January 29, 2015

Transcription

January 29, 2015

KEY NEWS
n IN CONCERT
10 IMPROMPTU CONCERTS
Commission to revisit former
Easter Seals site for homeless
BY PRU SOWERS
KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER
Despite a failed attempt last October
to move the Key West overnight homeless shelter into the former Easter Seals
building on College Road, some Key
West City Commissioners and City
Manager Jim Scholl plan to bring
the idea back.
Commissioners deadlocked 3-3
on Oct. 7 on a resolution to move the
shelter, which houses a maximum of 140
people a night, to the former Easter Seals
building on College Road. e tie vote
effectively killed that proposal, which
was sponsored by Mayor Craig Cates
and supported by commissioners Teri
Johnston and Jimmy Weekley.
building. e court agreed that the city
had ignored its own permitting processes
when it opened KOTS at that site.
City Attorney Shawn Smith has been
urging commissioners to take action on
the relocation decision, pointing out that
the city has already missed one deadline
under the settlement with the Sunset
Marina association.
e next deadline requires the city
to have a finalized shelter development
plan in front of the Key West Planning
Board in February.
“Of all the potential properties, that
[former Easter Seals site] is the one that
has the best potential to provide the
level of service we need to continue
to do,” Scholl said on Jan. 21.
“We own the property. And because
Johnston said she has placed another
resolution on the upcoming Feb. 3 city
commission agenda to try to squeeze the
proposal through. At the Oct. 7 meeting,
Commissioner Mark Rossi was absent.
“After extensive debate and research,
it [former Easter Seals building] consistently comes up as the top property. We
have yet to find another location that’s
suitable,” she said, adding, “we have
to make a decision. It’s been two years.”
Johnston was referring to a lawsuit
the city lost to the owners of the Sunset
Marina homeowners association, which
successfully sued the city in 2011 over
its decision to put the Keys Overnight
Temporary Shelter/KOTS in its current
location on College Road next to the
Monroe County Sheriff’s Department
3
www.konklife.com • JANUARY 29 - FEBRUARY 04, 2015
of the provision, we have with the Key
West Land Authority, there are dollars
we can use. e Land Authority could
buy the property and we could reinvest
the money and use it for development
of the property,” Scholl said.
But convincing the commissioners
who voted against the proposal in
October to change their minds will likely
be difficult.
Commissioner Tony Yaniz, who
regularly complains about the level
of services the city and county provide
to the local homeless population,
emphatically said he would not change
his vote. He said there are other potential sites that could be better developed
into an overnight shelter, including a
| Continued on page 8
COMMISSION NEWS
january 29-february04,2015
Published Weekly
Vol. 5 No. 5
PUBLISHER & EDITOR
Guy deBoer
NEWS WRITERS
Mark Howell, John L. Guerra,
Pru Sowers, Sean Kinney, C.S. Gilbert
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Larry E. Blackburn, Ralph De Palma
DESIGN
Dawn deBoer, Julie Scorby
CONTRIBUTORS
Guy deBoer Key News
Mark Howell Howelings
Rick Boettger The Big Story
Louis Petrone Key West Lou
Kerry Shelby Key West Kitchen
Christina Oxenberg Local Observation
Albert L. Kelley Business Law 101
Ian Brockway Tropic Sprockets
C.S. Gilbert Culture Vulture
Ralph De Palma Soul of Key West
Harry Schroeder High Notes
Morgan Kidwell Kids’ Korner
JT Thompson Hot Dish
Diane Johnson In Review
Tim Weaver Bonehead Island
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konklifesandnes@gmail.com
Affordable housing
ideas get nay/yea
BY PRU SOWERS
to the amendment, so as not to “water down”
the proposal, Commissioners Tony Yaniz, Billy
Wardlow and Clayton Lopez joined Commissioner
Mark Rossi in rejecting the idea.
Johnston was clearly frustrated at the vote.
“is is indicative of us. We can’t even move
forward with 30 units of affordable housing
on this dais,” she complained.
But Wardlow and Yaniz wanted to designate
the former Easter Seals building on College Road
as a site for affordable housing. Lopez wanted to
include a portion of the planned Truman Waterfront Park for similar housing as well. Johnston
pointed out that a recent white paper report by
the city planning department estimated that the
city needs an estimated 3,000 units of affordable
housing to retain its workforce, which is having
difficulty staying in Key West because of soaring
housing costs.
“is is one location of a number we are going
to have to approve. Could we please just move
forward with 30 units,” she implored her
colleagues right before the vote.
Key West City Commissioners took one step
forward and one step back on the issue of affordable housing on Jan. 21 when they rejected a
proposed workforce housing development at
Poinciana Plaza but approved moving ahead with
increasing height and density limits for similar
developments in town.
Commissioner Teri Johnston had proposed
directing City Manager Jim Scholl to work with
the Key West Housing Authority to see if there is
enough land available at Poinciana Plaza to build
a 30-unit building for affordable and workforce
housing. Housing Authority Executive Director
Manuel Castillo confirmed to commissioners at
their meeting that there is enough room on the site
—which has also been designated as the location
for a new assisted living senior citizen housing
facility—for another building. But the measure
failed by a 2-4 vote because three commissioners
wanted Johnston to amend her resolution to
include at least three other potential locations
for affordable housing. When she did not agree
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4
COMMISSION NEWS
Commissoners join protest against
restricted commerical fishing
BY PRU SOWERS
Hoping to head off efforts to further restrict commercial and charter fishing activities, the Key West
Charter Boat Association has banded together with
the Key West Chamber of Commerce
to ask the city for help.
Richie Gomez, charter boat association president,
and Virginia Panico, chamber’s executive vice president, appeared before Key West City Commission
on Jan. 21 to protest efforts by federal government
to expand no-fishing areas in Florida Keys National
Marine Sanctuary. Gomez and Panico both said that
expanding the boundaries of the Keys Sanctuary,
along with its restricted commercial and recreational
fishing areas, will not help protect fish and coral
species and will, instead, hurt the local economy
which depends heavily on water sports
including fishing and diving.
Citing what he called “ever-increasing threat to
our livelihood,” Gomez said the charter boat association wants no additional zone closures within the
sanctuary until more research proves charter fishing
boats are hurting local fish species by over-fishing.
“Most fishermen are law abiding citizens with
deep respect for the ocean. e sanctuary and fisherman are on the same page, yet we feel very alienated
and ignored,” Gomez said. “It’s not just the fisheries.
Eventually it will be the city that is affected.”
Florida Keys Sanctuary is one of 14 marine-protected areas that are part of National Marine Sanctuary System operated by the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Association/NOAA. e Florida Keys
sanctuary covers 2,900 square nautical miles starting
in waters south of Miami and extending west to the
Dry Tortugas. Currently, about five square nautical
miles in the sanctuary separated into 18 areas are
designated as special coral and fish protection sites.
CITY BRIEFS
Old City Hall
demolition
the demolition.
e city expects contractors to break
ground Feb. 5 on the new city hall located
in the former Glynn Archer Elementary
School on White Street. e project will
cost $15 million, completed March 2016.n
BY PRU SOWERS
Consultants rejected
Although delays in the actual start date,
contractors have begun to demolish the old
Key West City Hall on Angela Street.
Crews began tearing down the 55-year
old building on ursday, Jan. 22, and
expect to be finished in about three weeks.
e building has been vacant since 2010
when the city administrative offices moved
to Habana Plaza on Flagler Avenue. Commissioners agreed to move out of the building after structural deficiencies and mold
became too advanced to repair.
e contractor, Charley Toppino &
Sons, will demolish the 19,000-square-foot
building in pieces, removing the debris as
they go instead of razing the entire building and then removing the rubble. is
process should reduce the dust caused by
Key West taxpayers who complain about
the use of expensive consultants by city officials had something to cheer about Jan.
21 when city commissioners agreed to use
in-house staff on a project instead of hiring
outside help. Jim Young, Director of Code
Compliance, and Peg Corbett, Americans
with Disabilities Act/ADA Coordinator,
recommended to commissioners that they
reject all bids from consultants to help update the city disability transition plan “due
to [the] city now having qualified staff that
can continue creating and implementing
the transition plan beginning January
2015.”
Seven contractors had bid on the
project, and top three rated consultants
5
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Bad precedents, political thumbs
BY ROGER KOSTMAYER | KEY WEST
to appease right wing radicals by having
Israle’s Prime Minister come to the
United States (without coordinating the
trip with the Administration) to lobby
the Congress to oppose the President,
the international coalition and those
negotiating with Iran.
In effect, each is saying: “Look, I’m
tough, and I just stuck my thumb in the
eye of the President of the United
States, which is what you want.”
And it is definitely unhelpful to
those trying hard to resolve the Iran
conflict.
is isn’t Netanyahu’s first use of this
ploy. He not so subtly tried to influence
the last Presidential election by helping
candidate Romney and, when the Vice
President of the United States and
staunch supporter of Israel, Joe Biden,
flew to Israel for meetings about issues
like problematic new settlements, he
was welcomed with a surprise
announcement by Netanyahu of new
settlements in Palestinian territory.
For Boehner and the Tea Party, this
attempt at insult was all about the
Historically, the Speaker of the House
of Representatives followed the unwritten law that partisan politics ends “at
the water’s edge.” is meant foreign
policy and international issues required
public unity and Presidential support
to protect national interests.
Similarly, American and foreign presidents and prime ministers, especially
close allies, follow courtesy protocols
where they don’t visit each other’s country without clearing it with its government and always avoid meddling in
each others’ domestic political squabbles.
Most citizens, and most definitely
Americans, resent, reject and are suspicious of foreign lobbyists. at’s why it’s
both surprising and regrettable that two
recent and unprecedented violations of
these civil norms were committed by
Speaker Boehner and Prime Minister
Netanyahu of Israel, is who facing an
election.
In both cases, it was an attempt
n Last Stand $60,000 donation from Beachside
n CITY NEWS
12 LAST STAND ANNUAL MEETING, JAN. 30: SEA LEVEL RISE IMPACTS
7
KEY WEST LOU
COMMENTARY
eodore Roosevelt
the phrase maker
COMMISSION
| Continued from page 3
BY LOUIS PETRONE
KONK LIFE COLUMNIST
Roosevelt was asked in 1912 if he
was going to run for the Presidency
again. He said, “My hat is in the ring.”
walk back in history . . . .
e phrase actually originated in the
eodore Roosevelt.
Old West. Roosevelt was familiar with it
Unquestionably a great President! He
and made it popular. In the West of old,
also had a way with words. Gems. Some if a boxer was ready to take on all chalthat he uttered have stayed with us over
lengers, he would toss his hat into the
the years. A phrase maker he was!
boxing ring.
Roosevelt was the first to call the
Last but not least is a Roosevelt gem
White House a “bully pulpit.”
that was born in 1907. RooRoosevelt recognized the
sevelt was at the Hermitage
great stage that was the
visiting the Tennessee home
White House. How it could
of Andrew Johnson. He was
be used to make a President’s
served coffee. He drank it
views known worldwide.
down and exclaimed, “Good
Roosevelt was confronted
to the last drop!”
with an uncontrolled corpoe coffee was a local
rate America. Perhaps as we
brew. It came from one of
face today. He went after
Nashville’s leading hotels.
corporate America and forced
e Maxwell House.
it to get in line. He referred to
Within a decade of
LOU
his way of going after the corRoosevelt’s
exclamation,
PETRONE
porations as “ . . . speak softly
the
Maxwell
House used his
COLUMNIST
and carry a big stick.” He did!
words to turn its coffee into a
Political lunacy existed
national brand. To this day.
in Roosevelt’s day, also. e extremists
“Good to the last drop!”
in each political party. He referred to
I hope you have enjoyed this walk
them as the “ . . . . lunatic fringe.”
down history lane. n
city-owned parcel on Rockland Key.
