01/13/2022 Issue 02

Improved carpal tunnel surgery
means faster recovery. P54
Talent makes presence felt
at ‘Art by the Sea.’ P26
COVID spreading at faster

rate among school personnel. P10

For breaking news visit

MY VERO New year starts with 2 of our heroes missing Covid surge
closes iconic
BY RAY MCNULTY Ellie McCabe: She liked to find things that Tom Segura: He worked unbelievably hard to restaurants
were missing in our world, and fill the gap see our hospital remained vibrant, and grew
Tax collector sees no BY LISA ZAHNER
problem with cronyism BY MARY SCHENKEL BY MARY SCHENKEL Staff Writer
Staff Writer Staff Writer
One of the endearing and New COVID-19 infections
annoying characteristics of When Eleonora “Ellie” Wahlstrom Mc- Thomas N. Segura, who died Dec. 29 at more than doubled again this
journalists, especially those of Cabe, one of Vero’s most prominent phi- 74, will be remembered as a champion of past week – setting a seven-
us who’ve embraced our pro- lanthropists, passed away on Dec. 26 at the community he loved, especially as it day pandemic record with
fession for decades, is that we age 87, she left behind a legacy of compas- related to our local hospital, the Visiting 1,407 new cases – and at least
tend to question almost ev- two iconic Ocean Drive restau-
erything. CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 rants had to close temporarily
due to staffing shortages.
We can see something as
seemingly innocent as a digi- Both the Ocean Grill in Sex-
tal Christmas card from the ton Plaza and Waldo’s Restau-
county’s longtime Tax Collec- rant at the Driftwood Resort
tor, and find reasons to be cu- closed for nearly a week, citing
rious. COVID-19 precautions as the
cause.
That’s exactly what happened
here after Carole Jean Jordan Waldo’s posted on social
posted on her agency’s Face- media on Jan. 4, “Ok friends
book page last month a pho- of Waldo’s. Unfortunately we
tograph of a beachside scene will be closed until Monday
emblazoned with the message, January 10th. We had several
“Happy Holidays from the Tax of our employees test posi-
Collector of Indian River Coun- tive for Covid. So in the over
ty and EverGreen Media.” abundance of caution for our
employees and guests we will
The post included a caption be closed until then. Please
that read: “Wishing Everyone keep us in your thoughts and
a Wonderful and Safe Holiday see you on the 10th.”
Season & Merry Christmas to
all.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

It was, without question, a
nice gesture from Jordan, who
said she plans to seek a fifth
term in 2024.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Dale Sorensen Real Estate tops $1B for new record here Riverfront plan set for key Council vote

BY STEVEN M. THOMAS Dale Sorensen Sr. stone that company found- BY LISA ZAHNER sions of the layout, Vero Beach’s
Staff Writer er Dale Sorensen Sr. never Staff Writer Three Corners Master Concept
thought he would see. Plan for the riverfront util-
Dale Sorensen Real Estate After more than two years ity sites is scheduled for a City
sold more than $1 billion worth From Jan. 1 to the moment of public input, design char- Council vote next Tuesday.
of property in Indian River the ball dropped in Times rettes, committee meetings
County last year, a sales mile- Square bringing pandemic and several competing ver- The latest iteration of the

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

PHOTO BY KAILA JONES

January 13, 2022 Volume 15, Issue 2 Newsstand Price $1.00 Kids join in the fun
at Quail Valley
News 1-14 Editorial 36 People 15-30 TO ADVERTISE CALL Charities 5K. P16
Arts 43-52 Games 39-41 Pets 71 772-559-4187
Books 38 Health 53-60 Real Estate 75-88
Dining 66-70 Insight 31-42 Style 62-65 FOR CIRCULATION
CALL 772-226-7925

© 2022 Vero Beach 32963 Media LLC. All rights reserved.

2 Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

My Vero Which led to my next question: Why Facebook page, as well as access to led to more-pressing and potentially
was our Tax Collector’s Office using its free public service announcements more-unpleasant questions that need-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Facebook page to promote EverGreen – need to pay an advertising agency ed to be asked.
Media, a local advertising agency? nearly $24,000 for a year’s worth of
But it also made me wonder: Why services? Before I get to them, though, Jordan
was EverGreen Media included in the Which eventually prompted me to explained that she contracted with Ev-
Tax Collector’s holiday greetings? ask: Why does the Tax Collector’s Of- So I called Jordan. erGreen to help keep the community
fice – which has its own website and That call, as you might’ve guessed, informed about the services her office

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 3

NEWS

offers, such as tax bills, vehicle and on EverGreen’s performance – should works in the Tax Collector’s Vero West In Florida, constitutional officers
boat registrations, and driver’s license be viewed as something positive. branch office. have the authority to write their own
testing and renewal. policy manuals, so Jordan didn’t do any-
“In my opinion, it makes sure they Jordan said she’s “very pleased” to thing statutorily illegal when she hired
“They do the same things we nor- do the very best job for us,” Jordan have Powell working in her office, her executive assistant’s granddaughter
mally do, but they’re professionals and said, “because Arita doesn’t want to and that Powell receives “no special and the advertising agency co-owned
they’re better at it than we would be,” disappoint or embarrass her moth- treatment” from management. by her executive assistant’s daughter.
Jordan said, citing EverGreen’s script- er.”
writing skills, production of podcasts “She started out like everyone else,” As for whether she did something
and other advertising expertise, as She feels the same way about one of Jordan said, adding, “Ashlyn is the one that doesn’t smell quite right, that’s a
well as studio availability. Espich’s granddaughters, Ashlyn Pow- who takes the hit, because she needs
ell, who Jordan hired in 2020 and now to keep her grandmother happy.” question you’ll have to ask yourself. 
“I feel having that professionalism
is important, especially with every-
thing that’s gone on the past couple
of years,” she added. “We need to let
people know how we’re there to serve
them during the pandemic with our
appointment system, drive-through
service, and at our branch offices.

“They’re very on top of communica-
tions in this day and age, and they’re
helping us get our message out.”

Jordan said she previously relied on
Vero Beach-based Treasure & Space
Coast Radio, which owns several lo-
cal radio stations, to provide similar
services in past years, but she was
impressed by EverGreen’s “young, en-
ergetic, IT-savvy, millennial spin” on
marketing when the company’s own-
ers approached her last year.

EverGreen is owned by Julie Lilliqu-
ist, Arita Koehn and Kimberly Kriske,
and on the company’s website they
describe themselves as “three creative
boss ladies” with “diverse energies”
and “passion” for their work.

“This is NOT your grandma’s adver-
tising agency,” EverGreen heralds on
its website.

One of the advertising agency’s
owners, however, is the daughter of
Jordan’s executive assistant, Adria Es-
pich – which brings me back to one of
those more-unpleasant questions.

Such as: Did the fact that Espich and
Koehn are mother and daughter influ-
ence Jordan’s decision in September
to hire EverGreen, only months after
the company was created?

And: If so, did Jordan do anything
wrong?

Jordan said she sees no nepotism
issues related to her throwing some
business to EverGreen, though she
admitted that Koehn being Espich’s
daughter made her aware the com-
pany was in business and interested
in providing its advertising and mar-
keting services to the Tax Collector’s
Office.

She also pointed out that Koehn,
along with Lilliquist and Kriske, pre-
viously worked together at Treasure &
Space Coast Radio, so she was familiar
with them.

“I know Arita and knew of the com-
pany, but they initiated things,” Jor-
dan said. “They came to us and gave a
proposal, and we liked what we saw.”

Besides, she added, the mother-
daughter relationship between Espich
and Koehn – and its potential impact

4 Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Ellie McCabe pose, remains an inspiration and guide-
post for me in my work around mental
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 health and other entrenched problems
in our community,” said Kahle.
sion that has touched every corner of
the county, from the renowned arts “She was inclusive and gently exact-
organizations on the barrier island to ing. She believed that you were abso-
underserved individuals and agencies lutely capable of contributing to the
throughout the county. solution, and she had no doubt that
you would rise to the occasion. Her
McCabe always said that she inherit- faith in individuals, combined with the
ed a “moral responsibility to give back joy and purpose with which she ap-
philanthropically” from her parents, proached this difficult work, inspired
Magnus and Agnes Wahlstrom, who in and sustained great dedication and ac-
1956 established the Wahlstrom Foun- tion,” added Kahle.
dation in Bridgeport, Conn.
Lenora Ritchie served for 17 years
Upon the death of her father, she as- as executive director of the McCabe
sumed leadership of the foundation, Foundation, and even afterward, Mc-
and in 2003 it became The Robert F. Cabe always said that they were “still
and Eleonora W. McCabe Foundation. actually glued at the hip and the heart.”
McCabe was predeceased by her be-
loved husband, Bob, in April 2020. Ritchie said that although McCabe
was proud of all her work, bringing
Their foundation was dissolved the University of Florida Psychiatric
April 2017, but its philanthropy con- and Addiction Center to Vero Beach in
tinues through a donor-advised fund 2009 was “a crowning moment.”
and the Fund for Better Mental Health
in Indian River County endowment, “We raised $2 million from philan-
both held by the Indian River Com- thropists in the community to start
munity Foundation. the center and then she endowed the
professorship that got the doctor here,
At the time of the McCabe Founda- and the doctor is in perpetuity. They
tion’s dissolution, McCabe said, “Al- don’t always have to have the UF Cen-
though we were never a large foun- ter here, but they always have to have
dation, our community impact far a doctor here,” said Ritchie.
surpassed our asset size. I am filled
with pride when I think about the or- “Ellie was so courageous, and when
ganizations, initiatives and projects we you think of her, you probably don’t
helped over the years.” think of her as being courageous. But
she truly was not afraid to try really
An understatement, to say the least. difficult things. And whatever we did,
Her most lasting legacy over nearly we were going to make things better.
five decades of philanthropy to the She instilled so much confidence in
community was in the area of men- the people she worked with because of
tal health initiatives, to which she de- that,” said Ritchie.
voted her life after the tragic suicide of
her son Roy in 1999. “It was that Swedish heritage. Her
“She dedicated her life and her phi- father was such a hardworking Swed-
lanthropy to mental health,” said Ann ish immigrant. He did really well for
Marie McCrystal, her friend of 48 years. himself in America, and he gave back
“She was generous to other needs, but just as hard. And that’s what Ellie did,
her concentration was mental health. and I think that’s what this community
That is her enduring legacy.” benefited from,” said Ritchie.
In 2004, McCabe was instrumental
in bringing together healthcare pro- “She was a very linear thinker, and I al-
fessionals, members of the judiciary, ways knew we were getting somewhere
school district, law enforcement, the when she said, ‘OK, what’s step one?’
United Way, and other agencies to es- She was never as happy as when she had
tablish the Mental Health Collaborative a project, and she liked to start things
of Indian River County. McCabe said of from scratch,” said Ritchie. “She really
its creation, “Building from the ground liked to find things that were missing in
floor a continuum of services in a frac- the world and fill the gap. What brought
tured and confusing healthcare system her joy was creating new things.”
has been our calling and passion.”
“Ellie always recognized the value of One of those was the McCabe Con-
bringing leaders from across various nection Center, which Kahle said “will
disciplines and professions together to always be guided by her beautiful,
tackle entrenched community prob- resilient spirit. McCabe funded the
lems,” said Lisa Kahle, who worked as center, which grew out of the Collab-
the Mental Health Collaborative pro- orative, as a hub to connect people
gram administrator from 2010-2016, needing services with the providers
and currently serves as its board chair. that offer them.”
“Understanding the deep personal
pain and loss Ellie had endured, the fact Another was the Funders Forum,
that she remained undaunted and hope- which McCabe and the late Richard
ful, and worked with such joy and pur- Stark formulated in 1992.

