Vero Beach Magazine July 2024

McKee Botanical Garden’s new executive director, Rochelle Wolberg, is BLOOMING WHERE SHE’S PLANTED

Dreams into Realty.

It’s never too late to learn and achieve new things By Evelyn Wilde Mayerson

Laurie Durrell’s Click & Shutter goes far beyond just saying ‘cheese’

Ann Taylor

Affordable housing continues to be an elusive but essential reality By Jeffrey R. Pickering

The 2006 Ford ‘BADD GT’: the world’s fastest street car By Patrick Merrell

Local designers weigh in on trends for sleeping in style

Valerie Cruice

The hot, rainy days of summer are the perfect time to welcome new palms into your landscape

Nickie Munroe

Alphonse Quizet | Rue Animee | oil on masonite | 18 1/8 x 25 9/16 in.

Alphonse Quizet | Vieille maison | oil on panel | 14 7/8 x 18 1/8 in.

Élisée Maclet | Place Jean Baptiste-Clement | oil on canvas |

1/8 x 21 5/8 in.

Élisée Maclet | Les Moulins de Montmartre... | oil on canvas | 18 1/8 x 21 5/8 in.

LOCAL FLAVOR

THE DISH

Wild Thyme’s Travis Beckett thrives on bringing clients’ ideas to life

By Chris Fasolino

THE VINE

This southern Italian offering is a perfect wine for a summer’s day in Vero Beach

By Chris Fasolino

As hospitals expand care beyond their walls, patients are discovering there’s no place like home for a speedy recovery

By Renáe Tesauro

Give your hair the TLC it needs this summer

By Abigail Duffy

An extreme rescue from a bad situation requires patience, skill, and lots of love By Amy Robinson

A classic vacation cocktail takes on a modern twist

By Jules Aron

WEDDINGS

Alexa Biale & Andrew Richards

THE SCENE

Local residents have a flair for giving back to the community

GALLERY GUIDE

Stimulate your senses with the shades of summer

Enjoy a few hot tips on community activities

BUSINESS DIRECTORY

Thank you for supporting our local businesses

See what’s fresh & fascinating in

One company and two buildings played major roles in the early development of Vero Beach By Penny Chandler Norris

HSummer Jewels

ere in Vero Beach, we are very lucky to be surrounded by the beauty and history of our coast. There are so many things to do and see that sometimes we forget what Vero Beach and its surrounding communities have to offer. During the steamy Florida summer months, it’s time to kick back and appreciate the cooler things to do, which for me involve shade and water, not being trendy or sophisticated.

We start out with our cover story and one of the jewels of Vero Beach: McKee Botanical Garden is where you are taken back in time to visit Old Florida nature. Earlier this year, Rochelle Wolberg was named its newest executive director, and talk about a jewel, her personality and enthusiasm for the garden sparkle for all to enjoy. We talk to Rochelle about the big plans she has for the garden as it approaches its silver anniversary.

Getting out in nature is what professional fishing guide Mark Yanno lives for. His decades fishing the Indian River Lagoon and fighting for its health have him passionate about our local environment and what he describes as his paradise. His background in biology and aquaculture makes him particularly qualified to educate us on the health of the lagoon and of course, where to find your next big catch!

The health of the lagoon and the water off our coast is hugely important for the future of our marine friends, especially sea turtles this time of year. Brevard Zoo’s Sea Turtle Healing Center is using new— and surprising—therapies to help its patients, along with some good old-fashioned TLC.

As we wrap up the July issue, we can’t overlook our neighbors to the north. Sebastian is in the midst of celebrating the city’s 100th birthday this year. And what does Mayor Ed Dodd say residents like about their Big Small Town? “We are an outdoor-focused community … People love Sebastian the way it is.” And he’s right; the sense of community the area has retained all these years, along with the quality of life the residents experience today, are as important to them as its history.

Be cool during these dog days of summer, and we’ll see you in August!

Kelly Rogers editor@verobeachmagazine.com

On a Hot Streak A

s I sit here writing this letter, the phrase “dog days of summer” comes to mind, as it did to my coworker Kelly Rogers while she wrote the Editor’s Letter, completely independently.

Then I think to myself, “Is July truly the ‘dog days’ of summer?” And if so, is it because of the long days? The hot days? (It turns out, says our intrepid researcher Teresa, it has something to do with the ancient Greeks and Romans and the star Sirius, which, as part of the constellation Canis Major, is associated with the dogs of the hunter Orion.)

But for me there is something special about this time of year. Yes, the typically long, hot days in July can be unbearable; however if you can just imagine sitting in the shade with the ocean breeze, you might find yourself embracing this time of year. Before we know it, it will slip away and we’ll be headed into fall already. Until that time, there are many things here in Vero to keep us busy.

As for the events happening in July, among my favorites are the guided Turtle Walks—exploring the beach at night, under the moonlight, and observing nature can be quite magical. For more information on these incredible events, go to our Calendar section starting on page 136.

And, of course, there are all the local Fourth of July festivities that many of us will be enjoying.

As we wrap up this issue, be sure to check out our Roots column; there’s nothing better than a little history on our town of Vero. Thank you to Penny Chandler Norris and the Indian River County Historical Society for providing the images and details to make this page engaging and informative.

Wishing you all a very happy Independence Day!

Teri Amey-Arnold, Publisher publisher@verobeachmagazine.com

VeroBeach

KELLY ROGERS Editor in Chief

OLGA M. GUSTINE Creative Director

TERESA LEE RUSHWORTH Senior Editor

RENÁE TESAURO Editor at Large

ANN TAYLOR Senior Writer

JENNY FERNANDEZ-PRIETO Art Director

JANINE FISHER

Senior Graphic Designer

LEONOR ALVAREZ-MAZA

Digital Imaging Specialist

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Jules Aron, Valerie Cruice, Abigail Duffy, Chris Fasolino, Robert Kiener, Elizabeth Leonard, Evelyn Wilde Mayerson, Mary Beth McGregor, Patrick Merrell, Nickie Munroe, Penny Chandler Norris, Jeffrey R. Pickering, Amy Robinson

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Steven Martine, Mavric Photography, Patrick Merrell, Gyorgy Papp, Jerry Rabinowitz

CEO

President

About Us

Vero Beach Magazine is the first magazine to be dedicated exclusively to Vero Beach and remains the only local magazine with verified circulation. A minimum of 10,000 magazines are distributed monthly, to at least 30,000 readers in almost every state, including Alaska and Hawaii.

Vero Beach Magazine’s staff is committed to using print media to make Indian River County a better place for all residents, mindful of environmental and historic preservation, while underscoring the best aspects of life in this charming oceanfront community.

Winner of numerous awards since its inception, starting with the Florida Magazine Association’s Best New Magazine Award in 1998, Vero Beach Magazine has made its greatest impact by providing meaningful information to readers about the needs of local nonprofit organizations in Indian River County, inspiring philanthropy and prompting nonprofit coverage by many other media companies.

Our office is located at 3375 20th Street, Suite 100, on the corner of 34th Avenue and State Road 60, in Vero Beach. Visitors are welcome by appointment from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, for subscription, article, and advertising questions.

3375 20th Street, Suite 100, Vero Beach, FL 32960

772-234-8871

hello@verobeachmagazine.com

ASHLEY MEYER

MOULTON LAYNE ARCHIT EC TURE

OUR 2024 ADVISORY BOARD

LEAD ADVISER

SOPHIE BENTHAM-WOOD is a native of London. At Sheffield University, she studied the history of art, design, and film, earning a bachelor’s degree. She then embarked on an illustrious career in marketing and public relations that now spans 25 years. She has often been responsible for the implementation of global strategic communications and branding campaigns and has worked with prominent clients in a variety of fields. Sophie moved to the United States in 2008. In 2012, she became the director of marketing and communications at the Vero Beach Museum of Art, establishing the marketing and PR department, playing a major role in reenvisioning and shaping the VBMA’s strategic plan, and implementing a fully integrated marketing campaign for the museum. Recently, Sophie accepted a position as executive director of global marketing and sales strategies for Sebastian-based Triton Submarines.

KEVIN GIVEN hails from White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, home of the worldfamous Greenbrier resort and hotel, where he was a fourth-generation team member. He earned a degree in hospitality and tourism management, with a minor in business administration, from Concord University in Athens, West Virginia, and has now been in the resort/private club management field for over 40 years. He is a board member at the West Virginia University Foundation and a hospitality management advisory board member at WVU’s John Chambers College of Business and Economics. In 2001, Kevin was one of the founding partners at Quail Valley, and he was also on the executive team developing Windsor and Orchid Island. Kevin has served on the boards of the Indian River Community Foundation, the Environmental Learning Center, and Saint Edward’s School.

TRUDIE RAINONE has lived in Vero Beach for 23 years and has served the community in leadership roles with a variety of Indian River County nonprofits. Her passion for outreach has her currently serving on the executive boards of Senior Resource Association, ORCA, Youth Guidance Mentoring Academy, and Senior Collaborative. She is also a health care partner volunteer with Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital and vice chair of Quail Valley Charities, which funds 43 local children’s organizations. A native of New York City, Trudie reared her children with her husband of 50 years, Donald, in New York and New Jersey. She is the proud grandmother of two boys, Chase and Drew. Trudie has a merchandising background in the fashion industry and was a business owner specializing in fine antiques.

JON R. MOSES is the managing director and COO of Riverside Theatre, where he has worked for 25 seasons. A Treasure Coast native, he studied theater design technology at Florida State University’s School of Theatre, followed by graduate studies at Florida Atlantic University. He has been involved in every aspect of theater for over 32 years. He has even served as an adjunct faculty member at Indian River State College, where he taught and coordinated an associate of science technical theater program. Jon’s involvement in the community includes serving as treasurer on the board of the Indian River County Chamber of Commerce and as a member of the Exchange Club of Indian River. He was also a board member of the Oceanside Business Association and president of the Florida Professional Theatre Association.

JESSICA LINUS WATFORD moved to Vero Beach as a 10th grader and attended Saint Edward’s School. A graduate of Auburn University (War Eagle!), she lived in Atlanta and Raleigh before returning to Vero Beach in 2015 and joining her father and grandfather in the family business, Linus Cadillac Buick GMC. In 2019, she graduated from the National Automobile Dealers Association Academy and is now a proud third-generation dealer-operator at Linus. Jessica resides in Okeechobee with her husband and two young daughters. She enjoys the best of both worlds, between boating days on the water and country life, rodeos, and ranching.

Gregory Allan Ness Principal Designer

Crystal Lemley Senior Designer

Robert Landau, The Beatles, Abbey Road, (detail), 1969. Photograph © Robert Landau. Billboard: Record Co: Apple; art direction: John Kosh; photo: Iain Macmillan.

Vero Vibes

WILDE SIDE | FACES | INDIAN RIVER INSIGHTS | CLASSIC CARS

FACES

Laurie Durrell’s Click & Shutter goes far beyond just saying ‘cheese.’

‘Forget Your Age’

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO LEARN AND ACHIEVE

NEW THINGS

BY EVELYN WILDE MAYERSON

ost artists, writers, actors, entrepreneurs, activists, explorers, and composers reach their zenith in the first half or even third of their lives. While the more precocious achieve attention in their 20s or even teens, like ardent Swedish environmental spokesperson Greta Thunberg, who addressed the United

Nations at age 16, the 30s is more usual, with the 40s an outside time for having been noticed. Some artists continue to work even after 90. Here in Vero Beach, in a gallery on 14th Avenue, Florida Highwayman Roy A. McLendon, one of the popular, self-taught artists who sold their work from the trunks of their cars, painted daily until he passed away

earlier this year at age 91. Our schedule of schooling, which begins at about age 6 and can easily last until the late 20s and beyond, is partly responsible for this timetable. On the other end of programmed learning is the aging process itself, which begins as soon as adulthood is reached. Although cells renew, regeneration begins to slow.

JEFFREY ISAAC GREENBERG 17+ / ALAMY STOCK

PHOTO

Roy A. McLendon spent most of his days painting in a small studio in downtown Vero Beach.

WEST PALM NAPLES

JUPITER

MYERS

PALM BEACH WELLINGTON

As soon as we get there, we are subject to decline, some faster than others, some more slowly, some particular groups really slowly, such as the yogurt-eating inhabitants of Soviet Georgia who attained fame through a popular 1970s ad campaign for Dannon.

Other than the 969-year lifespan of the biblical Methuselah, the lifespan for the rest of us appears limited, with an equally limited window of performance. The far edge of lifetime achievement was recorded in the first century A.D. by the ancient Roman historian Pliny the Elder, author of the world’s first encyclopedia, who, before dying during an eruption of Mount Vesuvius, wrote of a

Roman actress named Lucceia performing on stage at the age of 100. A more recent example occurred in 2016 when American track-and-field athlete Ida Keeling completed a 100-meter run at the age of 100.

Not quite as old, but suffering from symptoms of malaria that may have made him feel ancient, Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci, nearing 50, was the first mariner to recognize that what was believed to be the coast of Asia was actually a newly discovered continent.

In his 80s, with cataracts in both eyes and still working urgently to capture the changes in the effects of light from moment to moment, French painter Claude Monet was still

painting water lilies at his home in Giverny, a vast landscape that included lily ponds and a Japanese bridge.

Grandma Moses, Anna Mary Robertson Moses, whose painting Sugaring Off sold at auction for over a million dollars, began painting in earnest at the age

Claude Monet, right, painted water lilies well into his 80s.

3

2

of 78 when arthritis made it difficult for her to continue to embroider. If her right hand began to hurt, she switched to her left to execute paintings that became known for their luminous color and the simple realism of rural life.

When Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi completed his opera Aida, intended to celebrate the opening of the Suez Canal, he was 58 years old. Afterward, it was believed that he had now given up composing. Several years later, Verdi was to compose two more operas that were considered his finest: Otello, scored when he was 73, and Falstaff when he was 80.

Success in later life is not limited to the arts. Henry Flagler was nearly 70 when he turned his interests to developing the eastern coast of Florida, and Colonel Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried

Chicken, began his franchising business when he was in his 60s; both are examples of the words of clergyman and author Norman Vincent Peale, who once said, “Live your life and forget your age.”

Studies abound on the value of continuing to challenge yourself. I am a lifelong proponent of continuing to try. Although I never made it, I tried out for my high school cheerleading squad three times. My stubbornness likely comes from people who kept on “keeping on”: my mother, who, after becoming paraplegic, had her car fitted with hand controls, and my father, who built his home in Hallandale when he was over 60.

Except for the plumbing and electricity, he laid the foundation and framed and roofed the one-story house himself. What’s more, the building passed inspection.

The impetus for continuing to try something new is in itself. You take on a new thing not for fame or fortune or to feel good. You do it for the sake of doing it, like mountain spiders that catch nothing in their webs but continue to spin.

“Live your life and forget your age.”

– NORMAN VINCENT PEALE

Studies abound on the value of continuing to challenge yourself. My advice to anyone, if you’re tired of doing things you’ve always done, try something you have never done before. Plant a garden, if only on your windowsill; rearrange your furniture; or learn a new language, like the 70-year-old husband of one of my friends, who is studying Latin. Forget the reasons you shouldn’t do it. There are always reasons not to do something. And if your right hand hurts, switch to the

left like Grandma Moses.

I have always dabbled in acrylic and watercolor, reaching for my supplies every couple of years, usually to paint some Florida or Vermont landscape, a shaded hammock, sand dunes with waving grasses, a thickly wooded forest, or, in the distant past, a likeness of a family member. Last summer I received a flyer in the mail from Vero Beach Museum of Art cataloging the art classes to be offered in the fall. One class caught my eye: a five-week course in painting pet portraits.

It was something I had never done before. I signed up for it on the spot and decided to use pastels, a medium I had never worked with, principally because cleanup promised to

Below: A sketch of Giuseppe Verdi shows him conducting Aida in Paris in 1880. Years later he composed Otello and Falstaff. Right: Author and clergyman Norman Vincent Peale believed age to be irrelevant.

Anna Mary Robertson Moses painted Sugaring Off in her early 80s.

be minimal. When the time came, I loaded my paraphernalia into a box, found my classroom, and took a seat in the front row. I never for a moment worried that I couldn’t do it. The reason was that I didn’t care what anyone thought of my work. I was trying it out for size. If it didn’t work, I knew at least I had made the attempt.

I laid out my pastels, sticks of powdered pigment both soft and hard, the latter of which I learned was great for

covering large surfaces. When the colors were arranged, I put out pads of paper, gum erasers, a sponge, Q-tips, and a sandpaper block and waited to follow directions from my instructor, Pearl Lau. We worked from a photograph. Selecting the right shade of paper relative to the shades of a particular dog was a challenge. Most of my early attempts were quickly crumpled up and tossed, although when I tore off a new sheet of paper, I was grateful that at least with pastels I didn’t have to wait for the paint to dry.

I learned to blend and layer colors; stipple a field of dots; feather with short, upward strokes; crosshatch; create a blur with the tip of my finger, the sponge, or the Q-tip, using the gum eraser or sandpaper block to rub out what I didn’t want, every now and then tapping pastel dust into a waste bin. I learned to start with dark colors before introducing lighter tones. I also found out

head. They also have a pair of eyes that sit somewhere above the nose.

that what I once learned about human portraits, the correct proportion between the circle of the skull and the projection of the jawbone, went out the window.

After a lot of trial and error, I discovered that the trick of capturing the soul of a dog was in the eyes and muzzle; if I got those right, the rest would follow. The good thing was that, as with all mammals, certain placements are familiar. Dogs have an ear on each side of the

To date I have completed six pastel likenesses of dogs; three—Kasha, Finn, and Wolfie—belong to family members, and another three— Blue, Dixie, and Faith—are the companion pets of friends. I was about to put away my supplies when my editor asked me if I had ever done cats. I said I hadn’t but that I was willing to give it a try. I now have added two sister cats, Daisy and Lily, to my oeuvre, mindful that if the word gets out, I could get very busy.

