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Barry’s Buzz – Sept. 14, 2016

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     Gold Coast Tiger Bay Club will feature Jeff Dawson, AIPAC’s Florida Deputy Director on BDS: The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement Against Israel, 11:30 a.m. Sept. 14 at City Fish Market, Glades Road and the Turnpike. RSVP at http://www.goldcoasttigerbayclub.com/event/jeff-dawson-from-aipac-speaks-about-the-bds-movement-against-israel/. Former CNN reporter Susan Candiotti will speak on Thursday, Oct. 13. As an extra added attraction, TV’s Nancy Grace will speak on Oct. 14.  and have her new book signing too. Former Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski will speak for the first time since his incarceration on November 9 and California political comedian Eric Golub will speak on Dec.14.

     The Boca Raton municipal election that will be held on March 7th 2017 already has a list of candidates. Earlier this year Mayor Susan Haynie filed to run for re-election. Council Member Scott Singer was reportedly considering a run for Mayor. However, early last week he filed to run for re-election to Seat A. On September 9, Boca Raton attorney, Andy Thomson, stopped by City Hall to file his preliminary paperwork to run for Seat B. He joins Andrea Levine O’Rourke and Emily Gentile, each of whom filed to run for Seat B.

     Boca Raton City Councilman Scott Singer filed Sept. 8 to run for his own seat, putting to rest rumors he might run for mayor against Mayor Susan Haynie, who has the chance to run again. Candidates have until January to file for the March 14 Municipal Election in Boca Raton. No one else has filed.

     Beginning next month, Boca Raton homeowners will see a $20 hike in their fire services fee. The City Council late Monday unanimously decided to raise the fee for homeowners from $85 to $105. The new fee will take effect Oct. 1

     The Boca Raton Trump campaign office is now open at 5295 Town Center Rd, suite 200 on the NW corner with Military Trail and Town Center Road. 

      Libertarian Gary Johnson says he’ll be on ballot in all 50 states.

        South Florida keeps getting more diverse and international, but New York still has a powerful grip on a region long known as the Big Apple’s “sixth borough.” This fall will be no different, with a wave of New York-infused food and nostalgia set to debut on the restaurant scene in Palm Beach County.

The biggest name arriving is Junior’s, the Brooklyn restaurant famous for its cheesecake. Junior’s will open its first Florida location at Mizner Park in Boca Raton in coming weeks. Later in the fall, noted South Florida restaurateur Burt Rapoport will launch Rappy’s Deli in Boca Raton, an homage to his family’s New York Jewish restaurant roots. And Brighton Beach Bagel & Bakery, an eatery featuring housemade bagels, smoked fish and deli meats, recently opened in Delray Beach.

     A park observation tower in place for 30 years has become so unsafe that park officials have decided to knock it down. The well-known lookout spot at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center reaches 40 feet, giving visitors an unobstructed view of the city. Over the years, however, rot has climbed its way up the wooden tower’s interior, leaving officials no choice but to demolish it.

     Fit Body Bistro, 10 E. Palmetto Park Road, Suite 102, Boca Raton, 561-627-5747, FitBodyBistro.com, Husband and wife Chris Twardowski and Jen Antonuccio are fine-tuning their second fast-casual location since opening in May. They say they founded Fit Body in Jupiter three years ago to provide gluten-free, all-natural, 98 percent organic fare, using natural sweeteners and reverse osmosis for their beverages, including smoothies and juices.

      The Palm Beach Beach County School Board is accusing a debt collection agency hired to recoup money from parents of being a deadbeat itself. The School Board voted to sue the Florida branch of CheckCare, a national collection agency, saying the company owes the district $195,000.

     As summer fades into the rear-view mirror, gasoline demand is falling and prices have commenced their autumn decline. And this fall’s price drop began from already-low Labor Day weekend levels. Alert motorists could find bargains, however. The lowest prices in any city are typically found at big-box wholesale clubs such as Sam’s Club, BJ’s and Costco.

       New pet stores in Palm Beach County could soon be barred from selling puppies and kittens. County commissioners will consider the ordinance for the first time as part of an effort to clamp down on commercial breeders known as puppy mills or kitten factories. The county would cease issuing permits to new pet shops that sell cats and dogs effective Nov. 1 if the measure passes. New pet stores would be banned from selling dogs or cats but could offer supplies or other animals for sale. The ordinance would allow existing pet stores to continue selling puppies and kittens, provided the animals are obtained from licensed breeders that comply with U.S. Department of Agriculture standards. At least eight pet stores offered dogs or cats for sale in Palm Beach County in 2015, according to the proposed ordinance.    

