PHOTO EXHIBIT OPENS MARCH 3 at DOLLY HAND CULTURAL ARTS CENTER
‘POSTCARDS FROM PARADISE: a journey through my mom’s garden’ is a loving tribute by Wellington Photographer Allison Parssi
The exhibition, which runs through April 9, is free and open to the public
Wellington, FL — In 2010, Allison Parssi’s “Palm Beach: One County, Two Worlds” photo exhibit was so well received by the patrons at the Dolly Hand Cultural Center in Belle Glade that Leigh Woodham, the Center’s director, asked Parssi if she would consider a follow-up exhibition for the 2011 season. Parssi was honored and more than happy to accept Woodham’s invitation, and quickly arrived at a theme – photos from her mom’s extensive garden in Wellington. “My mom and step-dad are such avid gardeners,” said Parssi, “and they get a lot of enjoyment from the variety of flowers and plants they grow, so I wanted to find a way to share that joy with others.”
Spring Rose by Allison Parssi
Parssi said she had learned a great deal herself about flowers and plants, mostly from conversations around the dinner table, but also from walks in the garden with her mom. “We have butterfly gardens in front of the house and in the backyard, which are really cool,” she said. “It’s like having our own Discovery Channel – we get to watch the Monarch butterflies lay eggs; then we see the caterpillars being born, the forming of the chrysalis, and the birth of the butterfly. It’s really quite amazing, and we have it all on video.”
Parssi’s exhibit will feature a total of 30 colorful, framed photographs of, among other things, her mom’s roses, golden thryallis, orchids, bromeliads, assorted lantana, and of course, the scarlet milkweed, home to the Monarch butterflies that call her front porch home. The exhibit opens March 3 and runs through April 9. The Dolly Hand Cultural Arts Center is located on the campus of Palm Beach State College, and will be available for viewing whenever the Center is open. The exhibition is free and open to the public.
Caldwell Theatre Company Presents Southeastern Premiere of Next Fall
Continuing its recent trend of ‘first in the region to produce’, Caldwell Theatre Company is set to launch the Pulitzer Prize Nominated and Tony Nominated smash hit, Next Fall, by Geoffrey Nauffts, which dives headfirst into the world of religion, families and honesty to oneself.
The cast includes: Caldwell stalwarts, Tom Wahl (Suite Surrender, Bent), Pat Nesbit (Doubt, Clean House, Enchanted April), Irene Adjan (Where’s Charley?), adds newcomers, Joshua Canfield (London-Sail Away, Germany-Hair ), Christopher Kent (Actors’ Playhouse-Jesus Christ Superstar, BRSC in North Carolina-The Immigrant ), and is rounded out by Dennis Bateman (Caldwell-South Pacific, The Elephant Man. On TNT in Leverage as Adam Worth with Timothy Hutton) making his first return to Caldwell in almost 30 years.
Most notably, Next Fall will mark the return of Michael Hall, founding Artistic Director of Caldwell Theatre Company, to direct his first play since his retirement in 2009. Says Hall, “It is a play that I have such a passion for and when you combine that with the dream cast I was able to assemble, it’s just a perfect scenario to come back to.”
Next Fall, the 2010 Tony Award “Best Play” nominee, makes its South Florida debut from February 20 to March 27 at the Caldwell Theatre Company in Boca Raton. Called “the funniest heartbreaker in town,” Nauffts’ comedic drama is the story of two contemporary gay men — one with unshakeable faith and one with total disbelief — as they confront parents and friends when a life-threatening accident causes everyone to examine the meaning of life, religion, and love. It’s “artful, thoughtful and very moving,” said The New York Times, “an intellectual stealth bomb.”
The design team for Next Fall is comprised of, Tim Bennett-scenic design, Thomas Salzman-lighting design, Alberto Arroyo-costume design, Dustin Hamilton-sound design, and Deborah Veres-props.
Talk Backs with the cast, Clive Cholerton , Michael Hall, and community leaders will follow the performances: Thursday, March 3rd at 8:00 p.m.; Wednesday, March 9th at 2:00 p.m.; Thursday, March 27th at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 20th at 2:00 p.m. There is no charge to attend the Talk Backs.
Photographer-Dustin Hamilton Next Fall 1: Irene Adjan, Joshua Canfield, Tom Wahl
The Caldwell Theatre Company is located at 7901 N. Federal Highway , Boca Raton , FL 33487 . For the box office call 561-241-7432 or 1-877-245-7432. The Caldwell Theatre Company’s upcoming production schedule can be found at www.caldwelltheatre.com.
Media Contact:
Clive Cholerton, Artistic Director of Caldwell Theatre Company
Group pricing for all performances are available. Groups must consist of at least 15. Groups receive one comp for every 20 tickets purchased. Contact Group Sales at (561) 995-2333 or groupsales@caldwelltheatre.com.
