Vero Beach Magazine September 2024

Realty.

Local residents reveal why they’re captivated by Vero Beach

By Kelly Rogers

With What’s Next Adventures, Nancy and Ian Beaumont create life-changing experiences By

By Jules Aron

By Mary Beth McGregor

Teresa Lee Rushworth

Life on John’s Island. A private, member-owned club located north of Vero Beach, this gem plays host to miles of unspoilt beaches, naturefilled river access, elegant residences, and watercolor sunsets. These serene offerings each combine luxury with traditional appeal. Replete with gorgeous architectural details, spacious living areas and lush grounds - all of our homes take advantage of prime location with access to an incredible array of amenities from sparkling ocean to iconic river. We invite you to indulge in a life of bliss in John’s Island.

luxuryestates : condominiums : homesites : townhouses : cottages : seasidesuites 772.231.0900 : Vero Beach, Florida : www.JohnsIslandRealEstate.com

Blue Skies. Cool Water. Warm Welcome.

Plants travel more than we might imagine

Evelyn Wilde Mayerson

Music makes Michael Carter’s—and our—world go round By Ann Taylor

A sudden tumble can remind us of the plight of some of our elderly neighbors By Jeffrey R. Pickering

Brian Redman’s Targa Sixty Six event at the HomesteadMiami Speedway By Patrick Merrell

Embark on the ultimate light-footed safari in the Kalahari

Paul Rubio

The classic wingback chair is going strong, sometimes with surprising modifications

Valerie Cruice

Florida-Friendly Landscaping welcomes wildlife

Nickie Munroe

FERREN

BELYNDA HENRY

ALEXANDER CALDER

BYRON BROWNE

Chef Red Bellamy finds inspiration in everything from old cookbooks to Antarctic salmon

Chris Fasolino

This month, we go on safari in South Africa’s wine country By Chris Fasolino

A toast to New Orleans with the classic sazerac By Jules Aron

Making the Move to Senior Living: Learn how to initiate delicate conversations and ease the transition for your aging loved ones

Renáe Tesauro

Botanical ingredients can make your beauty regimen blossom

Abigail Duffy

The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson By Elizabeth Leonard

Be the person your dog wants you to be: his leader

Amy Robinson

FACES OF VERO BEACH

Meet the people behind some of the most successful organizations in the community

NEW & NOTEWORTHY

Here’s what’s hot with businesses & nonprofits

Organizations keep the community abuzz with work and play

GALLERY GUIDE

Traditional, modern—whatever your style, our galleries have it!

Nonprofit events beckon as summer winds down

Thank you for supporting our local businesses

Though his business interests lay well to the north and south of Vero, Henry Flagler played a key role in the development of our area

WOLFE

September Sojourns

Ihave done surprisingly little traveling this year, so I absolutely love this issue focused on getting away, because it temporarily scratches that hard-to-reach itch I’ve had all summer for a little getaway. We begin our travels with the results of our annual photo contest. This time around, we kept it close to home and close to our hearts when asking you to embrace our charming little hometown and show us what you love about Vero Beach. After sifting through all your entries, it’s pretty apparent you love being in and around the gorgeous environment we call home. And who wouldn’t love living here? I never have to remind myself that we live inside a picture postcard every day. Congratulations to all the winners and especially Dale Erickson for giving us such a sweet cover!

If you and a friend would like to travel a little farther afield and are looking for a refreshing and creative drink to cool off, we’ve compiled a list of craft distilleries throughout the state that should be on your radar; but don’t forget to start by visiting our locals: Indian River Distillery and 21st Amendment Distillery.

When creating canvases of manhole covers, local artist David LoPresti doesn’t let the state lines of Florida limit his very distinctive art form. Learn about the fascinating way this former airplane parts manufacturer finds and creates his unique works while traveling the country with his artist wife, Leah. His hope is to instill an appreciation of industrial design in art collectors.

If the need to up your beach travel game is on your bucket list, then we’d like to introduce you to Captains Ian and Nancy Beaumont of What’s Next Adventures. Nancy, who grew up in Vero Beach, and her husband, Ian, are sharing their adventurous spirit with guests aboard their sailboat, Bahama Star, while traveling the turquoise waters and white sands of the Bahamas. Environmental education and a whole lot of fun are on the agenda for them, so come aboard with us as we tag along on a recent trip with a Vero Beach youth group on a mission.

After reading all of this, I’m inspired to plan my next trip—a college football game might be on tap this fall. September is here, and it’s my favorite time of year!

Kelly Rogers editor@verobeachmagazine.com

New Places, Familiar Faces

September is upon us, and the kids and grandkids are back in school, so let’s take a little journey together. After all, this is our travel issue.

If you’d like, grab a glass of wine—it’s okay because we’re taking a ride inside the pages of this month’s magazine. I would recommend starting off in South Africa with one of that nation’s signature varieties. In his Off the Vine column, Chris Fasolino explores the wines of South Africa, which is one of the world’s major wineproducing regions outside Europe. His selections sound amazing, and I look forward to trying one of his pairing recommendations.

This issue is a special one for me for reasons closer to home, too. Why? Well, it is the first issue in which our new annual section Faces of Vero Beach is featured. Here you are going to meet our local business owners, hear their unique stories, and learn about their achievements and contributions to the community. They all have great stories for you, and I urge you to get to know them the way I have. I am fortunate to interact with them on a monthly basis, and I hope you will do the same. Faces of Vero Beach offers a wonderful opportunity for our readers to help me in showing our local business owners some love.

Be sure to stay connected by signing up for our Vero Beach Insider weekly newsletter at verobeachmagazine.com.

Enjoy your adventure into the pages of our September issue.

Teri Amey-Arnold, Publisher publisher@verobeachmagazine.com

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, Elizabeth Leonard, Evelyn Wilde Mayerson, Mary Beth McGregor, Patrick Merrell, Nickie Munroe, Penny Chandler Norris, Jeffrey R. Pickering, Amy Robinson, Paul Rubio

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Taylor Amos, Steven Martine, Patrick Merrell, Ashley Meyer, Gyorgy Papp, Sam Wolfe

Architect: Moor, Baker & Associates Architects, P.A.

Photography: Jessica Glynn

megan@palmbeachmedia.com

JESSICA

Sales Consultant jessica@verobeachmagazine.com

CATHY

Executive Office Manager & Subscription Manager cathy@verobeachmagazine.com 772-234-8871

Edward Noott plein

painting

Farnham House garden, Broadway, The Cotswolds

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

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ASHLEY MEYER

MOULTON LAYNE

ARCHIT EC TURE

David Moulton | Scott Layne

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

Vero Vibes

WILDE SIDE

Covering Ground

ROOTS NOTWITHSTANDING, PLANTS TRAVEL MORE THAN WE MIGHT IMAGINE

BY EVELYN WILDE MAYERSON

Vero Beach Magazine’s September theme is travel, this being a popular month for off-season journeys, especially to foreign destinations that promise to be less crowded when students are back in school and their parents back to work. A team player, I decided I would also write about travel, although with a slight difference in who

or what does the traveling. From everything I have read or seen, the most frequent and constant travelers have not been people but plants, which may be considered the ultimate in pioneering organisms. Plants began wriggling their way out of the ancient nucleic sea from which we all began and colonizing land about 450 million years ago, an effort

made easy when the Atlantic was just a strait that ran through the mega-continent of Gondwana. Long before the advent of agriculture, when villagers first began to notice wild grasses growing among their rubbish heaps and realized that they sprang from seeds, plants have been on the move. There is no territorial environment in which plants

Botanists have long transported plants and seeds, but nature has its own means of accomplishing the task.

are not able to take root, from polar ice caps with their hair grass and pearlwort to deserts choked with heat and dotted with prickly pears, from the deepest oceans with red algae seaweed to the highest mountaintops sprinkled with dwarf willow and alpine aster. Plants have the capacity to cover in a short time all kinds of terrain, their means of transportation being traders, botanists, and hunters to carry them, and wind, water, animals, and birds to carry their seeds. The first Europeans to penetrate America’s interior were not seeking passages to the West; they were looking for plants to bring safely back to European nurseries for propagation.

Plants are not only adventurous, but, like squatters, they can be stubborn. Thirty years after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster laid a region waste, after all humans had long since been evacuated, poplars sprang up on rooftops and birch trees on terraces, asphalt was split open by shrubs, and roadways were transformed into rivers of green.

Florida’s salutary climate makes it a particularly popular destination for plants. The kudzu, for example—a creeping, climbing vine with grapescented blossoms, native to Asia and introduced into the South for erosion control— has made its way to Florida,

Introduced to the United States in 1876, kudzu literally “grows like a weed,” outcompeting other plants, including even large trees, for light.

growing a foot a day, climbing telephone poles, laying a carpet that smothers native grasses, plants, and trees. While the kudzu is out in the open, other plants are more covert, such as the ghost orchid, which has found its way deep into the Fakahatchee

Strand Preserve State Park, part of the sprawling Everglades ecosystem, the largest state park in Florida, one of its most beautiful swamps, and once a logging camp. Today, its royal palms tower over cypresses with buttressed bases, while ferns as tall as a

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person cover the forest floor. Although several endangered Florida panthers call the Fakahatchee home, the swamp is best known for its orchids, especially its rare native ghost orchid, tucked away in the wettest part of the preserve, where spotting it requires wading through waist-high water dark with tannins. The ghost orchid blooms only in summer, typically in August, the hottest and most mosquito-ridden part of the year. Like all orchids, it is one of the most ancient floral species, a descendant of orchids that survived the

period of dinosaur extinction.

Orchid enthusiasts come from all over the world hoping to catch a glimpse of the rare, delicate, milky-white ghost orchid, which appears to be suspended in midair, an environment from which its roots get everything it needs to survive. A very few have tried to abduct it—hence the push to list the plant as an endangered species. It is not just poachers that environmentalists worry about. A single hurricane can wipe out scores of orchids. In addition, there is the concern that rising seas might introduce a harmful incursion of

salt water.

As beautiful as the ghost orchid but considerably more trouble is the water hyacinth, which, despite its delicate lavender blossoms, is listed among the world’s 100 worst invasive species by the Invasive Species Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. With origins in the Amazon, the water hyacinth may have been introduced into Florida after the 1884 New Orleans

Wind, water, animals, and birds carry seeds.

the plant doubled its number every 12 days and made a rapid dispersal through Florida’s waterways. Its dense mats stopped boat traffic, uprooted wooden piers and bridges, killed fish, clogged locks and spillways, and degraded water quality. By 1899, the main waterways of Florida had 12 pounds of water hyacinth per square foot.

The attack was on. Dredges and harvester conveyors removed thousands of tons of

World’s Fair, where the Japanese contingent reportedly gave the plants away as favors.

A Mrs. Fuller, a visitor to the fair who lived on the edge of the St. Johns River, planted it in her fish pond, then dumped the rapidly growing excess into the river.

Capable of floating because of bulbous, air-filled stems,

the plants. When that didn’t do the job, aquatic herbicides were introduced. Someone suggested importing hippopotami to Florida to eat up the plants, but the bill before the U.S. Congress to do so was voted down, possibly because someone else pointed out that Florida had manatees that could just as easily do the job.

Above, a ghost orchid clings to a tree. Above right, a scrub jay carries a seed.

Though lovely, the water hyacinth can wreak havoc on waterways.

WEST PALM NAPLES

JUPITER

MYERS

PALM BEACH WELLINGTON

Today the water hyacinth is under watchful control. It’s still there, but everyone has an eye on it, and on the manatees that, it is hoped, will not only continue munching on the plant but will eat a little faster.

The tall, gracefully curving coconut palm is an icon of Florida, its silhouette against a vibrant sunset a prominent feature of the state and a quintessential image. Unlike the ubiquitous sabal palmetto or cabbage palm, however, the coconut palm is not native to Florida. It is believed indigenous to the Malay Archipelago, although Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl, who sailed the Humboldt Current in a primitive craft (Kon-Tiki), believed that the coconut palm originated in South America and then was carried to Polynesia by South American colonists.

Whatever its origins, the coconut palm traveled oceans to get to Florida, its fruit, the spherical coconut surrounded by a thick, fibrous husk floating long distances and still germinating after being washed ashore.

Accounts of early settlers to Palm Beach, first called Lake Worth Country after General William J. Worth, who fought in the Second Seminole War, all agree that the city got its name from a shipwreck of 20,000 coconuts. Apparently, a 175-ton brigantine named the Providencia, bound for Spain, ran aground east of what is now Mar-a-Lago. The coconuts were taken as salvage and sold for two and a half cents each, then planted. Within a decade, the barrier island was thick with coconut palms, hence the name “Palm Beach.”

Another Florida icon, the orange, is also not native to Florida, although its image is emblazoned on license plates and it is the official state fruit and flower. Native to China and the Malay Peninsula and carried over the centuries by traders, first to Japan and the South Pacific, then to the Middle East and Africa, the orange tree was eventually

introduced into Florida by Spanish conquistador Ponce de Leon. Orange trees from Ponce’s seeds were recorded growing in St. Augustine in 1579, although most were uprooted soon after during British privateer Sir Francis Drake’s plunder of the city in 1586.

The remaining orange trees, many growing wild, were planted only as ornamental shrubs because of their bitter fruit until the 1830s, when buds from sweet oranges were grafted onto the hardier root stock and orange cultivation began. Commercial production in the state took off in earnest after the Civil War when Florida’s new railroads allowed growers to ship their produce across the country. By the 20th century, Florida became the top producer of citrus in the nation.

In the past decades, the labor-intensive industry in which fruit has to be handpicked has suffered numerous setbacks, including freezes, hurricanes, infestations of fruit flies, and other blights such as citrus canker and greening disease, a bacterial

infection borne by insects. Today, while Florida’s citrus production is no longer what it once was, the surviving groves supply the state’s orange juice industry, a staple of Florida’s economy.

In the spring, whenever I wander the back roads of my community, which was once a grove, I can still catch the aroma of citrus blossom from some gnarled and weathered stumps. Whenever I do, I am reminded of Walt Whitman’s poem titled Orange Buds by Mail from Florida, which tells of “their sweetness through my room unfolding.”

Neither the orange tree nor the coconut palm is actually native to Florida, but both can be considered pleasant seminatives.

Northerner Walt Whitman apparently ordered orange buds by mail.

Just Listed

SINGING

MUSIC MAKES MICHAEL CARTER’S—AND OUR—WORLD GO ROUND

BY ANN TAYLOR

E Making a Joyful Noise

lla Fitzgerald once said, “The only thing better than singing is more singing.”

There’s nothing Michael Carter loves more than sharing the joy he finds in music with others. As First Baptist Church of Vero Beach’s main music man, he oversees a variety of programs that enhance worship. As founder and director of the Treasure Coast Chorale, he and singers from around the area present concerts that put smiles on faces, springs in steps, and happiness in hearts.

This past May, the chorale presented “My Favorite Things—A Birthday Concert,” which celebrated Carter’s 70th birthday and saluted everyone in the audience.

The front of the sanctuary was decorated with photos of Carter through the years, along with balloons, streamers, and a cake that looked too good to eat.

The program featured familiar tunes such as “The Impossible Dream,” “With a Voice of Singing,” and “Fly Away”; it ended with a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday to You.” Carter’s wife, Patti; daughter, Meghan; and son, Nicholas, had cameo roles. Accompaniment was provided by Judy Carter on piano, Dave Mundy on guitar, Richie Mola on drums, Emilio Rutllant on flute, Joey Rumberger on organ, and chorale intern Patrick Gordon on guitar and banjo. The packed house provided plenty of enthusiasm.

“From the beginning, one of the things we wanted the chorale to do was involve the audience; we wanted participation as well as presentation,” says Carter, who graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi, where he met Patti, and then obtained a doctorate at the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies in Jacksonville, Florida. He served at churches in Mississippi and Missouri prior to joining the staff at First Baptist in 1996.

Florida wasn’t on his radar back then; in fact, the thought of working and living in the Sunshine State held minus-zero appeal. Thanks to his resume finding its way to the church search committee, followed by an in-person interview, Carter quickly changed his mind.

“I was blown away. What amazed me was that for such a small town the arts were alive and well.

“At the time, Ray Adams, who is our church’s musician in residence, was the music director at Community Church and Choral Society founder-director. He hired me to be his assistant, and when the Choral Society wanted to do more serious music, Ray handed the pop side off to me,” Carter grins.

“I’m a theme person. I come up with one, grab hold, and develop it. One of our first concerts was around Valentine’s Day, so of course the songs were all about love. The theme for our upcoming season, which starts in November, is “Singing with the Greats”— Elvis, Sinatra, the Beatles, and Handel. We’ll be doing our 55th presentation of the Messiah December 21 and 22.”

Sally Westphalen, longtime chorale member and one of Carter’s biggest fans, wouldn’t miss a Monday night rehearsal. “Michael is a wonderful musician and teacher who has taught me so much. He makes our concerts a gift by including songs the community likes. We just love him!”

The feeling is mutual. “Music has always been a part of my life. I was raised in a church with a singing congregation. I’ve been told that when I was 3 or 4 years old I would get up and imitate the conductor,” says Carter, his arms mimicking the motions.

“I’m blessed to be doing what I love. I’m surrounded by wonderful, beautiful, talented people; I couldn’t ask for more.”

“We believe that music has the power to inspire and uplift people, and we aim to make it easily accessible to everyone through a chorale open to those who love to sing and free concerts open to the Vero Beach, Florida area.”

– Treasure Coast Chorale website

Michael Carter is the founder of Treasure Coast Chorale.

Falling Down & Getting Up

A SUDDEN TUMBLE CAN REMIND US OF THE PLIGHT OF SOME OF OUR ELDERLY NEIGHBORS

BY JEFFREY R. PICKERING

hen was the last time you fell? Not lose your balance and wobble, but really fall and crash down onto the floor. It happened to me earlier this year on a visit to Los Angeles. I survived, but it wasn’t pretty.

As on many out-of-town trips, my 10-year-old son,

Grant, and I were up early and exploring while the rest of our family slept in. After breakfast and a spin around the West Hollywood neighborhood, we made our way up to the rooftop pool of our hotel. The sky was gray, and a light mist was falling. The pool was empty despite being heated to a toasty 80 degrees—perfect for two

Florida boys eager, as my wife, Stephanie, likes to say, “to get the wiggles out.”

After we’d been swimming for about an hour, the rain started to fall more heavily and we decided to get out of the pool and dry off. We each grabbed two fluffy white towels, wrapped ourselves up, and descended three stairs into

Indian River County seniors have many organizations and services available to them, all willing to give them a hand up.

With programs like Dual Enrollment, Take Stock in Children, and The Promise Program, we give students a chance to turn their dreams into reality. Be a part of their journey — support their education today.

a salon that felt like a greenhouse compared to the chilly outside temperature.

As we headed for the elevator to go back to our room, I remembered that I left a few personal items along with our room key on a table by the pool. I walked Grant to the doorway and told him to wait for me as I went back out into the chilly air. Moving quickly, I skipped up the three steps, grabbed my belongings, spun around, and immediately missed the top step. Unable to regain my balance, in what felt like slow motion, I stretched to reach the bottom step, slipped, and fell to the ground with my right leg bending behind me and my right upper arm

absorbing much of the impact. While I did not sustain any serious injuries, it took almost two months before my right quadriceps muscle and right shoulder stopped hurting and felt fully recovered. The accident reminded me to slow down, especially as someone who is legally blind. By the time we left for our summer vacation in June, however, the accident seemed like ancient history.

That is until, in a true moment of art imitating life, I was reminded of my fall by a photograph at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. It is part of an exhibition called “Fragile Beauty,” which showcases works of art from the Sir

September is Hunger Action Month

Unexpected falls can lead to disabling injuries for seniors.

Elton John and David Furnish Collection.

Gregory Crewdson’s chromogenic print Untitled, 1999 is part of a series of cinematicscale photographs called “Twilight.”

The photograph depicts an elderly, neatly dressed, bottleblonde woman in a scene that appears to have been captured immediately after a fall. She is lying on the ground, leaning on her left side, propped up on her left elbow, right knee coming up, right arm outstretched. The carpet appears to have broken her fall, but her face reflects a bewildered discomfort.

