November The League at VRG 2016 Village Royale on the Green

Executive Message Inside this issue: I want to thank the C.E.R.T. members and Building League Officials 2 Sandy Norman Presidents and representa- Service Directory tives for their attention to times and needs. Committee Members Our radios didn’t work as Hurricane Matthew – well as expected but the Halloween Party 3 WHEW!!!! phone and texting did. Well another Hurricane has These volunteers called in come and almost gone. At at designated times and we Keys/Where We Live 4-5 least it passed us without knew all was well by 7:30 leaving damage and tragedy Thursday morning. (Yes Classified 6-8 in its wake. We still have to they had to get up early.) anticipate some strong winds The times had to be coordi- next week…but by the time nated with the BBFD EOC. you read this that too will be Editorial over. We lost a few trees and C.E.R.T. members: James that is the extent of our dam- Johnson, Helen Munce,

age. We did not lose electric- Sandy Norman, Leslie San- Hal Taback Not reflective of ity. In fact, only one complex dusky, Floyd Zonenstein scenes here in FL, in the C.E.R.T. Net reported most of us remember an outage. I would say that Bldg. Pres. And reps: Jo- Autumn up North. the new light poles must have seph Alizio, Vincent Gatto, Your newsletter done a good job. Thank you Jean Grant, Barry & Stacey has a new look! We are asking that FPL. Kolodner, Allen Nealley, people walking to and Ovilla Pattee, Bob Rosen- from the pool wear As the seasons change We had pretty much 100% thal, Chester Schwam, cover ups. Unit own- cooperation from our resi- Linda Silva. so will The League at ers and renters, we VRG’s newsletter’s dents. They removed items ask you to share this that could be picked up by the Each one of the people theme but its purpose with your guests. remains the same, to wind and stored them ..who should be thanked for their knows where. I know my service during what was a report on what’s hap- We wish all our pening in our commu- Florida room is full of outdoor very tense time. friends and their fami- furniture and plants. (Oh yes nity, in Boynton Beach lies a happy and and Palm Beach a couple of baby toads came in Let us keep our fingers healthy holiday sea- with the plants…fun chasing crossed that it’s another 10 County with informa- son. tive articles, reports & them around the house.) years until the next hurri- cane!!!!! pictures of events and schedules.

Though these images of Autumn leaves are Founder: Sandra Norman Editor: Hal Taback 1

VRG Service Directory

The League at VRG, Inc. 2505 N.E. 2nd Court ACADEMY BUS SER- 561-588-4446 Boynton Beach, FL 33435 VICE

Office: 561-732-9449 ACCESS MEDIA 877-410-1653 Fax: 561-732-9491 (CABLE) We’re on the WEB! ACTIVITIES 561-737-2060 www.VRGLeague.com Monday’s B AMAZON JACK 561-508-8700 Website: vrgleague.com I 7:30 PM BBPD DETAIL ON DUTY 561-531-3200 BUSINESS OFFICE 561-732-9449 WCH N COMCAST 800-COMCAST League Officers G COP OFFICE 561-737-2219 ECM (Tim Hunt) 561-398-7446 Ext. 1009 President: Domenick Mazzella 0 1st Vice President: Sandra Norman LIBRARY 561-737-2715 2nd Vice President: Marlene Adams MAC GRAY LAUNDRY 800-622-4729 We give thanks 3rd Vice President: Esther B. Malter for the life of SERVICE Secretary: Leslie Sandusky Brian Miller, MAINTENANCE OFFICE 561-732-9522 Treasurer: Eileen Schlechting who died Mon- SECURITY 561-523-9990 day, October 22, 2016. We ex- SECURITY OFFICE 561-737-2990 League Directors tend our heart- felt sympathy to SIMPLEX GRINNELL 800-873-0736 his family and friends. SOLID WASTE 561-732-6200 WEST CLUBHOUSE 561-737-9472 Building 1 - Tommy Matash 2 - Olivia Pattee THESE CALLS MAY BE DIALED DIRECTLY 3 - Bill Graziadei 4 - Allen Nealley Committee Members 5 - Julio Tojeira 6 - Roberta Goggin Activities Tom Alizio 7 - Ed Colameta Budget Eileen Schlechting, Treasurer 8 - Joseph Alizio 9 - Floyd Zonenstein City Jackie Mataragus & Floyd Zonenstein 10 - Linda Silva C.O.P. Maj. Sandra Norman 11 - John Beck 12 - Stan Vitale Jr. Gym Al Menard 13 - Sandy Perri Insurance Joe Alizio 14 - Carol Miller Law Stanley Vitale, Jr.

Library Phyllis Haight & Leslie Sandusky Maintenance Floyd Zonenstein & Allen Nealley Movies John Dunn & Helen Munce Newsletter Hal Taback Rules & Reg’s Esther Malter & Leslie Sandusky Security/ Vincent Gatto, Floyd Zonenstein, I.D.’s Bill DeBonis, James Johnson, & Ron Mastine

2

Halloween Party

October 31, 2016

Hal Taback Since this is still early in the season many of our ac- tive friends have yet to arrive but none-the-less it is It is with much regret I report our Halloween disappointing our celebration could not be held. Well Party was cancelled because there was a lack of participa- maybe next year. tion with only 18 people signing up. As you can see by the images included on this page we were preparing to report in detail about this annual event.

