East County Observer 5.5.22

EAST COUNTY

Observer

Event all in the family.

Lakewood Ranch’s weekly newspaper since 1998

PAGE 33

YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

FREE • THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2022

VOLUME 24, NO. 25

YOUR TOWN

Jay Heater

Donated to the Historic School House, this baby grand piano was purchased for a Bradenton funeral home in 1973.

Liz Ramos

She has twice the competitive spirit Lakewood Ranch’s Zory Tolstov was ready for the challenge.

On April 30, Tolstov ran the 5K run portion of the SUP and Run 5K Challenge at Nathan Benderson Park. The race saw participants compete in a 5K run, a 5K paddle-boarding race, or both.

Tolstov finished ninth in the women’s class of the 5K race and said the event gave her the opportunity to get into shape after the birth of her 16-monthold twins, Julian and Danika Tolstov. She said that next year, in addition to lowering her run time below 20 minutes, she hopes to be involved in the paddleboarding competition as well.

She said it would be a great full-body workout.

The event benefited Operation Second Chance (which benefits injured veterans) and RUCK9 (which benefits disabled dogs).

Key gift in Myakka

No moor time for dock

Shannon Funeral Homes donates piano to Historic School House.

JAY HEATER MANAGING EDITOR

A

Country Club/Edgewater Village Association votes to demolish Lake Uihlein dock. SEE PAGE 3

Ian Swaby

Charles Haeussner hopes that sailing on Lake Uihlein will continue.

Courtesy photo

PTO’s challenge accepted Pinnacle Academy’s ParentTeacher Organization got to have its first fundraiser since the pandemic started in 2020 through the Community Foundation of Sarasota County’s Giving Challenge.

Pinnacle Academy student Juliahna Hammon was among those at the academy April 29 trying to encourage people to donate.

Parents were invited to the school to participate in multiple events, including a Picnic with Parents, Escape Room and Breakfast with Books.

After the 24 hours of giving, the PTO raised $20,035 through the Giving Challenge to enhance the school’s technology and STEM programs.

“Our children are creating masterpieces with all the tools they are currently using through our STEM programs,” said Amy Hammon, Juliahna’s mother and PTO president.

Lucille Messina said her husband, Karl, has always been her rock. Here they celebrate with daughterJacklyn.

s a concert venue, it was odd, to say the least.

Sitting at a Brambach baby grand piano at the Myakka City United Methodist Church, Marilyn Coker had launched into the first song of M. Isabelle Ritter’s “Seven Last Words” as an audience of two people sat in metal chairs listening intently.

Coker, 85, might as well have been playing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra behind her as she became lost in the music, her fingers gliding across the keys and her head gently moving forward on certain notes for emphasis.

Surrounding Coker on the floor were various toys, such as a stuffed plush rabbit, a plastic horse on wheels and a little girl’s kitchen set. Above the piano were some cabinets, the doors of which SEE PIANO, PAGE 8

A+E PARK ’N POP. PAGE 13

Courtesy photo

Mother recounts painful, loving journey

Author’s story documents the struggles of raising a special needs child. SEE PAGE 23

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

|

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2022

Commissioner calls DUI inquiry ‘entirely political’ George Kruse calls his April 20 accident careless driving, nothing more.

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

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Manatee County Commissioner George Kruse, speaking after the regular commission meeting May 3, said he was cited only for careless driving by Manatee County Sheriff’s Office deputies after a minor traffic accident April 20 at 134 GreyHawk Blvd. in Bradenton.

He said he was shocked to hear later that he was being investigated for possibly driving under the influence.

Kruse said he was limited by what he could say because it remains an active investigation, but he called the ongoing investigation “entirely political.”

“Two weeks ago (April 20), I was cited for a civil infraction, no question there,” he said. “A week later, someone decided to turn this political. It’s just a witch hunt. There was no alcohol; there were no drugs involved. My citation does not check that box.

“Regardless of what the media says, it didn’t happen at 5:30 p.m. (the time listed in the police report), it happened at 7:30 p.m. It was after an entire day of meetings, and I was on my way home. That’s the extent of this entire story.

“Whoever is trying to turn this into more, it’s just to come after me, or to make my life miserable.”

Kruse, who lives about a mile from the accident site, said he clipped a curb in the accident.

“I got a careless driving citation, which I don’t refute at all,” he said.

“I am very willing to pay it. We had officers on the scene, and they all spoke with me. There’s nothing more to this. People are trying to make this more than it is. People are trying to

File photo

add narrative where there’s no narrative to add ... just to try to put it into the public perception that there was more than there is. It’s unfortunate, but I’ll get through it because I’m not concerned, because there’s just nothing there.”

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office incident sheet lists the “primary offense” as offense code “DUI Alcohol or Drugs.” The report lists Kruse as a “suspect.”

An “alcohol influence report” listed Kruse’s name but specified “not arrested.”

Randy Warren, spokesman for the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, said the case has been sent to the state attorney’s office for review.

Asked for accident information — such as how many cars or people were involved in the accident — Warren said no other information was available.

The several pages of reports that were associated with the incident were so redacted that it was impossible to glean even the most basic of information about the incident.

Manatee County Information Outreach Manager Bill Logan said the county did not have any statement to release at this time.

Manatee County Commissioner George Kruse says his investigation for a possible DUI resulting in an April 20 accident is a “witch hunt.”

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EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

|

THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2022

WHAT’S UP,

DOCK?

Photos by Ian Swaby

Above: The dock set to be destroyed lies across from the Lakewood Ranch Town Hall.

Left: Charles and Carol Haeussner enjoy using their sailboat during their time in Lakewood Ranch.

Estimated repair cost of $35,000-plus sinks Lake Uihlein dock’s future.

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

A

lthough he might be the last registered user at Lake Uihlein’s boat ramp who uses the adjoining dock, Charles Haeussner hopes his homeowners association reconsiders its decision to demolish the dock.

Haeussner and his wife, Carol, purchased their home in 2002 and said future Edgewater home owners are likely to find the dock to be an important amenity. The Haeussners use both the ramp and dock, which was built in 2004, twice a year to launch and remove their sailboat from the lake when they arrive from their other home in Pittsburgh. They then move their boat to their personal dock for their time at their Lakewood Ranch home.

Charles Haeussner said at one time there were three other homeowners who sailed on the lake and utilized the ramp/dock, but those residents have stopped sailing as they have grown older.

He said more homeowners would use the ramp and dock if they knew they could.

UNKNOWN AMENITY

“Nobody uses it because nobody really knows about it,” he said, noting that the community’s residents only need to obtain an access key at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall.

He said the ramp and dock sit separately from the subdivision and are located on a road behind a padlocked gate off Lakewood Ranch Boulevard

just north of Main Street. However, it is there for the use of his community, as well as all of Phase One of Lakewood Ranch.

That point could be moot if the Country Club/Edgewater Village Association continues with its plan to demolish the dock beside the entry ramp. The association board voted April 21 to get rid of the dock.

Haeussner said Edgewater homeowners once could launch a sailboat from their backyard, but the cut stones that were added around the edge of the lake to prevent erosion now make that dangerous.

Those in favor of demolishing the dock said it is an underused amenity that will be costly to maintain.

Mike Finney, chairperson of the committee for the subunit Edgewater Sound, said the committee received 10 emails from residents following the announcement of the plan to remove the dock, all opposed to it. The community has 122 homes.

Removal of the dock passed 5-2.

Three options were presented to the board. The first was to repair the dock while adding appropriate warning signage, replace a connector across its two sections and restrict access based on the recommendations of the safety committee for CEVA. The second option was to demolish the dock. The third was to transfer ownership of the dock to Community Development District 2 for lake maintenance purposes, although this option was declined by the district.

Haeussner said he was concerned six of the seven board members who voted were Lakewood Ranch Country Club residents and not Edgewater residents.

A NECESSARY FEATURE?

The metal ramp that connects the two sections of the dock was deemed a safety hazard by CEVA’s safety and security committee.

Eileen Annesbury, an Edgewater resident who shares Haeussner’s concerns, said the issue had arisen in past years, and she has fought against the removal, even though she doesn’t use the dock.

“The dock is an amenity, and you do not take away an amenity based on use,” she said. “Also, the potential for future use is there, and Edgewater originally included boats sailing on the lake in its promotions.”

“It’s the only opportunity for people like Charlie to use a boat,” said Ron Butschle, Haeussner’s neighbor. “He’s used it an awful lot, and his boat adds to the ambiance of Lake Uihlein. It’s all part of the community, and it would be sad to see them dismantle it.”

Don Diven, the Edgewater resident and board member who voted to retain the dock, echoed Haeussner’s comments that it was a necessary feature for the lake, stating that its removal might have the potential to increase liability for safety.

POOR FISCAL DECISION

Chris Girouard, a board member who voted to keep the dock, declined to comment on the topic.

Board members Paul Harding and Michael Miller, who voted for the dock’s removal, said multiple factors influenced their decision, one of those being the estimated costs of repair. Miller said that the safety committee recommended the entire surface of the dock be replaced. It also advised that other features, such as railings, should be added, and that a metal ramp connecting the dock’s two sections be replaced. Harding said the cost estimates were somewhere between $35,000 and $55,000.

Both members said they did not feel it was a responsible fiscal decision to repair the dock. Harding said since Haeussner is the only regular user of the dock, homeowners would not favor spending money out of the association’s reserves to fix it.

Harding said the cost of removing the dock was $7,000 to $12,000.

Miller said the different cost estimates the board received to repair the dock were all “surprisingly high.”

However, he said that after examining the dock himself, he chose to adopt the safety committee’s conclusion that it was unsafe, which he said it was important to take into account.

“The safety committee called it out, and that put us on notice,” he said. “When people raise their hands and talk safety, you have to pay attention.”

Miller said that while he was sympathetic to Haeussner’s issue, he could not justify the expense of maintenance based on the low rate of use.

“It can be a real problem,” he said.

“I feel for him, and he will need some help launching his boat. The other side of the coin is that the dock is ultimately a convenience, and the ability to use the lake recreationally remains in the absence of the dock.”

Miller said the low number of users is “remarkable,” especially considering the dock is available to anyone in Phase One of Lakewood Ranch. He said that at one point in the past, he bought an access key himself to support the amenity.

As the liaison for CEVA’s safety committee, Harding said the committee also was concerned about liability for the dock, and he said

the board had obtained legal advice that additional signage alone would be insufficient to prevent liability at the site.

Harding said he “significantly questioned” whether the amenity was a reason someone would purchase a home there. He said he hadn’t seen any evidence that sailing on the lake had been promoted to those contemplating a home purchase in the subdivision.

Haeussner said the cost of the dock’s repair does not seem accurate or even warranted. He said the dock requires no upgrades in the near future and that while the dock might have a worn appearance, it is simply the normal weathering process. He said the individual boards and pilings are sturdy.

DOCK FILLS A NEED

He said the dock is needed because his sailboat has a 20-foot mast that makes it unstable to board in the water if it is not tied to a dock.

Haeussner said those who try to board their boat without it being tied to the dock could be doing so in an unsafe manner and therefore that should raise liability concerns. He said the advanced age of many of the residents increases those concerns.

He also pointed to the presence of alligators in the lake and said that was a threat to anyone trying to enter the boat through the water.

“If the issue is safety, you have to have a dock,” he said.

Haeussener said the homeowners association gave only a day’s notice about a vote to destroy the dock. He said although he had interacted with the association about the issue in the past, he had believed it to be settled in favor of the dock.

Diven said he disagreed with the decision of the association to host the meeting without first polling residents for their opinions and said maintenance crews also make use of the dock.

Harding and Miller said the issue had been raised at multiple points during meetings over the past years, so residents, including Haeussner himself, who had testified in favor of the dock in the past, had ample opportunity to voice their concerns.

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EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

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THE NAME GAME

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Manatee County residents decided to have some fun when the county’s staff asked for help in naming the new library in Lakewood Ranch.

Among the silly suggestions were “Taxpayer Waste of Money Library,” “Destructors of Manatee County Land Branch,” “Stepford Village Branch” and the “Snooty Memorial Library.”

While those names drew some laughter April 26, the Manatee County commissioners eventually put on serious expressions and picked the logical favorite unanimously. Call it the “Lakewood Ranch Library — Manatee County.”

Some of those who offered name suggestions noted that no matter the actual name, the library will be called the Lakewood Ranch Library by those who live in the area. So why not keep it simple?

With the construction by Willis Smith going forward, now the library has a name. Any signs or stamps can be made up before the expected opening in summer 2023.

Manatee County had collected name suggestions from the public through a survey featuring three options, none of which were fully adopted: the Lakewood Ranch Branch Library received 54.38% of the vote, the Manatee County Library at Lakewood Ranch received 33.12%, and the Manatee County Library East County Branch received 12.5%.

There was also an option for voters to input a name of their choice.

“It’s just another step forward to providing services to the community,” said Library Services Manager Tammy Parrot. “And, of course, we want to make sure people under-

n The Ranch Branch n Orange Blossom Branch n Liberty Library n Tower of Power n Hall of Knowledge n McLibrary n Eagles Reach Library n Calusa Library n Sandhill Crane Library n Heron’s Nest Library

stand that it’s their library.”

Parrot said she had no favorite in the name sweepstakes.

“We’re just happy it’s named,” she said.

Lee Washington, the director of Community and Veteran Services for Manatee County, who organized the poll, said he agreed with Parrot.

Also participating in the selection process was the Friends of the East Manatee Library at Lakewood Ranch, which performs fundraising for the branch and had recommended two of the naming options: Lakewood Ranch Branch Library or Manatee County Library at Lakewood Ranch.

“Our board felt very strongly that the library should be named by the location,” said Sue Ann Miller, president of the organization. “We’ve actually held that position for all four years that we’ve existed. So we’re very pleased that Commissioner Vanessa Baugh brought that to the board of commissioners. We do meet with her periodically, and she knew what our desire was, and obviously, she supported that as well, so we’re thrilled.”

