Sarasota 5-year-olds Eleanor Capozzi and Brooke BootHandford (above), had the opportunity to meet “Despicable Me” characters that included a minion, Lucy Wilde and Gru at The Green at University Town Center.
Brooke is a fan of minions, and her mother, Corinne BootHandford, said her daughter has seen each of the movies “about 20 times and freaks out whenever she sees a minion.”
“The minions speak so funny,” Brooke said. “And they are yellow.” Brooke said Eleanor is not fond of minions, but she enjoyed the event anyway.
Both of the girls also had unicorns painted on their faces.
Made with the shades
Lakewood Ranch 18-monthold Emma Premuto (above) obviously is loving her day at Waterside Park.
The June 21 event was Temple Emanu-El’s “Splash Shabbat.”
The event was planned by Temple Emanu-El Tot Shabbat Coordinator Marni Mount, who lives in East County.
“We at Temple Emanu-El look forward to Splash Shabbat all year,” Rabbi Elaine Rose Glickman said. “It’s a special way to bring the joy of Shabbat into the lives of young families — smiling, laughing and having fun together. It’s a big part of what Shabbat is all about.
“Shabbat is about connection and celebration.”
locks
Madison Bierl
Courtesy photo
Storm strategies
The Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance partnered with Florida Power and Light to provide advice on how best to prepare for hurricane season.
MADISON BIERL STAFF WRITER
When Hurricane Helene hit, Café on St. Armands (then Cafe L’Europe) resembled the scene from the movie “Titanic,” where tables were floating around. Even the refrigerator was on the move.
“We watched and cried and did a lot of soul searching during that loss,” said Abby Elliot, senior director of operations at Oysters Rock Hospitality. “What we learned from that story is that you have to heed the warning of preparation. You hear it, you talk about it and you have to do it. You have to follow up on it and make sure that everything is prepared.”
Through a partnership with Florida Power and Light, the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance held a luncheon June 25 titled “Lessons from the Eye of the Storm” to talk about previous hurricanes and how to be prepared for the upcoming storm season.
Last year was an active storm season with Hurricane Debby on Aug. 5, Helene on Sept. 26, and Milton on Oct. 9.
The panel discussion had four speakers — Elliot; Jodie Fiske, director of Public Safety for Manatee County; David St. Pierre, senior director of public safety and security at SeaPort Manatee; and Sandra Tapfumaneyi, chief of Emergency Management for Sarasota County.
The discussion was moderated by Devaney Iglesias, the area manager of Florida Power and Light for Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto, Hardee and Highlands counties.
Fiske said people think that sand is no big deal and could just be scooped out of their house and taken back to the beach.
“But it’s not just sand,” Fiske said.
“It’s shards of glass and hard plastic. It’s other smaller bits of debris that is left on the beach.”
Fiske said if the sand is left in that condition, “My lifeguards are going to be stitching people up six ways to Sunday,” she said.
Tapfumaneyi talked about the fact that even neighborhoods that don’t take a direct hit from the storm can have severe flooding.
She said flood insurance is incredibly valuable for people to have whether they are in a flood zone.
She said slow-moving storms can carry a big impact, and rain waters can be particularly damaging even for homes or businesses that aren’t near waterways.
Tapfumaneyi encouraged everyone to take evacuation calls seriously, even if a storm might not be predicted to be especially damaging.
“We want people to listen,” Tapfumaneyi said.
She said having severe storms right on top of each other caused people to take more notice when the next storm approached.
“When we told people it was going to be worse for Milton, I do feel like more people heeded the evacuation (orders). I do feel like it saved lives from that standpoint.”
Tapfumaneyi said Sarasota County will have more technology to help predict what a storm will look like and what it’s impact will be.
“(Hurricane) Debby was a good example because we knew we weren’t going to have as much debris because there wasn’t the wind fac-
Fiske shared information about a form of debris many might not think of when it comes to hurricanes — sand. She said that 151,474 cubic yards of sand were washed up into Manatee County from Hurricane Helene. She compared the overall volume to “61 1/2 Olympic-sized swimming pools, packed bottom to top.”
SUGGESTED RESOURCES
■ MyManatee.org/storm
■ SCGov.net
■ FloridaDisaster.biz
■ LocalRelief.com
tor that came,” Tapfumaneyi said. “(Hurricane) Helene was a bit worse, and then of course Milton, we knew that there was going to be tremendous debris pickup.”
After Milton, Sarasota County had to deal with 2.4 million cubic yards of debris. The County estimates it cost $144 million for Milton cleanup. The bulk is debris pickup.
“It’s very expensive, and the county doesn’t have $144 million just set aside for the chance that we might have a storm like this,” Tapfumaneyi said. “We rely on the federal government to reimburse us.”
St. Pierre oversees emergency action planning and security operations at SeaPort Manatee. He said it’s important for business owners to encourage their employees to have a
plan for when storms hit.
“A challenge for those who run transportation facilities is trying to get that distribution system working again,” St. Pierre said. “For us to do that, many of our employees have evacuated with their families.”
The speakers talked about how businesses and homeowners need to be patient after storms because they could see significant delays in restocking.
Patience is a key to recovery.
“We had county employees out there picking up debris,” Tapfumaneyi said. “We saw neighbors helping neighbors, bringing stuff to landfills. There’s only so much that’s going to happen in that short time frame.”
Fiske encouraged the business leaders at the luncheon to visit MyManatee.org/Storm.
“That’s your one-stop shop for all of the resources that you need to be prepared,” Fiske said. “How to make a kit, how to sign up for alerts, and how to know your evacuation level.”
Madison Bierl
Panelists at the June 25 luncheon were David St. Pierre, senior director of public safety and security at SeaPort Manatee; Sandra Tapfumaneyi, chief of emergency management for Sarasota County; Abby Elliot, senior director of operations at Oysters Rock Hospitality; and Jodie Fiske, director of public safety for Manatee County. The moderator was Devaney Iglesias, the area manager of Florida Power and Light.
Through preservation, these walls can talk
Preserving history is a joint effort between government, nonprofits and residents.
LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER
When built in 1914, the Myakka City School House was operated as a “strawberry school.”
“Strawberry schools in Florida were in agricultural areas,” said Walter Carlton, president of the Myakka City Historical Society. “You shut down school when the crops came in during the springtime because they needed the kids to help work the farm and harvest the crops. They went to school longer in the summer.”
A building more than 50 years old is considered historic, but stories like “the strawberry school” are what make a building significant enough to preserve.
According to the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation, buildings “are considered important for their ability to tell a story, provide insights into history and/or contribute to a community’s cultural identity.”
Cathy Slusser worked for the Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller’s Historical Resources Department for 36 years until she retired in 2020.
Slusser hated history when she attended middle school and junior high because she had a teacher who forced her to memorize the presidents in the order they served.
“I just thought it was boring and dead,” she said. “Yet I was reading historical fiction not realizing that it was based on true events and true characters.”
Slusser’s parents, Robert and Emily Bayless, made the connection for her during a road trip after she read a series of novels by Eugenia Price that take place on St. Simons Island off the coast of Georgia.
As Slusser walked through the island’s cemetery, she started seeing the names of the characters from Price’s books.
“I realized that history is stories ... history is alive,” she said. “From that moment, I decided I wanted to be a historian and tell stories and get people to understand how important our past is.”
RESIDENTS HAVE TO WANT IT
Buildings, such as the Myakka City School House, would not have been saved without a nonprofit stepping in, and those nonprofits are often formed by community members who have a personal connection to the history.
Carlton is 75 years old. He and his parents, Irene and Brian Carlton, attended the Myakka City School House.
“It’s like having two arms — one that will be around forever (the government) and one that can raise money within the community (the nonprofit),” Slusser said.
But not all residents want to preserve history, especially when it comes to historical overlay districts, which come with additional regulations to preserve the character of the area.
The Cortez Fishing Village, Terra Ceia and Whitfield Estates are protected by historical overlays.
“There could be more overlay dis-
ANNUAL IMPACT OF PRESERVATION IN FLORIDA
These numbers were provided by the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation. ■
tricts,” Slusser said. “One of the hurdles that we have to get over is that the residents have to want it. If the residents don’t want it, it’s not going to be imposed on them.”
On the national level, Slusser pointed to midcentury modern homes built in the 1950s and 1960s as a current preservation trend. Accordingly, homes in Bayshore Gardens could qualify for an overlay district.
Slusser said people worry that if their neighborhood is designated historic that the government will tell them what kind of windows they can put in or what color their house can be, but the overlay is more about preserving what is than placing restrictions.
For example, if any archeological evidence is dug up during the course of new construction in Terra Ceia, there’s a clause that forces the work to stop until an archeologist can evaluate the evidence.
A modern upgrade to a home in Cortez would be met with resistance because the overlay is meant to uphold the character of a fishing village. However, a private owner has the right to appeal.
Now retired, Slusser sits on Manatee County’s Historic Preservation Board. The board’s purpose is to help Development Services deal with any privately owned historic properties that request permits for restoration.
The board can also recommend properties of local significance to the County Commission for preservation.
WHAT CONSTITUTES HISTORIC?
“You start with age (50 years or older), and then you look at the significance,” Slusser said. “If looking ahead into the future, something like the Lakewood Ranch Town Hall might not be significant on a state or national level, but it could be locally significant.”
There are different levels of significance: National, state and local. Town Hall might only be locally significant now, but if, for example, a president were to visit, it could gain importance on a national level.
The Florida Trust for Historic Preservation sets the guideline that a historical resource should “provide insights into a society’s traditions, history, values and identity.”
Looking at the Myakka City School House as an example, the school house was much more than a school. It was a community center where residents gathered and will soon gather again.
Carlton hopes to have the certificate of occupancy by Halloween. The only major project left to be completed is the fire suppression system. Other than that, the school house is just waiting on final inspections.
The plan is to bring the school house back to its roots and use its
auditorium to host community events.
Once finished, the items inside will further tell the story of Myakka City. Residents have donated photos, diplomas, saddles and small farming equipment for display.
PAYING FOR PRESERVATION
The clerk’s office manages four historical sites within Manatee County: Manatee Village Historical Park, Palmetto Historical Park, the Florida Maritime Museum and the Manatee County Agricultural Museum.
The department also manages the Manatee County Historical Library and the digital collection of historical records.
The department’s budget was $1,693,137 for fiscal year 2024. That covered staff salaries and operating expenses for the historical parks, museums and library, which are open to the public year-round.
The historic Powel Crosley Estate
is operated by Manatee County, more specifically, by the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.
However, it is not regularly open to the public. The Visitors Bureau markets it as an event venue for everything from photo shoots and business meetings to weddings and New Year’s Eve parties.
To rent the entire estate for a New Year’s Eve party costs $10,500 plus tax.
When it comes to smaller buildings, such as the 5,500-square-foot Myakka City School House, the county might choose to contribute, as it did when the Visitors Bureau gave $50,000 to the Myakka City Historical Society in 2016.
The Community and Veterans Services Department donated another $50,000 toward its restoration in 2021, but those were each one-time donations.
Manatee County owns the land that the Myakka City School House sits on, so the Myakka City Historical Society pays the county $10 a year to lease it. The nonprofit also pays for the building’s ongoing expenses, such as insurance and electricity.
The Myakka City Historical Society has fundraised and accepted grants to this point. Carlton said the costs have exceeded $600,000 overall. Once the building is open, it can start to generate income as an event venue with the goal of paying for its maintenance.
Each of the four sites the clerk’s office manages has a nonprofit attached to it, too.
“Museums always need a nonprofit partner,” Slusser said. “A lot of people will only donate to a nonprofit. Even though the government might own the building and support operations, (donors) want to get that tax donation from giving to a nonprofit. And also, there’s some people who just don’t trust the government to do what it’s supposed to do with the money that they give.”
The courthouse at Manatee Village Historical Park was built between 1859 and 1860. It is the oldest remaining building in Florida that was built to serve as a county court house.
File photo
Marilyn Coker and Walter Carlton, of the Myakka City Historical Society, are hoping the renovation of the Historic School House will be finished in the next year.
Manatee Village Historical Park is operated in conjunction with the nonprofit Friends of Manatee Village.
Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller’s Historical Resources Department oversees the Manatee Village Historical Park, above, along with the Florida Maritime Museum, Manatee County Agricultural Museum and Palmetto Historical Park.
