East County Observer 09.29.22

EAST COUNTY

SHELTER FROM THE STORM

Students make every penny count

Lane Meyer and Okhan Ozturk (above), who are fifth-graders at Gilbert W. McNeal Elementary School, were celebrating the school’s haul from the Pennies for Peace initiative.

Meyer and Ozturk, along with other student leaders at McNeal, collected pennies so the school could purchase books related to peace to donate to McNeal’s sister school, G.D. Rogers Garden-Bullock Elementary School.

From Sept. 12-16, the school collected $241.74 for Pennies for Peace, which was a part of McNeal Elementary’s annual International Day of Peace celebrations.

“It was a lot more than I expected,” Ozturk said. “It feels good to be able to donate.”

Other activities for International Day of Peace on Sept. 21 included a student-led ceremony and a dedication of a Peace Pole.

Clearing the path for peace

River Club’s Emily Ellis walked along the Peaceful Path at Peace Presbyterian Church Sept. 24 and collected palm fronds she saw along the way.

The 17-year-old Ellis, shown above with Parrish’s Glen Muirhead, was among at least 30 volunteers who cleared the path, which is located on the church’s property off State Road 64. Ellis was volunteering with her Scouts BSA troop. She said it was an excellent opportunity to give back to the church, which is where her troop meets.

Jamie Reagan, a member of Peace Presbyterian Church, said the path has been a haven for children and adults to appreciate the beauty of nature while enjoying features such as artwork and musical instruments that are incorporated into the path.

“They call it their home, kind of. They feel at home here. You can’t get lost,” Reagan said.

As Hurricane Ian approaches, Manatee County schools transition into shelters.

After the bell rang at 4:10 p.m.

Sept. 26, R. Dan Nolan Middle School started transitioning from a school to a hurricane shelter.

Hurricane Ian was on its way.

The school’s media center became the Manatee County Department of Health’s headquarters. Bookshelves were pushed against the walls to make room for the bounty of supplies.

The gym was turned into a giant bedroom with more than 100 cots.

Welcome additions

Lakewood Ranch High and Freedom Elementary start work

A+E

Siesta Key: Above and beyond.

Liz Ramos

Ian Swaby

Lakewood Ranch’s

Liz Ramos

David Saldivar, a Manatee County Code Enforcement officer, helps with setting up more than 100 cots at R. Dan Nolan Middle School helping the school becoming a hurricane shelter as Hurricane Ian approaches.

Liz Ramos

Dustin Dahlquist, principal of Lakewood Ranch High School, says students and staff are ready for the 20-classroom addition that will relieve stress on a school that is over populated.

LIZ RAMOS | STAFF WRITER

Commission clears path to sell Lena Road property

Commissioners approved a rezone of 98 acres from agricultural to mixed-use.

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

A section of Manatee County’s prop erty along Lena Road and State Road 64 drew another step closer to its return to the private sector.

On Sept. 22, Manatee County commissioners voted 6-1 to approve a rezone of about 98 acres of the 161 acres it had acquired from Musgrave Real Estate Holdings for $32.5 mil lion in 2020, expanding the range of uses it will accommodate once sold to developers by changing its classi fication from Suburban Agricultural to Planned Development/Mixed Use.

Among the allowable structures will be offices, warehouses, hotels and motels, and residential devel opments.

“This will be rezoned, it will cre ate value, it will create opportunity to do things for an area that could use some more employment base, an area that could use more higherdensity residential,” said At-Large Commissioner George Kruse. “It’s a plan we have been discussing for months, if not over a year now, and now we’re just finally enacting it.”

Kruse said the rezone would allow commissioners to parcel the property in a way that includes deed restric tions for affordable and workforce housing in certain portions before they are sold to developers.

The move follows a Sept. 1 unani mous vote by commissioners to des ignate the overall Lena Road prop erty as “surplus,” a necessary step preceding a resale.

When the county acquired the land for $187,488 per acre, it was intended as the site of a Manatee County operations center that would include a district office for the Man atee County Sheriff’s Office, a coun ty fleet garage, a storage facility for 100 Sheriff’s Office cruisers, a field

operations facility for the Utilities Department, a warehouse and a solid waste transfer station.

Rob Wenzel, of Development Ser vices, said during the meeting that while there was formerly an inter ested party for the property, it is not currently being pursued for a sale, and he has no knowledge of an end user.

To make the rezone possible, the vote concurrently approved a change to the future land use category from Urban Fringe 3, which supports rezones among light uses, includ ing neighborhood commercial and agricultural, to mixed-use, which supports rezones among community and regional retail uses.

The rezone applies to about 98.6 acres of the 161-acre property and excludes a section along the western edge directly bordering Lena Road. It does not impact a separate, private ly owned property directly north of the Musgrave property and directly south of State Road 64.

Accompanying the rezone was a general development plan setting a maximum of 12 dwelling units per acre and a 0.35 floor area ratio for buildings, down from the usual 30 dwelling units per acre and 1.0 floor

area ratio included in that zoning district.

“This is a logical transition from the mixed-use to the west and the mixed-use to the north, com ing down to this property and then continuing to the east,” said Kelley Klepper, a vice president and senior project manager for engineering firm Kimley-Horn.

He said the rezone would pro vide opportunities for housing and employment.

Commissioner Misty Servia, who offered the only dissenting vote, raised concerns about the compat ibility of the rezone with the sur rounding area, including the pres ence of residential areas near the adjacent landfill beyond the south end of the site.

Klepper said the rezone had the ability to provide a logical transition from the landfill, to the surrounding spaces, as the county would have the ability to confine the southern areas to industrial uses. He said the boundaries of the solid waste facility are well removed from the property, with the required buffering and set backs.

He also said that building heights must be reduced along the edge of

the property, which will prevent developments that are out of char acter with their surroundings.

Servia also said she was concerned about whether the infrastructure was in place to support development and did not think compatibility could be evaluated at this point.

“If approved today, this will never, ever, ever expire,” she said. “We have no idea what this area will look like in 30 years, but today, if we approve it, it’s pretty much telling the area what it will look like.”

District 5 Commissioner Vanessa

GENERAL DEVELOPMENT

PLAN

Maximum dwelling units per acre: 12 Maximum total dwelling units: 638 Maximum floor-to-area ratio per building: 0.35

Maximum building height: 250 feet

Open space requirements: 20-25% depending on use

Native plant community preservation requirements: 35% of the required open space or 75% percent of the existing native plant communities (whichever is less)

Wetlands impacted: 4.41 acres of wetlands deemed lowquality Species habitats on property: Bald eagle, Southeastern American Kestrel, woodstork

Baugh said she did not share Servia’s concerns, pointing to the fact that all subsequent requests to pursue proj ects on the property would still need to pass through the commission.

Klepper said the only negative aspect of the rezone was that while Lena Road is being extended and improved toward State Road 70, there are no plans to widen the road. He said the county’s analysis did not support doing so at this time, but there is right-of-way to expand the road as needed in the future. He said future capital improvement proj ects are expected to provide further access routes.

According to Baugh, the county is still pursuing plans to build a transfer station on the area of the property it is retaining.

This station would consolidate garbage from individual collectors for transportation by tractor trailers to a currently undetermined future landfill site.

Photos by Ian Swaby

Construction vehicles navigate the landfill on Lena Road, which is adjacent to the rezoned area.

At-Large Commissioner George Kruse discusses pursuing affordable housing on the property.

TWO ADDITIONS BREAK GROUND

LIZ RAMOS STAFF WRITER

Anew addition to Lakewood Ranch High School has been a long time coming.

Five years after the School Board of Manatee County initially approved an addition to the school in 2017, Dustin Dahlquist, the principal of Lakewood Ranch High, was able to stick a shovel in some dirt and be a part of the addition’s groundbreaking ceremony Sept. 22.

“All of this sweat equity and hard work will be more than worth it when our students, faculty and staff move into this building,” Dahlquist said. “While we enjoy our classes in our learning cottages, we embrace the 21st century classroom and technol ogies that will be part of every one of these 20 classrooms.”

The School District of Manatee County held groundbreakings on additions for Lakewood Ranch High School and Freedom Elementary School at each school Sept. 22.

“I want to thank the citizens of Manatee County because without them choosing to invest in our capi tal projects, this would not be taking place,” said Cynthia Saunders, the superintendent of the School Dis trict of Manatee County. “The halfcent sales tax has been immeasurable for us to be able to add on, renovate schools as well as build new schools to deal with growth in this commu nity.”

Saunders said the additions will help the district address the rapid growth occurring in East County.

Dahlquist said Lakewood Ranch High has approximately the same number of students as when he became principal of the school in 2019.

The opening of Parrish Commu nity High School was supposed to help alleviate the overcrowding at the school, but the district already is planning an addition at Parrish Community High to accommodate more students.

“You figure in that timeframe, a couple thousand more students have gone onto the secondary level, so we anticipate that (growth) is not going to slow down,” Dahlquist said. “Out east here, we just continue to build, so this is going to be a welcome addi tion to our school.”

The Lakewood Ranch two-story addition will have 20 classrooms and two labs, adding about 500 student stations to the school and bringing up the school’s capacity to about 2,300 students. There also will be two bathrooms, teacher planning rooms, storage rooms, mechanical rooms and an elevator in the addi tion.

Dahlquist said the school has 2,439 students enrolled so far this year.

The addition project also includes a new cooling tower, chiller, replace ment boiler and all associated

LAKEWOOD RANCH

HIGH ADDITION

2,439 Enrollment 1,818 Capacity 2,300 Proposed capacity with addition 20 New classrooms in the addition 2 New science labs in the addition 500 Added student stations $18.2 MILLION Project budget

JANUARY 2023: Expected completion

FREEDOM ELEMENTARY ADDITION

572 Enrollment 746 Capacity 910 Proposed capacity with addition 8 New classrooms in the addition 160 Added student stations $4 MILLION Project budget JUNE 2023: Expected completion

pumps. It will be constructed behind Building 5 with covered walkways connecting the two buildings. A courtyard will be created with crosssidewalks with benches and planters to give students an area to gather.

The $18.2 million addition is scheduled to be open in January 2023.

