Health Matters
E A ST COUNTY
MAY 2015
WORK CYCLE
Observer
Biking to work has become a daily ritual for many PAGES 2-3
Lakewood Ranch’s weekly newspaper since 1998
PAIN RELIEF LWR doctor uses Botox to treat migraines.
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STAYING CONNECTED
SMH employs technology to care for stroke patients.
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THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2015
Ranch Jam:
YOUR TOWN DINING FOR WOMEN
GOING GREEN Spinach is not just for salads anymore.
INSIDE PAGE 5
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 17, NO. 26
EAST COUNTY
Observer
FACE THE MUSIC Ranch Jam LLC collectively owes vendors more than $100,000 after an unsuccessful event in March. No payments are expected to be sent anytime soon. PAM EUBANKS SENIOR EDITOR
Courtesy photo
East County resident Kay Yoder says the Dining for Women organization is the area’s best-kept secret. Now she’s making an extra effort to introduce it to the East County community. Dining for Women, a giving circle focused on aiding women and children in developing countries, will host its May 20 meeting at 6 p.m. at Keller Williams Realty, 8210 Lakewood Ranch Blvd. This month’s meeting will benefit Ripple Africa, for which Yoder serves as director of U.S. operations. RSVPs are required to Carol Buzilow at carolbuzilow@ verizon.net. Yoder hopes to start a Lakewood Ranch chapter of the organization.
‘Critical Juncture’
EAST COUNTY — On paper, it seemed like a good idea: a threeday festival starring iconic bands such as Alabama and The Guess Who, a crowd of 20,000 or more people and a fun, creative way to raise money for local charities. But participants of the Ranch Jam music festival held March 20 through March 22, in Myakka, are still reeling in the aftermath of a failed event that left local vendors owed more than $100,000 total, and one nonprofit out $2,700. “It’s an unfortunate circumstance,” said Jamie Dunnam, director of the benefiting charity, Gig’s Legacy Foundation, a nonprofit that raises funds for a cure for leukemia and lymphoma and assists families of children with cancer. “I don’t think it was intended to turn out this way. We were to receive above and beyond.” Gig’s Legacy pulled the liquor permit for the Ranch Jam event,
SEE RANCH JAM ON 8A
File photo
Ranch Jam organizers said they expected a crowd of 20,000 for the three-day festival. Instead, vendors say attendance was somewhere between 500 and 1,000.
HOA switches hands to residents
IF YOU GIVE A MOM A MUFFIN …
Timing is proving a key component both for Benderson Development and Sarasota County. PAM EUBANKS SENIOR EDITOR EAST COUNTY — Todd Mathes, in
many ways, is counting down the days. For Benderson Development to open new retail and office space at University Town Center before Nathan Benderson Park hosts the World Rowing Championships in late September 2017, the company must move forward quickly. But Sarasota County commissioners want a commitment, in writing, ensuring nearby transportation improvements, including the diverging diamond interchange at University Parkway and Interstate 75, are going to be SEE BENDERSON ON 4A
Ella Coppock and her mother, Adrienne, were among more than 100 families that enjoyed breakfast treats.
Amanda Sebastiano
Central Park residents Harry Benas and R.C. Bartley are excited that the resident-controlled HOA will now host monthly meetings to ensure neighbors’ concerns are being addressed.
Central Park residents are now in control of their own destiny. READ WHAT TOPS THEIR WISH LIST ON PAGE 5A.
Children at Kiddie Academy welcomed their moms — more than 100 total — to enjoy muffins and other breakfast items May 8, during the Muffins with Mom event. The students also crafted take-home Mother’s Day gifts covered in paint and other refrigerator-worthy decorations for their family matriarchs.