Greater Deerfield Beach Democratic Club meets

Thursday, June 21 – 7:30 p.m.

Bakery 2000, 2100 SW 10 St., Deerfield Beach, 33442

Meet each of the Circuit Court Judicial Candidates, ask questions. Appetizers and drinks provided. For more information, 954-632-6704.

After Hours N’ Deerfield

Thursday, June 21 – 5:30 p.m.

Indoor Sports Complex, 3650 SW 10 St., Deerfield Beach, 33442

Network with Deerfield Chamber members. 954-427- 1050. www.mysportscomplex.com.

Beach Sounds: The Resolvers

Friday, June 22, 7 p.m.

Main Beach Parking Lot Between SE 1 St. & SE 2 St. on Ocean Way, Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

Reggae music. Refreshments available. For more information, call 954-480-4429. w w w . d e e r f i e l d – beach.com.

3rd annual Spare Lives & Strike Out Cancer

Friday, June 22 – 5:30 p.m. (check-in), 6 p.m. (start)

Strikes @ Boca, 21046 Commercial Trail, Boca Raton, 33486

$25 per person (6 people per lane), includes bowling shoes, 3 hours of bowling, large cheese pizza, pitcher of soda, 25 wings. 50/50, gift baskets & more. Benefits American Cancer Society. 561-368-2177.

An Evening with the stars

Friday, June 22 – 7 to 9 p.m.

Fern Forest Nature Center, 201 Lyons Rd., Coconut Creek, 33063

South Florida Amateur Astronomers Association (SFAAA) hosts the quarterly program where speakers cover basic telescope techniques and general astronomy information. FREE and for all ages. Call the center the day of the event to check nightly weather conditions. 954-357-5198.

Great American Camp-out

Friday, June 22 to Sunday, June 24

• Deerfield Island Park, 1720 Deerfield Island Park, Deerfield Beach, 33441

• Quiet Waters Park, 401 S. Powerline Rd., Deerfield Beach, 33442

Cost: $55 per campsite Broward Co. residents/$65 non-tricounty residents. Preregistration required. For information, call 954-357-5100 or visit www.nwf.org.

Game Day: Unplugged

Saturday, June 23 – 10 a.m. to noon

Boca Raton Children’s Museum, 498 Crawford Blvd., Boca Raton, 33432

Play games that don’t require electricity or batteries! The games will inspire creativity, problem solving and add to physical fitness. Bring a snack or picnic lunch. Visit the museum too! Drop in or register ahead at 561-368-6875.

“Meet to Beat the Heat!”

Saturday, June 23 – 6 to 8 p.m.

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

Complimentary: Pizza, soda, snow cones. Christian music and uplifting message. “Veggie” tales. Surprise Disney character appearance. Beach casual attire. 954-427-0222. www.communitych.org.

Card Party

Tuesday, June 26 – 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Pompano Beach Elks Lodge, 700 NE 10 St., Pompano Beach, 33060

Held by the Benevolent Patriotic Order of Does, Drove 142. Open to the public. Bring table of friends or group. $4, includes dessert, coffee or tea. 561-479-2002 for reservations.

Greater Pompano Beach Senior Citizens Club meets

Wednesday, June 27 – 10 a.m.

Emma Lou Olson Community Center, 1801 NE 6 St., Pompano Beach, 33060

Activities focus on general welfare, health, education and security of senior citizens. All ages welcome. Fun trips and outings offered. Call 954-943-7787 for information.

Young Friends of the Boca Raton Children’s Museum

Wednesday, June 27 – 5:30 to 8 p.m.

The Dubliner Irish Pub, 435 Plaza Real, Boca Raton, 33432

For young professionals in their 20s to 40s who are interested in community involvement mixed with fun. Promotes the exhibits, events and educational programs at the museum. Free for members ($100 to join). Advance reservations: $15 per person, $20 at door. For more information, contact Gabrielle at 561-368-6875 or gabrielle@cmboca.org.

About Boating Safety Course

Saturday, June 30 – 8 a.m.

Dixon Ahl Recreation Center, 2200 NE 38 St., Lighthouse Point, 33064

Held by United Coast Guard Aux. Flotilla 3-7. $45 includes material and lunch. Meets requirements for the Florida’s Boater Education Identification and Card, which is required for all boaters born after Jan. 1, 1998. Information: 954-557-0582.

Bill Elliott Birthday Celebration

Saturday, June 30, 5-11 p.m.

304 NE 1 St., Pompano Beach, 33060

LIVE music, raffle and prizes. Proceeds benefit The William Elliott Education Fund and provide travel expenses for the Elliott family while honoring him at The Fallen Firefighter Memorial and Colorado Springs, CO. Contact: rohm003@comcast.net.

