31 minute read
Society
STRONG Wellness + Fitness is a safe place for women to get in shape physic ally and emotionally
Christina Mummaw knew women don’t like being watched when they’re working out and needed more than just a fitness studio.
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So, relying on her credentials, passion and personality, Mummaw opened STRONG Wellness + Fitness at 4730 NW Boca Raton Blvd., a “safe place” for women-only to get in shape physically and emotionally.
“We are not a g ym. Especially if you’re stuck, this is your first step to a stronger, more confident version of yourself,” said the yoga, nutrition, fitness and life coach.
Q : W hy s h o u l d wo m e n g o t o STRONG for help physically and emotionally? Those are usually two separate paths.
A: We believe women are powerful and not merely in the weight-lifting department. We are created as physical, spiritual and thinking beings.We believe that balance in all three areas is very important. Strengthening ourselves in those areas helps define our identity and self-confidence. I want to help women create achievable g oals with a realistic plan of action.
Q: Why has word of mouth been so important to build a STRONG following?
A: My greatest asset, besides my beautiful custom designed colorful studio, is myself. People feel comfortable with me, and I love that. I’ve been told my super power is love, and that’s something I’m really proud of. I want each woman to feel loved and special when she comes to STRONG Wellness + Fitness.
Q: How did you know women don’t like being on display when they exercise and would welcome an alternative?
A: I knew how I felt. I wasn’t comfortable working out. Sometimes men would flirt or ask me out. Sometimes they would offer advice I didn’t ask for. Sometimes they just stared. I felt insecure because I didn’t have makeup on or the right outfit. But I wasn’t there to socialize. I was there to work out and get healthy. Those strug gles led me to start a community that cares for one another and encourages eachother “to bloom where they are planted.” That’s our favorite mantra.
Q: Who are you attracting?
A: Our clients range from 14-yearold girls to 72-year-old women in all stages and walks of life.
Q: Are you and your staff credentialed?
A: Not only am I certified in nutrition, yoga/yoga trapeze and personal training, I’m a Certified Life Coach. I also bring a lifetime of my own personal experiences and scars. I’ve been divorced, a single mom, empty nester, experienced loss of parents and friends, and career changes. I have a strong passion to help guide women through challenging times and empower them to fully enjoy the lives they were meant to live is a strong and healthy way.
Q: What’s the most surprising part of this journey for you as you continue to attract more women to STRONG?
A: The most challenging part has been walking alongside clients in the early stages and encouraging them to have the confidence to take the first step to sign up for coaching. I customize ever y client’s program specifically for her abilities, limitations/injuries and personal goals. No two women are alike, and neither are our protocols.
Q: What else would you like women to know?
A: We have bimonthly community events to bring everyone together. We’ve hosted g oat yog a, paddle boarding, g ame night, beach cleanups, br unch and yappy hours. We have more fun events planned for the Strong community, such as line dancing, craft nights, horseback riding, fishing, and more.
Custom College Visits on their Exciting 150th Campus Visit
Custom College Visits (CCV), a leader in personalized, on-campus college tours and a member of the Boca Chamber, is celebrating their 150th campus visit! CCV specializes in planning personalized college visit itineraries for families, and a key component of their hightouch approach is driven by personal experience. Janice Caine, founder, recently toured both Tulane University and Loyola University, rounding out her own 149th and 150th on campus visits.
Since the company’s inception in 2010, Custom College Visits has helped students and families from the U.S and from around the world plan indepth, on-campus itineraries to colleges throughout the U.S., with the goal of giving students an authentic feel for each college that they visit. Touring the schools herself allows her to better plan and advise the families that she works with, as she is familiar not just with the schools, but their geographic location and feel, as well as the on-campus experience.