“She felt there were people coming
to the island who had no idea what the
needs were. And she felt that they need-
ed to have a place to go to say, ‘Look, I

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 5

NEWS

would like to do something here in the join, and they discussed the needs. And penditures. That foundation has since tive she established to educate women
community philanthropically. What are she brought in organizations to pres- granted more than $13 million. about finances and philanthropy.
the options?’” said McCrystal. ent their needs,” said McCrystal.
She also provided incubator space Another organization to use her in-
“She was very in-tune, astute and In 1999, McCabe established the at the McCabe Foundation offices to cubation space was the Indian River
aware; intuitive about what needed to John’s Island Foundation after learn- such start up organizations as Indian County Community Foundation, es-
be done. So, she put together that group ing that there were no funders assist- River Impact 100, which evolved out tablished in 2008. Rick McDermott
of philanthropists, invited people to ing nonprofits with their capital ex- of the Women and Philanthropy initia-
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

6 Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Ellie McCabe “There was nothing that was going had served as a trustee on the Indian in the 1980s and early 1990s and who
to stop Ellie once she put her mind to River County Hospital District board. contributed greatly to the develop-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 it,” said McCrystal. “She made such ment of top-notch institutions, such
a difference in this community; she “He knew healthcare in the com- as the theater, museum, hospital and
said that to raise funding for initial ex- made an impact, and she left a legacy munity; he gave great wisdom, great numerous nonprofit organizations.
penses, he approached 50 people and leadership and great thought. His
asked them to contribute $5,000 a year that will continue. It will never die.”  personal involvement at the VNA was “This town has been transformed be-
for five years. incredible; he was so bright,” said Mc- cause of people who arrived here like
Tom Segura Crystal. “My husband (Dr. Hugh Mc- Tom did, who looked around and said,
“I went to Ellie and Bob and said, out Crystal) and Tom had lunch once a ‘OK, what can I do to help?’ We owe
of respect for you, I’d like you to be the CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 month at Quail Valley, just to catch up. those people a huge debt of gratitude,”
first to say yes and she said, ‘Done.’ So, And Tom always called my husband said Moore.
she was the first person to become a Nurse Association, and the United ‘Chief’ because Hugh was chief of staff
founder of the Community Foundation, Way of Indian River County. when Tom was on the board.” At the February 2020 Leukemia &
which now is coming up to close to $100 Lymphoma Society’s annual Paint the
million in funds,” said McDermott. A proud Marine, Segura served in John Moore said he met Segura when Town Red gala at Quail Valley River
Vietnam and moved to Vero Beach they were neighbors in Castaway Cove. Club, Segura was named the year’s
Among her numerous contribu- from Ohio in 1993, where he contin- Honored Warrior for his strength and
tions to the arts, McCabe headed a ued his career with Merrill Lynch as a “We discovered that we had so much determination in his fight against mul-
successful capital campaign in 1983 to wealth manager and vice president. in common: raised Catholic, Catholic tiple myeloma, which began shortly
build what is today theVero Beach Mu- colleges, both practicing our faith and after his retirement from Merrill Lynch.
seum of Art. In 1986, while serving as “He was loving, and he was so de- working in allied fields. I’m doing es-
its board chair, she started the Chair- voted to family and community,” said tate planning, he was doing financial After his retirement, Segura served
man’s Club, which has since expanded Ann Marie McCrystal, who recruited advising, so we’re working with the on the VNA board, a post he held until
to multiple levels. At this year’s annual him to join the board of the VNA in same people all the time. So that be-
dinner, VBMA chief executive officer 2019, following his time on the board gan our friendship,” said Moore. his untimely death. 
Brady Roberts said those member- of the Indian River Medical Center.
ships now account for one quarter of Even when the Moore family moved Riverfront plan
the museum’s operating revenue. Segura served for 10 years on the away, they would still meet met for
IRMC board, including as treasurer, dinner, “always two orders of ‘shrimp CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Riverside Theatre was also privy vice chairman and chairman, presid- on the barbie’ at Outback Steakhouse.”
to her generosity, including in 1991 ing during a time in which the hospital plan, tweaked in December by archi-
when she donated funds in memory of experienced great growth, with the de- “He was very proud of our hospital. tect Andres Duany of DPZ CoDesign,
her mother for the Agnes Wahlstrom velopment of the Scully-Welsh Cancer He worked unbelievably hard to make made the rounds last week before the
Youth Playhouse, which became the Center and the Welsh Heart Center. sure that institution remained vibrant Vero Beach Planning and Zoning Board
home of Riverside Children’s Theatre. and grew,” said Moore, who had also and the Three Corners Steering Com-
Prior to the hospital board, Segura served as a Hospital District trustee mittee, which was assembled for one
and kept abreast of hospital issues purpose – to produce a plan that the
(772) 231-5800 through Segura. council and city voters could support.

Raymond James Welcomes “He was a great mentor, friend, coun- A 75-word referendum explaining
Sarah Mitchell selor and advisor to me, particularly the Master Concept Plan is expected
to our team! with parenting,” said Moore, whose to go on the November ballot. That ref-
children were about 10 years younger erendum is needed because the power
Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. than Segura’s. “It was great, having peo- plant property is protected by the city
ple that you trust who were running charter and the voters’ OK is required
4733 N. Hwy A1A, Suite 303 (Pelican Plaza) this road 10 years ahead of you. to execute a 99-year land lease with a
Vero Beach, FL 32963 developer to construct an upscale ho-
“A lot of our talks, really, were about tel, restaurants and retail buildings.
www.raymondjames.com/verobeachwealthmanagement faith, and how does one going about
living the faith in these roles as father, The next step, should the Vero City
Branch Associate Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. and advisor to clients, and serving the Council approve the plan, is to mar-
Investment Advisory Services are offered through Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. community. That was actually a very, ket it to developers via a Request for
very important and consistent theme. Information process. City staff and
What does God expect of us and how do consultants will research the respond-
we best do that? That was a remarkable ing developers and pre-qualify them
touchstone for us over the years,” said based upon the success of past proj-
Moore. “It was a beautiful friendship.”
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
Moore considered Segura as part of
the cadre of people who arrived here



8 Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Riverfront plan Monte and I we’ve spoken to over a the city receives. Big Blue is 65 feet cept Plan. Perhaps the pandemic dis-
dozen developers and there are three high, and if the building stays in place, tracted local residents from the issue,
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 who would be a good fit for the proj- the developer can build up to 65 feet. or maybe a portion of the voters only
ect, who have good-quality develop- “If not, the maximum elevation for engage when they feel an important
ects, resources and financial stability. ment,” he said. that zoning is 50 feet,” Jeffries said. decision is imminent.
Only pre-qualified developers will be
eligible to submit formal proposals. Certain key elements are not ne- The current plan includes a skate But the next 10 months will be an
gotiable, like the “central park” with park, a chapel-like meeting space for opportunity for the city to educate
Though a developer will not be se- open, green space and a water feature, weddings and events, day or overnight people on the plan. Tax dollars cannot
lected until after passage of the refer- and the riverfront promenade. “We dock space, an outdoor amphitheater be used to promote a “yes” vote on the
endum, Planning and Development can be flexible in the design but we for concerts and festivals, and recreation referendum, but city officials can give
Director Jason Jeffries said, “the final want to make sure that essential fea- areas such as a sand volleyball court. the plan exposure without advocating
design must be substantially consis- tures are retained,” Jeffries said. an outcome.
tent with Master Concept Plan.” During the Three Corners Steering
The city would prefer that the devel- Committee meeting last week, mem- County Commissioner Laura Moss,
Even without a major push to mar- oper incorporate the Big Blue power bers of the public emerged who had a non-voting member of the steering
ket the plan, Jeffries said the city has plant structure into the new hotel, but not participated in the two-year pro- committee and liaison with the county,
some promising leads. “Between that will depend upon the proposals cess of fleshing out the Master Con- wanted to make sure that any prospec-
tive developers know that the retail and
CRISTELLE CAY restaurants should not directly com-
pete with downtown and Ocean Drive
One must not wait until dusk to see how splendid life can be businesses. She was also concerned
about where people would park, and
Oceanfront Cristelle Cay is entirely surrounded by preserves in perpetuity that whatever marine features were
Find matchless quality and value in a wide pristine beach setting proposed would work in tandem with
Each condominium has a 32’ x 8’ direct oceanfront patio balcony the city’s Marina Master Plan.

All windows and sliding glass doors exceed the Florida Building Code Several different areas are possible
Custom design ceilings~Marble Bathrooms~Engineered wood floors~Painting parking sites, including the Old Postal
Annex parcel on the southwest corner
Custom Gourmet Kitchen of 17th Street and Indian River Boule-
9-unit SAILFISH has three 3-bedroom & 3-bathroom condos remaining vard, but using that land for parking
12-unit MAHI-MAHI has five 2-bedroom & 3-bathroom condos remaining would mean building an overpass for
Garage parking - AC storage units - Gym - Gated Entry - Dog Walk - Barbecue pedestrian safety. Other possible uses
for the Old Postal Annex property in-
Design-Developed by Cardinal Ocean Development LLC clude a grocery or other retail store.
52-years Florida oceanfront condominium development
One big question that remains is
Peer-reviewed engineering integrity whether people will eventually live in
any part of the riverfront development.
Now Under Construction “We’re still open to some residential
component with the hotel,” Jeffries said,
4804 Atlantic Beach Boulevard (A1A) North Hutchinson Island, Florida explaining that a developer might want
Fifteen minutes south of Vero Beach 17th Street Bridge to build a condo-tel similar to Kimp-
Email: [email protected] Tel: 772.321.9590 ton’s Vero Beach Hotel and Spa, where
from $1,025,000 individuals would own the units and
then rent them to the traveling public.
60% Sold
Moss, who is a former Vero mayor,
Sailfish Mahi Mahi expressed her opposition to residential
development on the site, saying, “Once
people live there, it becomes theirs,
and this is for everyone.” Vero Council-
woman Honey Minuse has previously
opposed residential development in
the riverfront development as well.

Jeffries told the Vero Planning and
Zoning Board that there will be plenty of
opportunities for local input into what
is ultimately built on the riverfront. The
city must update its comprehensive
plan to include the new development,
and re-zone the parcel for the proposed
uses. The plans for each structure will
also be thoroughly reviewed for adher-
ence to city building code.

“After the RFP and the developer is
chosen, the development would still
go before the regular site plan pro-
cess. Now that it’s going through this
process this board is going to be very
involved,” he said.

The Vero Beach City Council meets
at 9 a.m. Tuesday at City Hall in council
chambers. The meeting is televised on
public access Channel 13 and available

on live stream at www.covb.org. 



10 Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

COVID surge ant surge last fall, cases topped out at grounds from the 77th Street entrance ture of patients admitted for COVID-19
1,320 in one week, so this week’s re- and follow the assigned traffic pattern illness, Cleveland Clinic Indian River
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 cord is nearly 7 percent higher than to obtain their test,” county spokes- Hospital last week announced, “We’re
our worst week so far in the 22 months. person Kathleen Forst said. continuing to see more people with
The Ocean Grill posted a similar no- COVID-19 who need to be hospitalized
tice, saying, “Due to staffing shortages The hike in cases, coupled with a spike “The tests are no cost to patients across our Ohio and Florida hospitals.
and the recent rise in COVID cases, The in demand for COVID tests, prompted and appointments are strongly recom- To make sure we have space available
Ocean Grill has decided to close until the Indian River County Health Depart- mended. To schedule an appointment, for these patients, we’re postponing
Tuesday, January 11th to protect our ment to move its drive-through testing visit cur.tv/verobeach. Individuals who non-urgent surgeries through Jan. 21 at
employees and customers.” site back to the Indian River County would like to receive a COVID-19 test our Florida hospitals.
Fairgrounds to accommodate growing should bring a form of identification
Patrons of both restaurants respond- lines of people. (driver’s license, passport, etc.) and “Essential and urgent surgeries will still
ed to the Facebook notices with well wear a facemask,” Forst said. be scheduled, as well as cancer, pediatric
wishes for the staff, and with apprecia- The fairgrounds testing site at 7955 and transplant surgeries. At this time, we
tion for their honesty and the efforts to 58th Avenue is open from 9 a.m. to 5 As of the most recent Florida Depart- are still continuing with surgeries at our
keep everyone safe. p.m. daily, but there’s no entry via 58th ment of Health report, 75 percent of In- ambulatory surgery centers and ambula-
Avenue. “Those individuals requiring dian River County residents age 5 and tory endoscopy centers. We will directly
During the height of the Delta vari- a COVID-19 test must enter the Fair- older have now been vaccinated against contact patients whose surgeries are be-
the novel coronavirus. ing postponed,” the hospital said.

