VB32963_ISSUE51_122216_OPT

Shores plans a new enlarged
Community Center. P9
Shores cell tower may
be ready by Easter. P10

St. Baldrick’s teams up for
childhood cancer research. P18

MY VERO Key details still
to be worked out
BY RAY MCNULTY in electric deal

ADA lawsuits bedevil
Vero Beach businesses

Last summer, Scot Wilke be- BY LISA ZAHNER
gan hastily making changes at Staff Writer
14 Bones Barbecue, the popu-
lar U.S. 1 restaurant he has As the calendar rolls over to
owned and operated for the
past 24 years. 2017 and the Vero Beach elec-

Tipped off by another busi- tric saga moves into its eighth
ness owner that out-of-town
plaintiffs were suing Vero busi- year, Florida Power & Light
nesses for non-compliance
with the Americans With Dis- and city officials are closely
abilities Act, Wilke hired an
ADA compliance expert and examining the nuts and bolts
made alterations to his res-
taurant’s handicapped park- of a sales agreement that In-
ing spaces, restrooms, bar area
and entryway. dian River Shores residents

So when David Poschmann hope will finally set them free
walked into the restaurant at
5:45 p.m. on Aug. 10, Wilke felt from Vero’s high electric rates.
confident that he was ready –
that he had corrected most of But some key details still
his ADA deficiencies and, at
the very least, could show he need to be worked out before a
was making a good-faith ef-
fort to comply with the federal final sales agreement is inked,
law before any suit had been
and Councilmen Tony Young
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
Heart transplant recipient Kaiden Bracken celebrating his third Christmas in Vero. PHOTO BY DENISE RITCHIE and Dick Winger have raised
Bent Pine embarks on
$4 million renovation Miracle baby Kaiden Bracken’s third Christmas questions about one clause in
the letter of intent presented
BY RAY MCNULTY by FPL and approved by the
Staff Writer city – a provision stating that

They’re calling it their “Vi- BY MICHELLE GENZ On the eve of Kaiden’s third Kaiden. Joyful and full of en- Vero would pay for its share
sion 2020 Enhancement Pro- Staff Writer Christmas, his obsession is a ergy, Kaiden navigates knees, of the costs of splitting up the
gram” – a $4 million renova-
tion project that members toy train, a hand-me-down couches and chairs following electric system.
and management say will en-
sure that Bent Pine Golf Club Two Christmases ago, the from a friend who saw in an the train on its mesmerizing The technical reality of the

CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 miracle of Kaiden Bracken’s instant the thrill it gave little CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

heart transplant was an-

nounced in a press confer- Vero Rowing Club’s gift to
ence at Joe DiMaggio Chil- the public: a floating dock
dren’s hospital in Hollywood,
the first baby in South Florida

to get a heart from a donor of

a different blood type. BY MICHELLE GENZ
The next Christmas, in 2015, Staff Writer

the family celebrated that Kai-

den had survived a landmark As the Vero Beach Rowing Club searches

first year. His mountain of pres- for a $1 million donor who will make its

ents included a noisy flash- dream of a boathouse come true, the club

ing car that careened around has given a gift of its own to the boating Rowers Caroline Granitur and Sarah Garavaglia
the south barrier island liv- public: a floating dock to use for launch- connect two platforms with coach, Gary Marra.

ing room of his grandparents, CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

George and Linda O’Malley.

December 22, 2016 Volume 9, Issue 51 Newsstand Price $1.00

News 1-10 Editorial 38 People 11-26 TO ADVERTISE CALL
Arts 27-30 Faith 61 Pets 60 772-559-4187
Books 40 Games 41-43 Real Estate 63-72
Calendar 62 Health 45-48 Style 49-51 FOR CIRCULATION
Dining 52 Insight 31-44 CALL 772-226-7925

2 Vero Beach 32963 / December 22, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Electric saga newly acquired Shores customers into ring” and said city officials may be that it’s impacted by the sale, that’s
its system. trying to get FPL to shoulder the cost ridiculous,” Auwaerter said. “The city
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 of pre-planned technical upgrades manager said they deferred lots of
Now, however, the Vero Coun- to improve the city utility’s flagging maintenance of the system because
partial sale is that Vero current brings cil wants reassurance that mending reliability statistics, referring to pub- they thought they were going to be
power into the Shores from the south, the severed system after the Shores lished consultant recommendations able to complete the full sale of Vero
but FPL would eventually need to re- customers are carved out won’t cost that Vero invest $21 million in the electric to FPL.”
configure its transmission system in Vero’s remaining electric customers short-term to catch up on deferred
the Shores to bring power in from the anything extra. Young said he wanted capital projects. The executed letter of intent ap-
north barrier island where it already assurance that the $30 million FPL is proved by the Vero Beach City Coun-
has customers. offering would be the city’s net gain NEWS ANALYSIS cil earlier this month gives FPL until
after any costs incurred to unplug the March to come back with a detailed
Through 2020, FPL would pay Vero Shores from Vero’s utility. “They were talking about upgrading purchase and sale agreement for Vero
the going rate to “wheel” power to the the system long before this, so to tie to consider.
Shores over Vero’s transmission lines Shores Councilman Bob Auwaerter, these potential upgrades [and claim]
while it makes changes and upgrades who represents the town’s ratepayers During the intervening months,
to its infrastructure to integrate the on Vero’s Utilities Commission, called FPL and the city technical staff will
the disconnection matter a “red her- meet to map out exactly what needs
to be done to surgically separate
electric infrastructure in the Shores
from Vero’s system on the rest of the
barrier island. Negotiating who pays
for what will be one of the first chal-
lenges of Vero’s new transactional at-
torney who, as of press time, had not
been selected.

Another potential hitch in the sale
process cropped up in the past week
or two as staunch anti-sale residents
and former city officials floated the
idea that voters need to weigh in via
referendum on the sale of the Shores
customers and assets, despite the fact
that there is no legal requirement for
that action. Other anti-sale folks have
suggested Mayor Laura Moss and
Councilman Lange Sykes should be
recalled from the council seats they
won in November in order to stop a
sale.

Either of those citizen initiatives
would encounter steep hurdles set
forth by Florida Statute: To set a ref-
erendum or a recall election in mo-
tion, sale opponents would have to get
1,167 registered voters – 10 percent of
the Vero electorate – to sign a petition
in favor of either the referendum or re-
call.

If the protesters cleared that hur-
dle, a special election would need to
be called and paid for by city taxpay-
ers; and in the case of a recall, Moss
and Sykes would be afforded the
chance to counter the recall effort
in a lengthy and archaic process de-
signed to prevent personal vendettas
from removing duly-elected public
officials.

Statutory reasons for removal from
office are limited to malfeasance, mis-
feasance, neglect of duty, drunkenness,
incompetence, permanent inability to
perform official duties or conviction
of a felony involving moral turpitude,
none of which seem to apply in this
case.

The last recall effort in 2013, mount-
ed by a citizen who was upset with
then-Mayor Craig Fletcher and then
Vice Mayor Tracy Carroll’s behavior
and demeanor toward certain mem-
bers of the public, failed to gain the
support needed. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 22, 2016 3

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Baby Kaiden “It’s a miracle,” says Kristen Brack- ing itself as he becomes more mobile. His gait could not be more adorable,
en, a talented musician who for years And he is mobile. When he could like a tiny angel about to go aloft. But
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 played flute every Sunday at Holy walking on his toes, skillful as it is, is
Cross Catholic Church. finally bear to tear himself away from also a sign of problem. Because of the
course around the coffee table. his train set, Kaiden turned his atten- stroke, his calf muscles have tightened
This year there are too many mira- As Kaiden approaches his third tion to the newly erected Christmas and he’s had to wear braces at night to
birthday in January, it seems more and tree, laden with silver tinsel and shiny keep his feet flexed.
cles to count in Kaiden’s life, the news more miracles need to come his way. red ornaments. With a gleeful shriek –
that a biopsy of his swollen tonsils While the use of his left arm is improv- a note apparently marked “tenuto” on For a little boy who spent eight
came back negative for Hodgkin’s dis- ing, his left leg is struggling – another his score – he raced around the tree on months confined on his back, en-
ease chief among them. The decision consequence of the stroke that is show- tip-toe a half-dozen times.
to remove the tonsils was difficult – CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
doctors were reluctant to take away
a natural defense against infection, Exclusively John’s Island
since Kaiden’s aggressive regimen of
immune-suppressant drugs already Private and uniquely designed by renowned architect Clem Schaub,
restricts his life. this beautiful 3BR/5.5BA residence embraces serene pool and Lake
Ream Views. Architectural detailing and generous outdoor living areas
No trips to the grocery store. No compliment this 6,922± GSF home featuring an expansive main level with
contact with visitors without flu shots island kitchen, family room, dining room, living room with fireplace and wet
– or, if they haven’t had one, without bar, handsome library and game room. Upstairs, the private master suite
a face mask. Same for children in the wing and two guest suites enjoy private balconies with unmatched views.
park; just as she did all last year, Kris- 180 Sago Palm Road : $2,995,000
ten Bracken keeps her son a little ways
away, always encouraging interchange three championship golf courses : 17 har-tru courts : beach club : squash
with the other kids but keeping them a health & fitness center : pickleball : croquet : vertical equity membership
teeter-totter apart.
772.231.0900 : Vero Beach, FL : JohnsIslandRealEstate.com
Another blessing: having Kaiden’s
tonsils removed seems to have eased
his swallowing, which may have kept
him from some foods a toddler should
be eating. And while there are some
consequences of a stroke he suffered
while he waited for a new heart – a clot
formed in his mechanical heart and
made its way to his brain – he seems to
be adapting, developing new synapses
in areas of his brain now clouded by
the stroke.

