Silly Season, Serious Fun

South Florida’s fave holiday? Lobster miniseason

South Florida divers always look forward to lobster miniseason, which for them is the biggest unofficial holiday of the year.

Properly known as the two-day sport season, which is the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday in July, miniseason is the first chance for recreational divers to catch lobsters since the regular season closed on April 1. That usually means lobsters are abundant, as commercial traps have been out of the water since that date, and the bugs, as they are known, haven’t been netted or snared by divers.

In addition, the tasty crustaceans are less wary than usual, which makes them easier to catch. Instead of retreating into a hole in a coral reef or under a ledge, like they do during the regular season, which opens Aug. 6, bugs in late July tend to stand their ground when a diver approaches.

Another reason the miniseason attracts thousands of divers to South Florida is the daily limit outside of the Florida Keys is 12 lobsters per person, which is double the regular-season limit. (For regulation info, visit MyFWC.com.)

To get their limit, a fair number of divers will be in the water at 12:01 a.m. July 24, when the miniseason begins. Most boaters don’t head offshore until five or six hours later. They’ll be back on July 25 to hopefully get another limit of bugs and the makings of a lobster feast for them and their families and their non-diving friends.

Divers prepare for the miniseason weeks before it arrives. Dive gear such as regulators and BCs (buoyancy compensators) are taken to a dive shop for service and air tanks are filled.

Doing some dives also is part of pre-miniseason prep, both to locate areas with lobsters and to make sure all your equipment is working properly. For lobster divers, few things are as disappointing as having the strap on a mask or a fin break during miniseason. Unless you have a replacement strap, you probably won’t be catching any lobsters.

Two years ago, I dove the Monday before miniseason with my good friend Jim “Chiefy” Mathie of Deerfield Beach. We were on the bottom in about 60 feet and my mask was taking on water. When I tried to clear it, the lenses popped out into my hands.

Mathie escorted me back to the surface. As it turned out, the mask’s frame had cracked. Fortunately, Mathie had another mask on his boat that I used that day.

The author of the book Catching the BUG: The Comprehensive Guide to Catching the Spiny Lobster, Mathie will have a free lobster-hunting seminar on July 23 from 6-7 p.m. to begin Lauderdale-by-the-Sea’s eighth annual BugFest, a celebration of miniseason and the town’s beach access to local reefs.

Following the seminar is a free miniseason kickoff party — both will be held at Plunge Beach Hotel — during which divers can register for BugFest’s popular Great Florida Bug Hunt. For a $20 entry fee, divers receive a goody bag and T-shirt and the opportunity to win cash and terrific prizes such as regulators, dive computers, air tanks, dive boat trips, and hotel stays.

The Chiefy crew lined up its limit of lobsters caught during the first day of the 2018 miniseason. (Photo courtesy Steve Waters)

In the past, a $1,000 prize was awarded to the two-person team catching the heaviest total weight of 12 bugs on Wednesday. This year, $500 goes to the team with the heaviest weight caught off Broward County and $500 to the duo with the top weight caught off Miami-Dade or Palm Beach counties. Other prizes include $400 for the biggest bug caught anywhere off a boat, $400 for the biggest bug caught off the beach, and a Sherwood Oasis regulator valued at $420 for the biggest bug caught on a midnight beach dive off Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. There are also prizes for the biggest bugs caught Wednesday on the 6 a.m. dives on the Aqua View and Black Pearl dive boats at South Florida Diving Headquarters in Pompano Beach.

Divers don’t need to bag big bugs to win big. They receive a raffle ticket for each lobster they weigh in on Wednesday and Thursday. Winning tickets are drawn at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, following the lobster chef competition, which starts at 6 at the Beach Pavilion at the end of Commercial Boulevard. So, a diver who weighs 24 lobsters can win multiple prizes. Divers can register in advance at Gold Coast Scuba in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea or South Florida Diving Headquarters or online at DiscoverLBTS.com.

“It’s fun for the divers. It gives them more of an incentive,” said Steve d’Oliveira, the town’s Public Information Officer. “The town knows that BugFest is fun for divers and they get behind it, and everybody has a good time.” Other activities include a midnight beach dive on Tuesday, a fish identification seminar on July 26, a free clean-up dive under and around Anglin’s Pier at 8 a.m. July 27, and the third annual Diveheart Benefit Concert from 6:30-10:30 that night.

Subverting Super Heroes at Boca Art Museum

Look — up in the sky — it’s a bird, it’s a plane! No — it’s the Boca Raton Museum of Art’s new headliner, Beyond the Cape! Comics and Contemporary Art.

The exhibition offers a new look at the relationship between contemporary artists and graphic novels and comic books.

Many of today’s most high-profile artists have been influenced by this genre and the exhibit takes a deeper look at how graphic novels and comics address societal issues of race, class, gender and politics.

“It’s exciting to see younger audiences express strong interest in this exhibition,” Kathleen Goncharov, the museum’s senior curator, said.

