Highlands Christian Academy hosted its annual summer basketball camp recently. Trophy winners for opening week pictured (L to R) (Back row): Cameron Caputo, Marvin Jean-Pierre, Herman Robinson, D.J. Kottke, Vance Houston, Tyler Bronson, George Giourgas; (Front row): Jordan Willis, Emily Teason, Allyson Steincamp, Lettie Cronin, Riley Berry, Danielle Domino, Karl Schuberth, Dylan Farrell. Submitted photo

By Gary Curreri

Highland’s Christian Academy held its annual summer basketball camp at the campus recently.

There were two sessions this summer – boys and girls’ grades 7-12 (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and grades 2-6 (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.).

Reg Cook, the summer sports camp director and former long-time basketball coach and athletic director at the school, began the basketball camp in the early 1980s. Jim Good (head boy’s varsity coach), along with Luke Still (head boy’s JV coach), Josh Good (head boy’s JH coach), and Lindsey Shein (HCA alumnus) were the camp coaches.  Several high school athletes worked the second week of camp to earn community hours.

There were 55 campers in the first session and an additional 60 campers in the second session.

“Once again, our summer basketball camp was a success,” said Jim Good. “It’s a great environment with quality coaches who are not only teaching the game of basketball, but also the game of life. What a great opportunity we have to share our love for the Lord and also our love for the game of basketball.”

Good said the morning session included a devotional given by a coach followed by some warm-up activities, ball handling and dribbling. He said they then began their Gatorade and trophy contests.

The trophy contests included 1-on-1 and 2-on-2 competitions, free throw competition and hot shots. The campers would travel by bus for lunch at a Chick-fil-A or CiCi’s Pizza.  Then, they would return for afternoon 5-on-5 full court games.

Simply Soccer Camp returns

The Simply Soccer summer camp plans to hold its 5th camp in the city of Pompano on Aug. 15-19. Registration will be held at the Pompano Beach Civic Center. The soccer camp is for boys and girls, ages 5-14, of all skill levels, who will be taught a variety of soccer skills from dribbling to shooting.

There are three sessions each day (for the Pompano camp) ranging from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (cost is $115 weekly); extended hours camp is available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for $130 each week, and a Tiny Tot program is offered for kids ages 5 and 6 from 9 a.m.to noon for $60 weekly.

Campers must bring a soccer ball, swimsuit, shin guards, water bottle and lunch.

You can register at the Pompano Civic Center at 1801 NE 6 St. in Pompano Beach from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Monday through Thursday and from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. For more information, call the city of Pompano Parks and Recreation Department at 954-786-4119.

The Deerfield Beach Chamber of Commerce wants to partner with local restaurants to drive business during the month of August. Chamber representative, Marc Lowe, will be visiting 31 restaurants in 31 days. He will set up facebook events for each restaurant and link your web site if applicable. To encourage diners a 10% Off Coupon is provided below. Diners will print the Coupon and present it upon arrival at the restaurant. View Restaurant of the Day Calendar Diners will know which restaurant the Chamber Representative is visiting each day and will be encouraged to either dine with him but it is not required to dine with him in order to use the 10% Off Coupon.

Participating restaurants will receive:

45 days of advertising on facebook & Chamber’s website

Chamber Representative will blog all positive reviews

Review on 2 websites plus facebook (Urban Spoon & Trip Advisor)

Fee for participating restaurants is $35.00 for Chamber members or $45 for non-members Make check payable to: Deerfield Beach Chamber of Commerce.

Deadline to enter is Tuesday, July 12th. Restaurant name will be added to the Restaurant of the Day Calendar when the Chamber receives application with payment. First come first served!

Chamber Representative will receive 1 meal & 1 beverage from the “Restaurant of the Day” Chamber Representative may go for lunch or dinner but followers can use their coupon anytime during the day.

Contact John Esposito for more information at 954.889.3210 or 954.415.4678

A Prize of $100 will go to the person that eats at the most restaurants (excluding Chamber Representative) and there will be a drawing in case of tie. Our calendar is filling up fast! It is urgent that you pick your date now!