The fading light shining through open drapes provides just enough brightness to show the outline of a coffee table, decorated with a fresh bouquet of flowers, positioned between two overstuffed chairs. A lamp against the wall illuminates a bookshelf topped with framed photographs and other knickknacks collected over the years.

My impression is that the

woman in the photograph lives alone. There is no telephone in sight, so I imagine she will have to wait for a neighbor or friend to visit if she is unable to get herself up off the floor. Who knows how long that might take?

After my fall, my son immediately rushed to my aid. Two other boys standing nearby, who appeared to be about the same age as Grant, asked me if I needed help or if I wanted them to call someone. I declined but thanked them for their kindness. After an X-ray, a couple of bags of ice and a few Advil were all the additional first aid I required. I was lucky and grateful that I had the assistance of family and medical professionals to attend to my injury and prevent any additional adverse outcomes.

Unfortunately, that is not the case for everyone. Last year, falls and the unintentional injuries they cause were one of the leading causes of death in Indian River County among adults over the age of 65. It’s 1:30 PM. Collective Action.

INDIAN RIVER INSIGHTS

hard to imagine unless you’ve experienced a hard fall yourself, and even more frightening to think of considering how many of our community’s seniors live alone.

If the woman in Crewdson’s photograph lived in Indian River County, I imagine she might be helped by one of the many local charities that serve seniors. To start, physical therapy might be provided by the nonpro t Sunshine Physical erapy Clinic. For more than half a century the organization has provided customized care to individuals of all ages, regardless of their ability to pay. After an initial assessment, I imagine the Sunshine sta might provide care to help her recover from the acute injury caused by the

fall. ey would also likely help with gait and balance impairment with hopes of preventing another fall in the future.

A fall has a way of slowing things down and putting everything into perspective.

Because a healthy diet and good nutrition help fuel recovery, I also imagine that daily meal delivery could be provided by Senior Resource Association through its Meals on Wheels program. When seniors are disabled or homebound, unable to leave the house without assistance, or have no one to aid in meal preparation, Meals on Wheels volunteers step in to help. Beyond delivering meals, they might also observe conditions where additional services such as transportation or adult day care could be coordinated.

When living alone becomes too challenging, either due to economic constraints or safety reasons, it is possible that the woman in Crewdson’s artwork might move into the community at St. Francis Manor. For more than 50 years, this nonpro t has provided a ordable, independent apartments to senior citizens on limited incomes. Residents can live out the rest of their lives in an attractive, safe, and socially supportive environment.

And at the end of life, when symptoms can no longer be managed at home, it is pos-

St. Francis Manor safely houses low-income elderly residents.

Meal deliveries from the SRA’s Meals on Wheels program can ensure that disabled seniors get proper nutrition.

sible that the VNA Hospice House might provide a caring, dignified environment for her to spend her final days—all paid for by generous charitable gifts.

For a 51-year-old married father of three children who works as CEO of a $100 million grantmaking foundation, the pace of life moves very quickly. In the interest of taking care of

all my responsibilities, I often hurry to get more done, meet everyone’s expectations, or not let anyone down. A fall has a way of slowing things down and putting all that into per-

Seniors living alone rely on family, friends, and outside caregivers to keep them living safely at home.

spective. But at the same time, so does a reflection on what it takes to get up: care and kindness from both loved ones and strangers, medical assistance by skilled caregivers, recovery supports, and rest—I’m sure there is more to be grateful for.

In a just society, the same should be afforded our elderly friends and neighbors, either through publicly funded agencies or philanthropically supported charities. It matters most to those who live alone or those who are financially disadvantaged.

If not, we are falling down on the job.

HIGH-PERFORMANCE CARS

On the Fast Track

BRIAN REDMAN’S TARGA SIXTY SIX EVENT AT THE HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY

PATRICK MERRELL

t’s 7:30 in the morning in mid-February, and I’ve just arrived at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. The scene is a study in contrast. Several hundred Ultraskate competitors, with an average age well under 30, have just completed a 24-hour event to rack up as many miles on the track as their skateboards, in-line skates, and legs will allow. The top finisher covered 422 miles. Those still standing wobble through the pit area with dazed looks, noshing on pancakes and pizza. Others lie semi-comatose on the concrete floor next to their pop-up tents.

Meanwhile, 70 owners of 120 vintage and modern high-performance cars are pulling into the pit bays not far away. The participants,

with an average age well above 30, are here for Brian Redman’s Targa Sixty Six event. It’s a rare opportunity to get three days of track time on a road course under non-racing conditions. Many are returnees, including a hawk-headed parrot named Claude who’s been attending for 20 years alongside his owner, Greg Jones.

“It all started in 1991 when we were at a vintage race at Summit Point in West Virginia, and a friend of mine [Don Marsh] asked what I had been doing,” Redman says. “I told him it had been a bit of a struggle since it had been two years since my last professional year, and he said, ‘Why don’t you form a club? Get a number of people together and hold two or three meetings

Safety marshal Gini Buss gets ready to let another group of race cars onto the course.

The Homestead-Miami Speedway has been home to the Targa Sixty Six event for the past two years. For the 31 years prior to that, it was held at the Palm Beach International Raceway.

CLASSIC CARS

a year.’” When Marsh guaranteed he could deliver 10 members at $5,000 each, Redman and his son, James, decided to do it. They named the club Targa Sixty Six, the “Targa” coming from the Targa Florio, a race Brian won in 1970, and 66, which was one of his race numbers. Ever since, they’ve been holding events at tracks such as Summit Point, Roebling Road, Lime Rock, and Daytona.

“In 1998, we promoted an all-Porsche race meeting in Watkins Glen, New York,” Brian says. “That was the first-ever allPorsche event.” It was known as the Watkins Glen Double Fifty—honoring the 50th anniversary of the racetrack and the first Porsche. In 2001, the event was renamed the Porsche Rennsport Reunion, and since

2011, others have organized it. “It’s become a huge thing,” Brian says, attracting as many as 91,000 attendees and 450 race cars for a single event.

For 31 years, Targa Sixty Six held its signature event at the Palm Beach International Raceway, but that changed two years ago when the track was sold to make way for two million square feet of warehouses. Since then, the event has been held at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, with James serving as the director and now owner. “If James wants any words of advice,” Brian says, “he calls me. But he runs it completely, and I just go and shake hands and smile and give a short speech.”

“The main premise of the event is that people have these older cars that are

pretty valuable and have great history,” James says. “They want to drive them, but they don’t want to race them.” That said, there are participants who compete in vintage races. “They run the cars at Targa as a test for the rest of the season,” James says.

“And then there are people who just want to drive the cars, to have fun with them,” James says. “Anybody can come, we don’t require a racing license, and depending on the track, we’re okay with young drivers. We’ve had some as young as 14 and 15 driving pretty big race cars,” he says. “But they’ve had years of experience racing go-karts.” The Targa Sixty Six entry fee allows for three cars and two family members, helping to make that experience possible.

Not all the cars are vintage. Here’s a 2022 McLaren 765 LT.

The Lotus Eleven won class victories at Le Mans in 1956 and 1957. This beauty is a 1959. Less flashy cars show up as well, such as this 1962 Austin Seven Mini.

This 1965 Ferrari 250 LM from the Revs Institute has a value in the neighborhood of $18–20 million.

This year, Brian points out, “One of the participants came from Redondo Beach in California with three cars and three grandsons. He said it was the best thing they’d ever done and he didn’t know why they hadn’t done it before.”

“A lot of the guys that race and have these cars are incredibly successful type-A businessmen,” James says. He asked one man who brought four cars to the event this year why he does vintage racing. The answer: “Well, you know, I tried golf, but I’m on the phone. I tried sailing; I’m thinking of work. I tried fishing, but when I get behind the wheel of a car on the racetrack, that’s all there is. I can’t think about anything else.”

As for the cars in attendance, it’s a showcase of racing history and beauty. “One of the greatest car collections in the world is at the Revs Institute in Naples, Florida,” Brian says, “and they sent five cars to run here this year.” One was a long-tail Porsche 908 LH, the very car Brian and his codriver, Jo Siffert, drove to victory in 1969 at the Spa 1000 Kilometres in Belgium. “I drove it this year in Homestead for the first time since 1969,” he says. When asked what that experience was like, he responds, “Well, it would have helped if I’d known the Homestead track. I actually got ‘lost’ at one point!” If given the opportunity next year, however, he promises he won’t make the same wrong turn.

The Porsche 908 LH that was victorious in Belgium in 1969

A 1971 Chevron B19 (left) and a 1960 Lotus 18, which gave Lotus its first Formula 1 win

A 1964 Ginetta G4 pulls onto pit lane for another session.

This 1988 Lola T88/00 is clad in A.J. Foyt’s iconic livery as it appeared in the 1988 Indianapolis 500.

Brian Redman and event director James Redman

DESTINATIONS

Kissed by the Kalahari

EMBARK ON THE ULTIMATE LIGHT-FOOTED PRIVATE SAFARI AT LOAPI, A SIX-HOME RETREAT IN THE HEART OF THE MASSIVE, WILDLIFE-RICH TSWALU KALAHARI RESERVE

BY PAUL RUBIO ESCAPE

In South Africa’s share of the breathtaking transnational Kalahari Desert, Tswalu spans 441 square miles as a private reserve where gold-hued plant life carpets rolling sand dunes against a backdrop of red-clay earth, and elusive species like aardwolves, meerkats, and painted dogs share the spotlight with

the Big Five. The reserve’s natural beauty and abundant wildlife stem from decades of conservation efforts led by the late Stephen Boler and the philanthropic Oppenheimer family, which transformed vast farmlands into a sanctuary for the Kalahari’s delicate ecosystems. Today, the resurrected,

otherworldly landscapes of Tswalu host a holy grail of rare wildlife encounters reserved for the lucky few. By taking a low-impact, highvalue approach to ecotourism with just 16 units across its highly protected Kalahari reserve, Tswalu has fostered an unparalleled experience in light-on-Earth private safari.

It has bundled the luxuries of space, sightings, sustainability, authenticity, and creature comforts into a stand-alone bucket list destination.

Since the late 1990s, Tswalu has shaped the Kalahari safari narrative with accommodations like The Motse lodge and the exclusive-use Tarkuni homestead. In 2023,

Afternoon tea is served in a private sala at Loapi.

ANDREW MORGAN

the reserve introduced Loapi, meaning “the space below the clouds” in Setswana, featuring six eco-chic private safari homes in a section of the reserve famed for its bounty of white rhinos and blackmaned lions. Each home, starting at 3,200 square feet, includes a private open-air vehicle, guide, tracker, chef, and homahti (butler), catering to families, groups, and couples seeking a personalized safari adventure—at their own pace.

While traditional Big Five game drives are certainly possible, more often, two half-day activities focus on particular species and habitats, with expert guides who track and study the reserve’s star residents. (It also helps that a vast team of researchers and ecologists are leading groundbreaking studies into the secret lives of the Kalahari’s greats and can radio in animal whereabouts.) One morning, for example, seek out the reserve’s pack of

Luxury under canvas awaits in one of Loapi’s private safari homes.

Mingle with the resident meerkats at Tswalu—at eye level.

ANDREW MORGAN

DESTINATIONS

Clockwise from above: High-design homes at Loapi showcase transitional indoor-outdoor spaces and constant views of the Kalahari; experience heritage Northern Cape cuisine at Restaurant Klein Jan; observe giraffes and other fairly typical safari game as well as less common creatures such as roan antelopes in Tswalu.

painted dogs and trail them through their daily hunt. That evening, search for shaggy brown hyenas hiding in the thicket or stalk the dens of such rarities as aardvarks, aardwolves, and Temminck’s pangolins, waiting for them to emerge and forage.

Another day, encounter white and black rhinos via walking and driving safari combinations or opt for a helicopter to get an aerial view of these critically endangered giants. Later, allot ample time to meet and greet the local meerkat families. While these adorable critters often appear on game drives—like a Whac-A-Mole game in real time—the presence of three habituated groups allows for up-close encounters with the television sensations. Find a comfortable spot in the dirt as they groom, squabble, stand guard, dig, and forage alongside you.

To be sure, no matter your wildlife objective, opportunistic sightings abound, such that your search for bateared foxes could easily be interrupted by cheetahs lurking in the brush or roan antelopes and oryx grazing in the valleys below. There’s so much to see that, unlike most safari lodges, where three nights may suffice, Tswalu merits a minimum of five nights.

Beyond wildlife encounters, Tswalu offers a deep dive into the Kalahari’s ecology, with knowledgeable rangers and guides sharing insights gained from ongoing research projects and

decades of experience. It’s also a chance to luxuriate in one of Earth’s most singular settings, especially given the vistas and amenities at Loapi. It can be a challenge to leave the confines of your high-design, steel-andcanvas domain, where you marvel at the terrain from your open-air dining room, sunken fire pit, or plunge pool, endless pour of fine South African wine in hand. Interiors are unapologetically cozy, with plush couches, a wood fireplace, and reading and sleeping nooks aplenty. Each is an idyllic place to lounge as chef surprises with sublime snacks and meals using regionally sourced ingredients, and homathi delights by catering to your every whim. At Loapi, each meal is beautifully tailored and presented as well as exquisite in taste.

ANDREW MORGAN ANDREW

TSWALU

PAUL RUBIO

When it seems things can’t get better, Tswalu ups the ante at its experiential Restaurant Klein Jan (one night included in all safari bookings). Here, award-winning chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen crafts multicourse meals blending heritage Northern Cape cuisine with storytelling, set in unique locations across the property. The visual and gastronomic journey begins with light bites outside a 100-year-old farmhouse, followed by soup in a subterranean root cellar, and another half-dozen courses with herbs, plants, and proteins you’ve likely never tried, presented in a modernist, open kitchen nestled in the Kalahari sands. Like everything else at Loapi—and Tswalu in general— Klein Jan is an immersive experience celebrating the natural wonders, cultural richness, and secret luxuries of the Kalahari. (tswalu.com)

V CAPE FABULOUS

Tswalu can be reached via regularly scheduled charter services from either Cape Town or Johannesburg, but we highly recommend the former—and not just as a layover. Africa’s worldliest city, Cape Town explodes with restaurant, hotel, and cultural offerings on par with a major European metropolis, yet cast over dramatic topographical contrasts of awe-inspiring mountains, lush winelands, and quaint coastal enclaves.

Base yourself at Cape Town’s grande dame, Mount Nelson, a Belmond hotel (belmond.com), which celebrated its 125th anniversary earlier in 2024. The history-steeped, 198-key,

pink landmark is an exercise in timeless glamour with soothing, understated interiors that focus on high-touch details and, in many cases, face the grandeur of Table Mountain. Enjoy traditional afternoon tea in the Lounge, sundowners at the Planet Bar, and spa treatments at Librisa Spa. Choose from the hotel’s exclusive activities, such as an art and architecture walking tour through Cape Town with art historian Kate Crane Briggs or a snorkeling expedition with shark scientist Justin Blake through the Cape kelp forests, the same site where the Oscar-winning documentary My Octopus Teacher was filmed.

Consider complementing your Belmond outings with other local favorites, including the Constantia Wine Walk (constantiawinewalk. co.za), a private guided walking tour through three wine farms in the Constantia Valley with founder Matthew Sterne, and an unforgettable sunrise hike over Table Mountain with luxury tour operator African Lynx. (africanlynxtravel.com) —P.R.

From left: Vineyard on the Constantia Wine Walk; Mount Nelson, a Belmond hotel in Cape Town.

HOMEGROWN

Winging It!

THE CLASSIC WINGBACK CHAIR IS GOING STRONG, SOMETIMES WITH SURPRISING MODIFICATIONS

BY VALERIE CRUICE

Alistair Cooke held forth from a tufted red leather one every Sunday night as he introduced Masterpiece Theatre. Alistair Cookie (aka Cookie Monster) held forth from a mustard velvet one as he introduced Monsterpiece Theatre James Bond supervillain Ernst Stavro Blofeld wreaked havoc seated in his sleek, black leather swiveling one.

It has enveloped negotiating heads of state, insured privacy for firstclass jetsetters, coddled nursing mothers in the Orkney Islands, and challenged the imaginations of prominent architects, designers, filmmakers, and set designers. It has been modernized, bastardized, caned, framed, upholstered, trimmed, and mechanized. It swivels, it reclines, it adjusts. It does everything but take flight.

The wing chair.

You can buy one at Walmart for under $200

or go bespoke for $10,000 from George Smith. This classic chair, in all its iterations and permutations, has been in our palaces, homes, clubs, and offices for centuries, imparting comfort, gravitas, and adaptable design. It’s gone from the fireside to a desk to a dining room. No matter where it ends up or how it is used, the wing chair retains its personality and presence. And there is a wing chair for everyone.

Originally contrived as a utilitarian necessity in 1600s England and Scotland, a typical chair sprouted “wings”—also called “ears” or “saddle cheeks”—to protect its occupant from drafts as well as to capture the heat from the hearth. One of the earliest is the Scottish Orkney Chair, which to this day is a favorite accent piece of designer Sandra Morgan.

“It’s a traditional chair made of wood and oat

The creation of the wing chair dates back to the 1600s, but its look has evolved dramatically in the years since then.

Wing chairs were originally designed to fend off drafts.

straw,” she says. “The wings originally embraced the back and fended off drafts from nursing mothers and their babies. The antique ones are quite coveted.” She points out that this early form adds “texture” and “attitude” to its surroundings.

The iconic Queen Anne wing chair (or wingback chair) dates to 1720; it is characterized by long, elegant cabriolet legs and upholstery. Queen Anne had died by then, but her style endured. The French counterpart, known as a bergère, dates to 1760 (Louis XVI) and is typically wood framed and upholstered.

From then on, it was open season on the wing chair. Chippendale straightened out the legs, Hepplewhite lowered the seat. Charles and Ray Eames, Philippe Starck, and Vladimir Kagan all tinkered with the basic form; Kagan’s Baroness Throne Chair was recently on 1stDibs for $28,500. They straightened the lines, they added curves, they created angles;

some took away the legs.

“The Eames chair has a pedestal base—no legs!” marvels Gregory Allan Ness of Coastal Interiors. He and partner Crystal Lemley have installed the 1956 design in a home office. The Galapagos Iconic Upholstered Chair 900 by Adriana Hoyos is a rattan and upholstered combo that swivels, adding an unexpected modern island sensibility that the designers favor in loggias, porches, and living rooms.

Explains Ness, “This chair is completely open, but the beauty and sophistication of the wingback persists.”

When there are legs, they can be acrylic, metal, painted, or completely disguised by a slipcover for an instant update. “The legs can change everything, just like a person,” laughs Morgan. Speaking of people, Morgan likes to play with the scale of her clients’ wing chairs, particularly at the ends of the dining room table: a larger designated as “host” and smaller “hostess” chairs,

with different fabrics inside and out.

Beth Read Pusser, owner of Oodles of Wallpaper, stresses the importance of symmetry in wing chair placement, with or without a fireplace. “They still need to flank something because of their height—usually 42 inches tall—if not a fireplace, then bookshelves, or the dining room table,” she says.

And if you want to keep that cozy, enveloped feeling when it’s time to retire, says Pusser, “They’re also making wing beds.”

The Eames chair has a pedestal base and no wings.

Above: One popular wing chair placement is at the end of the dining table. Below: The Galapagos Iconic Upholstered Chair 900 has a swivel base.

HORTICULTURE

Coming Attractions

THE FLORIDA-FRIENDLY LANDSCAPING PROGRAM ROLLS OUT THE WELCOME MAT FOR WILDLIFE

BY NICKIE MUNROE

Food and water meant for birds can a ract other cri ers in need of a meal.

One of my favorite classes to teach is about Florida-Friendly Landscaping Principle No. 5: Attract Wildlife. Many fascinating and beautiful animals in our area would bene t from a few simple adjustments.

ough my focus for this article is on birds, provisions made for one will automatically help other wildlife as well. September is a great month to explore this practice. Preparations made starting now will provide safe travel, shelter, food, and water for resident and migratory birds.

Safe travel is a primary concern for all birds, so manage domesticated

animals, pet food, and pesticide use accordingly. Cats are the usual suspects, but do not rule out dogs, which also like to hunt. Keep pet food inside; raccoons, rats, and squirrels thrive on the kindness of well-meaning people. Reduce your pesticide use. If necessary, spot-treat with a soft pesticide. Birds seeking passage or refuge in your landscape will be grateful for the reprieve.

