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‘Black Pearls’ opens at Museum of Art – Exhibit documents Pearl City, historic Black city of Boca Raton

Many stories have been written about Boca Raton’s first community and historically Black neighborhood, Pearl City, but none have included photographs and first-person accounts of the descendants of the original residents and their neighborhood, built in 1915, before the incorporation of Boca Raton 10 years later in 1925.

The Boca Raton Museum of Art, which stands two blocks from the original neighborhood, located south of Glades Road between Dixie and Federal highways, commissioned Washington, D.C.-based photographer Reginald Cunningham for a series of photographs, titled “Black Pearls,” in honor of Pearl City.

“We want to tell the story of Pearl City through the current residents whose parents and grandparents were the original Pearl City settlers,” says Irvin Lippman, executive director of the Boca Raton Museum of Art. “The Pearl City residents are our museum’s closest neighbors, and we want to celebrate our neighbors with this exhibition.”

To do so, Lippman invited Imani Cheers, associate professor of digital storytelling in the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University, and Candace Cunningham, assistant professor of history at Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters at Florida Atlantic University, to tell the full historical story of Pearl City.

Photographer Cunningham (BePureBlack.com), a social activist, was selected in 2020 to photograph the cover of British Vogue’s special issue titled “Activism Now: The Faces of Hope,” which featured his wife, activist Brittany Packnett Cunningham, on the cover.

Inspired by photographer Gordon Parks’ motto—“I chose my camera as a weapon against all the things I dislike about America: poverty, racism, discrimination”—Cunningham set out to find out as much as he could about Pearl City, its original residents, and their descendants.

“Through the lens of my photography I’m always trying to create affinity for and uplift Black people and the Black experience in this country,” says Cunningham.

“One of the things I always aim to do is inspire people to feel something when they look at my work. To have an emotional, physiological response,” he says. “Being commissioned by the Boca Raton Museum of Art to photograph the residents and cultural emblems of Pearl City—one of the South’s most beloved and enduring Black districts—is an amazing experience.”

Cunningham captures not just images of Pearl City residents, but also the physical and ephemeral elements that make up the community, including street signs, the community garden, the Little Food Pantry, and the Martin Luther King monument located at Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church, 200 NE 12th Street.

As Candace Cunningham writes in the accompanying catalog, “On April 26, 1915, a land auction was held to create ‘a brand-new colored city’ that would be governed exclusively by colored people. African Americans purchased thirty lots that day.

“Those disparities [racial and social] pushed African Americans out of Georgia and the Carolinas and pulled them into South Florida,” she says about that time in history. “It was by no means the land of opportunity for Blacks, but it did offer more options than they were finding elsewhere.”

In more recent times, the neighborhood faced threats from developers and other outside forces. “What we’re trying to do is we’re trying to keep a sense, or an aura, or a feel for this community,” said the Rev. Henry Willis at the time.

Pearl City was known for being a safe, close-knit community where everyone knew one another.

“The people out of this area, the children, and the grandchildren out of this area have become professionals—athletes, doctors, lawyers, and teachers,” notes Pastor Calvin Davis. “They have become politicians and police officers. They have become productive citizens because of this area. That’s why this area deserves to be recognized as an area that developed many [generations] and is still developing people in so many ways.”

Life was hard in that era, especially for Black people, who worked in the fields picking beans for 17 cents a day, faced discrimination, and suffered through the segregated South.

The exhibit includes 24 photographs, including images of pastors Ronald Brown and Calvin Davis, Anne Blutcher, John Martin, the Anderson family, Katie Mae, Gladys Bettis, Geraldine and George Spain, Irene Rufus, Annette Ireland, Marie Hester and Dorothy Overstreet, Barbara Griffin, Eva Cunningham (Griffin), and Willie Jenkins. Stories in the subjects’ own words are also included.

Pearl City leaves a legacy of good memories and strong moral values with its inhabitants. The closeness of the community, the neighborliness, and the mentality of respecting and helping one another has stayed with its residents to this day.

Descendant George Spain Jr., who comes from an original family in Pearl City, remembers, “One of the founding principles of Pearl City to me was family. We had a deep sense of spirituality. We all had that foundational spiritual growth that was imparted in us to believe and trust in God.”

“That’s the only reason why it hasn’t been dispersed,” he says in the exhibit. “God blesses you to be a blessing to other people. In our house that is something that has been instilled. That’s one of the things that Pearl City was fond of—neighbor would look after neighbor. It’s a very close-knit community.”

“Black Pearls” runs through Jan. 22, 2023. Visit Bocamuseum.org.

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New York’s loss is Coral Springs’ gain: the story of Artbag

The year was 1959. Donald Moore, a 17-year-old living in rural North Carolina where he was born and raised, was newly married with a baby on the way. He needed a job to support his family but local opportunities were very limited. Knowing his situation, relatives in New York City urged him to come up north, stay with them, and look for a job in the Big Apple where there were more possibilities. “Why not give it a try?” he thought. So, he went up to New York City, went to an employment agency, and noticed an opening at Artbag.

Artbag, founded in 1932 by Hillel Tannenbaum, a former professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology, was a Madison Avenue shop that repaired, restored, and crafted handbags. They were known for their attention to detail and craftsmanship, and they had a loyal and illustrious clientele.