About Caldwell Theatre:
Caldwell Theatre Company is the longest running regional theater in South Florida . The 2010-2011 Mainstage Season celebrates our 36th Season. The theater has 333 seats with no obstructions and no seat is over 60 feet from the stage. You’ll feel as if you’re watching a
performance from your living room. Accessible seating is available upon request. All donations are 100% tax deductable. Caldwell Theatre Company is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
WHAT: Calling all young Edisons and Einsteins…you are invited to the South Florida Science Museum’s Spring Science Program 2011.Children ages 4-12 will enjoy a week filled with discovery, imagination and curiosity through fun science adventures. The week will feature pirate ship science, a rocket launch, discovering Egyptian artifacts and many more exciting, hands-on experiments.
Each day will have a different theme.Monday is a Pirate adventure, Tuesday is a Stellar adventure, Wednesday is a Jurassic adventure, Thursday is an Egyptian adventure and Friday is a Harry Potter adventure.
WHEN: March 14-18, 2011 (dates coincide with public school spring break)
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with extended hours available from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
WHERE: South Florida Science Museum
4801 Dreher Trail North in West Palm Beach
WHY: The South Florida Science Museum delivers entertaining and educational journeys through the many worlds of science and technology for curious minds of all ages. Located just off I-95 and Southern Blvd. in West Palm Beach, the Museum features more than 50 hands-on exhibits, a digital planetarium, fresh and saltwater aquariums, as well as natural history exhibitions.Each year the Museum welcomes more than 125,000 visitors and reaches more than 45,000 students through workshops at the Museum and outreach programs to local schools. Established in 1961, the Museum is a non-profit organization dedicated to exciting curiosity and furthering the understanding and appreciation of science and technology.
HOW MUCH: Space is limited, register today!
$200 for Museum members and $225 for non-members.
Before and after care is offered for $25 per day.
There will be a one-time registration fee of $25.00.Fee is waived for those registered by February 21st.
How to Nurture the Jewish Identity of Interfaith Grandchildren
The Grandparents Circle comes to the Greater Palm Beaches
February 1, 2011 – It’s no secret that intermarriage rates in the North American Jewish community are higher than ever before.When an interfaith couple has children, the grandparents often feel unsure of how they can cultivate the religious identities of their grandchildren, especially when it is not always clear as to how the children will be raised.The Jewish Outreach Institute (JOI) has created a program called the Grandparents Circle that offers Jewish grandparents the skills and techniques to nurture, and in some cases establish, their interfaith grandchildren’s Jewish identity.The program, which was piloted in Los Angeles, is rapidly expanding to new communities across the country, and this fall the Grandparents’ Circle lands here, in the Greater Palm Beaches at various locations.
“I’m excited to be able to bring the Grandparents Circle to my community,” said Amy Bergman, Director of Jewish Family Life at the Friedman Commission for Jewish Education.“Grandparents can have such a strong influence on the religious identity of their grandchildren, even from a long distance, and this course will help them share Judaism with their grandchildren in an engaging and interesting way.”
The Grandparents Circle program, funded by The Fine Foundation, has a number of components. The Grandparents Circle Course is a 5-session educational course that meets either weekly or biweekly.Family-friendly events for grandparents and their grandchildren often held during or close to Jewish holidays or school breaks supplement the course.
The Grandparents Circle also offers a national email discussion listserve for all grandparents, including those who have not yet taken the course or live in a city where it is not offered.The listserve provides a supportive online community of peers from across the country to share their experiences, thoughts, and questions.
Jewish Outreach Institute program officer Marley Weiner, who is National Coordinator of the Grandparents Circle, explains that “the Grandparents’ Circle provides a safe, open-minded environment where people can share their achievements, express their concerns, and acknowledge their challenges.It serves the Jewish community’s needs by empowering grandparents who might be questioning their role in regard to their grandchildren who are being raised in interfaith homes. But more importantly, it gives grandparents the tools to help ensure that their family’s Jewish identity is carried on for another generation.”
The program is free of charge and open to all grandparents whose grandchildren are being raised in intermarried homes.
The Jewish Outreach Institute (JOI)—is an independent, national, trans-denominational organization reaching out to unengaged and intermarried Jewish families, and helping the organized Jewish community better welcome them in.JOI conducts research, runs programs, and serves as a national training institution and network for outreach professionals, guiding and supporting innovative outreach in communities throughout North America.
For more information, contact:
Amy Bergman, Director of Jewish Family Life at the Friedman Commission for Jewish Education 561-209-2608 or a.bergman@cjepb.org
Grandparents Circle National Coordinator Marley Weiner at (212) 760-1440 or MWeiner@joi.org
Pine Jog/ FAU would like to invite you to our 7th Annual Green Gala. For those who already know us and joined our event last year to help make it a success, thank you! For those of you just hearing about us, Pine Jog is one of the oldest environmental education centers in the United States. We serve over 40,000 individuals yearly and 60% of them are from culturally diverse and underserved populations.