“We are proud to declare our selves an academic powerhouse here at Lakewood Ranch High School,” Dahlquist said. “Our students and teachers work diligently each day to maximize our academic and extra curricular successes and results.

Our school community continues to grow, and this will assist with our

growth, but the community invests much in our school. We are always excited to share about the return on this investment through the teach ing and learning that happens in our classrooms.”

The addition will allow the district to remove the 20 portables located between Buildings 4 and 5 on cam pus, which Dahlquist said have been at the school for 20 years.

“We’re hoping that this will enable us to thrive and have a better learn ing environment for our students for years,” Saunders said.

The school board approved Free dom Elementary’s eight-classroom addition in August and is expected to open in June 2023. The singlestory building is expected to have about 160 student stations, bringing the school’s capacity to 910 student stations.

The $4 million project also includes a mechanical room and restrooms that are connected to the main building with an aluminum covered walkway.

“It’s going to expand our body, of course, so that’s exciting,” said Guy Grimes, the principal of Freedom Elementary School. “It’s going to have some new technologies that the rest of our building is catching up to. It’s going to add beautification to our campus. It’s just going to open up for a more welcoming spot for our com munity to come and be a part of.”

Grimes said although the school’s enrollment stands at about 572 stu dents out of the school’s 746-stu dent capacity, there are apartment complexes and homes being built in the school’s attendance zone that will lead to an increase in enrollment at the school.

Grimes said the growth in East County is exciting.

“Growth means people and people means relationships and opportuni ties,” he said. “Our school is all about building relationships. That just ful fills our mission.”

Saunders said the district is being

proactive in building the addition at Freedom.

“We’re just so very grateful that even though we might not need that building today … the building will be in place just in time (for the growth),”

Saunders said. “If your children are going to be going to Haile Middle School after leaving Freedom Ele mentary, guess what? It’s going to be under construction also.”

Carlos E. Haile Middle School will undergo a renovation and have an addition.

Dahlquist said students and teach ers will have more space to work with in the new classrooms compared to the portables as well as new technol ogy such as Samsung tablets.

“It gives the teacher another option outside of just the lecture,” Dahlquist said. “It gives the teacher the ability to move throughout the classroom, not only assisting the large group but some of the smaller groups and then also offering more individual instruction to our students. They can differentiate the learning going on in classrooms.”

Grimes said anything new on cam pus creates excitement among stu dents and staff.

“With new classrooms, there are going to be new teachers,” Grimes said. “Any time you bring in new staff members, it invigorates the whole crew.”

Lakewood Ranch High and Freedom Elementary begin construction on key additions to address area growth.

School Board member James Golden, Superintendent Cynthia Saunders, Lakewood Ranch High School’s mascot and Lakewood Ranch High Principal Dustin Dahlquist move dirt for the groundbreaking.

Photos by Liz Ramos

Guy Grimes, principal of Freedom Elementary, School Board Members Gina Messenger and Charlie Kennedy, and Freedom Elementary fourth-grader Anna Burke are excited to be a part of the groundbreaking ceremony.

Freedom Elementary School fourth-graders Lainie Prater and Jalee Harnish put on hard hats and grab shovels to celebrate the groundbreaking of their school’s new addition.

Rendering

Hurricane

A classroom with an exterior door became the designated pet room so families could easily give their furry friends access to the outdoors.

In just a matter of hours, the school was fully stocked with emergency supplies, cots and more.

A TEMPORARY HOME Throughout Manatee County, 15 schools became a temporary home for people taking refuge from Hur ricane Ian.

Nolan Middle was specifically for individuals with special needs.

Braden River and Manatee high schools and Mills Elementary School were designated pet-friendly shel ters.

Mike Barber, the director of com munications for the School District of Manatee County, said once any school is closed to become a shelter, all schools are closed. The School District of Manatee County closed all its schools to students Sept. 27.

Evacuees started arriving at the shelters Sept. 27 after evacuation orders were issued for Zone A and Zone B (the flood-prone areas) of Manatee County on Sept. 26. The evacuation for Zone A was mandato ry while the vacation for Zone B was voluntary but strongly encouraged.

County Administrator Scott

Hopes said between the two zones, residents from 120,000 homes could have been seeking shelter.

Cynthia Saunders, the superinten dent of the School District of Mana tee County, said about 20 district and school staff members at each school will work shifts at the shelters to ensure safety and security.

Each shelter also had two Mana tee County Sheriff’s Office depu ties, two School District of Manatee County guardians and three medical assistants from the state.

“This is the first time the state has staffed us with medical personnel, which is essential because in many cases, people that show up don’t necessarily qualify for special needs, but they have medical conditions,” Saunders said. “Once the wind is that certain speed, the ambulances won’t run, and it’s very difficult to transport them to a hospital.”

Once wind speeds reach 45 miles per hour, Saunders said staff at the shelter must remain in place because it is no longer safe to travel.

EVERYONE HELPS

While department of health staff and Manatee County Code Enforcement officers set up cots and brought in oxygen tanks and other medical sup plies, Nolan staff members prepared other areas.

Principal Scott Cooper and Assis tant Principal Lori Jones walked the grounds putting up signage so peo ple would know where to register, find the bathrooms, and more.

FROM PAGE 1A

Liz Ramos R. Dan Nolan Middle School Principal Scott Cooper and Assistant Principal Lori Jones set up signs around the building guiding people where to go.

Part of Cooper’s responsibilities in getting the shelter ready before it opened at 8 a.m. Sept. 26 was fig uring out where to put everyone. For example, he decided the health department should be in the media center for easy access to the building, and the room was large enough for its staff, supplies and equipment.

Saunders and Cooper said gyms are the first to be filled when people enter the shelter, but once space runs out, hallways and classrooms are used.

Cooper told his staff to store away anything important or valuable before Sept. 26 in preparation of the county deciding to open shelters.

JUST A LIFEBOAT

Saunders said schools set up a TV area so people could be kept up to date on the weather and news reports, and school cafeteria staff provide meals for everyone three times per day.

“We call a shelter a lifeboat. It’s not a cruise ship,” Saunders said. “It’s a safe structure with climate control, and it’s accommodating, but it’s not a luxury yacht. It’s to make sure basic needs are in place.”

After Manatee County declared a state of emergency Sept. 24, East County Emergency Services and residents who weren’t planning to use the shelters did not wait to begin gathering supplies and bracing for the threat of Hurricane Ian.

Although East County residents said they felt sheltered by their dis tance from the coast, they didn’t want to take safety for granted.

Polo Run’s Candice Cancienne went to the Myakka Community Center on Wauchula Road Sept. 26 to pick up sandbags to prevent flooding from the lakes in her neighborhood, which she said can back up onto her lanai and not drain quickly enough.

“The water has nowhere to go,” said Chris Cancienne, Candice Can cienne’s husband.

Myakka City’s Deanna Spencer took home 10 to 15 sandbags for her garage, which flooded during Hur ricane Irma.

“It’s hard to know what to think about it now,” Spencer said on Sept. 26. “We’re already 30 miles from the coast. If the storm stays away, we’ll be 60 miles from it. I’m trying not to get overly worried or scared.”

East County businesses also were

taking precautions.

Paul Caruso, an East County resi dent and commercial fisherman, moved his crab traps to the shallow banks of the Manatee River on Sept. 26 to avoid them becoming entan gled at a great depth, something he has not done since Hurricane Irma.

He said since he’s lived on the river near the Fort Hamer Bridge since he was a child, he does not have con cerns about flooding.

At Dakin Dairy Farm in Myakka City, Manager Courtney Dakin said staff members were bulldozing the area to create sediment barriers. She said during the storm, the cattle

would be inside a well-secured barn, huddling together.

“They know what to do more than we do,” she said.

COORDINATED EFFORT

Vanessa Baugh, the District 5 rep resentative on the Manatee County Commission, said Manatee Coun ty’s Emergency Management was dealing with the situation through a coordinated effort that includes working with other counties, such as Hillsborough County.

“I’ve got to tell you, they are on top of it,” Baugh said of Manatee Coun ty’s staff.

Baugh said Lakewood Ranch’s Community Emergency Response Team would be an important added protection. Comprised of members of the community, CERT provides first aid and assistance locally at a time when barriers, such as fallen trees, might hinder emergency vehi cles.

Deputy Chief Paul Wren at the East Manatee Fire Rescue said on Sept. 26, following the department’s emergency declaration, that normal operations were about to change.

He said operational changes began 8 p.m. Sept. 27 with an increase in staffing.

OPEN SHELTERS

n Bayshore Elementary School, 6120 26th St. W., Bradenton

n Braden River High School, 6545 State Road 70 E., Bradenton (pet friendly)

n Freedom Elementary School, 9515 State Road 64 E., Bradenton

n Gullett Elementary School, 12125 44th Ave. E., Bradenton

n Harvey Elementary School, 8610 115th Ave. E., Parrish

n Lee Middle School, 4000 53rd Ave. W., Bradenton

n Manatee High School, 902 33rd St. Court W., Bradenton (pet friendly)

n McNeal Elementary School, 6325 Lorraine Road, Bradenton

n Miller Elementary School, 601 43rd St. W., Bradenton

n Mills Elementary School, 7200 69th St. E., Palmetto (pet friendly)

n Myakka City Elementary School, 37205 Manatee Ave., Myakka City

n Nolan Middle School, 6615 Greenbrook Blvd., Bradenton

n Rodgers Garden Elementary School, 515 13th Ave. W., Bradenton

n William Elementary School, 3404 Fort Hamer Road, Parrish

n Willis Elementary School, 14705 The Masters Ave., Bradenton

Wren said the fire rescue was pre paring for all scenarios. He said staff members are prepared to deal with any issue the old-fashioned way, if needed, with paper maps of the county and pins marked with the numbers of individual fire engines.

On Sept. 26, the department assembled its district operations center inside its Station 1. Calls were ready to be rerouted if a call over load took place at Manatee County’s Emergency Operations Center.

(Staff writer Ian Swaby contributed to this story)

Ian Swaby Myakka City’s Roger Nichols and Jolene Hopkins fill sandbags at the Myakka Community Center.

Ian Swaby

Deputy Chief William Hall sets up the emergency call center at East Manatee Fire Rescue Station 1, which will handle overflow from the Emergency Operations Center.

