The City of Deerfield Beach has received important storm update information from the Marine Industries Association of South Florida. At approximately 8 p.m. on Aug. 29, ALL bridges on the New River, Miami River and Intracoastal in Dade and Broward counties will be on lockdown based on the current track of Tropical Storm Erika.

For updates, go to http://homeport.uscg.mil/miami and look under “Port Conditions.” Vessels are advised not to go up the river if they do not have a destination.

Due to adverse weather conditions anticipated for Sunday, August 26, the event “Authors and Autographs” at the Butler House has been canceled.

It is RE-SCHEDULED for Saturday, Sept. 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., as part of the SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM DAY LIVE!  They are a participating museum at this country-wide annual event.  http://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/?no-ist

Also during Saturday:

•     Free Guided Tours of Butler House
•     Free Guided Tours of Old School Museum
•     Authors and Autographs Exhibitors in backyard at Butler House (if inclement weather, Authors will be set up in Old School Museum).

Sunday, September 27, Butler House, 2pm – 5pm, Backyard Sale of Crafts and “slightly-used” gift items.

By Gary Curreri

Meghan Robenhymer said swimming has taken her pretty far.

The 14-year-old Coconut Creek teenager took third in the Girls 13-14 50-yard breaststroke, second in the Girls 13-18 100-yard breaststroke, and was on two winning relays to help the Deerfield Beach Dolphins win its eighth consecutive South Florida Recreational Swim League Summer Championships recently at the Coral Springs Aquatic Complex. The two-day meet was held in the Michael Lohberg Pool of Champions.

“This is my entire life,” said Robenhymer, a freshman at Monarch High School and nine-year veteran of sport. “I was average when I first started. The work I bring to it made myself better.”

Robenhymer started swimming at a preschool program and was told she had really good form.

“They said I should tryout for the recreation league,” Robenhymer added. “I was on that team for a couple of years and then I switched to Dolphins. It’s great to be winning races. It shows that all the hard work paid off.”

Parkland’s Emily Chen also turned in a strong performance for Deerfield Beach as she won three individual events and was on two winning relays at the event.

Chen, 14, who holds 12 individual league records dating back to when she was 7, added the Girls 13- 14 100-yard freestyle and the Girls 13-14 100-yard IM records to her credit. The Deerfield Beach High School freshman started swimming when she 7.

“It has just been fun,” Chen said. “It has been a really great venture. I’ve been with the same coaches the whole time and it is just a great atmosphere. The sport means almost everything to me. It is practically my life now.”

Chen hopes for a long swimming career, first high school and then college.

“It is definitely a dream to think of the Olympics,” Chen said. “It is always fun to watch. From afar, whatever is best for me in the long run. The sport definitely shaped my personality — from teamwork and how to support each other to learning how to lose. I learned not to be a sore loser.”

Chen said it has helped her stay determined.

“You just keep trying,” Chen said. “You just keep going. If you never try, you are never going to go anywhere.”

The Deerfield Beach Dolphins won the Large Division with 4,455 points, while the Tsunami Swim Team based in Coconut Creek won the Medium Division with 2,219 points. The Margate Motion Swim Team was fourth in the Medium Division with 1,346 points.

The victory marked the eighth consecutive summer championship victory for the Dolphins since 2007, and 20th overall during the same span when counting the fall and spring seasons.

Ninth year Deerfield Beach Dolphins coach Rafael DaSilva said the victory was huge for the program. The Dolphins have 90 swimmers on its roster and had 83 swimmers compete.

“This meet is the most important meet of the year,” DaSilva said. “It is the biggest championship of all three. This is where it started. The fall and the spring championships were added later.”

“There are always more people because, in the fall, you have high school swimming and, in the spring, you have water polo and some do middle school swimming,” DaSilva added. “There is a lot of competition per se to get the kids involved. The summer is where you prepare the kids for high school swimming and you have the bigger number and more quality swimmers returning. You have more teams and this is the only meet where you make the divisions based on sizes from team to team.”

By Gary Curreri

With 20 senior players returning from last year’s squad, Blanche Ely football coach Nakia Jenkins believes that his team will fix last year’s late-game woes.

Jenkins, in his second season at the helm of the Tigers football team, said his team has a wealth of experience.