“I’m excited that we’ve finally gotten to the point of naming the library,” Baugh said. “I’m excited to see what

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EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

|

THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2022

5

Ian Swaby

Lee Washington, director of Community and Veteran Services, and Tammy Parrot, attended the meeting and said they are glad the library has been named so that planning can proceed.

the friends group will be changing its name to Friends of the Lakewood Ranch Library.

The commission noted the removal of the word “branch” from the name of the library, despite it being the most popular option on the survey.

“There’s no way I’m voting for anything that says Ranch Branch on it,” said Kruse as the vote approached.

Actually, “Ranch Branch” was the most suggested “write-in” name for the library, by far.

The commission was presented with the full set of names the public had entered into the suggestion box, which are currently viewable at AgendaOnline.mymanatee. org. The suggestions most prominently included the words “library,” “Ranch,” “Lakewood,” “Manatee,” County” and “branch.” Several suggestions were given to honor individuals from the region, such as Baugh, SMR President and CEO Rex Jensen and longtime Fire Commissioner Don O’Leary.

“Before we vote, I just want to throw out that we should listen to all the suggestions,” joked Commissioner James Satcher. “We can do the KVB Library: The Kruse, Van Ostenbridge, Baugh Library.”

381380-1

the No. 1 name was because I think it’s only appropriate. We’ve got the Central Library; we’ve got Braden River Library; we have Rocky Bluff Library; we have Palmetto Library.”

“I fully support the Friends of East Manatee Library,” Commissioner George Kruse said. “Sue Ann Miller is a huge asset to the community, and if she calls in and recommends a name, that’s good enough for me.

Also, the name received 56% of the survey vote — although the survey was Lakewood Ranch Branch Library, and we removed the branch part of it.”

Miller said she was excited simply to have a name because it will now help the library to begin working with Parrot to choose branding material such as colors and logos. She said that although friends groups do not always work directly with libraries, in this case, because of the efforts of Parrot to include them in these aspects of the project, they are able to do so.

At-large Commissioner Carol Whitmore said she liked that “the people decided.”

“I wanted to make sure that since it is located in Lakewood Ranch — it has been called that by us, for years — that that was included in the name,” she added.

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“Universal centers are the most cost-effective way to provide the benefit of solar energy to all of our customers across the state of Florida.”

—Jack Eble, FPL spokesperson

to the ones currently operating in Manatee County.

The center will offer 74.5 megawatts of clean energy, power 15,000 homes annually and feature more than 200,000 solar panels. Eble said solar centers such as this help to reduce electricity costs for FPL’s customers.

He said it would be difficult to quantify a specific amount of savings for customers, although the company estimates its current solar buildout has saved its customers $400 million since its first solar energy center came online.

“Universal centers are the most cost-effective way to provide the benefit of solar energy to all of our customers across the state of Florida,” Eble said. “That’s fewer fuel costs that we’re incurring, and so there’s a zero-emission source of energy that benefits our customers in providing clean, reliable and also affordable electricity.”

Eble said the Myakka City area matches the company’s preferences for its solar energy centers in that it is flat, zoned for agricultural use and near existing FPL infrastructure. He said landowners in the area will nonetheless be notified of the development.

He said that the visual impact of the center will be minimal, as the area’s FPL infrastructure will continue to coexist with the wildlife and the surrounding community, with little traffic moving in and out of the center and no noise created by the machinery.

“We like to say that solar centers are very good neighbors,” he said.

As with the other solar energy centers in Manatee County, except for the Manatee Solar Energy Center in Parrish, the Sambucus Solar Energy Center will use tracker panels, a technology that allows for more absorption of the sun’s rays, as the

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

panels slowly rotate to follow the path of the sun throughout the day.

Eble said that the company’s solar energy centers support its SolarTogether program.

The nation’s largest community solar program, SolarTogether is designed for customers who wish to utilize the environmental benefits of solar energy despite being unable to install panels of their own, as a result of being housed in an apartment or having obstacles to installation on their homes. The program is available to business owners as well.

SolarTogether allows customers to set their sustainability goal by choosing to make up to 45% of their energy usage solar. The program provides customers with bill credits that reduce the cost of the subscription.

As proof of the use of solar energy, the program issues Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to customers.

These certificates are the legal means for substantiating renewable energy use claims in the United States.

Eble said that due to the program’s popularity, all of its capacity is currently claimed, but sites such as Sambucus, along with 24 others in Florida approved last year by the Florida Public Service Commission, will help to extend the program.

“I think it’s a true testament to the program, the amount of interest we’ve received so far,” said Eble.

Eble said by the end of 2025, the company aims to install 30 million solar panels. “That’s going to be approximately two and a half billion dollars of savings on fossil fuel costs,” he said.

Also in permitting in Manatee County is the Three Creeks Solar Energy Center in Parrish. Located south of the Elder Branch Solar Energy Center, which came online at the end of January 2022, it will also use tracking panel technology, as well as support the SolarTogether program.

“We know the financial and environmental benefits that solar offers to our customers and communities around the state,” Eble said. “We’re going to continue to invest in solar energy centers on behalf of our customers.”

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EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2022

EAST COUNTY

“If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.”

Friedrich Hayek

“Road to Serfdom,” 1944 Publisher and President / Emily Walsh, EWalsh@YourObserver.com Associate Publisher — East County Observer / Lori Ruth, LRuth@YourObserver.com Executive Editor and COO / Kat Hughes, KHughes@YourObserver.com Managing Editor / Jay Heater, JHeater@YourObserver.com Sports Editor / Ryan Kohn, RKohn@YourObserver.com Staff Writers / Liz Ramos, LRamos@YourObserver.com; Ian Swaby, ISwaby@YourObserver.com Digital & Engagement Editor / Kaelyn Adix, KAdix@YourObserver.com Copy Editor / Shawn Candela, SCandela@YourObserver.com Editorial Designers / Melissa Leduc, MLeduc@YourObserver.com; José Valle, JValle@YourObserver.com A+E Editor / Spencer Fordin, SFordin@YourObserver.com Black Tie Editor / Harry Sayer, HSayer@YourObserver.com

Photos by Jay Heater

Piano

Above: Marilyn Coker says every town center needs to have a piano for sing-alongs.

Left: Judy and Ray Shannon didn’t want to see the piano flattened with the Westview Chapel, which closed six months ago.

FROM PAGE 1

mysteriously swayed to the beat of the music, revealing an inordinate amount of clutter.

It was a small storage room, which could best be described as a closet.

For Coker, though, it was a small slice of heaven.

The audience was made up of Judy and Ray Shannon, owners of Shannon Funeral Homes of Bradenton.

While the Shannons’ main home is in downtown Bradenton, they also own a ranch on Juel Gill Road in Myakka City, which they bought in 2006. But even before 2006, they had developed a connection to the community through their friends and relatives who lived there.

The Shannons are familiar with Coker and her role with the Myakka City Historical Society, which for the last 29 years has worked to restore the Myakka City Historic School House. That restoration is expected to come to fruition by the end of this year, and the result will be a town center, museum and library for the community.

One of the rooms of the Historic School House is the old auditorium, which has its stage still intact. It will be the focus of community gatherings and has been equipped with a very modern sound system and speakers.

What the room didn’t have, until now, was a piano.

Ray Shannon was pretty much born into the funeral business as his grandfather Rowland Shannon started Shannon Funeral Homes on 14th Street in Bradenton in 1928 and his father, Joseph, later took over, eventually being followed by Ray. Ray and Judy are still involved in the business, but their advancing age signals retirement might be in the not-toodistant future.

Six months ago, the Shannons closed one of their funeral homes, the Westview Chapel at 5610 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton. When the Westview Chapel opened in 1973, Joseph Shannon bought a beautiful Brambach baby grand piano. Ray Shannon remembers the many times his mother, Eugenia, brought comfort to families by playing that piano during services.

With the Westview Chapel scheduled for destruction, the Shannons couldn’t stand the thought of the piano being flattened with the building. They asked around and found that the market for a baby grand piano was very limited.

Then they thought about the Historic School House.

“There is no market anymore because everyone has electronic keyboards, and it’s all high tech,” Judy Shannon said. “But we didn’t want to see the piano go down with the building. That would have been horrible.”

They asked Coker if the Myakka City Historical Society needed a piano. It was music to her ears.

“Every (town center) needs to have a piano,” Coker said. “And this piano

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OPENING SOON

The Myakka City Historic School House project is nearing its end after 29 years and is expected to open late in 2022.

MYAKKA CITY HISTORIC SCHOOL HOUSE Where: 10060 Wauchula Road, Myakka City Built: 1914 Size: 5,500 square feet Owner: Myakka City Historical Society Project manager: Walter Carlton More information: Call 941322-1304

was built for a larger space. This has a huge sound.”

The piano was shipped to the Myakka City United Methodist Church for storage until the new airconditioning system can be installed at the Historic School House. The airconditioning system is the final major piece of the restoration project.

While the church had only a tiny room for storage, it is an air-conditioned room. Only a few pieces of the piano had to be disassembled before workers tilted it through a narrow doorway.

When Coker finished playing the cantata for the Shannons, they gave her an ovation before heading back to the ranch. Once they were out

the door, Coker noted that she was playing the baby grand very lightly, because if she had played at a normal volume she would have blown them out of the room.

Coker, who started piano lessons at age 11, has played on Sundays at the church since 1967.

“That’s my passion, music,” she said, sitting on the piano’s bench.

She had selected both Christmas and Easter music to play after the Historic School House’s opening, depending on whether the building opens late this year or early next year.

Now she has a piano on which to perform.

After the air-conditioning system is complete at the school, the piano will be moved, then will be needed to be tuned. Coker said while the piano was tilted to go into the store room, only a few notes were off a little.

She said the piano itself was an expensive purchase back in 1973; she estimated it cost more than $5,000.

Once the piano is moved, she said it will take her some time to get used to the keys. She usually plays on upright pianos.

“Every piano has a different touch,” she said. “This one you have to push a bit harder.”

That’s OK, though, because she will get plenty of practice. If it’s not “Seven Last Words,” it might be “This Old Man,” with lots of kids sitting on the floor of the auditorium.

“Everybody loves to have a singalong,” she said.

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THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2022

9

JAY HEATER

Becoming BHI scholar a no-brainer S tephanie Peabody thinks on a grand scale, which should be expected from a neuropsychologist with more than 20 years of experience as a clinician and program designer and one who is the creator and founding director of the Brain Health Initiative that has found its home in Lakewood Ranch.

To take that another step, consider she has collaborated with Massachusetts General Hospital, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital, to get this program launched.

It’s all very impressive, yet many of us think of the long term being the construction of Owens Fish Camp on University Parkway.

Owens Fish Camp announced its intention to build in Lakewood Ranch in January 2020, broke ground Dec. 10, and is expected to open the doors late this year. For most of us, that’s a long time to wait for a restaurant.

The Brain Health Initiative, in comparison, announced it was coming to Lakewood Ranch in March 2019 but more than three years later is just getting warmed up. That could mean we’re going to eat a lot of shrimp and grits at Owens Fish Camp before we realize the significance of the Brain Health Initiative’s research.

Consider the Framingham Heart Study began in 1948 in Framingham, Massachusetts, and now is studying its third generation of participants. While the study is considered outstanding in scope, some of the major revelations that eventually shaped our healthier lifestyles weren’t accepted until the 1960s, in the study’s second decade.

This all goes back to the vision, which researchers, educators and many of the world’s finest minds understand far better than most of us. It all involves patience and the grand scale.

I get it, and still, for many of us, those who work day to day and run

our lives and our families here in the Lakewood Ranch area, hearing about the Brain Health Initiative and its goals can be more of a “wake me when it’s over” proposition. It’s hard to stay the course and to keep providing our support, which the study urgently needs.

This isn’t rocket science, so they say, so it’s not surprising Peabody and her cohorts thought strategically about how to design a program that would offer immediate impacts to a society that gets peeved when it has to wait more than five minutes in line at the grocery store.

The Brain Health Initiative, therefore, came up with the Brain Health Scholar program. No matter what eventually comes out of the Brain Health Initiative, the scholar program should be known as its first stroke of genius.

The program is open to those 15 or older who attend a youth program, school or college that collaborates with the Brain Health Initiative. If you are 15 or older and live in this region, it pretty much means you are in the pool.

The next step is that “An authorized representative of the nominating organization will nominate a student leader(s). The qualified candidate(s) should have an interest in science, medicine, health and human services, in community or public health, and/or education.”

Nominated students then decide if they want to apply to the program.

When all was said and done during the initial class of 2020, 69 Brain Health Scholars emerged representing 19 schools and universities. These bright students had the opportunity to participate with Brain Health Initiative clinicians and scientists, and they participated in community engagement, research and the Brain Health Initiative’s innovation agenda.

OK, they rubbed elbows with some of the world’s smartest brain health researchers, educators and scientists.

Jay Heater

ODA graduate Kaylen Rivers was a Brain Health Scholar who served as a program ambassador while she was a student at ODA.

As you might expect, the students who participated had a nice addition to their resume when it came time to apply to universities or for scholarships or honor programs.

But their gain was dwarfed by that of the Brain Health Initiative and the community as a whole.

Whether the students decided to follow a path to learn more about brain health or enter an associated field, they had been exposed to the initiative’s goals and objectives, and they acted as ambassadors in spreading the importance of the mission. Note that Peabody has been inundated with requests from high schools, universities

and medical schools to expand the program.

Producing doctors and researchers is important, but brain health public relations ambassadors for the Brain Health Initiative effort are ultra important in the short term. Peabody simply doesn’t have the staff at this point to handle that kind of mission, not when the scientific nuts and bolts need to be turned. And yet, a legion of our brightest young minds suddenly will be engaged in a program that has important health implications for all of us, and they are willing to spread the word.

Want testimony? Check out this

excerpt from a letter of gratitude written by The Out-of-Door Academy senior Reece Whatmore: “As far as brain health goes, it has been an honor to learn from the most amazing professors on such a critical topic. Learning that brain health is health has been a key lesson that has transformed the way I think about our minds.

“Beyond the basics, I also learned about collecting data, surveys, working with a team, the pillars of brain health, and risk factors and protective factors of brain health.

It was a privilege to be a part of this program, and I hope that many more students have the opportunity to participate in such an important program.

“Having the opportunity to help change our local community for the better has truly been an honor.”