Goncharov — aided by Calvin Reid, senior news editor at Publishers Weekly and a comic book expert — has selected an eclectic, playful, and sometimes wickedly burlesque collection of video, photographs, sculpture, prints, and drawings in addition to rare comics and contemporary and historic animation for display.

The installation features more than 80 works by 40 artists, including Christian Marclay, Kerry James Marshall, Elizabeth Murray, Joyce Pensato, Raymond Pettibon, Peter Saul, Kenny Scharf and Michael Zansky among others. Works by Takashi Murakami and Yositomo Nara, who specialize in Japanese comics, or manga, are also highlighted.

Work by Japanese manga artist Takashi Murakami.

“There is a long history here, in Europe and in Japan, between comics and fine art,” Zansky, whose work is prominently displayed, said. “Comics have a large influence in the culture and on contemporary artists.  This exhibit showcases artists who are attracted to (the) quirky visuals and subversive content of adult comics.”

Michael Zansky’s Saturn Series, standing 19 feet high, was created with carved, burnt, and painted plywood. (Photo by Jan Engoren)

Zansky comes to the world of comics naturally. His father was Louis Zansky, who drew for the circa 1940s Classic Comics series of graphic adaptations of famous literary works. Michael Zansky’s Walking Figure, a 16-foot-high carved, burnt, and painted plywood panel of a giant foot on an octagonal foundation, is based on the Colossus of Constantine, a gargantuan marble statue of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great.

The work is displayed at the entry to the exhibit, next to and juxtaposed with Manuscript, a giant hennaed hand by Indian American artist Chitra Ganesh.

The show looks beyond the 1960s Pop Art movement, led by New York-centric artists such as Andy Warhol and Ray Lichtenstein, and features the “other” art movements from the ‘60s and ‘70s such as the Hairy Who and Bay Area Funk Art. Hairy Who artists Gladys Nilsson, Jim Nutt, and Karl Wirsum, along with works by underground comic book artists such as R. Crumb, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, and Mimi Pond are also featured.

A highlight of the show is Chicago artist Kerry James Marshall’s comic series Rhythm Mastr, which documents violence in his hometown. Known for his flat, colorful paintings of contemporary black America, Marshall’s work is in high demand.

Although comics and graphic novels are part of a genre dominated by men, a number of women are highlighted in the show. New York artist Jody Culkin, in particular, raises the feminist bona fides of the exhibit with A Prophetic Drama. The 9-minute animated comic is based loosely on a play about mummies coming to life in the British Museum, written in 1875 by Harriet Hosmer, a celebrated 19th-century sculptor who also enjoyed dabbling in science fiction writing.

Snapshot showing a scene from New York artist Jody Culkin’s animated comic A Prophetic Drama. (Photo by Jan Engoren)

Also featured are Chitra Ganesh, figurative artist Elizabeth Murray and Jamaican feminist artist Renee Cox, known for upending sexist and racist stereotypes with her art. Beyond the Cape! runs through Oct. 6.

Two Faces of The Lion King

Back in the 1960s, vocalist Lou Christie sang a pop tune called Two Faces Have I. In the ‘90s, two famed puppet/mask designers took that concept to create masks for the live stage version of Disney’s The Lion King.

The idea not only worked, it roared.

Since The Lion King debuted on Broadway in 1997, more than 90 million people worldwide have experienced its visual artistry and reveled in its award-winning score.

Based on the eponymous animated Disney film, the stage adaptation features music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice. Six indigenous African languages are spoken throughout the show and extraordinary costumes often exceed the expectations of show planners and audiences.

The Lion King has just passed through South Florida. In mid-spring, the Serengeti was recreated behind the footlights at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach. The production, with its array of performers and elegant scenery, completed its run at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami on May 26.

The show that packed those two venues combined the talents of Disney Theatrical Productions with the redoubtable capabilities of Julie Taymor, the show’s director, costume designer, and —with Michael Curry — mask co-designer.

Julie Taymor, director of The Lion King and co-creator of the masks used in the stage show. (Photo courtesy of Broadway World)

Taymor is the first woman to win a Tony Award for Direction of a Musical. Curry is owner and operator of Michael Curry Design, which creates live performance-oriented devices for Cirque du Soleil, Super Bowl shows, the Olympics, and was the creative force behind New York City’s millennium event in 2000.

With a nod to Christie’s song title, the masks for most lead characters are attached to the top of the actors’ heads, meaning their faces as well as their animal avatars can be identified. The masks drop to cover faces when characters reveal their more animalistic sides.

Background performers are fitted with more stylized devices or puppet-style gear, including bicycle-like equipment for herds of running gazelles; stilts and neck extensions for giraffes, and a vast amount of rigging and structuring for elephants. The stampede, critical to the plot, is artfully crafted in a manner that defies explanation. But it appears so real and works so well in the show.