Then there are milestones the aver-
age 3-year-old would reach unherald-
ed – looking into someone’s eyes, for
example, or declaring it’s snack time,
as Kaiden did the other day.

“He took out a box of vanilla wafers
and set it on the table,” says George
O’Malley, Kaiden’s proud grandpapa.

For Kaiden, who has developmen-
tal delays in speech and other areas,
the initiative in that series of actions –
feeling hungry, going to the cupboard,
getting out cookies, putting them
where he normally eats, waiting for his
mom’s help – all hinted at progress.

In the past month, he has started
to use his weakened left arm, a goal
physical therapists work toward in
multiple visits each week. Like the rest
of his family, Kaiden loves music and
can pick out the right note on the pia-
no to match a song playing on the ra-
dio. But he always used only his right
hand. Then a few weeks ago, he went
up to his grandparents’ grand piano,
reaching up to strike the keys with his
right hand, then threw his left arm up
to join it at the keyboard. Since then,
piano with two hands has been Kai-
den’s concert format of choice.

As a visitor watched last week, Kai-
den circled past the piano to bang
a nearby conga drum with his right
hand. Suddenly he lifted his left arm
for an extra thump.

4 Vero Beach 32963 / December 22, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Baby Kaiden ciologist with the public defender’s of- was a hotly debated, intensively mon- My Vero
fice, Bracken cannot work – even from itored intervention. And the intensity
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 home – with a chaotic schedule of ap- will likely accelerate as he grows older. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
pointments and medical emergencies
meshed in IV lines and monitor wires, that only she is equipped to deal with. “I’ll be home-schooling him,” she filed against him. Wilke was wrong;
the braces are just another nuisance. says. Not long after Poschmann's visit, the
So were the nights spent in the hospi- The crisis began, one spring day in disabled Port St. Lucie resident's Boca
tal strapped to a sleep monitor, when 2013, when Kaiden was 4 months old Kaiden is too vulnerable to colds Raton-based attorney, Drew Levitt, filed
he appeared to have severe sleep ap- and a life-threatening heart condition to be in a classroom. He can’t go on a lawsuit in U.S. District Court, alleging
nea earlier this year. George O’Malley showed itself in a terrifying domino errands to stores like Publix; George that 14 Bones failed to meet ADA re-
passes a photo on his smartphone to effect. At Joe DiMaggio, Kristen was and Linda O’Malley do all of Kristen quirements.
a visitor: Kristen, in a blue hospital and Kaiden’s grocery shopping. Every
gown, spooning little Kaiden who is told her son was dying. Since then she Sunday, when Linda gets home from Wilke's Vero Beach attorney, Ja-
fast asleep in the same hospital bed. has not left his side, except during his Mass at Holy Cross – she still sings in son Odom, said the lawsuit was one
major surgeries when she could not go the choir – the whole family gets to- of about 30 filed against Indian River
The sight is all too familiar to the with him into the operating room. gether for a family day: catching up, County businesses since mid-2015.
O’Malleys. They accompany their giving support, having a meal, walk- Poschmann and Janet Hoyt of Deer-
daughter and grandson to myriad ap- Dominos continue to tumble. What ing together on the beach with Kai- field Beach have been the plaintiffs in
pointments, including those in south for another child is a cold, for Kaiden den, who has a tiny wet suit for chilly most of cases, but two South Florida
Florida, where a veritable medical is a crisis that lasts a month or more. days. men, Francis Martinez and Santiago
school faculty of specialists tend to The ice cream and Jell-O regimen of Abreu, also filed suits in recent months.
Kaiden. an everyday tonsillectomy for Kaiden As the next inevitable domino be-
gins to lean in, the force of three deter- All of them are represented by either
“One of them goes with me to every mined adults is there to meet it, bound Levitt or the law firm of Coral Springs
Hollywood appointment just in case by a love that brings the normally stoic attorney Jason Weiss.
there is car trouble. And to help out. Kristen to tears.
Kaiden is so high-maintenance it al- Odom called it "legal extortion," ex-
lows me to focus only on him and on “My family is the miracle,” she says, plaining that serial plaintiffs often tar-
the road when I’m driving.” Whoever is annoyed at her cracking voice. While get small businesses, many of which
in the backseat with Kaiden can keep Kristen’s mom has scooped up Kai- lack the financial means needed to
him entertained and feed him snacks. den to distract him from a shattered engage in a costly and difficult-to-win
Most importantly, they can make sure ornament, her dad breaks his reserve legal battle.
he doesn’t throw up his medications – a on the couch to reassure Kristen it’s
critical component of his daily survival. OK to cry; emotions, after all, are what "You're economically deprived of
give them all their strength. This is the your day in court," Odom said. "Are
The little boy’s care has consumed heart that never stops. you going to pay $30,000 to go to trial
his mother’s life. A former forensic so- when you can settle for $5,000?"
“They take care of me so that I can
take care of Kaiden,” says Kristen.  "They're exploiting disabled people











10 Vero Beach 32963 / December 22, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Shores cell tower may be operational by Easter

BY LISA ZAHNER The site plan still has to be approved bie Stabe told residents to be patient – Tower, “feels very confident that they
Staff Writer by the Planning Zoning and Variance camouflage branches will go on before are going to reach an agreement with
Board and the Shores Town Council. long and the tower will look at least a the initial carrier very soon,” but when
With federal and tribal approvals and Construction will take two or three little bit like a tree. Vice Mayor Michael Ochsner asked,
a favorable environmental assessment months and town officials hope to “Do we know the name of the provider,
in hand, the company Indian River have the tower operational Easter. “The main tower will go up first, or can we know which provider they’re
Shores contracted to build its much- then the antennas, and then the dealing with?” Stabe said he could not
anticipated cell tower is now finalizing After a deep-rooted foundation is branches go on last. Please rest as- disclose that information.
the design for a 135-foot Monopine poured to elevate sensitive equipment sured, it is not going to be a monopole
tower, which will go up much like a gi- to one foot above the floodplain, the with external arrays,” Stabe reported Direction the council had given Stabe
gantic artificial Christmas tree. basic tower will go up. It won’t look to council members. and principals from Datapath Tower
pretty at first, but Town Manager Rob- were that they wanted both AT&T and
Stabe said the contractor, Datapath Verizon equipment on the tower. Stabe
told them the key lies in getting the first
major provider to sign on; after that,
competitors would soon follow suit.

The tower will fill in the gap in cov-
erage on the barrier island between
the nearest towers on the Village Spires
condominiums to the south and at Sea
Oaks to the north. 

Shores Community Center
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

we had storage racks custom-built for
all the tables and chairs that can defi-
nitely be reused in the new building.”

Stefanie Jo Osborn, the town’s man-
agement assistant, said she’s not book-
ing any events in the community
center after spring of 2018, but that
the building will still be available un-
til construction starts. In addition to
club meetings, the community center
is used for “birthday parties and baby
showers and events like that,” she said.

Those who rent it do not have to
be town residents, but rental fees are
slightly lower for residents. Weick
said he did not know if the rental fees
would remain the same for the new
building. That will be up to the town
council.

The current community center has a
basic residential-size kitchen that is to-
tally open to the main meeting room.
This configuration is not great for a
more formal event where catering staff
might be working in the kitchen.

Weick said the new center will in-
clude “a commercial-type kitchen with
double ovens, at least two of them,
maybe three, and two refrigerators.
And the kitchen will be separate from
the main hall, maybe with just a pass-
through window. That will be nicer
than having it open where everybody
can see the kitchen. And the building
will be equipped with a fire-suppres-
sion sprinkler system due to its size.”

The new center will have a hard-
surface dance floor, just as the exist-
ing one; other parts of the building
will be tiled or carpeted, depending
upon which makes the most sense. “It
will be more club style,” Weick said. 



12 Vero Beach 32963 / December 22, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

12 3

456 7

TAXPAYERS LUNCH CAPTIONS

1. Bob and Ellie McCabe, Lenora Ritchie and Dr.

Robert Brugnoli. 2. John Kistler and Jeff Smith.

