Chair Yoga classes

The Center for Active Aging

227 NW 2 St.

Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

Seeking to transform your health and decrease stress? Join one of Chair Yoga classes.

They have Sit N’ Fit Chair Yoga on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. They also have Chair Yoga for Young at Heart Seniors on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 10:45 to 11:30 a.m. For information please contact the Health Support Office at 954-480-4446.

“These Eyes: A Retrospective Exhibition”

Through May 26

Ali Cultural Arts Center

353 MLK Blvd.

Pompano Beach, FL 33060

Multi-media artist Niki Lopez uses art as a catharsis to deal with past traumas in this recent exhibition. Niki, who is known for her “What’s Your Elephant?” series, grew up in a cult and suffered sexual abuse as a child. She hopes bringing issues such as her own traumas to the forefront will help others face their own challenges. This is one aspect of her exhibition. Free. For more information on Ali Arts, call 954-786-7876 or visit www.aliarts.org.

Erin Leigh, Solo Exhibition

Through May 26

Bailey Contemporary Arts (BaCA)

41 NE 1 St.

Pompano Beach, FL 33060

“A picture is worth a thousand words” describes well Erin Leigh’s use of oil pastels and acrylic paints to communicate the therapeutic process of gaining freedom from Human Trafficking. A self-taught artist, Erin began using oil pastels as a hands-on means of dealing with trauma. For more information, call 954-284-0141.

Lotos Music Festival

Sunday, May, 27, 4 p.m.

Mizner Park Amphitheater

Boca Raton, FL 33432

The 4th Annual LOTOS Music Festival, bringing Music Icons together for its biggest line up yet. Go and see Cypress Hill with Mixmaster Mike, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Everlast, Inner Circle, Slick Rick, The Pharcyde, 2 Live Crew, Rhymin’ -N- Stealin’ and The Original Beastie Boys Tribute Band. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.lotosmusicfest.com.

Relay For Life Committee Rally

Tuesday, May 29, 6:30 to 8 p.m.

50 Technology Blvd.

Deerfield Beach, FL 3344

Want the opportunity to make a huge impact on your community? Take on a larger role with Relay for Life of NE Broward. Benefits the communities of Deerfield, Pompano, Hillsboro and Lighthouse point. For more information, call 954-420-0084.

Save the Date: Jazz in the Park

Saturday, June 2, 4 to 8 p.m.

Annie Adderly Gillis Park

601 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.

Pompano Beach, FL 33069

The event will feature live Jazz music from the Broward Sheriff’s Office Jazz Band as well as the Alice Day Band. In between musical acts will be plenty of laughs provided by spoken word performer Rebecca Vaughns. Local food vendors will also be on-hand providing food for purchase. This is a free event and open to the public. For more information, visit www.pompanobeachfl.gov or call 954-786-4111.

Dixie Divers Summer Scuba plus Camp

Dixie Divers

455 S. Federal Hwy.

Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

There are two options available for students 10 years to 17 years old: for the brand new divers, there is the “Open Water” program (which will be the first level certification) and for those who have already completed their Jr. Open Water/Open Water, there is the “Advanced Open Water” program (the 2nd level diving certification). Both are $599.

Open Water Program.

• Session 1: June 4 – 8.

• Session 2: June 18 – 22.

• Session 3: July 2- 6.

• Session 4: July 16 – 20. • Session 5: July 30 – Aug. 3.

Advanced Open Water Program.

• Session 1: June 11 – 15.

• Session 2: June 25 – 29.

• Session 3: July 9 – 13.

• Session 4: July 23 – 27. • Session 5: Aug. 6 – 10.

The camp hours are Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. They will be supplying everything required for the camp with the exceptions of lunch and personal equipment (mask, snorkel, fins, weight belt and weights). For more information, call 954-420-0009.

Memorial day celebrations

Lighthouse Point

• Heroes Memorial Shrine

Saturday, May 26, 9 a.m.

Frank McDonough Park

3500 NE 27 Ave.

Lighthouse Point, FL 33064

Official dedication of memorial shrine first recognized during Keepers Day. Join them for a ceremony to honor not only our fallen heroes but all the men and women who continue to protect and serve.

Pompano Beach

• Memorial Day Parade

Monday, May 28, 11 a.m.

Begins at corner of SE 23 Avenue & Atlantic Boulevard and ends in service at Pompano Beach Cemetery (400 SE 23 Ave.) Activities include prayer service, rifle salute and youth groups. For information, call 954-873-6462.

Boca Raton

• Memorial Day Ceremony

Monday, May 28, 9 to 10 a.m.