Taymor said once she discovered she needed to show both the human and animal traits of The Lion King characters, she labored to convince Disney of her concept. That involved creating three versions of the character Scar, three Zazus, and two Timons, and presenting all to Disney’s then-CEO, Michael Eisner. He gave the thumbs-up.

The musical is a sweet love story between a father and son — Mufasa, the lion king at the opening and his son and successor, Simba. Later comes the sweetheart tale of the mature Simba getting to know his betrothed, Nala.

Masks used in The Lion King, on display at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts.
(Photo by Dale King)

Taymor explained the imagery of the masks. “Obviously, Mufasa is the sun. That’s why you have the circle [the song, Circle of Life]. He’s very much about symmetry and radiation, the sun god. Simba and Nala are in that world of Mufasa.” Of her experience with The Lion King, Taymor said: “It’s the most fun thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

Family Guide to Cool Summer Fun

If you’re not up for braving the South Florida heat this summer, these local venues offer family-friendly activities available during the quiet — and less hot — afternoon and evening hours.

OUTDOOR FAVORITES

Gumbo Limbo Nature Center

Gumbo Limbo Nature Center’s sea-turtle talks and guided nature trail walks are family-favorite summer activities. (Photo courtesy Gumbo Limbo Nature Center)

Gumbo Limbo’s environmental complex in Boca Raton is an indoor / outdoor nature center with several aquariums and exhibits. A variety of group programs, including guided nature trail walks, sea turtle talks, and animal feedings, are offered throughout the week. A popular activity that only takes place on summer nights is the Turtle Walk and Hatchling Release, where participants have the opportunity to learn about Florida’s native sea turtles, walk to the nearby beach, and watch a nesting Loggerhead or see baby turtles race for the sea.

View Gumbo Limbo’s calendar of events for information on how to register.

Where:  1801 N. Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton

When:  Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.

Cost:  Free ($5 suggested donation); free parking

Details: GumboLimbo.org

Hugh Taylor Birch State Park

Hugh Taylor Birch State Park features a canoe-kayak launch in its long list of amenities. (Courtesy photo)

Favorite activities at Birch State Park range from live animal presentations to guided mangrove and trail walks, and all are excellent opportunities for families to explore Florida’s natural ecosystems and wildlife, and learn about the history behind this local state park. The two-mile loop surrounding the natural habitat is bike- and rollerblade friendly, while the Intracoastal Waterway allows for easy access to fishing and makes for a perfect sunset-viewing picnic spot. Birch State Park offers paddleboard rentals for those looking to visit Fort Lauderdale’s stretch of beaches along A1A. In addition, the park is home to Camp Live Oak, an immersive nature program for children ages 5-13, as well as a variety of scheduled tours, educational classes, and events.

Where:  3109 E. Sunrise Blvd, Fort Lauderdale

When:  Every day, 8 a.m. to sunset 

Cost:  $6 per family/group vehicle

Details: FloridaStateParks.org/HughTaylorBirch

Bark Beach at Spanish River Park

Release the leash and let Fido roam free on the sands of Spanish River Park’s beach! Bark Beach is sectioned off from the rest of the park to ensure dogs don’t run too far and other park visitors remain unscathed by licks or wet paws. Summer hours are conveniently scheduled in the early morning and late afternoon. Bark Beach is open to all families of Boca Raton who have purchased a dog permit at their nearest community center. A single weekend pass is also an option, allowing unlimited access to Boca’s best dog-friendly beach from Friday through Sunday.

Where:  3001 N. State Rd A1A, Boca Raton

When:  Friday through Sunday, 7-9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to sunset

Cost:  Bark Beach dog permit required; $11 weekend pass; parking $17 weekdays, $19 weekends OR free with annual beach pass

Details: MyBoca.us

INDOOR DESTINATIONS

Children’s Science Explorium

Located inside Boca’s Sugar Sand Park, the Children’s Science Explorium is a must-visit attraction. Activities during the summer include a variety of interactive, science-geared exhibits and exciting educational programs. The Grab ‘n’ Go Eco Pack gives young children and their families the opportunity to embark on a scavenger hunt throughout Sugar Sand’s nature trails and explore the park’s plants, birds, and insects. Kids-only activities include the one-week Summer Science Camp — open to youngsters in grades kindergarten through 5th — and the after-hour Friday Nights @ the Museum, featuring a cool experiment and movie night! Check the events calendar in early June for a list of summer exhibits and more info on registering. 

Where:  300 S. Military Trail, Boca Raton

When:  Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Cost:  Free ($5 suggested donation); free parking

Details: ScienceExplorium.org

Young At Art Museum

Young At Art Museum’s ArtScapes features works that explore a child’s perspective on the world. (Photo courtesy Young
At Art Museum)

What’s one thing that makes the Young At Art Museum unique? Through its program YAA for ALL: Access to Lifelong Learning, the museum has developed special programs and events for children and adults with autism and other disabilities. In addition to its pre-scheduled classes and exhibits, the YAA opens one hour earlier every second Sunday of the month, giving exclusive access for families with disabled children. Specialized activities include the Sensory Studio Art Class, which creates a warm and friendly environment of hands-on art-making alongside specially trained staff members.

