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BRITISH INVASION PAGE 4 SIESTA KEY ROUND-UP PAGE 6
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JULY 2012 | 941.539.0205 | ISLAND VISITOR PUBLISHING, LLC | www.SiestaKeyIslander.com
|Anna’s Deli A legend in its time! By Diana Colson..
Surfer Sandwich Anna’s Deli has been a Siesta Key tradition for more than 41 years. The oldest eatery on Siesta Key, it is famed for its enormous “Famous Specialty Sandwiches�, especially its award winning Surfer. Anna’s has continuously received culinary accolades. For six years, it has received the “Reader’s Choice Award for Best Sandwich� from the Sarasota Herald Tribune. For four years, it has received the “Best of the Best Sandwich Award� from the readers of SRQ Magazine. Most recently The Surfer was voted “Best Sandwich� by the readers of Sarasota Magazine. Anna’s was established in Siesta Village in 1971 by a lady named Anna James. She started this little deli in a funky old house that once stood in the spot now occupied by the Daiquiri Deck. Anna James didn’t keep her deli very long, however: she sold it to Rita and Jim Harrigan in 1973. Rita and Jim were to own the original Anna’s Deli for eighteen years, adding a second Anna’s in 1978 at the current location just south of Stickney Point Bridge. Continued on page 17A
Sarasota History
By Paul Rote
|Parking wasn’t an issue for Siesta Key beachgoers in the 1920s - People just parked their cars in the sand and enjoyed the beach... Forget boat races — Siesta Key historically had car, cycle races on beach... July has historically been a momentous month for Siesta Key and Sarasota. There were motorcycle and car races on the beach in 1923 in honor of Independence Day. 7KHUH ZDV WKH Ă€UVW PHHWLQJ RI WKH QHZO\ created Sarasota County Commission in 1921. 7KHUH ZDV WKH GHGLFDWLRQ RI 6LHVWD .H\¡V Ă€UVW SRVW RIĂ€FH LQ Oh, and Florida was discovered by Hernando DeSoto with his landing in Manatee &RXQW\ LQ -XO\ KDV PXFK PRUH KLVWRU\ WKDQ Ă€UHZRUNV barbecues, family reunions, political events, powerboat races, and all the rest that Independence Day offers us today. Former Sarasota County Historian Ann Shank and history buffs J. Whitcomb Rylee and Tom Payne offer some notes of Sarasota past for July. “On July 4, 1921, the community went all out to celebrate the nation’s birth along with the county’s birth on July 1st of that year,â€? Shank wrote. “Sarasota Bay Post #30 of the American Legion planned a something-for-
everyone celebration at Crescentt Beach on Siesta Key. The Sarasotaa Q 7LPHV UHSRUWHG DXWRPRELOHV RQ the beach and thousands of people n bathing, picnicking, competing in athletic events, and enjoying music by the Palmetto Band.â€? It was Independence Day 1923 when things went wild on Siesta Beach. The Legion again sponsored the fun, this time on “Sarasota Beachâ€? just north of Crescent. As Shank put it, “Motorcycle and car races on the beach opened the competitions at 11 a.m. The winning Harley-Davidson kicked Photo courtesy Sarasota Cou nty History Center. h up the sand at 112 mph, only 3 mph under the world record.â€? A ‘cracker tournament’ attracted local elaborate through the early 1920s. cowboys, a baseball game enticed supporters “By 1924, there was a parade as well as RI WKH 6DUDVRWD WHDP DQG Ă€UHZRUNV DQG D GDQFH planned festivities at two locations. The to the music of Sarasota’s Rainbow Orchestra American Legion centered its activities at the rounded out the evening. As the atmosphere new fairgrounds (site of the former Sarasota of the Land Boom in Florida contributed to the Mobile Home Park, adjacent to Payne Park). ‘bigger and better’ syndrome in Sarasota, so Continued on page 17A the Fourth of July celebrations became more
Island Chatter Beverly B. Arias
([HFXWLYH 2IĂ€FHU Siesta Key Association siestakeyassociation.com The show must go on! By the time the curtain goes up to enthrall an eager audience with a spectacular display and an engaging experience, much preparation and ongoing support has been in the works. What goes on behind the scenes is the all-important work that can facilitate the making of wonderful memories while securing a safe, enjoyable, and appealing venue for an hour, a day, or
|A message from our Island Associations...
for a lifetime. Arriving on the lovely isle of Siesta Key can be a memorable experience. A drive over the North Bridge, one of two bridges connecting the Key to the mainland, introduces the delightful scenery of boats on a tranquil aquamarine bay, palm trees bend along newly paved streets to welcome our entrance through Bay Island, surprises of tropical blooms greet us on the drive toward our rejuvenated Siesta Village, continuing past quaint bricked sidewalks, lively shops and restaurants to Siesta’s top rated beach. Yet, to offer this daily experience, there is much more than meets the eye. Built in 1972, Siesta Key’s North Bridge is 1
of only 2 entranceways to the Key. The drawbridge opens several times a day to allow passage of tall-masted sailboats and large watercraft traveling the Gulf Intra-Coastal Waterway (ICW). After decades of service, it was time for the bridge’s reinforcement and improvement. In preparation for the project, the Siesta Key Association (SKA) provided a public forum with Florida Dept. of Transportation (FDOT) engineers and County Commissioner, Nora Patterson, to discuss residents’ concerns & ideas. SKA President, Catherine Luckner, encouraged FDOT collaboration with island associations and impacted business owners, both north and south of the Key. Continued on page 11A