Page 21 - Boca ViewPointe - October '21
P. 21
October 2021 Viewpointe, Page 21
Light Up Downtown Boca Kicks Off
On Friday, November 19 From 5 P.M. To 9 P.M.
With Tree Lighting, Movie And More
By Hillary Reynolds Wednesday, December 8 from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
beginning at Federal Highway and SE 5th Street, traveling
Light Up Downtown Boca, a series of winter holiday north to the Mizner Park Amphitheater. More than 70 floats
festivities, kicks off on Friday, November 19 from 5 p.m. and groups will entertain viewers as they bring dance, lights,
to 9 p.m. at the Mizner Park Amphitheater (MPA), 590 Plaza and song to Federal Highway in Boca Raton. For more
Real, with a FREE holiday happening, culminating with the information or to enter the parade, visit www.myboca.us/
City of Boca Raton’s and Mizner Park’s annual tree lighting specialevents.
ceremony. FAU’s Tuba Christmas returns on Sunday, December 12
Festivities will include a holiday stage show at 5:30 p.m. at 5 p.m. at the Mizner Park Amphitheater. Tuba Christmas
and a showing of holiday favorite, Home Alone (PG) on the concerts will be presented in 250 cities throughout the world,
lawn at 7:15 p.m. including Boca Raton. Enjoy the tradition of holiday music
The highlight of the evening will be the ceremonial performed by tubas and euphoniums, started by Indiana
lighting of the City’s tree led by Mayor Scott Singer and City University Professor Harvey G. Phillips. FAU’s Sean Murray
Council at 6:45 p.m. that will illuminate simultaneously with 9 p.m., continuing through the holiday season. The tree will brings this tradition to the Boca Raton community for its
Mizner Park’s 47-foot animated tree at the south end of the be illuminated for photo opportunities between shows. sixth annual presentation.
center, followed by a spectacular fireworks display above Your favorite Mizner Park restaurants will be open with The 43rd Annual Holiday Boat Parade on Saturday,
the MPA at 7 p.m. special seating options offering great views of the holiday December 18 will begin at 6:30 p.m. and light up the
Throughout Mizner Park, 50,000 LED lights will adorn decor, lights, and fireworks. Please contact the restaurants waterways beginning at C-15 Canal, traveling south, with
75 palm trees; poles will be laced with garland; lights and directly for more information. bleacher viewing at Red Reef Park. Free boat entry with
four wreaths (each 60” in diameter) will be placed throughout The event is sponsored by the City of Boca Raton, Mizner $10,000 in cash and prizes with many categories in which to
the center; garland will be swooped throughout the gazebos Park, and WPBF-TV. win. For more information or to enter the parade, visit www.
and the valet parking station – all of which will be decorated Other holiday events, presented by the City of Boca myboca.us/specialevents.
with lights and holiday trimmings. Raton, include: Attendees are encouraged to walk, bike, carpool and
Located at the south end of the center, Mizner Park’s Merry in Mizner will bring evening weekend holiday use free parking at City Hall, the Boca Raton Library and
“iTree” consists of more than 32,000 life-like PVC branches, entertainment and strolling pop-ups to Mizner Park on Downtown Boca Library.
red & gold bows, ornament clusters and 25,000 clear & various weekend nights, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., throughout For more information visit www.myboca.us or call
multi-colored LED lights. There will be 20-minute musical the holidays. 561.367.7073.
light shows performed nightly at 6 p.m., 7 p.m., 8 p.m. and The 49th Annual Holiday Street Parade will be
Clowns On Call
By Harriet Rubin, that has been great! It’s amazing how this kind
aka Florabelle the Clown of direct intervention and dialogue can add to
one’s knowledge. For example, we use a magic
Hello Again and gadget called an “Energy Stick”. It’s a simple
Greetings from Boca Ponte encased set of wires, and when both ends are
“Clowns on Call!” held or touched lights and sound go off. So we
Can you believe that have been using it for several years and generally
Halloween is almost here? we gather a circle of kids and have them hold
Where did 2021 go? Our hands and as soon as both ends of the cylinder
clown group has been are making skin contact, the lights flash and a
waiting for our gigs to start musical sound emerges. If you break the circle
again, and we were disappointed that the Down Syndrome it stops. Kids love it, and it’s one of our favorite
Buddy Walk was canceled for October. Hopefully some group “shticks”. I was watching a zoom lecture/
of the other walks will be re-scheduled for the winter/ presentation by a hospital clown from Oregon
spring seasons, and we will be able to attend and bring our and she described how she used it when making
happy personalities to make everyone laugh and smile! room visits to patients. She would hold one
One big positive, which resulted from the ability to end, place the other on a part of the patients Doc the clown, Juggles, Florabelle, Cutie pie, Twinkletoes, and J.J. at
zoom on line, has been interaction with clowns all over the body (typically the upper chest) and when the the YMCA Food Truck event
world. Between Facebook and zoom presentations, I have patient touched the end by the chest the cylinder
been in touch with both old friends and new ones, sharing would light up and make a sound. The clown would say and creative, and encourage a love of reading.
ideas, magic tricks, various techniques, disappointments, something like “See how much energy you have. You can The first classroom visit will begin with the Red
frustrations, the joys of clowning, experiences, etc. and make magic happen”. This gave me so many new ways Nose Reader introducing themselves to the students
to use this simple gadget that I would never have thought and telling them a little bit about real clowns, followed
of, so we are never too experienced to learn new ways of by a quick transformation with makeup and red nose
incorporating ideas. to turn the reader into their clown character. They will
I’m so happy to announce that our Boca Raton YMCA share some silliness and a fun story. It concludes with
has invited us to a FoodTruck event on Sept. 23, and we answering questions from the class. Students go home
are all going with bells on! See the photo- don’t we look with a coloring sheet and letter to share with their families
great! In addition we will be presenting our “Red Nose about the clown’s visit”.
Readers” program at the YMCA in October, starting with In addition, we will do some kazoo or guitar singing, a
their pre-school classes and then continuing with their little magic and whatever fun activities we want to share.
after school groups. I can’t tell you how exciting this Each clown can add their own particular talents to make
endeavor is for all of us. Here are some quotes from the it a great experience for the audience.
Red Nose Guidelines - “The Red Nose Readers Program So—if anyone reading this has any contacts with
promotes literacy and anti-bullying by inviting a certified children’s classes from ages 3-9, please contact me by
member to read a book to students and transform into a phone or email and I will be happy to follow up. We are
friendly clown right in front of their eyes. It is our hope hoping to perform at libraries, schools, and pre-schools…
that this experience will prevent children from forming
J.J. and his fans at the Boca YMCA a fear of clowns, show them that it’s okay to be different Clowns On Call on page 22