Spotlight on Cortez at Island presentation

BY LESLIE LAKE SUN CORRESPONDENT | llake@amisun.com

ANNA MARIA - The spotlight was on Cortez at the Manatee Public Library Friends Lecture and Travel Series’ latest presentation.

Three Cortez residents and members of the Cortez Village Historical Society gave an overview of the fishing village to more than 100 attendees at Roser Memorial Church Fellowship Hall on Jan. 19.

Lynn McGinnis, Linda Molto and Dale Beaumariage each presented their unique perspective on the historical society and what it is like to live in the historic fishing village.

“If you’ve never been to the Cortez

Village Cultural Center you need to go,” McGinnis said. “There are tons of artifacts, books by local authors and local artwork.”

The non-profit Cortez Village Historical Society has helped Cortez gain recognition as a historical landmark. Ninety-seven of its buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places.

McGinnis said that CVHS participates in many local events - the annual Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival in February, Heritage Week in March, the April community picnic and the Giving Challenge in May, among others.

“There are memberships available and volunteer sheets,” McGinnis said.

Molto described Cortez as a friendly and welcoming community.

FESTIVAL: Celebrates 100 years of Star Fish Co.

FROM PAGE 9 and younger, b. Juveniles - 9th-12th grades, and c. Adults - over 18 years of age.

3. Deadline: Submissions are due electronically for judging by Feb. 8 at 11:59 p.m. The submission email address is prosportpic@gmail.com. Please include “Cortez Photo Contest” in the subject line of the email.

4. Submission of printed photographs for display will be in person on Friday, Feb. 17 between 10 a.m. and noon at A.P. Bell Fish Co., 4600 124th St. W., Cortez. Artwork must be matted, titled and ready to hang in a cellophane sleeve no larger than 11”x14”. Photographs will be hung and displayed throughout A.P. Bell Fish Co.

5. Award Ribbons: Best of Show, First Place, Second Place and Third

Place will be awarded within each of the three categories. Ribbons will be awarded and displayed at the festival on Feb. 18-19.

Festival admission is $5 with kids under 12 are free.

The Boy Scouts will offer on-site parking at the FISH Preserve for a $5 donation with free parking on the FISH preserve for motorcycles. Remote park and ride is available for a $3 round trip. The MCAT shuttle bus travels to Cortez from two locations: G.T. Bray Park (5502 33rd Ave. Drive W., Bradenton 34209 - turn east off 59th Street onto 33rd Avenue Drive). On Saturday only, a free Park and Ride will be available from the Cortez Baptist Church, 4411 100th St. W. on Cortez Road (1 1/2 miles east of the festival).

“I’ve lived all over Florida and I’ve never seen anything like how people in Cortez pull together,” Molto said. “There’s always somebody you can stop by to see and have a cup of coffee.”

Molto, an artist, displayed some of her paintings inspired by the village and its people.

“The best thing about living in Cortez is the people,” Molto said. “A lot of people don’t have family, but the people there become your family.”

Beaumariage reminisced about his early days in the village.

“There was a strong work ethic. Everybody in Cortez worked at something, you fished or cut bait or mowed lawns,” he said. “During the Great Depression, Cortez never went on relief. The point

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Holmes Beach commissioners may have their share of issues right now with state representatives, but that doesn’t mean that they’re backing down on asking the state Legislature for assistance in other areas. Commissioners voted unanimously in favor of sending a letter to the Legislature regarding the availability of single-use plastics for consideration during the upcoming session in Tallahassee. In the letter, commissioners ask that state leaders consider enacting a limitation or ban concerning the amount and kinds of single-use plastics available to consumers in an effort to cut down on pollution. Currently, the only kind of single-use plastic that city commissioners can control the use of is straws, which commissioners banned in late 2022 from being used at food establishments.

was the village pulled together and everyone helped each other.”

Working as a marine biologist in later years, he said that when he wanted to learn something about the sea or marine life, he asked the fishermen.

“We wanted them to help us and they did,” he said. “The advantage of that community is you learned something new all the time.”

Beaumariage encouraged attendees to make use of Cortez walking tour maps that were available at the lecture.

“That tour map will orient you to many historic and interesting homes,” he said.

For more information about the Cortez Village Historical Society, visit www.cortezvillagehistoricalsociety.org.

More lots purchased for Grassy Point

Grassy Point Preserve in Holmes Beach is growing again, this time by four lots as city leaders approved the purchase of three with the additional lot planned for donation by the property owner. Commissioners voted to approve Mayor Judy Titsworth to execute an agreement for the purchase of 3004 Avenue A and 3005 Avenue B for $50,000 along with the $20,000 purchase of 3002 Avenue B. The three purchases total 0.957 acres added to the neighboring preserve, including the lot being donated by property owner Jolaynne Holmes as trustee of the George and Olive Hilt Living Trust. Funds for the purchases were reallocated from the mayor and commission contingency fund in the city’s budget.