“Frankly, where I think we’re
missing the boat is we haven’t fully
vetted every site. We’ve gotten no
help from the county. I don’t think
we’ve looked at every possible option
that’s out there.”
Johnston said that the commissioners who voted against using the
Easter Seals property were representing residents in their individual districts and that if they looked at
what’s best for the city as a whole,
the new College Road site is the
most advantageous. n
A
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
But the next proposal won a
unanimous vote, directing the city
manager to investigate and present
options to commissioners to increase
affordable and workforce housing
units by changing current law
restricting building height and
the number of units that can be built
on a parcel.
Commissioner Rossi said that the
8
area of 14th Street and Northside
Drive in his district would be a
prime location for buildings higher
than the current allowable
30 feet.
And Yaniz repeated his mantra
of, “If we can’t go out, we have
to go up.”
“We’re not talking about the
historic district. No one is talking
about 20 stories. We’re talking six
stories, five stories,” he said. “is
is a broad shot. What’s out there?
What can we do? We have to look
at all the facets of it.”
“We’ve got to move forward.
ere are certain areas in the
community that can take additional
height,” Johnston said.
But Mark Songer, of the local
environmental group Last Stand,
urged commissioners to utilize all
resources available before making
permanent changes in height and
density ordinances.
He recommended including
local bar and restaurant owners in
the debate, since it is their workers
who need the affordable housing.
He also asked commissioners to
create new tax or other incentives
to encourage builders to develop
workforce housing projects.
Commissioner Wardlow agreed,
saying there were multiple municipal
buildings, such as the police station,
that could create housing units
above the workspace.n
THE BIG STORY
COMMENTARY
‘I want people to have a good time’
BY RICK BOETTGER
KONK LIFE COLUMNIST
world go round, but maybe we’re not
communicating, I’m taking it on the
chin—maybe the love goes away.”
took Kim Gordon out to lunch
My boss and active patron of the
to debrief her about her sold-out
Key West Music scene, Louise Ferris,
tour-de-force show at the Red Barn this
said she and her friends loved hearing
month. It blew me away. I wanted to
these familiar songs they first heard as
figure out what she did, and how she
kids.
did it. I could never be that good, but
Kim said, “I chose songs that have
anything I learned would help me—
carried over to the current day. Check
and maybe anyone else reading this,
YouTube to see who is performing
on an island of show-offs, I mean
them—people like Mandy Potemkin.
performers.
e gal needing the air conditioner
“e main thing is, I want
more than a big wallet or big
people to have a good time,”
anything else, was a modern
she said while we were
development in the ‘80’s.”
waiting for our Wagyu beef
Lou also loved seeing a
burgers. As I wrote last week,
whole performance “that
the entire 22-song program
didn’t make the F-word the
was love songs, which
main theme.”
inspired me to throw the love
Yes, a lot of local theatre
of my life the grand birthday
does use New York theatre
party she deserved. Cynthia
language, and Kim avoided
was with us for lunch, willing
any of that. But she did get
to endure the tech-talk
humorously risqué a few
RICK
of singers because she really
times.
BOETTGER
likes Kim, too.
When the air conditioner
COLUMNIST
“I wanted to tell the whole
song led to the inevitable
story. Of infatuation, I’d like
“I don’t care how big your …”
to know that person, taking
she did a movement with her hips that
you through the beginning. en in
was both vividly clear and a nice dance
Act Two, you find you maybe made
move. She also credited the store that dothe wrong choice. Yes, love makes the
nated a stage setting as “Nipples and
Bits,” which is what her software printed
out when she was
dictating. It took me an embarrassing
minute to stop thinking about, well,
hers.
What is discouraging about what I
learned is how much time Kim spent
learning her dramatic skills, which were
as vivid and professional on stage as her
perfect pitch, at a very early age.
“I started drama classes at age four
in Miami.”
I couldn’t get local 16-year-old diva
Liza Catana such teaching here. Sigh.
Hard to catch up with that.
Kim is a local gem, and I cherish her
contributions to causes I, too, support.
She passed up a very likely New York
performance career—her male acting
and singing partner from Kim’s teens is
still performing nationally—for an early
marriage.
She came out of that to forge a very
successful career as the national
spokesperson—on television, radio and
in print—for Fortune 50 companies
reaching out to small businesses as the
author of four books, a national
columnist with 15 million readers, and
expert on small business success.
Now she brings those skills to local
nonprofits. She helps them raise money,
for example, in part by, as here, donating
I
9
the net receipts from this show
to renovating the Woman’s Club’s
mansion.
Meanwhile, she is having a ball. As
we all were again, talking shop over a
gourmet lunch on another beautiful day
in Key West. e Big Story is that
Eimers and torture exist, but so does love
and music, and I work hard never to forget both. n
FESTIVAL
Food and wine fest
through Feb.1
Creative cuisine, premium wines and
events during sixth annual Key West
Food and Wine Festival through Feb.
1 showcase local chef culinary flair
and ingredients, libations and Florida
Keys experiences.
Events: Central Coast Wine & Food
Experience at Hyatt Key West Resort
& Spa for winemaker brunch, sunset
wine tastings, tasting seminar and
wine dinner; also organic chocolatemaking, kitchen tours, shrimp boil at
Stock Island shrimp docks,
food/wine seminars, barrel tasting, a
“green” market. n
INFO keywestfoodandwinefestival.com
MARK THE
CALENDAR!
Quartet returns
n Feb. 1 concert
“We loved playing for you all last year.
It was a very special event.”
Fred Lifsitz, violin player with the
San Francisco-based Alexander String
Quartet, described the ensemble’s Impromptu Classical Concert experience in
February 2014 at San Carlos Institute.
e Quartet, well-known for mastery
of Beethoven’s works, returns to perform
an all-Beethoven program (String Quartet No. 3 in D major, Op. 18, No. 3;
String Quartet No. 12 in E-flat major;
String Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp
minor, Op. 131) at St. Paul’s Church
4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 1.
eir performance is a replacement
for the 2015 series first concert scheduled on Jan. 4 cancelled due to illness.
Instrumentalists Zakarias Grafilo, violin; Fred Lifsitz, violin; Paul Yarbrough, viola; Sandy Wilson, cello
formed in New York City 1981. e
Alexander String Quartet captured
international attention as the first
American quartet to win the London
COMMERICAL FISHING PROTEST
e Key West Chamber of Commerce recently passed a resolution challenging NOAA’s right to extend the
sanctuary boundaries, stating all fishery
management should be “initiated, considered and passed” only through the
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission and Gulf of Mexico and
South Atlantic Fishery Management
Councils, keeping control of the sanctuary in local and regional hands. e
sanctuary itself is not authorized by
Congress to manage local fisheries, she
said.
“Regional and commercial fishermen
bring billions of dollars to the state
of Florida and provide 75,000 jobs,”
Panico told the commission at its Jan.
21 meeting. “ink about it, if you can’t
get fresh fish at restaurants.”
Commissioners agreed, directing
City Attorney Shawn Smith to draw up
International String Quartet
Competition in 1985.
e quartet appeared at Lincoln
Center and Metropolitan Museum,
Jordan Hall, the Library of Congress
and Dumbarton Oaks.
Recent overseas tours: England, the
Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Italy,
Germany, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland,
France, Greece, the Republic of Georgia,
Argentina, Panamá and the Philippines.
ey debut in Poland in performances
at Beethoven Easter Festival.
In Vienna, a young Beethoven worked on the six quartets of his Op. 18 for
two years before completing in 1800s.
e Quartet in D major was Beethoven’s
only string quartet in D major, a key he
rarely used in his mature works. Begun
1825, the quartet in C-sharp minor was
completed 1826, Beethoven deaf for a
decade—seven continuous movements
and Beethoven’s favorite.
Concert tickets $20 at the door one
hour before the performance, by calling
(305) 745.2283 or online. $100 season
subscription of six concerts can be used
for all concerts or multiple guests at one
or more concerts. All students free. n
INFO Keystix.com
classicalconcertskw.com
a resolution supporting commercial
fishing and charter boat operations,
which Panico said she will hand
deliver to Gov. Rick Scott.
“I want to support the fishermen. We
have to open it up a bit. It’s hard to
catch fish off the sea wall,” Commissioner Billy Wardlow said.
Both Commissioners Mark Rossi and
Tony Yaniz also said they would sponsor
the resolution.
But Mark Songer of Last Stand, a
local environmental protection group,
suggested there may be a middle
ground. He pointed out the ecological
protection zones within the sanctuary
have been successful, resulting in reports
of an increase in spawning of threatened
species like hogfish in the no-fishing
areas. He urged commissioners to look
at all the science and research before
objecting to an expansion of fish
and coral reef protection areas.
“e end results support the fishing
capital of the world,” Songer said. n
10
THE BIG STORY
FOOD•COOKING
Guinness—it’s not just for drinking
Beef and Guinness Pie
BY KERRY SHELBY
KONK LIFE COLUMNIST
t seems that quite a lot of Guinness
Extra Stout, that unrivaled Irish brew,
has been showing up in (and disappearing from) my refrigerator lately.
I got the bug on a recent trip to
Dublin where, thanks to some good
friends, I was treated to the deluxe tour
of the Guinness facilities, including a
private tasting and pouring lesson—take
a tulip-shaped pint glass, pour at a
45-degree angle until the glass is three
quarters full, let the pour settle, then fill
by pouring into the center until the head
extends just above the rim. (It’s harder
than you think!)
I
We enjoyed many a pint while in
Ireland, and we still craved it when we
returned. I made it back with a few
recipes published by the brewery—I
must try to make that Guinness
chocolate mousse someday!—one
of which was for a meat pie using
Guinness as the braising liquid for the
meat. I revved it up a bit by adding
Shiitake mushrooms and a puff
pastry top.
I like to serve these pies in individual
ovenproof pots that they cook in, but
you can cook it as one pie and spoon
into bowls if you wish. If possible, make
the stew the day before you plan to finish
and serve the pies.
11
Heat the oven to 375 degrees and
take a package of frozen puff pastry
sheets out of the freezer.
Chop 2 medium red onions, 1 carrot,
1 parsnip, 2 celery ribs and 10 coarsely
chopped Shiitake mushroom caps. Peel
4 garlic cloves. Cut 3 pounds of flank,
brisket or round steak into bite-sized
pieces and season with salt and pepper.
Kerry Shelby is a food enthusiast, cook,
forager, adventurer and a hungry consumer
of life. He is creative director and host of
Kerry Shelby’s Key West Kitchen, a food and
lifestyle brand appearing at kwkitchen.com
and on the Key West Kitchen channel on
Youtube.
KEY BUSINESS
KEY WEST
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
COMMUNITY
BRIEFS
President’s independent actions
regarding immigration. Both Boehner
and Netanyahu are consumed with
keeping their powerful positions, and
less concerned about setting dangerous
precedents that harm their country.
• Roger Kostmayer
Happy Martin Luther
King Day
BY ALEX SYMINGTON | KEY WEST
Happy Martin Luther King Day!
e biggest grossing film of all time
over the MLK, four-day weekend was
“American Sniper” grossing $105.3 million, beating out the previous title
holder, “Avatar.”
Almost 50 years after MLK was murdered, our heroes have morphed from
MLK to Chris Kyle and Hollywood is no
longer making “Platoons” and “Full
Metal Jackets” but “Lone
Survivors” and “American Snipers.”