By Rev. Dennis Andrews

Meet to Beat the Heat sounds more like something the Oklahoma City Thunder are trying to accomplish than a community gathering at a church in Deerfield Beach!

Our Meet to Beat the Heat will begin at 6 p.m. this Saturday at Community Presbyterian Church on A1A five blocks south of Hillsboro. We may not have room for the massive crowds of a Heat Thunder game, but we have plenty of room for you!

Everyone is invited to this fun-filled, come-as-you-are event.

One purpose of the event is wholesome family fun for people of all ages.

Pizza, stir fry with organic and home-grown vegetables snow cones, will be served. Activities include face painting and “Veggie Tales” for children. You can enjoy upbeat Christian music while you eat.

Another purpose is to celebrate Maria’s House Montessori School. This amazing pre-school has operated on church grounds, one block from the beach, for years and will now operate as a Christian Montessori pre-school. The school’s new name is Steeple on the Beach Montessori School.

The gathering’s main purpose, however, is to share the love of Jesus Christ. This is the central reason Community Presbyterian Church was founded in Deerfield Beach not long after World War II.

The summer heat of south Florida may oppress some people and drive others north for cooler temperatures, but thousands of us enjoy Deerfield Beach year round. Summer can be a great time for us to get together.

The prophet Jeremiah says, “Blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green and they never stop producing fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8

Fruit from this Saturday’s gathering will include learning more about two of our community’s stellar nonprofit organizations – the Boys & Girls Club and Gateway Community Outreach. They will be on-hand to share information about what they do.

You don’t need a reservation. There is no fee for admission. You just need to come. Call the church office at 954-427-0222 or e-mail communitych@bellsouth.net for more information. Learn more about the church at w w w . c o m m u n i t y ch.org, or from the Community Presbyterian Church, Steeple on the Beach, Facebook page.

See you Saturday @ Six!

Rev. Dennis Andrews is the pastor at Community Presbyterian Church.

A Broward jury has cleared Matthew Bent of second-degree attempted murder in the burning of Michael Brewer, convicting him instead of aggravated battery, a lesser-included charge that carries a lighter maximum sentence than the 30 years Bent originally faced.

The six-member jury listened to three days of testimony last week, much coming from teenage witnesses whose conflicting accounts of the attack on Brewer only agreed on critical details.

Defense lawyers Johnny McCray and Perry Thurston pointed out a crucial omission that even prosecutors conceded: Bent never set Brewer on fire and never asked or expected anyone else to do so.

Without that intent, McCray argued, Bent should not be convicted of trying to kill Brewer. McCray also disputed the contention that Bent wanted anyone else to fight Brewer or pour alcohol on him.

Jurors apparently agreed with the first part of McCray’s argument but rejected the second.

Bent will be sentenced July 23.

After over a month late, DOT has re-opened the 3 way stop at N.E. 2nd &

Dixie Hwy at Deerfield City hall. It appears that traffic can now proceed

in all directions. There have been 3 to 5 accidents in the last month in front

of the Observer at NE 2nd and Federal possibly as a result of the traffic

pattern change.

######

–By Rachel Galvin–

At approximately 2:50 p.m. on June 15, locals were surprised by the  ping of hailstones hitting the ground, bouncing up on the doors and windows of buildings and vehicles as a severe storm swept through Deerfield Beach moving southward. Although the front was swift, it left residents in awe, running to their windows, for those who heard it, and going outside.

“I haven’t seen hail like this since I don’t know when,” said one resident.

The hail stones were about dime size and smaller at The Observer, but it was reported that it was golf ball size in other areas.  See video on ObserverTV.

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

For most of his life, director/ writer Guillermo Del Toro dreamed of adapting H.P. Lovecraft’s novella “At the Mountains of Madness” into a film. He came close a few years ago, but funding fell apart. After a screening of Prometheus a few weeks ago and its similarities to the story, Del Toro no longer feels he needs to produce it.

Prometheus became the first motion picture to open at the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Discovery with an “R” rating. While lacking gratuitous violence and sex, it features intense scenes that are personal, painful and gory. This film also features good old-fashioned Sci-Fi fun with interesting theories about origins, science and theology.

While spelunking in the caves of Scotland, archaeologist Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) connects pictograph dots that are similar to those seen in pictographs of Egyptian, Mayan, Aztec and Sumerian Cultures. Using the technology of the late 21st Century, Professor Shaw interprets these pictographs as road maps to the future.

She finds a sponsor in Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce), assembles a crew and blasts off on the spaceship “Prometheus.” Four years later, the Prometheus crew lands on an uncharted planet with an alien fortress.

