Lakewood Ranch Life - Fall

LWRLIFE LAKEWOOD RANCH AREA’S COMMUNITY, NATURE, STYLE FALL 2014

On the road with the ‘Idiots’ PAGE 46

Paddlers in pink unite for cause

Restore your skin after summer

Shooters take aim at Ancient Oak

Meals from swamp to table

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Your Lakewood Ranch Real Estate Specialists

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CONTENTS FALL 2014

46 52

FEATURES

46

LEADING THE PACK The Village Idiots are serious about cycling — they just don’t take themselves too seriously. HEIDI KURPIELA

52

BULL’S-EYE More than a year after its completion, Ancient Oak Gun Club is attracting sporting clays enthusiasts from all over the state. SHELLIE TERRY BENSON

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GREAT EXPECTATIONS As health care becomes increasingly competitive, Lakewood Ranch Medical Center reflects on the 10 years since its opening and the changes it has made to meet patients’ needs. PAM EUBANKS LWR LIFE

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38 61 DEPARTMENTS 14 FROM THE EDITOR 19 BUZZ The latest news everyone is talking about, including The Mall at University Town Center, the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival at Nathan Benderson Park, a new take on a successful wine event and Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance’s new executive director.

31 PULSE Go inside Boar’s Head with Mike Martella, learn more about Little Owl Charities’ mission and get tips for reviving your summer-stricken hair.

32 CALENDAR From pumpkin festivals to fashion shows, don’t miss fall’s top events.

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61 HAVEN Take a peek inside the Marinaccios’ Italian-inspired home in The Concession.

72 FORK Gator to table: The fresh secret behind Linger Lodge’s gator chowder.

78 RANCH SCENE Party pictures from Lakewood Ranch’s latest events.

82 PARTING GLANCE

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THE GROUP

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LWRLIFE LAKEWOOD RANCH AREA’S COMMUNITY, NATURE, STYLE

Publisher and CEO — Matt Walsh

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EDITORIAL Executive Editor — Kat Hughes LWR Life Editors — Stephanie Hannum and Jessica Luck Designers — Jennifer Edwards and Nicole Thompson

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Contributing Writers — Shellie Terry Benson, Jen Blanco, Pam Eubanks, Mallory Gnaegy, Heidi Kurpiela, Heather Merriman, Kurt Schultheis and Amanda Sebastiano Contributing Photographers — Brian Blanco, Detlev von Kessel, Heidi Kurpiela, Heather Merriman, Lori Sax and Mark Wemple

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Director of Advertising — Jill Raleigh Digital Sales Director — Kathleen O'Hara East County Sales Manager — Lori Ruth Sales Manager — Penny DiGregorio Advertising Executives — Robyn Didelot, Austin Holmes, Beth Jacobson, Bob Lewis, Suzanne Munroe, Richeal Parisi, Toni Perren and Laura Ritter

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To submit story ideas, calendar listings or have your event considered for coverage, contact Stephanie Hannum at Stephanie@yourobserver.com.

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LWR Life is a quarterly publication of the Observer Media Group published in May, August, November and February in partnership with Schroeder-Manatee Ranch.

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Shopping and shotguns

A

lthough I’ve been a cyclist for more than a decade and enjoy the great routes Lakewood Ranch has to offer, I have to admit: I never wanted to ride with one of the big groups I saw whizzing to and from the bike shop on Main Street.

They seemed intimidating.

That changed in May, when I did a women’s ride organized by the Village Idiots, the cycling club behind many of the rides in the area.

Although some riders were intense (and fast) all were friendly, welcoming and passionate about their sport (and their bikes). After all, with a name like that, they have to have a sense of humor. And we tested it.

On a steamy morning in July, a group of them helped us shoot our cover picture, which entailed about an hour of riding up and down a section of University Parkway. They were

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good sports and nothing but smiles the entire time — but I’m guessing they’d rather be out riding than at the office, anyway.

On page 46, Heidi Kurpiela retraces the path of the group’s beginnings while exploring how the sport has gained a large following in the Lakewood Ranch area. Some are even calling it the new golf.

However, if you’re more into shopping than sweating, you’ve probably been paying less attention to the pavement than what’s taking form just down the road: The Mall at University Town Center. Everyone’s excited for the new shops that will open Oct. 16, but the mall brings more than just 880,000 square feet of new retail to the area: It puts SarasotaBradenton on the map as a shopping destination. Although our area has always been known for its ample local boutiques with beautiful specialty offerings, avid shoppers often found themselves traveling to Tampa to buy their favorite national brands. The

new mall should eliminate those trips, while also announcing the prestige of our area in a big way. On page 20, you’ll see how it stacks up with other shopping destinations in Southwest and Central Florida.

Another local venue that’s putting our area on the map and, specifically, in shooters’ sights, is the Ancient Oak Gun Club. Just more than a year old, the club was built to attract worldclass shooting competitions with some serious purses. After developing the course, Schroeder-Manatee Ranch has put up $30,000 in prize money for the inaugural Harvest Moon Classic, which takes place Oct. 9-12. Read more about the club’s offerings and just who these shooting enthusiasts are on page 52. As someone who shoots sporting clays from time to time, I can’t wait to check it out.

That is, after I buy a few thank-you drinks for some Idiots.

Kat Hughes Executive Editor

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BUZZ

NEWS, HAPPENINGS AND PEOPLE

The two dozen women on this boat survived cancer. How tough could a little competition be? PAGE 22

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MALL MADNESS

Does an 880,000-square-foot, $315 million mall with more than 100 planned stores put East County on the mall map? You better believe it. BY KURT SCHULTHEIS | CONTRIBUTOR

I

f you build it, they will come — even before it’s completed.

The Mall at University Town Center has already spurred development surrounding the soon-to-be shopping mecca.

The Florida Department of Transportation is working on a new interchange at Interstate 75 and University Parkway to prepare for the onslaught of traffic the mall will bring when it opens Oct. 16.

Meanwhile, across the street, Benderson Development Co. recently submitted plans to add an additional 600,000 square feet of retail and 100,000 square feet of office space at the 276-acre University Town Center.

National retail store officials think the new mall is the place to be, as well.

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Close to 100 stores have signed leases this year in the only enclosed mall currently being built in the United States.

For the first time since the recession, some big-name retailers, such as Apple (which has not opened a new store in Florida since 2008), are also banking on the lure of the Mall at University Town Center.

Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and Dillard’s signs are up on the massive concrete structure, along with eatery signs that include Seasons 52, The Capital Grille and Brio. Landscaping, complete with mature palms, is now being planted around the mall’s parking spaces.

To see how the mall stacks up to its competitors, LWR Life compared it with a couple of other Florida malls with notable anchor tenants.

THE MALL AT UNIVERSITY TOWN CENTER SARASOTA-MANATEE

INTERNATIONAL PLAZA

THE MALL AT MILLENIA

TAMPA

ORLANDO

STORES: 200 ANCHOR TENANTS: Dillard’s,

STORES: 150 ANCHOR TENANTS: Neiman Marcus,

Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom

Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Louis Vuitton, Gucci TOTAL GROSS LEASABLE AREA: 1.2 million square feet POPULATION: 2,219,256 (659.32 people per square mile)

STORES: More than 100 ANCHOR TENANTS: Dillard’s,

TOTAL GROSS LEASABLE AREA: 1.19 mil-

Macy’s and Saks Fifth Avenue

lion square feet POPULATION: 2,850,394

TOTAL GROSS LEASABLE AREA:

CURRENT AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $44,402 JOBS: 2,500 (3,500 in season) PARENT COMPANY: Bloomfield,

880,000 square feet POPULATION: 719,172 CURRENT AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $48,450 JOBS: 2,000 (1,000

construction jobs currently) PARENT COMPANY:

Bloomfield, Mich.-based Taubman Centers YEAR OPENED: Opens Oct. 16 INTERESTING FACT:

Approximately 50% of the stores coming to the mall will be new brands for this market.

Mich.-based Taubman Centers YEAR OPENED: 2001 INTERESTING FACT: The mall opened Sept. 14, 2001, three days after the terrorist attacks.

The parent company canceled several grand opening-related events, including Cirque du Soleil.

Gov. Rick Scott visited the International Plaza in February to shop for the first lady’s birthday.

CURRENT AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $46,020 JOBS: 2,500 (3,500 in season) PARENT COMPANY: Bloomfield,

Mich.-based Taubman Centers and Southfield, Mich.-based The Forbes Co. YEAR OPENED: 2002 INTERESTING FACT: The Mall at Millenia has 12, 35-foot-high masts topped with high-definition LED screens with 12-channel surround sound, featuring footage from the runways of New York, London, Paris and Milan.

COASTLAND MALL NAPLES STORES: 117 ANCHOR TENANTS: Dillard’s,

JCPenney, Macy’s and Sears TOTAL GROSS LEASABLE AREA:

960,000 square feet POPULATION: 340,447 CURRENT AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $54,126 JOBS: 2,000 PARENT COMPANY: Chicago-based

General Growth Properties YEAR OPENED: 1977 (renovated in 1985, 1996 and 2007) INTERESTING FACT: Approximately 35.1% of adults with a household income of more than $100,000 have reported they shop at Coastland Center.

Sources for chart: U.S. Census Bureau, Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission, U.S. Department of Commerce

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Sarasota's Survivors in Sync dragon boat team formed last fall as a way to bring breast cancer survivors together.

Bitten by the DRAGON What leads a group of 24 women to paddle it out in a 2,000-year-old sport from China? BY JEN BLANCO | CONTRIBUTOR

F

orget running in tutus for some 5K or sporting Pepto Bismol-pink ribbons on everything they own to raise awareness.

These breast cancer survivors sacrifice more than sleeping in on a Saturday morning or holes in their blouses to support their cause. They travel and train to compete in a sport created 2,000 years ago by Chinese men that requires teamwork, stamina and strength, particularly of the upper-body variety — dragon boat racing.

Just a year after learning about the sport, Angela Long, captain of the Sarasota-based Survivors in Sync team, prepares to compete in the Fourth International 2014 IBCPC (International Breast Cancer Paddlers' Commission) Participatory Dragon Boat Festival Oct. 24 through Oct. 26, at Nathan Benderson Park.

The dragon boat festival is an annual event breast cancer survivors organize to create breast

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health awareness while celebrating those who have beaten the disease. With more than 50 million paddlers participating annually, dragon boat racing is the fastest-growing water sport in the world. Although the sport stems from a Chinese tradition, Dr. Don McKenzie, who believed paddling could benefit the women, introduced it to breast cancer survivors in 1996. He created the first breast cancer survivor team, named “Abreast in a Boat,” in Vancouver, Canada. Since then, the number of teams has grown to more than 150 around the world.

Three years ago, a committee, led by chairwomen Paula Jennings of the Pink Dragon Ladies in Tampa and Kim Bonono of Save Our Sisters in Miami, began working to bring the festival to Sarasota.