Seth Rogen drew a parallel between
the American sniper, Kyle, and the hero
worship of the Nazi sniper in “Inglorious
Basterds.” Seth went on to clarify that he
liked the movie, but it did remind him
of the sniper in Quentin Tarantino’s film,
ironically and completely missing his
own point! I guess this is the curse of living long enough to witness the slow descent into mindless adoration and blind
faith in all things authoritarian.
My father and his contemporaries
fought this mindless blind faith in Europe and Asia from 1940 to 1945. ey
returned home heroes and beneficiaries
of the democracy they preserved from
those hell bent on subjugation and
tyranny by military rule.
Are the moviegoers simply unaware
the “entertainment” they paid for is reinforcing an empire expanding, unsustainable government policy backed by our
corporate congress to the delight of big
finance, big oil and weapons contractors?
A couple of decades ago this would
have sounded like some loony conspiracy
theory, but sadly it is our new reality. I
bore myself repeating the obvious. Last
one out, turn off the lights and tell that
fat lady to stop singing—nobody is listening. n
Sea level rise
impact
Public is invited
Last Stand’s features forum on sustainability
and climate initiatives for Lower Keys, emphasizing impacts of sea-level rise. e event is 6:30
p.m. Friday, Jan, 30, at the Florida Keys EcoDiscovery Center, foot of Southard Street.
Learn which Lower Keys areas affected by
sea-level rise and about natural coastal defenses
to help mitigate shoreline erosion and strategies
used in other countries to prepare for sea-level
rise, illustrating options for local adaptation.
Forum’s team of experts on aspects of sea-level
rise includes Jason M. Evans, Ph.D., Assistant
Professor of Environmental Science at Stetson
University; Erin L. Deady, attorney, lecturer and
author; Chris Bergh, South Florida Conservation
director for e Nature Conservancy; Rhonda
Haag, Monroe County’s Sustainability director.
Check in 6:15 p.m. with short business
meeting at 6:30 p.m.
Mark Rosch of Monroe County Land Authority will be recognized as Outstanding Public Official of 2014 for his role in acquiring and
protecting lands for public use and conservation.
Last Stand members will elect three directors and
hear about 2014 activities.
Forum discussion of sustainability and climate initiatives for Lower Keys will begin 7 p.m.
followed by question-and-answer session. At the
conclusion of the forum, all invited to adjourn
to an informal social setting.
INFO (305) 395-8933
Free car seat checks
With the amended car seat law for Florida,
child safety seat awareness is high right now.
Certified Car Seat Technicians can help ask and
answer questions with appointments available in
Key West, Marathon or Tavernier—individual
appointments in Key West at the Gato Building
on Wednesdays; Marathon on Wednesday, Feb.
18; Tavernier on Wednesdays, Jan. 28 and March
11. If child’s seat is determined to be unsafe or
recalled, new car seats available, $25 donation. n
INFO
KeysHealthyStart.org, (305) 293-8424
12
SHORTANSWERS
BY J E F F J O H N S O N n P A U L A F O R M A N
My own space, please
Wait this out
Dear Short Answers: When you sit
next to a complete stranger and they
start telling you their problems—some
of which are pretty serious and sad —
how to get them to stop without being
rude? Jean
Dear Jean: Feel free to interrupt the
saga and tell your seatmate that you are
sorry for their troubles but you can’t
help and need some space.
Dear Short Answers: My son was
caught smoking at school and was suspended for a week. First of all, getting
suspended is one of the stupidest punishments ever, but that’s not my question. He was smoking with a friend of
his who didn’t happen to get caught.
Would it be helpful if I told his friend’s
parents about this? Or is this none of
my business and I should just let them
find out when their son is the one who
gets caught? Doesn’t Seem Fair
Dear Fair: Fair or not, your kid is the
one who got caught. Hers didn’t . . . at
least not yet. Bide your time.
For good measure
Dear Short Answers: I’ve had many
bouts with skin cancer over the years
and fortunately I’ve caught everything
in time. Last week, I noticed that a coworker has developed a nasty mole on
the side of his neck that looks very
much like cancer to me. I mentioned it
to him and he waved it off. I even gave
him the name of my dermatologist but I
doubt that he made an appointment.
Do I keep saying something? Or have I
done all that I can do? I know what denial looks like and I worry about him.
Not a Dermatologist
Dear Not: You get to say it one more
time . . . after that, you’re a crank.
Addicts and the people
who love them
Dear Short Answers: I have a really
close friend who is dating a drug addict.
In fact, they are living together. My
friend keeps asking me what to do, and
I try not to give advice because I don’t
want to get into the middle of their very
bad relationship. At least it seems pretty
bad to me. Should I support my friend
and help him dump his drug addict
Drop the gun
Dear Short Answers: I’ve been dating a girl for about six months, and we
both really like each other (I think). e
problem is my friends think she is much
too pretty for me and is just pretending
to like me as a joke and that one day she
will dump me and laugh. I don’t want to
believe that this might be true, but how
do I find out for sure? If this is just a
joke to her, then how can I ever trust a
girl again. Should I dump her first?
Nervous
Dear N: We think you should dump
your friends, keep the girl.
PAULA FORMAN &
JEFF JOHNSON
SHORTANSWERS SHORTANSWERS
Life is complicated. “Short Answersisnt. Send a question about whatever is bothering you
to KonkLife@shortanswers.net or go to www.shortanswers.net and a psychologist
and sociologist will answer. A selection of the best questions appear in Konk Life.
13
COMMUNITY
BRIEFS
AIDS Help receives from e SMART Ride
AIDS Help Executive Director Scott Pridgen announced e SMART Ride (TSR) 11, mid-November’s
165-mile biking journey from Miami to Key West,
brought a total of $133,509.42 to the agency.
e check distribution party, involving seven Florida
Agencies, was held in Fort Lauderdale on Jan. 10,
emceed by TSR founder Glen Weinzimer.
e afternoon represented the culmination of a
year-long effort to promote AIDS Help as a beneficiary
and to herald the achievements of the Lower Keys’
cycling team, e AIDS Helpers, captained by David
Meadors, local massage therapist.
Preceding the two-day ride came local organizational
meetings for riders and volunteers, fundraisers and
meet-and-greets within the community. One example:
Saturday BINGO at Poinciana Royale, the 50-unit
housing community that former SMART Ride funds
helped underwrite, raised nearly $4,100 toward the
team’s financial goals. e 10th anniversary of e
SMART Ride yielded $130,370.47 for the agency.
e SMART Ride began November 1993 with 200
riders and crew. Since that inception, $6.5 million has
been raised and returned to Florida organizations with
HIV/AIDS clients—the only one of its size to give back
100 percent.
AIDS Help has a long history with e SMART
Ride. As Florida’s oldest operating HIV/AIDS service
organization, AIDS Help participated when it was
CITY BRIEFS
submitted bids from $124, 995 to
$746,200. ADA requires public entities
with 50 or more employees create a transition plan that identifies physical obstacles that limit the ability of the disabled
to access municipal programs, services or
activities. Key West adopted a transition
plan in 2004, then revised it in 2004, to
Taste of Key West 2015
known as BIKE It & B.E.A.R. It for AIDS, e
Southernmost AIDS Ride 2 and subsequent
SMART Rides 3-11. e fruits borne by this
effort are palpable: with some of this money,
AIDS Help completed Poinciana Royale.
“It’s not just about gathering a group of
people to generate $1,150,000 this year for
direct services to the HIV/AIDS Community,”
Pridgen said. “It’s about community outreach and
opportunities to educate.”
Pridgen, who himself rode as Rider No. 293 but
became better-known as Pedals, couldn’t help but add,
“but depositing that check was pretty sweet.”
INFO
www.aidshelpcc
comply with ADA requirements.
January 2014, city officials said there
was a need for a more comprehensive
transition plan and former City Manager
Bob Vitas directed staff to solicit consultant bids for the project, which included
looking at all city owned and leased
buildings, parks, programs and services.
e plan created by city staff will include information that will allow officials
to schedule and budget
for any projects required to meet ADA
compliance. n
JOHNSON & FORMAN
boyfriend? Or should I stay out of it and
let them figure it out for themselves?
Concerned
Dear C: Your friend is half owner of
To commemorate its second decade, Taste of Key
West invites community restaurateurs—if they
haven’t!— to participate and offers heartfelt thanks to
those who annually commit.
“Staging Taste of Key West would be unthinkable
without our corps of volunteers . . . but it would be
impossible without the restaurants, cafes, bakeries and
food shops who form the horseshoe of palate pleasers at
Truman Waterfront,” says Jeremy Wilkerson, Director
of Community Affairs for AIDS Help, the agency that
benefits from the evening.
“Every fork lifted, every plate cleared, is due to
the generosity of donating food service owners and managers on this island,” adds Scott
Pridgen, executive director. “For 20 years,
we’ve been astounded by the people who
help make this evening so gratifying, from
free trolley shuttles the winery pours. And the
gulf and ocean views sure doesn’t hurt.”
Providing local favorites and menu innovations begins with a call to Wilkerson. He’ll explain advance
timeline, how the day works and how the agency assists
to ensure and direct a seamless flow of patrons.
To inquire about featuring your restaurant at 20th
Taste Of Key West, call Wilkerson, (305) 440-2300. n
this relationship. He got in it for reasons
you may not understand, and he will
have to find his way out—if he wants.
Just fine
Dear Short Answers: If you accidentally show up an hour early for a party,
what’s the right thing to do? Help the
host to get things set up? Walk around
the block for an hour? Help yourself to a
drink and try to stay out of the way? Just
Happened
Dear Just: Any and all of the above
sound swell to us.
Minding his business
Dear Short Answers: I am really worried about my brother who has started to
show up at family affairs with gorgeous,
much younger girls who I think are paid
escorts. (My brother’s 20-year marriage
14
recently ended very badly.) I am worried
because these girls are in it just for the
money, I’m sure, and I think sex with a
callgirl is very risky. Plus he is embarrassing himself because everybody in the
family is talking about this behind his
back. How do I get him to stop?
Concerned Sib
Dear CS: e thing about paid
escorts is they don’t just show up. Your
bro is making an active choice to employ
them, and it is his choice. Tell him you
would like to understand his decision
before you tell him your concerns. n
Life is complicated. “Short Answersisnt. Send a
question about whatever is bothering you to
KonkLife@shortanswers.net or go to
www.shortanswers.net and a psychologist and
sociologist will answer. A selection of the best
questions appear in Konk Life
THE
HOWELINGS
Did you know?
BY MARK HOWELL
officer Bas Lansdorp of the Netherlands
has no intention of taking the trip himKONK LIFE COLUMNIST
self. “I have a really nice girlfriend, and
she doesn’t want to come with me,” he
id you know the American
says, “so I’m staying right here.”
poet Allen Ginsberg,
In a decade’s time, the four citizen
while attending a literary conference
astronauts will cram themselves shoulin Havana Union in January 1965
der-to-shoulder in a tiny capsule with
sponsored by the Cuban Writers,
no shower or restroom for the sevenannounced that Fidel Castro’s brother
month ride to the red planet with no
Raul Castro was gay?
hope of ever coming home, since no
Of course you know that President
existing technology can do so. e
Harry Truman, founder of Little White
purpose of the trip is to colonize Mars.
House, started out as a bank clerk and
e travelers’ lives will be difficult
bookkeeper before opening his men’s
and inevitably include performing
haberdashery store in Kansas City
surgical procedures on each other.
with a friend.
Medical consultation with Earth,
But did you know that President
calculates reporter John Steward, “will
Grover Cleveland, the 22nd President,
take a painful 20 minutes each way,
was actually a hangman by virtue
40 minutes from question to answer.
of serving as sheriff of New York’s Erie
All aspects of their existence will be
County and carrying out hangings
stressful or debilitating.”
personally to save himself the $10
Did you know that the two planned
executioner fee.