Providing shelter can be as easy as installing a birdhouse, leaving a dead tree in place, or increasing vertical plant layers. Select a birdhouse based on the type of bird desired. Pay careful attention to installation height. If possible, allow a snag (dead tree) to remain standing or lying down in the landscape, as dead or decaying wood provides shelter for many species of birds. Bonus points if a

brush pile or two are added to the space.

Di erent sizes and heights of plants provide cover and feeding opportunities for birds. Many hedge lines can be enhanced by adding trios or quartets of pretty perennials. Flower beds under large trees can accommodate a few medium-tall shade-loving shrubs in addition to the low-growing perennials. If you notice a need to add plants, try a few of our lovely natives. Carefully select the plants you want to see, since you will be living with them as well.

Snags and native plants also provide food. Bird feeders can be added to supplement feeding needs. is is another way to select the kind of bird you want to encourage in your yard. Tube, hopper, platform, nyjer seed, suet, nectar, and fruit

feeders give food to specific types of birds.

Incorporate a few natives in your seasonal landscaping plantings. Adorn a large tree with trailing vines, a few shrubs, and clumps of wildflowers. These plants offer nectar, seeds, fruits, and insects to birds. Feeders can be messy, and plants acting as hosts to insects can appear ragged; tolerance of these issues can be increased by mindful arrangement. A feeder can be placed in an obscure place or above a pretty potted garden to catch seed trash. Mix clumps of host plants with clumps of nectar plants to hide insect damage. Resident and migrating birds

welcome any effort that aids their nutritional health.

Water is a basic need for all living things. Share water in a birdbath, a shallow dish, or even a fountain. Place water in a relatively shaded area, but not too close to shrubs, where lurking predators can pounce. Still water should be flushed out at least once a week in cooler months and at least twice weekly in warmer times. It is best not to offer water if you will not be able to manage it, as dirty birdbaths can spread diseases among birds and encourage insect pests. The sound of water trickling from a fountain increases the likelihood of birds visiting and remaining in your landscape.

Fountains attract birds with the sound of trickling water.

No matter how you present the water, birds will rest, drink, and bathe with glee. September is smooth and will be over before you know it. Prepare for a delightful outdoor entertainment season in which the birds are sure to offer a show. October begins the decrease in temperature as well as daylight hours, present-

ing the perfect opportunity to water your landscape more efficiently. Join us in our endeavors to save a billion gallons of water this fall and winter.

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

HEALTHY AGING

Making the Move to Senior Living

LEARN HOW TO INITIATE DELICATE CONVERSATIONS AND EASE THE TRANSITION FOR YOUR AGING LOVED ONES

BY RENÁE TESAURO

After years of trying to discuss their plans and future care needs with my aging parents, we finally had “the talk.” Like 77 percent of the population over age 50, they preferred to remain in their own home as they age. However, at 93, despite being healthy and mobile, they acknowledged that maintaining a home

and property through four seasons in Pennsylvania was becoming a burden.

Their circle of friends and relatives had grown smaller, and their only child (me) lived 1,100 miles away. If my dad were no longer able to drive, they feared losing much of their independence and risking social isolation. They also made it clear that they would

not be comfortable with a livein caregiver.

After touring and ruling out several senior living facilities in their community, they gave me the green light to research options here. Much to their delight, I found them a spacious apartment in an independent living facility that met all their housing requirements: two bedrooms,

Buddy and Ruth Tillman explore senior living options with their daughter-in-law, Terry.

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Specializing in the prevention, early detection, and treatment of Skin Cancer, as well as Cosmetic and General Dermatology

TRAINING

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EDUCATION

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Monika Srivastava MD, FAAD, FACMS

two baths, laundry room, and outdoor space. Much to my delight, and utter surprise, they agreed to move from their home of 62 years to Vero Beach.

Friends and family members applauded them for their courageous and wise decision—a decision that triggered a series of steps to execute a move within just one month.

“Although it can be difficult to start a conversation with loved ones about their future care plans and desires, it’s better to be proactive than be forced to move if an unforeseen event or medical emergency occurs,” says Terry Tillman, a senior living family advocate with Soter Senior Living and Family Advocates. Often, she says, children can broach the subject with their parents by asking open-ended questions or sharing their own preferences and then simply

listening. Other times, it’s helpful to have a third party break the ice during delicate conversations, such as those involving driving.

Serving residents of Indian River and Brevard Counties at a satellite office in Melbourne, Soter—a nationwide family advocacy company— offers free in-home senior care advice; unbiased senior living options and tour assis-

tance; home monitoring and medication reminders; and financial coordination with long-term care insurance, veteran’s benefits, and bridge loan providers.

“We meet with families, learn what they are looking for, and identify facilities— whether they be independent, assisted, or memory care—that best meet their needs,” says Tillman, who

SIGNS IT MAY BE TIME TO EXPLORE SENIOR LIVING OPTIONS

Difficulty maintaining the house

Stacks of mail, dishes, or unpaid bills

Worsening driving skills

Loss of balance and coordination

Falls or unexplained bruises

Medication mistakes

Memory issues or confusion

Declining personal hygiene

Signs of depression

Unhealthy eating habits

has held positions at several senior living facilities in Vero Beach. “We go on tours with them, ask questions they might not think to ask, and then they make the decision.”

“I encourage people to be in an independent living facility as long as possible,” observes Tillman, “because it only changes the structure of someone’s independence. Residents can eat meals in the community dining room or prepare them on their own. The apartment or home still feels big enough, and, if necessary, a home health care nurse can be hired.”

To help loved ones feel

Having an open conversation with aging loved ones can be a first step to finding a safer home for them.

WHICH SENIOR LIVING OPTION IS RIGHT FOR YOUR LOVED ONE?

Independent Living – for selfsufficient seniors who want a more maintenance-free lifestyle with on-site activities, dining plans, transportation, and housekeeping services

Assisted Living – for seniors requiring more help with housekeeping as well as activities of daily living (such as medication management, bathing, and dressing)

Memory Care – for seniors diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, dementia, or other memory-

related disorders who require thoughtfully designed communities and specially trained caregivers

Continuing Care Community – for seniors who want a wide range of on-site options that match their needs as they age

Skilled Nursing Home – for seniors requiring more personalized long-term levels of clinical care than is available in assisted living

comfortable in their new surroundings, Tillman suggests including photos and artwork they’ve had on their walls, a favorite chair, or even a bedspread. “Meet with the activity director, get the community calendar, and highlight activities and events you think they might enjoy. Make sure they

know who to call if they need assistance. Ask if there is someone who can introduce them to other residents and orient them with the facility and common areas. It may be hard, but try to wean yourself away from visiting them every day, so that they begin to find their own way.”

When downsizing, bringing keepsakes and photographs helps with the move.

“I encourage people to be in an independent living facility as long as possible.”

TERRY TILLMAN

In the weeks following my parents’ decision to move, we emptied attic spaces, closets, and drawers to determine what to throw away, donate, sell, and keep for their new apartment. An antique hall rack, a framed embroidered German saying, photos, several ancestor portraits, and a china collection topped their list of treasured heirlooms to keep.

We packed a POD that was shipped to their Vero

Beach independent living facility, and we met with their lawyer, financial planner, and banker to ensure that I had durable power of attorney for medical and financial situations that might arise. We organized all their important documents and planned future steps for updating estate planning documents and establishing Florida residency, health insurance, and relationships

with new health care providers and pharmacies.

To encourage friends and family members to stay in touch, I created change of address cards, which my parents could mail or hand out during multiple organized farewell lunches, dinners,

and church socials. While they remained in Pennsylvania to enjoy their remaining time in their home and say goodbye to friends and family, I returned to Vero Beach and decorated their apartment with the zeal of an HGTV star.

Social gatherings and mental stimulation are important for healthy aging.

LIVING WELL

TIPS TO EASE THE TRANSITION TO SENIOR LIVING

Personalize their space with photos, favorite furniture, and treasured items.

Get a community calendar and highlight activities you think they’d enjoy.

Ensure that they know where activities take place and meals are served, where to pick up mail, and how to make specific maintenance and housekeeping requests.

Scouring Vero’s plethora of consignment and antique shops, I scored a few choice finds: an antique French baker’s rack to display their prized flow blue china, a rattan dining set with comfortable cushioned

Stay in touch, but encourage them to form social connections and establish their own routine.

Establish your own connections with community employees to help ensure that your loved ones’ best interests are served.

Be compassionate and understand that moving at any age is an adjustment.

armchairs, two nearly new recliners, an Amish-made mahogany bedroom set, and a lovely vintage slant-front desk with lots of cubbies for Dad.

I gave the green color palette and bird motif of their former primary bedroom a

fresh look by accenting new furniture and artwork with their coral heirloom carnival glass pieces, wedding photo, and vintage plates. Their new screen porch was filled with palm trees, comfortable rattan furniture, and several of my dad’s artfully crafted birdhouses.

The departure from Pennsylvania was bittersweet. We sold the car and put the house on the market, and my

parents and I took one last look at the cozy Cape Cod we had shared since I was a 2-year-old. The front porch from which I had repeatedly jumped, convinced I could become airborne. The fragrant, multicolored, carefully tended rose gardens. The sunporch where many conversations and summer meals were enjoyed. My dormered-ceiling bedroom, where many teenage gossip sessions were convened. My dad’s tool-filled basement workshop, where he crafted many creative birdhouses and nearly lost a finger building my dollhouse. The memories came flooding back but were carefully tucked away during the short drive to the airport.

Just three hours later, after a warm welcome from cousins bearing flowers and balloons at Melbourne International Airport, my parents opened the door to their new coastal home. They were greeted by things both familiar and new, comfortable and strange, but all in a place they could call their own.

“I feel like a queen,” smiled Mom, surveying her new surroundings.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

Healthy seniors who no longer wish to care for a family home have many independent and assisted living options.

Many senior living spaces offer small kitchens to supplement dining plans.

BEAUTY

Botanical Delights

Life’s a garden. So, too, is your beauty regimen. From exquisite floral fragrances to toners, serums, and oils packed with plant-derived hero ingredients that plump, moisturize, soothe, and enhance luminosity, plant the seeds with these botanical staples: Parfums de Marly Delina

Limited Edition Eau de Parfum, blooming with heady notes of damask rose, lychee, vanilla, and white musk ($385 for 2.5 fl. oz., us.parfums-de-marly. com); Kiehl’s Since 1851 Calendula Herbal-Extract

Alcohol-Free Toner ($48 for 8.4 fl. oz., Ulta Beauty, Vero Beach); Juara Candlenut Glow

Body Oil, a vitamin-rich dry oil infused with candlenut oil, passion fruit oil, and plumeria ($65, juaraskincare. com); Annemarie Börlind

Natural Beauty Rose

Nature Night Repair

Drops, a rejuvenating trifecta of peony, Black Forest rose, and desert rose ($100, boerlind.com/ us); Vintner’s Daughter

Active Botanical Serum, packed with 22 botanicals ($195, vintnersdaughter. com); Omorovicza

Queen Serum, a royal flush of Mediterranean microalgae, Chinese leaf extract, and lithops stem cells ($180, omorovicza. com); Byroe Hydrangea

Tea Intensive Hydration

Serum, a hydrating blend of upcycled hydrangea tea and lavender, and blue agave leaf ($80, byroe. com). —Abigail Duffysa

REVIEW

On the Precipice

NONFICTION AUTHOR ERIK LARSON DELVES INTO THE PERIOD BETWEEN THE 1860 ELECTION AND THE PIVOTAL EVENTS AT FORT SUMTER

BY ELIZABETH LEONARD OF THE VERO BEACH BOOK CENTER

THE DEMON OF UNREST: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War Crown Publishing, 2024

Just when you think that you have heard every lesson, lecture, and story about the Civil War, historian and author Erik Larson contributes a new telling of a lesser-known part of the story. The events in the months leading up to the firing on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor and the start of the Civil War are told with great depth and intimate detail, true to form for Larson.

The first five months of Abraham Lincoln’s presidency were a precarious time in our nation’s history, as hotly debated topics such as slavery and states’ rights came to a head, with one Southern state seceding after another.

Lincoln, elected in 1860, inherited the problems left to him by President James Buchanan. These are the lessons taught in our history books, but there were far more details, much less commonly known, about the people who changed the course of history in their own small ways.

Key players such as Major Robert Anderson, Mary Boykin Chesnut, Edmund Ruffin, and Secretary of State William Seward are the focus of Larson’s riveting account of the ways in which personal ideals and philosophies, along with ego and error, shaped the future of a nation in conflict.

The documents Larson researched, such as diaries, plantation records, and secret communications, shed light on these figures’ inner conflicts and personal agendas in a fact-based story that reads like fiction.

STAFF PICKS

WILD by

Cheryl Strayed

This author found her life in tatters at the early age of 22. After a few years of trying to cope with her pain, she packs up and hikes more than a thousand miles alone on the Pacific Crest Trail, where she finds inner strength and healing along the way.

THE ONLY PLANE IN THE SKY: AN ORAL HISTORY OF 9/11 by

Garrett M. Graff

This stunning 2019 history assembles firsthand accounts from hundreds of people into a detailed time line of that day as experienced by survivors from all walks of life.

Leadership Is Love

BE THE PERSON YOUR DOG WANTS YOU TO BE: HIS LEADER

BY AMY ROBINSON

Dogs represent many things to us: companions, helpmates, comedians, and motivators. ey need us, in turn, to ful ll our role. Food, shelter, and a spot on the sofa are not enough. We need to be good leaders. Leadership is not about suppressing their natural behaviors or barking out commands like a drill sergeant, e ectively squashing all the fun out of the relationship. It is the polar

opposite: being a good leader to your dog satis es what he craves on the deepest level. His freedoms and forms of expression are enhanced, not curtailed.

ink of the best boss you have ever had. Was this person considerate? A good listener? Appreciative of your work? In full control of employees? e very best bosses will have all of these traits, but without leadership, productivity su ers. Now

imagine a boss who is glued to the cell phone, takes long lunches, and cuts out early to pick up dry cleaning, leaving you no chance to get your good work noticed. is person will not garner admiration and respect from employees. Without that, there is no basis for friendship.

What if we just want a fun, furry friend to take walks with us, watch TV with us, and accept a few tidbits from the

dinner table? Do we have to be the boss? This role is not a choice; we became the dog’s leader the moment we brought him home. Many thousands of years of selective breeding for specific purposes to help man in his daily life have left their indelible imprint on the relationship between human and dog. Now, we owe them. In order to be best friends, we must help them understand what is expected of them in our world. By its very nature, the dog is a social animal seeking a purpose that is found through the leader’s guidance.

“When you take on the role of a leader, you provide your dog with the stability and security they need to feel confident and content,” says Rick Bailey, owner of LoveDog in Palm City, Florida. “When your dog understands that you are in charge, they are more likely to

heed your commands, which can prevent accidents and promote a healthier lifestyle.”

Despite the obvious safety benefits of being the boss your adventurous dog needs, there is still much debate around how to go about it. The word “alpha” was borrowed from the Greek alphabet decades ago to describe how a dog owner can be the boss. The concept bor rowed heavily from wolf pack hierarchy, with images of the adoring pack slavishly devoted to serving the alpha male and female, but the term has fallen out of favor, sometimes taken to mean a harsh and domineering leadership style. Wikipedia has the definition of alpha that is most applicable to a dog-human relationship: “Alpha, both as a symbol and term, is used to refer to the ‘first,’ ‘primary,’ or ‘principal’ (most significant) occurrence

Knowing the hierarchy at home is important for a dog’s obedience.

Ask Amy

amy@verobeachmagazine.com

My dog Tilly has trouble with noises, especially thunder. I know about giving her a space without windows, but she gets quite nervous well before the storm starts. Is there something I can do for her before we even hear the thunder? A friend suggested music, but what kind?

– Maribel in Vero Beach

I try to do several things at once that have been proved to work for many dogs, such as aromatherapy. We know that chamomile and lavender are calming, but essential oils are toxic if ingested, so stick with tea bags. Stuff some in a clean sock and crush them a bit to release the scent. There are retail options in the form of sprays and calming chews, too. Some have valerian root powder or L-tryptophan, the amino acid found in turkey that makes us yawn after a Thanksgiving meal. Music is definitely a help, and your question is insightful, since even classical music is not always calming. Musicologists have studied how dogs, cats, and even pet birds react to music, and they have discovered that simple, slow melodies with just one or two instruments are much more calming than full orchestral movements. Find free links on YouTube or play some spa-type tunes on your home system at least a couple of hours before the storm is due. You may both feel your eyelids getting heavy.

I have always trained my own dogs. Chuck, my hound mix, is quite good at commands around the house and in the yard. When we do go out in public, like to a park or the beach, what is realistic to expect with his obedience? Can he have fun out there and still be good for me? I’d put his attention span in these situations at only about half of what it is at home.

– Tim in Vero Beach

If Chuck is halfway to being very responsive out in public, congratulations; you have already done a fantastic job training him. Being away from the home territory will stimulate his investigative tendencies, meaning his nose. A hound breed is especially keen on sight and scent, so letting him look around and sniff is important. Then ask for a few commands, but keep it brief. If you are at a park, use a long leash to give him some freedom, but call him back with a sharp “Come!” followed by praise and a high-value treat. The more distractions present, the better the treats have to be. Short periods of responding to you followed by a release to let him sniff again, or just walk out ahead of you, are a great way to check in with Chuck.

Using play to encourage positive behaviors helps your pooch understand commands and become more obedient.

or status of a thing.” This meaning fits with the way your dog thinks of you.

Our dogs study us intently, looking for clues as to our mood and intentions. When he follows you into another room, he is seeking something deeper than a quick belly rub from you, and ignoring him will not dim the desire. Forget any guilt you may feel about giving directives in the form of commands; you aren’t meant to be his beer-drinking buddy. The dog has you on a much higher pedestal.

“Training is a fundamental aspect of dog ownership, and leadership is critical for its effectiveness,” states Bailey. “A well-led dog is less likely to experience stress and anxiety, as they understand their role. This contributes to a happier and more emotionally balanced pet.” Far from being a limitation on a dog’s freedom, a repertoire of commands gives a dog more opportunities to go along on adventures, both on-leash and off.

Since your dog is looking for those quality interactions with you, engage him with a purpose: play a game in which you control the dog’s access to a favored object. Sit in a chair and start a tug game with a valued toy. Ask for it back with “Leave it” or a similar, consistent phrase and offer a treat in trade. Now, cover the toy with your hands and hold it on top of your thigh. If your dog

jumps forward and tries to pry the toy from your hands, ask again for “Leave it” and toss a treat behind him. Once the dog gives you some space, then you can thrust the toy toward him and say, “Take it!” to reengage the tug game. You are teaching your dog to share and to yield space, using play to encourage those behaviors.

Body language is your dog’s native language, so use it as

another tool to further your dog’s understanding of what you would like him to do and, importantly, what not to do. Instead of opening the front door and letting your dog push out in front of you as if you are the dog butler, claim the space in front of the door and then step out first. If your dog is trying to squeeze past you, bring him back inside and start over. Take note of

what your dog responds to and work with that.

Since my full-time dogtraining career began in 1990, I have seen many training trends come and go. An unfortunate by-product of this is the labeling of dogs to box them into behaviors without regard for the individual dog and the circumstances surrounding the behavior. Resource guarder. Reactive dog. Submissive dog. Fear biter. But dogs are more than one thing. They are complex animals living in a human world, the most successful species of any animal by far to get on our good side and stay there. Their intelligence as it relates to living with humans has increased.

Dogs didn’t go from sleeping in the barn to hogging our pillows because it was solely our idea, but that closeness comes with an obligation. Being a leader offers security, guidance, and, above all, love.

VISION STATEMENTS

LOCAL RESIDENTS REVEAL WHY THEY’RE CAPTIVATED BY VERO BEACH

WINNER: WILDLIFE

Photographer: DALE ERICKSON

Subject: Wildlife at St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

HONORABLE MENTION:

WILDLIFE

BY KELLY ROGERS

Back in May, when we announced the opening date for submissions to the 2024 Vero Beach Magazine Photo Contest, we asked you to show us what you love about the charming and breathtaking place we call home. We know you love Vero Beach just as we do, and after looking at the 261 entries you shared with us, we’ve found that the reasons are nearly unanimous!