The Brain Health Initiative has announced the opening of its 2022 Brain Health Scholar process, and the deadline for nominations is May 16. The deadline for nominated students to submit an application to the program is May 30. Current sophomore, junior and senior high school students, as well as college undergraduate and graduate students, are eligible.

Both the school districts of Sarasota and Manatee counties have endorsed the program.

If you are interested, check it out at BrainHealthInitiative.org. Go to the “community engagement” prompt.

You just might find out that life is, indeed, grand.

Jay Heater is the managing editor for the East County Observer. Contact him at JHeater@ YourObserver.com.

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Vargas had been on track to graduate from high school at 16 years old because she skipped fifth grade.

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t 16, Central Park’s Skyler Vargas hesitated when deciding whether she should leave Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School to finish her high school career at the State College of Florida Collegiate School.

It seemed her entire life was at Cardinal Mooney: her friends, cheer squad and track teammates.

“I loved my time at Mooney, but I felt free college was hard to pass up,” Vargas said. “I kind of made up for it on the outside because all my friends are still my friends.”

She took up competitive cheer-

SKYLER VARGAS Lives: Central Park Age: 18 Degree: Bachelor’s in criminal justice from Florida Gulf Coast University Honors: Graduating magna cum laude Favorite subject: English Favorite extracurricular activity: Cheer Favorite memory: Junior prom

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here and thinking, ‘I can’t believe my baby is graduating’ and going, ‘God willing, to law school.’ I know she can handle it. She’s a bright cookie.”

Vargas spent her freshman and sophomore years of high school attending Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School. She transferred to the State College of Florida when she turned 15 and was taking all college courses except one high school course.

She still participated in high school activities, including homecoming, sports and junior prom.

Much like for the rest of the class of 2020, many traditional aspects of senior year of high school were ripped away from Vargas as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. She didn’t have a senior prom or, more importantly to her, a graduation ceremony. “(Not having a graduation ceremony) was disappointing personally because I was able to see all my friends from Cardinal Mooney and Lakewood Ranch High School graduate, and I got a box,” Vargas said.

Although she was in class with students older than she, Vargas said the age difference never bothered her.

“I was always super young for my grade, no matter whether that was in New Jersey or here,” Vargas said. “I never saw an age difference. All my friends are older than me. I guess it was different that my friends could then drive me around a lot sooner than I could drive. That was about the only difference I saw.”

All of her courses in her first year of college were online, so Vargas decided to live at home while taking classes. She continued with online classes in her final year of college.

Although she was not on campus, Vargas said she feels she didn’t miss out on the college experience.

“A lot of my friends actually stayed in the area, so to me, I didn’t miss out on anything because all my friends were here,” Vargas said. “We kind of made our own college experience here. We would go to the beach or to the pools at each other’s houses. We just made it overall super fun.”

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degrees.

Vargas received her associates degree at 16 and now has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Florida Gulf Coast University at 18.

Vargas said graduating at 18 shows her she can do anything she puts her mind to, academically or otherwise.

She will participate in her Florida Gulf Coast grad walk, a condensed version of a graduation ceremony, May 7.

“I’ll finally be done with my undergrad,” Vargas said. “I’m excited about that. Hopefully, my next step after that is law school.”

Vargas is waiting to hear whether she’s been accepted to Stetson University College of Law. She hopes to go into business law or fashion law.

Although Vargas grew up wanting to be a doctor, her first criminal justice course at Florida Gulf Coast University changed her mind.

Vargas said the professor’s passion for the course and ability to make learning easy while keeping students engaged inspired Vargas to pursue a degree in criminal justice.

Graduating at 18, if Vargas decided to go into the workforce in criminal justice, she said her age would cause some issues.

“It’s hard to find many job opportunities in the criminal justice field that are willing to hire somebody that’s 18 because usually it says, ‘No experience necessary but must be 21 years old or older,’” Vargas said.

“That’s the only struggle with graduating this early.”

Brenda Freytes, Vargas’s mother, said knowing her daughter was graduating early was emotional.

“I couldn’t believe she had accomplished so much in so little time,” Freytes said. “She was always advanced. If she was in fifth grade, she was already looking to see what the assignments for sixth grade were.”

Vargas and her family moved to Florida from New Jersey when she was in third grade. Her parents had her tested and discovered she was gifted.

While on the fast track to graduation, her father, Robert Vargas, said they never had concerns about their daughter’s acceleration through school. He said she always was mature for her age and motivated.

“We’re incredibly proud,” Freytes said. “The other day I was sitting out

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2022

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he air rifle team members of the Braden River High Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp figured out how to put a little more pop into their shooting scores.

The Pirates eat Pop-Tarts for breakfast.

Although JROTC instructor James Bradin knows Pop-Tarts are high in sugar, he has seen the results firsthand as his students arrive three times a week at the school at 5:30 a.m. for practice and need a little something to jump-start the day.

Stuart Macaulay, a junior and next year’s rifle team captain, said he plans to use the s’mores and cookies and cream Pop-Tarts flavors again next season after seeing his teammates win the Army JROTC Florida State Marksmanship Championship April 23.

Obviously, it was a lot more than breakfast that led to the Pirates’ first state title.

“It means a lot, especially as a senior and the team captain,” Elayna Andrews said. “This was my last competition ever, and we ended on a great note. I’m glad I was here for that.”

Nathan Walmsley, a sophomore, said his teammates had great chemistry and consistently shot well throughout the season as they built toward the state tournament.

Bradin said the highest the team placed in previous championships was fourth. He said everyone up and down the lineup was a good shooter.

“We’ve been blessed this year with really good shooters,” he said.

Although the team hadn’t won a state title before, the Pirates grew in confidence as they kept winning during the regular season.

“Palmetto (High School) has been our (main) competition all year and we were watching their scores while trying to watch ours and see, ‘Oh, we need to shoot this in order to beat them,’” Andrews said. “It was pretty exciting when we beat them.”

Liz Ramos

Braden River High School JROTC rifle team members Stuart Macaulay, Christian Bell, Nathan Walmsley, Adanna Wharton and Elayna Andrews celebrate their state championship title.

ON TARGET

Besides competing as a team, rifle teams also compete at the individual level with overall scores as well as in three shooting positions: prone, kneeling and standing.

Braden River High School’s JROTC rifle team earned multiple medals and trophies individually and as a team at the state championship.

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MAY 5, 2022

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

TAKING THEIR ACT

The Sarasota Orchestra’s Outdoor Pops concert is back after a two-year hiatus, and iconic songs of the ’70s are on the itinerary.

SPENCER FORDIN A+E EDITOR

T

hey’ve traded in their tux and tails for something more comfortable. The Sarasota Orchestra is braving the elements this week for its annual Outdoor Pops performances at Ed Smith Stadium, a tradition briefly curtailed over the last two years by the COVID pandemic.

That change of venue — a ballpark instead of a climate-controlled concert hall — introduces a host of challenges in terms of translating their normal performance, but if you ask conductor Christopher Confessore, it’s fun for everybody involved.

“I’ve been outdoors sweating to the oldies for many, many years,” says Confessore, the music director of the Brevard Symphony Orchestra.

“I know to be well-hydrated.”

Interestingly, Confessore says he has been to Ed Smith Stadium as a baseball fan but never in his professional capacity. But he says he led the orchestra in outdoor performances at the Phillippi Estate and does an annual Fourth of July performance with the Brevard orchestra.

Confessore also does outdoor performances with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and learned some simple fixes over the years.

“We have lights on our music stands. Sometimes those lights draw bugs,” he says. “Sometimes after our Fourth of July concert in Cocoa, either that night or the next morning, I’ll have to go through my music and shake out all the dead bugs and everything that’s in there.”

Lorenzo Mills, production manager for the orchestra, says the initial stages of preparation involve bringing the generators and the stage onto the field. The first pieces of equipment arrive in a truck, and the staff lays down plywood to protect the grass. That takes a couple hours; once the generators are installed, the next step is to unfold the stage.

A separate crew handles the lighting trusses. The audio equipment comes in the following day, says Mills of the arduous setup.

“All of the equipment we put up for this orchestra actually gets torn down completely,” he says.

The process starts as soon as the show is over. The instruments get taken away, some through the dugout and into the clubhouse, and the stage and chairs and music stands get covered with plastic. The audio company pulls all of its microphones.

The next day, they’re back setting everything up in the afternoon.

“I think for most people, it’s magic,” says Mills. “They walk in and think, ‘Wow, this is amazing. I wonder how they do this.’ And then that’s the last time they think about it.”

Mills says that when they set things up at a venue like the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, they don’t have to worry about teardown each night.

The venue is locked, and the stage is protected from the threat of rain.

But at Ed Smith Stadium, they have to prepare for any eventuality.

“We’ll do that Thursday night, we’ll do that Friday night and, weather permitting, we’ll do that again Saturday night,” says Mills.

OUTSIDE “Saturday night, we get to take it back to our building and put it away for the season. That last concert, I’d say we’re there until somewhere between 1 and 2 a.m.”

Is the crew moving a piano five times over the course of the weekend? No, says Mills, the orchestra can get that piano onto the platform, but it’s too hard to bring it in each evening. Mills says the hardest thing to move is probably the timpani.

“I would say it’s another couple hours for us to take all those instruments into the visitors’ clubhouse,” he says of the nightly teardown.

“We go down the steps to the dugout, up the steps to the visitors’ locker room and put all our percussion instruments and the keyboards there. Anything that could possibly get damaged or wet. Our timpani are too big to fit there; we take them and we put them in the first-aid room behind home plate.

“The Orioles have really made it easy for us to move some of that stuff around and find places for it. The timpani are quite large; the stairs are tricky to navigate. They’re slippery, and they’re made of concrete.”

OUTDOOR AUDITORIUM

Confessore says that one of the main

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The performances might start on Friday evening, but the orchestra’s operations staff begins putting everything together Wednesday.

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hazards for the musicians is being able to handle the wind.

“There are wind clips musicians have on their music stands to help keep the music from blowing away,” he says. “I’m turning my pages so much more frequently than the violin players. I usually have like a box that I put on top of the music stand, and the scores go inside the box.

“That gives me a wall around all four sides of the music, and it keeps it from blowing.”

The material on the bill, says Confessore, is based on pop hits from the ’70s from a wide range of artists, and it will be sung by the Nashvillebased duo of Swearingen & Kelli.

More importantly, he says, it’s been arranged for an orchestra by Don Bryn, which means that the sounds will all be working together.

“It’s a challenge when we do concerts that feature pop artists in front of the orchestra,” he says. “Sometimes you get a full band. Drum set.

Lead guitar. Rhythm guitar. Keyboards. The orchestra can get lost in the shuffle. This performance is just the singers, and I think one or both of them will be playing acoustic guitar. Otherwise, the backup band and support instrumentals are exclusively from the orchestra.”

The music is different from the orchestra’s normal Beethoven and Mozart fare, Confessore says, but it’s timeless. The orchestra might see an audience twice as large as the ones it sees on a normal night at an indoor venue; that’s part of the allure for the musicians, too.

“For any performance, the connection with your audience is one of the greatest things,” says Confessore. “As a performer, you can’t help but raise your level of performance.

That’s true for any type of concert the orchestra gives, and I think it’s true for pop artists, too.”

Courtesy photos

It might feel like a ballgame, but it’s an orchestra performing outdoors.

IF YOU GO OUTDOOR POPS: ICONIC SONGS OF THE ’70S When: 8 p.m., May 6 and 7 Where: Ed Smith Stadium, 2700 12th St. Tickets: $15$48 Info: SarasotaOrchestra.org

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THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2022

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

The legend of

Mari Taylor Floyd A great designer helps the actors transform into their characters. With “The Legend of Georgia McBride,” that transformation is the heart of the story.

This comedy follows an Elvis impersonator who’s dethroned as The King and becomes a hit as a drag queen.

In spring 2020, FST was gearing up to stage this show – until the pandemic crashed the party. It’s a new year, and “Georgia McBride” has been born again.

Mari Taylor Floyd is FST’s new costume shop supervisor and the show’s associate costume designer. From nightgowns to jumpsuits, if an actor is wearing it, it’s her responsibility. No pressure.

—MARTY FUGATE

When did you start as FST’s costume shop manager?

In June of 2021. When Lea (Umberger) had to step away, I also took on the “Georgia McBride” project. That’s when I became the production’s associate costume designer.

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And that’s when “Georgia McBride” became your baby. I’m guessing it’s a big baby?

Definitely. If you do the math, there are a total of 50 costumes — with 27 in the drag look. We’ve also got 24 wigs in production.

Monday - Saturday 10:00am - 6:00pm

Did you start with a blank slate on the costume designs?

No, I’d been working with Lea throughout the year — our collaboration was a great experience. She’d already created the basic design concepts for this show. Before she left, she said, “I don’t want you in the dark on this. Before I go, let’s sit down for two hours. We’ll go through every single costume and the creative choices behind it.” So that’s what we did. And then she handed the project over to me.

OK. You knew Lea’s mind about the costume designs. I’m guessing you still had creative work to do on the costumes.

Well, we tried to stick to Lea’s original design intentions as much as we could. Realistically, that’s not always possible.

A design might look amazing on paper, but these things morph in live theater. You meet the new actors and watch the show taking shape in the rehearsal room, and that changes everything. You see what the director’s actually trying to conceive in the show. What works and what doesn’t.

How do you know what works?

Like, what are the key factors?

Characterization, obviously. And time.

The clock is ticking.

Yeah. From scene to scene, the time for costume changes is very limited.

We sometimes have to simplify the designs to accomplish it. And the designs are specific to each actor.

That applies to wigs, too. Put a towering wig on a big actor, and he’s suddenly 8 feet tall. An inch or two taller, and the wig’s a fire hazard.

So you have to make those calculations.

That actually happened on this

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THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2022

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T H E Y N E E D U S.

We Need

You.

Photo courtesy of Florida Studio Theatre

Why do they love you?

Well, actors create and become their characters. That’s their job.

And the right costume helps them do that. It’s something specific they can wrap their minds around. A suit, a dress. … It helps them visualize what their characters look like.

And who they are.

