04/04/2019 ISSUE 14

Vero Opera’s 30th anniversary:
‘The best is yet to come.’ P18
Elite to resume flights
to Asheville, Portland. P8

Scientists conduct first survey
of invasive fish in local waters. P8

School Board talks For breaking news visit
seriously about
replacing Rendell New guidelines
expand access
to healthcare

BY FEDERICO MARTINEZ BY MICHELLE GENZ
Staff Writer Staff Writer

The School Board’s March School Board Chair Laura Zorc and School Superintendent Mark Rendell at March 26 meeting. PHOTOS BY KAILA JONES More people in Indian River
26 meeting was conten- County will qualify for low-
tious and perhaps momen- MY School Board should fire Superintendent Rendell now! cost healthcare after a vote
tous, and there have been VERO by the Hospital District Board
hundreds of responses – on to change its criteria for who
social media sites, in radio BY RAY MCNULTY of Schools Superintendent she’s desperately scrambling is considered medically indi-
interviews, and in press re- Staff Writer Mark Rendell is as disturbing to rally her troops in a trans- gent from 150 percent of fed-
ports – to what happened as it is curious. parent effort to politically eral poverty guidelines to 200
that evening as the board There’s no sense in wast- intimidate the School Board percent, effective in October.
talked seriously about re- ing words on Tiffany Justice, She’s determined to save members who want to fire
placing Superintendent whose unwavering loyalty his job, even though Rendell him if he refuses to resign. The board also made it eas-
Mark Rendell. to and relentless defense has said publicly he is active- ier to sign up for county-fund-
ly pursuing another one, and CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ed care.
The superintendent and
some School Board mem- The new guidelines mean a
bers are locked in an in- family of four making $50,200
creasingly bitter dispute or less will be eligible for sub-
that erupted after the board sidized healthcare under the
began discussing Rendell’s Hospital District’s mandate.
upcoming job evaluation That care is delivered by low-
during a March 12 work cost clinics and other agencies
session. At that time, sev- which are then reimbursed
through the Hospital District,
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 which is funded by taxpayers.

Vero Ford dealership CONTINUED ON PAGE 7
passes from Velde
family to Mullinax oSnhoraretsesdfeomr arenudsseaicrtriiognatfiroonmwVaetreor

BY RAY MCNULTY Mosen Eteshami, General Manager of Mullinax Ford. PHOTO BY KAILA JONES BY LISA ZAHNER franchise agreement with the
Staff Writer Staff Writer Shores.

Last week marked the end By next week, Indian River The town’s 2012 franchise
of an era in Vero Beach, where, Shores utility customers will agreement ties the Shores’
for the first time since 1976, either have some indication water, sewer and reuse irriga-
the Ford dealership conduct- that the City of Vero Beach tion water rates to Indian River
ed business under a name will reduce reuse irrigation County Utilities’ rates, meaning
other than Velde. water rates for the town, or that both Vero and the Shores
the town will declare that gambled on what the county
CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 Vero Beach Utilities has de- would do with its rates. In De-
faulted on its water-sewer cember, Indian River County

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

April 4, 2019 Volume 12, Issue 14 Newsstand Price $1.00 Fun science revs
up kids’ engines
News 1-10 Faith 70-71 Pets 74 TO ADVERTISE CALL at STEAM fest. P30
Arts 35-40 Games 51-53 Real Estate 75-88 772-559-4187
Books 50 Health 55-59 St. Ed’s 34
Dining 64 Insight 41-54 Style 60-63 FOR CIRCULATION
Editorial 48 People 11-33 Wine 65 CALL 772-226-7925

© 2019 Vero Beach 32963 Media LLC. All rights reserved.

2 Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

School Board board members by informing them bility that Rendell might leave abrupt- Rendell did not respond to Zorc’s
by email on March 25 that he was ly at any time with 30 days’ notice. call for his resignation or say much
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 seeking employment outside the dis- else during the board meeting.
trict and reminding them that by the Board member Tiffany Justice, who
eral board members indicated they terms of his contract, he is only obli- has been Rendell’s most loyal support- Justice, who was visibly angry dur-
might not support renewing the su- gated to give them a 30-day notice of er on the board, rushed to his defense. ing the meeting, frequently lashed
perintendent’s contract. his departure. out at other board members and con-
She started out by blaming Vero Beach tinuously interrupted them while they
Rendell responded by having Tal- At a meeting the next day, School 32963’s reporting about the March 12 were speaking.
lahassee-based attorney H.B. Stivers Board Chairwoman Laura Zorc called meeting for the superintendent’s deci-
send a letter dated March 20, noti- for Rendell’s resignation in light of his sion to hire an attorney. While other board members were
fying the School Board that he has decision to seek other employment. discussing when to schedule a meet-
been “retained to advise and assist But Rendell himself refuted Justice’s ing to discuss the new superintendent
Dr. Rendell concerning the terms and She argued that it would be better to allegation. search, Justice blurted out a motion to
conditions of his employment with gain Rendell’s resignation or fire him renew and extend Rendell’s contract
the district.” and begin an aggressive search for a “I contacted my attorney before I through 2021.
new superintendent than to leave the spoke with the paper,” Rendell said.
Rendell further raised the ire of situation up in the air, with the possi- “When you see your contract repeat- Her motion was ignored by other
edly up for discussion – I thought it board members and died from lack of
was wise to get an attorney.” support.

Justice’s continued outbursts prompt-
ed Chairwoman Zorc to pound her gavel
at one point and call for a three-minute
recess “to give Board Member Justice an
opportunity to return and behave in a
professional manner when our meeting
resumes.”

After the board meeting, Justice
crossed the board room to tell Vero
Beach 32963 that “I have even less re-
spect for my fellow board members at
this point.”

The rift between Rendell and Justice
on one side and board members who
want to replace him on the other has
spread throughout the community.

Justice has appeared on a local radio
talk show arguing in favor of retaining
Rendell and acknowledged soliciting
public support for Rendell in the form
of letters and emails

During the March 26 board meeting,
Justice claimed that the district has
been “inundated” with “hundreds” of
letters of support for Rendell in recent
weeks.

But Nancy Esplen, executive assis-
tant to the School Board, confirmed
Friday that the district had received
only six letters of support for Rendell.
That number did not include a letter
of support emailed to board members
by Rendell’s wife, Heidi.

Jon Teske, the district’s assistant su-
perintendent of operations and tech-
nology, and his wife Becky Teske, an
elementary science specialist in the
district’s Curriculum & Instruction De-
partment, posted a photo of support
for Rendell on their Facebook page
last week.

The photo – which was posted dur-
ing school work hours – features a
group of 10 school employees posing
with Rendell, who is holding a “We Are
Family,” sign.

The post, which features several hash
tags, including #SDIRCSuperProud and
#weRfamily, urges people to treat each
other with respect, and then attacks
Rendell’s critics and the media.

Rendell’s detractors are mobilizing
too.

An online petition calling for Ren-
dell’s firing was launched March 28 and

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 3

NEWS

had collected more than 200 signatures on the payroll ready to step in for Rendell for human resources, since Rendell meeting, said the thought of a relatively
along with 98 anti-Rendell comments – whose contract requires that he give eliminated the position during an ad- inexperienced board entering the bud-
by March 30, some highly critical of only 30 days’ notice – and get the district ministrative reorganization in 2017. get season without a superintendent or
Justice as well as the superintendent. through the end of the school year. CFO “terrifies” her.
If Rendell bolts, there would be no-
Rendell’s tenure in the district, There’s no chief financial officer, body to oversee the budget process or It should.
which he joined in 2015, has been since Rendell ran off Carter Morrison the hiring of teachers and staff for the During an interview on a local ra-
plagued by controversy and scan- with a bogus allegation that Morrison next school year. dio show last week, Rendell said he al-
dals, several of which have cost the undermined him and the School Board ready had applied for a job he “found
district millions of dollars in legal while working on the 2019-20 budget. It should surprise no one, then, that appealing” – more appealing, ap-
fees and fines.  Schiff, who was clearly uncomfortable
There’s no assistant superintendent with the contentious tone of last week’s CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

My Vero Exclusively John’s Island

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 This exceptional, newly built 5BR+Office/6.5BA retreat offers the ultimate
in privacy and enjoys indoor/outdoor living around the pool with wet deck
So I’ll address this column to Lau- and fire pit. Overlooking a private preserve, Lost Tree Village Corporation
ra Zorc and the board’s three new- and Harry Howle Architects designed this prestigious 7,121± GSF home
est members – Teri Barenborg, Jackie sited on 1.56± acres along a quiet cul-de-sac street. Features include
Rosario and Mara Schiff – and any- a gourmet island kitchen, wine bar, covered lanai with built-in barbecue
one else in the county genuinely con- & wet bar, fitness pavilion and new dock with Intracoastal access.
cerned about the precarious and po- 80 Stingaree Point : $5,250,000
tentially perilous position in which
Rendell has put the school district. three championship golf courses : 17 har-tru courts : beach club : squash
health & wellness center : pickleball : croquet : vertical equit y memberships
Let’s start here:
 Give no credence to the feebly 772.231.0900 : Vero Beach, FL : JohnsIslandRealEstate.com
concocted campaign designed to bol-
ster the false narrative that Rendell
enjoys significant support in the com-
munity.
 Pay no attention to the solicited
emails, online petition and social-
media efforts backing the superinten-
dent.
 Ignore the conveniently timed
media appearances designed to spin
alternative facts, sway public opinion
in Rendell’s favor and elicit sympathy
for him.
Though Rendell is a first-time su-
perintendent, he’s not a rookie. He’s in
his fourth year as the school district’s
CEO.
He has had plenty of time to fix the
problems he inherited and move our
schools in the right direction.
Instead, after nearly four years of
Rendell’s leadership, the school dis-
trict finds itself in a financial and ad-
ministrative mess.
Those circumstances, however,
merely serve as the backdrop for re-
cent events, including last week’s
tumultuous and sometimes hostile
School Board meeting.
Only days after receiving a March 20
letter informing them that Rendell – who
has faced mounting criticism that put
his job in question – retained legal coun-
sel to advise him in contract discussions,
board members were blindsided Mon-
day of last week by the additional news
that their superintendent was applying
for jobs outside the district.
That one-two punch, particularly
the jolt from Rendell’s announcement
that he’s looking for the exit, left School
Board members reeling and wonder-
ing what they’ll do if the superinten-
dent gets another job and quits in the
next couple of months.
And for good reason: There’s no one