Download Applications here

 Restaurant of the Day Calendar

1-Aug Olympia Flame Diner 80 S. Federal Hwy www.olympiaflamediner.com

2-Aug Barracuda Bar & Seafood 1965 NE 2 St www.barracudabar&seafood

3-Aug Beach Buns 1602 SE 3rd Ct www.beachbunsdeerfield.com

4-Aug BT’s Oceanfront Restaurant @Embassy Suites 950 S. Ocean Dr www.embassyflorida.com

5-Aug JByrd’s Muddy Waters 2237 W. Hillsboro Blvd www.muddywatersrestaurant.com

6-Aug Lil Ole Caboose 204 Powerline Rd

7-Aug Sweet Toppings 337 SE 15 Ter (Cove) www.sweettopping.com

8-Aug Deer Creek Grille 2801 DC Country Club Blvd www.deercreekflorida.com

9-Aug Oceans 234 234 N. Ocean Blvd www.oceans234.com

10-Aug Bru’s Room Sports Grill 123 NE 20 Ave www.brusroom.com

11-Aug Sushi Song 123 NE 20 Ave. Suite 11 www.sushi-song.com

12-Aug Muscle Maker Grill 230 S. Federal Hwy www.musclemakergrill.com

13-Aug

14-Aug

15-Aug CJ’s Draft House 1825 W. Hillsboro Blvd www.facebook/cjsdrafthouse

16-Aug Kahuna Bar & Grill 249 N. Ocean Blvd.

17-Aug JB’s on the Beach 300 N. Ocean Blvd www.jbsonthebeach.com

18-Aug Patio Bar & Grill @ Wyndham 2096 NE 2 St. www.deerfieldpatiobar.com

19-Aug Ruth’s Chris Steak House 225 NE Mizner Blvd www.ruthschris.com

20-Aug

21-Aug

22-Aug Bobby Bahia’s @ The Hilton 100 Fairway Dr

23-Aug

24-Aug

25-Aug

26-Aug

27-Aug

28-Aug

29-Aug

30-Aug

31-Aug Ruby’s Pizza Pasta & Subs 614 SE 10 St www.rubyspizza.com

–By Rachel Galvin–

On Aug. 2, a large group of Deerfield residents gathered at Quiet Waters Park for the National Night Out on Crime despite the off and on again rain. This event encourages people to turn their porch lights on and come out together to take a stand against crime.

BSO showed off their SWAT equipment, such a large riot shield that can be lifted up and a machine that can lift items out of the way, including a car, which they demonstrated in front of a large audience.

Sheriff Al Lamberti arrived on scene via a helicopter at the most appropriate moment, shaking hands with families who had gathered there. He had visited several Broward County cities also having Night Out on Crime festivities.

Attendees roamed community booths under the pavilion, learned about community programs and services from the city, turned in unused medicines (Operation Medicine Cabinet) and took sensitive documents to be shredded in the shredding truck. People must have felt generous because The Community Blood Centers bloodmobile surpassed their goal for donors that night.

People also ate pulled pork sandwiches, hamburgers, chips, pizza and more, while drinking soda or water to cool down from the heat.

A snow cone machine also was a big hit among the kids. Kiddies could also climb a rock wall or jump in the bounce house.

The band Smuggling Yo Yo’s played their hearts out on stage where commissioners, the sheriff and State Rep. Gwyndolen Clarke Reed also spoke to the crowd, including new Dist. 2 commissioner Ben Preston. Afterward, raffle prizes were given out.

BSO showed off a SWAT vehicle capable of lifting a car

New commissioner Ben Preston speaks, with other commissioners and Deerfield's mayor

The Smuggling Yo Yo's played

A large crowd enjoyed free food and activities under the pavilion

Residents and visitors to Broward County are encouraged to head for the outlets, malls and flea markets and pay no sales tax – a savings of 6 percent – during Florida’s tax-free weekend, August 12-14. The special shopping weekend applies to clothing, bags and footwear under $75 per item and school supplies under $15 per item. For more information visit the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau at www.sunny.org/taxfree.

According to the Ron Ishoy,spokesman for the State Attorney’s Office, former Deerfield Beach Commissioner Steve Gonot was adjudicated guilty and sentenced Friday to 364 days in jail and five years probation for his conviction on three campaign finance-related corruption charges.

Broward County Circuit Judge Barbara McCarthy set a $15,000 bond while Gonot appeals the decision. Besides jail and probation, Gonot must also complete 500 hours community service.

Gonot was convicted May 10 of Official Misconduct and Grand Theft over $5,000, as well as a misdemeanor charge of Falsifying Records.

Gonot had been accused of unlawfully misusing $5,135 in campaign money for his personal use by writing a check from his campaign fund to a long-time friend for “supplies and equipment reimbursement” for his campaign. Investigators determined that no such equipment had been delivered by the time Gonot had falsely listed the transaction on his campaign treasurer’s report.

