CEO Chatter with Jack Lighton
Dear Friends of LMC,
We are excited to bring you this special TurtleFest edition of our eNewsletter, which is is full of great insights and pro-tips on how to best enjoy this must-attend annual event.
Our theme this year is “Together We Can,” which showcases the power of our wonderful conservation network. Each of us can provide great support to sea turtle and ocean conservation efforts here in Florida and around our planet.
What is TurtleFest? It is a fun day-long FREE event with great experiences for the entire family. TurtleFest features something fun for every guest! For eager young minds, TurtleFest offers interactive conservation experiences designed to engage and inspire young minds with fun sea turtle and ocean conservation themes. From great games and rock climbing walls to PNC Bank’s Grow Up Great Lagoon, parents can keep their “hatchlings” busy all day long!
Our live main stage, sponsored by Tire Kingdom, will be busy all day long with exceptional music that amplifies our conservation theme. Guests will enjoy wonderful food and refreshments, as well as an expanded artist and shopping village. Also new this year is our interactive social media lounge!
TurtleFest is LMC’s largest public conservation festival, and as such, we offer excellent ways for guests to protect and respect our environment. From bike valet parking and composting the crumbs of food served at the event to morning beach clean-ups and yoga classes, TurtleFest is designed to pay respect to LMC’s mission of sea turtle and ocean conservation. Ditch those single-use water bottles – our excellent chilled filtered water stations are back by popular demand. It’s the perfect way to stay hydrated and protect our planet. Please join us as we party to protect our sea turtles and their ocean home!
Our partners at FPL have kindly provided FREE ample parking, providing wonderful climate-controlled shuttle buses running continuously throughout our event. For real time updates during the event, please “like our Facebook page,” where info will be posted throughout the day.
TurtleFest 2017 is powered by the kind support of our sponsors and volunteers. Please help us thank our sponsors and volunteers who help to keep TurtleFest fun, free and enjoyable: PNC Bank, The Gardens Mall, Tire Kingdom, Jupiter Medical Center, Florida Power & Light Co., Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa, Lagunitas Brewing Co., Naked Turtle Rum, Seagull Electronics, Florida Weekly, Jersey Mike’s, Loggerhead Marina, Jurassic Parts, The Benjamin School, The Gymnastics Revolution, Lighthouse ArtCenter, Kool 105.5, On the Mark Landscaping, InJupiter Magazine, Via Productions, Cultural Council and Palm Beach County for making TurtleFest 2017 our best event yet! Together, we can increase awareness of sea turtle and ocean conservation.
We look forward to seeing you at TurtleFest, where “Together We Can” save our sea turtles and their ocean home.
With Gratitude,
Jack E. Lighton
President & CEO
Seek Zero Pavilion and Social Media Lounge
Seek Zero Pavilion and Social Media Lounge. Together, we can seek a zero waste lifestyle and put an end to marine pollution. Learn how to live a zero waste lifestyle in our brand new conservation and media tent. Enter the tent by our Interactive Social Media Photobooth, then make your way through the tent stopping at different stations, which will focus on responsible angling, responsible boating, sea turtle-safe diving, monofilament recycling, marine pollution sorting and ways to improve the health of our oceans. In addition to interactive, zero-waste crafts, guests will be able to re-charge their phones and view live social media of the event in our Social Media Lounge. When you exit the tent, make a Solidarity Fish with the Lighthouse Art Center or add a piece of plastic pollution to our mural in the Do Your Part: Science & Art Village.
Morning Activities
Together, we can clean up our local beaches and create a safer nesting and hatching environment for sea turtles! Before you spend the day with us enjoying music, food and interactive activities, we invite you to help us kick-off TurtleFest 2017 by participating in a beach cleanup. Please view the information below for details regarding the beach cleanups.
Deep Blue and You Yoga! followed by a Blue Friends Society Beach Cleanup. Join us for a slow-flow, sunrise yoga session followed by a 15-minute beach cleanup. Our first yoga session of the day will be held on the beach next to the Juno Beach Pier on March at 7:30 a.m. After a restorative yoga class, we ask guests to spend 15 minutes cleaning up the beach. Please be sure to bring your own mat or towel, water bottle and any other accessories you need. For more information on either program, please contact Kate at [email protected]. Additional regular yoga classes will be held throughout the day at TurtleFest at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m.
- 7:30 a.m. – Deep Blue & You Yoga at the Juno Beach Pier (including beach clean-up)
- 9 a.m. – Juno Beach (meet at LMC)
- 9 a.m. – Hobe Sound in collaboration with Saltmates
Food and Music
Together, we can rock sea turtle conservation! This year, we are have added more music, food and beer to TurtleFest.
Beer. Stop by the beer tent to see Lagunitas for a beer in between performances. To eliminate the use of plastic at TurtleFest, we will include a metal cup with your first beer ($8). After your first beer, all beers will be $5.
Food. You won’t go hungry at TurtleFest if you stop by Food Row! In alignment with our mission, we have required all vendors to commit to conservation by eliminating the use of single-use plastics and providing compostable cutlery and plates.