4 Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

My Vero The board cannot allow Rendell to call severance package would be about the-top gushing over Rendell’s job
the shots – and, at the moment, he can. $70,000. performance and questionable claims
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 that she had been inundated with let-
We don’t know if Rendell truly wants That might sound like a lot of mon- ters of support for the embattled su-
parently, than his current job, which a different job, where he can start over ey, but it’s only a fraction of the costs perintendent from the community.
wasn’t all that secure in the face of the and try again, or if he simply realizes of the legal and investigative fees in-
serious financial problems and scan- his chances of getting a contract ex- curred by the district as a result of To be sure, Rendell has enjoyed a few
dals that have beset the district. tension are dicey and he’d rather not Rendell’s wrongheaded decisions over successes since being hired here, but
endure a year as a lame-duck superin- the past several years. there have been too many scandals,
Rendell’s current contract will ex- tendent. controversies and other problems –
pire at the end of the 2019-20 school So paying him off and moving for- many of his own making, some of them
year if it’s not extended, and the School We don’t know if Rendell really ward with a new superintendent costly – to say he has been successful.
Board has until the end of July to make wants to stay and he’s trying to gain le- might be money well spent.
a decision about his employment. verage from the threat of leaving with Can that change? Is it too late? Has
only 30 days’ notice at the worst possi- If the board rejects Zorc’s recommen- too much damage been done to the
He needs at least three of the five ble time for the district. Or if he’s given dation that Rendell be fired if he doesn’t trust and relationships between Ren-
board members to approve a contract up on this job, and is daring the board resign by July 23, it will be more difficult dell and a majority of the board mem-
extension. So he and Tiffany Justice to fire him so he can walk away with a to immediately start an effective search bers?
have some work to do. big severance check. for his replacement.
We know where Zorc and Justice
Rendell already has lost Zorc, the We don’t know why he hired a law- That’s because most top-shelf candi- stand. Rosario appears to be ready to
School Board chairman, who at a re- yer, other than to “protect his inter- dates won’t apply for a job that isn’t va- go with a new superintendent. So Ren-
cent meeting described his revelation ests,” as he told the board. cant and might not be until the summer dell’s fate here probably will be deter-
that he is seeking other employment 2020. mined by Schiff and Barenborg, both
as an “aggressive act” and “bullying It is telling, though, that Rendell did of whom said last week they weren’t
tactic,” and responded by asking him not try to engender any good will by of- Zorc knows that, and she knows Ren- yet prepared to render a verdict.
to resign. fering to go beyond the 30 days’ notice dell knows it, too. That’s why she spoke
required in his contract, especially with up, despite the sometimes-fierce criti- They need to make a decision soon
She also urged board members to the district facing so many challenges. cism that action has provoked from – before Rendell makes it for them,
begin the search for a new superinten- the superintendent’s allies. and leaves behind a worse mess than
dent. Maybe he will, eventually, perhaps we have now.
as a negotiating tool. But I wouldn’t As expected, Justice has sprung to
It was not an overreaction. bet on it. Rendell’s defense, challenging Zorc’s Regardless of whether Rendell is
Zorc’s request has stirred contro- claims and opposing any move to fire fired or quits with 30 days’ notice, the
versy in the community and conflict If the board decides to terminate his him, at one point ridiculously suggest- district and board will have to scram-
among board members, but she did employment, Rendell would receive a ing that the board extend the superin- ble. But in one case the board will be
what needed to be done. Her foresight, severance package that includes pay tendent’s contract through the end of in control of events setting its own
leadership and moxie should be ap- for 20 weeks of his $163,000 annual the 2020-21 school year “to give him agenda; in the other, the board will be
plauded, not attacked. salary and for unused vacation time. job security.” at Rendell’s mercy. 

Zorc estimated the total cost of this It went nowhere, as did her over-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 5

NEWS

Battle over reuse water rates Vero officials, so far, refuse to give chise agreement, and that the time to a distinction between pressurized and
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 the Shores the lower 21-cent rate, cit- stick up for the town’s rights is now. non-pressurized reuse water, which is
ing a technicality that was not identi- the detail Vero is hanging its hat on.
reduced its reuse irrigation rates from fied or clarified in the 2012 contract. Shores Vice Mayor Bob Auwaerter
67 cents per 1,000 gallons to 21 cents All five members of the Shores Town said he brought up the issue in Decem- “Now, all of a sudden, they see they
per 1,000 gallons, effective March 1. Council agreed last week that this re- ber in hopes of heading off a major dis- have to drop the rate to adhere to the
fusal violates the terms of the fran- pute with the city. Auwaerter said his contract and they’re unwilling to do
research showed that there was never
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

6 Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Battle over reuse water rates tion out of this by just having a ping- Mayor Tom Slater was on council in this from pressure gauges installed in
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 pong match and a dialogue with these 2012 when the agreement was signed. his community, The Estuary.
folks. I think we need to impress upon “They wanted to keep us in their over-
that because it’s going to be a diminu- them the seriousness with which we’re all water program,” Slater said, adding “So the fact is that they’ve been in
tion in the rates and their revenues,” approaching this.” that former councilman Dick Haver- violation of our agreement from day
Auwaerter said. “Frankly that’s too land dug in about how high Vero’s re- one. Don’t let them get away with it,”
bad, that’s what they signed up for. I Foley pointed out that after the use irrigation water rates were com- Ochsner said.
want to push back against them and town gives Vero formal notice of de- pared to Indian River County.
make them adhere to the contract.” fault, Vero has 90 days to “cure” the Town Attorney Chester Clem said
problem. He said the Shores needs to To keep the Shores from switching to that the rate issue is not the only beef
Auwaerter’s colleagues on the town clearly list the items the town wants county service, Slater said, Vero agreed the Shores has with Vero, noting that
council agreed wholeheartedly. The cured. to match the county’s reuse irrigation the town’s deteriorating tap water lines
council last Thursday authorized Town water rate of 67 cents per 1,000 gal- are potentially an even more costly is-
Manager Joe Griffin to begin the re- Auwaerter said he not only wants lons, with no delineation of pressur- sue that could leave residents with no
quired actions prescribed by the terms the reuse rate reduced to 21 cents, but ized and non-pressurized reuse water. water if pipes fail.
of franchise agreement – a process that that residents should also get a refund
could result in the Shores breaking that for the higher rate paid from March “We negotiated this program and “We’ve got some serious situations
15-year agreement which is up for re- 1 until the date the rate is reduced. If they were going to match whatever the here,” Clem said, advocating for use
negotiation and renewal in 2027. there’s no cure within those 90 days, county did. If the county went up, the of a utility consultant help to build the
the process moves on to mediation. city would go up. If the county went town’s case that Vero is responsible for
If 15 days from March 28 goes by and down, the city would go down. There maintaining and replacing water lines
Griffin is not satisfied that Vero is ad- At the time the 2012 agreement was no mention of pressurized, non- as well as delivering reuse water at the
dressing the Shores’ complaint, Town was signed, Indian River County was pressurized. This is a figment of their county rate.
Attorney Chester Clem is authorized courting the Shores’ water business imagination,” Slater said.
to draft a formal Notice of Default and and Vero’s move to match county rates The town has a four-year notifica-
deliver that notice to Vero. clenched the deal to keep the Shores Slater’s memory was backed up by tion requirement should it not wish to
utility customers on Vero’s system. former vice mayor Mike Ochsner, also renew the franchise agreement with
Councilman Brian Foley made the on council in 2012 when the franchise the city in 2027. Any exit sooner than
motion for that action, saying he’s not Shores residents experienced im- agreement was approved. “I am tired 2027 would have to be for cause, with
comfortable waiting around for Vero mediate rate relief, while Vero got to of the city of Vero Beach trying to bal- proof that Vero had first defaulted.
to do the right thing. retain the revenue from Shores cus- ance their books on the back of our
tomers. Indian River County does not citizens,” Ochsner said, pointing out “We’ve been held up before,” Slater
“I feel like we’re being kind of bullied pad its general fund via utility rates the that Vero also has not made good on said, referring to the Shores paying
on this,” Foley said. “My instincts tell way Vero does, so Shores officials were promises of minimum pressure levels high electric rates to Vero which the
me we’re not going to get any satisfac- pretty confident at the time that they’d for reuse water, and he has proof of town viewed as a breach of its electric
brokered a good deal. franchise agreement. “But let’s not get
held up again.” 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 7

NEWS

Access to healthcare patients it will cover at the 200 per- Chairwoman Marybeth Cunningham In addition, trustees noted, some
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 cent level as the county grows. And it said the district could reevaluate the people who fall within the income
should be able to better judge the tax expansion of the income ceiling if re- guidelines but who currently buy in-
The move edges the taxing district dollars required to cover still more pa- sulting services prove too expensive. surance through the Affordable Care
closer to income guidelines of the tients if the District Board decides to Act Marketplace may opt for Hospital
Cleveland Clinic, which in January raise the income ceiling to 250 percent The district tallies its patient popu- District coverage instead.
took over Indian River Medical Center. of federal poverty guidelines. lation by the number of people who
have signed up for Care Cards, which In January, the Hospital District’s ex-
Cleveland Clinic provides free care The unanimous vote of the elected patients must present at participat- ecutive director Ann Marie Suriano and
to uninsured patients earning up to District Board came despite hesitancy ing agencies like Treasure Coast Com- district treasurer Allen Jones attempt-
250 percent of the poverty guidelines, from two trustees with opposite con- munity Health, Mental Health Asso- ed to estimate the cost of going to 250
and offers assistance to patients earn- cerns. Trustee Ann Marie McCrystal ciation, VNA, and Partners in Women’s percent of poverty guidelines from the
ing up to 400 percent. Insured patients supported a move to 250 percent now, Health, among others. current 150 percent. Their estimates
include those with commercial insur- rather than waiting for the district’s ranged from an extra $1 million to $1.7
ance as well as Medicaid and Medicare. hospital indigent care obligations to It has been a challenge to get residents million a year that would need to be
end in June 2022. to sign up for a Care Card even when given out to district agencies in order
The Hospital District, which still they qualify. For that reason, the District to cover those extra patients.
owns the hospital and leases it to Cleve- “Raising this to 200 percent rather Board’s vote included moves to simplify
land Clinic, considers the move to 200 than 250 percent is no more than a the sign-up process, including easing “But then it occurred to me we might
percent an interim step while it contin- baby step toward addressing the health- requirements for proof of residency and be giving an incentive to some people
ues to pay $500,000 a month toward in- care needs of our most vulnerable resi- income. The measure also included a to stop buying insurance,” Jones told
digent patient care at the hospital. dents,” McCrystal said. provision for district coverage if patients the board in its monthly chairman’s
seeking medically necessary care have meeting. “If you look at the people be-
Those payments, which are about 20 She went on to challenge concerns exhausted their insurance benefits. tween 150 to 250 percent [of federal
percent less than the district paid before by Trustee Tracy Zudans that the move poverty levels], you’ll find that 8,147
Cleveland’s Jan. 1 takeover, will end in 26 could force a hike in the district’s prop- Under the current 150 percent of pov- are buying insurance today. If the dis-
months, at which time Cleveland Clinic erty tax rate. Taxpayers currently pay erty guideline, around 4,500 residents trict starts covering these people, some
will bear the full burden of caring for less than a dollar per $1,000 worth of are thought to be eligible for Hospital of them will stop buying,” Jones said.
uninsured poor patients at the hospital property value to the Hospital District, District reimbursement. Raising the in-
with its generous 250-percent policy. though as McCrystal pointed out, the come requirement to 200 percent could If 1,000 people stopped buying in-
district’s charter allows it to levy a tax add 1,700 people, based on 2016 U.S. surance, and instead got a Care Card,
At that point, the district, which will of up to $5 per $1,000 of property value. Census figures analyzed by the District. it could up the increase in Hospital
continue to pay for medically indi- District expenditures to $2.3 million.
gent care outside the hospital, should “I’m just concerned this could cost But those numbers are fluid since,
have a clearer idea of how many more taxpayers a lot of money,” said Zudans. beginning in October, it will be easier “It depends on your assumptions,”
She appeared reassured when Board to apply for a district care card.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

8 Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Access to healthcare both emergency and medically necessary, Elite Airways will resume seasonal
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 for those making 250 percent of federal flights to Asheville and Portland
poverty guidelines, which amounts to
Jones said. “The data that blew my $62,500 for a family of four. BY RAY MCNULTY
mind was that there are 150,000 people Staff Writer
in this county, in round numbers, and And for those earning up to 400 per-
43.9 percent earn 250 percent or less of cent of poverty guidelines, Cleveland Elite Airways announced last week
federal poverty guidelines.” Clinic Indian River provides discounts that it will resume its seasonal flights
on a sliding scale. If a patient’s bill to- between Vero Beach and Asheville,
“It’s a true, true picture in this coun- tals more than 15 percent of gross an- N.C., on May 23 and continue the
ty that a lot of people don’t get,” said nual income, Cleveland Clinic will ar- non-stop service through Sept. 5.
McCrystal. range for the bill to be discounted.
The airline also plans to bring
Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital’s Cleveland Clinic taking over all indi- back its non-stop service to and
charity care policy is already in place and gent care costs at the hospital in 2022 from Portland, Maine.
is a substantial expansion over the previ- is expected to save county taxpayers
ous policy. $195 million over the next 30 years, “We’re adding Portland for the
according to attorneys involved in the summer,” Elite President John
The hospital now provides free care, hospital changeover.  Pearsall said Friday. “So we’ll have
the Asheville flights on Sundays and
Thursdays, and the Portland flights sume or determined what the air-
on Fridays and Mondays. fares will be.

