Wine & Cheese event

Thursday, Jan. 19, 6 to 8 p.m.

Butler House, 380 E. Hillsboro Blvd., Deerfield Beach, Fl 33441

Meet local artist, Louis Mezian, who paints Deerfield historic sites. Items available for sale. Benefits Historical Society.  $5 per person. 954- 429-0378.

DB  Island Community Association Meets

Thursday, Jan. 19, 7 p.m.

Community Presbyterian Church, 1920 SE 4 St., Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

Everyone invited.

Volunteers – Eco Days

Saturday, Jan. 21, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Deerfield Island Park, 1720 Deerfield Island Park, Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

Clean up environment. Ages 13 and up. Bring gloves, hat, sunscreen, insect repellent, drinking water. Wear long pants, closed-toe shoes, long sleeves. Registration required. Participants must fill out workday form before participating. For volunteers under 18, parental signatures required. 954-357-5100.

Yard Sale

Saturday, Jan. 21, 8 a.m. to noon

First Christian Church, 1860 NE 39 St., Pompano Beach, Fl 33064

Proceeds go toward the Youth Ministry and church day school. For more information, call 954-942-2515.

The “A” Team Golf Tournament for Education

Saturday, Jan. 21, 10 a.m. (shotgun start)

Deerfield Country Club 50 Fairway Dr., Deerfield Beach FL 33441

$100 per golfer. Chick-Fil-A, providing lunch for golfers and volunteers. Proceeds go to purchase three Promethean Boards for Autism Cluster (the “A” Team) at Deerfield Beach Elementary. Contact: Jason, 954-553-5134; Stacey, 954-557-4021; or Deerfield Country Club, 954-427-4400. (itlstudios.com/ateam.html, to donate in honor of fallen fire fighter Bill Elliott, brother of Mary Beth Williams, coach for the A-Team).

Dixieland  Jazz session

Sunday, Jan. 22, 1 to 4 p.m.

Henry’s Hideaway, 1500 S. Andrews Ave., Pompano Beach, FL  33069

Presented by the Hot Jazz & Alligator Gumbo Society. $10. 954-563-5390.

“An Afternoon of Timeless Love Songs”

Sunday, Jan. 22, 2 p.m. 

Pompano Beach High School, 600 NE 13 Ave., Pompano Beach, FL  33060

Performed by Philip Alongi, tenor, and Caitlin Galardi, soprano. Presented by New Presbyterian Church. Admission is FREE. Offering will be taken. 954-205-2533 or www.newpres.org.

South Florida Chamber Ensemble performs Program 3: Mirror Images

Sunday, Jan. 22, 2 p.m.

Zion Lutheran, 959 SE 6 Ave., Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

South Florida Chamber Ensemble performs Program 3: Mirror Images. $15 general admission/$10-students and seniors. 60-seat venue. 954-803-3762.

Deerfield Beach Green Market

Sunday, Jan. 22, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Cove Shopping Center, 1580 SE 3 Court, Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

Fresh produce, bakery goods, meats, seafood and specialty food items. Contact: T.J. Eagen – 954-592-3150. www.DeerfieldBeachGreenMarket.com.

Battle of Florida

Week of events culminating in a college football all-star game on Jan. 21 at FAU stadium at 8 p.m. Features legendary coaches Bobby Bowden and Howard Schnellenberger. For full schedule and information, visit www.thebattleofflorida.com.

Sunset Green Market

Wednesday, Jan. 25, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

2240 NW 19th St. (corner of Butts Rd. & 19 St.), Boca Raton, FL 33431

Farmer’s market featuring locally-grown produce, bakery items, plants & flowers, organics, doggie treats, Amish foods, soaps, teas & coffee, fresh herbs, and more. 954-270-9917.

Save the Date: Parks and Recreation Open Public Forum

Thursday, Jan. 26, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Constitution Park, 2841 W. Hillsboro Blvd., Deerfield Beach, FL 33442

Share ideas, thoughts and concerns. For more information, call 954-426-6898 or visit www.Deerfield-Beach.com/parksandrec.

Save the Date: 32nd Annual Deerfield Beach Festival of the Arts

Saturday, Jan. 28 & Sunday, Jan. 29, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Main Beach Parking Lot, (South of Pier between Hillsboro Blvd. and SE 4 St.), Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

More than 130 artists, food, ethnic vendors, beer, wine, continuous live music. Monies raised funds scholarships for graduating Deerfield Beach seniors. 954-426-6898.

In today’s culture, we struggle so much with letting go. The “Self-Help” industry is booming, and yet no one seems to act like their lives are getting any better.

