By Gary Curreri

Nearly 300 people participated in the inaugural Family Fitness Day at Highlands Christian Academy in Pompano Beach.

Concessions were provided by Subway and Smoothie King and those proceeds benefited the boys’ varsity basketball team as they plan their Spring Break Missions Trip to Spain in March of 2019.

There were also a total of 15 vendors in attendance, among them were Family Chiropractic, Grace Church, New Era Barber, Juice Plus, Broward Health, IHP Fitness and Propel Fitness Water.

This was a free event to highlight “Fitness” and the benefits and enjoyment it can provide. Several fitness challenges were performed throughout the morning in which Smoothie King donated gift cards to the winners.

“I was extremely grateful for an incredible day; it was an amazing experience that exceeded my expectations and I am already looking forward to next year’s,” said Highlands Christian Academy Athletic Director Jim Good.

“God has been teaching me so many valuable lessons these past few months,” he added, “and having the opportunity to host this event and share the importance of our physical health and spiritual health was just an incredible experience.”

The challenges included pull-ups, push-ups, shuttle-run, standing long jump, vertical jump, medicine ball toss, obstacle course and a mini circuit workout.

Rio Santana, general manager at IHP Fitness in Boca, led a 20-minute Fitness Class in which several participants earned a year membership at the Boca gym.

A 20-minute walk was performed in the HCA gym, while several participants did a 20-minute run outside on the campus.

Pompano golfers rule the links

The Pompano Beach Men’s and Women’s Golf Associations conducted their weekly tournaments and their golfers didn’t disappoint.

In the Pompano Beach Women’s Golf Association’s 9-hole tournament on Oct. 23, Sandra Gore won the A Division with a 40.50 in the Even Holes, ½ Handicap event. Deb Ladig carded a 38.00 to win the B Division, while the C Division was won by Lori Tarmey with a 40.50. Alberta Bove shot a 43.50 to take the D Division.

The following week featured a tournament and a fall luncheon. The first place team of Roseanna Nixon, Alberta Bove, Sue Barhdi and Patti Van Zandt shot a 123, while the second place team of Kim Heath, Jan Ruck, Kathy Stewart and Georgie Wright were two shots back at 125.

In the Pompano Beach Men’s Golf Association’s One Best Ball of a Foursome tournament on Oct. 24, the team of Jim Blake, Jerry Goodman, Bill O’Brien, and Gene Stoller shot a 49. George Disch, Mike Katawczik, Paul Murphy, and their blind draw partner Bob Van Zandt shot a 52 to take second, while Henry Lesburt, Pete Strychowskyj, Bob Van Zandt and Max Walker shot a 54 and won a match of cards to take third place in the event, which featured 37 competitors.

Don Worrell won the closest to the pin award when he put his tee shot just 8 ft. from the hole on the 7th hole on the Pines course.

Terry Denoma, Jim DiCamillo, Jerry Goodman, and Brian Nixon won the Four-Man scramble event for the Pompano Beach Men’s Golf Association on Oct. 31 with a 65.

The team of Oscar Aleman, John Arrigo, Jim Greeley and Lee Hammer shot a 66 to finish in second place, while Chuck Brown, George Disch, Joel Englander and Bill McCormick combined for a 67 to wind up third in the 42-player field.

The closest to the pin winner was Tom Breur whose shot on the 15th hole at the Pines came to rest 12 ft. away.

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Relief. The campaign season is over and we can start to think seriously about the upcoming public holidays — Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s and Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. For many, it is a time of renewal and a time to reconnect with family and friends. For seasoned citizens, it is a time to confront the challenges of aging, and the collateral repercussions.

Opening this weekend, What they Had is family drama that looks at this subject. There is already Oscar buzz for the performances given by Hilary Swank, Michael Shannon, Robert Forster and Blythe Danner. Danner portrays the matriarch suffering from dementia. When she goes for a midnight walk in a Chicago Blizzard, the son and daughter (Shannon and Swank, respectively) begin to doubt their father’s (Foster’s) competency to care for their mother. The drama will be real and painful, but expect the tender mercy of humor in family discord.

While Halloween created box office records for an October movie release, revenue dropped dramatically on Nov. 1, losing to Disney’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. Despite mediocre reviews, save for Rami Malek’s performance as Freddy Mercury, Bohemian Rhapsody was last week’s box office champion. While the biopic follows the Hollywood formula, it is the Rock ‘n Roll sequences that merit seeing this film on the big screen.