Photos by Lesley Dwyer
The Children’s Services Advisory Board of Manatee County needs six new members. The board makes recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners about priorities and expenditures of the county’s dedicated millage for children’s services. From June through January, the board typically meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 3 p.m. at the Manatee County Administration Building, 1112 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton. During the program funding review process from February through May, the meetings are weekly at the same time and place. Applications will be taken through Aug. 1 for a judge (family law division); a physician; for two child advocates (can’t be affiliated with any county agency receiving county funds); a criminal justice representative; and a licensed mental health professional. Board members must be residents of Manatee County, except for the judge’s position. For more information, email Kristi. Hagen@MyManatee.org.
Clerk’s office receives recognition
The office of Angelina “Angel” Colonneso, Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller for Manatee County, has received recognition in all 10 categories of the Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers Best Practices Excellence Program.
services, eviction, evidence storage and destruction, exploitation of vulnerable adult injunction, Generally Accepted Accounting Principles financial reporting, grants administration, marriage license, postissuance policies and procedures, and wireless communication device citation.
Ferry service expands to five days
The Gulf Islands Ferry is back on its five-day service schedule between Anna Maria Island and downtown Bradenton.
Manatee County had dropped Wednesday service, but has brought it back. Since June 18, the ferry has run Wednesday through Sunday.
Two 50-foot catamarans transport passengers between the Bradenton Riverwalk Pier and the Historic Bridge Street Pier.
“As Manatee County continues to welcome visitors, the Gulf Islands Ferry is easing the traffic on our roadways,” Manatee County District 3 Commissioner Tal Siddique said.
The ferry departs the Riverwalk Pier beginning at 7:30 a.m. each day it runs, while beginning its final run of the day from the Historic Bridge Street Pier at 7:30 p.m.
For more information, go to GulfIslandsFerry.com.
County closures for the July 4 holiday
A Manatee Clerk’s release noted the achievement was announced at the FCCC’s summer conference on June 30 and was the fifth consecutive year the clerk’s office received such recognition.
According to the release, “the FCCC established the Best Practices Program to support clerks in evaluating and applying consistent standards across Florida. The program promotes guidance, legal consistency, and operational excellence through a series of self-assessments and peer-reviewed evaluations.”
The 10 programs included capital asset management, compliance
All Manatee County government offices along with the county’s public library system will be closed July 4. All county trash, recycling and yard waste collections July 4 will be postponed one day.
Regular collections resume July 7. All Manatee County Area Transit fixed-route and Handy Bus service is closed July 4. The Anna Maria Island Trolley will operate normal daily routes, and the Manatee Avenue Beach Express will operate on a holiday schedule.
Manatee County’s parks and beaches will be open to the public along with the Manatee County and Buffalo Creek golf courses. The G.T. Bray Recreation Center and John Marble Recreation Center will be open from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
ELMAC expands two East County parks
Manatee County’s new properties will expand Rye Preserve and Crane Park.
The
more East County properties to Manatee County commissioners for purchase — four-and-a-half acres next to Rye Preserve and 13.4 acres next to Crane Park in Myakka City. Commissioners unanimously approved the purchases June 17. The Rye Preserve addition cost $335,000, and the Crane Park addition cost $420,000. Neither property is expected to have any major ongoing costs associated with it because both will be incorporated into the county’s current maintenance plan for their respective parks.
RYE PRESERVE The current Rye Preserve consists of 530 acres at 905 Rye Wilderness Trail.
Commission Chair George Kruse said he would like to see the preserve expanded even beyond this latest addition.
was to buffer the cemetery from development on the north side of the preserve where D.R. Horton is building 431 single-family homes for its Rye Crossing development.
The purchase will ensure a wooded, 150-foot buffer between Rye Crossing and the cemetery.
The property is being sold by Manatee Property LTD out of Texas.
Before ELMAC recommends a property for purchase, the property is evaluated according to its ecological quality, rarity of species or habitat, importance to water resources and connectivity to existing conservation areas.
While it’s fewer than five acres, the Rye property ranked high in every category except for rarity of species or habitat.
The mixed hardwood forest is home to gopher tortoises, which are a protected species, and Rye Branch, a 3.9-mile stream, runs through the northwest corner of the property.
CRANE PARK
Crane Park sits on 27 acres along the Myakka River, just east of Myakka City, so the park regularly floods during the summer months and has to close.
Wetlands take up about half of the additional 13.4 acres, but the other half is open forest that’s currently grazed by cattle.
Debra Woithe, Environmental Lands program manager, said the purchase of adjacent land expands the preserve and provides “higher and drier ground” for recreation.
The main amenity is access to the Myakka River, but the park also offers a playground, pavilion, picnic tables and restrooms, which have all flooded in the past.
Kruse noted that the water sometimes rises over the signs that says, “Crane Park.”
OPEN SEATS
Manatee County is currently accepting applications to fill three seats on the Environmental Lands Management and Acquisition Committee.
ELMAC advises the Board of County Commissioners on environmental land acquisitions, environmental land management and recreational programming. Meetings are held on the first Monday of odd numbered months at 6 p.m. at the Manatee County Administration Building.
Each seat comes with its own requirements:
Seat 1: A background in banking, finance or real estate
Seat 2: An agricultural community member
Seat 3: An education in Natural Sciences
Applications will be accepted through July 7. Visit MyManatee.org to fill out an application.
tunity to provide input.
Environmentally, the additional property’s riverbanks and wetlands provide restoration opportunities to improve water quality and wildlife habitat.
County staff members are focused solely on the purchase right now, but moving forward, a grant from the Coastal and Heartland National Estuary Program could help pay for restorations.
Within the current preserve sits the Rye Family Cemetery. The cemetery is all that remains of the town of Rye, which was named after its founder Erasmus Rye, who built the first home in the area in 1878.
Part of the reasoning to purchase the additional four-and-a-half acres
“We don’t have preserves out east like we have out west,” he said. “It’s a great little preserve, but it could be a great big preserve.”
There are no plans to do so now, but the addition allows the county the option to shift some of its amenities.
Commissioner Carol Felts would like to see some trails incorporated into the addition, as well.
Woithe said any improvements will have to be written into the county’s capital improvement plan. When the time comes to make a plan, the public will also be given the oppor-
The property also lies within the Florida Wildlife Corridor, which is a network of more than 18 million acres of wilderness and agricultural land that starts in the panhandle and connects all the way down to the Florida Keys.
About 10 million acres of the Florida Wildlife Corridor have been conserved. The remaining 8 million acres are considered opportunities for conservation.
Photos by Lesley Dwyer Crane Park sits just east of Myakka City on the Myakka River, which makes it prone to flooding.
Entering July, Crane Park already is starting to flood. A roseate spoonbill perches in a tree above the water.
Emerson Lakes heads toward debut
The 62-and-up community offers a different choice in senior living for the Ranch.
MADISON BIERL STAFF WRITER
In June 2024, Lakewood Ranch resident Barbara Zdziarski, 79, was one of the 85 future residents of Emerson Lakes by Erickson Senior Living in Lakewood Ranch to load up on two buses and head to Siena Lakes in Naples, another community by Erickson.
The purpose of the visit was to get a sense of what their future home in Lakewood Ranch would look like.
“We took a bus trip to see what it’s like in actuality ... and wow!” Zdziarski said. “I was blown away to the point where I asked one of the employees, ‘Can I stay?’”
She liked that the employees she met were young, but obviously liked being around older people. Zdziarski described herself as an active senior who enjoys doing workout classes and going on long walks. She is eager to have her choice from the 200 clubs and activities that will be offered at Emerson Lakes when it opens in fall 2026.
Zdziarski has also previously lived in the Lakewood Ranch Country Club and at Esplanade at Azario.
“Emerson Lakes isn’t a 55-plus (community), and it isn’t a rental,” said Adam Zubowsky, the director of sales at Emerson Lakes by Erickson Senior Living. “It’s not a health care service on a corner. It’s a comprehensive, wrap-around community. It’s resort-style living with bars, restaurants, a theater room, fitness center, aquatic center, all with onsite health care.”
“I wish I could move tomorrow,” Zdziarski said.
Zubowsky said even in times of rain or extreme heat, the residents at Emerson Lakes will be able to get to any place on the 46-acre campus without going outside. Everything
Zubowsky said extensive research indicated that Lakewood Ranch was right for such a community and that was no mystery as developer Schroeder-Manatee Ranch has been vocal about its joy in giving potential Lakewood Ranch residents another home choice.
When people choose to live at Emerson Lakes, they will pay a onetime entrance fee with a choice between an 80% refundable entrance fee and a declining balance entrance fee. Then there will be a monthly service fee. The Emerson Lakes website lists its 80% refundable entrance fee ranging in price from $343,000 to $1,373,00. The declining balance fees are listed at $250,000 to $503,000, but that is only available in onebedroom “apartments.”
Monthly service packages ranged from $3,214 to $5,612.
ERICKSON SENIOR LIVING
will be connected.
Zubowsky said while people in most neighborhoods need to have their life structured around having to use an automobile to get to restaurants, live entertainment, doctor’s appointments, and such, Emerson Lakes residents can do that without leaving the campus.
The Emerson Lakes clubhouse will be called Coral Ridge and will be the first thing people see when visiting the campus. Zubowsky described it as “the heart of the community.”
Coral Ridge will be 50,000 square feet, and two stories with indoor and outdoor dining. The outdoor dining of the clubhouse will be offered in areas that can be screened in with heaters and fans.
When residents begin moving in a little more than a year from now, the community will have two fullservice restaurants in Water’s Edge and Breeze Point. The goal is to eventually grow to have six or more restaurants on campus, depending on Emerson Lakes’ population.
When it opens, the complex also will offer Sandbar, which will provide pool service that includes light breakfast and lunch along with full bar service throughout the day.
Zubowsky said his company’s research indicated the area would embrace a different kind of senior living choice.
“It gave us an idea what the market wants — size, square footage, amenities, views,” Zubowsky said. “We’ve been doing this 40 years, and we have 23 other communities and we are growing.”
While the entrance fee is substantial, it does not give the resident ownership. But residents will not be responsible for property taxes or need to have homeowners insurance.
There will be 25 different floor plan options available across 315 residences (approximately 500 residents) in the first phase in three residential buildings. Zubowsky estimated that about half the homes will be occupied by single residents with the other half having two occupants.
The floor plans range from one bedroom and one-and-a-half baths to two bedroom, and two-and-ahalf baths. The option for a den, outdoor lanai and laundry room differ by floor plan. All of them have quartz countertops, recessed lighting and stainless steel appliances that they cover for life if the residents ever have an issue.
■ Third largest senior living provider in the country
■ More than 40 years of experience serving seniors and their families
■ More than 32,000 residents living at communities across the country
■ More than 17,000 team members across the enterprise
For more information, visit EricksonSeniorLiving.com/ Emerson-Lakes.
Emerson Lakes will be the 24th Erickson Senior Living community and the third in Florida.
“Lakewood Ranch did a great job of encouraging us to explore coming here — it was an area kind of starving for this option,” Zubowsky said.
The sales and information center opened in December 2023 and the wait list opened in January 2024.
“We’re often asked ‘So once it opens, do you guys go away?’” Zubowsky said of his fellow employees. “Sales is just one of about a dozen departments when we open.”
Other departments will include maintenance, dining, health care, emergency management and more. Emergency management that is on site is prepared to do everything an EMT can do.
“All of our homes are equipped with pull cords, so (help) is there in three to four minutes, night or day,” he said.
The on-site medical center was a big part of Zdziarski’s decision to move to Emerson Lakes.
“The folks moving here are proactive planners,” Zubowsky said. “They don’t want to leave this area — Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch — but they’re tired of owning a home.”
Emerson Lakes is approved to build up to 10 residential buildings.
The first residential building and the clubhouse building will open in fall 2026. Two more residential buildings that are also currently under construction will open in 2027. Zubowsky said due to the success of early sales, they are looking to break ground for a fourth residential building by the end of this year to open in 2028.
“It is a holistic lifestyle that folks are getting,” Zubowsky said. “They’re making an investment because they’ve worked hard their entire lives.”
Courtesy images
This rendering of Emerson Lakes by Erickson Senior Living shows the 46-acre campus in Lakewood Ranch. Phase 1 is set to open in fall 2026. Lakewood Ranch resident
More bang for your buck
July 3 fireworks show at Nathan Benderson Park expanded to 18 minutes.
