Category: Community

An obviously happy youngster, who couldn’t be more than 5 or 6 years old, beckoned her equally enthused friends into a building that you might not expect to pique the interest of small girls – a jail house. Nevertheless, the girl’s friends followed her to the old structure.

Inside, they found a statue of a prisoner in a striped uniform. Perhaps the girls’ experience unleashed their curiosity just a bit about their state’s past. The jail building stands amid other attractions at Palm Beach County’s Yesteryear Village. It is a living history park where the volunteers and staff’s aim is “opening people’s eyes to Florida’s history,” said Steve Barnard, a volunteer since 1998.

He is one of many volunteers who donate their time, among other things, portraying people from the state’s past. In Barnard’s case, he plays a fictional character, Lt. Ambrose Hall, a man inspired by Barnard’s family history. Ambrose was an “old family name,” he added. Barnard can speak with authority about one attraction in particular, a village fire department housing old-fashioned fire trucks. Barnard, a West Palm Beach resident, is a retired fireman who joined the city’s department when he was 40.  He recalled that when he joined the department, it was a time of horses and buggies.

Recently, he showed a visitor several fire trucks at Yesteryear dating back to the 1920s.  Up until then, the trucks were horse-drawn, he said.  Barnard, a man with grey hair and mustache, sporting work overalls on a recent day, speaks with a scratchy voice and states, “I love South Florida, it has some real cool history that most people don’t know about.”

The village comprises 9 acres on the South Florida Fairgrounds. ”If it wasn’t for the fairgrounds, the village wouldn’t be here,” said Paige Poole, Yesteryear’s Education and Community Relations Manager. The village displays buildings and artifacts from 1895 to 1945. Through audio on telephones, visitors can browse and learn about the original and replicated buildings including an old school, a farm, a blacksmith shop, a general store, a jailhouse and other places. In addition, Yesteryear features “the only big band museum in the United States, the Sally Bennett Big Band Hall of Fame Museum.”

Poole recommends that visitors allot at least two hours to tour the entire village. She says, “Past visitors love it, they absolutely love it, adding they’ve come from afar as Germany, Italy, Spain and Russia. There are a lot of unique exhibits here that people really enjoy.” For instance, if you wish to learn about a major crop in Palm Beach County, you can visit the sugar-processing exhibit.

Yesteryear Village also showcases a Southern Bell Telephone Exhibit dedicated to the history of the telephone. That term might sound like one from the past – especially in this day of cell phones and other technological advances.

“Speaking of technology, the village affords visitors and others a chance to unplug and go back in time,” said volunteer Marie St. John. On a recent day, St. John, in character, was showing youngsters how pioneers churned milk to make butter and make the liquid safe to drink. Back in her character’s day, everyone helped prepare a meal. “Everyone’s prepared some food for a feast,” she said.

 Visitors can learn about history at Yesteryear Village, one of Palm Beach County’s most unique cultural attractions. Yesteryear Village, located at 9067 Southern Blvd. in West Palm Beach.  Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. https://www.southfloridafair.com/p/yesteryearvillage

The Parklander spoke with Captain Chris Mulligan of the Broward Sheriff’s Office, Parkland District, to learn what’s going on with our police department that our local residents should be aware of. Captain Mulligan led off the conversation with good news. He said that Parkland citizens are living in a safe community and the first six months of this year, crime is down 30 percent compared with the same period last year. He also spoke about the Center for Public Safety Management’s study of the BSO’s Parkland area in the wake of the Stoneman Douglas incident. One decision that came out of that study was a call for increased staffing. The BSO responded by enhancing traffic safety enforcement and adding a motorcycle deputy. (There previously was not one in the area.) Citations are up as a result, and statistics show that the number of accidents has remained even compared with the same period last year.

In more good news, the increase in staffing also resulted in an increase in the Crime Suppression Team, whose role it is to target specific problems that have been identified as well as the locations and times where and when they most often occur. The Crime Suppression Team moves from location to location in order to combat crime and keep it from occurring. The BSO also has revived their bike patrol unit and now has deputies on bikes in the area, particularly in areas of heavy traffic, in parks, in business areas, and in residential areas. Their mission is the same as that of officers in patrol cars, but being out in the open they can see and hear more of what’s going on in their surroundings. Therefore, they’re also able to interact with residents, businesspeople, and patrons of businesses. The area is also seeing, among the new hires, more deputies who are new to police work. Although not as seasoned as those who have worked in other agencies, but they are fresh and eager to get into stopping crimes before they occur and solving them when they do occur.