“We’re also looking at adding The service to and from the North
flights to one other place, but noth- Carolina mountains depart Vero
ing has been decided yet.” Beach at 2:45 p.m. and Asheville at
5 p.m., with airfares starting at $179
Pearsall said the airline hadn’t yet each way.
set a date for when flights between
Vero Beach and Portland will re- Elite, which returned commercial
air service to Vero Beach in 2015,
currently offers non-stop service to
Newark, N.J., with flights four days
per week. 

35 SCIENTISTS CONDUCT FIRST
SURVEY OF INVASIVE FISH IN
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY WATERS

BY SUE COCKING agency can keep track of all the fish
Staff Writer in every pond, canal, ditch or lake in
Florida So we work together. Everyone
A posse of 35 scientists from nine pitches in."
federal and state agencies, universi-
ties and other research institutions According to Kelly Gestring, a fish-
fanned out across rivers, canals, lakes eries biologist with the Florida Fish
and drainage ditches from Sebastian and Wildlife Conservation Commis-
to the north fork of the St. Lucie River sion who participated in the hunt, at
Tuesday and Wednesday, hunting and least 34 species of invasive fish are
catching freshwater invaders. reproducing in Florida's freshwater
bodies – many believed to be aquari-
Using cattle-prod-like electro- um pets released by their owners that
shockers, minnow traps, cast nets, now compete with the natives for food
seine nets and hook-and-line gear, the and habitat.
scientists collected 11 species of inva-
sive fish that are not native to Treasure The 11 found here last week are:
Coast waters – trying to get a handle Mayan cichlid, Nile tilapia, walking
on what species are here, exactly catfish, blackchin tilapia, brown hop-
where they live, and how their pres- lo, African jewelfish, sailfin/armored
ence affects native fish such as bass, catfish, spotted tilapia, Jack Dempsey,
bluegill and others. green swordtail and southern platyfish.

"There's a lot we don't know about The Jack Dempsey, green swordtail
non-native fish," said Dr. Pam Scho- and southern platyfish were of partic-
field, a research fish biologist with the ular interest because none had been
U.S. Geological Survey in Gainesville, collected here since the 1980s. The
who led the two-day ‘bio-blitz.’ Jack Dempsey was caught in a ditch
along Indian River Boulevard between
"Before you can do any assessment 8th and 12th streets in Vero Beach.
or management, you've got to know
who is where. There's no way any one "Have they not been here all this
time and come back, or have they

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 9

NEWS

been here and no one's caught them?" behind a shuttered Wendy's restau- 2.5 million fish of 8,000 species from "I expected the diversity to be pretty
Schofield wondered. rant near I-95 and SR 60 in Vero Beach. around the world. low," Gestring said. "It gets colder up
After being identified and logged, here and these are tropical species."
Last week's fish hunt was the eighth many were turned over to Robert Rob- The 11 documented species found
conducted by the Florida Non-Native ins, ichthyology collection manager here are far less than the 23 caught Schofield said all information col-
Fish Alliance since 2013, and the first with the Florida Museum of Natural during a previous fish hunt that cen- lected on non-native fish is available
ever held on the Treasure Coast. Speci- History in Gainesville which houses tered in the Miami-Dade County area to the public on USGS’ aquatic species
mens were brought to a check-in site – a good thing, according to biologists. database at www.usgs.gov. 

10 Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Mullinax come popular throughout the auto- Ford’s president since her husband, tersection of U.S. 1 and Indian River
mobile-sales industry. Jeff, died in September 2012. Boulevard and moved the dealer-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 ship to that location, converting the
“We’ve been in this industry for “It was an emotional decision for building into an 82,000-square-foot
The Apopka-based Mullinax Auto- many years, and I know our phi- her,” said Ralph Evans, the longtime facility that contains an acre-sized
motive Group finalized the purchase losophy can provide the commu- Vero Beach attorney who represented showroom, service area with 33 bays,
of Velde Ford on March 26 and imme- nity with a dealer experience they Velde throughout the negotiations. 10,000-square-foot body shop, parts
diately rebranded the dealership as haven’t had before,” said Jerry Mul- “There are people who worked for department and offices.
Mullinax Ford of Vero Beach. linax, owner of the Mullinax group, Velde Ford for 30 years, and they were
which has been doing business in considered family.” Velde’s father-in-law died in 2000.
The local Ford dealership is now Florida since 1970. Evans said Velde, who did not want
one of five owned and operated in Velde’s father-in-law, Lynn, who to be interviewed for this story, de-
Florida by Mullinax Ford, the state’s Mullinax said he has retained about had co-owned three dealerships in cided in 2018 to put the dealership
largest Ford retailer, which was 90 percent of the Velde staff, most of Illinois, moved to Vero Beach in 1976 on the market and attracted “several
among the pioneers of the upfront, them longtime employees. and bought what was then Arnold suitors,” including Mullinax, which
no-haggle pricing philosophy that Ford, near U.S. 1 and 12th Street. had initially expressed interest a year
began in the mid-1970s and has be- Those employees made the deci- earlier.
sion to sell the dealership difficult for In the late 1990s, Velde renovated Potential buyers were told, “Make
Patty Velde, who had served as Velde the former Walmart store at the in- us an offer we can’t refuse.” Appar-
ently, Mullinax did, though Evans
would not divulge the purchase price.
He said serious negotiations began in
November.
In January, Mullinax posted a
public notice of its intent to register
“Mullinax Ford of Vero Beach” with
the Florida Division of Corporations
and do business under that name.
Less than three months later, em-
ployees at Vero Beach’s Ford dealer-
ship were wearing “Mullinax” shirts.
“It’s a good ending to the story,”
Evans said. “Mullinax brings a lot to
the table for people who like to drive
Fords. It’s a plus for this community
to have them here.”
Mullinax Ford’s other Florida deal-
erships are located in Apopka, Kis-
simmee, New Smyrna Beach and
West Palm Beach. The company also
has dealerships in Mobile, Ala., and
Olympia, Wash.
“Within 150 miles, we have ac-
cess to five dealerships,” said Mosen
Eteshami, new general manager of
Mullinax Ford of Vero Beach. “And
the price you see, whether it’s on the
windshield or online, is the price you
pay.”
Eteshami said Mullinax Ford will
invest a significant amount of money
in its Vero Beach dealership, which
will undergo renovations and aes-
thetic improvements, and the com-
pany expects to dramatically increase
sales.
He said the Velde-owned dealer-
ship was underperforming.
“I’ve done some market research,
and they were way below Ford’s ex-
pectations, which are based on de-
mographics,” said Eteshami, who was
the sales manager at Mullinax’s West
Palm Beach dealership before being
promoted. “There’s a lot of room for
improvement.
“Just in the few days we’ve been
here, I’ve heard that a lot of custom-
ers were going to other Ford dealers
in the area because they couldn’t get
the price they wanted here,” he add-
ed. “We’re going to keep the business
in our community.” 

Mia Voerdermeier.

FUN SCIENCE REVS UP KIDS’
ENGINES AT ‘STEAM’ FEST P. 30

12 Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Over-the-Big-Top fun at Senior Resources’ Bingo benefit

Denise Battaglini, John Moore and Alma Lee Loy. Lisa Harvey and Anna Valencia Tillery. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
Dawn Content and Mary Beth McDonald.

BY MARY SCHENKEL champagne and mimosas while healthy and in their home as long as Deigl said that after presiding over
Staff Writer perusing silent-auction items and safely possible.” the purse game for many years, Pud
purchasing raffle tickets for a lovely Lawrence had “retired” from the po-
The circus came to town last diamond necklace donated by John Thanking each of the sponsors, sition and had turned it over to last
Wednesday, with guests invited to Michael Matthews Fine Jewelry, be- including ‘Ring Master’ New Vision year’s bingo caller, the vivacious
‘Step Right Up’ to the Oak Harbor fore heading into the circus-themed Eye Center, ‘Big Top’ Pud Lawrence Anna Valencia Tillery. That, in turn,
Club ‘Big Top’ for an afternoon of dining room to enjoy a luncheon of and ‘Strong Man’ Ocean Drive Plas- necessitated the need for a new call-
old-fashioned fun at the 14th annual chicken Florentine with a dessert of tic Surgery along with myriad oth- er, a position ably filled by Vero’s fa-
BINGO Luncheon to benefit the Se- baked Alaska and, during bingo, in- ers, she added, “Your generosity al- vorite up-for-anything attorney John
nior Resource Association. dividual containers of popcorn. lows Senior Resource Association to Moore. He was skillfully assisted at
bring program awareness through one point by another beloved resi-
Guests were greeted by perform- “For over 45 years, Senior Resource events like this. I can’t tell you how dent, the indefatigable Alma Lee Loy.
ers from Power Entertainment Pro- Association has provided services to important you all are.”
ductions, including a handsome advocate for independence and dig- Then, daubers at the ready, their
Ring Master, an impossibly ‘tall’ nity for older adults in Indian River After a video in which volunteers eyes glued with total concentra-
woman in red and a contortion- County,” said Karen Deigl, SRA CEO. and seniors shared stories of the vi- tion to the sheets in front of them,
ist with more bendy moves than “Every day our Meals on Wheels, tal importance of SRA programs and players proceeded to vie for donated
Gumby. But the real surprise came Adult Day Care, GoLine and Com- services, it was time to get down to prizes with a competitiveness wor-
as people realized that the extraor- munity Coach, amongst many oth- business. And that business, of thy of the Olympics, already eager-
dinary clown with the mischievous er programs, provide wellness and course, was the popular purse game ly contemplating ‘better luck next
grin was none other than SRA board peace of mind for seniors and their – which has women digging into year.’
member Trudie Rainone. families in Indian River County. Our their tote-sized handbags to whip
goal has always been to keep them out various unlikely items as called For more information, visit senior-
Ladies milled about sipping out by the host – followed by bingo. resourceassociation.org. 



14 Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 Brenda Lloyd and Dr. Suzanne Conway.
Lucia Bailey, Pud Lawrence and Patty Rennick.

Trudie Rainone and Karen Deigl. Sassy Smith and Tuny Hill. Maggie Forman, Carmen Stork and April Dooley.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 15

PEOPLE

Elizabeth Milton, Sheila Milton and Roxanne Bachman. Maya Peterson, Carol Kanarek and Suzanne Bertman. Angela King, Christina Bruce and Sayre Schwiering.

Victoria Kerkela and Jade Deibert Liz Farnsworth and Ann Marie McCrystal. Kathie Pierce and Wheatie Gibb. Ben Earman and Nicki Maslin.

Judy Luke and Sue Barrow.

Marcia Blackburn and Katherine Blackburn.

16 Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Praise for Habitat model at ‘Memories from the Sea’

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF Nancy Knapp, Laura Shucart and Ann Loeffler. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE vide financial assistance, work on
Staff Writer homes in Fellsmere’s Grace Mead-
get a hand up,” said John Morrow, that we were able to keep it some- ows Community two days a week
All hands were on deck at a recent Orchid Island Habitat House com- what in the family. We hope to be and volunteer at the Habitat Re-
Orchid Island Habitat Memories mittee co-chair with Susan Ryan. able to continue what we have done. Store to help support the mission to
from the Sea cocktail party at the Coincidentally, one of those homes We’re up to almost 28 homes since build or improve places people can
home of Beau Smith to benefit In- was that of an Orchid Island staff 2001, which for our small communi- call home. Habitat helps homeown-
dian River Habitat for Humanity. member. ty is quite admirable,” said Morrow. ers to achieve the strength, stability
and independence needed to create
More than 100 guests cruised “It was a very nice coincidence Orchid Island residents pro- better lives for themselves and their
through what Smith’s friends fondly families.
refer to as his model ship museum,
which includes a most impressive “I like the Habitat model because
collection of 40 ships as well as an it’s a hand up. When you just give
army of toy soldiers. somebody something and there’s
no vested interest, it doesn’t mean
“Our community is very much as much,” noted Morrow. He added
involved with Habitat. It’s very im- that the Habitat model of requiring
portant for people to meet and work homeowners to put in sweat equity
with people who are not as lucky as hours and pay a mortgage changes
they are,” said Smith, who offered how people view home ownership.
docent-led tours of his collection to
the Habitat donors. “Habitat recirculates their mon-
ey. When those folks pay their mort-
Afterward, guests gathered to gage, that money goes back to Indi-
toast another successful year of an River Habitat and it’s reinvested,
helping individuals to accomplish so it’s a perpetuating situation,”
their dreams of living in a home of said Morrow.
their own.
For more information, visit irch-
“This year we delivered and sup- abitat.org. 
ported two homes to help families

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 17

PEOPLE

Beau Smith and Teryl Viner. Bob and Gerri Ripp. Susan Ryan and John Morrow.

