Category: Community

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Springtime fishing in the Everglades

By Steve Waters

When water levels drop in Everglades canals in the spring, the fishing is as good as it gets.

How good? So good that Capt. Alan Zaremba says there’s no such thing as a bad cast. Just get your lure somewhere on the water and chances are excellent that you’ll get a bite.

The reason is that as water levels fall in the marshy interior of the Everglades, bass and other species are forced into the canals that crisscross the River of Grass.

“You can catch bass here year-round, but this is the time of year when you can catch a lot of bass. They’re concentrated, coming out of the marsh areas,” said Zaremba, of Hollywood, who specializes in guiding anglers for peacock bass in South Florida’s urban canals, but focuses on the Everglades this time of year.

“This year we’ve got optimal conditions. So depending on when the rainy season kicks in, which I figure is usually the third or fourth week in May, get out now while you can and enjoy it.”

On a typical day, Zaremba might have two anglers catch and release well over 200 largemouth and peacock bass in an eight-hour trip. In addition, his charters catch bluegills, spotted sunfish, shellcrackers, speckled perch, chain pickerel, mudfish and non-native species such as oscars, Mayan cichlids and jaguar guapotes.

On a recent two-hour trip late in the afternoon, Zaremba and I caught about
40 largemouth and peacock bass, as well as some Mayans and oscars, using a 5-inch Bagley Minnow B floating jerkbait on 6- to 7-foot medium action spinning rods with 15-pound braided line and 20-pound monofilament leaders.

Sometimes the bites would come as soon as the lure landed on the water.
Other times bass would hit after we’d reeled back the lure almost to Zaremba’s flats boat. And several times we got bites when the lures were simply sitting on the surface while we were deep into conversations about fishing, family or current events.

“Anybody can throw it and catch fish,” said Zaremba of his favorite lure,
which he sells on his website www.worldwidesportsfishing.com. “It will catch all different species, so they don’t have to be a Joe Pro, and I think that’s important. You can drag it out the back of the boat and something’s going to hit it. You could be talking to your partner and something comes up and hits it. Sometimes we catch two bass at a time on those lures.”

Other lures that Zaremba likes when Everglades water levels are low include topwater plugs such as Baby Torpedoes, Chug Bugs and Pop-Rs, and his fly-fishing customers have great success throwing poppers and woolly buggers. Zaremba also likes seven-inch Gambler ribbontail worms, which can be reeled on the surface through the lily pads, hyacinths and other vegetation that lines most canals to imitate a small snake.

Zaremba said live worms such as nightcrawlers will catch oscars, Mayan
cichlids, spotted sunfish and bluegills. He added that live shiners are not necessary or as effective as lures.

“You’ll catch more fish on the artificials right now than you will on live bait,”
Zaremba said. “And how many dozen live baits would you have to bring out here to catch 200 bass? You’re going to need a lot of shiners.”

The other attraction of the Bagley Minnow B is that it can be fished a variety of ways and it holds up well even after catching hundreds of fish in the Everglades, which run from Tamiami Trail to the Broward Palm Beach county line west of U.S. Highway 27 and from Loxahatchee
National Wildlife Refuge to Sawgrass
Recreation Park east of 27.

“They last a long time,” said Zaremba of the jerkbaits, which he upgrades with Daiichi blood-red treble hooks. “And I can use it twitching on the surface. I can use it as a jerkbait down below. And I can troll with it. Anytime you can work something a bunch of ways, you can target different things.

“If you find the bass are out on a deeper ledge, they’ll come up and hit that
jerkbait, which might be going down only three feet. But it’s giving off enough flash and it also has a rattle in it, so it makes a little more noise.”

Good spots to fish include the canals along Interstate 75, which is more
commonly known as Alligator Alley. Lots of smaller bass bite in the finger canals north of the Alley on the west side of U.S. 27. As water levels continue to drop, the fishing will only get better everywhere.

That makes this a great time to introduce youngsters to fishing. Growing
up in Miami, Zaremba said he and neighborhood kids would fish in local
canals. Given the residential and commercial development in South Florida
over the past few decades, kids no longer have that type of access to fishing.
Bringing them out to the Everglades for a few hours of catching fish can hook them on the sport.

It helps to use what Zaremba calls his three-stop rule for kids:
“Stop and fish for a while and when they start getting antsy, you go for a little boat ride.

Start fishing again. They start getting antsy, go for a little boat ride. That gets them back in the groove again. Start fishing again and when they get antsy for the third time, it’s time to go to the house, whether that’s two hours, three hours, four hours, five hours. Every kid’s different.”