“Our goal was to have it in a smaller, tight-knit community because it helps with the awareness and makes it a full community event, which is one

The Survivors in Sync dragon boat team practices twice a week on the water at Nathan Benderson Park.

Photos by Brian Blanco

of the goals,” Jennings says.

It is the first time the event, which will feature roughly 3,500 breast cancer survivors and supporters, has been held in the United States.

But the Sarasota Survivors in Sync team was formed more out of proximity than passion. Long, a 10-year breast cancer survivor, was at a planning meeting for the festival. During the meeting, the chairwomen of the event mentioned they’d like Sarasota to have a team at the event. Long Continued on page 24

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Continued from page 22 volunteered to help organize a boat, eventually traveling up to Tampa to watch its team, the Pink Dragon Ladies, in action.

“It captured my interest, but I thought, ‘Wow. That sounds exhausting,’” Long recalls.

After holding informational meetings to recruit team members, Long had the women practice with yard sticks to learn the motion of paddling before hitting the water in a boat.

“After the first minute I realized this is hard work,” Long says. “I thought, ‘I don’t know if I’m cut out for this.’ But then I was ‘bitten by the dragon,’ as we like to say.”

Without a boat of its own, the team spent the next seven months driving to Tampa every week to train with the Pink Dragon Ladies.

In May, the Benderson family donated $32,858 to buy Survivors in Sync a pair of pink dragon boats, which allowed the team to train in Sarasota full time.

Long says her team is prepared and excited for the festival, although the competition takes a backseat to the larger purpose of the event.

“The energy of these women — I know it’s going to be such an inspiring three days on so many levels,” Long says. “It’s just an instant sisterhood, and this takes it to a whole new level.”

2,500

OCT. 24 THROUGH OCT. 26 LOCATION: Nathan Benderson Park, 290 N. Cattlemen Road, Sarasota INFORMATION:

sarasotabcs2014festival.org COMPETITION: During the

event, survivors will compete in up to three races with qualifying, semifinal and final rounds. Teams compete for the best time on the course.

TEAM SNAPSHOT

NAME: Surivors in Sync TEAM CAPTAIN: Angela

Long. Long, a Palmer Ranch resident, is a 10-year breast cancer survivor. An advocate in the community, Long created Breast Investigators, a social network designed to help those affected by breast cancer by pulling together information, resources, support and care, event details and more.

YEAR FOUNDED: Fall 2013 MEMBERS: 24. The team is always looking for new paddlers as well as those interested in helping through volunteering at fundraisers and festivals.

HITTING THE WATER: The team practices every Wednesday evening at Nathan Benderson Park and alternates between Saturday and Sunday mornings.

INFORMATION: survivorsinsync.org or facebook.com/survivorsinsync

The number of breast cancer survivors expected to participate in this year’s festival.

FRIDAY, OCT. 24 Opening Ceremony — 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Nathan Benderson Park Wine and Cheese Mixer Reception — 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Nathan Benderson Park

SATURDAY, OCT. 25 Races — First-round heats begin at 9 a.m. at Nathan Benderson Park.

Second-round heats will run from approximately 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Parade of Nations — 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Lakewood Ranch Main Street. Food and entertainment will be available.

Pink Paddlers Party — 6:45 to 10 p.m. on Lakewood Ranch Main Street. Food and entertainment will be provided.

SUNDAY, OCT. 26

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Races — Semifinal round begins at 9 a.m. at Nathan Benderson Park. Final round will run from approximately 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.

The Sandy Smith Global Race — 3:45 to 4 p.m. at Nathan Benderson Park BCS Flower Ceremony — 4 to 4:15 p.m. at Nathan Benderson Park Closing Ceremonies — 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at Nathan Benderson Park

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UNCORKED AT LAKEWOOD RANCH WHEN: Nov. 8; cocktail

The

Flip Side

Grab your glass and prepare to uncork the Rotary Club of Lakewood Ranch’s reinvented fundraiser.

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BY AMANDA SEBASTIANO | CONTRIBUTOR

I

t’s going to be a change, to be sure. Those who have attended the Rotary Club of Lakewood Ranch’s annual Suncoast Food and Wine Festival will find that this year’s event has taken the elevator-instead-of-the-stairs approach to raise its offerings, style and its price tag.

But Laurie Hagberg, marketing and publicity chairwoman for the event, promises it’s worth it.

“We’re taking it up a notch this year,” Hagberg explains. “We’re moving forward to create a top-of-the-line event — a true fine-dining experience.”

After 12 years of success, the Rotary Club is transforming its annual

festival into a new concept: Uncorked at Lakewood Ranch.

The new event focuses on quality over quantity.

Instead of featuring more than 300 wines and food tastings from 40 restaurants, Uncorked boasts five of the best domestic and international wines available. Attendees will have a wine paired with each course of the meal, which has also been upgraded.

Uncorked will feature five-course meals served in two tents, each with a unique menu. Jamil Pineda, chef of Michael’s On East, will serve in one tent, and Caleb Taylor, executive chef of The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota’s Jack Dusty restaurant, will serve his fare

in the other. Attendees will choose in which tent they want to dine when purchasing tickets.

Although the Rotary Club notes the Food and Wine Festival faithfully attracted large crowds, it faced growing competition from other wine festivals, such as the Florida Winefest and Auction.

Rotary members decided it was time to rejuvenate the club’s take on a winecentered event.

“It’s the flip side of the wine festival, while still maintaining excellence,” Hagberg says. “The ultimate fine-dining experience means great atmosphere, fantastic wines and good camaraderie to make it an enjoyable experience — Uncorked has all of those things.”

party starts at 6 p.m., dinner served at 7 p.m., with dessert and dancing to follow WHERE: Sarasota Polo Club, 8201 Polo Club Lane, Sarasota COST: $250 PARKING: Valet parking available INFO: lakewoodranch-rotary. com or 870-0002.

BENEFITS: As in years past, the event will still benefit a range of nonprofit organizations, such as the Boys and Girls Clubs, Sarasota Manatee Association of Riding Therapy (SMART), Humane Society of Manatee County, Meals on Wheels PLUS, ShelterBox USA and others.

©2014 California Closet Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Franchises independently owned and operated.

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How has the job been going so far?

Well, it’s kind of like trying to drink water out of a fire hydrant; I’ve definitely hit the ground running. But, it’s really exciting to learn about the opportunities that exist in the business community here — (the Alliance) has so many outlets to help business owners. Over the last few months, I’ve mainly been focused on establishing a solid foundation for the Alliance, getting some core principles established to find the mission of the organization.

Where do you see the Alliance in five years?

Within five years, I’d like the Alliance to be truly viewed as a premier business organization.

I’d want a group that is highly regarded by the Suncoast as a place for businesses to be represented. We’re on our way there, if we continually have relevant and applicable programs above and beyond traditional networking. People don’t want to just come and sit down for lunch once a month; they want to have something that will help their businesses become more profitable.

They want to make their businesses better and learn something they can apply to their work.

New era

Photo by Lori Sax

Heather Kasten, executive director of the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance, brings her big- and small-business knowledge to the forefront in her new position. BY AMANDA SEBASTIANO | CONTRIBUTOR

I

n the case of Heather and Clint Kasten, opposites attract. The couple, who will have been married 23 years in November, have spent their marriage working on different sides of the business spectrum. Heather Kasten has sold pharmaceutical products for Eli Lilly and Co. and regionally managed a Six Flags theme park, along with a range of other career choices.

Clint Kasten has been a lifelong entrepreneur who owns property management companies and renovates houses to resell for profit.

Since the St. Louis native launched her newest career move as the executive director of the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance May 12, Kasten has been taking a closer look at the network she has married into — the small-business community.

“I think my whole (career) journey has brought me here to bring the experience of big employers to the small-business community,” Kasten said. “I’m married to a small-business owner, so I can understand the perspective of where the business owner is coming from and what a small business needs to succeed.”

In an interview with LWR Life, Kasten describes her time as an Alliance leader thus far, outlines her five-year goals for the organization and explains how she plans to accomplish them.

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LWR LIFE

How do you plan to accomplish those goals?

We have to set personal goals for ourselves, to really keep score. In August, we’re having our annual board retreat, where we’ll decide on goals for the next year. I’m a big scorekeeper. If you’re not keeping score, trying to benchmark against what you’ve accomplished in the past and do better than you have before, then you’re not playing the game; I started my scorecard the day I started.

What’s the one word that describes your leadership style and why?

Servant. You’re really not leading if you’re not serving; you do what needs to be done. Doing the job that needs to be done means leading by example, whether it’s working with Alliance members or the community.

What was the coolest part of your employment at Six Flags?

Well, nothing is more fun than selling fun and having the opportunity to sell corporations on the idea of bringing their teams, staff and families to the park. But an interesting part of the job was running the Batman rollercoaster. I was trained to run it for the time when we were short staffed, because our high school students didn’t start work until the summer. I told people to stay in their seats and keep their hands and feet inside at all times, made sure they were buckled in — all that.

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PULSE THE HEART OF THE COMMUNITY

Get to know Mike Martella, the man who brought Boar's Head's headquarters to our community. PAGE 36

calendar fall 2014 SEPTEMBER SEPT. 3 EAST MEETS WEST

The Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance, in collaboration with the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce, presents the 6th annual East Meets West Regional Business Expo from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Robarts Arena.

For more information, call 757-1664.

SEPT. 5 MUSIC ON MAIN

Grab your friends and head to Lakewood Ranch Main Street from 6 to 9 p.m. for a free concert.

Proceeds from the event will benefit Manasota BUDS. Guests are welcome to bring chairs but no coolers. Dogs are welcome but must be kept on a short leash.

For more information, call 462-2357.

in attending are invited to gather at the MTI campus, off Lakewood Ranch Boulevard, around the flag pole for a show of support as the national anthem is sung while the flag is raised and then dropped to half-mast.

SEPT. 17 WOMEN’S COUNCIL OF REALTORS FASHION SHOW

Join the Women’s Council of Realtors for a fashion show and luncheon at 11 a.m. at Fête Ballroom, Polo Grill and Bar. Tickets cost $50.

For more information, call 921-5027.

SEPT. 11 LWR REMEMBERS 9/11

This annual gathering and remembrance of 9/11 gives MTI students, Lakewood Ranch neighbors and community leaders a chance to reflect and remember. The remembrance will begin at 9 a.m. All interested

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LWR LIFE

SEPT. 17: FASHION SHOW

SEPT. 27 HEALTH AND WELLNESS EXPO

Stop by Lakewood Ranch Medical Center from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to visit more than 50 exhibitors in the health field. The exhibitors’ focus will be on preventive medicine, the heart and circulatory system and the importance of physical activity and proper nutrition.

For more information, visit lwrcac.com/healthwellness-expo/.