Despite the cold and flu bug that has intruded upon The 33rd Annual Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF), the event is going smoothly with successful screenings at the Seminole Hard Rock, Savor Cinema and Cinema Paradiso-Hollywood. Philanthropist Steve Savor received the Marti Huizenga Humanitarian Award, a distinguished honor. Along with her husband Wayne, Marti Huizenga founded FLIFF in the late 1980s from the Las Olas Boulevard headquarters of Blockbuster video. A friendly face at the concession counter, Tina La Boeuf, was named Employee of the Year and received her plaque. For those who earn a plaque from FLIFF, the inscription alone is worth the honor.

This Veterans Day weekend, the fun continues with screenings and the events at Cinema Paradiso-Hollywood, Savor Cinema and NSU Art Museum in downtown Ft. Lauderdale. Viewings are free for those with museum membership for the screenings beginning Tuesday, Nov. 13. On Thursday Nov. 15, the museum will host The Art & Times of Frosty Myers at 7:30 p.m. This also is an opportunity to check out the Glackens and Renoir exhibit that opened last month.

For many years, FLIFF would celebrate the Ft. Lauderdale canals [Intracoastal] as America’s Venice with a morning cruise. With Daylight Saving Time and potential confusion, this event has been transformed into a Sunset Cruise this Monday night, Nov. 12 aboard the Musette. As we have experienced the evening darkness at 6 p.m., this is an opportunity to screen four international short subjects in the dark about a variety of topics, all of them dramatic. For info. on all FLIFF events and screenings, visit www.fliff.com.

This columnist will be hosting the last screening of House of Wax this Friday evening. While he will be donating four of his books in a post screening trivia contest, he will also donate an autographed copy of The Book of Joe written by Vincent Price. Complete with 3-D glasses, last week’s House of Wax screening went extremely well, with people laughing and screaming at the appropriate times. This film is as worthy today on the big screen as it was 65 years ago, before the advent of cell phones, cable television and color television sets.

Happy Veterans Day!

By Karen Lustgarten

“The City of Deerfield Beach is in resurgence” according to October’s State of the City report. It is home to some 388 companies within the Advanced Industries Sector, manufacturing one of them — a robust sector with more than 200 companies here. Meet two of them, very different members of the South Florida Manufacturing Association that located in Deerfield Beach for the same reasons.

SHL Pharma

Have you heard of auto-injectors? They look like oversized pens that people with chronic illnesses use to self-inject a dose of prescription medicine on a regular basis. For example, the EpiPen is for self-injecting the drug that counters life-threatening allergic reactions. Auto-injectors give patients a safe alternative to injections with a syringe or going to the doctor for regular shots.

Did you know that the largest manufacturer of auto-injectors in the world is a privately-owned company located in Deerfield Beach?

SHL Pharma, a division of the SHL Group, relocated from New Jersey to Deerfield Beach in 2010 with two employees. Today, 120 are employed at the sleek Deerfield Beach headquarters on Jim Moran Boulevard and 3,500 more work in Taiwan. Final assembly, labeling and packaging services of the drug-delivery devices are also done here for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

Eight of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies in the world are customers of SHL Pharma’s FDA-approved, prescription-based auto-injectors. Some 700,000 devices are manufactured each year just in Deerfield Beach. Here 39 custom-designed auto-injector formats are manufactured for different drugs developed and produced by pharmaceutical companies to control such diseases as multiple sclerosis, migraine headaches, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, acute allergies and others.

“We can barely keep up manufacturing with demand,” said Michael Hudak, director of Human Resources. About 55 percent of work at the Deerfield Beach headquarters is devoted to manufacturing the 39 auto-injectors on the market and 45 percent to design and development of 44 new types. “The next gen unit we are designing will be a smart injector,” he said. It will record each injection so the doctor will have an accurate readout.

Why Deerfield Beach? Several reasons: “Our customers from Asia, Europe and across the U.S. love coming here. They love staying at hotels with good accommodations and beach access, a big draw. And they are attracted to the warm weather, especially in winter,” said Hudak. “The city’s location between I-95, the Turnpike, Sawgrass Expressway and Tri-Rail provides transportation advantages for our customers and employees. It’s easy to get to three major airports within an hour’s drive that have many direct oversees flights.”