But they’ll all love catching lots of fish.

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Road Tripping in Florida

By Amy Martin

If you’ve ever had dreams of swinging high beneath the big top, or if
you’ve ever been bemused by circus-themed-historical-Americana,
look no further than our own backyard.

In 1884, five Ringling brothers launched their first circus in Baraboo,
Wisconsin. They traveled town to town, like many other small circuses,
using animal-drawn caravans. The circus grew, and shortly after their
debut, they were soon able to transport their circus by train, bringing
“oohs” and “ahhs” far and wide across the entire country.

The Ringling Bros. purchased the Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show
on Earth in 1907 and operated the circuses separately until 1919.
Combined in the 1930s, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
became the largest and most renowned circus in the world.

The Ringling Estate in Sarasota is an homage to our American culture
— and to our adoration of thrill-seeking entertainment and amusement.

The property includes multiple sites of interest: The John and Mable
Ringling Museum of Art (the official state art museum of Florida),
Ringling’s mansion Ca’ d’Zan (Venetian for “House of John”), the
Circus Museum, the historic Asolo Theater, the Tibbals Learning
Center, the Ringling Art Library, Mable Ringling’s Rose Garden, the
Secret Garden, the Dwarf Garden, Bayfront Garden Tours, the FSU
Center for the Performing Arts, and the gravesites of John and Mable
Ringling.

The Ringling Estate encourages artists to use the grounds as an
inspirational space to make art, asking only that posted guidelines are
respected.

Just a hop, skip, and swing away from Parkland, you’ll be there in 3.25
hours.

While you’re visiting Sarasota, you may want to check out these
other electrifying acts:
Take a class and fly trapeze at the school of circus arts, and/or see a
show. https://circusarts.org/flyingtrapeze/
Drive one hour north of Sarasota to Gibsonton to visit the community
of retired circus and carnival performers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibsonton,_Florida

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Ask Dr. Renae: A quandary worthy of Solomon

Dear Dr. Renae,
I have been alternating weekly living with each parent since I have been five years old. My parents explained to me that the judge ordered this plan. The arrangement was one which I never questioned since it feels like it has always been that way. Lately, I have been wanting to have a different arrangement, but I am afraid of hurting the feelings of the parent I want to spend less time with. I also do not want to cause further problems between my divorced parents since they do not get along with each other. I am sure my bringing it up would cause more conflict, but it just doesn’t seem fair that I need to move back and forth each week just because they are no longer married! My friends are encouraging me to talk to my parents rather than waiting another year and a half when I go off to college. I can’t decide if it is worth the risk and I will regret bringing it up.

                                                                                                                                                    Torn at 17.

Dear Torn at 17,
Your parents love you so much and I’m confident they would want to make sure you are happy. If this is something you really think would be beneficial, I would suggest talking to one of your parents about it!! See what they think, and maybe you can come up with a good solution. Listen to your heart and do whatever makes you happiest! I feel that your parents will understand no matter which direction you go.
A Caring Friend

Dear Torn at 17,
It’s very difficult to move your entire life from one house to another every week or so. Your feelings of wanting to spend more time in one house are very valid; everyone deserves to settle down in one place because it helps keep you stable. I believe that if you bring it up in a non-emotional way then your parents may be okay with the change. Tell them that you want to spend more time in one house rather than with one parent. You’re not preferring one parent or the other, you just want to feel settled down and constantly moving is not helpful. I wish you all the best and I hope everything works out.                                                    A High School Senior

Dear Torn at 17,
I always believe communication is key, and I think it is of the utmost importance in your situation. I understand that you are leaving in a year and a half, but your feelings in the present are just as valuable. Every party involved is mature and so you should not be afraid of having conflict. Compromise and discussion are important to have, so I advise having a meeting with your parents whenever everyone is available. I hope everything goes well for you.
Your Fellow Teen

Dear Torn at 17,
I suggest that you consider the time you cherish with each parent outside of the location where you sleep. Your parents will value more time with you in specific activities you enjoy with each of them. You might request a weekly dinner night, movie night, day trip, or time engaged in a shared hobby. Explain to your parents that the time you spend alone in your room, sleeping in your bed under their roof is not the important part of their parenting. If you pair your request for sleeping nightly in the same home with spending more quality time together engaged in enjoyable activities, you will be closer to meeting the needs of the parent whose home you would not be sleeping. Focus your conversation on enjoying the relationship with each parent for now and the long- term future. Keeping your thoughts and feelings to yourself is not emotionally healthy and detracts from the honest relationship you hope to have with your parents. You are in a position to determine the type of communication YOU have with each parent, not the relationship they have with each other. The conflict they have with each other is not your fault, nor are you able to control it. I hope they appreciate your honesty and recognize your efforts to improve YOUR relationship with them. Your parents are so lucky to have you as their child!
Dr. Renae

 

TEENS: Curious as to what other teens would say? If you have a question or problem you would like to present to other teens, please email: askdrrenae@att.net and include your age, grade, and gender you identify with. All questions are published anonymously and your identity and contact information will be kept confidential.