INTERNATIONAL BEER FESTIVAL

The 4th annual beer festival takes place from 3 to 7 p.m. at Sarasota Polo Club. The event will include unlimited samples of more than 100 craft and specialty beers from around the world along with food samplings from dozens of restaurants around the Lakewood Ranch area. This year’s event will feature the “Big Top Beer Carnival.” VIP tickets are also available.

Entertainment provided by Pitbull Toddler. Part of the proceeds from this event will benefit Bros 4 Bras.

For more information, visit LWRBeerFestival. com.

SEPT. 27: INTERNATIONAL BEER FESTIVAL

OCTOBER OCT. 3 MUSIC ON MAIN

Head to Lakewood Ranch Main Street from 6 to 9 p.m. for a free concert.

Proceeds from the event will benefit Care 2 Tri. Guests are welcome to bring chairs but no coolers. Dogs are welcome but must be kept on a short leash.

For more information, call 462-2357.

OCT. 3 THROUGH OCT. 5 FLORIDA BALLOON FESTIVAL

Visit Premier Sports Campus at Lakewood Ranch for music, food, entertainment, crafts, activities for children, balloon rides and more.

Special events include a balloon glow dinner,

5K run and kids’ dash, Wild, Wild East’s BBQ, bourbon and cigars and a gospel brunch.

The weekend benefits Florida Suncoast Charities.

For more information, please visit floridaballoonfestival.com or call 800-661-0823.

OCT. 3 THROUGH NOV. 23 TOUR OF HOMES

Lakewood Ranch presents its annual Tour of Homes Oct. 3 through Nov. 23. Stop by one of the Lakewood Ranch information centers to pick up a tour guide map. Models will be open daily, including the private showcase homes at the exclusive Lake Club village as well as the private Country Club East village. For more information, visit lakewoodranch. com/tourofhomes.

OCT. 5 OLD MIAKKA FALL HOOTENANNY AND SCHOOLHOUSE BENEFIT

The event takes place at 10 a.m. at Old Miakka Schoolhouse to benefit the preservation and restoration of the Old Miakka School House.

OCT. 11-26: PUMPKIN FESTIVAL

For more information, call 322-2164.

OCT. 11 CLUB DAY

OCT. 11 THROUGH OCT. 26

Learn about more than 45 social clubs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall. Many of the Lakewood Ranch clubs are active in community fundraising; others join together for pleasure and camaraderie. If you have recently moved to the Lakewood Ranch community, this is a fantastic way to get involved and meet your community neighbors.

For more information, call 894-2385.

HUNSADER FARMS PUMPKIN FESTIVAL

OCT. 18

OCT. 9 THROUGH OCT. 12 HARVEST MOON CLASSIC

Sporting clays competition at Ancient Oak Gun Club. There is a $30,000 guaranteed purse and a chance to win a Beretta A400.

For more information, call 745-5900.

The annual pumpkin festival runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 11 and 12; Oct. 18 and 19; and Oct. 25 and 26, at Hunsader Farms. The festival offers craft booths, live music and dance performances, hayrides, scarecrow displays, a petting zoo, pumpkins and more.

Admission is $8; children 12 and under get in free.

Entrance to the corn maze is an additional $2.

Parking is $5.

For more information, call 322-2168.

MAKING STRIDES AGAINST BREAST CANCER

Gather a team for the

OCT. 18: MAKING STRIDES AGAINST BREAST CANCER

annual 5K walk to benefit the American Cancer Society. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m., and the walk begins at 9 a.m. at Sarasota Polo Club.

For more information, call 328-3775.

can have their pictures taken in the pumpkin patch.

For more information, call 757-1530.

OCT. 24

OCT. 25

BOO FEST

The annual Halloween event takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. on Lakewood Ranch Main Street. Dress in costume and participate in the costume parade, which will make its way down the street promptly at 6:30 p.m.

Enjoy music, face painting, trick-or-treating and a haunted house. Families

BOO RUN

Join the Lakewood Ranch Running Club for the 11th annual Boo Run at 8:30 a.m. at Lakewood Ranch Main Street. This is a family-oriented race with a costume contest and awards.

To register or for more information, visit lakewoodranchrunningclub.com/boo-run-5k.

OCT. 25: BOO RUN

NOVEMBER NOV. 6 EMPTY BOWLS

The Food Bank of Manatee will host its Empty Bowls luncheon, allowing East County residents to fill up on savory soups while supporting charity. The event will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Lakewood Ranch Main Street. Tickets cost $25 each and include a unique ceramic bowl to keep, a selection of soups and fresh bread.

For more information, call 747-FOOD.

NOV. 7 MUSIC ON MAIN

Come to Lakewood Ranch Main Street from 6 to 9 p.m. for a free concert.

Proceeds from the event will benefit Manatee Children's Services. Guests are welcome to bring chairs but no coolers. Dogs are welcome but must be kept on a short leash.

For more information, call 462-2357.

Continued on page 34 LWR LIFE

33

calendar fall 2014 From Page 33

NOV. 8 UNCORKED AT LAKEWOOD RANCH

The annual Suncoast Food and Wine Festival has changed names and is taking it up a notch.

The cocktail party starts at 6 p.m., with dinner following, at Sarasota Polo Club. Tickets cost $250.

For more information, call 870-0002. (Read more on PAGE 26)

NOV. 15 CREATIVE ARTS ASSOCIATION SHOW AND SALE

The Creative Arts Association of Lakewood

Ranch is hosting its 13th annual art show and sale from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall. The group will feature the original artwork of 20 award-winning local artists.

For more information, call 907-8244 or visit caalr.com.

HORSEPOWER FOR HOPE AUTO SHOW

This all-day show and family festival — to benefit The Center for Building Hope — is the auto enthusiast’s dream. Some of the most powerful and highly tuned cars from around the world will be on display: international and American customs, European exot-

ics, high-power racers, muscle cars, custom bikes and more. Takes place 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Lakewood Ranch Main Street.

For more information, call 921-5539.

and more.

For more information, visit lwrcac.com.

NOV. 16

FESTA ITALIANA

LWR Community Activities will host its third Festa Italiana from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Greenbrook Adventure Park. Familyfriendly event hosted

by Lakewood Ranch Community Activities celebrates all things Italy. Enjoy children’s activities, live music, craft vendors, traditional food, a dog-costume contest to benefit Humane Society of Lakewood Ranch

HORSEPOWER FOR HOPE AUTOCROSS COMPETITION

Got a fast car? Think you’re a good driver?

Here’s your chance to prove it. The Autocross Competition will test your driving prowess on a closed course. Suncoast Porsche Club of America will manage the event.

For more information, call 921-5539.

NOV. 22 AND NOV. 23 MIXON FRUIT FARMS HARVEST FESTIVAL

The annual Harvest Festival runs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 22 and Nov. 23, at Mixon Fruit Farms. Enjoy pony rides, bungee jumping, bounce houses, live music and dance performances, food and more. The Loomis Brother’s Circus will have six tigers and three elephants performing various stunts and acts.

For more information or a schedule of events, visit mixon.com.

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LWR LIFE

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35

CLASS ACTS

BY HEATHER MERRIMAN | CONTRIBUTOR

Mike Martella

T

here is one shopping decision most Publix customers can relate to when visiting the deli counter to get their meat and cheese: “Boar’s Head or Publix?”

Most people opt for that unbeatable taste of Boar’s Head. With the corporate headquarters located in Sarasota, we wanted to get to know fellow Rancher Mike Martella, the man who brought the company's headquarters to our community.

MEET MIKE President of Boar’s Head Provisions Co. Inc. Lakewood Ranch resident since 2002 Married to Kathy, father to Kim (and husband, LaRoux), Marissa (and husband, Adam) and Kelly

What’s your story?

I was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. I grew up there and spent most of my life there — I got married in Brooklyn and was there until we moved to Long Island in 1984.

My wife, Kathy, and I went to high school together. We met the last day of high school — we had known each other but weren’t actually acquainted. She wrote in my yearbook and left her number, so I called her the next day and we’ve been together ever since — that was 1975.

How did you get started at Boar’s Head?

I was working at a deli while I was in school at Brooklyn College, so I asked my distributor if he could get me into Boar’s Head. I started on May 9, 1977.

I started out as an order picker, so I worked in distribution and picked orders for the distributors, and now I’m the president.

I am the poster child for getting promoted from within. When people are interviewing, they always ask, “Is there any room for growth?” — there’s a lot of room for growth.

How do you guys think up such delicious products?

A lot of that comes from what the market needs — I go to Europe once a year to see what’s trending. They are usually about five years ahead of us, so we look at what’s trending there, to see what we’ll be doing here.

We are also in stores in the U.S. constantly, especially now, with Gen Y. Baby boomers like myself are satisfied with the same thing over and over again (deluxe ham), but Gen Y, after about five minutes they want something else. There are 25 to 50 new ideas a week for new products.

We are constantly reinventing ourselves, but always sticking with the quality product we make — that’s never compromised.

How much taste testing do you get to do?

Way too much — we taste every Monday and every Friday.

That’s for the items we make and those are quality checks, and then anytime during the week we taste new items — it could be one, it could be 25. We eat a lot.

The Martella Family: Adam and Marisa Boyles, LaRoux and Kim Pelser, Kathy, Mike and Kelly Martella. Courtesy photo

What is your favorite lunchmeat?

Favorite cheese?

Boar’s Head Deluxe Ham and Boar’s Head Cheddar Create your favorite sandwich, from the bread up …

Rye bread, Boar’s Head mustard, Boar’s Head Deluxe Ham, Boar’s Head American Cheese, lettuce and tomato — I make that sandwich a lot.

Toasted or untoasted?

Untoasted Why did you choose Lakewood Ranch?

In 2000, the company asked me to put together a task force to figure out where to move the headquarters. I looked at Charlotte, N.C., Atlanta, the metro in New York, Richmond, Va., and Sarasota. After analysis they decided to move the headquarters here — Publix was a huge customer and we were just getting started with them, and it’s a hard place to not want to live.

What do you like most about living in Lakewood Ranch?

I have been a member of the Lakewood Ranch Country Club since 2003 and had always admired the people I meet when golfing, dining or using the

health club. I was impressed by the community development, the grounds and the future plans that were on the drawing board.

As time passed and the housing market softened, I purchased a home in the Country Club in 2009. As time moves forward, Lakewood Ranch still progresses forward with its development plans. Main Street has turned out to be a welcome addition to the community, as it continues to grow each year. The common grounds throughout the area look amazing, and the golf courses are manicured to perfection.

The wildlife that runs around the neighborhood gives it an “out in the country” feel. Lakewood Ranch has been everything I thought it would be and more.

What are your favorite things to do in Lakewood Ranch?

We spend a lot of time on Main Street — the movie theater, Starbucks and Big Olaf’s. We can be found there quite often.

How are you involved in the local community?

I am chairman of the board at the Van Wezel Foundation, and I’ve just recently joined the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.