JAY HEATER MANAGING EDITOR
Bruce Patneaude’s “big relief” is going to come three minutes later on July 3.
Patneaude, the chief operating officer of Nathan Benderson Park, said the annual Fireworks on the Lake could be the most stressful event for the park staff to present each year.
“It is a huge task that we take on to give back to the community,” Patneaude said. “At 9:30, when the fireworks are over, it’s a couple of hours of clean-up, and then it’s a big relief.” He will have to wait three extra minutes for that relief this year because the fireworks show has been stretched from 15 minutes to 18 minutes.
So why go even longer with the fireworks and spend thousands more dollars?
Because the public obviously loves it.
Nathan Benderson Park Marketing Director Marnie Buchsbaum said the park staff estimated that approximately 17,000 people attended the event in 2024, and that doesn’t count all the people who pull up on a side street, find a restaurant where the fireworks can be seen, or find a place in the Mall at University Town Center parking lot.
Patneaude said one way to gauge the event’s popularity is to consider that in his three years as COO, the event has gone from eight Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office deputies to monitor traffic to 12. The streets in the vicinity of the park are packed.
“They are off Richardson, Cattlemen, Honore ... they are everywhere,” Patneaude said.
The event began in 2017, and this is the ninth year. Twinkle and Rock Soul Radio will be the featured music group. Twinkle was the headliner in 2024, but her performance
was interrupted by heavy rains that eventually subsided.
Buchsbaum said they decided to invite her back with the hope it stays dry.
The fireworks show costs $32,000 for those 18 minutes, and Patneaude said parking costs cover some of the funds needed for the event, but he thanked the event sponsors, such as main sponsor Lamborghini Sarasota, for making the show possible. Mote Marine is sponsoring the Kids Zone at the event.
There will be another addition to the program this year.
“Every year we are challenged on how to make the show bigger and better,” Buchsbaum said. “This year, we will have dragon boat races and community demos from 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. People can come out with the kids and climb in a dragon boat.”
VIP tickets, which include entry into the air-conditioned finish tower, are sold out for the event.
“Based on the size of the tower, we are limited,” Buchsbaum said. “But we are thinking about how to expand, maybe setting up tents.”
Parking passes are still available for the event by going to NathanBendersonPark.org.
(For more information on Fireworks on the Lake, go to the Calendar on Page 3B.)
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File photo
Nathan Benderson Park holds its annual Fireworks on the Lake on July 3.
County tries to avoid a catastrophe
The need for cat foster families is even more urgent due to an outbreak of feline distemper at the Bishop Animal Center.
Janet Narcum said she’s too old to adopt a kitten, so instead, she visits them at Manatee County’s Cat Town.
“Usually when seniors adopt a kitten, they end up passing away and the kittens end up back here,” she said while cuddling a tiny, black kitten. “I socialize with them and get my loving from them.”
Narcum is a devoted and enthusiastic volunteer at Cat Town, Manatee County’s adoption center.
The county could use a few more loving volunteers like Narcum to foster kittens since “kitten season” is in full swing.
Michael-Chase Strollo, communications coordinator for Manatee County, explained that when the days get longer, cats go into heat and breed more. In Florida, kitten season can last from the spring through November.
The request for fosters became more urgent June 27, when the county reported an outbreak of panleukopenia at the Bishop Animal Shelter.
Panleukopenia, also known as feline distemper, is a highly contagious and often deadly viral disease found in cats. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, fever, lethargy and sudden death. No cats at Cat Town were affected by the outbreak.
The county is encouraging cat
DONATE TO THE PET PANTRY
Manatee County Animal Welfare operates a year-round Pet Food Pantry Program to help pet owners in need. Pet owners can call 742-5933 to schedule an appointment. If you’d like to donate supplies, a new bin was placed in the lobby of the Lakewood Ranch Library at 16410 Rangeland Parkway. Wet and dry food for cats and dogs is accepted. Simply drop the unopened food into the bin.
owners to keep their cats inside and get them vaccinated. Panleukopenia spreads through bodily fluids, contaminated surfaces, litter boxes, food and water bowls, clothing and hands.
Strollo said the numbers of cats under Manatee County’s care will change from day to day because private shelters will often pick up some of the animals rescued by the county, but as of June 27, about 50 cats and kittens were in quarantine at Bishop Animal Shelter, while another 25 cats at the Bishop Animal Shelter needed foster homes.
Some of the kittens are being treated for upper respiratory infections and require the administration of oral and eye medications.
The county provides everything a foster needs, including medications, kitten milk replacer, bottles and a heating pad. Kittens younger than 4 weeks old can’t maintain their own body temperature.
County staff members also provide training, so fosters know how to care for a kitten whether it is sick or well.
The fosters learn lessons such as a kitten should be on its belly, instead of its back, when bottle feeding. And never squeeze the bottle. If squeezed, the bottle can force milk into the kitten’s lungs.
Most of the kittens are beyond the bottle phase. They just need temporary homes until they can be neutered or spayed and sent to Cat Town, which is when they reach 8 weeks or two pounds.
“It’s really not a long commitment,” Strollo said. “What’s great about kitten season being over the summer months is that school’s out. It’s the perfect time to introduce the knowledge and education to your kids about what it’s like to take care of a pet.”
Adoption is another option. As of June 25, the county had 73 cats and kittens available for adoption. However, Strollo said kittens don’t typically last more than a few days before
Cat Town, 216 Sixth Ave.
E. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Call 7425824.
Cat Town is Manatee County’s adoption center for kittens and cats. The rates are less expensive than private animal shelters, and the county runs several specials. Kittens cost $50, and cats (1-year-old and older) cost
$25. Adoption fees are cut in half on Tuesdays, and kittens are always on BOGO: Buy one, get one free.
The Senior for Senior special allows those more than 55 years old to adopt a cat that is more than 7 years old for $10, and fees are entirely waived for first responders and military personnel.
someone wants to take them home.
Adopted kittens and cats are sent to their new home with wet food, dry food and a couple toys.
Strollo said it will take a cat about three months to acclimate to its new environment.
At Cat Town, cats and kittens are separated or socialized according to their personal preferences.
Miss Ethel, a domestic shorthair cat, gets a spacious cage all to herself. She was spread out on a lounger hanging from the window.
“She’s earned the right,” Strollo said. “At 17 years old, she’s our eldest. She loves her window sill, so this is her space. She’s human friendly when she wants to be, but she’s not necessarily cat friendly.”
The kittens and the cats are separated. The older cats that are social are kept in enclosures with cat doors so they can access the outside “catios.”
Every animal the county has under its care goes to the Bishop Animal Center first for an intake processing. Bishop Animal Center has temporarily stopped cat intakes for two weeks to contain the outbreak.
During a routine intake, the animal is medically assessed, but it’s also socially assessed. By the time a cat gets to Cat Town, the staff is already aware of whether or not that cat will play well with others.
Strollo said kitten season is a good reminder as to the importance of spaying and neutering pets.
“It’s the perfect time to introduce the knowledge and education to your kids about what it’s like to take care of a pet.”
Michael-Chase Strollo
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LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER
Michael-Chase Strollo, communications coordinator for Manatee County, grew up with dogs. He fell in love with cats because his college roommate had one.
Cat Town gets a delivery of eight adoptable cats and kittens from the Bishop Animal Shelter on June 25.
When kittens get to Cat Town, they’re old enough to have been spayed.
The socialized cats have indoor and outdoor access, so Luna is relaxing on the “catio.”
Photos by Lesley Dwyer
Please consider nationwide candidates in superintendent search
Manatee government’s previous searches for its leaders have been comical.
Raise your hand if you think government in Manatee County can conduct an efficient job search?
I’m waiting ... waiting ... waiting.
It’s easy to be sarcastic because we have so much ammunition.
So if this prompts you to keep a closer watch on the School District of Manatee County’s search for a superintendent, so be it.
Let’s say you’re 60 and you have no children or grandchildren living in this area. So why should you care about all this?
The district’s 2024-25 budget was $1,590,763,809.
That alone should persuade you to pay attention.
Then there is the fact that the board fired Jason Wysong, whom the board members said was doing a good job in producing higherranked schools and better graduation rates. The main reason for his firing appears to be about his communication skills, which some board members said weren’t the best.
So here we are.
Let’s review.
In 2023, Wysong received the nod over Scott Schneider and Doug Wagner. All were Florida candidates, because the board members at the time decided that anyone living outside of Florida wouldn’t be able to navigate the complex rules and regulations set forth by the State Board of Education.
I’m not judging those candidates’ abilities. I just thought it was strange at the time, and it’s strange now, that the board would want to limit the pool of candidates. The fact that a candidate from say, Texas or Idaho, couldn’t be successful
because he or she couldn’t possibly understand the Florida landscape is, indeed, asinine.
We live in a state of transplants, and many of us have figured out how to live and be successful here. Such a job search made no sense then, and it’s a bad strategy now as well.
Unfortunately, school board members already have been noting that having Florida experience would be preferred. It’s scary that great candidates might be discarded because of geography.
Flash back to 2018 when Diana Greene left town for the greener pastures of Duval County Public Schools. Her replacement search started out as an effort to find the best candidates nationwide, then quickly turned to elevating Cynthia Saunders to the interim position with the thought she would replace Greene.
While Saunders was being considered for the full-time position, Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart accused her of two statute violations and five rules violations that included “filing fraudulent information, using coercive means or promised special treatment to influence professional judgements of colleagues and failure to maintain honesty in all professional dealings.”
Stewart stated, “I find probable cause exists to justify sanctions against your Florida Educator Certificate. Penalties levied against you may include reprimand, fine, probation, restriction of the scope of practice, suspension not to exceed five years, revocation not to exceed 10 years or the permanent revocation of your Educator Certificate.”
Saunders was, indeed, promoted to the full-time superintendent’s role. In 2019, the Florida Department of Education reprimanded her for her role in inflating the district’s graduation rates between 2014 and
2016 by instructing subordinate district employees to improperly code student withdrawals, causing the district’s graduation rate to be improperly reflected.
The settlement agreement stated Saunders “neither admits nor denies, but elects not to contest the allegations.”
She was fined, and reprimanded, and eventually retired in 2022.
We’re never going to know, unless Saunders writes an autobiography, who was responsible for inflating graduation rates during that period. It might be that she was pawn and a fall guy. She certainly seemed to do a banner job for the School District of Manatee County and, as an outsider, I can only judge her
trator Cheri Coryea in 2021, Scott Hopes was named interim administrator ... wink, wink. It took only two months for commissioners to move him into the full-time role. He lasted until 2023, when he was driven out after a reign of terror which some commissioners said led to more than 600 employees terminating their jobs with the county. Hopes still faces felony charges from his time with the county. So the commissioners had to replace Hopes. They conducted a search that turned up three finalists, and then they ignored all three and hired Charlie Bishop, who hadn’t even applied for the position. We’re not making this stuff up. Certainly, with 22 years of experience with the county, I am not disputing that Bishop was qualified to deserve consideration for the position.
But he didn’t apply for the job! He might turn out to be the best administrator in Manatee County’s history, but that is no way to conduct a job search.
performance from comments made by district employees, who made many positive comments about her to me.
But you certainly have wonder about the road not taken, and if the district could have avoided a lot of negative press or might have found a long-term quality superintendent, by conducting a thorough nationwide search.
I can’t help but think that the history of our school board suggests the members think nobody is watching.
Certainly that is the interpretation we should have when examining the Manatee County commissioners’ hiring practices. When the commissioners got rid of Adminis-
If you feel somewhat similar about all this, whether that involves the commissioners’ next major hiring or the school board’s hiring of a superintendent, it likely would make a difference if you called your elected official to pass along your feelings.
If not, then don’t be surprised what comes next. It’s no big deal, only a billion dollars.
Jay Heater is the managing editor for the East County Observer. Contact him at JHeater@ YourObserver.com.
Jay Heater
Former School District of Manatee County Superintendent Jason Wysong
Grove welcomes SRQ Women’s Expo
The last expo attracted nearly 500 attendees.
LESLEY
DWYER STAFF WRITER
It was 2023, and Sarasota’s Carina Dawson had just moved to the area from Atlanta.
Being in a new home, she was searching for the best way to launch her business, Carina Dawson Photography.
