The calendar allows Highland Beach residents and fans to enjoy
sights from the beach town12 months a year. Photo provided
By Rich Pollack
Sports Illustrated has one. So does the Nature Conservancy.
Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, and Prince William and Princess Kate have one.
Now you can add the town of Highland Beach to the list of organizations and celebrities that have 2013 wall calendars.
Beginning this month, residents and visitors can get their copy of the 2013 Town of Highland Beach Calendar, a collection of photographs and information designed to show off all that the small coastal town has to offer.
“The theme is ‘I love Highland Beach,’ ” said Carol Stern, who along with two other volunteers — Ruth and Stu Samuels — created the wall calendar as a way to raise money for projects benefiting the community.
With its collection of photographs, many shot by Stern and Ruth Samuels, the calendar highlights everything from the services provided by the town to activities residents can enjoy, including boating along the Intracoastal Waterway.
“Highland Beach is like a little village in Maine with the sophistication of Monte Carlo,” Samuels said. “We want people to know how unique our town is, and this calendar helps get that message across.”
In addition to photographs of the Town Commission, Town Hall and other municipal buildings, the calendar also includes a collage of images showcasing the town’s turtle rescue program and pictures of the dozens of flags resident Sue Epling and her son put up throughout the town in July in honor of Independence Day.
Along with an eye-catching sunrise photo by resident Marsha Gandy on the cover and a moon-over-the-ocean image on the back cover shot by Ruth Samuels, there is also a brief history of the town, as well as key phone numbers and important dates.
“This is a visual way to communicate important information to our residents,” said Samuels, an 11-year resident of Highland Beach who serves on many town boards and committees. “Here we have everything all compiled in one place that people can hang on the wall.”
While Stern — wife of Town Commissioner Lou Stern — and Samuels were the driving forces in creating the concept for the calendar, it was Stu Samuels, a graphic designer, who brought the ideas to life.
Often working late into the night, he made sure everything was perfect before the draft of the calendar was sent to the printer last month.
“If it weren’t for him, I don’t know what we would have done,” his wife said.
Stern said she got the idea to create the wall calendar after receiving calendars from nonprofit organizations.
“We keep getting all these calendars in the mail, and I said, ‘We should do this for our town,’ ” she said. “I thought it would be fun.”
In order to produce the calendar, the organizers received a pledge from the Town Commission to cover upfront costs incurred in printing 1,000 calendars, with that money — most likely less than $3,000 — being repaid from proceeds if possible.
Selling for $10 each, the calendars can be purchased at Town Hall.
Although the project took a lot of time and required a lot of work, both Stern and Samuels say they would gladly work on a 2014 calendar if this inaugural version is a success.
“We had a good time doing this,” Stern said. “We even got to know the town a little better.”
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