What do you do in your spare time?

I enjoy golfing. I also walk every morning. I wake up, grab my phone and walk the circle of Lakewood Ranch, which is 3.8 miles.

What was the last song you played on your iPod? A song from the “Rock of Ages” soundtrack — I listen to that all the time. I constantly have it on that playlist when I’m listening to music on my phone.

If there was a movie produced about your life, who would play you and why?

I believe Robert De Niro. If you follow his life story, you will find that he came from a poor family but never let that get in his way of his drive to success. As he became successful, he never forgot where he came from or the people who are not as fortunate as he is.

LWR LIFE

37

Recover from

SUMMER

BY HEATHER MERRIMAN | CONTRIBUTOR

After 94 days of summer, your hair and skin has likely been weathered. From excess sun exposure, to all the other elements summer fun brings along (salt water, chlorine and wind), your hair and skin could use a little TLC. We’ve got the scoop on the best products in town to help you recover and restore.

L’Oreal’s Kerastase haircare is among the best of the best when it comes to products for treating and pampering your deserving locks. These Kerastase products can get your hair back into shape in no time.

Available at Ana Molinari, 8120 Lakewood Ranch Main St., Suite 102; 373-3900.

Kerastase Immersion Nutritive This pre-shampoo product, $42, is the ultimate nutrition “replenisher” for normal to extremely dry, sun-damaged hair. The pre-shampoo erases symptoms of dryness, amplifies nutritional power and nourishes hair cuticle scales on the surface.

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LWR LIFE

HAIR CARE

Kerastase Masque UV Defense Active This masque, $60, is an essential for dull, sunexposed hair. This crème masque deeply replenishes and strengthens dull hair, transforming it to look more radiant.

Starting with the basics: shampoo and conditioner.

Kerastase Bain Après-Soleil shampoo ($39) nourishes and repairs sun-wind-and chlorine- or salt waterexposed hair. The Kerastase Lait Richesse conditioner ($41) improves hair’s water retention and strengthens the cuticle.

Continued on page 40

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LWR LIFE

39

SKIN CARE From page 38

Need extra hydration? Try Aveda’s Balancing Infusion, $22, for dry skin.

Add two drops to your moisturizer, cleanser or masque for some added moisture.

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LWR LIFE

Increase your skin’s radiance and boost its energy with Aveda’s Tourmaline Charged four-step skincare line (ranging from $29 to $42). Tourmaline, which is one of nature’s most naturally energizing minerals, will keep your skin looking bright and radiant.

Try the Tourmaline Charged Exfoliating Cleanser, Radiance Fluid, Hydrating Crème and Radiance Masque.

Available at Che Bella Salon Spa; 8225 Natures Way #103; 907-2674.

Hydrate and rejuvenate your summer-damaged skin with a photofacial ($400) at Dermatology Specialists’ GlowDerm Spa. The sun spot removal treatment smoothens skin and reduces the appearance of fine lines by creating new collagen, giving your skin a youthful glow. The treatment is performed using the Sciton Profile BBL Broadband Light and is personalized to match the condition of individual skin types.

Available at Dermatology Specialist’s GlowDerm Spa, 8926 77th Terrace E., Suite 101; 9070222.

Also available at Dermatology Specialists’ GlowDerm Spa, SkinMedica Lytera Skin Brightening Complex ($134) and SkinMedica Retinol Complex ($80). The end of summer is a great time to start to treat hyperpigmentation, sun and age spots and uneven skin tone.

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CHARITY SNAPSHOT

BY HEATHER MERRIMAN | CONTRIBUTOR

Little Owl Charities

S

harks rarely get cancer. It’s a fact that led Mote Marine Laboratory to discover proteins that inhibit the growth of 15 types of human cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells largely unaffected. The laboratory learned this by studying sharks, rays and skates — marine animals that appear to have an unsurpassed ability to defend against the disease.

Mote’s research is one example of a local effort in the fight against cancer — exactly the kind Little Owl Charities was founded to support.

The Uihlein family started the nonprofit to connect its annual Polo Under the Palms fundraising event with local organizations.

MISSION: To After watching Jamie Uihlein battle raise money for and beat tongue cancer, the Uihlein and to boost family wanted to give back to show its the awareness gratitude and raise money to help othof organizations ers. So began the annual Polo Under that pursue the Palms gala. advances in The event, which features a polo match research, educafollowed by an evening of dining and tion and treatentertainment, benefits The University of ment of cancer.

Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and has raised more than $1 million since its inception in 2004. Jamie Uihlein and his wife, Mary, chair the event alongside their son, James P. Uihlein, and daughter-in-law, Christie.

“We were so impressed with the care, mentally, physically, everything, that we got at M.D. Anderson, that we wanted to give back in some way, so we started Polo Under the Palms to benefit the organization. It was just our way to give back. We are so appreciative and thankful for M.D. Anderson and for Jamie,” says Mary Uihlein.

Although the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center works closely with many local organizations, the family wanted to highlight other local organizations that support cancer research as well. To do that, it formed Little Owl Charities.

Christie Uihlein serves as the executive director of Little Owl Charities, while Mary Uihlein,

LITTLE OWL CHARITIES

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LWR LIFE

Little Owl's Christie Uihlein and Mary Uihlein Photo by Heather Merriman

James P. Uihlein, Jill Newman, Burton Romanoff and Michelle Qualley serve on the board.

By establishing the local nonprofit, the Uihleins could also include a local organization as a beneficiary of the event. “M.D. Anderson will always be a part of and a beneficiary of Polo Under the Palms, but now we can also more directly help our community,” says Mary Uihlein.

Last year, the event benefited Center for Building Hope, and this year, Little Owl has teamed up with Mote Marine to support its continued research on the connection between cancer in animals and humans. “It’s a really neat connection with the sharks and the humans,” says Christie Uihlein. “It’s such positive research that needs more funding to get it to the next stage.”

5TH ANNUAL POLO UNDER THE PALMS WHEN: Saturday, March 7 WHERE: Sarasota Polo Club BENEFITING: The University

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Leading the

PACK Fun and feisty cycling clubs are bringing hundreds of people up to speed in Lakewood Ranch.

BY HEIDI KURPIELA | CONTRIBUTOR

LEFT: Brothers Martin Curto and Marcelo Daucourt gear up in the parking lot behind Village Bikes. “In my family we do it all the way, or we don’t do it at all,” says Daucourt, who’s on his third racing bike in two years; marathon runner and triathlete Shanna Pentico is a founding member of the Village Idiots. Photos by Heidi Kurpiela.

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Photo by Mark Wemple

I

t’s a muggy Wednesday evening in Lakewood Ranch. People in air-conditioned cars are zipping into subdivisions, ready for dinner and mindless TV. It’s hump day on a dog day in July, and the World Cup is on cable.

Away from the whir of traffic, across from Village Bikes on Main Street, Paul Troyer is standing on a bench like a Spandex-clad messiah, commanding the attention of a dense crowd of cyclists who call themselves the Village Idiots. Holding a clipboard in his gloved hands, he issues a safety briefing and runs down a short list of housekeeping items: the logistics of

tonight’s 30-mile ride and an invitation to eat and drink “beervages” afterward at Polo Grill.

When Troyer steps off the bench, 100 cyclists systemically take off in designated pacelines starting with the “A riders,” an elite pack of cyclists who average 30 mph.

The 25-mph B group departs next, followed by 20-mph C group and the 15-mph D group. One by one, cyclists round Main Street and turn north onto Lakewood Ranch Boulevard, disappearing in a bright blur.

The second-to-last rider is the night’s youngest cyclist — 7-year-old Abby Hite, a Braden River Elementary

Lakewood Ranch is a hotbed for cycling because there are a lot of long, uninterrupted stretches of road.

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School student with several triathlons under her belt. A decorated swimmer, Hite thought riding with the Village Idiots might shave some time off the biking portion of her triathlons.

“I did my first tri when I was 5,” she says as she mounts her bike. “I was scared, but I got first place.”

AN IDIOT’S GUIDE TO CYCLING Flocks of cyclists on carbon fiber race bikes are as ubiquitous as SUVs in Lakewood Ranch.

The most ubiquitous of all riders are the Village Idiots. Troyer and a handful of friends loosely formed the club eight years ago over email. The agenda was simple: Meet for a ride in front of Village Bikes, then head to MacAllisters for drinks. The name was Troyer’s idea.

“It stuck,” says the lean 53-year-old club president. “I never contemplated what it would look like on a jersey or that one day I’d be called the chief idiot or the head idiot or the biggest idiot.”

As more would-be cyclists moved to East County, the group’s popularity grew. Troyer ditched the email chain in favor of a Facebook page, and word quickly spread among hundreds of area bikers.

Long, safe rides through residential and rural neighborhoods, plus a laidback social component made the Idiots enticing to veteran and rookie riders alike.

Now an official USA Cycling Club, the club has more than 175 paid members, a 12-member race team and a calendar so jam-packed Twelve-year-old triathlete Anna Stock is ranked fifth with group rides in the state. (locally and out of town) that you could realistically ride with the Idiots every day of the week if you wanted.

“I’m blown away by the whole thing,” Troyer says. “I’ve tried to encourage other people to be president, but I was told the Village Idiots are like a small South American country. Once you’re president, you’re president for life.”

Ten years ago Troyer was a couch potato.

He was a chain smoker and a devoted video gamer. A Web developer, he spent all day and night stooped behind a computer. He stayed up late and pawed at his snooze button all morning. When he lumbered out of bed for work, he coughed. And coughed. And coughed. One morning he hacked so much he thought he might puke. He was 43 and felt 83.

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“

I’ve tried to encourage other people to be president, but I was told the Village Idiots are like a small South American country. Once you’re president, you’re president for life.”

PAUL TROYER, CHIEF IDIOT, VILLAGE IDIOTS BIKE CLUB

High-performance road bikes are no longer the toys of elite cyclists.

The married father of two had just relocated from sleepy Sugarcreek, Ohio, in the heart of Amish country, to a lively Manatee County subdivision. He had just started a new job — IT manager at Tropics Software Technologies in rapidly growing Lakewood Ranch, where his youngest son had just started his senior year at Lakewood Ranch High School.

Like many middle-aged men who are new to Florida, Troyer purchased a convertible. The combination of newcar smell, new-job nerves and invigorating sunshine compelled Troyer to do something he had tried and failed to do for decades: quit smoking.

“Honestly, I didn’t want my car to stink like cigarettes,” Troyer says. “And of course I wanted to be healthier.”

He purchased a $100 Schwinn at Walmart and pedaled it every night around his neighborhood. One morning he saw a pack of cyclists roll up to the

Serving Spoon in Lakewood Ranch. They were lean, expertly outfitted and evidently impervious to sweat. As he watched them glide to a halt on wheels the width of pizza cutters, he realized he was working much too hard on his Walmart 10-speed. Part awestruck and part envious, he struck up a conversation with the cyclists. He wanted to know how often they rode, where they rode, for how long they rode and, more importantly: Where did they get their fancy bikes?