Marx Brothers’ movies that never saw
And did you realize that, according
the light of day were “Giraffes on
to Greenpeace, there are 92 known cases
Horseback Salads” written by surrealist
of nuclear bombs lost at sea to date?
artist Salvador Dali and planned to feaDid you also know that when NATO
ture Harpo catching dwarves
bombs started raining down
in a butterfly net until nixed
on Belgrade during the siege
by MGM head Louis B.
of Sarajevo in 1999, most
Mayer. “A Day at the United
of the pregnant animals
Nations” would have been diin the city's zoo aborted
rected by Billy Wilder in
their young or delivered
1960 when all brothers were
prematurely?
in their 70s. Production was
Did you know that Dan
delayed by Harpo’s heart atBrown, author of “e Da
tack that year and halted by
Vinci Code,” started out
MARK
Chico’s death a year later.
as a singer/songwriter and
HOWELL
And finally, did you know
released two CDs in the early
COLUMNIST
that our Quote of the Week:
1990s?
“e cause of freedom is not
Did you realize that Graham
the cause of a race or a sect, a party or a
Chapman of “Monty Python”
class, it is the cause of humankind, the
once studied at the London School
very birthright of humanity.”—by Anna
of Medicine and Dentistry?
Julia Cooper, born into enslavement in
Did you realize that the four citizen
Raleigh, N.C., in 1858, became one of
astronauts due to journey aboard Mars
the most prominent African-American
One to planet Mars in 2025 have no
scholars in U.S. history with a Ph.D.
intention (nor the ability) to return?
in history from the Sorbonne in Paris.
CNN has labeled the one-way trip a
She died in Washington, D.C., in 1964
“suicide mission” and reports that Mars
at the age of 105. n
One co-founder and chief executive
D
15
LITERATURE
BOOK REVIEW
‘Fail’
SPECIAL TO KONK LIFE
hen I attended the
2014 Key West
Literary Seminar on “e Dark Side,”
I learned some things about writers
of crime fiction. ey know how to
do plots, and they are good at endings.
Also, they aren’t gloomy as people—
far from it. ey seem rather cheerful.
Perhaps it’s because they know that
what they are doing succeeds.
Rick Skwiot’s crime novel, “Fail,” set
in St. Louis, Mo., falls squarely into the
genre, with its mean streets, its corrupt
bosses and its flawed, only-too-human
detective. But he’s hit several very contemporary nails on the head, too. e
victim here is not a corpse—although
one washes up in the great Mississippi—
but a system of education that lets down
inner city kids and sends them, most of
them African-Americans, out into the
wide world unarmed, at least
by learning.
His likeable cop, a demoted lieutenant who has made some mistakes
in his past, is Carlo Gabriel—black,
divorced, not entirely cynical, a lapsed
but not totally lapsed Catholic, a snappy
dresser with an eye for women and a
taste for bourbon.
(Do demoted cops in St. Louis earn
salaries that allow for cashmere overcoats and Ferragamo loafers,
I wondered?)
He’s set here between a corrupt
mayor with Mob connections and an
idealistic white college professor who
has lost his job and his wife and may
be heading for the morgue on account
of what he knows.
Gabriel walks an uneasy line between
the two, but helped by a Jesuit priest,
Saint Anthony, patron of lost people
and things, the ghost of Mark Twain
and some fairly smart women, comes
out on the right side even if he hasn’t
changed the system.
Stone, the professor, hasn’t changed
W
the system either—but who knows,
things may improve incrementally—
and he has become a little less squeakyclean and wide-eyed in the process of
staying alive.
Skwiot has a good ear for dialogue
and an appropriately noir sense of
humor, and the action cracks along
at a satisfying rate.
“Fail” with its literary allusions,
hints of Catholic morality as well as
Machiavellian game-playing, its sense
of place—Skwiot grew up in St. Louis,
and the action takes place not far from
Ferguson, a place we have all, unfortunately, heard of by now—was a
page-turner even for this non-reader
of detective fiction.
What we look for on the page,
whatever the genre, is surely
intelligence. is short novel has it
in quantities.
Rick Skwiot has found his niche
in among the best of American crime
writers. n
ABOUT RICK SKWIOT
Rick Skwiot is the author of four
novels and two nonfiction books. He also
works as a freelance and feature writer,
ghostwriter and editor. He has taught creative writing at Washington University in
St. Louis and served as the 2004 Distinguished Visiting Writer at the University of
Missouri-St. Louis. Co-founder and director of nonprofit Key West Writers Lab, he
lives in Key West.
16
WHAT‘S HAPPENING
Schooner Wharf Bar
The Rockin’ Jake Band
Schooner Wharf Bar
202 Williams St., 292-3302
n
Thursday 0129
Taylor & Clayton 7-11pm
Friday-Saturday 0130-31
Rocking’ Jake Band 7pm-midnight
Hailed by many as one of the premier
harmonica players in the country. His
original sound is a hybrid of second
line, swamp funk, blues and zydeco
with influences from Paul Butterfield,
Big Walter Horton, James Cotton, The
Meters,WAR, J. Geils Band, Clifton
Chenier, and the Fabulous Thunderbirds. As a touring juggernaut
schedules 200 performances per
year at clubs, concert venues and
festivals. Based out of New Orleans
since 1990, Rockin' Jake relocated
with Hurricane Katrina to St. Louis
and now lives in Southern Florida.
Originally from the East Coast, the
"blues bug" bit at an early age. He immersed himself in regional blues
scene, which boasted such talents as
Roomful of Blues, Ronnie Earl, Duke
Robillard and Sugar Ray. Primarily
self-taught, briefly studied with Jerry
Portnoy, harmonica player for Muddy
Waters. In 1990, when Jake moved to
New Orleans he began to work with
notable New Orleans mainstays as
blues diva Marva Wright, Mem Shannon, Coco Robicheaux, Little Freddie
King, Tommy Ridgley, Eddie Bo and
other local legends. Formed Rockin'
Jake Band in 1995 as an outlet for his
original music and swampy sounds.
n
Michael McCloud Noon-5pm
Magic of Frank Everhart 9pm-1am
Smokin’ Tuna Saloon
Schooner Wharf Bar
Michael McCloud
4 Charles St., (305) 517-6350
n
Thursday 0129
Ken Johnson/Andi Zack 5pm
Caffeine Carl & The Buzz 9pm
Friday-Saturday 0130-31
Ken Johnson/Andi Zack 5pm
Caffeine Carl and Friends 9pm
| Continued on 20
n Second race in Wrecker’s Cup Series, Feb. 22
Second race of the Wrecker’s Cup Race Series 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22.
Course is seven miles from Key West Harbor to Sand Key, re-enacting the
ancient wrecking tradition of Key West—a series of races to the reef.
Captains’ meetings on the upper deck of Schooner Wharf—7 p.m Saturday
before each race. Awards Ceremony & Party at 7 p.m. Sunday, race day.
Trophies and prizes earned by the top three vessels in seven classes—
schooner, multi-hull, classic, monohull 24 feet and under, monohull
25-30 feet, monohull 30-39 feet and monohull 40 and over.
2015 race dates: Feb. 22, March 29, April 26 n
18
Caffeine Carl & Friends onstage at Smokin’ Tuna
WHAT‘S HAPPENING
Hog’s Breath
The Coal Men
Hog’s Breath Saloon
400 Front St., (305) 296-4222
n
Thursday-Sunday 0129-0201
Ben Balmar 5:30-9:30pm
Austin’s Ben Balmer influenced by
Paul Butterfield, Fiona Apple, Elliot
Smith, Aretha
Franklin and Tom
Waits. Songs
cover a mix
of genres from
singer/songwriter
to soul to indie
rock. His blues
harmonica and
rootsy fingerpicking showcase the
Ben Balmar
most innate
human emotions: innocence of young
love, loneliness of travel and dark
sides of faith and addiction.
JW Jones Band
10pm-2am
Canada’s top touring blues band,
played in Canada, United States, Europe, Australia and Brazil and invited
on stage by Fabulous Thunderbirds,
Little Charlie and the Nightcats, Rod
Piazza and Herbert Sumlin.
Monday-Wednesday
0202-04
David Mead/Tommy Keenum
5:30-9:30pm
Hog’s Breath
The Coal Men
Nashville’s David Mead teams up with
Tommy Keenum to play the mid-shift.
Mead’s music featured in movies such
as “Boys & Girls,” “Restaurant” and
“The Sweetest Thing;” TV shows include “Ed,” “Men in Trees” and “Private Practice.” For the past decade,
Keenum has been a sought-after
sideman lending vocals, sax and percussion to a rock and pop acts including David Mead, Bobby Bare Jr., Sara
Beck and the greatest ’80s cover
band of all time, Guilty Pleasures.
The Coal Men 10pm-2am
Dave Coleman’s three-piece Nashville
smart-rock trio. CD, “Nowhere’s Too
Far,” an eclectic rock record that’s a
raucous as Saturday night in East
Nashville. New release, “Escalator.”
20
WHAT‘S HAPPENING
Everybody loves bass!
n Robert
Barton
Sunset Pier
Zero Duval St., (305) 296-7701
n
Thursday 0129
C.W. Colt 1-4pm
Rolando Rojas 5-7pm
Friday 0130
Rolando Rojas 1-4pm
Saturday 0131
The Doerfels 1pm
Happy Dog 4:30-7:30pm
Sunday 0201
Nina Newton Band 1pm
Robert Albury 5-7pm
Monday 0202
C.W. Colt 1-4pm
Robert Albury 5-7pm
Tuesday 0203
Tony Baltimore 1-4pm
Robert Albury 5-7pm
Wednesday 0204
Love Lane Gang 4:30-7:30pm
a.k.a Bubba Lownotes
‘Key West has a lot of work
for a musician—and no snow.’
BY RALPH DE PALMA
KONK LIFE COLUMNIST
obert Barton, known
as Bubba Lownotes,
is an associate member of the
Virginia Musicians Mafia here
in Key West. He was born in
Richmond, Va. His family later
moved to Greensboro and then
Charlotte, N.C. He played the
clarinet in grade school, then
later the tuba and finally in
high school, in 1975, he
started playing bass.
After graduating, he played
with Doug Clark and Hot Nuts
for two years, touring the college
circuit throughout the Southeast.
He then formed a duo called
Tranquility with his wife playing
beach music. Around 1983, they
started playing clubs in Marathon
and worked their way down to
Key West. ey settled here like
other musicians that had grown
weary of touring: “Key West
had a lot of work and no snow.”
e venues and the stages are
noticeably smaller in Key West.
Musicians have to fight for space
sometimes. One thing Bubba
noticed when he arrived in Key
West was there were virtually no
dressing rooms. When you take a
break, you’re out mingling with
the audience. ere is no place
R
| RALPH DE PALMA
An understated Bubba Lownotes
sonations for 20 years
Saturday 0131
Cabaret: Christopher Peterson
EYECONS, 9pm
Christopher Peterson is a master of
impersonations, and his comic timing
is impeccable. The show is All Live,
no lip-sync, and audiences will be
thrilled with his characterizations of
Joan Rivers, Better Midler and more.
Piano Bar: Debra and Patrick, 9pm
Sunday 0201
Cabaret: Randy Roberts LIVE! 9pm
Randy Roberts Show is an all live
tribute to some of the world’s most
loved performers—uncanny impersonations for 20 years
Monday 0202
Tea Dance, 4-7pm
Key West’s infamous Tea Dance—
music and dancing with resident DJs
Rude Girl and Molly Blue.