The first few dogs sketched with pastels were Blue, far left, Kasha, left, and Petal, lower left.

Four-year-old sisters Daisy, left, and Lily were drawn with pastels from photographs.

Moving Pictures

LAURIE

DURRELL’S CLICK & SHUTTER GOES FAR BEYOND JUST SAYING ‘CHEESE’

BY ANN TAYLOR | PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEVEN MARTINE

For as long as Laurie Durrell can remember, she’s been the one everyone counts on to take photos. No matter the occasion, she has always delighted in capturing special memories and sharing them with family and friends.

So it’s no surprise that what began as something Durrell loves to do has morphed into a mini enterprise thanks to

PHOTOGRAPHY

Clockwise from le : Laurie Durrell sits inside Blossom; the VW bus is adorned with a European-style front tag and equipped with photo props; the license plate gives a hint as to the vehicle’s purpose.

Blossom, a vintage Volkswagen bus she had transformed into a mobile photo booth complete with a selection of backdrops and props.

“I’ve always loved VW buses, and I’d been looking for one for years,” says Durrell. “ en one day my husband, Chad, found an ad for one on Facebook that sounded too good to be true. I called the number, and the owner, who was Brazilian, so there was a bit of a language barrier, said, ‘Come to Orlando to my shed; I have 10 VW buses.’ I was afraid it was a scam.”

It wasn’t. Instead, the “shed” turned out to be a mega car collection on International Drive. Durrell didn’t nd the 1965 model with 23 windows she had her heart set on, but the collector assured her he’d look for one. He was a man of his word, and it wasn’t long before he called to say he’d found it. “Chad and I went back up to take a look. e bus, which was tan, had potential but needed a lot of work,” Durrell wrinkles her nose,

recalling what Blossom looked like before undergoing a major makeover.

Today the gleaming whiteand-blue bus boasts a brandnew interior with custom seats, curtains, VW’s signature ower holder, and a front decorative license plate with the words “Click N Shutter.”

Blossom has made appearances at weddings, graduations, and other special events, including the annual Vero Beach Christmas Parade. You can’t help but smile when Blossom is around; she’s a one-of-a-kind “happy mobile” that’s also equipped with the latest technology.

“I wanted good-quality equipment, so I went to the Photo Booth Expo held in Las Vegas, and when I walked in I was overwhelmed,” says Durrell, comparing the experience to a chocoholic landing in a chocolate factory. “ ere were over 500 vendors with all kinds of photo booths and options to choose from.”

As a result of what she has seen and learned since, Durrell has added the portable Sel e Booth and the handheld sel e Roamer Booth to the

list of Click & Shutter options, along with package o erings that include unlimited photo sessions, customized photo strips, and photo sharing via text, email, or QR code.

“ e photo booth not only prints out photos, it can instantly send them to your phone. e computer program is a lot to learn, but Chad helps with the tech side so I can breathe easy, knowing everything works. He’s not only my high school sweetheart and best friend, he goes along with all my crazy ideas.”

So do her children, Kylee and Cade, who are used to having some of Blossom’s accessories tucked behind the living room sofa and “Lensy,” an interactive photo booth robot, nestled next to a chair. With a perky personality, the latest addition to the photo booth gang has been an instant hit.

For now, Durrell is working on maintaining a balance between family time and Click & Shutter events while keeping an eye on the latest photo booth news; after all, Blossom could use a few more backdrops, and Lensy just might want a friend.

PHILANTHROPY

On the Home Front

AFFORDABLE HOUSING CONTINUES TO BE AN ELUSIVE BUT ESSENTIAL REALITY

TBY JEFFREY R. PICKERING

he statistics reported by the Treasure Coast Homeless Services Council in the recently released 2024 Point in Time (PIT) Report had me thinking a lot about the following quote attributed to Albert Einstein: “Not everything that can be counted counts and not everything that counts can be counted.”

If the number of homeless people in Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River Counties

has decreased by 24 percent compared to 2023, it sure does not seem to align with what I have observed as a rather constant topic of conversation in our community. That topic is affordable housing.

In his 2024 State of the Union address, President Biden identified this problem as one of his administration’s top priorities. With a high-level review of many of the country’s newspapers, I found a full year’s worth

of headlines and columns covering this issue from California to New York and from Texas to Michigan.

In March 2023, Governor DeSantis signed Senate Bill 102, the Live Local Act, representing what his administration claims to be the largest investment for housing efforts in state history. For years, meeting minutes or recordings from Indian River County’s Board of County Commissioners, from each of our

INDIAN RIVER INSIGHTS

50 percent of our county’s renters are paying more than 30 percent of their income for housing.

local municipalities, and from the Indian River Hospital District all include substantial references along the same lines.

In summary, you can hear onetime New York gubernatorial candidate Jimmy McMillan’s 2010 proclamation everywhere: “The rent is too damn high.”

If homelessness is the most adverse outcome of our nation’s affordable housing crisis, based on the pervasiveness of this topic, it seems to me that the number of home-

less people in this year’s count should be greater and not less than last year. I called Rayme Nuckles, executive director of the Treasure Coast Homeless Services Council (TCHSC), for some perspective. Overall, under Nuckles’s leadership, the system for serving the needs of our community’s homeless seems to be getting better, but is this what is accounting for the reduction in this year’s count?

“Some of the difference between this year’s PIT count and prior years is our

effectiveness in implementing a ‘housing first’ strategy that gets people off the street quickly and into stable housing before attending to the underlying causes of homelessness,” Nuckles tells me. “Differences in methodology and reporting standards in prior years may also factor in.”

For those who are not familiar, the TCHSC conducts the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) mandatory one-day PIT count as a condition of the government

Affordable housing is a regular topic of conversation in Indian River County.

funding issued to our community. Last year that equaled almost $2.5 million from HUD for the Treasure Coast’s continuum of care, almost half of which is designated for use in Indian River County. (For a full description of the methodology and other details, visit tchelpspot.org.)

In 2024, the PIT count was held January 25, with dozens of volunteers, accompanied by several TCHSC staff, participating. Together, they identified 701 homeless individuals living either in shelters or on the streets of the three-county area. In Indian River County, the total was 225, a 34 percent decrease from the 2023 report.

“They searched high and low, in the woods, in abandoned buildings, and even on the beach to find homeless people living and sleeping outdoors,” says Nuckles. “Those we found and talked to all have difficult stories, so while the numbers may be going down, the problem is still bad at the individual level.”

It’s that “individual level” suffering that gets to me, regardless of how many total homeless people are counted in our community.

Of Indian River County’s homeless people, 154 were adults and 71 were children; 75 were sheltered and 150 unsheltered. Twenty-three of the unsheltered homeless people were children.

I don’t know about you, but to me, as a father of three, the idea of just one homeless child sleeping outside—in a tent, in a car, or on the sand underneath a beachside boardwalk— seems like too many.

Fortunately, there are several nonprofit charitable organizations in our community whose missions and resources are focused on helping. It’s likely you have heard of, and maybe even donate to, betterknown charities such as The Source, Camp Haven, Hope for Families Center, or Samaritan Center. There are others that are not as well known, more grassroots, but making an

COMPASSION LEADERSHIP SELFLESSNESS DEDICATION THANK YOU

Indian River Community Foundation representatives Chiaka Nwosu, Brooke Sauserman, Pat Brier, and Jeff Pickering stand with The Source’s Anthony Zorbaugh at Dignity Village.

INDIAN RIVER INSIGHTS

The Hope for Families Center recently broke ground for their facility’s expansion. Once complete, the center will be twice the size of its original footprint, adding nine transitional apartments and 20 emergency shelter rooms.

impact just the same.

One that touched my heart is Little Birthday Angels. Founded by Angel Pietsch, the organization provides a birthday celebration for every homeless child living in our community. They use donations to provide every homeless student in the School District of Indian River County with “birthday bags of hope” filled with gifts to make a homeless child’s birthday special in a discreet way.

Another that moved me and reminded me of the difference simple acts of kindness can make is the All Aboard Fund, started by a client of Indian River Community Foundation initially to cover the cost of academic field trips for students who could not afford

to attend otherwise. When the client learned that there were hundreds of homeless children served by SDIRC schools each year, he narrowed his focus and is now working with the Homeless Children’s Foundation to carry out this mission.

Beyond these grassroots initiatives, there are also new efforts underway to address the local affordable housing and homelessness problems at the systems level. With grant funding from Indian River Community Foundation and the United Way of Indian River County, the Coalition for Attainable Homes is going through the process of becoming accredited by the Florida Housing Coalition as a community land trust.

“They searched high and low ... to find homeless people.”

RAYME NUCKLES

Housing affordability is a long-term problem. However, with 50 percent of our county’s renters paying more than 30 percent of their income for housing, and with eviction rates at the highest they have ever been, good ideas that lead to solutions are needed now. Some are obvious, others less so.

Founded by local housing advocate Julianne Price, and now under the leadership of new executive director Valerie Kines, the organization will work with local government to use surplus land for affordable housing.

One less-than-obvious idea that is delivering real results by preventing housing condemnations and the resulting evictions of residents is a collaboration among the Clean Water Coalition, the Economic Opportunities Council, the Indian River Land Trust, and the City of Vero Beach called the “Septic to Sewer Project.” It is funded in part by a grant from Community Foundation.

Currently, 750 homes within the Vero Beach city

Local nonprofits collaborating with the City of Vero Beach aim to transition 75 homes at a reduced cost through its “Septic to Sewer Project.”

limits still rely on septic systems. Many are owned by residents who are either in poverty or one paycheck away and who do not have the necessary resources to fix a failed septic system. This project aims to connect up to 75 homes to the sewer system at a significantly reduced cost, keeping homeowners housed while preventing an environmental disaster.

On a recent fishing trip, my guide pointed out an osprey nest as we drifted along the shoreline. He reminded me that this species of raptor mates for life and often returns to the same nest for multiple years. The birds and their nests are protected, and when the nests become inactive, they still require a permit to be removed.

I find it ironic that while

there are more than 1,000 species of birds protected by the U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act, along with their “homes,” there is only one species of human and no similar guarantee of a safe, stable, protected home. While it is unlikely that anyone would be able to count all the protected birds and nests in Indian River County in one day, it might take me only a few hours to track down the

23 unsheltered homeless children from this year’s PIT count.

Now, I’m no Einstein, but something does not seem to add up when federal funding flows with abandon toward protecting the “homes” of birds, while attaining affordable housing is still a stretch for so many of our neighbors in need. For them, everything counts.

Right: Kristina Berryman, Lynn Kiefer, Heather Burns, Angel Pietsch, and Holly Martel gather gifts for Little Birthday Angels celebrations. Far right: Loretta Kaul joins in on the giftwrapping fun.

CLASSIC CARS

“BADD GT” is the name Böhmer requested for his license plate when he fi rst bought the car. “It was long before I set any records,” he says.

RECORD

SETTER

‘BADD’ to the Bone

FROM THE GARAGE OF JOHNNY BÖHMER IN WEST PALM BEACH: THE 2006 FORD ‘BADD GT’—THE WORLD’S FASTEST STREET CAR

ndisputed fastest street car on the planet Earth!” at’s what Johnny Böhmer proclaimed on December 9, 2022 after going 310.8 mph on a runway at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. For people who use the metric system, that record passed a more signi cant milestone: 500.1 kmh.

“ ere are an estimated 1.46 billion cars in the world with a license plate, and mine is the fastest,” Böhmer points out. He’s rightfully proud of that feat because achieving it has been anything but easy. “Listen, I’ve had nothing but

heartache,” he says. “I’m a redneck with a few guys and a Ford. I’m racing Bugatti and all these other super car manufacturers with deep pockets and research and development programs. I’ve had to gure things out the hard way.” e setbacks include more than a dozen engine and transmission failures, plus 24 occasions when the car has been on re. As a result, he knows better than anyone what doesn’t work, but he also knows a lot about what does, and when he starts rattling o facts, gures, and technical speci cations, it’ll make your head spin.

Back in March, Johnny Böhmer’s BADD GT made an appearance at an event at Homestead-Miami Speedway run by two Vero Beach residents: racing great Brian Redman and his son, James. “He’s a comparatively small operator who’s managed to do amazing stuff,” Brian Redman says of Böhmer. “The technology that he uses is very high-tech, and he’s just a very nice, ordinary kind of guy.”

Böhmer was born in Dallas in 1960, moved to Lexington, Kentucky at age 5, and nally settled in the Palm Beach area. Although his career was in construction and farm work, including starting his own heavy-equipment business, he also competed in motorcycle and drag races on the side. at love of speed led to him buying a Ford GT in late 2005.

“ at was the rst new car I ever bought, and it cost $175,000. at was like a million dollars to me,” he says. “When

I told the salesman I was going to play around with it and soup it up, he said, ‘Why don’t you make it the fastest car in the world?’ I answered him, ‘I think I will,’ and that’s the honest-to-God truth.”

“I had the car probably a month and started ripping it apart and building a twin turbo for it,” Böhmer says. “My wife was ready to absolutely skin me alive when she came in the garage and saw this brand-new vehicle coming apart.” More modi cations followed, and a new busi-

ness as well: Performance Power Racing, a speed shop that specialized in exotic and high-performance car builds. Amazingly, it took only ve years for Böhmer’s showroom prophecy to come true. On March 14, 2010, his BADD GT became the rst street-legal car to break the 250 mph barrier in the standing mile at 252.29 mph. He went even faster on October 16, 2012, setting a Guinness World Record for the standing mile that remains unbroken to this day: 283.23 mph.

CLASSIC CARS

Böhmer bought this 2006 Ford GT in late 2005 and, within a month, was taking it apart and souping it up. The V-8 engine currently generates 2,700 horsepower, but on the next run, it should be closer to 3,000.

“Guinness has a lot of requirements,” Böhmer says. “To be street legal, the car needs to have a license, tag, insurance, passenger seat, seat belts, headlights, taillights, blinkers, and the air-conditioning has to blow less than 60 degrees” immediately before an attempt is made. In addition, the track needs to be surveyed to con rm it doesn’t slope, and the tires must meet Department of Transportation speci cations. “Nobody makes a tire for that speed,” Böhmer explains. “I had to do a lot of research to gure out what tires were the safest to go well over 100 mph faster than the rating.”

Although the 283.23 mph standingmile record was overseen by Guinness, the 310.8 mph run (which covered more distance) used other veri cation methods. “ e 310.8 run was under Guinness conditions, but we didn’t hire Guinness,” Böhmer says. “ ey wanted a lot

of money, and with the internet now, it’s not as critical. I had RaceLogic come out, and if you watch the video on YouTube, you can see the RaceLogic box, and all that was verified. We had nine different things measuring the speed, plus we had the International Mile Racing Association there as well.”

Böhmer made both of those runs using the same runway where NASA’s Space Shuttle used to land. It’s a 2.8-mile-long concrete strip, and, since 2011, Johnny

Böhmer Proving Grounds, a straight-line aerodynamic testing program he created, has operated there. Böhmer’s list of clients includes race teams and major manufacturers of cars, tractor-trailers, and electric vehicles. Among the many names are Bugatti, Penske, McLaren, Ford, Chrysler, Chevy, Tesla, and Volvo. “Everybody that wants to go fast or that needs to do certain types of testing comes here,” he says. “I oversee the entire testing program and test drive for many of them as well.”

So, what’s next? Böhmer has some new sponsors and equipment, resulting in a car he estimates will make “3,000 horsepower at maybe 30 to 32 pounds of boost.” He also has a new game plan. “Last time, I kind of lollygagged in first through fourth gear. I didn’t push the motor hard,” he says. “Next time, when we do the big run, I will do a much bigger number— 320, 330 mph—in half the distance.” Keep an eye out, because he expects that record-breaking attempt to come before the end of this year.

“I drive it all the time,” Böhmer says. Inside, you’ll find features like air-conditioning and a stereo, but also a lever (soon to be two) for releasing a set of parachutes.

At 310.8 mph, the BADD GT could drive from Vero Beach to Tampa and back again in an hour, including a few minutes to stop for gas, a cold drink, and a Slim Jim.

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HOMEGROWN

The hot, rainy days of summer are the perfect time to welcome new palms to your landscape.

DESIGN

Make Your Bed!

LOCAL DESIGNERS WEIGH IN ON TRENDS FOR SLEEPING IN STYLE

BY VALERIE CRUICE

Duvet or quilt? Down or synthetic? Three Euro pillows or two? Box spring or platform? And the sheets! Cotton, linen, silk, or percale? Solid color or a print?

Figuring out how to make your bed a comfortable, beautiful, calming retreat from the day can give you nightmares.

And we’re not even going near the topic of choosing a mattress. Most designers

simply work around the mattress/box spring choices their clients make to arrive at that magical Goldilocks dream destination of “just right” for a good night’s sleep.

When interior designer Beth Read Pusser of Oodles of Wallpaper says she makes a bed a week, she means she literally orders a new bed custom made every week for her clients. “When I design a bed, I ask the client, ‘How low do you want the bed?’ Most

people don’t want to leap into their beds or take a set of stairs. The standard height is 27 to 29 inches from the floor to the top of the mattress,” she explains.

For the trending upholstered side rails and footrails on the bed frame, Pusser will call for cleanable, highperformance fabric with a tape trim at the bottom. The footboard, unless it’s a built-in retractable television cabinet, has become obsolete,

Upholstered headboards and rails are becoming

Above:

popular. Below: This bed by Cindy Rinfret features a shell motif; it is displayed at the Kips Bay Decorator Show House in Palm Beach.

as have dust ru es. Even box springs are less popular, even super uous.