Liz Ramos

Dorian Speaker, a maintenance mechanic with the Manatee County Department of Health, moves oxygen tanks around as department of health staff prepare R. Dan Nolan Middle School to become a shelter.

Fire rescue funding won’t support more paramedics

East Manatee Fire Rescue’s funding for fiscal year 2023 focuses on hiring three firefighters and the replacement of Station 11.

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

Funding for the Advanced Life Support program won’t be included in this fiscal year’s budget of East Manatee Fire Rescue.

Fire commissioners voted 4-1 Sept. 19 to approve the budget that did not include the ALS funding that had been discussed in previ ous meetings. Commissioner James Carlino voted against approval of the budget because of the lack of funding for ALS services, an initiative he has been pursuing.

“I cannot support a budget that doesn’t give them what they want,” he said regarding the county’s tax payers.

ALS refers to supplying firefight ers who are certified as paramed ics and equipment that can offer a wider range of medical services including more advanced defibril lation and administration of certain drugs through IVs. Currently, West Manatee Fire and Rescue District, Southern Manatee Fire Rescue and North River Fire District operate ALS programs.

An important aspect of ALS that commissioners emphasized is the ability to transport an injured per son more quickly, due to care having already been performed by the para medic firefighters once an ambu lance arrives on the scene.

The most recent version of the fire department’s ALS plan was budgeted at $1,558,998 for the first four years.

Carlino said ALS services should receive funding equal to other main initiatives of the fire rescue, but the overall board chose to pursue one

BUDGET OVERVIEW

n Tax revenues FY 2023: $23,787,826

n Total carryover FY 2022: $14,431,234

n Total reserve funds: $11,011,861

n Total expenditures FY 2023: $27,207,199

BREAKDOWN OF EXPENDITURES

n Personnel expenses: $21,544,527

n Operating expenses: $4,126,672

n Capital outlay: $1,191,000

n Construction: $345,000

n Total expenditures: $27,207,199

project — the hiring of three addi tional firefighters for approximately $255,000 annually. The construction of Station 11 on Wauchula Road in Myakka City for more than $4 mil lion will be considered next spring.

East Manatee Fire Rescue Chief Lee Whitehurst told commission ers the department is substantially using reserve funds and has exceed ed its total operating budget. There fore, funding for ALS would have had to come from reserves.

Commissioner Garry Lawson said the department was unable to afford ALS.

He said although its $1.5 million cost did not seem like a large amount, he did not support use of reserves to fund the service, and if the depart ment had to use reserves, they should be used for the station instead.

“I don’t take money out of my sav ings to pay my operating bills,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a wise thing to do right now.”

Welcome Dr. Nguyen

34205

Michelle P. Nguyen, MD Team member of Bradenton Cardiology Center

MAGIC IN READING

Heather Kenny’s idea for the children’s program ‘Sounder & Friends’ comes to fruition after 20 years.

LIZ RAMOS STAFF WRITER

Bridgewater’s Heather Kenny was standing at the play ground at Pierre Laporte Elementary School with her colleague, Laura Robbins, in 1994 when she came up with an idea for a TV program.

Kenny and Robbins, who were kin dergarten teachers at the elementary school in Ontario, Canada, had been focusing on phonemic awareness in their classes and saw the impact it had on their students and their ability to read. They were discussing ways they could support literacy and spread the world about phonemic awareness.

Kenny thought a TV program focusing on phonemic awareness, which is the ability to identify and manipulate individual sounds in words, could help children across the country and even the world.

“Laura’s response initially was to laugh out loud at me, and then she said, ‘OK, that’s a good idea; why don’t you just get right on that,’” Kenny said.

More than two decades later, Ken ny’s idea became a reality.

Kenny and Robbins co-cre ated “Sounder & Friends,” an educational program focused on phonemic awareness for chil dren ages 3 to 7.

In the short episodes, Sound Snatcher, an energetic raccoon with magical powers, likes using his powers to take words and change their sounds. Then it’s up to Sounder, a dog always listening for sounds, and her friends Trae, Sky and Will to find the missing sounds.

For example, in “The Birth day Ache,” Sound Snatcher took away the “ca” sound in “cake” to make the word sound like “ache,” causing Trae to have an ache in his stomach. Sounder, Trae, Sky and Will were on a mission to help.

“Our mission for ‘Sounder & Friends’ is teaching reading right from the start,” Kenny said. “We can teach children this concept of phonemic awareness and help them develop these skills early on, then reading instruction can be very pro ductive.”

When Kenny and her husband, Paul, moved to Lakewood Ranch in 2020 and learned students would be moving to virtual learning, Ken ny grew concerned over children’s potential learning loss.

She knew it was time to act.

Although Kenny had poten tial funding sources from corpo rate sponsorships, she knew fami lies would be looking for literacy resources and didn’t want to wait to secure those funding sources. As a result, Kenny and her husband self funded the first season of “Sounder & Friends.”

“We’ve been very gratified that ‘Sounder & Friends’ is now used in classrooms all across the world,” she said. “We have followers in Austra lia, Great Britain, Brazil, the U.S. and Canada as well.”

Kenny reached out to Green Gold Animation and started making “Sounder & Friends” come to frui tion.

“I never stopped believing this would be a very powerful way to not only help children develop those skills they need but also help them develop this playfulness with lan guage because there really is a magic to it,” Kenny said.

Kenny said the animators and pro ducers at Green Gold Animation and Marc Lumer Productions instantly saw the entertainment

WATCH “SOUNDER AND FRIENDS”

“Sounder & Friends” focuses on phonemic awareness, which is the ability to hear and play with the individual sounds in spoken words.

The educational program, which is for children ages 3-7, airs on select PBS platforms, PBS.org, YouTube and is featured on the National Center for Improving Literacy’s Kid Zone.

The goals of “Sounder & Friends” are:

n To support children in developing critical phonemic awareness in a fun and playful way through viewership of episodes and interaction with the app

n To provide adults with information and resources

n To influence the national conversation about early literacy so the importance of phonemic awareness is acknowledged

For more information about “Sounder & Friends,” visit SounderAndFriends.com and Unleashed Innovation

potential of “Sounder and Friends.”

“We really wanted children to fall in love with these characters and develop storylines that had this playfulness in the language,” Kenny said. “It’s been such fun seeing our characters grow and come to life.

Through the whole development process, we really got to know them. In a way, we created the characters so we thought we knew them, and then when we actu ally sat down with our animation team, we had to think that much more deeply about them.”

In 2021, the first episode of “Sounder & Friends” premiered on YouTube. Kenny was amazed to see the ideas she and Robbins had for the first episode, “The Birthday Ache,” become an ani mated short, which now has more than 12,000 views.

“It was sheer magic,” Ken ny said about seeing “The Birth day Ache” for the first time. “I had something in my head (about what the show would look like), and what ever that was, was so far surpassed by our incredible animation team. They really brought the magic.”

Now in its second season, “Sound er & Friends” is funded through a grant from a private foundation.

Kenny and the production team are working to expand the “soundiverse” to include live action epi sodes in season two of “Sounder & Friends.”

They collaborated with Twinkle Time, a children’s musician, for the live action episodes.

“(Twinkle Time) has great energy,” Kenny said. “We love the idea of live action helping children bridge that gap between the imaginative world and a kind of real world.”

The show is available on PBS.org, select PBS member stations and the National Center on Improving Lit eracy’s Kids Zone.

Kenny hopes to have the show become a full length program avail able on PBS nationally.

Kenny and Robbins also devel oped a “Sounder & Friends” app, which Kenny said has been down loaded almost half a million times, to give children an opportunity to play phonemic awareness games with the characters. The next step for the app, Kenny said, is to incorporate spelling and reading games.

“The idea for the app is for chil dren to literally get to play with pho nemes,” Kenny said. “They complete these sound puzzles. They see a word and they can pull that word apart and then actually put those words back together using these puzzle pieces, if you will, to rep resent the transitive sounds.”

ABOUT HEATHER KENNY

Residence: Bridgewater Title: Co-creator of “Sounder and Friends” and president of Unleashed Innovation

Family: Husband, Paul, and children, Lauren KennySpring and Claire Kenny

Favorite episode: “Whale Watching”

Fan favorite character: Sound Snatcher

Friedrich Hayek “Road to Serfdom,” 1944

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“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.”

Liz Ramos

Bridgewater’s Heather Kenny and her husband, Paul Kenny, didn’t want to wait to provide literacy resources to families during the pandemic, so they self-funded “Sounder & Friends” to help families with phonemic awareness.

“Sounder & Friends” is an educational program for children ages 3-7 that helps them learn about phonemic awareness to improve literacy.

CERTainly a plus to have great neighbors

For years, members of the Lakewood Ranch Community Response Team have been training for a natural disaster they hoped would never come.

Sometimes, they might even have questioned whether all the work was necessary.

On Monday, they were about to get their answer.

With Hurricane Ian bearing down on Manatee County, Lakewood Ranch CERT went to Readiness Condition 2, which basically meant all those members who are active participants were preparing for the worst. Twenty-two teams of a captain and, on average, five to six members, were ready to canvas their neighborhoods, in daylight only, as soon as storm winds subside to 30 miles per hour or less.

They would then begin going door-to-door, making sure their neighbors weren’t injured by the storm, and making sure local roadways were navigable.

“We’ve taken the training, had our rehearsals,” said Jim Emanuelson, Lakewood Ranch CERT’s president. “But we might see a storm like we’ve never seen before.”

If Hurricane Ian does, indeed, cause immense destruction, we all might find out how much we need those CERT members, who get very little in return for their service to the community.

“It’s just our nature to want to help other people,” said Greenbrook’s Mel Davis about his fellow 200 CERT members. “It just is. People tend to find things where they feel comfortable, whether that is Meals on Wheels or volunteering at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center. We take our training with CERT and actually try to help our neighbors. It won’t be perfect, but every one of us will do the best we can. People already have reached out to us to ask questions about the events that

used to do business with the military and they learned the importance of preparation.

“I can avoid the anxiety because I know what I should do,” he said.

“When we moved to Lakewood Ranch in 2000, we got involved with CERT, not for others, but for ourselves. We wanted to know how we should be prepared for a hurricane. We feel a lot better about what we are doing now.”