Music. All day long, enjoy a steady stream of live music! From steel drums to coastal reggae, there’s something for everyone. View the entire talent lineup below:
Main Stage.
- Performing Arts Academy of Jupiter: (10:15-10:45 a.m.)
- Maltz Jupiter Theatre: (11-11:20 a.m.)
- The People Upstairs: (11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.) Alternative rock funk reggae band from South Florida. Somewhat of a cross between The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Sublime.
- Fireside Prophets: (12:30-2 p.m.) Laid back, soaked in Florida sunshine and all twisted up in reggae-rock.
- Del Pelson: (2:30-4 p.m.) Del Pelson is a five-piece alternative pop group based out of South Florida, combining catchy indie-pop melodies with the power of alternative rock.
- Treasure Chest Contest winner announcement: (2:30-2:45 p.m.)
- Jahfe: (4:30-6 p.m.)Jahfe is a crowd-pleasing Miami reggae band that has opened for many of the biggest names in the business including Damian Marley, Steel Pulse and Toots and the Maytals.
Second Stage.
- The Gratitude Steel Band: (11 a.m.-3 p.m.) The band sings and performs on various instruments doing reggae, soca, jazz, pop, classical Hawaiian, and African music.
PNC BANK’S GROW UP GREAT LAGOON
Hatchlings can swim into PNC Bank’s Grow Up Great Lagoon to experience hands-on turtle-approved activities and games. They can explore the different textures, shapes, colors and sizes of all things under the sea, get their face painted, create their own sea turtle to bring home and enjoy a full gymnastics tumble area and puppet story time. Don’t forget to snap a photo of our mascot Fletch as he visits the Grow Up Great Lagoon throughout the day. Special thanks to PNC Bank for sponsoring this area.
Ways to Win – TurtleFest Contests
Together, we can raise awareness of our sea turtle and conservation efforts! With the help of all TurtleFest attendees, we are able to spread our mission and vision to new audiences. While attending the event, we offer different ways for everyone to get involved. To learn how to get involved and win a TurtleFest contest, please view the information below:
Vet for a Day. We are incredibly excited for our “Vet for a Day” event at TurtleFest. Parents, you can nominate your child on our TurtleFest 2017 event Facebook page. The contest is open to children ages 6-12. Our “Vet for a Day” winner will meet with an LMC rehabilitation staff member and learn how sea turtle patients are treated. Nominations close March 18.
TurtleFest Poster Contest. Because we love sea turtle and ocean conservation so much, we decided to run our annual TurtleFest 2017 – Together We Can poster contest on Facebook this year to reach our global audience. We were overwhelmed by the amazing artwork that everyone submitted, and even more amazed by the stories behind the designs. Now it’s your chance to vote on our Facebook album for your favorite poster by March 18!
Treasure Chest Scavenger Hunt. Each family will be given a Treasure Map guide to the event. Families can participate in a Scavenger Hunt and have the chance to win a treasure chest full of sea turtle goodies! For the first time this year, we are giving guests the option to go digital. Before the event, we will post a digital copy of the map and link to the questions on our TurtleFest 2017 Facebook page and website. Make sure to turn your map into the Adoption Tent by 2 p.m. to be entered into the contest. Winners of the scavenger hunt will be announced on the main stage at 2:30 p.m.
Social Media Giveaways. Stop by our Social Media Lounge and Seek Zero Tent to take a photo at our pledge wall and vow to live a conservation lifestyle. Every photo taken at our Interactive Social Photobooth will be entered into win a conservation give away prize. Post the photo to your social media accounts, then watch as your post appears on the TV screens in our lounge. A few special prizes will be given out to guests who take a photo with Fletch and post it on social media. To enter, use our appropriate social media handle below and the hashtags #LoggerheadMarinelifeCenter #TurtleFest2017.
- Facebook: @LoggerheadMarinelifeCenter
- Twitter: @loggerheadmc
- Instagram: @LoggerheadMarinelifeCenter
Stay Hydrated – water refill station
Each year, an average of 38 billion water bottles are wasted each year. These plastic bottles break down into tiny pieces and float in currents for years, damaging the ecosystem from the bottom of the food chain up. Plastic pollution is a problem we face in our sea turtle hospital far too often. Last year, in lieu of selling plastic water bottles TurtleFest featured a water station where guests refilled their reusable water bottles for free all day long! This year, we have brought back the water refill stations for all TurtleFest guests to use. Please either bring your own bottle or purchase one at the event (for $5) or in our gift store. Support our efforts to reduce marine debris and better protect the ocean. Together, we can prevent plastic from entering our oceans.
Ways to Travel – Bike Valet & RIDESHARE
We are so excited to announce that our Bike Valet Station is back for TurtleFest 2017! We are encouraging attendees to ride their bikes to TurtleFest and park them at the free Bike Valet Station. Guests that valet a bike will receive 25 percent off of the purchase of a refillable water bottle. To further reduce our carbon foot print, we encourage all attendees to participate in rideshare opportunities, such as sharing an Uber or Lyft, carpooling or using Hubl. For parking information, please click here.