Revealing more about the plot would be a disservice to the big screen experience. Suffice it to say that reviewing the previous four Alien, three Predators and two Alien vs. Predator movies will increase your viewing pleasure. A review of Lovecraft’s novella and Erich von Däniken’s drugstore bestseller “Chariots of the Gods” will enhance comprehension of the deeper themes.

In a good way, Prometheus feels like older and more literature- based Sci-Fi. After 33 years, director Ridley Scott returns to the same universe that he helped create in Alien. What Prometheus lacks in narrative structure, Ridley Scott makes up with visual clarity.

If you are seeking one of the most cerebral motion pictures of the summer, then see Prometheus before it departs the big screen. The Amazing Spider-Man takes over the IMAX screen on July 3.

By Scott Morganroth

It’s hard to believe that FAU’s first football game is Aug. 31, 2012 against Wagner College.

This will be the first year that a new man is roaming the sidelines. Carl Pelini takes over for the father of the program, Howard Schnellenberger. When the Owls kicks off, Schnellenberger will probably be watching the game from a private suite at FAU Stadium.

Pelini is determined to erase the agony of a 1-11 season with a group of players who have a clean slate, but it won’t take long for that slate to become dirty. During FAU’s Spring Game in April, Pelini had a chance to see his team on the field for the first time. When the game was over, I asked him what he thought of his team’s energy and he made several things clear about what to expect in 2012.

“I’m energetic and I want to see more energy and enthusiasm on the field,” Pelini said. I want guys who love to play the game. Right now, it sometimes seems like guys are going through the motions. I’ve never seen as many guys as I saw laying on the ground between plays.

“Unless your leg is falling off, you better walk off the field. I don’t want to see the trainers out there unless you’re truly injured. Guys walking around between plays and slow getting into their stances is all stuff that I want to get cleaned up. You can talk about it and talk about it, but now it’s on tape. That’s something that we’re going to address with them right away.

“I want a different energy level. I want a guy who loves the game of football, is excited about it, plays passionately.”

Pelini has one other message that he wants to make sure all of his players understand.

“I always warn my players at every level I’ve been at that when that day comes and you walk off the field for the last time, you’re going to miss it. Pelini added.” Don’t waste the time you have. Have fun at the game. That’s important. Sometimes, I don’t know if we know how to do that.”

The players better comprehend these messages fast. Pelini is 46 years old and not only is he trying to make the most out of his first head coaching position, trying to turn a program around, but it’s no secret that what he accomplishes at FAU will determine where his head coaching career is headed in the future.

These players better be prepared for training camp after last year’s poor season.

I have a feeling the 2012 FAU Owls know that there is a new sheriff in town. This guy will get every ounce of energy out of them, otherwise, they’ll be on the bench or off the team.

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

DEERFIELD BEACH

June 8 A man was arrested and charged with felony narcotics at 4700 NE 2 Way. During a traffic stop, he was found in possession of crack cocaine.

June 8 A man reported that someone broke into his home at 660 Siesta Key and stole an Xbox and games.

June 10 At the Target at 3599 W. Hillsboro Blvd., a woman was arrested and charged with shoplifting. She stole $158.95 worth of clothing.

June 10 A man was arrested and charged with felony narcotics at 200 SW 3 Ave. During a traffic stop, the man was found to be in possession of cocaine.

LIGHTHOUSE POINT

June 2 The manager of a CVS Pharmacy at 3580 N. Federal Hwy. reported that a man stole beer from the store. The manager observed the man placing the beer in a bag and then saw him leave without paying for it. Police stopped the man and the beer was returned. The manager declined to press charges, but the man was issued a trespass warning. The man was then transported to a hospital by Lighthouse Point Fire Rescue for knee pain and alcohol intoxication.

June 2 A woman parked her car in the Bead & Art parking lot at 5034 N. Federal Hwy. and went to work. After work, she returned to her car and found the passenger-side window smashed and the glove compartment rummaged through. Nothing was reported taken.

Graduation ceremonies not what they used to be

Dear Editor:

I think these are sad times we live in when kids graduate and you, as a proud parent or close family, cannot cheer for your loved ones. I’ve read or heard a lot of stories this week about parents or even the graduate themselves getting in trouble for cheering too loud.

I even heard about one woman who was arrested!

I wasn’t there, but it seems a little over the top. Even [members of] the Naval Academy still can throw their hats, a long-time tradition, but that’s our downfall.

All the good traditions are fading, but what the heck? Instead of church Sunday morning let’s all go for a drink at 8 a.m. at the beach so the restaurants don’t go out of business.

