Robert’s Community Report: 2/8
In case you did not hear the news, Groundhog Day’s Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter. This may really test your mettle, but if we stick together, we can weather the South Florida winter for another month or so!
Record-breaking crowds enjoyed Boca Raton’s First Responder Expo, held on Saturday at the Town Center Mall. Boca Raton’s police and firefighters showed off the latest equipment and performed demonstrations during the day. It was a great day to enjoy a hot dog and thank our first responders for keeping us safe.
On Saturday and Sunday the Boca Raton Museum of Art hosted the 32nd Annual Museum of Art Festival in Mizner Park. The streets of Mizner Park were filled with a tremendous selection of art from across the country. One of a kind art was available for purchase with a portion of the proceeds dedicated to the support of the museum’s educational programming.
The 56th Annual Hospital Ball at the Boca Raton Resort attracted over 1300 attendees and raised over $1.6 million. Congratulations to Mark Larkin and all of the staff and volunteers of the Boca Raton Hospital Foundation who made the evening a great event with 15 BRRH physicians honored for their contribution to the hospital’s success in meeting the needs of our community while becoming a destination for patients from throughout the country seeking exceptional service. The Temptations presented the special entertainment of the evening.
The screening of “Dear Ambassador” at FAU this weekend marked the inauguration of a year-long Brazilian film series. The monthly Brazilian cinema series will include films of recognized cultural, artistic and social value, and representative of the five regions of Brazil. Support for the series is provided by the Brazil International Foundation, the Brazilian Film Commission Network, the Audiovisual Promotion Division of the Cultural Department of the Brazilian Foreign Ministry and the Consulate General of Brazil in Miami. LATC serves as curator of the film series project and direct liaison with film production companies in Brazil. The series is hosted by FAU’s Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters and the Graduate Certificate of Film and Culture and is part of the long-term strategic relationship announced in 2017 by FAU and LATC to jointly develop a wide range of academic, policy, resource, outreach and training activities in the area of Latin American film, television and new media. For more information about the Brazilian Film Series, visit fau.edu/artsandl…/college-initiatives/brazilian-film-series/.
The City of Boca Raton and Downtown Boca hosted the 3rd Annual Italian Fest on Saturday that drew over 8,000 people. There was authentic live Italian entertainment. Activities for the children included rides, slides, and carnival games in addition to face painting. There were plenty of food vendors. In fact, there was something for everyone. Great fun in our downtown for the entire family!
The second annual walk in the woods was held at Boca West for the benefit for the Boca West Children’s Foundation. The mission of the foundation is to identify and fund projects to assist at-risk children and their families in the Boca Raton and South Palm Beach County areas. In Palm Beach County, one in four children under age 6 lives in poverty, as does 15 percent of the overall county population, according to the United Way. To learn more about the Boca West Children’s Foundation, go to: www.bocawestfoundation.org
The Palm Beach State College’s STEAM Luncheon was held on Wednesday with internationally known artist and marine biologist, Dr Guy Harvey. STEAM makes learning more fun and engaging while providing students opportunities to use content knowledge and skills in ways that are practical and applicable to the real world. For the past 5-years Yvonne Boice-Zucaro has served as chair of the PBCSC Foundation’s STEAM initiative. She has raised awareness for the importance of STEAM education in the community and has connected PBSC students with STEAM resources and experts.
Enjoy a cornucopia of events from now until April 18th at Mizner Park Amphitheater under the big tent! Join us for Boca Raton Seafood Festival, Avraham Fried, The Cowboy Ball, Boca Bacchanal, WPEC Health & Wellness Expo, the 2018 edition of the Festival of the Arts, and more. See the full list of upcoming events at: www.myboca.us/826/Mizner-Park-Amphitheater
The Boca Raton Seafood & Music Festival will be held this weekend, (Saturday and Sunday February 10th and 11th) from 10AM–6PM. The ticketed event is a unique blending of food, music and visual entertainment offering a potpourri of delectable seafood creations and delicious drinks prepared by our city’s top restaurants combined with outstanding musical performances by local and regional musicians. General admission is only $5.00
On February 10th, please join FAU in celebrating the 15th Anniversary Concert of Hoot/Wisdom Recordings, Florida Atlantic University’s student-run/faculty-supervised record label. The concert showcases student and faculty artists who have recorded with the label, including: Alexa Ehrlich and Josh Hollin; Irena Kofman; Kevin Wilt; Stacie Rossow; Trío Nueva Colombia; and Latin Grammy nominees Quinteto Leopoldo Federico. The FAU Wind Ensemble, conducted by Kyle Prescott, will present works by special guest Bruce Broughton, winner of 10 Emmy awards, and an Oscar and Grammy nominee, who is in residence as FAU’s Dorothy F. Schmidt Eminent Scholar in Performing Arts in 2018.