Bringing Up Bali – Vendor Spotlight With Ben Katzaman (Wanderer Bracelets)
Name: Ben Katzaman
Hometown: Delmar, Delaware
Company: Wanderer Bracelets (will be at TurtleFest 2017!)
Items Sold In The E-store: Bracelets
Dream superpower: I would love to teleport between different locations. There’s so many places that I love, but the complex part is getting from one place to another.
How did Wanderer Bracelets begin?
When I was 21 years old on a trip in Bali, I was riding my motorbike through the jungle and came across a guy who was carving on the side of the road. I started to talk to him about what he was doing, and asked if he could make a custom carving for me on a bracelet. Eventually after talking with him for some time, I learned that carving was a traditional practice of the Balinese. But this master carver hadn’t made a bracelet before – he and the others were normally doing wall art, necklaces and tribal designs on the side, meanwhile he was pouring cement to make a living. I realized there wouldn’t be a market in the states for what they were currently making, so I went to designing this idea where people could get handcrafted jewelry. When I came back to the states, my friends loved the bracelets I had. So, I made a Kickstart in December 2014 and things grew from there. Today, we provide sustainable work for 150 people in Bali, where previously there had been no work before. This model allows the villagers to work from home just one time a week and still carry out traditions in their community.
How are the bracelets made?
The bracelets are carved out of natural water buffalo bone, which is a great alternative to ivory. Unlike ivory, no water buffalo is killed; the material is collected from these animals (used to plow the fields of Indonesia) once they die of natural causes. The bone is then turned into art, tools and jewelry. Because the Balinese work and live in family compounds, they participate so much in village life, so it’s important to us to have a low impact on their traditional livelihoods. We believe that helping these groups at or below the poverty line can better help them economically, rather than just through a charitable donation.
What is the bracelet-making process?
I can’t draw at all, so I worked with an artist to help bring these visions to life. The weaving of the bands happens with a single strand of sewing thread, so I tried to figure out how to make it look nice (and waterproof!) But it took a lot of patience, research and development to get it to where it needed to be. And in fact, the first bracelet I made still sits above my desk. Each bracelet passes through 10 people’s hands over a 12-day process.
Why “Wanderer?” What was the inspiration for the brand?
When I first discovered the master carver in Bali, I was lost in the jungle. When I finally came across these guys and learned from them, I realized I wasn’t lost at all, and I remembered the quote that says “not all who wander are lost.” In fact, the Wanderer Bracelets logo is an eye symbolizing one opening his or her eyes to new horizons for the opportunities life holds, and for what’s around you. I want to inspire people to be open to how they can make a difference in their world. And I wanted to create meaningful bracelets that people could wear, showing their life journey and the places and people that are important to them. I also want to engage others in positive conversations. Still, the most important thing is to create sustainable work for the people in Bali. That’s at Wanderer Bracelet’s core, and it’s up to the brand to sustain that goal as we continue to grow.
How do you come up with new designs?
When we first started, I was coming up with a few designs, like the anchor, the Shaka sign and the Volkswagen bus. Then I realized I needed to design for other people, so my team would bring in ideas and give me feedback. When we were done, everyone’s ideas were included – we have 50 to date.
What made you choose to partner with LMC?
I’ve always loved sea turtles. Sometimes, I would see the hatchings returning to the ocean in the summer in Florida. Some friends of mine who walk the beach in the morning told me all about Loggerhead Marinelife Center. We thought it would be great to give back to LMC with the sea turtle bracelet, which is actually one of my favorite designs. We’re really grateful for people who share a similar mission.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
I think I was about 14 when a mentor of mine sat me down and asked me what I thought what success was. After I gave him my answer about making it big, he shared with me that success was actually just “where opportunity meets preparation.” It’s not about hitting a pinnacle. It’s when you’re in the moment and you’re prepared for an opportunity. I think people should go out and have as many experiences as possible; you never know when you’ll be able to use what you learned in those experiences. It’s the journey.
TurtleFest Merchandise
Together, we can spread sea turtle conservation awareness and provide rehabilitation care to sick or injured sea turtles! Each year, our gift store celebrates TurtleFest by creating special edition merchandise. All proceeds are put directly back into the Center to help provide care for our sea turtle patients and funding for our 37 educational programs. TurtleFest merchandise will be sold on our estore and in our gift store. All TurtleFest attendees who wear a TurtleFest 2017 hat or shirt to the event will receive a 10 percent discount in our gift store.
Free Admission to TurtleFest 2017 is Courtesy of the Event’s Presenting Sponsors
A special thank you to PNC Bank, The Gardens Mall, Tire Kingdom, Jupiter Medical Center, Florida Power & Light Co., Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa, Lagunitas Brewing Co., Naked Turtle Rum, Seagull Electronics, Florida Weekly, Jersey Mike’s, Loggerhead Marina, Jurassic Parts, The Benjamin School, The Gymnastics Revolution, Lighthouse ArtCenter, Kool 105.5, On the Mark Landscaping, In Jupiter Magazine and Via Productions for making TurtleFest our best event yet! Together, we can increase awareness of sea turtle and ocean conservation.