3. Mark Rendell, Tiffany Justice, Rep. Erin Grall and Wesley

Davis. 4. Vero Beach Mayor Laura Moss with Al and Pilar

Turner. 5. Kitty and Stuart Kennedy. 6. Jackie Solari and

Vero Beach Councilman Lange Sykes. 7. Jim O’Connor,

Bob Soos and Vero Beach Councilman Tony Young

8. Ann Marie McCrystal and Robin Orzel. 9. Sergio Mota

8 9 and Cindy Carlsward. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE

Taxpayers Association award winners pay it forward

BY MARY SCHENKEL my mentor and I’ll forever remember necting individuals and families with Cabe,” said Ann Marie McCrystal, be-
Staff Writer everything he did for me. One of the available mental health and substance fore listing just a few in the long litany
awards that he won was this award, abuse services. of organizations they have impacted.
John’s Island residents Ellie and and it was one that I always wanted to
Bob McCabe, founders of the Robert try and claim for myself as a follower “Culture is one of the reasons why “It sounds like Bob and Ellie McCabe
F. and Eleonora W. McCabe Foun- of Jeff Barton,” said Smith, adding that Vero Beach is such a desirable place to accomplished all this. But I want to
dation, were honored with the Ted he was accepting it on behalf of his live, and the McCabes recognized that accept this award on behalf of all the
Brown Volunteer of the Year Award for hardworking staff. early on,” said Robin Orzel, Vero Beach people that work with us, because it
their many contributions to the com- Museum of Art director of develop- took the community to make all this
munity at the Indian River Taxpayers Several individuals spoke about the ment. Ellie McCabe led the museum’s happen. If we were the leaders, so be it,
Association Awards Luncheon last McCabes, whose continued philan- original capital campaign in 1983 and, but there were a lot of people involved,”
Wednesday at the Vero Beach Country thropy and advocacy have greatly im- as board chairman in 1986, estab- said Ellie McCabe, also praising Le-
Club. Also recognized were Jeff Smith, pacted the community. lished the Chairman’s Club, setting the nora Ritchie, executive director of the
recipient of the Fiscal Conservative of museum on solid financial footing for McCabe Foundation.
the Year award, and Pilar Turner, who “Since the early 2000s the McCabes years to come.
was presented with a Special Achieve- have been laser-focused on improving The final presentation was a Special
ment award. mental health services in Indian River “We’re only as good as those who Achievement Award, presented to Pi-
County,” said Dr. Robert Brugnoli, ex- lead us, and Ellie lay the groundwork lar Turner, who was elected to the Vero
Board President John Kistler noted ecutive director of the Mental Health for an institution that over the past 30 Beach City Council in 2010, 2012 and
that the three main tenants and prin- Association. years has become an integral part of 2014, serving as mayor in 2011.
cipals of the all-volunteer Taxpayers what makes this community so spe-
Association are fiscal conservatism, The McCabes were instrumen- cial,” said Orzel. “During all her years of service with
limited government and community tal in the establishment of the Men- Vero Beach, Pilar always safeguarded
activism; all traits exemplified by tal Health Collaborative and of the “Every once in a while there is a star our taxpayer dollars, diligently review-
Smith, Indian River County clerk of Mental Health Association, where that shines brighter than most and ing the annual budget. For that she has
the court. Smith has worked for the the Mental Health Walk-In Center through some predetermined destiny earned our never-ending gratitude,”
county since 1992 and is also is active provides immediate access to mental will collide with another equally bright said Kistler.
in industry, community and nonprofit health services. Additional projects star. And together that brightness will
organizations. have included the UF Center for Psy- illuminate a path that will have a last- “This organization was certainly a
chiatry and Addiction Medicine, the ing impact on many lives. This super- vital part in me getting involved with
“My predecessor, Jeff Barton, was Mental Health Court, and the newly nova, so to speak, is a description of politics and serving our community,”
launched Connections Center, con- my very dear friends Ellie and Bob Mc- said Turner. “It is an honor to be part of
this organization.” 



14 Vero Beach 32963 / December 22, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

How Swede it is! St. Lucia lights way at Hallstrom

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF honor of the Hallstrom family’s Nordic themed trees throughout the house. The St. Lucia Celebration is tradi-
Staff Writer heritage. Hearts, julbock or Yule Buck (goats), tionally held Dec. 13; the Winter Sol-
tomte (gnomes), vikings, stars and stice and the shortest day of the year.
The halls of the historic Hallstrom “We all feel so blessed that Ruth Hall- Dala horses added an authentic touch. St. Lucia, whose name means light, was
House echoed with the sounds of strom gave us this house,” said board martyred in the year 304 and monks
Swedish Christmas traditions, much member Mary Frances Womack. “A lot Docents explained that the use of brought the story along with Chris-
like it did nearly a century ago when of people have no idea that there is this stars serves as a reminder of the Star tianity to Sweden. According to lore,
Ruth Hallstrom lived there as a child. much history and this is the perfect op- of Bethlehem, and straw that Jesus the young Christian girl had secretly
The Indian River Historical Society be- portunity for us to share it.” was born in a manger. The julbock and brought food to persecuted Christians
gan hosting a St. Lucia Celebration and tomte stand guard over the house and hiding in the catacombs under Rome,
Tree Lighting there several years ago in Each year members decorate the are ready to deliver gifts on Christmas wearing candles on her head to light
home with traditional Scandinavian Eve. the way so her hands were free to carry
flare, scattering various miniature- the food.
A large tree in the living room was
adorned with ornaments that once be- Lucy, as she is also known, led the
longed to Ruth, while outside stood an procession wearing a crown tradition-
authentic Florida Christmas sand pine. ally made of Lingonberry branches
to symbolize new life in the midst of
“The sand pine is what the early set- winter. As carols were sung, young
tlers used for their Christmas tree,” girls dressed as tärnor (handmaidens),
explained County Historian Ruth trailed behind in white gowns carry-
Stanbridge, pointing to the Charlie ing candles. The boys were dressed as
Brown-like tree by the front porch. Stjärngossar (star boys), tomtenissar
(Santa’s elves) and gingerbread men.
Guests also enjoyed traditional
Swedish sweets and coffee on the The group gathered on the front
porch, just as Ruth was known to do porch for the lighting of the tree, fur-
during the holidays and family gather- ther banishing the dark of winter
ings. Not surprisingly, there was a large and bringing light to the people. One
contingent of Swedes present, sharing couldn’t help but feel a nod of approval
stories and recapturing a glimpse of
memories from their youth.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 22, 2016 15

PEOPLE

Marge Carlsson, Maureen Wojnar and Ruth Stanbridge. Laura Moss and Carolyn Bayless. Kristina Hofmann with Pia and Randy Brown.

Trinity Kegg.

Elsa and Sara Hjalmeby.

Carl and Mimmie Hjalmeby. Isaac and Jonah Tannery. Leann, Naeimi and John Thimmer.

Emily and Molly McCain. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE

from Ruth that the house was once
again full of light and holiday cheer.

Axel Hallstrom was recognized
for his contributions as a pineapple
farmer and later in the citrus indus-
try. It is still obvious throughout the
historic home that the family’s deeply
rooted Swedish culture was an inte-
gral part of their daily life. The Hall-
strom Farmstead, which includes
the 1918 home and outbuildings on
a five-acre parcel, is on the U.S. Na-
tional Register of Historic Places and
is open to the public. For informa-
tion, visit IRCHistorical.org. 

16 Vero Beach 32963 / December 22, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

How do they do it? Answers found on Art Trail

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF varied from one extreme to the oth- ist Joan Earnhart, whose pieces tell
Staff Writer er, from fellow artists who jumped a story in three dimensions, guests
on the chance to get a peek at other saw old pianos and paintings in a
Art lovers hit the road last Saturday artists’ studios and pick their brains whole new light.
at the ninth annual Art Trail hosted about techniques, lighting and tools,
by the Vero Beach Art Club, where to the contingent of art fans who A crowd gathered around pastel
they learned a little about the mys- find even paint-by-number sets to artist Dawn Miller as she explained
tique behind the creative process of be beyond their grasp. But the eclec- her use of pastels to create a place of
10 local artists at their studios. tic group of voyeurs had one thing serenity.
in common: a fascination with the
Those making the self-guided trek “As an artist, external validation
is important,” said Miller. “We get
Joan Earnhart. PHOTOS: STEPHANIE LABAFF isolated; it’s an individual sport. So
being able to share it with the public
ability of others to bring a lump of is great.”
clay to life or create a new world on a
blank canvas. At her studio, Sherry Haaland
showed how she wields her pastels to
“It’s fantastic because the public create portraits of people and pets.
actually gets a chance to go in and
look at where an artist creates their George Paxton’s explanation of
work,” said VBAC President Rebecca the foundry process utilized to cre-
Van Cordt. “When you purchase a ate figurative sculpture in bronze
piece of art, it’s nice to have a little and terracotta left visitors baffled by
bit of the back history and it makes how such an intensive process could
the piece more valuable to the buy- yield work that captures the wonder-
er.” ful essence of his subjects.

At the studio of assemblage art- Betsy Kurzinger’s works in digital
illustration and mixed media cap-
ture the beauty of the world through
technology, while just down the
street Charlotte Dickinson prefers

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 22, 2016 17

PEOPLE

the use of oils and watercolor. Sandy Lezotte and Ginny Fitzgerald. Anne Malsbary, Pat and Russell Hahn, and Teresa Nilsson.
Dawn Mill’s studio was reflective A piece on display at Dawn Miller’s studio.
George Paxton. Betsy Kurzinger.
of her ability to make use of whatever
medium best creates the desired out-
come, whether it be acrylic, oils or
watercolor. Russell Hahn explained
the painstaking process he employs
to create collages utilizing postage
stamps on watercolor.

Potter Peggy Thomas opened up
her studio to share the secrets of her
stoneware and Raku pottery, which
project a celebration of nature with
a hint of whimsy. Merana Cadorette,
whose home also showcases the works
of many other artists, is another who
works in various media, including wa-
tercolor, acrylics and ceramics.

“We’ve got so many good artists,
it’s always hard to choose,” said Deir-
dre Bugbee, event co-chair with Soozi
Schuble, of the difficult task of nar-
rowing participants to just 10.

“The most beneficial aspect is that
we make money for scholarships,
which benefits children in the com-
munity,” added Schuble.

Vero Beach Art Club has fostered
an appreciation of art through exhi-
bitions and education for the past 80
years, raising funds through events
for scholarships and to support art
programs in schools and the recre-
ation department. 



Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

Walking Tree Brewery Director Daniel Rey
and Amanda Saunders.

Alec Gatins and Jennifer Ingram.

this to the roster of annual benefits.
“Last year the total money raised

by the group was $156,000 and the
firefighters were responsible for at
least 20 percent of that,” said Frank
Mannino, St. Baldrick’s Indian River
co-organizer with Missy Elward of
the all-volunteer effort.

The two have their hands full as
Indian River County residents have
united in the mission to raise funds
toward lifesaving research to com-
bat children’s cancer.

“A lot of the firefighters who do
work for us have families, and if it
was their family in need they would
want to make sure somebody was
there to provide that help,” said
O’Connor.