Headboards have become the focal point in recent years. It’s important to nail the right proportion of the headboard to the ceiling and pillow heights. Says Pusser, “In the old days a standard 26-inchhigh headboard looked stupid when you propped 26-inch Euro pillows against it. en we went to 42-inch-high headboards. Now, with our

10-to-11-foot ceilings here, headboards have a highest point around 65 inches o the oor.”

Styles vary, depending on surrounding walls and rugs. Pusser prefers a quiet wall and a loud headboard. “ e shape of the headboard can be super interesting; it can take the shape of the fabric pattern, with added contrast cord,” she says. e Euro pillows (two on a queen, three on a king), in the same fabric, echo the

drama from the headboard.

Rod Mickley of Rod Mickley Interiors says most of his clients prefer upholstered headboards because “they like to sit up in bed and read.” Mickley opts to upholster the rails and headboard in the same ra a or high-performance fabrics for a clean, sleek look.

e designer does many four-poster beds with “funny” shaped headboards that are “kind of cool.” ese aren’t your grandmother’s mahogany rice-carved four-posters; they are made of metal, different woods, and sometimes a combination of both. With today’s soaring ceilings, this room-within-a-room has a cozy appeal.

When it comes to composing a sleep-scape, Martha Stewart says, “Make it beautiful but simple.” Designers agree. “I personally like a tted sheet, a at sheet, a cotton wa e blanket, and a blanket cover,” says Mickley, who favors Matouk linens. Duvets take their place folded in thirds at the foot of the bed. Crisp white sheets with an accent trim or custom embroidery keep things tranquil yet

luxurious. Printed sheets in adventurous colors and patterns jazz up guest rooms. Susan Schuyler Smith of Spectrum Interior Design dresses her clients’ beds in Frette, Pratesi, and Sferra.

What about pillows?

“Most men will tell us there’re too many pillows on the bed,” says Mickley. Besides the four sleeping pillows on a king bed, he uses three Euro shams that match the blanket cover, plus two decorative pillows in front. He also likes a bench at the foot of the bed. “It’s a good place to throw all those pillows,” he says, laughing. And if the idea of dressing a beautiful bed still keeps you up at night, there’s always an alternative: “We do a lot of Murphy beds,” says Kim Wieleba of Inspired Closets.

JULY

Clockwise from le : a Spectrumdesigned bed; a Kips Bay Decorator Show House bed by Mrs. Howard; a Murphy bed made by The Stow Company and offered by Inspired Closets

GIL STOSE PHOTOGRAPHY

VALERIE

CRUICE

Frond Regards

THE HOT, RAINY DAYS OF SUMMER ARE THE PERFECT TIME TO WELCOME NEW PALMS TO YOUR LANDSCAPE

BY NICKIE MUNROE

July starts off with a bang and continues in that same vein. Here in Vero Beach, we are approaching the pinnacle of our high temperatures and rainfall. Palm trees and all tropical fruiting trees have been waiting in the wings for their cue, and it is now their time to shine. If you ever wanted a new palm tree, this is the perfect time of year to add it to your Florida landscape. Here are a few palm trees that are sure to please:

• Foxtail palm This large, boisterous palm tree has the same form-fitting crown shaft as the royal palm but does not get quite as tall, topping out at around 30 feet. Fully released fronds measure between 8 and 10 feet long. Foxtails can have a diameter of 6 to 8 feet. It is a fast-growing palm tree that prefers sunny conditions but will tolerate shade. Irrigation is optional after establishment.

• Sabal palm Alright, I know it is not nearly as amazing as I think it is, but hear me out. It is the state tree of both Florida and South Carolina! This simple, scrappy native is often adorned with birds, bees, and butterflies at different stages of fruit development. A slow grower for the first 10 years in the urban landscape, it looks like a stout shrub. Once the trunk is developed, a period of great elongation can average 6 inches a year, eventually leveling off to 1 inch per year as maturity sets in. Sabals will perform in almost every kind of landscape if invited.

• Needle palm Growing into a 6-foot mound, this short, shrubby palm will thrive in almost any kind of landscape in Indian River County. The fronds appear to wave in the slightest breeze. Needle palms are very spiny and should not be in high-traffic areas. They

HORTICULTURE

Sabal palms are prolific in the wild Florida landscape.

Left: The foxtail palm is a fast grower that can reach a height of 30 feet. Below: The sabal palm will grow well with most home landscaping designs.

are best used as specimen plants, along landscape edges, and under taller trees. This native palm prefers areas where there is excess moisture. If there is a sunken, wet place in your landscape, this is your palm.

The best time to install palm trees is when the soil temperatures warm up in spring through summer. Palm trees are very sensitive to planting depth, so the soil level is to remain the same in order for them to be as comfortable as possible in their new home. Stakes should be placed carefully to support the palm without injuring it.

Though summer rains are frequent, they might not be

enough. Be sure to give your new tree deep drinks of water daily for up to three weeks, depending on the size of the transplant. Correct planting and establishment will get your palms off to a great start.

Management of palms after planting is very simple. Feed them, as palms are notoriously nutrient deficient here in Florida. They are especially lacking in potassium and micronutrients. A proper palm fertilizer will have a very low nitrogen value with a high potassium level and a mix of micronutrients. Everything in the root zone of a palm tree should receive only palm fertilizer. I often recommend palm fertilizer for the entire land-

scape, since it is truly the only plant that is so persnickety. Hold off on pruning your new palm for at least two years. Then, remove only completely browned fronds and flower stalks if fruit are not desired. Palm tree care should be easy and not cause great consternation. Conserve your energy—August will be here

shortly, breathing fire, threatening wind, and dispersing salt. A planned recovery can be a more beautiful experience in our coastal landscapes.

Nickie Munroe is an environmental horticulture agent with the University of Florida’s IFAS Indian River County Extension

Needle palms are best planted along the edges of your landscaping.

PATIENT CARE

House Calls, 21st-Century Style

AS HOSPITALS EXPAND CARE BEYOND THEIR WALLS, PATIENTS ARE DISCOVERING THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME FOR A SPEEDY RECOVERY

BY RENÁE TESAURO

When 81-year-old

David Myszkowski was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection in March, the care team at Cleveland Clinic Martin North Hospital made him an unexpected proposition: receive IV antibiotic treatment and monitoring as an inpatient for the next several days or get the same level of care in the comfort of his own home.

“I was a little reluctant,” says Myszkowski, who lives

with his wife, Penny, in Jensen Beach. “It sounded too easy, but the more they described it, Penny and I looked at each other and said, ‘Let’s do it!’”

Myszkowski was transported home by paramedics, while a crew was dispatched to his house with all the supplies needed to monitor and treat his condition. These included a phone and a tablet that would provide 24-7 access to the physicians,

nurses, and pharmacists who would oversee his care for the duration of his home-based hospitalization.

“We talked with a doctor once or twice every day,” says

Penny and David Myszkowski

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“We are seeing more and more patients start to ask for it.”

DR. RICHARD ROTHMAN

Penny Myszkowski. “Nurses came in the morning and afternoon. If David needed blood drawn, a phlebotomist would show up. Every test and every medication administered were done in the presence of the nurse, virtually, on the tablet. e nurses were caring, professional, and friendly.”

Best of all, she adds, “David got to stay in his favorite chair and his bed. Couriers replenished supplies and delivered meals. We had all the amenities of a hospital at home.”

Myszkowski is one of more than 1,000 patients who have been “admitted” to their own homes as part of Hospital Care at Home, a program piloted by Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital in April 2023. It has now expanded to Tradition, Martin North, and Martin South hospitals.

“Hospital Care at Home is the culmination of approximately four years of due diligence by Cleveland Clinic to reimagine acute care delivery for our patients,” says one of the founders of the program, Dr. Richard Rothman of Cleveland Clinic Florida. “It arose out of the need to ful ll our tripartite mission of improving care for patients, improving the work environ-

patients, round the clock.

Dr.

Home program.

ment and the job satisfaction of the individuals delivering care, and creating a more sustainable care-delivery model.”

Hospital Care at Home, says Rothman, accomplishes this mission through three critical pillars: a clinically integrated virtual command center (CIViC) based in Vero Beach, which houses hospitalists, nurses, pharmacists, and other Cleveland Clinic providers; a clinical service network of paramedics, nurses, specialists, and therapists who deliver care in the patient’s home; and a software platform that allows CIViC providers to seamlessly place orders, access electronic medical records, manage care delivery, and interact virtually with

A hybrid of telehealth and in-person care, Hospital Care at Home provides the same services one would receive in a brick-and-mortar hospital, including medication administration, IV antibiotics, infusions, lab work, rehabilitation, and imaging services such as ultrasounds, x-rays, and echocardiograms. Virtual meetings via the aforementioned tablet can include multiple providers involved in the patient’s overall health as well as family members in other parts of the country.

Data suggest that, since its inception at Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital more than a year ago, Hospital Care at Home is proving to be a success on several levels.

“Patient-experience scores for patients hospitalized in their home are among the highest in the Cleveland Clinic enterprise,” reports Rothman. Patients, he says, appreciate recovering in the comfort of their own homes with family members or beloved pets nearby. Quieter

nights lead to more restful sleep, and nurse response is especially speedy. Once the button on the tablet is pressed, the average nurse response time is 30 seconds.

“I’ve been in the hospital a lot over the years,” says Myszkowski, “and many times when you hit that buzzer and need a nurse, you don’t get one right away. is makes it easier. I had my wife right here, and getting a nurse was instantaneous.”

Spouses also appreciate the fact that they don’t have to drive back and forth to the hospital to be by their loved one’s side. “I’m not fond of night driving or coming home by myself,” says Penny Myszkowski. “I might’ve had a little extra laundry those few days, but it was well worth it.”

Another key indicator— 30-day readmission rates— hovers around 9 percent, which is signi cantly lower than that of brick-andmortar hospitals. e average length of stay for patients hospitalized in their homes is

Richard Rothman is one of the founders of Cleveland Clinic’s Hospital Care at

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three and a half days if they are admitted directly from the emergency department and five days when admitted from hospital wards. Another major benefit? Hospital-acquired infections are virtually nonexistent among patients hospitalized at home.

“Very often, when we send patients back to their homes after several days in the hospital, we haven’t visualized their home,” says Rothman. “We haven’t seen them interact or engage within their home while they’re ill. This program gives us an opportunity to successfully manage their care at home, making the transition from hospital

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Patients are given a tablet to use at home for contacting their care team.

to home immediate. I suspect that helps contribute to the lower readmission rates we are seeing.”

Those with advanced cancer, who are often admitted to the hospital with complications from their illness or side effects from chemotherapy, are another subset of patients who may be ideal candidates for Hospital Care at Home, Rothman points out. “As they are more vulnerable to hospital-acquired infections, we can better serve them by managing them in their own homes.”

Who is eligible for Hospital Care at Home? Candidates are patients who

meet the requirements for inpatient admission to the hospital but do not require an immediate procedure or ICU level of care. Eligibility is determined after a thorough evaluation in either the emergency department or the hospital’s medical/ surgical inpatient unit. Approximately 65 percent of those participating in the program enter it via the emergency department. Most patients have conditions ranging from pneumonia, COVID, and influenza to sepsis, cellulitis, urinary tract infection, congestive heart failure, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Benefits of Hospital Care at Home

• Ability to recover in a comfortable, familiar environment

• Lower readmission rates

• Reduced length of stay compared to traditional inpatient care

• No hospital-acquired infections

• Fewer lab and diagnostic tests

• Quick nurse response

• Improved work environment for care team

• Better clinical outcomes and reduced mortality rates

• Reduced hospital operational costs

After a physician determines that a patient is clinically eligible for Hospital Care at Home, a nurse will ask a series of questions, via a tablet, to ensure that the home is a suitable environment for care. Those who live alone or in an assisted or independent living community may still be eligible.

After a patient is transported home and the team sets up the necessary equipment and supplies, an on-site nurse provides instructions on operating the userfriendly tablet, which tethers patients to the virtual care team in the CIViC.

“The tablet in the patient’s home is the equivalent of using an ATM kiosk,” says Rothman. “In our patientexperience surveys, patients consistently report that the technology is easy to use and is not intimidating.”

Myszkowski agrees: “All you do is touch the right button. Even a caveman

could do it!”

Cleveland Clinic’s Hospital Care at Home is covered by Medicare Advantage programs, Medicaid, and most major insurers. Rothman says 85 to 90 percent of patients admitted to the hospital are eligible for Hospital Care at Home through their payers.

The concept of providing hospital-level care at home began in 1995 when researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine developed and tested it at several Medicare-managed care sites. Their initial findings reported a 30 percent cost savings compared to traditional inpatient care, improved clinical outcomes, reduced length of stay, and fewer lab and diagnostic tests.

Other hospitals attempted to replicate the at-home model but struggled to obtain reimbursement from Medicare and private payers.

That changed in 2020, when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCAH) launched a waiver program to ease hospital capacity issues, rising costs of care, and nursing shortages during the COVID pandemic. The AHCAH waiver allowed approved hospitals to provide inpatient-level care in the home for Medicare fee-forservice and non–managed care Medicaid beneficiaries.

Since then, the number of hospitals embracing hospitallevel care at home has grown exponentially. As of April 2024, CMS had authorized more than 320 hospitals across 133 health systems in 37 states to offer such programs. Those numbers are expected to double by 2026, with proponents saying that more than 60 different conditions can be treated at home, as long as the appropriate monitoring and treatment protocols are observed.

“As people become aware of this program and more comfortable with this model,” Rothman says, “we are seeing more and more patients start to ask for it. Currently, we are on track to average 200 to 250 admissions per month throughout our participating hospitals.”

“Our neighbors were alarmed when they first saw the ambulance dropping me off,” says Myszkowski, “but when they learned about the care I received during those five days at home, they wanted to do it too!”

Medical personnel come to the home for blood draws, infusions, and many other tests normally administered during an inpatient hospital stay.

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Mystery upon Mystery

AN ENIGMATIC WRITER IS AT THE CENTER OF THE SECOND NOVEL FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW

BY ELIZABETH LEONARD OF THE VERO BEACH BOOK CENTER

END OF STORY

by A.J. Finn

William Morrow, 2024

Renowned author and man of mystery Sebastian Trapp is dying. With three months left to live, he reaches out to Nicky Hunter, a crime fiction expert with whom he has been corresponding, to tell his story. He potentially has a background that rivals the twisted lives of the characters in his many murder mystery novels.

On New Year’s Eve 20 years earlier, Sebastian’s wife, Hope Trapp, and teenage son, Cole, vanished. Over the years, no sightings were reported and no bodies were ever found, so suspicion fell on the man who was the architect of the perfect crimes committed by the evil masterminds he created in his novels.

Sebastian has become a recluse, keeping himself out of the public eye and the scrutiny of the press. He now lives with his new wife, Diana, and his daughter and nephew, but very few others knew the real Sebastian Trapp.

At the Trapp home, located on a steep cliff in the San Francisco Bay area, Nicky quickly becomes obsessed with the enigma that is Sebastian Trapp. He divulges to her bits and pieces of his family’s sordid past and present but doesn’t reveal anything enlightening in the case of his missing wife and son.

Is he toying with Nicky, or does he truly not know what became of them? Is he hoping she can help him solve the case he could never solve? What is it Sebastian wants Nicky to write about, and why did he invite her into his home to share his last days?

STAFF PICKS

WHILE YOU WERE OUT by Meg Kissinger

This award-winning journalist tackles a hard topic in her memoir. She takes a brutally honest look back at the mental health challenges her family struggled with, and how their love for each other now keeps them together.

From their early days in the bicycle business to their triumphant 12 seconds at Kitty Hawk to their later lives, this biography tells the fascinating story of Wilbur, Orville, their working dynamic, their family, and their achievements.

THE WRIGHT BROTHERS by David McCullough

Slow & Steady

AN EXTREME RESCUE FROM A BAD SITUATION REQUIRES PATIENCE, SKILL, AND LOTS OF LOVE

BY AMY ROBINSON

Astrange sign greeted the couple as they drove into a remote campground near the North Carolina border with Virginia. “Do Not Feed the Dog” appeared in bold letters on a cardboard sign. Lisa Angell and Randy Kerr of Vero Beach heard the story from other concerned campers. A young tan-and-white coonhound had been living in the rough there for some months, and a

humane trap was set up to try to catch her.

“We knew there wasn’t an animal control agency here, and just minimal official involvement, since the area was so far away from anything else,” says Angell. “We caught a glimpse of her, all skin and bones and worried expression, and our hearts just sank.” Angell and Kerr found the trap; it was a bit small for the dog’s large frame, and a small bowl

of dry, dusty kibble sat in the back. They doubted the dog would go for that.

“We spoke with the park ranger, a very nice man who knew all about the dog and wanted to help,” says Angell.

“He assured us that several people had expressed interest in adopting her if and when she could be caught,” adds Kerr, “but that task had proven to be near impossible.”

Dogs that have been on their

Lisa Angell and Randy Kerr adopted a dog that had been living in the woods on her own for months in another state.

own for any length of time will often revert to more of a wild state to survive, staying out of sight and seeking scraps as their ancestors did when they first began to recognize humans as food sources thousands of years ago. Alone, the dog believes that it has only itself to rely on for survival, and its needs simplify: food, water, shelter. Even kind overtures from humans are suspect. Gaining the young coonhound’s trust again would be a job, but Angell and Kerr were filled with compassion and vowed to show her the good in people.

A park maintenance worker who had first seen the dog in the campground months earlier offered some disturbing details. “The worker said she had appeared here before, with a radio collar on. He knew the guys she belonged to and took her back to them. She was still a puppy then and easier to approach,” explains Angell. “He regretted that, because the dog showed up again a couple of months later with no radio collar on and in

considerably worse shape.”