     Thousands of residents are expected to attend a food distribution drive Saturday morning where several thousand pounds of fresh produce, chicken and other food items will be given away. The free giveaway, dubbed Food 4 Friends, will be at Village Academy, 400 SW 12th Ave., Delray Beach, beginning at 10 a.m. The parking lot will open at 9 a.m. Visitors are asked to enter in the north and south gates of the school. The food will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis and no one will be turned away. Two trucks are expected to bring more than 150,000 pounds of food from area distributors to the event. Volunteers will place the food on tables near the trucks and the residents will then able to “shop”, choosing items that they need. Recipients of food will be required to sign up to volunteer for two or four hours with a local nonprofit organization or make a $6 donation. The nonprofits include KOP Mentoring Network, Milagro Center, Achievement Centers for Children and Families and Village Academy. call 561-665-0151.

     Local estate professionals will share much more than congenial company, prime networking, and a lively cocktail reception at the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County’s Jacobson Jewish Community Foundation’s PAC kick off membership drive at the Renaissance Boca Raton Hotel, 2000 NW 19th St. Boca Raton on September 15, 2016 at 5:30 pm, including passed hors d’oeuvres and a number of stations, with dietary laws observed, at a couvert of $60 for PAC members or $75 for nonmembers. For more information, please contact Lisbeth Rock Cauff at 561-852-3188. To RSVP, professionals and guests may visit jewishboca.org/packickoff<http://jewishboca.org/packickoff> or contact Shielle Traverso at 561.852.3114 or shiellet@bocafed.org.

     Snowden, Bridget Jones’ Baby, Hillsong: Let Hope Rise and Blair Witch opens at the Boca and Boynton Cinemark theatres. The Hollars and The People vs. Fritz Bauer opens at the FAU Living Room Theatres. Snowden, The Hollars and Bridget Jones’ Baby opens at the Classic Gateway theatre. Mr. Church, Hands of Stone and War Dogs opens at the Last Picture show in Tamarac. See http://www.publicrelations.nu/movie-capsules-barry-epstein-sep. 9, 2016  

     West Boca Leaders is the best networking group in the area. One of a kind networking group. First and Third Thursdays. Next meeting is Sept. 22, 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 561.702.0000.

          The Downtown Branch of the Boca Raton Library will be having the League of Women Voters deliver a political “informative” session regarding the upcoming November election on Sept. 21st at 7PM. Contact the library at 561-393-7852 or at bocalibrary.org. Register quickly if you want to be there and express your opinion. Their link on their notice is not working so call or e-mail.

       Three Joan Rivers’ red carpet gowns and her cape will be in the big reveal after a luncheon and fashion show the day before The Wick Costume Museum’s “Where Runway Meets Broadway” 2016-2017 collection goes on public view. A champagne reception, luncheon and runway fashion show at 11:30 a.m. Sept.23. Owner and executive producer Marilynn Wick’s vast Broadway and movie costume collection will go back on view sooner, Sept. 23 at a luncheon and fashion show in its own exhibit space. “Runway Meets Broadway” will start at 11:30 a.m. and feature fashions every decade from 1900 to 2000, said Marilyn Swillinger, co-chairwoman of the event with Yvonne Boice, at the Wick Theatre and Costume Museum. Tickets are $100 and will include a museum collection tour. Kimberly Wick, Marilynn Wick’s daughter and museum curator, will narrate the fashion show by Neiman Marcus.

     Not In My town, A Musical Drama in One Act, Saturday, Sept. 24, 7 p.m.,Sunday, Sept. 25, 3 p.m. University Theatre, FAU Boca Raton Campus, Tickets: $20, https://www.fauevents.com/, or call 561-297-6124 or visit the Box Office in FAU’s Student Union. “Not In My Town” is the story of the events surrounding the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, the gay Wyoming college student who was beaten and left tied to a fence to die. The murder brought national and international attention to hate crime legislation. As a result, Congress passed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Opera Fusion is a nonprofit artist-driven company of professional South Florida singers.

     Andre O’Rourke will have her campaign kickoff party at The Wick Theatre on September 30th at 5:30pm

     FAU School of the Arts Department of Theatre and Dance present Ominium Gatherum Sept 30-Oct. 9, Studio One Theatre, FAU Boca Campus, 777 Glades Rd. Tickets: $12-$20. Call1.800.563.9539 or visit https://www.fauevents.com/. Tickets also on sale at the Box Office in FAU’s Student Union.

