Driver Service Will Get You

Home After that Late Party

There is a new company in Greater Fort Lauderdale that just might save your life and the life of others. The company is called ZINGO, a designated driving service that drives you home in YOUR car.

If you have been drinking too much and are afraid or too responsible to drive your own car, company drivers will come to you on a folding motorized scooter and then stow the scooter in the trunk of your car and drive you home. There is no limit on distance, which is an intriguing aspect of the service. Want to go to California? You got it!

The cost is $20 for pick up and the first two miles. After that it is $2 per mile (tips are not included.)

If you think you might need the service you can even reserve the drive home in advance by calling 954-523-8887 or sending a text to 954-790-1818. Demand in peak hours mean a 20-30 minute wait but otherwise it is just ten to fifteen minutes.

ZINGO also drives patients home after surgery when they can't drive themselves and are available for birthday and bachelor and bachelorette parties. The company is fully insured and the client signs a customer service contract.

Visit www.zingoftlauderdale.com for all of the details.

Week of the Ocean Sea-Son

Continues Through May 8

Bu Year Around Awareness is

Ultimate Goal of Organization

National Week of the Ocean members encourage year-round ocean study from the arts to commerce, from history to foods, from endangered sea creatures to issues such as offshore drilling or ocean dumping. Once an interest is developed, some action steps should be taken by those involved with the preservation of the ocean as the goal.

Those who wish to support Week of the Ocean efforts can order a full-color 24 x 36" poster for $10.00 plus $4.95 shipping & handling. Proceeds will help fund campus celebration kits for teachers which are available for $5.00 plus $2.95 for shipping & handling. Topics include a campus-wide Week of the Ocean or a School Marine Fair to showcase student projects.

A complimentary festival schedule for events held annually in Fort Lauderdale, Florida is also available.

The Fort Lauderdale’s 31st festival sea-son through May 8, 2010 includes the April 30 - May 2 Week of the Ocean School Marine Fair and the May 8 Mother Ocean Day Community Awards & Film.

For more information about National Week of the Ocean’s programs, write to National Week of the Ocean, Inc., P.O. Box 179, Ft Lauderdale,FL 33302 or call 954-462-5573 for a Festival program. Visit the website at www.national-week-of-the-ocean.org.

National Week of the Ocean, Inc. is a Federal and State registered 501c3 operated solely by a volunteer staff of officers and directors.

Cruise Director Takes a Fall from Time to Time

Former Stuntman Not Afraid

to Become Part of the Show

Ray Brasted

John Grantham is not your usual cruise director and that can be claimed even if one hasn't experienced a lot of cruises. How many former hollywood stuntmen do you know who emcee cruise line shows, mingle with guests aboard ship and lines up entertainment for the pleasure of passengers?

A big man with broad shoulders and ready smile, Grantham spent twenty years falling off horses, being shot at and beat up in the name of show business and is not what you would imagine when asked to describe a typical cruise director. And Grantham understands that. "It really is amazing. It isn't something I aspired to do," he said with a smile.

A chance conversation brought the Naples, FL native to the attention of Celebrity Cruises and he was quickly hired. Having worked as an actor and stuntman in Las Angeles for many years and having been around many well known professionals in the theater and movies gives Grantham an insight into talent and working with entertainers.

Finding the right blend of entertainment and special programs is an art in its own right and pleasing several thousands passengers week to week takes the courage of a man used to falling off horses. "Entertainment is very subjective. Something I like, might not be liked by the next person," Grantham noted.

But he keeps his eyes open for up-and-comers and on the first night of recent cruise introduced Will Foraker to the audience. Grantham "discovered" the 22-year-old playing in a hidden corner of the Celebrity Solstice and was wowed by the young man's talent.

Foraker did not disappoint and for the rest of the cruise drew ever increasing crowds to his corner of the ship. We agree that many who read this will one day be able to say they knew him "when".

Maybe it is because of his years of auditioning for parts, and learning to move forward when faced with rejection, but Grantham brings a sensitivity to his job when working with the artists who put on a show every night.

"I think I can connect with our audience," he added.

Ed. Note: At the time of this interview Grantham was preparing to leave the Celebrity Solstice for a vacation and then to join the Celebrity Equinox in Europe.