We realize, over the years, the demographics of our com- munity has changed from a majority of permanent resi- dents to one of part timers.

Classified

The League At VRG, Inc. disclaims any express or implied endorsements, representa- tions or warranties of any kind regarding such persons or firms or the services or products which they may provide or supply.

3

Seven Mile Bridge

Key Largo Islamorada Marathon Big Pine Key Key West

How fortunate we are to call Florida our home. The diversity of things to do extends from the northern state line to the tip of the . We will attempt to explore the many unique places available to us in this and following issues, starting our journey in the southern most area of the state, the Florida Keys.

The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida , 15 miles south of Miami extend- ing in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, and on to the uninhabited .. They form the southernmost portion of the continental United States. They lie along the Florida Straits, with the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the to the northwest, defining one edge of . The climate of the “Keys” by definition is tropical savanna (much like the Caribbean). The total land area is 137.3 square miles and as of the 2014 census, its population was 77,136.

Key Largo, the most northern section of the Keys and largest, is the location of the first undersea park in the United States, (John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park) was established in 1963, and is located at Mile Marker 102. The park is primarily offshore and stretches three miles into the Atlantic Ocean and is 25 miles long. Home to tropical hardwoods, winding creeks, two state parks, a national park and a portion of a national marine sanctuary, Key Largo boasts some of the most fascinating botanical scenery in the state.

Islamorada a "Village of Islands," is located on the islands of , , , and . Islamorada is the sports fishing capital of the world. Marine Mammal Adventure Park offers eco tours, swimming with Dolphins, Sea Lions, and Sting Rays, plus other programs in beautifully landscaped settings.

Marathon is a city on Knight's Key, , , , , and is- lands in the middle of the Florida Keys. You’ll find activities here in the Heart of the Florida Keys for family members of all ages and energy levels! Visit the Turtle Hospital, historic little island and museum, the Crane Point Ham- mock Nature Preserve and History Museum, or the world renowned Dolphin Research Center where you can get up close and personal (even swim with) Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins!

4 Cont. from page 4

Big Pine Key, located in the lower Keys, is home to the National Refuge, this island is where the major- ity of the Key Deer population can be found. The endangered Key deer are found in the lower Florida Keys, and nowhere else in the world.

Key West, located at the southern most tip of the Keys, encompasses the island of Key West, the part of north of U.S. 1, (north, originally known as Dredgers Key), (north), and (west, originally known as Tank Island). Both Fleming Key and Sigsbee Park are part of Naval Air Station Key West and are inaccessible by civilians.

One of the biggest attractions on the island is a concrete replica of a buoy at the corner of South and Whitehead Streets that claims to be the southernmost point in the contiguous United States (see Extreme Points). Erected in 1983, the famous brightly painted and labeled "SOUTHERNMOST POINT CONTINENTAL U.S.A.", it is one of the most visited and photographed attractions in Key West.

Author Ernest Hemingway made his vacation home here in Key West. Legend has it that Hemingway wrote part of A Farewell to Arms while living above the showroom of a Key West Ford dealership at 314 Simonton Street while awaiting delivery of a Ford Model A roadster purchased by the uncle of his wife Pauline in 1928.

Hardware store owner Charles Thompson introduced him to deep-sea fishing. Among the group who went fishing was Joe Russell (also known as Sloppy Joe). Russell was reportedly the model for Freddy in To Have and Have Not. Portions of the original manuscript were found at Sloppy Joe's Bar after his death. The group had nicknames for each other, and Hemingway wound up with "Papa".

The six- or seven-toed polydactyl cats descended from Hemingway's original pet "Snowball" still live on the grounds and are cared for at the Hemingway House, despite complaints by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that they are not kept free from visitor contact. The Key West City Commission has exempted the house from a law prohibiting more than four domestic animals per household. Where We Live

Boynton Beach

Boynton Beach, Florida offers its residents an unmatched way of life, of- fering them a sub-tropical climate, a tropical paradise where the Atlantic and Everglades meet nestled in the coastal heart of Palm Beach County. Boynton Beach offers waterfront dining, abundant shopping and enter- tainment. The offshore Gulf Stream brings summer breezes and warm winter sunshine.

This city of Boynton Beach's popularity is evidenced by its high rate of resi- dential growth for all ages. Boynton Beach is Palm Beach County's third largest city. According to a newspaper report in 2000 our beaches were rated the #1 in the county.

5

Classified

6

Classified

7

Classified

State Certified Commercial Pool Builder

CPC 1457451 www.atlanticpoolmaintenance.com

Your advertisement goes here

Pool, Patio Feature Design New Pool Construction Complete Maintenance Pool Heaters Automatic Chlorine Generators Pool Renovation Patio Renovation Water Features Phone: (888) 509-9262 Fire Bowels Outdoor Kitchens Paver Decks Travertine Decks Colored Concrete Decks Pressure Cleaning

Nature’s Wrath - Hurricane Matthew - Pictured from left to right—first row— satellite image of storm in the Caribbean, devastation in Haiti— second row— VRG and Flagler damage

8