Despite the heat, humidity, and relentless sun exposure, we relish going outside to experience the beautiful picture postcard we live in.

From watching the sunrise, birds, and waves at Vero’s beaches, to the flora at McKee Botanical Garden and the fauna in our park lands, we are absolutely entranced by the environment that surrounds us, and why not? It’s our hometown, our beloved Vero Beach.

We invite you to sit back and imagine yourself in these gorgeous moments that we’ve chosen as the best of the best of the images you shared with us.

Photographer: LESLIE GREENWOOD

Subject: Majestic eagle enjoying lunch on the fly

Photographer: LOUKIK THAKRE

Subject: Dolphin feeding at Sebastian Inlet State Park

Photographer: KATE MAY

Subject: “Sandi” the sandhill crane colt protected by a parent

WINNER: SEA & SKY

Photographer: DEBRA PAVLICIN

Subject: Rainbow off Vero Beach following a storm

HONORABLE MENTION: SEA & SKY

Photographer: JOHN STIPP

Subject: View at the Driftwood Inn

Photographer: JUDY HARAN

Subject: Sunset at Blue Cypress Lake

WINNER: MOMENTS

Photographer: TINA BAXTER

Subject: Tour of McKee Botanical Garden

HONORABLE MENTION: MOMENTS

Photographer: JOHN SINCLAIR

Subject: Lineup of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels at Vero Beach Regional Airport

Photographer: BOB JOY

Subject: Cracker Day Rodeo in Fellsmere

DISTILLERIES Worth the Drive

Travel by tipple through the Sunshine State’s burgeoning craft spirits scene

BY

JULES ARON | COCKTAIL PHOTOGRAPHY BY GYORGY PAPP

VERO BEACH MAGAZINE

Steel Tie Spirits Revenge Rum

Chainbridge Distill y Tropical Distill s

The craft distillery trade in Florida has exploded in recent years in the wake of regulation changes that have paved the way for independent distilleries to thrive. Counting nearly 50 independent businesses across the state—with more ramping up—many of these small batch distilleries are gaining recognition for their innovative approaches. Award-winning liqueurs and spirits such as vodka, gin, rum, whiskey, and even moonshine are crafted using locally sourced ingredients and plenty of homegrown lore. To boot, many Florida distilleries are destinations unto themselves, offering tastings, tours, cocktail classes, and more. Take a tour with us of some of Florida’s most creative distilleries and raise a glass to cocktails crafted with spirits made right here in the Sunshine State.

STEEL TIE SPIRITS

Ben Etheridge, co-owner and head distiller at Steel Tie Spirits in West Palm Beach’s Warehouse District, creates the brand’s signature Black Coral rum using pure molasses derived from sugarcane crops harvested in Clewiston. The rum is aged in new American white oak barrels and then filtered through coconut husks. The distillery’s spiced rum is flavored with real Madagascar vanilla beans, while its black rum gets its dark hue and robust profile from the addition of raw blackstrap molasses and spices. Visitors can take a tasting tour or order a cocktail from the in-house bar’s seasonal cocktail menu; stop in on Thursday nights for karaoke or on Fridays for food truck night. (steeltiespirits.com)

REVENGE RUM

Crafted in a historic firehouse in West Palm Beach (retrofitted to offer a tasting room and tours in addition to a distillery), owner Chris Bold’s Revenge Rum is a crisp white rum perfect for cocktails. The spirit is made using reverse-osmosis pink Himalayan salt, mineral water, grade A American molasses, and a secret blend of yeast nutrients. After fermenting for seven days in temperature-controlled vessels, the concoction is run through

a 1,000-gallon copper stripping still and then again through a 600-gallon copper pot spirit still. Finally, the rum is chill-filtered at 18 degrees Fahrenheit and bottled. Not surprisingly for a spirit named Revenge, Bold says it’s “best served cold.” (revenge.com)

CHAINBRIDGE DISTILLERY

Specializing in palinka—an eau-de-vie style of fruit brandy—Bela Nahori crafts noteworthy spirits at this Oakland Park distillery. Chainbridge’s 80 proof spirits— in flavors from plum to beet to blueberry—contain no added sugars, artificial flavors, colors, extracts, or preservatives. Each batch rests for a minimum of three months before undergoing filtration and bottling. The distillery—which welcomes visitors for tours or tasting room tipples—has been recognized by both the American Craft Spirits Association and American Distilling Institute for its Williams Pear Brandy, its Florida Basil Vodka, and its unique Carrot Spirit. (chainbridgedistillery.com)

RevengeRum

Tropical Distillers

Steel Tie Spirits

Meet the Mak

Fernando Plata, Head Distiller at Big Cypress Distillery

A U.S. Army veteran, Fernando Plata started Big Cypress Distillery in 2015 with his brother and brotherin-law. With a background in software, Plata is a selftaught distiller who loves a challenge. “Becoming an expert in this field is nearly impossible,” says Plata. “Since I’m a stickler for quality, the process keeps me engaged.” Plata loves English-style rums because “they have so much character,” he says. He also enjoys working with botanicals. “The distillery is currently working on several aperitifs: one that’s low bitter and low proof, and another that’s very bitter and high in alcohol. And we’re always making fresh fruit liqueurs,” he explains. When asked about the awards his products have garnered, Plata’s response is humble. “I love seeing my private label clients succeed,” he says. “For example, our all-natural, premium American aperitif for Munyon’s Paw Paw has been a huge hit.” A strong supporter of Florida’s craft movement, Plata takes pride in his place as an innovator.

TROPICAL DISTILLERS

Tropical Distillers’ J.F. Haden’s small-batch citrus and mango liqueurs are made from locally grown fruit. They also craft their special Twin P Whiskey brand created by co-owners Mike and Maurkice Pouncey, former NFL All-Pros. Tropical Distillers’ 8,000-square-foot facility in Miami (appropriately decked out in palm trees and pastels) closes to visitors in the summer months but will reopen for tastings and tours this fall. (tropicaldistillery.com)

BIG CYPRESS DISTILLERY

Miami’s Big Cypress Distillery creates a variety of spirits and fruit liqueurs using a hybrid pot and column still. Try their sloe gins, their spiced rum, and their award-winning, semidry Magic City Gin—made from 11 botanicals. Big Cypress’ Munyon’s Paw Paw is made from a recipe based on the historical formulations of a local homeopathic doctor. Book a reservation in advance to guarantee a spot at the lounge, where you can sample barrel-aged cocktails, mixed drinks, and a gin and tonic bar Thursday through Saturday evenings. (bigcypressdistillery.com)

PAPA’S PILAR RUM DISTILLERY

Paying homage to writer Ernest “Papa” Hemingway and his beloved boat, Pilar, this Key West rum distillery crafts dark, blonde, sherry cask, and rye-finished varieties. Seventh-generation master distiller Ron Call hand selects rums from such places as Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Venezuela, Lakeland, and Key West. Visit the distillery for a wide range of experiences— from traditional tours and tastings to cocktail classes to a journey through Papa’s most famous novels in a library-like setting. (papaspilar.com)

Ingredients

1 oz. Magic City

Cool as a CUCUMBER

XXI Gin from Big Cypress Distillery

1/2 oz. Munyon’s Paw Paw from Big Cypress Distillery

3/4 oz. fresh pressed cucumber juice

3/4 oz. fresh lime juice

3–4 oz. tonic

2 dashes celery bitters

Cucumber and grapefruit slice for garnish

« Add ingredients to a glass with ice and stir.

« Garnish with a cucumber rose and a slice of grapefruit.

Big CypressDistillery

Papa’s Pilar Rum Distillery

WICKED DOLPHIN

ListDistillery

Cape Coral’s Wicked Dolphin crafts an awardwinning rum made from local sugarcane, handcrafted in small batches and distilled in Florida’s largest copper pot. Then it’s aged—for 3 to 14 years—in American white-oak bourbon barrels. If you’re a fan of flavored rum, this is the place to try—from key lime to mango to cold-brew coffee. Visitors can tour Wicked Dolphin to see its production process and taste current spirits (and even concoctions still under development). (wickeddolphin.com)

LIST DISTILLERY

Founded by Thomas and Renate List (the latter boasting family ties to Jägermeister), Fort Myers’ List Distillery is home to Mr. Tom’s Spirits, a product line using only locally sourced, natural ingredients. The small-batch distillery turns

out a host of spirit types, including vodka, gin, rum, bourbon, whiskey, and even cream liqueurs. A standout includes the United States’ first certified 100 percent sugar- and gluten-free vodka, as well as the world’s only certified 100 percent sugar- and gluten-free gin. Contact List Distillery ahead of time to set up a tour and tasting. Make your visit memorable by selecting a spirit to buy and having the bottle custom engraved as a keepsake. (listdistillery.com)

EVERGLADES DISTILLERS

Located in Immokalee, Everglades Distillers is Collier County’s first and only distillery. This veteran- and family-owned distillery specializes in whiskeys, rums, and flavored vodkas (think Watermelon-Pineapple, Orange-Passionfruit, Cucumber-Lemon, and Jalapeño) made from Florida sugar. Try their Honey Whiskey, made with a blend of three types of local honey. (evergladesdistillers.com)

Ingredients

2 oz. 25/80  Everglades Honey Whiskey from Everglades Distillers

1 tsp. orange blossom honey

2 dashes Angostura bitters

1/2 slice of Florida orange

Pinch of cinnamon sugar (1/2 cinnamon, 1/2 cane sugar)

Culinary torch

« Add whiskey, honey, and bitters to an empty cocktail glass and stir.

« Place large ice cube into an old-fashioned glass. Add the cocktail.

« Place the orange slice on top of the ice cube and add a pinch of cinnamon sugar to the slice of orange. Use the torch to caramelize and brûlée the sugar.

List Distillery

Wicked Dolphin

Meet the Mak

JoAnn Elardo, Co-Founder of Wicked Dolphin

For JoAnn Elardo, the inspiration to start a distillery began with a cocktail.

DRUM CIRCLE DISTILLING

Drum Circle Distilling is a family-owned rum distillery located in Sarasota. Known for its line of small-batch Siesta Key rums (including varieties infused with toasted coconut and coffee), its flagship product, Siesta Key Gold Rum, is pot-distilled from Florida molasses and aged in used bourbon barrels. Distillery tours here run seven days a week, but note that it’s best to make reservations ahead of time to ensure availability. Stop by the Infinity Room bar post-tour for spirit pours, cocktails, and mixed drinks. (siestakeyrum.com)

ALLIGATOR BAY DISTILLERS

Run by brothers Alex and Ben Voss, Alligator Bay Distillers produces award-winning rums and whiskeys. Their 3,000-square-foot facility in Bonita Springs houses old-fashioned

copper pot stills. Of note: the distillery’s Alligator Bay White Rum—double-distilled from Floridian blackstrap molasses sourced in Clewiston—earned a silver medal in the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits competition. (alligatorbaydistillers.com)

LOADED CANNON DISTILLERY

Named among USA Today’s top 10 new distilleries, Bradenton’s Loaded Cannon Distillery is the first distillery in Manatee County. Though the spot is a relative newcomer, it has held the Best Flavored Vodka Distillery in Florida title from guidetoflorida.com for two years running. Try the Anney’s Blade jalapeño vodka (made in a 500-gallon copper still nicknamed “Anney”). Tours of Loaded Cannon’s facilities include education on production, fermentation, and bottling, followed by a five-spirit sampling session. (loadedcannondistillery.com)

“I had some interests in the sugar industry,” she recalls. “While having a cocktail that tasted like suntan lotion, I looked at the bottle and saw it was being made in Canada. I thought, ‘We are growing most of the sugarcane in the U.S. right here in Florida. Why are we not making rum here?’ It was the start of Wicked Dolphin distillery.” It’s perhaps not surprising, then, that Elardo’s favorite spirit these days is Wicked Dolphin’s Barrel Aged Rum. “Or, if I’m at the beach,” she adds, “it’s our Wicked Dolphin Coconut Rum.” Next up in the distillery’s pipeline are explorations of cane juice distilling and incorporating innovative fruit combinations.

“[Florida’s] local produce and fruit inspire so many ideas,” Elardo says. “We love bringing that energy back into our products.”

Everglades Distillers

Drum Circle Distilling

21st AMENDMENT DISTILLERY

This distillery in Vero Beach pays homage to the era of bootleggers and speakeasies. The name refers to a 1933 act of Congress that repealed Prohibition, which had been the law of the land since 1920. Founder and former U.S. Marine Jeff Palleschi celebrates the American spirit with a range of bourbons, plus rye, rum, and agave. Our favorites? The 21AD Bourbon Whiskey, Term Limits Vodka, and Min Pin Gin. Tours are offered Wednesday through Sunday and include a spirit sampler. Afterward, stay awhile in the Speakeasy cocktail lounge to enjoy craft cocktails and local bites. (21st-distillery.com)

INDIAN RIVER DISTILLERY

You’ll find a variety of craft liquors, including vodka, gin, and rum produced by Ray and Mandy Hooker at Vero Beach’s Indian River Distillery. Try the Ashley Gang Moonshine Corn Whiskey (honoring the “King of the Everglades,” swamp bandit John Ashley), Treasure Fleet Rum Silver, or the Vero Beach Vodka—all of which start life as a 100 percent neutral spirit distilled from sugarcane. (indianriverdistillery.com)

WINTER PARK DISTILLING COMPANY

Just north of Orlando, Paul Twyford and Andrew Asher built their distillery on a humble handmade 50-gallon still and a collection of old whiskey reci-

pes. The pair take pride in their commitment to high quality at an affordable price—bottling their vodka, whiskeys, bourbons, and rums in wine bottles to keep costs low. (wpdistilling.com)

FISH HAWK SPIRITS

The folks at Ocala’s Fish Hawk Spirits are committed to a farm-to-bottle process—growing the corn used in their whiskey on fields adjacent to the distillery, harvesting fresh fruit from their own groves, growing their own herbs and botanicals for their infused spirits, and even pumping their water from wells fed by the Rainbow River watershed for use in their mash and blending processes. Far from the trend of industrial warehouses or bougie tasting rooms, Fish Hawk still does things the old-fashioned way: distilling 27 award-winning spirits (including whiskey, rum, vodka, absinthe, and brandy) in a farm shed, using hand-built stills.

(fishhawkspirits.net)

coral lace tuile Ingredients 21stAmendment

e Moon & THE SEA

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz. Indian River Ashley Gang Moonshine Corn Whiskey from Indian River Distillery

1/2 oz. passion fruit puree

1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice

1/2 oz. orgeat

1 oz. butterfly pea and lavender tea Coral lace tuile for garnish

« Add the first four ingredients to a shaker with ice. Strain into a highball glass. Wait for the drink to settle, then top with the tea. Garnish with a coral lace tuile.

1/3 cup flour

2/5 cup water

2/5 cup oil

1/2 tsp. powdered food coloring

« Emulsify the ingredients and add to a hot nonstick pan on medium high. Once the lace tuile has formed and the liquid has cooked off, gently pry it from the pan and place on a towel-lined plate to cool and dry. Store in an airtight container. Use within a week.

Dist i l lery

Fish Hawk Spirits

Coth man Distilling Company

Kozuba & Sons Distill y

St. Pet sburg Distill y

y

Meet the Mak

Warren Gardner, Master Distiller at St. Petersburg Distillery

Warren Gardner sees his vocation as a matter of destiny. A chance meeting with a fourth-generation master distiller more than a decade ago inspired Gardner (who was working as a mechanic) to try a new path. Today, Gardner says the artistry and craftsmanship involved in distilling continue to inspire him. “I am motivated by the opportunity to create unique, high-quality spirits that reflect our local culture and traditions,” he says. As for his favorite spirit St. Petersburg Distillery is currently producing? “Agave,” he says. “It’s a chance to produce something that’s so sought after, [but something that has been] outside our reach until now,” he explains. “To finally taste years of progress, it makes you get excited for the next batch of spirits.”

Tampa BAY GamblersBayDistillery

GAMBLERS BAY DISTILLERY

Tampa’s Gamblers Bay Distillery makes Florida-centric spirits following Romanian family recipes that date back 120 years. Their Florida Farm Vodka, made from 100 percent Florida corn, was awarded double gold at the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Try their other award-winning products, including Florapina Guava Rum and Citrus Tree Floridian Gin. (gamblersbaydistillery.com)

COTHERMAN DISTILLING COMPANY

Located just six miles north of Clearwater Beach in Dunedin, this husband-and-wife-run distillery crafts its 727 Vodka from 100 percent malted barley, plus a vapor-infused Half Mine Gin and a whiskey made from unhopped and unboiled beer. (instagram.com/cothermandistillingco)

KOZUBA & SONS DISTILLERY

Kozuba & Sons is a family-run distillery in St. Petersburg. The trio of father and sons specialize in small-batch spirits, including a wheat and barrel aged vodka, two flavored vodkas in lemon and orange, a rye malt whiskey, a white whiskey, and two cordials. (kozubadistillery.com)

ST. PETERSBURG DISTILLERY

From gins and vodkas to rums and whiskeys, St. Petersburg Distillery focuses on “grains to glass” distilling. Try its Tippler’s Orange Liqueur made from Florida oranges and filled with notes of citrus, apricots, peppermint, and smoked oak. Visits to this distillery include interactive classes on making the perfect old-fashioned, a tasting of samples of four different spirits distilled on-site, and even an immersive tour led by master distiller Warren Gardner. (stpetersburgdistillery.com)

TICKLED Pink

Ingredients

1/2 oz. Chainbridge Sour Cherry Spiced Rum from Chainbridge Distillery

1/2 oz. simple syrup

1/2 oz. lemon juice

Candied rhubarb stalk for garnish

« Add all the ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake well.

« Strain into a glass and garnish with a candied rhubarb stalk.

Kozuba & Sons Distillery

St. Petersburg Distillery

ST. AUGUSTINE DISTILLERY

Built in a restored 1917 Florida Power & Light ice plant, St. Augustine Distillery was founded by 20 local families. It holds the title of most visited craft distillery in America. Perhaps that’s due to its outstanding spirits, which won six awards in the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, including a gold medal for Florida Straight Bourbon. Besides spirits, St. Augustine has created a line of mixers including old-fashioned, Florida mule, grapefruit hibiscus, and tropical tiki. Seven days a week, visitors can embark on a self-guided tour or opt for a more in-depth adventure with a guided tour and tasting flight. Add on the fill-your-own-bottle experience to step behind the production lines and personalize your own bottle of cask-strength bourbon distilled in-house. (staugustinedistillery.com)

MANIFEST DISTILLING

Jacksonville’s Manifest Distilling is North Florida’s only full-scale organic distillery. Though not every product Manifest makes is organic, its facility is— keeping a chain of custody on every raw material purchased, using nontoxic sanitation and pest control practices, and isolating any products that

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz. Revenge Rum

3/4 oz. J.F. Haden’s Espresso Liqueur

1 oz. espresso

1 oz. freshly pressed pineapple juice

1/2 oz. orgeat

Coral-shaped cookie for garnish

« Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a coral-shaped cookie.

aren’t organic. The product lineup includes a non-GMO potato vodka, Florida citrus vodka, organic gin, organic barreled gin, organic rye whiskey, and 100 percent rye whiskey. The Florida Botanical Gin is steeped in Floridafriendly flavors that highlight the local terroir. Visit for a brief distillery tour or a longer distillery experience that takes a deep dive into the science and art of distilling spirits—concluding with a tutored tasting focused on sensory perception, nosing, and even blind tasting. (manifestdistilling.com)

COPPER BOTTOM CRAFT DISTILLERY

Holly Hill’s Copper Bottom Craft Distillery produces handcrafted, award-winning spirits with no artificial colors, flavors, or sugars added. All of Copper Bottom’s spirits—a variety of rums and a single vodka—are made from raw sugarcane. Tours with the knowledgeable head distiller run Wednesday through Saturday, offering industry secrets and insights into Copper Bottom’s unique process. (copperbottomspirits.com)

Manifest Distilling

St. Augustine Distillery

I NDUSTR I AL

T HS T RENG

Artist David LoPresti uses his unique perspective to reveal the beauty in utilitarian items

By MARY BETH MCGREGOR

P hotography by STEVEN MARTINE

Some artists look to the heavens or the horizon for inspiration. Not David LoPresti. His focus is down, where the sparks of his creativity rest on mundane, functional, and often historic manhole covers. When he finds a potential subject—often in the middle of a street—he overlays a piece of canvas for a rubbing and then takes the canvas back to his studio to create wall hangings that are replicas of the manhole cover.

