Vern Hobbs
Article Category: Get Out Of Town
Mykonos By Vern Hobbs www.flying-fish-creative.com Sinking in boredom, I paged mindlessly through the cable news channels. On one, an animated commentator dissected the most recent GOP debate. On another, a polished doomsayer belabored the Greek debt crisis, predicting the possible “end of Greece.” “End of Greece?” I blurted out incredulously. “If a little spending binge marks the end of Greece, then there’s no hope for the rest of the world,” I preached.... [Read more...]
Tobin Bennison
Article Category: Skilled Labor
Beth Kring Tobin Bennison Merritt Island artist Beth Kring jokingly claims that she does most of her painting in her car. “If I took my pieces into my house,” she laughs, “my dogs would eat them.” There’s a kernel of truth in this comical aside. In addition to making beautifully muted tropical watercolors, Beth is devoted to rescuing Bloodhounds. “I have four now; we lost three last year from old age,” she says. “I am pretty limited as regards space,... [Read more...]
Dan Reiter
Article Category: Get Out Of Town
Photo: Ezra Millstein Haiti: A Land Forgotten By Dan Reiter Last November, I took a charter flight into the city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, with Habitat for Humanity’s annual Carter Work Project. Our mission: to build 100 homes for Haitian families displaced by the 2010 earthquake. The quake — a result of 250 years of bottled-up stress on a Caribbean fault line — demolished nearly every building in the capital city, killed 316,000 Haitians, and exiled over one million people to homelessness... [Read more...]
JACK BAKER’S LOBSTER SHANTY Being a contrarian has its undeniable drawbacks, but when it comes to dining, the attitude can open up new worlds of possibility. I’m glad, for instance, that I never heeded the advice of friends to avoid restaurants like the Cliff House and Alioto’s when I lived in San Francisco in the late ’90s. “They’re just for out-of-towners,” they said. “Locals know better than to bother.” When I finally did visit those places,... [Read more...]
Tobin Bennison
Article Category: 20 Questions
MIKKI KRAGELUND This January 12, beachside resident Mikki Kragelund and friend Nina Oosterveer — the “Sunny Cyclers” — will be biking the length of New Zealand to raise $5000 for the World Skin Cancer Foundation. Mikki, whom many here know as “Michelle,” was diagnosed with stage-three melanoma nearly two years ago, but is currently cancer-free, thanks to early detection and treatment. Now living in New Zealand, Mikki came up with the idea for this ride as a... [Read more...]
Tobin Bennison
Article Category: Restaurant Review
Silvestro’s By Tobin Bennison Photos by Rich Sullivan Since taking over last September, the new owners of Silvestro’s have had their work cut out for them. There’s no delicate way of putting it: prior to their arrival, the restaurant was fraught with problems — exorbitant prices, imperious staff, and inconsistent food among them. But one of the biggest difficulties they’ve faced is less tangible: shedding Silvestro’s of its image as an exclusive aerie of the... [Read more...]
Tobin Bennison
Article Category: Skilled Labor
Roger Burleigh of Green Gloves Garden Center By Tobin Bennison Twenty-seven years ago, opening a nursery and landscaping company was probably the last thing on Roger Burleigh’s mind. Back then, skateboarding and BMX occupied most of his thoughts. The half-pipe he built in the backyard of his family’s Merritt Island home attracted Cocoa Beach groms like John Mayo and the Slater brothers, so it’s no wonder he soon added surfing to his list of consuming interests. Burleigh remembers... [Read more...]
Tobin Bennison
Article Category: Get Out Of Town
Estonia: Land of Song By T. Bennison “So he paused. And the Grinch put his hand to his ear. And he did hear a sound rising over the snow. It started in low. Then it started to grow. But the sound wasn’t sad! Why, this sound sounded merry! It couldn’t be so! But it WAS merry! VERY! He stared down at Whoville! The Grinch popped his eyes! Then he shook! What he saw was a shocking surprise! Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small, Was singing! Without any presents... [Read more...]
Tobin Bennison
Article Category: 20 Questions
Ted Taylor of Ted Taylor’s Fitness • Tobin Bennison Ever since he moved here from Baltimore, Maryland in 1995, personal trainer Ted Taylor has been a well-respected and very visible member of the Cocoa Beach community. You’ll often see the incredibly fit 70-year-old walking on the beach with his wife, Susan, or stepping out of his downtown gym to Juice N’ Java next door for a smoothie. Though he cuts an imposing figure, Ted is a soft-spoken man, the kind who downplays the many... [Read more...]
Tobin Bennison
Article Category: 20 Questions
The Legend of the Seagullmen How does one go about explaining the Seagullmen phenomenon? With great difficulty. Conceived by brothers Frank, Chris, and David Dreyer and a group of close friends, the Seagullmen are a fascinating fusion of live music, performance art, cutting-edge theater, puppetry, 3-D film, and folkloric folderol. Originally from Philadelphia, the Dreyer brothers moved to Cocoa Beach in 1977 when their father came to the Space Coast to start an advertising agency. “Each of... [Read more...]
