2008 - PAST EVENTS
Trip to the Isle Casino at Pompano Park - On Saturday evening, December 13th, forty five (45) members and guests boarded our bus in front of Macy's in Boynton Beach, in anticipation of an evening of fun and games at the Isle Casino at Pompano Park. After receiving our discount coupons, we disembarked and were off and running.
Most of us immediately headed to the Island Buffet, which was quite remarkable with all you could eat shrimp, crab legs, beef ribs, pizza, ravioli in a pink sauce, vegetable lasagna, chicken alfredo, salmon, roast beef, etc, etc. Of course there were all kinds of salads and so many desserts that you thought you died and went to Heaven. After spending mucho time there, we left with most of us going up at least one size in clothes. But, the food was delicious and well worth the sacrifice. Many on the trip will probably be at the gym next week working out, except for those who will be on the street corner selling apples.
It was fun pushing the buttons on the machines, watching our money disappear to the tune of bells and whistles. Mickie Sobel had the most fun when she won the $1,000. jackpot on the Video Poker machine!
Eventually we decided that the machines could do without anymore donations from us and we headed out the far doors to the racetrack. After betting on two races (the trotters), we looked at our watch and saw that it was time to go back to our bus. On the way home, a toll was taken as to the number of winners and losers. Lo and behold, there were a few big winners; unfortunately, we were not among them. But a good time was had by all, win, lose or draw.
Submitted by Florence Lewis
"Avenue Q" Broadway's smash 2004 Tony Award Winner for Best Musical featuring comicl life-size puppets and risque songs - Tuesday, November 25, 2008 - 8:00 PM at the Kravis Center, West Palm Beach
2 Day/1Night Trip to Naples/Fort Myers - On Sunday morning, October 26th, members and guests of the Philadelphia Social Club piled into our motor coach - destination: Naples. By 8:30 a.m., we were on our way. Upon arriving in Naples, we stopped at Tin City to pick up our guide - then had lunch at a delightful restaurant called Remy's.
Touring Naples was fascinating. Our guide pointed out all the inexpensive homes - the ones starting in the low millions.
Our next destination was our hotel, the Hampton Inn, where we were able to relax for a few hours. After a pleasant wine and cheese reception, we were once more back on the bus headed north to Ft. Myers. The show at the dinner theater, "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" was very professional and dinner was enjoyed by all.
On Monday morning, everyone met in the lobby for a buffet breakfast before getting back on the bus. Our scheduled destination was Miromar and the outlet shops, where we had lunch on our own and shopped til we dropped.
We arrived home around 5:30 p.m. and suffice to say, a terrific time was had by all.
SEPTEMBER 11 - "Treasures of China" Exhibit at the Norton Museum, West Palm Beach - Our Philly Club members and guests attended a phenomenal art exhibit at the Norton Museum - Treasures of China. Our museum docent was very knowledgeable, which made viewing the works of art, bronzes and jades so much more enjoyable. After a delicious lunch, we were on our own to visit the entire museum at our leisure and a wonderful time was had by all.
JUNE 22 - Theatre Evening
What a nostalgic and entertaining dance down Memory Lane! "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh!" brought us back to those innocent and wondrous days of the fifties. Allan Sherman captured, in humorous song, the nucleus of coming of age and maturing as an adult in the east coast Jewish communities of the United States. Many of us grew to maturity between the end of WW II and the Korean Conflict and before Viet Nam. Sherman's clever and witty lyrics set to transformed classical music provided venues for his humorous genius. Avi Hoffman and the New Vista Theatre Company provided a superb delivery of the play which was truly enjoyed by all.
Philadelphia Club members had great seats at the front of the auditorium. We were all delighted and surprised at the new star performer in our midst. Carol Singer was brought on stage and made a cast member by Avi Hoffman. No one was more startled than Carol. She performed magnificently and was a real trooper. Carol will not reveal when she will sign a long term contract with the theatre company. Super performance, Carol !!! We all want autographs. It was a truly enjoyable evening.
JUNE 4 - Twenty-six hopeful gamblers boarded a bus bound for The Isle Casino in Pompano. The bus trip itself was a social get together, not to mention the bountiful buffet with an array of food that made us all say, "No dinner tonight."
Two members, Harry Kabo and Seymour Oshatz, who hit the beautiful lounge area, also hit two Tri-Fecta's in the simulcast races. Others came home a little richer than when they left, but no matter, a good time was had by all.
We would like to extend a big thank you to Helene Oshatz, our Co-Vice President of Event Planning, for organizing this delightful day.
APRIL - PASSOVER DINNER-
After extensive planning, the Passover dinner on Sunday, April 20th at Le Pavillon turned out to be a huge disappointment to both members and guests. Last minute time change by management, from 5 to 7 p.m., WITHOUT advance notice, subsequent rude treatment and then mediocre food, had us agree that it's highly unlikely any of us will return there. The comaraderie of our people became the saving feature of the evening.
MARCH - BBQ Dinner - What a Bar-B-Que!!! The South County Civic Center Pavilion was put to good use on Sunday, March 30, 2008.
A gentle rain shower fell but did not dampen the spirits of all gathered under the ample roof area for the festivities. We certainly had the best caterer in South Florida. No one could have left feeling hungry. As advertised, we feasted on BBQ chicken, ribs, hot dogs, hamburgers, corn on the cob, baked beans, cole slaw, potato salad, plus all the trimmings, desserts and drinks. All foods were hot or cold as expected and absolutely delicious.
A wonderful treat awaited everyone from The Philadelphia Water Ice Company which recently opened at 614 N. Dixie Highway in Lantana. The owner appeared with a picnic gift of generous servings of his scrumptious real Philly water ice for each person.