Twenty people were hospitalized with State health officials attribute early
COVID-19 last week, according to the treatment with monoclonal antibodies
Centers for Disease Control and Preven- as helping reduce hospitalizations in
tion’s COVID Data Tracker. That’s up 54 Florida. The closest treatment site for
percent from 13 hospitalizations the pre- local residents to receive Regeneron or
vious week, and it represents 3 percent of similar monoclonal antibody shots is
the previous week’s 659 positive cases.
the St. Lucie County Fairgrounds. 
To manage the labor-intensive na-

Since Christmas break, COVID-19 spreading
at a faster rate among school personnel here

BY RAY MCNULTY going to hit 221 by the end of next
week. That would cause problems.” As
Staff Writer of Monday, the number was up to 73.

In the first few days since classes re- “None of this is easy, because just
sumed after the Christmas break, CO- when you thought we were getting
VID-19 was spreading among school closer to some sense of normalcy, we
personnel at a far faster rate than during get another spike and it’s: Here we go
the fall half of the school year, according again …,” Moore said. “But to this point,
to Superintendent David Moore. anyway, what we’re seeing isn’t as bad as
during the Delta spike.
“This variant is spreading much
faster than the spikes we’ve seen in the “The fear of getting really sick isn’t
past,” Moore said Sunday. what it was,” he added. “That makes
things easier.”
But while the now-raging Omicron
variant has proven itself more transmis- Moore said some district employ-
sible than the Delta variant, which be- ees have continued to test positive for
came the dominant strain last summer, COVID as many as eight days after first
the latest version of COVID has general- experiencing symptoms, but others
ly produced milder symptoms that don’t who’ve become infected recently have
last as long and aren’t nearly as deadly. missed less than five school days.

Thus, Moore said, Omicron’s impact “If someone tests positive, you’re
on the county’s public schools thus far definitely going to lose them for five
hasn’t been as devastating. days from the onset of symptoms, be-
cause they need to quarantine,” Moore
During the four-month stretch be- said. “Sometimes, though, a couple of
tween the first day of classes in August those days are on weekends and we
through the start of the Christmas break don’t need to replace them.
in December, 221 school district em-
ployees tested positive for COVID-19. “The state allows them to come
back after five days with a negative test
Among those infected were teachers, result,” he added. “That helps, espe-
administrators, bus drivers, cafeteria cially with teachers, but we don’t know
workers and district-office personnel. when they’re going to test negative. It
varies from case to case.”
As the first week of post-Christmas
classes ended Friday – after only three Moore said he’s deploying staff-
days back in school – 65 district em- ers from the district offices to serve
ployees were staying home because as substitutes for teachers forced to
they had tested positive for virus. miss work because of COVID – a strat-
egy based on each school’s enrollment
“In terms of being able to handle it,
65 isn’t a bad number,” Moore said. CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
“But if we continue at that rate, we’re



12 Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

COVID spreading in schools ing isn’t possible – at least for this week.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 Moore ordered the employees-only

and number of teachers absent. mandate after discussions with the
To make the plan effective, the school teachers and support-staff unions dur-
ing the Christmas break.
district’s 1,200 teachers have been asked
to notify their principals immediately if “I don’t think anybody’s loving it,
they test positive, so the necessary ar- but they understand the rationale,”
rangements can be made. Moore said. “We’ll do it until the end
of the week, then see where we are and
“Even if they test positive over the decide what we need to do next.
weekend, they need to let us know
right away, so the principal isn’t walk- “We want to stay ahead of this
ing in blind on Monday morning,” spike,” he added. “If we don’t, we could
Moore said. “But as much as you pre- find ourselves in real trouble.”
pare and have contingencies in place,
things can happen. The number of students wearing
masks on campus was “extremely low,”
“You can have everything covered Moore said – about 5 percent at local
Monday evening, then find out Tues- high schools and increasing through
day morning that two more teachers the middle schools to 30 percent to 35
tested positive and you’ve got to ad- percent at the elementary schools.
just again,” he added.
Moore said he meets with his cabinet
Moore said 110 district-office staff- at the start of each work day and again at
ers are qualified to serve as substitutes. about 5 p.m. to analyze the latest COV-
Many of them are former teachers; oth- ID data, look for outbreaks at individual
ers are non-educators who’ve been given schools and assess the district’s strate-
the in-house training needed to fill in. gies. They also talk on Saturdays and es-
pecially Sundays, when principals call
The staffers’ specialties include cur- with the latest teacher absences.
riculums, professional development,
special needs education, human re- Although Moore said he hadn’t seen
sources, finance and information tech- any breakouts, he’s closely monitoring
nology. Most times, their services are student attendance, which last week
needed for only two or three days. ranged from 78 percent to 90 percent.

“Services at the district office might “Typical attendance is roughly 92 per-
slow down a bit as we go through this cent, so those student absences are a con-
spike,” Moore said. “Fortunately, we’ve cern,” Moore said. “Over the long term,
got a very capable clerical staff hold- they can have a tremendous impact on
ing down the fort.” the continuity of instruction, particularly
at this point in the school year.
The district does not require em-
ployees to be tested to come to work. “Unlike at the beginning of the year,
teachers move faster after the holiday
An executive order issued by Gov. break,” he added. “The longer this goes
Ron DeSantis last year made it illegal on – with attendance in the 70s – the
for school districts in Florida to im- bigger the problem becomes, because
pose mask mandates on students, but teachers have to slow down.”
Moore said all school employees are
required to wear face coverings when Moore said he didn’t know how many
indoors on campus and social distanc- of the student absences could be at-
tributed to parents keeping their chil-

dren home because of COVID fears. 

Dale Sorensen Real Estate and St. Lucie counties – increased 50
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 percent, as Sorensen sold $1.5 billion
in 2021, up from $1.05 billion in 2020.
year 2021 to a close, Dale Sorensen Real
Estate closed a record $1,001,254,441 “The biggest surprise for me was
worth of real estate sales here. not just the demand engendered by
the pandemic, but the intensity of the
“I started the company in 1978 and demand,” Sorensen said. “Buyers’ psy-
never once in all the years since then chology went from ‘we want’ to ‘we
until late last year did I ever imagine have to have’ a home in Vero Beach. For
that we – or any real estate company many, there was no question this was
– could possibly sell $1 billion in our going to get done, whatever the price.
little county,” said Sorensen.
“I don’t care if you are from South Flor-
“In my mind it is the most significant ida or the west coast of Florida or Califor-
achievement in the company’s history.” nia or New York, you name it – when you
compare what you have there to what
The sales total here is nearly double you have here, we were a great bargain.”
what Dale Sorensen Real Estate did in
the county in 2019, prior to the pan- Beyond the favorable selling con-
demic, and up 40 percent from 2020, ditions created by the pandemic, as
when the company sold a then-record millions of people fled crowded ur-
$700 million in and around Vero. ban areas for attractive small towns
and embraced remote work, people
Companywide, sales volume – for inside and outside the company say
its 12 offices in Brevard, Indian River Sorensen’s landmark 2021 success

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 13

NEWS

was due to the Sorensen family itself. other to be who they are and do what under the umbrella of Dale Sorensen closed the deal.
Sorensen said working with his wife, they do best, they likewise give their Real Estate, and they give us license to “Any time I come to them with some-
agents freedom to achieve success in be creative and be ourselves and use
Matilde, and their children, Dale Jr. their own ways, according to company our talents to shape our business – to thing new that I see or want to try, it is
and Elizabeth, “is very satisfying” and leaders and veteran agents. achieve our individual goals under the never a case of you can or can’t, but rath-
that their efforts have been “crucial to Sorensen banner. er how can we help you implement your
our success. If you look at all of our They also do have do everything in plan and pursue your dream. All I have
strengths and weaknesses, we comple- their power to assist their agents in “And they are always there to help. ever heard is, ‘What can we do to help.’”
ment each other tremendously.” reaching their business goals. When I was working to get the contract
to sell the new homes at Surfsedge, I Dale Sorensen Sr. articulates a vision
Matilde Sorensen, the company’s “We have the best support you can went to Dale Sr. and suggested that of business success that expands out-
top producer, accounted for more imagine,” said Raasveldt. “Our market- we go to the developers’ headquarters ward from the family in concentric cir-
than 20 percent of its sales here, clos- ing and admin departments are amaz- in Naples to try and seal the deal. He cles, encompassing Sorensen agents,
ing $215 million in transactions in ing, off the charts, which allows us to said, ‘Of course, let’s go over.’ support staff, clients, associated busi-
2021, the most ever sold by an individ- stick to income producing activities al- nesses and the community as whole.
ual agent in Indian River County. most all the time, calling prospects and “I offered to drive, but he said, ‘No,
negotiating deals. we will fly,’ and the next day we were “Our company can only succeed to
Dale Sorensen Jr. is the company’s getting on a plane and went over and the extent that the community suc-
managing partner and in many ways “We are all small businesses, running
its driving force, an innovative busi- CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
nessman who has taken the firm from
a medium-size family business to a re-
gional powerhouse in the past 10 years.

And Elizabeth Sorensen “is an excep-
tionally good salesperson in her own
right,” according to Dale Sr. She was
involved along with her mother in the
company’s top sale in 2021, a $9.5 mil-
lion deal on Gem Island in John’s Island.

Beyond the Sorensens, the compa-
ny had 35 agents who sold more than
$10 million in 2021, including 14 who
sold over $20 million, according to fig-
ures provided by Dale Jr.

Successful father and son busi-
nesses are common enough but hav-
ing four members of a family work to-
gether so effectively is rare.

“It is unique,” said Jim Goldsmith,
the company’s managing regional bro-
ker. “The family dynamic is like every-
one else’s. They are all different people.
And yet when it comes to the business,
they give each other the freedom to
use their individual gifts to contribute
to the company’s success.”

“That is what it makes it work,” said
Megan Raasveldt, a longtime Sorensen
agent who handles new home sales at
Surfsedge and for Lifestyle Homes.
“They all have their niches that they
excel in, and they stick to those.”

Dale Sr. said his children played a
critical role in the company during the
real estate downturn.

“I will tell you this, I am convinced
that if it weren’t for our two children
urging me to go all in and invest in the
company back in 2007 and 2008 rather
than pull back and not spend on ad-
vertising, I don’t think we would be in
the position we are in today,” he said.

“Elizabeth was in her late 20s then,
and Dale Jr. in his early 30s, and they
both came to me and said, ‘Dad, now is
the time, when things are really bad, to
do all you can to expand,’ so I begged,
borrowed and stole, maximized credit
cards and did everything I could to
enhance the company, making a huge
commitment to technology before ev-
eryone else did, and that put us in a
position to attract great agents and re-
ally build the business we have today.”

Just as the family members allow each

14 Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Dale Sorensen Real Estate tion and launched his own real estate
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 business in a small office at the inter-
section of A1A and Beachland Blvd.
ceeds,” he said, and his personal com-
mitment to Vero Beach goes back to “They still wanted my services, so
the earliest part of his career. they gave me a two-year consulting
contract that smoothed the transi-
When he was a young headmaster tion,” said Sorensen, who was helped
at St. Edward’s School in the 1960s, by other realtors as well, including Ed
he decided to change careers, not be- Schlitt, Cliff Norris and Alex MacWil-
cause he didn’t love his job and the liam Jr., father of Buzz MacWilliam
school, but because he knew he would who runs AMAC Alex MacWilliam
have to leave Vero Beach and go to a Real Estate today.
larger school to advance in his career.
“You would think those guys might
“I was ambitious, but I loved Vero have been worried about the idea of
beach,” Dale Sr. said. “So I talked to another competitor, but to the contrary
one of the parents at the school who they all helped me tremendously.”
ran a big company and asked him if
there would be the need for someone Matilde Sorensen got her real estate
license and joined her husband in his
business three years later, contribut-

with my background and education ing greatly to its success over the years.
in a company like his. He said, yes, he “It doesn’t hurt to have Tom Brady
thought so, but he wouldn’t talk to me
unless I was leaving the school. on the staff,” Dale Sr. said with a smile.
“Matilde is consistently number one
“So when I made the decision to or two in sales in the county.”
leave, I let the board know well in
advance and he offered me a posi- As the company grew, it maintained
tion working for Gulf Western, a large its commitment to the community,
conglomerate that had its food and supporting the Vero Beach Museum of
agricultural products division in Fort Art, the Boys and Girls Club and other
Pierce at that time. We moved it a cou- nonprofits, and encouraging agents to
ple of years later to Vero Beach.” be involved with philanthropic efforts
and organizations.
Sorensen had great success at Gulf
Western, which owned a lot of prop- “We have a tremendous group of
erty in Florida and the Dominican Re- agents who are dedicated and believe
public, getting his real estate license in the foundations we have estab-
and working on a range of land and lished,” said Dale Sr. “They all believe
development deals. in giving back to the community.”

