From  Communications Manager Ed Cunningham, Village of North Palm Beach:

"Today is the 62nd anniversary of the incorporation of the Village of North Palm Beach as an official Florida city. We're celebrating this week by looking at key moments in Village history, such as in 1915, when the first recorded sale of the land here occurred. Albert Sawyer Jr. sold the area that is now the Village and Lake Park for $1,140 to Barton Peck. Was it a good deal?

                                            Happy birthday, North Palm Beach!

PRESS RELEASE_(Lake Worth, FL – August 13, 2018) Tree care professionals from local tree service companies will unite at the South Florida National Cemetery in Lake Worth for a volunteer day of service dedicated to our veterans. Saluting Branches, Arborists United for Veteran Remembrance is a nonprofit organization honoring veterans by donating tree care at veteran properties. Celebrating the fourth annual day of service on Thursday, September 20, 2018, nearly 2,500 tree industry professionals across the nation will donate a full day by doing what they do best: caring for trees.

Participating local companies will be announced later, says event organizer Michael Zimmerman of Zimmerman Tree Service in Lake Worth.

Volunteer tree work at the 313-acre cemetery will begin by 8:30 am that Thursday with arborists providing expertise in tree structure, invasive insects, diseases, and best management practices for tree health.

“We join with tree care companies around the country to honor our Nation’s veteran’s by providing free tree care services,” says Sonny R. Peppers, director of South Florida National Cemetery. “Together we make these cemeteries safer, more beautiful resting places for those veterans who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country.”

“I look forward to giving back and taking care of the place where those that gave their life have their final resting place,” shared one previous volunteer, while others declared, “What an outstanding way to honor our country’s veterans,” and “Our actions and participation in this event is a small token of our thanks to the men and women who served. We are proud to be a part of an industry that recognizes our veterans and the sacrifices they made.”

About Saluting Branches, Arborists United for Veteran Remembrance:

SALUTING BRANCHES is a nonprofit organization dedicated to recognizing and honoring our veterans. In 2017, Saluting Branches was the largest one-day volunteer event in the tree industry with over 2,200 participants. A total of 467 companies and organizations put in an estimated 17,600 hours in one day at 45 locations across the country. More than $2.2 million dollars in services donated by arborists doing the work they love. The 4th Annual Saluting Branches will held in September. Learn more at www.SalutingBranches.org.

PRESS RELEASE_West Palm Beach, Fla. – Rooted in a nurturing and safe environment with stellar staffing, the YMCA of the Palm Beaches’ Preschool is second-to-none when it comes to making the hard-pressed decision of choosing the right preschool. 

By implementing an ongoing program of activities that promote the social, emotional, cognitive and physical development of children ages 2-5, parents can be rest assured their children will be receiving the very best foundation to ensure a brighter future. The newly enhanced 2018-2019 preschool curriculum weaves the Y’s values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility into all they do, and believe the skills and values learned in early life are the building blocks for a happy, healthy, centered life.  

YMCA of the Palm Beaches’ Preschool opens its doors on August 13th.  Registration is now open for the following programs. Additionally, the Y will be offering a free drawstring bag filled to the brim with necessary school supplies, while supplies last.  Parents are invited to get a first-hand look at the Preschool during its open house on September 8 from 11am - 1pm.  Parents will have the opportunity to meet the administration and teachers, and get a true understanding of what their children will be experiencing throughout the day.  

2018-2019 Preschool Curriculums At-a-Glance: 

PRESS RELEASE_(West Palm Beach, FL – August 13, 2018) Friends of the Mounts Botanical Garden today announced that it would be celebrating the garden’s 40th Anniversary RUBY JUBILEE with two major new, family-friendly attractions during the coming 2018-2019 season.
 
GARDEN OF LIGHTS:
A Winter Holiday Event at Mounts
November 24 – December 30, 2018
 
Mounts will be all a-twinkle in the evenings during the holiday season with thousands of holiday lights hanging from the trees, illuminating the walkways and landmark structures, with colorful LED trees and glowing light-balls, all along an easy-to-follow route throughout 15 different garden areas – the perfect way to light-up the holidays for joyous visitors of every age, romantic disposition, and spiritual leanings. In addition, Mounts will present live dance performances and musical presentations from local schools and academies during GARDEN OF LIGHTS: A Winter Holiday Event.
 
Hours & Admission for GARDEN OF LIGHTS:
Daily – 5:30 to 8:30 pm
Throughout the Garden
$10 per person; $5 for children 5 to 12
Tickets are available for purchase at the Garden’s main gate. To schedule a group tour, call 561-233-1757.

PRESS RELEASE_West Palm Beach, Fla. – Chic, farm-to-feast hot spot, Galley at Hilton West Palm Beach and executive chef Miguel Santiago, will celebrate National Rum Day on Thursday, August 16, with Caribbean-inspired specials, convivial craft cocktails, and steel drum music by the Victor Ross Band.

From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., guests and visitors will enjoy a complimentary, rum-drenched cocktail in the hotel’s lobby. Decadent drinks include the Aged Rum & Honey with Appleton Reserve rum, lime, honey, and prosecco, and the Light n’ Sandy, infused with Island Company rum, diet ginger beer, lime, and soda water.
  