Now they see new Lakewood Ranch residents join the group and take the classes.

“They take the classes,” Patt Staley said. “They have pride. ‘We did it!’’

Nine CERT members are ham radio operators so the members who walk through the neighborhoods can communicate with them with walkie talkies, if phone reception is down, about road conditions or if emergency help is needed.

One CERT member will be stationed at East Manatee Fire Rescue Station 6 to relay any critical information that arrives.

articulating street addresses and medical conditions.

“That was exciting,” he said. “Knowing we can help our neighbors when times get bad. It’s really cool to have such good neighbors.”

Davis said he hopes he can help his neighbors, but he added, “I would be lying if I didn’t say I was a little bit nervous.

“With CERT, you don’t know what you are going to get into. It could be first aid, or search and rescue, or triage, or radio communications protocol.”

Davis said with Hurricane Ian building to a possible Category 4 storm or higher, he would expect to see downed trees, blocked roads and perhaps medical emergencies. He added that hopefully that’s not the case.

“You have limitations, and you know what you can do,” Davis said. “That’s a very important part of it. Rely on the other extended team members.”

He also said people will know the CERT members walking their streets as most will be wearing green hardhats, CERT shirts or carrying ID cards.

are coming. We all want to know how we can help each other more.”

Helping more might mean delivering some emergency medical treatment, as they have taken the courses with their training.

“We go door-to-door,” Emanuelson said. “Do people need emergency medical treatment? We’ve got radios. If someone desperately needs help, we can radio for help.”

If help can’t arrive for a while, the CERT members are trained to deal with emergency scenarios.

“Our members are trained on how to stop bleeding,” Emanuelson said. “Of course, training with a dummy is different than treating someone who is screaming in pain. There is a nervousness in what we might have to do.”

“We know things like where the blood comes out the fastest,” said CERT member Patt Staley, who lives in Summerfield. “We don’t run away from something.”

Staley said that might not have been the case before she and her husband, Mike, became involved in CERT. However, their training has changed all that.

“A number of years ago, I was driving to Walmart when I saw a hit-and-run,” Patt Staley said. “I saw the sign, ‘Baby on Board’ and I rushed to the car. The mom was OK. But I don’t know I would have done that before the CERT training.”

Mike Staley said they became involved in CERT because they both

Sometimes their duties might include letting county emergency workers know that the roads are clear in a neighborhood. It might not seem like much, but it allows those emergency workers to concentrate their efforts elsewhere.

Emanuelson, who lives in Country Club, stressed the members’ first priority is keeping themselves and their families safe before they do anything else.

The members each have a backpack of supplies that includes first aid packs and radios to call for help.

He said when the members went through a drill the first week of August, more than 75 members gave up time on a Saturday to participate. He said he was stationed at East Manatee Fire Rescue Station 6 and during the drill, he took 48 radio calls in 95 minutes that clearly

You might want to make sure you thank them.

“I think I would speak for most of our members,” Emanuelson said. “I hope (Hurricane Ian) goes west. We have been building skills we hope we never have to use.”

Jay Heater

East Manatee Fire Rescue Lt. Chad Gamble (right front) leads a CERT class in April as they prepare for potential disasters.

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

Ranch Nite Wednesdays returns

STAFF WRITER

Ranch Nite Wednesdays always gave Lakewood Ranch’s Mary Buck something to look for ward to each week.

Her husband, James, would play in MVP Sports and Social’s cornhole league, and she and her children, 13-year-old Jack, 12-year-old Mad die and 9-year-old Finley, would peruse the various food trucks avail able, spend time with friends and listen to the live music.

“It’s a fun night,” Mary Buck said. “It’s something to look forward to in the middle of the week and a fun pal ace to meet up with friends.”

Ranch Nite Wednesdays is return ing to Waterside Place of Lakewood Ranch on Oct. 5, a month earlier than previous years.

Nicole Hackel, the events and res ident experience manager for Lake wood Ranch Communities, said a lot of Ranch Nite attendees were asking for the weekly event to occur all year round, but due to the rainy season, Lakewood Ranch Commu nities opted to have the event start a month earlier.

“I’m looking forward to having a space for everyone in the community to gather,” Hackel said. “I had a lot of fun last season grabbing food with family and friends.”

Hackel said that last season, about 4,500 people were attending Ranch Nite Wednesdays each week, but she said the number of attendees will increase to about 6,000 people weekly this season.

Like past events, food and dessert trucks will line the street offering a variety of food, while live music is performed by local musicians.

New to Ranch Nites this year are two Cornerstone and Company’s vintage mobile bars that will serve craft beers, wine and specialty cock tails.

“We previously had restaurants serving and found it was tough to serve the crowd we were getting,” Hackel said. “We are expecting a bigger crowd this year given we have more cornhole teams and have the

IF YOU GO

RANCH NITE WEDNESDAYS

When: 6-9 p.m. every Wednesday, Oct. 5 through May 31

Where: Waterside Place, 1561 Lakefront Drive, Sarasota

Admission: Free

Highlights: Enjoy nearly a dozen food and dessert trucks, a vintage mobile bar, live music and the night market weekly.

More information: Email Events@LakewoodRanch.com.

night market every week.”

The night market, which includes about 35 vendors selling a variety of products, will now be at Ranch Nite Wednesdays weekly rather than once per month. The vendors, which are local, small businesses, will rotate weekly.

Lakewood Ranch Communities is working with Independent Jones to host the night market and Ranch Nite Wednesdays.

Morgan Bettes, the CEO of Inde pendent Jones, said the night mar ket will be different from Sundays’ Lakewood Ranch Farmers Market in terms of what vendors will be selling and the flexibility vendors have in participating.

Liz Ramos

Lakewood Ranch’s Chuck Donohue and Melody Donohue enjoy the ambiance at Waterside Place during a Ranch Nite Wednesday this past year.

SARASOTA FROM

SPENCER FORDIN

A+E EDITOR

Landscape photographer John Kincaid has been all over the world hanging out of helicop ters and diving under water in search of the most striking images.

And every time he’s clicked the shutter, he’s been chasing a shot from Sarasota.

Kincaid, who’s about to have his own photography exhibit at Art Ova tion, first visited Sarasota when he was in high school. He can remem ber immediately being entranced by Siesta Key’s beauty, but also he recalls dropping his camera and acci dentally catching a unique image.

“I thought it was the most beauti ful place I’ve ever seen,” says Kincaid, decades later. “I had this disposable camera, and I remember I dropped it in the sand. When I picked it up, I hit the shutter. That was one of my first times doing something unexpected. I have that shot to this day. It was a purple sky, like an inch above the sand. That was a turning point in my artistic journey. I’ve tried to go back

whenever I could.”

Now, Kincaid is creating his indel ible images quite intentionally.

He first forged a career in software development for 15 years, and then he decided he’d rather chase his pho tography dreams for a living.

Kincaid has opened permanent galleries in Bora Bora and in Viet nam, and he hopes to have a more lasting presence in Sarasota once his exhibition closes.

The photographer says his parents moved here briefly when he was in college, and when his wife was preg nant, they came down here for their last hurrah before becoming parents.

He has so much history in Sara sota that he knew exactly how to approach it as a photographic sub ject: from above the clouds and along the beach line.

Kincaid came down here in Febru ary for his first pass at photographing the area, and he contracted Sarasota Helicopter Tours to fly him over the Siesta Key beaches.

The photography came easily; he only needed three trips over the key to get the images he wanted.

Then he spent the next few months trying to line up a place to show them.

“Our work is a tough industry. For my whole career, I’ve just done my own galleries,” says Kincaid, who will be at Art Ovation from Oct. 11 to Oct. 17. “When I got in touch with Art Ovation, they were really receptive, and it’s right downtown in the arts district. It’s a good stepping point, but I’m still working on something for St. Armands Circle.

“I’m all in on this. I’ve just got to find the right place.”

Kincaid, chatting with the Observer from Bora Bora, says he’s looking forward to meeting with Sarasota residents during his time at Art Ovation. His photos are available for purchase from his website, but he hopes being in town will allow for a bit more personal interaction.

His shots show you exactly the side of Sarasota you might expect. There’s elevated shots of beachgoers enjoying the weather and postcard perfect pictures of the sunset.

ABOVE

His love affair with Sarasota started early, but now John Kincaid returns as a master of aerial landscapes.

Spencer Fordin

John Kincaid stands on a Sarasota runway in February.

SEE LANDSCAPES, PAGE 12A

Every pixel tells a story in John Kin caid’s “Siesta Key Beach.”

Photo courtesy of John Kincaid

Landscapes

FROM PAGE

Kincaid says he doesn’t map out his shots beforehand because of the nature of helicopter photography.

“We’re doing these circles around Siesta Key. The light changes so quickly,” he says. “Everything depends on how many people there are on the beach and where the light is hitting. You just have to commu nicate with the pilot as best you can and get the shots you need.

“I try not to plan too hard because you’re almost never going to get that exact shot.”

That’s the hard part about shoot ing from the sky. The helicopter is moving and so are you. But from the ground, says Kincaid, you can con trol all the elements a little bit better.

There are no underwater shots in his current Sarasota collection, but Kincaid took a variety of shots from the beach to provide a different perspective on life in Sarasota.

“To really know a place, you have to do both,” he says. “When you can see things from the ground, you can plan what you’re going to do.

“I really started off loving the aeri als, but I also have this quad panel of the four Siesta Key Beach chairs that came very close to my heart.”

That shot — the quad panel of the lifeguard chairs — actually made Kincaid break a sweat.

He started out shooting just after sunrise, and the sun was lighting up the back of the yellow lifeguard stand in a way that made him take notice.

Then he had what he describes as an epiphany.

He could shoot all the lifeguard stands and infuse his sunrise shot with colors that speak to everybody.

All it took was a little hustle.

“Here I am running down Siesta Key Beach with my tripod and all my gear to get the next one. And the next one,” he says. “I got to the end and the light had changed a little bit.

“Ever so slightly. And it was better. So I start again, run all the way back and get them all.”

Kincaid likes to say that everybody in today’s society is a photographer.

If you have a phone in your pocket,

IF YOU GO

JOHN KINCAID: SIESTA KEY, SARASOTA

When: 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Oct. 11-17

Where: Art Ovation, 1255 N. Palm Ave.