Big sound and hilarious antics
on stage, ultimate entertainer
Cabaret: Christopher Peterson
EYECONS, 9pm
Wednesday 0204
loved performers—uncanny impersonations for 20 years
McConnell’s Irish Pub
to hide.
Bubba plays with a lot of
groups in town. When he was
coming up and a band member,
“It was like a girlfriend. You didn’t
go play with another band.”
He says, “In Key West, it’s like
musical chairs, and when you let
someone get up and jam with you,
it’s like their auditioning for your
job.”
Bubba started playing and
singing with Keys Chorale, and he
was reading music again.
“It was like saying hello again
to an old friend.”
He enjoyed the music and liked
hanging with “grownups.” e
La Te Da
1125 Duval St., (305) 296-6706
n
Thursday 0129
Piano Bar:
Black & Skabuddah, 3-6pm
Acoustic duo originally from New York
City. Laura Black’s throaty vocals are
unmistakable; also plays guitar and
percussion. Repertoire mostly classic
rock and original music.
Friday 0130
Piano Bar: Debra and Patrick, 9pm
Jazz, blues and pop. They have
worked International club circuit from
New York and Miami to Italy and the
Middle East.
loved performers—uncanny imper-
MUSIC KEY WEST
22
n 900 Duval St., (949) 777-6616
Mondays
8-11pm — Eric from Philly
Tuesdays
8-11pm — Fiona Malloy
Wednesdays
8-11pm — Tom Taylor
Thursdays
7-9pm — Trivia Mania
9pm-1am — Chris Rehm/Open Mic
Fridays
8pm-Midnight — Love Lane Gang
Saturdays
9pm-1am — Eric from Philly
Sundays (Brunch) 11am-2pm
Rick Fusco/Oscar Deko/Kerri Dailey
9pm-2am — Industry Appreciation
Pinchers
n 712 Duval St., (305) 440-2179
Carl Hatley 1-5pm
Bobby Enloe 1-5pm
Carter Moore 7-11pm
COMMUNITY
Who are the 75-yearold Key West Players?
n An anniversary gala, Feb. 8
| CS GILBERT
Sunset from the deck of the Ingham, where the
75th anniversary birthday party will be held.
Happy 75th birthday to the Key West Players, born
Feb. 2, 1940, with seven core members. Don’t recognize
the name? Key West Players, a.k.a. the Waterfront Playhouse, is Florida’s oldest continuously operating professional theater and its celebrating this anniversary 5-8
p.m. Feb. 8 with a gala sunset party aboard the USCGC
Ingham at the Truman Waterfront.
CULTURE
VULTURE
Spectacular symphony,
breathtaking art
BY C.S. GILBERT
KONK LIFE COLUMNIST
lorious, glorious! Superlatives fail in the attempt to
describe the South Florida Symphony
Orchestra’s MasterWorks concert at
Tennessee Williams eater. “How
marvelous was the music?!?” enthused
Liz Young, executive director of the
Florida Keys Council of the Arts. “I
loved the whole program” which
consisted of favorites: Ravel’s Bolero,
Barber Piano Concerto, Mussorgsky’s
Pictures at an Exhibition.
Sometimes e Vulture feels, and
has said in print, that locally a standing
ovation is the obligatory Key West
farewell, earned or not. But there has
probably never before been the sustained, three-or-four-bows standing
ovation given Maestra Sebrina Maria
Alfonso and her musicians for their
G
“Longing” at Harrison Gallery
through Jan. 31. Scrolls by Bob
Schmitt often coupled with
sculpture/raku pottery by
Miles Frieden.
In the early days then-amateur troup performed in
venues including U.S.S. Gilmore and Harris School. In
1944, the Players converted the former carriage house
behind Key West Woman’s Club on Duval into a playhouse—the building acclaimed as Red Barn eatre.
It wasn’t until 1961 the Players moved into a lasting
home: an old warehouse adjacent to Mallory Square,
hence the name Waterfront Playhouse.
is year’s birthday celebration, Key West Players
joined USCGC Ingham Memorial Museum for a sunset
party aboard ship. Built1936, e Ingham was assigned
to patrol the Atlantic during WW II. Together they
bring 154 years of history and a birthday celebration
of historic proportions.
spectacular performance. “It’s amazing
that little Key West has such an excellent symphony,” commented my son,
Shad Neiss, when the applause finally
died down. “We’re so lucky.” Indeed.
SFSO concerts range from wonderful to out of this world, so we can assume their pops concerts will be tops as
well. e Grammy-nominated total
tribute group e WannaBeatles will
appear backed by the entire orchestra
7:30 p.m., Feb. 5, at TWT. (954) 5228445 for tickets. Show should sell out.
Turning back to fine arts and crafts,
there have been remarkable openings in
the past week; in addition to beloved
Michael Palmer’s at Gingerbread Square
there were new shows at Lucky Street
and Cocco and Salem, which richly deserve to be included in the pantheon
of local galleries as providing a new
show practically every week in season
(Gingerbread and Lucky Street).
Another classy fave is Harrison
Gallery, showing during Walk on
White on each third ursday. ere
is currently a truly stunning showing of
creations simply called scrolls by Bob
Schmitt, paired in some cases with raku
pottery by Miles Friedan, who led the
literary seminar for years. e artists
are “friends and collaborators for three
decades” and here they “dive within
to provide striking visual metaphors
for who the light gets in,” explained
Helen Harrison.
23
“Student and teacher of Chinese
brush painting, Schmit depicts nine
gates of a spiritual journey, transforming the aesthetic of traditional Chinese
scrolls into digital internal landscapes.
Frieden’s sculptures expose a multitude
of stories, usually embedded in
relationships . . . (and) bring delight,
beauty and healing.”
One of the scrolls was created as
theme art for this year’s seminar. All
are wonderful. Run, don’t walk, to
catch this show before it ends, Jan. 31;
afterword only a few selections will be
on view.
Another Walk on White favorite is
Stone Soup, where Will Fernandez
never fails to delight with the variety
of his ceramics. e Vulture just fell
in love with a manta ray!
You don’t have to be in the market
for fine art; just to gaze is sublime.
Nance Frank’s Gallery on Greene is yet
another very interesting gallery. Also
lovely: Letty Nowak’s Lemonade Stand
Gallery on Petronia St. showing
Vincent Pomilio through Jan. 30.
Key West’s art galleries, as well as
its music, are varied and excellent.
We are truly blessed.
e Vulture regrets being so timechallenged as to miss the grand opening
of Grace, said to be a gorgeous, artisan
boutique where Debra Butler Designs
was located. Stay posted.
at’s all for now. Gotta fly! n
MA R K T H A T C A L E N D A R !
n Terrence McNally, Jan. 30
Legendary playwright
hosts intimate event
Broadway and theater enthusiasts attend intimate
presentation by revered playwright Terrence McNally
during “An Evening with Terrence McNally,” 8 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 30, at Waterfront Playhouse, 312 Wall St.
Four-time Tony Award-winner McNally will speak
about his long and successful career in the theater, his
inspirations and theatrical colleagues. He will be
joined onstage by guest stars performing numbers
from musicals for which he has written the book.
Since beginning his career in 1964, McNally has
authored plays and musicals including “Ragtime” and
“Kiss of the Spider Woman.” His current Broadway
hit is the record-breaking “It’s Only a Play.”
ough McNally does much of his work in New
York City, he is no stranger. Key West has been a second home to him for nearly 20 years, and the Waterfront Playhouse has staged “e Full Monty” and
“Love! Valour! Compassion!”
Waterfront’s Jeff Johnson said McNally is hosting
his one-of-a-kind Key West presentation to support
live theater on the island. Following the main event,
guests invited to champagne and hors d’oeuvres in the
Key West Historic Memorial Sculpture Garden adjoining theater.
Tickets $75, proceeds benefit the Waterfront Playhouse, which celebrates its 75th anniversary season. n
INFO www.waterfrontplayhouse.org
(305) 294-5015
COMMUNITY
New summer programs abroad at e Experiment
Monroe County Top School
District for Studying Abroad
SPECIAL TO KONKLIFE
he Experiment in International Living is an 82-yearold nonprofit organization committed
to sending high school students on
transformative summer abroad programs. Last summer, nearly 500 students
(including 21 students from Monroe
County) traveled to 21 countries in
small, diverse groups to do community
service, experience homestays, explore
social and political issues and learn environmental sustainability overseas.
e Experiment introduces for 2015:
• Jordan: History, Politics, and Arabic
Language
• Vietnam: Ecology and Conservation
T
• Ireland: Irish Culture and Global Activism:
• Netherlands: Gender Equality and
Human Rights
• Experiment Leadership Institute programs in India (focus on Global Health)
or South Africa (focus on Peace, Politics
and Human Rights)
e Experiment offers early application discount of $750 for Monroe
County students who complete online
application by Monday, Feb. 2.
e Experiment’s admissions and
financial aid deadline for students is
March 5; admissions deadline for stu-
MA R K T H A T C A L E N D A R !
n P.S. Jan. 31
Rock’n’Roast is on!
Just a reminder to receptive ears and tummies
that the annual Rock’n’ Roast is 2-9 p.m. Saturday,
Jan. 31, on the grounds of e Basilica School, 700
Truman Ave.
Local bands and musicians are booked and Chef
John Correa of Cafe Sole and the new Bistro Sole is
dents not applying for financial aid,
April 15.
is past summer 2014, 21 students
from Monroe County High Schools
(Key West, Key West Collegiate,
Marathon, Coral Shores high schools)
participated in e Experiment in International Living’s cross cultural programs
within 14 different countries. Since
2006, 125 Monroe County students
have participated in e Experiment’s
cross cultural programs. Monroe County
sends more summer participants than
any other school district in the United
States.
warming up his crew for the pig roast with all the
trimmings. ere will also be chicken and vegetables.
Back again this year is what’s possibly the biggest
silent auction in Key West, boasting 300 items including goods, services and trips to Alaska and a Disney World family vacation.
Tickets $20 in advance at Cafe Sole, Kia Key West
or the school; $22 Saturday. Teens $12; ages 6-12,
$5; 5 and under free. VIP options also available.
All monies raised benefit e Basilica School
at St. Mary’s Star of the Sea. • C.S. Gilbert
INFO 305) 294-1031
24
All Monroe students left the United
States in small groups last June, joining
500 other U.S. and international high
school students in e Experiment’s
annual program of cultural orientation
via local immersion. International living
experiences involved three to five weeks
of language learning, individual homestays and community involvement in
20 different countries.
Students studied abroad in assigned
country, including Argentina, Brazil,
Mexico, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador,
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Morocco,
South Africa, Spain and ailand.
“I believe strongly in the effectiveness
of interactive learning,” Monroe County
Educational Foundation President John
Padget said. “Experiment programs
offer one of the best frameworks for
COMMUNITY
Beachy Fort Zach
BY JOHN HOBBINS
KONK LIFE COLUMINIST
eel
deep in rocks, schools of small, colorful
fish, two medium-size barracudas who
join me for some of the way and, on one
day, a manatee (triggering a cardiac stress
test). is is in spite of the baseline silt
stirred up by the propellers of the behemoth cruise ships that churn past, seemingly a few yards away. Regarding the
water temperature, we are extremely
lucky to have readings generally well
above 70 degrees, and the temps rarely
fall below 66 degrees on wetsuit days.
Last, the people. Peter, who is in his
80s, has spent most of his mornings at a
picnic table facing the gulf with his bird
book in hand, while his evenings have
been spent swapping stories at the Chart
Room Bar. He is said to be an ex-British
intelligence agent who twice sailed solo
across the Atlantic.