He took the lead in developing Casa Looking ahead company leaders are
de Campo in the Dominican Repub- optimistic. Dale Jr. said there will be
lic, which the travel website Osyster. fewer transactions in 2022 due to tight
com describes as the “classiest, most inventory but that rising prices should
famous resort in the Dominican Re- keep sales volume up at or above 2021
public, part of a massive, 7,000-acre numbers.
resort community that includes three
world-renowned golf courses, an im- “I am looking for another record-
maculate beach, a marina ... and nu- breaking year for two reasons,” said
merous other on-site activities.” Goldsmith.

Despite that success, when Gulf “No. 1, real estate is a momentum
Western decided to move its ag division business, and we are going to help our
headquarters away from Vero, Sorensen agents maintain their momentum. No.
left his bright career with the corpora- 2, we believe Vero Beach is an incred-
ible place to live and will continue to

be a magnet for buyers.” 

Catherine Sheetz
and Steve Wright.

‘LOCAL FARMS LOCAL BEER’

PICK-ME-UP FOR HOMEMADE GOODS P. 23

16 Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Kids join in fun at Quail Valley Charities 5K Walk/Run

Jessica Schmitt, Wanda Lincoln and Cathy De Schouwer. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

Front: Chardonay Lee, Jahzara Farmer and Ma’Kayla Reed.
Back: Phil Barnes, Maleki Reed, Emile Cesaire and William Lee.

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF that make what we do possible,” “These experiences allow our kids said Given, adding that members
Staff Writer agreed Phil Barnes, Youth Guidance to get a real taste of what it’s like to have continued to “step up with
executive director, who said that be in college,” said De Schouwer. their generosity.
More than 400 people laced up and QVC support was vital.
put their tread to the pavement last Quail Valley Charities was estab- Even though the events may not
Saturday morning at the Quail Val- “They help fund our vocational lished to help fund local nonprofits be at full capacity due to COVID
ley River Club as participants in the training, life skills and recreational whose focus was on children and concerns and restrictions, the num-
annual Quail Valley Charities Kids activities like this, that get the kids education. Now, in their 20th year, bers that we’ve raised continue to
1-Mile Fun Run & 5K Walk/Run. moving. We’ve been very fortunate Kevin Given, Quail Valley manag- exceed our expectations. The needs
to receive that support each year. ing partner, says they’ve grown the are still there. These are the folks
This year the committee invited Without it, we wouldn’t be able to do event from a two-day golf tourna- that are living and breathing it 365
participants from the beneficiary what we do for the kids.” ment to a monthlong affair. days a year.”
organizations to bring teams and
participate in the run, said Wanda Crossover Mission executive di- In addition to the 5K and golf tour- “Last year, we did this virtually,”
Lincoln, Quail Valley Charities chair. rector, Cathy De Schouwer, called nament, which continues, January explained Anne Patrick, race orga-
QVC’s support of their student ath- events include Mahjong, bridge, ten- nizer and director of the Quail Val-
“Since the very beginning, we’ve letes transformational. nis, a tower shoot, wine dinners and ley Fitness Center & Spa. “It’s great to
always asked them to have some skin a special luncheon. have people out here running again.”
in the game. Whether it’s volunteer- “Quail Valley Charities funds a por-
ing, participating in the race, or sell- tion of our summer program. They Quail Valley Charities has donat- After the fun run, the young-
ing raffle tickets. What we hope is that pay for our kids to go to basketball ed over $9.3 million to selected lo- sters got rid of whatever extra en-
it forms a relationship,” she added. camps at universities. Part of our vi- cal nonprofits. This year, said Given, ergy they had left in the tank in the
sion is for the kids to see education in “our goal is to raise $750,000. It will Kids Zone, which featured a bounce
“Having kids participate in the their future,” she added, explaining put us over the $10 million mark.” house, bungee trampoline and rock
run is so important because it gives that many of their students had never climbing, among other fun amuse-
them the chance to meet the people considered college a possibility. Even amid the pandemic, “our ments. 
members’ generosity is amazing,”

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 17

PEOPLE

Kevin Given and Amy Gallo. First-place finisher Noah McMann.

Rob and Kim Atkins with Zoey Atkins.
Austin Banzhaf.

18 Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18 Renee Smith, Robyn Orzel, Jody Zwergel, Beverly Shea, Sara Klein, Sophie Bentham-Wood and Olivia Shanaphy.
Aubrie Belanger and Camilla Wainright.

Join us for Sunday Worship
8:30, 9:30 and 11:00 AM

Quality discipleship, fellowship, music,
youth programs, and more - for all ages!
We would love for you to join our church family!

Sunday, January 16th

This week’s message:
“Beulah Land”
Isaiah 62:1-5

Dr. C. Michael York, Associate Pastor

520 Royal Palm Blvd First Presbyterian Preschool
Vero Beach, FL 32960 www.firstpresbyterianpreschool.org
(772) 562-9088 PRIMO School of Performing Arts
www.FirstPresVero.org
www.PRIMOMusic.org

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 19

PEOPLE

Melanie Lockhart, Sophie Lockhart and Lune Rivera. Angela and Al Diaz.

Rhianna Bell, Serenity Marsh, Stephanie Guzman, Trinity Marsh and Gardy Desrosiers.

TO HONOR LAURA’S BIRTHDAY

LRJF AUTHOR BOOK
FAIR

Laura (Riding) Jackson Foundation

S U N D AY, J A N U A RY 1 6
1:00 PM TO 3 PM

6155 COLLEGE LANE
L R J F. O R G

20 Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

‘Driving Success’ steers needed
vehicles to low-income families

Kevin and Michele Peters. STORY CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

PHOTOS: KAILA JONES

BY MARY SCHENKEL “These poor people, who have no
money and are desperate for a vehi-
Staff Writer cle, are being charged interest rates
that are just unaffordable,” says Pe-
Recognizing that access to trans- ters. “I said to my husband, we need
portation is a major component on to do something. There are people
the road to economic self-sufficien- here in the community that need
cy, Driving Success, a new nonprofit, help and there’s no program in this
is striving to put low-income, work- community like this.”
ing families in the driver’s seat.
Having previously developed a ve-
The organization was founded this hicle donation program for another
past July by Michele and Kevin Pe- nonprofit, she knew that with stan-
ters, who have used her 20 years of dard programs, donated vehicles go
experience as a development person straight to auction and the proceeds,
in the nonprofit world and his exper- minus what can be significant mid-
tise as a “car guy” with 30 years in dleman charges, go to the nonprofit.
the car dealer industry to develop a
program that uniquely benefits both “But then I stumbled across a study
donors and car recipients. that the Annie E. Casey Foundation
did back in 2007, on vehicle donation
In the summer of 2018, Kevin Pe- programs like the one that I wanted
ters opened North County Auto to start,” says Peters.
Brokers, a small dealership that
buys cars at auction and has them She explains that because the mis-
repaired by mechanics. He tries to sion of Driving Success is to provide
keep car prices under $5,000 to sell cars to low-income families, donors
to lower-income people in the com- are entitled to a tax credit based on
munity. the Kelly Blue Book, or fair market
value, of the car, which is a higher
Since then, they have seen in- tax credit than those sold just for
creasing numbers of people without proceeds.
enough funds to purchase even low-
cost cars. And, Michele Peters says, She contacted several organiza-
they didn’t have the heart to send tions with similar plans, including
them to “buy here/pay here” dealers, ones in Tampa and Baltimore that
who offer financing at exorbitantly are going strong, and began looking
high interest rates. at how best to serve our community.



22 Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

STORY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22 Humanity, Literacy Services, Home- tend a budgeting workshop at Unit- the vehicle to advance themselves
less Children’s Foundation, Veterans ed Against Poverty. economically.”
“I started doing research local- Council and Youth Guidance, have
ly and the Community Needs As- already signed up as agency part- Their cars will come from auc- Peters says she is actively seeking
sessment shows that there’s about ners to refer clients needing a car. tions and donations from the public, donors and community partners, in-
6 percent of households in Indian She has also reached out to Chil- whether the car is drivable or not. dividuals and businesses that want to
River County that don’t have a ve- dren’s Home Society and Hibiscus Cars will be taken to a mechanic for help support the mission.
hicle. That accounts for about 3,500 Children’s Center, “because there repairs or general maintenance, or
households that don’t have access to are a lot of kids that are aging out of will be sent to recycling, with any “I have an auto mechanic that gives
any vehicle; zero vehicles. It’s a huge foster care.” funds going back into the program me a discount on his labor rate, and
need,” says Peters. “When you have to repair other vehicles. Higher-val- his parts at cost, and I’m looking to
no means of transportation, you’re Among the requirements, appli- ue vehicles would be sold, and the get other partners in the automotive
stuck in a cycle of poverty.” cants must reside in the county, have money used toward another four or industry that would be willing to do-
a Florida driver’s license, be age 25, five cars. nate some of their wholesale trading
According to the Indian River or 18 if they’re aging out of foster vehicles that they send to auction,”
Community Foundation’s Indian care or have dependent children of “I can turn that one car around to says Peters.
River Indicators resource, a walk- their own, and they cannot have any get multiple cars to serve the com-
ability rate is based on a 1 to 20 scale, pending criminal charges, DUIs, or munity. And they get a better tax “If they would donate one car every
with 1 being the worst and 20 the outstanding insurance or motor ve- value because they’re giving it to a three or four months, we would have
best. Our rate is 7.4. hicle violations. nonprofit that is providing vehicles a few cars throughout the year. I’ve
to the public,” Peters explains. also asked if I can buy their cars at a
“But walkability access to trans- Their target audience has income lower price before they send them to
portation is a 1; so, it’s the worst. If levels between 150 percent and 250 Clients are responsible for paying auction. I have not gotten a good re-
you’re trying to walk to one of our percent of the federal poverty level. for car insurance and Department sponse, which is really sad, but I’m
buses, the stops are few and far be- The rationale is that families with a of Motor Vehicles fees for taxes and not giving up. Their salesmen don’t
tween,” says Peters. Their hours of higher income should be able to af- tags. Recipients will get the title after take no for an answer, and to keep go-
operation are also extremely lim- ford a car on their own, and lower- they pay a ‘pay-it-forward’ fee to the ing I’m going to keep asking.”
ited. income families won’t be able to nonprofit of $500 for a sedan or $750
afford basic costs, such as gas, main- for an SUV or minivan, which can be Although the nonprofit is too new
“When you don’t have a car, what tenance and insurance. reimbursed over 12 months. to qualify for grants, she has spoken
do you do?” to people at United Way who recog-
“We don’t want to put anybody “And then that money comes back nize the need and are going to help by
Without a car, she says, it’s diffi- backwards. We want the vehicle to to the nonprofit to help pay for some- spreading the word.
cult to get a job outside your walking move them forward, not make them body else’s car to get fixed,” says Pe-
distance, to access medical appoint- have to decide whether to put gas in ters. “I want them to put money into “It’s an unserved population and
ments, supermarkets, etc. the car or feed the kids,” says Peters. it so that they value the vehicle and there’s no service like this,” says Pe-
Applicants are also required to at- are going to take care of it. I want ters.
Several nonprofits, including people that really are going to use
United Against Poverty, Habitat for For more information, visit driving-
successirc.org. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 23

PEOPLE

‘Local Farms Local Beer’ initiative
a pick-me-up for homemade goods

Berit Fagan. STORY, PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

PHOTOS: STEPHANIE LABAFF

BY MARY SCHENKEL and Dickerson Tea, Mike and Hon-
eybell Bakery, Grow Together Mi-
Staff Writer crogreens, Smokey Robinsons Spice
Company, Giving Seed, Freedom
New Year’s resolutions often in- Fungi, Treasure Coast Shellfish and
volve eating right, and what better Carlsward Farms.
way than to eat produce from local
farms. If you’re interested, you’re One of the newer vendors is Trea-
in luck. Catherine Sheetz and Steve sure Coast Shellfish, which sells
Wright, owners of Treasure Coast oysters and clams grown in Sebas-
Harvest, have collected a consor- tian.
tium of 20 purveyors of goods that
are available online for either week- “They’re award-winning oysters;
ly pickup or delivery. they’re delicious,” said Wright.