Reina and Stephen Leary with Mary McNiff and Reina Graziano. Carol and Myles Tintle. Nancy Hardy, Monica London, Joan Gulley and Christina Craighead.

18 Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Vero Opera’s 30th Anniversary Gala: ‘Best is yet to come’

Deborah Voigt with Mel and Linda Teetz. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE Nelson and Gretchen Cover with Susan and Paul Gauthier.

BY KERRY FIRTH niversary Gala that featured Metro- and it’s hard to get your foot in the
Correspondent politan Opera star Deborah Voigt, door, so this foundation gives them
who serves as artistic advisor to Vero the edge.”
Opera lovers gathered at Grand Beach Opera. Also in attendance
Harbor Club recently to celebrate was Matthew White, winner of the The VBO is a 100 percent volun-
the conclusion of the Vero Beach 2018 Deborah Voigt/ Vero Beach Op- teer organization that is supported
Opera’s 30th year at a black-tie An- era Foundation International Vocal entirely through private donations
and fundraisers. It seasonally stages
Roman Ortega-Cowan with Zoltan Racz. international vocal competitions,
operatic concerts and fully-staged
Competition, who currently tours as operas with music provided by or-
a professional opera singer. chestras such as the Orlando Phil-
harmonic, Brevard Symphony and
Vero Beach Opera had its start in Atlantic Classical Orchestra.
the late 1980s as a fundraising opera
guild to support nearby opera com- “Our performances are held at the
panies, before a change in direction Vero Beach High School Auditorium,
and leadership in 2003 propelled it because it is the only facility that has
into a world-class, professional op- a full orchestra pit, seating for 1,000,
era production platform that has sound and lighting systems, box of-
attracted acclaimed vocalists and fice and parking,” said Roman Orte-
musicians to Vero Beach. Leading ga-Cowan. “It really is the only place
that charge for the past 15 years has where we can do what we do.”
been the dynamic husband and wife
team of Roman Ortega-Cowan, who To conserve funding, Vero Beach
serves as artistic director, and Joan High School students help construct
Ortega-Cowan, its president. the sets and stages for each produc-
tion, using designs and materials
Almost immediately after the re- supplied by VBO. Once the perfor-
organization, Roman persuaded mance is over, everything is donated
Voigt to get involved. At the time, back to the school to be used for fu-
Voigt had a home in the community ture productions. Costumes are gen-
and made her first appearance with erally borrowed from other theaters
the VBO in February 2004. And, al- or rented, but any that are fabricated
though she no longer lives in Vero, by volunteers are also donated when
she continues to support the foun- the show is over.
dation and its quest to recognize ris-
ing stars in the industry. “This year we housed 266 artists,
chorus and crew members,” said
“I now live in San Francisco, where Susan Gauthier who, with husband
I’m a professor of voice at the San Paul, heads up a homestay program
Francisco Conservatory of Music,” that pairs performers with local
said Voigt. “I admire what they are residents. “Not only do we support
trying to do with young singers and opera but we support all young mu-
how they support and advance their sicians with the Angel Scholarship
careers. It’s a very competitive world and Piano Scholarship funds.”

“The past is history and the future
is bright,” said Roman Ortega-Cow-
an. “The best is yet to come.” 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 19

PEOPLE

Dr. William and Mickey Cooney with Betty and Dale Jacobs.

Maryann Rann and George Cooke. Donna and Horace Lindsay.

Bill LaViolette, Elaine Morse, Anne LaViolette and Paul Morse.

Joseph and Carol Palowich with Pascale Spinney and Matthew White.

20 Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Thank you goes a long ‘Way’ among selfless supporters

BY STEPHANIE LABAFF
Staff Writer

Danke! Gracias! Merci! Randy and Marge Riley with Mary and Kip Jacoby. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE Bob Schlitt and Jeff Schlitt.
No matter the language, the mes- Ellen and Wayne Sobczak.
sage was clear last Thursday evening We are celebrating a very successful thanks for the community’s support
at the 2019 United Way of Indian and fulfilling year of mobilizing the during the campaign. Randy Riley
River County Thank You event at caring power of our community.” shared that serving in this capacity
the Grand Harbor Golf Club: Thank had allowed him “to see how life re-
you for living United. The room was Kint said that a critical factor in ally is better when you live United.”
bursting with members of the com- that success has been their efforts to
munity who annually give, advocate create a “comprehensive collabora- Kip Jacoby hinted that as the cam-
and volunteer in support of the goal tive to build a system of wraparound paign nears its end, the fundraising
of the nonprofit to improve lives by services for some of our most vul- thermometer is just shy of their $3
mobilizing the caring power of the nerable neighbors.” million goal, but noted that funds
community. raised through the April 15 Jackie
The writing was quite literally He added that they have utilized a Robinson Celebration Game and
“on the wall” as to why this United model that has focused on the areas June 6 Moorings Hawks Nest Golf
Way has garnered so much commu- of mental health, kindergarten read- Tournament will count toward this
nity support in its more than 50-year iness, grade-level reading and senior year’s campaign. After that, the co-
history in Indian River County. A services by “initiating a dialogue chairs will turn the reins over to
wall emblazoned with “What’s your amongst local funders to build up 2019-2020 co-chairs Bob Schlitt and
why?” greeted guests and asked and establish a cohesive nonprofit Jeff Schlitt.
them to share “#Why I live United.” community and funding network.”
The testament of support spelled For more information, or for tick-
out the numerous ways the organi- The 2018-2019 Campaign co- ets to the Jackie Robinson game, visit
zation has worked to shape a robust, chairs, Randy and Marge Riley with unitedwayirc.org. 
healthy and caring community by Kip and Mary Jacoby, added their
building partnerships and leverag-
ing resources to make measurable
differences in the areas of health,
education and financial stability.
“The whole purpose of tonight is to
celebrate each and every one of you
that are in this room,” said Michael
Kint, UWIRC CEO. “You are part of
our family, and this is our thank you
for your commitment to your com-
munity. We simply could not do the
work that we do without all of you.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 21

PEOPLE

Ed Parker with Mellissa Brandon and Michael Kint. Shannon Maitland, Martin ZIckert and France Mason.

Nate Bruckner with Barbara Pearce and Sgt. Ross Partee. Erin and Rob Reilly. Crystal Carlisle and Shannon McGuire Bowman.

Alla and Jay Kramer. Jeff Smith with Antoine Jennings and Chad Morrison. Cynthia and Myron Brooks.

22 Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Answer to Cancer: Generosity, caring in the equation

BY MARY SCHENKEL Linda Teetz, Dr. James Grichnik, Carole Casey and Sue Sharpe. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE “You have all been coming to An-
Staff Writer swer to Cancer for years and years
and years, and I can’t tell you how
Answer to Cancer began as a small important it is to our doctors and our
grassroots effort 13 years ago when a nurses, but more so to our patients,”
group of Grand Harbor friends, each said Casey, thanking everyone for
touched by cancer one way or another, their continued efforts to support and
wanted to do something to improve improve care for cancer patients and
the lives of others affected by the dev- their families.
astating disease. It has since evolved
into a full-on Grand Harbor initiative, “Thank you on behalf of Cleve-
with residents and management alike land Clinic Indian River Hospital and
all buying into the effort. Scully-Welsh Cancer Center for ev-
erything that you do,” said Dr. James
Supporters again packed the Grand Grichnik, Scully-Welsh Cancer Cen-
Harbor Golf Club last Monday eve- ter director. “You really help us touch
ning – some straight from the golf patients on a daily basis with all your
course – to enjoy an evening of cock- contributions.”
tails, auctions, raffles and a delicious
buffet dinner. Introducing Dr. Correa-Selm, der-
matologist at the Scully-Welsh Can-
“We have more people attending cer Center, Casey said “she needs a
this year than ever before,” said event computer on wheels and she needs an
chair Carole Casey, noting that 220 iPad, and I promised her from tonight
attended the dinner and 160 golfers she will get that.”
participated in the 9-hole tourna-
ment. “We are delighted to honor your in-
tent of supporting the Scully-Welsh
“We couldn’t do it without the gen- Center,” said Liz Bruner, CCIRF presi-
erosity of Grand Harbor management. dent. “We want you to give it exactly
All the raffle prizes and golf prizes there to benefit Dr. Grichnik and his
team and all the wonderful patients
came from them, and they gave us the who are there. We’re grateful for your
golf, carts and dinner at considerably support. Thank you.”
less than cost. It truly is a great deal
of work but well worth it as everyone Over the years, funding has im-
seems to have a great time.” proved patient care facilities, and
has enabled the introduction of Dig-
The fundraiser was founded by niCaps to cool hair follicles and help
Carole Plante and the late Don Casey, chemo patients keep their hair, and
with wife Carole determinedly con- the purchase of AccuVein technology
tinuing the effort on his behalf, en- and other equipment including iPads.
listing an army of committee mem-
bers and sponsors along the way. It has also supported the vital
Patient Care Navigation Program,
Answer to Cancer has raised and which assists patients and their
donated more than $750,000 – which families through their cancer jour-
includes roughly $75,000 this year ney. This year’s funding will be used
– to what is now Cleveland Clinic for such ‘wish list’ items as Adtemp
Indian River Foundation to fund 429 Non-Contact Thermometers,
equipment and services at the Scul- computers on roll-around carts and
ly-Welsh Cancer Center. additional iPads. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 23

PEOPLE

Libby King, Carole Plante and Sherry Brown. Liz Bruner and Mary Pagonis. PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 24
June Bercaw, Julie Otto and Dr. Lilia Correa-Selm.

Sandy Webster and Ellie Candido.

Executive Chef James Mason.

Carole Casey with Lynn Casey.
Steve Thurlow and Maureen Kahrmann.

24 Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23 Mary Lindsay and Sue Post. Nancy and Earl Conway with Anne Madison and David Heneberry.
Mike and Kathy Santo, Pat Simm, Carolyn and Jack Norris.

Joe Cornett, Chase Johnson and Bob Coughlan. Jack Reis, Andy Michaels and Bob Porreca. Laura and Bob Culnane with Sue Michaels.

Edel Livermore and Raleigh Hoppe. Henriette Churney and Mackie Duch.

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26 Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

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Head, Heart & Hands: High ‘5’ for fundraising efforts

Donna Polk, Frida Flores, Ed Perry and Jaci Ruppert. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE Kim Prado, Cathy Westermann, Jeff Francisco and Keith Theriot.