This time, the dog stayed well clear of anyone trying to catch her, choosing a well-worn picnic table to lick her scars and cautiously eating food that worried campers, including Angell and Kerr, put out for her. “She would approach a bowl, look around nervously, and gobble as fast as she could. If she heard a camper door open or a car approaching, she would bolt right back into the woods. That was hard for us to see,” Angell says.

The couple tried to make friends, tossing tidbits to the dog to entice her a bit closer each time. They took walks and the dog would follow, but always out of arm’s reach. Angell was in tears when she and Kerr finally had to leave the campground; they circled back 10 days later to try again, but it was the same result. They made the ranger promise to call them night or day if she was caught. “I told him I’d call every week, and I sure did.”

Angell and Kerr got back to their daily routine in Vero Beach, thinking of the dog

Same Square Footage YET COMPLETELY REIMAGINED.

Ella, named after she was rescued, accepted food from humans in the campground, but wouldn’t allow them to touch her for months.

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Ask Amy

amy@verobeachmagazine.com

I have tried several training methods with my dog, but they all involve having a pocket full of treats morning, noon, and night. Our training goals are pretty standard: to be well behaved in public; to sit, lie down, and stay; and not to bark excessively. Is there another way to train, without treats, that is kind but still effective? I’d like to get rid of the crumbs in my pocket.

Treats are so effective that dog-show handlers will sometimes put treats in their own mouths to get the dog to look up at them and prance expectantly for the judge. I agree, it can get a little tedious trying to fish the treat out at just the right time, but I’d encourage you to use them, maybe a little more sparingly, to accomplish your not-so-standard goals. I know from experience that achieving good canine behavior in public takes more than a smile, but you can get creative when working at home to reward your dog without being a treat dispenser. Try a word that expresses your delight when your dog does something good. An enthusiastic “Yes!” works for lots of people. Then, immediately initiate play. A toy is useful, but you can easily engage your dog just by crouching and slapping your hands on your thighs. This is close enough to a dog’s “play bow” and suggests that having fun with you is the only reward he needs.

My toy poodle, Bindi, is a very nice companion. She walks on a leash, eats well, and is fairly social with new people. A friend recently remarked that Bindi doesn’t look her in the eye, as if that were a fault of some kind. I never really took note of that, but now that she mentioned it, I do see that my girl is not a fan of eye contact. Is she afraid of people in some way?

Great question, because it brings to mind that, even if we think our dogs are soulmates, they are absolutely a different species. Think of a conversation you have with another person. You look at their face as they talk or you may be considered rude, perhaps casting around the room for a more interesting person. I assure you—Bindi is not being distant. Prolonged eye contact is not considered polite between dogs. Lots of staring at another dog could mean a challenge, which, at her small size, is not something she wants to do. She simply carries these sensible rules over to her relationships with humans.

– Mel in Vero Beach

– Avery in Vero Beach

TRUE TAILS

often but not holding out much hope that they would see her again. “A full four months after we got back to Vero,” Angell reports, “the ranger called.” A hiker named Steve Olson was at the campground with his own leashed dog when the coonhound approached and walked alongside them, nosing his dog playfully. Olson had heard of the dog’s plight and made it his mission to capture her. On the fourth day of his stay, he was able to lasso her with his dog’s leash and bring her back to the ranger. “He had a list of 19 people who had expressed interest in the dog, but because I had called every week, he wanted us to have her.”

The ranger and park staff all were present and beaming when the dog, now named Ella, left for her new life. The couple stopped at a motel on the way back and laid out a mat on the floor for Ella, not knowing how she would react to being in a small room. “I got up in the middle of the night for some water,” Angell recalls, “and when I came back and sat on the edge of the bed, she licked my leg just once, then looked up at me.”

“Because I had called every week, he wanted us to have her.”

LISA ANGELL

you in terms of time, energy, patience, knowledge, and experience.”

As the operations director at the Humane Society of Vero Beach & Indian River County, Nichola Redmond knows all about so-called “project” dogs. “The decision to adopt a dog with behavior challenges should not be an emotional one,” she states. “Regardless of how much some people may want to help, their lives may not permit the time and structure that will help dogs adjust. Reflect on what is realistic for

Redmond has fostered dogs that needed lots of extra help to transition to a new home. “Tyler, a small mixedbreed dog, lived with 30 other underweight and filthy dogs in a trailer,” she recalls. “He was extremely fearful and would not allow touch of any kind.”

Redmond put him in her office and used high-value treats to announce her comings and goings. She never pushed him to come to her, but offered him plenty of time and space until he became more curious.

“Tyler stopped hiding and would wait for me at the door when he heard me coming,”

Redmond continues. “He soon accepted being harnessed and leashed, and then one day he put his head right in my hand, asking for touch. From there he progressed quickly to being absolutely normal with me and learning to meet new people. Nothing gave me more joy than to see Tyler meet his new adoptive family and their dog with a wagging tail.”

What looked like a dog that may never trust people turned into a happy and healthy pet, but it took patience, skill, and a full six months of letting the dog take things at his own pace.

“As someone who shares my life with two former ‘project’ dogs, the result is well worth the effort,” Redmond says.

Ella is progressing nicely since she came back to Vero Beach with Angell and Kerr. She is curious about people, asks to be petted, and will toss some toys around when prompted. The dog still needs her alone time, though, finding safe spots in the house to decompress. For those who may want to take on a dog like Ella with a challenging past, Angell has this to say: “Are you able to let go of your expectations of the perfect dog and meet this dog where she is? We know that Ella may always be a bit shy. She may have a few quirks. Don’t we all? But we have a relationship that is not like any other. Ella is ready to try anything now.”

Lisa Angell plays with Ella, who has adapted well to her new home.

Ella found a happy home in Vero Beach.

NEW DIRECTOR ROCHELLE WOLBERG IS CELEBRATING THE PAST AND CHARTING THE FUTURE OF MCKEE BOTANICAL GARDEN

BY

TAYLOR

SHE’S PLANTED

ANN

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JERRY RABINOWITZ

Rochelle Wolberg started her position as executive director of McKee Botanical Garden in January.

The minute Rochelle Wolberg turns off busy U.S. Highway 1 and onto the winding road bordered by ancient oaks, banyans, and palm trees that leads to her office in McKee Botanical Garden, her face lights up with a smile. This is where all of her experience, creativity, and endless energy have brought her, and she couldn’t be happier—or more excited about what the future holds.

As the historic garden’s executive director since January, Wolberg oversees a staff of seasoned professionals, an engaged board of directors, and a strategic plan that includes anniversary celebrations, special exhibits, events, and educational programs, plus a hoped-for future international water lily symposium.

For someone who grew up in New York City and had no idea what she wanted to be or do when she got older, Wolberg can

look back and appreciate the opportunities, connections, and timing that forged the path that led her to McKee.

“When I was an undergrad student majoring in psychology and contemplating graduate school,” she says, “I met a friend who told me there were some private independent schools that were looking for psychologists, so I applied to Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education. I physically handed in my application at the

“What I knew about McKee enticed me.”

ROCHELLE WOLBERG

last minute and got into the program.” Wolberg’s eyes light up as she recalls the squeakytight timing.

It was meant to be. So was the move to Florida, prompted by her husband. While not initially thrilled to be living in the Sunshine State, with dual degrees in hand she took her typical positive approach and began looking for a job.

“One day I saw a 2-inch advertisement for a learning specialist at Palm Beach Day Academy,” Wolberg recalls, fingers forming the small ad size she could have missed. She applied and was hired. Again, it was meant to be.

“As the lower-campus school psychologist, I was involved with everything,” she enthuses.

“By my sixth year at the academy, we partnered with the Flagler Museum and Morikami Museum and established a museum program for the first grade. The culmination was a presentation on the early history of Florida, which the students had learned in trips to the two museums, and an exhibition of favorite objects from their personal collections. It was so successful, we expanded the program

Opposite page: The Stone Bridge at McKee is a popular place for photographs. Above: McKee’s Hall of Giants has the signature Waldo Sexton architectural style and was originally a gift shop in the early years of the garden.

“It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”

ROCHELLE WOLBERG

From top: Rochelle Wolberg’s maternal grandmother, Aida de la Cruz, at the family farm in Western Visayas, Philippines; Wolberg in her mother’s dahlia garden in New York City; Wolberg’s maternal grandfather, Rafael Ibanez, in the rice field; Wolberg and her sister Jillian Rose Lim at Gapstow Bridge in Central Park.

Right: Wolberg is fitting right in at McKee Botanical Garden.

to kindergarten, where we partnered with the Norton Museum. Second grade was special, as we partnered with Mounts Botanical Garden.”

That collaboration led to the powers that be at Mounts offering Wolberg the position of director of programs and volunteers. “It was a huge leap because I was leaving a very comfortable setting and had no horticultural background,” she says. “When I told them, they said that it didn’t matter. What they wanted was someone to introduce children’s programs.”

A love of nature nurtured over the years by her maternal grandparents, who owned a 100-acre coconut farm in the Philippines, and her mother, whose “amazing green thumb could grow anything,” plus the opportunity to expand the classroom setting prompted Wolberg to make the move to Mounts, where as program coordinator she initiated programs that drew children and their families to Palm Beach County’s largest and oldest public garden.

As a result, attendance numbers increased, additional educational programs dotted the garden’s calendar, community events expanded, and Wolberg was promoted to the position of direc-

tor in 2017. Thanks to her leadership, Mounts, the garden that “inspires and educates through nature,” became an award-winning institution.

“The experience I had at Palm Beach Day Academy really prepared me for what we did at Mounts. One of the best things we did was strengthen our relationship with the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County,” says Wolberg, reflecting on her professional path, which was about to take a major jog north.

“When the application for McKee executive director found its way to me,” she explains, “it was presented as ‘we’re turning a new chapter; we’re looking for someone who can take the garden into the year 2050.’

“What I knew about McKee enticed me—the history, the incredible community support, and the connection with Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed Central Park, where I spent so much time with my parents and grandparents. William Lyman Phillips, who worked for the Olmsted firm, designed the basic infrastructure of McKee’s streams, ponds, and trails. It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”

So she didn’t, adding her name to the search

McKee Botanical Garden is an 18-acre showcase for 10,000 varieties of native and tropical plants.

committee’s short list of candidates from around the country being considered for the coveted position that became available after longtime executive director Christine Hobart announced her retirement last summer.

When it came time for what was to be her final interview, Wolberg was eagerly optimistic. “That’s when I met with the horticultural team, the entire staff, and we all just clicked. When I left I really had a good feeling. Within 48 hours they called and welcomed me.”

Wolberg arrived at McKee at a time when plans for the garden’s 25th silver anniversary in 2026 and the Children’s Garden’s fifth anniversary next year were already well underway.

“The 25th anniversary will be really special,” she says. “Here at McKee you have a cultural icon set in a natural, beautiful hammock that has generational significance. I think about those who volunteered on Sat-

In early summer along the paths of McKee, you’ll see a stunning display of water lilies in all their glory, along with other colorful blooms.

urdays—the “Saturday morning crew”— people from the community coming to help clean up the garden, to keep it going. There’s so much history. We’re thinking of having a commemorative book, and of course there will be special exhibits and events.

“To celebrate the 2021 opening of the Children’s Garden, we’re bringing back Sean Kenney’s Legos. The new exhibit is going to be amazing, with over 40 sculptures made from more than 800,000 colorful Legos.” Wolberg smiles as she envisions Kenney’s larger-than-life birds, bugs, butterflies, and a bear or two popping up along garden pathways, circling ponds, and beside bridges.

Rochelle Wolberg may have arrived at McKee via the road less traveled in the traditional sense, but she knows it’s where she was meant to be. “The team here has embraced me and I’ve told them to hold on tight—it’s going to be a ride, but we’re all going in the same direction.”

Opposite page: Water features wind through the garden, helping to drown out noise from outside the hammock.

THE FISH Don’t Have a Chance

... WHEN VERO BEACH PROFESSIONAL FISHING GUIDE

CAPTAIN MARK YANNO IS LEADING THE HUNT

BY ROBERT KIENER

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEVEN MARTINE

When in Doubt, Fish!

Opposite page: Biologist and longtime fi shing guide Captain Mark Yanno enjoys fi shing the healthiest part of the Indian River Lagoon, right in our backyard. Above: A mangrove snapper gets thrown back a er being reeled in.

As he sits back, expertly and effortlessly steering his custom-designed 19-foot Egret flats boat at 30 miles per hour down the main channel of the Indian River Lagoon in Vero Beach, veteran fishing guide Captain Mark Yanno turns to me and utters just one word: “Paradise.”

He smiles, eases off the throttle for a moment, and elaborates, “On days like this, there is no place I’d rather be. No job I’d rather have. This is paradise!”

On this balmy 78-degree April morning, as the sun glistens off the lagoon’s shallow waters and, as if on cue, a dolphin breaks the surface in a nearby cove ahead and a group, or bowl, of roseate spoonbills

nestle into the trees on a spoil island rookery, it’s impossible to disagree.

For the last three decades, this drop-dead beautiful slice of Florida has been Yanno’s openair office. He told me a few days ago, “I know how lucky I am. More than one CEO I’ve taken out here on a fishing trip has offered to trade jobs with me!”

He paused for a beat, smiled

broadly, then added, “But I turn them down.”

Today Yanno is taking me, a newbie angler, and my brotherin-law Bill Cull, a longtime Vero resident and experienced fisherman, on a “sample” tour to give us a taste of what he offers to the clients who hire him for half-day fishing trips.

As we glide along the shallow waters, Yanno offers a concise

mini-lecture on the lagoon’s history, geography, and environment: “ e Indian River Lagoon is 156 miles long and stretches from Cape Canaveral to Jupiter Inlet. Despite its name, it’s not really a river or a lagoon. Rather, it’s an estuary where salt and fresh water mix together. Five inlets bring in ocean water twice a day, keeping the water salty, and several rivers and canals feed fresh water into it, creating the brackish water that is characteristic of an estuary. It is one of the most productive bodies of water in North America and is home to more than 400 species of sh.”

We pass one of the lagoon’s many spoil islands, most of which were created when the estuary was dredged and deepened in the 1950s, and Yanno points to and names an Audubon-rich variety of birds at the island while

The Indian River Lagoon is do ed with spoil islands throughout its 156-mile span along the east coast of Florida, and it is fi lled with over 400 species of fi sh.

All Aboard!

Vero Beach resident Heinz Pro fi nds that while fi shing, you may see dolphins gliding by alongside the boat. They are one of about 2,200 animal species that make their home in the lagoon.

Hook, Line & Sinker

continuing his introduction: “ e Indian River Lagoon also hosts more than 370 species of birds; 2,100 species of plants; and 2,200 animal species.”

As we listen, it’s clear that Yanno, 59, is intimately familiar with the lagoon, and for good reason: before setting out as a charter shing captain in

There are 2,100 species of plants that dot the lagoon, including three different types of mangroves. Le : The great blue heron is just one of 370 bird species you may encounter when cruising the lagoon.

the water quality of the lagoon. “There’s no denying that the IRL has its share of problems,” he explains. “Because of various factors, water quality has deteriorated and shing stocks have su ered.

1995, the Rochester, New York native had earned a degree in biology and moved to the Vero Beach area in 1988. He worked in aquaculture, then as a eld biologist with the State of Florida Bureau of Aquatic Preserves, and later with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. at background, on top of his

30-plus years of shing for both pleasure and pro t, makes him an unparalleled authority on the Indian River Lagoon.

One of the cofounders of the Clean Water Coalition of Indian River County, Yanno has long been concerned with what he terms the “environmental stresses” that have affected

“But there is also some good news. My backyard, this area of the IRL between Vero Beach and just south of Fort Pierce Inlet, is the healthiest section of the lagoon. e good news is that the 40-foot-deep Fort Pierce Inlet to the south and the Sebastian Inlet to the north ush in huge amounts of clean ocean water twice daily. Also, this is the most undeveloped stretch of the IRL, and it also contains the largest areas of seagrass ats.”

When I ask Yanno how these

environmental factors have a ected his shing results, he admits, “ ere may not be as many sh in the lagoon as there were 30 years ago, but we’ve still got some of the most varied saltwater shing in Florida. My clients catch everything from snook to sea trout to red sh to snappers—the list goes on and on.” He notes that it is common for his clients to catch more than 10 species of sh with him in a typical half-day, four-hour, trip, and his record is 22 species of sh caught in one halfday outing.

As he cuts the engine of his Moccasin 190, he adds, “Just last Monday I had a 10-year-old boy with his dad out for half a day. The youngster landed a total of 58 sh, and that’s not

Good fi shing gear is imperative in reeling in the big one. Top: Roseate spoonbills can be found in the foliage and around the edges of spoil islands in the lagoon.

counting the ones that got away. He was thrilled! at’s one of the reasons children are my favorite clients; they get so excited.” While Yanno reports that most of these were small sh (the average Indian River Lagoon fish weighs between 1 and 3 pounds), clients have caught trophy sh with him, such as a 120-pound tarpon, a 50-pound black drum, and snook that weighed over 20 pounds.

Vero Beach resident Paul Sars eld, a repeat client of Yanno’s, is one of those trophy sh hunters. “I’ve shed all around the world, with a host of professional shing guides, and Mark is at the very top of my list,” he says. “He is the consummate pro.” After hiring Yanno several

Catch of the Day

times for fishing excursions throughout the lagoon, Sarseld confessed to him there was one sh that had long eluded him and was number one on his bucket list. “It was the permit sh,” recalls Sars eld. “I know they are hard to locate and land, but I told Mark it was still my dream catch.”

