LONGBOAT
A+E Dancing through 2024
Observer
Longboat Key’s weekly newspaper since 1978
INSIDE
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2024
VOLUME 47, NO. 19
YOUR TOWN
Ian Swaby
Commissioner Kyle Battie speaks along-side Mural Organizer Walter Gilbert.
2024:
Longboat’s year in photos
Martin Luther King Jr. Day event Commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with the Social Action Committee at Temple Beth Israel. Walter Gilbert, past president of the NAACP of Sarasota County and vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, will lead a discussion at the temple about Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous speech. The Martin Luther King Jr. Day event will be held at 5:30 p.m., with a reception after, on Jan. 17 at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road. RSVP by Jan. 13. Call 383-3428 or Office@LongboatKeyTemple.org.
JANUARY
BLAST FROM THE PAST
Longboat Fire Station 92 hosted a tour day for families that highlighted the impressive kitchen and new weight room. But arguably, no one was more impressed than Greysun Gross-Hendel, who got to test the power of a fire hose.
Despite the impacts from three hurricanes, Longboat Key had plenty to smile about in 2024. MICHAEL HARRIS MANAGING EDITOR
L
ongboat Key possesses the beauty of nature’s paradise with its beaches, sea turtles, the array of birds and just inner peace and calm.
Nature also can take an ugly turn as it did with
the hurricanes that left a lasting impression and changed the look of the Key.
Petra Rivera
The Rev. Robert Dziedziak and Susan Gilmore-Clarke
Christmas Concert at St. Mary Choirs were singing at St. Mary, Star of the Sea, Catholic Church this holiday season. Venice Symphony performed at the congregation at its annual Christmas concert on Dec. 13. Parishioners filled the church with excitement and holiday glee for one of their favorite events of the year. Susan Gilmore-Clarke, the chairperson, wanted to put a spin on the yearly concert. Instead of having several singers, she thought the symphony would be a unique performance with a 1950s feel. Gilmore-Clarke said the symphony provided an experience of enjoying live music and sharing in holiday cheer like no other concert before. $1.00
Debby’s rains, Helene’s surge and Milton’s winds cast gloom on an otherwise beautiful 2024 on Longboat. We experienced the worst nature can dole out, and yet, we bounced back. But we can overlook the rough patch and go back into what 2024 did offer and see the results. We saved lives of turtles and birds and released them back into nature; we danced on St. Patty’s Day and renewed love on Valentines and we ate. Boy, did we find some wonderful goodies, tastes and drinks only Longboat can dish out. When the storms subsided, LBK Strong took over, and we started a return to normal and a welcome back to our seasonal northern friends.
File photos
MARCH
RESCUE MISSION
Rescuers saved Clarice the sea turtle near the Venice Pier during Halloween night in 2023. After four months of rehab at Mote Marine’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital, a healthy Clarice needed a push in the right direction to get back into the Gulf of Mexico waters.
SEPTEMBER NOVEMBER
NEW HOLIDAY LOOK
Light Up Longboat at the Town Center Green drew hundreds of community members as Mayor Ken Schneier joined Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce President Kim Verreault and Assistant to the Town Manager Susan Phillips on the Karon Family Pavilion stage to turn on the lights of this year’s new and unique wooden Christmas tree.
SUFFERING THE WORST
Longboat Key Town Manager Howard Tipton assumed that Gulfside Road was where some of the most damage was dealt. The storm left beachfront homes there devastated, with some almost completely gutted.
SEE MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 3