Palm Beach Perspective

Talked with Lauren Jenkins, Environmental Education Coordinator and Tessa Roberts, Senior Environmental Community Outreach Coordinator, Volunteer Coordinator from Oxbow Eco Center. They are getting celebrating Earth Month and getting ready for their 20th St. Lucie Earth Day Festival.  Admission is free and they have multiple locations for parking with free shuttle service.  Music is provided by Neuvaux Honkies and there will me lots of food trucks including one run by the boys and girls club.  Listeners can come out and see over 70 vendors/exibhitors plus a silent auction. The "Be the Hamster" folks will be back with their interactive "snow cone" exhibit.  Listeners can get more info about the event at www.StLucieEarthDay.org.  To find out more about Oxbow, volunteer opportunities and programs, they can email at [email protected].

Talked with Bill Hayes, Producing Artistic Director of Palm Beach Dramaworks.  "Palm Beach Dramaworks is a professional nonprofit theatre company that engages, entertains and educates audiences with provocative and timeless productions that personally impact each individual."  Their Dramasworkshop is a lab for encouraging developing new plays and assisting playwrights to nurture their work.  They are running  Arthur Miller's Pulitzer Prize winning play, Death of a Salesman now through April 14th.  The last show for this season is Trying by Joanne McClelland Glass. Next year is their 25th season and they'll be running Neil Simon's Lost in Yonkers, The Dresser, The Humans, Camping with Henry and Tom, and Dangerous Instruments.  For more information, listeners can go to www.palmbeachdramaworks.org.

Talked with Greg Quattlebaum, CEO, Quantum House.  Their mission: "Quantum House is a caring and supportive home that lessens the burden for families whose children are receiving treatment in Palm Beach County for a serious medical condition."  And for the month of March, Quantum House has teamed up with Jersey Mike's restaurants in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast for a month long fundrasing campaign.  When listeners orders in the store or online they can round up or add an extra donation that will go to Quantum House.  And on March 27th, 100% of the proceeds from the 27 participating Jersey Mike's restaurants will go to Quantum.  Listeners can also help by donating their time, making a meal, bringing in a therapy dog, or hosting their own 3rd party fundraising event.
To get more details they can go to www.quantumhouse.org.

Talked with Campbell Mobley, Curator, Flagler Museum and Elizabeth Dashiell about the Flagler Museum. The mission of the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum is to preserve and interpret Whitehall, Henry Flagler’s legacy, and America’s Gilded Age, in ways that inspire every generation to
perpetuate and emulate the traditions and values that have made America the most prosperous and generous nation in history.  "When it was completed in 1902, the New York Herald proclaimed that Whitehall, Henry Flagler's Gilded Age estate in Palm Beach, was "more wonderful than any palace in Europe, grander and more magnificent than any other private dwelling in the world." Today, Whitehall is a National Historic Landmark and is open to the public as the Flagler Museum, offering self-guided tours, changing exhibitions, and special programs."  Guests can enjoy various tours, check out the Alphonse Mucha: Master of Art exhibition, Blue Grass programs, Easter Egg event as well as tea in the Railcar 91.  For more information, listeners can go to www.flagermuseum.us.

Talked with Erick Gill, Director Communications Division St. Lucie County Florida. They have a wide variety programs for residents and visitors to enjoy. These are available at the Fenn Center
• Monday, March 11 @ 9 a.m. – Heart Health Walk
• Monday, March 11 @ 9 a.m. – Open Recreation - Pickleball & Basketball
• Monday, March 11 @ noon & 6 p.m. – Zumba Classes
• Tuesday, March 12 @ 9 a.m. – Heart Health Walk
• Tuesday, March 12 @ 9 a.m. – Open Recreation - Pickleball & Basketball
• Tuesday, March 12 @ noon – Yoga
• Tuesday, March 12 @ 6 p.m. – Zumba Classes
• Wednesday, March 13 @ 9 a.m. – Heart Health Walk
• Wednesday, March 13 @ 9 a.m. – Open Recreation - Pickleball & Basketball
• Wednesday, March 13 @ 6 p.m. – Yoga
• Wednesday, March 13 @ 6 p.m. – Zumba Class
Fenn Center also has basketball etc, during Spring Break which is coming up soon. Oxbow eco center has lots of fun programs and their summer camp registration is now available. Listeners can also go to SLCHikes.org and check out upcoming hikes, kayak trips. The libraries have book clubs, technology help, classes, digital services like Hoopla Digital and FreGal. There are also lots of fun activites for St. Patricks day and Earth Day. Listeners can go to www.stlucieco.gov or email to [email protected]