So, who’s the main character in this play?

Well, that’s Casey, the Elvis impersonator, who’s hilariously played by Britt Michael Gordon.

But Georgia McBride is also the main character. (Britt plays her, too; she’s Casey’s drag persona.) So, Casey transforms into Georgia and becomes her all the way.

A straight white boy embraces his femininity and learns to walk in heels?

You got it. That’s a big part of the story. In a greased-back wig and gold lamé jumpsuit, Casey turns into Elvis. In a pompadour wig, he turns into a beautiful woman. It’s all about transformation.

And your costumes make it possible. Wow! Your job sounds insanely fun.

It is a ton of fun, but there’s also a ton of painstaking calculations.

Costume design is like any other form of design. The specifications can be very narrow.

Your first design doesn’t always

work, or your second or third design.

And that can get frustrating. Like the Elvis wig in this show. How hard could that be? But Susan Haldeman, our wig designer, went through constant trial-and-error perfecting that design.

If the wig hangs flat, you’ve got Moe from the Three Stooges. If the wig’s too comical, you wind up with Camp Elvis — and that’s not the vision for this play. So Susan kept going back to the drawing board until she finally got it right. That’s her process and mine too.

If you’re a costume designer, you can’t just fool around, even if you want to.

I’m constantly stifling my inner child. “No! You can’t do that!”

Is your work always that hard?

No. Creating a Dolly Parton drag performer’s dodgeball-sized boobs was easy.

What’d you use?

Dodgeballs. (laughs) I really love my work as a costume designer. It’s a beautiful whirlwind of craziness.

Who are some of the unsung heroes you work with?

The interns, absolutely. They’re the backbone of Florida Studio Theatre.

And the interns working on “Georgia McBride” are rock stars.

We call them “The Glam Squad” — and they’re amazing.

This show has so many costumes, so many changes. We couldn’t make it happen without them.

Mari Taylor Floyd and Erin Barnett stand behind their handiwork.

Sandra, 54, has stage 5 ovarian cancer and cares for two mentally disabled sons and a 14-year-old in middle school. Meals On Wheels feeds all 4 family members.

IF YOU GO

Your help delivers so much more than a healthy meal.

‘THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA MCBRIDE’ When: Through May 22 Tickets: $25-$39 Where: FST Gompertz Theatre, 1265 First St., Sarasota Info: Call 366-9000 or visit FloridaStudioTheatre. org

Without federal funding, Meals On Wheels of Sarasota has been serving seniors, expecting mothers, veterans and disabled people of all ages in our community since 1971.

Your generosity doesn’t just make it possible – it makes it happen. Donate today. Simply scan the code below to learn more or make a donation.

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THURSDAY

T.J. MILLER 7 and 9:15 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theater, 1923 Ringling Blvd. $40 Visit McCurdysComedy.com This is a funny man with a familiar face and voice. You might recognize T.J. Miller from his costarring role in the “Deadpool” film franchise, and you’ll know his voice if you’ve seen the first two animated “How to Train Your Dragon” films.

YING LI 4 p.m. at Church of the Palms, 3224 Bee Ridge Road $40 Visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org

IT ’S RE A D

Ying Li, 23 years old, was the firstprize winner at the 2021 Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions, and she’ll be supported by a capable group of musicians including Daniel Jordan, concertmaster of the Sarasota Orchestra. Li will play selections from Dvorak, Mozart and Stravinsky in her afternoon performance.

Bring the Observer with you on your next trip!

‘THE PSYCHIC’ 7:30 p.m. at The Island Players Theater, 10009 Gulf Drive, Anna Maria $25 Visit IslandPlayers.org.

Everywhere

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This play, directed by James Thaggard, is centered around a struggling writer who hangs a sign in his window offering discounted psychic readings. The writer soon finds himself well over his head in this comedy, which runs through May 15.

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IN-STUDIO PERFORMANCE SERIES FEATURING MARSI BURNS 7 p.m. at SCD Home Studio, 1400 Boulevard of the Arts $10-$20 Visit SarasotaContemporaryDance. org.

Marsi Burns and Dancing in the Moment, an improvisational group, will be the featured guests for Sarasota Contemporary Dance.

Dancing in the Moment is a diverse group made up of dancers from their 20s to their 70s, and in this performance they’ll be taking cues from each other and the audience.

SONGS FROM THE SCREEN & STAGE WITH LINDA EDER 7:30 p.m. at Venice Performing Arts Center, 1 Indian Ave., Venice $38-$58 Visit VeniceSymphony.org.

This show, originally set to take place in 2020, will feature Broadway star Linda Eder running through classic tunes from plays and movies.

Eder was nominated for a Drama Desk award for her work in “Jekyll & Hyde.” If you can’t get out to see her Friday, you can also see her perform at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

OUTDOOR POPS: ICONIC SONGS OF THE ’70S 8 p.m. at Ed Smith Stadium, 2700 12th St. $15-$48 Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.

Do you like the orchestra indoors?

How about a different setting? The Sarasota Orchestra returns to Ed Smith Stadium, bringing the fantastic skill and artistry of their musicians. Have a hot dog and listen in as Nashville-based duo Swearingen and Kelli provide the vocals for many of the best-loved songs of the ’70s.

‘CARRY ME’ 3 p.m. at Keating Theatre, 1241 N. Palm Ave. $10 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org

FRIDAY CHORAL SPLENDOR IN 40 PARTS 7:30 p.m. at St. Boniface Episcopal Church, 5615 Midnight Pass Road, $30-$40 Visit KeyChorale.org.

It’s billed as a concert 450 years in the making, but you can see it on back-to-back evenings. The Chamber Voices will welcome special guest Les Canard Chantants to take on music of the Renaissance. The spectacular voices will work through “Spem in Alium” by Thomas Tallis and tackle Alexander Striggio’s “Mass in 40 Parts.” Key Chorale will take its act to First Presbyterian Church to play the same show on Saturday, but that show will start at 4 p.m. instead of 7:30.

2022-23 SEASON at the Venice Performing Arts Center

DON’T MISS

‘KNOXVILLE’ There’s a small window for you to see Knoxville, birthed here at the Asolo Repertory Theatre and quite likely on its way to bigger things in the world at large.

The musical, based on James Agee’s “A Death in the Family,” will run through May 11 at the FSU Center for the Performing Arts, and then its creative team will try to figure out what’s next.

Jason Danieley stars as author James Agee, who looks back on his childhood and writes about the death of his father.

IF YOU GO When: 7:30 p.m. May 5; runs through May 11 Where: FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail Tickets: $36-$108 Info: AsoloRep.org

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Hermitage Fellows Jessica Huang and Scott Lee present early readings of their work in a beautiful setting.

Huang, a playwright, explores the ways the future might be impacted by climate change, and Lee, a classical composer, will play selections from his latest album, “Through the Mangrove Tunnels.”

SATURDAY SEEING STARS 6:30 at Robinson Preserve, 10299 Ninth Ave. NW, Bradenton Free; advance registration required Visit BishopScience.org Have you seen the Big Dipper? The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature is celebrating Astronomy Day with a program designed for students in third through 12th grade but open to stargazers of all ages. A number of telescopes will be trained on the cosmos. Weather permitting, you’ll have a chance to peek up close at the moon and stars.

SUNDAY VIENESS PIANO DUO 3 p.m. at State College of Florida Recital Hall, 5840 26th St. W., Bradenton $40 Visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org.

Eva Schaumkell and Vijay Venkatesh are formidable alone or together.

The pair formed their duo act in 2017 at the University of Southern California, and they’ve toured extensively in America and abroad.

HARD HEART BURLESQUE 8 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, 1923 Ringling Blvd. $37 Visit McCurdysComedy.com.

‘BLACK + WHITE’ It’s a Rorschach test for art lovers.

Nine artists will combine to have their monochromatic works on display at MARA Art Studio + Gallery, and you can come see sculpture and painting at the opening.

The artists include Grace Howl, Jack Shapiro, Jana Millstone, Ralph Berger, Lisa DiFranza, Craig Palmer, Dan Wilkerson, Sam Wuerfel and MARA Torres; the exhibit will run through May. IF YOU GO When: 5:30 p.m. May 6 Where: MARA Art Studio + Gallery, 1421 Fifth St. Tickets: Free Info: MaraStudioGallery.com

Burlesque is back. Hard Heart Burlesque hopes to pick up where Black Diamond Burlesque left off in stoking your intrigue and leaving you wanting more. It’s a feast for the senses and pushes boundaries.

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MONDAY CHIARA IZZI 7:30 p.m. at FST’s John C. Court Cabaret, 1265 First St. $35-$39 Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.

Expressive singer Chiara Izzi, based in New York but born in Italy, has built her reputation on performance, and she’ll be supported by guitarist Perry Smith.

WEDNESDAY ‘EUREKA DAY’ 8 p.m. at FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail $28 Visit AsoloRep.org.

“Eureka Day,” written by Jonathan Spector, centers on an epidemic pervading through a school and the ways the community reacts to it.

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Live the story of four women trying to end slavery before the Civil War. This play, part of the Richard and Betty Burdick Play Reading Festival, is still being developed.

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THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2022

Visit our award-winning building designed by FL architect Guy Peterson

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Learn more at www.ellingoeide.org

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EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2022

Above: Chairs Betty and Bud Shapiro Right: Ricki Bertoni, Danielle Brown and Ricardo Rhodes

19

Photo: Daniel Perales

Olivia McAlpine, Ivan Spitale, Morgan Rust and Marco Corcella

FALL IN LOVE WITH SARASOTA’S ONLY CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM Photo: Ryan Gamma

Photo: Matt Holler

Photo: Rich Schineller

Crystal Gala T

he Sarasota Ballet celebrated Director Iain Webb’s 15 seasons of performance and production during the Crystal Gala on May 1.

Guests met at the Sarasota Opera House for a ballet performance from past and present members that paid tribute to Webb’s time with the company. They then left for the Sailor Circus Arena to enjoy an indoors dinner and program.

Longtime supporters mingled and admired the venue’s dazzling white color scheme and decor before sitting down for dinner. Webb later took to the stage to thank the audience and speak to his years with the ballet company.

The crowd took to the dance floor to end the night.

—HARRY SAYER

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YourObserver.com

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Photo courtesy Odessa Eisch

Odessa Eisch has received a tennis scholarship offer from Warner University and is speaking with other colleges as well.

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To Eiche, her own Odessa Eisch’s unique screwball shot led to a strong senior year at Parrish Community High – and a college future.

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Most tennis shots rotate away from a player’s dominant hand, meaning right-handed shots break left and left-handed shots break right.

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The shot, which the Parrish Community High senior calls a curve shot, moves like a screwball pitch in

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ODESSA EISCH School: Parrish Community High (senior) Sport: Girls tennis 2022 record: 17-2 Favorite food: Avocado Favorite school subject: Math, especially algebra Dream super power: Flying Favorite movie: “Star Wars”

“I treat every match like it will be my last one. It was my senior year this year, so I wanted to beat everyone.

I came pretty close. No regrets.”

— Odessa Eisch

softball, breaking sharply to the right off her right-handed racket. Developing the shot has allowed Eisch, who lives in East County, to become a dominant player.

Eisch went 13-1 as a singles player during the regular season and ripped through the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 2A district and regional rounds of the postseason, reaching the state tournament. At the state tournament, Eisch reached the quarterfinals before receiving a tough draw.

She lost 6-0, 6-0 to eventual state champion Juhnyee See of Coconut Creek High, a four-star recruit as rated by the Tennis Recruitment Network.

Eisch said she wasn’t disappointed in her state tournament performance. In fact, she said the experience was unforgettable, playing in front of passionate crowds in Sanford against the best players in the state.

Considering her late start in tennis, Eisch was a longshot to make it as far as she did. She only became interested in the sport at 14 years old after she watched a televised tennis match. It piqued her interest for a while, but she played only a year before switching to softball as a high school freshman (then at St. Peters-

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burg’s Northside Christian).

Eisch was good at softball, too, hitting .396 with 11 RBIs and playing strong defense at catcher. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, however, team sports were shut down. Eisch went back to tennis.

That’s when she developed her curve shot, inspired by the screwballs she caught for her softball pitchers.

“It took about two months after my dad (John Eisch) and I came up with the shot to get it right,” Eisch said. “It’s hard to pull off. You have to time when the ball bounces perfectly for it to work.”

The “screwball” shot helped, but it was not the only reason Eisch decided to stick with tennis over softball, even after team sports returned.

Eisch said she has more control on the tennis court than she does on the diamond. Doing well or doing poorly is all on her shoulders.

She likes the personal responsibility and that has made tennis her obsession. She modeled her serves, which average 86 mph, after men’s professional John Isner — who is known for having a hard, heavy serve that is difficult to return— and modeled the rest of her game after Emma Raducanu, the women’s 2021 U.S. Open winner who is exceptional in her volleys and rallies.

Eisch said she practices for two hours each day during the season with her team, then goes home and practices for another hour and a half by herself. She found a preferred match strategy that has worked: hitting to the left and right corners, then approaching the net for a drop shot or a smash, depending on where the ball is. Over her two seasons at the varsity tennis level, Eisch rapidly improved. Her 17 total wins this season were second-most in the state.

Despite her relative inexperience, colleges have taken notice of Eisch’s performances. Eisch said she has received a scholarship offer from Warner University and is still talking with other schools, like Stetson.

She is happy she chose tennis and eventually had the opportunity to show off her athleticism.

“I treat every match like it will be my last one,” Eisch said. “It was my senior year this year, so I wanted to beat everyone. I came pretty close.

No regrets.”

THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2022

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THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2022

PROSE AND KOHN

RYAN KOHN

Coach humbled by Vitale Gala honor T

he voice on the phone transformed.

A few seconds before, I was talking with Baylor men’s basketball Coach Scott Drew, one of the honorees at this year’s Dick Vitale Gala, to be held May 6 at the Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota. But after I asked Drew a question about his favorite Vitale-ism, I no longer was talking to Drew.

I was treated to the best Vitale impression I’ve ever heard.

“Oh, it’s awesome, baby!” Drew said in his best Vitale voice.

