Barry's Buzz - August 16, 2012

The Luxury Chamber of Commerce features a monthly wine and cheese mixer, hosted by owner Bob Luptak at Steinway Piano Gallery, 7940 N. Federal Highway, #100, Boca Raton, on August 20 from 6 p.m to 8 p.m. with a special guest speaker, Stanley Tate, former Chair and President of the Resolution Trust Corporation and the founder of the Florida Pre-paid Scholarship Program, along with noted pianist Norm Kubrin and vocalist Lisa Remick, performing Jazz standards and the Great American Songbook, appearing every Wednesday at 264 The Grill in Palm Beach. Info and reservations at http://pianistsociety.eventbrite.com/. Marine Chamber of Commerce inaugural network is Tuesday, Aug. 21, 6 to 8 p.m. at Oceans 234, 234 N. Ocean Blvd. Deerfield Beach. Reservations at http://boatingevent.eventbrite.com or email info@marinechamber.com. CBS’ Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer will moderate the final presidential debate at Lynn University on Oct. 20. N.J. Gov. Christie will be the keynote speaker at the RNC convention in Tampa. Sen. Marco Rubio will introduce Romney on the last night. Former U.S. Senator and Florida Governor Bob Graham speaks on 9/11 and what he knew about 9/11 at the Broward Museum of Art in Ft. Lauderdale. Congrats to all the winners in the Primary Election Tuesday. Now on to the General Election in November. Boca’s Palm Beach County Commissioner Steve Abrams is expected to be named Chairman in November. Palm Beach County commissioners unanimously approved a plan to swap the 1,919-acre Mecca Farms for $30 million and about 1,500 acres owned by the South Florida Water Management District. Leisure and hospitality jobs remain down in Palm Beach County, despite increases in tourists, bed tax collections and hotel occupancy rates. Immigrants make up 19.4 percent of the population in Florida, but own 29.7 percent of all business in the state. Comedian Kevin James purchased a 28,834 sq. ft. house at 502 N. Ocean Blvd., across from the ocean in Delray Beach for $18.5 million (last sold for $4.9 million in June 2005) with 10 bedrooms, 8 baths and 4 half baths on 1.8 acres. The average closing costs on a home sale is $4,365 and the average doc stamp cost at home sale closing is $1,400. July marked the fourth straight month in declining South Florida personal bankruptcies, with over 2100 filings for the month, a decline of 18% of a year ago. Palm Beach County recorded 370 filings for the month, off 15% over a year ago. Bankruptcy lawyers say filings usually follow foreclosures, but homeowners are currently delaying filing in hopes of a short sale or a loan modification. After being deep sixed by the recession for the past five years, boat sales have finally hit smooth sailing. Florida new boat registrations total nearly 16,000 for the year, ending in June, up a healthy 8% over the previous year. Over 8,000 of those sales came from South Florida which saw its best sales growth in boats longer than 40 ft. and outboard powered fishing boats. Palm Beach County has over 43,000 registered boats. A Shayna Maidel starts Aug. 24 to Sept. 16. Paulette Dozier as Billie Holiday in Lady Day plays through Aug. 26 at the Stage Door Theatre on Sample Road in Coral Springs. Call 954.344.7765 for ticket information or visit www.stagedoorfl.org. Movie Talk with Morrie Zryl airs tonight at 6 p.m. on www.wrpbitv.com. Barry Epstein Live internet television show airs Friday at 10 a.m. on www.wrpbitv.com featuring Gray Mockingbird Community Garden organizer Brian Kirsch, Movie Maven Morrie Zryl and Sun-Sentinel columnist Kingsley Guy. Watch to win tickets to the Cinemark, Gateway and Last Picture Show Theatres. Movies opening Friday at the Cinemark Theatre are The Odd Life of Timothy Green (opened yesterday and also at the Movies of Delray), The Expendables 2, Sparkle and Paranorman. FAU’s College of Business hosts its weekly Executive Forum lecture series from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Office Depot Grand Lecture Hall, Room 101, starting Aug. 30. Register at http://business.fau.edu/centers/adams-center/entrepreneurship-education/executive-forum-speaker-series/index.aspx#.UClnglaPWAR, or call 561.297.0927. Downtown Boca hosts “Boca and Brazil Meet to Celebrate the Brazilian Beat’, for Brazil’s Independence Day Sept. 7. On Friday, August 31, the Sunset Cove Amphitheater will host a live concert featuring Sublime with Rome with special guests Cypress Hill, Pepper, and the Dirty Heads. The Boca Museum of Art hosts a free networking, panel discussion on how to start or grow an art collection and tour on Sept. 5 starting at 4 p.m. Reservations are required. RSVP to abanaszak@bocamuseum.org. The Boca Raton Theatre Guild’s 2012-2013 season will begin with a comedy, and end with a classic. A.R. Gurneys Sylvia, and Kander & Ebbs Chicago will run in September and March at the Willow Theatre in Sugar Sand Park, 300 South Military Trail, Boca Raton. Tickets are on sale at the Willow Theatre Box office: 561-347-3948. Soroptimists of Boca is seeking sponsors for the 39th annual “Women of Distinction” awards breakfast on Oct. 3 at Boca West Country Club. Contact kim@championhome.ocm or call 561.347.0440. Deadline is Sept. 21 for all ads. "Henrietta, Countess de Hoernle 100th Birthday Gala: Our Legend, Her Legacy" will be honored on her birthday, Sept. 24, at Boca West Country Club. The event presenter is The Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller. Honorary chairpersons are Christine Lynn and Barbara and Dick Schmidt. Gala chairwoman and vice chairwoman are Commander Isabel K. Paul and Dame Alyce E. Erickson. The sixth annual Theatre Arts Guild Ice Cream Social is being held on Sunday, Sept. 30 at the Broken Sound Country Club with a Jersey Boys tribute by the Atlantic City Boys, including some of the former members of the Jersey Boys. Go to http://give.lynn.edu/TheatreArts for details. Boca-based Bluegreen Corp. is putting on "Two to Tango," the gala to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation that will move to the Boca Raton Marriott on Oct. 5. Hollywood celebrity couple Giuliana and Bill Rancic will be the keynote speakers at Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation’s 9th Annual Go Pink Luncheon Friday, October 26, 2012 from 11am to 1:30 pm at the Boca Raton Resort & Club. The second Meet Me on the Promenade downtown street festival is Oct. 26 and 27 with a Halloween theme. www.WestBocaLeaders.com has openings in some categories. Call 561.852.0000 for further information. You can have your own internet television show very inexpensively or sponsor mine. Contact wrpbitv@yahoo.com. Birch Communications is a multi-million dollar company with an exclusive wholesale agreement with AT&T. If you would like to save money on your AT&T land phones without changing your numbers, call 561.852.0000. For Al-Anon-meetings in South Palm Beach County, go to www.southpalmbeachafg.org/meeting_list.html Sincere condolences to Palm Beach County Clerk and Comptroller Sharon Bock on the loss of her father and current State Rep. Steve Perman on the loss of his father. Barry Epstein, APR, is a noted public relations, marketing and political consultant based in Boca Raton, president of the Luxury Chamber of Commerce (www.luxurychamber.com), the West Boca Leaders networking group and the founder and former president of the West Boca Chamber of Commerce; with a weekly internet television show on www.wrpbitv.com. Website; www.publicrelations.nu; email: pr@publicrelations.nu, or fax column items to 561.451.0000. His blog is on the Sun-Sentinel/Jewish Journal website at www.floridajewishjournal.com - http://barrys-journal.blogspot.com