The visits also offered an interesting insight into the current status of on-campus tours. At Loyola the tour was incredibly personal, just Janice, her family, and a guide. By contrast, the tour at Tulane was self-guided. One offers intimacy but a lack of free range, while the other offers the campus unto the tourer, but does not have a set-in-stone structure. Experiencing the juxtaposition between these two types of tours first-hand helps Janice prepare clients for their own travel. She is primed to offer suggestions and questions that students and families can ask during their visits to maximize their experience. H e r f a vo r i t e t o u r of all 150 schools? Says f o u n d e r Ja n i c e C a i n e, “Can I pick my own Alm a M a t e r ? I ’ l l a l way s know the campus, but it’s forever changing – being updated, expanded, and beautified. I could tour Smith College over and over and always notice something new.” Custom College Visits is a Delray Beach-based, woman-owned business. The company designs multi-campus, multi-day itineraries for college-bound teens and their families. Campus visits are tailored to the specific interests of each student, allowing them to visit the colleges of their choice. Custom College Visits has become known for its attention to detail and personalized service.
For more information about Custom College Visits’ services or upcoming webinar, call (650) 931-4515 or send an email to info@customcollegevisits.com You may also visit the website at www.customcollegevisits.com.
Hadassah’s Lights Elec ts New Region Executive Board
Dozens of leaders from Hadassah Florida Atlantic chapters virtually joined together December 2, 2022 to elect a new 2023 Region Executive Board and to hear exciting updates from those who attended Hadassah’s 100th National Convention in Israel in mid-November.
Hadassah Florida Atlantic is proud to announce the members of its 2023 Region Executive Board: Bobbi Prager – President, Sheryl Weitman – Executive Vice President, Susan Wakshul, Organization Vice President, Ayala Layen-Slann – Treasurer, Shari Portnoy – Program Vice President, Ilene Grayev and Judy Price – Philanthropy CoVice Presidents, Marcia Ledewitz and Janet Pearlstein – Membership Co-Vice Presidents, Joy Parks – Education & Advocacy Vice President, Marilyn Fields – Area Vice President, Sheila Steinberg – Recording Secretary and Ellen Peskin – Corresponding Secretary.
Region leaders learned about some not to be missed 2023 programs open to the public: ongoing sessions of Let’s Talk About It virtual discussion series led by Lois Gordon, Region Education Chair set for Thursdays at 10:00am - February 17, 2023 The Coddling of the American Mind and April 20, 2023 Is There Such a Thing as an Innocent Bystander. Scheduled for Sunday, March 19, 2023 is a hybrid (virtual and inperson) Decoding Antisemitism program with Temple Beth Tikvah, Greenacres to be presented by Josephine Gon, Senior Vice President, Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County. Videos of Hadassah’s 100th Convention highlights can be found on www.hadassah.org.
The Hadassah Florida Atlantic Region is home to 46 chapters and 22,000 members in Palm Beach, Martin & St. Lucie Counties and is part of Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc. (HWZOA). HWZOA is the largest Jewish women’s organization in the United States. With nearly 300,000 members, Associates and supporters, Hadassah brings women together to effect change and advocate on such critical issues as ensuring the security of Israel, combating antisemitism and promoting women’s health. Through the Hadassah Medical Organization’s (HMO) two hospitals in Jerusalem, Hadassah delivers exemplary patient care to over a million people every year and supports world-renowned medical research. HMO serves without regard to race, religion or nationality.For more information, visit www.hadassah.org.
New Mural Representing Urban & Natural Life in Florida Coming to Boynton Beach
BoyntonArts’ first public/private partnership, a mural by local artist Kristin Pavlick, is in the process of being created at Delray Beach Pawn, a City of Boynton Beach business located at 3377 N. Federal Hwy. Pavlick can be seen painting the mural, entitled “A View Through the Illusion,” Mon. through Sat., 10:30 am to 4:30 pm, weather permitting, until completion with a holiday break beginning Tues., Dec. 20 through Wed., Dec. 28. The mural is anticipated to be completed in February 2023, with an expected life span of ten years.
Once completed, the mural, will cover most of the one-story building and part of the parking lot. The design represents urban and natural life in Florida and includes coke cans, stop signs, shipping containers, gold, wedding rings, flamingos, snakes and more.
In March of 2022, the City Commission established BoyntonArts’ new Mural Program to encourage the creation of outdoor murals through collaboration of the public, private and non-profit sectors. At the Sept. 15, 2022 City Art Advisory Board meeting, the board unanimously approved Pavlick’s Delray Beach Pawn mural design and awarded a $5,000 grant for the project from the Public Art Fund. Delray Pawn Shop will contribute $10,000 for the $15,000 project.