It didn’t take him long to shell out $1,200 for an aluminum-frame road bike and begin preaching the virtues of biking to his desk job-afflicted coworkers at Tropics Software. He started biking before work and motivating coworkers to bike before work. He organized the Village Idiots, dropped 30 pounds and persuaded his boss to build an office shower to accommodate Tropics’ growing number of bike-to-work employees.

He’s now on his third bike: an $8,000 Specialized S-Works Tarmac that weighs 14 pounds.

“If you’d have told me years ago that I would be going to bed at 10 o’clock every night so I could get up at 6 to ride, I would have laughed my butt off,” Troyer says. “My wife thinks I’ve gotten carried away.”

THE NEW GOLF The combination of camaraderie, physical activity and the great outdoors has long been the secret to golf’s popularity. Although cycling clubs have been around for decades, it’s only in recent years that cyclists on high-end racing bikes have seized the road en mass. These days it seems the 30-mile bike ride is the new 18 holes. Not surprisingly, both pursuits end in a round of drinks.

Chris Sparks joined the Village Idiots this year after moving from Seattle to Lakewood Ranch.

“It’s by far one of the best clubs I’ve ever been a part of,” he says.

In March the Village Idiots raised $24,000 for the American Diabetes Association at the Tour de Cure, a 100-mile ride that kicked off in Lakewood Ranch.

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According to Village Bikes owner Ed Levins, we’re seeing a bike boom for several reasons: an influx of active professionals to the area, growth in the local triathlon industry and an abundance of favorable routes east of I-75.

“In the last two or three years biking has kind of exploded,” Levins says. “Lakewood Ranch is a nice area to ride. The streets have bike lanes.

There’s no major highway, and traffic is minimal.

People feel safe riding out here.”

At 65, Levins, who finished his first Ironman in 2000, is one of the oldest Village Idiots. He says the majority of cyclists in the club are in their late 30s and early 40s, still working full time and training for some type of race. He estimates that most members’ bikes range in price from $1,000 to $10,000. As inclusive as the club is, Levins says you won’t find someone riding a $200 bike because he simply wouldn’t be able to keep up.

“Sure I ride an expensive bike, but the cost was all up front,” Levins says. “My brother-in-laws are avid golfers and they easily spend as much as me.

It’s like, what’s better? Spend money up front or nitpick it all the way along?”

For riders who aren’t ready to fork over $5,000 for a racing bike, the Sarasota Manatee Bicycle

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Club (SMBC) is slower and less competitive. The organization, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, consists of mostly retirees and snowbirds clocking 15-mph rides on weekday mornings. President Bud Gaunce, 64, says many retirees specifically settle in Sarasota or Manatee County because SMBC is so active and well established.

“We have a couple who tried out Boca Raton, then Fort Myers before permanently staying here because they wanted some place with a good biking reputation,” Gaunce says. “People realize now that it’s important to keep moving as we get older. I have rheumatoid arthritis. The first question my doctor asks when I walk into his office is (How many miles have you ridden lately?) I can get on a bike and ride 10 miles easier than I can walk a mile.”

The Village Idiots aren’t the only fast riders in town. Several clubs catering to amateur competitive athletes have cropped up in recent years, including the Sarasota Cycling Club, the

Sarasota Storm Tri Club and Alien Endurance.

After Polo Grill proprietor Tommy Klauber clocked his first triathlon three years ago, he dropped 40 pounds, developed Polo Fit, a cleaneating menu at his bar and grill and helped launch Alien Endurance, a multisport coaching club based in Lakewood Ranch. The 55-year-old chef is now training for his first full Ironman this November in Panama City.

“The sport has totally changed me,” Klauber says. “It’s unbelievable. I don’t get up and complain about aches and pains anymore. I get up and feel good. I feel stronger than ever.”

Lakewood Ranch newcomer Chris Sparks couldn’t agree more. A former competitive swimmer and mountain biker from Seattle, Sparks, 42, credits the Village Idiots with helping him land on his feet after uprooting his life earlier this year.

At the suggestion of his roommate, he joined the club, purchased a bicycle from another member, lost 60 pounds and began training for his first half Ironman — all in four months.

“It’s great therapy, for lack of a better word,” Sparks says. “I get out there and start riding and the endorphins start flowing and all that negative energy just leaves my system. I can work through stuff. It’s just me, the bike and the road.”

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Bob Dermo takes aim at a clay pigeon in a shooting stand at Ancient Oak Gun Club while Bebe Scala, both of Lakewood Ranch, looks on. After its first year of business, the club has 160 members in addition to the members of the Lakewood Ranch Golf & Country Club. Photos by Brian Blanco

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BULL’S EYE

From a challenging course to an inaugural event with a $30,000 purse, Ancient Oak Gun Club establishes itself as a competitive force in the sporting clays world.

BY SHELLIE TERRY BENSON | CONTRIBUTOR

T

anner Pollock, 11, a Nolan Middle School sixthgrader, has the grin of a little boy, and the top of his light brown coif doesn’t quite scrape the 5-foot mark, but he gushes about his current sport of choice like men four decades his senior.

“I grew up around guns. I’ve been hunting with my dad: duck hunting, deer hunting,” Tanner says, the “g” falling off the word a little more each time he says it … huntin’.

When Tanner’s father, Derek Pollock, a deputy with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, recognized Tanner’s interest in shooting, he dusted off his old skeet shooter and threw some clay pigeons for the boy on the family’s Myakka property. With a 410-gauge shotgun, Tanner became pretty proficient at cracking the “birds” out of the sky, so his dad took him to the then newly opened Ancient Oak Gun Club, a sporting clays shooting range about six miles east of I-75 on State Road 64.

“It’s just really fun,” Tanner says with a smile, his gaze drifting to Ancient Oak’s 78-acre grassy range. “And now I get to come out here just about every weekend.”

It was last fall when Derek signed Tanner up for Ancient Oak’s youth scholastic gun camp, and he’s been carefully tracking Tanner’s progress as a sub-junior competitor in the National Sporting Clays Association since then.

Without Ancient Oak, it’s not likely that Tanner would have developed his skill in this sport, and neither would have David Ramage, a 52-year-old door and window installer who lives just three miles from the club.

“I’ve hunted my whole life,” says Ramage, who moved to Florida two years ago from Kentucky. “When I moved down here, I still wanted to shoot, but I couldn’t find anywhere to hunt. So my banker turned me on to sporting clays. Then Ancient Oak opened up, and I’ve been shooting out here ever since.”

Ramage was one of the club’s earliest customers when it officially opened in June 2013, and now he shoots nearly LWR LIFE

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Bill McGuire is a national and world champion sporting clays shooter and has been competing for 15 years. He's currently sponsored by Ancient Oak and conducts coaching sessions at the Lakewood Ranch club.

every day.

“It’s the most addicting thing I’ve ever done in my whole life,” he says.

He’s planning on competing in the Oct. 9–12 Harvest Moon Classic, Ancient Oak’s first major competition (see sidebar on page 55).

Sporting clays shooting, often described as “golf with a shotgun,” is one of the fastestgrowing sports in the country, with an estimated 3 million enthusiasts. Shooters hop in golf carts and travel to 15 or so stations where clay targets are “thrown” to mimic the actions of birds in the air or rabbits hopping on the ground. Shooters typically aim at 100 targets in a round. Ramage, a skilled quail hunter, hit only 30 out of 100 clays on his first try.

“It was very humbling,” he says.

This past summer, ABC’s Wide World of Sports televised the Professional Sporting Clays Association’s competition for the first time.

“Interest in this sport is building every day,” says Ancient Oak Manager Wayne Evans, who helped design the Lakewood Ranch course. “The state of Florida has about 1,400 registered NSCA competitive shooters.”

GUNNING FOR THE COMPETITION Land owner and developer SchroederManatee Ranch capitalized on the sport’s growing popularity when it set about creating the gun club. Ancient Oak diversifies SMR’s other projects, including citrus farms, timber, cattle and, of course, the 5,500-acre master-planned community of Lakewood Ranch.

The gun club, says SMR President and CEO Rex Jensen, was an idea that came to him three years ago to complement other recreational offerings within Lakewood Ranch, including polo, golf, cricket and soccer. SMR invested $800,000

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RIGHT: Tanner Pollock, 11, enrolled in Ancient Oak's youth education program and now competes in the National Sporting Clays Association's league. Photos by Brian Blanco

to build the club’s course and get the facility up and running, Jensen reports. Once permits were secured, it took about two months to turn the acres of sod fields into a shooting range by adding trees, a pro shop, covered picnic area and the 24 shooting stands.

“I try to do things that really add to the Lakewood Ranch lifestyle and create a turnstile through which a lot of people come and visit the community and fall in love with it,” Jensen says. “I try to find things that make Lakewood Ranch unique; things that other communities simply can’t duplicate.”

Ramage says he’s shot at other regional gun clubs, but prefers Ancient Oak because there’s more terrain, the shooting stands are nicer (with the addition of gabled roofs) and the targets are thrown in a more challenging manner for the shooters.

“Wayne throws some really good targets out there,” Ramage says. “A lot of people can’t throw the targets the way he does — they don’t have the knowledge or the terrain to do it. He always has a variety of targets and changes them two or three times a week, so it’s always something different.”

One benefit Ancient Oak has, according to Evans, is the ability to expand in the future because there’s plenty of surrounding land.

SAFETY FIRST In early 2013, the opening of the club stalled when par-

160

The number of purchased Ancient Oak Gun Club memberships. All members of the Lakewood Ranch Golf & Country Club may also use the gun club facilities.

100,000

The number of clay targets Ancient Oak goes through in a month during the busy fall season.

ents and officials from Center Montessori School raised concerns about the proximity of the club to adjacent land that the school leases and occasionally uses with children.

Evans describes their concerns as a “kneejerk” reaction. The school expressed fears about the noise from shotgun blasts.

However, the decibel readings from the shots came in between 43.2 to 47.7. Manatee County’s limit is 60 decibels, so the opening proceeded. Standing in the club’s parking lot today, distant shotguns let out a faint pop, like a chewing gum bubble. Closer to the shooting stands, it sounds more like a loud clap than the alarming crack of pistol gunfire, which is not permitted at Ancient Oak. Evans says he’s heard no further complaints.

Safety concerns, he says, are top priority at the club. All shotguns are checked to ensure they’ll fire correctly, and beginner clinics focus primarily on safety.

“Most kids today are afraid to handle a gun because their parents are afraid of guns,” Evans says. “We’ve found that most kids whom we train here to shoot, it seems that they grow up overnight and become

much more responsible.”