Where:  751 SW 121st Ave, Davie

When:  Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Cost:  $14 for adults/children; $12 for seniors and Broward County residents; $11 for military families. Membership and group rates available.

Details: YoungAtArtMuseum.org

Museum of Discovery and Science

The Museum of Discovery and Science’s AutoNation IMAX and 3D Theater. (Courtesy photo)

In addition to its array of science exhibits and children’s Discovery Camp, a distinctive feature of the Museum of Discovery and Science is its in-house IMAX 3D theater, which presents a number of documentaries and Hollywood films. With numerous showtimes throughout the day, as well as wheelchair-accessible and sensory-friendly screenings, this theater is a great pick for families. This summer, the Museum’s featured exhibit, Hall of Heroes, immerses visitors in the superhero world of crime-catchers, Batmobiles, spy gadgets, and more.

Where:  401 SW Second St, Fort Lauderdale

When:  Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.

Cost:  $17 for adults; $16 for seniors; $14 for military families and children ages 2-12; free for children ages 1 and under; parking $6-$10. Museum membership rates available.

Details: MODS.org (Note: The IMAX 3D Theater has its own hours and admission fees. Please visit the MODS website for details.)

Spacing Out – Exhibit showcases astronaut’s year in photos

Neil Armstrong notched a singular spot in history as the first man to walk on the moon.

But astronaut Scott Kelly has made his own impressions on the space-time continuum. Not only are he and Mark Edward Kelly the only identical twin astronauts ever to serve with NASA in the U.S. space program, but Commander Kelly has also logged more time in the “final frontier” than any other American spaceman.

August 15, 2015 – ISS, Low Earth Orbit: Astronaut Scott Joseph Kelly posted this photo of an aurora taken from the International Space Station with the caption, ‘Another pass through Aurora. The sun is very active today, apparently. YearInSpace.’
(All images: © Scott Joseph Kelly/NASA via ZUMA Wire)

Kelly is about to share with the public dozens of digital photographs he took during his year aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Space Odyssey 2019, a display of images taken during that 12-month mission from 2015 to 2016, will open June 20 and run through Aug. 3 at the Palm Beach Photographic Centre in West Palm Beach.

“One’s perspective shifts when one lives for an entire year — as Commander Scott Kelly and no other American astronaut in history has — in the isolating, grueling and utterly unforgiving vacuum of space,” Fatima NeJame, the Centre’s president and CEO, said.

Kelly is a former military fighter pilot and test pilot, an engineer, a now-retired astronaut, and retired Navy captain. A veteran of four space flights, he commanded the ISS on three expeditions. He is also the brother-in-law of former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.), who survived a gunshot wound to the head after an attack at a constituent event in 2011.

NeJame said the Space Odyssey 2019 exhibition will feature between 40 and 60 frames, all reproduced using the center’s digital printer. “We are making them large so visitors can see the detail.”

“Kelly mastered the rare art of microgravity photography,” NeJame said.

Microgravity photography? “Using a Nikon D4 with an 800-millimeter lens and a 1.4x magnifying zoom lens, he panned the camera as the shutter released to compensate for the space station’s velocity: 17,500 miles per hour relative to the earth.”

In the display, his photos will be accompanied by personal commentary to put the images into their proper contexts.

During the ISS mission, while breaking records for time spent in outer space, Kelly spoke with President Barack Obama about what he was seeing and the pictures he was taking. The President encouraged him to share the photos with the world via Twitter and Instagram, which he did. Kelly’s artistic eye helped make him a social media sensation.

Looking down at a frozen Himalayan lake from space.

Through his lens, Kelly captured sunsets, moonrises, the Aurora Borealis, and the luminous, hazy tapestry of the Milky Way. “There are hurricanes, wrinkled mountains, New York City shining like a galaxy,” NeJame said. “Glorious photographs that are, in themselves, a passionate argument for the preservation of our planet in the face of climate change and environmental destruction.” In one of the images taken over South Asia as the Expedition 46 crew orbited high above Earth, Kelly looked down on a vivid blue body of water shot through with white. “Cool frozen lake in #Himalayas! #YearInSpace” he tweeted on Jan. 6, 2016, to his more than 5.6 million followers.

Astronaut Scott Kelly shared the last sunrise of his yearlong mission on space on
March 1, 2016, aboard ISS.

A Shared Moment in Time

Like Tibetan sand mandalas, which are swept up and scattered on the water, the Temple of Time is about the moment, the process, the creation, and the transitory nature of life itself.

The beech-plywood temple on Sample Road, created by artist David Best, is the first of five public art installations in Coral Springs and Parkland that are part of the series Inspiring Community Healing After Gun Violence: The Power of Art.