Then she found the first SRQ Women’s Expo at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota.
She said it was the perfect way to connect with the community.
“(At the Expo), you have locals stopping by, and the vendors are also
shopping around.”
Perhaps a local businesswoman will launch her own business soon. The SRQ Women’s Expo is headed to Grove in Lakewood Ranch on July 26-27.
The expo is billed as a place to “connect with inspiring women, shop from amazing vendors, attend powerful workshops and enjoy a day of learning, networking and selfcare.”
Since the event is geared toward women, free child care is included with the $10 general admission ticket price on July 27. Tickets for the White Lotus Cocktail Party on July 26 are $50.
Expo founder Julianna Strout said self-care was something she needed when she had a newborn, so she views complimentary child care as a necessity for each event.
The expo started as a gathering of entrepreneurial women in Strout’s living room, but it quickly outgrew the space.
The first expo in September 2023 welcomed 47 vendors, which ballooned to more than 200 vendors at later expos held at The Ritz-Carlton. Grove is sold out with 80 vendors, which Strout said is a nice balance between the variety of services on display and plenty of space for guests to navigate the room.
Some of the expo’s offerings have evolved, as well. While Dawson started as the event’s photographer, Strout asked her to offer mini photo sessions at the last expo. The expos are held twice a year.
Dawson said so many moms don’t have photos with their children that it was hugely popular with attendees. She’ll have a booth set up again at Grove. It takes a week or two to process all the photos, but the down-
IF YOU GO
SRQ Women’s Expo at Grove, 10670 Boardwalk Loop. The cocktail reception begins at 6 p.m. July 26. Tickets cost $50 per person. The expo runs from noon to 4 p.m. July 27. Tickets cost $10 per person. Visit SRQWomensExpo.com for more information.
loads are complimentary for guests.
While many of the vendors focus on beauty and fashion, there are additional services, like Dawson’s, featured, too. The Grazing Pony is a mobile charcuterie bar out of St. Petersburg, and Crafted by Rachel is a Sarasota company that offers epoxy art pieces, such as clocks and towel racks.
New to this year’s lineup and local to Lakewood Ranch is Jazzercise, a boutique fitness studio on Lake Osprey Drive.
“As both a new Florida resident
and business owner in Lakewood Ranch, building strong connections in the community has been a mission from the very start,” Jazzercise owner Shari Nastri said. “We’re honored to collaborate with other local businesses and help lift up the incredible small business community here in the Lakewood Ranch/Sarasota area.”
The expo has become a way for local businesses to introduce themselves to the community. Crystal Castleberry is the clinic manager at SkinSpirit in Sarasota and a guest speaker at the upcoming expo.
The medical aesthetics company is in 18 states, but it’s opening its first location in Sarasota this month. Castleberry will be speaking at the upcoming expo to share what services SkinSpirit offers, how the company has grown and what the culture is like.
While there will be several speakers throughout the day, Jason Phillips is the keynote speaker. Phillips is the founder of the Nutritional Coaching Institute.
“He’s had a great deal of experience in getting companies off the
ground from being a startup,” Strout said. “A lot of these businesses, run by men and women, want to be able to understand how to take their businesses to the next level.”
Strout also noted that Phillips is a single dad raising a little girl, who is the next generation of women in business. While it’s a women’s expo, dads of daughters might also pick up some valuable information by attending.
There are two events within the expo’s lineup — the cocktail reception Saturday night, which is a white party, and the expo from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
About half the vendors will be set up for the cocktail party, along with a DJ, casino tables, a runway show, guest speakers and salsa performances.
Guests are asked to dress in their finest white attire. The theme comes from the HBO drama “The White Lotus,” which takes place at a luxury resort in Hawaii.
Courtesy images
The next SRQ Women’s Expo will be held at Grove July 26-27.
Jamie Davis is director of sales, and Julianna Strout is founder and CEO of the SRQ Women’s Expo.
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
ALL-AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHER
Clyde Butcher’s legacy is secure, but he’s not through with his mission to save the Everglades.
MONICA
ROMAN GAGNIER
EDITOR
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
The family of Everglades champion Marjory Stoneman Douglas founded the newspaper that would become The Miami Herald, so it somehow seems fitting when environmental activist Clyde Butcher gets a call from the paper as a visitor arrives at his Venice gallery to interview him about his latest book.
The Herald wants to know what Butcher thinks about “Alligator Alcatraz.” That’s Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier’s nickname for an immigration detention center springing up in Big Cypress National Preserve. The Miami folks will have to wait; Butcher is fierce about honoring his commitments.
With the new book of his life’s work, “Lifeworks in Photography, 1972-2023,” and a recent National Medal of Arts crowning his many honors, Butcher’s legacy is sealed. But at a time when many octogenarians might be content to play with their grandchildren, Butcher has been galvanized by the plan to build Alligator Alcatraz in Big Cypress, located about 45 miles west of Miami adjacent to Everglades National Park.
Suddenly, the 82-year-old has become the poster boy for the Stop Alligator Alcatraz Movement. Butcher, who looks like Santa Claus dressed for a safari, took the microphone at a June 28 rally in Ochop-
ee, addressing the crowd from his wheelchair. Another speaker at the peaceful demonstration, which drew 1,000 people, was Native American activist Betty Osceola, a Miccosukee Tribe of Florida member. She was joined by other Miccosukees as well as members of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, whose ancestors once inhabited the land.
The immigrant detention center under construction is literally in Butcher’s backyard. He and his wife, Niki, have an art gallery in Big Cypress, so one could argue there is some self-interest in Butcher’s opposition to Alligator Alcatraz.
But isn’t that true for some of the world’s high-profile conservationists? Cable TV magnate Ted Turner has acquired 2.1 million acres of land near his various ranches over the years to prevent it from ever being developed. That’s one way to keep the neighbors at a distance.
Butcher doesn’t have such grand ambitions, nor the wealth, to support such private conservation efforts. However, he is a big-picture guy — literally. His black-and-white photographs of the Everglades and other national parks, such as Yosemite and
IF YOU GO
‘CHRISTMAS IN JULY’ OPEN HOUSE When and Where:
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on July 13 at Big Cypress Gallery, 52388 Tamiami Trail. 4-7 p.m. on July 24 at Venice Gallery, 237 Warfield Ave., Venice.
Clyde Butcher took
“Whildens Pond 4” in 2002.
“Yosemite 175” was taken by Clyde Butcher in 2006, 90 years after Ansel Adams first photographed the national park.
Many orchid hunters have sought to steal or even see the elusive ghost orchid and failed, but Clyde Butcher managed to take this picture in 1999.
“Tamiami Trail 1” was taken by Clyde Butcher in 1986.
Images courtesy of Clyde Butcher
“Myakka Live Oak” was taken in 2017. Trees in Myakka State Park have recently been carved by visitors who are leaving their initials on the trees, which impacts their health.
Grand Teton, can run as large 5 feet by 9 feet. He is often compared to legendary landscape photographer
Ansel Adams.
When Butcher received a National Medal of Arts this past October, the White House citation said: “From humble beginnings as a self-taught photographer, Clyde Butcher is considered America’s most acclaimed landscape photographer today. From the Rocky Mountains to the Everglades, and countless pristine places in between, his images inspire and challenge us to respect and defend our natural wonders.”
Ask Butcher why he’s stepping into the political fray with Alligator Alcatraz after suffering a debilitating stroke in 2017, not to mention a recent stay at Sarasota Memorial Hospital for health problems he’d prefer not to discuss, and you’ll get a long, winding story. Butcher describes how he and Niki, an artist in her own right, first discovered the beauty of the Everglades.
The native Californians were living in Fort Myers at the time. “We came here in 1980. I didn’t see or photograph much of Florida until 1984. That’s when I saw Tom Gaskins’ place up at Fisheating Creek. That gave me an introduction to the Everglades,” Butcher explains.
Gaskins, who died in 1998, owned the Cypress Knee Museum in Palmdale, where he sold cypress knees used for decorations and furniture.
A PENCHANT FOR DIALOGUE-
DRIVEN STORIES
“I brought my camera back the next day and photographed Gaskins’ place,” Butcher says. “The same week, I met Oscar Thompson, who had a studio down on Highway 80. I was looking at slides over his shoulder. I asked him, ‘Did you just get back from Africa?’
‘No.’
‘South America?’
‘No.’
‘Then where?’
‘Down the highway, about two hours.’
‘Can you take me there some time?’
‘How about now?’
Between those two events, I discovered the Everglades.”
Talk with Butcher some more, and it becomes clear that anecdote was
not just a one-off conversational event. Butcher likes to answer questions with dialogue.
If he hadn’t been a photographer, maybe Butcher would have ended up in the movie business like Steven Spielberg, whom Butcher met at the National Endowment for the Arts awards ceremony at the White House, along with filmmaker Spike Lee and many other luminaries. (The two directors were the fellow honorees that Butcher mentions by name.)
It turns out that Butcher wasn’t the only one who thought the Everglades looked like Africa. That was also the impression of browsers at art shows across the country where Clyde and Niki sold their work.
Suddenly, Butcher’s safari attire starts to make sense. He was also wearing it at the December 2023 opening of his exhibition at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ Historic Spanish Point.
Given Butcher’s penchant for longwinded explanations, it’s no surprise his family, including his daughter, Jackie Butcher Obendorf, his son-inlaw, Neal Obendorf, and grandchil-
“I’ve
been taking photos in Big Cypress and the Everglades for 40 years, and I’ve never seen another person. Never. Alligator Alcatraz will destroy the pristine environment.”
— Clyde Butcher
dren Kayla and Robert, have helped distill his messages supporting the Everglades on social media. But even their posts for Clyde Butcher Photography are not short. Here’s an example:
“As the population of Florida increased, and the beauty of the land became overrun by houses and strip malls, I began to worry about the rapid disappearance of natural Florida.
“Suddenly, my photographs of the Everglades were becoming history
“
rather than images of how Florida presently appeared. That knowledge was disturbing and motivated me to begin my conservation activities.
“Saving the Everglades and working with state agencies and national environmental groups became part of my life, and the Everglades became the heart of my photography.”
A SON’S DEATH MARKS A TURNING POINT
In interviews and books, Clyde and Niki Butcher inevitably return to the loss of their son and how it affected their art. Ted Butcher was killed by a drunken driver in 1986 at the age of 17. Ted’s death prompted Niki to devote herself more seriously to her photography and move away from the cute arts and crafts she was selling to help support the family.
Clyde’s soul-searching sparked his decision to abandon color photography. Upon reflection, he came to the conclusion that black-and-white images better illustrate the strange, wild beauty of Florida’s dark interior.
“When Ted died, we were doing a show in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and I sat there looking at my color work. I thought, ‘People are really interested in Florida, but I don’t think they can see it in color. That’s why I decided to go black and white.”
The story continues ... “After my son was killed by a drunk driver, I was pretty pissed off. At the time, they were trying to build a so-called resource recovery plant in Fort Myers, where we living. It turns out it was a trash-burning plant and I decided to try and do something,”
Butcher says.
Aha! It turns out the movement to stop Alligator Alcatraz isn’t the first time that Butcher has used his “brand” to publicly oppose a facility that he believes will be detrimental to the Everglades.
For Butcher, here’s the bottom line: “I’ve been taking photos in Big Cypress and the Everglades for 40 years, and I’ve never seen another person. Never. Alligator Alcatraz will destroy the pristine environment.”
With winding discussions about travel to far-flung art shows and long-gone souvenir outposts, one might be tempted to dismiss Butcher’s musings as those of an elder reminiscing in a rambling fashion about Old Florida.
But Butcher can surprise you with a firm grasp on numbers. This is a man who trained as an architect, after all, before turning to his hobby of photography to support his family when he was laid off during a real estate downturn in California. When an interviewer points out that Butcher still has plenty of room to run in his crusade to protect Florida’s wilderness if he lives as long as Marjory Stoneman Douglas, who died at 105, he interjects, “She died at 108.”
Butcher may indeed follow the centenarian in longevity. But collectors of his photography understand that life is fragile. They turn out in droves, and we mean droves, for the open houses the Butcher family periodically holds at their Big Cypress and Venice galleries.
Indeed, Butcher’s recent stint at Sarasota Memorial reminded him of his own mortality. So after moving to digital photography in 2017, he has returned to traditional photography. His team, including his photo editor, Paul Tilton, scoured the internet, and found Butcher a camera that met his specifications in Tehran, Iran.