Fort Lauderdale News and Events - A Wrap Up Reflecting the Many Aspects of South Florida Living

Bonnet House Museum & Gardens was the latest location for filming of The Glades, a new television series that began shooting throughout Florida this summer. The filming took place June 24 through the early hours of June 26. The dramatic series features Australian actor Matt Passmore (Underbelly, McLeod’s Daughters) as Jim Longworth, an attractive, brilliant, yet hard to get along with homicide detective from Chicago who gets shot by his captain after being wrongfully accused of sleeping with his wife.

After being exiled from the department, Longworth relocates to the sleepy, middle of nowhere town of Palm Glade, Florida, where the sunshine and golf are plentiful and crime is seemingly at a minimum. Only this town outside the Florida Everglades isn’t quite as idyllic as he thought, as he finds people keep turning up murdered.

The new A&E drama series was produced by Fox Television Studios. “This new series will be viewed by millions of people throughout the United States and we are thrilled to have Bonnet House as one of the locations used for filming,” says Bonnet House CEO, Karen Beard. We hope it will attract more people to the Bonnet House Estate to explore all of the natural beauty and history it has to offer.

About Bonnet House:

Bonnet House is located one block south of Sunrise Blvd. between Ft. Lauderdale Beach Blvd., (A1A) and the Intracoastal Waterway at 900 North Birch Road, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304.  Bonnet House is open Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. -4 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Admission prices are $20 for individuals, $18 for senior citizens, $16 for children ages 6 – 12 and $10 for the grounds only.  Group tours are also available at a discounted price.  For more information, call (954) 563-5393 or visit the estate’s website, www.bonnethouse.org.

Tree Planting Commemorates Super Bowl

Seventeen new trees now growing at Weaver Park in Pompano Beach symbolize the end of Super Bowl XLIV in South Florida and the beginning of Super Bowl XLV to take place in Arlington, Texas, in 2011.

The trees were planted by Broward County Commissioner Kristin Jacobs, members of the National Football League (NFL), the Miami Dolphins and Pompano Beach city officials on Monday. The "Plant It Forward" tree planting event marks the passing of the Super Bowl experience from region to the next and completes the final Super Bowl XLIV Urban Forestry project in Broward County.

"There's more to the Super Bowl than just the game. The trees planted in Weaver Park complete a series of environmental projects that took place in South Florida as we hosted the 2010 Super Bowl. Now we pass that legacy on to Texas, where a tree from Broward County will grow to provide shade, oxygen and beauty for years to come," said Commissioner Jacobs.

A tree from South Florida and a shovel used at Monday's planting will be sent to a tree planting celebration in Arlington on June 17. Each year, the NFL plans a series of high profile urban forestry events to offset the carbon emissions that occur with such mega events as the Super Bowl.

"When I was a kid, trees were there for one reason -- to climb," said former Miami Dolphins wide receiver Nat Moore. "The NFL and the Miami Dolphins plant these trees for the enjoyment of kids in this community."

The Miami Dolphins purchased the trees and played a significant role in the urban forestry projects before, during and after Super Bowl 2010. Broward County and the City of Pompano Beach will provide long-term care and maintenance of the trees.

All trees planted as part of the NFL Environmental Program will be included in a database of "Super Bowl trees" that will be monitored for environmental impact by state and federal forestry officials. This NFL tree database will also include trees planted over the past six years in Miami, Detroit, Jacksonville, Tampa and Phoenix.

Sea Turtles on the Move This Summer. Life after dark takes on new meaning this summer as endangered sea turtles make their way onto Greater Fort Lauderdale's eight moonlit beaches to lay their eggs deep in the sand, as they have done since the age of dinosaurs more than 150,000,000 years ago.

Of the eight species of sea turtles worldwide, the three that nest on Greater Fort Lauderdale's golden sands from March through October include: the threatened Loggerhead sea turtle, which formed 1,809 nests in 2009, the endangered Green sea turtles, which had 71 nests in 2009, followed by the Leatherback turtles, which had 45 nests in 2009. After 45-55 days of incubation, more than 1,900 nests hatched in Broward County resulting in more than 150,000 hatchlings making their way to the ocean last year.