Captain Mulligan also said that the Parkland area detective unit has a clearance rate (rate of number of crimes solved) of 32%, making it one of the best in the agency.

In response to comments from residents, the Parkland area unit is also making a greater effort to engage with the community’s residents. They are contacting homeowner associations and attending their meetings on an average of three a month. In addition, some HOAs hold events (e.g. carnivals, Easter egg hunts), and the BSO tries to be a presence there as well. The unit also does its own events, including Coffee with a Cop, where residents can sit down with officers at a restaurant or coffee shop and, over a cup of coffee, discuss their concerns, pose questions to the officers, and get to know better what the BSO is doing in their area. It’s a great opportunity for an exchange of information and ideas. Then there is National Night Out, another anti-crime initiative, and an opportunity for parents of school-age kids to meet their school’s Resource Officer. Last year, at the beginning of the school year over 2000 residents turned out for this. Another event involving kids is Trunk or Treat, a goodie-filled event, co-sponsored by the city of Parkland, that’s an alternative to trick-or-treating and is safer than walking the streets and ringing doorbells. Parkland Unit BSO officers also attend PTA meetings. Additionally, there are programs in which officers read books to kids, which fosters a greater harmony between kids and police. The BSO participates in area farmers’ markets in the fall and spring, also co-sponsored by the city of Parkland. They bring out their specialty vehicles, including a striped police car, for the kids to swarm all over. The SWAT trucks are a special favorite.

Last year the BSO had a Rape Aggression Defense program in Parkland, teaching situational awareness, how to know you’re in danger, and some self-defense techniques. They will repeat this program this year. The Parkland Area unit is getting ready to start a Police Youth Explorer program for middle school and high school students who have an interest in law enforcement and might consider it as a future career. There is training, and the kids get community service hours while developing leadership skills. October will see the first Citizens Police Academy in the district. As the start of the school year is upon us, the Parkland Area unit of the BSO has its safety plan and traffic plan in place so they can be sure they’ll be watching out for our kids.

“Shabbat Shalom! Good Shabbos!”  These are the greetings you hear echoing on any given Friday night, in the sanctuary and corridors of Kol Tikvah, a reform synagogue serving Parkland and the surrounding communities. From Rock Shabbats under the stars, to Paint & Sip Happy Hours,  to Mimouna celebrations and  social events, Congregation Kol Tikvah is the “synagogue that never sleeps.”

Boasting an early childhood center, teen nights, a caring committee, business networking events and social action (Tikkun Olam) opportunities with monthly PB&J sandwich collections for the homeless, the synagogue, sandwiched between City Hall and the Coastal Community Church on N. University Dr., is a hub of activity.

“As a reform congregation we can take more liberty in choosing what to participate in,” says Rabbi Melissa Stollman, Director of Lifelong Learning.  “We don’t have the same sense of responsibility toward Jewish law, but focus on our responsibility toward one another. The heart of our community is the relationships people have with one another that take place in a Jewish setting,” she explains.

“We hear from many of our congregants that this is their home, this is where their “family” is – friends who’ve become family,” Stollman says.  “This is where they feel comfortable bringing their kids, praying, with activities grounded in Jewish values.  Everyone is seen and known and important.” The synagogue was birthed in 1991 when six Parkland families, including a Jew by choice, an interfaith couple and several adopted children met for Shabbat dinner and decided to establish a synagogue in the Reform tradition. In fact, president Jennifer Levin-Tavares  likens it to the popular TV show, Cheers, comparing Kol Tikvah (which means Voice of Hope) to a synagogue where “everyone knows your name.”

With more than 350 families, this is not an easy task. One of those families is the Levine family Craig, a realtor, Jennifer, a physician and their three children, Benjamin, 12, Max, 11, and Rebecca, 5, who spent three years in Kol Tikvah’s Phyllis J. Green Early Childhood Center (ECC). The whole family is active and involved with Kol Tikvah.  Craig is a board member of Kol Tikvah’s Brotherhood while Jennifer is involved with the synagogue Chavarim, which works to create and deepen relationships between members. Their oldest son, Benjamin will be a Bar Mitzvah this September and is working hard with Rabbi Bradd Boxman, Cantor, Malcolm Arnold and Mr. “B,” Fred Berkowitz, the Hebrew teacher. “In our ten years as members of Kol Tikva, we have felt warmly welcomed by the staff and members. We are impressed with the sense of community and our children have made lifelong friends,” says Craig Levine.  “We are so happy to have found Kol Tikvah.”