He also cited the city’s proximity to four universities with mechanical engineering programs. SHL Pharma recruited six engineers from local universities in the past four years.

“We see Deerfield as a desirable place for our customers, employees, families and young millennials,” said Hudak.

Print Basics

Thirteen years ago, Craig Tanner was searching for the perfect spot to start a local printing company. Uppermost, he wanted a safe location because his type of business requires opening up early and closing late. So, he rejected the risky warehouse districts. He wanted a pleasant ambience for employees, one with a water view for enjoying lunch breaks. He sought a facility with enough space to grow and add large printing machinery that accommodates wide format posters and banners. He wanted proximity to major transportation hubs — I-95, the Turnpike, Sawgrass Expressway — to be accessible to clients and vendors. Mr. Tanner found that perfect spot on SW 30 Avenue in Deerfield Beach.

Since 2005, Print Basics has grown from two employees to 45 and from 1,400 to 15,000 sq. ft. It is ranked third largest commercial printer in South Florida by the South Florida Business Journal.

“Unlike most print shops, clients can feel safe walking into the showroom in a beautiful office environment,” said Tanner, while the printing machines hum in the back filling orders.

When the economy took a dive and his competitors closed and left Deerfield Beach, Tanner rode it out.

“If you are honest in business and perform well for your clients, they will stay with you,” he said.

Tanner says the company fills about 2,000 print jobs a month, everything from business cards and promotional items to 1500-page books. Among his clients are Whole Foods, Hard Rock Café, Broward Sherriff’s Office and Jet Blue.

Occasionally, a call comes in to fill emergency printing needs — 5,000 brochures in less than 24 hours — and it’s done, or calls following the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School from clients requesting show-of-support banners. Print Basics designed, printed and hung them gratis and donated $20,000 worth of static cling decals that were sold to raise money for the family of Coach Feis, one of the victims.

After the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Jet Blue marketing called requesting a quick turnaround of promotional support items: $100,000 worth of T-shirts, bracelets and 50,000 message buttons, an order that normally takes 10 days to fill. They were printed and delivered within 24 hours.

“We make the impossible possible when our community and clients are in need,” said Tanner.

Karen Lustgarten is president of Multi-Media Works, a multiple award-winning media company specializing in video, PR, print and social media with offices in Broward and Palm Beach Counties. She founded a newspaper in Washington, DC, was a syndicated columnist and a bestselling author. www.multi-mediaworks.com

Deerfield Beach

Oct. 24: A woman reported that she met a man inside a Stop-N-Go at 3774 NE 3 Ave. to purchase a cell phone for $150. The woman gave the individual $150 for the cell phone but the man fled without providing the phone. The man who took the money was later caught by police and identified by the woman.

Oct. 25: A man reported that he has a video recording of someone entering his backyard at 101 SE 11 Ct. and stealing a weed eater, rigid generator and a dive bag containing dive equipment.

Oct. 25: Someone broke into a vehicle parked at 71 SE 21 Ave. and stole a gym bag with an e-reader and a Kindle, as well as a bag with food.

Oct. 25: Unknown suspects stole $400 in merchandise from Target at 3599 W. Hillsboro Blvd.

Oct. 28: A man reported that his car parked at 1121 SE 15 Ave. was broken into and $40, a SunPass device and garage door opener was stolen.

Oct. 29: A man reported his bicycle were stolen from 101 W. Hillsboro Blvd.

Lighthouse Point

Oct. 16: Police stopped a vehicle at 2001 NE 36 St. after it had gone through the city’s license plate recognition. The driver said he had not reported his license plate stolen and police were able to confirm.

Oct. 16: A subject took a bag from a store at 3780 N. Federal Hwy. and used it for personal items. The store manager wanted the subject trespassed from the store due to previous issues.

Oct. 20: The victim stated that $25,000 in purses were stolen from her and her daughter’s rooms at 2510 NE 43 St. There were no signs of forced entry. The victim said the only people with access to the residence were the housekeeper and the victim’s four children.

(This is a partial list. For Deerfield Beach Crime Watch in full, visit www.DFB.City and click on “Sign Me Up” to receive the city wide report.)