His unusual art stems from his exploration of industrial arts and his career in the

aeronautical industry, where the LoPresti family made airplane parts for some 30 years in Vero Beach and Sebastian. When they sold the business in 2019, this son of the founder turned his energies to making his unique style of art.

Today he is a frequent exhibitor at local art shows and strolls, and his canvases, prints, and photographs of manhole covers decorate homes and offices in Vero Beach and beyond.

“My wife, Leah, and I travel around the country looking for what I deem are inter-

esting manholes,” LoPresti says. “A good example is this one,” he says, pointing to a favorite in his studio/gallery on 7th Avenue in Vero Beach, “with a beautiful image of a sailfish. We found it in front of a popular Latin restaurant in Fort Pierce.”

The covers are often rusty and filled with dirt, so LoPresti travels with a whisk broom and a chisel to brush away or knock out dirt imbedded in the design and wording. With their car lights flashing, Leah, who is also an artist, directs traffic around him when necessary. “I try to search out

“I want people to not just enjoy my art but for it to be a sea change in their life.”

DAVID LOPRESTI

manholes that are on a sidewalk to avoid this,” he smiles.

LoPresti’s technique for making the nished art is constantly evolving, but he currently prefers two methods. Each involves crouching over the manhole cover on his hands and knees on-site for a period of time.

“Both methods start with a loose canvas positioned on top of the manhole cover,” he explains. “My original method would be to put acrylic paint on the canvas and then scrape the canvas with a palette knife. is removes the paint from the high spots of the manhole cover and leaves the paint color on the low areas.

“My newer method is to again start with a loose canvas positioned on top of the manhole cover, but instead of wet acrylic paint I use a brick of encaustic paint—it is like a big crayon—and rub this brick on just the high spots, leaving the low spots unpainted.”

He photographs the original manhole covers at the site for use as a reference when he is back in his studio, or to market on his website.

e couple has traveled throughout Florida and along the East Coast of the United States looking for manhole covers that would make intriguing pieces— selecting some for their intricate designs

David LoPresti switched to making prints of manhole covers on canvas early on when fi nding the paper he started with didn’t hold up. His work can be found in local art shows and at his studio on 7th Avenue in Vero Beach.

and municipality logos and others for their historical signi cance.

A cover in Tallahassee features the city’s logo, that of the old capitol building superimposed over the new building. Another, a bestseller, in Norfolk, Virginia admonishes: “No Dumping—Drains to Waterway.” LoPresti found a cover in New York’s Central Park dated 1862, which is his oldest. He liked it so much he not only sold the artistic replica but had it silk-screened onto a T-shirt that he often wears.

Closer to home are several Vero Beach manhole covers, including one with just the date, 1925, that he found behind the beachside post o ce. On the back of each canvas he adds the location of the manhole cover.

LoPresti was born in New York and moved to Vero Beach as a toddler in 1963, so his father, Roy, an aeronautical engineer, could work in the Apollo lunar landing program. “We were the rst family to move to Florida for the Apollo program,” he says. ere were no homes in Cocoa for this rather large clan, parents and ve children, so they settled in the Melbourne/Indialantic area. “My dad felt that we should live on the water, so my parents bought and renovated the old Eau Gallie Yacht Club into our home. en he convinced my mom to put

The LoPrestis plan their travels around David’s quest for the functional, unique, and sometimes historic manhole covers he uses for his canvases. The farthest they’ve traveled for his creative work is Sea le.

everything in the house in storage so we could live on a boat—all seven of us, plus a Saint Bernard. My parents were always very adventurous.”

at same adventurous spirit might explain the artist’s choice of his unconventional subject matter.

LoPresti’s father had a distinguished career following the Apollo program and eventually was recruited by the Piper Aircraft company in Vero Beach. He left Piper to establish the family business to include his wife and all four sons, who were working in the aeronautical eld in di erent parts of the country at the time.

“When we rst started, we took older airplanes and made them perform better and faster, basically by adding new designs that would reduce the drag and make them operate more e ciently and economically. My father had a worldwide reputation for doing that for other manufacturers besides Piper.”

e business evolved over the years, he continues. “By the time we sold it, we had pivoted into aeronautical lighting. We were designing supercharged HID [high-intensity discharge] lighting, which revolutionized the industry.”

David LoPresti holds a patent for one such lighting system.

ey sold the business to their major competition, Whelen Aerospace Technologies, which still operates in the former LoPresti plant in Sebastian.

LoPresti’s artistic journey began with his rst project following the sale. “When cleaning out the hangar to sell the company, we had pieces of airplanes that we

needed to dispose of. One was the last 4 feet of a plane’s tail. Part of the tail had no skin and you could see the rivet lines inside the bulkhead. So I polished it up, put an acrylic top on it, and made it into a bar table. I liked it a lot. Here was this family relic that I made into something, and then I thought, what else could I do?”

He noticed a manhole at the end of his street that piqued his interest because of its design of cogs and gears and repetitive hexagon shapes. “I tried making a rubbing of it on paper but soon realized that paper wouldn’t last, so I switched to canvas.” You could say the rest is history.

LoPresti’s manufacturing background accounts for his appreciation of structures and repetitive lines. “I always considered them to be pretty, and it surprised me that the whole world didn’t see them the same way,” he quips. “ en I started thinking that there are things people pass every day and never think about their lines and designs, and the steps it took to make them.”

He adds, “For example, I wonder how many times someone passed the manhole cover in Fort Pierce and never noticed it had a really cool sh on it.”

Now, besides making his art, LoPresti is on a mission to educate people to recognize the genesis of industrial art that is all around them. “I want people to not just enjoy my art but for it to be a sea change in their life. To understand the art hanging on the wall is indicative of what is everywhere, and to appreciate industrial design and not take it for granted.”

UPON A STAR

WITH WHAT’S NEXT ADVENTURES, NANCY AND IAN BEAUMONT CREATE LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCES

BY TERESA LEE RUSHWORTH

“Stand by to hoist the mainsail!” shouts Captain Ian Beaumont from the helm of the Bahama Star, the 57-foot 1984 Wellington sloop-rigged sailboat he owns with his wife, Nancy.

A half-dozen or so teens take their positions along the sail as if they have done this before. They have. They are members of the youth group at Community Church of Vero Beach, which, for the fourth summer, has turned to the Beaumonts’ What’s Next Adventures for a weeklong mission/recreational trip to the Exuma islands in the Bahamas.

STEVEN

TERESA LEE RUSHWORTH

Bahama Star docks at Compass Cay. Inset: Students watch a nurse shark. Opposite page: Ian and Nancy Beaumont; junior chaperone Will Dunlap and student Walter prepare to do backflips; the dinghy motors to a reef for snorkeling.

ABIGAIL SYLVIA

Eleven teens are on this year’s trip, along with two young chaperones in training and CCVB’s director of youth ministry, Drew Angotti. Most have been aboard Bahama Star at least once before, and the Captains Beaumont have taught them well; in addition to those who have sprung into action to hoist the sail, others will stand ready to maneuver ropes and position docking fenders when the time comes.

The teens call themselves the Agape Ambassadors, and their primary purpose is to continue a relationship forged over the past four years with the people of Black Point, a small village on Great Guana Cay. On prior visits, they have repaired a church playground, replaced a damaged basketball backboard, and assembled a steeple built by Community Church maintenance man Ron Cook and transported in pieces

aboard Bahama Star.

This year, they hope to check on their previous work and tend to other projects the Beaumonts have identified in their communications with the locals. One of the objectives for this visit is a largely symbolic one: to paint the Bahamian flag on the wooden backboard installed last year.

Angotti also sees this adventure as a perfect opportunity to fortify bonds within the

A colorful sign welcomes visitors to Black Point. Youth group members enjoy fun activities with the local children, and Ava gives Sabria a piggyback ride.

Left: The shop at Compass Cay Marina is one of the island’s few structures. Right: Captain Ian calls out sail-hoisting commands to the crew and teen adventurers.

TERESA LEE RUSHWORTH

TERESA LEE RUSHWORTH

“WE’RE HERE NOT JUST TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE BAHAMAS BUT TO BE PART OF THE BAHAMAS.”

– Ian Beaumont

youth group and, of course, with God. “It’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen,” Angotti says. “You can’t help but feel closer to God.”

Community Church’s ties with the Exumas and Black Point in particular date back to Nancy Beaumont’s childhood.

Nancy Shipley grew up in Vero Beach, attending Community Church with her parents, Linda and Dr. Joshua Shipley. In fact, she was a member of the very youth group whose mission trip she is now helping to orchestrate. The Shipley family spent lots of time in the Bahamas, boating there each year and establishing many relationships. Dr. Shipley volunteered his

medical services during vacations from his primary care practice in Vero Beach.

Nancy met Ian Beaumont while she was working as a dockmaster on Compass Cay, a breathtakingly beautiful island owned by a Bahamian gentleman acquainted with her parents. At that time, Ian, a native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was serving as first mate on the Bahama Star under Captain Bruce Dunham.

Fast-forward to 2024, and the couple has owned the Bahama Star 14 years. It is the focal point of What’s Next Adventures. When Ian founded the business 16 years ago, the adventures were land based: rock climbing,

From top: Compass Cay; Abby, Ava, crew member Kate Lochridge, and Dounia paint the Bahamian flag on the backboard the Agape Ambassadors installed last year; Ian Beaumont removes rust from the steeple the group assembled on a prior visit to Black Point.

DREW ANGOTTI

backpacking, caving, and paddling. Then the Bahama S tar entered the picture. “Up until COVID hit, we did both,” he explains, “but after COVID the land stuff fell off.”

The Beaumonts launch their adventure season in February, preparing the Bahama Star for the dozen or so groups it will host over the next several months. Church and school groups, scout troops, research trips, missions—they take various forms, but what all the charters have in common is the educational aspect the couple is passionate about.

They specialize in the Bahamas’ outer islands, where their familiarity and connections are evident, as is their enthusiasm for sharing their knowledge about the islands, their people, and their stunningly beautiful

ecosystems. For Nancy, one of the highlights of her job is “getting to see that newness through other people’s eyes.”

On some excursions, the focus is on offering medical instruction. Both Ian and Nancy are well versed and credentialed in wilderness first aid, and Nancy is a wilderness EMT—a skill set that can come in handy out on the water and in the remote locales they visit.

“I became an EMT around 2015 while I was in college. The wilderness part came along when Ian took my bookish, medical self into the outdoors,” Nancy chuckles.

Ian adds, “Wilderness medicine is like being an EMT plus MacGyver.”

In early June, when hurricane season begins, the Beaumonts say goodbye to the Bahama Star at

the Fort Pierce Marina and head back to Pennsylvania, where they recover their “land legs,” take road trips, and teach classes.

Like any other undertaking, this year’s mission to Black Point presents many variables, such as weather conditions and

Laughing gulls, plentiful in the Exumas; Walter, Jonathan, and crewman Noah Paez between the mainsail and the jib; opposite page: the nurse sharks of Compass Cay; preparations for a snorkeling expedition

TERESA LEE RUSHWORTH

TERESA

LEE

RUSHWORTH

“WE’RE NOT YOUR TYPICAL TOURISTS.”

–

Ian Beaumont

availability of certain supplies. But one of Ian’s strengths is his ability to have plans A, B, and C for every situation. This visit’s accomplishments are impressive: the Agape Ambassadors lead a Bible study and arts-andcrafts session with local children, and, despite intermittent rain, the steeple is cleaned, a wall is painted, and the Bahamian flag is ultimately emblazoned on the aforementioned backboard.

The warm relationships fostered over the years are crucial. “When Jon and I went to borrow the ladder, the man didn’t even hesitate,” says junior chaperone Luke Franco.

The culmination of the twoday stay at Black Point is “movie night,” which is nothing if not a staggering demonstration of

teamwork. With everyone pitching in, large quantities of hot dogs and macaroni and cheese are prepared, and everyone gathers in a small, open building near the dock. Word of mouth spreads quickly in the closeknit community. A sheet is hung up on an outer wall to serve as a movie screen, and dozens of youngsters for whom access to a movie theater, even a makeshift one, is a rarity, enjoy the

animated film Surf ’s Up. Local restaurant owner Lorraine Rolle even produces a popcorn popper.

This mission meshes perfectly with the Beaumonts’ philosophy: “We’re not your typical tourists,” says Ian. “We are here not just to take advantage of the Bahamas but to be part of the Bahamas.”

Thus, the first stop on the way to Black Point after the five-hour

Noah Paez presents the sushi he has prepared with the lionfish speared by Luke Franco.

TERESA LEE RUSHWORTH

TERESA LEE RUSHWORTH

NORA METCALF

crossing from Nassau is Hawksbill Cay, part of the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, a national preserve. Here, Ian leads the group on a hike from the leeward to the windward side of the island for a beach cleanup and a swim. But before disembarking, everyone listens to a brief but informative talk from the Beaumonts’ newest crew member, marine biologist Kate Lochridge. The Ohio native was working at the Forfar Field Station on the island of Andros when she accompanied a prior charter group and was invited to join the Bahama Star crew. Lochridge discusses threats to marine life, particularly microplastics, formed when plastic

debris is broken down by the elements into small pieces that can be ingested accidentally by sea turtles, for example.

Like fellow crew member Noah Paez, Lochridge is an impressive young person. Her knowledge of marine life is accompanied by an uncanny ability to depict it with watercolors. Her swimming prowess is formidable, and she is always ready with a smile.

So magnetic is Paez that several of the repeat Agape Ambassadors, when asked on the morning of departure what they were most looking forward to, respond, “Seeing Noah.” Indeed, when the subject of one circular gathering around the boat’s cockpit turns to each person’s favorite marine animal, Jonathan’s answer of “Noah” brings a smile to every face.

By trade, Paez, who hails from Oregon, is a UXO technician, which means that when he is not hoisting sails and managing Bahama Star’s dinghy, he is clearing unexploded ordnance in sundry locations. His résumé

“WE JUST KEEP DOING ‘WHAT’S NEXT.’”

– Nancy Beaumont

also includes a stint as a dogsledding tour guide in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. And he is no slouch in the galley: when Franco spears a lionfish in Black Point, Paez takes advantage of the invasive species’ value as a sushi delicacy.

Usually, though, Nancy is the one working magic in the galley. Feeding a literal boatload of people takes a tremendous amount of planning and work. One morning, she emerges from the galley to announce that she has prepared “baked oatmeal” for breakfast, adding, “or as I like to call it ...” Without missing a beat, youth group member Dounia calls out “Boatmeal!” to the delight of everyone, particularly Nancy.

After an emotional departure from Black Point, Ian steers Bahama Star north toward Compass Cay, where the students will swim with the island’s docile nurse sharks and then spend an afternoon at the gorgeous and peaceful Crescent Beach— swimming, playing “chicken,” and boosting one another into

Clockwise from above: Bahama Star greets Captain Bruce Dunham’s Beacon Won ; the group prepares for a beach cleanup on Hawksbill Cay; teens cool off at Compass Cay; signs caution those swimming with the sharks.

backflips in the turquoise water.

That evening, the group takes an excursion to Big Pipe Cay for a bonfire, during which Angotti hands out letters he has brought from the teens’ families. It is a moving experience for all.

The next day, it’s off to the coral reef at Allen’s Cay, where the crew breaks out the snorkel equipment, Ian goes over safety guidelines, and everyone enjoys the exquisite beauty below the surface.

That night is spent at anchor, and, when Ian takes the Bahama Star out into open water before

dawn the next morning, the lights of Nassau, still several hours away, beckon on the horizon.

Everyone shares highlights and challenges from the week, and parting hugs ensue.

“I feel that I am here in large part because of the mission work I did with Community Church,” Nancy says, “so to have them coming to Bahama Star is rewarding, humbling, and fulfilling.”

What does the future hold for the adventurous Beaumonts?

“We just keep doing ‘what’s next,’” says Nancy.

The sun rises as Bahama Star heads to Nassau. Left: A sunset paints the sky in an interesting pattern. Below: Bahama Star is the base of the teens’ Black Point mission. Its tattered flag will be replaced for next season.

CITRON BISTRO

G. MATHEOS EYEWEAR J.

VERO BEACH | 2024 Faces of

Portraits by: Norair Photography, Owen McGoldrick Photography

The

CUSTOM BUILD ING

Chris Hill’s transition to president of The Hill Group, Vero Beach’s finest custom homebuilder, was meticulously planned out. In 2014, Chris joined the firm—which his father Toby Hill founded—with that plan firmly in place. Then life happened. After Toby received an ultimately fatal cancer diagnosis in 2019, Chris stepped up to lead The Hill Group. More tragedies were to come. From 2020 to 2022, the company unexpectedly lost five senior-level team members, collectively combining 110-plus years with THG. They included the lead estimator, longest-tenured project manager, office manager, executive assistant, and Toby, the founder. All gone— during a worldwide pandemic. Most individuals would be shaken to their foundation, but Chris had a foundation that was carefully and deliberately laid by his father, and Chris was ready.

“I have come to understand that “things” happen for you, they do not happen to you,” says Chris. “One of the greatest gifts my father gave me was through his passing, which is understanding the value of a human life and how important each day is. As a result, I wake up every

day with purpose, positivity, and perspective.”

Those three P’s are at the core of the culture Chris has continued to build with the 56 employees of The Hill Group, which he commonly refers to as family. He believes each day and moment requires purpose. Each project, meeting, or different obstacles placed before you—nothing is happenstance. He also believes that you are more likely to find the best and most efficient solution to any problem if you approach it with a positive attitude—especially critical considering the negativity of today’s world. “The world may not be fair, but we can make each and every day positive through our mindset and actions,” he says. Perspective completes the triangle. “You can’t define your purpose or properly orient your positive attitude without perspective,” says Chris. “Our unbelievable team has been instrumental in getting through these valleys on our way to enjoying some of our best years. The success has been gratifying, yet our purpose remains undeterred… to show everyone the best is yet to come.”

CHRIS HILL — THE HILL GROUP

Face of

VERO BEACH REAL ESTATE The Face of

Cathy Curley makes a pink splash wherever she goes! Chances are you have seen her cruising Ocean Drive in her signature pink Moke or spotted her pink flamingos displayed across town in October.

Consistently a top producer at Dale Sorensen Real Estate, the No. 1 brokerage firm in Vero Beach by sales volume, Curley quickly became the youngest agent to rise to the top and currently holds the record for the largest riverfront property sale—$20 million! Savvy marketing, an unparalleled network, and hard work have been the recipe for her astounding success.

When you meet Curley, you immediately get a dose of warm Southern hospitality. A sales and marketing degree from the University of Arkansas Walton School of Business has served her well, as has her early experience as an event planner. Curley’s ability to throw an epic party was recently on display at a Palm Royale-themed soiree showcasing one

of her multi-million-dollar listings, which was soon under contract. Her real estate career began at age 25 in Westport, Connecticut, followed by a move to Greenwich, leading to her stellar Northeast network.

As a Realtor®, Curley aims to exceed expectations and prides herself on staying in close contact to help clients plug into the community. She is affiliated with many private clubs, provides a sought-after resource guide to town, and delivers pink poinsettias at Christmas. Her enthusiasm for Vero Beach is contagious. She is passionate about cheering on her two boys at Saint Edward’s School sporting events and stimulating the local economy through shopping and dining. Curley is an active member of Holy Cross Catholic Church, a Gatekeeper of the Garden supporter at McKee Botanical Garden, sponsor of Impact 100, and the founder of the Flamingo Fundraiser for the fight against breast cancer.

CATHY CURLEY — DALE SORENSEN REAL ESTATE

An artist at heart, Mary Lynn Elizabeth Eichert was offered an art scholarship after high school but chose to pursue a career in nursing. This decision, while seemingly a divergence from her creative roots, led her to an unexpected intersection of her skills, passions, and desires to help people. While working full time in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) after her graduation in 2004, Eichert also worked in a med spa in San Juan Capistrano, California, sparking her interest in aesthetics.