Moore interviewed and was offered a job on the spot. For his $1.00/hour pay, his duties included sweeping floors and dusting bags. He got to work before his boss and stayed late. Tannenbaum took notice of Moore’s work ethic, and Moore became Tannenbaum’s protégé, learning pattern-making and handbag construction and restoration. By the 1970s, Moore had a thorough knowledge of the business and craft, and he considered opening his own shop. But, realizing Artbag might soon lose Moore’s valuable talents, in 1976 the owners presented him with the opportunity to buy a small stake in the business from one of the three partners, and he took advantage of it. By 1993, he was the sole owner of Artbag. But there’s “Moore” to the story.

Enter Moore’s son Chris. When Chris was a young boy, he eagerly helped out when his father brought home bags to work on, but he had never entertained joining Artbag. Chris graduated from college in 1992, intending to buy a pizza franchise, but with the recession and a limited job market, that prospect looked less attractive.

“At that same time, unbeknownst to me, my dad was buying out his last partner, and asked if I wanted to come in,” Chris said. “My mother used to call me ‘Shadow’ because wherever Dad was, I wanted to be. He just has that type of personality, engaging and affable. He was my hero. So, I agreed to join the business.” And despite a former Artbag owner who was quite vocal in his belief that the business wouldn’t last with Donald and Chris Moore at the helm, Artbag thrived.

In 1999, Chris became the owner of Artbag, and he, Donald, and Chris’ wife, Estelle, worked together for the past 23 years at their Madison Avenue shop, taking in all kinds of bags, from those purchased on the street to prestigious bags from Hermès, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton, to name a few. Does a bag need a new silk lining? No problem. Does the zipper need to be replaced? Can do. A strap repaired? Of course. Want to add a compartment? Never say never. Leather repair or refurbishment? Yes.

All of Artbag’s work requires great attention to detail, and Chris Moore enjoys taking the time to explain the craft to customers, and they appreciate learning what goes into making a bag look as good as possible. “For example, the color of your bag is often custom-made. Say you have a black bag,” he said. “It’s probably not black that comes out of the bottle that you just pull off the shelf. There are times you have to painstakingly tint the black to be a great match to the existing bag.”

Artbag often takes in repair bags from other repair houses or shoemakers when the customer is dissatisfied with shoddy work. “We’ve been known to be fairly pricey, but you get what you pay for,” Chris Moore said. “Maybe you got a ’good’ price, but if the stitching is crooked, or the zipper is off line, what purpose did it serve?” Staffed by artisans committed to their craft, Artbag’s philosophy is that if a repair or refurbishment on a favorite bag is worth doing, it’s worth doing well.

The number of repair houses has decreased and the quality of workmanship has declined over the years, yet Artbag has always had a high level of workmanship, as evidenced by their many clients, be they everyday people or celebrities like Jackie Kennedy, Elizabeth Taylor, Cicely Tyson, and Whoopi Goldberg. Whether it’s maintaining an investment in an expensive, high-end bag, or a bag only rich in its sentimental value, the craftsmen at Artbag achieve results that few, if any, can match. “It’s not that we’re geniuses, it’s that we care,” Chris Moore said. “If a customer is not happy with a bag, even if it’s the most minute detail, I may not sleep that night.”

Artbag also does custom work. If it gets to the point that a bag can’t be repaired, Artbag will duplicate it. One of the first things that Artbag copied was a plastic travel bag from Eastern Airlines. A client loved the bag and couldn’t get it anymore, so Artbag recreated it.

New York was home to Artbag for 90 years, but Chris Moore and his wife decided it was time for a change. While they loved living and working in New York, when COVID-19 hit, they, like many people, reflected and reassessed. “Why are we paying the high Madison Avenue rent and subjecting ourselves to the long and often unpredictable New York City commute?” In contemplating where to move, they initially considered Fort Lauderdale because they vacationed there often, drawn to the area because “it’s a little bit of New York and a lot of Florida at the same time.” But as they thought more about it, they realized that a better demographic for their business was in the Coral Springs area, because it was close to Boca Raton, Miami, and Fort Lauderdale.

So, the Moores bought a house in Coral Springs in August 2021, anticipating that they would move the business close by, which they did, next to the Coral Square Mall. Expecting to open in their new location early this summer, they had to push back the opening until August because Artbag got so much press about leaving New York that local customers were inundating them with bags. As a result, they had to extend their Madison Avenue lease. Although New Yorkers may mourn the fact that they can no longer visit their trusted Madison Avenue shop, they can join the many customers nationwide who mail bags in for Artbag to repair.

Artbag in Coral Springs remains an intergenerational family business. Chris Moore oversees the business; Estelle works the front of the shop, handles administration, and takes bags apart. Donald, who is now 80, trains new hires in the craft. And while Artbag’s location has changed, the deep and long-standing family commitment to quality and craftsmanship has not.

“Joining this business was one of the best moves I’ve ever made in my life,” Chris Moore said. “The only pressure I’ve ever felt working in the family business is the need to not let my dad down. Artbag is his legacy.”

Artbag is open Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It’s located at 927 N. University Drive, Coral Springs. For more information: (212) 744-2720; www.artbag.com; Instagram @artbag1130.

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Social media – When is it time for kids to take a break?