After it arrived, the first picture Butcher took was of an oak in Myakka State Park. That photo has turned up in Clyde Butcher Photography’s social media feed juxtaposed with one of an oak carved with someone’s initials.
Some people have to be reminded not to deface trees. After all, younger generations didn’t see the America the Beautiful ads in the 1970s featuring a Native American shedding a tear at the sight of litter. (Since denounced for perpetuating Native stereotypes, they made a lasting impression on kids of the era, as did Woodsy Owl’s plea: “Give a hoot. Don’t pollute.”)
After learning about recent bombings of Iran by Israel and the U.S., Butcher became concerned about the welfare of the Tehran camera retailer. He asked his assistant to email the man. “I was so glad to hear he and his family are OK,” Butcher says. The environmentalist is also a humanitarian.
Courtesy image
Venice photographer Clyde Butcher is flanked by President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden after receiving the National Medal of Arts on Oct. 21, 2024.
THIS WEEK
THURSDAY
SUMMER CIRCUS SPECTACULAR
11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at The Ringling’s Historic Asolo Theater, 5401 Bay Shore Road
$20 adult; $13 child Visit CircusArts.org.
Pack up the car with Grandpa and the kids and head for the Circus Arts Conservatory’s annual Summer Circus Spectacular at The Ringling. This thrilling, 60-minute circus of fresh new acts is perfect for people of all ages with short attention spans. There’s room for walkers, strollers, wheelchairs, you name it — but please arrive early so ushers can store them. Add a ticket to The Ringling’s Circus Museum for just $5 on the day of the show. Runs through Aug. 9.
Fresh from his success with Florida Studio Theatre’s “Jersey Boys,” Ben Liebert directs and choreographs “Dames at Sea.” A parody of 1930s musicals, “Dames at Sea” first debuted Off-Off Broadway in 1966 starring Bernadette Peters. With the help of a sailor/songwriter Dick, Utah chorus girl Ruby lands a role in a musical that’s trying to find its footing. FST’s Ruby is Emily Ann Brooks, making her FST debut. Runs through July 13.
IF YOU GO
When: 8 p.m. Thursday, July 3
Where: FST’s Gompertz Theatre, 1265 First St. Tickets: $42 and up Info: Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
The free Sights + Sounds concert series continues at Waterside Place with a patriotic performance by the Sarasota Concert Band featuring vocal soloist Kathryn Parks. Limited seating, so bring a lawn chair.
If you’re a comedy fan, you may be familiar with Carl Rimi, because he’s been doing standup for more than 30 years in comedy clubs across the country and on cruise ships. In 2013, Rimi began performing in front of the camera, and in 2021, he starred in his first feature film, “iPossessed.” His next platform is TV, where he will write, direct, produce and star in “Mid-Life College.”
‘TOO DARN HOT: SONGS FOR A SUMMER NIGHT’
7:30 p.m. at FST’s Court Cabaret, 1265 First St. $39 and up Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
Songstress Carole J. Bufford easily skips eras and genres. Whether she’s singing songs by Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra or Patsy Cline, she exudes a retro vibe. What’s more, her cool costumes in “Too Darn Hot” evoke everything from flappers of the 1920s to the neo-swing era of the 1990s. Runs through Sept. 14.
‘HOW SWEET IT IS’
7:30 p.m. at FST’s Goldstein Cabaret, 1239 N. Palm Ave. $18-$42
Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
As the mercury rises, locals know how to escape the heat — with Florida Studio Theatre’s Summer
DON’T MISS FIREWORKS ON THE LAKE
Fireworks on the Lake returns with Twinkle and Rock Soul Radio providing the live entertainment; a Kids Zone, sponsored by Mote Marine; plenty of other family friendly activities; and food and beverage trucks. The fireworks show begins at approximately 9 p.m. VIP Viewing Experience tickets from the finish tower are $105 per adult; $65 per child for ages 12 and younger. The ticket includes complimentary food and beverages, an open bar with beer and wine and access to the air-conditioned finish tower. Parking is $40 per carload at Regatta Island; $30 in the South Parking Lot and the Special Event Parking Lot next to Homewood Suites; $60 for RVs in the South Parking Lot.
IF YOU GO When: 5 p.m. Thursday, July 3
Where: Nathan Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle
Tickets: Free; parking and VIP viewing extra Info: Visit FireworksOnTheLake.com.
FST IMPROV: ‘FREEDOM! THE MUSICAL’
7:30 p.m. FST’s Bowne’s Lab, 1265 First St.
$15-$18
Cabaret. The series kicks off with a Motown tribute called “How Sweet It Is.” Led by dynamic vocalist and songwriter Luke McMaster, an energetic trio demonstrates the enduring appeal of hits like “Tracks of My Tears,” “You Can’t Hurry Love” and “Stop! In the Name of Love.” Runs through Aug. 3.
Lakewood Ranch is pulling out the stops for its first-annual StarSpangled Spectacular. A show by the Circus Arts Conservatory at 8 p.m. and a drone show at 9 p.m. are the highlights of this free holiday event. The festivities will include circus acts, games, vendor booths, food and family friendly fun that includes a Kids’ Zone. Parking is free, and a trolley will run between Waterside Place and lots at The Out-of-Door Academy and Grace Community Church from 5:30-10 p.m.
SATURDAY
PATTI SMITH: A BOOK OF DAYS
10 a.m. at Selby Gardens Historic Spanish Point, 401 N. Tamiami Trail, Osprey Included with $20 admission Visit Selby.org.
Selby Gardens collaborates with poet and musician Patti Smith, its artist-in-residence, on an outdoor exhibition of large prints taken from her newly published bestseller, “A Book of Days.” By displaying her photographs outdoors, Selby brings them into conversation with nature. Runs through Aug. 31.
Visit Florida StudioTheatre.org.
Feeling patriotic but looking for a laugh? Florida Studio Theatre Improv explores “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Laughter” in this comedy musical with a promise to share an untold story of the American Revolution.
MONDAY
‘CONJURING THE SPIRIT WORLD: ART, MAGIC AND MEDIUMS’
10 a.m. at the John and Mable Ringling Art Museum, 5401 Bay Shore Road Free with $25 admission; Mondays free Visit Ringling.org.
Go on the trail of things that go bump in the night with this fascinating interactive exhibition, which follows the growth of Spiritualism in the mid-19th century from its roots in dining room seances to traveling shows featuring magicians and mediums. Runs through July 13.
TUESDAY
‘LILIAN BLADES: THROUGH THE VEIL’ 11 a.m. at the Sarasota Art Museum campus, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail Free for museum members; $20 Visit SarasotaArtMuseum.org.
Award-winning artist Lillian Blades invites visitors to get lost in her first solo museum exhibition at Sarasota Art Museum. Her installation of “veils” combine handcrafted and found objects to create a mesmerizing display. Runs through Oct. 26.
Ahoy there! ‘Dames at Sea’ sets sail at Florida Studio Theatre
The show offers a loving pastiche of 1930s musicals packed with plenty of laughs.
MARTY FUGATE
THEATER CRITIC
‘Dames at Sea” has docked at Florida Studio Theatre. Robin Miller and George Haimsohn wrote the musical’s script and lyrics; Jim Wise composed its score. It’s a loving homage to 1930s musicals, not a satirical slap. It’s funny and how! But short on originality. If you’ve ever seen a Busby Berkeley movie (or one of its imitators), you always know what’s coming. But here’s a plot summary anyway ...
The musical opens with a backstage meet-cute in a WPA theater on Broadway in the 1930s. The theater is putting on a musical — “Dames at Sea.” Fresh off the bus from Centerville, Utah, comes Ruby (Emily Ann Brooks), a wannabe chorus girl. She bumps into Dick (Devin Johnson), a wannabe songwriter who’s in the Navy. It’s love at first sight!
When the director, Joel Newsome, spies them, it’s casting at first sight. Ruby and Dick are instantly hired for the show. Mona, the diva/star of “Dames at Sea” (Jenna Coker-Jones) takes a fancy to the sailor/songwriter and gives him a big smooch. It wasn’t Dick’s idea, but Ruby thinks she’s been thrown over. Her heart is broken.
Then a wrecking ball breaks into the theater. All is lost, right?
Wrong! Dick has a crazy idea that just might work. “Dames at Sea” is set on a battleship, right? Why not use his ship as a theater?
Charmed by Mona, Dick’s captain (Newsome again) agrees. Hearts heal. The show goes on. Is that the sound of wedding bells I hear?
IF YOU GO
‘DAMES AT SEA’
When: Through July 13
Where: FST Gompertz
Theatre, 1265 First St.
Tickets: $39-$59
Info: Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
Director/Choreographer Ben Liebert steers this madcap musical ship with a clever mix of choreography and slapstick. (His rat-a-tat tap-dancing numbers are great, though they make me feel uncoordinated.) He’s amped up the farce factor on the song and dance with bits of comic business right out of a Marx Brothers movie. My favorite gag’s the one where Mona keeps trying to strike a seductive pose on top of a piano — and keeps sliding off.
The actors make the most of their stock 1930s characters.
Johnson’s Dick is a wide-eyed sailor with a song in his heart and dancing feet. Brooks’ Ruby is a starry-eyed ingenue with a big heart and legs that won’t quit. She’s great as this gee-whiz, good girl, always a thankless part.
Coker-Jones has far more fun playing Mona. Her cad girl character’s definitely on Santa’s naughty list. Just like Tux, Mona’s snarling pet Pomeranian, this domineering diva is fluffy, pretty and vicious.
Dick’s shipmate Lucky (Larry Toyter) and Joan (Kelsey Stalter) hit all the right screwball comedy notes in their romantic banter.
Newsome plays both the ship’s captain and the director. Both authority figures are bullish, hassled and past their prime. On land or sea, their respective jobs are like herding cats.
Songs like “Broadway Baby” and “Choo-Choo Honeymoon” sound familiar — by design. The musical’s daffy, charming tunes are sound-alikes of the period — but knock-offs, not rip-offs. (And
“Dames
“Dames at Sea” is a musical layer cake of corny conventions.
satire’s fair use.) A three-piece band, led with panache by Music Director David Caldwell, punches above its weight and keeps the music flowing. The show looks as good as it sounds. Isabel and Moriah Curley-Clay’s shape-shifting set does double duty as a Broadway theater and a battleship. K. April Soroko’s period costumes are a perfect fit for the show’s nostalgic comic vibe.
“Dames at Sea” is a musical layer cake of corny conventions. Its plot is a roller coaster of lucky breaks, unlucky problems, plucky solution, love scenes and pep talks. That’s the plot of every Busby Berkeley movie.
The musical’s creators shamelessly stole his recipe. And carefully followed it — aside from the fact that Berkeley had armies of leggy chorus girls and this parody has a cast of six. But that’s part of the joke.
It adds up to a very funny spoof. If your experience of musical comedy begins with “Spamalot,” you might miss the show’s nostalgic/satirical point. But it’s still a boatload of laughs.
Image courtesy of Sorcha Augustine
Devin Johnson, Emily Ann Brooks, Kelsey Stalter, Larry Toyter, Jenna Coker-Jones and Joel Newsome star in Florida
Studio Theatre’s
at Sea.”
Courtesy image Florida Studio Theatre Resident Director/Choreographer Ben Liebert.
YOUR NEIGHBORS
SBA stuffs backpacks for kids
The Suncoast Builders Association made donations of stuffed backpacks through the Boys & Girls Clubs.
hen Sarasota resident Jessica Seper attended her first Suncoast Builders Association Young Professionals event in 2015, she was inspired to There were three backpacks that were filled with school supplies to be donated to kids in need. She knew she could do much better.
For the past 10 years, the “Stuff the Backpack” event has been led by Seper, who now works as the deputy executive officer and the director of membership/ councils and committees for the Suncoast Builders Association.
The Suncoast Builders Association has increased the number of backpacks it has donated every year. In 2016, there were 75. Last year, the SBA donated 500, and this year, that number doubled to 1,000 backpacks. One hundred volunteers helped fill the backpacks in an hour on June 26 at Gold Coast Eagle.
A donation of $20 sponsored one backpack for a child in need. The backpacks were filled with all of the essentials, such as colored pencils, pens, pencils, composition note -
HOW WAS MONEY RAISED FOR THE BACKPACKS AND SUPPLIES?