Eichert’s dedication to aesthetics grew, and she saw the field as a unique blend of her growing skills, her inherent desire to assist others,

and her enduring creativity. After 15 years, acquiring a master’s in nursing and perfecting her skills, she finally embarked on her own venture, Align Aesthetics & Wellness.

Eichert’s professional life has been marked by growth, learning, and a constant desire to improve. A testament to her dedication and tenacity, she has forged ahead with Align Aesthetics & Wellness, applying all her learned wisdom to her own practice. Her goal is to provide patients with naturally beautiful and maintainable outcomes, preserving their unique features while restoring a more youthful, vibrant appearance.

The Face of

DESIGNER HOME BUILD ING

CATHY PADGETT — CARF INVESTMENTS

Coming from a building and development background and following in her father’s footsteps. Padgett launched CARF Investments, a custom spec home business in 2012.

Padgett is a visual person who appreciates everything from art to jewelry to homes.

Her penchant for quality started when she built her first home in her 20s.

She is confident and hands-on, utilizing high levels of detail from concept to the point of completion. She brings her craft to new heights, never using duplicated floorplans. Instead, Cathy ensures that all details are fresh and personally selected beginning with

premier locations on the barrier island at John’s Island, Old Riomar and the ocean.

She plans the entire project with her longtime architect Andrew Kirschner. Padgett successfully takes on both remodels as well as full builds. Her styles of architecture are Anglo Caribbean, Georgian to eclectic. She presently has a remodel as well as two new builds on the drawing board.

Padgett separates her projects from other builders by furnishing her projects with spectacular furniture, original art, and fine home accessories. She markets them as a complete package, which has been very successful for her.

The Face of

DERMATOLOGY & COSMETIC SURGERY

Dr. Alexandra Grammenos is passionate about knowing your skin and how your skin’s needs change over time. Her dedication to serving patients of all ages in Indian River County is literally changing the “face” of dermatology for generations to come.

The Space Coast native’s unique practice offers advanced dermatologic, cosmetic, and skin cancer care for conditions such as eczema, acne, psoriasis, hair loss, and non-melanoma and melanoma skin cancers. She and her team also help turn back time with BOTOX® Cosmetic, dermal fillers, and leading-edge CoolPeel® CO2 laser treatments.

Grammenos is committed to making skin health accessible and

stresses the importance of protecting your skin with 30+ SPF sunscreen and getting total-body skin cancer exams every year. “Early detection and prevention save lives. Period,” she says. “Using a few quality products goes a long way toward simplifying skin care. It’s never too early to start caring for your skin.”

With a dedication to serving and being a part of the community, Grammenos offers same-day and next-day appointments so she can see patients with pressing needs right away because she wants you to love the skin you’re in. “Many patients have had life-changing results by improving the health and beauty of their skin.”

ESTATE

STEVEN BORENZ — BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY FLORIDA REALTY

Steven Borenz has been a top-performing Realtor for over 10 years, garnering over 80, 5-star reviews from his customers. Borenz’s business is based on prioritizing relationships over transactions along with ethical practices that lead to sustainable repeat business. Borenz has the ability to adapt to new market conditions and is an innovative thinker. Not only is he honest and holds integrity, but he also has attention to detail and has a vast knowledge of the housing market in Vero Beach and the surrounding areas.

Borenz is a member of the Realtors Association of Indian River County, Space Coast Association of Realtors and the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches. His dedication to the industry and veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces has earned him the Gold Coin Award by Veterans United being recognized as a veteran-friendly agent. Borenz is here for you day or night for all your real estate needs. Feel free to reach out to him anytime.

MARKETING

As the vice president of marketing and sales for Pirata Group Marketing (PGM), Brittany Stevens brings her dedication and expertise to the forefront of the company’s mission. A devoted wife and mother of three, Stevens balances her personal life with a deep-rooted passion for helping small businesses thrive. Her commitment to this cause is evident in her role as one of the producers of PGM’s “Best of Series.” This video production series is designed to showcase best-in-class business owners, highlighting their success stories and contributions to the community.

PGM is focused on providing a voice and platform for local business

owners and key stakeholders. Through initiatives like the “Best of Series,” it aims to celebrate and elevate those who create and drive the region’s acclaimed culture and lifestyle. Stevens’ leadership in this project underscores her dedication to fostering a supportive and thriving business environment.

Under Stevens’ guidance, PGM continues to champion the stories and achievements of local entrepreneurs, ensuring they receive the recognition and support they deserve. Her efforts are instrumental in helping PGM build a stronger, more connected community, where small businesses can flourish and continue to enhance residents’ collective quality of life.

WOOD FLOORING, CARPET & AREA RUGS

PAYTON BLACK, KIM BLACK — DESIGNER’S TOUCH FLOORING

A full-service, boutique-style flooring company, Designer’s Touch

Flooring has evolved under the leadership of president and founder Kim Black since 2000. Whether creating a custom wood floor or helping clients select a factory-finished wood floor, Designer’s Touch Flooring has built its reputation on being wood floor specialists at its 3,000-square-foot showroom. It also offers luxury vinyl plank, waterproof laminate, area rugs, and carpet, as well as a floor maintenance division. Her team of well-trained specialists is happy to tackle projects large or small, simple or complex. With a background

in accounting and advertising, Black was inspired by her Uncle Tom, who was in the flooring industry for 50 years, to launch her business. And it is a family affair—Black’s husband Rick and son Payton have long been integral to the company’s success. Black says their motto is: The only way to do great work is to love what you do. “We are here to understand the client and their needs and desires,” she explains. “Then we educate the client and help them make the best decision. Our mission is to provide a friendly, down-to-earth atmosphere with a team that truly cares about our clients and the services we provide.”

The Faces of

HOME HEALTH CARE

With a sense of familiarity often only felt with family, Indian River Home Care passionately extends the accessibility of premier nursing, therapy, and caregiving services. As the only nurse-owned home health company offering both medical and personal support, their accomplished clinicians collaborate with clients to create customized care plans, including transportation, housekeeping, bathing, meal preparation, and more.

Founded in 2011 by Vero Beach native Margot Kornicks, RN, BSN, MBA, Indian River Home Care revolutionized responsive health care. With a nursing degree from Vanderbilt University, oncology expertise from Massachusetts General Hospital, and 15 years of COO experience, Margot Kornicks unites an ambitious team of

RUTH STEWART, RN, MSN, MBA; MARGOT KORNICKS, RN, BSN, MBA; & NATALIE KORNICKS SAVADGE — INDIAN RIVER HOME CARE

administrators to empower their patients.

Vice President Ruth Stewart, RN, MSN, MBA, not only directed 14 departments at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, but her master’s degrees in nursing and business have given her the pragmatic proficiency that led to Indian River Home Care’s patient satisfaction rating of 95 percent compared to the statewide average of 85 percent. Their communication rating is also remarkable at 97 percent, which includes coordinating with caregivers from the most renowned registry of nursing assistants, managed by Natalie Kornicks Savadge. With a master’s degree in journalism, her astuteness allows her to comprehensively assess client needs and alleviate their concerns.

The Faces of

CONSERVATION

MELISSA DEPRIEST, DAVE FUSS, KEN GRUDENS — INDIAN RIVER LAND TRUST (IRLT)

Meet the Indian River Land Trust’s senior leadership team. The nonprofit organization protects, improves, provides access to, and promotes the preservation of waterways, open spaces, and green places in Indian River County.

Executive Director Ken Grudens joined IRLT in 2004 and has led the organization in acquiring 1,300 acres and 12 miles of lagoon shoreline. Grudens, after earning a master’s in landscape architecture and planning, began his conservation career 32 years ago in New York’s Hudson Valley. “From the moment I was introduced to the world of land trusts, I was hooked,” he says.

Director of Land Stewardship Dave Fuss joined IRLT in 2019 and

leads its efforts to restore and improve the wildlife habitat and water resources the Land Trust acquires. Fuss, raised in Williamsburg, Virginia, holds a master’s in marine resource management. “I gravitated toward the importance of protecting our water at an early age,” Fuss says.

Director of Philanthropy and Marketing Melissa DePriest joined IRLT in 2021. She leads the organization’s efforts to raise critically needed funding to support its conservation mission. DePriest, a Treasure Coast native, holds a master’s in public administration, and is a certified fundraising professional. “I want to ensure that our region’s natural resources are protected forever,” she says.

LIGHTING & FAN EXPERTS

LED Capstone is not just a lighting and fan showroom, though its stunning showroom helps drive the LED lighting design market, specializing in custom projects and high-quality household fixtures, fans and more. Mitchel Zavala, the company’s president and CEO, is an American Lighting Association-certified lighting specialist, ensuring that the team understands the importance of lighting and design both inside and outside the home.

LED Capstone is a national award-winning showroom. In 2023, LED Capstone was named among the top 5 nationwide in its revenue category during the annual Showroom of the Year Awards ceremony at Dallas Market Center during the Lightovation marketplace, presented by Furniture, Lighting & Décor magazine and Lightovation. Mitchel and Teresa Zavala were also honored with the prestigious Exceptional Community Involvement Award.

As a dedicated design center, LED Capstone takes pride in helping clients develop personalized lighting plans that meet their needs and exceed their expectations. Designers and contractors can come in and work with clients—with LED Capstone’s team standing by to assist if desired.

LED Capstone stays up to date with industry trends by staying involved with the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), American Institute of Architects (AIA), Treasure Coast Builders Association (TCBA), American Lighting Association (ALA), and the Indian River County Chamber of Commerce.

The Face of

LUXURY JEWELRY

SUZANNE LEIGH — LEIGH JEWELERS

A Graduate Gemologist, Suzanne Leigh grew up around her parents’ successful luxury jewelry store. When Mark and Barbara Leigh retired in 2019, Leigh bought the business, where she’d been working for 12 years, starting from the ground-up. Today, Leigh is focused on several aspects of Leigh Jewelers, including customer service, creating custom jewelry, and providing appraisals, which involves conducting refractive index testing and assessing the saturation and tone of highquality gems. She also is passionate about forming relationships with her clients, providing personalized customer service, and being part of life’s celebratory moments, commemorated with a special piece of jewelry. Leigh Jewelers is proud to showcase custom jewelry lines. It also has a full-time goldsmith handing all in-house repairs, the only

Rolex-certified watchmaker authorized to do repairs with genuine parts locally, and a second Graduate Gemologist who oversees the creation of custom one-of-a-kind pieces. In fact, creating custom pieces has been a focus in recent years for the 40-year-old business. The remarkable process begins with understanding the client’s vision. Then, a CAD Cam Matrix 3D computer system allows clients to envision their custom piece in color on an iPad. A 3D printer produces a live model of exact proportions that the client can try on to ensure it is perfect before it goes to casting. Bringing in such technology was one of Leigh’s first initiatives when she took over, and the service has flourished, allowing clients to transform special family heirlooms into a unique, updated piece they can cherish today.

The

Adam Ogilvie is the esteemed president of ORC Services, Inc., a premier company specializing in high-quality remodeling and property damage restoration services in Vero Beach and surrounding counties since 2010. With more than 25 years of extensive experience in remodeling, restoration, flooring, water mitigation, mold remediation, fire restoration, crime scene cleaning, and leak detection, Ogilvie has established himself as a reliable and trustworthy leader in the industry.

HOME REMODELING & RESTORATION

In addition to his professional achievements, Ogilvie is committed to giving back to the community. He spearheads ORC Services’ annual Turkey Bowl event, which provides approximately 2,000 family members with food and a turkey to ensure a bountiful Thanksgiving.

Ogilvie’s unwavering dedication to quality, integrity, and customer care continues to drive ORC Services’ growth and success, making it a trusted name in remodeling and restoration services in Vero Beach.

Under Ogilvie’s leadership, ORC Services has flourished into a leading remodeling and restoration company, recognized for its commitment to excellence and unparalleled customer satisfaction. His hands-on approach and dedication to delivering exceptional results have earned him a stellar reputation among clients and peers alike.

ADAM OGILVIE — ORC SERVICES, INC.

Face of

The Face of

FINE STATIONERY

WENDY ROBERTS — NOTEWORTHY BY DESIGN

Thousands of people, including Fortune 500 CEOs, professional sports figures, and entertainment celebrities, have come to Noteworthy By Design for stationery, social cards, and invitations since Wendy Roberts opened her store in 2005. The curated selection of greeting cards, entertaining and hosting accessories, and gifts also contribute to the distinctively enchanting atmosphere that is Noteworthy.

“Our passion is fine paper; matching the right texture, finish, and weight with design elements to create a stationery that represents the customer. A handwritten note can mean so much to both sender and recipient,” Roberts says. “We hope by providing people with beautiful stationery Noteworthy can help keep the tradition of letter writing alive.”

Each September, Noteworthy celebrates letter writing during national “Thinking of You Week.” Throughout that week, customers are given a complimentary greeting card and a place to write. Noteworthy even provides a free stamp and mails the note for them.

Take advantage of Noteworthy’s expertise in design, wording etiquette, and selection of iconic American brands such as Crane, Arzberger, and Caspari. Whether you’re looking for a social card to impress, personalized stationery with an engraved monogram, or an invitation that features hand-painted artwork, visit Noteworthy By Design to create something exquisite together.

KEELY D. CHANDLER, APRN — PREMIER PLASTIC SURGERY & AESTHETICS

Premier Plastic Surgery & Aesthetics is proud to offer the most leading- and cutting-edge services in aesthetic rejuvenation with nurse practitioner Keely D. Chandler. Chandler has extensive experience as a health care professional and has received three degrees within her field along with numerous training certifications and accolades. She is board certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as a family nurse practitioner and puts patient care above all else. She makes it a priority to ensure patients are well informed and comfortable with their treatment

plan by taking the time to listen and describe the services available to them. She has a solid connection to the art of plastic surgery—offering services including but not limited to injectables (Botox, Dysport, Daxxify, RHA, Restylane, and Juvederm), non-surgical skin care procedures (radio-frequency microneedling), laser treatments (Erbium-YAG skin resurfacing, tattoo removal, fractional CO2/fusion), and medical weight loss. Chandler remains dedicated to each patient throughout their entire aesthetic journey and committed to providing unparalleled results.

The Face of

VERO BEACH INTERIOR DESIGN

PAGE FRANZEL — PAGE 2 DESIGN

Second acts, says Page Franzel of Page 2 Design, are all about knowing how to get it right. Franzel worked as a commercial designer in Honolulu, Hawaii for 13 years. When she and her husband decided to retire and move to Vero Beach, Franzel realized she wasn’t ready to give up her passion. In 2009, the couple opened Page 2 Design. Since then, the firm has transformed countless homes, earning a reputation for excellence and creativity. Their work has been featured in local design showcases

and has garnered numerous accolades for their innovative approach. Franzel is a dedicated supporter of several community organizations, including Riverside Theatre, H.A.L.O. No-Kill Rescue, Humane Society of Vero Beach & Indian River County, Indian River Land Trust, Vero Beach Museum of Art, Hibiscus Children’s Center, and the Cultural Council of Indian River County. Her greatest love is for helping care for and find homes for stray animals.

The Face of SURGERY

BOARD CERTIFIED PLASTIC

JOHN M. SARBAK, MD — PREMIER PLASTIC SURGERY & AESTHETICS

At Premier Plastic Surgery & Aesthetics, Dr. John Michael Sarbak has created an environment that is constantly evolving to bring you the latest developments in surgical techniques. A board-certified plastic surgeon, he is excited to provide the newest advancements in aesthetic technologies, including growth factor delivery, light therapy, and cutting-edge lasers.

To optimize patient outcomes, Sarbak has assembled an amazing team of professionals. His friendly staff is excellent in each of their respective roles, and will work to not only achieve your goals, but to exceed them.

Sarbak believes that plastic surgery should be based upon a foundation of excellent training, backed by experience, designed with a strict

attention to detail, and overseen by an eye for perfection. Sarbak is highly sought-after for his outstanding skill in facelift surgery and facial rejuvenation procedures, rhinoplasty, specialized breast surgery including the transumbilical augmentation, and body contouring and high-definition liposuction. He understands that each plastic surgery patient is on their own personal journey. He enjoys taking that journey with each patient from the initial consultation through their final healing and beyond.

In addition to creating beautiful bodies and faces, Sarbak travels on joint missions with Rotary International to help Peruvian children with congenital deformities of the lip and palate.

LUXURY HOME GIFTS & GARDEN DECOR

LINDA DOWNEY — TRIMMINGS HOME GARDEN GIFTS

A longtime Vero Beach resident and community volunteer, Linda Downey was looking for something to do after retiring from an 18-year stint as director of education at Riverside Theatre. Fortunately, her family owned a charming building on Cardinal Drive, and she was able to persuade husband Dan to lease her retail space, and a lifelong dream came to fruition.

A former assistant buyer at Marshall Fields in Chicago, she developed a concept of a warm, inviting home goods and gift shop, inspired by Vero’s

traditional lifestyle and, with a nod to her involvement with the popular Festival of Trees, a vast selection of unique holiday offerings. Having lived in Vero Beach since the early ’70s, Downey understands the local aesthetic and offers a broad mix of items perfectly in tune with Vero’s good life— from hostess gifts to antique porcelains. She enjoys traveling to source antiques, decor and gifts, all a reflection of Vero and her interests in the arts, fashion and design. The best days, she says, are those spent in the shop, greeting friends and helping customers find unique pieces.

The Faces of

THE HERITAGE CENTER & CITRUS MUSEUM

Vero Heritage, Inc., the nonprofit that stewards The Heritage Center & Citrus Museum, is experiencing a resurgence under the leadership of the executive director, committed staff, and dedicated board members. This dynamic team is working passionately to preserve and enhance the legacy of the Heritage Center & Citrus Museum, ensuring it remains central to Vero Beach’s cultural and historical landscape.

expertise ensure every visitor leaves with a deeper understanding and appreciation of the area’s unique history.

Board members, comprised of local leaders and passionate advocates for cultural preservation, provide essential guidance and support. Their collective wisdom drives the center’s strategic planning and fundraising efforts.

Robyn Berry, executive director, has infused the organization with fresh energy and vision. With a deep appreciation for Vero Beach’s rich history, she is working to expand the center’s reach and impact.

The staff at Vero Heritage are the backbone of daily operations. Their dedication goes beyond job responsibilities; their enthusiasm and

The collective efforts of the executive director, staff, and board members (L-R Ryan Butler, Danielle Wynkoop, Preston Perrone, April Bekech, Robyn Berry, Kathleen Cunningham, Joseph Chiarella, Barbara Secor, and Leslie Mckenzie) are transforming the Heritage Center & Citrus Museum into a thriving hub of cultural significance.

Step into September

Here’s what’s hot with local businesses & nonprofits

WHO ARE YOU THINKING OF?

SEPTEMBER 16–22: ANNUAL EVENT AT NOTEWORTHY BY DESIGN

Deliver a smile when you send a card—on Noteworthy by Design—for Thinking of You Week! Stop by and write a note on a complimentary greeting card, and Noteworthy will provide postage and mail it to someone who’s on your mind and in your heart.

NOTEWORTHY BY DESIGN

6100 Hwy. A1A | Village Shops | 772-231-0085

TWICE AS NICE

REALTOR HELPS BOTH PARTIES

Cathy Curley listed a property in coveted Riomar Bay and put it under contract on the same day! It closed for the full asking price, and Curley was thrilled to represent both the sellers and buyers in the transaction.

CATHY CURLEY

772-559-1359 | cathycurleyrealestate.com

SUDS & SUCH

Andrew G. Pierce, Jr. by Antonio Jacobsen, oil on canvas, 30 x 50 inches

CVL CONTINUES PARTICIPATION IN ANNUAL EVENT

Coastal Van Lines will be participating in the fifth annual clay shoot to support the Veterans Council of Indian River County. Proceeds from this community event provide direct aid to veterans and their families as needed.

COASTAL VAN LINES

1622 91st Court | 772-569-6683 | coastalvanlines.com

BACK IN

LUXURY

Nordic Comfort Home Furnishings has new Stressless recliner selections in-store. Launched in 1971, the Stressless brand is known for its innovative functions, unmatched comfort, and Scandinavian look. Visit the store to choose your favorite.