PARENTS OF TEENS: Would you like to anonymously and confidentially ask the panel of teen Peer Counseling Writers to comment on a parenting issue you are struggling with? If you are ready for a variety of honest opinions from real teens, please address your questions to askdrrenae@att.net.

Dr. Renae Lapin, a licensed marriage and family therapist with 40 years experience, currently maintains a private practice in Boca Raton, Florida. For more information about Dr. Renae and her practice, visit her website:

Welcome

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COVID offered us a window to times gone by

By Ellen Marsden

We’ve coped with COVID-19 for over a year now.  During that time, we’ve not only reached out for help and support, but, unknowingly, reached back to earlier times.

We’ve adopted many of the ways our grandparents lived and worked. The pandemic was like a time machine to the early 20th century.

The milkman was a common and necessary occupation back then, and local grocers had delivery boys taking goods right to your home. We’ve turned to Amazon and Instacart for the same services.

Doctors made house calls with their little black valises and stethoscopes around their necks. Remember? The pandemic gave us the equivalent of a house call with physicians adopting telemed services to care for their patients.

With nowhere to go and feeling trapped in our homes day after day after day, many of us spent more time outside walking and biking in our neighborhoods, enjoying the outdoors.

We waved and smiled at people we did not know, feeling a kinship just because we were all in this together. We each had a story to tell, eager to share, trading information about what we were going through, where we could buy paper towels, shaking our heads in disbelief that this pandemic was really happening.

Maybe these interactions didn’t foster deep and lasting friendships, but they fostered community. Familiarity. Like in days gone by, next-door and across the street strangers were now acquaintances.

COVID interfered with getting all the prepared foods and takeout you were used to. And restaurants, of course, were out of reach. More people started making food from scratch.

Flour, yeast, and sugar were out of stock in the early months of the pandemic because there’s nothing like warm homemade cookies or fresh-baked bread for comfort.

Good smells emanating from the kitchen came from the ovens and stovetops, instead of the microwave.

Families were sitting down to dinner together, night after night. There was way less working late, or rushing off to band or athletic practice, everyone busy, busy, busy.

Sure, we spent a lot of time online, looking for diversions, but many of us went back to picking up a craft we’d long abandoned or getting out the sewing machine. We honed our DIY skills and made our own masks.

To while away time there was so much of, we played board and card games and did jigsaw puzzles as a family.

It was the 1930s again. Families that couldn’t go to the movies, gathered around their TV sets like families did decades earlier around their radios to listen to Fibber McGee and Molly, Charlie McCarthy, and The Shadow.

We tuned in to the news more than we had in decades, and talked about current events rather than our busy schedules, who had to be where and when.

Zoom became the back fence, the front porch, the annual Thanksgiving get together at grandma’s.

The media by which we communicate with one another have changed over the years, but the message that we might have been partially deaf to pre-COVID is everlasting. Connection is nourishing to the soul. We came to a more enlightened understanding of what was really important.

As the pandemic taxed our patience and heightened our fears, it boosted our creativity, resourcefulness, and appreciation of the outdoors and each other.

People often long for the good old days. COVID times will not be among them. But I hope there are some good and lasting positive takeaways that come out of this – let’s hope – once in a lifetime experience.

Thanks for listening. Nice chatting with you.

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April Gardening

What to plant

Annuals/Bedding plants: Plant heat-tolerant annuals, such as coleus, vinca, and portulaca.

Bulbs: Cannas thrive in the heat of summer. New varieties have colorful leaves as well as flowers. See Bulbs for Florida:

Herbs: Some to start now include basil, coriander, cumin, and mint.

Vegetables: Beans, Chinese cabbage, Southern peas, and sweet potatoes can still be planted. Mulch beds well and monitor irrigation if the weather is dry.

What to do

Plant for butterflies: Plant flowers of different colors, shapes, sizes, and blooming seasons to provide nectar for adult butterflies and provide host plants for their caterpillars.

