The words you are searching are inside this book. To get more targeted content, please make full-text search by clicking here.

Melbourne_ISSUE02_011118_OPT

Discover the best professional documents and content resources in AnyFlip Document Base.
Search
Published by Vero Beach 32963 Media, 2018-01-11 14:45:38

01/11/2018 ISSUE 02

Melbourne_ISSUE02_011118_OPT

‘Madama’ mania. P12 Mansion is a must. P29 Tennis, anyone?

Aflutter with anticipation for Dining: Renovated, revitalized
Vero Opera and ACO’s ‘Butterfly.’ restaurant is really special.

Kiwi tourney makes net gains in
fight against breast cancer. PAGE 8

THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018 | VOLUME 03, ISSUE 2 www.melbournebeachsider.com | NEWSSTAND PRICE $1.00

WALKING TOUR STEPS LIVELY INTO HISTORY OF MELBOURNE BEACH Solar canopy
will energize
‘Pelican’ park

STORY BY GEORGE WHITE STAFF WRITER
[email protected]

A New Year’s walking tour of Melbourne Beach’s numerous historic points – including the Community Chapel – was led by Frank Thomas. PHOTOS: BENJAMIN THACKER A solar canopy to provide
shade and generate up to 25
STORY BY CYNTHIA VAN GAASBECK CORRESPONDENT About 40 people chose to start 2018 of history, or at least a smartphone to kilowatts of electricity will
by joining Thomas and his sidekick, Google the missing pieces. soon be up and running at
Pineapples. That’s the one-word ex- Bruce Morgan, for a 10 a.m. New Year’s Pelican Beach Park in Satel-
planation Frank Thomas gives for Mel- Day walking tour of historic points “Pineapples. There were pineapples lite Beach as a demonstra-
bourne Beach’s existence. along Ocean Avenue. all up and down this river. In 1894 a tion project under the Flor-
huge freeze killed them off. They tried ida Power & Light SolarNow
Well, one word that leads to a few Thomas’ style is to keep the narrative to restart it. Then we had the Spanish- program.
thousand more, but it’s where the town short and interesting, and he expects American War and we got Puerto Rico,
historian likes to begin a tour of Brevard listeners to have general knowledge The three-year pilot Solar-
County’s oldest beachside community. CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 Now program started in 2016.
Brevard County already has
the most SolarNow projects
up and running of any coun-
ty statewide, with three solar
trees, and both the Brevard
Zoo and Palm Bay City Hall,
with five solar trees located
at Port Canaveral. Statewide
there are 14 SolarNow sites
including the Brevard sites.
The Pelican Beach Park can-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Safety of students SatBeach council’s approval is coup for backyard chicken owners
tops concerns about
proposed sidewalk PHOTO: GORDON RADFORD STORY BY GEORGE WHITE STAFF WRITER the issue in 2016, including
[email protected] more than a dozen residents
STORY BY GEORGE WHITE STAFF WRITER appearing before the coun-
[email protected] Once-controversial back- cil either to express support
yard chickens in Satellite for chickens as a sustain-
Indian Harbour Beach of- Beach have passed a year- able source of food, or to re-
ficials want to hear both sides long evaluation program lay concerns that backyard
before taking action on plans with hardly a peep of com- chickens might attract pred-
for a sidewalk on Yuma Drive plaints. ators and would otherwise
in Indian Harbour Beach for negatively impact the char-
safety of students walking and The Satellite Beach City
Council faced passion and CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 emotion on both sides of

ADVERTISING: 772-559-4187 | CIRCULATION: 772-226-7925 If something’s afoot ...

NEWS 1-6 DINING 29 PEOPLE 7-10 ... local orthopedic surgeon
ARTS 11-14 GAMES 21-23 PETS 20 Dr. Allison Wade specializes in
BOOKS 19 HEALTH 25-28 REAL ESTATE 33-40 treating sports injuries. PAGE 26
CALENDAR 32 INSIGHT 15-24

© 2017 VERO BEACH 32963 MEDIA LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

2 Thursday, January 11, 2018 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

NEWS

SOLAR CANOPY Green Achievement Targets included Pelican Beach Park solar canopy rendering. PHOTO: FPL solar energy projects in local com-
in the City’s Sustainability Action munities.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Plan 2017. are definitely looking for,’’ she said.
There are about 25,000 partici- The funds generated by the enroll-
opy should be up and running by “Sometimes a statue can inspire ment fees go toward the construc-
summer 2018 with FPL installing and people to reflect and take action to pants signed up for SolarNow across tion of solar energy projects such as
maintaining the project at no cost to make a better tomorrow; in this case the state to help create the smaller solar canopies and free-standing so-
the city. we hope that seeing the solar canopy solar energy projects. Should rate- lar trees in local public areas, such as
will remind people that solar power payers choose to enroll in the FPL parks, zoos, schools and museums.
The energy generated from these is an available option and is support- SolarNow program, $9 will be added FPL installs, operates and maintains
assets is fed to the grid and ben- ed by the city,’’ Sanzone said. to their monthly FPL electric bill to the projects under lease agreements
efits the entire community, said FPL join other customers who are help- like the one recently approved by the
spokesperson Lisa Paul. The SolarNow program allows FPL ing to support the development of Satellite Beach City Council for the
customers to enjoy the benefits of Pelican Beach Park canopy expected
“The solar canopy that will be in- 100 percent clean Florida sunshine to be installed this spring.
stalled in the parking lot of Pelican in their communities, without the
Beach Park will not only generate upfront costs of installing solar sys- “The idea behind this is to bring
electricity, it will provide shade over tems on their home or business. the projects into the communities
a portion of the parking lot and will where they get to see it, interact with
also show the community that Satel- “It’s going to be a canopy that pro- it, get up close to it and have the op-
lite Beach is promoting examples of vides covered parking and on top of it portunity to see more solar opportu-
cleaner energy,’’ said Satellite Beach can generate 25KW back into the grid nities,’’ she said.
Environmental Programs Coordina- to provide emissions-free electricity
tor Nick Sanzone. for all FPL customers. Covered park- In Brevard County there are 1,186
ing is something people in Florida SolarNow customers with 34 of those
The project fits in with some of the

MAN, OH MANATEE,
IT SURE WAS COLD!

Beachsiders bundled up and manatees huddled
together for warmth in a canal on DeSoto Parkway
in Satellite Beach as Brevard County – or perhaps
Brrrrrrrevard County? – was under a freeze warning
for two nights last week. 

SERVING MELBOURNE BEACH PLUS SATELLITE BEACH, INDIAN HARBOUR BEACH & INDIALANTIC

Community Editor Advertising Director We are here to provide Brevard barrier President and Publisher
Lisa Zahner, 772-584-9121 Judy Davis, 772-633-1115 island readers with the most comprehen- Milton R. Benjamin, 772-559-4187
[email protected] [email protected] sive news coverage of Melbourne Beach, [email protected]
Indialantic, Indian Harbour Beach, Satellite
Staff Reporter Advertising Account Executives Beach, and South Merritt Island. Creative Director
George White, 321-795-3835 Lillian Belmont, 321-604-7833 Dan Alexander, 772-539-2700
[email protected] Will Gardner, 407-361-2150 For our advertising partners, we pledge [email protected]
to provide the most complete consulta-
Columnists tive and marketing programs possible for Corporate Editor
Pam Harbaugh, 321-794-3691 the best return on your investment. Steven M. Thomas, 772-453-1196
Cynthia Van Gaasbeck, 321-626-4701 [email protected]

Barrier Island Newsweekly THE MELBOURNE Thursday, January 11, 2018 3

NEWS

living in Satellite Beach, she said. into those communities,’’ she said. “I think people are excited about of generating 205KW with a 53KW
And, while the SolarNow sign ups The project is based on the formu- solar coming to their communities canopy in Punta Gorda. FPL also is
and we’re seeing that with more peo- involved in much larger solar power
don’t directly relate to where the FPL la that one kilowatt equals the power ple participating in the program,’’ generation projects in fields out in
projects will take place, they do in- needed for one classroom. Using that Paul said. rural areas like one in Barefoot Bay
dicate where there is support, Paul formula, Pelican Beach Park canopy but those have restricted public ac-
said. “They want to see it in their will generate enough power for a The Naples Zoo has a larger so- cess. 
community so we want to bring it small elementary school, she said. lar canopy coming on line capable

4 Thursday, January 11, 2018 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

NEWS

HISTORIC WALKING TOUR Frank Thomas leads a Melbourne Beach walking tour of historic sites on New Year’s Day. PHOTO: BENJAMIN THACKER real estate development and it failed,”
he said.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 small, lazy waves. The blocks came from the sand right
Thomas holds up a group photo here. It was a hotel. Well they called it Thomas, 81, and moving slowly
which started growing pineapples! a hotel. They would try to scratch out with two painful knees, stood in front
So that was the end of our pineapple taken on the pier of every man, wom- a living somehow,” he said. Thomas of the replica 14-foot-by-12½-foot
trade,” he said. Short and sweet. an and child resident on Easter Sun- noted that the proprietors were well- cottage that one Capt. Rufus Beau-
day in 1919. A count puts that number known for serving lean Sunday din- jean built for his family in 1889. The
The tour, “always free and always at 43, about three more people than ners, and not the healthy kind. one-time Union Army private became
fun,” explores the early days of com- were on this tour. Then with an eye to known as Capt. Beaujean as he was
munity landmarks. future town historians, Thomas had “The story is that they once served the operator of the ferry. But he also
all gather in the same spot for a mod- 17 chicken dinners from one chick- was a talented carpenter and can be
Thomas is wearing a mic and Mor- ern group shot. en!” credited with building the Commu-
gan pulls a Radio Flyer loaded with nity Chapel and the Ryckman House,
priceless historic photographs and He leads the troupe back toward He doesn’t sugarcoat the town’s among others.
the loudspeaker. In order, Morgan land and turns his attention to the past, though there’s nothing of which
pulls photos from the wagon to illus- building on the corner. to be ashamed. Melbourne Beach “We rebuilt this in 1991,” Thomas
trate Thomas’ narrative. wasn’t born of scandal nor blood. said of the cottage and attached post
“This is Villa Marine,” he said, “The office for the 20-resident settlement.
The tour is underway and the group dentist office now, built in 1912-1913. “Melbourne Beach was started as a “I found the remains around the cor-
is led through Ryckman Park to the 650- ner back in 1989. We wanted to restore
foot riverside pier that truly was the it but the wood wasn’t usable. Capt.
starting point of the town. Long before Beaujean and his wife Adelaide (the
a causeway linked the barrier island first of three) had two boys, Claude
with the mainland, ferry boats ushered and Don, and they all lived in the tiny
people and provisions across the In- wooden cottage. The post office came
dian River Lagoon. The ferries and the in 1891.”
occasional steamship would dock at
the pier, built in 1889 at the corner of Next on the tour was the Ryckman
Ocean Avenue and the not-yet-created House, built by Beaujean in 1890 for
Riverside Drive. Visitors were met with Jacob Fox. Both men were original in-
a rail car on what was one of the coun- vestors in the stock scheme, making
try’s shorter tracks, at 7/10ths of a mile the house the perfect spot to elabo-
from start to finish, or river to ocean. It rate on the settlement’s initial, falter-
was a straight shot in the Buda Motor ing steps into the modern era.
Car to the Atlantic, with the settlement
growing along a natural cove that of- “In 1909 they formed a stock com-
fered mainlanders one of the shortest pany, called the Melbourne Beach
routes to the seashore. Improvement Co. It was the worst in-
vestment anybody ever made! It just
“If you look to the north and you didn’t make it. People didn’t settle.
look to the south, you will see we
are between two points of land. This “In 1923 the settlement was incor-
is Fisherman Point,” Thomas says porated for the purpose of paving the
while gesturing northward. “And this streets. They couldn’t find anybody
is Crab Point,” he says while pointing interested in capitalizing the place,
south. “This is the nearest way to the like in Palm Beach and Daytona
beach. There was a footpath already Beach. There were no big money peo-
here, from the Ais Indians,” he said ple here,” he said.
of the aboriginal tribes inhabiting the
Central Florida coast before Europe- The bright lights of the big city were
an settlement. not switching on in Melbourne Beach.

It sounded like heaven on Earth: The house gained its name from
“There were rattlesnakes! There were Garrett E. Ryckman, a vintner from
mosquitoes! It was thick with man- New York and a major shareholder in
groves! Impassible!” the stock company, who bought the
house in 1908.
On this day, adults fished in the
shade of the covered pier while chil- It would remain in the family un-
dren chattered and sang, laughed and til it was bequeathed to the town by
trotted around the deck. The first of his daughter, Ruth, when she died in
the week’s cold fronts had not yet hit 1979 at the age of 89.
and the river slowly undulated with
Back across the street, the group
entered the Community Chapel of

PROPOSED SIDEWALK Drive conflicting with car traffic from Drive. Yuma Drive has a 60-foot-wide their driveways and landscaping.
parents dropping off or picking up the right-of-way, which includes the street When additional objections were
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 students from the school. itself, plus curbs and land on both sides
of the street. received from residents living on the
bicycling to Ocean Breeze Elementary. A meeting involving Indian Harbour streets west of Yuma Drive, Indian
After it was clear that there were Beach Police Chief David Butler, the The city had the right-of-way sur- Harbour Beach City Manager decided
concerned citizen and school officials veyed to determine the feasibility of to make sure to get all sides of the story
strong reactions for and against the resulted in a concept drawing of possi- installing the sidewalk along the west before proceeding with the sidewalk
sidewalk, a Community Input Meeting ble improvements featuring a sidewalk side of the roadway. However, when res- plan.
on the issue was set for 7 p.m. Wednes- on the west side of Yuma Drive between idents saw the survey work and stakes,
day, Jan. 17, at Indian Harbour Beach Sioux Drive and Cheyenne Drive to some residents living along Yuma Drive “I committed to the residents that the
City Hall. connect to the existing crosswalk at that called the city, objecting to the plan and city would hold a community meeting
intersection and provide an additional indicating they felt the sidewalk is not to solicit their input on this proposal
The city was first notified of a con- crosswalk on Yuma Drive near Sioux warranted and will significantly impact before proceeding or not proceed with
cern about students walking or bik- the project,’’ he said. 
ing from the subdivision west of Yuma

Barrier Island Newsweekly THE MELBOURNE Thursday, January 11, 2018 5

NEWS

Melbourne Beach. First-timers oohed stood in front of the altar. “It’s not a wedding chapel but peo- with his daughter Amy by his side. His
and aahed quietly, respectfully. The land was donated by Henry ple love to get married here,” he said. wife, Annie Hellen, to whom he had
dedicated one of his books, provided
“Our famous Melbourne Beach cha- Whiting, another early mover and With the cold front moving in and cookies and punch. The tour, which
pel deservedly has the reputation as shaker, on the condition that it for- rain starting to fall, the tour ended he has been conducting since 1973,
the seat of Christianity on the beaches. ever remain nondenominational. at the Community Center, built in has itself become a part of Melbourne
It was built in 1892. Capt. Beaujean did 1920. Thomas sat in the back, greet- Beach’s story. 
everything,” Thomas explained as he The little chapel has become a fa- ing guests and autographing books
vorite of couples tying the knot.