After ripping off a few more of Vitale’s favorite sayings, Drew returned to his normal speaking voice.

“My impersonation is good,” he said. “I have worked on it over the years. I’m not blessed with his good looks, but I can do the voice.”

Drew will be honored at the gala alongside tennis legend Chris Evert and former NFL wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson. Drew has coached Baylor since 2003, raising the program from ruin to national champion. He led the Bears to the title in 2021, when they defeated Gonzaga 86-70 in the championship game.

Even with his accomplishments, Drew said he was shellshocked to be honored at the Dick Vitale Gala.

“It’s humbling,” Drew said. “You never feel worthy of recognition like that. At the same time, anything you can do to help the cause and raise money for pediatric cancer (research), you’re going to do it. Any time Dick asks you to to contribute or wants to honor you or whatever it is, you want to serve. This is a man who has given so much. He’s a prime-time player. He’s a diaper dandy.”

Drew said he started watching and listening to Vitale in the 1990s.

When he got into coaching in the mid-90s, he wrote Vitale a letter.

Time has caused the exact contents of the letter to fade from Drew’s

Photo courtesy Baylor Athletics

Scott Drew and the Baylor men’s basketball team cut down the nets on their way to a national championship in 2021. Drew will be an honoree at the 2022 Dick Vitale Gala in Sarasota.

memory; if he had to guess, he said, he thinks it was thanking Vitale for his contributions to the game and the profession, but he remembers Vitale’s response. It was in the form of Vitale’s book, “Holding Court,” which Vitale had signed. Drew said that was when he realized that Vitale is all heart.

Over 16 years, Vitale and his gala have raised more than $44 million for The V Foundation for Cancer Research, in particular pediatric cancer research. This year Vitale has

set the goal at $7 million in the hope of cracking the $50 million mark.

It would be especially impressive considering that in August 2021, Vitale announced he had been diagnosed with melanoma and had surgeries to remove it. In October, Vitale announced that he had been diagnosed with lymphoma.

On April 14, Vitale rang the bell at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, signaling that he was finished with chemotherapy treatment — and is cancer-free.

Throughout Vitale’s battle, Drew sent him small messages of encouragement. Nothing major, Drew said, because he didn’t want to bother Vitale, and Vitale already had a circle of wonderful people giving him support.

Drew said Vitale has done a great job documenting his experience so people who haven’t been affected by cancer know what it is like. Both Drew’s parents, Homer and Janet Drew, have had cancer. It wears on you, Drew said. Yet, Vitale never

stopped thinking about raising money for charity during the process.

It is why Drew was so thrilled with the reception Vitale received in Waco, Texas, when he arrived to call Baylor’s game against Villanova Dec. 12. The school framed a custom jersey with his name on it and presented it to him. The crowd at the Ferrell Center gave Vitale a standing ovation. It brought the 82-year-old Vitale to tears in a moment that went viral on social media. Baylor won the game 57-36.

Then the real celebration began.

“He came into the locker room and did a dance with the guys,” Drew said. “It’s another memory I will never forget.”

Drew said he won’t be like some previous gala honorees who were able to wing their speeches. He is going to have a plan.

“I try not to wing things because I’m not smart enough to do that,” Drew said. “Coaches like to be prepared. In the past, I have always appreciated speeches from the heart. It’s an emotional, great event.

I also appreciate the conciseness of some speeches. That way you can honor everyone as well as (focus on) the kids and raising money for their fight. I think my speech will mix those elements. I just appreciate everything he’s done for the kids, and I want to help.”

For more information on the gala or to make a donation, visit the V Foundation’s website at V.org.

Ryan Kohn is the sports editor for the East County Observer. Contact him at RKohn@ YourObserver.com.

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MAY 5, 2022

YOUR NEIGHBORS MOMS SHOULD KNOW

Every day special to hear ‘Momma’

Five things Lucille Messina hopes a mother with healthy children can learn from her book, “Waiting to hear ‘Momma.’”

1

Teach a child to include and play with all children, even the ones that are different. This can increase maturity, responsibility and empathy.

2

Talk directly to the person with a disability instead of their caretaker/ companion.

3

At a playground, in the mall or at dinner with your child, do not avoid teachable moments when someone is different. Let your child learn how to respect and include special needs children and adults to see the talent, fun and bravery in that individual.

4

With so many quick fixes in society, it is important to stop and realize that not everything is fixable.

Lakewood Ranch author hopes mothers realize their blessings.

5

You can make a difference in someone’s life with a simple act of kindness

JAY HEATER

F

or Lucille Messina, Mother’s Day was different.

She would go to the park with her daughter, Jacklyn, and they would sit by themselves.

It wasn’t her desire to be alone, but that was her life with a daughter with a degenerative neurological disease.

Lucille couldn’t walk, talk or see.

“We were isolated every time we went to a playground,” said Messina, who now lives in Lakewood Ranch with her husband, Karl. “No mother would come over, and no one would interact. I would think, ‘What did I do wrong? How could I correct this problem I had created?’”

Born on Sept. 25, 1984 and dying on Oct. 14, 1995, Jacklyn Messina lived for just over 11 years. It was a depressing, frustrating, gut-wrenching time for Messina, a Long Island Railroad employee who lived in Garden City, New Jersey, at the time.

But as tough as it was, she cherished every day with her daughter.

As this Mother’s Day arrives May 8, Messina hopes mothers embrace their children and understand the gift or gifts they have been given, no matter the circumstances.

After her daughter’s death, Messina wrote the book “Waiting to Hear ‘Momma’ — A Mother’s Memoir.”

Her hope is that she can share the many lessons learned during Jacklyn’s life with mothers everywhere.

The book was published in 2019 and is available on Amazon.com.

She tells her story about surviving the low moments.

“I was at JCPenney, where they were taking special pictures of children for Christmas,” she said. “A lady saw my daughter and hid her daughter’s eyes.”

It was those kind of moments that

Jay Heater

Above: Lucille Messina wrote “Waiting to Hear ‘Momma’” to educate people about the lonely journey for mothers of special needs children.

Left: Lucille Messina cherished every day with her daughter Jacklyn, but it was a lonely journey at times.

hurt her, and she didn’t want other mothers to experience the same thing.

She wrote her book to explain her feelings during those low moments and what someone in a similar position could do to stay positive.

“I wanted to help other mothers survive the adversity and the family crisis,” Messina said. “I felt like I was alone all the time, and I wanted to let mothers know they are not alone. I didn’t want to see mothers give up, or jump in front of a train.”

It took Messina time to realize she was not alone. She hit her low when she, indeed, considered stepping in front of a train.

After her coworkers urged her to get help, she went to see a counselor at her work.

“That finally helped me go out to dinner with my husband,” she said.

“It was a turning point. I had felt I didn’t deserve it.”

While she found support groups and workers, she realized her biggest rock was right in front of her. It was Karl.

“I dedicated my book to my husband, because if not for him, I probably wouldn’t be alive,” she said. “He is one in a million. Most men probably would have walked away from me. Whenever I couldn’t handle it,

he was there every time. Having a partner is priceless.”

After Jacklyn’s death, they had another daughter, Amy, who now is 25. Amy Messina is a University of Colorado graduate who hopes to pursue a career in museum studies and specialize in the conservation and preservation of artifacts and art.

Lucille Messina remains dedicated to mothers who have a special needs child. She shares stories and hopefully lessons from her book to help mothers in similar situations to persevere and benefit mothers with healthy children who could make a positive impact on those they meet with special needs.

Messina offers five suggestions for mothers who face special circumstances with their child: 1 — Ernest Hemingway wrote, “The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.” Become a warrior and be strong at your broken place.

2 — Lean on your spouse or life partner for support, and plan outings to stay connected with that person.

3 — Find friends to cry with or have a glass of wine with. Most important is finding friends who can listen and not judge.

4 — Join support groups, whether that means meeting physically or virtually. Try to find groups who have members with similar problems. It allows you to feel that you are not alone.

5 — Take a walk, keep a journal, watch a funny movie. If you need an hour out of the house, even if it is just to browse the clothing isles in a department store – do it.

379180-1

MANAGING EDITOR

24

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2022

Orthopedics Orthopedics Orthopedics Orthopedics Orthopedics

WELCOMES WELCOMES WELCOMES Orthopedics WELCOMES WELCOMES John Thomas, MD John John Thomas, Thomas, MD MD WELCOMES Orthopedic Surgery John Thomas, MD Orthopedic Orthopedic Surgery Surgery John Thomas, Orthopedic SurgeryMD Orthopedic Surgery

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Dr. John Thomas brings to Intercoastal Medical Group at the Orthopedic Surgery Dr. John Dr. John Thomas Thomas brings brings totoIntercoastal to Intercoastal Medical Medical Group Group the at the Lakewood Ranch I& Beneva Professional Center offices aatwealth of Dr. John Thomas brings Intercoastal Medical Group at the knowledge and experience in Orthopedics.

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Super event stirs up wonder

J

oseph and Anna Warcewicz wanted to surprise their first grade sons, John and Aiden, for Superhero Day on April 29 at Braden River Elementary School.

They decided to dress as Star-Lord, who is also known as Peter Quill, and Gamora from Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” their sons’ favorite movie.

“The kids are big ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ fans,” Anna Warcewicz said. “They love the music in the movie.”

Dozens of students, teachers and parents dressed as superheroes like Wonder Woman, Batman, Iron Man and Spiderman for Superhero Day. The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office’s Crime Prevention Unit came to the school to show that not all heroes wear capes.

Deputy Tom Kaczmark told the students the importance of knowing where they are if an accident occurs as well as ensuring the scene is safe and knowing what injuries someone might have sustained.

— LIZ RAMOS

Joseph and Anna Warcewicz surprise their children, first graders John and Aiden, by dressing as Peter Quill and Gamora from Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy.”

NOW ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS! NOW NOW ACCEPTING ACCEPTING NEW NEW PATIENTS! PATIENTS! Lakewood Ranch Medical Center; Doctors Hospital; 941-362-8662 NOW ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS! TO ANAPPOINTMENT, APPOINTMENT, PLEASE CALL TO SCHEDULE TOSCHEDULE SCHEDULE AN AN APPOINTMENT, PLEASE PLEASE CALL CALL Sarasota Memorial Hospital Lakewood Ranch I Office

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941-362-8662 941-362-8662 941-362-8662 NOW ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS! Lakewood Ranch Office Lakewood Lakewood Ranch Ranch IIOffice I Office 941-362-8662 TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT, PLEASE CALL 941-362-8662 11505 Rangeland Parkway, Bradenton, Florida 34211 11505 11505 Rangeland Rangeland Parkway, Parkway, Bradenton, Bradenton, Florida Florida 34211 34211

Lakewood Ranch I Office Beneva Professional Center 11505 Parkway, Florida 941-362-8662 943Rangeland S. Beneva Road, Suite Bradenton, 106, Sarasota, Florida34211 34232

941-362-8662 941-362-8662 941-362-8662 Lakewood Ranch I Office Beneva Professional Center www.intercoastalmedical.com 11505 Rangeland Parkway, Bradenton, Florida 34211 Beneva Beneva Professional Professional Center Center 941-362-8662 Medicare and most insurances accepted 943 S. Beneva Road, Suite 106, Sarasota, Florida 34232 943 943 S. Beneva S. Beneva Road, Road, Suite Suite 106, 106, Sarasota, Sarasota, Florida 34232 34232 Beneva Professional CenterFlorida 941-362-8662 S. Beneva Road, Suite 106, Sarasota, Florida 34232 www.intercoastalmedical.com l National Expertise l Multiple Locations A Patient 943 Focused, Multi-Specialty Group www.intercoastalmedical.com www.intercoastalmedical.com Beneva Professional Center Medicare and most insurances accepted Medicare Medicare andSuite most and most insurances insurances accepted accepted 943 S. Beneva Road, 106, Sarasota, www.intercoastalmedical.com Florida 34232 381271-1

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THE

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Photos by Liz Ramos

Fourth graders Kara Young, Dylanger Appel, Desmond Barfield, Adam Ramirez, Reese Middleton and Jaxson Hofius bring Marvel superheroes to life at Braden River Elementary School.

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Fourth grade teacher Whitney McElhiney and her class celebrate Superhero Day at Braden River Elementary School.

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DR. RUBINS David Rubins, MD, BSME, FAAOS, is a board-certified joint replacement surgeon at 360 Orthopedics in Sarasota, Venice, and Lakewood Ranch, Florida.

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“I am post hip replacement 5 yrs. I have not had any pain since that surgery. I felt Dr. Rubins had my best interest.

I have referred many patients to him.” — TAMMY D.

DR. ARMAGHANI Sheyan J. Armaghani, MD, is a specialist in adult spine reconstruction and minimally invasive spine surgery at 360 Orthopedics in Sarasota, Venice, and Lakewood Ranch, Florida.

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26

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2022

YOUR CALENDAR

Limited Inventory Available Reserve your home site today!

File photo

BEST BET FRIDAY, MAY 6

MUSIC ON MAIN Runs from 6-9 p.m. at Main Street at Lakewood Ranch. Singer-songwriter Paul Fournier is the headliner for the monthly Music on Main free concert and block party and will fill the air with rock, soul and R&B music. A DJ also will be spinning top 100 hits. The benefiting sponsor for May is Meals on Wheels Plus.

Food vendors, beer trucks, sponsor booths, kid rides and activities highlight the event. For more information, go to MyLWR.com.

Homes are selling fast!

Act now to secure your new home in this resort-style community.

Open floor plans • Low Maintenance Lifestyle • Exclusive Amenities Private Marina • Pickleball Courts • 6 Swimming Pools 5 Clubhouses • 2 Fitness Centers • On-site Dog Park Riverside Pavilion

COMMUNITY SATURDAY, MAY 7

RELAY FOR LIFE Begins at 4:30 p.m. at Nathan Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle, Sarasota. Relay for Life raises money for the American Cancer Society and encourages teams of participants to run or walk in fun ways. For more information or to make a donation, visit Cancer.org or go to Secure.Acsevents.org/site/ STR?pg=entry&fr_id=101681.

Sales Center Open 7 Days a Week

Call to schedule a private tour or a virtual showing!