Tickets: Free Info: KincaidGalleries.com/ Sarasota or KincaidGalleries. com/VIP

then you too are capable of creating striking artistic images.

But if you’re going to try to cre ate a gigantic photograph with crisp details, you need a little better tech nology. Kincaid says that the 100 megapixel cameras he works with are unforgiving in that they can focus on minute areas with great clarity. That also means your shot has to be per fect, because when the images are blown up, any imperfection will be plainly evident.

“I’m shooting all in manual. You have to move very quickly,” he says. “If you’re off just a little bit, the shot will look good on your computer but it’s not printable. In my whole career, whenever I have something on the wall, people don’t just stand back and look at it. They walk up to it, and their noses are almost touching the print so they can see the detail.”

The photographer still holds his initial impressions of Sarasota close to his heart, and that’s why he’s look ing forward to meeting the public at Art Ovation.

He’s planning on being at the exhibit every day from 4 to 9 p.m., and he wants to line up individual appointments for any potential cus tomers who would like to sit down with them.

He wants to hear their stories; he wants to know which places they feel are most emblematic of home.

And if he sends a print to you, you can expect it to have the scent of coconut and vanilla.

“I’m looking forward to being able to talk about it and hearing other people’s stories about their first time at Siesta Key Beach,” he says.

“I’m hoping people have had those experiences in Sarasota and want to bring them home.”

Photos courtesy of John Kincaid

John Kincaid’s “Siesta Sunset” perfectly captures the curvature of Siesta Key.

John Kincaid’s “Dusk” brings you all the colors of a Sarasota sunset.

Kids in the hall

Take a field trip with the Sarasota Orchestra, which will play several concerts for area schools and wrap it all up with a free evening performance for families.

Afamous overture is building to crescendo. The orchestra is playing at full steam, and out in the audience there’s a sea of children pretending to ride on horse back.

That’s a scene from a previous edi tion of the Sarasota Orchestra’s fam ily concert, and for Alyson Rozier, it’s most notable for a regular attendee getting in on the fun. Rozier, the orchestra’s director of education, says she can still see it in her mind.

“My favorite story from a few years ago. One of the donors, a sweetheart lady in her 90s, she’s sitting there and we were doing William Tell,” she says. “The kids were jumping up and down pretending like they were riding a horse to William Tell. So she joined in, and it’s just hilarious to see this 90-year-old lady bouncing up and down pretending to ride a horse.

“We were like, ‘This is what it’s about. You’re supposed to enjoy music like this and have this much fun.’”

The family concert, long a staple of the orchestra season, fell victim to the pandemic and has not been presented since 2019.

But it’s back on the agenda this year, and the orchestra will play a free concert for area families Oct. 7 at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.

That show is part of a busy week for the musicians that will see them play for nearly all of the area’s fourth and fifth graders. The Sarasota Orches tra will play nine performances in the space of four days, bringing nearly 10,000 kids for a life-changing experience.

“We have full halls for these shows,” says concertmaster Daniel Jordan, whose 9-year-old son, Spencer, will be in attendance at the family con cert. “I think that’s really exciting for the kids to be in a big concert hall like that and to see all the other kids. They ride the buses there and get to be part of a big experience.”

Jordan, in fact, said his son got to be a part of the last family concert in 2009. Young Spencer was sitting in the second row and was called up to be a guest conductor, which meant that he got to tell both his mother and his father how to play violin.

“I have a great picture of him con ducting with my wife and I in the shot playing violin,” says Jordan.

“He still talks about conducting the Sarasota Orchestra on the Van Wezel stage.”

And that’s exactly the point; the Sarasota Orchestra is hoping to introduce kids to classical music and to the concert experience at an early age. The hope is that it will represent an indelible memory and that it will spur the kids to a lifelong apprecia tion for the arts.

Rozier, now in her 18th season as part of the orchestra’s education program, says that there are 235 kids in the regular Youth Orchestra afterschool program. They range in age from nine to 21, and there are eight different groupings dependent on both age and ability.

Those kids are already bitten by the classical music bug, says Rozier, and the family concert represents an opportunity to recruit kids who haven’t picked up an instrument yet.

“They don’t know if they like it until they’re exposed,” she says.

“The majority of kids that attend a concert or Youth Orchestra, they’re not going to study music. But we want them to have an appreciation for it. We want you to go to a concert later. We want you to allow your kids to learn an instrument. If you get a stressful career in medicine or law, what’s your outlet going to be? Music can always be a part of your life.”

IF YOU GO SARASOTA ORCHESTRA: FREE FAMILY CONCERT

When: 7 p.m., Oct. 7

Where: Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail

Tickets: Free Info: SarasotaOrchestra.org.

This music, especially, can appeal to all ages.

The orchestra will be playing “The Star-Spangled Banner” as part of this show, and it will also play Ros sini’s “Overture to the Barber of Seville,” which suspended adoles cents of all ages may recall from a famous Bugs Bunny cartoon.

But the biggest part of the show will be composer Greg Smith’s “The Animated Orchestra,” which invites audience participation and even gives the orchestra some acting roles.

“There’s a whole story,” says Jor dan. “There’s a narrator, there’s audience involvement and there’s musician acting involvement which is really fun for us. By the end of it, the audience is in stitches and it’s also a really great way to feature the

orchestra. The music itself is really good. And every single section in the orchestra gets a chance to shine.”

In the weeks before the concerts, the Sarasota Orchestra sends out an informational packet to all of the participating schools that includes lessons about the composers and the history of the pieces.

But it also includes hands-on activities that invite the students to try drumming, singing and dancing.

Then, when the kids enter the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, they’re primed for what they’re about to see, and they’re encouraged to play along from their seats.

“There’s a whole different energy when you’ve got kids,” says Jordan. “You break some of the barriers for a normal concert-going experience, which I think is a good thing. There’s also such an excitement; it’s really inspiring for the people up on stage to get to experience it from the eyes of kids maybe seeing an orchestra concert for the first time.

“Even just walking into the concert hall, seeing those faces, or hearing the way they cheer when the con ductor walks out. It’s just different. It’s not polite clapping. It’s a clap ping of excitement and wonder.”

Courtesy photo

The Sarasota Orchestra is excited to have kids back in the hall for its annual family concert.

WEEK

THURSDAY

KALOS

7 p.m. at Fogartyville, 525 Kumquat Court

$18 members; $20 nonmembers; $13 students Visit WSLR.org/Fogartyville.

This trio has mastered the sounds of Celtic music both on their own and collectively. Ryan McKasson, a former U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion, has teamed with guitarist Eric McDonald and accordion player Jeremiah McLane to form a touring trio that plays traditional music while still finding ways to make the material sound fresh.

SATURDAY

SHOP ON APRICOT

Creative Liberties

10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Creative Liberties, 901B Apricot Ave.

Free Visit CreativeLiberties.org.

You can have your art and frame it too. This popup market event is a cooperative partnership between Creative Liberties and The Green Bazaar, and it will allow you to see the works of several local artists and buy them on the spot. There will be food and drinks available, and you’ll be able to chat with the artists who created the work.

CELEBRATING LGBTQ + CINEMA

2:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at Burns Court Cinema, 506 Burns Court $8-$10

Visit FabAF.org.

It’s a triple-header of films celebrating diverse viewpoints at Burns Court Cinema. The event, organized by the Fabulous Arts Foundation, will bring three distinct pairings of works. “1987” and “Rebel Dykes” will be shown at 2:30 p.m.; “Fractal Visions” and “Art and Pep” will play at 4:30 p.m.; and “Dracudate” and “Death and Bowling” will show at 7:30 p.m.

‘OUT OF BOUNDS’

Florida Studio Theatre

7:30 p.m. at Bowne’s Lab, 1265 First St. $12-$15

Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

The improv artists at Florida Studio Theatre are pulling out all the stops for this show, which pits two teams of expert ad-libbers against each other in competitive rounds of impromptu songs, spontaneous scenes and fast-paced games. Who will win? Let the audience decide.

TUESDAY

CHARLOTTE SORSEN — ‘WALKING ON CLOUDS’ 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Island Gallery West, 5368 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach Free

Visit IslandGalleryWest.Artspan. com/home.

The vibrant and colorful acrylic paintings of Charlotte Sorsen will be the featured gallery attraction at Island Gallery West for all of October. Sorsen, who studied at the New England School of Art and Design,

doesn’t just paint; she also works in glass-making, glass beads, jewelry and clothing design. But this show will be based around her paintings and around her artist’s eye perspective of the Gulf Coast waters, skies, clouds, birds and plants.

WEDNESDAY

‘THE ’70S: MORE THAN A DECADE’ 7:30 p.m. at Court Cabaret, 1265 First St. $18 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

Go back in time with the Florida Studio Theatre cabaret and chair-dance along to the most beloved songs of a consequential decade that started more than 50 years ago. This show — written by Rebecca Hopkins, Richard Hopkins and Sarah Durham with musical arrangements by Jim Prosser — will hit the high notes on transformative artists like Marvin Gaye, The Who, The Bee Gees and more.

DON’T MISS

SUNDAY

MAGNIFICENT MARKOVS

*This performance has been postponed due to Hurricane Ian. Visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org for information on the rescheduled date.

This family act is ready to take the violin to the farthest frontier. Alexander Markov, an electric violinist who won the Gold Medal at the Paganini International Violin Competition, will play with his virtuoso parents Albert and Marina Markov. The family will bring you both the classical sound of the violin but also the contemporary notes of rock and pop.

MONDAY

FREE MONDAYS

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art Free Visit Ringling.org.

The Ringling Museum opens the doors to its art collection and its Bayfront Gardens for free on Mondays, allowing you to stroll through one of Sarasota’s most scenic and artistically enriching locations without opening your wallet. Ca’ d’Zan is not included in Free Mondays and, in fact, will not open back up to the public until Oct. 4.

Expectthe

“

rocking violin

‘GUYS AND DOLLS’ Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe is telling you a classic story of gangsters and the women who love them. The play, based on the short stories of Damon Runyon, first made it to Broadway on 1950 and was selected as the 1951 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The show’s music and lyrics were written by Frank Loesser, and Jim Weaver will direct the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe pro duction. The show will still be in preview mode when you see it; Guys and Dolls will begin its theatrical run in earnest on Oct. 8 and it will run all the way through Nov. 20.