Isabel is an elegant French woman
who bikes in for a swim most days wearing different floppy hats—with her little
dog, Cassis, nestled in her front basket.
ess than a half-mile away
from the noise, the crowds,
and general excesses of Duval Street is
one of Key West’s greatest treasures—the
beach at Fort Zach. I mention it not to
lure those seeking local color away from
their first morning mojitos at any of
Duval’s watering holes, but simply
to share my feelings about a very
special place.
First, the setting. is little piece of
paradise has a wealth of birds and fish
and anyone visiting the beach before
10:30 a.m. will be treated to a tranquil
scene of various water birds clustered
on the islands and jetties. With the
exception of some background bird-talk
and the muted voice of an occasional
human, the scene is mostly silent. e
pleasure of a morning swim at this
time is very to beat.
On some of best sandy beaches on
Cape Cod or Long Island the dunes are
part of the scene, and they provide some
shelter from the wind but not the sun. In
some places, like Atlantic City, beachgoers can only look back at a tacky commercial boardwalk (think salt water
taffy—only). At Fort Zach the backdrop
is, quite simply, the Australian Pines.
While certainly not being thought of as
majestic, these trees do provide lots of
shade and are pretty enough. Who cares
whether or not they are indigenous to
Cayo Hueso? e migrating birds sure
seem to love them.
Next, the water. Unless one is surfing,
the recreational swimmer likes water
that is not turbulent and is reasonably
clear. e protective reef discourages big
waves from getting to Fort Zach and on
days where winds are not from the south
the water is calm and clear enough to see
all kinds of marine life.
Along my usual route, fashioned after
15 years of swimming there, I commonly
encounter old friends in the same
places—a beautiful parrot fish, a moray
L
Mike (I think that is his name) is a
preacher who baits and carefully lines up
what seems like a dozen fishing rods
along the gulf side. en he runs from o
rod to rod for hours. Actually, I have
never seen him catch anything, but this
guy clearly is having a great time.
Lohtar, a gentle, kind, man who was
an art collector for the rich and famous,
used to swim laps every morning. He
was once swept out to sea by an incredibly strong current and, after many hours
of drifting, was picked up by a fishing
boat far out in the gulf. He is no longer
with us ,but his memory lives on at Fort
Zach.
Michael is a guitarist, singer, composer who, after a rocky spell in his life,
has refound his creativity in Key West.
Many mornings you can find him sitting
on a picnic table playing some of the
most beautiful chord progressions on his
guitar. is venue has allowed the entertainer to entertain himself (and, luckily
sometimes, me).
25
KEY WEST KITCHEN
Tickets $40 and include open bar,
beer and wine, cold cut sandwich buffet,
light cocktail party snacks and birthday
cake. Music by the steel drum band,
Niceness, led by Bongo D. Dance under
the stars. Raffle available. Tickets online
or call the box office.
FIRM succeeded in rolling back a 20
percent increase implemented in August
2006 and derailing a proposed 32 percent increase for 2007.
Since then, FIRM was successful
in slowing the rate of increase on wind
insurance costs and in helping to repeal
the most onerous aspects of 2012’s
federal flood insurance reform.
Year after year, FIRM works to hold
back more increases and changes in
coverage that adversely affect Keys’
residents. • Laura Burchard, Fair
Insurance Rates in Monroe
In a Dutch oven (preferably enameled
cast iron) cook the chopped vegetables
along with the mushrooms and whole
garlic cloves over medium heat until the
mushrooms’ liquid has evaporated, about
10-15 minutes.
Add the beef along with 2 tablespoons flour and a large sprig of fresh
rosemary. Cook over high heat for about
5 minutes, tossing the beef often to
brown. Pour in enough Guinness to
cover the meat. Cover and cook in the
oven for about 2 hours. e meat should
be tender and the liquid thickened.
Fish out the garlic cloves and rosemary sprig. Season with salt and pepper.
Remove the puff pastry from the
package and gently roll out each sheet.
Pour the stew into six individual cast
iron pots or ramekins (alternatively, pour
into a large casserole or deep pie pan).
Using the tip of a knife, cut dough to
the size and shape needed to cover the
pies. Lay the dough over the top of each
container and pinch around the edges to
close. Make a couple of cuts in the center
to allow steam to escape. Brush the pastry with 1 beaten egg, place pots on a
baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes, until the pastry is puffy and golden.
Drink pairing. Let me think . . .
• Makes 6 individual pies
KEY WEST PLAYERS
e unique atmosphere of being
aboard a military ship. Imagine what it
must have been like in the early days of
the theatre when Key West Players performed for the Navy aboard the U.S.S.
Gilmore. A history exhibit with pictures
of U.S.S. Gilmore available for viewing
at the party. And enjoy a beautiful view
of the Key West sunset from the deck of
the ship. e Ingham is tied up at the
Truman Waterfront harbor, where there
is plenty of free parking.
INFO
waterfrontplayhouse.org
(305) 294-5015
COMMUNITY
BRIEFS
‘Put
the Cuffs’
on cancer
Oust McCarthy?
n A FIRM response
Florida Insurance
In response to Gov. Rick Scott moving to
oust the Florida Insurance Commissioner,
Kevin McCarty:
Fair Insurance Rates in Monroe
(FIRM) expressed strong support for
Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin
M. McCarty. In a Jan. 16 letter to Gov.
Rick Scott, FIRM President Mel Montagne said Commissioner McCarty has
been instrumental in beginning the correction of excessive windstorm property
insurance rates in Monroe County,
Florida.
Montagne cited McCarty’s understanding of consumer and business interests in the complex property insurance
industry, as well as McCarty’s willingness
to meet and work with FIRM during the
past nine years.
On behalf of FIRM’s membership
of some 3,000 property owners in
Monroe County, Montagne urged Gov.
Scott to retain McCarty in his role as the
leader of Florida’s Office of Insurance
Regulation.
FIRM was founded over eight years
ago to combat escalating windstorm
insurance premiums in the Florida Keys.
Keys’ residents faced dramatic increases
in windstorm coverage through Citizens
Property Insurance, despite few claims
having been filed. Analysis of premiums
collected versus claims paid demonstrated increases were not justified.
So far the Key West Police Department and Monroe County Sheriff’s
Office have more than 30 cars sporting
the “We Support a Cure” for cancer
logos. Sheriff Rick Ramsay and Chief
Donie Lee took a moment out after a
recent law enforcement luncheon
to express thanks to the community
for helping sponsor this program.
e Key West Police Department
is helping raise cancer awareness by
Putting the Cuffs on Cancer. e awareness campaign features a switch to pink
lettering on the sides of patrol vehicles,
along with the words “we support a
cure.” In addition, a seal on the vehicles’
hoods sports both the Key West Police
Department’s and the Monroe County
Sheriff’s Office badges. e decals were
paid for by community donations.
e American Cancer Society
launches several awareness campaigns
every year. e Key West Police Department continuously does its part to help
with these campaigns. is year, the
awareness campaign is particularly close
to home as members of the department
rally to support Sgt. Eric Biskup, who is
battling pancreatic cancer.
Awareness campaigns and fund drives
help support research aimed at finding a
cure for cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, 14 million cancer
survivors live in our country. Research
funding and education are aimed at raising that number. n
26
MARK THE
C
n ‘A Vintage Affair,’
Feb. 7
Vintage glam
goes all out in
vintage affair
he FRINGE eater
hosts “A Vintage Affair”
fundraiser Saturday, Feb. 7, in the
Historic Courtyard at Petronia and
Whitehead streets. Become part
of Vintage Hollywood glam. Dress
the part, view classic cars of the era
from the Southernmost Car Club,
and sip cocktails from the open bar.
Dine on food prepared by one of
Key West’s best chefs. Silent wine
auction includes vintage wines selected by wine authorities priced to
be affordable. For tickets, contact
keystix.com, (305) 295-7676 or Joe
Viana, (305) 296-4761. n
T
INFO
fringetheater.org
ONSTAGE
ON THE ROCK PRODUCTIONS
On the Rock seeks to innovatively support local artists
n Onstage Jan. 29
Last spring, three local and likeminded people came together to begin a
new initiative that would support local
arts in a way that Key West hadn’t yet
thought of.
On the Rock Productions is still in
its first year of producing plays written
and performed by local writers and
actors, but the work this group is doing
goes beyond the stage.
On the Rock founders Landon Bradbary, Juliet Gray and Mike Marrero
started with a play they wanted to produce and ended up with a production
company that hopes to help local artists
come together in new ways to realize
similar goals. is debut project was
“By Popular Demand” co-written
by Bradbary and Marrero, which
appeared in May.
“We formed On the Rock because
we wanted to create theatrical and film
opportunities for Key West artists. We
wanted local writers to be able to see
their work transfer from the page to the
stage—and screen—and to be a part of
that process,” Gray says.
e production company has longterm goals all focused around the
collaborative efforts of local writers,
artists, musicians, performers and
filmmakers.
Part of the mission set up for On the
Rock is to offer residents of the Florida
Keys the opportunity to participate
in any number of ways, large or small.
“is town is full of artists. We see
their paintings and hear their music
every day. is is a chance for us to get
to know the people behind the talent,”
Bradbary says.
To this end, On the Rock currently
is developing a live talk show titled,
“On the Couch with Landon,” which
will showcase this local talent.
In addition, the group has discussed
such initiatives as films and a children’s
show, as they continue their work producing plays.
is includes fostering an environment for those involved to grow into
new arenas, should they have ambitions
of writing, directing, acting or otherwise that they’ve not yet fulfilled.
| NICHOLAS DOLL
‘Bones and Pie,’ a staging that comprises five short pieces, opens Jan. 29.
27
On the Rock is unique in that the
group boasts a scholarship component.
is group has created a way to foster
young talent in the Florida Keys.
Each season, money is raised to
send one student age 12-16 to WinstonSalem, N.C., where he or she will be a
part of e Performing Arts Young
Performer’s Program over the summer.
It was important to Bradbary, Gray
and Marrero to create opportunities
to support the ambitions of the youth
growing up on these islands.
Opening Jan. 29 is “Bones and Pie,”
a staging that comprises five short
pieces written by Bradbary, Marrero,
Jonathan Rhoads and Eric Weinberger.
is project has also seen the revival
of the Eaton Street eater, now the
Key West eater, after a more than
10-year vacancy. True to form, this
production will feature local talent
both on and off stage.
“Bones and Pie” will run ursday,
Jan. 29 to Sunday, Feb. 15, at the Key
West eater, 522 Eaton St.
Tickets available at Keystix.com,
or find more information on the theater
online at OntheRockKeyWest.com
Also look forward to On the Rock’s
upcoming production, “Free Beer
Tomorrow,” which will run from
Wednesday, April 1, to Sunday, April
15, in the same location. n
INFO
OntheRockKeyWest.com
HIGH
NOTES
NEW SUMMER PROGRAMS
responsible development of young minds and
hearts. Students see from new perspectives, respond to unfamiliar challenges and solve problems with initiative and good judgment. It’s
life-learning that tests their assumptions and
broadens the mind. “
is past summer’s 2014 Experiment participants from Monroe County were (from Key
West High School): Michael Stern, Argentina:
Community Service and the Great Outdoors;
Leda Morales, Brazil: Culture and Environmental Sustainability; Ryan Cziko, Mexico:
Marine Biology on the Baja Peninsula; Ramon
Arza, China: Ethnic Minorities and Contemporary Culture; Keristy Carter, Costa Rica:
Biodiversity, Ecology, and Sustainability;
Catherine Richardson, Ecuador: e Galápagos
Islands and the Andes; Kara Berces; France:
Culinary Traditions and French Cuisine;
Monique Teal, France: French Culture and Regional Identity; Madison Fletcher, France:
Painting and Photography in Paris and
Provence; Oscar Rojas, Morocco: Multiculturalism in the Arab World; Leslie Rodriguez,
Spain: Contemporary and Historic Cultural
Diversity; and Cherline Riche, South Africa:
Multiculturalism in an Urban and Rural Society; (from Key West Collegiate): Jordan Guieb,
Japan: Japanimation—Anime and Manga.