Sars eld remembers the day he got the call he’d been waiting for. “Mark told me all the conditions were perfect for permit shing; the weather was right, not too windy, the ocean was calm, and the crabs—the permit’s favorite—were plentiful.

e next day we were on his boat headed for a spot just outside the Fort Pierce Inlet and close to the shore.”

Sarsfield relishes the memory: “It was a beautiful June morning and we’d brought a handful of crabs. Mark had reminded me that permit were tough to locate and land but I had my ngers crossed. en I caught one—a beautiful 18-pounder—my rst permit in a lifetime of shing! en another. I couldn’t believe my luck. By the end of the trip I’d landed four permit. It still seems like a dream. But I owe it all to Mark and his years of experience.”

How, given the decrease in the lagoon’s fish stocks and other factors, does Yanno continue to deliver such rich pickings for his clients? “I just have to work harder to nd them,”

he explains. And I have lots of high-tech help.” is becomes crystal clear when he turns on his sophisticated Humminbird sh nder, which gives him a clear sonar image of everything that’s underwater, including, most importantly, sh. He then deploys o the bow an even more impressive tool, a Power-Pole remote-

Clockwise from top: Captain Mark Yanno pushes his boat through the shallows of the lagoon; Paul Sarsfi eld shows off one of his four permit catches; an aerial view of the lagoon; Yanno shows off a small jack; technology can be key when looking for fi sh, and Yanno uses a Humminbird fi sh fi nder that shows what’s under the boat.

controlled trolling motor that uses a GPS system to keep the boat’s bow “parked” in the same position once the target area is located. With a broad smile, he tells us, “Now the fish don’t have a chance.”

Yanno hands Bill and me two of the boat’s $800 G. Loomis rods, outfitted with Shimano spinning reels, and quickly

baits our hooks with live shrimp. I cast into the waters just off the nearby spoil island, and within less than 10 seconds, I feel a familiar tug. “Got one!” I shout, suddenly feeling much as that 10-year-old must have felt last week. I reel in a 2-pound almond-shaped mutton snapper. Seconds later, Bill lands another snap-

per. Neither is a keeper, but we don’t care.

Another cast, another fish. Then another. And another. Soon it’s time to move on, but I’m in no hurry. This is fun. And thanks to Captain Mark Yanno’s hard-earned expertise in locating productive fishing holes for his clients, I realize what I’ve been missing since last holding

a rod and reel. I’m hooked.

As we cruise along the sundappled main channel of the lagoon, back to the dock at Vero’s MacWilliam Park, I can’t help recalling one of those corny—but true—fishing sayings I once saw somewhere: “You can’t buy happiness, but you can go fishing, and that’s pretty much the same thing.”

A BIG SMALL

Town

Clockwise from above le : Main Street, 1905; Sebastian Railroad Station, circa 1893; Main Street, circa 1920; Sebastian Inn, 1955; Sebastian Realty and Sebastian Bank, 1925

BY MARY BETH MCGREGOR | PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEVEN MARTINE

e City of Sebastian turns 100 this year, and the proud residents are showcasing its colorful history with celebrations throughout the year, culminating with a centennial birthday event December 8 at Riverview Park.

According to local historian Ellen Stanley, author of Pioneering Sebastian and Roseland, “ e people who created Sebastian were families who relished a sense of community; their goal was to establish a

THE MOST POPULOUS CITY IN INDIAN RIVER COUNTY CELEBRATES A CENTURY OF NEIGHBORLINESS AND OUTDOOR LIFE

town. ey di ered from their neighbors to the south, where Vero Beach’s development was driven by the Indian River Farms Company and strong civic leaders. Sebastian’s development was driven

made and donated by

A quilt

the Stepping Stone Quilters Guild in 2009 chronicles important times in the history of Sebastian.

by the individuals who settled the area.”

After World War I, people were restless and on the move. “It was sort of like everyone felt after COVID,” Stanley says. They had new automobiles, and many drove them over rough roads of gravel and marl to Florida. They came to drain and develop Florida and to participate in the land boom of the ’20s, which ended with the crash of 1929.

In earlier days, the people who pioneered the Sebastian area, whether of European or Indigenous descent, relied on fishing as an important food source; it later became a major industry for Sebastian residents who made their living as commer cial fishermen. Prominent commercial fish-

ing families whose fish houses dotted the riverfront include the Semblers from New York State, who settled in Sebastian in 1901 and are still in the business today; the family of Archie Smith, who arrived in 1924; and the Judahs, who came several years later.

Pioneer settler August Parks had arrived in the 1860s and built a home for his family on a huge shell mound, which was composed of discarded oyster shells deposited by Indians and other early inhabitants of the area for hundreds of years.

“The Parks property was 43 acres from what is now U.S. 1 to Indian River Drive on the river,” says Kathy McDonald, past president of the Sebastian Area Historical Society. The Parks family started the

cemetery, which is now the Sebastian Municipal Cemetery on North Central Avenue.

The Gottlob Kroegel family came next. “One of the sons, Paul Kroegel, who was a great lover of nature, became the first game warden of Pelican Island,” McDonald says. By the 1890s, the slaughter of wild birds to provide plumage to top fashionable ladies’ hats was rampant among visiting hunters to the Sebastian area.

In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt designated Pelican Island in Sebastian the nation’s first migratory bird refuge.

McDonald adds, “Paul would hide out on an island and watch for tourist hunters, and then he would fire his gun to alert the birds to fly away. The nation’s third game warden

was named in Key West, and he was murdered by hunters who valued the feathers over human life. It was dangerous business.”

McDonald serves as one of the guides at the Sebastian Area Historical Museum, located in the former Sebastian Elementary School, built in 1927 at 1235 Main Street. Items donated by longtime

Above: The Sebastian Area Historical Museum displays maps and pictures of what the town has looked like throughout the last 100 years. Right: A statue of Paul Kroegel, the first game warden of Pelican Island, is located at the eastern end of Riverview Park in Sebastian, overlooking the lagoon he loved.

Sebastian residents make up much of the collection on display. To learn more about Sebastian’s rich history and to hear many interesting tales, it would be well worth a visit to the museum.

A look back with residents who spent their childhoods in Sebastian some 70-plus years ago reveals what the community was like when the population numbered fewer than 400.

Dot Redfern Judah offers a glimpse of the commercial fishing industry that thrived along Sebastian’s waterfront. She and her family, originally from Georgia, arrived in Sebastian in 1950 in time for her to attend Vero Beach High School. “There was no high school in Sebastian, and we were bused to Vero Beach,” she says.

Her father was a fisherman, and the teenager, after graduating from high school in 1953, married Clarence Judah. Clarence; his father, Bascomb; and brother, Coolidge, had moved down from the Panhandle and operated Judah and Sons commercial fishing business in Sebastian for 70 years; it just closed in 2019.

Some fishermen fished all night, but the Judahs went to

work at 4:30 each morning.

Their netted catch was mostly mullet, Dot Judah remembers.

They packed the fish on ice, and every week one or two trucks came from New York to stop at each fish house and buy and load crates of fish to take north.

“I wish you could have seen the hundreds of white pelicans that hung around the fish house when a boat came in. It was a

“People love Sebastian the way it is. It has an ‘Old Florida’ feel to it.”

ED DODD

Fish houses along the lagoon were plentiful in Sebastian in years past.

Kathy McDonald and Ellen Stanley are both happy to share their knowledge at the Sebastian Area Historical Museum.

Coolidge Judah mends a net for commercial fishing in the early 1990s.

“It was a great place to grow up.”

PATRICK MORGAN

beautiful sight,” she says.

Clarence Judah fished six days a week, and on Sundays he mended the nets and did other repairs. It was also a special day for the family, she says.

“After Sunday school, we took our two boys, and Richard and Mary Lou Brown took their ve kids, and we would all go out to an island and cook hot dogs and oysters and water ski. ose were the good old days, the best time of my life.”

Patrick Morgan, the current

president of the Sebastian Area Historical Society, moved with his family to the area in the 1950s, and he attended Sebastian Elementary School. “There wasn’t much here at the time,” he says, describing the downtown. The Vickers family had the building on the corner of Main Street and U.S. 1 and operated a grocery store on one side and a hardware store on the other. ere was a small post o ce and Ponders Drug Store.” If the residents needed something they couldn’t nd there, they traveled to Vero Beach or Melbourne to shop.

For fun, Morgan and his friends went shing or played softball on the ball eld at the grammar school. “It was a great place to grow up,” he says. Morgan left Sebastian when his father took a job in Sanford, but he returned with his own family in the 1970s.

Both Dot Judah and Patrick Morgan enjoyed the friendly nature of the young city of Sebastian. “ e people living

here had no pretentions, and they took care of one another,” Morgan says. “Of course, it was small enough that we knew everyone in town.”

The growth of Sebastian was slow until the 1970s, when General Development Corporation, a major developer in Florida, bought and platted some 1,345 acres in what is now the Sebastian Highlands subdivision. General Development advertised its quarteracre, $500 lots throughout the Northeast, attracting retirees looking for a ordable housing and great weather. The a ordable housing also drew people who worked in Vero Beach. Sebastian’s population has increased steadily to today’s 28,000, making it the most populous municipality in Indian River County.

Sebastian’s service industry and public sector employs a significant number of the city’s residents. e working waterfront is home to the commercial shing, clamming, and oystering industries and is also a mecca for dining and entertainment.

“The biggest challenge we

Scenic spots line Indian River Drive along the lagoon.

Dot Redfern Judah arrived in Sebastian with her family in 1950.

have,” says Sebastian Mayor Ed Dodd, “is handling the inevitable growth.” However, he believes it can be done to the satisfaction of residents, from young families to retirees who prize their current way of life. He adds, “We did a survey of the citizens a few years back and asked what they like best about Sebastian. The number

one thing by a large margin was its parks.” The city maintains a robust park system, from Riverview Park on U.S. 1 to the numerous pocket parks throughout the city and the Barber Street Sports Complex with football, baseball, and soccer fields as well as a skate park.

“We are an outdoor-focused

community,” Dodd says, and indeed residents and visitors enjoy fishing, biking, hiking, playing golf at Sebastian Municipal Golf Course, skydiving at the airport, and visiting such treasures as Sebastian Inlet State Park and the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge.

For shopping, residents may still head north or south to purchase items not available at Sebastian’s retailers, to see a movie, or to experience certain dining and performing arts offerings in Vero Beach and Melbourne.

Some of these amenities may never be available in Sebastian, but that doesn’t seem to bother the residents. “People love Sebastian the way it is,” Dodd says. “It has an ‘Old Florida’ feel to it and a great quality of life that is what the residents and visitors want to retain.”

Visit the city’s website (cityofsebastian.org) for a full listing of events to commemorate its centennial throughout the year, and join in celebrating Sebastian’s Old Florida charm and the sense of community its founders created.

Left: Public parks are important to residents of Sebastian. Above: Dan Kane, who’s fished the area since the ’70s, ices his catch at Fisherman’s Landing.

Sebastian Inlet State Park may not be in the city of Sebastian, but it’s a treasure for all of Indian River County’s residents.

Marine veterinarians use a variety of treatments, and some of them may surprise you

BY CHRIS FASOLINO

ALL SEA TURTLES GREAT & SMALL

Picture a sea turtle returning to the ocean. The creature’s awkward, labored motions on the sand give way instantly to grace and beauty as she returns to her home environment. If the turtle has recovered from an injury and is being released by humans, there will usually be a crowd of well-wishers looking on. The crowd will cheer joyfully as the turtle swims off into the blue.

For the devoted caregivers who help sick and injured turtles, a moment like this is the conclusion of a process; and the process may have included some surprises along the way.

For more than 10 years, sea turtles have been getting the best of care at Brevard Zoo’s Sea Turtle Healing Center. Every year, more than 100 turtles receive treatment there; approximately 30 percent of those turtles are from the coasts of Indian River County. Now, ingenious new therapies are complementing traditional treatment, providing more options for the veterinarians, staff, and volunteers who help these creatures. With the Brevard Zoo working toward the goal of a new aquarium— including an expanded Sea Turtle Healing Center that will be open to the public—it seems like a fitting time to peek behind the scenes at how sea turtles are being helped right now.

What do sea turtles, kangaroos, bears, and eagles have in common? They have all been through Brevard Zoo’s new CT scan

machine. Sea turtle program manager Shanon Gann says that the machine was a “must.” She explains, “We used to go to a veterinary clinic nearby to use their CT, but it’s an emergency clinic, so there can be a backlog.” e scans provide precise data down to the 2millimeter level, along with 3D images. ere is also a positive ripple e ect from the acquisition, because the zoo has made the CT machine available to other wildlife rehabilitation facilities, including the Florida Wildlife Hospital.

An important therapy for some sea turtles is tube feeding. A sick or injured turtle that has washed ashore is often dehydrated. Feeding tubes are used to provide nutrition, hydration, and broad-spectrum

antibiotics. Vitamin therapy is also important. “ ere is a sea turtle multivitamin, if you can believe that,” says Gann with a laugh.

One patient that is bene ting from tube feeding is Da odil, a juvenile green sea turtle with digestive issues and general debilitation. Before each feeding, she is weighed on a small scale. “It’s important to get their weight to make sure they’re moving in the right direction,” Gann explains. Volunteers are carefully trained in how to properly hold a sea turtle to place her on the scale and then put her back on the tray where she receives her feeding.

Da odil is being fed with a mixture of Pedialyte—yes, the same Pedialyte used for human babies—and two di erent zoo

formulas. One is for herbivores, but there is a little carnivore formula added into it, re ecting a sea turtle’s omnivorous diet. Daffodil also receives antibiotic injections. She can be observed lifting her head while veterinary work is being done; that’s how sea turtles breathe when they surface, and the instinctive gesture seems to help calm them.

Another young green sea turtle being helped at the center is Tru e, who has a parasitic infection. Tru e is getting two different medicines to flush out the infection; one of them is used primarily for horses.

“Sometimes things are a little o -label with sea turtles,” says Gann with a smile, explaining that the zoo’s veterinarians ingeniously deduced that this

equine medication could be e ective for sea turtles, too.

All this may seem very modern, but other therapies have an age-old history. Medicinal leeches sound medieval, and indeed, the use of leeches for bloodletting was a popular treatment during the Middle Ages. Even now, though, medicinal leeches have bene ts for sea turtles. ey are used when a turtle has been wounded, for example, by being tangled in shing line. However, the purpose is not to remove the blood, but rather to draw it toward the injured area. When fishing line wraps tightly around a ipper, it cuts o circulation. Once the line is cut, circulation may still be lacking in that ipper. e leeches are placed

Shanon Gann and her team do a follow-up exam on Jolene, a green sea turtle completing her recovery at the center.

Hailey, a loggerhead sea turtle, gets a scan from the new CT machine at the Brevard Zoo’s Sea Turtle Healing Center.

“There is a sea turtle multivitamin, if you can believe that.”

SHANON GANN

on the injured flipper because they will draw the blood toward them. And these are not just any leeches—they are medical-grade leeches, a particular species that has anticoagulant properties in its saliva.

Another therapy that may sound medieval is the use of maggots. “They are small and white, and they come in a jar,” Gann says. What does a veterinarian do with a jar of maggots? They can be used to get rid of dead tissue on an injured flipper. While maggots consume dead tissue, they do not harm live tissue. “And we put pantyhose over the flipper to contain the maggots,” Gann adds. Undoubtedly, both the maggots and the pantyhose are surprising aspects of sea turtle medical treatment.

Below: Gann carries Kernel, a green sea turtle rehabbed at the Sea Turtle Healing Center, to its release back into the Atlantic in 2019.

More appetizing is the use of honey—a healthful substance for humans and sea turtles alike. “Honey has been used by humans since the ancient Egyptians,” says Gann. The honey used for the turtles is raw and unfiltered, including manuka honey from New Zealand. This type is made by bees that take the nectar of the manuka tree, which itself

is valued in herbal medicine.

“The medicinal properties are infused into the honey,” Gann explains. But, she adds, “We’ve found that local honey works great, too.” Thus, Brevard Zoo has its own apiary.

So, how does one give sea turtles honey? By adding it to their food? On the contrary, the honey is not taken orally by the turtles; it is applied topically to

Capocollo receives treatment, including the application of honey to an injured flipper, from Healing Center staff. When the turtle is subsequently placed in sunlight, the honey promotes healing.

wounds. Then the turtle basks in the sun while the honey is absorbed. One turtle, named Prosciutto, seems to especially enjoy this treatment, sitting quietly in the sun for an hour with part of a flipper covered in honey. A turtle that does not seem to be at ease, however, will be left out for just 15 minutes or so before being returned to the water. Honey has antimicrobial properties and, in addition, draws toxins out of the wound with an osmotic effect. According to Gann, “Honey is a gem!”

And then there is the sea turtle chiropractor. Dr. Ashley Mincey of Wild Life Chiropractic in Melbourne is a chiropractor who specializes in animals and works with veterinarians. She has been called in for sea turtles suffering from rigidity and muscular

issues. Through examination, she determines what types of movements a turtle may be avoiding due to discomfort or overexertion. Then she helps to rebalance the patient and increase the range of motion, just as a chiropractor aims to do for human patients.

There have been times when the Healing Center has faced an unusually large number of patients. Can you imagine treating a thousand sea turtles at once? Thankfully, they were hatchlings, making the numbers manageable. In some years, hatchlings that are heading out to the sargassum line, where they will take refuge in the seaweed until they grow larger, are pushed back to shore by storms or currents. Fortunately, the help these hatchlings need is only temporary, and most are able to be released.

Left: Chiropractic therapy is used on turtles exhibiting signs of discomfort or movement disorders.

Having so many turtle hatchlings on hand at once is something no one forgets. Andrea Hill, marketing and communications director for Brevard Zoo, recalls one special little turtle she met a few years ago. “One hatchling came in as part of a group of a thousand, and he was missing a back ipper. But he was just as fast as the others; in fact, he was swimming on top of them.”