The two cities, in partnership with the Coral Springs Museum of Art, were awarded $1 million from Bloomberg Philanthropies to fund the projects, which aim to use art to help heal the community after the shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February 2018. 

With help from local residents, the Balinese-like temple rose from the site of the old City Hall over a two-week span in early February, and opened to the public one year after the Feb. 14 school shooting that left 17 dead and as many injured.

What Best, his crew and community members created was an object of great beauty out of shared loss. 

The temple, where visitors are encouraged to leave mementoes and write messages directly on the raw wood, has transformed into a repository of the community’s hopes, fears, wishes, and dreams.

The Temple of Time, said Best, is a way of honoring the time it will take for the community to process the feelings it shares from a common tragedy.

The California-based artist has dedicated his life’s work to designing and building ornate yet ephemeral temples for communities that need healing.

In what some might say is a paradox, the 35-foot-high, non-denominational structure will be set on fire and destroyed in May. It is Best’s hope the community’s grief over the shootings and the loss of life on 2/14 and in the aftermath will dissipate with the flames.

Best began creating temples in 2000, as a way to honor a friend killed in a motorcycle accident, and he and his 14-person Temple Crew have become known for the elaborate structures they’ve built at the annual Burning Man Festival in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.

Best recently spoke about his work to the Miami New Times: “I make an empty structure — it doesn’t mean anything; it’s just a pretty shape. And then people come, and they put in their religion, their faith, their anger. Whatever they’ve got, they put it [in the temple], and they develop their mythology. It doesn’t matter what we believe. It matters what they believe.”

The Temple of Time in Coral Springs is very nearly covered with the inspirational and heartfelt messages visitors have left on the carved mosaic-like scrollwork. “Tell the sun and stars hello for me. We love you, Gina Rose,” reads one of thousands of personal notes. Another states: “Hate, anger, fear, indifference, and jealousy will never win.”

Hand-painted rocks emblazoned with “MSDStrong,” “A Little Bit of Gratitude Goes a Long Way,” and “There is Always Hope,” adorn the temple altars along with stuffed animals, photos, religious trinkets, hand-drawn hearts, flowers, and a brown manila envelope full of shredded bully testimonials from students at Pioneer Middle School.

Particularly poignant is a photograph from 18-year-old Meadow Pollack’s kindergarten teacher saying, “Proud to have been your kindergarten teacher, Meadow.” A senior at Douglas, Pollack was among the 17 killed by a lone gunman at school that day.

On a cool weekday morning in March — the installation is open every day from 7am until dusk — the temple was alive with visitors. Jonathan Koota, a massage therapist and Coral Springs resident, came with friends Lynne Mass, of Delray Beach, and Judy King, of Pompano Beach. They walked quietly through the temple, discreetly taking photos and reading the temple’s messages of love and hope to their grandkids. Lanie Hyman Shapiro visited the temple in February. The Coral Springs woman called the temple “an amazingly powerful and intricate” tribute to MSD’s 17 victims. “It’s a place to come together, to reflect,” Shapiro said. “It’s a place to begin a catharsis.”

Striving for Peace – One Step at a Time

For more than a decade, area residents have literally taken steps to bring about peace.

Each time Coral Springs’ Silent Peace Walk participants gather, once a month, early in the morning, to walk for peace, leader Audrey Ehlin reminds them how small steps can lead to a larger impact. Specifically, peace within their hearts can lead to peace within their families. Further, a peaceful community can spread to neighborhoods, the nation and the world.

Ehlin, of Coral Springs, as well as others gather at 7 a.m. on the first Saturday of every month at the International Peace Garden, located behind the Coral Springs Center for the Arts. Birds chirp and one can hear the soft sound of tree branches swaying in the breeze, but for the most part, quiet reigns. Folks move forward in a single-file line for about 20 minutes. Ehlin estimated the walks attracts anywhere from seven to 20 people.

“I believe one person at a time can make a difference,” she said.

Making a difference was on Coral Springs resident Piero Falci’s mind when one day, back in 2006 or so, he was watching the news. A horrific scene was unfolding in the Middle East, as a conflict between Israel and Lebanon raged.

“I saw images on TV of this man, about my age, in a residential area where bombs had fallen,” Falci said. “His house had been hit by a bomb and neighbors were removing the rubble to retrieve the bodies of his wife and two sons. I immediately thought about my family. I, too, have two sons.”

Falci heard an inner voice: What are you going to do?

What can I do? he wondered. After all, he was halfway around the globe. “But I was deeply touched, and the command to do something persisted,” he said.

At the time, Falci also was reading books about peace. An idea sprang to mind: He should start a peace walk. When Falci approached Coral Springs city officials with designs for a monthly event at the International Peace Garden, “the idea was received with enthusiasm,” he said.

“Many people ask why we do it,” added Falci, author of the book Silent Peace Walk: From Inner Peace to World Peace. “It is our belief that cultivating inner peace will help bring peace to the entire world.