Boca Raton Cemetery

449 SW 4 Ave.

Boca Raton, FL 33432

Featuring veteran groups, city officials, music by the Ft. Lauderdale Highlanders, drills by Boca Raton Community High School NJROTC, and the Boca Raton Police and Fire Honor Guard. For more information, call 561-367-7073.

• Memorial Day Concert

Monday, May 28, 6 to 9 p.m.

Mizner Park Amphitheater

590 Plaza Real

Boca Raton, FL 33432

Enjoy a concert in the park by The Helmsmen Band and The Shane Duncan Band, plus food trucks and a beer garden featuring local breweries. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Blankets and chairs are welcome at this free event; chairs will also be available to rent for $5 (free for veterans). No coolers or outside alcoholic beverages permitted. The event is rain or shine. For more information, please call 561-393-7807.

• Memorial Day Show

Monday, May 28, 6 to 8:30 p.m.

Boca Resto Lounge

3360 N. Federal Hwy.

Boca Raton, FL 33431

Join them to honor and celebrate the American soldiers who have lost their lives. Performers will include Susan Ashley, Jamie Ellen and Gary Lawrence. One bottle of beer or one glass of wine free for veterans. Reservations are strongly suggested; call 561-430-5639.

By Rachel Galvin

It is three years in the making — the Heroes Memorial Shrine now sitting in Frank McDonough Park in Lighthouse Point (LHP). It has benches for each branch of the military and an American flag in the middle with an Eagle flying north on top, and a city and state flag. This site features all the cardinal directions in a “compass rose” and has bricks that were purchased with names of veterans and first responders.

The inspiration for the memorial is to recognize United States Marine Dale Sloan Wilkinson, the only LHP resident ever to have been killed in combat, but it honors all who have made the ultimate sacrifice and those who continue to serve today.

This beautiful site is the brainchild of Ryan Kolb, brought about as his Eagle Scout project for Troop 238. His original sketch was taken and turned into a reality with help from William Gallo, of Gallo Herbert Architects, Chuck McLaughlin, the Exchange Club of Pompano Beach, the City of LHP and others. Even the Archdiocese of Miami was involved since the land it is on belongs to St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church and is leased by the city.

“I started with the original hand sketches by Ryan. I invited Ryan to come in and participate with my design team. Chuck [McLaughlin] and I tried for 15 years [to get a memorial for vets]. We couldn’t get a location. I started doing a master plan for St. Paul’s,” said Gallo, who, like McLaughlin, has also been a “Keeper” of the City.

He said this location in the park was picked purposely.

He explained, “I used to go to a boot camp here in the morning at 6 a.m. When the sun rises, the whole place glows. We will always have the sun rise on the monument.”

He added, “I came up with the circular idea [for the area]. The different benches give people an opportunity to meditate. This is Frank Lloyd Wright style.”

He also installed seven Italian Cypress trees, which when grown, he said, will “kind of float on air.”

He said the site is not complete yet. They will be acid washing it and putting gunnite (sprayed concrete) on it, a spray that NASA uses, which will seal it for 10 years.

The site was made possible by the purchase of bricks and private donations. The budget was over $100,000. The back of the sign for the park nearby will be modified to thank contributors. Bricks are still available. 8 x 8 bricks are $200 and 4 x 8 bricks are $100. For more information, visit www.LHPHeroesMemorial.com. Money that comes in will also go toward maintenance.

“I have a brick honoring my father, who was in Korea and my father-in-law, also in Korea. I have one for my grandfather, who lived in Lighthouse Point from 1963 until he died. He was in World War I and World War II in the Navy.

“It’s very impressive site to see at night,” said LHP Mayor Troast, “The light [washes] the area in a soft light. The flag is illuminated at night. It has LED lights, low voltage and as green as possible. They come on at dusk. It is not just a dedication to those who came before us but to everyone who serves us now.”

“The timing was right,” said McLaughlin about the site, as he walked around and pointed to bricks, knowing every veteran that was shown, many of whom, like he, served in Vietnam. He served from 1967 to 1968 in the Marine Corps and received a Meritorious Mast for his service during the Tet Offensive.

He pointed to the middle of the circle, saying, “This is the circle of protection… vets living and dead. On the outside are the first responders. The Eagle flies north, a great sign for America. There are five branches of the military [on the benches]. It goes around and ends with the first responders. It’s time to honor our own.”

Kolb was certainly thrilled with the result.