Padget said study abroad creates distinct opportunities for leadership development as students participate in the culture, economy,
language, traditions and arts of communities
around the world.
“We want our students in the Keys to understand that their vision and mission in life is
not bound by the length of a bridge or the edge
of an island. Our kids can connect countries
with their actions and their ideas.”
INFO experimentinternational.org
BEACHY FORT ZACHARY TAYLOR
is special morning exposure to wildlife,
clean beach, often-clear warm water, fresh salt
air and, yes, a few interesting people, make
this one of life’s greatest pleasures. Someday
(hopefully, not soon) my ashes will be cast
upon the water there. n
e fort’s land closer to downtown Key West
became part of Truman Annex to Naval Air
Station Key West. [Wikipedia]
South Florida
Symphony Concert
n IN REVIEW
BY HARRY SCHROEDER
KONK LIFE COLUMINIST
he South Florida Symphony (formerly the Key
West Symphony Orchestra) under the baton of its
musical director Sebrina Maria Alfonso, gave its second concert
of the season last Saturday evening at the Tennessee Williams
eater. e concert consisted of Ravel’s “Bolero,” Samuel
Barber’s “Concerto for Piano and Orchestra,” with Christopher
Taylor at the piano, and Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an
Exhibition.” It was an audaciously chosen program,
and entirely successful.
e “Bolero” has never been a favorite of mine. My taste
does not run to repetitive music, and my early experience of
that piece was rather spoiled by an acquaintance at university,
who was known to use it, along with pitchers of martinis,
in his attempts, mostly failed, to seduce college girls. But
Sebrina’s was an exemplary reading, as was the playing. e
piece is one extended crescendo, something like 15 minutes’
worth. at’s a very long time to maintain control of the
dynamics of a full orchestra—it’s hard to keep things from
sagging. ey did not. e crescendo was steady throughout.
e Barber piece, which won a Pulitzer Prize, is one of his
best known compositions. Mr. Taylor, described by the Boston
Globe as “the leading American pianist of his generation,” gave
it a very powerful performance, which earned him and Sebrina
a standing ovation to three recalls.
e second, slow, movement proved that atonality can be
beautiful, in the piano part and especially in some lovely,
pensive oboe playing. e piece is hard to play—everything
has to be done accurately, or it runs the risk of collapsing into
noise, and since the music is not rhythmically regular, keeping
the orchestra together with the soloist is difficult, but that
seemed to give Sebrina no trouble.
e Mussorgsky piece was originally written for piano and
later given full orchestration; its “Pictures” were paintings by
the composer’s late friend Viktor Hartmann. e orchestra
performed with exceptionally accurate intonation, and
Sebrina’s conducting, there and throughout the evening,
resulted in some of the most enthusiastic playing I’ve heard
from these people. One version of the repeated main
T
28
| RALPH DE PALMA
Laying down some serious Jazz
BUDDA LOWNOTES
vocalists in the Chorale read and knew music,
as well if not better, than some musicians he
had performed with in Key West. Lately,
Bubba has been playing and singing with a
gospel group in the Bahama Village Choir.
“It’s different. It’s good, soulful singing.”
Key West may be the “Bass Players Graveyard.” In the 1990s, Bubba subbed for a bass
player at Captain Tony’s and the next day the
player was found dead on his boat. Another
bass player passed away on stage playing Mustang Sally. Bubba subbed for him. Another
bass player, who worked the Pier House, died
one morning before a gig. Bubba got a call to
sub. He says he almost hates to answer the
phone.
Anyone that considers Bubba Lownotes just
another musician doesn’t know much about
Bubba or music. His peers understand how capable and versatile he really is. Latin, swing,
country, blues, rock—makes no difference,
Bubba can play it.
At a recent gig with Southernmost Brass,
Bubba was filling in for a bass player. Arrangements for the seven-piece brass can be fairly
complex. Bubba showed up an hour early, read
all the charts, tuned up and played like he’d
been there forever. It’s not luck or accidental.
Robert Bubba Lownotes Barton can play. n
TROPIC SPROCKETS
FILM
Best Movie Oscar nominee
Foxcatcher
BY IAN BROCKWAY
KONK LIFE COLUMNIST
irector Bennett Miller
(Capote) gives his film
“Foxcatcher” the appropriate brown and
gray tones in telling the true life story
of John E. du Pont, who was a noted
ornithologist and wrestling coach and
who also grew increasingly erratic and
paranoid with delusions.
As in Miller’s previous “Moneyball,”
we are in the land of crisis and power.
Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum), a
gifted but struggling wrestler on a
downswing, dining on junk food in
a dark apartment with barely enough
to sustain himself, gets a call from the
office of a powerful family wanting to
meet him to discuss his wrestling future.
Mark has nothing to lose.
He is flown first class to the du Pont
mansion, the very same family that
made their tremendous fortune in
explosives and, most recently, chemicals.
As if he were a watchful all-seeing
gargoyle or strange bird, John du Pont
(Steve Carell) abruptly appears behind
Mark without so much as a human
footfall.
After several pointed questions,
John says he wants America to have
role models once again intending to
personally coach Mark and his brother
Dave (Mark Ruffalo) to make the USA
Olympic team and win gold. Mark
agrees, swept up in the man’s
patriotic romanticism.
e partnership makes a noose.
Carell is wonderful in this role as the
oddly soft-spoken yet harsh, bird-like
presence who struts and frets like a
pasty raven. His iconic nerdish,
persona as seen in many comedies has
disappeared. Here he is a very scary and
intimidating incarnation.
D
TROPIC CINEMA
416 Eaton St. • 877-671-3456
Week of Friday, Jan. 30, 2015
through Thursday, Feb. 05, 2015
Inherent Vice
(R)
Fri - Thu: (2:15), 5:30, 8:45
Into the Woods
(PG)
Fri - Sun: (1:45), 6:50
Mon: 1:30 PM
Tue - Thu: (1:45), 6:50
Selma
(PG-13)
Fri - Sun: (4:15), 9:15
Mon: (3:55), 8:40
Tue - Thu: (4:15), 9:15
The Imitation Game
(PG-13)
Fri - Thu: (2:00), 4:30, 6:50, 9:25
Foxcatcher
(R)
Fri - Thu:
(1:30), 4:10, 6:45, 9:20
Lilies of the Field
(1963) (NR)
Mon: 6:30 PM
Tropic Cinema
Four Screens in Old Town.
Rated Best Cinema in Florida.
www.TropicCinema.com
(877) 761-FILM
29
Physically, too, he is changed,
transformed by an imposing forehead
and a large hatchet-handled nose.
ankfully, it is Carell’s inner coldness
that repels any ridicule the prosthetics
may cause.
Channing Tatum also does his best,
although his face seems to invariably
retain his oft-recognizable, wide-eyed
and stunned look. Even with the same
facial vocabulary, he is duly convincing
as the earnest and gullible athlete.
Ruffalo is well cast as Mark’s more
stable and caring brother, who might
be less ambitious but who is also
more mindful of fame’s pitfalls.
e verve of “Foxcatcher” goes to
Carell though, who gives some quirk
and poetry to this true crime story
of yet another rich man consumed by
his ego. roughout the film, Carell is
an obscure and oppressive Mr. Magoo
type, who rules his muscled roost with
menace, despite his diminutive form.
Even though this is not a comedy
by any means, there are some acid
humor moments as the short and
sunken-chested billionaire goes
HIGH NOTES
Mussorgsky theme was played by
Michael Ennis on alto saxophone: played
beautifully, with the finesse of a good
cellist. at instrument early on achieved
extraordinary expressiveness in jazz, but
elsewhere it was for a long time banished
to military music, and such like. As Mr.
Ennis’s playing demonstrated, in the
hands of the best players the saxophone
has lately risen to the level of refinement
of the more traditional winds.
Sebrina re-invents the orchestra for
each concert series. is version was
slightly larger than usual, with seventyeight players, including some instruments, like the contrabassoon and the
bass clarinet, which appear relatively infrequently. Two thirds of the orchestra,
including the concertmaster Katherine
Hannauer, were new to the organization.
All the woodwind sections—flutes, clarinets, oboes, bassoons—had new princi-
pals, and all sounded exceptionally fine.
Dan Wions, returning as principal horn,
demonstrated again a fine controlled sensitivity. I was especially impressed by the
solidly aggressive statement by principal
trumpet JoAnn Lamolino which opened
and announced the Mussorgsky.
is orchestra is a great gift to the island. It offers the best music we get here,
by a wide margin. It sets musical standards which provide a trickle-down effect
on much local music generally. And it
has a broader if less obvious effect. e
downside of the island’s traditional and
admirable air of relaxed tolerance is that
almost nothing in the local culture demands or even encourages the kind of
craftsmanly precision which every player
in this orchestra consistently displays;
nor is there much about the place which
produces beauty of the kind regularly
achieved in that concert hall. Every time
those people come to town, they raise
the stakes. anks again. n
will stop at nothing to win and gain
adulation.
e only trace of Steve Carell’s
smile is when he urges Channing
Tatum to pronounce the word
“philatelist” and “philanthropist”
correctly. e smile that once belonged
to Michael Scott in “e Office” is
now property of a sad and covetous
shark or bird of prey.
e final scenes of “Foxcatcher” will
hit you square in the heart. And while
this all makes fitting trappings for the
director, for Steve Carell, it is nearly
off-putting and wonderfully confusing
to see him as this strange controlling
little man, driven to extremes by his
mother. n
Write Ian, ianfree1@icloud.com
WHAT‘S NEW
FOR 2015
Not your average . . .
TROPIC SPROCKETS
for the legs in a wrestling move and
attempts to mount his man like a
mouse on a lion. Such antics only
make this creature more frightening; he
is not a mouse, but an albino rat. and he
Groups now stay together affordably at
NYAH Key West (Not Your Average
Hotel) which caters to adults seeking to
customize stays by offering rooms that
can accommodate up to six people.
NYAH is the brainchild of hospitality innovators and brothers Jesper and Gustaf
Arnoldsson. Situated at 420
Margaret St. in Old Town Key West,
NYAH includes conch-style houses for
36 guestrooms. Daily happy hours and
shared spaces include three pools, two
hot tubs, lounge areas and terraces. Rates
start at $40 per night when six guests
share one room.
INFO www.nyahotels.com
30
Relax at the top
Top Spa has opened at the highest
point in Key West, the seventh floor
of the historic Crowne Plaza Key West
La Concha Hotel at 430 Duval St. e
spa menu includes three- and four-hour
packages including everything from body
treatments and facials to nail services
and massages.
Top Spa’s opening concludes the final
phase of extensive renovations to the
160-unit La Concha. Other enhancements include the addition of a wine bar
called Wine-O, a chic restaurant dubbed
430 Duval, a completely redesigned
lobby area and a refreshed outdoor pool.
INFO
www.laconchakeywest.com
Relax oceanside
Spa al Mare, the oceanside relaxation
headquarters at the Casa Marina, A Waldorf Astoria Resort on the Atlantic
Ocean at 1500 Reynolds St., has undergone a transformation. ree treatment
rooms have been added in the building
housing the resort’s fitness center, with a
separate entrance for Spa al Mare and almost 1,300 square feet of new spa space.
Each of the trio of large treatment rooms
features a private shower, while the space
also includes a reception waiting area.