“We think a lot about the survivors (of tragedies), and their pain, and our heart aches for them. In a way, in the middle of the beautiful International Peace Garden, we bring to our awareness how fortunate we are for living in a safe environment, and we compassionately connect with those who don’t have the same safety and comfort.”

Elizabeth Velez, of Tamarac, has participated in the peace walk since 2011. She said doing so not only brings her inner peace, but lets her meet like-minded people who enjoy connecting with nature.

For Coral Springs vice mayor Joy Carter, each time she makes the trek, she notices something different within the garden – different colors amid the foliage, for instance.

Among the garden’s permanent features is a peace pole bearing the words “May Peace Prevail on Earth” written in several languages. “I find it’s a really good way to start my day,” Carter said. “It just brings a balance to my persona, my soul. It keeps you centered.”

Stacey Mandell

There must be at least two considerations to label something as art. The first is … there must be the recognition that something was made for an audience of some kind to receive, discuss or enjoy. … The second point is simply the recognition of skill.”

Brannon McConkey

At Stacey Mandell’s first solo exhibition, Letters to Our Younger Self, at the Miami Dade College Hialeah Campus Art Gallery, there could be no doubt in a viewer’s mind the artist was sharing, successfully, the way she experiences the world and that her work was an extension of her personality. Her unique art form encompasses words, emotions, culture, but also activities of daily life and current events.

“If Love is the Sun, Gratitude is the Moon”

Mandell uses shorthand words and phrases — whether actual Gregg shorthand, cursive writing, even Braille — as an abstract gestural form, in which the form’s meaning provides an abstract narrative on the canvas.

“I believe we have much more in common than we may think — love and gratitude, diversity and inclusion, identity and culture, encourage and nurture. Saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you,’” Mandell said. “These are expressions of the soul. We all share the same hopes, dreams, and fears. We all have good days and bad days.

“My artwork is the physical manifestation of the expressions of my soul,” she said. “My messages are the conversations contained in the artwork.” xhibition curators Noor Blazekovic and Alejandro Mendoza, in a joint statement, said they were fascinated how Mandell frames an idea and communicates it to an audience. “What sets her creative work apart from other human expression is that she is creating in the world of non-verbal communication — she uses different tools: shorthand, words, visual images, movement, ideas, and more — to create feelings, thoughts, images, and ideas in the audience to communicate her particular message that as creator she wants to share. The intent is to inform, move, and open the audience’s mind and perspective to seeing the world in a different light than before.”

This is not a blank steno pad” (48″ x 60″, Acrylic on Canvas. 2018)

One work that shows that “different light” is This is not a blank Steno pad, a 5-foot-high acrylic-on-canvas image of the familiar off-green paper notebook. We may know it’s called a steno pad, and many of us of a certain age understand these notepads, with the spiral at the top for easy page-flipping, were popularized in their use by actual stenographers — secretaries, court reporters, close-caption writers in yesteryear’s TV industry, and the like.

Mandell has more than a passing familiarity with proper penmanship. A devotee of punctilious handwriting since her mother taught her cursive in grade school in rural central Illinois, Mandell made her way in the world — in quite the circuitous way, as it turned out — depending on Gregg Shorthand. After graduating from college prepared to teach music and math, Mandell instead took a clerical job where she had to learn shorthand.

“Learning Gregg Shorthand was a turning point on my career path,” Mandell said. From there, she became a legal secretary and, later, jumped to law school, employing her shorthand skills at every point.

“Throughout my 20-year legal career, I utilized shorthand to take notes and draft documents,” Mandell said. During that span, she said, she became fixated on using shorthand to communicate different ideas in a very different way — to express herself as an artist.

Once she left lawyering behind and relocated to South Florida when her husband retired, Mandell decided to pursue that idea.

This is not a blank steno pad was her first work in her steno pad series. It’s as much a statement about her present as it is about her view of our present culture: Much like the absence of ink and scrawl on Mandell’s canvas, the very jobs it represents — or, at least, the job titles — are now part of the past.

Mandell’s steno pad is blank, she said, “because of technology; no one uses it for its intended purpose anymore. It represents the dying art of a beautiful, phonetic language.” Mandell said after she painted the pad of paper, she’d planned to add to it a number of life lessons — in shorthand, of course. “But every time I thought about writing on it, I stopped. I could not bring myself to write on this one,” she said. “I finally realized this one meant more than anything I could express with shorthand.”

Parkland Buddy Sports Golf Classic

Parkland Buddy Sports will host its seventh annual golf tournament on Sat., May 11, at Boca Lago Country Club in Boca Raton.

“Our Parkland Buddy Sports family has been providing fun, safe programming for our special needs children, their families, and our community since our inception in 2002,” Parkland Buddy Sports president Andy Zaukas said. “This tournament is our primary source of fundraising, with the hope that our fee-free sports programming will continue to grow and succeed.”