Derek Pollock, who taught his sons gun safety at an early age, agrees. “In my profession [law-enforcement], I don’t think there’s a better way to learn and respect a firearm,” he says. “They're in society, they’re on the streets, either legally or illegally, and there needs to be as many educational programs that you can put out there for kids and adults to understand firearms.”

A year after its opening, Ancient Oak Gun Club has processed about 5,000 waivers, hosted 10 local charity events, offered multiple beginners’ clinics and held twice a month competitions for shooters to improve their NSCA ranking. Evans says he’s seen all types at the club.

“You have people who have never shot before to the best shots in the world,” he says. “People from low-income brackets to multimillionaires. There’s no set demographics.”

Evans expects a few hundred shooters from around the country to register for the inaugural Harvest Moon Classic, and even more next year.

HARVEST MOON CLASSIC WHEN: Oct. 9 through Oct. 12 WHERE: Ancient Oak Gun Club,

16800 S.R. 64 E., Lakewood Ranch WHAT: $30,000 guaranteed purse

All classes will compete: AA, A, B, C, D, E and Master Class The highest overall winner will receive $2,500 in prize money and 10 tickets for the raffle to win a Blaser F3 shotgun or a Beretta A400 (all event entries will be eligible for the gun draw). A dozen other money prizes are available.

The Harvest Moon Classic is the first major tournament sponsored by Ancient Oak Gun Club, which is organizing the event and providing the prize money.

COST: Registration fees vary from $50 to

$225 INFORMATION: For details, call 941-

745-5900 or visit AncientOakGunClub. com; to register, visit WinScoreOnline.com.

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Group physical therapy sessions, luncheons and pillow fluffing are just a part of what makes Lakewood Ranch Medical Center an attractive facility for patients and physicians. Ten years in an increasingly competitive health care market have proven: details matter. BY PAM EUBANKS | CONTRIBUTOR

“

It’s really a team effort.

No single person can do it all. It takes a team of highly dedicated professionals who work together with a common mission to enhance patient care.”

LAKEWOOD RANCH MEDICAL CENTER CEO RICHARD FLETCHER

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Great

EXPECTATIONS L

akewood Ranch Medical Center CEO Richard Fletcher clicks through the calendar on his computer screen.

The day is filled with back-to-back meetings with hospital board members, the chief of surgery, the chief of obstetrics, vendors and the chief of pediatrics.

The list goes on.

But the 2 p.m. appointment on Fletcher’s calendar — a no-exceptions daily commitment — perhaps is the most telling.

He and other top-level administrators break

away from the grind of handling the hospital’s day-to-day operations and policy making to visit most of the patients in the hospital.

“We ask (patients) how we’re doing,” Fletcher says. “It’s our way of getting feedback. It’s realtime.”

As Lakewood Ranch Medical Center has evolved since opening 10 years ago to meet the needs of the community it serves, its administrators remain committed to the quality checks that have helped the hospital gain patients and attract new physicians.

Nurse Sarah Luce remembers when the hospital expanded from offering orthopedic care to having a full Orthopedic Spine and Joint Center in 2011. Hospital staff had identified a disconnect between the pieces of a patient’s care and found a solution in a program created by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Marshall Steele, who had launched an initiative to control the entire scope of a patient’s experience.

“He described the same things we found,” Luce says. “That was very telling for us.”

In general, an arthritic patient visited his primary doctor for a diagnosis only to be referred to an orthopedic specialist. That specialist said he was a candidate for a total joint replacement.

The physician would call the hospital to schedule the surgery. The patient would frantically prepare, but many times he didn’t understand the

total picture. “(Patients) didn’t know what’s going on,” Luce says. “Their expectations were poorly managed because they didn’t know what they needed.”

Like Steele, Lakewood Ranch Medical’s administrators wanted to see more collaboration.

The program they rolled out included a new job — that of care coordinator — as well as other steps to improve patient satisfaction.

Now, the hospital contacts patients at the spine and joint center about their surgery and gives them a guidebook (written using the fundamentals of Steele’s program) about what to expect before surgery, and up to six months after surgery. Staff invites patients to tour the facility and attend a question-and-answer session that covers topics such as pain management and how

FAR LEFT TO RIGHT: Richard Fletcher’s first anniversary as CEO of Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, in September, also commemorates the hospital’s 10-year anniversary. Although Fletcher spent the latter portion of his career at Manatee Memorial Hospital, sister hospital to Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, he was one of Lakewood Ranch Medical’s first employees (Courtesy photo); Hospital volunteers Bill Sporer, of River Club, and Steven Miller, of Palm-Aire, have volunteered together at the hospital’s front desk since the hospital opened; Hospital Outreach Coordinator Kim Colston, who has been at Lakewood Ranch Medical since it opened, says the hospital maintains a “family environment” among employees. Photos by Pam Eubanks

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2009 Hospital is licensed as Level I Cardiac Catheterization program; third floor opens.

to adapt their home post-surgery.

Total-joint-replacement patients start physical therapy classes together at the hospital. The hospital invites patients back for a once-a-month post-operation luncheon to discuss how care can be improved. “It’s tailored to our facilities, to our providers,� Luce says, noting Lakewood Ranch Medical is the only hospital in the area with such a program. “It’s constantly updated.

They really helped us benchmark in orthopedics what other groups are doing well so we can customize our program.�

For example, patients from Sun City Center, who use golf carts as their primary mode of transportation, have different needs than residents in the East County area, who primarily use cars.

Fletcher agrees the experience should be seamless, and he says the theme carries throughout the hospital’s departments. Each step in a patient’s experience — whether being transferred to the cath lab for a procedure or meals, housekeeping or other services, should complement the other.

Those services, too, are supported by members of the community — about 120 volunteers, who help with everything from greeting families entering the hospital to fluffing pillows. “It’s really a team effort,� he says of running the hospital. “No single person can do it all. It takes a team of highly dedicated professionals who work together with a common mission to enhance patient care.�

2010 Chest Pain Center and Congestive Heart Center receive accreditations.

TIMELINE SEPTEMBER 2004 Hospital holds grand opening.

2007 Hospital opens Sleep Center and Breast Health Center (with digital mammography and stereotactic breast biopsy); hospital Cath Lab expands services to include carotid stunting, peripheral laser atherectomy and permanent pacemaker insertion; hospitalist program begins; heliport constructed.

2008 Hospital named in Top 100 Best Places to Work in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare magazine; hospital starts first employee physician practices.

2011 Acquires first tomosynthesis equipment for 3-D mammography in Sarasota and Manatee counties; recognized by the Joint Commission as among Top 10% of Hospitals for Outstanding Patient Experience; opens Orthopedic Spine and Joint Center.

2012 Partners with Tidewell Hospice for inpatient hospice unit.

2013 Opens Pediatric Unit with six private rooms; adds CT angiography; achieves chest pain center with PCI certification.

2014 Consumer Reports ranks hospital in “best� category for safety (March); and hospital opens a new operating room (April)

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HAVEN SPOTLIGHTING LIFE ON THE RANCH

The Marinaccios’ home in The Concession features stunning Florida spaces decorated with pieces inspired by their travels. PAGE 62

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At home on the links Lou and Ann Marie Marinaccio’s home in The Concession melds their Italianinspired design with Florida elegance.

BY SHELLIE TERRY BENSON | CONTRIBUTOR

I

t was the final hole of the 1969 Ryder Cup, which had been marred by bad behavior among the players, when U.S. golfing great Jack Nicklaus conceded a putt to Britain’s Tony Jacklin. The gesture, still considered one of sports’ greatest acts of sportsmanship, was known as “the concession,” which resulted in the Ryder Cup’s first draw, and sparked a lifelong friendship for the two world-class golfers.

Thirty-five years later, the two met on the land between the eastern end of University Parkway and East State Road 70. On this 1,200 acres, Nicklaus and Jacklin cemented their legacy by creating The Concession Golf Club, which has since seen the addition of more than 235 luxury homes.

Miss Concession, the sculpture pictured on page 61 and above, overlooks the recreational pool in the Marinaccios’ outdoor living area. Photos by Detlev von Kessel LWR LIFE

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Sarasota interior designer Lea Jackson helped the Marinaccios find exquisite light features, such as the contemporary chandelier and antique chairs in the dining room and the intricate tile in the upstairs wet bar.

A custom wrought-iron railing, designed by Lea Jackson, lines the stairwell and open balcony upstairs.

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But, there would be no conceding Ann Marie Marinaccio’s decision to build her and husband Lou’s next home here. One night in their Lakewood Ranch Country Club home, Lou had left the Golf Channel playing on the bedroom television and hadn’t set the automatic timer to turn it off. Ann Marie awoke to hear the story of Nicklaus and Jacklin’s Lakewood Ranch golf course design, and she decided then and there that The Concession would be their new home.

The Marinaccios selected their lot, overlooking one of The Concession’s many lakes, before it was on the market. Once it was released, they partnered with Sarasota custom homebuilder John Cannon and interior designer Lea Jackson to bring their vision out of the ground.

“I wanted a two-story. … We like to entertain, and the house was built for entertaining,” Ann Marie says. “We’ve had parties of more than 200 people here.”

Although the Marinaccios recently sold their business, Lakewood Ranchbased MGA Insurance Group, Lou remains the president and CEO and

Ann Marie is the CFO. MGA offers insurance products and services such as professional liability and health insurance, working with independent agents and brokers throughout the country. Since moving into the home in 2009, Lou and Ann Marie have hosted political and charitable fundraisers, for organizations such as the Perlman Foundation, the Humane Society of Manatee County and The First Tee of Sarasota Manatee. Nicknamed “The Compound,” their residence is a warm, inviting and quite grand venue.

Stepping through the wooden front double doors of the estate, guests face the reception area, where two marble columns frame a richly appointed sitting area nestled at the base of a two-story curved window. Ann Marie saw a similar window in a magazine story about a contemporary home but knew the rounded shape would work well with her vision. The couple’s visits to Italy inspired their concept for a Tuscan villa-inspired design.

“We like the natural colors. … We like the warm feel to it,” Lou says.

“Obviously we mixed and matched, with our designer’s help, works of art

The outdoor kitchen is fully equipped with plenty of seating for a party. Lou Marinaccio says this is his favorite area to enjoy a cigar and cocktail with friends.

with furniture that complements the works of art so that it all flows very nicely.”

Indeed. Original paintings, one-of-akind Murano glass sculptures, custom murals, antique furniture and accessories fill the many walls and nooks of the 7,600-square-foot home. In the living room, a fireplace was created after the likes of a Tuscan villa fireplace that Jackson found — the wood that surrounds the marble and red tile is distressed to give it an aged look. The custom fireplace was one of Jackson’s most inspired ideas, according to Ann Marie. She chose the Sarasota designer after interviewing two others.

“Lea is crazy and I love her … she has these wild ideas,” Ann Marie says.

“And she loves me because I go along with them.”

They worked together for two years to fill and design the interior.

