Page Two: Barry’s Buzz – May 11, 2016

          Staples and Office Depot said Tuesday they are scrapping their planned $6.3 billion merger after a federal judge blocked the deal, saying the government had made the case that the combination would likely hurt competition in office supplies. Great news for Boca to keep OD in the city.

     WPTV Channel 5 NBC affiliate anchor Michael Williams will be the guest at the 11:30 am May 11 lunch seminar of the Gold Coast Tiger Bay Club at City Fish Market, Glades and the Turnpike. RSVP at http://www.goldcoasttigerbayclub.com/event/michael-williams-nbc-news-anchor/.

     Beautiful The Carole King Musical is at the Broward Center of the Performing Arts to May 22. Call the box office for tickets.

      Starring Avery Sommers, “The Devil’s Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith” – A Play with Music – BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!  MAY 5-29, THURSDAYS and SATURDAYS – 7pm | SUNDAYS – 2pm (no show on SAT. May 28). Tickets are $30-$45. Call 561-571-8510

     The Palm Beach County League of Women Voters is hosting an event at the downtown Boca Library called “Your County Government” May 11. The event is part of the library’s civic engagement initiative. The event begins at 7 p.m. This is the second event offered.

     Bank of America is taking a huge chunk of space in a trophy Boca Raton office tower once home to two major corporate headquarters, W.R. Grace and Tyco International. One Town Center soon will be occupied by the banking giant, which is leasing 62,000 square feet on the seventh through ninth floors of the 10-story building. Bank of America is expected to consolidate several offices in the space, including offices for its affiliate, Merrill Lynch. The deal is a big coup for One Town Center’s co-owner, Tom Crocker, who built the 190,000-square-foot tower at 1 Town Center Road. 

    Tucker Duke’s has opened its Boca Raton location. The restaurant is located at 1658 North Federal Highway. The restaurant calls itself a “southern style burger joint,” which serves craft burgers and craft beers.

      The 60,000 sq. ft. Courtyard at Broken Sound office complex at 851 Broken Sound Parkway was sold by Rexall Sundown to developer Malcolm Butters.

     Atlanta based McAlister’s Deli with more than 350 restaurants in 27 states, plans to expand in Boca through franchise partnerships.

1. Jill has opened a clothing store in the Nordstrom wing at Town Center at 6000 Glades Road Boca Raton, selling women’s sweaters, dresses and knit tops along with handbags, scarves and Jewelry. The brand launched in 1959 and now has more than 260 stores.

     Stewart Fine Art Gallery opened at 5501 N. Fed. Hwy. Suite 4, Boca, featuring pieces from world-renowned glass artists and showcasing art and artifacts ranging from prehistoric through contemporary times, including pieces from Greece, Rome, Egypt, pre-Columbian cultures and historic Native America.

     New Art Gallery Exhibit at the Spanish River Library through June 25.  Well-known local artist, Jim Campbell, will be showing his oil paintings and acrylic paintings in the Friends Art Gallery.  This collection will include favorites from his travels abroad and some still-life compositions done in his studio.  The Library is located at 1501 NW Spanish River Blvd.

    The lighting in Sugar Sand Park was called “dismally dim” when improvements were proposed last June. Now it looks like that’s finally going to happen. Brighter LED lighting fixtures will be delivered shortly and installed on the existing poles after contracts were approved at the Greater Boca Raton Beach & Park District meeting.

     The grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony was organized for Sinai Residences of Boca Raton — the new $265 million Continuing Care Retirement Community on the Boca Raton campus of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County.

    West Boca Medical Center received top grade in prevention of avoidable errors, accidents, bed sores and infections. The hospital received an “A” grade in the Hospital Safety Scores spring ratings published by the national nonprofit watchdog the Leapfrog Group.

     The Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County has announced that April Leavy has been installed as the organization’s new 2016-17 Women’s Philanthropy Chair. Leavy, who now also serves as a Vice Chair on the Federation Board, has demonstrated her leadership in a number of positions over many years within the Federation and its beneficiary agencies. Most recently, from 2014-16, she served as Women’s Philanthropy Campaign Chair and as a Federation Board Member.

          Money Monster, The Darkness, The Meddler and the Man who knew Infinity opens at the Boca Cinemark on Airport Road and Boynton Cinemark on Congress Ave. The Meddler and The Man Who Knew Infinity opens at the FAU Living Room Theatre on the FAU campus and at the Movies of Delray on Atlantic and Hagen Ranch Road and the Movies of Lake Worth, on Lake Worth Road, east of the Turnpike, and also at the Classic Gateway on Sunrise Blvd. and U.S. 1 in Ft. Lauderdale, along with Money Monster. Batman vs. Superman, Hologram for the King and Ratchet & Clank opens at the Last Picture Show in Tamarac.

     Putting It Together will run to June 19 at Stage Door Theatre, 8036 Sample Road, Margate. Tickets for Putting It Together are $38 – $42; $16 student tickets are also available at the Broward Stage Door Theatre box office at 954-344-7765 or on line at stagedoortheatre.com.  