Assistant State Attorney David Schulson prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Broward State Attorney’s Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Braylan Fleming, 11, of Deerfield Beach, throws a pass under the watchful eye of Coach Fred Davis during the 11th annual Crockett Foundation Life Skills free football camp in Pompano Beach. Photo by Gary Curreri

By Gary Curreri

Zack Crockett and his brother, Henri, were back at it again – doing what they do best. The two Blanche Ely grads, and former NFL football players, were at the 4-fields complex in Pompano Beach recently hosting their annual free football camp.

The 11th annual Crockett Foundation Life Skills free football camp in Pompano Beach attracted 500 youths ranging in age from 6 to 16 from throughout South Florida.

“We are just going to keep pressing forward and passing the torch to the young guys coming out so they see how we do it and then they keep it going,” said Zack Crockett, 38, who spent 13 years in the NFL and is now a scout for the Oakland Raiders.

“We are just trying to help the kids and let them know they have a chance to do great things, as long as they take care of the grades and let their athletic ability take care of itself.”

Youngsters took part in everything from running 40-yard dashes to obstacle courses. They were schooled in running, catching, throwing, and then Zack Crockett pulled them aside and spoke to them about the importance of school and being a role model. The day ended with a 7-on-7 tournament.

Crockett said the kids got free food, T-shirts and customized football mouth pieces provided by TAPOUT. They also had an opportunity to play video games in a truck.

Among the other athletes volunteering was Isaac Bruce, 38, who spent 16 years in the NFL for the Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams and San Francisco 49ers.

“We were goal-minded and one of those goals was to play in the NFL,” Bruce said. “The mentality has changed, and that is why people like Zack and Henri and Al (Harris) all come back to remind them. I think us being here gives them hope and that is an important factor. We teach them faith.”

Bruce said their main focus is to make sure they become productive citizens.

“I think it is a no-brainer for us to be here because we know we are doing this for the kids,” Bruce added. “We want to try and build character. We didn’t have anything like this when I was growing up, not to this extent. We did have guys from the Dolphins, who would come and talk to us at the high schools sometimes, but, here, we get their full attention. They get our full attention.”

Henri Crockett, 36, a 1992 Ely grad, said they have contributed more than $500,000 to the community through their foundation, although they have only been able to generate about $40,000 in contributions. They have two reading centers for local youths. Crockett said their mother, Sylvia Ann Hall, instilled good family values.

They will also host the 3rd Annual Family and Health Community Festival this Saturday, July 30 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Pompano Citi Center, 1955 N. Federal Hwy. in Pompano Beach.

“We have fun each and every year,” Zack Crockett said. “The kids learn and they see different guys each year. The message we keep giving these kids is obviously working because they listen and they keep coming back.”

For more information visit their website at www.crockettfoundation.org.

On Tuesday, August 2, 2011 from 6:00pm-9:00pm the City of Deerfield Beach and the Broward Sheriff’s Office Deerfield Beach District will host the annual National Night Out event at Quiet Waters Park located at 401 South Powerline Road. The event will consist of a live band, raffle prizes, food, non alcoholic beverages, children’s games and inflatables, prescription drug take back, paper shredding, and several static displays.  Admission is free.  National Night Out heightens crime and drug awareness, generates support for, and participation in local anti-crime programs, strengthens community spirit and police-community partnerships, and sends a message to criminals that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

By Gary Curreri 

Rebekah Escuage asks where the finish is for the standup paddleboard event at recent Chick-fil-A Ocean Series on Pompano Beach. Photo by Gary Curreri

Pompano Beach Piranhas head swim coach Jesse Vassallo is hoping to build a strong swim program in the city.

If a recent fundraising event at the beach is any indication, he could be well on his way. A total of 135 competitors recently participated in a Chick-fil-A Ocean Series on Pompano Beach.

The Chick-fil-A Ocean Series was presented by the Pompano Piranhas and featured a one-mile ocean swim, a 500-meter kids swim and a half-mile stand-up paddleboard race. The top three finishers in each event won Cow trophies and medals. There were also goodie bags and door prizes provided, as well as a Chick-fil-A breakfast.

“I am really excited about being here,” said Vassallo, who took over head coaching duties a month ago after spending the previous two years at Ft. Lauderdale Aquatics. He called the Chick-fil-A event “a tremendous success.”

Vassallo, who turns 50 next month, hopes to continue to grow the swim team in Pompano Beach, which is in just its second year as a United States Swim program. It had previously enjoyed success in the South Florida Recreational Swim League.