Pests: Monitor insect activity and learn which bugs damage plants and which do not.

Beneficials: Identify and conserve beneficial insects. Some insects should be encouraged in your yard!

Tomatoes: Watch for pests, disease, and nutritional disorders on developing tomato plants.

Palms: Identify and treat environmental and nutritional disorders in palms.

Oleanders: Inspect chewed or ragged leaves for oleander caterpillars at work.

Fruits: Propagate fruit crops by air layering and grafting.

Perennials and bulbs: Divide clumps of bulbs, ornamental grasses, or herbaceous perennials to expand or rejuvenate garden beds or to pass along to friends.

Shrubs: Choose from a wide variety of shrubs to add to the landscape now. Remember Right Plant/Right Place and match the mature size with the location.

Source: University of Florida IFAS Extension

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Parkland Life: Home sweet home

By Jill

It was one year and one month since I last saw my daughter, son-in-law and my three natural grandchildren. It has been the same amount of time since I saw my stepchildren, their spouses and my other seven grandchildren. This was the hardest part of the pandemic for me. I had this irrational fear that I might get the virus and never see them again. Well, the light at the end of the tunnel was finally here. In January, I received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine, waited three weeks after my second dose to make sure the maximum immunity kicked in, and booked a trip to New York. I was lucky, my daughter and son-in-law, and one of my stepdaughters and her husband were also fully vaccinated – so they felt safe about my visit. Neil stayed home with Mickey.

Of course New York’s quarantining rules did not make this trip easy. In order to go to NY from almost anywhere, you have to quarantine and take two COVID tests, one 72 hours before arriving and one 72 hours after quarantining. Of course both have to be negative. Even though I had received both vaccines and the CDC doesn’t feel quarantining is necessary, NY still does. I was quarantined at my daughter’s and did not plan to go anywhere until after the second negative test so it was all fine.

The day to travel finally arrived. While I was sad to leave Neil and Mickey, I was beyond excited. My 8:00 AM flight was totally full. It felt strange and I was a little nervous as I had not been around that many people in such close proximity for an entire year. After the 3 hour plane trip, I was glad to disembark into the cold, snowy landscape of NY. I arrived at my daughter’s to a huge welcome sign made by my grandchildren and that began 5 days of sheer bliss. We played games, built snowmen, went sledding, cooked and baked. We watched movies and read books, did art projects and in short, spent all waking hours enjoying each other’s company. The kids were tolerant of my too often hugs and kisses and my insistence that we all cuddle on the couch including the two family dogs. I was also lucky and got to see my stepdaughter, her husband and my three grandchildren from them. We met them for sledding, hugging after each trip down the hill, and a second evening for a ladies dessert party. The entire trip was teary, joyful and a slice of heaven. I never appreciated
the importance of the hugs, kisses, and simply being together. Before COVID, I
always took these things for granted. The year of separation made me realize how lucky we are to have one another and how important it is to treasure our time together.

I had been so caught up in my excitement to finally see my family that I also did not realize that after an ENTIRE year spent alone with Neil and never leaving Mickey before, how much I would miss them. While I was away, Neil and I spoke often. He told me endless Mickey stories on the phone and thankfully they both had a blast without me.

Six days proved to be the perfect amount of time away. I was missing Neil and Mickey more each day and had collected tons of hugs and kisses from my grandchildren, daughter, son-in-law, stepdaughter and stepson-in-law to tide me over for a while. It also helped that my daughter’s family is coming to see us in three weeks. As anxious as I was to leave, I couldn’t wait to get home.

I think I have always idolized New York since moving here, longing for more time to visit. I have also taken Florida and my beautiful Parkland community for granted. While my visit was magic, my return was magic as well. I went from the snowy New York gray tundra to the beauty of green palm trees and warm sunny weather. I also went from the hugs of children and grandchildren to the hugs and kisses of Neil and the non-stop licking of Mickey. I feel blessed that I get to enjoy both and will try to never take either for granted again.

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Wine Watch: Don’t judge a wine by its price

By Bennet Bodenstein

You don’t judge a book by its cover, nor do you judge a wine by its price. In over thirty years of writing about wine, I have sampled some monumental stinkers that sold for over $100 and some absolutely wonderful wines that were under $20.

As an example, I once tasted an Edna Valley Vineyards pinot noir that sold for under $15 that could only be described as ethereal, and a cabernet sauvignon with a price tag of $128 that I poured down the drain.