During the months of June and July, the museum will hold their Moonlight, Sea Turtles and You! program, giving participants a chance to watch a 400-pound Loggerhead sea turtle venture out of the ocean to lay her eggs, nature permitting. Guests will also meet "Dulce," the museum's resident female Loggerhead sea turtle. The program starts at the Museum of Discovery & Science at 9pm and ends at approximately 1am. Participation is $19 for non-members and advance reservations are required. Additional information and reservations are available at 954-713-0930, or by visiting www.mods.org.

The Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF) is now accepting entries for its 25th annual festival which will be held October 22 - November 11 at venues through out Fort Lauderdale. FLIFF accepts entries in three competitions Professional, Collegiate, and High School.

Professional Submissions - Features, Documentaries, Shorts, Animation, Experimental, Florida-made, Children's;

Collegiate Submissions - Narrative (20 min or longer), Short (under 20 min), Documentary, Animation;

High School Film Competition - (entries should be no longer than 5 minutes, however, we will accept some exceptions): Short, Doc, Music Video, Experimental/Animation, Public Service Announcement

Email Bonnie Adams at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with any questions or go to www.fliff.com.

The University of Miami Lowe Art Museum will greet spring with a faculty exhibition, featuring the internationally collected glass artist, Endowed Chair, and UM Art Department Professor William Carlson. The UM Faculty Exhibition, William Carlson: Aquila Non Capit Muscas (An Eagle Does Not Catch Flies) will be on view at the Lowe Art Museum through June 6, 2010.

The Broward County Council of the Navy League, through Al and Shelly Stein, has been supporting the marines in Iraq and Afghanistan for the last five years. Capt. Neville spoke of how important the packages we send have been and how much they appreciate our efforts. If you would like to become a part in the effort to support our families and friends who are in the military reserves Call George Reeves at 305-285-4845.

The Navy League of the United States - Broward County, FL Council is working with Seafarers’ House, another non-profit organization to provide care packages to our military serving in Afghanistan.

Seafarers' House, of Fort Lauderdale, in cooperation with the Broward County Council of the Navy League donated numerous boxes of personal care items for military personnel at the Joint Command in Kabul, Afghanistan. Joe Giambrone, Navy League South Florida Area President, is a volunteer at Seafarers’ House and helped with the Seafarers’ House Christmas shoe box program. He worked with Chaplain Gregory Worch and Executive Director Lesley Warrick to obtain their assist with the Broward County Council’s care package program.

Broward County Council Directors Al and Shelly Stein have been responsible for providing care packages to deployed Marines and Sailors for many years. To date more than 300 packages have been sent.  Seafarers’ House and the Broward County, FL Council of the Navy League look forward to continuing their partnership of supporting our military and seafarers from around the world.

Seafarers' House at Port Everglades is a cooperation among all faiths, labor, business and civic leaders with a mission "to offer refuge, resources, renewal and respect to the maritime community through multi-faith service.”  With the help of its supporters and volunteers, Seafarers' House offers low cost international phone calls, free transportation, Internet access, counseling services, liaison with authorities as well as recreational facilities.

To find out more about the Navy League, visit www.navyleague.org or to find out about the Broward County Council, visit www.bcnavyleague.org. Seafarers’ House; visit www.seafarershouse.org.

The Broward Cultural Division distributed federal grant stimulus funds to, among 16 others organizations, the Old Dillard Museum. These funds directly affected twelve local musicians within the Museum’s performance portfolio, including Melton Mustafa and Alexis Caputo who have now been re-hired for two more concerts, previously slated for cancellation in December 2009 and June 2010 due to financial cut backs.   For further information on the list of grantees, or this program, visit the Broward Cultural Division website at www.broward.org/arts; or contact Jim Shermer 954-357-7502; e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Knitting clubs in South Florida are contributing to the cause by donating their time and talent to produce more than seven dozen scarves, skull caps, and helmet liners for the troops serving in Afghanistan. The Broward County Council of the Navy League provides the funding for the mailing, including boxes and cards.

To contribute contact Shelly Stein at 954-472-0285. The post office charges $12.50 per box.

Broward County has received for than $584 million in federal stimulus funding for 2010. A recovery web site has been created at www.broward.org/recovery to track and update the implementation of various projects. The money will go to airport improvements, the arts, crime prevention, food and shelter programs, homelessness prevention and housing, community block grants, transportation and reducing green house gas emissions, among other projects.