Social media is meant to make us feel connected to others by allowing us to share our world with friends and family. If used sparingly, it can help form meaningful relationships and complement our social life in a positive manner. However, platforms like Snapchat and Instagram are designed to be addictive, and too much use can be associated with anxiety, depression, and cyberbullying. When does social media use become too much, and how do you know when it’s too much for your children?

The Pew Research Center reports that 69% of adults and 81% of teenagers in the U.S. use social media on a regular basis. This isn’t surprising, given that social media activates the brain’s reward center by releasing dopamine, the “feel-good chemical” linked to pleasurable activities like food, sex, and social interaction. Social media can provide many benefits, such as helping people in remote areas find bigger communities of support or acting as a substance-free escape from daily stressors.

Today’s children and teenagers are growing up with social media; they have never seen a world without posts, likes, comments, shares, or 24/7 access to news. Even my 5-year-old daughter talks about “clicking like and subscribing to my content” when she’s playing. In some ways, online interaction can come easier to youngsters who struggle with real-world social dynamics. But of course, everything is good in moderation, and excessive involvement with the cyber world can be detrimental to people of all ages.

There is a slippery slope with social media. Since the pandemic, we have seen a surge in social anxiety, especially when kids started to get back to in-person school, activities, and playdates. Having gotten used to the online world during quarantine, some kids became uncomfortable and anxious when meeting people face to face. The anonymity that social media provides can be great for those who are anxious, but it could also make in-person events more difficult for them.

Research from the Journal of Adolescence demonstrated that adolescents who overused social media—especially at night—appeared more emotionally invested in it, as well as experiencing poorer sleep quality, lower self-esteem, and higher levels of anxiety and depression compared with teens whose social media was limited.

Social media can be detrimental when it becomes a way of life, or when kids (and adults) become obsessive about it. If you or your children find that social media is a constant focus of attention, or if you are judging your self-worth from your “likes,” “dislikes,” or followers, it is likely time to reconsider the levels of social media usage in your home.

How do you know you need a break? Teens or younger kids aren’t always able to self-regulate or know when they need to take a break from social media. Parents need to monitor accounts and screen time to ensure that children aren’t spending more than 2-3 hours a day on screens. Parents should get to know some of the accounts their kids follow to check that they are a positive influence and are not promoting poor body image or negative self-worth.

As a board-certified child psychiatrist, I always recommend asking children questions on a regular basis to see if they appear preoccupied with getting likes or follows on their posts or videos. I would also suggest following their YouTube channel to look for anyone “trolling,” or posting mean comments. Additionally, observe your kids to see if they appear sad or angry after checking social media. This can be a sign that it is problematic. If your child can’t put down the phone or iPad without getting anxious or upset, then a break is surely needed.

Here are some other recommendations:

  • Schedule tech-free times for the family—like during meals, homework, and bedtime.
  • Look up some app blockers and parental control devices.
  • Discuss and set designated time limits on access to social media.
  • Turn the Wi-Fi off overnight to ensure that teens are not using social media when they aren’t supposed to.

There are always ways to improve the family’s interactions with the online world. The more openly parents communicate with children, the better they will understand how social media affects the way young people think about others and feel about themselves.

http://PMBehavioralHealth.com

Dr. Nicole Mavrides is the Medical Director of Psychiatry for PM Pediatrics. Dr. Mavrides is quadruple board certified in pediatrics, adult/child psychiatry, and consultation liaison psychiatry. Previously, Dr. Mavrides was the training director for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the medical director of the Pediatric Psychiatry Consultation Liaison Program at the University of Miami. She is one of the premier specialists for children with medical and psychiatric issues in South Florida

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Capturing invasive pythons in South Florida

Parkland native Ian Bartoszek does not hesitate to hail Dion the snake as an MVP—“Most Valuable Python.”

After all, thanks to Dion, a “scout” snake, Bartoszek and his fellow biologists at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida removed five Burmese pythons during the last breeding season. “[Dion] had five girlfriends,” Bartoszek jokes.

However, Burmese pythons and their effect on South Florida’s wildlife are no laughing matter. The Burmese python is a large, nonvenomous constrictor that is an invasive species in Florida. You will find them primarily in and around the Everglades ecosystem. The snake represents a threat to native wildlife, but “they’re not interested in us,” Bartoszek says.

One of the snakes captured during this past breeding season was the heaviest Burmese python ever captured in Florida, according to Bartoszek. Specifically, it weighed 215 pounds, measured nearly 18 feet long, and had 122 developing eggs. A necropsy found that an adult white-tailed deer was its last meal.

“Imagine what else she ate over her life[time],” Bartoszek says.

The necropsy, which National Geographic documented, took place in March. Before the December 2021 capture, the largest female removed through the conservancy’s program measured 16 feet and weighed 185 pounds. At the time, it was the heaviest python captured in Florida.

Bartoszek, a 1995 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School graduate, says that at first, he and his colleagues were unimpressed. “We all underestimated the weight,” says Bartoszek, environmental science project manager for the conservancy’s program. “When we brought her back to the lab and put [her] on the scale, there was a collective wow factor. When we looked, the scale read 215 pounds. We’ve lost count of how many large pythons we’ve captured over the years. To be honest with you, it’s just another big snake for us. There’s always a bigger snake out there.”