They have also teamed up with “The idea is that it could be a full
three local brewers to be a pickup market, but only with local produce,
point offering ‘Local Farms Local so you know that what you’re get-
Beer.’ ting is fresh picked and it’s all from
the Treasure Coast,” said Sheetz,
“We’re really trying to promote lo- who hopes to add additional farms,
cal farmers,” said Sheetz, who with including producers of mangoes
Wright owns Pueo Farms. “There’s and avocados.
a lot of agriculture here, and it’s
a shame that a lot of people don’t Berit Fagan, a Maitland Farms
know it.” preschool teacher, is a fan.

The website offers a variety of “My interest really came when
products, all either made or pro- COVID hit and I thought that we
duced in Vero Beach. The 20 cur- needed to do more to support local
rently listed on the website are: Pueo businesses,” said Fagan. “The qual-
Farms, Pepper Trail Farm, Papa ity of the products is really good.
Bees Honey and Bees Wax, Berdie Everything is fresher and lasts lon-
Hogan, Fojtik Flatwoods, Michael’s ger than the stuff you buy from the
on 7th, Schacht Groves, Orchid Is- grocery store that has gone through
land Soap Company, Garden of Es- shipping. This lasts a lot longer even
ther, Rio Coco Beans Coffee, Chef if you don’t eat it right away.”
Lippe, the Parisian Hostess, Wang
Sheetz and Wright are both from
the area but had been farming in

24 Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 PEOPLE Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

STORY, PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25 Randy Groom and Elizabeth Allenbaugh. Jen Schulfer.

Hawaii when they decided to move
back to Vero Beach and open a local
food hub.

“We came back before COVID with
the idea, and then COVID hit. We
thought, we better get this thing roll-
ing, so we launched it and got the other
farms on board,” Wright explained.

“We describe it a lot of times as an
online farmers market. You can shop
for everything from your house in-
stead of going out into public, or if you
miss the Farmer’s Market on Saturday
morning,” said Sheetz.

Patrons can shop the website and
pay by credit card anytime between 6
a.m. Thursday and midnight Monday.
Home deliveries are made Tuesday
evenings, or you can pick up your order
from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays at Walk-
ing Tree, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tues-
days at Sailfish Brewery or 5 p.m. to 6
p.m. Wednesdays at Mash Monkeys
Brewing Co. in Sebastian. Make sure to
grab a local beer while you’re there.

Although the pickup spots are pri-
marily just that, farmers occasionally
stop by with extra produce that can be
purchased on the spot.

For more information, visit tcharvest.
com. 

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Tennis, Croquet, Bocce, Pickle Ball and a heated pool are just a few
of the other outdoor activities.

Fully licensed On-site Assisted Living Facility and In-Home Healthcare.
Transportation, Housekeeping and Maintenance services available.

4755 S Harbor Drive • Vero Beach, Florida 32967 • www.oakharborfl.com • 772.562.3808



26 Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Talent makes its presence
felt at ‘Art by the Sea’ show

Judy Rixom and Sherry Haaland. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES year, identifying them as knowledge-
able artists who could assist potential
BY MARY SCHENKEL buyers.
Staff Writer
“A lot of people are insecure about
The 33rd annual Art by the Sea Exhi- their art knowledge, and they might
bition, presented by the Vero Beach Art really like something, but they need
Club at the Vero Beach Museum of Art somebody else to talk to them and
Holmes Great Hall, had a decidedly dif- validate their feelings. So that’s really
ferent feel this year. For one thing, art- what we’re here to do, and then help
ists were allowed to enter two pieces of them make the purchase,” Dinenno ex-
artwork, rather than one. plained.

But the greatest change in the three- “I think the show is spectacular. I
day show came during the Friday eve- think there’s some of the best work here
ning reception, which is generally a I’ve ever seen, anywhere. I’m shocked at
packed affair of upwards of 800 viewers the quality of the work this year,” said
and artists. Attendance this year, every- assemblage artist Joan Earnhart.
one dutifully masked except for quick
photos, was a mere fraction of that. One reason, they thought, was that
the past couple of years afforded artists
“We didn’t even know for sure that we extra time to work on their artwork.
could have a show until Tuesday,” said
Judy Rixom, event co-chair with Sherry “I lived in my studio for a whole year.
Haaland. My husband and I didn’t go anywhere,
didn’t do anything,” said Earnhart,
“It’s been touch and go with the mu- adding with a smile, “I loved every min-
seum and the COVID situation. And ute of it.”
because of COVID, we had to reduce
the number of people. We usually send “It’s always fun to come to this show
out invitations, and we couldn’t this and see the range of creativity in Vero
year, because we had to keep our num- Beach. The different mediums that
bers down to 100,” said Rixom, noting people use and the way they put differ-
that the museum security was keeping ent things together that I would never
count as people entered. think of doing. And I think that’s what
creativity is; getting outside the box,”
Artists, other than those helping out, said Suzi McCoy Shriner.
were asked not to come to the reception
this year. “It reflects a wide range of interests
and experiences,” agreed Barbara Rud-
“If they showed up tonight, like they dy, who was intrigued by Gregory In-
usually do for the awards, nobody else gerson’s fascinating mixed media work,
could come. So, we’ve asked them to “Jovial Jester.”
please not come tonight. They can
come all day Saturday or Sunday, but Referencing the People’s Choice
not tonight,” said Rixom. award, which would be announced at
the end of the show on Sunday, Ruddy
“We usually have heavy hors said, “He gets my vote.”
d’oeuvres and wine, and we were not
allowed to have that either because of “I think she might get my vote. It’s
COVID. So, we were under some re- perfect Vero Beach,” said Shriner, ref-
strictions, but we still wanted to put the erencing Susan Bayard Whiting’s sweet
show on, especially since we didn’t have beachside oil painting, “Madonna and
one last year.” Daughters.”

Additionally, in prior years, winning “I think it takes a lot of courage to dis-
artists received their awards during the play your work in public,” added Shri-
reception, but this year, Haaland said ner. She noted that while she has her
they would be picking them up over the own work on display in her home, “to
weekend. bring it out in public and put a price tag
on it takes courage.”
Sue Dinenno suggested having a few
volunteers wear hats or fascinators this Independent judge Catherine Berg-
mann, curatorial director of the Dune-
din Fine Art Center, selected this year’s
winners.

A portion of the proceeds from each
sale supports the Vero Beach Art Club
and its educational outreach programs,
including scholarships for high school
seniors and donations of art supplies
to local elementary and middle schools
and various art classes. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 27

PEOPLE

Armand and Betty Langevin with Michele Wistort.

Joanne Johnson. SPECIAL AWARDS:

Barbara Ruddy and Suzi McCoy Shriner. Joan Earnhart and Sue Dinenno. Bill and Babs Ade. John Mazur Memorial Award
for Best in Show – Madeline Long
Sharon Morgan Edginess Award –

Gregory Ingerson
FIRST PLACE WINNERS:

Oil – Joanne Johnson
Watercolor – Joel Johnson

Acrylic – Minakshi De
Mixed Media – Barbara Lyons
Pastel/Graphics – Maureen Fitzpatrick

Sculpture/3-D/Ceramics –
Brenda Truesdale

Film/Digital Photography –
Helen Stamatacos

Jewelry – Deborah Polackwich

28 Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

ACCEPTING Hundreds get into gear in new
NEW PATIENTS! year at 2022 Resolution Run

We provide all Primary Care Medical Services

First-place winner Dillon Helzerman (center) with Sofia, Waleska, Carol and Roger Helzerman.

BRUCE MURRAY, MD SANDY POTTER, RN BY MARY SCHENKEL ways looking for good kids that want
Board Certified BA Health Care Administration a career in law enforcement,” added
Staff Writer Smith, noting that they get prospec-
Practice Manager tive enrollees by word of mouth,
More than 350 people, ranging through the school and via their web-
Home Visits when in age from 4 to 83, started the New site.
Medically Appropriate Year off right as runners and walk-
ers in the 2022 Resolution Run 5K on This was the first Resolution Run
For more information, go to our website at: New Year’s morning. The sun shone for Running Zone Foundation own-
brightly as participants gathered ers Don and Denise Piercy, who pur-
MurrayMedicine.com near the Vero Beach Museum of Art at chased the Run Vero series from Jim
Or Call: 772-226-6461 Riverside Park, greeting friends, and Van Veen in 2020. The couple have
getting pumped up by the crowd be- been organizing similar events in
Murray Concierge Medicine fore making the trek that took them Brevard County since 2003, donating
920 37th Place Suite 103 over the Barber Bridge and back. proceeds to nonprofits. They now of-
Vero Beach, Fl. 32960 fer 20 events in both counties.
This being the era of COVID, there
was also a virtual option offered, The series in Vero Beach offers
with runners competing on their something for every level of runner
own and submitting their results and walker in its seven family-friend-
through Jan. 8. ly events – three 5Ks, one 3K, one 4K
and two 2-milers, and they will also
Det. Rebecca Hurley and Sgt. Ro- help businesses to encourage team
drick Smith, who run the Indian challenges.
River County Sheriff’s Office Law
Enforcement Explorer Program, the The 2021-22 series started off with
race beneficiary, were helping to co- July’s Red White & Brew 5K, followed
ordinate the run with members of by the Pirates in the Park 2-Miler in
the program. September, the Frightening 4K in
October, the Candy Cane 3K, which
“It’s for youth students who are annually kicks off the Christmas pa-
interested in a career in law enforce- rade, and the Resolution Run. Still to
ment,” said Hurley. “The ages are 14 come are the Cupcake 2-Miler on Feb.
to 21 and they have to be full-time 5 and the Citrus Classic on March 19.
students registered in high school or They also coordinate a number of
college, with good standing, no ar- other races, including the upcoming
rest history. We show them the ropes Vero Beach Half Marathon & Sea Tur-
and try to keep them motivated and tle 2-Miler on Jan. 23.
on task.
For more information, visit runvero.
“They’re spread out here today, com or runningzone.com. 
helping with the parking and direct-
ing the runners where to go. We’re al-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 29

PEOPLE

Don and Denise Piercy. PHOTOS: MARY SCHENKEL PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 32
Jessica Schmitt and Tammy Bursick.

Stephanie Zugrave with
Tara, Christopher and Cam Perrin.

Dominic Foderaro, Elijah Gray and Alex Smith.

Darian Minzenmayer and son Arlo.