“Last year, we had a lot of talent, but we were young,” said Jenkins, whose team finished 6-4 with three losses in the closing moments of games. “We are returning about 20 seniors this year that played last year so we are really senior heavy this year with a lot of experience. That should be our plus this year. We should know how to finish ball games.”

The Tigers reached the first round of the FHSAA Class 7A state playoffs where it fell to visiting Atlantic, 21-13, in the closing moments, much like two other losses during the season to Miami Northwestern (23-20) and Plantation (31-23).

“Last year, we lost three games in the last minute and a half that we were winning,” Jenkins said. “We should have easily been 9-1 last year instead of 6-4.”

“It still stings,” Jenkins added. “It is going to sting probably until our first regular season game. We have about 15-20 players who contributed last year and helped us out.”

Jenkins will need to get some rapid growth from an inexperienced offensive line; however, they will have three strong running backs to run behind them, including Arthur Forest, Demeterice Bellamy and Robert Williams. Quarterback Zackery Purdue also returns and has talented wide out Thomas Geddis to throw to.

“The offense is going to be loaded,” Jenkins said. “A couple of other wide receivers who are going to help us are Jeremy Taylor and Leonard Williams.”

Defensively, look for senior David Francis to lead the way.

“He’s a leader, captain and three-year starter,” Jenkins said. “He knows where everybody should be.”

Purdue is looking forward to the season.

“This year, I am more confident,” he said. “Last year, I didn’t really read my coverages and go through my progressions. This year, we are loaded with seniors and we are going to be a better team.”

Bellamy, 17, a senior in his fourth year at the school, said he’s excited for the season.

“I have to prove a lot of people wrong,” said the 5-ft., 6-in., 165 lb. running back. “They underestimate me. They say I am too small and not fast enough, and not strong enough. I have been doing two-a-days, and sometimes three times on weekends.”

The 18-year-old Geddis agreed and said the seniors could make the difference.

“We have a lot of guys who are going to go out there and compete and go hard, and are very experienced,” Geddis said. “Being seniors, it makes you want to go harder. Our coach says you only got one game and you have to take every game like it is your last high school game.”

Geddis, who received 18 college offers during the spring, said last year’s tight losses were frustrating and they will look to change that this season.

“You don’t have the time to come back and redo the mistakes you made,” Geddis said. “You have to go 110 (percent) on every play and just know that you are putting everything on the line.”

Jenkins said the team would have to fight through adversity.

“What I am teaching my guys now is football in four quarters,” Jenkins said. “It is not three quarters and we have to finish until the last whistle blows. That is the one thing that we are teaching day in and day out. It is fighting to the last whistle. If we do that this year, we should be in the thick of things this year.”

Photos by David Volz

Laryssa Booth has a passion for Beach Tennis. She excels in this sport that is growing in popularity.

“I love to play Beach Tennis. It is a lot of fun and we are winning today,” said Booth.

She was among about 100 men and women who participated in the Pompano Beach Summer Series Beach Tennis Tournament on Pompano beach, on Sunday, August 16. The game is similar to tennis. It is played in a beach environment and on sand.

“Beach Tennis is a game I love to play,” said Rachel McGinnis. “It is a fun game and there is a great group of people here.”

Adrienne Cerra Simeon is a leader of the Beach Tennis sport and is president of IFBT-USA. The sport is very popular in Pompano Beach and Deerfield Beach. There is a large permanent Beach Tennis training facility right on the beach in Pompano, with eight courts. People can play singles, doubles and mixed doubles.

“We have a tournament about once a month. A lot of the people who participate have played volleyball and tennis,” said Cerra Simeon.

And Beach Tennis offers a fun atmosphere. Steve Culver, a Beach Tennis player said he loves the atmosphere and the camaraderie of the tournaments.

By Rachel Galvin

The Wick Theatre came to life with the magical classic “Peter Pan,” which opened Aug. 6 and runs through Aug. 23. Catch it this weekend before it flies away!

The musical “Peter Pan” has pirates and “Indians,” dogs and alligators and even that naughty fairy Tinkerbell, who is quite jealous it seems of Wendy (For those who do not know the classic tale, go watch and find out more about these colorful characters. It truly is fun for the whole family.) On August 8, adults were buying pixie dust wands of sorts that were sold in the lobby, turning on their lights during the performance, basically reliving childhood.