Ten years ago, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida started a radio telemetry project to track Burmese pythons in order to learn about their behavior. Since then, Bartoszek and his team removed more than 1,000 pythons collectively weighing more than 26,000 pounds from an area of less than 100 square miles outside of Naples.

Bartoszek and his team use radio transmitters transplanted in male “scout” snakes, such as Dion, to study python movements, breeding behaviors, and habitat use.

Since the conservancy’s python program began in 2013, necropsies have found dozens of white-tailed deer inside Burmese pythons. Also, data researchers at the University of Florida have documented 24 species of mammals, 47 species of birds, and two reptile species in pythons’ stomachs.

The breeding season for Burmese pythons runs from November through March. Last season, Bartoszek and his team removed 4,300 pounds of python from the study area outside of Naples. He says the previous season yielded about the same number.

Removing female pythons plays a large role in disrupting the breeding cycle, Bartoszek says. But that can be easier said than done. Indeed, Burmese pythons are “amazingly cryptic” and hard to locate, he adds. Furthermore, they expand their range each year. Parkland is on the edge of that range, the wildlife scientist says.

The public can report invasive animal sightings by calling 1-888-IVEGOT1. In addition, people can report sightings of invasive species on the IveGot1 app, available at the App store. The app is an integrated invasive species reporting and outreach campaign for Florida that includes the app, a website with direct access to invasive species reporting, and a hotline for instant reports of live animals.

Searching the Woods for Critters

While Bartoszek currently captures huge snakes, he recalled flipping over rocks as a child in the woods in search of critters.

“I always had the bug for turning over stones, seeing where critters were hiding,” he says.

In addition, Bartoszek’s father used to take him fishing. He says those experiences made him appreciate Florida’s wildlife more. As a college student at the University of Arizona, the Parkland native studied wildlife and fisheries science. He recalls coming home from school for the holidays during his college years and appreciating the Everglades and South Florida’s water world even more.

“You have to get away from it to appreciate it sometimes,” Bartoszek says.

After earning his degree, he landed an internship at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. His responsibilities included working on projects for the Everglades restoration. Also, he recorded wildlife and became more aware of the area’s invasive animal issue. The internship led to Bartoszek’s employment with the conservancy.

Bartoszek says if you told him 11 years ago that he would track one of the largest snakes on the planet, he would not have believed you. He has encountered “some pretty incredible things.”

He says, “You really can’t make this stuff up.”

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Cruising down the Intracoastal

Living near the water in South Florida has a lot of advantages. I got to experience one of the best ones this summer.

I took a two-hour, narrated yacht cruise aboard the Lady Atlantic on the Intracoastal Waterway, from Delray Beach to Boca Raton and back. The waters were calm and peaceful, the route was beautiful as we passed impressive mansions lining the shores, and the boat was mostly shaded and comfortable for our journey.

I had made reservations in advance (recommended) and boarded the yacht on a Saturday for the 5:30 p.m. sightseeing tour as part of a group of four couples. Lady Atlantic was docked at Veterans Park on East Atlantic Avenue in Delray. We planned to eat dinner at a nearby restaurant after we got back to town, although they sell food and drinks on board the cruise. We got in line early to secure a good spot on the middle deck (which is covered), and we grabbed a couple of small tables that were located at the stern of the boat overlooking the water, pulling up eight chairs at our prime spot. We were ready to cruise!

A server came around with paper menus listing the drinks and appetizers available, and we ordered something for everybody in our group. We also were located close to the inside bar, for those who wanted to go in and get a drink quickly.

At 5:30 our vessel started to move, turning slowly around to go south on the water and waiting for the drawbridge at Atlantic Avenue to go up at 5:45. As a two-year resident of Florida, it was my first time seeing the tall bridge spans standing up from the vantage point of a boat on the water, and I got a little thrill from finally getting to do that.

We slowly cruised south out of downtown Delray and toward Boca Raton, looking from side to side depending on what our narrator was telling us over the intercom about the sights on either bank of the water. There were many interesting, huge properties along the way, some with pools and elaborate yards and gardens, and we learned about some of the pro athletes who had mansions on the Intracoastal as we passed by them. It was easy to stand up and walk around to get good photos of the sights, as the waves were never rocky on our cruise.

As we made our way to Boca, we learned a little about the area’s history from our excellent narrator. My friends and I were also surprised to see how many houses along the way seemed to stand empty; we soon learned that these impressive homes were just one of a few properties that someone might own. Because we were doing this cruise in the summer, many homeowners were gone and probably staying up north. It also meant that everything in the area was less crowded — a nice bonus!

Like clockwork, when we got to our destination in Boca at 6:30 p.m., the vessel made a U-turn and we headed back the other way to complete the journey in two hours. We got to see the churning waters and the picturesque properties from the other direction now.

After we returned back to Veterans Park, everybody lined up to slowly disembark, with help from the staff. My friends said they wanted to do another cruise sometime, maybe to go north toward Manalapan Island, another option offered. We are hoping to see manatees in the water there in the wintertime.

Delray Yacht Cruises also offers 1:30 p.m. boat tours, holiday lights cruises during December, and private charter cruises. For more information, visit www.delraybeachcruises.com.

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The meaning of the high holidays

I love the high holidays! I love being with family, friends, and community. And this year is even more special because after two years we will be together.

As a rabbi who prepares hours on end for these services, I know I have an advantage. And that comes from spending time with the liturgy and readings. As a result, I have come to see myself in the holy days.