“I think it came out amazing. I started it years ago. I met with Mr. Chuck and Mayor Troast. I didn’t know what it was going to look like, but we knew we wanted a monument for the heroes and first responders. It came out amazing. It’s incredible to see how much the project means to so many people,” said Kolb.

Only 32 or 33 badges are required to reach Eagle Scout, said Kolb, an 11th grader at Deerfield Beach High, but he has 36 and is working on four more. He has inspired his younger brother Mason, who is almost 13, to start working early on his Eagle Scout project.

His parents Angela and Chris proudly stood at the special soft opening of the site during Keeper Days activities in the park Saturday, Feb. 10.

“We are proud of him. It is quite a learning experience. I am happy to see it finally came to fruition. He will be able to come here, to bring his kids and grandkids. It’s nice that he created something with a lasting impression in the city.”

Kolb said the event included the Pompano High School ROTC presenting colors, the saying of the Pledge of Allegiance and a speech by Mayor Troast and more. Many vets, DAV members and other community leaders came out for the occasion. There will be a more formal ceremony probably on Memorial Day.

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Prometheus opened five years ago to good box office, but mixed reviews. One of the complaints about the film was that it was teased as an Alien film, but Ridley Scott chose to make a more cerebral science fiction motion picture. Released last weekend, Alien: Covenant is a direct sequel and is at least one or two prequels away from the original 1979 Alien motion picture that starred Sigourney Weaver.

Ironically, Alien: Covenant opens before the events of Prometheus. We see the android David (Michael Fassbender) discussing the meaning of life with his creator, Peter Weyland, (Guy Pearce). The film fast forwards a decade past the events of Prometheus, in which the space ship “Covenant” is journeying to a distant planet for human colonization. Midway through the odyssey, the spaceship is diverted by a distress signal from an unknown planet.

Among the Covenant crewmates is Daniels (Katherine Waterston), a widow with leadership potential and Walter (Fassbender again), a new model android who is new and improved from the old David model. Upon landing on the uncharted tropical planet, two crew members inhale bad spores and begin breeding aliens.

Whereas Prometheus is science-fiction based, Alien: Covenant follows the narrative of doomed horror. When things go from bad to worse, one can count on familiar clichés to kick in. In a 1930s murder mystery, you could count on an electrical storm wiping out a bridge or preventing telephones from working. With modern CGI special effects, the storm prevents spaceships from landing on the planet for a rescue mission.

One special effect worth noting is a simple dialogue scene between David and Walter. Given that the two characters are being played by one actor, Michael Fassbender, this entertaining scene features an interesting discussion about creativity and following programmed orders. Making this scene appear simple, Fassbender deserves award consideration for his hard work. 

Despite usurping Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 from the weekend box office champion perch, don’t expect Alien Covenant to have much legs beyond the July 4th holiday weekend. For the most part, it is an interesting movie. It just feels like déjà vu.

With Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and Baywatch opening this weekend, it will be an entertaining weekend at the box office. However, take the time to watch the PBS Memorial Day Concert Sunday evening. The local television news will refer to this weekend as “urban beach weekend,” but most of our neighbors still remember this weekend as Memorial Day weekend. Make sure you thank a veteran this weekend.

Family Fun Day: Rockstar Day

Saturday, May 28, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Pompano Citi Centre

1955 N. Federal Hwy.

Pompano Beach, FL 33062

Plenty of family fun with performances, dress like a rock star station, video games, arts and crafts, $1 carousel rides and much more. Free. Call 954-943-4693 or visit www.pompanociticentre.com for more information.

Tuesday Night Beach Dance

Tuesday, May 31, 7 to 9 p.m.

Main Beach Parking Lot

149 SE 21 Ave.

Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

Total Recall will be performing for your entertainment and dancing pleasure. Wear your dancing shoes and bring your beach chair for a fun evening under the stars. Free. Call 954-480-4429 for information.

Splash Adventure

Thursday June 2, 9:30 a.m. to 5:20 p.m.

Quiet Waters Park

401 S. Powerline Rd.

Deerfield Beach, FL 33442

All ages. $5.25 plus tax/person per session. The park’s regular gate entrance fee of $1.50/person (children 5 and under free) will be in effect. Coolers are now permitted in the aquatics area. Food and drinks available for purchase. No glass containers or alcoholic beverages permitted. For more information, contact the park office at 954-357-5100.

Food Truck Invasion

Thursday, June 2, 5 to 10 p.m.

Quiet Waters Park

401 S. Powerline Rd.

Deerfield Beach, FL 33442

Bring the whole family to the park and dine under the open sky. Food trucks with a wide variety of selections. For information, visit www.foodtruckinvasion.com or call 954-357-5100.