The mission of Parkland Buddy Sports, a 501 C (3) non-profit organization, is to provide quality sports programming for children and young adults with special needs in an inclusive, empowering, challenging, and caring environment where the emphasis is on having fun, making friends, and realizing their potential. The structure of a shared experience allows participants and volunteers to create a no-limits environment void physical, social, and cultural barriers.

The sports programs consist of weekly activities and/or games. Each player is paired for the entire season with their own “Buddy,” who in most instances is a student volunteer. Through the shared encouragement of all the program’s Buddies, the players with special needs and their families are able to experience the joys of their athletic endeavors.

The 1:30pm shotgun-start golf tournament will consist of up to 144 players in teams of four. The cost per player is $125, which includes golf, tournament prizes, a gift bag, and buffet dinner in Boca Lago’s VIP dining room. Specialty holes will be available, including a hole-in-one par 3, where golfers will be shooting for prizes courtesy of Infiniti of Coconut Creek. Other specialty holes will be available. Mulligan cards will be on hand for players to purchase.

Sponsorship opportunities may be obtained at several monetary levels, ranging from $500 to $5,000. T-Sign hole sponsorships are also available for $100 per hole. The Parklander is the official magazine sponsor. Other corporate sponsors include Connect Credit Union, The Eppy Group, Holman Enterprises, and Pepsi. Trophies and prizes will be awarded to the top teams. There will be a silent auction and raffle; prizes include hotel stays, signed sports memorabilia, attraction tickets, restaurant gift certificates, and more. If you are interested in assisting the charity or golf tournament committee with your time and/or donations, call Linda Brown at 954-288-7201. For more information on Parkland Buddy Sports, visit ParklandBuddySports.org or search Facebook for Parkland Buddy Sports Inc.

Couple Pays Tribute to MSD Victims at Wedding

Memories of Marjory Stoneman Douglas and the tragic Valentine’s Day shooting last year are those of pain and heartbreak for many people. For former students Jason and Stephanie Hoffman, however, the school has a special place in their hearts because it was there that their love story began ten years ago.

The two Seniors did not know each other until they were paired up by their teacher, Ivy Schamis, for a project in their World Geography class. Schamis said she didn’t see any chemistry between them. “It was a big surprise being invited to the wedding,” Schamis said. She not only taught Jason but his two sisters as well. The connection with Schamis and the Hoffman family grew following the shooting. Schamis’ lost two of her students that day. Cheryl Hoffman, Jason’s mother, was instrumental in helping Schamis cope and restore her classroom supplies through various fundraising activities.

Schamis, who has been teaching at Marjory Stoneman Douglas for 18 years, said Jason and Stephanie are inspirational and she uses their story as an example when she pairs students for group projects. Schamis purposely does this to bring students together who might not connect otherwise.

Schamis shared the story of Lexi Gendron and Helena Ramsay, whom she paired for a project in her Holocaust class. The class was given old pictures from the Holocaust showing shoes, clothing, luggage, and other personal belongings of the victims. The assignment was to create stories of what their lives might have been like. Lexi and Helena fabricated a salacious story of a couple but when it came time to share the story, Helena was concerned that it was disrespectful. Helena would be one of the 17 victims on February 14. Following the shooting, Lexi tearfully went to Schamis thanking her for pairing the two for the project saying that “she would never have had that memory with her” otherwise.

On November 10, 2018, Jason and Stephanie came home to marry at the Parkland Golf and Country Club. A large Marjory Stoneman Douglas flag served as a backdrop for a photo opportunity to be shared with their Eagle family. The couple chose to remember those lost by donating a portion of their monetary wedding gifts as a tribute. They will be working closely with Schamis to determine where the need lies for extra resources.

Jason and Stephanie were deeply affected by the shooting. The two speak of how difficult the tragedy is to comprehend because of the number of friends and family who grew up in the school. The pair never imagined that during the wedding preparations they would be dealing with unimaginable events including the funeral of Jason’s football coach, Aaron Feis. “He was a big part of my life,” Jason said. As we continue to grieve for such a tragic loss, perhaps in healing we can all take a cue from Schamis and reach out to a stranger. You never know how much you might gain.

The Loss of a Leader

Walter “Skip” Campbell
Coral Springs Mayor
1948 – 2018

We at theParklander were profoundly saddened when we received the news that Coral Springs mayor,Walter “Skip” Campbell, passed away recently at age 69.

Mayor Campbell had been a friend and long-time contributor to our magazine since his election in 2014. His monthly column reminded us of the ‘goings on’ in our community, keeping us abreast and raising public awareness for the issues he felt so compassionate about. Under his leadership, the City of Coral Springs achieved gold-level certification for its commitment to protect and conserve natural resources. Coral Springs is one of only three cities in Broward County to accomplish such a feat.

Campbell spoke about his vow to providing a safe environment for students and educators, and how this issue rose to the top of his agenda after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas tragedy. “I want you to know from those of us who serve you from the City of Coral Springs, that the safety of our children is our number one priority,” he said. Campbell worked diligently with the police department to increase the number of school resource officers assigned to each public school.