“Being a firefighter we always are
up to the challenge of saving the next
person, whether it is preventative or
doing the lifesaving right there, so
this is all part of what we do,” said
firefighter Alec Gatins, a member In-
dian River County Fire Rescue, team
which took first place.

Upcoming St. Baldrick’s events
include a Jan. 28 Rays of Hope Golf
Outing, the Feb. 24 Cure Kids Cancer
Gala and the March 25 Head Shav-
ing. All proceeds go toward the Indi-
an River County 2017 goal of raising
$250,000 to benefit the St. Baldrick’s
Foundation and its mission to “Con-
quer Childhood Cancers.” 

20 Vero Beach 32963 / December 22, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Cattlemen’s Dinner beefs
up IRSC scholarship fund

BY CHRISTINA TASCON try, whether as family members or
as agriculturally related business
Correspondent owners.

Behind the twinkling lights and “I know a lot of the people here,”
good-natured joshing over live-auc- said Joe Earman. “Lots of pioneers
tion bidding, Indian River County and hometown people and it is al-
Cattlemen’s Association members ways a good time.”
also performed some serious busi-
ness at their Annual Dinner and It seemed apropos to utilize the
Meeting last Wednesday evening at late Waldo Sexton’s original farm-
Waldo’s Secret Garden. stead as the venue, the property
having been the site of more than
Approximately 150 members and one of Waldo’s infamous parties.
guests, most sporting jeans, cow- Sexton’s heirs are still ranchers,
boy boots and even a few tall Stet- with grandson Sean Sexton and
sons, milled around the decked-out great-grandson Mike Sexton work-
garden and patio, relaxing with ing at Treasure Hammock Ranch.
cocktails and catching up with their Great-grandson Rob Tripson is the
friends and neighbors. current president of the IRCCA.

In addition to the highly-antic- Theirs is a business that is slowly
ipated dinner – provided by Scot being squeezed by government reg-
Wilke’s 14 Bones – of perfectly ulations, an influx of natural disas-
grilled steaks, swamp cabbage ters and a diminishing workforce.
and corn casserole, guests also got
fired up by auctioneer Wesley Da- “Approximately 2 percent of the
vis as they vied to be top bidder on population is now raising the cattle
sought-after items. Bidders traded which feeds the entire world,” said
humorous barbs as Davis prodded Mike Sexton, who serves as associa-
the crowd to up their bids for the tion secretary. “That is down more
benefit of the IRCCA Scholarship than 45 percent from when I was
Endowment Fund, held through In- growing up.”
dian River State College.
Ned Waters, president of the Flor-
The current endowment fund was ida Cattlemen’s Association, said
$10,000, which allowed for the inter- that while it was once common for
est to be used each year for a schol- people to raise their own crops and
arship awarded to an IRSC student livestock for food, it has become
in agricultural related studies. The difficult to interest the current gen-
final amount raised this year was eration in agriculture.
more than $9,000, bringing the fund
up to the next endowment level of “Ranching is important because
$25,000 and enabling additional it is not just about economics,” said
scholarships. Waters. “It influences water quality,
ecology and much more. We make
Although half the guests were a special effort to involve youth,
ranchers, many others were in which is why we have leadership
some way affiliated with the indus- academies and agricultural schol-
arships to encourage youth to go

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ PEOPLE Vero Beach 32963 / December 22, 2016 21

into this industry.” IRCCA President Rob Tripson, Daniel Brolmann and Mike Sexton. Chris Sexton with Elaine Coppola and daughters
“We have to stand up MaryGrace and Melanie Coppola.

and advocate for agricul-
ture and everyone who
is here tonight has done
that,” said Rob Tripson.
“We’re just good farmers
who feel a responsibility
to do it. Everybody here
tonight takes pride in
taking care of the land
and the animals to pro-
vide food for a nation,
the world; and most of
us love it a lot more than
we earn from it.” 

Doyle Hogan, Ken Crawford, Ray Welker and Todd Clemons. Sgt. Brad Fojtik, Sean Sexton and Will Barker. Joe and Liz Earman with Wesley Davis. PHOTOS: CHRISTINA TASCON

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22 Vero Beach 32963 / December 22, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Celebrating nature’s gifts at WinterGreen Night Lights

BY CHRISTINA TASCON Tropical Santa (Danny Tyler) and Molly Steinwald. cool evening air with merriment canopy of white lights above their
Correspondent amid nature. heads.

Families celebrated what has fast Despite early fears that rain Music performed by the Beach-
become a favorite holiday tradition might dampen spirits, it turned out land Singing Sharks and the Sebas-
last Saturday at the Environmental to be a perfect night with the cooler tian River Middle School Madrigal
Learning Center, which hosted its temperatures only enhancing the Singers as well as the Boat Cap-
annual WinterGreen Night Lights holiday atmosphere. More than 500 tain’s Blue Grass, Jingle Jammers
event, spreading Christmas cheer attendees enjoyed a festive time on and Heart of Oak kept everyone en-
and a magical spirit through music the lagoon, many slicing through tertained and added a backdrop of
and twinkling lights that filled the the water in canoes under lit man- Christmas cheer.
groves that formed a sparkling
Volunteers provided instruction
on ways to create gift items fash-
ioned out of bits of natural materi-
als that had been collected from the
grounds of the 64-acre ELC campus,
such as picture frames, bird feed-
ers, jewelry and crowns.

“Education illuminates. Lights il-
luminate,” said ELC Executive Di-
rector Molly Steinwald. “Holidays
are a time of joy, and contact with
nature brings joy. Holidays are also
time for giving gifts, and nature’s
wonders and time spent together,
especially outdoors, are invaluable
gifts. We, as a nature education
center, are both joyous and grateful
to be able to combine all these ele-
ments through WinterGreen Night
Lights, to engage our community in
a magical nighttime nature experi-
ence like no other around, that both
leaves lasting happy memories and
provides deeply needed nature con-
tact for people of all ages.”

Matt Vasquez said he particularly
enjoyed the kayaking aspect, say-
ing that the energy and excitement
of the children seeing the lights and
being on the water was the most fun
part. He also loved the experience
of the ELC’s Touch Tank, calling it
“pretty awesome.”

“I have never touched any exotic
fish like that before,” said Vasquez.
“At first it is intimidating and I was
hesitant, but I would still do it again.
However, the mangrove tour was like
going through a fantasy world and
was the best. Even if you are not into
nature, it was just a fun day to expe-
rience the outdoors and seeing what
they can do to bring Christmas to life
as you are immersed in nature.” 



24 Vero Beach 32963 / December 22, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

CHRISTMAS ON THE ISLAND

Red Ticket Raffle caps red-letter day for retailers

1 23

56

9

RED TICKET CAPTIONS

1. Jamie Giesea, Martin Bireley and Georgia Irish.
2. Caesar Mistretta and Melinda Cooper. 3. Robin
and Andy Williams with Tom and Carol Corr.
4. Cathy and William Ferrell. 5. Jamie Giesea
and Georgia Irish. 6. Susanne Conway and Ellen
Donahue. 7. Robin Williams shows her winning
ticket to Jamie Giesea and Georgia Irish. 8. Debi
Traverse with Levi. 9. Isabella and Kailani Ramirez.

4 7 8 PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE

BY MARY SCHENKEL Buyers had been told that they, Thanking OBA President Georgia oil painting by artist Andre Lucero,
Staff Writer or a representative, had to be pres- Irish, she added, “We couldn’t do this representing his interpretation of The
ent to win and the prizes, donated without Georgia’s support of the re- Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh.
Beachland Boulevard and Ocean by the participants, were well worth tail part of the OBA. We’re very proud
Drive were bustling with activity last showing up for. First prize, valued at to have Georgia as our president.” Robin Williams, the second-prize
Saturday, as holiday shoppers en- $2,400, included a two-night stay at winner, said she had gotten her ticket
joyed a gorgeous not-at-all wintery Costa d’Este, with dinner for two at As people waited they noshed on from Casp Baby Mommy & Me Bou-
day while browsing for just the right Wave and a spa package, plus a $1,200 refreshments and listed to songs by tique, while shopping for her grand-
gifts. And as families began lining Ocean Drive shopping spree. Second crooner Bobby LeBeau, a regular per- children, adding, “I never win any-
the streets to watch the world-famous prize was a $1,350 shopping spree. former at Vero Beach Country Club. thing; I felt lucky today!”
Budweiser Clydesdales pass by, an- Two additional prizes were tickets to
other group gathered at Costa d’Este, upcoming Riverside Theatre produc- Irish spoke briefly, thanking shop- And then, to the delight of hun-
anxiously hoping to be the lucky win- tions of “Mame” and “Chicago.” pers and also thanking Costa d’Este dreds of well-wishers, it was the Bud-
ner in the Red Ticket Raffle. and the participating retailers, not- weiser Clydesdales’ turn, the red,
“We’re trying to get people to shop ing, “They’re working so hard to give white and gold beer wagon festooned
The Red Ticket Raffle was the grand small/shop local,” said Jamie Gie- our residents and visitors a wonder- with jingle bells and lights, and the
finale of an inaugural Christmas on sea, manager at Dede’s and the retail ful experience.” iconic Dalmatian sitting proud-
the Island shopping event sponsored chairperson of the OBA, estimating ly alongside smiling drivers. The
by the Oceanside Business Owners in there were between 1,500 and 2,000 The grand prize was won by a massive, perfectly groomed show-
partnership with the Vero Beach Re- tickets in the drum. “You just never Stringer Gallery customer and Caesar stoppers halted traffic as they clip-
tailers Association, Costa d’Este and know; it’s a tricky period between Mistretta, gallery co-owner, accepted clopped their way along a circuitous
Riverside Theatre. From the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas be- the prize on their behalf. The gallery route that went east on Beachland
Thanksgiving until the raffle, shop- cause a lot of people go north for the was on a winning streak, having won Boulevard from Riverside Park, with
pers had been given a red raffle ticket holidays and don’t come back until the OBA Window Decorating Contest stops on Ocean Drive at Bobby’s, Sex-
for every $100 spent at the 24 partici- January. Overall, I’m very pleased; the week before. In keeping with the ton Plaza and between Costa’ d’Este
pating merchants. very, very pleased.” Starry, Starry Night theme of Christ- and Waldo’s, before heading back for
mas on the Island, their garland- some well-deserved hay. 
draped window featured a wonderful

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 22, 2016 25

CHRISTMAS ON THE ISLAND

Budweiser Clydesdales

1 23

CLYDESDALE CAPTIONS

1. The Budweiser clydesdales stroll down Ocean
Drive. 2. David West (T) polishes and prepares,
with his fellow workers, the Budweiser wagon.
3. Scott Morrison, Dennis Knapp and mascot
Clyde. 4. Budweiser girls Michele Grainger,
Jacaline Branch, Kristen Walters and Ciara

4 Brown. PHOTOS: J PATRICK RICE

PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE

Rusty Rhymes, Brian Connelly and Paige Rhymes.