Closer inspection throughout the

home reveals not just Tuscan-inspired pieces, but also mementos from the couple’s many travels, such as an African elephant mask hanging in Ann Marie’s office and an Australian painting outside the kitchen, that create a harmoniously eclectic feast for the eyes.

The overhead light fixtures, which range from the various first-floor crystal chandeliers to modern red glass pendants in the upstairs bar to the rustic clock chandelier that watches over the kitchen, were scouted during a trip that Ann Marie and Jackson took to High Point Market in North Carolina — with one exception: a small crystal chandelier that hangs in Ann Marie’s master suite closet.

“It’s from the very first house I built, and it’s traveled with me from house to house,” she says. “I had to find a place for it.”

In this eighth home the Marinaccios

The Marinaccios purchased one of the first available lots in this area of The Concession, overlooking one of the community's many lakes.

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Lustrous linens and antique furnishings extend the warm Italian flavor of the home in the master suite.

The master bath's curved wall of windows surrounds an enormous tub inspired by a home Ann Marie found in a magazine.

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have built, Ann Marie says her favorite space is the living room if the weather is bad, but otherwise the screened-in outdoor living area, where a statue of a female figure named “Miss Concession” is centered between the recreational and lap pools. Lou says his best meetings go down in the outdoor seating area, where he and friends enjoy cigars and single malt scotch from what he’s dubbed “the best bar in town” (the 2,000-bottle wine cellar rounds out the offerings).

Both agree that after multiple moves they plan to stay put in this home, and they’ve purchased the lot next door to build a 3,500-square-foot guest home for visitors.

And what about that golf course that inspired her several years ago? Ann Marie says it’s lived up to her expectations.

“The course is an absolutely beautiful course,” she says. “Very challenging.”

In fact, Golf Digest named it as one of America’s 75 Toughest Golf Courses in 2012. Quite the legendary backdrop for the Marinaccios’ stunning home, which has developed into a reflection of the couple’s three loves: “traveling, entertaining and golf,” Ann Marie explains with a grin and a wistful gaze out of her home’s wall of windows and onto to The Concession’s lush horizon.

“I just love it,” she says.

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Check up on the health of butterflies at the yearly Big Butterfly Count, at bigbutterflycount.org

PASSIONVINE

Save the

BUTTERFLIES

Butterflies, aside from being graceful and colorful, come in all shapes and sizes. Although I’ve always adored watching them, I didn’t know until this spring that 80% of all butterflies never survive — 80! Butterflies have a lot of enemies, from birds to insects, which is why they need your help.

Luckily, you can help right at home, and it’s easier than you think. It’s a wonderful spring, summer and fall project for kids and adults alike. Below is your go-to guide to turn your garden into a butterfly wonderland.

STEP 1: MAKE AN ENVIRONMENT

BY LORI WALKER CERTIFIED MASTER GARDENER

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

A small screened-in box with a jar of water in it. Think of your box as a nursery of sorts.

I keep mine in the shade on our lanai.

LARVAL PLANTS Butterflies use these plants to lay eggs.

Passionvine and corkscrewvine will attract zebra longwings and Gulf fritillaries; monarchs will only lay their eggs on milkweed;

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and parsley, dill, fennel and Dutchman’s pipevine will attract swallowtails and zebra longwings.

NECTAR PLANTS Here are a list of good nectar plants that will attract monarchs, swallowtails of many different kinds, Florida fritillaries and zebra longwings, just to list a few: pickerelweed, corky stem vine, passionvine, pentas, purple coneflower, cardinal flower, salvia, beach flower and blanket flower.

ZEBRA LONGWING MONARCH ON MILKWEED PLANT

HOW TO MAKE A HANGING BOX You’ll need a large a lingerie washing bag with zipper, one large embroidery hoop and a zip tie. Open the bag and place the smaller half of a hoop inside the bag and lay it on the zippered end. Now from the outside meld the two hoops together and secure. Zip tie the corners of the bag together so the caterpillars can’t get caught in the ends of the bag.

Another option is go to Lowe's or Home Depot and fashion a box out of PVC. Cover it with screen. Just make sure to leave a secure door. This will allow you to manage your eggs, caterpillars, butterflies and larval plant cuttings and still be able to keep them safe inside the box. Line the box of your choice with paper towel.

Replace every day.

You can even buy an already constructed butterfly box.

It’s important to remember to be able to sterilize your box with a diluted mixture of bleach water. (Read that: Don’t use cardboard for your box.) My box is about 1-foot-wide by 2 feet long by 2 feet high.

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STEP 4: RELEASE When they hatch (monarchs hatch in about two weeks, although times vary by species), you’ll be amazed at their size — miniature adult butterflies — but not for long.

Within a minute or two they expand their wings, dry off and stretch. They don’t fly around yet. It’s hard work getting out of that little cocoon. But soon they’ll be flitting around in your screened-in box.

That’s when you take the box outside, carefully pinch the butterfly’s wings with your thumb and index finger when its wings are together and release it.

Because butterflies do not eat for the first 24 hours, it’s OK to wait until the next day. They’re too busy to eat while still in flight school.

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STEP 2: SCOUT FOR EGGS You’ll be scouting your larval plants for eggs and little caterpillars. When you find them, cut about a 7- to 8-inch piece of the plant they’re on and put it inside the box in the jar of water.

Something that won’t tip over.

These guys are really tiny and haven’t built up their strength yet and may fall off. To prevent them from drowning in your jar of water, put a double layer of foil over the top and make a small cut for the plant stem to fit through. It’s your personal caterpillar rescue operation, and I’m telling you, the kids will love it.

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Tennis after

FORTY

DON’T

DO

DON’T

How to get the most out of your game

A

BY PAUL LEDERMAN DIRECTOR OF ATHLETIC CENTER OPERATIONS, LAKEWOOD RANCH GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB

s a tennis director and professional, I have been on the court between 25 to 50 hours a week for more than 25 years coaching players ages 3 to 83. However, the vast majority of players I work with are between 40 to 65 years old.

Although good stroke mechanics are important, when a player is 50 years old and playing for 20 years, there are more important factors to success on the court than a good stroke. There is no doubt in my mind that anticipation combined with solid footwork is the key for all players but especially for those at the 3.5 and 4.0 level who did not play competitive tennis at the junior levels.

When stroke production becomes a challenge, you can still gain an advantage by recognizing the quality of the shot you have hit and what shot your opponent is likely to hit in response.

Combined with good footwork, you will be in the best position to the play the next shot.

DO

DON’T

For example, you take a mid-court ball and drive it deep into the opponent’s backhand corner. You see your opponent is off balance and late getting to the ball. Knowing your opponent will not be able to do much with the ball, you should not wait in “no man’s land,” but look to be aggressive and possibly finish off the point with a volley.

Another shot where players need to recognize what their opponents will do in response is the high approach shot. Close the net too quickly and you leave yourself vulnerable to being beaten by a lob. Because most players will back up behind the baseline to take this ball and a high shot usually dictates a high shot in response, players

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should stop at the service line in anticipation of the lob while still being ready to close the net if the opportunity arises.

These are just two examples of how anticipation can dramatically improve player court positions and put one in the proper place for the next shot.

When it comes to good footwork, remember that you must take adjustment steps to the ball.

Use your normal running step to get to the ball, but when you get within hitting steps, you must use the little adjustment steps rather than your swing to line up the shot. Using adjustment steps to line up will result in hitting the shot you want rather than the shot your opponent wants.

Additionally, most players will try to play their strength into their opponent’s weakness. This, in turn, will give players the correct shot to enable them to finish off the point.

Specifically, to set up getting a short ball, players should check out their opponent’s grip.

There are some funky grips (especially on the forehand side).

For example, players with the old school continental grip (the original grip favored on grass courts) are great at hitting low balls. Players recognizing their opponent’s use of this grip can try hitting the ball up to them at shoulder height in an attempt to break them down. Players using a continental grip will not be able to handle this shot without backing up. This will allow your partner at the net to be active in cutting off the return shot with a volley.

Conversely, an opponent using the extreme western to semi-western grip on the forehand can handle the high ball well. But, because of the closed racket face with a western grip, the lower ball will be difficult to handle. So, use a slice approach to force the opponent to hit up on the ball, which (again) should get your partner at net a put-away volley.

Tennis is a great game for all ages because it rewards players who can play with their heads as well as their bodies. In all of these cases, planning ahead and knowing where to hit, where to be and how to read your opponent can put you in the proper position to hit a winner and come out ahead.

Continental grip

Western grip

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GATOR to TABLE

When Linger Lodge serves gator chowder, the staff doesn’t tell you it was wrestled, caught and captured earlier that week.

But the fact that it’s fresh is what makes it taste so good.

BY MALLORY GNAEGY | CONTRIBUTOR

W

hen you picture a man who wrestles 13-foot gators with his bare hands, you don’t envision Ken Cowles.

The 53-year-old nuisance alligator trapper and processor, as the state labels him, isn’t dressed like Crocodile Dundee. He’s more of a pressed-khakis-and-black-polo type.

He’s a real estate agent by profession because one doesn’t make enough gator trapping to have it be a full-time job. Cowles and his father, Bob Cowles,

Gator ribs get a dry rub and roast for four hours.

represent nearly half of the commercial gator meat industry in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

“It can be exciting,” he says. “But it can also be a lot like being a dog catcher, because it can be routine.”

Even if he sometimes gets complacent, the big ones still excite him. Recently, his sons trapped a gator and found a buck’s eight-point rack in its belly. In 2012, he pulled a 13-foot gator out of Nathan Benderson Park Lake (pre-rowing facility) with a construction crane. Then there was the time an 8-foot gator bit him on his right arm and put him in

Trapping is not like the reality television shows portray, Ken Cowles says. If inexperienced trappers try to pull a gator by the tail, like Cowles does here, they’d get bitten. He’s as seasoned at trapping as Linger Lodge’s 15-spice gator chowder.

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Cowles sees the 13-foot gator jump from the water, a warning sign and signal that it probably won't come when called.

Occasionally, a gator will chomp the boom box and drag it into the water.

“Early on (when you first start trapping) all of them scare the crap out of you,” Ken Cowles says. “But you almost become complacent.”

Photo courtesy Ken Cowles

the hospital, where he had to get a special concoction of antibiotics.

It all started when an 8-footer from the gator-infested lake he and his three sons barefoot water-skied on became an issue. They called the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and a trapper came to remove it. That’s when they decided to start a similar venture.

It happens like this: A person calls to have a gator removed and, as long as it’s 4 feet long and poses a threat, the Florida Wildlife Commission issues a permit for its removal.

Cowles drives to the address listed on the permit, sometimes in the middle of the night, and places a boom box on the bank of the nearby body of water. It plays calls of distressed juvenile gators, which attracts the cannibalistic reptile.

It can be hit or miss, like fishing.

Usually, Cowles has better luck in the cooler seasons (gators sit out extreme wind, cold and heat at the bottom of the water).