I’ll explain.

It may sound strange coming from a rabbi, whose religion is deeply immersed in the idea of “tradition,” that I need religious celebrations and observances to inform and inspire me in the present.

Traditions help create connections to the past and deepen religious feeling, but our inherited traditions also need meaning that speaks to the needs or challenges of our times. I have learned that even our most ancient traditions can address life in the present.

The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, is the beginning of what are known as the High Holy Days. It is followed by the “Ten Days of Repentance.” These 10 days are meant for self-reflection and consideration of our own behaviors. They culminate on the holiest day, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

So, what can be said that’s particularly meaningful for us and our world today?

Central to the Ten Days is a notion of teshuvah, which literally means “return” and calls upon us to examine ourselves and see where we can improve. We might ask, “How can I be kinder, more patient, more forgiving, more giving in this world?” Looking at all of the disturbing events and issues in our world, we can easily be overwhelmed and feel helpless. But when personal reflection leads to change, we give ourselves agency to fix some of the problems of the world.

The most profound message of these holidays reminds us that the world begins with you and me! In a world that is so deeply divided, where there is so much violence against each other and our environment, where there is anger and hostility and such intolerance for the “other,” this ancient tradition tells us to look at ourselves and see what we can do to create change for the better.

I wish all a good, healthy, and meaningful New Year! Shana Tova.

David Steinhardt is a senior rabbi at B’nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton.

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Artist’s ‘Terra Ephemera’ highlights environmental passions

For Gretchen Scharnagl, a Miami-based environmental artist and professor in the Art History department at Florida International University, her art and subject matter are her way of connecting — connecting herself to others, and others to her art.

For her exhibit “Terra Ephemera,” at the Coral Springs Museum of Art running through Oct. 8, Scharnagl, 64, brings a number of “stepping into her subject works,” some more mature works, and pieces created specifically for this show.

“Terra Ephemera” makes use of traditional and nontraditional media in a way that provokes visual, conversational, human, and scientific interest.

“Gretchen is a risk taker,” says Jill Brown, executive director of the Coral Springs Museum of Art. “This translates into an important component of her creative process. Gretchen’s art transcends the familiar and leans heavily into difficult and unknown territory, leaving viewers to think and rethink what they are seeing.

“‘Terra Ephemera’ tackles the mundane while exploring the environment with a strong sense of place,” Brown says. “It makes us think about our relationship with the world and each other from the present, past, and future.”

Scharnagl lives with her husband, Robert, 64, a carpenter/contractor who often plays a role as her art assistant; two large Dobermans; and three cats.

From her backyard studio in suburban Miami, where she has lived for 40 years, Scharnagl examines common artifacts from her environs, reads copious amounts of scientific environmental studies, and is fascinated by her own compulsions, leading her to discover and explore little-known phenomena.

While visiting the Field Museum in Chicago, Scharnagl became fascinated by the story of migrating birds who collided with urban architecture and died. Her raison d’etre is to highlight little-known environmental issues — such as this and other facts like a worldwide sand shortage — through her art-making.

The mother of two women scientists, Scharnagl reads about science, the earth, and the environment and finds inspiration for her art.

She cites Edward Humes’s “Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash,” Susan Strasser’s “Waste and Want: A Social History of Trash,” Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing’s “Arts of Living on a Damaged Planet: Ghosts and Monsters of the Anthropocene,” and David Wallace-Wells’ “Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming” as influences.

“I feel an urgency that art should take a responsibility,” Scharnagl says. “Art that is speaking of something important has to jump the fence and speak to those that would not necessarily have exposure to it.”

For someone intensely committed to her art and teaching, Scharnagl came to her calling in her 40s, calling herself “a reluctant artist.”

“I did not consider myself an artist for the majority of my life,” she says. She was prodded into it by a comment she overheard by a mother saying she was wasting her talents by volunteering in her children’s school.

“She could be right,” thought Scharnagl, who hasn’t looked back since.

Her series “The Anthropocene” consists of eight works depicting climate change, water-level rise, and other “planetary boundaries” we are crossing, such as crimes against animals (think wet markets and COVID-19). “Elegy for Earth,” a melancholic lament about the state of the earth, includes three parts, “Earth Retold,” “Earth Tracings,” and “Earth Remains,” which are designed to make the audience think about the state of our earth.

A performance piece scheduled for the opening reception on Sept. 22, “The Earth Piñata Performance,” symbolizes mankind’s treatment of Mother Earth. Participants will break open the 28-inch, earth-like piñata, releasing 2,000 plastic animals, plants, and fungi, creating a new piece of work.

“The Globe Maker” (“a labor of love”) consists of 20 papier-mâché globes that Scharnagl created with her husband, born out of an “obsession” with the word “biophilia” (an innate and genetically determined affinity of human beings with the natural world, a theory developed by biologist E. O. Wilson).

The littlest globe, made from pages from her collection of National Geographic magazines, is titled “Little Blue Marble” — an homage to astronomer Carl Sagan. The globes are cradled in vintage camera and transit tripods used for surveying the earth’s surface that Scharnagl found online, a synergy she couldn’t resist.

“Every part has something to say,” she says. “What you make it with, what kind of papers, graphite, glue, or other media you use. I consider the art-making a way to think, a way to discover and explore. It’s a way to discover things about your subject and yourself.