Kathy Kemp, Will Tremml and Jack Kemp.

Tracey and Dave Griffis with sons Barker, Nick and Jackson Linda Holms, Jane Garr and Janice Woodbury.



INSIDE THE WORLD
OF ‘OUTSIDER’ ARTIST
ANDREI PALMER

28 Vero Beach 32963 / December 22, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

Inside the world of ‘outsider’ artist Andrei Palmer

BY STEPHANIE LABAFF Dubuffet, who coined the term “art “I remember some scary times tutionalization syndrome. Many
brut” in 1947, these artists who have in the orphanage,” recalls Palmer. of the Romanian orphans display
Staff Writer never had formal instruction gain “There were some good times but autistic-like behaviors due to multi-
their unique perspectives and un- what I remember the most was be- sensory neurodevelopmental delays,
When he was 19, Andrei Palmer conventional ideas from a place of ing scared and that I didn’t have par- believed caused by a lack of nurture
noticed a neighbor building an Air- emotional pain. ents.” in infancy.
stream-type camper. Intrigued by
the process, Palmer set out to make a “In this kind of art, the artist is so As an adult, Palmer comes across “Andrei has so many abilities,”
miniature version of the camper with closely tied to their work that you as intelligent with a wide variety of says Catherine Palmer. She says her
materials he found around the house. have to ‘get’ them both,” explains interests. His uncanny attention to other son, Geoffrey, a computer ani-
Catherine Palmer, Andrei’s mother. detail and intrinsic curiosity have mator, put it best when he said that if
He used cardboard, wood, poster “The art depends on the artist and helped him to maintain a childlike Andrei hadn’t been in the orphanage
paper, fabrics, sticks from the gar- the artist’s story is what is important wonder about everything he en- he would have tested into his school’s
den, blister and food packaging. in the art. People who see Andrei’s counters. gifted program.
art who know what outsider art is im-
From there he built his first car, a mediately recognize his work as hav- While some would label Palmer “That’s what we see in him; there’s
black Lincoln. Since that time Palm- ing been born from tragedy.” autistic, his parents say a better di- a level of brilliance that is astound-
er has created 218 handmade pieces. agnosis would likely be post-insti- ing, but you put this layer of the or-
The lion’s share of his work focuses Palmer began his life in Ceaueș scu-
on vintage cars, but his collection era Romania, in an orphanage near Tim, Andrei and Catherine Palmer. PHOTO: DENISE RITCHIE
also includes a lawnmower with a Transylvania. His life as an infant was
motorized blade, bathroom fixtures, like thousands of others there – he
a dual-motor washer and dryer, and lay idly in his crib with no more than
a film projector, among other things. five minutes of caregiver attention
each day. That lack of human contact
Today, at 29, Palmer’s stable of cars and interaction can cause children
includes a Rolls Royce, a DeLorean, a of these institutional orphanages se-
Peterbilt truck and a cement mixer. vere trauma in their development.
There’s a hearse and a Volkswagen
bus, which he made for his father, According to his adoptive mom,
Tim Palmer. Andrei spent the first six years of his
life bouncing from one orphanage to
Recently relocated to Vero Beach another. Housed with other children
from Georgia with his parents, both his age, he wasn’t even aware that he
writers, Palmer’s renown has only had a sister living just down the hall.
grown. He is in the process of setting
up his studio so he can continue to Art by Andrei Palmer. PHOTO: DENISE RITCHIE
create his scratch-built cars.

Acknowledged by dealers and col-
lectors alike as part of the art brut,
or raw art, movement, Palmer’s work
comes from outside the boundaries
of culture. Considered outsider art,
his rough, edgy models are reminis-
cent of work by Alberto Giacometti
and Ralph Steadman.

Outsider artists are self-taught;
some have developmental and other
disabilities. The art form, which has
come to be recognized as “true” art
during the past 30 years, was origi-
nally identified in the early 1970s.
According to French artist Jean

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 22, 2016 29

ARTS & THEATRE

phanage experience on it, and it’s even includes a trailer hitch. And if nize Palmer’s talent. He has shown enue in New York that, along with
made life more difficult for him,” you peek inside, there’s a bathroom work in galleries and museums in antiques, specializes in works of
she explains. and a table with built-in bench seat. New York, Atlanta and France and self-taught art. He participated in
Even the kitchen mixer works. All is currently in negotiation with the New York’s Outsider Art Fair and
Palmer was one of the lucky ones. that’s missing is the smell of gas GAIA Museum, an outsider art mu- most recently showed his work at
Of the more than 100,000 children fumes. seum in Randers, Denmark, for the Vero’s Autumn in the Park, where he
institutionalized each year in Ro- purchase of one of his pieces. booked two commission projects.
mania during the 1980s, he made it “When he first started mak-
out. Adopted by the Palmers, his life ing them we weren’t sure what to At one of his shows, fellow artist While Palmer clearly has a unique
took a turn for the better. think,” admits Catherine Palmer. James Dean, known for his illus- talent, his art has been encouraged
“So we took them to a folk art show. trations for Eric Litwin’s “Pete the by the environment he’s grown up
Once settled with his new family People loved them.” Cat” picture books, connected with in. After the trauma of his early
in Missouri, Palmer began to thrive. Palmer’s work; he traded one of his years, his family has provided a safe
He was always creative, according That was when they met Bill Pe- signed illustrations for a Palmer place for him to express himself.
to his parents, making stuffed ani- ters. “He came over and told us we creation. While Palmer’s art may come from a
mals and pottery. One year, he won were in the wrong place,” says Cath- place deep within him, he’s no lon-
Best in Show for a watercolor paint- erine Palmer. “This is art.” He has sold work through the gal- ger on the outside looking in. 
ing of Shaggy, their cat. “He even lery of Marion Harris on Park Av-
won artist of the year in the ninth Peters then offered to buy every
grade,” says his dad, Tim, proudly. car Palmer made until he was set
up and able to start selling his work.
“He sees things differently than “That was our first realization that
the rest of us,” says Catherine Palm- we had something very unique and
er. “When he was little, he would it was actually art,” says his mom.
look at books sideways and I would
wonder what he was seeing.” Palmer was eventually able to buy
back the cars Peters had purchased
At that comment, Palmer shrugs. from him – those he was willing to
“I’m a curious person. I just look part with, that is.
around and I like to look at pictures.”
After that, Palmer’s art hit the
People are initially drawn to the pavement at top speed. He’s been
wit of Palmer’s funky, retro cars, filmed by Atlanta’s local Fox News
but upon closer inspection, they are affiliate, and was featured in the
amazed by his attention to every Atlanta Journal-Constitution. There
last detail: working lights, steering was even a piece on him in Raw Vi-
wheels, grillwork, license plates and sion, the premier magazine for Out-
precise dashboards. sider art.

The exterior of the Airstream Peters isn’t the only one to recog-

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30 Vero Beach 32963 / December 22, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

Coming Up: Show ’em some love with gift tickets

BY MICHELLE GENZ The Nutcracker. Center in West Palm; in February to includes Spanish classical guitarist
Staff Writer the Sunrise Theatre in Fort Pierce; Pablo Villegas. Even a teenage ga-
and in April to Hard Rock Live in Or- rage-band type would find fascinat-
1 It’s a sly way to get yourself a post- lando. I’d guess the liveliest audience ing the technique demonstrated by
holiday date, including one with will be Orlando’s with a 9 p.m. start this 39-year-old guitarist, who is said
time. That’s on April 7. The Sunrise is to wear the mantel of the great Andrés
your grandchildren. And with so little on a school night, Thursday, Feb. 16, Segovia, who popularized the mod-
and is slated to start at 7 p.m., per- ern classical guitar style in the 1920s.
time left, you may have to draw a pic- fect if you couldn’t stay up for his TV Played off the left leg instead of the
show. At the Kravis, he plays Sunday hip, the acoustic, nylon-string classi-
ture of a ticket to tuck into a stocking night, Jan. 15, at 8 p.m. Tickets sell out cal guitar has a distinctive sound, the
fast to this one, so your gift is likely strings are typically plucked with the
or envelope under the tree. But with a to increase in value. More points, fingernails, and the artists who mas-
less effort – that’s our gift-giving goal ter it seem to share its charisma.
click of the mouse and a credit card, here.
Villegas, who has performed with
you can book seats to a wide range of Sweet Seats to “The Nutcracker,” the some of the world’s most renowned
classic ballet performed at the Kravis orchestras, will be joining the Bre-
great events in the months ahead and Center Dec. 28-30 by the Miami City vard group in a night of Spanish mu-
Ballet. One of the top companies in sic March 10 at Vero Beach’s Commu-
have a thoughtful, generous and – if the nation, Miami City considers West nity Church, courtesy of the Indian
Palm to be the top audience of its four; River Symphonic Association. 
you tag along – sociable present for the Miami, Naples and Fort Lauderdale
are the others. Just to be in driving dis-
hard-to-please … or the almost-forgot- tance is a great honor, in my opinion.
Sweet Seats include some of the best
ten. Here’s my annual last-minute gift seats in the house, an autographed
program and photo ops with company
ticket ideas in a wide range of tastes. members. 5 Anyone who hasn’t ever heard
the Brevard Symphony Orches-
For the grownups, West Palm’s Kra-

vis Center has “Beautiful – the Carole tra – and, for that matter, everyone

King Musical,” Feb. 1-5. It stars Julia who has – can’t help but be wowed

Knitel as Carole King, who wrote her at the upcoming March concert that

first hit at age 17 with Jerry Goffin:

“Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?”