BY STEPHANIE LABAFF GRANT RECIPIENTS 42 of them had merit and value. These Services are provided countywide,
Staff Writer Alzheimer and Parkinson Associa- are 17 that really show the soul of In- with a focus on the South County
tion, The Arc of IRC, Big Brothers dian River County,” said Perry, add- area where the Indian River Club
Indian River Club members host- Big Sisters, Childcare Resources, ing that they were distributing more is located. Residents have adopted
ed a poolside soiree to celebrate the Children’s Home Society, Cross- grants this year than ever before. the Indian River Academy elemen-
fifth anniversary of its Head, Heart over Mission, Education Founda- tary school for the ‘hands’ part of the
& Hands community outreach pro- tion of IRC, Hibiscus Children’s Members of the grant proposal equation, with 80 people recurrently
gram with a Grant Ceremony and a Center, The Source, Literacy Ser- committee presented checks to the volunteering to provide more than
special Founders Circle Celebration vices of IRC, Senior Resource Asso- recipients before handing them the 500 hours of support each month.
last Friday afternoon. ciation, Sunshine Physical Thera- microphone, so that each nonprofit
py, Gifford Youth Orchestra, Hope representative could share informa- After the check presentations,
Since its inception, HHH has do- for Families Center, The Learning tion about their overall mission and Cunningham raised a glass to toast
nated more than $500,000 to local Alliance, United Against Poverty the individual programs the grants the founders and donors, adding, “I’d
charities, each year increasing fund- and Youth Guidance Mentoring would be funding. like to congratulate and thank all the
ing from an inaugural $40,000 to this and Activities. agencies that are here today. You guys
year’s $146,500. Ed Perry, HHH grant Head, Heart & Hands was present- do great work in this community. You
coordinator, explained that funds vices for individuals with intellectual ed to the Indian River Club commu- take care of our kids, our seniors and
are raised through donations and and developmental disabilities, the nity as a framework for community people in need.”
an annual golf tournament, with 100 homeless, and career mentorship outreach five years ago, explained
percent of proceeds becoming an in- for those segments of the population Marybeth Cunningham, HHH board As the sun began to set and the eve-
vestment in the community through most in need. president. ning air cooled, guests mingled over
grants to nonprofits. cocktails and hors d’oeuvres and lis-
“There were 42 proposals, and all “The speaker series is the ‘head’ tened to Vero Beach High School Jazz
This year 17 recipients received part for learning about our commu- Band performers, while discussing
awards ranging from $5,000 to nity, philanthropy defines the ‘heart,’ the impact HHH has had on the com-
$15,000 for programs supporting and ‘hands’ represents a coordinated munity through the work of the non-
children, education, senior care, ser- volunteer effort,” said Cunningham. profits they support. 
“Thus Head, Heart & Hands.”

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 27

PEOPLE

Larry Noesen, Susan Hunt and Steve Corrick. Annabel Robertson and Anthony Zorbaugh. Kim Lorimier, Antoine Jennings and Sally Bryan.

Sam Rutland, Karen Deigl, Bruce McEvoy and Peggy Cunningham. Marybeth Cunningham, Frank Avilla, Lou Boccabella and Jessica Schmitt.

Liz Bahl, Cynthia Falardeau and Heather Dales.

Mary Stowasser and Deb Lockwood.

28 Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

3-D’s a charm at Art Club’s New Dimensions show

BY MARY SCHENKEL community and the Treasure Coast
Staff Writer could be quite substantial.”

Five years ago, the Vero Beach “The board had a vision that they
wanted to bring a premier, desired
Art Club presented Joan Earnhart, show of 3-dimensional art and make
it national; hopefully have it grow to
a mixed-media assemblage artist, international,” said Visceglia.

and glass sculptor Sheila Vislocky “We increased the prize money
for this show because we wanted to
with the job of creating an exhibition make it national and we wanted to
raise awareness of how good the 3-D
featuring 3-dimensional works by art is here,” said Rosemary Polsky-
Newman, current VBMA president.
club members. This year’s event co- “One of the things that’s really nice
is that the first-place winner is a club
chairs, sculptor George Paxton and member, which is really quite won-
derful. That’s a feather in our cap I
fabric artist Paulette Visceglia, were think.”

charged with revamping the show “This show is outstanding,” said
artist Ed Uttridge, whose wooden
and taking it to new heights. kinetic sculpture was chosen for
the show. “There are sculptors from
The result? A New Dimensions all over the country and the quality
of this work is just top notch. It’s so
Fine Art 3-Dimensional Exhibit at the wonderful; it’s inspirational.”

Marsh Island Clubhouse last week- “I’m thrilled. I’m so proud of the
Vero Beach Art Club,” said City Coun-
end, which received rave reviews at George and Joan Earnhart with Linda Fleischman and Robert Gardella. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES cilwoman Laura Moss.

its Friday night opening reception. Funds raised through donations to
the weekend-long show help support
“I am so tickled with this show; I es this year. While works in the prior al Sculpture Society and a dean at the the Art Club’s various outreach and
educational efforts, including college
really am,” said Earnhart, who had shows were judged, this show was ju- Ringling School of Art and Design; scholarships to high school seniors and
camp scholarships to the Vero Beach
two pieces in the show. “I think they ried as well as judged. Additionally, it the judge was independent as well. Museum of Art summer camp. 

have chosen some really fine pieces. was open to artists from around the And, although a percentage of spots

I think it’s a step forward. We can country. were reserved for VBAC members,

see what’s going on in the rest of the Of the roughly 180 entries – artists their submissions were juried along

country and what else is out there. could submit two – 84 works were se- with the rest.

I’m absolutely thrilled with it.” lected by an independent panel that “I believe it is the only purely three-

There were two significant chang- included the president of the Nation- dimensional show of its kind in Flori-

da. It will be something transcending

in terms of local art shows, and may

further cement Vero’s position as a

mecca for the arts on the east coast

of Florida,” said Paxton. “Should this

show develop as we optimistically

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30 Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

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Fun science revs up kids’ engines at STEAM Fest

BY MARY SCHENKEL this past Saturday at the Intergenera-
Staff Writer tional Recreation Center.

Anyone who thinks science isn’t Last year’s inaugural event was
cool, fun or engaging must not have such a success that co-chairs Stepha-
gone to the Indian River STEAM Fest, nie Watson, Kelly Brown, Mie Powell
hosted by Vero Beach Academy, where and Robyn Hjalmeby expanded this
multitudes of activities related to Sci- year’s even further. The event, geared
ence, Technology, Engineering, Art toward grades K to 12, spanned the
and Math were going full steam ahead entire facility inside and out, with 62
exhibitors utilizing every spare inch.

Kelly Brown-Schacht and Alexa Hamilton. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE

Amelia Elliott and Kerry Winn. that incorporation, Amy Brown, who
coordinated the multiple arts projects
Roughly 160 volunteers from Vero with the help of IRC teachers, pointed
Beach Academy and First Church of to a roomful of youngsters who were
the Nazarene helped ensure every- learning the anatomy of squid by dis-
thing ran smoothly. secting them to find the ink sacs. “And
then they’re going to create a paint-
Watson explained that the Vero ing with the ink from that squid,” said
Beach Academy is a home-school hy- Brown. Next door, in an “imagineer-
brid; each week, students attend class ing” class overseen by Vero Beach Mu-
two days, are home-schooled two seum of Art volunteers, children were
days, and have one group enrichment making sculptures using found mate-
day. rials; no glue allowed.

Of the event she says, “We saw a There were also four interactive
need for science, technology, engi- “Mad Science” shows, a really cool
neering and math specifically to be- indoor planetarium dome, and inter-
come more hands-on and fun for the active STEAM talks. The exhibit hall
kids. If we can spark interest in a child bustled with well-behaved little ones
early on, they’ll grow a love for that, busily focused on a wide variety of
and we will train kids up to be excited hands-on activities – from making
to become scientists, or to be in en- and ‘drilling’ Play-Doh ‘teeth,’ to mak-
gineering. The jobs for the future are ing real butter from heavy cream.
showing more and more that they’re
going to be STEM-focused. The arts NASA enlisted the support of young
are brought in for the creativity and volunteers such as future astronaut
the process of how they’re all con- John Paul, 11, who explained, “I signed
nected.” up because I like space.”

As an example of an activity with Still others had the experience
of becoming superheroes flying in
their own video, thanks to Jon Pine
and Kenneth George of Digital Artist
Workshops.

“I’m going to save everybody!” ex-
claimed Nola, 7. “I’m a superhero and
I’m going to kill all the bad guys!”
chimed in her brother, Jackson, “al-
most 9.”

Some of the messier activities took
place outside, such as making enor-
mous bubbles and shooting water
bottles way up in the air (highly su-
pervised, of course), and a food tent
enabled families to take a break be-
fore heading back for more activities
that were so much fun, children didn’t
even realize they were learning. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 31

PEOPLE

Gianna Dykes, Hannah Schact and Juliette McLean.
Rio Tanacs and Oliver Anderson.

32 Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

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Shears to you! Dozens ‘raze’ to occasion for St. Baldrick’s

BY STEPHANIE LABAFF
Staff Writer

Shavers and shavees were abuzz Kimberly Cribb has her head shaved by Grant Gibbens and his mom Jessica Gibbens. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES Dr. Norman Meyer.
with excitement last Saturday after-
noon at the Capt. Hiram’s Sand Bar an River group had raised more than
during the seventh annual Indian $140,000, exceeding this year’s goal
River Braves the Shave to benefit the by $40,000 and getting that much
St. Baldrick’s Foundation. closer to the $1 million mark.

Honored children arrived amid Earlier, a piper led a parade of hon-
flashing lights and blaring sirens, es- ored children and their families to
corted by first responders, with chil-
dren waving from the cab of the fire-
truck, appearing not to have a care
in the world. In reality, a child is di-
agnosed with cancer every two min-
utes. One in five of those children
will lose their lives to cancer, the No.
1 cause of death among children.

Event organizers Missy Elward
and Frank Mannino have held the
mantra “Until no child has to suffer”
close to their hearts, working year af-
ter year to raise awareness and funds
in support of childhood cancer re-
search.

After the last of more than 100
heads was shorn Saturday, the Indi-

Matt Johnson and Stephen Hartselle with Kyle and Shannon George and Robert and Sarah Veitch.

the center stage, where they joined forever be 7. We’re not sad today be-
volunteer shavers to kick off the af- cause we were so lucky to have him
ternoon’s festivities. But before El- in our life,” Regina Hunter told the
ward decreed “Let the shaving be- crowd. “Let’s just think about these
gin,” Sir Mannino announced that kids and the life that they should lead.
in this, the Year of the Knight, those This is about hope.”
royal subjects who have participated
for seven years were to be “knighted” She noted that St. Baldrick’s had
for their dedication and service to been a big part of Jackson’s story.
the cause.
“Even though our son didn’t make
And who better to bestow the ac- it, because of St. Baldrick’s he was
colade upon these valiant warriors alive to have a promising treatment
than Princeton Bryan, one of St. Bal- called CAR T-cell therapy. He got it as
drick’s honoree children and one of a trial and St. Baldrick’s helped fund
the lucky few to have beaten cancer. that. We would have lost him a lot
Bryan dubbed the knights, one after sooner without that chance. So your
the other with a noble countenance money does make a huge difference,
as was their due. and it is saving lives.”

It was two years ago that young Elward told the crowd that less than
Jackson Hunter lost his battle with 4 percent of National Cancer Institute
leukemia, and this year’s Brave the funding goes toward childhood can-
Shave happened to fall on his birth- cer research, adding, “We need to find
day. His parents, Regina and Eric more cures for childhood cancer. We
Hunter, shared the story of their only have three drugs that were actu-
brave little boy’s fight. ally FDA approved in the last 22 years
just for children. It’s not enough.”
“Today would have been our son
Jackson’s ninth birthday, but he’ll For more information, visit stbal-
dricks.org. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 33

PEOPLE

Jayme and Val Bryan with children Missy Elward and Frank Mannino. Jenesis Skinner with Kristina and Shawn Skinner.
Ireland, Ocean, Princeton and Sparrow.

Kerin and Joyce Vetter.

Dep. Teddy Floyd and Dep. Jessica Ogonoski.

Tamra Zold, Marlon Buggs and Casie Shimansky.
Sorin Popa and AJ Koontz.