This year we will host the Green Gala, on March 26, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. The focus of this year’s event will be on sustainability and will be held in our LEED Gold Certified facility. This event includes dinner and dancing under the stars, and a silent and live auction. We are very lucky and excited that Bob Nichols will be our auctioneer this year. Pine Jog will also be announcing its second annual Environmental Leadership awards the night of the gala. Recipients include:
·Environmental Educator – Phil Weinrich, Jupiter High School
·Environmental Education Program – Jupiter High School Environmental Research and Field Studies Academy
·Green Business/Non-Profit of the Year – Solid Waste Authority
·Environmental Visionary – Pat Painter
· Lifetime Achievement – Pat Gleason
If you or your company would be interested in purchasing a ticket to the event, donating something to our auctions and/or interested in sponsorship opportunities, please review the attached information and opportunities. Your sponsorship/donation will provide invaluable direct exposure to local leaders, business owners and community members while demonstrating your commitment to the environment.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate contacting us at 561-686-6600 or by visiting our website at www.pinejog.fau.edu. This is such an exciting time at Pine Jog and we look forward to you joining us on this fun night!
The Palms West Community Foundation is currently accepting scholarship applications from graduating seniors who either attend school or live in the Western Communities. This year the Foundation will be able to award nine $1,000 scholarships to deserving students to help offset the cost of their college education.
Through the generosity of the sponsors of the 27th Annual Palms West Holiday Parade, the Palms West Community Foundation is able to support nine students’ educational endeavors. Each high school that has a marching band that performs in the Holiday Parade has a sponsor. This sponsorship money not only underwrites the cost of the bands’ performance, but then a portion of the money is used to fund the scholarships. So, one lucky student from Seminole Ridge High School, Royal Palm Beach High School, Wellington High School, Palm Beach Central High School, John I Leonard High School, Glades Central High School and Pahokee High School will be the recipient of a $1,000 scholarship. Plus, there are two “at large” scholarships available that will be used to benefit students that live in the Western Communities, but attend a magnet or private school. This year, there will be a total of nine scholarships awarded, an increase of two from last year!
Students are encouraged to submit their applications by March 4th, 2011, to be considered for a scholarship. Visit www.palmswest.com, and click on “scholarships” in the lower left hand side of the homepage for application details and requirements. Or, call the Maureen Gross at (561)790-6200.
The next meeting of the Wellington Women’s Club will be Thursday, March 3, 2011, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Binks Forest Golf Club, 400 Binks Forest Drive, Wellington.
Members and guests will enjoy a buffet dinner and a presentation by Sonia Meyer, author of the novel Dosha, Flight of the Russian Gypsies, a story of early Soviet Russia, the persecution of the Gypsies and a young Gypsy girl.
Sonia Meyer fled the Nazis with her parents when she was two years old to live in the woods of Germany and Poland with partisans and Gypsies. There her father taught her to throw hand grenades using a wooden darning egg. They lived in the woods, in abandoned houses and in fields and barns, dodging the German and later Soviet armies who hunted them relentlessly. Shortly after the war, Sonia and her family returned to Cologne, Germany where she foraged for food with a band of Gypsies camped nearby.
Married at the age of 17 and divorced at the age of 21, Sonia became a successful fashion model. Her fluency in eight languages allowed her to work as a translator for embassies, large corporations and an American philanthropic organization. There she discovered documents on the genocide of Jews, but was struck by the absence of similar documents on the genocide of the Gypsies.
Sonia reconnected with Gypsy culture while traveling in France. A chance encounter with a Gypsy encampment, with horses grazing nearby, allowed her to break the ice by quietly whispering a few words in Romani to the horses. She was welcomed as one of their own…which she may partly be. She now lives in Vermont where she researches Gypsy culture and breeds horses.
The guest fee is $30. For additional information or to make a reservation, please contact Allyson Samiljan, 561-798-6741.
The Wailers Headline Annual Reggae Festival April 2 and 3
WHO: Lake Worth Chamber of Commerce
WHAT: Reggae Festival
WHEN: Saturday and Sunday, April 2 & 3, 2011 Festival Hours: Saturday, April 2: Noon – 10 p.m. Sunday, April 3: Noon – 6 p.m.
WHERE: Bryant Park, Lake Worth (on the corner of Lake Avenue and S. Golfview Road)
ADVANCE ADMISSION: Advance One Day Pass $10; Advance 2 Day Passes $15. Purchase advance tickets at Chamber office 501 Lake Ave, Lake Worth through April 1)
GATE ADMISSION: Saturday, April 2: $10 admission before 6 pm; $15 after 6 pm; Sunday, April 3: $5 all day; Children under 12 FREE