Keeping that in mind, I approach all wines by tasting them before paying attention to the price or the name of the producer. I recently had the pleasure of tasting some South American wines that, in my opinion, are well above the average.

Trivento 2019 Argentinian Reserve Malbec ($10.99). Please do not let this wine’s very affordable price tag scare you off , this is a showcase malbec that radiates all of the flavors and aromas that have made the variety so popular. This big, bold, and solid wine is very dark in color and displays the aromas of strawberry, plum, and red cherries with a hint of spice in the background. Cherries, plums, cinnamon, and coffee are the dominant flavors along with the added complexity provided by a hint of oak. This is truly a regal wine with the charm and bearing of a modern classic. It is ready to drink now or can be set down for as long as five years to soften, mellow, and take on the glow of a great classical wine. This wine will prove why malbec is becoming a favorite among many red wine drinkers.

Frontera Cabernet Sauvignon ($6.99). In the quality for your dollar category, this cabernet sauvignon from the Central Valley of Chile achieves the impossible; it is a very nice wine at an even nicer price. This deep ruby, medium bodied wine presents a clean and open aroma of spice, black currants, vanilla, and soft oak. There are no harsh tannins in this wine so it is ready to be enjoyed right now without any further aging. Another quality point is the finish, which is moderately long and very fruity. While the raised pinky connoisseur might scoff at this wine, my suggestion is “don’t knock it until you have tried it” and when you have tried it you will be very glad you did.

Frontera Cabernet Sauvignon/ Merlot ($6.99). The classical French Bordeaux blend of 85 percent cabernet sauvignon and 15 percent merlot is presented in its Chilean incarnation. This is not an attempt to pass off Chilean wine as a Bordeaux but rather an homage to the blend. The color of this wine is dark, very dark and the aroma reflects plum, cherry, red berries, and chocolate which carry over to the flavor and then on to a delightful finish. I found this wine to be very enjoyable and very easy to drink; however, I do have one complaint. Why can’t there be more wines this good and this affordable in today’s marketplace?

Frontera 2020 Sauvignon Blanc ($12.99). Hey, wait, a sauvignon blanc that sells for more than a cabernet sauvignon? Something here is topsy turvy or very special. It appears that the sauvignon blanc grapes were at a premium in Chile which resulted in a higher cost per bottle. Is it worth it? I must answer with a resounding “yes.” Most sauvignon blanc wines are flimsy little things that smell more of grass than the aroma of fruit. This wine’s full fruit aroma is presented right up front, exhibiting pear, peach, and citrus. These carry over to the flavor and then to the finish. Do not let this one slip past you either; it is, to say it in one word, gigantic.

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Motherhood on the autism spectrum

By Amy Martin

Carly Fulgham is recognized for quite the impressive life and career. She is a mother, wife, and Vice President of Document Services Strategy for a major worldwide bank. She is also the first autistic President of the Board of Directors of the Autism Society of Ventura County, VP of the Autism Society of California, and is on the Board of The Art of Autism.

She was recently a guest on “Spectrumly Speaking,” A Different Brains® podcast, with hosts Haley Moss and Dr. Lori Butts.  Carly explains that for the first twenty years of her life she didn’t realize that she had autism. She had been using workarounds until she experienced burnout and needed Social Security disability.

One day, she found an article about a boy with autism and suddenly her own
disability became clear. She was finally diagnosed at 28 years old. Becoming
involved in the Autism Society shortly thereafter was a no-brainer.

Navigating her disability on her own was one thing, but doing so with children
was another. She knew that she had a complicated medical history and that she (and her medical team) would need to be prepared for her specific needs, and communication was key.

Carly had prepared a very long birth plan, including a huge section about
her sensory issues, and how she might respond to pain and other experiences. She discusses how certain types of touch can trigger her issues, how variations of feather-light touches and knife-sharp pain may cause different reactions.

When she noticed that one nurse during her labor communicated differently than her, she politely requested a different nurse, and possible miscommunications were averted. She even prepared for the
sounds and the chaos in the operating room by wearing noise-canceling
headphones.

Carly stresses that many women don’t even fi nd out that they have autism
until their own children are diagnosed, meaning that maternity nurses have likely cared for plenty of undiagnosed autistic patients. She says the nurses are, “Used to all kinds of sensory things like, ‘I have to have low music playing,’ or ‘I have to have this lavender scent’ or ‘I have to have it scent-free.’”