(855) 273-2306

FRUIT TREE SALE Begins at 9 a.m. at Premier Sports Campus, 5895 Post Blvd., Lakewood Ranch. The Manatee Rare Fruit Council’s annual Rare Fruit Tree Sale is a chance for locals to purchase rare and unusual fruit-bearing trees and plants. Admission is free. For more information visit MRFC.org.

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379806-1

OPPORTUNITY

FARMERS MARKET Runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Lakefront Drive in Waterside Place at Lakewood Ranch. The Farmers Market at Lakewood Ranch will run year-

round every Sunday. Vendors will be offering seafood, eggs, meats, dairy products, pastas, bakery goods, jams and pickles, among other items. Other features are children’s activities and live music. For more information, go to MyLWR.com.

TUESDAY, MAY 10

BARKS AND BREWS Runs from 6-8 p.m. at the Green at UTC, 125 N. Cattlemen Drive, Sarasota. The first Barks and Brews event will support Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue. The event will feature adoptable dogs, craft brews, live music, pet vendors and more.

Bring your dogs on a leash. For more information, call 747-4900.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 11

RANCH NIGHT WEDNESDAYS Runs from 6-9 p.m. at 1561 Lakefront Drive, Waterside Place in Lakewood Ranch. Ranch Night Wednesdays is a free event that includes food trucks, live music, a market, an outdoor bar and a cornhole league.

It runs every week through May. For more information, go to MyLWR. com.

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EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2022

27

Congratulations DR. MAHFOUZ EL SHAHAWY

48 YEARS

SERVING THE SARASOTA COMMUNITY The City of Sarasota proclaims February 4, 2022 as Dr. El Shahawy Day in recognition of his 48 outstanding years of dedication to our community healthcare and cardiovascular disease prevention

CARDIOVASCULAR CENTER OF SARASOTA

On behalf of the International Society for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention (ISCVDP) On behalf of the Cardiovascular Center of Sarasota (CCS) Sharon Wetzler, ARNP | Ramona Stevens, MA, CRC

380809-1

Jay Cohn, MD, FACC, Vice President, ISCVDP | Thomas Kelly, MD, Secretary/Treasurer ISCVDP

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2022

MYAKKA CITY 3005 233rd Street E 4 Beds 3/2 Baths 4,164 Sq. Ft. Chris Baylis 941-735-4713 A4510152 $5,800,000

LAKEWOOD RANCH 20706 79th Avenue E 4 Beds 4/1 Baths 5,077 Sq. Ft. Chris Baylis 941-735-4713 A4531620 $3,650,000

BRADENTON 653 Regatta Way 3 Beds 3 Baths 2,797 Sq. Ft. Sandi Dietrich 941-704-0697 A4527242 $2,200,000

TERRA CEIA 109 Michiana Drive 2 Beds 2/1 Baths 1,818 Sq. Ft. Debbie Vogler 941-705-3328 A4527498 $2,100,000

BRADENTON 579 Fore Drive 3 Beds 2 Baths 2,401 Sq. Ft. Sandi Dietrich 941-704-0697 A4531096 $1,649,500

SARASOTA 8149 Grande Shores Drive 3 Beds 2/1 Baths 3,214 Sq. Ft. Drew Russell 941-993-3739 A4529184 $1,495,000

PARRISH 16003 39th Glen E 4 Beds 3 Baths 3,225 Sq. Ft. Laura Navratil & Mary Pat Pihl 941-806-7436 A4532572 $1,385,000

SARASOTA 1651 4th Street 2 Beds 2 Baths 2,640 Sq. Ft. Valarie Wadsworth 941-780-3858 A4533056 $1,250,000

BRADENTON 2112 51st Street W 4 Beds 3 Baths 3,805 Sq. Ft. Jodene Moneuse 941-302-4913 A4529879 $1,100,000

BRADENTON 11805 Perennial Place 3 Beds 3 Baths 2,448 Sq. Ft. Carroll Couri 813-727-1630 A4532427 $875,000

PORT CHARLOTTE 13710 Allamanda Circle 3 Beds 2 Baths 1,867 Sq. Ft. Sandi Dietrich 941-704-0697 A4530977 $799,000

LAKEWOOD RANCH 14409 Silver Trout Drive 4 Beds 3 Baths 2,397 Sq. Ft. Thomas Arthur 941-400-7970 A4531840 $775,000

SARASOTA 2275 Arlington Street 3 Beds 2 Baths 1,452 Sq. Ft. Denise Gagne 941-400-6358 A4532616 $699,500

BRADENTON 2525 Avolet Court 3 Beds 2/1 Baths 1,926 Sq. Ft. Carroll Couri 813-727-1630 A4532679 $645,000

SARASOTA 1064 N Tamiami Trail 1125 3 Beds 2 Baths 1,592 Sq. Ft. Marcia Salkin, PA 941-376-6121 A4532464 $625,000

LAKEWOOD RANCH 6113 35th Court E 4 Beds 2/1 Baths 2,697 Sq. Ft. Jefferson Payne 857-350-0089 A4533196 $620,000

BRADENTON 5557 Palmer Circle 202 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,355 Sq. Ft. Sandi Dietrich 941-704-0697 A4532939 $560,000

BRADENTON 11523 Rolling Green Drive 3 Beds 2/1 Baths 1,807 Sq. Ft. Sandi Dietrich 941-704-0697 A4531465 $550,000

PARRISH 11203 77th Street E 4 Beds 3 Baths 2,655 Sq. Ft. Erica Thomas 941-799-9365 A4530113 $450,000

SARASOTA 832 Alderwood Way 3 Beds 2 Baths 2,209 Sq. Ft. Terri Derr & Rita Holbrook 941-356-6694 A4532568 $445,000

BRADENTON 4918 Boston Common Glen 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,156 Sq. Ft. Amy Tupper 941-413-6898 A4532711 $439,000

BRADENTON 7019 River Hammock Drive 404 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,121 Sq. Ft. Ray Rausa 941-228-7614 A4532726 $374,900

SARASOTA 189 Oak Hill Drive 5 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,024 Sq. Ft. Christopher Van Vliet & Jamie Van Vliet, PA 941-993-7087 A4532208 $299,000

SARASOTA 5405 San Juan Drive Beth Ann Boyer 941-780-6606 A4509104 $285,000

ANNA MARIA ISLAND Marina Drive Stephanie Okuley 941-773-2677 A4529602 $100,000

BRADENTON 5708 Inspiration Terrace 4 Beds 5/1 Baths 6,326 Sq. Ft. Fran DeDona & Pam Goodwin 941-812-5023 A4528037 $4,995,000

ANNA MARIA ISLAND 820 N Shore Drive 4 Beds 4/1 Baths 3,953 Sq. Ft. Kathy Harman 941-900-9828 A4524887 $4,350,000

ANNA MARIA ISLAND 112 Mangrove Avenue 4 Beds 3/1 Baths 3,577 Sq. Ft. Hannah Hillyard & George Myers 941-744-7358 A4502423 $3,849,000

888.552.5228 | MICHAELSAUNDERS.COM 379139-1

28

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EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

Lakehouse Cove home tops sales at $2.3 million RESEARCH EDITOR

A

home in Lakehouse Cove at Waterside topped all transactions in this week’s real estate. James Parker Turner IV, trustee, and Victoria Branch Turner, of Sarasota, sold the home at 764 Crosswind Ave. to Stephen and JeanMarie Barnish, of Sarasota, for $2.3 million. Built in 2018, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,202 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,357,700 in 2018.

COUNTRY CLUB EAST

James Frost and Jorge Morales, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their home at 15905 Kendleshire Terrace to Michael and Jayne Nolan, of Bradenton, for $1.95 million. Built in 2020, it has four bedrooms, fourand-a-half baths, a pool and 3,037 square feet of living area. It sold for $834,000 in 2020.

Judith Annette Lacy, of Park City, Utah, sold her home at 15708 Castle Park Terrace to Lisa Gardner Powers and Adam Thomas Powers, of Lakewood Ranch, for $1,662,000.

Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,217 square feet of living area.

MARLOW

Bruce Chasser and Susan Stewart sold their home at 7215 Marlow Place to Myra Hart and William Hart Jr., trustees, of Kailua, Hawaii, for $1.55 million. Built in 2000, it has three bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 3,803 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.22 million in 2021.

MALLORY PARK

Brandon Michael Daniels and Tara Daniels sold their home at 12215 Portsmouth Terrace to Daniel Robert Everingham and Margaret Everingham, of Bradenton, for $1,305,000.

Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 4,120 square feet of living area. It sold for $691,100 in 2019.

RIVERDALE

John and Rebecca Wick, trustees, of Carmel, Indiana, sold the home at 4501 Fifth Ave. N.E. to Gregory and Lisa Kuypers, of Bradenton, for $1.3 million. Built in 2014, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,353 square feet of living area. It sold for $715,000 in 2018.

GREENBROOK

Michael and Buffy Delisi, of Bradenton, sold their home at 13229 Brown Thrasher Pike to William and Donna Barcza, of Lakewood Ranch, for $1.25 million. Built in 2005, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,891 square feet of living area. It sold for $423,500 in 2005.

Anna Grieco and Andrew Treen, of Sarasota, sold their home at 15664 Lemon Fish Drive to Gregg and Linda Lloyd, of Lakewood Ranch, for $635,000. Built in 2006, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,094 square feet of living area.

It sold for $360,000 in 2020.

Kurtis Kenyon sold his home at 6384 Golden Eye Glen to Karen Gorden-Sluman, of Lakewood Ranch, for $530,600. Built in 2006, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,034 square feet of living area.

It sold for $298,000 in 2018.

LAKEWOOD NATIONAL

Blain and Karen Tiffany, of Centerville, Ohio, sold their home at 5647 Mulligan Way to Vaughan Channing Graves and Leslie Pamela Graves, of Philadelphia, for $1.2 million. Built in 2021, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,587 square feet of living area. It sold for $711,500 in 2021.

THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2022

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS

APRIL 18-22

POMELLO PARK

Thomas and Donna Hovanec, of Bradenton, sold their home at 18920 63rd Ave. E. to Jetta and James Wilder, of Palestine, Texas, for $1.2 million. Built in 2005, it has four bedrooms, four baths and 3,218 square feet of living area.

COUNTRY CLUB

George and Debra Behrens, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their home at 7210 Lake Forest Glen to James and Susan McDonald, of Scarborough, Maine, for $1.1 million. Built in 2007, it has three bedrooms, twoand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,500 square feet of living area. It sold for $560,000 in 2007.

Michael Gautier, of Nokomis, sold his home at 13962 Siena Loop to Ian Runnalls and Renee Uyen Runnalls, of Ontario, Canada, for $1,085,000.

Built in 2005, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,458 square feet of living area. It sold for $800,700 in March.

Theodore Harold Spitzmiller II and Donna Lee Spitzmiller, of Santa Fe, New Mexico, sold their home at 6551 Oakland Hills Drive to SPE #210 LLC for $725,000. Built in 1998, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 2,143 square feet of living area. It sold for $365,000 in 2021.

Lorraine and Kenneth Mondulick, trustees, sold the home at 6607 Oakland Hills Drive to David Martocci and Dianna Limozinere, of Oceanport, New Jersey, for $700,000. Built in 1998, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,886 square feet of living area.

RIVER CLUB SOUTH

Richard and Patricia Hector sold their home at 9911 Old Hyde Park Place to Thomas and Cynthia Kerestes, of Bradenton, for $1.1 million.

Built in 2002, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,191 square feet of living area. It sold for $605,000 in 2004.

Courtesy photo

This Lakehouse Cove at Waterside home at 764 Crosswind Ave. sold for $2.3 million. It has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,202 square feet of living area.

Built in 2015, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,399 square feet of living area. It sold for $345,000 in 2017.

UNIVERSITY PARK

Priscilla Gratton, of Sarasota, sold the home at 7008 Lennox Place to Richard Abbott, of Trumbull, Connecticut, for $845,000. Built in 2002, it has two bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,464 square feet of living area. It sold for $374,000 in 2012.

bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,242 square feet of living area. It sold for $385,000 in 2002.

MOTE RANCH

Claude and Nancy Nash, of Ocean City, Maryland, sold their home at 7010 Remington Court to Bradley and Janet Lynn Dunlap, of University, Park, for $840,000. Built in 1999, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,616 square feet of living area. It sold for $440,000 in 2010.

Leonard and Ruth Shafer, trustees, of Lady Lake, sold the home at 6520 Virginia Crossing to Christopher Gordon, of University Park, for $831,000. Built in 1995, it has three

SEE REAL ESTATE, PAGE 30

In with the new

David Ambrose and Barbara Fox sold their home at 9308 Firethorn Place to Chad and Kristen Hodges, of Bradenton, for $970,000. Built in 1997, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,009 square feet of living area. It sold for $520,000 in 2014.

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Timothy and Diane Crowley, of Bradenton, sold their home at 8239 Snowy Egret Place to Daryl Lee Jacobson and Ivona Jacobson, of Bradenton, for $1.01 million. Built in 2003, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,054 square feet of living area. It sold for $346,000 in 2012.

Longboat Key

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CENTRAL PARK

Brian and Tania Carroll, of Gilbert, Arizona, sold their home at 4615 Balboa Park Loop to John and Lillian Wilkins, of Pilesgrove, New Jersey, for $967,000. Built in 2015, it has three bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 3,178 square feet of living area.

It sold for $525,000 in 2019.

Downtown St. Petersburg

Yeon Yu, of Buford, Georgia, sold her home at 12284 Longview Lake Circle to Chris Olszewski, of Bradenton, for $500,000. Built in 2014, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,877 square feet of living area.

It sold for $239,800 in 2014.

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SAVANNA

Dennis and Susan Kowalski, of Parrish, sold their home at 13721 Saw Palm Creek Trail to Tyler and Shauna Casey, of Bradenton, for $953,000. Built in 2017, it has five bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,946 square feet of living area. It sold for $492,100 in 2017.

Downtown Sarasota

Jaclyn Riccobono and Brian Smolka, of Bradenton, sold their home at 14311 Flat Woods Terrace to Thomas and Abby Olsen, of Bradenton, for $949,000. Built in 2019, it has six bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths and 3,899 square feet of living area.