Event planners reached out to local businesses and community members for monetary donations to purchase backpacks and supplies. Sponsorship opportunities ranged from $350-$3,000, and custom donations were also accepted. The event’s presenting sponsor was Sarasota Ford.
books, folders, highlighters, magic erase markers and erasers. They were split evenly and donated to Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County and Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties.
Seper said the SBA allows the Boys & Girls clubs to decide how to distribute the backpacks.
The Young Professionals is just one of the Suncoast Builders Association’s any councils and committees that give back to the community.
Sarasota resident Tracy Eisnaugle is the chair of the Professional Women in Building. It was her first time to lead a committee.
“It was overwhelming until we were here (the day before the event), and then I think once the setup was done, it felt like it was going to be easy,” Eisnaugle said. “The set-up is great, and I can’t wait to see the backpacks all stuffed. It’s going to be overwhelming and powerful.”
Eisnaugle’s jumped up and down
with enthusiasm as she saw hundreds of backpacks stacked up.
Lakewood Ranch resident Megan Schroeder serves as the Young Professional Committee co-chair. She was part of the team to cold call businesses and ask for donations so the group could donate as many backpacks and supplies as possible. She was a volunteer for the event this past year and helped distribute the backpacks to kids in Sarasota County.
“We’re we just like, ‘Take a backpack; it’s for you,’” Schroeder said about delivering the backpacks last year. “They’re like ‘Take a backpack?’ Sometimes, it was funny because they took a long time to pick out what color they wanted. That was the cutest part.”
“I feel amazed by the amount of support that this community has gathered for the kids and for our clubs,” said Kelli Dixon, chief development officer at Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County. “We’re just excited.”
Dixon said the event was organized well, and it was apparent the “people are happy to serve.”
Sara Howe is the senior director of advancement at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties. Howe said it was amazing to see the turnout and she appreciated how fast they worked to accomplish their goal.
“It’s instrumental for the kiddos in our communities to know that they have people who are supporting them and making sure that they’re getting back to school ready,” Howe said. “Not having any barriers to the tools and resources that they might need to succeed in the classroom is important. We’re thrilled to be able to partner with them today.”
The thousand backpacks were packed into just two vehicles — Sarasota had a mini bus, and Manatee had an oversized van. It was a process of stacking and shoving, just like packing for a family road trip.
Seper said that since her group is made up of builders and developers, the public can tend to paint them as the bad guys.
She wants it to be known that they do have hearts and they do care about the community.
Tracy Eisnaugle, the professional women in building chair, Jessica Seper, the membership and councils director, and Megan Schroeder, the Young Professional committee co-chair, worked to present the Stuff the Backpack event.
Volunteer Skyler Terebieniec, who is a landscape designer at Kimley-Horn, says she is passionate about education and access to resources.
Photos by Madison Bierl
High five for the Red, White and Blueberry Celebration
n April 2021, Kristin Hokanson and her husband, John, bought Fiorelli Winery and Vineyard and faced months of work to get the winery in order.
Headed into July that year, they were ready for a celebration.
The first Red, White and Blueberry Celebration was thrown together to celebrate the upcoming holiday, along with all the hard work that had been accomplished.
Now five years later, the pre-Fourth of July celebration has become the winery’s most wellattended event.
“Every year, it’s just gotten better and better,”
Kristin Hokanson said June 28, the night of this year’s celebration. “We’ve continually grown and added more elements, such as partnering with Suncoast Charities for Children, bringing in outside craft vendors and partnering with great bands.”
The country band One Night Rodeo performed at the June 28 event, and students and teachers from the Music Compound also entertained the crowd.
“Fourth of July is about the community — bringing people together and celebrating America,” Hokanson said. “We look forward to continuing the tradition.”
— LESLEY DWYER
Bradenton’s Herman and Oriana Armas Gil attend the celebration with their 1-year-old son, Milan, and 3-yearold daughter, Aldana.
Photos by Lesley Dwyer
Kristin Hokanson, Fiorelli Winery owner, says the Red, White and Blueberry Celebration gets bigger and better each year.
Lisa Gaines and Stephanie Farquhar check in guests at the fifth annual Red, White and Blueberry Celebration at Fiorelli Winery.
Sarasota’s Ivana Zavala More swings with her 17-month-old daughter, Isabella.
Stevie Krumm, owner of Sarasota Florist, is selling single stems and bouquets at the Red, White and Blueberry Celebration.
THURSDAY, JULY 3
SIGHTS & SOUNDS
Begins at 6 p.m. at Waterside Place, 1560 Lakefront Drive, Lakewood Ranch. The free Sights & Sounds concert series continues at Waterside Place with the Sarasota Concert Band. The concert, featuring the 40-piece Symphonic Band, will be a patriotic extravaganza. Vocal soloist Kathryn Parks also will perform with the band. Limited seating will be available so bring a lawn chair. For more information, go to WatersidePlace.com.
FIREWORKS ON THE LAKE
Runs from 5-10 p.m. at Nathan Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle Sarasota. Fireworks on the Lake returns with Twinkle and Rock Soul Radio providing the live entertainment. Prices per carload are $40 at Regatta Island, $30 in the South Parking Lot and the Special Event Parking Lot next to Homewood Suites, and $60 for RVs in the South Parking Lot. Tickets are now available by going to FireworksOnTheLake. com. A Kids Zone will be available, sponsored by Mote Marine. Plenty of other family friendly activities and food and beverage trucks will be available. The fireworks show begins approximately 9 p.m. VIP Viewing Experience tickets from the finish tower are available at $105 per adult; $65 per child for ages 12 and younger. The ticket includes complimentary food and beverages, an open bar with beer and wine and access to the air conditioned finish tower. The
BEST BET
FRIDAY, JULY 4
STAR-SPANGLED SPECTACULAR
Runs from 6-9:30 p.m. at Waterside Place, 1560 Lakefront Drive, Lakewood Ranch. A show by Circus Arts Conservatory (8 p.m. start) and a drone show (that begins at 9 p.m.) are the highlights of a special, free holiday event at Waterside Place. The event will include a carnivalinspired experience with circus acts, games, vendor booths, food, and family-friendly fun that includes a Kids’ Zone. A DJ will provide the musical entertainment. All parking is free, and a trolly will run between Waterside Place and lots at The Out-of-Door Academy and Grace Community Church from 5:30-10 p.m. For more information, go to WatersidePlace.com.
presenting sponsor is Lamborghini Sarasota.
RED, WHITE & FOOD FESTIVAL
Runs from 4-9 p.m. at the Mall at University Town Center, 140 University Town Center Drive. The Red, White & Food Festival features more than 20 food trucks, trailers and pop-up tents in the east side of the Mall at UTC parking lot near the main entrance. Join the crowd for a tailgate party and watch the fireworks show at nearby Nathan Benderson Park. Free entry and parking. For more information, call 727-674-1464.
THURSDAY, JULY 3 THROUGH SUNDAY, JULY 6
LIVE MUSIC AT JIGGS LANDING
Runs from 4:30-7:30 p.m. each day at Jiggs Landing, 6106 63rd St. E., Bradenton. The live music lineup at Jiggs Landing includes Raiford Starke (Thursday), Hayden (Friday), Gator Ridge Ramblers (Saturday) and Santiago (Sunday). The Saturday show is $5; all other music is free. For information, go to JiggsLanding.com.
SATURDAY, JULY 5
MUSIC AT THE PLAZA
Runs from 6-9 p.m. at Waterside Place, 1561 Lakefront Drive,
Lakewood Ranch. Acoustic cover artist Mike Williams takes center stage to entertain the Waterside Place crowd Saturday in the free music series. For information, go to WatersidePlace.com.
ROOFTOP YOGA
Begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Lakewood Ranch Library, 16410 Rangeland Parkway, Lakewood Ranch. Adults (18 and older) can participate in the Rooftop Yoga program. The donation-based group class is designed to inspire and invigorate. Beginners are welcome, as are those with experience. The workout focuses on balancing effort and ease through breath work and posture. Those who participate are asked to bring a yoga mat. For information, go to MyLWR.com.
FOOD TRUCK FESTIVAL
Runs from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Mall at University Town Center, 140 University Town Center Drive. The “Suncoast’s Largest Food Truck Festival” will feature more than 40 food trucks, trailers and pop-up tents. The event will be held on the east side of the mall near the main entrance. For more information, call 674-1464.
SATURDAY, JULY 5 AND SUNDAY, JULY 6
MUSIC AT THE LODGE
Runs 6-9 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday at Linger Lodge, 7205 85th St. Court E., Bradenton. Linger Lodge’s live music schedule includes Brooke Hargrove on Saturday and Tom Selletti on Sunday.
SUNDAY, JULY 6
FARMERS MARKET
Runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Lakefront Drive in Waterside Place, Lakewood Ranch. The Farmers Market at Lakewood Ranch, which was voted as the top farmers market in Florida for the second year in a row in 2024, will run year-round every Sunday. Vendors offer seafood, eggs, meats, dairy products, pastas, bakery goods, jams and pickles, among other items. Other features include children’s activities and live music. For information, visit MyLWR.com.
YOGA IN THE PARK Runs 8-9 a.m. at Waterside Park, 7301 Island Cove Terrace, Sarasota. Start the morning off with gentle yoga with lake views. For information, go to LakewoodRanch. com.
FRIDAY, JULY 11
MOVIE IN THE PARK
Begins at 7 p.m. at Waterside Park, 7301 Island Cove Terrace, Lakewood Ranch. Join the crowd for a free outdoor, family friendly movie. This month’s feature is “Trolls Band Together.” The event is sponsored by Grace Community Church. Showtime begins at sunset. The first 160 people to attend will receive a free two-piece chicken tender basket with fries from Chick-N-Nooga. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Bring a blanket or lawn chairs. Concessions are available from We B’ Poppin Popcorn and Kettle Corn. Inflatables for kids will be available starting at 7 p.m.
YOUR CALENDAR
Courtesy image
This sneaker drive fits
The Lake Club Women’s Giving Circle has a goal of donating 400 pairs of sneakers to foster kids through The Twig.
The last time you bought a pair of sneakers, it probably was no big deal.
But to a foster child who might not have a decent pair of shoes in his or her closet, it can be huge.
The Lake Club’s Joy Stone has seen the impact firsthand of a foster child being able to select a new pair of sneakers at The Twig, which has
a mission of “Helping every child in foster care know they matter by providing trendy, upscale boutiques where they can shop free of charge.”
This is the fourth year the Lake Club Women’s Giving Circle had held its Sneakin’ Back to School Sneaker Drive, and Stone has been a driving force in the effort all four years.
“You see these poor children put into this situation,” Stone said. “It is wonderful that we can help.
“If you are at The Twig on a Saturday, the families come and sign in.
The kids then go into this beautiful store and can choose seven articles of clothing. It is so cute. They go to the shoes, and you hear a girl say, ‘I want a purple pair of shoes.’”
The staff at The Twig does its best to fill each child’s needs.
“It makes them feel special,” Stone
said. “They are pretty danged happy.”
Barbara Najmy, the chair of the Lake Club Women’s Giving Circle, said the Sneakin’ Back to School Sneaker Drive has impacts beyond providing footwear.
“Kindness can have a big impact,” she said. “This goes way beyond wearing a pair of sneakers.”
Najmy said supporting the foster families just made sense to her members.
“It takes a special family or parent to take on a child who is removed from a home,” she said. “Sometimes, the children walk out with nothing but what they are wearing.”
The Twig Executive Director Nicole Britton said the effort by those who put together the sneaker drive is meaningful.
•
•
HOW TO HELP
The Sneakin’ Back to School Sneaker Drive has several ways to help: Amazon wishlist: Amazon. com/Registries/GL/GuestView/CX8V7WG2GD1Y Shop at DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse): Mention that your purchase is for The Twig sneaker drive and receive 20% off your purchase Drop-off locations: 16310 Foremast Place, the Lake Club or the Grand Clubhouse, 8307 Lake Club Blvd., Lakewood Ranch
More information: Call Joy Stone at 962-2412.
“Just in the Lakewood Ranch area, we are serving around 200 kids every month,” Britton said. “When they come into foster care, usually they are coming with no shoes. This helps them feel like normal kids and it makes them feel prepared for school. And (the Lake Club Women’s Giving Circle) makes a huge impact on us, and our budget.”