Worth the Drive!: Ft. Lauderdale Home Design and Remodeling Show

Friday, May 27, 4 to 9:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 28 & Sunday May 29, noon to 9:30 p.m.

Monday, May 30, Noon to 7:30 p.m.

Broward County Convention Center

1950 Eisenhower Blvd.

Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316

An amazing marketplace of home renovation and design products, featuring celebrity designers, landscape designers, artists and chefs. Home improvement products from the smallest to the largest. Admission: $10 adults, $1 children under 11. Visit www.homeshows.net.

Free weekly naturalist-led tours

• Thursdays every week, 10 a.m. Quiet Waters Park, 401 S. Powerline Rd., Deerfield Beach, FL 33442. Meet at Harbin Butterfly & Bird Sanctuary, adjacent to Ski Rixen.

• Third Friday every month, 10 a.m., Military Trail Natural Area, 4600 NW 9 Ave., Deerfield Beach, FL 33442. For information, call Quiet Waters Park at 954-357-5100.

MEMORIAL DAY EVENTS

DEERFIELD

• Commemorative Ceremony

Sunday, May 29, noon to 2 p.m.

Historic Butler House

380 E. Hillsboro Blvd.

Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

The Deerfield Beach Historical Society and local veterans groups will honor members of the military who lost their lives in service to our country. The ceremony will include the presentation of the colors, an invocation, singing of the national anthem, a 21-gun salute, a concert of patriotic music, and commemorations by local public officials and citizens. Free. Picnic-style food available for purchase. Bring a blanket or chair to sit on the lawn. Park within walking distance at the Post Office, Deerfield Beach Woman’s Club Building or City Hall. Call 954-428-0378 for information, or e-mail elilly707@aol.com.

• Pier Ceremony

Monday, May 30, 11 a.m.

Deerfield Beach International Fishing Pier

200 NE 21 Ave.

Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

The City of Deerfield Beach and the American Legion will hold a Memorial Day Ceremony on the fishing pier. This year, a plaque will be dedicated to Specialist Daniel Courtney Lawson, a graduate of Deerfield Beach High School, who lost his life during deployment in Afghanistan in 2009. Parking at Main Beach Parking Lot, 149 SE 21 Ave. Reserved seating available for veterans, call 954-480-4429.

Note: City Hall closed for Memorial Day.

POMPANO

• Commemorative Ceremony

Monday, May 30

— 9 a.m.

Westview Cemetery

NW 18 Ave., Pompano Beach, FL 33069

— 11 a.m.

Pompano Beach Cemetery

400 SE 23 Ave., Pompano Beach, FL 33062

Both ceremonies in Pompano Beach are conducted by the American Legion Post 142.

BOCA RATON

• Commemorative Ceremony

Monday, May 30, 9 a.m.

Boca Raton Municipal Cemetery

451 SW 4 Ave.

Boca Raton, FL 33432

Laying of wreath and ceremony to honor those who gave their lives.

• Memorial Day Concert

Monday, May 30, 7 p.m.

Mizner Park Amphitheatre

590 Plaza Real

Boca Raton, FL 33432

New Gardens Band, Inc presents Indian River Pops Orchestra in “An American Tribute,” featuring the Robert Sharon Chorale. Full concert band will play patriotic music under the direction of Dwight Robert Roadman. Free. Call 561-393-7995 for information.

Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day, was observed at Temple Beth Israel on April 16, as it was in Synagogues all over the world. During Shabbat services this past Saturday, as I read a long list of members of our congregation who are no longer with us and of their family members as well, I couldn’t help but notice that many people on the list had the same last name.

It could have been just a coincidence, but it wasn’t. Several families had the same last name because they were all from the same family. Someone asked me how hard it must have been on these families to have so many of their kin die in such a short period of time. But the fact of the matter is that their family members who put them on the list to have the memorial prayer recited for them each year are not even sure when their loved one’s died. You see, each of them perished in the camps during the horrors of the Nazi movement.

And so it was that these families picked a date to remember their loved ones and to honor their memory. When someone we love passes away in our day here in America, we take for granted that, not only the date, but the time of day and the cause of death will all be recorded in the medical chart and will be made available to us. But imagine not knowing how or when a loved one died.

Oh, we know the cause; the cause was hatred; the cause was that there were those who wanted to exterminate the Jews; the cause was that there were those who saw the Jews as less than human; the cause was putting such horrific labels and blame on us that we were little more than dirt in other’s eyes and, sadly, to this very day, there are many people throughout the world who feel that way toward us and, if not toward us, then toward another group of “others,” of “outsiders” of those who are “different.”