“Showcase of the Arts”

Thursday, Nov. 8, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Center for Active Aging

227 NW 2 St.

Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

Find out about art classes offered at the Center for Active Aging. Items will be available for purchase, with proceeds to benefit the Center for Active Aging. For more information, please call 954-480-4447.

District 3 Meeting

Thursday, Nov. 8, 7 p.m.

Crystal Lake Clubhouse

4791 NW 18 Ave.

Deerfield Beach, FL 33442

Commissioner Bernie Parness invites all District 3 residents to a District Meeting. For more information, contact the City Manager’s Office at 954-480-4263 or visit www.deerfield.beach.com.

America’s Top Dog Model

Saturday, Nov. 10, Noon to 5 p.m.

Pottery Barn

Town Center

6000 W. Glades Rd, Suite 1225

Boca Raton, FL 33431

Celebrate “Year of the Dog” while supporting a great cause — Canine Companions for Independence. America’s Top Dog Model will unleash its 12-year Anniversary lifestyle collection. Enjoy shopping, photos, pawtographs, treats, gifts and prizes. For more information, call 561-750-3949.

9th Annual Boca Raton Wine & Food Festival

Saturday, Nov. 10, 6 to 10 p.m.

Sanborn Square Park

72 N. Federal Hwy.

Boca Raton, FL 33432

Please your palate, step into your stride and enjoy this outdoor Culinary Affair. Chefs from the tri-county area converge upon the festival grounds for the Grand Tasting. For the Craft Brew lovers, they have a very special area inside for the 5th Annual Craft Brew Battle, A Hoppy Affair! To purchase tickets, visit www.bocaratonwineandfoodfestival.com/tickets.html. For more information, e-mail WineandFoodFestival@BocaRaton.com or call 561-338-7594.

Ride for Project Alive

Sunday, Nov. 11, 3 p.m.

Fire Station 11

109 N. Ocean Blvd.

Pompano Beach, FL 33062

Cyclists with Ride for Project Alive will be finishing a fundraising bicycle ride that began on Oct. 20 in Charlotte, NC to create awareness and raise funds for children with Hunter Syndrome. The cycling event will span 1,200 miles covering four states and is the latest effort from Project Alive that seeks to complete the funding of a gene therapy clinical trial at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, OH. This grass-roots foundation has already received approval from the FDA for the investigational new drug. Pompano Beach Fire Rescue will be hosting a finish line reception for riders.

Gridiron Grill-Off

Friday, Nov. 9 to Sunday, Nov. 11

Pompano Beach Amphitheater

1806 NE 6 St.

Pompano Beach, FL 33060

Featuring a grilling competition with Miami Dolphin legends and the best of the best South Florida restaurants. Fans spend the afternoon tasting gourmet samples grilled to perfection and sipping on the finest wines and spirits. Guests can play in the cornhole competition throughout the day to make the top 16 leader board for a chance to take home the cornhole championship title! There will be live entertainment, including Vince Gill, Sister Hazel, Barenaked Ladies and Daughtry performing throughout the event. Tickets can be purchased at https://gridirongrilloff.com/tickets/.

Huge Book Sale

Monday, Nov. 12 to Tuesday, Nov. 13, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

St. Nicholas Episcopal Church

1111 E. Sample Rd.

Pompano Beach, FL 33064

Hundreds of gently used hardbacks, paperbacks, children’s books at bargain prices. Hardbacks $2 each / 3 for $5. Paperbacks 50¢ / 3 for $1. Tuesday is bargain day with half price until noon and, beginning at 1 p.m., they will give you a bag and you fill it up for $1. Proceeds support outreach ministries of St. Nicholas.

Save the Date:

Memory & Blood Pressure Screenings

Friday, Nov. 16, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Center for Active Aging

227 NW 2 St.

Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

Facilitated by Kelly Gallo, licensed mental health counselor. They can connect you with important mental health education and support services. The Center for Active Aging offers transportation services. For more information, call 954-480-4449 or email kgallo@deerfield-beach.com

Pompano Beach Garden Club meeting

Monday, Nov. 19, 12:30 p.m.

Emma Lou Olson Civic Center

1801 NE 6 St.

Pompano Beach, FL 33060

The meeting is open to the public. The program will be “Herbs, Vegetables, and Unusual Edibles” by Roland Gaudet. Then “Fun with Flowers” will be from 3 to 4:30 p.m. after the meeting. For more information, call 954-253-9938.