President Levin-Tavares says what distinguishes Kol Tikvah from other Jewish institutions in the area is that Kol Tikvah functions as a community center, offering more than just religious school, Shabbat and holiday services. “We have an amazingly energetic, demographically diverse synagogue with a wide range of activities and programming for every age group,” Levin-Tavares says. Because the congregation is still young, “Our youthfulness allows us to change and evolve much more nimbly than more established institutions,” she says.

For Rabbi Stollman, who lived in 10 cities growing up, she says belonging to a reform synagogue was an oasis in the midst of her chaotic life and kept her connected to her Judaism and Jewish values. She says the same is true for Parkland’s Kol Tikvah. 

“If you identify as Jewish or are curious about being Jewish and seeking a faith-based tradition, being connected on a deeper level, Kol Tikvah will welcome you,” says Rabbi Stollman.  “You don’t have to look too hard to feel connected and feel a part of something.”

For more information visit: koltikvah.net or call:  (954) 346-7878The next Rock Shabbat is scheduled for Nov. 1.

At first glance, the word “brave” may spark several images in our subconscious, the iconic superman “S,” or a prince in shining armor. For less mystical minds, first responders may be synonymous with bravery. However, bravery also lies in more common, quotidian acts of everyday life.  Coconut Creek novelist Melody Maysonet perfectly displays a case of this “common bravery,” a special possession of valor required to produce something truly raw, honest and authentic. Maysonet has been writing ever since she can remember. As a young girl, her dreams were to become a writer and a teacher. She has already accomplished both. Maysonet’s previous work experience includes her positions as an English teacher, editor, columnist, and ghostwriter. It was not until her son, now 14 years old, started school that Maysonet decided to tackle her dream of becoming a published novelist. She began attending workshops and conferences to hone her writing skills, inching closer to her goal.

In 2015, Maysonet published her first novel, A Work of Art, and has since then achieved several accolades including Best Book of 2015 by YA Books Central. A Work of Art is a captivating story about a 17-year-old girl, Tera, who struggles to determine if her father is guilty of a crime he is accused of. Recently, Maysonet opened up about the inspiration for A Work of Art sparking from her own personal experience with sexual assault. “It just kind of came out on its own because the book… was a completely different story… I realized it wasn’t what I wanted to write about and so I scrapped it and started over,” Maysonet said. “I think I just needed to do it, and to start healing.”

In addition to the countless hours practicing her craft, Maysonet also attributes part of her success to the honest critique from her writers’ group, Tuesday Writers.  Tuesday Writers consists of six different writers and was founded by mentor and YA author, Joyce Sweeney. Sweeney started the group as an invitation-only writers’ group, requiring the writers to have a certain level of expertise.  “We were all beginners at one time,” Maysonet said, “and over the years, we’ve watched each other grow.”

Maysonet takes her writing very seriously; she has a very disciplined work ethic and always tries to improve.  Most recently, she took on the insurmountably difficult task of reading deprivation, as recommended by her workbook titled, The Artist’s Way. “It really was helpful and I’m not sure exactly why but I’ve been thinking about doing it again,” Maysonet said. Currently, Maysonet is revising her second YA novel, tentatively titled, What We Wish For, about a 15-year-old girl living with her alcoholic mother who wishes for a different lifestyle. It is as Maysonet describes, “a genie-in-the-bottle story,” when “things are never what they seem.” Maysonet is also starting the first draft of her third novel. It is too early for Maysonet to confirm the synopsis but it’s intended for an adult audience. 
With A Work of Art, Maysonet fearlessly ignited a much-needed conversation about the highly stigmatized topic of sexual assault. In addition to her groundbreaking novel, Maysonet continues to tackle more ordinary struggles whether it is becoming a better creator through The Artist’s Way workbook or fighting her introversion by attending conferences.  Maysonet truly encapsulates what it means to be brave. In her Tuesday Writers blog, Maysonet writes, “I’m going to play the “What if” game. And I’m going to search the hidden cavities of my soul to find what it is I’m afraid to write about, because someone once told me that those types of stories—the ones we don’t want to touch—are the ones that push us to the next level.”