6 Thursday, January 11, 2018 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

NEWS

BACKYARD CHICKENS The ordinance outlaws having pect of fresh eggs for which you know And it turns out Barker was right:
roosters, selling eggs or breeding the the source. Only a total of six of the free permits
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 chickens. for backyard chickens were taken out
During the 2016 debates, City Man- in 2016 and 2017. As for complaints,
acter and quality of life for all 10,000 City Council member Mindy Gib- ager Courtney Barker said she expect- there were a couple of unfounded re-
Satellite Beach residents. There was son ran on a pro-backyard chicken ed the strain on code enforcement to ports of roosters and the Hurricane
even talk of having the matter on a platform and has two hens that live be low after talking to officials from Irma-related temporary escapes of
voter referendum ballot, but that ef- in a movable chicken house. Now other backyard chicken-friendly Bre- two hens.
fort did not receive enough council described as pets, they are allowed vard cities.
support to proceed. to sometimes run free in her family’s “They are so quiet and don’t smell
fenced back yard. Cape Canaveral, Melbourne Beach, bad that many times the neighbors
The one-year pilot program, ex- Melbourne, Rockledge, Titusville, don’t even know they live next to
tended by another year by the City She and other supporters point out West Melbourne, Malabar and unin- chickens,’’ Barker said.
Council Jan. 3, allows up to two back- the generally quiet nature of female corporated Brevard County all allow
yard hens per residence and comes chickens, the fact that they eat bugs chicken ownership in varying de- Barker and Gibson, citing the lack
with permitting and inspection re- of all types, lessening the need for grees, according to the data Barker of complaints or problems and the
quirements. pesticides, and the positive health as- presented then. fact that other pets like rabbits don’t

Mindy Gibson holds one of her hens, Blackie. Below, anoth-
er of her ‘pets’ reaches for a morsel. PHOTOS: GORDON RADFORD

have similar rules, suggested that the
backyard chickens permitting and
ordinance be dropped.

“I don’t think we need a full-blown
permitting process for a problem that
hasn’t happened,’’ Barker said.

Other members of the council,
however, successfully pushed for the
rules to stay in place at least another
year to make sure backyard chicken
coops are placed correctly and that
roosters are prohibited.

“This has worked out really good
so far and we’ve had very few com-
plaints. I would like to think that all
chicken owners are good owners, but
if we didn’t have the rules we would
have no ability to check them out and
make sure it’s done right,’’ said Mayor
Frank Catino. 

Tennis tourney
makes net gains
in cancer fight

8 Thursday, January 11, 2018 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

SEEN & SCENE

Kiwi tennis tourney makes net gains in cancer fight

STORY BY CYNTHIA VAN GAASBECK CORRESPONDENT “Didi Weinreb, one of our really great Roger and Didi Weinreb. PHOTOS: BENJAMIN THACKER Jenny Eskridge and Lisa Liberman.
[email protected] paddlers and a breast cancer survivor,
is a member of the Kiwi Tennis Club. cancer diagnosis, it’s scary and you up your mood. I just think it’s a great
Living beings of all persuasions find We are a nonprofit organization and can’t do it by yourself. You have a team: cause and it promotes positivity and
strength in numbers. The strength is we do a few fundraisers throughout the You have your doctors, you have your survival.”
literal and figurative, emotional and year. She came up with the idea,” she family, you have your support system,
physical. said while mixed doubles were kicking you have your friends. Again, the word Among the nearly 25 sponsors for
up dust on the club’s nine clay courts. team. So that’s where we came up with the event was Health First, an orga-
Testament to that saying was a gath- world team tennis,” she said. nization with which many are inti-
ering last Saturday at Kiwi Tennis Club The inaugural tennis tourney was mately familiar.
in Indian Harbour Beach for the Sec- rained out last year so the club made “Jill Connolly, who is the director
ond Annual Breast Cancer Awareness the best of the situation and turned it of business development at Kiwi Ten- Forty-four competitors divided
World Team Tennis & Ping Pong Tour- into a ping-pong tournament. nis Club, said she wanted to do some- among four teams took to the courts
nament. The positivity and support thing for breast cancer awareness and as the temperature held steady at 55
flowing through the breezeway and “The reason I picked a team tennis she came to me last year and asked if I degrees under a cloudless sky. Rais-
onto the courts was almost palpable effort is when you are paddling in the would coordinate it,” Weinreb said. ing money and awareness while hav-
as four teams battled for the top spot dragon boat, it’s not how strong you are ing fun were Baby Got Backhand, The
in an event to benefit one of the beach- as an individual but how strong you are Said Connolly: “They are raising Boobie Brigade, Strait Outta Kiwi and
side’s more unusual nonprofits, Heart as a team. It’s how well you are in synch awareness by doing something fun Joey’s Team. Perhaps fittingly, The
& Soul Dragon Boat Paddlers. and paddling together,” said Weinreb, and upbeat and getting people to- Boobie Brigade came in first with an
a breast cancer survivor of eight years. gether as a community. You’re get- 11 point lead over Joey’s Team, fol-
Dragon boating itself is thousands ting out in the sun and the fresh air. lowed by Baby Got Backhand and
of years old and originates in China. “When you’re dealing with a breast Coming together as a group brings Strait Outta Kiwi. 
A modern dragon boat crew typically
consists of 20 paddlers facing forward,
a drummer at the bow facing the pad-
dlers and a sweep at the rear to steer
the boat.

The local connection to an ancient
tradition is Beth Gitlin, 55, of Satellite
Beach. She is the founder and team
captain of the Heart & Soul team,
which is based at Oars and Paddles
Park in Indian Harbour Beach.

Gitlin learned of the sport through a
neighbor when she lived in Indian Har-
bour Beach.

“She was a breast cancer survivor.
When I was going through it, she was
telling me about dragon boating. She
lives half the year in Vermont and she
had started a team about 10 years prior
to that for survivors.

“I feel like there’s not enough in our
community, organization wise and
support wise, to help cancer survivors
after treatment and to live that life of
health and wellness,” said Gitlin, a sur-
vivor of 6½ years. “We have a slogan:
‘Doctors saved our lives and dragon
boating saved our souls.’

Barrier Island Newsweekly THE MELBOURNE Thursday, January 11, 2018 9

SEEN & SCENE

Linda Dyer, Carol Berry and Emily Hendricksen. Angela Copeland, Erica Cosairt, James Eells and Beth Findley. Dee Gaug and Tom Eskridge.

Mitch Evander and Lindsey Westfall.

Lisa Liberman, Stephanie Falconi, Barbara
DeCesari and Yvonne Salvatore.

Jenny Eskridge and Lisa Liberman.

BMW

Coming Up: ‘All Rodriguez’
celebrates ballet master P. 13

12 Thursday, January 11, 2018 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

ARTS & THEATRE

Aflutter with anticipation for ‘Madama Butterfly’

STORY BY STEPHANIE LABAFF STAFF WRITER Soprano María Antúnez. with “his effortless high notes and full to be a part of that from the musical
[email protected] mature color make him a heartbreak- standpoint.”
Román and Joan made a huge commit- ing lead.”
The Vero Beach Opera takes flight ment to make this opera company the Levine has a massive job in front
with a banner year presenting “Ma- success that it is.” The cast has performed under the of her, explains Hopper. “You have to
dama Butterfly” by Giacomo Puccini direction of some of this century’s most know the score very well; and when
in the first performance of the season. He credits Román Ortega-Cowan celebrated conductors and graced you’re conducting, you need to feel
Adding to the intensity of this colossal with the talented cast the opera was the stages of premiere opera houses the confidence from the orchestra that
performance is the opera’s first-ever able to put together for the perfor- around the world. Under the direction they’re not going to ever be the prob-
collaboration with the Atlantic Classi- mance. “He knows the opera world. He of renowned conductor and pianist lem. Added to that you’ve got soloists
cal Orchestra. knows wonderful singers, and through Caren Levine, those singers along with on stage who are singing from memory
those relationships, he’s able to get the ACO and Stetson University Opera and moving around on the stage. All
For nearly three decades, the opera them to do these performances.” Theatre Chorus will weave their skills kinds of things can go wrong in an op-
and the orchestra have co-existed in to share the woeful libretto of “Mad- era.”
Vero. The husband-and-wife opera Uruguayan soprano María Antúnez ama Butterfly.”
impresarios, artistic director Román has taken on the role of Madama But- Local resident Tiziana Lahey has
Ortega-Cowan and Vero Beach Opera terfly. Critics have noted her “dark Levine will be a guest conductor for been cast as Kate Pinkerton. The Ital-
President Joan Ortega-Cowan, say the voice” as having “dramatic weight” the collaboration and brings with her ian soprano moved to Vero Beach in
collaboration with ACO has been a with “… sterling silvery high notes, a the resume of an accomplished mu- 2000 with her husband, Patrick Lahey,
long time coming. creamy middle register and aristocrat- sician and conductor. The two-time the president of Triton Submarines.
ic bearing.” Grammy Award winner has been on Tiziana put her career on hold as they
“Both organizations are very excited the roster of the Metropolitan Opera started a family and is making her re-
about working together and anticipate Madama Butterfly’s love interest, House as Assistant Conductor and turn to the stage for this Vero Beach
future productions,” says Joan Ortega- Lt. Benjamin F. Pinkerton, will be per- Prompter since 2003. Opera production.
Cowan.“This is something both orga- formed by Martin Nusspaumer. The
nizations have wanted to do for years.” Uruguayan tenor has been called “one During her 2016-2017 season Levine’s “Vero Beach is a fantastic place to
of the outstanding singers of his gen- work included the Metropolitan Opera live, and I am so excited to share my joy
“It’s the natural thing,” adds Román eration” and compared to Domingo production of L’Amour de Loin and Die and passion for the opera here,” says
Ortega-Cowan. “They are an estab- Zauberflöte, La Bohème at the Charles- Lahey. “I am thankful for this oppor-
lished orchestra. We are an established ton Opera Company, Il Barbiere di Sivi- tunity to come back to the stage and
opera company. We operate in the glia with Opera San Antonio, The Turn hope to continue with future perfor-
same areas. After all these years, the of the Screw, La Bohème, Les Contes mances.”
stars finally aligned perfectly.” d’Hoffmann and Le Nozze di Figaro at
The Miami Music Festival. The Vero Beach Opera production
He notes that ACO President and of “Madama Butterfly” is on Jan. 14 at
CEO Alan Hopper brings a lot to the “The ACO will supply the opera with 3 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center
table. “He’s a musician and adminis- some of the best freelance players in at Vero Beach High School. For the full
trator. Having the knowledge of the south Florida,” promises Hopper. “I’ve 2018 season and to learn more about the
working side of it makes a big differ- managed six different orchestras, and I Vero Beach Opera, visit verobeachopera.
ence. Added to that, Alan also has a lot would say player for player this is prob- org.
of experience with the opera genre.” ably the best.”
The Atlantic Classical Orchestra sea-
Hopper says of this historic collabo- Opera is a very complicated art form, son opens on Jan. 17 with Ode to Love ~
ration, “I’m looking forward to the ex- says Hopper. “There’s so much visual; Ode to Joy (Bernstein and Beethoven).
perience. This brings a sense of com- it’s acting, set designs, costume de- For the full schedule, visit atlanticclas-
munity to both the orchestra and the signs and the music. We’re delighted sicalorchestra.com. 
opera company by working together.

Barrier Island Newsweekly THE MELBOURNE Thursday, January 11, 2018 13

ARTS & THEATRE

Coming Up: ‘All Rodriguez’ celebrates ballet master

New York City with a full scholarship he created for Ballet Vero Beach: “An
at the prestigious Joffrey Ballet School. Afternoon in the Paddock,” “Sheer Vi-
Rodriguez has appeared professionally bration” and “The Swan,” as well as
with the Eglevsky Ballet and Virginia a world premiere work to the music
Ballet Theatre, and toured interna- of local composer Paul Gay, who col-
tionally with the all-male comedy bal- laborated last season with Ballet Vero
let troupes Ballets Grandiva and the Beach Artistic Director Adam Schnell
fabulous, world-famous Les Ballets on Schnell’s original work, “In Which
Trockadero de Monte Carlo, where he Cio-Cio San Goes With Pinkerton.”
demonstrated a gift for parody. Vero Curtain is 8 p.m. Jan. 19, and 2 p.m. and
audiences will see Rodriguez’s cho- 8 p.m., Jan. 20. Tickets are $10 to $75.
reographic skills in action with dances
CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

1 “All Rodriguez”

STORY BY SAMANTHA BAITA STAFF WRITER ented young company further enrich-
[email protected] es Vero’s already exceptional cultural
opportunities. “All Rodriguez” is a trib-
1 On the heels (and toes) of its ute to the company’s ballet master and
lauded premiere performances principal dancer Camilo A. Rodriguez,
and features his works exclusively. De-
of “Nutcracker on the Indian River,” scribed fondly by the company as its
“unexpected, irreverent, and prolific
which launched its 2017-2018 Fifth An- dance maker,” Rodriguez grew up in
San Juan, Puerto Rico, and trained at
niversary Season, Ballet Vero Beach Ballets de San Juan and Ballet Conci-
erto de Puerto Rico, before moving to
presents “All Rodriguez” Jan. 19 and 20

at the VBHS Performing Arts Center. If

you’ve seen previous Ballet Vero Beach

performances, you know what the

buzz is all about, as this exciting, tal-

14 Thursday, January 11, 2018 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 ARTS & THEATRE

2 3 How about an exciting night of
musical memories from what

has been called the most consequen-

tial decades in music history – the

golden ’60s, ’70s and ’80s? if that’s

your jam, be at the King Center this

Sunday for the brand new national

touring concert “Decades Rewind.”