It’s like we bounce from one self-help fad to another, always blaming the last theory or maybe our approach to that theory. It seems to me, however, that what’s really missing is the power to change. I believe that all of us have something about our lives that we would like to change.  But how do we accomplish this change?

There are others who want no part in change, but believe their life would be infinitely better if everyone else would change. We all know people like that, they drift from one crisis to the next, always giving responsibility for their problems to everyone else in their lives, never once realizing that the only thing their problems have in common is them.

But what’s the solution? How does one really change? How does one really “take control of their lives,” as many would say, and make change. Change, of course is the topic of the day. It’s January!

Consider this analogy. Suppose you live in a village where electricity is supplied by a generator on a nearby hill. Each evening, the owner of the generator regulates which houses receive the power. He gives two conditions for receiving power for the lamps in your house.

First, he says, “If you plug the cord in the socket firmly, you will tap into the power of the electricity for your light.”

Secondly, “If I see light in the house, I will keep the power flowing to your house, but if I do not see any light for a while, I will assume you are not home and turn off the power to your house.”

Okay, cute story, but how does this apply to my life? Plugging into the power is the condition of believing in the promises of God. It connects you to the power of God. That’s the primary condition of surrendering to God. If you do not plug in the lamps and there is no light, the power source is cut off. The same is true of our relationship with God. If we are not “plugged in,” by the reading of His Word and prayer, then we have no hope of having the necessary power to bring about real change.

This light in the house is the secondary condition of our attitude towards others. You don’t have light first in order to get power. Your light proves that the lamp is plugged in. And your attitude proves that your faith is genuine – that you are really connected to God as one who is satisfied with all that He is for you in Jesus. Matthew 11:28 says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” This is what we’re missing. We’re not plugged into the power source.

There is a great God of grace, who magnifies his own infinite self-sufficiency by fulfilling promises to helpless people who trust him. And there is a power that comes from prizing this God, which leaves no nook and cranny of life untouched. It empowers us to love in the most practical ways.

Want real change for 2012? Then, get plugged in.

Deron Peterson is is the Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church of Deerfield Beach.

Since our family, the Eller family, has lived in Deerfield Beach since 1923, I’ve often been asked to put in writing some of the history of the area, either experienced personally or that I heard from my parents or grandparents. For some of you old timers who might be worried about certain old “scandals,” don’t worry. I won’t be writing about those (smile). To read previous historical essays, go to www.observemewspaperonline.com and click on “The History of Deerfield.”

David Eller, Publisher

Birth of a newspaper

Deerfield Beach got its first newspaper in 1930 called the Deerfield News.

The first issue was on July 4, 1930. My father, Marlin Eller, 14 years old at the time, was featured in the first issue on the front page with his picture and a caption for having built a large model military airplane.

There was also a lot of local news like “Mrs. Butler had guests from Texas, the Longs, visited her last Thursday.” The Deerfield News folded after a short time.

Deerfield’s current  newspaper, The Observer, was founded in 1962. In reviewing some of the early Observer 1963 issues, the big stories included the fact that Hillsboro Boulevard, which had been dead-ended, was being extended with a crossing over the Florida East Coast Railroad tracks going directly west, rather than having all the traffic winding around Dixie Highway to head west, as it had been before. Hans Pufahl, Deerfield’s mayor, dressed western style in a cowboy hat, is shown cutting the ribbon, along with State Senator A.J. Ryan and Broward County Commissioner Bill Stevens.

The event was further celebrated by declaring it the “Westward Ho Day” with participants, including  Mr. and Mrs. Charles Parton, who had recently founded the Deerfield Beach Country Club, shown (right) in front of the Deerfield Furniture Company Store. Their nephew, Bob Parton, is the current president of the club.

Learning about stockings in college

Meanwhile, this writer, a son of Deerfield, was still off in college in northern Florida, first at Stetson University and later the University of Florida, studying engineering, but also learning much about certain social graces.

My first date in college was arranged by my roommate, Bob Hutson, who had a date and wanted me to go with his dates’ roommate to a drive-in movie in DeLand, Florida. Bob was driving, so my date,  a girl from New York, was in the back seat with me.

We had hardly settled in to watch the movie when I felt her hand take my hand and put it on her knee. The skin on her knee felt funny, kind of like snake skin, so I pulled my hand away.

A little while later, she did it again, and I pulled my hand away again. This continued a few more times until she gave up and left me alone. I thought the evening would never end.

Finally, we took them back to their dormitory. As I’m walking her up to the door, I finally got the nerve to ask her, “What’s wrong with the skin on your leg?” She said “What do you mean?” I replied, “It feels very rough, like scales!” She started laughing at me and said, “I’m wearing stockings, you idiot!” I must have turned bright red in the face. After all, Florida-bred boys didn’t know anything about girls wearing stockings.