When your home care needs change, VNA is there for you.

Whether you are recovering from a medical procedure, managing a chronic illness or want to age safely at home, having access to home care that provides a continuum of care is optimum. And that’s what the Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) does best.

VNA is the only local home care agency with the unique ability to provide care at various stages of your health care journey through coordination of services across our clinical teams for home health, hospice and private care services. One source for all your home care needs providing:

• Customized long or short-term home care.

• Individualized services to enhance independent living.

• Quality and comfort for lifelong illness or end-of-life care.

• Easy transition into a care program that accommodates changes in health status.

• Comfort and peace of mind throughout your healthcare journey.

Call or visit us today to find out how you can benefit from our superior home care no matter what the stage.

Cool Drinks by Patti Zeigler, oil on panel, 12 x 20 inches framed

EVOLVING LIGHTING CHOICES AT LED CAPSTONE

LED Capstone Lighting & Fan Showroom fulfills an array of lighting needs, including opportunities to select a suitable correlated color temperature—a measure of the appearance of white light in terms of warmth and coolness. Visit the showroom for examples and guidance on CCT selection.

& PRECIOUS BOUTIQUE PRESENTS JEWELRY COLLECTION

MLO Jewelry is now at Sassy. These original, sustainable, and limitededition pieces are handcrafted to perfection using semiprecious stones, sterling silver, natural horn, and eco-friendly materials. LED CAPSTONE LIGHTING & FAN SHOWROOM

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

SASSY BOUTIQUE

3365 Ocean Drive | 772-234-3998

• Both Top 1.5% of all Real Estate Professionals in the United States ranked by REALTrends

• Both Top 1% of all Realtors® in Indian River County

• $60M+ Total Dollar Volume Sold 2023

• Extensive network in the local, regional, and global markets

• Extensive digital marketing, world-wide property distribution and exposure and exclusive media partnerships

• Local print advertising in VB 32963, TC Palm and Vero Beach Magazine

772.633.1472

sbrownvero@gmail.com

verobeachislandrealtor.com

772.633.0021

scoleman@onesothebysrealty.com sherriecoleman.onesothebysrealty.com

Sherry Brown

Sherrie Coleman

Elise Geary has just returned from her annual two-week painting retreat in Maine. Call her and set up an appointment to see her exciting new work!

OCEAN DRIVE GALLERY

3349 Ocean Drive, Suite 8 | Second fl oor Elevator located in alcove behind Lyra Home

United Way of Indian River County is delighted to announce that Dr. Katie Nall has been appointed as the new board chair. She joined the board in 2017 and previously served as the strategic planning chair.

UNITED WAY FOUNDATION OF INDIAN RIVER COUNTY 1836 14th Ave. | 772-569-8900 | unitedwayirc.org

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is approaching. Please help me raise money and spread awareness this October by signing up for a flock of flamingos! Send a flock to your yard, a friend’s yard, or simply donate to this great cause. All proceeds stay right here locally to help breast cancer patients in Vero Beach.

MENTIONING MENDOCINO

NEW TUB OPTIONS AVAILABLE NOW PARTNER CONTENT

European Kitchen & Bath is presenting a new Mendocino NativeStone freestanding tub. Constructed of a sustainable blend of natural jute fiber and cement, this eco-friendly concrete tub is exceptional for its lighter weight; one-of-a-kind coloration; and stain, scratch, and crack resistance.

EUROPEAN KITCHEN & BATH

4003 U.S. Hwy. 1 | 772-494-2694 | europeansink.com

WHAT A GOOD SPORT!

INTRODUCING THE 2025 CADILLAC CT5-V AND CT5-V BLACKWING

Cadillac’s celebrated and award-winning luxury sport sedans feature a refreshed look while maintaining the renowned power, refinement, and performance enthusiasts expect, on and off the track. For more information and specific updates, contact Linus.

LINUS CADILLAC BUICK GMC 1401 U.S. Hwy. 1 | 772-562-1700 linusautomotive.com | linuscadillac.com

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

UPHOLSTERY | FABRIC | DRAPERIES

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.

1865 Wilbur Avenue | Vero Beach, FL 32960 772-567-1210 | rothinteriorswindowfashions.net

Open Monday – Friday from 9:00am to 4:30pm

Heritance® Hardwood Shutters

Taking Notes

A CHEF FINDS INSPIRATION IN EVERYTHING FROM OLD COOKBOOKS TO ANTARCTIC SALMON

BY CHRIS FASOLINO PHOTOGRAPHY BY SAM WOLFE

s the executive chef at Curfew in Vero Beach, Red Bellamy finds inspiration in a variety of places.

Being from a multigenerational farming family, his interest in quality ingredients runs deep. He is intrigued by the growing process itself, noting, “It’s part of my family history.” He began cooking while working a high school job at a restaurant in Delray Beach. He loved observing the chefs at work. “At first it was just wanting to make things at home,” he says. Eventually, he realized that his interests harmonized. “Where most people look at an onion and just see an onion, I get to make it into something beautiful.”

Now, decades later, Bellamy has between six and eight handwritten notebooks filled with recipes. Where do the ideas come from? Many are from historically valuable sources that some chefs might overlook. “I have a weird love for old church cookbooks—‘I found them at a garage sale’ type cookbooks,” Bellamy says with a chuckle.

Originating with church bake sales from the 1920s through the 1940s, they were books in which wives and mothers would record and share their recipes; if you bought something at the bake sale, they would throw in a copy of the cookbook. “They were using what they had in the pantry, so the recipes are very inventive,” says Bellamy. For him, they represent “the foundation of American cuisine.”

An interesting note on the Curfew menu states that, unless customers request otherwise, each dish will be brought to the table when it is ready. The common practice of waiting to bring all the dishes out at the same time means that items would not be as hot or as fresh as they could be; in contrast, Curfew has only a 30-to-40-second delay between the time food is ready and the time it is on the table. After he met with the

owners and heard about that policy, Bellamy says he knew he wanted to be part of the restaurant.

The name Curfew, he believes, comes from an old joke about how Vero Beach must have a curfew because most places close early. Another interesting feature of Curfew is that the restaurant has begun holding wine-tasting dinners—and they sell out quickly, Bellamy notes.

Bellamy’s varied interests have led to some unexpected connections, such as the Antarctic waters off the southern coast of Chile, where his salmon comes from. He explains that Sixty South salmon, featured on the Curfew menu, is raised in an environmentally friendly way by a company that tries to help the people of Tierra del Fuego. “I don’t see any reason not to support them,” he says. For Bellamy, it’s one more source of inspiration.

Chef Red Bellamy turns toward family roots when choosing dishes for his menu.

Steak Skewers

This recipe shows how a single ingredient can change the flavor of an entire dish. First try a bite without the aioli, and then again with it, and see how much it brings out the deeper flavors.

MAKES ABOUT 20 SKEWERS

5 lbs. flat iron steak

1 cup tamari

1 cup organic honey

20 bamboo skewers

Black garlic aioli (see below)

Soak bamboo skewers at least 30 minutes.

Remove all of the silver skin and cut flat iron into large cubes.

Coat the meat with the tamari until evenly coated, then apply the honey and toss until evenly coated. Let marinate 1–2 hours. Grill skewers until medium rare. Pull from the grill and garnish with black garlic aioli or your favorite pesto or chimichurri.

Black Garlic Aioli

2 preserved lemons

10 cloves black garlic

4 egg yolks

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. white pepper

2 cups extra-virgin olive oil

Place all ingredients except olive oil in blender and puree. Once all of the ingredients are blended, slowly pour a thin stream of olive oil into the blender until fully emulsified.

ENTR ÉE

Pesto Salmon over Polenta

This dish shows the chef’s appreciation of sustainable farming and the impact it has on the world around us.

SERVES 3–4

3–4 pieces Sixty South salmon, cut to 7 oz. each

8 cups vegetable stock

2 cups fine-ground polenta

1 cup milk

1 cup pecorino Romano

Pesto butter (see below)

1 tbsp. olive oil

In a pot, bring vegetable stock to a boil. Gently pour the polenta into the pot while continually whisking. Immediately drop to low heat and cover pot, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Add milk and pecorino, gently whisking until fully incorporated.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a sauté pan over mediumhigh heat, put olive oil, then place salmon, skin-side up, into pan.

Once seared, gently flip it skin-side down and place 2 tbsp. pesto butter onto top of the salmon.

Place in oven for 7–10 minutes, depending on how well you would like it cooked.

Pesto Butter (no nuts)

1/2 lb. butter, softened 1/4 lb. basil

2 cloves garlic

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1/4 tsp. salt

Pinch black pepper

Place all ingredients in food processor except butter. Process until it is a paste.

In a bowl, fold together the pesto and the butter.

DESSERT

Homemade Ice Cream

This recipe reflects Bellamy’s love of old-fashioned American cuisine. It is a base ice cream recipe that can be made into any flavor you wish just by adding other ingredients, “such as chocolate chips, strawberries, blueberries, or extra vanilla if you love vanilla.”

SERVES 3

2 cups heavy cream

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 can sweetened condensed milk

You will need a whisk, a bowl, a spatula, and a container with a lid. In the bowl, place the heavy cream and vanilla and whisk until it takes on the consistency of whipped cream. Then gently fold in the sweet-

ened condensed milk and any other ingredients you have selected.

Pour into a container with a lid, seal, and place in freezer about 2 hours. It will freeze more quickly in a shallow container.

PAINTED WOLF

Get Packing

THIS MONTH, WE GO ON SAFARI IN SOUTH AFRICA’S WINE COUNTRY

BY CHRIS FASOLINO

It is a land of ne vineyards and great wines. It is also a land that is home to elephants, zebras, and wildebeests—not to mention a rare creature known as the painted wolf.

Welcome to South Africa. is month, I am recommending two wines that are distinct to this exotic wine country. Furthermore, they are both from a winery that supports the conservation of African wildlife.

e winery is named “Painted Wolf” after an

endangered species also called the African wild dog. Along with their enormous ears, these animals are known for the varied color patterns of their fur. e labels of Painted Wolf wines feature an array of stylized images of this creature. e signature red wine of South Africa is Pinotage, and the Painted Wolf Guillermo Pinotage, from the Swartland region, is a great example of why this is a variety you should know about. Pinotage was born in South Africa

Le : African wild dogs inspired the name of the Painted Wolf Winery.

during a winemaking experiment; the everpopular variety Pinot Noir was crossbred with a variety from southern France known as Cinsault. Because Cinsault was known locally as “Hermitage,” the hybrid was given the name “Pinotage.” Guillermo Pinotage is a vibrant and spicy wine with notes of barbecue smoke, roasted co ee, blackberry, and oak. It would pair very well with game dishes

like venison, with lamb or goat, or simply with a good steak.

South Africa’s signature white wine is Chenin Blanc; while not native to the country in the way Pinotage is, it has certainly thrived there.

Painted Wolf o ers a Chenin Blanc under its Black Pack label, which shows a copper-hued image of a painted wolf against a black background. e amboyant color contrast seems

appropriate, as this is a vibrant wine brimming with notes of lemon, grapefruit, and freshly ground white pepper, counterpointed by a oral quality reminiscent of jasmine. It would pair well with a wide variety of fresh seafood dishes.

ese wines can be specially ordered from a website that the winery uses as a platform to fundraise for its conservation projects: southern

wines.com/painted-wolf e Black Pack Chenin Blanc is available exclusively from the website.

Painted Wolf wines highlight the favored varieties of South Africa while also bringing attention to the fascinating wildlife of the deserts and savannas. Indeed, these wines are often featured as the house wine and the “game drive wine” at safari lodges—and what could be a more appropriate choice?

Painted Wolf bo les sport varied drawings of the winery’s namesake animal on their labels.

South Africa is home to more than 200,000 acres of vineyards.

Since its beginnings in 2002, Tales of the Cocktail (TOTC) has evolved from a simple walking tour of historic New Orleans cocktail bars to the global spirits convention of today. With 22 years of honoring the craft, culture, and business of cocktails, TOTC returned to New Orleans July 21–26 with “Inspire,” its 2024 themed event offering an immersive experience for both industry professionals and cocktail connoisseurs.

With a lineup of educational programming, marquee events, and interactive activations, TOTC featured more than 65 educational sessions, 240 brand events (including tastings, happy hours, and dinners), and The Spirited Awards.

To celebrate another year of rich global cocktail traditions, I propose a toast with the Crescent City’s own official state cocktail, the iconic Sazerac, a classic whiskey cocktail that is a perfect love letter to New Orleans’ cocktail culture.

Sazerac

1/4 oz. absinthe, to rinse

1 sugar cube

Toast to New Orleans

RECOGNIZING THE RETURN OF AN ICONIC SPIRITS CONVENTION TO ITS BIRTHPLACE WITH A CLASSIC COCKTAIL

BY JULES ARON SAZERAC

1/2 tsp. cold water

4 dashes Peychaud’s bitters

2 1/2 oz. rye whiskey

Lemon peel to garnish

Rinse a chilled glass with absinthe, discarding any excess, and set aside. In a mixing glass, muddle the sugar cube, water, and the Peychaud’s bitters. Add the rye whiskey, fill the mixing glass with ice, and stir for 15 seconds, until well chilled. Strain liquid into the prepared glass and garnish with a twisted lemon peel.

Shoe Salon and Boutique

Work & Play

LOCAL NONPROFITS KEEP THE COMMUNITY ABUZZ

Woofstock

HALO NO-KILL SHELTER

Things got groovy May 18 at Pareidolia Brewing Co. in Sebastian with HALO’s Woofstock 2024. The band Hair Peace provided the entertainment, and the event was a big success. HALO met its $20,000 matching grant, and all donations support its Sugar Faces program, which focuses on the care and adoption of senior rescue dogs. Simba and Nala, a bonded pair of pooches, even found their forever home at the event!

Sponsor: Doug McDowell Memorial Fund

Michelle Lee and Sully Cassidy and Doak cool off. Copper takes a dip.

Christy Hilburn and Coco with Jacque Petrone

Lee Spitzkopf with Simba and Nala

Hair Peace performs.

THE SCENE

Major Exhibition Opening

VERO BEACH

MUSEUM OF ART

“Rock ’N’ Roll Billboards of the Sunset Strip: Photographs by Robert Landau” opened May 18, but 600 VBMA members, exhibition sponsors, and special guests were treated to a sneak peek the evening before. Landau himself was on hand to give a talk in the museum’s Holmes Great Hall, sign books, and greet guests at the wine reception.

The billboards pictured promote albums by Nazareth and the Eagles.

Guests take a selfie at the exhibition title wall.

Four of the exhibition’s 50 images are presented in a large-scale format.

The temptation to cross Abbey Road with the Beatles is irresistible.

VBMA director Brady Roberts mingles with guests.

Sunset Strip, 1979

Photographer Robert Landau addresses the capacity crowd.

Trike Wars

UNITED WAY OF IRC

Sailfish Brewery in Vero Beach was the scene of the United Way’s second annual Torchbearer Trike Wars event celebrating the successful conclusion of the nonprofit’s annual campaign. Donors, volunteers, and other partners gathered May 10 for a lively street party that included relay races and other fun activities.

Sponsors:

Gould Cooksey Fennell; Dean Mead; Offutt Barton Schlitt; Marsh McLennan Agency; The Hill Group; Gotta Go Green; Kathy Hendrix; T.P. Kennedy; AMAC Alex MacWilliam Real Estate; Northern Trust; Block & Scarpa

Joshua Brown, Tisha Lowery, James Harper

Richard Pickert of Northern Trust leads the pack.

Justin Larson, Dane Ullian, Cameron Dalton

Travis Riley

Michael Roy, Troy Clemenzi

Mike McGee

“I

– DAVID LOPRESTI,

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. Treatments are so effective we guarantee results!

THE GOOD NEWS

This is highly treatable if caught early.

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• Custom Window Treatments

• In-Home Design Services

THE SCENE

Pre-Apprenticeship Graduation

YOUTH GUIDANCE

MENTORING

ACADEMY

In May, 16 local teens and young adults graduated from the eightmonth Pre-Apprenticeship Program for skilled trades, with both enrollment and test results up since last year. The students completed 144 hours of hands-on learning in carpentry, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and welding, plus classroom instruction using the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) Core curriculum. They are also equipped with a forklift operator’s permit, OSHA 10-hour certification, and first aid and CPR certifications as they prepare to enter the workforce and/or attend college.

Members of the Pre-Apprenticeship class of 2024 show their certificates of completion.

George learns to braze metals in the HVAC module. The carpentry module begins with the safe operation of hand and power tools.

Florida Training Services provides instruction in forklift operation.

Carlos hones his welding skills.

Health & Wellness Fair

THE SOURCE

The inaugural Health & Wellness Fair, put on by The Source’s Dignity Wellness program, was held at Pathway Church just prior to the beginning of Mental Health Awareness Month in May. A number of vendors and presenters participated, with information available on nutrition, health care, exercise, self-care, and other wellness-related topics.

Sailing Summer Camps

YSF COMMUNITY SAILING

June and July were filled with fun on the water for the 200 or so youngsters who participated in YSF’s weeklong summer camps. The beginner- and intermediate-level camps welcomed both locals and children from other areas who were visiting grandparents here. Twelve well-trained, certified YSF instructors led the students through a curriculum that imparts not only sailing skills but also qualities such as sportsmanship and perseverance, which are helpful in all aspects of life.

Sponsors:

Quail Valley Charities; Wheels & Keels Foundation

Children enjoy a gymnastics performance by Maximum Velocity.

The Whole Family Health booth offers information.

Jade Alexander, Janice and Steve Milesic

Campers and counselors gather on the first day of camp.

Ruben, Brielle, Yurie, Mayah, Sailas, Dillon

Youngsters learn to maneuver a Hobie catamaran.

BRENDA

IN THE LIGHT’

SEPTEMBER 1–30

British artist Edward Noott studied at Cheltenham College of Art and Trent Polytechnic in the U.K. and obtained his bachelor of fine arts degree from SUNY Oneonta. He balances color and light to bring to life harmonious images of captivating locales around the world. His works may be viewed on the gallery’s website as well as in person.

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

jmstringergallery.com

Sunrise Venice by Edward Noott, oil on linen, 40 x 48 inches

‘WORKS ON PAPER & MULTIPLES’

SEPTEMBER 1–30

Findlay Galleries presents an exhibition of works on paper from its vast collections of Impressionism, Modernism, l’École de Rouen, l’École de Paris, and 20th-century American art, as well as works from its stable of contemporary artists.

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

Florilege des Amours de Ronsard, p. 145 by Henry Matisse, lithograph on Arches paper, 15 1/8 x 11 1/8 inches

The Amigos by Barbara Landry, acrylic on canvas, 24 x 24 inches

ONGOING EVENTS

‘GOING ON SEVENTEEN’ Through September 27

For the final month, Gallery 14 prepares for its 17th season with “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. The final reception will take place during the First Friday Gallery Stroll Sept. 6 from 5 to 8 p.m. In September, the gallery will be open only during the stroll and by appointment.

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

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 600 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

Hana Tropicals by Regan Kenyon, oil on canvas, 24 x 36 inches, at Meghan Candler Gallery

NECKLACE #225 by Deborah Morrell Polackwich

Lila Blakeslee

Speaking of September ...

THESE EVENTS WILL KEEP YOU IN MOTION DURING THIS FINAL MONTH OF SUMMER

TTunnel to Towers 5K

On September 7, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation will hold its 12th 5K Run & Walk in Vero Beach. This national organization was born out of the sacrifice of FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller, who gave his life on September 11, 2001 after having strapped on 60 pounds of gear and run from the entrance of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel to the World Trade Center (about 2 miles). Siller left behind a wife and five children as well as an enduring legacy; in addition to other services, the foundation provides mortgagefree homes to the families of fallen first responders and military personnel. Registration fees range from $10 to $45 for the 5K, which will begin at 7:30 a.m. at Riverside Park. In memory of Siller and other fallen heroes, many first responders will run the race outfitted in their gear. For more information, see t2t.org.