A determined creature!

On the other end of the size spectrum are adult leatherback turtles. A leatherback

Experts urge beachgoers and boaters to avoid leaving anything behind, especially plastics. Sea turtles can easily ingest trash, which can quickly become life threatening.

hatchling was once treated at the center, but an injured adult leatherback would have to be treated on the beach, using a triage approach. is is due in part to their enormous size: a leatherback can be 6 feet long and weigh 1,000 pounds. In addition, leatherbacks generally do not do well in any form of captivity, so on-site attention followed by immediate release is their best bet.

What can Vero Beach residents do to help sea turtles? Following the cautions about beachfront lighting provided

by organizations like the Sea Turtle Conservancy can help prevent hatchling disorientation. “Hatchlings move to the brightest light,” Gann explains. at is meant to be the re ection of moonlight or starlight in the water, not the lights of beachfront houses.

Also, avoid bringing plastic bags to the beach; even if you put them into a trash receptacle, they can blow away or be picked out by raccoons and then tossed to the winds. When you are boating, be careful not to lose shing line.

Finally, Gann points out that supporting the sea turtle license plate program can be a real help; important funding for Sea Turtle Healing Center purchases has been provided by license plate proceeds. When a sea turtle returns to the ocean, it is a moment of victory. For a previously sick or injured turtle to be able to be released, there is a story behind that moment. It is a story that may involve surprising and creative medical treatments, and that certainly involves a labor of love.

Top: Jolene, a 374pound green sea turtle, is released back into the ocean a er a successful rehabilitation.

Above: Shanon Gann carries Peanut, a younger green sea turtle, back to the ocean.

The Summer Scoop

See what’s fresh & fascinating in July

CHRISTMAS TREES IN JULY

JULY 1–6 AND 22–27: ANNUAL SALES AT TRIMMINGS

Visit Trimmings in July for two great sales! Enjoy red, white, and blue bargains at the Firecracker Sale July 1–6, followed by the popular Christmas in July sale July 22–27.

TRIMMINGS HOME GARDEN AND GIFTS

3201 Cardinal Drive | 772-213-8069 | shoptrimmingsvb.com

CELEBRATING STELLA

JULY 6: BIRTHDAY SALE AT LAUGHING DOG GALLERY

Stella is turning 10, and The Laughing Dog Gallery is celebrating with its 24th annual Birthday Sale! Select a biscuit from Stella’s cookie jar to receive a surprise discount of 10 to 50 percent off your entire purchase.

THE LAUGHING DOG GALLERY

2910 Cardinal Drive | 772-234-6711 | thelaughingdoggallery.com

A LITTLE BIRDIE SAID

NEW FAVORITES AVAILABLE AT M. MAISON

Fresh birdbath styles are available at M. Maison. They are handmade by local artist Keko Ekonomou and designed for easy installation. They can also be shipped, so pop in and select yours for here, there, or anywhere.

M. MAISON

3403 Ocean Drive | 772-231-4300 | mmaisonvero.com

DRIVING SUCCESS

CADILLAC LYRIQ GAINS POPULARITY

General Motors Co. sold almost 6,000 of the Cadillac Lyriq in the first quarter, besting nearly all of its German luxury rivals, according to new data from Cox Automotive. GM has now sold approximately 15,000 Lyriqs in the United States.

LINUS CADILLAC BUICK GMC

1401 U.S. Hwy. 1 | 772-562-1700 linusautomotive.com | linuscadillac.com

HATCH A LIGHTING PLAN

TURTLE-FRIENDLY LIGHTING AT LED

LED Capstone is prepared to guide coastal residents in following FWC’s three main rules when installing or modifying lights: Low (wattage, lumens, and mounting position); Shielded (bulb); and Long (wavelength). Visit LED to make sure hatchlings can follow the moonlight to the sea.

LED CAPSTONE LIGHTING & FAN SHOWROOM

4005 U.S. Hwy. 1 | 772-205-2529 | ledcapstone.com

THANKS FOR THE RIDE

SRA ADDS TO PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

Senior Resource Association has expanded its GoLine (14 fixed routes) and Community Coach (door to door) services, which provide free transportation throughout Indian River County. New hours are 6 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday–Friday and 8 a.m.–5 p.m. on Saturday.

SENIOR RESOURCE ASSOCIATION

772-569-0903 | golineirt.com | seniorresourceassociation.org

REALTOR HOSTS LISTING PARTY

Cathy Curley hosted a Palm Royale-themed party to showcase a listing. Attendees enjoyed vintage cars upon arrival and were greeted with a signature cocktail. With over 90 attendees, this special soiree yielded phenomenal exposure for her clients.

CATHY CURLEY

772-559-1359 | cathycurleyrealestate.com

SPIRITED SEATING

NEW PIECES AT FANTASTIC FINDS

This Barcelone two-seat sofa from Home Spirit was designed and made in France. One of several new furniture items at the store, the contemporary sofa utilizes a polyester fabric and measures 70 inches long, 34.64 inches deep, and 26.37 inches high.

FANTASTIC FINDS

4300 U.S. Hwy. 1 | 772-794-7574 | fantastic-finds.com

COLLECTION AT VERANDA

Visit Veranda to explore its new collection of handbags. Each piece is designed with the modern woman in mind and is ethically crafted by artisans from around the world using sustainable materials and adhering to the fairest and most responsible practices.

VERANDA 3325 Ocean Drive | 772-234-3404 | verandajewelry.com

CAD YOU SEE IT? NEW EYEWEAR AT SASSY

Caddis is known as an anti-aging eyewear brand that believes in being who you are and where you are in life. Caddis wants you to celebrate the right now without fear of growing older. Visit Sassy to select a style.

SASSY BOUTIQUE

3365 Ocean Drive | 772-234-3998

New & Noteworthy

GLASS HALF FULL OF CUTENESS

NEW DRINKWARE ADDED TO INVENTORY

Digg Gardens continues to add cute, unique pieces to its store, including these hand-illustrated “glass cans” that are full of charm and designed with attention to detail. Choose all your new favorite summertime essentials when you visit.

DIGG GARDENS

7430 U.S. Hwy. 1 | 772-360-2131 | digggardens.com

VISIT THE VNA

STORE EXPANSION COMPLETE

The VNA Hidden Treasures thrift store has been expanded and remodeled. Located in the Miracle Mile plaza, the refreshed space features high-quality merchandise at low prices. The store is also accepting gently used donations of clothing, furniture, jewelry, and housewares.

VNA HIDDEN TREASURES

656 21st St. | 772-563-0010 | vnatc.com

WHAT A WORLD

ARTIST’S COLLECTION ON DISPLAY

Abstract painter

Robert Natkin painted lyrical and powerful canvases that are represented in the permanent collections of major museums and prestigious corporate and private collections worldwide. His work can now be viewed at Findlay Galleries.

The Point of the Story Is ... by Robert Natkin, oil on canvas, 36 3/4 x 23 1/2 inches

FINDLAY GALLERIES

165 Worth Ave., Palm Beach | 561-655-2090 | findlaygalleries.com

CAPITAL IDEA

SOURCE LEADERS ATTEND WASHINGTON CONFERENCE

Sgt. Linda Nolan, Capt. Tony Consalo, Bobby Lindsey, and Lt. Joe Abollo with the Dignity Bus

Anthony Zorbaugh and Jonathan Orozco of The Source are attending the National Conference on Ending Homelessness, which is being held this month in Washington, D.C. They will give a talk on their innovative Dignity Bus program.

THE SOURCE

1015 Commerce Ave. | 772-564-0202 | iamthesource.org

ON THE CUFF

UNIQUE BRACELET AT PROVIDENT

Do not miss this stunning bangle in 18-karat yellow gold accented with 19.18 carats of diamonds. This fabulous cuff from Provident Jewelry is bold and eye catching, adding a definite level of glam to your look.

PROVIDENT JEWELRY

828 W. Indiantown Road, Jupiter | 561-747-4449 providentjewelry.com

SWEET SUMMER SALE TIME

ANNUAL SALE TO HAPPEN

Vernon Scott Resort Wear will host its second annual storewide sale during the month of August. Shop a variety of your favorite items and find new pieces at terrific prices throughout the entire month.

VERNON SCOTT RESORT WEAR

818 Beachland Blvd. | 772-231-3733 | vernonscott32963.com

REALTOR®

#3 Sales Agent in Indian River County

“We were fortunate enough to get paired up with Cathy Curley when we were looking to buy a place in Vero Beach last Spring. Cathy was a DREAM to work with - we were out of state, and she made us feel comfortable with the buying process even though we were over 1,000 miles away! She was always available to answer our questions, either by text or phone call, even though she was working with multiple clients besides us. I can’t imagine better service from a realtor, Cathy is THE BEST!”

-Kent and Cynthia Wanamaker

Thinking About Buying or Selling? I would love the opportunity to earn your business.

TOP PRODUCER @

(772) 559.1359 ccurley@dsreinc.com

BUILDING BEAUTY

AR HOMES/BEACHLAND HOMES

772-492-4018 | arhomesverobeach.com

WE’VE TRANSFORMED OUR SHOWROOM . Stop in to learn how we can help you transform your home.

Explore how Hunter Douglas window treatments transform the light in your home by defining the mood of your unique and beautiful space. We have an intelligent shade design for whatever you need or desire.

Additionally, let one of our master craftsmen create custom draperies, reupholster a treasured heirloom or recover the cushions of your watercraft and outdoor furniture.

Heritance® Hardwood Shutters

AR Homes joins the roster of luxury home builders within Tesoro Club, a premier golf club community. It o ers singlefamily homes, in a range of sizes, that are fully customizable and amenities aplenty for playing, eating, and enjoying life.

The United Way extends heartfelt gratitude to Chad Morrison, outgoing board chair. With a legacy spanning back to 2006, Morrison’s contributions have been monumental, and his tireless efforts and boundless enthusiasm have left an indelible mark on the United Way.

Welcome Congratulations

Kristina Sweatt has joined the AMAC | Alex MacWilliam Real Estate team. As a dental hygienist driven by her passion for helping others, Sweatt loves working in real estate to guide clients through the home buying or selling process.

Rick Brewer, who has a PhD in educational leadership and policies from the University of South Carolina, is now head of school at Master’s Academy. He comes to Vero Beach from Louisiana Christian University, where he served as president and CEO.

AMAC | Alex MacWilliam Real Estate is pleased to announce that fi ve local graduating high school seniors have each been awarded $1,000 college scholarships. “For 24 years now, we have awarded over $125,000 in scholarships to local graduates,” declare broker/co-owners Alex “Buzz” MacWilliam III and son Alex “AMAC” MacWilliam IV.

Efe Erdogan will attend the University of Florida , where he plans to obtain a degree in civil engineering. He dreams of becoming a master builder and wishes also to learn about rocket science as well as nuclear and quantum physics.

Faith McCreary-Velez , who obtained her CNA certification in March, will be attending IRSC , where her goal is a bachelor’s in health science. She plans to work as a traveling nurse or neonatal nurse and is also considering attending medical school to become a pediatrician.

Shamya Baskin, who has already obtained her CNA and PCT (patient care technician) certifications, will attend IRSC for her degree in health science and surgical services technology and a degree in health care management.

AMAC | Alex MacWilliam Real Estate congratulates its overall April top producer, Kit Fields , a fourth-generation Vero Beach resident. With a degree in finance with an emphasis in real estate and insurance, she is passionate about selling, staging, and remodeling.

Kalani Wright is headed for Florida A&M University to obtain her biology premed degree with the goal of becoming a doctor of obstetrics and gynecology.

Rebecca Hernandez has obtained her CNA and PCT certifications and will be attending Nova Southeastern University to seek her bachelor’s degree in health business. She plans to attend medical school and become a neurologist or trauma physician.

Home Health • Hospice • Private Care

ON THE BEACH

“On

– MARK YANNO, “The Fish Don’t Have a Chance,” p. 76

The Original Palm Beach Sandal

Sunglasses

Dresses

Jewelry

Scarves & Wraps

Bags & Totes

Beach Accessories

Gifts

Home Decor

3309 Ocean Drive

Vero Beach, FL 32963

772.226.5998

PalmBeachSandals.com

ENTERTAINING

At Your Service

WILD THYME’S TRAVIS BECKETT THRIVES ON BRINGING CLIENTS’ IDEAS TO LIFE AND GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY

BY CHRIS FASOLINO PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIM BOTTALICO

here does culinary inspiration come from?

From restaurants to home kitchens, every chef has his or her own answer to that question. But for Travis Beckett of Wild Thyme Catering in Vero Beach, inspiration comes from his customers. “Our clients are our builders,” he says.

Beckett opened Wild Thyme in 2010, in partnership with Lou Kolbauer, now of the Green Marlin and Chive. In 2017, Kolbauer moved into focusing on restaurants, and now Beckett’s partner in the business is also his partner in life: his wife, Maria. “Maria has been as instrumental as I have in every way, since she came on board in 2019 full-time. She was instrumental in adding aesthetics, femininity, and organization.”

Wild Thyme has catered for numerous memorable events in the Vero Beach area over the years and continues to do so. One that Beckett particularly remembers was an Indian River Land Trust event at Rock City Gardens in Sebastian, where he and his team did a 10-by-10-foot table with the theme “the Bridges of Indian River County.” Each model bridge was surrounded by charcuterie. The inspiration, as usual, came from the clients. “Our customers have ideas, and it’s up to us to make them come to life,” Beckett says. The clients have also been essential to the success of Wild Thyme through their positive word of mouth. Beckett mentions an event for The Buggy Bunch in Vero Beach that was playfully known as “The Buggy Brunch.”

The buffet tables of shrimp, crab, and other brunch selections proved very popular, and, as Beckett points out, “Word of mouth cascades.”

Prior to opening Wild Thyme, Beckett had spent several years in Waikiki, Hawaii, and as a result, “about

20 percent of our menu has an Asian flair.” Often, that is manifested through fusion cuisine, such as the steak sauce made with soy, sriracha, and maple syrup—an intriguing combination.

An important aspect of Wild Thyme is Beckett’s focus on philanthropy; he gives free food and service to local charities every year, and he considers that generosity to be central to who he is and what he does. “We enjoy what this county has given us, and we want to give back,” he says.

And Beckett will keep on allowing his clients to steer his culinary offerings. “People come back to filet mignon, Tuscan chicken, chicken Marsala—food that they’re comfortable with and that has class. There’s nothing too original about filet mignon with horseradish sauce and au jus, but it’s one of the best things out there.”

Travis Beckett has been operating Wild Thyme Catering for 14 years and gets his ongoing inspiration from clients.

CONDIMENT

Chimichurri

e great steak sauce of the South American gauchos can be made in advance so you have it ready for your next barbecue.

YIELDS 4 CUPS

4 bunches parsley

2 bunches cilantro

3 tbsp. garlic, chopped

1/2 tbsp. garlic powder

1 cup olive oil

3/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 1/2 tbsp. cumin

1 tbsp. red pepper flakes

In a blender, lightly pulse all ingredients except half the olive oil and half the red wine vinegar until well incorporated, then begin adding the rest of the olive oil and vinegar.

Use a spatula to get all the sauce down from the sides, and continue to pulse lightly with intermittent pauses. Don’t over-pulse or the leaves of the herbs will begin to brown. Once the sauce is well blended, store in a container with a lid and label with the date.

SIDE DISH

Spanish Rice

Flavors of onions, peppers, cumin, and garlic make this a classic dish and a Wild Thyme mainstay.

SERVES 6

12 cups brown rice, cooked

2 lbs. yellow onion, julienned

2 lbs. bell peppers, julienned

1 oz. salt

6 tbsp. cumin

6 tbsp. onion powder

6 tbsp. garlic powder

Sauté bell peppers and yellow onions with seasonings on high heat until well charred but still crisp. Incorporate rice in small amounts to allow quicker heating. Serve or lay on a sheet pan and cool for later reheating.

Seared Lamb Chop

A blackberry-lime sauce adds a distinctive touch to this rich and delicious dish.

SERVES 4

2 lbs. rack of lamb

1 cup olive oil

1 tbsp. herbes de Provence

1 tsp. cracked pepper

1 tbsp. salt

1 cup high-quality blackberry jelly

1/8 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

Separate, trim, and clean the lamb chops. Marinate in olive oil, herbes de Provence, all of the pepper, and half the salt for 1 1/2 hours. Leave on the counter to approach room temperature. (It is advantageous to cook meats closer to room temperature than just out of the refrigerator.)

Make a blackberry sauce by combining the blackberry jelly and the lime juice and whisking thoroughly to emulsify; set aside.

Heat a large sauté pan, adding vegetable oil to help sear

well. Do not sear with olive oil; it has a low flash point and burns easily. Once the pan is hot, sear lamb chops very well on both sides, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Depending on the thickness of the chops, they may be done at this point. Internal temperature should be 136 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat on medium-low setting until chops are medium rare.

Remove chops from pan and add salt to taste. (Lamb is a rich meat that needs salt to bring out the flavor.) Top with blackberry sauce.

APPETIZER

Bottled Sunshine

THIS SOUTHERN ITALIAN OFFERING IS A PERFECT WINE FOR A SUMMER’S DAY IN VERO BEACH

BY CHRIS FASOLINO

ome years ago, my parents and I visited Amal and stayed at a place called the Villa Aurora. Within walking distance there was a restaurant that was built out over the water. It was painted a amboyant turquoise, so that it seemed to

be emerging from the vibrant waters of the Mediterranean. Not only was it a beautiful spot, it had fresh local seafood, delicious pizza, and a wine list that featured a great southern Italian vineyard— Feudi di San Gregorio. at was not, however, my

introduction to Feudi di San Gregorio. I rst had it under circumstances that made for, if anything, an even stronger recommendation. It was served by my grandmother’s cousins when we visited family in Calitri, a southern Italian village in the moun-

tains inland from Naples. So these wines have special signi cance to me because of family memories as well as travel adventures. However, they are also wines of such quality that I can con dently recommend them to readers who may have no particular

FALANGHINA

connection to Calitri.