Pavlick has created murals for the City of Boca Raton, City of Delray Beach, Double Tree Hilton, and Loews Hotel. Her paintings are on display in the permanent collection of the Coral Springs Museum of Art and have been exhibited at local galleries such as the Cornell Museum of Art and the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County.
Lee Josephson, a second-generation owner of Delray Pawn Shop, is also the CEO of Diamonds by Raymond Lee (2801 N. Federal Hwy.), where he commissioned his first mural by Pavlick in 2018. Integrating his passion for customer care into community care, he routinely hosts events that highlight public businesses, charities and art.
“The City is excited to see the first partnership with a business owner to expand the number of murals in Boynton Beach through the new Mural program,” said Glenn Weiss, the City’s Public Art Manager. “We are still accepting applications for additional murals, and the City encourages owners to come forward with their walls.”
PBA Journalism Professor Wins Two Emmy Awards
WPTV news anchor/re por ter Tory Dunnan, an adjunct professor of journalism, won two Emmys at the 46th Annual Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards on Dec. 10.
S h e wo n t h e E m my s f o r t h e news special Missing in Florida and the news feature A Brother’s Love. Missing in Florida explored racial and gender disparities in how law enforcement agencies and media outlets prioritize missing persons cases. A Brother’s Love told the stor y of WPTV meteorologist Steve Villanueva whose brother was killed in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The stor y was part of the station’s coverage of the 20th anniversary of the attacks.
Dunnan ser ves as a weekend anchor/re por ter for WPTV, NBC’s West Palm Beach affiliate. She has been a national cor respondent for CNN, and in 2012, she ser ved as a political correspondent covering the presidential race for CNN.
Dunnan star ted her career as a general assignment repor ter and fill-in anchor for WAFF 48 News in Huntsville, Alabama, where she was honored with an Alabama Associated Press award for coverage of fatal tornadoes, and for her live coverage of the vice president’s visit to the area.
She graduated with honors from Brown University and ear ned her m a s t e r ’s d e g r e e f r o m t h e M e d i l l School of Journalism at Northwester n University. The Medill School is widely known as one of the best journalism schools in the country.
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Steps You Can Take to Care for Yourself D uring the Holidays
4 Simple Steps to Becoming More S ustainable Over the Holidays
(StatePoint) With seasonal stressors like end-of-year work deadlines, gift shopping and hosting potentially weighing on you, plus all those extra sweets and indulgent foods to nibble on, the holiday season may be the happiest time of year, but it’s not always the healthiest. Here’s how to take better care of yourself to feel your best this holiday season.
Protect Your Skin
You may be aware that the more free radicals you have in your body, the more skin damage can accumulate over time. But did you know that exposure can be particularly high during the holiday season? There are a few reasons for this. One is that cooler temperatures are linked to sugar cravings, making sweet treats especially hard to resist at a time of year when there are so many to choose from. Increased sugar intake can boost the production of advanced glycation end products, and ultimately unwanted free radicals. In general, diets high in fat, sugar, and processed foods can contribute to free radical production, as can stress.
Fortunately, you can take steps to protect your skin from the inside out during the holidays and beyond. Fernblock PLE (Polypodium leucotomos extract), the natural antioxidant in the dietary supplement Heliocare Daily Use Antioxidant Formula, can help neutralize free radicals and the damage they cause. Dermatologist-recommended, Heliocare aids in eliminating free radicals to help maintain younger-looking, more resilient skin.
“Along with the cheer of the season comes skin hazards,” says New York-based dermatologist, Rachel Nazarian, MD. “But the holiday season is the perfect time to gift your skin additional protection from the damaging effects of free radicals. You can do this by incorporating a supplement like Heliocare into your routine in addition to using a topical broad spectrum sunscreen.”
To learn more, visit heliocare.com. (These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Heliocare is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.)
Move Daily
Be sure to take time for yourself each day to receive the combined physical and mental health benefits of movement. Head outdoors for a morning or afternoon walk to get some fresh air, improved blood circulation and some mood-boosting sunlight during the short, dark days of winter. To promote agility, flexibility and relaxation, take a few minutes to unwind with some meditation or gentle yoga.