Among offerings are a daily yoga class
overlooking ocean with sunrise views.
e spa operation includes two cabanas
for beach treatments.
Listed on the National Register of
Historic Places, the Casa Marina features
311 guest rooms and suites and more
than 1,100 feet of private beach.
INFO
www.casamarinaresort.com
Key West Woman’s Club 100 Year Celebration
LARRY BLACKBURN | PHOTOGRAPHER
31
www.konklife.com • January 29 - February 4, 2015
Key West Woman’s Club 100 Year Celebration
LARRY BLACKBURN | PHOTOGRAPHER
32
continued
Extraordinary in every way!
by C. S. GILBERT
KONK LIFE REAL ESTATE WRITER
ary the Carpenter is a
well-known, highly
respected contractor around town, and
the home he built for his young family
in Key Haven in 2004-05 is an
extraordinary showcase of top-of-theline everything.
Key Haven was Key West’s first
truly upscale suburban neighborhood
and remains its only real boating
suburb, Gary Burchfield noted. The
canal-backed, four bedroom, four-plus
bath estate at 12 Evergreen Lane is a
3,739 square foot house on a 12,748
square foot lot, a corner lot off
Evergreen, the penultimate right-turn
almost at the end of Key Haven Blvd.
The house is solid, spacious and
especially remarkable in that it
contains a home gym in the treetops
and a home theater one could live in
for weeks without emerging.
The exterior of the home reveals its
substantial size but gives no hint of the
wonders within. Visitors get a clue,
however, as soon as they enter the front
door directly into the great room. It is
absolutely huge, with a vaulted,
cypress ceiling soaring to 24 feet,
decorated by huge Dade County pine
beams—one recycled from the
renovation of a cigar barn, another
from Durty Harry’s, Burchfield said.
There are also two curving staircases,
one at each end of the room; one leads
to the immense master suite, including
the gym, above the downstairs three
bedrooms and two baths of the
bedroom wing. The other staircase
G
The main living/dining area is so large it puts the great in the term great room!!
This kitchen shot shows off the handsome, slate tiled floor, sparkling granite
counters/ island and glass doors onto the dining deck, pool area and docks.
33
leads to the home theater, which was
added to the structure, as was the gym,
after the first stage of construction was
completed.
The huge downstairs great room
contains ample room for large, comfy
upholstered living room furniture, a
baronial dining room table, a number
of china cabinets filled with
memorabilia, an office computer
station and space for a keyboard. Most
furniture and décor are negotiable.
There are handsome, multi-toned slate
tiles throughout the first floor and
other floors are reclaimed Dade
County pine.
The “cook’s kitchen” contains
cherry cabinets with a kitchen island
and counters of a variety of the dark,
speckled granite appearing in the
baths. At the front are doors to a
powder room and directly into the
roomy garage.
Out sliding glass doors to the rear,
below a dining deck, is a canal-edged
back yard containing one happy
surprise after another. A rock garden
follows the shoreline, with entry over a
little bridge to the main swimming and
boating dock with its boat lift; at the
far end of the property there is a
second, step-down dock for kayaks
and smaller boats. The heated pool,
with an adjustable waterfall in a niche
decorated by twin, embedded copper
statues and a copper backsplash, is
embraced on three sides with sliding
glass doors providing access from great
room and the larger downstairs
bedroom, with a handy door right into
the bathroom for swimmers, boaters
and sunbathers.
Continued on next page.
Continued
From the curb there is a nice symmetry of the huge central great room and two
two-story wings.
Copper accents enhance the adjustable niche waterfall feature of the heated pool.
Across a little bridge is a huge, L-shaped dock with a boat lift and room for a large
vessel and, at the end of the canal, a lower dock for kayaks and smaller boats.
Black and white tiles and lots of windows create an unique master bath.
Up the more substantial staircase is
the master suite which the owners have
actually never used due to the wish to
be closer to their young children,
whose two bedrooms and Jack and Jill
bath are on the first floor. There is
actually a smaller but perfectly
adequate master suite below, at the
other end of a first floor hallway,
probably bigger than the average
Key West house; the ceiling soars
perhaps 15 feet, with huge, enclosed
storage spaces, accessed by two library
ladders, under the eaves at each end.
The huge walk-in closet is full of
built-ins up to 12 feet high. The gym
has windows on three sides, and this
master bath is a stunning study in
which conveniently contains a laundry
closet and beside it a fold-down
ironing board. This bedroom has
direct access to the middle bedroom,
perfect for a nursery. There are large
closets and built-ins throughout and
the downstairs front bedroom has a
lovely window seat.
The upstairs master suite is
34
black and white marble tiles, with
black granite flecked in gold. It
contains a two or three-person spa tub
and a handsome glass, tile and slate
shower, both with a window view, a
double-basin vanity and a bidet.
At the other end of the great room
is the curving staircase leading to the
Continued on next page.
Continued
Carpeted walls provide acoustic perfection in the luxurious and comfortable
home theater.
The gym, with windows on three sides, is like exercising in the treetops; it opens
directly off the master bedroom.
home theater, rigged for both flat
screen and projection and furnished
with three plush love seats divided by a
moveable arm rest—really big enough
for three. There is also a dining area
and, off it, a full bath and minikitchen with a wine cooler, icemaker,
highest standards—“I try to do that
for all of my clients,” Burchfield
said—available for an active family
and lavish entertaining. It is offered by
Sabrina Acevedo of Doug Mayberry
Real Estate. Reach her at (305) 2926155 ext.102 or (305) 393-6006.
fridge and, at one time, a popcorn
popper. Between screen wall and
seating there’s room for a queen-sized
inflatable mattress for overflow guests
(visible the day of the tour).
All in all, this is a totally
remarkable property built to the
35
Konk Life welcomes subjects for
other articles about Keys homes
currently for sale. Contact
Guy deBoer at (305) 296-1630 or
(305) 766-5832 or email
guydeboer@konknet.com.
1
3
2
Featured Home Locations
Little Torch
Key
5
1
3
4
2
Key Haven
Stock Island
Featured Homes – Viewed by Appointment
Map # Address
#BR/BA
Listing Agent
Phone Number
Ad Page
1
522 Petronia St., Key West
3BR/3BA
Dawn Thornburgh, Beach Club Brokers, Inc.
305-294-8433
800-545-9655
36
2
1005 Seminary St., Key West
4BR/2BA
Frank Kirwin, Preferred Properties Key West
305-294-3040
305-304-5253
36
3
Little Torch Key
3BR/3BA
Mary Bourgraf
954-907-1324
36
4
1800 Venetia St., Key West
5BR/5.5BA
Doug Mayberry, Doug Mayberry Real Estate
305-292-6155
38
530 Grinnell St., Key West
2BR/1BA
Doug Mayberry, Doug Mayberry Real Estate
305-292-6155
38
5
37
JUST LISTED
JUST SOLD!!!
Two office locations
to serve you:
MLS #121005 – Sugarloaf Key
MLS #117928 – 8 Acre Parcel on Canal
3 Bedroom/2 Bath, 1,587 S.F. – $350,000 2 Bedroom/2 Bath, 1,931 S.F. – $990,000
HEATHER BENNET 305-923-1451
ROBERTA MIRA 305-797-5263
S EE
MORE ON OUR
MLS #119269 – SOLD $349,000
Congratulations to
Geri Lynn Martin!
WEBSITE: FLORIDAK EYSREALESTATECO . COM
1824 Flagler Ave., Key West, FL 33040
Office: (305) 296-4422
507B South St., Key West, FL 33040
Office: (305) 292-1922
Toll Free: (866) 715-4422
E-Mail: info@flkeyshome.com
Key West Association of REALTORS®
keywestrealtors.org
Listing Agency
Lower Keys
Florida Keys Real Estate Co.
Coldwell Banker Schmitt
Internet Realty of the Florida Keys
Prudential Knight & Gardner Realty
Keys Commercial Real Estate LLC
Key West
Bascom Grooms Real Estate
Shirley A Flenner
Truman & Co.
Century 21 Schwartz Realty
Royal Palms Realty
Selling Agency
Sold Date
Phone (305) 296-8259
List Price
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
550,000.00
295,000.00
279,000.00
549,900.00
89,000.00
10,000.00
10,000.00
10,000.00
10,000.00
549,999.00
369,000.00
419,000.00
169,000.00
Sold Price
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
475,000.00
250,000.00
245,000.00
520,000.00
85,000.00
10,000.00
10,000.00
10,000.00
10,000.00
535,000.00
349,000.00
415,000.00
150,000.00
Fax (305) 296-2701
Street # Street Address
31052
2450
1606
22820
0
8
39
45
42
42
20
227
4
Hollerich Dr
Orlando Rd
Pine Channel Dr
Blackbeard Rd
L John Silver Ln
Parcel Acosta Trl
Parcel Bad George Rd
Bay Dr
Flipper Rd
Venus Ln
7th Ave
Island
Built
Description
Bdrms
Wtrfrnt
MM
Big Pine Key
Big Pine Key
Little Torch Key
Cudjoe Key
Cudjoe Key
Sugarloaf Key
Sugarloaf Key
Sugarloaf Key
Sugarloaf Key
Saddlebunch
Big Coppitt
Geiger Key
Stock Island
1970
1983
2000
1989
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
1987
1989
2014
1974
Single Family
Single Family
Mobile Home
Single Family
Lots
Lots
Lots
Lots
Lots
Single Family
Single Family
Single Family
Mobile Home
3
2
2
3
0
0
0
0
0
3
2
3
2
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
31
30.5
28
23
23
19.5
19
19
19
15
10
9
5.5
1998
1985
1987
1903
1984
1939
N/A
1898
2001
1985
1924
1995
Townhouse
Townhouse
Condo
Single Family
Single Family
Condo
Single Family
Single Family
Duplex
Single Family
Single Family
Single Family
2
2
2
5
2
2
4
3
1
2
2
3
No
No
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
5
4
2
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
At Home in Key West, Inc.
Florida Keys Real Estate Co.
American Caribbean Real Estate
Florida Keys Real Estate Company
Datashare Office
Keys Commercial Real Estate LLC
1/15/15
1/21/15
1/20/15
1/15/15
1/15/15
1/13/15
1/13/15
1/13/15
1/13/15
1/16/15
1/16/15
1/16/15
1/16/15
Century 21 Schwartz Realty
Conch Realty LLC
Shirley A Flenner
Truman & Co.
Doug Mayberry Real Estate
Royal Palms Realty
Preferred Properties
1/15/15
$ 318,000.00
$ 305,000.00
5 Spoonbill Way
Key West
1/16/15
$ 275,000.00
$ 245,000.00
3314 Northside Dr #65
Key West
1/16/15
$ 896,000.00
$ 875,000.00
1800 Atlantic Blvd #C436
Key West
1/15/15
$1,490,000.00
$1,412,500.00
1212 Georgia St
Key West
1/15/15
$ 549,000.00
$ 540,000.00
907 South St
Key West
1/16/15
$ 381,000.00
$ 341,500.00
408 Petronia St #0
Key West
1/13/15
$ 699,000.00
$ 679,000.00
1505 Rose St
Key West
1/16/15
$1,275,000.00
$1,200,000.00
416 Margaret St
Key West
1/16/15
$ 699,000.00
$ 675,000.00
1106 White St
Key West
1/16/15
$ 521,000.00
$ 500,000.00
1510 Seminary St #B
Key West
1/19/15
$1,095,000.00
$1,035,000.00
413 Frances St
Key West
1/20/15
$ 894,000.00
$ 840,000.00
713 Whitehead St
Key West
Based on information from the KWAR MLS for the period of 01/16/15 through 01/22/15
Good Deeds sponsored by
4
5

January 29, 2015

Transcription

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