Across the board, Feudi di San Gregorio wines are high quality, and the vineyard focuses on indigenous—and ancient—southern Italian varietals, thereby helping to preserve them in the face of globalization. ese wines can be special ordered at Varietals & More and other local wine shops.

While you will not go wrong with any of the wines from Feudi di San Gregorio, a great choice for the tropical weather of Vero Beach in summertime is the Falanghina.

Falanghina is a white wine that pairs very well with fresh seafood, making it ideal for the Amal Coast and Vero Beach alike. It has citrus notes reminiscent of blood

orange (to use an appropriately Italian comparison) as well as hints of melon and a touch of sea salt. e color is golden and its avor is rich. Indeed, it reminds me of a phrase from author Kenneth Grahame, who once described an Italian wine as “bottled sunshine.” And yes, that quote is actually from

Grahame’s most famous work, e Wind in the Willows; a scene in that wonderful book has the anthropomorphic animal characters enjoying a good Italian wine.

e labels of Feudi di San Gregorio wines are all based on ancient Roman mosaics, re ecting the historic character of the varieties

they are helping to preserve.

e Falanghina features a jaunty image of blue birds and white owers against a eld of gold. It somehow evokes history, nature, and the simple joy of golden sunshine, all at the same time—an ideal image for this wine.

Falanghina, a white wine, will pair well with seafood dishes.

The Feudi di San Gregorio winery is in Sorbo Serpico in the province of Avellino.

PIÑA COLADA

A

CLASSIC VACATION COCKTAIL TAKES ON A MODERN TWIST

BY JULES ARON

F Invitation to Escape

ew cocktails are more evocative of a summer escapade than the iconic piña colada. Immortalized in song, the refreshing frozen concoction of rum, coconut, pineapple, and lime conjures a tropical oasis in a glass.

Translated from the Spanish for “strained pineapple,” a version of the drink (without coconut) appeared in print in a 1922 edition of Travel Magazine. While the piña colada’s true origins remain a bit sticky, with at least three Puerto Ricans—Ramon “Monchito” Marrero Perez, Ricardo Garcia, and Portas Migot—claiming the invention, the blended drink rose to popularity in the 1950s in Puerto Rico, where it was dubbed the national drink in 1978.

Variations on the recipe abound, but this summer, we’ll be celebrating with the 1950s classic.

Piña Colada

2 oz. white rum

1 oz. coconut cream

1 oz. heavy cream

6 oz. fresh pineapple juice

1/2 cup crushed ice

Mix rum, coconut cream, heavy cream, and pineapple juice together in a blender. Add ice and blend for about 15 seconds or until smooth. Serve in a 12-ounce glass and garnish with a fresh pineapple wedge and a maraschino cherry.

Across the Pond

ALEXA BIALE & ANDREW RICHARDS

Alexa Biale and Andrew Richards celebrated their marriage at the historic Fitzrovia Chapel in London, England on July 8, 2023.

The bride is the daughter of Renáe Biale Tesauro of Vero Beach and Stephen Biale of Tarrytown, New York. A graduate of Kent Place School in Summit, New Jersey, Alexa earned bachelor’s degrees in English and art history from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. She is vice president of growth and performance marketing at WeTransfer.

The groom, who proposed to Alexa during a weekend in Normandy, France, is the son of Jennifer Richards and the late George Richards of The Wirral, England. A graduate of Manchester Business School with a master’s degree in finance from Manchester University, Andrew is a partner at Plutus Wealth Management.

Following the exchange of vows and a procession accompanied by the Beatles song “All You Need Is Love,” guests from near and far joined the couple for cocktails, dinner, and dancing at The Mandrake Hotel.

The newlyweds honeymooned at the luxurious Haritha Villas and Spa in Sri Lanka, where they explored the island’s golden beaches and verdant jungle paradise.

The couple resides in Hampstead, London, with their German shorthaired pointer puppy, Goose.

Alexa and Andrew Richards in Fitzrovia Chapel, London

Top left: The newlyweds make their way out of the chapel after the ceremony.

Top right: Alexa with bridesmaids Liz Perry, Elaine Fletcher, Sita Huber, Laurel Van Tassel Jonsson, Cara Stahl, Rebecca Mashkovich, Paige Beaumont, Lauren Ortner, and Kashi Morgan

Above: Andrew with groomsmen Max Morgan, Nathan Harrod, Mark Croxford, Matthew Richards, and Craig Foggo

Left: the bride with her mother Renáe Biale Tesauro and stepfather Jay Tesauro

Far left: The Mandrake’s Yopo Restaurant and the exterior of The Mandrake Hotel

SALON DEL MAR BEAUTY ESSENTIALS

Certified Trichologist and Master Stylist

ALIMENTARI

Approximately one in four Americans—50 million men and 30 million women—have androgenetic alopecia, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. More than 66 percent of men experience this hereditary form of pattern balding by age 60. Similarly, more than half of postmenopausal women exhibit some degree of female pattern hair loss.

THE GOOD NEWS

This is highly treatable if caught early.

Treatments are so effective we guarantee results!

“We are an outdoor-focused community.”

Anthony Martinez | OWNER OF SALON DEL MAR

– ED DODD, “A Big Small Town,” p. 84

The Sky’s the Limit

LOCAL NONPROFITS HAVE PULLED OUT ALL THE STOPS AT RECENT EVENTS

Spring Gala

RIVERSIDE THEATRE

Broadway stars Laura Benanti and Norm Lewis took to the Stark Stage before more than 500 theater supporters February 26 for Riverside’s Spring Gala, which was co-chaired by Fran Laserson, Connie McGlynn, and Laura McDermott. With plants and greenery supplied by Rock City Gardens, the event’s design team of Helen Cook, Sacha MacNaughton, Annette Rodriguez, and Sarah Banks transformed the theater’s Orchid Lobby into an elegant dining space, where guests enjoyed a memorable meal created by Elizabeth Kennedy & Co. The Waxlax Theatre became a posh club outfitted with couches and chairs for the guests’ comfort.

Major sponsors:

John’s Island Real Estate; Barbara Baldwin; Barbara and David Kaytes; Marlynn and Bill Scully; Carol and Pat Welsh

Michael and Joan Hoben

Robert and Georgia Irish

Joanne Quaile, Vitalii Vasko

The Waxlax Theatre, transformed with club-style seating

Catering by Elizabeth Kennedy & Co.

Fran Laserson, Connie McGlynn, Laura McDermott

Maureen and Bob Bauchman

2024 LYRIQ RWD TECH

2024 XT4 LUXURY

2024 XT5 LUXURY

THE SCENE

Grand Masque Ball

VERO

BEACH OPERA

In a private concert, coloratura soprano Maria Aleida and tenor Eduardo Salles, both natives of Cuba, mesmerized Vero Beach Opera members at the Grand Masque Ball in February. The theme of the event, held at Grand Harbor Club, was “An Evening in Venice.” The guests, who arrived in costume or formal attire, enjoyed cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, a gourmet dinner, and a “Portraits in Venice” photo booth. Event co-chairs Marcia Loewinger and Bob and Joanne Webster worked hard to make the ball the special evening that it was.

Eduardo Salles, Maria Aleida

Ana De La Cruz

Marcia and Dr. Bob Loewinger

Paula and David Andreozzi

Maryann Kann, George Cooke

Román and Joan Ortega-Cowan

Nancy and Ron Gabor

Sue and Paul Gauthier

Rachel and John LeBon

Carol Hughes, Robert Kramer

Michele and Alan Brenner

Carolyn Lange, Lisa Eden

THE SCENE

Art in Bloom

VERO BEACH MUSEUM OF ART

More than 400 guests gathered at VBMA March 7 to view and vote on 11 interpretive floral designs based on the museum’s permanent collection and to hear a presentation by guest speaker Jennifer Figge while enjoying a luncheon catered by Elizabeth Kennedy & Co. Figge, who owns a floral studio in Boston, is passionate about nature and its expression in floral and garden design.

Major sponsors:

Nancy and Tom Kingsbury; Emily and Ned Sherwood; Carolyn Stutt; John’s Island Real Estate Company; Robin MacTaggart; Tina and Andy Nickle; Noteworthy by Design

Emily Sherwood, Kathy Flatley

Page Franzel, Diane Langevin Lee LaPointe

Guest floral designer Jennifer Figge

Guests vote on the arrangements.

Rennie Gibb, Pat Burgoon, Jeanette Mahaney, Alie Saraceno

Renee Gallagher, Kate Graham, Tina Nickle

Blue Ribbon Luncheon

HIBISCUS CHILDREN’S CENTER

For the 25th year, Hibiscus Children’s Center held its Blue Ribbon Luncheon & Fashion Show, a fundraiser for the organization’s residential facilities for children who have suffered abuse. The event was held at Oak Harbor Club in April, which is Child Abuse Prevention Month. This year’s theme was “Up, Up and Away,” and former Hibiscus resident Dave Miller shared his powerful story of being abandoned with his siblings at age 4 and experiencing a newfound sense of security and self-worth at Hibiscus. In addition to a lovely luncheon, the afternoon included a champagne reception, a silent auction, and a fabulous runway fashion show featuring looks from local boutiques.

Major sponsors: Marie O’Reilly; Miriam Grabow; Marie Ek; Linda Teetz; Olivia and Jim Harrell; Jan and Mike Harrell; Suzanne Bertman; Dena Lombardo

MUSIC ANGELS EDUCATION FUND

Guitarist Greg Reiter and flamenco dancer Clarita Filgueiras provided the lively entertainment for the Music Angels Education Fund’s Valentine’s Day Flamenco & Tapas event. Guests also enjoyed hors d’oeuvres, drinks, and desserts at the fundraiser, which supports Music Angels’ mission of providing music lessons for children aged 4 to 17 whose families cannot do so due to financial constraints. Music Angels was founded by Linda Sposato.

Flamenco & Tapas

Co-chairs Pam Larrick, Cathy Cronin, and Susie Kintner

The co-chairs with guest speaker Dave Miller

Clarita Filgueiras, Greg Reiter, Linda Sposato

Jessie Knapp, Mark Mendelsohn, Patsy Bove, Pam Puglisi

Mel and Linda Teetz

Jan Harrell, Linda Teetz

Wivi-Anne Weber, Helen Robertson, Suzanne Bertman

Summer Shades

STIMULATE YOUR SENSES WITH AN ARRAY OF ART

‘ON LAND & SEA’

JULY 1–31

Oil painter Leonard Mizerek is featured in this month’s “On Land & Sea” exhibition at J.M. Stringer Gallery. The part-time Vero Beach resident is a highly regarded marine artist who is endlessly fascinated with the effects of light in nature, particularly the many coastal areas and harbors he visits. He has also painted a number of cityscapes in New York City and Paris.

J.M. Stringer Gallery of Fine Art 3465 Ocean Drive 772-231-3900 jmstringergallery.com

Sunset on the Horizon by Leonard Mizerek, oil on linen, 26 x 40 inches

‘SUMMER SELECTIONS’

JULY 8–AUGUST 10

Findlay Galleries presents “Summer Selections,” an exhibition of works from its vast collections of Impressionism, Modernism, l’École de Rouen, l’École de Paris, 20th-century American art, and from its stable of contemporary artists. A warm summer day is a great occasion to take a drive down to Palm Beach and spend some time exploring the historic Findlay Galleries.

Findlay Galleries

165 Worth Ave., Palm Beach 561-655-2090 findlaygalleries.com

ONGOING EVENTS

ROCK ‘N’ ROLL BILLBOARDS

Through September 1

From the late 1960s to the early ’80s, handpainted 14-by-48-foot wood-panel rock ‘n’ roll billboards adorned L.A.’s Sunset Strip. Many were captured by young photographer Robert Landau and can be seen in the exhibition “Rock ‘n’ Roll Billboards of the Sunset Strip: Photographs by Robert Landau” on display this summer at VBMA.

Vero Beach Museum of Art 3001 Riverside Park Drive 772-231-0707 vbmuseum.org

‘GOING ON SEVENTEEN’

Through September 27

In anticipation of its 17th season, Gallery 14 presents “Going on Seventeen: Summertime at Gallery 14,” an exhibition of the latest works by its eight artist-owners. Art by the gallery’s 11 represented artists is also on view. Receptions will take place during the First Friday Gallery Strolls July 5, Aug. 2, and Sept. 6 from 5 to 8 p.m. During August and September, the gallery will be open only during the strolls and by appointment.

Gallery 14

1911 14th Ave.

772-562-5525

gallery14verobeach.com

Alqa (Aqua) by Ptolemy Mann, acrylic and watercolor on paper, 69 11/16 x 44 7/8 inches

Uncharted by Jessica Leto, acrylic and gold leaf, 48 x 36 inches

Billboard for the 1975 movie Tommy, based on the album by The Who; copyright Robert Landau

ROBERT LANDAU

GALLERY GUIDE

ART AT THE EMERSON

The Emerson Center’s gallery shows works by local artists in six themed exhibitions per year.

1590 27th Ave.

772-778-5880 artattheemerson.com

ARTISTS GUILD GALLERY

This cooperative-owned fine art gallery offers works in diverse styles and media by its ownerartists as well as associate and consignor artists.

1974 14th Ave.

772-299-1234 artistsguildgalleryofvero beach.com

ART WORKS

Various U.S. artists are featured, representing a range of styles. Classes, art parties, and other events are available.

2036 14th Ave., Suite 106 772-559-5230 artworksofvero.com

ENVIRONMENTAL LEARNING CENTER

The Lagoon and Tidal Rooms are dedicated to nature-related art.

255 Live Oak Drive

772-589-5050 discoverelc.org

FINDLAY GALLERIES

Renowned globally for its distinguished roster of contemporary and abstract artists,

GALLERY VERITAS

This gallery has periodic exhibitions and adjoins a working studio housing seven artists and an art library.

1422 20th St. 323-547-1188 thegalleryveritas.com

J.M. STRINGER

GALLERY OF FINE ART

The gallery offers worldwide collections of original paintings, objets d’art, sculptures, and select antique furnishings.

3465 Ocean Drive 772-231-3900 jmstringergallery.com

THE LAUGHING DOG GALLERY

The vast showroom offers works from more than 350 contemporary American craftsmen who create art glass, ceramics, sculpture, furniture, and fine art jewelry.

and outdoor scenes and seascapes by two additional artists.

3349 Ocean Drive, Suite 8 772-579-7667 eliseartist.com oceandrivegalleryverobeach.com

PALM HOUSE STUDIO & GALLERY

The work of several awardwinning artists is featured, and commissions are welcome.

3227 Ocean Drive, 2nd floor 772-231-6816 palmhousegallery.com

RAW SPACE

This innovative alternative cultural venue promotes a spectrum of artistic disciplines.

1795 Old Dixie Hwy. 305-213-9411 artconceptalternative.org

the gallery specializes in 19th- and 20th-century Impressionism, European Modernism, l’Ecole de Rouen, l’Ecole de Paris, and 20thcentury American art.

165 Worth Ave., Palm Beach 561-655-2090 findlaygalleries.com

THE GALLERIES AT FIRST PRES

This venue displays the works of local artists in quarterly threeartist installments.

520 Royal Palm Blvd. 772-562-9088 firstpresvero.org

GALLERY 14

The gallery features a diverse array of works in a variety of media by its eight owner-artists, along with represented artists and rotating monthly guests.

1911 14th Ave. 772-562-5525 gallery14verobeach.com

THE GALLERY AT WINDSOR

This independent art space annually invites curators of museum-quality shows of contemporary art.

3125 Windsor Blvd. 772-388-4071 windsorflorida.com/the-gallery

2910 Cardinal Drive 772-234-6711 thelaughingdoggallery.com

LOPRESTI ART GALLERY

This gallery and studio features the work of versatile husbandand-wife artists David LoPresti and Leah Blythe.

927 7th Ave. 772-538-1454 loprestiartgallery.com

MAIN STREET VERO BEACH

STUDIOS AND GALLERY

The handcrafted jewelry of Clair Brunetti, who creates custom works and repairs and updates older pieces, is showcased.

2036 14th Ave. 772-643-6782 mainstreetverobeach.org

MEGHAN CANDLER GALLERY

This friendly, uplifting gallery has a beautifully curated collection of paintings by more than 40 contemporary artists of the abstract, Impressionist, and realistic styles.

6160 Hwy. A1A Village Shops 772-234-8811 meghancandlergallery.com

OCEAN DRIVE GALLERY

The oil abstracts of Elise Geary and representational narrative paintings by Jill Kerwick are featured, along with acrylic rural

SEBASTIAN RIVER ART CLUB

The club offers classes, demonstrations, workshops, and art shows.

1245 Main St., Sebastian 772-321-9333 sebastianriverartclub.com

SEVENTH AVENUE STUDIO

The gallery features the abstract art paintings of Rita Barone and the varied works of Janet Kipp Tribus.

2304 7th Ave. Barone: 772-359-6283 Tribus: 772-766-0636

VERO BEACH ART CLUB

This independent nonprofit serves more than 500 members and the community through education, exhibitions, social events, and monthly meetings with special programs and guest artists.

1903 14th Ave. 772-217-3345 verobeachartclub.org

VERO BEACH MUSEUM OF ART

The largest accredited art facility on the Treasure Coast, VBMA presents international exhibitions from lenders and from its permanent collection, also offering classes, lectures, film studies, concerts, children’s programs and interactive Art Zone, sculpture parks, and museum store.