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

Grief is a confusing emotion. One reacts differently under each situation.

Last December, I lost my Uncle Paul and my buddy (“Scary”) Gerry Carter within three days of each other. The only emotional release I found was Matt “Guitar” Murphy’s Blues performance at Satchmo Blues Bar in Ft. Lauderdale a few nights later (see picture pg. 1).

A member of the original Blues Brothers Band who performed with Howlin’ Wolf and Etta James, Murphy was backed-up by Albert Castiglia.

Castiglia will be performing at the Florida Blues Film Festival at Satchmo on Martin Luther King weekend. Presented by BlueAtHeart Productions, this festival features three documentaries that have been honored in the past year, Full Moon Lightnin’, Hard Times and M is for Mississippi. While the Blues acknowledges pain and suffering in the world, it’s often also the first step toward redemption. (www.bluesfilmfest.com).

For many, The Mill and the Cross could be considered a transformative motion picture. Featuring Rutger Hauer, Charlotte Rampling and Michael York, this Art House motion picture details Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s masterpiece The Way to Calvary, circa 1564.

The film is an entertaining art history lesson that looks at many phases of putting oil on canvas. It opens with models being positioned, while Bruegel (Hauer) provides commentary about character placement.

While the suffering of the Christ is the focal point, Bruegel explains why he hides Jesus in the painting while characters vie for the spotlight. A hit at last year’s Sundance Film Festival, The Mill and the Cross is the next best thing to going to an art museum this weekend.

For more traditional movie-going fare, The Adventures of Tintin is a fun diversion. The first of a planned trilogy, Tintin was produced by Peter Jackson, directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the much-loved European comic book character created by Brussels-born artist Herge.

From the opening notes of John Williams post-modernist score, the viewer is plunged into the animated world of Tintin (Jamie Bell) and his loyal companion Snowy, a dog. After purchasing a model ship at a street fair, Tintin learns about a valuable secret inside the vessel.

Unfortunately for Tintin and Snowy, the evil Sakharine (Daniel Craig) wishes to obtain the same secret.

With the exception of the visuals, this adventure may not contain an Oscar-winning narrative, but is 107 minutes of pure cinematic escapism.

If anybody was hoping that after a 1-11 Football Season that there would be better results for the FAU Men’s Basketball Team, then think again. Going into Monday night’s road game against Arkansas State, FAU was 5-11, 1-2 in the Sun Belt Conference.

FAU’s latest loss, the Owls offense failed to show-up in Little Rock, as Arkansas Little Rock won a 40-38 contest Saturday night. That’s correct, 40-38, as both teams combined to score a mere 78 points. FAU scored 20 points trailing 22-20 at half-time.

Thus far, the highlight of the 2011-2012 FAU Season occurred at the Orange Bowl Classic, as the Owls lost a 93-90 double overtime contest to the Miami Hurricanes. Omari Grier led FAU with 27 points.

Miami leads the all-time series against FAU 21-1 as FAU’s last win against the Hurricanes occurred on Dec. 3, 2002, 74-73 in Boca Raton. This game set Orange Bowl Basketball Classic records for most assists (41) and 3-pointers made (29) and tied for most field goals made (63) and 3-pointers attempted (49). This was only the second game in Orange Bowl Classic history where both teams eclipsed the 80-point plateau, joining Florida’s 94-93 double-overtime win over Miami in 2002.

FAU now stands 0-2 all-time in Orange Bowl Classic play.

When the game was over, Miami Head Coach Jim Larranaga had nothing but positive things to say about the Owls.

“My hats off to Florida Atlantic, their coaches and their team for the outstanding job they did,” Larranaga said. “Their 3-point shooting was incredible, the way they got those threes with tremendous dribble penetration and kicking it out. We were very concerned about that going into the game and it proved to be very true.”

Will there be any more Miami vs. FAU Men’s Basketball games in the future?

“Yeah, if they came to our place every other year,” FAU Coach Mike Jarvis said. “We would love to continue to play them, but they don’t want to play in Boca. So, we’ll ask them again if they’ll play home and home, and if they don’t want to play a home and home, then we probably won’t play them again.”

Since the Miami loss, FAU has lost four of the last five games. Those losses have come against Harvard, Siena, Louisiana-Lafayette and Arkansas Little Rock.

The Owls next home game is Saturday, Jan. 14 against Middle Tennessee State at 7 p.m. During the next month, FAU travels to Miami to face Isiah Thomas’ FIU Golden Panthers on Jan. 21 at 2 p.m. The two teams meet again on Feb. 4 in Boca Raton at 7 p.m.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com.