“We started a month ago with 45 swimmers and we now have 66,” Vassallo said. “We are trying to run the most professional swim team in the area …We have recreational levels for kids who just want to lose weight or have fun. We also want to be very competitive. You can’t have one without the other.”

“I have my goals,” Vassallo added. “The Pompano Piranhas is a small team that came from the rec league maybe three years ago so it is actually a new team in the U.S. Swimming environment. First, I want this to be a solid team so we have to grow in numbers.”

Julia Schulte, 14, the first female finisher in the standup paddleboard event at the competition who finished fourth overall, likes the direction the Piranhas are taking. She has been a member of the swim program for the past six years.

“It is such a black-and-white difference (with the competition),” said Schulte, who is also a junior lifeguard with Pompano. “With (the recreation swim league), I would win the heats like they were nothing and, here, I get my butt kicked and come in dead last. It is just a whole other world. It is like you go into the Twilight Zone and you feel like you are in a whole different world.”

Piranhas’ teammate Rebekah Escuage, 17, also from Pompano Beach, agreed that the competition is now stiffer.

“Rec (swimming) was a lot of fun, but this is a higher level of competition,” Escuage said. “It is nice to see how it is going to be by competing at such a high level, even with people who are going to the Olympics. It is really different.”

“That was a beginner type thing, but when we switched here it was like a whole different world of competition and people who can beat you,” Escuage added. “Training got a lot harder, but it was more worth it and it was something to strive for.”

By Dave Montalbano

After a decade, the cinematic Harry Potter series comes to a close.

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

My introduction to Harry Potter began 12 years ago when Deerfield Beach Percy White Youth Services librarian David Serchay called me when I was working at Sunrise Dan Pearl Library to check the shelf status of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. (Five years later, David went on a “set-up” date to go see Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban with Bethany, who is now mother to David’s twin girls).

If the Beatles were the social myth of my childhood
and Star Wars the transitional myth of Generation X’s adolescence, then Harry Potter
and the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry has become the cultural hero of the new millennium.

With a record-breaking box office revenue of $168 million, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 delivers upon its original promise. The production team was wise to divide this final movie into two parts, sustaining both narrative flow and the attention to detail.

Part 2 picks up directly from Part 1. The evil Lord Volde-mort (Ralph Fiennes) has obtained the invincible Elder Wand, while Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his consorts, Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) bury a loyal ally. As the evil magician grows more powerful, Harry and his allies seek Voldemort’s Achilles heel. As war wages between wizards, beasts and dementors, the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry becomes ground zero.

With the exposition out of the way, director David Yates is freed to direct three extremely well-done action sequences involving a heist, a dragon and a fire in a vault. These scenes are the ones that fans have been waiting for since the disappointing Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The visual clarification is worthy of the action sequences from a John Ford/John Wayne classic.

Since the opening of the first film a decade ago to the current release, the Harry Potter franchise has enjoyed a quality ensemble of British actors. As the monstrous Professor Snape, Alan Rickman deserves kudos for balancing the contradictory motives of the menacing character. Of course, the series would have folded years ago if it were not for the sincere, consistent and empathetic performances from Radcliffe, Grint and Watson.

The closure from this final film is equal to the closure I felt concluding J.K. Rowling’s book. Let’s enjoy the waning days of Harry Potter mania and look toward our next social mythology.

Apollo 11 made history 42 years ago yesterday, having ferried two U.S. astronauts from Earth to the moon . On July 20, 1969, U.S. astronauts Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Neil Armstrong were the first men to walk on the surface of the moon. And Armstrong uttered the historic words, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

It marked a significant achievement in the space race that had developed between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The pair had been locked in a decade-long push to put a man on the moon.

Aldrin and Armstrong’s moon walk was witnessed by more than a billion people worldwide, watching on television or listening to the radio, according to the Washington Post. Apollo 11 began its journey to the moon July 16, 1969. According to Time magazine, the Eagle Lunar Module landed on the moon on the afternoon of July 20, four days later. That night, a little before 11 p.m. Eastern time, Armstrong first set foot on lunar soil. The astronauts’ walk lasted a little more than two hours. During that time, they received a call from President Richard M. Nixon directly from the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C.

The space shuttle Atlantis’s landed in Florida today and ends the last of 135 missions over 30 years that delivered the Hubble telescope into orbit and helped build the International Space Station.

The four astronauts, led by Commander Chris Ferguson touched down at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 5:56 a.m. after a 13-day mission.