Emma Lou Olsen Civic Center was a great place to have a Pompano Beach toy con plenty of room for…read morevendors. Everything was good there the bathrooms are clean. Plenty of parking. I go to a lot of events here. It's always a nice time. Never any problems. Good neighborhood. The Pompano Beach Toy Con was a lot of fun. Lots of cool things to see like vintage Star Wars, vintage records, Pokémon items, Japanese snacks, Handmade jewelry, and different types of art and so much more too numerous to name them all. Also People dressed in costumes is always fun taking pictures with the kids. We will definitely go next year.

Pretty much the same information that I posted more than 5 years ago under the Pompano Civic…read moreCenter. But it was renamed in honor of Emma Lou, the late mayor and long time commissioner of Pompano Beach. There are meetings and banquet rooms here as well as classrooms, halls, and even a dance studio. A variety of programs are offered here as well as lessons. Sports and exercise classes including pickle ball, karate, Zumba, et al. Unfortunately, they no longer hold the granny's attic that I had a selling table at for several years. This was one of my favorite events as there aren't many inside yard sales. But check out the current events and classes -- there's something for everyone.

This is a historical sign that is placed where the first Pompano Colored School once stood. The…read morefirst colored school was a two room wooden school house on what is now Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. It was destroyed by the 1926 Hurricane. Blanche General Ely who was to become the school's first principal supported a new and better school to replace the old one. In 1928 a two story, 6 classroom concrete and stucco building was constructed for grades one through six. In addition to the classrooms the building also had an assembly hall, library, and principals office. The school was completed with funds from the African-American community, Broward County, and the Rosemead Fund. Later on the school was expanded to the 11th grade. In 1954 the school was renamed Coleman Elementary School after Reverend James Emmanuel Coleman, the pastor of Mount Calvary Baptist Church.when desegregation took place the school closed in 1970 and in 1972 the school was demolished. The site where the school once sat is now Coleman Park and there is a historical marker commemorating the school. The marker that took more than two years to get was unveiled on September 6, 2018 in a city ceremony. Some of the schools former students attended. The site is now a designated Florida Heritage Site through the Historical Marker Program.

Errands Saturday. Had to drop off a letter to be mailed out. Always like this little post office…read more Always friendly and fast service. Right by my PCP, so very convenient in Deerfield Beach.

This store's staff are courteous, helpful and knowledgeable…read more Also, USPS prices for international shipping are potentially much lower than their UPS counterpart. I had an item that I shipped today that was approximately 10x cheaper at USPS compared to UPS.

Came for Bingo night! The BINGLO event was fun. The doors open at 6:30 and the bingo game starts at…read more7:00pm. We missed the 1st game but played the 2nd and 3rd with their glow in the dark markers. Got 2 drink tickets and they had light snacks. There is a 4th bingo BONUS game which is filling up the entire bingo sheet and lots of prize possibilities. It's a good charity event and I had a great time.

Lots of valuable information for people thinking about retiring it's a difficult task. They made…read morethings so much easier and clarifying a lot of things.

I enjoy learning about all of the military history in South Florida during WWII. Today I discovered…read morethis marker that chronicles a very sad chapter of the war that happened on what is now the Florida Atlantic University Campus. In 1942 the area that is now FAU University was the Boca Raton Army Air Field. For five years it trained 100, 000 soldiers for fighting in WWII. The army built more than 800 buildings and four runways to train pilots. Airplanes flew to Boca Raton from all over the country to have radar installed in their planes. Soldiers stayed at the Boca Raton Resort & Club and camped on the golf course. Some of those who received radar training at the Boca Air Field included Tuskegee Airmen, the crew of the Enola Gay which was the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb during war time, and future astronaut Gus Grissom. Women at the air field worked in the WAC, Women's Army Corps. On May 12, 1944 the left engine of a Lockheed B-34 crashed during a training mission at what is now the intersection of North University Drive and FAU Boulevard on the FAU campus. After lifting 35 feet in the air, the plane veered left, hit the ground, cartwheeled, and burst into flames. Nine crew members ranging in age from 20 to 31 perished. Lt. Jacob M. Buie, 22, a student radar operator was from Florida. He was the only person to die at the hospital. His family was able to race from Central Florida to his hospital bedside before he passed. The crew members who died that day were: First Lieutenant Jacob M. Buie, Student Radar Operator from Florida, age 22 Staff Sergeant Frank L. Bursaw, Radio Operator, from Missouri, age 31 First Lieutenant William H. Carson, Pilot, from South Carolina, age 23 First Lieutenant Thomas A. Lamont, Student Radar Operator, from New York, age 27 Private Robert E. Locke, Aerial Engineer, from Ohio, age 22 First Lieutenant John J. Lominac, Student Radar Operator from North Carolina, age 25 Sergeant John S. Safieko, Radar Operator, from Missouri, age 25 First Lieutenant Benjamin P. Sibley, Student Radar Operator, from Massachusetts, age 27 Private First Class Norman R. Steiner, Student Engineer, from New York, age 20 Although people in the community knew about the air field, what went on there was kept secret by the government. Not much was even known about the crash. After a category four hurricane destroyed the base in 1947, it was decommissioned. In 1962 the former base became FAU and the Boca Raton Airport and in 1964 the main campus of the University opened to students. Susan Gillis of the Boca Raton Historical Society and Tom Wood, Fire Chief of Boca Raton Fire Rescue Services worked together to compile the history of the airfield and the crash. As a result of their work, on May of 2021 historical marker number F-1083 was unveiled at the sight of the crash. It was erected by Thomas R. Wood, Rosita B. Wood, Susan Gillis, Sally J. Ling, Boca Raton Historical Society, U.S. Air Force Historical Research Agency, Florida Atlantic University, and the Florida Department of State. Family members of 5 of the 9 men who lost their lives were able to attend a ceremony on campus honoring their sacrifice. Now there is a lasting reminder to educate everyone on the worst loss of life on the base. Tom Wood spent 10 years researching the crash to make sure these soldiers would not be forgotten.