Ed Sullivan would undoubtedly call

this one “a really big show,” chock

full of more than 60 Disco, Funk,

Rock and Motown hits (think Zep-

pelin, think Aretha Franklin), fur-

ther enhanced with video nostalgia

and hundreds of costume changes.

If this is the soundtrack of your life,

wrap yourself in nostalgia for couple

2 Beethoven’s Piano Concerto of hours. You might find yourself

dancin’ in the aisles. Show time is 7

p.m. Tickets start at $47.

2 Sibelius, Beethoven and Men- 4 Known in local environs as
delssohn are on the program this “The Music Church,” Riverside

Saturday when the Brevard Symphony

Orchestra performs a pair of concerts Presbyterian in Cocoa Beach con-

at the King Center. The 2 p.m. matinee tinues its 10th anniversary season

includes Beethoven’s Piano Concerto by swingin’ into the new year with

No. 5, popularly known as the Emperor “Big Band Greatest Hits,” Sunday at

Concerto, the composer’s final com- 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Leading the

pleted piano concerto. It was written in Swingtime Band will be saxman Art

STAGING SELLS HOMES Vienna in the early 1800s and dedicat- Martin, alum of the Jimmy Dorsey

Coastal Interior & ed to Archduke Rudolph, Beethoven’s Orchestra (not to mention Dizzzy
the Gunter Real Estate Group
of Salt Water Realty of Brevard patron and pupil, according to Wiki- Gillespie and The Platters). Look for
Just Unveiled an Innovative Staging Alliance!
pedia. Interpreting this popular piece his solo during “Harlem Nocturne.”
If you have decided to make the commitment to sell
your home, you need the Gunter Group to list your will be Moscow-born pianist Natasha Other hits from the Big Band era will
home. Properties listed with the Gunter Group
includes professional staging by Coastal Interior Paremski, an internationally respected be interpreted by vocalists Len Fall-
at ZERO COST to you! Staged homes sell faster
and for more money than homes not staged! Staging musician who, says her bio, moved to en and Sally Hart, whom you may
is expensive, difficult, & time consuming, but
STAGING SELLS HOMES! the United States when she was 8, be- remember from the Lawrence Welk

Call Mark Gunter at (321) 345-1464 came a U.S. citizen, and is currently Show. Be prepared to hum along to

to schedule an appointment to discuss how he can based in New York City. The King Cen- such megahit favorites as “In The
sell your home fast and for top dollar!
ter promo speaks glowingly of Parem- Mood,” “Moonlight Serenade,” “It

ski’s dynamic performances, flawless Don’t Mean a Thing,” “Fly Me to the

technique, “astounding virtuosity and Moon” and many more equally hum-

voracious interpretive abilities.” Com- mable numbers. Also on the pro-

pleting the afternoon concert will be a gram are The Swingtimers, a vocal

work by Mendelssohn, his Symphony trio who’ll bring a Manhattan Trans-

No. 3 in A minor, commonly known as fer-esque sound to “Moonlight Cock-

“The Scottish.” A German composer of tails” and “Birth of the Blues.” For a

the early Romantic Period, Mendels- free ticket, call 321-525-7825.

sohn, according to mendelssohnin-

scotland.com, was inspired to write 5 If you drive south a bit this Sat-
urday, you’ll discover excellent
this piece when he visited the ruins of

Holyrood Chapel at Holyrood Palace and diverse art works in a lovely, laid-

in Edinburgh. He wrote to his family, back venue: It’s the Sebastian River

“Everything is ruined, decayed, and Art Club’s monthly “Art By The River”

the clear heavens pour in. I think I have fine art show at Riverview Park, along

found there the beginning of my Scot- the Indian River Lagoon. Bundle up

tish Symphony.” The 8 p.m. concert in- and stroll beneath the oaks, along a

cludes the two 2 p.m. works as well as path lined on either side with booths

“Valse Triste, (Sad Waltz),” Op. 44, No. of paintings, drawings, sculpture,

1, a short orchestral work by Finnish photography, jewelry, art glass, pot-

composer Jean Sibelius. The piece was tery, prints, wood pieces. And the art-

originally part of music Sibelius wrote ists are an engaging bunch, always

for a play “Kuolema” (death), in 1903, delighted to chat with you about their

but it’s much better known as a sepa- work. I’ve enjoyed this show for years,

rate concert piece. According to Wiki- and have several pieces my walls ac-

pedia, when “Valse Triste” was per- quired here. You might even decide

formed in Helsinki, it was an instant to hang out (before or after the show)

hit with the public, took on a life of its for a leisurely repast and beverages

own, and remains one of Sibelius’ sig- at one of the several restaurants and

nature pieces. Tickets are $25-$35 for bars along Indian River Drive. The

the 2 p.m. performance, and $39-$50 show is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a

for the 8 p.m. concert. Jan. 14 rain date. 



16 Thursday, January 11, 2018 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

INSIGHT COVER STORY

HERMITAGE, PA – Barbara Cake had made the mitage, a city of 16,000 in Western Pennsylvania. J.C. But come November, J.C. Penney was still open,
sale. A man was hovering near the gold bracelets at Penney used to be one of three anchor stores at the and the most important season in retail was about to
the J.C. Penney jewelry counter when she said, “Hi, Shenango Valley Mall. Then, one day last March, both begin. Sharon Loughner, the general manager, was
sir, how are you?” Before long, he was swiping his Sears and Macy’s shut down, becoming two of the confident that the rush of holiday customers was on
credit card for both a bracelet and a pair of diamond more than 500 department stores that closed across its way and that they would be coming to her store.
earrings for his wife. But Barbara wasn’t done. the country in 2017. She would need more workers to do all the extra
fetching, folding, stacking and selling, and so she put
“If she doesn’t like these,” she told the customer, Headlines have called the shrinking of these Amer- out a call for seasonal employees.
“then tell her you know a lot of ladies who would.” ican staples the “retail apocalypse.” In Hermitage,
employees called it “the funeral,” because of the way Among the parade of well-qualified applicants
“I just want my husband to buy me a watch,” she it sounded as customers lined up to make their final from Hermitage and towns nearby came Barbara, a
continued. “She should be truly happy with these.” purchases. “I’m so sorry,” they said. “I’m in shock.” 67-year-old woman who seemed to represent all that
“What are you going to do?” “What am I going to do?” retail used to be. She was impeccably dressed for her
Barbara ripped the receipt from the register, interview. She planned to wear a pantsuit each day.
pointed at the flimsy paper and, in a tone that What might have been just a sign of the times in a She talked about catering to the customer’s every
sounded as if she were revealing a sworn secret, she bigger city was a life-changing and economy-alter- need. She addressed everyone, no matter their age, as
delivered her favorite line. ing loss for Hermitage, the kind of place too far from “sir” or “ma’am.”
anywhere to be considered a suburb, but too devel-
“Just wait till you see what you saved.” oped to be considered rural. For J.C. Penney to succeed, it needed employees
There were four days until Christmas, and this like Barbara, whose necklace and bracelet, Sharon
customer had decided against shopping online to The retail industry is the third-largest employer noticed, coordinated perfectly with her outfit. Sharon
come to a real store and talk to real people. To Bar- in town. When Macy’s and Sears closed, nearly 200 thought of the department where the sale of a single
bara, that meant she had to provide something he people lost their jobs – the equivalent of 1 in 5 retail item could equal a dozen sweaters in ¬revenue.
couldn’t get from clicking buttons on a computer. positions in the city. In the months that followed,
Could the Internet assure the customer that he was strips of tape kept appearing on the mall directory, “How would you like,” she asked Barbara, “to work
making the right choice? Could it praise him for blacking out the names of stores that followed suit: behind the jewelry counter?”
being a thoughtful husband? Could it make sure FYE, Rue 21, GNC, the local antiques store, Jammin
that he was getting the best possible deal? Jac’s pizza shop. At many of the businesses that re- Barbara accepted, not thinking about the arthri-
That was what Barbara could offer at the last re- mained, foot traffic and sales numbers plummeted. tis in her hands that would make it hard to work the
maining department store in the only mall in Her- small clasps, the plantar fasciitis in her right foot

Barrier Island Newsweekly THE MELBOURNE Thursday, January 4, 2018 17

INSIGHT COVER STORY

that would act up if she stood for hours, the reading sell – but would mean huge losses in revenue for Then came the type of customer Barbara loved help-
glasses she would need to see the small numbers on the city and its schools. ing most: those for whom a trip to the mall was a spe-
the price tags. cial occasion that had to be saved for, as it had been
“Yep, people’s home and property values are going for her growing up in Shamokin, Pa. She was one of
She had been an executive secretary for 30 years, to be going down now,” said Lori Ost, who had been eight children. Her mother would send her to scour
and now, a few years into her retirement, had done working at J.C. Penney for four years. the Woolworths, W.T. Grant and Newberry stores to see
the math on her savings, her mortgage payment and which had the best price before they bought anything.
her grandchildren’s Christmas gifts and decided it “Is that what it’s saying?” Barbara asked, thinking
was time to return to work. of her home four miles from the mall. Now she met a 7-year-old named A.J., whose moth-
er had given him $50 from her Social Security check,
The job at J.C. Penney was guaranteed only until “Hermitage has nothing; this is what Hermitage her only income, to buy her a Christmas gift. A.J. asked
the new year, but if she worked hard enough, she has,” Lori said. “I would be out there hustling every his grandparents to take him to buy her some jewelry.
thought, they might keep her on. As a “sales asso- day to get business in here. Maybe a lower price will
ciate,” she would be expected to sell about $1,500 attract potential buyers.” “She likes pink,” A.J. told Barbara.
worth of merchandise a day and would bring home “She likes earrings that dangle,” his grandmother said.
$8.50 an hour, before tax. Barbara nodded, opening up the paper to find the Barbara walked them to the cases of sterling silver
rest of the article. hoops, to the bracelets, to the pendants with 1/10
She studied up on diamond ratings and learned to karat of a diamond on special for $25.
lock the jewelry counter’s glass cases to help prevent “If I had that kind of money,” Lori said, “I’d just “Nothing gold?” the grandmother asked.
shoplifting. She learned not to ask if customers had buy it and tear it down and build something new.” Barbara placed her hand over her brooch. “Not for
J.C. Penney credit cards, but to assume that they did, $50,” she apologized.
so they would feel like they should. “And that will be Barbara closed the paper. “That’s really scary,” she She walked them back to the case of gold anyway,
on your Penney’s card, sir?” She survived Black Friday, said, and then she went down to the sales floor, where opened it and started taking out each box, scanning
perfecting her response to unhappy customers: a nearly every customer she met would be affected if bar codes and adding all the coupons she could.
hand over her bedazzled brooch and a sincere apol- someone did decide to tear down the mall. “His mom doesn’t have too much real stuff,” A.J.’s
ogy. “I’m sorry, ma’am, we don’t have the Fitbit here.” grandmother said.
Barbara Cake shows In the corner of the case, Barbara found a $124 pair
Sometimes she worried she might be taking this watches to customers of earrings on sale for $31.79. The jewels were cubic
position from someone who needed it more than at the J.C. Penney zirconia, but the thin metal loops were 10-karat gold.
she did. For many of her co-workers, Penney’s was a jewelry counter. “A bargain,” she promised. A.J. gave her a thumbs up.
second job. Amanda in jewelry had four children to Barbara looked at her watch as she rang them up.
support. Tina in home goods was taking care of her Here came the “mall walkers,” who arrived for She had spent nearly 40 minutes helping them. She
sick mother. Marcia in the men’s department had their exercise every day at 9 a.m. There was John and knew she wouldn’t meet her sales goal today.
been laid off when Macy’s left. The employees bris- Marty, two older gentlemen, accompanied by Jim, the By Dec. 23, the slowdown had begun. Barbara’s man-
tled every time a customer younger one whom they let join their routine after he ager posted a sign at the counter saying the fine jew-
lost his job at the Cooper Bessemer engine-making elry department was less than $8,000 from its holiday
The question was being asked constantly during plant nearby. There was Tom and Lorene, a couple season goal. “Ladies!” she wrote. “Keep pushing, we’re
the holidays, as customers returned to the Shenan- who had been walking in the mall every cold day almost there!”
go Valley Mall and saw, some for the first time, the since 1991. They hadn’t yet been to the mall’s new cof- But the snow was coming down during Barbara’s clos-
hallways of empty storefronts. There was nowhere fee shop, where coffee is $2.50 more expensive than it ing shift, and she knew it would stop her customers from
except Penney’s to buy men’s dress clothes. The store is at Auntie Anne’s. “We’re not really fancy Starbucks visiting. She was already worried about driving to her
known for its elastic waistband pants for “mature people,” they explained. daughter’s house on Christmas Day. She had saved up
women” was still thriving, but staples such as Bath enough to buy her 8- and 10-year-old granddaughters
& Body Works and the Hallmark store kept report- Here came the kind of shoppers malls have always iPads, which she had purchased online with discounts.
ing drops in profits to their corporate owners. Fewer depended on: the browsers, who saw shopping as Barbara watched the last-minute shoppers browse
than 100 people still worked at the mall year-round. something fun to do. Liz and Bob Adams planned – too late to buy things online now, she thought. She
on picking up a Paw Patrol toy for their grandson but tried to sell a $60 watch to a mother looking for her son
One of them was Don Howell, the man some shop- ended up at the jewelry counter. but quickly pulled out the $29 one when the woman
pers called the rent-a-cop, but who called himself di- grimaced at the price. “A steal!” she said as she handed
rector of public safety. Don roams the wide halls for “There are some great deals today. You would be over the receipt.
hours a day, wearing a round-brimmed hat, a gold shocked,” Barbara told them. A husband bought a necklace and earring set
badge and a radio to page the mall office, because at nearly 70 percent off. “She’s going to think you
there is really a need for only one officer at a time. Liz hovered near the diamond rings. She and Bob robbed the bank to get her gift,” Barbara said.
had both been widowed before they met. Usually at She rang up purchases for customers who didn’t
When the mall tenants kept complaining that the Christmas, they said, “We are each other’s gift.” But want to wait in the regular checkout line, selling
building’s New Jersey-based owner wasn’t doing any- these rings, Liz told Bob, were really beautiful. them jeans and socks and pajama bottoms.
thing to improve the mall’s situation, Don decided “I feel weird just standing here,” she said.
to give himself another title: assistant mall manager. Barbara showed them the “Holiday Extra Effort” In a few days, the store managers would call Barba-
That is how he introduces himself when he emails deal that meant they could get an extra 30 percent ra to ask if she would like to stay on after the holidays.
established retail giants in hopes they will take a off if they spent more than $500. They walked out They would warn her that the job would be far fewer
chance on the mall. with a $612 ring, $1,887 off the retail price. hours come January. After customers finished their
post-Christmas returns, things would be slow, at least
He has contactedTarget and Rural King, Boscov’s and until Valentine’s Day. They just weren’t sure how slow.
Dick’s Sporting Goods. He has been in talks with a local “Excuse me?” a customer said, and Barbara turned
bakery that might be interested in the old GNC space. around.
So far, the biggest success has been a local coffee shop “Yes, sir,” she said. “What can I do for you today?”
that opened in what used to be an American Eagle. “Where’s the men’s bathroom?” he asked.
She pointed him in the right direction. There were
When he hears shoppers complaining about the still two hours to go until midnight and closing. She
state of the mall, he offers them a simple solution: slipped a foot out of her heels and stretched. Then
“Use it,” he says, “or lose it.” she reached for a roll of paper towels, picked up a
spray bottle and began to polish the glass counters,
Three days before Christmas, Barbara arrived in trying to make everything as shiny as she thought it
the J.C. Penney break room to find her co-workers ought to be. 
huddled around the local newspaper.