     Same Time Next Year will run to May 22 at Stage Door Theatre, 8036 Sample Road, Margate.  Tickets are $38 – $42; $16 student tickets are also available.  Tickets may be purchased at the Broward Stage Door Theatre box office at 954-344-7765 or on line at stagedoortheatre.com.

         10 warning signs of Alzheimer’s will be presented by Chris Dragomer, MSW & Patient Coordinator for the Alzheimer’s Association 5 pm May 11 Free at Advanced Dentistry South Florida, 15340 Jog Rd, Delray Beach. Reservations are limited. Call 561.404.1079 to reserve a seat.

      Luxury Chamber networking is 6 to 8 pm May 16 at Davincis of Boca in Town Center. Early bird tickets at luxurychamber.com/upcoming-events.php.

      Jan McArt and Lynn University present Karen Mason Live at Lynn, 7:30 p.m. May 18 in the Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall at the Count and Countess de Hoernle International Center. To reserve tickets and a listing of upcoming performances visit lynn.edu/events.

          West Boca Leaders is the best networking group in the area. One of a kind networking group. First and Third Thursdays. Next meeting is May 19, 2016, 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. Tulipe Café, Boca Grove Shopping Center on Powerline Road between Glades and Palmetto Park Roads. $60 per quarter. Fill out form on site if you qualify and bring $60 for fourth quarter. For more information or questions, call 561.852.0000.

     The Republican Jewish Coalition has a couple of events in May. For more information and to RSVP, please reply to this email, or contact us at 561-995-9445. Please remember to let us know the names of everyone in your party, your phone number and which events you will be joining us for! Thursday, May 19, 2016, Gary Kenzer, North American Executive Director, Honest Reporting, Boca Raton Community Center, 150 Crawford Blvd. Check-In: 6:00pm / Program: 6:30 pm Light Kosher Refreshments will be served. May 25 will be phone banking at the South County Civic Center and a talk by Carlos Beruff, Candidate for the U.S. Senate.

           Technology Business 3Cinteractive, a mobile marketing company with 100 employees was named Business of the Year, Jim Dunn,JM Lexus general manager was named Business Leader of the Year and Rose and Joe Martin, owners of Allegiance Home Health was named Small Business Leaders of the Year by the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce, to be honored May 20 at the Chamber’s annual luncheon May 20 at the Boca Raton Resort & Club’s Mizner Center, 501 E. Camino Real, which is open to the public and Chamber members. Tickets are $75. Call 561.395.4433 or visit bocachamber.com/BAL.

     The Delray Beach Playhouse is concluding its season with a Golden Age Murder Mystery by Agatha Christie, the most successful mystery writer of all time. The play is called BLACK COFFEE and it is the only play Christie ever wrote featuring her most famous character, the brilliant Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. The Show runs from May 21 – June 5, 2016. Tickets are available on-line at delraybeachplayhouse or by calling the box office at 561-272-1281 Ext. 4. Tickets are $30.00.  [Student tickets are half-priced.]

      David P. Samson, president of the Miami Marlins will be the speaker at the B & P networking breakfast, 8 a.m. May 24 at Zinman Hall on the Federation Campus, 9901 Donna Klein Blvd.  To register visit: jewishboca.org/bpnetworking. For more information, contact Sonni Simon at 561.852.3128 or Sonnis@bocafed.org.

          Mark Memorial Day on May 30 with free events hosted by the city of Boca Raton. The day’s observances will begin at 9 a.m. with a commemorative ceremony to honor those who have served in the United States military. Local veterans and members of the public are invited to join city officials at the Boca Raton Cemetery, located at 449 SW Fourth Ave. The Fort Lauderdale Highlanders and the Boca Raton Community High School Band will perform. Boca High’s Navy Junior ROTC and the Boca Raton Police & Fire Honor Guard also will participate. Then at 7 p.m., the city will host a free concert at the Mizner Park Amphitheater, located at 590 Plaza Real. Indian River Pops Orchestra will perform patriotic music directed by Dwight Robert Roadman.

     Christina Applegate will be the keynote speaker at the 13th annual Go Pink luncheon to benefit the Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation in the fight against breast cancer. Save the date: October 21, 2016.

   The 2016/2017 Broadway series at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts include Cinderella, Cabaret, The Little Mermaid, Something Rotten!, Matilda and Finding Neverland. More info at browardcenter.org.

    The Marmot Boca Raton Bowl date has been set. The bowl game will take place at 7 p.m. on Dec. 20 at the Florida Atlantic University Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN. It will be the third annual bowl game for FAU.

      Sun-Sentinel, South Florida Business Journal, Boca Life and Palm Beach Post contributed to this column.

     Barry Epstein, APR, is a noted public relations, marketing and political consultant based in Boca Raton, president of the goldcoasttigerbayclub.com, the luxurychamber.com, the westbocaleaders.com and the founder and former president of the West Boca Chamber of Commerce; His motto is: Public Relations is the enemy of anonymity. Email: pr@publicrelations.nu, or fax column items to 561.451.0000.  Read his blog on www.barry’s.buzz. His blog is also on bocatribune.com, facebook.com/BarryEpstein and on his website: publicrelations.nu.