     Lucie Arnaz brings her father’s Desi Arnaz’s Cuban pedigree, and the Capitol Steps their election satire to Libby Dodson’s Live at Lynn Theatre Series starting Oct. 1. The series has seven shows performed twice through March 26, 2017 at the Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center on the Lynn University campus, 3601 N. Military Trail. The Steps do 30 songs and skits with five people and a pianist. The Live at Lynn series will also include shows about Michael Jackson and French chanteuse Edith Piaf; Tenors Unlimited – The Rack Pack of Opera, The New Shanghai Circus and top 40 and Broadway hits by The Company of Men. Also on sale are tickets for Mabel Mercer Foundation’s Cabaret at Lincoln Center comes to Live at Lynn series starting in January with five shows in the university’s Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall through May 17. Season subscriptions, available now at 25 percent discount, and individual show tickets for Libby Dodson Live at Lynn Theatre Series are at events/lynn.edu or the box office at 561-237-9000.

     The second annual Boca Raton Mayor Ball is Oct. 8 at Broken Sound Country Club, honoring Christine E. Lynn, Boca Raton Resort & Club and Boca Helping Hands with coveted George E. Long Awards. The event is co-chaired by Rotary Club of Downtown Boca Raton members Jon A. Kaye, immediate Club past president who served as the founding chair of the inaugural 2015 Mayors Ball and Club member Constance J. Scott. The 2016 Mayors Ball Honorary Chair is Former Mayor Bill T. Smith. Honorary Advisors include Mayor Susan Haynie, Former Mayors Susan Whelchel and Steven Abrams who currently serves as a Palm Beach County Commissioner; Boca Raton Deputy Mayor Michael Mullaugh and Council Members Robert Weinroth, Jeremy Rodgers and Scott Singer. Co-chairman Jon Kaye only had 48 seats left out at the start of the kickoff for the second annual Boca Raton Mayors Ball, But by the end of the evening, sponsors had gobbled up most of the 400 tickets. The inaugural event was a sellout, too. For sponsorship and underwriting opportunities, visit www.rotarydowntownbocaraton.org or contact Jon A. Kaye at 561-392-5166 or Deborah Freudenberg at 561-299-1429, email info@rotarydowntownbocaraton.org.

    EmilyRosen424.com has a series of writing workshops since 2000 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 pm on Fridays, Oct. 14, 21, 28, Nov. 4, 11, 18. At the Faulk Center for counseling 22455 Boca Rio Road (561.483.5300) for directions. $30 per session – $150 if you sign up for all six on the first day. Call her at 561.445.4614.

     Three New Plays This Season at FAU’s Theatre Lab: The Three Sisters of Weehawken by Deborah Zoe Laufer, October 20 – November 6, Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 3 pm, Special closing weekend matinee: Saturday, November 5, 3pm, Special Preview Performance, Thursday, Oct 20: $25; This Random World by Steven Dietz, December 2 – December 18, Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 7:30pm and Sunday at 3pm, Special closing weekend matinee: Saturday, December 17, 3pm, Special Preview Performance, Thursday, Dec. 1: $25; Motherland by Allison Gregory, January 27 – February 12, Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 7:30pm and Sunday at 3 pm, Special closing weekend matinee: Saturday, February 11, 3pm, Special Preview Performance, Thursday, Jan 26: $25. Theatre Lab, Parliament Hall, FAU Boca Raton campus, 777 Glades Road, Come early to enjoy fine wine and snacks in the Theatre Lab Cafe. All Sunday matinees are followed by a post performance “Talkback.” Admission: $35, *Preview Performance on first Thursday night of each show: $25, Subscription (3 shows): $85 Student, faculty, staff admission: $10 (cash only) with ID at the door, Group rates: 10 tickets or more $25 each; 20 tickets or more $20 each, For tickets, call 561-297-6124, or visit the FAU Box Office in the Student Union,  Tickets available at the door.

      Good Morning America news anchor Amy Robach and her husband Andrew Shue will be the keynote speakers at the 13th Annual Go Pink luncheon to benefit Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation in the fight against breast cancer. Save the date: October 21, 2016. 

     The Fourth Annual Hope Bash Boca is 6:30 p.m. Oct. 28 at Boca West Country Club. For sponsorship opportunities and additional event information, visit placeofhoperinker.org. Tickets at $250 each will be available for purchase online late summer.

     Woman of the Year Luncheon is Nov. 18 at the Boca Resort & Club with fashion show by Saks Fifth Ave. Tickets and info at wvoy@jlbr.org or 620.2553.

      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 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, 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.  

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