IF YOU GO When: 7:30 p.m., Oct. 5 Where: Donelly The atre, 1012 N. Orange Ave. Tickets: $20-$38 Info: Westcoast BlackTheatre.org.

Violin phenom Alexander Markov unites with his gifted violinist parents Albert and Marina and the “first family of violin” presents classical favorites. Alexander and his electric gold violin are then joined by Key Chorale and the Booker High School VPA Choir for his original composition, Caesar, for electric violin, organ, choir, percussion, rhythm section, and orchestral musicians.

schedule of

concerts at

941-306-1202

OUR PICK DISCOVERIES: MOZART AND TCHAIKOVSKY

The Sarasota Orchestra kicks off its winter season with masters who may have admired each other. Guest conductor Nic McGegan, music director laureate of San Francisco’s Philharmonica Baroque Orchestra and Chorale, will lead the musicians through the works of Mozart and Tchaikovsky. The latter artist, the composer of Swan Lake, famously said that he not only loves Mozart; he worships him. Guest cellist Zlatomir Fung will take on a starring role on Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme.

*This performance is canceled due to Hurricane Ian. Ticketholders can request an account credit, receive a refund or donate their tickets at SarasotaOrchestra.org.

‘LEAD WITH A LAUGH’

11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail

Free with museum admission Visit SarasotaArtMuseum.org.

Sure, you’ve considered doing your family tree. But have you considered doing it as a collection of beaded portraits? Artist brothers Steven and William Ladd have created a rich and varied body of work based on their family history and memories, and the last decade of their work is currently displayed at Sarasota Art Museum until February. You’ll see their family tree, a representation of their home property in New York and wall hangings made in several different colors and textures.

COUPLES COOKING: DISHES FROM PUERTO RICO 6:00 p.m. at Publix Aprons Cooking School, 2875 University Parkway $110 Visit ApronsCookingSchool.Publix. com.

It’s a hands-on date night activity that may fire your belly for years. Aprons Cooking School is presenting an evening of Puerto Rican cooking for couples, and you’ll learn how to make four widely varying dishes: corn fritters with cheese, chicken empanadas, rice and beans with a plantain casserole and creamy coconut pudding. Wine will be included as part of the evening; all chefs must be 18 years old, and wine will only be served to chefs 21 and older. Put a little spice in your dating life and in the meals you can cook at home.

Thursday,

Lady Jess

playwright Terry Guest in this dynamic program of words and music Presented in partnership with Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast

“As the Musical Turns: A Soap Inspiration”

Friday, October 21 @ 6pm • Hermitage Beach (Manasota Key) Pulitzer Prize and 2022 Tony Award winner Michael R. Jackson will share how soap operas and other sources of inspiration have shaped his work. Presented in partnership with Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe

“Composition to Performance: Music Start to Finish”

Friday, October 28 @ 5:30pm • Hermitage Beach (Manasota Key)

Composer Nkeiru Okoye and musician David “Doc” Wallace discuss the process of making music, from imagination to interpretation.389453-1

SHOW OF SUPPORT YOUR NEIGHBORS

River Club’s Sammy Lynch was totally comfortable walking down the Real Mean Wear Pink Fashion Show runway, modeling clothes from Robert Graham.

“I’m not shy about getting out and supporting things,” Lynch said. “Walking down the runway is exhilarating. There’s a lot of energy in the people supporting us.”

Lynch was one of 32 men from Sarasota and Manatee counties walking, or in some cases dancing, down the runway Sept. 24 at the Mall at University Town Center to support Real Men Wear Pink and the American Cancer Society.

“It’s a very rewarding experience, primarily because the American Cancer Society does so much more than just funding research,” Lynch said. “They do a lot with support with people who are battling and fighting cancer.”

Fiona Farrell with the American Cancer Society said this year’s Real Men Wear Pink Fashion Show saw a record turnout of participating men with its 32 models. The event also sold out, which she said had never happened in the past.

“It was a lot of fun,” Farrell said. “Everyone had a great time.”

— IAN SWABY

Real Men Wear Pink models hit the runway to spread awareness and raise money for the American Cancer Society.

Bradenton’s Dr. Dwight Fitch, from Advocate Radiation Oncology, gets his groove on as he steps on stage.

Lakewood Ranch’s Allison Imre gets the show started.

Volunteers from the National Charity League included Sarasota’s Kelly Fitzgerald, Gracie Grewal, Eliza Radford, Mary Pat Radford, Emory Frandsen, Julia Haller and Joanna Haller.

Summerfield’s Jeff Young concluded the event with one of the evening’s most memorable looks and a rain of confetti.

Sarasota’s Jag Grewal arrives, ready to make an impact.

American Cancer Society Senior Development Manager Bethany Lynch, and Jamie Grim, a marketing and sponsorship coordinator at UTC, cheer on the models.

Photos by Ian Swaby

Sarasota

Bradenton

Kennedy Lollar and Jacob Mazzone tell the story of two volcanoes falling in love while performing “Lava.”

Louann McCord’s energetic dance to

Won’t

in Love” gets

loud applause from the audience.

Lucy Milner performs

dressed

Jessie from

DENTAL IMPLANTS

Specialists

YOUR CALENDAR

COMMUNITY

FRIDAY, SEPT. 30

BENEFIT GOLF

Begins with a shotgun start at 9 a.m. at Palm Aire Country Club, 5601 Country Club Way, Sarasota. Florida Suncoast Real Estate hosts the Teeing It Up for Turning Points benefit golf tournament. Contact Shannon Cooley at 705-7709. Cost is $100 per golfer and includes lunch and an awards ceremony.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 30 AND

SATURDAY, OCT. 1

MUSIC AT THE PLAZA

Runs from 6-9 p.m. each evening at Waterside Place, 1561 Lakefront Drive, Lakewood Ranch. Singer/ musician Tyler Vaden will provide the live music Friday as those who visit Waterside Place enjoy sunset views of Kingfisher Lake, fun at the hub’s small parks or dining at the various restaurants. On Saturday, singer Mylon Shamble will perform. For more information, go to WatersidePlace. com.

SATURDAY, OCT. 1

BABY & ME YOGA

Runs from 9-10 a.m. at Waterside Park, 7301 Island Cove Terrace, Lakewood Ranch. Baby & Me Yoga is a mixed-level, core-focused yoga flow. It’s ideal for any caregiver looking to get in shape while with an infant. For more information and to register, go to LakewoodRanch.com.

FAMILY KICKBALL

Runs from 10-11 a.m. at Bob Gardner Community Park, 2710 White Eagle Blvd., Lakewood Ranch. Bring the whole family for a fun pickup game of family kickball. The game will take place in the park’s sports field (baseball area). The event is free for Lakewood Ranch residents and $10 for nonresidents. For more information and to register, go to MyLWR. com.

MONDAY, OCT. 3

TAI CHI Runs from 10-11 a.m. at Bob Gardner Community Park, 2710 White Eagle Blvd., Lakewood Ranch. Tai Chi for health is a beginner class working on balance, strength, coordination, mobility and range of motion. The class is for anyone at any age and

BEST BET

SATURDAY, OCT. 1

OKTOBERFEST AT WATERSIDE PLACE

Runs from noon to 8 p.m. at The Plaza at Waterside Place, 1561 Lakefront Drive, Lakewood Ranch. Good Liquid Brewing Co. will have its annual Oktoberfest at its new Waterside Place location. The family friendly event is open to the public and will feature German entertainment, Good Liquid German beer, a limited-time Oktoberfest menu, games and more. Attendees are encouraged to wear their best lederhosens or dirndls. Tickets for beer and food will be available for purchase at the event. Lawn chairs are allowed, but no outside food, alcohol or coolers. For more information, go to LakewoodRanch.com.

any level. For more information, go to LakewoodRanch.com.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 5

CLASSIC CAR SHOW

Runs from 5-8 p.m. at Main Street at Lakewood Ranch, 8100 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., Lakewood Ranch. The car show is free for all attendees to check out classic cars. Food, music and prizes will be available. It costs $10 per vehicle to participate. To participate or for more information, call 371-1061 or email Lance@CollectorCarsTV.com.

File photo

Esplanade home tops sales at $1,375,000

ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR

Ahome in Esplanade topped all transactions in this week’s real estate. Richard and Janet Jones, trustees, sold the home at 5015 Tivoli Run to Barbara and Michael McDaniel, of Bradenton, for $1,375,000. Built in 2015, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,927 square feet of living area. It sold for $594,200 in 2015.

STANHOPE GATE

Ruediger Martin Graaf and Helga Graaf sold their home at 7032 Stanhope Place to Marsha Katz Eisenberg, trustee, of Sarasota, for $1.35 million. Built in 2004, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 4,200 square feet of living area. It sold for $835,000 in 2016.

Theodore Alesczyk and Shirley Alesczyk, trustees, of University Park, sold the home at 7020 Stanhope Place to Carolyn LorenceZimmer, trustee, of University Park, for $1.2 million. Built in 2002, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,122 square feet of living area. It sold for $840,000 in 2007.

RIVER CLUB SOUTH

Mark North and Elizabeth BrownNorth, of Bradenton, sold their home at 6922 Riversedge St. Circle to Willard and Jenny Phillips, of Bradenton, for $975,000. Built in 1997, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,287 square feet of living area.

SHOREVIEW

Eric Reedy and Sandra Denise Reedy, of Seymour, Indiana, sold their home at 815 Anguilla Path to John Henry, trustee, of Sarasota, for $950,000. Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,974 square feet of living area. It sold for $586,200 in 2019.

RYE WILDERNESS ESTATES

Edward and Mary Ross, trustee, of Bentonville, Arkansas, sold the home at 16614 Second Ave. E. to Richard Sutter, of Bradenton, for $949,000. Built in 2017, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,168 square feet of living area. It sold for $516,600 in 2017.

CENTRAL PARK

Salvatore and Patricia Parrino, of Bradenton, sold their home at 4708 Tilden Park Court to David and Chelsi Svac, of Lakewood Ranch, for $869,900. Built in 2013, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,412 square feet of living area. It sold for $535,000 in 2020.