The Coconut Creek Community Center is one of the best parts of living in Coconut Creek. We even…read morehave two centers. This is the one in the south end of the city. The first community center in the city was the Rowe Community Center. it was much smaller and no longer met the needs of the growing city so this center was built in 2004. The building is two stories and is very beautiful and well maintained. The first floor of the center holds the reception desk, offices, meeting rooms, the senior center, bathrooms and a gymnasium. There is a large reception room with an attached kitchen. I rented it one year for my daughter's birthday party. It is also used for community meetings and voting. You can find all of the notices of upcoming events tacked to the bulletin board opposite the reception desk. The second floor contains more meeting rooms and a game room that can be used by the public. The community center hosts many events for the residents of the city for all ages. There are programs for kids, activities for seniors, sports teams, and classes. They hold a day camp every summer, after school programs, and provide child care to help parents when school is out. My daughter took dance classes, art classes, and attended many of the children's programs through the years. Later on she earned volunteer hours for high school by volunteering at the recreation programs. The recreation department does an incredible job of creating programs for the city. Everything they present is free or with a reasonable fee. People from outside the city can attend the programs put they have to pay extra to do so. Outside the community center is a large park that contains two playgrounds and a newly refurbished basketball court. On any given night you will see families and kids riding bikes, playing basketball, and enjoying the playgrounds. There is a lake that separates the community center from Windmill Park. Once Windmill Park is reopened it will be a nice walk between the community center and the park that is getting a major make over. Outside there is also a band shell that hosts free concerts usually once a month and movies outside. On the East side of the property there is picturesque bridge that leads from the community center to the brand new fire station. Through the years I have attended a lot of the community center programs. I have voted here and celebrated here. I have also made friends with the recreation staff who are some of the nicest people I know. The residents of Coconut Creek are fortunate to have such a great recreation staff and a beautiful building that houses all they have to offer.

This is a great Rec Centet whete we come to watch kids Volkyball. Last night a group og eight…read moreteenage boys were fighting on the sidewalk swearing yelling. Then they walked behind us into the center and out to the facilities in the back. Why are there no Police patrols or security with all these kids on site and close to the fire station. Encouraged to carry concealed after years of not.

I love coming to this community center, there is truly so much to do! My favorite activity has been…read morethe weekly line dancing class. The instructor is fun, engaging, and helpful, and the group of attendees makes it such a great time every week. They offer a wide range of classes (not just lining dancing) during both the day and evening, with options that are free or available for a small fee. There's something for all ages, from kids to seniors, which makes it such a welcoming and inclusive space. The center itself is spacious, clean, and has convenient restroom access. There's also rental space available for events or gatherings. Class offerings range from language and crafting to games, dancing, gardening, and more -- there's always something new to try! There are several other community centers in Pompano as well, so it's worth exploring them to see what each location has to offer.

They have a wide range of courses with excellent instructors. in particular I go for the duplicate…read moreBridge lessons and my wife goes for tai chi.

If you ever walk along the Ft Lauderdale Riverfront in Esplanade Park near the performing arts…read morecenter, you have probably come across this statue. The Lone Sailor is a seven foot, 809 pound statue of a sailor along the Riverwalk in Ft.Lauderdale. The sailor has his back to the city as his gaze looks out to the New River. He wears a sailors signature pea coat with his duffel sack at his feet. City commissioners along with volunteers from the Navy League of the United States spent four years raising funds for the statue. It was dedicated on October 14, 2006. The original Lone Sailor is at the Navy Memorial Plaza in Washington DC. There are now 18 Lone Sailor statues around the world. The statue signifies all of the men and women who have served or are serving in the Navy, past , present, and future. The statue stands for honor, courage, and commitment. Ft. Lauderdale was a major military base during WWII and many former military personnel retire here for the warmer climate, This statue recognizes their contributions and our history as a seafaring community. You can learn more about Ft. Lauderdale's role in WWIi at the Naval Air Station Museum in Ft. Lauderdale.