“Wow, look at this,” she said, picking it up. A photo
of the mall was at the top of the page.

The article said the county had decided that the
mall building and the property it sits on is no lon-
ger worth what it once was. Soon, the amount of
taxes the mall owners pay the city would be cut by
more than half. This would make the mall easier to

BRAIN ATTACK, PART II increases with age. Up to 40 percent of all people HOW TO RECOGNIZE AND RESPOND TO © 2018 Vero Beach 32963 Media, all rights reserved
who suffer a TIA will go on to experience a stroke. THE SIGNS OF A STROKE
Last time we learned that “brain attack” is synony- Use the FAST test to recognize and respond to the
mous with stroke and that there are two types of RISK FACTORS FOR STROKE signs of stroke.
strokes: ischemic and hemorrhagic. Two million  F = FACE Ask the person to smile. Does one
brain cells die every minute during stroke, increas- Stroke can happen to anyone at any time, regard- side of the face droop?
ing the risk of permanent brain damage, disability less of race, sex or age. Everyone has some stroke  A = ARMS Ask the person to raise both arms.
or death. risk. Does one arm drift downward?
 S = SPEECH Ask the person to repeat a sim-
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ISCHEMIC AND UNCONTROLLABLE RISK FACTORS INCLUDE: ple sentence.Does the speech sound slurred or
HEMORRHAGIC STROKES  Being over age 55 strange?
 Being a male  T = TIME If you observe any of these signs (inde-
While an ischemic stroke occurs when arteries are � Stroke is more common in men than wom- pendently or together), call 9-1-1 immediately.
blocked by blood clots or by the gradual build-up en at younger ages, but more women experi-
of plaque and other fatty deposits, a hemorrhagic ence strokes at older ages and more women THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT!
stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the brain than men die from stroke The American Stroke Association has created a
breaks and blood leaks into the brain. About 87  Being African-American handy “app” for Smartphones you can refer to in a
percent of strokes are ischemic; 13 percent are split second if you think you or someone else might
hemorrhagic. While hemorrhagic strokes are less CONTROLLABLE RISK FACTORS INCLUDE: be having a stroke. To install this free application on
common, they are responsible for more than 30  Having diabetes your mobile device search for the app called “Spot
percent of all stroke deaths.  Having a previous stroke a Stroke FAST.” The app gives you a list of signs and
 Having a previous episode of TIA (mini-stroke) symptoms of a stroke to check for, helpful resourc-
TRANSIENT ISCHEMIC ATTACKS (MINI-STROKES)  High cholesterol es and a button to call 9-1-1 to report a stroke. It
 High blood pressure also has a quick F.A.S.T. quiz to test your knowledge.
Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) are “mini-  Heart disease
strokes” that occur when the blood supply to part  Atrial fibrillation Next time we’ll share practical guidelines to follow
of the brain is briefly interrupted. A TIA occurs  Carotid artery disease to help prevent a stroke. 
suddenly and lasts only a few minutes. Most symp-  Smoking
toms disappear within an hour, although they may  Being overweight Your comments and suggestions for future topics are
persist for up to 24 hours. The prevalence of a TIA  Drinking too much alcohol always welcome. Email us at [email protected].

Simulcast Wagering PREPARE, PROTECT & PREVAIL
Doors Open @ 11:45
GREYHOUND RACING HAS RETURNED! MON - SAT AT 1:00PM NEW YEAR
NEW SAVINGS
$500 HIGH HAND
CALL PRIME-ONE INSURANCE
EVERY 30 MINUTES TO FIND OUT HOW

SATURDAY, JANUARY 13TH - 12PM-12AM SPECIALISTS IN:
POKER ROOM OPENS @ 10:00AM
BEACHSIDE • HOMEOWNERS • AUTO
THE ONLY POKER ROOM IN BREVARD COUNTY BUSINESS INSURANCE • FLOOD INSURANCE

EXIT 183 OFF I-95 MELBOURNE Call Today About Our 0% Hurricane Deductible!

1100 N. WICKHAM RD., MELBOURNE, FL 32935 Serving all of Brevard County

321-259-9800 • MGPARK.COM 2332 N HIGHWAY A1A • INDIALANTIC 32903
WWW.PRIME1INSURANCE.COM • PH: 321.241.1111

Barrier Island Newsweekly THE MELBOURNE Thursday, January 11, 2018 19

INSIGHT BOOKS

“The Vanity Fair Diaries” sounds think of the Newsweek cover story most important newspaper editor in The book has a lot of insider base-
like more fun than it reads. Billed as on me?’ London. The two wed after a scan- ball about the politics of Conde Nast,
a cheeky romp through the excesses dalous affair, and the union opened the grind of turning out issues every
of 1980s America (The money! The “‘I haven’t read it,’ I told him. doors and gave her invaluable con- month, reshoots and sackings and
greed! The glamour!), it’s more a “‘You know, Tina, I could have tacts. “I know it’s the wrong feminist fussy writers, which will interest …
cautionary tale of gilded ambition, answer,” she writes, “but most of my oh, maybe a few thousand people in
a book best saved for a gray winter had Time. They wanted me and I saw role models have been men. They al- New York’s publishing world. More
weekend when the news is too stress- them, too. But Newsweek scooped ways had the lives I wanted.” interestingly, there’s a lot of Brown
ful and binge-watching Netflix feels them. Who do you think’s better, – the acerbic Brit with the outsider’s
like work. If you’re going to be de- Tina, Newsweek or Time?’ She turned the magazine into a mix gimlet eye – becoming the very per-
pressed, it’s better to be snuggled in of celebrity profiles, murder myster- son she mocked.
your reading chair with a cup of co- “‘Time,’ I said mischievously. ies, and tales of power and money,
coa and a cat on your lap. “‘You really think so, Tina, you re- all by the best writers and accom- Early in her tenure, Brown is ad-
ally think so?’ His pouty Elvis face panied by beautiful, often shock- monished by her boss that her lunch
Tina Brown did not, of course, set folded into a frown of self-castiga- ing photos. She convinced Ronald table at the Four Seasons is in “Sibe-
out to write a depressing book. The tion. ‘I guess it sells more,’ he said in and Nancy Reagan to dance for the ria. … It’s very bad for your image and
legendary editor set out to write a a tormented tone. ‘I guess it does.’” cover and chose the iconic image of the magazine’s for you to be seated
gossipy tell-all about her tenure at It’s deja vu all over again. a naked, very pregnant Demi Moore there.” She becomes obsessed with
Vanity Fair, where she splashed sexy, “Vanity Fair Diaries” is actu- a few years later. She was smart, she New York real estate, jumping from
buzzy celebrities on the cover and ally three books in one: the story of was driven, she was fearless, and she apartment to apartment until she
ran dishy, semi-intellectual articles Brown’s talent and success, a memoir managed, in five years, to negotiate a finds her dream place for just under
inside from 1983 to 1992. Brown of publishing a splashy magazine in contract for $600,000 a year ($1.2 mil- $1 million. There’s the cottage in the
shares her stories of the very rich and a spare-no-expense era, and a name- lion in today’s dollars), plus a million- Hamptons, of course, and the per-
the very famous, tales from 30 years dropping social history of New York dollar bonus. sonal trainer and the celebrity hair-
ago that are oddly familiar to a 2018 in the 1980s.“Tax cuts for the wealthy dresser. Along the way, she’s juggling
reader. Here’s Donald Trump at a in 1981 unleased animal spirits on Brown’s job made her the toast of her job with her marriage to Evans,
dinner party in 1987: Wall Street,” Brown writes. “As Sena- Manhattan, besieged with invita- two babies and aging parents, none
tor Daniel Patrick Moynihan put it tions from the rich and powerful. “At of which slows her down one bit.
“‘Tina,’ he shouted. ‘What do you when asked to define the eighties, dinner I was at a great table, between
we ‘borrowed a trillion dollars from Henry Kissinger and William Safire, After Vanity Fair, Brown jumped
the foreigners and used the money to along with Barbara Walters, Dick at the chance to edit the New Yorker
throw a big party.’” Snyder, Lally Weymouth, George (a less-successful star turn), then
The most successful aspect of the Weidenfeld and Princess Michael.” launched Talk and the Daily Beast
book is Brown’s self-portrait of her Every party was inspiration for a sto- and is now, at 64, running empow-
unapologetic ambition and deter- ry or, at the very least, a scathing one- erment conferences for powerful
mination. Born in Britain to a movie liner. New York Times social writer women.
producer and a housewife, she was Charlotte Curtis was a “coiffed as-
educated at Oxford and working as paragus, exuding second-rate intel- For someone so clearly opportu-
a writer while still in college. At age lectualism.” On trophy wife Carolyne nistic, her book seems like a missed
25, she became wunderkind editor of ¬Roehm: “She has to look wonder- opportunity for the gravitas Brown
the fading Tatler and turned the old ful, have inventive sex with [finan- has always craved. Looking back
society magazine into a lively must- cier husband Henry] Kravis, and go over three decades, she had a chance
read. Conde Nast took notice, and by to a black-tie dinner every night of to put it all in context, bringing her
29, she was summoned to New York the week. No wonder she looks like a sharp wit and keen observations
to jump-start the relaunched Vanity zombie.” from the past to the present day. But
Fair, where she deftly muscled out it was not to be. 
her predecessor and went to town, on There was occasional fallout:
the town. Brown was disinvited from Ben Bra- THE VANITY FAIR DIARIES, 1983-1992
Brown quotes Gloria Steinem: “Be- dlee’s birthday party after she pub- BY TINA BROWN
come … the man you want to marry.” lished a book review dismissing Sally
But first, Brown married the man she Quinn’s novel as “cliterature.” The Henry Holt. 436 pp. $32.
wanted to become: Harold Evans, 25 unflappable Brown was unflapped. Review by Roxanne Roberts,
years older, her onetime boss and the C’est la vie.
The Washington Post

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

TOP 5 FICTION TOP 5 NON-FICTION BESTSELLER | KIDS
1. The Wanted 1. Grant BY RON CHERNOW 1. Here We Are BY OLIVER JEFFERS
2. Leonardo da Vinci 2. Wonder BY R.J. PALACIO
BY ROBERT CRAIS 3. Nevermoor: The Trials of
BY WALTER ISAACSON
2. The Rooster Bar Morrigan Crowe BY JESSICA TOWNSEND
3. The End of Alzheimer's 4. Turtles All the Way Down
BY JOHN GRISHAM
BY DAN BREDESEN BY JOHN GREEN
3. End Game
4. Bunny Mellon 5. Refugee BY ALAN GRATZ
BY DAVID BALDACCI
BY MERYL GORDON
4. Uncommon Type
5. Make Your Bed
BY TOM HANKS
BY WILLIAM MCRAVEN
5. Origin BY DAN BROWN

MICHAEL RIEDEL GEORGIA HUNTER 392 Miracle Mile (21st Street), Vero Beach | 772.569.2050 | www.verobeachbookcenter.com

presents presents

RAZZLE DAZZLE WE WERE THE
LUCKY ONES
The Battle for Broadway
A Novel
Simon & Schuster
Wednesday, January 17th at 4 pm
Tuesday, January 16th at 4 pm

20 Thursday, January 11, 2018 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

PETS

Bonz walks (and talks) feline with Tiggy and Punkin

Hi Dog Buddies!