On a good day, the gator hears and approaches — sometimes quickly and sometimes cautiously. When it gets close, Cowles expertly casts out a fishing pole, hooks the gator and drags it to land.

He simultaneously straddles it and clamps the gator's jaw down with his right hand. In seconds, he’s electricaltaped or rope-tied the thrashing gator’s mouth shut. Cowles makes it look easy.

He always photographs his catches and sends a picture to his secretary as the catch of the day.

Continued on page 76

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LINGER LODGE GATOR CHOWDER (GLUTEN FREE)

LINGER LODGE

Linger Lodge is open 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday; and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. It’s located at 7205 85th St. Court E.

10 6 6 4 2 1 6 6 2 to 3 ¼ ¼

lbs. gator cups onions, diced cups celery, diced cups pepper, diced tablespoons garlic, minced cup butter quarts heavy cream cups cooked diced potatoes cups buttermilk cup chicken stock cup seafood stock

* Linger Lodge's secret blend of 15 spices Method: 1. Cut gator into bite-sized pieces and soak overnight in buttermilk.

2. Sauté gator, drain and set aside.

3. Sauté vegetables in butter until tender.

Add *Linger Lodge's secret spices, gator and stock — stir well.

4. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, add heavy cream and potatoes.

5. Cook on medium heat for 1 hour stirring often. * Linger Lodge spices include salt, pepper and jerk seasoning, to taste.

KEN COWLES AMOS MOSES

From page 74 Then he takes it to the processing shed where he cuts out the fat, runs it through a tenderizer and then sells the meat to businesses like Linger Lodge Restaurant.

Linger Lodge Restaurant is the type of Old Florida place that you would expect to serve gator (it has roadkill on the menu, too — go figure). And for being a mile-and-a-half south of the developing suburbia on State Road 70, it has maintained its middle-of-nowhere feel.

It sits on the Braden River adjacent to a campground, and its aethetics nod to the hunting and fishing camp it started as in 1945. All of the walls are covered in taxidermy hung by the former owner, veterinarian-turned-amateur-taxidermist Frank Gamsky.

Aside from being a Southern fish house with a classic menu of frog legs, fried green tomatoes, hush puppies and catfish, the restaurant churns out 450 pounds of alligator a week during peak season.

Of the handful of alligator meals on the menu, there are a few popular selections. There are alligator bites — like

popcorn shrimp or chicken. There are gator ribs (you should call a day ahead if you want these). These ribs are a similar texture to pork, slightly fishier tasting and fall off the bones the same way good baby backs do. But the best gator dish you can order at Linger Lodge is the chowder. It has 15 spices that make it taste like chorizo — a perfect dish for fall.

Restaurant Manager Rita Lewis says she prefers the wild-caught gator, and General Manager David LaRusso agrees.

As the adage goes — you are what you eat. And if farm-raised gators eat hot dogs and chicken, they taste like it. Wild gators eat a natural diet.

Plus, wild-caught gators always make a better story.

As Cowles could tell you — the chowder you eat at Linger Lodge could be from the one he trapped from a swimming pool. The ribs could come from the gator he removed from a home where it crawled in through the dog door. And the fried alligator bites, his preferred way to eat gator, could have been some golfer’s water hazard heart attack.

“I’ve got lots of stories,” he says.

SWAMP GATOR CHILI

1 1 1 1 1 3 4

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

tablespoon olive oil green bell pepper diced red bell pepper diced sweet oinion diced garlic clove minced lbs. gator meat (ground is best) cans Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies can okra can black beans can pinto beans tablespoon chili powder teaspoon cumin teaspoon paprika teaspoon oregano teaspoon Everglades Seasoning tablespoon vinegar

Method: 1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Stir in green and red pepper, garlic and onion and cook until softened.

2. Increase the heat and stir in alligator meat.

3. Cook the gator until meat is cooked and browned (do not overcook).

4. Drain and discard excessive grease.

5. Stir in Rotel, black beans, pinto beans and okra.

Season with spices and Everglades Seasoning.

6. Add a tablespoon of vinegar. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 to 3 hours. If it becomes too thick, add water to preferred consistency. Can be served over rice or spaghetti.

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LV8559

Ed’s Tavern is the perfect blend of local neighborhood sports bar and family friendly restaurant right in the heart of Main Street (next to the movie theater). The only lakefront dining in Lakewood Ranch! The menu has something for everyone! From southern favorites like pulled pork and fried pickles to our authentic New Jersey classics like open faced sandwiches and disco fries. Our newly remodeled full service bar now includes 20 ice cold draft selections plus over 20 flat screen TV’s. Daily Specials, Trivia every Wednesday & Thursday and Live Music every Friday & Saturday night.

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Hana Sushi Lounge

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Combining art with traditional Asian cuisine and service to create a unique culinary experience in Lakewood Ranch is what we at Hana Sushi Lounge strive for each day.

With a fusion of artful sushi, inspired kitchen items, and handcrafted cocktails, there is always something for everyone to enjoy. No matter the occasion, our friendly and knowledgeable staff look forward to making your visit special every time.

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Linger Lodge Restaurant

Restaurant

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dining out

Ed’s Tavern - A Jersey Joint in Lakewood Ranch

Nestled along the lazy Braden River, Linger Lodge Restaurant is quintessentially “Olde Florida” at its best.

Established in 1945 as a fishing and hunting camp, the Lodge has evolved into a great place to dine, listen to live music and enjoy the great views. Two outside covered and screened decks provide picturesque water views. A full liquor bar and an inside air-conditioned Dining room complete the setting. Dishes range from the ever popular Catfish to the elegant Linger Ettoufee’. Also serving Florida Grouper sandwiches, Burgers, Rueben’s, Alligator Bites, Gator Chowder and our award winning Gumbo.

7205 85th St. Ct. E, Bradenton 941-755-2757 www.lingerlodgeresort.com

Main Street Trattoria

Tandoor Fine Indian Cuisine Tandoor Indian Restaurant opened in 2001 in south Sarasota. Since then, we have been offering authentic Indian food to the Sarasota community. Come in and enjoy our All You Can Eat Lunch Buffet every day from 11:30am – 2:30pm. Dinner is served Mon. – Thurs. 5-9:30pm; Fri. – Sat. 5-10pm and Sun. 5-9pm. We also offer Vegan and Gluten Free menu options. We use only the finest ingredients to prepare dishes that are as healthy as they are delicious.

Relax and enjoy an exquisite dining experience not just as our guests, but as our friends.

Catering available for all occasions.

8453 Cooper Creek Boulevard, Bradenton 941-926-3077 www.tandoorsarasota.net

Tandoor FINE INDIAN CUISINE

DINNER • LUNCH BUFFET • TAKE OUT • DELIVERY • CATERING

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Wolves Head Pizza & Wings is a new brew house and eatery out east! The perfect combination of great food and great atmosphere. The menu consists of delicious, made from scratch items and of course, their signature pizza and wings. They offer daily food specials, so there is something for everyone. The bar is stocked with 19 craft beers on tap, as well as a large wine selection. And with eight flat screen T.Vs, it’s easy to enjoy your favorite game. Whether you dine in or take out, come try Wolves Head Pizza & Wings, and you’ll become a regular!For more information, check out our Facebook page or our website.

837 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., Lakewood Ranch 941-251-4028 www.wolvesheadpizza.com

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Wolves Head Pizza

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8131 Lakewood Main Street, Lakewood Ranch 941-907-1518 www.mstrattoria.com

dining out

Opened in 2010 by owner Gary Fennessy, Main Street Trattoria in Lakewood Ranch features fresh Italian cuisine including their signature bruschetta focaccia, chicken Milanese, and hand tossed thin crust pizza, just to name a few. Mr. Fennessy wanted to create a place where friends and family alike can gather for a one of a kind dining experience. One of the best features is their inside/ outside bar that opens up to a great outdoor dining area, where you’ll find live music Wed.- Sat. from 6-10 p.m. and Sundays 4-8 p.m. Offering happy hour daily 3-7 p.m.

Kids menu and take out also available.

DINE IN OR TAKE OUT

OPEN 7 Days A Week 11am -11pm!

Located snug in the corner of Lakewood Ranch Blvd., just south of SR 64

1837 LAKEWOOD RANCH BLVD • 941 - 251 - 4028

PARTING GLANCE

Lakewood Ranch resident Larry E. George shot this sunrise photo in the park behind Greenbrook West. George enjoys nature and wildlife photography and is a member of the Lakewood Ranch Digital Photography Club.

DISTINCTIVE HOMES. EXCEPTIONAL NEIGHBORHOODS. A F T E R A L L , T H E G E M S H O U L D A L WAY S F I T T H E S E T T I N G .

Ft. Hamer Road

An interesting thing happens when you combine a distinctive home with exceptional surroundings; you find the home you’ve been looking for. With his in mind, Neal Signature Homes proudly invites you to visit its homes at this Country Club East, in The Highlands and Haddington neighborhoods. Take your time, and look closely at their clean, classic design. Floor plans flow naturally in a way that’s contemporary and stylish. We think they make the perfect complement to the exceptional neighborhoods in which they are placed and the Country Club-style amenities you’ll enjoy. Because to our way of thinking, the right fit is everything.

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SEE FOR YOURSELF BY VISITING: 1. Barbados II Model in Highfield at The Country Club 12435 Highfield Circle, Lakewood Ranch, FL | From the low $900s 2. Palmavera Model in Haddington at Country Club East 7327 Haddington Cove, Lakewood Ranch, FL | From the mid $400s 3. Bellevista in Highlands at Country Club East 7327 Haddington Cove, Lakewood Ranch, FL | From the mid $400s

Rye Road

DI S COV E R N E A L S IG N AT U R E HOM E S AT CO U N T RY C LU B E A S T.

Upper Manatee River Road 51st Street SE

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Rye Road

2 3 4 Sarasota Bradenton International Airport

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NealSignatureHomes.com | 941.225.2342 | CBC 1257901

1 2 113 Lakewood Ranch Country Club

MORE CENTRAL. MORE PARK. MORE HOMES. BUILDING. HOME. LIFE with more value.

AND NOW, MORE REASONS TO BUY NOW! Homes from the high $200s to low $500s • Exceptional range of floorplans & prices • 11 model homes to visit

SALES CENTER & MODELS OPEN DAILY 11803 Gramercy Park Avenue Lakewood Ranch, FL 34211

• Floor plans from 1,162 to over 3,000 sq. ft.

• 10-acre centrally-located park with Splash Park, 2 dog parks, tennis courts, ball field, kid’s adventure park, covered pavilion & walking trails ready for you to enjoy

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CALL FOR INFORMATION & APPOINTMENT 877.451.6739

• 5 distinct neighborhoods now open

Southwest Florida’s Most Experienced Home Builder For Over 40 Years

NealCommunities.com Prices and availability subject to change without notice. CBC1256375