How’s that for a college essay hook,

children? The two met at Queens Col- 3 And if you’re target recipient is
serious about dance, Program
lege and wrote 50 hit songs together,

including my go-to teenage solo “Up Two includes the Miami City premiere

On the Roof.” Goffin is played by Liam of Peter Martins’ First Calcium Light

Tobin. And then there’s “Kinky Boots” Night Jan. 20-22. Program 3, running

at Kravis from April 18-23. A hilarious Feb. 24-26, includes a world premiere

show with music by Cyndi Lauper and by Alexei Ratmansky of The Fairy’s

a book by Harvey Fierstein, it’s based Kiss, a story ballet set to Stravinsky’s

on the true story of a guy who inherits a score inspired by Christian Andersen’s

failing shoe factory and turns it around The Ice Maiden. Program 4 includes

making high heels for drag queens. the company premiere of Balanchine’s

Gift-wrap ideas? I would want my tick- classical ballet “Who Cares?”

ets tucked in the toes of Manolos.

2 Kids typically don’t want to wait 4 If your list includes a lover of the
to cash in on their Christmas loot, old “Tonight Show,” Jay Leno is

coming to Florida three times this

and for them you can always give some season, first in January at the Kravis



32 Vero Beach 32963 / December 22, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT COVER STORY

Kim Jong Un stood on the stage in front of styl- Their support enabled Kim to celebrate his fifth family rule for 17 years, until his death five years ago
ized portraits of his father and grandfather, men he anniversary as the leader of North Korea last Satur- Saturday at age 69.
wasn’t supposed to be strong enough or cunning day, propelling the communist monarchy into its
enough to succeed, lauding the “thrilling explosion” 71st year. The founder’s grandson, Kim Jong Un, was then
of the most recent nuclear test and the “leap forward anointed as the Great Successor in a country where
in all sectors of the national economy.” The Kim family has ruled the country through fear the Kim family is deified and its supporters live
and favors since the end of World War II, when Kim large, while the remaining 20-odd million North Ko-
His Western-style suit, his haircut, his glasses, even Il Sung was chosen by Joseph Stalin to run it as a So- reans struggle to feed their families and heat their
his gravelly voice were all reminiscent of his grandfa- viet client state. His son, Kim Jong Il, continued the shabby homes.
ther, Kim Il Sung, the founder and “eternal president”
of North Korea, who, to this day, is associated with During the transition, plenty of people who make a
strength and prosperity. living studying North Korea from abroad predicted the
system’s demise, doubtful that a Swiss-educated Chi-
In front of him in the huge hall were 3,467 del- cago Bulls fan with no military background and none
egates, called in May to the first congress of the of the revolutionary myth of his forebears could retain
ruling Workers’ Party since 1980, before Kim Jong control of a country run by hard-line octogenarians.
Un was even born. Among them were hard-nosed
party stalwarts, the sort who had been expected by But he has.
some analysts to turn against the inexperienced Five years on, the Kim regime has not just held to-
upstart when he first rose to the top. But there gether, it is relatively strong.
they were: men in military uniforms covered to the The economy has been growing, if not booming.
waist in medals, cheering party officials, scientists, The country has functioning nuclear weapons and is
the editor of the party newspaper, anti-Japanese making rapid progress toward being able to deliver
revolutionary war veterans, field laborers. them to the continental United States.
Kim has given his closest ally, Chinese President
It was Kim’s moment. It was his way of saying, “I’m Xi Jinping, the cold shoulder and suffered little for it.
in charge here.” And these were the people who were He has threatened to attack the United States and has
keeping him in power: the North Korean loyalists actually attacked South Korea, but the sanctions im-
who, like Kim, have a vested interest in keeping the posed as punishment have fallen well short of fatal.
world’s most repressive regime intact. And there’s no reason to expect Kim to be going any-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 22, 2016 33

INSIGHT COVER STORY

where soon, Bueno de Mesquita said. If they survive There are new high-rise apartment buildings But while tinkering at the margins, Kim has oper-
the first two years, most dictators die in their sleep. popping up everywhere, although the lower floors ated very much according to the playbook written
are most desired since there isn’t enough electrici- by his grandfather. He has elevated the standing of
Ken Gause, a North Korea leadership expert at ty to power the elevators. There’s a pizza restaurant the Workers’ Party and emphasized economic devel-
CNA, a research company in Arlington, Va., agreed in the city and a German beer hall, amusement opment, both of which under his father were subor-
that Kim seems firmly in control – at least for now. parks and swimming pools. Supermarkets stock dinated to the military and nuclear weapons.
Japanese mayonnaise and French wine. Taxis are
“You have a leader who is becoming more com- everywhere. With money, anything is possible. There is no doubt that the economy is a shadow of
fortable in his own skin and is able to delegate and what it could be. State factories remain stuck in the
manipulate the levers of power in a much more so- And increasingly, people have money. Soviet era, if they are operating at all. Tough multilat-
phisticated way,” Gause said. “I would say he is still Once reliant entirely on the state, North Koreans eral and direct sanctions imposed after nuclear and
working on building and solidifying his power. But have been increasingly allowed to operate in capital- missile tests are biting.
for all intents and purposes, he is the leader in every ist ways. Factory managers and co-operative farmers
sense of the word.” Those sanctions threaten the foreign-currency

For kleptocratic dictators the world over, the key
to staying in power is keeping the elite happy and
rivals scared.

Nowhere is this the case more than in North Korea.
Kim has retained power by relying on a rela-
tively small group – perhaps a couple of hundred
military officials, Politburo members and money-
makers who also have an interest in keeping him at
the helm. When he convened the congress in May,
he put more of his core supporters into positions
of power. Regimes like this stay intact by spend-
ing money on the military and the apparatchiks
instead of on the masses.
And for the loyalists of Pyongyang, life is the best
it has been in decades.

have more freedom to innovate, as long as they meet earnings that Kim needs to continue underwriting
their state quotas, and private trade in products from the lifestyles of the North Korean upper crust and
television sets to chewing gum is now tolerated. A re- keeping them happy.
cent study from Seoul’s Korea Institute for National
Unification estimated that the North Korean govern- But the country is still in its best economic shape
ment collects between $13 million and $17 million in decades, with growth of about 2 or 3 percent, ac-
each day in fees from market traders. cording to private-sector analysts, much better than
in the years of contraction under his father.
A new class of “donju,” or “masters of money,” has
emerged in this space between state and private If Kim, who turns 33 on Jan. 8, maintains the sup-
activity, using their positions in the regime – many port of North Korea’s top tier, he could remain in
travel to the outside world, where they can trade – to power for decades to come, said Sue Mi Terry, a for-
enrich their leader and themselves. mer North Korea analyst at the CIA.

“The junior Kim has already ruled for five years
and could conceivably rule for another 50 years,”
she said, “if he maintains the support of North Ko-
rea’s elites, ‘the shareholders’ in his regime.”

But there will be challenges.
“While the elites as a group by and large still sup-
port him, there are signs of growing discord among
the ruling class as it struggles for power and influ-
ence,” Terry said, noting that there have been sever-
al high-profile defections from the regime this year.
But Kim doesn’t just use money to curry favor;
he uses Stalinist-style purges to instill fear. Since he
took power, at least 100 top-level officials have been
purged or executed.
Most notably, he had his own uncle, Jang Song
Thaek, hauled out of a meeting at the end of 2013 –
broadcast on television – and denounced as a “trai-
tor for all ages,” then killed.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 34







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38 Vero Beach 32963 / December 22, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT EDITORIAL

