Features

Anthony DeChellis entered Saint Edward’s School in the fall of 1974 as a sixth grader. It was shortly after the DeChellis family moved from New Jersey, settled in The Moorings and enrolled the four boys in the school.

Last summer, Robyn Swonger did what she does every morning before starting work on Royal Palm Pointe. She stood at the edge of the canal behind the spa she manages, intending to enjoy a few moments of the water, watching for wildlife, absorbing nature’s beauty. But this day bestowed a miracle beyond her wildest dreams.

There is a new breed in town. They’re young standard bred horses stabled and trained for harness racing across the U.S. and around the globe. Located on 60 acres west of downtown Vero Beach, these future pacers and trotters are enjoying a privileged lifestyle.

The middle of the day, like the middle of the night, is when time goes slowly. This is when ozone is reaching its daily peak, contributing to the haze of late afternoon, and thunderstorms develop in the west, cumulonimbus clouds towering over each other until they shape themselves into an anvil, when lightning strikes start fires that smoke the horizon and turn pines into blackened stumps.

What do you think of when you hear the words “soup bowl?” Shotsi Lajoie hopes the first thing that comes to mind is the Samaritan Center’s major fundraising event.

The fiesta has already started, but you’ve got an open invitation so don’t worry about being late.

There is plenty of truth in that famous old Chinese proverb. And for nearly 30 years, Brian Williamson has been feeding people as a charter boat captain and owner of Vero Tackle & Marina, located below the foot of the Barber Bridge on the island side.

On Sept. 29, 2007, a small group of former prisoners of war gathered on a tiny island in the Indian River just south of the Merrill Barber Bridge.

Attorney Tameika Jackson likes to say that one of the reasons she entered her profession is because her teachers at Saint Edward’s School encouraged it.

This year’s Earth Day, which celebrated the event’s 40th anniversary, meant something quite special at Beachland Elementary School.

Leaning forward on the podium, Tom Servinsky points to the violin players and, on cue, strings soar above the other instruments.

It’s not especially cheap at $753 – train fare plus a pair of earplugs – but a trip on Amtrak’s Silver Star from Winter Park, Fla., to Boston’s South Station certainly knocks pop culture sprawling.

Oysters aren’t pretty. In fact, they are downright ugly. Gray. Slimy. And encased in a jagged, sharp shell. So why would anyone care whether or not these bottom-feeding bivalves survive?

Felix Fajardo spent 20 minutes outside a storefront on 43rd Avenue in Vero Beach debating whether to go in or forget it.

Whenever Susan and Michael Marks of Vero Beach drove west across Florida on Route 60 to visit Mike’s brother and his family in Clearwater, they were impressed by the dramatic change in scenery and intrigued by a sign that said “Westgate River Ranch: The World’s Largest Dude Ranch.”

It’s hard to pinpoint when Jim Denmark’s leadership qualities started to emerge, or when he first set his sights on a career as an officer and aviator in the United States Navy.

Champions of the Indian River Community Foundation admit that often their biggest challenge is helping people understand the concept of a community foundation.

My 6-year-old learned to play the game “Ha!” last week. If it’s been awhile since your last sleepover or kid’s birthday party, children lie on the floor in a stair-step formation, with heads on bellies. One child starts saying “ha” and within moments the laughter is viral and ringing the walls, whether you’re actually playing or not. In an era of micro-blogs and You Tube, it’s an old fashioned game with a resilient lesson – stick together with a common goal and goodwill will blossom.

It’s not every day you hear about a teenager who, with his friends, forms an advisory committee to support a non-profit organization, and two years later is honored with a Community Advocate of the Year Award. Yet if you’ve ever met 17-year-old Colby Lufkin you’ll know the depth of his commitment to Guardian ad Litem (GAL), a program that assists children who end up in dependency court. Any hope for a positive future lies in the hands of citizens who volunteer to become part of a court program, acting in the best interests of an assigned child.

Merry Christmas! If you’ve never visited Tara Plantation and been greeted by those words, be sure to do so this December. Since 1990, members of the Grall family have invited the public to share in the joy of the Christmas season, and this year promises to be the best ever.