30 Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Aaron’s Hearing Care Center

As you reconnect with others, trust your hearing
to an audiologist with 30+ years of experience

Aaron Liebman, Au. D. Hopefully, all of you are doing well as we PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31
Doctor of Audiology take the necessary precautions to reduce Marlene Cairns with Norman and Sara Smith.
the spread of Covid-19 (coronavirus). We
Why wouldn’t you want to be fit are committed to keeping our patients, any Claudia Carvajal and Neil Carvajal. Elisha Culpepper with Ruby Jane.
with your hearing aid from the visitors to our offices and our staff healthy
only audiologist-owned hearing and safe. Chris, Malachi and Lucina Gray.
aid office in Indian River At all times we’re careful to maintain clean-
County? According to Aaron liness in our offices in Vero Beach. We take
Liebman, Au.D., Doctor of extra steps and follow guidelines to further
Audiology, “both Audiologists protect everyone.
and hearing aid salesmen
are licensed by the state. But, We have instituted a deep cleaning policy
typically, the salesman has no and our staff disinfects all surfaces that are
formal education in hearing, touched throughout the day. We’re read-
while the audiologist has gone ing up to date recommendations as they
to college and obtained a degree become available while discussing and im-
in the field”. plementing best hygiene practices to ensure
your safety.
What this means to you –
as a patient – is that Liebman than I thought possible.”
will not only fit you with “Aaron is a very caring man,
a hearing aid, he’ll use patient and works very hard to
alternative methods of testing do the best for your problems.
for accuracy, so you receive I would highly recommend
the proper instrument. He’ll him.” These are just three
provide all-around service and of the glowing testimonials
counseling so its full potential delivered by local people who
will be clear. And, perhaps most are “graduates” of Liebman at
importantly, he’ll consider you Aaron’s Hearing Aid Center.
as an individual…including
the affordability of the product Dr. Liebman moved to Florida
he’ll be recommending. in 2001. He is originally from
This type of kid glove treatment Albany, N.Y. area where both he
may have contributed to a and his father were audiologists.
finding quoted on the AARP He has found the residents
website that states ‘people fitted of Vero Beach and the rest
for hearing aids by audiologists of Indian River County to be
are 13 times more likely to receptive and loyal once they
be satisfied than people who are exposed to his caring and
made their purchase through a concern for them.
hearing aid salesman’. So, if the concept of having your
hearing aid fitted by someone
Dr. Liebman’s satisfied clients who offers more than 30+
have willingly put their praises years of experience, who offers
into print. no-fee consultations, who will
“Everything I needed to know return your phone calls, who
was talked about up front in a will supply free batteries for the
very professional way.” “Aaron life of your hearing instrument,
has done more for my hearing and who will provide quarterly
clean up and adjustments
attractive to you, there’s only
one local audiologist to seek
out: Dr. Aaron Liebman,
owner of Aarons Hearing Care,
the ONLY AUDIOLOGIST
OWNED hearing aid office in
Indian River County.

For more information call
(772) 562-5100 in Vero Beach.



32 Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT COVER STORY

For decades, the Seine was the smelly 1923. More than two-thirds of all French In a break from tradition, the Open- thons and the triathlons. Once the
companion of the City of Lights. have a negative perception of the river. ing Ceremonies won’t take place in a athletes are gone, officials want to
stadium. Instead, Olympic athletes open the river to everyone.
Declared biologically dead in the And yet when French officials un- and officials will float down the river,
1960s, the river only ever appeared to veiled their ambitions for the 2024 waving from more than 160 boats, According to this vision, the
awaken when floods threatened to spill Summer Olympics in Paris this month, as an estimated 600,000 spectators Olympics would celebrate a turn-
brown mud water onto the Parisian cob- the Seine was treated like a resur- watch from stands and streets be- around in the river’s fortunes that
blestone sidewalks. Advances in waste- rected national monument, “the most tween the Austerlitz bridge and the has been decades in the making.
water treatment have helped. But swim- beautiful avenue of the capital” and a Eiffel Tower. But getting there will still require
ming has been officially banned since place of “unlimited possibilities.” a final sprint. To date, the Seine’s
In the following weeks, some athletes cleanup has already meant that
may not just float on the Seine, but also fish the length of dinghies have
in it. The river is expected to accom- returned to the river. Authori-
modate the Olympic open water mara- ties estimate more than $1 bil-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 33

INSIGHT COVER STORY

A member of the Greater Paris
Sanitation Authority monitors
the river's water quality.

The Seine snakes around areas of the Seine as river-water swim-
Paris and its landmarks. ming pools, open to the public after
the Olympics are over. These would
lion will be needed before people can include scenic spots near the Louvre,
safely follow. Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower, but
also in the less privileged suburbs, al-
“The cities of the world are recon- lowing Parisians to reclaim a long-lost
quering their rivers,” said Anne Hi- but unforgotten tradition.
dalgo, Paris mayor and the Socialist
Party’s presidential candidate. When Paris hosted its first Olympic
Games in 1900, the swimming com-
London’s Thames similarly has gone petitions almost self-evidently took
from having been declared biologi- place in the Seine, said historian Lau-
cally dead to welcoming sharks, seals
and even sea horses. In Berlin, activ- CONTINUED ON PAGE 34
ists have called for parts of the Spree
river to be made swimmable.

In Paris, officials hope to cordon off

French officials hope that
the Seine will be clean enough

for swimmers by the 2024
Summer Olympic Games.

34 Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33 INSIGHT COVER STORY

Researcher Erwan Garcia Gonzalez,
who works for the Greater Paris
Sanitation Authority, prepares a
water quality instrument that he
will submerge in the Seine.

Erwan Garcia Gonzalez, right, and
Robin Richoux clean the under-
water tools that analyze water
quality in Andresy, France.

People in the Seine during a June Notre Dame Cathedral. For decades,
1946 heat wave. Below: People almost no fish could survive in the
dive near the Pont d'Iéna in 1946. Seine, Lestel said.

rence Lestel. Photos taken in the fol- As Paris mayor, Jacques Chirac re-
lowing years show cyclists propelling peatedly promised a cleanup, saying
themselves into the river off diving on television in 1990: “In three years, I
platforms in front of the Eiffel Tower will swim in the Seine, in front of wit-
and swimmers floating down the river nesses, to show that the Seine has be-
on old mattresses. come a proper river.”

But industrialization, along with Chirac’s pledge was met with laughter.
decades of rapid economic and pop- Three decades later, authorities say
ulation growth in the capital region, the proposition is more serious. Their
turned the Seine into the big-city optimism is based on hidden, partially
equivalent of a smelly pond, whose
only saving grace was that its toxic
waters reflected the Eiffel Tower and

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 35

INSIGHT COVER STORY

submerged containers that transmit to have an effect, revised E.U. rules on Tokyo this year, for example, but in both “Often in the past, we turned our
real-time updates on what is flowing water quality could once again move cases the competitions went ahead. backs on the river,” said Sylvain Berri-
around them – and what isn’t. the Seine out of ordinary swimmers’ os, a mayor in the region who has cam-
reach. French officials insist that their ulti- paigned for greater swimming access.
In a brick-and-stone building in a mate goal remains to make the Seine “Now locals are taking it back.”
Paris suburb, the data collected by the Paris mayor Hidalgo has dismissed swimmable for everyone at E.U. stan-
sensors is displayed on a large screen skepticism about the city’s Olympic dards. Downstream in Paris, people hope
day and night. They include measure- swimming plans by saying that the to do the same.
ments of the water’s CO2 and E. coli water quality requirement for compe- About an hour’s drive from the capi-
bacteria levels. These days, the Seine’s titions “is not quite the same as that tal, along the banks of the Marne river Among those agitating for a return of
high-tech barometer often flashes in for daily swimming.” that flows into the Seine, the future has swimming in the Seine is Arthur Ger-
green – a sign that the river is allowing already arrived. In the town of Meaux, main, 20, who got special permission
species to breathe again. She was referring to rules that tend swimming was legalized more than a to swim the 480 miles from the river’s
to give competition organizers more decade ago.The river there attracts both source in northeastern France to its
Over the past 40 years, fish species leeway than officials in charge of pub- elderly people who can still remember mouth in the English Channel over 49
in the Seine have proliferated more lic swimming venues. There were sew- the old days and younger ones who are days last summer.
than tenfold. That’s partly the result of age and water pollution concerns at the carefully wading, or bravely jumping,
tightening European Union rules on Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and in into the waters for the first time. He also happens to be the son of Par-
water quality, but also local initiatives is mayor Hidalgo. 
to reverse decades of environmental
degradation.

Only 40 percent of Parisian waste-
water was treated in 1970. And until
the 1980s, wastewater treatment in the
French capital – as in many big Euro-
pean cities – largely focused on human
excrement. Chemical elements such as
phosphorus, which can deprive rivers
of their oxygen, were ignored.

But the 1980s and ’90s saw the in-
troduction of tighter regulations and
the construction of novel treatment
stations that filtered not only higher
quantities of wastewater, but also a
greater diversity of pollutants, ex-
plained Vincent Rocher, director of
innovation with the capital region’s
sanitation service.

Today, about 99 percent of capital re-
gion’s wastewater is treated. On many
days, the Seine already falls below the
safety alert levels for swimming, offi-
cials say.

And then there are days like in Sep-
tember 2020, when hundreds of gal-
lons of toxic wastewater leaked into
the river from a cement manufactur-
er’s site in eastern Paris.

To reduce how often the safety alert
goes off, officials are focusing on im-
proving the efficiency of existing treat-
ment plants and have stepped up ef-
forts to prevent boats from dumping
their sewage into the Seine. Authori-
ties are also constructing a storm wa-
ter holding tank designed to capture
more than 12 million gallons of water
and limit polluted runoff.

But by the time those measures start

36 Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT EDITORIAL

You may not have been glued to the annual new tively friendly toward Moscow. If Putin becomes a From then on it saw its destiny in non-alignment, feel-
year’s address by Finland’s president, but Sauli Ni- rogue menace, that’s no longer tenable. ing relatively safe behind the buffer of Finland.
inisto said some remarkable things.
That dynamic is even more pronounced in Cyprus. And yet the two Nordic nations nowadays see
His speech should give the European Union an idea, It has attracted so much money from Russia’s oli- the world in similar ways. If Russia becomes more
to be discussed not just in Brussels but also in the cap- garchs, it’s sometimes called a Russian bank account aggressive in the Baltic, they would both be on
itals of Sweden, Austria, Ireland, Cyprus and Malta. inside the EU. But aside from that, nothing would the front line. Above all, both have an interest – as
stand in the way of Cyprus’ membership in NATO. does the entire EU – in sending a message to Putin:
These six countries all belong to the EU but are We won’t allow great powers once again to decide
otherwise officially non-aligned, meaning that they Cyprus is contested between the Greek-speaking among themselves the fate of smaller nations.
are not members of NATO, the transatlantic alliance south (which is in the EU) and the ethnically Turkish
that currently has to figure out how it would respond north (which is recognized only by Turkey). But both In 21st-century Europe, neutrality is no longer a
to a renewed invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Greece and Turkey are already in NATO. Cypriot viable raison d’etat (with the possible exception of
membership in the alliance might actually stabilize Switzerland, but that’s another story).
The idea – inspired by Niinisto’s comments – is this: the island’s simmering conflict.
All six neutral countries, linking arms with the EU and A strategy of non-alignment presupposes that po-
NATO, should turn the ultimatum given by Russian The same logic applies to that other divided is- tentially hostile actors abide by rules, the first of which
President Vladimir Putin to the West on its head. land. The part of Ireland that belongs to the U.K. is is that they won’t attack neutral nations. Putin appears
no longer in the EU but still in NATO. The situation intent on proving again that he disdains such norms.
Putin is in effect demanding that NATO stop ex- of the Republic of Ireland is reversed.
panding forever, or else he attacks. Instead, the Finns, Niinisto made this point by quoting Henry Kiss-
Swedes, Austrians, Irish, Maltese and Cypriots should But nobody doubts that Ireland’s sympathies in inger. As that arch-realist former U.S. secretary of
explain that if he does attack, they will join NATO. a conflict with Russia would lie with the West. And state put it in his doctoral thesis: “Whenever peace
the country no longer needs to prove that its foreign – conceived as the avoidance of war – has been the
Niinisto, of course, didn’t nearly go that far. In his policy is independent of the Brits’, which was one primary objective [...], the international system has
diplomatic way, he merely reminded Finns that their reason why it didn’t join the club long ago. been at the mercy of the most ruthless member of
“room to maneuver and freedom of choice also include the international community.”
the possibility of military alignment and of applying for Among the six EU countries, the tradition of neu-
NATO membership, should we ourselves so decide.” trality is strongest in Sweden, where it is baked into If Putin backs down (for now) in Ukraine, the neu-
notions of national identity as in Switzerland (which is tral countries can always wait. But in the long term,
This freedom of choice is exactly what Putin wants to not in the EU). After losing a war to Russia more than their membership in NATO makes sense anyway.
deny countries such as Ukraine, Moldova or Georgia. two centuries ago, Sweden ceded Finland to the Tsars.
The EU has long been frustrated that it has so little
A new and welcome sense of Finnish confidence heft in geopolitics. And it has long been at odds with
and destiny is peeking through Niinisto’s words. Af- the U.S. about whether and how to build a “European
ter the SecondWorldWar, Finland famously declared army,” without confusing or compromising NATO’s
itself non-aligned in a bilateral deal with the Soviet command structures.
Union. This was a pragmatic but somewhat desper-
ate attempt to keep its sovereignty next to that huge Admitting all countries in the EU into NATO could
communist bully. West Germans and others applied partially address both problems.
the pejorative term “Finlandization” to this.
The Europeans would become a single, more-
The other five neutral EU countries have differ- or-less coherent bloc within the Western alliance.
ent histories. Austria’s story is closest to Finland’s: It Both the EU and the West would be stronger as a
declared itself non-aligned in the 1950s to end the result. 
occupation of the Allied victors of World War II, in-
cluding the Soviet Union. That said, Austria’s tacit A version of this column by Andreas Kluth first ap-
business model nowadays rests on being compara- peared on Bloomberg. It does not necessarily reflect
the views of Vero Beach 32963.