34 Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ST. EDWARD’S

Callaghan feasted on St. Ed’s sports smorgasbord

BY RON HOLUB Jane Callaghan. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES school team in eighth grade and I
Correspondent was on the varsity team freshman
come from a football family.” On St. Ed’s middle school team she year. I really liked it, but I wasn’t
When St. Edward’s senior Jane She was mostly assigned to the also got to try a little defense – and too great at it. We had some pretty
Callaghan first ventured into the eventually got a chance to run the good teams during that period and I
world of sports, she quickly dis- trenches during those three years ball, but only when she determined
covered it wasn’t all about thirst- in organized football. Her primary that “everybody was being super didn’t get much playing time.
quenching juice boxes and scrump- specialty was blocking from both nice because I wasn’t very good at “It was also the beginning of high
tious snacks. the tackle and tight end positions. it.”
school and my class schedule was
She became a St. Ed’s Pirate Then came the transition to starting to get tougher. So I gave it
in eighth grade when her family freshman year and some substitu- up. I think now that it was the right
moved here from Wellesley, Mas- tions were in order. move because without a sport in
sachusetts. It was in the fall of that the winter I was able to focus on
first year when she did something “It was nice starting in eighth my classes and exams. Then I was
very few girls her age are likely to grade because I got to meet some of able to pick up another sport in the
do. She joined the middle school the kids and move into high school spring. It was nice to have two sports
football team. with them,” she said. “In high school in high school instead of three.”
I said I’m done playing football. I
“I played in sixth and seventh wanted to replace it with a differ- That spring sport was lacrosse
grade on a league team in Welles- ent sport to make sure I was doing and, even better, the position she
ley, so I wanted to play when I came something during that season. So I gravitated to involved less running
here,” Callaghan told us. “I was the tried cross country. than all of those other sports. Being
only girl on the middle school team more stationary served her well, but
and it was a bit weird, but the boys “I quickly learned that it was very how it came about wasn’t entirely
were really nice. I didn’t feel freaked hot when we started in August. It volu nt a r y.
out by it too much. was tough. I’m not really the best
runner; I’m actually quite bad at it. “Lacrosse became super trendy in
“I really loved football when I was But it was a really fun team envi- my home town, so I started playing
a kid. It was a big part of my life. My ronment. That’s especially true be- in seventh grade and I pursued it ev-
older brother played too, so I kind of cause it was so hot. We were all hav- ery year I was here. On my first team
ing a tough practice or a tough race in seventh grade no one was willing
together. I made a lot of friends. to step up to play goalie. So what we
had to do in each game was rotate –
“Cross country is also a good everyone had to do it at least once.
sport for self-improvement. I was
running with the junior varsity, so “When it was my turn I thought
my times really didn’t matter much it was going to be scary, but it was
for the meets. I tried to improve my actually super fun and super ex-
5K time bit by bit – and I actually hilarating. When the coaches here
saw some slight improvement.” learned of my experience, I was giv-
en the backup role. When the starter
Running was not her forte as she graduated I was the only goalie left.
readily admitted; nevertheless, af-
ter giving up football she stayed “I’ve played other positions, but
with cross country through her se- I’m not great at ball handling, so I
nior year. That left the winter and settled in as goalie.”
spring sports seasons wide open.
Soccer was first up in the winter. Getting peppered in front of the
lacrosse net will cease next Wednes-
“I played soccer a lot when I was day night after the season finale on
growing up. I played for the middle Senior Night. However, she might
still be peppered with a few more
college offers, having already been
accepted at Vermont, Wisconsin,
Washington and UC Santa Cruz.

Callaghan would like to make a
decision by May 1. 

‘LIFE ILLUSTRATED’ EXHIBIT:
GOOCH’S THOUGHTS, FOR ALL TO SEE

36 Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

‘Life Illustrated’ exhibit: Gooch’s thoughts, for all to see

BY ELLEN FISCHER Deborah Gooch.
Columnist
PHOTOS BY KAILA JONES
“It’s my second solo show there,”
says artist Deborah Gooch, remark-
ing on her upcoming exhibition, Life
Illustrated, at the Center for Spiritual
Care in Vero Beach. Featuring recent
paintings, the show will open with
a public reception at the Center on
the evening of April 5 and continues
through April 26.

Gooch has high praise for Carol
Ludwig, the Center’s director, and
Ludwig’s husband Warren Obluck,
who together decide the schedule of
exhibitions that will occupy its rooms
throughout the year.

“I love what they are doing for the
artists’ community,” she says, add-
ing that she is frankly thrilled that
the couple asked her for a return en-
gagement.

“Carol and Warren have such a good
eye for art. Rarely do we artists get that
kind of encouragement,” she says.

As stated on its website, the Center’s
purpose is to help people converse
with God – not only through prayer,

but also by offering them opportuni- “My thoughts are right on the can-
ties to listen for the “still small voice” vas; what I feel is right there for the
within. The website further declares public to see.”
that “the development and apprecia-
tion of creativity is one of the main As expressed in her imagery, Gooch’s
goals of the Center for Spiritual Care.” thoughts are wide open to interpreta-
It fulfills that goal through its gener- tion. You may find that her paintings
ous public offering of creative work- contain a sense of humor that borders
shops, lectures, chamber concerts and on classic clowning, and that is entire-
art exhibitions. ly intentional on the artist’s part. Much
of the imagery in the show comes from
As an artist, Gooch understands the her family photos; she also uses pho-
value of silent contemplation. She ap- tographs that her brother, artist Mark
preciates the prospect of sharing her Kirby, acquired when he worked in es-
art with other seekers, both artist and tate dispersal in Michigan.
non-artist alike.
“When he would find photographs,
“I think I represent the average art- he would send them to me. Especially
ist who works at her craft,” says Gooch. the funny ones,” she says.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 37

ARTS & THEATRE

A painting in her studio of a chap al history. All of the works in Life Illustrated
mounted on an ostrich is a case in Occupying the upper half of the are fresh to the eyes of those who know
point. Gooch’s work, but that does not neces-
composition, the hunkered profile of sarily mean that all of the paintings are
“It’s from a vintage photo. I changed a large white rabbit glows against a brand new. There are many paintings
it a little bit; I just thought it was fasci- patch of dark green background. Be- here that have been reworked, some-
nating. I forgot they used to do ostrich low it are three small bunnies. The times to a degree that totally changed
racing back when.” first of those is an anthropomorphic the representations that came before.
cartoon rabbit, also white. The second
A painting close to home is based on two are images of a human child in a Gooch says that painting over cer-
a 1939 photo of her parents, Janet and bunny costume, compete with a hel- tain of her paintings with which she
Karl. They are seen lying back against met-like hood from which two extra- is dissatisfied or bored is nothing new
the cushions of a sailboat with their long ears sprout. for her.
arms twined about their friend Andy,
a hale young fellow in a pair of belted “That’s my toe-dancing costume, “I find that a bad painting, or a
swim trunks. when I was a kid,” says Gooch, who painting that I stopped at and didn’t
recalls that a pink pajama suit with a finish, often makes a wonderful base
“Here’s the photo I used for that cotton ball tail was pressed into ser- for a new painting.” 
one,” says Gooch. vice for the role.
HOT GLASS
In it, her mother is sticking her The intriguing thing about this
tongue out at the photographer, while work is that Gooch has forced two sep- The Treasure Coast’s largest collection of
Andy grins like a Cheshire cat. arate realities, divided between the contemporary glass and one of America’s
upper and lower halves of the canvas, Coolest Stores, right here in Vero Beach.
Gooch explains that Andy became to coexist in proximity. The top half
a submariner when the U.S. entered of the composition could be said to
World War II. He was killed in action. represent the natural world, while the
bottom half comments on humanity’s
“They were young when this picture efforts to separate itself from nature
was taken,” says Gooch. by lampooning it.

Thinking about how her parents At first glance, it looks as though all
safeguarded the photo all their lives, four rabbits occupy the same compo-
she adds, “I also lost a friend when sitional space in the painting. But the
I was young. I know how that stays forms of the small bunnies neither
with you.” overlap the larger, more naturalisti-
cally painted cottontail, nor rest in
Her painting from the photograph front of it by means of any other artis-
(untitled at the time of this writing) tic convention. Instead, they exist on a
shows nothing but the joy of a long- plane inferior to it.
past moment. Looking at it, you might
wonder if Gooch felt any sadness in
painting it.

“I never knew Andy. I just know my
parents cared about him,” she says.

A moment of reflection later she
says, “I probably haven’t done any-
thing real serious. Maybe because the
act of painting is so serious, I want the
result to put a smile on my face.”

The most dignified portraits Gooch
paints are of animals. At least two
paintings of crows in the Center’s ex-
hibition endow the birds with a natu-
ral poise that is completely lacking in
her depictions of the human animal.

“I try to keep the people comic,”
says Gooch.

A painting titled “No More Toe
Dancing” combines Gooch’s regard
for animals with a snippet of person-

2910 CARDINAL DRIVE, VERO BEACH • 772-234-6711 • THELAUGHINGDOGGALLERY.COM

38 Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

‘Ghost-Writer’: A complex drama for discerning minds

BY PAM HARBAUGH the metaphysical, the disregard of a
Correspondent woman’s own creative voice and, fi-
nally, romantic awakening in an era of
Riverside Theatre turns down the restraint.
volume and ratchets up the intellect in
its production of “Ghost-Writer,” per- In it, handsome and famous author
forming now through April 14 on the Franklin Woolsey hires prim, book-
Waxlax Stage. ish secretary Myra Babbage to type
what he dictates. Her hands fly like
Written by Michael Hollinger, busy bees over the keys. A discussion
“Ghost-Writer” is set in 1919 and ex- of a semi-colon versus a full stop soon
amines a number of themes, includ- ensues, and she becomes immediately
ing: the exacting world of writing, invaluable to the novelist.

Robin Abramson as
Myra Babbage.

PHOTOS BY HOLLY PORCH

“He would provide the words, and I linger’s other plays, including “Opus,”
would provide the punctuation,” she which concerns a string quartet, and
says. “An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand
Boeuf,” which in part concerned Er-
Their relationship richens. Myra nest Hemingway and had a glorious
knows instinctively what he is about production at Riverside Theatre two
to say and will finish his thoughts seasons ago.
on paper before he dictates them. He
stops midsentence and she types out a And if you thought you had to pay
rhythmic sentence, bursting through attention with those two plays, and
his sudden writer’s block. perhaps know a bit about classical
music and literary allusions to reap
Not pleased with this relationship the riches, you’ll have even more to
is Woolsey’s wife Vivian, a woman do here.
with confidence and curves to spare.
Although pleased that Myra is not as As it comes from the point of view
womanly as she, Vivian nevertheless is of Myra, this one-act play turns into
bothered by their special relationship a dramatic etude. The audience must
and assumes a watchful eye. stay alert, read between the lines,
observe the nuances (in lighting and
Hollinger immediately establishes costuming as well), and listen to the
that Woolsey dies and that Myra is eloquent silences. Only then will
speaking to an unseen fourth charac- you cash in on the payoff as the play
ter, a bit evocative of “A Telltale Heart.” eventually accelerates; landing you
And indeed, like that Edgar Allan Poe in the lap of joyful creation and then
classic, this is a mystery, albeit an aus- pulling you back again into proper
tere one. decorum.

It unravels slowly … oh so slowly. As Myra, the petite Robin Abramson
But we do come to learn that she be- is a powerhouse. She maintains the
lieves the author’s spirit dictates to her formality of the period, while sum-
in the quest to finish what will be his moning up an abundant but re-
greatest work. strained emotional core as well as typ-
ing wizardry. (Throughout 90 minutes
But make no mistake, this is not of ultra-fast typing, she jammed the
Noel Coward’s “Blithe Spirit” filled keys of the ancient typewriter only
with an interloping presence. once, but the actors were at the ready
for such an occurrence.)
“What is a ghost but a vivid memory
appearing when we least expect it,” Brian Sutherland brings to the
Myra says. stage a tender, well-rounded portray-
al of Woolsey, turning him into such
What fills this drama is the recol- a romantic soul, yearning, perhaps
lection of the author/secretary/wife finding but never acting on, what is
relationship and the revelation of the in front of him; except, perhaps, in a
power of the creative force all wrapped ghostly form.
up in painful Edwardian restraint.

This deliberate, studied explora-
tion of character is common to Hol-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 39

ARTS & THEATRE

Brian Sutherland as Kim Cozort Kay as
Franklin Woolsey Vivian Woolsey

and Robin Abramson. and Robin Abramson.