Tech upgrades just aren't all that great anymore

BY MEGAN MCARDLE | BLOOMBERG obsessed with thinness to the point er displays, solid-state drives, better more waterproof than older models.
of anorexia. cameras, different sets of ports. But to get there, Apple had to lose a
This week, after four and a half years headphone jack that people were pret-
of faithful service, I finally replaced But my decision is not primarily In contrast, more computing pow- ty fond of.
my old laptop. evidence of Apple making poor design er is a general-purpose improvement
decisions. Instead, it’s a lesson in the that provides a lot of different ben- This hardly means that technology
I will not bore you with the litany of limits of the form – and the way that’s efits to different kinds of users – and companies are going to go out of busi-
troubles that led to this decision. The affecting upgrade cycles, and very can force users to upgrade, as their ness. But it may well slow revenue, and
only interesting thing about my deci- probably, Apple’s future revenue. old devices become unusably slow. in turn, slow innovation. Investing in
sion to replace my old 15-inch Mac- Nicer accessories or thinner form a big overhaul every year or so makes
book Pro is what I chose to replace For decades, we’ve been talking about factors do not necessarily trigger a sense when consumers were reliably
it with: a nearly identical Macbook, “Moore’s Law” – the rule of thumb that stampede to the Apple store. swapping out their gadgets at the two-
about four years newer. But not quite the number of transistors on a chip year mark; that gives you a very big
the newest model. doubles every 18 months. More transis- And we’re seeing this in upgrade cy- market over which to defray the cost of
tors mean more processing power. And cles. My 4.5 years is actually on the low all that R&D.
For the first time in my life, I decid- in my early years as a computer user, side for replacing a computer; the av-
ed to sit out an upgrade cycle and buy that mattered a great deal. erage now is nearly six years, which of As the market for each new model
the older model, now being sold at a course means that a substantial num- shrinks, companies may make each
discount like day-old bread. Each new generation of computer ber of users are waiting longer than new overhaul less flashy, or alterna-
delivered a massive improvement in that. tively, stretch out the cycles so that
I won’t say that the discount played performance – more hard drive, more they’re introducing big improve-
no role in my decision. But in previ- memory, faster processor. Those things For replacing mobile devices, too, ments only around the time that con-
ous years, I’d have swallowed hard meant that the software that ran on consumers are waiting longer, in part sumers are ready to replace their last
and handed over the money, because those computers rapidly developed because phone companies are no lon- model. As Apple did with the Mac-
I am, in the laptop world, a hardcore more bells and whistles that took ad- ger subsidizing the phones to get you book Pro.
power user. vantage of all that new power. People to invest in a contract, but also, I sus-
who used that software found them- pect, because devices are just not get- Many readers will second-guess my
I frequently have a dozen or so ap- selves forced to upgrade, because try- ting better as fast as they once were. decision to buy a laptop instead of a
plications open, two or three of which ing to run it on an old system was un- desktop, or a Mac instead of a PC. I
are browsers with many tabs open. bearably slow. We used to upgrade our phones ev- spent my youth building and support-
Faster processors, more memory -- ery two years because the new oper- ing Windows networks, so I hope you
these things are sufficiently valuable But we’re starting to hit the limits ating systems ran on old phones as if will believe that I carefully considered
that I’m willing to pay for them, be- of Moore’s Law. As Peter Bright of Ars they’d been given high doses of valium. my choices and came to the conclu-
cause they make me more productive. Technica recently wrote: “Constrained Now we’ll wait until the batteries won’t sion that for the applications I want to
by heat, clock speeds have largely stood hold a charge – and if it were possible use most, and the ways I want to use
The trouble is, the upgrade cycle is still, and the performance of each in- to replace the batteries, we might wait them, the platform and format I chose
no longer delivering those things. The dividual processor core has increased even longer than that. were the best ones for me.
processors in the latest model were only incrementally.
marginally faster than in the previous I’m not willing to pay hundreds of The bottom line is personal com-
one, but you couldn’t add memory, What we see instead are multiple dollars to get a better camera while los- puting is completing the shift from an
which I needed more. processor cores within a single chip. ing my headphone jack. early-innovation market, which sees
This increases the overall theoretical massive changes in form and power
Instead, Apple is focusing on things performance of a processor, but it can And that may be the biggest reason every few years, to a mature market
I care about a lot less, like making be difficult to actually exploit this im- that upgrades are slowing down. The in which people treat products like
the laptop thin -- even though that provement in software.” old improvements in processing power cars: Gee, that feature is nice, but I
meant losing USB and SD card ports meant that upgrades were pure upside. can probably wait a few more years to
that I still use, and losing a lot of Improvements on both laptops The new improvements outside of pro- have it. 
“play” from the keyboard. As a friend and phones are increasingly coming cessing power often require tradeoffs.
pointed out to me, Apple has become from more marginal features: sharp- The latest iPhone design is thinner and

CHOOSING THE RIGHT OVER-THE-COUNTER PAIN KILLER, PART III TYLENOL WHICH PAIN KILLER IS BEST
FOR WHAT AILMENT?

Today we’ll conclude this three-part series liver. Overdose can also cause liver damage. Advil and Aleve can cause or worsen stom- In 2015, Business Insider information from

on over-the-counter (OTC) pain killers. Some drugs contain a certain amount of ach, gastrointestinal or kidney problems. the National Institutes of Health, Harvard

Tylenol in them which could result in your Many also believe all OTC pain relievers are Medical School, Columbia University and the

All OTC pain relievers fall into two classes: taking an overdose unknowingly. more or less the same. But Advil and Aleve Cleveland Clinic to determine the ideal OTC

NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory treat swelling and inflammation, while Tyle- pain relievers for specific ailments. Note that

drugs) and non-NSAIDs. We’ve covered the IN CONCLUSION nol only deals with pain and fever. Research while many of the medicines below can treat

benefits and risks of NSAIDs (acetylsalicylic Since OTC pain relievers don’t need a pre- suggests that Aleve is better at treating all of your symptoms, the chart indicates

acid [aspirin], ibuprofen [Advil and Motrin] scription and are so readily available, many what’s known as hard-tissue inflammation, which are the best at treating specific types

and naproxen [Aleve]). Today we’ll discuss people incorrectly surmise their potential such as bone swelling. (It also provides lon- of pain based on reviewed drug studies.

the most popular non-NSAID Tylenol. We’ll side effects must be inconsequential. That’s ger lasting relief than other NSAIDs and non-

also summarize which medications are con- not the case. OTC pain killers can have un- NSAIDs.) Other OTC pain relievers are more Your comments and suggestions for fu-

sidered best for which ailments. intended side effects, especially in people effective at reducing soft-tissue inflamma- ture topics are always welcome. Email us

with existing health conditions. For instance, tion, like sore muscles, inflamed sinuses, at [email protected].

NON-NSAID ACETAMINOPHEN Tylenol can cause or worsen liver problems; muscle soreness and arthritis. © 2016 Vero Beach 32963 Media, all rights reserved

(TYLENOL)

Tylenol is a pain killer that can also be used NSAID: Aspirin NSAID: Advil/Motrin NSAID: Aleve Non-NSAID: Tylenol
to reduce fever.
(Acetylsalicylic acid) (Ibuprofen) (Naproxen) (Acetaminophen)

It’s prescribed for ailments such as: Arthritis
 Aches (headaches, backaches Earache
Fever
and toothaches) Hangover
 Colds Headache
 Fever Menstrual cramps
Sinusitis
Since it is not an anti-inflammatory drug, Ty-
Small dose to help prevent
lenol is not used for people with problems
heart attack and stroke
such as arthritis, gout or tendinitis. Sore muscles
Toothaches
Be cautious taking Tylenol with alcohol

or certain drugs as it may result in highly

harmful effects, including damage to your













46 Vero Beach 32963 / December 22, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HEALTH

New primary care doc eager to build her practice

BY TOM LLOYD The National Institutes of Health
Staff Writer says it knows why. “One of the most
important reasons,” according to NIH,
The healthcare system in this coun- “appears to be our failure to emphasize
try is – hands down – the most expen- primary care.” In fact, NIH goes on to
sive in the world, yet it also ranks at say, “Countries that do focus on pri-
the very bottom in terms of health out- mary care have better health at lower
comes among 19 developed countries costs.”
recently studied by the U.S. National
Library of Medicine. So when a bright, eager primary care
physician like Dr. Miciara Hernandez-

Dr Miciara Hernandez-Perez. PHOTO: DENISE RITCHIE

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 22, 2016 47

HEALTH

Perez opens a family care practice here The Cuban-born Hernandez-Perez chronic illnesses in a variety of health- equipment being produced for primary
it should probably be considered good continues by adding, “I hope to build care settings including in their offices, care physicians.
news. my practice and have patients for 15 or inpatient care, critical care, long-term
20 years. I hope to become the doctor care and home care.” Product developers follow the money
That’s especially true given that Flor- for my patients’ kids, too.” and it’s clear that the big bucks aren’t in
ida currently has 42 percent fewer pri- Moreover, it is usually a primary care primary care.
mary care providers than it needs ac- That’s something of an anomaly in physician who refers patients to those
cording to an April article on the Dow the current healthcare scene. Never- much better-paid specialists and sur- But Hernandez-Perez doesn’t seem
Jones & Company’s MarketWatch.com. theless, the Marcus Welbys of today re- geons. to mind.
main most patients’ first line of health
Why are there so few primary care defense. While the ever-optimistic Hernan- “I never get bored with family medi-
doctors these days? dez-Perez admits that technologically cine,” she says with a smile, “because
The American Academy of Family impressive gadgets, gizmos and gear you treat everything” as a primary care
MarketWatch points to the money. Physicians points out that primary care are constantly introduced for assorted physician.
Beginning salaries for primary care doctors are charged with, ”disease pre- specialists, the tried and true “sphyg-
physicians in this country are less than vention, health maintenance, counsel- momanometer” or blood pressure Dr. Miciara Hernandez-Perez is
half of what a rookie specialist such as ing, patient education as well as the reading device – invented in 1881 – with the Sebastian River Medical
an orthopedic or general surgeon gets diagnosis and treatment of acute and might well be one of the newer pieces of Group. Her office is at 13840 U.S.
paid. Highway One in Sebastian. The phone
number is 772-581-0334. 
Merritt Hawkins, a nationwide phy-
sician-recruiting firm, reports that a
beginning orthopedic surgeon can ex-
pect to be paid $488,000 annually while
a primary care doctor can look forward
to roughly $188,000: A difference of
more than a quarter of a million dollars
a year.