Deerfield Women’s Club Travels

• Thursday, Dec. 6

One day trip to South Beach and the Miami Waterfront. You will see the famous Wynwood Walls graffiti art area. Christmas season Bayside Boat Tour, lunch at Bubba Gumps and Bayside shopping “Miami Flair.” Cost is $70, all inclusive.

• Friday & Saturday, Jan. 11 & 12

Overnight stay to St. Augustine and Jacksonville.Alhambra Dinner Theatre and historic St. Augustine plus second day dinner at Hurricane Pattie’s on the water before going home. Cost is $253.

• Friday & Saturday, Feb. 22 & 23

Overnight in Ft. Myers. Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre to see “Guys and Dolls.” Shopping and lunch on the beach at Parrot Key. Cost is $183 all inclusive.

There is limited seating still available for all trips. For more information, or if you would like to go on these trips, contact Sally Brinkworth at 954-427-2175.

Toys for Tots

Myers Insurance

703 S. Federal Hwy.

Pompano Beach, FL 33062

The offices of Myers Insurance will be collecting unwrapped new toys for the U.S. Marine Corps annual Toys for Tots drive. Toys will be collected through Dec. 9. They will deliver the toys to needy children and children in foster homes. Hours for drop-off are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Saturdays, drop-offs are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call 954-784-9029.

Are you a complainer or a thankful person? You cannot be both, so you must be one or the other. Every group seems to have one complainer that everyone tries to avoid. If you do not have a complainer in your group, then it is probably you! Which do you think God wants you to be? Take a few minutes and write down the things you are most thankful for on a sheet of paper or index card. The reason why I want you to write them down is so you can go back and look at it, to remember what God has done in your life. So when things do not go right, instead of feeling down in the dumps, we could look back at what God has done for us. We tend to forget all that He has done for us.

1THESSALONIANS 5:18

18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. — NLT

Right in the middle of whatever challenges you are facing, you need to be people who give thanks. I know that it doesn’t seem to make sense sometimes when we are going through very difficult circumstances, to say, “Thank you, Lord, for these difficult circumstances in my life,” when we really wish God would just fix it and make it go away. Instead of complaining about our situation, we need to look back over the year on how God has worked on our behalf and start to thank Him knowing that He is bigger than all our circumstances and will help us through them all.

PHILIPPIANS 4:6

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.— NLT

Thankfulness is an attitude. It is a condition of the heart. What kind of condition is your heart in, not just this Thanksgiving, but year-round? If we are going to have an attitude of being thankful, then it must be something that we do all year long and not just one or two days out of the year. We need to have an attitude of gratitude.

PSALMS 100:4

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.— NLT

This is a Psalm of Thanksgiving and refers to a public acknowledgement of God. We all have things that go wrong in our lives every day. If we learn to focus on the things we are thankful for and not all the negative things in our lives then we can begin to learn to be truly happy and content. This is something that should actually show in our outward actions and attitudes. God has blessed us and given us so many things to be thankful for that, we should be full of joy and peace every day.

Remember the things that God has saved you from and do not live in the past. Our everyday lives should show that we are thankful and grateful for all God has done for us. As you celebrate Thanksgiving this year, remember the original spirit of the oldest of all American holidays — gratefulness to God. In the middle of all the hustle and bustle, take time to give thanks and praise to God for all the wonderful things in your life.

(Reprint from 11-19-2012)

Tony Guadagnino is the pastor at Christian Love Fellowship Church, located at 801 SE 10 St., Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. For more information, call 954-428-8980 or visit www.clfministries.org.

By Emily Rosen, M.S., M.A

erosen424@aol.com

Happy November, dear people. This month is always a two-fer  –  Elections and Thanksgiving. I was about to begin this with an exhortation for everyone to get out and vote. And then I remembered references I had heard about countries which had mandatory voting laws. And good old Google sent me to good old Wikipedia where I read several paragraphs about the pros and cons of it. Too long and complicated to go into here, but I strongly advise you to “do it yourself.”

The interesting long and short of it is that 12 countries currently have such laws on the book which they do enforce.  There are 16 countries that have such laws, but do not enforce them;  and 11 countries tried it, but subsequently removed such laws.  I do not see any such laws enforced in the foreseeable future in the U.S.A. so I’m back to square one, urging you all to make your voices heard. Feelings are strong on both political sides and this is no time for excuses or for stay-at-home gripers.