I can’t buh-lieve it’s been three and a Punkin and Tiggy. PHOTO BY GORDON RADFORD
half years since I innerviewed my first
cat. His name was Mr. Bugatti, an I was take it from here.”
Extremely Nervous to meet him. I re-
membered that my daddy, a wise old “Go for it, Spokescat,” Punkin said. enon that can make us pooches
dog, once told me that facing a chal-
lenge builds CHARACTER. So I faced “OK, so, first, my full name is Itty Bitty a liddle edgy. for Garfield’s sake. Not like
it (nervously), an now that I’ve innerv-
iewed quite a few felines, I ree-lize he Iggy Tiggy.” Tiggy continued. “Usually in the mid- you pooches (no offense) who can go
was right. We’re all the same under the
fur anyway, right? “Are you woofin’ me right now?” dle of the night, I’ll go galloping around tumblin’ around, bumpin’ into stuff

So, this week, I had a fun yap-meow “’Fraid not. But I only get called that the house, I don’t know why. An my and lookin’ goofy all day long and hu-
with a coupla rescue cats, Tiggy an Pun-
kin Carson, who live with their Mom an when Mom is PEEVED. voice gets all weird. Mom says I sound mans think you’re cute. Us cats have a
Dad, Debbie and Keith, an their liddle
human sisters, Megan an Paige. “Anyway, when Mom an Dad were like a demented peacock. Scary.” reputation to uphold.

Tiggy’s about 7, with short, several- lookin’ for a friend for Punkin, I was liv- “Whaddya you guys do for fun?” I in- “I totally hear ya, Tig,” I said. “I never
shades-of-dark hair. He’s Really Big, too.
He strolled right up for the feline version in’ at the Humane Society. Me an some quired. thought of it that way. It must be quite
of the Wag-an-Sniff: the Haughty Sniff-
an-Size Up. Punkin sized me up from other kittens were out front cuz of bein’ “When Megan was liddle, I usta be a burden.”
the security of his Mom’s arms. He’s
a liddle Himalayan, long, fluffy fur, super cute, an Mom an Dad fell in love her Baby Pillow. An we’d play Pattypaw. “You bet your Hairball Greenies it
round eyes, Real Old (13 in human, so,
about, I think, something like, maybe with me in about two seconds. After That was fun. I love playin’ with liddle is! Now Punkin, HE has that Aloof Cat
70ish in cat). An he can scrunch his
fluffy liddle face into a Piercing Gaze or we spent time together in the Get-To- kids. Now that Paige has started walkin,’ Look. And he’s a total Purr-Meister.
a Big Grumpy Glare, even though he’s
not grumpy. Know-Each-Other room, where Mom a lotta fun stuff that usta be on the floor Sounds like a motorboat. He purrs so

“I’m the Spokescat, Mr. Bonzo,” Tig- brushed me with a special brush, I got is way up off the ground. much he drools. Me, when I’m watching
gy said as we got situated in the living
room. “Punkin’s a liddle more chill than adopted. (I still have that brush an I still “Since we’re Total House Cats, we the mockingbirds in that bush out front,
me. Well, a LOT more. I, basically, rule
the house.” love it.) NEVER go Outside, but we spend lotsa I chirp. I CHOOSE to chirp. I’m just not

“He THINKS he rules the house,” said “Me an Punkin got innerduced time on the porch. I usta chase flies. into purring.”
Punkin.
through the screen door at first, an we Never caught one, though. I also chase Heading home, I was thinking about
“How did you fellas get here?” I asked.
“Mom an Dad were workin’ in Tampa practiced the Haughty-Sniff-an-Size squirrels through the screen. I usually the Cat Code, and feIt I could put my-
an a human who worked with ’em res-
cued me from Dire Straits in 2006,” said Up. It didn’t take long before we got bump my nose cuz I forget they’re out- self in Tiggy’s paws: being a columnist
Punkin, from a nearby, inconspicuous
location. “But I hadda be re-rescued cuz to know each other. Now we’re Cool side an we’re inside, which is kinda em- an in the public eye a lot, I, too, have to
that human’s Resident Cat didn’t want
any other animal in HIS SPACE. EVER. Catnip. We hang out on the sofa, stuff barrassin,’ bein’ a cat an all. conduct myself with a certain amount
He instantly disliked me with the burn-
ing hot dislike of a thousand suns, and like that. But, occasionally, I do kinda “Truth be told, Bonz, sometime it’s of decorum. I can’t just scratch any ol’
he pounced on me at every opportunity.
I’m pretty sure he took at least 4 of my Fall Outta My Tree, if you know what I exhausting, bein’a cat. All that purrin’ itch whenever I want. I can’t just go all
9 lives. Maybe 5. So Mom an Dad’s co-
worker bee-SEECHED them to re-res- mean.” an groomin.’ I don’t know whether you puppy when I’m out in public. But af-
cue me. Thank Bastet, they did.”
“Soggy Dog Biscuits!” I blurted sym- “I think I do,” I said with a gulp. With know this: us cats are ALWAYS s’pose ter work I’m plain ol’ Bonzo. I couldn’t
pathetically. “How AWFUL!” (Soon as I
returned to the office, I Googled Bastet. several cat acquaintances, I am familiar to look like we know what we’re doing. wait to get home and start munching
She was an ancient Egyptian cat god-
dess.) with The Zoomies, a feline phenom- Paragraph 16B, Cat Code of Behavior, on a Pupperoni, and maybe get a nice
“The soggiest,” Punkin agreed. “Mom
an Dad already had a cat, Sneakers. Don’t be shy! tummy rub.
We got along fine but, in 2012, after we Till next time,
had moved here, Sneakers went to Cat
Heaven. I was dismal, so Mom an Dad We are always looking for pets with interesting stories. To set up -The Bonz
went looking for another rescue cat for an interview, please email [email protected].
me.”
“o-KAY! o-KAY!” Tiggy piped up. “I’ll

Barrier Island Newsweekly THE MELBOURNE Thursday, January 11, 2018 21

INSIGHT GAMES & CO.

HOW WELL DO YOU SPOT THE SPOTS? NORTH
874
Mark Twain said, “I was born modest; not all over, but in spots.” WEST A52 EAST
53 K96 962
One aspect of bridge that separates the top players from others is taking full advantage QJ9 10 8 4 3 K 10 7 4
of the useful spot cards (2 through 10) — in particular, knowing when a low spot is a Q83 J 10 5 2
winner. KQJ76 SOUTH 52
A K Q J 10
How is that relevant in today’s deal? After West leads the club king, how should South 863
proceed in four spades? Did West have a more successful opening lead? A74
A9
South’s jump to four spades was a slight overbid with a six-loser hand, but we tend to
bid game with any excuse. Of course, here, if South had chosen to rebid three no- Dealer: South; Vulnerable: North-South
trump, North would surely have passed, and declarer would have had nine top tricks.
(Also, there was a case for West’s making a takeout double over one spade, not a two- The Bidding:
club overcall. It would not have made much difference here, but the double would have
been more flexible.) SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST OPENING
1 Spades 2 Clubs 2 Spades Pass
In four spades, though, South has only those same nine tricks; he is faced with four 4 Spades Pass Pass Pass LEAD:
losers: two hearts, one diamond and one club. Is there any hope? K Clubs

Look at those interesting club spots. Declarer should win the first trick, draw trumps and
return the club nine. Suppose West finds the best defense, taking the trick and shifting
to the heart queen. South wins on the board, leads the club 10 and discards a heart
loser. Yes, West takes that trick and cashes a heart winner, but South’s diamond loser
evaporates on the now-high club eight.

If West had led anything other than a club, the contract would have failed.

WORTH THE DRIVE!

Riverview Coffee,
Tea & Books

 Teachers Trade Account  Baking on Premises
 Free Wifi  Vegan, Gluten Free
 Safe Meeting Spot
 Smoothies Diabetic Baked goods
 Slushies

Free refills on purchased
coffee in-house.

FREE $1.00 OFF

Hot Coffee or Hot Tea Any Expresso Beverage

w/ coupon. Not to be combined w/ coupon. Not to be combined
with any other offer. with any other offer.

482 US HWY 1, STE 3, Sebastian, FL
772.202.7778  8AM - 9PM - 7 DAYS

22 Thursday, January 11, 2018 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

INSIGHT GAMES & CO.

SOLUSTOILOUNTSIOTNOS TPORPERVEIOVIUOSUSISISSSUUEE((JJAanNuUarAyR4Yth4) O) NONPAPGAEG3E2 68

ACROSS DOWN
1 Fertilizer (6) 1 Arrangement of rows
4 Near (4)
9 Hughes, poet laureate (3) and columns (6)
10 Clear of blame (9) 2 Blyton creation (5)
11 Picturesque (7) 3 Small stream (7)
12 Great enthusiasm (5) 5 Cake topper (5)
13 Sudden increased quantity(5) 6 Rumour (7)
15 Japanese city (5) 7 Rap (5)
20 Trouble (5) 8 Criminal (5)
22 One of two limiting 14 Plait of hair (7)
16 View (7)
horse’s vision (7) 17 Sauce; dance (5)
24 Pasta type (9) 18 Lessen (5)
25 Starchy tuber (3) 19 Gosh! (6)
26 Lie in wait (4) 21 Alternative (5)
27 Asps? (6) 23 Inuit canoe (5)

The Telegraph

Boat, Trailer, Kayak, and Canoe How to do Sudoku:

STORAGE SPACE AVAILABLE Fill in the grid so the
numbers one through
Melbourne Beach area, nine appear just once
secure community, fenced in area in every column, row
Storage area adjacent to and three-by-three
boat launch onto Indian River. square.
Six miles north of Sebastian Inlet.
Boats $ 500 per yr / Kayaks $ 80 per yr The Telegraph
Contact Alice -
[email protected]

609-729-8562

Steer, Mercer & Co.
Gary Steer, CFP®, Enrolled Agent
Adam Mercer, Senior Accountant

Business & Personal Tax Returns, Bookkeeping
Email or Call for Quote: [email protected]
As your New Year’s Resolution spend 20 minutes

learning about a stop-loss strategy that could
protect your investments.
Knowledge is Power!

Free Initial Consultation Call (321) 773-1040

I believe your money should be easily accessible at all times and
that you build & maintain wealth through active risk management.

1360 South Patrick Drive, Suite 2, Satellite Beach

Securities Offered Through Cadaret, Grant & Co., Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. 8090 Market Street, Ste. 2, Boardman, OH 44512,
(330) 726-6668. Gary Steer; Steer, Mercer & Co.; and Cadaret, Grant are separate entities.

Barrier Island Newsweekly THE MELBOURNE Thursday, January 11, 2018 23

INSIGHT GAMES & CO.

ACROSS safeguard on (Dr. Strangelove 68 Latin verb The Washington Post
some U.S. cars? sign) 70 Grocery store:
1 Precarious perch 80 Vanity Fair 3 Film or phone NEW ENGLAND-STYLE CHATTER 2 By Merl Reagle
5 Coffee coast author’s preceder abbr.
9 Made crow monogram 4 Turkish treat 72 “... devil and the MEDICARE HEALTH INSURANCE
82 Iliad suicide 5 New Zealander
sounds 86 Old undercover 6 Shaggy ape, deep ___”
14 Heart problem? org. briefly 75 Pear variety
18 Where the ounce 87 Bristol break 7 The best, briefly 76 Stamp ctr.
88 Actor Tognazzi 8 Poe’s Lee 77 ___ large (hasn’t
can pounce 89 1987 Coppola 9 Store sign
19 A No. 2, on the film, 10 Commotion been caught)
Gardens ___ 11 Typist’s stat: abbr. 78 Cabbage or
green 91 Place with good 12 Edit, sometimes
20 Veteran circulation? 13 “___ under the moolah
21 Old mother 92 Uses, as a futon apple tree ...” 79 Not too receptive
95 Lovable eccentric 14 Tirana’s land: 81 Early keyboard
Hubbard’s son 96 Sit or shut abbr.
22 Huck Finn endings 15 Stevens or T. synthesizer
97 Rollers in Nelson 83 Enlist in
parodies? barracks? 16 Mandel or Morris 84 Dustin’s Graduate
24 Bordello special? 101 One-time Miracle 17 “The ___ near ...”
26 Filch a la Poe Gro pitchman? 20 Spoken costar
27 Science org. 104 Certain pol: abbr. 23 1992 World 85 Illiterate John
29 R-V center? 105 Meadow Series champs
30 William who wed 107 Corn-eater’s 25 Singer Springfield Hancocks
leftover 28 Chief monk 90 Black bomber
Mary 108 Lover Come Back 33 Rice U. team 93 Winnie ___ Pu
31 Verb in “I Am star 34 Penalized 94 Sleep time, in
109 What a nail feels? amount
Woman” 115 Car-collecting 35 Paw Stuttgart
32 Perennial phone comedian 36 Animal you can 95 Market-watching
118 Pal, to Pascal sit on
problem at Goats 119 Cinco de mayo, 38 Display to good cable channel
R Us? e.g. advantage 98 Of Human
37 Your, in Tours 120 Inning enders 42 Cherokee, for
39 Fly catcher of a 121 Go along with one Bondage author’s
sort Marie Antoinette 43 Son of Rebecca initials
40 ___ double take 124 With 128 Across, 44 Capital on a fjord 99 Takes to heart
41 “___ a date!” good advice at 45 Baylor 100 Henry, in
42 Actress who felt the Medicine Man University’s city Hermosillo
empty inside? Ball? 47 Binet-Simon, for 102 Ohio college town
46 Rival whisky of 128 See 124 Across one 103 Vision supervision
Old Argyle? 130 African Nobelist 48 Crude org. 106 12
51 Guy’s name or 131 U.K. hotspot 49 Express-lane 109 “It ___ Be You”
French word 132 Who-knows-how- requirement, 110 Love in Paris
52 Have a rough long often 111 Like a julep
night 133 Bank take-back 50 Bended part 112 Bank-job scores
53 Deck a Dolphin 134 African antelope 51 Previous 113 Litigant
55 Rex Reed 135 European steel records? 114 Sharpens
rejection center 54 Cut of beef 116 Title giver
56 Family of fancy 136 Others 57 Nest-egg 117 Giraffe’s cousin
birds 137 Goddess of guarantor: abbr. 122 Della, to Perry:
58 Written twice, a discord 60 Insurance city abbr.
dance 61 Ecol.-minded 123 Early grandson,
59 Distaff reference DOWN entity in the Bible
62 Language ending 1 Reading aid 65 Route 125 Rented outfit
63 Idaho staple 2 “Peace ___ 66 Pre-osculated 126 Man of Steel
64 Moon jumper princes emblem
66 Battled Cochise? profession” 67 Start of many 127 Summer, in Lyon
69 “___ drunkard” questions 129 Mortar mixer
(Rick,
in Casablanca) FREE INFORMATIONAL SEMINAR
71 Shortened, as a
dict. JANUARY 17th @ 5:00 PM
73 Capt. of industry
74 Butt heads Aquarina Beach and Country Club Community Center
75 Sun-roof 450 Aquarina Blvd, Melbourne Beach, FL

• Turning 65? • In Open Enrollment? • About to retire?
• Unhappy with your current insurance?