Practice Healthy Habits Holiday office parties and family gatherings often involve indulging in the kinds of food and drink that can leave you feeling more dehydrated, bloated and fatigued than you might normally. Counteract these effects by adopting healthy habits now that you can carry into the new year. Drink plenty of water each day, and incorporate decaffeinated green tea, coconut water or smoothies into your routine for added electrolytes. Likewise, get high-quality sleep each night. It’s especially important to do so if you’re burning the candle at both ends. For better shut-eye, avoid caffeine and blue light exposure before bedtime, and keep your bedroom temperature comfortable and consistent.
While it can be hard to set aside time in your schedule when there’s so much to do, a bit of daily self-care is sure to have a restorative effect that helps you refresh, reset and be more focused.
(StatePoint) While the holiday season can sometimes feel like it’s all about consumption, keeping sustainable practices alive may be easier than you think. Here are some simple sustainable practices to try over the holidays.
Brighten Up: Share a flowering or lush green houseplant as a gift this season to bring some life into the home. Proven to help lift spirits, plants can also assist during those bleak winter months in helping to filter the air and bring the house some freshness and color.
Sent with Love: Care packages, cards and gifts g alore! The holidays are all about telling loved ones you’re thinking of them, but all those shipping boxes can sometimes lead to waste. Go green by ch o o s i n g g r e e t i n g c a r d s m a d e from recycled paper, or keep smaller gifts safe in transit using ecofriendly shipping materials such as Flourish brand Honeycomb Recyclable Mailers.
Wrapped Up: Choosing sustainable, recycled paper to wrap presents is a gift to your loved ones and the environment. Flourish brand Kraft Paper is made of 100% recycled material, making it a great alternative to traditional wrapping paper. Plus, it’s durable enough to work for gifts of a variety of sizes and shapes. For added trim, let your imagination soar with colored pens, or include a beautiful pinecone or sprig of holly for a simple, elegant winter look.
Ditch the Disposable: While d i s p o s a b l e d i s h e s a n d f l a t wa r e provide ease during the holidays, they are not so easy on the environment. Entertaining with reusable plates and flatware provides an on-trend look while also being more sustainable. Start small with simple swaps like using washable ser ving ware and platters, which can still be a meaningful way to use less plastic during the bustling holiday season.
Ensuring All Students in Boc a Raton Public Elementar y Schools Read At Grade Level
BOCA RATON, November 29, 2022 – T he Golden Bell Education Foundation and the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County will distribute S.P.I.R.E. (Specialized Program Individualizing Reading Excellence) reading inter vention kits to all Boca Raton public elementar y schools. The Golden Bell Education Foundation, the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County, and members of the School District of Palm Beach County will offi cially kick off this impactful prog ram on Wednesday, December 14th at 9:30 AM at Boca Raton Elementary School, 103 SW 1st Ave, Boca Raton, FL 33432.
This community-wide initiative will help close the literacy achievement g ap for all underperfor ming students in kinderg ar ten through third grade in Boca Raton. Through a $40,000 matching grant program, we are providing S.P.I.R.E. for students in K-3 at all 13 public elementar y schools in Boca Raton. The Golden Bell Education Foundation thanks the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County, CP Group, GEO Group, NCCI, Ellis Law Group, Plastridge Insurance, and the England and Gardner Families who have all joined in the effort to build our future leaders.
Media outlets are invited to attend this Check Presentation/ Prog ram Commencement on Wednesday, December 14th, at 9:30 AM at Boca Raton Elementary School, 103 SW 1st Ave, Boca Raton, FL 33432.
T h e G o l d e n B e l l E d u c a t i o n Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profi t organization existing to support the Boca Raton public school system by administering funds and educational programs that promote business skills for students. Created in 1991, the Golden Bell Education Foundation has awarded over $1.8 million to Boca Raton public schools.
Contact Infor mation: Liz Nicastro, lnicastro@bocachamber.com or by phone (561) 395-4433 ext. 232.
Ethicist to Speak About Vice and Vir tue
Calvin University Professor Dr. Rebecca DeYoung will speak Jan. 30-31 at Palm Beach Atlantic’s Provost’s Distinguished Scholar Lecture Series.
DeYoung’s research focuses on the seven deadly sins and virtue ethics, as well as Thomas Aquinas’ work on the virtues. She is the author of several books, her most recent being Glittering Vices: A New Look at the Seven Deadly Sins and Their Remedies.