Daniel and Marsha Burton, of Bradenton, sold their home at 4816 Central Park Blvd. to Brody and Devynne Cone, of Liberty Lake, Washington, for $570,000. Built in 2015, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,283 square feet of living area. It sold for $358,000 in 2021.

Opendoor Property Trust I sold the home at 11427 Piedmont Park Crossing to LPF BLVD Tampa LLC for $470,000. Built in 2011, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,487 square feet of living area. It sold for $489,500 in July.

DEL WEBB

Alan DePeters, trustee, and Mary DePeters, of Bradenton, sold the home at 16917 Pelham Place to Robert Ommen and Claudia Ommen, trustees, of Bradenton, for $850,000. Built in 2016, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,164 square feet of living area. It sold for $591,000 in 2021.

Anthony David Wood, of Bradenton, sold his home at 16611 Blackwater Terrace to Martin Thomas Weckerle and Amba Balu, of Katy, Texas, for $775,000. Built in 2017, it

has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 1,902 square feet of living area. It sold for $430,000 in 2018.

David Murphy and Barbara Wood Murphy sold their home at 16618 Blackwater Terrace to Jeffrey and Sandra Zych, of Bradenton, for $525,000. Built in 2018, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,408 square feet of living area. It sold for $272,300 in 2018.

HERITAGE HARBOUR

David Randall and Gina Harris, of Bradenton, sold their home at 308 Whispering Palms Lane to Mark and Lizanne Torie, of Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, for $837,500. Built in 2015, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,402 square feet of living area. It sold for $495,000 in 2020.

Offerpad (SPVBorrower1) LLC sold the home at 415 Grand Preserve Cove to Robert and Barbara Carr, of Bradenton, for $780,000. Built in 2013, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,460 square feet of living area. It sold for $750,500 in June.

RIVERDALE REVISED

David Gile and Mine Turhan Gile sold their home at 4527 Barracuda Drive to Jeremy Wade, of Bradenton, for $836,000. Built in 2000, it has three bedrooms, two-anda-half baths, a pool and 2,521 square feet of living area. It sold for $486,000 in 2016.

SUMMERFIELD VILLAGE

Feliks Bogucki and Larysa Levytska, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their home at 11812 Soft Rush Terrace to Jordann and Zachary Glynn, of Lakewood Ranch, for $810,000. Built in 1999, it has four bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,500 square feet of living area. It sold for $306,000 in 2015.

Megan Heckman, of Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, sold the home at 6618 Meandering Way to Robert Kennedy Hollway Jr. and Elizabeth Ann Jobe Hollway, of Lakewood Ranch, for $639,000. Built in 1998, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,820 square feet of living area. It sold for $364,500 in 2020.

SRP Sub LLC sold the home at 6614 Buttonbush Court to Richard and Victoria Lange, of Lakewood Ranch, for $523,200. Built in 1997, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,863 square feet of living area. It sold for $270,000 in 2004.

ARBOR GRANDE

Dana Carol Bettge sold her home at 11917 Perennial Place to Andrew David Leckie and Lynda Marecic, of Bradenton, for $785,000. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,251 square feet of living area. It sold for $405,000 in 2019.

TIDEWATER PRESERVE

James and Kathy McQuarrie, of Sarasota, sold their home at 5057 Lake Overlook Ave. to Robert and Christie Mazurek, of Bradenton, for $785,000. Built in 2014, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,249 square feet of living area. It sold for $450,000 in 2020.

THE EAST WOODS

Raymond Joseph Walters and Rhianna Michelle Walters, of Bradenton, sold their home at 3005 69th St. E. to Francisco Pereira, of Bradenton, for $765,000. Built in 1991, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,992 square feet of living area. It sold for $300,000 in 2014.

SERENITY CREEK

Doug and Katherine Pettitt, of Parrish, sold their home at 13042 Bliss Loop to Dzenis and Dragana Softic, of Bradenton, for $750,000. Built in 2018, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 3,033 square feet of living area. It sold for $411,900 in 2018.

SAVANNA

Peter and Crystal Lukas sold their home at 14021 Florida Rosemary Drive to Susan Magner, trustee, of Bradenton, for $740,000. Built in 2018, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,448 square feet of living area. It sold for $381,200 in 2018.

GREENBROOK Lydia Plunkett and Charla Hawthorne, of Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, sold their home at 6670 Coopers Hawk Court to Kurtis Bedolla and Yvonne Bedolla, trustees, of Lakewood Ranch, for $713,500. Built in 2004, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,738 square feet of living area. It sold for $426,000 in 2020.

STONEYBROOK AT HERITAGE HARBOUR James and Ann Wolcott, of Bradenton, sold their home at 7754 Camden Harbour Drive to Ronnie John Riedell and Lisa Anne Riedell, of Bradenton, for $700,000. Built in 2004, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,522 square feet

RESIDENTIAL

of living area. It sold for $463,800 in 2004.

Matthew Capps, of Roswell, Georgia, sold his home at 8206 Summer Greens Terrace to Timothy and Marygrace Sherry, of Lancaster, New York, for $360,000. Built in 2005, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,665 square feet of living area. It sold for $302,900 in 2006.

HARMONY

Steven and Julie Meislahn, of Sarasota, sold their home at 5315 Bentgrass Way to Samuel and Alyssa Miller, of Bradenton, for $675,000. Built in 2016, it has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 2,607 square feet of living area. It sold for $430,000 in 2020.

In with the new

Liz Ramos

This Esplanade home at 5015 Tivoli Run sold for $1,375,000. It has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,927 square feet of living area.

Fast Break

THE STREAM TEAM

The Parrish Community High football team has started the 2022 season 4-0. That’s more wins than the Bulls’s three-win season of 2021 — which means it’s more wins than it had in program history entering 2022, as the team went winless in its inaugural 2020 season. Former Lakewood Ranch High Head Coach Chris Culton has the Bulls playing bully ball. Parrish is averaging 191.8 yards per game on the ground. The team is scheduled to play its first Manatee County game in program history on Friday against Southeast High (0-4), which will be a telling test for the program.

There have been some recent holes-in-one at Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club.

Rich Sorrentino sank one Sept. 22 on the 147-yard No. 11 hole of the club’s King’s Dunes course using a 7-wood, and Charles Cogen sank one Sept. 23 on the 155-yard No. 6 hole of the club’s Cypress Links course using a 5-hybrid.

Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy has hired its first girls basketball coach. Shantia Grace, the University of South Florida Hall of Famer and former head coach at Sarasota’s Booker High, will shepherd the program from its infancy. Grace went 49-31 in three seasons at Booker.

The Braden River High football team is 3-1, but Head Coach Curt Bradley’s team has had some slow starts, giving up early big plays. He wants to see more from his team down the stretch — and from himself.

“It’s my fault,” Bradley said Sept. 23 after his team’s 42-28 win over Booker High. “We weren’t ready to play.”

RYAN KOHN SPORTS EDITOR

Alow rattle echoed out of the Braden River High football sta dium PA system.

Christopher Yates just sighed. “Oh great,” Yates said. “I love a grounding hum.”

Yates, a career and technical edu cation teacher at the school, would eventually eliminate the hum and get the PA system working right but not without getting exasperated at all the things he had to do in a short amount of time.

Yates oversees all the Braden Riv er sound and video for the school’s athletic events. That means the PA system, but it also means the sound for the school’s marching band and the thing that perhaps takes the most effort — streaming Braden River’s athletic contests online for the Pirate Nation Sports Network.

The school has been streaming games online for approximately seven years, and games from as far back as 2016 remain on the network’s YouTube page.

For the first three years, Yates said, it was a small operation. He used a small TriCaster — essentially a boxshaped, high-powered video editor — and a monitor.

Four years ago, Yates realized this was unsustainable if he was going to continue doing the broadcasts.

Yates convinced the school to invest in a broadcast trailer, where all the equipment is now housed. The trailer runs power down from the press box via cables. The trailer allows easy travel to away football games.

Inside the trailer is still a Tri Caster, but it is connected to three monitors for easier viewing. Next to those monitors is another sta tion to control the broadcast’s lower thirds — essentially, the graphics shown on the screen. The broadcast uses software that connects it to the

stadium’s scoreboard, so the game’s score updates automatically on the screen. There’s also an intro video and announcing from school alum nus Harry Lovisa and sophomore Mason Smithers, who plays on the junior varsity football team.

Friday nights are never easy for Yates — there’s a lot of running back and forth between the press box and the trailer, making sure all the wires were connected and everything was working, as well as adjusting the PA system.

On Sept. 23, Yates was particularly exhausted. Yates said he normally assigns each part of the broadcast to a student — he takes volunteers interested in the broadcast field — while Yates does the set-up and tear down. On this night, not many help ers arrived, so Yates was forced to do more, like operate the broadcast’s two cameras.

It was destined to be a weird night. When Yates arrived at the stadium earlier in the day, he discovered half the scoreboard was not working because it had been struck by light ing.

Generally, Yates does all this to give interested students real-life experience.

“I tell all the kids, ‘I don’t care if you screw up,’” Yates said. “I want them to try. It’s about them learning. I’m here for questions and technical issues, but it’s a student-run broad cast.”

Jackson Hodge, a Braden River sophomore, is in his second year as the director, meaning Hodge is man ning the controls at the TriCaster. Hodge makes the decision of when to cut between cameras, among other duties. Hodge is interested in working in broadcasting behind the

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scenes in the future, something he did at R. Dan Nolan Middle’s broad cast news report as an eighth grad er, making sure the audio sounded crisp. Getting thrown into the Pirate Nation Sports Network fire has been invaluable for Hodge’s learning.

“It’s so fun working on the Tri Caster and the graphics and working with the team,” Hodge said.

Smithers joined the broadcast booth for the first time on Sept. 9, when Braden River played at Lake wood Ranch. Lovisa was out of town and Yates needed someone to act as a replacement.

“I didn’t have a roster, and it was raining,” Smithers said of his first game. “I tried to use the roster on MaxPreps, but that wasn’t always right. I still enjoyed it, so I thought, why not keep doing it?”

Lovisa said Smithers has a lot of enthusiasm for the job. It’s nice to have someone to talk with in the booth instead of monologuing to a silent audience, he said.