Haley Moss adds that there already exists a bias in medicine for women,
and for autistic people in particular, where pain is often not taken seriously
or believed. She shares her own fears on becoming an autistic mother in the future, asking, “What if I’m in pain and someone doesn’t believe me because they think autism impairs my sense of judgment?”

Carly explains hospitals in general have a poor system for pain scales, replying
that often only a diagram with facial expressions and numbers is available to
measure pain. For the autistic patient, this vague representation may be difficult to understand. Someone’s level four pain may be someone else’s eight. Carly stresses that you have to be really descriptive, giving
examples like “It feels like someone’s stabbing me with a knife”, or “It feels like ants are crawling on me.”

Carly notes that through her non-profit work, her autism, and the awareness of
the developmental stages have helped her become a better mother.

She recounts a story about her son from before he could talk, where they were
sitting at the breakfast table and he started screaming. Carly says she took
a moment and thought, ‘Okay, there’s something that’s upsetting him’. So she
followed his eyeline and he was staring outside in the backyard at a blue ball.
She asked her son, “Do you want me to put the blue ball away?” and he nodded
his head in the middle of his wailing. So Carly went out, put the ball in the box it’s normally kept in, and he instantaneously stopped screaming.

For more of this conversation you can listen to the entire podcast, or read the transcript, here:

https://www.differentbrains.org/motherhood-on-the-autism-spectrum-with-carly-fulgham-spectrumly-speaking-ep-107/.

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London to Parkland: Curiosity led him to a career as a singer, filmmaker

By Julie Rosner

He’s a Parkland resident now, but filmmaker and singer Menachem Weinstein was born and raised in Stamford Hill, London, into an ultra-orthodox Jewish family. He, along with students like himself, went to segregated schools and never received a full English education.

Weinstein, 29, was a creative kid. By the age of 13 he became curious and wondered what the rest of the world was like. “We didn’t have television or internet. We had a shielded life. I would see non-Jewish people walking down the street and wonder what their life was like. It was like an outside world,” Weinstein said.

When he turned 14, Weinstein rebelled and started buying his own jeans and acting up in class. “I didn’t know what was out there, but I wanted to explore and find out. It was always a question.” According to Menachem, he would question everything and give his teachers a hard time.

During those rebellious years, Menachem believes they were tough, but magical. “It put a lot of stress on my family and our relationship. I met so many new friends and new types of music. I really started to educate myself. And I learned about history,” Weinstein said. Eventually, as he reached the age of 18, things started to spiral.

Menachem did not have any direction or education. “It came to a point where I lost all my friends, started to get addicted to drugs. I came to a real point where I had to make some serious life choices,” Weinstein said.

Through it all, the only pathway that he found helpful to figure it all out was music. “I started to write down my thoughts and feelings, transferred them into poems and then music,” Weinstein remarked.

Despite his actions during his rebellious years, Menachem’s mother was supportive of his music. “My mother thought my creative outlet was healthy for me and would help me along the line. She spotted something in me before anyone else and pushed me to go forward,” Weinstein said.

From that point on, at the age of 19, Menachem entered a Jewish competition worldwide. He had to submit a video, which followed with an online voting process. After the votes were in, Menachem was flown to New York to perform in front of 3,000 people. From this experience, he started to take his music more seriously. “Being thrown in the deep end so early on helped me transition my life…I decided I wanted to do something with my life. No more drugs. I wanted to be productive,” Menachem said.

Unfortunately, with no education, it was hard to launch a career. Menachem went back to his community and started filming and recording a music video. He had no idea what he was doing. He borrowed his friend’s camera and used YouTube tutorial videos to figure it out. At the same time, he was shaping up his life and getting clean. He worked with at-risk teens organizing programs
to help take them off the street.

As time progressed, Menachem left the youth work and got serious with video production. He created commercials for a few travel companies. After he made some money, Menachem purchased his own camera. He landed a gig producing a music video for $25,000 for Jewish artists in Northern California.

“They flew me out to California for a massive shoot and I had a crew of 20 people working underneath me…The morning of filming I woke up and I felt like a fraud. I had no education and somehow, they were all waiting for me to get ready and start running this film set. I was freaked out. I took a few deep breaths and played the part. I faked it until I made it,” Weinstein said.

From that point on, Menachem got more and more job offers and moved to New York, where he opened up a successful media company called Munch Media. It became one of the top Jewish media production companies in Brooklyn. He performed in the United Kingdom, Amsterdam, New York, New Jersey, and Belgium. “Music was always a passion project,” Menachem said.