Adding necessary conflict is Vivian crafted play and Abramson’s tour de touch will steal your breath away. to what Hollinger refers to as the “pres-
Woolsey, played with understandable force performance. Hollinger said in a recent inter- ence of absence.” It is taut, with pre-
menace by Kim Cozort Kay. Dressed cise, writerly language. And, although
in Anna Hillbery’s feminine cos- Cornell did the same in his care- view with DC Theatre Scene that he it demands careful attention from the
tumes, she brings a sensuous pres- fully drawn, painstakingly executed was inspired to write the play by his audience, “Ghost-Writer” will satisfy
ence to the stage. production of Hollinger’s “An Empty mother’s death in 2006 and how his those who like a more exactly wrought
Plate.” father was adjusting to “the hole that drama that sets the stage for examina-
Director/scenic designer Allen D. my Mom left behind.” He was further tion and discussion.
Cornell sets the production in the Lighting designer Sarah Jean El- influenced by a story about the his-
round, amplifying the idea that the au- liott gives poetry to the pacing here, tory of the typewriter, in which he “Ghost-Writer” runs through April
dience is examining the relationship establishing the sense of a gathering learned about the claim by Henry 14 on the Waxlax Stage at Riverside
and the truth at its core. In his typical storm, which is the story’s central James’ secretary, Theodora Bosan- Theatre, 3250 Riverside Park Dr., Vero
pristine director’s style, he maintains metaphor. Clouds seem to gather quet, that she had finished James’ Beach. Tickets are $55. Call 772-231-
a slow, steady pace to the production, and part in time with Myra’s testi- last book after his death. 6990 or visit RiversideTheatre.com. 
putting at front Hollinger’s carefully mony, as it were, threatening to open
up and pour. Elliott’s final lighting “Ghost-Writer” certainly stays true

500 N. INdIaN RIveR dRIve • FoRt PIeRce, FL • 34950 • 772.465.0630

40 Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

Coming Up: Giddy up to ‘Cowboy Poetry’ at BBQ event

BY SAMANTHA ROHLFING BAITA in G Minor.” This piece, according to
Staff Writer the Museum’s promo, was composed
during a difficult time in Smetana’s
1 The mystique of the American life and is “truly a grandiose and
cowboy is ageless, infused with tragic work that is not nationalistic,
but profoundly personal in inspira-
the romance of an age long gone. You tion.” Dmitri Shostakovich wrote his
magnificent “Piano Trio No. 2 in E
can experience a bit of that timeless Minor” in memory of Ivan Ivanovich
Sollertinsky, artistic director of the
appeal this coming Sunday, April 7, Leningrad Philharmonic, who had a
heart attack and died in 1944 “as the
at the Vero Heritage Center. It’s the orchestra was in evacuation in Sibe-
ria.” Shostakovich wrote to Sollertin-
Laura Riding Jackson Foundation’s sky’s widow that the 41-year-old was
his closest friend and “I owe all my
2019 Poetry BBQ – “Cowboy Poetry.” education to him.” Following this ex-
cellent, heavily dramatic concert, you
As always, this very, very popular can enjoy a wine and cheese reception
with the musicians. The Museum/
event features three reciters. “Master Orchestra’s highly successful partner-
ship is in its 11th season. Time: 3 p.m.
Reciter” describes Montana native Tickets: members, $35; non-members,
$50. 772-231-0707.
Randy Rieman, who, says the event

promo, has performed at the West-

ern Folklife Center National Cowboy

Poetry Gatherings since 1986. Next

up will be singer, reciter and tall-tale

teller Andy Hedges, who hails from

Lubbock, Texas. His saddle bag is

filled with “classic cowboy poetry

recitations, obscure cowboy songs, 3 9th Annual Fairy and Pirate Festival at McKee Botanical Garden this Saturday.

dustbowl ballads and blues.” From

Alpine, Texas, Joel Nelson has per-

formed at lots of major cowboy po- which, by the way, he co-founded. ranch. So – authentic modern-day 3 Mother Nature’s magnificent
Nelson’s a Vietnam vet, custom sad- cowboy. Of course, you know Indian work of art welcomes a bit of
etry festivals, including the afore- dle-maker and top horse trainer. He River County has its own authen-
and his wife rise cattle on their Texas tic cowboy poet, third-generation
mentioned national gathering and rancher and poet laureate Sean Sex- elfin magic. You will find one of the
ton. This unique event includes live
the Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering music, seriously awesome BBQ, wine most beautiful, magical places on
and craft beer. Tickets always go fast
so … check the website. Time: 3 p.m. the Treasure Coast, McKee Botani-
to 7 p.m. Tickets: $25 laurariding-
jackson.org. cal Garden, even more magical this

coming Saturday, April 6. It is the

9th Annual Fairy and Pirate Festival.

There will, of course, be all sorts of

enchanting things to do for the visit-

ing fairies and pirates. But even if you

left your wings at home, McKee is al-

2 If you are a lover of classical pia- ways well worth a visit. As you wan-
no, take note: a pair of “dramatic
der the garden’s serpentine path-

piano trios” comprises the next in- ways through verdant jungle and

stallment of the Vero Beach Museum along sparkling pools and streams,

of Art and Atlantic Classical Orches- you’ll feel body and mind relaxing.

tra’s excellent Chamber Music Series And, this Saturday, you might even

this Sunday, April 7. With Aleksandr run across a wood sprite or two, or a

Zhuk on violin, Ashley Garritson on small swashbuckler. Time: 10 a.m. to

cello and Catherine Lan at the piano, 1 p.m. Tickets: adults, $12; seniors,

you’ll hear Bedrich Smetana’s first un- $11; 3-12, $8; members and children

questionable masterpiece, “Piano Trio under 3, free. 772-794-0601. 

GEORGE PILLORGE

FIGURES, FLOWERS AND FOLIAGE
Show Dates: April 2- April 26

Opening Reception
Friday April 5th, 5-8pm

1911 14th Ave • Vero Beach FL 32960
772.562.5525 • gallery14verobeach.com



42 Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT COVER STORY

BY MAX BEARAK | WASHINGTON POST process is beset by seemingly insur- came to rest in fields or in trees, or were The flooding is estimated to have
mountable obstacles: Countless people eaten by crocodiles. And many of the affected nearly 2 million people in
MAGARO, Mozambique – The smell were not just killed but washed great dead have already been buried by vil- Mozambique, where the official num-
of death hovered in the air by the river. distances from their homes, where they lagers, without being identified first. ber of dead stands at 468. But the ac-
tual death toll from Cyclone Idai may
Stephen Fonseca looked up at a tree never be known.
branch 30 feet above the crocodile-in-
fested water and saw the source of the Fonseca is essentially a one-man
stench – a decomposing body, hanging operation, and he is the only forensi-
upside down, its arms outstretched. cally trained body recovery specialist
working in rural Mozambique in the
Fonseca, the head forensic analyst in aftermath of the cyclone. He came to
Africa for the International Committee Magaro because local reports indi-
of the Red Cross, wasn’t sure whether cated a high body count nearby – 156
the body was that of a man or woman, so far, mostly in the muddy cornfields,
adult or child. But it was clear it had half-covered by debris.
been lodged in the tree in this small
farming village almost two weeks ago by The water is still receding here two
the torrent of water released by Cyclone weeks after the storm, and destruc-
Idai. Rains from the storm engorged tion is everywhere. Cornstalks drape
rivers that burst and then relentlessly power lines, and fields are coated with
rose, turning into tsunamis that raced deep layers of silt. The crest of the
toward the sea, miles wide and taller flood can be measured by the line of
than any building in their paths. mud in treetops.

The work of recovering bodies across Downstream areas closer to the
this vast area has just begun, and the coast are still underwater, meaning ef-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 43

INSIGHT COVER STORY

forts there might not start for weeks, bodies and try to match them with of families that never know for sure if day and a night, and a car carrying re-
when bodies will have almost totally families that are searching. It is a mat- their loved one is dead.” porters was damaged and knocked off
decomposed. ter of showing respect versus having a dirt road by a frightened bull.
dozens, hundreds, maybe thousands The work is arduous. A truck carrying
Looking up at the body in the tree, Fonseca’s team was stuck in mud for a Without a trained dog, Fonseca does
Fonseca lamented that he wouldn’t be the sniffing himself. His nose is par-
able to recover it, let alone identify it. ticularly attuned to the chemical com-
pounds that emanate from a decom-
“Eventually it is going to separate posing body. One waft led to a deflated
and fall once the ligaments loosen up,” carcass of a pig. Another led to a more
he said. “But there’s no way to get it sobering scene.
without someone getting hurt, or fall-
ing to the crocs.” There, locals had recently covered
the body of an unknown person in de-
None of the bodies found in Magaro bris and banana leaves.
and the surrounding areas had been
reported to the national authorities – Fonseca took its coordinates down,
there is no central coordination. And affixed a fluorescent glove to a make-
all but one, the as-yet-unrecoverable shift tombstone and told a crowd of
one in the tree, had already been bur- locals that the body would need to be
ied, many in customary homemade reburied under at least four feet of soil.
bamboo coffins. Otherwise, dogs could dig it up, or a
farmer could accidentally uncover it
“It’s a dilemma,” Fonseca said. “We during the next harvest, or the water
can’t exhume the bodies, because table could rise again and carry it far-
these communities have gone to such ther from wherever it came.
effort to give a dignified burial. But
that means we also can’t identify the CONTINUED ON PAGE 46

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All information herein has been supplied by third parties, and is believed to be accurate but is not guaranteed. We cannot represent that it is accurate or complete. Buyer is advised to verify information to their satisfaction. This offering is subject to errors,
omissions, change in price or withdrawal without notice. Rendering and floor plans are for marketing purposes only and are approximate. All rights reserved, duplication in whole or in part is strictly prohibited. © 2019 John’s Island Real Estate Company.

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46 Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 INSIGHT COVER STORY Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 43 But they recover bodies using their
bare hands and have no equipment.
“The smell is what makes us bury
people quickly,” said Victor Machava, When Fonseca offered Charles ma-
34, a farmer from Magaro. “We know it terial support from the Red Cross, the
is not the best solution. Many people chief was defensive. He said he un-
even from here are missing. People derstood the importance of recover-
here will not accept ‘missing.’ They will ing and identifying bodies.
search forever. So many people will
search forever.” “This disaster happened almost
two weeks ago – of course it would be
Machava had returned to Magaro ideal if we had body bags and gloves,
from a mining job in South Africa but we have to bury the bodies as
one day before the storm hit, simply soon as possible,” he said. “It is the
because, he said, he got an inexplica- dignified thing to do.”
ble bad feeling. In the early morning
hours after the cyclone passed over A local village chief organized 11
his home, the water outside was rising teams of two men to search for more
about an inch a minute, he said. His bodies. The urgency is personal. Peo-
fateful decision saved his family. ple from Magaro, the nearby town
of Dombe and the surrounding area
“It was either stay and die or walk have reported 51 people missing, and
through the rising water,” Machava said. some villages on the banks of the Lu-
“I put one child on each of my shoul- cite River are still unreachable.
ders, held my mother’s hand, and my
two sisters followed behind us.” The teams go out in canoes and
bring back news each day of new
“We lived,” he said. “Many died.” bodies and haphazard burials, said
The storm’s timing was cruel: Idai Basilio Sinalo Charles, Dombe’s chief.
landed on the eve of the harvest. When
the water subsided and survivors re-
turned to their fields, they found the
entirety of their livelihoods ¬ruined.
Many are eating nothing but oranges
from the tops of trees – the only crops
that survived.
Beyond the work by Fonseca’s team,
villagers who survived are carrying out
their own recovery efforts.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 47

INSIGHT COVER STORY

They travel through a landscape out bridges. Malaria and cholera are The people of Magaro are still com- “As soon as the water left our fields,
that would be bucolic if it weren’t for thought to be breeding in the ubiqui- ing to terms with the calamity. we went to see the damage and to look
the destruction wrought by the cy- tous pools of standing water, raising at the river,” said Moises Timei, one of
clone. People are salvaging muddy fears of a second disaster. Drinkable Amid the detritus, they found the Magaro’s survivors. “By that time, you
corn from fields. Communities are water is scarce; a glass offered to a re- bodies of people rendered unrecog- could go to the river and see bodies
disconnected from one another – porter in Dombe was boiled but filled nizable by the rage of the flood. And floating. But they would just keep go-
and from receiving aid – by washed- with little insects. they saw more float down the Lucite
River. ing and going down the river.” 