• You NEED to understand ALL of your Medicare options!
• An Uneducated Decision Could Be Costly $$$!

“I didn’t realize I had so many options.
Thank you for educating me.”

-Richard L., Melbourne Beach

“Very informative. I learned so much!”

-Katie W., Melbourne Beach

The Telegraph Questions: Please Call Or Text:
Kim Adkinson-Cowles • Local Resident
321.305.2554
This is not a Sales Presentation.

24 Thursday, January 11, 2018 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

INSIGHT BACKPAGE

Trying to hold the line when a friend crosses it

BY CAROLYN HAX though what ails her does matter. Someone who management to designate a few days a month, but
Washington Post can’t handle being close is much more sympathet- not to make it daily
ic (and of course a better candidate for continued
Hi, Carolyn: My girlfriend friendship) than someone who needs to sabotage – Dogged
recently mentioned, in a very others to feel good about herself. You probably
respectful way, that my re- know her well enough to know which she is. Dogged: Sounds fine. Or how about a trial period
lationship with my female – canine Fridays? – so you can see how it goes?
friend “K” makes her uncom- Either way, the next time K crosses a line, speak
fortable, using reasonable up. A gentle but decisive, “Hey – stop,” or even I am pro-dog but amazed at how inconsiderate
examples of physical contact “What are you doing?” won’t embarrass her. Then, people are about foisting them on others, partic-
and things K has said. enforce that limit by walking away if she persists. ularly those with allergies but also with anyone
We both acknowledge that K, who is single, crosses If she pushes you to a kind of line-drawing that who’s not a fan. 
lines with the married and coupled men in her social embarrasses her, then that’s on her, not you.
circle (oddly, not the single ones), but I had been some-
what naive and hadn’t noticed I was one of them. And don’t bring your girlfriend into it for any rea-
What to do now? My girlfriend asked me to talk to son – no, no, no. The reason for boundaries is that K
K, which seems like a recipe for creating drama where doesn’t have them, not that your girlfriend is the one
there isn’t any. I am capable of just sort of boxing her out who noticed.
of my life, but that seems cruel, and making a statement
the next time it happens would probably embarrass her Maybe when K’s friends hold the line, K will get
– or both of them, if I bring my girlfriend into it. the message about how often she crosses it.

– Maryland You may ultimately need to distance yourself,
even if her actions elicit more sympathy than an-
Maryland: The possibilities you list are all, to my ger or annoyance. That’s because the specifics of
eye, about treating the symptom of K crossing the line. someone’s neediness eventually become second-
ary to a lack of interest in being part of it anymore.
But what about the underlying ailment? There’s
no “oddly” to the part about K’s cozying up to cou- Dear Carolyn: Earlier this week, management said
pled men. It’s quite common and usually means K they were considering allowing people to bring their dogs
fears intimacy and sees paired-off men as “safe,” to work and were open to comments on the matter. Peo-
or she gets a power jolt by making inroads with ple got really excited, especially three people on my team.
other women’s men.
I do not like dogs. I’m not allergic; I just prefer
Both point to a K who isn’t emotionally healthy, not to be around them. Service or therapy dogs, I
would be fine with.

I want to approach them with my concerns, but I
am worried about backlash. I am considering asking

SOMETHING AFOOT WITH
THE FEET? SEE THIS
SPECIALIST

26 Thursday, January 11, 2018 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

YOUR HEALTH

Something afoot with the feet? See this specialist

STORY BY LYN DOWLING CORRESPONDENT ligaments.
There is nothing quite like it, and
It has been called “a triumph of
complex engineering” and “a highly when it is injured, it may require
developed, biomechanically com- complicated surgery or other treat-
plex structure that serves to bear the ment by medical doctors who must
weight of the body, as well as forces have specialized training.
many times the weight of the human
body, during propulsion.” It is the human foot, and Dr. Alli-
son Wade, formerly of Indian River
It contains 26 bones, 30 joints and County and now of 3D Sports Medi-
more than 100 muscles, tendons and cine in Indian Harbour Beach, spe-
cializes in it.

Dr. Allison Wade with Hailey.

PHOTOS BY BENJAMIN THACKER

Barrier Island Newsweekly THE MELBOURNE Thursday, January 11, 2018 27

YOUR HEALTH

That she is an orthopedic surgeon people realize; there’s a lot going on orders of the foot requires the efforts dency thereafter, and are not medical
is rare enough – according to a re- with the foot.” of a multitude of health care profes- doctors, though both may treat foot
port last year by Emily K. Miller and sionals such as orthopedic surgeons and ankle problems.
Dr. Dawn M. LaPorte in the medical Orthopedist foot surgeons also and nurses, and can include the ser-
journal “Orthopedics,” women are have long fought to distinguish what vices of podiatrists. This does not Thus, orthopedists believe, medi-
more underrepresented in orthope- they do from what podiatrists do, mean, though, that the services of cal doctors who specialize in the foot
dics than in any other specialty – but and Wade does believe people should podiatrists can replace the work done and ankle have better understand-
she is the sole foot and ankle ortho- know the difference. by physicians.” ing of the entire body, including
pedist in Brevard County and one of bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons
less than a dozen in Florida. According to the AAOS, “Modern Orthopedists also point out that and joints, as well as medical condi-
podiatrists are generally defined as an orthopedic surgery subspecialist tions that may affect overall health.
According to the Association of people devoted to the study, diagno- usually completes four years of medi-
American Medical Colleges, in 2013, sis and treatment of disorders, dis- cal school, a five to six-year orthope- Wade’s advocacy of trained spe-
almost one-third (32.6 percent) of ac- eases and injuries of the foot. Medi- dic surgery residency and an addi- cialists for more complicated foot and
tive physicians in the United States care data shows that currently, by tional year of subspecialty fellowship ankle issues also echoes the stand-
was female, from a top specialty of far, the single largest paid service for training. point of the Illinois-based American
60.4 percent in pediatrics to a low of podiatrists is nail debridement.” Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society
4.6 percent in orthopedic surgery. In Podiatrists (DPMs) attend podiatry (AOFAS), which last year launched
2014, women comprised 48 percent The AAOS report continued, “The school and typically complete a resi-
of graduating medical students, yet ability to provide quality care for dis- CONTINUED ON PAGE 28
only represented 4.6 percent of prac-
ticing orthopedic surgeons.

The numbers were even lower
when she was a resident, but Wade
was undeterred.

“I went to medical school and . . .
decided to do a residency in ortho-
pedics because I liked it, so I did that
for five years at the University of Mis-
souri-Columbia,” the University of
Tennessee College of Medicine grad-
uate said. “My mentor at the Univer-
sity of Missouri-Columbia was a foot
and ankle guy, an excellent surgeon
. . . and I decided I wanted to do that
because it was challenging.”

That is a fine description from one
who was “the only girl in my residen-
cy program, and I think that’s why
the chairman (of the department)
took me under his wing. (The rest of
the residents) hated it.”

While Wade ascribes her interest in
feet and ankles to her studies, Miller
and LaPorte found that part of the
rarity of women in orthopedics in
general may be the result of their only
recently having become engaged in
organized sports.

“The relationship between athletic
involvement and orthopedic surgery
is multifaceted,” they wrote. “Medi-
cal students who have participated in
athletics are more likely to have pre-
vious exposure to orthopedics than
are their nonathlete classmates. Ad-
ditionally, athletes may be more in-
terested in the mechanics of the body
and movement, and therefore may be
more likely to be drawn to the field.”

Among the words most frequently
spoken by Wade is “training,” how-
ever, and she does have it, first at
Tennessee and Missouri and then at
Penn State. It is what sets foot and an-
kle orthopedists apart from others.

“It is a matter of training, years of
training,” she said. “That’s the way
I would think of it. People make as-
sumptions. They assume that (every-
one called ‘doctor’) goes to medical
school, when that is not true. The foot
and ankle are more complex than

28 Thursday, January 11, 2018 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

YOUR HEALTH

CONTINUED ON PAGE 27  • Foot and ankle orthopedic sur- treating complicated cases; Dr. David
geons are fully trained medical doc-  • And that consumers should seek Dominguez.
a consumer awareness campaign, tors (MDs and DOs) “who can bal-
“Look for the O.” ance foot and ankle concerns with second opinions from a foot and an- corrections, and Wade calls herself
the patient’s whole-body health;” kle orthopedists, particularly when “big on patient education.”
“Consumers don’t generally give surgery is advised.
much thought to their foot health;  • Foot and ankle orthopedic sur- She is pleased to be at 3D and prais-
that is, until something goes wrong,” geons complete extensive, as well as Nevertheless, Wade works with es Dr. David Dominguez, its founding
Dr. Jeffrey E. Johnson president of the ongoing, medical training that increas- podiatrists as well as treating the orthopedic surgeon.
AOFAS board of directors said in July. es their expertise and effectiveness; problems one would expert in a busy
“But 75 percent of all people experi- orthopedic practice: broken ankles, “It all comes down to training and
ence foot pain at some point in their  • Foot and ankle orthopedic sur- ruptured tendons, bone spurs, bun- being honest with your patients,” she
lives.” geons don’t only operate, but provide ions and total ankle replacements. said. “I’m grateful for 3D Sports Med-
both surgical and non-surgical treat- icine.” 
The campaign stresses the impor- ments for all things related to foot “The longest (surgery) took 12
tance of choosing a specialized foot and ankle health; hours; it was to fix a curved foot,” she
and ankle orthopedist when a poten- said. “The patient wanted that foot
tial patient has foot pain or concerns,  • Foot and ankle orthopedic sur- fixed in time for prom, and we got
and it stresses five messages: geons “are particularly competent at that kid to prom.”

Total ankle replacements are not
surgeries that get a lot of attention,
but “they are out there,” Wade said,
and so are gait deformities that re-
quire correction. Flat feet tend to be
found in older women, probably be-
cause women have estrogen recep-
tors, which make them susceptible to
trauma.

And there are the ever-present ath-
letic injuries, 3D also being a sports
medicine practice.

“I see quite a few soccer players,”
Wade said.

The bottom line is that patients
should feel comfortable with a doc-
tor who is willing to spend time with
them, to explain their conditions and

Experience the fusion of
traditional values and

modern dentistry.

Collins & Montz

DCOESMNETTICI&SFTAMRILYY

At Collins & Montz, DMD,
we will focus on improving every
aspect of your smile for optimal
appearance, function, and
comfort through our general
family dentistry, and restorative
procedures such as dental
implants. Our comprehensive
range of services and dedication
of quality set us apart. Call today
to schedule your appointment.
524 OCEAN AVENUE, MELBOURNE BEACH, FL 32951
(321) 725-6565 • MELBOURNEBEACHDENTISTRY.COM

Barrier Island Newsweekly THE MELBOURNE Thursday, January 11, 2018 29

FINE & CASUAL DINING

The Mansion: Renovated, revitalized and really special

REVIEW BY LISA ZAHNER STAFF WRITER Grilled Salmon with Fried Capers.
[email protected]
PHOTOS GORDON RADFORD
From time to time we venture OTB
(over the bridge) to review unique din-
ing spots, and on this occasion it was a
long overdue trip to The Mansion near
the foot of the 192 bridge at the gateway
to the lovely Historic Downtown Mel-
bourne business district.

My last dining experience at The Man-
sion was just before the previous owners
closed in 2005. Known for nearly a quar-
ter century as the “Strawberry Mansion”
a popular spot for sumptuous berry-lad-
en breakfasts and a venue for storybook
weddings, the sprawling 1905 Victorian
mansion still served a good meal in a
quaint atmosphere, but the house and
furnishings were tired from all that en-
tertaining, which began long before the
restaurant opening with ice cream so-
cials hosted by its private owners.

The new owners, Dean and Beth Di-
Giacinto, renovated the whole property
and transformed it into a fun and fes-
tive, multi-venue restaurant that takes
full advantage of the prime location
and river views, while beautifully main-
taining the old Queen Anne mansion’s
rich heritage.

Grilled Center Cut
Filet Mignon.

Traditional
Cheescake.