Throughout his time in office, he remained fervent on important issues, everything from recycling to hurricane preparedness to business development. He prided himself on running a cost-effective government that was connected to its residents. When the new Municipal Complex opened its doors early this year, Mayor Campbell described it as a “one-stop shop,” housing the Chamber of Commerce, local elected officials’ offices, and all city services under one roof… perfect timing as the City of Coral Springs celebrated its 55th anniversary.

Prior to becoming mayor, Skip was a distinguished trial attorney who brought respect and integrity to each case he worked on. Additionally, he spent ten years in the Florida Senate helping to pass more than 100 bills benefitting children, families, and other worthy causes. Moreover, you could find him on the weekends coaching youth soccer or little league. Even his spare time was used to help others.  

Michael Goodrum, Coral Springs city manager, said of Skip, “He was a dedicated public servant, a man of the people, and a pillar of our community. While his professional accomplishments should be applauded, it is the family that he raised in Coral Springs that he treasured most. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to his wife and children.”

Mayor Walter “Skip” Campbell is survived by his wife, two children, three grandchildren, two sisters, and a brother, as well as many extended family and friends.

Skip’s monthly column will be missed by all of us here at the Parklander. His impact has truly touched our community and brought about positive and much-needed change. Mayor Campbell created a legacy that will not soon be forgotten.

Parkland Poets Take the Stage

Poetry is loosely defined as ‘a beautiful expression of feelings and ideas.’ Whether written or spoken, it is a thought-provoking and meaningful way for your voice to be heard. Poetry can be personal or public, and the definition of the word could not be more fitting than for a group of young students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School known as the Parkland Poets.

The Poets consist of a diverse group of teens and their teacher, all with a similar interest – to address the pressing issues of our day using a positive and artful approach. By sharing their stories, they seek to empower their fellow youth. The Parkland Poets were profiled this year during the annual Louder Than a Bomb: Florida poetry festival comprised of teens from the Florida Keys to Jacksonville. This forum provides a safe space for individual and collective expression. To better explain the events’ title, co-founder Kevin Coval said, “We feel that what young people have to say about the world they inhabit and hope to construct is more useful than any armament, more complex than prison industrial systems, and louder than any bomb.” The Poets’ graceful approach in describing the tragic events of February 14 will draw you in from the students’ very first breath. With a recurring theme of, “I don’t know if I’m doing this right,” they speak openly about that devastating day and how it has changed them forever. These special young people choose to cope with their grief by turning to the spoken word and deliver a gripping performance through the eyes of those who were there.

While some adolescents shy away from public speaking, the Parkland Poets thrive at it. This platform allows them to express their raw emotion, their fears, their angst… themselves. Their tremendous stage presence is especially evident in a scene where individual Poets stand on stage as one and share, “I’m adrift in a sea of complacency. I couldn’t even bring myself to bring myself to the funerals, to look at the pictures of the victims… I’m heartless and cold; at least, that’s what I’m told. But I don’t know how to feel. I don’t know if I’m doing this right!” Presented by NBC 6 and the Jason Taylor Foundation, you can view this compelling 30-minute performance now on YouTube.

Legendary Miami Dolphin defensive end, Jason Taylor, has a success story of his own. While homeschooled from grades 10 to 12, he remained on his high school’s football team. In college, he was a four-year letterman and also starred on the school’s basketball team. As a junior, he earned National Defensive Player of the Week honors and was drafted the following year by the Miami Dolphins. He established the Jason Taylor Foundation in 2004 with the hopes of giving back to our local community. Admittedly from humble beginnings, Taylor had great ambition to provide South Florida’s less fortunate youth with better opportunities than he had growing up. This objective has led him to a mission of understanding, compassion, and support. He’s created programs that empower children by focusing on improved health care, education, and simple quality of life. With clear goals in mind, the NFL Hall of Famer set out to build on the impact that the Omari Hardwick bluapple Poetry Network created and became involved with Louder Than a Bomb: Florida. Now in its fourth year, the event is stronger and the poetry is more influential than ever. Taylor told NBC 6, “It’s spoken word poetry in a very raw, organic, real way that’s leaving a big impact on kids. Words can be cutting and uplifting, they can be inspiring, and that’s what we have here.”

It’s extremely powerful to watch these amazing youngsters perform, but when you think about why this group came about, and the dreadful reason for where their poetry was spawned, it really hits home. So how do we end the violence? We may not have all the answers quite yet, but coming together and taking a stance, as the Parkland Poets do, is unquestionably a great beginning.

To learn more about the Jason Taylor Foundation and Louder Than a Bomb: Florida, visit the website at https://jasontaylorfoundation.com/programs/louder-than-a-bomb-florida/.


Teach your child poetry; it opens the mind, lends grace to wisdom and makes the heroic virtues hereditary.” — Walter Scott