Out Run Hunger 5K

Lace up your sneakers for Treasure Coast Food Bank’s fourth annual Out Run Hunger 5K, which will take place September 21 at Causeway Cove Marina (601 Seaway Drive) in Fort Pierce. Registration is $35, and runners/walkers will receive a T-shirt, a finisher medal, and chip timing by Southern Timing. TCFB’s goal for the event is to raise $25,000, which will fund 200,000 meals for our neighbors in need. Race-day packet pickup begins at 6 a.m. and the race kicks off at 7. For more information, take a look at TCFB’s website, stophunger.org, or call 772-489-3034.

Kintsugi Workshop

TAs one of its many cultural offerings, the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens (4000 Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach) will hold a workshop in the traditional Japanese art of using gold powder to mend broken pottery. The class is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. September 14, and preregistration is required. The cost is $60 plus a $40 material fee payable directly to the instructor. Participants need to bring certain items; the list can be found at morikami.org. If you need to speak with someone, you may call the museum at 561-495-0233.

SEPTEMBER

‘BIG BAND FAVORITES’

Retired U.S. Air Force saxophonist Andrew Cleaver will direct the Space Coast Symphony Jazz Orchestra in a program of hits from artists of the Big Band era, including Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie. 3 p.m., flexible pricing

Space Coast Symphony Orchestra at The Emerson Center 1590 27th Ave.

855-252-7276 spacecoastsymphony.org

SEPTEMBER

BACKSTAGE TOURS

On select Fridays throughout the year, Riverside Theatre offers the public a peek behind the red curtain. These entertaining and informative tours last about an hour and vary depending on which production is in the works. 10 a.m. or 2 p.m., $5

Riverside Theatre 3250 Riverside Park Drive

772-231-6990 riversidetheatre.com

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 an evening stroll with plenty of art galleries, restaurants, and cafés to visit. Sept. 6 and Oct. 4, 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. Sept. 27, 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. Sept. 28, 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

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

Space Coast Symphony Orchestra’s “Big Band Favorites,” September 1

COMEDY ZONE & LIVE IN THE LOOP

Riverside Theatre welcomes touring comedians and Florida bands to perform on most Friday and Saturday evenings, with the grill open for food and beverages. This month’s dates are Sept. 6–7, 13–14, 20–21, and 27–28. Comedy Zone (recommended for guests aged 18 and up) 6 and 8 p.m., $25; Live in the Loop 5:30 and 9 p.m., free

Riverside Theatre

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

ROMEO AND JULIET

The Theatre Guild takes us back to 14th-century Verona with its rendition of Romeo and Juliet Sept. 6–22; Fridays 7:30 p.m., Saturdays 2 and 7:30 p.m., Sundays 2 p.m.; $15–$35

Vero Beach Theatre Guild

2020 San Juan Ave. 772-562-8300 verobeachtheatreguild.com

SEPTEMBER

BACK-TO-SCHOOL BBQ

LaToya Bullard (“Miss B”) invites everyone to bring school supplies and enjoy hamburgers and hot dogs at the Back-to-School Barbecue benefiting the students of the academic enrichment program she founded. 11 a.m.–2 p.m., $25

Miss B’s Learning Bees at Riverside Park 3250 Riverside Park Drive 772-713-4130 missbslearningbees.org

SEPTEMBER

CHILD SUMMIT

Guardians for New Futures will gather professionals from various disciplines for the annual Child Summit, a two-day conference concerned with the protection of children. Sept. 25–26, 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m., free

Guardians for New Futures at Treasure Coast Public Safety Training Complex 4600 Kirby Loop Road, Fort Pierce 772-807-3868 gfnf4kids.org

SEPTEMBER

FREEDOM K

The Substance Awareness Center of Indian River County will hold its 5K Freedom Run & Walk to celebrate recovery journeys and raise funds to continue working to free local residents from substance misuse.

TCoastal Cleanup

This month, millions of people around the world are joining forces to pick up trash, including microplastics, that might otherwise end up in our oceans. It’s the International Coastal Cleanup, and hundreds of local residents will participate by fanning out to more than a dozen beachside locations from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. September 21. Coastal Connections (772-226-0133) is organizing the effort. Groups and individuals are welcome to pitch in. To select a deployment location, see coastal-connections.org

7:30 a.m.; $30 adults, $15 children 12 and under

Substance Awareness Center at South Beach Park 1702 Ocean Drive 772-770-4811 sacirc.org

SEPTEMBER

‘RACHMANINOFF ’

Sopranos Mary Kruger and Amy Cofield will join the SCSO for this program, which includes two world premiere pieces plus Rachmaninoff ’s Symphony No. 3 . 3 p.m., flexible pricing

Space Coast Symphony Orchestra at VBHS Performing Arts Center 1707 16th St.

855-252-7276 spacecoastsymphony.org

OCTOBER

HIDDEN FACES

The Source presents its second annual Hidden Faces event, which offers a look behind the scenes at the homeless ministry’s work. Guests will see videos, hear testimonials, and enjoy food, beverages, and entertainment.

The Source at Heritage Center 2140 14th Ave. 772-564-0202 iamthesource.org

Substance Awareness Center’s 5K Freedom Run & Walk, September 28

BUSINESS DIRECTORY

The Directory

ARCHITECTS

MOULTON LAYNE PL

772-234-0445 moultonlayne.com 21

AR T GALLERIES & FINE ART

ARTISTS GUILD GALLERY

772-299-1234

artistsguildgalleryofverobeach.com 157

FINDLAY GALLERIES

561-655-2090

findlaygalleries.com 9

GA LLERY 14

772-562-5525

gallery14verobeach.com ................ 157

J .M. STRINGER GALLERY OF FINE ART

772-231-3900

jmstringergallery.com 18

TH E LAUGHING DOG GALLERY

772-234-6711

thelaughingdoggallery.com ............... 16

MEGHAN CANDLER GALLERY

772-234-8811

meghancandlergallery.com 149

O CEAN DRIVE GALLERY

772-579-7667

oceandrivegalleryverobeach.com ....... 142

ATTORNEYS

GOULD COOKSEY FENNELL

772-231-1100 gouldcooksey.com 69

LULICH & ATTORNEYS

772-589-5500 lulich.com ................................ 11

RO SSWAY SWAN

772-231-4440

rosswayswan.com 24

AU TOMOTIVE SALES & SERVICES

LINUS CADILLAC BUICK GMC

772-562-1700

linuscadillac.com ....................... 145

MOTOR CITY CLASSIC CARS SERVICE

772-252-3590

motorcityclassiccars.com 123

BANKING, INVESTMENTS & FINANCIAL PLANNING

DECAMBRA WEALTH MANAGEMENT OF RAYMOND JAMES 772-231-7000 raymondjames.com/decambra .......... 126

B EAUTY, HAIR & SPA SERVICES

SALON DEL MAR

772-234-1499 149

B OATING & MARINE SERVICES

DECKMASTERS LLC

772-559-8629

deckmastersmarine.com 158

V ERO MARINE CENTER

772-562-7922

veromarine.com 141

C ATERING, GOURMET MARKETS, WINE & SPIRITS

ALIMENTARI GOURMET MARKET 772-999-5483 alimentarigm.com 149

E LIZABETH D. KENNEDY & COMPANY INC.

772-563-0646 elizabethkennedycatering.com 132

CO MPUTERS & AUDIOVISUAL CONSULTING

AUTOBAHN COMMUNICATIONS INC. 772-234-1555 autobahnco.com ......................... 161

CO NSTRUCTION & BUILDING SERVICES

AR HOMES/BEACHLAND HOMES CORP. 772-492-4018

CROOM CONSTRUCTION COMPANY 772-562-7474 croomconstruction.com

DECKMASTERS LLC 772-559-8629

R EILLY CONSTRUCTION

V ERO GLASS 772-567-3123 veroglass.com

VE RO MILLWORK INC. 772-569-7155 veromillwork.com

CO UNTY SERVICES

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL DISTRICT 772-226-3212 indianriver.gov ...........................

INDIAN RIVER STATE COLLEGE 772-462-4772

. MATHEOS EYEWEAR 772-492-6400

ILINEN 772-321-3262 ilinenlifestyle.com

KE MP’S SHOE SALON AND BOUTIQUE 772-231-2771 kempsshoesalon.com

M. MAISON

772-231-4300 mmaisonvero.com 61

PAL M BEACH SANDALS

772-226-5998

palmbeachsandals.com 142

S ASSY BOUTIQUE

772-234-3998 51

VE RNON SCOTT RESORT WEAR MEN & WOMEN

772-231-3733 vernonscott32963.com 142

V ILLAGE SHOPS

772-231-1066 villageshopsverobeach.com 100

F LOORING, TILE & STONE

FLORIDA FLOOR FASHIONS

772-589-4994 floridafloorfashions.com 127

M ACATA STONE

772-778-3210 macatastone.com 153

F URNITURE & ACCESSORIES

COASTAL COMFORTS

772-226-7808 coastal-comforts.com 149

CONSIGNMENT GALLERY

772-778-8919

consignmentgalleryverobeach.com 132

E UROPEAN KITCHEN & BATH

772-770-9970 europeansink.com 152

FALASIRI ORIENTAL RUGS

772-562-0150

falasiriorientalrugs.com 153

FANTASTIC FINDS

772-794-7574 fantastic-finds.com 153

T HE LAUGHING DOG GALLERY

772-234-6711 thelaughingdoggallery.com 16

LE D CAPSTONE LIGHTING & FAN SHOWROOM

772-205-2529 ledcapstone.com 153

L .K. DEFRANCES & ASSOCIATES INTERIOR DESIGN

772-234-0078 lkdefrancesandassociates.com 152

M . MAISON 772-231-4300 mmaisonvero.com 61

NORD IC COMFORT HOME FURNISHINGS

772-453-0220 nordiccomfortfurnishings.com 100

PAGE 2 DESIGN

772-492-9220 page2design.net 15

SUNS HINE FURNITURE

772-569-0460 sunshinefurniturecasual.com 19

VB HOME 772-492-9348 vbhome.us 123

G IFTS, STATIONERY & KEEPSAKES

COASTAL COMFORTS 772-226-7808 coastal-comforts.com 149

D IGG GARDENS PLANT SHOP 772-360-2131 digggardens.com 161

T HE LAUGHING DOG GALLERY 772-234-6711 thelaughingdoggallery.com 16

M. MAISON 772-231-4300 mmaisonvero.com 61

NOT EWORTHY BY DESIGN 772-231-0085 148

VE RANDA 772-234-3404 verandajewelry.com 1

VI LLAGE SHOPS 772-231-1066 villageshopsverobeach.com 100

H OME PRODUCTS & SERVICES

BARKER AIR CONDITIONING & HEATING 772-562-2103 barkerac.com 159

BATES AIR AND HEAT

772-946-1590 batesairandheat.com 163

KELLY ROGERS

THE DANDY LION

772-774-8449 dandyliongiftsandthrifts.com 43

DAN ’S FAN CITY

772-569-8917 dansfancity.com 158

D ECKMASTERS LLC

772-559-8629 deckmastersmarine.com 158

E UROPEAN KITCHEN & BATH

772-770-9970 europeansink.com 152

F ERGUSON BATH, KITCHEN & LIGHTING GALLERY 321-837-5411 fergusonshowrooms.com 29

F LORIDA SHUTTERS 772-569-2200 floridashuttersinc.com 158

H BS GLASS

772-567-7461 hbsglass.com 159

L ED CAPSTONE LIGHTING & FAN SHOWROOM

772-205-2529 ledcapstone.com ....................... 153

M EEKS PLUMBING

772-569-2285 meeksplumbing.com 126

R OTH INTERIORS

772-567-1210 rothinteriorswindowfashions.net.......... 131

VERO BEACH ROOFING INC.

772-770-3782 verobeachroofing.com 158

V ERO GLASS

772-567-3123 veroglass.com 4

VE RO MILLWORK INC.

772-569-7155 veromillwork.com 123

I NTERIOR DESIGN SERVICES

COASTAL COMFORTS 772-226-7808 coastal-comforts.com 149

COASTAL INTERIORS 772-492-6881 coastal.net 23

IS LAND INTERIORS AT OCEAN REEF 772-770-600 islandinteriors.net 161

LE AH MULLER INTERIORS 772-234-6411 leahmullerinteriors.com 30

L. K. DEFRANCES & ASSOCIATES INTERIOR DESIGN 772-234-0078 lkdefrancesandassociates.com 152

PAGE 2 DESIGN 772-492-9220 page2design.net 15

VB HOME

772-492-9348 vbhome.us 123

JEWELRY

6TH AVENUE JEWELERS 772-217-8985 6thavenuejewelers.com 132

T HE LAUGHING DOG GALLERY 772-234-6711 thelaughingdoggallery.com 16

LEIG H JEWELERS 772-234-8522 leighjewelers.com 13 , 143

M. MAISON 772-231-4300 mmaisonvero.com 61

PR OVIDENT JEWELRY 561-833-7755 providentjewelry.com

LA NDSCAPING & NURSERIES

DIGG GARDENS LANDSCAPE LIGHTING 772-360-2131 digggardens.com 161

R OCK CITY GARDENS 772-589-5835 rockcitygardens.com 141

M EDICAL SERVICES: DENTISTRY ALTITUDE DENTAL 772-567-7889 altitudedentalfl.com

VE RO ELITE DENTISTRY 772-569-9700 veroelitedentistry.com

ME DICAL SERVICES: DERMATOLOGY

SELECT SKIN MD 772-567-1164 selectskinmd.com

ME DICAL SERVICES: HOSPITALS

CLEVELAND CLINIC INDIAN RIVER HOSPITAL 772-567-4311 ccirh.org 65

ME DICAL SERVICES: WHOLE HEALTH CARE ISLAND HEALTH CONCIERGE MEDICINE 772-205-6361 islandhealthverobeach.com

WAVE WELLNESS

772-362-9283 wavewellnessvb.com

GRIDLEY + GRAVES

MOVING, STORAGE & SHIPPING

COASTAL VAN LINES

772-569-6683

coastalvanlines.com 159

N OT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

TREASURE COAST FOOD BANK

772-446-1759

stophunger.org 40

UNI TED WAY FOUNDATION OF INDIAN RIVER COUNTY

772-567-8900

unitedwayirc.org 41

VI SITING NURSE ASSOCIATION

772-202-8570

vnatc.com 128

REAL ESTATE

AMAC | ALEX MACWILLIAM REAL ESTATE

-CHARLOTTE TERRY GROUP

772-234-8500

charlotteterry.com ............ 57, back cover

AR HOMES/BEACHLAND HOMES CORP.

772-492-4018

arhomes.com 24

BE RKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESERVICES

FLORIDA REALTY

772-231-1270

bhhsfloridarealty.com inside front cover

CHRISTINE R. MCLAUGHLIN AT SHAMROCK REAL ESTATE

772-538-0683

propertyinvero.com 142

DALE SORENSEN REAL ESTATE

-CATHY CURLEY

772-559-1359

cathycurleyrealestate.com 130

J OHN’S ISLAND REAL ESTATE COMPANY

772-231-0900

johnsislandrealestate.com 7

TH E MOORINGS REALTY SALES CO.

772-231-5131

themoorings.com inside back cover

ONE SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY

-GARY SUTCLIFFE

917-418-1864

garysutcliffe.onesothebysrealty.com 35

-O ’DARE BOGA DOBSON GROUP

772-713-5899

odareboga.com 3

-SHERRIE COLEMAN 772-633-0021

-SHERRY BROWN 772-633-1472

verobeachislandrealtor.com 12 9

WINDSOR 772-388-8400

windsorflorida.com 31

SP ORTS, ACTIVITIES, & FITNESS VERO BEACH CLAY SHOOTING SPORTS 772-978-0935

verobeachclayshooting.com 125

R ETIREMENT COMMUNITIES

HERON POINT INDEPENDENT LIVING AND HERON COVE ASSISTED LIVING & MEMORY 772-732-7215 heronpointindependentliving.com 52

WEDDINGS & EVENTS

LESSING’S HOSPITALITY GROUP 561-693-5352 lessingsweddings.com 2

Contributing Advertising

THE AD AGENCY

E. Fred Augenstein

772-538-3923, augy@comcast.net

Ad design and production, all media, full service

NICOLACE MARKETING

Maureen Nicolace

772-299-4889, maureen@nicolacemarketing.com

Public relations, marketing plans, media placement, graphic design, marketing, and staff development

SQUARED STUDIOS

Amanda Robinson

772-713-6884, squared-studios.com

Marketing, advertising, and graphic design from concept through production

SKY ADVERTISING

321-777-0140, skyadinc.com

Full-service marketing, including brand creation; photography and videography; digital, print, and broadcast advertising; and website creation

VERO MARKETING

Lindsay Candler

772-473-0654, veromarketing.com

Creative graphic design, print marketing, and website design

B. DIGITAL CONSULTING

Bridgette A. Daley

561-628-7079, bdigital.social

Full-service boutique marketing agency, crafting bespoke digital marketing strategies that amplify your brand’s presence

No part of this periodical may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. The publisher is not liable for errors or omissions. Periodical postage is paid in Vero Beach, Florida, and additional mailing offices. SUBSCRIPTIONS: One year $28; two years $45; three years $54. Subscribe online at verobeachmagazine.com or call 772-234-8871 weekdays from 8 a.m.–4 p.m. American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa are accepted. Our subscription information is not shared, rented, or sold. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Vero Beach Magazine, 3375 20th St., Suite 100, Vero Beach, FL 32960. SUBMISSIONS: Publisher assumes no liability for the care and return of unsolicited materials, including manuscripts and photographs. Postal authorization #018722. Copyright © 2024 Palm Beach Media Group. Vol. XXVII, No. 9, Sept. 2024

RAILROAD

Track Record

THOUGH HIS BUSINESS INTERESTS LAY WELL TO THE NORTH AND SOUTH OF VERO, HENRY FLAGLER PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR AREA

BY PENNY CHANDLER NORRIS

n July, we discussed the role of Indian River Farms and the Vero Railroad Station in the early development of what is now Vero Beach. Now, we continue the story and expand upon the events that led up to the construction of the Railroad Station.

Florida became the 27th state in 1845. In 1861, fewer than 10 people per square mile lived in our region. While we had agriculture, Florida tourism wouldn’t take hold for at least a couple of decades. By the late 1800s, more people explored Florida’s opportunities. One was Henry Flagler. Fortunately for Florida’s east coast, Flagler had lots of money and a vision of the future.

With an eighth-grade education, Flagler had a varied background in retail, grain, distilling whiskey, and salt mining and production. When the salt business failed, he returned to grain, where he met John D. Rockefeller, who was associated with inventor and chemist Samuel Andrews.

In 1867, Rockefeller asked Flagler to invest with him in a new oil refinery company. Flagler’s brother-in-law invested $100,000 on the condition that Rockefeller make Flagler a partner. With money in hand, Rockefeller, Andrews, and

Flagler founded Standard Oil. This is where Flagler made his money.

In 1883, Flagler was honeymooning in St. Augustine with his second wife and took an interest in Florida’s east coast. Recognizing a lack of nice hotels and reliable transportation, he took action. In 1885, he purchased several short-line railroads, which became the start of the Florida East Coast Railway Company. He built the Ponce de Leon Hotel as well as his home, Kirkside, in St. Augustine.

Flagler bought other hotels and brought his business interests into South Florida. He bought property on Lake

Worth (now Lake Worth Lagoon) and then started south with his railway. He built the Hotel Royal Poinciana on one shore of Lake Worth, while the other shore developed as residential/commercial and became West Palm Beach. Oceanside, he built The Palm Beach Inn in 1896 (renamed The Breakers in 1901) and his winter home, Whitehall, in Palm Beach in 1902.

By 1894, Flagler’s railway reached West Palm Beach. In 1903, FEC built the Vero Railway Station. Along with those who came to Vero to buy farmland, the station brought Midwest and Northern tourists looking for a warmer winter

climate. Rooming houses, hotels, and apartments were built; winter homes and golf courses followed, including Riomar in 1919 and Royal Park Golf Club in 1924.

Also in 1924, the Florida Theatre opened on 14th Avenue, and development continued apace.

In 1983, the Railroad Station was purchased by the Indian River County Historical Society and moved from Commerce Avenue to its 14th Avenue site as the offices of the Historical Society.

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

COURTESY OF INDIAN RIVER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Moved half a mile and painted yellow, the old Vero Railroad Station now houses the IRC Historical Society.