It sold for $458,800 in 2019.

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Edward and Elyse Serra, of Bradenton, sold their home at 10414 Eastwood Drive to Christopher Hall Morrison and Marie Gabrielle Morrison, of Indianapolis, for $850,000.

373584-1

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THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2022

Real estate GREYHAWK LANDING WEST

Robert Michael Horton, of Palmetto, sold the home at 527 Honeyflower Loop to Marcus and Emmanuella Williams, of Wheaton, Illinois, for $810,000. Built in 2015, it has five bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 3,820 square feet of living area.

It sold for $485,000 in 2017.

Shannon Mara Cucci and Patrick Michael Cucci II, of Bradenton, sold their home at 728 Rosemary Circle to Karen Perkey and Thomas Bramlage, of Bradenton, for $580,000.

Built in 2016, it has four bedrooms, two baths and is 1,843 square feet.

It sold for $294,400 in 2016.

WATER OAK

Dale and Lee Anne Pratt, of Parrish, sold their home at 6607 63rd Terrace E. to Michael and Maryann Lally, of Bradenton, for $810,000.

Built in 2003, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,307 square feet of living area.

CHARLESTON POINTE AT UNIVERSITY PLACE

Ann Blitz Shlenker and Michael and Samantha Shwartz, trustees, of Grenada, Mississippi, sold the home at 8310 Planters Knoll Terrace to Sandeep and Divya Mahajan, of Bradenton, for $750,000. Built in 2005, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and is 2,551 square feet. It sold for $600,000 in 2005.

GREYHAWK LANDING

Jonathan Gyure, of Bradenton, and Adrienne Gyure, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their home at 329 Blackbird Court to Andrew Treen and Anna Grieco, of Bradenton, for $750,000. Built in 2007, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,701 square feet of living area. It sold for $315,000 in 2012S.

I am thrilled to announce my return to Premier Sotheby’s International Realty – a brokerage that has always felt like home.

BROOKSIDE ESTATES

Steven and Stephanie Marshall, of Palmetto, sold their home at 855 129th St. N.E. to Christopher Orville and Renee Dingle, of Bradenton, for $740,000. Built in 2015, it has four bedrooms, four baths and 3,118 square feet of living area.

It sold for $442,500 in 2020.

Being a part of the Sotheby’s International Realty® network, I look forward to providing an elevated level of service and sharing the global resources of this time-honored brand with my customers.

DESOTO LAKES COUNTRY CLUB COLONY

Michael and Christine Bakken, trustees, of Aurora, Illinois, sold the home at 5206 Inverness Drive to Richard and Cynthia Darrell, of Austin, Texas, for $717,500. Built in 1986, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and is 2,788 square feet. It sold for $399,900 in 2006.

As an award-winning REALTOR® specializing in the Lakewood Ranch, Longboat Key and downtown Sarasota luxury market, and owning several Lakewood Ranch Country Club residences over the last 15 years, I am both deeply familiar with the charms of the Cultural Coast and passionate about the Southwest Florida lifestyle.

Clubside at Country Club East Donald Parella, of Lakewood Ranch, sold his Unit 1-C condominium at 7560 Divot Loop to Michael Malone, of Raleigh, North Carolina, for $711,000. Built in 2016, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,332 square feet of living area. It sold for $445,500 in 2016.

I have earned numerous accolades throughout my real estate career, including being recognized as a top producer in the prestigious Lake Club and holding the Certified International Property Specialist designation.

An advocate for the local community, I am a proud sponsor of Mote Marine, Selby Gardens and the Ringling Museum.

EDGEWATER

Mary Zeller and Margaret Zeller, of Newbury, Ohio, sold their home at 8305 Idlewood Court to Paul Saitta, of Lakewood Ranch, for $655,000.

Built in 1997, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,122

Hiring a seasoned professional with superb negotiating abilities and extensive knowledge of the local area can help you achieve the best possible results. I would be honored to guide you through your real estate journey. For concierge-level service, please contact me today.

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square feet of living area. It sold for $359,000 in 2005.

COACH HOMES AT LAKEWOOD NATIONAL

FROM PAGE 29

Alexandra Suzanne Fugate and Justin David Spotts, of Sarasota, sold their Unit 3912 condominium at 17825 Gawthrop Drive to Iris Klicic, of Chicago, for $650,000. Built in 2020, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,786 square feet of living area. It sold for $315,000 in 2020.

MILL CREEK

MOD TECH HOMES LLC sold the home at 103 133rd St. E. to Anh Huynh, Phuong Huynh and Victoria Thuy Quan, of Ontario, Canada, $650,000. Built in 1994, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 1,844 square feet of living area. It sold for $315,000 in 2021.

Paul David Shirey and Gloria Jean Shirey, trustees, of Bradenton, sold the home at 13628 Second Ave. E. to Justin and Meriem Richardson, of Bradenton, for $515,000. Built in 1989, it has three bedrooms, two baths and is 1,510 square feet.

PERIDIA

William and Judith Harvey, of Sarasota, sold their home at 4912 Kilty Court E. to Loreto Fraioli and Diane Schoenacher, of Bradenton, for $650,000. Built in 1991, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,938 square feet of living area. It sold for $270,000 in 1996.

Joel Match, of Sarasota, sold his home at 4037 Pro Am Ave. E.to Harold and Teresa Flowers, of Bradenton, for $520,000. Built in 1987, it has three bedrooms, twoand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,413 square feet of living area. It sold for $255,000 in 1987.

TARA

Blake and Kimberly Towe, of Bradenton, sold their home at 6803 Pleasant Hill Road to Stephen and Kimberly Munger, of Bradenton, for $650,000. Built in 1993, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 2,115 square feet of living area. It sold for $281,000 in 2020.

Matthew and Jennifer Giresi, of Bradenton, sold their home at 6515 Turners Gap Road to Robert and Helene Johnson, of Ashburn, Virginia, for $602,000. Built in 1995, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,079 square feet of living area. It sold for $293,000 in 2018.

Michael Graber and Elisa Abigail Graber, of Bradenton, sold their home at 6738 Peach Tree Creek Road to Ian and Sandra Hart, of Sarasota, for $515,000. Built in 1998, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and is 1,838 square feet. It sold for $289,000 in 2018.

ARBOR RESERVE

Bradley and Gina Nickel sold their home at 5820 Westhaven Cove to Jason and Corinne Ross, of Bradenton, for $615,500. Built in 2013, it has four bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and is 2,601 square feet. It sold for $368,000 in 2019.

ONLINE See more transactions at YourObserver.com

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WEATHER

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THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2022

NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH

FORECAST THURSDAY, MAY 5 High: 91 Low: 71 Chance of rain: 12%

FRIDAY, MAY 6 High: 88 Low: 72 Chance of rain: 8%

SUNRISE / SUNSET Sunrise Sunset Thursday, May 5

6:47a

8:05p

Friday, May 6

6:46a

8:06p

Saturday, May 7

6:45a

8:06p

Sunday, May 8

6:45a

8:07p

Monday, May 9

6:44a

8:07p

Tuesday, May 10

6:43a

8:08p

Wednesday, May 11

6:43a

8:08p

MOON PHASES

SATURDAY, MAY 7 High: 85 Low: 73 Chance of rain: 48%

SUNDAY, MAY 8 High: 86 Low: 70 Chance of rain: 24% Gordon Silver captured this narcissistic heron admiring itself in Del Webb of Lakewood Ranch.

June 7 First

June 14 Full

June 20 Last

June 28 New

RAINFALL Monday, April 25

0

Tuesday, April 26

0

Wednesday, April 27

0

Thursday, April 28

0

Friday, April 29

0

Saturday, April 30

0.25

Sunday, May 1

0.67

*Rainfall totals from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport

Submit your photos at YourObserver.com/Weather. All submissions will be entered for the 2022-23 Weather and Nature photo contest. In February 2023, you will vote for your favorite photo, and the submission with the most votes will win a $500 gift card.

YEAR TO DATE: 2022 5.88 in.

2021 8.82 in.

MONTH TO DATE: 2022 0.25 in.

2021 0.00 in.

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celebrity cipher

PUTTING MONEY DOWN by Hanh Huynh. Edited by David Steinberg class just for kicks?

122 Weasel with a winter coat 125 Crane game part in “Toy Story” 126 Obtained 127 Breezes along 128 Cruel ones 129 Waiting like a caller 130 Computer pros

DOWN

©2022 Universal Uclick

ACROSS

31 High schooler, usually 32 Arguing 1 Old Greek marketplace 34 Malek of “Bohemian 6 Sporty Mazdas Rhapsody” 12 Things moved upon 38 Meetup with a match graduation from an app 19 Like a goat’s hoof 42 Assist 20 Give in 44 Fake name 21 Get comfortable with 46 Palindromic stories 22 Voting rights activist 47 Seattle rock genre Stacey 49 Bill Withers hit with the 23 Budget car words “When you’re not 24 Cord for an ID card strong” 25 With parts of 2-Down 51 CPR expert and 46-Across, odorless 52 Bit of fluid for a canal? home hazard 54 Noted Apache leader 26 More bleached 55 Boats like Noah’s 28 With parts of 14-Down and 54-Across, Star Wars or 57 From Japan’s thirdlargest city James Bond 30 Ambient musician Brian 59 Inlets that anagram to

“sari” 60 Clear a path 64 With parts of 48-Down and 83-Across, falls off a surfboard 65 Plunders 67 Quarantines 69 Vietnamese New Year 71 It’s pressed once or twice 76 Broadcast again 78 ___ Lanka 80 Elemental variant 81 Papa’s partner, perhaps 83 Bean ___ (stir-fry veggie) 85 Set with a sharp image 86 Figure in a will 89 Portuguese dessert wine 92 With parts of 73-Down and 102-Across, hot pepper

93 “You can’t be serious!”

95 Steamy rooms 96 NBA legend Shaquille 99 “I love you,” in Peru 100 Aptly named runner Usain 102 Woman from France’s capital 104 With parts of 61-Down and 125-Across, Islamic code 105 Tidy 107 Biblical garden 108 www.cdc.___ 109 Needs nothing more 112 French tower name 115 Speak with crossed fingers 116 Sicilian cooking wine 120 One who may have a

1 Neighbor of Greece 2 “Wall Street” character who thought greed was good 3 Eggs 4 Sleep stage initials 5 Respond 6 Tomato-based pasta sauce 7 “SVU” actor 8 Adolescent skin concern 9 Aquarium fish 10 Tooth care org.

11 Only you can take one 12 Like a giraffe 13 Actor Driver 14 California birthplace of the United Nations 15 Double agent, e.g.

16 JFK landing stat 17 Paper size (Abbr.)

18 Nursery grass 19 ^ marks 27 Word before “fund” or “maze” 29 “___ be all right” 31 Exam 33 Official permission 35 “Welcome to Maui!”

36 Short skirts 37 Alpo competitor 39 Young woman, in old literature 40 Legal thriller writer Scott whose surname rhymes with “Thoreau” 41 Breaks up 43 Muscle above an ab 45 “Understand?”

48 Purple fizzy drink

50 Main arteries 53 Friend 55 French 53-Down 56 Dorm monitors, for short 58 Dissenting votes 61 Monuments honoring soldiers 62 Order to relax 63 Assenting vote 66 Maker of Aurora Berryalis nail polish 68 Possible sib for a bro 70 Align 72 Gas found in “more than enough” 73 Bowler’s movement to “steer” the ball, say 74 Appropriate 75 Show off before a drag race 77 Spinning speed stat 79 Rocker Turner’s memoir 81 Book after Jonah 82 Nice smell 84 Certain Jamaican believer 86 Sombrero or beret 87 Fleecy females 88 Bawl 90 Exciting discovery 91 Onstage whisper 92 Parking meter insert 94 Zero 97 Blesses with oil 98 Banks’ safety features?

101 “Time to head out!”

103 Choose 106 Six minutes, for an hour 110 Narrow strip of wood 111 Tools that might buzz 113 Analogy words 114 Sense instinctively 116 Fuji and Kilimanjaro (Abbr.)

117 “Eureka!”

118 Tomato’s color 119 ___-fi 121 Long time 123 Caviar source 124 Computer choice

By Luis Campos Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present.

Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

“UKKJKRZC UPZ CPKERYJUYT MSUG U NJW MUIK JP TG SJVC. J WCK CLHJKCZ UNFRK KEC KEJPWY KEUK JPYMJIC TC.” – ZOUGPC XFEPYFP

“UHAY JPVYO DC CXDKJOXU EDKKPY OJVM OJP VTPYVKP JAWVM JPVYO, EAO OJVO’C EPBVACP UHA’YP V OPVBJPY.” – VVYHM EVBVXX

“XKF ZBIF JRUX RLTMX LFBZY R JFPPBDBPX BP XKRX ETM RUF ITZPXRZXSE LFBZY FBXKFU JUTOFZ UBYKX TU JSFRPRZXSE PMUJUBPFC.” – YFTUYF GBSS © 2022 NEA, Inc.

Puzzle Three Clue: D equals M

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5-5-22

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Let the games begin

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THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2022

33

Second grader Abel Hilliard and his mother, Megan, try to send as many balls into the net as possible during a game of hockey.

“Maybe I should try out for the (Tampa Bay) Lightning,” Megan Hilliard said.

K

ristin Wikstrom cheered on her son, Corum Wikstrom, as he “swam” through a sea of blue balloons in a hallway at Freedom Elementary School.

The event had Freedom Elementary School mothers and sons lying on scooters and pulling themselves to the finish line. Once the sons reached the end of the hall, it was the mothers’ turn to go back.

Faux swimming was one of eight competitive events for dozens of Freedom Elementary School mothers and sons in the Parent-Teacher Organization’s Mother and Son Olympics on April 29.

“I competed in college athletics, and this is more competitive,” Kristin Wikstrom said. “I had inspiration from Corum, who did a great job.”

Mothers and sons came up with their own country names and decorated their flags to represent their families. The flags were hung around the cafeteria during the Olympics.

Angie Moore and her son, Aiden, who is in fifth grade, decided their team name would be “Double A.” “We struggled with it,” Angie Moore said about coming up with a team name.