The afternoon ended with games and music. The caterer supplied storage bags and invited club members to take all of the left overs. Everyone left with food for a meal in the evening. It was a great afternoon.
KRAVIS CENTER - Backstage Tour - March 26th
A back stage tour of the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach provided a fascinating and exhilarating tour for members of the Philadelphia Social Club on Wednesday, March 26th.
Those sufficiently fortunate to have attended were treated to the expertise of a knowledgeable and articulate docent. The facilities back stage were expansive and were designed for the utmost comfort and ease of preparation of performers. We were able to examine dressing rooms, dance practice rooms, recording studios, specially designed music studios, the sets, curtain and prop areas and the technical facilities utilized to facilitate diverse varieties of performances.
An additional unexpected experience was the result of an opera production scheduled for the following evening. We marveled at the opulent gowns for the ballroom opening scene and the elegant male garments of gentlemen attending balls in bygone eras. Dollies were laden with cases of drawers, one on another, rising almost five feet high. Sets of drawers contained shoes. Each drawer was labeled by gender, shoe color and type. Other sets of drawers contained wigs, similarly labeled while some containers held jewelry labeled as to color and type of item.
Our attention was riveted when we explored the seating area of the orchestra that, when required, is automatically lowered beneath the floor in order to expand the orchestra pit. When the smaller pit is adequate, the seats are then moved up and in place with a touch of a button. Our guide also explained how the baby grand piano, on the landing where the double staircase meets, is brought down the very grand marble staircase to the lobby.
We adjourned to The Cheesecake Factory for a lunch that culminated a most pleasurable day.
by Joanruth Hirshman
CLEWISTON BUS TRIP - - January 30, 2008
Our host, Herb Epstein, greeted us warmly, as did our very skilled and helpful driver. Our very plush coach, which could hardly be described as a bus, transported us to a point midway between the east and west coasts of Florida - the historic town of Clewiston, in Hendry County.
We arrived at the historic Clewiston Inn and were treated to cookies and coffee which we consumed quite eagerly. The treats woke those still partially asleep from our early start.
We toured the orange grove areas and observed the sorting and processing of oranges that would be used for juice marketed by major National companies. We were all fascinated by the expert knowledge of our guide, Hunter Latham.
The Philly Club Army does “travel on its stomach.” We all demonstrated a hungry appetite when we returned to the Clewiston Inn for a lovely and delicious buffet lunch presented with true southern hospitality.
After lunch, we drove a distance around the rim of Lake Okeechobee. We learned about past hurricane damage in the area, as well as the effect of storms on the terrain and economy. We also enjoyed the narrated scenic tour of historic Clewiston.
On the road again, we observed carefully as we toured fields of sugar cane that stretched beyond the horizon and watched the harvesting of the cane. Hunter provided information as well as answers to everyone‘s questions. We stopped alongside a field and Hunter cut and stripped some sugar cane for tasting. We were given sections of the cane with instructions for planting.
Fuzzy Spiegel, a Philly Club Director, planted a stalk of sugar cane that he received on last year’s trip. Fuzzy now has a mega foot cane of sugar growing next to his residence. Many were eager to emulate his success.
Once again, we boarded the bus, this time to visit the United States Sugar Corporation. We saw the rail cars that transported the cane and observed the bagging of the processed sugar as well riding inside a storage depot.
It was a two hour ride home, but the afternoon proved to be a unique and worthwhile educational experience for all our transplanted northerners! And a good time was had by all.
KLEZMER CONCERT and BUFFET DINNER - On Sunday, January 27th, between 5:30 and 6:15 p.m., 224 members and guests of The Philadelphia Social Club were seated in the large meeting room at the South County Civic Center.
After the usual socializing, tables were called by a random drawing to line up for a magnificent buffet dinner, prepared by Ellie's Catering. Dinner was topped off with strawberry cheesecake, sugar-free chocolate mousse and cut up fresh fruit.
At precisely 8:00 p.m., the Harry Frank Klezmer Orchestra came on stage, appropriately dressed in black tuxedos. Jan Frank MC'd the performance. She first explained how Klezmer music originated and then introduced five of the most talented musicians we have ever heard.
First there was Richard on keyboard, who played a Russian Klezmer mishmash, followed by a Spanish Klezmer mishmash, with fingers flying across the keys so fast it was a blur.
Next, Charlie on clarinet did a medley from when he performed on the East side in New York.
Jerry the drummer was very versatile. He sang rap songs in cowboy garb and did a great impersonation of Al Jolson, complete with white gloves. His act also included a lip sinc of the song "Rumania", punctuated by a little dance routine.
Another delight was Randy, the token 'goy' (as he calls himself) who sang, "By Mir bist du Shane", "Halleluyah" and played a mean trumpet.
The best was saved for last - Eddie, the violinist, from Russia. I cannot conceive of anyone topping Eddie's performance as he played "Sunrise, Sunset" and "If I were a Rich Man" from Fiddler on the Roof. His act concluded with him singing and playing "Yiddishe Mama". When Eddie played, you could hear a pin drop. The audience was spellbound.
Our third annual Klezmer Concert, consisting of five of the finest musicians ever to be heard, was totally overwhelming. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the phenomenal talent of The Harry Frank Klezmer Orchestra, as evidenced by the standing ovations each one received.
We would like to express our thanks to the helping hands who contributed to the success of this evening. Most of all, our thanks to THELMA SPIEGEL, who chaired this event and took all the reservations. A night that will long be remembered, we are still receiving accolades and many requests to bring the Klezmer Concert back for next year. |
