LONGBOAT
Observer Longboat Key’s weekly newspaper since 1978
Winning moves.
PAGE 1B
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
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FREE THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2021
VOLUME 44, NO. 1
Strings attached
YOUR TOWN
Jovial helper is knot your typical tennis tech. PAGE 4A
SOMETHING IN THE AIR
Courtesy photo
A day at the fair
Longboat Key author Julie McGue went back to Fair One — or rather, Bookstore1, for the annual Suncoast Local Book Fair on Aug. 2. McGue was there to sign copies of her book, “Twice a Daughter,” and was joined for a time by friend and fellow tennis player Elizabeth Russell, who said she was there supporting her favorite author. The Suncoast Local Book Fair usually happens twice a year, according to Events Manager Elise Souza. The only stipulation is that authors must be local, so McGue submitted her work quickly and got a table.
To get a handle on red tide, town gets a top-down view. SEE PAGE 7A
Seasoned with care
Mark Bergin
Alex Harkinson catches the DJI Mavic 2 Pro drone after a flight from Bayfront Park north to the end of Longboat Key and back.
A+E
A new look for ballet. SEE PAGE 15A
High and mighty
Mark Bergin
Assistant Fire Chief Bryan Carr drives the 1998 Stewart & Stevenson M1078 truck behind Fire Station 91.
Town’s new truck will help when things get nasty. SEE PAGE 3A
Pass the salt and pass some funds onto Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium with the Save the Sharks and Coral salt from Florida Pure Sea Salt. Through the end of 2021, the St. Petersburg-based sea salt harvesting company will donate 20% of the proceeds to the aquarium’s research and education efforts. Mote isn’t the only one; the Suncoast chapter of the Surfrider Foundation also has a specially labeled salt. Surfrider volunteers have organized cleanups on Greer Island in the past. The salt will be available on the company’s website, FloridaPureSeaSalt.com.
Turtle Tracks LONGBOAT Aug. 1-7 2021 2020 Nests 13 16 False Crawls 19 6 Totals since April 25 2021 2020 Nests 1,024 1,130 False Crawls 1,428 1,297 Source: Mote Marine Laboratory