3001 Riverside Park Drive 772-231-0707 vbmuseum.org

Loxahatchee River by James Kerr, oil on canvas, 48 x 60 inches, at Meghan Candler Gallery

Hot Tips

DON’T LET JULY PASS BY WITHOUT PARTICIPATING IN SOME COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

TIndependence Day Celebrations

The Fourth of July is one of the highlights of summer, and the City of Sebastian will kick off the local festivities with its annual Freedom Festival, an all-day bash including a patriotic opening ceremony, a parade, live music, food, and beverages. The event takes place at Riverview Park (U.S. Hwy. 1 and County Road 512) from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., with fireworks beginning after dark. At 5 p.m., the City of Vero Beach will launch its celebration at Riverside Park. Food trucks will be on hand, and live music begins at 6 p.m. The fabulous fireworks display gets underway at 9 p.m. Both events are free to attend. For more information, see cityofsebastian.org and covb.org. For additional questions, call 772-228-7054 (Sebastian Parks & Recreation) or 772-978-5151 (City of Vero Beach).

TComedy Zone & Live in the Loop

Keep the laughs and the toe-tapping going all summer with Comedy Zone and Live in the Loop, presented by Riverside Theatre. Touring comedians take the Waxlax Stage at 6 and 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday evenings, and tickets are $25. There is no charge to enjoy the outdoor music performances, which take place at 5:30 and 9 p.m. The grill is open for food and beverages. On July 12 and 13, comics Frankie Paul and Trish Keating will perform, as will bands Collins and Company (Friday) and Vince Love and the Soul Cats (Saturday). The lineup for July 19 and 20 is Tim the Dairy Farmer and Johnny B as well as bands Murphy’s Law (Friday) and Jerzi (Saturday). The entertainment continues July 26 and 27 with the comedy of Jake Klark and Mike Murillo and the music of Chemistry (Friday) and The Real Deal (Saturday). For more information, call the box office at 772-231-6990 or visit riversidetheatre.com.

Fly with an Astronaut Select July 12, 13, or 14 for an unforgettable experience at Kennedy Space Center. A small group of guests will join veteran astronaut Anna Fisher for a fivehour adventure. At 9:15 a.m. guests meet at Heroes and Legends, where they learn about astronaut requirements and the pioneers of the space program. A motor coach tour follows. Then, during a private catered lunch, Fisher will reflect on her experiences and take questions. The group will then visit Space Shuttle Atlantis and board the Shuttle Launch Experience for a simulation of launching into space and traveling at 17,500 mph—all while accompanied by Fisher, who became the first mother in space in 1984 when she took part in STS-51–A, a satellite deployment and recovery mission of Space Shuttle Discovery. She has since worked in International Space Station Mission Control and other NASA roles. At 2:15, guests may tour the Apollo/Saturn V Center on their own, as regular Visitor Complex admission is included in the ticket price of $206 for ages 12 and up and $181 for ages 3–11. See kennedyspacecenter.com for more information and to book the experience.

Jake Klark

Astronaut Anna Fisher

JULY

PLAYTIME IN THE PARK

This program exposes children aged 2 to 5 to theater and dance in a fun outdoor se ing. No tickets are required. July 13 will focus on theater and July 20 on dance. 11 a.m., free

Riverside Theatre

3250 Riverside Park Drive 772-231-6990 riversidetheatre.com

JULY

LAUGH & LEARN

Nancy Johnson, the “Laughing Lady,” offers presentations based

on the idea of laughter as the best medicine. Her fun, interactive, and educational sessions for adults emphasize the many benefits of laughter and a positive a itude. No preregistration required. 10:30–11:30 a.m., free

North IRC Library 1001 Sebastian Blvd., Sebastian 772-400-6360 indianriver.gov/services/library

JULY

SOMETHING ROTTEN

This comedy, with book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell and music by Karey Kirkpatrick and his brother Wayne, tells the farcical

RECURRING EVENTS

EVERY SATURDAY

FARMERS MARKET

Browse the wares of more than two dozen vendors at the Vero Beach Farmers Market, at the corner of Ocean Drive and Dahlia Lane. 8 a.m.–noon

Business Inspiring Kindness 2901 Ocean Drive verobeachfarmersmarket.com

EVERY FIRST FRIDAY

FIRST FRIDAY GALLERY STROLL

Enjoy a summer evening stroll with plenty of art galleries, restaurants, and cafés to visit. July 5 and Aug. 2, 5–8 p.m.

Main Street Vero Beach Downtown along 14th Avenue 772-643-6782 mainstreetverobeach.org

EVERY LAST FRIDAY

DOWNTOWN FRIDAY

Enjoy a community street party with live music, street vendors, and food trucks. July 26, 6–9 p.m., free

Main Street Vero Beach Downtown along 14th Avenue 772-643-6782 mainstreetverobeach.org

EVERY LAST SATURDAY

VBMA FREE ADMISSION

Admission is free for everyone on the last Saturday of each month. July 27, 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Vero Beach Museum of Art 3001 Riverside Park Drive 772-231-0707 vbmuseum.org

Riverside Theatre’s Playtime in the Park, July 13 and 20

ONGOING EVENTS

THROUGH JULY 31

TURTLE WALKS

Guided nighttime beach walks allow participants to witness the sea turtle nesting process. 9 p.m.; preregistration required; Coastal Connections: Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights, free; Sebastian Inlet State Park: Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights, $15

Coastal Connections at Costa d’Este 3244 Ocean Drive coastal-connections.org

Sebastian Inlet State Park at Sebastian Fishing Museum 14251 Hwy. A1A friendsofsebastianinletstate park.org

story of two 16th-century playwright brothers working in the shadow of William Shakespeare. Through Aug. 4; Fridays 7:30 p.m., Saturdays 2 and 7:30 p.m., Sundays 2 p.m.; $17.50–$40

Vero Beach Theatre Guild 2020 San Juan Ave. 772-562-8300 verobeachtheatreguild.com

JULY 24

MASTER GARDENERS

The amazing Master Gardeners of the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) will be at the North County Library sharing their

TJapanese Calligraphy

Students in grades 3 through 12 have the opportunity to learn to write some Japanese words in the traditional style with brush and ink. The hands-on workshop will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. July 19 at Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens (4000 Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach). The $30 fee includes materials but not museum admission. Instructor Akiko Soejima is adept at both shodo (calligraphy) and origami. Children under 14 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, who is welcome to enroll in the class as well. For more information, call 561-4950233 or see morikami.org

expertise. 10 a.m.–noon, free North IRC Library 1001 Sebastian Blvd., Sebastian 772-400-6360 indianriver.gov/libraries

WATERCOLOR CLASS

If you’d like to try expressing your creativity through watercolor painting, join the folks at the IRC Main Library on the fourth Wednesday of each month to learn the techniques. Registration is required. 2–3 p.m., free

IRC Main Library 1600 21st St. 772-400-6310 indianriver.gov/libraries

AUGUST 3

DANCE FESTIVAL

A performance on the Stark Main Stage will be the culmination of an intensive summer study program pairing local theater students aged 10 and up with instructors from New York’s Pigeonwing Dance, who will be in residence at Riverside Theatre for two weeks. Ballet Vero Beach joins the theater in presenting this opportunity. All are welcome to view the showcase. 2 p.m., free Riverside Theatre

3250 Riverside Park Drive 772-231-6990 riversidetheatre.com

Master Gardeners, North IRC Library, July 24Watercolor Class, IRC Main Library, July 24

BUSINESS DIRECTORY

The Directory

ARCHITECTS

MOULTON LAYNE PL

772-234-0445 moultonlayne.com 19

A RT GALLERIES & FINE ART

ARTISTS GUILD GALLERY

772-299-1234

artistsguildgalleryofverobeach.com 135

FINDLAY GALLERIES

561-655-2090

findlaygalleries.com 7

GALLERY 14

772-562-5525

gallery14verobeach.com ................ 13 5

J.M. STRINGER GALLERY OF FINE ART

772-231-3900

jmstringergallery.com 16

T HE LAUGHING DOG GALLERY

772-234-6711 thelaughingdoggallery.com ............... 14

M EGHAN CANDLER GALLERY

772-234-8811 meghancandlergallery.com 121

OCEAN DRIVE GALLERY

772-579-7667

oceandrivegalleryverobeach.com ....... 10 8

VERO BEACH MUSEUM OF ART

772-231-0707 vbmuseum.org 22

ATTORNEYS

GOULD COOKSEY FENNELL

772-231-1100 gouldcooksey.com ...................... 10 5

LULICH & ATTORNEYS

772-589-5500

lulich.com 9

R OSSWAY SWAN

772-231-4440

rosswayswan.com ........................ 22

AUTOMOTIVE SALES & SERVICES

LINUS CADILLAC BUICK GMC

772-562-1700 linuscadillac.com 12 3

MOTOR CITY CLASSIC CARS SERVICE

772-252-3590

motorcityclassiccars.com................. 56

B EAUTY, HAIR & SPA SERVICES

SALON DEL MAR

772-234-1499 120

BOATING & MARINE SERVICES

DECKMASTERS LLC

772-559-8629

deckmastersmarine.com 13 0

VERO MARINE CENTER

772-562-7922

veromarine.com 24

C ATERING, GOURMET MARKETS, WINE & SPIRITS

ALIMENTARI GOURMET MARKET 772-999-5483 alimentarigm.com 120

ELIZABETH D. KENNEDY & COMPANY INC. 772-563-0646 elizabethkennedycatering.com 117

COMPUTERS & AUDIOVISUAL CONSULTING

AUTOBAHN COMMUNICATIONS INC. 772-234-1555 autobahnco.com ........................ 13 7

CONSTRUCTION & BUILDING SERVICES

AR HOMES/BEACHLAND HOMES CORP. 772-492-4018 arhomes.com 38

C

ERO BEACH ROOFING

M. MAISON

772-231-4300

mmaisonvero.com 65

PALM BEACH SANDALS

772-226-5998 palmbeachsandals.com 106

S ASSY BOUTIQUE

772-234-3998 59

V ERNON SCOTT RESORT WEAR MEN & WOMEN

772-231-3733

vernonscott32963.com 1 07

VILLAGE SHOPS

772-231-1066 villageshopsverobeach.com .............. 46

F LOORING, TILE & STONE

DESIGNER’S TOUCH FLOORING

772-978-9111 designerstouchflooring.com 97

F LORIDA FLOOR FASHIONS

772-589-4994 floridafloorfashions.com ................. 67

M ACATA STONE

772-778-3210 macatastone.com 127

TILE MARKET & DESIGN CENTER OF VERO BEACH

772-978-1212

tilemarketverobeach.com 126

FURNITURE & ACCESSORIES

BUDGET BLINDS

772-202-7324

budgetblinds.com 67

COASTAL COMFORTS

772-226-7808 coastal-comforts.com 121

CONSIGNMENT GALLERY

772-778-8919

consignmentgalleryverobeach.com 117

EUROPEAN KITCHEN & BATH

772-770-9970

europeansink.com 126

FALASIRI ORIENTAL RUGS

772-562-0150 falasiriorientalrugs.com 126

FANTASTIC FINDS

772-794-7574 fantastic-finds.com 127

THE LAUGHING DOG GALLERY

772-234-6711 thelaughingdoggallery.com 14

L ED CAPSTONE LIGHTING & FAN SHOWROOM

772-205-2529 ledcapstone.com 126

L.K. DEFRANCES & ASSOCIATES INTERIOR DESIGN 772-234-0078 lkdefrancesandassociates.com 127

M. MAISON 772-231-4300 mmaisonvero.com 65

PAGE 2 DESIGN 772-492-9220 page2design.net 13

S UNSHINE FURNITURE 772-569-0460 sunshinefurniturecasual.com .............. 15

TR IMMINGS 772-213-8069 shoptrimmingsvb.com 59

V B HOME 772-492-9348 vbhome.us ............................... 28

GIFTS, STATIONERY & KEEPSAKES

COASTAL COMFORTS 772-226-7808 coastal-comforts.com 121

DIGG GARDENS PLANT SHOP 772-360-2131 digggardens.com ....................... 13 7

THE LAUGHING DOG GALLERY 772-234-6711 thelaughingdoggallery.com 14

M . MAISON 772-231-4300 mmaisonvero.com ....................... 65

NOTEWORTHY BY DESIGN 772-231-0085 121

KELLY

TRIMMINGS

772-213-8069

shoptrimmingsvb.com 59

VE RANDA

772-234-3404

verandajewelry.com 1

V ILLAGE SHOPS

772-231-1066

villageshopsverobeach.com 46

H OME PRODUCTS & SERVICES

BARKER AIR CONDITIONING & HEATING

772-562-2103

barkerac.com 13 1

BATES AIR AND HEAT

772-946-1590

batesairandheat.com 103

DECKMASTERS LLC

772-559-8629

deckmastersmarine.com 13 0

EUROPEAN KITCHEN & BATH

772-770-9970

europeansink.com 126

FLORIDA SHUTTERS

772-569-2200

floridashuttersinc.com 13 0

HBS GLASS

772-567-7461

hbsglass.com 13 1

THE HOUSE OF LIGHTS & HOME ACCENTS 800-541-3048 thehouseoflights.com 2

L ED CAPSTONE LIGHTING & FAN SHOWROOM

772-205-2529 ledcapstone.com 126

MEEKS PLUMBING 772-569-2285 meeksplumbing.com 1 02

ROTH INTERIORS

772-567-1210 rothinteriorswindowfashions.net 1 02

VERO BEACH ROOFING INC.

772-770-3782 verobeachroofing.com 13 1

VERO GLASS 772-567-3123 veroglass.com

I NTERIOR DESIGN SERVICES

COASTAL INTERIORS 772-492-6881 coastal.net

L .K. DEFRANCES & ASSOCIATES INTERIOR DESIGN 772-234-0078 lkdefrancesandassociates.com

AVENUE JEWELERS 772-217-8985

GRIDLEY + GRAVES

VERO ELITE DENTISTRY

772-569-9700

veroelitedentistry.com 65

M EDICAL SERVICES: DERMATOLOGY

SELECT SKIN MD

772-567-1164

selectskinmd.com 55

M EDICAL SERVICES: HOSPITALS

CLEVELAND CLINIC INDIAN RIVER HOSPITAL

772-567-4311

ccirh.org 53

M OVING, STORAGE & SHIPPING

COASTAL VAN LINES

772-569-6683

coastalvanlines.com 13 0

NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

UNITED WAY FOUNDATION OF INDIAN RIVER COUNTY

772-567-8900

unitedwayirc.org 39

V ISITING NURSE ASSOCIATION

772-202-8570

vnatc.com 105

REAL ESTATE

AMAC | ALEX MACWILLIAM REAL ESTATE

772-231-6509

alexmacwilliam.com 2 9

-CHARLOTTE TERRY GROUP

772-234-8500

charlotteterry.com ............ 41, back cover

AR HOMES/BEACHLAND HOMES CORP.

772-492-4018

arhomes.com 38

B ERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESERVICES FLORIDA REALTY

772-231-1270

bhhsfloridarealty.com inside front cover

CHRISTINE R. MCLAUGHLIN AT SHAMROCK REAL ESTATE

772-538-0683

propertyinvero.com 10 8

DALE SORENSEN REAL ESTATE

-CATHY CURLEY

772-559-1359

cathycurleyrealestate.com 1 01

JOHN’S ISLAND REAL ESTATE COMPANY

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PIONEER DAYS

Seeds of Growth

ONE COMPANY AND TWO BUILDINGS PLAYED MAJOR ROLES IN THE EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF VERO BEACH

BY PENNY CHANDLER NORRIS

n 1894, the Florida East Coast Railway constructed tracks into the central and southern parts of the state. Land speculators were coming from the Midwest to see this new frontier. Among them was Herman Zeuch, an Iowa banker who saw the possibilities of development in Florida.

Zeuch came to Vero in 1909 and organized the Indian River Farms Company, composed of Midwest businessmen. In 1911, they brought in engineer Robert D. Carter to assess the feasibility of developing what was then swampland.

After Carter declared the land suitable, the company purchased 55,000 acres and hired him to plan the canal system and oversee the drainage of the wetlands to make way for development.

The final plat of the original “Town of Vero” was adopted in 1913. Zeuch later became president of the Indian River Farms Company and played an important role in designing Vero.

Vero’s railroad passenger depot was built in 1903, and as Indian River Farms gained the attention of many from the North, the rail stop made their land-buying visits possible. The depot was located

on the east side of the tracks, south of the old diesel power plant (now American Icon Brewery).

On the southwest corner of Seminole Avenue (14th Avenue) and 21st Street, a rooming house called the Sleepy Eye Lodge accommodated land speculators, businessmen, and farmers looking to invest in the land development known as “the Farms.” One of those businessmen was pioneer Waldo Sexton who, as a young man, came to Vero to demonstrate and sell farm equipment.

Within a few days, he had purchased 120 acres.

To maintain the canal system, the Indian River Farms Drainage District was incorporated in 1919. That year, three supervisors were elected at the first meeting for terms of one, two, and three years, and they approved a tax of 40 cents per acre within the drainage district. The name was changed in 1972 to Indian River Farms Water Management District and in 1978 to Indian River Farms Water Control District. It remains responsible for the

maintenance of our county’s canal drainage system.

The Sleepy Eye Lodge no longer stands, but the railroad depot does, relocated to a spot just west of the tracks and north of Pocahontas Park. It serves as the home of the Indian River County Historical Society. It is interesting to ponder the far-reaching effects these two buildings had on the growth of our nownot-so-small town.

Penny Chandler Norris is a volunteer with the Indian River County Historical Society.

COURTESY OF INDIAN RIVER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

The Indian River Farms Co.’s Sleepy Eye Lodge Above: the original Vero railroad station

CHARLOTTE TERRY