Gov. Charlie Crist attended a March of Dimes gala in Palm Beach on Saturday without his wife of one year Carole by his side.

The Palm Beach Post’s Jose Lambiet reports that the stag appearance was all the more unusual because the First Lady was a chairwoman of the fundraiser last year and is close friends with local chapter benefactors and socialites Annie Falk and Lori Stoll, who both showed up at the gala.

Crist, who partied until about 9 p.m., said his wife was waiting at home for him on their first anniversary.

First Lady Carole Crist appeared sans governor at The Colony last week to raise money for the National Center on Family Homelessness.

Read Jose’s story here.

Gov. Charlie Crist and wife Carole at Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary School in Riviera Beach. LANNIS WATERS/Staff photographer

Crist and his wife, Carole Crist, visited Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary School this morning, greeting cafeteria workers, administrators and safety patrols and stopping in on three classes.

Crist is also slated to meet with restaurateurs in Palm Beach County today and to attend a fund-raiser in Manalapan tonight for his U.S. Senate bid.

“I can’t tell you how impressed I am with your school and your accomplishments here and what you’ve been able to do in a short period of time,” Crist said after being shown around by principal Glenda Sheffield.

Bethune Elementary got an F grade in 2002 based on its Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test scores and was a D school in 2006. After Sheffield became principal, the school got C grades in 2007 and 2008 and an A this year.

“You’re an A school. And it wasn’t that long ago that Bethune Elementary wasn’t an A school. That kind of gain and that kind of accomplishment is exactly what Florida students deserve and what they should have,” Crist said.

Asked about the controversy in Palm Beach County over its use of tests roughly every three weeks to measure whether students are on track, Crist gave a vote of confidence to Superintendent Art Johnson.

“I think we’re getting better every day,” Crist said. “I think that’s the message we want to convey to people that may have concerns. Florida’s on the rise and Palm Beach County clearly is on the rise. The leadership that Art has provided here is exceptional.”

Carole Crist at Ovarian Cancer Research Fund lunch today. RICHARD GRAULICH/Staff Photographer

PALM BEACH — Carole Crist, who has kept a low public profile since marrying Gov. Charlie Crist in December, was here this afternoon for a lunch to raise awareness of ovarian cancer.

About a dozen people attended the event at the Brazilian Court hotel, including Palm Beach Mayor Jack McDonald and Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer. It was part of a national awareness effort by the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund using governors, first ladies, lieutenant governors and state health secretaries across the U.S.

Carole Crist noted in brief remarks to the audience that ovarian cancer lacks a method of early detection akin to a mammogram for breast cancer.

“We need to change this. This is a major women’s health issue,” she said.

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