“I listened back to last week’s game (a loss against Manatee High) and I thought it went great,” Lovisa said. “Yeah, we got a little emotional at the end, but Manatee-Braden River will do that to you.”

The Sept. 23 game against Booker High was the pair’s second game together.

They’re still working out the kinks but feel like their dynamic works well. Lovisa said Smithers is the Tony Romo to his Jim Nance, referencing the popular CBS NFL announcing pair.

All the work that goes into each broadcast pays off. Pirate Nation Sports Network routinely gets upwards of 1,800 views on its foot ball streams.

PIRATES’ EFFORT PROVIDES SOLID VIEWING

The broadcast team showcased a competitive game Sept. 23 as Braden River (3-1) defeated Booker High (2-3) 42-28 despite starting quarterback Nick Trier, a junior, missing the game after being sick most of the week and missing practice time.

In Trier’s stead, sophomore quarterback Lucas Despot led the offense and did what the coaching staff asked him to do. Despot completed six of nine passes for 141 yards and three touchdowns, all to junior tight end Cody Kawcak.

Trier took warmups prior to the game and should be healthy for next week, but for the Pirates, the success of Despot is a good sign that the team can win no matter who is under center.

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“If you want something, go get it. Nothing is going to be handed to you.”

File photo

Curt Bradley

The network streams each Braden River High football game, plus select games of other sports, to fans via YouTube.

Ryan Kohn

Braden River sophomore Mason Smithers and alumnus Harry Lovisa are the broadcasting duo for Pirate Nation Sports Network.

One skate closer

“T

he Star-Spangled Banner” was playing and a gold medal was resting around Monica Quimby’s neck.

Even weeks later, Quimby has a tough time describing the feeling.

The Lakewood Ranch resident had previously experienced big wins, but none felt like this.

It came at the Para Ice Hockey Women’s World Challenge, held Aug. 26-28 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Team USA defeated Canada 5-1 in the gold medal game.

Quimby, who was left paralyzed after a 2006 skiing accident, has played para ice hockey, also known as sled hockey, in international competitions since 2016.

None of them mattered more than this one. That’s because the Women’s World Challenge was the first women’s-only event to be sanctioned by World Para Ice Hockey, the sport’s governing body. Quimby and her USA teammates hope that securing that status, which took a decade to get, is the first step in the process to have women’s sled hockey be part of the Paralympics.

“This was so important,” Quimby said. “That moment (of the national anthem), you’re just so present. It was a big deal for me and my teammates but also all women in sports.”

As it stands, women are technically not barred from competing in the Paralympics’ current version of sled hockey, which has existed since 1994 and is mixed gender. But only three women have seen the ice at the Paralympics in the sport’s history, despite a rule saying teams can carry an extra player on their rosters if there is a female player on it. This has caused U.S. players such as Kelsey DiClaudio to speak against the sport’s current iteration and support the fast-tracking of women’s sled hockey.

“Internationally, para ice hockey is not a mixed event,” DiClaudio

wrote on Twitter in March. “Many countries don’t consider their female players for national teams. There’s need for change in this sport.”

You can understand why this one felt different for all involved. It was the first sign of real change in the sport.

Quimby said that feeling — that this competition was for real — permeated the entire experience, starting with the team’s July training camp in Buffalo, New York.

It was fun, of course, but because the stakes were higher and more eyes were on them, the athletes wanted to win more than ever before.

Quimby, a defenseman, said there was a determination within the U.S. locker room that she had not felt before. The U.S. won all four of its games at the event, and before the gold medal game, Quimby said the team had little doubt of the outcome.

“We were a dominant force,” Quimby said. “We had such an increase in speed and communication and overall talent.”

The intensity shut off as soon as the final buzzer. Quimby said the team celebrated by going out for Chinese food and heading to a karaoke bar, where she and her teammates busted out locker room favorites like Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA,” La Roux’s “Bulletproof” and a plethora of hits from the “Pitch Perfect” movies.

The gold-medal game can be watched in full on the Paralympic Games YouTube channel. I’d recommend watching at least the first period, which contains four of Team USA’s five goals. It will give you an idea of the kind of skill and stamina it takes to play this sport.

The path to the Paralympics will take at least eight years, with the sport having to meet certain checkmarks along the way, like securing

teams that represent six countries or more. This year’s event had three such teams — Team USA, Team Canada and Team Great Britain — plus a fourth team called “Team World” that was made up of indi-

vidual players from various places.

In an interesting twist, Team World finished with the bronze medal, beating Great Britain 5-0 in the third-place game.

The hope is that Team World’s athletes will take the experience they gained from the Women’s World Challenge and spread it through their home countries via development camps and old fashioned word of mouth.

Quimby said she is doing something similar in the U.S. early next year. She will be hosting a camp on a to-be-determined date in Tampa for players interested in learning the sport.

“The biggest thing is getting into hospitals and rehab centers,” Quimby said. “If you can do a few clinics right after you get hurt, you can get exposed not just to our sport but a lot of sports.

“We’re trying to help other countries with that and with funding and equipment as much as we can. We’re trying to help countries create the same backbone that the U.S.

and Canada have.”

Quimby and other veteran members of Team USA might not be on the ice when the sport does reach the Paralympics. To them, that matters less than the progress of the sport as a whole.

Eight years down the road, the party after the Paralympics will dwarf Team USA’s karaoke outing.

But for now — for the hope of a bright future it represents — the night, and the event, remain unforgettable.

“Being able to represent on our home soil was incredible,” Quimby said.

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

Lakewood Ranch sled hockey player Monica Quimby says the Women’s World Challenge being sanctioned by World Para Ice Hockey is the first step to the sport being featured at the Paralympics.

Courtesy photos

Monica Quimby has played sled hockey in international competitions since 2016. She was paralyzed in a 2006 skiing accident.

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Veterinary medicine is our passion in life. And this community is our home. We grew up here. We care deeply about our neighbors. We think of you more as extended family. That is why we are so passionate about making it easier to care for your pet. From wellness plans, to walk in visits, to endless compassion, we built this practice to make a difference in your life. So give us a call, and we’ll do just that.

THE WEEK

ATHLETE

Griffin DeRusso

Griffin DeRusso is a senior running back on The Out-of-Door Academy football team. DeRusso, who is 5-foot-11, 190 pounds, leads the Sunshine State Athletic Conference in rushing yards (707) and touch downs (11) though five weeks as of Sept. 26.

When did you start playing football?

I started playing tackle football as a freshman at Berean Christian in Walnut Creek, California. I had only played flag football before then.

What is the appeal to you?

It is a feeling like no other. You work so hard and then you give it your best effort knowing the guys across the ball are giving their best, too.

What is your best skill? My vision. It’s just God-given, seeing where and when to hit a hole and then knowing what moves to do.

What have you been working to improve?

I have been building up my speed and working on making my cuts sharper. I think that’s the next step in becoming elite.

What is your favorite memory? My first-ever carry at Berean Christian as a freshman went for a touchdown. That was amazing. I remember thinking, ‘I could get used to this.’

How does it feel to lead the conference in rushing?

I went into the season with high hopes. I knew all the work I had put

If you would like to make a recommendation for the East County Observer’s Athlete of the Week feature, send it to Ryan Kohn at RKohn@ YourObserver.com.

in this offseason. This isn’t from luck, you know? I expected to have success.

What are your goals for the season?

As a team we have to keep the season rolling (the team is 5-0). Up and down the roster we have good athletes. Everyone is super into this team and putting in the work. I see it every day, and to have it pay off, it’s been cool. But we need to keep it up

What is the best advice you have received?

If you want something, go get it. Nothing is going to be handed to you. So if you want to be an elite athlete, you need to train like it, you need to eat like it, you need to do all things like you are elite.

Finish this sentence: “Griffin DeRusso is …”

… Charismatic. I think having that tool is an underrated part of being an athlete.

NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH

FORECAST

THURSDAY, SEPT. 29

High: 80 Low: 74 Chance of rain: 92%

FRIDAY, SEPT. 30

High: 81 Low: 73 Chance of rain: 61%

SATURDAY, OCT. 1

High: 84 Low: 70 Chance of rain: 30%

SUNDAY, OCT. 2

High: 86 Low: 69 Chance of rain: 24%

Thursday, Sept. 29 7:21a 7:18p

Friday, Sept. 30 7:22a 7:16p

Saturday, Oct. 1 7:22a 7:15p

Sunday, Oct. 2 7:23a 7:14p

Monday, Oct. 3 7:23a 7:13p

Tuesday, Oct. 4 7:24a 7:12p

Wednesday, Oct. 5 7:24a 7:11p

MOON PHASES

RAINFALL

Monday, Sept. 19

Tuesday, Sept. 20

Wednesday, Sept. 21

Thursday, Sept. 22

Friday, Sept. 23

Saturday, Sept. 24

Sunday, Sept. 25

YEAR TO DATE:

DATE:

MONTH

FUNNY BUSINESS by Rebecca Goldstein. Edited by David Steinberg

By Luis Campos

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

Gordon Silver took the photo of these pileated woodpeckers along White Eagle Boulevard in Lakewood Ranch.

3PM

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Merchandise Wanted

BUYING BASEBALL card collections! Looking to free up space and make $$? Need to sell sports cards? Collector looking to expand collection.

Pay top dollar. Text/call 941 548 6492 with photos.

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

Sporting Goods

941-251-7916,

Adult Care Services

Auto Transport

Cleaning

address) Or Online at: www.yourobserver.com Or mail to:

The Observer Group 1970 Main St. - 3rd Floor Sarasota, Fl 34236

BURNISHED-RED MIRROR 36”X46” $85. Roomba, $14. White, green/rose embroidery king comforter set w/ 7 pillow shams, $99. (941)758-4646

GE Washer & Gas Dryer- working condition. $125 for both. (803)873-6161

KING COMFORTER, Dark Grey. New, $45. 3 pairs of Easy Spirit Romy Shoes, 2 new, 1 worn once. $20 each. 941-927-3805

SMALL

$169. (941) 351-4116

Painting

Kristin

Nancy

Linda KellyKaylee Susan Andrew

Kim Patrick Amie

Keely

David Wendy Jeanie