We constantly get polling stats which change with the wind and the only real way we have of knowing the true trends, and the actual needs and values of our populace, is to count the votes.  So, if you’re “mad – and don’t want to take it any more” – on either side, the best way to tell it is at the voting booth.

Whatever happens on Nov. 6, we will have 16 days to remember that we have so very much to be thankful for. Flawed and fragile as it is, we still have the freedoms for which most of our immigrant forefathers came to these shores.  Although there will always be people who struggle and suffer, conditions we are certainly duty-bound by our humanitarian values to reduce and hopefully obliterate, we are currently living in an economic upturn. Many of our young people have shown leadership qualities. Good things are quietly happening in small communities all over the country.  Families still get together for this holiday and, hopefully, will be able to peacefully, and respectfully, express their views on everything from the election to the Oscars, to the pumpkin pie.

There must be some karmic reason for these two occasions – Election Day and Thanksgiving Day – to be juxtaposed as they are in such a timely manner – with just enough days in between for losers to simmer down and for winners to finish gloating, but for everyone to remember that there is strength in unity.

So if you have access to sunshine, food, a roof over your head and a bed, if you can still listen to the voices of other people and music and birds, if you can still see stars in the sky and the green-ness of grass  –  or, if indeed, you can do even some of the above,  be thankful  that you live in a great – albeit distinctively flawed  — land of the free.

For Pompano Historical Society

By Rachel Galvin

The soiree began at the Pompano History Museum as guys and gals dressed to the nines in 1920s attire gathered. Once there, they were given a special key to get into the secret party (which happened to be right across the street at the Woman’s Club). An antique 1926 fire truck sat in front. Ladies greeted them at the door drinking tea and it was only the key that allowed them to step into the real “secret” event just like a Prohibition era speakeasy. Inside, Shane Lamar and his crew were pumping out the music while guests played casino games and enjoyed specialty cocktails, and bid on live and silent auction items using their tickets they won during playing games. They even auctioned off one of the rarest bourbons in the world, Pappy’s Van Winkle. Another Perfect Party served up dinner, which included a meat carving station, and Shanna Benson made cakes for the event too. Proceeds for this fundraiser benefit the historical society.

The joint was jumpin’ but the coppers found out and came in and everyone had to hide their hooch. They took away the man who said he was in charge, Thomas McMahon, Pompano Historical’s president. But it was all in good fun and he returned; but it made for quite the humorous spectacle.

McMahon, who is also running for a District 3 commission seat in Pompano, said, “The event is a great success. We have had great success from the community. It has been a tradition. Every year has been a different theme.”

“It’s fantastic,” said Jim Post, treasurer. “It brings a lot of people together to have a good time. It’s a great turnout.”

“This is the best venue we have had. This is our annual fundraiser besides the Highwaymen event in March. It helps preserve Pompano history,” said board member Jerry Bowman.

The Historical Society has events yearlong, brings in speakers and gives tours in their museum and Kester cottages. For more information, visit www.pompanohistory.com.

By Rachel Galvin

Every year, Pompano Community Park is packed with people for the annual Brazilian Festival. This year’s event, Oct. 20-21, had the same elements as other years but seemed even bigger. Kids were riding on the zipline, hopping on a mini ferris wheel or other rides, or rock climbing and sliding down a large inflatable slide. Adults were partaking in adult beverages or snacking on plenty of the Brazilian cuisine available while mingling through vendor booths. Everyone was getting into the Brazilian beat listening to multiple bands on the stage.

The stage artwork was designed with pop art by Valter de Morais, a Brazilian artist, who has been working on his art for 38 years. Today, he lives in Pompano. This was his first time at the festival and was asked to not only create art on the stage, but also had his own booth showing off not only his pop art pieces, but also a catalog of pictures of murals and other portraits on canvas. He also brought his 1962 Renault Dolphin with some of his artwork on the side.

“I came from Brazil, lived in Boston for three years and then moved to Florida,” said De Morais. “I have exhibitions all over the world. CJR Fine Arts in West Palm Beach is my agent…” he said, adding of the event, “I love it. It is beautiful … so many Brazilian people.”

The Brazilian channel CBTV streamed live from the event.

Barbara Parreiras, who was helping out the crew, said of the event, “It’s really nice. Brazil has all kinds of cultures.most think just of Samba and Carnival, but it’s not just that. The fact we can do professional [networking here], it’s a good way to support Brazilians.”