“When I create art, it’s a personal narrative embedded in a universal idea,” she says. “I identify with the bird who hits the building, with the earth itself, and identify with poetry and cultural mythologies about Mother Earth.”

Scharnagl credits German painter Albrecht Durer as an influence and her professors at FIU, including Clive King, Manny Torres, and Bill Burke, for teaching her to self-critique.

She admires African-American artist Mark Bradford for his large-scale abstract collages; Jamaican-born American artist Nari Ward for his sculptural installations addressing consumer culture, poverty, and race; and art writer Linda Weintraub for her writings on environmental consciousness.

In her spare time, Scharnagl admits to being a “total Trekkie.” “If push comes to shove, I call ‘Star Trek’ my martini — it feeds my soul.”

Future plans include a possible residency at the Deering Estate in Miami and continuing to create art.

“I don’t want to sound like I’m blowing my own horn,” Scharnagl says, “but people have told me, ‘You’re giving a gift to the world.’”

Exhibition Dates
Aug. 23–Oct. 8, 2022

“Ask the Artist” Talk
Thursday, Sept. 8, 6:30 p.m., mingle/gallery view; 7 p.m., talk

Opening Reception
Thursday, Sept. 22, 5:30–8:30 p.m.
“Earth Piñata” Performance Piece

Live during reception

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Shop healthy on a budget

With a little know-how and advanced planning, you can enjoy nutritious foods while sticking to a tight budget.

Plan Around Sales

The key to smart, budget-friendly grocery shopping is planning ahead. Plan meals around fresh produce, lean protein foods, and low-fat dairy items that are on sale and in season to save money while eating healthy.

Check store sale flyers and available coupons on the same items for additional savings. Compare national brands and private store labels for the lowest price. Once you’ve identified sale items, incorporate them into simple meals; baked, grilled, or broiled lean meats or fish served with vegetables and whole grains are delicious and healthy with few added ingredients. Also, use the unit price to compare costs between different-sized packages of the same product.

Create a Shopping List

Use your weekly eating plan to create a master grocery list and stick to it. Prioritize your food dollars for nutrient-rich vegetables, fruits, low-fat dairy, lean protein foods, and whole grains. To keep your grocery list from growing too long, prepare meals that include similar ingredients throughout the week.

In the Produce Section

When it comes to fresh vegetables and fruits, shop seasonally. Local, seasonal produce is at its peak flavor and is generally more abundant, so it’s usually sold at a lower price.

Frozen or Canned Alternatives

If the produce item you want isn’t in season or doesn’t fit in your budget, consider purchasing it frozen or canned. Fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruits and vegetables can be good for you. Canned fruits and vegetables are picked at peak freshness and can be just as nutritious as fresh foods because canning and freezing preserves many nutrients. Canned and frozen foods offer an alternative to fresh and may be more budget-friendly. Be sure to check the ingredients list to avoid items with added sugars or salt.

At the Meat Counter

Consider purchasing a larger quantity of meat that is on sale and preparing enough for two or more meals. Enjoy leftovers later in the week or freeze for future use. Because meat is often the highest-dollar ingredient in a recipe, consider planning meatless meals a few nights each week, or try replacing half the meat in dishes such as chili, meatloaf, or burger patties with beans, finely minced mushrooms, or chopped vegetables. Incorporating more non-meat proteins, including beans, nuts, and eggs, can be cost-effective and nutritious.

Whole Grains and Dry Goods

Whole grains and dried beans are generally inexpensive and are an easy way to get more nutrition for your buck. Stock up on these nonperishable items when on sale or take advantage of the bulk bin by purchasing only the amount you need. Dried beans, peas, and lentils are great options to keep on hand. You can buy in bulk, prepare ahead of time, and then freeze so you always have protein and fiber-rich foods on hand.

Reduce Waste

Once you’ve done your shopping, make the most of your food spending by cutting down on waste. Plan to use highly perishable items — such as fish and seafood, salad greens, berries, and fresh herbs — early in the week, and save more hearty items for later in the week. Enjoy leftovers for lunch or create new meals from leftover ingredients. Cooked meat and vegetables can be revamped as a filling for a casserole, frittata, or soup.

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The 26-mile horse trail that wasn’t

Parkland is known for its horse-loving history. In fact, when Parkland was incorporated in 1963, its residents fought to maintain a rural lifestyle where people were few and horses were plentiful.

According to the Parkland Historical Society — an organization dedicated to preserving local traditions and providing opportunities for the community to learn about Parkland’s heritage — Parkland founder Bruce Blount loved and raised animals and originally wanted the city to be called “The Ranches.” His intent was to attract residents who liked animals and country living.

But over time, the city evolved, with development changing Parkland’s agricultural lifestyle and creating a shift in attitude away from horses. As roads, shopping centers, and houses began to significantly alter the rural feel of the city, and infringe on land for horse trails, some residents lobbied to preserve Parkland’s horse-centric roots — even calling for the development of a county-wide horse trail.

Led by City Commissioner Mary Jane Sexton between 1986 and 1987, this ambitious project sought to create a 26-mile horse trail that would begin at C.B. Smith Park in Pembroke Pines and end at Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek. The proposed path would wind north through Markham Park and then have riders following the Sawgrass Expressway toward Tradewinds Park.