During the coronavirus crisis, our Pelican Plaza office is closed to visitors. We appreciate your understanding.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 37

INSIGHT OPINION

When JenniferWaters changed her vaca- the vacations. Now we have flights a full investigation, that's still not en- Your vacation was part of a pack-
tion location, her online agency dropped to Aruba, but our hotel remains in tirely clear – a lot of things went wrong. age, which means that you booked
the ball. Can she get Orbitz to fix a Tahiti. I have tried numerous times all of the components together, so it's
botched reservation change? to get this corrected with absolutely According to your account, you even more confusing to me that Or-
no help. I've done this through phone were on the phone with an Orbitz rep- bitz could have changed your flight
QUESTION: calls, emails, Facebook Messenger and resentative discussing flight options. but not the hotel. Yep, this one's a
the Orbitz website chat. You wanted to change your ticket be- head-scratcher.
We had a vacation to Tahiti booked cause you were concerned that you
through Orbitz. My husband recent- The Orbitz error has cost me sever- might not get to Tahiti because of You could have reached out to an
ly called Orbitz to see how much it al hundred dollars because of change COVID testing requirements. Then executive at Orbitz to find out how
would cost to change the vacation to fees and penalties. Our original flight the call either got cut off, or the agent to fix this. I list the names, numbers
Aruba. Orbitz rebooked our tickets was refundable with a $250 change hung up -- you're not sure which. and email addresses of the customer
without permission. fee per person. Can you help us? service managers at Orbitz (Expedia)
A web chat or an email could have on my nonprofit consumer advocacy
But they didn't completely switch ANSWER: provided a paper trail. But it looks site, Elliott.org.
like you tried to call Orbitz after the
Orbitz should have never changed dropped call, so there was no paper It turns out Orbitz had already of-
your original reservation. I don't know trail. Any record of the conversations fered you a credit for the price dif-
why it did. I think unless we went back would be in call center recordings ference between the Tahiti vacation
to the call, we wouldn't know who said that Orbitz won't let you listen to. You package and the one in Aruba. I con-
what. don't know definitely what you said, tacted Orbitz, and it reviewed your
or what the agent said. case. "A refund of $1,185 was pro-
That's one reason I always recom- cessed back to the customer’s card
mend that you use the website to In a perfect world, you would be due to the miscommunication that
make any changes to your reserva- able to record every phone call with occurred," a spokeswoman told me.
tion with an online agency. Orbitz, Orbitz and have access to the tran- That resolution worked for you. 
like most major online agencies, script. But recording a phone con-
keeps a record of every click and key- versation is a hassle, and call center Get help with any consumer prob-
stroke. Also, you would have received employees are often instructed to lem by contacting Christopher Elliott at
an immediate email verifying the hang up when you tell them you're http://www.elliott.org/help
change to your itinerary. recording the call. I guess only they
can record.
Whatever happened here – and after

38 Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BOOKS

Germany became a na- racy, a fierce Prussian was a neo-absolutist, a 20th-century monarch with
tion – the Second Reich who promoted Ger- 16th-century instincts. “The will of the King is the
– on Jan. 17, 1871. The cer- man nationalism, an highest law,” he insisted. “One cannot help but ob-
emony to mark unification ultraconservative who serve similarities to certain modern politicians,”
took place not in Munich, courted socialists, a Hoyer reflects.
Frankfurt or Berlin, but warmonger who mas-
at the Palace of Versailles. tered diplomacy. His Wilhelm could not tolerate a strong chancellor.
That setting was an indi- strength lay in his As Hoyer writes, he wanted instead a “sock puppet”
cation of the new nation’s to implement his every whim. That proved intoler-
fragility. Otto von Bismarck, willingness to defy able for Bismarck, who resigned in 1890. The genius
the architect of unification, his own political in- gave way to the buffoon. Thereafter, Germany be-
understood that to hold stincts. Under his came the kaiser writ large, the nation’s aspirations
the ceremony in a German supposedly conser- an outgrowth of the kaiser’s insecurities. A supreme-
city would foment jealousy vative guidance, Ger- ly covetous man, he wanted an empire and a navy
among the fractious states many developed the because Britain had both. His grandiose desires,
that had reluctantly agreed most advanced so- writes Hoyer, were eventually achieved, but only “in
upon unity. Versailles instead cial welfare system exchange for diplomatic isolation and looming eco-
symbolized something dis- nomic catastrophe.”
tinctly German: namely, vic- in the world. Con-
tory in the war against France. tradictions were Wilhelm did not specifically want a world war,
tolerated in the but that was the logical outcome of his erratic be-
Bismarck insisted that unity pragmatic interest havior. This story, Hoyer reflects, ends “where it
could be forged only in war. A of a strong nation. had started: in blood and iron,” but “the First World
common struggle against an That was the es- War proved to be too much blood and iron for the
external enemy would turn sence of Bismarck- young state.”
Bavarians, Saxons and Prus-
sians into Germans. He engi- ian realpolitik. There’s nothing particularly new in this assess-
neered three unifying wars: first Bismarck was ment. The most impressive feature of this book is
against Denmark in 1864, then not its thesis but its brevity. Until now, I didn’t realize
against Austria in 1866 and finally against France in fortunate to be that it was possible to write a short book about Ger-
1870. Before those conflicts, “Germany” was a loose left alone to craft many. Succinctness is an impressive and sadly un-
collection of 39 states unable to agree on much of his vision, free from monarchical dervalued quality in an author. A strict word count
anything. Distinctiveness was the stuff of pride. As meddling. Kaiser Wilhelm I was a die-hard Prus- is a cruel tyrant; difficult decisions about what goes
Katja Hoyer writes in “Blood and Iron: The Rise and sian who despised the notion of German unity. For in have to be made and creativity inevitably cur-
Fall of the German Empire,” the new nation was “a him, that ceremony at Versailles was “the unhap- tailed. Hoyer nevertheless manages to pepper her
mosaic, hastily glued together with the blood of its piest day of my life” because it led to “the burial of trim narrative with some lovely frills. The mark of a
enemies.” the Prussian monarchy.” He was therefore content really good short book is its ability to inspire curios-
to let his chancellor shape the new nation in the ity. “Blood and Iron” achieves just that.
A nation forged in war, however, required per- manner he saw fit.
petual conflict to preserve that tenuous unity. When Bismarck’s autonomy lasted until 1888, when Wil- Careless historians often draw a straight line from
Germans looked outward they felt genuinely Ger- helm II assumed the throne. In stark contrast to his Bismarck to Hitler. That, Hoyer argues, is “simplis-
man; when they looked inward, they perceived myr- grandfather, the new kaiser believed fervently in tic.” There’s much to admire in what Bismarck creat-
iad points of conflict. Ancient chauvinisms were ex- German nationalism and demanded “our place in ed and Wilhelm ruined. Important elements of the
acerbated by modern incongruities – between rich the sun.” For Bismarck, that promised disaster. Wil- Second Reich survive in today’s Germany, a nation
and poor, Protestant and Catholic, rural and urban, helm, he argued, was a “hothead [who] could not widely respected as stable, mature and responsible.
socialist and conservative. For disparate Germans hold his tongue, was susceptible to flatterers, and What this story reveals is how easily governmental
to come together required a common sense of em- was capable of plunging Germany into a war with- institutions can be destroyed when people are led
battlement. “The system fell because it was flawed out knowing what he was doing.” astray by intoxicating notions of a place in the sun.
from the outset,” argues Hoyer, “built on founda- Hoyer describes Wilhelm as “whimsical, outra- That, perhaps, is a lesson for us all. 
tions of war, not fraternity.” geous and ... foolish.” His antics seem delightfully
bizarre until we remind ourselves that he was im- BLOOD AND IRON
Unification was a work of genius that required a portant and powerful. “The kaiser is like a balloon,”
genius to make it work. Bismarck was a cacophony Bismarck reflected, “if you don’t keep fast hold of THE RISE AND FALL OF THE GERMAN EMPIRE
of contradictions: an autocrat who fostered democ- the string, you never know where he will be off to.”
Wilhelm, however, did not want to be tethered. He BY KATJA HOYER | PEGASUS. 253 PP. $27.95
REVIEW BY GERARD DEGROOT, THE WASHINGTON POST

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 39

INSIGHT BRIDGE

WHAT RULES IN A NO-TRUMP KINGDOM? WEST NORTH EAST
J 10 9 8 K52 763
By Phillip Alder - Bridge Columnist 87542 KJ 10 9 6
A8 7643 J 10 9
William Shakespeare, in Act 5, Scene 4 of “Richard III,” has the king shout, “A horse, a K2 Q J 10 9 A653
horse! My kingdom for a horse!”
SOUTH
What is the horse that rules our kingdom of no-trump? In this deal, what should West AQ4
lead against three no-trump, and what happens after that? AQ3
KQ52
It was a simple, quantitative auction. South rightly did not worry about his club 874
weakness, and North just went for the nine-trick game.
Dealer: South; Vulnerable: Both
In no-trump, length rules. So, West should lead the heart eight, not the spade jack.
The Bidding:
South starts with six top tricks: three spades and three hearts. He will hope to establish
three more winners in the minor suits, but that necessitates losing the lead thrice. The SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST OPENING
result is determined by the number of tricks that the defenders can bank before declarer 1 NT Pass 3 NT All Pass
has nine. LEAD:
??
It is normal for South to take the first trick on the board and to lead a club. Now East
must be on the ball, winning with his ace and leading a second heart. That leaves
West with two entry cards, the diamond ace and club king. With one he can dislodge
declarer’s last heart stopper, and with the second entry he can cash two heart tricks to
defeat the contract. East-West take two hearts, one diamond and two clubs.

Note that if East fails to put the club ace, West will win the trick and continue with a
second heart. Now, though, South can play on diamonds to dislodge West’s last entry
and take nine tricks.

Finally, note that an initial spade lead establishes only one long card, so three no-trump
makes.

40 Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT GAMES

SOLUTIONS TO PREVIOUS ISSUE (JANUARY 6) ON PAGE 66

ACROSS DOWN
1 Embryonic membranes (5) 1 Fighting (6)
4 Inserts (6) 2 Below (5)
9 Small amount (7) 3 Fire (4)
10 Singing group (5) 5 Chemical in cigarette (8)
11 Atmosphere (4) 6 Items go (anag.) (7)
12 Hurtful (7) 7 Shoulder movements (6)
13 Wild ox (3) 8 Loose garment (5)
14 Money earned (4) 13 Annual (8)
16 Identify (4) 15 Checker of accounts (7)
18 Misery (3) 17 Winged messenger (6)
20 Back (7) 18 Tired (5)
21 Twosome (4) 19 Alloy (6)
24 Saying (5) 22 Fruit of oak (5)
25 Furry animal (7) 23 Sour (4)
26 Member of rowing crew (6)
The Telegraph 27 Italian poet (5)

How to do Sudoku:

Fill in the grid so the
numbers one through
nine appear just once
in every column, row
and three-by-three
square.