Each year on Yom HaShoah, survivors are called upon to speak. The odd part is the stories all begin the same way. Each of the survivors can recall a …. you should pardon the expression … “normal, ordinary life.” Each woke up in the morning. Each went to sleep at night. Each ate meals. And each had goals for the future.

And then, the unthinkable happened. And, in what must have seemed like a blink of the eye, all the rumors, all the gossip, all the whispers became a horrific reality.

Jews were barred from schools, from professions. Jews were barred from getting money, their own money out of their bank accounts. Jews were barred from possessing guns. Jews were beaten. Jews were rounded up. Jews were sent away never to be seen or heard from again.

Each year, we have fewer and fewer survivors left to tell the story. Each year, we have more and more people in the world who deny that the Holocaust ever took place. Each year, our enemies who used to complain that we were always bringing up the Holocaust, now use the term “Holocaust” and “Genocide” against us.

And our survivors call out, “Don’t just remember the past; learn from it!” And so, as we recited Kaddish for those who perished in the Shoah, I couldn’t help but remember the words of Elie Wiesel who wrote:

“Let us say Kaddish not only for the dead, but also for the living who have forgotten the dead and let the prayer be more than a prayer, more than a lament; let it be outcry, protest and defiance. And above all let it be an act of remembrance. For that is what the victims wanted: to be remembered, at least to be remembered. For just as the killer was determined to erase Jewish memory, so were the dying heroes and fighting martyrs bent on maintaining it alive. They are now being defamed or forgotten – which is like killing them a second time. Let us say Kaddish together and not allow others to betray them posthumously.”

Shalom my friends,

Rabbi Craig H. Ezring

Rabbi Ezring is the Spiritual Leader of Temple Beth Israel of Deerfield Beach (201 S. Military Tr., Deerfield Beach, FL 33442). Regular Shabbat services are open to everyone on Saturday mornings from 9 to 11:30 a.m.

By Gary Curreri

Vernon Shazier got an early Christmas present when he won a $20,000 car in a charity golf tournament.

Shazier, a 41-year-old Pompano Beach reverend, made a last-minute decision to play in the Rod Evans Memorial Golf Tournament, hosted by the Church by the Glades, and it paid off as he won a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze after getting a hole-in-one on the 170-yard, 12th hole at the Palm Aire Country Club’s Cypress Course.

“It was a last minute deal,” said Shazier, who used a 6-iron on the shot. “The guy (Pastor Anthony Burrell) I normally play with on Fridays, I called him on Thursday night to see which course we were playing because he normally makes the tee times. He said, ‘man, I am not going to be able to make it tomorrow, there is a tournament I am playing in.’”

Shazier was asked by Burell if he wanted to play with him in the tournament and, since it was for a church, Shazier agreed. Shazier is the chaplain for the Miami Dolphins and carries a 15 handicap. He will play once a week or once a month.

Shazier believes there might have been a little “divine intervention” during the tourney when it came to the shot.

“The whole thing was kind of comical with both of us being pastors,” Shazier said. “When we walked up to the 12th hole, he said he was going over to lay hands on the car and pray for this car. I said, ‘just leave that car alone and let’s try to make a birdie.’ I said ‘don’t even think about making a hole-in-one or winning a car.’ He was over there praying and clowning around with the car and I hit my shot. I wasn’t thinking about making no hole-in-one or winning the car. The ball took one bounce and went in the hole.”

Shazier said after Burrell hit his shot, they walked to the green and Shazier stopped short, wondering where the ball was. He eventually discovered it was, in fact, at the bottom of the cup. Shazier, who won a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze for his first ever ace, took delivery in late December of the $20,000 car.

“I know there was some divine intervention,” said Vernon, whose family owns a 2002 Ford Explorer and 2002 Chevy Avalanche. “That is a difficult shot to hit with a 6-iron. That ball is moving fast and it took one bounce and, for it to take one hop and dive directly in the hole … It was perfect. It was really kind of numbing. It was hard to focus after that.”

Shawn Shazier said she didn’t believe her husband at first when he called. Then she thought he would never call her during his round of golf.

“He was so excited and said, ‘I got a hole-in-one. I won a car,’” Shawn Shazier recalled. “I was like, ‘you are joking right?’ and he said, “no, I just hit a hole-in-one, I won a car. I’m gonna call you back. I’m gonna call you back.’”

“This is exciting because this is rare and for him to actually do it during a tournament setting,” Shawn added, “This is a blessing. We actually look at it as a blessing.”