Another proposed path (as detailed in Sexton’s 1987 letter to former Coconut Creek City Planner Craig Benedict) had the trail originating at Tree Tops Park in Davie and running north through the Everglades Conservation Area, up into the Loxahatchee Preserve. By building the trail along the levee alongside the Everglades, it would keep the horses away from traffic. This alternate route also included a trail connecting riders with Tradewinds Park via a path through Parkland and Coconut Creek that would require cooperation from local residents.

Sexton faced plenty of opposition to the plan — including that of non-horse-riding Parkland residents with homes along the cross-country trail’s proposed path, who were concerned about the cleanup of horse feces left along the trail. Without cooperation from these residents, connecting the trail to Tradewinds Park would prove difficult.

Despite continued efforts by Sexton and the South Florida Trail Riders, a volunteer horse-riding association, ultimately, the dream of a county-wide trail was never realized.

This article was made possible by archived newspaper clippings generously provided by the Parkland Historical Society. For more information, or to research more history about Parkland, visit www.parklandhistoricalsociety.com.

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September skies: fall equinox and oppositions

Here are the sky highlights this month:

  • 10. Full Moon. The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be fully illuminated. This phase will occur at 5:58 a.m. Eastern. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Corn Moon because the corn is harvested around this time of year. This moon is also known as the Harvest Moon. The Harvest Moon is the full moon that occurs closest to the September equinox each year.
  • 16. Neptune at Opposition. The blue giant planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. It will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long. This is the best time to view and photograph Neptune. Due to its extreme distance from Earth, it will only appear as a tiny blue dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.
  • 23. September Equinox. The September equinox will occur at 8:55 p.m. The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world. This is also the first day of fall (autumnal equinox) in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of spring (vernal equinox) in the Southern Hemisphere.
  • 25. New Moon. The Moon will be located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This phase will occur at 9:55 p.m. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.
  • 26. Jupiter at Opposition. The giant planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. It will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long. This is the best time to view and photograph Jupiter and its moons. A medium-sized telescope should be able to show you some of the details in Jupiter’s cloud bands. A good pair of binoculars should allow you to see Jupiter’s four largest moons, appearing as bright dots on either side of the planet.

If you’d like to become more involved with astronomy in South Florida and meet like-minded people, the South Florida Amateur Astronomers Association (www.sfaaa.com) at Markham Park is fantastic, equipped with a state-of-the-art telescope, and the perfect way to take the next step in discovering our celestial sky. Happy exploring!

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A Dachshund and a social media mishap

I have a love-hate relationship with social media. I love keeping up with the lives of my friends and family, Amazon and I are family now, and I do look at reviews of restaurants before I decide to try a new one. But the people of Colorado take it to the next level. I live in Colorado part of the year, and they literally will sell a container of protein powder with one scoop missing and someone buys it. I saw someone purchase a used toilet plunger the other day.

To acclimate myself to my new neighborhood, I joined the local community Facebook group. I see a lot of the same issues as I see in Florida: The community pool is too cold, the community pool is too hot, and nonstop talk about swim diapers. I need a few items that some people like to sell or give away, so I spend a little too much time on the Facebook group. One day, a person put out a question about her Dachshund rubbing her nose excessively on the lawn and whether anyone else had that problem.

I read responses describing pets with environmental allergies to grasses, weeds, and trees, to one woman who proclaimed that she was a 50-year Dachshund owner/expert and sent a link about the history of Dachshunds being burrowing animals. One person sent a link about the types of mites found in the lawns and how they could irritate a dog, especially one so low to the ground.

After about an hour, the owner of the Dachshund posted that her dog was starting to scratch her ears and lick her paws excessively. Within a minute she had comments and links to shampoos, lotions, and Benadryl doses for dogs. I was hoping that with the posts, she was going to call her veterinarian or bring the dog to the hospital if the Dachshund was that uncomfortable. In the following half-hour, there were more than 30 responses from neighbors, each one blaming something that could be easily treated with a home remedy. At the hour mark, the owner wrote that the dog was starting to look puffy, and she was very uncomfortable. Before I could even comment, there were a dozen comments about doubling the dose of Benadryl, ice packs, cold baths, and one person even talked about rubbing steroid cream on the muzzle.

I decided to private-message the owner. I explained to her that I am a veterinarian and asked her to send me a picture of her dog, Sadie. The Dachshund’s muzzle and head were huge — at least twice the size of normal. I asked her to take a picture of the inside of her lips, and I could see the spot where Sadie had been bitten by a bee or wasp, and I noticed that her tongue was slightly blue, a clear sign of cyanosis. I told her to go immediately to her veterinarian because Sadie was having an anaphylactic reaction.

At the veterinary hospital, they gave her intravenous steroids, along with IV fluids, and put her in an oxygen cage because her oxygen saturation was low. Sadie did great, and she was discharged later in the day. When I saw that the owner of Sadie posted later in the night, I was hoping that she would post that you should call your veterinarian first because sometimes the speed of treatment can be essential to treatment, but she didn’t. She thanked me personally and told the Facebook group that a new veterinarian had moved into the area and that he really helped her.

So much for staying anonymous.