The Telegraph

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 41

INSIGHT GAMES

ACROSS 93 Quatorze 45 Unfeeling The Washington Post
1 Diazepam, commonly 95 The Black, for one 47 Credit’s opposite
7 Cougar 96 Sgt., for one 48 Late-night first name IF I WROTE THE DICTIONARY (3) By Merl Reagle
11 Opposite of 53 Down 99 (n.) girlishness 49 Against
18 Legend from Hoboken 103 Jagger and Taylor 50 To’s opposite THE Art & Science
19 Take it ___ oneself 105 Hot spot 51 Backstabber
20 Tests the fit of 106 Archer’s asset 53 Surfing the net of Cosmetic Surgery
21 (adj.) loud and obnoxious, as 107 To suddenly appear on 55 Office machine giant
57 Eliot, for one SPECIALTIES INCLUDE:
chewing-gum commercials water 59 Musical chord • Minimal Incision Lift for the
22 Two before “do” 109 Lofty home 62 Henchman in The Godfather
23 (adj.) pertaining to books 110 (n.) an M.D. specializing in 63 Triangular sail Face, Body, Neck & Brow
24 Horn sounds 64 Constrict • Breast Augmentations
25 Indian instruments the lower tract 65 The ___ rate
28 Card that identifies you in 114 Get in touch with 66 Maternity ward beamers & Reductions
115 (n.) a small landfill 67 Floor squares • Post Cancer Reconstructions
the mobile world 118 “Sweet potato” 68 Descend using rope • Chemical Peels • Botox
29 First name in scat 119 Latin abbr. 69 Final syllable • Laser Surgery • Tummy Tucks
30 A Corleone 120 Snooty 70 Horse’s pace • Obagi Products • Liposculpture
32 (n.) a French fur trader 121 Gone up against 73 Make • Skin Cancer Treatments
36 Modern opening 122 Electronics giant 74 (n.) any old-fashioned term
37 Loft contents 123 Return payment?
38 Like D.H. Lawrence: abbr. describing amorous
40 Tortilla creation DOWN behavior, such as “pitching
41 School org. for bright kids 1 (n.) a studier of manly men woo” or “lovey-dovey”
43 Eats like a cow 2 Singer Baker 75 D.C. abbr.
46 Avid 3 Mates 76 Approves
48 Secret group 4 Suburban ending 77 At no extra ___
50 Ornamental band around a 5 Java dispenser 78 Condition
6 Dull finish 79 (adj.) resembling a small
room 7 (adj.) pertaining to sleeping shopping center
52 Baseball manager Joe 80 Manuel’s house
54 (n.) a market system in cars 82 Little fight
8 ___ the crack of dawn 84 Murdoch’s network
which personal income 9 Bike or boat preceder 85 Off weeks, in sports
becomes government 10 Bring to life 88 Lowers
income as soon as possible 11 Giant Hall of Famer 90 Pop the question
56 A little hoarse 12 Raisin city 92 Attire for Akira
57 A little horse 13 Mr. ___ (handyman) 94 Singer Damone
58 View from the bridge? 14 Polite offer of help 97 Meryl’s The Bridges of
60 Main course 15 Patricia O’Conner grammar Madison County co-star
61 Sgt. Snorkel’s dog 98 Designer Cassini
62 Seethe book, 100 Rite, to Gide
63 Newsman Lehrer Woe ___ 101 Protest
64 Intelligence 16 Cambodia’s Lon ___ 102 A Muse
65 (n.) overeagerness at a 17 Wind dir. 104 Relinquisher
wine-tasting 18 Pilfered 105 It means “sun”
68 Slangy toddler 21 British WWII gun 108 Spanish dessert
71 Arrest 26 Work by Horace 109 Living qtrs.
72 Bad luck charm 27 Meager 110 Pan pal?
73 Old oil co. 30 Bother 111 Electronics giant
77 Port near the Chunnel 31 Deli bread 112 Good wood
78 Calendar abbr. 33 “Gon” intro 113 Sprinted
79 Sight in a bachelor’s fridge 34 Still enjoying womb 116 Biological suffix meaning
80 “Robot” coiner service? “little”
81 (n.) lens spray 35 Ving of Pulp Fiction 117 A short amt. of time
83 Blazing 37 Unclear
85 Empire builders 39 Sound of a dog with
86 Nastiness doubts
87 Rector 42 Real name of Roy Rogers,
89 Votes thumbs down Leonard ___
91 President pro ___ 44 Foreclosed-on trailer, for
92 Millett or Moss example

The Telegraph Proudly caring for patients over 29 years.

3790 7th Terrace, Suite 101, Vero Beach, Florida

772.562.5859

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Ralph M. Rosato
MD, FACS

42 Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BACK PAGE

Why hasn’t he proposed, and why is she just waiting?

BY CAROLYN HAX you know why and are at this moment admitting
Washington Post it to yourself, or you need to ask him why.

Dear Carolyn: I feel like I’m in In other words, you need to let go of the perfect
proposal, even if you’ve both carried these visions
a Catch-22, and I hope you can with you from childhood. Again: This is your life,
not a scene in a movie. Unless you envisioned
help. I’ve been dating my boy- three years of pining, you’re already off the script.

friend for three years (we’re both And, more important, movies celebrate court-
ship; they end at the wedding. Real life is roughly
in our late 20s), and we’ve had a reversed. By gearing your actions toward preserv-
ing “tradition,” you’re concentrating on the brief-
great relationship. I want us to est, least significant part of the story. The bulk of
your life with someone is (theoretically) after the
get married, and I’ve known and been comfortable wedding, where the ability to communicate with-
out fear of upsetting someone will serve you far
with this for a while. Even though I’ve never said so better than who bended whose knee.

directly, my boyfriend knows how I feel. He is defi- If his response is to propose, trust your in-
stincts – and the validity of his reasons – to tell
nitely committed to me, and we have a great rela- you whether Humpty Dumpty was pushed by an
ultimatum. You’ll know, you’ll know, you’ll know.
tionship. Resist the urge to spin it, second-guess it or de-
lude yourself out of it. If he’s just not feeling it,
But we’re still not engaged, and I can feel myself then you’re better for knowing it.

starting to get resentful of waiting. I have thought And, finally, if speaking your mind, sharing your
love and asking for the truth is not “well-received,”
about popping the question myself, but (a) he’s a then please know that the only thing you’ve ru-
ined is a future spent tiptoeing around someone
bit of a traditionalist and I don’t think it would be else’s idea of how life “should” be. What does hap-
pen always trumps what should – and when you
well-received, and (b) it feels like an ultimatum, get there, the partner you want is someone who
puts feelings first. 
and I’m afraid it would force a decision he has a

valid reason for postponing. Plus, in all honesty, I in decisions that affect these things is not pressure.
I realize you want him to want you – so urgently
really want him to ask me. (However, I couldn’t care
and surely that he drops to his knee tonight. Ev-
less about rings and all that other stuff, and I think eryone wants that love. Well, everyone over a cer-
tain age who has been committed to someone
he knows this, too.) long enough to establish credibility, but they cut
that scene from “Cinderella.”
So how do I find out why I’m still waiting, with-
As a traditionalist, your boyfriend is presum-
out pressuring him? Or, alternatively, how do I stop ably marriage-minded as well – which suggests
that, for whatever reason, his love isn’t so urgent
feeling resentful for it? or sure, or else he would have proposed. Either

– Waiting

Waiting: This is your future, your heart, your
“great relationship” (twice). Asking to be included

‘CAROUSEL’

RIVERSIDE RETURNS WITH

AN UNFORGETTABLE RIDE





46 Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

Riverside returns with an unforgettable ride

PHOTOS BY ANGEL UDELHOVEN

BY PAM HARBAUGH | CORRESPONDENT There is so much enthusiasm on gins not with an overture, but with “The we don’t care because we’re all so hap-
stage and in the audience for the return Carousel Waltz.” py to be back in a live theater actually
After a nearly two-year pandemic- to live theater, that one happily excuses seeing something on stage.
induced hiatus, Riverside Theatre stirs the occasional indulgence in expres- Here, director and designer Allen D.
gladly back to life with the soaring siveness and pacing. Cornell weaves a sword swallower, eye- Instead of being quarantined in our
sound of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s popping acrobatics and gaudy dancers homes, we have gone back 150 years
“Carousel.” As expected, the voices are big and around a beautifully wrought, working to a foggy fishing village on the coast
the visuals are beautiful in Riverside’s carousel, which moves to center stage of Maine. This dreamy beginning is
production of this 1945 musical. It be- and, at times, upstages the actors, but where we meet the hardworking in-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 47

ARTS & THEATRE

carousel and slipped an arm around back to the
her waist. His boss is attracted to him boarding house, Julie
and knows that Julie is a serious com- stays put. It’s as if the attraction
petitor for his affections, so she does between Julie and Billy has been
what any pre-#MeToo boss would do – written in the stars (foreshadowing
she threatens to fire him. here) and they deliver splendid and
moving, two-hankey performances of
Although urged by her friend Car- the song “If I Loved You.”
rie Pipperidge (a most endearing and
effervescent Rachael Scarr) to head CONTINUED ON PAGE 48

habitants for whom a seedy carnival song, dance and character when car-
is a seductive respite from a toilsome nival barker Billy Bigelow (splendidly
world. And we can relate. voiced Jeffrey Kringer) and mill worker
Julie Jordan (sweet-voiced Samantha
It is also where the story, based on the Bruce) meet.
popular Hungarian drama “Liliom,”
gets set into motion with its plot-driven He has given her a free ride on the

48 Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 47 betrothal, Billy and Julie are married,
without work, and living under the be-
But just like “Romeo and Juliet,” neficence of their landlady.
these lovers are star crossed. By the
next scene, when the village is happily Life is about to get tougher in the
busy with life, and lusty Nettie Fowler second act. Again, it’s when the town
(powerhouse Beth Kirkpatrick) sings is happy and this time united in enjoy-
“June Is Bustin’ Out All Over,” and ing “A Real Nice Clambake,” for which
Carrie and Mr. Snow (a most likable Rodgers and Hammerstein reworked
Daniel Schwait) have announced their “A Real Nice Hayride,” an unused

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 49

ARTS & THEATRE

song in their ground- and it won’t hurt at all.
breaking musical “Oklahoma!” Like any good director, Cornell
The real nice clambake ends with
Nettie singing to Julie “You’ll Never finds the “problem with the play.”
Walk Alone,” so let that be the answer And this moment is the “Carousel”
for all of you living in a cultural cave problem. Cornell does a good job in
when you ask, “what happens?” preparing us for this. He begins the
The second act is also where “Car- story with a scene where a woman
ousel” takes a sudden turn. It goes is struck, and he lets the comments
from a somewhat realistic storyline about Billy hitting Julie linger.
to something fantastical. Story spoil-
ers here, so skip the next paragraph if So, we know what is coming. Still, it’s
you want. a problem when Julie suggests that if
Billy, now dead, the result of a failed the person who hits you loves you, then
robbery, is allowed by heavenly au- it doesn’t hurt. Simply put, it breaks a
thorities to return to Earth for a day. fourth wall, and we are out of the story,
He does so and meets his free-spirited considering the reality of domestic abuse.
daughter, Louise. Wanting to encour-
age her, he tries to give her a star he has In addition to the music and visuals,
plucked from the heavens. She refuses one of the best parts of this production
and he slaps her hand. Which then goes is choreographer DJ Salisbury’s great,
into the lamentable bit of dialogue be- ebullient dance numbers, which make
tween Louise and Julie when they both you feel as though a giant rubber band
agree that sometimes you can be hit, has just been set free in you. His use of
flips, and kicks, and stomps and some
very springy dance steps electrify the

CONTINUED ON PAGE 50

50 Vero Beach 32963 / January 13, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 49 Riverside Theatre’s “Carousel” is a
potent way to bring us back to the the-
stage. Don’t be surprised if you tear up ater. It will make you laugh, cry and
when Jamie Pfaff, as Louise, throttles think. But especially cry, maybe just to
up in one of the best dance numbers to be back. Do bring those hankies.
grace Riverside’s stage.
“Carousel” runs through Jan. 23 with
Music director Anne Shuttlesworth performances at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays,
heads up the splendid 12-piece orches- Wednesdays and Thursdays; 8 p.m.
tra. Kurt Alger’s costumes and wigs Fridays and Saturdays; and 2 p.m. on
are perfect and advance the show’s Wednesdays, select Thursdays, Satur-
character and setting. Yael Lubetzky’s days and Sundays. Tickets start at $45.
lighting design paints lovely pictures, Riverside Theatre is located at 3250
although those colorful buoys do com- Riverside Dr., Vero Beach. Call 772-231-
pete visually with the actors. And Craig 6990 or visit RiversideTheatre.com. 
Beyrooti’s sound design is subtle and
atmospheric.