DeYoung will give three public lectures, in addition to discussions with students and faculty: 11 a.m., Monday, Jan. 30 at Family Church Downtown, 1101 S. Flagler Drive: Why Are You Angry? Exploring the Deadly Sin of Wrath 7:30 p.m., Monday, Jan. 30 in the DeSantis Family Chapel, 300 Okeechobee Boulevard: When Image Is Everything: Introducing the Vice of Vainglory 11 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 31 at Memorial Presbyterian Church, 1300 S. Olive Ave. (Graduate School of Ministr y Chapel): Glittering Vices
DeYoung’s other books include Vainglory: The Forgotten Vice and Aquinas’ Ethics: Metaphysical Foundation, Moral Theory, and Theological Context. She has published numerous essays in various academic publications and journals. For her work, she won the Book and Essay Prize from the Character Project and the C.S. Lewis prize for Glittering Vices.
She earned her bachelor’s degree from Calvin University and her master’s and Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Notre Dame. She has taught ethics and the history of ancient and medieval philosophy for more than 20 years.
Previous speakers in the series include George Marsden, Michael Ward, Mark Noll and Eleonore Stump.
Lynn University ’s Gingerbread Concer t raises $81,295 for Conser vator y of Music
Friends of the Conservatory Board pose at concert. Seated, from left, Deanna Wheeler Alyce Erickson, Pam Coffey and Barbi Block. Standing, from left, Asa Loof, Mary Ann Milhous, Marilyn Nelson, Pat Thomas, Terry Fedele, Kim Champion and Kristen Oliver. Not pictured are Marlene Goldstein, Barara Gutin, Ben Heyward, Mary Anne Kull, Mary Lafferty, Caryn Levison, Rene Males, Linda Melcer, Robin Muir, Barbara Nassau, Ioulia Nikiforova, Isabelle Paul, Marilyn Swillinger, Pat Toppel, Elaine J. Wold and Donna Zoley. (Photo courtesy of Lynn University)
Friends of the Conservatory Board pose at concert. Seated, from left, Deanna Wheeler Alyce Erickson, Pam Coffey and Barbi Block. Standing, from left, Asa Loof, Mary Ann Milhous, Marilyn Nelson, Pat Thomas, Terry Fedele, Kim Champion and Kristen Oliver. Not pictured are Marlene Goldstein, Barara Gutin, Ben Heyward, Mary Anne Kull, Mary Lafferty, Caryn Levison, Rene Males, Linda Melcer, Robin Muir, Barbara Nassau, Ioulia Nikiforova, Isabelle Paul, Marilyn Swillinger, Pat Toppel, Elaine J. Wold and Donna Zoley. (Photo courtesy of Lynn University)
By Dale King
Lynn University’s annual Gingerbread Holiday Concert welcomed nearly 700 guests to the Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Perfor ming Ar ts Center on Sunday, raising $81,295 for the Conservatory of Music.
Gingerbread is the conservatory’s largest fundraiser each year, hosted by the Friends of the Conservatory—a dedicated group of volunteers and donors who champion Lynn’s high-quality music education through fundraising initiatives and community outreach. “Thank you to each and ever y person who committed to a sponsorship, bought a ticket or volunteered their time to make this year’s event possible,” said Lisa Miller, director of annual programs at Lynn. “Ever y dollar we raise provides the resources we need to train world-class musicians and keep the arts alive right here in our community.” Charles Conklin addresses the crowd at the third annual Unity Day at Hughes Park in Boca Raton, sponsored by Changing Lives. (Photo by Dale King)
Continued on Page 16
Pastor Tony Lowden addresses the crowd at the third annual Unity Day at Hughes Park in Boca Raton, sponsored by Changing Lives. (Photo by Dale King)
Lesly Morales of Changing Lives address the crowd at the third annual Unity Day at Hughes Park in Boca Raton, sponsored by the organization. (Photo by Dale King)
Operating a service that provides aid to the homeless is a big job. “We can’t do anything without the volunteers,” James Batmasian, founder of the Changing Lives assistance organization in Boca Raton, told a crowd Saturday at the group’s third annual Unity Day Expo Fair at Hughes Park in the Pearl City neighborhood of Boca Raton.