Wild Mushroom dotting the Indian River lagoon. This reduction drizzle. The Mansion should be on your must-do
Bruschetta. was prior to this past week’s cold front For entrees I ordered the Mansion list this season for a special occasion, or
and the weather was perfect for a relax- even better for no occasion at all.
If you haven’t been in a while, what’s ing meal. Surf and Turf ($44), a large 8-ounce, per-
new? Everything! From casual terrace fectly cooked Angus filet mignon with We encourage you to send feedback to
dining to a tantalizing menu, to a deli, Our friendly and knowledgeable a moist and flavorful crab cake with [email protected].
bakery and a full-blown liquor store server Lisa explained the specials and tavern mashed potatoes and seasonal
hosting wine and spirits tastings and took our drink order. It was tough to de- vegetables. It was delicious. My com- The reviewer is a Brevard resident who
even classes, there’s way too much to cide among all the sandwich, salad and panion opted for the Tavern Pot Roast dines anonymously at restaurants at the
explore in one visit. entree choices, so we decided to start ($16) with whipped potatoes and roast- expense of this newspaper. 
with the Wild Mushroom Bruschetta ed vegetables. She commented that the
A friend and I popped in two Satur- ($12) and it was wonderful. Bruschetta, roast was very tasty, as were the pota- RESTAURANT HOURS
days ago for a well-deserved mom’s-day- I’m told, is a traditional way to toast and toes, but that the dish was very short Mon. and Tue. 11 am to 9 pm
out lunch to celebrate surviving another revive bits of bread that’s going stale, on vegetables. For dessert, we shared Wed. and Thurs. 11 am to 10 pm
Christmas season. We entered through but The Mansion’s version is served a slice of Traditional Cheesecake ($8), Fri. and Sat. 11 am to 11 pm
the front door, which leads into the Cel- on slices of crusty grilled Italian bread a creamy creation made on-site with a
lars liquor store. Wow! I remember a baked fresh daily on premises in the layer of yummy baked vanilla bourbon Sunday 11 am to 8 pm
small selection of wines and craft beers bakery. We enjoyed the fresh herbs and sour cream topping and it was terrific. BEVERAGES
but the store is packed floor to ceiling garlic, melted fontina cheese, sautéed I’ll definitely be back to wander around Full Bar
with just about any alcoholic elixir that crimini, shiitake and oyster mush- some more, possibly for Sunday brunch, ADDRESS
your tastebuds crave. We went back out- rooms, fresh arugula and a balsamic which would be lovely out on the terrace.
side and up the staircase to the terrace 1218 E. New Haven Ave,
and settled in at a table with a fantastic Melbourne
view of the causeway and the sailboats PHONE

321-345-5800

30 Thursday, January 11, 2018 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

FINE & CASUAL DINING

Fine Dining, Elevated Melo’s RIitsatoliraannote

Exciting Innovative Cuisine LIVWE MEDUNSEICSDEAVYERY
Award Winning Wine List
6PM TO 9PM
Unparalleled Service

Reservations Highly Recommended  Proper Attire Appreciated

Zagat Rated (772) 234-3966  tidesofvero.com  Open 7 Days ALL-YMOUUS-CSEALNS-EAT
2013 - 2017 3103 Cardinal Drive , Vero Beach, FL
Wine Spectator Award Every Thursday
2002 – 2017
1000 EAST EAU GALLIE BLVD - INDIAN HARBOUR BEACH, FL 32937

WWW.MelosItalianRestaurant.com - 321-773-3555

Barrier Island Newsweekly THE MELBOURNE Thursday, January 11, 2018 31

FINE & CASUAL DINING

ninis

THE MELBOURNE
FINE & CASUAL DINING

When looking for a great place to dine check out
the Fine and Casual Dining Pages of The Melbourne Beachsider.

The area’s best restaurants, many offering weekly specials.

32 Thursday, January 11, 2018 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

CALENDAR

Please send calendar information create artwork illustrating a tree sale event that by Brevard Hawaiian Dancers, 1 to 3 p.m. at the Education and Students’ Right to Protest” with
at least two weeks prior to your can include people, trees, tropical fruit (rare), David R. Schechter Satellite Beach Recreation guest speaker, Brevard Schools Superintendent
event signs, etc. in the scene. Cash prizes. Go Center. www.brevardhawaiiandancers.com Desmond Blackburn, 11:30 a.m. at Indian River
event to to www.Brevardrarefruitcouncil.org for more Colony Club, 1600 Old Glory Road, Viera. Regis-
information. 14 Save Our Sharks talk with Blair Engle- ter by Jan. 21 at www.lwv-spacecoast.org or call
[email protected] brecht, shark finning policy researcher Doreen Archer at (321)622-4071.
and shark expert to learn about why sharks are dis-
ONGOING 13 Revenge of the Nerds Dance Party, appearing and what you can do to help, 2 to 3 p.m. 25 Opening session of 13th Annual Wom-
8 to 11 p.m. at Dancin Dance Studio, at the Barrier Island Center, 8385 S. Highway A1A. en’s Bible Study at the Melbourne
“On Golden Pond” presented Jan. 12-28 at 876 Miramar Ave, Indialantic. All skill levels wel- Beach Community Center on Ocean Ave, Spon-
Surfside Playhouse in Cocoa Beach. www.surf- come, no partner required. Dress as your favor- 14 Former astronaut and trumpeter Cap- sored by Community Chapel. Theme this year is
sideplayhouse.org. ite nerd, comic book, anime or sci-fi character. tain Winston Scott performs for the “Under his Wings” and a study of Solomon’s wis-
Admission is $10 per person, includes appetiz- Space Coast Jazz Society at 2pm at the Rockledge dom writings. $10 admission at the door. Regis-
ers, beverages and a beginners dance class. Country Club, featuring vocalist Shyrl Johnson ter by Jan. 22, Call Pat at (321)722-9117.
with Ron Teixeira on the keyboard, Al Dodds on
Satellite Beach Farmers Market, 10 a.m. to 4 13-14 Parish Mission begins at all bass, and Doug Grover on drums. Admission is 26 Red Ginger Chinese Restaurant 17th
p.m. Thursdays at Pelican Beach Park weekend masses with a talk $10 for members of the Jazz Society and Rock- Anniversary Gala to benefit the Chil-
by Fr. Dave Pivonka TOR. This year’s theme is ledge Country Club, $15 for guests, students dren’s Hunger Project and its effort to provide
Beach Rotary Club meets at 7:30 a.m. Tues- Hiking the Camino – 500 miles with Jesus. For free. The Rockledge Country Club is located at a reliable food source for Brevard’s needi-
days at Ocean Side Pizza, 300 Ocean Ave. #6, 20 years Fr. Dave has been leading international 1591 S. Fiske Blvd. Call (321)960-4897 or go to est school children, 6 to 9 p.m. at Melbourne
Melbourne Beach. www.melbeachrotary.org pilgrimages to the world’s most important holy www.SpaceCoastJazzSociety.org. Square Mall, 1700 New Haven Ave., Melbourne.
sites and speaking to groups and conferences. Tickets for the evening of festive food and drink
JANUARY Mission services continue at 7 p.m. Monday, 17 Free Medicare Seminar, 5 p.m. in the cost $65, $20 of which is a donation to the Chil-
Tuesday and Wednesday in the church. Community Center at Aquarina Beach dren’s Hunger project. www.eventbrite.com or
and Country Club. Learn about Medicare Advan- call Grace Han at (321)951-8818.
13 Fourth Annual Rummage Sale for Au- 13-14 Dragon Festival, Year Five, tage plans, Supplement plans and Rx plans, as
tism, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Fitness on opens at 10 a.m. both days well as enrollment periods and opportunities to 25 Burns Night, a celebration of the poet-
Fifth, 125 5th Avenue, Indialantic. Proceeds ben- at Space Coast Harley Davidson, 1440 Sports- change coverage throughout the year. For de- ry of Robert Burns and all things Scot-
efit Spring Forward for Autism’s grant program. man Lane NE, Palm Bay. Explore themed lands tails, call Kim Adkinson-Cowles tish with bard Bill Mullen, 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. at
The Dragon’s Keep with jousting, knights, castle Nolan’s Irish Pub, 204 W. Cocoa Beach Cause-
13 Sandy Paws Beach Cleanup in associa- and Renaissance village, pirates, magic, horror, (321)305-2554. way, Cocoa Beach.
tion with Keep Brevard Beautiful, 9:30 comic con and Circus La Strange. Nighttime at-
a.m. at Canova Beach Dog Park, 3299 S. Hwy tractions after sunset with fire walkers, street 20-21 Brevard Renaissance Fair at 27 Annual Sanctuary Island Golf Clas-
A1A, Melbourne beachside. Supplies provided. performers, acrobats and the Moulin Rouge Ca- Wickham Park, three week- sic at Aquarina Beach & Country Club
beret. www.thedragonfestival.com ends, Jan. 20-21, 27-28 and Feb. 2-4. Historically in memory of co-founder John O’Brien. 8 a.m.
13 Saturday Wine Tasting 12:30 to 3:30 themed exhibits, vendors, shows and live music. registration, 9 a.m. shotgun start. Cost including
p.m. at the Green Turtle Market, 855 14 Sunrise beginner Kundalini yoga class Festival food and games for the whole family. lunch is $80 per single player, $300 per foursome
E. Eau Gallie Blvd, Indian Harbour Beach. www. on the beach with yogi Ajeetbir Kaur, 7 General admission is $15 for adults, $7 for ages with special rates for military. Call Dick Lanza
greenturtlemarket.com to 8:30 a.m. at Nance Park, Indialantic 5-11 with children 4 and younger admitted free. (321)473-8545 or Barbara O’Brien (732)778-
www,brevardrenaissancefair.com 9607 to reserve your spot.
13 Deadline for entries for Brevard Tropi- 14 Beginning dancing classes for kids
cal Fruit Club Poster Art Contest, indi- ages 4-7 by Brevard Hawaiian Dancers, 25 League of Women Voters of the Space 27-28 Women’s Guild of Immacu-
vidual students in grades 9 to 12 are invited to 10:30 to 11 a.m. Also, Beginner Fire Knife classes Coast Timely Topics luncheon “Civics late Conception Church an-
nual Rummage Sale 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday
Solutions from Games Pages ACROSS DOWN Crossword Page 2473 (WE INTERRUPTS THIS PROGRAM) and 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturday at 3780 A1A,
in January 4, 2018 Edition 1 PER 1 PUFFS Melbourne Beach, just north of the Publix/Drift-
3 LEA 2 RICHEST wood Plaza.
5 GAITS 3 LOSE
8 FOCUS 4 AMAZED MARCH
9 AVOIDED 5 GLORIOUS
10 SEEM 6 INDIA 7-8 “Back in Time,” a free concert by
11 HERITAGE 7 SADNESS Swingtime, a 22 piece Big Band, 7:30
13 ACTORS 12 PROTECTS p.m. with Pre-Show at 6:30 by the New Horizons
14 BURSTS 13 ANIMALS Band (Doors open at 6:30), Melbourne Audito-
17 IDENTIFY 15 SEASIDE rium, 625 E. Hibiscus Blvd., Melbourne. Admis-
19 DATA 16 AFFECT sion: Free. Tickets not required. (321) 724-0555
22 ARTICLE 18 ENTER http://www.melbournemunicipalband.org
23 CRIME 20 ALERT
24 SORTS 21 SCAR
25 TOR
26 EAT

Sudoku Page 2426 Sudoku PPaaggee2437 CrosswordPPaage 4262

THE MELBOURNE BUSINESS DIRECTORY

CERTIFIED Windows & Doors Join our directory for the most affordable way to reach out to customers for your service or small business targeting the
Siding & Soffit South Brevard barrier island communitites. This is the only directory mailed each week into homes in 32951, Indialantic,
ALUMINUM AND WINDOWS INC. Aluminum Structures
“Everything You Need To Be” Screen Room’s Indian Harbour and Satellite Beach. Contact Will Gardner, 407-361-2150 [email protected].

CLAY COOK Car Ports

[email protected] CGC 1524354

321.508.3896 772.226.7688

BREVARD INDIAN RIVER

Expansive pool home
set up for entertaining

210 Ivory Drive in Riverside Landing: 4-bedroom, 3-bath, 2937-square-foot pool home near beach
and river offered for $505,000 by Coldwell Banker Paradise agent Sarah Munkacsy: 321-890-2382

34 Thursday, January 11, 2018 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

REAL ESTATE

Expansive MelBeach pool home set up for entertaining

STORY BY BRENDA EGGERT BRADER CORRESPONDENT trance of the 2,366 square feet of living vaulted ceilings and ceiling fans, in- spa and backyard through an expan-
space you step into a large foyer fac- cludes a family room, large dining sive bay window in which the kitchen
The Melbourne Beach home at ing a view of the pool/spa just beyond room and living room, as well as split- breakfast niche is located.
210 Ivory Drive in Riverside Land- French doors on the far side of the liv- plan bedrooms.
ing of South Brevard is surrounded ing room that open to the outside. Groceries can be easily brought into
by shrubs, garden beds and a privacy Owners Brenda Brand and her hus- the kitchen from the two-car garage.
fence. Going in the south-facing en- The open-concept home, with band adore the neighborhood where An air-conditioned garage workroom
there is “always something going on. ideal for home projects or making
We have game nights, meet for lunch crafts has storage shelving and fea-
and play pickleball at the recreation tures lots of natural light from a win-
center. I love my neighbors and my best dow that overlooks the front lawn.
friend lives here in the subdivision.”
Guest or children’s bedrooms are
Nevertheless, she says it is time for found off a short hallway from the
the next chapter in their life, as they family room/kitchen with a shared
move north to be closer to family, bathroom. Each light-filled bedroom
leaving behind lots of memories and has a large closet and room for a
a gorgeous home that is great for en- queen-size bed. The bathroom fea-
tertaining. tures a tiled tub/shower combination.