Hugo Neira, of Vista BMW & VW Pompano, who sponsored the event, added, “This is fun. We are trying to get our neighborhood to know about us.”

For more information on this annual event, visit www.brazilianfestpompano.org.

By Gary Curreri

Deerfield Beach football coach Jevon Glenn was so confident that his team would defeat host Piper for a fourth consecutive district championship, he opted to hold out quarterback Derohn King after he was injured on the Bucks’ first offensive play of the game.

King, a junior, who transferred from Piper before the season, injured his throwing shoulder on the first offensive play for the Bucks in the game, and came out of the game after a 56-yard TD pass to Donte Banton one play later and did not return.

“With Derohn going out early, it made us change our game plan a little bit, but we just wanted to hit them in the mouth and impose our will on them,” said Scott, whose team defeated Piper, 35-0 for the District 11-8A championship. The Bucks finished the regular season with a 9-1 overall record and 5-0 mark in the district.

Glenn said King could have returned but opted to hold him out. King has 1,605 yds. passing and 21 TDs this season.

“Especially with a bye week coming up, we just wanted to make sure,” Scott continued. “We figured we could beat them without Derohn tonight. We want to err on the side of caution and make sure we gave him enough time to get it 100 percent. He could have gone back in. He threw at halftime, but it just wasn’t worth it.”

Enter Bucks senior quarterback Tyron Herring, who came on in relief of injured starter King, who threw for one score and ran in another in the victory. Herring finished 7 for 11 for 110 yds. and a 28-yd. scoring toss to Donte Banton in the blowout win.

His 1-yd. quarterback keeper with just 2 seconds left in the first half gave the Bucks a 14-0 halftime lead. The score capped a 10-play, 35-yd. drive that was set up by an interception by Javon Denis.

“We felt coming into the game after watching the film that this team (Piper) wasn’t on our level,” Scott added. “We just couldn’t give them anything. When we played St. Thomas (Aquinas, a 38-6 loss) we gave them a whole bunch. We came out the next weekend against Douglas and let that affect us. Last week, we got the ball back rolling against Monarch.”

Deerfield also got a strong performance on the ground by junior running back Jaylan Knighton, who finished the game with 20 carries for a game-high 136 yds. and added scoring runs of 10 and 13 yds. He has 1,593 yds. rushing and 22 TDs this season.

Knighton said he felt the pressure to contribute once king went out, but pointed to the scoreboard.

“Derohn going out hurt us,” said Knighton, who ran for 249 yds. on 11 carries and 4 TDs in a 42-0 win over Monarch the week before. “It really didn’t because the score was 35-zip. He went down the first drive and the main thing I wanted was this week for him to heal so he could come out strong for the playoffs.”

Piper (6-3, 4-1) fell for the eighth straight time to the Bucks dating back to 2011 and have been outscored by Deerfield Beach, 309-24, during that span. Piper hasn’t scored against Deerfield Beach since 2014 and has been shut out the past four years and the past 18 quarters.

Deerfield, which has outscored the opposition this season, (320-98 this season) won for the third straight game following its setback against St. Thomas Aquinas. The Bucks also snapped Piper’s modest three-game winning streak.

In 1979, the Bengals stunned the Bucks, 14-12, to win the school’s first district football championship, but there was no upset in the making last Friday for Piper, which last won a district title in 2001.

Now, the Bucks have the week off before opening the playoffs at home. It is a welcomed week of resting the players, according to Scott.

“We need it,” Scott said. “I was telling the guys before, we started working out Dec. 26 (last year) and we have been going strong ever since. We have a lot of nicks and bruises, but we have time to heal up. We are going to be very careful how we handle the bye week. We aren’t going to give them a lot of time off so we don’t lose our edge. We are going to sharpen some things with no pads and no contact. We are just going to keep our guys well rested.

Knighton also welcomes the rest this week.

“We need to come to school every day,” Knighton said. “We have to make sure we get recovered, get film and hydrate, and make sure everything is straight so, when playoffs come, we come (out) strong.

“The St. Thomas loss affected us bad, but we didn’t let it hurt us too bad so we could focus on the following week,” Knighton added. “We can really stay on that loss. We got over it and we have stayed strong throughout the week.”