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Celebrate Jewish culture at YI Love Yiddishfest

The 4th Annual YI Love Yiddishfest ’22 returns live this year, Aug. 30 to Sept. 4, bringing six days of cultural events, including concerts, plays, lectures, and live entertainment, after two years of online events due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Founded by actor/comedian and Coral Springs resident Avi Hoffman (known for his “Too Jewish” trilogy), who’s CEO of the Yiddishkayt Initiative and YI Love Jewish, the first event was held in 2018 at the Colony Theatre in Miami Beach. This year’s events will take place in Broward County, Boca Raton, and Miami Beach.

“It’s a little bit scary, very exciting, and very ambitious to be back,” says Hoffman. “But I think we’ll do great.”

Hoffman says the event will appeal to everybody — “not just Jews, but anyone who is Jewish, knows someone Jewish, or has a curiosity about the Jewish culture or religion.”

Highlights of the event include the musical concert entitled “Stars of David: Story to Song,” based on the best-selling book, “Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk About Being Jewish” by Abigail Pogrebin.

“Stars of David” adapts these real-life stories of Jewish personalities, including actor/director Stephen Spielberg, Bravolebrity Andy Cohen, shoe mogul Kenneth Cole, actor Fran Drescher, singer/pianist Michael Feinstein, and former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, to name a portion of the 62 personalities featured in the book.

The concert will feature Hoffman, Shira Ginsburg, cantor at East End Temple in New York City, Carbonell-winning actor Patti Gardner, and local singer/actor Michael Harper, with musical director Caryl Ginsburg Fantel. Cantor Ginsburg is the niece of Fantel and daughter of Arthur Ginsburg, the former television chef and author, known as “Mr. Food.”

Additional live performers include the Canadian group YidLife Crisis, based on a web series of the same name, created by two friends, Eli Batalion and Jamie Elman, as a way of paying homage to the Yiddishkeit in their upbringing and to shed a Jewish comedic lens on the life in which they were raised. The two have collaborated with actor Mayim Bialik and fellow Canadian Howie Mandel.

Jewish rapper Kosha Dillz, who has performed with rapper Fat Joe and Nisim Black and whose raps about matzoh and Passover have gone viral, will bring his unique rap style to South Florida. Hoffman hopes that his appearance at the festival will attract a younger demographic.

Although Hoffman is modest about his performing contribution, for his fans, another highlight of the festival will be Hoffman’s latest and perhaps last in his “Too Jewish” trilogy performance when he debuts “Still Jewish After All These Years,” a culmination of his Jewish life and career.

Hoffman is also working on a memoir to be titled “Confessions of a Nice Jewish Boy.”

For Hoffman and his mother, Miriam, co-founder of the Yiddishkayt Initiative, a former columnist for the Yiddish edition of The Forward newspaper, a Yiddish playwright, and a past lecturer in Yiddish at Columbia University, it’s an honor to be a cultural emissary for the Yiddish language and culture.

The two teach Yiddish online, a language Hoffman says was predicted to die out with this generation. Instead, he says, Yiddish is flourishing and is everywhere. For examples, he points to Seth Rogan’s 2020 film “An American Pickle” and the Emmy-nominated Netflix series “Unorthodox,” and Billy Crystal’s Yiddish call and response at the 2022 Tony Awards where he had half the audience singing “Oy” and the other half responding “Vey.”

Coral Springs OB/GYN physician Bruce Zafran, who has been practicing in the city for 35 years and moonlights as a stand-up comedian, was watching old Jackie Mason comedy bits online when he got a pop-up message asking him if he wanted to learn Yiddish. He thought, why not?

Hoffman and his mother taught that Yiddish class, and while Zafran was familiar with Hoffman, he was surprised to learn they were neighbors in Coral Springs.

Not only did he sign up for the class, he decided to sponsor the Yiddishfest, along with his wife, Lesley.“Yiddish is a beautiful language,” he says. “Whenever you hear it, you just smile.”

Says Zafran, “I’m happy to help Avi and the Yiddishkeit cause.” He jokes, “Avi is the brains and brawn and I’m the pretty face.”

Zafran’s favorite Yiddish phrase? “Freylakh zol men tomid zayn,” or, “Happy we should we always be,” a phrase he used often at his son’s wedding last June.

“Without Bruce and other supporters like him, we couldn’t do what we do,” Hoffman says. “We need people who see the value in keeping this tradition alive and giving us the ability to bring it to the world.”

Says Hoffman, “Since 1885, when a million Jews emigrated to America from Eastern Europe, Yiddish has permeated and influenced American culture.

“We [the Jewish people] have been around thousands of years and we have contributed to mainstream culture over those thousands of years,” Hoffman says. “We as a people have a lot to offer. There’s a lot to be appreciated. Come, experience Jewish culture, enjoy yourself, have fun, and learn something new.”

And, he says, echoing Zafran, “farvas nisht — why not?”

The festival is held in partnership with Florida Humanities, Miami-Dade County, and the city of Miami Beach. It is co-sponsored by the Sue and Leonard Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies/George Feldenkreis Program in Judaic Studies at the University of Miami, the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, the Betsy South Beach, the Miami Beach JCC, the Adolph and Rose Levis JCC, the Holocaust Memorial of Miami Beach, and the Jewish Museum of Florida.  

YI Love Yiddishfest ’22 runs from Aug. 30 to Sept. 4. For more information, visit www.YILoveJewish.org, email info@yilovejewish.org, or call (888) 945-6835.

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