The show was filled with great choreography, especially when Tiger Lilly’s tribe hit the stage.

The greatest part of the show was the flying effects, courtesy of ZFX Flying. The scene where the children escape their home to go to Neverland with Peter Pan was absolutely a thrill as projections and harnesses helped them to appear as though they were flying across the skyline .

Shannon Mari Mills had quite the Broadway belt as Peter Pan, but it was Robin Haynes as Hook who really stole the show. His wit had the audience in stitches and he lit up the stage wherever he went. There were interactive moments where they both broke the fourth wall to get the audience engaged in the show.

After the show, guests were surprised when cast members, still in costume, came out to pose with them. As usual, before the show during intermission and after, there was entertainment in the lobby, this time a bit of tinkling of the ivories set a nice mood. Adults enjoyed a flute of champagne to celebrate.

For more information, visit www.thewick.org.

By Rachel Galvin

Friday, August 21 will be the last day for Parks & Recreation Manager II Blaise Leone, who announced his resignation last week. Leone will be moving to Melbourne, Florida for family reasons after serving the City of Deerfield Beach for 16 years.

“It has been a privilege to serve the City of Deerfield Beach and it citizens,” said Leone.

Leone had a great effect on the community, implementing a wide range of programs during his career, including the addition of Adult Soccer, Adult Basketball, Adult Fitness Boot Camp, Youth Track, Adult Softball, Couch to 5K, Youth Aquathon and Girls Travel Soccer.

“Anything I may have accomplished was done with the assistance and cooperation of my fellow City of Deerfield Beach team members … the best team there is!” he added.

Leone began working for the city on July 5, 1999 as an Athletic Supervisor (after a very brief roller derby career) and was promoted in January 2006 to Athletic Coordinator and, finally, to his most current position of Parks and Recreation Manager II in 2010.

Always on-hand when needed, Leone assisted with Open Government Day, creating the student government guide and was well-known as a popular holiday elf, and much more.

Parks & Recreation Director Kara Petty said, “Blaise has been an exemplary employee.  He has been one our most dedicated team members and we are all sad to see him go, but we wish him and his family the very best!”

By David Volz

Children who are getting ready to start school received some help from the Crockett Foundation on Saturday.

Both Henri and Zack were football stars at Blanche Ely High School and Florida State University. They later played in the National Football League (NFL).

Many families came to the Community Health Festival that took place at the Pompano Citi Centre on August 8. The Crockett Foundation partnered with Broward Health to hold the event. Doctors, nurses and other health professionals performed health checks, vision care, dental care and immunizations. Families received other social services as well.

Members of Zeta Rho Omega Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority also participated in the program.

Children who participated in the health physicals received a backpack filled with school supplies.

Henri Crockett, CEO of the Crockett Foundation, enjoyed the program and seeing young people receiving healthcare and getting ready for school.

“I like this event because it has a positive impact on families. I want to lighten the load on parents. It is important to make sure that these kids are ready for the first day of school.”

Henri Crockett and his brother Zack Crockett, who is vice president of the Crockett Foundation, know the struggles many families face. They believe it is important to give back to the community and do what they can to help families in the area.

JoeAnn Fletcher, president of the Zeta Rho Omega Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, loved the opportunity to help out at the event. Many of the chapter members distributed backpacks to the families. “Our purpose is to serve others,” said Fletcher.

Nabil El Sanadi, M.D., President and CEO of Broward Health, offered his medical services at the Community Health Festival. He said he loved the opportunity to help children in the community.

Stephanie Buquo brought her children, Matthew and Michael, to the event. She said she was glad that her sons could each receive a backpack and school supplies for the upcoming year.

About 9 am today Wednesday a crew digging on Federal Hwy in Deerfield chopped a gas main.

They were digging at the site a the new giant Cumberland Farms gas station at SE 13 and Federal.

All traffic on Federal Hwy from SE 10th to SE 13 Ct is being diverted.  BSFR Hazmat is having to

dig by hand to get it shutdown. This is one huge problem with that much gas pouring out.

Enjoy 24 percent off your bill ALL DAY- TODAY