National Rum Day pairing specials include:

Chef Specials:

Caribbean Lobster Empanadas
$16 
with pink remoulade
and
The Grapefruit Floradita
$14
Island Company rum, lime, grapefruit juice, and maraschino liqueur

Grilled Avocado Salad
$14
 with shaved heart of palm, baby heirloom tomatoes, and cilantro aioli
and
Mango-Citrus Daiquiri
$14
Leblon rum, mango, fresh citrus, and demerara simple syrup

Charred Churrasco
$26
 with mofongo, fried leeks, achiote, and cilantro chimichurri
and
The Old Cuban
$14
Appleton Reserve rum, infused mint, angostura, and champagne

The Grapefruit Floradita

2 oz. Island Company rum
1/3 oz. lime juice
½ oz. grapefruit juice
½ oz. maraschino liqueur
1 grapefruit wedge (for garnish)
1 maraschino cherry (for garnish)

Combine all ingredients in a shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a grapefruit wedge and maraschino cherry.  

For more information or to make a reservation, call (561) 231-6100 or visit opentable.com/r/galley-hilton-west-palm-beach. 

Galley at Hilton West Palm Beach is located at 600 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach, FL 33401. Hours are Monday-Thursday, 4 p.m.-midnight (Bar), and 5-10 p.m. (Dinner); Friday-Saturday, 4 p.m.-2 a.m. (Bar), and 5-11 p.m. (Dinner); and Sunday, 4 p.m.-midnight (Bar), and 5-10 p.m. (Dinner). Feeling social? Follow us on Instagram at @galleywestpalmbeach.

PRESS RELEASE_BOCA RATON, Florida, August 10, 2018 – Lynn University’s College of Arts and Sciences  today announced the 2018–19 performance schedule for its new Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in drama program. The B.F.A. in drama is the most prestigious undergraduate degree available for theater students. Lynn’s program offers students concentrated theatrical training that prepares them to work professionally in theater, movies, television and musicals.

Under the direction of Katrina Carter-Tellison, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Adam Simpson, drama program coordinator, and professors Bruce Linser and Harry Murphy,  students will present a variety of public performances during the academic year, and participate in Lynn’s eighth annual Celebration of the Arts on April 25–26.

Oct. 17–19
The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber

Wednesday: 7:30 p.m.
Thursday: 12:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Friday: 7:30 p.m.
This is a big year for Andrew Lloyd Webber and Lynn. The Oscar, Emmy and Tony Award-winning composer turns 70, as the Lynn drama program launches its new B.F.A. Enjoy beloved songs from The Phantom of the Opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, Evita, Sunset Boulevard and Cats!

Location: Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center
Tickets: $20 general admission

Dec. 5–7
Clybourne Park

Wednesday: 7:30 p.m.
Thursday: 12:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Friday: 7:30 p.m.
Clybourne Park explodes in two outrageous acts set 60 years apart. Act One takes place in 1959, as white community leaders try to stop the sale of a home to a black family. Act Two is set in the same house in the present day, as the now predominantly African-American neighborhood battles to hold its ground in the face of gentrification.

Location: Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center
Tickets: $15 general admission

Feb. 6–8
The Real Inspector Hound

Wednesday: 7:30 p.m.
Thursday: 12:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Friday: 7:30 p.m.
Feuding theater critics, Moon and Birdboot—the first a fusty philanderer and the second a pompous and vindictive second-stringer—are swept into the whodunit they’re reviewing. In this hilarious spoof, an Agatha Christie-like melodrama unfolds in a fast-paced romp to find the real culprit.

Location: Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center
Tickets: $15 general admission

How to purchase tickets:

Tickets may be purchased in person at the Lynn box office, located in the Wold at 3601 N. Military Trail, online at events.lynn.edu or by phone at +1 561-237-9000.

If you're planning a quick getaway to Ft. Lauderdale and need a room -- something close to the beach but with more character than the towering behemoths that dot the main ocean drag -- you should consider The Drift Hotel.

We found this boutique hotel on Travelzoo, read the reviews (glowing) and decided to give it a go. We weren't disappointed.

Located at 3005 Alhambra St., a short five-minute walk to the beach, you feel the charm as soon as you enter their courtyard, where guests can relax at tables surrounded by tropical plants and flowers. The charm extended to our room, where the plantation shutters and cedar closets gave it an "old school Florida" feel.

Along with the laid back vibe, each room comes with complimentary snacks and breakfast goodies. Bottled water, beach towels and chairs and Wifi are complimentary as well.

Just down the street and right across from the beach is the Casablanca Cafe, housed in the first home constructed on Ft. Lauderdale Beach, built in 1927. Renovated in 1993, it retains the home's original character and remains the oldest remaining structure on the beach. Happy Hour starts at 4 pm, and it's a great place to grab a chair at the outdoor bar and enjoy the breeze with your favorite drink.

One of the Drift Hotel's bold claims to fame is this: "More relationships have been consummated at The Drift than any other hotel in the world so 'LOVE THE ONE YOU'RE WITH.' "

That might be hard to prove, but who cares?  It worked for Stephen Stills, and us.

Bottom line: The Drift Hotel is a great value, especially now with Travelzoo rates starting at $69. Visit their website HERE.

PRESS RELEASE_Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. – Who’s ready to rumble? Burger Bar, famous for its handcrafted burgers, boozy adult milkshakes and lively outdoor bar, is your home field hot spot for NFL and NCAA football action.

This season, the comfort food charmer is giving foodies and football fans something big to cheer about with its new $5 Gameday Gourmet Menu. 

“We take pride in offering a great dining experience for our guests and football fans,” says Tom Elwood, general manager of Burger Bar. “We’re continually sourcing new and creative ways to enhance the game day experience – from gigantic, double-fisted cheeseburgers to designing the most tender chicken wings you’ve ever tasted.”

Burger Bar’s $5 Gameday Gourmet Menu includes: