting, and I liked that Anne Frank could find the triumph in any tragedy,” Daniela said. “When bad things happened, she bounced back. But she was a common topic, and I thought being Anne Frank in a performance would be kind of weird. Me as Anne Frank, talking about myself?”
And then she remembered Hermine “Miep” Gies.
From July 8, 1942, when Anne and her family went into hiding in the attic of her father’s Amsterdam spice company, until Aug. 4, 1944, when they were betrayed and taken away by the Nazis, Miep Gies risked her own life to bring them food. And when they were gone, she found and saved the diary her teenage friend had left behind.
And so, in August 2018, Daniela began researching Miep Gies and Anne Frank.
“National History Day is about learning, so they force you to find the cause of historic events and the long-term effects,” she said. “The Holocaust didn’t just happen.”
To prepare her monologue, she scoured websites for magazine articles, watched videos and read books. She read The Diary of Anne Frank and delved into Mein Kampf, Adolf Hitler’s autobiography.
“I was absolutely disgusted with each word I read,” she said of the latter.
She interviewed Marion Blumenthal Lazan, a Holocaust survivor.
She found a wig and a 1940s dress on amazon.com and built a 6-by-2-foot revolving set from enlarged photographs of Anne Frank’s hiding place and Miep Gies’ apartment.
On Jan. 23, she premiered her monologue, competing against two other American Heritage students at school.
“Hello, children,” she began, adopting the accent she’d learned from video interviews with Gies. “My name is Miep Gies and they call me a Righteous Gentile, which is a fancy term for someone who helps others.”
In a mere 10 minutes, she moved from the elderly woman sharing her memories of Anne Frank with a group of children to the young woman bringing groceries to the attic and speaking directly to Anne and back.
She and a second student, Riley Shanahan, moved on to the county competition, competing against four other performers Feb. 8 at Park Vista High School in suburban Lake Worth.
She won first place in the performance category of junior high school students and moved on to the statewide contest.
Her father, Patrick Guarino, loaded the 6-foot set into a rented van and drove it to Tallahassee Community College, where on May 7, competing against about 35 performers, Daniela took another first-place award and moved on to the finals June 9-13. This time, her father had the set shipped to the University of Maryland.
In the first round of the finals, she faced about 85 competitors performing in 10 rooms. One winner was chosen from each room. She was one of those 10 finalists from which the first-, second- and third-place winners would emerge the next day.
She almost made it.
Of the 10 performers, the panel of three judges ranked her No. 5.
“Effective characteriz-ation,” one judge wrote. “You really embodied her relentlessly positive spirit.”
“Highly effective acting with impressively consistent use of an accent,” said another. “Well done!”
She came home to Manalapan with two medals, one from state and one from the nationals, and a lot to think about.
Why do some people cooperate with such evil?
“It’s a mob mentality and groupthink,” she decided. “In their propaganda, they chant and you get into a mindset that if everybody else is doing it, it must be right.”
And why do some, like Miep Gies, risk their lives to do good?
“In the beginning, Gies was just helping her friends,” she said, “doing the Christian thing for her friends. And from there she went on to help other Jewish families.”
And the hardest question of all: Could you be a Miep Gies?
“Normally, I’m scared of any kind of thing,” she said, “but I think I would have helped. Knowing what I know now.”
The contest rules required that contestants cite 12 sources they had consulted. After her 10 months of research, Daniela had gathered 75 sources. The list filled a 25-page supplement, but of them all, she said, one quote by Miep Gies seemed to sum up her entire performance.
“During the hiding time,” Gies once recalled, “I lived for the day that the war would end, when I would be able to go into the hiding place, throw open the doors, and say to my friends, ‘Now go home!’ And Anne, with her usual curiosity, will get up and rush toward me saying, ‘Hello, Miep. What is the news?’ But this was not to be.”
Even today, many people mistakenly assume that Anne Frank died in the gas chambers at Auschwitz. In fact, both she and her sister, Margot, were sent to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in northern Germany, where they succumbed to a typhus epidemic brought on by poor sanitation and the lack of adequate food and water, weeks before the camp was liberated. Anne Frank was 15.
Miep Gies died on Jan. 11, 2010, a month before her 101st birthday. On June 18, Daniela Guarino turned 14.

To watch a video of Daniela’s performance,  or go to YouTube and search for Daniela Guarino NHD Performance National Finals 2019. For more information about National History Day, visit www.nhd.org.