Steven J. Fabrizio

Deerfield Beach

1st Annual Leading Dad’s Walk

• Friday, June 15 – 7:30 p.m. – “Courageous” shown

• Saturday, June 16, 8 a.m. to noon

Celebrating Dad’s Day with his kid leading dads.

Mayo Howard Park,1131 SW 11Way, Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

Info: 954-657-3041

LHP Library C.S.I. Summer Camp

Through Friday, June 15 – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, 2700 NE 36 St., Lighthouse Point, FL 33064

Ages 6-12. Kids learn about fingerprinting, spatters, decomposition rates, contamination, fiber analysis and more using biology, chemistry and physics. By the end of program, students will analyze mock crime scene to solve the case. $195 per child, includes snack, programming, guests, sports and activities. To register, call 954-946-6398.

Hillsboro Lighthouse tour

Saturday, June 16 – starting at 8:45 a.m.

Sands Harbor Hotel dock, 125 N. Riverside Dr., Pompano Beach, FL 33062

Park in Pompano Beach City Parking Lot (fee required) across from hotel. Transportation by tour boat. First boat leaves approx. 9 a.m., last boat – 2:30 p.m.,(last boat returns approx. 4 p.m.). To climb lighthouse, must have flat shoes with rubber soles, closed toes. No sandals, flipflops or shoes with heels. Children must be accompanied by adult and must be 4 ft. tall to climb tower. No pets allowed. 954-782-3313.

Blues & Sweet Potato Pie Festival

Saturday, June 16 – 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Northwest Branch Library 1580 NW 3 Ave., Pompano Beach, FL 33060

FREE. Held each summer, in honor of Juneteenth, the oldest nationally-celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States, it features LIVE music, dance, stories, contests and Summer Reading Program kick off. 954-786-2186.

Old Time Concert in the Park

Sunday, June 17 – 6 p.m.

Count D’Hoernle Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton, FL 33432

FREE. Blankets and chairs permitted. Food available on site. No coolers, pets or alcohol. Rain or shine. Information: 561-393-7984

LHP Summer Day Camp & Youth Sailing Program registration

Monday, June 18 & Tuesday, June 19, 8 a.m. to noon

Dixon Ahl Hall, 2220 NE 38 Street, Lighthouse Point, FL 33064

Summer Day Camp runs June 20-27, 8:45 a.m. To 3 p.m. at Dan Witt Park. Ages 6-13. $250 LHP residents, $400 non-residents (First 50). Youth Sailing Camp runs June 25 to July 25. Two sessions – 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m. Ages 9-13. $125 LHP residents, $225 non-residents. For more information, call 954-784-3439

Zonta luncheon

Tuesday, June 19 – 11:15 to 11:45 a.m.

Duffy’s, 401 N. Federal Hwy., Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

Improving the status of women worldwide. Meetings held on 3rd Tuesday of the month. RSVP at 561-392-2223.

Democratic Women’s Club of Northeast Broward

Wednesday, June 20 – 7 p.m.

Emma Lou Olson Civic Center, 1801 NE 6 St., Pompano Beach, FL 33060

Host: Britni Rillera, regional field director, Obama for America. 954-942-8711.

Pompano Beach Kiwanis Club meets

Wednesday, June 20 – noon

Sands Harbor Hotel, 125 N. Riverside Dr., Pompano Beach, FL 33062

Meet every Wednesday. Interesting speakers, good food and mingling with business-minded people. 954-783-4999.

NE Focal Point Fall VPK

Registration open

227 NW 2 St., Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

Accredited five-plus star school. Family Central Vouchers accepted. Vouchers must be obtained by making appointment: www.familycentral.org/VPKParentAppointmentsBC.

Fall VPK Program

• Begins Aug. 20 and ends June 6, 2013

• Hours are 9 a.m.-noon, Monday through Friday

• Child must have been born between Sept. 2, 2007- Sept. 1, 2008

Facility open year-round, Monday through Friday, from 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. For more information, call 954-480-4473.

Simply Soccer Camp – Register now

Camp held: June 25-29; July 23-27 and Aug. 13-17

Registration: Pompano Civic Center, 1801 NE 6 St., Pompano Beach, FL 33060

Boys and girls, ages 5-14, of all skill levels.

Learn variety of soccer skills from dribbling to shooting. Three sessions each day ranging from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., $100 weekly; extended hours camp – 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for $125 weekly; Tiny Tot program (ages 5 and 6) from 9 a.m.-noon for $55 weekly. Bring soccer ball, swimsuit, shin guards, water bottle and lunch. For more information, call 954-786-4119.