E A ST COUNTY
Observer Lakewood Ranch’s weekly newspaper since 1998
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
Diamond at halfway point. SEE PAGE 8
•
FREE THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016
VOLUME 18, NO. 43
YOUR TOWN
INTO L AKEWOOD RANCH Premier Sports Campus will be main host site for January festival.
SEE PAGE 3
Courtesy Photo
Academic Ace East County’s Madelyn Kumar last week was one of only six Manatee County Public School students named as a semifinalist in the National Merit Scholarship Corp.’s 62nd annual National Merit Scholarship Program. There are approximately 16,000 semifinalists nationwide, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors and the highest-scoring entrants in each state. “When I learned I made it to the semifinals bracket I think I screamed,” Madelyn says. “I’ve been preparing for this test since 9th grade and I’m happy all those practice questions paid off.” Kumar attends Southeast High School. Winners are set to be announced in April 2017.
File photo
More than 50,000 spectators attended the 2016 Thunder by the Bay event.
A ‘yo ho ho’ big game
A+E
Pirates prevail over Mustangs, but event shines. SEE PAGE 13
Pam Eubanks
Paving the way What do you do if you love gardening and you have leftover patio pavers? If you’re Esplanade’s Carolyn Lowry-Nation, you donate them to expand the butterfly garden at Summerfield Park. Lakewood Ranch Town Hall staff used them to create a circular decorative garden area last week, and the Gardeners Out East Garden Club, of which Lowry-Nation is a leader, will plant it with marigolds mid-October.
If walls could talk. INSIDE
Jay Heater
The Pirates' faithful celebrated as Braden River defeated Lakewood Ranch in football.
Early start toward graduation Freshmen Focus 2020 gives students valuable advice. SEE PAGE 5