The roomy kitchen features stain- Handy for entertaining is a dry bar
less and black-trimmed appliances, in the expanded living room/dining
granite countertops, an abundance room. The living room provides a qui-
of maple cupboards, a coffee bar and et place away from the kitchen/family
a large island with seating for enter- room hub. An office off the tiled foyer
taining. The piece de resistance that features a tiled floor, large arched
sold the house for Brenda Brand is window with window seat, a desk and
the unobstructed view of the pool/ white built-in cupboards for storage.

Barrier Island Newsweekly THE MELBOURNE Thursday, January 11, 2018 35

REAL ESTATE VITAL STATISTICS
210 IVORY DRIVE,
MELBOURNE BEACH

Year Built: 1997
Architecture:

Concrete block/stucco
Lot size: 11,326 square feet
Home size: 2,937 square feet

Bedrooms: 4
(one is currently office)

Bathrooms: 3
Association: Yes
Additional Features: Com-
munity dock, private beach
access, lawn sprinklers on well,
pool and spa, designed office,
cathedral/vaulted ceilings,
storm shutters, separate garage
workroom under air.
Listing agency:
Coldwell Banker Paradise,

321-951-3300
Listing agent:
Sarah Munkacsy, 321-890-2382
Listing price: $505,000

36 Thursday, January 11, 2018 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

REAL ESTATE

Opposite the office is another full doors are found here as in the fam- faucets were installed in the double river – a perfect place to relax and
bath that doubles as the pool bath; ily and living rooms. Direct access to sinks, a jetted garden tub put in and view wildlife and great sunsets – a se-
it has outside access to the patio the pool from the master suite is an the large corner shower was retiled. cure ocean beach access, and a recre-
and pool area and offers a shower, added treat. ational center.
commode and sink so no one tracks The screened pool features a water-
through the home in a wet bathing “You get a great cross breeze this fall flowing into the deep end and a This is a great home for business
suit. time of year and we keep doors open spa on the other side. The lanai holds professionals with families,” said
all the time,” Brand said. a porch swing, accommodates a large listing realtor Sarah Munkacsy, who
The master bedroom and bath- grill and space for al fresco dining. A is offering the house for $505,000.
room are at the end of the home, pro- A linen closet makes storage con- sunny patio was created beyond the To view this charming island home,
viding lots of privacy. A king-sized venient in the generous master bath- screened pool area offering space to contact Munkacsy at Coldwell Bank-
bed easily fits here with additional room. A walk-in closet complete with overlook the garden and trees in the er Paradise, 321-951-3300 or her cell,
room for relaxed seating. The same shelves and drawers is an upgrade the backyard. 321-890-2382 or email: sarah@sarah-
high vaulted ceilings and tall French homeowners installed when they re- munkacsy.com. 
modeled the master bathroom. New The community has a dock on the

Barrier Island Newsweekly THE MELBOURNE Thursday, January 11, 2018 37

REAL ESTATE

Some online photos misrepresent homes’ appearance

STORY BY KENNETH R. HARNEY WASHINGTON POST mini-blinds.” In addition, there was for consumers.” fers from Bell’s physical staging activi-
partially eaten and rotting watermelon Real estate staging professionals ties, which primarily involve changes
Try to picture this real estate scenar- in the kitchen. to furnishings and decor.
io: Like 90 percent of shoppers search- also are concerned by growing com-
ing for a home, you start on the Web, In an interview, Nino said his cli- plaints about digital misbehavior. Jay “People ask for this stuff all the time,”
checking out listings and locations. ent was outraged and blamed him for Bell, co-owner of a company in Atlanta he said, “and we’d love the business.”
You find a house that appears to be bringing her to such a blatantly mis- that offers both traditional staging and But he says his company refuses to digi-
what you’re after, and you tap into the represented house. Nino’s blog post virtual staging, says that digital cover- tally repair or renovate rooms depicted
photos section of the listing to see the attracted thousands of online visi- ups of flaws in properties, including in photos submitted. Bell’s company
interior shots. tors and comments from realty agents changing wall colors and installing also requires clients to inform shop-
around the country, many of whom de- make-believe molding, are all out of pers and visitors online that the interior
Wow! The house is outstanding for plored the use of high-tech wizardry to bounds ethically. photos have been virtually staged.
the asking price. Everything appears make online listings look much better
to be in good physical condition, you’re than they really are. “It’s a slippery slope,” he said in an Although the National Association
impressed by upgrade extras such as interview. His VirtuallyStagingProp- of Realtors has not issued specific
crown molding in some rooms, plus “This is misleading the public,” Nino erties.com site prohibits alterations of guidance to its 1.2 million members
granite counters and premium appli- said. “It’s bad for the industry and bad listing photographs in any way that dif- on virtual staging, Bruce Aydt, past
ances in the kitchen. chairman of the group’s professional
standards committee and senior vice
You call your real estate agent and president and general counsel of the
arrange a visit to the house. You both Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Al-
walk in and what you find is shocking. liance in St. Louis, told me it’s all about
The walls have serious cracks, the car- “truthfulness.”
pets are stained and dirty. There are no
crown moldings, no granite counter- Putting aside the changes to fur-
tops, no premium kitchen appliances. nishings, “is the representation of the
In fact, the kitchen is swarming with property what it actually looks like?”
flies because of old food left decom- Equally important, Aydt said, are there
posing in the sink. Get me out of here! clear disclosures that photos have been
manipulated digitally? 
Could this happen to you? Absolute-
ly – thanks to a concept known as vir- HOW TO APPEAL TO MILLENNIAL HOME BUYERS
tual staging. You’re probably familiar
with physical staging, where experts STORY BY DAVID CHARRON WASHINGTON POST one has the time or resources to take willing to overlook deferred main-
come in and de-clutter a house and re- on a fixer-upper. tenance issues in return for a better
place or rearrange furnishings to make Millennials make up more than 50 price. A broken dishwasher? Probably
it more readily salable. That’s fine. percent of all first-time home buy- Busy with work and social ac- not a deal-breaker for a baby boomer.
ers and represent a growing segment tivities, most millennials don’t have They would fix it, save to buy a new
Virtual staging, by contrast, re- of the population. Despite linger- time to tear down, remodel or re- one, or negotiate appliance costs into
quires no physical furnishings, just ing college debt, millennials hold a place. They are looking for a home the sale of the home. In contrast, a
software and imagination. There’s significant amount of buying power that is move-in ready – the ideal aes- millennial might walk away from an
no limit to the types of digital make- and many see the value of investing thetic, with little to no maintenance. otherwise great property to avoid the
overs that are possible. You don’t like in a home versus renting. While some buyers may be willing hassle of repairing or buying new.
the wallpaper? No problem. Get rid of to take on deferred maintenance in
it with a click. Want that sagging ceil- As products of the information age, exchange for a price cut, millennials Winning the millennial buyer: So
ing in the bedroom to disappear? Pre- they are more committed than their are less likely to go for this. They want how can sellers catch the eye of mil-
fer high-end ceramic floor tiles in the predecessors to the search process a home that is ship shape so that they lennials? Since millennials are look-
master bath instead of the linoleum and are eager to absorb information can focus their time on work, travel ing for move-in ready properties, it’s
that’s actually there? Landscaping from peers, reference sites and, of and political and social engagement. critical to stay on top of regular main-
that looks more lush? Click, click, click course, local real estate profession- tenance. Sellers should make any
– you’ve got it all. als. Their mobile lifestyle coupled The right home at an affordable necessary updates, such as exchang-
with their innate curiosity will likely price: Millennials came of age in the ing old kitchen appliances for stain-
But here’s the problem: At what point result in pursuing real estate trans- housing crash of 2007 and the subse- less-steel appliances, replacing car-
does virtual staging cross the line from actions more frequently than gener- quent recession of 2008. When they pet with hardwood floors or adding
spiffing up the appearance of a house ations before them, buying and sell- entered the workforce, they faced a outdoor living features – before listing
to intentionally misrepresenting it ing at an even higher rate. post-recession job market and their on the market. If sellers are not able or
and misleading potential buyers? That salaries are just catching up. Today, willing to make updates, they should
question has been percolating in the Here are a few things sellers need low interest rates have made owner- consider lowering the price of their
real estate brokerage industry. to know about millennial buyers and ship more affordable with payments home – according to market values –
what they look for in a home: comparable to monthly rent in most to compete for millennial buyers.
Greg Nino, a realty agent in Houston, places. These factors and experi-
ran into the issue painfully. A client fell Move-in ready: Call it the Insta- ences continue to inform millennial As the millennial presence contin-
in love with a house listed by another gram effect, but millennials are in purchasing habits – they are looking ues to grow – even in Florida markets
local agent, who included 16 interior search of the “picture perfect” home. for great value at an affordable price. that seem a majority of older buyers
photos on her website. But when Nino They’ve grown up watching house – sellers should work with their real
and his client went to see the house, tours on HGTV, scrolling through The generational difference: Each estate agent for guidance on how to
it was immediately clear that the 16 Instagram photos of perfectly staged generation of home buyers has its own update and market their home to tap
photos depicted rooms that had been homes and making Pinterest boards unique set of values and priorities. Gen into this new audience. 
digitally rearranged, repaired and en- of their dream home. And while the X-ers and baby boomers were more
hanced. DIY trend has its appeal, not every-

“The house looks like hell,” Nino said
in a posting on the ActiveRain real es-
tate network. “The carpet is dirty, the
walls have dents, scrapes and broken

38 Thursday, January 11, 2018 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

REAL ESTATE

Real Estate Sales on South Brevard island: Dec. 29 to Jan. 4

Real estate activity remained active through the holidays in island ZIP codes 32951 and 32903, but slowed
considerably in 32937. Melbourne Beach and Indialantic each recorded 8 sales, with one reported in
Indian Harbour Beach and none in Satellite Beach.
The top sale of the week was of a riverfront home in the heart of Melbourne Beach. The home at 1710
Pine Street was placed on the market Nov. 14 with an asking price of $899,000. The sale closed Dec. 29 for
$872,000.
The seller in the transaction were represented by David Settgast of Treasure Coast Sotheby’s. The
purchaser was represented by Pamela Wise of Dreyer & Associates Real Estate Group.

SALES FOR 32951

SUBDIVISION ADDRESS LISTED ORIGINAL MOST RECENT SOLD SELLING
ASKING PRICE ASKING PRICE PRICE

$510,000
SUNNYLAND BEACH S6 408 HIAWATHA WAY 4/5/2017 $525,000 $525,000 12/29/2017 $500,000
MARKS LANDING 120 SPINNAKER ST 8/15/2017 $575,000 $575,000 12/29/2017 $394,000
SEABREEZE SUBD 174 SEAVIEW STREET ST 11/24/2017 $399,900 $399,900 12/29/2017 $380,000
RIVER COLONY WEST SE 602 JASMINE DR 8/29/2017 $425,000 $425,000 1/2/2018

SALES FOR 32903

SEA WATCH TOWERS 989 N HWY A1A 7 11/16/2017 $899,900 $899,900 12/29/2017 $862,500
OCEAN SANDS NORTH CO 2727 N HIGHWAY A1A 501 12/8/2017 $524,900 $524,900 1/2/2018 $520,000
POINT THE 602 FRANKLYN AVE 3/13/2017 $550,000 $499,000 12/29/2017 $464,000
ASPINWALL 3340 TITANIC WAY 91 12/29/2017 $329,000 $329,000 12/29/2017 $329,000

SALES FOR 32937

INDIAN HRBR BCH S11 1112 SEMINOLE DR 8/18/2017 $344,500 $319,900 1/4/2018 $305,000

Barrier Island Newsweekly THE MELBOURNE Thursday, January 11, 2018 39

REAL ESTATE

Here are some of the top recent barrier island sales.

Subdivision: Floridana Beach Subd, Address: 118 Fontaine St Subdivision: Sunnyland Beach S6, Address: 408 Hiawatha Way

Listing Date: 11/8/2017 Listing Date: 4/5/2017
Original Price: $339,000 Original Price: $525,000
Recent Price: $339,000 Recent Price: $525,000
Sold: 12/29/2017 Sold: 12/29/2017
Selling Price: $320,000 Selling Price: $510,000
Listing Agent: Toie Crespi Listing Agent: Kathleen Parsons

Selling Agent: BHHS Florida Realty Selling Agent: Suncoast Realty, Inc.

David Settgast Barbara Zorn

Treasure Coast Sotheby’s Intl Better Homes & Gardens RE Star

Subdivision: Marks Landing, Address: 120 Spinnaker St Subdivision: Sea Watch Towers, Address: 989 N Hwy A1A 7

Listing Date: 8/15/2017 Listing Date: 11/16/2017
Original Price: $575,000 Original Price: $899,900
Recent Price: $575,000 Recent Price: $899,900
Sold: 12/29/2017 Sold: 12/29/2017
Selling Price: $500,000 Selling Price: $862,500
Listing Agent: David Settgast Listing Agent: David Meixel

Selling Agent: Treasure Coast Sotheby’s Intl Selling Agent: Curri Kirschner R. E. Group

Stephanie Dandridge Karen Coville

Dale Sorensen Real Estate, Inc Exp Realty LLC

Subdivision: Ocean Sands North Co, Address: 2727 N Highway A1A 501

Listing Date: 12/8/2017
Original Price: $524,900
Recent Price: $524,900
Sold: 1/2/2018
Selling Price: $520,000
Listing Agent: Donna Marie Thompson

Selling Agent: RE/MAX Aerospace Realty

Kimberly Sisko

CENTURY 21 Baytree Realty

Subdivision: Indian Hrbr Bch S11, Address: 1112 Seminole Dr

Listing Date: 8/18/2017
Original Price: $344,500
Recent Price: $319,900
Sold: 1/4/2018
Selling Price: $305,000
Listing Agent: Kevin Hill

Selling Agent: RE/MAX Alternative Realty

Emily Carroll

Curri Kirschner R. E. Group

PRSRT STD
ECRWSS

US POSTAGE
PAID

PERMIT #785
STUART, FL

************ECRWSS*************
LOCAL
POSTAL CUSTOMER


Click to View FlipBook Version