Fresh from amE. 17
maritime merrymaking. 13 Astheworldterns cash in on some clams. 6
VOLUME 27, NO. 7
downtown lights. 23
Happy Holidays
DEC. 12, 2018 FREE
Perico artifacts transferred to museum. 2 Dolphin deaths investigated by Mote. 4 Fish kill found at Palma Sola beach, Robinson. 5
Op-Ed
Celebrating the Best News on Anna Maria Island Since 1992
Here comes Santa Claus!
www.islander.org
Ho, ho, ho!
The Islander editorial, reader letters. 6
10-20 YEarS ago
From the archives. 7
$32K clams on order for living shoreline. 8
Meetings
On the government calendar. 8
Happenings
Community events, announcements. 10-11
Save a date. 12-13
Get in the game. 16
Gathering. 20
Obituaries. 21 2018 winds up with 15 named storms. 22
Streetlife. 24 Taking stock at the Cortez docks. 26 Adapting to climate change. 27
It’s time to make merry! It’s almost Christmas, and we know it’s true because the Anna Maria Island Privateers were leading their annual parade Dec. 8 with Santa in tow to Coquina Beach in Bradenton Beach, where children visited with the famous elf and enjoyed the party put on just for them. Islander Photo: Bonner Joy
‘Santa’ on being Santa
By Sandy Ambrogi Islander Reporter You only have to believe. For almost a quarter century, Santa has driven the sleigh, passed out reindeer trail mix and listened to more than one wish for a pony for Christmas. Anna Maria Island Privateer Stan “The man” Weyman has filled the role of Santa for the annual AMIP Christmas Parade for the past 23-24 years. In his role as Santa, he can be a bit forgetful about the years. He’s
Christmas count ahead. 27 Playoff seedings set for adult soccer league. 28 Switching bait. 29
iSL BiZ
Business roundup. 30 CLASSIFIEDS. 32 NYT Xword. 35
Stan “Santa” Weyman with his niece, Megan Moody, in the late 1990s. Weyman said it was the only year he grew a beard for his holiday role of helping Santa Claus. Islander Courtesy Photo
too busy heading up his elves, making toys and deliveries to be exact. “Being there with the kids, that’s the whole point of the thing,” Weyman told The Islander Dec. 6. “I want to do what I can to make sure they grow up right, stay in school and go to college. That’s why the Privateers do what they do.” Weyman, now 84, rode Santa’s sleigh once again in the Privateers’ Christmas parade Dec. 8, the longest in the country at a little over 7 miles from its start at Bayfront Park in Anna Maria to the end at Coquina Beach in Bradenton Beach. “The kids are funny,” Weyman said. “Some have the most amazing looks on their faces and others are screaming and crying and trying to get away. I think it’s the beard and the red color that scares them but, I don’t know.” When asked about his favorite request, he remembered a 4-year-old kid who asked for a “real gun.” “I told him he had to be 18 with permission from his father before I delivered any guns,” Weyman said. “He looked at me with pure awe, like, maybe when he was 18, I PLEASE SEE Santa, PAGE 3
The Privateers lead the way on Pine Avenue in Anna Maria with cannons and music blaring for their annual parade of merrymakers from the northern tip of Anna Maria to the south end of the island at Bradenton Beach. Islander Photo: Karen Riley Love
Roque “Santa” Pastorius, holds the gaze of a tot during the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce tree lighting celebration and Holmes Beach open house in 2016. Islander Photo: Sandy Ambrogi