“We talked about different sports and countries. We decided because both of our names start with ‘A,’ we would go with ‘Double A.’” — LIZ RAMOS Photos by Liz Ramos

Tara Paine, her third grader, Colin, and kindergartner, Quentin, can’t wait to spend time together while competing in different events.

Made for where you live. Here!

Candice Smith pushes her son Bowen Smith, who is in fourth grade, during bobsledding.

Corum Wikstrom, who is in pre-kindergarten, dashes through a sea of blue balloons in the “swimming” event.

THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2022

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COVID Negative.

Call Kati: 941-536-7706.

DEADLINES: Classifieds - Monday at Noon Service Directory - Friday at 3PM • PAYMENT: Cash, Check or Credit Card The East County Observer reserves the right to classify and edit copy, or to reject or cancel an advertisement at any time. Corrections after first insertion only. *All ads are subject to the approval of the Publisher. *It is the responsibility of the party placing any ad for publication in the East County Observer to meet all applicable legal requirements in connection with the ad such as compliance with towncodes in first obtaining an occupational license for business, permitted home occupation, or residential rental property Notice: All real estate advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis..

Merchandise Wanted

Items Under $200 FUJI BICYCLE stepthrough 3 speed: 26 inch wheel size Saratoga 2.0, silver. $199 941-927-9816 MODERN RUGS - 4 matching, multi-colored, checkered rugs.

Large & small. $139. Shark steam mop $59. 941-758-4646

General Merchandise BUYING CARD collections!

Looking to free up space and make $$? Need to sell cards?

Collector looking to expand card collection. Pay top dollar. Text/call 941-548-6492 with photos.

Sporting Goods

Beach’ N Rides Electric Bike Shop eBike Sales and Rentals Ride easy on an eBike with as much exercise or assistance as you want. Leave traffic and parking problems behind!

13 models available.

Daily and weekly rentals available We also repair other Brands Open 10 to 5 daily except Sundays and holidays 12208 Cortez Road, Cortez, FL

941-251-7916, Ext 1

SELL YOUR STUFF HERE! Advertise items less than $200 for FREE! YourObserver.com/RedPages

auto

stuff

SENIOR LOOKING to purchase precious metals, diamonds, time pieces, coins, jewelry, antique and estate jewelry, and collectors plates. Personal and confidential. Please call Marc: 941-321-0707.

Autos Wanted CASH FOR YOUR CAR We come to you!

Ho Ho Buys cars.

941-270-4400.

STORAGE FACILITY Boat/ RV/ Trailer. Secure facility, low monthly rentals, Clark Rd area.

941809-3660, 941-809-3662.

WE BUY cars. top $$ paid for your vehicles.

Call Hawley Motors: 941-923-3421.

BUY STUFF HERE! YourObserver.com/RedPages

FIND BUYERS & SELLERS HERE! Homes for Sale LONGBOAT KEY Incredible views Private boat dock Owner/agent $650,000 The Lake Club LWR 4 bed 4.5 bath Pool/Spa Dazzling with upgrades 2.5 Million Buy or Sell with Brooke O’Malley as your Realtor, and CLUB REALTY will Pay your title insurance.

Call 941-726-2677.

Auto Transport SHIP YOUR car, truck or SUV anywhere in the United States.

Great rates, fast quotes. Call Hawley Motors: 941-923-3421.

Cleaning ARELIS CLEANING Services Inc. Residential & Commercial cleaning, powerwashing and interior/exterior painting.

Licensed, bonded & insured.

941-822-4114 BRAZILIAN CLEANING Service

by Maria. Residential. Meticulous Cleaning. Excellent References.

Free Estimates. Reliable. Lic./Ins. 941-400-3342. www.braziliancleaningbymk.com

SELL YOUR STUFF HERE!

Paint Paint Paint the the the town town town RED! RED! RED!

INFORMATION & RATES: 941-955-4888

Advertise your business or service in the Observer Advertise your business Observer or service inyour the business Advertise

RED or service PAGES in the Observer RED PAGES RED PAGES CALL TODAY 941-955-4888 CALL TODAY 941-955-4888 CALL TODAY 941-955-4888 Cleaning

CLAUDIA C. Cleaning Services.

Experienced, dependable, and ready to begin!

Residential.

Excellent references.

941-773-6895.

EDLA’S VIP Cleaning is a local cleaning company that has been in business for over 24 years. We are very committed to quality housecleaning and highly recommended. 5 star reviews.

941-400-2866

Painting CARLO DATTILO Painting Licensed & insured. Interior/ Exterior painting including drywall repair and retexturing.

Wallpaper installation & removal, pressure washing. Residential & commercial, condos. Honest & reliable.

Free estimates. 941-744-1020.

35+ years experience.

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

|

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2022

Aluminum

Furniture Repair

Kitchen/Bath Remodeling

Patio Furniture Repairs.com

Custom Granite Services, llc

Furniture Sales & Repairs Cushions • Slings • Re-powdercoating

380107

941-504-0903

FREE PICKUP / DELIVERY • FREE ONSITE QUOTES

941.650.9790 941.650.9790 YoderAluminum.com

381029

Owner /Insured Operator Insured

381310

CustomGraniteServicesLLC@gmail.com

ARCHIMEDES

YoderAluminum.com SERVICES, LLC

Auto Service

30+years ✔ ConcreteExperience repair, tear-outs ✔ Pressure cleaning, mobile homes, cleaning Concrete Repairs, Sidewalks, Patios and gutters Driveways ✔ Sidewalks, patios, and driveways ✔ All forms of yard maintePressure Cleaning • Painting Interior/Exterior nance and Tree work ✔ Painting interior, exterior Yard Maintenance and Tree Work ✔ Insured/Free Estimates Insured/Free Estimates

SELL YOUR CAR! FAST • EASY • SAFE

Owner Ron Willard . 941-277-3818 . archservllc@gmail.com

WE COME TO YOU

941.270.4400

CALL BEFOREYOU YOU FALL CALL BEFORE FALL

GRAB BARS GRAB BARS COMPLETE INSTALLATION PACKAGE

381025

Beauty SERVING YOU IN THE COMFORT OF YOUR HOME

GET YOUR LIFE BACK!

LIFETIME GUARANTEE • LICENSED • BONDED • INSURED COVERAGE AREA: RANCH TO S. VENICE COVERAGE AREA:LAKEWOOD PARRISH TO NORTHPORT

Do You Have Neck or Low Back Pain?

Do You Want To Avoid Surgery?

GLENN KROECKER

954-1878 (cell) 780-3346 SHOWER & BATH MAKEOVERS

University Health Park 2415 University Parkway Bldg. 3, Suite 216 Sarasota, FL 34243

381032

Cleaned - Regrouted - Caulked - Sealed

380070

Pegatronics.com

Call John 941.377.2940

Free Estimates • Sarasota Resident Since 1974

www.showerandbathsarasota.com 381313

The Only Thing You Have To Lose ... Is The Pain!!

Learn Computer Basics Phones/Tablet Help Apple & Microsoft Problems Solved On-Site and Off Much More! Call Today!

Licensed & Insured

381326

DR. DAVID CIFRA, DC

www.SarasotaDiscCenter.com DrCifra@SarasotaDiscCenter.com

Pegatronics Computer Instruction and Repair It’s Easier Than You Think!

381307

Recognized Among the Best Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Physicians in America Board Certified in the specialty of non-surgical spinal decompression

Computer

Landscaping & Lawn

Home Services

GARDENS BY ALLISON No Job is too Small!

Design • Garden Beds Landscape • Courtyards Clean-Up • Makeovers Weeds • Trimming

Are You Having Dryer Difficulties?

• Dryer hot but clothes still wet after (1) drying cycle?

• Dryer gets hot to the touch or doesn’t heat up at all?

Take a simple test to see if your vent is clogged. Unhook your dryer vent & compare drying time.

Residential

941-735-3362

941-705-5468

Commercial

381308

Allison J. Abizaid, M.A.

Personal Gardening Services | Designer

Irrigation

941.400.0431

Doors

UNIQUE PAINTING & PRESSURE WASHING SERVICES Complete Interior & Exterior Painting

Homes - Driveways - Sidewalks - Tile & Shingle Roofs - Pool Cages & Decks

FREE ESTIMATES - Call Joel, Owner 30 Years Exp. Cell 619-405-7650 Home/Office 941-758-4840

381033

“FIX IT - DON’T REPLACE”

Painting

380121

IRRIGATION (941) 725-8100 REPAIR edsrainmakerirrigation@gmail.com MAINTENANCE Insured

gbyallison@yahoo.com gardensbyallison.com

381309

ED’S RAIN MAKER IRRIGATION

Sliding Glass Door Repair

Servicing LWR, Parrish and NE Bradenton 381324

New Deluxe Rollers Will Make Your Doors Roll Better Than Ever Call Mark 928-2263 proslidingglassdoorrepair.com

DRGRABBARS.COM

THE GRAB BAR GUY

FREE CONSULTATION 941.358.2224

424-333-0713 | rockstarmobilehair@gmail.com www.rockstarmobilehairsalon.com

INCLUDES22MOEN MOEN STAINLESS INCLUDES STAINLESS STEEL STEELANTI ANTISLIP SLIP CONCEALED PEEN CONCEALED SCREW GRAB BARS (16”BARS & 24”)(16” & 24”) SCREW GRAB

941.966.0333

Give Us a Call - We Can Help

AMANDA

249 235 235

$$

$

Health

5-Star Rated

HoHoBuysCars.com

Hardware Repair Virus / Malware Cleanup Software & Printer Install New Computer Setups New Purchase Consults Seniors & Beginners

CJ COOLEY OWNER/OPERATOR

30+ YEARS EXPERIENCE No Money Down Reliable On Time Every Time

381031 375249

Dustin Yoder

Dustin Owner Yoder/ Operator

941-400-4912

Handyman

“Specializing inin6” Gutters” “Specializing 6” Seamless Seamless Gutters”

380532 364556

34

Personal Services

Find anything in the RED PAGES | 941-955-4888

Doors

381315

DON’T let your PATIO DOORS be a DRAG or your WINDOWS be a PANE!!

Rescreening & Repairs

Window Repairs • Sliding Glass Door Repairs Sliding Glass Door Deadbolts

941-345-5264

specialty screens / screw replacement / paint

FREE IN-HOM ESTIMATEE S

RED PAGES

381325

www.ezslider.com

381311

Call us today! 941.628.8579

• Pool Cage Restoration • Rescreening Specialists • Specialty Screens • Paint • Doors and more!

Satisfaction guarantee Satisfaction Guarantee Pool cage Restoration/ Rescreening specialists Manufacture and Workmanship Warranties Doors and more!

BOOST YOUR BUSINESS Manufacture and workmanship Warranties

Showcase your products or services.

CALL 941-955-4888 (941) 345-5264

YourObserver.com

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

Rescreening & Repairs

Roofing

|

THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2022

35

Screening

Bisson Roofing Inc. Specializing in Reroofs and Repairs FREE Estimates • 30 Years Experience

941 - 748 - 7400

Eldridge Re-Screen

This week’s Crossword answers

This week’s Celebrity Cipher answers Puzzle One Solution: “Attitude and enthusiasm play a big part in my life. I get excited about the things that inspire me.”

Dwayne Johnson Puzzle Two Solution: “Your heart is slightly bigger than the average human heart, but that’s because you’re a teacher.”

Aaron Bacall Puzzle Three Solution: “The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised.”

George Will

This week’s Sudoku answers

380636

25

UP TO

STANDARD WINDOWS

ows

140

$

INCLUDING SCREENS, TRACKS, MIRRORS & FANS

SPECIAL 00 5

$

senior citizen discount. www.sunsetwindowcleaningsrq.com

Purified water window cleaning available!!

Call Tibor for FREE ESTIMATES | 941- 284 - 5880

RIGHT ON TARGET Advertise your business, starting at only $85 per month.

©2022 Universal Uclick

HEROES found here.

Relax. You’ve got better things to do.

Find a professional here in the Red Pages.

RED PAGES Made for where you live. Here!

Call 941-955-4888 or visit YourObserver.com/redpages

©2022 NEA, Inc.

You’re only cheating yourself.

peekers’ place

Form Serving Longboat Key Since 2005

941-626-3194

Licensed & Insured CCC - 058059 CBC - 1253936

Lic./Ins.

& Pressure C Window lean t e s ing n s a S u n u n w r o i s n e k Wind S erly

• Aluminum, Vinyl, & Wood Soffit & Fascia Repair & Installation • Roofing Repair & Installation • Metal Roofing & Tile Roof Repair Specialists

Insured

941-270-1561

Res./Com.

Building & Roofing Contractor

380575

“No Job Too Small”

Windows

Kenneth Fuhlman Inc.

380574

Licensed

www.bissonroofing.com

OBSERVER RED PAGES

Call 941-955-4888 YourObserver.com/RedPages

381323

Owner Supervises Every Job

381312

380120

RC0067420 • Lic. & Ins.

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

|

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2022

YOUR REAL ESTATE EXPERIENCE

LISTINGS

SOLD FOR 107% OF LIST PRICE

COUNTRY CLUB EAST 7462 Seacroft Cove

UNDER CONTRACT

COUNTRY CLUB EAST 16701 Collingtree Crossing

Sold for $2,525,000

Offered at $1,500,000

JUST LISTED - UNDER LAKEWOOD RANCH COUNTRY CLUB 7974 Royal Birkdale Circle CONTRACT IN 1 DAY Offered at $1,595,000

COUNTRY CLUB EAST 14647 Newtonmore Lane

SOLD FOR 105% OF LIST PRICE

Sold for $977,500

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THESE LISTINGS, SCAN THIS QR CODE.

Our Experience is Your Best Asset Contact us Today to Discuss Your 2022 Homeownership Goals HOLLY PASCARELLA, PA 941.225.3218 Holly.Pascarella@CBRealty.com

KATINA SHANAHAN, PLLC 941.702.0437 Katina.Shanahan@CBRealty.com

KENNETH SHANAHAN, PLLC 941.702.0443 Kenneth.Shanahan@CBRealty.com

379757-1

36