Talked with Antoinette Giamalva, Library Supervisor, Adult Services, Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach. Mandel is offering a wide variety of programs for the community during Women's "Herstory" month. Listeners can enjoy Women of Opera on Friday March 8th from 12:30-1:30pm, JASNA Presents Jane Austen and Being a Female Writer in Her TIme on Saturday March 16th from 2-3pm, The Power of the Prima Donna in the Nineteeth Century, Teen Movie Club on Saturday March 16th 2-4pm with the screening of Captain Marvel!, then they're hosting a Taylor Swift Party on Thursday March 21st from 2-3pm, plus more programs. For more info on all the programs for Women's Herstory month and additional library services, listeners can go to www.wpb.org and click on library.

Talked with Lowell Van Vechten, Co-Founder and Michael Broday, volunteer working at the marina for the free boat rides, Boating and Beach Bash for People with Disabilities. "It's their 15th Annual Boating & Beach Bash for People with Disabilities – the nation’s largest, free, one-day event for people with disabilities, both seen and unseen – will again welcome back families who love the beach, boat rides and great musical entertainment. Presented by the American Disabilities Foundation (ADF), the Bash returns to Boca Raton’s Spanish River Park, which is conveniently located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway to give guests easy access to the beach and free boat rides. Always a highlight are the free boat rides, safely held by volunteer boat captains who donate their vessels for a day of fun. On the other side of the park, special MoBi mats are laid on the sand and assistants are on-hand to give everyone access to the water. The 15th Annual Boating & Beach Bash for People with Disabilities will be held from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday, March 2, 2024, at 3001 North Ocean Blvd. (A1A), Boca Raton, FL 33431. Also returning to the Bash is #1 Billboard recording artist, songwriter and actress Kendra Erika."
For more info, listeners can go to www.boatingbeachbash.com.

Talked with Jen Scott and Elizabeth Dashiell about the upcoming 30th Annual Lake Worth Streeet Festival. It's put on by the City of Lake Worth for community engagement. Artists sign up ahead of time and get approved by going to https://spf.lakeworthbeachfl.gov/. This year it's on February 24th and 25th . Over 600 artists use the pavement as their canvas for art and masterpiece reproductions.
Listeners can come to downtown Lake Worth (Lake and Lucerne) to enjoy this free community event and watch as the artists create their street paintings. Parking can be challenging so they are offering free shuttle service from the Lake Worth Tri Rail station and Palm Beach State College. Note- the event is not pet friendly.

Talked with Dana Munson, Marketing Dir., Kravis Center and Elizabeth Dashiell about the upcoming 18th African American Film Festival that happening at the Rinker Playhouse from February 15-18. The whole 6 show series is $70 (a savings of $30). The theme this year is Inventing Beauty, curated by Terri Francis and all films have a panel discussion following the screening. "Dr. Francis and her special guests will take you on a cinematic journey through the social, historical and personal dynamics of how we learn and question what and who we (should) find beautiful in the context of ground-breakingand gorgeous African American films." They will be showing Losing Ground/short An Ecstatic Experience, Bright Road/Short Seventh Grade, Island in the Sun, Ruby Bridges, Daughters of the Dust/short When Angels Speak of Love and Black Barbie. For more information about the film festival and to get tickets, listeners can go to www.kravis.org.

Talked with Laura Issac Norton from Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. FAU Harbor Branch has a wide variety of programs for the community including their newest addition, a life size humpback whale that listeners can actually walk inside and check out the inner workings. On Friday and Saturday they have the "Discovery" boats tours of the Indian River Lagoon.
From February - May on the 2nd Saturday of the month they are offering free workshops to the public about Aquaculture.
"Topics include: - February 10: Florida seafood - March 9: Finfish - April 13: Shrimp, clams, and oysters - May 11: Restorations and aquariums Workshops are geared toward public audiences- we welcome seafood lovers, educators, students, and all interested community members, as well as culinary, agriculture and business professionals. Sessions are free and open to the public; advanced registration is required to attend. This one-time registration will provide you with a pass for the entire series. Workshops will be hosted at FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (5600 US 1 North, Fort Pierce, FL 34946) and recordings of the sessions will be posted online. Participants are encouraged, but not required, to attend the whole series. To register and find more information visit www.fau.edu/hboi/aquaculture-workshops or call the Ocean Discovery Visitors Center at 772-242-2293."