James Batmasian, founder of Changing Lives, addresses the crowd at the organization’s third annual Unity Day at Hughes Park in Boca Raton. (Photo by Dale King)
Photos by Dale King
The third annual Unity Day at Hughes Park in Boca Raton, sponsored by Changing Lives.
Lu Dussin paints a child’s face during the third annual Unity Day at Hughes Park in Boca Raton, sponsored by Changing Lives. The third annual Unity Day at Hughes Park in Boca Raton, sponsored by Changing Lives.
The third annual Unity Day at Hughes Park in Boca Raton, sponsored by Changing Lives.
By Dale King
Operating a service that provides aid to the homeless is a big job. “We can’t do anything without the volunteers,” James Batmasian, founder of the Changing Lives assistance organization in Boca Raton, told a crowd Saturday at the group’s third annual Unity Day Expo Fair at Hughes Park in the Pearl City neighborhood of Boca Raton.
Batmasian sponsors Unity Day each year to connect families in need to a variety of resources to fi nd solutions to their fundamental challenges. The goal is to help disadvantaged and underprivileged families struggling during these trying times and those at risk of being homeless by providing and informing them of all the available resources each nonprofi t and other organizations have to offer.
Among those on hand for the Dec. 17 event was Marie Hester from DISC (Developing Interracial Social Chains). For 32 years, she said, she has “been helping the poor create a dialogue with the community.” Her group is currently doing a survey of Pearl City, Boca Raton’s oldest neighborhood, originally platted in 1915, so it can get more recognition.
DISC also operates the Pearl City Family Gardens, located across Glades Road from Hughes Park in front of Ebenezer Baptist Church. Twenty-one students from Dixie Manor take care of the crops, collect vegetables and donate them to the poor. The group just har vested collard greens for an elderly woman who can no longer cook. Marie said she is going to prepare the delicacy for her.
The organization collaborates with several master gardeners, including Lynn Russell, who was just named to the Boca Raton Historical Society’s Walk of Recognition.
Organizers expected 20 nonprofi ts to attend the event which offered free food and beverages donated by Rebel House Boca, along with entertainment, health screenings, prizes and activities for kids.
Among the non-profi ts attending were:
First United Methodist Church, which started the men’s shower and laundry program for the homeless.
Homeless Hearts Food International, which provides food relief, housing assistance and mentoring.
Breaking the Chains Outreach Ministries, which works with at-risk children, the elderly, homeless and the needy.
AVDA (Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse, Inc.), which promotes violence-free relationships and social change by offering alternative choices to end violence and domestic abuse.
Several speakers also offered the crowd words of encouragement.
The minister admitted he has seen the seamy side of life, growing up in a “speakeasy house” where he had to pick up discarded needles and liquor bottles. “I was thrown out. I was homeless. I had to sleep in a park.”
God intervened, he noted, and he urged the homeless in the crowd to believe in the Lord. “I pray with all that’s in me that you will continue to have hope.”
Charles Conklin, assistant pastor at Ebenezer Church, led a prayer, calling on ever yone in the crowd to connect with God, “whose name is the name above all names. I’m glad to see people of all ethnic groups who have come here to seek love and connection.”
Changing Lives of Boca Raton, Inc is a 501C3 nonprofi t organization dedicated to enriching the lives of those experiencing homelessness. Its programs aim to prepare clients for gainful employment and support individuals’ return to independent and self-sustaining living.
The organization also aids with scholarships for sober living facilities and detox, housing stipends, costs for mental and physical care, personal documentation and endowments for business start-ups.
For more information visit https://changinglives.me/, Facebook page @changinglivesBR, Instagram page @changinglivesbocaraton or call 561961-4635.
By Dale King
There’s always plenty of action on the fi eld when the annual RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl, now in its ninth year, draws a major crowd and a couple of college grid powerhouses to the Florida Atlantic University Stadium each December.
This year’s competition Tuesday night didn’t disappoint as the Rockets from the University of Toledo squeaked out a two-point victory over the Liberty University Flames, 21-19.
But fans didn’t have to wait until the evening’s head-to-head slugfest to enjoy some football-related activities. Patrons gathered outside the stadium Tuesday afternoon for the annual Fan Fest fi lled with tailgating spirit that led up to opening ceremonies and kick-off of Palm Beach County’s only annual NCAA-sanctioned college football bowl.