Although The Twig gets donations from individuals and has several groups that do collections, Britton said the effort by the Lake Club Women’s Giving Circle is “unique.”
“They are making a lasting impact,” she said.
The staff at The Twig has ongoing conversations with children who are using the service about what they are hoping for in clothing and shoes.
“We listen to them,” Britton said. “They ask, ‘Do you have Nikes or Adidas?’ The little ones might say, ‘Do you have sparkly, light-up shoes?’ We also look through our inventory to see where we are low and what sizes are most requested that we are going to need the most.”
The Twig puts together a wish list which the Lake Club Women’s Giving Circle refers people to during its sneaker drive.
“The Twig has taken the survey, and they are very mindful that the kids want to wear trendy sneakers,” Najmy said.
Cinda Krouk, a board member of the Lake Club Women’s Giving Circle, said the school aspect is a
big factor. “Their first day of school, they want to fit in and feel good,” said Krouk, who is the club’s chair of outreach.
Krouk said the Lake Club Women’s Giving Circle has collected approximately 250 pairs of sneakers for its 2025 sneaker drive. The first three years of the drive, 300 pairs of sneakers were donated to The Twig. The goal was raised to 400 pairs of sneakers for this year.
“This store is beautiful and very organized,” Krouk said. “This takes care of an underserved population of children.
“We’re just looking to make a life better. It is one small, kind gesture. But it is very impactful.”
The Lake Club Women’s Giving Circle, which was established in 2014, has 90 members, and it has 14 members on the sneaker drive committee. Julie Swan headed the sneaker drive through its first three years, but she had to take off this year to give care to her family.
The club’s outreach and Group Service Initiatives this year benefit Tidewell Grief Care, Embracing Our Differences, Easterseals, Stillpoint Mission, Mothers Helping Mothers, All Faiths Food Bank and Feeding Empty Little Tummies. The Sneakin’ Back to School Sneaker Drive collection runs through July 14. For information on how to help, contact Joy Stone at StoneRobert604@gmail.com or by calling 962-2412.
Photos by Jay Heater
Cinda Krouk, Joy Stone and Barbara Najmy of the Lake Club Women’s Giving Circle say they love helping foster kids through their sneaker drive.
The Lake Club’s Joy Stone doesn’t mind that her home has turned into a shoe store during the Lake Club Women’s Giving Circle sneaker drive.
TIME FOR REFLECTION
Hailey Lopez-Lanuza, a graduate of the Manatee Technical College’s surgical technology program, enrolled at MTC right after graduating a year early from Manatee High School in May 2024.
She had mixed feelings of excitement, nervousness and uncertainty about what she wanted for her future.
Fast forward to June 26, and her feelings no longer were mixed. She was thrilled to have completed her surgical technology program.
During MTC’s first of two graduation ceremonies that day, Lopez-Lanuza gave a speech to half of the 700 MTC graduates.
“I knew I was choosing a path that was challenging, but what I did not expect was how much I would grow alongside people from all walks of life, all here chasing a dream,” Lopez-Lanuza said. “Some of us came straight from school, others changed careers, balanced jobs and families, but we all had one thing in common: We refused
to give up on ourselves.”
Lopez-Lanuza said she learned a lot through the program, such as how to be calm under pressure, that every second counts and to say yes to opportunities that might be a bit scary.
Sophia Swim, a graduate in digital videography technology, stressed the importance of following your passion.
“Growth doesn’t always look like a straight line,” Swim said. “Sometimes, it looks like doubt, like falling forward, like walking into a classroom with your heart in your throat.”
Swim said the unknown is not the enemy; it is a beginning.
“This place taught us how to use our hands and our minds, but also how to hold ourselves together when things fall apart,” Swim said. “How to keep creating, keep trying, even when it’s messy, even when you feel behind and even when it feels like everyone else has figured it out.”
— MADISON BIERL
Karen Trejo,
Isabella Garcia, dental assisting teacher
Ashley Cestero, Ruby JimenezCarreon and Mikayla Wiles celebrate graduation.
Photos by Madison Bierl
Manatee Technical College graduates Carmen Lesser, Kelsey Seeley and Maria Galante complete the applied cybersecurity program, which takes seven months.
Jesse Eckert graduates from the automotive service technology department. He works at Hendrick Honda in Bradenton.
Baking and Pastry Arts Instructor Ed Catalane poses with graduate Denver Inopiquez.
Hailey Lopez-Lanuza and Brittany Simunovic graduate from the surgical technology program. Lopez-Lanuza was a speaker at the commencement ceremony.
Lake Club home tops sales at
ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR
Ahome in Lake Club on Daysailor Trail topped the week’s sales. Thomas Van Meer, of Milton, Delaware, sold his home at 16407 Daysailor Trail to Edward Lumish and Jody Abittan, of Woodmere, New York, for $2,345,000. Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,076 square feet of living area.
COUNTRY CLUB EAST
Dennis MacHutta and Julie MacHutta, trustees, of Sarasota, sold the home at 16003 Kendleshire Terrace to Kimberly and Ryan Dolder, of Bradenton, for $1.55 million. Built in 2018, it has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,699 square feet of living area. It sold for $776,000 in 2019.
Barbara Posner, trustee, of Henderson, Nevada, sold the home at 15407 Castle Park Terrace to Murray Snow, of Lakewood Ranch, for $1.36 million. Built in 2021, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,748 square feet of living area.
SHOREVIEW
Steven and Stephanie Weisbroth, of McLean, Virginia, sold their home at 788 Sigsbee Loop to Michael George Mellis and Deborah Louise Mellis, of Ashburn, Virginia, for $1,475,000. Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,216 square feet of living area. It sold for $888,900 in 2019.
ESPLANADE
Karen Tischler, trustee, and Ralph John Joseph Tischler, of Parrish, sold the home at 4811 Cabreo Court to William Rella, trustee, of Bradenton, for $1,186,000. Built in 2017, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,079 square feet of living area. It sold for $691,600 in 2017.
AZARIO ESPLANADE
Carlos Manuel Martinez and Gloria Esther Martinez, of Orlando, sold their home at 16435 Umbria Place to Melissa Dubois, of Lakewood Ranch, for $1 million. Built in 2024, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 3,065 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,086,400 in 2024.
Jerome Paul Josselyn and Kay Kirkland Josselyn, of St. Petersburg, sold their home at 4750 Tortona Court to Michele Schweidel, of Bradenton, for $512,500. Built in 2022, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,558 square feet of living area. It sold for $436,100 in 2022.
PRESERVE AT PANTHER RIDGE
Garry O’Neil sold the home at 22623 Morning Glory Circle to Jeffrey Ladwig and Ashley Greehey, of Bradenton, for $990,000. Built in 2006, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,280 square feet of living area. It sold for $800,000 in 2021.
LAKEWOOD NATIONAL
Jay and Heidi Baer, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their home at 17736 Hickok Belt Loop to Carolyn Card and Joseph Vitello, of Bradenton, for $950,000. Built in 2020, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,900 square feet of living area. It sold for $421,500 in 2020.
BRIDGEWATER
Purchasing Fund 2023-2 LLC sold the home at 5656 Cloverleaf Run to Julius and Meggan Fasching, of Lakewood Ranch, for $915,000. Built in 2015, it has five bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 3,910 square feet of living area. It sold for $943,400 in 2024.
$2,345,000
RIVERDALE REVISED
Jeremy Wade, of Bradenton, sold his home at 4527 Barracuda Drive to Todd and Jennifer Mischel, of Johnstown, Ohio, for $898,000. Built in 2000, it has three bedrooms, twoand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,521 square feet of living area. It sold for $836,000 in 2022.
SAVANNA
Cody and Ciera Stokes, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their home at 3717 Savanna Palms Court to Ethan Newell and Natasha Rychlik Newell, of Bradenton, for $882,000. Built in 2023, it has five bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,988 square feet of living area. It sold for $910,000 in 2024.
GREENBROOK
Frederic and Diane Lovine, of Sarasota, sold their home at 14708 Sundial Place to Kenneth Joseph Johnson and Kelli Marie Smith, of Lakewood Ranch, for $870,000. Built in 2007, it has six bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 4,592 square feet of living area. It sold for $670,000 in 2015.
Richard and Lauren Moseley, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their home at 6373 Royal Tern Circle to James Landau and Lesly Solomon, of Lakewood Ranch, for $675,000. Built in 2004, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,248 square feet of living area. It sold for $347,000 in 2017.
WOODLEAF HAMMOCK
Charles and Jama Johnson, of Bradenton, sold their home at 11606 Apple Tree Circle to Richard Nathan Puzzitiello and Luiza Puzzitiello, of Bradenton, for $811,000. Built in 2020, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,775 square feet of living area. It sold for $947,000 in 2022.
Opendoor Property Trust I sold the home at 11443 Apple Tree Circle to Maryalice Dudak Pane, of Bradenton, for $781,000. Built in 2020, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,863 square feet of living area. It sold for $695,700 in February.
POLO RUN
Kenneth Junkins, trustee, of West Chester, Pennsylvania, sold the home at 18032 Polo Trail to M’Shell and Martin Stohr, of Bradenton, for $770,000. Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,455 square feet of living area. It sold for $395,000 in 2019.
MISTY OAKS
David and Chloe Harralson, of Bradenton, sold their home at 6170 Misty Oaks Drive to Carmen Jaramillo, of Sarasota, for $650,000. Built in 1992, it has three bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 2,675 square feet of living area. It sold for $490,000 in 2004.
RIVERSIDE AT TIDEWATER
PRESERVE
Thomas and Janice Diehl, of Manorville, New York, sold their Unit D condominium at 1235 Riverscape St. to Jeffrey and Amy Rummel, of Bradenton, for $632,000. Built in 2015, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,332 square feet of living area. It sold for $415,000 in 2020.
WINDWARD Neal Communities of Southwest Florida LLC sold the home at 2616 Star Apple Way to Kimberly Lyn Koren, of Sarasota, for $616,000. Built in 2024, it has four bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,483 square feet of living area.
Neal Communities of Southwest Florida LLC sold the home at 2613 Star Apple Way to Edward Frank Koren Jr., of Sarasota, for $565,000. Built in 2024, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,862 square feet of living area.
MILL CREEK
Paul and Anna Clifford, trustees, of Parrish, sold the home at 13625 Third Ave. N.E. to Kaitlynn and Daniel Berning, of Bradenton, for $615,000. Built in 1998, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,462 square feet of living area.
JUNE 16-20
PARK EAST AT AZARIO
Olivia Anne Macey, of Lakewood Ranch, sold her home at 16135 Paynes Mill Drive to Jaime and Dorothy Vaca, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for $580,000. Built in 2023, it has four bedrooms, three-and-ahalf baths and 2,600 square feet of living area. It sold for $540,000 in 2023.
WATER OAK
Terrains Trust LLC sold the home at 6741 64th Terrace E. to Greg and Traci Hartog, of Bradenton, for $540,000. Built in 2002, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,119 square feet of living area. It sold for $365,000 in 2024.
CENTRAL PARK
Dion Layton and DeNette Adix, of Denver, North Carolina, sold their home at 11923 Forest Park Circle to
Purchasing Fund 2024-1 LLC for $530,000. Built in 2013, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,679 square feet of living area. It sold for $320,900 in 2019.
MANDALAY
Matthew and Tracy Vann sold their home at 4518 62nd Terrace E. to Jed Trent Broadway and Tammie Karen Broadway, of Bradenton, for $520,000. Built in 2010, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,287 square feet of living area. It sold for $462,000 in 2021.
Courtesy photo
SPORTS
FAST
Former Lakewood Ranch
High baseball player Colton Gordon, who pitches for the Houston Astros, allowed no earned runs in a five-inning start on June 25. Gordon allowed four hits over the five innings while striking out four and walking none. The Astros won 2-0 over the Philadelphia Phillies. Gordon (3-1) has allowed only five earned runs over his last 21 innings (2.14 ERA).
... Former Braden River baseball player Ryan Waldschmidt the No. 31 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, was promoted to the Double-A Amarillo Sod Poodles on June 24 by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Waldschmidt has gone 5-for-26 with one home run and five RBIs in his first six games at the Double-A level.