48 Vero Beach 32963 / April 4, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT OPINION

Two geysers of pent-up wealth may be about to erupt

Everything is coming together this year for house- More Americans might be willing and able to take ple years home price appreciation has been most
holds to shake off their post-recession fears of fi- out a mortgage, considering that the unemploy- rapid in some of the hardest-hit “bubble markets.”
nancial engineering. The question is whether they ment rate is lower and wage growth is a fair amount
will once again embrace debt and leverage. higher than it was when interest rates were at simi- For instance, Las Vegas currently has the fastest
lar levels in 2017. home price growth of any market tracked by the
One catalyst for a wave of spending and borrow- Case-Shiller Index, and since the end of 2016 home
ing is the potential of a record year for initial public Those two catalysts could drive up home values. prices in the Las Vegas market are up 22 percent. A
offerings as large numbers of private tech compa- That would have much larger ripples if homeown- lot of homeowners who may have been underwater
nies like Lyft and Uber finally hit the public markets. ers revert to an “old normal,” being opportunistic or only had a little bit of home equity when interest
about home equity and interest rates to treat their rates were at current levels in 2017 now have a sig-
Companies are looking to go public not just be- homes as vehicles for financial engineering. nificant amount of equity they can tap.
cause the timing is right in the evolution of their
companies, or just because market conditions are The balance sheets of homeowners in the aggre- If we really are at the end of a cycle of interest
favorable, but also because to some extent because gate have improved significantly since the depths of rate increases, whether it be for economic or politi-
there’s a herd effect once a few noteworthy compa- the housing bust. Home equity percentage levels are cal reasons, it makes a lot of sense for homeowners
nies start to go public. at 16-year highs. While in the early years of the hous- with equity to start thinking about refinancing or
ing recovery, the improvement was mostly in coastal, taking cash out of their homes.
Employees of these companies will finally be able particularly West Coast, markets, over the past cou-
to unlock the wealth they have that’s been tied up Sound familiar? It certainly could lead to a return
in private tech companies for years. Between the to bubble-era behaviors, with reckless mortgage
actual IPOs and the expiration of lockup periods fraud or using cash-out refinancings to buy boats.
months down the road, this will mean tens of bil- But for a lot of households doing a cash-out refi
lions of dollars of buying power for insiders of those makes a lot of sense. Like with many things, a be-
companies. havior in moderation can be prudent while excess is
what gets you into trouble.
A lot of that will be leveraged as tech workers use
their IPO gains as down payments to buy houses Maybe households have some high-cost credit
with huge mortgages. Significant chunks will go into card debt or need to replace a family car, and by tap-
wealth management and other financial services ping home equity they’re able to restructure their
products. debt or free up cash to buy a car.

The effect may be concentrated in the San Fran- Depending upon what their current mortgage rate
cisco Bay Area, where many of these companies is and how long they’ve been paying their mortgage,
are located, but there will be second-order effects they might be able to refinance into a new 30-year
– like retirees selling their homes to tech workers mortgage with the same monthly payment as they cur-
and moving to cheaper pastures – as well as some rently have. The further we get from the financial crisis
employees cashing out and moving to other metros and as memories of that era fade, the more homeown-
where housing is more affordable. ers will be receptive to these types of scenarios.

The second catalyst is the continued plunge in in- Even as a large part of the economic story this de-
terest rates. The 10-year Treasury rate is now down cade has been a rise in private tech company valu-
to levels it hasn’t seen since 2017, and mortgage ations and a recovery in home prices, we generally
rates are dropping below 4 percent. haven’t seen either store of wealth tapped by house-
holds. In 2019, we finally may.
This is the perfect environment for the housing
market as we enter the heart of the spring buy- That could be what allows U.S. economic growth
ing season, and in their earnings reports last week
homebuilders KB Homes and Lennar both said they to continue. 
were optimistic about the impact lower rates would
have on the market. This column by Conor Sen appeared first on Bloom-
berg. It does not necessarily reflect the views of Vero
Beach 32963.

SKIN CANCER, PART III licles. Sometimes resembling noncancerous skin conditions such as © 2019 VERO BEACH 32963 MEDIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
psoriasis or eczema, BCC often appears as an open sore, red patch,
Last time we began a discussion on actinic keratosis (AK), a poten- pink growth, shiny bump or scar. A combination of both long-term
tially precancerous skin condition that, if not treated, can develop sun exposure over a lifetime and several extended, intense expo-
into squamous cell carcinoma. AKs are usually white scaly, rough sures, typically causing a sunburn, can lead to BCC.
areas of skin that may have a slightly pink base. Almost all BCCs occur on parts of the body excessively exposed
As AKs begin to develop they may be so small they cannot be seen. to the sun – especially the face, ears, neck, scalp, shoulders
They can usually be felt, however, feeling like a tiny piece of sand- and back.
paper to the touch. AKs usually grow slowly and reach a size from
an eighth to a quarter of an inch. They sometimes disappear and RISK FACTORS
then reappear. The lesions may occasionally itch or produce a prick-
ing or tender sensation, can become inflamed, surrounded in red- � A history of sun exposure
ness and, in rare instance, bleed. � Fair skin, blond or red hair and blue, green or grey eyes
To prevent them from becoming cancer, AKs are usually removed � Genetic predisposition
by surgery, cryotherapy, dermabrasion or photodynamic therapy or � Increased age (however, average age at onset is steadily
treated by topical anti-tumor medication, chemotherapy and non- decreasing with more people in their 20s and 30s being
steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and/or chemical peels, freezing diagnosed)
or tissue scraping. To protect yourself from AK, limit exposure to � Male (although more women are developing BCCs than in
the sun’s UV rays and use sunscreen SPF 15 or greater. And stay the past)
away from tanning machines. � Repetitive work/leisure time exposure to sun
Fortunately, BCCs hardly ever metastasize (spread) beyond
THREE MAIN TYPES OF SKIN CANCER the original lesion. However, in very rare cases they can
spread to other parts of the body and become life-threatening.
The three main types of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma, squa-
mous cell carcinoma and melanoma. Each kind has many different DIAGNOSIS
appearances.
The only way to confirm the diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma is
BASAL CELL CARCINOMA (BCC) by biopsy. The physician will numb the skin with a local anesthetic
and take a sample of tissue. The sample is sent to a pathologist
Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common type of skin to examine under a microscope. If BCC is confirmed, treatment is
cancer, with more than 4 million cases diagnosed in the U.S. required.
each year.
BCCs arise in the skin’s basal cells found in the outermost layer of – To be continued –
the skin, the epidermis, as well as from basal cells along the hair fol- Your comments and suggestions for future topics are always
welcome. Email us at [email protected].

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BOOK REVIEW

Picture Gen. George Washington. Do you see him no military leader for the emerging rebellion. So warship easily dispatched agents to sound out the lo-
looking into the middle distance with a firm Rush- when Washington sauntered into the Second Con- cal soldiers in the taverns and offer good money and
more stare? Or is he cutting that slightly judgmental tinental Congress in a hand-stitched general’s uni- land for anyone who’d flipped sides. And the deal was
side-eye on the one dollar bill? Is he standing? In a form, everyone noticed. excellent – a lump of cash up front and 100 acres of
boat? Seated before a parchment? Now picture one land later. Because the Britons were widely favored at
of his most trusted soldiers stepping up behind him Washington had been a captain in the British forces this point, men were flipping everywhere.
and shooting him in the head. but that was decades ago and so it was odd when he
walked in, essentially in DIY military drag. But John Washington was protected in those early days by
According to Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch’s Adams took note and thought, ah, yes, you can play what was quietly called the Life Guards, a few dozen
book, “The First Conspiracy,” new historical evi- the commander. A vote was taken and Washington men selected by his most trusted generals. Still, the
dence reveals that an assassination plot organized by didn’t find out he was a general until a passing del- men assigned by Tryon to lure colonial soldiers found
British officials very nearly succeeded in eliminating egate on the street greeted him with a snappy salute. a few members of this elite unit who agreed to turn
Washington and, in all likelihood, ending the inde- on Washington and set him up.
pendence movement in its earliest days. The story Washington had a thing about appearances, and
unfolds in late 1775 and the first half of 1776, and one the presidential tradition of caring so deeply about The thing about a conspiracy story like this, of
of the unexpected pleasures of digging into this story public relations probably began during Washing- course, is that we know the ending. We know they
is learning just how conditional and feeble the early ton’s military leadership. As the fighting started, he’d don’t kill Washington. So, this book is not a whodunit.
revolution was. Mistakes were made. A lot of them. travel in a wagon with his troops but when they got It’s not even a howtheydunit. It’s a howtheydidn’tdoit
And by Washington himself. to town, he’d hop on his steed and canter to the front – a less common genre, but think of the story of Apol-
of the line. He’d publish his orders sometimes in the lo 13 not getting to the moon. It’s still a breathless tale.
The story of the conspiracy Meltzer and Mensch local papers so that they nearly served as news re-
tell here begins when both Washington and the idea leases. And the pages do fly by as we learn that three of
of a new nation were in remarkable danger. In fact, Washington’s closest advisers form something called
from the jump, America was a hot mess. There was But even as he constructed a revolutionary leader- the Secret Committee: John Jay, Philip Livingston
ship based on his stateliness and public presentation, and Gouverneur Morris (not a title, by the way, just
the cold reality of the coming war quickly grew dire. the waspiest first name ever). “This committee is a
Washington had control of Manhattan for now, but a small early prototype of an intelligence agency,” the
massive contingent of the fearsome British navy was authors write, “a team dedicated entirely to gather-
in Nova Scotia, destined to sail south. William Tryon, ing information, identifying dangerous parties, and
the exiled British governor of New York, was in a war uncovering hostile plots.” They quickly get wind of a
ship anchored off Brooklyn. The authors practically vague conspiracy. One jail snitch tells them that he
take us on board as we watch Tryon manage numer- barely overheard some traitors talking about a key
ous plots with double agents in the city who’d sneak figure in all this named Horbush. Other suspects
out in boats at night. emerge and another important player, a gunsmith
named Forbes.
From the British perspective, the possibility of
quickly crushing this rebellion looked pretty good. All of this work is happening as a kind of ticking
The colonial army was mostly a bunch of un- clock carries the reader forward. The conspiracy be-
trained farmers’ kids who had come to New York gins to seriously unravel in mid-June 1776, with the
like teenagers arriving at college. They hit the tav- most famous day in American history only weeks
erns and brothels often. And street brawls broke out away, so there is a “Mission Impossible” sense that
constantly. The regional and political differences everything will be coming together in some unlikely
among these soldiers were incredibly divisive. An way. And even though you know what you know, the
earlier mustering of Virginians and Massachusetts
fighters at Harvard Yard in Cambridge turned into a suspense keeps ratcheting. 
thousand-man riot that required Washington to gal-
lop into the melee to shut it down. Meanwhile, if the THE FIRST CONSPIRACY
pox wasn’t felling the men, syphilis and the bloody
flux (dysentery) were. THE SECRET PLOT TO KILL GEORGE WASHINGTON

Amid illness, debauchery and chaos, Tryon in his BY BRAD MELTZER AND JOSH MENSCH | FLATIRON. 413 PP. $29.99
REVIEW BY JACK HITT, THE WASHINGTON POST

COMING ATTRACTIONS! RECOMMENDED CHILDREN’S BOOKS AND VERO BEACH BEST SELLERS

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from 11 am until 1 pm
presents
WHEN WE LEFT CUBA Spring Open House with

A Novel PETER RABBIT

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