Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
WHAT’S SELLING? PAGE 7 FEBRUARY 2019
VOLUME 5, NO. 4
Utility contractors get deadline extension The Flagler County Commission OKs a new timeline on Plantation Bay utility construction. PAGE 2
Time for a new construction entrance? Board plans committee to meet with ICI. JONATHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR
Should Plantation Bay have a new, dedicated construction entrance extending from U.S. 1? Board of Directors members said they’re not satisfied with the current arrangement. SEE CONSTRUCTION PAGE 2
Photo by Paola Rodriguez
Models Bonnie Skalyo, Hilary Goodwin, Susan Marquino, Andrea Clark, Linda Munger, Patricia Connell, and Donna Sitero.
INSIDE REMEMBERING CHARLIE HELM
FASHION FRIENDLY Plantation Bay community is United Against Cancer. PAGE 3
PRESORTED STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID DAYTONA BCH FL PERMIT #447
A Celebration of Life for Charles M. Helm was held at the Flagler Auditorium Saturday, Jan. 12. PAGE 4
ARTIST OF THE YEAR: TRISH VEVERA
Local Postal Customer
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n grade school, Trish Vevera was always chosen to decorate the classroom’s bulletin board. It was her start into the art world — a world she’s lived in for over 50 years. The plein air artist went on to study art and art education in undergraduate and graduate school. Vevera taught art part-time for a while and then became a postmaster in Illinois before retiring in 2001 to Plantation
Bay, a picturesque setting for many of her oil and acrylic pieces. About 50 paintings — many her own, some not — line every wall of her home here. About 500 paintings are scattered around her house; she just doesn’t have space to hang them all. Vevera has been named the 2018 Gargiulo Art Foundation Artist of the Year. A celebratory reception was held Nov. 10. The award is a big honor for Vevera, who is now the 19th recipient. “I didn’t think I would win,” she said. “I’m always a finalist. It’s kind of like being a bridesmaid and never a bride. ... Now that I have it, I’m happy I got it, and it’s very nice.”
Creating a new piece just about every week, Vevera rarely puts down her paintbrush. Though she’s experimented with different art styles throughout her life, her colors have remained consistent: bold and bright. “I think the people who know me know my colors,” Vevera said. “I kept the colors pretty strong in my work. ... I always say, if I see a tree and it has a yellow leaf on it, suddenly the whole side of the tree is yellow for some reason. I push the colors.” She said she always tries to do something different — to say something different — with each piece. “It’s nice to be recognized for your work,” Vevera said. — PAIGE WILSON
THANKS, MAGGIE Known for her energy and faith, Margaret E. Shilts, 68, of Ormond Beach, died Dec. 13, 2018. Those who knew her say her “love of family came only after her faith.” Born Oct. 20, 1950, in Edgerton, Wisconsin, Shilts graduated from the University of MadisonWisconsin, after which she taught special education for 35 years in Florida, Illinois, Virginia and Wisconsin. Some of Shilts’ hobbies included collecting agates, picking berries and traveling. She had many friends in Ormond Beach and enjoyed swimming. She leaves behind her husband, Dr. Lee Shilts, and two sons. She also helped find story ideas for the Plantation Bay Observer, for which the staff thanks her.