... Lakewood Ranch resident Kevin Roy tied for eighth in the Rocket Classic at Detroit Golf Club from June 26-29. Roy shot a 62-71-69-67 (19 under par). His 62 tied him for the firstround lead. He made a careerhigh $261,600 with the top-10 finish.
... The Sarasota Paradise defeated Weston FC 3-0 at home on June 28 to improve to 7-1-1 on the season. Jeffrey White, Owen Barnett and Andres Freire each scored in the first half to give the 1,341 fans in attendance reason to celebrate early. The Paradise will wrap up the regular season with a match at Miami AC on July 5 and a home match against FC Miami City on July 12.
... Nathan Benderson Park is hosting a “Spirit of America Boaters Safety Power Paddle” camp from July 14-18 for children 10-14 years old. The camp begins at 9 a.m. each morning and lasts until noon for half-day campers and until 4 p.m. for full-day campers. Registration closes on July 10.
First-year Lakewood Ranch boys basketball coach Kaden Knott draws up a play during a scrimmage at Imagine School of North Port on June 26.
“It was about going out there and rebuilding those same feelings to get back into the same swing path.”
Mustangs reset with new coach
New boys basketball coach Kaden Knott, 26, sees bounce-back potential in Lakewood Ranch.
VINNIE PORTELL STAFF WRITER
The Lakewood Ranch boys basketball program has been stuck in failed attempts to recapture its success of the past.
The Mustangs were one of the best teams in Florida from 2016-19. They compiled a 98-21 record over those four years, won two regional championships and made an appearance in the Class 8A state championship game in 2019.
Then, after two more winning seasons in 2019-20 and 2020-21 Jeremy Schiller left to coach at IMG Academy, and wins have been hard to come by ever since.
Lakewood Ranch has not made the regional playoffs since 2020 and has gone through an especially rough stretch the past three years, with a 15-57 record, under coaches Jake Baer and George Holub.
New coach Kaden Knott said his players are ready to pull away from the hard times.
“It’s good for (the players) to see that success is possible here,” Knott said. “It’s something we are definitely capable of. At the point the program is at now, we just have to rebuild our trust. I’m looking to bring stability to the program and show I’m here for the long run. I’m not looking at a two-year lens. I’m looking at a 10-year to 15-year lens. I’m looking long term, and I’m looking to build something stable here in Lakewood Ranch.”
FROM SOUTH FLORIDA TO LAKEWOOD RANCH
Knott, 26, played high school basketball at Royal Palm Beach, where he fractured his ankle when he was 16 years old and was unable to play afterward. He instead coached the school’s “B” team, which set him on the path he’s walking today.
After coaching at two high schools — Maclay in Tallahassee and Palo Verde in Las Vegas — as an assistant varsity and head junior varsity head coach, Knott came back to Florida State University, his alma mater, in a graduate assistant’s role under Leonard Hamilton this past year.
Knott said he missed the relationship-building atmosphere of high school basketball. When the job at Lakewood Ranch opened earlier this year, Knott, whose family moved to the area a year ago, didn’t hesitate to apply.
“I missed that you get players for three to four years,” said Knott, who had wanted to be a college basketball coach until recently, when transfers
LAKEWOOD RANCH BASKETBALL’S RISE AND FALL
UNDER JEREMY SCHILLER (2011-21)
2011-12: 4-17
2012-13: 4-15
2013-14: 8-7
2014-15: 21-6
2015-16: 23-6
2016-17: 27-3
2017-18: 24-5
2018-19: 24-7
2019-20: 18-8
2020-21: 11-8
UNDER CHRIS KAWCAK (2021-23) 2021-22: 14-11 2022-23: 3-21
UNDER JAKE BAUER, (202324) 2023-24: 8-16
GEORGE HOLUB (2024-25) 2024-25: 4-20
have become commonplace. “In college, the climate is kind of changing. I missed building relationships and mentoring on and off the court. Building something meaningful in a local high school hometown meant something to me.”
Knott is inheriting a program in need of rebuilding.
Lakewood Ranch finished 4-20 last season and lost 39.8 of its 48.8 points per game to graduation. To make matters worse, two of the team’s top returning players, guards Greg Dauer (Sarasota) and Jack Silver (Booker), transferred out of the program.
However, the Mustangs are feeling better about this upcoming year.
CHASING GLORY
Knott will rely on several senior players who haven’t had much on-court experience in their high school basketball careers.
Rising senior Jaydon Richmond will be the team’s starting point guard. Despite averaging just 1.1 points and 0.9 assists per game in a reserve role last year, Richmond has impressed Knott in workouts.
“I’m excited about Jaydon,” Knott said. “He hasn’t had an opportunity to play a lot. They had a lot of key players last year, but he’s been working very hard this summer since I’ve been here, and I’m very excited for him to get to show his leadership and his skill on the court.”
Rising sophomore Sam Frye has also shown promise. Knott said Frye showed his shooting ability by going 7-of-8 from 3-point range at an Eckerd College team camp the Mustangs attended this summer.
“I think he’s a little bit of a hidden gem in the program,” Knott said.
The biggest difference in this year’s team might be its mentality. Rising seniors Jackson Bauer, a guard, and Caua Magno de Almeida, a center, said they’re embracing their role as senior leaders and want to help build a more positive culture than in past seasons.
“Last year, we were never lifted up by the seniors,” Magno de Almeida said. “Practice was more about complaining to the coaches than learning the plays. Players were shooting half-court shots. We were the laughingstock of the whole area. We’re trying to change that this year.”
Even with newfound purpose and motivation, Lakewood Ranch has a long way to go to get back to its glory days.
During his first year, Knott simply hopes to see growth on the court and to give his players a reason to buy in.
Still just eight years removed from being a high school senior himself, Knott can relate to his players better than most head varsity coaches, whether that means going out to grab a slice of pizza, talking over the phone or simply understanding the lingo players use.
One day in the not-so-distant future, Knott hopes those relationships result in Lakewood Ranch returning to the top of Florida high school basketball.
“I think there’s an opportunity for student and com munity engagement, and being from south Florida, you just don’t get that everywhere,” Knott said. “You see the com munity is out in Lakewood Ranch supporting its teams. There’s a big opportunity for us to build back what was once here.”
— Golfer Jack Burbee, who had two open-heart surgeries SEE PAGE 12B
5.95 to 3.98 over his last four
with the Houston Astros.
Photos by Vinnie Portell
Lakewood Ranch first-year boys basketball coach Kaden Knott was a graduate assistant coach at Florida State University during the 2024-25 season.
The future is bright for Sarasota Paradise
The best aspect of sports fandom is having something, or someone, to root for. Those stakes are getting cranked up for soccer fans in Lakewood Ranch.
The Sarasota Paradise soccer team, which plays at Premier Sports Campus, announced in February it will move from US League 2 up to US League 1 next year, becoming the first professional soccer team in Lakewood Ranch.
However, there’s more to the Paradise’s ascension than meets the eye.
The USL announced earlier this year it will be adding another league — US Division One — for the 202728 season. Included in that addition is a promotion and relegation system similar to the best soccer leagues in the world.
That means the Paradise could have the chance to be promoted from USL 1 — which will be the third and lowest tier of USL pro soccer — to USL Championship (tier two) and eventually USL Division One, which is defined by the U.S. Soccer Federation as the highest level of professional soccer in the United States.
I’m an ardent sports fan who can find a rooting interest in almost any sport. Soccer makes that more of a challenge. I didn’t grow up playing or watching the sport, but I found myself glued to the TV this past summer during the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament and the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup simply because there were stakes attached and each match mattered.
At a lesser level, that’s looking to be the future for the Paradise.
With promotion and relegation on the line, every match could be important to the team’s future.
Playing for promotion won’t happen until 2027, but the Paradise squad will be stepping up its gameday experience next year nonetheless.
This summer has served as a test run for the Paradise’s viability at the professional level.
The club, founded in 2023 by Swedish entrepreneur Marcus Walfridson, played its first two seasons at Sarasota High School and averaged 500 fans per game.
Since moving to Premier Sports Campus this year, the team has averaged 1,300 fans per game.
“It’s about finding where to go
and hanging out in a new venue,”
Walfridson said of moving his team in preparation of the move to USL 1 next year. “It’s also about exposing people who are around here, which is more of our demographic. There’s younger families here and it’s close and easy to get to from everywhere.
So we’re super happy to be here, and I think moving here this year was important.”
The game-day experience at Premier includes a family-friendly, pre-game atmosphere that includes a bounce house, food trucks and cornhole. Inside the gates, fans have access to a beer garden, a concession stand and a variety of seating options.
Walfridson said ticket prices will increase next year, but the fan experience will also be elevated.
Some of those additions include speakers throughout the stadium, group-event hospitality, and live entertainment.
The biggest difference will be the players on the field.
Walfridson said he expects just three to four players to remain with the team next season due to the increased competition level.
There have been some vital lessons learned this season, too.
The Paradise had to delay its match against Weston FC on June 28 by 30 minutes due to standing
water on the field.
Not used to dealing with the issue, groundskeepers eventually found a solution by using leaf blowers to disperse water to the sidelines.
“Those are things they’ve never had to do because they’ve never had a professional team here,” Walfridson said. “But it’s been good to find that out so we can fix those mistakes. Next year, we won’t have ESPN waiting on us for half-anhour.”
The Paradise players have proven they’re ready to move up to USL 1. The team is 7-1-1, trailing St. Petersburg FC for first place in the South Florida Division of USL 2 standings because of goal differential.
Fans will have one last chance to watch the Paradise at Premier this season as the regular season concludes on July 12 with a match against FC Miami City.
Photos by Vinnie Portell
Vinnie Portell is the sports reporter for the East County Observer. Contact him at VPortell@ YourObserver.com.
Sarasota Paradise player Felipe Rojas prepares to cross the ball to a teammate in a home match against Weston FC on June 28.
Sarasota Paradise players Owen Barnett, Felipe Rojas, Jeffrey White and Andres Freire celebrate a goal by White against Weston FC on June 28 at Premier Sports Campus.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Burbee
Jack Burbee missed a year of golf due to two open-heart surgeries, but he’s starting to make up for lost time. The 2022 graduate of Lakewood Ranch High School was born with aortic stenosis, a heart condition that narrows the aortic valve and restricts blood flow to the heart. He had his first heart surgery at 14 years old, but his condition worsened over time, forcing him to undergo two surgeries in the fall of 2024 along with redshirting his junior season last spring at the University of West Florida. Now healthy again, Burbee played in the Florida State Golf Association’s Amateur Golf Championship June 5-8 at BallenIsles Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens and tied for sixth with a 72-75-71-68 (-2).
When and why did you start playing golf?
My dad (Joe Burbee) was the head pro at our course in Virginia where we used to live, so he got me and my brother into all of that.
What was the most memorable moment about this past year?
I think the most memorable thing was that I got President’s List for my grades because that was the only way I could help my team. So I decided to apply myself in school. I studied, I cracked down and I got a 4.0 for the semester.
What’s gone right for you in your bounce-back from heart surgery?
It’s just sticking to the basics. I had a great swing before surgery, and all that really happened was that I was down for two to three months. It was about going out there and rebuilding those same feelings to get back into the same swing path and build back my strength. It was just practic ing until I could get back into that groove. I noticed after surgery it was very hard. Even eight or nine weeks after surgery, walking long distances was very tiring and hard on my cardiovascular health. Jack
If you would like to make a recommendation for the East County Observer’s Athlete of the Week feature, send it to VPortell@YourObserver.com.
What has been your most humbling moment in golf? Probably two years ago when our team (University of West Florida) went to the (Division III) national championship. There were six of us, and I was the alternate. I played in a playoff against two of my teammates for the fifth man and the sixth man spot. I think I lost by one or two shots just because I did some stupid stuff during the qualifier.
If you’re not golfing, what are you doing?
Probably watching TV, playing pickleball, going to the pool or hot tub or hanging out with friends.
Who’s your favorite golfer and why?
I’d say Jack Nicklaus. My dad oversaw the building of a course with (Nicklaus). He was the director of golf at this place called Bay Creek (Virginia), and he got to play a round with Jack Nicklaus, too. (My dad) was a really big fan (of Nicklaus), and he’s arguably the greatest of all time. And his name is Jack, too.
Finish this sentence. Jack Burbee is … Resilient.
NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH
TICKING AWAY by Les Mots, edited by Taylor Johnson
By Luis Campos
Cipher
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