Today, Menachem is married and living in Parkland, Florida with his wife and 2-year-old son, Danny. “My wife was the person who was able to lead me into a much healthier place and help me unleash my potential,” Weinstein said.

In March, he accepted an offer to be a director of marketing for a tech company in Miami. Weinstein recently released a music video called “Highway” where he sings about the struggles to fi nd light in the darkness and finding the one person who changes everything for the positive. “I dedicated my new song to the special people who showed me love and guided me towards a path of creativity, productivity, and opened a doorway for me to see my religion and community in a new light,” Weinstein said.

“My whole life has been a winding road. Everyone’s life is a highway,” Weinstein said. “I have had ditches and turns, but for the first time in my life, moving to Parkland, I sit and think, this is it. This is where I can grow old and grow my family.”

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Broward Center stages road to recovery

Since the first U.S. case of COVID-19 was reported on Jan. 20, 2020, the impact on arts and cultural institutions has been significant.

According to the nonprofit Americans for the Arts, based in Washington, D.C., “The coronavirus continues its devastating impact on America’s arts sector. Cancellations have taken place at virtually every arts organization in the country and artists/ creative workers are among the most severely affected segment of the nation’s workforce.”

Financial losses to nonprofit arts and cultural organizations are estimated at $15.2 billion. Approximately 99 percent of producing and presenting organizations, including The Broward Center for the Performing Arts, based on the New River in downtown Ft. Lauderdale’s Riverwalk Arts and Entertainment District, has cancelled events: A loss of 488 million admissions and $15.5 billion in audience spending at local businesses.

The total economic impact of organizational and audience- spending losses is $5.2 billion in lost government revenue and 894,000 jobs no longer being supported.

Pre-pandemic, The Broward Center presented more than 700 performances each year to more than 700,000 patrons and has one of the largest arts-in education programs in the country serving more than 130,000 students annually.

To adapt and cope with these realities, the Broward Center has launched their “Road to Recovery,” a campaign to raise funds for the theatre to compensate for their lack of revenue during the pandemic.

“The Road to Recovery will be long and costly,” they note on their website. “The Broward Center was one of the first businesses to close, and we will be among the last to open.”

“No industry has been hit harder than the performing arts,” says Kelley Shanley, CEO of the Broward Center since 2009. “We’ve been hit harder (except possibly for bars and nightclubs) and it’s important to raise that awareness to the public and hopefully solicit funding for our performing arts venues.”

Shanley credits the Cleveland Clinic, one of their sponsors, for stepping in and providing their medical director as an advisor to the venue, helping to develop proper protocols to keep audiences and staff safe.

“They’ve been a huge resource to us,” Shanley says. “I can’t say enough about them. Their expertise gives everyone the confidence that we’re getting good guidance on how to move forward in this pandemic and gives our audiences confidence.”

One accommodation has been the creation of Backlot Live, an all-new outdoor stage on the Lillian S. Wells Backstage Plaza for entertaining under the stars.

The outdoor venue allows for six feet of physical distance, face coverings are required and tickets are available in pods of 2, 4 or 6 only. Ticket sales benefit the Center’s Road to Recovery initiative.

In January, they hosted comedian, Rob Schneider, In the Light of Led Zeppelin concert, and a musical tribute to The Eagles with Best of the Eagles tribute band (BOTE).

The following month, the Broward Center announced the planned return of their Broadway series by the fall of 2021 featuring “Come From Away,” Disney’s “Frozen,” and “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations.”

Just up the road at 707 N.E. 8th St. sits The Parker Playhouse, one of the Broward Center’s affiliated theatres, which has just undergone a $30 million renovation with the installation of its classic red seats in the Lillian S. Wells Hall.

The project was spearheaded by the Broward Performing Arts Foundation.

Built in 1967, the 1,167-seat theatre is one of Fort Lauderdale’s first venues.

With construction on-going during the pandemic, Shanley expects the project to be fully complete by May 2021, offering new features including private donor and premium lounges,

a signature bar area, and upgraded systems and technology delivering advanced acoustics.

“Not being able to go to live theater has helped all of us understand how important the shared experience of live entertainment is,” says Shanley, who received the George Abbott Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts at the 44th annual Carbonell Awards last August.

“To be in a room with others, to enjoy a performance, to feel what the artist is conveying and feel it collectively with friends, this is what live theatre is all about,” he says.

“The collective and shared experience is important to our souls, our beings and our happiness,” says Shanley. “I can’t wait to get everyone back into the theatre, for the day when the doors reopen, the curtain rises and the lights return to the Broward Center Stages and we can all experience live entertainment together.”