Not surprisingly, the lower pay, lon-
ger days, lesser prestige and added
administrative headaches faced by
primary care physicians have led to-
day’s medical students to turn away in
droves from family medicine and con-
centrate instead on more lucrative spe-
cialty fields.

In September of this year the New
England Journal of Medicine published
a report from the Annals of Internal
Medicine saying, “For every hour spent
with patients, [primary care] physi-
cians spend two hours on electronic
health records and desk work.”

Dr. Stephen Schimpff, a former CEO
of the University of Maryland Medical
Center, adds that simply processing pa-
perwork for insurance companies and
Medicare costs primary care doctors
an average of $58 for every patient they
see.

That, Schimpff says, is forcing many
of these frontline care providers to in-
crease the number of patients they
see while often having to decrease the
amount of time they can spend with
those patients in order to help offset
their expenses – including student loan
repayments as well as operating and
staffing costs.

Compounding matters further for
the future, the Association of American
Medical Colleges says that in just eight
years, the nationwide shortfall of pri-
mary care physicians will soar to well
over 45,000.

Still, after three years of family prac-
tice in Alabama, Hernandez-Perez has
joined the Sebastian River Medical
Group and is clearly eager to roll up her
sleeves and start meeting new patients
here on the Treasure Coast.

“I like to be part of my patients’ lives,”
says Hernandez-Perez, “and get to
know both the patients and their fami-
lies. That’s what I like about primary
care.”

48 Vero Beach 32963 / December 22, 2016 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HEALTH

How new moms can avoid injury when exercising

BY MASHA RUMER anne Ryan Physical Therapy in Man- groups including the transverse ab- leave the house, start walking – first
The Washington Post hattan and author of “Baby Bod: Turn dominis (deep corset-like muscle), around the block, then slowly in-
Flab to Fab in 12 Weeks Flat,” urges six-pack, obliques, diaphragm, lower creasing to three to five miles daily,
One morning, while attempting new and especially breast-feeding back and pelvic floor. if possible, Bjornson says. Remember
my first jog since the birth of my mothers to exercise carefully. “Don’t during any activity to have the spine
6-week-old baby, I was taken aback do too much too soon,” she says. Sit on your sit bones, not your tail- in a neutral position, engage the core
by my low endurance as I plodded bone. and belly, breathe.
along, hyperventilating and draped Women’s health experts empha-
over the stroller’s handle. size rehabilitation before fitness. Says Dean: “Visualize a cable from Ditch the crunch
the crown of your head drawing you Avoid movements that put pres-
I soon discovered endurance was “You can work out for an hour ev- up. Keep arms in line with your torso sure on the abdominals, includ-
only the beginning of the physical ery day, but what you do in the re- and eyes on the horizon.” This gets ing push-ups, mountain climbers,
challenges I’d experience as a new maining 23 hours adds up to more,” the spine into a neutral position with planks, Pilates 100s and, especially,
mom. Pregnancy and childbirth can says Kelly Dean, a physical therapist the rib cage stacked directly above crunches, which focus on the outer
also weaken abdominal muscles, and founder of the Tummy Team, the pelvis and perpendicular to the abdominals but don’t develop the
loosen ligaments and cause struc- a Washington state clinic and on- ground, and shoulder blades resting entire core and can worsen the sepa-
tural changes in the rib cage and pel- line program. “Birth is probably the back and down. ration for women with diastasis recti.
vis. All of this makes a woman prone most physically demanding thing Replace burpees with squats or squat
to injury if she pursues a bikini body many women are going to do, but we Breathe jumps.
too quickly. expect them to jump into a Zumba Diaphragm or “belly” breathing Opt for modified push-ups and
class right away. More is not better. is another simple way to engage and planks. Instead of crunches, try heel
Pregnancy hormones stay in the Better is better.” strengthen the abdominals. “When slides, bridges and head lifts.
body for about three months post- you inhale, fill your rib cage up with Don’t do it alone
partum, continuing to loosen joints, Here’s what specialists recom- air. When you exhale, bring your bel- More resources are becoming
muscles, tendons and ligaments as mend for new mothers. ly to the spine,” says Cheryl Bjorn- available to new mothers, such as
they did in preparation for delivery. son, a certified personal trainer in physical therapists specializing in
For those breast-feeding, hormones Rehabilitate with daily activities Northern California who specializes prenatal, postnatal and pelvic floor
can have a loosening effect even a Everyday movements such as pick- in core and diastasis recti rehabilita- health, as well as books and online
few months after nursing stops. ing up a baby, loading a stroller into tion. programs. 
a car and walking are opportunities Get moving
Marianne Ryan, owner of Mari- to engage the core muscles, which As soon as you feel well enough to
refer collectively to multiple muscle

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Style Vero Beach 32963 / December 22, 2016 49

Why plaid is the perfect winter style classic

BY ALICE BARRACLOUGH after lumberjack shirts and studded and professional finish. ers have made tartan an integral part
The Telegraph boots, thick knitted sweaters and blan- So what is behind its enduring ap- of their work – because it represents
ket coats. From outerwear to cocktail that back-to-basics feel. From the be-
I decluttered my wardrobe recently. dresses, I want my wardrobe to ooze peal? And why is tartan such a safe op- loved symbol of kin to the Scots, to
And let me tell you, there is nothing plaid in a clean and subtle kind of way. tion for gifting? serving as inspiration for refined fash-
better to make you realize precisely a) ion, it doesn’t really matter what else
what you like and b) what you actually And tartan certainly isn’t just for John Boddy, head of fashion de- is happening in the fashion world –
wear than having to clear the whole lot women (or die-hard kilt wearers). If sign at Falmouth University, thinks or even in the world at large – there’s
out. And then there was all that plaid you’re struggling to think of the per- that tartan is loaded with codes and something very reassuring about plaid
I’d accumulated from living in the fect Christmas present for the man in messages – symbolizing legacy, his- that makes it loved by all. 
States. your life, what better gift is there than tory, tribalism, tradition, heritage and
a classic rustic flannel? Button-down pride.
But if there’s a certain time of year shirts offer the perfect union of day-
you can revive those traditional tar- long comfort and heritage-inspired “In my opinion it’s these codes that
tans, it’s Christmas. style. make it enduring as it offers the con-
sumer a false sense of stability in an
Whether your favorite item is that “Due to the endless colors, patterns increasingly unstable world,” he says.
tartan scarf you always wear on long, and material variations, plaid is a per-
walks with the family, or those check- fect go-to Christmas present,” says “If fashion is in its own nature a con-
ered fleece slippers that are perfect for Amy Neville, model and fashion blog- scious expression of the times through
lounging by a fire, it’s true what they ger. “Not only is it stylish and acts as clothing, then as the world becomes
say; pretty-in-plaid pieces are time- a statement piece to finish off a look, more and more unsettled, ‘safe’ mate-
less. From Braveheart battling in tar- but in the winter months it’s also very rials such as tartan, plaid, velvet, den-
tan to Madonna strutting around the practical.” im and domestic checks will become
stage draped in the stuff, plaid has more and more visible as we retreat
evolved into one of the world’s favorite Worn with straight-leg jeans, plaid into the safety of the past.”
fabrics. shirts are ideal for those casual days
in the office, helping you effortlessly In fact, it was reported in The New
This Christmas, as some designers transition from work to weekend. York Times in 2001 that there was a
rejuvenate their classic preppy style, Throw one over a crisp white T-shirt huge rise in the number of New York-
I’m not just dreaming of mistletoe, for a laid-back look or wear one under- ers wearing tartan in the months fol-
pumpkin pies and mulled wine – I’m neath a navy blazer for a more sleek lowing 9/11 – simply because it was
seen as a “safe” material.

Perhaps this is why so many design-

50 Vero Beach 32963 / December 22, 2016 Style Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

Christmas outfits for every occasion

BY ALICE NEWBOLD & OLIVIA BUXTON SMITH Post-work drinks street is awash with sophisticated be- Christmas Eve
The Telegraph A pair of statement earrings is a low-the-knee dresses (think patterns, Opt for a romantic suit, with a silky
great tool for tackling the endless metallics and voluminous sleeves). In- pussy bow blouse underneath (à la Gu-
The Christmas period poses myriad string of desk-to-dinner dates. Be- vest in one, and then accessorize with cci) for the most twinkly of evenings.
wardrobe dilemmas. With an un- jewelled, shoulder-grazing pairs add the pricier, designer accessories you Pair with platforms or pointy flats ac-
naturally high concentration of social sparkle to plain blouses, while wear- have accrued over the years. cordingly.
events and a desire to dazzle more so ing one large metallic earring will give
than we do throughout the rest of the your office outfit a little edge. Opt for
year, it’s hardly surprising that we can a pair of fancy flats that enable you to
be left struggling for inspiration. trot between soirées at ease.

From the work Christmas party to
shopping and New Year’s Eve, our chic
outfit ideas will solve all your festive
wardrobe quandaries.

Christmas party Supermarket sweep Christmas morning
Set yourself apart from your fellow A backpack stuffed with reusable Matchy-matchy pajama sets are a
party goers and opt for a jazzy midi shoppers will be your best accessory no-brainer for present opening. Stay
dress over a sequin mini. The high on the dreaded supermarket run. snug by layering a sumptuous night
Leave your jacket in the car and rush gown or cosy cashmere throw over
round the store in a lightweight knit, the top. Finish with sheepskin slip-
slouchy pants and sneakers. You’ll look pers.
cool and comfortable - ideal for when
you inevitably bump into someone
else on a turkey mission.

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