The popular Fan Fest featured family-friendly interactive games and activities for fans of all ages, rides, food trucks, giveaways and contests, a live band and an entertaining face-off perfor mance between the two college bowl team bands and cheerleader squads.
Tuesday afternoon’s event was the second get-together in two days for local gridiron enthusiasts and those who traveled to Boca for the competition between Lynchburg, Virginia-based Liberty University and the team from Toledo named for its hometown in Ohio.
On Monday evening, a crowd got together in and around the Mizner Park Amphitheater for a different kind of competition – one which pit the bands, spirit squads and cheerleaders from each of the schools against each other.
The ensembles from Liberty, boasting 250 bandmembers, and Toledo, touting a sizable 120-man band of its own, perfor med their fi ght songs and other melodies, and the cheerleader teams enlivened the show with acrobatics. School mascots Sparky the Eagle and Rocky the Rocket also joined in the festivities to pump up the crowd.
Among the list of tunes attendees got to hear were “U of Toledo,” the fi ght song the Rockets’ marching band performs at every home sporting event. Liberty’s fi ght song, “Fan the Flames,” also reverberated when the Flames’ marching band took the stage.”
“We encouraged everyone to come early because we didn’t want anyone to miss a minute of the fanfare,” noted Doug Mosley, executive director of the RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl. “It was a great opportunity for our Palm Beach County community to roll out the red-carpet welcome for these visiting teams and their fans gathering in celebration of Boca’s annual holiday-timed Bowl tradition.”
The community, Toledo Rockets fans, Liberty Flames devotees and college football fans of all stripes fi lled the Mizner Park grounds to cheer their respective squads. Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer welcomed the crowd, addressing them from the amphitheater stage.
“On behalf of the entire city, 100,000 residents and 13,000 businesses, it is our pleasure to welcome two of the best universities in the nation and two of the most outstanding football teams to play in our city in the RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl for the Howard Schnellenberger trophy,” Singer said.
Athletic directors from both schools addressed the fans and expressed gratitude at the opportunity to compete for the Schnellenberger Trophy, named after the college coach who founded the football program for Florida Atlantic University in 1999 and was its fi rst fi eld mentor. He also gained an iconic reputation for his work with the universities of Miami, Oklahoma and Louisville in addition to holding a variety of assistant coaching positions. Schnellenberger, who died in 2021, was also on staff of the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins.
The Flames fi nished the regular season 8-4, with three straight losses to close out play. Toledo fi nished its regular season as the victor of the MAC Conference for the 2022 season with an overall record of 8-5.
The teams left the FAU Stadium Tuesday night with overall season totals of 8-5 for Liberty and 9-5 for Toledo.
Again, this year, the Roof.Claim.com Boca Raton Bowl Charity Partner Spirit of Giving offered free tickets to nonprofi ts, schools and veterans groups who registered in advance of game day. The tickets were offered on a fi rst-come, fi rst-served basis with no area or section of the stadium guaranteed for seating. Those who got complimentary tickets also received complimentary snacks and refreshments.
The Roofclaim.com Boca Raton Bowl is one of 17 bowl games owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN. The RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl debuted in 2014 and twice held the distinction of matching up two conference champions – Marshall University vs. Northern Illinois University (2014) and UAB vs. Northern Illinois (2018).
In all, six conference champions and another three conference division champions have played in the game. Among the Bowl’s alumni who have moved on to the NFL are current New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson (BYU, 2020), Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary (FAU, 2017) and Philadelphia Eagles kicker Jake Elliott (Memphis, 2016).
University of Toledo band at pep rally Monday at Mizner.
Activities Tuesday at Fan Fest outside FAU Stadium. University of Toledo band at pep rally Monday at Mizner.
Activities Tuesday at Fan Fest outside FAU Stadium
From left, Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer, with City Council members Monica Mayotte and Yvette Drucker, welcome fans to pep rally at Mizner Park Monday night.
Liberty University cheerleaders perform at pep rally at Mizner Park Monday night.
Liberty University band and cheerleaders perform at pep rally at Mizner Park Monday night.
Pep rally at Mizner Park Monday in advance of Tuesday’s RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl.