Visit playhouse-fl.org. Events in April include singers Jonathan Antoine, Steve Hackett, and Doktor Kaboom Look Out! Science is Coming.

The Broward Center for the Performing Arts is located at 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. For more information visit BrowardCenter.org

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Coral Springs Commission

In the blink of an eye Spring is upon us. With an increase in COVID-19 vaccines available at more distribution points and greater eligibility for the general population, we are starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel from this public health crisis. As a result, we began looking at planning for in-person events and meetings.

In April, our Commission Meetings will be held as a hybrid, with some in-person and others attending virtually. Members of the Commission, key city staff and those who are being honored, will be inside of Commission Chambers at City Hall. Since social distancing requirements limits space inside of chambers, residents are encouraged to participate by attending the meetings remotely. You can learn more about viewing options at coralsprings.org/citytv. The April meetings are scheduled for the 7th and 21st at 6:30 p.m.

In the City of Coral Springs, we are incredibly fortunate to have one of the best Public Safety Communications Divisions in the state, if not the nation. During the second week of April, we honor the men and women who serve our community as call-takers and dispatchers, in celebration of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. We are grateful to have such dedicated staff, who are passionate about protecting and serving our residents, and ensuring effective communication with their colleagues in Police and Fire. If you have ever called our non-emergency number or had to dial 9-1-1, you know they are the lifeline to vital services, and for that, we are truly grateful for their service.

Also deserving of recognition this month, and all year long, are our amazing volunteers who we celebrate during National Volunteer Week from April 18 to 24. Our city has 430 monthly active volunteers,
who dedicate their time, talent and compassion to the Coral Springs community. Follow the city’s social platforms as we highlight the men, women and young adults making a difference in our community.

We invite you to join us as we celebrate Mother Earth during our annual EarthFest plant distribution event on April 24, from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at Sportsplex. For details, visit our website www.coralsprings.org/events.

The city is excited to announce the expansion of our drop-off recycling program for residents who would like to ensure non-contaminated recycling. A recycling container is now located at Mullins Park (2501 Coral Springs Drive) next to the Coral Springs Gymnasium and is open for drop off 24/7. This new collection point is in addition to the recycling option at the Waste Transfer Station, which is open Saturdays from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sundays from 12 to 5 p.m. (12600 Wiles Road). The container only allows for the drop off of plastic material with the number 1 or 2 on the containers, metal and aluminum cans, newspaper and mixed paper, and broken-down cardboard. We ask residents who utilize this container to please refrain from contaminating it with non-recyclable materials. P

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Congressman Ted Deutch

Dear friends!

The COVID-19 crisis has taken so much from Floridians in the past year. No family or business has been untouched by the pandemic. Now, help is finally on the way for Americans nationwide in the form of President Biden’s American Rescue Plan.

The American Rescue Plan is a victory for all Americans. It puts money in American pockets and vaccines in their arms; it safely sends children back to school and workers back to their jobs; and will crush this virus and get Americans back on their feet.

This bill will send direct payments of $1,400 to 85% of American households. It will help lift 27 million children out of poverty. It enhances assistance for unemployed workers and small business owners. It expands ACA healthcare coverage, funds housing assistance and food security programs, and much more.

Congress can help save lives from gun violence, keep guns out of the wrong hands, and prevent mass shootings. But eight years after the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, three years after the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, and after countless other gun violence tragedies, Congress has waited too long and wasted too much time when we could have saved lives.

We can’t have safe communities until we fix the background check system. The Bipartisan Background Checks Act builds on federal law by ensuring that all gun purchases and transfers require background checks regardless of the vendor. Additionally, the Enhanced Background Checks Act will close the Charleston Loophole that lets individuals with incomplete background checks purchase firearms by allowing more time for the FBI to clear them.

In March, President Biden expanded Temporary Protected Status to roughly 320,000 Venezuelans living in the US after fleeing the humanitarian crisis brought on by Nicolás Maduro’s government. The TPS status offers legal protections for 18 months, alleviating some fears of deportation and allowing Venezuelans to continue living their lives in the United States.

The corrupt Maduro regime has devastated Venezuela, creating dire economic and humanitarian conditions that have made the country unsafe and unlivable for millions of people. Congress and the White House must do more to punish the brutal Maduro regime and stand with the Venezuelan people.

As the pandemic continues to impact our daily lives, I am ready to work with Congress to pass legislation to meet the needs of our community. Please feel free to reach out to my office if we can be of any assistance.

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