University Theatre, FAU Boca Raton. To purchase tickets visit: http://www.fauevents.com, or call 800-564-9539, or visit the Box Office in FAU’s Student Union, Mon-Fri, 10AM -5PM.Student & Faculty priced tickets available directly from the Student Union Box Office.
Boca Raton has a new comedy club! Located at the Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center, Comic Cure is a social non-profit with the simple mission of using the power of laughter to uplift and engage communities around important causes. Shows are presented once a month. On February 10th, the theme of the show is Florida’s Funniest Parents. Love and laughter is in the air as moms and dads from across the state take the stage to deliver their best jokes to win over the audience judges. Secure your tickets at www.MiznerParkCulturalCenter.com
The eighth annual emb(race)® is only a week away! Create your emb(race)® team today! Register online through midnight Saturday February 10th at http://Embrace.StandAmongFriends.org or at Runner’s Edge (3195 N Federal Hwy Boca Raton FL 33431) until Saturday February 10th at 3PM. The race will be run on Sunday, February 11, 2018, bringing together people with and without disabilities for a morning of racing, walking and fun. emb(race)® is an opportunity for friends, family and neighbors to come together and learn side by side about diversity in our community. The event will be held on the Boca Raton campus of Florida Atlantic University and will feature a 5K and one-mile family walk and include people of all ages and abilities. Whether you run, walk, stroll, roll, use a wheelchair or hand cycle, everyone can enter. There will be games for children, live music, food, prizes, awards and much more! Hope to see you there!
Celebration 50:18 will mark the 50th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem and Boca Beach Chabad’s “Chai Year,” or 18th Anniversary, locally. Celebration 50:18 will feature a concert by international Jewish music superstar Avraham Fried at Mizner Park Amphitheater on Tuesday, February 13th. Fried has performed to sellout crowds at New York’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, London’s Wembley Hall and Tel Aviv’s Heichal Hatarbut. A special presentation will be made to IDF soldiers who served during the Six Day War and family members of fallen soldiers. The concert will be preceded by a special VIP Reception at the Boca Raton Museum of Art with the Hon. Danny Danon, Ambassador of Israel to the United Nations, delivering the keynote address.
This year’s Ruth & Norman Rales Jewish Family Services (JFS) annual Reflections of Hope Luncheon on February 15th is gearing up to be a spectacular event. They are proud to welcome keynote speaker Ricki Lake. She is an Emmy Award-winning TV host, actress, author, and producer. This year’s theme is, “Breaking the Stigma of Mental Health.” Reception begins at 11AM abd lunch begins at 11:45AM. Register at https://ralesjfs.org/ROH2018
The Cowboy Ball 2018 will be held at Mizner Park Amphitheater on February 17th. Enjoy culinary delights from multiple restaurants, whiskey tasting, the Saloon will be open all night with lots of dancing and entertainment.
The Festival of the Arts returns to Mizner Park Amphitheater for its 11th season on Friday February 23rd at 7:30PM with Grammy Award winning American soprano Kathleen Battle.
Itzhak Perlman returns to the amphitheatre stage on Saturday February 24th at 8PM.Perlman is the reigning virtuoso of the violin.
On Sunday February 23rd the Festival presents Grupo Company Segundo, an iconic band from Havana Cuba. The show begins at 7PM
Don’t miss Bill Murray, Jan Vogler & friends present an evening of music, poetry and prose on Friday March 2rd at 7:30PM.
The Festival of the Arts concludes on Sunday March 4th with a special presentation of ET the Extra-Terrestrial. As in years past, the film will be accompanied by The Symphonia Boca Raton & Constatine Kitsopoulos, conductor. The movie presentation begins at 6PM
Tickets to the Festival of the Arts Boca (designed to promote the cultural arts and to enrich the quality of life of the residents of Boca Raton) are available for these events (and others) at www.FestivalOfTheArtsBoca.org or through the box office at 866.571.2787
Don’t forget the Wick Theatre where Singing in the Rain continues through February 18th. This “greatest movie musical of all time” is the perfect entertainment for fans of the golden age of movie musicals. For tickets or more information on upcoming shows, go to www.TheWick.org
Join Gumbo Limbo Nature Center for our Sea Turtle Day on February 24th as they celebrate sea turtles! This fun-filled family day of environmental education will be packed with exciting things to see and do, including presentations, face painting, aquarium feedings, children’s theater, guided boardwalk tours, kid’s crafts, awesome booths, and more!
There’s plenty more to do and see, in and around Boca Raton. Follow me @BocaRatonCalendar and check out our website: www.BocaCal.com
