Pelican Press 11.29.12

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PelicanPress SIESTA KEY

AN OBSERVER NEWSPAPER sarasota

DECEMBER2012

ASOLO REPERTORY THEATRE | FLORIDA STUDIO THEATRE | RINGLING MUSEUM OF ART SARASOTA BALLET | SARASOTA OPERA | SARASOTA ORCHESTRA

CALENDAR

Check out the monthly guide for December arts events in town.

OUR TOWN 1

SEASON

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SEASON SUMMER

2012

SEASON The O bse

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erver’s

The Obs

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Mer 2012 A n d sOcieTy | suM sOci eTy | ArTs And FA L L 2

FREE • Thursday, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

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+ ’Tis the SEASON It’s that time of year when The Observer team puts together its quarterly magazine of arts and entertainment and social listings. Attention all event chairs and public relations persons, please send your art, entertainment and black tie listings for the months of January and February to season@yourobserver.com by Dec. 3. Include the event name, date, location, price and phone number for the public to call. If you have any questions, contact Mallory Gnaegy at 366-3468, Ext. 364 or mgnaegy@yourobserver.com.

SPECIAL

DIVERSIONS

Look inside to find great local deals in our annual Holiday Gift Guide.

in the trenches

Jackie Rogers helps locals put their glamorous feet forward on the red carpet. INSIDE

by Alex Mahadevan | News Editor

Court accepts Midnight Pass lawsuit The Midnight Pass Society received letters with the news about 20 years after members of the group tried to open the inlet by hand. Jim Herbert doesn’t remember the year he decided to challenge a federal law — it was some time in the early 1990s. He does, however, remember the phone call with fellow Midnight Pass Society member Bob Waechter that would lead to a group of more than 100 people digging a 10-foot-deep trench to open an inlet between Siesta Key

and Casey Key. They wanted to re-open Midnight Pass, which had been closed by a combination of natural forces and the work of property owners who wanted to protect their homes from erosion. In 1983, Sarasota County and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection had allowed resident Syd Solomon to

pay for a bulldozer to close the inlet. That closed off a route for boaters to reach the Gulf of Mexico and a way for Mother Nature to flush Sarasota Bay. The society and local marine biologists claimed it was environmentally and commercially harmful. Waechter and Herbert started making phone calls after decid-

ing the tides in Sarasota Bay were perfect for a late-night shovel brigade. It would be similar but, with more stealth than the first dig in 1984. Herbert dropped his wife off near Midnight Pass with shovels after the couple had dinner with fellow society members. He parked at Turtle Beach and walked south, but didn’t see any activity on his trek to the site at about 9 p.m.

SEE PASS / PAGE 2A

FRESH PAINT

by Alex Mahadevan | News Editor

County preps beach access for upgrade County Parks and Recreation is in permitting talks to move a fence to create more parking at Siesta Key Beach Access 7. Siesta Key Beach Access 7 has a Facebook page designating it “the cool one.” With long-term plans from Sarasota County Parks and Recreation to paint the exterior of the small cottage adjacent to the access and replace a boardwalk out to the dunes, the spot could get even “cooler.” County staff is currently in permitting discussions with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to move a rope fence and open the lot in front of the cottage for parking, said Sarasota County Parks and Recreation Manager George Tatge. “We’ll be going from eight or nine parking spaces to 18 or 19 spots,” Tatge said.

Photo courtesy of Vanessa Ballard

+ Like a good neighbor The construction of the Taste of Germany float in the Light Up the Village Parade started when the Ballard family wanted to help their neighbors, Tanja and Manuel Hofmann, owners of A Taste of Germany, draw more people into their bakery. Because Brent Ballard is well-known by his Siesta Isles neighbors for his seasonal light-andmusic shows, he thought using his skills to build a float could be a fun way to help. The float’s theme was a German gingerbread house. Brent drove the float which had lights timed to unique holiday music. Vanessa Ballard and her children, Hailey and Spencer, along with the Hofmanns’ daughter, Robin, passed out pretzels and beads. After the parade, many of the Siesta Isles residents gathered to listen to the music and enjoy German food.

SEE BEACH ACCESS / PAGE 2A

WISH LIST Rachel S. O’Hara

Juna Langedyk, 7, waited in line for an hour to be the first person to talk to Santa, at the Light Up the Village parade Saturday, Nov. 24, in Siesta Key Village. The Siesta Key Village Association organized the annual event, which included more than 15 floats, Santa Claus, Christmas tree lighting and performances by the Pine View Jazz Band. For more photos from the parade, see page 18A.

Alex Mahadevan

Sarasota County plans to double the parking at Beach Access 7 and paint the cottage at the park.

INDEX Briefs....................4A Classifieds ........ 25A

Cops Corner..........9A Crossword.......... 24A

Opinion .............. 8A Real Estate........ 22A

Sports................ 13A Weather............. 24A

Vol. 43, No. 18 | Four sections YourObserver.com


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